Reviews (12)

The Ultimate Spider-Man's first encounters with the Kingpin
There are some noted examples of a writer coming in and revitalizing a comic book by tinkering with the fundamental nature of the character, as Alan Moore did with "The Swamp Thing" and Frank Miller accomplished with "Daredevil." But starting from scratch, as Marvel is attempting with "Ultimate Spider-Man" is a much rarer attempt (e.g., John Byrne starting over with Superman). However, writer Brian Michael Bendis is well aware of the high stakes game he is playing and through this second trade paperback collection of comic book stories ("Ultimate Spider-Man" issues 8-13) the results are quite admirable.

At first glance the obvious intent here is to condense the story of Spider-Man. In what we know consider Volume 1 of "The Amazing Spider-Man" Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin, does not show up until issue #50 (and really did not become the monolithic New York City crime boss until Miller worked the character into "Daredevil"). Here he catches Peter Parker's attention in issue #8 and it is Spider-Man's attempt to bring down the secretive crime lord that creates the story arc of this collection. This means that we get to avoid the Terrible Tinkerer and other abominations from the early years of Spider-Man under Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. On the Peter Parker side of the equation we pass Betty Bryant and Gwen Stacy and go immediately to Mary Jane Watson.

The theme of these stories is that Spider-Man, who is in point of fact almost sixteen years old, is in way over his head as a superhero. The Kingpin proves this by taking about a half dozen pages to defeat Spider-Man and toss his unconscious body out the window. Spider-Man's early attempts at crime fighter are so inept that he actually contributes to the idea that Spider-Man is a criminal, making it easy for J. Jonah Jameson to trash the hero in "The Daily Bugle." In the end it is as much Peter Parker as his alter-ego that scores an initial, tentative victory over the Kingpin; plus Spider-Man's verbal battle with the Kingpin is a minor comic (as in comedic not as in book) gem.

But Bendis is interested in doing more than creating a more streamlined version of the story of Spider-Man. In the final issue of this collection he unveils a radical change in the whole secret identity part of the character's dynamic. It will be interesting to see how this plays out (especially since it kills one of the my all-time favorite scenes from the original "Amazing Spider-Man"), but I have to admit I appreciate the character's motivation for doing so. The Spider-Man story is enough of a soap opera without resorting to the more inane traditional elements of the genre. All in all, this is a first rate retelling of the tale, enjoyable both by those who are well versed in the character and those who come to this series in the wake of the blockbuster film.

The pencils of Mark Bagley and inks of Art Thibert create a unique artistic interpretation of Spider-Man (think Titian inked by Todd McFarlane) and Peter Parker (whose can match Mary Jane strand for strand for hair in the face). I am not sure if the credit goes to the writer or the artists, but bonus points for having the saved new and improved Electro from having to wear one of the worst costumes in the history of comic books.

SPIDERMAN DONE RIGHT!
If you're a long time fan of the Amazing Spiderman comics, if you're a new reader, or if you're just curious about this character before the Sam Raimi film hits on May 3, 2002...THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

Brian Michael Bendis is the best thing to happen to Spiderman since Stan Lee and John Romita. He's got a firm grip on the character and successfully manages to put a 21st century spin on things so both old and new fans can equally enjoy. Peter Parker is portrayed even more realistically here than he was in the classic run of the original title. Here's a hero with worries, problems, goof-ups, and oh yeah...superpowers.

The first Ultimate Spiderman collection "Power and Responsibility" is arguably one of the Top 5 story collections in Spidey history. With "Learning Cruve" Bendis proves that he is not going to have a sophomore jinx.

This collection of stories from the Ultimate Spiderman comic series covers issues 8-13. Inside we're treated to: Peter still struggling with his powers and his new role as a hero, Spiderman's clash with the Kingpin, an Ultimate spin on J.J. Jameson and the staff of the Daily Bugle, and revamped characters of The Enforcers and Electro.

There is no way to give the story justice in a review. You need to read and enjoy Learning Curve like any Spiderman fan should...with a smile on your face!

The most consistently well-written comic today
"Learning Curve" is the second volume of Ultimate Spider-man. Ultimate Spider-man is Marvel's seperate brand of comics that, in a sense, are "new", seperated from 42 years of continuous storytelling. The idea is that any new reader would be hopeless trying to read modern comics since they can't first go back and read the 1000+ issues that proceeded it. So Ultimate Spider-man takes a familiar hero, Spider-man, and starts him from the beginning; a whole new story for readers to enjoy.

What is amazing about this series is that it has caught on not just with new readers, but with long-time comic fans. This is because not only does it have clean, accessible art, wholesome writing, and completely accessible and fun dialouge, but it features a "truer" version of Spider-man than the one in the regular comic. In the "Amazing Spider-man" comic, Peter Parker is married, has a job, nothing very interesting for comic readers. In Ultimate Spider-man, he is still 16, still in high school, still struggling to balance a girlfriend, classes, internship, all while putting in swingtime as the misunderstood webslinger.

This collection, number two in the series (I recommend getting number one first), features Spider-man's battle with the Kingpin. The story is chock full of intelligence, with things going on as they would in the real world. No comic book death traps, no silly villians. The final battle with the Kingpin is not only well-written, it is one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in a comic book. And the final chapter features a great moment in the very real and heartfelt relationship between Peter and Mary Jane, a relationship that gets more real and more interesting with each succeeding chapter.

Buy this book, hell, buy the hardcover with volumes one and two if you can find it. It's worth reading, and it'll be worth taking off your shelf in years to come. Good for kids and adults.

Loved it!
If you're collecting this series, this is a good one! I enjoyed it. Still, if you're starting there's a limited hardcover with the whole series its 1000 pages! That's the one I wanted my friend has it but getting them one by one is good too.

this one was ok
This one was okay, it was fun going from page to page with spidy and the art work was wonderful, except for the first two pages ... Read more

Reviews (27)

I've been waiting my whole life for something like this
I would have sold my soul to Satan to have this book when I was 10 years old, Their in black and white..... who cares! This book has the first 22 Spider-Man comic books ever made! The actual comics themselves would cost thousands, this book is only 11 dollars! It was really a great thing and meant a lot to me, I was obsessed with Spider-Man when i was younger and would constantly wonder what the first few Spider-Man comics must have been like, i would have paid 11 thousand dollars for this book without blinking an eye, this is truly a great gift by the Marvel Comics people and any Spider-Man fan should buy this, or they simply arent a Spider-Man fan at all. I would have killed for Amazing Fantasy 15 alone, let alone the rest of them!! And they are really great stories, its kind of sad to see how Peter and Betty split up after time, and amazing to see the first appearances of Spider-Man's worst enemies, though the Green Goblins first appearance was disappointing, but who cares! It is simply the greatest thing anyone could ever get for 11 dollars, fantastic book, but I must warn you if you buy this book you'll be hooked and you'll have to buy the other 4 books or you'll go crazy! INCREDIBLE BOOK!

Not too shabby at all
This book is really good and definently a must-read for Spider-Man fans. It's got great art by Steve Ditko, spectacular stories by Stan Lee, and great characters like Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson. Unfortunently......

Its incredibly corny. If you're like me, and you don't really mind that too much, go ahead and get it. Its actually a pretty good laugh. But if stuff like communisium being the evil behind everything (and I DO mean EVERYTHING) and villains that pop up out of nowhere without any explanation (or any promise of one, either) bothers you, I would skip this and go to Essential Spidey Vol. 2.

Spider-Man: The Hero That Lives On!
The Essential Spider-Man Vol. 1 is awesome, y'all! After watching Spider-Man: The Movie, I bought it and loved every minute reading it! All issues are in black and white, but who cares! I'd rather get the first issues of Spider-Man in one book, than looking around everywhere, spending precious dollars for the same issues but in color. If you like the movie, you'll definetly like this!

What I like best about this book is it introduces some of Spidey's major villians:

Dr. Octopus (a.k.a. Doc Ock)
Dr. Doom
Kraven the Hunter
The Chameleon
Mysterio
The Vulture
The Scorpion
Green Goblin
The Sandman
The Ring Master
The Enforcers
The Lizard
Electro

And there's guest appearances of The Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and the Hulk!

A must-buy!

Nuff said, y'all!

These graphic novels are truly NOVELS
I love graphic novels as much as the next collector and have just about everything listed by Amazon. Not exactly everything, but a great percentage. This graphic novels should actually be rated and listed the same as regular novels, because the dynamics of their stories, not just the fantastic artwork, takes you away to places that novels, such as STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, CHILDHOOD'S END, FOUNDATION, RINGWORLD, STAR TREK novels, DARKEYE: CYBER HUNTER and so forth, take you. All are extremely imaginative and have visually-gratifying narrative/dialogue not too far removed from graphic novels such as this or any other. Broaden your minds, but hang on to the graphic novels as well!

This like so totally rocks, dude!
These comix are awsome! the battles are stylized and spidey actually looks like they hired a choreographer for his fights! this book rules and i am gonna get the other essential spider-man real soon. buy this!!! ... Read more

Reviews (72)

A resounding, "So what?"
Well, after 30-plus years, the comic book fans of America finally have an origin to put to Wolverine. And now, having read the book, I've got to approach it with a resounding, "So what?"

Okay -- the good stuff first. The artwork by Adam Kubert and Richard Isanove is absolutely wonderful. Kubert's sense of storytelling is second to none and Isanove's gorgeous, lush painted-colors process is something I'd love to see more often.

But the story... the STORY... Paul Jenkins, as he has proven with his work on Spider-Man, is a superb writer, so for the life of me I can't figure out how "Origin" wound up with such a so-so story. It felt like he was playing a "fill in the blank" game when he, Joe Quesada and (ugh) Bill Jemas put the story together. "Okay, what do we know about Wolverine? He's Canadian, he calls himself Logan and he's got a thing for redheads. Can we do anything with that?"

It isn't a BAD book, but the story doesn't really have any jarring or eye-popping revelations, no outstanding surprises and no real lasting repercussions for the regular X-Men titles, unless Wolverine were to somehow regain his memory of these events. Even then, I'm not sure how much of a difference that would really make, either in terms of story or characterization. Jemas said Marvel did this book because they wanted to do "The greatest story Marvel's never told." I've gotta say, if this is indicative of the rest of those "untold tales," they may as well stay that way.

Good start but incomplete
Being a huge fan of Marvel's Wolverine character, I really enjoyed this book. 'Origin' had the task of telling the beginnings of the character, and finally explaining what the up until now mysterious origins of the character were. This book tells a good story, throwing in some mildly obvious twists and tragedy to interest all readers. The art is beautiful, and gives the work an identity. The story itself seems to work better as an introduction, an feels unfinished. There is obviously so much more to tell of the characters beginnings, and anyone who picks 'Origins' up to read should understand it's not the complete origin of Wolverine, rather just the first chapter. A good read, and I can't wait for more.

How can you call this Literature?
The Wolverine's Origin issues are among the best american superheroes comics I have "seen" lately, I wouldn't say "read" lately.

I would recommend it if there would be a little more depht in the story: the arts are excellent, but sometimes I just feel the words in this comic (as in most american superheroes comics) are senseless, uninspired and very weak.

If you are an X-Men diehard fan, don't waste your time and get it as soon as possible; otherwise, don't waste your time reading it. Shop through amazon and get some real books instead. And if you NEED to read comics, look for more mature european comics or japanese manga (you know, those comic books where you can see real people, real problems, and real fun, not mere superzeroes wearing tighs and red visible underwear)...

Finally, maybe the fact that Wolverine is not wearing your typical and ridiculous american superhero custome makes this book more readable.

okay good story but raises more questions
I like wolverine this raises more questions than answers for 1 I seewhy logan went crazy I'm not sure does he wanna remember his past come on you discover your mutant powers by killing your dad's murderer wolverine's chose to forget that part of his life you blame him he has no memories of his mom as he staTED AND this story tells why his mom was a fruitcake and then again it's made clear that his mom had an affair with thomas logan what's worst it seems like th boutwell family seems to be cursed, then again I'm a writer myself and I for one would have made wolverine older fans check out the unofficial wolverine chronolgy to see what I mean it seems the logan we know of today was an adult around the late 1800's and also wolverine met demons and stuff at some point in his young life and when he first joined the x men tests showed that logan was more than a mutant plus somebody pointed in japan that logan had powers he was'nt aware of.

this story here explains why wolverine is attracted to redheads it's explains why he became what he is now isolation, abuse from all ends, toughning up by mine work an urge to hunt and kill because he does'nt know he's a mutant yeah but i also thought that wolverine knows more about his past than he lets on as sabretooth points out weapon x never touched his memories but weapon x did indeed mess with his mind come on the abuse logan took in weapon x was unbelievable and the professor did indeed toy with his mind.

at the end where rose dies it seems like she knew dog was coming this might explains why she was eager to elope with smitty cause dog seemed to easily find logan this story should have been longer than 6 issues that's my only fault folks think does dog become sabretooth no he does'nt.

maybe origin 2 will reveal more details more logan's young life.

Did I miss something?
(...) I think ORIGIN is flawed on its own terms. From its trite character reversal to its uneven story-telling, this reads more like a series of "cool twists" hodge-podged together than like a coherent narrative. At several climactic moments (particularly early on), following the action was made fairly difficult due to similar appearances of critical characters -- even after several rereads, for example, I'm still not quite sure what happened in the scene where Wolverine's father dies. My impression is that there is a suggestion that his titular father was cuckolded by the groundskeeper, but beyond that, I'm at a loss.

The story has its requisite throw-ins to the comic (a cage fight, young Wolvie getting a book on samurai *snicker*, and so forth), but because it is so far removed from the standard X-Men universe, I feel like it should be judged more or less on its own rights. There, it has weak pacing, mediocre writing, faux anime art, and not much character development beyond bare archetyping. Maybe for die-hard fans it's good enough, but I'd recommend a pass. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Between Death And Life
At one time, in the 80's, I had a comic book collection numbering in the 1,000's. Thanks to the first Superman film, his exploits were among my "must buys" every month. However, for economic reasons and due to the rigors of college, I stopped collecting comics on a regular basis by the time this storyline first saw print in single issue format in the 90's. Special events in my favorite heroes "lives" may briing me out of retirement for a brief time-if I was intrigued enough. Even though, I knew it was an event, that was in part, created to boost sales-The Death Of Superman story qualifies as too cool to pass up. When I was out looking in the bargain bin in a comics shop, I came across all three parts of the story as trade paperbacks, at a good price, given that I forged ahead...

The story picks up right after Superman's deadly battle with Doomsday. Originallly titled Funeral For A Friend and published in single issue format, I must admit that World Without A Superman, is the most satifying part of the trilogy. All of the contributing Superman writers in the book have a handle on the characters. All of Superman's secondary characters and heroic "guest stars" get a chance to have a few moments. Even though the ultimate outcome of the man of steel's return was never really in doubt. The writing is very effective and I imagine that if the world really had superpowered beings to lose-it would go something like this. Lois Lane's grief is captured in a real way, even as not so real things are going on around her. At it's core, the story will resonate, even as I said, the outcome is never in doubt. Lex Luthor and Supergirl play key roles as well. The different writers do a fine keeping everything connected, which can sometimes be problematic, as seen in part III

As with the other books in the trilogy, the art varies, throughout the graphic novel. There's no doubt that the work done here was completed by some talented folks, it's just that some of the art stands out more than over the rest. The work by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding is among the best. There crisp style serves the multipart story quite well. There are a number of panels that I would not mind framing if I could

The book is the best in the trilogy of trade paperbacks. This is one that I'm glad I own There are 240 pages in the collection

The Aftermath of The Lost Battle
What happens when a Superman dies? This is the second trade paperback after The Death of Superman. The series was orginally titled Funeral For A Friend. Basically, it picks up after Superman's death. We watch how many lives are touched by it everyone from a street peddler to his parents. When I started reading comics in 1993, I picked up part three of this series. The scene that did it for me was when his parents decided to hold their own memorial and bury the things that meant that most to him (things that included a teddy bear and a baseball glove). This is the middle block between the Death and the Return. It is worth a read.

Get this now!
Superman has met his match with one of the strongest. tries his hardest to save this new world. You must get this comic The death of superman, the return of superman and hunter/prey. these are the best comic books you will ever read and it is definetly worth the money.

Touching
Hot on the heels of perhaps one of the most controversial takes on the Superman charcater, DC takes us to a world where life continues without a Superman's presence. It points how the Man of Steel held against his people and other heroes. A number of the World's Finest make their appearance. Even Batman, who is known to be the coldest and most calculating of all heroes makes a cameo here, which just reverbetates the power of the storyline. A great deal is discussed about Big Blue's influence on a number of people, but the most touching and the true driving force of all this was how the people close to Supes's alter ego react. Lois, his parents and even Jimmy Olsen are portrayed to view the loss and each scene with any of them sure makes you think how these people looked up to the big man. The story does bridge the gap between Bog Blue's death and return. Since this is a trade paperback, collecting individula comics, DC had to do this as part of a marketing plan to hold their audience captivated after Superman's death. they could not bring him back full blast, which is rediculous to say the least, so they bring out a human story that can be considered the other side of the action motivated coin of his death.

A truy touching tale, portraying the love and meaning of how life can trul feel like after the death of a dear one.

Landmark collection.
World Without a Superman is a landmark issue in the medium of comics, giving depth to the Death of Superman series. This collection is essential to truly get the full impact of the death and eventual rebirth of a pop cultural icon. ... Read more

Book Description

Professor X thought he'd solved the problem of Magneto, but the mutant master of magnetism has regained his memory and his mission!Now the X-Men are on the run, with the Ultimates hot on their trail!Can the X-Men stop Magneto before he executes his plan to enslave the human race? ... Read more

Reviews (9)

New generation of writers out to destroy comics....
These new stories by Millar contain terrible Kubert drawings and story plots that go no where. They play more like a video game rather then a comic and are the work of people who are more like internet geeks then serious writers. No wonder comic book sales are dead and less then 2,000 comic book stores are still open nationwide.

Los mutantes recontados
La idea del Universo Ultimate que tan bien le esta saliendo a la Marvel, es adaptar sus historias clasicas al entorno actual con la finalidad de atraer nuevos lectores. Es decir, todos sabemos lo geniales que son los mutantes de Stan Lee pero reconozcamos que no atraen lo suficiente a nuevos lectores.
Asi, esta version Ultimate incorpora varios cambios menores que al final hacen un gran cambio, por ejemplo en las personalidades de los personajes, su origen, etc. Y todo eso hace una gran lectura. El escritor es Mark Millar, la actual estrella de la editorial Marvel que ademas ha escrito a los geniales Ultimates y los dibujantes son los hermanos Adam y Andy Kubert que se complementan muy bien el uno al otro. En resumen, buenos autores logran una estupenda historia.
Este tomo de tapa dura tiene los primeros 12 numeros de la coleccion Ultimate X-men:
- del #1 al #6: Tomorrow People, como se reclutan a los nuevos X-men y la pelea contra la version mas malvada de Magneto que se haya visto.
- del #7 al #12: Return to Weapon X, con la aparición estelar del Ultimate Samuel Jackson, perdon, quise decir Nick Fury.
Altamente recomendable para quienes pensaron que no se podian hacer nuevas historias de mutantes, para quienes no tienen nada de los X-men en su coleccion y para quienes llegan a los X-men por la pelicula.

Keep it real
The creators of Ultimate X-men did a very smart thing. They started all the way over. Considering Ult. X-men starts off anew, they can do what they wish with the story. Unlike X-treme and New X-Men which have plots so Twisted, it doesn't feel like the X-Men at all. They changed a few things in this series, like how Wolverine joined. Also Colossus and Storm take Angel's place as one of the first X-men. Making a team of 6 instead of 5. Magneto and the Brotherhood are pretty much the same. These books are solely based on story. Theres action, but its kinda far between.

The Weapon X Program tries to "recruit" the X-Men
Despite the title and the cover art for this second trade paperback volume in the "Ultimate X-Men" series (collecting issues 7-12), "Return to Weapon X" does not focus on the character of Wolverine. True, he is a key part of the solution for the predicament our Merry Mutants have found themselves in this time around, but Weapon X is now a big time secret government program run under the auspices of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury that has a rather impressive little roster of mutants in its service: Juggernaut, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Sabertooth. Think of them as the government's answer to the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and that pretty much accounts for all of the mutants belonging to groups at this point in the series.

Despite being on a first name basis with the President of the United States, Xavier's School for Gifted Children is hit by Colonel Wraith and his shock troops, both human and mutant. Now Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and the others will serve the greater good and help the government fight fire with fire (the only good mutant is a mutant with a neural implant). Of course, since this is a comic book, the person in charge of this government program is psychotic and perfectly willing to do anything to do anything to get the job done (or did I mention already that Wraith was in charge?). The main part of the story arc has to do with the X-Men regaining their freedom, but this is also mixed up with Wolverine's search for his past and Nick Fury's search for an illegal genetic operation violating the Superhuman Test-Ban Treaty.

I think that one of the main strengths of the Ultimate comic books is that they emphasize story arcs that take multiple issues (six in this case) so that a dozen issues into the series we have only dealt with two major stories instead of a self-contained episode with a new villain every single month. This should help the well from running dry too quickly. Writer Mark Millar along with Penciller Adam Kubert (with Tom Raney & Tom Derenick) and Inker Art Thibert (with Scott Hanna, Joe Kubert, Danny Miki, & Lary Stucker) are having fun tweaking the "original" X-Men stories and creating some new dynamics (e.g., Storm is interested in Hank McCoy, Nightcrawler does not speak English) so I think that those who have been reading the X-Men since issue #1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (or issue #1 of "The Giant-Size X-Men") will enjoy the differences more than neophytes and appreciate the way key stories resonant (e.g., Jean Grey is Marvel Girl and not Phoenix when she steps over the line this time around).

"Return to Weapon X" is not as good as the first volume in the series, but it is hard to compete with Magneto when you talking about the X-Men, whichever version of the group is involved. Millar's story is certainly complex enough and you can see all sorts of things being set up for down the road. As long as you are not offended by the very existence of the series, you should find "Ultimate X-Men" or any of the other titles in the Marvel series to be at least entertaining and quite possibility compelling. At the very least, you should be able to appreciate the tweaking.

Awesome!
An alternate X-Men universe is perhaps the best way for newer readers to come to terms with the characters that have amazed many throughout the years. The familiar characters get a stylish upgrade. Jean Grey with red, spiky hair? Cyclops with a goatee? Iceman with a bandana? You get them all here! Fantastic artwork with a reasonably paced storyline. The X-Men's battle with Magneto's Brotherhood of the Evil Mutants opened its first chapter. A highly recommended read. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Major chaos in the lives with the Titans
I've collected and read every story with the Teen Titans, New Titans, Team Titans, ect. but this story line is most felt by all Titans fans. The emotions felt by the characters is also felt by the readers...the art work is superb in itself. Plenty of times the world thought that the Titans were a knockoff of the X-men but they have proven time and time again that they are in a league of their own. Especially with this storyline with Trigon, a creature of almost limitless power, whos daughter is a member of a team who opposes him.
To show the extremity of the situation they show that even Superman,Batman (who usually can figure a solution to anything), and the entire Justice League couldn't stop him.
The creative minds of Wolfman, Perez (both my favorite), and the others brought out our own fears when they had the Titans go through theirs. The most horrifying was a tie between Nightwing and Changeling.
I was hoping that they would make an animated movie with this storyline (not with the current Teen Titans cartoon).
The cover of this paperback is the only thing I disagree with.
It's a minor glich with Cyborg when they should show the Nightmarish Cyborg without the cybornetic implants.
To make this story more monumental they should have it with crossovers with the other DC titles to show the sitiuations during the storyline.

Terriffic!!!
Now, i read this collection some years ago, perhaps as many as four years ago, but every single time i re-read it, it is no less effective in its original goal, which was no doubt to bring a fresh, slightly skewed perspective to comic storytelling. More often than not, by mainstream America, comic books are seen as mere children's entertainment, as they've been viewed since their strange conception. This read was one of the very first(alongside Mr. Warren Ellis's works, Mr. Clarmont's tales, and Mr. Moore's yarns)character driven comic tales i'd ever read in which the character's motives and actions actually mattered. You could see the emotion in the drawings. You could feel every sharp taunt, every shocking revelation, every crass word, every desperate betrayel, and what's more, you knew how the characters felt upon the terrible devestation visited upon New York, and more to the point, their team. Their family. Nightwing. Evolution. Starfire. Emotion in it's most pure, achingly honest form. Cyborg. Hope, strength and insecurity unified. Kid Flash. Extremely human. Changeling. A Normal eye into the terror of the situation. Wonder Girl. Morality and Honesty personified.Team Heart. Raven. Terrifying. You felt the hopelessness of the team's situation, you actually felt their love for each other. Outside of X-men and The Avengers, you don't feel that kind of thing anymore. Or rarely, if so, thanks to Mr. Morrisson, Mr. Johns, Mr. Winnick, among others, though few they be. More than any other comic, which, because books like this one, are now being viewed as a slightly more adult format of mature, meaningful storytelling, this book, The New Teen Titans, allowed me to see just how real these paper and ink characters could be. To this day, i compare every other work i read, as far as character driven tales and interesting interaction, to this book, in it's heyday. Wolfman & Perez, what can i say? They sit upon the nigh unattainably high crest of storytelling greatness alongside Claremont & Byrne, Moore & Curtis, Moore & Veldt, Millar & Hitch, Ellis & Hitch...this is a read that i reccommend to anyone willing to see comics as they truly are in the 21st century....extremely intelligent, innovative, very creative and thoughtprovoking.
Adult.
Hawksmoor..From The Bleed
All Things Serve The Beam

A comic classic!
I just picked up my copy of this trade and reread it as I have countless times since the story's original run in the summer of 1984 prior to starting high school. As always, I was THOROUGHLY entertained! George Perez is the MASTER artist and it shows throughout the story. The high points of his art are the first two parts inked by himself and the staggering amount of detail he always throws in. Look at the "spires" twisting through the city and you'll know what I mean. I just wish he could've inked his pencils through the entire story although Romeo Tanghal backs him up quite well in parts 3 thru 5. Marv Wolfman expertly handles the execution of the subplot he and George had set up since the very beginning in 1980...Raven walking her father's road. I don't find it derivative of X-Men's Phoenix as implied by others since this subplot was around since the first story arc in '80. The subplot of the Titans each facing their fears and evil selves is effectively chilling. Just check this book out along with The Judas Contract. You don't find many stories like these in comics OR in most novels these days. Enjoy!

Not what I expected...
I ordered this because I thought it was a reprint of Teen Titans 1-5 (1980), which I read as a child. Actually, it's a reprint of 1-5 of the "2nd spin" of the title-circa 1985. To add to the confusion, both sets of issues (1-5) featured a Trigon storyline !

Anyway, the art by George Perez is gorgeous-some of his best ever. The writing is ok too, but the storyline is nothing new: kind of derivative of the X-men (Raven ~Phoenix becomes corrupted by her darker nature and goes bad.) Now as an adult, I prefer more sophisticated fare... I guess nostalgia only goes so far. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Ultimate excellence!
Ultimate Six
The Concept: Part Ultimate Spiderman, Part Ultimates- the characters of these two books serve to highlight the books true stars- the Ultimate villains. The book presents a unique look at the Ultimate rouges gallery.
The Good: Fans of both book will find there is something for everyone here. Whether it is the continuing development of Peter Parker, or the widescreen cimatetic epic battles for the fans of the Ultimates. Bendis does a superb job of keeping the pages, and the suprises comming. I am confindent many a fan will find themselves glued to thier seat.
The art is by newcomer Trevor Hairsine. The good news is that his art is like Brian Hitch- it is epic, conveys lots of detail, and strength.
The Bad: Mr. Hairsine is not Brian Hitch. Oh he is good, and I look foward to his next projects, but if you read this expecting the slick, and scarily realistic blockbuster art of Hitch you will be disapointed. Some of the action gets a bit cluttered, and Hairsine's art is very slightly reminiscent of another Europeon artist- igor Kordey.
Overall: A smart, suspensful,and suprising rollercoaster of a book. The Ultimate line at its very best.

Recreated Sinister Six
This story is very complicated and for fans who haven't read any Ultimate Spider-man or Ultimates books, don't get this one. There is a little background information that you'll need to understand this. First, Spider-man is about sixteen and has faughten each of the villains he is up against: Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Kraven, and Sandman (note: thats only five villains!) The Ultimates are a super-team to help fight mutant terrorists. They're just improved Avengers. They include Captain America, Giant Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Iron Man, and Thor. Ok, now the story starts with Ultimate Spider-man #46 where Spider-man fights the Sandman. Later, the story branches out to a SHIELD contaiment prison for the five Spider-man villains. They team up and break out of the prison. They then kidnap the young teen and threaten to kill his aunt if he doesn't cooperate. The team becomes....The Six! The showdown with the Six and the Ultimates begins! Which side will Spider-man fight on???

Should be a stand alone, not #9
This graphic novel is listed as #9 in the Ultimate Spider-Man series, but really only contains one Ultimate Spider-Man comic in it with the other six being Ultimate Six comics.

I grabbed it eagerly hoping for more Ultimate Spider-Man, but the storyline picked up more of the convoluted typical comic fare than the simple-sweet personal style of Ultimate Spider-Man. The art after the first issue isn't typical of that series either, and is made up entirely of the more "realistic" art of Ultimate Six that leaves something to be desired if you're a fan of Ultimate Spider-Man's style up to this point.

Overall it's #9 in the list of these graphic novels, but if you were to skip it there's only a minor detail leading into what will be in #10 that you will have missed (and will pick up soon from there anyway). Since my interest is much more toward Ultimate Spider-Man than what Nick Fury and the Ultimates are up to these days, I found this graphic novel to be very disappointing both in story and art when all I wanted was more Spidey.

Aside from the first issue in the book and its action introduction of The Sandman, the rest is forgettable and not up to par with the eight that preceeded it.

Ultimate Showdown
This is a great story, but I wish the whole thing had been drawn by cover artist John Cassady. Trevor Hairsine is definitely not a bad artist, but sometimes his art seems a little rushed and inconsistent. And also.... why the hell can't the Ultimate Six be in full costume? Yeah yeah yeah it's more realistic that way but I'd choose entertainment over realism anyday, as far as comics go. So basically if this thing had been drawn by Cassady and the villians had their costumes on (except for Sandman - I'd let that slide) I'd love this collection 10 times more. And for crap's sake, Spider-Man, put on your damn mask.

....but yeah, the story is good. Cheers!

The Ultimates battle the Ultimate Six as Spider-Man watches
In 1964 when Stan Lee and Steve Ditko did the first annual for "The Amazing Spider-Man" they came up with a story called "The Sinister Six," which had the web-head going up against Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, the Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. In order to rescue Betty Brant and find Aunt May, Spider-Man has to tackle six of his greatest villains working together and to make things really interesting he has to do it while he has apparently lost his powers. Also appearing in the book in the most minor of roles are Dr. Strange, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, the X-Men, Giant Man and Wasp, who have really nothing to do with our hero defeating the villains (one by one it turns out, with Ditko getting to do a splash page of each battle) and saving the day.

"Ultimate Six" is a seven part miniseries that brings together the Ultimates and Ultimate Spider-Man from Marvel's (you guessed it) Ultimate line of comic books, and it seems to me that scripter Brian Michael Bendis, penciler Trevor Hairsine, and inker Danny Miki are doing an updated version of that first "Spider-Man" annual. In keeping with the mission statement of the Ultimate universe to do things with a twist in a bigger way whenever possible, the Ultimate Six have two key rosters changes. Gone are Mysterio and the Vulture to be replaced by the Green Goblin and (surprise) Spider-Man himself. After all, Norman Osborn knows that Spider-Man is really Peter Parker and threatening Aunt May is enough to get our young hero (who is about 16 at this point) to do anything to make sure she stays alive.

The other big change, as you would expect, is that the Ultimates (the new and improved Avengers) do not sit on the sidelines and show up to save the day. The roster assembled at this point consists of Captain America, Giant Man, Iron Man, Wasp, Thor, Hawkeye and the Black Widow, under the direction of Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Note: If you have not been reading either "The Ultimates" or "Ultimate Spider-Man" you are going to be woefully lost with this trade paperback.) The super villains were all being held at a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment center and when they escape Fury sics the Ultimates on them (Thor vs. Electro is a neat idea). But the bad guys manage to destroy the Ultimates' stronghold, the Triskelion, and kidnap Peter Parker. The big show down comes on the lawn of the White House as the battle comes down to the Green Goblin and Spider-Man, although not exactly the way you would expect. It seems Norman thinks of Peter as the son he never had (which will be interesting news to Harry to be sure).

This mini-series will appeal to fans of the Ultimates more than Spider-Man, although it has obvious consequences for the Ultimate Spider-Man story line. After all, Bendis, Hairsine and Miki are correct that Spider-Man is not going to be able to handle these five "mutant" villains (yes, one of them gets a power upgrade), especially if they fight as a team, which, this time they do. One of the key elements of the Ultimate universe is the government's concern with illegally obtained super powers and the idea that the next big war will be fought against mutants (Peter is going to be drafted into the Ultimates as soon as he turns 18). In dealing with the flip side of this, "Ultimate Six" also gets into the distorted psyches of the villains. Once I got used to the idea that Spider-Man was going to be a spectator for most of the action I was able to get with the program. Besides, I like the idea that Spider-Man really is in way over his head at this early stage in his superhero career. The scene were Captain America confronts Spider-Man is a good indication of how far over the rainbow we are in this story from the traditional Marvel universe, which is a main part of the appeal of the Ultimate titles. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

This IS the Siegel and Shuster Superman
John Byrne does not reinvent Superman in this collection. He returns the character to what he originally was. He strips away much of the mythos which only came into Superman's life after Siegel and Shuster left DC (Superboy, Supergirl, Krypto, multi-colored Kryptonite, god-like power levels, and Kryptonian heritage), and leaves us with the character as he was meant to be when he was created.

The greatest version of Superman's Origin.
John Byrne has done to Superman what he needed to have done. All of the anoying, cheesy parts of the Superman Legend have been removed, while essential new parts (such as leaving his parents alive and a millionaire Lex Luthor) are so good, I don't see how they had been left out. John Byrne has given everyone a personality, and a likable one at that. He draws Superman the way he is meant to be drawn. Finally, a believable Superman.

The Iron Age.
There was the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Broze Age, and then there was the Iron Age, possibly the most ill-concieved era in Superman's history. What Byrne essentially did with mos was strip all the awe, wonder, and grandeur of the character away and replace it with the mundane, ordinary, dull, and just plain repugnant.

First of all, the idea that Superman rose from hell rather than fell from heaven. Preposterous. Byrne intentionally created a Krypton that "deserved to blow up," creating a cold and sterile planet that has about as much charm as a pair of rubber gloves.

Secondly, there was the thing about making Clark a jock, which completely took away the audiences ability to relate to the character. Plus, the whole point when Siegel & Shuster created his dual identity was to show that within every meek and mild-mannered individual, there was, indeed, a Superman. Now, there was absolutely no difference between his personalities at all, making the character as bland as can be.

Thirdly, his depiction of Lois Lane doesn't exactly paint her in the best of lights. She comes off as a small and petty uber-witch who's only really attracted to men with a significant amount of power, either financial or physical.

Then there's Lex, who's reduced to a second-rate Kingpin wannabe, possessing not an ounce of the charm that the pre-Crisis Lex had and is a mere fraction of the threat.

As for Lana Lang, Clark's childhood sweetheart, Byrne writes her as a somewhat pathetic stalker, unable to move on with her life after Clark reveals his secret to her as teenagers.

And finally, possibly the worst line in comic book history appears at the end of this TPB. Contemplating his place in the world after discovering his Ktyptonian heritage, "Superman" utters something to the effect that while it's Krypton that makes him Superman, it's Earth that makes him human, completely disregarding his planet of origin. A true slap in the face to the Superman mythos.

My suggestion is this: if you want a tale about Superman's early years and origins on how he truly became the DCU's greatest super hero, pick up either the upcoming BIRTHRIGHT hardcover by Mark Waid or even Alan Moore's SUPREME. Don't let the title fool ya, despite it's SUPREME moniker, Alan Moore tells what has to be the best Superman tale of the '90s.

A more modern Superman origin, but Byrne's not at his best.
When Superman was first introduced, the primary electronic entertainment medium was radio. A lot's changed, and Superman has remained the same. Based on the introduction by Dick Giordano and John Byrne, the objective of this title is to polish the Superman mythology a bit - not rewriting anything, just making it more comparable to modern comic book story telling.

I bought this book with very little knowledge of the subject matter, and almost solely because I'm a big fan of Byrne's artwork. My hope was that I'd be able to provide my sons with a decent introduction to Superman when they're old enough to be interested. I was pleasantly surprised that the book starts at the very beginning, on Krypton and progresses through Superman's first meeting with Batman. It was like starting from scratch.

The stories are very basic, but they do convey who the key players in the Superman story are, and a deeper sense of what their relationships are. That said, I was underwhelmed by Byrne's work on this title. It really didn't compare to his work on X-men or the Fantastic Four. I suspect that the gritty, raw quality of the art is intentional, given the history of the character and the subject matter. And really, I know it's a small thing, but did Lois Lane absolutely have to wear that dress with the plunging neckline?!? It seemed pretty out-of-place in a set of tales that are otherwise completely innocent by today's standards.

he's just so..superman, it's great
the past few years superman has been written so poorly, the art has tried to make him more manga or just trying weird styles, people have written superman as everything but superman.

but in this book from 1986 we see superman, simple yet oh so effective, we believe he is superman, you see the man in the superman, the man who loves his parents, they love ihim, a lois who is strong but not the annoying lois we so a lot today.

superman was bogged down by being overpowerful, too alien and not very human, then Byrne come along and give us the human superman, the man who was clark kent first and superman second.

sadly dc comics is changing it back with a superman who is more wrapped up in being an alien, his father is not helping his son create a costume but becoming upset over it.

so if you want the great superman, get this and leave the newest books alone, and i assume the birthright story will become a trade soon, if you see it leave it be and let this be the only origin of supermans you read. ... Read more

Book Description

The Sentry was a beloved hero, fighting crime before the Fantastic Four took their fateful trip to the stars.He fought all manner of costumed villainy, making the notion of costumed crimefighting accepted by New York's citizenry.He fought alongside the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Spider-Man, the ideal they tried to measure up to.

But today, no one remembers who he was.

Bob Reynolds, teetering on the edge of both alcoholism and a failed marriage, wakes up to discover his true nature.He does so in time to begin rebuilding his life.The evil entity known as the Void is returning to Earth.Reynolds dons his Sentry uniform once more and has to unravel the conspiracy to erase his memory from mankind before the Void arrives.

Ready for the final battle, Marvel's premier hero is backed up by his closest friends, Mr. Fantastic, X-Men's Angel, the Hulk and Spider-Man.Could they be enough to stop an evil as powerful as the Void? ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Sacrifice it all!!!!
Marvel generated a lot of hype about the Sentinel including fake history pieces about this long lost Marvel character who should have been up there with the big guns like the F.F. and Avengers but then disappeared.

I found the story dragged at bit when I bought it on the newsstand but you know what??? When I read it in the collected edition it held together a lot better. You see a guy who could have made the silver age of Marvel shine all the brighter have to give it all up to live amongst us and it makes him all the more a hero.

This book is for everyone who had to give up a dream to do the right thing (raise a family, serve their nation, take care of a disabled love one) and will really strike a cord with them. For everyone else maybe it will show you how we feel.

Good idea marred by bad execution
I like Jenkins work in general, and the art here is fine. My concern lies primarily with the pacing of the tale: it's flat-out too slow, repeats itself for next-to-no reason WAY too often (even for a book that's split across a few titles it's too repetitous) and its flat-out anti-climatic. The intriguing idea of a long-lost hero's return - beloved (albeit unbelievably so for my taste...smacks too much of "Astro City", and not pleasantly so), powerful and righteous - into current day continuity was cool. It ends up, unfortunately, coming off like a boring Miracleman book.

Marvel's "Watchmen" or False Repressed Memory Syndrome
The creative team that made the outstanding "Inhumans" creates a revisionist history of the Marvel Universe by introducing the grandfather of caped heroes, (predating even the Fantastic Four) who mysteriously reappears after years in limbo. While neither the art nor the plot is as good as the "Inhumans", the story is gripping nontheless and makes for enjoyable reading. Paul Jenkins weaves in 'fictional' flashbacks that Jae Lee (and others) reflect in the drawing to neat affect. Appearances by Spidey, Doc Strange, the FF, the Hulk, and X-men add to the psuedo-nostalgia.

While not on par with 'Watchmen', 'Dark Knight' or 'Inhumans', I recommned it as nearly as essential as Alex Ross' 'Marvels' to true-believing Marvel fans.

Great book
This is one of the more intriguing stories of the last few years. Obviously the hype about a "long-lost" Marvel character draws the reader in, but the real story is about addiction. It is really an excellent social commentary by Paul Jenkins. Great art as well.

New secrets from old favorites
This book is an ideal purchase for FOOM's everywhere (that would be Friends of Old Marvel, you know who you are). If you grew up reading "Fantastic Four", "Spiderman", "X-Men", or "The Incredible Hulk" this book is a must. Jenkins weaves this a new hero seamlessly into Marvel history. This is an enjoyable read that leads up to a surprise twist in the end. Jae Lee's artwork is fresh and sharp. This book is an ideal purchase for the 30-something Marvel fan. Buy it today! 'Nuff Said! ... Read more

Book Description

The mysterious Quiet Man's identity is finally revealed! Mystique is sent on a mission to find Shortpack, who has mysteriously vanished. But she has enough on her mind already: she has to figure out how to assassinate Professor Charles Xavier! Mystique has been caught between two masters long enough; now, the time has come when she can no longer serve both!Collects Mystique #19-24. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1968, backed by popular demand, Marvel launched Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man - an all-new action series starring your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler! In these inaugural issues, never before reprinted in one volume, Spidey faces some of his most fearsome foes - including Tarantula, Kraven, Lightmaster, Vulture, Hitman, Morbius, Brother Power, Hate Monger, Beetle and the Enforcers! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, Inhumans and Champions! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Wonderful
I bought both volumes of Universe X without knowing Earth X was the first part of the story and proceeded to read them the second I got back from the store. I absolutely loved them. I imagine reading Earth X first would have illuminated certain areas of the story but everything was explained very well and I thought the story overall was great. I have always liked alternate reality comics, such as "What If".....Peter Parker hadn't gotten bitten by the spider?......Germany used the super soldier formula first?....etc.etc. So when I saw a huge graphic novel written and drawn by Ross and Krueger I had to get it.

While Universe X mentions in passing what happened to some of the more mainstream hero's and villians in Earth X so you don't get lost, I have to go out tomorrow and buy it to get a more detailed account. I recommend this highly! This series is wonderfully drawn and extremely well told. I found it to be entertaining and very enlightening as Krueger's story was at times very philisophical.

Also, since this story is very complex, a high level of knowledge of the Marvel Universe and it's characters is recommended.

Great Sequel, with some flaws
Actually it's probably misleading to call this a sequel; its not so much an all-new adventure as it is "Act II". The same trials and tribulations that took place in Earth X are still going on, its just now there are different players and goals. With Earth X, you probably thought every dark corner of Marvel Lore had been fully plumbed. You were wrong, as Ross and co, go even farther, bringing back lotsa characters the average Marvel zombie might have long forgotten (Gargoyle! The Micronauts!)
Like Earth X, Universe X (and this review applies to both volumes) is indispensible and you'll go back to it over and over again.
There are however two problems with the book: the big one being the artwork. It's not bad but a project like this deserves more majesty--something along the lines of what Ross did in Marvels. If painted pages would have been too costly, you would have liked to see some computer enhanced imagery as is so common today. You might have though Marvel would take a page from DC's books --when they've got a big deal story they get Ross the painter or George Perez or someone along those lines. But the art here is strictly run-of-the-mill; it's to the story's credit that it can rise above. I had the same complaint with Earth X, but at least there the drab, grim art complemented the story. Here, the art is too 'comic-booky'. The only part where this is good is in the Spider-Man 'flash-forward' scenes. (you'll see what I mean)

The other problem is the lack of reference material. If you don't own the complete run of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, or havent been reading Marvel comics for at least 20 years you could be hopelessly lost trying to make heads or tales out of this story. I'm grateful that they didn't stick
90 mutants in this epic, and also for the many in-jokes and sight gags, but some of the more obscure people, places and things deserve a footnote of sort so that younger readers wouldn't be completely left out.
Those objections aside, this is a worthy buy.
s

a good read
universe x has better art and is easier to follow than its predecessor, earth x. both are highly recommended though

This is like a Seinfeld episode.
Earth X was an overblown story about nothing. This sequal to it, is also about nothing. Including very bad artwork.

Story Good, Art Bad
I had stopped buying comics when I discovered Earth X #0. It looked like the nifty Marvels, which I had wanted but not badly enough to purchase. But I wasn't sure I wanted to buy it until I had read some others, and by then it was too late to find back issues. Eventually I found and bought the paperback.

The same happened with Universe X (though I'm still trying to find the second volume--I don't know why the first one wasn't listed as such here). Both X-series take a long hard look at the basic assumptions that underlie the tales of favorite comic heroes and villians. The origin of their abilities, yes, but more importantly, why they should take on the roles they do. Though I have to admit I've read too many conspiracy stories to look kindly on them, the notion that the superpowered denizens of Marvel's Earth have been in the dark all along somehow works well.

Unfortunately, the quality of the art in Universe X is uneven and lacks the consistent darkness that made Earth X feel as gritty as it did (and actually made me notice artwork quality for practically the first time). With the exception of the Spidey sideline, where the four-color art served an obvious purpose, I'd have preferred that the same artists have done this series in the same manner as Earth X. ... Read more

Book Description

After a bizarre experiment unexpectedly imbued them with extraordinary powers, high-school genius Reed Richards and his fellow adventurers must learn to adapt to their amazing new situation. But before they can even begin to get accustomed, former classmate Victor Van Damme - who was caught in the same experiment that gave the Fantastic Four their superhuman powers - returns to exact his revenge! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

luckily it's not quite the "final chapter"
includes issues #121-129, the last issues of x-force (they change their name to x-statix b/c of copyright issues). as much fun as the first TPB with similar, relevant satire about 21st century commercialization, PC tiptoing, and pop culture but also with a surprising amount of really great characterization and emotion. introduces the spike (who causes tension with the anarchist b/c they're both black), and lacuna, a possible new recruit. dead girl joins, and there's a climatic event in space involving convicts who have been mutated. #123 is a mini-masterpiece, as doop has a surreal mini-adventure in its head in the span of one second.

What mutants would REALLY be like
So here's the problem I always had with the X-Men: They were feared and hated by the world they were sworn to protect. Okay, so that makes for good angst, but was it that realistic? These days, it seems to me that anybody with any sort of special power wouldn't be reviled, he'd be a celebrity! He'd get music videos and endorsements and his picture on a cereal box! He'd be... well... exactly what Peter Milligan and Mike Allred turned X-Force into.

Before they took over, this was just another militaristic X-Men clone. Under them, it became something different. These are mutant celebrities, brought together mainly to become famous and get rich. (Another reviewer said they're a government sponsored team -- he's totally wrong. They're a commercial outfit).

Somehow, in this setting, they've managed to tell great character stories about the cult of celebrity and what it means to be a hero. This series continued as X-Statix, and it's still just as good.

The series keeps going strong
Well, if you read "New Beginnings" than you're already going to get this, and if you haven't then you really should read that first. In any case, this was a spectacular volume with enthralling plots, that don't switch between humor and drama, but maintain both at the same time.

[strange] celebrites
yes [strange] celebs .you don't see those words used together very much. this is the story of a government funded mutant supergroup. they must cope with prejudice and celebrity and supervillans ... Read more

Book Description

Meet Jessica Jones, one-time costumed heroine turned private investigator. After realizing that her powers were unremarkable compared to those of the icons in the Marvel Universe, Jones gave up being a super hero and eventually opened up a detective agency. While her intent to help others is intact, her personal behavior is anything but valiant: She is bitter, resentful and self-destructive. In lieu of professional help, Jessica battles her inferiority complex and depression with a chain-smoking habit and alcoholic tendencies. In spite of her self-imposed exile from the spandex crowd, Jessica's cases continually lead her back to her old circle of acquaintances, which only fuels her angst even more. Jessica is imperfect and human, and her textured personality is eloquently rendered by Bendis and Gaydos. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Painfully funny, smart
Alias follows the life of Jessica Jones, private investigator. Jessica Jones is a mutant, and is considered in some circles to be a super-hero, although that description doesn't fit her very well. This part of Alias doesn't clearly say what Jessica's powers are, in the beginning we learn that she has a mean left hook and later on she breaks a shotglass in her hand with no cuts after.
As the story progresses more of her history and her powers are revealed, and there are a lot of cameos from more famous Marvel heroes. The appearances of other heroes is pretty neat for readers who are familiar with the Marvel universe, but it doesn't prohibit people who haven't read from starting.
There's a little of everything in Alias, Jessica takes a normal case which leads her to a large governmental conspiracy which provides action and also shows Jessica at work as a detective. The major story arc aside, I found that the heart of Alias is Jessica's endearing personality, I think that people will see their own traits in her life. It's somewhat pricey compared to other graphic novels, but it's also pretty long by graphic novel standards, and I think that it's a smart buy.
Alias has the "MAX" rating which is comparable to a R rated movie. I didn't find it to be offensive, there's a lot of profanity though.
Not related to the television show "Alias".

Excellent
The great Brian Michael Bendis has done it again. With Marvel's first title to warrant the "MAX" title (intense violence and language), Alias shows Bendis at his best. His penchant for dialog and unconventional storytelling is so proudly displayed in this first collection of the series that it is easy to see why he is one of the most revered writers in comics. Alias tells the story of former Avenger Jessica Jones, who has since quit being a superhero and has opened her own private detective agency called Alias Investigations. Even though she still has superpowers and Alias takes place in the underbelly of the Marvel Universe, Bendis manages to make Jessica seem like a real life everyday person. She is obsessive, self destructive, and usually looking to do the right thing. In this first collected volume, she has a one night stand with Luke Cage, becomes entangled in a conspiracy involving Captain America's secret identity, and meets Matt Murdock. Michael Gaydos' art is a gritty almost Frank Miller-esque style that suits Alias well, even though it may take some getting used to. All in all, this is superb comics storytelling that one could only expect from Bendis.

Another Incredible Bendis Book
Jessica Jones, a has-been superhero, is now the sole operator of Alias Private Eye; but when she happens upon an explosive secret, she is faced with a difficult dilemma while, at the same time, a series of unfortunate events make her become aware that she is being set up. Then, later, several of Jessica's smaller cases help us learn more about her character.

Brian Michael Bendis has created another winner here. His (yet again) fantastic dialogue and unconventional storytelling make for another fantastic read. His superb mix of charaterization, dialogue, action, suspense, and humor make this book a must read. Michael Gaydos' artwork really adds to the street level grittiness of the story, and the muted colors also intensify the dark tone of the stories.

"Alias" comes highly recommended for fans of Bendis' early comic noir books, "Powers" readers, and "Daredevil" readers looking for an even more gritty and adult take on superheros.

NOTE: "Alias" is a Marvel MAX book and is suggested for older readers due to strong language and violence (a comic book equivalent to an R-rated movie).

Exceptional
I have never read any Marvel comics, but I got straight into 'Alias' by Brian Michael Bendis. It should appeal to fans of alternative comics and comics of the thoughtful European kind.

The book matches the realistic characterization of