New Mutants #1-3

This is a great book for new readers and old fans alike. The title begins right with the Return of Legion storyline. This story (at least the first 3 parts, I’ve read) gives new readers a great, fresh story, while old readers of the first New Mutants are given a rare amount of fan service. You don’t see that too often in post-90’s comics, and from what I’ve heard from Zen Wells (writer), they plan of retelling many of the New Mutant’s old stories. Some may say this is unoriginal, but I think it’s a great choice. I bought all 100 issues of the first New Mutants run…and found it unreadable. I hated the art, the writing, the characters, pretty much everything the series had to offer. All of those things have been improved this time around. I plan on sticking with this series with fingers crossed that it doesn’t get canceled to make way for a different X-Team lead by Beak or something.

Overall: Of all the X-Men related books, this is the easiest to jump into. It just started, and despite various references to the first series, there not a ton of continuity to worry about.

Thor #602

As promised, J. Michael Straczynski’s Thor. In the past, I’ve never seen a point for Thor. A character named Thor is fine…but a literal Thor is a bit over the top. It reminds me of an aspect of the DC Universe I heartedly dislike that throws mythological beings in the same modern world as super-heroes. I did, however, enjoy the Ultimates version of Thor and that was the main reason for giving this book a try. “Maybe they’ve learned something.” I thought. What I found, was a character vastly different than his Ultimate counter-part, but still a great character. I found myself becoming invested in a story that, at 602 issues, I had no business being invested in. Why? The character. Thor, in this book, seems very human, very relateable. Weak. Flawed. Interesting.

Overall: This book is worth a try. There are a lot of unexplained people and events taking place that you have to just go with, but get past that, and the current story being told is good.

Thunderbolts #132

I picked this book up just to have a negative review in my pocket. Unfortunately, I can’t just bash this title and call it a day. It’s surprisingly good. I’d say it’s been the biggest sleeper hit I’ve bought at this point. “But Jonathan,” you might say, “Thunderbolts does just about everything that you’ve criticized books for, so far!” I know, and believe me, I’m just as confused. Despite the D-grade quality of the characters and the redundancy of this team, in leiu of Dark Avengers, I was drawn into this story. Perhaps, many of the things I give books a negative for, does not make a book bad. Maybe, it’s because, unlike Thunderbolts, it’s executed poorly.

Overall: I don’t know. I guess, give this book a try and let me know if you also think 2+2=5, or if I’m full of it.