Marvel Meltdown: March '10

[Stephanie]

Welcome to an all new Marvel Meltdown, true believers! Each month we’ll select three upcoming Marvel comic books and let you know whether or not they’re worth buying. This time we'll flip through the pages of The Twelve: Spearhead, vote Pixie high school queen in X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #2, and watch Hulk insult Thor's hair in Hulk: Let the Battle Begin.

The Twelve: Spearhead #1

At WWII's close, the Nazis cryogenically suspended twelve superheroes who, in the 21st-century's dawn, would band together again as the Twelve. The jumbo one-shot Spearhead #1 captures their 1940s efforts as they battle the enemy front lines alongside the Phantom Reporter, a street vigilante tasked with accompanying his fellow crime fighters and penning spirit-raising war journalism for Americans back home. Chris Weston writes an enthralling reflection that documents heroes who implement superhuman powers or whose mere bravery propels them, provokes thoughtful matters that alternate super soldier history illuminates in a manner akin to Alan Moore's Watchmen, and establishes a modern interest.

Spearhead defies the aging, yellow color now often associated with WWII nonfiction and freshly portrays the tumultuous historical era through the eyes of a costumed reporter who walks unsteadily beside super-powered avengers. The Phantom Reporter's all-too-human musings sheds a kind of wisdom that his mightier peers cannot encompass.

Some of Weston's ideas concerning wartime fears lurk under the book's surface. For instance, Dynamic Man pummels a German regime whilst a radio energetically rattles on about Aryan supermen. Already fitting a blond hair and blue eyes description, just the superhero's presence unnerves in a world-changing way that recalls anxiety-inducing foreign tactics. Weston stitches other powerful messages into the comic's forefront, as well. The Phantom Reporter reminds us that the soldiers unarmed with intimidating strengths contribute more than their superhuman war counterparts, and they overcome the worthiest challenges. Interestingly, "P.R." recognizes that fact, which seems to elude even Captain America. The writer deepens the comic through these various techniques; he depicts genuine hero community relationships, foreshadows future problems between warring nations, and marks important Marvel figures such as Nick Fury, as well.

On one hand, Captain America's performance at the tent meeting did fall somewhat flat and two-dimensional, becoming more a means to escalate the comic's plot than embodying a revealing moment among characters. However, the story quickly returns to its high standard. Weston, who pencils the one-shot, and colorist Brian Wilkinson also wondrously illustrate darker wartime atrocities: Black Widow delivers a no-mercy confrontation, the Witness tells of the Holocaust's bleak cruelties, and Laughing Mask executes bitter vengeance. Perhaps these inclusions demonstrate a patriotic appeal, but they definitely speak loudly about war's true influence on men---superheroes or no.

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #2

Megan Gwynn rocks yet another high schooler-geared tale from Marvel, but Pixie Strikes Back #2 packs a delightful charm that glides past any age restrictions ... despite whose invited to the "dazzling," popular party. As Pixie's fellow mutants, Anole and Rockslide, peer under X-Men base Utopia's more sparkly nooks and crannies for the missing Prom queen and her friends, a super-powered woman bearing a similar resemblance to a certain pink-headed teenager pops up and explains that she's looking for her lost daughter ... well, guess who.

Kathryn Immonen spins a lighthearted, well-executed tale. Sara Pichelli livens the spunky characters, infusing their world with sugary, fairy tale-like magic as Christina Strain brightens the panels with simply enchanting, vivid colors. Mercury (Cessily), Armor (Hisako), and X-23 (Laura) tag along with an energetic a perhaps a tad conceited Pixie, who gains an exclusive invite to one of Dazzler's private shows. Their entrance receives a little too warm of a welcome, and their wrongdoers ensnare them into their magically veiled Prom trap while waiting unseen in the shadows. The sometimes excessively frivolous comic makes room for fun, of course, and even devotes a slightly overcooked walk-in sequence to the loud atmosphere. The panels soon move on, but they suddenly jump to a newly declared Prom Queen Pixie whom her starstruck, randomly materialized admirers surround and praise. Of course, the mutant' s confused and hurt companions try to snap Pixie out of her newfangled snootiness, but the situation's real oddity apparently floats right over their heads.

Emma Frost humors the young X-Men as they track down the four's whereabouts, but her initially absentminded concern peaks once Blindfold foretells serious danger. Frost amusingly narrates Nightcrawler's consequently dramatized appearance---a simple touch that nicely complements the book's entirety. Meanwhile, a determined, so-called mother seeks new assistance in finding Pixie, but perhaps her strides are already being met.

Hulk: Let the Battle Begin #1

Hulk: Let the Battle Begin #1 consists of two segments, the first of which spotlights a day in the green and purple pants-wearing Gamma hero, the Hulk. Otherwise known as Bruce Banner on the amnesia plagued days when his anger subsides, America's most frequently wanted man serves routine as he goes through the motions, and his reward often arrives in bullets and hostile government ultimatums.

Jesse Blaze Snider and Steve Kurth mold "Let the Battle Begin" primarily for newcomers who might not harbor much Hulk Smash knowledge apart from 2008's movie starring Edward Norton. As a result, the story departs little into originality, focusing more on the usual trouble Banner finds himself stirring up rather than plunging readers into anything radical or different. Regardless, "Let the Battle Begin" actually encourages numerous laughs, packing hilarity into scenes whenever possible. The feature splits into two parts: One shows Banner at his survivor best as he hitchhikes through small towns and deals with potentially major bumps in the process, and the other revisits the Hulk's prior run-around with the Wrecking Crew and his wildly humorous smack down with Thor. Let's just say that surprisingly, no hair-pulling was involved. Distinctly, Kurth's pencils effectively epitomize Banner's primal nature even in his calmer moments.

Mark Parsons and Tom Cohen scribe "Gammaragnarok," but Ed McGuinness' artwork offers more treasures than this simple war mini, which accomplishes little else except describe a planet's loyal cohesiveness and warrior sacrifice in the face of galactic usurpation. The extra pertains to World War Hulks, the upcoming event. The glimpse makes an interesting tidbit, but not one that warrants much attention at least in this stage. "Let the Battle Begin," on the other hand, succeeds as a superficial but highly entertaining short narrative.

Good or bad, you can find these and lots of other Marvel comics over at the Impulse Creations shop.