Marvel Meltdown: May ’09

[Stephanie]

Here at Impulse Creations, we’re proud to introduce a brand new monthly feature: Marvel Meltdown. Each month we’ll select three Marvel comic books fresh off the press and let you know whether or not they’re worth buying. For our first installment, true believers, we’ll highlight SPIDER-MAN: THE SHORT HALLOWEEN, WOLVERINE ORIGINS #36, and NOVA #25.

Spider-Man: The Short Halloween One-Shot

I honestly have no idea why Bill Hader and Seth Meyers chose to write a Halloween special to release now, but I’m glad they did. SPIDER-MAN: THE SHORT HALLOWEEN—more about the people who get tangled up in Spider-Man’s superhero web than Spider-Man himself—kept me entertained from start to finish, and Kevin Maguire’s art gives the one-shot just the right flair.

Spider-Man’s senses always end up out of whack on Halloween, and even this year the festivities manage to throw him in the middle of trouble. When a drunken “Spider-Man” named Ronnie upsets “Doctor Octopus” and the “Green Goblin” at a Halloween party, the two vow to track him down and make him pay for ruining their night. Meanwhile, a super-villain wannabe called Fumes stirs up mischief and finds himself toe-to-toe with the real Spider-Man, who soon suffers a nasty fall and bump on the head. In a case of mistaken identity, a panicking Fumes unknowingly kidnaps the drunken Ronnie for him and the rest of the Furious Five to deal with; Ronnie’s friends take Spider-Man back home to Ronnie’s apartment.

After loads of hilarious “I’m Spider-Man” insistence, “Doc Ock” and “Green Goblin” mayhem, and berating by Ronnie’s girlfriend Cheryl, the issue ends with Ronnie winning a showdown with the Furious Five—and super-villain Fumes turns superhero vacuum repairman. “Best Halloween ever.”

Wolverine Origins #36

Daniel Way and Doug Braithewaite’s conclusion to the “Weapon XI” (no, not X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s misguided portrayal of Deadpool) storyline falls right on the Marvel fence. While Logan argues with himself about whether to unleash his true inner rage or to hold onto a more Zen approach for the boring half the issue, the remainder packs together some interesting action.

Logan’s son, Daken, upgrades to Weapon status when the Tinkerer (one of the worst names for an evil genius ever) implants three rather painfully placed claws. Custom adamantium sheaths protect Daken from the physiological weakness he and his father both share: the Muramasa blade. Shards of the blade’s faux-metal composition act as dangerous claws for Wolverine junior, but this new threat could easily turn on the wrong target due to the fragility of the thin adamantium sheaths.

Wolverine fails to find Daken in time to interrupt the procedure, and Romulus escapes while Daken leaves Logan with his life. The last panel of the issue reveals the cameo appearance by Omega Red—which only adds to the growing list of Wolverine death threats running around. WOLVERINE ORIGINS #36 fell flat as a conclusion; the issue would have been better if not watered down by so much weak narration. On the bright side, things could heat up from here. Cross your claws and hope for the best.

Nova #25

I’ve enjoyed NOVA in the past, but I know a cheesy comic when I see one. I couldn’t turn the pages of NOVA #25 (by writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and artist Kevin Sharpe) without giggling like Hellcat in the middle of a fashionable shoe store managed by friendly, cute male employees. Blue blazes, this issue reeked of clichés and awkward one-liners.

Stripped of his Nova powers for challenging Worldmind’s actions, Richard Rider must now confront the Ego-controlled Worldmind with the unfamiliar Quantum Bands lent to him by his friend Wendell Vaughn-Once Quasar. “Empire of the Mind” showcases Shi’ar torture and Richard playing dollhouse when the powerful Worldmind forces him to step up his Quantum game. Using the powers of imagination (and, err, the Quantum Bands), Richard creates a sanctuary to temporarily fend off Worldmind while he and Wendell figure out how to remove Ego's hold on Worldmind. By the end of the issue, Richard basically discovers the whole mess is his fault, and he defeats Ego with a “does not compute” argument—but our hero gets some “new” threads and a “new” eye-candy companion anyway. Uh, go team?

NOVA’s art continues to snag my attention, but the story in NOVA #25 makes me cringe. However, the issue does close on an interesting twist.

You can find these and lots of other brand new Marvel comics over at the Impulse Creations shop. Tell us what you think of the new monthly Marvel Meltdown by sending an email to wita.gen@gmail.com with the subject line, "Make Mine Marvel Meltdown."