Universe X #12, $3.50 US, published by Marvel Comics
Writers: Jim Krueger & Alex Ross; Pencils: Dougie Braithwaite; Inks: Bill Reinhold & Robin Riggs; Cover: Ross
Rating 2.5 out of 5 stars
I had honestly expected that this would be the final issue of the Universe X miniseries. It was my understanding that this was a twelve issue miniseries, thirteen counting the Zero issue. But I reached the end of #12, and the story was not over. Leaving me wondering, just how many more issues is this supposed to last?
In any case, if you haven't been reading this series all along, I don't recommend picking up this issue, as you will be hopelessly lost as to what is going on. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I have been reading this miniseries from the beginning, and I myself am rather lost! Part of that no doubt has to do with the fact that this series is a sequel to Earth X, which I did not read. The events of Universe X proceed directly from the prior series, and much of what is taking place is apparently the aftermath of what happened in those pages.
However, another reason that I'm somewhat lost and confused has to do with Universe X's drawing so heavily upon decades' worth of Marvel continuity. I've been reading Marvel comics regularly for twelve years now, and I've also read a significant number of back issues from before that time. But many of the events referred to here are ones I had no knowledge of.
The story is something of a very long "What If?" issue set approximately twenty years in the future. The Terrigan Mists of the Inhuman species have been released on the Earth, mutating pretty much all of humanity. This is an interesting reversal of the "mutants as a persecuted minority" plotlines of the X-Men books, since now all humans are mutants. But this does not bring any peace. Rather, humanity splits into two violently opposing factions. One side wants to restore humanity to normal, the other wants humanity to remain mutated. While this is going on, the newly-resurrected Captain Mar-Vell is scouring the globe in search of objects of power, such as the sword Excalibur, the Mandarin's alien rings, and the Cosmic Cube. (Exactly why Mar-Vell is collecting these is something I unfortunately lost track of several issue ago). Meanwhile, the demonic Mephisto is manipulating events on Earth to advance his hidden agenda.
Issue #12 seems to be bringing the story closer to its conclusion. An amalgamation of the Absorbing Man and Ultron has been revived by servants of Mephisto in order to destroy the efforts to restore humanity to normal. Opposing the colossal Absorbing Man is a coalition made up of the Silver Surfer, Magneto, Black Bolt, robot versions of the Avengers, and a group of Sentinels. It is a keen irony that this effort to stop the Absorbing Man and restore humanity to normal is spearheaded by the alien Surfer, the infamous mutant revolutionary Magneto, and the Inhuman king Black Bolt. As these events take place, Mar-Vell and his allies do their best to head off Mephisto's manipulations.
From the above, you can tell that this is a miniseries which has everything, including the kitchen sink! I don't think it's much of a wonder that I've managed to lose track of half the subplots taking place. The prevalence of the numerous cosmic conspiracy theories that have been advanced throughout the series hasn't helped, either. I'm left wondering whom this series is specifically targeted towards. I cannot help thinking that the only readers who could possibly understand everything that is taking place here would have to have been following Marvel comics since the 1960s, and read pretty much every title that was published since then. That is the major drawback of the entire Universe X series.
For me, the highlight of Universe X has been Dougie Braithwaite's pencilling. Braithwaite is an underrated artist with a unique style. I was glad to see him receive this relatively high-profile assignment. Braithwaite does a superb job drawing the cast of thousands in the myriad exotic settings of this story. In a tale with numerous cosmic-powered & mystical beings playing key roles, Braithwaite effectively keeps everything grounded in reality. His style is equally adept at rendering the older, world-weary characters as it is at depicting the timeless, immortal cosmic beings. It definitely helps that Braithwaite has been paired with Bill Reinhold, an inker whose style is appropriate to the pencils. In the past, I've seen Braithwaite saddled with inappropriate inkers who were ill-suited to his work, and ended up muddying it. Fortunately that has not been the case with Universe X, and the crisp detail & style of Braithwaite his been enhanced by Reinhold's inking.
The issue is topped off with a painted cover by Alex Ross (who also co-plotted the series and did the character designs). The cover is part of a much larger painted image that can be formed by putting all the issues of Universe X next to one another. While I think Ross has been somewhat overrated at times, I nevertheless agree that he is an extremely talented illustrator. The cover to #12 is laid out well. In the foreground, Adam Warlock and Kismet hold hands, gazing into each others' eyes. In the middle ground is crouched a forlorn-looking Silver Surfer, clutching his board, steam rising from his form. And in the background we have the ominous forms of the mutant-hunting Sentinels. The cover definitely evokes the numerous events simultaneously taking place within the issue.
I think the best way to read Universe X will be in trade paperback form, which I am confident will eventually be released. It is worth the wait to have the complete story in hand. Otherwise, you risk losing track of the myriad plotlines that take place throughout the series and the various one-shots that tied in to it.
Of course, it would have been nice if Marvel had told us from the beginning exactly how many issues this title was scheduled to run! Definitely would have saved me from reaching the last page of this issue, scratching my head, and proclaiming "Wait, it isn't over?!?"
Wonder Woman: Our Worlds At War special, $2.95 US, published by DC Comics
Writer: Phil Jiminez; Pencils: Cliff Chiang, Jamal Igle & Buzz; Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger; Cover: Jae Lee
Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars
This one wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Two weeks ago, in Wonder Woman #172, Hippolyta, former queen of the Amazons and the Wonder Woman of the 1940s, died in battle, saving Greece from being destroyed by Imperiex. This one-shot was billed as the aftermath of Hippolyta's tragic demise. What I had assumed was that it would feature the reactions of Diana (the current Wonder Woman), Superman, and Hippolyta's former teammates in the Justice Society. Instead, the action takes place entirely on Themyscira, island home of the Amazons.
Jiminez looks back at Hippolyta's life not through the reactions of other superheroes, but through the memories of her fellow Amazons, be they allies or rivals. As the story opens, the Amazons wait on Themyscira for news of the war against Imperiex, unaware of Hippolyta's death. The two factions of Amazons, those who were led by Hippolyta for millennia, and those of Bana-Mighdall who existed independently in the outside world, argue over what course of action to take. As the two factions trade verbal spars, the discussion eventually falls to the topic of Hippolyta, and the often controversial decisions she made as ruler of Themyscira.
Angered by the harsh words leveled against Hippolyta, her long time friend Phillipus leaps to the former queen's defense. What follows is a summation of the long, complicated history of the Amazons, focusing on Hippolyta's role in guiding both her people and her daughter, Diana, who would one day become Wonder Woman. We also get as succinct an explanation of the infamous Wonder Woman time loop as is likely possible.
I referred to Diana earlier as "the current Wonder Woman" and Hippolyta as "the Wonder Woman of the 1940s." But, from both their points of view, it was Diana who originated the identity of Wonder Woman, in the present day. After Hippolyta's manipulations eventually led to the inadvertent (albeit temporary) death of Diana, the queen adopted the identity of Wonder Woman as penance. Then through a series of convoluted events, Hippolyta traveled back in time to 1942 where she joined the Justice Society. Staying in the past for eight years, Hippolyta was the first Wonder Woman the world knew of. And her presence in the 1940s set in motion a series of events. These eventually resulted in Diana being inspired to create a costumed identity known as Wonder Woman in the present. Which, of course, starts the entire cycle off all over again!
Jiminez's apparent goal in writing this issue was to prepare a primer of the history of Wonder Woman and the Amazons, in the hopes of attracting new readers. As this is a tie-in with the "Our Worlds At War" crossover, it's likely that readers who don't ordinarily read Wonder Woman will pick this one up. Certainly I fall into that category. I used to read Wonder Woman, but I dropped it after John Byrne's uneven stint on the title. Incidentally, it was Byrne who was responsible for setting up at least part of the aforementioned time loop. The idea of having Hippolyta travel back in time as Wonder Woman was a good idea, as it restored the heroine to the 1940s for the first time since Crisis. However, Byrne's actual execution of this idea was flawed. It is certainly to Jiminez's credit that he was able to run with it and make something more workable out of it.
In any case, while Jiminez's efforts to use this issue as a stepping-on point for new readers is laudable, it's also somewhat flawed, mainly because this issue was not advertised as such. I imagine most readers went in expecting a story with much more involvement in the "Our Worlds At War" storyline, and it's possible that some people might come away from this disappointed. Additionally, despite the efforts by Jiminez to make this accessible, some of the back story of the Amazons in rather convoluted. Especially the explanation behind the schism that occurred 3000 years before, resulting in the two Amazon factions. Names and events are tossed out left & right, and there are numerous apparent connections made to genuine Greek myths that I am only halfway knowledgeable of. I had difficulty in attempting to keep the characters and events straight.
The majority of the pencil art for this special is provided by Cliff Chiang, a name I am unfamiliar with. Chiang has a very clean style, slightly reminiscent of both Steve Rude and the late Mike Parobeck. The style is appropriate for a story consisting mostly of flashbacks to ancient times and World War II. Chiang definitely has strengths as a storyteller, laying out events neatly, something that is required for an issue such as this, which is heavily dependent on a narrative of sequences of events. The present day framing sequences are pencilled by Jamal Igle and Buzz. This helps to differentiate them from the flashbacks. At the same time, I think Wade Von Grawbadger's inks add a certain necessary homogeny to the artwork, Rather than awkwardly jumping from one style to another, the sequences smoothly flow into each other.
The only complaint I have regarding the art is Jae Lee's cover. It's a decent enough rendering of Wonder Woman, but it's very generic. It has nothing to do with the events within the book. This has been the problem with all of Jae Lee's covers for the Our Worlds At War specials. They've each been moody portraits of the heroes that, while capturing the atmosphere of the overall storyline, reveal little of what is contained in each individual installment. And the covers are so similar to one another that they all blend together. There's nothing to distinguish them. Like most of the others, it would make a nice pin-up or poster. But something more was needed for the cover of this book. It is regrettable that DC decided to have Jae Lee draw all the tie-in covers. I would rather have had Phil Jiminez himself do the cover art for this special. He would have drawn a superbly detailed, highly dramatic piece.
As a tie-in to "Our Worlds At War," the Wonder Woman special barely touches on the storyline. But as an introduction to Wonder Woman & the Amazons, and a retrospective on Hippolyta's life, it is certainly effective. If you go into it knowing what you will be getting, you probably won't be disappointed. Just a pity about the cover!