Review: Bokurano: Ours V.01

Title: Bokurano: Ours
Volume: 1 (of 11)
Creator: Mohiro Kitoh
Format: Right-To-Left
Original Publisher: Shogakukan
US Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: 2/16/2010
Pages: 200
ISBN: 978-1421533612
MSRP: $12.99
Genre: VIZ Signature
Rated: T+

Description: SAVING THE WORLD IS HARD.
SAVING YOURSELF IS EVEN HARDER.

One Summer, fifteen kids innocently wander into a nearby seaside cave. There they meet a strange man who invites them to play an exciting new video game. This game, he explains, pits a lone giant robot against a horde of alien invaders. To play the game all they have to do is sign a simple contract. The game stops being fun when the kids find out the true purpose of their pact.

Contains Chapters 1-6:
-Chapter 1: Kokopelli 1
-Chapter 2: Kokopelli 2
-Chapter 3: Kokopelli 3
-Chapter 4: Takashi Waku 1
-Chapter 5: Takashi Waku 2
-Chapter 6: Masaru Kodaka

Cover Art: The main artwork for this volume features a wrap around cover that has three of our kids standing in front of the Zearth robot. The remaining kids are in the background, looking over the ocean of the summer camp they are currently going to in the first few chapters. The back cover has one of the fighter jets that the military summoned to try and take down Zearth as it was fighting the alien. The title logo and the volume number are presented in a way that is very eye catching; not at all distracting from the beautiful water color style artwork.

Artwork: The artwork of this series is very simple, but it isn't something to be disappointed with. The majority of this volume centered around the summer camp, while the last chapter dealt mainly with the kids back at home. There was a bit of action, but the majority of the first volume was a set up of the things to come in the future, so the action sequences were detailed, but there was not a whole lot of actual action to really shed light on the beauty of destruction in this series (which from the looks of it there will be tons).

Extras: We get a Character Data Sheet which shows the 15 kids that will be the center of the series.

Content (Warning - May Contain Spoilers): The series is basically set into arcs. Each arc is centered primarily around a single character, but it involves everyone. Our story begins with the 15 kids finding a cave where they want to explore the inside to see what they can find. When they reach the back they find a brightly lit room filled with computers. A strange man named Kokopelli enters and tells the kids about this new game that he is making and that he needs testers, 15 to be exact. All the kids agree to play the game, but Jun tells his younger sister that she can not participate, so 14 of them decided to give it a try. They must make a pact to play it though, and when they do they all black out and are left outside the cave.

Later, Kokopelli resurfaces when a giant alien appears out of nowhere and he must then pilot a huge robot to stop this being from existing. He shows the kids what to do (each kid is apparently given the chance to pilot the robot and the others must basically be present to watch the fight as well) and in the end, after killing the alien, disappears entirely leaving the kids clueless to what happens next.

A few days pass and a new alien appears. One of the 14 kids, Takashi Waku must pilot the robot, who they now name Zearth, and stop this alien before it destroys them. With a bit of a struggle, Takashi manages to defeat the alien. Right after the alien dies, Takashi does as well, and a new mystery to this mystery game surfaces.

A few weeks go by and we learn the kids were sent home from summer camp. A new alien shows up onto the scene, and its now the next child's turn, Masaru Kodaka, to pilot the robot. Masaru doesn't really care about the city that he is fighting in and thinks its all just a game, until this volume ends with Masaru accidentally killing his own father.

For the first volume of this series, it was a refreshing read. I have not read something this good in quite a while. It has the flair that Evangelion had for me when I watched it as a kid. The story was captivating and the kids all have a personality of their own, as well as our other side characters and mascots. I am very intrigued at where the next volume will take me and every volume after.

Overall: 10/10

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4 - Masquerade

Well this was an interesting Episode as we got an almost exact retelling of the Manga Act 4, until we learn a couple of things...

This episode begins with us learning that a Princess is visiting our heroines town and she has some Legendary Crystal that she will be unveiling to the world. When all sides (Senshi, Dark Kingdom, and Tuxedo Mask) find out about this they all become very interested and all try to find a way to get into this Masquerade Party being thrown for the unveiling.

To our surprise, everyone seems to be invited to this little party except for Usagi (even her father is), so she has to use her Disguise Pen in order to transform herself into a princess herself so she can infiltrate the party.

After everyone is inside, we learn that Nephrite, one of the four Dark Kingdom Generals, is body swapping with his spirit and trying to get as close as possible to the Princess so he can take the Crystal for himself. This however doesn't turn out how he had hoped for and is eventually beaten by Sailor Moon and her new Moon Tiara. The Sailor Senshi once again save the day and enjoy the rest of the Masqueade after finding out that the crystal was not the one they were actually after.

I wouldn't have minded this episode, as I did enjoy the original chapter. My problem though is that Jadeite is shown again, alive and well, with the other generals and Beryl. Nephrite also does not meet his demise in this episode as well. I'm thinking they won't be dying until a bit later, with now probably some kind of filler arc, which I was hoping they would not do. Since the series is 26 Episodes, and we will be getting Jupiter in Act 5, it is still kind of a big mystery what they are actually doing since for the most part the Episodes and the Chapters are still somewhat following the general outline of the manga, but they have something they will be needing to explain come future episodes of the series.


Rating: 5/10

Some New Manga Reads...

So my packages came in earlier this week with lots of new stuff to read. I had a few volumes in my backlog of Pokémon Adventures (I read this series years ago when VIZ first released it in an oversized comic format), and since I ordered V.04-06 as well, I decided to read what I had of it. I remember only reading content up to about V.02ish. Some of V.02 and all of V.03 was practically brand new to me. I must say, the series is based on the original Game Boy game, but it puts a really cool spin to the series! So, I have chosen that this will probably be the next series I will be reviewing gradually just for fun, as it was a fun series to read. V.01-03 is basically Part 01 (Red/Blue/Green). What I read on wiki is V.04-07 is Part 02 (Yellow). So now I am debating if I will be reviewing this by volume or by parts. I only have up to V.06 though so I would need to get V.07 before I do a second review for the series if I go that route.

Anyways, keep checking back soon... Sailor Moon Crystal Episode 4 review is coming up, as well as Bokurano: Ours V.01.

Till next time... Later...

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 3 - Rei - Sailor Mars

Another awesome episode to this series that was basically straight from the manga.

The episode begins with the Dark Kingdom. Beryl is not so happy that Jadeite keeps failing in trying to find the Silver Crystal. We then get our first look at Nephrite and Zoicite. Beryl reveals tha she will basically give Jadeite one more try before she let's her other Generals step in. Enter Rei, who sees a vision of what is going on in the other dimension.

Jadeite's last chance at obtaining the silver crystal actually happens to be a local bus that picks people up near Rei's temple. Luna suspects it is the enemy because rumors are floating around Usagi's school that people are beginning to disappear off of the 5PM bus. Usagi and Luna begin to investigate the mysterious disappearances at the school where Usagi eventually ends up on the cursed bus with Rei, and the two end up going into Jadeite's dream world. It is there that Rei is revealed to be the third Sailor Senshi, Sailor Mars. Moon and Mars end up working together and defeating Jadeite for good.

With three of the Senshi now assembled, we see that the Dark Kingdom begins to move forward with an even more deadly plan in hopes of trying to stop our heroines from getting the Legendary Crystal before them. Nephrite heads to a masquerade where a princess is about to unveil a very rare crystal...

As this episode is another one that was featured somewhat in the original series (Episode 10 and 13), I wasn't going to go on a full breakdown of the entire episode. The real difference from the original series and this one that is pulled straight from the original manga is Jadeite dies in the same episode that Rei is revealed to be Sailor Mars. In all honesty, this series is by far superior to the original in terms of no fillers at all so far. I'm on cloud nine just watching these pages come alive on screen and can not wait to see if we continue to get the entire manga series animated.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 2 - Ami - Sailor Mercury

Act 2 of Sailor Moon Crystal is another episode taken straight from the manga. Although this story has been basically told over and over as well as the main origins of the original Sailor Senshi is the same in every version of the series.

Ami is a new student and a loner at the school Usagi is attending. All the other student's dont even want to go near her as they basically say she is weird and practically a nerd and don't want anything to do with her cause she has nothing in common with the other girls of the school. It's Luna who finds the interest in Ami, and kind of lures Usagi to her to try and be her friend.

The two girls end up hanging out together and going to the arcade, where we really see how determined of a person Ami is when she plays the Sailor V game and actually reaches levels unattainable by others, and actually winning "prizes" for herself and Usagi. She realizes that she is late for her after school study classes for her High School Entrance exams, so she runs off leaving Usagi a bit confused and worried.

We learn that the Dark Moon Kingdom is actually stealing energy from the students at this after school class, and Usagi then must go to the rescue by using the new "prize" Ami won her, the Transformation Pen, and her Sailor powers to once again save the day from Jadeite before he can cause to much damage to the rest of the class. Ami also regains her memories and transforms into Sailor Mercury during the battle with this episodes enemy.

For the most part, this series is still going on the right track. I know a lot of people complain that characters are not what they remembered from the original series, but this is how they actually were in the original series. The manga came first and it was much more fast paced then the original anime series.

I really also love the action sequences. We no longer get stock footage of the same attacks over and over every episode. Sailor Moon's Tiara finisher is completely different this time around from the last time she used it.

I honestly can't find anything wrong with this series at all. The character designs are beautiful; taken completely from the manga with bright colors used in every scene. The music used is both captivating, emotional, and nostalgic. The writing is superb. I actually feel like the pages are jumping off of the TV at me.

Only 2 episodes in so far, this is a series that will be remembered for many years to come in my book.

Rating: 8/10

Status Update and Stuff to Come!

No I am not dead, just been a bit busy with stuff, and I have not given up on this blog. So as I am starting to get back into the swing of things, I'm here to give a bit of update on what is to be coming down the pipeline. First off, I will be doing reviews for Episode 2 and Episode 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal. This I will try to have done this week before the new episode airs this coming Saturday.

I still love my comics, but I am getting a bit more back into Anime and Manga, so I will probably be reviewing stuff from these categories (most likely mangas over anime). I used to review Mangas and Anime a few years back on a site called ListerX. I may see if I can go back and find some of my old reviews and post them here in the meantime to give you all some stuff to sift through in between the new stuff.

Currently I just finished Pokémon Adventures V.01-02. I may not be doing reviews of these two, however it doesn't mean I won't just at the moment it isn't a priority. I did however manage to purchase V.01 of Bokurano: Ours, a series that intrigued me a lot from stuff I learned about from Anime Expo, and have the next 9 volumes ordered and soon to be shipped. This is where I may be doing the first of my new reviews. A series hasn't really piqued my interest this much since I first learned about Evangelion and Battle Royale in High School. Since I am not sure how long it will take me to get through this book (I take my time on stuff I enjoy), I may just do some reviews on other media that I recently read or viewed.

So please stay tuned, friends! New and exciting things are coming very soon!

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 1 - Usagi - Sailor Moon

One of the most treasured Anime Series of all time just began a brand new imagining (should it really be called that?) with Sailor Moon Crystal. I for one have been a huge fan of this series in every form its taken on. From the original anime when it was released by DIC, S and SuperS when Geneon and Pioneer took the reins, the manga when it was released by MIXX then Tokyopop, and even the Live Action Series which was released 10 years ago; Sailor Moon is a series that goes beyond generations by not only showing young females that they can save the world, but also crafting an incredible story about love and friendship that transcends all time and dimensions.

Today at 3AM, the new Series premiered on HULU and Crunchyroll. I however was asleep, but since it is a busy weekend at Anime Expo, I managed to catch the brand new DUB, as well as the premiere of the first episode.

The story revolves around a middle school girl named Usagi, who begins to have these strange dreams that are almost too real to even be considered a dream. One day on her way to school she runs into a black ca with a band-aid on its forehead. She helps the cat by removing it and finds out the cat has a golden crescent moon on its forehead. Usagi doesn't really pay much attention as she is already late for school, so she immediately just takes off for class. 

Later that day her friends tell her about recent robberies around the city that are primarily focused on Jewelry stores, but they are being stopped by a strange mysterious female that people are code naming Sailor V. One of Usagi's friends, Naru, tells her that her mom is having a big sale at the jewelry store she runs and that they should all go after class to see if they can get a deal. 

After they all go to the store, Usagi realizes she is too broke to afford anything and doesn't really think her parents would buy her anything either cause she isn't doing so well in her school grades. Usagi then bumps into Mamoru Chiba (dressed in a tux) and the two begin to banter, before they go their separate ways. Mamoru stops in front of the Jewelry Store and ponders if the legendary Silver Crystal is inside.

Later that night, while Usagi is napping the black cat enters her room through the window, waking her up from her slumber. The cat can talk and reveals her name to be Luna, which she then tells Usagi that she is the guardian she had been searching for. Usagi doesn't believe Luna at first, but eventually decides to try out what Luna is talking about by using the magical brooch that Luna gives her. One transformation sequence later, Sailor Moon is born.

We learn that there is an evil in this world, but we don't learn just yet what it is. However, a man named Jadeite, has sent a monster to infiltrate the jewelry store Naru's mom owns. Sailor Moon must go back to the jewelry store and stop this monster before it steals more energy for Jadeite's master.

The first episode of this series and the original anime are pretty much identical. However, what I loved so much is we now have an anime completely translated from the original source material. There are a few differences some people might miss. One being that the original Mamoru wasn't wearing a tux. Also you can see Mamoru's watch on him in his normal human attire, as well as his Tuxedo Mask costume. This was a big thing in the original manga, that was not in the original anime series. We also get a lot of talk about the Silver Crystal, which wasn't even mentioned in the original anime until about half way through the series. So for people who don't really care for fillers, this series is a spot on animated manga chapter and I absolutely loved every second of it.

Another thing I loved was the new animation! The colors were bright. The transformation sequence was awesome seeing a new rendition in almost a 3D on 2D effect. The opening and ending were brilliantly done!

So far there really isn't nothing I can complain about.

If your a fan of the series or a new comer to the anime world you have to check this out! I have not seen anything like this in years and I can't wait for next episode!

Review: Infinity - Heist / The Hunt (Trade Paperback)

Series: Infinity
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: Marvel (February 18, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0785189246
ISBN-13: 978-0785189244
Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches

Description: INFINITY IS HERE, AND NO ONE IS SAFE - FROM SUPER VILLAINS TO SUPER HEROES IN TRAINING!

As the Marvel Universe prepares for a massive assault by Thanos' armies, Spymaster and some of Marvel's best baddies decide that where there is chaos - there is opportunity! Spymaster has unveiled the perfect plan for the crime of the century - so what the heck's wrong with Blizzard, and why is he having doubts?

Meanwhile, Hank Pym, Wolverine, and She-Hulk bring the students of the Marvel Universe together to announce a new Contest of Champions, pitting super-schools from throughout the Marvel Universe - including some you've never seen before - against each other. But the Contest is interrupted when Thanos' forces descend on Earth! What part of the Mad Titan's plan involves the world's super youth?

Collecting Infinity: Heist #1-4 and Infinity: The Hunt #1-4

Artwork: There are two different series running in this volume, therefore there is more then one main artist. In Heist, the artwork looks more like a Saturday Morning Cartoon, which works very well for me with using very bright colors and lots of detail. The Hunt, however uses a much more basic art form. It's not a bad thing, as I like the lighter coloring, but it lacks the detail in the characters and action that Heist has.

Extras: N/A

Story: This release has two series. While Heist was the first, in chronological order it should have started with The Hunt. It really doesn't matter if you haven't read Infinity, but if you did read it then it would probably be a bit annoying like it was for me.

Infinity - Heist is about a couple of villains who see that all the heroes are off planet trying to deal with the Thanos problem. They form a somewhat Ocean's Eleven plan to break into Stark Industries and steal all of Iron Man's suits of armor while he is dealing with the threat off world. Very early on, one of the villains Blizzard goes into a cocoon state, and later emerges as an Inhuman from the Terrigen Mist bomb that Blackbolt dropped on Earth in the later part of the Infinity event. He awakens and is now an Inhuman and feels like he has a new lease on life. Meanwhile, Spymaster wants to back stab the other villains and steal the armors for himself and sell them on the black market. So it basically becomes a free for all until the Mighty Avengers (the team left on Earth) arrives to stop the villains.

Infinity - The Hunt takes place before Heist. All the different Hero schools have decided to make a tournament to see which schools have the better students. During the announcement ceremony, we learn that Atlantis is destroyed?! But then Wakanda is being attacked as well from Thanos' forces as well?! So while the games get cancelled before they even begin, we see a young group of heroes try to help save the Earth, (its really just Wakanda and what's left of Atlantis).

Heist wasn't really my type of story, however The Hunt made up for it quite a bit. I love seeing what drama unfolds between the young heroes and mutants of the Marvel Universe, especially when it involves Quentin Quire and Genesis.

Overall: The volume as a whole was an interesting read. As to the whole overall story of Infinity, it does not really need to be read. You do get to see some of the characters in the profile section of the Infinity Hardcover play out their scenarios that were not in the actual main story (which was a plus), but it does not really give the reader any new information to Thanos' invasion or the Terrigen bomb, except for a new Inhuman discovery.

Rating: 4/10

Review: Frozen - Collector's Edition Blu-Ray + DVD + DC

Actors: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Hans Christian Andersen, Shane Morris
Producers: Aimee Scribner, John Lasseter
Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen, Blu-ray, Digital, DVD-ROM, Multiple Formats
Language: English (DTS-HD High Res Audio), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Region: Region A/1
Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
Number of discs: 2
Rated: PG
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: March 18, 2014
Run Time: 102 minutes

Description: WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS PRESENTS A CHILLY TWIST ON ONE OF THE MOST HUMOROUS AND HEARTWARMING STORIES EVER TOLD.

Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey - teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven - to find her sister Else, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

Animation: Frozen uses the new Disney Animation style, following Tangled and Wreck-It-Ralph. Not a lot of people care much for the new Disney style and would rather them go completely back to hand drawn animation. This movie however I don't think could have worked any other way. With all of the architecture of the ice buildings and how beautiful the snow was made, a simple hand drawn movie would not have worked. The ice looks like ice. The snowstorms look like an actual raging snowstorms. So as for environments, it was a good choice they went for this style and did not go with something like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. 

As for character designs, you got two beautiful princesses (who one becomes a queen shortly after the movie starts), two great looking possible suitors for the princess, a goofy looking reindeer, and an oddly shaped comic relief snowman. You really can not not like any of the designs.

Extras: There were quite a few extras in this release and some of them better then others. First we had the new short film "Get A Horse" featuring Mickey Mouse and friends. This accompanied the movie when it was first released and was a refreshing look at the iconic Disney character in his early black and white stages of development into a pop-out 3D look. I loved when it was shown before the movie in the theaters as well as it was an 8 minute "please silence your cell-phone" kind of cartoon which got the entire audience involved as Pete pushed Mickey out of his classic environment into ours, where he had to try to get back to his world and rescue Mickey.

Next we have "The Making of Frozen", which was kind of a joke. This was basically a way for Disney to try to squeeze a silly little musical number out of a few of the voice actors from the film. When the song and dance was over, we didn't get to see The Making of this film.

D'frosted: Disney's Journey From Hans Christian Andersen to Frozen however made up for it, as we get to go behind the scenes of the film and see some original artwork by Walt Disney's original animation team. Frozen apparently was meant to be a ride for Disneyland. And after the movie was finished being made, the creators got to see just how close their vision was to the original vision Walt Disney had.

There were about four deleted scenes included as well, which didn't really improve the overall story much. They were all cut for time, which is understandable as the movie did clock in at a little under two hours, which is a bit long for a typical Disney princess movie.

Last we have a few music videos of "Let It Go" performed by various artists from around the world for their countries specific movie release.

Out of the extras, you definitely need to check out D'frosted. It really has a lot of classic Disney concept stuff that all fans of Disney will enjoy, plus a look at maybe a future ride.

Story: Frozen begins with two young sisters who were very close. One evening, Anna, the younger sister, wakes up her older sister Elsa and wants to play. Using her magical ice powers Elsa builds snow hills and a snowman inside of one of the rooms, but when Anna gets a bit excited and starts to leap from snow hill to snow hill, Elsa gets scared and thinks she is going to get hurt so she uses her powers to try to save her, but instead ends up hitting her in the head. The King and Queen then take Anna to rock trolls who heal Anna's wound but with a price. Anna can not know about Elsa's powers for fear it might happen again. Elsa then decides to close herself up to Anna by locking herself in her bedroom for a decade.

A few years later, Anna and Elsa's parents die in a tragic shipwreck accident, making Elsa the new queen. It's coronation day and Anna meets a prince, Hans, from another kingdom who asks her to marry him the same day they met. Anna of course says "Yes" and goes to tell her sister the news. Elsa doesn't believe a person can fall in love with someone that they don't even know, which causes Anna to start questioning her sister. Elsa gets nervous and accidentally uses her powers before storming out of the kingdom and causing an eternal winter throughout the entire country side of Arendelle. Now its up to Anna and her friends that she meets along the way to save the day by bringing her sister back to fix what she started.

I know most everyone on this planet has seen this movie already, and if you have not then you must be living under a rock some place. What I love about this movie is it breaks away from everything Disney has taught us growing up. There is really no such thing as love at first glance. Anna eventually learns the hard way towards the end of the film, and its up to Elsa to really find herself to break this eternal winter.

This is the first time that we don't just get one Disney Princess, we get two! Even though one becomes the first ever Disney Queen. I love the relationship that the two share. The sisters' love for one another is really the first time Disney has went the way they did by not going the route of romantic love relationships, but showing us that the bond and love that two family members have is just as strong as any other kind of love.

Overall: I highly recommend this movie for everyone to see. I love Disney, but I haven't loved a Disney Princess movie like this since I first saw Sleeping Beauty as a child. Frozen is the new standard of Disney, and let's hope with their next animated movie they can bring out something as great as this new masterpiece they created.

Rating: 10/10 Let It Go...

Review: Marvel's Infinity (Hardcover)

Series: Infinity
Hardcover: 632 pages
Contains: Infinity #1-6, New Avengers #7-12, Avengers #14-23, Infinity: Against the Tide Infinite Comic #1-2
Publisher: Marvel (February 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0785184228
ISBN-13: 978-0785184225
Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches

Description: TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVER GREAT DANGERS, THE AVENGERS GOT BIGGER.

Yet when the oldest race in the universe marks Earth for destruction, it's time for Captain America to think grander still. As the members of the most powerful team ever assembled head into space to join an intergalactic alliance against the ancient Builders, an old enemy deems their home unprotected. Thanos, the Mad Titan, unleashes his forces on Earth in the latest chapter of his endless quest for death. But even a world without Avengers has its defenders. Among them, the secret cabal of history-shapers known as the Illuminati - a group riven with internal conflict already confronting yet another planet-ending crisis. One of their number has plans of his own. As Earth's Mightiest Heroes wage war on multiple fronts, their battle for Infinity threatens descent into Inhumanity.

Artwork: Each of the three main series in this book uses more then two different artists just to complete the entire anthology. But it does not take away from the overall look. Every page flows well after the next and the transition between each individual issue and segment (more on that later) is flawless. I have read dozens of Marvel's big yearly events, and Infinity by far goes over the top with its art. It is hard to tell where one artists work stops and the next begins. 

The Infinite issues were shown off in a different art style, using a much more realistically detailed approach. 

I was very impressed with the artwork as a whole. It's bright. It's pretty. And most importantly its consistent from cover to cover.

Extras: Hardcovers usually have a bit of extra content. With Infinity we get a Variant Cover Library showing off all the exclusive covers that marvel released for this event. We also get the usual AR App content and a free Digital Copy offer of the event. The only thing I wish they would have put into this was some character designs for some of these fairly new characters for the event. We are introduced to Thane, Thanos's son, and pretty much a group of generals that Thanos sends out to conquer planets for him. Most of the newer Marvel NOW hardcovers has these kinds of features which I absolutely love. Maybe they were saved for the individual Hardcovers of New Avengers V.02 and Avengers V.03-04.

Story: After the big event Avengers vs X-Men, Marvel decided to relaunch their entire company with a new branding, Marvel NOW. Most of its series under the Marvel NOW slogan was leading up to this huge event, Infinity, with the return of one of Marvel Comics biggest threats, Thanos. I was pleased with the build-up, but the overall end-result left a stale taste in my mouth. So here's a bit of history to back up where this is all coming from.

In Avenger's we learned that there are these beings who created the universe called the Builders. They came to earth to try and fix it, but in the long run the Avengers stopped them and added a few new members to their team of worldwide heroes.

In New Avengers, we now have a team which is basically the Illuminati, minus Professor X since he died in AvX, but with the addition of Beast who now holds the dead professor's Infinity Gem and T'challa. T'challa stumbles upon a couple world threatening events that are now being called Incursions. With the help of the Illuminati it is up to them to get to the spot where an Incursion is going to happen and stop them from happening (they happen quite frequently). During one of these Incursions, the Illuminati use their Infinity Gems to stop it, but the incursion is so huge, it breaks all of them but one. They also manage to capture Black Swan and Terrax...

So now we have Infinity. The Builders still aren't done with Earth, so Captain America takes an Avengers Team into space to meet them head on and try to stop them before a bigger conflict escalates, leaving a few Illuminati members (Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Namor, Blackbolt, and Iron Man) behind to defend the planet. Little does our team of heroes knows but Thanos is heading back to Earth to get a hold of the only remaining Infinity gem... or is it to kill his only surviving family member, Thane. So now its a race against time as our heroes in space try to stop these beings from destroying our world and try to make it back to Earth to stop the evil threat of Thanos.

While all this is going on, Blackbolt has a plan of his own by dropping a Terrigen Mist bomb onto earth and changing people with inhuman genes into fully evolved Inhumans. So as Thanos finds his son, the bomb has been dropped and an even bigger threat emerges into the Marvel Universe with tons of new questions that need to be answered but are not.

So that's as far as I will go without ruining the ending to this epic 600+ page book. Infinity uses three main series, Avenger, New Avengers, and the main Infinity title to tell this overall epic story. And not like other big events, we have one writer telling the entire story to us over the three series. 

Going back to me mentioning segments in the artwork, we aren't getting each individual issue after another. For some parts we are, but if something happens during one issue and it connects with another series, we are getting that portion of the other series dropped between  the pages. It's like reading a huge Harry Potter book, you don't have to go back and look up where something happened in previous issues as every event flows into the next. This is how I think most big comic events should be done rather then separating the stories and lumping them together by series. Let's hope future releases will do this for other.

My only complaint is that I know their are side-stories to this series, but seeing the cast page and having marvel teams and characters shown and not actually being in the story is a bit of a letdown. I would loved to have seen (or have seen a mentioned) some of the X-Men, Rocket Raccoon, and the Thunderbolts, all who are shown to be in Infinity, but not seen in the actual content.

Overall: The stories leading up to Infinity were amazing. I loved every second reading them all. As for the event itself, we had many questions getting to this point of our journey and by the end of the story we have probably twice as many. I loved seeing a lot of new faces as well as old characters who don't have their own main titles, but it doesn't really save the Marvel NOW brand with all the confusion still swirling around in my head. As a bookend to Marvel NOW and leading into the re-rebranded All-New Marvel NOW, I was hoping for an explosive finish, but it didn't really leave me with much more then a spark on what is to come in future issues of the Marvel brand.

Rating: 6/10

 

So It Begins...

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