All-New Invaders #12

Writer – James Robinson
Artist – Barry Kitson, Marc Laming
Inker – P. Craig Russell
Colours – Lovern Kindzierski, GURU-eFX

The current issue of the All-New Invaders takes us back to one of the earliest incarnations of the team, all the way to 1917.  Consisting of Union Jack, Sir Steel, The Crimson Cavalier, and Iron Fist and aided by The Phantom Eagle, the team finds themselves facing the menace of some strange, otherworldly creatures.  Those creatures also just happen to be Martians actually, to be exact and to the point.  James Robinson finally starts up his War of the Worlds storyline with an issue that was perhaps the best one of the series so far with fun, excitement and a cool retro vibe aided and abetted by Barry Kitson, Marc Laming and P. Craig Russell.  While the World War II version of the team is the classic and more recognizable version that everyone knows and loves, it is nice to see a different take with some familiar, yet different faces.  It has been a while since we have seen Orson Randall and finding out he was a part of the Invaders is a nice little bit of lore we have never been privy to.  Even better though is the fact that Robinson is introducing Marvel’s classic War of the Worlds into the title along with its star, Killraven.  So far, this is only the first part of the story and hopefully the rest will live up to the promise that this book delivers.  Additionally, there is an appearance from this time’s ‘Man on the Wall,’ Eben Stafford, an idea originated in Original Sin, and Jean-Luc Batroc otherwise known as The Crimson Cavalier in this issue, and relative to the Batroc we all know and love.  This was a truly wonderful book and if anything were to come of this series, other than more of it, it would be great to see a miniseries featuring the classic Invaders introduced here.

4.5 out of 5

Aquaman #36

Writer – Jeff Parker
Artist – Paul Pelletier
Inker – Sean Parsons
Colours – Rain Beredo

At first the concept of Atlantis being able to store emotions and whatnot was kind of silly, but in this issue Jeff Parker makes use of that newfound bit of information with guest star, the Martian Manhunter.  It is nice to see the Martian Manhunter utilized in another title, and great to see a cameo used in a constructive way instead of just another team-up or brawl, though there is in fact a brawl later on in the book but not how you would expect.  It seems that Aquaman’s mom Atlanna might be alive and he means to find out and to do that he will need some help.  Thus, aside from The Martian Manhunter, Arthur enlists the aid of Vulko which could be a huge mistake, but is necessary to get to the bottom of the mystery.  Aquaman is still one of DC’s top books, with stories that continue to be riveting courtesy of Jeff Parker and some top-notch art by Paul Pelletier.  While their run might have had a bit of a rough start, it has continually improved book after book and it never fails to keep you entertained with some very exciting stories.  One thing the title has been doing is mining our hero’s past to tell these stories, whether about his father, about Mera, his people and now his mother, Aquaman’s history is a territory rich with hidden corners that have yet to be explored.  The best part about it though is that we have Parker to take us along for the ride.

4 out of 5