The Vision #4

Writer – Tom King
Artist – Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Colours – Jordie Bellaire
Letters – VC’s Clayton Cowles

Things seem to be back to normal for the Visions, or at least as normal as they could ever be for a family of synthezoids. Vin and Viv are getting along and they head back to school where things have not really gotten any better, but at least Viv seems to have made a friend who just so happens to be the same boy that Vin put a hurt on. Virginia has not had the easiest time of everything, what with killing the Grim Reaper and unknowingly being caught on camera during the act of burying his body. Now her blackmailer has made himself known and it turns out to be the father of the boy that Vin hurt and Viv befriended. It has already been proven though, that not everything is all copacetic with Virginia and she does not take too kindly to people that threaten her family. In Marvel’s most surprising and consistently fascinating title by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta, the story of a family not unlike and yet completely different than any family you have ever known continues to impress with every turn of the page. The Vision just wants what everyone else has and as it turns out, unbeknownst to him, it may have been just too much to ask for. That also makes the man blind to what is going on around him, seeing things through rose-coloured glasses, most especially when it comes to his wife. There is something wrong with Virginia and whether it was part of her programming which was based off of the Vision’s or whether she has adapted to suit her role as a mother and protector, it has made for good reading and a serious mystery to boot. The one thing you notice about this book compared to other Marvel titles is just how much story is packed into its pages. King has a lot going on with both action, drama and characterization and it creates some really palpable tension as you never know what Vin, Viv or Virginia will end up doing. The scene between Virginia and her blackmailer will have the reader on the edge of their seat and is a perfect example of what makes this book as good as it is. Unusual and captivating are but two words that describe this title and its premise, two words that set it apart from almost anything else out there.

5 out of 5

Spider-Woman #3

Writer – Dennis Hopeless
Artist – Javier Rodriguez
Inker – Alvaro Lopez
Colours – Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters – VC’s Travis Lanham

Jessica Drew, a.k.a. Spider-Woman, is still on the Alpha Flight medical station which is in the middle of a black hole, still being held hostage by Skrulls and still pregnant. Also Carol, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, cannot get in to help so it looks like it is up to Jessica and a bunch of other pregnant extraterrestrials to save themselves. Dennis Hopeless, Javier Rodriguez and company continue to make Jessica’s life as hard as it can possibly be, but also a whole lot of fun for the reader. You also have to think that despite all the trouble she manages to get herself into, that Jessica also enjoys it – just a little bit. There is a fair bit of action despite Jessica’s fragile state and out of everyone present, she is probably the most qualified to do anything which is why she takes charge. Though the story is always good and the artwork just the same if not better, it is Rodriguez who really shines in this issue with his three page illustration showing Jessica on her trip through the station, not to mention the journey back, being one of the finest sequences to be seen in any of Marvel’s new titles. It too is quite humourous with its visual gags and it is a prime example of an artist working in tandem with the writer to deliver the best possible story. Soon enough, it is found out that a crown prince of the Skrull race is residing on the station and of course, Jessica takes it upon herself to rescue him before the Skrulls get to him, but it is then that her water breaks and at the worst possible time too. One of the better things about Spider-Woman that Hopeless has been doing is creating a book that is much different from the rest of the Spider-Family of titles and so far, he has been doing a fantastic job at it.

4 out of 5