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renaramblesaboutcomics · 7 years

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Wednesday Roundup 4.10.2017

This week ended up being a relatively light reading week for yours truly, but that doesn’t lessen the quality of my enjoyment whatsoever. In fact, I had enough love to share that I wanted to go over all of the available Marvel Legacy Primers for this week as well, even if they’re just short blurbs!

So without further ado let’s jump into it.

Marvel’s America, Marvel’s Black Panther, Marvel’s Incredible Hulk, Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man, Marvel’s Jean Grey, Marvel’s Monsters Unleashed, Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo, Lion Forge’s Voltron Legendary Defender, Viz’s Yona of the Dawn

Marvel’s America - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017-present) Robbie Thompson, David Lopez

As interested as I am in America, I haven’t had the opportunity to really follow her outside of the Young Avengers run she is in. So I think, oddly enough, for me this is one of the most necessary “Primers” of any of the ones I’ve read so far, and the information was very good to have. It really helped to frame her history, her relationship with her mothers, and her confidence in herself in a new light that is really appreciated. And the art from David Lopez is as beautiful as any of his issues on All-New Wolverine.

Marvel’s Black Panther - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2016-present) Robbie Thompson, Wilfredo Torres

There’s honestly not going to be that much more to say on most of these Primer pages. They’re fun, quick run throughs of relevant histories of the characters and teams that they showcase and depending on your interest and engagement may influence whether or not you want to hop in on the next storyline that they’re promoting.

I do like the sense of unity and legacy that is built into the Black Panther title already, having it be a responsibility tied to kingship that T’Challa knows and the all-important bond it has between him and the memory of his father.

It really puts a spin on the importance of Legacy that this event seems intent on hammering home.

Marvel’s Captain Marvel - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2016-present) Robbie Thompson, Brent Schoonover

Carol Danvers is one of those characters I desperately want to lie on every feasible surface level, but whose books have never quite got me on board and whose guest appearances always leave me a bit more confused about her than I had been before her said appearance. And yet there was still not a whole lot added here. I appreciate it, and young Carol is adorable, but there was nothing here that didn’t make me feel like... well, like she’s Hal Jordan. And ‘m not a fan of Hal Jordan.

Marvel’s Incredible Hulk - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017-present) Robbie Thompson, Joe Bennett

Everything I have read so far with Amadeus Cho, both in Totally Awesome Hulk and in his guest appearances or team-ups in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to Champions has really connected to me on a level that Bruce Banner hadn’t exactly managed over the years. So it was nice to see a little blurb that went over their mutual histories and explored what was there.

It almost makes people forget that Marvel unnecessarily killed Bruce Banner for... no reason. Almost. Not quite. Though he might be alive by now. I am obviously not current.

Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2016-present) Robbie Thompson, Valerio Schiti

Gah, reading this overview of Tony and Riri’s history really reminded me how much I really loved reading Invincible Iron Man when it first came out and just how much I positively adored Riri’s character and her banter with Tony. You know. Before they completely undid the relationship within the first storyline and then Bendis went all Bendis on us and it became obvious that Tony was coming back sooner than later and then Secret Empire destroyed the world... somewhat literally.

I’d love to read a Riri-centric book in better circumstances. Or at least once the next trade is out. We’ll see.

Marvel’s Jean Grey - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017-present) Robbie Thompson, Mark Bagley

I was actually just recently talking to my good friend @shobogan about how much more interested I would be in Young Jean Grey if only Marvel had the guts to either give us a romantic relationship with her and Laura (or her, Laura, and Scott OT3 hullo) or have Older Jean Grey return to mentor her younger self and others at the school since she’s the only X-Man kept dead for this long who was considered a Top Tier X-Man. And since we’re finally getting the latter, it seems, now I have to look at what we know of Young Jean and consider my feelings all over again. And this primer gave me the opportunity to do just that!

While I’m not following Jean’s book at the moment, I’m obviously a pretty big X-fan so I have a general sense of where all the moving pieces are at the moment. And I have to say, with Older Jean returning it’s going to be a pretty awesome time for comparing and contrasting their characters and relationships. After all, this younger Jean is far, far less experienced than her counterpart, but has a peripheral knowledge of her own fate, and as much as she tries to not be defined by it, it’s been defining her in the opposite direction in a sense. And more than that, she’s a Jean who sees the Phoenix Force not as an asset or a tool, but sees it as an honest to god enemy, which I’m not sure how that will work. And I’m even more interested in Jean’s return now because of the possibilities of their interactions with the Force together.

Guess we’ll wait and see!

Marvel’s Monsters Unleashed - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017-present) Robbie Thompson, David Baldeón

I have actually been planning for a little while now to pick up the trade of Monsters Unleashed because I had fun with the miniseries earlier this year and I have been craving more Elsa Bloodstone (as well as the entirety of the Nextwave crew) and this seems like one of the more interesting powers to come from the Inhuman collision.

.... Actually it’s completely stolen from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic and later adapted TV episode dedicated to Jack Kirby who had the power of creativity to draw and create anything he drew and also had a a penchant for creating monsters and different worlds and so on. So I mean. There’s that unavoidable fact. But Kei’s cute so I’d be willing to overlook it for the sake of seeing what Marvel plans on doing with this very wild and unruly power.

Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo (1984-present) #162 Stan Sakai, Tom Luth

The conclusion of Usagi and Inspector Ishida’s investigation about the doctors’ murders has come and the hilarity of Kitsune and Kiyoko bumbling along with them and incidentally becoming crucial to the entire investigation does not lose its edge either.

Story: The conclusion of this particular caper is interesting mostly in how the framing by coincidence is not ultimately a linchpin to the story, having been solved almost immediately in the story’s first issue. The inventiveness of Sakai’s work, overall, is simple subterfuge which continues to make each new adventure feel unique and uncertain. In this instance, it would be in the assistance that Kitsune and Kiyoko end up providing by revealing the true murderer almost by accident.

That being said, as simple as individual stories are for Usagi Yojimbo, the complexity really rests in the margins for long time fans, and that shows most clearly in the way a quiet buildup of several arcs seem to flow together for coming to a head. Perhaps the most famous and arguably best all around example of this would be in “Grasscutter” and how years of storytelling and slow vignettes linking together culminated in one of the greatest comic storylines of all time. We seem to be getting something similar in the backgrounds of more recent adventures with this guild of assassins which Usagi has unknowingly crossed the path of and caused ire to several times at this point.

I’m excited to see where that story is taking us, and likewise interested in how little details, like Kiyoko successfully pickpocketing Inspector Ishida, will pay off down the road.

Lion Forge’s Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2 (2017) #1 Tim Hendrick, Mitch Iverson, Jung Gwan Yoo, Ji-in Choi

Egghhhhh. Are you ever really rooting for something against your own common sense and get bit in the butt regardless? I feel like that happens to me on an inconceivably high average and almost all of it can be blamed on the fact that for some reason I am still expecting comics to play fairly with me. If anything my standards should be lower by now. But, well, let’s see if I’m being a bit too harsh on Lion Forge’s second effort in making a Voltron comic.

Story: I would argue that one of the reasons that I had unreasonably high expectations for this comic is in part because the first comic produced by Lion Forge had actuallymanaged to not only be a fairly solid effort as a comic but managed to capture the spirit of the current Dreamworks Netflix series in a wa that was welcoming to fans new and old, and importantly of all ages. So I was hoping for more of the same with this comic project.

In more or less words... I did not exactly receive that. Where there was a solid read of the characterizations in the last comic, this issue showed a severely flattened to the point of parody version of the paladins, especially poor Hunk here who had the already obnoxious and unnecessary fat jokes and food jokes from the series amped up to the point of being his only characteristic in this comic. To the point that at one point he doesn’t even form a full sentence, just grabs a pie successfully from a training maze and says “Hunk win”. Which... I guess is somewhat better faring than the other paladins who didn’t even have dialogue that really fit them. Save for Pidge who was likewise flattened to “the smart one.”

The storyline itself of a new planet where Voltron is needed but the species they end up helping... they actually fail initially, I won’t lie, is a pretty solid premise for Voltron overall, and would be something I’d love to see the show tackle similarly, but the fairly generic wolf-furry aliens didn’t receive a whole lot of depth in this first issue.

Depth trended on being the biggest problem for this issue overall. There wasn’t an examination of the characters and their interactions, how they treated each other and how they tackled problems differently. The sort of things you’d want from an ensemble cast like Voltron. Which is surprising since again the first series by Lion Forge managed all that and was written on a much younger reading level at the same time. Each issue tackled exactly those very things -- individual characters, how they functioned in the group, and how they tackled obstacles differently to find a solution together. I would expect the same here but it didn’t seem to be on the menu.

Hopefully all of this will be addressed and fixed as the comic progresses, but as for now I’m apprehensively putting this series on my three issue trial run.

Art: The art was not a great improvement on the previous comic but it also wasn’t bad in the least. In fact I think the art popped very well, adjusting colors and textures about as well as you’d expect from a television show adaptation for kids. I do wish that the face models for the paladins would keep more consistent and overall there was a rushed feeling to the comic that seemed fairly unnecessary considering it’s the first issue.

Viz’s Yona of the Dawn (2009-present) Vol. 8 Mizuho Kusanagi

You know, I keep hearing over and over again from friends and trusted sources that Yona of the Dawn is a series that will continuously subvert my every expectation and make me continue guessing and yet every volume I really do manage to be caught off guard by something which the story chooses to do which is shockingly poignant and new even to its fairy tale epic adventure structure.

Story: So the Yellow Dragon joining the group was hilariously and purposefully anti-climactic but what we got as a result of that choice is the new direction for the series that ties directly into Yona’s own self-realization. She doesn’t simply want to rule and she doesn’t simply want to conquer. What she wants is to know her people and to save them from the crises that were overlooked by her father before her and by Su-Won now. She wants to take up arms to protect the entire country not just with the power of the loyal followers she has gained but with her own hands. She is something that neither of the kings -- her father or her cousin -- could have ever dreamed of being.

And then my expectations were really taken for a loop by us then in turn following Su-Won as he travels to the Earth Tribe and earns the respect and allegiance of the chieftan general there through a series of manipulations, tactical conceits, and ultimately quiet and subtle intimidation mostly by the fleeting moments in which he dropped his ditzy and well-meaning act to show his true intentions. But as fascinating as it was and as surprising as it was, for me at least, that this complete shift of POV for a few chapters actually managed to keep me on board when I’m not one to often fully appreciate the “villain’s side of things”, probably the most interesting part of any and all of this is actually how much tension is underlying Su-Won’s leadership. HIs appeal to the Fire and Earth Tribes is less in the leadership that he promotes and more in this current of possible warmongering that appeases the more warlike fractions of Kohka.

It’s all fascinating and offers a sense of danger in Yona’s new quest to help the people of fher country feel a new sense of danger, knowing that our group is ultimately pretty unprepared for helping parts of the country which would not be as receptive to their quest or the offer of Yona’s leadership.

That being said... the final chapter driving home Yona’s relationship with Hak and everyone’s strange obsession with protecting Yona but rejecting her attempts to grow her own strength and independence. Lik eI guess we’re just all going to overlook the way she killed the slave trader mob boss in teh previous volume. But beyond all of that, my real concern is just... I cannot stand the way Hak’s character is portrayed in his “over protectiveness” of Yona. It’s far from romantic to me to continuously have a character obsess over someone to the point of “jokingly” considering locking them away for the world to see.

It’s not the best issue of the series by far, but it has some great moments, especially for Yona.

Art: I actually do think that the further we’ve come in this comic, the more consistent and confident the at has gotten. There are still lots of soft tones and all the markings of a usual shoujo, but the real stand out this time around is that we’re beginning to see more and more the variation in ethnicities in the people of the country, which is honestly relieving even if for now the Earth Tribe, which drives that point home, consists mostly of Su-Won’s supporters and may carry with them some more unfortunate stereotypes being fed that I might not be aware of as a non-native to Japan.

So far as single issues this week are concerned there’s really no competition for Usagi Yojimbo in a regular week but especially not in a fairly light week. Yona is still a fantastic book and if there were other trades to compare it to I’d probably lavish on it more, but since we’re on singles I have to give this one to the unending quality that is Stan Sakai’s anthromorphic feudal epic.

And, once more, I am in a bit of a financial crunch for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which being the medical bills I’m paying for my dog, Eve, who experienced a catastrophic dog fight and underwent surgery recently. On top of that, I have exactly a month and a half to pack up everything I own and move halfway across the country again which is not helping those financial crunches I mentioned before either.

As such, I really would appreciate if you enjoy my content or are interested in helping me out, please check out either my Patreon or PayPal. Every bit helps and I couldn’t thank you enough for enjoying and supporting my content.

You could also support me by going to my main blog, @renaroo, where I’ll soon be listing prices and more for art and writing commissions.

RenaRoo Ko-Fi

RenaRoo Patreon

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#Rena Roundups #Wednesday Spoilers #SPOILERS #Usagi Yojimbo (1984 )#America (2017 )#Black Panther (2016 )#Captain Marvel (2016 )#Incredible Hulk (2017 )#Invincible Iron Man (2016 )#Jean Grey (2017 )#Monsters Unleashed (2017 )#Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2 #Yona of the Dawn (2009 )

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deannalaurend · 7 years

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Sailor Avengers AU Prologue

So I compiled the stuff I had, did some edits. Not sure what I think of it. Please give me feedback and suggestions! I’m notorious for not finishing things so I’m going to try really hard to keep going!

I would love to know any pairing ideas you have, fun plot ideas. I want to write some hilarious moments (like Makoto picking up Thor’s hammer and Tony being impressed with how smart Ami is but she has no cares for him) and some angsty moments (like Steve asking Setsuna if she can take him back to see Peggy). So we’ll see what happens!

Time is a funny thing. People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but it isn’t. Some things are fixed; some things will always happen no matter how hard you try to stop it or change it (like Steve Rogers being frozen in ice). Other things - most things - are fluid and easily changed. The future is always in motion, Setsuna sees the possibilities dancing in her mind, the sands of time blowing in the time dimension.

Crystal Tokyo has been a constant possibility for years. The road to that future changes with each choice the Senshi make - but ever since the Cauldron it had always been there. Until the day Steve Rogers woke up from a 70-year sleep. When Steve Rogers woke up, Crystal Tokyo disappeared and Setsuna could no longer hide what was happening from Usagi and the others. So they call a meeting and they tell them everything.

---

It all started with Iron Man. Earth hadn’t had heroes before, just the Senshi. The appearance of Iron Man started something, a chain of events Pluto hadn’t expected.

When the Hulk is born, it doesn’t affect Japan much – Luna watches where Bruce Banner goes, listens to the newscasts that call him “monster”, but she senses no evil from this man. Anger, yes. But not evil. Setsuna says while the Hulk was a new element, nothing had significantly changed and Crystal Tokyo was still on track. So, Luna puts the Hulk and Bruce Banner from her mind and focuses on the darker energies threatening the planet, while the computer continues to follow Bruce – just in case some darkness tries to take advantage of his anger and warp his kindness. That is what Chaos does after all.

Luna doesn’t think about Bruce again for years.

But after Iron Man – even the Hulk’s future held heroism if the cards were played right. Crystal Tokyo was still there, but as time passed, Crystal Tokyo became less and less likely. Setsuna kept it to herself, though she is sure that Michiru has noticed things have changed when she looks in her mirror.

It’s months later that Setsuna sees Tony Stark’s future start to flicker, the possibility that he will die in the next month is high. It will take very careful moves to keep Tony Stark from dying. It’s during this time she notices Ivan Vanko and pulls Michiru and Haruka aside.

“I need you to go to America,” she says, “and prevent Tony Stark from dying.” Haruka raises an eyebrow at Setsuna.

“Why is Stark so important?” Haruka asks. Setsuna frowns and Michiru looks in her mirror, brow furrowed as it shows her very little of anything helpful.

“There’s something coming very soon, a darkness that could bring ruin,” she scowls, “I can’t see much yet, it’s not clear. But what is clear, is that if Tony Stark dies, so does the world.” And so, after a whispered conversation with Luna and Artemis who agreed there was no need to worry the others (not yet, let them live their dreams for a while), Haruka and Michiru travelled to America under the guise of races and concerts and normalcy.

When Michiru and Haruka get to America, they sense something about Stark’s assistant Natalie Rushman. Michiru stairs at her mirror, trying to piece out what role she will play - and eventually decides that though she may not be a friend, she certainly doesn’t wish Stark any ill will.

It’s at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix that Haruka decides she doesn’t actually like Stark. Haruka was entered in the race, Michiru was a guest, keeping close tabs on Stark. She smiles and makes polite conversation - like she was born for this. Some of the guest new of her art and music, Pepper Potts spoke highly of her paintings and wishing she could get her hands on one for the gallery.

“I would be happy to arrange for one to be delivered to you,” Michiru smiles, her english flawless, “If you’d excuse me for now, my partner is racing today and I promised I’d go to the track.” Michiru doesn’t mention she’s actually going to the track because she just saw Stark head toward it.

“Of course,” Pepper smiles, “and thank you! Who's your partner?”

“Tenoh Haruka,” Michiru smiles, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

“Tenoh, yes Tony’s told me he’s quite good,” Pepper says and Michiru stifles a giggle. “Enjoy the race,” she grins and hands Michiru a card, “I’d love to book you for our next fundraiser, keep in touch.” Michiru nods and bows.

“Oh course,” she says and tucks the card into her purse. As she heads for door she pulls out her phone and calls Haruka.

“Stark is on his way to the track,” she says as soon as Haruka picks up, “I’m afraid he is going to do something silly - like race. I’m on my way.”

“I’ll keep watch, see you soon.” Michiru ducks into an an alley and transforms in a flash of bright aqua light - and then she runs. Once she’s at the track her transformation fades away leaving her in her navy dress and heels. She walks up to Haruka who is chatting with Stark.

“Haruka,” she says, with that demure smile, “won’t you introduce me?” and suddenly Tony Stark is focused on the aqua haired women.

“Tony Stark,” he says, smirk firmly in place.

“Michiru, I was just suggesting to Mr. Stark that racing is dangerous,” Haruka said and Michiru nodded.

“Oh it is,” Michiru nodded, “you aren’t thinking of racing are you Mr. Stark,” she raises her hand to her mouth in a practiced move of concern. Beside her Haruka bristles slightly.

“Don’t worry about me Miss Michiru,” Tony says with a wink and Haruka’s hands curl into fists, “I’m Iron Man - this is nothing.” and Haruka can’t take it anymore when he inches closer to Michiru and she laughs.

Haruka curls a hand around Michiru’s waist, “Michi,” she switches to Japanese, “you know I hate it when you charm other men,” she winks and Michiru giggles.

“You’re just so fun when you’re jealous love,” she says in english and Tony laughs. Haruka glares.

And then the race is starting and everything looks fine until it’s not. Michiru wants to transform, to help but there are people everywhere. So instead she stands at the side lines, a frown marring her face, and looks for someway to help. She tries not to scream when she sees Haruka’s car flip - but the sigh of relief is real when she sees Haruka crawl out of the rubble, her racing suit ripped leaving her in the pants and tank top she wears under the suit top (which now means it's abundantly clear to everyone who looks her way that Tenoh Haruka is not in fact a man). Haruka isn’t able to transform either, they make eye contact across the track. They’r resigned to this being the end - that this man with whips will kill Tony Stark and set off a chain of events that will bring about the end of the world.

But then Pepper is there and Iron Man takes the place of Tony Stark and everything is fine.

Back in Japan, Setsuna sees Thor fall to earth a mortal and Setsuna laughs. She laughs so hard that Hotaru run into her room to see if she’s okay.

“I’m fine, I swear,” she says between gasps of air. “It’s just that the son of Odin just crash landed on earth as nothing more than a human. Asgard is about to go to war with the Jotun and they have no allies! I bet Odin wishes he sent help to the Silver Alliance now!” and Hotaru joins in her laughter for a few minutes. And then all of a sudden Setsuna stops laughing. Her eyes widen and she swears.

“What is it?’ Hotaru asks.

“That darkness that is coming, Thor needs his strength back if we’re going to win. We’ve got more to worry about than just Stark now.”

“How do we get his power back Setsuna-Mama?” Hotaru asks and Setsuna’s face softens as she looks at Hotaru.

“We don’t. It’s all up to him to learn this lesson. We can only hope.”

And so Setsuna and Hotaru kept the information to themselves and waited. Until one morning they wake up to Thor on the news - lightning and a caped man flying, fighting a destroyer with his hammer.

“We’re still okay,” Setsuna says, watching the sands of time, and sees that Haruka and Michiru must be succeeding because all the paths that Tony Stark’s future can take, most of them have him alive for the coming battle.

Haruka and Michiru attend a birthday party, and a fight between friends. They notice Natalie Rushman’s reaction time and smirk knowingly. Then Tony Stark disappears only to reappear days later to fight Ivan Vanko and Haruka and Michiru think they may have failed a second time but miraculously Tony Stark is okay and has a brighter light in his chest than before.

And so Michiru and Haruka leave America and Tony Stark behind, having not really been needed in the first place it seams.

“The darkness is still coming,” Setsuna says when they’re back home again, “but the chances of success are much higher with Stark no longer dying. Well done.”

“We didn’t really do much of anything,” Haruka says, “except learn that Stark is insufferable!” Michiru giggled.

“He wasn’t so bad.” Haruka glared.

---

“It’s just - gone?” Ami says and Setsuna nods.

“Most versions of the future had Steve Rogers waking from the ice after the great freeze,” Setsuna says, “that he’s woken up early has disrupted the future we were expecting. There are more heroes than just us now. The great freeze isn’t going to happen, and so neither is Crystal Tokyo.”

“Chibiusa?” Usagi asks, eyes wide - the first thing that crosses her mind is her child and she hopes against hope that she still exists.

Setsuna hesitates a moment, not meeting Usagi’s eyes, “her future is -” she pauses, “uncertain. There are many courses the future can take, she may still come to pass or she could fade away to memory.” Usagi’s eyes water and Setsuna’s heart wrenches.

“So - what now?” Rei asks, arms crossed over her chest.

“There is a darkness coming,” Setsuna says.

“And soon,” Michiru adds, “great swarms of monsters raining down on New York.” she lowers her mirror, her mouth a grim line.

“So we go to New York,” Usagi says, pushing her shoulders back and holding her head high, “we go and we save the world.”

“Something is going to happen in Germany,” Setsuna says, brow furrowed, “Michiru, did you accept that invitation to play at Stuttgart?”

“I hadn’t,” Michiru says, “but I can always change my answer.”

“What are you thinking Setsuna-san?” Minako asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Michiru and Haruka go to Stuttgart and wait for whatever is going to happen there and meet the rest of us in New York. We can start working on evacuation plans and strategies. As the darkness get’s closer it becomes clearer.”

“The clearer it is, the more we can prepare,” Ami muses and Makoto punches her hand.

“And the easier it is to kick their butt!”

“New York,” Usagi nods, “when should we leave?”

#sailoravengersau #sailor moon #avengers #marvel #crossover #fanfiction #crossover fanfiction #au #sailor moon au #avengers au #sailor moon avengers

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