Take this weeks Astonishing X-Men #34.  If like me you have been more than disappointed with the last couple of years characterisation of Scotts Summers, Cyclops; even though this harder, more results orientated version of him can be traced back to the original Secret Wars (losing his first wife, having his second revealed as a clone and transmuted to a demonic entity, losing his son, having his first wife return from the dead and get killed again can’t have had a good effect, not to mention being possessed by Apocalypse.  That’s gotta leave a stain!), then you will love the dressing down delivered by the Beast. And I quote…

“And this ‘I am the big dog who wants to know your name and then kill you twice’ crap?”

Now how can you compete with that? The Beast is fulfilling his duty as a good friend, and reigning in one of his oldest friends, worried that Cyke is seeing death not as the last resort, but more and more frequently one of the primary options.  It’s not like we haven’t all noticed.

With the stress that Scott has been under (I neglected to mention the slaughter of all of his in-laws family, and the death of his father) there is little wonder that he has become so jaded. Still, how long can we see Scott play up to the role of the’worlds’ greatest super-hero’ and becoming increasingly cavalier and reprehensible before we all hate him?  He is the spine of hte X-Men, nearly as ubiquitous as Wolverine.  If we hate him, what would that do the sales figures?

I never thought of Warren Ellis as a instrument of healing!  But I really hope that this is the start of a long walk back into the light.

Warren Ellis takes on the X-Men in the newest incarnation of the Astonishing X-Men, presumably set after all the Second Coming event has come to a conclusion. I like Ellis’ writing, and if he can stay true to the spirit of the X-Men (spiritus-superior?) while bringing in elements of his irreverent humour then this should be a grand ride.

In the meantime, Bruce Wayne works his way back to the future from prehistoric times at the hands of Grant Morrison. Considering that we are promised a Puritan Batman and a Pirate Batman, I’m wondering which direction Grant will take with this title. Emotionally charged stories with a touch of surrealism? Or will his love of the sixties kitsch of comics shine through?

With Final Crisis, Grant showed his love for the more forgotten institutions of DC, with a vast arrange of Kirby legacies both from the New Gods and from Kamandi. (On that note, where is the Kamandi ongoing that was intimated?)

The Tiger-men, Caesar, not withstanding the plague that swept New Earth 51 . I think I got the number right, but then wasn’t it the second time that earth had been destroyed in Countdown? The story was so convoluted that even I lose track now.

Then again, who could forget the reprise of Jimmy Olsen, as Giant-Turtle Boy. Versus Darkseid no less! How cool was that?

Still, if you really want to see Grant’s love of comics history, then you only have to read four issues (the conclusion of his run on Animal Man not-withstanding), and that is of the classic Flex Mentallo mini-series. A presumptuous meta-fiction with many levels of ‘reality’, you could simply feel yourself there with Wallace (or more to the point, teenage Grant himself), devouring comic after comic. The whole series made me remember my first fascination with comics as I discovered hero after hero, world after world.

So let’s see if this weeks offering give us the magic of the Invisibles, the wonder of Flex Mentallo, the humour of Nextwave and the paced story-telling of Planetary.

Oh, and Siege finishes, and the other Blackest Night/Brightest Day spin-offs commence. But I think my attention has wandered already.

It would be an understatement to say that mankind has had a fascination with gods for quite for quite some time, but it really seems to have come to the fore recently.

Now I’m not just talking about the most obvious example here, being Siege, but come on. Two special issues mourning the death of Hercules, <**SPOILER ALERT**> only to find out he is not dead after all?

Still, there’s the upcoming Hercules Prince Of Power series advertised, so I doubt there is a secret there. If you don’t remember the original two Prince Of Power mini-series, they are worth digging out.  Set in an alternate future, Herc has a Skrull sidekick called Skyppi and is the last of the Olympian gods remaining in this realm, tasked with siring the next generation of gods.

There are other views of the gods however.  In Avatar’s Supergod by Warren Ellis, we are treated to how man-made gods can become something far beyond our control.  Not an unusual theme in comics or science-fiction, and a metaphor that is entirely transparent, but of course, this is Mr Ellis, and therefore top notch entertainment.  You can feel the rage of the unleashed beasts as the world falls to pieces around them. Or rather is smashed to pieces by them, as simply an afterthought.

Not comparable to our own monsters of media, free market or finance giants at all. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

On a far more fun note, God Complex from Image is far more reminiscent of the glory days of Kirby in the Eternals or the New Gods, with a more down-to-earth twist. Michael Avon Oeming’s first issue did not receive the greatest of reviews, as he continued the transition from artist (of Powers) to writer of his own material, but now he has reached the fourth issue of the series it has a certain charm, and I think will translate very well into trade paperback format.  Focusing on Apollo (a god that I have always been surprised that writers haven’t played with more), this god has left his pantheon, and his family is less than happy about it.

So the over-story is not that original, Thor did it decades ago. The strong point of the series are those little moments of humanity, which play very well, contrasting human desire with moments of perfect stillness.  A ideal read for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

No Hero #7 Cover

Just how much has Warren Ellis been writing over this last year?

I’m suspending Zombie Watch (sort-of) for this column, just to draw attention to Mr Ellis’ prodigious output, mainly from Avatar.

Last week saw the release of No Hero #7, a story of super-powered men controlling the planet clandestinely, until they invite what is revealed to be a complete sociopath into their midst. Dripping with Ellis’ traditional warped sense of humour, he has engineered our sympathy for the lead character, only to rip it to shreds in the last two issues. You don’t want to see what the lead does with a teammates spine. If it weren’t so horrifying it would be funny. But as a finale to the series, I was blown away, with a remaining sensation of satisfied melancholy that stayed with me hours after reading. (God, that makes me sound emo!)

Now I do feel it is a shame there is no ‘Mature readers only’ label on the cover, for this is not a story that I would want a child of mine reading, but then maybe I am becoming more conservative in my old age. Still, Warren Ellis has been around long enough for anyone to realise this is not for a fourteen year old, and to strike fear into the Concerned Mothers Of America. (Are they still going by the way?)

If you have missed this, I highly recommend seeking out the back issues or grabbing the trade when it finally comes out.

Another helping of Ellis can be found in Avatar’s Gravel. There’s a little less gross-out in this storyline, and a lot more intrigue, and again the central character offers up surprises for the reader. When all the characters seem jaded in attitude, it is a nice surprise that as a reader, I do not feel the same way. Ellis seems to have a handle on mercenary attitudes, twisted with displays of compassion that only become apparent later. Then again, the contribution from Mike Wolfer may make all of the difference here.

Gravel has twelve issues on the stands so far, well worth a look.

Oh, and just a quick note on Zombie Watch. The conclusion of Marvel Zombies Return, and the next issue of Blackest Night: Titans hit the stands later today. As much as I am looking forward to them, I have just about had my fill of zombies already. Still, not long until the X-Babies return.