The Pull List #44 for February 24 2016

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: J. Cassara

Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Marvel

It’s White Tiger vs. White Tiger for the power of the Tiger God!  Aunt vs. niece!  Avengers Academy Graduate vs. Resurrected Hand Assassin!  And it’s actually pretty damn good, although take that with a grain of salt as I’ve been a big fan of Ava Ayala since her Avengers Academy days and I’m a sucker for Tiger God stories.  Still, the script shows a marked improvement over past outings thanks to a focus on a smaller cast of characters: Power Man and White Tiger, and The Maker and White Tiger.  And the first duo gets some excellent downtime interaction in before the punching commences, something this series has been lacking a bit.  Now, one could say that the lack of other members of the team in the issue makes this a bad example of a team book, but one could respond by saying that this book focuses more on the overall plot of the arc (it actually exists!) and the primary antagonist instead.  So, make of that what you will.  Meanwhile, we get a brief respite from the regular art team to welcome in Cassara for this guest issue.  While the book remains in darker hues, the linework is more grounded, which ultimately serves the story well at it mostly involves a street fight in Rome.  Most importantly (imo), the Tiger God looks great which is the most important thing importantly (imo).  All-in-all, a definite upswing for New Avengers. 

Writer: Robbie Thompson

Artist: Veronica Fish

Color Artist: Ian Herring

Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

Marvel

Silk’s been infected with the Goblin Serum and her one mission: kill Black Cat.  It’s a fast-paced issue from Thompson and Co. and one that benefits from that quality.  We get brief interludes of Killer Shrike’s debriefing or Cindy’s co-workers’ concern over her long absences, but mostly it’s just rage-fueled Cindy tearing through New York and Black Cat’s gang.  Fish and Herring compliment this nicely with frantic expressions and dynamic panelling. With a nice explosion of action and several plot bombs dropped throughout the issue, it’s a good time for Silk to have a bad time. 

Writer: Warren Ellis

Artists: Gerardo Zaffino w/ Antonio Fuso

Color Artist: Dan Brown

Letterers: VC’s Clayton Cowles & Joe Caramagna

Marvel

Karnak has been tasked with freeing a young Inhuman from a dark science cult.  It’s a Warren Ellis rescue mission so you already know it’s jam-packed with brutal action.  The first half of the issue is the usual Ellis getting out of the way to let the artist shine, and the latter half is the usual philosophical battle with a simultaneous battle against the issue’s antagonist.  It’s a familiar formula, but not one lacking in enjoyment despite the familiarity.  Karnak’s verbal sparring with the cult leader is as intricate and satisfactory as the actual sparring that accompanies it.  The art, for its part, is incredible.  The opening fight scene is tremendous and expertly shows off both Karnak’s deadly fighting style and Zaffino’s unique art.  Amazingly, the issue’s final fight is even better, with Dan Brown’s excellent use of light and dark making for one of the prettiest fight scenes in recent memory.  While it may have taken awhile to come out, Karnak’s second issue is worth the wait. 

Writers: CM Punk & Cullen Bunn

Artist: Scott Hepburn

Color Artists: Matt Milla & Ruth Redmond

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Marvel

Imprisoned by Fin Fang Foom, Drax and his fellow captives are forced to fight to the death for the benefit of the alien dragon.  Unfortunately, this means no actual space dragon fight this week, but it’s a good issue nonetheless.  Punk’n’Bunn have a good handle on Drax’s character and keep the issue light with some pretty good gags, despite the macho, hardcore nature of the story.  Such nature fits Hepburn rather well, as the arena fight is rife with excellent choreography and suitably exaggerated posturing.  Here’s hoping Drax vs Dragon is everything I’m building it up to be in my head.  

Writer: Marguerite Bennett

Artist: Kim Jacinto (Stephanie Hans)

Color Artist: Israel Silva

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

Marvel

This is it: the final showdown for the Queendom of Hel.  And what a doozy it is.   Bennett weaves snappy, appropriate dialogue throughout the fight, and the issues conclusion is an excellent turn in the story.  Jacinto and Silva’s art really shines particularly in this most climactic of battles.  Interestingly, there’s not really a substory this month as Hans merely provides the splash pages.  This makes for a very intriguing effect, both in terms of the books flow as well as the meta-narrative itself.  With the first major arc of the series down, it’ll be interesting to see where Queen Angela goes from here. 

Writer: Ryan North

Art: Erica Henderson

Color Art: Rico Renzi

Lettering: Travis Lanham

Marvel

The Squirrel Knight Strikes Again…yeh that was the best I could come with.  Anyway, it’s the final showdown (sensing a theme for this week) with Doctor Doom as Squirrel Girl teams up with Squirrel Girl But Old Lady Form This Time.  What ensues is your usual brand of hilarity from Ryan North and Henderson made more funny by the numerous opportunities for time travel jokes.  When Doreen’s plan unfolds in the latter half of the book it’s certainly entertaining and provides a great set-up to an awesome callback.  This arc of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl has been madcap from start to finish, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

So what did you pick up this week? Agree or disagree with anything said here? Let us know in the comments.