1985 #2: This is a fun little series, not least because it's a "what if" that we've all pondered from time to time. This is Millar's childhood, but every reader has his own childhood memories -- a point hammered home by the hint that this isn't the first time this has happened.
I DO have to complain a bit that that high concept is somewhat lost in the story; the only definitively 1985 Marvel moment is Banner being in control of Hulk. As for the rest of the cast, they could be from any time in Marvel's history.
Anyway, it's got me thinking about the Marvel books of my childhood, and what the book would be like if it were 1995 instead. The purple-haired female Doc Ock, Norman freshly back from the dead, Colossus as one of Magneto's Acolytes, hints of Onslaught...
...man the 1990's sucked.
Black Panther #37: finally, Hudlin's acknowledging Priest. (Yeah,
Everett K Ross has been a recurring character in this series since issue #1, but this is the first time he's spoken more than a few sentences and actually seemed like Everett K Ross.)
I could give a crap about the fight between T'Challa and Killmonger except that, judging by next month's cover, Killmonger wins, which is as it should be. Still no acknowledgement of Priest leaving his series with Killmonger as ruler of Wakanda, but this is likely the closest we're ever going to get. More to the point, that the US is behind the whole thing goes back to Hudlin's first and strongest arc on the book, and also evokes two major themes from Priest's run, Wakanda as a player on an international stage and a not-always-friendly rivalry between T'Challa and Tony Stark. Also, Everett K Ross.
Thunderbolts #121: the Ellis/Deodato run concludes nicely. The character arcs for Norman, Songbird, Penance, and Bullseye reach satisfying conclusions, the conflict is resolved in a disarmingly quick and efficient manner, and all in all the book's left in a great place for someone else to take it over. Unfortunately, it's going straight into fucking Secret Invasion tie-in territory next month. Not sure how much of that I can take, but the last time I dropped Thunderbolts was during that fucking Fight Club reboot, so I think that establishes how bad the book has to get before I stop buying it.