Comic Book Reviews (Week May 3, 2023): Immortal X-Men Issue 11, I Hate This Place Issue 8 & More!

Welcome to my comic book reviews for this week (May 3, 2023). I will be covering Immortal X-Men Issue 11, I Hate This Place Issue 8, and MMPR/TMNT II Issue 5.

Let’s begin by talking about Immortal X-Men by writer Kieron Gillen. With the current comic book series focusing on a different character in each issue, the latest chapter was about Storm making certain decisions regarding the Quiet Council after the events of Sins of Sinister. While the timeline had been reset, Charles, Hope, Exodus, and Emma were still compromised.

I liked that even though Forge created a way to prevent Charles, Emma, Hope, and Emma from turning into Sinister in the near future, Ororo still wanted to teach them a lesson about what they did during SoS. She wanted her fellow X-Men to learn and hopefully do better this time around. Of course, things didn’t pan out the way she intended. You just can’t change someone like Charles Xavier.

In my opinion, even though the current issue, with very stunning art from Lucas Werneck and David Curiel, was from Ororo’s perspective, it continues to be clear to me that Gillen didn’t really enjoy writing her. I think he “respects” Storm as the iconic character that she is, but he has more fun when writing scenes that involve Mystique, Emma Frost, Hope, etc… basically, the kind of characters that don’t easily fit the “good guy” category. Gillen likes playing with shades of grey. And I understand that there’s nothing wrong with having personal preferences as a creative when telling certain stories. However, considering Immortal X-Men Issue 11 was supposed to be Ororo’s chapter, I was expecting a bit more insight.

What I got was Gillen again making Ororo face a predicament that had her realize she couldn’t be in more than one place at once (which makes no sense considering instant teleportation methods and similar spells existing in such a fictional world). Gillen’s writing made me remember the time Storm was stuck between being an X-Men and the Queen of Wakanda. The issue had a very “Been there! Done that!” kind of vibe to it.

I mean, is there literally no other Marvel Comics writer out there who can create a Storm-centric story that ISN’T focused on her being stuck between two groups that need saving?

Immortal XMen issue 11… Emma has some choice words for Storm as Ororo continues her duties to Krakoa and Arrako… #XSpoilers pic.twitter.com/ShUWSQaZlL

— A.J Raven (@tempest071990) May 2, 2023

As for the scene between Emma and Ororo, it made me roll my eyes. Ororo not responding to Emma at all and letting her know that she (Storm) isn’t responsible for a bunch of powerful mutants, including telepaths, not figuring out if the Quiet Council had been compromised can be chalked up to “Plot”, I guess. Storm’s got an entire planet to help govern, and Emma trying to be petty because Ororo wasn’t available 24/7 to babysit the Quiet Council should have made Ororo laugh in Emma’s face before returning to Arakko.

If I were to assume, I think the current narrative has been building up to Storm facing a major loss during the Fall of X era. A whole lot seems to be going wrong around her. And even though she will likely be victorious in the end, seeing her face defeat after defeat is going to be tough for Storm fans. So, brace yourselves, little clouds! We’re headed for some unpleasant weather!

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Up to you.

I Hate This Place Issue 8z

Kudos to writer Kyle Starks for adding a whole lot of story in I Hate This Place Issue 8. The world-building in this particular issue could have easily been spread across two chapters. But Starks kept the intense pace and (more or less) allowed the readers to feel overwhelmed by everything the way Gabby was. So much plot-centric happened in this single chapter that it is tough for me to talk about it without sharing major spoilers. The twists and turns had me engaged the entire time! I loved it!

The horror and sci-fi elements worked really well as Gabby tried to make sense of the situation she found herself in. And now that Gabby had learned a whole lot about what our two heroines are dealing with, I’m looking forward to seeing where she and Trudy will go next because certain forces connected to the ranch are still not allowing them to leave.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II Issue 5

From writer Ryan Parrott, MMPR/TMNT II Issue 5 concluded the current crossover while setting the stage for even something bigger in the near future. We will be getting a Season 3. And yes, I want it injected into my veins right now!

Issue 5 had everything fans of MMPR and TMNT would expect. We got our giant robot battle, a new robot transformation, and of course, certain interesting character moments, especially with Shredder. Everyone worked together to defeat Krang and Rita. Yay!

I have to say that Casey being able to break out of Rita’s mind control in the manner he did was a bit “meh!” to me, but hey! I will let that slide because this was one spectacular finale! 

As for the epilogue, the scene where all of the turtles walked around in their human disguises, understandably, took Twitter by storm. It’s official, all four turtles are PoC. 

Parrott just understands why MMPR and TMNT have been beloved over the decades as franchises. He and his creative team really kicked it out of the park with the latest crossover, and I just can’t wait for MMPR/TMNT to continue!

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

–

I don’t know what’s been happening lately. There just haven’t been a bunch of comic books that have grasped my attention. It’s not like I only read three comic books this week. It’s just that a handful of them didn’t inspire me to write a review. And, frankly, considering the hard work that goes into creating a comic, I don’t like giving a comic book (especially titles from smaller publishers and indie creators) a bad review if I can help it. So, instead, I end up not reviewing the titles at all.

Sigh!

Anyway, which comic books did you read this week? What did you think of Immortal X-Men Issue 11?

Let us know!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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