Invisible - Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Invisible - Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Five Spanish-speaking middle school kids are brought together to perform their school's community-service hours.  Under the stern eye of the suspicious cafeteria lady, they hope to fly under the radar, until they notice someone on the other side of the fence who needs their help.  Without trying to rock the boat, they reluctantly team up to help the single mom and her child, until the authorities notice them.  It's a decent riff on the Breakfast Club with likeable and richly drawn-out protagonists.  Library.  [3.5]

Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11 - Fred Van Lente

Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK's 11 - Fred Van Lente

MODOK hires a team of desperate B-list criminals — Armadillo, Spot, Nightshade, Puma, Living Laser, Rocket Racer, Mentallo, and Chameleon — to steal a McGuffin of awesome power that can unmake reality or create a new Cosmic Cube.  As happens with bad guys, however, there are double-crosses and triple-crosses aplenty, as a couple of the "team" sell MODOK out and at least one of them isn't who he appears to be.  This is a superb comedy-crime-caper, filled with tongue in cheek humor but also real drama and fighting.  Van Lente is the best at what he does, and what he does is very fun.  [4.5]-two

Clobberin' Time - Steve Skroce

Clobberin' Time - Steve Skroce

This 2023 five-issue miniseries has the Thing teaming up with several big name Marvel stars — Wolverine, Hulk, Dr. Strange, and Dr. Doom — along with a renegade Watcher to try to stop the Psychopomp, a mad genius from the far future who wants to rebuild the universe without causal anomalies like superheroes.  The fast-paced, over-the-top plot elements recall the nuttiest of Grant Morrison arcs, and the art, also by Skroce, is like Frank Quitely with a touch of Basil Wolverton or Moebius — endless tubes, wires, bolts, scratches, scales, and other such detail abound throughout.  It's a high-octane, totally fun ride, and genuinely funny in parts (such as Thing's helpful earpiece which lets him spout placating gobbledygook at critics rather than losing his temper).  [4]

Contest Of Champions - Al Ewing

Contest Of Champions (2015) - Al Ewing 

The Grandmaster and the Collector, using Maestro and Punisher 2099 as their team "managers," pit a motley crew of heroes and villains plucked from alternate worlds, futures, and even death to fight for them over mysterious "iso-8" crystals which give them power.  I saw a lot of chatter online about how bad this as, so wasn't expecting much, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  It's witty, fun, hits all the right buttons in terms of wacky alternate versions of characters, and has a lot of heart (the story is bookended with what happens to Outlaw, the "British Punisher" who decides to give it all up and try to be more heroic).  I thoroughy enjoyed this one.  [4]

Villains For Hire - Andy Lanning & Dan Abnett

Villains For Hire (2011) - Andy Lanning & Dan Abnett 

After the Purple Man stole Misty Knight's idea of having a team of paid super-operatives in the city to do jobs, she decides to steal the idea back.  When Silver Sable and Black Panther fail to stop the new Stilt-Man (a woman) and Sidewinder, Knight decides to hire her own team of villains.  This results in madness like Tiger Shark, Bombshell, Crossfire, and Nightshade facing off against Shocker, Death-Stalker, Scourge, and Avalanche, with a few crossing over for better money along the way.  But has Misty Knight really gone evil?  Purple Man won't rest until he finds the answer.  This is a fun story; villains always get the best lines.  There's more freedom for a writer with villains, since there's not any kind of standard to uphold, I guess.  Anyway, to me this is trying to be a bit too hard to be Brubaker noir when it ought to be aiming for Van Lente zaniness; also the "Misty Knight in tight pants any chance we get" art is a bit of a turnoff for me.  Still, I enjoyed it for what it is.  [4]

Dream Jumper - Greg Grunberg

Dream Jumper - Greg Grunberg

1. Book One: Nightmare Escape - Ben is a kid whose dreams meld with the dreams of others.  He appears in their dreams and can take actions within them, but also can be affected by the monsters within them.  When this girl he likes from his school falls victim to a sub-REM sleep disease, he goes to a sleep clinic and joins the dream shared by her and all the other sub-REM sleepers.  Like the art, the plot is silly and cartoonish, but trying to be suspenseful at the same time.  Ben gradually gains powers in the dreams, and there's a lot of lore crammed into the second half.  It's probably fun for kids, but I found it all very low-effort and uninterested in real-world emotions and motivations.  [2]

Avengers: Acts Of Vengeance - various writers

Avengers: Acts of Vengeance - various

A mysterious figure enlists together some very unlikely villainous bedfellows — Red Skull, Magneto, Kingpin, Dr. Doom, Wizard, and Mandarin — while casting himself, the real mastermind, as each one's lackey, letting each one believe he is the brains behind it all.  Brushing aside how this would possibly work ("Hey, why are you calling my lackey 'Lackey'?  That's my lackey!"), this collection very helpfully put Loki on the back cover, blowing any chance, however small, of the mystery puppeteer's identity.  I didn't think much of the premise that somehow switching opponents with someone would ensure victory, but anyway.  As with all long story arcs that involve multiple titles, the quality varies, but there's a lot of great superhero combat, and some soap opera-like dramatics of the time, plus some terrific Byrne artwork.  [3.5]