Marvel Point One is intended to be a jumping-off point for some of Marvel's 2012 storylines. It's a one-shot, but it's got six different stories in it (not including a "framing sequence" by Ed Brubaker (Criminal, Incognito) which, while I'm not going to go into it outside of the brackets, is by Ed Brubaker, whom you love) written by some very big names in the Marvel Comics Phone Directory. As these are distinct tales and only relate to each other in the broad sense that they take place in the same universe, I am going to go through these one-by-one. Some are good. Some are great. Some are Doctor Strange.
We'll proceed in the order the stories are presented, beginning with Nova by Jeph Loeb (Batman: Hush, Superman For All Seasons ). It's difficult to review this, as it is seven pages long. I will say that I'd like to see what's going to happen with it if Loeb stays on for a while, as his previous work is the pig's whiskers, but we aren't presented with enough material here to entice newcomers into following the series. Note to Marvel: More Jeph Loeb is always better. He's a lot like bacon that way.
Moving on, Age of Apocalypse by David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Young Liars) is more effective at making me want to buy its serials. Coming from a somewhat complex mythology (47 comics crossing over 11 different monthlies, later retconned into an alternate universe), this brief glimpse serves up just the right amount of explanation, saving it from becoming bogged down in its own history. Plus, there's a puppy in it. The series will be continued in Uncanny X-Force #19 (gotta love these titles), followed by a new Age of Apocalypse #1 . All that out of the way, if you're looking to burn some time, you could do worse than going back and reading the 1995-1996 crossover books. They are lovely.
Third comes Chris Yost (yeah, he wrote some episodes of X-Men: Evolution, but I think he was drunk) with his Scarlet Spider. This and Apocalypse were tied for a while in my mind as to which series presented in this bunch, if I had to choose one, I would pick to follow. Spider won by a web-breadth, partly because I like Ryan Stegman's (She-Hulk, X-23) artwork, partly because Kaine as Scarlet Spider is kind of a dick. Honestly, if you catch me tomorrow, I might have changed my mind. But this segment is expertly handled and draws me in. I haven't read any of the previous Scarlet Spider titles. I will now.
This brings us to Coldmoon and Dragonfire, two new characters from Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies, Deadpool Team-Up). It appears that the brother-sister duo will have something to do with the Avengers in the future. It's a good, solid origin tale tied to a strong institution. Thoroughly enjoyable to read, though it doesn't get far past the establishment of the characters. If it suffers from anything, it suffers from its brevity. It's also probably going to be difficult to maintain interest in these heroes if they end up being kept close to the Avengers for too long, but, with enough care taken to maintain disparate spotlights, who knows?
Doctor Strange and I have a long, sad history together in which he isn't John Constantine. Strange lends himself better to teaming up with the capes, but Johnny is my homeboy. The story in this case, done by Matt Fraction (Casanova, Uncanny X-Men), could've been torn out of a lesser Hellblazer book. It's not bad, so don't put words in my typing fingers or send Matt to my house with his mafia buddies. It's just far too close to something Jamie Delano would have written back in the day (for the sake of argument, in Original Sins or The Devil You Know) for comfort. Imagine someone who kinda looks like your dad just came into your house, put on your pop's favorite record, and starts talking to you about the facts of life. That's what this story did to me, and it will be hearing from my grief counselor.
Finally, we wrap up with a visit from Ultron (kinda) in an all-too-short Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, Alias, some of my raunchier dreams) Avengers glimpse. First, it's pretty. Bryan Hitch (The Authority, The Ultimates) does very fine work, and it's showcased here. Second, and I don't think I'm alone after reading this, but... what the hell just happened? It's set in the future (tomorrow, apparently) with lots of 'splosions and flying robots and Hawkeye and... yes, it's meant to be intentionally vague to get you to read more, but it's cruel to give me five pages of Brian Michal Bendis blowing up Spiderman and then tell me to wait until the end of November. Okay, it isn't that long until Avengers #19, but still. Where do these people get off? Seriously, these are the kind of people who run the can opener just to get the dog all excited.
Well, that's the round-up. Some very solid introductions (and Doctor Strange) presented in one easy-to-carry one-shot. If you're interested in finding a new obsession and want to go with Marvel because you're still peeved about all this "New 52" nonsense, this is a good place to start. Tell them I sent you and receive no discount.
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