Best Battles in New Comics: 9/26/14
Hey there, reader, and thanks for checking out the latest edition of Best Battles in New Comics! Every round of new comics offers plenty of entertaining fight scenes, so we're here to highlight some of the most enjoyable ones. If your top choice isn't below, go ahead and give it some love in the comments section. Now, let's get straight to what you came in here to see: awesome comic book brawls!
Flash vs. Flash (wait, what?!)
The first highlight comes from Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, and Andrew Dalhouse's FLASH: FUTURES END #1. Unless you've been living under a rock (or majorly slacking with reading comics), you know these Futures End tie-ins are basically one-shot issues which look at a potential future. So yeah, they're pretty much standalone "what if?" chapters. In this case, we catch up Barry Allen five years in the future. He's off saving people northwest of Peshawar -- you know, because he's awesome like that -- but his trip to the region is cut short when he hears that Danny West, a.k.a. Reverse Flash, is causing trouble back in the United States. Allen begins to rush back, but before he can reach Central City, Reverse Flash bumps into another version of Flash... except this one's from their future! The meeting doesn't go well for West. In fact, saying "it doesn't go well for West" is a pretty massive understatement. See for yourself.
What's up with future Flash killing Reverse Flash, you ask? It turns out that if Flash didn't step in, Danny's actions would have led to the death of Wally West and Iris West would need a wheelchair for the rest of her life. At this point, the slowpoke named Barry Allen finally shows up and it isn't long before the future version of himself reveals who he really is. The future speedster explains he's traveling through time in an attempt to fix the speed force and he's not going to let his younger self stand in the way. You know what that means, yes? It's time for some really, really fast punches!
Honestly, these Futures End tie-ins have been hit or miss, and one of the qualities that helps this chapter standout is the crisp, vivid, and exciting artwork by Booth, Rapmund, and Dalhouse. Even if you have gripes with Venditti and Jensen's story, this is still one heck of a good ride for our eyes. Anyway, future Flash has some enhancements and he has no issue with punching the younger version of himself square in the face. However, the Flash getting pummeled realizes he'll have to use his brain if he wants to potentially end this one. Instead of drawing out the battle, "young" Allen puts his mind to use and conducts an experiment.
Do both of them go boom because of Allen testing his theory? What happens to Wally and the speed force? You've got questions, the comic has answers. So, if you've been enjoying Flash's New 52 mythos, we'd suggest giving this one a look.
Unity vs. Armor Hunters
The next highlight is from Robert Venditti (he's now two for two!), Doug Braithwaite, and Laura Martin's ARMOR HUNTERS #4. Valiant's latest big event had a lot of buildup and all kinds of chaos, and now it's time for the main event: Unity (with Aric back in the X-O armor!) versus the Armor Hunters, a.k.a. the alien jerks who will stop at nothing to destroy the X-O Manowar armor. It's thrilling as these two sides clash and unfortunately, Aric's downed very early in the match. It's a cheap attack by Primary Reebo, but taking out the MVP as soon as possible is a smart move. Clever, but still totally cheap.
Gilad Anni-Padda, a.k.a. Eternal Warrior, can't seem to catch a break whenever he hangs out with Unity. He's usually upstaged by Ninjak -- something which happens yet again later on -- and here, he's dropped after one hit and doesn't play a pivotal role for the rest of the time. Perhaps he should stick to coming up with tactics and then rooting from a safe distance? Anyway, it's not a good time for Gilad, but the epic battle gives Ninjak a chance to test his skills against the dangerous Armor Hunter, Helix.
You're getting a good look at Braithwaite and Martin's pages, right? The cover has "the epic conclusion" slapped across the top of it and these two make sure the visuals live up to Venditti's action-packed and gripping script. You can really appreciate all of the hectic blasts, strikes, and other kinds of attacks in this big struggle. Anyhow, for the last glimpse of the issue, we'll treat you to yet another example of Ninjak acting like a total boss. There's a good reason so many Valiant fans love this guy, after all.
What's Bloodshot babbling about? How does Unity overcome the odds? Does Ninjak continue to look way cooler than his teammates? You all know the drill by now! If you like the preview we've just provided, go support the series by purchasing the issue. It isn't too late to jump on the Valiant train.
Punisher vs. Red Hulk
Our final highlight is taken from Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, Kim Jacinto, and Israel Silva's THUNDERBOLTS #31. With this latest story arc, Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, is on a simple yet very risky mission: destroy the Thunderbolts. He's already encountered Deadpool, Ghost Rider, and Elektra, so now he faces a huge challenge: Thunderbolt Ross, a.k.a. Red Hulk. Castle may be outclassed by many of these combatants in a random encounter, but the dude has prep time. And if there's one thing you should know about Frank, it's that he's especially formidable if you give him time to research his enemy and prepare for the fight. In this case, he hops in a spiffy mech and tags Rulk with a "Hulk-Killer" projectile. Obviously, Ross doesn't die when he's struck, but eventually he's going to revert back to his not-so-super human form. However, he's going to let loose while he's still packing impressive strength and durability.
Missiles -- which are apparently crazy loud -- are fired and punches are thrown, but Ross isn't a merely dumb brute and realizes his best option is to get Frank out of the formidable mech. Even when the armor is damaged and ripped open with ease, Frank still has a painful surprise waiting for his powerful enemy. He's crafty like that.
We have some problems with the script (some lines seem out of character), but it's aiming for fun and the art team really nails the right vibe. Jacinto's character work is so animated and Silva's coloring is wonderfully bright and striking. So even if the plot or dialogue seems a little off at times, the energetic panels help compensate for that a fair amount. Oh, remember that "Hulk-Killer" gun? It finally makes Ross revert back to his squishy, human form. Even though he's no longer a powerhouse, he isn't going to go down without a fight.
Believe it or not, there's plenty of crazy action left in the issue. The fight between these two lasts a little longer (there's a very cool splash page) and several other heroes leap into fray. It's an amusing ride and there's a decent twist, but if you're still not convinced about this one, perhaps we should reveal that this issue later shows Red Hulk... with a moustache! That part sold you on the issue, didn't it?
What are your top three fights from this latest round of new comics? Support what you love and tell the world below! Also, don't forget to make nominations every week in the official thread or tell us via Twitter. See you next Friday and have a good weekend!
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