Comic Roundup: Magdalena, Neverland and the Secret Avengers

This week in the Roundup we check in on the Dream Eater Saga in the pages of the Neverland one shot, celebrate the return of Magdalena to the comic racks and see how the Secret Avengers are doing at staying a secret.

Magdalena #7
By Ron Marz and Keu Cha

With Top Cow’s attention firmly on Artifacts and Witchblade, Magdalena has kind of slipped through the cracks. The book has been shipping late for a while now and most readers seemed to have forgotten about the title and the character, myself included. Thankfully, this month’s issue is a perfect way to get reacquainted with the Church’s main enforcer.

Issue #7 is part one of a two parter that sees Patience, the current Magdalena go toe to toe with her replacement, Anneli (girl fight!) for the Spear of Destiny. The story moves pretty quick and Marz gives the reader all the information you would need to understand and enjoy the book. After reading this and Witchblade I can say this; Marz has a real knack for writing female leads. Seeing the art was done by Cha, a name I haven’t seen since his work on Rising Stars way back when, was a nice treat. He still has the chops and draws a sexy as hell Magdalena no matter which one it is.

Since Marz is wrapping up his Witchblade run and the Artifacts miniseries very soon, Magdalena should be back on schedule shortly. I think once that happens, the book should start firing on all cylinders and it’ll be a really fun ride.

Final Grade: B-

Grimm Fairy Tales – The Dream Eater Saga: Neverland
By Raven Gregory and Jean Paul DeShong

Pan, the former ruler of Neverland, has been exiled to Earth with only a small amount of his former power. But now he has been given an opportunity to take back his kingdom and make his enemies pay. He just has to take control of the power of The Dream Eater…

So far, The Dream Eater Saga has been a fun, tightly plotted story arc that I have really enjoyed reading. Gregory is doing some of his best work ever and each chapter seems to be better than the last. The Neverland one shot adds a whole new element to the proceedings and sets another player in motion on the board. Even with all this, Gregory keeps the plot moving forward without missing a beat. Zenescope was able to bring back original Neverland artist DeShong to draw the issue which adds a nice sense of continuity between this and the original series. Plus it’s great to see him draw Pan again.

The Dream Eater Saga is shaping up to be my favorite event of the summer and Neverland was another entertaining chapter. Let’s hope Zenescope can keep this up all the way to the finish line.

Final Grade: B

Secret Avengers #14
By Nick Spencer and Scot Eaton

Fear has gripped the country as Sin and her armies make their way up the east coast. The military will make a stand in Philadelphia as they try to stop them before they reach New York City. Steve Rogers has sent the Valkyrie from his Secret Avengers team to aid them, for all the good it will do.

While Fear Itself has been a pleasant surprise this summer, the tie-ins have been a real mixed bag. Some have been great and others a total waste of money. This one falls firmly into the later category. Spencer gives us not only the least interesting Avenger, Valkyrie, in the spotlight but mixes it with a bland, insipid story from her past. You can see what’s coming a mile away and this issue really adds nothing to the Fear Itself storyline. The pencils by Eaton are better than I was expecting though and it is always fun to see Philly getting destroyed in a comic book.

I’ve said it before; why Spencer is wasting his time on this crap instead of working on Morning Glories and Infinite Vacation is just beyond me. This is a book only for the most hardcore Avengers fan; everyone else should give it a pass.

Final Grade: C-