Slightly Misplaced Comic Book Heroes Case Files #36: Layla Miller

The Marvel Crossover House of M posited a world where the Scarlett Witch, temporarily insane, would first change the planet to one where mutants were in charge, and then after some stress changing everything back to a world where hardly any mutants still had their powers.  Wolverine alone knew the changed world was wrong, because Marvel and writer Brian Michael Bendis seem incapable of doing a massive crossover storyline that doesn’t give Wolverine a major role, and he found a way to make the other heroes he needed remember with the help of a young girl named Layla Miller.  Layla had the power to make people see the Scarlett Witch’s changes weren’t right.

So, what was Layla’s deal anyway?

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars XXIV (Future Imperfect Edition)

I mentioned when I covered Future Imperect #1 in part 8 of this series that I had not read the original source material.  It’s on a long list of “to reads” that I have, but I don’t believe you need to have read it to enjoy this series.  I think all you really need to know is that The Maestro is an evil future version of the Hulk who has pretty much killed all the other heroes.  (Edit: or not…see Tom’s comment…)  He’s not a very nice guy.

After the break I’ll look at the remaining issues of this series: Future Imperfect #2, Future Imperfect #3, Future Imperfect #4 and Future Imperfect #5.  Currently sitting in the number 14 slot in our Secret Wars Power Rankings, the series is a good read.

Related links:
Secret Wars Power Rankings
Tom’s Road To Secret Wars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7.
Other parts of this series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Eight (Hulk Edition)

As much of a Marvel Zombie as I was growing up and have been to some degree after rediscovering comics in my later years, one character I’ve never really collected has been the Hulk.  I’ve read lots of comics with the Hulk in them, and am usually to some degree familiar with his current incarnation.  (Though I admit to be completely lost before doing some research about this whole Red Hulk business a few years back.)  I generally knew if Hulk was currently green or gray, intelligent or not.  I knew who the Maestro was from Future Imperfect.  I knew basically what happened in Planet Hulk, World War Hulk and World War Hulks, but never read any of them.  They are on a long list of things I hope to read (yes Watson, I can read) someday.

As familiar as I am mostly with the 616 Hulk, I am the opposite when it comes to Hulk 2099 and the Ultimate Hulk.  Outside of reading the Spider-Man related titles on and off I was never that into the Ultimate or 2099 lines.  I’m not surprised they have Hulks, but I can’t tell you anything about them.

So in this column I will be flying a bit blind in looking at Ultimate End #2, Future Imperfect #1 and Secret Wars 2099 #2, much like I was in reviewing the Secret Wars version of Planet Hulk.  I’m sure I can make sense of it all, but might miss some of the throwbacks and references to the “source material”.

Also, if you are like me and haven’t read all of Johnathon Hickman’s Avengers run leading up to Secret Wars, be sure to take Tom’s Road To Secret Wars course at gabbinggeekuniversity.com.  The reading materials are online here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven.

And that course is a prerequisite to the other parts of this series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven