Comic Browser:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
Selector

A+X #5: Review

Feb 2013
Kathryn Immonen, David Lafuente Garcia

Story Name:

Epic Matryoshka

Review & Comments

Rating:
3.5 stars

A+X #5 Review by (October 4, 2023)

Review: The first tale is a chaotic madhouse and that’s even with simplifying things in the synopsis. And that’s about it, a lot of marginally funny chaos.

The second story is better as it includes some interplay between the two lead characters. The quirkiest bit is that this story does not team an Avenger and an X-Man as in the book’s mission statement but a villain for each of the two teams. Sinister is sinister and Loki is the default good guy because it’s the funny kid Loki from this period of his career; their bickering makes the tale.

Comments: First story: Matryoshka refers to the set of Russian nesting dolls, one inside the other which is what happens to Fangu, Iron Fist, Doop, and Shaman’s bag. Fangu was introduced in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #90; he returned in NICK FURY’S HOWLING COMMANDOS #6; this is his third and final appearance. A raccoon can be spotted reading a Hellcat comic. Second story: This is the Kid Loki introduced in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #622, more mischievous than malevolent. Alison Blaire is better known as Dazzler.






 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

A+X #5 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Iron Fist agrees to help Doop rescue his pal Fangu who is being held prisoner in a Mafia den fronted by the Zippy Pie pizza joint. The two heroes dash in, take down the assault weapon-wielding clerk, and crash into the back room, interrupting a Halloween poker tournament. In the melee, the golden orb containing Fangu is swallowed by Iron Fist. A baddie hurls a grenade at them so Doop swallows Iron Fist who is able to get rid of the grenade, losing it in the madhouse that is Goop’s insides. Doop hides inside Shaman’s stolen bag which he puts inside a pizza box to be delivered to Avengers Mansion. The delivery guy drops it off and is annoyed that there is no answer and therefore no tip. Once he is gone, Goop vomits up Iron Fist who vomits up the golden orb. Doop accidentally lights a belch, terrifying Fangu. They calm him down and sit down to rest.

“Loki + Mister Sinister” 3.5/5
Writer: Kieron Gillen. Pencils: Joe Bennett. Inks: Mark Morales. Colors: Jim Charalampidis. Letters: Clayton Cowles.
Synopsis: Mister Sinister is in Latveria, standing outside Doctor Doom’s castle; he uses a device to teleport himself into the lab, takes a specific sample, and departs silently. Outside, he is greeted by Loki who reveals he has tricked Sinister into stealing the sample for him. As he is about to depart, Sinister hits him with a gem-shaped weapon cloned from Dazzler, which converts Loki’s speech into light, preventing him from casting a spell to get away. Sinister threatens him with a sword and Loki casts bright lights into the air, summoning Doom’s guards, a bunch of grotesque distortions of humanity. As they face the monsters, Sinister clamps a mantrap on Loki’s arm which will cause a nuclear explosion if Sinister doesn’t defuse it in five seconds. Sinister then fires at the monsters with a gun that disintegrates its victims; he asks Loki for more ammo which turns out to be cloned eyeballs of Scott “Cyclops” Summers. Loki holds up a card reading “Trust me” and Sinister restores his voice; Loki casts a spell that teleports them to Symkaria. Sinister demands the sample; Loki asks why he wants it; Sinister replies that he is the only person who could create a clone from it; Loki hands it over cheerfully, along with he defused mantrap. Loki vanishes; we learn the sample was of Loki’s DNA; he notes that, with his knowledge of sorcery, over time, Dr. Doom could have succeeded but Sinister, bound to his determinism, will never succeed.



David Lafuente Garcia
David Lafuente Garcia
Jim Campbell
David Lafuente Garcia (Cover Penciler)
David Lafuente Garcia (Cover Inker)
Jim Campbell (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Clayton Cowles.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Iron Fist
Iron Fist

(Danny Rand)
Loki
Loki

(Loki Laufeyson)

Plus: Doop, Fangu, Mister Sinister.

> A+X: Book info and issue index

Share This Page


Elektra