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View Full Version : The Pulse #11 *SPOILERS* (kinda)


Gaz
09-19-2005, 06:48 PM
Nobody started one I don't think...

Anyhoo, this issue has 3 main plots, for 3 main characters.
Plot 1: Jessica goes to the Baxter Building to meet Sue as they have a lunch date with Carol Danvers. Ben, Johnny and the kids are horsing around as usual, Ben even dangerously close to running right over Jessica until Sue stops things. She lays down the law for her family, telling Ben to act his age, the kids to listen to Uncle Ben, not Uncle Johnny, and reminding them what to do if the red light flashes in the building (Kids:"Call Daddy", Ben:"Call Reed", red light = aliens)
They go to lunch and Carol explains that she asked Sue to come so Jessica could talk to someone who has some idea what she's worrying about. Jess is freaked out about being a mother, as well as being a former superhero mother whose kid may or may not have problems due to her powers, her genes, her past, or any combination of the 3 and many others. Sue runs down the list, and reassures her that it's worth it, that even through all the fear and exhaustion and worry, it's worth it.

Plot 2: Ben Urich is investigating a jewelery store robbery in Manhatten. The robbers were small time, but the owner assures Urich that Daredevil stopped them, despite being nowhere near the Kitchen. One of his employees mentions that DD smelled weird and was wearing his old costume, the yellow one.
At the office, Ben calls Matt and is told he was nowhere near said store, and Ben is now totally confused and asks an assistant (Glory maybe?) to look for anything on heroes that dress LIKE Daredevil. He's stumped when Kat Farell overhears and pitches D-Man as the guy he's looking for. "Daredevil suit with a Wolverine... hat thing"
Ben looks it up and agrees then follows up. The store was robbed, apparently by D-Man!

Plot 3: Luke Cage, Jessica and Carol are at the New York office of Van Dyne Design (if it's not the name, sorry!) to get a new Jan-designed costume for Luke. Jan is very excited by this because she's been DYING to take a crack at Luke's look. She has 5 design ideas (2 of which look OK, the only two with black mannequins/models, funnily enough) which don't seem to thrill Luke, and the girls find hysterical, until Jessica's water breaks and she tells everyone that the baby's coming...

Darned good issue I thought! Gaydos' art is great and brings something special to these characters, and Bendis seemed to bring his A-game to boot. The opening callback to Alias was brilliant, as was the use of the FF's dynamic as a family, Jan's fashion cred, and D-Man!
He writes the FF, especially Ben and Sue very well, and the lunch date is wonderful stuff. The Urich thing is intriguing but inconsequential so far, and the Cage scene is hilarious until the ending...
All in all, 8.5/10 :)

Dermie
09-19-2005, 10:46 PM
Overall I really liked this issue--it was probably one of the best issues of THE PULSE thus far. I wasn't happy with Bendis' portrayal of Franklin though; he seemed like he had been de-aged. Plus his reaction to a pregnant woman didn't feel right either--Franklin has plenty of experience with pregnant women (since his mother has been pregnant with Valeria twice during his lifetime), but he was reacting to Jessica as if she was the first pregnant woman he'd ever encountered.

My other complaint has nothing to do with the issue itself, but instead the solicit. It describes the issue as "A New Avengers tie-in issue guest starring, duh...the New Avengers". And yet the New Avengers DON'T appear! "Duh" yourself! :rolleyes: The solicit also says that the baby arrives in this issue (the cover also leads you to believe this) but that is also not true. So I'm a little irked at the false advertising...but that doesn't change my enjoyment of what actually IS in the issue.

I was glad to see Bendis used Jan to design some new costumes for Luke. Since she is already established as a fashion designer, and has made costumes for several other Avengers, it made the most sense.

I was pleasantly surprised at Bendis using D-Man for a storyline. I look forward to seeing what he's got in store for poor Dennis.

All in all, a very entertaining issue. I look forward to part two!

StoneGold
09-19-2005, 11:43 PM
Overall I really liked this issue--it was probably one of the best issues of THE PULSE thus far. I wasn't happy with Bendis' portrayal of Franklin though; he seemed like he had been de-aged. Plus his reaction to a pregnant woman didn't feel right either--Franklin has plenty of experience with pregnant women (since his mother has been pregnant with Valeria twice during his lifetime), but he was reacting to Jessica as if she was the first pregnant woman he'd ever encountered.

Eh, Frank is always being aged and de-aged.

Cayman
09-20-2005, 06:51 AM
It was an entertaining issue, and I was happy to see Carol Danvers come out of HoM intact.

The biggest issue for me was that MK4 this week also had Ben Grimm being introduced to the very-pregnant Jessica Jones for the first time. It seemed silly to have two books the same week that portray the same event at different times.

Cay

Dermie
09-20-2005, 11:35 AM
It was an entertaining issue, and I was happy to see Carol Danvers come out of HoM intact.

The biggest issue for me was that MK4 this week also had Ben Grimm being introduced to the very-pregnant Jessica Jones for the first time. It seemed silly to have two books the same week that portray the same event at different times.

Cay

Actually, neither of those issues was Thing meeting Jessica for the first time. It was established in ALIAS (and briefly mentioned in THE PULSE #11) that Ben and Jessica had met years ago.

Cayman
09-20-2005, 02:26 PM
Actually, neither of those issues was Thing meeting Jessica for the first time. It was established in ALIAS (and briefly mentioned in THE PULSE #11) that Ben and Jessica had met years ago.

Yeah, she mentions that in Pulse.

Cay

Gaz
09-20-2005, 04:40 PM
Yeah, she mentions that in Pulse.

Cay
It's not specific though, she could be talking about the FF appearance, assuming Ben wouldn't remember a D-lister like her from years back.

jade_nova
09-20-2005, 05:43 PM
Isn't Jan supposed to be in England with Hank Pym?

Gaz
09-20-2005, 06:31 PM
Isn't Jan supposed to be in England with Hank Pym?
It's been 6 months, she couldn't come back? And she's like Marvel's Versace, right? So wouldn't she have offices all over, where Carol could leave a meesage and she could pop over for a few days?

manicman
09-20-2005, 07:09 PM
It was an entertaining issue, and I was happy to see Carol Danvers come out of HoM intact.

Wait a second, this is suppossed to take place after House of M???
Hmm, somehow I don't think so. Everyone is acting way to normal. If this was post-HoM wouldn't everyone be dealing with the fallout? I know last issue took place during HoM, but I thought that this issue had backtracked to the pre-Hom timeline. Just out of curiousity, when are the events of HoM going to effect the continuity of the rest of the Marvel U.? I've seen the New Avengers solicitation for like the next 4 to 6 issues with no mention of post-Hom. I thought maybe Marvel would use the event to reboot the continuity of all the books, but that dosn't seem to be happening.

Gaz
09-20-2005, 07:27 PM
Wait a second, this is suppossed to take place after House of M???
Hmm, somehow I don't think so. Everyone is acting way to normal. If this was post-HoM wouldn't everyone be dealing with the fallout? I know last issue took place during HoM, but I thought that this issue had backtracked to the pre-Hom timeline. Just out of curiousity, when are the events of HoM going to effect the continuity of the rest of the Marvel U.? I've seen the New Avengers solicitation for like the next 4 to 6 issues with no mention of post-Hom. I thought maybe Marvel would use the event to reboot the continuity of all the books, but that dosn't seem to be happening.
If it takes place after a HoM issue, it's afterwards. Both Cable & Deadpool and New Thunderbolts are clear on this. They both continued with one storyline which included HoM, and ended after it.
It'll start being referenced when it ends.

Sentry
09-21-2005, 04:04 AM
D-MAN ! back for a while i hope, maybe he is the secret character in avengers :eek:

Gaz
09-21-2005, 05:51 AM
D-MAN ! back for a while i hope, maybe he is the secret character in avengers :eek:
Wolverine and D-Man wacky cowl mix-ups! :D

Paradox
09-21-2005, 06:18 AM
HAT! It's a Wolverine HAT!

Heh, I really like Kat Farrell. :)

Sandy Hausler
09-21-2005, 06:22 AM
Wait a second, this is suppossed to take place after House of M???
Hmm, somehow I don't think so. Everyone is acting way to normal. If this was post-HoM wouldn't everyone be dealing with the fallout? I know last issue took place during HoM, but I thought that this issue had backtracked to the pre-Hom timeline.

I'm not sure there's going to be all that much fallout. The latest issue of Thunderbolts clearly takes place after House of M, judging from Killgrave's dialogue, but nothing seems to have changed. Which is what I predicted from the start.

Sandy Hausler

Gaz
09-21-2005, 06:27 AM
I'm not sure there's going to be all that much fallout. The latest issue of Thunderbolts clearly takes place after House of M, judging from Killgrave's dialogue, but nothing seems to have changed. Which is what I predicted from the start.

Sandy Hausler
Yes, because they WANT to give away the ending.
Why doesn't DC do OYL this month?