Rendez-vous avec la H.A.I.N.E.

NextWave, Agents of H.A.T.E. #1-6

by Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen

The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, or H.A.T.E. (a subsidiary of the Beyond Corporation) put NextWave together to fight Bizarre Weapons of Mass Destruction. When NextWave discovers that H.A.T.E. and Beyond are terrorist cells themselves, and that the BWMDs were intended to kill them, they are less than pleased. In fact, they are rather angry. So they make things explode. Lots of things. Starring Monica Rambeau (formerly Captain Marvel and Photon), Aaron Stack (Machine Man), Tabitha Smith (X-Force's Meltdown), monster-hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the Captain! Guest-starring Fin Fang Foom!Collecting : Agents of H.A.T.E. 1-6

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

141 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2006

About the author

Warren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.

The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.

He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.

Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.

A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.

Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.

Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren Ellis's satirical and comedic take on the superhero genre and Marvel Comics in general, sees him take five underused Marvel characters on a few adventures. Includes Photon, Boom Boom and Machine Man. 7 out of 12, Three Star read as ever the presumption is, by all the top comic book writers, that they can write comedy, which they can't really do consistently... maybe except for the dark humour of Garth Ennis?

2014 read

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

HATE are the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, aka, like SHIELD, someone really wanted to spell HATE! Dirk Anger (of course) is the Director, a bile-spewing Spider Jerusalem knockoff, and his agents of HATE (or are they Nextwave? Ah, I don’t care!) are Machine Man, a sassy robot who likes beer, Monica Rambeau, a former Captain Marvel, Elsa Bloodstone, a sorceress or something, and some weirdo called The Captain who used to have a dirty name.

Together they fight Fin Fang Foom, a giant dragon who’s wearing pants in this book for no reason (he doesn’t have genitals!), a corrupt cop who turns into a giant Transformer, and robot hitmen who’re made of broccoli. Uhh… k.

This sounds like the kind of comic I might enjoy but Nextwave didn’t click with me. The stories are utterly pointless and generic – there’s a big thing to punch, let’s punch it! - and the characters were one-dimensional at best and completely unmemorable. I didn’t care about this team or its goals and found the book very easy to put down.

Also, Warren Ellis’ comedy in this one feels too try-hard and unfunny (Ha, BROCCOLI – I’m OUTRAGEOUS!). Maybe that’s because he had to dial it back a bit for Marvel but Ellis is at his best when he’s allowed to go really dark in his humour, like he does in Transmetropolitan. Here it feels weak and sanitized, like someone doing a safe parody of Warren Ellis.

Stuart Immonen’s art isn’t bad, though it’s definitely not his best work, and some of Dirk Anger’s vitriolic monologues were amusing. I guess it’s cool that Marvel did something this batty and imaginative - with the killer koalas, Pteromen (idiots wearing Pterodactyl outfits) and the Samuroids (robot samurais), this read more like an average issue of Chew than Marvel’s usual – but it was still boring in its OTT silliness. Bad jokes and humdrum hyperactive superhero action are no substitute for quality characters or story. I didn't hate these agents but I definitely didn't like them much - Agents of Ambivalence!

[Dan Schwent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nextwave, Agents of HATE, an anti-terrorist group of super heroes, discovers that HATE and it's parent company, the Beyond Corporation, are actually terrorists. Nextwave decides to make things right by blowing lots of shit up.

I've been hearing about Nextwave for years and it sounded right up my alley but I never got around to reading it. Thanks to some free time and my Marvel Unlimited subscription, I've now remedied that.

The Nextwave cast is a lot of second and third string Marvel characters that hadn't been seen much in recent years (at the time this was created) so Warren Ellis had a lot of leeway. Also, it's not in continuity anway. Monica Rambeau, Boom-Boom, Elsa Bloodstone, Machine Man, and a new character called The Captain make up the cast. Together, they battle the Beyond Corporation, plant-based robots, Fin Fang Foom, Dirk Anger: Director of HATE, a giant robot, carnivorous kowalas, men in pterodactyl suits, and other weird shit.

Stuart Immomen and Wade Von Grawbadger put out a gorgeous book. Whatever it is. I kid. Basically, Nextwave is a parody/distillation of everything good and bad about comics starring a version of The Authority featuring C-list Marvel characters. It may have very well started off as a different story and had the Marvel characters bolted on later.

Anyway, Nextwave clearly isn't meant to be taken seriously. It's a hilarious romp, full of jokes and explosions. Aaron Stack, the former Machine Man, is easily my favorite character. The battle with Fin Fang Foom was the best part of the volume.

While I found it hilarious and entertaining, it feels like a lot of the backstory is missing. The story starts with the heroes already on the run from HATE. It also suffers a bit from "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" syndrome at times. Other than that, I don't have many complaints about it.

Nextwave, Agents of HATE, is Hot Fuzz set in the Marvel Universe. I look forward to reading the second half. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing more fun than reading a book that the creators obviously had a ridiculously fun time making. Wolverine and the X-Men, Sex Criminals, Superior Spider-Man, Casanova, Atomic Robo, The Goon, Chew, and NEXTWAVE.

These are my bibles, the salve to soothe the addled and jangled mind of a corporate whore, someone for whom creativity is measured in how subtle the joke must be before it escapes the attention of Human Resources - the subtle flourish of choosing a colour that is not Sanctioned By The Corporate Branding Police, the silent cackle of glee at slipping in an unnoticed Hank Pym reference into the lorem ipsum babble in a developer mockup.

NEXTWAVE is a clarion call to awaken all those of us drones who plod through the muck of corporate life, dreaming of the day that mothersmurfing lottery ticket cashes in big and we can coil a festering lactose-intolerant turd on the bosses desk and then furiously masturbate in the front lobby of corporate HQ.

(Am I the only one who has so vividly and honestly imagined how to recover a shred of dignity on The Last Day At Work? You people need to get on this mission right now - it's the formaldehyde of your immortal soul.)

No one who has accepted their fate among the dregs of badge-wearing assholes could write something so exquisite as "Thirst-quenching, well-seasoned, crunchy and yet chewy: People are the Elvis of snack food."

You know that moment every five seconds during Captain America: The Winter Soldier (the movie), when you noticed your eyes drying out because you were watching with such intense glee? This book feels pretty close to that.

It's notably ridiculous that Marvel paid a pair of allegedly-grown men to concoct silly stories making fun of all manner of comic books in general and Marvel characters in great particular. How anyone got away with this escapade is one of the few reasons that gives me hope for humanity.



Every flashback to one of the "heroes"' past is a jolt of black electricity to the solid-anger core of my sense of humour.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is crazy! It's like a mix of the Losers and Kot's Secret Avengers. The kind of series that makes you wonder how it was allowed to get made but at the same time, you're thankful.

The line up is one that, aside from Monica Rambeau, I've never heard of. I'm not sure if the rest of these characters appear here first or they are small characters from Marvel history. I suspect the former because this introduces them as if they're brand new characters.

The humor here surprised me. I laughed out loud a few times and it was kind of offbeat at times. The H.A.T.E henchmen and Fin Fang Foom actually have personalities.

I will say this, I mixed up Ellie and the Brit a few times. The Captain was slightly forgettable. All things that could be remedied by reading the next volume. I didn't need the constant reminder that Monica was in the Avengers. It seemed like a needless dig at her. Why? It's fucking awesome that she led the Avengers.

Anyway, definitely checking out the next one!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8 stars

Absolutely hilarious. Stop worrying about whether it’s ‘canon’ and wetting yourself about ‘continuity errors’ and just enjoy it.

[Jedhua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Info: This collection contains Nextwave, Agents of H.A.T.E. issues #1-6.

Other Useful Reviews: Martin's review, Jordan Lahn's review, and Sesana's review


ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>



Nextwave is a group of five superheroes working for General Dirk Anger – director of H.A.T.E. (Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort). When the group finds out that their employer was being funded and armed by the Beyond Corporation, (i.e. a former terrorist cell turned power-hungry corporation) who plans to use H.A.T.E. to product-test their sentient UWMDs (unusual weapons of mass destruction) on the American public, they steal an experimental aircraft and set out to to stop this plot by whatever means necessary. From state to state all around the country, Nextwave battles the Beyond's deadly creations, while General Anger remains hot on their tail, looking to reacquire his stolen ship and punish the supergroup for their betrayal.

For a Warren Ellis book, this was pretty conceptually tame; as you probably know, Ellis is more of a science fiction writer than funny guy. In terms of tone, there's a kind of subdued vulgarity that's pervasive throughout the book, and I felt like Ellis was being a little held back by the constraints dictated by a mainstream Marvel publication. Compared to the hilarious "Freeze Me with Your Kiss" arc in volume two of Transmetropolitan, Nextwave is clearly a far cry away from his best. But as he demonstrates here, I guess even a quarter of that wit would yield fairly decent results. So although the overall quality of jokes were variable – with a few being a bit too elusive or redundant – there certainly were some decent ones, and I think it was a net positive for humor at the end of the day.







You know how in many modern children's cartoons (not the good ones from 10-15 years ago), the creative teams seem to go for as many arbitrary scenarios, incomprehensible rambling, fart jokes, and general nonsense to keep the kids entertained? That, in a nutshell, pretty much describes about half of what Ellis did here. One of the main vehicles for Ellis' humor was General Dirk Anger of H.A.T.E. As an apparent rip-off of Nick Fury, Dirk takes the tough-guy archetype to the extreme, but like Herr Starr of Preacher, he's a very tragic character (in an amusing kind of way), and a glutton for punishment. I guess I kind of liked his introduction in the first issue, but that was the funniest I saw him in the entire volume. I think part of it was that the novelty wore off with time, but that wasn't the only thing there; the deeper I got into the book, the more crude and absurd Dirk appeared, and every time I thought he couldn't sink any lower, he just continued to outdo himself in subsequent appearances.


[I'm sorry, but Ellis' heavy-handed histrionics when it comes to the general just cease to be charming after a while.]



[So Dirk's drinking from a fucking toilet now? What's that about?]

I think the main thing that kept this book above the 2.5 star mark was the action. Completely outrageous and fast-paced, I can't say I know of anyone who would claim this book bored them in this particular department. And the team roster of Nextwave is almost perfectly suited to this end: Monica Rambeau – former avenger and team leader – blasts shit using her powerful light-based abilities; Aaron Stack (aka Machine Man) is an android with dense skin and an arsenal of unique gadgets and weaponry at his disposal; Elsa Bloodstone is an English chick who has super strength and invulnerability; Tabitha Smith – former member of X-Force and teammate to Cable – basically has the power to blow things up with a wave of her hand; and The Captain is, as Ellis himself describes him, "really strong and can fly." Sounds like the perfect makeup for a blockbuster doesn't it? But other than Ellis coming up with these rather unremarkable abilities for his characters, I'd have to give the most credit to Immonen for delivering the excitement in this book; his artwork is always impressive and loads of fun, and Nextwave certainly does not disappoint.



If the point is to poke fun at action stories – which, to him, are supposedly simplistic and mundane – I wonder what made Ellis think that making one of his own would be such a great idea. I'm not quite sure I get it entirely. As I already established, the writing really wasn't all that. With Deadpool , Daniel Way – a writer well below even a third of Ellis' caliber – was able to do comparable humor to the stuff I saw here. And sure, the action was good, but good action is by no means uncommon. Plotwise, there really isn't much here; just like any of those big, dumb, action stories, conflicts are resolved by a well-placed punch to the face or a rocket-propelled grenade. Perhaps what gives this the half-star advantage over most of its competition can simply be attributed to the efficiently streamlined narrative and relatively imaginative set-pieces. But behind all that fluff, you won't really find a whole lot of substance at all.


[Obviously, Ellis is saying he's writing action merely for it's own sake. And I admit I did laugh after reading this page. But in the long-term (i.e. beyond the first two issues), how much life can such juvenile parody really have before it starts to lose it's luster?]

With Nextwave, Agents of H.A.T.E. Ellis seems to draw his inspiration from the school of "humor by way of shock and awe randomness", combined with the typical beat-'em-up premise, and in the end, it's a somewhat mixed bag. His decision to so wholeheartedly abandon meaningful conflict in the pursuit of a couple laughs and a big explosions made this book, to me, less engrossing than it could have been. But in Ellis' defense, this kind of thing does seem to be a bit difficult to do right, and at least he was able to write this book well enough to entertain me – which is more than I can say for similar works. The best example of a book I've read that takes this approach and succeeds is Shaolin Cowboy , and the results were nothing short of magnificent. So if you're into that kind of thing, *that's* the kind of book you need to be reading. But if you're someone who really liked this book, I'd recommend Deadpool for future reading.

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back of this book says “If you like anything, you will love Nextwave”. I guess according to Marvel, I don’t like anything.

What’s it about?
This group of not very well known superheroes fights stuff... that’s pretty much the storyline.

Pros:
The art is very good! I think Immonen is a great artist for sure!
The action scenes are fantastic. Ellis is great at writing exciting action and Immonen is great at drawing it so we get a really good combo here!
The highlight of this one is the humor. I didn’t even know this is a comedy until I started reading it but it is and it’s great humor and pop culture references had me laughing throughout!

Cons:
The story... this is why I don’t read much Ellis. It’s kinda ridiculous at times, doesn’t make a lot of sense and I don’t know if the stories in this feel too rushed or if there’s just such a lack of substance to them. Like I said, this is honestly just superheroes fighting whatever.
This is a problem I have with lots of Marvel and DC comics, even though I often find them to be good I often wish they weren’t so predictable and though there are some exceptions, Nextwave isn’t one of them. No twists, no side stories, nothing that isn’t just superheroes fighting something... and anyone familiar with superhero stories knows who will win.
The characters aren’t very interesting. The Captain doesn’t seem to do much other than be The Captain. There’s some former Avenger who isn’t very interesting. The robot adds some pretty good humor but is for the most part kind of a d**k and/or plot convenience. Dirk Anger’s just an insane d***hebag. The blonde and the redhead are kinda cool I guess but that’s because they do some cool stuff, they’re not really interesting characters.
A dog dies and isn’t avenged so that sucks.
The ending’s kinda dumb.

Overall:
This isn’t a horrible book, I had fun reading it but don’t plan on reading volume 2 and definitely don’t understand why so many people seem to love it. Honestly, if it weren’t for the humor I would have given this 2 stars instead of 3 but despite it’s lack of a good story it does have some great art, action and humor.

3/5

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/5/15: Re-reading for Book Club and seriously, it is still a riot. I may have to buy this series because it is too spectacularly absurd. I can't stop laughing out loud and I'm in public. I don't care. Words were invented so that they could be this funny.

12/28/10: OMG. This is singularly the funniest thing I've read in a very, very long time. Hilarious. Just, frakking hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing out loud and woke up my sleeping husband several times. (Poor fellow.) I may have to buy these in trade paperbacks. The art, the dialog, the premise and the absolute absurdity. I think the tag line sums this series up best: "Healing America by beating people up." Awesome. Plus, I heard about this series from Wil Wheaton. Surely, that counts for a lot. :)

ETA:Oh, and for your quotacular pleasure, I've decided to add some quotes. You know, for that show not tell thing I'm always harping on authors. Enjoy!

The Captain is so absurdly strong that he once smacked someone's spine through their lungs just by patting them on the back. In his defense, he was quite extraordinarily drunk.

Ellie: I've got two Uzis and a shovel. Which, I suppose, means I can shoot things and bury them afterwards.

Boom-Boom: Ew! Ew ew ew ew! They shot their muck all over meee!
Killer Robot: Like that's never happened before.
Boom-Boom: Shut up and die, robot-face.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for both volumes of Nextwave. What this is, in a nutshell, is an excuse for explosions and big fight scenes, held together by sarcasm. It's (mostly) a satire of overly action-oriented comics, while still enjoying huge fight scenes. Shallow? Sometimes. Any substantive value in plot or characters? God, no. Fun? Absolutely.

[J.G. Keely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the time, comics do not benefit from deep and patient consideration. The vast majority owe their popularity to a world of powerless men trapped in a work-a-day world that provides them little pride and less edification. Readers of history often fantasize about living in another age, readers of travelogues imagine impossibly pricey vacations, and fans of Romance want an 'unbound pillar of desire', which I think is a piece by Rodin.

Likewise, many comic readers have been happy for little more than sexy, fast-paced excitement. This demand has been met by a bevy of innumerable authors over the years, but usually with the same old band of familiar heroes. This preponderance has lead to a wealth of stories and histories for each character, often contradictory ones. However, none of that mattered until some of the more leisure-gifted fans tried to make sense of it.

The ever-blossoming result of these hundred thousand monkeys can be at turns humbling, nonsensical, horrifying, and depressing. If you are the sort who teases tigers at the zoo, then perhaps you'll enjoy the effect of whispering the word 'continuity' amongst a band of the faithful. You'll have to be careful, of course, as breathing the word at ComicCon is liable to end in broken marriages, sundered friendships, oceans of tears, and rivers of blood.

It was not always so dire. Alan Moore carelessly sauntered over from England and after writing two or three things, made it okay to take comic books seriously. His dangerous artistry spawned a generation of new writers, who all, to one degree or another, have come to consider comics to be Art.

These writers have been trying to 'fix' continuity since about when I was born. They write year-long series called "Secret Countdown to Final Infinite Earth Civil War Crisis: Zombie Zero Hour", just so you know that they mean business and once they're done, you can finally get along with the escapist power fantasies in peace.

Warren Ellis is one of those literary writer guys inspired by Moore to use things like 'tropes' and 'metaphors' in his 'tales of existential exploration'. It's all quite serious. In this particular philosophical exegesis, Ellis takes on a common theme of artsy writers, namely: what would the lives of superheroes really be like, if they were real people.

He chooses a group of heroes to represent, each chosen for being forgotten and mishandled by the 'continuity gestapo'. He then imagines what it would be like to live in a world where giant dragons in purple underwear threaten the peace of the world on a daily basis. His exploration (exploitation?) of the contradictions inherent to heroism in a world where battles often level cities is particularly poignant.

Like Watchmen, Nextwave holds a wink and a nod up to the genre, stomping thoughtlessly on the already blurry line between the ideals of right and wrong, the point of inescapable gray where the serious cannot escape the ludicrous, and the ludicrous cannot escape Warren Ellis. But unlike Watchmen, this is a satire which attempts to maintain the absurdity of its genre. In the end, however, Ellis must bow respectfully to the men who came before him, and he duly admits that he could not be as ridiculous on purpose as they were by happy accident.

My Suggested Reading In Comics

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warren Ellis regularly has jarringly original ideas with superheroes. He's the one that turned a one-issue Justice League stories into four-issue cinematic experiences with The Authority. Planetary is the best homage-comic there is. Nextwave doesn't tread quite so nicely on superhero conventions.
Ellis calls Nextwave a "remix" book, which almost has it. He brings together several of the lamer characters in the Marvel Universe (Photon, Boom Boom, Machine Man), and has them fight a S.H.I.E.L.D. analog H.A.T.E. which has been corrupted by an evil corporation. Each story takes two issues, and is full of explosions (in a text box, Ellis says explosions are what people want).
The main strengths of Nextwave are Ellis' sarcastic tone, especially in the captions (my favorite caption talks about how Marvel is officially opposed to killing evil police officers), and Stuart Immonen's rushed and angular, yet kinetic and dynamic art. The weakest part of the book is Ellis' new character The Captain, which is a weak jab at the excessive number of Marvel characters called "Captain [insert here:]."
Ellis and Immonen both are having a lot of fun with the book, and it is a blast to read. It's not a book to recommend to people that just want their superheroes all serious like Watchmen, but it is a nice, explosive palette cleanser.

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I'm not really the target audience for this book. I suppose it's an understatement to say it's over the top in terms of the violence and language. I get that it's a parody of the more violent comics out there. I think it just leaned a little heavily on that and didn't give enough character development for my taste. All of this is acknowledged in the back matter. Nextwave is what it is. It just isn't my kind of thing. But don't let that stop you from checking it out if a comic full of broccoli men, cuddly koala death bears, and Fing Fang Foom's underpants sounds appealing to you. I picked this up because I'd heard over and over that it was one of the best comics Marvel produced in the last 15 years. Who knows... you might agree.

[Zedsdead · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oops, this just ain't happening.

I thought this was an off-brand superhero book but it's Marvel, replete with references and in-jokes that I have no interest in deciphering. And a dragon that wears 50 foot long shorts. And torturously PG'd dialogue such as:

"Well played, you disturbing metal-faced object, you."

and

"Bite my cordite, lanky!"

Hell no.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bunch of c list heroes compose this team. No substance to this just fights against stupid robots and monsters....why this as a 4star rating I do not know why.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren Ellis obviously had a LOT of fun writing this book (maybe too much?). The irreverent spirit of Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. was mostly refreshing, however at times it seemed to me that Ellis was trying too hard. Still - I enjoyed most of the stories and the um... "threats" the team went against were imaginative. The best part was the banter between the teammates.

I do recommend this book to fans of Warren Ellis, to people who don't mind a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, or to those who want to try something different.

12 issues was plenty for this series, just the right length.

Series concludes in Nextwave, Agents of H.A.T.E., Vol. 2: I Kick Your Face.

[Michael Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this, a classic piece of Warren Ellis silliness. Girls, guns, girls with guns, evil underpant wearing lizard fiends, it has everything, wrapped in his trademark humour and disrespect for pretty much everything. The book follows the shenanigans of a group of old C-list Marvel heroes as they turn the tables on their former employer who has just been exposed as a terrorist organisation bent on blowing up parts of the world, avoiding mental breakdown and freeing scary pant wearing lizards. Really, what more could you want?

[Felipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the greatest comic in the history of comics.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often look to "best of" or "top" type lists to get inspiration on what to read next. I find that I discover more comics that way and also, it gets me interested in some that I would've not paid attention to previously. In these types of lists, there are evergreen picks that are always present. And while this one isn't usually one of the top contenders, it is constantly present.

NextWave: Agents of HATE is an interesting book. Its very snappy and quirky, while at the same time being very character based and heavy on interpersonal relationships. And while those relationships may not be super substantial, they are no less entertaining in this book, because of the dialog that Ellis provides.

Basically the book is about a team who used to work for an organization called HATE and who has now gone rouge after finding out HATE is being funded by bad guys (who would've thunk it). Now they stop crimes and disasters on their own, usually fueled by insider knowledge of HATE.

While this book is entertaining and certainly charming, I found myself feeling a bit indifferent about it as it feels like this book is something I have read many times now. And maybe its a product of its time. In that, when this came out, there wasn't many things like it before. But now, we have writers like Matt Fraction, Keiron Gillen, Nick Spencer, and others, who write exclusively in this snappy and "cool" dialog style. Which is not to say its a bad thing, ultimately the original is the pioneer but it is then subject to criticism and comparison to that which comes after.

The art of Stuart Immonen is a big plus in this book. I really like the style he uses as it heightens the slick tone of the book. I would say the art is probably my favorite thing about the book and many pages had me admiring the art from an aesthetic perspective.

This book is fun, action packed, and like I mentioned, filled with snarky and witty dialog. Check it out if you are fan of that style. It will not disappoint.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E., Volume 1: This is What They Want bring together and 'eclectic' band of Superheroes in crazy adventures as they take on creatures and Supervillains from all over the place! :D This gives them plenty of opportunity for witty observations of the foes and and social commentary on the way which really gives the book an edge to its storytelling! :D The jokes though flow thick and fast throughout ranging from Feminism to Government and will have you ribs hurting throughout! :D

The art throughout really serves to enhance the script with the characters and their antics all clearly displayed in glorious colour that really enhances the script! :D The daring do and jokes displayed this way it really enhances the scripts pace and speed:D The panels slide seamlessly into each other and this really enhances the script! :D

NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E., Volume 1: This is What They Want is funny, clever, fast-paced and action packed! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D

[Lukasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps it's funny after a beer. The thing is I didn't have a beer.

[Ostrava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I'm not crazy about it, but it did make me laugh. Nice stuff, but I imagine for someone like Ellis this was nothing more than a paycheck he had some fun with.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. A complete take off on Marvel, teams such as the Avengers, and organizations such as SHIELD, as well as an over-the-top joke bad guy who's obviously Nick Fury: Dirk Anger, who is 90 years old, takes lots of drugs, smokes cigarettes and cigars, drinks whiskey and eats raw animals.

Throw in all kinds of jabs at regular Marvel, including the former Captain Marvel, and some foul mouthed characters and you've got a funny book.

This collects issues 1-6, there's a second volume that collects 7-12.
I love that it's full of Marvel C-listers, like the ex Captain Marvel, a Monster-Hunter, a former X-Force member, a take off of every 'Captain' everything, and a Machine Man who likes beer.

This stuff is hilarious to anyone who's read a fair bit of Marvel.

The Captain for instance, has: "The generic powers of Superhuman strength, endurance, flight & enhanced sight."

Well worth reading just for the laughs, and the art is good too.

[Dorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this years ago, when I was introduced to it by my friend Chris (who also introduced me to Halo and Usagi Yojimbo). One of the Tumblogs that I follow put up a photo of herself cosplaying Monica, and I found myself wanting to read NextWave again, especially since I'm rather more familiar with the SHIELD end of the Marvel Universe.

Still funny, still ridiculous, still a bit offensive. Stuart Immonen's art is still as fantastic as I remember. The whole thing is done as a parody/farce of Marvel & SHIELD, so I'm not sure there's a lot else to write here.

I was surprised/amused to realise that the women actually outnumber the men for our heroes of NextWave. If you count our major antagonist (Dirk Anger), you have main characters equally balanced between male (Aaron Stack, The Captain, Dirk Anger) and female (Monica Rambeau, Elsa Bloodstone, Tabitha Smith). You even see women among the people manning SHIELD's helicarrier -- I mean, HATE's aeromarine. Which is always nice.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A holiday gift from Monte, we got the two volumes of this series that was put out in singles most of last year juuust in time before i went to purchase them myself.

I loved these books. They are the funniest things i have ever read in graphical form, lampooning comic cliche's, characters and scenarios. Not only funny, though, is self admittedly a straight up action monster of a book that "striving to kick you in the face via a comic book." It works best for comic junkies who can get the inside winks, but, Ellis' snappy dialouge paired with Immonen hard lines and distinct colors are very easy on the eyes. It is one of my new personal favorites that i will most likely pass out to anyone who stands too long in my presence.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

All you really need to know about NextWave can be summed up in this picture:


That's pretty much it. Insanity all the time. But if that's not enough, there's also skateboarding Mindless Ones as well.


Don't expect a single panel of seriousness from NextWave, but expect to giggle like a loon at the ridiculousness.

[Jemppu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully self-aware parody of the superhero genre, Agents of H.A.T.E. takes nothing seriously (least of all itself) and delivers a ridiculously hilarious performance, build around a group of fierce personalities and a wacky premise.

With the illustrations Immonen is once again able to bend his mastery of styles to fit the requirements of the unconventional story and the powerful characters, creating an iconic, fresh and immensely dynamic look, further emphasized by Dave McCaig's explosively stunning colors.

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellis writing Marvel is pretty awesome. Also, good to see the old Captain Marvel in action. I hope they bring this title back.

The only thing that bothers me about Ellis sometimes is that all his characters talk like him - an old smartass British guy. American characters using words like "trodden" or "ill" can be distracting.

Other than that, really great facekicks and explosions.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tagline: "Saving the world by beating people up."
Hilarous send-up of superhero comics tropes. Art is vibrant and colorful, and delivers emotion and physical actions very well. I cackled out loud on pretty much every page. Definitely a must-read if you're well-read in comics--probably not quite as funny if you're not.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this comic is ever made into a movie, I hope someone like Quentin Tarantino does it. This is a pretty mindless, fun, shot-um-up story. I just have to mention too that I love the title of the first chapter: "Nextwave: Healing America By Beating People Up." I think that's pretty funny.