What You Should Have Read #6

Let’s see if Santa brought us some good comics.

Blackest Night: JSA #1

Green Lantern #49

Justice Society of America #34

Superman #695

Amazing Spider-Man #616

Avengers: The Initiative #31

Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill #2

X-Men: Legacy #231

Wolverine: Weapon X #8

Wolverine: Origins #43

Uncanny X-Men #519

Thor #605

Stand: Soul Survivors #3

Spider-Woman #4

Fantastic Four #574

Guardians of the Galaxy #21

Irredeemable #9

Incredible Hercules #139

Fall of the Hulks: Gamma

Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow

Avengers: The Initiative #31

Stuff That I Loved:

This issue of The Stand was a big chunk of Frannie’s journal as her group is trying to reach Mother Abigail. I was a bit disappointed that we weren’t able to see the other group meeting Mother Abigail, but it looks like we’ll get that next issue. I want to read this book again. It’s been a few years now, but it’s just SO good.

“Weird. You have two men inside you.”

“Don’t say that again.”

Y’know, this issue was worth it for that line alone. And for what the Avengers did to Osborn. What’s the saying about turnabout? I’m wondering if this is the beginning of the end for Luke Cage, though. Not his death, just as a 24-hour superhero. Methinks he’ll be wantin’ to be a family man, now. And I’m also predicting the Hood’s death during all this Siege brouhaha. He’s being built up as somebody important, and now he’s under Loki’s thumb, and he seems like the least important person in the Cabal. Someone’s gonna have to get it.

I know they won’t stay this way, but I’m really liking the New Guardians that were chosen in this month’s Blackest Night. It’s a much better group than the previous one, and the choices make perfect sense. Also, if you care to know why all those Black Lanterns are following John and what the Atom, Mera and Deadman are doing with Atom’s dead wife, check out Green Lantern #49, also on sale this (last) week.

From Tigra’s tongue lashing of Ultragirl to Taskmaster’s rise in the Cabal, I loved this issue of Avengers: The Initiative. If anyone was wondering how a 2^nd-rate villain like Taskmaster got invited to sit at the adult table in Siege: The Cabal, this issue explains it, and explains it well. I hope he comes out of The Siege in one piece.

Stuff That I Liked:

Duplicates of a character who aren’t all on the same wavelength as the template character isn’t a new thing, but I like how this was handled with Sandman in this week’s Amazing Spider-Man. I think that, knowing that these little tales of old villains is building up to something big, it’s putting a brighter sheen on tales that would be just average.

As soon as Muir Island was mentioned in X-Men: Legacy, I guessed who the latest villain to pop up was. I’m not saying I’m cool or anything [I am], I’m just saying. Right now it’s unclear as to whether this is a part of Selene’s plan or not, but I’m up for it. Let’s hope this Proteus story is better than the last one I read, way back in the X-Force/X-Men/Uncanny X-Men/New Warrior annuals. Also, it’s nice that the book got in line with the current major story going on in the X-verse, but I’m sure it was pretty jarring for those people who are ONLY reading this book.

You’ll read a bit later that I prefer Wolverine as a part of a group, but I’ve been happy with Wolverine: Origins. I like that he’s on a path, and we’re getting guest stars along the way that make sense and don’t seem just thrown in there…well, until we get to the last scene of the book. I haven’t seen this character since around Web of Spider-Man #80 or something like that. My curiosity about the next issue is definitely piqued.

This issue of Justice Society of America was set-up, and I usually find those highly boring. But Mordru walking around as Fate was highly amusing, even though he didn’t seem to act as the Mordru we’ve seen before in the series.

I like that the Guardians of the Galaxy can’t catch a break. It keeps the book exciting. I’ve never been a fan of Moondragon, but she’s starting to grow on me. I guess now that she can show a little emotion, she seems more real. When she was with the Infinity Watch, she was just a bitch.

Fall of the Hulks: Gamma was a good lead-in to the new year’s Hulk event. While I enjoyed the story and the various eulogies, I don’t buy it for a second that Ross is dead. First, we’ve seen it before; it’s not new. Second, I don’t believe that Bruce would sanction it. Also, since the first issue of the latest Hulk series, I’ve thought that the red Hulk was Talbot. Not current on the Hulk characters, I didn’t know he was “dead.” My guess holds tight after this issue, and now I also think that the red She-Hulk is Betty. I forgot that she was brought back during Bruce Jones’ controversial run on the Jade Giant.

No more bitching about Steve Rogers running around the Marvel Universe before he’s even officially brought back. It’s happened, get over it. I like how Who Will Wield the Shield ended. I’m glad that Bucky wasn’t just thrown away like USAgent was when he was Cap. And the last page has me even more intrigued about the Siege event. Oooh, I’m all a-tingle.

So far (and it’s only the first issue, but…) I’m liking the JSA Blackest Night mini the best out of all of the tie-ins. This is the first one where the heroes are trying to do something other than just survive. I also like how Robinson was able to through a Starman panel into Wesley Dodd’s quick backstory. I loved that series.

Stuff That I Thought Was Meh:

Wolverine: Weapon X (happy that we finally got the reason for Wolvie’s stay in the hospital, but I think I like him better in a group), Uncanny X-Men (while the Magneto stuff was good, it just couldn’t save the book from the pretty poor last page and the Cyclops/Void stuff that I didn’t care about), Thor (all that for Doom to wear some new armor? It almost doesn’t seem worth it), Superman (it looks like all of these threads from Superman stories over the past year or so are finally starting to come together…finally), Spider-Woman (went by WAY too quickly), Irredeemable (too much talking heads, not enough action), Incredible Hercules (the Avengers were taken down too quickly), Green Lantern (and it pains me to say it that. I’ve been really liking this series for the past 49 issues. But I really don’t care about John’s past.), Fantastic Four (really not holding my interest lately, so it looks like I’m dumping it), Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow (that was kinda pointless. It needs to be a mini-series or something), and Absolution (eh, you knew he was going to get caught).