What You Should Have Read #56

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #678 – Spidey sees the future and realizes he’s the only person who can prevent the destruction of New York. It’s a really good story, but the best parts are the Peter Parker moments in the beginning. Once he gets his Spidey duds on, things move incredibly quickly to an uncertain conclusion. Good issue, but I can’t really say if I’ll like the story as a whole until it’s finished.

Avengers #21 – This issue went by WAY too quickly. We get at least a glimpse of everybody, but they’re all getting their asses handed to them. It’s not very reassuring. No Osborn, either. I guess he was busy over in New Avengers.

Avenging Spider-Man #3 – Are these Asgardian mole people? Their language “looks” Asgardian, or what I seem to recognize from Fear Itself and the Thor books. Rock trolls or something? Doesn’t matter, I guess. This story was kind of tricksy. It wasn’t so much a Red Hulk/Spider-Man team-up but instead a Spider-Man/JJJ story, and a pretty good one, at that. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when this title was first solicited, but this was a good start. I’ve always enjoyed the various Spider-Man team-up books because the character works so well with other heroes. He’s like super Jerry Lewis to everyone else’s super Dean Martin. I love that analogy. Feel free to use it, but give me credit. ;)

Daredevil #8 – The relaunch of this title has been solid. Not crazy-awesome-good like it was when Bendis was writing it, but still good. The crossover with Spidey? Also good. I like how it wasn’t just cobbled together just to get these three (can’t forget Black Cat, can we?) characters together. No, it flowed nicely from events happening in both books. The kicker for me in this issue was when Spidey discovered Matt and Felicia. Man, that was heartbreaking, and it’ll stay with me for a while. I’m assuming it’ll stay with Pete, too.

Fables #113 -  This is a filler issue, but really, are any issues in this series TOTALLY filler? Even the ones that seem ridiculously out of place? No, I imagine the sorcerer king will show up again, as well as either the porcupine or the witch who cursed him. Maybe even the turtle. It was a good enough issue, but rather plain all by itself. I’ll be more excited about it when I relive it after the eventual pay-off.

G.I. Joe #9/G.I. Joe: Cobra #9/G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes #9 – These two books have been great at showing how each side has acted during the meteoric rise of Cobra, but now they’re starting to overlap more. Really, this could have been one book/title. That’s not a slight against the story or the books themselves. I’m impressed how everything is flowing and coming together. I know that Cobra eventually has to lose, but right now I’m enjoying their successes.

Invincible Iron Man #512 – Not a lot of action this issue, but tons of set-up. Set up for all the bad guys: the main one, the lackeys, and the ones who don’t even know they’re bad guys. Tony thinks his world is in the crapper now? It looks like things are about to get exponentially worse, and that always makes for entertaining storytelling. I love the idea of the Stark Resilient Lifearmor. It also makes me think, Marvel could have quite an event in the future, the kind where everyone becomes an Iron Man. House of IM instead of House of M. Iron Island instead of Spider Island. Crisis of Infinite Iron Men instead of…whoops, wrong company, but you get the idea.

Moon Knight #9 – I’ve said before that I’m a Bendis whore, but it’s a somewhat selective whoring I practice. Anything new? Sure. But I haven’t read EVERYTHING. I don’t read Powers. I wasn’t that into the guy when it started hitting shelves, and I just haven’t gone back and picked up the series yet. I want to, though, especially with the TV show ending up on FX…assuming the pick up the reworked pilot. Anyways, not everybody can hit a homerun each time they’re up to bat is what I’m saying. Moon Knight is one such not-a-homerun. I was about to drop the title, then I read that’ll it’ll be ending with issue #12, so I guess I can stick around for a bit more. My biggest gripe with it is that it isn’t fun. The same schtick is being used over in Deadpool, and it’s being done better. MK’s voices aren’t clever (even Spidey) or insightful or anything. They’re just there to narrate things. That’s just boring.

Thunderbolts #169 – I’m enjoying this trip through time. I was less impressed with the Jack the Ripper stuff than with the Invaders stuff, but this Camelot story, especially after reading the last few pages, looks like it’ll be awesome. I find it hard to believe, though, that either Fixer, Centurius, or Moonstone don’t recognize the name Black Knight or his weapon. He was a pretty important Avengers for God’s sake.

Ultimate Spider-Man #6 – Good, solid story. I like that, this isn’t a story about Spider-Man, it’s more about Miles. Just like the first series (Ultimate, at least) was always more about Peter than his alter ego. The only thing I don’t like is the new Scorpion. I say new because you might not remember it, but there was already a Scorpion. He was a clone of Pete. Now, I’m not saying that I have any love for him, but Bendis couldn’t think of a new name for this new guy?

Uncanny X-Force #20 – I’ve got problems with the issue, and that makes me sad. I’ve loved this series, but bringing in the Captain Britain mythology put a hurtin’ on my noggin. That and the muddy art. It’s weird. The art is good, even beautiful, with individual, smaller panels. For the big panels, splash pages, or double-page spreads, it’s just muddy and confusing. But back to Captain Britain. I read Excalibur for about three issues during the X-line reboot of the early ‘90s, but it never grabbed me. Because of that, I never got into Brian or his history. I’m hoping this isn’t too confusing for me.

Wonder Woman #5 – Well, that’s surely an interesting form for the god of the seas to take. I like it. Why assume that all the gods are humanoid in form? This was the only DC comic (Well, regular DC comic. Fables doesn’t count.) I got this week. I’m enjoying it, but it’s not because of Wonder Woman. It’s the story and the people around her, and I worry that that might eventually lead me away from the book. With Aquaman and Deathstroke, I’m enjoying the characters and what they’re doing. Not Diana, though. I just can’t get into her, and I feel like not enjoying the character that the book is named after will eventually wear me down. 

Also, in case you've forgotten: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps...especially with Christmas bills here and an unsure/shaky work situation. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

What You Should Have Read #52

This SHOULD have been my 500th post, but I messed things up by posting those last three links. While the post is double-sized, I'm missing the requisite variant opening paragraphs. Sorry about that.

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #676 – As much as I’m loving Dan Slott and his Amazing Spider-Man, I had a hard time believing that Doc Ock and his Sinister Six could take down the Intelligencia. I realize the guy is smart, but smarter than MODOK, the Mad Thinker, the Wizard AND the Red Ghost? I’m not sold on that.

Avengers #20 – I can’t say I’m all that thrilled with the new line-up. The Protector hasn’t been fleshed out enough to make me care about him. I mean, I loved Grant Morrison’s mini that introduced him, but everything after that has been extremely lackluster and random. I don’t like his current look or identity, and how random was it when he brought his girlfriend over to meet the team? He’s got a girlfriend? When did that happen? The only upside I can see, at least in the immediate future, is his former relationship with Osborn. The guy was on the first iteration of the Dark Avengers and left for moral reasons. Will the fact that Osborn has a new team affect him at all? Also, the Vision came out of left field. Stark has been working on him in his spare time? What spare time? And what about the kid over with the Young Avengers? Isn’t he part Vision or something? I usually go ga-ga for anything Bendis writes, and while I like Osborn coming back and attempting to start some major shit, there are just a few things that are pulling me out of the story.

Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #6 – Ennis is really doing some awesome shit with this superhero opus. The main series shows us stuff that forces us to ask questions. We might get an answer every now-and-then in the series, but not many. Herogasm helped, as did Highland Laddie, and this mini is doing a lot to connect a bunch more dots. I thought the way he put himself in the story was a bit much, though.

Daredevil #7 – There’s something to be said for a good story, a one-off issue that isn’t bound by the restraints of an event or a crossover. Daredevil has been doing

Fables #112 – The only bad thing about the pacing of this book is that sometimes I forget things that happened quite a while ago. Like with this issue, I forgot that Rose was hired on by…the Blue Fairy? Is that who she’s working for now? And how long ago did that actually happen? Other than that, I enjoyed her journey and orientation, and I’m continuing to enjoy the search for/training of a new North Wind.

Fantastic Four #601 – Let’s just ignore that this is the third time we’ve jumped back into the first volume of this title (1-416, 500-588, now 600-601…ridiculous, Marvel). Oh my fuckin’ God, Johnny Storm is back and it’s awesome. This was such a good issue. I was wondering how this was actually going to be a problem, what with the Annihilation Wave and the Inhumans kicking ass in space, and then I got my answer on the last page. Unintended consequences, just like Ronan was dealing with.

Invincible Iron Man #511 – I love that Mandarin and Stane are doing tape review, like a football team before a game. They’re looking at Tony and looking for any possible weakness, and they may have found it. And Tony’s enemies are teaming up. Spider-Man has the Sinister Six. The Fantastic Four have the Frightful Four. The X-Men have the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Flash has The Rogues, the Justice League has the Injustice Gang, and the Justice Society has the Injustice Society. Tony needs a team of villains against him, and it looks like this may be it. Now they just need a cool name.

Journey into Mystery #632 – Marvel is doing a pretty good job about being creative with their first page recaps. Between Loki and Ikol’s introduction in this title, the Daily Bugle headlines and articles over in Amazing Spider-Man and Peter David’s personal updates in X-Factor, these are very entertaining and a good way to ease into the comic. Not that this issue needed to be eased into. It was a one-off that wasn’t quite a one-off. Those hell-puppies were adorable, and I’m looking forward to some good stories in the future starring them.

New Avengers #19 – I am full on loving this Osborn comeback. He’s not just a Spidey villain, he’s a MARVEL villain. And I like this team so much more than the main one. It’s just more fun, less serious.

Shade #3 – I think it’s a crime to do a write-up about this series and not mention the absolutely exquisite covers by Tony Harris. Cully Hamner is a good artist. I’ve got no complaints about him, but Tony Harris IS Starman to me…and to a lesser extent so is Peter Snjejbjerg. But the covers that Harris is creating for this series are nothing short of works of art. I would LOVE to have one of these (hell, probably any Starman cover he’s done) framed and on the wall of my house.

Suicide Squad #4 – Is it wrong that I’m slightly turned on by Harley? This ain’t your Batman Adventures Harley Quinn, that’s for sure. I think it’s pretty obvious that she’s the one who started the riot. It’s a convenient way for her to escape, now that the bomb is deactivated, and get to Gotham to check on Mr. J, to see if Boomerang was lying. Also, I was happy to see him used as a pawn rather than the team leader. This isn’t the Suicide Squad that I fell in love with, but I have to admit that I’m enjoying what I’m reading.

Thunderbolts #167 – Nice twist to the issue, but I was kind of hoping that the reason for the Ripper would be a bit more sinister and a little less mystical. Still, a solid issue, and I’m looking forward to Camelot in the next issue. And hey! What’s Ghost up to?

Ultimate Spider-Man #5 – Is it okay for me to really like a Spider-Man that isn’t Peter Parker? I hope so, ‘cause I’m really liking Miles. Also, I really like Bendis’ Nick Fury. I really dislike Millar’s Nick Fury. They don’t even seem like the same character. This issue was great. From Spider-Woman to the Ultimates to Electro, it was just plain great. Like Fables, it’s difficult for me to praise the same things issue after issue.

Uncanny X-Force #18 – Originally, I was disappointed in this because, well, it’s not like I wanted anybody to die, but the whole thing was leading up to Warren’s death. Then he just walks back to the group, a winged amnesiac? I thought it was a big cop out to a great story. Then I read an interview with Rick Remender who said that Warren is in fact dead. The Life Seed that killed him then rebuilt his body from the ground up. All it is is a shell, a baby, really. It’s alive, but it isn’t Warren. I’m more okay with that, especially since this WAS such a good story.

Uncanny X-Force #19 – After going almost nonstop for 18 issues, this is a much-needed down issue. Wolverine’s involvement in and continuation of X-Force is addressed with Beast, and Evan, the child clone of Apocalypse is enrolled in the school. Nightcrawler is back, kind of, and Angel…well, we don’t know about Angel yet. He’s a blank slate. Although, it looks like he still has his metal wings, which I assumed were gone. That was an Apocalypse thing, and I was under the impression that the Life Seed rebuilt Warren, not Archangel. Great issue, even if there was no action. I’m hoping I can follow the Captain Britain stuff coming up since I only barely know of the Corps background.

Wolverine and the X-Men #3 – Oh, what fun. The offspring of Krakoa is now a student? Nice. I’ve always been a sucker for well-written teen superheroes. Geoff Johns’ Teen Titans. The original New Warriors. The Young Avengers. The beginning of the second New Mutants series. And now this new school for gifted youngsters, where the students are as much a part of cast as are the X-Men.

X-Factor #229 – I…I really don’t know what to say about this issue. It’s confusing, but readable because there’s a bit of an explanation as to what’s happening, just not why.

Also, in case you've forgotten: When I can remember to add this to the bottom of my posts, I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But when you click ads, I get a little bit of money, and as a single father of three, every penny from every source helps...especially with Christmas bills looming on the horizon. So I’m going to keep this tiny bit of begging at the bottom of my posts, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. The only thing it costs you is time. :) Thanks so much!

What You Should Have Read #42

Last Week’s Comic Book Awesomeness

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #1 – Oh, I miss the show. The comic is great, but I really miss the show. I liked how Season 8 started, but I didn’t really care for how it ended. I hope I don’t feel the same way about Season 9, because I enjoyed the first issue.

Journey Into Mystery #627 – Loki’s not in this one, it’s all about Mephisto…and his showing here is just as good as his showing in the last issue of New Mutants. It’s a smart and cunning Mephisto. I like that. From the beginning, the opening text/recap page, it’s all about Mephisto and his involvement in Fear Itself. On one hand, I like to think that the inevitable confrontation between Mephisto and Loki will be epic, but it might be epic on a small scale…two powerful entities out-snarking one another.

New Avengers #16 – Hmm. Daredevil in the Avengers. Is he a full member now or an associate, one they call when his special talents are needed? He’s not on the cover for the next issue, so the question is valid. I like him. I like Bendis writing him. But is he really one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Let’s see where this goes.

Ultimate Spider-Man #1 – I like Miles Morales. I like him and I like his family. He’s not Peter Parker and they aren’t Aunt May and Uncle Ben, but they’re good people and I like them. This is how you raise a Spider-Man. I hate that people are in an uproar about this. I hate that people are upset that this is a boy of color who becomes the new Spider-Man. I hate that there were ignorant people upset and didn’t understand a quote by artist Sara Pichelli and assumed the new Spider-Man was gay, and they had a problem with that. I understand that you’re introduced to a character and fall in love with him, but sometimes people die, and in this case, it was a fictional character named Peter Parker. This new kid isn’t Peter Parker, and he shouldn’t be Peter Parker. Peter Parker is dead. Deal with it. This kid has different powers and a different background. The origin, in general, is the same, but the results are different. That’s how it SHOULD be. If Brian Michael Bendis wanted to write more Peter Parker Spider-Man stories, he wouldn’t have killed Peter Parker. Now we get to read Miles Morales Spider-Man stories, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I trust Bendis to provide me with an entertaining and engaging story, and I so far haven’t been disappointed with this first issue. Also, Spider-Man’s uncle looks to be Deadpool.

Uncanny X-Force #15 – This is, by far, the best of the X-books at the moment. The action is there, the wit is there, and the art is there. It’s a good-looking book that is good to read. When this eventually ends, I would totally read a buddy team-up book featuring Deadpool and Phantomex.

DC’s New 52 Week 2

Deathstroke #1 – This must be the week of villainous books for me. I’ve never been a great fan of Deathstroke, but I’ve appreciated what he’s done and how he’s done it. There’s nothing here about the character that would keep me coming back to the book, but I’m curious as to what’s in the briefcase. I want to know if the eventual revelation will be a satisfying payoff.

Green Lantern #1 – Fuck DC and their reboot. Between this issue and Red Lanterns, what exactly was rebooted with the various Lanterns? I mean, I’ve been reading GL for quite a while now and I know what’s going on, but this was a not a new user friendly book. There’s SO much backstory that needs to be known. And from what I’ve seen and read, the Batman line is doing similar shenanigans. If you’re going to reboot, reboot. Push the button and start everything over. Now, that being said, I enjoyed this book and how it continued the story from before the “reboot.”

Red Lanterns #1 – I’m not totally sure this is a necessary title. This seems like mini-series material to me. It was good, but I don’t know if it presented enough…foresight?...to warrant a full series. I like the stuff with Atrocitus and the rest of his Red Lanterns, but the Earthbound stuff seems shoehorned in.

Resurrection Man #1 – I didn’t read this book the first time around. I ended up picking up the entire series on Ebay for cheap about 7 years or so ago. I remember thoroughly enjoying it, so I was interested to see what would happen here. I’m glad Mitch is back, and I’m really interested in seeing all the stories Abnett and Lanning came come up with using this wonderful premise.

Suicide Squad #1 – Great first issue. We meet the team, we see a bit of action, and we’re left looking forward to these six secret villains tasked to killing 60,000 people. I really miss Gail Simone’s Secret Six, especially after Batgirl #1, which I did not like, but judging from the first issue, I think I’m going to like this new Suicide Squad. And I’m really happy they kept on King Shark.

Superboy #1 – Well, this was a surprise. At it’s most basic level, the premise of Superboy is exactly the same as the original premise for Connor Kent. Replace Cadmus (who is apparently pretty active in the New 52) with N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and you’ve got a different character made up of the same building blocks. I like where this is going. I’m going to read more of this book. 

Probably for the rest of the month I’m going to whore myself out with an impassioned plea: click on the ads. PLEASE click on the ads. I don’t care if you exit it out of it immediately or actually look around. This isn’t some professional blog where I believe in the products I’m shilling. These are automatic ads placed by Google. But my experiment this weekend proved to me that I actually AM making a spot of cash whenever the ads are clicked. So I’m going to put this little disclaimer on the bottom of all my posts for the next month or so, and I hope you’ll take an extra 10 seconds after reading my blog to click on an ad. Thanks so much!

What You Should Have Read #14

I think I’ve got a sinus headache that morphed into a migraine, and I am not a happy camper. Comics? Sure, whatever.

Amazing Spider-Man #621
Angel #30
Avengers vs. Atlas #2
Blackest Night: The Flash #3
Captain America #603
Daredevil #505
Dark Avengers #14
Deadpool #19
Doomwar #1
Ender’s Shadow: Command School #5
G.I. Joe: Cobra II #2
Green Lantern #51
Green Lantern Corps #45
Guardians of the Galaxy #23
Hulk #20
Incorruptible #3
Incredible Hercules #141
Incredible Hulk #607
Justice League of America #42
Locke and Key: Crown of Shadows #3
Spider-Woman #6
Stand: Soul Survivors #4

Ohhhh, no. That is a huge list. Hey, publishers…can’t we stagger the stuff I read a little better? Also, where applicable, the covers for this week's books will be interrupted by Deadpool.

Avengers Books

Avengers vs. Atlas was your basic two-superhero-teams-fight-because-of-a-misunderstanding issue. It was a fine issue as far as those types of battles go. Nobody won, nobody lost. The fun in this issue came in the Jimmy Woo back-up story. The short story is totally unremarkable except for the end, and that really makes the entire book worth the price of admission. The dragon is wonderful.

Y’know, after reading about Dr. Doom attempting to steal 10,000 tons of vibranium, extracting a bit of it our of Falcon’s harness doesn’t seem all that threatening. A crazy Captain America is kind of scary, but leading a small contingent of Watchdog “soldiers” doesn’t seem all that threatening. I’m not worried about Cap or Falcon, and therefore the story is falling flat for me.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural did very well on his first solo mission as Earth’s new Sorcerer Supreme. But his brother gets the award for best quote: “Can we focus, for just a second, on kicking the snot out of Nightmare and Doctor Doom before we move onto the next terrible threat?” I’ve never been that much of a fan of the mystical side of superheroics because it seems too easy. I know there are rules, but they seem to be more malleable than those of science-based superheroics. But this was a mini that started strong, stalled a bit in the middle, and finished on a high note. I like that this new Sorcerer Supreme is not a copy of Dr. Strange. This is a vastly different character with a different power set and mythology behind him. Great and original stories could be created from this.

Now THIS is how you end a series. This book has been top-notch since it took over the numbering of the previous Hulk series. The Incredible Hercules and Amadeus have been a wonderful team to follow, and the banter puts a smile on the Spider-Man fan’s face. This issue wrapped up just about everything we could wish for (except for Amadeus’ sister miraculously showing up…hopefully we’ll still see his search for her). The betrayal and death made sense, but they were well-concealed and not really telegraphed. I was genuinely surprised by them. Since Amadeus is only the 10th smartest person, I guess he won’t be kidnapped by the Intelligencia, but I’m hoping Bruce brings him in to help out. As for the Agents of Atlas backup, I thought as a whole it was just a big mess.

I’ve never really had a problem with the way Brian Michael Bendis writes. His books can often be extremely quick reads, but I usually feel satisfied with them. I haven’t really gotten that with Spider-Woman. This confrontation with the Thunderbolts seemed somewhat unnecessary. And the issue just seemed to end too abruptly. Where is Jessica going? Will the Thunderbolts have to walk home from Madripoor? I just felt a bit cheated out of a real story. Oh, and I just realized that the front of her costume is a giant arrow that points to her...well, you'll just have to look.

Books Based on Other Books

Well, Ender’s Shadow: Command School didn’t suffer fully in the end the way Ender’s Game did, but it was still a little too quick for my tastes. It seemed rushed and hastily put together, and had I not read Ender’s Game (the book, not the comic) already, I would have thought that it was the fault of the comic’s creative team, but it’s not. Now, I don’t know if Ender’s Shadow (the book) suffered the same fate, but the comic sure did. I’d still like to read the book, though. See if Bean is really smarter than Ender. I don’t think that sits well with me.

I always feel excited for people who The Stand for the first time. I’m also a little jealous, because I’ll never get that chance again, that feeling of discovering something so wonderful. Reading it in comic form like this is good, because it’s a slightly different experience. And this issue of Soul Survivors, with the “secret origin” of Mother Abigail, was excellent. I finished the issue with a little bit of that feeling, excitement and wonder at what might happen next in the story, even though I already know what will happen.

Doomwar Books

There is a LOT of stuff going on in the Marvel Universe. Spidey is running a Gauntlet, the Hulks are Falling, Asgard is under Siege, and now there’s a Doomwar. I thought everything was handled extremely well in this issue. Storm’s trial in a kangaroo court excellently showed the xenophobia of the new rulers of Wakanda. Doom was portrayed as a power-hungry villain who is smarter and more ruthless than anybody in the room. I appreciate Scott’s position as leader of a new “nation” and not wanting to get embroiled in a political powderkeg. It still came as no surprise that a handful of X-Men would go off with T’Challa and help their friend and teammate. The last page, though, with Shuri’s action…that was the money shot of the issue. She and T’Challa aren’t messing around at retaking their country and home from these usurpers. Good for them. Let’s hope this show of strength doesn’t backfire, though.

Hulk Books

Well, overall I’m enjoying Fall of the Hulks, but it’s getting a little crowded. I’d be okay with just the Hulk family, but since the Intelligencia is kidnapping smart people, we’re inundated with their support groups also. Since Hank Pym was the target in Incredible Hulk, we’ve got a handful of Avengers facing off against Skaar and Banner, most of whom agree to help him on his quest to save Betty.

While I am enjoying the storyline, I wish we could get through the smart-guy kidnappings a bit quicker and actually get to the Fall of the Hulks. I guess things go a bit quicker in Hulk since two brainiacs are nabbed instead of just one. The X-Men just seemed a bit pointless here. And are Bobby and Warran that close to Ororo? I know Scott is, but aren’t there a couple X-Men who were better friends with her?

Realm of Kings Books

Well, I guess it’s good that half of the Guardians of the Galaxy weren’t actually killed by the Magus. The only time I’ve ever run across this guy was during the Infinity War crossover about 15 years or so ago. He had an afro, then. I guess his return was inevitable after Adam’s return. I mean, he is the dark side of that coin. I don’t like Phylla. Ever since I was made aware of her, I guess that was during the Annihilation, she’s been nothing but whiny and needy. Visually, she looks pretty cool. But I can’t get behind her as a character, especially one who’s supposed to be so powerful.

Siege Books

Okay, books containing characters who are in Siege shouldn’t automatically get the Siege label. At the moment, Dark Avengers has nothing to do with that crossover. Sure, this could be considered a bit of a prologue, because it’s the events from this book that directly lead in to what the Sentry does to Ares in the second Siege issue, why he would do something like that. But if I’m reading a Siege book, I want it to have something to do directly with the war on Asgard. Despite that, though, it was another excellent issue. Ms. Hand steps up and gets to smack down a couple of high-and-might Avengers AND give Osborn a stern talking to…and he doesn’t even kill her! I think somebody is growing into a better person.

Spider-Man Books

Hmm, Amazing Spider-Man had a bit of a Lizard tease at the end, but we find out that the next issue has Morbius in it. Since we had a Vulture origin in this month’s Web of Spider-Man, I would have expected a Vulture story. But this issue did apparently close up the plot about Carlie’s dad, which is good, and we got some good, uncomfortable fun with the Black Cat/Spidey team-up. If Peter weren’t such a nice guy, he’d surely have some sort of friends-with-benefits arrangement going on with Felicia. She’d be up for it. I’m also liking this new, “evil” Aunt May. Who knows where that particular thread is going, but it looks to be an interesting ride.

If I never read another story about Ben Reilly, it’ll be too soon. The clone garbage was most of the reason I quit comics for a few years. Now, the Vulture vignette that started off Web of Spider-Man was short, sweet, and pretty awesome. I’m looking forward to his confrontation with the new, bloodthirsty Vulture. I think Marvel would be passing up quite a little trade paperback opportunity if they didn’t collect all of these origins into one volume after all of the Gauntlet business is finished…or right before it really gets going. I would assume a lot of people are passing this book up because of the price tag.

X Books

Screw Cable, Deadpool should have a regular book with Spider-Man. Cable is supposed to be a straight-man. With Spidey taking that role, hi-jinks and hilarity would be assured. I love it that it was Deadpool’s responses to the voices in his head that really got him in trouble with Spidey…y’know, besides the misunderstanding of Spidey thinking ‘Pool killed the shop keeper. I also loved the Hit-Monkey origin last week, so having him show up in Deadpool is awesome. Deadpool and Spider-Man vs. a monkey hitman. It’s legendary.

Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth still isn’t as funny as the regular series, but it’s still better than the team-up book. Deadpool has finally gotten his alternate zombie head home and is kicking around in the zombie world. I guess that’s what he does for a vacation. I’m expecting the funny stuff and great gags to revolve around the zombiefied characters we’ll see in this ‘verse, but this issue only gave us a clever resolution to a lame character (‘Pool’s solution to dealing with Shamrock’s luck power). Where is Deadpool’s multiple personality disorder? Is that something only allowed in the main book? I miss it.

That was a darned fine Uncanny X-Men. I’ve been wondering when and how they were going to bring Kitty Pride back, and now I know. I have to say, I’m very impressed with Magneto, but bringing a giant, planet-killing bullet back to Earth is probably not the smartest move. We’ve got her coming back now, but I guess we’ve still got the same problem of getting her out of the bullet without destroying the Earth. Oh, and the fight with the new breed of designer mutants was fun to watch, especially after Fantomex showed up. Right now I like him more than when Morrison introduced him.

Other Marvel Books

I know virtually nothing about The Hand, so it was nice to get a glimpse into the inner circle in Daredevil. Matt has been walking down a very dark road for quite a long time now, but he claims he wants to use the Hand to achieve good. I guess it’s kind of like Angel agreeing to run Wolfram & Hart. But we saw what happened to the gang in that, right? SPIKE was the lone voice of reason pretty much the entire time. I guess that role falls on the White Tiger, here. She’s doing her best to keep Matt grounded, but it doesn’t seem to be working all that well. And it may not matter since it seems that the rest of the Daimyo have their own plans for Daredevil, and that can’t possibly be a good thing for Matt.

Blackest Night Books

I’d like to know who, besides Sandblast (is he an existing character, or was he created to be cannon fodder in this issue?), Owen fed to his dad in Blackest Night: The Flash. I also wonder how Owen actually kept him chained up down there. I thought the black rings were supposed be pretty powerful, at least more powerful than some chains. Hell, they’ll regrow limbs and keep these undead monstrosities alive. But apparently they can be stopped by chains and ice. That…makes no sense at all. I hope at some point we’ll learn why the Rogue Black Lanterns were transfixed by Thawne. Is it because there were two of him flitting about, one alive and one dead? And the freezing of alive-Thawne in Iron Heights stops dead-Thawne in his tracks. Again, that makes no sense. Still, this was a better read than the Wonder Woman book.

The fighting between Lex and the Orange Lantern (whose name eludes me at the moment) in Green Lantern was good, if not too short. The fight between Parallax and the Spectre, however, was epic. I hate that Parallax had to be brought in to rescue the Spectre from Nekron’s grip, but it made sense to me. I didn’t know that Parallax was THAT powerful, though. I mean, he tore off the Spectre’s face! And Spectre as a red lantern was pretty neat, too. I’m enjoying this event, and I’m excited to see how it all plays out and what the ramifications will be.

One of the reviewers I read has not been enjoying the Green Lantern books and their tie-ins to Blackest Night. I’ve thought they’ve been pretty fun and impressive. I like Guy Gardner, who has been angry ever since I’ve known about him, struggling between his rage and his will in Green Lantern Corps. I also like Mogo’s creative solution to the problem, and that it wasn’t a permanent solution. I hope it’s something that is brought up again after Blackest Night is over. I like the possibility of ring wielders wielding more than just one ring.

Justice Books

Since Final Crisis, has there been any mention of what happens after the Fourth World is destroyed, or at least all the New Gods? The Justice League of America is about to go up against some foes with Fourth World technology, as evidenced by fakers with the weapons of Metron, Orion, Barda, Miracle Man and Lightray. Now, are these the ACTUAL weapons or just knock-offs? And where did the Shade take Green Arrow before he showed up back at headquarters. I would love for the Shade to be a recurring character with Robinson at the helm. That guy needs his own book.

Hmm, I guess I shouldn’t list Magog as a Justice book anymore. This whole storyline was longer than it needed to be, in more books than it needed to be, and out of order. First, the Justice Society annual, where Magog initiated the prison break. Then, a couple weeks later, JSA All-Stars, which contained the story leading up to the fight. Now, in Magog’s own book, the ramifications of the prison break. The timing could have been handled better. Magog does not come off as a sympathetic character. Kind of like a super-powered Punisher, but he still manages to have less of a body count. I don’t like that type of character.

Other DC Books

There’s obviously some emotion/mind-controlling shenanigans going on with the Outsiders, but I don’t know enough about the group’s history to speculate on a culprit. I’ve been reading all of the Superman books, and I don’t recall the Kryptonians using the Eradicator as an ambassador. Considering his checkered past with Earth, I would think that would be a wise idea.

Other Books

I think, if I had to choose between a book about a villain giving up the life and going straight or a book about a villain being an awesome dick and just being himself, I’d choose the latter. It sounds more fun. And Incorruptible is not fun. It’s about a villain who is moping around, not really into what he’s attempting to do, and that is to go straight. I’d rather this be a small subplot, maybe a back-up story, in Irredeemable rather than it’s own series or mini-series, whatever this is.

I’d say that Locke and Key: Crown of Shadows is shaping up to be a great book, but it started out like that, so let’s just say it’s continuing to be a great book. I like that Hill is taking his time in regards to the various types of keys that litter the house. I also liked the big key in the floor. Not your normal key.