What You Should Have Read #21

Wow. I take two weeks off and I come back to a week that’s probably got as many comics to read as the past two weeks combined. Well, let’s get to it.

Avengers

Well, if nothing else, the storyline “Two Americas” wrapped up more or less nicely and neatly. Granted, no body means no death, so I’m sure we can expect crazy Captain America to show up in the future, but Falcon and Bucky/Cap saved the day and ended up pretty much unscathed. I’m a bit torn as to what to hope for with the future of this comic. I like Bucky/Cap, and I feel he’s earned the mantle. This is a legacy character who I got into on the ground floor with…well, not when he FIRST started being Bucky, but when he was brought back as the Winter Soldier. I’m okay if Steve/Cap only shows up in the Avengers. But, if we have to suffer back-up stories, I’d rather see two caps in the book than Nomad. That was just kind of brutal to endure. The tone was so different from the main story that it was just jarring and hard to get into.

I have absolutely no problem with books that are more talk and less action. I’m totally okay with that, but up to a point. The talk needs to still move the book. That’s where books like The Walking Dead fail, and where Invincible Iron Man thrives. This issue was Tony talking…a lot…but it didn’t keep the status quo. The talk moved the book and the plot along wonderfully. Tony Stark is back. Iron Man is back (“Who wants to ride in a stupid helicopter anyways?”). I can’t even begin to fathom where this book is going, and I’m so excited for the new journey it promises. For the last 25 months, this book has been one of the best books on the shelves, and I don’t see that ending any time soon.

 

Fall of the Hulks

Well, Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk ended pretty well, and it’s got the failure of the Intelligencia all set up. There was actually precious little of the Red Hulk in the issue, but what he did was pretty important. I’d like to see him go up against Professor Hulk (I think that’s the correct name for the merged personalities of Banner and the other Hulks). Both are strong, but where Prof. is smart, Red Hulk is crafty. It’s been made painfully clear these past few months that crafty tends to beat smart.

 

Hulked-Out Heroes was both a misleading title and a big waste of time. First of all, there’s one Hulked-Out hero, not multiples. It’s all about Hulkpool and his quest through time to kill Deadpool. And it’s not even “our” time, just an alternate timeline. So he has this wacky adventure and returns to help out Red Hulk, and nothing at all was accomplished. Waste. Of. Time.

 

Second Coming

Peter David is one of my favorite comic book writers, and I know that he likes to throw out a some pretty cool “Holy shit!” moments, but I’m not buying the end of X-Factor. I’m calling dupes. They’re all dupes in that vehicle, just made up to look like Longshot and Rictor and whoever else was in the vehicle. Other than that, this was another great issue. I liked how Bastion was controlling Trask, and the beginning of the book DID throw me for a bit of a loop.

With the little skirmishes between the X-Men and Bastion’s various minions going pretty well, you knew things would get absolutely horrible once the other shoe dropped. And if you don’t count Karma’s injury and Ariel’s (who?) death, X-Force is definitely where the shoe drops. Cerebra has already been knocked out of commission, and now Bastion cuts off communication between the mutants. Then he locates and goes after Hope. Rogue does a pretty awesome job of being bad ass, but she gets her but handed to her. We get another death (really…who was Ariel?) this issue, and it’s pretty major. I won’t spoil it, but Craig Kyle and Chris Yost do a great job of giving the death meaning and weight. It wasn’t pointless, like most of the deaths in Blackest Night. This will be felt for quite some time. I’d also like to give some kudos to artist Mike Choi and colorist Sonia Oback. While the art in this series has always been top notch, I’ve often complained that the coloring was way too dark and made the book a bit difficult to understand. No such complaint with this issue. Choi kept up the quality art that we came to expect from Clayton Crain, and Oback’s colors made everything pop out, even the darker pages with Wolverine’s group. This might be my favorite X-related book being published at the moment, or at least tied with X-Factor.

Siege

So between Mighty Avengers and New Avengers, we learn that in the final issue of Siege, Loki will fight the Void and aid the Avengers by granting them a power upgrade via the Norn Stones. Dammit! Stop the spoilers! Also, all the tech stuff that Pym was spewing just went over my head, therefore I didn’t much care for it. I think I kind of liked him better when he was a whiny bitch.

Unless I completely misunderstood what happened, and I don’t think I did, Bendis just ruined the final issue of Siege for everyone in New Avengers. So Loki takes the Norn Stones away from Parker, gives their powers to the Avengers, and they kick the crap out of the Sentry. I guess that’s how Siege ends. Thanks Bendis. I hope you have something else in that issue that redeems this massive spoiler. And lately this shouldn’t even be titled New Avengers. This has been more about the Hood for quite a while now. Looks as though that’s about over, though. I’m just kinda pissed about the Siege thing, though.

Well, the events in Siege: Secret Warriors were not what I was expecting. Phobos is a god. I figured he’d go after the Sentry when he found out his dad had been killed, not beat a bunch of Secret Service agents up and leave a note for the president. And the stuff between Nick Fury and Captain America just seemed forced and out of place. Especially when Fury stopped fighting to have a drink. I think this has been by far the weakest one-shot to come out of this event.

The action was light in Thor, but the set-up for the next issue (or the final issue of Siege, maybe) is set up and dripping with eventual mayhem. Kelda and the rest of the Asgardians get their second wind, and Loki admits to pretty much everything. He’s exiled, but think no one would have blamed Balder if he had just jammed a sword through his throat. I really like that the focus hasn’t been just on Thor, but on Asgard in general. I don’t find Thor all that interesting, but what we’ve seen lately has just been fascinating.

Well, this was an excellent end to an excellent chapter of the Thunderbolts. I was surprised that the end also had it set up for the new status quo, with Luke Cage in charge. I’m expecting some more good stories from this title. But looking back at this issue, again, it was excellent. Quicksilver handing Mr. X his ass. Ant-Man growing up…huh…I just got that. Paladin tasking himself with protecting the Spear of Odin. I can’t wait to see who Cage keeps around on the new team, who is brought in, and how everything is handled. This book has been consistently awesome since Stark gave the reins of the team to Osborn.

Spider-Man

First off, I’d like to say how disappointed I was that Captain Universe turned out NOT to be Professor X. I think that was a deliberate mislead, and I fell for it. I seem to recall reading that Juggernaut was going to be in Luke Cage’s Thunderbolts. The ending of his story in this issue of Amazing Spider-Man would do well to feed directly into that, so I hope its referenced. This was a good little storyline to provide a bit of a breather before we get to the return of the Lizard next month. And the back-up this issue was a short and curiosity-piquing story that looks to lead right into what I’m assuming is the final piece of The Gauntlet before The Grim Hunt starts.

Ultimate

I liked most of Ultimate Avengers 2. I liked the Punisher cutting a swath through organized crime. I liked his methods. I even liked his capture. But then it just got weird. Now, I’m not a big fan of the Punisher. I’ve enjoyed his book from time to time, but that’s when it is smartly written, pretty much all of his current series before it went sideways and he was remade into Franken-Castle. But I think some of the character’s appeal comes from the fact that he’s not dependent on bells and whistles. Well, super bells and whistles. He’s a man with guns. He’s not a man with a…wait a minute, I’ve just invalidated myself. I liked his current series when he was using the…reclaimed…villain tech. But I just don’t like Shield outfitting him like a super-Punisher. It’s weird. And let’s not get into the pre-Banner Hulk. I’ll reserve judgment on that until we get a little more info on him next issue.

X-Related

All the deep Southern slang in Deadpool made it somewhat of a difficult read, but it was a well-done one-off issue. Are all of the other half-assed Deadpool titles put out to really make us appreciate this one more? This one wasn’t as full of the funny as it has been in the past, but it’s just so much more well-written than the others, and it uses his personalities better. I could live very happily without the other titles as long as this one was going strong.

There was a lot of talking framed by a bit of a fight and ruses and double crossing in Wolverine: Origins. This series has been nothing but double-crosses and sleights of hand for quite some time. It seems like this story is going to be one where, in the penultimate issue, all will be revealed. But it’ll be confusing until then, and the final issue will be a fight. It’s a good story technique, but it’s been happening a lot lately. It’s getting kind of old. Can’t we just get a straight story some time?

Random Marvel Books

I’m fascinated with Fantastic Four because it looks like something grand and wonderful is happening or about to happen, but I’ve got no clue what it is, and frankly, I’m totally confused. There’s no flow from one issue to the next, and that makes things a bit confusing when you know everything is supposed to be linked in some way. I’m prepared to be blown away, though, when this plan comes together.

I’ll say this about Marvel Zombies 5, at least they’re doing something different. I like that they’re visiting other Marvel realities, but I’m done with these zombies. I really hope that Stack and Howard are able to deliver this cure to Morbius and we can finally get past this zombie business.

Um, did Secret Warriors all of the sudden turn into a romance book? Nick and Contessa, Daisy and James, Yo-Yo and…other guy. The only interesting bit about this issue was the Viper stuff. Is Hickman borrowing an idea from Jim Krueger and Alex Ross? I’d have to dig my Earth X issues out, but I’m pretty sure Madame Hyrda showed up just like this. Now lets see if she’ll end up controlling people by putting octopi, a la Starro, on them.

 

Brightest Day

I like how a bunch of the Green Lantern Corps are standing up to the Guardians, but really, how often does that happen and how often does it change things? And the law they repealed is new, so that doesn’t count. It just seems like impotent posturing on the part of the Lanterns. But the epilogue to Blackest Night was still told well. Mogo and the Perennial Tree was a nice touch, as was Kilowog’s leave-of absence as drill instructor. It’ll be nice to see him on the front lines and maybe get another story or two devoted to him. And Guy and Kyle have some rebuilding to do. Here’s hoping for some more excellent stories about the Corps in the future.

 

Justice League/Society

So, Chesire’s a bit of a whore, right? Kid with Roy, kid with Catman. I like Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal story better than Green Arrow’s, but that might just be because I can sympathize with Roy as a father. With his past, though, I’m surprised that no one is worried about him and the pain meds. Relapse would be the first thing I’d think about in a situation like this.

I’m pretty confused with the events in this month’s Justice Society of America. I mean, I understand all that happened, I’m just having a hard time seeing the bigger picture, I guess. Were the deaths actually part of the big plan? Am I wrong in thinking that the end was pretty abrupt? And I hate being blatantly mislead by covers. I’m okay with being teased, but the cover was a big fat lie. In no way was that “T-Day.” I’m guessing, though, since Dr. Fate is still trapped outside of the power dampeners, that he’s going to be the one to save the day. He’ll allow everyone (or a select few) to travel back in time and stop the Darkness Engine. I betcha.

 

Last Stand of New Krypton

Okay, be sure to read Superman before Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton. I didn’t do that, but really, I wasn’t all that lost. I know I sound like a broken record, but really, I’m ready to move on from this over-long plot. And really, when this is over, it’s still not over. We’ve still got Lane to deal with. Gah.

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton was nothing if not disappointing. Did it accomplish anything? Well, it got rid of Mon-El. It got Luthor pardoned. Superman is Superman again. Lane and his forces are still angling for a war against the Kryptonians, which Zod is all to happy to facilitate. Brainiac is…somewhere with Brainiac 5. All this time spent for this storyline which was supposed to be so big…ALL THIS…and we’ve really got nothing. I can only hope that what comes next for Superman is better than what we’ve been given. I don’t see how it can be much worse.

War of the Supermen

Rather than creating another Superman section for Action Comics, I’ll put it here since it leads into War of the Supermen slightly. The writing for this book has been better than what’s been going on with Last Stand of New Krypton, but I’m liking the actual story less. I know how weird that is. I DO like how each book has focused on a different aspect of the Superman universe as Kal has been on New Krypton. I’d like to see that continue even after he returns to Earth.

As much as I didn’t like the ending (and most of the storyline in general) of Last Days of New Krypton, the Free Comic Book Day edition of War of the Supermen has me hoping for good things from this storyline. First of all, Zod isn’t wasting any time. While stalling Superman and admitting that he hasn’t changed at all, Zod has already unleashed his troops to invade Earth. So no beating about the bush; it’s on. The back-up that gave possible new readers a quick (very quick) recap on the past few year of Superman stories (minus the recent Last Stand of New Krypton) was well done and it set up the coming war nicely. Oh, please don’t let me down War of the Superman. I really want to like Superman, but the stories never hold me for long. Will this change that?

IDW Comics

I’ve got nothing against a relaunch of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. I enjoyed the comic immensely when I was a kid. But I got over my nostalgia for those Joes with the Devil’s Due series. Now I’m really loving the current take on the Joes. I see the market for this type of comic and don’t disparage against it, but right now it’s just not my thing.

As much as I’m enjoying G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe: Origins, those two titles are blown away by G.I. Joe: Cobra II. And apparently I’m not the only person who thinks that, because the title is now going from a mini to a monthly. If the quality keeps up, that’s awesome news. The only thing that’s going to confuse me is how to reconcile this with my collection’s spreadsheet, because the title will be dropping the II from its name. Oh well; insignificant. There’s so much intrigue and mystery surrounding Cobra, which is the opposite of what we’re getting from the main Joe book. I like being kept in the dark when I’m teased with tiny tidbits and the hope of something great is around the corner. So yea that this book is going monthly.

Ah, we’re treated with another wonderful issue of Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows. I loved how the book used nothing but splash pages for the first half of the book when Tyler was fighting the giant shadow monster. That was pretty damn cool. And I’m loving how it’s going to be these kids vs. this massive evil. That’s definitely something Hill is taking away from his father; shades of It. Kinsey and Tyler are also finally settling into their new school and community, and that’s awesome. Angst and melancholy is only fun to read for a bit; everybody needs some happiness and stability.

Image Comics

Walking Dead has been an odd little duck for quite a while now. I get that the book isn’t about the zombies, but about this group of people trying survive in this new world. So there’s not a lot of action, and there is a lot of talking. And this issue, along with a lot of recent issues, keeps reiterating the same things over and over again until you get to the final, shocking panel. It always makes me want to get into the next issue, but I’m always disappointed…until that final, shocking panel. I do like the twist, though. After all the worry and skepticism and pessimism about this new place they’ve been welcomed into, our group may actually turn out to be the bad guys.

Looking Forward To:

Amazing Spider-Man #630

Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine #1

Avengers: The Origin #2

Boys #42

Brightest Day #1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #35

N. #3

Secret Six #21

Superman: War of the Supermen #1

Ultimate New Ultimates #2

Uncanny X-Men #524

X-Men: Second Coming Revelations – Hellbound #1

What You Should Have Read #16

Ugh, I’ve been sick for most of the week, but now it’s Wednesday and I’m feeling TONS better and it’s new comic day.

Amazing Spider-Man #623

Boys #40

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #33

Invincible Iron Man #24

Justice League: Cry for Justice #7

Mighty Avengers #34

New Ultimates #1

Prelude to Deadpool Corps

Stephen King’s N #1

Ultimate Avengers #5

What, by Jove, is Stephen King’s N? This is something I must have. It’s what I’m most interested in this week.

Avengers Books

So that’s how the rift between Captain America and Iron Man post Civil War is going to be repaired? He doesn’t remember because he backed himself up on a hard drive before Stamford and the Civil War happened? Gah, big cheat! Invincible Iron Man is consistently one of my favorite books each month, mainly because of how smart it is, but this issue didn’t really prove that. It just took the easy way out of a difficult and uncomfortable situation. Does everybody just forgive and forget now, because technically this Tony Stark is not the same one that was a proponent of the Superhero Registration Act and who was director of Shield. Sigh.

Well, that was not a direction I saw coming in Mighty Avengers. It seems like writer Dan Slott had to do something quick to get rid of everyone on the team except for Jarvis and Jocasta, and I guess everybody had other things they could be doing, so that’s why nobody else stayed around to argue about Pym’s stability. It seems like a bit of a cheat, though. Too easy. And there’s no telling if Loki was lying or not about Hank being Scientist Supreme. I mean, that would be great if he’s not because the title is extremely cheesy and it would make him look like such a fool for going around and bragging about it so much. But who can really tell when Loki is lying and when he isn’t?

 

Books Based on Other Books

Okay, Stephen King’s N. is incredibly creepy, and I want to read the short story that it is based on. According to the afterward by writer Marc Guggenheim, it was as yet unpublished in February, so I’m guessing it still is. I’ve never been afflicted with OCD or paranoia, but I’ve experienced them through a loved one, so N.’s story to his therapist is just, well, creepy. And Guggenheim did an excellent job, as other King adaptors before him at Marvel, of making this feel like a King book. This was the surprise of the week, and it was a good one.

Fall of the Hulks Books

Is it a coincidence that Fall of the Hulks: Savage She-Hulks is coming out the same week as Girl Comics? The female part of this whole Hulk story has been the least interesting so far. I DO want to know who the Red She-Hulk is, but that’s about as far as my interest extends. I’m assuming this series won’t deal with that, though. It looks like this is going to tell the story of how the Wizard was able to recruit Thundra’s daughter to be a member of his Frightful Four team and help take down the Fantastic Four at the beginning of the Fall of the Hulks.

Realm of Kings Books

Well, Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk is not doing anything to make me like this kid any more. What is going to be interesting, though, is what happens with the Enigma Force. I’ve been somewhat intrigued by it ever since Spider-Man was hit by it and became Cosmic Spider-Man for a while. It’s a fascinating thing that makes each wielder pretty much omnipotent. I never realized that somebody controlled it for a thousand years or so. Screw Hiro-Kala, let’s focus on this.

Spider-Man Books

Yet another amazing Spider-Man tale (see what I did there?). Electro’s breakout of the new Vulture was nice. And does anyone who is reading this (assuming anyone IS reading it) actually remember the original Electric Company? I used to have a subscription to its magazine, and it always had a Spider-Man comic in it (I hope I’m not misremembering 3-2-1 Contact). I thought that I recognized Simple Simon, and now I’m wondering if the look of the character actually came from one of those strips. As for the mob using JJJ to throw the Vulture off of them, I’m going to let it play out a bit more before I judge it. It’s got potential, though.

Ultimate Books

Ultimate Avengers was about two pages of story stretched out to an entire issue. It was kind of like Superman Returns: a few good scenes, but not a good overall movie (or issue, in this case). I think we’ve had plenty of examples of how ruthless, amoral and purely evil the Red Skull is, so the bit with the wife and the baby in the beginning was a bit unnecessary. And the Kennedy stuff seemed to be pandering. Then, when we’re being force fed about how evil the Red Skull is, after having an entire building full of A.I.M. commandoes eat themselves, he lets the Avengers have their way with him for a bit. I enjoyed the French guards standing up for their nation, but then Millar came back and portrayed them as pussies. It’s a lame call-back from his first run with the team. I can’t say enough good stuff about the art, though. Carlos Pacheco will probably always be in my top three.

First, the title of this book is horrendous. Ultimate New Ultimates? Is this supposed to be a joke? Did they have to throw Ultimates in front just so it would fall nicely in alphabetical order with the rest of the OCD fanboys’ longbox collections? Second, I feel bad that writer Jeph Loeb lost his teenage son to cancer, and the support they both received from the comic book community was phenomenal. Heck, the boy even got a story published and illustrated by the top artists in the business (Superman/Batman #26), and Jeph had a very touching back-up in that issue where a young Clark Kent befriends a boy named Sam. But I think having Tony Stark talk about this Sam he met while going through chemo was somewhat crass. THIS is the type of book you want to immortalize your son in? A violent, somewhat amoral book of celebrity superheroes? Maybe I’m looking at it too deeply, but I’d find another way if it were one of my kids. Aside from that, the writing isn’t nearly as bad as the previous series, so yea for that. The art is just meh and a little stiff. I’ll stick around for this big Defenders mystery and to see if Thor is going to sire an offspring, but I’m digging Ultimate Avengers a LOT more than this book.

X Books

Deadpool Team-Up contained a pretty excellent idea, but, as with every complaint I make with this book, it just wasn’t Deadpool funny. I love that ‘Pool was using the comatose guy’s body as a sort of voodoo doll for It! The Living Colossus! But where were the wisecracks? Well, the attempt was there, they just weren’t funny. Leave Deadpool his one main book and cancel the others, or at least hire somebody funny to write this spin-off.

I have no shame in the fact that I was a huge Rob Liefeld fan in the early ‘90s. I’ve grown since then, though, and as an artist, Mr. Liefeld really hasn’t. Big guns, sketchy lines everywhere, and characters with ridiculously thin waists. But it’s Prelude to Deadpool Corps, so I’ve gotta get it. Ugh, it wasn’t worth it, though. This was not funny Deadpool. This was like a bad parody of Deadpool. If the rest of this mini is as bad as this first issue, then I’m going to be yet again disappointed by a Deadpool spin-off.

Sometimes the Wolverine buddy stories, where he’s out bar hopping and drinking and having meaningful conversations, those are some of the best Wolverine stories around. Now, with Captain America back, Wolvie takes him on an around-the-world pub crawl in the latest issue of Wolverine: Weapon X. It’s funny, and it’s poignant, and it ends in a bar brawl. Oh, and there are multiple Deathloks running around killing what seem to be future heroes. Maybe. Maybe we’ll get a bit of an explanation next issue as they go after Captain America.

X-Men: Hope is a reprint book. It collects the back-up stories that ran through some of the X-books, what, a month or so ago? Get this only if you haven’t read those stories already. Nothing new to see here.

Justice Books

I like team books that have members who can think and not just hit things. JSA All-Stars seems to be a hitting book, not much of a thinking one. Sand is back, so I guess he’s the resident thinker. I would assume he told Courtney to go with Johnny Sorrow, probably to rescue Al from the Subtle Realms. Hopefully we’ll learn next issue how he got there, and won’t be all punch this and kick that.

After getting so excited about Justice League: Cry for Justice, with Robinson writing and one of the Starmen and the Shade appearing, I feel let down. What was accomplished? The heroes got punked, a city was destroyed, one of their own was maimed and his daughter killed in the destruction, and all for what? I’ve got no problem with the final scene. I think that’s perfectly within character. But the whole thing just seems pointless. There was a big deal in the beginning about making everyone know that the lame Prometheus running around wasn’t the real deal. Now the real deal is back, he’s badass, and shit’s going to happen. And now there can be no follow-up. It just seems like a wasted idea, and not an original one at that (Coast City and Gotham have already been destroyed).

Superman Books

Two out of the three stories in Adventure Comics were passable. The Brainiac 5 tidbit was nice, but the rest of that Legion story was meh. Oh dear, we’ve got to go back in time and save Superman. That’s pretty much an impotent threat. The Espionage Squad was a bit better. It looks like Last Stand of New Krypton is going to answer a LOT of questions, questions that have been lingering just a little too long. I am SOOO ready to move on to something new.

 

Other DC Books

If you like mysteries, I would suggest giving First Wave a try. At first glance, it might seem like DC’s answer to Marvels Project, a story dealing with the company’s Golden Age characters…and Batman (who actually doesn’t show up in this issue). But it’s a good mystery. We’re given three separate head scratchers, and you wonder how everything is going to fit together in just six short issues. I’m also looking forward to learning about some classic characters that I’ve never given a chance.

 

Buffy Books

Oh, wow, Bill Willingham is owning Angel. He is taking everything I liked about the show and making it his own. He’s also adding to the mythology. I never realized that vamps could lose body parts and regrow them. I loved everything about the main story. Of course, it was very Spike-heavy, so that’s definitely a plus, but the “conversation” between Angel and Illyria was great, too. As for the back-up, that was just meh. But was the guy at the end, was that the guy who tried to cook and serve Nina the Werewolf to a room full of people during the last season of Angel?

I can’t say that I understand what’s going on in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, but I don’t think I like it. Angel is Twilight? And they have some primal connection or power? I think Buffy’s original appeal was that, yeah, she had a bit of power, but she was trying to be a normal girl. Now she’s mythic. The bit with Andrew as an amalgam of superheroes, though, was quite funny and enjoyable. Oh, and how is character whose publishing rights are owned by a different company allowed to appear here? Does Joss have a bit of pull since he created them both? Or is this not actually Angel?

 

Other Books

As a somewhat omniscient reader of The Boys, I hate that Butcher has the wrong idea about Hughie. Dude just found something that makes him happy, but to the leader of a group of anti-superhero commandoes, it does look slightly bad when your newest recruit is dating a cape. I hope that Butcher discovers the truth before doing something awful, but I’m not counting on it. I like Super Duper. It’s nice to see some innocent capes in this book, but I assume that they’ll be torn apart by the end of this story. And the pictures of the Homelander made me a bit sick. Thanks for the shock, Ennis.

Well, I gave Green Hornet a try based solely on Kevin Smith, and I found it lacking. I loved what the man did with his View Askewniverse movies, but other than that, I don’t enjoy him as a comic book writer. I thought the book was boring, and as a new reader to Green Hornet, watching a passing-of-the-torch ceremony does not interest me at all, especially with a character whose history I know nothing about. Pass.

What You Should Have Read #15

It’s been a nice and stress-free week, and I’m looking forward to some good comics. What will the day bring me?

Amazing Spider-Man #622

Avengers: Initiative #33

Blackest Night #7

Deadpool #20

Flash: Rebirth #6

New Avengers #62

Thor #607

Thunderbolts #141

Ultimate Comics Enemy #2

X-Factor #202

X-Force #24

X-Men: Legacy #233

I’m not looking forward to as many books as last week, but this is still a very impressive list.

Two quick questions, though: 1) Didn’t we just get a new issue of Deadpool last week? Not that I’m complaining, ‘cause it’s a Spidey team-up and Hit-Monkey is involved, and Deadpool is hilarious…and 2) When did issue number 5 of Flash: Rebirth hit the stands? I had all but forgotten about that book.

I’m hoping that Thor finally hits the Siege crossover with this issue. I’d probably know if it did or not if I read the solicits, but I don’t. I like to be surprised.

Books Based on Books

I didn’t know what to expect with Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill. But it looks like we’re starting the journey to the Dark Tower that might possibly end with one of the best opening lines I’ve ever read. I won’t spoil it; go read The Gunslinger. This issue quickly reintroduces us to the major players in this game: Roland and his Ka-Tet, Sheemie, John Farson and Marten Broadcloak. Peter David and Robin Furth have really taken to this world that Stephen King created. They have totally built on this mythology. They haven’t stolen it, they haven’t shit on it, they took it and added to it to make it deeper and wonderful.

Is Ender’s Game: Mazer in Prison from a short story, or are we getting some original material in the same vein as Peter David’s foray into the Dark Tower series? If were getting some original stories, then kudos to Marvel. It was great to get a bit of backstory on both Mazer and Graff. It doesn’t make Graff any more relatable, but it shows that he was put in a position where he had to do the unthinkable in order to save the planet. Shades of Ender.

Fall of the Hulks Books

Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk fills in some blanks that have been popping up in the Hulk book over the past year. This one deals with how he recruited Thundra and why the Wizard recruited her daughter for his latest iteration of the Frightful Four. It’s a good issue that puts a more human spin on the Red Hulk, something we haven’t seen yet. I did have the same thought as him, though, after Thundra kissed him. Will we see HIS daughter showing up at some point?

 

Realm of Kings Books

I don’t know much about the history of the Inhumans before the Secret Invasion, so I’m not too up on Maximus’ history of betrayal. So what am I supposed to feel by this in Realm of Kings: Inhumans? Acceptance? Hurt? Betrayed? Nah. I can’t bring myself to care much about royal stories. The characters are just too far removed from reality, and that’s saying a lot about characters in a comic book.

Siege Books

Avengers: The Initiative is dealing with two different fronts of Siege: Asgard and Camp Hammond. On the Asgard side, this issues shows us stuff we’ve already seen, such as the rescue of Thor and the death of Ares, just from different angles. I thought Osborn dismissing Taskmaster was spot-on. Osborn has this thing all scripted out already, so he’s not going to want Taskmaster to be a variable and screw things up. Having Diamondback stay, though, is a head-scratcher. As for the Camp Hammond stuff, we know that Donyell isn’t going to turn on his teammates, so that’s not an issue. And he and Dwayne are pretty much interchangeable for me anyways. No, I’m waiting for Penance to cut loose. And hopefully he’ll be back on the road to becoming Speedball.

I’m putting Dark Wolverine here instead of with the X Books because it relates more to Siege than it does anything that’s going on in the X-Universe. Also, I don’t like him. I want the final battle between him and Wolvie not to end with hugs and reconciliation, but with a little snickity snickt and Daken’s head rolling across the ground. And I can’t get behind Ragnarok in a comic. How many times has that been a storyline in Thor, only to have the universe and the pantheon of Norse gods resurrected. There’s no shock and awe if it’s only a punch on the continuity reset button.

“I went to the living legends store and this is all they had.” A most excellent line by Mr. Cage in a most disappointing issue. Captain America is back and this is the reception he gets? I realize that there’s shit going on, but c’mon! A little emotional resonance? Somebody? And what was the deal with Carol? Did they have a thing I wasn’t aware of? And I’m all for Nick and his team hooking up with Steve and the New Avengers, ‘cause we saw that happening in the Siege series, but he’s still dealing with Hydra stuff in his own book. I wouldn’t say that I’m a continuity freak, but let’s have some stuff line up here. Little things I can let pass, like Spidey dealing with stuff in both his book and New Avengers, but Siege is a big deal. That’s going to carry over into everything, and it’d be less confusing if storylines would have wrapped up before the big event happened. I’m just saying, is all.

I’m all for letting supporting characters shine, but it seems that Thor has been more about the supporting characters lately than the God of Thunder himself. He didn’t even appear in this book. And Clor has never been an adequate substitute for Thor. I guess since he’s taken Heimdall out of the picture, it’ll be difficult for Loki pass off much of the blame for the invasion of Asgard. Unless of course Heimdall is killed. And maybe it’s the romantic in me, but I’ve been enjoying the love story between Kelda and Bill. I’m wondering if something was done to her when Loki resurrected her. I hope not, and I hope she becomes something of a regular character.

I think Thunderbolts missed an opportunity for laugh and/or uncomfortableness by not directly addressing the end of last issue. C’mon! Scourge killed the Headsman after attempting to assassinate a holographic image of Norman Osborn. How does that not get addressed? Everybody just accepts it? Nah, that’s not what I was expecting. Other than that letdown, though, the book ended up being pretty good. I love that one Asgardian arrow was enough to destroy the Zeus. Mr. X’s reaction to the weapons and killing a good was great. I try not to read future spoilers, so I usually stay away from interviews about upcoming storylines and such, but I read about the new take on the Thunderbolts after Siege is finished up. I’m wondering what’s going to happen to this crew. It’s not that I care about the characters, I just wonder if we’ll get to see some awesome deaths.

Spider-Man Books

Ha ha! I called it last week, didn’t I? Spider-Man and Black Cat are friends with benefits! Good for him, he deserves it. Other than that little tidbit, both stories from Amazing Spider-Man just felt like filler. I was left wanting more from the Morbius story, and I would almost rather have Flash be a cybernetic worker monkey for Reabilify, but seeing Sha Shan brought back some fond memories. One of the oldest back issues in my collection deals with Flash and Sha Shan and their relationship woes. The Vulture shows up next issue, though, so I’m hoping for a more engaging story then.

 

Ultimate Books

There’s not much to say about Ultimate Enemy. It’s everything you’d expect from a Brian Michael Bendis-penned book, but not much more. Spidey gets the best lines, of course. There’s a smidge of emotional resonance when Johnny goes after Sue and when Spidey somewhat realizes what’s going on. But there’s nothing spectacular about the issue. I’m worried that this mini may end up as mostly questions with quick answers at the end that don’t satisfy.

 

X Books

Spidey and Deadpool team-up, how do I love thee. Let me count the ways. 1) Deadpool almost constantly breaking the fourth wall. It’s one of the things I loved about Boston Legal. 2) Hit-Monkey. He’s such a tragic character. 3) Deadpool in a French maid outfit, and the fact that it’s about five pages or so before the topic is even brought up by ‘Pool or Spidey. 4) Spidey’s original idea for getting rid of Hit-Monkey, complete with photo ops. 5) I didn’t really get the Terminator X-It gag but realized it was a bit of wordplay. 6) Deadpool’s bullet-time.

I was hoping for SOME sort of a fight against Doom in X-Factor, so I’m a bit disappointed that there was none. Layla continues to confuse me, so I kind of just ignore her. I enjoyed Guido’s unintentional dispatching of the faux Mr. Fantastic, but the art was a bit muddied and I misunderstood it at the time. When Jamie said his head was in Latveria, I assumed he was exaggerating. It took the explanation of the next panel for me to understand what actually happened. There were also a few panels on the last couple of pages where I was confusing Monet with Layla. Again, it took the text to set things straight. Let’s hope that doesn’t become a regular thing.

I am both in awe of and disappointed in X-Force. The story was great. Vanisher and Josh and Rhane each having their moments. The team going up against impossible odds. The ascent of Selene. Great stuff. And really the art is spectacular…I just wish the wasn’t so dark and murky. Crain is doing some excellent work, but it all seems to be in shades of black and indigo. I don’t know if this is Crain’s fault or…well, a look at the credits show ALL of the artwork is his, including the color, so yeah, I guess it’s his fault. Maybe things would be better if X-Force ever had a mission during the daytime.

I liked the way Magneto dealt with Proteus in X-Men: Legacy. As opposed to characters like Venom or Sabertooth, I’ve always enjoyed Magneto more when he’s been on the side of the angels, or at least more about protecting the mutant race rather than just killing or enslaving all the humans. Destiny had two great moments with both Rogue and Blindfold. With the events of the past few issues and what Destiny told Blindfold in this issue, should we assume that Moira MacTaggart was Blindfold’s mother? That should make for an interesting origin story at some point in the future.

Well the free X-Men: Second Coming – Prepare book was a surprise. There’s only about four or five pages of story, but it teases the next X-event pretty well. A few of the X-Men are interviewed after-the-fact about where they were when everything went down. We get responses from Iceman, Magneto, Cable, Cannonball, Wolverine and Cyclops (so maybe it’s six pages), and we learn that someone has died. Magneto was in the room with the body, and Wolverine was pretty pissed off about it. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Rogue’s going to buy it. That’s the only person I can think of who would have close ties to both of those men.

Other Marvel Books

This issue of Fantastic Four suffers from the faults of the previous issue. We’re introduced extremely quickly to the brand new world under the surface of the Earth, but all the ideas just fly right as us with not much follow-up. I’m assuming we’re going to revisit these places as the plot of some big storyline and Hickman is just quickly getting their introductions out of the way so he can get right to the aforementioned big storyline. And he can’t even show us everything he wants to, so he has to give us a bit of a text endcap. Good and fascinating idea, poor execution.

The fighting between characters who will eventually become allies and teammates in Marvels Project is just kind of tedious. There’s a little bit of interest in Toro’s appearance and Red Skull’s partnership with Meranno. I don’t know anything about Golden Age history, so I don’t know if this is a retcon or not, but I find it somewhat difficult to imagine the Red Skull of that era teaming up with someone who is so far removed from Hitler’s Aryan master-race. Now, tell me later that he was just using Meranno for his own gain and is going to betray him once that gain has been achieved, then it makes sense.

Well, it’s good that Nick is finally making the Secret Warriors a little pro-active, but damn, what they did to Sebastian was cold. I’m assuming that that won’t be the last we see of him, and I’m guessing it was just a way to throw everybody off. Hell, he’s on the cover. He’s probably the most important member of the team (but for the life of me I can’t remember what his powers are).

 

Blackest Night Books

Shocks abound in Blackest Night, and not all of them are good. Luthor with a ring was a great surprise, but what was better was him taking Scarecrow’s yellow ring and then going after the others. Guy and Hal showing up with an army of multi-colored Lanterns was a beautiful shot. The Entity was a shock, but I didn’t much care for it. Earth is now where life began in the universe? Mmm, that’s a pretty major retcon from Oa being the beginning of everything. And the SINESTRO being the White Lantern? I’m sure it won’t last, but, even for a second it doesn’t seem right.

Well, Blackest Night: JSA seemed a bit trite. A difficult time was had by all JSAers, but the solution to the super-zombie problem, when finally achieved, of course cannot be duplicated in Coast City. So Mr. Terrific made light? I’ve got some pretty bright light bulbs at home. Could that save me from super-zombies?

 

Justice Books

I didn’t get the good feelings at the end of Flash: Rebirth that I did with Green Lantern: Rebirth. I enjoyed Johns’ turn at Wally West, but I never had the connection with him that I did with Hal Jordan. And Barry was dead a gone years before I started reading comics. So Barry is back, whoopity doo. I’m more interested in what the Rogues are going to be up to now that their original foe has returned from beyond.

A LOT of stuff happened in Justice Society of America, almost too much. We’re quickly introduced to a future run by Nazis, Green Lantern is killed, and we’re introduced to a whole host of Nazi-themed villains. I think I recognize Captain Nazi and Baroness Blitzkrieg as WW II era villains, or in Baronesses case a variation on Baron Blitzkrieg, but I’m assuming all of the others are new creations. Either that or Willingham really mined the DC Golden Age vaults for these characters. I’m making two statements regarding this storyline: 1) the JSA will stop whatever events result in a Nazi-run America, and 2) Alan Scott is not dead. Sigh, I think we’re in for a bit of time travel.

 

Superman Books

I can’t get behind this month’s Superman. We finally have the line-up and identities of the Legion’s espionage squad, but they just ran off with a promise of a later conversation. Then we get almost a full issue of filler. All for Conner to show up and have Mon-El meet the squad in the next issue of Adventure Comics? That’s kind of lame. I’m ready for this storyline to finish so we can start on something new.

 

Other DC Books

I am officially done with Teen Titans until the next shake-up or creator change comes along. It’s just so boring, and as much as I like Blue Beetle, I’m not going to read a team book on the off chance of seeing him for a bit.

I think I’m enjoying The Web the most out of these Impact/Archie/Red Circle reinventions because it’s the most straight-forward superhero book. The cockiness of the main character also doesn’t hurt. This was a good issue; nothing crazy-spectacular happened, it was just a good issue. Hero takes on a mission, meets a new villain, fights said villain, and accidentally…well, I can’t tell you EVERYTHING. I like the new villain, whom I’m guessing is some sort of vampire. She and the Web had some good banter going, and I like her upfrontitude (Like that? I just made that up. You can use it.). Also, I like Andrew Robinson as the new artist, but I like him more as a cover painter. Maybe it’s nostalgia for the work he did on the Starman series, but it’s good stuff.

G.I. Joe Books

Okay, Chuckles is awesome. We all thought he was captured in G.I. Joe: Cobra II, right? Turns out he’s even more badass than his undercover work in the previous series implied. I think I need to do a quick re-read of the series, though, because I didn’t realize that Chameleon was still trying to pass as Jinx. I thought she was just supposed to bear a passing familiarity in order to shake up Chuckles.

I’ve been enjoying the IDW G.I. Joe revamp, so when Operation Hiss came out, I thought I’d give it a try. As soon as I realized it was part of the movie continuity and not the comic book continuity, I closed it. No thank you.

 

Other Books

How can Warren Ellis’ stuff seem so new and old at the same time? I guess Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island deals with steampunk. It’s surprising technology in an untechnological time. The most interesting parts of this book are the text pieces by Captain Swing. The alternative history does more for me than the mystery of a flying boat.

I don’t think I can take Garth Ennis seriously anymore. What is he doing anymore, war books and torture porn? Sure, the story Wormwood told in Chronicles of Wormwood: The Last Battle about how he and his rabbit hooked up was touching, but the rest was just shock for shock’s sake. Right now, I just don’t see the point of it besides riling people up.

With his military background, I would guess that Gravel is not just tapping people for a new Minor Seven, but he’s also drafting an army of magicians. And the people he recruits this issue are pretty hard-core. One kills people who lust after her, and the other eats pieces of corpses and takes drugs. With the power he’s amassing, it’ll be interesting to see what he’s up to.

Okay, a way to beat Tony has been revealed in Irredeemable. Let’s find that piece of wax and get this over with. The series seems to be dragging a bit. Why doesn’t Tony pick off these heroes one by one? I somewhat understand his need to visit his past, but if his goal is to show Sam his good side, I think it’s backfiring. This guy was apparently messed in the head as a kid.

Hmm, might Walking Dead be somewhat good again? You
root for these characters and hope that they find peace and safety, but at the same time, that makes for an extremely boring book. So yea, they found peace a safety. Now I hope that that is just an illusion and this ends up being a nightmare community for our gang. There’s obviously something going on there, and Kirkman is doing his best to keep all the characters at ease and possibly off their guard, so I’m hoping for some big-time shake-ups to happen. Maybe not next issue or the next, but relatively soon.