What You Should Have Read #62

Comic Book Reviews 

for the Week of May 30, 2012

I was thoroughly disappointed with the Amazing Spider-Man annual. It wasn’t badly written and the art was fine. I just don’t think it was a tale that needed to be told. How many times has Peter already been through the “It’s a Wonderful Life” story? Is this a story that needs to be told over and over again? And the twist is that everybody’s life actually IS better without him? That’s awful. Dan Slott is wrapping up “Ends of the Earth” in a couple of weeks. I would have thought this would have been a great opportunity to end the story on a grand scale and almost guarantee better sales numbers for the annual.

Now, Batman Annual #1 was the way to do an annual. It loosely tied into the story running through all the Bat-family books. Mr. Freeze got an updated origin, and I’m not 100% sure what the differences are between this origin and his last one. I wasn’t a fan of the Bat-books before I checked out Scott Snyder’s new series. He seems relatively close to the Freeze from Batman: The Animated Series, which is the version of Batman I know best. Close, but a bit more badass. THIS is how you do an annual. Regular writer, “new” character, current storyline tie-in…I’m glad I started picking up this title.

I finally got around to picking up DC’s Free Comic Book Day offering, and I liked it for the most part. I enjoyed the new origins of three classic but seldom used DC characters (I fully believe that Pandora is supposed to be the Crimson Avenger, so I’m counter her as a classic character), although the Question gave me pause. I always thought part of his charm or allure was that he was just a regular guy. This new origin is vastly different. And it looks like we’re getting a definitive origin for the Phantom Stranger, and it borrows a bit from one of the origins Alan Moore gave him (assuming I’m right in saying that the Stranger is Judas). We also get a look at seven wizards with lightning bolts on them. These guys HAVE to play a part in the creation of the new Shazam/Captain Marvel. I also enjoyed looking around the Black Room. A buddy and I noted the Haunted Tank, the Psycho Pirate’s mask, something that might be the helmet of Big Barda or another New God, the Demon’s armor, the Spear of Destiny, and something that I’m hoping is either the Painting that Ate Paris or the demonic poster from James Robinson’s Starman series. It looks like the new DC universe is going to be a very interesting place.

The ending to “Exiled” in this week’s New Mutants was very satisfying. Although this did seem more like an Asgardian book than a mutant book. The Disir were given a logical new purpose. Mephisto and Loki are at odds again. All of the Asgardians have their memories back. And Sigurd ran away again, although his reprieve was short indeed. I was happy enough reading about these “new” mutants during the crossover, but it looks like my time with them has ended.

The biggest problem I had with Wolverine & the X-Men was the lack of continuity between this issue and Avengers vs. X-Men #4. In that comic, Wolverine told Hope that he called Captain America while she was sleeping in the back of the jet. Here, though, he calls Cap after they’ve been attacked by and defeated an assassin squad of Shi’ar death commandos. That’s not a tiny gaffe. Other than that, though, the issue worked for me. Art and story were top notch, and it still remains my favorite X-Men book (but X-Factor is my favorite mutant book).

My back issue purchases this week were Amazing Spider-Man #s 669 and 670. I also picked up the DC/Cartoon Network FCBD issue for my son. He’s really getting into Young Justice, so he loved the issue.

Nextweek’s planned purchases:

Earth 2 #2

Boys #67

Secret #2

Avengers vs. X-Men #5

Dark Avengers #175

Invincible Iron Man #518

Journey into Mystery #639

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11

X-Factor #237

What You Should Have Read #59

Reviews for Comics Released May 9, 2012

Between my new issues and a handful of back issues, this was a big week for me. Let’s get right to the reviews.

Bendis and Bagley together is usually a no-brainer for me, but I’m getting very tired of Bendis and his Avengers, but that’s something I’ll get to with my New Avengers review. I’ve got no problems with Bagley’s art here. It’s solid and clean, and it’s what I expect from him. He’s not a superstar artist, but he’s dependable, and you always know what you’re going to get. I’m giving a bit of an internal eye roll, though, that this title even exists. I mean, I get the reason for it, but titles created solely in order to cash in on something rather than because the creators want to do a particular story, well, I find that those tend to come off as a bit flat and emotionless. This team of Avengers consists of the characters from the movie, including Maria Hill (no Cheese…excuse me, Agent Coulson…yet, but I’m sure he’s not far behind). Hell, even the last page smacks of MOVIE CROSS PROMOTION!!! That said, I’m enjoying this title more than either of the other Avengers titles at the moment. Just because I don’t like the reason for something doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the finished product.

  

I’ve never been able to get into Batman as a solo character. I loved what Morrison and Waid did with him during their JLA runs, but I’ve never been able to get into any of his solo series. I decided to give it a try with DC’s reboot since I liked both Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Although I enjoyed the first issue, I just couldn’t keep with it so I dropped it. After reading nothing but rave reviews, I decided to pick it up again this week, and I double-dipped by picking up the previous issue so I could get in on the ground floor of “Night of the Owls.” Dammit, looks like I’ve got to go back and pick up some back issues, because I’m officially hooked. I like that Bruce, while still a genius detective, is pretty damn tough. He’s a fighter, and not the kind who uses specially place nerve punches to quickly take out an opponent. He’s a brawler. I’m also enjoying the back-up stories with art by Snyder’s American Vampire cohort Rafael Albuquerque. Issue eight had an Alfred-focused story, and issue nine focused on Alfred’s dad. I’m loving this bit of history, and it makes me all the more eager to snatch up issues two through seven (my buddy bought the hardcover collection yesterday, and I’ll probably borrow that before I can pick up the single issues) of the series to see what else Snyder has done with Batman’s world and Gotham. It makes me think about James Robinson’s Starman, and that’s high praise indeed, since it’s my favorite series. If Snyder is going to continually give us a history lesson and make Gotham an actual “character” (and not just a dark collection of warehouses and alleyways) like Robinson did with Opal City, then sign me up. I do hope I can enjoy the current storyline without having to get the other tie-in issues. So far it looks like I’ll be able to. The flow between issues eight and nine was smooth, and a small blurb let me know that I can read about one of Bruce’s side missions over in Detective Comics, but it didn’t look like it had any bearing on the thread that’s running through Batman. So yay! I’m reading a Batman book, and that brings my New DC tally up to three!

I wasn’t able to hit up a comic book store last weekend to participate in Free Comic Book Day. Had it been the weekend that my kids’ mother had them, then I totally would have, but it wasn’t, so I couldn’t. My LCS had a few copies of Dark Horse’s contribution, though, and I grabbed one on my way out of the store. A Serenity story written by Zack Whedon? Yup, I’m in. And it was pretty awesome. It was short and sweet, and it really captured the voices of all the characters. I could totally see this as the opening of a new episode…and now I’m sad. The Star Wars story was good, too, but it felt extremely similar to the Serenity story.

I’m always surprised that enjoy Journey into Mystery so much. I’ve never been a fan of Thor or his supporting cast, and while I tended to enjoy J. Michael Stracyznski’s series, I was never really blown away by it. Kieron Gillen makes everyone so likeable, even “villains.” This issue gets a smidge confusing, but it’s explained away well enough. It’s part two of a crossover with the New Mutants (almost as bad of a name Cougar Town) that began with last week’s Exiled one-shot. There are a bunch of plotlines coming together, and it’s neat to see them all lead back to the same place. As excited I am to finally be involved in Batman’s world, I’m also excited to be learning about this new-to-me corner of the Marvel Universe.

I am disappointed in the current storyline in New Avengers. I assume there will be a decent payoff, but wow, Bendis is not doing his best work here. First of all, there is not a single appearance by an Avenger, new or otherwise, in this book. At least we got a panel or two of Iron Fist last issue. Between the Kree stuff going on in Secret Avengers and the K’un L’un stuff going on here, it looks as if the mythology of the Phoenix is being rewritten as to have a larger connection with the mystically cosmic part of the Marvel Universe. I guess that’s okay. It’s something you have to come to grips with in comics. Retcons happen. The Kree stuff makes sense. This, though…this just feels forced. And hey, let’s throw Leonardo da Vinci into the mix, too. Jonathan Hickman’s S.H.I.E.L.D. was confusing enough, but it mostly existed in a vacuum. Sure, Nathaniel Richards and Howard Stark showed up, as did the Brood and Galactus, but I was okay with that. The story, while trying to give S.H.I.E.L.D. a larger history in the Marvel Universe (unnecessary), was surprisingly insular. It didn’t (at least it hasn’t yet, and I don’t know what additional plans there are for the series) have any interactions with any regular Marvel characters and instead dealt more with inserting various classical thinkers and scientists into Marvel’s history. One of the main characters was da Vinci, and now Bendis has brought him over and shoehorned him into this crossover. After the wonderful Osborn stories, the past two issue of this series has really killed my enjoyment of the title. This storyline is back-up material at best.

Wolverine and his hit squad are having a hard time of late. This is a team that shouldn’t work. The characters don’t work well together. There are too many conflicting personalities, ideals, and motives. But writer Rick Remender does a wonderful job of smoothly making this dysfunctional team succeed where they have to. I love Deadpool here, more so than in his regular series. I like him playing off of other characters rather than just his internal monologues. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, he and Fantomex need a spin-off road-trip mini-series. The team is down to a skeleton crew for this issue, but Wolvie isn’t worried since he’s assuming the mission will be a cakewalk. Of course it doesn’t turn out like that. After a bit of a confusing stumble with the Captain Britain stuff, I’m back on board with where it looks like this book is going: massive murder, moral conflicts, and the eventual wringing of hands and pulling of hair.

Wolverine and the X-Men is still my favorite post-Schism X-book. It’s weird to see Wolverine in the role of headmaster, but it works, and the kids are all amazing. There’s a bit of dissention in the ranks this issue, and it doesn’t seem forced at all. Jason Aaron does a good job of explaining why certain characters make certain decisions. So far I’m enjoying this little slice of the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover than anything else happening with it. I also like that Aaron isn’t abandoning current plot threads to focus on the crossover. We still get a good dose of Angel and Genesis and even a bit of Quentin and Idie.

I also picked up a couple of back issues for my collection, and I picked up a few issues for my oldest son. We sat on the floor of my comic book room (read: my walk-in closet) bagging and boarding our new issues. I got him Justice League Adventures #s 2 and 3 and I ended up getting:

Amazing Spider-Man #656 (Captain America 70^th Anniversary variant cover)

Amazing Spider-Man #665 (I Am Captain America variant cover)

Amazing Spider-Man #671 (my favorite cover in quite some time)

Justice League Adventures #1 (it actually came with my son’s grab pack, but I kept it because of the Alex Ross cover)

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #4

Here are the new comics I’m expecting to get next week:

Shade #8

Locke and Key: Clockworks #6

Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of Earth #1

Avengers #26

Avengers vs. X-Men #4

Fantastic Four #605.1

Invincible Iron Man #517

New Mutants #42

Thunderbolts #174

X-Factor #236

What You Should Have Read #50

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics...

Double-Sized Foil Cover Anniversary Post!

Fables #111 – It’s really difficult to write something different each month about a consistently good comic. Fables is awesome. If you’re not reading it, start. If you’re a fan of NBC’s Grimm or ABC’s Once Upon a Time, read it. It’s better, I promise. We get a new North Wind in this issue, and it’s not who I was thinking it was going to be. There was some good misdirections, and writer Bill Willingham gives us a logical replacement.

FF #12 – I try not to read solicits or previews of comics because I don’t like to be spoiled (usually) as to where a story is going. Broad strokes are okay, but I like to find out the details for myself. So if it was announced earlier that the FF book would be focusing on the kids now that the Fantastic Four is back (which is quite the logical path, now that I think about it), I wasn’t aware. I tend to have an aversion to super-smart, know-it-all (Redundant? I guess.) kids, so I don’t think this book is going to sit too well with me. Sure, Hickman is doing a great job with the script and I like where the kids are going, but still…super-smart, know-it-all kids. At least Franklin and Leech are thrown into the mix, and they’re just average, super-powered kids.

Red Skull #5 – I really enjoyed this mini, but this panel struck me as a bit queer. It’s only ¼ of this page, a few pages into the issue. It doesn’t show any action but instead a result. There is absolutely nothing about it to make it stand out, yet the artist (Mirko Colak, who I’ve not heard of before) has decided to sign his name to it. A splash page, sure, I can understand that. If this character had been somebody important like the Skull himself or Hitler, sure, that too. But it’s a nobody, dying with blood pouring from his mouth. I just thought it was odd.

Thunderbolts #166 – As corny as it is, I’m loving the Thunderbolts bouncing through time. I’m giving a bit of an eye roll to Hyde turning out to be Jack the Ripper, because that’s not terribly inventive, but it’s still a charming story, from Boomerang’s cockney accent to Gunna being cast as Eliza Doolittle and Centurius as Henry Higgins. As corny as it is, it’s well-written and engaging. It’s still smart, and I like how writer Jeff Parker is weaving the ‘Bolts into established history.

Ultimates #4 – I think having Reed Richards as a villain is an awesome and terrifying prospect. He already seems like a better villain, a villain more worthy of the name Reed Richards, than he was in Ultimate Fallout. That ended up being somewhat embarrassing for him.

Uncanny X-Men #2 – Wow, I’m really not interested in this storyline at the moment. I think I can give this book up and, while I’ll miss my monthly dose of Carlos Pacheco art, I’ll be perfectly fine getting my mutant fix from Wolverine & the X-Men. There’s only so many times when the same character, hero or villain, can say, “I knew you were going to do that,” and it sounds clever rather than mind-numbingly repetitive. Sinister has already passed that point. And really, has it ever been that easy to get the Juggernaut’s helmet off?

Wolverine #19 – While a solid tale told by Jason Aaron, the one thing I took away from this issue is that Marvel is trying extremely hard to make Spider-Man the center of its universe. Norah Winters is now a constant presence in the Punisher’s world, and now Wolverine’s girlfriend is a reporter for the Daily Bugle. I like seeing this cross-line continuity.

X-Men: Legacy #259 – Wow, that was…disappointing. I never read the Fallen Angels mini, and I had forgotten all about Ariel’s “death” although I was reading this book when it happened. But I had no idea who the character was, and a quick check of Wikipedia didn’t have me caring any more. I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be Jean Grey, but I was still hoping for someone a little…bigger. Eh, we’ll see how this turns out.

Looking Forward To

Here’s what Previews tells me is coming out this week. I’m looking forward to the stuff in bold. What are YOU looking forward to?

 DC COMICS

OCT110178	ACTION COMICS #4	$3.99
OCT110212	ANIMAL MAN #4	$2.99
JUL110285	BAD DOINGS BIG IDEAS A BILL WILLINGHAM DLX HC (MR)	$49.99
AUG110242	BATMAN NO MANS LAND TP VOL 01 NEW EDITION	$29.99
OCT110191	BATWING #4	$2.99
MAY110309	BLACKEST NIGHT POWER RING SPECTRUM SET	$65.00
SEP110177	BRIGHTEST DAY TP VOL 01	$19.99
OCT110238	DC COMICS PRESENTS CAPTAIN ATOM #1	$7.99
APR110283	DC UNIVERSE ONLINE STATUE THE JOKER	$90.00
OCT110188	DETECTIVE COMICS #4	$2.99
OCT110171	GREEN ARROW #4	$2.99
OCT110231	HAWK AND DOVE #4	$2.99
OCT110286	HELLBLAZER ANNUAL #1 (MR)	$4.99
OCT110201	HUNTRESS #3 (OF 6)	$2.99
OCT110288	IZOMBIE #20 (MR)	$2.99
AUG110250	JACK KIRBYS FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS TP VOL 01	$39.99
OCT110164	JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #4	$2.99
OCT110274	LOONEY TUNES #204	$2.99
OCT110225	MEN OF WAR #4	$3.99
OCT110223	OMAC #4	$2.99
OCT110187	PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #3 (OF 5)	$2.99
OCT110207	RED LANTERNS #4	$2.99
SEP110227	SANDMAN TP VOL 07 BRIEF LIVES NEW ED (MR)	$19.99
OCT110273	SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #16	$2.99
OCT110229	STATIC SHOCK #4	$2.99
OCT110217	STORMWATCH #4	$2.99
SEP110189	SUPERBOY SMALLVILLE ATTACKS TP	$24.99
AUG110261	SUPERMAN GROUNDED HC VOL 02	$22.99
SEP110188	SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN TP	$19.99
OCT110278	SUPERNATURAL #3 (OF 6)	$2.99
SEP118159	SWAMP THING #2 2ND PTG	$2.99
OCT110211	SWAMP THING #4	$2.99
OCT110297	SWEET TOOTH #28 (MR)	$2.99
MAY110258	WATCHMEN THE ABSOLUTE EDITION HC NEW PTG	$99.99

IDW PUBLISHING

OCT110422	ANGEL AFTER THE FALL TP VOL 04	$19.99
SEP110356	CAPTAIN CANUCK COMPLETE ED TP	$29.99
OCT110368	COLD WAR #3	$3.99
OCT110416	ETERNAL DESCENT VOL 2 #2 (OF 6)	$3.99
OCT110335	GI JOE COBRA ONGOING TP VOL 01 COBRA CIVIL WAR	$17.99
OCT110329	GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #8	$3.99
OCT110383	HP LOVECRAFT THE DUNWICH HORROR #3 (OF 4)	$3.99
OCT110374	JURASSIC PARK DANGEROUS GAMES #4 (OF 5)	$3.99
SEP110355	SHAMANS TEARS TP	$29.99
OCT110362	STAR TREK CLASSICS TP TNG GORN CRISIS	$15.99
SEP110280	TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES MICRO SERIES #1 RAPHAEL	$3.99
OCT110323	TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #31	$3.99
SEP110263	TRUE BLOOD FRENCH QUARTER #4 (OF 6)	$3.99

IMAGE COMICS

OCT110538	BLOOD RED DRAGON #2	$3.99
SEP110453	BREED III #7 (OF 7) (MR)	$2.99
JUL110516	CHEW #22	$2.99
OCT110450	CHEW OMNIVORE ED HC VOL 02 (MR)	$34.99
SEP110401	GIRLS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP (MR)	$49.99
SEP110464	HACK SLASH #10 CVR A SEELEY & ENGLERT (MR)	$3.50
SEP110465	HACK SLASH #10 CVR B CLOONAN (MR)	$3.50
SEP110377	HACK SLASH ANNUAL 2011 HATCHET SLASH #1 CVR A (MR)	$5.99
SEP110378	HACK SLASH ANNUAL 2011 HATCHET SLASH #1 CVR B (MR)	$5.99
OCT110552	HEART #2 (OF 4) (MR)	$2.99
OCT110555	LAST OF THE GREATS #3 CVR A PEEPLES	$2.99
OCT110556	LAST OF THE GREATS #3 CVR B PLATI	$2.99
OCT110560	MORIARTY #7	$2.99
OCT110568	REED GUNTHER #6	$2.99
OCT110570	SPAWN #214	$2.99
SEP118142	STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE #2 (OF 6) VAR CVR 2ND PTG (M	$2.99
OCT110572	STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE #3 (OF 6) (MR)	$2.99
SEP110389	THOUGHT BUBBLE ANTHOLOGY #1	$2.99
OCT110575	WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #49 (MR)	$2.99

MARVEL COMICS

OCT110630	AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #675	$3.99
JUL110710	ART OF SPIDER-MAN CLASSIC HC	$49.99
JUL110721	AVENGERS WEST COAST AVENGERS PREM HC SINS PAST	$34.99
JUL110722	AVENGERS WEST COAST AVENGERS PREM HC SINS PAST DM VAR ED 80	$34.99
OCT110628	AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #2 WITH FREE DIGITAL CODE	$3.99
OCT110721	CAPTAIN AMERICA CORPS TP	$16.99
OCT110698	CRIMINAL TP VOL 06 LAST OF INNOCENT (MR)	$14.99
OCT110669	DEADPOOL #47	$2.99
SEP110658	DEADPOOL PREM HC VOL 09 INSTITUTIONALIZED	$19.99
OCT110694	DEADPOOLMAX X-MAS SPECIAL #1 (MR)	$4.99
OCT110587	DEFENDERS #1	$3.99
SEP118111	DEFENDERS #1 NEAL ADAMS INKED VAR (PP #995)	$3.99
OCT110743	ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR TP VOL 02 NEW ED	$19.99
OCT110583	FEAR ITSELF FEARLESS #4 (OF 12)	$2.99
OCT110653	HULK #45	$2.99
OCT110643	MOON KNIGHT #8	$3.99
OCT110646	PUNISHER #6	$2.99
JUL110723	SHIELD NICK FURY VS SHIELD PREM HC	$39.99
JUL110724	SHIELD NICK FURY VS SHIELD PREM HC DM VAR ED 81	$39.99
OCT110737	SPIDER-MAN THROUGH DECADES TP	$26.99
OCT110659	THOR DEVIANTS SAGA #2 (OF 5)	$3.99
OCT110622	ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN MUST HAVE #1	$4.99
OCT110624	ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES MUST HAVE #1	$4.99
OCT110627	ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN MUST HAVE #1	$4.99
OCT110634	VENOM #10	$2.99
OCT110661	VILLAINS FOR HIRE #1 (OF 4)	$2.99
OCT110687	X-23 #18	$2.99
OCT110690	X-CLUB #1 (OF 5)	$2.99
OCT110681	X-FACTOR #228	$2.99
OCT110675	X-MEN #22 XREGB	$3.99
OCT110741	X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST TP NEW PTG	$19.99
SEP110675	X-MEN WITH GREAT POWER TP	$19.99
JUN110719	X-STATIX OMNIBUS HC	$125.00

SEP110757	ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #224	$3.99
OCT110829	ARSENIC LULLABY DEVILS DECADE TP (O/A) (MR)	$29.99
SEP111133	AT FULL MOON GN VOL 01	$10.99
SEP111271	BAKUMAN TP VOL 08	$9.99
OCT110928	BETRAYAL O/T PLANET O/T APES #2 (OF 4)	$3.99
SEP111272	BLEACH TP VOL 37	$9.99
SEP111274	BLUE EXORCIST GN VOL 05	$9.99
AUG111214	BOONDOCK SAINTS TP VOL 01	$19.99
OCT110985	BOYS #61 (MR)	$3.99
OCT110860	CHOPPER #2 (OF 5) (MR)	$2.99
OCT110841	CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #6 (OF 7) (RES) (MR)	$3.99
OCT110842	CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #6 (OF 7) TORTURE CVR (RES) (MR)	$3.99
OCT110843	CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #6 (OF 7) WRAP CVR (RES) (MR)	$3.99
SEP111223	DAMAGED #4 (OF 6) (MR)	$3.50
SEP111265	DAWN OF THE ARCANA TP VOL 01	$9.99
SEP111219	DEAD OR ALIVE #1 (OF 4)	$2.99
SEP111135	DELTORA QUEST GN VOL 03	$10.99
SEP111077	DF FF #1 HAESER REMARK ED	$89.99
SEP111076	DF KIRBY GENESIS SILVER STAR #1 EX VIRGIN CVR	$5.00
MAY111059	DF X-MEN #1 HAESER REMARK CVR CGC GRADED	$129.99
OCT110908	ELRIC THE BALANCE LOST #6	$3.99
OCT110910	ELRIC THE BALANCE LOST TP VOL 01	$14.99
SEP111129	EYES OF THE CAT DLX HC (MR)	$69.95
SEP111308	FLY TP VOL 01 (MR)	$15.99
JUN111005	GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #7 (MR)	$3.99
AUG111285	GFT DREAM EATER SAGA TP VOL 01	$15.99
AUG111286	GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #10 A CVR QUALANO (MR)	$2.99
AUG111287	GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #10 B CVR MOLENAAR (MR)	$2.99
AUG111281	GFT SINBAD SPECIAL A CVR REYES	$5.99
AUG111282	GFT SINBAD SPECIAL B CVR BONK	$5.99
SEP111137	GHOST IN SHELL STAND ALONE COMPLEX GN VOL 02 (MR)	$10.99
SEP110691	GLAMOURPUSS #22	$3.00
SEP111268	GRAND GUIGNOL ORCHESTRA TP VOL 05 (OF 5)	$9.99
AUG111279	GRIMM FAIRY TALES #66 A CVR QUALANO (MR)	$2.99
AUG111280	GRIMM FAIRY TALES #66 B CVR YANG (MR)	$2.99
AUG110903	HELLRAISER #8 (MR)	$3.99
OCT110914	HELLRAISER MASTERPIECES #3 (MR)	$3.99
AUG110922	I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER HC (MR)	$17.99
SEP111287	ILL GIVE IT MY ALL TOMORROW TP VOL 04	$12.99
OCT110751	INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE #4 (MR)	$6.49
OCT110916	IRREDEEMABLE #32	$3.99
JUN111145	JOHNNY HAZARD DAILIES HC VOL 01 1944-1946	$49.99
SEP111315	JURASSIC STRIKE FORCE 5 #0	$0.99
SEP111266	KAMISAMA KISS TP VOL 06	$9.99
OCT110951	LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #12 (MR)	$3.99
OCT110952	LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #12 WRAP CVR (MR)	$3.99
SEP110764	MEGA MAN #8	$2.99
AUG110746	MEN OF MYSTERY #86	$29.95
SEP111276	NARUTO TP VOL 53	$9.99
SEP111278	NURA RISE O/T YOKAI CLAN GN VOL 06	$9.99
SEP111273	ONE PIECE TP VOL 59	$9.99
SEP111267	OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB TP VOL 17	$9.99
SEP111179	P CRAIG RUSSELL LIBRARY OF OPERA BOX SET VOL 1-3	$44.99
JUN111146	PHANTOM COMP SERIES HC VOL 01 GOLD KEY YEARS	$49.99
OCT110929	PLANET OF THE APES #4 SDCC PHOTO VAR CVR	$9.99
SEP110698	PRINCELESS #2	$3.99
APR111001	PS238 TP VOL 09 SAVING ALTERNATE OMAHA	$15.99
SEP111195	RASCAL RACCOONS RAGING REVENGE HC VOL 01	$24.99
AUG111426	RED RASCALS WAR DOONESBURY COLL TP	$19.99
OCT110930	RINSE #4	$3.99
SEP111270	SAKURA HIME LEGEND OF PRINCESS SAKURA GN VOL 05	$9.99
SEP111280	SHONEN JUMP JANUARY 2012	$4.99
SEP111141	SHUGO CHARA CHAN GN VOL 01	$10.99
OCT110760	SKYSCRAPERS O/T MIDWEST HC (O/A) (MR)	$19.95
SEP110765	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SELECT TP VOL 04 ZONE WARS	$11.95
SEP110887	STAN LEE STARBORN TP VOL 02	$14.99
SEP111264	TEZUKAS BLACK JACK TP VOL 17 (RES)	$16.95
AUG111129	THE SPIDER IRON MAN WAR GN (RES)	$7.99
JUN111038	TOTAL RECALL #4	$3.99
OCT110899	VALEN OUTCAST #1 MAIN CVRS	$1.00
OCT111014	VAMPIRELLA ANNUAL #1	$4.99
OCT110972	VOLTRON #1	$3.99
SEP111222	WAYWARD SONS TP VOL 01	$19.95

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 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 #47

Last Week’s Comic Book Awesomeness

Amazing Spider-Man #672 – Despite the absolute corniness of this issue, the script was extremely tight, as I’m becoming very accustomed to when I read this series. This story had what all the great Spider-Man stories have, Parker heart, Parker determination, and a great supporting cast. The quips were flying, and they weren’t just coming from Pete. MJ, the Thing and Kaine all got in some great lines. And although I took my first ever break from comics because of the infamous Clone Saga, I’ve really enjoyed Kaine’s story since his return. I assume he’s going to be the new Scarlet Spider that I’ve heard rumors about, and I’m interested to see where his story goes from here. Spider Island turned out to be a great event. Kudos to the whole team.

Amazing Spider-Man #673 – I swear, there wasn’t anything I disliked about this issue. Well, maybe I would have liked to see Mary Jane with spider powers for a bit longer. But taken from the beginning, we’ve got a wonderful homage to the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #50. I love cover homages, and this is a great one. I kind of wish Stefano Caselli would have acknowledged Romita’s cover, though. Isn’t that kind of standard in the industry? I loved all the nekkid jokes. “PANTS OVER HERE! We need pants for Hercules!” Nice. Jackal hinting at future plans. Pete and MJ sharing a couple of moments. Eddie Brock being a hero. Kaine leaving with a costume. Spidey getting respect from the common man…then from Jonah. Carlie’s reaction to realizing that Pete is Spider-Man. Spider-Man’s corny spell being voided. I seriously have not loved this series this much since David Micheline was writing it in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. I’m getting so much enjoyment from reading it.

Avengers Academy #20 – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Avengers Academy from the beginning. I’m a sucker for well-written teen super teams. This issue was a good wrap-up for the first “era” of this group of kids. Veil is gone, Speedball and Vance are gone (New Warriors reunion!), the Academy is now headquartered West Coast Avengers compound, and enrollment has been opened to ALL super kids who want training, not just kids who were screwed up by Osborn. I think I’m going to enjoy the next chapter in these kids’ story.

Avenging Spider-Man #1 – First of all, I’m going to talk about the art. I liked Joe Mad when he became a star with Uncanny X-Men. I did not stick around for Battle Chasers, but I did, unfortunately, read Ultimates 3, which featured his uninked artwork. It was pretty awful, so I wasn’t all that impressed when it was announced that he was providing the artwork for this series. But it’s a new Spidey team-up series, so I was going to dive in regardless of the art. I’m glad I did. It really fits the style that’s being used in Amazing Spider-Man, almost a combination of Humberto Ramos and Stefano Caselli, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. Now, let’s see if he can keep up a regular schedule. The writing by Zeb Wells was solid throughout the series, but it was the dialogue between Spidey and the Avengers that sold the issue for me.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #3 – I’m not all that into licensed comic book properties. As much as I enjoy various TV shows and movies, I can’t seem to get into the continuing adventures in the comics. But Joss Whedon’s creations get a pretty good second life thanks to comics. While I haven’t been totally blown away by the Dollhouse or Firefly comics, I’m hooked on the Buffy and Angel adaptations. While I wasn’t totally thrilled with how Season 8 ended, that didn’t stop me from jumping into Season 9 with high hopes. Three issues in and I’m intrigued by where this new status quo will ultimately take the Scooby Gang.

Journey into Mystery #630 – Oh Volstagg, how I do love your stories. And I also love how you’re raising your children. Just because Hitler had a thing for Norse mythology, let’s not assume that any Norse myths wanted anything to do with him. I think I need to teach my kids how to say, “Death to Nazis!”

New Avengers #18 – Norman Osborn as written by Brian Michael Bendis is an incredible bad guy. He’s Lex Luther, but smarmier. Hmm, Oscorp = Lexcorp. Iron Patriot = Lex in his battle suit. Well, you get the idea. I like Norman’s new Dark Avengers, but I was a bit unsure about the new Wolverine. Was that Gorgon? He looked tinier.

Ultimate Spider-Man #4 – Dammit, Bendis! You brought up Parker’s funeral again, and with the little girl who asked if Aunt May was Spider-Man’s mommy? At least I didn’t tear up this time. But I like how Miles is being woven into Peter’s death. It works. It doesn’t feel forced. I also like how Bendis is pacing the new Spider-Man’s origin similarly to Peter’s when the Ultimate line was started.

Uncanny X-Men #1 – The first issue of X-Men: Schism must have been a fluke, because Carlos Pacheco absolutely killed it with this book. I don’t necessarily like the team or the attitude of the book, but the writing IS good and the pictures are purdy. Now, I think I need to read up on Mr. Sinister. The last time I saw him was…damn, when he released the Legacy virus? It’s been a while.

Wolverine and the X-Men #1 – If I have to choose between a serious X-Men book and one with a sense of humor, I’m going to pick the sense of humor one almost every time. With that in mind, I enjoyed the first issue of this book more than the first issue of the new Uncanny series. Well, as far as the writing goes. I’ll always choose Carlos Pacheco over Chris Bachalo. But yeah, where Pacheco killed on the art front in Uncanny, Jason Aaron nailed it here. I’ve been incredibly impressed with him since the latest solo Wolverine series started. He GETS the character, and I think he really gets this side of the X-Men. I like Toad as a janitor; I like the inclusion of Broo; I like the Danger Room being incorporated into the entire school (and the bathroom gag was great!), and I liked absolutely everybody’s characterization. The only thing I didn’t like was the inclusion of Kade Kilgore in the issue. I don’t like him. I think I made this clear in a Schism review. I had thought it would be a while before we would see these new villains again, give them time to really start something, but we’re hit with him a month after the split. But I guess having a kid fighting a bunch of kids is good for the story. I’ve got faith in Aaron, though, so I’ll be around for the long haul.

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 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!