Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Dec. 24, 2008 (On-Going Series)

Brave and the Bold #20

Part 2 of probably the best story so far to come out of this series. The story keeps moving and doesn’t give you a chance to be bored with it. The art is strong and clear, and the alien landscapes are beautiful. Does anyone actually understand what the Phantom Stranger can do? If so, could you please explain it to me, because I’ve got no clue. He can apparently be taken down by an alien plant, so he’s not all powerful. Is this character popular enough to be so mysterious? Can we get an origin story, and not some cheap cop-out like the Secret Origins issue where he’s given multiple origins.

Daredevil #114

So Black Tarantula and White Tiger have been killed and then resurrected as agents of the Hand. Not good at all for Matt. Plus, the thing with Dakota came back to bite him royally in the ass. Again, not good. Foggy’s right. Matt just needs to give the Donovan’s what they want and forget all about Milla. And Izo is the guy who taught Stick. I guess that’s why I made the connection last month. Yeah, we’ll go with that.

Gigantic #2

So the big robot thing that’s actually a human accidentally killed his niece when he appeared on Earth. That sucks. This is a better take on the Mojoverse than the Mojoverse is. The only problem I had was with the fluctuating size of Gigantic. When he appeared last issue he was as big as a building. By the end of this one he was laying on a couch. I hope that’s addressed.

Hulk #9

This comic doesn’t seem to have any substance to it. It seems like a way to showcase great artists (Ed McGuinnes? Art Adams? Frank Cho? Some damned fine artists) drawing the Hulk and various guest stars. And Loeb is tailoring each story to that artist’s forte. McGuinnes gets to draw massive characters, Adams gets to draw a lot of monsters, and Cho gets to draw a lot of ladies. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but it just seems to be pandering. Loeb could at least be dropping hints as to Rulk’s identity (my money is still on Talbot) along the way. All that being said, it IS a pretty damn fine looking book, and worth the money for the art alone.

New Avengers #48

Nope, I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that Luke would go to Osborn and the Thunderbolts for help. Jessica, sure. She’s always been a little messed up. But not Luke. He has standards and won’t break them for anything, even if it’s about his daughter. Unless of course he’s going to use this as an opportunity to infiltrate Osborn’s inner circle. That I can almost buy. Otherwise, I enjoyed the rest of the book…well, except for the art. I’m not a big Tan fan. I’m hoping he’s not the regular artist. I miss Yu. I hope Cap stays on as a team member. We already know that Mockingbird either isn’t going to be on the team or is going to be a mole of some sort. Spidey and Wolvie together is always fun, and Hawkeye and Bucky should almost be like brothers, both learning from Cap. Fun times are in store for everyone.

New Warriors #19

I’m done with this series when this storyline is over. I’m not at all connected to any of the characters, and there’s just too much bitching and moaning. And apparently in the future the dead can be brought back to life with no consequences.

Nova #20

Now THAT’S the New Warriors I remember. I still don’t know how I’m going to like a whole corps of Novas. If this is going to turn out to be a team book, I don’t think I will like it. Too many people with the same powers. If Nova continues to fly solo, though, I don’t think I’d have any problem with it.

Skaar: Son of Hulk #6

So it seems as if the legends of the Sakaarson were made up. That’s gonna piss some people off. Of the three possible Sakaarson’s I recognized Nova and the Silver Surfer. Was the other one an Eternal? The Death’s Head Guards look somewhat Phalanxish, but I’ll have to take a look at some Nova back issues to see how much they resemble Minion. If they are Minion, that’ll give me a headache what with the timeline confusion. Next issue should be good: Silver Surfer vs. Skaar.

Thor #12

This was a clever look at Loki’s past. All of the scenes we saw have been seen since this book started, either IN the book or in the specials by Matt Fraction. It pretty much ruins any hope of ever having Loki as a sympathetic villain, though, since it’s his hand behind his past that sets him up as a villain. And for a moment, there, I half expected Loki and Hela to start going at it. That sure would have messed up Sif if she’s able to live again once Loki isn’t wearing her form.

Ultimate Spider-Man #129

If I’m remembering this correctly, was Spider-Girl a female clone of Peter? Did I get that right? Having it be Gwen would make sense, what with the symbiote’s ability to change just about anything having to do with her appearance, but I don’t think the ever met the Torch. Can May be arrested like that, or can she be asked (nicely) to come down to the station to answer some questions? And all this is going to be interrupted by a giant tidal wave. Nice going Magneto.

Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Nov. 26, 2008 (Regular Series)

Blue Beetle #33

“Two words: armored codpiece.”

Well, the issue fooled me just as well as it did everyone else. Sometimes it’s refreshing to see the villain gloat and reveal his plans AFTER he’s already accomplished them. Of course, it then allows him to kill the star of the book, so there’s that. I wonder if the scarab can bring its host back from the dead? I guess we’ll find out next issue.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #19

“I hope you die first. With the most wounds.”

Will we ever find out why Willow dragged Buffy to the future? Was it really an elaborate suicide plan, or just a gimmick to get Buffy and Fray together? I thoroughly enjoyed the back-home plot more than Buffy’s. I say give us more of the support and less of the main event.

Captain America #44

If we’re supposed to know who the mystery villain who is sort of revealed at the end is, I’m drawing a blank. I didn’t think there was that much meat to this issue. Cap is intentionally led to Batroc’s next heist, where he gets a beating from said mystery villain. We also get a view at a scene from Bucky’s Winter Soldier days. But the story doesn’t really progress because we don’t learn anything. And I still can’t take Batroc seriously.

Daredevil #113

I like it when writers have to get creative with new villains in order to get around our hero’s powers. Lady Bullseye with her faint scent and calm heartbeat is a nice touch. I don’t see her as a big threat, but I think she’ll make things interesting. I’m also liking Master Izo, but he’s coming off like Stick 2.0, or I guess that would be Stick: The Prequel…or even the Hard Master from G.I. Joe. The last scene of the book caught me fully off-guard. I wasn’t all that familiar with the character, only reading her appearances in DD and not her mini, but it was still pretty shocking.

Guardians of the Galaxy #7

I wasn’t a fan of the original series, but I really like this group. And I’m oddly curious as to what Vance is doing here. We learned why Starhawk is here. Are the two connected? I’m not too interested in Adam’s search for the truth about the search, but Drax’s search for Cammi has my interest. I really enjoyed his mini-series, and I can’t remember what happened to her during Annihilation. Speaking of Annihilation, I seem to remember Blastaar on the side of the angels during that tiny skirmish, which didn’t ring true to me then, but it looks like he’s not all that of a nice guy anymore.

Hulk #8

I still have a problem with Bruce doing a quick switch between the Hulks. I realize that they’re representations of different aspects of his personality, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been able to do this before. And since when have there been so many Wendigos? ALL of those people are cannibals? That’s a lot of the long pig. As for the second part of the story, I just don’t like the Red Hulk (and I refuse to call him his other name). And after enraging him even more, some additional big-name female superheroes show up. Tigra? Really? What can she do against the Hulk?

The Incredible Hercules #123

I’m loving the fact that Pak is not sacrificing Hercules’ mythological backround in exchange for more human stories. He’s a demigod, so embrace it rather than shy away from it. That’s what Pak has done, and unless he’s just THAT creative, it looks like he’s done his homework. I felt sorry for Delphine and Amadeus; they make a cute couple. And I hope the goings on with the Olympus Group will be an ongoing subplot rather than the next storyline. They look like they should be very menacing.

New Warriors #18

Well, the Iron Man/Night Thrasher switcheroo was a bit of a surprise, as was who was in the Iron Man armor. So the question now is how all this happened.

Nova #19

Continuity cop! Continuity cop! Rich’s brother was kidnapped by a foe of the original New Warriors and had his finger cut off. When he’s talking with Darkhawk in this issue, he clearly has all of his fingers. Boom! Head shot! One thing I hope doesn’t happen is that this becomes Marvel’s equivalent of the Green Lantern Corps. I know the power set is different, but the concept is similar. Well, I guess it’s not all that original of a concept to begin with, but that is the first thing I thought of at the beginning of the issue. I hope we’ll continue to see Darkhawk, and having two Nova centurions in the Rider family should be interesting.

Skaar: Son of Hulk #5

I thought this was a mini, but it looks like it’s an ongoing series. That’s fine with me. Planet Hulk was some of the best Hulk stories I’ve ever read. I think it’s great that Greg Pak can do a series like this and also do The Incredible Hercules, which is light and humorous and totally different. I’m wondering if this will eventually lead to Skaar taking a trip to Earth to find and confront the Hulk. Eh, he doesn’t seem that proactive. He actually seems like a smarter version of the early Hulk, who just wanted to be left alone. If he gets the Old Power, though, he will be virtually unstoppable.

Superman #682

I’m really enjoying this New Krypton storyline. What the Kryptonians did in this issue made perfect sense, and the ones who killed the cops looked like they wore the garb of the more militant Kryptonians, so I’d guess they might have even enjoyed it. I have no idea who Atlas is, so I should probably do some research on him. Here’s a thought: with 100,000 Supermen and women on the planet, I would think that at least some of them would try and be heroes of other cities, eventually coming into conflict with heroes that might have already staked their claim there.

Teen Titans #65

Mmm, decent ending to a just okay story. Wonder Girl actually looks like a Wonder Girl now, and she’s no longer beholden to Ares or Zeus, so that’s good. I’ll be looking forward to next month’s recruitment drive, though. I’m just not getting the team vibe from this group. I guess that’s natural, though, since Robin and Wonder Girl are the only ones left from the beginning.

Trinity #26

Ah, now here’s a great catch for the continuity cops, but it’s a tip of the hat, not a wag of the finger. Busiek has apparently done his Opal City homework because he uses Charity’s last name, O’Dare. Charity and Mason O’Dare fell in love during James Robinson’s Starman series, and I remember him being shot by Spider right before the series ended, but I’m guessing he didn’t die (I’m rereading the series through the Omnibus, but there’s only one out so it will take me a while to get to the end). Good for you, Mr. Busiek. I thought having the two stories end at the same spot was a nice touch. I’m not sick of Tarot anymore, so that’s a plus, but I still want to see more of Opal’s residents. And Konvict seems like a decent fellow. I see Morgaine and Enigma’s plans failing because of him.

Ultimate Spider-Man #128

This is hands down my favorite book each month. And I think it helps that Bendis has been penning the thing since issue #1. But one thing I really like about it is that it seems a bit more real. I would think it would be difficult for Peter to keep his double identity a secret, especially from those closest to him. And I like the fact that, at least by the government, he’s not a wanted fugitive. The Ultimates know who he is and greatly respect him because of all he’s done. Tony stepping up for him in this issue against Carol Danvers was a good moment. I’m only slightly on the fence regarding Gwen, but I’m leading more toward the good side, if only because it’s known that she’s a clone, or genetic duplicate, or whatever. I like the full disclosure aspect. Next month we get Spidey’s part in Ultimatum. I hope having this big crossover doesn’t ruin the flow of the book.

Ultimate X-Men #98

Well, I guess a bit of this issue was predictable in the wake of the Ultimatum Wave. There were bound to be retaliations against the X-Men by frightened humans, but I never expected it to come in the form of humans with Sentinel armor on. Were there human-sized Sentinels? I can’t remember. I’m wondering if Dazzler and Nightcrawler are actually dead, Kurt in particular. He can teleport, after all. Rogue hooking up with Alpha Flight was unexpected, and I wonder what will happen to Syndicate now that he’s missing a head?

Walking Dead #55

We’ve taken one step forward, yet fell two back. We’re sticking with Rick being crazy, and Army-guy is a paranoid dick. And the suicide didn’t sit well with me. Not because there WAS a suicide, just because I don’t think we got into the character’s mindset enough to know if that’s something she’d actually do. And it seems like Kirkman kills people just to kill them. We get the shock, but no follow through.

X-Force #9

Another good issue, and I hope Domino ends up staying around. I think she would fit in well with the team, and maybe even lighten the atmosphere a bit. I like that the characters have a bit of an objection to what they’re doing, even if they know what they’re doing is “necessary.” It’s also nice to see links to the past while still moving forward: Sinister’s clones, Hodge’s smiley robots, etc. Plus, we’re going to get a bit of a crossover with Ghost Rider. Nice stuff all around.

Comic Book Review for the Week of Oct. 22, 2008

Cream of the Crop

Amazing Spider-Man #574

Truth be told, I didn’t have high hopes for this story going into it. A war story about Flash Thompson? Whoop de frickin’ do. But it was very well written, very good. Actually, the only problem I had with it were the Spider-Man panels used to mirror what Flash was going through. I don’t think they were necessary. Spider-Man has always been almost as much about his supporting cast as it is about him. A Flash story like this could definitely stand on its own without any assistance from the title character. But I will be happy when Spidey’s revised history is explained. Last I knew, Flash had amnesia resulting from Norman Osborn trying to kill him. Yeah, he was the gym instructor at Midtown High while Peter taught there, but he didn’t remember being good friends with him. He still treated him like Puny Parker. I hope this fact is explained, or I hope somebody sets me straight if I’m forgetting about Flash getting his memory back. I like that they brought up Flash’s military background. Some of the oldest ASM comics I have were in the early 100s, when he first got back from Viet Nam.

Daredevil #112

We finally get a taste of current happenings in the Marvel Universe as we get a flashback of a Hand soldier witnessing the reveal of Elektra as a Skrull. And Daredevil isn’t necessarily the reason for Lady Bullseye’s excursion to America, he just seems to be a distraction. The Black Tarantula and Iron Fist are also targeted by the Hand, but right now we’re not sure why. They’re just told they’re being tested for something. Matt and Dakota both feel bad about what happened the previous night, but I bet it’s pretty easy to guess who feels the guiltiest. All this plus Matt’s arrest for a murder Lady Bullseye framed him for. I wonder if this book would be any good if Matt just had a day off, or at least a day when the world didn’t shit on him. I don’t think that’s happened at all since Smith started this series.

G.I. Joe #0

Okay, this is how you tease for a series. I grew up with the Joes. I saw all the cartoons, watched the movie, and collected the action figures. I didn’t follow the original Marvel series, but I picked up a few issues here and there. When Devil’s Due picked up the series I stayed around for a bit, but it was a bit corny for me. I ended up watching some old episodes of the cartoon on Cartoon Network, and realized that the show didn’t grow with me. The three stories in this preview issue show that they’re getting a bit away from corniness. We’ve still got the codenames, but this is looking more like CBS’s "The Unit." I’ll definitely be around for the first issue to see how this plays out. Yo Joe!

Hulk #7

I usually don’t care too much to regular sized comics with back-up stories because that means I’m getting less of the main story. And this time that meant less Art Adams artwork, which I see far too little of as it is. But it worked this time. Since Banner doesn’t have his own book, I guess he needs to be featured too. His transformation into Joe Fixit doesn’t sit well with me, though. Just because he’s in Vegas, that’s the Hulk that is called forth from Banner’s shattered psyche? I hope Moon Knight takes the hint and packs it up. I’ve never liked the character, and I don’t think he’d be anything but a distraction to any color Hulk. I liked the back-up story. Again, Loeb is pulling from earlier events and building on it to have a bit of a girl’s night out with Shulkie, Thundra and Valkyrie to find Rulk, which they do, and they promptly get their rock-hard tushies handed to them.

Superman: New Krypton Special #1

What a surprisingly good read. And I didn’t have to be knee-deep in recent Superman knowledge to follow it. It starts off with Jonathan Kent’s funeral and Martha telling Clark to go be Superman. Supes then travels to Kandor and speaks with Zor and Alura about the future of all the new Kryptonians on Earth. I think having all these Supermen and Superwomen on Earth should make for some very interesting stories and should touch every corner of the DC universe. The book starts with death and ends with life, as someone who was thought to be dead recruits Luthor into a special anti-Kryptonian group. There was good flow between the stories, and the artwork was vastly different, so there were no jarring scene changes. Looks like Superman has interesting times ahead.

Ultimate Spider-Man #127

This book is mostly Peter thinking to himself, so it’s pretty wordy. Eddie goes to Peter to make him get the symbiote back for him, and Peter spends most of the issue trying to figure out what to do. Oh yeah, and Gwen is apparently not dead. That should cause all kinds of craziness and hilarity...and carnage. She’s not dead and she’s Carnage. Peter just can NOT catch a break.

Unknown Soldier #1

Wow, this is powerful and moving stuff. I think I can safely say that I do not have the constitution, the right frame of mind to be a relief work in a war-torn country like Uganda. I just wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’ve never read a story with the Unknown Soldier in it before, but I always assumed it was one person. It actually looks like a sort of Captain Universe thing, where the instincts, the knowledge comes to the person who needs it most. It’s going to be interesting to see how it uses the doctor, and what if anything can be accomplished.

Leftovers

Captain America #43

I wasn’t a fan of Captain America before this current series started, so I don’t know much about the intricacies of his history. Before Brubaker made him the Winter Soldier, was Bucky this much of a badass, or is continuity being rewritten? I notice it most in the Avengers/Invaders mini-series, but we get a bit of it here, too, with flashbacks. I find Batroc the Leaper to be a ridiculous concept and character. So he’s a master of a French martial art. Big whoop. Okay, I couldn’t take him in a fight, granted, but I would expect almost any hero to be able to take him. He doesn’t even have a utility belt, a shield, an iron fist, nothing. He’s just a normal guy who can jump and kick. I think had Bucky not been sucker-zapped, the fight wouldn’t have lasted much longer.

Criminal #6

Decent issue. It’s refreshing every now and then to read a comic book without any superheroes or villains in it. All the pieces fall into place this issue, and we’re left waiting for a resolution. This isn’t a book that I just have to read first each week that it arrives, but I’m usually never disappointed by the story.

DC Universe Halloween Special #1

I’ll say it every chance I can: season 5 of Angel was the best season of television ever! And what do we get in the first story, none other than Cinco, the Luchadore/Wolfram and Hart intra-office mailman! Of course, that was the most interesting thing about that story. It was weird. It had a beginning, and it had an ending, but I think someone forgot the middle. All in all, these stories are really too short to accomplish anything. The story with Felix Faust and his dad was decent, as was the Elongated Man story, but I find it’s difficult to do more than an average story in these types of books.

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #1

Okay, I’m slightly hooked for the moment. Danny Ketch was always my Ghost Rider, never Johnny Blaze. By the time I started reading comics, Johnny had already come and gone, and it wasn’t long before Danny came on the scene. That being said, I was never a big fan. The grim-and-gritty heroes never did it for me. So I never knew what happened with him. I never knew that Blaze was a long-lost brother. I never knew that he was never Zarathos. Even not knowing that, the taste of GR we got this issue whetted my appetite for a little more. Who knows, this may get me to do a little back-issue research to bone up (no pun intended) on my GR history.

New Avengers #46

This is another flashback before the Invasion. The story focuses on the Skrulls’ infiltration of the Hood’s criminal group. Really, the only relevant piece of information is where the Hood’s hood comes from. It’s still a solid script by Bendis and some good looking artwork by Billy Tan.

New Warriors #17

Passable story. I still can’t get everyone’s codenames straight, let alone who they really are. It might help if the codenames were used at some point in the comic rather than only on the credits page. There’s a bit too much bitching and in-fighting and not really enough story. Okay, we get it, Jubilee, sorry, Wondra, doesn’t trust Thrash. Do they have to fight about it every single issue? Let’s just see more reasons why we don’t want this Stark-controlled fascist future.

Trinity #21

It’s an origin story, so it’s not all that great, but Despero is found out by Enigma and Morgaine, and John Stewart is fighting himself in order to control what’s inside him. I think there was definitely more meat in the back-up story, but Bagley’s art sold the main story for me. He gets more and more comfortable in the DC universe with each issue.

Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #1

I think this issue might have been better had I been reading Wolverine since he got his memory back. Or maybe not. Maybe all I need to know is that he got his memory back and remembered something that happened in San Francisco’s Chinatown. So if that’s all I need to know, then the comic does a great job of conveying that in only a few pages. The art looks like a blatant ripoff of Leinel Francis Yu. I had to check the credits to make sure it WASN’T him.

Xena/Army of Darkness: What, Again? #1

This series picks up right after the previous mini, and it’s pure campy fun. Any fan of the Evil Dead movies or the Xena TV show should like these. Brandon Jerwa and Elliott Serrano do a great job of really getting the feel and voices for these characters. And Miguel Montenegro draws a very good Bruce Campbell. Xena and Gabrielle could be stock character faces, but you can definitely tell Ash and Autolycus are Bruce Campbell. If you’re looking for a high-brow story, though, pick up something else. This is just pure fun.

Compost

Guardians of the Galaxy #6

What a letdown from something I had such high hopes for. When I got to the end, I thought I had skipped some pages. That all happened that quickly? Where did Major Astro end up after everyone was revived? We only saw him in two panels when Aleeta was knocked out by Quill (really? Isn’t he/she pretty powerful?). What was really cheap, though, was the same schtick being used four times! Did we have to go through EVERYONE barging in and attacking everyone with the Skrull defectors? I’m hoping the next issue will pick it back up. I want to see what Vance and Starhawk are doing here.

Thor: The Truth of History #1

This was a decent enough story, but the underlying premise made it crap to me. Which is too bad, because Alan Davis is surely doing his best work ever, at least in regards to his pencil work. But seriously, Laurel and Hardy arguing over the age of the Great Sphinx? Thor immortalized in hieroglyphics on it? No, no thanks, sir.

Thunderbolts #125

It almost seems like Gage was coasting on this one. Hell, the last half of the book was cribbed word-for-word from scenes from Secret Invasion #7. It’s almost like he was doing as little as possible since someone else is taking over next month. And Fernando Blanco wasn’t much better. Frankly, his characters were somewhat ugly. Backgrounds were almost non-existent. Was this work by a lame-duck creative team?

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Listening to: Weezer - King
via FoxyTunes

Comic Books for the Week of Sept. 24, 2008

Cream of the Crop

Avengers: The Initiative #17

This is probably my favorite title to come out of Civil War. It’s fun, it’s action packed, it has character development, it moves and flows well…it’s just some great reading. This issue sees the Shadow Initiative attempting to assassinate the Queen/Spider-Woman at Camp Hammond, while the Skrull Kill Krew slashes it’s way through as many Initiative teams it can. I heard a lot of good things about the recent Ant-Man series, but I don’t know if I’d enjoy reading the back issues. I like my heroes to be somewhat heroic rather than fully selfish. Does he do anything besides trying to save his own ass? I’m very intrigued as to who Mutant X is. My money is on Madelyne Pryor. I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be dead, but when did that ever stop anyone?

Blue Beetle #31

Not the best issue of the series, but definitely a solid one. The Dr. Mid-Nite team-up seemed extremely random, but it did fit in with the story. And I guess it goes along with Jamie, a new hero in the biz, getting all sorts of advice from already-established characters. I think any fan of Ultimate Spider-Man would really enjoy this book. You’re looking at basically the same type of story, a high-school kid who falls into some powers and does his best to use them for good. One of the main differences, though, is not just how this affects Jamie as a teenager, but also as a Latino. His family and heritage play a big role in the series, as do topical situations such as illegal immigration. Since emerging from Infinite Crisis, this title has kept up solid storytelling with good art.

Captain America #42

I didn’t start reading this book until the Civil War event, and I ended up going back and reading the trades from when Brubaker started. Brubaker did for Cap what Bendis did for Daredevil, made me care about a group of characters that I had no thoughts or opinions on one way or the other. By the time it happened, Steve’s death really hit me, as did his “betrayal.” I’ve been loving the rise and rebirth of the Red Skull, and the development on the last page was just crazy and mind-bending. Bucky is a great replacement, and I’m glad to see that Brubaker didn’t just comfortably put him in the costume and give us a new Cap same as the old Cap. I hope Bucky stays around for the long haul. I know death is never permanent in comics (which could always be followed by “except for Bucky and Uncle Ben, que sera sera), but sometimes it’s good to pass the torch. This issue was an excellent end to a long debut for the new Cap, and it leaves me looking forward to the future.

Daredevil #111

From one Brubaker book to another. The transition from Bendis to Brubaker on this book was seamless. Sometimes when a new writer takes over, he’ll do something drastic to make the title or at least the title character “his.” Not Brubaker. I’m not reading this as “Brubaker’s Daredevil,” but just as Daredevil. This issue introduces us to Lady Bullseye, a villain who has ties to the original’s name in the most peripheral of ways. She interests me, though. Where Bullseye relishes the kill and the kill alone, Lady Bullseye looks deeper into the effects that the kill will have. She’s a thinking man’s assassin. And as telegraphed as it was, I steeled myself for Matt’s inevitable betrayel of of Milla. Ninety percent of the time, cheating doesn’t sit well with me. His and Dakota’s actions this issue felt natural, as does Matt’s waking reaction. I’m looking forward to seeing how this F’s up his world.

Fables #76

A good little epilogue to last month’s end to the war. Gepetto is taken on a tour of Fabletown by Pinocchio and a couple of bodyguards. From the hatred he spews at anyone they come in contact with, I would imagine this is what Hitler would have run into if human law circa the late ‘40s were that of Fabletown law (and, y’know, Hitler was captured before he could kill himself). I’m not the biggest Mike Allred fan, but I thought his style worked well for this issue, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him on the book more often.

Deadpool #2

Okay, did anyone actually think Deadpool had gone over to the Skrulls? No, probably not. We all figured he had…well, maybe not a plan, but a general direction, a specific outcome he was heading toward. And it was getting to that outcome, that’s where the funny was. Oh…my…goodness. This guy is insane and brilliant, at least when it comes to killing people…or aliens. And there was even a “Holy crap!” moment on the last page. Good, good stuff.

Fantastic Four #560

Mark Millar is really hit-or-miss for me, but when he hits, he hits BIG. The first two Ultimates series were spectacular. Wanted was awesome. Chosen was powerful. This book is smart. I think Millar has a good handle on all of the characters. This issue finally reveals the mastermind behind Johnny and Doom’s kidnapping and why they were kidnapped. The reason was monumental, and the scope of the story is so big that it’s perfect for this quartet of adventurers. And y’know, Hitch’s art is simply great.

Thunderbolts #124

The switch from Warren Ellis to Christos Gage was pretty much seamless. Gage took all the ideas that Ellis laid down and ran with them. And it’s funny, because in books about villains, the writer will usually try to make the main character or characters appear sympathetic so the reader can identify with him/them in some way. Not Ellis or Gage, and not this team. Okay, maybe Songbird, Radioactive Man and Penance, everyone is a vicious and violent psychopath. And they’re looked at as the good guys who are saving Washington D.C. from the Skrulls. Osborn is delightfully insane and devious, and he’s great. It’s sometimes fun to root for the good guys and still despise them.

Ultimate X-Men/Fantastic Four Annual #1

The first thing I’ve gotta say is that I’ve disliked Dan Panosian’s art since, well, the earliest I can remember seeing it is post-Liefeld X-Force. Granted, it’s about 15 years late, but whoa, this guy has really evolved as an artist. It was really good. And after a couple of (in my opinion) lackluster storylines in both the Ultimate X-Men and Fantastic Four books, this really stood out. It gave me a Days of Future Present vibe, which is a good thing. That crossover was my first big introduction to both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, and it had some great Art Adams art. This issue has a future team of X-Men traveling to the present to kill Reed Richards. Fighting and deaths ensue.

Ultimate Spider-Man #126

This is by far my favorite comic each month. This issue, a Venom-controlled Peter does a good job of getting rid of the Beetle and goes through Silver Sable and her Wild Pack until the Ultimates show up…then he starts going through them. A couple of elements from Ultimate Origin comes into play regarding Peter’s father and the Venom suit. The great thing about a line of comics this small is that it’s easy to keep a pretty tight continuity going. Stuart Immonen had a tough job after taking on the penciling chores for this title. Mark Bagley made this title his own, but Immonen has kept up the high quality of art while keeping the same youthful energy of the book. My only problem here was Nick Fury. Isn’t he in the Squadron Supreme universe at the moment?

X-Force #7

I’m really enjoying this book. It’s surprised me by using a LOT of X-history. This issue, well, it wasn’t a breather after the first storyline, but it was a good transition into the next storyline. The mystery of Archangel is still here, as is Wolfsbane’s brainwashing. Pierce was brought back in the last storyline, but concurrently he was manipulating the Young X-Men. We find out this issue that that story takes places after this issue. Graydon Creed is back to his anti-mutant campaigning, and Hodge apparently had some of his killer robots in storage, robots I haven’t seen since they killed Cypher in the original New Mutants series. The book is full of history, and it’s history that I’m familiar with, so I’m a fan…except for the art. I find it to be too dark. I understand that this is a very serious book that doesn’t need to be seen as light-hearted in any way, but sometimes it’s a little difficult to make out everything on the page.

Leftovers

Back to Brooklyn #1

I usually expect a lot more from Garth Ennis. This was average at best, and the only reason I’m putting it here and not in the Compost pile is because I have faith that Mr. Ennis will deliver something spectacular. Preacher, Punisher, Hitman, The Boys…well, I guess everyone is due for a miss at some point. This just seemed like a standard mob story where some wise-guy is flipping for some reason, and it ends up being him against The Family. Most of the book read like it was written by Brian Michael Bendis, especially the dialogue of the FBI agent when he was speaking with the Deputy Commissioner. And I’m not a fan of the washed-out looking art. Hmm, just a very lackluster book, but I’ve got faith that Ennis can still grab my attention.

Hulk #6

I’m torn with this book. On the one hand, the art alone is enough to push it into Cream of the Crop territory, but I’m just not moved by the story. Stupid Hulk has never been my cup of tea. I read the Hulk regularly during the Peter David/Dale Keown era, where David merged all three aspects of Banner’s personality (green Hulk, grey Hulk, and Banner), to give us Professor Hulk. I liked him. I started reading the book again with Planet Hulk, and I enjoyed that. He wasn’t Professor Hulk, but he wasn’t stupid. He was more than just “Hulk smash!” So that’s one aspect of the book I’m not enjoying. Also, I’m not the biggest Jeph Loeb fan. I’ve enjoyed a bit of his work (I really enjoyed his Superman/Batman run), but this storyline is looking like his and Jim Lee’s Batman run. Our hero is running into all sorts of heroes and supporting villains a new nemesis from his past, whose identity is a mystery, is stirring up all sorts of trouble. We’re given all sorts of red herrings as to the true identity of the foe, even going so far as to be told it is definitely a certain person…then this issue that’s taken from us. Personally, I never believed it was Samson anyways. Assuming he’s still alive (I’m not up on my classic Hulk), my money is on Glen Talbot. But dislikes about the storytelling aside, it’s a beautiful book to look at, as were the Loeb/Lee Batman issues. I just can’t justify bumping into Cream of the Crop territory on art alone, though.

Nova #17

First off, it looks like we’re eventually going to see Death’s Head show up. I remember Dr. Necker from the Death’s Head II mini series in the early ‘90s…which I think may have been written by Abnett and Lanning. She was a scientist in the future who created Minion, an assassin who assimilated the abilities of a number of beings, the last one being the original Death’s Head. A glitch had the Death’s Head programming/personality surfacing, and Minion ended up becoming Death’s Head II. It was part of the Marvel UK line, something I read very little of, so I don’t know what ended up happing to the character or the line in general. But that’s apparently a story for another time. This issues find Nova back on Earth and fight against the Skrulls with Darkhawk inside Project Pegasus, where his brother now works. Very standard team-up, with a possible fix for the Worldmind, a possible start-up for Minion, and the return of a dead character with ties to Project Pegasus. Not a bad issue at all, just not Cream of the Crop good.

New Avengers #45

Hey! This book actually had some Avengers in it…for a bit. This issue showed us what happened with the Skrull infiltration during the House of M and Annihilation events (moreso House of M). It was just…interesting. Good storytelling, but only really important if you’re a stickler for continuity. I don’t think this was a story that needed to be told. I would have been happier if there had been more attention paid to Annihilation, because that affected the Skrull race and those on Earth more I think than the House of M, but this is what we got. I’ll be happy once we get some Avengers shenanigans back into the book.

New Warriors #16

I started picking this book up because it spun out of Civil War and I was a big fan of the original series. Well, at least up to issue #50. Anyways, this is a good book with a great concept. You’ve got the kids from New X-Men who lost their powers after M-Day who were given a new chance to be heroes by a mysterious Night Thrasher. Since I didn’t read the latest New X-Men series, I’m only familiar with Jubilee, Beak, and Angel. And since the last two, who had very distinctive looks in Morrison’s New X-Men, look normal now, I have a hard time telling them apart from the rest of the cast. So while I’m constantly confused about who is who, I still enjoy the stories. This issue’s story is particularly interesting, because it looks like it’ll be taking cues from one of the great stories from the original series, where reality had been changed by the Sphynx. Night Thrasher’s plan this whole time has been to build a time machine and travel back into the past, saving the previous team of New Warriors and preventing the Samford disaster, thus preventing the death of his brother and the Civil War. But of course there are problems, and things don’t work out quite as planned. I’m interested in seeing where this will go.

Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents Savage World of Sakaar #1

I thoroughly enjoyed Planet Hulk, and I would have been okay if it had lasted longer. I only mildly enjoyed World War Hulk. But I’m enjoying the Son of Hulk mini. This special issue focused on Skaar’s heritage and the history of some of the characters from the mini. All this really did was to reinforce what a badass Skaar is, and we’re pretty much getting that from the main mini. It was well told, though, with decent art, so it wasn’t a waste.

Teen Titans #63

This issue is mostly about Bombshell and expands on her origin a bit. She’s cast as a sympathetic character, although there’s still a brawl with a few of the Titans. And what’s up with Wonder Girl? Wendy survived last issue’s attack, and a funeral was held for Marvin between the issues. I think we can assume who the culprit for sending the dog was, but it wasn’t implicitly stated. Overall it was just an okay issue. I really haven’t been all that blown away with it since Johns left.

Trinity #17

Not much really happens in the main story. The trio of villains sees their plan succeed, and that’s about it. I guess we’ll have to wait for the next issue to see what they’ve become (merged into Cronus?). The back-up story has more meat to it, showing us the story of Konvict.

Ultimate Fantastic Four/X-Men Annual #1

I’m not saying that this second part of the crossover dropped the ball, but the muddy art at the end kinda killed it for me. Brandon Peterson’s work was great, but Eric Nguyen, while his work in the front of the book was decent, seemed to quickly run out of steam by the end. Future time travel stories are somewhat odd. They usually always only give glimpses of what might be while giving an ominous warning or two. And of course the ominous warning was about Ultimatum. I love the Ultimate universe, so I’m really looking forward to what this might be.

Ultimates 3 #5

Well, this made up for a very disappointing 4 issues, pretty much just by explaining everything. And y’know what? Even with everything being explained, Loeb still pulls out a random mastermind behind the whole thing. I don’t like Joe Madureira’s art nowadays. I enjoyed it when he was on Uncanny X-Men, and while I didn’t read Battlechasers, I still liked the art. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the way it’s colored, but I’m just not a fan anymore.

Compost

My Name is Bruce #1

Wow. Only die-hard fans of Bruce Campbell need to read this. All others stay away. It’s apparently based on a screenplay, so I’m assuming it’s greatly compressed in order to tell the whole story in one issue, but wow, you can’t get much more far-fetched than this, and that’s saying a LOT for a comic book.

Walking Dead #52

This used to be such a good book. Now it’s a bad soap opera. And a quick one at that. I can usually get through an issue in a minute or two. There’s just no substance to it. Each month I hope that something new and exciting will happen, and every month I’m disappointed. I don’t know how much longer I’ll give it a chance.