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.

Cream of the Crop

Aetheric Mechanics

The difference between Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis is that Ellis knows how to coherently conveys his whacked out ideas. I think if this had been a Morrison story, I’d feel stupid after reading it. What this is is a clever Sherlock Holmes story that takes place in London in the early days of the 20th century. Oh, and space travel is possible. And England is at war. All that, though, is only background to the murder mystery. Ellis deftly weaves his interest in future science with his knowledge of the past, London, and popular fiction. The artist, Gianluca Pagliarani, is new to me. I thought his characters were a bit muddy, but his backgrounds and locations were expertly detailed.

Amazing Spider-Man #575

"Sweet ghost of Charleton Heston!"

Hammerhead is now a force to be reckoned with. I never thought I’d type or say that. Props to Joe Kelly for that. I’ve never thought that Hammerhead was a viable villain for Spidey. He’s got metal plate in his head? Fine, you hit him in the gut or the face or just web him up. Hell, he was more frightening as a ghost. Now his schtick is gone, and he’s just a badass.

Avengers: The Initiative #18

This is the best non-Brian Michael Bendis written Avengers book out there. I’d also say that, because it has an actual focus and doesn’t have to jump to various war campaigns, it’s a better read than the actual Secret Invasion mini-series. I like the military aspect of this crossover. You’ve got Nick Fury and his new soldiers and the Skrull Kill Krew and their guerilla tactics.

Battlefields: The Night Witches #1

If you’re a WWII enthusiast and haven’t read any of Garth Ennis’ war comics, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. I can’t speak as to the authenticity of the work, but it’s so prolific, so visceral, so moving, you just have to assume that the man has done tons of research. This book focuses on an all-female Russian bomber regiment. According to Wikipedia, "It was the most highly-decorated unit in the Soviet Air Force, each pilot having flown over 1,000 missions by the end of the war and twenty-three having been awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title." Ennis also seems to have a type of artist that he likes to use. Russ Braun, the guy who’s drawing this mini, to me looks like a cross between Steve Dillon (Ennis’ go-to guy) and Howard Chaykin (War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle).

Captain America: Theater of War - Operation: Zero Point #1

"Bottle it fraulein. I don’t have all day."

Another great WWII story this week. Since I’ve only been a fan of Cap since Brubaker took over the title, I’m not up on how he used to be presented in flashbacks or even in his Golden Age appearances. I always thought of him as a boyscout, even during the war. It may be a total fallacy, but in my mind, these flashbacks with Cap using a gun is a relatively recent thing, but I like it. It wouldn’t have made sense if he were on the frontlines during WWII with just a colorful shield and no other offensive weapons. This story is very simple and very easy to get through, and it still shows us why Cap is the greatest soldier.

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1

Johns is building up this Blackest Night storyline even more than he did the Sinestro Corps War, and I’m taking all the bait. The Lantern spectrum is blowing me away, and I’m enjoying how he’s making each color of the spectrum individual rather than just a Green Lantern clone. I’m glad we’re seeing a Blue Lantern. I want to see what this guy is all about. He recharged Hal’s ring, and up to 200%?

Angel: After the Fall #13

Okay, so Spike didn’t actually get staked, or he was resurrected...again? That part’s a bit unclear to me. Cordelia’s death was a bit rough. I was hoping Angel and the gang would be able to keep the dragon a bit longer. They’re really starting to thin the heard. First Cordy, then sorta Spike, then Gwen, and lastly Fred. I guess we’ll find out next issue if Illyria can actually die while she is Fred.

Incredible Hercules #122

It’s a testament to Pak’s writing that he can go from two pretty heavy and serious stories (Planet Hulk and World War Hulk) to the light-hearted fare that this book is now. The interplay between Herc, Cho and anyone they come in contact with is excellent. And the flashbacks and references to Herc’s mythological tales are a great touch. I’d love to see what Pak can do in other circles of the Marvel Universe.

Joker Hardcover Graphic Novel

"Abner...you’re scaring the fish."

Azzarello and Bermejo? On a story about the Joker? It’s a can’t miss. Forget the $19.99 price tag; it’s well worth it. Bermejo seemed to be influenced heavily by Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker, which is the most compelling portrayal I’ve seen since, well, that I’ve EVER seen. To me, the Joker never worked when he was slap-stick silly. He worked when he was bat-shit (no pun intended) crazy. The appearance and body language that Bermejo gave Joker just screamed Ledger. And I could hear him saying all of Azzarello’s words in that even, never losin’ it voice that Ledger used. I’m assuming this is an Elseworlds story, unless Azzarello and Bermejo were allowed to redesign Batman’s rogues gallery.

Nova #18

What a great and fast-paced issue. We’ve got the Worldmind back. We’ve got Quasar back somewhat. We’ve got the seeds of Death’s Head II planted. And we’ve got the return of the Nova Corps, which I’m hoping will be the focus of the next issue. I love it when forgotten heroes are brought into stories and used well and not just as cannon fodder. Nova really grew up through both Annihilation stories, and he’s carrying his own series well.

No Hero #2

It looks like we’ll be getting into the really good stuff next issue, as this was pretty much all talk, but good talk. We get a couple of nuggets about what it’s like to have powers, we learn that others are trying to replicate the power pill, and we learn a bit about what happened to Judex. I was surprised at the minimal amount of blood and gore in the issue, the Ryp made it all better in the end. It’s what I think of when his name is brought up.

Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude

I love looking at Alex Ross’ raw pencil drawings, and I love books like this. These sketches are accompanied by brief character descriptions of people we’ll see in Chapter Two. Nothing meaty here, but nice to look at and teasable for the next book.

The Boys #24

"Dude, I think you got shit on the phone...!"

Now we’re getting into Ennis’ version of Marvel’s X-stable of heroes. Hughie is undercover with G-Wiz, who are the equivalent to the New Mutants or X-Force or something like that. We learn that they’re the ones who have been prank calling The Seven, and Hughie and his super gal almost have a run in. At the same time, M.M. is investigating Silver Kincaid’s death. So there’s lots going on in this storyline. Robertson’s artwork is as excellent as always, and Ennis effectively splits up the book between the different characters without making it seem like the book is overflowing with characters (ahem, New Warriors).

Thor #11

While Thor is in New York to visit with Jane and Captain America, Balder is doing his best to rule in Thor’s absence. It’s too bad that his main council is Loki. He seems to be doing a good job, but Loki is a master of guile and treachery, so why would anyone believe that just because he’s received a mystical sex change he’s also received a major personality change, too? Balder should know that no good will come of this, and he should be more suspicious after the needless death in Asgard. I’m enjoying JMS’s writing here, and Copiel’s art is beautiful. His rendition of Cap at the memorial was great, too. He looked similar to his Paradise X self.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3

Some of the best stories of this series don’t have anything at all to do with Spider-Man, but are regular character interactions, mostly Pete and MJ. The pages of them together were better than any of the Mysterio pages. I don’t know if this is really how teenagers act or talk today, but it’s close enough to how I acted and talked in high school (half my life ago) that it resonates (although I can’t really sympathize with the subject matter).

X-Force #8

Wolverine is leading a team of X-characters and he ISN’T the most blood-thirsty one on the team. It’s amazing that with all the violence going on, there’s still room for character development. And the theme of the book seems to be inner turmoil. Good stories, dark art, vicious cast, great combination.

Leftovers

Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1

I guess this is an Alterniverse kind of thing. The first story shows us what would have happened had the X-Men not succeeded in Chaparanga Beach. It’s pretty much the standard anti-mutant future with Sentinels and everything. The second story reminded me a LOT of Ellis’ other work this week, Aetheric Mechanics, but put Emma in the role of Holmes, or Raker if you want to get technical. I hope this ends up having some bearing on the actual series. If not, as with any alternate universe story, what’s the point? I know, I know, good storytelling should always be the point, but sometimes you want a payoff, y’know?

Captain Action #1

It wasn’t necessarily a bad issue, but I was a bit lost. I was into the third story before I realized it was an anthology and not three separate Captain Action tales. As an introductory story, they weren’t good. But had I known CA’s history, the first story at least might have been very good. I’m still going to check it out, though. It shows a lot of promise.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1/35

Decent issue overall, there just wasn’t anything about it (okay, I’ll always think Mike McKone’s artwork is excellent) that just jumped out at me. We learn Jackpot’s origin, but after her first few appearance, I don’t think anyone actually believed she was MJ. It’s nice seeing the annuals back, but I miss some things. I usually always liked the pin-ups, sometimes the back-up stories were clever, and these two sections were often done by writers or artists who either weren’t known for the character they were doing, or were a classic writer/artist of the character that hadn’t worked on them for a long time.

Teen Titans #64

"Who needs charm when you’ve got tons of awesome?"

Not a bad issue at all. The two stories flow well with each other, both dealing with fathers who want to help their daughters with the crises they’re in. Right now, though, I’d say that Wonder Girl is in it a bit deeper than bombshell. Lycus and his hellhound seem to enjoy bringing the pain, as Marvin could he attest to if he were alive and stuff.

Trinity #22

A lesser issue than we’ve been getting the past few weeks. We found out where the scroll came from, and then we get back to the new world where super-heroes are being replaced by others after turning to dust. This almost seemed to be a place-holder issue, a bit of an info dump hiding behind a bit of action.

Ultimate Captain America Annual #1

That was pretty anti-climactic. After reading The Ultimates 3, we already knew that Cap was running around as the Panther. But I didn’t think a story like this warranted devotion of a full annual, maybe just some flashbacks here and there. I’ll say this, though: the Marco Djurdjevic art at the beginning was gorgeous.

Compost

DC Universe: Decisions #4

All of that just for Superman to tell us all that voting is important? That was a waste. The art was decent, but the story just didn’t cut it.

Justice League of America #26

"Excessive continuity is always a mistake."

I still don’t see the appeal of Vixen. This issue just flew by, and not in a good way. I thought scenes were skipped, opportunities missed, and the issue was just rushed. Let’s look at the first page. Vixen is complaining that the pain from her broken arm is back, so she calls on the healing abilities of a reptile. That’s all well and good, but why didn’t she just do that in the first place? Last issue, two and a half pages were spent detailing the origin of Paladin, but he didn’t do a damn thing that was special. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to focus on, say, Wonder Woman instead since it was her word that got the alternate JLA back together? The few panels with the Brown Bomber were awkward. In the bottom three panels, it seems like text is missing from the middle box; in the last box Vixen answers a question that it looks like hasn’t been posed. And then Anansi gives up so easily and brings the JLA back for a two-page spread of a fight scene that ends up going nowhere. Let’s hope next issue’s Milestone crossover (or is this their introduction into the DCU proper? I thought I read something about that) brings the quality back up on this title.

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Listening to: The Roots - The Seed (2.0)
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.