What You Should Have Read #64

Comic Book Reviews 

for the Week of June 13, 2012

I thought this week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man was a good ending to the “Ends of the Earth” storyline. We got some good scenes with Mysterio. The Rhino with nothing to live for was truly a man to be afraid of. Doc Ock, as always, was defeated by his own hubris. Two things stuck with me, though. First, the Rhino. When did the Rhino stop being stupid? He was always just muscle that screwed everything up. He wasn’t a joke because he was so powerful, but I always got the impression that he could barely string two thoughts together. He was always a lackey, and his Russian background was either forgotten or ignored. Then, after Brand New Day, he’s VERY Russian and seems to be of average intelligence. What happened? I hit up Wikipedia, and it mentioned a Tangled Web story where he regained his intelligence but ended up having it taken away because it ultimately bored him. So really, what happened? The other thing had to do with the ending. Who exactly was Spidey upset about? He said, “Someone died.” By my count, there are four characters who might have died during this storyline: two from the Ends of the Earth one-shot and two from this issue. I guess that’ll be explained in next week’s issue of Avenging Spider-Man.

There is very little I’m enjoying about the Avengers side of the “Avengers vs. X-Men” crossover. This week’s issue of Avengers did nothing to change that. My complaints against focusing on Noh-Varr remain: nothing has been done with him to get us to care about him. Now he’s not allowed back on Earth. Big whoop. Also, why was he accepted so easily by the Kree? He’s not from this universe. I really liked Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy mini, but the character has just been absorbed into continuity and left to grow stale. I’ll not shed a tear if we never see Noh-Varr/Marvel Boy/Protector again.

On to Avengers Assemble, which I AM enjoying. Maybe I’ve just got a soft spot in my heart for Bendis/Bagley collaborations. Although I don’t necessarily like WHY this specific team of Avengers has their own book, I am enjoying the story. My biggest gripe with this issue specifically ties into this week’s Amazing Spider-Man. In it, Thor, whose mind was being controlled by Doc Ock, could no longer lift his hammer. But in this issue, Hulk, whose mind was being controlled by Thanos, COULD lift Thor’s hammer. Bit of a continuity gaffe there, considering I don’t think Hulk has lifted Mjolnir even in his right mind.

There’s not much I can say about this week’s Batman without spoiling something that probably shouldn’t be spoiled if you haven’t read the issue yet. Personally, I loved it, but I can understand how long-time Batman fans might be put off a bit. This is a BIG thing, and I think Snyder is doing a wonderful job at making this Batman his own. He’s also done a great job of pulling his version of Owlman over into DC’s new continuity. I can’t wait to see how this ends next month. I ended up getting the regular cover for this issue, but I thought long and hard about picking up the Rafael Albuquerque variant. With as much as I’m loving this book, though, I’ve decided that it’s good enough to warrant me buying a copy of each cover in the future, as long as the variant is being sold for cover price.

I’m enjoying Robinson’s Earth 2, but I’m LOVING The Shade. It’s not a superhero book, although there are powers and “good” vs. “evil.” It’s not necessarily an origin book, although we are learning things about the Shade’s past. What this IS is a great story. It’s a great character on a quest. This is also Robinson at his best. Like I said, I’m enjoying Earth 2, and I really think it’ll get even better as the book goes on, but that’s a book that HAS to have some high-adrenaline action to keep it moving. Not so with The Shade. It’s a bit of a wordy book, but that’s perfectly alright. The words draw you into the wonderful pictures that adorn each issue. This issue had wonderful artwork by Frazer Irving. The faces are full of expression, the backgrounds are wonderfully textured, and the pages are expertly set up. I did have to go back to see if we’ve seen Dudley before, because it seems like we should know him, but I guess not. It just seems as if this is the Caldecott that’s gone after the Shade. I can’t wait to see WHY ol’ Dickie was targeted by his…great great grandson? I also bought both versions of this book, the Tony Harris cover and the Frazer Irving cover. If I can buy a variant cover for regular cover price, I’ll usually go that route unless I just really like the regular cover better. But in some instances, I want to lend as much support as possible to a book, so I’ll buy the regular cover AND the variants. I want the Shade to get another limited series after this, so I’ll buy all the covers as long as my LCS makes them available for cover price.

The comic I was most looking forward to this week was Spider-Men, and it didn’t disappoint. I never thought there needed to be a crossover between the 616 Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Marvel Universe, but so far I like what little interaction we’ve had with the 616 Spidey in the Ultimate New York. Bendis is a great Spider-Man writer, and I bet I wouldn’t have enjoyed his run on the Avengers titles as much had Spidey not been included, and now he’s finally getting his chance to write a solo 616 Web-Slinger story. The biggest question for me to come out of this issue is how long Mysterio has known about the Ultimate Universe (and tangentially, when this takes place in relation to “Ends of the Earth”). The best thing about the issue was the short interaction between Peter and the mugging victim he rescued. Bendis was able to get his “poor taste” running gag in the issue, and that was a gag I’ve loved in the new Ultimate Spider-Man book. Is it wrong that I want the next issue to consist of nothing but 9-panel pages of Pete and Miles talking with each other?

Ennis is really cleaning house with this last storyline in The Boys. Two of the team’s supporters are now gone, either directly or indirectly dispatched by Butcher. Hughie and MM are starting to piece together that Butcher has finally cracked and that some superpowered shit is hitting an incredibly massive fan. This isn’t shaping up to be a happy ending for anybody.

There’s a LOT of stuff going on in Uncanny X-Force. You’ve got two separate people after Fantomex, and I think it might be safe to say that they aren’t working together. Nightcrawler and Wolverine have been brought down by clones of Omega Red, and Wade, well, Wade has some fun with homemade assassin program at White Sky. Then you’ve got some X-kids on a field trip in Genosha, and it looks like they’re being tailed by Sabertooth. Also, Kitty’s father was in Genosha when the Sentinels destroyed it? Why? And it looks like Amahl Farouk is still alive and kicking, and I’d like to see that explained. I was under the impression that that body of the Shadow King was dead and gone. Also, bonus points for the Arrested Development reference. That’s quite a bit to absorb, but it’s still less confusing that the Otherworld adventure from a few issues ago.

My back issue buys this week were Amazing Spider-Man #s 661 and 662.

It looks like next week is an all Marvel week for me:

Avengers vs. X-Men #6

Dark Avengers #176

Invincible Iron Man #519

Journey into Mystery #640

New Avengers #27

X-Factor #238

And now for something a little different. I subscribe to a daily emailer called Daily Steal. They usually have some damn fine deals, although I haven’t bought much at all from them. A couple of weeks ago, though, they had a listing for some comic books. The pitch was 50-65 comics plus a handful of trading cards with a total value of $500…for only $29.95! Plus, it was Free Shipping Friday! Now, they had some stock pictures of various ‘90s comics (the only one that I can recall was Superman #75), so I knew not to expect much, but I was curious as to what this site thought $500 worth of comic books looked like. And, worst comes to worst, I bought a bunch of comics for $.60/book.

Here are my unbox videos from this purchase. Don’t expect this to ever happen again, because I generally don’t like these types of videos, but I wanted this experience recorded for posterity. And spoiler, there was nowhere near $500 worth of comics in this badly packaged box. Every single issue included would be lucky to find itself in a quarter bin at any reputable comic shop.

Also, huge apologies for the bad synching between the audio and the video. I have no idea how that happened.

What You Should Have Read #54

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics

Animal Man/Swamp Thing #s 5 – These aren’t main DCU books, these are old-school Vertigo books, and I love them both. As much as I’d like to see some of these non-JLA characters and books stand on their own for a bit in this relaunch without crossovers and team-ups and stuff, Animal Man writer Jeff Lemire and Swamp Thing writer Scott Snyder have done a wonderful job of weaving The Red and The Green together. I think that NOT having a crossover would be a disappointment. I like how this is shaping up to be a battle between the kids, Maxine vs. William, with probably the obligatory Animal Man vs. Swamp Thing superhero misunderstanding as an undercard.

Avengers Annual #1 – Gabriele Dell’Otto was a wonderful find for Marvel, and it pains me that he hasn’t been used as much as he should be. I’m guessing it’s a speed thing? He’s my new Alex Ross, which is a pretty poor comparison considering their styles are so different. Dell’Otto doesn’t drip with realism like Ross does, but he’s got energy. Now, you know I love Brian Michael Bendis, but I was expecting more from this issue. I was expecting a battle royale, but I guess we got all our fighting from the New Avengers Annual (with just a bit here). All this annual seemed to do, though, was set up more stuff. So the world is going to start looking at the Avengers with a bit of mistrust? They’re going to turn into the X-Men? If anything, I expect Beast to do exactly what Simon asked of him. He took Cyclops to task, why wouldn’t he do the same thing with Steve or Tony?

Avengers Academy #24 – Too much hand wringing and self-justification from Reptil to really make this issue enjoyable. It was the brief interpersonal moments that barely saved it.

The Boys #62 – Looks like everything is about to hit the fan. I’m enjoying the ride that Garth Ennis is taking us on with these amoral superheroes, but I REALLY want them to get their asses handed to them, every single one of them.

Defenders #2 – This was a rather quick issue. The Defenders get their butts kicked, they get captured, they escape, and they hear the “villain’s” plans. That’s a lot of stuff for 22 pages.

Thunderbolts #168 – Really, who would have thought that Luke Cage would have been such an important fixture in the Marvel Universe? This issue felt like filler. Luke is trying to round up some of the Raft escapees while Songbird and Mach-V have it out with some suits. Yeah, kind of boring, since Luke spends most of his time in his own head. I’m hoping we’ll get more action or quasi-villainy next issue.

Uncanny X-Force #19.1 – So X-Force isn’t actually in this issue. This is all a set-up for the Age of Apocalypse…mini-series? I don’t think it’s an on-going. I know UXF writer Rick Remender isn’t writing the mini, but as long as it keeps the quality that this issue brought to the table, then I’m going to enjoy it.

Villains for Hire #2 – Like Purple Man, I’m not buying the Misty Knight thing. Something else is going on. As good as the writing is, though, it’s getting really tough to care at all about what’s happening to these fourth-rate villains.

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

What You Should Have Read #52

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

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What You Should Have Read #51

Thoughts on Last Week’s Comics

A couple of days late, and I apologize for that.

Amazing Spider-Man #675 – I really want Peter and Carlie to get back together. I thought that was a wonderful relationship for him. As much as I liked MJ, I think Pete needs a more down-to-Earth girl. I think having her and Carlie become good friends, two people who can talk about Pete and his extracurricular activities, would be a great treat for the readers…and the humor and uncomfortableness that can result from his ex and his (hopefully) current gal could be great.

Avenging Spider-Man #2 –I liked Jameson’s courage as a captive. I liked Spidey teaching Red Hulk (I refuse to call him Rulk) the difference between being a military man and being an Avenger. One thing jumped out at me, though. At one point Spidey calls Red Hulk “General.” I wasn’t aware that Red Hulk’s identity was widely known. I know he’s an Avenger now, but I thought he was still Red Hulk to everybody. I went through a handful of Avengers back issues, and I can’t find one where he tells everybody that yes, he’s General Ross.

Boys #61 – I’ve really been enjoying this series since it started. It’s a well-written adult series that I think depicts superheroes in the real world better (and maybe a tad more pessimistic) than any other series I’ve seen attempt it. Writer Garth Ennis can have a tendency to be a bit…graphic…with the violence and nudity/sexuality, but this is an adult comic that portrays adult situations. I haven’t loved everything Ennis has done. Preacher and Hellblazer, sure. Even his first Marvel Knights Punisher series. But Jennifer Blood? Nope. The Crossed? Too over-the-top, even for me. But this is good stuff, and I think eventually it’ll be remembered as one of his best tales, just behind the previously mentioned Preacher and Hellblazer.

Defenders #1 – I’ve never been a fan of the Defenders. They weren’t around when I first started reading comics, and anything starting with Secret Defenders to the present just didn’t grab me. I picked this issue up because of Matt Fraction. Between Iron Man and Thor (and I didn’t hate Fear Itself), I’m going to try everything he does…at least in the Marvel Universe. Casanova is good but almost too out there for me. With this title, he’s doing a great job of getting me interested in characters I’ve never given a second thought to. I’m somewhat enjoying Strange and Iron Fist in New Avengers, but Fraction makes them shine here.

Hellblazer Annual #1 – Stupid, stupid Vertigo/DC. This isn’t the first Hellblazer Annual. Have you forgotten about the 1989 one written by Jamie Delano and Bryan Talbot? It’s be more understandable if, in the indicia, if this were listed as Hellblazer Annual 2012 like it is on the cover, but nope. I can imagine that this would be difficult for my extremely OCD organizational style to adequately file this issue, but since I didn’t pick it up, no problem there. I just wanted to complain.

Villains for Hire #1 – I’m thoroughly enjoying Heroes for Hire, and this mini looks like it’s going to be a great foil to that series…especially with this issue’s last-page reveal. I loved the genuine surprise of the Purple Man when the second crew showed up.

X-Factor #228 – Do any readers of X-Factor wonder why Guido’s code name is so stupid or what a “blork” is? They’re questions I’d have had I not been reading the book the first time Peter David started writing this title in the ‘90s. I’m loving how he’s got his entire team back, though, except for Havok, Polaris and Quicksilver, two of whom will be coming back after this storyline, I think. And David, ever the consummate professional, apparently did his homework on the exorcism. It’s similar with what I’m assuming are negligible variances from the spell used in the show Supernatural. I’m assuming it all depends on who did the translation you’re using. And I love Supernatural. Also, the thing where Bloodbath skewered himself to get Rhane off his back? I remember Shatterstar doing that in…either New Mutants #100 or X-Force #1, I think. Just thought it was weird.

The last two weeks were an experiment, and I've decided I don't like including the entire shipping list for THIS week's comics. I thought it looked cluttered. I WILL include a list of things I'm (or was, since Wednesday has come and gone) looking forward to, and I'll welcome a discussion about anything you picked up last week, this week, or will pick up in the future.

The Shade #3 (both covers)

New Avengers #19

Carnage U.S.A. #1

Uncanny X-Force #18

Locke & Key: Clockworks #3

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 #20

Avengers

I’m a little surprised that Avengers: The Origin hasn’t happened before this. If you’re familiar with the Avengers and how they got together, then this isn’t new for anybody. This just updates the team’s origin and let’s us know it’s updated by throwing in computers and email. Also, and maybe this was already known and maybe not, but apparently Stark Industries developed Shield’s helicarrier. It is a good read, though, and it’s pretty to look at.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers. I didn’t notice Cap’s shield on the cover, or else WWII as the setting wouldn’t have been such a shock. Well, I guess the title was a bit of a hint, too. So this is the first meeting of Cap and the Black Panther, but I think we can safely assume that this isn’t T’Challa, but most likely his father or grandfather. It’s a good story. I like how Gabe (that’s his name, right?) is getting some panel time, but he’s not being exploited by writer Reginald Hudlin as the only black member of the Howling Commandoes. I like the limited use of color (hmm, that phrase seems to take on a new meaning) by Pete Pantazis. It really makes Denys Cowan’s art pop when we eventually do get a bright splash of color. So yeah, I guess I like this book.

I normally don’t enjoy solo mini-series for characters I enjoy so much on a team. Sometimes a character works better as a member of the X-Men or the Avengers rather than fighting the good fight solo. But I thought I’d check out New Avengers: Luke Cage before dismissing it, and I liked the first issue. It’s Cage dealing with something in his past, which seems to be the default theme of mini-series like this. But it’s brought to the here-and-now by throwing in a couple of Spider-Man baddies and respecting the current continuity. So kudos to writer John Arcudi for that. I don’t recall ever having seen artist Eric Canete’s work before, but so far I’m impressed. He does a good job of not making all of the background/minor characters look the same, and there’s an energy to the work that I like. Hopefully I’ll be just as impressed with the remaining two issues of the mini.

Realm of Kings

Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the crossover. Whereas the other books deal with creatures in or from the Fault, this is only tangentially related. It’s also done nothing to make me like this character any more. It looks like the only thing decent that might come from this series is the “resurrection” of the Micronauts.

Second Coming

Although it’s set during the events of Messiah Complex, I’m putting Cable here since Second Coming is a direct result of MC. I never read the Cable/Deadpool series, but now I’m thinking I need to go back and do just that. This issue was great. The chemistry between these characteristically polar opposites was great. These two characters need to get together again. I’d love to see what happens when Deadpool meets a grown-up Hope. That could be fun.

If this issue of Uncanny X-Men is doing what I think it’s doing, it’s doing a good job of it. Sure, it’s throwing a bunch of stuff at Cable and Hope, but we’re seeing Cyclops functioning as a competent and able leader with talented and ready crew. It’s like we’re being set up for an easy win early in the game, so I’m expecting that, within another issue or two, the shit is going to hit the fan and our mutant heroes will be taken down a few pegs. That’s a good way to handle a story like this, so kudos to writer Matt Fraction. I really like the use of Cypher here. I always thought he was a useless character, but the upgrades he’s been given have made him pretty indispensable to Cyclops.

Spider-Man

Uhhhhh, Spider-Man: Fever was just a bit too trippy for me. I have no idea who Brendan McCarthy is, but his style is pretty reminiscent of an underground comic creator, and his artwork at times reminds me of Peter Bagge. Half the book is a crazy LSD trip, and I’m assuming that all of the next issue will be similar. Good effort, but no thanks.

 

Ultimate

Well, I guess we learned who one of the characters is on one of the variant covers to issue #1 of Ultimate X. I don’t like this look for Jean Grey and hopes she goes back to something a bit more normal. Other than that, though, this was a good issue showing us what Jean has been doing since Scott’s death. Special people just can’t live mundane lives, at least not in comic books. I wonder if this first arc will introduce us to one of those cover characters each issue. I’m okay with that. I guess next issue we’ll learn how Jimmy found Jean and if Kitty is with him.

Wolverine

From one Captain America in last month’s Wolverine: Weapon X to another one in this month’s. As with last month’s bar hopping of Logan and Steve, it wasn’t the action that really brought this book home (although the fight with the Deathloks was good). It was one tiny thing: Bucky having dinner and talking about food in Russia. It’s the little things like that that humanize these characters and make them just a teensy bit more relatable and a lot more likable. I have no speculations on the identity of The General. I don’t often like to do that. It tends to ruin the revelation for me whether I’m right or not. If I’m right, then the surprise is ruined, and if I’m wrong, I’m disappointed because I’m wrong. I’ll just enjoy it for what it is.

World War Hulks

The last time I paid any attention to Rick and Marlo, Marlo had moved on to women and was seeing Moondragon. What happened with that? Eh, I guess it’s moot. Did we really have to see them taking a relationship break? That could have been covered off panel. The Talbot story was a good way of showing what kind of a soldier he is and what we might expect from him. The Cosmic Hulk (blech) story was more of a Betty/Glenn story. I thought the Samson story in a recent issue of Hulk was much more illustrative of Leonard than this small story. The Red She-Hulk story was a good continuation from her Hulk back-ups, but I don’t really like her as a character. The Hulkpool story could have been better. Arguing Hulk monologues would have been a plus. But at least we learned how Red Hulk got Deadpool into a duffel bag. I was really hoping for more from the first issue of World War Hulks, maybe of the actual war rather than some vignettes.

Other Marvel Books

Just when I thought Marvel milked their zombies for all they were worth, Marvel Zombies 5 comes along, and I’m still interested. So far, I like the premise. Machine Man and Howard the Duck are traversing parallel worlds that have been infected by zombie plagues in the hopes of finding the cure for the plague on their world. Wait, is their world the 616 Marvel Universe? Does Deadpool’s decapitated zombie head count as an infestation, or am I forgetting something from the ending of the last zombie mini-series? Either way, I think I’m going to enjoy their trip through the multiverse, hopefully in ways that I didn’t enjoy Deadpool’s recent jaunt in Prelude to Deadpool Corps.

Stephen King’s N. is freaking me the fuck out. And Alex Maleev’s art is doing a great job of giving it that extremely spooky ambiance. It’s weird. I don’t like horror stuff. I’m very easily scared. But I’ve been a fan of Stephen King since I was in middle school, maybe a bit earlier. He hasn’t helped in my trials as a scaredy cat. This book isn’t helping either. Lately king’s work has been less spooky and a bit more suspenseful. This has got classic King. Spooky creature. Ordinary people struggling to keep this creature at bay. Ordinary people failing. I’m loving this and getting freaked out at the same time.

For right now, I’m just assuming that S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place in an alternate reality. That has to be the only reason why we’ve never heard of the Brood attacking ancient Egypt of Galileo taking out Galactus. And Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic’s dads working for “S.H.I.E.L.D.” in a secret city deep under Rome in the ‘50s? Yeah, it’s gotta be an alternate reality. Doesn’t it? And who’s the guy with the Eternity or Captain Universe-like body?

Justice League/Society

Flash Secret Files and Origins is a pretty handy book, and it’s got a good tease for the new Flash series about to be released. The story is pretty forgettable, but it throws in a couple of interesting nuggets. First, apparently all the speedsters connected to the speed force are now drawn to Barry and his emotions. Ooooookay. Second, the Rogues have a contingency plan should Barry ever return…which he has. So let the speculations on what that play is…begin! The rest of the book is filled with dossiers on just about everybody important in the Flash’s world. Regular readers get to bone up, and new readers get a quick introduction to everyone. It’s kind of win-win.

Can somebody clear something up for me? Does JSA All-Stars take place before or after Blackest Night? If it’s before, then this story needs to wrap up quickly so it can get back into continuity. If it’s after, I guess Damage was resurrected along with a bunch of the other heroes via the White Lantern. My biggest problem with this issue was the relative ease with which Anna Fortune captured the King of Tears. He was a pretty big deal for the JSA when the team re-formed and we were first introduced to Johnny Sorrow. He took out the Spectre, right? And this girl shoots him and captures him? I don’t think so. I liked the Stargirl and Atom Smasher scenes, though. I hope those crazy kids can make it.

Last Stand of New Krypton

All this just to have Kandor rebottled in Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton? That seems like a colossal waste of comic book pages. It looks as though Zod has planned for this. Will this actually end up being master tactician Zod against brilliant Coluan and strategist Brainiac-5? Or the two teaming up against Brainiac? Ugh, I still don’t care at all. I just want to see this through.

Superman

As much as I like the writing and art of Superman: Secret Origin, I don’t like the fact that it’s here. I mean, I understand the need to revise a character’s origin every now and then. I just question the need to do that to Superman now. I like Metallo’s previous origin. I don’t like that Perry White is the editor of a tabloid rag and not a respected paper. I don’t like that Johns is shoehorning General Lane into Superman’s origin to better fit his current xenophobia. When John Byrne did this in the mid-‘80s, Crisis had just happened and this was an easy thing to do. Superman was pretty much a new hero. Now he’s just an existing hero who is being changed. But still, great art by Gary Frank.

Other Books

I don’t know which issue of The Boys it’ll happen in, but Hughie’s going to get an ass whooping from Butcher, and he’s not even going to know why. Y’know, lately I’ve been so tired of Garth Ennis, from his war stuff to his Avatar-published books, but I’m still enjoying The Boys. There’s still a lot of shock value in the book, but there’s a point to it. There’s still a good story behind it, and it’s not the sole purpose for the book.

I don’t know if I should be, but I’m confused as hell after reading this month’s issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8. I understand that explanations about this entire “season” were attempted, but they just didn’t click with me. I still don’t understand what Twilight is or really what the connection is between Angel and Buffy. I don’t like to admit when comic book concepts are over my head, so I’d rather just blame it on poor or vague writing. I’m going to hope that it all comes together for me in the end.

I’d like to do all I can to forget the G.I. Joe movie. But it seems IDW has gone and given Ripcord a bit of the movie treatment when focusing on him in G.I. Joe: Origins. Surprisingly, I’m okay with this. These past two issues did a great job of showing why Weems was chosen to be a Joe and how resourceful he is. It was a great story, regardless of the movie influence.

This Week's Prospects

Action Comics #888
Adventure Comics #10
Brightest Day #0
Daredevil #506
Ender's Game: The League War
Fables #94
Flash #1
Irredeemable Special #1
Siege: Captain America #1
Siege: Loki #1
Siege: Young Avengers #1
Spider-Man: Origin of Hunter #1
Ultimate Enemy #3
World War Hulks: Hulked-Out Heroes #1