TRAILER FOR IRON MAN 2!!!!!!!!!!!

If you would have told me 5 years ago that one of my favorite comics each month would be an Iron Man comic, I would have laughed at you. I've never been an Iron Man fan. I've never been a big fan of any of the wealthy superheros out there. I guess I just can't relate.

And then Civil War happened, and Tony Stark became Mr. Awesome in the Marvel Universe. And then the Skrulls launched their Secret Invasion, and his world went to hell. It has been a wild and awesome ride.

Also in that time, Robert Downey, Jr. starred as Tony Stark in the Iron Man movie, and he owned that role. That was hands down one of the best comic book movies I've ever seen.

So we're only a handful of months away from Iron Man 2 being released, and the first trailer is finally out. I'm not lying when I say I love this so much that I want to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant (I've been watching too much 30 Rock).

[For some reason, I can't get the trailer to play at the correct size. Grrrrr...]

What You Should Have Read #4

I think I missed or book or two last week, so there might be a little spill-over.

Action Comics #884

Adventure Comics #5

Booster Gold #27

R.E.B.E.L.S. #11

Secret Six #16

Amazing Spider-Man #614

Dark X-Men #2

Deadpool #18

Ender’s Game: War of Gifts

Incredible Hulk #605

Nation X #1

New Avengers Annual #3

Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #2

Spider-Man and the Secret Wars #1

S.W.O.R.D. #2

War Machine #12

Web of Spider-Man #3

X-Necrosha: Gathering

Stuff I Loved: Invincible Iron Man, as long as it’s being written by Matt Fraction or someone equally as awesome, will always go in this section. As with last week’s Dark Avengers Annual, though, I really have to cry foul at the appearance of Captain America. Yeah, we all knew he was coming back, and sure, one could reasonably surmise that he would return by the end of the Captain America: Reborn miniseries, but c’mon, that’s not even over yet and we’ve had two appearances already. I hate when that happens. Also, Rhodey shows up, and I’m pretty sure he’s still in jail or something. His book comes out this week too, so maybe I should have at least read that one first. As for the Ghost, I think I need to do some research on him. Is he the same character from the mid-‘80s? I think that was the last time I saw someone going by that moniker, and he was going after Stark and Justin Hammer. M.O. seems the same, but he looks TOTALLY different. Anyways, the way this story is going, a better title would seem to be Star: Reassembled since he was pretty much disassembled while being chased by Osborn during the last storyline.

Secret Six is another that’s always top notch. The banter between the team members is great, and Ragdoll steals just about every scene he’s in. Black Alice joins the cast in this issue, and everybody visits a strip club. Yeah, awesome, right?

How long have we all been waiting for that last page of New Avengers Annual? And I’ve since given up complaining about Steve showing up before the end of Captain America: Reborn. Apparently it wasn’t just a fluke in a book or two. I had actually expected more Jessica Jones/Jewel, considering she was front-and-center on the cover and all. And since so much has happened between Ronin getting captured and this issue, I had almost forgotten about it. I’m glad Bendis didn’t. Hmm, it sounds like I’m doing nothing but complaining, but I really did love the issue.

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? This issue of Deadpool wrapped up his stint in the X-Men, and I thought the issue seemed to just fly by. I could have used more of the “dude” H.A.M.M.E.R. agents, and I could have seen Norman get schooled by ‘Pool. I think Osborns frustration with how the scene played out was the only thing really missing from the issue. Otherwise, classic Deadpool, the only person stupid enough to attempt to head-butt Colossus.

“And men will call him SPANGEL!” “No, they won’t. Ever.” I love it when TV characters are captured perfectly in comic books, and this issue of Angel really gets Spike and Groo. And Spike as Angel? Can’t be beat. This issue used a pretty neat idea from season 2 of Buffy and took it to the next level, and it also gave us an issue full of great quips and one-liners.

Okay, after a relatively ho-hum start, I really like how this story ended and the Gauntlet began. There’s a pretty major shake-up of Peter’s world, plus a bit of a hint as to where the Gauntlet is going. If this story is any indication, we’re going to see Spidey fighting some amped-up villains who will then reunite to reform the Sinister Six. Sounds pretty awesome to me. I guess the last Sinister Six story I can remember reading is Erik Larsen’s short run on the adjectiveless Spider-Man.

X-Necrosha: The Gathering was a nice little book that showed how Selene recruited the mutants who were following her around in the few months leading up to X-Necrosha. Simple, straight-forward…what really connected with me, though, was the Blink story. This isn’t the Age of Apocalypse Blink, it’s the original, the one who died during the Phalanx Covenant (which, along with the Clone Saga in Spider-Man, was one of the reasons I gave up reading comics for almost 2 years).

Stuff I Liked: I was actually hoping that Dox would be able to keep his yellow power ring, but I guess he’s too independent. His ego is the driving force behind R.E.B.E.L.S. and what keeps me coming back. I don’t think I could care any less about any of the other characters. But Dox is like Tony Stark without a sense of humor. And while that may not sound all that interesting, it works.

Nation X was an extremely solid anthology book, much like Manifest Destiny. The writing was top-notch as was the art. I especially liked the Magneto story that kicked off the book. I didn’t love it, though, and I think it’s because I’ve been away from the X-Men for so long that I have to get reacquainted with everyone. They were just great stories about characters that I couldn’t connect with.

I think Jericho: Season 3 was a book I missed out on last week. I loved the show, and I had heard that a comic was coming out, I just didn’t realize it was so soon. It was a good story, and bits a pieces brought back some good memories of the show, but there were details that I just couldn’t remember. I wish the book had spent some more time giving a recap of the series rather than giving a quick two-page rundown.

The banter between Beast and Abigail is what’s best about S.W.O.R.D. Actually just about everything they say, regardless of who they’re talking to. I don’t care a bit about what’s going on with Gyrich or all the aliens on Earth; I’m in this for the witty banter.

Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard was better than the last issue. It’s still not filling me with the awe and wonder that the previous two cosmic storylines did, and really, all the Fault stuff is feeling like an uncoordinated Annihilus wave; monsters attacking our universe.

It seems as though when coming up with The Boys, Garth Ennis really only had a plan/history for Hughie, Mother and Butcher. They’re the ones we spend the most time with, and this issues origin story of Frenchie just seemed like filler. It was well-written and well-drawn, but it didn’t make me relate to Frenchie any more, and even in the context of the series, it was somewhat ridiculous. I’m expecting the same sort of treatment with The Female eventually.

Angel: Only Human was a good, quick read that played off of Season 5 continuity while still moving forward. I’m enjoying the Gunn/Illyria road trip, although I’d rather see her palling around with Spike. They had such great chemistry, and there was really no threat of an attempt at romance. I can see that being attempted with Gunn, although I hope it doesn’t happen. I’m okay with Illyria beginning to understand humanity, but I don’t think I’d like her watered down by too many human trappings.

“That’s Director Osborn if you’re nasty.” I thought this final issue of War Machine was a solid ending to a mostly solid series. Since I wasn’t up on the cosmetic changes that Rhodey went through, I’m glad he’s got a regular flesh-and-blood body again. And he already showed up in this week’s Invincible Iron Man, so I’m hoping that he’ll be a semi-regular (too many Iron Men will just clog up the works) addition to the series. Hmm, but what of his support crew?

Stuff That Was Just Meh: Incredible Hulk (I dislike jarring changes in art that have nothing to do with the story, but I’d rather have two artists on a book than a late book), Dark X-Men (I have to little knowledge about Nate Grey and what happened to him after the Age of Apocalypse to fully appreciate the story…I have to do some research), Web of Spider-Man (I think some more time could be spent on the origins), Walking Dead (what’s left to do?), Ender’s Game: War of Gifts (I don’t remember Zech from the book, so I really don’t see the point of the special), Booster Gold (enough with the Booster/Ted Kord love fest already. We get it, they were best friends, now move on), Adventure Comics (the Conner story was the only thing that saved this from going in the trash. The Superboy Prime story was just awful), and Action Comics (I kinda want a big Kryptonia throwdown now. That’s all I’m waiting for).

As a side note, are there any bloggers who read this and can help me out with some formatting problems? Before I took my little hiatus, I never had a problem lining up the pictures with the text that corresponds to it. Now it's all out of whack.

Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Nov. 19, 2008 (Regular Series)

Amazing Spider-Man #578

So, it’s Mark Waid’s first ASM issue. Not bad, I guess. We got some of the Master Planner feel without the heart. It was good to see the Shocker, a villain we haven’t seen in a while, but he was as much of a joke here as he’s ever been. The art by Marcos Martin was pretty decent. There was definitely a fluid, limber feel to Peter and Spider-Man, and it seemed natural. When McFarlane was drawing Spidey, the contorted poses he’d put our hero through seemed more painful than limber. Martin’s art worked well. And at the end Waid throws us a good cliffhanger. Who knew JJJ still had a parent who was alive?

Angel: After the Fall #14

I’m kind of surprised that L.A. has stayed occupied by Hell for so long. Ditto with Angel and his humanity. I thought the way he was saved this issue was pretty cheap, though. I think my favorite part was the conversation between Illyria and Wesley. As much as I liked Fred, I’m glad they didn’t bring her back. It would have kind of invalidated her death, which was a highlight of the last season. Of course, now she’s reverted to her true form, and I kinda hope she’s killed after this. If not, then what’s to stop the good guys from using her as an out to any difficult situation? So the only logical conclusions are to kill her or to severely deplete her powers. I like her as a character, but I think keeping her around if she can go full god at will would just lead to sloppy writing.

Brave and the Bold #19

I was really impressed with this issue, more so than I have been with any of the other 18 issues so far. It starts off with the Phantom Stranger and Green Lantern already together, so we don’t have to wade through any contrived method of getting the two together. A special girl who is channeling alien doomsday prophecies lead the duo to Oa and then to a pleasure planet that is supposed to be destroyed soon, where the duo meets up with another Lantern. The whole book worked really well. The interactions between the characters and everyone’s motivations rang true. And the art by Doug Braithwaite was quite good.

Deadpool #4

Double-cross seems to be the tagline for this series. I’m enjoying the banter between the multiple personalities, and the little glimpses into Deadpool’s maniacal mind by showing us what he sees. Other than that, it was a pretty average issue.

Ex Machina #39

I am just a little disappointed as to how Trouble was taken down. All this build up for a kiss and being knocked out with one punch. I almost have to believe that this just sets up a future storyline. She was just a crazy stalker-fan of The Great Machine? If it’s not setting up a future storyline, it leaves me very cold. And Kremlin is getting on my nerves. Let’s get his story going.

Fantastic Four #561

Well, this was a very logical solution, but it leads to questions. Why didn’t future Sue do this in the first place? She obviously already went through this, as evidenced by Reed injecting present Sue with a tracking device that immediately showed up in future Sue and future Sue knowing what was going to happen with Doom. But those flaws are easy to forgive. It was still entertaining, and the art by Bryan Hitch is always spectacular.

Iron Man #35

So wait, this whole thing was a set up for a new War Machine series? I hate it when that happens. I didn’t even think this was that great of a story. I’ll be looking forward to the return of Tony next month, even though I’m enjoying the Invincible Iron Man more than this series. I’m hoping this book will focus on rebuilding Shield after the Skrull invasion.

Squadron Supreme #5

I liked Straczynski’s take on the Squadron, but I’m not all that into where Chaykin is taking the story. First off, I was always under the impression that the Squadron members were analogs of DC characters, but clearly with this book we’re already seeing Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Thor and the Hulk. I also don’t like the Ultimate Nick Fury over here. He needs to be stirring up shit in his own universe. With the mention of Nighthawk and the return (I don’t remember her, I’ll have to check my back issues) of Inertia, are we going to see a big battle between the original Squadron members and Fury’s new Shield?

Supergirl #35

I’m picking this up for two reasons: the Alex Ross cover and the New Krypton crossover. I’ve heard nothing but bad reviews about this series since it started, so let’s see. Well, I actually liked it. It looks like Sterling Gates used Kryptonite poisoning to explain all of Supergirl’s erratic behavior that made her so unlikable as a character. So now she has all of her memories back, and it looks like there’s either a new Supergirl in town or a Superwoman. I guess we’ll learn more in next week’s Superman.

Thunderbolts #126

What a great start for the new creative team, and it’s a logical one, too. Norman has effectively disbanded the T-bolts and behind the scenes he’s got the crazier members dispatching the saner ones. And so far it’s working. It’s only a two-issue storyline, so it looks like we won’t have to wait long to see if this is actually going to happen.

Trinity #25

I know it’s a pipe dream, but I’d really like to see Jack Knight show up. Tarot just showed up in Opal and met Charity, but Jack’s not even there anymore. I’d settle for a Shade appearance, though. I have to agree with Vibe. If the JSI were there as friendlies, why break through the walls? The bulk of the issue was two teams working through their differences for a common cause. We’ve seen it before, we’ll see it again, but I guess this is something we had to go through. Tarot, whom I thought was as boring as Hell in the beginning, was the interesting part of this story.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #58

Following up immediately after the events of Ultimatum #1, this was a very exceptional issue. While Ben does what he can (which isn’t much) to help Sue, we get glimpses into his past with Reed, which explain why they’re such good friends. Sue and Johnny’s dad is apparently dead, and as the buffer between the team and General Ross, that should have a great impact on the future of the kids. Ben ends up heading underground to bring in the Mole Man to help with Sue’s condition. The Sue stuff wasn’t all that great. Her mom, who either wasn’t told about her husband (ex?) or just didn’t care, is brought in to help and is pretty much useless. The gems are the flashbacks of Reed and Ben. Ben isn’t using Reed to get out of doing homework, and Reed isn’t using Ben to protect him from bullies. These two kids are best friends, plain and simple.

Young X-Men #8

The banter between Santo and Victor was great. The super-powered tattoo artist is a good idea. It takes DC’s Tattooed Man to a new level. Almost a year into this book and it’s holding strong. I think it’s funny that I’m not even trying to get into the two main X-books (Uncanny and Legacy), but I’m loving this book and Astonishing.