I Can't Believe I'm THIRD - Matt on books from 5/29

Three Grant Morrison books. Joss Whedon’s big X-Men finale. A new Mark Millar miniseries at Marvel. Another Bendis-written Secret Invasion tie-in.

So why do I feel so let down overall? Maybe it’s just sleep deprivation.

۞ Final Crisis #1 is a tough one to discuss. Morrison tends to write his arcs as a whole, which can lead to some seriously inscrutable first issues. (And, sometimes, second and third and even fourth issues -- I remember how completely befuddled everyone was almost all the way through the Rock Of Ages arc in his JLA run, and that reads fabulously in collection.) He has a real knack for tying things up satisfyingly, though, so I’m going to reserve final judgment, even though I found this opening salvo to be something less than I had hoped.

۞ All Star Superman #11 and Batman #677, however, are both terrific. Morrison is doing a much better job accommodating the somewhat limited talents of his Batman artists in his scripts, and All-Star Superman sets up the climactic issue with style. God, do I love All-Star Superman. (Also, apropos of my comments on Final Crisis, Morrison’s Batman run thus far reads MUCH better as a chunk than it did as it was being released. Still a shame about the art on those early issues, though.)

۞ Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1 is a really well-executed book that’s a victim of its enormous lateness. If this had been a normal comic, not something that represented the culmination of a storyline spanning (almost exactly) FOUR YEARS, it would be fabulous. If many of the dramatic reveals hadn’t been spoiled during the wait for this last issue, it would be great. As it stands, it’s a very competently done comic that -- like so many late books before it -- will be much better for people reading it collected in the future, when they can get the whole story without waiting three months between chapters.

۞ Green Lantern #31 is still very good. Not really much to say about it beyond that, but you should be reading if you’re not already -- the upcoming Blackest Night crossover looks terrific, and you’re going to regret not being around for the whole buildup if you miss this.

۞ Brian Michael Bendis has quite a few annoying writing tics, and New Avengers #41 indulges one of my least favorite: the scene we’ve already seen, this time from a different perspective that reveals a tiny bit of new information. This comic could’ve been condensed down to two word balloons from Shanna in a much livelier, tighter-written, NON-FLASHBACK-Y comic. I really think Bendis would benefit from more severe limiting of his storytelling space -- the more room he has to spread out into, the more he bloats to fill it.

۞ Mark Millar has a history of being able to write surprisingly good stories about young kids growing up, when he wants to -- the first two issues of Chosen were terrific. -- and Marvel 1985 #1 is yet another good example of that.

Unfortunately, he also has a habit of shoehorning in something complete asinine in the last issue that completely undermines and ignores the strongest parts of what preceded it, so let’s hope he avoids that temptation here. I don’t think he is -- I think this is an updating of a an old Twilight Zone riff, although it’s being telegraphed awfully early if it is -- but you can never tell when Millar is going to think that a clever little story would be improved by some sort of incestuous zombie rape scene or something.

At the very least, he nails PRECISELY how awesome Secret Wars #10 was for a kid at the time. (And how awesome it remains, in fact. There’s a lot of ridiculous junk in that miniseries, but the scene under discussion here is still Dr. Doom at his finest. That and the cover of the Hulk holding up a mountain forgive a lot of silliness.)

۞ And speaking of silliness, we have Helen Killer #2, which answers the question “How long can a mash-up of Daredevil, the Hulk, and The Miracle Worker sustain my attention?” (Hint: not even two issues.) That said, the pun in the title is terrific, and the whole thing is obviously a labor of love for the creators. So they have that going for them, at least.

Also, I reviewed some of this week’s other books in preview format a few days ago, so go see if any of my warnings or suggestions would’ve helped your purchasing this week.

Bendis and Morrison ALWAYS come first

I'm off to a good start this week: five whole books wrapped and ready to go. AND I had stacks of work to do at my real job, so I'm awesome.

New Avengers #41 was pretty good. I don't have the book in front of me, but I feel as if there was a note in the first issue of Secret Invasion that explained why Ka-Zar and Shanna weren't around, but I may be making that up. Still, for those who don't read interviews, this issue wraps up some dangling plot threads that showed up in issue #1 or 2, giving New Avengers a cohesion and sense of continuity. That's just nice.

Final Crisis #1 is kind of a slow start. As with so many of these event books, you have to take on faith that the next issue will show that the first issue was good because, on its own, it's kind of weak and scattered. Plus, the Dr. Light/Giganta thing felt forced and out of place. But still, there was plenty to like and it did feel self-contained (unlike Infinite Crisis, which felt like a summary of other books that happened to be going on at the same time) and JG Jones is just an awesome artist. As a bonus, it did feel like Countdown (a 51 issue series that told five issues worth of story) had a point. Not a big point, or even a good one, but a point nonetheless.

All-Star Superman #11 is a very good issue that fails to live up to the last issue (if you haven't read All-Star Superman #10, we can't be friends because it is the greatest single issue of 2008, no question), but that's okay. It's still very good. Good writing, plotting, art. A solid package. When the Absolute Edition comes out (and it will come, no doubt), that's going to be a volume to have.

Batman #677 was the third Grant Morrison book released this week. If only WildC.A.T.S. #2 had also been released... But I digress. I'm excited about this book because, for a year or more, it felt like he was spinning his wheels: weak plots, blown deadlines, art that was barely good enough to be called dreadful, and no apparent direction. This is him pulling it together. He doesn't save or even justify the earlier issues, but he is finally telling a story he cares about and has a sense of purpose again. Some of the ideas that get name-checked are intriguing, but I am guessing (hoping?) these are lies planted by the Black Glove.

King-Size Hulk #1, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the other books on this list. It's a decent story, lots of big action, just like the Hulk series, but there's no point to it all. The art is great: Art Adams doing more than two pages of interiors is probably worth $5, plus you get Frank Cho and Herb Trimpe to boot. But the story is filler, just mindless backstory that was unnecessary in the main title, so why tell it? I do hope another issue of Hulk gets released, though, because Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness at their most Jeph-Loeb-and-Ed-McGuiness-iest is just good times for everyone.

So, are there going to be comics next week?

Seriously, just about every book that I read came out this week so suffice it to say I was rather busy today. And I'm just going to go through them in the arbitrary order that they're in at this moment in time. And they're going to be quick because of the season finale of Lost.

New Warriors # 12 - I really have no idea why I'm still reading this book. Wait, I'm a sucker for Paco Medina. Yup, I'm one of those Eastern influenced art style guys. Anyway, This book has just gotten incredibly repetitive. Night Thrasher does something clandestine that nobody approves of. There's some D-List villain wrecking shop. Everyone gets out of it and hugs are all around. And they begrudgingly accept Night Thrasher's reason for surreptitious behavior. With hugs. God I miss classic Beak.

X-Men Legacy # 212 - Keeps getting better and better. Seriously, if you read one MONTHLY (Yes, Astonishing is still better, but, you know, February.) X- book make it this one. It's got deep ties to the lore. A sensible retcon for the douchebag Xavier of the new millennium. And more Gambit than any other book on the shelves. If you like that sort of the thing (i.e. part pimp, part accent that is terribly annoying when overused, and all the pink spandex you can handle)

Uncanny X-Men # 498 - Something happened. I dig Mike Choi's art. Even though everyone looks 15 in the face. It's okay. even though they bring in a villain at the end who belongs in X-Force. Yeah, so...hippies...terrifying? Better than the last couple issues.

Ultimate Spidey # 122 - A cute one and done. Introduces a potentially recurring character. And who doesn't love Ultimate Shocker? At least it's not Geldof? It was alright. Way better than the Deadpool or Sable arcs of years past. Hopefully symbiote wars is better than Venom bomb.

New Avengers # 41 - No sir, I don't like it. I don't know how you can follow up the kick assery of Jim Cheung with the meh that is Billy Tan. Oh, and the story is pretty much a bunch of stuff that you could infer if you read any interviews on SI. He said there were skrulls in New Avengers "Breakout" arc. The ship landed in the Savage Land. As we know there have been Skrulls in SHIELD for a couple of years. I don't think you have to be Richard Oppenheimer to put this one together. Seems a bit unnecessary. Oh, and does anyone believe that Skrull Cap is the real deal? Because if he is...man...worst idea since...just pick something from the 90's

Batman #677 - This is face meltingly good. Seriously, there are bombs that are dropped here that would not work if any other writer was dropping them. It's one of those things were there is the potential to muck up seventy some years of continuity, but if done properly could be mind blowing...for super hero comics. Go buy this. Right now. It'll get that rotten macaroni taste that Resurrection of Ra's Al Guhl may have left in your mouth. Go. finish reading this later. It's not nearly as important.

Iron Fist # 15 - Why aren't you buying Batman 677? God. Still there? Fine. An okay issue of Iron Fist is still better than the majority of books published. That's all that needs to be said I think.

Green Lantern # 31 - Keeping up the damn fine work. It's the #3 super hero book being put out by DC right now in my opinion. The art's solid. The characterization is on point. And they managed to update Pieface...after a fashion. I don't really know how you modernize a character that comes from an outdated colloquial slur that I guess we don't have on the East Coast. Anyway, good stuff. Go buy this book too if you like the capes and tights.

All Star Superman # 11 - The #1 or #2 super hero book coming out from DC right now. It's between this and Batman in my opinion. If you're reading it you know. If you're not. I hate to say this, but...you suck. That's really it. Go, go, get this now. I'm just kidding you don't suck. Sorry, I just get a little snippy because you aren't reading All Star Superman is all.

Young Avengers Presents: Stature - Look, I loved the Henninberg and Cheung. We all did. This book gets a pass because of those sentiments as far as my purchasing of it. That said, I in no way cannot recomend this book with any aplomb. How do I put this...this book is so saccharine that I think I have type 2 diabetes. That ma have been too harsh. Oh well.

X-Force #4 - This book is so very X-Force. It's like that kid you knew in high school who loved Ramstein wrote some X-men fan fiction. But, I kind of like the art for all of it's metal sensibilities. And now onto the rant...How do I put this...the reappearance of a character in this issue makes no (expletive deleted) sense. It (expletive deleted) all over the (expletive deleted) character work of the last (expletive deleted) decade. I mean it worked in the (expletive deleted) 80s. Because it made sense coming out of Mutant Massacre. This here though is just some (expletive deleted). Seriously, Douglock was a better idea than this. Or hell, why don't we just through Technet in the mix. At this point I'd kill for some Technet right now. Or hell, let's bring back Skin and give him some Adammantium skin. I don't know. I'm just waiting for the one where the X-Force Babies murder Power Pack at this point. But, that probably won't stop me from buying it. God that's sad. I did like the puppy variant on the reprints though. I don't know, you're going to buy this anyway.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men - Go. Buy. Now. Also, called it before the editorial gaffe when the book was supposed to come out (but who didn't?). But not everything. You'll know when you get there. And then it makes so much sense. And it feels so right. Oh, and Marvel needs to let/ force Joss Whedon to write a Spidey book.

Final Crisis # 1- I was pleasantly surprised. IT doesn't seem like the main book is cramming everything in like with Infinite Crisis. (Yes, I'm looking squarely at Rann/Thanagar...and possibly looking back at Rann/Thanagar again.) Anyway, It's good stuff all around. Still on the fence about the New Godz though. Suffice it to say at this point I'm more excited for this mega event than I thought I would be. But, I don't want to get ahead of myself. And hey, two of the less crappy story arcs from Countdown made it in. Unless Mary Marvel kills Libra with an upskirt. Which would probably sell a million copies.

And that's about it for me. I missed the preview books and all of that. Oh, and I totally agree with Matt that DC should do a better job with explaining their cover banners because unless you read Seven Soldiers you may have been curious about the Dark Side club in last week's books. Should be retty self explanatory if you read Final Crisis. Oh, and I got Berserk #23. It earns that Parental Advisory sticker every time it comes out.

Comics Reviews...From the PAST!

Labor Day or whatever we just celebrated kind of threw me off. Plus, Verizon totally [edit] me over on installing my high-speed interwebs connection, so I still lack the ability to post from home. Because I still have dial-up. Because I have not advanced technologically since 1996, apparently (because, before that I had a 14.4 k modem, so I've moved up). Anyway:


The only DC book I read this week was, apparently, The Spirit #17, a book that continues its swift decent to be a strong competitor for "Worst Book I Read Out of Habit". Much like the other competitors (Game Keeper, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimates 3... actually there's a lot of competition here) it's a book that I used to like, but the bailing of A-List (or at least competent) teams or individuals has absolutely destroyed it. Here, Darwyn Cooke made a terrific, enjoyable, all-ages package that has then been defamed by otherwise competent creators. This issue has Spirit taking a sea cruise and ripping off a plot from "Murder, She Wrote". The art, which had been by Mike Ploog and Paul Smith on previous issues, is by Aluir Amancio, whose cheesecake renditions seem out of place at best.


Indies also had a weak showing: I only picked up Gargoyles: Bad Guys #3, which I enjoyed. It's Gargoyles, so I'll spare you a review. But, it's like the show, but a comic.


Now, on to Marvel. Fun fact, a year ago, I was buying more DC than Marvel.


Amazing Spider-Man #560 continues a string of enjoyable Spidey stories. I had doubts, but really, it's the closest to a kid-friendly in continuity book either Marvel or DC has. People can complain about the violence but, come on, I read Grendel when I was far too young and I'm fine. Ish. Good stuff, really.


Captain America #38 just kind of rules. I don't know why every single comic-reading person is not buying this book. Great cover, awesome art, and the early reveal is just SO good. Brubaker is awesome at pulling off twists that are obvious and surprising all at once (see Criminal, Sleeper, et al). Plus, I am just happy Secret Invasion has not insinuated itself into his grand epic like, say, Civil War did (although, that worked out okay).

Fantastic Four #557 continues Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's very decent run on the title. Hopefully, the next storyline will be an improvement, but it is depressing that the book I was looking forward to so much has turned into something so blah. It's better than Stracynski's run (or sprint), though.

X-Factor #31 was perfectly fine. And the Arcade story is done, so that's nice.

Rounding out the week, there were two Ultimate books (an improvement over past months that saw four to five Ultimate books ON THE SAME DAY), Fantastic Four and X-Men, and both were bad for their own, unique reasons. UFF #54 had some terrible Liefeld-meets-Turner art by Tyler Kirkham. Mike Carey's script is fine, though, if a little padded out to set up the "big reveal" (which was lame).

Then, there was Ultimate X-Men #94, which, just, baaah! I'm not going to defend Robert Kirkman here; his run was somewhere between awful and unreadable. He deliberately went against the established Ultimate continuity (how hard is it to pay attention to all of 50 issues of continuity, really). He wrote a spasmodic, borderline-masturbatory version of '90s excess comics. But, I swear, Aron Collete is worse. Because he writes his book like it IS a '90s X-Men book. Men of Mystery! Random violence! Characters spouting non-sense to build mystique! (Note: I don't care who really Sasquatch is, no matter how much you want me to). So, yeah, this is just a bad as Kirkman's run, but different bad.

And that's the week. I realize now that, if I didn't read bad books, I'd read no books at all. Which is depressing.

Comic Reviews from the FUTURE! - Matt previews 5/29

Remember, books are on Thursday this week. If you come in on Wednesday, all you'll be able to do is talk to the staff. And who wants to talk to the staff?

Anyhow, here's what I think about the upcoming books.

۞ My original review of Immortal Iron Fist #15 centered around what a disappointing end it is to the Matt Fraction/Ed Brubaker run, with so-so art (for a title that's been graced with some little-known but stellar artists) and an overly talky story. The issue was especially disappointing since the last Times Past issue was probably my favorite single issue Marvel's published in the last decade or so.

So you can imagine my relief that Fraction's got one more issue to tie his stuff up and give a solid launch to the upcoming team, supposedly (hope hope hope!) with pencils from original artist David Aja. But the bulk of my thoughts still hold true. The first serious misstep from an excellent comic.

۞ Thor #9 - Okay, look: I don't like J. Michael Straczynski's work. I'll be up front about that. His stories all seem to take themselves SO SERIOUSLY and claim to have such earthshaking importance, and yet they are so ponderously dull. Like baseball, or presidential debates. So THAT certainly doesn't predispose me toward this book.

But am I the only who hates the pseudo-archaic font they use for the Asgardian word balloons? It renders the book even more unreadable than most of JMS's stuff.

۞ I lost a lot of interest in Ultimate Spider-Man when Mark Bagley left, which is notably odd, as I've never really thought particularly highly of Bagley's art. AND I usually like Stuart Immonen. So that was weird. Also, not something I'm going to solve in this review.

Anyhow, issue #122 feels like the best issue in a long time. Nice bit with the villain, some hints toward Ultimate Origins, Bendis keeps his worst tics in check (needless padding, irritatingly same-y dialogue) and still uses his abundant talents, and some good MJ/Kitty stuff make this really worth checking out, especially if you bailed like I did.

۞ Uncanny X-Men #498 is yet another weird issue of a weird run on this book for me: I hate the art, hate the plot, think the characters aren't acting like themselves ... and yet I remain hopeful. Part of that is that the book will soon be reteaming the writing staff from my beloved Iron Fist, and part of it is ... I have no idea. Faith in Brubaker? Pathetic devotion to an aging franchise? I have no clue.

۞ X-Force #4 - Apparently Dexter really liked this book, but Dexter is clearly the sort of person who cannot be trusted with matters of taste. Seriously? This is the distilled essence of everything that went wrong with the X-Men in the nineties and early 2000s.

It's got grim 'n gritty, black leather, ultra-violence, and all of the worst villains in X-Men history TOGETHER AT LAST. Not to mention the not-at-all-awaited return of a really stupid character direction from the eighties. If it were handled with any sort of humor or subtlety, I suppose it could be big dumb fun, but as presented, I can live without it.

۞ X-Men Legacy #212 - Is this coming out weekly? I mean, better too often than never (check out the in-store date on that link!) but good lord. Anyhow, the art is the weakest of this run, and nothing here makes Gambit any less stupid than usual, but I'm still really enjoying this nevertheless. Mike Carey is quietly becoming a really solid superhero writer.

Looking forward to hearing what you guys thought.....

Matt on some of this week's books.

Hm. Apparently having a kid puts a damper on the amount of time one can spend reading comics, and an even firmer damper on the amount of time one can spend writing about reading comics (especially for no pay). Here's some of what I read, typed with a dozing kid on my lap.

(Also, don't forget that I reviewed a bunch of this week's books in advance last week. If, you know, you're interested in such things.)

● Justice League of America #21 is apparently an Important Book because Libra appears and does some stuff that sure seems almost exactly like the stuff that The Mockingbird was doing in the run-up to Infinite Crisis. You are supposed to know this because it says "SIGHTINGS" on the cover. I'm not sure how effective this branding is going to be, as the logo is eminently ignorable, not to mention ugly and nonsensial.

Dwayne McDuffie does his traditional underrated terrific job with the character moments, but ... I can't shake the feeling that I've seen it all before, very recently. Carlos Pacheco is one of my favorite superhero artists of the last decade, and it looks like someone has given him a stern talking-to about not giving Superman squinty eyes. Now they all have the creepy Gary Frank Thousand Yard Stare, but whatever. Good book.

● Every time an issue of Justice Society of America comes out, I realize that I have no recollection whatsoever who half the characters are or why they're doing what they're doing. Sometimes this is because I am dumb, other times because I have not been reading DC Comics since the dawn of man, and still other times just because there are nine billion characters in this book. Issue #15 manages to be confusing for all three reasons at once, and winds up borderline incomprehensible as a result! Nicely done, fellas.

● Incredible Hercules #117 is the best Secret Invasion tie-in yet, even though it took me well over an hour to read it in between my child's fussing sessions. The script by Pak and Van Lente is sharp, the plot is both clever and relevant to the crossover as a whole, and the art is terrific superhero stuff. I really like this book, and this might be my favorite issue yet.

● The Flash #240. Huh? Soooo ... this is some sort of Final Crisis tie-in, maybe? There are Darkseid references, anyhow, and some sort of banner-branding of "The Dark Side Club" on the cover? I have no idea. In fact, I have no idea what the higher-ups at DC are even thinking anymore. Anyhow, I'm completely in the tank for Freddie Williams II's art, so I liked this, even with the crossover perplexity and Tom Peyer's not-as-clever-as-it-thinks script. (When Peyer nails one, he NAILS it. The rest of the time, he's Joe Casey with a much better interview persona.)

● Mighty Avengers #14 makes me sad that Marvel thinks that their clever metafictional marketing gimmick actually needed to become a character. I don't know why -- this issue is perfectly fine, with some legitimately clever twists in the Secret Invasion plot -- but it does.

Two quick bits

I had to work last night, so I only managed to get through two comics:

Mighty Avengers # 14: Brian Bendis adds a new chapter in his fan fiction Sentry story, and I liked it, probably the first time that's happened. I didn't really care for the original mini-series (though I do love me some Jae Lee), and his usage since then has ranged from trivial to inappropriate to "How do we end this...ooh..have the Sentry come to the rescue!" I was kind of hoping he'd be a Skrull (spoiler, I guess?) because he's such a nothing character. Still, I did like this issue, especially since it gave more weight to the light Secret Invasion #2. I still don't like Khoi Pham that much, but the writing seems to be getting better since Frank Cho left, so that's nice.

X-Men: Divided We Stand #2: Judging by sales numbers, people really don't care for anthology series. Me, I love them. It gives writers and artists a chance to work on characters (or experiment with styles) that they wouldn't otherwise get to try. These two issues have acted mostly as a prequel to Young X-Men, which is okay, I guess, and no particular story is particularly strong, but on the whole it's a pretty good collection. Plus, some of the art (especially Frazier Irving and whoever did the Forge story) is just...pretty.

Saturday Man in the house

X-Force #4.

Four badasses. Claws and blades. Black outfits. Red eyes. Add killer carte blanche from Cyclops himself, and there's no reason why issue #1 shouldn't have been February's top-selling book. With next week's issue #4, I'm now convinced that this will be a top-selling title for as long as Kyle, Yost, and Crane can crank out narrative and visuals that match the high concept. I've always wondered why it takes two guys to write a comic. But double duty from the writing team definitely pays off with a nice balance of pacing and characterization as some shocking developments catch us off-guard, and the villains add one (or maybe 100) more to their ranks. No doubts about Crane, though. He's doing as much as anyone not named Yu to define how his comic should look and feel with the most richly textured images in superhero comics today. While other X-books have suffered from lack of focus post "Messiah Complex," "X-Force #4" makes a a strong case as the best mutants have to offer this month. ("X-Force Legacy of Vengeance" collects issues #1 - #3 and will be on the shelves 5/29. Jump on it.)

I'll take crack for two hundred Alex. And decent comics.

Mighty Avengers # 14- So...what you're telling me is that skrull Jarvis is responsible for Avengers Disassembled/ House of M? That's rad. Gleaming the Cube (or A Brother's Justice) rad is what I have to say. Okay, but here's the thing: in House of M, Spider-Woman a skrull ends up in mutie S.H.I.E.L.D. Think about it. Small thing. Nit picky as hell, but think about it. Has nothing to do with storytelling, quality of work or anything substantive: just plot holes. Whatever. Whole things a tad silly ( John Locke is moving the island and Fonzie is putting his foot in water skis is all.) And now onto the review. It was okay. I don't really care much for the Sentry as the years roll by. The character hasn't really grown in any way since his inception a few years back and is pretty much a Deus Ex Machina/ post modern Bizarro (in the sense that it reflects the core change in the medium's values with a morally static character like Superman. With schizophrenia being a substitute for Superman's dated world view. Or not.) Weakest Avengers SI tie in so far. But, on the bright side, if the other issues weren't way better I wouldn't be holding it up to a such a high standard.

Onto actual reviews. Fantastic Four # 557 - Ted Kord said it best: "One punch!" Seriously though, you have all of this build up and then you have the one Deus Ex Machina go all Rock 'Em Sock 'Em on the other Deus Ex Machina for a two page spread. Kind of weak. Also, "I got you a ring with a galaxy in it." "Oh, I got you the new Dylan and a Sam Goody card." Says it all. Hitch's art is still on point though and Doom gives me a new hope for the next arc. As does Millar's typical kick assery.

Initiative # 13. Like cornbread, there is nothing wrong with it. Also, a lovable Taskmaster makes my heart smile. I still miss the original line up, but whatever. I'm going to get all "Mad Money" for a second and put this book down as a buy, buy, buy. Competent art, new characters that I hate less on sight (Trauma, I am looking squarely in your soon to be dated direction... cuzin'.) and the ever clever Dan Slott keep me coming back for more.

Incredible Hercules # 117. Exposition. Says it all. But, exposition from Herc is better than anything going on in Hulk so there you have it. Things do border on the silly at points though. And we may have some angry pagans by the end of it. All the adequacy you can handle. But, thoroughly engaging for a set-up issue.

Captain America # 38. There is a very reason that there are no copies of much of the Brubaker run at the shop. So good. So much better than his run on Uncanny. And a twist that hasn't made me dumber by proximity. Kudos for that. But in all seriousness (as serious as one can get about capes and tights)... go... now!

Dreamwar # 2. Yeah, not so much. It's like Supreme Power...but with worse art. You know, because it's the team up that literally nobody demanded. (For my dollar I'd rather watch Kal-el go out for drinks with Jesse Custer and Cass any day over this. Even though it would both cheapen every fond memory of any Vertigo book ever as well as disgust all parties involved.) Anyway, mediocre art coupled with typical cross over business equals apathy. But, true to form, I'm still going to buy every issue because I already have the first two. Makes me miss classic Authority (TPBs 1-4) though

Ultimate X-Men # 94. All it takes is a little regime change to revitalize a book. New ideas, a total reset from the Bah, just Bah, Kirkman run and a story arc that doesn't cross the border of ludicrous junction is all it takes for me to enjoy this book again. By total reset I do mean the de-bastardizing of some characters goes on. None of the new characters have their skulls just floating in a head shaped jar. The writing is okay and the Matt Brooks art is from the Bagley school of consistency. Gets the thumbs up. Comparatively speaking.

Ghost Rider #23. S'okay. Gets all Shymalan. Like just about every book this week. But with fewer skrulls.

As for the future yet to come. X-Men Legacy keeps getting better. X-Force is still very much so X-Force (Oh, and Elixir is gold. You'd think they'd have old issues lying around there for reference materials.) Things actually happened in Uncanny. And maybe some of the DC books I read will be out. (JLA was a decent one and done though. With the most Baltimore of any book on the shelf.)

I wonder if I have to review everything every week...

Of the thirty singles I read this weekend, only six actually came out this week. Since Youngblood wasn't one of them, that review will have to wait another month. Or three.

Batman #676: I also read issue #675 and, reading them back to back is kind of weird. In #675, he seems back in peak physical condition after his whole "dying for four minutes" thing, but then in #676, he's tender and off his game. Which is just jolting. As for the issue itself, really good. There's a luchadore business man, the plot is finally moving forward, and (sadly) Tony Daniel's art is welcome after the last issue's ugly renderings.

Booster Gold #9: I love this book. Even this issue, which may be the weakest so far, is still just great. It's a bit darker than the earlier issues, but still a fun read.

Serenity #3: It's an episode of Firefly. If you bought this because you like Joss Whedon and Buffy, you were probably disappointed and/or confused by this. Luckily, because this is written like a graphic novel instead of a three issue miniseries, so even people who liked Firefly were confused, too.

Twelve #5: Between this and the "monthly" Thor, I am liking J Michael Straczynski again. Sure, Amazing Spider-Man fell really hard under his watch, and Bullet Points ranks as one of the worst things I forced myself to read (including Countdown, and that was 51 issues). But with this, he has an idea and he's seeing it through. Sure there are preachy bits (visiting under-priveleged schools), but I personally liked the slight twist (bend, really) that hit the Laughing Mask. Did not see it coming. Really, really good stuff.

Wolverine #65: I really will buy just about any Wolverine comic. Luckily, this was actually pretty good, RetCons and all. It's not gonna win any awards, but Jason Aaron shows he can handle established characters and continuity well.

Guy Richie's Gamekeeper: Series 2 #3: I enjoyed the first volume of this. The high concept here is: Punisher as an actual sociopath. He's taciturn, he kills without remorse, he gets revenge. Volume 1 (at the time just known as "Gamekeeper") was written by Andy Diggle and the lead character spoke maybe three lines an issue and killed gangsters with abandon. Series 2 is written by Jeff Parker, who makes everything too talky, including the anti-social anti-hero from the first volume. While not enjoying it as much as I had the first volume, it was okay. Until now. This issue is just, well, by fits boring and just terrible. The "plot twist" at the end is, quite possibly, the worst plot twist EVER. Not just because it's a cliche, but because it is so out of left field, and involves characters who have only existed for a year that it undermines the eight issues that came before it, making you wonder why you should keep caring about a comic from a third-rate publisher "directed" by Mr. Madonna, who hasn't made a good movie in ten years. Terrible, terrible stuff. I'll keep reading it, though (like Countdown or Bullet Points), but I won't like it.

And that's it, probably for the week. We'll see.

-Paul

And the posts keep trickling in

I worked really hard to read four whole comics just for y'all:

Thunderbolts #120: I would read Warren Ellis' "Norman Osborn: Director of Thunderbolts." Also, apparently OMD in Amazing Spider-Man erased everything Straczynski did on the title, and brought Harry Osborn back to life, but it could not undo the Stacy twins? Seriously? I still liked this a heck of a lot (even when they showed people who were not Norman Osborn), and especially compared to

newuniversal: shockfront #1: I was actually excited to read this. In the year since the last series ended, I had developed fond memories of the original series (though not fond enough to re-read it). After reading this, though, I remembered my problem with the previous series: it was boring. And this, despite explosions, mass destruction, and killing, is slower. Three pages of complaining about manga? Really? Explaining Spitfire and then not featuring her, like, AT ALL? Justice killing people off-panel? At least without an A-list artist there's a chance it'll come out on time.

Amazing Spider-Man #559: If you've been reading Brand New Day, this is more of the same: New villain, Peter has no money, quick read, awesome art, overall very good (and much better than last issue).

Wolverine: Amazing Immortal Man and Other Bloody Tales: I'll read anything with Wolverine. Or Cable. It's my guilty pleasure, shut up. Actually, except Origins, which I dropped after about issue 12 because, well, nothing happened in 12 issues, so... But this? I've never read Stray Bullets, so maybe I'm not "getting" something here, but these three short stories by David Lapham are just bad. Terrible. Terror, Inc. looks subtle and complex by comparison. So, the book is three short stories illustrated by different artists that show Wolverine at various times in the past (all during his "kill'em all and let God sort 'em out" phase) being an Emo charicature of Wolverine: delivering babies, being a sypathetic shoulder to cry on, letting toddler killers go so they can grow up and become real killers before he then kills them, and so forth. I feel dirty owning this (and I have Lost Girls). Dreadful.

Comic Reviews ... of the FUTURE! - Matt reviews 5/21

Reviews of the Marvel previews -- these books will be on the shelves and ready for your well-manicured hands this coming Wednesday, May 21^st. For now, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

I hate Wolverine: Origins. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I think Daniel Way is a boring writer, and he seems to loathe the characters he’s writing. And yet issue #25 really isn’t too bad. It advances the plot nicely, begins to tie up one of the more unnecessary plotlines in recent memory, and works within its own logic. It’s also probably improved by comparison to the DREADFUL reprint of New Mutants #97 that they’ve included as a backup for no discernible reason.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #54 is actually quite good. I haven’t been reading it since ... good lord, I don’t know, probably since the last Mark Millar run three years ago, but this is a solid FF story that manages to feel like the Fantastic Four while still being identifiably the Ultimate version of the characters. Who knew? The art is blandly attractive as well.

Iron Man Director of SHIELD #29, combined with Green Lantern Corps from this week, leads me to believe that I don’t much like Stuart Moore’s writing. It’s a pity, too, because he was a terrific editor at Vertigo years ago.

Ultimate X-Men #94: thank god that Kirkman run is over. This could go either way, but it’s a promising start and much more tonally in line with the early issues of this book than Kirkman’s weirdly detached ‘90s pastiche was.

Captain America #38, still the most consistent book Marvel publishes. (Although this storyline is beginning to drag a bit -- was Cap really killed over a year ago, real-time?!?)

Fantastic Four #557 is the best issue so far of the Millar/Hitch run, although who would ever have suspected what faint praise that is.

X-Factor #31, also incredibly consistent, and also feeling like it’s spinning its wheels somewhat. I never thought I would type these words, but the book is really missing something without Layla Miller.

I'm slow...

Since I'm roughly a month and a half behind on my reading, I have only managed to get through a couple of new books so far. Let's go:

Captain Britain and MI-13 #1 was a good start to what will ultimately be an okay series (I'm guessing). It's a bit strange that this series effectively makes the MAX mini-series Wisdom part of accepted Marvel cannon (along with the Skrull Beatles). What I liked about this issue, as opposed to the mini-series is that it had a plot. The Wisdom mini seemed to bounce around from idea to idea without much coherence or plot betwixt. This, on the other hand, tells a linear, clearly constructed narrative (though it is a toss-off tie-in) and does a pretty good job of it. I just think we won't end up caring about what happens when all is said and done.

X-Men: Legacy #211 is the fourth chapter in a strange new direction for X-Men. The point of the book seems to be to redeem Professor X, a character who has been bloodied by recent retcons by everyone from Brubaker to Bendis to Joss Whedon. Professor X, having been shot in the brain, is trying to piece together his past, as well as atone for his sins. This arc reminds me of reading X-Men books of the 90s: I never quite understood what was going on (because it is SO reliant on continuity), but I enjoyed it because of the sense that there was this long, storied history to all the characters. At this point, it is just okay, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Be back tomorrow with more.

Paul

FIRST POST!!!!!!11!!!! - Reviews for books from 5/14

Well, I suppose that SOMEONE is going to have to start this, and silences have always made me twitchy. So it might as well be me.

Let’s start with DC.

Green Lantern Corps #24 manages to take all the goodwill I have for these books, following on the terrific-ness of Sinestro Corps War, and squander it on an eleventh-hand iteration of a half-assed old Alan Moore story. Sort of like ... well, sort of like a lot of the other stuff going on in the Green Lantern books, to be honest, only without half of the panache or an eighth of the writing ability.

Batman #676, on the other hand, is the first issue where Grant Morrison’s run is starting to cohere as a whole for me, thanks in part to a dramatic improvement in the art. (And the fact that I consider Tony Daniel to be a dramatic improvement should let you know just how unreadable I find whichever Kubert it was that started this run off.)

I keep reading Booster Gold, currently on issue #9, largely because I’m convinced it’s good. There’s no actual evidence of its ostensible goodness, but I keep reading anyhow. This issue has roughly 2,000 too many words, and owes its entire existence to an uncomfortable mashing together of the Giffen/DeMatteis sitcom JLI with the Johns/Meltzer/Rucka dystopian nightmare of OMACs and Identity Crisis. It works marginally less well than that description would imply. Also, Dan Jurgens hasn’t changed his penciling style since 1989.

Batman Confidential #17, on the other hand, was a completely unexpected dose of fun. Kevin Maguire is one of the few artists who can make me buy a book I’m otherwise uninterested in (such as his otherwise TERRIBLE issue of Superman/Batman a year or so back), and this is one of the cases where the gamble pays off. Fun times in the DC Universe, which are all too rare these days.

Meanwhile, over at Marvel....

Captain Britain and MI13 #1 is one of two Secret Invasion books this week, the one I was most excited for. It’s a de facto sequel to the Wisdom MAX miniseries, and it’s ... okay, I suppose. A lot of the charm of the earlier mini is gone, in service of the awkward jihad-esque Secret Invasion plot. But Skrull John Lennon is a lead character, and that makes it worth buying no matter what. You should really get the collected edition of the earlier miniseries, though, because that was much better -- and it might lay some groundwork for this whole Invasion thing.

The other Secret Invasion book is Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1. It’s written by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, which is significant because he wrote the vastly underrated Marvel Knights 4 series, and it’s nice to have him back on Marvel’s first family. This is a much more successful SI crossover than Captain Britain, fitting in well with the main limited series AND tying back in to a particularly strange bit of FF history. Worth reading.

newuniversal: Shockfront #1: because Warren Ellis likes compound words and hates proper capitalization. This is an improvement over the earlier newuniversal miniseries for two reasons: 1) The characters are no longer painfully obvious photoreferences, and 2) KICKERS INC. puts in an appearance! KICKERS INC.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elsewhere in the Warren Ellis-verse, Thunderbolts continues to be completely fabulous with issue #120.

The best book of the week, though, is Locke & Key #4, published by IDW. Joe Hill (aka Stephen King’s kid) continues to shine as a writer of modern horror comics, and Gabriel Rodriguez is a find on art. Seriously, so many of the creators who start in other media stumble when they get to comics -- too many words (see: Captain Britain) or awkward scene transitions (see: that Iron Man mini by Favreau from last week) or just a general frustration with the form (see: Jodi Picoult’s Wonder Woman run, among many others). Hill avoids all that, and is in the process of crafting a genuinely spectacular horror comic worthy of his father, while making tremendous use of the comic book form. You really should be reading this.

There. That wasn’t so bad for my first week out of the gate, was it? Let’s see how we hold up.....