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.

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