Bought and Thought- 1/30

[WeeZiTe]

Aquaman #16- Throne of Atlantis continues. I'm really enjoying this storyline. We see that Batman kind of understands where Aquaman was coming from and isn't pissed that Aquaman is trying to placate the Atlanteans, even though it looks like he's siding with them. Cyborg is also finally doing something instead of just transporting people. Plus, we're able to see some characters that I haven't read much of in the New 52. Namely Hawkman, who's a badass. I'm very excited for JLA to start so I can read more of him. We also see that some of the League members aren't happy that Cyborg summoned the reinforcements because all of the current League members didn't agree to it. That's an interesting development and I'm sure we'll see that plot picked up going forward. Solid issue.

Avengers #4- This issue is the first issue without Opena. Kubert took over. While Kubert's great, I missed Opena this issue. I totally understand the artist switch though because the release schedule for this title is absolutely crazy. #4 came out last week, #5 came out this week, and #6 comes out next week. It's getting into All New X-Men territory. This issue focused on Superman clone Hyperion, who I've never actually read before. I actually really enjoyed his origin story and I'm excited that he's on the team. This was a very cool issue. Hickman's just fantastic.

Batman Inc. #7- I'm not Morrison's biggest fan, but the last few issue of Inc. have been absolutely incredible. It seems like he's gotten read of all of the fluffy, "this is so clever" ******** and just gotten to wrap up his story. And it's great. I'm such a Damian fanboy that I'm going to be devastated if anything happens to him. Morrison has taken a character that I pretty much hated when he was first introduced and made him one of my favorites. Anyway, I can't wait to see where Morrison is going with this.

Batman and Robin Annual #1- This was another great Damian issue. Damian sends Bruce on a wild goose chase around the world so he can be Batman in Gotham. Damian adopts his Batman 666 costume and beats the **** out of some criminals. While he's doing that, Bruce is going through pretty much a guided tour of his parents history that Damian personally arranged. So this issue was great in that we got to see the two sides of Damian: The badass side and the sweet side.

Batman: The Dark Knight #16- This issue was Ethan Van Scriver's first issue on the series and his art was fantastic. The story, however, was lacking. I think I might be dropping this series soon. I already read too much Batman as it is and this one is my least favorite of the bunch.

Hawkeye #7- I absolutely love this series, but this was the first issue that didn't wow me. This issue focused on Hawkeye reacting to Hurricane Sandy. I don't quite remember how, but this issue is somehow going to donate some money to the Sandy Relief Fund so it's definitely for a good cause. That being said, it's pretty clear that this issue was shoehorned in. In the letters column, the editor talked about how they kind of dropped everything in order to have this issue and it shows. It's not necessarily a bad issue, but not as good as the previous. It just doesn't have the feel or charm that makes me love this series so much.

Invincible #100- I'm a relatively new Invincible reader. I've been wanting to jump into Invincible for awhile and finally said **** it a couple of weeks ago and bought the trades and back issues that got me caught up from about issue #50. This is a great super hero title that kinda breaks the norms that other superhero titles follow. I enjoyed this issue. I accidentally saw the first few pages of this issue a week ago and was really bummed out about what happened, but Kirkman pulled a switcheroo so I was fine. I was worried that he was going to go for a Walking Dead #100 status quo changing issue, but really, he kind of settled down the craziness and that's a relief. I'm excited to see where this title goes going forward.

Superior Spider-Man #2- This issue was pretty good, but it's the prefect example of why people shouldn't flip out over solicitations and covers. Everyone saw the solicitation and covers and went right to "OMG, SPIDER-MAN IS GOING TO BECOME RAPER-MAN, DIE DAN SLOTT." Here's the thing, I know it's not above a writer to not have common sense, but I think that Slott and co. were very aware of what the repercussions of a SpOck/MJ relationship would be, especially with his previous troubles with the Chameleon. People just need to settle down and read the issues, ESPECIALLY when the creators are telling you to do just that. Anyway, yeah, this issue was pretty good, but nothing great. I thought Stegman's art was pretty rough here though. I'm actually missing Ramos and I'm excited for him to come back. It's nice to see that while SpOck is still a total *****e, he's making some changes to Peter's life that even Peter thinks are clever. It's going to be nice to see Otto fight some classic Spidey villains, starting with Vulture.

Talon #4- I really enjoy this series. It's nothing game-changing but it's classic superhero fun. Calvin and his group's robbery goes south and now he's dealing with it. The series has created a cool villain going forward and now Calvin has a pretty big and interesting supporting cast. Solid issue.

The Flash #16- This continues to be one of my favorite titles. Manapul's art is ****ing fantastic. It just suits the title so well. Anyway, this arc is finally starting to culminate with a Grodd vs. Flash showdown. I'm excited to see how the first goes and I think I read somewhere that Manapul is introducing Zoom next, so I'm excited for that. I know a lot of people think this title is mediocre, but I absolutely love it.

 

[JewishHobbit]

While I didn't get Invincible 100 and would never spend $10 on an issue... I LOVED seeing a chromium cover again. They were my favorite gimmick of the 90s

It took me until today to get my comics so here I am. Surprisingly, this is the second time in 5 weeks that I got no Marvel titles. It just feels wierd. And do you know how hard it was for me to buy 2 comics at $5 each?! Ouch!

Justice League Dark 16 - Love the story and Janin's art as usual. Deadman didn't stay dead (go figure) and he has a quick fight with an interesting looking character. Janin really does a great job with these oddball characters. I think most artists would make them appear generic or boring but Janin knocks them out of the park every time. As for the rest of the issue, I'm loving the elvish looking people and their story, and John's fun without his snarky cover (though not as fun as Dr. Nemesis with the starfish). This issue officially pulls Timothy Hunter into the spotlight as we learn why he's so powerful with magic.

All in all it was a great issue. Lemire and Fawkes are doing a great job and I'm excited to see what comes next. Definately one of my favorite DC titles

Aquaman 16 - Man, I'm just loving this story. I totally did not expect that ending in a million years. It makes Aquaman's brother all the more likable and tragic, and it was just all around a good story. Seeing Mera working with Cyborg makes me wish she were a Justice League reservist. If she were on the upcoming JLA roster like some of these others I think that'd be enough to sell me on the book. Right now it's just borderline for me.

Pelletier has always been a fantastic artist once he got his noses under control and he excels at this arc. I know that Reis went to Justice League, so is Pelletier the new ongoing artist for Aquaman or just a fill in? I'd love to see him stay on perminantly.

Green Lantern Corps Annual 1 - This was a hard pill to swollow being that it was a $5 comic that I don't normally buy and had no intention to until last week. But it ended up being a decent read that tied in with the main Green Lantern title well enough to not feel jipped. It also made me curious about the New Guardians book that I've not read since issue 2. I dropped a lot of the GL titles a month or two into the New 52 relaunch but I'll admit to missing them. I miss Guy's banter and the multi-colored corps members.

I've not really been all that entertained by this Third Army story so I'm glad to see it end here. The next story sounds much more intriguing though and I hope it gives Hal and Sinestro more focus, as Simon Baz is a decent character but not who I want to read about.

Batman and Robin Annual 1 - Another one that was hard to swollow. I'm debating on dropping this issue so I was cautious on buying the annual. It ended up being a decent read but not really worth the money in my opinion. It was good but the price took some of the enjoyment out of it for me. It wasn't Gleason's art, the main reason why I like the book, but it was a fairly original story regarding Damian and Bruce's relationship, and it was just fun to read. Overall it didn't come accross as important in any way, just a fun little tale, but it was decent. I don't really regret buying it as much as I just feel it was overpriced for what it was.

Best and Worst of the Week

Best: Justice League Dark 16 - I don't think any of these books really SHINED, but this one was really good, just barely beating out Aquaman. The art and story were crisp and the plot enjoyable. Good comic

Worst: Batman and Robin Annual 1 - As I said, the price took me out of it and the story was just alright. It wasn't bad at all, just the worst one I read this week.

 

[Themanofbat]

You could have picked up a regular copy of Invincible #100 for $3.99....

 

[Dread]

Small week but overall a solid week as January came to a close. Spoilers as usual.

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 1/30/13:

BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #12: DC Comics' anthology title which reprints digital-first material relating to their "Beyond" universe based on the cartoon from the turn of the century continues to impress and excite with reliable reads. The lead strip this month is the "Superman Beyond" one by J.T. Krul and Howard Porter; often the weakest link of the anthology, this current tale is better than the last. Much as interfering in the affairs and regimes of other countries can have unintended circumstances despite good intentions, it seems much the same occurs in regards to planets and Superman's intergalactic feats. Liberating a race of slaves from a world decades ago has now returned to haunt Superman as Lobo is sent to apprehend him for trial, and not even Martian Manhunter can save him. The tale is smarter than the last and may genuinely impress some. An additional highlight is the "Origin of Micron" strip by writers Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen with surprising art by "Saga" superstar Fiona Staples. The yarn is good enough but it is the unexpected yet brilliant art by Staples which is the most pleasant surprise. The final strip of the tome is the titular "Batman Beyond" one by Adam Beechen and artist Norm Breyfogle which continues the "10,000 Clowns" arc. While Batman/Terry McGinnis fights for his life against the insane Joker King (brother of his on and off again girlfriend, Dana), the middle aged Dick Grayson joins the fight as Max finds herself in the clutches of a hacker terrorist group. Terry's near death narration easily sums up the strip and provides ample focus into the mind of the character as he enters his most desperate struggle as a hero. Batman Beyond continues to be the best thing Beechen has written for DC and this continues to be an entertaining anthology well worth the four dollar cover price.

INVINCIBLE #100: Series co-creator and writer Robert Kirkman and longtime artist Ryan Ottley conclude their three part "Death of Everyone" arc which leads into the series' centennial issue nearly a decade in the making. The arc and in fact this issue appears to be a bit of satire on the "hype of death" that exists in comics, although it is something Kirkman himself feels the need to explain in his letter column; a bad sign. The previous issue needlessly drug things out by making every page a splash panel - perhaps in parody or homage to the final "Death of Superman" issue doing so. In this issue, Mark Grayson is seemingly killed by his deranged ally Dinosaurus for roughly eleven issues. It turns out to have been a massive gambit to fool the world and offer Mark a clean slate from responsibility, and in a rarity for the series, he actually talks one of his enemies into surrendering. What follows is a bit of a return to an old status quo and another soap opera revelation regarding Atom Eve in the final page. As always Ottley's art is outstanding, and John Rauch's colors flank it well. While this issue overall is a success in misleading the reader and making some fun at standard promotional tropes in superhero comics, this series still reeks too much of a creator desperately throwing things against a wall and seeing what sticks in terms of a long term story or direction. While such a thing is a freedom in a creator owned comic, especially one which has endured this long, it does lead to controversy and some missteps. It may be more impressive if "Invincible" stopped doubling as Kirkman's mouthpiece and criticism art piece of the comic book industry and got back into the swing of being "the best superhero book in the universe" again. This is especially true when an issue such as this hypocritically parodies superhero comic editorial strategies while employing a whopping eight variant covers to boost its own sales. At any rate, 2013 will certainly be a big year for this title.

DARK AVENGERS #186: Jeff Parker's title formerly known as the Thunderbolts continues along its odd alternate reality war story. It seems to be devolving into some odd fan fiction for Parker, with three artists in tow. There are some interesting bits; John Walker is fixed up and once again U.S. Agent, and Ai Apek is comically shrunken. The cover features Clor, but she spends the entire issue on a slab. Moonstone and Skaar remain pawns of Dr. Strange in his battle with the others. The focus on the mechanics of this parallel world fall flat due to the temporary nature of it and I do wish the arc would hurry along and get back to the mainstream. My interest on this title seems to wane by the issue sometimes. It's never bad, but it is rarely something I eagerly anticipate anymore.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #2: Now that 2012 is behind us, it is official; Marvel Comics' strategy with "Amazing Spider-Man" has at least borne short term fruit. Sales for the so-called "final" 700th issue topped the month for December 2012 with almost 201,000 copies shipped and some $1.6 million in sales; aided no doubt by a ton of variant covers and a $7.99 cover price. The previous issue sold at a more realistic level within the top 15 sellers list at nearly 75,000 copies sold. While not selling anywhere near the peaks of the 1990's (as few comics do nowadays), "Amazing Spider-Man" has been one of Marvel's most consistent sellers for the past five years; every issue on average sells between 52,000 to 59,000 copies either twice or thrice a month since January 2008. Stories which receive extra promotion can spike well above this, as well as "event" style stories or flukes such as the "Obama Spidey" issue. Why summarize all this? Because now it is 2013, and Marvel has chosen to roll the dice with replacing ASM with "Superior Spider-Man" and promoting a storyline which is intentionally controversial. A short term spike is expected, but one would hope that sales remain at the levels that ASM maintained for years.

"Big Time" era writer Dan Slott and former "Scarlet Spider" artist Ryan Stegman launched this replacement title for the iconic ASM earlier in the month, and it will be interesting to see how well it stacks up and sells over time as 2013 wares on. Despite the over the top and at times needlessly divisive promotional strategy, the story actually laid its cards on the table with extraordinary speed. Dr. Octopus has still managed to cheat death by successfully swapping minds with Spider-Man, and is now enjoying his youth, powers, and job to attempt to become a "better" Spider-Man. However, the "soul" or "will" of Peter Parker is not dead, but somehow exists alongside his body-stealing nemesis as a "friendly ghost" attempting to steer "Spidey-Ock" on more noble paths even if his existence is unknown. This second issue focuses on another controversial subject; "Spidey-Ock" having an obsession with sleeping with Peter's ex-fiance/wife, MJ. This naturally appalls Peter the friendly ghost, but he is seemingly powerless to stop it. May the best hope for a resolution for this bizarre situation be in another ex of Peter's, police officer and CSI Carlie Cooper? And is the Vulture planning a new scheme behind the scenes?

This issue has less action and a bit more comedy than the last, with Peter quickly seeming to state the obvious; the absurdity of absolutely nobody in his cast from MJ to the geniuses at Horizon Lab noticing or being suspicious that his "body" is suddenly talking and dressing like a super villain (or at least a Stan Lee written character from 1965). Naturally longtime Spider-critic J. Jonah Jameson approves of this "superior" Spider-Man before news cameras, and the Living Brain is now the assistant of "Spidey-Ock" (who still dresses like Dr. Horrible at work). While Peter is appalled at what Ock desires to do to his cast, there are moments where Ock's brilliance and personality do shine through, such as with new gadgets or in breaking down a relationship to an equation. The art by Stegman with colors by Edgar Delgado may remind some of early 90's Image Comics house style, but it does work well for setting up the tone for this "new" Spider-Man. The Vulture subplot picks up from one of Slott's memorable arcs of ASM from 2011-2012 and every issue does offer a satisfying chunk of story without feeling like things are dragging. In fact the only quibble is the "moral" that perennial danger is why Spider-Man and MJ can never work long term, which is a lie; they worked together for a generation before the editorial team of 2007 decided to undo it for the sake of "younger" fans or nostalgia.

The balance is that this may be an interesting story arc, but it has all the trappings of just that - a story arc. Not something which can or should be drug out longer than intended for the sake of sales or promotional schemes. Yet that is the risk this title is taking, and it will be interesting to see whether that is a web it can maneuver from.

 

[WeeZiTe]

Seeing Mera working with Cyborg makes me wish she were a Justice League reservist. If she were on the upcoming JLA roster like some of these others I think that'd be enough to sell me on the book.

Totally agreed with this. I've been loving Mera in the New 52 and I'd love to see her take a more prominent role in the universe, rather than just being Aquaman's wife that shows up from time to time.

 

[JewishHobbit]

You could have picked up a regular copy of Invincible #100 for $3.99....

I read and loved the first 25 or 30 issues and then fell behind and dropped it. I tried again recently, starting maybe 4 or 5 issues prior to when the black guy took over as Invincible. I read it for about 4 or 5 issues and just couldn't get into it. Plus, I hated the abortion plot and wasn't a fan of Eve's new heavier look. Ultimately, I needed to cut things and cut it.

I might pick it up again in time but I don't really plan to at the moment. Not unless I drop some more books.

 

[THANOSRULES]

Avengers #4- While some have been critical of this issue as filler, I thought it was quite solid. This is a well written book, and the Artwork does not suffer sans Opena. I love the concept of this Hyperion character...that is marvel looking back on its past for a multitude of lesser used or shelfed heroes we've always wanted to see more or know more about. Captain Universe, Smasher, Hyperion and even Hickman's own Manifold fit into this category and I'm all for it...(even though most of them are new versions). The ramifications of the attack by the Garden do make the end of issue #3 all the more baffling...this is destruction on the level as any of Marvel's greatest villians have wrought, yet Ex Nhilo and his crew were allowed to "chill" on mars...man it doesnt make much sense and frankly comes off as pretty irresponsible.

Dark Avengers #186- This book is actually starting to click just when it appears to be on track for possible cancellation. We are finally getting some good characterization from this new team in this arc and finally getting to know them. Adding Walker into the mix just adds to the chemistry of the group. While certainly this book is largely irrelevant to the Marvel Universe..it's got the feel of a good Exiles arc, and that is good..as I deeply miss that title under competent direction. I was critical of this book since the change to Dark Avengers, but for now, I'm feeling a lot better about this title. Parker is talented...and for a tad the book seemed purposefully self destructive...but all thats changed now and I am growing fond of the team.

Journey into Mystery #648- Just jumping on this title and it was a solid issue. I guess it's one of those books that has the feel of Kirby in it, without the overt copy style that , while i still tend to like gets laid on thick. Sif fighting the monster in the first pages gave me that vibe. While I've no clue really whats going on just yet I enjoyed the issue and will likely keep up to check this book out more.

Uncanny X-Force #1- Not sure when this came out as it was also a new book I deceided to check out. To sum it up, I thought it was pretty good. I have not followed an X-book in quite some time, and with the higher profile books this is an odd choice for me. Again I'm a bit lost when it comes to what is going on with these characters, but the flow , art and dialogue in the book were well done. Certainly a soft start as the team does not seem to be assembled and little in the way of a threat has been introduced, but I may also keep up with this book for a bit.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I read and loved the first 25 or 30 issues and then fell behind and dropped it. I tried again recently, starting maybe 4 or 5 issues prior to when the black guy took over as Invincible. I read it for about 4 or 5 issues and just couldn't get into it. Plus, I hated the abortion plot and wasn't a fan of Eve's new heavier look. Ultimately, I needed to cut things and cut it.

I might pick it up again in time but I don't really plan to at the moment. Not unless I drop some more books.

Dang, son, why you discriminating against my people? Chubby girls need love too.

It's definitely gotten worse over time. But it still has its moments. I loved the subplot a couple arcs ago where Invincible was struggling with the idea of lethal force.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Heh. I have nothing against heavier characters but am not a fan of when it's promoted as a good thing due to the health issues that could come with it. Between the abortion and her liking her new 'look' it was giving all the wrong messages (imo).

It was the least of three issues I had though behind the abortion and the uninteresting plot.

 

[moraldeficiency]

I'm a little late but I'll throw a bit out there...

Avengers 4

I'm a bit conflicted. First off I do love me some hyperion. But with him and captain universe and so many other heavy hitters it feels like they could take on most of the MU enmass and come out on top. I don't like escalation of power just for plot's sake but as I said I do love me some hyperion.

The resolution with the new gods seems incredibly simple and ridiculously dangerous. These people kill planets, lots of them. And not in a galactus "I've gotta eat but I wouldn't do it for any other reason" kinda way. They judge life, find it wanting and kill planets. So of course they should be released because it isn't like genocidal maniacs (at least the one's that aren't nazis) are really held accountable by the avengers. Kill trillions of people? Well stop that and go hang out on this planet close to ours and think about what you've done.

One thing I did love is it actually showed avengers dealing with the fallout from an attack and what implications they might have. Too often galactus attacks, sets up machines, the machines are destroyed, galactus is diverted and all these "god tech broken machine bits" are just forgotten about. I'm glad to see some reality dropping into how a conflict is resolved and hope to see more of it. It's always something that's bugged me in comics.


Superior Spider-Man 2

Peter Parker has completely become the annoying jimmny cricket of the book and is one of the worst characters in it (exactly as I feared would happen). Crazy town banana pants...just #@$^ing crazy town banana pants.

Ock's reasoning about MJ came out of no where and made no sense. By the logic no hero or villain should ever be with anyone romantically or socially and they should leave their families at once.

Why doesn't carlie mention her suspicions (although it's stupid these are still suspicions at this point) to MJ?

How did Ock live that long and just discover *********ion now?

How much of a joke is the chameleon if he always gets discovered impersonating Peter immediately but ock can be completely out of character, have someone straight up told what has happened but only that one person who was FREAKING TOLD what happened is even a little suspicious? Explain.

This book is sadly not as fun as I thought it would be. Without the MJ triangle and with Peter being a buzz kill a lot of the fun ways they could have explored this have disappeared within two issues. So far the only Superior Spider-Man showing I've enjoyed has been Avenging with the X-Men which featured everything I wanted from Ock as Spider-Man and with actual intelligent people around him. Wolverine has thus far proven to be smarter than Peter's supporting cast, his coworkers and daredevil with ease.