Bought/Thought 04/01/08

[CaptainCanada]

A small week, with only three new titles for me; odd, given that it’s the first of the month:

Ms. Marvel #23

Brian Reed’s latest story arc on Ms. Marvel continues, with Ms. Marvel herself stranded on Monster Island and facing off against an army of Brood, led by the Brood Queen from the original Uncanny X-Men story (somehow still alive, and now changed into a kind of crystalline form), and the rest of her Lightning Storm team on the way to rescue her. This is artist Aaron Lopresti’s final arc on the title before his departure for an exclusive DC contract. He came onboard with #13, and, apart from a single fill-in issue in #20, has done every issue through next month’s #24, quite an impressive stretch, I must say. He w ill be greatly missed, because he’s perfect for this title; I’ll be interested to see where he ends up at DC. Anyway, this story isn’t as good as the preceding few, in my view, but I wasn’t reading the title’s first few issues, which this ties into. It’s one of those psychological stories where the hero confronts personal issues (of which Carol has not a few), which are tied into her powers. The climax sees Carol, with help from alien bounty hunter Cru, regain her Binary form, lost since Busiek’s Avengers relaunch, which probably makes her one of the top five heroes on the planet in terms of raw power. Obviously not going to last; Busiek depowered Binary for a reason, but it should be cool to see her back in action with that power set next issue, facing off against the Brood Queen again. Reed continues to do great work with the supporting cast of Agent Sum, Arana, Wonder Man, and Machine (Wo)man (he should totally keep his new body).

Northlanders #2

Vertigo’s newest launch with Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice hits its second issue. I quite liked the first one, and this is also very enjoyable. Wood established in his first issue that he’s not going out of his way to make Sven, the main character, especially likeable, and this continues here; he’s still exceptionally self-interested and crude in his manners. This is especially notable when he is taken in briefly by an elderly couple who knew him before he left, and is lectured on the virtues of quiet living in Orkney, in a typically sentimental moment that Wood undercuts with Sven’s revulsion at the whole idea (he keeps it to himself, so as not to alienate the elders). If Wood sticks to his guns here and doesn’t mellow him out, I’ll be impressed. He also bucks the cliche with the Hunter’s Daughter, the mysterious girl who appeared at the end of last issue; she seemed to be set up as the standard mysterious badass chick, but Sven sneaks up on her and pwns her fairly easily; she comes across as more an annoyance who randomly shoots arrows at people. Of course, she’ll doubtless still end up teaming up with Sven. And, speaking of teaming up, Sven gets laid with his childhood friend Thora (who is apparently servicing his evil uncle Gorm, which seems pretty convenient). All in all, a good second issue, although I think there are a few too many pages taken up with landscape shots.

Uncanny X-Men #494

The excellent "Messiah Complex" crossover enters the home stretch, with only three issues to go before the end, with Ed Brubaker and Billy Tan turning out their best work yet (and, in Tan’s case, his last work on Uncanny X-Men before he leaves for parts unknown). Following last issue’s reveal of Bishop as the traitor to the X-Men, out to kill the baby, and the simultaneous discovery that Bishop’s future is the one that Jamie and Layla are in, we dive into that story. Bishop is about to kill the baby, but is intercepted by Gambit, Malice, Sunfire, and Vertigo, who beat him down pretty hard, and take the kid (Gambit declines to kill Bishop, reasoning that dealing with him will keep the X-Men busy; this turns out not to be the case, because Bishop comes up with a strong cover story that fools them into thinking he’s still on their side, but it’s another indication that Gambit is due to betray Sinister at any moment). Meanwhile, Layla finds that a young Bishop is living in the camp that they’ve been sent to. Cable, now having lost the kid, comes to the conclusion that he can’t afford to go it alone anymore, and so he calls...Professor X; and, according to Cable, nothing is as it seems, and only Charles can help him save the day. That’s a great twist; Xavier hasn’t been getting any respect yet this crossover, and has spent the whole time squabbling with Cyclops and getting talked down to, so it’s good to see him get a shot and being productive. This event is the best X-Men story I’ve read in a long time. Tan’s art has improved remarkably since he first came on the book; I especially like his rendition of the Marauder Vertigo, and her powers.

 

[Red]

Anyone get END LEAGUE #1?

 

[GNR]

Thunderbolts #118 - This book continues it's twisted path and I love it.Psychopaths running around eating people,and Osborn sitting in a bathroom stall with the Goblin mask on.Deodato delivers some of his best art ever in this series.

Umbrella Academy #1-4 - Got these a while ago and got around to reading 1 and 2.This is good ****!I love the amount of sci fi madness going on here,the Tesla like genius,who is really an alien,has a ship made from the remains of an old egyptian(assuming) king.The Eiffel Tower actually being a spaceship,etc.Ellis and Morrison are known for stuff like this,the inspirations are obvious but the execution is excellent.

Mythos Fantastic Four - I thought the X-Men and Hulk issues were great done in ones showing the origins from a fresh perspective.This is probably the best of the bunch by far.I skipped out on the Spidey and GR(seriously why???) ones but I really hope they make an Avengers one soon.

 

[PhotoJones]

Anyone get END LEAGUE #1?

I did.

It was...alright. The story is interesting. It started out great. It's just that the dialogue is a little inconsistant. Half the time the characters are talking like normal people and the other half they're devolving into cliched comic book speech. And the art is...well, it's inconsistant, too. Broome has never been a great artist. There have been moments when he's displayed real potential, but he also manages to bungle it by the next page, or in some cases, panel. Nothing's changed, apparently. He's relying way to heavily on his wife colorist, especially with the faces, and it's just awkward looking.

I didn't hate it, but it didn't blow me away like I thought and hoped it would. I'll stick it out for the next couple of issues and see if it finds a groove.

 

[Anubis]

Hmm, then I guess it was a good thing that I missed that issue. Trade waiting.

 

[Darthphere]

I dropped Ms Marvel.

 

[Dread]

The first week of 2008 is a slow one, and actually one where I would have gotten as many Dark Horse & Image books than Marvel books for once, but my LCS didn't have DYNAMO 5 or FEARLESS this week, so I'll have to get 'em in Manhattan on Sunday. They never ordered FEARLESS to begin with, and seem to randomly muck up ordering DYNAMO 5 about half the time anyway. Little local shops outside the big city focus more on the Big Two stuff, and anything by any smaller company is hit or miss (aside for stuff like SPAWN of course). But, one BIG Marvel issue did ship this week.

As always, full spoilers ahead.

Dread's BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 1/4/08:

THE END LEAGUE #1: A new launch from Dark Horse, which naturally is riding high with Star Wars and Hellboy material about now, and whose last superhero launch, UMBRELLA ACADEMY came about to rave reviews. I heard about it in the Pull List topic a few months back and so when it came out I made sure to look for it. It had an interesting buzz to it; a team of superheroes in a post apocalyptic land searching for the hammer of Thor. There is a lot more to it, written by Rick Rememder and drawn by Mat Broome (inks by Sean Parson, while Wendy Broome does colors). Having read it once and scimmed it twice, it is something of an interesting beast, which has interesting parts, but they feel a bit mish-mashed into a whole. In an age of decompression, the first half of the comic literally goes over about 40 years worth of history with narration by Brian Terrance/Astonishman, the world's Superman basically. Unlike DC's noble Clark, Brian at first grew cynical because he was amazed by the fact that the world treated his noble actions as something incredible, as if none of them would have been so heroic if given such power. Cyncism turned to arrogance, where he sought to eliminate threats without discussing it with world powers first; he figured he knew better. Set up by his ally, Dead Lexington, Brian accidentally dives a nuke into a hidden alien compound filled with friendly aliens underwater in 1962, and the resulting explosion kills about half the world's population and shatters the entire infrastructure of the world, making food once again a rare resource. Furthermore, the mixture of alien gases and exposure to cosmic radiation from complications caused many on the planet to develop super-powers (called "Magnificents"). This world is similar to Millar's WANTED in that the basic struggle against good and evil is essentially finished; through sheer numbers, the villains won, taking over the world and hording much of the major food stores. The superheroes, what few of them are left, do what they can, but have to salvage for food just like everyone else. In some ways it seems odd to get several issues worth of backstory within narration boxes, but that is only because it has become unusual in the 21st century. Some of the hassles come when more characters are introduced and things get rolling. Not everyone's codename is noted within the issue, so without Remender's 1-page letter at the end, some of the team would have been unidentified. Some of the names are awkward (especially Soldier American, one of those things where they reverse a term, like the movies THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL and THE RIVER WILDE, which were movies crappy), and other characters at this point are background fodder. The dialogue switches from perfectly fine to stilted exposition, but I guess that is part of the genre. In some ways it reminded me of a tabletop RPG campaign, as I have moderated those for years. A simple mission to raid some grain and other food from supervillain warlord Scarecrow Sinister (who protects his land with massive robotic scarecrow) leads to saving some hapless civilians, but also a deadly double-cross and trap when Brian's enemy Lexington arranged to finish off the world's only superheroes once and for all. Broome's art is pretty good for the most part, doing well with grimier aspects like the scarecrows and the mystical Prarie Ghost (kind of like Ghost Rider as a cowboy), but sometimes seeming more generic with the superhero archetype. Not bad, mind you, and still very solid, readable art. It was strange that Divinity had the misfortune to look like Emma Frost's dead ringer, which got distracting. Still, the issue ends on a hectic cliffhanger and hopefully things will gell better as it moves along. As it is, it still is an interesting premise for a superhero universe; it just needs to rely on the characters more than the exposition, and hopefully now that the introduction is out of the way, that can happen. The biggest problem with new characters is without any sort of "fanbase", you really have to make them enjoyable or have some angle to them immediately, lest the audience lose interest. Remender & Broome haven't failed, but they've not had the best launch I've read, either. FEARLESS, a far simplier premise, I actually enjoyed more. But I will be sticking with this one a little while, and seeing what it has to offer. It shows promise. There are some good elements here that need time to develop. Astonishman's turmoil is understandable and the concept that despite having seemingly lost the war, these heroes still try to win some battles now and then is commendable. If the cast can get stronger, this should take off.

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST #3: Halfway through Abnett & Lanning's space drama, the sequal to 2006-2007's ANNIHILATION by Kieth Giffen, and while it still isn't quite as good as that effort, at least right now, it still makes for good reading, and is still doing space comics far better than what I recalled from the 90's, when I couldn't be bothered. The best bit of the book for me is how much of a bas-ass Ultron is right now. Forgetting about turning into naked women and having higher ambitions than merely annihilating countries or even the Earth, Ultron's head of the Phalanx Empire and seeking out the entire universe. Only a rag-tag bunch of heroes stand in his way, and without Nova and some others from the last go, Ultron's seemingly run into few bumps. Moondragon does, in fact, die from having her heart torn into last issue, and Ultron calculates that Warlock is not in control of his powers, and lands a TKO. The High Evolutionary literally resorts to blowing up the star his base is attached to in hopes of eliminating Ultron, an effort that fails. While not always one for a fight, he certainly could take care of himself. It seemed odd that he claimed Moondragon was, at the moment, "may not even be biology", although I guess as the Dragon of the Moon is mystical, he could have been right. Anyway, with a grudge to fulfill, and having played side-kick to Nova in ANNIHILATION #6, Phyla looks to be geared to be the one to take down Ultron at the end, at least unless Warlock can get it together. Starlord's crew continues to launch their strike against the Babel Spire on Hala, but Blastaar is assimilated and pooches their plan, resulting in Gabe's seeming demise and Peter Quill's capture. DnA seems to handle all of his crew fine aside for Groot, who keeps spouting the same name over and over again, which is a shame, because Giffen got some great stuff out of him for the mini. Ronan, Kr'lt, Prax, Ra-Venn, and Wraith have their audience with Ravenous, who is cowered by Space-Emo's powers and Ronan basically takes the Kree technology that Ravenous was literally sitting on to aid in their war effort, and one wonders what it is. Cybernetics? Screw-Attack? (Metroid Referance) Raney does very well with the art and the colors help keep things on an even tone. At this point, with Ultron's gestalt AI leading the Phalanx, not even destroying him can stop him, as he can just re-download into a new body (granted, he's done that a million times back on Earth, so it makes sense). While many were pulling for Kang, having Ultron be lord and master of a species of techno-organic Borg-like aliens is essentially a no-brainer sort of expansion for him. He's just been awesome since issue #1 and him having successfully launched a complete takeover of the Kree empire, the last major power in the universe (beyond the Shi'ar, that is, but they only play with X-Men) adds to his nasty-meter. It would be cute if we saw a scene where Ultron was planning to swarm Earth or something as soon as he was finished with the Kree, thus assuring himself of victory over the Avengers. Blastaar's "select" redesign looked pretty cool, as well, for a character who always seemed to look rather generic. Nova probably would have torn things apart by now, so perhaps it was a great strategy getting him out of the picture, even if it wasn't completely planned. Still, Warlock at least isn't asking enemies to gaze into his Soul Gem anymore, he's punching things with energy-arm stuff. A bit DBZ-ish, but an improvement for him in the action factor. Maybe Wendell Vaughan will "re-appear" from the Quantum Bands to do his "Rise Phylamus Prime" routine at the right moment? Maybe Super-Skrull will finally get to be the big hero for once? Imagine in the wake of SECRET INVASION, having a SKRULL save the universe? Annihilation's been good for Kr'lt too, helping him move on from just being a FF punching bag and develop a personality. Anyway, while at this point running a solid grade of B compared to ANNIHILATION's A, it still is pretty damn good readin', perhaps reinforcing that the best events/stories sometimes have the least overt presence of the EIC.

MOON KNIGHT #14: At this point, while not a bad comic at all, the dud of the week, albeit for all I know DYNAMO FIVE or FEARLESS could underwhelm. Huston moves to co-plotting with incoming novellist Mike Benson, and Texeira, hot off a run on GHOST RIDER, takes over for art, and delivers for the most part. In theory, Benson does nothing wrong. Moon Knight is a dark, gritty, violent hero, who is either answering the whims of his god and sponsor Khonshu (still taking the form of his dead foe Bushman), or is just friggin' crazy. Probably a bit of both. In issue #13, Specter spooked his way into getting registered with the SHRA, and despite him shoving his registration papers down the throat of a thug he murdered that issue, he so far retains his badge, sparking criticism from the media and getting some mean sneers from Tony Stark. Frankly, MOON KNIGHT has always been something that hasn't worked well with the status quo of CIVIL WAR and the INITIATIVE afterward. In theory it stars a psychotic, violent vigilante, and Marvel always has a spot for heroes like that. But in a U.S. that now strikes hard against unstable heroes, Specter sticks out like a sore thumb. Ideally, if Prowler could be swarmed by cape-killers and arrested just for STEPPING OUT OF A WINDOW, then Marc would have been bagged, tagged, and dumped in the N-Zone, or slapped with the Thunderbolts. But, in order to keep Huston clear last arc, Stark merely appointed a detective to "watch" Moon Knight as the bodies and crook-mutilations piled up. And after Khonshu wrangled a SHRA badge out of SHIELD, now Iron Man of all people is just taking things in stride!? I mean, sure, Moon Knight was one of his West Coast Avengers for a while, but Stark's pummeled former Avengers and thrown them in the clink for far less without losing any sleep. Perhaps a better tact would have been to make Moon Knight a hunted man as soon as CW started; keep him underground, because this awkward registration storyline just makes a mockery of the entire post-CW status quo. Hell, I'd argue Moon Knight probably would have fit in with the New Avengers, considering Spidey doesn't bat an eye when Logan kills people anymore. But, that is neither here nor there. The irony is that Marvel, Huston, and others have tried to distance Moon Knight from Batman comparisons, but issues like this invite them. Some would argue, "No, Moon Knight is different because he is ****ing insane", but I've read plenty of Batman comics where Bats was depicted as almost equally crazy; I flipped through TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE #1 and Batman was slapping Robin around and on the verge of pummelling civilians a few times if they dared stumble near a stake-out. Anyway, the issue has Moon Knight cripple some Chinese mobsters before taking down Killer Shrike after a tip from the Profile revealed he was out of jail; without his equipment (seemingly), Specter kicks him down a flight of stairs with ease; I at least liked the continuity of remembering that Shrike had hurt Marc's pal Jean-Paul, who scares off some bigots this issue with his boyfriend. And a man with a scar is starting to stalk Moon Knight. Things may be starting to boil into a story where Moon Knight has to run from the feds, but will it be too little, too late? Huston's second arc ended with a bit of a whimper and Benson's debut is alright, but in some ways these issues prove the stereotype about grim anti-heroes; read one, read them all. When in the mood for it, though, it's good violent stuff. The sales are slipping, and I can't say I don't understand. Benson has an arc before apathy sets in. Texeira's art is spanky, though.

I also got the X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX: MUTANT FILES handbook, and good lord, are those X-people screwy for bio's. Daken's alone gives you all the reason you need to avoid WOLVERINE ORIGINS.

 

[GNR]

Lobster Johnson:The Iron Prometheus #1-5:Just finished the first issue,and I really enjoyed it.I love these period pieces with "mystery men" running around.Throw in some gangsters,nazis,monsters,and ancient artifacts for good measure and you have a very cool pulp styled comic.Armstrong's art is perfect for this type of story and as always,Dave Stewart works his magic.

I haven't read any Hellboy,but knowledge of the shared universe doesn't really apply here so far.

 

[BrianWilly]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #10
Huh, a lot happened. We get some answers while at the same time other questiHOLY CATS DAWN IS A ****.

In a lot of ways, this is really the first issue in a long time where we've actually gotten a lot of Buffy herself. A lot of the series has been okaynowPLOTGONOWGO, which is fine 'cause the plot is good, but we haven't been checking in with Buffy's thoughts for a while. But there's a lot of Buffy's actions, thoughts, and persona here whether it's in the "Anywhere But Here" game (which singlehandedly catapults this issue into awesome) or in an onslaught wordplay quips or even in genuine moments of pathos; yup, they're here too. And it is of the good. Dialogue is flawless, as usual. Also, Willow's relationship issues with Kennedy gets revealed and has sex with a naga.

And on top of all that, props for totally pulling an Alan Scott. So much to like.

What I'm not crazy about are the plot-related...plots. I'm especially rolling my eyes at the foreshadowing that someone close to Buffy will betray her. My first thought was just..."Really? Again?" This is old hat. The whole "your friends are not your friends" crazy nonsense has been overdone. There'd better be some clever shenanigans to make this whole thing really clever 'cause I'm really not looking forward to Xander/Giles/Willow/Dawn/whoever Betrays Buffy...round 9.

Another moment is the revelation that Buffy and some Slayers robbed a bank to fund their whole operation. I mean, it's really just . What happened to the Buffy who would be all pissy at Faith for pulling the exact same sort of stunt? The one who gave that whole pretty speech about human rules that have to be obeyed? I have no doubt that Whedon will not leave this thread hanging, but it's a really awkward thread in the first place.

(8.1 out of 10)


Annihilation: Conquest #3
Oh please be hiding a giant mecha under that throne, Ronan. The only way for you to be more badass than you are right now is if you were hiding a giant mecha under that throne.

I liked Quasar's sword better when it was awesomely huge. Why is it all puny now? Woman, you're just not getting it. I doubt Moondragon's truly dead; the manner of her death just screams AFK BRB to me.

What else? Pretty damn good issue. Sucks to be Gabe, but pretty damn good issue. We've got all that irritating exposition out of the way and the pieces are set on the board. Now it's just a matter of seeing what sht's gonna blow up and how pretty it's going to be.

(8.6 out of 10)


Teen Titans: Year One #1
Batdickery and child abuse in the same issue? Total success.

And I don't care what anyone says, Aqualad screaming like a girl at the sight of fish is awesome.

And Kerschl is a ridiculously fitting artist for this mini. Like, ridiculous fitting. Take note, artists who are Sanford Greene; this is how you pull off stylized art. Bright, clear, consistent within its own deformities.

The specifics of this really aren't very canon-friendly at all. In fact, it fits into past events about as well as an unlubed penis into...well, it just doesn't fit very well. Ipods? IMs? Lynda Carter-styled Wonder Woman? But I find myself at a lack of caring for once, just for how much of a success this series is.

(9 out of 10)


Countdown to Mystery #4
I had a moment of wild panic when I opened this book and got the Eclipso story first; I had to check in the end to reassure myself that Dr. Fate's story was still in. Don't tell me that DC wouldn't try to fool me by printing three awesome half-issues of awesome Dr. Fate to reel me in and then publish all mediocre Eclipso stories for the rest of this series. They would totally.

Surprisingly, even the Eclipso story wasn't too bad at all this time around. I mean, it looks like Jean Loring's about to get eaten by a shark, sure, but the stuff that actually happens is not of the bad. Crispus Allen plays a big role, something I've been supportive of since the start. For the first time he almost feels like "The Spectre," and not just "Guy Who Hangs Out with Spectre."

And, as usual, the Doctor Fate story is quite impressive. A marginal interlude this time around as new Kent falls off the wagon and meets new "Inza" -- and if you're wondering about the coincidental nature of that sort of meeting, rest assured that the book is already way ahead of you -- and almost immediately gets her melted by acidic black goo. Tune in next month!

(3.3 out of 5 for the Eclipso story)
(4 out of 5 for the Dr. Fate story)
(7.3 out of 10 overall)


The Brave and the Bold #9
Three short stories crammed into one issue. It almost feels like too little, which is because it is too little; each individual story barely has time to begin before it's over. But Waid does what he can with what little he gives. Actually, he does a lot for what little he gives. Each single panel is crammed with so much info, no moment is wasted, and Perez of course is the artist to go to when you need to cram a panel with as much as you can and not waste moments.

Props to Waid for also giving Hawkman's origin in something like two sentences.

I do question the purpose of this issue, though; it may as well have "FILLER" stapled to the front of the cover. I mean, "Dial H for Hero"? I realize the nostalgic value, but if nostalgic value was the only purpose, I'm not too sure it was purpose enough. The Boy Commandos? Maybe my modern age sensibilities are simply to severe for me to come to terms with the imagery of preadolescent boys shooting at Nazis with grenades and machine guns, though I know it was pretty damn standard back then as far as comic books go.

(7.4 out of 10)


The All New Atom #19
It took me about half the issue before I realized that this couldn't have been written by Gail Simone; upon rechecking the cover, sure enough it was Keith Champagne. And that's actually pretty damn fine ninja trickery on the part of Champagne. But when you get to an underground cannibalistic albino Amish village and yet it somehow manages to not be filled to the brim with utter and unrepentant crack on steriods on acid on viagra, you just know that Simone is either having an off day or just not present. And it isn't bad at all. Champagne does quite well with this character he's never written before, and the plot is obviously quite in place for the tone of the series.

Next up: the Black Mercy officially becomes overplayed in the DCU. But let's see how it goes down.

(8 out of 10)


Metal Men #5
I would love to say that the plot becomes clearer here, and that the narrative gets easier to follow, and that the art isn't quite so much chaos personified. This series is really so very good when you get the time to know it, but unfortunately, I can't say any of that. Unfortunately, if anything, the plot and narrative and art gets even more complicated and harder to understand.

The great parts of the book, of course, are the same great parts that were in the first four issues. The characters are all still so personable and vibrant. The dialogue is wickedly good and geekishly clever in that LOL SCIENCE!!! way. And after you actually spend the time to figure out the plot, you see how well it hangs together and how ingenius it actually is.

The problem is that having this much fun shouldn't be so much work.

(7 out of 10)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I dropped Ms Marvel.

How come? I thought you worshiped at Her altar.

 

[Darthphere]

How come? I thought you worshiped at Her altar.

I do, I do, but I've had to make some hard choices when it comes to my comic book budget.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Like what? Dropping Ms. Marvel is perfectly logical since she sucks, so that can't have been one of the hard choices.

 

[Darthphere]

Like what? Dropping Ms. Marvel is perfectly logical since she sucks, so that can't have been one of the hard choices.

I hate you sometimes.

Well to be honest, most of them weren't hard choices. I dropped crap like Countdown and Green Lantern, and stuff which I didn't think was too bad but wasn't enjoying anymore like Moon Knight and Marvel Comics Presents and both Avengers titles.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Good stuff. I haven't been reading any of those for a while, except for MCP. I still like the Stacy Dolan story and want to see how the **** cosmic-Captain-America-wannabe fits into it.

 

[Darthphere]

Good stuff. I haven't been reading any of those for a while, except for MCP. I still like the Stacy Dolan story and want to see how the **** cosmic-Captain-America-wannabe fits into it.

I just found some of the stories to be really uninteresting. I mean, I don't care about *****e in Guardian costume, and Hellcat was cute, but I mean, really, I felt kind of gay reading that ****, and I read Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.

I also dropped Wonder Woman, sorry Gail.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm still reading Wonder Woman. I like the character and Simone was pretty much born to write her. I'm giving her at least a few months to a year to show me what she's got.

That Hellcat story in MCP was pretty stupid, though. I enjoyed that one least so far. I still just like seeing US Agent in anything, so he's helping me enjoy the Guardian story.

 

[Darthphere]

I'm still reading Wonder Woman. I like the character and Simone was pretty much born to write her. I'm giving her at least a few months to a year to show me what she's got.

I lost my top two female characters. Ms. marvel and Wonder Woman. I feel so alone.

 

[Kevin]

Are you gonna pick up a new title to make up for it?

 

[FatalEnergy]

how bad would it be if I started reading thunderbolts with this issue?

 

[GNR]

how bad would it be if I started reading thunderbolts with this issue?

Pick up the previous 2 issues and wait for the softcover of the first 6 issues coming out sometime this month

 

[Darthphere]

Are you gonna pick up a new title to make up for it?

I'm looking into broadening my horizons a bit.

 

[Dread]

Went into the city to pick up those two Image titles that my LCS didn't have after the New Year. They've never had FEARLESS, but have gotten DYNAMO 5 since about issue #3 or #4, so that was annoying. Not counting the MESSIAH COMPLEX MUTANT FILES, which came out a few weeks ago, I actually got more Image & Dark Horse comics than Marvel for a week. For one week, I am not a Marvel zombie.

Next week not only brings the quarrel over BND, but the chance to get it signed by Dan Slott in Manhattan. Oh well. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 1/4/08 Part II:

DYNAMO 5 #10: Not just for superhero fans bemoaning "new grim stuff", DYNAMO 5 is quickly proving itself a capable and well written team book in it's own right. Granted, coming from the guy best known for NOBLE CAUSES, it isn't unusual. The series can whip together character interaction just as well as it does action sequences, which Faerber & Asrar pack into every issue, yet don't seem to believe it is "pandering to mental midgets" (as Bendis once alluded, in terms of that practice) at all. The book looks simple, but the twists and quirks on some of the expectations carry it through very well. A bit actually happens in this issue, carrying over from the last few. After awakening from his psychic coma (and telepathically beat down the villainess Brains), Gage angrilly confronts Spencer, who was ordered to pose as Gage in Texas to keep his family placated while Gage recovered. Visionary had to reveal his status as a superhero to his mother, who believes Maddie is manipulating and endangering both her son and the other kids, and confronts her about it. Scrap forces Gage & Spencer to talk things out rather than fight, while she, Visionary, and Slingshot take down a rampaging robot, which was a set-up from their new league of enemies, which include Bonechill, Voltage, Brains & Brawn, and someone from Slingshot's father's past. Asrar, who'll be working on the NOVA ANNUAL soon, naturally provides his usual great action, with Riley solid on colors, but it is the two major talking conflicts that are among the highlights of the issue. Forced into talking, they each discover that they both have misconceptions and prejudices about the other due to their past experiences. The scene is handled very well. Maddie & Mrs. Chang have a discussion in the office and Maddie turns things around into wondering if Chang is genuinely concerned about her son and the others, or is venting because she was essentially abandoned by Visionary's father, whose genes he now is using as a superhero. Visionary also gets a good power moment, but as the robot was essentially designed to lose anyway, it is a bit moot. Naturally, as the big is nearing it's one year anniversary, it has quickly become one of the better team books out there and a joy to read every month. Always worth hunting for.

FEARLESS #3: Not as good as DYNAMO 5, or INVINCIBLE, or some other non-Big Two books, but still enjoyable for what it is, FEARLESS reaches it's second-to-last chapter. It mostly is a fight sequence between Fear and Victor, who is using his father's magic ring to become "untouchable". Turns out Vic was Lionel's first student, who had a similar background to Adam, only when he used the "anti-fear" drug, he used it to murder people and try to organize the underworld. Adam also uses it for violence, but to fight crime as the armored Fear. The fight shifts back and forth and it seems wiggy in some panels, but the cliffhanger is effective; Lionel is dead, Adam's out of anti-fear and Vic's entire goon squad is hopped up on the supply. An added bonus is a Fear pin-up shot from Rafael Albuquerque, who has been the regular artist on BLUE BEETLE for a year or so. This hasn't been everyone's cup of tea, and it doesn't reinvent the wheel, but as a new superhero mini, it works on it's own terms. Curious as to how the finale will play out.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

how bad would it be if I started reading thunderbolts with this issue?

Pick up the previous 2 issues and wait for the softcover of the first 6 issues coming out sometime this month

Or, alternatively, never, ever pick up that rag and save yourself some mental anguish.

 

[Anubis]

It's a good book Corp. Don't let your prejudices get to you. The T-Bolts you knew is dead. Long live the *****e bags with badges angle.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

**** that. And **** the T-bolts I knew before that, too. Niceiza ****ed them up long before Ellis came along and ****ed the whole concept up.