Bought/Thought 4-14-2010 SPOILERS

[JewishHobbit]

Not a bad week at all. Some good stuff... nothing amazing, but nothing bad either... so let's begin... spoilers abroad!


New Mutants 12 - Second Coming part 3! A good issue, but as with Uncanny last week, it's hard to judge an issue of this event until it's over. There were a lot of good parts though, such as the New Mutants taking on hudreds of Hodge's goons, and then Hodge himself coming into play in his X-Tinction Agenda bug looking gear. Archangel's brutally killing Stryker was interesting and I'm real curious how that's going to effect Psylocke and Nightcrawler who watched him do it and are now shocked. I was a little surprised by something in the New Mutants scenes... if it's 5 or 6 against hundreds, why put Warlock with Doug on intel? He's a brute himself who's faught in intergalactic wars (Annihilation: Conquest)! Heck, he held his own against Ultron Prime! But yeah, put the guy on intel?

Great issue though, and the art was fantastic! I can't really say that I've ever heard of Ibraim Roberson, but his art was great!

Siege: Young Avengers - This was a good oneshot. I felt it was well written and put a good equal emphasis on all the characters who aren't highlighted in Mighty/Thunderbolts, and it did well in playing with them in continuity with what's gone on before in their short careers. We have Wiccan refering to his time as Asguardian in issues 1-6 of their series and dealing with why he chose that name, and it's relation to the destruction of Asguard. We see Speed, who is usually just the reckless guy, striving to be a true hero. And we see Patriot and Hawkeye trapped and dealing with their standstill relationship, which has been thus since the YA: Presents mini.

I also liked that when Hulkling and Wiccan took on the Wrecking Crew, Thunderball showed some conscience and challenged his partners... which is something well within his character and something that has been lacking since Bendis took them in under his wing (and before that). He's a thug, but he's not a horrible guy. He was always my favorite of the four.

Siege: Captain America - Decent issue, though not as good as the YA one. After the destruction of Asguard, a family who was too close gets buried in its rubble and the two Caps try to help the father find his wife and daughters. Turns out the wife is fine but the daughters are being held by Razor Fist. The two Caps fight him and save the girls. And along the way Bucky gets yet again another moment in time when he's learning to be Cap instead of Steve, etc. It was written well, but I feel that the two together needed a stronger foe than Razor Fist. Heck, the Young Avegers get the Wrecking Crew... the Caps should have had something better, or someones better perhaps.

Siege: Loki - Now this one I wasn't going to buy at all but I had extra cash and I decided to support the $3 price tag for a oneshot. It wasn't a bad issue but not great either... however, I feel that someone who is actually a fan of Thor's book would likely enjoy it a lot more.

We get an idea of why Loki has orchestrated the Siege to begin with and some side stuff he's been doing, including deals with Mephisto and Hela. We see a previous conversation between Norman and the Goblin Mask but now see that it was Loki speaking, not the mask, as most predicted. And in the end Loki somehow becomes Immortal or something... I'm not sure. I had a hard time getting into the issue as I'm not a big Asguard fan so I probably didn't get the fullest out of the story. Thor fans will likely like it much more.

And I hated the art. It took me right out of the story. Mephisto looked stupid.

Brightest Day 0 - This was a good issue that focused on Deadman, who is traveling around the DC Universe getting us up to date on the others who were brought back to life at the end of Blackest Night. And there were guest stars besides them here and there like Hal, Guy, Kyle, and Sinestro. Nothing much happend really but it was a good set up issue and works as a #0 issue instead of a first issue.

While this book doesn't seem to be as Green Lantern focused as I originally thought, it still looks promising so I'm excited to be picking this up. Hopefully it remains good, because if not I'm not buying crap twice a month and it'll be quickly dropped.

Batman 698 - This was an interesting issue, part one of a two part story (I miss those... done in one's are better though). Basically, Dick is going around trying to figure out some murders that seem to be done by a copycat of other Batman villains. A man is cut up like Zsasz, another is pecked by birds like the Penguin, another is killed as if the Joker had killed him. The whole time Riddler, who is apparently reformed but was hinted at a couple issues ago that that's come to an end, is following it and giving his unwanted aid. But in the end the Riddler is found with the Joker smiley death face or whatever. Obviously, the Riddler isn't dead, and I'm wondering if he's still the one putting this on, but I don't know.

Overall good issue. Daniels is doing a great job on writing this comic. Between his run with this and Morrison over on Batman & Robin, I've become a major Batman fan for the first time in my 19 years of collecting comics. Awesome

And having to do with that...

Red Robin 10-11 and Batgirl 8-9 - Due to how much I've been enjoying Batman I decided to expand and try out some of his extended universe. I was first curious about Detective Comics since I really liked Batwoman and the Question in Final Crisis: Revelations, but the $4 price tag scares me. I saw a Red Robin issue so I thought I'd try that, and on a whim I grabbed two issues of Batgirl as well.

Surprise surprise I loved all four issues and think I will continue with these books. Granted, I'm trying to cut titles and not add but I also have decided to adopt a mindset that allows me to collect titles I enjoy and drop ones I'm not as much enjoying, so since I'm enjoying these, I'll continue them while I'm enjoying them.

I've not read any Robin comics so while I've heard of Spoiler and know she used to date Tim, I knew nothing really about her. As it turns out, I really find myself enjoying her character as Batgirl, and I actually found myself laughing at some of the dialogue, like her accusing Tim of dressing like Dr. Midnight. And all in all the stories were just good.

In Red Robin I enjoyed what I read, both parts a crossover with Batgirl 8, and the title really pulling me in. At one point toward the end of issue 11, I was eager to see what happens to the point to where I lost myself and was surprised to find the end of the issue. I love Yost as a writer and things like this are why.

I'm not sure what will come of these books as I never look into them but for the forseeable future, I'm on board!


JewishHobbit's Picks of the Week:

Best of the Week: Siege: Young Avengers

This was a really good oneshot that does a good job of reminds us of who the characters are and gives them some good face time until *****e bag with another job makes time to continue their story... but McKeever really handles it well. His characterisation is dead on and he continues bits of each of their stories and makes them special for this short time. Very well done. And for as small as his role was, I felt he did the best with Speed... who is always the overlooked Young Avenger.

Worst of the Week: Siege: Loki

Not bad but not my thing. Fraction's writing was average on subjects that don't really interest me and the art was the final killing blow. Others will likely enjoy this more than I have, but it's just not for me.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Interesting week for me. A new book by Gregg Olsen came out, A Twisted Faith, and I've been caught up reading it, going to a book signing/discussion/Dateline viewing of the book, and just researching a little more on it all. Why? Because the person who supposedly committed the crime in the book used to be my best friend back in my older teen years, and was one of the reasons why I have such a difficult time trusting in a church. (That person in the book is so different from the kid I used to know, btw, of those who might have seen Dateline last Friday.)

Anyway, now I'm onto reading this week's comics. It's so nice to have some good escapism in your life!

Siege: Captain America One-Shot

This is the only Siege tie-in I've read this week, so far. (The next two I have lined up for my next cycle of comics to read.) It's a good issue, as it picks up right after the falling of Asgard; so, we get a slight advancing of the story after issue #3 of Siege. I like seeing the two Caps working together, and we get a decent fight scene in the second half of this book. There is still a bit of "Who Will Wield The Shield" aspect to this story...but, I guess that's to be expected for a while.

Black Widow #1

Nice to see Marjorie Liu getting her own title; and, this first issue delivers what I hoped it would: Decent art with an interesting story. My only complaint is that the storyline might not be that original...but, we'll see in the next couple issues if they are targeting old spies or not. At least this seems like it will be much better than the last Black Widow mini. (Not the very good Tobin one, but the other that came out at the same time.) We also get a "Black Widow Saga" to help fill new readers into Black Widow's rich history.

PunisherMax #6

I LOVE PunisherMax, and am happy to see the Kingpin storyline is leading directly into this Bullseye one. There are some nice touches to this first issue of the new storyline, like where Bullseye makes a joke out of killing someone with a toothpick, and I can't wait for the next issue. Sure, Remender's Punisher (or Frankencastle) is entertaining...but, I still find this is the Frank Castle I love to read. t:

Ultimate Enemy #3

Not a lot advances the story in this issue...but, you do get all-out action at least. I'm still greatly disturbed that Bendis has made Reed Richards into such a young kid (although, he's not seen in this issue, as everyone believes him to be dead)...but, if you just read this comic for the fun of it, it's quite enjoyable.

Hulked Out Heroes #1

This mini stems out of Fall Of The Hulks, as The Leader and MODOK have used the Red Hulk's energy to gamma-power the heroes of the 616. People who are tired of Deadpool might be disappointed to find that he's the sole focus of this first issue. (Not sure about the other ones that will follow.) Still, it was another decent issue from Marvel this week, and I really liked revisiting the time where the Thing became Blackbeard. Just, for the second week in a row, we have a Hulk title that, while it is suppose to tie-in with the current Hulk books, doesn't seem that relevant to the main story. = if you are a Deadpool fan, or like anything to do with the current Hulk storyline. = if you are quite sick of another Deadpool appearance, or can give a rat's patootie of Hulk's current storyline.

New Mutants #12....or Chapter 3 of X-Men: Second Coming

The action picks up right where Chapter 2 left off. I kind of like that with a crossover. It's much better than the Necrosha X and Nation X storylines, which had differing stories in all the various X-titles. There isn't a lot here that makes me think this storyline is just spectacular, though. Just like in Cable, we get a bunch of scenes of Cable and Hope fleeing their attackers, so far...although, this time, Cable is a bit clueless, and thinks the attackers simply followed the X-Men to their location. He doesn't realize they are following the techno-organic virus that ravages his body.

Amazing Spider-Man: Grim Hunt-The Kraven Saga

Really, I have to give Marvel a t: just for giving readers a free comic that gives us some new material and a Kraven Saga, to catch readers up on what's happened before. (There was a time where they'd charge us at least a buck for this stuff.) While I haven't been a huge fan of The Gauntlet, I am looking forward to the big payoff at the end.

The Light #1 (of 5)

Finally, I had no intention of picking up this title, until I saw it sitting on the shelf at my LCS. It quickly caught my attention, as it looked like the type of comic that I generally enjoy. Sure enough, I wasn't disappointed. (Gotta remember to call my LCS and tell them to put it on my list after typing this out!!!)

Ray's a man down on his luck, constantly getting fired from job after job, most of which can be blamed on his alcoholism. His wife left without taking their teen daughter with her; and, he lives at his mother's home. One morning, he wakes up to the cries of a man yelling, "Help." After investigating, he's simply told "Don't look at the light!...Something happens when you look at the light! I saw....I saw what happened to them. When the lights came on. They burned, they all burned!" Sure enough, if you look at any source of light, like from a lamp, the people explode with some lightsource within their body and explode in a way.

Cool first issue! It's got me hooked, and I am definitely sticking this comic at the top of my "must read list." t:


Good first batch of comics! Not a bad one in the bunch, but I found I liked "The Light" most of all, with "PunisherMax" being a close second. The worst would probably be "Hulked Out Heroes."

 

[CaptainCanada]

Black Widow #1 - So, Black Widow: I like the character (she's got a great look, and that's at least a third of the battle in comics), she's been a big part of one of my top two comics for the last few years, and I'm always game to see a female character get her own showcase. Marjorie Liu I haven't read anything by in the past, but she gets good reviews. That said, I was a bit ambivalent about this series for two reasons: Daniel Acuna, whose art I'm not overly fond of, and the promotional material for this opening arc basically amounted to "some new villain beats the crap out of Natasha, and then she has to go fight him", which isn't a bad story idea by any means, but it doesn't promise anything revelatory (the issue preview, likewise, is a cute little reversal of expectations, but doesn't tell you much of anything). All in all, I liked it quite a bit. The main plot of the issue doesn't really advance beyond the one-sentence setup that I mentioned above, but it lays most of the groundwork. The title character is undergoing surgery for most of the second half, with some supporting characters doing most of the talking in the meantime, though, as suggested by the solicitation for #2, Liu seems to be setting up a dynamic where at least some of her allies know what's going on but won't tell her for some reason. That could very easily be played badly, but we'll see. As it stands, the opening scenes do a good job of establising the lead character as super-competent (and the aforementioned surgery scene is a rather innovative demonstration of inner steel); and Liu includes a flashback to before the action that isn't just about showing an earlier plot point, but shows her on her "down time" and gives her a mischievous/nasty sense of humour.

Acuna's art is a lot better than some of the past stuff with him I've bought. Maybe the much darker colours have something to do with that, but it no longer looks like everyone is underwater in any case. His sometimes exaggerated expressions work best in the comedic parts.

Also of note, this is all very clearly post-Siege: you've got Tony and the two Jameses-not-called-James (they should have a teamup with War Machine) chillin' in the hospital quite openly, Tony throwing his weight around (having weight to throw around, at that), etc. Oh, and there's one of those "backstory of Black Widow" backups that runs through her past character/publication history (with helpful citations of all the in-print trades Marvel would love for you to buy).

Daredevil #506 - After skipping a month (and sort-of-skipping the next, albeit with a special as a replacement), the series returns to Matt's dealings with the Hand daiymos in Japan. For most of this issue, I thought it was a rather average series of fights and internal bickering, but the last few pages totally turned me around on it - two excellent sequences in a row, and the last-page reveal came as a total surprise. I had guessed, based on the dialogue, that they were going to reveal the cloaked figure as Master Izo (who's been absent for a few issues, which would seem to have been the perfect setup for a return in this manner). White Tiger came as a total surprise - so, presumably, either Black Tarantula's healing thing didn't really work, or the other daiymos got to her at some point afterward. Also, now that Angela is (presumaby against her will) evil, the probability of Matt sleeping with her climbs even higher. Just before that, we get the return (or dream?) of Elektra. That was a really well-done transition from Bakuto saying he has "other blades" at his disposal to her on the next page, which quite effectively concealed the possibility that it was a dream sequence. Really love Checchetto's art.

New Mutants #12 - "Second Coming: Part 3", moving into the New Mutants' book, as Alpha Team continues to fight to save Cable and Hope from the Purifiers (with more fallout from the X-Force reveal, though Stryker is a zombie, so I'm not seeing why killing him is such a big deal), the New Mutants fight the Right (fight for your life!) to stop them from intervening, and we get a hint of Hope's powers starting to kick in (they're the powers you'd expect). It's mostly action, but it's all well-done action, with some clever uses of Karma's powers. The art, by Ibraim Roberson, is terrific; he and the colourist do a great job depicting distinctive minority faces. As I've said previously, "Second Coming" will ultimately be defined by how it resolves the whole post-M-Day period, but so far it's an entertaining story.

Siege: Captain America #1 - Easily the least of the three Siege specials that came out this week, which is disappointing. Christos Gage gets the characters, but there's really not much to say here, particularly since the themes have been covered by Ed Brubaker elsewhere. Basically, Old Cap and New Cap pull themselves out from the rubble and rescue an incredibly stupid civilian family that has gotten close to the action to take photos. Oh, and they fight the utterly hilarious villain Razor-Fist; I'd never heard of this guy before, but he's ludicrous. The art is a bit middling; it's very loose in terms of linework, which works well for some scenes (particularly the ones with the civilians), but the fights and the superhero costumes look less impressive.

Siege: Loki #1 - Possibly the best of the specials, though it has the advantage of featuring a character that is both central to the story and so far mostly off-page, and building off of themes and plot elements that writer Kieron Gillen has been employing in his other work (such as the New Mutants issue that he guest-wrote). We see some scenes of Loki's scheming leading up to the event, and he even builds on the three goons that were killed in the final issue of Straczynski's run, who I had no expectation (or need) to ever see again. Slick. There's a niggle here in terms of the continued confusion of the state of the other Eight Worlds post-Ragnarok, which JMS never bothered to lay out and other writers have inconsistently filled in since (in Fraction's special, Hela clearly had some of her old domain); but here Hela definitively gets her own space, albeit sublet from Mephisto. An excellent issue.

Siege: Young Avengers #1 - I always appreciate any scrap of material with these guys that Marvel deigns to produce, and this is a nice placeholder until Heinberg's maxiseries starts up in a few months (and also suggests, as with his past Nomad miniseries where they cameoed, that Sean McKeever would be a good successor writer on the Young Avengers). Stature and Vision aren't here, but they've got preexisting commitments, they've gotten more pagetime in the last two months than the others have gotten in the last two years. The other five all have their own stories here, with the main focusses being Wiccan and Patriot; tying the story into Wiccan's original "Asgardian" name was a good idea. Meanwhile, Kate and Eli (and Tommy) are still stuck in triangle-land, waiting for Heinberg, but the scenes between Patriot and Hawkeye underground are well-written. I really like Asrar's art on this; realistic but perfectly suited to superhero characters.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Okay, James Buchanan Barnes, a.k.a. Bucky, and... who's the other James-who's-not-called-James? I can only think of Rhodey, but obviously your joke indicates it's not him.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Okay, James Buchanan Barnes, a.k.a. Bucky, and... who's the other James-who's-not-called-James? I can only think of Rhodey, but obviously your joke indicates it's not him.

James "Logan" Howlett.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Ooooooh, that's right. I barely even remember Wolverine's real name since no one ever uses it.

 

[El Bastardo]

Where did we get a hint of Hope's powers starting to kick in?

 

[CaptainCanada]

Where did we get a hint of Hope's powers starting to kick in?

The page with Rogue; look at what Rogue says in the first panel.

 

[Phaedrus45]

4 more.

Siege: Young Avengers One-Shot

Good issue by McKeever. It lets the readers know how the Young Avengers survived the crash of Asgard. My only complaint is why everyone on the Young Avengers must hook up with other members. The group is like a big "love in" now.

Siege: Loki One-Shot

This Siege One-Shot is a bit different than the other two, in that it reveals some stuff that happened in the past between Loki, Mephisto, and Hela. It was interesting, especially when you think back to the New Mutants Siege tie-in....but, I also felt myself fighting to stay awake while reading it.

Amazing Spider-Man: Origin Of The Hunter One-Shot

Everything is building to the return of Kraven, it seems. This One-Shot gives the reader a 2-page introduction to the Amazing Spider-Man reprints of issues #15 and #34, which first introduced us to Kraven, and ending with a 1-page conclusion. (Those bookends really aren't even worth noting, as it just shows Kraven's daughter studying her prey, Spider-Man, in action, and thinking back about her father.) The final story, "Loose Ends," is an 8-page story that takes place after Ana Kraven first fought Spidey.

If you already have the reprints, or really have no interest in old late-60s Spidey tales, it's probably not worth the $3.99 to pick up this issue. If you like a nice trip down memory lane, you will. Either way, I just thought it was worthy of a .

Brightest Day #0

Much of Brightest Day will probably seem like One Year Later to me. It's a way to try and get readers to jump aboard new titles or already existing ones. Hopefully, DC does a better job with this than they did with OYL. At least it seems the Brightest Day mini will diverge from all the other comics, as this zero issue lets us know the 12 reincarnated heroes and villians are suppose to work together to bring some mysterious person back from the dead. The comic looks good, and it did spark my interest. The downside is that some of these characters I really don't care that much about, and was probably happier seeing them dead and buried.


Oh, and while The Light is still my favorite of the week, Siege: Loki is now my least favorite. But, like I said, it wasn't necessarily a bad comic, it just bored me in parts.

 

[El Bastardo]

Oh. Duh. You know, I read that wrong at first.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Siege: Loki was fantastic. Love the idea of proto-Valkyries who served under Bor but turned cannibalistic and got banished to become the current gods' bogeymen. Stuff like this makes me ask, again, why Gillen can't continue writing Thor. But whatever, the rest of the issue was delightful as well. It's always a treat to me to see the villains on their own terms, doing their own thing, as opposed to being cast in the familiar role of antagonist to their respective heroes--a theme, coincidentally, of this issue, phrased in a really great way early on: "Balder is good. Thor is noble. And Loki... is Loki." I love that Gillen gets Loki's crazy blend of superiority complex and self-loathing.

Nice to see Mephisto and Hela as well, although Hel's status confuses me a bit since Fraction showed in the Thor God-Sized Special that the nine worlds of the Asgardian dimension are still intact--I think Thor, Balder, and Loki may even have visited Hel in that, but I can't remember for sure. So it's a bit puzzling to see Loki making deals on Hela's behalf for a corner of Mephisto's realm here. I guess maybe she doesn't know that Hel is still fine, or maybe it's lost the souls she held dominion over and Mephisto's real estate comes complete with souls for her to torment. Either way, I guess it's relatively minor.

Jamie McKelvie's art is surprisingly great in this issue. I did not expect his style to fit this subject matter so well, but everything looks good, especially Loki. Mephisto is his only weak spot, since he looks like he stuck his finger in an electrical outlet. But the expressiveness of the faces and that badass scene where Loki whips off his cloak to reveal full battle armor more than made up for it. Awesome to see Loki cast as a warrior god again--between his scheming and the cowardice that his act of being the penitent reformed villain in Balder's court necessitates, it's easy to forget that Loki's pretty badass against anyone other than Thor.

Siege: Young Avengers was a considerably weaker one-shot for me than Siege: Loki. It wasn't bad, per se, but it felt kind of pointless and ham-fisted. Wiccan whines about personal issues in the midst of attempted genocide against the Asgardians and Kate acts like a total c**t for apparently no reason. I get that she's too thick to realize that Patriot was playing it safer than usual because any reckless actions he took might kill her, but that point was kept a little bit too subtle--shocking for a superhero comic, where melodrama is the order of the century. It felt like there was no payoff to that character arc. Patriot and Kate wake up buried under Asgard, Kate b****es at Patriot, Kate gets them out, and they share an awkward silence before rushing right back into the ending splash page. Some kind of confrontation where Patriot's actions click into the proper context and Kate is either flattered at his level of care or annoyed at his overprotectiveness or something would've been nice.

Ironically, the best character arc for me was the one that got the least attention: Speed's. His obsessiveness showed a new side to him. Usually he's treated as the slacker or the f***-up--the guy who never takes things seriously enough. Here, he's treated as a guy whose fierce loyalty to his friends drives him to self-recrimination when he can't help them. Clint plays the de facto mentor to the Young Avengers again here, reassuring Speed that if he's doing the best he can, he's doing all anyone could ask for and more. Simple, short but effective character arc. I hope Clint maintains a presence in the Young Avengers' stories. He makes a great mentor figure for a bunch of stubborn teenagers with their hearts in the right place.

Asrar's art is good. It didn't really dazzle me until toward the end, but that final splash page is pretty sweet.

 

[Obi-Ron]

Hulked Out Heroes #1

= if you...like anything to do with the current Hulk storyline. = if you are quite sick of another Deadpool appearance

 

[Dread]

An average number of comics this week, which is more like it. As a commentary on Marvel's pricing policy, I'll offer a transcript of a real conversation with my comic shop clerk as I bought this week's comics:

Dread: "Oh, these SIEGE one-shots are three dollars. I expected them to be four."
Clerk: "I know, right!"
Dread: "Someone at Marvel must've been drunk that day."
Clerk: [Laughs for 2 minutes straight]

THAT is what Marvel's pricing has made them, a punch-line. If Marvel seriously thinks a BLACK WIDOW debut at $4 is going to sell above the Top 50, then I want whatever drugs they're on. I want to be completely protected from reality by "groupthink" like they are.

At any rate, rants and spoilers ahoy.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 4/14/10:

BOOSTER GOLD #31: As the cover states, the end of an era. Dan Jurgens, who has written and/or drawn about 31 out of all 32 total issues of BOOSTER GOLD, alongside Norm Rapmund, is calling it a run on the character he created in the 1980's. This is also an epilogue for the latest arc, in which Booster had to try to ensure that 7 million people died in Coast City. He did try to stop Cyborg Superman and Mongul, but ultimate fell through. He and Skeets, however, did save another time traveler Sondra Crain and a young girl. They could not save Drew, Michelle's boyfriend, who was fated to die. So now Michelle wants to leave them again, and Booster is twisted out of sorts about his lot. When a cadre of thieves rampage into Metropolis, he vents a bit by pummeling the spit out of them.

He and Rip (who is his son from the future, Cable style) had a heart to heart about the whole time mission stuff, which was pretty good. The real highlight of the issue, besides Rip & Booster saving a bystander's puppy from the fight (which was cleverly paced) was Booster's chat with Michelle. He goes on about basically being lonely and them having no one else but themselves, because Booster's best friend is dead and no one else wants to hang with him. It actually was a bit sweet. Giffen, DeMatteis and Batista are the next creative team, and I am curious whether this will boost readership or if many will see this as a "jumping off" point. Many books that had a longtime creative team see a massive drop in readership after they leave, especially C and D list sellers like BOOSTER GOLD.

This is the only DC book I have stuck with, and on the whole it has been a solid ride. There has been some low points but overall it has been a proper mix of action, comedy, and heart that I crave from a superhero title. Jurgens' art in particular has been a connecting fact, joining writing runs by Geoff Johns and even Chuck Dixon. There was one brief fill in arc without Jurgens involved, but only for two forgettable issues with Starro. This issue does a good job of summarizing where things stand until now. I expect the next creative team to bring some "bwa-ha-ha", which may not be so bad (some of the first issues of BG were amusing, like the one with Jonah Hex), but hopefully it doesn't become a sheer comedy series, and they realize the book and character can go other places, too. Still, if Booster's JLI allies like Fire and Ice pop up, or Guy, that'd be fine, too. Considering the book no longer sells in the Top 100, we should be thankful that DC's lenient sales policy has allowed it the chance at another creative run. At the very least, it will continue to be my only DC book a while longer. I just hope we get the "good" Keith Giffen, not the incomprehensible Keith Giffen. The last time I read these two on something, it was on a DEFENDERS mini, which was both funny and mundane at the same time. Hopefully this run will bring more success.

IRON MAN: LEGACY #1: The second ongoing for Iron Man, because he has a movie coming and Marvel figured it was a good idea to start spamming him half as much as Deadpool. Y'know, because since 2006, there has been too little of Iron Man. Despite the oppressive $3.99 cover price, I gave it a chance because Fred Van Lente, one half the writing team of INCREDIBLE HERCULES, was helming it. And on the whole I wasn't disappointed at all.

Spoiler

As a bit of an aside, I am bemused at what a difference a few years makes. Back when Dubya was President and the Republicans ruled Congress with an iron fist, comic books usually treated protesters as patriots, good hearted and ideal Americans who were pissed off at being oppressed by out of touch political tyrants. But all of a sudden with Barack "The One" Obama at President and the Democrats ruling Congress with a velvet fist, all of a sudden protesters are either, at best, manipulated pawns of Neo-Nazis (Brubaker) or, at worst, masked terrorists with laser beams attached to their torsos sent into suicide missions (this comic). Kind of interesting, right? You telling me anti-Republican protesters are never violent, never spoke in extremes, never were manipulated by bigwigs with secret purposes (like MoveOn.org, which is funded by a billionaire as reclusive and loaded as any Conservative boogey-man)? This doesn't anger me; I find it hilarious how hypocritical comics can be, how clearly even the best writers let their political favoritism show as brightly as lights in Vegas. It just seems a bit blatant when comics respect the grievances of the masses against one party, but demonize the ones against another. Stuff like this is part of why there is too much extremism in life and too little objective moderation.

But enough about inconvenient truths. In essence, this show reads like "what if Fred Van Lente write INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1"? And the answer would be twice the story in half the time. I read and enjoy INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, but if that book has any problem, it is decompression. Fraction always seems to take 1-3 issues too long to settle a story. Plus, the first arc on that title was a bit ho-hum. Van Lente handles a very similar story (Stark is appalled to learn that nefarious people are using his tech to commit atrocities, which is only the 17th time this has happened) with his own personal flair and style. In one issue, you get two action sequences with Iron Man, personal stuff with Stark, a set up of his post-SIEGE status quo and who his allies are, AND the revelation of who the villain of the arc (it's another armored elitist with delusions of grandeur. And this is without needing ten issues of THE ORDER to set up set villain like Fraction did. Van Lente displays a lot of imagination and knowledge of Iron Man lore while using it in new ways, such as Hammer-designed weaponry based on, of all villains, the Melter. The artwork by Kurth as well as the color work is very good, too. Handling the technology designs well, with a good sense of pace. The story isn't a major surprise, but Van Lente executes it well, which is what counts.

One little tidbit; Stark seems to be having fond memories of Jarvis like he's Alfred, yet Jarvis himself is nowhere to be seen. Is he just busy with the Avengers? Or is he going to die in SIEGE? Guess we'll find out next month. At any rate, those who left INVINCIBLE IRON MAN due to the slow pace or whatever should give this a try. The only downer is the cover price; hopefully every issue won't be $4 like WOLVERINE: WEAPON X, since that book's fallen like a stone in sales.

SIEGE: CAPTAIN AMERICA #1: Written by Christos Gage, this one really surprised me; the first thing I have read from him in a while that was a bit ho-hum. Not bad, mind you, but merely above average. Part of me wondered what the point of it was, besides getting some more SIEGE or Cap material on the shelf. But I suppose most of the SIEGE one-shots could be criticized that way. They're just there to fill time until SIEGE finishes in May. 5 months to release a 4 issue story, including a few months that had 5 weeks. Now that's service!

At any rate, the title says Captain America but a family in Oklahoma does get a chunk of the focus. Told to evacuate in the midst of the Siege, the parents decide to go film some footage to earn some cash from tabloids, while the eldest daughter decides to be the grown up and be reasonable. They all get caught up in Sentry's destruction of Asgard, and then in a fight between both Captain Americas (or Captains America), Steve and Buck, against Crossfire and ultimately Razor-Fist (two of the Hood's gang of rogues). The mother has her arm broken in the rubble, and Razor-Fist almost slits the eldest daughter's throat, but thankfully Rogers and Barnes manage to work together to save the day. At the end, both seem to accept the idea that two men can be Captain America, and even share the sheild; Barnes doesn't feel worthy with Steve back, while Steve doesn't feel like having that burden on his shoulders for now. I have to say, Razor-Fist hasn't been this much of a challenge since he gave Wolverine a run for his money in old MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS issues (back when Wolverine actually needed time to recover from, gasp, gun shots).

The art is by Federico Dallocchio (and two colorists), and while it isn't the worst ever, it didn't quite pop enough for me. He seemed to have a problem keeping Rogers and Barnes distinct sizes and weights, but he's not the first artist to do so since both started looking alike from the neck up. The action scenes are clear to follow and he covers emotion alright, but the Cap masks always looked a bit awkward for me. Gage did capture Barnes's voice well, and I suppose this one shot is cool for capturing a moment of the two back in action together, if one didn't get enough of that from Gage in AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. I was probably more wowed at Barnes vs. Taskmaster, though.

Frankly, if this was $3.99 like many one shots are, I may have been a little miffed. But it wasn't so for regular issue price it ws okay, if you're a fan of Cap and/or Gage. I liked parts of the story, just for some reason it didn't come together as a perfect whole for me. Still, considering Gage writes AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and for the past year or so he's made Grade A issues look easy, every now and then when he writes a Grade B script (when C+ would be average), it is noticable, although nothing to complain about. He's still a bit under-appreciated to me.

SIEGE: LOKI #1: Written by Kieron Gillen, this may as well be a bonus issue of THOR. I mean, it isn't like issues of THOR have totally forgotten about the titular hero to focus on Loki, or Balder, or the Warriors Three, or Bill the Fry-Cook, right? I bought three SIEGE one-shots this week, and this was the cream of that crop. It covers SIEGE from Loki's perspective and I think really handled him well. One understands where he is coming from and might even sympathize with him a tad, although in the end Loki remains a schemer, a manipulator, and ultimately a pawn of destiny, despite himself. The artwork is by Jamie McKelvie with colors by Nathan Fairbairn (who I think colors some space comics), and while Mephisto looks a little wimpy, the rest of the artwork really pops to me.

The gist of it is to explain why Loki has done what he has done here, and it is for reasons besides just spiting Thor or Balder over daddy issues (as Odin's been dead for a while). Loki feels that despite being "free" of the endless cycle of death and rebirth that was Ragnarok, that the gods, and especially himself, have been stuck in their same old roles. Eager to change that, Loki feels a proper start is to destroy Asgard so the gods can start anew (at least those that survive). Naturally, to that end he has manipulated Norman Osborn into laying waste to Asgard with his army, especially his psycho demi-god, Sentry. In order to brake his chain of going to Hel when he dies, Loki wins the obedience of the Desir, cannibalistic ancestors of the Valkyrie, through treat and even through force. He trades them to Mephisto in order for Hela to get some of Mephisto's "Hell" to stick her whole underworld operation in, and in return, she frees Loki from having to go to her realm when he finally passes. While Loki has played this hand brilliantly and seems triumphant, there is some irony to this. By once again being the one who brings about the destruction of Asgard, and the end of many gods, Loki merely continues to play out his role in destiny, despite himself. Much as he cannot help but play tricks even at the cost of efficiency; it just bemuses him so much to make parties squirm a little.

It also cements that every time Thor gives Loki a chance to redeem himself, Thor is literally being more stupid and naive than The Tick (or Elmer Fudd), but we already knew that. In this issue Gillen paints Loki as the only god who doesn't just want to scream and swing a weapon, or do whatever Odin would have wanted, even with Odin dead. He's a jerk, but only because the rest of his race are barbarians and he's the only one of them with half a brain (or actually quite a good brain, capable of even outwitting Dr. Doom on occasion). He is basically a genius stuck in a martial arts school where all anyone cares about is how many boards they can brake or how high they can kick. Still, his own arrogance and love of seeing others squirm in the attempt to further himself always makes him the scoundrel, especially as in the end, Thor always does end up beating him.

I did like seeing the bits with Mephisto and Hela, and I thought it did a good job of making a reader interested in Loki, especially since most of the time I only shake my head at how easily he's played Thor and Balder this volume. He's played them like a fiddle, without needing his fingers - that easily. But at least now we see where he is coming from. While he deserves to pay for the countless deaths of SIEGE, I am curious what he will do before he does that comuppance, free of an Asgard to kick around. Assuming, of course, Matt Fraction doesn't just reset the status quo in THOR in a few months.

SIEGE: YOUNG AVENGERS #1: It says a lot about how little Marvel have done with this property when the minor character tidbits that Sean McKeever gets to establish about some of the members count as major personality focus. We learn Wiccan is an Asgardian mythology buff. We learn Patriot and Hawkeye really, really like each other. We learn that Speed is willing to tax his stamina to the limit to save people. These are barely TWITTER details, but because Marvel has waited five years (and counting) to hand another 12 issues to Allen Heinberg, this is the state of the YA. Through sheer inaction and incompetence, what once was a healthy, B-List, 60,000 - 50,000 copy sold franchise now is lucky to sell even 27,000 copies at $4 a pop for their DARK REIGN mini. Through sheer incompetence what once was a viable franchise is now not even an opening band to greater stuff; they're the clean-up crew. At a company that actually rewarded excellence and competence, someone would have been demoted for that. Fortunately, Marvel is run by artists who pretend to be businessmen, so incompetence is shrugged off so long as the intentions were good.

At any rate, Sean McKeever, who literally could have been assigned another volume of YA in 2006, gets his shot to write the team, and lo and behold, he joins the laundry list of writers who could have written the team as an ongoing series just as well as Allen "This Isn't Worth My Day Job" Heinberg could have been, back when such a series was viable. Prediction: if the Heinberg run ever does happen, Marvel will debut it at $4, it will be dead in 6-12 issues, and it will fail due to so many years of inaction. I mean, this is a direct market that doesn't even care if Kevin Smith writes a Batman comic anymore, and Kevin Smith has turned in more timely comic work lately than Heinberg. Yes, I went there.

At any rate, the artwork is done by Mahmud Asrar, alongside two inkers, as he continues to transition off DYNAMO 5 chores with one-shot duty or fill-in work on titles like AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE or NOVA. As usual, he delivers a solid product, especially with young, diverse characters. McKeever also wisely chooses to ignore Stature & Vision Jr., who are covered quite well in THUNDERBOLTS and/or MIGHTY AVENGERS right now. The five remaining Young Avengers are all split up and caught in their own drama after Asgard was reduced to rubble in Oklahoma. Speed has been doing his best to save every Asgardian he can, one by one, with his velocity, and it has been very taxing. He gets to the point where he rips into himself for a half second's hesitation or error. Fortunately, Ronin (or "the real Hawkeye") is there to buck up his spirits, much like he did with Kate Bishop once. Patriot and Kate are trapped beneath some rubble, and the feat of escaping means risking their lives on gambles. Eli isn't willing to risk Kate's death as much as he used to, even when death ultimately is certain if they do nothing. While Kate barks at Eli to man up, when it comes time for her to sack up, she hesitates, showing her own anxiety about it. Part of me does wonder why Speed, who often is written as a kid out of juvie who just happens to be on a hero team, suddenly cares about Asgardians so much, but I got the point of the bit well enough. It's like if a professional con artist was stuck in 9/11 and started saving people as selflessly as a fire fighter. Kate Bishop, meanwhile, demonstrates why men rarely show their sensitive side; women often see it as weakness, just as men do.

The crux of the issue is on Wiccan and Hulkling, who are in awe of the destruction around them. While trying to support each other and find their friends, they run into the Wrecking Crew. Not caring that they are empowered by Asgardian magic (Loki's to be exact), 3/4ths of the Wrecking Crew are happy to start looting whatever temples are left. Only Thunderball sees that as a step too far, and his mates beat him down for it. Wrecker, Piledriver and Bulldozer take on Billy and Teddy, while making some insults that are obviously intended to spark fury in Wiccan, who in high school was bullied by jocks for being gay (or a "sissy", a common anti-gay slur). Naturally, Wiccan drops them with one spell. Least now the Wrecking Crew can say they got their asses handed to them by BOTH sets of teen heroes from the 2003-2005 era (they lost to the Runaways in the debut of their second volume). Still, McKeever handles their battle well; the Crew outnumber Billy & Teddy, and clearly have the upper hand until Wiccan lowers the boom. The issue ends with the team being reunited, before running off to do absolutely nothing in SIEGE #4. Yeah, I'll call it now. If Bendis lets any young team save the day, it'll be someone from the Secret Warriors, since he co-created and assembled them, and occasionally helps Hickman write them. It won't be the Young Avengers. They're lucky they were even invited. Sadly, in one issue, McKeever and Asrar show how things could have been different, had Marvel decided not to be suckers even four years ago. You can't turn back the clock when a franchise runs too cold. Just ask Ghost Rider.

 

[Phaedrus45]

10 more quick reviews!

DMZ #52

Being the only person at my comic shop who reads this book, readership on this title has greatly dropped. And, while I have been bored at times with this ongoing title, Brian Wood still tells a decent story. In the second part of M.I.A., Matty Roth is still feeling guilt over his recent actions within the DMZ and associations with Paco Delgado. To allieviate some of that guilt, he decides to go on a dangerous mission. (Not quite sure what that mission is...something to do with making large red X's around the DMZ.) There is a good chase sequence this issue..I just wish I understood more of what was happening.

The Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Jackpot #3

Guggenheim finishes up this short mini with Jackpot exacting revenge on Boomerang and The Rose for killing her husband and threatening her child. Will Jackpot commit murder and go against everything Spider-Man advises her against??? (No mystery there. We've seen that scenario played out WAAAAYYY too many times, always with the same result.) And, who will the mysterious Rose turn out to be??? (HUGE disappointment with that reveal. It is just some doctor she used to work with.)

I know people hated the original Jackpot (errrr...or the substitute Jackpot of this supposed original Jackpot)...but, I much prefered her to this more generic version. I guess Guggenheim is trudging over to DC now, which doesn't fill me with much sadness. His stories were usually the lowpoint of ASM, and this Jackpot mini does nothing to change my mind.

Daredevil #506

I haven't been a big Andy Diggle fan with the current Hand storyline; but, this issue held my interest nicely. We get a pretty good fight scene in the first half, and the next half leads up to the big reveal about who's the mole in DD's ranks. What makes this issue even better was that I read it inbetween two pretty bad books from Marvel this week.

Deadpool Team-Up #894

I seriously don't see this title making it to issue #1. The first issue featuring Hercules was pretty darn good...but, everyone after that has steadily gotten worse. What's good about this issue, though? It makes me realize even more what a great writer Remender is; because, he does such a better job with his FrankenCastle character than Brandon does in this issue. Everythng about this issue is very cartoonish, from the dialogue to the art. All I can say is "Please, Marvel, enough with all the Deadpool!!!"

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #1

The two remaining Marvel Adventures comics gets a reboot, which is a good thing. Paul Tobin has been doing such a great job with Super Heroes and Spider-Man, that the chance to gain new readership with a new start can only be a good thing. Sadly, new readers of Super Heroes won't get to see the awesome foundation of this new Avengers team, as the last 6 or so issues of the previous series brought the characters together. Also, new readers might be a bit confused by the cover. It makes it appear this is an Iron Man comic, by even putting his name on the title in large letters above the title's name.

In the first issue, we see the members of this new Avengers going before various agencies to proclaim their team's purpose, and how they won't be answering to anyone or serving anyone's agenda but their own. While doing this, they also face off against Magneto and his Evil Mutants. It's a nice beginning, and there is also a cute, short story at the end featuring Zabu, the last surviving sabretooth tiger of the Savage Land.

Iron Man Legacy #1

Van Lente delivers again! Sure, it's another "Armor Wars" type of story, which I'm kind of tired of by now...but, Van Lente does a great job telling it, and I found myself enjoy it more than I have Invincible Iron Man lately. Plus, how cool to have another Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom story! My only complaint will be that we don't really need another reprint of Iron Man's origin at the end of this issue.

OH, that reminds me...BONUS REVIEW!

Essential Iron Man Vol. 4

I love Essentials! What cheaper way to get classic stories at such a cheap price? This volume collects stories from Iron Man #39-61.

ok, back to our regularily scheduled reviews.

Ender's Game: The League War One-Shot

The War is over! Or, it is? The Formics have been defeated by Ender Wiggin, and life back on Earth can get back to normal ... and, that's not a good thing. Where before the nations of Earth came together for one cause, now they are splintering off again, due to the actions of two political essayists: Locke and Demosthenes. Turns out these two essayists are none other than Ender Wiggins' brother and sister. The problem is Peter Wiggins has his own agenda, and doesn't mind using his sister to get what he wants.

I have been a huge proponent of this comic series, calling it one of the best series of last year...but, I admit I was initially disappointed with the way the Formic War ended. All that build up to such a quick ending! But, the more I think about it, the more I appreciate how things ended up working out. Now, this series has to go in a new direction, and this one-shot sets some of those things up. Can't wait for the next series to begin!

Web Of Spider-Man #7

Yep, ANOTHER Kraven promotion! This time, though, you realize the Guantlet Origins: Kraven story is really an origin of his wife. Very nice touch! Included is another chapter in Spider-Girl's adventures, which I simply love! (From now on, her adventures will be told Spectacular Spider-Girl #1, starting next month.) These Spider-Girl adventures are some of my favorite Spidey stories, and the ender for this issue shows that Frank Castle will be making an appearance soon. Finally, we get our usual throwaway story at the end, this one featuring the reappearance of Paper Doll. It wasn't bad...just nowhere as good as the previous two stories.

I do have to say, this is probably my favorite issue of Web Of Spider-Man yet. It will be interesting to see what feature takes the place of Spider-Girl next issue.

Batman #698

Good first issue of the new Riddler storyline. My one complaint is there is something about Tony Daniel's stories that keep me at a distance from really flat out enjoying them totally. Maybe it's that the characters are a bit two dimensional...and, it still feels as if we are just biding our time until Bruce Wayne returns.

Batgirl #9

Love the cover to this issue...too bad the stuff inside couldn't be as nice. The new storyline, Flood, seems to hold promise; but, this is one of those titles that I could easily drop and not miss that much, even though I love the character of Stephanie. (For the record, I enjoy Batgirl much more than Red Robin.) I do think Stephanie and Oracle have a nice relationship that is unfolding within these pages; but, I dislike how the artist makes Stephanie look so much older than she should be.


Of this group of book, Iron Man Legacy is clearly my favorite, while Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Jackpot is now my least favorite of the week.

 

[Phaedrus45]

BTW, I naturally gave Essential Iron Man a t:...but, the Hype only allows 10 images to be used per thread post.

 

[Phaedrus45]

4 final reviews before I can start my weekend. Gonna see Kick-Ass tonight, I think.

The Superhero Squad Show #4

There is an audience for this book out there somewhere...it's just not anyone who reads comics on The Hype. This series used to be so much better when it was in a Sunday comicstrip format. Now, they give us 2 or 3 short stories, none of which are particularily funny.

Daytripper #5

How sad...only one more issue left in this beautiful series. It's a bit of a strange little comic, as each issue ends with the death of the main character...who we've seen in each of the issues. (It probably has something to do with him being involved in obituaries, if I remember correctly.) But, the death isn't as important as the life it tells about. Still, each issue can stand on it's own, and this issue might be my favorite of the bunch. In it, the main character is only 11 years old, and is enjoying a summer family reunion. It's simplistic, yet the moments describe makes you think back to a different time in your life. Awesome series! t:

Iron Man Noir #1

I'm not a big fan of the Noir series of comics; but, this one was pretty decent. Think of this Tony Stark as a combination of Iron Man meets Indiana Jones. In fact, besides seeing the armor briefly near the end of the story, it isn't even essential to this first issue, as Tony is an adventure seeker for his own Marvels magazine. Good set up for this story. I hope the next three issues hold up as well.

The Savage Axe Of Ares One-Shot

These black and white one-shots have done very little for me. The short stories presented in each issue are ok, but nothing that spectacular. This Ares one might be the best, though...but, still nothing I'd advise people to spend $3.99 on.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Daytripper #5

How sad...only one more issue left in this beautiful series. It's a bit of a strange little comic, as each issue ends with the death of the main character...who we've seen in each of the issues. (It probably has something to do with him being involved in obituaries, if I remember correctly.) But, the death isn't as important as the life it tells about. Still, each issue can stand on it's own, and this issue might be my favorite of the bunch. In it, the main character is only 11 years old, and is enjoying a summer family reunion. It's simplistic, yet the moments describe makes you think back to a different time in your life. Awesome series! t:

It's a ten issue mini

 

[Phaedrus45]

Really? That sure makes my day! It's such an odd little comic, kind of my same feelings about Joe Kelly's I Kill Giants last year...but, so dang enjoyable.

 

[fifthfiend]

Spoiler

As a bit of an aside, I am bemused at what a difference a few years makes. Back when Dubya was President and the Republicans ruled Congress with an iron fist, comic books usually treated protesters as patriots, good hearted and ideal Americans who were pissed off at being oppressed by out of touch political tyrants. But all of a sudden with Barack "The One" Obama at President and the Democrats ruling Congress with a velvet fist, all of a sudden protesters are either, at best, manipulated pawns of Neo-Nazis (Brubaker) or, at worst, masked terrorists with laser beams attached to their torsos sent into suicide missions (this comic). Kind of interesting, right? You telling me anti-Republican protesters are never violent, never spoke in extremes, never were manipulated by bigwigs with secret purposes (like MoveOn.org, which is funded by a billionaire as reclusive and loaded as any Conservative boogey-man)? This doesn't anger me; I find it hilarious how hypocritical comics can be, how clearly even the best writers let their political favoritism show as brightly as lights in Vegas. It just seems a bit blatant when comics respect the grievances of the masses against one party, but demonize the ones against another. Stuff like this is part of why there is too much extremism in life and too little objective moderation.

It's so unfair when people depict ignorant racist *******s as ignorant racist *******s , and then don't depict people who... aren't that... as that.

EDIT: war protesters were clearly the puppets of those BIG MONEY INTERESTS whose profits were threatened by _______________________

 

[runawayboulder]

Finally got some stuff to review, the last few weeks haven't produced much to read for me.

Punisher Max #6 - This is the best offering from Aaron and Dillon so far and that's saying a hell of a lot considering every issue to this point has been tremendous. Bullseye part 1 crams a lot into this issue. The opening with Bullseye crapping out a gun to kill someone was disturbing and funny. Aaron also writes great dialogue between Bullseye and Fisk.

The main thing Aaron hammers home is the damage Frank has taken from the years of abuse on his body because of the war he's fighting. The scene with his doctor provides the reader with a laundry list of Punisher's problems. Then the last 5 or 6 pages start the action as Punisher takes a shot at Kingpin, misses, allowing Bullseye to take a shot at Frank.

Black Widow #1 - I was looking forward to this book and I was not disappointed at all. The story was well done with a bit of hopping back and forth in timeline, but I didn't find it confusing at all. The art was good too, suited the noir/spy theme of the book nicely. We also got our first glimpse of the Bendis/JRJR Avengers with an appearance of Stark, Bucky and Wolverine. They weren't in costume, but I'm assuming this book takes place post SIEGE, so I'm calling it technically their first cameo. Nonetheless, this was a good read.

DD #506 - The only problem with DD has been the delays, which according to Diggle have been taken care of. Good things come to those who wait, so as long as this book doesn't start sucking, I won't complain. And this book isn't sucking this issue. I was surprised about White Tiger as the mole in DD's group, but it's a nice twist with one more issue until Shadowland starts.

New Mutants #12 - Second Coming has been excellent so far. Each issue streamlines into the next with non stop action. I like the art by Ibraim Roberson. Now that the cat is out of the bag on X-Force and Warren slices someone in half here, things are getting interesting. The X-Men could implode before Bastion's troops can kill them. My guess is that by the time Second Coming is over, so will Cyclops reign as leader. He's gonna have a lot of blood on his hands after this one. Another developement is with Hope's telepathic powers when her thoughts begin to run through Rogue's head on the other side of the country. I'm expecting more on this in the next part of XML, since Rogue ran off to talk to Cyke.

 

[squeekness]

I see the Siege Loki got mixed reviews here, but I thought it was very decent and a must have for Thor fans following the current run. I am glad I picked it up when I had been planning to skip it. I'm thinking now that maybe I should have grabbed the Young Avengers one as well. I was just afraid the one shots would all be bores as most perifieral one shots are in the big events.

 

[Dark Victory]

Unwritten #12 - t:t:
Daytripper #5 - t:t:
Daredevil #506 -
Chew #10 - t:
Batman #698 -

 

[JewishHobbit]

Young Avengers is worth the read. Cap was kinda bleh, and I thought Loki was too, but I'm also not at all a Thor fan, so I have no interest in the character really.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Unwritten #12 - t:t:
Daytripper #5 - t:t:
Daredevil #506 -
Chew #10 - t:
Batman #698 -

Hey, I used to use a similar style, but with and :

Loved the simplicity of it

 

[Phaedrus45]

Just got back from Kick-Ass. The comic was so much better. I did not like the changes they made to the story. Still, it was decent enough; but, the real star of the movie is Hit Girl, naturally.