Bought/Thought 6/20

[El Bastardo]

Well, all I've read from this week is X-Men: Endagered Species - and heck, I haven't even read all my comics from last week, and this week was even bigger - but I'm going to write a little bit about it here and pretend that people will actually read it. t:

That said, I can't say much more than my old buddy JewishHobbit and Dread have said. But while I won't go into detail about the sales figures and popularity and crap stories that have become the X-books, as Dread has, I'll talk about the actual book. t: <-- Yes, smiles, for I am a happy person. Let not the nickname fool you!

I thought the story was great. Like Dread said, it was subtle, and not the whole idea of "let's start the story with a giant huge BOOM!" It takes place at a funeral, over maybe half a day or so. No, no Shi'ar or Sentinels or evil human scum ravage the funeral and try to kill more mutants. So, yes, in that sense, nothing happens and it is an absolutely dreadul bore.

It's all about interactions and it's all about the realization. The characterization is top-notch, and I think that regardless of how many problems one might have with Carey's stories on Adjectiveless, he nonetheless has a great feel for the voices of individual characters. The death of a single mutant causes, at least, a number of the X-Men, and even one of their old enemies in the case of Sebastian Shaw of Hellfire Club fame, to realize the ramifications of said death. Yeah, like Dread said, it makes you raise an eyebrow at the deaths in New X-Men, but eh. I like that book.

Notable exchanges, I think, are Wolverine's early realization, Emma's early monologue, the conversation between Shaw and Xavier - most notable being Shaw's words - the conversation between Beast and Madrox, and, lastly, the final conversation between Cyclops and Wolverine. The last pages, sans dialogue, might very well be a little bit of foreshadow.

It's a nice set-up, and the medium is nicely used.

I will, however, disagree with Hobbit and Dread on the issue of the dead mutant being a no-name. It's not important who died. It's not important that we see who died, and I don't necessarily think it's anti-climactic. The mutant who died, his appearance, his gender (but yes, it is a him), his first or last name (though we know his last name) - none of those things are important. Rather, it's what the dead mutant represents, which is extinction of a species - rather, their species. ...In that way, the dead mutant boy is kind of similar to V, from V For Vendetta, in that it's not important who he was or what he looked like, but what he meant and stood for.

On that note, it brings back to mind people complaining that the X-Men thinking of themselves as a species ruins their constant message of peaceful co-existence and what not, because they are now thinking of themselves as seperatists - as homo sapiens superior rather than fellow homo sapiens sapiens. But I think they've always seen themselves as mutants, and just wanted humans to not fear them - that's been the struggle. Looking at the nigh-coming doom of their species doesn't spoil that, but even if it is somehow contradicting their moral message or some such - well, I dunno, I'd think that if humans were suddenly in danger of becoming extinct, a lot of people would act differently. Maybe that's just me.

 

[Marcdachamp]

None of you read Sensational Spider-Man? Very disappointed in you guys.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

it was alright, nothing great.

 

[BrianWilly]

Annihilation: Conquest Prelude
Well, here we go. The prologue is done. The pieces are set. Let's see how it rolls.

In the school of "don't fix what ain't broke," this book pretty much follows the template of the last Annihilation Prologue...set up the major players, put them all somewhere on the map, then establish sht hitting fan by screwing everything up, eventually leading up to the last-page reveal of the mystery antagonists in question. In this case, the Phalanx. I have no idea what the Phalanx is other than some vague recollections to something I read on uncannyxmen.net a while back, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, my initial reaction after seeing Annihilus at the end of the Annihilation Prologue was either "Buh?" or "Meh?" and that all turned out pretty good.

The issue is pretty good, doing its job very effectively and showing us the dangers and threats quite succinctly. The whole "Who can you trust?" aspect of the 616 Earth seems to have leaked into space, since what we got here is apparently mind-controlling cyborg tech. Conquer, instead of outright annihilation. Fun. Phyla feels fairly generic as the main protagonist right now, but even within this lone issue it feels like she's growing as a character. Peter "Don't call me Star Lord" Quill is as fun as he's ever been, putting on the Badass With a Grudge suit by the end of the book. We all know what Nova's been up to. And what of Ronan? I hope he's not relegated to merely support status this time around, 'cause I've not quite had my fill of "Know that you stand ACCUSED" whoopass in manform yet. Almost, but not quite.

The biggest question on everyone's mind -- or at least it should be, since it's on my mind -- is this: how are they going to top last year? Seriously, how can they top the flawless storytelling, brilliant character arcs, sheer fortitude, and epic badassery of the original Annihilation? THEY USED HOUSES AS WEAPONS! They fcking shot houses at each other! How can you possibly top that? Houses!

But, in a way, maybe that's exactly the draw here: the anticipation of that possibility that they might actually do so. If not actually topping its predecessor, then at least living up to its name. Even that would be enough, frankly. The possibility of seeing that awesomeness again. The possibility of battling for goodness and freedom against your enemies and then tearing out their fcking intestines through their mouths baby. Yeah. I'd very much like to see that again.

(8.2 out of 10)


Countdown # 45
Oh come on guys. You were doing so good until those last few pages. The Donna vs Forerunner fight was pretty great; the machine gun action got a laugh from me. When in doubt, throw give Donna a weapon; that usually seems to work. Jimmy's character is improving by the panel, even with that completely unnecessary full-page-splash New Gods exposition. But don't you understand by now that the amount of sucking this book does is directly proportional to the amount of dialogue that a Monitor has? And the more Monitors you add, the amount gets exponentially prefix-y. Same goes for this Forerunner person. I don't care about Forerunner, and I'll be shocked if anyone else does. People read Countdown to read about the DCU, not random Starcraft cameos. Which is fine if we just use her as a plot point, but then she starts getting dialogue -- lots and lots of it -- and I could just feel my eyelids drooping. Something about breeding and races and wars honor and what the flying fart does this have to do with anything??

Oh yeah, and then there's some junk about Karate Kid and the Legion. Wake up me up when we get somewhere that hasn't already been covered by the JLA/JSA arc.

Maybe it's the major down from this week's DCU wearing on me (see below), but I'm going to be dropping this title for the conceivable future. I'll keep up, and I'll probably be back in time for Kyle, but I'm not going to be one of "those" readers, supporting books I don't like out of habit.

(6.6 out of 10)


X-Men: Endangered Species One-Shot
This is...good? This is actually good? Huh. This is actually good. A story about the Decimation and the remaining amounts of mutants is actually good. And considering that I consider the Decimation reducing the amount of mutants as one of the top three worst ideas that Marvel has made in over ten years, this really just goes to show that it's almost never the idea itself but the execution that determines suck quantity. Marvel's execution of Decimation sucked. The reason (House of M) sucked, the followup (O*N*E? Generation M? Fcking Sentinels?) sucked hard, and I have never blamed any of the X-writers for not bothering to bother with this crap in their series if they didn't want to. And practically no one did. And when they did, it sucked (Craig and Yost on New X-Men). Even in X-Factor the subplot is hardly going anywhere.

But this is good. This has actual characters reacting in ways that characters should. This has the questions that should have been asked, the emotions that should have been evoked, the reactions that make sense. If this had been the approach following House of M instead of fascist human overlords and LAWL HEY LOOK A WEEK LATER AND ICEMAN'S POWERED AGAIN (and so is Lorna, and Magneto, and now Xavier), maybe I would've taken to the idea a lot sooner than this. Oh, don't get me wrong; it was still one of the worst ideas ever. But for every bad idea, there is a salvageable approach. Let's hope they take it, here.

Xavier and Shaw's conversation was great, because it harkened back to Morrison's idea that for all of the great wars and infighting between the great leaders like Magneto and Xavier, for the most part these "great leaders" were really all spouting outdated, counterproductive crap that the new generation wants nothing to do with. Even Scott talking about how he had simply forgotten the child after he was no longer a viable recruit and moving on to the next name on the list during the "boom"...the sort of mild self-blame and helplessness that you'd expect from these people during this time.

I do question Hank's logic about genetic sterility here, though. I mean, he's the (fictional) geneticist and I'm not, but his claims about how there aren't enough of them to breed anymore is a big weird, isn't it? There's around two hundred mutants left, yes, maybe more. That's most definitely an endangered species, but is it a genetic dead end? If everyone just chose a partner and got down, you'd at least have viable genetic material to last a lot more generations, wouldn't you? Two hundred is not a culture, but it's still a species. It can persist. And getting even one decade longer is worthwhile, all the while buying you the time to find a more lasting solution.

I probably won't buy the individual issues necessary for this...uh, "event," but I will be following it closely.

(8.5 out of 10)


Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13
Heh. At this point, the amount of dead Titans has long since crossed the line of a running gag and well into the realm of self-mockery. The amount of dead teenagers is a well testament to various writers' lack of restraint on ideas that might be okay if used with restraint but become laughable punchlines otherwise.

This issue should have been the most jaw-dropping, gripping, sensational story of the year. That's what it should have been. Here is the one, glaring fault about this issue that should have been the most jaw-dropping, gripping, sensational story which prevented it from being what it should have been: it was never a good story. This arc, right from the outset, was weak. And here's why:

Inertia is essentially the most unabsorbing, uninspired, unlikeable villains conceivable, and the fact that he's essentially the one spearheading all of this was never believable, not even for a tiny moment. He's a little blond punk who's about as persuasive and mastermindy as a seventh-grader whining about his allowance and threatening to burn the school down by focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass. Bart died in order to stop him? Ugh.

The Rogues were not written with even one-tenth of the charm and charisma that they should have. And we know it's possible because they're being written so almost every single week in Countdown. Here, they end up being boring stock characters, practically background fillers to move the plot along without personality or meaningful dialogue. The hero got taken down here by what felt like embarrassingly generic sidenotes. Meanwhile Piper apparently beats Bart to death as well so...yeah, we're gonna need a bit of an update on his "motives" here, okay?

The Big Threat about the giant Speed Force machine or whatever was ginormously confusing from the beginning and never, ever got any clearer no matter how much or how little time wasted on exposition there was. Right up to the end, it's hard to determine just what exactly it was that Bart died fighting for; apparently he saved the west coast or something, apparently from a giant explosion of the Speed Force made from a giant machine. Ah. Alright then. Stick in Grandma Iris with her vague predictions about nothing and Valerie the stock girlfriend and, well...far too confusing, not nearly enough payoff. It just was not satisfying. It was not even remotely the sort of send-off that Bart Allen deserved. There's no way this sht was planned out for a year or something, 'cause there was no foreshadowing, a rushed ending replete with a pathetic whimper instead of a bang. If I weren't so certain that he'd definitely be coming back at some point, I would seriously considering dropping all this. At this point, I don't even think I'm going to be picking up All Flash or the Waid series.

(3.4 out of 10)
(5 out of 10 for the entire arc)
(7 out of 10 for the entire series)


Speaking of which...
Justice League of America #10
Christ. Speaking of confusing with no payoffs...

Here is the problem with all this hype about "bringing Wally back from the dead": Wally was never dead! He was just "somewhere else." Jay says "We didn't even have a funeral this time." Well, yeah, that'd be because Bart told you exactly where he was and that he was living a happy life. Hell, we saw him there! All this big brouha over WHOA THEY'RE BRINGING BACK WALLY is really horribly misplaced, because all this time they were perfectly in a position to bring back Wally at any point they wanted to with a minimum of fuss or contrivance. All they would have to say is "He came back from that other dimension he was in." That's it. That's really all. It certainly did not deserve a confusing, spotty narrative of this magnitude.

And why the Legion? What's up with that? Am I missing something, or does Wally West have anything whatsoever to do with the Legion of Superheroes that I'm not getting? This feels just completely random and out of place as a climax to this arc which wasn't too gripping in the first place. We've visited Arkham and Thanagar and the Fortress and with all this talk about the Legionairres and their bond and Superman's history andthenWallyWesttheend.

What?

Seriously, what? So the Legionnairres all gathered somehow to come back for some reason to do something that we don't know and for some reason something went wrong but then they went right again and then they brought back Wally West and we don't know why because the arc just ends and nothing is explained. Read Countdown for more of Karate Kid's story and mission which apparently has little to nothing to do with all this!

Great. All right then. Thanks.

Look, Wally coming back was great. We could use him, and his dynamic. His scene with Roy was quite nice, and I can't wait to see other characters like Kyle's and Dick's reaction to his return. But this was all just pretty damn sloppy. This wasn't right. A story like this, with these characters, was all wrong for his return.

(4.9 out of 10)
(6.4 out of 10 for the entire arc)


Brave and the Bold #4
Vertigo cameos? Direct Endless involvement in mainstream DCU? Bring it the hell on! I mean, to think that this issue with Supergirl and Lobo was the one issue of this that I was dreading most, and it actually turns out to be pretty darn entertaining. Once I've accepted that Waid's Kara is nothing at all like the annoying, whiney, petulent, ineffectual emobomb who can't seem to fight villains to save her life over in that Supergirl solo series or whatever, I could actually enjoy her here. And while Lobo is certainly an acquired taste, his showing in 52 gave me a bit of that taste so...he's actually working out for me here, in measured doses at least.

Up next is apparently more Legion though, and damn if I'm not sick to death of them by now. Let's hope it conveniently ignores all this confusing JLA/JSA crap.

(8 out of 10)

 

[iloveclones]

New Avengers 31

I bought this when it came out, but my daughter tore it up, so I bought it again. I didn't comment on it then, so I figure I will now. I will say that while the idea of what this story begins is decent, Bendis didn't do a good job in telling it. I now know the threat the Skrulls are presenting and how it's going to lead to a world where you can't trust anyone... an interesting idea depending on how it is done... but I didn't get any of that from this issue. Honestly, when I first read it, I just thought... "Hmm, another Skrull posing as someone." And when they showed Baby Cage with the wierd eyes, I didn't even put two and two together that he may be half Skrull, leading to the idea that either Luke or Jessica may very well be Skrulls. The potential of this story is great for some good stories, but Bendis didn't start it well in my opinion. I'm on board though and hoping that something great comes of it.

Wow, tough audience. Sounds like she'd fit right in on these boards.

 

[fifthfiend]

BRAVE AND THE BOLD 4

Seriously, every issue of a comic featuring Supergirl should also feature Lobo being there for no particular reason and trying to get into Supergirl's panties. My favorite part was when SG was all pissed about Lobo trying to look up her skirt, like that doesn't happen fifty thousand times a day as she's flying around in the air in her incredibly short skirt. I think my FAVORITE favorite part was Lobo and Supergirl having an armwrestling match and Supergirl actually loses, temporarily breaking her Mary-Sue field.

INCREDIBLE HULK 107

Hercules lectures Warren Worthington on the efficient use of web browsing hotkeys, lawl.

Also he fights the Hulk but he throws the match so, eh.

 

[Max J Power]

X-Men: Endangered Species One-Shot
It was well written but nothing really happened plot-wise. The interactions between characters was interesting and the book really gives the idea that every mutant death is significant. Good on the whole, but not necessary.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Captain America #27

Part Three of "The Death of the Dream" continues as Bucky proceeds with Operation: Kill Tony, and Sharon and the Falcon are on this trail. Issue 26 was all about mourning Captain America's death, and was excellent on its own, but the long delay between issues, and the amount of mourning that took place in other titles in the interim period, dulled the impact, and made the book seem like it was treading water. With this issue, the main story really kicks off, although the Red Skull and his men are absent in this chapter.

Bucky visits the Cap exhibit at the National History Museum, complete with a copy of Timely Comics' Captain America #1 (1941) and a statue version of the cover of Avengers #4. He quickly determines that the shield on display is actually a fake, and goes after the real one; in the process, he compromises the LMD that Fury hijacked back in issue 23, and dukes it out with the Black Widow (who, it turns out, he trained/slept with during his time in Russia). The issue ends much as the last one did, except in this case it's the Widow telling Iron Man that Bucky is going to come after him. The transitions between Epting and Perkins are close to seemless, although I can usually tell the difference. This is just a fantastic book.

X-Men: Endangered Species #1

As everyone has already said, this is a fairly quiet, contemplative issue that showcases various X-characters talking about how the mutant race is pretty much screwed thanks to Wanda. It feels very strange to only be getting to his now, after more than two years, but better late than never, I suppose. The various characters and conversations all work pretty well (with the glaring exception of X-23, who seems totally off to me; she doesn't smile or joke like she does here).

Xavier and Shaw's conversation was great, because it harkened back to Morrison's idea that for all of the great wars and infighting between the great leaders like Magneto and Xavier, for the most part these "great leaders" were really all spouting outdated, counterproductive crap that the new generation wants nothing to do with.

This is one of those ideas that I always thought was interesting on the surface, but really doesn't hold up. Xavier's whole philosophy was about mutants fighting for mutant rights and supporting understanding and integration between mutants and humans; that's not at all counterproductive or outdated (what's the alternative supposed to be?). The Xavier/Shaw conversation is similar; Xavier never once picked a fight with Shaw, and to talk about Xavier's "empire-building" is to make a false equivalency. He's always been about running his school and protecting mutants from predatory interests, like Shaw.

The entire "Endangered Species" thing should really be subtitled "Prelude to a Crossover," since the real action begins in November with "Messiah CompleX." I buy two of the four books involved already (and I may yet be persuaded to check out X-Men for the 200th issue), but I'm not planning to follow the whole thing. I have to say that the planning for when the "event" starts relative to the books seems odd; apart from X-Men, the other three books are all mid-storyline (although in Uncanny X-Men's case, only one issue in). As well, this seems like a rather odd launching point for any kind of crossover; heck, the "hook" for the story is delivered in the ending text summary, not in the actual story; reading only the story, you'd have absolutely no idea what the crossover was going to be about. Anyway, the sooner we can get past the Decimation and have mutants back to their rightful place in the Marvel U, the better.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wow, tough audience. Sounds like she'd fit right in on these boards.

With that attitude, we'd be happy to have her.

 

[iloveclones]

I'm imagining L'il_JewishHobbit posting that decompressed storytelling is killing the industry.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

She would be wicked insightful for her age.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Brave and the Bold was AMAZING. So nice to see Supergirl being funny and cute. I like her here and in Legion.

Sorry, but the JSA/JLA stuff is a fanboy wet dream. Watching the three teams interact with the return of Wally is just amazing to me.

And buh bye Bart. I was never a fan.

X-Men was pretty good, but the jury is out for me. I'm waiting for the Marauders with baited breath.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Iron Man #19

A thoroughly enjoyable issue.

The Iron Men "fleet" showing up and getting destroyed so quickly was pretty cool. Essentially, the issue is what was Tony up to/ going on through his head before and after his fight with the Hulk. Though there was a good bit where when Tony uses the "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility" line in his broadcast speech, Spidey exclaims "Whaddya know. He was listening." I liked it.

The art was good, adding a bit more detail to the fight and making the Hulk-Buster armor look a bit smoother.

It also looks like a mutiny against Tony is beginning to brew in SHIELD. It'll be interesting to see how that turns out.

All in all everything you expect from a tie-in.

Incredible Hulk #107

I hate Amadus Cho. I really do. The kid's got his head so far up Hulk's ass that he can't see what's going on. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing that kid get disillusioned as has been hinted at in future Incredible Hulk solicits.

The bit with Hercules is pretty funny. The part with Namor was cool.

The Hulk seemed to be alone, so that must place the end after his fight with Iron Man so I guess this must be taking place some time during WWH #2. Guess that doesn't bode well for the heroes in NYC.

Countdown #45

I'm starting to dislike this book. The issue starts off nice and then falls apart once the Monitor shows up.


I've still got a few more comics to get through but this is all for now.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #541*
ANNIHILATION CONQUEST PROLOGUE*
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4
CAPTAIN AMERICA #27
CATWOMAN #68
COUNTDOWN #45
FALLEN SON SPIDER-MAN*
FLASH #13*
GHOST RIDER #12*
HEDGE KNIGHT 2 #1
HEROES FOR HIRE #11
INCREDIBLE HULK #107*
IRON MAN #19*
JLA #10
MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #2
MIGHTY AVENGERS MOST WANTED FILES
MOON KNIGHT #11*
MYTHOS SPIDER-MAN
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #8
SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #38
SPIDER-MAN FANTASTIC FOUR #3
SPIRIT #7
TALES FROM THE CRYPT #1
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #110*
WYRMS #5
X-MEN ENDANGERED SPECIES*


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #541*
The hunt for the shooter continues! So far this story has been pretty good. It takes Spidey to a dark place we&#8217;ve seen him in once before, while giving us a little bit new. Not to mention the whole set-up for the big battle royal between Spidey and Fisk. Hopefully, the payoff is as good as the buildup.

4 out of 5

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST PROLOGUE*
Seems a bit soon to have ANOTHER Annihilation, but what can you do. This issue sets up the whole premise for the new war, and the protagonist this time? An old foe that had strong ties to the X-Men. The new Quasar is shaping up to be pretty interesting, while the first shot of the new threat was brilliantly handled. Hopefully, they explain the change in the MO somewhere along the line. Abnett and Lanning are really rocking Marvel&#8217;s cosmic world, and hopefully Annihilation Part 2 lives up to everything that came before (and doesn&#8217;t lead to an immediate Annihilation Part 3).

4 out of 5

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4
Supergirl and Lobo learn the secrets of the book, while Batman is half the man he used to be. Mark Waid and George Perez make an old-school team up that bring this book to life. There are some great comedic moments between Blue Beetle and Batman, as well as Supergirl and Lobo. Supergirl in this series has been so decently written that even detractors of her current incarnation (who have affectionately dubbed her Super-Britney) would be hard pressed not to like her as a character. Also, the story has been very interesting so far, although a bit outlandish in the typical DC fashion. So far one of DC&#8217;s best new titles.

5 out of 5

CAPTAIN AMERICA #27
Stark decides to put Cap&#8217;s costume and shield into a museum for display, but Winter Soldier has other plans! Another great non-Cap issue. Brubaker&#8217;s really hitting the ball out of the park with these issues, showing us how Cap&#8217;s world continues on without him. We also get more background to Winter Soldier&#8217;s past and learn he has ties to Black Widow. And the artwork, as always, is superbly done. Stories like this make it hard to wait for the next issue.

5 out of 5

CATWOMAN #68
Selina&#8217;s baby is in danger, and two super-powered Russians stand in her way. Once again, another action-packed thrill-filled issue of this series. It has the right blend of action and heart that make Catwoman a truly compelling character, along with the rest of her supporting cast. If you&#8217;re not already reading it, you should.

5 out of 5

COUNTDOWN #45
Red Hood and Donna Troy vs. Forerunner, Jimmy Olsen continues to investigate, and the mystery of the Legion deepens. Forerunner looks to be a cool new character, if she&#8217;s handled right. However, with each new action of the Monitors their true purpose and intent gets further and further muddled in confusion, especially with their entire race looking like each other. Jimmy&#8217;s story introduces a couple mysterious characters but doesn&#8217;t really do much to further his tale rather than recap it. And the Justice League story tries to add dynamics to the cross-over that ends this week. The best segment by far was the Red Hood and Donna Troy one, as it actually moved ahead at a decent pace. The rest of the issue lagged once again.

3 out of 5

FALLEN SON SPIDER-MAN*
Spider-Man takes a moment of reflection at Uncle Ben&#8217;s grave, only to wind up in a tussle with the Rhino! Beautiful art with a decent story. This was an improvement over the last issue, but just unfortunate it had to rely on the clichéd fight with Rhino that most comics seem to rely on these days. If a story needs a whipping boy, they either use Hydra or Rhino. Also, Loeb&#8217;s Wolverine is dramatically better than he does him over in his own title. He&#8217;s actually a lot closer to how he used to be written back in his heyday. Spidey&#8217;s confusion and irrationality was also played nicely, at least playing up to the dark persona being shown in Amazing.

3.5 out of 5

GHOST RIDER #12*
Pointless doesn&#8217;t even begin to describe this issue. It opens up with an awesome fight between the Devil and GR at an airport, and then spends the entire rest of the issue focusing on Johnny&#8217;s ride to New York to help take down the Hulk. That&#8217;s it. Hopefully the next issue will give more of what we got from the few opening pages, but if it&#8217;s more of what we got as a whole then you can most likely skip it.

2 out of 5

HEDGE KNIGHT 2 #1
The sequel to the series comes out from Marvel and Dabel Bros. It tells the story of a self-made knight and his squire who work for anyone for food or lodging. This time, Dunk and Egg find themselves going up against an old foe of their current lord over the rights to a stream during a serious drought. Not too bad an issue, however something about it makes it seem like it would be better suited with more comedy rather than the serious tone it attempts to have. Otherwise, it looks promising.

3 out of 5

HEROES FOR HIRE #11
The Heroes return to New York just in time for World War Hulk! Humbug&#8217;s connection to Miek&#8217;s brethren was an interesting idea. However, the full effects of his transformation has yet to be seen. Unfortunately, the timing of this event kind of put the brakes on the last story, so that&#8217;s going to be left hanging for a bit. But, we did get one of the better issues since the new creative team took over. Plus, more Scorpion action as she stands off against the Heroes AND takes on Paladin in her own back-up story. Looks like World War Hulk is gonna bring her back to the foreground in comics, which is always a very good thing if the quality she was given in the pages of Amazing Fantasy carry on through her new appearances.

3.5 out of 5

INCREDIBLE HULK #107*
Amadeus Cho has gathered Hercules and Angel on the side of the Hulk, but does he WANT them on his side? A pretty good issue showing that some people believe in the Hulk and not everyone is as closed-minded as Stark and company. Some nice dynamics back to the Defenders days what will offer an interesting twist in this war. Plus, the literal army that&#8217;s gathered because of the hatred of Stark is an unexpected bonus. World War Hulk is shaping up to be an exciting event so far.

4 out of 5

IRON MAN #19*
This is World War Hulk #1 from Iron Man&#8217;s perspective. Nothing overly new is really here except you get a more in-depth look at Iron Man&#8217;s thoughts as the events of WWH #1 transpire and the actions he was taking behind the scenes in that issue. Overall, it compliments rather than really adds. Buy it, skip it, you really won&#8217;t miss too much of the story unless you really need an explanation why he had an all-new Hulkbuster armor lying around.

3 out of 5

JLA #10
The Lightning Saga concludes, and the story made absolutely NO sense. There was little or no explanation of what was going on, and the ending was on a cliffhanger that also answered very few of the questions. Basically, Batman&#8217;s reasoning not to try and understand 31st Century technology is probably what the writers were hoping the readers would do with this tale. What could have been a titanic team-up between these two interesting teams turned out to be a confusing dud. Perhaps they should consider more straightforward methods of storytelling for a while.

2 out of 5

MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #2
The Mandarin prepares to take over China with a flying dragon ship, and only Iron Man stands in his way! A pretty good second issue that introduces Iron Man&#8217;s arch-rival. However, this series still lacks most of the humor that the other titles in the line have embodied, the funniest moments coming from the scenes with Rhodey. Cordeiro&#8217;s artwork is very good, hopefully Van Lente just needs to find his footing on the title.

3 out of 5

MIGHTY AVENGERS MOST WANTED FILES
A little light on the entries, but heavy on the information. This is pretty much a handbook updating the Avengers editions with some new information and characters relevant to what&#8217;s currently going on.

5 out of 5

MYTHOS SPIDER-MAN
A new, more realistic retelling of Spider-Man&#8217;s origin. The Mythos series has always been an interesting one, offering new views on classic origins. This was one of the better ones, adding some new elements and intensity to a classic story we&#8217;re all familiar with. Although it&#8217;s not ripe with incredible originality, the stunning artwork alone may be worth the price tag.

5 out of 5

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #38
Sacasa&#8217;s Spidey finally joins us in the present with his new, darker persona. But, Eddie Brock steals the show as the issue focuses on what may be his final days and the internal struggles he finds himself still having to deal with despite the lack of symbiote. Lee Weeks&#8217; artwork does nothing but help enhance the old-school storytelling and characterizations Sacasa uses in every issue as some panels show it to have some Romita Sr. similarities. And, as always, a strong presence by Mary Jane done by a writer who gets her. Hopefully when Amazing goes semi-weekly, Sacasa is put to work on it, being his grasp of the Spidey world is unparalleled in the comics today.

5 out of 5

SPIDER-MAN FANTASTIC FOUR #3
Reed continues to research the alien threat, while Spidey and company enlist the aid of both the High Evolutionary and...Dr. Doom?! Another hilarious issue by Parker and Wieringo, giving some serious life to this old-school style story and team-up. There really isn&#8217;t much more that needs to be said about this book, other than if you like classic team-ups, classic books, and need a break from all the darkness surrounding the main Marvel books, then this is the book for you. It delivers on every level.

5 out of 5

SPIRIT #7
3 stories, no waiting. First, Walter Simonson and Chris Sprouse present a tale of a celebrity who gets her gems ripped off, and Spirit smelling something fishy. Next, Jimmy Palmiotti and Jordi Bernet present a tale about Spirit helping people without his even knowing it! Finally, Byle Baker gives a tale of another celebrity who may be the target of a serial killer. The first tale was easily the best of the book, capturing the feel Darwyn Cooke set up for the series since #1. The second was also good, the artwork even closely resembling that of Cooke&#8217;s. The third, however, really stands out. Not only is it unlike anything that&#8217;s been done in the book so far, but the extremely dark artwork made it hard to see what was going on in the panels, let alone understand the action. Overall, a partially good issue but not totally of the quality we&#8217;ve come to expect from this series.

3 out of 5

TALES FROM THE CRYPT #1
Remember that puppet from HBO with the sinister cackle? Well, forget him. Fledgling company Papercutz presents the old school Tales from the days of EC Comics headed up by former Marvel big-wig Jim Salicrup. We get two twisted tales of terror; the first by Marc Bilgrey and Mr. Exes about a couple who decide to steal an artist&#8217;s unusual&#8212;yet valuable&#8212;paintings, only to discover sometimes life imitates art! Then, Rob Vollmar and Tim Smith 3 give us the tale of a serious collector who buys a toy and gets more than he bargained for. And, of course, ghoulriffic bumper sequences with the Crypt-Keeper and friends by Salicrup and Rick Parker. The bumpers were easily the best in the book, capturing a nice blend of the Crypt-Keeper most are familiar with today with the all-ages tonality the book is shooting for. The other two stories are nothing incredibly new, easily coming from an old episode of the TV show or a similar thing within the same vein, but Exes has an incredibly stylized pencil that may not sit well with many but definitely fits the all-ages tone of the book. Tim Smith 3&#8217;s art, however, is a bit more realistic and darker in tone, playing up the horror aspect as well as the all-ages. So, did they succeed in capturing the feel of Tales while embodying the types of stories their predecessors wanted to tell? So far, it seems like it. It feels like an all-ages episode of the TV show, or even the cartoon spin-off of it in the 90s, despite it&#8217;s having nothing to do with either. That alone may attract fans of the series, but will it attract the targeted younger audience? Time will tell.

3.5 out of 5

X-MEN ENDANGERED SPECIES*
Don&#8217;t expect much to happen here. We have the X-Men attending a funeral and talking about their current situation as well as ways they could possibly reverse it. This is all a big set-up for the X-Men event coming up, and also presents little indication as to what will happen or how it will be. The artwork, however, was excellent and some character moments really stood out. Otherwise, you could skip this without feeling too badly.

3 out of 5

 

[Not Jake]

Justice League of America #10: Average
Confusing. Didn't even know what was going on for most of the ish. Didn't hate it regardless; that's an accomplishment. So, we're thinking Wally is back for only two seconds, and then Barry comes back? Or what.

X-Men: Endangered Species: Average
Also kind of confusing. I didn't know any of the younger mutants since I don't read New X-Men. Also I didn't recognize Cannonball (I think it's him?) or Multiple Man until he multiplied. I need costumes for some of these jokers, I guess.

Umm, I didn't get Cyke shooting the sky. What did he hit. A cloud? Did he make lightning. That is gay.

Also, that was just sun peeking through the clouds at the end, right. That was drawn poorly.

Otherwise, the dialogue was pretty good. I don't know how much of Endangered Species I'll catch, as my roommate only buys X-Men and Uncanny, but...it could be OK. But probably not. I hope some Summerseseses die. Namely, everyone but Scott.

 

[Not Jake]

Oh, and Fallen Son was very average this week too. Shame, I loved the previous ish

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Heroes for Hire #11

I just picked this up for the WWH tie-in. From what I gathered Humbug can speak to insects.

Well from what Humbug saw it looks like the Brood and Miek are up to no good: a vision of a post-apocalyptic New York populated by eggs being laid by a very pregnant Brood.

The more and more I look at it, I'm thinking the Illuminati did not set the bomb. None of them have made a single reference to doing so and now we see that the two of the Hulk's crew have nefarious motives.

Ghost Rider #12

To be honest I picked this up for WWH. Which is sort of shameful for me to admit since my uncle is on art. The beginning was pretty cool and exciting, but I was sort of bummed that the Hulk only popped in at the end.

The art was nice though.

Ah well.

Shadowpact #14

I love this book. End transmission.


I've still got to pick up Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Hopefully I'll have it in the next day or so.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Ghost Rider #12

To be honest I picked this up for WWH. Which is sort of shameful for me to admit since my uncle is on art. The beginning was pretty cool and exciting, but I was sort of bummed that the Hulk only popped in at the end.

The art was nice though.

Ah well.

Your uncle's art is awesome. It's a f**king shame though that the book is absolute garbage though thanks to Way

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I second that.

 

[Kraven]

None of you read Sensational Spider-Man? Very disappointed in you guys.

That's what I'm thinking. It was a lot better than I expected, and a great start to the 2-parter. RAS is a great Spidey writer, and his insight into Eddie's mind was very interesting. I'd recommend it for anyone that's on the fence about it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Eh, I was hoping Sensational Spider-Man would feature Eddie Brock's triumphant return to the Venom symbiote. Instead it looks like he's just gonna try to kill MJ and May. Big deal, it's not like he hasn't tried that half a dozen times before.

Justice League of America #10: Average
Confusing. Didn't even know what was going on for most of the ish. Didn't hate it regardless; that's an accomplishment. So, we're thinking Wally is back for only two seconds, and then Barry comes back? Or what.

I got the sense that Wally's here to stay. Bart came back for two seconds and then got killed off to make room for Wally. Because, y'know, it's impossible to have more than one hero with the same name.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Eh, I was hoping Sensational Spider-Man would feature Eddie Brock's triumphant return to the Venom symbiote. Instead it looks like he's just gonna try to kill MJ and May. Big deal, it's not like he hasn't tried that half a dozen times before.

I got the sense that Wally's here to stay. Bart came back for two seconds and then got killed off to make room for Wally. Because, y'know, it's impossible to have more than one hero with the same name.

Except for, you know...Wally and Jay.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Exactly, so what's one more? Or, hell, just bump him back down to Kid Flash and put him back on the Titans.

 

[Doc Destruction]

I would have preferred that, too honestly.

Never got into Bart as the Flash.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I was almost starting to. I'm glad Wally's back, but I don't see why Bart had to die. Hell, they had the Legion right there and Bart grew up in the 30th century--just have the Legion pick him up and take him with them. I've always thought the Legion could use a speedster.