Bought/Thought, April 7th 2010

[CaptainCanada]

SHIELD #1 - Jonathan Hickman's newest series focusses on the apparently millennia-old organization that has been protecting Earth since the days of the ancient Egyptians. Reading the first issue, the first thing evident is that a lot of thought went into this series; it's incredibly dense, with a lot of stuff, including the history of our putative main character, only mildly hinted at. One of the things you notice about superhero comics universes is that when they start out, almost always the first hero getting his powers is played as the starting point of all the weird **** in that world, which was previously more or less like our own. But the further a universe goes on, the more it's revealed that it was weird all along, and people mostly just didn't notice one way or another; you could say this started in the Marvel Universe within a few issues of Fantastic Four #1, when they started bringing stuff from old Timely Comics into continuity, such as Namor, and then Captain America. Some of the stuff we see her seems to strain the limits of past continuity (Galileo vs. Galactus, for example), but whatever, it's intriguingly put-together so far. The art by Dustin Weaver, who drew most of the X-Men: Kingbreaker mini, is excellent.

Thor and the Warriors Four #1 - I wonder if they expect to get more people to read it in the direct market by giving it that title; either way, it's clever. Covers aside, there is as yet no Thor in this story, which is mainly spent setting up Power Pack's trip to Asgard. Our remarkably sobering premise is Grandma Power being terminally ill, which, with a little inspiration from a nurse (who is pale-skinned, with dark hair, has a Nordic last name, and just happens to carry around a book of Norse mythology; gee, I wonder who that is?), leads to them going to Asgard to retrieve some of Idunn's apples for her. Gurihiru, the artist for many of these minis, returns here, and the art is just so perfectly suited to Power Pack - but it also rather cleanly incorporates other characters from the MU in. This issue features a surprise appearance by the Pet Avengers (Katie adores them, of course; she's a walking levity machine in these stories), so that Frog Thor can help the team get to Asgard. And then there's a Colleen Coover backup about Hercules being called over to babysit the kids, which is also cute.

Uncanny X-Men #523 - "Second Coming Part 2" - Cable and Hope return to the present, and are promptly ambushed by all kinds of baddies, and go on the run, with the X-Men likewise in pursuit. "Messiah CompleX" was a terrific story; the followup was extremely variable, and to a huge extent they were just treading water until Hope comes back to actually do whatever voodoo she's supposed to do. There's some delightful scenes here of Hope reacting to our world, which, compared to the bleak future, is a paradise of consumerism and bright lights; these sorts of naive newcomer scenes can be very rote, but Fraction and Dodson do them well (and colourist Justin Ponsor does a really nice job with Hope). Elsewhere, the news about X-Force comes out, and Nightcrawler's not happy, but they all agree to put things aside until the crisis is over, which is very professional. And the villains plot, though as yet most of Bastion's minions are rather uninteresting guys with guns (there's also a scene where Creed (I think) straight-up tells Bastion that Stryker and his Purifier goons won't be nearly enough to bring down Cable and Hope and the X-Men, but he sends them anyway). Anyway, still a pretty good story - but the proof of this will be in the pudding, whether it actually resolves what it needs to resolve.

Wolverine: Weapon X #12 - while Daniel Way's conspiracy nonsense is about to come to an end over in Wolverine Origins, Jason Aaron's tragically underbought title continues into its third major arc, teaming up Wolverine with New Cap against an army of Deathloks. There's a heavy Terminator influence here, but this is a solid action issue, albeit not as good as the first issue of the arc (lacks the wittiness of the early Deathlok kills or the heart of the Logan/Steve conversation). I liked the opening scene with Bucky, as he dines in a Russian restaurant in New York; him still occasionally wanting to have Russian food is a neat bit of characterization. Quite a few writers have a hard time writing him as anything other than "Steve with a gun" or something like that. There's another major human character introduced here, Miranda, a psychic waitress, and she's nicely characterized. I don't really know anything about the Deathlok concept's history in the MU, so I imagine this arc would probably have more resonance to those who did, but it's still an excellent little Wolverine story.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Invincible Returns #1 - Basically nothing more than getting the series back on to a track where new readers can hop on, not much happens in terms of storyline in this issue. William learns of Eve's pregnancy and they share a little talk.. Allen the Alien and Omni-Man finally arrive to pick up Mark for the big Viltrumite War coming up, plus the selling point of the issue is Mark going back to his original blue and yellow costume.

I suppose it's an okay issue to lay the ground work to get some new readers on the title, but there's been much better issues of this series. Grade: B-

Uncanny X-Men #523 - Second Coming continues and so far I think it's off to a great start. It's made this book actually mean something and this issue is probably one of Fraction's best on the title, which says alot, considering Uncanny has always been his weakest work at Marvel. Nightcrawler learns the truth of X-Force and is ready to give a piece of Scott's mind and I for one, can't wait. I just hope he's not the one that dies in X-Force #26. Grade: B+

Cable #25 - Cause I refuse to call it Deadpool and Cable #25. Set back in time before the Cable ongoing, this basically serves a jolly little breaking up story for Cable and Deadpool when they had their amazing shared ongoing by Fabian Nicieza. Y'know back when Deadpool didn't have eight different ongoings and appear in every Marvel Comic ever made because he was played by piece of hunky meat known as Ryan Reynolds. I like this isssue though I admit, probably for the nostalgia of the former days of these two as a buddy cop duo, but asides from that it's not breaking any new ground and it seems like it was just an excuse for Marvel to put one more issue of Cable out where Deadpool could star in another issue. Grade: C+

 

[JewishHobbit]

Small week for me. I was planning on buying Shield but there was a ton of 90's Ghost Rider/Spirits of Vengeance issues in the quarter bins so I spent that $4 there instead. I'm hoping to pick up Shield next week.

Project Superpowers 8 - Oh man this was good. Last issue was good and the previous issue or two were kinda slow, but this one really picked up the pace and I find myself really excited for the next issue. And I like that some of the more minor characters like Pyro Man, Twister, and Lady Satan are getting some good face time instead of the same old Black Terror, Death-Defying Devil, and Green Llama.

Batman & Robin 11 - Good issue. Not too much happens but it's pretty cool to see that Sexton miiiiiiiggggghht be Bruce Wayne. I kinda like the idea of that.

Uncanny X-Men 523 - Second Coming part 2 was pretty good. I like the conflict with Nightcrawler's issue with the dark direction Cyclops and Wolverine's taken the X-Men. I find myself not as interested in the villains here, other than Stryker due to his story in New X-Men, which I loved. Bastion just isn't as interesting here as he was back in the 90's. But it's hard to judge an issue of such a large crossover until it's all over.

Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk 3 - Snoooooooooreeee. If this were an ongoing I'd have dropped it by now. I love the character of Hiro-Kala due to the final issue of Son of Hulk, but this mini has been crappy as can be and I'm eager for next issue to come and go. I can't really even say there was a single scene that made me think "well that's cool" or anything at all.


And so... with that...

Best of the Week - Project Superpowers

I really do love this line of books, though lately it's been dragging a bit. This issue changes it all up and really gets the story rushing through toward it's zenith. Now I'm eager for the last 4 issues to see how it all turns out and what's to come next for these characters.

Worst of the Week - Son of Hulk

I was really excited for this mini following the final issue of Son of Hulk. It was such a great ending that took me by surprise that I was sold on the character. This mini has all but extinquished the feelings that one issue gave me. It's not a good sign when I'm actually eager for something to end. If this were an ongoing, it'd be what Cable was a few months ago.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I loved the ending to Deadpool & Cable #25 where he's so upset about him and Cable splitting apart that he's determined to have four ongoings

 

[hippie_hunter]

I loved the ending to Deadpool & Cable #25 where he's so upset about him and Cable splitting apart that he's determined to have four ongoings

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #34 - Yeahbuhhuhwhat? That's my general reaction to this issue of Buffy and Angel have super-powered sex and changing the world around them as they do. I don't understand what this has to do with Angel being Twilight or the grand scheme of things, but this just seems weird. Grade: D-

S.H.I.E.L.D #1 - Yeahbuhhuhwhat? Yet again I'm left with a similar reaction, but this time slightly more pleasant. I'll admit this book is retcontastic, making Grandpa Fury's favorite organization, a centuries old, civilization spanning organization to protect the world. It leaves you wondering how the history books in the Marvel Universe don't know about stuff like Galileo fighting back Galactus, but it's so well written, that I'm definitely intrigued enough to pick up the second issue on that alone. Grade: B+

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Avengers: The Origin #1 - Off to a fairly decent start, I do wonder if the one asian kid at the computer is suppose to be Amadeus Cho, which would certainly make this take all the more interesting to have such a fairly recent Marvel character in a retelling of a classic origin. This pretty much just lays the ground work for what's to come I'm sure. Grade: C+

Batman and Robin #11: Fairly decent issue where not much happens. I'm ready for Talia Ah Guhl to kick the bucket though, she's long overstayed her welcome in the Batman lore. The identity of Sexton possibly being Bruce Wayne is a good idea that I really sort of like, I doubt in the end he'll turn out to be Bruce though as that'd spoil the upcoming mini-event early. Grade: B+

Next up: Some of last week's remains, and more once I ''acquire" the comics.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Some reviews of the comics that have been mentioned above, and one that I cannot believe more people aren't reading.

Superman: Secret Origin #5

This is the comic that I cannot believe more people aren't picking up. It's easily the best Superman story in the past year, and the best Superman Origin story I've ever read. While I've had my gripes about Johns' Blackest Night, I have nothing to complain about this mini. We get a great understanding in this issue of Luthor's hatred for Superman, and the characterizations of the many supporting characters from Supe's world are spot-on. This is simply one of the best retellings of a character's origin I've ever read.

Avengers: The Origin #1

Compared to Superman: Secret Origin, this retelling pales greatly in comparison. In fact, it does one of the major taboo (in my humble opinion), by trying to update the story to modern times by adding little elements to the story, like Rick Jones using a computer to email people about the Hulk. All that does is distract from the story, especially when Iron Man is still using the old school yellow armor that doesn't hold up to the updating.

This first issue takes the reader up to the point where Marvel's heavy hitters first come together, while responding to Rick Jones' message for help. (Another great thing about Superman is that each issue of that comic gave the reader a full issue's story, where this comic will take five issues to cover the amount of stuff that we read in one issue of Superman: Secret Origin.)

Batman And Robin #11

In terms of overrated comics, it's been my opinion for quite some time that this comic is at the top of that list. The first three storylines were nowhere as awesome as everyone has been stating...but, the past two issues have finally peaked my interest, as the "return of Bruce Wayne" has been quite a good read for the past couple issues. I like Talia taking over Damien's body...and, even though Deathstroke has been a little overused of late, it will be kind of neat to see him take on Dick through Robin's body.

Son Of Hulk #3

There are two camps of people when it comes to the enjoyment of this mini, I think. On one hand, you have the JH's of the world, who are not really aware of the vast history of the Micronauts...and, maybe not even Jarella's world. Then, there are the Phaedrus' of the world, who grew up on both stories, and are loving to see them come back again in this mini. I do agree that this story greatly pales in comparison to the final issue of Son Of Hulk...and, it feels as if we are simply biding time until the Son Of Hulk meets up with Skaar...but, the story still captures my interest in what's going to happen next with all of these characters coming together in the microverse. (I do disagree with JH saying there wasn't a single scene that makes someone say "well, that's cool." I really loved the battle between Marionette and Axeman Bone.)

Deadpool/Cable #25

You know that old saying about how you don't know you'll miss something until it's gone? I used to complain quite a bit about the old Deadpool And Cable series; as I felt fans of a serious Cable didn't want to read the silliness of Deadpool, and visa versa. But, with all the Cable/Hope/Bishop saga for 24 issues dragging out for a couple years...and, with all the Deadpool overkill with the many series and miniseries and multiple appearances in other books....I found myself actually missing the olden days of that old series quite a bit while reading what has to be the single best issue of Cable in all its 25 issues. Very good double-sized issue! It's even one of the better Deadpool appearances I've read all year.

Wolverine: Weapon X #11 & 12

These first two issues of the new Deathlok storyline was very good. Love the Captain America appearances (by both Steve in the first issue, and Bucky in the second)...and, this is the type of Deathlok I love, unlike the Marvel Knights version in the current mini. Sure, it's a huge rip-off of The Terminator...and, not exactly the Deathlok the many fans were maybe expecting....but, at least it's a fun read.

Uncanny X-Men #523

Decent second issue of Second Coming. I like how each new chapter will lead into the next, instead of separating the various adventures out in different books, like they did with Necrosha X. Plus, it's great to have the Hope storyline that's been running in the Messiah crossovers and in Cable finally coming to a close. (I guess I should say "hopefully" to that. At least we don't have to see Bishop being involved any longer.) There is plenty of action in this issue, and I love seeing Nightcrawler getting a prominent role of being disgusted with Cyclop's X-Force.

Shield #1

I like this first issue of Hickman's Shield much more than his work in Fantastic Four. While there are some things that made me shake my head, like Galileo fighting Galactus (big head shaking with that scene), the story still read well, and the art looks FANTASTIC! I do think there will be a group of people who might balk at the title, though...as, the explanations about the origins of Shield are rather ridiculous ... and that final page could be just as laughable as it might be awesome to others.

Thor And The Warriors Four #1

Thankfully, Marvel took a good year off from putting out more Power Pack miniseries, as they had been getting steadily worse and worse. Now, we have Zalben's Thor and Power Pack (oops, I mean Warriors Four), and it's quite good. I especially loved the surprise appearance of the Pet Avengers! (Or, at least it was a surprise for me. I generally avoid spoilers about upcoming comics.) I have to give props to Marvel for really making their kids line of comics much, much better in the last year. Those earlier stories were pretty bad, especially the Marvel Adventures line of comics before Tobin took over...and, I have to say that sometimes I find myself enjoying them more than the mature comics that come out. This comic is very cute!

BTW, Zalben says on his website http://www.popcultureshock.com/thor-warriors-1-wednesday/55044/ that if you take a picture of yourself with the first issue, he'll put it up on his site...and, he'll even promote your comic shop if you take a picture of yourself with the comic at your favorite LCS.

 

[Phaedrus45]

BTW, best comic in the books above is easily, hands-down Superman: Secret Origin. Worst, again, is easily, hands-down Avengers: The Origin. Funny how the best and worst are both retellings of origins.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Son Of Hulk #3

There are two camps of people when it comes to the enjoyment of this mini, I think. On one hand, you have the JH's of the world, who are not really aware of the vast history of the Micronauts...and, maybe not even Jarella's world. Then, there are the Phaedrus' of the world, who grew up on both stories, and are loving to see them come back again in this mini. I do agree that this story greatly pales in comparison to the final issue of Son Of Hulk...and, it feels as if we are simply biding time until the Son Of Hulk meets up with Skaar...but, the story still captures my interest in what's going to happen next with all of these characters coming together in the microverse. (I do disagree with JH saying there wasn't a single scene that makes someone say "well, that's cool." I really loved the battle between Marionette and Axeman Bone.).

The battle wasn't bad, but being that I don't care anything about Marionette and even Axeman bone isn't particularly interesting to me, I didn't care as much.

And I could see what you mean about the two camps. Having never read anything about the Microverse or Jarella's world (which I've never even heard of) I feel no attachment to that aspect of the book. For people like me, all we have to cling to are Hiro-Kala, Axeman Bone, and his daughter. Unfortunately, they aren't written as well here as they were in Son of Hulk and I fear the varying of Hiro-Kala's powers will make him a very convoluted and hard-to-get character that will kill any growth he may have.

I'm glad you're liking the book, but I'm ready for it to end.

 

[Dread]

Small but not too slow week for me. Let's get the show on the road, eh? Spoilers ahoy.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 4/7/10:

INVINCIBLE RETURNS #1: Running almost a month behind schedule (this was solicited for March), this is a one shot that is heralded as a jumping on point as well as a prelude to the next arc, the Viltrumite War (which has been hinted at for years). In essence, it really is another issue of INVINCIBLE, only with 34 pages of story instead of 22 by two artists, and for an extra buck. It may as well be INVINCIBLE #70.5. Back when Bill Jemas was in charge of somethings at Marvel, he noted how random one-shots or annuals of franchises always sell less than the parent title, so he simply sold them as issues of said parent title. Sales proved him right, although annuals and one-shots returned once Jemas left the company. Given that issues of INVINCIBLE sell about 15k an issue, one wonders if this one shot will hold steady, and if selling it as so was wise. I think shops under-ordered this, as stores in my area of Brooklyn that usually order a few copies of Invincible were sold out of this one very quickly. At any rate, Ryan Ottley draws 22 pages and co-creator Cory Walker pencils 12 pages of his own. This actually had a few variant covers, with the main one drawn by David Finch. I think I liked the Jim Lee cover of about 11 issues ago better. As the cover suggests, a major event of this issue is that Invincible returns to his original costume; or rather, a slightly modified version of his original costume.

Actually, quite a lot gets done in this issue, and I think I liked this one better than the last 2-3 issues (and that is considering that Invincible is always at the top of my pull list). Mark meets with Cecil, who runs down the last ten or so issues and details how Mark's morals have been shifting to more gray areas, and how he has become more willing to kill opponents. Cecil manipulates Mark's own doubts about it to move him back into the position of an ally, at least for now. In practice, though, while Invincible was no longer at Cecil's beck and call, or on the payroll of the Global Defense Agency, he still would respond to Cecil's pleas for a few disasters. And to Cecil's demerit, his lying to Mark about the fate of Conquest will come to haunt everyone dearly. The subplot with the Order (a group of international mobster villains) and Titan's underworld gang is thrown in for an almost obligatory action scene, before the rest of the emotional focus can get in. Eve's eating for two, but can't quite tell Mark about it. Mark, meanwhile, has just been summoned back into space by Nolan & Allen for the Viltrumite conflict, and fears what the war will turn him into. While Nolan & Allen go off to recruit Tech-Jacket (a forgotten Kirkman character from 2003, whose series ended after about 3-4 issues), Mark summarizes his last dealings with his father and other Viltrumites, which is a good thing since some of these events happened 3-5 years ago. It also covers some of Kirkman's self admitted errors of not naming certain planets or Viltrumite characters. Naturally, the relationship between Mark and Nolan remains very complicated.

In the meantime, Oliver has apparently reached his "teenage phase" of his rapid aging, and in addition to gaining more of an appetite, he also is copping more of an attitude to Mrs. Grayson. The rascals grow up so quickly, don't they?

Kirkman will be launching a GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE mini series this summer, as INVINCIBLE goes off into space for the war. Invincible is THIS CLOSE to spinning off another series (besides BRIT I guess, which has been canceled), and I wonder whether that would be such a good thing. Part of what makes INVINCIBLE tick is that it is an entire universe in one title, instead of 50 titles like the X-Men or Avengers or Deadpool seem to have these days, and I'm not keen on that ending, even with baby-steps.

Still, a 34 page story with no ads is a fine value for $4 these days. It is good to see Corey Walker do more Invincible artwork, and with Haunt behind him, hopefully Ottley will be able to get the book back on schedule. It does remain one of the best superhero titles on the market; a shame it doesn't even sell in the Top 100.

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #22: If INVINCIBLE is merely a few weeks off schedule, than this title has returned to a virtual bimonthly schedule since August '09. The series is ending with issue #25, but at this rate that finale may not ship until October (perhaps for a Halloween promotion). Kirkman insists the end of the series is about creative decisions and not sales, although this is his lowest selling ongoing series for Image since BRIT ended (7k-8k per issue). Jason Howard as always is on art and while he's not the fastest artist, it'd be hard to imagine the series without his pencil strokes.

Suffice it to say, the plan of Wolf-Man & Mecha Maid to bust Zechariah out of prison to have the pleasure of murdering him for revenge goes terribly wrong. Zech realizes he is being played, and manages to out-fight and escape both heroes. Despite Chloe (or "Vampire Girl") being a more efficient fighter than Gary admits, this places everyone in danger. However, it seems all of Zech's warnings about the savage werewolf culture is coming true. The Elder is summoning an army of them called "the Gathering", which he intends to reshape their world forever. I don't think he means the annual GARGOYLES convention. The wolves attack the Hampton home and one character (the butler) doesn't make it. It's so hard to find good help these days.

There is also a back-up strip featuring Code Blue, one of the Actioneers who was apparently an alien fighter named Cade, written & drawn by Jason Howard. It's not bad, although I'm not sure what the point is beyond more work for Howard, who already struggles with a monthly deadline as is.

A subplot where Mecha Maid is in danger of losing her "virtual daughter", ACS style, is interesting. And it still is cute to see her and Wolfy "merge" so that Wolf-Man is wearing pink and silver armor, yet still is taken seriously. It's like Wolf-Man as Pink Ranger. While this isn't Kirkman's best series, I've enjoyed it more than, say, HAUNT or DESTROYER, and it will be a shame to see it end, even if it only comes out every two months. I hope the finale is worth all the hype.

VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #7: My lone Marvel reading this week. As of Feb. 2010, the sales of this title have reached the same lows as MOON KNIGHT #30, the last issue of the last volume, which was canceled back in May '09 (only for it to be relaunched with this 3-4 months later). It has outlasted DOCTOR VOODOO and S.W.O.R.D. and outsold the STRANGE mini, but I cannot imagine this title lasting beyond issue #12. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if the only reason it still lives is because the next 2-3 issues guest star Deadpool, and Marvel either figures we cannot have enough of him, or seriously thinks his appearance alone will boost sales. A variant cover for the occasion may help for a brief time, but it will just delay the inevitable. While I do enjoy the character, I do think at times Marvel needs to give their C-List characters a break sometimes; obviously, a 3 month gap between volumes of Moon Knight did little to create demand and boost sales. While Moonie has seemed to outlast fellow C-List heroes IRON FIST and GHOST RIDER lately, it cannot last forever. In terms of relaunches of non A-List characters, it always boggles the mind that Marvel hasn't learned the lesson of Thor. True, a hot creative team helped, but the 3 year break built up incredible demand for the series; it told fans and retailers that Marvel was serious about Thor, and would only revive his series when they "got it right". This seems to work a lot better than when Marvel immediately relaunches a series merely to keep it in print, because it has always been in print in some form.

At any rate, writer Greg Hurwitz is continuing on his redemption of the character since the end of the last volume. After his latest nervous breakdown, the persona of cabbie "Jake Lockley" is in control of Moon Knight, and apparently he is the most grounded of Spector's personalities. He has resisted Khonshu's best influences (as well as his own dark tendencies) to act as a proper super-hero for the time being, even refusing to murder his old enemy Bushman when given the chance last issue. A break in at a hospital leads Moon Knight into a fight with, as the cover suggests, Deadpool. Wade's been hired to kill a cancer ridden man, which results in a fight between the two which on the whole is entertaining. Hurwitz is wise to write Deadpool as one would expect (very funny), but without making him seem like a parody character; Wade is still very much a hit-man/mercenary for hire here, even if a crazed one. As it turns out, the old man is a dying mobster, whose goons are holding a child hostage; Deadpool has been hired by the child's mother to finish off the gangster. While Moon Knight won't allow that, he does set out to save the kid.

Taking over for regular artist Jerome Opena is Tan Eng Huat, who was last seen finishing off the last leg of the GHOST RIDER ongoing series (as well as some PUNISHER issues here and there). Honestly, this was a concern of mine as Huat was hardly my favorite artist on GHOST RIDER and Opena's art was perhaps half the reason I have enjoyed this volume of Moon Knight. But Huat is actually pretty good here, and I had no complaints. This arc may not be the best thing ever but it looks to be a solid little story, paced well and so on. I certainly am enjoying this volume more than the last (of which I read 19 out of 30 issues). I will be curious if Moon Knight is actually one of the "Secret Avengers".

 

[Phaedrus45]

Project Superpowers: Chapter Two #8

This is a series which is much better when you read all the issues together; because, so much is happening that things get a bit lost in my mind month after month. While before I kept wishing they didn't jump around with all the characters each issue, now everything is finally coming together. Things are being explained, characters and events are starting to come together, and the action is starting to pick up. As JH said, it got a bit slow, but the last two issues have been pretty darn good. I cannot wait for the next issue! (Still, my biggest complaint about Project Superpowers is that these characters are all pretty two-dimensional. They have no persona beyond their superhero aliases. If they had any regular human lives, you wouldn't know it. The beauty of Captain America was his struggle between being Captain America, Steve Rogers, and coming back into a world that he didn't recognize.)

World War Hulks Classified

If you've been following the events in Fall Of The Hulks, you don't have to worry about missing anything if you skip this title. It contains 6 short stories that have no real bearing on World War Hulks. If you do buy it, though, you'll be happy to know that none of the stories really suck.

In the first, we get an A-Bomb story by Jeff Parker, where A-Bomb and Marlo come to terms about their relationship while fighting Ulik. The second story shows us a flashback story featuring Glenn Talbot and Bucky (as the Winter Soldier) meeting for the first time. The third story gives us a little more insight on Glenn and Betty's current relationship as they have to fight the cosmic energy, automaton Hulk. The fourth story, by Paul Tobin, involves Samson fighting a Hulk-type character whose transformation didn't go as planned. The fifth features the Red She-Hulk; and, the final issue, naturally, features Deadpool. (Really, you KNOW they couldn't leave out 'Pool.)

As I said, all the stories are decent....it's just that they don't have any real bearing on the story and will be quickly forgotten after reading them. Still, it's better than most of Loeb's work in Hulk.

Ultimate X #2

Speaking of Loeb, it becomes kind of easy to bash him nowadays; but, this Ultimate series has been pretty good the first two issues. Where issue #1 focused on Wolverine's son, this one features

Spoiler

Jean Grey

as she tries to live a quiet life hiding amongst the homosapiens of the Ultimate world. (I use spoilers, because even though most everyone can figure out who "Karen" is by the first few pages, it's not fully revealed until the ending.) It would seem that each issue of this series will focus on a particular mutant, and shows them all coming together to form a new version of the X-Men. The comic looks good, and this story was well-done and a bit emotional.

The New Avengers: Luke Cage #1

I really love that Marvel doesn't try and spread their minis out to five or six issues, but have embraced telling a story in three issues instead. New Avengers: Luke Cage is one of those, and the first issue was decent enough...but, a bit predictable and done many times over. Luke finds out some kid from his old stomping grounds when he was a "Hero For Hire" got beat up pretty bad trying to emulate him while living in Philadelphia, and Luke goes back to his roots to exact revenge. (As I said, we've seen this "returning to my roots" in these minis many, many times...and, we've also seen Luke and Jessica Jones argue about Luke's lifestyle choice too many times, too. In fact, I thought that would all have been resolved by now...but, I guess it's kind of like how Peter Parker and MJ's marriage always focused on that throughout the years. Writers just can't progess much when they fall back on the same old storylines; that is, until Mephisto finally comes along and takes care of that problem once and for all.)

The Terminator: 2029 #1

I didn't realize that Dynamite had given up the Terminator license; but, that's not much of a shock, as their attempts at the comic had been pretty bad. This story focuses on Kyle Reese and his leading a group of recently attacked rebels to safety. Nothing's really original with this story; but, that's been the case with all of Dark Horses recent comics they've brought back from the dustbins, like Aliens and Predator. I will say it's much better than what Dynamite did, though.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Marvel Zombies #5

Every time a new Marvel Zombie comic comes, I let out a little groan. It all feels like overkill...but, nowadays with the constant pushing of Deadpool, I didn't mind as much....especially since Van Lente has been telling some pretty decent stories. This first issue is no exception. Set back in the old west, the zombies come after a small, western town where a retired hero, Hurricane, owns a bar with his daughter. She longs to escape the small town life, and soon gets her chance when his gunshooting powers switch to her...and, she gets saved by Machine Man in the end. The biggest surprise, and one that isn't spoiled by the cover, is the appearance of

Spoiler

Howard The Duck.

I loved it!

Spider-Man: Fever #1

This three-issue mini's first issue did nothing for me. That doesn't mean it's bad...it's just not my style of comic. The art and story are very off-beat and kind of corny; but, some people like that. It's just not for me. (BTW, this is just as much a Doctor Strange story as it is a Spider-Man one.)

The Lone Ranger #21

When meeting the artist of Zorro at last month's comicon, I had to praise his comic as being so superior to the vastly overrated Lone Ranger; because, they pack so much into each issue and tell such a great story. This issue again shows the major flaws of the comic, by not advancing the story much and also being very predictable. (I said last issue that it was extremely obvious that the woman and young boy would be targeted by the bad guys in the next issue...and, naturally, that's what happens.) I'm hoping by issue #24 or 25 that this storyline finally wraps to a close.

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags Of Our Fathers #1

Another tale of yesterday during WWII, and while I'm sure there are some who aren't that interested in those types of stories, this one is done pretty well. In the story, Hitler and the Nazis are looking for a way to send a bomb into the US, especially with the appearance of Captain America ruining all their plans...and, come to the decision that they need to get the Wakandan's vibranium to achieve that purpose. (Needless to say, the Nazi's attempt to trade trinkets to these Africans for access to their vibranium doesn't go as planned.) With additional appearances by the Howling Commandos and

Spoiler

the Red Skull

, I'm really into this mini.

28 Days Later #9

I love this Boom! comic!!! In fact, as I've mentioned before, I probably enjoy it more than Kirkman's Walking Dead, which tends to make the zombie infestation a side story over all the dialogue and human dangers. This is a transition issue, finishing up the first big storyline and starting into another, where the military is as much of a danger as the zombies. (We even get a new artist, which took a little getting used to. It's better art; but, I grew to associate the previous artist with this title than the new one.)

Astounding Wolf-Man #22

As this title winds down, we just might be getting one of the better Wolf-Man stories this title has given us. I wasn't a fan of the previous issue, because Kirkman tried to give us too much in one issue that could have been expanded much more (especially the fight scene); but, this issue slows things down, we get a good action scene with Wolf-Man and Vampire Girl, and a great action sequence at the end. I can't wait to read the last three issues of this series, as it's probably my second favorite Kirkman series. (I don't read Invincible, as I missed the train on that comic and have never really jumped on because of that...and, as Dread said, I find it much more entertaining than Haunt.)