Bought/Thought Dec 9th,2009 caution SPOILERS

[Mike555]

Yeap i'm getting my books later today.

 

[squeekness]

Maybe you should try starting the thread when you've actually read the books, lol.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Deja Vu?

 

[runawayboulder]

I don't think it's a big deal as long as ppl don't start B/T threads before Wednesday.

 

[Drz]

No seriously i'd really prefer if people made these thread when they actually have gone and got their bloody comics. It's not a RACE who gets to make the topic.

 

[squeekness]

Nation X #1 Four short stories in one book. In the first Magneto helps some of the X-kids find Mercury who's gone missing under Utopia. Turns out some of Magneto's old junk is down there including a message he had recorded long ago where he spouts off about how mutatns will never lie down quiet and all that. Not quite sure what the point of the story was, but it was nice to see some of the X-kids again.

The second story is a Nightcrawler/Wolverine team up as the pair are off to collect a donation for Utopia. First off the art here is HORRIBLE, I hate the simplistic retro crap of yore. It looks a three year old could have drawn it. On the other hand, I have always enjoyed banter between Logan and the elf. Ilike them together and this was no exception. They discuss if the idea of Utopia is a good one or not. Good story, art not my style. At all.

The third story focuses on Ice Man, a welcome change. It's a peek at his daily life. He's still the jokester but it gets him into trouble. He accidently frightens a new person to the island who then takes Dr. Rao hostage in order to get off the island. Bobby apologizes and then all is well. He jokes because deep down he feels they are all on teh brnk of disaster and he's just trying to hide it. Good story, lovely art.

Fourth story is focused on Colosuss. He's helping to fix up the place but he's lonely. His ssiter shows up and teleports him away so he can help some of the younger X-kids start a garden in a dry patch of land on the island. They need help driving a big tractor and Colosuss is happy to oblige. As he does so he recalls the happy past when he used to give his sister tractor rides. Illuana argues with him that hsi is spending too much time living in the past. he protests but she uncovers a memorial he's been making to all the dead they've lost, Kitty in particular. It's a sad story, showing how deeply unhappy the big guy is. Art was good and story was as well, I think this was the best of the group.

This wasn't bad as this sort of book goes, but mostly I am looking forward to the next issue because it will have Gambit in it.

 

[Mike555]

My week was great awsome picks for me.

Green Arrow and Black Canary #27:Great issue awsome stories i have always liked green arrow and this title is amazin kreisberg is awsome with these characters.*****

NATION X #1:First story was about the X-Kids and and magneto preety good story nice to see magneto acept that hos dream has come true.
Second story the art sucked on this story but the story was awsome loved seeing nightcrawler and logan hanging out again.
Third story rocked nice to see ice man but i was more happy to see an old orignal five x-factor team villian.

The fourth story had me wiping tears from my eyes great stuff sad to see one of my favs depressed.*****

Dark X-Men #2:Good issue but Mimic and Omega felt out of character and the dark best killing a psychic and taking her brain was gross.*****

X-Men Forever 13:GREAT ISSUE!But turning the one of the only remaning kitty prydes into a evil demon creature brings this down to four stars.****

 

[Hush]

Can we get the correct spelling of Caution in the title? Please Corp?

 

[NightBeetle]

NATION X #1:
Second story the art sucked on this story

You don't like Mike Allred's artwork?

 

[Mike555]

He drew good it is just the way it was colored for me and now some new reviews and come on people start posting some reviews like me and squeek?

Web of Spider-Man:Like the the last issue the orgin story sucked but the last two stories were good.****

The Invincble Iron Man 21:The issue was good once again we see steve rogers back to life and a now human war machine.*****

 

[Ikaris-Eternal]

Allred's style took a little getting-used-to, but I like it now. Especially in an anthology setting like this. It's very distinctive, and at its best his pencils boil the action and emotion down to its core.

The strongest moments of the Allred story are the panels inside the truck between Logan and Kurt.

 

[squeekness]

You don't like Mike Allred's artwork?

I shure don't. My tastes tend to lie along the lines of Silvestri, Finch, Turner and Jim Lee.

New Avengers Annual #3 Loved the art in this and the story was great. Hawkeye has been taken prisoner by the Dark Avengers and the gals from the regular Avengers come and bust him out. Best part about this? Watching Jewel in action and then even having her say that she intends to join the team for real. I've been a big fan of Jessica ever since Alias came out. Plus Clint kicked some serious ass and I loved him teasing Norman about his hair. This was better than the X-Force annual by far.

Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk, one shot. Logan gets an anonymous phone call that makes him remember a murder he had witnessed forty years ago. Great story, been a while since any of the Wolverine one shots were any better than simply average. While I am not a huge fan of this kind of art style it went well with the story which was old and grity as it recalls the oldtyme gangsters. Overall not too shabby.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I shure don't. My tastes tend to lie along the lines of Silvestri, Finch, Turner and Jim Lee.

I hate all those guys

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Invincible Iron Man was good. Weird to see Steve coming back in now several comics this month, yet Reborn still has an issue or two to go. Good to see Rhodey back in a human body and not homicidal anymore. Looking forward to the Ghost in coming issues.

What If: World War Hulk kind of bored me, but it was nice to see an intelligent Hulk again, even in an alternate reality. The art was pretty, though. Interesting that Thor shows up and everything is copacetic in the second story, given how unlike Thor and the Hulk's previous encounters that is. Weird to see Spaz draw Marvel comics. That's the guy who was like the artist for Sonic comics for a while, right? The What The stories were hit-or-miss. I chuckled at some, though.

REBELS was great. Not quite as good as the previous issue, but Vril Dox is still a badass. Kind of sucked that the Sinestro Corps ring abandoned him at the end, but I suppose it had to happen. I was surprised to find that "next year in REBELS" page at the end of the issue. I wonder if that was some kind of reassurance to fans that the series will have at least another year, in spite of its relatively underwhelming sales. I mean, it was hovering just inside the top 200 before the Blackest Night tie-in gave it a 40,000-copy boost.

 

[squeekness]

I hate all those guys

Aw, we're just opposite then. Art is subjective, in the eye of the beholder. That's what's so nice about it. It has diversity so sooner or later, everyone finds someone they like.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

I shure don't. My tastes tend to lie along the lines of Silvestri, Finch, Turner and Jim Lee.

New Avengers Annual #3 Loved the art in this and the story was great. Hawkeye has been taken prisoner by the Dark Avengers and the gals from the regular Avengers come and bust him out. Best part about this? Watching Jewel in action and then even having her say that she intends to join the team for real. I've been a big fan of Jessica ever since Alias came out. Plus Clint kicked some serious ass and I loved him teasing Norman about his hair. This was better than the X-Force annual by far.

Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk, one shot. Logan gets an anonymous phone call that makes him remember a murder he had witnessed forty years ago. Great story, been a while since any of the Wolverine one shots were any better than simply average. While I am not a huge fan of this kind of art style it went well with the story which was old and grity as it recalls the oldtyme gangsters. Overall not too shabby.

Jewel was the suprise new member that everybody predicted?! =D


Someone bust out that M Night Shamalan (Or however you spell his name. ) pic that says, "What a twist"

 

[Phaedrus45]

Another cold, cold day at the office here in WA state. It's nice to have a good (hopefully) comic to read with my feet kicked up on my little heater.

Nation X: I don't mind these short story minis...but, I do prefer if they have one story that runs through all four issues. It gives people a reason to want to pick up the next issue.

First story, featuring Magneto, I didn't like. As Squeeknees said, I'm not sure what was the point. It just doesn't feel like the Magneto I know. Seeing Mags purposefully trying to scare these young mutants, saying "heh heh," just doesn't ring true to his character.

Second story, featuring Nightcrawler and Wolverine, was my favorite in this issue. I love Mike Allred's art; but, understand those who don't. When I first saw it in X-Force and X-Static, it took me a while to get used to. But, now, it's like taking a trip down memory lane, and his art goes so well with this kind of story. I love the 2 pages featuring their stops along the roadtrip, seeing Wolverine and Nightcrawler at the uninals, asking "Psylocke or Domino?" (I think it would be even more funny to see a discussion about three X-Gals and Logan asking "F, Marry, Kill.")

Third story, I didn't like. Poor Iceman...everytime his character grows in maturity, some other writer brings him back down to those early X-days. This story just makes Bobby seem like an idiot who's never grown up and can't read people's emotions very well. Sure, he comes around in the end, and we are to believe it's just an act...but, it doesn't gel well with how I have seen him mature in the past.

Finally, I didn't like the overly sentimental final story at all. How many damn times do we have to have a story featuring Colossus, where he is moaning and groaning about the loved ones he's lost? It's like meeting up with the friend who is always depressed, always talking about something in their past that they can't seem to get over, and won't ever attempt to get away from the things that just continue their depression. Colossus is the Debby Downer of the X-Men, and I'm sick of it!!!

Adventure Comics #508: I loved the first part of this Blackest Night tie-in; but, this conclusion didn't do much for me. All the humor and great writing felt used up in the first part..now, we just have a bunch of black lanterns fighting Superboy Prime while they trash up the DC offices. (I'm sure the people at DC love seeing themselves put in the comic...but, it's been done before, and feels like it's being written more for them than the reader.) I liked the second feature much better, as it set's up Connor's next story, where Lex Luthor finally shows up in Smallville, revealing he's the Uncle of troubled teen, Lori. Good set up, and I can't wait for the next issue.

Booster Gold #27: Another case of where I liked the first part of this Blackest Night tie-in more than the second, mainly because we have ANOTHER identical plot to all the other tie-ins: Hero must face off with dead loved-one, dead partner, dead enemy or dead friend. In this case, it's Ted Kord. (Yeah, definitely NOT a big surprise, since like Colossus always bemoaning the death of certain X-Men, too many Booster Gold stories has him focusing on his old friend time and time again.) Next issue brings up back to Booster's sister, it seems. Can't wait to have Blackest Night be put behind, and these DC books can get back to their normal programming.

Deadpool #18: Deadpool joining the X-Men concludes in this issue. This issue is much better than last week's Deadpool Team-Up. It's got some good chuckles, Wade makes those around him look like fools in the end, and they all learn that things aren't always what they seem. Plus, I love the interaction between Wade and Domino. (Not to mention, had a good laugh at the way he takes down Colossus! Puke on someone's face, they'll stop fighting pretty quickly.) Next issue, we get Spidey and 'Pool...makes me wonder why they need Deadpool Team-Up, since most of Wade's adventures are a type of team-up of some sort.

Ghost Riders-Heavens On Fire #5: One more issue to go, and it seems like we'll finally get a conclusion to this Zadkiel storyline that feels like it's been going on FOREVER! (Seriously, what's it been, two years?) I'm really enjoying this mini...and, while I couldn't stand much of Ghost Rider's previous series, when it was cancelled, it was really picking up some steam. I love all the guest appearances (Jaine Cutter, Vengeance, and Hellstrom...though, I really, really hate the new look for Hellstrom), and we get a ton of action. Next issue is the final showdown! Not sure if this is really a title to recommend...it comes with a lot of baggage, as so much has gone on before this mini even started...but, I really like it.

Gen13 #33: These Wildstorm titles were all on the verge of being removed from removed from my pull-list...and, they still might be; but, we get a new storyline that will run through all the comics. And, Beechen's first part in this title was decent. Gen13 is now a team made up of the remaining Gen13 and Gen14 teams (we've lost some main characters along the way), and in this issue, this new team meets up with some (supposed) heroes trying to fight off humans that are trying to take over their weapons and territory. By issue's end, the GenTeam decides to go their separate ways, unsure about how good the other hero's intentions really are. Good start, and I'll keep reading for a little while...but, I am putting these titles on notice!!!

Action Comics #884: In this issue, Flamebird must make a deal with the devil (Dr. Pillings, an undercover, evil Kryptonian in hiding on Earth) to save the life of her love, Nightwing. Also in this issue, Lois continues to try and shed some light on her father's activities; but, General Lang ends up capturing her and threatening Lois to keep all this quiet. Not the most exciting of issues...and, I just keep waiting for the World Without Superman storyline to come to a conclusion. The second feature with Captain Atom never really goes anywhere. He's slowly remembering his past and not sure who he can really trust.

Green Arrow/Black Canary #27: I'm liking this title more and more each issue. I like the female villian, Cupid, and think it's a nice twist to have her teaming up with the evil Green Arrow. Plus, even though the 2nd feature is suppose to be Black Canary, it's actually a good backstory about Cupid's origin, kind of letting us know the moment she lost her mind and went crazy. It might not be the best comic out there; but, I find myself always wanting to read what happens next.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Adventure Comics #508: I loved the first part of this Blackest Night tie-in; but, this conclusion didn't do much for me. All the humor and great writing felt used up in the first part..now, we just have a bunch of black lanterns fighting Superboy Prime while they trash up the DC offices. (I'm sure the people at DC love seeing themselves put in the comic...but, it's been done before, and feels like it's being written more for them than the reader.)

Though I'm not actually reading the book myself, everything I've read and seen in previews made me think that as well. Seems more like something Johns is doing as kind of a joke upon himself and others in the industry as opposed to using the technique to any point.

Oh no, I guess I'm one of the many fans that don't care for Johns' work that Superboy-Prime represents. Oh, you got me there Mr. Johns...you are...a cleaver guy

 

[runawayboulder]

The only good thing about being sick is I can lock my self up in my house a read my stuff a little earlier than normal.

PunisherMax #2: Kingpin pt2 - Loving this book. Wilson Fisk's is the main focus of this issue showing some of his childhood and rise through the criminal ranks towards becoming Rigoletto's main enforcer.

Fisk is a real mean motherfu**er here. He kills his father at a young age for killing his dog (a one eyed puppy little Fisk found on the street and hid in his room) and gets some major revenge on a guy that raped Fisk while they were in Attica. How he did both I won't ruin, be believe me it's friggin diabolical (especially the latter).

Meanwhile the Punisher is in more of the background of the story cracking skulls in order to get to the bottom of the rumors flying around of a Kingpin in NYC.

Jason Aaron is doing a great job here and Dillon is...well Dillon. He's always been great on Punisher. I know a lot of people are hating FrankenCastle (even though I love it) saying it gets away from the essence of what Castle is. But trust me, this book is what you'll want.

Invincible Iron Man #21: Stark Disassembled pt 2 - Damn this book dropped fast. Are they ahead of schedule or was #20 late? Nevertheless it's a fine book. All of Stark's previous moves from WMW are now paying off (the hard drive Maria Hill took, ect.) as Thor, the two Caps, Potts, War Machine and others start to try and bring him back.

That's right TWO Captain America's. Steve Rogers appears for the second time in three weeks this time in full uniform. I though Larocca made him look larger than life when he first showed up which was cool. I've already voiced my grievances about Steve showing up before CA Reborn ends so I won't beat a dead horse. It does kind of ruin Reborn for me though. I know he was coming back (duh!), but I was hoping for an Iron Man appearance at the conclusion of Reborn and the long overdue chit-chat between Steve and Tony. Guess I will have to wait for it in Siege.

Also the Ghost (Ghost = ) makes his move towards Oklahoma to take Tony out. Little does he know that the rest of the "Big Three" are in the house so I can't wait to see how that ends up.

ASM #614 - Power to the People conclusion. Basically just a huge fight between Spidey and Electro with Bennett and the Daily Bugle ending up as the victims here. Bennett gets crushed by a collapsed ceiling during the fight and will never walk again. And the Bugle building is totally destroyed for the second time in 10 years. It'll be back one day I'm sure. Probably when JJJ loses his bid for re-election.

 

[Mike555]

S.W.O.R.D #2:Good issue beast is awsome in this title taking on death's head one on one and lockheed destroyed death's head eye was hilarious plus the cliffhangar ending is great.*****

War Machine #12:good issue but sad to see the final issue.But this opens up a new title which is going to be incredible hulk so not that big of a loss.*****

Amazing Spider-Man #614:Great ending to Power to The People nice to see that the chamelon will be in this story arc.*****

 

[CaptainCanada]

and the long overdue chit-chat between Steve and Tony. Guess I will have to wait for it in Siege.

You may be kept waiting. Tony says in the holo-message that the backup disk they're using was made just before his Extremis upgrade. So, while possibly it's been updated since then, Nu-Tony very possibly won't remember anything that's happened since about 2005.

Very small week for me, though I got a bunch of trades.

Black Widow: Deadly Origin #2 - decent issue, though increasingly I wish that John Paul Leon was doing all the art here; Raney is fine, for the most part (Mockingbird at the end is a bit awkward), but Leon's work excels. I do like the white variant of her costume that Natasha uses in the modern day. The flashbacks continue to skip through Natasha's relationship history (given that this was basically conceived as a movie tie-in, the book does lean a bit heavily on you being familiar with her past history), while in the present-day we learn that she's unwittingly given everyone she's ever slept with nano-VD that allows whoever to take control of them. Oops.

Invincible Iron Man #21 - this was my favourite issue of the series in quite a while, actually. I've found a lot of what's going on middling, but it feels like the plot is actually moving now, and the gathering of the supporting characters is quite engaging. Steve's back, which seriously depresses the experience of Reborn, not that the end of that was ever really in doubt; of course, when they decided to add another issue I don't think delaying all these books was really an option. The bits with Pepper are okay character stuff, and Happy's existence is at last actually being acknowledged, but so far she seems to be skipping over the fact that Happy is currently dead because she asked Tony to pull the plug.

WE3 - I usually find Grant Morrison's writing rather emotionally uninvolving, but damn, that **** was depressing. In a good way, mind you.

Queen and Country v.3 - mostly good way to end the series, though the transition to the last arc is rather confusing; it might have been nice for some kind of notice that there was a whole novel we should read. I had to look that up after.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Just two reviews before I leave work today.

Ender's Game-War Of Gifts: I try not to read the comics I know will be good first. I try and get some of the iffy ones out of the way; that way, I have something almost guaranteed to be good later on. Of course, those who read my reviews know one of those titles for me is Ender's Game.

This one-shot is a nice stand alone book that tells the story of Zeck, a young boy who's taken from his strict, religious parents by the government, and forced to enlist in Battle School. Zeck's father is a religious fanatic who sees Satan's influence in many things, especially in the adoration and worship of Santa Claus. (As the father spouts on the pulpit, "Santa is an anagram for Satan!") Zeck has a special ability to remember anything he's ever heard...but, refuses to participate in the battle school, because his purity is against violence. (This belief is in direct conflict for the beatings he received by his father...a belief that's explained as the father striking his "son's body to teach his spirit to embrace Christ.")

Coming to Battle School, Zeck doesn't participate in any battles, and has a 0% score in that regard. His religious beliefs are squashed, because "to maintain order and equality in Battle School, all religious observances are strictly prohibited." He goes along, but starts to revolt the minute he hears two cadets discussing Christmas and their belief in Santa. Again, this is such a good issue, separate from the two main Ender's minis; but, yet in included within those books by having a couple scenes where Ender Wiggins makes an appearance, getting Zeck to come to terms with his anger.

Daytripper #1: Interesting first issue! I have no idea where this story is going; because this whole issue focused on a obituary writer's "day in the life." There is much focus on family and the way we choose to do the things that lead us to significant moments in our lives...or our death. I can't say I didn't see the ending coming; but, it's still very impactful. The last page and murderers final words kind of stick with you long after reading. What happens next? I have absolutely no idea...but, I'll be definitely checking it out.

 

[Mike555]

New Avengers Annual 3:Good issue but again we see steve rogers captian america what is the point of cap reborn then?*****

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

WE3 - I usually find Grant Morrison's writing rather emotionally uninvolving, but damn, that **** was depressing. In a good way, mind you.

Queen and Country v.3 - mostly good way to end the series, though the transition to the last arc is rather confusing; it might have been nice for some kind of notice that there was a whole novel we should read. I had to look that up after.

We3 was amazing, that is my favorite Frank Quitely work ever. The things he does in there, goddamn.

And yeah, Queen & Country was a great series, I liked the ending few stories. You should definitely check out the novel, A Gentleman's Game. Also, did these collections come with the Disassembled mini-series? Those were excellent as well, especially the one involving Russia (Cold War, baby!).

I haven't read that series in awhile, I might have to check it out again.

 

[Dread]

As always, more positive reviews are posted at Examiner first here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-...10-Picks-of-Comic-Book-Day--December-9th-2009

At any rate, December is in full swing, the weather's getting cold and it's a perfect time to bundle up with comics. This week brought on an eclectic mix of comics, most of them good, beyond one mired by editorial bungling. As always, spoilers are unlimited.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 12/9/09:

BOOSTER GOLD #27: Much as with last month, this is a BLACKEST NIGHT tie in, and also like last month, Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle is an actual guest star, and not merely in a back-up strip. This means that Dan Jurgens draws the first half of the issue (as well as writes the whole thing), and Mike Norton draws the other half, and Matt Sturges I guess takes a break, and Rapmund inks both of them. The art styles of Jurgens and Norton actually gell well; I couldn't tell where one ended and another began, which creates nice flow for a 30 page lead story. In terms of price value, that is 3 pages longer than last week's SIEGE: THE CABAL, which was also $4. Considering that Norton usually had to be on hand to draw 6-8 pages a month for the back-ups, it was good that he either had enough lead in time, or is simply speedy enough, to have to suddenly deliver 15 pages when he had to. He's a solid artist who doesn't get as much work as he deserves sometimes.

As always with Booster Gold, while some of the time travel adventures can become complicated if you over analyze them, in the end it is all about people. The Black Lantern ring has revived Ted Kord, only as an emotion feeding zombie with energy powers, out to kill his former best friend by trying to murder his present day ancestor, Dan Carter/Supernova. This forces Booster as well as Reyes to team up to fight Kord. They are forced to flee when Booster proves unable to actually fight his friend, which makes sense since he DID one nearly destroy the time line trying to resurrect Kord himself. This leads to a retreat with the time machine and a moment where Booster tells off Rip Hunter for his manipulative nature. The subplot of Hunter actually being Booster's son from the future is brought up, which is good because it was a subplot that was forgotten months ago. In the end, Booster and Reyes head over to Kord's old Beetle lab to find a proper weapon to deal with the evil zombie version, and have a triumphant final showdown. The issue ends with Booster and Reyes having a heart to heart at Vanishing Point once again burrying Kord. The idea that Booster deeply misses his best friend is hardly new stuff and it does border on repetition, but it does make sense that Booster would still be troubled by the death, especially after all of their "Bwa-ha-ha" style adventures. It also was a little touching seeing Reyes claim he could never replace Kord and Booster telling him that he was living up to the legacy fine just by being a hero. Kord, after all, went to his death with Max Lord claiming that someone else would pick up his legacy (because that is actually common in DC) and that the Blue Beetle would return.

The cliffhanger of the issue is that Michelle Carter, after fleeing Vanishing Point due to discovering that Rip Hunter had bent time laws to save her from a destined death (although quite why that should send someone into a hysterical fit that makes them avoid their sibling, only Jurgens can guess), has chosen to hang out at Coast City, circa 1994. Which of course was the scene of the worst DC massacres, "Emerald Twilight" (the story in which Hal Jordon went insane and destroyed the Corps, only for it to be completely and totally 100% not his fault at all because he is beyond all human error, circa a decade later, thank you Geoff Johns). Part of me questions whether we really should have another GL story so soon after a BLACKEST NIGHT tie in, but considering that prior stories delt with the histories of Superman, Flash, the Teen Titans, and Batman (twice), I suppose Green Lantern is due. The next issue should clarify things, as it does seem random so far that Michelle picked that time and place, and hooked up with some random schmoe.

As always, it is excellent to see Dan Jurgens return to his creation, one of the first original characters added to DC outright after CRISIS in 1986, in both story and art. This remains one of DC's best and most consistently good ongoing titles. Sales continue to dwindle, and hopefully it makes it to a full third year. The BN tie in will likely boost sales for two months, but those crossover gains rarely last. Still, considering DC is more than willing to let some titles fall to Image Comic levels (13k or so), the odds of us seeing BG #35 are high.

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #20: One thing that has gone quietly in Robert Kirkman's letters column is that this one of his books that has failed to be "on time in '09" as he promised last year, at least as 2009 has drawn to an end; as of August, it has returned to a bi-monthly schedule, shipping issues in October and now December. Jason Howard perhaps always struggled with a monthly schedule, or perhaps the announcement that the series will end with issue #25 has caused things to slow a bit to get everything right. Since August, of course, Kirkman himself has been writing HAUNT, which happens to have been Image's best selling launch of a new title in many years (when reprints are added, it may have actually outsold Dark Horse's issue of BUFFY for October). While he insists that sales are not the reason, WOLF-MAN roughly sells 7,200 copies, and has slipped 7% within the last six months; it sells about as much after under two years as SAVAGE DRAGON does after a decade. Business wise, letting go of WOLF-MAN to focus on HAUNT makes solid sense. At any rate, to take Kirkman and Company at their word, they insist that after the next arc, all that can be said about Gary Hampton and his world, at least as an ongoing series, will have been said and they doubt they can top it. The only reason such an announcement sounds odd is because American comics almost never end for creative reasons. Heaven forbid anyone admit that, say, SUPERMAN or SPIDER-MAN ran out of any relevent ideas 15 years ago and just end out of creative mercy. So I can respect Kirkman and Howard for not trying to pry extra blood from a stone here.

After the action blockbuster of issue #19, this issue is more somber, closing the door on some prior subplots, such as Gary being on the run for his wife's murder, escaping jail, and so on. It also opens the door for the status quo of things that will probably be shattered in the next five issues. A cynic could argue that in some ways, Gary and Norman Osborn at Marvel have something in common; apparently all one has to do to become a public hero (and media darling) after being convicted and sentenced of murder is kill a monster on live TV. To be fair, government stooge Cecil Stedman has actually captured the vampire Zachariah and used him to legally clear Gary of the murder (that he actually did not commit), whereas with Osborn, the public and media happily forgot that he used to wear a goblin suit, bomb buildings, and murder college students (and occasional reporters). At any rate, Gary appears on a morning talk show to speak about his life's events, and despite his return to public hero status, the loss of his wife still haunts him, and he still wants Zachariah dead. His daughter, Chloe, is hanging out with Mecha-Maid and her hologram daughter; she also still has vampire blood in her system that gives her some modest super powers. She now fights crime alongside Wolf-Man, as "Vampire Girl". I would say that can't be a good superheroine name for PR standards, but TWILIGHT is very big now, so it could work. If I remember my White Wolf table top RPG rule book for their VAMPIRE: THE MASQUARADE game, a human enhanced with vampire blood without actually becoming vampires were technically called "ghouls", but as Kirkman might say, that's "too inside baseball" (like the term "cyborg" apparently).

In what seems, at least for not, as a little bit of deck-clearing, the random threat from issue #5 returns to fight Wolf-Man and Vampire Girl, and it turns out he absorbs kinetic energy and wants revenge on Wolf-Man for sending him back to the evil laboratory he escaped from. Mecha-Maid also tinkered with Gary's "Wolf-Man-mobile", to the point that it can morph into mecha-armor for Chloe, which is neat. They actually manage to reason with the freak, and Cecil shows up to perhaps recruit him into his Global Guardians team. In the letters page, Kirkman mentions that he and Howard will work on another project "soon" after Wolf-Man ends as well as his desire to write a team book, where he hints it could be a GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE title. If so, that would be the first outright monthly spin-off from INVINCIBLE (unless you count CAPES, which I don't), and I am not sure I am keen on that. The issue ends with Mecha-Maid seemingly about to betray Gary to Zacheriah somehow to try to save her Actioneer teammates, who he turned into vampires. The idea of a werewolf dating a robot is actually delightfully weird (in UMBRELLA ACADEMY territory), and I would be a tad miffed if Kirkman ended it before it got off the ground.

At any rate, a solid issue as usual; HAUNT may sell better, but to be honest this is the better title in terms of quality, and I will be sad to see it go. Especially as I cannot imagine a GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE book being as good, even with the best will towards Kirkman (they're rather flat characters). It'll make a nice hardcover next year for WEREWOLF BY NIGHT fans who wonder how it could have been done better.

GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #5: Orb looks like the odd biker out on the cover, doesn't he? At any rate, this is the penultimate issue of this mini series as well as, likely, the penultimate issue of Jason Aaron's run on GHOST RIDER, which in total will be roughly 21 issues (four issues more than JMS' run on THOR). Roland Boschi continues on art and does his usual good job (beyond one or two panels that appeared rushed), with Dan Brown on color work. It is the usual for this title, chock full of B-Movie horror goodies, with weird and funny lines. This mini has also had an amazing amount of returning villains; this issue alone has a good half dozen of them, and Aaron was willing to dust off Highwayman at the end of his GR run proper, which is something to be commended for.

This is a "set up the final climax" issue. Hellstorm and Jaine Cutter manage to finish off Scarecrow and Madcap (who is very close to being Deadpool, only with no fighting prowess), while the Ghost Rider brothers Blaze and Ketch continue to seek their "highway to heaven" to have their final battle against Zadkiel. They manage to take down Vengeance and Orb with the aid of those killer nuns that Blaze fought at the start of Aaron's run. Now those killer nuns are on the Riders' side since they want God restored to Heaven, and most of them are slaughtered en masse by Deacon. It also turns out that Caretaker Sara is somehow a portal to Heaven (Doorman style) herself, which the snot-nosed Anti-Christ (dubbed "Kid Blackheart" in solicits, which is a bit silly) uses to invade Heaven with demons from Hell. Sara returns at the end of the issue, and I am not sure what all of that means.

What I do know is Jason Aaron does make an attempt to explain why no one else besides the Ghost Riders and a Defenders C-Lister know or care about God being thrown out of Heaven. Zadkiel has only been seated on the throne of heaven for a short period of time, and apparently gaining omnipotence from that takes time. For now, Zadkiel can only cause minor, random mischief about the world, and he needs more time before he can turn reality inside out. I've always been bemused by the idea that all of the decent Marvel superheroes caring whenever one of the no longer worshiped pagan gods like Zeus or Odin or some Egyptian god that no one on earth worships, but heaven forbid the same god that everyone from Catholics to Muslims to Prostestants worships gets taken down, and the only heroes who care are two Ghost Riders and Hellstorm. Not even Illuminater, the outright Christian superhero? But at least this issue seems to imply that this act has happened so suddenly that word really hasn't spread, and the Ghost Riders are basically trying to undo it before it really becomes a Silver Surfer level crisis. The issue literally ends with Blaze and Ketch forced to put aside their bickering to do battle with Zadkiel; to quote Lone Star from SPACEBALLS, "For the first time, for the last time. Yeah!"

I am looking forward to the end of this run. Aaron has made a terrific run out of quite a retcon he inherited from Daniel Way, and has whined far less about it than some writers may have. Of course, if the finale in Jan. 2010 turns out to be rubbish, then the entire run will suffer, but climaxes always have that sort of pressure attached to it (a fact that Bendis, JMS, and Millar have forgotten). Aaron wrote a smashing battle between Blaze and Ketch at the end of one arc, so I do have some reasonable faith he'll pull this off.