Bought/Thought for Dec. 22 - SPOILERS!!!

[Dread]

Yup... vain. You're trying it didn't do anything toward my choice to give it a shot.

I was just curious. Vanity is a sin, after all. I'll be wise to dismiss it.

I honestly believe that Marvel should put out a Spider-man Forever book that continues with MJ and Peter being married. It would be interesting to see which one sells the most

It wouldn't sell at all. SPIDER-GIRL continued on a similar vein and it sold very poorly for a very long time; so poorly that as much as Tom DeFalco mourns the end of it, he's lucky he had a 10-12 year run on it. X-MEN FOREVER 2 is being canned at issue #16 because it isn't much of a draw. More to the point, Spider-Man's franchise right now isn't strong enough to support too much side material these days.

Sorry, Dread, but I too've been sampling ASM here and there. The earlier stuff far after the fact thanks to discount bins (an abundance of those in there, surprise surprise) and a few of the post-600s for various reasons (Black Cat fan, MJ's "return," Ben Reilly's "return," etc...) For now, I'm back for Slott's run. As long as there's no manchild Peter and they keep the Peter/Nora stuff to a MINIMUM I'll be happy. And get rid of Ramos. Sorry, but the dude does NOT belong on a superhero title.

I haven't minded Ramos' art on ASM to be honest. He is a bit wonky with the "human" characters but he's great for the ones who look inhuman, like Hobgoblin. And to be honest, what has impressed me about BIG TIME is Slott moving forward with Peter's career and superhero stuff, not the romance. I could care less about Carlie. I know they can never go steady, marry, and if they did it would not last. There's an invisible barrier around Spidey's love life ever since the end of 2007. If that was the sole subplot of BIG TIME, I'd have been turned off. But it isn't, and the rest of it has entertained me greatly.

And in a way it is a shame to Slott and the other writers who handled Carlie that I feel that way. It's not their fault. Editorial decided the marriage had to be yanked out, root and stem, not them. If Alan Moore had been tasked to write ASM after OMD, he would have had to deal with it. I mean Carlie on the surface isn't a bad character; a cute CSI and all that. Her design does remind me a little of Gwen Stacy from the "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" cartoon, but it's not like Spidey has never dated a brainy blond with glasses before (Debra Whitman). Heck, if you consider Felicia Hardy a "platinum blond" as some Handbooks do, most of Spidey's girlfriends have been blond aside for MJ and Betty Brant. But the side effect of erasing the marriage is that it does very clearly set a standard for the limitations of Spidey's love life at least for this EIC and senior editing staff, and opens the door for the next EIC and staff to muck with whatever they inherit. Now, if Joe Q genuinely feels a wedding issue to Carlie could see such a huge boost in sales that it is worth it, it would totally be in character for him to authorize it and then pretend none of his prior Spidey marriage statements were valid.

BIG TIME, though, offers a lot more to me than yet another romantic subplot. I like that Peter's ties to the mayor through May are being used wisely. I like the idea of him working for a bizarre think tank. I like the moves being done with his villains and I like that Black Cat is a regular supporting character again. I like that Slott isn't ignoring all of Spidey's ties to the superhuman community but has mined them for ore. Plus, aside for one "bwahaha, marriage!" joke at the start of BIG TIME, it's not being hammered into my brain for laughs, so it's not "offensive". Two years is a long time to be angry about a story and now that Slott was THE solo dude on the title and I've seriously always wanted to read him on ASM, I figured Big Time was the time. And I haven't been displeased yet. That's more than I can say for a few other Marvel books lately that I've been on longer.

 

[Phaedrus45]

X-Files/30 Days Of Night #6

This mini started out interestingly enough; but, fizzled in the end. I'm glad it's over, and I doubt I'd buy another after this. Seriously, Wildstorm needs to try and have some Mulder and Scully personal growth, rather than lackluster plots that go nowhere in the end.

Stan Lee's Starborn #1

Ah, SOOOO much better than The Traveler. (And, I felt a better first issue than Soldier Zero's.) We get a good introduction to the main character, and come away with a good idea about the plot. Sure, it's not very original (Guy writes a couple novels, only to discover that what he's envisioned has a) been written before by an author long dead and b) comes to pass before his eyes!) It's all aliens invading Earth, with a superhero along to help...but, it's fun and well-written.

X-Men Legacy #243

I don't know about this title. It pops through various team members with each new storyline; and, those characters I got interested in with the previous aren't really seen in this one. Also, I cannot stand what they've done with Hellion. He had real growth in New X-Men, and now with his hands removed, he's just another grumpy mutant. (Except for Jubilee in X-Men, why do all the upgrades these mutants get all suck?) The only part I liked in this story was the scenes with Hope and the little girl.

Teen Titans: Cold Case One-Shot

Nice little tale about the Teen Titans facing off with Flash's Rogues. It's set in the not-to-distant past, when Connor was still dead and Robin-Tim was the leader of the group; but, I enjoyed it well enough. The only problem is that those unfamiliar with Teen Titan's history...or even DC history dating back to Identity Crisis...might be a bit confused about a few things mentioned. Old fans, though, will like what they read. (Well, except for it being WAY overpriced, at $4.99.)

Abattoir #2

This 6-part series has been decent enough. The action picks up right where the last issue left off, with Jebediah Crone in the main character's house, looking to buy the property that had numerous individuals murdered within. We remain clueless as to Jebediah's true purpose; but, by issue's end, the main character is wanted for the murders.

Batman Incorporated #2

Ya know, I want to hate this title. I'm not a big Grant Morrison fan; and, there's a part of me that delights when his comics suck. That said....I can't say it about this comic. I love the first storyline is finished in two...and, even more, I love how Old School everything felt. I laughed...I delighted in all the characters...and, I was left wanting MORE! Even the new Batman for Japan has me wanting to read more of his adventures. It's truly better than all his issues of Batman And Robin put together! AND, it's my first comic that deserves two !

What If? Dark Reign One-Shot

Not a bad issue; but, still nothing to get THAT excited about. It began well enough; but, the ending wasn't that thrilling. Maybe if these writers were given more pages or issues to write a story, things would feel more epic; but, that's not the case any longer. (Those old What If?s from the 70's were perfect. They all were double-sized issues that really made you feel like you got a dang good single-issue story.)

Also, I don't even bother to read the Deadpool story that completes the issue. It does nothing for me, especially as I wish it could be taken more seriously. A What If? that actually presented the idea of Deadpool being merged with the symbiote is a great idea. I just don't like this execution.

Uncanny X-Men #531

Why am I enjoying Claremont's X-Men Forever so dang much? Because, all the other X-titles are churning out crap like this! BOY, did you ever think the the X-books would get this friggin' bad??!!?? There isn't anything here I can grasp onto to like. Namor is extremely boring (how I miss his character from that 90's series), Land's artwork gets more annoying with each issue displaying women as covergirl models, the new-version/old-style mutants have been done before...and, aren't all that interesting, and even Hope's brief appearance in uneventful. (Looking back, at least the Emma Frost/Kitty Pryde/Sebastian Shaw storyline got a tad bit interesting...although, I HATE the new Kitty Pryde. Again, changes in these X-characters usually suck nowadays.)

So, with these new books reviewed, I have a clear contender for Best Of The Week: Batman Incorporated...and, two that probably tie for Worst Of: Uncanny X-Men and Wonder Woman. I think Uncanny might squeek out the win on that one, though.

 

[runawayboulder]

SECRET AVENGERS #8: Following up a meh with another meh, we have this, which is the 3rd part of "Eyes Of The Dragon". At the very least, Ed Brubaker's arcs average five issues a piece, they simply connect into a whole long term. Mike Deodato continues on art, with Beredo on colors. This issue is basically about Max Fury and John Steele, the hero of two world wars, following their Shadow Cabinet orders to speed up the process of capturing Shang Chi so that his father, Fu Manchu (who has been renamed Zheng Zu for legal reasons) can be resurrected. Unlike Nova, who was useless and wasted in the first arc, this entire arc revolves heavily around Shang Chi and his history, and he's a vital part of Steve Rogers' strike team.

As in every issue, members vanish and re-appear for no good reason. War Machine is back but Ant-Man is gone. And IMMORTAL IRON FIST's Prince Of Orphans has clearly replaced Moon Knight as the "cloaked fighter with supernatural origins" of the team, even though Moon Knight doesn't have a title for another few months and could easily appear in SECRET AVENGERS. I am stunned that the roster for the team is more consistent in guest appearances for stuff like TASKMASTER or DEADPOOL than it is in the series proper. At any rate, Fury & Steele decide that the best way to try to attack Rogers' team is to distract them from their air-craft, and then kidnap Rogers' girlfriend. Who was planning their strategy, Snidely Whiplash? At any rate, the team once again unites to valiantly battle nameless interchangeable henchmen in a fruitless battle while Beast is dropped in about one panel so Carter can be captured. Rogers is given an ultimatum - surrender Chi, or his almost baby momma dies! I wonder if Rogers can even count on all his fingers, toes, and his lil' captain how many times a bad guy has sought him out by kidnapping his girlfriend. Sharon Carter alone has been kidnapped at least 3-4 times within the past year or two. It looks predictable, but that's only because it is.

The thing is, Ed Brubaker isn't one of "those" writers to me. Overall I still enjoy his work. His run on CAPTAIN AMERICA, despite some hiccups like part of the Zemo arc, has been the stuff of legends. STEVE ROGERS: SOLDIER SOLDIER kicked ass. Even CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN, over long and flawed as it was, was still a better "event" story than quite a few I could mention. Hell, THAT was a better Avengers mission than anything this team has encountered, to be honest. On the other hand, he is a writer who has stuff like X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS on his bibliography, and has a few misses with his hits. This arc is an improvement from the last, but I thought the last ended very poorly. There are so many good ideas and such potential with this team, that it frustrates me that all they do is battle expendable henchmen and chase Maguffins. I mean if Dan Slott wrote SECRET AVENGERS ANNUAL, I bet they'd fight more villains in a two page montage than in all 8 issues of this series so far. I keep imagining a SECRET AVENGERS team that is like the last ten minutes of a Bond film every issue, and instead I get the feeling that Bendis Avengers comics would offer me more thrills.

I think the problem is I expected SECRET AVENGERS by Brubaker to be a 9 out of 10 and it's about a 6-7 out of 10, and that's more frustrating for $4 an issue. When I was reading Bendis' NEW AVENGERS, it wasn't $4 an issue. When I read issues of Charlie Huston's MOON KNIGHT and it started to fall apart, it wasn't $4 an issue. Not even Robert Kirkman's ULTIMATE X-MEN run, which is the worst run of anything he has ever written, was $3.99 per issue (and it was so bad I feel I should send him all my $2.99 issues and ask for a refund). So it becomes more annoying to be reading "somewhat above average, but maybe next issue will kick up, or the issue after that, or the issue after -" every month for more than a gallon of gas. I keep waiting for the SECRET AVENGERS to live up to their name, instead of being the SECRET UNDERACHIEVERS. This arc is better than where #4 ended, but that's like moving from a 3 to a 6 out of 10. I'm saving the champagne.

The art's cool, although the colors for some reason looked a bit computerized, although maybe I just didn't notice it last issue. I want to like this book more, I just keep waiting for reasons to.

Secret Avengers is frustrating the hell out of me too. This book has been terribly inconsistent and uneven. The cast has been the biggest f-up by Brubaker. Steve is the only one who gets constant play. Everybody else gets either 2 or 3 issues with a defining role or are subjected to just a couple of panels like Valkyrie was this issue.

SA has massive potential but it's being wasted big time. I wish it would be more like how Uncanny X-Force has been (as far as team dynamics go....). There's no doubt that this book is a distant 3rd in quality behind Academy (of course) and New New Avengers, which had a SOLID 7 issue start........by Bendis........with MAGIC......... Immonen's loss on NNA is gonna be rough for the book though and now they're gonna talent raid SA for Deodato, one of the better parts of SA. On the bright side, Secret Avengers is nowhere NEAR as horrendous as Avengers. The Hood and Red Hulk can suck on my yule-log!

And on that note MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

 

[Dread]

Secret Avengers is frustrating the hell out of me too. This book has been terribly inconsistent and uneven. The cast has been the biggest f-up by Brubaker. Steve is the only one who gets constant play. Everybody else gets either 2 or 3 issues with a defining role or are subjected to just a couple of panels like Valkyrie was this issue.

SA has massive potential but it's being wasted big time. I wish it would be more like how Uncanny X-Force has been (as far as team dynamics go....). There's no doubt that this book is a distant 3rd in quality behind Academy (of course) and New New Avengers, which had a SOLID 7 issue start........by Bendis........with MAGIC......... Immonen's loss on NNA is gonna be rough for the book though and now they're gonna talent raid SA for Deodato, one of the better parts of SA. On the bright side, Secret Avengers is nowhere NEAR as horrendous as Avengers. The Hood and Red Hulk can suck on my yule-log!

And on that note MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas to you, too.

SECRET AVENGERS is basically STEVE ROGERS TEAM UP. It's akin to MARVEL TWO IN ONE, how the lead character was the Thing and he'd team up with other heroes. Or how MARVEL TEAM UP was often a stealth Spidey title. Rogers is the character Brubaker focuses on and while some have their roles, none of them get much play beyond Sharon...Steve's lover. And that may not get on my goat if not for the title. If it was STEVE ROGERS: HEAD OF SHIELD as the title, I wouldn't mind it as much, maybe. But I do think it's missing potential. Brubaker simply cannot write teams. He's fine for solo heroes who team up with and hang with other heroes sometimes, but that's NOT a TEAM BOOK and I don't think Marvel editorial is aware of that either, because they keep assigning writers who are best with solo heroes onto team books. Commercially it works but quality wise it doesn't. Or at least hasn't.

In STEVE ROGERS: SUPER SOLDIER, he met with Pete Wisdom and spoke with Sharon and Beast but it was a Rogers adventure and that was fine.

Heck, given how Steve's team is fighting yet another "secret cabal of baddies" and all they do is fight minions and chase Maguffins with this one cabal, it reminds me more of DEFENDERS material when it seemed that all the time they were matching wits with the Headmen or the Six Fingered Hand or something. The fact that Valkyrie, Beast, and Moon Knight were all Defenders for stretches doesn't help in that regard. And even the DEFENDERS usually tried to focus on other characters at times, even if it had it's leads. "Secret evil organizations" have been so overdone and played out at Marvel that it totally made sense that Fred Van Lente refused to take them all seriously in TASKMASTER. They're a dime a dozen.

AVENGERS ACADEMY is the best Avengers book out there, and it sadly is the lowest selling. Which is why we can't ever have nice things.

As much as I liked the start of HEROES FOR HIRE, part of me can only imagine how Abnett & Lanning would take off if they took over on SECRET AVENGERS.

 

[Phaedrus45]

The more I think about JMS, the more peeved I get. Not only does he quit on his two storylines (regardless about HOW you felt about either), who knows IF we'll ever seen the end of The Twelve. He made a friggin' commitment to both companies, and his stock has really fallen to me. Heck, no matter what you say about Kevin Smith, for the most part he's finished what he's started. (Yeah, not Daredevil...but, future storylines kind of made his story rather irrelevant, I guess.)

I'm trying to think of someone I'm more upset with...but, I think I'd sooner see Liefeld doing those DC books than JMS. (Ya know...thinking about it, I would be interested to see Liefeld doing something for DC. I can only imagine what his artwork of Superman would look like.)

 

[JewishHobbit]

Colossal man boobs TO THE X-TREME!!! And his cape would always be flapping just right so that it always covers his feet.

 

[runawayboulder]

Heck, given how Steve's team is fighting yet another "secret cabal of baddies" and all they do is fight minions and chase Maguffins with this one cabal, it reminds me more of DEFENDERS material when it seemed that all the time they were matching wits with the Headmen or the Six Fingered Hand or something. The fact that Valkyrie, Beast, and Moon Knight were all Defenders for stretches doesn't help in that regard. And even the DEFENDERS usually tried to focus on other characters at times, even if it had it's leads. "Secret evil organizations" have been so overdone and played out at Marvel that it totally made sense that Fred Van Lente refused to take them all seriously in TASKMASTER. They're a dime a dozen.



As much as I liked the start of HEROES FOR HIRE, part of me can only imagine how Abnett & Lanning would take off if they took over on SECRET AVENGERS.

The Shadow Council is pretty underwhelming so far. They don't come across as a viable threat to me. I'm sure the story as a whole will probably read better as a trade (most usually do) but I'm not a fan of constructing stories for a trade either.

Speaking of DnA, I finally read Thor/IM #2. I had put it off because of the lackluster 1st issue but 2 was very much improved. I like the High Evolutionary's plan to create God using Tony, the Destroyer Armor, ect. Thor doing a little detective work was cool too. The issue ended on a high note. It's only a matter of time before they get a high profile book. I hope it's one of the Avenger titles because we are almost 1 year into the relaunch and things are pretty bland.

I'd prefer them on the granddaddy Avengers book, so they can mix in some of their cosmic stuff giving the Avengers a stronger threat. The main Avengers book should be more big picture stuff, not Kang and Maestro there for looks. Leave the Hood to New Avengers (a more street level team anyway). Or better yet, stick him with the Sentry, on the junk pile.....

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Of course it's funny that HE doesn't make mention of his first attempt at gods, the Godpack from Thor 472.

 

[Dread]

The Shadow Council is pretty underwhelming so far. They don't come across as a viable threat to me. I'm sure the story as a whole will probably read better as a trade (most usually do) but I'm not a fan of constructing stories for a trade either.

Speaking of DnA, I finally read Thor/IM #2. I had put it off because of the lackluster 1st issue but 2 was very much improved. I like the High Evolutionary's plan to create God using Tony, the Destroyer Armor, ect. Thor doing a little detective work was cool too. The issue ended on a high note. It's only a matter of time before they get a high profile book. I hope it's one of the Avenger titles because we are almost 1 year into the relaunch and things are pretty bland.

I'd prefer them on the granddaddy Avengers book, so they can mix in some of their cosmic stuff giving the Avengers a stronger threat. The main Avengers book should be more big picture stuff, not Kang and Maestro there for looks. Leave the Hood to New Avengers (a more street level team anyway). Or better yet, stick him with the Sentry, on the junk pile.....

I don't think Hood can be called "street level" anymore since he's chasing the Infinity Gauntlet now.

THOR/IRON MAN #2 was a huge improvement on #1, although I thought DnA were more on form in HEROES FOR HIRE #1. Them on a big book would be nice but they seem to enjoy handling a lot of those B and C listers like the cast of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and even NOVA to a degree. Still, Bendis did leave MIGHTY AVENGERS after 19 issues for something else, so for all we know his tenure on AVENGERS may not be forever. I doubt he'd ever surrender NEW AVENGERS.

As for the Shadow Council, I do agree they're a little underwhelming so far. The stuff with Max Fury is interesting and the twist of John Steele in present day action is fine, but they're still a group that should be smashed if they had a direct confrontation with any properly coordinated squad of heroes. I could almost see Steve Rogers and Spider-Man routing them in some imaginary issue of MARVEL TEAM UP. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating (they're not Professor Power and Mad-Dog), but right now they're not on the level where I am excited to watch them chase Maguffins with Steve's Avengers for a year or two or five or however long Brubaker plans to make it carry out. They're hardly Red Skull & Co. The effort to create a new "secret evil organization" is appreciated, but again, part of me just doesn't think all the potential is being mined.

It doesn't help that they're apparently interested in gathering mystical artifacts or resurrecting mystical bad guys, and super-soldiers who are hardly the most powerful superhumans one could create anymore (lost in the shuffle is how Stark via nano technology was able to make perfectly functional, sane, and temporary superhumans in THE ORDER). Frankly so many superhumans have been made that if you try in a comic book universe and can't get it right by now, it's because you failed meta-science.

 

[runawayboulder]

Of course it's funny that HE doesn't make mention of his first attempt at gods, the Godpack from Thor 472.

By HE do you mean High Evolutionary or Thor? I don't remember him claiming this was the first attempt at creating God, just the latest (and definitive). Thor doesn't know of the plot yet, he was running around the Smithsonian while the High Evolutionary was explaining his plan to Tony.

 

[Dread]

By HE do you mean High Evolutionary or Thor? I don't remember him claiming this was the first attempt at creating God, just the latest (and definitive). Thor doesn't know of the plot yet, he was running around the Smithsonian while the High Evolutionary was explaining his plan to Tony.

He meant the High Evolutionary. "HE" is often used as a short version, as it is his initials.

Not to be confused with HIM, who was Adam Warlock, or HER, who was Kismet. Or at least 3-4 creatures known as IT, including It The Living Colossus or It the Silent One (who fought Namor once).

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Presactly. See, if more people read the Marvel Index they'd know that. :P

 

[Phaedrus45]

Anyone get any comics under their Christmas Tree this year? My one thing was the HUGE Marvel Encyclopedia. Nice to have all the characters in one big book.

Other than that, my kids are LOVING the Kinect. My daughter is crazy about Kinectimals.

EDIT: Oh, and Merry Christmas to you all!

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I got Ghostbusters: Haunted Holidays. Unfortunately, I already bought it myself. Oopsie.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I got Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus 1 and Ode to Kirihito, Part 1

 

[JewishHobbit]

I got a Sweater and an iPod, and my two daughters got me a deck of cards with Santa on them (I'm a huge fan of cards so this was very thoughtful) and a nice scarf that is, unfortunately, kid sized. I wore it today anyway to show them I loved it.

The kids had a fantastic christmas as far as presents go. We were able to give them pretty much everything they wanted (which isn't common) plus more. The big present was a Wii, which the kids love. I've been playing it but I'm not a gamer so I get bored quickly. I was a game fan back in the day so my excitement will come once I get around to figuring out how to download the old Nintendo and Sega games. I'm really wanting some Mario 3, Mario Kart, and Shining Force I and II... maybe some Sonic!

 

[Phaedrus45]

JH, they just re-released All-Star Mario Bros. for the Wii, which has all of those early games for, I believe, $29.99.

My kids just got a load of new video games. I'm dying to play Fable III the most, though. (We got the new Mickey Mouse game for the Wii; and, while it was fun, I just couldn't find myself getting too into it yet.)

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Heh I got a Wii too. So far I'm rocking the Mario Bros. Wii and kicking arse in the Wii Sports Boxing (undefeated with 2nd round KOs...woot!) JH, to download the games you just have to set the Wii to internet access, then go to the Wii shop. You hafta buy Wii Points via credit card (it's 1000 points per $10) and then you can DL the games. I need to get a memory card before I do all that. Debating on the 16 gig or the 32 gig...

Now I can focus on getting my PS3. Doing some browsing for Wii games I saw some of the PS3s I want are already cheap, so may be stocking up on those as well. Already got Ghostbusters and Batman for that...just haven't been able to play.

 

[kguillou]

For xmas I got Chew vol. 3, Thor vol. 1 (jms), and The Dark Knight Returns, sadly im just now getting to finally read that. Lol.

 

[roach]

I've been playing DC Online for xmas

 

[Themanofbat]

My wife says she got me a Marvel Digital Subscription for a year, but I haven't seen anything yet... I think she needs some Bat-prep time...

 

[Phaedrus45]

Ok, some reviews! (With the kids at their mom's house, I had quite a bit of time to catch up on some comic reading...when I wasn't playing the kid's video games.)

Mice Templar Vol. III #1

This issue picks up right where the previous one ended; and, that's not a good thing for new readers wanting to see what this book is about. There are far too many characters and backstory to it all; and, even at times, I find myself confused. Plus, there seems to be a ton of mice politics involved...and, politics of any type in these books and other such media can only confound a viewer. (I still don't know everything that was going on in Deadwood when it was on TV.) I love this book; but, I think Glass would be better served if by the time the next volume starts up, he begins a whole new storyline that isn't that complicated. (At least have a good "Saga" that explains the characters and situations they're in.)

Even with that criticism, I give the book a . But, I wouldn't recommend it in the least to a new reader.

Iron Man: Rapture #3

I found myself a bit more interested in this Marvel Knight's story with this issue (which was suppose to be out last week; but, my shop just got it in). Tony has been taken over by some kind of computer virus; and, anyone with access to electronics in his building is also being rendered inert. That leaves Pepper and Rhodey to try and save the day; but, they're having a tough time of it. Nice to see an appearance by War Machine; but, for me, I'm still a bit removed from everything, when I know this is not a 616 adventure.

A mild .

Batman Annual #28

After reading the spectacular Batman Incorporated issue this week, this Annual is a bit of a letdown. The new Batman of France, Nightrunner, is a bore; and, I'm still not buying that Bruce Wayne would allow so many new people taking over his mantle as Batman in all these different countries. (Like I've said before, how many times have we seen him have trouble accepting new recruits in Gotham, let alone a new one in every dang country of the world.) The Question makes a big appearance in this story; but, she's a character I'm not that wild about, either.

Truly disappointing. Even a short story by Paul Tobin, featuring Veil, isn't that great.

Secret Avengers #8

While not "Black Panther" bad, this book still isn't anything to praise. Brubaker has abandoned his usual style we're all accustom to; and, we are just getting a bunch of action scenes being brought together by a lose plot. Shang Chi is still being hunted by his father's lackeys (yeah, more boring ninja action...and, it's humorous how Marvel cannot use the name, Fu Manchu, and keeps working around it...even by giving Shang Chi's father an alias), and except for Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter, we don't get to see the other Secret Avengers hardly at all. (Seeing Beast get punked out so easily by a bad guy was embarrassing to his character.)

It's obvious this book is nothing but an extension of Brubaker's Captain America title; and, it is more like a bastard child of it. Everything feels rushed and lacking of imagination.

Justice League Of America #52

Not sure if I'll stick with this title after this Omega storyline is finished; but, I'm enjoying it much more than any other Justice League storyline this year. I love the JLA/CSA crossover (SOOO much better than the previous JLA/JSA crossover), and even Dark Supergirl has been a nice addition to the story. At least this book will drop in price next month; and, that will make me a whole lot more inclined to keep reading it.

Green Lantern Corps #55

At first, I was hesitant about liking The Weaponer as a character; but, he's grown on me...and, this story has me very entertained. My biggest complaint about the book, though, still stands. Green Lantern Corps was most entertaining by introducing us to new Green Latern members, and keeping the old stars at more of a minimum. It's a good story, yes; but, this book has really gotten away from its roots. Plus, not sure if I like Emerald Warriors being linked into this title, now. For those not wanting to spend an extra $3.99 on ANOTHER Green Lantern title, I would think they'd prefer those two stories to remain separate.

Namor, The First Mutant #5

Cute, sentimental, done-in-one story about some moments from Namor's past, showing the different sides that he has to those people who might care about him. It also links in this title's newest character, Loa, nicely to the story; and, she's really a character who should be highly spotlighted in stories to come. (She could do for Namor what Kitty Pryde and Jubilee did for Logan.)

Amazing Spider-Man #650

Finally got around to reading this book from last week; and, while I still enjoyed it, there were a couple disappointments. One: It's issue #650! That should warrant a nice double-sized issue!! (Ok, it's not a huge complaint, especially as Slott might find himself stretched a little thin to put out more than 40 pages of material...and, many readers are grateful not to have to pay MORE than $3.99 an issue; but, I like these 50-issues to be more...eventful.) Second: The scene with MJ and Carlie took me out of the story. Really? Why is MJ hanging out with Carlie? (I get the feeling like Slott isn't trying to "rub our faces in the OMD MJ situation," so much as trying to integrate her back into Peter's life..maybe for some future storyline.) Also, Carlie was drawn pretty bad this issue...or, more to the point, drawn too nicely. Carlie has been portrayed as a "big nerd;" but, this artist has her supermodel hot, almost. The idea behind Carlie and Peter's romance is how she's more like him; but, they don't need to turn her into another version of MJ in the looks department.

Those complaints aside...and, they are small ones...I'm loving this Hobgoblin storyline. What's even nicer is that we're not left wondering for over a year about who the New Hobgoblin is; and, Slott told us right away. He's not stringing the reader along; but, just telling us a good story.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Thunderstrike #2

If you're a fan of Spider-Girl, you'll LOVE this book. If you never saw what all the fuss was about, though, you'll think the same with this. For me, I'm loving it!!! The main character has a bit of the New Ant-Man attitude in him; but, you can see DeFalco is striving towards an attitude adjustment. Best of all, he's setting up some nice supporting characters for Kevin/Thunderstrike. And, he does a great job if mixing action and drama within every issue.

This comic is solid! (It's just too overpriced.)

Punisher: In The Blood #2

Good issue, as this mini focuses on Frank's sidekicks through the years. We get a ton of dialogue with very little action, as the various characters explain in detail their motivations and plans. Like I said, good issue...but, there is a big part of me that's a bit bored with Remender's Punisher.

Incognito: Bad Influence #2

I'm really enjoying this Incognito storyline a whole lot more than the first. It's easy to follow, the characters are interesting, and I find myself looking forward to the next issue. My biggest gripe would be the lack of originality in the depictions of the heros and villians with Phillips art. What I did like was the paper quality. I wish they used it for all my comics.

 

[JewishHobbit]

JH, they just re-released All-Star Mario Bros. for the Wii, which has all of those early games for, I believe, $29.99.

My kids just got a load of new video games. I'm dying to play Fable III the most, though. (We got the new Mickey Mouse game for the Wii; and, while it was fun, I just couldn't find myself getting too into it yet.)

For me, I'm not really interested in buying new games as much as downloading old ones. I'm just not gamer enough to care about stuff that comes out these days. Heck, this is the first system I've bought since Sega Genesis... so that's saying something.

I just like the basic Wii games and I want to download the old ones. I may eventually get around to trying new Wii games but for now that's good enough for me. My girls got a few kiddish games (Barbie, Up, some Ballerina game) and they all seem a bit over their heads so I'm not eager to rush into the new stuff yet. We'll live with the easier stuff

I'm having fun with Wii Resort though. I've been playing the Archery and whatever that sword fighting one is.

I also downloaded Mario 2, Mario 3, and Shining Force

 

[Dread]

Amazing Spider-Man #650

Finally got around to reading this book from last week; and, while I still enjoyed it, there were a couple disappointments. One: It's issue #650! That should warrant a nice double-sized issue!! (Ok, it's not a huge complaint, especially as Slott might find himself stretched a little thin to put out more than 40 pages of material...and, many readers are grateful not to have to pay MORE than $3.99 an issue; but, I like these 50-issues to be more...eventful.) Second: The scene with MJ and Carlie took me out of the story. Really? Why is MJ hanging out with Carlie? (I get the feeling like Slott isn't trying to "rub our faces in the OMD MJ situation," so much as trying to integrate her back into Peter's life..maybe for some future storyline.) Also, Carlie was drawn pretty bad this issue...or, more to the point, drawn too nicely. Carlie has been portrayed as a "big nerd;" but, this artist has her supermodel hot, almost. The idea behind Carlie and Peter's romance is how she's more like him; but, they don't need to turn her into another version of MJ in the looks department.

Those complaints aside...and, they are small ones...I'm loving this Hobgoblin storyline. What's even nicer is that we're not left wondering for over a year about who the New Hobgoblin is; and, Slott told us right away. He's not stringing the reader along; but, just telling us a good story.

I think the idea with MJ is to have her still be a part of Peter's life, only without it being as wife/fiance/steady girlfriend and more of like an ex that Peter dated for what seemed like half his life. I mean one's opinion on that I think depends on how they felt about OMD/BND/OMIT and how they feel now, some 2-3 years later. I'm not coming down and saying I liked any of that stuff at all, from the OMD I actually paid to read and the rest that I got glimpses of via scimming, summaries, and so on. I have no desire to read back trades of ASM comics I missed because of BIG TIME. That hasn't happened and it likely won't. That said, I am enjoying BIG TIME greatly, and at the very least all those saga's and that Yearbook Special Handbook thing got me caught up enough that I have an idea of what happened that I can chug forward. I wouldn't want MJ just cut from Peter's entire life like a tumor, because she's not that way. On the same token, for some people, even her presence reminds one of "what was". Yeah, some of those "marriage? hahaha!" jokes could get on one's goat, but Slott only did one for BIG TIME and got it out of the way real fast. I also think it's just for the sort of awkward romantic comedy moment where one's ex and current GF are together and talking about stuff and so on.

I agree that the Hobgoblin story is great, and I think what Slott has honed during his stints on AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and MIGHTY AVENGERS is a sense of pace. More happens in 22 pages of a Slott story than in 44-66 pages of quite a few other writers' stories. A:TI also displayed his ability to juggle what seemed like dozens of regular characters at once along with guest stars and have it all work out. While I still think Christos Gage was superior on that book as a solo writer, Slott was the one who launched it, built the foundation and co-wrote it with Gage for ages. Without another set of writers to handle the book for months at a time, Slott's able to establish those foundations and his pace is the pace the book is running. Heck, Slott's pace would be quick for one issue a month; but with two, the story almost feels like a weekly. And I've seen weeklies run at a slower pace.

Again, at this point in my fandom I don't care about Spidey's relationship status anymore. I know it can only go so far before editorial, whether the current or next team, yanks it out and starts anew. So I don't quite care as much about how Carlie is drawn or how she gets along with MJ because I know she's kind of disposable. Peter will date her for a while and then hit the "invisible wall" where Carlie has to die or they break up over masked issues or she turns out to be nuts or something else. Fortunately, and wisely, BIG TIME offers far more to the Spidey reader than a romantic subplot. If anything Slott has taken years worth of Spidey stories and is taking them to logical conclusions.

Plus, as I always liked Black Cat and way way WAY back in college when I used to write fan fiction I'd include her as supporting cast for Spidey even back when he and MJ were "separated" but not divorced (this was back in 2000-2001 or so, just as JMS was settling in), I do like that she's playing more of a role now. I've always felt that, with few exceptions, a superhero dating a civilian never works. Even with MJ, she fell for Peter; while I always felt him being Spider-Man was something she had to get used to or learn to accept and so on. It's not the same as someone who falls for the mask and then has to learn to care about what's under. Of course, Carlie is a CSI so she isn't quite a "civilian", but still. Which was part of why the very idea of MJ being Jackpot was so interesting, although IMO it turned out to be a complete tease. But at least Felicia's a regular again.

Also, darn you for getting THUNDERSTRIKE #2 before the rest of us!