Okay, the holidays really impeded my reading so this is a combo of this week's and last, although I'm almost sorry to say most of the list was purchased this past week. Can't wait till the events are over and I can drop some damn books... Anyways:
BOUGHT:
52 #33
52 #34
ALL-NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK #12
ANITA BLAKE #3
ANNIHILATION #5
ARMY OF DARKNESS #13
ARMY OF DARKNESS MOVIE ADAPTATION
ASTONISHING X-MEN #19
AVENGERS EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES #4
AVENGERS NEXT #4
BATMAN #661
BATMAN LODK #213
BIRDS OF PREY #101
BLACK PANTHER #23
BLUE BEETLE #10
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #9
CIVIL WAR WAR CRIMES
CREEPER #5
CYBERFORCE X-MEN #1
DAREDEVIL #92
DARKNESS LEVEL 0
DARKMAN VS. ARMY OF DARKNESS #2
DETECTIVE COMICS #827
EXILES #89
FANTASTIC FOUR #541
FLASH #7
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #15
GARGOYLES #2
HELLSTORM #3
HEROES FOR HIRE #5
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #2
IRON MAN #14
IRON MAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA
JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #5
JSA #1
MARVEL 1602 FANTASTIK FOUR
MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #8
MS. MARVEL #10
NEW AVENGERS #26
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #1
ONSLAUGHT REBORN #2
PTOLUS CITY BY THE SPIRE #3
PUNISHER #42
REAL GHOSTBUSTERS THIS GHOST IS TOAST
RED SONJA #17
SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #33
SHE-HULK #14
SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #13
SUPERGIRL #13
SUPERGIRL AND LOSH #25
SUPERMAN BATMAN #31
TEEN TITANS #42
THUNDERBOLTS #109
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #37
ULTIMATE POWER #3
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #103
UNION JACK #4
WHAT IF AGE OF APOCALYPSE
WHAT IF DEADLY GENESIS
WINTER SOLDIER WINTER KILLS
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #9
X-MEN #193
X-MEN #194
X-MEN FIRST CLASS #4
THOUGHT
52 #33 & 34 - All I can really say here is mysteries deepen, new stories unfold, and it's alllllll good.
ALL-NEW OFFICIAL HANDBOOK #12 - Handbooks rule. Why don't you have any?
ANITA BLAKE #3 - These issues are basically a lot of talking. Lots and lots of talking. Very little action, and very little in the way of clearing up the finer details of the story established in the other books I've heard about. But, I guess it'll pick up as it goes. Maybe.
ANNIHILATION #5 - Galactus is free! Thanos is dead! And this war is about to be kicked into it's final throwes! Definitely a lot more entertaining (and condensed) than Civil War.
ARMY OF DARKNESS #13 - I'm pretty sure we all guessed who the mystery villainess was, and she even brought along some more familiar undead characters. Ash is now evil and the world is in trouble. Not sure I'm liking this new chosen one direction, not that the series has thrilled me since the first mini anyways. But, this does tie into vs. Marvel Zombies, and with Kirkman supervising I'm hoping it can restore some of what made AoD great in the first place.
ARMY OF DARKNESS MOVIE ADAPTATION - I had read this many years ago in school. Classmate brought it in for me to check out, and was the first time I heard anything about the alternate ending. And, of course, the issues are damn hard to get at decent prices. So I nailed this with the added features, and was still as good as I remember. Great art that looks like they're straight from the movie and of course little bits of script that were cut out in the final product. A must for any ED fan.
ASTONISHING X-MEN #19 - Good dialogue and art, but with it being every other month and amongst all the other books that come out, the story kinda lost all meaning for me. Guess one day I'll hafta go back and re-read the title in one shot.
AVENGERS EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES #4 - Giant-Man begins his descent into insanity in yet another well-placed tale of the past Avengers. Definitely a series that shows how a story SHOULD fit into the past history of characters; smoothly
AVENGERS NEXT #4 - I made a guess on who the old biddy really was, and I was only half right...which is a good thing. Means it was obvious but not TOO obvious. I got the character right, just the gender and generation was wrong. Other than that, a great story continues which I hope brings new interest in A-Next and brings them back from limbo PERMANENTLY.
BATMAN #661 - Secrets of Grotesk revealed and the build-up to the final battle commences. Not too bad a story, but not as good as Detective.
BATMAN LODK #213 - Anime, Manga, Cosplay...an all-Japanese issue here. Art was kinda manga-ish and the story just plain silly. Not my kinda thing here so can't say I enjoyed this one too much.
BIRDS OF PREY #101 - Another story where I dunno who anyone is or what's going on. No clue who this chick is making their lives miserable, but she seems to have a history with the team. Any DC fans wanna fill me in?
BLACK PANTHER #23 - This issue downgraded any praise I had for the past two. The story was once again crap and the art suffered a bit. And since when did Storm start speaking in contractions?! Can't wait to drop this book.
BLUE BEETLE #10 - It's the hunt for his friend as Beetle finally gets down to superheroing. This book lost all appeal for me. I think I'll give it till #12 and then away it goes from my list.
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #9 - Sally gets no story and Osborn is taken away before he talks. Mysteries abound.
CIVIL WAR WAR CRIMES - How far will either side go? Both are willing to work with the Kingpin while he's in jail, but only Cap's side gets the better end of the deal taking down the villains who seek to make use of the Civil War for their gain. Plus, some more of the cool new Underworld character and the death of Hammerhead!
CREEPER #5 - The connection between Creeper and the Joker is redefined and more is learned about the experiment. And, of course, Creeper vs. thousands of Creepers! And he loses!
CYBERFORCE X-MEN #1 - Basically two characters from each book (the ones on the cover) team-up when the Cyberfocers are kidnapped by Sentinels after facing the hand, and Wolvie and Psylocke track them down to rescue them. Then there's a big fight with the Sentinels and then...the book ends. That's it. No explanation on how they got involved with the hand, none about the Sentinels. Just one, big, pointless team-up to usher in the new age of Cyberforce. Art was pretty good, though.
DAREDEVIL #92 - The mastermind revealed, and it's NOT who you'd expect! One more chapter to go in this great tale by Bru. Really loving what's going on with it, and hope it'll continue in the next arc.
DARKNESS LEVEL 0 - Some new history to the Darkness with some great painted art. Story continues in Level 1 and the game, so ain't too much expected out of these books.
DARKMAN VS. ARMY OF DARKNESS #2 - A little improvement over the last issue, but the art is still crap and the story still feels rushed. However, there are lots of easter eggs for fans of AoD, Darkman or Raimi peppered throughout, so keep an eye on those.
DETECTIVE COMICS #827 - There's a new ventriloquist in town, and boy is she a fruitcake. Dini kicks it up a notch by making the relationship between Venti and Scarface extra creepy, and boy was it good. Also nice to hear a disguise from the series mentioned for Bats. The best Bats book currently being produced.
EXILES #89 - Mission after mission in extreme overtime causes a lot of mistakes, including almost letting Proteus out of Morph and the revelation metal no longer can hurt him! Plus, a look into T-Bird's dreams showing maybe he's not so bad off after all. Another great issue in this series.
FANTASTIC FOUR #541 - Thing goes to France and teams up with a parody of the Justice League, finding himself having good old fashioned adventures. A cute one-shot tale with a happy ending for a change.
FLASH #7 - A trap is set and the battle of the Flashes is coming soon. Also, Bart moves to LA where he meets the customary hot neighbor he's probably gonna have a relationship with. More by the numbers storytelling from this book, and really nothing spectacular. I'll see how this arc ends before I drop it.
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #15 - Damn PAD for finally making this book readable. We finally get to see Betty Brant's reactions to all of this, plus a confrontation with Flash, followed by a fight with a surprise ending. See if PAD can keep it up as this book is destined to be dropped by me once it loses it's Civil War banner.
GARGOYLES #2 - The story was a bit rushed, but understandable since the writer wanted to get the connection to the series out of the way to really do what he wanted, so won't hold that against him. But the art suffered in a LOT of panels, and that has NO excuse seeing as this book is late. Hopefully future issues will fix any problems with that.
HELLSTORM #3 - Weirdness abounds. Dunno if I like it, but leaning towards not.
HEROES FOR HIRE #5 - The rematch with Ricca Donna is on and ends on a cliffhanger. As good as usual, although I thought the rematch came a bit too soon considering how long ago the mini ended. It shoulda been pushed back just a bit, but the quality didn't suffer for it.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #2 - Civil War catches up to Fist and we get a look at another IF in history. Plus, someone else is possibly using the fist as well? Oh boy. Going good so far.
IRON MAN #14 - Sue Storm confronts Tony and the fate of Happy hangs in the balance. More of the tale leading IM to becoming the prick he is today. Does it vindictate him in the end? We'll see.
IRON MAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA - A bit too late in the game considering all that's happened, but IM and Cap have a peaceful chat to try and change each other's minds. Very well done with some references to past altercations, but as I said, a bit late in coming.
JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #5 - Grundy's back and the new Android is on the loose. Looks like some major hell for this new team, and they haven't even officially formed yet! (starting to run into New Avengers territory there)
JSA #1 - Starting off like JLA did, except with more of a bang and a few less subplots to follow. I'll give this a few issues, seeing as 52 sparked my interest in the JSA with the recent issues.
MARVEL 1602 FANTASTIK FOUR - The meeting of Namor and what passes for antlantis, and of course events play out as they normally would in 616. This issue was the worst of the series so far, not that it's been all that great. They shoulda left 1602 alone after the first mini instead of miling it bone dry with useless sequels and spinoffs.
MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #8 - Loki assembles all the prior villains the Avengers have faced in a hope to take them down. A nice good issue with some major fighting and some brains to eventually beat the baddies and a god like Loki. The best Avengers series currently going. Sad, ain't it?
MS. MARVEL #10 - Ms. Marvel vs. Ms. Marvel for the life of Rogue! Interesting as far as alternate reality stories go, but now we got another Marvel running around. Yikes. And a good look into the psyche of Carol in regards to Rogue, to see what she really thinks.
NEW AVENGERS #26 - Another late story. Hawkeye looks for answers and closure from Wanda, who has become an amnesiac **** in Wundagore. While normally Bendis has been good with one-shot stories, this by far was his worst by concept alone. That, and once again, the sheer poor timing of it's release. This shoulda came out AFTER HoM, not during Civil War when nobody gives a crap about that stupid event nor it's rammifications any more.
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #1 - The secret adventures of a team that never existed come to light in this mini. So far we got the Kree/Skrull war covered. Let's see what other events these guys didn't manage to stop!
ONSLAUGHT REBORN #2 - The Avengers resuce Franklin and take him to their FF, but they all have a hard time believing his story. And, of course, Onslaught is still out there causing some trouble. It started off good, but Onslaught is quickly losing whatever sinister appeal he had at the start to becoming another B-grade brutish villain spouting out every cliche while on a hunt for vengeance. He's not the imposing force that leveled half the MU 10 years ago, that's for sure.
PTOLUS CITY BY THE SPIRE #3 - A new house comes into the mix and the hunt for answers is on, only to lead into the world of the undead! Interesting stuff so far, and plenty of action to keep you entertained.
PUNISHER #42 - Story wraps with a SWEET end to the little weasel who's been running around. It doesn't get much better than that.
REAL GHOSTBUSTERS THIS GHOST IS TOAST - More kiddified GB stories from the UK. Nice and cheap if you're a GB fan and don't wanna pay UK shipping on Ebay.
SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #33 - Had MJ's tale last week, and now we get a tale of May's inner psyche. Nicely written and very well done.
SHE-HULK #14 - Awesome Andy's sad story. I love the PROPER use of continuity, plus how he came to be at the law firm. However, everything changes as Shulkie is now drafted into SHIELD.
SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #13 - MJ falls deeper into her personality issues as Pete's relationship is under strain due to his double life. Man, this book just gets better and better, and the story just keeps on pulling you in.
SUPERGIRL #13 - The last issue was filler?! Geeze. Well, apparently it was as this continues from the story from #11 and establishes SG is a VERY angry girl. And I am rapidly becoming disinterested with this series. Think the only thing really holding me is the art, which has been 80% top-notch.
SUPERGIRL AND LOSH #25 - And for some better SG action, looks like there's an anti-Legion forming to replace them, and the dude in the negative zone has some hatred for the S. Wicked stuff so far.
SUPERMAN BATMAN #31 - So every alien on earth is affected by some signal and about to lay the smackdown on humans. Looks like we're up for another Bats vs. Supes battle.
TEEN TITANS #42 - The origin of Kid Devil revealed! And boy, it's a good one. Too bad the artist on it sucked royally.
THUNDERBOLTS #109 - And one team comes to an end while another is about to form. Fabs ends his great run on this book so Ellis can take over and he better not F it up.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #37 - Thanos comes off pretty good, but the story is still crap. Enough with the aliens, let's see the FF do some real superheroing for once. Ultimate is getting way too stale way too fast.
ULTIMATE POWER #3 - In true Bendis fashion, the series takes a huge leap back to show you the Squadron side of events before jumping into the present the last few pages. Lots of talking and lots of that 10 year old girl dialogue between supposedly grown-up men that's supposedly "realistic." I really don't think this thing needed 9 parts to be told. We shall see.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #103 - Ultimate takes a new turn by giving Ock limited magnetic powers...and the best he can do is make his tentacles?! Clones are killed off, secrets are revealed that make #100 a completely worthless filler issue, and we still don't know what's up with Aunt May or where the hell Miles Warren comes into play with all this. Bendis, you suck.
UNION JACK #4
WHAT IF AGE OF APOCALYPSE - Basically, Xavier AND Magneto were offed, so no X-Men at all. Instead, what we get is Captain America's Defenders with Thing, Colossus, Brother Voodoo aka Dr. Strange, Captain Britain in Iron Man armor, Wolverine, and their secret weapon, Nate Grey/Summers. Not a lotta depth given the length, but interesting and definitely different from what we know. However, they lose points for crapping out on not giving Colossus a new design and keeping his regular AoA look. Did I also mention to get his revenge on Apocalypse Nate ends up getting a couple of his teammates killed as a means to his end? Nice, right?
WHAT IF DEADLY GENESIS - Now, is it me, or is there a common theme between these two What Ifs? A relative of the Summers becomes a murdering sociopath in order to save the world, except in this case Vulcan does it to keep his mistakes under wraps to become the world's greatest hero. Pretty F-ed up story, but I dunno how much I like seeing What Ifs about stories that SHOULD be What Ifs to begin with. Deadly Genesis, like The Other, are events I rather not see part of regular continuity.
WINTER SOLDIER WINTER KILLS - Jason Todd has become a big freakin' joke over in the DCU. He came out cool, had strong possibilities, but DC dropped the ball. Bucky, however, has been pretty good from the start, and Brubaker keeps him going good in this one. Nice to see him become a repentant anti-hero. If they keep this kinda quality up with him, he'll be spared becoming a joke and a big mistake for Marvel.
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #9 - So Black Widow and Wolvie have a deep history and Omega Red's secret is revealed. The art still kills this book, though. It's not a good fit.
X-MEN FIRST CLASS #4 - Another quality tale from the past of the X-Men. This one has Doc Strange and a whole lotta demon action, as well as an insight to how Scott sees the world. Why can't the main Marvel books be this good anymore? Simple, straightforward, one-shot tales.
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