Bought/Thought January 27th, 2010

[CaptainCanada]

Captain America: Reborn #6 - robbed of much of its immediacy (if not exactly the ability to surprise, since the outcome was never much in doubt), this is still a solid action finale. I was surprised at the finality of the Skull's defeat, all things considered, but leaving him out of the action for a good while is sensible. Also, ack, Sin. The teaser for whatever the next big storyline will be was interesting, if also an indication that Brubaker seems to want the heavy sci-fi stuff to stick around. Liked the Sharon delivered the coup de grace.

Fantastic Four #575 - Eaglesham returns on art for the first part of the "Prime Elements" arc; it's a fairly middling offering, I have to say. This is clearly the first piece of the big storyarc that Future!Franklin warned Val about last issue, but while it does its setup perfectly fine, it doesn't really justify itself as a standalone story. The bit with the Thing rescuing the kids was well-done. Eaglesham's four continue to be good (hooray, Reed shaved!), but the whole city-rising sequence is too vague to follow, mostly with the goal of concealing what the city looks like until the final panel.

Green Lantern #50 - the big anniversary issue arrives with, well, remarkably little hype, since it falls right in the middle of a big event. As the cover suggests, Hal needs to use the power of Parallax to take on the BL!Spectre, while everybody gets acquainted with their backup Lanterns. Johns' take on the Scarecrow is fun. I'm not sure about this take on the Spectre, which doesn't seem to think much of the power of the Presence, implying he's afraid instinctively of Parallax or something; admittedly, the Spectre's power levels have always been problematic. Not as big a fan of Mahnke as some people, but he does a good job here.

Thor #606 - Sigh. And you were doing so well Balder. Back to Chumpsville with you, it seems. Otherwise, a good finale; Doom gets off rather lightly, as I suspected, but him having to be saved by Loki and having his invention totally fail was nice. The final reveal with him was interesting as well; since I doubt this is going to come up in the Siege tie-in, Gillen must be setting up a plot point for someone else; Fraction, presumably. Take that, Corp, everyone's favourite totally awesome female storm god is back! Thor's fight scenes were good; the "exile" thing is still nonsense, particularly after he saved everybody. Billy Tan's had a great showing on art here.

X-Factor #501 - the plot continues to move, though there's not a whole lot actually happening, really. There's an extended sequence with everybody yelling at everybody that has the Thing being rather out-of-character, I have to say. The usual collection of good lines you can expect in a Peter David book, and I liked the final image. It's also extremely odd to see this book of all things building so much from storypoints from Mark Millar's Fantastic Four run.

X-Force #23 - I'll say again, this story really needed to be drawn by another artist. The scripts are good, even if not Kyle and Yost's best work, but Crain's muddy fight scenes have no snap to them, and the characters become muddled. The Rahne plot continues to interest me, and I liked Hrimhari's solution, but with the final crossover coming up I'm not really clear where, if at all, the writers are going to get to whatever the point of all this was. Laura's "Well, we're assuming you had se--" was line of the week, though. I laughed aloud.

Didn't get Wonder Woman #40 or Daredevil #504 thanks to my shop not getting shipped a box this week; drat, two of my faves.

 

[StreetWarrior]

I've only read New Avengers 61 yet this week. It was okay, but someone has to ask: WHY THE HELL IS THIS A SIEGE TIE-IN? Much like Dark Avengers last week, the Siege banner is on the front for the sole purpose of tricking people into buying the book. I read NA anyway, but I still think that lying to customers is wrong. Between the price hike and the non-relevant Siege tie-ins, Marvel's quickly becoming the "*****iest" comic company out there.

I have yet to read Avengers: the Initiative, but here's to hoping it's good.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I'll do some reviews tomorrow.... but man was Green Lantern 50 good.

 

[Dread]

January comes to an end, as does one overdue event mini, as SIEGE chugs along. Let's get started, and as usual, full spoilers and rants ahead.

As always, reviews are posted at Examiner first.

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 1/27/10:

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #32: The official start of the SIEGE tie in that will see this series to it's seemingly finale. I have little doubt that this series will be relaunched with a new title. Marvel usually gives books that make it three years at least one relaunch, and plus, if Marvel can sell 3 Avengers titles within the Top 50-75, they will. Gage, though, while tying into the event, still keeps his subplots flowing for long term readers. This issue continues well from the last, with focus mostly on Taskmaster, Constrictor, and Diamondback. Aboard for art is Mahmud Asrar, co-creator and former regular artist on DYNAMO 5, and his stuff is pretty damn spiffy here, especially alongside Rebecca Buchman's inks and Jay Ramos' colors. Gage summarizes Taskmaster's origin and uses it in context to where he is now, a blue collar villain being thrust into the big time, whether he likes it or not. Taskmaster at least is choosing to figure out how to make it his own, versus being a pawn. He's probably still Osborn's pawn here, but he wants to capitalize on the opportunity, or at least die with his head held high. Constrictor, on the other hand, is more conflicted, especially since he is dating Diamondback, the mole in Osborn's initiative. Probably one of the strongest bits was Tasky summarizing what separated him from types like Osborn or Doom; INSANITY. Or, "laying all your cards on the table and getting your hands dirty", in so many words. There's also the sense that in trying to embrace what he has been thrust into, Taskmaster may be flying too high to survive the fall, as he feared in the past. But that's subtle, as it should be.

So the Osborn Initiative starts their raid on Asgard, tying into SIEGE #1. Taskmaster successfully kills 2-3 random Asgardians; the action is paced well, although "William the Warrior" managed to kill one of them. Some of the banter among the villains about whether they'd survive a fight against Asgardians was also amusing. One group shot seems to show Tarene/Thor Girl fighting among those in Asgard, which is good because she really should have popped into THOR sooner or later; Sif also makes a cameo. Will the cyborg Ragnarok come to make a mess of things as well?

The only territory where Gage shifts from SIEGE #1 is the end, when the villains are piling on Thor. In SIEGE #1, Thor was basically nuked by several energy blasts from Iron Patriot and the U-Foes zapping him full force, at once. Here, he seems to be the victim of a pile on, although I suppose these bits take place as the TV news report was pulling away from Thor in SIEGE #1. Basically, Taskmaster jumps in to land a crack against Thor's head with his imitation Captain America shield, while Diamondback seems to watch, conflicted about whether to expose herself to help Thor versus being able to actually do it even if she wanted to.

Justice also vows to utilize this opportunity to raid the HAMMER Compound to reveal Osborn's treachery once and for all, as well as figuring out that the U-Foes were paid off in advance for staging the battle with Volstagg that sparked SIEGE. He only has a few pages but once again Vance has risen into a real leader across Gage's run. Ultra-Girl still seems to be the partisan one of the Avengers Resistance, which isn't a drag but it does become predictable; every time I expect some character to argue against whatever Tigra or Justice or Night-Thrasher, it usually is Ultra-Girl, and I am not usually wrong (at last since Debrii left). Part of me will be a little miffed if the Slapstick/Gauntlet subplot is never addressed; shouldn't Sgt. Green at least have some words for the clown that nearly killed him?

I hated seeing DYNAMO 5 run so behind and it did stink knowing that Asrar would leave the franchise he helped make alongside Jay Faerber, but I also knew that he likely did so to do more artwork for Marvel. He's drawn thinks for Marvel's space arm here and there; he'll be doing an issue of NOVA soon. It was a pleasant surprise seeing his artwork here, in another reliably good book.

Every month, I sometimes have to debate with myself which is the better Avengers title, this or Dan Slott's MIGHTY AVENGERS. I certainly enjoy having two good Avengers compete for quality every month like this, and I hope both return after April 2010. I sometimes fear this book is more unappreciated than MIGHTY, when it's really an exceptional place for characters who easily get lost in the shuffle or killed off in background pages of major events by Mark Millar to show up and be written excellently. I enjoy every month of it and will hate to see it go, although I will be interested in the ending for this volume that Gage has planned, and now has 3 issues to set up.

CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #6: May as well get this over with now. This'll be very rough, as a warning.

I bought this, and I am a sucker. I have been a sucker for Marvel for probably at least 4-6 years now, sticking with some titles longer than I should have for all sorts of baloney reasons or justifications, like NEW AVENGERS or much of the ULTIMATE line by 2007. There are far better uses for $3.99 than buying this. It could be donated to the relief effort in Haiti, or donated to any charity or poor box. It could buy a local vagrant a nice fast food dinner, or at least a fresh bottle of beer. It could be set aflame and the ashes scattered. All would be more useful than spending it on this. Yeah, retailers would suffer if they can't move copies of this, but many over order everything "hot". I still pity them for getting rooked on CAPTAIN AMERICA #600. That was a good mega issue, but not worth the massive over orders or as vital as Marvel bleated.

There is only one thing that happens in this issue that wasn't foretold in advance. Sin gets burned in the final battle and her face now looks to be a red skull. It happens so quickly you're bound to miss it and it seems obvious that Brubaker will make her Red Skull II or Lady Red Skull in some future arc of CAPTAIN AMERICA, which will likely remind us of this event and embellish it in so much superior detail, that reading about it here really was of little consequence to reading it later. Aside for that, it's really what you would expect, because this ran late, and was given a longer schedule midway through, so other books, including epilogue stories, revealed this in advance.

The thing is, even without the spoilers, this is basically a very average action blockbuster for Brubaker standards, trying to become so big that it stretches thin. Bryan Hitch's art seriously doesn't help it; if anything, the setting makes it look too much like the finale to ULTIMATES 2 #12-13 to the point where if I mixed random pages of this in with random pages of that to a casual reader very quickly, they would probably assume all were from the same story. It has that sameness to it, that "I don't care" quality to almost every panel. If the book had ran on schedule, it probably wouldn't have read much better. But what can we expect? Not only did Marvel extend the race track midway through the sprint, they should know by now that Hitch has run at least a month behind schedule for every single project he has been assigned to for, oh, the last five years. His rendition of Khoi Pham's Wasp design also takes some getting used to; for a "realistic costume artist", he doesn't seem to know that Pym wears goggles, not a Gambit style "non-mask", which are actually more realistic. So this mess is really one of Marvel editorial's own making. Even without that, though, Brubaker has the task of trying to wrap up about four years of subplots while resurrecting Steve Rogers with an explanation that is so complicated, I need to pay someone from H & R Block $135 just to explain it to me. Rogers' big moment of being "back", mind, body and soul is not there, because other books ruined it, because this is late. So what do we have? A boxing match against some MODOK clones, and the issue's other big tidbit, Red Skull growing to 60 feet tall for really no good reason (beyond Sharon Carter zapping Skull with Pym's instrument, stupidly thinking it was a weapon when Pym just showed her it adjusts the sizes of things by freeing her). I suppose the aspect of a giant robot Red Skull is so absurd and random that it's either awesome or ludicrous, depending on your mood.

This ending is really the same as the last time Red Skull died; despite all his raving, Sharon Carter kills him. Only this time he's a giant robot Nazi, and she uses his ship to do it with missiles. It's at least as much of an anti-climax as in ANNIHILATION CONQUEST when Ultron grew to 60 feet tall, only for Phyla and Adam Warlock to kill him with ONE ATTACK. It's as if the artist begged and pleaded to draw a giant villain, and the writer sighed, relented, and made it moot. "There, fine, you had your giant villain moment, now can we please finish this and move onto something better?" I suppose Sharon has suffered the most under Skull's plan, although seeing Brubaker repeat a finale, just with a bigger budget, wasn't quite what I desired. Having Red Skull stay dead and be replaced by his daughter is sort of like the aspect of James Barnes taking over as Cap; it's a fine idea that Brubaker will probably execute well, but as soon as he leaves the book, it'll be undone and probably meaningless.

The issue has some good moments. Even with flaws and spoilers, this event had a clear beginning, middle and end. It had a story structure and flow. And that is where we are at in 2010 for Marvel events after years of Bendis/Millar; a story is "good" if it merely follows the rules to be a narrative instead of being a checklist of advertising stunts. Falcon has a nice moment against Crossbones, and it is cool to see Steve quickly fall into things and order the Avengers around as if he never left. It leads well into WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD, the epilogue that was released A MONTH AGO and was actually so much better than this that comparisons fail.

It features a fold out cover of characters who are in no way involved or meet Captain America at the end. Barnes himself becomes a spectator at the end of the series. Yes, we KNEW Rogers would overthrow Skull from his mind in time; did we really need to waste 8 pages of fighting to do that? For all of Brubaker's skill in pacing battles with one vs. many or one vs. one, he seemed to have more difficulty with a group brawl, and it failed to thrill me. Without that, this issue has nothing to offer that is not handled better in WWTS #1, or CA #602, both out now. I suppose it's no worse than some of the fights in SIEGE #1 (where you get lost trying to figure out who is fighting who or what and it doesn't matter from one panel to the next), but my expectations for Brubaker are higher. I suppose he has better rapport with more of his regular artists like Epting or Ross than Hitch.

Are there worse issues and stories to be a sucker for? Yes. But just because there are worse injuries than a twisted ankle doesn't mean one should cheer if they suffer one, or have it inflicted upon them by unsportsmanlike play. Marvel gave Brubaker no favors with this series, and even without the publishing snafu, this was not his best. Expectations were too high and even at 5 issues there was drag in the middle, let alone at six. I am glad that this is over, and that Brubaker has rebounded to his usual degree of excellence on subsequent Cap material. If I convinced one person to not buy this and not be a sucker like me, I'll be a happy man. There are really only a few reasons to buy it; completist (which, I am learning, is nice way of saying sucker), admitting you're a sucker, or being a fan of Hitch artwork, or slavishly following anything Brubaker writes, even if it's been predicted for you. Some people do DVR a sports game, watch news scores and highlights about the game, then bother with watching the damn thing anyway, even though it's moot because they know all the points and all the moves (especially the end). REBORN simply seemed far too familiar for a mainstream Marvel non space event; the further it goes, the worse things get. Brubaker at least manages to keep things mildly above mediocrity, but from him that can be the most damning of all.

I'm glad this is over. I'll have forgotten this mess by tomorrow. Maybe it isn't fair that Brubaker & Hitch get the brunt of Marvel's editorial screw up, but it's certainly not my fault. At the PLANET HULK screening I was less than 30 feet from Joe Quesada and he's a fine enough guy in person, but some of the editorial philosophy around Marvel these days is taking fans for suckers. An honest fan who reads more than one Marvel title and doesn't download or whatever was turned into a sucker because of editorial incompetence, and a story that genuinely NEEDED every element of surprise it could get to even come close to be considered "good", of B+ quality, didn't get it. It isn't right for a comic company to make suckers out of honest fans, then act like they're morally superior when DC does something gimmicky. This is why people trade wait; this is why people illegally download, and this is why every single issue of a Big Two comic is someone's last.

Even the ad that is in this comic for the ULTIMATUM HC shows that sort of contempt, "take fans for suckers" philosophy. Ignoring the fact that ULTIMATUM is literally the worst comic book story of the past 10 years; the very advert for it says, "witness the end of the Ultimate universe". That's a crock of **** because if the Ultimate Universe ended, why are they still selling new Ultimate books (soon to be back up to 3-4 titles, including mini's)? Is a fan not supposed to be paying enough attention to know that much, but enough attention to throw away $20 on that rubbish? Obviously ULTIMATUM did nothing to "end" the Ultimate universe. All it did was off some characters and cause some books to relaunch. You've got to be kidding me. Marvel, don't take your audience for idiots, for once in this new century, please.

If Marvel wanted to show they cared, they wouldn't offer a trade of BLACKEST NIGHT for a DEADPOOL cover. They'd apologize for this debacle, knock at least 50 cents off the cover price as a retailer and fan incentive, and go from there. But no, they don't, because they expect fans to be stupid, gullible suckers. And for buying this, I guess I proved them right, because I must be one. And that's the worst kind of feeling for a paying fan, to be made to feel like a fool for continuing to offer my time and business.

If Marvel wants to invigorate the genre, maybe they'll start to act like professionals, and not a bunch of children with ADHD who don't know what each arm of their company is doing, not so willing to sacrifice a story or a creator's initiative for a quick buck. That'd be a real "HEROIC AGE".

I haven't been this pissed about a comic since ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #100-something, when the Ultimate Clone Saga came to an end. People who go, "oh, this has nothing to do with the story" miss the point entirely. A movie patron would have every right to be insulted if the studio did something that ruined the movie watching experience, even if it wasn't the fault of the film itself, and would likely have a negative opinion about the film. Imagine if IRON MAN 2 allowed a select number of fans to purchase tickets in advance, and then as they lined up to see it, aired the entire third act of the film on the wall (as well as on TV, and online) as they waited to take their seats, ruining the entire experience and making them suckers, the last to know. Would patrons be justified in feeling cheated? Marvel asked fans for an investment of $15, then $18, and then proceeded to make it worth $0 in terms of story integrity. Brubaker deserved better, Captain America deserved better, and the fans deserved better. Even Hitch deserved better; I mean I'm sure he knows his own schedule; is it his fault he's never given enough lead time, and then asked with an extra issue midway? Considering that, the fact he was only a month behind is a miracle, even if it was a month too much.

Maybe I am being hard on this, but if this issue was going to compensate for having all of the hype and surprise ruined for it, it had to be the best ****ing thing of the week. WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD #1 managed that in December. This didn't, at all.

If I remember anything about this story, maybe I will remember how not to be a sucker the next time. Maybe. But, I'm sure it'll sell about 90,000 copies and Marvel won't learn diddly ****.

The only other tidbit that is worth mentioning is Steve's supposed visions of the future, seeing a New York seemingly trashed by alien looking monsters. While it could be something Brubaker is cooking, at the "PLANET HULK" screening in NYC, Joe Quesada stated that 2010 would see more involvement from Marvel's "space arm" with the rest of the line at their "Creator Summit", so it could be possible that The Fault from the space books, and the weird cancer creatures that infest the other side of the portal, could effect Earth. But that's just my vague guess. For all we know, Steve just had too magic mushrooms in the future.

 

[Dread]

Part 2 of 2! Now with 60% less negativity!

FANTASTIC FOUR #575: Johnathan Hickman once again teams up with Dale Eaglesham (as well as Paul Mounts on color art). This issue accomplishes a lot, although I imagine as sales for the Four dwindle back to about 40,000 at the bottom of the Top 45, too many fans will ignore it. And that is a shame; fans justify runs like Mark "Oooh, look at me!" Millar's by ignoring runs like these that are less about being shocking and obnoxious and more about quality and development. This issue balances the Four focus a bit better than other issues, that tended to focus either on the kids or Mr. Fantastic more. It also brings back the Four's first enemy, the Mole Man, in an appearance where he is neither a chump, nor comic relief. The cover by Alan Davis captures that spirit of adventure; I wouldn't mind seeing Davis handle a fill-in issue when Eaglesham needs his next break.

Some Moloids enter the Baxtor Building after avoiding being midtown road-kill, and are quictly joined by their master, the Mole Man. Only this time Moley isn't after revenge or trashing the surface world; he seeks help in protecting his kingdom. It seems the High Evolutionary created a "Forever City" way back when, where anyone who enters it undergoes automatic evolution in bizarre ways. This backfired on the Evolutionary, but the Moloids who enter become more like humans, and thus more dangerous (and less passive). The Thing gets the closest to major focus out of the Four here, taking tales of the "Evolved Moloids" leaving their own "imperfect" offspring to die personally, and he risks his life to save them. The issue seems to promise a predictable fight/crisis but actually ends by adding the first distinct and unique element to Earth's geography since JMS parked Asgard over Oklahoma.

Many other titles only get creative with figuring out who to kill or what to destroy; this one shows that same creativity in character ties (last issue's birthday party) and in building new ore for adventures. Plus, the Four get to do some exploring, which is what they do best (and, amazingly, what they seem to do little of in recent years). Johnny gets to make some jokes without seeming like an immature buffoon, and Thing's exchanges with Mole Man, who he has every reason not to trust (to be honest, it seems Reed is the one always willing to hear a villain out; then again, Dr. Doom was a former pal of his). Eaglesham's artwork is also lovely to behold.

A simple, but well put together issue. While the subplot will likely lead into other tales (as the final page "info-dump" seems to all but spell out), but it is also a good enough "done in one" story that someone who hasn't read the Four in a while could give it a shot and not be hopelessly lost. I'm glad I stuck on this run after the last.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #22: Also starting to slip down the Top 100, at only a few hundred or so copies ahead of NOVA, this title at least is holding steady with a small but loyal readership. This has easily been the book most effected by the REALM OF KINGS banner, as they deal with the ramifications of The Fault directly. Last issue, Moondragon wound up playing expectant mother to some dark god from the "Cancer-Verse" at the other end of the Fault, and is fighting to keep from birthing the monster in this universe. Unfortunately, it killed a few of the Luminals on Knowhere and so Cynosure wants to kill the monster, regardless of it's effects on Moondragon, and has lashed herself to the psychic. Both have been captured by the Universal Church of Truth, who think the monster is their messiah.

Brad Walker once again does the artwork, with Andrew Hennessy on inks and Wil Quintana on colors; alongside Abnett & Lanning for the story, naturally. The Guardians basically defy the odds to rescue both women from the Church despite having to overcome an entire planet of worshipers to do so. It is the sort of mad gambit that readers would expect from the Guardians and everyone gets a moment to shine. Star-Lord shows he's still the quirkiest space captain since FARSCAPE ended, that Jack Flag is still a fish out of water, that Rocket Raccoon is more than guns and a bushy tail, and even that Drax is more than a simple warrior. The attack to make him feel the pain of those he killed only reminded him of humanity, and enhanced his resolve. The battle is paced quickly but effectively, and quite a lot happens in this one issue.

The real twist is at the end, with Moondragon seemingly seeing visions of Phyla as she releases the monster fetus back into the Fault. Is it real? Of course. Magus isn't really dead, and his victims a few issues ago aren't, either. So anyone who quit the book because Cosmo "died" can return now. I like Abnett & Lanning's take on Magus; he never stuck with me in the 90's, but they've given him a devilish sense of humor, and I like that.

The checklist in the back shows we are now 3/5ths through with REALM OF KINGS, which is nice to know. I haven't minded it as a subplot for the space books, although it's been more a Guardians story than for other books, where it is just a vehicle for weird stuff happening (like in NOVA). More of what one expects with this title; a solid team adventure with good art and some of the best one-liners in Marvel comics outside of INCREDIBLE HERCULES or MIGHTY AVENGERS. Reliably good.

THOR #606: It is so strange to have THOR back as a monthly for the longest period in about a year (the last 2-3 issues). This made my Examiner "Book Of The Week" because unlike REBORN, this is a run and title that has defied my expectations. Here I was expecting Kieron Gillen to just serve as a bridge between JMS and Fraction, and while he may still be doing that, he does seem to want to make his mark on the book, in a positive way. Billy Tan once again does the pencils, although his pencils seem a little more rushed for this issue than the last. Two colorists and two inkers (including Tan himself) seem to imply some sort of hustle to make the publishing date, but all I care about is a timely issue, and they delivered.

Gillen's THOR is a book that still has soap opera mythical subplots and character drama, but doesn't forget about the action, or to have every issue feel like it accomplished something. This issue finishes up the Thor vs. Dr. Doom fight, only this time Doom is in a bootleg Destroyer armor. It's been a rough couple of years for Doom and he loses here, although the fight was well paced and exciting to read. While REBORN #6's action was a mess, this issue really got my blood pumping. Thor even seemed like an underdog at times without looking weak, which was what mattered. Thor gets to lecture Doom a little about the folly of mortals like him, which was pretty interesting. In terms of superhero battles, I think this was a quick classic in some ways, the kind that could become a good trading card for a "classic battles" like old Marvel Universe series cards used to do, taking recent and old battles and depicting them in card form.

Loki also tries to work back into Balder's good graces by keeping Kelda alive long enough for Balder to reclaim her heart so she may live. Balder succeeds, but she seems to lose her zeal for revenge against Loki, and Balder suddenly seems to forget about that trial he wanted to put Loki on for his dealings with Doom. It was all a little fast to my liking. Loki has no illusions about Balder being "the everfool" and while I didn't like Balder's return to tool-dom, at least Gillen handled in a superior way than JMS. Balder and Thor have a little talk and Balder seems to be somewhat aware that Thor didn't just waste Bor to be a jerk, at least.

The inks and color work gel well with Tan's pencils and while the series price may have fallen by a dollar, the title has improved in quality. The SIEGE tie in issues start next month, at this point I actually am disappointed that Gillen won't really have a chance to prove himself on THOR, even if I imagine Matt Fraction will write the series fine.

The issue also gets points for having a cover that isn't of Thor swinging his hammer with lightening crackling. Only about 12 of 18 covers had that sort of scene. I was glad to see that trend go for two issues in a row.

I found this a very solid conclusion to THOR's last arc. There also includes Jane Foster coming to Oklahoma to get closer to Donald Blake, which can only lead to drama. At least she's outlasted William the Warrior. JMS hadn't made me feel this pumped for THOR for the last, oh, 4-6 issues of his run, but Gillen has very quickly. Keep up the good work on the Odinson!

 

[Brainiac 8]

I was so happy to realize that those who died a few issues back aren't really dead...but neither is Magus. I'm looking forward to how this will go, since it seems Magus will become the major bad for the GotG and possibly some of the other heavy cosmic hitters.

He's like a super powerful Space Joker now.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Works for me. Magus > Adam Warlock in my book.

 

[Brainiac 8]

He's much more interesting at least.

 

[JewishHobbit]

So what's up with dead Galactus in FF 575? It's advertised in several books so it had me curious. I don't read the book so I thought I'd ask.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Okay... my review time!

X-Factor 201 - It was good. I enjoyed it a lot. I nearly skipped out on this title as of issue 200 because I didn't want to pay the $5 price tag and I have to drop about 10 issues by May anyway, but fortunatley I found issue 200 at half priced books for 2.50 so I bought it. I would have been missing out. I can't say a lot happens here really, but what does happen is enough to keep my interest. I think my favorite thing was a tiny mention that may lead to something I've been dying to see followed up on for years. Shatterstar mentions he can teleport using other people's memories but when asked if he can use anyone's memories he says no, it has to be someone he has a connection with. And he said this while using Longshot's memories. So that lingering parental storyline might be coming into play!

X-Men: Legacy 232 - Mediocre issue. I thought I'd be more excited for Proteus's return but I'm just not feeling this issue. Plus it was laid out wierd. It started mid story and the way it was written I thought maybe I missed an issue. It eventually backtracks but it wasn't done very well. Mike Carey's better than this. As a Generation X fan I love seeing Husk actually doing something, even if it is a small role. And as a continuity buff I love that they show Proteus's death NOT as his dying way back in the original Proteus arc as most do, but from the Kings of Pain crossover in the X-Men/New Warrior annuals back around 1993. Great storyline!

Good story, eager to see what comes after it though.

X-Force 23 - Of the 3 X-titles I bought this week I was most let down by this one. There were 2-3 things that bugged me. First off is that I'm a huge Banshee fan, and after his scene last issue and the cover of Elixer healing him here, I was stoked that we might get Banshee back. Unfortunatley... Banshee doesn't even make a single appearance in this issue. That was a blow for me. Secondly, the art. I'm not one to complain abot Crain's art. I prefer Choi or whatever his name is, but I don't mind Crain. However it was just bad here. Everything was a mess and I had to actually study the art to figure out what was going on in more than one sequence... and many times I'd be looking at a character who seems important but I couldn't tell who it was supposed to be. It took me out of the story and even now, thinking back, nothing but Blink's attack on Archangel is sticking out for me as something I liked.

The last thing is something I'm torn on. For those people who hated New X-Men thanks to Kyle and Yost's killing so many of the students.... they strike again. Now I'm torn on whether I like it or not because I actually liked New X-Men and I have, oddly, grown to like all the student deaths. It's a bit of a game of survival. So when Wither kills Onyxx, I was with mixxed emotions. I know most people didn't like him, even from his introduction in the "Like a Fox" arc of X-Men, but I really liked him. Especially opposite Rockslide. So his death sucks, though I'll admit, it's cool that he died in a major storyline in a fairly memorable way. I wish it could have been bigger, but oh well. Oh, and they kill off Diamond Lil also (of former Alpha Flight fame) but I didn't read those so eh.

New Avengers 61 - Again... as with Dark Avengers... WHY IS THIS A SIEGE TIE-IN?! It has absolutely nothing to do with Siege, not even a mention of the Siege. in that regard, this is even less of a tie-in than most of the Disassembled tie-ins were tie-ins to Dissasembled. This is just rediculous, and I feel sorry for anyone who bought this for the tie-in that don't already collect the title. It's obsurd!

As for the comic itself, eh. Mediocre. Not one of Bendis's best but not one of his worst either. The Hood's goons have gotten an amp in power due to the Hood's having the Nord stones now and they're been given the task by Osborn to take out the New Avengers. And they attack... nothing new really. We get focus on some of the goons who aren't the Wrecking Crew, so that's new, but overall it's just kinda bleh. The only part I liked was the scenes with Spider-Man and Spider-Woman. There's even a slight mention of OMD that didn't bother me. Spidey is kinda flirting with Jessica and she says "aren't you married" and he's like "What me? no, never." and she's like "huh, I coulda sworn you were." That's cool because it kinda makes me wonder if she kinda remembers him beign marrired because she was off planet when the deal was made. Interesting thought... and though I doubt anything will ever come of it, it gives me hope still in the marraige being fixed.

Avengers: The Initiative 32 - MUCH BETTER! An actual true to God tie-in! I won't say much since Dread did a great job covering this issue already. I love the focus on Taskmaster and Constrictor, and I feel that somehow by the end of this storyline, it will come down to Constrictor vs. Taskmaster. And THAT is something I would like to see happen. It would add levels of character to them that hasn't been done in years.

But DARN you Dread for bringing up the Gauntlet/Slapstick thing! I completely forgot about that and now I'll be looking for it and will be disappointed if it isn't touched on. And for the record... Initiative is WAY better than Mighty... so now you know

Secret Warriors 12 - The best 'Avengers' related title out. It's not really Avengers (not even getting a Siege tie-in) but it launched out of their corner of Marvel so I consider it in the same area. The title started slow with some questionable reveals about Shield and Hydrea, but since then the story has just gotten awesome.

As of now we have Nick Fury forming his own workings of Shield and he's started 3 offshoot groups. One is Quake's team (the Secret Warriors) which he calls his hammer. The two others we've just learned about and have only met their leaders. One is the "the Black Team" headed up by Alexander Pierce. I don't know the guy, but they're in charge of looking into Hydra. The other team is the Gray Team headed up by Mikel Fury. Now HIM I know as he was around back in the 90's around the time of the Double Edge storyline that had Punisher kill Nick Fury. He was cool. He's in charge of looking into a rumor called Leviathon, which ends up being real and hates both Shield and Hydra. So with all of that, the connections between Shield and Hydra, and the emergance of Leviathon, that portion of the mystery and intrigue, the espionage, is all very good.

Added to that, there's also the personal details of Quake's Secret Warriors. The last arc had a lot of focus on Phobos and his father Ares. It was all really good. And then last issue we learned a bit about Yo-Yo's life and we see a connection forming between she and Jerry. Well, this issue we learn that Jerry is actually the son of Crusher Steel, the Absorbing Man. We also learn that he's the conception of a rape, basically, back when Crusher was still human. But he later showed up again after having powers and when Jerry and he touched the power transfered due to their bloodline or something like that. So now Jerry is like the Absorbing Man (as we saw when he grew in size last arc and took Ares's axe in the back, then absorbed it's properties).

All in all it was a very solid issue. This is one of the few comics where every issue leaves me eager for the next. I don't know what Avenger books I'll be keeping post siege but I know for a fact that this one is a keeper.

Guardians of the Galaxy 22 - Good issue. I'm glad the whole pregnancy story is done because it was just awkward. Dread covered it pretty well so I'll just say that it was a good read. I loved that StarLord hijacked Nowhere and used it as a battering ram. that was fun. And it was nice to see the Luminals as more than buttheads for once. And of course, the ending with Magus and the dead Guardians (who we were sure weren't dead anyway) was good.

I'll say this, I like the art. But knowing that that crappy cartoony art is coming back soon is so depressing. This art fits a lot better. This isn't Tiny Titans for god's sake!

 

[JewishHobbit]

Echo 19 - Another good solid issue that introduces a new antagonist... and... sniff.... witness the death of one of my favorite characters in the book

Only 11 issues to go until this title ends. I'll be sad when comes that day.

Green Lantern 50 - If I did best of the weeks, this would be it. A great tie-in that has so many moments that made me smile or go 'cool'. I'm a huge Green Lantern fan, and I'm a huge Spectre fan. So Green Lantern vs Black Lantern Spectre was just awesome. And in the end when Hal willingly takes on Parallax to give them a shot against Spectre... freakin' hardcore! Now, if only the freakin' COVER didn't RUIN IT!

Anyhow, another great moment for me was when all the new Lanterns were relating to the leader who gave them their rings.... and particularly Lex and Larfleeze. That was great! I think it's safe to say that Larfleeze is the star coming out of this whole War of Light storyline. As minor as he's been in Blackest Night, he's stolen every scene he's in.

And Scarecrow was pretty cool too.

Phantom Stranger 42 - This came out last week but I just got it. I haven't been buying the Blackest Night tie-ins becuase they suck as tie-ins, but as a fan of the Spectre I wanted to pick this one up. His story was only the first half of the issue and it was good. Also a good lead-in to Green Lantern 50. After dealing with the Spectre, Phantom STranger and Blue Devil go on to help out Deadman. I did read the Batman tie-in, which Deadman was a major part of, so this was cool for me.

All in all good issue. Glad I bought it.

Project Superpowers 6 - Good issue but I'd forgotten much of what happen last issue so I was kinda lost for a bit. Since the reveal that Kid Terror is actually Dynamic Boy in disguise, I was curious how that would play out. Now in this issue we learn that the Dynamic Family have been using him to pull the strings of the Sidekicks, including having them find the broken heroes that they've found... all to mess with Boy King.

Also, we get some focus on some heroes that haven't had much time to shine, such as The Flame and Mr. Face. And while it's sad that Truth is found dead, I'm extatic that Samson and the Target wake up. I'm real curious about this seemingly evolution in the power and mind of the Green Lama. Curious where it goes.

One thing that's bothering me still... I still haven no idea how many issues this is! When is this second Chapter going to end?! The last run ended with issue 7, but there's no mention of it here, so I don't know.

Black Terror 7 - This is bugging me a bit. The story is really good, but in Project Superpowers he left them to go do what he's doing here... which is fine. But then last issue he came back... but here, he's still doing his thing. Next issue is the end of this storyline so hopefully they'll gel.

Anyhow, Black Terror vs. Dynamic Man is great. And the use of Pyro Man was also good. He's been getting some good face time lately. Of all the secondary heroes, I think he's the one making the biggest leap to star status now, alongside Black Terror, Green Lama, Fighting Yank, and Death-Defying Devil.

Good issue, good art. The Project Superpower line is still full of win as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Captain America Reborn #6

How best to describe this extra, final issue of Reborn? Over the top! What could have been a nice final fight between Cap-Steve vs. Red Skull gets so overblown with the giant Red Skull and all the extra Avengers, that the only thing I liked about it is Sin's final fate. At times, this comic just felt corny, especially when the onlookers are watching the final battle and say, "Oh my God -- Look! Is that... It's HIM...IT'S Captain America." (How can they tell that's the Cap-Steve, and not the Cap who's been around for the last couple years?? And, the full-page pose just felt cliched, and also looked very corny.)

Where this Cap mini falls apart is when you compare it to what Brubaker has done before since the Captain America relaunch a few years back. We've had such a very slow build to the big climactic fight between Steve Rogers and The Red Skull, that the final battle leaves the reader with a bad taste in their mouth.

Ultimate Enemy #1

Oh, my! Where to begin with this Ultimate comic. Might as well start with the good.

I loved seeing the return of Spider-Woman. She was probably the best thing to come out of Bendis' take on The Clone Saga, and it was great to see her kick off this first issue. Also, it was nice to see the rest of the Fantastic Four again; and, I liked the touch with Ben Grimm taking a chance at telling Sue how much he loves her. It's stuff like that which Bendis is good at.

Ok, what I didn't like! This first issue isn't that bad, and has a real Bendis/Ultimate comic feel to it....AND, I loved seeing the F4 return, as I said before....BUT..and, this is a HUGE BUT!!!...how in the HELL does Bendis make the F4 so young? Now, I could be wrong; but, I never got the feeling that Sue Storm was only 18 years old...and, Reed looks even younger than that! It just made my enjoyment of this first issue really hard to enjoy.

So, who is the Ultimate Enemy? We don't know...all we learn is that some weird kind of experiment seems to have gone horribly wrong, resulting in some strange purple mass that keeps growing and growing, destroying building after building in New York. (Like, the big flood didn't wreck everything before. Now, this? ... And, seriously, looking at the 2 page spread of the city, you would never guess that the Ultimate Universe version of New York just went through so much destruction last year.) Oh, and we get the return of Nick Fury at the end of this issue.

The Hulk 100 Project TPB

I wasn't expecting this in my drop box; but costing only 10 bucks and benifiting the Hero Initiative, I bought it anyway. For this book, Marvel published some blank covers of Hulk #1, and commissioned 100 "top artists" to do an original piece of art featuring the Hulk. What I'll really like about this trade is taking it around to the March Seattle Comicon and getting 11 signatures from some of the artists who contributed to it.

Marvel Previews #78

Just some thoughts on upcoming comics for May.

I love seeing Black Widow is getting her own ongoing. Marjorie Liu has been making a name for herself; and, I'm pretty confident she'll do a nice job with this book. Hopefully this can last longer than many of the other women comics that have come and gone by Marvel over the years.

I've been dying for David Mack to do something for Marvel again, besides Kabuki Reflections. I cannot WAIT for this Philip K. Dick mini!

OMG, like we didn't have enough Deadpool overkill! This month, we have 5 titles! PLUS, Cable now has to share his title with Deadpool with issue #35!

I really enjoyed the fewer comics coming out from Marvel this month. My spending easily went down by a good 25%...but, looks like when this month comes, it's going sky high again. Lots of one-shots and new series starting. We get 9 Spidey titles and 7 Iron Man ones...not to mention SHIELD #1, the return (GROAN!!!) of the Power Pack minis and the relaunch (YAH!!!!) of Marvel Adventures.

Official Index To The Marvel Universe #13

The first fun of Official Index comes to a close...and, I'm not sure if there will be another. I don't see it being solicited in May, which is too bad, because it's a nice resource for information. (I really like seeing all the different covers that came out in a particular issue with these more recent additions.) I really don't think anyone else in my shop was buying this, but me.

Spidey goes up to December of 2008 with the Amazing Spider-Man. Iron Man not only finished up their run, but also gives us Invincible Iron Man and War Machine's 1994 series. Finally, Uncanny goes up to Utopia, and gives us (for WHATEVER reason) X-Men: The Hidden Years issues #1-6.

Dark Reign: Hawkeye #5

Holy crap! I didn't realize this mini never finished. Issue #4 came out in July, and we finally get the final Dark Reign mini ended. In this issue, Bullseye (Hawkeye) finds his dad, The Kingmaker, who is crippled and looking very much like Deadpool without his suit on. Solo is also involved, as he does his best to keep the Kingmaker alive while battling Bullseye. Eventually, we get a scene out of Top Gun, as father and son battle it out in the sky. Only one person comes out alive...and, I'm sure you can guess who it is.

This wasn't the best Dark Reign mini; but, we did get a look into Bullseye's past; and, the end scenes were kind of neat.

Siege - Storming Asgard: Heroes & Villians

A dossier by Victoria Hand for Norman Osborn, it presents files on the allies and enemies for the Siege event. 28 pages, and Marvel feels it justified to charge $3.99 for this promotional tool.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Project Superpowers 6 - Good issue but I'd forgotten much of what happen last issue so I was kinda lost for a bit. Since the reveal that Kid Terror is actually Dynamic Boy in disguise, I was curious how that would play out. Now in this issue we learn that the Dynamic Family have been using him to pull the strings of the Sidekicks, including having them find the broken heroes that they've found... all to mess with Boy King.

Also, we get some focus on some heroes that haven't had much time to shine, such as The Flame and Mr. Face. And while it's sad that Truth is found dead, I'm extatic that Samson and the Target wake up. I'm real curious about this seemingly evolution in the power and mind of the Green Lama. Curious where it goes.

One thing that's bothering me still... I still haven no idea how many issues this is! When is this second Chapter going to end?! The last run ended with issue 7, but there's no mention of it here, so I don't know.

In Previews, it made mention this week that Chapter Two is building towards the big finale of these events in issue #12.

 

[squeekness]

Wolverine Wendingo. Funny thing, I bought this one shot only because it had the Wolverine/Thor online comic that was posted on the Marvel site thrown into it. Turns out the story was meh compared to the hilarious Windingo primary story. Not that I am a huge Wendigo fan, because I am not, but nothing beats watching the big white and furry pop the head off of blonde bimbo movie actress. Great stuff man, Best part was Wolverine's understated presence, it wasn't the usual hack and slash clawfest. This story gets a big thumbs up from me.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Thor was lovely. A solid conclusion to a quick, solid arc. The ending got me excited to see where that plot point ultimately goes, and Balder's words to Thor were of course prophetic given that we already know the next time they meet is in the middle of Osborn's assault on Asgard. Kelda came back, which was mehtastic, and Tan's art took its first noticeable downturn to my eye. His proportions were all over the place in this issue, it seemed. Thor looked extremely awkward in some panels, as did other Asgardians in various others. Hopefully he'll get back to his earlier level for the next arc--especially the big Thor/Clor showdown.

Fantastic Four blew me away today. What a great, low-key sci fi tale. I mentioned when we saw some preview art that Sue in her protective suit made me think of the old-school, introspective sci fi greats like Clarke and Asimov; well, this issue had that feeling all over it, right from the Mole Man's introductory, "There is chaos in the underworld," dialogue to the ending page of text about the future. This is the kind of atmosphere the FF should have but have lacked for a while. The FF have been to the Mole Man's kingdom a hundred times, yet Hickman and Eaglesham managed to make this one feel fresh and wondrous. I am very much excited for the next issue and beyond. I think Hickman's run may turn out to be something special in the long run.

Avengers: The Initiative was an interesting look at Siege #1 from other perspectives, which I always like to see. Taskmaster's origin is always fun because of how utterly practical it is--he didn't do anything special with his powers, he just set out to make a buck. Constrictor and Diamondback's conflicting POVs were fun to read; I look forward to how that relationship plays out.

It seems like Gage is setting Constrictor up as a counterpoint to Taskmaster: both find themselves in over their heads, but Taskmaster just dives into the villainous side deeper while Constrictor finally takes it as a sign that he ought to straighten out. I hope Gage follows through and makes Constrictor a hero. He's one of my favorite everyman villains and I think he'd have that same cool, gruff-but-lovable quality that other reformed villains like the Sandman and Hawkeye have managed to pull off over the years.

The art was solid, as usual. Sandoval's Thor looks pretty cool, and that splash page of him appearing with Diamondback, Constrictor, and Taskmaster's reactions at the bottom was really well done. I liked the simultaneous observation of Thor's fall by Diamondback and Taskmaster at the end, too. The New Warriors Avengers Resistance were practically absent this issue, but it seems like Gage will remedy that in coming issues. Storming Camp HAMMER should prove interesting.

 

[Dread]

I was so happy to realize that those who died a few issues back aren't really dead...but neither is Magus. I'm looking forward to how this will go, since it seems Magus will become the major bad for the GotG and possibly some of the other heavy cosmic hitters.

He's like a super powerful Space Joker now.

Works for me. Magus > Adam Warlock in my book.

He's much more interesting at least.

I agree on all comments here. Magus was actually a large space threat in the 90's, alongside Thanos and Maelstrom. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of him returning before, but Abnett & Lanning have made a believer of me by writing Magus very well. Power level isn't really the problem, he sells himself on his malicious streak and sense of humor, which is good for a villain. Part of me is saddened to see "Great Ultron" seem to return to Earth again, but it was inevitable that he'd return to the Avengers wheelhouse, and it is under Dan Slott so it'll be good (or better than Bendis did when he launched MIGHTY AVENGERS).

Hopefully he'll get back to his earlier level for the next arc--especially the big Thor/Clor showdown.

Wait...the Thor/Clor showdown is happening during Gillen's run? Where'd you see that in a solicit? I seem to have missed it...

If true, it'd be great, even if I expected Gage in AVENGERS THE INITIATIVE to resolve that story.

So what's up with dead Galactus in FF 575? It's advertised in several books so it had me curious. I don't read the book so I thought I'd ask.

He's an alternate reality Galactus that popped up a few arcs ago, from back in Mark Millar's run. The Defenders from the future used their version of Galactus as an engine to power their attempt to transmit their 8 billion survivors into this time-line. Reed organized them to be sent to Nu-Earth instead, which Hickman now revealed as degenerating into a bit of a fascist **** pit.

Captain America Reborn #6

How best to describe this extra, final issue of Reborn? Over the top! What could have been a nice final fight between Cap-Steve vs. Red Skull gets so overblown with the giant Red Skull and all the extra Avengers, that the only thing I liked about it is Sin's final fate. At times, this comic just felt corny, especially when the onlookers are watching the final battle and say, "Oh my God -- Look! Is that... It's HIM...IT'S Captain America." (How can they tell that's the Cap-Steve, and not the Cap who's been around for the last couple years?? And, the full-page pose just felt cliched, and also looked very corny.)

Where this Cap mini falls apart is when you compare it to what Brubaker has done before since the Captain America relaunch a few years back. We've had such a very slow build to the big climactic fight between Steve Rogers and The Red Skull, that the final battle leaves the reader with a bad taste in their mouth.

Glad I wasn't the only one who wasn't thrilled with REBORN #6.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Fantastic Four #575

I decided I better read some of the comics that others are reviewing on here before getting to others I might choose to read before. I'm glad I did, because after my review for this comic, I'm going to go off on a tangent.

This was an interesting issue, featuring the Mole Man asking for assistance from the Fantastic Four with a mysterious underground city originally made by the High Evolutionary. Hickman has done a decent job linking his story with F4 stories of the past; like, the appearance of the dead, future Galactus. I like Eaglesham's art, except when it comes to how he draws Reed. It seems as if this stand-alone story will have future impact in this book, and can't wait to see that. Hickman is doing a good job dropping all these little clues throughout the issues, hinting at some good things to come.

Ok, now my tangent. It's great to see the fanmail at the end of the issue, and I love that Hickman is printing negative mail, also. The comic in question is issue #574, where Val calls her brother a "******," and two letter writers took exception to this remark as being insensitive to those children with disabilities. After some explanation (i.e. "she is super-intelligent...however, emotionally and psycholigically, she remains a toddler...she's mostly id") he basically explains "It's just how kids talk."

Now, I have two kids, one who is 14, a boy, and has autism, and the other is my 7 year old girl. I'm not sure how his kids are, but mine simply do not use many of these terms, like ******. And, while that may be a case of my older boy having a disability, I don't think that's it. Kids I meet today have a better understanding of what certain words mean, and are much more accepting of others who are different than them, ESPECIALLY those in elementary school. Now, if Hickman was showing a Junior High, I might be more willing to say that kids can be a bit more cruel. But, I don't see a gal as young as Val, and as intelligent with equally intelligent parents, saying it and being allowed to say it. (If I heard my kid use that term, there would be a talking to.)

So, sorry, but I don't buy his explanation. I can see why he felt it appropriate; but, nope, I cannot see Val Richards calling someone a ******.

Ok, rant and tangent is over!

Guardians Of The Galaxy #22

It's no secret I've been disgusted with this comic since the big kill-off; but, things have been getting better and I've been putting my grudge behind me. After the final page of this issue, I'm SO back on board!!! Abnett is in my good graces again, and I can't wait for the next dang issue to come out! That one page might make this my favorite comic of the week. I wasn't expecting it, and it totally changed my feelings for this book.

Now, the whole Moondragon/pregnancy with a parasite thing is kind of gross to look at. In fact, poor Moondragon has been getting totally screwed in the Marvel Universe for the past couple years, with turning into a dragon, dying, coming back to life, losing her lover, and having to have this thing inside her. Can't Abnett give her a little love???

Secret Warriors #12

This is just the oddest title...and, I love it! There is so much happening, as we switch from person to person, event to event, and even going back and forth in time...if you haven't been following this book from the beginning, you'd be so very confused. Heck, sometimes I'm confused still! So much is going on, I'm not even going to explain what happens in this issue.

This title doesn't move at a very fast pace. For example, the one scene with Fury involves him in a meeting with three people who are working at different areas in his Secret Warriors, letting them tell the other what their purpose is in that division. And, that's it. There story goes no further. This book is filled with short scene cutting to another short scene, all of which is suppose to come together in the end, I guess. It's interesting, though; and, I find myself eagerly awaiting the next issue.

Green Lantern #50

Ok, I see everyone bragging about how great this issue is...but, I take one BIG exception with it!!!

I have a comic book pet peeve: I HATE when the cover of a comic totally gives away the end of a comic. And, what does this issue do? It gives away that at the end of the issue, Hal Jordan is going to be Parallax once again. Now, sure, to some this might not be much of a surprise; especially considering this is the 50th issue of Green Lantern, and if memory serves me correct, the same thing happened in the 50th issue of Green Lantern's second series...but, I would have been slightly shocked. So, while this is a very good issue, I have to take away some big points for this idiotic decision to have the spoiler revealed on the damn cover!!!

BTW, I'm not a big Spectre fan...and, this issue just took me back to Infinite Crisis, where we had The Spectre running wild and attacking the heroes in that event. Come on, do we need to see this again??? That's my other complaint about this event; DC and Johns are really trying to do too much with all these Earthly heroes and villians, all the while the dang tie-ins keep telling the same story over and over again.

Yes, it's a good issue. But, personally, parts of it rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Glad I wasn't the only one who wasn't thrilled with REBORN #6.

Haha. But, by your standards, I'll be the bigger sucker. I bought both covers of this title! OH, well...I'll be in line come March to get my issue #1 signed by Brubaker. (He only lives 10 minutes from the Seattle Convention Center, so it's no problem for him to make it to this event. I expect he'll be seated right next to Bendis again, who lives in the next state, Oregon.)

 

[Spider-Gnome]

The only part I liked was the scenes with Spider-Man and Spider-Woman. There's even a slight mention of OMD that didn't bother me. Spidey is kinda flirting with Jessica and she says "aren't you married" and he's like "What me? no, never." and she's like "huh, I coulda sworn you were." That's cool because it kinda makes me wonder if she kinda remembers him beign marrired because she was off planet when the deal was made. Interesting thought... and though I doubt anything will ever come of it, it gives me hope still in the marraige being fixed.

That's an interesting idea, Hobbit! Unfortunately I agree with. I don't think it was meant that way and will not be followed up.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Oh I agree. It would have been a LOT better if not for the cover reveal.

 

[runawayboulder]

Punisher #13 - That's how I feel about this book right now. FrankenCastle finally kicks some ass this issue as a full blown war erupts in Monster Metropolis, the last safe haven for the monsters of the Marvel U. The monster hunter army led by Hellsgaard is after a stone secretly in the possession of Morbius. As I guessed just a few days ago in the Punisher thread, this red stone is actually the Bloodstone.

Quick history of the Bloodstone: It's a piece of a meteor that crashed to Earth thousands of years ago and became embedded in the chest of a Monster Hunter named Ulysses Bloodstone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_Bloodstone). The Bloodstone has regenerative powers for the one that possesses it, since Ulysses had it stuck in his chest, it made him immortal. Years later Baron Zemo wanted to use the Bloodstone to resurrect his dead father. He hired Batroc and a couple other guys and searched the globe for the six fragments of the stone in a classic Captain America story The Bloodstone Hunt (http://www.amazon.com/Captain-America-Bloodstone-Mark-Gruenwald/dp/0871359723)

Morbius obviously wants it because he's a vampire. Hellsgaard obviously wants it because he's a skeleton stuck in a robot body. Castle is now half-man and half-machine. See where I'm going with this? For all of the people that thinks this current arc is ruining the Punisher, it's not gonna last forever now that the Bloodstone is in the mix, he'll be back to his old self soon. I recommend enjoying this real fun story because Rick Remender is going in the waaaay back machine for this one. The artwork is gorgeous too.

Captain America Reborn #6 - Add me to the list of folks unimpressed with the conclusion of the return of Steve Rogers. Now that I have fully read all of Reborn all I can say is (schedule mishap aside), Why did this need to be stretched out another issue? This whole issue was paper thin as far as story goes. The Cap/Skull mind battle lasted 2 seconds, the Big Skull was cartoonish and unnecessary, it was just a lot of wasted pages. Not all of it was bad however as there were quite a few memorable moments. Steve/Bucky racing into action, Steve yelling orders to the Avengers for the first time in forever, Steve's surprise when he learns of Norman Osborn and "his" Avengers. I just think that instead of the action, I would have rather seen more dialogue between Steve and Bucky and especially Steve and Falcon. I love the idea of Sin becoming the next Red Skull.

So overall Cap Reborn is just ok. Started out very strong, had a real bad schedule screw up, and lost steam at the end. It will most likely be a slight blemish on Brubaker's stellar run with Cap. If you want to read a kick-ass Cap reborn story check out Waid and Garney's Operation: Rebirth, a great Cap story that came out at a time when Captain America was in the toilet and made him awesome again. I don't consider myself a sucker though, just a life long Cap fan that will put up with the not so great stuff from time to time. Hey, I stomached Protocide years back!

Daredevil #504 - I love Andy Diggle but he needs to get this book out faster. It seems like forever since the last issue came out. Another great issue though, DD is in full blown Cyclops mode (probably even worse ) as he just keeps digging and digging himself in a bigger hole leading the Hand into a war with HAMMER and the corrupt cops of Hell's Kitchen. Then he quickly bolts to Japan with White Tiger on business and leaves the Black Tarantula in charge. De La Torre's art was better this issue than last.

ASM #619 - Spidey Mob war stories are always good and the same goes for this. Mysterio is fully manipulating the Maggia from behind the scenes, getting Carlie Cooper and her long lost dead dad caught up in the mix. Not liking Carlie's new hairdo. Meanwhile Evil Aunt May makes the rounds some more giving Harry Osborn and the Reilly clan a nice tongue lashing. AntiMay (as Slott has called her) is starting to grow on me.:heart:

 

[Dread]

Haha. But, by your standards, I'll be the bigger sucker. I bought both covers of this title! OH, well...I'll be in line come March to get my issue #1 signed by Brubaker. (He only lives 10 minutes from the Seattle Convention Center, so it's no problem for him to make it to this event. I expect he'll be seated right next to Bendis again, who lives in the next state, Oregon.)

Getting it signed is fine. You bought the suckers, may as well get one or both signed if you get the chance.

I would agree it makes you a bigger sucker than I with REBORN. Like I'm a first degree sucker and you'd be second degree. Or something.

Bendis lives in Oregon? No wonder he has no clue how people talk in New York.

No clue?

Yes.

How people talk?

Yes.

In New York?

Yes.

People?

Yes.

Lives in Oregon?

Lives in Oregon.

Insert pithy line here.

Captain America Reborn #6 - Add me to the list of folks unimpressed with the conclusion of the return of Steve Rogers. Now that I have fully read all of Reborn all I can say is (schedule mishap aside), Why did this need to be stretched out another issue? This whole issue was paper thin as far as story goes. The Cap/Skull mind battle lasted 2 seconds, the Big Skull was cartoonish and unnecessary, it was just a lot of wasted pages. Not all of it was bad however as there were quite a few memorable moments. Steve/Bucky racing into action, Steve yelling orders to the Avengers for the first time in forever, Steve's surprise when he learns of Norman Osborn and "his" Avengers. I just think that instead of the action, I would have rather seen more dialogue between Steve and Bucky and especially Steve and Falcon. I love the idea of Sin becoming the next Red Skull.

So overall Cap Reborn is just ok. Started out very strong, had a real bad schedule screw up, and lost steam at the end. It will most likely be a slight blemish on Brubaker's stellar run with Cap. If you want to read a kick-ass Cap reborn story check out Waid and Garney's Operation: Rebirth, a great Cap story that came out at a time when Captain America was in the toilet and made him awesome again. I don't consider myself a sucker though, just a life long Cap fan that will put up with the not so great stuff from time to time. Hey, I stomached Protocide years back!

Brubaker could probably make Protocide work if he wanted to.

And here I thought my REBORN rant would be big and controversial. A pleasant surprise.

 

[runawayboulder]

I'm sure Brubaker could.

Actually, the Protocide concept did work later on in The Truth: Red, White and Black. I'm pretty sure that was well received.

 

[Mike555]

Fantastic Four #575

I decided I better read some of the comics that others are reviewing on here before getting to others I might choose to read before. I'm glad I did, because after my review for this comic, I'm going to go off on a tangent.

This was an interesting issue, featuring the Mole Man asking for assistance from the Fantastic Four with a mysterious underground city originally made by the High Evolutionary. Hickman has done a decent job linking his story with F4 stories of the past; like, the appearance of the dead, future Galactus. I like Eaglesham's art, except when it comes to how he draws Reed. It seems as if this stand-alone story will have future impact in this book, and can't wait to see that. Hickman is doing a good job dropping all these little clues throughout the issues, hinting at some good things to come.

Ok, now my tangent. It's great to see the fanmail at the end of the issue, and I love that Hickman is printing negative mail, also. The comic in question is issue #574, where Val calls her brother a "******," and two letter writers took exception to this remark as being insensitive to those children with disabilities. After some explanation (i.e. "she is super-intelligent...however, emotionally and psycholigically, she remains a toddler...she's mostly id") he basically explains "It's just how kids talk."

Now, I have two kids, one who is 14, a boy, and has autism, and the other is my 7 year old girl. I'm not sure how his kids are, but mine simply do not use many of these terms, like ******. And, while that may be a case of my older boy having a disability, I don't think that's it. Kids I meet today have a better understanding of what certain words mean, and are much more accepting of others who are different than them, ESPECIALLY those in elementary school. Now, if Hickman was showing a Junior High, I might be more willing to say that kids can be a bit more cruel. But, I don't see a gal as young as Val, and as intelligent with equally intelligent parents, saying it and being allowed to say it. (If I heard my kid use that term, there would be a talking to.)

So, sorry, but I don't buy his explanation. I can see why he felt it appropriate; but, nope, I cannot see Val Richards calling someone a ******.

Ok, rant and tangent is over!

Guardians Of The Galaxy #22

It's no secret I've been disgusted with this comic since the big kill-off; but, things have been getting better and I've been putting my grudge behind me. After the final page of this issue, I'm SO back on board!!! Abnett is in my good graces again, and I can't wait for the next dang issue to come out! That one page might make this my favorite comic of the week. I wasn't expecting it, and it totally changed my feelings for this book.

Now, the whole Moondragon/pregnancy with a parasite thing is kind of gross to look at. In fact, poor Moondragon has been getting totally screwed in the Marvel Universe for the past couple years, with turning into a dragon, dying, coming back to life, losing her lover, and having to have this thing inside her. Can't Abnett give her a little love???

Secret Warriors #12

This is just the oddest title...and, I love it! There is so much happening, as we switch from person to person, event to event, and even going back and forth in time...if you haven't been following this book from the beginning, you'd be so very confused. Heck, sometimes I'm confused still! So much is going on, I'm not even going to explain what happens in this issue.

This title doesn't move at a very fast pace. For example, the one scene with Fury involves him in a meeting with three people who are working at different areas in his Secret Warriors, letting them tell the other what their purpose is in that division. And, that's it. There story goes no further. This book is filled with short scene cutting to another short scene, all of which is suppose to come together in the end, I guess. It's interesting, though; and, I find myself eagerly awaiting the next issue.

Green Lantern #50

Ok, I see everyone bragging about how great this issue is...but, I take one BIG exception with it!!!

I have a comic book pet peeve: I HATE when the cover of a comic totally gives away the end of a comic. And, what does this issue do? It gives away that at the end of the issue, Hal Jordan is going to be Parallax once again. Now, sure, to some this might not be much of a surprise; especially considering this is the 50th issue of Green Lantern, and if memory serves me correct, the same thing happened in the 50th issue of Green Lantern's second series...but, I would have been slightly shocked. So, while this is a very good issue, I have to take away some big points for this idiotic decision to have the spoiler revealed on the damn cover!!!

BTW, I'm not a big Spectre fan...and, this issue just took me back to Infinite Crisis, where we had The Spectre running wild and attacking the heroes in that event. Come on, do we need to see this again??? That's my other complaint about this event; DC and Johns are really trying to do too much with all these Earthly heroes and villians, all the while the dang tie-ins keep telling the same story over and over again.

Yes, it's a good issue. But, personally, parts of it rubbed me the wrong way.

I have a younger brother who has autism.I'm getting my books tommorow.

 

[Themanofbat]

TSoB has autism as well... high functioning... so he comes off as somewhat "normal" except for the social miscues...