Bought/Thought September 2nd, 2009 - SPOILERS

[Tron Bonne]

Thor showed up last in, I believe, #3, where Iron Man tried and failed to mend fences with him. So the renewal of their friendship is definitely one of the things Fraction has been wanting to build to.

Do you mean Thor #3?

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

No he showed up in Invincible as well.

 

[Tron Bonne]

He did? I don't remember that, I think I got Invincible up until about issue 5. What exactly happened?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

They both attend a funeral. Can't remember whose now. Anyway, Iron Man expressed an interest in burying the hatchet. Thor rejected the offer and cracked Tony's armor with a tap of his hammer.

So "Stark Disassembled" starts in #20? I'll pick it up starting with that issue, I guess.

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Wasn't that Janet's funeral?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Possibly. I feel like Secret Invasion couldn't have ended that long ago, though.

 

[Keyser Soze]

No, Ezekial Stane wiped out the premiere superhero team of, I think, the Philippines. A bunch of superheroes turned up to the service to pay their respects.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, that's what it was. One of the team members was a fellow weather goddess and Thor stopped by to pay his respects. Iron Man tried to be all chummy and talk to Thor and Thor basically told him to piss off.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

That was actually a pretty funny scene.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I enjoyed it. Especially the fact that Thor cracked Tony's armor just to drive his point home.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

And that Tony was thinking "YOU MOTHER****ER" when he did it.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Wow, I don't know how I don't remember that. Hasn't been that long ago, and it seems like a funny enough scene

 

[Sloth7d]

I have to amend my Buffy review. After thinking about it for a bit I have to say that I'm really, really not on board with the whole [blackout]Xander/Dawn[/blackout] thing. [blackout]Look, age ain't nothing but a number and I realize they're both adults and yada yada blah, but there's got to be some kind of no-go boundary for someone you've once babysat. And it isn't even like a thing where they're apparently totally good for each other and have never really noticed, etc etc; on the contrary, this has got to take some kind of cake or muffin or starchy food for having the least ****ing chemistry in a 'verse with a medium-size list of chemistry-less attractions.[/blackout] We're talking a possible worse than Cordelia/Connor here, people.

And I'm sure Whedon/Espensen knows this and put it in especially for the squick and discomfort, and I'm reasonably certain they don't actually expect anyone to be supporting this, so...in that case, mission accomplished, team. Still, I can't in good faith give a score that high to an issue that contains something I dislike so much, even if the rest of it was good.

So, amend that score to a (6.2 out of 10). A full two-point deduction.

Nothing will be worse than CordyConner, and I'll never forget the horrible things Whedon had done to poor Cordy near the end of Angel.

 

[BrianWilly]

Okay yeah, maybe not worse, but give it a few issues..

I didn't read the issue yet, but I've always thought those two would be perfect for each other a few years later. This is logical, even in a "who else is there" way.

Dude. [blackout]He babysat her[/blackout]. I like to think I'm pretty open-minded about these kinds of things, but I'm pretty sure the entire point of the whole thing is to make people uncomfortable and squicked out.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Okay yeah, maybe not worse, but give it a few issues..
Dude. [blackout]He babysat her[/blackout].

That's how I meet all my dates.

 

[Dread]

Average week for comics to kick off September, and an all Marvel week at that! The first all-Marvel week in a while. As always, spoilers are unleaded.

Dread's Bought/Thought for 9/2/09:

AGENTS OF ATLAS #10: The big story here is this book's announced cancellation. AoA #8 in July sold below the Top 100 at 20.5k; issue #7 the SAME MONTH was 23k; which means a 3,000 reader drop in under four weeks. Not even months that saw two issues ship saw a stoppage of sales decline. Unlike with other launches, Marvel genuinely tried with this one. They allowed some four years to pass between the mini and now, to build demand. They kept the franchise alive with sporadic one-shot tales, including two that were in SECRET INVASION material. They launched this ongoing in full DARK REIGN swing and had house ads for it in every Marvel book for ages. In addition to, of course, the obligatory Newsarama article. They tried harder with this than CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 or some other sadly canceled-too-soon titles of years past. Unfortunately, that was not enough; the debut was not especially great, and even shipping ahead of schedule didn't help. The good news is that it isn't the end for the agents. After this story wraps, they will have a 2-part mini series with the X-Men from October-November. They then will be a back-up strip for INCREDIBLE HERCULES, another brilliant but poor selling book that Marvel is trying to boost. (Incredible Hercules sold barely above 29k in July in the Top 70, but sometimes fluctuates between 28k and 31k depending on the cover, so it isn't falling quite as fast as this book did). Hopefully that union helps both franchises. There's even a vague hint of that when Namora mentions to Venus that she misses Hercules and regrets parting his company "on bad terms". She has a heart after all.

The only other minor note is that Panosian is given cover credit for art in this issue but aside for a pic of his from last issue on the recap, the entire book is drawn by series regular Gabe Hardman (back from story-boarding, apparently). At any rate, this issue continues the "Terror of the Jade Claw" story from last issue and keeps things moving as one would expect. This is more of a set-up issue than the last, but there still is enough motion and quirky character lines and action to keep things flowing. It's more essential than some past issues of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, to be honest. A bit happens in 22 pages.

Jimmy Woo's old flame Suwan is now the Jade Claw, running a rival organization to Atlas called "The Great Wall" in China. Apparently Atlas and Wall had a truce, one that Woo naively broke by visiting her; something his dragon adviser, Mr. Lao, may have wanted. Unlike Woo and his Agents, Suwan hardly has altruistic motives and is starting to make her move to destroy them via raiding their supply shipments. The agents themselves suffered quite a bruising to save Woo last issue and are regrouping in various ways, from acupuncture to Ken Hale trying to get some mad-scientist style add-on's for M-11. Apparently he was part of an entire M-class of robots, the glitch of the line, really, one that Suwan has continued up to M-21. Although silent, M-11 is hardly one to take this lying down. This is the robot that wanted to kick Wolverine's ass for 50 years, after all. Bob is busy trying to fix his space-ship and meet everyone's tech demands, while it seems the REAL goddess Venus is becoming irritated at a "siren" using her name and likeness. Lao discusses the nature of dragon/human relations and seems to know Suwan's dragon, "Yao. When the agents show up to protect a diamond mine of Atlas', the Jade Claw attacks. The issue ends with M-11 sporting more hi-tech guns and robot add-on's than THE IRON GIANT and RAMBO combined. This is one robot that doesn't spend all his time complaining about being unable to fit in or feel stuff; M-11 is all action.

We also have an excellent Dan Johnson cover; I've missed his covers since DC canceled BLOODHOUND way back when.

It is sadly unsurprising that AGENTS OF ATLAS was unable to find an audience, but I can't complain too much. Marvel gave it a go. I would have happily bought another 6-issue mini, and instead I'll have gotten 12 more issues and an inevitable back-up strip. Throw in some of those one-shots and it's about 20 issues of material or so, which isn't bad for most new franchises these days. An AGENTS OF ATLAS OMNIBUS at some point could be a must-buy for many. Instead, readers flock to DARK AVENGERS or DARK X-MEN.

Hardman's art is solid as usual. The fact that this series is AHEAD of schedule is not something so easily dismissed; by all rights this should be issue seven, and no one would complain. Instead it is the 10th, thanks to a rotating but steady art team. It's a shining example to those books that can't ever seem to meet a schedule, such as THOR. One of those titles in which the only negative thing one can think of is that it's days as a solo title are numbered.

GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #2: Or GHOST RIDER #37, basically. This is a mini that allows Jason Aaron a final 6 issues to finish out his GHOST RIDER run for an extra buck. There are 1970's reprints in the back to help up the page count and justify the price, but Marvel's not fooling anyone. This was another low selling title that went the route of the mini to wrap up a run. Unlike last issue, this one has both Ghost Riders in it, so the title is accurate. Roland Boschi continues his work, and while there is some sign of rush, his pencils are a marked improvement from Huat, who finished up the ongoing run (mostly). The crux of things is that God has been overthrown from the throne of Heaven by the evil Angel Zadkiel, and the heroes lost. Even if, well, no Marvel heroes seemed to care about a non-pagan or currently worshiped god aside for Ghost Rider. That's not Aaron's fault. Winning Heaven currently isn't enough for Zad; he wants to eliminate the Anti-Christ to have total control over the Apocalypse, too. Therefore, he's sent various agents to kill him. The Anti-Christ is a nasty Tim Burton style brat with a silly name who works in the banking industry. Timely.

Sister Sara and Johnny Blaze haven't given up hope yet, and seek to protect the brat. Hellstorm, Son of Satan and former DEFENDER (and potential "Hair Club for Men" member if his new design sticks) wants to kill the kid, but for his own reasons. His demonic ex, Jaine Cutter, also wants to protect the kid. And a league of new and old Ghost Rider enemies, including Blackout, Deacon, a new Orb, and now Vengeance, are assembling to make sure the flaming skull can't muck things up. Everyone got that? It seems complicated but it manages to fit together and keep the chapters tense.

As things come to a head in New York, Dan Ketch appears and has his own agenda. Using Master Pandemonium, who's had a rough year (only kind of deserves to), Ketch dials Satan and apparently makes a new deal with him. In exchange for protecting the Anti-Christ, Satan will literally give the Ghost Riders the key to Heaven to have a showdown with Zad. And of course, for Ketch's soul. This sounds like some terrible out of character thing until you remember that Dan Ketch literally ended his 90's series by BEING RULER OF HELL. While Blaze seemed to always regret some of the damned choices he made in the occult, Ketch was more willing to embrace them to get what he wants. Blaze and Sara had zero plan to get to Zadkiel before and Ketch at least hands them one. Anyone who complains about the guy who added black studded spikes to Ghost Rider's design acting a bit aggressive really needs a little perspective. Of course, I say that as someone who always found Blaze and Ketch a bit interchangable in temperament; all Blaze had for him was being older. The way Aaron has set it up, Blaze struggles more with his dark side while Ketch is more willing to embrace it to get what he wants. The downside of course is that is what helped Zadkiel manipulate Ketch, and for all we know Satan could be doing the same. But considering Blaze and Sara had no options besides pummeling Zadkiel's flunkies for information, they're hardly going to complain. And unlike Spider-Man, who also is privvy to making deals with the devil, Ketch at least doesn't deny what he is doing.

Aaron also gets in some biting interplay between Hellstorm and Jaine. It certainly has been a while since THE LAST DEFENDERS; it seems MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 or 4 took a bite out of Hellstorm. Then again he always has a knack of going crazy for years at an end. Every character has a voice and there's some dark comedy mixed in with the supernatural action.

Jason Aaron's pulled this title from the mire that Daniel Way left it in and easily could have botched it or further complicated trying to rework Way's retcon. Instead he's turned GHOST RIDER into his own opus with a combination of superhero action with 70's style horror comics with a modern B-movie action style. It's an exciting guilty pleasure almost every month, which is why I have stuck around to finish the trail. Hopefully the showdown is worth it in the end.

IMMORTAL WEAPONS #2: Shipping about a week behind schedule (according to Diamond) and thus missing August, this continues with the stop-gap mini between the last Iron Fist title and, in theory, a relaunch. It offers a 28 page lead story about Bride of Nine Spiders and a 6 page back up that continues a tale of Iron Fist from the old creative team of Swiercynski and Foreman.

Cullen Bunn and Dan Brereton handle the lead story, with 3 inkers behind them, indicating some possible rush. A look at the Bride's mother is shown and the nature of Earth's contact with her realm. Apparently men of hubris attempt to woo the spider-women, and they usually end up just eating him in return. In modern times a bored weathy man manages to win one of her ancient spiders at auction and analyze the "song" it makes to imprison the Bride. A rival socialite, seeking to bury the terrible curse, hires a generic team of thieves to reclaim the spider, and they end up right in the middle of the Bride's web. It reads very much like a horror story more than an origin story. Bunn perhaps wanted to leave Bride of 9 Spiders with some mystery to her, which is probably how she works best; a lesson Marvel has subsequently failed to grasp with Wolverine. It's not a bad story, but a little plodding in moments and doesn't feel essential. Of course, most of the Immortal Weapons aside for Fat Cobra or Green Mist are going to feel obligatory, only as strong as whatever creative team's solo issue.

The back-up strip is very brief, and continues the urban tale of Iron Fist and one of his troubled students, the daughter of a crook Danny once locked up, chasing her kidnapped brother from other thugs. It isn't a bad story but frankly it seems beneath Iron Fist. He's never going to get the rep he deserves if he's always just fighting canon fodder HYDRA flunkies or ghetto gang bangers. While it's in character for Rand to "stick to his roots", he needs to overcome a higher class of enemy. Imagine if Batman never did much in the JLA besides say 1-2 lines every 1-2 issues and provide a paid pad, and never fought anyone beyond street muggers in his own stories. That's almost the rut Rand faces. Considering Sabretooth of all people once debuted in his book, there's little excuse. Even Constrictor has moved onto bigger fare (he used to be Creed's partner).

Overall, not a bad issue, but hardly one of the best. Middling in general. At the very least, you get over 30 pages of story with few ads for your money.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #17: It sure didn't take Marvel long to brag about this title winning an EISNER award on the cover. Granted, DC wasted no time with doing that with EVERY cover of ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. And much like A-SS, this title won the award almost by technicality. While this is a solid book, it won as "best new series" of 2008, and it was hardly a "new series" in general. It was a relaunch of IRON MAN, which at the time was finishing out it's run before itself morphing into a WAR MACHINE series (which was critically panned and canceled). Most would probably agree that a "new series" Eisner award should be given to either a series that is genuinely new, or a relaunch of something that has been gone for some time. Of course, 2008 was Iron Man's year, with the movie and all. In the end, an Eisner is like an Oscar; it doesn't matter for what or why someone wins one, but that one wins one.

At any rate, Fraction & Larroca continue their "WORLD'S MOST WANTED" story, which for the record reaches it's 10th issue. Not all of them were as suspenseful as others, with some moments almost artificially meant to prolong things (such as Black Widow refusing to believe Maria Hill for an entire issue with something that was, in the realm of black ops for a former Commie spy who has deliberately dated a man whose girlfriends are all killed by Bullseye, was hardly unreasonable). The last few issues, overall, though, have improved on this. Fraction I believe is trying to capture the success of Ed Brubaker's CAPTAIN AMERICA with a long, drawn out storyline (and lord knows Brubaker has dragged some CA things out for some two years, or four if you buy all his bleating about "oh, I planned REBORN since the womb"). While Fraction did work alongside Brubaker for IMMORTAL IRON FIST, he hasn't captured Brubaker's ability to make every chapter of a 24-36 issue story seem flowing and eventful in itself. This one, however, pulls that off.

In this issue, Madame Masque has seemingly killed Pepper Potts, and brought her armor in for Osborn's flunkies. Stark has escaped to Afghanistan, and with his mind slowly going FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON style, he is reduced to having to listen to engineering textbooks on CD. He also sends Hill an email, that ends up tipping off HAMMER to her and Widow as they try to contact Captain America. Fraction mostly has a ball with Norman Osborn, as he gives a lecture while almost strangling someone.

It's little surprise that Potts is unlikely to be dead. She either is still inside the armor, or is pretending to be Masque. Marvel doesn't have the stones to kill her so soon before IRON MAN 2, and besides, she's key to the cast. If CAPTAIN AMERICA shows us anything, it is that even a cadaver can be faked.

Much like Brubaker's CA, Fraction has turned this into an ensemble book. It's about more than Stark, but Potts, Hill, even Osborn as well. And while D'Armata's colors always help Larroca's pencils, he's now done 17 issues without much lateness or need for a break; that alone is a feat these days for anyone who isn't John Romita Jr. or Mark Bagley. I am curious how long he can keep it up. He's given the book a look all it's own. I am not sure Tony Stark losing his intelligence is the best move for a hero widely expected to be a genuis, but it is at least giving him his best "moment of clarity" since he stopped drinking (heavily). It will be another couple of issues before this wraps, and hopefully it will be worth all the build up.

THE TORCH #1: To be honest, half the reason I bought this is because I am doing reviews for Examiner now and on weeks when I only have 3-4 books, it feels lazy to try to pick a trio that are worthy of being "picks", especially during a week when none of the books coming out are especially my favorites (beyond AGENTS OF ATLAS and to some degree GHOST RIDER). The other half was because of Mike Carey and curiosity. It's written by Mike Carey and Alex Ross (I suspect Carey probably does more of the day to day writing, such as the script, but Ross is the big name so he is credited first), with a cover by Ross and interior art by Pat Berkenkotter and colors by Carlos Lopez. It's an eight issue mini, it's $4 a pop because Marvel feels that is fair, and to be honest it is a mixed bag. It's not bad at all, but I am unsure if it is brilliant enough to pay $4 an issue for it on anything but a slow comic week.

It borrows a vague element from CAPTAIN AMERICA with the buried andriod Human Torch but I am curious if it branches from AVENGERS/INVADERS that just ended and I didn't read. Toro, a.k.a. Tom Raymund is back, having apparently been "wished" back by the Cosmic Cube (a classic 60's Maguffin/baloney plot device) and has the original Vision (and I mean the original, 1940's, other-dimensional cop version) floating around him like his own caped Jiminy Cricket. There's a page or two detailing this return but it seems quite rushed so I am assuming it happened elsewhere. At any rate, while Tom is having trouble adjusting to being out of his time and having his life stolen to him and chooses to drink, Mad Thinker (or just Thinker, having listened to the PC Police) is on a new scheme. He's setting out on a new project involving the android Torch for A.I.M., but Tom wants revenge against the Thinker, who killed him way back in SUB MARINER #14, circa 1969. Unfortunately, he is beaten by Thinker rather quickly and is a cog in his new experiment with the Torch.

I like the idea of Toro being back, even if it was quickly summarized from another 12 issue mini I didn't read (and I doubt I was alone). Too few of Marvel's Golden Agers are kicking and they could always use a JSA style presence. I am just unsure if this is worth another $28 investment on my part to continue it at this time. This is a perfect example of me probably sticking with it if this was still $3 an issue (or, going way back to, gasp, 2005, $2.50 an issue), but at $4 per it has to either be something I have pre-existing interest in or is the most brilliant ****ing thing on Earth (or the month) to get me to blindly invest. It's in solid "meh" material as of this issue; it's hardly bad, but it is shy of exceptional for me. ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL got off to a better start, and that was only 5 issues, not eight. It's not the most brilliant thing of the month, or even the week.

I don't regret giving it a try, but I've not yet decided to continue with another bite. If the second issue comes out on a week when I get 3-4 books, it'll be another "maybe". If not, then I'll...pass THE TORCH.

I know, that was terrible.

 

[Tron Bonne]

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #17: It sure didn't take Marvel long to brag about this title winning an EISNER award on the cover. Granted, DC wasted no time with doing that with EVERY cover of ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. And much like A-SS, this title won the award almost by technicality.

I understand what you mean with Iron Man, but how was A-SS like that? Was there another series titled that once?

 

[Dread]

I understand what you mean with Iron Man, but how was A-SS like that? Was there another series titled that once?

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN won an EISNER for "Best Ongoing Series". It was not an ongoing series. It was always intended as a 12 issue mini (or maxi) series. It simply was delayed to the point of shipping across two years. And it didn't have "of Twelve" on the cover. Therefore, it was apparently technically considered an ongoing series according to rules or whoever runs Eisners, or the Eisner committee never demanded a clarification from DC when A-SS was nominated for the award (they trusted DC at the cover, basically, because comic companies are always honest on the covers of comics as to content and intentions. Always, always, always ). The issue for some wasn't that it won the Eisner, it was for what category.

Imagine if, say, TRANSFORMERS 2 won an award for "Best Animated Feature", with the logic supposedly being that the Transformers themselves are CGI animation and thus it technically "counts" as an animated film. Many people would disagree and be critical, especially if genuine animated films didn't win.

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN was good enough to warrant an Eisner Award for many; the hiccup was the category. In much the same way, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN has that problem. It may have been "new", as in "just launched" when nominated, but it was a near immediate relaunch of Iron Man, not a new series in a genuine sense. If an Eisner category needs to be made for, "Best Relaunch", maybe it is time for one as relaunches are common. One could argue IIM fit the category more than A-SS, though.

AGENTS OF ATLAS, to be blunt, would've fit the category better. It is (or was) a new ongoing series. The franchise is new. It's a sequel to a 4 year old mini series but it's hardly a relaunch of a 40+ year old franchise that has been in print in one form or another since the mid 1960's, launched as the SERIES IT WAS REPLACING WAS STILL ON SHELVES WITH NEW ISSUES.

But, Eisners are like any awards like Oscars and name power does have some pull. Much as Superman is a big name and it'd garner a lot of attention giving a hot selling Superman title an Eisner, so too would Iron Man. It's not a major injustice (like Captain Britain or Agents of Atlas being canned), but something worth mentioning that I read batted around.

 

[GyLocke]

Okay yeah, maybe not worse, but give it a few issues..
Dude. [blackout]He babysat her[/blackout]. I like to think I'm pretty open-minded about these kinds of things, but I'm pretty sure the entire point of the whole thing is to make people uncomfortable and squicked out.

Come on! [blackout]She was waay too old to babysit, but they were all overprotective for her, since they lived in the Hellmouth. That was the whole point. It's not like he changed her diapers. There's not really a huge age difference there. It's not unusual for guys in their twenties date someone around 19. That's not frowned upon. They were the only regular humans, in a group consisting of slayers, witches, vampires etc. and still trying to hold their own when the time comes to fight. They were both burned when "dating the supernatural". It makes sense for me.[/blackout]

 

[Tron Bonne]

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN won an EISNER for "Best Ongoing Series". It was not an ongoing series. It was always intended as a 12 issue mini (or maxi) series. It simply was delayed to the point of shipping across two years. And it didn't have "of Twelve" on the cover. Therefore, it was apparently technically considered an ongoing series according to rules or whoever runs Eisners, or the Eisner committee never demanded a clarification from DC when A-SS was nominated for the award (they trusted DC at the cover, basically, because comic companies are always honest on the covers of comics as to content and intentions. Always, always, always ). The issue for some wasn't that it won the Eisner, it was for what category

Oh, I thought it was meant to be an ongoing, but they ended it early since the delays were atrocious

 

[BrianWilly]

Come on! [blackout]She was waay too old to babysit, but they were all overprotective for her, since they lived in the Hellmouth. That was the whole point. It's not like he changed her diapers. There's not really a huge age difference there. It's not unusual for guys in their twenties date someone around 19. That's not frowned upon. They were the only regular humans, in a group consisting of slayers, witches, vampires etc. and still trying to hold their own when the time comes to fight. They were both burned when "dating the supernatural". It makes sense for me.[/blackout]

I can understand that, but then [blackout]why was it unanimously deemed "icky" when Cordelia slept with Connor? Okay, other than the fact that she was primal evil manipulating him at the time. Cordy and Xander are the same age, and Connor and Dawn are the same age. Five years age difference isn't insurmountable when you're twenty-four and nineteen, I agree, but Xander and Dawn didn't meet when they were twenty-four and nineteen like most couples would. They met in a period where Xander very specifically treated and thought of her as a child. I've always seen his role in her life as very brotherly, or even (gack) fatherly.

And really, Dawn has dated, what, a total of one person ever in her life? Especially considering the events of season 8, I don't think she's nearly as emotionally mature as it sometimes seems. If Buffy is cookie dough, then Dawn is barely dough. It's just a trainwreck waiting to tumble all over itself.

Plus, it probably means she's gonna die now. Xander's penis is only slightly less poisonous than Kyle Rayner's.[/blackout]

 

[GyLocke]

I can understand that, but then [blackout]why was it unanimously deemed "icky" when Cordelia slept with Connor? Okay, other than the fact that she was primal evil manipulating him at the time. Cordy and Xander are the same age, and Connor and Dawn are the same age. Five years age difference isn't insurmountable when you're twenty-four and nineteen, I agree, but Xander and Dawn didn't meet when they were twenty-four and nineteen like most couples would. They met in a period where Xander very specifically treated and thought of her as a child. I've always seen his role in her life as very brotherly, or even (gack) fatherly.

And really, Dawn has dated, what, a total of one person ever in her life? Especially considering the events of season 8, I don't think she's nearly as emotionally mature as it sometimes seems. If Buffy is cookie dough, then Dawn is barely dough. It's just a trainwreck waiting to tumble all over itself.

Plus, it probably means she's gonna die now. Xander's penis is only slightly less poisonous than Kyle Rayner's.[/blackout]

Connor and Cordy was icky for a whole different reason. She DID change her diapers and she had something going on with his father before. She was basically his mom. [blackout]Xander was never a father figure. He was her first crush. Didn't Xander penis only kill Anya?[/blackout]

 

[yenaled]

Oh, I thought it was meant to be an ongoing, but they ended it early since the delays were atrocious

It was meant to be an ongoing - Morrison was only going to stay for 12 issues though. But DC decided to end the All Star line after them.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Fraction mostly has a ball with Norman Osborn, as he gives a lecture while almost strangling someone.

That was probably one of my favourite panels of the issue, the hands closing in around the throat while he has this casual conversation. It nicely highlighted how, in spite of all his power and the position he currently holds, he is still just a lowdown street-level nutjob at heart.

 

[Sloth7d]

Connor and Cordy was icky for a whole different reason. She DID change her diapers and she had something going on with his father before. She was basically his mom. [blackout]Xander was never a father figure. He was her first crush. Didn't Xander penis only kill Anya?[/blackout]

Plus, she was pretty much raped since that relationship wasn't of her own volition, and iirc she was experiencing everything that was happening to her while she was possessed.