The Amazing ThoughtBot Thread 6-29-11

[JewishHobbit]

Let's compute some reviews... shall we?

Okay, light week here and I'm not even going to read one of the issues I bought for a few weeks. That's Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #11, since it takes place after the conclusion to War of the Green Lanterns which doesn't come out for another couple of weeks. So I'm just storing that one for a rainy day.

As for the rest:

Batman Incorporated #7 - I'll tell you what, I was bored with this title until I actually got caught up on my Morrison backissues and read them all in order. Now I actually get who these characters are that keep showing up and it makes it much better. Not spectacular, but better.

In this issue we get a lot of focus on a couple more of the League of Heroes (I think that was their name) and it's a fun issue. Nothing major happens but I was entertained. I feel like this 10 issue "season" of Batman Inc. is just setting up the next "season" which starts in January and wraps up Morrison's epic run on the Batman franchise.

If I was still just reading this starting from Battle for the Cowl like before I might have considered dropping it, but having read his run now from the beginning I'm invested and enjoying the larger scope of the story. Bring it on.

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6 - I'm going to have to say that this was the best issue on this title to date. Not only do we get the X-Men and X-Factor in this issue, but we're starting to reverse M-Day now (one mutant at a time) starting with Rictor! He gets his powers back and it seems like the X-Men line can start their repowering now. Yippieeee!!!

Also lot of good continuity references, such as Beast's time during Endangered Species, Hawkeye's finding Wanda (and realizing he slept with a Doombot), the origins of the recent X-Factor, and of course, Disassembled. I liked also that we got Scott Lang back from the dead officially and that Wanda and her sons finally united.

I really enjoyed this issue and I look forward to the more X-Men centric portion next issue.

Uncanny X-Men #539 - How funny is it that I read this entire issue thinking it was an issue of Generation Hope

Anyhow, this deals with Wolverine's problems with Hope and when she is kidnapped by a semi-classic X-Villain, the Crimson Commando (who I LOVED seeing by the way), Wolverine is the X-Man who comes to save her. In the end we learn that he's not shady with her due to Nightcrawler's death, as would have been expected, but because he fears that Hope will go the way of Dark Phoenix and that he'll have to be the one to do the "deed" of putting a stop to her... something that's easier done if he hasn't formed a connection.

It ended up being a pretty good done-in-one issue (something not seen much these days) and I really enjoyed it. I also liked this Ibraim Roberson guy's art. It reminded me of Olivetti but less blocky. I know I've seen it before but can't recall where, but I loved it here. I'd like to see him get on fulltime in one of the books I read but the style looks like he'd be slow. Maybe rotate him with Olivetti somewhere. The styles are similar enough it'd look great all the way through.

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #4 - Yeah, this whole mini pretty much felt pointless. It's basically setting up for Schism by letting you get to know the main leaders of the team: Magneto, Xavier, Wolverine, and Cyclops. If you already know about these characters and their origins then this is all very boring and old news.

The only thing that's new here is this: something very dangerous is coming to Utopia that the X-Men likely won't survive and the X-Men are making a stand. The first half of that we learned in the first couple pages of the first issue and the last part we learned in one page of last issue. So we got about 3 or 4 pages of story in 4 issues. The rest was retreaded old info.

So yeah, thank God this mini is over, bring on the (hopefully) good stuff.


And that's it... just four issues this week (not counting Emerald Warriors).

Best and Worst of the Week

Best: Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6 - This was close with Uncanny X-Men but I just really liked this issue and seeing the repowering of mutants is something I've been waiting for for a long time. And it was just good in my opinion.

Worst: X-Men: Prelude to Schism #4 - Boring issue. It was a nice recap of Wolverine's history from Origin and Weapon X but that's really about it. Fortunately, it was only $3 an issue and not $4. That would have even made it worse. Or even worse than that, I'm glad they didn't just cut and past panels and story form older comics for this mini like they've done in other oneshots over the past few years.

 

[Roughneck]

Where did Morrison's Batman run start and what does it encompass?

I believe I'll pick thems up.

CHildrens crusade too now that there are six issues

 

[runawayboulder]

I just hope the events in Children's Crusade aren't a swerve.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Where did Morrison's Batman run start and what does it encompass?

In readable order:

The First Act:

Batman 655-658
Batman 663-675 (there's a crossover in there, the Ressurection of Ra's Al Ghul, and issue 663 is written in prose (novel) and is easily skipable.)
DC Universe 0
Batman 676-681.

The Second Act: (the complete Morrison Final Crisis)

Final Crisis 1-3
Superman Beyond 3D 1-2
Batman 682
Final Crisis Submit
Final Crisis 4
Batman 683
Final Crisis 5-7

The Third Act:

Batman & Robin 1-9
The Return of Bruce Wayne 1
Batman 701-702
Batman & Robin 10-12
The Return of Bruce Wayne 2-6
Batman & Robin 13-16

Batman 700 (can really be read anywhere in this Act or skipped entirely. I recommend placing it after Batman & Robin 9)

The Fourth Act:

Batman: The Return
Batman Incorporated 1-7 (up to date)

There's another 3 issues in this volume of Batman Inc. and another volume of I think 12 issues starting in January and that'll wrap up Morrison's run. He's kinda been all over the place so I thought I'd put it all in the best reading order I could to help you out. I divided it up in what I see as being "acts" of importance, though Morrison does a crappy job bridging those gabs between them. The awkward ending of the first Act and the beginning of the second act in Final Crisis doesn't flow at all and is explained later during the third act, so be aware of that. Batman dies in the end of Final Crisis and then in Batman & Robin Nightwing is now Batman. Morrison never really handles the shift. If you want that story read Battle for the Cowl 1-3 (written by Daniels) and/or Batman 687 (written by Winnick). I personally like just reading Batman 687 without BftC because BftC begins storylines for Daniel's run on Batman that Morrison never touches. Batman 687 is a nice solo issue that bridges the gap between Final Crisis and Batman & Robin very well.

Hope that helps. As far as trades, I don't buy them so I don't know how they're collected.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Not really new to this week, but I finally got a copy of Batman: Son of the Demon, and gotta say it was a pretty good read. If I was in charge of DC Animated, I'd put this up as the next DCA movie. WITH the complete animated series cast (I thought the casting there was perfect as is, no need to bring in ringers unless someone didn't want to do it).

 

[Dread]

The last week of June is here, and so are the final spoilers!

DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 6/29/11:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #664: This is AMAZING SPIDER-MAN's first foray back into the top of the heap since Christos Gage subbed for regular writer Dan Slott for a couple of issues. The irony is that while Slott is constantly heralded as the solo writer of ASM since BIG TIME started, he has often had co-writing help of late. Many issues this year were co-written by Fred Van Lente. This issue is co-written by Gage, who has often collaborated with Slott on AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE and MIGHTY AVENGERS material. It wraps up the two-part arc which brings up "The Ghost Of Jean DeWolfe" as well as features the return of Anti-Venom (Eddie Brock's new mantle) and wraps up a long running subplot with Mr. Negative - a new Asian mobster that Slott introduced into the Spidey mythos back when BRAND NEW DAY started in January 2008. Giuseppe Camuncoli draws the 27 page lead story, with Klaus Janson on inks and Matt Hollingsworth on colors. The last issue was naturally the first part of this tale, and was sold at the top of the month.

Anti-Venom has a problem; he is the only one who knows that Mr. Negative is really the kind philanthropist Martin Li, who has launched a crusade against homelessness across the city - including the soup kitchen run by May Parker. Li is actually a character similar to Two-Face in that he has two personalities - one of them being a noble, kind healer, and the other being a vicious gangster with magic swords. Rather than being triggered by a coin flip or anger, though, the personality switch seems to occur at random intervals; Mr. Negative often rules at night, but can occasionally manifest some of himself (but not his powers) in day time. Given that Eddie Brock has a reputation as a violently insane vigilante (at best), he can't get Spider-Man or anyone else to believe him, and is intent on fighting Mr. Negative alone. In the meanwhile, a new masked vigilante named Wraith is scaring criminals everywhere, and while she claims to be the literal ghost of murdered police captain Jean DeWolfe, Peter Parker's clever CSI girlfriend Carlie sees another scenario as being possible. The last subplot that featured Carlie Cooper getting more panel time was a misfire, teasing about getting a Green Goblin tattoo. This subplot is actually much stronger, and shows that she has enough moxie to stand on her own when it comes to crime fighting. In fact, the ending seems to show that it may be Peter who continues to have trust issues. It is a cute moment in which all of the mysterious angles behind Wraith that Carlie seems to take great care into investigating and explaining to the audience, Spider-Man has figured out in about two panels - good to show his intellect in ways beyond inventing a gadget.

This issue has a lot of action in it's finale which Camuncoli draws brilliantly. While Mr. Negative's story is not over by a long shot, his racket will never be the same. Other characters, such as Phil Urich and May herself, also get some material to play with (as well as the always rambunctious J. Jonah Jameson). Eddie Brock, whether as Venom or Anti-Venom, is a character who has certainly been through the ringer since his debut at the end of the 80's. Initially a deranged stalker type of villain, he went on to become an anti-hero who commanded no end of mini-series and guest appearances throughout the 90's. He subsequently fell from grace and once again became a villain, a cancer patient, and a lunatic to varying degrees. Slott (and Gage) have a good angle on Anti-Venom here. He is once again trying to use his alien-derived powers for good as a crime-fighter; however, he still has a screw loose and is very eager to be taken seriously in that role. He is insulted when criminals are afraid of something else at a scene that isn't him, and his eagerness to have Spider-Man accept him as a peer in the superhero community is the crux of this issue. While Eddie retains similar Venom abilities as Anti-Venom, he probably lacks the assuring voice of the symbiote and his "neediness" perhaps plays into that long lost stalker angle. Anti-Venom seems to work as both a serious monster vigilante as well as a self-parody when the story requires either. Given how many 90's era Venom comics took themselves very seriously (despite the character's twisted sense of humor), it is certainly noteworthy that the newest incarnation of the character can hit either beat.

If there is one negative, it is that the mystery of Wraith seems to get wrapped up very quickly. While the subplot of her was brought up now and again in prior issues, and a major clue was dropped back in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #620, it is wrapped up nice and tight now. However, to some this may seem as a story done without decompression. Does every saga have to be 6 issues long? Comics in prior decades solved a mystery within two issues all the time - sometimes even within one. A 3 page back up strip by Slott and Max Fiumara (with dark colors by VC's Caramagna) has Spidey train with Shang Chi once more to compensate for the loss of his Spider-Sense power, but it simply seems to exist to remind you that SPIDER-ISLAND is coming within two issues time. That will be a crossover which will total at 29 comics, which Marvel considers a "mini event" these days. MAXIMUM CARNAGE being a big deal at 14 chapters is something of a bygone relic of crossovers.

At any rate, this was solid, quick ASM saga, and hopefully the next issue follows suit before the latest crossover.

AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #6: While there was a one shot that took place between issues (AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE: YOUNG AVENGERS #1), this is the first issue of this "bimonthly" mini series since the top of April. This is also the first issue since the start that did not feel obligatory; it is the gem of the series thus far. This long belated series sees the reunion of writer Allen Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung (along with Justin Ponsor on colors and three inkers in tow) on the YOUNG AVENGERS for the first time since 2006, and this series has a lot of things to do. Not only does it seek to reunite the creators with their creations, but it seeks to be the first relevant story featuring the YOUNG AVENGERS in 4-5 years as well as resolve the long abandoned subplot of Scarlet Witch and "M-Day" (plot holdovers from 2005). As such, this is an issue in which the characters of the Young Avengers themselves are often lost to the spectacle and the task at hand. Perhaps that is what helps this issue triumph where the last four have failed; it feels as if the story really is heading into significant territory, and that some terrible story angles from the first half of the decade are finally about to be resolved. One of those was the devolving of Scarlet Witch from long time heroine who overcame adversity and tragedy to an insane emotional female who could warp reality to deliver editorial mandates. Namely, "No More Mutants", which was then editor in chief Joe Quesada's personal mandate to "fix" the X-Men line of comics. In practice, it drained the franchise of it's central metaphor (as with too few mutants left, they resembled the Inhumans more than real life minority relations) and no end of X-Men writers have failed to make that line work as well, or sell as well, as Grant Morrison had before it became law. GENERATION HOPE and related stories have sought to undo the depowering of 90% of the world's mutants, and no end of "named" characters from Magneto to Iceman to Chamber to Polaris have overcome being depowered via one plot contrivance after another. Yet no writer has hit the big reset button, probably because such a task was left to Heinberg to handle here. Given that AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE is selling roughly half as well as YOUNG AVENGERS sold in it's prime, this could have been a tactical error in terms of sales. At any rate, this issue has Wanda finally confront the notion that Young Avengers Wiccan and Speed are her long lost children (at least spiritually) and for her to set about to undoing her depowering of mutantkind - one at a time, starting with a member of X-FACTOR. What happens here is actually a fairly major change to one of Peter David's characters in that aforementioned book, and it says a lot that as subplot as major as M-Day is being resolved in a mini such as this, while the main X-Men books at the moment are preparing their SCHISM event, which seeks to ape the general plot of CIVIL WAR - also from 2006. We also have Stature's father being returned to life via time travel shenanigans, and the last minute appearance by the X-Men. The artwork by Cheung is quite awesome, helped to no end by Ponsor's colors. While this story is likely over-long at nine issues, it seems to be hitting it's stride in the final leg. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and not a pleasant bump of goodness in a road of mediocrity.

FF #5: Jonathon Hickman continues his methodical run on the FANTASTIC FOUR franchise, with terrific artist Barry Kitson continuing to fill in for Steve Epting. As great as Epting’s artwork usually is, Kitson’s work is just as worthy of headlining this title. In terms of sales, this relaunch of the FF has been a success. Sure, the “death of Johnny” issue of FANTASTIC FOUR and the debut issue of FF hit the 100k sales barrier – the key is that for the moment, FF is selling almost double what Hickman’s FANTASTIC FOUR run was selling before the “death of Johnny” saga. Fans who are cynical about the constant deaths in comics – especially after vice president of sales at Marvel, David “You Must Have Misquoted Me” Gabriel claimed that Marvel would have “a death every quarter” of a major character to drum up sales - must always be dismayed that it seems to work so often. Given that FANTASTIC FOUR was a franchise nearing C-List level that is once again in the Top 10-20 sellers list, it is hard to argue that this move has been a success. Imagine how much better it would have sold had Spider-Man joined the Four back in 2005 instead of NEW AVENGERS.

At any rate, Hickman chugs along with his long term story arc about the team facing an evil council of cross-dimensional Reed Richards counterparts. In prior issues of FANTASTIC FOUR (as well as DARK REIGN: FANTASTIC FOUR), Reed had built a device called “the Bridge” to access alternate dimensions to look for solutions to the world’s problems. With it, it made contact with a league of his counterparts from other universes who all organized into a council to perform feats of super-science, from healing stars to growing planets. The trade off was that they had all abandoned their families to do so, which “our” Reed was unwilling to do. Reed’s smug super-genius daughter Val, however, felt this was a selfish decision by her father and reached out to the council herself, against his wishes. After the council was destroyed in a war against some Celestials, several of these “alternate Reeds” have come to “our” world, intent on building what they need to return home – and not caring about destroying this earth in the process. To this end, they have made deals with the new Annihilus in the Negative Zone as well as with Mole Man, one of the Fantastic Four’s long term enemies. They have also started a war between several new “lost civilizations” that Hickman had introduced a year or so back. To try to combat this threat, Mr. Fantastic has organized a group of some of his smartest enemies (including Dr. Doom, Diablo, Mad Thinker, and Wizard) to help him outwit his counterparts. The logic of this is rather absurd (why trust your enemies when Mr. Fantastic has plenty of super-smart heroic allies to call on, like Iron Man, Professor X, Dr. Strange, Hank Pym, T’Challa and/or Amadeus Cho), but this issue does not focus on it much.

In fact, this issue’s focus actually spreads across several angles. To a degree this is good, since Hickman often steers most of his focus on Reed and neglects the other members. Invisible Woman, Spider-Man and Alex Power are trying to defend the Lost Atlantis city from one of the “evil Reeds” and Mole Man’s forces – they prove unsuccessful. Furthermore, Susan once again learns that her husband has been keeping something from her, and that his dabbling have once again represented themselves as a threat. The Thing has a heart-to-heart with his long time girlfriend, Alicia Masters (who has often gone ignored of late). And as the cover by former Fantastic Four artist Mark Bagley suggests, the Inhumans and their mobile city Attilan return from space.

One of the major highlights is Kitson’s artwork. It has been some time since he was the regular artist on THE ORDER, and his work is enhanced by the colors of Paul Mounts. He manages to draw Susan in particular a bit better than even Epting usually seems to, which is good since Sue appears a lot in this issue. There’s a decent battle sequence, and it is good to see Alex Power, the eldest of the Power Pack, in action as part of the Foundation team. While Hickman has started to bust out the Four’s “old hits” villains like Doom and Mole Man, he has managed to weave them into a story about a threat even larger than they are.

One of the major demerits of this issue is that Hickman seems to be negating certain character reactions in favor of having his story run smoothly. In this issue, Franklin Richards (as well as his young friends Artie, Leech, and Wizard’s cloned son Bentley) encounters Dr. Doom as well as the group of villains Reed has organized to try to help him solve the problem. Now, this SHOULD be a moment of incredible turmoil for Franklin. Dr. Doom, back during Mark Waid’s run that was only about 6 years ago, literally sent him to Hell (as well as used his baby sister as a familiar). Given that Mr. Fantastic has sought to negate Franklin’s reality-warping powers by deliberately having the power-dampening Leech stick by him at all times, while allowing the younger Val to run wild around his lab merely because her “genius” ability is similar to his own, one would think Franklin would have legitimate sibling rivalry issues. Seeing his father unite with the man who literally sent him to Hell should seem like a further betrayal. Instead, all Hickman seems to do with Franklin is have him pretend to be a childish cowboy with fake guns. Franklin is over 40 years old in real time and in Marvel time has yet to be allowed to reach puberty. Yet I can accept that so long as he reacts in ways that a real character would, instead of being in an endless loop of just being “the token kid” and not going on any sort of character progression. Some readers, as well as a great degree of editors and writers, feel that superheroes who form families that include children are boring and get “slowed down” and “old”. That’s bull. Such things only happen if these new additions don’t come with their own character dynamics, subplots and progression, and merely become talking scenery. Franklin in many ways has become the latter. I could let it go, but Hickman seems to do just the opposite with Val, and occasionally has moments of brilliance with Franklin, so he clearly knows better yet chooses to underwhelm when it comes to this character. That is perhaps more irritating than a writer who merely doesn’t know any better.

Perhaps the central reason why Franklin cannot react in what seems like a natural way is that this would interrupt Hickman’s narrative, which could probably be retitled “MR. FANTASTIC AND THE OTHER THREE” and not be inaccurate. It often irritates X-Men readers when a particular writer seems to favor a particular character on the team over all others and has them not only get the lion’s share of focus, but constructs the entire universe of the comic around them – this has historically happened with Wolverine, Cyclops, or Storm. For stretches of time with the Four, this happened with Ben Grimm/Thing. Since the Waid era, it has happened with Mr. Fantastic, which would be fine accept it has meant that when Reed does something that any normal person, who isn’t his wife or best friend or son, would see as bizarre or disturbing, it instead is ignored in the story. Waid wrote Reed as a devoted father; Hickman often returns him to being an emotionally detached scientist. In this very issue, Susan stumbles upon the fact that Reed, once again, has done something with super-science behind her back that she all but begged him not to do – use the Bridge. One would expect a heated argument where Susan would very much be in the right and perhaps remind Reed that she led the team just fine without him when she’s had to, so just as he used to lecture her brother when he did something stupid or against orders, even HE has to tow the line sometimes. I do not realistically expect this to happen. I expect Reed to apologize, offer some long winded justification or excuse, and Sue to be fine with it and revert back to her role as supporting character. Much as Franklin is stronger when he isn’t merely being “the token kid”, Susan is more interesting when she is more than “supportive wife”. The woman who is bold enough to take no lip from Namor the Sub Mariner allows Reed to run circles around her. Hickman’s entire run on this series has hinged on big ideas with super-science, and that naturally leans towards Reed. However, neglecting the characters around him and have them all merely act as scenery or cheerleaders regardless of his actions or the ramifications of past actions does the story a disservice. It is literally the only thing keeping this B+ run from being an A+, and after about two years on this title, it can be frustrating to see a writer not see such an obvious flaw and shore it up.

This issue succeeds because it has terrific art, a lot of action and actually remembers that there is more than one member of the Fantastic Four or the Future Foundation. It would be marvelous if this was part of a trend. It would be better than marvelous if Hickman realized that other characters could have character conflict with his star, and his star actually be wrong in a situation, without making the story chaotic or tarnishing the star. It would merely make it a more dynamic comic. Wouldn’t that be truly fantastic?

 

[Dread]

Part 2: The Toothy Ones

SUPER-DINOSAUR #3 Or, the 4th issue if you count the "ORIGIN SPECIAL" as the second issue; or, was it just issue #1.5? At any rate, more Dino-Adventures with Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard, the team that bought us ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN and SEA BEAR. In amusing news, the back cover notes that yet another collection of INVINCIBLE is being made, which is now called a COMPENDIUM and collects the first 9 trades. The last massive collection collected about 4-5 trades. At what point will a reprint of INVINCIBLE be so large that it cannot be physically lifted, carried, or read? At any rate, Super-Dinosaur and Derek Dynamo finish their battle with the Exile and Tricerichops in the Arctic and learn that they've been manipulated by Max Maximus into taking out his own rivals. The Exile and Tricerichops flee underwater, to the mobile base of Squidius, who looks as the name implies. Super-Dinosaur gets some new flying gear, Derek is tasked with helping his father fix his own neurological damage, there are some quaint scenes at home base and then another battle and cliffhanger ending.

To a degree, this series is episodic. There are subplots that carry over in every issue, but each issue seems to want to portray a different battle in another locale. This isn't a bad thing by any means; if anything, it acknowledges that younger readers will not tolerate 17 issues in one scene like older readers of NEW AVENGERS supposedly do. The fact that SD seems to have new gear in every issue sort of showcases the desire to sell action figures, although Kirkman claims he has no interest in this becoming a cartoon - which means neither NickToons, Disney XD or Cartoon Network has offered a fat check to get it going yet. Still, one has to commend Kirkman on one thing - many creators bemoan the lack of "all ages" comics in the industry, yet do nothing to make any because they often sell poorly. Kirkman is at least willing to try, and supposedly this is selling decently - Bendis & Oeming have also tried with TAKIO. To be honest, I am starting to enjoy this more than HAUNT, which is grim and more humorless.

It isn't for everyone, but I'm enjoying it enough so far to stick around. I still miss ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN, though. Although the SUPER DINOSAUR costume Kirkman got his WALKING DEAD TV show buddies to make for FCBD is very awesome.

VENOM #4: Writer Rick Remender and returning regular artist Tony Moore continue their successful relaunch of this once popular AMAZING SPIDER-MAN spin off. This issue concludes the first arc on the title as well as setting up the status quo between the new Venom (secretly military operative Eugene "Flash" Thompson) and Spider-Man. Picking up from the last issue, Flash, as Venom, is desperate to save his girlfriend Betty Brant from the new Jack O'Lantern's bomb. To this end he has been forced to help Jack's boss, a new Crime-Master, with shipping Vibranium bullets from a destroyed Savage Land factory to NYC. With only five minutes to rescue Betty, Flash has been bonded to the vicious alien symbiote too long, and is soon lost in it's violent madness - especially when Spider-Man arrives, who has no patience for his old enemy. Thus, the comic is efficient at portraying it's lead as not only a monster but also a super-powered operative without either shift seeming random. Having been a fan of Spider-Man since high school, Flash struggles desperately to resist the alien so that the web-slinger isn't killed - all while being frustrated that Spider-Man is preventing him from saving Betty. Even when that crisis is revolved, Venom still has a score to settle with Jack O'Lantern and the Vibranium bullets - as well as his commanding officer. The final sequence that has Peter Parker, Flash, and Betty hanging out together works well to establish the tone between the characters - with all of them having their own dangerous lives and secrets between them. Betty's ability to shrug off yet another traumatic experience in her long life is either a testament to her strength or an example of how often she has been involved in super-villain crap like this (she was Peter Parker's first girlfriend, after all). While Tom Fowler's fill-in issue was solid, this is really Moore's book to shine on the art (alongside John Rauch on colors and "Crimelab! Syndicate" on inks). Who better than THE WALKING DEAD artist to handle a comic that has black ops action, monsters, and superheroes? Remender has picked up the ball well from Dan Slott's set-up in ASM and portrayed Flash Thompson, a long time supporting character, as an efficient lead in his own monster hero saga. His existence as Venom is one in which Flash is not only struggling against the dark impulses of the monster attached to him, but his own dark impulses for it's power. Unlike other hosts, Flash isn't insane, which can make the moments when he loses control even scarier for him. In terms of sales, after three issues, this series is performing stronger than AVENGERS ACADEMY has - and that series will last at least twenty issues. This is also a success for Remender, who is best known at Marvel for a lengthy run on the worse selling PUNISHER. While a relaunch of VENOM seems old hat, this premise is truly original for the franchise and it is good to see it paying off in both sales and quality. Those who dismissed it have missed out on an interesting and exciting spin-off.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Haven't really posted a review for awhile. I typed this up and will throw it out here, though I know I no one really gives a **** about Wonder Woman around here, or probably in general anymore.

Wonder Woman 612 made the Odyssey story go from, "Well, this is okay, but I wish it were over" to "What in the...?!" Like, really, I had no idea how to take most of this. The Gods don't really seem like the Gods at all, but I guess the context makes that seem not as much weird...but no, still pretty weird. Ares' whole outburst about how man's bloodlust is too much for him? Huh? Ares loves him some bloodlust and conflict; it's what fuels him, for God's (pun totally intended) sake. And just the whole, "Oh my, Diana, we just aren't worthy of you and everyone." The Greek Gods have never been like this. I guess maybe them getting driven out of power by Nemesis humbled them to this point, I don't really know. And Hecate? The hell, has she ever really been regular God with WW's God peeps? I know Perez planned to introduce her but never actually did, so maybe there's some kind of hint in that, I don't know.

Though, I have to say, this issue really got the facepalming on the whole reasoning for what happened to Diana. Only a human heart filled with love could defeat Nemesis. That's why she was taken from Paradise Island into Man's World, so she could develop that. The implication, of course, being that she couldn't get it on Paradise Island. The even subtler implication being, of course, that Wonder Woman just isn't really human, and this whole experience was to make her a real girl. So, in about two paragraphs worth of explanation, we have Wonder Woman's entire drive and point of existence dismissed, and the Amazons devalued to the point that they can't just not produce love, but they can't even produce something that's relatively human. Of course, considering a lot of JMS' comments on the character prior to this whole thing, this isn't that surprising. Oh, and Nemesis is old school Wonder Woman, for some reason.

Now, there's still 2 issues left, so maybe Hester is really going to put a twist on this whole idea. I hope so, because that's just such blatant disrespect for the material and character, it's hard to just dismiss it as some ill-conceived Elseworld arc. Even more scary that this was suppose to segue into a new origin and status quo for the character. It'd be as bad as Amazon's Attack, just not in a loud "Oh my God, what are they doing!?" kind of thing, but more in a subtext way of shrugging and going, "Yeah, well, the character just wasn't worth anything, we had to throw it out. Sorry 'bout that, ya'll."

I mean, okay, this really doesn't make much difference with the reboot coming up and most of this (probably) being irrelevant, but man...just man. With two issues, it is a little premature to say this, but I really do see this storyline as a very good example of what happens when you have someone try to craft a story for material they have little knowledge or respect for.

I wrote that earlier today but looking back maybe I'm being a bit too harsh with that last statement. I mean, I do mean it, but there still is two issues, and it's not totally out of the question for this to be turned on its head or be shown to be some weird, skewed version of how the Gods' see Wonder Woman.

I know DC and defenders will shrug off criticisms as 'Well, it's a different take.' And yeah, I guess that's true. But that just brings up the idea, at least to me, of how different a take can be before it's just a completely different character? This all strikes me a lot like the 'Mod-Diana' era of Wonder Woman. When Denny O'Neil came on board, and well, it's pretty infamous at this point that he just didn't 'get it'. The great thing about O'Neil is that he's got the balls to admit he screwed the pooch on that one.

I get that many great runs are built somewhat on a bit of demolishing the past and trying something pretty new. But I think they also have respect for the material. For as much crap as he may get from certain fans, Grant Morrison's take on Batman does just that. He's obviously moving the character away from the apparently beloved 'grimdark' characterization, but there's still obviously a great deal of respect for the character, the history, the concepts and all that. That's how you build great runs; that's how you modernize concepts and characters, not by looking at something, holding your nose and saying, "Phew, this stuff stinks to high heaven; I need to reinvent this from top up as soon as possible." Nah, I just don't think there's much warrant to writing like that, especially with such long running, established characters.

 

[Dread]

As a relative DC spectator (I only read a few titles and watch the cartoons/movies), I am always dazzled at how difficult DC makes Wonder Woman for themselves. I don't see her as very complicated, but everyone behind her at DC or DC Media that isn't animation seems to over think her drastically. The notion of having the first female superhero in modern comics who wasn't in a newspaper strip is something DC seems to take for granted.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Yeah, I generally agree. I think the thing that messes a lot of editors and writers up is the 'paradox' of Wonder Woman representing love and peace, but being from a 'warrior' culture. Of course, WW and the Amazons of the DCU were never really 'warriors', at least in the context of Greek battle warriors, but that's another discussion that I'm sure no one gives a damn about around here.

I do also think a lot of comes from her roots, too. People, even some of the more intelligent writers, see the bondage stuff, and they just get terrified of it. Just recently, on the CBR boards, Kurt Busiek called Marston's philosphy a bunch of 'cooky nonsense' (or something to that degree). Even Grant Morrsion, one of the more high brow writers (at least, in my opinion) talked about having a lot of negative feelings about the character until recently. It's kind of amazing that so many people turn off their critical thinking about it, because when you strip away all the bondage imagery, and the whole 'feminine over masculine' stuff, really he built the character around, 'Let's make love, not war', and that's an ideal that a lot of people relate to. At least I think so, anyway. The Beatles sold millions of albums and made billions of dollars singing about it, anyway.

 

[Dread]

I think it comes down to men being unable to relate to women as easily as they do to men, and that in trying to figure out women, we miss the mark. There's also the challenge of figuring out what is a "strong woman" versus what is a strong woman as determined by mostly male driven society, or so on. A lot of what is considered being a "strong woman" is merely acting like men, which isn't quite the same. I don't think a woman is strong simply because she proves she can be just as violent, close minded or simplistic as a man supposedly is.

To me, Wonder Woman is someone who came from Paradise Island to try to save others. She's a warrior but ideally she seeks to solve problems without bashing it's skull in, and believed in reformation. Batman and Spider-Man have had similar themes and nobody seems confused by it. Just because you preach the benefits of peace and love doesn't mean you can't fight when you have to. Hell, one of the defining philosophies of many martial arts - so much so that it has been parodied endlessly - is that one usually learns it to best AVOID fighting, or to end a fight as quickly as possible. Very few martial arts will stress being a violent thug, but in their pure form about the philosophy of nature and all that stuff, and being a part of it. Animals can be very violent, but they rarely go looking for trouble; they become violent to eat, or defend themselves. Only humans are violent for reasons that have nothing to do with survival.

A lot of people either didn't have the pleasure of knowing a strong woman or understanding her. The duality of being able to hug someone one minute and throw a right the next. Ironically, this is understood with male characters - quite a few male characters who are fathers seem to be able to do this, in film and otherwise. Reed Richards is not a violent guy. He has a wife and two kids. He usually does not see fisticuffs as a first option; but when he has to fight, he can throw punches better than some may presume. Nobody has problems understanding him or seeking to reinvent him.

I see a lot of stories trying to break Wonder Woman down or "understand" her or remake her instead of playing with what is there and what works. I understand there is some apprehension of the Marston stuff, but...if you dismiss the stuff of the creator, it is very hard to approach a character from the right perspective. Chris Claremont did many things with the X-Men that Stan Lee didn't, but he didn't completely break them down into bits and glue pieces together with no respect. To a degree, the point I usually got with Wonder Woman was that she was confident in herself that she could make that duality work for her. She was tender and loving to her friends and was a warrior to her enemies. Yet if an enemy were genuinely willing to become a friend, she was capable of forgiveness. And the notion of making the Amazons nothing more than vengeful, violent hormone cases seems to say more about one's perception of women more than it says anything about them. The Marvel Universe utilizes aspects of Greek or Roman or Norse mythology yet over the long term has not been slavishly devoted to perfect translations of those myths, but has altered and modernized what they wished. Even the myths THEMSELVES were retold so many times that there were differences in the same stories. Sometimes I wonder if part of the dilemma comes around writers being unable to accept the very notion of women getting along without men without being monsters or somehow defective. Men claiming they can get by without women, in contrast, has sometimes been the premise of a sitcom.

Marston had a bondage fetish - he was a kinky guy. But if we look into the past or even into the dark closets of most people, most of us have something deep that many may find odd or disturbing that we love and brings us pleasure. Once upon a time, comic books were seen that way. How many creators or older fans have told horror stories about comics "not being allowed in the house"? Yet they judge someone who likes to be tied up a little? It reminds me of X-Men fans who are racist or homophobic - way to miss the point, dude. And what also hurts Wonder Woman, I think, is in trying to go TOO FAR away from Marston that she becomes an untouchable saint. Hell, these days it seems many pop singers are using a little kink to sell records to the masses. Madonna did it in the 80's, and you see Rihanna and Christina Aguilera (spelling) do it too. Now, this might make WW hard to sell to kids, but...is she sold to kids? I do wonder if the best time for DC/WB to have tried selling her to girls wasn't years ago, during the BUFFY/KIM POSSIBLE generation. I mean, why the hell not? You telling me WW is lamer than DORA THE EXPLORER? What's wrong with a little sass?

While Wonder Woman didn't get the most focus out of the 7 regulars on the TV cartoons for JL and JLU, she did get more than Flash and I do think those writers/producers had a decent handle on her to a degree. Her origin was presented simply, over time. While she was a warrior and had to get used to being in "man's world", she did have her tender sides. Stuff like giving Batman a peck on the cheek in gratitude for trying to dig her out of rubble, or immediately hugging J'Onn after he'd been away for a while in the same breath as she turns around to punch some Para-Demons seems natural. She should know when it's time for a hug or a punch. There also were some at times borderline kinky moments with her - "Don't be afraid, little man - I don't bite," she once dares to a Thanagarian guard who is ordered to make sure she is fed while captured. Of course, she manages to escape and free the rest of the League. But maybe that is because Bruce Timm and company understand you can use the core and simplify it instead of over-thinking it to oblivion.

Sometimes I like to imagine that had Marvel been the company who had the first female superhero, they'd have ran with her better than DC often does with Wonder Woman. I imagine Jeph Loeb and ABC are thrilled that NBC couldn't make a WW show work, as they try to get Jessica Jones/Jewel on TV. The dilemma is that while Marvel did have Golden Age heroines, a few of them were either powerless or steeped in WWII patriot stuff, like Miss America. Their only option was Sun Girl - a heroine who had light powers and went on her own adventures for the time. Sadly, some later retcon stories attached her to the Human Torch as a sort of groupie girlfriend, and she was cast into limbo. Sometimes a part of me wonders how the MU would have been different if Stan Lee plucked her back into the modern age in the 60's like he did with Cap, Namor, and even the original Human Torch at times.

But, eh, now I am all over the place. I see a lot of what DC does as strategy to be a bit odd at times, and this is coming from a guy who seems to hate every other Marvel editorial strategy. I don't think WW is as difficult as many in the business make her seem. I'm fairly certain I could write a WW comic that, at the very least, would be less offensive than something JMS drafted.

 

[Red]

Have you done a Green Lantern review yet Dread?

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I thought they handled her fine in the animated movie. And the other animated version is also a good prototype. If it was me, I'd probably do something close to Xena but without the 90s cheese. Focus on her being a WARRIOR princess, but at the same time a woman trying to understand a new world. She's a fish out of water character, but that doesn't give her the weakness one would assume.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I think that's probably the last thing I hope they ever do with the character. I liked Xena, but there's really no reason to try and make Wonder Woman into Xena.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Quick reviews. Right now, I'm trying to box up a lot of the comics I have laying around. That means, I'm also trying to finish up stuff I never got around to finishing...like the last three issues of both Deadpool Team-Up and Deadpool Corps. (I finished Team-Up, and those were all pretty good. Makes me wonder, though, why the hell Marvel had that fake poll about which Deadpool title we wanted to keep. I've gotta figure Team-Up won it, hands down; as, it's even better than Way's regular title.)

American Vampire #16

This is my second favorite Vertigo title, right after Sweet Tooth. (The Unwritten could make it higher; but, I gotta admit, many times I wonder what in the heck is going on with that book. It kind of needs a little Cliff Notes to go along with it.)

Good issue, as Skinner gets revealed to the rest of the WWII guys. He can either die, or help them escape. Not a whole lot happens in this issue; but, that's okay with me. I'm enjoying this story more than all the rest, and I don't need to see it end any time soon.

Captain America: First Vengeance #4

The final issue in this prequel to the upcoming movie. While not the best Cap mini, it's better than those Iron Man prequels. The biggest problem with this title was how it skipped around so much in time. Plus, the ending isn't one to really satisfy the readers; but, that should come when the movie comes out later this month.

A mild .

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6

Yep, as JH said, it's the best issue yet. But, as runaway said, I hope it's just not "a swerve." Will Scott Lang still be around at the end? Will Rictor keep his powers?? Will this comic even get to the final issue come the end of this year??? (I've loved every issue of this book, but the 2 month + delay between issues is killing me!)

Love the issue, though. So far, it's my favorite of the week. (But, I haven't read a lot; so, we'll see.) t:

All-Winners Squad #1

Every year, we get a retcon adventure from Cap's past during WWII. Of course, it's only natural it happens this month, with the new movie coming out. I'm just not too sure how many people really enjoy these. Ya gotta take them for what they are; and, this one is entertaining enough. We start out belly deep in action..and, by issue's end, we get a sense of where this mini is going. Namely, The Young Avenger is going to tell us what happened to the rest of the All-Winner's Squad. (Doesn't sound like it will have a happy ending.)

FF #5

This issue felt like it was done before anything really began. I've loved the previous four issues; but, this just felt a bit flat. Even the ending with the return of Black Bolt kind of irked me. (Really, how is Hickman going to explain how Black Bolt returns from the dead, and what happens with everything that previously went on with The Inhumans? I'm worried it's all gonna be swept under the rug. But, hey, that's what always happens with The Inhumans.)

Incredible Hulk and the Human Torch One-Shot

Another "From The Vault" selection that Marvel has buried and dug up recently. I'm loving this idea, even though there is a reason these stories usually didn't see the light of day. They aren't great, by any stretch of the imagination; but, it does take me back to a time where a single issue story would now be given at least a couple issues to tell.

I enjoyed this forgotten Team-Up tale; but, it's not for everyone.

Walking Dead #86

Ok, I gotta say .... I might finally be getting bored with this title. As you can figure, we get a lot of talking in this issue. (That's generally followed by a zombie action storyline.) What sucks is that Kirkman doesn't seem at all inspired, and this book is turning more into soap opera than action series. I simply felt the interaction between the characters were phoned in, as nothing new was brought to the table.

On the good side, we do get another bonus book, and Image doesn't charge us a single penny more. I've never been interested in Elephantmen before; so, the story didn't do much for me. I do appreciate them giving me a look-see at what the upcoming story is about, though. For that reason, I give this book a . (If it was just the Walking Dead tale, it would be much lower.)

Captain America: America's Avenger One-Shot

Marvel's updated Captain America handbook; except, now they have upped the price by a buck. $4.99 really is worth it for 64 pages of extensive material, though. (It's just another reason, though, for people not to pick up these great titles.)

Captain America: Rebirth One-Shot

For reprint material, Marvel should only be charging $3.99, IMO. We do get some new bookend material wrapped around classic Tales Of Suspense issues #63 (origin of Cap) and #65-68 (first return battle with Red Skull).

 

[Phaedrus45]

Detective Comics #878

I FINALLY caught up on the last seven issue of Detective Comics; and, I have to say, it's probably the best Bat-title out there. Too bad Snyder is going to be off this book and onto a different one when September rolls around. This latest story with the Orca whales was very good. I love the whole Zucco premise; but, more importantly, I loved the ending showing readers that the Gordon's son hasn't really changed one bit. Can't wait to see that story come to it's conclusion in the upcoming months. (With all the changes, I figure it must be next.)

Batman: Arkham City #3

This mini has been okay. The art is a bit ugly to look at; but, if you want the story that takes place between the two video games, Dini is doing an adequate job.

A mild .

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #11

Don't worry, JH. You can read this issue without having anything being given away with War Of The Green Lanterns. Tomasi is simply going to end this series (before the September shake-up) with a bunch of one-off stories that feature a particular Green Lantern character. If they are like this one, you won't even get the sense of whether this is an old or new tale. It's that insignificant. There is no mention of the War; and, frankly, it feels like filler. (I guess Tomasi figures why even get into anything with the change in direction coming. This is one of the reasons I'm becoming bored with many DC stories that aren't related to Flashpoint. It feels like they are being rushed or phoned in.)

 

[Pyro Man]

From last week (the Hastings store here that has mild delusions of being in the comics business and is the only local outlet for comics here for some ungodly reason put titles that were supposed to be here last week on the shelves a whole week late):

Might Thor #3: I continue to love both this book and Journey Into Mystery as they offer some great Thor (or in JIM's case Thor related) stories. Also, Galactus has always been one of my favorite villains and I love the Silver Surfer so there's really not any criticism I have for this issue. I really dug the stuff with Thor and SS at the beginning and I'm actually really enjoying the stuff with the citizens of Broxton. I'm excited to see where the next issue goes as the bring the fight to Galactus. Overall, Fraction and Coipel are hitting this book out of the park. If only Fraction was bringing this sort of awesomeness to Fear Itself, but that's another topic entirely. Great issue.
9/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #160: Overall, a solid finish. Not quite what I had hoped for though. I thought the titular death of the arc's title was a good one but this last issue would have felt alot more climatic and final if perhaps it and some of the battle from last issue which followed on from a really strong cliffhanger in issue 158. As it is here we get a brawl between Green Goblin and then its over and Peter dies and the title ends somewhat abruptly. I could have definitely done with the last page showing GG making a faint smile at Spidey's death, in fact I would have liked it if he'd bit the dust once and for all since whoever takes over the role of Spider-Man just won't have the emotional connection to Osbourne that Peter had. I also would've have liked some focus on the aftermath and I know that's coming in the Ultimate Fallout mini but I felt like it would have given more an emotional punch to the events here. As I said before this is a pretty solid issue on its own but not one of the best of the series and ultimately it ends with a big ellipses rather than providing a wholly satisfying finale for the series itself. Excited to see what comes next though.
7.5/10

New Ultimates vs. Avengers #5:
I was digging this series before even if its ties to the Death of Spider-Man story are very very very loose. However, this issue didn't do too much for me and between this and last issue my interest in this series has fallen considerably. That's disconcerting since I was huge fan of Millar's Ultimates 1 and 2, the 3 Ultimate Avengers mini series before this were all over the place in quality but still entertaining and I enjoyed the first 4 issues of this for the most part. I just hope that next issue Millar is able to give his Ultimates saga a proper ending before passing it off to Hickman. This issue just wasn't promising in that regard though. We'll just have to wait and see.
5/10

This week:

Batman Incorporated #7:
I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. While I was surprised that Bats didn't show up until halfway into the issue I was definitely drawn into the world of Man of Bats and Raven. It was really interesting to see the way that he operates differently from Bruce in his "Batman on a budget style" I also really enjoyed the way the issue dealt with the poverty that Native Americans face and the tight nit communities that can exist amongst them without letting it get in the way of the issue's larger story. Honestly, after reading this I have to say you can count Man of Bats (along with Knight and Squire) as obscure member of the extended Bat family I would far prefer getting a series over Batwing. But that's one of the things that has been terrific about this series: Morrison giving us little snap shots of these other characters and how they relate and contrast with Batman and leaving us wanting more of these characters every time. I also enjoyed getting to see a little bit more of Leviathan's plan to slowly infiltrate America and I'm anxious to see where that goes over the next three issues. Needless to say this continues to be one of my favorite books from DC and I look forward to every issue.
9/10

Detective Comics #878:
Both my favorite Batman ongoings in one week? Yes please!

Here we get a pretty solid conclusion to the Hungry City arc, however, for me what really piqued my interest was the conclusion with James Jr. and I'm excited to see where that arc leads over the next few issues. Also, it would appear next issue we get Francisco Francavilla on art who's stuff on this run I've loved just as much as I have Jock's I've really loved what Snyder's been doing on this book and I'm excited to see what he does with Bruce in Batman after the relaunch and how the remaining issues here will play into Dick becoming Batman, though I'll certainly miss Jock and Francavilla doing the artwork.
9/10

Venom #4:
So far, this title has been way better than any series starring Venom has any right to be and Rick Remender's been doing an awesome job of revamping the character with Flash Thompson under the mask (or rather the symbiote) and I've really enjoyed this first arc. I liked that Remender didn't feel the need to really hold back on making things difficult for Flash and threw a whole lot of trouble in his direction to keep the action intense and interesting. I thought this issue gave a satisfying conclusion to the opening arc of the series. Now I just have to decide if I want to pick up the next arc despite it tying into Spider Island which I probably won't read since I haven't really followed AMS since OMD.
8.5/10

FF #5:
And now the hard part, this where things kind of get sad for me. I really loved the other issues of this series but much like an early poster I felt that this one just fell a bit flat. I am however interested in seeing how Black Bolt will play into things next issue and I have faith that this is only a tiny speed bump for FF and it will be back on track next issue. Good art this time though.
6/10

 

[Dread]

Have you done a Green Lantern review yet Dread?

No. Money has been very tight lately - I can barely afford my weekly pull list. Even a $9 matinee is an extra expense at this point. I will try to see it, but I was never a big GL fan. I haven't seen "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" either. The last movie I saw was "THOR", which I liked.

I thought they handled her fine in the animated movie. And the other animated version is also a good prototype. If it was me, I'd probably do something close to Xena but without the 90s cheese. Focus on her being a WARRIOR princess, but at the same time a woman trying to understand a new world. She's a fish out of water character, but that doesn't give her the weakness one would assume.

I think that's probably the last thing I hope they ever do with the character. I liked Xena, but there's really no reason to try and make Wonder Woman into Xena.

I see this a lot, people equating Wonder Woman for Xena. There are similarities, and there's no doubt that Lucy Lawless would have been the no-brainer choice to play her had the film been made in the 90's. I wouldn't be opposed to Lawless being cast as Hipployta in a film nowadays. Lawless even voiced WW in the DTV of "JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER" and she was spot-on.

However, Xena and Wonder Woman have their differences. I also feel that focus on the "WARRIOR" aspect of her character, capitals included, has been done too often and has led things into corners many times. The irony is having a "hard ass butt kicking female" is actually not as difficult to write as it maybe once was in the 70's and 80's. Nowadays that has become fairly standard. What makes WW different, at least to me as a total objective outsider, is being able to have that other side of the equation. That WW is a bad ass warrior when she has to be, but she'd rather not be if she could avoid it, and also knows how to be gentle when need be. The Marston version had a bit of sass (at least) for the time, and that is something that makes her boring when it is removed. No, maybe we don't need to see Diana gush about being tied to a tree anymore, but I don't think her being a near literal FLYING NUN is ideal, either. Although it has been worth saying that pop singers like Madonna, Rhianna, and others have toyed with a "kinky" side and still managed to appeal to men and women.

I just feel DC often squanders WW and doesn't realize what they have in her. They have a very recognizable character. WB Home Video doesn't reveal this often, but "WONDER WOMAN" 's animated DVD film in 2009 outsold "GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT". While DC has no clue how to market her, a make-up company has made millions on her image to sell cosmetics and noted as much in a quarterly profits report. And all the people who recognize her image, more so than Green Lantern, don't fret about her wearing pants or a jacket or probably even know about her creator's kinky side. They know she's an Amazon princess super-hero with an invisible plane, magic lasso and super-strength who fights bad guys. Build around that core instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and chuck the LAST wheel every time, and she may work.

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6

Yep, as JH said, it's the best issue yet. But, as runaway said, I hope it's just not "a swerve." Will Scott Lang still be around at the end? Will Rictor keep his powers?? Will this comic even get to the final issue come the end of this year??? (I've loved every issue of this book, but the 2 month + delay between issues is killing me!)

Love the issue, though. So far, it's my favorite of the week. (But, I haven't read a lot; so, we'll see.) t:

FF #5

This issue felt like it was done before anything really began. I've loved the previous four issues; but, this just felt a bit flat. Even the ending with the return of Black Bolt kind of irked me. (Really, how is Hickman going to explain how Black Bolt returns from the dead, and what happens with everything that previously went on with The Inhumans? I'm worried it's all gonna be swept under the rug. But, hey, that's what always happens with The Inhumans.)

I will reserve judgment about Hickman's use of the Inhumans until the next issue, when he hopefully will explain how Black Bolt is back again. That was a major subplot to Abnett & Lanning's space saga - the Inhumans even looked for him during REALM OF KINGS and at least at that point couldn't find any sign of life. I suppose an answer of, "they looked deeper, and found him in a coma floating somewhere" is possible. I just hope it gets an explanation. Suffice it to say, Hickman's explanation for the new "Universal Inhumans" actually so badly clashes with the long held origin for the Dire Wraiths that the Marvel Handbooks literally considers Hickman's Wraiths a sort of sub-group.

As for AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #6, I agree this was the best issue of the series so far. There are some critics online who feel that it attempts to wrap everything up so far - the issue neglects to mention that quite a few depowered mutants actually died, with some committing suicide in despair. Of course, Wanda in the story feels guilt over that - she even justifies Wolverine's vendetta against her. I do hope that the "repowering" sticks. M-Day has been a cancer on the X-Men franchise for 5 years, with no writer being capable of accomplishing anything worthwhile narratively on those books aside for soap opera spin cycle. Oh, no, the X-Men are fighting vampires/aliens that ANY SUPERHERO can fight. Oh, no, a love triangle is back in flux, oh, no, the bigots are back. GENERATION HOPE was a baby step to undoing "no more mutants", and it makes some degree of sense that if a big reset button was to happen, they'd give it to Heinberg. I'd argue after his 5 year absence, he doesn't deserve that honor over more consistent writers, but it is what it is. Marvel Comics has about as much professional integrity when it comes to Hollywood writers as a two dollar ****e has for a bum in the subway. They haven't met one they wouldn't bend over backwards to please. They seem to forget that most TV shows and films are written like absolute rubbish.

As for Scott Lang, that would make things with Eric O'Grady a bit awkward. But, time-travel shenanigans have been used to undo a death before. Namorita, anyone? Maybe Lang could go back to being Ant-Man and O'Grady, since he's a jerk, could become the new Yellowjacket. Or there could be two Ant-Men, same as there are two Hawkeye's, and once two Green Arrow's. And about a dozen Batmen, and 16 trillion Green Lanterns.

FF #5:
And now the hard part, this where things kind of get sad for me. I really loved the other issues of this series but much like an early poster I felt that this one just fell a bit flat. I am however interested in seeing how Black Bolt will play into things next issue and I have faith that this is only a tiny speed bump for FF and it will be back on track next issue. Good art this time though.
6/10

As much as I like Steve Epting's artwork, I have to admit to enjoying Barry Kitson's art on this title just as much, if not a tiny bit more. I think he draws Sue better (as in, not exactly like Sharon Carter) and he seems just a bit more dynamic in other ways. At any rate, though, having a "fill in" artist who is just as good and enjoyable as the "regular" artist is a "problem" I wish more titles had. This and VENOM have had that "problem" thus far. Sean Chen and Tom Raney are tag-teaming AVENGERS ACADEMY, so it is difficult to figure which of them is really the "regular" artist, but they're both solid there, too.

Unlike BATMAN BEYOND, where the fill in artist I felt was actually STRONGER than the regular one.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Just wanted to say that the new Transformers movie MORE than makes up for the last one. The only drawback was having another worthless female character who only serves to get in the way. With a 2 1/2+ hour film, they could easily have cut everything having to do with her and made it a tad bit more enjoyable.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Not exactly what I meant, but whatever (never said I was good at pitches). I shoulda ended it at the DVD being the best example.

 

[runawayboulder]

Camuncoli rules, I've been saying that forever....or at least since I first saw his work on Hellblazer. I hope he becomes Marcos Martin's replacement in the 3 man artist rotation.

Besides ASM's strong issue, I was totally shocked by how great Children's Crusade was. Now I know it's 1 issue and a lot can happen of the course of the next 3 issues/6 months but if they can maintain what was accomplished in #6, dare I say, this should be this years event as opposed to the snooze fest called Fear Itself.

Here's hoping for a very strong 2nd half of the story. It's a shame about the backdated art and bimonthly schedule. Those factors could potentially down the line hurt this story's legacy....

 

[Phaedrus45]

The Iron Age #1

Ah, that tricky Marvel. I wonder how many people bought both covers, believing they were separate stories. One cover reads, "The Iron Age Featuring ... The Avengers," and the other says, "The Iron Age Featuring ... Captain Britain." They look like different books; but, they're just two different covers. (Not even a "Variant" on the front.) I got them both; but, I always get every first print cover that Marvel offers. My shop did mention it before I bought them, though...but, only because my list I carry in every week only showed one comic coming out.

That said, this pricey issue ($4.99) is well worth the price. You get over 40 pages of material and two Iron Man time-travel adventures, stemming out of the events from Iron Age Alpha. The first, featuring The Avengers, is the best; but, naturally, it's by Gage. He captures the feel of those mid 80's comics. These 22 pages ALONE are worth my five bucks! The next story, featuring Captain Britain, (also 22 pages) wasn't quite as good. But, I like seeing that character making an appearance now and again. I'm just not sure when the events take place in the past.

Two great issues to kick off this little mini time traveling adventure. (Alpha and this #1.) If you have a few bucks extra to spend in the weeks to come, I do not think you'll be disappointed. You get your money's worth, and I'd even go so far to say it's more enjoyable than anything in Fear Itself. (FYI, GAGE's story ... if it was a stand-alone issue ... would have ranked this comic my highest grade. Williams story brings it down a notch.)

Fear Itself: The Black Widow One-Shot

Speaking of Fear Itself, the lone tie-in for this week can hardly even be called that. We get a Black Widow adventure that only has the briefest mention of Fear Itself. I'd even venture a guess that it's highly possible this story wasn't even written with that originally in mind; but, what the heck. Get a few extra readers by mentioning it once or twice.

In this, Natasha breaks into a terrorist hidden base under a church, which is made easier by the events happening in France with the Grey Gargoyle. That's the extent of the tie-in...just the mention of what's happening outside. Everything else is a normal Black Widow adventure. (Well, really, it's not even a good adventure.)

HUGE disappointment! I'd give it a , but the terrible, shameless Fear Itself promotion deems it my worst rating: .

Batman, Inc. #7

Whew. Thank GOD for this issue, because I HATED the last four. Talk about boring. Man-Of-Bats could easily have his own title, and I liked his sidekick's attitude. Everything worked well in this book; and, I especially know that, because I went in expecting extreme suckage, like I've been reading from Morrison lately.

Very good done-in-one story.

Green Lantern Movie Prequel: Hal Jordan One-Shot

The last of these one-shots, and Hal doesn't even get a full issue story. It's not even a story, but more of a flashback into Hal is. Disappointing. The second half of the book features a new Green Lantern recruit who believes she shouldn't have been chosen to be a Green Lantern. Naturally, by issue's end, she's rethinking that notion.

What a waste. First, by the time this came out, everyone has either seen the movie...or have probably decided not to waste their money on it. I'm dying to see how far it dropped in the rankings tomorrow. Everyone was either going to Transformers or Larry Crowne this week. (Both good movies...but, boy, does the age difference show with these two. Lots of senior citizens in the less crowded Larry Crowne; but, one I enjoyed just as much as Transformers.)

Marvel Zombies #5

The conclusion to the latest Marvel Zombies mini. It might have been my favorite out of the bunch. It was great to see the Squadron Supreme zombified ... and, the return of Jack Of Hearts was a neat twist, too. This felt like a breath of fresh air was brought into this franchise. Thank God, because it needed it. (Sadly, I don't think too many people bothered with it.)

Black Panther #520

After an awful first issue, Liss' Black Panther got much, much better. The reader had to get past the notion of T'Challa leaving his nation unattended while he takes care of Hell's Kitchen (yeah, I know that's a tall order); but, this book really got so much better. Where as that first storyline was lengthy and dark, Liss brought out a quick two-parter with plenty of action in issues 519 and 520. It was nice to see Storm make an appearance, too.

I know most eveyone dropped this book like a hot potato after Liss' first issue; but, you might be surprised that it's worth another glance.

 

[Dread]

What a waste. First, by the time this came out, everyone has either seen the movie...or have probably decided not to waste their money on it. I'm dying to see how far it dropped in the rankings tomorrow. Everyone was either going to Transformers or Larry Crowne this week. (Both good movies...but, boy, does the age difference show with these two. Lots of senior citizens in the less crowded Larry Crowne; but, one I enjoyed just as much as Transformers.)

"GREEN LANTERN" has a harsh Week 3 drop - another 63% from Week 2. It was out of the Top 5 and grossed $6.5 million over the 3 day weekend. It has grossed $103.7 million domestically, and unlike for "THOR" and "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS", international bucks may not balance things out overall ("THOR" made over $437 million worldwide). Box Office Mojo has made sure to note that "GREEN LANTERN" is doing worse over 18 days than 2006's "FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER". WB still says a sequel is coming, but they said that when "SUPERMAN RETURNS" tanked, too. Maybe if DVD sales are healthy, WB can rebound some - "X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE" actually made a killing on DVD for Fox.

I've yet to see either GL or XMFC, but I write news articles, so...I tend to know.

Still, for the first major franchise film from DC Entertainment - Diane Nelson made sure to make a lot of "it was like that when I got here" statements in regards to last year's "JONAH HEX" - thus was a dud.

 

[Phaedrus45]

More reviews, with some that might have come out the previous week.

Criminal: The Last Of The Innocent #1

After a disappointing Incognito, I was hoping for something good from Brubaker with this new storyline. Hopefully things pick up, because the first issue did very little for me. With Archie-esque type flashbacks, this book just gives us a bunch of characters who are seedy and unlikeable. In the end, the plot can be summed up with the following: Man is in a terrible marriage, his wife is a two-timing shrew, and by the last page he decides he must kill her.

Namor #11

This isn't a bad series; but, it's just missing something that has me dying to read it. If the book got cancelled tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a tear. (To me, the best Namor series was the one in the 90's. I still have fond memories of that book, and how they brought Danny Rand back to life.) Like many a Marvel hero, Namor is constantly denied love, and the conclusion to this storyline has the same effect. In order to save his kingdom, Namor must give up his newly aquired love.

Not a bad story. Just so-so in it's delivery. (Maybe it's the art that bothers me so much. I've never been a fan of this kind of art.) A mild .

X-Men: Prelude To Schism #4

What a steaming pile of crap! The whole series is a waste of time, as each issue told a recap of a particular character's origin...and, it wasn't even done well. This issue might be the worst. If you didn't know what happened in Origin and Weapon X, you'd come away a very confused. The whole thing felt poorly done, with brief glimpses in Logan's past. The only plus is Marvel didn't overcharge for this garbage. Heck, we don't even have a real clue as to what Schism is about. Just, all the X-characters are standing around waiting for Cyclops to make a decision about what to do, as if they've never faced a life-threatening situation before.

Uncanny X-Men #539

And now for a break in the action! This really is an issue of Generation Hope than an Uncanny issue. Still, I found it very enjoyable. Wolverine does come across a bit creepy in his relationship with Hope; but, you can somewhat understand where he's coming from in the end.

Wonder Woman #612

I finally caught up on this title, being 7 issues behind. I am surprised by how much I am enjoying the book. Straczynski's storyline has come together, at last! (Well, really it's been Hester's for some time now.) There is only two more issue to go; but, I cannot wait to see what happens next. I was even impressed that two issue ago, they printed two negative letters about the direction Wonder Woman was taking. (If a book wants me to read their letter pages, I want to hear both sides of a review, not just the over-the-top glowing reviews.)

Can't believe I'm saying it, but a huge for this book! (Too bad everything with DC is stretched out so much as to bring down our enjoyment of a storyline. This would have been better received if it didn't drag out for a full year.)

Marvel Universe Vs. Wolverine #1

Great first issue, only brought down by the high $3.99 price tag. This is a side-story from the previous one featuring The Punisher. It starts back at the beginning, with the world witnessing Spider-Man going feral and other heroes and humans quickly following along. I'd even dare to say this series might be better, because we're not jumping around as much as with the Punisher mini. Those who never read the first won't miss out on a thing, as it's retelling those first days through the eyes of Logan.

Great book!

Ultimate X #5

Almost a year late, this series by Loeb finally comes to a conclusion. (Just in time for the upcoming Ultimate X-Men relaunch in a couple months.) The Hulk joins the team, and by issue's end, we see the two factions (Jean Grey's X-Men, and Quicksilver's Evil Mutants) all set to oppose each other. The big twist at the end is the return of Scarlet Witch joining her brother's gang.

While the final issue wasn't as enjoyable as the first three, it's one of Loeb's best series at Marvel in quite a long time. I'd be excited to see what would have come afterwards, as both groups have interesting characters. Maybe they'll show up in future Ultimate titles.

Death Of Zorro #5

A much better mini than the Lone Ranger's regular title ever was; but, not nearly as good as Matt Wagner's Zorro series. The book suffered from too much jumping around with characters and with time; and, I found myself not enjoying the book as much as I did the first issue. Still, a mild for a decent ending to this mini.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Wolverine #11

I'm enjoying the backstories on the various people looking for revenge on Logan than the actual current fight scenes. This issue might have been one of the best, as you come away feeling sorry for the people who've been effected by the events that led them to this moment.

Flashback: Green Arrow Industries One-Shot

Not the best week of Flashback titles; but, it was a little better than the previous four books. Maybe this one-shot would have gotten a lower rating, except for two facts. It's much better than all of the Krul's Green Arrow series put together, and I wasn't expecting the ending with the villian (hero?). Nice twist at the end, and a good one-shot for this alternate world.

Flashpoint: Project Superman #1

This issue did very little for me. It's kind of like Captain America meets Supreme Squadron. You have the making of a hero with the ruthlessness of a paranoid test subject. The issue ends with the (arrival of Superman??). We've seen this before; but, things might pick up next issue with the origin out of the way. A mild .

Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1

Another lackluster first issue, where we see a very similiar Hal Jordan who is reckless in his aviation. This time, though, he's facing off against the foes of this alternate Earth, like the Atlanteans. (Maybe what makes the Green Arrow one-shot better was that we saw a much different Ollie.) By issue's end, Abin Sur seems to show up.

Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket One-Shot

Again, the comic that will gain the least interest for the week is the best one. I LOVED this issue so much, I'm dying for another!!! Canterbury Cricket would fit in marvelously with Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy. We get a nice complete origin with some current adventures, and this ragtag group of (heroes?) just work. (About the only one people will recognize is The Demon.)

What can I say? I want MORE! Pick up this issue if you have an extra three bucks, and you won't be disappointed.

Witch Doctor #1

I loved that Walking Dead gave readers a full issue preview of this book with a #0 issue; and this first issue makes me glad I jumped on board of this book. The Witch Doctor is basically like a mad scientist excorsist, and the demons are some scarey crap. Nicely written and even better drawn, I'm hoping this series goes past just four issues.