Posts Tagged ‘ Pull list ’

The second week of DC’s new universe came out this week (well, third if you count Justice League #1, which I should really post about just to be complete at some point). How’d they do?

Batman And Robin #1 – Why, it’s almost like the reboot didn’t happen isn’t it? This feels very much ‘business as usual’ even if it did attempt a fresh start with a little recap of Bruce’s origin to the unfeeling Damian. Well constructed with a decent intro to a new villain who’s had enough of the Batman Incorporated concept (he may as well be called ‘The Reader’), this issue didn’t quite make it home for a few reasons; first, Damian here is an unbelievable brat and impossible hard to like; second, the art was a little confusing for part of the action sequence; third, I still don’t get why a children’s swimming pool was over nuclear rods; and finally, if I jumped on here as a brand new reader I don’t think I’d be picking up the next issue – there isn’t enough explanation of who Damian is. It’s clear he’s Batman’s son, but it’s also clear they don’t have much of a relationship. Too much backstory, not enough explanation. Fail.

Batwoman #1 – Let’s get this out of the way – it’s beautiful. JH Williams has really scored with the art here. The storytelling doesn’t really suffer due to his layouts; it’s an exceptionally strong entry and one that I’m sure Williams and Batwoman fans have been waiting for. As someone who hasn’t read the Batwoman Detective run, though, I felt a little lost with some of the backstory and was surprised to see former Flamebird leaping around as Batwoman’s sidekick. For completely new readers I suspect a lot of this went over their heads – but I’d hope they’d stick around for the art at the very least. Nice to see Cameron Chase and Director Bones, too. My main issue is that I doubt anything was altered from the version of this series that was to be released months ago (aside from the color of Gordon’s hair and the shopping in of the Mysterious Hooded Woman). A kind-of hit.

Deathstroke #1 – Sometimes low expectations work in your favor, because I really enjoyed this. It’s the same Deathstroke we know and love (only maybe a bit stronger, and with an agent) who’s rep seems to be waning slightly. An imaginative heist (well, imaginative if you haven’t seem Executive Decision),some mystery items and a bit of a twist ending that I admit I didn’t see coming. Strong stuff, and definitely enough here to clue new readers in. A hit.

Demon Knights #1 – Much better than Paul Cornell’s other book (Stormwatch), this is helped by actually assembling a team and starting at the beginning of a story. Good art, a surprisingly likable Vandal Savage, a nice twist or two between Jason Blood and Madame Xanadu, and a few members of the team I wasn’t expecting make this a fun issue that shows a lot of promise. If I had any complaint,it’s that having all the members of the team independently arrive in a small village at the same time is a hell of a coincidence, but no doubt there are higher powers at work. Good stuff. A hit.

Frankenstein Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #1 – Another hit from writer Jeff Lemire. Everything you need to know is right here from the set-up of SHADE to the introduction of the new Creature Commandos and Frankenstein himself. I was surprised to see a non-Atom Ray Palmer in the cast, but his role here makes sense. Also, there were giant monsters. Can’t go wrong with giant monsters. A hit.

Green Lantern #1 – Much like the Batman, this is business as usual. As someone who’s a bit behind on trades with GL, I knew the basic set up (Sinestro is now a GL again, Hal’s back on Earth) but it was all neatly explained for those elusive new readers. The potential in the set-up here is pretty good – especially the conflicts between Sinestro and both his old and new Corps, although I expect the status quo will be back in six issues or so. It was also nice to see that Hal without a ring is even more clueless than before. Now, is it enough to make me leap back to monthlies? Probably not; I’m enjoying GL reading in chunks. But I’d still say it’s a hit.

Grifter #1 – Now this I liked. Pretty much a “What if Lost‘s Sawyer got kidnapped by aliens instead of crashing on the island, broke out, then decided to hunt then down?” – hell, they even threw a plane in there. Great art from Cafu, strong writing from Edmondson, and generally a great set-up. I think there’s an editorial slip-up on the last page, but this is a good start to the series, a good intro to the Daemonites and generally a good comic. A definite hit.

Legion Lost #1 – Like I said before, I like the Legion and I like Fabian Nicieza, and I like Pete Woods – but this was a bit wobbly for me. I’m not sure if it was the surprisingly non-exciting reason the team gets stuck in the past (time bubble shenanigans as they transport a fleeing villain back to their own time), the fact that the team’s mainly made up of characters I have no affinity for, or the apparent death of two of the team (one of which I do have an affinity for) at the end of the book – but something about it just didn’t click. However, I’ll check the next issue out because if nothing else, I have faith in Nicieza. Not really a hit, but I’m with it.

Mister Terrific #1 – I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would but a few things didn’t sit right with me, from the apparently casual sex relationship with probably-not-Power Girl Karen Starr (jarring when we’ve just flashbacked to how much Michael Holt loved his wife and wanted to die after she did) to the weak introduction of another love interest (weak because I don’t exactly know who Aleeka is or how she relates to Michael). Race definitely plays a part in the book, from Michael’s ‘Thanks, Black Guy’ line to Karen’s ‘I’m a white girl’ and Aleeka’s ‘I’m a black woman’ retort, and I suspect that won’t sit well with some readers. For me it was a little jarring, if I’m honest, but nothing that turned me off the book. What did turn me off a bit was the generic mind control style threat and the fact that the art didn’t quite gel for me. Even so, I’d say this was a hit if only because as #1s go, it summarized who Michael Holt is pretty well and set up an interesting status quo for him.

Red Lanterns #1 – Let me get this out of the way: I hate Atrocitus’ redesign with a passion. I expect it’s been done so we have a slightly more human-looking character as our lead, but I just don’t like it. Now that’s out of the way, I have to say this was pretty good. It sets up conflict within the Red Lantern Corps, possibly redefines Atrocitus’ mission in the wake of the last GL storyline, and has a double splash page of Dex-Starr. So yes, I’d say hit – although I’m more likely to go to trades on this in line with GL.

Resurrection Man #1 – Loved seeing Mitch Shelley (and the Body Doubles) again, and having him apparently targeted by angels (they were angels, right?) sets this firmly in the darker corner of the DCU. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the book at all – except that two plane action sequences in one week (and especially this week) might be one too many. Other than that it’s like you’ve never been away, Mitch. A hit.

Suicide Squad #1 – I enjoyed this a lot, although I guessed the twist early on. I still don’t like a lot of the character redesigns here, but they’re not as jarring as they are on the (terrible) cover. Starting with a pretty-much fully formed team worked well here but I still appreciated the one page recaps of a few of our cast’s pasts, although I’m left wondering if Secret Six still happened in the rebooted universe. The most jarring thing is the redesign of Amanda Waller; Gone is the tough, older, rotund Waller of yesteryear and in her place is an attractive, lacy-bra-wearing younger Waller. I’m not too keen on that, but overall, I’d say this is a hit – with a few reservations.

Superboy #1 – This was much, much better than I’d hoped it would be. It was a rewarding read, and having the (currently nameless) Caitlin Fairchild in the mix is an interesting addition, as is Lois Lane’s involvement as whistle-blower on the Superboy project. This new take on Superboy – and I guess he won’t be going by ‘Connor Kent’ anytime soon – is quite a departure, but one that I’m interested in. It looks like writer Lobdell has plans for some pretty tight continuity between this and Teen Titans, so my hopes for that book just rose. A definite hit.

So, overall another winner with only Batman and Robin failing for me, and that’s more a result of it not embracing the new as opposed to being a bad comic. As we see more of the new DC, new questions get raised. For example, if this is Superboy’s first appearance, what exactly happened after Superman died (as he hinted he still did in Swamp Thing last week?)? Obviously there was no Superboy – but what about Steel and the Eradicator? I assume the Cyborg Superman still showed up as he’s played a pretty big role in the non-rebooted Green Lantern in the past…

In any case, so far, so good. Keep at it, DC.

I meant to post this yesterday but time got away from me (stupid day job) so I didn’t get a chance. I did post about this week’s DC #1s yesterday but here’s the rest of the publishers…

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1 – I was hugely disappointed with Season 8 and it’s ‘hey we don’t have a budget, let’s throw in everything’ plot, not to mention the way it incorporated Angel and Spike into it – but hey, it’s Buffy. Chances are I’ll check this out for an issue or two before switching to trades (or possibly digital). I picked up Angel & Faith last week, and that was a pleasant surprise – mainly due to Christos Gage’s strong writing, I think.

Witch Doctor #3 (of 4) – Still a good little book, but I don’t yet see a through-line for the mini. Enjoyable, though.

Amazing Spider-Man #669 – I’m really enjoying Spider-Island and particularly the fact that Peter’s becoming a hero without his mask. I hope that the main baddie behind this isn’t the Queen from Paul Jenkin’s Spectacular Spider-Man arc that tied into Avengers Disassembled and gave Peter his organic web-shooters – it would make sense, but I’d rather forget that story on account of it being terrible. There’s also something interesting going on with Mary Jane – it looks like she’s regretting leaving Peter, and Carlie seems to be getting more than a little cocky with her new powers. Pride cometh…

Daredevil #3 – Closing up the first arc; I’ll be honest, as much as I’m enjoying Waid’s take on Matt I think this is it for me. It’ll play well in trades so I think I’ll switch to them like most of my Marvel stuff these days.

Evolutionary War Omnibus HC – Why, Marvel? Why would you reprint perhaps one of the worst, most convoluted crossovers you ever put out in this format?

Spider-Island The Amazing Spider-Girl #2 (Of 3) – Eh, I think I’m on record as not loving Paul Tobin’s Spider-Girl but liking the character. I’m picking it up but out of habit, nothing else.

And the non-DC pick of the week…

Shinku #3 – Ron Marz and Lee Moder’s samurai vampire series so far has been bloody good (see what I did there?), and it’s my pick of the week. Early enough to hop on board.

So last week was mostly hit for the new DC – but this is much more of a mixed bag for me…

Batman And Robin #1 – Tomasi and Gleason are a pretty reliable team to me, and I enjoy almost everything I’ve read from both of them, but they don’t have a ‘wow’ factor. Even so, they’re reliable – and I have started enjoying Damien Wayne recently so it’ll be interesting to see him partnered with his father. It just struck me – I know Batman’s been operating longer than the 5 years everyone else has in the new DC, but how much longer? If the Demon judged him a worthy enough heir to have Talia get pregnant by him 11 years ago (assuming Damien’s 10), does that mean he’s been leaping around Gotham for 12 or 13 years now?

Batwoman #1 – This feels like its been a long time coming; I just hope it pays off. Really looking forward to this – if only for JH Williams’ spectacular art.

Deathstroke #1 – There’s low expectations, then there’s no expectations. I have zero expectations on this book, if only because Deathstroke never worked as a solo lead for me in the past, and because I have no experience of the writer. Okay, I expect Joe Bennet will turn in some pretty decent art, I suppose.

Demon Knights #1 – I’m not a massive fan of the Demon, but the concept of this book – supertypes in the middle ages – does kind of appeal to me. Writer Paul Cornell seems set on linking it to Stormwatch, too, so there may be repercussions in the present day books. I do like artist Diogenese Neves’ work usually, so I suppose I’m looking forward to this – I’m just tempering my expectations based on the fact that Stormwatch was a bit iffy.

Frankenstein Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #1 – Alright, this I’m looking forward to. The Frankenstein Flashpoint mini was great fun, and if you don’t like the idea of a gun-toting Frankenstein running around on secret missions with a bunch of monsters then I guess comics probably aren’t for you.

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strong>Green Lantern #1 – Much like the Batman books I kind of wish the GL books were starting with a clean slate but I can understand why they aren’t. However, having Sinestro as the main character in the book probably isn’t that new reader friendly…

Grifter #1 – I don’t know anything writer Nathan Edmondson has done in the past; I liked Cafu on that one issue of Thunder Agents I bought but I am looking forward to this for one simple reason; I really like the WildCats characters, and of all of them I probably like Grifter the most.

Legion Lost #1 – I like the Legion, I like Fabian Nicieza, and I like Pete Woods. This is a no brainer for me. I am curious if there’ll be any acknowledgement of the fact that there’s been a bunch of Legionnaires stuck in the past before (and I’m talking circa Final Night, not the Lightning Saga). Given this is a whole new DC, probably not.

Mister Terrific #1 – I’ve always liked the character in principle, but have found that too often Michael Holt was used as a generic know-it-all, like the way Batman was often used in the last JLA series. To support his own book he needs to develop more of a personality (my personal favorite iteration of him was in Checkmate). Not too familiar with the creative team but at the very least, we may get a JSA shout-out here.

Red Lanterns #1 – I’ve been rereading a lot of GL and Blackest Night stuff recently, and I think the Red Lantern Corps are actually ripe for development. The trick for Peter Milligan will be keeping their edge whilst making them sympathetic leads. Ed Benes is a good choice on the art chores, but his last regular gig (Birds of Prey) resulted in only a single full issue being drawn, so I expect a change soon.

Resurrection Man #1 – Two words: Fuck. Yes. The book I’m looking forward to most this week.

Suicide Squad #1 – It’s so difficult for me to form an opinion on whether I’m looking forward to this or not because the cover is so, so horrible. I do like Harley Quinn, Deadshot and King Shark, and I do like Suicide Squad in general – but the designs and art of the cover (not by series artist Marco Rudy) are so godawful that I can’t muster much enthusiasm. That said, writer Adam Glass did a suitably violent take on the Legion of Doom for the Flashpoint mini, so at least it should be nasty.

Superboy #1 – I confess; I liked Scott Lobdell’s writing in the late 90s/early 00s. That alone makes me kind of look forward to this, even if the solicit doesn’t make it sound like the Superboy who’s been around these past 17 years or so. I’m not too familiar with the art team, but I’m hoping that I like this.

Yes, I know that last week’s Justice League was really the start of the DCnU but this is the first full week. I’m fully in favor of the reboot – although I honestly wish everything was being jettisoned and we were starting at the real day one of the DCU, with no history at all, rather than five years of backstory and a level of uncertainty as to what’s in and what’s out.

I think DC has played a risky game with their retailers, though, as at this point they have no idea what kind of orders to put in for the third and fourth issues of each series and it’ll take a while for the books to settle down. Because of this I’m going to pick up all the #1s this month. Not sure about the #2s, and there’s a potential I’ll go to trades or digital on some books or drop them entirely but this month it’s all that DC’s putting out…

Action Comics #1 – The big one. I love Morrisson’s All-Star Superman, but I think (well, hope) that this will be less of a love poem to the Silver Age than that is. I like the idea of starting with Clark’s early days in Metropolis, of having him less powerful, of having him being more for justice than law, and of being an outsider. I’m a little concerned that Rags Morales hasn’t been able to do a complete issue since #1 according to the solicits, though. This should be a flagship book, and it should have a creative team that can hit deadlines month in and month out without fail.

Animal Man #1 – I’ve always been a big fan of Buddy Baker, and remember reading his last book in the pre-Vertigo days around 1987 or 1988 and being wowed by it. His more recent role as strange adventurer in 52 and the like has appealed to me too. This looks to be more up Jeff Lemire’s street than his lackluster Superboy run, and Travel Foreman’s art is incredibly creepy.

Batgirl #1 – Probably the most controversial change in the DCnU. I was introduced to Batgirl in the comics in Batgirl Special #1 – “The Last Batgirl Story” – read Killing Joke a few months later, then was surprised to see Barbara Gordon show up in Suicide Squad as Oracle even later, so for me I identify Barbara as Oracle far more than I do as Batgirl. That said, Gail Simone has handled her for years and her presence here is a potentially redeeming factor.

Batwing #1 – The ‘Batman of Africa’ is a pretty neat hook to hang a series on – as long as writer Judd Winick steers clear of portraying an entire continent in a stereotypical nature. Africa is a big place – much too big for one hero – and has a lot of different facets. To break it down to the kind of corrupt military governmental unit that Winick used when he relaunched Outsiders post-52 will be doing Africa a huge injustice.

Detective Comics #1 – I know a lot of people have been complaining about Tony Daniel’s writing but I’ve actually really enjoyed what I’ve read of his. I’m not sure that he’s suited to the Batbook that should be more down to earth than a supervillain-fest, but I’m more than happy that he’s on one of the books.

Green Arrow #1 – I’m torn on this. I’ve always liked Ollie as a grouchy, opinionated hero who I see as slightly older than most of his counterparts. Then again, I really enjoyed Justin Hartley’s Green Arrow in Smallville (for the most part) so having a younger version of Ollie with the backing of a big company and jet-setting around the world on James Bond-esque adventures appeals to me to. This one will all be in the execution – and I feel that writer JT Krul is much better at solo books than team ones, so I’m cautiously looking forward to this.

Hawk And Dove #1 – Let’s face it, very few comic fans don’t have an opinion of artist Rob Liefeld one way or the other. I fall into the camp of enjoying his work but openly acknowledging that my enjoyment is almost entirely due to nostalgia for his days on New Mutants and X-Force. He used to be quite adventurous with panel layouts, and I hope this comes back a bit for this book. I’m glad that Sterling Gates is writing, too; I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything I’ve read by him and look forward to seeing him on a superhero book for a decent run.

Justice League International #1 – I’ve loved Booster Gold‘s recent book under Dan Jurgens these past few years, so having Jurgens handle Booster headlining the JLI is a good move from my perspective. I hope that Blue Beetle signs up for the team, too, but I’m really looking forward to this one.

Men Of War #1 – This is an interesting one; I’m not usually interested in Army-type comics, but having a new Sgt Rock running an elite unit against super-villains holds some appeal for me. For some reason I’m hoping this is Predator in comics form.

O.M.A.C. #1 – Possibly the book I’m least looking forward to, if I’m honest. I’ve only read Didio’s work as a writer in his pretty terrible Superboy run that lead to that book’s cancellation, and although I like Giffen’s art, O.M.A.C. has never had much appeal to me as a concept especially after its overuse in the Infinite Crisis days. I’m open to being surprised, but my expectations are low.

Static Shock #1 – Similarly, I never read Milestone or saw the cartoon so the only reference I have for Static is the terrible run of Teen Titans he was in these past few years. However, I’m a big fan of Scott McDaniel and like most of John Rozum’s work that I’ve read so this could be pretty good.

Stormwatch #1 – Looking forward to this in spite of not enjoying Cornell’s run on Action Comics. I’ve always liked Stormwatch and The Authority - and having them a full part of the DCU is a good move as far as I’m concerned. And adding J’onn is just the frosting on the Choco.

Swamp Thing #1 – I know a lot of people love Swamp Thing out of principle following Alan Moore’s run, but Man-Thing was always my swamp monster of choice. However, I like artist Yanick Paquette’s work and I’ve heard a lot of good things about Scott Snyder’s writing, so I’m open minded about this.

All in all it’s a mixed week. Some big guns – like Action and Detective - mixed with some off-beat ones like Men of War and O.M.A.C.. I suspect all the books released this week will sell out pretty quickly, though, if I’m honest. I really hope this pays off for DC and retailers alike.

Oh, and Brightest Day Volume 3 HC is out too. It may be moot now, but I have it on order.

I missed a few weeks of Pull Lists (or at least one, anyway) since I was on vacation, but I’m back now. Since this month the DCnU launches and I’m at least considering picking up every #1 to show support, IO’m going to be doing two pull lists a week for the next few – the non-DC one, and the DC one. The DC one is here. And now to the rest, such as they are…

Drums #4 (Of 4) – This has been a great, atmospheric series that I’m surprised I haven’t seen more chatter about. Good strong stuff, and I’d be happy to see more from the team here.

Spider-Island Avengers #1 (One Shot) – I may not be reading the Avengers books these days, but they don’t feature Frog Man. Frog Man, people.

Spider-Island I Love New York City #1 (One Shot) – I do enjoy anthology one-shots, and set around Spider-Island this is at least should be interesting.

This is the last week of any DC Comics in the current iteration of the DC Universe. Unless it’s a Batman or Green Lantern or Legion book, in which case nothing really changes. Not messy at all.

Action Comics #904 – Why is this pick of the week when Paul Cornell’s run has generally underwhelmed me, and this Doomsday storyline is especially dire? Because it’s the final issue of this volume of Action Comics, the comic that started the whole superhero revolution way back in 1938. This is not a big deal in the Libya-heading-for-freedom-then-descending-into-an-inevitable-shitstorm kind of way, but it is a big deal in a comic history kind of way. I’m all for the reboot in general, although I wish that DC had just reset the whole damn universe to zero instead of continuing five years into everybody’s careers, and I do wish the last year and change worth of this series had been better. But we are where we are, and this door is closing.

Batman Under The Red Hood TP – I remember reading this run and enjoying it a lot, before Jason Todd got overused and when his return was a novelty. Of course, the final issue collected here, the Annual, which details how exactly Jason returned isn’t the kind of plot device that makes anyone happy, but the run up to that revelation made for some good comics. Recommended if you haven’t read it already.

DC Comics Presents JLA Heaven’s Ladder #1 – I have this in the big unwieldy album format it originally came out in, which displays Bryan Hitch’s widescreen take on the Mark Waid’s first JLA story in detail. The story itself is underwhelming, but the creators alone make this worth a look.

Flashpoint minis - Hal Jordan, Kid Flash Lost, Lois Lane And The Resistance, Project Superman – All #3 (Of 3) – The end is nigh. As more of these minis have finished, I’ve found myself becoming increasnigly unsatisfied with them. I don’t mind a ‘to be continued in Flashpoint #5′ tag if the minis themselves contain a full story and actually conclude that story but when they just leave you hanging with a character heading off to a fight, it’s just bad storytelling. That said – still enjoying a lot of them.

Teen Titans #100 – And so ends the pain.

Dungeons And Dragons The Legend Of Drizzt #1 – I know that Drizzt is big in Forgotten Realms books, but I’ve never read any of them (Dragonlance was always my milieu of choice), so I’m not actually that interested in this. May give it a quick glance.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 – I was never a big Turtles fan, but I suspect that many who are will be interested in this IDW series rebooting the Turtles with co-creator Kevin Eastman on board as co-writer and (apparently) providing layouts. I’ll take a look, if only for nostalgia.

FF #8 – Sure. After five issues of story development with very little action, have two issues which don’t feature any of the main characters of the book at all. Genius.

And the pick of the week…oh, you knew this was coming…

Dungeons And Dragons #10 – Awesome, awesome, awesome. Why aren’t you reading this?

It’d be a relatively small week if not for Flashpoint winding down – but there are a lot of trades out worth your time and (maybe) your money. I couldn’t be bothered listing the DC Retroactive titles just to say what I’ve been saying the last month; good idea, bad price point. Anyway…

Flashpoint Minis: Abin Sur The Green Lantern, Legion Of Doom, The Outsider, Wonder Woman And The Furies – All #3 (Of 3) – Once again, some are better than others. I haven’t taken to Abin Sur or The Outsider (although he’s an interesting enough villain and one I hope carries over to the DCnU), but Wonder Woman – coupled with Emperor Aquaman – has been very enjoyable in fleshing out the last few years of war in the Flashpoint world, even if 14 years seems an awfully long engagement. Legion of Doom, though, has been an unnecessarily violent book with almost no redeeming qualities, with last issue featuring the death of two heroes, one by curb-stomp and one by head squish. And I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it.

Secret Society Of Super-Villains HC – One of those books I’ve always wanted to read, but I’m not sure I’ve always wanted to read it at $40 retail. Even so, this includes the entire series and a bunch of other stories and crossovers, so it may be worth it.

Superboy #11 – I recall being excited with this series when it was announced, disappointed when it debuted, and then vaguely guilty when I dropped it. Last week I read the last three or four issues of the book and although I quite like the story being woven with the Hollow Men, Superboy is absolutely the worst character to do it with. It’s not helped by the fact that the majority of his supporting cast are plain unlikeable or simply boring. It’s times like this I miss Tana Moon and Hawaii…

Supergirl #67 – Oops, missed last issue. Even so, I enjoyed most of the first part of this final guest arc and from the looks of the DCnU this will be the last we see of a Supergirl with a sunny disposition for a while…

Halcyon TP – I think this was overlooked when it came out, but Marc Guggenheim and co crafted a pretty good story about what happens to superheroes when violence just stops – and what happens to a hero who doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Some strong stuff here, and enough to make me want to see more. Recommended.

Invincible Compendium Volume 1 TP – Holy bejeebus,the first 47 issues of Invincible in one collection? As someone with the first two HC I’m a bit miffed that this works out $6 cheaper than buying the next two HC volumes that make up the contents (at Amazon prices) so I have a decision to make. Highly, highly recommended if you haven’t read Invincible before but like superhero comics.

Daredevil #2 – I really enjoyed the new optimistic take on Matt Murdock in the first issue, but I may skip onto trades. Or I may not – it’s really that enjoyable…

Fantastic Four By Mark Waid And Mike Wieringo Ultimate Collection Volume 2 TP – Look, it was my third favorite run on the FF for a reason, okay? Pick it up if you haven’t read it already.

Spider-Island The Amazing Spider-Girl #1 (Of 3) – As much as I thought the previous Spider-Girl series was a missed opportunity and a mish-mash of tone, I’m looking forward to this. Once it’s done I hope Anya is left in a position where she can be picked up and used by a different writer though.

Venom #6 – Spider-Island hits the book. I go back and forth on this one, in spite of generally enjoying a lot of what Remender is doing. I’m not sure if it’s because I automatically view Flash Thompson as a supporting character or something else, but there’s something that isn’t quite clicking – I just can’t put my finger on it.

And my pick of the week…

Avengers Academy #18 – My one concession to Fear Itself and as always the book hasn’t disappointed. The kids are being put through their paces, with at least one seemingly slipping towards the dark side with their actions during the ‘war’. The book continues to be one of the best team books on the market, and worth reading regardless of what other Marvels you pick up.

London may be burning (and other parts of the UK) but that won’t affect comics in the US, so I figured I should do a quick list…

Batgirl #24 – Ah, Steph, we hardly knew ye. Probably the casualty of the DC not-a-reboot that hurts most.

Booster Gold #47 – I’m so impressed Booster lasted this long in his own book, and looking forward to the not-a-reboot JLI.

DC Retroactive The ’80s – Green Lantern, Justice League Of America, Superman – All #1 (One Shots) – Same as usual, good idea, bad price point.

Flashpoint minis – Citizen Cold, Deadman And The Flying Graysons, Emperor Aquaman, Frankenstein And The Creatures Of The Unknown – All #3 (Of 3) – Again, same as usual, these have been a pleasant surprise.

Red Robin #26 – Next to Batgirl, I’m going to miss this most. Having Tim Drake being on top of his game the past few years has been great; I’m not convinced (although I’m willing to be proved wrong) that nu-Tim will be quite as experienced.

Showcase Presents The Trial Of The Flash TP – I’ve heard so many bad things about how dull and stretched-out about this I’m almost compelled to pick it up. I’m full of self-loathing.

Teen Titans #99 – Speaking of self-loathing, I’m here to the bitter end. Last issue was a slight improvement on recent arcs, to be fair, but I’m not holding my breath for a great ending to the series.

Blue Estate #5 – I think I’m done. My love of the covers can only stretch so far – and I’ve more or less had my fill of the tenuously linked plotlines here. If it was a mini I’d probably stay to the end, but I think this is an ongoing.

Amazing Spider-Man By David Michelinie And Todd McFarlane Omnibus HC – If I had some money to burn, I’d be all over this. A great collection of stories here. McFarlane was never better than when he worked on Spidey with Michelinie, for my money.

Spider-Island Cloak And Dagger #1 (Of 3) – As a hopeless Cloak and Dagger fan, I’m more than pleased about this. As someone a bit burned on Morning Glories, I’m a little bit nervous, though.

Spider-Island Deadly Foes #1 (One Shot) – Wait, I forget what this is about. Hobgoblin and someone else, right? Eh, I’ll take a look. And then I’ll pick it up.

Spider-Man The Fantastic Spider-Man HC – Thought this came out last week. My mistake!

X-Men X-Tinction Agenda HC - Another one that I’d pick up if I had some spare cash lying around. A good crossover, contained with no spin-offs, from back when the X-Men were feared and hated. Also, this is one that actually had a lot of ramifications in the books. Good stuff.

Pick of the week…

Amazing Spider-Man #667 – Spider-Island really kicks off this week, and I can’t wait. The first Marvel event I’ve bought in a couple of years. Also, I really dig Spider-Woman in the Ben Reilly sweatshirt in the cover above. That’s probably some kind of subconscious thing I shouldn’t think about too deeply…

I did manage to get a sneaky store visit last week but have barely had a chance to read anything I picked up (except Amazing Spider-Man #666 – a good prelude to Spider-Island). Never the less, tomorrow brings another shipment…

DC Comics Presents SHAZAM #2 – OK, I didn’t pick up last week’s DCP SHAZAM since I was getting a lot already, but these issues from the end of the Power of SHAZAM series wrapped the run up pretty well.

DC Retroactive The ’80s – Batman, The Flash and Wonder Woman All #1 – Like all the Retroactive books, I like the concept, I’d like to read them – but not at this price.

Firestorm The Nuclear Man TP – I’m a huge fan of Firestorm, and this never before collected mini series from the 1970s is a good read and intro to the character – although very much a product of its time.

Flashpoint #4 (Of 5) – I’m sure there will be some big game changing reveal at the end of the issue, like Parallax being behind it all or something. But my money is still on Barry being the cause of all these screw-up.

Flashpoint minis – Batman Knight Of Vengeance, Deathstroke And The Curse Of The Ravager, Secret Seven and The World Of Flashpoint All #3 (Of 3) – Like all the FP minis, these are worth reading in their own right (especially Batman) – but I’m still not sure Secret Seven makes the slightest bit of sense.

Superboy #10 – I felt bad leaving before Jeff Lemire got his story wrapped up, so I figured I’d run out the series.

Acts Of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus HC – At this price, not worth it unless you’re a completist or have money to burn, but there are a some great comics in here, like Simonson’s Fantastic Four issues, Claremont and Lee’s Uncanny X-Men issues with Wolverine and a reborn Psylocke, Byrne’s Wolverine, and McDuffie’s Damage Control. There’s also some dross.

Avengers Academy #17 – Okay, so last week I caved and picked up the last few issues of AA in spite of them tying into Fear Itself. What’s coming up has me interested and I just plain missed the book.

Mighty Avengers Dark Reign HC – Collecting the entirety of the Slott/Gage run on the book, this odd collection of characters actually felt like the Avengers of old to me. There are some ups and downs, certainly, but all over I’d say this is worth a look.

Punisher #1 – I have difficulty getting excited for a new #1 for ol’ Frank, especially as it’s his, what, eleventh non-MAX #1 not including one-shots?

Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 (Of 6) – So I hear there’s a half-black half-Latino Spider-Man? The Ultimate U is not my thing, but I’m sure this will sell big time.

X-Men Fallen Angels HC – Perhaps the oddest X-related mini ever, starring an on-the-lam Sunspot and Warlock, Vanisher, Siryn, Madrox, Boom-Boom, Devil Dinosaur, Moon Boy and two sentient lobsters and their pet human. I can only assume there was a lot of pot involved in creating this. It may be your thing, it may not. But it’s definitely weird.

And the pick of the week -

Dungeons And Dragons #9 – For crying out loud, just pick up this book already, okay?

I didn’t get to the store last week and I’m probably not going to get there this week either – but when I finally get there…

Action Comics #903 – In spite of being hugely disappointed by Paul Cornell’s Lex Luthor arc, I decided to pick up the last few issues of his run as they’re the last few of this volume of Action and part of me hopes that there’ll be one last Lois and Clark scene. That said, this story is a mess.

DC Comics Presents SHAZAM #1 – It’s a crime against comics that Jerry Ordway and Peter Krause’s Power of SHAZAM! series remain mostly uncollected, so ‘ll be picking up this arc from towards the end of the series (#38-41) in the hope that it nudges DC to a couple of nice big hardcovers.

DC Retroactive The ’70s One Shots – Green Lantern, Justice League Of America, Superman – Like last week’s Retroactives, I like the idea of these enough to check them out in the $1 bins or in trade, but at $5 a pop I’ll pass.

Flashpoint Minis – Hal Jordan, Kid Flash Lost Starring Bart Allen, Lois Lane And The Resistance, Project Superman – All #2 (Of 3) – As I’ve said countless times, I’m really enjoying these books. There are some I’m enjoying more than others, but that’s always the way. As a whole, though, they’re painting such a comprehensive and interesting picture of the Flashpoint DCU that I’m kind of sorry that it’s going to be wiped clean by the DCnU. An Untold Tales of Flashpoint series of books, please!

Justice HC – I missed this when it was two trades, and didn’t want to shell out for an Absolute, but a single HC collecting all 12 issues? That sounds like a deal to me.

Teen Titans #98 – It’s almost painful to watch this once-great book in it’s current death throes (although I really liked JT Krul’s Blackest Night minis), but I. Can’t. Look. Away.

Skullkickers #9 – Consistently one of the most entertaining books on the stands. Highly recommended!

FF #7 – After last issue’s nigh-unreadable Black Bolt debacle, I am actually on the verge of kicking this to the curb once and for all. Just a terrible, terrible issue in a mediocre book. I know people hail Hickman as a great writer and plotter, and I certainly agree that he seems to plot way ahead of most writers but what he fails to do is make individual issues engaging. You should not be bored reading a comic.

Spider-Man Blue TP – If you only know writer Jeph Loeb from his more recent work, check out this collection of his second Marvel mini with the incredible Tim Sale. It’s a beautifully illustrated love letter to the Silver Age Spider-Man, and it’s one of the first books I double dipped on.

Spider-Man Fantastic Four TP – Really liked the Spider-Man/X-Men mini by the same team of Christos Gage and Mario Alberti. Both books take team-ups from different eras, and given the rich history of the FF and Spidey, this should be fun.

Spider-Man The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Volume 1 TP – And speaking of fun, there’s a lot to be had in this collection. Granted, the Clone Saga became bloated and repetitive, but there’s no denying that the first few months of Ben Reilly coming to terms with being Spider-Man were different from any Spider-Man we’d seen in years. It was fun to watch the former Peter Parker reconnect with heroes and villains, and build a new supporting cast and life. Unfortunately it was only five or six months before Peter and MJ were reintroduced and the writing was on the wall; but these issues at least seemed like a fresh new start. This collection focuses on Ben’s final adventures as the Scarlet Spider and his transformation into the new Spider-Man. And the New Warriors. Can’t go wrong there!

Venom #5 – While I’m generally enjoying this, it’s not quite clicking for me yet. Even so, the close ties to Spider-Man and the creative team will keep me on board at least until Spider Island is over. Which brings me to…

The Pick of the Week

Amazing Spider-Man #666 – After months of teases, Spider Island kicks off with Manhattanites developing Spider powers left, right and center. I like that at least part of the story will apparently deal with the fact that Peter no longer has a unique power, so does that mean he no longer has the responsibility – but obviously we know the answer to that is yes. In any case, I am looking forward to this one, even if I am slightly disappointed this issue number wasn’t used to have Spidey giving Mephisto a good kicking, just out of principal.

Better late than never. I know a lot of people are off to San Diego this week but that doesn’t mean that we mere mortals aren’t able to pick up some comics too…

DC Comics Presents The Metal Men #1 – I think this mainly reprints the Metal Men backups that ran in the recent Doom Patrol series, but I could be wrong. May be worth a look as I heard good things.

DC Retroactive: Batman The ’70s , The Flash The ’70s , Wonder Woman The ’70s – All #1 (One Shot) – I really like the idea of these, but I had more affinity for the 80s and 90s at DC. Also, I’ll probably just pick up the inevitable trade – or I could always raid the dollar bins at the next con.

Flashpoint minis: Deadman And The Flying Graysons #2 (Of 3), Legion Of Doom #2, The Outsider #2 (Of 3), Wonder Woman And The Furies – All #2 (Of 3) – WW aside, these feel like they need to stand on their own as they do very little other than flesh out the Flashpoint world. Outsider has an interesting new character that I’m not altogether sure of, but the first issue was strong enough (aw, Mr and Mrs Terrific) to warrant a second; Legion of Doom feels like we’ve been there before, but the final page of an ingenious break-in to prison by a character I haven’t seen in a while hooked me, and Deadman and Dick (okay, but that’s what it should be called) not only fleshes out Europe after the Atlantean attack but is also a pretty enjoyable book in its own right (also, the covers are beautiful). Wonder Woman was also good last issue, and I’m enjoying the WW/Aquaman dynamic in the new world. All in all, surprisingly good stuff.

Supergirl #66 – With all the alien-ness of the new Superfamily, I’m going to miss the wide-eyed teen take on the girl of steel for a while. It’s been fun – and this story, with her going undercover at college shows the potential in the book. Ah well.

Daredevil #1 – I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited by the prospect of a more swashbuckling DD than we’ve seen in the past decade or so – I was one (possibly the only one) who really enjoyed Karl Kesel and Joe Kelly’s runs as writers on the character the last time this was tried back in the mid-90s. Mark Waid and his two art teams would seem to be the perfect fit, too. That said…although I’ll pick this up, I may end up moving to trades quickly, simply because I seem to do that with almost all Marvels these days.

Incredible Hulks Planet Savage TP – I’ve been a massive fan of Greg Pak’s run on the green giant, but I switched to trades a few arcs back. This has been one I’ve been looking forward to for a while; I’ve grown attached to Skaar, and the Savage Land is probably my favorite non-NY locale in the Marvel Universe, and one the Hulk always seemed well-suited for.

Thor Black Galaxy Saga TP – If there’s one thing the DeFalco/Frenz team did on Thor in the late 80s/early 90s (a team that I’m a big fan of), it’s pay homage to the masters. This Thor arc – that originally ran as a biweekly summer story back in the summer of 1990 – has Thor (bonded with Eric Masterson, future Thunderstrike) on a space adventure with Hercules, running into the likes of the High Evolutionary and the Celestials. It wouldn’t feel out of place in the 60s; that said…your mileage may vary.

Thunderbolts Violent Rejection TP – I wasn’t 100% on Jeff Parker’s first Thunderbolts trade, but I’m a big enough fan of his writing that I’ll give him another shot. I do kind of miss the classic T-Bolts though; I know that some of the cast is here, but it’s not the same. Okay: old man whine over.

And the pick of the week…

Turf HC – I harped on and on about this when it was being released, but the series took so long to complete that it drained a lot of readers goodwill. Well, don’t miss this if you can spend some money on it – Jonathon Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards have mashed up gangsters, vampires and aliens in prohibition New York in a story that works on a lot of levels. I’m impressed by Ross’ debut – dialog is sharp, characters are real (well, as real as you can get for a gangster bonded with an alien, and a Vampire who wants to live in peace) the plot rolls along with a minimum of slow points, and the strands of story really come together. As for Edwards – I’ve never been a huge fan of his, if only because the books I’ve seen him on never felt they played to his strengths, but his work here is nothing short of fantastic; he really captures the dirtiness and desperation needed here. Five stars. If I gave stars.

Without further ado…

Lady Mechanika #2 – I enjoyed #0 and #1, but with what feels like at least a four or five month gap between #1 and #2, I think I’m past investing my time and money in this book on an issue by issue basis. A shame, too, as I seem to remember it being pretty good. Maybe in trade.

Batgirl #23 – Ah, Steph, we hardly knew ye. She might be getting kicked to the curb in a few issues time, but that’s no reason not to enjoy the hell out of this book while it’s still here.

Booster Gold #46, Flashpoint Citizen Cold, Flashpoint Deathstroke And The Curse Of The Ravager, Flashpoint Emperor Aquaman, Flashpoint Frankenstein And The Creatures Of The Unknown All #2 (Of 3) – Damn, but it’s a Flashpoint heavy week this week. Booster continues to try and fix whatever went wrong with the timeline, Len Snart is a cold bastard in any version of history, Deathstroke feels surprisingly ‘right’ as a pirate, more moping with FP Arthur (that’s what you get when you kill millions of people), and Frankenstein no doubt kicks some ass. All in all a pretty good batch here, although Citizen Cold and Deathstroke feel superfluous.

Red Robin #25 – Like Batgirl, one of the few books I’ll miss come the DCnU. But I’ll get it while it’s here.

Teen Titans #97 – Like some horrible car crash on the opposite lane that you can’t help slowing down to look at, Teen Titans continues its slow descent into being potentially the worst currently published series. And yet I cannot look away. I think (hope) this concludes the now-moot introduction of Solstice, the bright (ho ho) new star (ho ho) of the book, who will promptly vanish as of the DCnU and never be seen again.

Amazing Spider-Man #665 – The issue before Spider-Island begins, this is one that Dan Slott has been talking up, saying it plays off from something that happens way back in Amazing Fantasy #15. So it’s probably something like how did poor Peter Parker pay for the raw materials to make his web shooters. Or maybe not. Either way, I’ll be picking it up – this is the best Spider-Man has been in a long, long time.

Captain America #1 – A new #1? Steve back in the union suit? Is there a movie coming out?

Dr Strange Into The Dark Dimension HC – Roger Stern’s run on Doctor Strange is one that I’d missed when I started collecting, and one that I never went back to pick up as I’ve never had that much affection for the character – but I’m tempted by this one if only because I always feel I should like the character. Oh, and because Roger Stern remains one of my favorite comic book writers.

FF #6 – You know the drill. Irked on a number of levels but – like with Teen Titans – unable to look away. Annoying me this issue: the Inhumans returning to Earth with Black Bolt. That they’re back at all and that he’s back from the dead in particular both annoy me since they have evolved so much over the course of War of Kings and Realm of Kings.

Ghost Rider #1 – A new Ghost Rider. And this time he’s a she. Is this the 90s again?

Spider-Man The Death Of Jean Dewolff HC – An absolute classic storyline, as Spider-Man’s ally falls to the Sin Eater. Highly recommended if you haven’t read it previously.

X-Men Schism #1 – Apparently this will change everything about the X-Men. You know what? I may pick this up in spite of abandoning the book for trades a while ago (and having finally read Five Lights last week, man that was dull).

And my pick of the week…

Dungeons And Dragons #1 (Legacy Edition) – I know, I don’t tell you that this series is awesome enough. This reprint includes a couple of variant covers, John Roger’s script, and a D&D module. If you haven’t tried the book before, this is the one to pick up. It’s probably a bad sign when the comic I’m looking forward to most is a reprint of one I already have, isn’t it?

According to the guy at Midtown Comics, comics will be in store tomorrow even though yesterday was a holiday. I don’t know if they’ll be available in the morning, but I guess I’ll find out when I turn up at 8.30…

Flashpoint #3 (Of 5) – As much as I’m enjoying this (and I am, quite a lot), the plot needs to move on a bit. Also, a lot of the ‘background’ stuff like the Atlantis/Amazon war in Europe feels disconnected. If it’s to connect to the main Flash/Batman plot it needs to do so in this issue. If it’s just to give the world color I’m okay with that, but we don’t need to flash over to see Arthur or Diana if they don’t influence the core story.

Flashpoint Abin Sur The Green Lantern, Flashpoint Batman Knight Of Vengeance, Flashpoint Secret Seven, Flashpoint The World Of Flashpoint -all #2 (Of 3) – A mixed bag of tie-ins; I feel that the Abin Sur/Hal Jordan minis are amongst the weakest tie-ins (and they tie together) and there’s a feeling of inevitability to them. On the other hand, Batman is the strongest of the bunch, Secret Seven is good looking if a bit baffling, and I enjoyed World last time round. Getting ‘em all.

Gotham Central Volume 2 Jokers And Madmen TP – Collecting #11-22 of the incredibly popular series, this is damn good read. However for me at least the impact of the stories of regular Detectives Montoya and Allen is lessened in retrospect since they became the Question and the Spectre respectively. It takes away from the street level view a bit.

Green Arrow Volume 1 Into The Woods HC – The first six issues of Ollie Queen’s third new ongoing in the past, what, ten years (and don’t forget he’s got a fourth coming up) tie in to Brightest Day, and have the exiled emerald archer hanging out in the new forest at the center of Star City like some kind of Robin Hood…oh, I see what they did there…

Infinity Inc Volume 1 The Generations Saga HC – I’ve always been a fan of Infinity Inc (even with Nuklon’s hair), the team made up largely of offspring of Golden Age characters, but this collection – including Infinity Inc #1-4 and All-Star Squadron #25-26 and Annual #2 – feels overpriced. Then again, 1980s Roy Thomas…it’s tempting.

Saga Of The Swamp Thing Volume 5 HC – I probably need to catch up on this. Read the first volume of Alan Moore’s well-regarded work and was impressed, but apparently not impressed enough to pick up the second. Is it really as good as everyone says?

X-Files 30 Days Of Night TP- I know; licensed comics can be the bane of your life. They almost always suck all the joy out of the original source material. That said, this particular combination seems to be pretty on the money. I’m curious if anyone out there has read it, though…

Doctor Who II Volume 1 The Ripper TP – I feel obliged to point this out since, you know, Doctor Who, but I confess the only recent Who comic I’ve read was The Forgotten. Which was pretty damn good, now I think about it. Tempting…

Dungeons And Dragons Volume 1 Shadowplague HC – Originally scheduled for last week, here’s what I had to say:

Collecting the first arc of the new series, this is another book I can’t recommend highly enough. John Rogers has crafted a fast-moving, funny, and exciting story here with plenty of nods to the classic game to keep fans happy, whilst also being accessible to newbies. Andrea DiVito’s art is pretty damn good too. Seriously, if you like fun comics, this is for you. If you don’t – well then, I don’t even want to know you.

Locke And Key Volume 3 Crown Of Shadows TP and Locke And Key Volume 4 Keys To The Kingdom HC – I enjoyed the hell out of the first volume of Locke And Key, an resolved to pick up the trades going forward, then promptly forgot about it. Is it worth catching up on?

Blue Estate #4 – I’m really not sure why I’m still picking this up. I suppose the plot strands are finally being drawn together a bit, but it’s still full of what appear to pointless diversions (like the guys who get beat up outside the strip club). That said, the covers are amazing.

Heroes For Hire Control TP – I’ll pick up pretty much anything that Abnett and Lanning have a hand in these days, and I like most of the characters here. I don’t see it having a long run, but I want to pick it up anyway.

Red Skull #1 (Of 5) – Beautiful covers, and having a Nazi monster like Skull as your main character takes some balls. Pity those balls weren’t on display when Waid’s Cap issue starring the Skull was rewritten all those years ago – although I hear it may be showing up unedited in a trade somewhere.

Spider-Girl #8 – Final issue. I enjoyed this book, but the tone was all over the place. Killing off Spider-Woman’s father so early on was unnecessary. As I said months ago, not every character needs a tragic back story – especially when they’re already committed to superheroing. The inclusion of Red Hulk was an odd choice too. The story will continue in the Spider-Island tie in mini, but I’ll be surprised if Anya gets another shot at a solo book any time soon.

And finally, pick of the week…

Shinku #2 – I know, vampires feel very overused and omnipresent these days, but Ron Marz and Lee Moder’s take on them (with samurai!) is satisfyingly bloody and just a little bit sexy. This may not be everyone’s thing, but it’s off to a strong start. Frankly, after Marz’s incredible run on Witchblade I’ll check out anything he does, and I miss seeing Moder’s art monthly, so I’d recommend picking it up. There’s a preview of the first issue here – check it out.

It’s been a while since I’ve done this – but there sure seem to be a lot of trades around. And Flashpoint books, of course…

Batman: Knight And Squire TP – I admit, I didn’t quite warm to writer Paul Cornell’s run on Action Comics (which everyone else seemed to love), or to this when I saw the previews. That said, there’s been plenty of good word of mouth on this mini, and who am I to pass up the British versions of Batman and Robin? I’ll be picking this up at some point.

Flashpoint Green Arrow Industries #1 (One Shot), Flashpoint Hal Jordan #1 (Of 3), Flashpoint Project Superman #1 (Of 3), Flashpoint The Canterbury Cricket #1 (One Shot) – By and large I’ve been incredibly impressed with the Flashpoint tie-ins. None of them seem to be necessary to understanding the main story, but they’re certainly well-thought out and contribute to a greater view of the Flashpoint world. Against all odds, this is shaping up to be an excellent crossover.

Red Robin Hit List TP – I can’t recommend this title enough; along with Batgirl, it’s been a ray of light amongst DC’s last few years worth of books. Great characterization, great writing and art, and a great development of Tim into his own man. If there’s any two characters I’m going to miss when the DCnU rolls around, it’s him and Steph. I know that Tim’s still going to be Red Robin, but it seems he’s not going to be my Red Robin.

Dungeons And Dragons Volume 1 Shadowplague HC – Collecting the first arc of the new series, this is another book I can’t recommend highly enough. John Rogers has crafted a fast-moving, funny, and exciting story here with plenty of nods to the classic game to keep fans happy, whilst also being accessible to newbies. Andrea DiVito’s art is pretty damn good too. Seriously, if you like fun comics, this is for you. If you don’t – well then, I don’t even want to know you.

Drums #2 (Of 4) – The series started strongly, with what looks like a mass suicide, a zombie witness that only the lead FBI agent saw, and a whole heap of voodoo. Dark and ever so slightly horror-tinged, this is yet another strong mini from Image.

Marineman #6 – Speaking of strong minis from Image, I think a lot of people overlooked Ian Churchill’s labor of love due to his new almost animated-like art style, and due to the fact that the hero looks like an Aquaman rip-off. They’ve missed a fun romp. I’ve had huge issues with the pacing, but all in all this has been very enjoyable. Wouldn’t mind seeing a second series (assuming this is the last issue of this one, which I think it is…).

Skullkickers #8 – Like D&D, this series has been a surprise. Another great fun book, if slightly more slapstick and less polished than Rogers’ entry into the genre. Even so, I’d recommend this too.

Witch Doctor #1 (Of 4) – Worth a look if only because the tag line of ‘House meets Fringe‘ has me intrigued. It’s also the first non-Kirkman book from Robert Kirkman’s Skybound imprint. There’s a preview here.

Amazing Spider-Man #664 – It’s be easy to tread water as Spider-Island is coming up, but Dan Slott’s not content to do that – instead he’s throwing us what would seem to be a capper on the long-gestating Mr Negative/Anti-Venom storyline. Negative’s one of the better characters introduced during BND, so I hope he makes it out of this intact.

Daredevil Reborn HC and Daredevil Yellow TP – Two DD books hit, and although I’ve heard almost nothing positive about Reborn, I highly recommend Yellow. It was the first of the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale ‘color’ collaborations when they moved to Marvel, and is a nostalgic look back at the man without fear’s early days. Sale’s art is beautiful, and there’s something about it that reigns Loeb’s more bombastic side in. It’s a touching book, and one of only a few that I own in both original issues and trades. Take a look if you’ve never read it.

FF #5 – Still treading water; Hickman’s admittedly intricate plotting is no excuse for the slow as molasses pace that this book has been in since way before the relaunch. Plodding and ponderous, this is a poor excuse for a book that should be about high adventure meeting SCIENCE! in the most exciting way possible. And yet I’m still buying it. Shut up.

Incredible Hulk And The Human Torch From The Marvel Vault #1 (One Shot) – I haven’t been picking these Vault books up but will probably get it once the trade hits. This one has Steve Ditko art, though, so I may make the exception

Incredible Hulks Annual #1 – The third part of a crossover between Spider-Man, Deadpool and Hulk, where the three have been thrown to an alternate world and forced to confront their dopplegangers. In Spider-Man, the alt-Peter was the world’s primary super-hero who needed to feed off the powers of alternate Peters, for Deadpool his alternate was basically Dr Doom (much to his disgust), and for Hulk – well, we’ll see. This has been really enjoyable; a nice surprise.

And the pick of the week….

She-Hulks Hunt For The Intelligencia TP – Collecting the She-Hulks mini (that was curtailed down from an ongoing, which was a travesty) – Harrison Wilcox and Ryan Stegman brought their A-game here. The book is funny and sweet, yet manages to be what a book involving Hulks should be (ie, there’s a lot of hitting). As much as I like Jen Walters, I’ve grown quite attached to the so-called ‘Savage’ She-Hulk, Lyra – and having them play off one another is a treat. Another one that I’d recommend wholeheartedly.

Assuming that Wednesday actually is new comics day (even after five years in the US I still get confused as to which holidays delay shipments and which don’t), there’s a bunch of stuff that looks interesting to me tomorrow. There’s also Fear Itself.

Flashpoint #2 (Of 5) – Against my better judgment I’ve been sucked into this mini, especially with all this speculating about what happens after Flashpoint. Of course in reality, chances are nothing major will happen after it except maybe having another world to play with in specials or something, so bravo, DC marketing. Bravo.

Flashpoint Minis: Abin Sur The Green Lantern #1, Batman Knight Of Vengeance #1, Secret Seven #1, The World Of Flashpoint #1 – Yeesh, four of the 372 tie-ins to Flashpoint also drop this week. I’m not sure I’ll be getting any (I may pick up the inevitable HC collections as I did for Blackest Night), but to my surprise some of these really do pique my interest. Will I be strong enough to hold off? Possibly.

Planetary Batman Deluxe HC – I won’t be picking this up, as I picked it up first time around, but I do remember it being a pretty good one-shot, with the Planetary team running up against multiple versions of Batman through his publishing history (ie, Dark Knight Returns Batman, camp 60s Batman, etc). I do question the price point of this, though, at $23 for a HC of what was originally a $5 or $6 book when it first came out. Sure, it has Warren Ellis’s script as well, but that’s pretty steep for a 96 page book.

Halcyon #5 (Of 5) – Marc Guggenheim’s underrated superhero story from Image has been surprisingly satisfying, if a little predictable at times. Essentially, all violence has been eliminated by unknown means, putting most heroes out of a job (and villains too for that matter). Only one hero is determined to uncover the reason though it will cost him his life – and the remaining heroes stand against him. Good stuff that I’d recommend picking up in trade if you can.

Amazing Spider-Man #663 – I think I’m an issue behind on this at the moment, but this is almost always my most looked-forward to read these days, and I think that’s recommendation enough.

Astonishing X-Men #39 – So much for running the book as minis. I wish the alternating creative teams luck (and I’m a big fan of Christos Gage’s work), because this book has felt pointless for quite some time now.

Avengers Academy #14.1 – And speaking of Christos Gage…this should be a good jump on point as it’s part of this silly ‘Point One’ initiative, so check out the best team book you’re not reading.

Captain Britain Volume 1 Birth Of A Legend HC – Collecting Captain Britain’s early Marvel UK appearances, these strips are definitely a mixed bag. Many were originally in black and white and suffered as a result of being, well, not very good – but having reread them recently, I can say they have a certain charm.

Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol #1 (Of 5) – I have no words. Shouldn’t this have died a death some time ago at this point?

Osborn Evil Incarcerated TP - I’ve heard a lot of good things about this mini, so I may give it a shot if only because I hope that it manages to effectively book-end Dark Reign and set Osborn’s direction for the future (although I won’t object to him being off the table for a few years).

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 – Many people were fans of the first run of this series, so I feel obliged to point out that it’s back. Me, though, I decided not to pick it up as I’m sick of secret histories and I am not a huge fan of this particular writer’s style.

Thor Thunderstrike TP – Okay, this isn’t for everyone. Collecting some key issues in the development of Thunderstrike (the mortal, very 90s Thor stand-in who eventually spun off in his own series), this features Thor’s merging with Eric Masterson, the later ‘death’ of Thor and Masterson’s debut as a familiar looking hero, the return of Thor and Masterson’s assumption of his own identity. Each part of the trade was actually separated by a few years of publishing, so I expect this to be a bit disjointed – but I heartily recommend it for anyone who feels a little nostalgic for fun, uncomplicated heroics.

And the pick of the week…

Turf #5 (of 5) – Jonathon Ross and Tommy Lee Edward’s mini has been tortuously late in coming out; at 18 months for 5 issues it’s not in Planetary‘s ballpark, but it feels close. That said, this is a great, great comic that screams ‘high concept’. A mix of prohibition New York gangsters, vampires, and aliens, with a sprawling cast, this shouldn’t work but it does – thanks largely to great character work by first-time writer Ross and razor sharp dialogue. Ross has a few more series coming out soon with a number of high profile artists (including, according to a DM he sent me a few months back, a classic horror artist) – and if this is the standard of the work he’s going to put out, the more the merrier. Great, great stuff. Get the trade – you won’t regret it.

I had connection issues yesterday, but back up and running today. To say its a slow week comics-wise is an understatement, but luckily Marvel comes to the rescue with a bunch of trades…

Red Robin #21 – If there’s two comics I can usually rely on to enjoy each month, it;s this and Batgirl - but I was let down for the first time by last week’s issue of Batgirl, and last issue’s Teen Titans crossover felt forced – so don’t fail me now, Fabian Nicieza!

Age of Heroes TP – The four issue anthology series is collected; honestly, I’ve always enjoyed anthologies and I usually pick these up as they come out. I didn’t get this as it was at the time I was dropping virtually everything, but it has a great list of creators – including Dan Slott, Kurt Busiek, Paul Cornell and more on the writing, and Chris Samnee and Leonard Kirk on the art; for that alone it’s worth picking up if you can get it discounted – but at the full $20 retail it’s a rip-off.

Amazing Spider-Man #656 – Spidey dons another new outfit (this one looks to be bulletproof) to confront his newest villain Massacre. Presumably that’s not the Superman villain of the same name. The solicits are teasing that Spider-Man may kill him but c’mon…

Astonishing X-Men Xenogenesis HC - Warren Ellis teams with Kaare Andrews for the final (I think) part of his run on the book. If it’s of the same caliber as his previous two volumes, you couldn’t pay me to read it.

Avengers Academy #11 – This book continues to impress me; tight storytelling that moves along quickly. No dilly-dallying here. Apparently Korvac’s back this issue – Gage isn’t messing around when he brings out the big guns.

Fear Itself Book Of The Skull #1 – The big Marvel event of the year kicks off…and that’s all I have to say about it, really. This will be the first Marvel event I don’t pick up as it happens in the past 25-plus years, sadly.

Ruse #1 (Of 4) – This Marvel relaunch of a Crossgen property makes a little more sense than Sigil does, with original writer Mark Waid returning to the original characters involved in the series first run – may be worth checking out.

Thor The Lost Gods TP – You know, I understand the principle behind this being collected, what with the Thor movie upcoming and all, but it may have made more sense if it had happened when JMS had Thor running around trying to find the Asgardians in mortal form. Why? Because this was basically exactly the same thing but ten years earlier. Set during the time Thor was lost to the Heroes Reborn universe, Sif and the Warriors Three take on his role as star of the retitled Journey Into Mystery trying to awaken the gods who are living as mortals unaware of their true nature. Oddly, as when the current volume of Thor was recently renumbered to #600 didn’t include the renumbering of Thor into this version of JiM, they won’t be included when the current Thor is renamed once again as Journey Into Mystery with #622. Meaning these aren’t just Lost Gods, they’re Lost Issues. Did I just blow your mind? I thought so!

Thunderstrike #4 (Of 5) – Yes, it’s old school, and yes, the redesign is laughable – but that’s kind of the point. The titular hero is getting another, more acceptable redesign shortly. I have no doubt he’ll either vanish into comic limbo or get killed in a one panel crossover cameo, but for now at least I’m really enjoying the new Thunderstrike.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #3 – Marvel seems to have taken a cue from the 80s and 90s and used the annuals to tell little crossover stories this year, none of which will ever be referenced again. This time out, it’s the start of a three part crossover with Steve Rogers, Super Soldier (who’s getting an annual even though he doesn’t have a series) as they go into the Negative Zone or something.

Pick of the Week

Captain America The Captain TP – I mentioned this a while back; I love this storyline. Basically chronicling the dual narratives of the new Cap (John Walker) adapting to his role and the original Cap (Steve Rogers) in his new costumed identity, this is some of Mark Gruenwald’s best work on Cap. I’m not sure it will be to a new reader’s tastes, but for me you can’t beat it. The 18-month storyline paved the way for the later trend of replacing title characters (which was especially big at DC, with Superman, Batman and Green Lantern all spending some time with someone else ‘under the mask’, as it were, a few years later), proving that once again Gru was ahead of his time.

It’s a pitifully small week for me – and even smaller when you consider that I’m not getting half the stuff I;m talking about. In fact, all in, it looks like I’m picking up two comics, maybe three. Last week was one so I didn’t bother going to the store. I guess if that’s four I could make the trip…

Superboy #5 – I said I’d stick around until the book got derailed by this Doomsday thing, and I will. Unfortunately the book has not lived up to its early promise in the slightest for me; paper-thin characterizations, plot twists I feel I can see coming a mile off, and Conner blundering around forgetting everything he’s learned the past few years. It’s at times like this I miss Kesel, Grummet, Hawaii, Dubbilex, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy, and the other Krypto (remember him?). Maybe not the fade and the leather jacket…

Skullkickers Volume 1 1000 Opas And A Dead Body TP – I picked up the single issues of this but wanted to recommend it anyway as I’ve been singing it’s praises since day one – this collects the first arc for the bargain price of $10 and it’s a steal at that. Great hyper-kinetic fantasy fun with our nameless troublemaking ‘heroes’.

Girl Comics TP – The (in my opinion) badly-titled collection of the three issue anthology of comics by female creators finally hits the trades. While I want to support it, at $15 retail for a three issue collection, I’ll be honest: I’m probably not going to. See you in the back issue boxes at the next con.

New Mutants Fall Of The New Mutants HC – I love the original New Mutants, and enjoyed the hell out of the book’s first arc. The Siege and Necrosha thing derailed it for a bit, but I’m looking forward to getting back into the book before it gets derailed again by Age of X and a new direction after that. I’ll probably wait for the softcover trade though.

Sigil #1 (Of 4) – Marvel’s Crossgen quasi-relaunch kicks off; I wasn’t optimistic about it when it was announced, I’m not optimistic about it now. But I’ll at least flick through the book even if I don’t pick it up.

Venom #1 – The world needs a Venom solo book like it needs a Flash Thompson solo book. And yet here we are. Cynicism aside, I like the concept and limits on the new Venom (20 missions and 2 days), and I did enjoy the Spidey .1 issue that was basically Venom #0 so this is one I may, may pick up.

Pick of the week

Batgirl #19 – This is an easy one; any week with a new issue of Batgirl, it stands a pretty good chance of being the best thing out that week. Now that DC has shifted Red Robin to another week, that chance has increased – I guess they realized that a week can only hold so much awesome. Seriously, Bryan Q Miller has quietly crafted a great run on an incredible book here. There isn’t another superhero book out there that makes me smile quite so consistently as this. Pick it up.

I’m a day late with the pull list this week on account of not being around on the internet yesterday. Once I put away the snark, there’s actually only one regular comic that I’m interested in this week, so chances are I’ll skip the store visit this week. In fact, the vast majority of things I’m actually interested in this week are trades and not comics. How depressing.

Hexed TP – Probably not related to the BBC series Hex, which is a shame because the lead from the first season was quite attractive. She was also fake royalty in Human Target, but I don’t hold that against her. Wait, I completely lost my train of thought there, didn’t I?

Batman Time And The Batman HC – If you ask me, $20 is a bit steep for a collection of Batman #700-703, but the issues were actually pretty good and Amazon has a discount as usual – so if you’re a fan of Grant Morrison’s Batman, this is pretty good. Even so, the ‘untold tale’ between R.I.P. and Final Crisis would have made more sense if it had appeared then…

Billy Batson And The Magic Of SHAZAM Mr Mind Over Matter TP – One of DC’s more fun kids books, this is definitely worth picking up if you have young children you’re trying to get into comics. Recommended!

Giant-Size Atom #1 – I wasn’t picking up Adventure Comics when it was running the Atom back-up, so I probably won’t pick this conclusion up (it doesn’t collect the ones already printed, right?). What I will say, though, is this: great title for a book. Heh.

Hellblazer Volume 1 Original Sins TP – Okay, I need someone to tell me if this is a good first read for Hellblazer. I mean, I know its being used as the start of a new print run of collections, but is it any good? Anyone?

Wildcats Version 3.0 Year Two TP – Collecting the second (duh) and final year of Joe Casey’s much respected run on the once-flagship Wildstorm book. I actually think the entire run passed me by; I have all of the first run but bailed about halfway through the second. Maybe it’s time to pick this up…

Angel After The Fall Volume 1 HC (Premiere Edition) – I’m speechless. $100 retail for the complete 17 issues of the ‘After the Fall’ storyline? Let me save you a bunch of money: it’s terrible. Messy art, boringly plotted, and suffering from the same ‘hey we don’t have a budget, let’s throw everything we can in there’ attitude that derailed the Buffy series. Depressingly, after an Amazon discount, it’s less than I paid for the issues as they came out. Don’t make my mistake. Run, run!

Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Volume 1 TP – Collecting the first 8 issues of DC’s old series from 1989. If I remember rightly, this was a pretty fun comic but nothing special. It does have early Rag Morales art, though – but you can probably find these in the back issue bins for cheaper than this.

Star Trek Captain’s Log Volume 1 TP – Captains Pike, Sulu, Harriman and Jellico? Wow. They really broke out the A-list characters for this one (no offense, Sulu fans).

5 Ronin #1 (Of 5) – I’ll be honest, I don’t get it. Is this some kind of alternate universe thing with a bunch of Marvel heroes re-imagined in feudal Japan? What’s the point?

Annihilators #1 (Of 4) – I won’t be picking this up since I’m waiting on the trade, but it seems like this is Abnett and Lanning’s swansong on the cosmic side of the MU for now; and possibly the swansong of the cosmic side itself. It’s been a fun few years since Annihilation kicked off, guys. See you in the funny pages.

Avengers Academy #10 – Glad I jumped back on the singles for this; really entertaining comic.

Captain America And Falcon #1 – First in a series of one-shots spotlighting Cap and his allies. Seems there’s a big push to get Captain America trades on the shelves for the summer. You’d think there was a movie coming out or something.

And the pick of the week – a trade this time out…

Thanos Imperative HC – This will be arriving this week for me – been looking forward to the culmination of the last year or so of Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m kind of irked that I spoiled the ending for myself, but this is definitely my pick of the week!

I swear, I don’t understand how holidays over here work. Monday was a holiday so – as with many holidays – I expected shipments to be delayed a day, but no, they’re not.

Flash Gordon Invasion Of The Red Sword #1 – Okay, so this didn’t come out last week. What did I say again? “In spite of some confusing art (as in I had no idea what was going on), I really enjoyed the last Flash Gordon mini that was collected as The Mercy Wars, and the Secret History of Mongo HC, because it really captured the devil may care I think Flash should have, and the alien-ness of Mongo. Even so I don’t think I’d seen new Flash Gordon stuff for at least eighteen months so I’d assumed it was dead. Apparently not.” Yep, still about right.

Action Comics #898 – Lex Luthor continues on his tour of the DCU to establish his place in it – because let’s face it, that’s what this is. So far he’s checked in with Mr Mind, Deathstroke, Gorilla Grodd, Death, Vandal Savage, Secret Six and the Joker. This time up, it’s Larfleeze. These kinds of tours often feel forced but at least there’s an attempt here to justify it in the storyline. Even so, I’m bored now. Can we move on to #900, please?

Cover Girls Of The DC Universe Poker Set – Ooh, pretty.

If anyone wants to, er, ‘lend’ me $200 I’m all for it.

DC Comics Presents Batman Conspiracy #1 – Another random reprint in the nice format, this time out the main feature is a collection of a JH Willliams illustrated arc from Legends of the Dark Knight to piggyback on his new Batwoman series.

Justice League The Rise And Fall HC – Mock if you will (oh, and you will; you will) but I kind of enjoyed the whole Green Arrow/Arsenal thing from last year that included Green Arrow killing off a man who can predict anything with an arrow (bet he never saw that coming from Green Arrow); Arsenal getting a robotic arm, falling off the wagon, getting friendly with a dead cat, and not being able to perform with the psychotic mother of his dead child. It’s certainly not good, exactly, but it’s all enjoyable nonsense. Yes, I know that people complained about Arsenal’s daughter Lian being killed off to get to this storyline, but its not like she was being used in a particularly interesting way anyway…

Scalped Volume 7 Rez Blues TP - Hands down one of my favorite series, and one that I rarely talk about. With a structure that would make Tarantino blush, every single trade of this series is infinitely re-readable. It seriously is that good – the first trade, like most Vertigo ones, is $10. Pick it up.

Teen Titans #92 – I know, I’m throwing good money after bad with this – although since Krul’s arrival as writer the book’s picked up, it still features some characters that I have no affinity for even after 20 years of reading about them. What can I say?

Angelus Volume 1 TP – I don’t often mention this, but I am a huge fan of Ron Marz’s stint on Witchblade, and this series spinning out of it is a must-buy for me.

Skullkickers #6 – You should know the drill by now. Awesome fun, pick it up. This issue is a bunch of shorts by other creators, but even so.

Turf #4 (Of 5) – Atrocious (and I mean atrocious; this is the fourth issue in just over a year) scheduling aside, this has been a very strong debut from Jonathon Ross, in conjunction with artist Tommy Lee Edwards. It’s almost too ambitious, featuring as it does vampire clans and a ship-wrecked alien mixing it up with prohibition gangsters in 1920s New York, but there’s a sense of controlled chaos to the storyline. Ross apparently has four more projects on the way, including The Golden Age, already optioned for a movie, and another one that sounds amazing but I’m not sure has been announced. Too late to jump on if you haven’t tried it yet, but I recommend the trade when it comes out – which may be in 2013 at this rate, but still…

Amazing Spider-Man #655 – A very special issue – and one that Dan Slott has been pimping heavily.

Avengers #10 – Not picking this up regularly, but I did note that it contains a reprint of Heroes for Hire #1 at no extra cost, which can’t bode well for that book’s sales numbers.

Iron Man 2.0 #1 – Look, just call it Iron Man: War Machine, okay? This is just confusing and it’ll get lost on the stands in the glut of Iron Man books around.

X-Men Forever 2 Volume 2 Scream A Little Scream TP – Judge me all you want, but I’ve really been enjoying Chris Claremont’s alt-take on what would have happened if he stayed on the books after he left them the first time. I’ll be sorry to see it go once the next trade finishes.

X-Men Legacy Collision HC – I’ll be honest, although I’m a huge fan of Mike Carey’s Felix Castor books, I’ve felt that his run on Legacy has been less-than-stellar, especially in the last year or eighteen months. I’m sure it’s not helped that he keeps getting derailed by crossovers, but there’s just something lacking at the moment. I hope that the current Age of X gives it a much-needed boost.

Pick of the Week

Fantastic Four #588

In spite of my complaining about Hickman’s FF run, and the fact that I’m underwhelmed by how the ‘death’ of the Human Torch played out, this final issue of the Fantastic Four (well, at least until the upcoming FF aligns with what would be Fantastic Four #600) is my pick of the week – if only because I’ve always enjoyed the aftermath of big deaths more than the death itself. I’m also tempted to reread his run from the start – especially the bits with future Franklin and Valeria – to see how this all pulls together.

Another big week if I had all the money in the world, and once again Marvel seem intent on saturating the shelves with trades and hardcovers…and from here on out, I’m going to have my pick of the week separated out at the bottom of the post. Why?

So you have to read the whole damn thing, of course!

Flash Gordon Invasion Of The Red Sword #1 – In spite of some confusing art (as in I had no idea what was going on), I really enjoyed the last Flash Gordon mini that was collected as The Mercy Wars, and the Secret History of Mongo HC, because it really captured the devil may care I think Flash should have, and the alien-ness of Mongo. Even so I don’t think I’d seen new Flash Gordon stuff for at least eighteen months so I’d assumed it was dead. Apparently not.

Fringe Tales From The Fringe TP – Call me sucker, but I really enjoy a lot of WildstormDC’s TV tie-ins, so chances are good I’ll pick this up at some point.

Supergirl #61 – In spite of my better judgment I picked up the first issue with the new creative team and enjoyed it a lot. Bernard Chang is a perfect fit on the art front – but I’m curious as to what will happen now Nick Spencer is no longer writing. After all, the set-up last issue stemmed from a very Nick Spencer-like idea so I’ll be interested to see where it goes from here.

Dungeons And Dragons #4 (Of 4) – Wait a minute! I could have sworn this was solicited as an ongoing! It certainly deserves to be one, and if it’s been retro’d into a mini due to low sales – well, that’s a damn shame, because this was one hell of a fun comic.

Marineman #3 – And speaking of fun, I bet not many people are picking up Ian Churchill’s Marineman. The first issue was guilty of (a) too much set up, (b) not enough action, (c) no clarity as to the main character’s powers or lack thereof, and (d) a page full of fart jokes – but even so, I’m pretty impressed by this. Churchill’s new cartoony art style has a hint of Ed McGuinness and is perfectly suited for this kind of book. Surprisingly engaging.

Morning Glories Volume 1 For A Better Future TP – I picked up the 17th printing of #1, missed #2, and saw the 3rd printing of #3 on the rack – and then decided just to go for the trade. From the first issue, there didn’t seem to be anything especially groundbreaking or new about the set-up, but Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma and Rodin Esqueljo work well together and tell an engaging story – so I’ll pick this up if only to try to overcome my cynical ‘nothing new here’ mindset. Plus, it’s $10 so you can’t go wrong, right?

Proof Endangered #3 – Part three of the five part mini has Proof (our resident long-lived, suit-wearing bigfoot) trying to track down other bigfoots (bigfeet?) while his many enemies get closer and closer, and seem intent on taking out his loved ones. This feels like the end of the road for the book – but whatever happened to the mooted TV show?

Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 – The point one issue focusing on the new Venom, Flash Thompson. I’m pretty ambivalent on that development, actually, so I have nothing else really to say about this issue.

Avengers Academy #9 – Last time a bunch of students decided to beat the crap out of the Hood and release the video on the internet to get revenge on behalf of teacher Tigra. Her response? Kick them out of the Academy. I’m not surprised, but I am consistently amazed at just how good this book is. Highly recommended.

Captain America By Jack Kirby Omnibus HC – At $75 ($41 on Amazon) this isn’t cheap by any means, but it sounds a little better when you factor in that it has over 20 issues and kicks off with the classic Madbomb storyline.

Captain America Scourge Of The Underworld TP – I mentioned this back in my post on Mark Gruenwald’s Cap trades – and I have to admit, I’m still looking forward to it. I’ve always liked Scourge as a concept, and collecting all his appearances, plus the follow-up USAgent mini sounds good to me.

Captain America Sentinel Of Liberty HC - Back at the height of Mark Waid’s run on Cap, the powers that be decided to give Cap (and Waid) a second book which, for lack of a better analogy, is Cap’s version of Legends of the Dark Knight. It lasted twelve issues, and this HC collects them all, kicking off with a future-set Cap and following with a three-part Invaders story. Definitely a mixed bag, but worth a look for the talent involved.

Hawkeye Blindspot #1 (Of 4) – Man, Hawkeye has no luck. Already deaf (although now I’m wondering if that got fixed one of the times he came back from the dead), now he’s going blind too? Jeez… I should probably get caught up on the Hawkeye/Mockingbird series first, I guess.

Marvel Girl #1 – I have no idea what the premise behind doing a Jean Grey one-shot is. She’s still dead, right? And she’s not in the upcoming movie? I can’t work out how this fits into Marvel’s usual publishing plan. Ah well…

Silver Surfer #1 (Of 5) – Greg Pak is possibly one of the few writers who could interest me in the Surfer these days; I loved the way he handled him in Planet Hulk, so I may give this a look – although I’ll probably wait until I’ve read The Thanos Imperative…

Spider-Girl #4 – Right out of the gate, this has impressed the hell out of me. Granted, I’m not completely buying the Red Hulk’s involvement in the series, but everything else has been surprisingly good. I’m on this for the long haul – now if only She-Hulks had had the same opportunity to impress…

Spider-Woman Agent Of S.W.O.R.D. TP – I was interested when this first came out but the first issue bored the pants off me. Tell me, internets, did it get any better?

Venom Deadpool #1 – From what I can gather, this is basically “What if Deadpool was possessed by Venom?”. I strongly suspect the answer to that would be “Nothing good would happen.”

X-Men Curse Of The Mutants HC – All right, I’ve been looking forward to this. I’m a fan of both Gischler and Medina, and enjoyed the hell out of the Death of Dracula one-shot. I know this hasn’t set the world on fire, but on the bright side it has to be more fun that Fraction’s X-Men, right?

And the very first pick of the week…

Human Target Second Chances TP

Don’t confuse this with the fun Human Target TV show that just wrapped its second season; the only thing it has in common is the name Christopher Chance. No, this collects the first ten issues of the Peter Milligan-penned Vertigo series, and includes art by Cliff Chiang and Javier Pulido – and I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Chance is a deeply damaged character, losing himself in other people’s lives on assignment and this book is as much a study of him as it is a series of missions. Simply one of the best ongoing series published in the past ten years – pick this up.