It’s another decent sized week with only one book that I’m not certain I’ll be picking up…
Action Comics #887 -This one I’m getting. The whole New Krypton thing is rushing to a conclusion with the Last Stand of New Krypton and subsequent War of the Supermen, and as good as I’ve found it, it’s probably about time.
Batgirl #8 – Still one of the only batbooks I’m picking up, Batgirl really is a breath of fresh air at the moment. It helps that I always liked Steph, admittedly – and that Babs is playing back-up here. I’m assuming Steph is going to show up in the relaunched Birds of Prey aswell.
Green Lantern Corps #46 – This has been great during (and before) Blackest Night – but I’m not 100% on board when its all over and the dust settles.
Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special - I know that last week’s Cry for Justice caused some controversy, but that aside the new directions for Arrows Green and Red have me interested. So…maybe I’ll pick this up.
Red Robin #10 – Steph and Tim! Awk-ward…
Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #1 – See Action, above.
Amazing Spider-Man #624 – Still have no interest in the new Vulture, but this is a solid arc. Kind of missing the lack of supporting cast these past few months, if I’m honest.
Web of Spider-Man #6 – Last issue’s (original) Vulture story finally lived up to the title’s promise. Let’s hope it continues!
#8 – This continues to be a solid book. I stand by what I said some years ago about Tim Drake being one of the best characters that DC has (look, I can’t be bothered to find and link to it, but I’m sure I did, round about the time that One Year Later was rolling out) – and although the new direction has its share of detractors, I think its a good progression for Tim.
#11 – As the series winds down to what, no doubt, will be an open-ended conclusion to allow for Brainiac and the LSH and the following War of the Supermen, the book continues to surprise me – because it’s still enjoyable, engaging and shedding new light on the character of Superman after over seventy years of publishing.
# 897 – This continues to be indefensible, I’m aware of that. I’m sorry.
# 1 – Maaaybe. The temptation to skip this and pick it up in trade, probably at less than the cost of the full issues, is pretty tempting. The thing is, that will be kind of like a watershed; I probably won’t be picking up the single issue Avengers books if I wait for the trade on this, and, well, that’s a big thing for me. So I’m not sure.
– Ok, not only do I have the paperback trade of this that came out donkey’s years ago, but I also have the single issues now. But I’d still recommend this to anyone who likes old-school Marvel; the X-Men, the New Mutants and Alpha Flight all bound up in a Loki revenge plot. And as an added bonus, you get Rachel Grey and Maddie Pryor, too.
– Again, I have most of the issues but this is damn tempting. This was a crossover when a crossover meant something. For X-Factor, Angel’s near-crucifixion lead to his attempted suicide and conversion into Apocalypse’s Death; for the X-Men, the injuries sustained to the team cut their numbers as several members left for an extended period – and Wolverine and Sabretooth threw down for the first time before it happened every other month; for the New Mutants, it started them going out on their own as they realized the senior team couldn’t do everything. Throw in Thor, Daredevil and Power Pack and you’ve got a good collection here.
#49 – The war goes on; I get the impression that the GL books are more reflective of what Blackest Night was going to be before it was expanded to take on the whole DCU.
#695 – I have to admit I’m enjoying this at the moment. I hope Mon-El sticks around after the big War of the Supermen next year.
#616 – The conclusion of a short Sandman story. Flint Marko’s always been one of my favorite villains – although i kind of preferred it when he was trying to be reform. Ah well.
#31 – Always one of the better reads for the month, it’s a shame that the book will end soon. Hope Gage stays on the revamp.
- Scheduling snafu aside, looking forward to this. Kind of hope that Bucky ends up as Cap and Steve ends up running SHIELD. Which would be appropriate, name-wise.
#574 – Last issue felt rushed, but I’m warming to Hickman’s take on the team. Not many writers seem to really ‘get’ the FF (Lee, Byrne and Waid and maybe Engelhart are really the only ones that spring to mind) but so far, so good.
#21 – Permanently awesome.
#139 – Ditto – although apparently, not that permanently. I expect an adjectiveless relaunch post-cancellation.
#60 – If there’s a book that needs a shake-up it’s this one. Bendis has been dragging his feet for months here.
#519 – Never thought I’d see the day (I mean I lasted through Austen and Kelly) but this is hovering dangerously close to being dropped.
– Willow One Shot – I’ll be picking this up but honestly, I’m not expecting too much. That’s depressing.
