Comics-Archived

These days I have less and less time to say about comics – the whole reason I started blogging way, way, back when in the days of yore – mainly because I’m not buying that many comics.

Yes, I’m aware that I say this after the fourth week of buying absolutely everything that DC Comics is putting out – but consider this; I’m not getting any DC #2s this month.

None. At all.

Not because I’m morally outraged by certain books or because I don’t agree with what’s happened to my favorite character in others, or because I just don’t think that others are very good – but simply because there are storage, time, and money issues with me continuing to read everything I want to.

There’s a very good chance that at some point I’ll pick up some trades or digital copies (especially if they’re on sale) or perhaps even back issues in the cheap bins at cons, but for now it’s sayonara.

As for Marvel, I’m down to three regular series – Amazing Spider-Man, FF and Avengers Academy – and a few Spider-Island minis. I’m sticking with FF through FF #12 and Fantastic Four #600, then I’m done. It’s a book that I’ve been with for over 20 years, but Jonathan Hickman’s run has succeeded in sucking all of the fun and adventure out of the title, so enough is enough.

I’ll stay with Avengers Academy since it’s just so damn enjoyable, and Spidey since (a) it’s just so damn good, and (b) it’s Spidey, but that’s my lot.

From other publishers I’ll probably carry on picking up Dungeons and Dragons and Skullkickers at least until I get to a good point to switch to trades, and as much as I enjoyed the recent Buffy and Angel and Faith relaunches, they’ll read better in trades (or not at all).

So that’s it. Two – maybe four – ongoing monthly comics.

It’s difficult to keep a mainly-comics blog going on opinions of things I don’t read (although let’s face it, lots of people do it), so I don’t think that this will survive in its current format. Honestly I’m not sure what format it’ll survive in; it’s not even as if I get to see all the TV and movies I spend half my posts posting trailers for these days.

So…I guess that’s it. Pretty much closing time for the blog. I’m still on twitter so I’ll be around, and I have the seed of an idea for this that may require some rebranding of some kind, but for now I guess I’ll see you in the funny pages.

I was on vacation and away from the internet when Flashpoint #5 came out, along with its big double page spread that tried to smoothly explain the transition to the DCnU but actually didn’t, so I may have missed the answer to the first of these questions already but I figured I’d ask anyway…

Okay, so Barry Allen is running through the timestream trying to fix everything he did when he hears a woman’s voice and changes the timestream into the new DCU. Okay, I get that. The woman, however, says:

…the history of heroes was shattered into three long ago. Splintered to weaken your world…

(emphasis mine)

Looking at the page above, obviously two of the three are the regular DCU as it was pre-Flashpoint and the Wildstorm Universe-

But what was the third? Is that picture in the top left corner of the page that I assume is meant to represent the characters who traditionally had a home in Vertigo over the past decade or so? Because the majority of them were already showing up in the old DCU over the past few years anyway and were part of the old DCU before they got farmed out to Vertigo – so that doesn’t really make any sense.

Or am I overthinking it?

The second question is more of a rhetorical one, but the mystery lady with the hood, who’s showing up in all the #1s – does she remind anyone else of the apparently-female Time Trapper who showed up at the end of Zero Hour? I know she was possibly meant to be Lori Morning (who was herself possibly meant to be the post-Zero Hour Legion’s version of Glorith), but it just strikes me as an odd coincedence. Not that hooded lady looks much like Time Trapper, I guess.

But still…

…I’ve been crazily busy this week so I haven’t even been able to do the pull lists, let alone the quick reviews of the DCnU books, or anything else that I actually want to do, like, I don’t know, writing. The next few weeks don’t look too much better and this might be a bit of a drought through NYCC. I hope not, but we’ll see.

In any case, just a few quick thoughts on this week…

- Fringe is back tonight!

- I quite liked Catwoman. I get why people wouldn’t, but not one thing in the book seemed out of place with a Catwoman in my head (as opposed to the one I stopped reading about when Gotham Girls or whatever it was called started, on account of it being crappy). it’s not like Bruce and Selina haven’t had sex before, and the only real change is that now they don’t seem to know each other’s secret IDs so they keep the masks on. I have no problem with it. Now, is it a suitable entry point for a series that could have attracted a bunch of teenage girl readers if done right? That’s a whole other question…

- Similarly I have no problem with Starfire liking sex. Why? Because lots of people I know like sex. It’s fun. Not everyone is into monogamy, and the fact that readers are commenting that ‘she’s a whore’ or a ‘slut’ or whatever is more about them forcing their standards onto what they read. The same could be said, I suppose, for Red Hood etc etc writer Scott Lobdell and his editors – but I just happen to agree that just because people enjoy having sex doesn’t make them bad people. Oh, and another thing – she’s an alien so why on earth would she subscribe to human traditions or whatever? I actually enjoyed the comic. Again, not a good jumping on point but it worked for me – and honestly, I never liked Starfire anyway. She’s up there with Cyborg and Raven as ‘most boring DC characters ever’ for me.

- What else, what else? A lot of this week’s DC books were really, really quick reads. One that wasn’t was the Deadman-starring DC Comics Presents. I’d recommend that to new readers. Supergirl, too, although that was probably the quickest read of them all.

- I thought NuFacebook annoyed me before Mark Zuckerberg announced all the additional stuff yesterday. Now I may consider Google+ as an actual alternative – except I know that the majority of my friends and family will never move of Facebook at this point.

- I am becoming obsessed by collecting points on cards to use to get flights, and the like (so things like American Express points). I suppose that it’s just one step on from collecting comics, right?

- I’ll be going to NYCC this year, probably for at least some time on all four days but it occurs to me that I’m probably not going to be going to that many comics panels. My wife and son may be putting in an appearance (although as he’s not two yet it may be a bit overwhelming for me), and my niece – who’s an artist – is going to be hanging around too.

- I’ve been reading Becky Hawkins’ site recently (Frenchtoastcomix), mostly because she emailed me a pdf of her new minicomic, Coffee and Beer Money, and it’s really good. I don’t spend half as much time as I should reading stuff like this online, so feel free to point me towards places I should go.

This update was not as quick as it was intended.

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.

<
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.

It’s only fair that, as I’m picking up all the DCnU books this month that I try to post some quick thoughts on them…

Action Comics #1 – I’ll be honest I have pretty strong feelings about Grant Morrison’s writing and they’re not all positive. While I think as an ideas man and plotter he’s top-notch I have real issues (ho-ho) with his execution a lot of the time. Much of his books seem to have little leaps in narrative that require you to go back and re-read to tell what exactly is going on. While many like that, I don’t – especially not in the middle of the book. Here, Clark’s insistence that Jimmy and Lois not board the train required a few leaps in logic, as do Lex’s apparent engineering of the whole thing to capture Superman at the appointed time. What little we see of Lois and Jimmy isn’t very encouraging either, character-wise. I’ll read it again, but Morrison is up to his old tricks here. On the art side, Rags Morales can’t seem to get a handle on the appearance of young-ish Clark – sometimes he looks like an adult, sometimes he looks like a teen. Overall, a slight disappointment – but I suspect many will love it.

Animal Man #1 – Very good. Yes, a little too much set up before we get to Buddy donning his new (horrible) costume, but all very good stuff. Clearly Buddy’s marriage is in trouble but he’s got blinkers on, but the main conflicts seem to be from the threat to the Red and perhaps his daughter herself. Lots of story to sink your teeth into, and Lemire and Foreman make for a strong team. Suitably creepy and foreboding – should be a fun ride.

Batgirl #1 – The winner of the week for me. Gail Simone and Adrian Syaf fired on all cylinders. We get a younger Barbara, clarification that yes, Killing Joke happened, yes she was Batgirl before, and yes, she was paralyzed for three years before being miraculously healed – but it all fades into the background as she sets about re-establishing herself as a hero. A great start to the series and one I’ll definitely be sticking around for.

Batwing #1 – Surprisingly enjoyable, if let down a little by the fact that the impact of the surprising last page (which was spoiled on the internet a while ago) is watered down by it being a flashback. Still, David Zavimbi is nicely established, even if I still don’t know why he’s chosen to go into business as a superhero, and villain Massacre is suitably irredeemable. Winick and Oliver work well together, and while Winick’s script is workmanlike, Oliver’s art is pretty damn good. A pleasant surprise for me.

Detective Comics #1 – I know people slam Tony Daniel’s writing but I really enjoyed this issue, and the last page is more than a bit of a shocker. His art is strong, his Batman is smart, and his fight choreography clear. Absolutely no complaints here – and I enjoyed this a lot more than Action. Did I mention that last page? Wow.

Green Arrow #1 – Exactly what I thought it would be; lightweight and breezy. Jurgens’ art always evokes strong memories of DC past for me (in a good way) and Krul proves he’s better at solo books than team books. Having Ollie with a back-up network of support staff and engaged in some boardroom stuff on the side is a big departure for the character but it works here. This isn’t going to win any awards but it’s good, fun superheroing. The only downside is that I still miss grouchy sourpuss Ollie.

Hawk And Dove #1 – Okay. This is not a good comic on any level. At all. I get the impression that Sterling Gates is trying to weave a coherent story together from Liefeld’s art and having a damn difficult time of it. Look, I’m a cheerful Liefeld apologist most of the time but this is a painful, painful book to look at. Messy dis-proportioned art, bare-bones backgrounds and difficult;t to follow at times. Adding an additional layer to Dawn’s backstory seems a bit pointless, too, and just there to increase the conflict between the two leads. Just…bad. So I’ll probably pick up the next issue.

Justice League International #1 – A good start for the book, and a decidedly different tone from the main Justice League book and the best known bwah-ha-ha incarnation of this one. Jurgens knows his superheroes, and Aaron Lopresti can deliver solid if uninspired art. There’s a nice mix of characters (and I really hope some of the ones that didn’t make the cut show up soon) and some good conflicts, but Jurgens’ heavy-handed swipe at fans complaining about the DC reboot is, well, heavy-handed. Godiva got to say both ‘mate’ and ‘sod off’, though, so I’m good.

Men Of War #1 – Not really my cup of tea, if I’m honest, but the lead story has enough of a pull for me to come back for the next issue. Having Rock and company being men on the ground in a superhero battle where we don’t see the combatants is a pretty neat narrative trick, but I don’t feel there’s enough characterization of Rock just yet. Wasn’t fond of the back-up, which read like a generic strip from a UK war comic when I was growing up.

O.M.A.C. #1 – Okay. I’m very, very surprised how much I liked this. It’s almost entirely down to Keith Giffen’s art, which has adapted into a near-Kirby style that suits the book down to the ground, and the colors here really, really pop. I also like starting off with our hero off-screen for most of the book (all Hulk, no Banner) and just jumping in as shit goes down. I’m in.

Static Shock #1 – Scott McDaniel’s work here is as solid as ever, and John Rozum’s story is pretty straightforward. There’s nothing revolutionary going on, but this is very much a fun book. Having Static working at S.T.A.R. Labs for Hardware provides a nice basis for superheroing, and having Virgil at college seems like it’s going to be fun as we see more of it. Good, strong start.

Stormwatch #1 – I’m torn on this. It felt like a very quick read with not much going on, if I’m honest, but in retrospect quite a lot actually happened. Part of the team tries to recruit Apollo, shit happens. Another team member heads to the moon, we get filled in on a bit of history (apparently tying Stormwatch to Cornell’s other book, Demon Knights, not to mention old Milestone property Shadow Cabinet), and shit happens. Another part of the team investigate a big horn that Superman may or may not be blowing in a few weeks time, and shit happens. Oh, and the moon appears to be growing a claw or something. So yes, lots of shit happening and a lot of characters being introduced including an immortal named Adam, Jenny Quantum, J’onn J’onnz – who is a former JL’er – and more. Huh. I liked this quite a bit more than I thought I did the more I think about it.

Swamp Thing #1 – A very good read. Swamp Thing is very much centered in the midst of the DCnU here, with writer Snyder providing us a first proper look at the modern-day Superman providing Alec Holland with a pep-talk, and cameos from Batman and Aquaman. We also get a nice backstory and entry point into the character for new readers, which is important, and an extremely nasty threat (people having their heads twisted around and shambling on works much better in comics than, say, Torchwood). Great work from Snyder, and Paquette’s art supports the more horrific elements of the story. I’ll be back.

So there you have it; only one real stinker (Hawk and Dove), some real winners (Animal Man, Batgirl, Detective and Swamp Thing), a lot of ones that show promise (Batwing, Stormwatch, Static Shock, O.M.A.C., JLI, Green Arrow), one that’s okay but not my thing (Men of War) and Action which everyone but me probably loved.

All in all, the new DC looks pretty promising so far. I’m not saying it’ll stay this way but I’m generally impressed, being one week in.

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.

…is on sale at TeeFury for the rest of the day. It’s simply called ‘Linus’.

Look, if I have to explain it, you’re not going to get it, okay?

Back later with the pull list.

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.

The best ongoing superhero book launched in the past few years – probably the best ongoing superhero book period - came to a close yesterday with Batgirl #24 in the aptly-titled ‘Unsinkable’.

Writer Bryan Q Miller has said that when he found out the book was canceled – to make way for the new, Stephanie Brown-less DC – he was part way through writing #22 and had a vague plan of how to end the current arc in #30. A bunch of rewrites and three issues later, he didn’t do manage to get it all in, and the wrap up leaves a lot of open ends – but it almost doesn’t matter.

What Miller did deliver was an issue with a whole lot of validation for Stephanie’s journey as Batgirl, from her mother’s acceptance –

- through Damian’s grudging, wordless respect, and a talk with Barbara at the end that sets her up for an endless adventure.

Incorporated in the book via the Black Mercy (and wasn’t a spin-off Red Mercy used elsewhere in DC recently? It rings a bell) hallucinogen were a bunch of splash pages of adventures we’ll never see, from Steph’s superpowered girlfriends fighting the Queen of Fables –

- to a Batgirls and Blackhawks time-travelling team up, to an untold tale of Blackest Night (with Steph as a Blue Lantern, natch) –

- to her future as both a mom and Knightwing, agent of Checkmate with Damian’s friend Nell as the new Batgirl. You can read Miller’s notes on the dream pages here.

Batgirl went out on a high note- and the last few panels of her swinging off into the (purple, of course) Gotham sunset with a ‘Here we go’ caption perfectly captured the optimism of the character and the book.

So long, Stephanie Brown – Spoiler, mother, daughter, Robin, victim, survivor, Batgirl. See you in the funny pages.

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…

In honor of the Fantastic Four‘s 50th Anniversary, I thought I’d run down my favorite runs on the book. It’s worth bearing in mind that I like a lot of bad comics and that I haven’t read much from after Stan and Jack’s departure through John Byrne’s coming on board for double duty (so from about #103 – #230ish) so I’ve missed a good quarter of the original volume. I also never read the Marvel Knights Four book, or Morrison’s 1234 so they aren’t included here either.

Anyway…my totally subjective list of FF goodness (including Amazon links to some stuff; please ignore them if you like):

1 - Stan and Jack’s run: Fantastic Four #1-102

You can’t have the FF without this; hell, you can’t really have the Marvel Universe without this. As I said previously, it’s not just a great run but it’s the sheer number of other ideas that came about from this, ideas and characters that underpin so much of the Marvel Universe. Once Stan and Jack hit their groove, the book became what defines it for me the most – the FF aren’t really super-heroes, they’re a family of explorers who happen to have super-powers.

2 - John Byrne’s run as writer/artist: Fantastic Four #232-293

Marvel took a chance when they put John Byrne on the book as writer and artist. Although he’d pulled double duty before (including a two-part FF tale and the classic Marvel Two-In-One #50 – I can’t recommend you track down that Thing story enough) handing him the reins to FF must have been a pretty ballsy move – but it payed off big-time. Byrne’s run lead to an empowered Invisible Woman, with Sue finally stepping into a strong role after playing nursemaid for 20 odd years, the Thing leaving the team, She-Hulk stepping up to the big times as a member of the team, Johnny seeing Alicia, the death and rebirth of Doctor Doom, the Hate Monger’s corruption of Sue Storm which lead to this oft-reblogged panel -

- and a whole host of other stories, including the FF traveling back in time as Nick Fury tried to kill Hitler. The FF were explorers again, and a family – even if Ben was absent for a good chunk of the run. Simply put, Byrne’s FF sold me on the team and the book when I was younger – and they sold me for life. His departure mid-story was abrupt and (I believe) related to him taking on Man of Steel for DC, but the stories up to that point – just great comics.

3 - Mark Waid’s run as writer, partnered with Mike Wieringo and Howard Porter: Fantastic Four v3 #60-70, v1 (renumbered) #500-524

Waid and the late Mike Wieringo gave the franchise a kick-start when they came on board the book in 2002, restoring a sense of wonder that was missing from the book for a while. Waid’s FF was about character, with the stories designed to highlight aspects of the team’s personalities that maybe hadn’t been played with too much in recent years; Reed’s desire to keep his family together coupled with his guilt for ‘ruining’ their lives; Johnny’s desire to better himself yet still be the irresponsible kid; and Doom’s desire for power at the expense of his humanity. In their ‘Unthinkable’ arc, Doom refocused himself on his magical powerset as opposed to his technological one, and wore an armor created from the skin of his one true love (yes, you read that right).

Waid and Ringo were fired from the book with #500, but reinstated after fan backlash – but the firing meant that Howard Porter stepped in for an arc where the FF took over Latveria. Ringo was back for the rest of the run though, as Reed, Sue and Johnny went to rescue Ben from Heaven – and a certain benevolent creator…

The run continued for over a year after that – and I recommend the whole thing. The FF were back as explorers (see, there’s my hang-up again).

4 - Tom DeFalco’s run as writer, mainly partnered with Paul Ryan: Fantastic Four #356-416

I’ll catch some grief for this one, as DeFalco’s 90s output rarely makes anyone’s list of good comics (except mine, where he also shows up for his Thor/Thunderstrike run) but I can’t help it: I love it. Coupled with the under-appreciated Ryan, DeFalco crafted what turned out to be a years-long run. If a lot of that run eschewed the exploring for the super-hero aspect of the book, it turned out to be more than ever about family.

DeFalco kicked off by breaking up the marriage of Johnny and Alicia by retroactively making her a Skrull agent, Lyra, for the previous 100 or so issues (and this was before Superboy Prime retconned punch dead kids back to life). It was a bold move, but set in motion a great personal arc for both Johnny and Ben through his run, as well as adding Lyra to the ever-expanding family. The team grew after (spoiler!) Reed’s death to accommodate the likes of Ant-Man Scott Lang and his daughter (now better known as Young Avengers‘ Stature), Kristoff – Doom’s successor with a copy of Doom’s mind, Nathaniel Richards – Reed’s time-traveling entirely untrustworthy father, and more.

I’ll admit it’s not all good; Franklin’s fast-forward aging and subsequent heroic persona and team (the oh-so-90s Fantastic Force) and Sue’s abominable new outfit fairly reek of the decade of excess – and don’t even get me started on Atlantis Rising, but there’s enough good stuff here for me to overlook that. From Ben’s further scarred face (thanks, Logan) to the team’s cross-time adventure as they try to find Reed (spoiler – he’s alive), to the team’s final run as they go up against Onslaught, it’s a run that gets very little love – but I love it all the same.

Sadly, this run is almost entirely uncollected. I tell ya, DeFalco gets no respect.

5 - Steve Englehart’s run as writer, mainly partnered with Keith Pollard: Fantastic Four #304-325

Englehart picked up the book from Roger Stern (whose Avengers I love), who had the thankless job of tidying up Byrne’s run and getting the Thing back on the team in time for the book’s 25th Anniversary issue, and promptly made it his own by shipping off Reed and Sue to retirementville to raise Franklin away from danger and making Ben the leader of the team.

Ben replaced the pair with his gal pal from his time on the superhero wrestling circuit (yes you read that right), Ms Marvel – this being redheaded Sharon Ventura, not then-Binary Carol Danvers – and Johnny’s ex, the Inhuman princess Crystal, who had previously subbed for a pregnant Sue. This caused all kinds of drama for Johnny, who still carried a torch for her but had recently married Alicia, who was Ben’s ex. And a Skrull, of course, but we didn’t know that yet.

The run took the team on a tour of the MU’s wildest places – from Wakanda to the Mole Man’s underground kingdom to the Savage Land and beyond, cementing them once again as explorers. He also managed to throw in an unexpected sequel to Secret Wars II (which aptly featured one more throw-down between the Beyonder and Doom), wrap up his long-lingering Mantis storyline that he’d carried with him through various Avengers books, and to explore Ben’s role as leader and his character by mutating him further – the infamous ‘pineapple Thing’ – and making Sharon a female version of him struggling with depression.

Englehart’s run ended ignominiously starting with the return of Reed and Sue to the team in #326 (after they had a four issue stint as Avengers) by editorial edict and a horrible storyline for another six issues that he took his name off. It’s worth checking his site for his own comments on his run – but the first couple of years, right up to #325? Good stuff.

Like DeFalco’s run this is entirely uncollected – but worth tracking down in the cheap bins.

6 - Walt Simonson’s run as writer/artist: Fantastic Four #333-354, less a couple of fill-ins

Much more critically applauded than the last two entries on my list, Walt Simonson’s run had the dubious responsibility of cleaning up the mess left by Englehart and build to the team’s 350th issue. Simonson threw a lot of familiar stuff into the mix – Thor, Iron Man and, er, Death’s Head, for instance – and at times the Fantastic Four felt like bit players in their own book. Never was this more obvious than in the excellent three parter (with art by Art Adams) with the ‘new’ Fantastic Four made up of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ghost Rider and the Hulk.

Even so, the highlight of Simonson’s brief run for me was #352 as Reed and Doom battled across time – with you having to find the next part of the battle by using the timestamp. Also, having the Time Variance Authority be filled with clones of Mark Gruenwald – as nobody else could keep track of everything – was a nice touch.

7 - Karl Kesel’s run as writer: Fantastic Four 2099 #1-4

Oh, what could have been.

In the month cover dated January 1996, the 2099 line added two more books – Fantastic Four 2099 and X-Nation 2099, bringing the total in the line to six; by the month cover dated August 1996 the line was canceled and replaced by an anthology book that limped before dying a slow death at #8, effectively marking the end of the entire line.

Unlike all the other 2099 creations, these weren’t namesakes – they were the original FF, or at least facsimiles of them. In his four brief issues (the fifth was plotted by Kesel but not scripted by him, as the book joined the line-wide hurtle to cancellation in the form of a giant planetoid flooding the Earth, or something) Kesel managed to exactly capture the feel of the real FF as they should be: an ordinary family of extraordinary people in an extraordinary situation. Worth picking those four up in the quarter bins at the next convention.

8 - Carlos Pacheco’s run as writer/artist: Fantastic Four v3 #35-54

Pacheco flew solo on the book after Chris Claremont’s run ended (see below) – with some script assist from Jeph Loeb – and the results were surprisingly good. He seemed to concentrate on revamping some of the team’s less threatening villains, with Diablo, Grey Gargoyle, the Puppet Master and Trapster all getting a look-in. He also wasn’t afraid of using the team’s history, with many past members showing up for cameos. And honestly, Johnny hooking up with Namorita was so obvious I wondered why it hadn’t happened sooner.

Once he was on a solid footing, Pacheco maybe overstretched himself a little with a big arc centering on Abraxas, an entity with a desire to destroy the universe, and with tying up a loose end concerning Valeria from Claremont’s run

Pacheco’s run as both writer and penciller ended with #49, but he remained as co-plotter through a silent issue and a four-part Inhumans story, then left the book. All in all, a good run that looked to the past for inspiration.

9 - Chris Claremont’s run as writer, mainly partnered with Salvador Larocca: Fantastic Four v3 #5-32

Claremont took over the book when (I think) editorial decided Scott Lobdell’s Heroes Reborn relaunch wasn’t working out. He promptly made it feel like a bunch of left-over X-Men and Excalibur plots, having the team run into those books’ cast-offs like Genosha, the Warwolves, the Technet, Saturnyne, Roma and the Captain Britain Corps – even going so far as to have an other-dimensional version of long-time Excalibur supporting character Alysande Stuart be a Scottish-themed Captain Britainalike, Caledonia, and join the team as Franklin (and later Valeria’s) nanny.

Speaking of Valeria, Claremont introduced her as the future daughter of Doom and Sue as a teenager who was soon accepted into the family; this seemed like it would make sense towards the end of the run but was never fully resolved. He also introduced Alyssa Moy, Reed’s former flame, who would later be used extensively in the Millar/Hitch run.

Once all the X-nonsense was out of his system, though, Claremont managed to tell a good space story followed by a great arc with Reed trapped in Doom’s armor and having to pretend to the world at large that he was Doom.

A rocky start – but a strong finish. Once again, this is pretty much uncollected – and I can understand why – but it shouldn’t be too much hassle to track down on ebay or at a con.

There are other notable runs in recent years – JM Straczynski’s run as writer, Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s run (which holds up better on re-read, actually) and the current Jonathan Hickman run – but for me, none of them quite capture the essence of the FF. They’re either too enamored of Reed (JMS), or of their own ideas (Millar and Hickman) or simply do not feel like the FF I know and love (Hickman, again).

Still, I should give an honorable mention to Dwayne McDuffie’s stint which had Black Panther and Storm replacing Reed and Sue, as it managed to replicate the family feel of the book very nicely. Sadly, it was always viewed as short term and Reed and Sue were back in less than six issues, with T’Challa and Ororo – and McDuffie – departing shortly after.

Also leaked today was this -

- really? A return of Fantastic Four title with #600? Who’d a thunk it?

50 years ago today on August 8th 1961, the Marvel Universe came into being with the publication of Fantastic Four #1, written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby.

A recent – and ongoing – lawsuit may cast doubt on who created what when, and bloggers and columnists have been complaining about legal issues and moral imperatives and the like, but putting that aside for a moment – this comic has lasted fifty years through three relaunches and dozens of creators and editors. I may despise not like the current actionless, joy-sucking direction, but I still love the characters at the core of the series.

It’s not just the core five – and I will fight anyone who says that Doctor Doom isn’t a core part of the book – that impresses about the FF, though, it’s the mind-boggling list of characters and concepts that sprung from it that are still around and important in the MU today; Silver Surfer, Galactus, the Inhumans, the Watcher, Namor (I know, technically Golden Age, but he was in limbo before being revived in FF), Blackbeard Thing…

I was going to do a longer post about homage covers, and origin homages (such as Cyborg Superman), and how the book has survived bad periods before and will survive the current incarnation, too.

In any case; here’s to you Fantastic Four #1 – now, anyone want to buy me a copy?

I’m on record (admittedly about 5 years ago and the image dropped off the post and the text got garbled over multiple blog migrations…wait, I’ve been doing this over 5 years?) as not really ‘getting’ Ghost Rider beyond him being a cool visual, but something made me order the Ghost Rider Omnibus from Amazon recently when it dropped to a decent price.

That something was writer Jason Aaron. Scalped is one of my favorite books right now (even if I don’t talk about it much); such a perfect noirish crime story that every new trade makes me want to reread older ones for things I missed. At this point, I’ll pick up pretty much anything with Jason Aaron’s name on it, I think (yes, even X-Men).

And I wondered what he could do with Ghost Rider.

A hell of a lot, as it turns out. I actually can’t remember the last time a book surprised me this much. As Aaron picks up the story, Johnny Blaze has found out that Ghost Rider is actually a creation of the angel Zadkiel as part of his private army to storm the gates of Heaven and overthrow God, and he’s none to happy about being lied to and basically screwed over for most of his life. His solution? Go to Heaven and kick Zadkiel’s ass – but getting there might be a problem.

Zadkiel’s developed quite the cult of followers on Earth, from gun-toting psychotic nurses to mass-murdering preachers and plain oldnut jobs, and Blaze has to go through them all to find out how to get to Heaven. Helping him on the way is a new Caretaker (a former nun who adapts to her new life after having a whole bunch of lore dropped in her mind) and a bunch of foreign Ghost Riders, Aaron’s biggest contribution to the convoluted mythos of the character, but one that opens up a lot of storytelling potential.

Also in Blaze’s way is Danny Ketch, his brother (and star of Ghost Rider in the 1990s), who gathers a bunch of old Ghost Rider villains – and a new Vengeance – together to stop him on behalf of Zadkiel.

Oh, and there’s some kick-ass nuns here too.

What Aaron’s done here – with his three or four art teams, some good, some not-so-good but still suited for the book – is create a grindhouse comic out of Ghost Rider and craft a story with a defined ending, something we don’t always get in comics these days. The Omnibus collects Aaron’s sixteen issue run on the main book and the six issue mini that followed, wrapping up loose ends and having the final confrontation with Zadkiel.

For a mainstream Marvel book, it’s surprisingly brutal and adult, but successfully places Aaron as one of Marvel’s top writers – and proves that when you let a creative writer loose on a low-selling book, sometimes you get something that surprises you.

Now, when does Aarons’ first Wolverine Omnibus come out?

It looks like The Dark Knight Rises‘ version of Selina Kyle isn’t averse to a little petty larceny, just like her cat-loving comics namesake – at least assuming that’s a stolen Batpod she’s riding in her first official image:

Granted, you can’t see much beyond the fact that Anne Hathaway’s in skintight leather straddling a big bike, but magazines have been founded on much flimsier ground than that. I actually quite like the image.

She’s also got some funky goggles.

They’re obviously high-techy (because they’ve got funky little blue lights and a crosshair thingy, so they must be, right?), and that’s a start but they’re not quite this funky:

Just sayin’.

Surfacing on the web, the first official image from the upcoming Man of Steel movie with Henry Cavill as Superman.

No spitcurl, and funky looking texturing on the outfit, but aside from that not a bad promo piece. It certainly shows the power of the last Kryptonian.

What do you think?

The first was the discovery (via @danfaust) of The Society of Unordinary Young Ladies

Its a black and white comic taking the idea of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but populating it with (mainly) young ladies from 70s and 80s US sitcoms. I admit, the cast in the first issue meant nothing to me on account of the UK not getting The Facts of Life, but from the Charles in Charge line I was fully clued up.

Amazing stuff, and the first four issues are online.

The second thing that made my day was this, and I think it speaks for itself. Unfortunately I can’t embed it right now, but still. Awesome.