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Comments
no fuck you both >
butbutbut
Batman died and resurrected for your sins!
batjesus
^^Nonono
Batman was sent careening through time and became a caveman, inquisitor, pirate, and private detective for our sins. =D
Justice League Dark 6: The terribly titled Justice League Dark has been a strange beast. On paper it sounds like a nightmarish idea: taking some of Vertigo's best characters to milk nostalgia with some well-recognized DC players and put them together for a Justice League that deals with the occult and supernatural. The hell of it is that it's actually pretty good. Mikel Jann is a hauntingly beautiful artist and all the characters get due and faithful exploration. The current issue explains the harrowing issue of why a group could possibly be filled with loners like John Constantine, Shade, and Deadman. To its credit it answers that well. It really doesn't feel like a supers book, probably helped by the fact that only one character wears tights. I dig the hell out of it.
Wolverine and The X-men 6: Say what you will about the x-men franchise, you certainly can't say things don't happen. Aaron's quickly become the name of the best stuff X-men has to offer and W&tXM quickly shows why. The comic has a lot happening between three set-pieces: the once again under siege School for gifted mutants, the surprisingly under-attack womb of Shadowcat, and the gambling casino world where Wolverine is trying to scrounge up the cash to keep his school running. Despite the three wildly different places, nothing is ever unclear and there's still plenty of character work, particularly for Shadowcat, Wolverine, and relative newbies Quentin Quire and Broo. If you like X-men but actually have standards, Aaron's a name to look out for.
The Mighty Thor 11: Oh hey look things are finally happening! By and large I've been loving Fraction's Mighty Thor run, but it's hard to love an arc where the majority of stuff Thor has been doing is sitting around trying to remember he's the God of Thunder. Fortunately this comic remedies that by having Thor fight his way out of the maw of a god-eating monster, while Loki and Silver Surfer finally figure out what's going on with his doppleganger. While the comic has been slow, the build-up is fortunately looking to be leading towards an explosive build up. I can't wait for the showdown between Thor and his copycat Tanarus.
Fantastic Four 603: This comic is crazy y'all. Like, super crazy. It opens with the immortals fighting the Shi'ar army and ends with the Fantastic Four fighting a group of mad celestial gods so powerful they bitch-slapped Galactus. Hickman's run on both Fantastic Four and Future Foundation represents some of the best that a shared continuity can offer, with the two books finally influencing each other. Hickman really 'gets' the four providing for epic and over-the-top sets and concepts that never descend into stupidity and still gives characters due attention. Perhaps the worst I can say about the comic is that it needs a much closer reading than a lot of comics. Everything happens so quickly in Hickman's comics and while it's nice to see comics that aren't ridiculously decompressed it can lead to a dense read where I had to go back a few pages occasionally.
The Flash 6: I love the Flash, guys. Superspeed is the power I've always wanted and this comic just keeps getting better. It reintroduces one of Flash's best villains. Captain Cold, bringing a new edge to him that never quite gets to dark for me, possibly because he now has ice hands to freeze-punch Flash with. There are more revolutionary or poignant comics out there, but this comic is great for the fact that it doesn't try to subvert or revolutionize. It simply wants to be an exemplary and fresh example of the genre, and for that I love it.
All-Star Western 6: This is a pretty great and unique comic for one of the big two to send out as part of their main universe. It's set in the DC universe (sort of) and it's definitely got some weird impossible things going on, but it's first and foremost a western. The art is appropriately dirty and the sets are all grim and dusty. Hex, for his stereotypical initiation as a cash-in on the popularity of Spaghetti Westerns, proves to be a good vehicle for the story. The story is simple for set-pieces and finally has Hex going to New Orleans instead of Gotham which is good since New Orleans is, you know, actually out west. The back-ups really make this book though. The past three-parter featured a hispanic Zorro type and the recent features a Chinese cowgirl out for vengeance calling herself the Barabary Ghost. I've stated before that this comic is an odd place to try and introduce diversity, but certainly not a bad one. Now if only one of them got top billing over Hex...
Fatale 1: OHMIGOD AN OCCULT NOIR STORY BY ED BRUBAKER SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
Ahem. Brubaker's something of one of the 'grim and gritty' writers of comics. He brought that edge to both Captain America and Daredevil to critical acclaim. This sort of Sam Spade-meets-Hellblazer-except-with-a-sexy-immortal-dame kind of thing is right up his alley. As is expected the book is beautiful, macabre, grim, and full of that hardboiled introspection I love so much. Check it out, now.
=(
You could always try out the other comics I'm recommending you know...
I know you haven't brought it up here, but where exactly would I need to start in order to read Spider Island?
And most importantly, does it rely on previous material and how so?
Not my thing, really.
^^Hmmm, well there are some over-arching soap opera plot things going on like Peter's new job at Horizon labs and losing his Spider Sense that are covered in the Big Time arc. They cover them relatively nicely in the story itself though and I started at Spider-man 666 and found I didn't need to read any of the supplements, thankfully.
^B-but... a Batman storyline inspired by The Prisoner... a noir story featuring ritual cult killings! The Flash! ;_;
Seriously though, I get'cha. No pressure. I do think there's some good stuff there though.
^^^ I could do a liveblog of Spider-Island with pics to see if you want to check it out Juan. The tie ins are mostly fluff and the don't really tie to the main story that well half the time. The ones worth checking out or the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu tie in and Heroes for Hire, and the Venom issues because they pretty much are part of the main story.
With that said, and with Malk's permission I'm co liveblogging this thread. Not much to talk about this week because this was one of those weird months with 5 Wednesdays in it. Such months always don't have much the last week, choosing instead to front load the first week of the next month. With that said, comics time.
Venom 13.4 - I can appreciate the fact that Marvel is trying something new with their .X comics to try something new, namely compressing a six issue arc into a month and a half of real time without an actual crossover. That said, this arc feels awfully crossovery despite being confined to only 1 series. The characters all had solid reasons for being in Vegas when it was turned into a hell centrifuge but I think splitting up 4 different B plots alongside the A plot doesn't really do them justice. Commentary specific to this issue was that it was a bit hard to follow at times and Marvel almost seems to be regretting the idea of giving Alejandra the Ghost Rider spirit, dangling the possibility of it going to anybody but her all issue. And then Venom/Hulk/Ghost Rider coming back up at Blackheart at the end. What? An explanation next issue I guess, although it will probably be handwaved as "lol Spirit of Vengeance" or "lol symbiote"
Astonishing X-Men 47 - Bluh I really wish this series would drop the obsession with Ghost Boxes and alternate realities(granted those are an X-Men staple and always will be). That said this issue was mostly Cyclopes running around shirtless wearing Magneto's helmet with alternate dimensional counterparts of the X-Men to fight an alt Xavier. Not exactly subtle on the visual or plot subtext of Scott being more Magneto than Xavier, he still does end up saving the day. Or trying to before "lol Ghost box". Oh well looking forward to the next issue because Fuck Yeah Karma is in it.
FF 15 - Not really much new happens in this issue, just a perspective flip of what the Future Foundation kids were doing during Fantastic Four 603. And since we all know all the crazy epic shit that happens it loses some of it's punch. The art choice of a white silhouette for Future!Franklin talking to current Franklin is a nice touch though. The dialog of the moloid kids was kinda lulzy though. I'm pretty confident that the resolution Hickman has been building up to will be suitably epic. Because I'd hate to find an arc that had a well executed trail of breadcrumbs across a few years to end on a lame note.
Amazing Spider-man 680 - Speaking of narrative breadcrumbs, Dan Slott is finally setting the Doctor Octopus /Sinister Six plot in motion. The one he has been building up to since he started Spider-man duties with the Big Time arc. Since this is just the first issue of this thing, it mostly sets things in motion. Spider-man and the Human Torch (who is being a total dork, so at least the grimdarkness of the negative zone hasn't changed Johnny too much) taking a rocket up into space to rescue Jonah's astronaut son and save a space station. What we find is (bluh) octo-bot zombies. Nice attention that being in a space station kinda negates a lot of Peter and Johnny's powers.
Slow week. I didn't even get one DC comic this week.
FF 15: First comment is that this comic has gotten a much better artist, which is wonderful because I'm not sure how much more of Franklin and Valeria being indistinguishable from the Moloids I could have taken. In any case, this issue doesn't have as much happening in others, though there is some action and some funny moments, and it's paced well. It's clear that Hickman is planning something satisfying for the conclusion and the end twist (which is the same end twist as in Fantastic For #603) promises a lot of fun.
The Amazing Spider-man 680: We're finally out of the filler, and while I could have gone my entire life having not seen Johnny Storm singing 'Friday' in his underwear and been none the worse off, I'm glad to see that Slott and Yost are bringing interesting action pieces and settings, in this case a space station. I'm glad to see that there are genuine issues Johnny and Spidey are running into in zero-g combat that isn't just floating around. Web fluid has trouble working in zero-gs and being in a space station with an oxygen feed provides a lot of problems for flaming on. The presence of Doc Ock laying his world domination looks like it's going to be a big, bombastic story. After Spider-Island I have full faith in Slott.
Hack/Slash 13: And here we enter the homage to horror and sexploitation that is the adventures of Cassie Hack. I've always loved the 'Buffy fights slashers instead of vampires' idea and the series has been on the whole a blast. The jump between dark comedy, horror, and melodrama could be awkward in other hands, but Seeley manages to juggle the ideas so that they fit together in a Raimi-esque fashion. There are two plots going on, both relating to the possible discovery of a cure for Slashers and so a cure for Samhain: Cassie's not-boyfriend fighting for control of his slasher side. As Samhain gets cured and the cover says "ALSO THIS ISSUE: CASSIE GETS LAID" you can guess that there's some softcore sex going on. The problem is that there's never been much of a connection between Cassie and Sam other than being respectively sexy people of opposite genres that both hunt serial killers. The other plot, with relatively new character Cat Curio investigating the happenings of the remote island they're on (basically monster island from Godzilla) and getting attacked by mutant velicoraptors. Curio is fast becoming my favorite character in the series. Her cheerful naivete and thoughtful actions put a good contrast to Cassie's dour cynicism and impulsiveness. It's not terrible.. but the fact that the comic sidekick who thinks she's in a Nancy Drew novel instead of Freddy Vs. Jason is doing the heavy lifting this issue while the heroine has canned romance is a stink on this comic.
Angel & Faith 7: Our last comic is also our best of the week, as Angel and Faith reunite with Druzilla, acting uncharacteristically sane. Druzilla is offering Angel a chance to be free of his guilt and anger while Faith deals with reuniting with her deadbeat father. It's a story about health and the past. Angel is suffering both from his guilt and the toll on his sanity that attempting to resurrect Giles is taking. The ending twist was, unfortunately, exceedingly predictable (especially after the recent arc in Mirai Nikki) but not bad or unbelievable. Admittedly it's a bit light on punching people in the face, but the character work really does deserve to be seen.
Oh right there is a Hack/Slash monthly. I've been digging the omnibuses so far (up to the 3rd one). Would you say putting it on my monthly pull list would be a good idea Malk?
And what is up with their being no mention of Vlad? Did he die or is he just not doing much in that issue?
I'd say it's worth it. The last arc was pretty iffy but this one's been fun since it's on a monster island.
Vlad's currently incredibly ill due to his unique body type and they actually went to the island to find a cure for him.
fuck yeah faith & angel
Action Comics 7: The last few issues of Action Comics have been... well, they definitely weren't terrible but they certainly weren't up to the standards I expect of the man who wrote All-Star Superman. This issue, however, picks up where the initial arcs of Action 1-3 left us with New Troy being shrunk and bottled by Brainiac. I like the new, 'bug-collector' version of Brainiac, I like his design, and I especially like this take of Superman. It's not an origin story, but more of a 'Superman: Year One' deal covering Superman's early time as the Man of Steel. This is really the kind of thing Smallville should have been, featuring a new Superman getting used to his powers and the world reacting to him. This Superman is a proactive force for good, an angry 'occupy wall street' type of hero in the days before he learned to become a more efficient and amiable hero. Even dealing with Superman learning about his past ties into how Superman is beginning to learn how to deal with the people of Metropolis. The one gripe I have is the art. Rags Morales can paint a pretty picture, but making them flow in a cognitive way still escapes him, which sometimes makes the comic feel short and disconnected.
Oh, and there's a back-up about Steel fighting robots. It's pretty good.
Animal Man 7: Hey, you got your middle-aged family drama in my Superhero horror! You got your superhero horror in my middle-aged family drama! With Buddy Baker learning his role as Animal Man is in actuality to guard his daughter who is now something of a messiah type to prevent against the evil known as the rot. The combination of family drama, prophecy, and build-up to the coming crossover with Swamp Thing seems like something that would make the comic dense but it's actually a really smooth and easy read. Lemire's been consistently hitting this one out of the park.
Swamp Thing 7: This book is worth the price for the art alone. Yanick Paquette is a deity with pencils. Fortunately the book itself is also very-well written. (As has come to be expected of Scott Snyder by now) This book is obviously building up the same crossover as Animal Man in their mutual battle against the Rot. Holland shows himself to be clever, driven, and resourceful, and his new-found resolve promises to bring us new things for Swamp Thing. This and Animal Man are musts for horror fans.
The Amazing Spider-man 681: Spider-man! IN! SPAAAAACE! Also with Johnny Storm, but he's in space all the time. Honestly, the interactions between Storm and Spidey are what make this comic. The two bicker through a genuinely tense situation that manages to be funny without killing tension. There's a double-play of desperation, both for Spider-man to save the people who are dying and for Doctor Octopus to complete his master plan before his body fails him. The really great thing is that the true foe is the environment and seeing the dramatic solutions are just great. This arc certainly isn't living up to Spider Island but it is woth the $2.99 easily.
The Defenders 4: The Sorceror Supreme is an asshole. Assholes make for fascinating stories though and this deals with Doctor Strange's issues as a womanizer and exposing the people he meets to the deadly mystic arts as he studies the strange machine he found in Wundagore Mountain. It also deals with a wannabe-trickster (who looks suspiciously like Neil Gaiman) trying to outwit and blackmail Strange. It's a great character piece on Strange, even if the rest of The Defenders get the shaft. If you wanted more of the crazy action of previous issues you're out of luck but Fraction definitely knows how to write characters who deal with the strange and impossible.
Saga #1: The things that sold me about this comic were 'written by Brian K. Vaughn' and 'forty pages of story for $2.99'. A trusted writer and a great deal? Sign me up! Little did I know I was signing up for a clever piece of metafiction. While the superficial story of a pacifist satyr and his pixie wife being chased across the galaxy for their half-breed child is enjoyable at face value, the story is much more than that. The blending of soft science fiction and D&D-style fantasy is deliberate. This is a story about the fantastic epic. It constantly blurs the line between super-science and magic, since it understands that why these characters have these abilities isn't important, since they're only there to serve the story in being exciting and imaginative. It's a story with multiple-levels, the story of a pacifist forced to protect his family, an epic space opera, and an examination of what makes these epics exciting to us. It's also a great deal.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #7: Wait what? There's a genuinely surprisingly plot twist in this story, but not the kind that makes you congratulate the writer. Rather, it's the kind that makes you put the comic down and go 'what.' in the flattest, most disaffected voice possible. Buffy really continues it's 'not quite bad enough to drop but not quite engaging or good' range in this comic but while it's okay enough for the most part with obligatory action and genuine humor and character moments, the final twist is a level 'it was just a dream' level insulting the makes the good moments of the last issue worthless.
Wolverine & The X-men 7: This is bar none the funniest comic coming out by Marvel, and it still manages to have great character work and action. It deals with the bajillionth attack on mansion, this time from within Kitty Pryde's womb! Meanwhile Wolverine and Quentin are busy on a gambling planet trying to raise funds for that keep the Jean Grey Institute afloat. It's also a packed comic. A lot happens, but it never feels rushed. If you like the x-men at all, you owe it to yourself to check this comic out.
Batwoman 7: I can't lie, I really miss J.H. Williams surreal art in this book. Despite the definite shift down in art, it's still enjoyable, dealing with Batwoman delving further into the actions of the Religion of Crime. It's certainly not as beautiful or as strong as Elegy but it moves the epic of Batwoman forward in a way that makes here a unique and distinctive member of the DC Universe.
Demon Knights 7: I love this comic so much. I'd even venture that it's DC's best Team book out right now. It has that sense of epicness without losing character that Justice League lacked. It's really a continuation of the last issue where the battle began, and it concludes things spectacularly, all characters showing what makes them amazing. If you like fantasy, you should already have been reading this.
Elric: The Balance Lost #9: And speaking of fantasy... All you need to know is this features an Asian captain of a starship where the crew and the ship have mutated into a symbotic organism and she battles attacking starships by plugging her electric guitar into the ship and playing heavy metal. If that's not enough to get you to try out this book.... then I'm sorry. You're probably a wonderful person but I can't see how you and I will ever see eye-to-eye on anything.
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. 7: The continuation of DC's answer to Hellboy continues with the continuation of the humanid workforce of S.H.A.D.E. becoming self-aware. It's hard to say much about this comic, as it's clear what it is: the intellectual Frankenstein fight crazy soft-science nightmares with his team of Universal monsters and crazy gadgets. It's good at what it is, even if it's art is rather variable. I wish it would change artists to someone more capable of the imaginative and expressive style.
Fantastic Four #604: OHMIGODOHMIGODOHMIGOD GO READ IT GO READ IT GO READ IT NOW! It's really hard to for me to talk about an issue that's the end of such a great story other than that it ends perfectly. I can't really see what Hickman's going to do with the last eight months of his run.
Wonder Woman 7: First things first. This book is beautifully drawn, beautifully written, full of genuine human emotion, has Wonder Woman being totally badass and still remains the best book DC has with a female protagonist. Now let's talk about this one and get those spicy accusations of both misogyny and misandry out of the way. The dark revelation of the Amazons in this issue has ruffled a lot of feathers and I can understand, mostly of the fear that the Amazons have become 'man-hating dykes' but I think the story itself (which Azzarello has called a horror comic) is meant to reflect on Wonder Woman. The entire first arc has had her dealing with the fact that her mother was lying to her, and this issue expands her knowledge of the dark depths of a world she thought was more kinder than it actually was. Wonder Woman's reactions to what happens certainly don't reduce her status as a powerful character or a noble hero. If anything, this dose of ambiguity is a much-needed kick that the character's needed.
Fatale 2: Speaking on dangerously ladies, Brubaker continues his occult noir series and is really good. I'm not going to for a second pretend it's anything other than pure genre work, but it's a genre work with a fantastic polish. It blends the story of a mysterious woman with a secret in numerous fantasy stories and the dangerous dame in noir stories and mixes them perfectly.
Hellblazer 289: John comes straight out of Hell to see his newest foray has pissed the devil off a bit too much and so Lucifer goes to manipulate John's wife Epiphany. It's a build-up issue, showing strings begin to dangle and it's a good new start of a story and a great connection of what Milligan intends to be an epic for Constantine. It's not at the level as Ennis' or Carey's run but I don't think we'll see glory like that for awhile.
Hack/Slash 14: Tim Seeley is really good at manipulating the nostalgia for shlock and that's the real strength of this book. To its credit Cassie does a lot more this issue, though this time any internal struggle she might have takes back seat to Sam Hain and his conflict with what he has to do to stay alive. It's an interesting story, but the big issue I have is that this arc really has to do with Cassie wanting to rescue Vlad and that's barely been brought up as Cat does her investigaing and now Sam does his angsting. There are some solid moments, like Cassie making herself a caveman version of her bat-with-nails but her snark and pathos that made the comic fun and compelling are missing.
The Invincible Iron Man 514: Tony's Stark's been caught flying while drinking and he's doing his best to keep from having his armor and his company possessed. Some of Fraction's arcs have been rocky with Tony Stark just sitting around doing science-y things at his desk, but Fraction seems to have nailed the high concept aspects of his work with bringing in satisfying and dynamic storyteller as he reintroduces the Mandarin as Iron Man's greatest villain.
All said and done though, it'll probably read better as a trade.
The Amazing Spider-man 682: You know, this comic would have been pretty much perfect if not for that last page.
Batman 7: Any week I get more of Snyder's Batman is a good week. I knew it would be hard to overcome the triumph and despair of the last issue but Snyder decides to go in a different direction, winding it down to a character point with Dick and Bruce providing counterpoints on his nature as a crime fighter and the city of Gotham. It really speaks to the prowess of Snyder that he provide Batman at such an unhinged contrast to Morrison's hyper-competent portrayal without it seeming at all like a contradiction.
The Mighty Thor 12: Thor's been a strange beast of Fraction's. It's something of the supernatural equivalent to the big idea sci-fi he's been doing in Iron Man. There's a lot to like here. Unfortunately the comic feels a bit too decompressed. This issue could have easily been two, having Thor's break out, war in Asgard, and Thor beating his imposter down. While it's hard to fault a comic for having a lot happening I think there could have been more emotional weight. The ending though, if you've been following since the days of JMS' run has a nice treat that welled up the shriveled romantic part of my heart.
FF 16: And here we have the downtime issue, where things wind down and the dust clears to make way for the next arc. Valeria comes out as the real star to me, having Reed's intellect without his wisdom leading her to be altruistically manipulative and playing a long game of strategy and gains. Also, a pretty enticing teaser for Hickman's next arc. How he's going to top this one is beyond me.
Daredevil 10: The art in this comic is beautiful, the action is great, the story is emotional and tragic without the usual suicidal depression the comic has, and it's overall amazing. The claims of being the best superhero book on the stands are not being undeserved.
Avenging Spider-man 5: This comic picks up the pace after a lackluster previous issue. Spider-man and Captain America have interacted many times, but rarely as equals. This comic changes that as it uses Captain America's pre-hero days as a comic artist to find common ground. The art is beautiful and it's a great exploration not just of Cap as a human but as the human element unique to Spider-man that can bring a solid level of emotional catharsis to others.
The Flash 7: This issue has the Flash going traveling through time to fix the problems he has created with the Speed Force and to learn more about what exactly the mythical plot device is. It's a much slower issue than the previous beatdown between Cold and Flash, but as it's building up to expanding the world of the Flash and fleshing out the characters so new readers can get their bearings more fully I can't complain that much.
All-Star Western 7: And just as the main story begins to get better, the back-up becomes boring. The main story deals with Hex coming to New Orleans and infiltrating an underground gladiator ring where the top killer is a waifish blond girl armed to the teeth with knives. It's pretty fun stuff and a good mix of gritty revisionist western and the craziness of the DC Universe. Unfortunately it also introduces the new character of Nighthawk. See, with a series like All-Star Western a lot of these characters will never be seen again so if you're going to dedicate a back-up to them they better be interesting. Nighthawk isn't. Hell, his mentor, a former slave turned sailor who is both an academic and a privateer, would make for a more engaging character to follow. I suppose this comic is doomed to an up-and-down.
Justice League Dark 7: Ever wanted to see Gehenna in the DC Universe? Now's your chance! (Only like three of my followers are going to get it) This book is incredibly fast-paced and unlike Thor gives emotional weight to the near-apocalypse unfolding as the mystic JL works to prevent Cain from siphoning magic from the world and becoming a god. Constantine in particular is pretty true to form as he hatchets up a couple vampires. It also ties into I, Vampire so I might have to try that out too.
Angel & Faith 8: The thing I like about this comic is how much it expands on the characters while still feeling true to them. I can practically hear Eliza Dushku and David Boreanaz speaking the parts. I was amazed at how what I was frightened would turn out to be a classic tale of a father betraying turned out to be something so much darker and heart-wrenching. In the end, this comic is arc has been about the past and pain, and how you deal with it. No spoilers, but Whedon still seems rather against drugs.
Daredevil 10.1: See that 'point one'? That's what Marvel's doing with their filler issues. That said, this issue isn't actually all that much of a filler comic. Very little of the prime arc is actually resolved, sure, but the primary conflict is still Daredevil's little drive of pocket-nuke info that crime empires are battling for and it's still got Daredevil figuring out clever ways to defeat villains that aren't just punching people in the face.
The Amazing Spider-man 683: Loved it with the exception of that American footbal player suit Spidey has. Slott had a lot to top with Spider Island and I'm not sure this is going to do it, but it definitely has the ambition, with both Spider-man and Doctor Octopus by necessity completely bringing their game to a new level: Doc Ock forced by his impending death, Spider-man by the fate of the world. There's a lot of pages of the Avengers helping out, but this is very much still Spider-man's story. Much like Spider Island highlighted what made Peter Parker amazing besides his spider-powers, this story is going to show why exactly Spider-man is good enough to be on a team with a Norse God and one of the world's smartest men.
It also occurs to me how much I take this comic for granted. I just expect Spider-man to be great, and only really notice when things like One More Day or the Clone Saga happen.
Men of War 8: Oh hey, Men of War is cancelled. We don't have a last issue planned. How about we just make it another issue of Frankenstein?
And that's why I bought the last issue of Men of War. Calling this a war comic is only true in the same way you could call Star Wars or Indiana Jones war movies. Wars are going on, yes, but it's more focused on big ideas and cool guys doing cool things and beating up nazis because that uniform means whatever you do to them is morally a-ok. Basically it's the best a comic about Frankenstein and his robot buddy fighting nazis can be, and if any word in that appeals to you, then you really should check this comic out.
Action Comics 8: Action Comics has been a difficult book. Not difficult to read. It's good and I like it, but I've been enjoying it a lot less than I should enjoy a Superman story by the man who wrote All-star Superman a lot more. Of course, I'm predisposed against origins stories though that might not be fair since there really isn't a moment in this comic where Superman isn't doing Superman stuff and it certainly doesn't try to 'ground' Superman like the abominable JMS run did. I suppose the biggest problem would actually be the art. Morales isn't a terrible artist, but he has trouble making things gel completely properly from panel to panel (though it's nowhere near as bad as Justice League has been) but I suppose the disappointment is that god like Morrison isn't allowed to make a comic that's just good: It should either be brilliance or a stupendous failure.
On the other hand, a Superman book that's at least 'good' is what I've been asking for for awhile so maybe I should have worded my wish to that monkey paw a bit more carefully.
Animal Man 8: You know all the other glowing reviews I've had of Animal Man before? Reread those with the addition of 'OH HOLY FUCK THAT LAST PAGE'. Lemire is consistently fantastic in this comic and it's amazing to see him put such a mark on a character that was previously so definitely defined by Grant Morrison and his drug-trip mastering.
Fatale 4: That was really cool and really pretty. Now to go torrent Fatale 3 so I understand what the fuck just happened.
Wolverine & The X-men 8: Jason Aaron amazes me. A few years back he wrote Adamantium Men, the best Wolverine story in years, which embraced the dark grittiness of the character without descending into the wrong kind of over-the-top -which is pretty shocking when you consider that the story revolves around Wolverine fighting secret agents with laser claws and shot guns with cancer-bullets- and here he goes a completely different direction going into an action-adventure comic with a light sense of humor that still always has a strong feeling on tension. If you read one X-book, read this.
Though if you read two, you should totally also pick up Remender's X-force.
Swamp Thing 8: Much like Snyder's issue 6 of Batman was simply Batman beating the snot out of a hyper-assassin (and going steadily crazy) Snyder is letting Yanick Paquette go crazy with the surreal art while Swamp Thing tears around. Of course Paquette's art has always been at least half the show for this comic, and this comic has been great.
Kind of makes with Paquette would draw Frankenstein...
wait, snyder is writing swamp thing too?
Yeppers.
welp, there's no other way of expressing my feelings than going "beep beep", breaking a wall and running to a comic book shop nearby.
It's only two days, I'll make it, I'm sure.
...or i can download scans.
I think I'll do that, uh huh.
Snyder has quickly become a 'if he's writing it I'm reading it' person.
Which superheroes were these, the Radioactive Man-lead team, or the Eight Immortals?
The Mighty Thor 12.1: Want a comic that's really pretty, with lots of action, that retells a few favorite myths, and has support characters sitting around talking about how awesome Thor is? Well, here you go. Not really worth you're time.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 8: This comic keeps going weirder and weirder places, I'm telling you. It's a weird issue and also has a plot hole of making Andrew a tech whiz when his thing in the show was summoning. Basically Andrew put Buffy's consciousness in an identical Buffybot and has been keeping her body hidden to protect her from... something. Seriously, it's really weird and not in a Philip K. Dick way either, sadly.
Batwoman 8: Man, this comic isn't bad... but I'm losing more and more interest in it. Now that Williams isn't doing the art and is just writing it's lost the surreal beauty that added to Elegy and the first four issues. And Williams certainly doesn't have the writing chops that Rucka had. Honestly, the new art actually also makes the book confusing as well. It's a shame. This book had so much going for it as an urban horror series.
Demon Knights 8: Much like Thor 12.1 this is a calming down issue, but unlike Thor, this comic sets a lot up. We learn of the odd three-way relationship between Etrigan, Jason Blood, and Madame Xanadu and that there seems to more than one of the mythical Camelot. It's a pretty great comic that can move between fist-pumping action and emotional intrigue incredibly fluidly. Fans of heroic fantasy in any form should check it out.
Saga 2: Speaking of which. You like Star Wars? You like fantasy? You like metafiction? You like incredibly well-written characters? This comic is only two issues in and I'm already ready to call it the best independent comic of the 2012. Like I said before, it's a deliberate blend of fantasy and sci-fi to show the trappings and how their existence is to serve the story of two people who just want to escape the war and live with their child in peace. I can't recommend this comic enough.
Avenging Spider-man 6: The Marvel universe is a place where two of the grittiest characters regularly fight armies of ninjas. Done badly this can make for really silly and dumb comics. Don't well, though, you get something absolutely great like this. It has Punisher, Daredevil, and Spider-man teaming up to deal with the hyperscience macguffin Daredevil has that the entirety of the supercrime war wants. Waid and Rucka team up and in addition to awesome action scenes they keep things tense but fun. If you like any of those three characters or ninja fights or gritty superheroes you should check this out.
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. 8: Frankenstein hasn't really dealt with the characters as emotional beings much. There was some exploration in 6 with Frankenstein meeting an old war friend, but this the first time it really hits home. The story revolves around Frankenstein and his estranged wife hunting down the reason for their ruined marriage: their insane child. It's a pretty heartfelt comic that's really effective and emotional, all the more so because it was so unexpected in a comic that's so far been insane soft science action nightmares.
Fantastic Four 605: And speaking of emotional.... As I explained to Waltzy while bawling my eyes out in a critical and dignified manner last night this comic hit me in some really effective ways. Hickman's a master of far-future post-human sci-fi concepts but he also combines them perfectly with human emotions and desires. In this case, the loneliness of Ben Grimm as those around him either die or go onto to become bigger things. It's easily the best comic this week.
Did anyone read Supreme last week? I really hate being a week behind. I have to avoid all of Malky's lovely reviews because...spoilers xD
Hurm... I hope they're not too spoilery. D=
True, I always come back to this thread and read the old posts. See, the comics don't get to Scotland for sale on like, Saturday and then I only read like 5 comics a day so my pull lasts all week xD
Malk, you were right, I welled up a bit at Fantastic Four XD
Also, I just want to say, that Journey into Mystery is without a doubt the BEST thing coming out of Marvel right now.