funnybook of the week: March 14th, 2012

Three debuts this week, one of which won’t get an issue #2. The other two are numbers 1 and 2, with number 1 not being what you think it will be. In a pretty bad week for the bottom half, we’re also dropping two titles. If my top 5 weren’t so great, I’d feel like one of those horrid fans who can’t be pleased by anything...

12 - Suicide Squad #7 (last issue - 7 out of 11 books)

Well, this is the end of the affair for me and this title. The full details of the new origin of Harley Quinn leave very little character room and do everything they can to make her more of a She-Joker than any kind of character unto herself, which is kind of amazing when you think about it. Glass has managed to make this character more dependant on the Joker than she even was previously.

The rest was more violence for its own sake and shocking for violence’s sake. End of the day, there just wasn’t anything in this issue to make me care about the characters involved one iota.


11 - Avengers #24 (last issue - 7 out of 9 books)

I may never have the facts to back this up, but I think that I’m always going to presume that the second Osborn Saga was much larger in Bendis’ head but had to be shrunk down so it could fit in before Avengers vs. X-Men. Whether that’s because schedules changed or what, just more speculation, but that’s where we are.

The final chapter (don’t read this if you don’t want to know exactly where New Avengers’ next issue will end) here seemed to easy. Osborn was brought down with an obvious ploy, and the pieces scattered far too fast. This really could have been something, and the seeds Norman was sewing could have been huge (and they still may be, I suppose). This just disappointed.


10 - Thief of Thieves #2 (last issue - 10 out of 11 books)

I may regret dropping this title later, but for now, it still feels like Kirkman and Spencer are holding back. That’s fine for measured storytelling, but I still don’t see the big hook. The thing that makes this title stand out. I just can’t help but think they’re sitting on it. In these harsh economic times, I can’t afford to wait for them drop the big one.

Maybe a TPB down the road is in order, but weekly ain’t gonna cut it right now.


9 - Avengers Assemble #1 (last issue - n/a)

Speaking of a lack of reason to care about the characters, here we have Avengers Assemble. This comic is pretty shamelessly pointed at being entry level for the movie-watching crowd, and it shows. We’re only glancingly introduced to the characters, given generic villains, and left in the cold about what’s at stake in the conflict between the two.

Hawkeye gets the best intro in this issue, but that’s negated by a Hulk tailor-made for people who have never actually read a Hulk comic before. To be fair, I think this book hits the right notes for its intended audience, but it’s not going to make waves with the hardcore crowd. I will be interested to see if the intended audience can get past the $3.99 price tag, even with the top flight Bendis/Bagley team on board.


8 - Fantastic Four #604 (last issue - 4 out of 6 books)

And here, at the end of “Forever,” and at the culmination of all the hard work Hickman has put into making this title something that could spawn a spin-off and re-vitalize a franchise that even the Millar/Hitch team couldn’t light a sales fire under, we get fireworks.

But not much substance.

There’s one moment, where older Franklin pulls together what should delight even the most jaded fanboy. Something about it, though, fell flat with me. I think it’s that, while there was plenty of maneuvering the pieces to get that moment in place, there was no dramatic build for it to the point that it took me a while to figure out what exactly had just happened.

There’s a vague attempt to pull together a theme of fathers and sons. There are a lot of characters telling us about things. Amid all of this, though, there isn’t a lot of showing. There’s flying around and explosions. I’m still not even sure how we arrived at the end.
We just did. Disappointing conclusion given the strong push towards this we were given.


7 - Locke & Key: Clockworks #5 (last issue - 8 out of 12 books)

What happened to Dodge? Well, he wasn’t Dodge anymore. The thing that once was a boy makes some very pointed and nasty comments to his friends (that have led to some very uncomfortable conclusions in my head given what one particular key can do) and then goes so stereotypical bad boy that he can hardly stand it.

The gang becomes a little too sentimental, which is an amazing flaw to give to a group dealing with something as evil as they are. Still excellent work overall, but I still want to know what’s next more than what happened then.


6 - Journey Into Mystery #635 (last issue - 1 out of 11 books)

The fantastic crux of this issue is Ikol taunting Loki for trying to save everyone Thor’s way. In the case of a young god trying to prevail over a reputation that he doesn’t remember earning, it’s a fair point. So we’re then left with an issue where Loki saves the day Loki’s way.

Loki’s was isn’t popular with his allies and carries a heavy risk. It, of course, involves some manner of trickery and mischief (which we’re not privy to yet), including letting Nightmare think he’s won. The dialogue that bears this out is, as usual, just incredibly top notch.

In a crowded top of the reading list, this one was docked points for the endless pages concocting nightmare scenarios that 1) felt like filler and 2) reminded me of how closely to Fear Itself this title is linked when I’m rather ready for it to stand on its own.


5 - Powers #9 (last issue - 2 out of 11 books)

Probably as low as I’ve ever had Powers on my list, and that’s not a knock against Powers so much as an indication of how good the books are from here. Enki’s assigned mission and character arc make some pretty strong strides, and this might be that character’s best issue of the series.

Walker and Deena land some of the dialogue that warms my heart, but it’s the warnings over the body of a dead god that really start to feed the theme of the issue. There’s far more at stake than finding a killer. Really well-constructed issue that I probably would have loved even more if I’d known what to make of the last pages.


4 - Scarlet Spider #3 (last issue - 5 out of 11 books)

It would have been so easy to make this another Spider-Man book. Yost could have said “Kaine’s healed, he’s practically Peter Parker, let’s do this.” Instead, the weight and the life of Kaine and the actions he’s taken are on full display.

We’re being given a flawed hero who thinks he knows what “Spider-Man would have done,” but just doesn’t get it. We see a more violent fighter. We see a more intimidating stance when facing the bad guy (Ryan Stegman is doing incredible work there).

This is Peter Parker whose done bad things, something that far outweighs the passive actions that led to Uncle Ben’s death. And it’s about to come down on him. I wonder how long I’ll keep being surprised that this turned out to be a good idea and an outstanding execution.


3 - Wolverine & the X-Men #7 (last issue - 1 out of 6 books)

Gonna be honest, it took me a long time to process this issue. It was so delightfully bizarre, even compared to all of the previous issues of this series. At its heart, though, we had three things going on.

Wolverine and Kid Omega on hilarious bonding time. Accomplished. This may have been the most sitcom-level plotline I’ve read in an X-Men book this side of X-Statix, but it really and truly was enjoyable right down to the psychic shotgun.

Kitty steps up. I never get tired of seeing how strong a character Kitty Pryde is, and her defense of Broo continuing from last issue was really wonderful. Now if only we can figure out what the hell these tiny Nightcrawlers (bamfs, whatever) are about other than Jason Aaron possibly ingesting something untoward...

Finally, we got more development with Broo himself. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but it’s a doozy. His initial conversation with his assailant aside, this was an excellent piece of work that I really want to see moving forward.

So 3 for 3 in a dense read...yeah, that’s good funnybook.


2 - Saga #1 (last issue - n/a)

The last thing Brian K. Vaughan did was the final issue of Ex Machina. Now, he’s back to comics with another double-sized issue. The hype was huge, both in my own head and based on the early reviews. I started to wonder if it would finally arrive any flaw would be exaggerated against the sheer expectations we all had for this book.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t find a single thing wrong with it. In fact, just about everything is right. Two characters in the center of things, who we almost immediately find ourselves invested in as individuals and in their Romeo & Juliet romance. So we get to spend the rest of the issue hoping for them rather than meeting them.

It also means we have time to meet the secondary characters that will be making life rough for our new parents, for reasons not quite as cut and dry as those who would wish them harm. Solid, sympathetic villains, who may not remain villainous for the entire run.

There’s also just some top-notch world-building here, as well. Vaughan and Fiona Staples have built an odd, but wonderful sci fi/fantasy world in both look and history. I’m very excited about what they have in store for this world and our two lovers trying to survive in it.


1 - Saucer Country #1 (last issue - n/a)

Yes. This is how you start a book. Show us the relationships, the worldview, the characters. Give us a strong lead character with a solid point of view. Make the larger story relevant to the discussion we’re having in America today.

It was just the first issue, but I wanted Arcadia Alvarado’s horrid new strategist to have have brilliant but awful ideas. I wanted Arcadia Alvarado’s ex husband to find some kind of peace. God help me, I already wanted Arcadia Alvarado to become President of the United States even before the big hook at the end.

And the hook? Not surprising, but that’s what makes Cornell’s landing at the end so perfect. Everything that happened prior to supported it, and now we have the beginnings of what should be one hell of a story. You know what? I loved this.

funnybook of the week: March 7th, 2012

At $3.99 a pop, sometimes an issue can go from a strong start to a drop quicker than I’d like it to in an ideal world. But I’m going to be getting more and more harsh as there’s plenty on the horizon to add, so cuts may be a-coming...

On the positive side, I really like Rachel Rising an awful lot...

12 - Ferals #3 (last issue - 9 out of 11 books)

The world gets bigger with each issue of Ferals, which isn’t that surprising given how strong the world-building was in Sparta USA. What’s missing, though, is a desire to see a character - any character - get a win.

We’re treated to a big-time struggle between Dale and the big bad wolf from last issue, but I didn’t find myself particularly caring about whether he won or about his flashbacks and hallucinations about his bathroom stall funtimes. There’s a Norwegian Wood joke to be made here, but ultimately making that joke would be as unsatisfying as this issue.


11 - Hell Yeah #1 (last issue - n/a)

This was a purchase after a good reading of the first 6 pages or so. I love the premise of the world Jon Keatinge give us up front. Delivering on the promise of super heroes to the world beyond just seeking out and punching bad guys. I love the calling out of drawbacks that have long bothered me (professional sports becoming obsolete, for example).

There's plenty of hooks to this issue. Son of a war hero whose rescue ushered in the super hero era and a mother of questionable and dubious nature. The backdrop of a college for super heroes. The ending of the book that lets us know how important our hero is without telling us why. Lots of reasons to come back.

That said, I don't really care about our hero. Ben is the paint-by-numbers narcissist (who is all but certainly going to fill the reluctant hero role) with a pretty, smart, but platonic friend who will probably both fall in love with and help Ben find himself. Whether or not I come back for more depends entirely on how many other comics there are to buy next week, because I don't like that I already know this character arc even without knowing the particulars around it.


10 - Action Comics #7 (last issue - 4 out of 12 books)

And we’re back to the young, cocky, and determined Superman winning over the world by saving it. Morrison is borrowing from some relatively recently resurrected lore here, and giving it a fresh enough spin that my traditionally down on Superman reading can again be proven to that there’s something of worth in that character.

I also liked in-over-his-head Luthor an awful lot here, but wish we could get more of the spitfire I think Morrison was trying to make Lois Lane in the midst of all that.

The story really took a stumble, though, with the “choose one or the other, nature or nurture” bit. It seemed just a little too on the nose for a story where we’ve thus far emphasized that, even with only faint memories, Superman feels more like “the other” than a real live human. Morrison is usually the opposite of this ham-fisted, so it was a little more disappointing than usual to see.


9 - Venom #14 (last issue - 6 out of 9 books)

From the standpoint that this was an opportunity to let a returning Tony Moore just go nuts with a Venom/Ghost Rider/Rulk amalgam fighting a demon prince in hell, this was a massively fun success. From a story standpoint, it fell a little bit flat after trying too hard to give too many characters their due.

There was a nice bit of subtle character work at the beginning that was maybe supposed to be a little gag in its inception, but I think the language there from Remender was purposeful to remind us of just how deep the connection between Flash and the symbiote has become. I’ll be interested in seeing how this might play out as his fellow Secret Avengers try to separate him from the suit’s hold.


8 - Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #3 (last issue - 4 out of 11 books)

Quentin Quire acknowledges that he may very well be in over his head, and the realization is glorious. His ego can’t let him admit it and his fear of reprisal will not let him admit it. What’s left is just a wonderful version of the character that I’ve already spent time praising.

If only the script hadn’t spent so much time showing that Wolverine was somewhat wise to the construct (already established) and the art didn’t have gratuitous leaning over a desk shots of Rachel Summers, this could have been higher. If only...


7 - Amazing Spider-Man #681 (last issue - 3 out of 9 books)

Just about all of the praise and complaints about the last issue can be repeated here. The banter between Spider-Man and The Human Torch is fun, but almost to the point of distraction (they themselves, find themselves too distracted by it to pay attention to the life-and-death situation...which doesn’t ring true for “no one dies” Spider-Man and “I just got done dying a thousand deaths” Johnny.

Did I just do all of that complaining about something I called “fun?” What’s wrong with me?


6 - Animal Man #7 (last issue - 10 out of 12 books)

The whole of the issue was made awesome by Buddy giving a little expert Wingsmanship on behalf of his son. Lemire is going far out of his way to emphasize which parts of the family dynamic do and don’t work for Buddy, and that was a beautiful illustration of one of the bits that, while certainly tested, is working well.

The other standout moment in the issue featured Maxine with some creepy “I’ve accepted that this is what it is” dialogue that’s worth of The Walking Dead’s Carl.

For all the strong work with the characters, though, I still don’t feel like we’re moving forward with this story at a quick pace. And that’s becoming harder to overlook with each issue.


5 - Fatale #3 (last issue - 3 out of 12 books)

Normally, I dread the word “Interlude” more than any phrase this side of “Nothing will be the same again” in comics. In this case, though, I’m oddly more interested in Brubaker & Phillips’ present-day story than I am in the (admittedly necessary) story in the past. So I was happy to get a little more of that.

Meanwhile, in the meat of the story in the past, it becomes clear that so much of this story is based on relationships and who can trust who in spite of what feelings. That’s what’s really outstanding here. The story isn’t reliant on the premise or the extra premise on top of the premise to keep itself going. All that crime noir/sci fi goodness is just icing.


4 - Swamp Thing #7 (last issue - 7 out of 12 books)

In the end, it’s always about a girl. Alec Holland finally accepts his destiny, but as we reveal the nature of the Parliament of Trees and their ambition to conquer not just the Rot but the Red as well, Alec makes damn certain that they know why he’s making the choice. Solid character stuff there.

We also welcome Yanick Paquette back as the artist, and his layouts are just as gorgeous and wonderful as they were the first time I gushed over them in this title. His work really emphasized the horror aspect of the book in a plant-based, not-quite-abstract yet somehow perfectly on-the-nose imagery while Scott Snyder’s script took care of the details.


3 - Winter Soldier #3 (last issue - 1 out of 11 books)

This really is like reading a James Bond comic book, with some super hero sprinkled over it. International incidents trying to be prevented. Witty patter. Special gadgets that our hero is unsure of at first. A dangerous love interest/spy partner. And let’s not forget an almost-too-easy to figure out big bad behind it all (for the characters, who instantly knew...I’d all but forgotten about Secret War (singular).

Butch Guise adds some wonderful and tonally perfect artwork, including a panel that you can’t miss (see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil) which emphasizes the clandestine nature of the book and the mission at hand. This panel, along with DOOM’s ego, kept things fun amid all the seriousness of the book. Really nice work from Brubaker and Guise here.


2 - The Boys #64 (last issue - 1 out of 12 books)

Cat's out of the bag. Supes are exposed. And Butcher is walking towards the confrontation with Homelander we've been silently promised from word go. This was the last pull for air before we hit the story's finale. But not before Ennis gives us a few extra twists and turns.

How would you like a rare moment of humanity from Butcher as he explains to Hughie how he needs to be protected, or the Boys themselves need to be held off of the front lines? How would you like MM freaking out because Black Noir has a larger role to play in this than we ever could have known?

What if that all made sense because we've seen that Homelander isn't an evil mastermind, but a petulant child, this whole time? What if we emphasize that point with an exchange between the high superhero and Vought's rising superduperstar that might be one of the best exchanges in comics I've read all year?

Yeah, this was a good one.


1 - Rachel Rising #6 (last issue - 5 out of 12 books)

The little girl finds Rachel and her friends. And she is far and away the least creepy thing to happen in this issue. Terry Moore suckers us in with charming dialogue and a light-hearted teasing between members of the group assembled.

That’s before we get more reanimated corpses, and one decidedly not reanimated corpse that’s Psycho-level creepy. I read this through twice. The first time, I thought Moore might have shown too many cards, but on the second read it looked more like he was raising far more questions than he was giving answers.

Either way, the events of this issue are going to force his story to new places and a higher gear. We don’t know what’s really at stake here, but it’s far more than “girl wakes up and wants to find out who killed her.” I may not sleep so well tonight.

funnybook of the week: February 29th, 2012

Here we are. Some disappointment and the return of an old standby that hasn’t gotten a win for a while.

9 = The Cape #4 (last issue - 5 out of 7 books)

This was supposed to be the big finale. This was supposed to be the moment that would define the drama up to this point retroactively. I just didn’t buy into the emotional conflict. After stripping Eric of all of his humanity over the course of the last few issues, I just can’t figure what the stakes are for him as he taunts his brother here.

I didn’t buy Nicky’s appeals to Eric for getting some help. I didn’t buy into the flashbacks to kids that defined - too late, at that - the removal of the cape as something that broke Eric’s head in a more figurative sense.

This is information needed earlier, and getting it all now just rang false given all that had come before. There could have been so much more to this.


8 - FF #15 (last issue - 3 out of 7 books)

An interesting back-end look at the same events from Fantastic Four #603, only this time its FF rather than its sister title that suffers from a lack of character beats in favor of driving home plot points. Maybe two titles for the same story is a bit much.


7 - Avengers #23 (last issue - 8 out of 11 books)

Tony Stark gets some amazing shots in on our bickering, catty A.I.M. scientists, which is kind of fun. Beyond that, though, there wasn’t much substance to the high-style Acuña action being delivered as we set up for the ultimate showdown with Norman.

Daisy gets some nice moments to sell her as a character for a video game, but the problem with world-breaking powers is that I may never believe any team with her on it is in danger ever again. And it would be nice to see more of the character rather than “angry girl make ground shake a lot.”

This may have the meat of Bendis’ New Norman Saga, but it trails its sister title in almost every way.


6 - Venom #13.4 (last issue - 6 out of 6 books)

Things happened at a pretty thick pace in this issue, and in some cases too quickly to be digested before another thing happened. It made for an uneven read as the heroes confront Blackheart.

The big highlight, for example, is the brief interaction between Flash and Rulk. It’s a nice sign of respect from the guy who was sent to shut Venom down, but it still just seemed to come from the clear blue instead of from the actual action of the story.

Also, the floating head of the Spirit of Vengeance was just a little too much for me. It made me giggle for the wrong reasons.


5 - Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Ralph Wiggum Comics (last issue - n/a)

While I don’t think that I’ll be grabbing Simpsons comics on a regular basis, this issue with Ralph announcing that he was in “Mint Conditoner” on a cover with unicorns and leprechauns was just a little too good to pass up.

This is cute, with a few laugh out loud moments - which pretty much sum up the state of The Simpsons on the TV as well. Well worth dropping the cash on for a peak if you’re any kind of Simpsons fan.


4 - New Avengers #22 (last issue - 5 out of 11 books)

Who knew that Norman Osborn’s greatest flaw would be that he’s too trustworthy? There’s a ton of double-and-triple-crossing in this issue, wrapped in some attitude towards the folks who were maybe taking a little too much pleasure in doing their job of seizing Avengers Mansion.

Luke Cage is, as always, the stand-out character. He may not have had as good an issue as the first New Avnegers #22, but there was still some very pointed stuff happening there that I’m very excited to see round out.


3 - Amazing Spider-Man #680 (last issue - 11 out of 11 books)

Buddy comedy pitch: Two bros go to space in order to save the life of another bro who happens to be the son of the unbroiest bro of them all. And thus we have this issue. Spidey and Johnny Storm give each other a hard time on the way to space since none of the rest of the FF are around to rescue John Jameson.

It was actually kind of cool to see someone giving serious Spider-Man the Spider-Man treatment with the cracking wise and whathaveyou. In the meantime, the cliffhanger in this issue gave us the kind of silly-but-awesome that marked “Spider-Island” so we know we’re onto something with this big story.


2 - Justice League #6 (last issue - 2 out of 7 books)

Everyone gets their shot in. Everyone plays their part. It truly is the Justice League vs. Darkseid. That’s a rare thing in team book land, where usually one or two players acts as the focal point while everyone else hangs on the sideline.

Even the little teaser at the end with the Phantom Stranger, the circle, and Pandora was really engaging and just enough information to make sure that if there was any chance of bailing after the first story, it’s gone now.

Geoff Johns and Jim Lee have really put together a fantastic team book here. It remains to be seen if they can keep that going now that the story of how the band came together has been told.


1 - Walking Dead #94 (last issue - 7 out of 7 books)

I’ll admit, as soon as I got Rick taking prisoners without questions and kind of bullying his way to the top of the food chain in their quiet little town, I thought I might be done with this book, especially after the last issue. So of course Kirkman works hard to to draw me, specifically, back with the very next issue (just go with it).

We start off with some More Grown Up Than He Should Be Carl time, which always lands this series with high marks. We get some seriously good stuff with Andrea calling Rick out for thinking he’s the central character in some horror-fiction (not in so many words, though, that would be too on-the-nose). Then we top it all off with a nice way to tell us all we need to know (or do we?) about the mysterious Jesus.

Toss in the zombie violence to remind us that, even at neutral, this is a dangerous world and alliances would be valuable and you have the start of what could be another Walking Dead opus.

funnybook of the week: February 22nd, 2012

There were only 6 books this week, but boy they were dense reads. This is not at all a complaint. I think I did just as much reading this week as I have during some of the 12-book weeks. There was so much content, storytelling, and character beats to get through that I found myself immersed in each book at a rate I rarely get to from the bottom of the stack to the top.

More comics like this. Less comics with 3 splash pages in a 19 page story.

6 - Venom #13.3 (last issue - 6 out of 11 books)

Hmm, kind of a diversion that took the long way to building a shortcut to finally bringing all of the titular “Circle of Four” together and on the same page. Probably necessary to the larger story, but nothing outstanding to report about it as a single issue.


5 - Sixth Gun #19 (last issue - 1 out of 7 books)

The towns of Penance are certainly fully of twists and turns. There was a little bit of storyline slight-of-hand and the reiteration that we have very little we can count on save for Becky’s motivations and loyalty. Everyone else is entirely up for grabs.

The world-building and backstory seems to just keep on going with this series, and each layer brings more interesting answers and ever-deepening questions. In the hands of the big two, the world being put together here would have spawned a couple of spin-off titles by now.


4 - Fantastic Four #603 (last issue - 5 out of 7 books)

When it all plays out, I can’t wait to sit down with Hickman’s run starting with Dark Reign: Fantastic Four and then press onward to this issue. In that scope, maybe Galactus’ large role won’t feel so small. Maybe I’ll stop wondering what happened to DOOM. Maybe I’ll remember all of those tiny hints that brought us to this moment.

In the meantime, the last page is a thing of beauty and - as one character said - “all that matters.” Things are coming to a nice and gentle landing for one of the most epic stories ever told.


3 - Secret Avengers #23 (last issue - 7 out of 11 books)

We’re getting better with each issue here. The addition of Venom to the team and Hawkeye’s reaction to it (as well as the reaction to that reaction - including a delightful heart-to-heart with Beast) were kind of spoilery (if you’re the type that’s surprised that a hero might triumph in his own book), but also seemless fit-ins.

Beast got a few moments with both team leader Hawkeye and having a little too true to be comfortable joshing session with Pym, but this was really Eric O’Grady’s book. Remender seems to really want to emphasize the growth this character has undergone during his time with the Avengers, and is doing an outstanding job.


2 - Uncanny X-Force #22 (last issue - 9 out of 12 books)

That’s some cold, cold stuff Jean-Philipe. Fantomex reveals himself to be a colder character than we thought, which sets as the character highlight of this book but far from the biggest character moment.

That goes to AoA Nightcrawler. In a story that has so far featured this version of Kurt protesting that he’s not our more lovable Elf, we actually see the core of the character peek through and show that he may be more like our Nightcrawler than the readers could have guessed. It’s a nice touch.


1 - Wolverine and the X-Men #6 (last issue - 6 out of 11 books)

There was so much about this issue that just delighted me (Wolverine’s dubious gambling ethics aside). I think I could read a comic that simply focused on Kid Omega and Wolverine going on zany adventures and trading barbs and never question the absurdity of any situation because I would be so engrossed in the back-and-forth between the characters.

Meanwhile, back on earth, the weird pregnancy via alien deal reveals itself to be a little deeper than originally presented as we get a feisty Kitty Pryde, a determined Kid Gladiator, and a wonderfully concerned Broo (quickly becoming the most developed character in the book). This book has already passed what I wanted in an X-Men book and become more than I would have dared ask for.

funnybook of the week: February 15th, 2012

How many times out of six issues has Snyder and Capullo’s Batman run found itself stuck at #2 on the list?

11 - Amazing Spider-Man #679.1 (last issue - 2 out of 12 books)

If you ever needed proof that I can’t be taken seriously as a reviewer, it’s right here. This was likely a fine comic, but I was blinded horrifically by my seething hatred of Morbius as a character. This issue had most of the reasons why. The incessant talk about how he hates everything that he is, the fact that Spider-Man always manages to wind up alienating the very people he saves from the hunger that Morbius hates so much, the fact that much of that alienation comes from some strange blind spot that everyone seems to give Spider-Man (but no one except maybe that 90’s cartoon seems to call out) that has him react without assessing the situation.

I can see how all of that should work for a “typical Parker luck” type of story and effectively create the ironic antithesis to the start of the issue for a satisfying narrative structure. But I’m an idiot who can’t look past Michael Morbius and enjoy it for what it is. Apologies.


10 - Wonder Woman #6 (last issue - 6 out of 11 books)

The good guys needed a plan. The good guys hatched a plan. In the end, I’m not entirely sure why Poseiden was needed. And it took me several times turning the page back and forth to figure out what exactly the plan was and how it worked. I think most of that was due to some miscues in the sequential storytelling.

The moxy from team Wonder Woman, though, was nice. And the final challenge Wonder Woman lays down to Hera made sure the book’s new thesis is still firmly in place for the foreseeable future. That’s a good thing.


9 - Avenging Spider-Man #4 (last issue - 5 out of 11 books)

You know those classic Spider-Man stories where J. Jonah Jameson spends an entire issue berating our hero, but Spider-Man helps the due out anyway and then inexplicably takes even more crap from Jonah because he knows that deep down there are some massive insecurities going on with ol’ flattop?

Replace Jonah with Hawkeye, spell out the insecurities a little more, and add some playfulness. This issue.


8 - Avengers #22 (last issue - 9 out of 11 books)

What are the Avengers made of? Well, they’re all captured, and we’re seeing that they’re all mostly made of some pretty stern stuff. In the meantime, Osborn is making his appeal and showing himself to be so dangerously close to in the right that he may have to have a deal made.

Strong stuff here, turning up the trouble and really putting our heroes in a bad way. Things still seem to be happening too quickly, almost as if this were originally intended to be a longer game that it turned out to have space for. That’s pure speculation, though.


7 - Suicide Squad #6 (last issue - 4 out of 7 books)

We have arrived. This is the moment where we find out the new origin of Harley Quinn and...

Well, so far there’s not much there. We get the tough-as-nails background, the competent and sassy doctor who took on the Joker and possibly even impressed him, and the lovelorn castoff; and Glass does a reasonably good job showing us those things. There are still a few dots missing there, which could be a complaint except those missing dots are what’s stringing me along to the next issue.

It needs that, because the rest of this had just a little too much posturing from Sevant, Deadshot, and Waller. In the effort to build Harley a history, we forget to make the rest of the squad characters rather than caricatures.


6 - Venom #13.2 (last issue - 8 out of 11 books)

This story just gets more and more amped up, and starts fitting with the overall (depressing) tone of Venom with each page. Our foursome are all confronted with failure and, since we’re only halfway through the story, they don’t deal with it very well in spite of what could have been a pretty harsh tease had we not known there was so much more to go.

Blackheart even gets to play the devil in this issue, and does so particularly well with both Ghost Rider and X-23. Really nice characterization in the midst of a fight against what could have been silly, but instead is gloriously offbeat.


5 - New Avengers #21 (last issue - 4 out of 10 books)

Because that one guy facetiously demanded it: THE RETURN OF CLOR!

Actually, this was the type of teamwork issue that the other Bendis Avengers title has really missed. Spider-Man safety webbing and fastball specialing everyone right and left, Wolverine working the front lines, and all of it just working.

It was big action in a nice juxtaposition to the chess match Norman is trying to play with the bigger picture. Things may be happening too fast in the other title, but they feel just right here.


4 - Daredevil #9 (last issue - 1 out of 11 books)

In all of the heaps of praise I’ve read given to this title, I think that one of the biggest things that we miss is that Waid isn’t just expanding Daredevil into the greater Marvel Universe, but he’s selecting some perfect villains to bring Daredevil out of the usual mobsters & ninjas motif.

Starting with the Spot, and moving to the likes of Klaw, we’re now treated to Mole Man and his moloids and it just works wonderfully for the character’s power set.

We also have the makings of a much more interesting long game, with the disc and Felicia Hardy’s attachment to both that and our hero. This may be the best use of the Black Cat I’ve seen in a while, allowing for the thieving side of the character to get taken for a spin rather than the nicer, team-upier side.


3 - Nightwing #6 (last issue - 11 out of 11 books)

After the weird diversion, we’re back! And how! Dick is being driven to the edge by a figure somehow more connected to his roots than he is and sporting blades and goggles. Just like Bruce! One wonders...

The mystery of “the fiercest killer” gets another notch added to it as well, so Higgins is definitely showing us a glimpse at a longer game even with the crossover looming large.

Still, though, it’s the tension that really sells this issue. Feeling Dick’s anxiety as well as (once again) having Alfred come in to put a name on it really does do wonders for the character. Glad things are back on track.


2 - Batman #6 (last issue - 2 out of 11 books)

Capullo does what I think is his best issue of the run so far here, messing with perspective, what’s “real,” and taking smart but fun liberties with Batman’s physical being to show not only what he’s been through but his resolve to rise above it.

Snyder has created something creepy, dark, and wonderful; but Capullo has brought it to life. The fighting played out beat-for-beat like a professional wrestling match in the most classic and best sense. All we needed was the thing that would propel our hero forward. This truly deserves the spin-off it’s going to get into crossoverland.


1 - Winter Soldier #2 (last issue - 6 out of 12 books)

Brubaker is on fire here, giving Bucky’s hard edge some room to play in while still getting in some very comic book dialogue in the midst of his spy story (“Did the gorilla just use a jetpack? This is officially the worst mission ever”).

By letting the history of the Winter Soldier hold some deeper meaning than stasis, we get the story behind his fellow sleepers fleshed out a tiny bit more as well. Brubaker is building a rich world around what happened between then and now, with Guice’s artwork telling the story in a perfectly beat-for-beat concert.

All that, plus the clever behind-the-scenes wrangling from the big bad that’s fitting for a James Bond villain, yet has just enough Doctor DOOM involved. There’s a wonderful balance to this, making it the story that truly has something for everyone.

funnybook of the week: February 8th, 2012

And of course, right after saying that Suicide Squad had earned its way to getting reviewed the week it came out, my shop gets shorted the new issue. Hilarious. Way to make me a liar, Diamond.

11 - Captain America #8 (last issue - 9 out of 10 books)

Having all but entirely abandoned the idea of Steve Rogers’ crisis of faith in America, what we have here is a pretty classic “Villain Steals Your Powers and has Some Fun” story. The execution is certainly strong, with Brubaker writing the supporting characters well, playing up the urgency of the loss of power, and weaving in his larger story. There’s clearly a larger opus on the horizon and this is just a pit stop.

The problem is that it feels a little like a pit stop rather than a true opportunity to have a look what makes Steve Rogers Captain America. Based on where we’ve gone, the answer is just the serum.

Also, we lost points for glorifying torture. Never going to be a fan of that in my super hero funnybooks.


10 - Thief of Thieves #1 (last issue - n/a)

This was a well-written story about a relatively simple-yet-complex heist with a little bit of backstory about how a team came together. Fair enough. Spencer did a great job scripting out Kirkman’s story and the art from Shawn Martinbrough was beyond top-notch.

The problem here, though, is that the hook for the story wasn’t there. Since I read comics news sites, I know that Redmond has a family that he wants to get back. I wouldn’t know that something so central to the core of the story existed to read this issue. In fact, there’s barely even an allusion to the family that he supposedly does the what he does on the last page in order to win back.

After one issue, it was just a heist story with a cliffhanger pertaining to another heist and a flashback to an earlier, easier heist. Well-written, sure, but not the book I signed on for. Luckily, Kirkman has earned an issue 2 to win me over, but it’s going to have to be a doozy.



9 - Ferals #2 (last issue - 3 out of 12 books)

The crime story feel of the last issue didn’t carry over to this issue, as we dealt a little bit with the procedure, but this was horror all over as our hero (?) worked things out maybe a little too easily and we got to see a few characters - ever so briefly - made into believers.

The next step is figuring out whether what we know is right or just a guess. As there’s clearly more than one werewolf in the picture now, and as this is David Lapham, my guess is that guessing is all we’ll have for a while. That’s fine as long as we get strung along a little better than we did in this issue.


8 - Venom #13.1 (last issue - 11 out of 12 books)

Two issues into this story, and Venom is still largely neglected. On the other hand, I don’t know that I’ve ever been more interested in Ghost Rider. The new, unsure, version of the character is really the star of this story (and honestly, that doesn’t bother me so much as that I’m now very curious about a character with a canceled book). With Blackheart as the big bad, that feels right, doesn’t it?

The issue is still a strong character study in four places as we’re all treated to Mephisto’s son’s version of head games. I do feel like Rulk gets a little lost in the shuffle here as well, but we’ll see what happens when his regular writer takes over.


7 - Secret Avengers #22 (last issue - 6 out of 7 books)

For the first time in a while, this feels like a team. The weird sense of camaraderie as Captain Britain comes onto the team, the spirited disagreements, and the ladies being generally disinterested in all of the male posturing; all of it just points to a fun team dynamic going forward that I haven’t really gotten out of this book in it’s previous creative runs. Remender even calls that out a little bit when our new and odd villains take advantage of the lack of that dynamic in the field.

Everyone has been excited to see if Remender can bring his Uncanny X-Force vibe, and the odd villains are the harbinger of his doing just that. With a power set and and offbeat feel very reminiscent of the Final Horsemen, this pack came off as a little creepy and a lot dangerous. Even Hardman’s pencils felt similar to the work done in those early Uncanny X-Force issues.

I was a little uncomfortable with the (presumably, it’s just the first story of the arc) throwaway religious fanaticism in the opening pages, but this is a very solid start for this run after the largely forgettable point one issue.


6 - Wolverine and the X-Men #5 (last issue - 1 out of 14 books)

Generally speaking, weird alien pregnancy storylines (and the fact that there are enough of those in comics that I can have a general opinion of them is kinda creepy all on its own), but as they go this certainly was better than most. Especially as it leads to some interesting developments for both Kid Gladiator and Broo.

Which brings me to the most marvelous thing about this title: It’s about the students. By making this the big launch coming out of Schism, Marvel has tricked everyone into reading stories about mutant kids trying to learn about themselves. The great thing about this is characters like Broo, Kid Gladiator, and Genesis - all new additions to the Marvel Universe - are getting a great spotlight to grow.

The downside is that it seems we are yet again left waiting after a story where Iceman taps his true potential for some kind of follow-up to that breakthrough. Oh well, at least the new Hellfire Club is still making their presence known.


5 - Scarlet Spider #2 (last issue - 4 out of 10 books)

We all knew it was coming. Everytime Salamander - our considerably poorly-named yet rather effective new villain - referred to Kaine as Spider-Man, we all knew that the denial would be vehement and and punctuated with a little bit o’ violence.

Chris Yost really does have something special brewing here by using Peter Parker as the voice in Kaine’s head driving a reluctant hero and letting the entire city of Houston conspire to finish the job.

The little things that make him different from Peter, including the web-strangling and the face clawing, were well on display - but in the end this book is going to be about how a killer fights his way towards being more like Peter Parker than any of us would know.


4 - Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #2 (last issue - 10 out of 12 books)

With all due respect to Grant Morrison, who created Quintin Quire, and Jason Aaron, who is currently killing it with Quire in the parent title to this mini series, Brian Wood has officially delivered my favorite take on this character ever. This snotty, omega-level mutant who just wants attention and hasn’t at all thought through what getting that attention means.

That could end up cheesy or one-note, but Wood has managed it masterfully, showing us the braggadocio of a kid with too many toys but keeping the context of what’s happening to Wolverine and Armor to frame just how dangerous it all is in spite of the “hey look at me” whining.


3 - Severed #7 (last issue - 1 out of 10 books)

This is it. If the last issue was about filling in the whys, this issue is about turning up that one last bit of tension before letting us see the full-on monster behind the old man who would eat Jack for dinner. It’s twisted in the background, while delivering some seriously wonderful horror that should honestly find itself adapted to a screenplay in a good and just world.

Attila Futaki, who I’ve been kind of negligent in praising throughout this series, brought the best and most jarring art of the series to the issue. Pushing the dangerous nature while at the same time beautifully showing the worm turning and Jack becoming the hunter, the artwork really does take Snyder and Tuft’s story to another level.


2 - Powers #8 (last issue - 1 out of 9 books)

I forgot how much I actually love this title, its characters, its look, its feel, and its rhythm. In its absence, I had convinced myself I was okay with not getting Powers at a regular clip. This issue blew that idea out of the water. I need this book.

Deena is back, investigating the murdering of gods, and pretty much everything that character touches turns to wonderful gold. There’s an especially brilliant scene between she and Walker that only a heartless human beign could resist.

The interview with Hades was incredible, showing what Bendis and Oeming do best with this title, which is taking these larger than life characters and - by making them part of this amazing crime story - showing how deeply human and desperate they are underneath.

More of this. Please, for the love of God, more of this. Oh, but it wasn’t the best boook to come out this week.


1 - Journey Into Mystery #634 (last issue - 7 out of 10 books)

What could possibly have had a better rhythm than Powers? What could possibly have had more insightful character work? Well, Journey Into Mystery could have, of course. The weird, antagonistic, and adorable friendship between Loki and Leah continues to grow amid a fantastical and fantastic story that would give the best issues of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman a run for their money.

The introduction of Damien Hellstrom to the story made for some incredible laugh-out-loud lines that just helped instead of distracted from the story, even as we got one of the most absolutely intense and insightful looks at how Loki feels about his actions during Fear Itself on top of it all.

Complex, funny, emotional...this was a perfect comic book.

funnybook of the week: February 1, 2012

Nothing was actively bad this week, though there were a lot of really good comics with some significantly deep flaws. And then some even better.


12 - Avengers: X-Sanction #3 (last issue - 9 out of 12 books)

Flashbacks, flashforwards, and a bunch of “I’ve got you now! OhwaitnoIdon’t!”

We get a little more information about what Cable is trying to take down the Avengers over, but it’s all still vague. While I can appreciate that Loeb doesn’t want to put all of his cards on the table (or that it may not even be his place to do it in the prelude) right away, it’s hard to really get behind Cable - you know, the star and narrator of the series - and his mission when we don’t know how he managed to come to the conclusion that his only option was a full-on Avengers take-down.

That lack of information is so distracting that we kind of lose what should have been a wonderful moment - the reunion of Cable and Hope. Not a comfortable issue.


11 - Venom #13 (last issue - 7 out of 11 books)

I’m trying to be objective here. We had an issue to learn about the new Ghost Rider and her relationship with the old one. We had an issue to really dig into the sense of violation that defines X-23’s existence. We get an issue to show how Rulk disdains traitors. All of these are really well-developed, and even with the backdrop of rich goth kids (which later makes total sense) literally bringing hell to Earth, shine out wonderfully.

Oh, and Flash is there too. And that’s frustrating.

In his own title, he’s just given a few pages of refresher so that someone might get caught up to where he is at the moment, but no advancement. Great for someone whose reading their first issue of Venom, but sadly lacking for the rest of us.


10 - Animal Man #6 (last issue - 5 out of 12 books)

An odd issue dedicated to the “play-within-the-play,” allowing us to see the depressing character Buddy gets to play in “Red Thunder.” A character of an old super hero who hasn’t made well, who doesn’t have the support of his family, and isn’t very good at what he does stands in stark contrast to the real-life Buddy we met back in the first issue.

However, when we see who’s actually been watching the movie, we’re reminded that Buddy is currently in a losing battle, losing the confidence of his family (except his Little Wing, of course), and hasn’t faired very well against the Rot. Interesting idea, but something - I can’t quite figure out what - was missing for me to be able to forgive the diversion from what’s been a fantastic opening story.


9 - Uncanny X-Force #21 (last issue - 8 out of 11 books)

The character work Remender is doing in this series is still second-to-none in comics. He’s taking incredibly wonderful care of Fantomex as a character, making me care about Psylocke in a way I haven’t since the 90’s, and making me love the jaded AoA Nightcrawler in short order. The emotional investment each character has in Otherworld’s activies, varied as they are at the moment, are so well-defined - even right down to Wolverine’s simple “bring our people home” or even Deadpool’s smart-ass sense of annoyance at what should have been an easier mission.

I still don’t care for all of the magicy orb of necrinomicon nonesnese, and I’m still not at all sold on Tocchini’s work on this issue (I miss Opeña so much it hurts), but there’s no denying how wonderful the work with the characters is.


8 - Locke & Key: Clockworks #4 (last issue - 7 out of 10 books)

All isn’t revealed quite yet, but there has to be a reason Joe Hill is giving us this much backstory on the group of kids what unleashed Evil Dodge on this Earth (or, I guess, that Earth - no magical keys here...that we know of). Maybe it’s just in the name of fleshing out the characters so we feel it when they do what must inevitably be done in the next issue.

I do like this group of kids, they behave like teenage kids do. I think their goal here is completely self-centered in a way that only someone that age wouldn’t understand. Still, knowing where it’s all headed starts to fill me with a sense of dread as they get closer to taking on a bad idea.

A few little winks about what we know now about who’s gay in the future and whose kids are watching who do what using which key act as cute little moments to cut the tension. The rest is just a really well-constructed chapter to the larger story.


7 - Swamp Thing #6 (last issue - 7 out of 12 books)

Marco Rudy did some really epic work here, gang. Scott Snyder’s script here served its purpose well enough. We got an issue where we’re made to understand that things are bad and the Rot has won because Alec and Abby connected (there’s something very 80’s Slasher Flick Morality about the connection the two made and the horror it’s caused...just imagine what had happened if these two had jumped in the sack like everyone else in the New 52 seems to be doing).

But Marco Rudy’s pages were what made it engaging rather than Scott Snyder’s Black Queen metaphor. Just some stunningly disturbing pages. Seriously, go buy now.


6 - Winter Soldier #1 (last issue - n/a)

Ed Brubaker at his best. Cloak and dagger antics with a man trying to keep his dangerous past from repeating and the aid of a beautiful and deadly woman. So of course, I wanted to read this book.

There’s a lot of effort here into making this accessible whether you know the whole story behind the Winter Soldier or not. We don’t linger on Bucky’s guilt over the deeds he did under that guise, though. Indeed, he’s rather quickly absolved of it all (there are plenty of guilt-ridden super heroes out there anyway) so that we can get to the point.

The point, of course, being that he is free to make sure none of his contemporaries find themselves as misused as he was now that he’s presumed dead. At his side is the Black Widow, who no one thinks is dead but has the time to help her boyfriend out with this dangerous game anyway. The interplay between the two is fantastic, and this is a very good issue that simply introduces us to the world of the Winter Soldier, but does it with some wonderful Butch Guise action scenes.


5 - Rachel Rising #5 (last issue - 1 out of 12 books)

Zoe is quickly stealing the show as the more interesting character as her arc steamrolls forward with death after death and all-too-knowing sense to her character. She’s the main reason I keep envisioning this series as a movie, because who doesn’t like creepy children in their gritty, supernatural crime movies?

Rachel gets some fine moments, but Terry Moore spends more time here building, showing, and telling us about her support system - something I think we’re supposed to notice that Zoe is lacking. I’m perfectly fine with it if this whole thing is building to a nature/nurture duality when it comes to dealing with our mystery evil lady.


4 - Action Comics #6 (last issue - 11 out of 12 books)

Grant Morrison has put together a complex side-story in the middle of his super-engaging opening arc here. The last issue was - and I always hate saying this about a Grant Morrison book - a little hard to follow. This one started out that way, but I think that has more to do with my near-total lack of interest in the Legion of Super-Heroes.

This is the issue where all of that came together, though, and Morrison’s intentions became clear. We get a glimpse of the man that Superman is in order to aid his story about the man Superman was. So for good measure, we get a glimpse of the boy Superman was so that we can see his relationship with Pa Kent and how it molded the Social Justice Superman we see now.

Once you realize that all of the weird sci-fi is in service to this idea, and we see that it takes a fully-formed Superman coming from the future to aid in his own defining moment to bring us the DC’s alpha-hero, it’s a lot easier to digest. Also, it’s a damn good read. So there you have it, when you can decode a Morrison book, you feel smarter.


3 - Fatale #2 (last issue - 2 out of 12 books)

This is a fairly simple crime book, at its heart. The characters do what crime characters do. They play a game of sex, money, and double-crossing to a rhythm that this creative team is more than just good at together. That’s not surprising. That extra little bit, though, hanging over every scene so quietly and yet so obviously at the same time, that’s what’s pushing this title into something extraordinary. Not the supernatural qualities themselves, but just how masterfully they’ve been woven in.


2 - Amazing Spider-Man #679 (last issue - 3 out of 11 books)

It’s one thing to write about how a writer understands that this book is more about Peter Parker than it is about Spider-Man. Dan Slott, though, goes out of his way to show this to his audience. Slott went out of his way to show that in last summer’s biggest story, “Spider-Island.” But in case you don’t get that, we have Mary Jane back to let us know. The remarkable thing about that is that Slott really has found a great role for her in Peter’s life while giving her the faith in Peter that “One More Day” and “One Moment in Time” took away from her.

The issue on its surface, though, is just a really fun time-travel story. Using all of the fun little nerdy conventions of messing with the time stream (right down to the questioning whether the last panel was the end or would be continued into #678, creating a helluva loop in and of itself) while Peter constantly lamented the irritating qualities of time travel, we got just a wall-to-wall fun issue that also made great use of Silver Sable, JJJ, and the Horizon gang on top of the quality character work with MJ.

I hope Slott never leaves.


1 - The Boys #63 (last issue - 6 out of 12 books)

The temptation to call this issue “The Last Seduction of Wee Hughie” is overwhelming considering what’s being laid at his feet. You find yourself hoping against hope that Hughie will rise above his rage, while at the same time reading a book based on the super hero genre of comics - where a violent response is not only celebrated, but kind of mandated. That, in and of itself, is pretty great comics.

So when we add on the climax of the odd relationship between Starlight and Queen Mauve, and how that little bit of good in one could be brought out after years of defeat and resignation by the other, we have a result that I don’t know I would have believed could carry emotionally as strongly as it did if you’d told me ahead of time.

Ennis also gives us another peek at the best relationship in the book, that of Frenchie and The Female. Seeing how those two care for one another in the heat of everything they’re facing was brilliant. Russ Braun captured the expressions and the “acting” for those two wonderfully and it really was a high point for a book with tons of them.