Spoiler alert, the New 52 seems to have lost its stranglehold on the top of the list.
14 - Incredible Hulk #3 (last issue - 10 out of 13 books)
Impressive pencil etchings of Hulk punching big things. All to take us to the inevitable in a way that never had us guessing about anything other than what on earth seems to have snapped in Banner’s brain. I just can’t do it. The duality with the Hulk has always been interesting, but it was always Banner underneath. Banner trying to tame the monster, the monster trying to be left alone...you can explore which the monster truly is without going whole-hog mad scientist. The Incredible Hulk experiment has concluded.
13 - Batman #4 (last issue - 4 out of 9 books)
We begin the issue with an odd explanation as to why it’s cool that the freaking Batman fell for something as lame as a tripwire, which set the tone for a book dedicated to how Batman could have been so blind to the Court of Owls’ actual existence. Although, that’s mostly in the context of he and Dick having a long argument about whether or not there’s an actual existence. It’s a little odd, and honestly, I’d have forgiven the weirdness of their existence under Batman’s nose eventually without all of the odd (unless, of course, they haven’t always existed after all...that’s still up for debate, I suppose).
The issue wasn’t entirely off. As awkward as the arguing was, the emphasis on the friendship between Dick and Bruce at the center of that argument was some amazing character work by Scott Snyder. Otherwise, though, this was a bit of a misfire.
12 - Justice League #4 (last issue - 7 out of 9 books)This wasn’t great. I don’t know if it’s possible for a comic book character to overact. If it is, though, then that’s what we got out of Cybord & father in the opening pages. The weird science fiction and introduction of a “White Noise Cannon” (seriously, does a white noise cannon make its target relax itself to death?) were pretty rough going, as well.
Then we got Geoff Johns’ “hey, don’t make fun of Aquaman” panels, which were only slightly less embarrassing than having a similar theme in a book that actually stars Aquaman. If you want us to stop treating him like a joke, stop acknowledging that there would be a reason to.
The second half of the book picked things up as we got some genuinely playful banter between the members of the newly-formed team, including a maybe too on-the-nose characterization from Hal Jordan, while our heroes tried to strike a balance between saving everyone and being trusted by no one (special cameo by Social Justice Superman was appreciated).
The obvious reveal to anyone who had ever read a DC comic or watched a Justice League/Superfriends cartoon was still quite dramatic (splash pages and onomatopoeia ahoy!) and sets up the rest of the story as being the true coming together of a team well enough to get me to the next issue, but that issue is going to have to impress.
11 - Nightwing #4 (last issue - 2 out of 9 books)
We got lost in an odd little interlude here, as Babs go on the road to visit the circus style of Dick Grayson and get a little Batgirl and Nightwing sub-adventure in with a low-rent Clayface. It may have been a needed nudge for Dick as he pondered his own situation, and it may have helped move things along to a pivotal role with Raya and Dick’s relationship, but it still felt like a distraction rather than a continuation of the story. If I picked up 5 without 4, I don’t know that I would be at all lost.
10 - Venom #11 (last issue - 1 out of 9 books)
Another, slightly better side trek where Flash and his archenemy/road trip bro Jack O’ Lantern take some time alone to learn the sordid history of what makes ol’ Jack tick. Oh, and they even get to play hero for a little while. This diversion, unlike the Nightwing one, served some pretty obvious purposes - not the least of which was to put Flash in a place where he came to understand exactly what his position was and who was responsible.
On top of it, we got constant reminders that Flash was - for however long - very much in the drivers’ seat of the symbiote, but the symbiote is well in control of Flash’s life. It’s an interesting thing to play with, and eventually there’s going to be some serious consequence.
9 - Amazing Spider-Man #676 (last issue - 2 out of 9 books)
Villain’s only! Which means that the cover’s implied promise that purchasing this comic will keep the bad guys from winning is false. Because when the Sinister Six takes on the Intelligencia, the bad guys will win by default. This is an issue dedicated to showing us all that Doc Ock is a very smart dude, and a fun way to show it.
Surprisingly, though, the strange friendship between Sandman and Rhyno on this new team is the runaway highlight of the issue. It makes sense, as they’re the guys who would be on the team for something a little bit more personal than money and power, but it played really well on the page.
Some of the dialogue was silly, and some of it was beyond silly, but I think that might have been more a function of having these over-the-top villains going at each other without the grounded star super hero in the middle of things to act as the baseline. Fun issue, with cryptic promises of things to come.
8 - The Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #6 (last issue - 8 out of 9 books)
Here’s the character study we all needed. Not the tragedy that drives Billy to embrace the Butcher, that was easy enough to imagine on our own and kind of boring to discover on the page. This issue, though, was about the subsequent numbness to any feeling at all and how that allows poor Billy to be the man he is today.
A little heavy-handed with the narration, but still, this is the book about our favorite sociopath, how he ticks, and what that might mean to The Boys.
7 - Uncanny X-Force #19 (last issue - 1 out of 10 books)
X-Force comes clean. Officially the security team for the Jean Grey School, we get some realignment on the heels of the epic “Dark Angel Saga.” Most of the issue is dedicate to the number of misgivings Fantomex has about young Genesis and himself (also, how the two are intertwined), but everyone here gets a nice little moment as we gain a new regular cast member and bit most of the Age of Apocalypse gang adieu (until their ongoing starts...which I’m still leaning towards giving a miss even with Lapham’s name on the cover).
Robbi Rodriguez is no Jerome Opeña, but he does a very nice job conveying some of the emotion of the fallout, none better than Betsy realizing that there’s nothing of Warren left in the husk that was Angel. Solid work, but still just moving the pieces where they need to be for what comes next.
6 - Daredevil #7 (last issue - 1 out of 3 books)
The art of the one-in-done issue is likely dying, which makes a satisfying story about Matt Murdock taking a group of at-risk blind kids to a bus crash (not on purpose, naturally) and the subsequent will of the human spirit over cold coldness. There are some sweet moments in that story that I’d rather not even attempt to explain due to spoileryness.
I was thrilled to see the conversation in flashback between Matt and Foggy where we talked about the “Old Matt” and Matt’s assertion that “I hate that guy.” Even in this lighter-toned Daredevil, there are signals of darkness ahead.
5 - Suicide Squad #1 (last issue - n/a)
After being intrigued by an interview with Adam Glass about an upcoming storyline, I decided it was time to break down and give Suicide Squad a try. So let’s get the obvious out of the way, since the internet has finally settled down about it. I also hate the character redesigns. Harley Quinn looks like a suicide girl (and she was probably the one character in the pre-relaunch DCU that didn’t need to change a thing). Deadshot looks like a much clunkier version of his previous (and admittedly flawed) self while losing the signature moustache that would endear him to hipsters the world over now. Amanda Waller now looks like every other lady in comic. King Shark almost got an upgrade, but that tribal loin cloth makes zero sense. So, are we good now?
As for the story, it’s another entry into the more dark and violent DCU. We waste no time showing the team getting tortured, which serves as a surprisingly nice device to individually meet the characters as they exist. Deadshot seems to be Deadshot, by and large, right down the loner mentality. Harley got a harder edge to her typical story that works for her weird new look and the violent nature of the book. Diablo seems to be the team’s “hooker (and by ‘hooker,’ I mean ‘one who burns down houses of his rivals’) with a heart of gold.” The primal nature of King Shark really works as well and...
...by the time we get to the twist at the end to drive home that this is an expendable team, I’ve forgiven those awful character designs almost fully. So well played. We now know the individual members of the team and just how deep they’re all in it. I’d liked to have seen a little character interaction, but it’s a nice hook of a first issue.
4 - Avengers #20 (last issue - 5 out of 9 books)
You know, the deal where Avengers and New Avengers are telling two angles of the same story can get a little annoying (I’m almost certain that this issue took place before the last issue of New Avengers), but let’s put that aside. Because this was a fantastic issue.
Norman Osborn is back in his sheer brilliant madness, as Bendis has a perfect grasp on the character’s insistence that he is in the right. Adding a sullen Hawkeye’s take on Norman’s facts, and suddenly this is a very compelling villain in a way that a simple “psychopath determined to rule the world” will never be. Oh, and he has a plan. A glorious plan. Danger, clever dialogue, great villain...all I want out of an Avengers book.
3 - Wonder Woman #4 (last issue - 1 out of 9 books)
Azzarello continues to work in contradictions. Wonder Woman’s humanity is being expressed in her being the daughter of a god. Wonder Woman’s connection to a complex mythology is being undone by putting her in the middle of that complex mythology. In a lot of ways this has no business working as well as it is.
But it so very much is. Wonder Woman responds to bad news like a real live human being. She finds comfort in the noise of a crowd, she finds a fight to get into (with Strife, who I’m really digging as a character as well), and eventually goes back to the source of her pain to make amends.
In the meantime, huge figures have huge emotions and we get the goddess’ revenge that the cover to the issue promised us. I still love this book, and I’m still surprised by it.
2 - Fantastic Four #601 (last issue - 2 out of 6 books)
If you weren’t absolutely moved by the Thing vs. the Giant Kree Robots, from his resignation all the way to his reaction to seeing a flaming four in the sky, you aren’t human. Totally upstaged the joyous reactions of both the Torch’s sister and Spider-buddy (which weren’t anything to sneeze at).
The return of Johnny allows Hickman to continue to flex his “I write Johnny Storm better than anyone this side of Mark Waid and may eventually pass him” muscle as Johnny introduces the Light Brigade to Captain America (who has a perfectly fun reaction to the talking horse).
Really, this issue is nothing but reason after reason that Hickman was the right guy for the Fantastic Four job. Huge stakes, intergalactic & interdimensional characters, but the family at the heart of it is a family.
1 - Wolverine & the X-Men #3 (last issue - 1 out of 6 books)Another huge issue from Aaron and Bachalo that’s everything in the world I want out of an X-Men book. Young Quentin Quire’s first turn at heroism (though there’s quite frankly more going on off-panel than meets the eye) amid a Broodling, a young girl, and an alien prince who don’t know who he is (in spite of being a Twitter trending topic...the WWE would hate to know you could be on Twitter and unknown at the same time) was an astoundingly good time to read.
Idie is quickly becoming a fantastic character under Aaron’s watch, and Broo the Broodling having been snatched from Christos Gage’s fun Astonishing run is a funny foil to the over-serious Quire (yes, he cracks jokes, but I know a lot of joke-crackers who take themselves too seriously).
With the cast coming together far more nicely than I’d have imagined given the scope, I’m really amazed at how good this book is on top of all of the ridiculous fun. I hope it can keep up with itself, especially with Bachalo taking the next arc off.
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