Fury Max #2 Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Goran Parlov

Hey! Remember all those reasons you like Garth Ennis comics? And remember how you think when he resorts to fart jokes you find yourself just a little disappointed cuz’ you know he can do better? Well, this right here is where he does better. It’s Ennis telling a straight-up war story, with Nick Fury acting as any of a million different war characters you’ve seen him work before. Don’t forget that Parlov is cranking out solid line-work to make this a super compelling title. I’m not sure if this is a mini or an ongoing, but either way it’s a wonderful investment for anyone with a passing interest in Marvel characters or war comics. Great stuff.

Winter Soldier #5 Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Butch Guice

This issue kinda-sorta wraps up the first storyline, and what more can be said about the Brubaker comics that involve Captain America characters? This guy has single handedly been responsible for Bucky’s reintegration into the Marvel Universe, and almost every piece of it has been pitch perfect (ignoring the fact that his Cap uniform was a Cuban flag, but I blame Alex Ross). This latest Winter Soldier story has been no different, encompassing all the craziness you want from a monkey with a machine gun, and an embracing of the past while mixing it with whatever’s next. Guice’s art is a bit rushed, but I’m still digging it. Totally worth it.

Adventure Time #4 Writer: Ryan North Artist: Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb

Speaking of ending story lines, the adventures of Finn and Jake come to their sand princess conclusion (and yes, that makes sense if you read it). The art style on this book is completely faithful to the source material, and it’s probably the most fun children’s book that’s come out since the ridiculousness that was DC superheroes. The absolute best part of this has to be the asides that are running through the bottom of the page. They either make absolutely no sense at all, or put even more puns into place than there already are in the main story. It’s a damn good comic, and yes, I used the word “damn” to talk about a kids book!

Avengers vs X-Men #4 Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artist: John Romita Jr.

So at this point, four of the five ‘architects’ have scripted an issue of this book, and the best was clearly Brubaker. Hickman takes the reigns here and the plot moves along through his traditional text-heavy style. It’s just that this storyline is doing absolutely nothing to make me care. I sit through each issue wondering when they’re going to do something to make me care, and it’s just not coming around. Maybe it’s the Romita Jr. art.  While he has been pushed as the main man for Marvel art, his style is absolutely not working for me on this book. I just don’t see a reason to care in all of this, and this week’s issue is no different.

Manhattan Projects 3 Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artist: Nick Pitarra

I can’t explain quite why I love this book so very, very much. The basic concept is that after completing the atomic bomb, the entire team of scientists stuck together and have made more projects. FDR is dead, but they’ve revived him underground, Truman is a member of the Freemasons who is essentially ignored, and the entire team of scientists have completely separate problems all their own. Hickman’s interpretation of Oppenheimer has me the most entertained, cuz’ that is insane, but don’t overlook Einstein or Harry Daghlian. Every character is fascinating, much like the book. It’s absolutely fantastic stuff. Pitarra puts in wonderful art making each character distinguished from one another. LOVE it.

Annnnnnnnnnnnd now, some quick hits!

Conan #4 Writer: Brian Wood Artist: James Harren: Even without Becky Cloonan, this comic is basically awesome. Great story that still looks good.

Catwoman #9 Writer: Judd Winick Artist: Guillem March: Possibly the best Night of the Owls tie-in as CW has to help save the Penguin. Giving the unfrozen Owls personalities and back stories is a good idea that I’ve liked in every issue.

Batwoman #9 Writer: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman Artist: Trevor McCarthy: New artist comes in and things get a little better. I’m still jonesing for the next Williams-art issue, but aren’t you too?

DC Universe Presents #9 Writer: James Robinson Artist: Bernard Chang: The latest story from this anthology series gives Vandal Savage a new daughter. It gives you Silence of the Lambs meets Daddy Day Care, so there’s that.

Wonder Woman #9 Writer: Brian Azzarello Artist: Tony Akins: Wonder Woman’s wedding! This book has still been very interesting, and I’m happy it hasn’t been tied into anything else. A great self-containted story.

The Shade #8 Writer: James Robinson Artist: Jill Thompson: Another flashback issue giving more and more info about Shade. It’s great to see how easily Robinson can go back to the quality of his past. Great.

Hellblazer #291 Writer: Peter Milligan Artist: Gael Bertrand: More good Hellblazer stories from Milligan; what did you expect?

Glory #26 Writer: Joe Keatings Artist: Ross Campbell: Man, I’m sure this isn’t what Rob Liefeld envisioned, and I don’t care. I’ve really enjoyed every issue of this reboot, and it’s been keeping the same quality for the entire time.

Saga #3 Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artist: Fiona Staples: The end of this issue made me burst out laughing, as the main character makes quite the death bed confession. This book is fun, and perfect for any casual reader.

Iron Man #517 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Salvador Larroca: Things just keep building and building, and I hope that Fraction can make this as epic as it is building too. I love this book.

Thunderbolts 174 Writer: Jeff Parker Artist: Declan Shalvey: So Fixer from the future killed himself in the past, and now both Thunderbolts teams have to solve that problem. They get clever, and then erase some memories. It’s a fun book that’s about to go through a huge change.

Reset #2 Writer/Artist: Peter Bagge: The story moves along, but I’m still not sure of the point. I feel like we’ll have to check back when it’s over and see as opposed to judging the set-up.

And that’s the week! Hopefully the Professor will have returned from his vacation, and we’ll be back to normal next week!

“The” Dan Jacka

Batman #9 Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Greg Capullo

This is exactly what a crossover should be. Every story is tied into the main story, and so far every tie-in has been better because of the main story. This is probably the first time I can say that tie-ins actually work with this type of story. Basically,  the Court of Owls is set to destroy Gotham City and all the main people that help keep it going. Important people die, pieces are put in place, and everything is set for Batman to seriously  kick some ass starting next month. This week also has tie-ins to Batgirl and Batman & Robin that focus on how each character deals with what’s going on. I’ve seriously been overwhelmed by how good this entire story is. Just… just read it. It’ll remind you why you like superhero  comics.

Fatale #5 Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Sean Phillips

What’s left to say about Fatale? What’s left to say about Brubaker and Phillips? The end of “Book One” hits with this issue, and I still can’t quite tell you what in the world is going on. It’s still absolutely beautiful to look at, and it is probably one of the best books artwise that you can find in this market. The pieces moved into some kind of end point place with this issue, and in Brubaker’s back matter (a short half page at the end of this issue) he thanks everyone for making this the highest selling book he’s ever written. What a difference being published by Image over Icon can make, huh? I’m totally the type of guy to try to sell you more, so don’t forget to check out Sleeper, Criminal, and Incognito. Those are all better than this book, at least so far, but I’m still completely invested.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #9 Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Alberto Ponticelli

What a difference an inker makes. The last 3 issues of this book have looked drastically cleaner, and I don’t know how I feel about that. The story has still been pretty good, but I believe Lemire is done after this issue. He’s put a bunch of things in place for Matt Kindt to take care of, and I’m excited to see where he goes with it. This issue very, very loosely ties into the story that happened with Animal Man. If you wondered “what happened to that police officer that got infected by the Rot and became all puffy?” then this is the book for you. It was good stuff, and Frankenstein is still probably the biggest surprise of the New 52.

Deathstroke #9 Writer/Artist: Rob Liefeld

Grifter#9 Writer: Liefeld and Rob Tieri Artist: Scott Clark

Hoo boy. So changes have been made to the new 52 books, and I can’t say that they’ve all been made for the better. The funny thing is that it’s not like either of these books were very good to begin with, so I’m pretty sure that their sales are going to go up with a Liefeld bump. Liefeld takes this opportunity to introduce more of the Wildstorm characters back into the New 52, and I can honestly say that I do not care. Hooray. Deathblow is back. If that’s a selling point for you, then so be it. I just figured I’d point out that this comic exists, and that’s all I have to say about that.

Mystery in Space #1 Writer/Artist: Various

Man, this is a damn strange comic book! It’s another eight dollar one-shot like The Unexpected from several months ago. They’ve been very smart about this by hiring higher-end talent to get things moving right along. It’s good quality sci-fi stories told by people who know what they’re doing. It switches in tone from Twilight Zone twists, to hyper serious, to odd comedy. It gets high brow when Ann Nocenti starts talking about cats; it’s pretty to look at when you get Kaluta art, you get Kyle Baker just being Kyle Baker… and it’s all topped off with Mike Allred drawing a story about conception. I’m not making that up. What’s not to love?

Uncanny X-Force 25 Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Mike McKone

Uncanny X-Force is a strange beast. The story is always solid, but it relies heavily on the art. The last story didn’t quite hit the mark, and a couple times I had no idea what was happening. This special overpriced 25th ‘anniversary’ issue moves a couple of characters around and uses McKone art. Now I personally love Mike McKone, but this all seems a little bit rushed. There’s also two extra stories in the back that are the first time that Remender and Opena worked together to do Wolverine and Deadpool. It’s a story that reads  just fine, but I expect better from this title.

And now, the quick hits!

Wolverine and the X-men #10 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Chris Bachalo: Plots move along, but I can honestly say I have no idea how this fits into the main story. Much like…

New Avengers #26 Writer: Brian Bendis Artist: Mike Deodato: Which establishes how some redhead is kind of Iron Fist, and all those SHIELD stories I’m reading are being destroyed by Bendis and I can’t stand this crossover and I’m writing a run-on sentence cause I’m so angry…

Green Lantern 9 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Doug Mahnke: Hmm, it appears that Mahnke is needing a lot of inkers, it’s still good stuff, but you never know what you’re gunna get on each page.

The Punisher #11 Writer: Greg Rucka Artist: Mirko Colak: This is a weird book that I find myself enjoying just enough to mention it. It’s good, but not quite great yet;  it’s improving.

Crossed Badlands #5 Writer: Jamie Delano Aritst: Leandro Rizzo: Well, this is pretty dark and weird, isn’t it? You know what you’re getting with Crossed, and this is most certainly no different.

The Ultimates #10 Writers: Jonathan Hickman & Sam Humphries Artist: Luke Ross: I love everything about this book, and I’m bummed for when Hickman leaves. Good stuff.

And that’s the week! With the Professor out of town I’ll be back again next week, so ya know, get excited!

“The” Dan Jacka

The Shadow #1 Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Aaron Campbell

At times violent, at times dark, and at times funny, this new iteration of the Shadow hits all the style you’d expect from a Garth Ennis comic. However… you don’t quite get the traditional Ennis-isms that have become “the type” that you would expect from him. It’s a straightforward reboot of the Shadow franchise, introducing the character for new audiences effectively. I haven’t really had much access to Shadow stories, so I don’t know where it normally goes, but if the whole “predicting death” while shooting the hell out of bad guys thing is about right, then maybe I need to look back on it. There’s also about 47 covers for you to choose from, so how can you not love it?

3 Story: Secret Files of the Giant Man Writer/Artist: Matt Kindt

I have an especially large bias toward Matt Kindt and his water-color styling, so I absolutely love this. It’s a collection of MySpace Dark Horse Presents (do you kids remember MySpace?) that expands on his 3 Story book about the world’s tallest man. It’s just a few extra experiences about the heartbreaking life of the Giant Man, and it’s just as good as the original book. If you want to read more Kindt, check out SuperSpy, Revolver, a three-issue stint on Sweet Tooth, and his coming as the writer of Frankenstein. This book also has a preview for his new ongoing series “Mind MGMT” which I cannot wait for. It’s a good example of the type of writer/artist you’re dealing with.

Batman #8 Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Greg Capullo

Nightwing #8 Writer: Kyle Higgins Artist: Eddy Barrows

Red Hood & The Outlaws #8 Writer: Scott Lobdell Artist: Kenneth Rocafort

Catwoman #8 Writer: Judd Winick Artist: Adriana Melo

So this whole Court of Owls storyline really gets rolling this week, as you can tell from the sheer number of titles coming out that are tied into it. Batman is the one that actually directly starts the whole story with Bruce Wayne having to start the huge fight with the entire Court. Interesting things happen and a slight twist showing what the Owls don’t know. Batman is now priced at $3.99, with an extra back-up story drawn by Rafael Albuquerque that kind of sets everything in motion for the rest of the stories.

Nightwing takes its entire story to set up more of the Court of Owls. Since we’ve established that Dick Grayson is involved, it all makes sense. There’s several good fights and it’s a solid set-up to a tie-in.

Catwoman and Red Hood are both in the process of wrapping up a piece of their stories. Red Hood does it more effectively than Catwoman, but both of them end up with some kind of tie-in to get their Court of Owls involvement rolling. I’m going to spoil it just to help you decide what to buy. Catwoman is going to have to protect Penguin, and Red Hood is going to save Mr. Freeze. For some reason, the Red Hood story struck me as being surprisingly enjoyable, but I’ll believe it when I see it. These four titles were a good start to what will hopefully be a solid Bat-Crossover.

AVX #2 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: John Romita Jr.

Wolverine & The X-Men #9 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Chris Bachalo

Avengers #25 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Walt Simonson

And this is the other side of the crossover story. These books are doing almost nothing for me. Avengers vs. X-men actually starts fighting it up, and Jason Aaron is pretty good at dealing a consistent, fun fight scene for however many pages this went for. His ability to understand the character does cross over into Wolverine which is still an incredibly fun title. Bachalo’s stylized art completely works for me. The Avengers book is completely forgettable, but nice to look at with Simonson art. This whole crossover just isn’t working for me. It gets a resounding “Meh.”

Manhattan Projects #2 Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artist: Nick Pitarra

Hmm. I completely missed the first issue of this title. But I must not have missed much because I completely understand what’s going on. The people that helped create the Atomic Bomb are still working together to make something else. But this time, they’re also time-travelling and using Nazis for help! It’s very much the traditional high-concept Hickman book and it’s plenty fun to look at with solid Pitarra art making every character distinguishable. I know who everyone is, and Hickman effectively gives them all a motivation in one page. It’s very, very good stuff.

Reset #1 Writer/Artist: Peter Bagge

This is the latest work from dark-comedy Indy God Peter Bagge, and it’s a strange concept. A washed-up jerk of an actor is forced to result to lab-rat experiments to make any kind of money. This experiment makes him relive his life starting at a very unfortunate point at the end of his high school career. Any time he wants, he can press a reset button and start over again, but he has to start from that crappy point. It’s an interesting concept, like a darker-comedy version of the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Everyone is manipulating the main character and I’m interested in seeing where this goes. Bagge is a style you either love or hate, and I personally enjoy every page.

Now let’s do some quick hits!

Iron Man #515 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Salvador LaRocca: Did they just kill War Machine? You’ll have to read this fantastic book to find out.

Propher #24 Writer: Brandon Graham Artist: Farel Dalrymple: Oh, this just got even weirder didn’t it? I have no idea what’s happening, but I love it.

Punisher #10 Writer: Greg Rucka Artist: Marco Checchetto: The next part of the crossover between Spidey/Punisher/Daredevil and Rucka is nailing it. This is a nice little three-part story that’s going to end up being the best crossover of the year, isn’t it?

Venom #16 Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Kev Walker: This one-off story really gives you a mind mess to work with. Venom tries to save The Fly from Hobgoblin and nobody wins. Simple as that.

Hellblazer #290 Writer: Peter Milligan Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli: Milligan seems to have a grand plan for Hellblazer, and pieces keep coming together. This is an absolutely fantastic run of this series, and I have loved every issue.

Resident Alien #1 Writer: Peter Hogan Artist: Steve Parkhouse: A collection of the story from Dark Horse Presents. It’s good stuff, so if you missed it the first time, check it out now.

And that’s the week! Every week of comics lately has had something worth reading, so get to All About Books and Comics and do it!

“The” Dan Jacka

The Boys #65 Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Russ Braun

Holy moses.. this comic! Ennis took about six pages to explain everything you needed to know about the situation between Hughie, Black Noir, Homelander and Butcher. Six pages! And it all made perfect sense; it made we want to re-read 64 other issues, and it basically blew me away. Not to mention the fact that Russ Braun has really made his mark on this title. I’m still a bit bummed that Darick Robertson wasn’t around to do the entire thing, but Braun has done a helluva job putting it all together. It’s weird, because this could have been a completely unsatisfying final issue, and I would have been totally OK with that. Absolutely Fantastic.

Avengers Vs. X-men #1 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: John Romita Jr.

Then there’s this. The next big Marvel event starts with a resounding thud. I feel like they’ve been forcing this version of Cyclops that wants complete control down our throats for a few years now and it just doesn’t quite work. The plot is overly aggressive, and doesn’t give me any reason to really root for the X-Men in any way. The art is pretty much the standard fare for Romita Jr. these days, except it feels slightly rushed. I keep wondering just how strong these four writers and 47 artists approach is going to be, and so far I haven’t been that wowed. I expected more, and so far it’s not delivering.

Wolverine and the X-men #8 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Chris Bachalo

Ah, the X-men title that’s working despite an art style I don’t like! Bachalo is so stylized that it’s never quite worked for me. I can understand why others would love it, but I just can’t quite get there. But Aaron is absolutely killing on this book so it’s impossible not to like everything about it. This issue is fairly Beast-centric, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s an interesting idea to get Sabretooth involved in all these different areas (he’s been popping up in several x-books) as if he’s planning something huge. I’d like to see something actually happen, but because of the AVX stuff, I guess right now it’s more of a wait and see. So… We wait. Good stuff for now though.

Whispers #2 Writer/Artist: Joshua Luna

So this is kind of an odd statement, but I think I’d like this book better if it was both Lunas together. They work for me like the Coen brothers do for movies. I don’t wanna separate them, and you shouldn’t either. This tale of a guy who leaps from his body when he sleeps and can tell others what to do while in an astral state feels like it’s been delayed in coming out, and that’s never a good thing with the Luna brothers. They are kings of the slow burn, but delays won’t make that work any better. I find myself wondering what the big reveal is going to be, or what twist is going to keep me around, but so far the “random evil person might be whispering” riff isn’t really putting it all together for me. I will give it time, but not too much, and delays on this book won’t make me want to keep reading it at all.

Chew #25 Writer: John Layman Artist: Rob Guillory

Man this book is really awesome! I remember when the whole hubbub over this started and I couldn’t care less, but Image comics have really been working their way into being the alternative comics publisher, and it all started with Chew. This whole storyline has had the main character completely incapacitated for the entire time and it’s still absolutely fantastic. The art itself is full of one-shot gags and jokes that only work when you’re really paying attention. To know that Layman has a 60 issue plan is awesome, and that he’s thought out pieces of it (there’s a clip from Issue #60 in here), is even more fun. Check back with me in 35 issues (Three YEARS LATER), and we’ll see if it still hold up. But for now? Great stuff.

Men of War #8 Writers: Jeff Lemire & Matt Kindt Art: Tom Derenick

So this is the official wrap up month for six of the New 52 titles, Static Shock, OMAC, and Hawk and Dove all ended this week as well. Men of War never really hit it’s stride, and didn’t appear to have any idea what it wanted to be. HOWEVER, this 8th issue finally had a solid story, but what would you expect from the writing team? If this had been the way the book was for the first seven issues, I think it would still be around. This story of Frankenstein and J.A.K.E. fighting in World War II would have been totally awesome to read about, but nobody thought of it until now. This is also worth noting, as it’s Kindt’s first work with Frankenstein, a title he’ll be taking over soon. If it’s anything like this, don’t expect any drop in quality. It’s good stuff.

Swamp Thing #8 Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Yanick Paquette and Marco Rudy

Animal Man #8 Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Steve Pugh & Travel Foreman

These books tie together just loosely enough to make me happy. You don’t have to read either of them to enjoy the other, but they work together to give you a more complete story. Swamp Thing is the highlight with Paquette drawing some of the craziest dead buffalo heads you will ever see. It’s an extremely intense book that does it’s job keeping me invested. Animal Man is transitioning artists, and Pugh is absolutely killing it in his first work on the title since a run many moons ago. I like everything about both of these books, and based on sales, it seem like you guys are too, so do I really need to say any more?

Now some quick hits!

Fatale #4 Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Sean Phillips: Still awesome; still pretty to look at. Still basically incredible. The End.

Casanova: Avaritia III Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Gabriel Ba: Fraction’s ramblings are absolutely priceless on this title, and Ba’s surreal art makes it even better. This book is the craziest, most entertaining comic book on the market right now.

Detective Comics #8 Writer/Artist: Tony Daniel: I wish I could just write a review making vomit sounds for five sentences, but Alan wouldn’t be happy. (On the contrary, it does sound amusing!…editor Alan) Just know this is still really, really, REALLY bad. That is all.

Daredevil 10.1 Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Khoi Pham: The perfect jumping-on point for the five of you that aren’t already reading this. Pham is trying to ape the style of Marcos Martin, and it works. This book is amazing, and there’s only been 11 issues of it? Crazy.

Age of Apocalypse #2 Writer: David Lapham Artist: Roberto De La Torre: I’m still enjoying this latest drop into the alternate reality story way more than I should be. It’s fun stuff and worth checking out so far.

Sweet Tooth #32 Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire: You should be reading Sweet Tooth. That is all.

And that’s the week! We’ll be back as soon as we feel like it, so enjoy what you get!

“The” Dan Jacka

Batman #7 Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Greg Capullo

This is the best comic of the DC reboot. It’s moving along at it’s own pace; it’s doing it’s own thing, and it’s completely accessible to a new reader. Oh!… and it’s totally awesome! This story seems to be crafted out of the previous Gates of Gotham series, but you don’t even have to read that to understand what’s going on. There’s a section that is almost exactly the same as this week’s Nightwing issue, meaning that tie-ins are about to begin. That’s not the worst thing I’ve heard, hopefully it will improve some of the other struggling Bat-books. It’s worth getting all the back issues and catching up.

Avengers X-Sanction #4 of 4 Writer: Jeph Loeb Artist: Ed Mcguiness

I never want to stare, but I can’t look away at these kind of mini-series. It’s just terrible, terrible stuff. Let’s start from the top. The cover features two characters that dress in a way that doesn’t match what they wear in the comic. From there we get the story of how the X-men and Avengers work together to stop Cable. You know the X-men and Avengers, who are supposed to be FIGHTING in two weeks? Yeah, they’re “bestest’ best buds here. Cable dies, but then in 3 pages he totally doesn’t. Hope officially becomes the Phoenix, and I just don’t care at all anymore. I’d rather go back to Red Hulk punching the Watcher in the face.

Tiny Titans #50 Writers/Artists: Art Baltazar and Franco

So you guys remember Tiny Titans, right? It’s the most off-the-wall, self-aware kids comic ever made. Just look at all the characters on the cover, each of them were developed and involved in the comic in some way, and it’s a kid’s book! It’s been a series of one-shot jokes, long-running gags and parodies of everything that DC has done over the last 50 months. That means this comic has lasted over 4 years! That’s longer than some of the DC reboot books! But don’t worry, Art and Franco are coming back later this year for a Superman book which should probably be better than the latest DCnU stuff.

Kick-Ass 2 #7 Writer: Mark Millar Artist: John Romita Jr.

Super Crooks #1 Writer: Mark Millar Artist: Leinil Yu

I have an infinite amount of patience for Millar, but I think I’m probably broken. I’m completely burned out on the excess of the Kick-Ass with absolutely no pay off. This whole series was set up to move Hit-Girl into her new series, and our main character doesn’t get any real kind of closure. But don’t worry, I’m sure Kick-Ass 3 will be sometime in 2014. Also, it calls itself the end of Book 3, and I’m not even sure what that means. AND IT WAS 5 BUCKS! Super Crooks, on the other hand, relies on the premise “If all the superheroes were in America, what happens if the villains go to a different country?” Here’s the long story short on that premise: The superheroes will follow you. Bam. I just saved you all four issues and 12 dollars. Millar’s Icon imprint is becoming some overhyped scam machine, and I’m just done with it. Reading Mark Millar’s work makes me feel like I’m the girlfriend in an emotionally abusive relationship, I just keep coming back cuz’ maybe he’ll change…Wait. He’s doing a book with Frank Quitely? Damn, you at least got me for one Millar. But otherwise I’m done. I swear.

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #6 Writer: Justin Jordan Artist: Tradd Moore

Now, imagine if Kick-Ass was actually just a crazy violent story that gave you closure and a solid plot. That’s Luther Strode. The book has involved Luther gaining powers simply by following a Charles-Atlas type book. This caused him infinite problems and led to a lot of death and destruction and mayhem. It was pretty shocking in it’s violence, making me actually yelp at several moments. Don’t forget the Predator-like defeat of the bad guy, which entertained me to no end. Apparently we can look to another mini-series coming this year, and it’s definitely worth checking out.

Justice League #7 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Gene Ha

Hmm. This is quite the transition from Jim Lee, isn’t it? Let’s replace all the double-page heavily cross-hatched pages with 6 or 7 of Skyping conversation! I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about the change. I got used to the over-the-top Michael Bay-ness of it all, but this isn’t a bad issue by any means. Johns is trying to make us care about this author that keeps showing up at the end (not Pandora), but I don’t know yet. This issue also features the premiere of the Shazam back-up, but the first section is absolutely wasted. Billy Batson is an a-hole, and Shazam just randomly shows up. It was 8 pages that didn’t teach ya anything, but was nice to look at because Gary Frank drew it.

Wonder Woman #7 Writer: Brian Azzarello Artist: Cliff Chiang

Hey!,  Cliff Chiang’s back! I like this, but I want to like it more. Azzarello is building a whole new world for Wonder Woman, changing everything we know about the character, and it’s not bad. The problem is that I feel like it should be blowing me away, and it’s just not quite there yet. It’s clear that Azz has really thought about how he wants all the mythology to work and is putting it together piece by piece. I feel like this is a book where maybe two years down the line it will all be put together, but it’s slow going right now. Be patient!

Now some quick hits!

Ragemoor #1 Writer: Jan Strnad Artist: Richard Corben: A generic horror story is made infinitely better with Corben’s art. It’s fun and worth checking out.

Invincible Iron Man #514 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Salvador Larroca: this books keeps moving right along, and putting all the pieces in place. I can’t wait to see everything explode.

Hellblazer #289 Writer: Peter Milligan Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli: Milligan continues to prove he has a solid grasp on the Hellblazer character, and everyone in the book suffers for it. Great stuff.

Haunt #22 Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Nathan Fox: An origin story for the weird dude that showed up a couple issues ago. And it is awesome. Still just worth flipping through cuz’ it’s so damn pretty.

Rocketeer Adventures 2 Writers/Artists: Various: A sweet anthology series starts up again and it’s just as good as it was before. A weird Duck Dodgers parody from Bill Sienkiewicz is the highlight.

Uncanny X-men #9 Writer: Kieron Gillen Artist: Carlos Pacheco: What a difference the art make! This book is incredibly better without Greg Land, and this issue is a solid example of that.

And that’s the week! I’ll be back when I’m back. The End.

“The” Dan Jacka

Hell Yeah #1 Writer: Joe Keatinge Artist: Andre Szymanowicz

“Hell Yeah” is a strange comic. It’s got the traditional Image violence and shock value, but it’s blending it with what seems to be the “new direction” that the art from Image books has continued to do. Image has had a nice little relaunch here with the reboots of Prophet and Glory, and this book lines up with Thief of Thieves as another brand new entry into that direction. The story involves a super-powered kid who isn’t living up to his potential until some alternate reality stuff bears its ugly head. Simple enough premise introduced pretty well. I say it’s worth checking out the next issues to see where it goes.

Rachel Rising #6 Writer/Artist: Terry Moore

The only word I can come up with to describe this book is “eerie” and that’s a very good thing. When it comes to Terry Moore, you know exactly what you’re getting quality-wise, but content is always up in the air. Ever since Echo started spinning off into Nuclear Physics, I’m always worried about how far off track Moore will go. This one starts to get into the ideas of death and rebirth, but then saves it with how many plot threads are moving around at once. It’s fun stuff, and the end is just haunting. It’s only six issues in, which means we should see a trade soon, and that’s definitely going to be worth picking up.

Age of Apocalypse #1 Writer: David Lapham Artist: Roberto De La Torre

It’s seriously been 17 years since AOA first came around… how old does THAT make you feel? Well, this story picks up on pieces from both the original AOA and the appearances that recently occurred in Uncanny X-Force. There’s also a bit that I think was from the .1 issue that explains why a bunch of them don’t have powers. It’s an odd book, but I’m a huge fan of De La Torre’s murky art style. Hopefully he stays on it for a while, cuz’ with the energy that Lapham inevitably brings, it’s the kind of story that’s going to hopefully build into something crazy, and I’m excited to see what the final product looks like.

The Boys #64 Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Russ Braun

This has one of the most graphic two-page spreads I have ever seen. And that’s the fourth page of the book. It’s completely insane. And everything is just coming together. Ennis always proves his ability to put everything into a nice little box and have it all make perfect sense. Look at Preacher, the Punisher and Hitman,! Ennis knows how to put linking plot threads together that you barely remember and make it all work out in the end! There’s light links to the Herogasm mini series and plenty of other throwbacks that help put everything together, even in that repulsive double-page spread. It’s basically awesome, and I don’t have anything else to say about it.

Defenders #4 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Michael Lark

Oh hell yes Michael Lark! Things take a darker turn after the first three issues of the Defenders and putting in Lark to do the art is a pitch perfect choice. The tone doesn’t change (still having those weird tag lines on the end of pages), but everything just gets darker and moodier. A new guy wants to get in on the Sorcerer Supreme action, so a giant battle with Dr. Strange is bound to happen. Except… not so much. Fraction reminds us that Dr. Strange knows what he’s doing, and in turn, show us that Fraction himself knows how to handle these characters. Next issue? UNDER WATER! So keep enjoying this series.

Fatale #3 Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Sean Phillips

I kinda just wanna say “Brubaker Phillips” and end it there, but c’mon, that’s not what you’re here for. Fatale is a perfect comic book for people that don’t like generic superhero comic books. It’s going to be a huge story (in the back-up Brubaker says it’s already going to increase from the 12-issue plan to 15), and I still can’t quite explain what’s happening. There’s a shady lady who is surviving throughout time and ruining the lives of one family, there’s shady other people also trying to hurt this family, and there’s a guy who’s trying to figure out what the hell is happening to his family. It’s enjoyably good stuff, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

And now the quick hits!

Sweet Tooth #31 Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire: This freaking book. This is without a doubt some of the best material Vertigo has put out in years. Great Stuff.

Venom #14 Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Tony Moore: Moore’s art is so pretty, and this whole Venom Circle of four story has been pretty enjoyable. A nice little month-long story that ended this week.

Night Force #1 Writer: Marv Wolfman Artist: Tom Mandrake: The return to the darkness with the reboot of this odd DC title. It’s ok, and worth it along just to look at Mandrake’s art.

Wolverine #302 Writer: Jason Aaron Artists: Billy Tan & Steve Sanders: Aaron’s run is rapidly wrapping up and everything is hitting the fan. It’s great fun, and will hopefully all work in the end.

Avengers Academy #27 Writer: Christos Gage Artist: Karl Moline: Worth noting because if you read comics in the early 2000′s you might remember both Runaways and Sentinel, who have both made their comebacks in this book, and that’s awesome.

Fairest #1 Writer: Bill Willingham Artist: Phil Jimenez: The latest Fables spin-off is pretty enjoyable, and it’s exactly what you expect quality-wise. Good Stuff

And that’s the week! Until next time, I am me, you are you, and at this point I’m just rambling because I don’t know how to end it!

“The” Dan Jacka

Wolverine and the X-men #6 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Nick Bradshaw

Holy Moly this is a weird book! As Beast and students have to kill the Brood growing inside of Kitty Pride, Kitty has to dodge the actual Brood attack going on at the school. Out in a separate galaxy, Wolverine and Kid Omega are gambling to get money for their school. The chaos going on in this book is perfectly rendered by Bradshaw who channels a “smushed face” Art Adams style. Every issue of this has been accurately described as fun, and this latest piece is no exception. Aaron is making crazy stuff happen, and it’s leading to the most fun I’ve read in an X-book in a while.

Chew #24 Writer: John Layman Artist: Rob Guillory

We don’t talk about Chew enough. After it’s ridiculously hyped and priced first issue, things have settled down, and this has just been one fantastic series. I always start to wonder if Layman is just making up the words that he uses to describe people’s talents. This issue involves a dude who can make things out of chocolate that are actually workable (as in weapons and stuff like that). But it turns out that he’s not really the focus of the story. There’s also still the main character being tied up and forced to eat dead baseball player body parts to tell another guy about their sexual exploitations. Let’s just leave that out there and not say anything further…

All-Star Western #6 Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti Artist: Moritat and Phil Winslade

Moritat is just killing it on this book! He draws amazing creatures doing ridiculous things, and crazy people in crazy situations. This book is without a doubt been one of the highlights of the New 52, and what did you expect after the Jonah Hex comic having been so great? Up next, I believe the artist will change and we’ll go to New Orleans, but don’t quote me on that. The back-up story introduces the Barbary Ghost. It’s not especially good, but it’s fun to see Winslade getting more work. I expect to see Jordi Bernet popping up on this title again sometime soon.

Flash #6 Writer/Artists: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato

I won’t lie, I’ve been completely surprised by the quality of this title. It’s actually been way better than the past 13-issue series written by Johns with art by Manapul. This is the beginning of a new story introducing Captain Cold to the New 52. Long story short, he is not happy! After much of the past five issues had shown how the Flash maneuvers around, it’s fun to see him put more effort into the ice aspects. I’m weird, so at the end when Flash yells out a very concerned “Patty!”, I kinda laughed, but that’s just a personal problem. This is such a pretty comic, and worth it even for a casual flip-through.

RASL #13 Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith

Every time an issue of RASL comes out, I get upset. I love everything about it, but I spend half the issue trying to remember what happened during the past issues. It drives me crazy because I know this has been an incredible comic, but trying to keep track of all the Tesla talk will start to drive you crazy. But guess what? This is still a fantastic comic. It looks great, the plot moves along at a steady pace, and everything makes sense. Jeff Smith has proven that he knows how to tell a story (read Bone) and he’s also proven that it takes a while to release it. I’ll just keep waiting for each issue and complaining. That’s what I do.

Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred #2 Writer: David Hine Artist: Shaky Kane

So this may be the first comic that genuinely creeped me out. It’s a weird little tale where the character on the cover introduces you to three different horror stories, and they are just so above and beyond strange that it puts people like the Luna Brothers to shame. The last story had me actually extremely uncomfortable as I sat and read it. However, the ending seems to imply that a full story will be coming from this, as a character from the last issue makes a brief appearance. This is what good “indy comics” are really made of. It’s bizarre, fun… and slightly unsettling.

Quick hits!

Prophet #22 Writer: Brandon Graham Artist: Simon Roy: Prophet is a weird book now, but it’s fun. It’s got a very Geof Darrow meets Moebius art style that I can’t stop looking at.

Ultimate Spider-Man #6 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Chris Samnee: Worth it for the Samnee art, not so worth it for the Bendis dialogue. Still good stuff.

Captain America and Bucky #627 Writer: James Asmus & Ed Brubaker Artist: Francesco Francavilla: Brubaker is wrapping up his run, and it’s still good stuff. Don’t forget to read Winter Soldier.

I, Vampire #6 Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov Artist: Andrea Sorrentino: This comic is still interesting, but they messed up a huge piece of art in this issue, as in a decapitation that didn’t work right at all. That’s me complaining. That is all.

Deadpool Max II #6 Writer: David Lapham Artist: Kyle Baker: This comic is still awesome, but about to be canceled. You guys have failed me again.

Aquaman #6 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Ivan Reis: This issue actually turned me off from this title. It was boring, and Mera was just a horrible person for the whole thing. No incentive to care about her as a character.

The Savage Hawkman #6 Writers: Tony Daniel & James Bonny Artist: Philip Tan: Oh Man I hate this book! On top of everything that sucks, they’ve decided to effectively ruin Gentleman Ghost. I hate to say this, but maybe Rob Liefeld will make this book better.

Batman: The Dark Knight #6 Writer: Paul Jenkins Artist: David Finch: Ugh. This is a book that will make your brain bleed. Do you want your brain to bleed? No. Then don’t read this book.

And that’s it! I’ll try to be back as ever with more when I can. So… I’ll see you then!

“The” Dan Jacka

I’m the kind of guy that checks out all kinds of comic-related internet websites and reads all the news. Through the week, if you follow our facebook you’ll see important comic news updated. This blog post (which I will post often) will be a quick review of the hits along with my traditionally snarky viewpoints.

The Main Events!

#1 Marvel rips creators rights to pieces

CBR links to the blog that has the court documentation and gives the basic details of this story.

This case has been around since 2007. Gary Friedrich is one of the people who created Ghost Rider and sued the company, along with toy makers and movie companies for not registering Ghost Rider as a copyrighted item after the character’s first appearance in Marvel Spotlight. In response over the years, Marvel countersued for Friedrich using Ghost Rider to make money at conventions or through prints.

Basically, the entire case will be settled as long as Friedrich pays Marvel $17,000 and stops selling product with Ghost Rider on it. You heard that right, the guy who helped CREATE the character, won’t be able to make any money whatsoever, and in fact owes Marvel for his freelance convention work.

While the bust on him as a creator isn’t that surprising (Jack Kirby is spinning so hard in his grave that you’d think he was a Boom Tube), the convention piece is absolutely terrifying. Artist’s Alley’s at conventions are probably the easiest source of extra income that all artists have. If they have to pay Marvel or DC every single time they draw a character that’s essentially a Huge chunk of income disappearing from freelance workers and moving onto Disney’s doorstep.

Not to mention that Friedrich doesn’t even really do comics that much anymore, so one of his main sources of income has been punted out the window.

I don’t see this affecting artists at conventions immediately, but it definitely tells creators that they better watch who they mouth off to, or else they may lose and lose hard.

I wonder if he just made all his prints into the new girl Ghost Rider then he could still sell them. If people bought them like they bought the comic he wouldn’t really make that much money… (BURN!)

#2 DC Annuals and the latest round of artists musical chairs.

Once again, you gotta search The Source to find all of this.

Well all right then. I thought I wouldn’t have to explain these long-winded team changes every week, apparently I was wrong. More new stuff from the DC 52 just keeps moving right along.

Let’s start with the easy stuff first! Annuals! DC has announced three (so far), and I’m sure there’s more on the horizon. First come Batman, featuring the first appearance of Mr. Freeze in the new DCU. That will be written by Scott Snyder with help from James Tynian IV and art by Jay Fabok. Second we’ll see Jeff Lemire drop an Animal Man book featuring Swamp Thing as the Red and the Green continue to battle the rot. That one gives you art from Timothy Green. Finally, the Teen Titans book by Scott Lobdell and Tom Defalco with art by Brett Booth sees a whole big tie-in with Titans, Superboy, The Ravagers and Legion Lost. Hoo boy that’s a lot of tying.

I appreciate that all of these titles use their series writers in some way, meaning they aren’t complete screw-off meaningless issues. I’d reserve judgment until they come about, because I barely know anything about the art teams attached to them.

On the rotating art side of things, Steve Pugh, who is known for drawing Animal Man back in the day, will be drawing Animal Man permanently after filling in for a couple issues. Travel Foreman leaves Animal Man to take over Birds of Prey, which is weird because seeing him draw a comic about a bunch of girls doesn’t seem right. Jesus Saiz leaves Birds of Prey to go to Resurrection Man which I still can’t believe hasn’t been cancelled yet, and Fernando Dagnino steps off Resurrection Man to move to Suicide Squad. Hoo boy that was a lot of moving.

I’ll reserve real judgment until the issue 9′s come out, especially because the only art we’ve seen is that sample drawing by Foreman. Overall, I have no complaints, seeing as how all of these people haven’t really had issues with any of their books, and changing things up will help keep it all fresh (look at that positive spin I just put down…)

Oh! They’re also making a Smallville Season 11 comic book, if that’s your thing.

#3 Zombies are clearly not the only things with teeth…

Well, the Hollywood Reporter has the first statement, then they continue with Kirkman’s reply. This one’s gunna get ugly folks…

So… Tony Moore says he was screwed out of a ton of profits and isn’t even allowed to see profit statements that have come from The Walking Dead. He goes on to claim that Robert Kirkman tricked him into signing contracts that garnered him less than he deserved. It’s lawsuit time people!

Kirkman replied, saying the lawsuit was ridiculous and pulling out copies of the first issues to show that it only labelled him as a creator. Oooh snap indeed.

Here’s the kicker, Moore and Kirkman are lifelong friends. These two guys grew up together and apparently it got so bad that it came to this. The zombie soap opera book now has a real soap opera theme in real life.

I see this a couple ways. Moore drew 6 issues of the series. While he did essentially create and design a ton of the characters that are still around (actually only Rick and his kid have made it all the way), he only did 6 issues of an almost 100-issue series. His name is right there in the credits (of course those credits had Frank Darabont in them, Oh well…) so he’s gotta be seeing some money from it.

And the long story short, Walking Dead hasn’t been that good of a TV show. Sure if I was Moore I’d want my money while the going was good, but I’d rather they pay me just not to yell about it. (Please don’t get me started on the bogus meandering that has been this season. Just don’t do it.)

Quick Hits! Other Important Stories from the Week:

Marvel dropped the Avengers trailer at the Super Bowl. They extended it online. Hoo boy.

Marvel also released preview pages of the Avengers vs X-men series to whet your appetite. Pick your sides folks! They also supplied pictures of many different covers.

The BBC has a discussion with Alan Moore about using the V for Vendetta mask at the Occupy protests. When it’s not comic-related, I always enjoy what Moore has to say.

You bored? Here’s some quick things to look at to entertain you:

This parody of the Avengers is the greatest thing my sister and I have ever seen. The rest of you probably have no idea what this is.

Batman Inc. is coming. Batman Inc. is coming. Batman Inc. is coming. COVER!

A possible Dr. Who/Star Trek crossover, because you demanded it! Didn’t you?

Statues statues everywhere. Finally licensed products that don’t look like the movie characters in Watchmen.

How do you not love Avengers Legos?

Power Girl loses her revealing cleavage window for her new series. Progressive!

And finally, Jean-Ralphio as Spider-Man. You’re welcome to the four people that get this.

And that’s the week! Did I miss anything? Feel free to yell at me in the store or in the comments!

“The” Dan Jacka

Adventure Time #1 Writer: Ryan North Artist: Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb

This. Book. Is. Awesome. An evil “bag of holding” starts trying to defeat Finn and Jake and everyone in adventure time, so it’s up to them to save the day. That doesn’t exactly work, even when they combine together to make Jake into a suit that Finn wears. It’s absolutely crazy. There’s captions at the bottom that put the Defenders throwbacks to shame. There’s a back up story with a hilarious punchline about cinnamon-flavored armpit apple juice. I can’t come up with this stuff on my own. This is a sweet comic that’s perfect for fans of the show.

PunisherMax#22 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Steve Dillon

Black Panther #529 Writer: David Liss Artists: Shawn Martinbrough & Jefte Palo

Two Marvel series wrap up this week and they both end fairly strong. PunisherMax knew it was coming to an end, so the epicness that has been this series wraps up exactly how it wants to. I couldn’t possibly be happier with how this series turned out, and it’s a bummer that most stories don’t reach the quality that this one gets to. Black Panther was forced into cancellation, so everything gets wrapped up into a neat little bow and closed up. It feels a little forced and a little rushed and the art is screwy at points, so it’s kinda unfortunate. I loved both of these series, and to see them end is very unfortunate for comics as a whole.

Conan the Barbarian #1 Writer: Brian Wood Artist: Becky Cloonan

Hmm. I want to like this a lot more than I do. It’s the Demo team, which was a solid book. It’s the Northlanders writer, doing stuff very similar. But overall it just didn’t quite click. I liked where it was going, and what was done, but overall, it felt like most other Conan stories I’ve read. It has a lot of potential to be going somewhere, and I feel like we’re going to have to wait until the third issue to know if this is really going to be any good. Don’t get me wrong; it’s very much OK, and Cloonan’s art is soooo pretty. But overall? Meh. FOR NOW!

Powers #8 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Michael Avon Oeming

Hey, Powers is back! If you’ve never liked Bendis, then avoid Powers at all costs. But if you find yourself sick and tired of his Avengers stuff (pointing at self), Powers will remind you why you might actually like him sometimes. This is picking up right where we left off… what…six months ago?  I wish Powers would come out more often, but I don’t mind. I feel like with each issue taking more time, there’s less of a chance that Bendis can screw it up.

Thief of Thieves #1 Writers: Robert Kirkman & Nick Spencer Artist: Shawn Martinbrough

In the wake of recent Walking Dead news, Kirkman drops a new creator-owned series, and it’s interesting, but doesn’t feel complete. The tagline at the top talks about the life he left behind, and the cover goes into detail about his family, but that’s never addressed in the first issue. The cover tells you more about the main character than the entire comic does. What the comic gives you is a pretty solid story about a con-man art thief that decides he’s done. We meet a couple side characters, and learn about the main girl involved in the series. It’s solid stuff, but feels more like a zero issue than an actual #1.

Wolverine and the X-men #5 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Nick Bradshaw

I’m not a huge Chris Bachalo fan, so the scrunched-face Art-Adams style of Bradshaw is a welcome change. This book has been surprisingly good for all of its issues. Aaron is continuing to show that he understand all the characters in the Marvel universe and how to give them a proper voice. It’s a little convoluted, in that a LOT of things are in motion, but that is really helped by Bradshaw’s art. It’s squish faced, but you can tell who everyone is and exactly what’s going on. It’s fun stuff, as long as you kinda let that weird cover that toes the line on being completely offensive. Good stuff.

Quick Hits!

Frankenstein #6 Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Alberto Ponticelli: Apocalypse Now meets Night of the Living Dead. Way way Rad.

Ninjettes #1 Writer: Al Ewing Artist: Eman Casallos: Why does this exist? It’s a spin-off of dead characters from a Garth Ennis series. I don’t get it.

Batwoman #6 Writers: J.H. Williams III W. Haden Blackman Artist: Amy Reeder: The art change is staggering, but this is still a solid book. I enjoy the hell out of it, and you should too.

Secret Avengers #22 Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Gabriel Hardman: Still questioning the quality of this title. We’ll see, but Remender is off to a good start.

Haunt #21 Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Nathan Fox: As long as Haunt is being awesome I’ll keep mentioning it. Haunt is still being awesome.

Hulk #5 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: A whole lot of people: I see what the plot is trying to do, but the art is making me want to gouge my eyes out with a stick.

Lobster Johnson #2 Writer: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Artist: Tonci Jonjic: Criminal meets the B.P.R.D. What’s not to like?

And that’s it! I’ll be back… eventually!

“The” Dan Jacka

The Main Events!

#1! Watchmen Prequels Everywhere

The original post is HERE but c’mon, how have you not heard about this now? DC has decided to take the dive and create a series of prequels based around what is perhaps their most famous actual literary work. Is that a gutsy play? Of course, but I believe that it’s been crafted about as perfectly as humanly possible.

Anyone working with the Watchmen characters is going to find that they’ve dived into a crapload of controversy. Plenty of people want it untouched (and I have friends texting me to prove that), plenty of people want Alan Moore’s approval, and plenty of people just don’t care.

But really, read the articles, look at those teams and tell me there isn’t ONE book there that you want to read. I alone can guarantee I’m getting the Darwyn Cooke Minutemen series, and the Azzarello-Jones Comedian series. In addition, I’m gunna take a look at Wein-Lee on Ozymandias and Cooke-Conner on Silk Spectre. There isn’t a single person out there who isn’t gunna drool over one of these books.

And these teams! Holy moly those are strong teams. I’m not a Straczynski fan at all, but I know for a fact that there’s a ton of you that will pick this up for his name alone. Joe Kubert is around inking his kid for a story. Adam Hughes is doing interiors. REPEAT: ADAM HUGHES IS DOING INTERIORS. The teams on these books are fantastic.

Alan Moore doesn’t approve. That’s new… Oh wait, no it’s not. He never wants to be involved like this, and he’s been talking about recycling ideas of his since about the time I’ve been reading comics. While he and Dave Gibbons did get screwed in their contracts, there’s plenty of us that are jonesing for more. I think this is a fantastic way to encourage new readers who’ve only read Watchmen to come back and try more.

#2! Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane Settle Their Dispute, We Think…

The Associated Press broke the news HERE, but I’ll try to put it simply. McFarlane used plenty of writers in the early days of Spawn. One of them was Neil Gaiman, who created the characters of Dark Ages Spawn, Tiffany and Domina. From there, McFarlane made his traditional action figures of all of these, and Gaiman flipped his lid.

Ironically, Image Comics was created to help creators get “freedom” over their creations, so this DECADE-long lawsuit didn’t really help them keep their image clean (Image’s image… hoo boy.)

Two things worth noting. This is technically the end, as the AP says more info about the ruling can’t be disclosed, but Gaiman’s attorney said McFarlane can’t appeal anymore. It sounds like everyone ended up happy, but McFarlane’s attorney was suspiciously absent from the article.

SECOND! Could this be the first step toward clarity about Miracleman? Alan Moore has backed off to go be angry about everything (that’s new), but McFarlane and Gaiman are still arguing over who actually has the rights to the 80s stories. Hopefully more info can come to light, and this will be the lighting of a candle that makes some of us who can’t afford a death issue the chance to read some of these “classic” issues.

#3! Shuffling Teams So Hard, You’d Think the New 52 was a card deck

Where to even begin on this one? Your best bet is to just go through the history on the DC blog HERE.

There’s a lot of shuffling going on at the New 52, and it started off so well. Paul Cornell is leaving Stormwatch, which is not new news. However, Peter Milligan (Hellblazer and Justice League Dark) is taking over those writing duties. He’s leaving Justice League Dark to Jeff Lemire (Animal Man, Sweet Tooth). Lemire is leaving Frankenstein, and indie creator Matt Kindt (Superspy, Revlover) is going to write his first ongoing mainstream series. That make sense? Cause it’s all good news. Changing teams is always unfortunate, but each of these is a solid takeover by a pro writer. I could not be happier.

On the “meh” side of things, Gregg Hurwitz (Penguin: Pride and Prejudice) is taking over the writing duties for Batman: The Dark Knight, and it’s not clear if David Finch is still co-writing. Also, Marcus To (Red Robin, Huntress) is going to be taking over the art on Batwing. I assume this is a problem with Ben Oliver not being able to maintain an ongoing, but that’s purely speculation. Also, after Dan Didio and Jerry Ordway finish their Challengers of the Unknown story for DC Universe Presents, Jerry Robinson (Starman) and Bernard Chang (who drew the Deadman story earlier in DCUP) will start a new story with a brand new character. It will be Vandal Savage’s daughter, but apparently not Scandal Savage.

And finally. Rob Liefeld. The teams have finally been announced for the three (My God, Three) books that he’s involved in. We already knew that Deathstroke was all his. He’s writing and drawing, so if you liked Hawk and Dove (cancelled) there ya go. He’s plotting Savage Hawkman, which will be scripted by Mark Poulton (no clue) and drawn by Joe Bennett (a lot of DC stuff). That one will go from the “meh” team of Daniel and Tan to the new meh team. However, the straw that breaks the camel’s back is Grifter. Scott Clark stays on as the artist, which is fine, but Scripting the book will be the one the only… Frank Tieri. I’ll wait for this to actually come out, but I think we all know how the Professor feels about Tieri (there’s not a link, but it’s not good). Liefeld getting his hands in everything is just unfortunate to say the least.

Every single one of these changes start at issue #9 which isn’t until May (which feels like forever away, but just you wait). It’s intriguing to see the shuffling, and I’m sure we’ll see more every month.

Quick Hits! Other Important Stories from the Week:

Mark Waid is ending both Irredeemable and Incorruptible. That’s a bummer, but it had an incredible run.

Archie might be having an interracial baby. Whoa! Progressive!

You bored? Here’s some quick things to look at to entertain you:

This girl is Zatanna. You’re welcome.

Mike Choi can still draw. Very pretty.

By the time this posts, The Avengers trailer will have aired, but it’s being hyped already. Enjoy!

There’s a new Ultimate Spider-Man thing set to happen. They’re trying to hype it, but it hasn’t become a big deal.

And that’s the Week in Review. This new feature is a work in progress, so feel free to leave some comments about anything you think might be important that I overlooked. Same time next week!

“The” Dan Jacka