Daredevil

DD continues to be a bright spot among the Marvel books — literally, since its pages are splashed with lots of reds, blues and other primary colors. That gives it a unique look (even when a different artist is drawing it, as here, although Kano turns out to be a good match for the previous pencillers), and suits its sunny, optimistic stories. This issue, the second part of a crossover with Amazing Spider-Man, features Spidey, DD and the Black Cat battling bad guys (and sometimes each other), and ends with an intriguing new relationship; let’s just say that if Felicia is an analogue to DC’s Catwoman, and Matt has some traits in common with Batman, then it was probably inevitable….

Fables #113 — Writer: Bill Willingham;  Art: Rick Leonardi and Ron Randall; P. Craig Russell; Zander Cannon and Jim Fern;  Ramon Bachs and Ron Randall; Adam Hughes

This is one of those take-a-break issues that Willingham throws in every so often: a bunch of small stories of times past, self-contained but crisscrossing into the regular continuity in a couple of ways, and giving a number of different artists a chance to participate. Russell and Hughes are the standouts, but everyone seems to be having a good time; the fairy-tale fantasy milieu gives artists a chance to stretch their abilities, and their enthusiasm shines through. “Turtles all the way down,” indeed.

Legion of Super-Heroes #5 — Writer: Paul Levitz;  Pencils: Walt Simonson;  Inks: Dan Green and Sean Parsons

Another comic worth noting for its art: Walt Simonson might not be the first guy who comes to mind as an LSH chronicler, but his penciling is always a treat. This, like Fables, is something of a change-of-pace story, as Levitz tracks 24 hours with the team, and shows most of its members just living their lives instead of battling any cosmic-level bad guys; new readers will be equally confused and intrigued by all the characters and relationships on display, but longtime fans should like it a lot.

Wonder Woman #5 — Writer: Brian Azzarello;  Art: Tony Akins

I’ve never warmed that much to Azzarello; I didn’t like his Superman arc, and only got maybe a third of the way into 100 Bullets before losing interest (I knew it was good, and that I ought to be reading it, but just didn’t like it that much). Thus, I keep almost-dropping this book; however, the creators keep pulling me back: I like the way the gods are written as bickering soap-opera characters, and I especially liked the book’s last few pages — Akins really shows his stuff in two big splashes involving Lord Poseidon (heh: “splashes”? “Poseidon”? Is this thing on…?), and the clever way Diana’s able to hold her own with her divine antagonists. Sign me up for a few more….

Superior #7 (of 7) — Writer: Mark Millar;  Art: Leinil Yu

The conclusion of Millar’s latest foray into super-hero marketing: there’s a big, satisfying battle, and Yu does a good job with all the big scenes and elaborate set pieces he’s called on to draw. It’s a cinematic comic in both the best and worst senses: like, say, Independence Day, it has multiple plot holes that you could throw a giant transformed alien through (the “soul” thing makes no sense at all), but the story just rockets ahead so quickly, and with so many satisfying small scenes and twists, that the readers finish the book happily; it’s loud, goofy fun, and any criticism, however legitimate, seems besides the point.

Catwoman #5 — Writer: Judd Winick;  Art: Guillem March

This book started with controversy (Bat-sex will do that), but it was obviously deliberate: it generated press, and guaranteed that the comic wouldn’t be seen as boring. Meanwhile, Winick has established his heroine as feisty, smart and a survivor, and each issue has enough cool little moments and cliffhangers to keep those initial readers coming back for more; stir in March’s inviting art, and ability to make Selina look alternatively imposing, sexy and vulnerable, as the story requires, and it’s clear that this book is a survivor, just like its title character.

Moon Knight — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art: Alex Maleev

Ultimate Spider-Man #6 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art: Chris Samnee

Avengers #21 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Pencils: Renato Guedes;  Inks: Jose Magalhaes

Three by Bendis: Moon Knight is one big battle scene, and ends with a major, and tragic, plot development; Maleev’s shadowy, nuanced art, and the title character’s Greek chorus of superhero voices in his head, make it worth looking at. Ultimate Spider-Man also benefits from its visuals — Samnee’s one of the best young artists out there right now; his drawing, although it doesn’t look anything like John Byrne’s, is somehow still good at echoing both Byrne’s clear storytelling and sense of fun, which makes Miguel’s adventures appealing. The story itself is still in young-hero-learns-the-ropes mode, and reminiscent of Bendis’s earlier work on the title (there’s a scene with the cops that we’ve seen at least a couple of times before); that’s the same trouble with Avengers, wherein all the Norman Osborn/evil Avengers stuff seems like a rerun (plus, there’s a truth-in-advertising issue: the cover showcases Storm, who only shows up in the story for two pages, unconscious). Still, it’s another chapter in the ongoing adventures of Marvel’s biggest stars, and even with its faults it’s readable and engaging enough to keep its audience satisfied.

Amazing Spider-Man #678 — Writer: Dan Slott;  Pencils: Humberto Ramos;  Inks: Victor Olazaba

Invincible Iron Man #512 — Writer: Matt Fraction;  Art: Salvador Larroca

Uncanny X-Men #5 — Writer: Kieron Gillen;  Pencils: Greg Land;  Inks: Jay Leisten

Three titles linked because they’re all readable and engaging, too, but there’s not that much else to say about them. ASM starts a two-parter wherein Peter sees a destroyed New York City 24 hours into the future, and knows that something he either did or didn’t do led to it… but what? The suspense, and the Ramos art, carry it along nicely. Iron Man continues the machinations of the Mandarin (who’s proving, to the chagrin of people like Obadiah Stane and the Living Laser, that he’s not an ally who plays nicely with the other super-villains); Fraction and Larocca have been at this long enough for readers to trust them, and trust that the story will eventually resolve itself satisfactorily. So too for UXM, wherein Gillen and Land build off of events in Uncanny X-Factor, and throw the team into a Savage Land-like hostile environment and then let the sparks fly.

Fatale

Fatale is the latest crime/noir book from the Brubaker/Phillips team; it’s distinguished from the various Criminal stories because it mixes in a fantasy/horror element. It’s also very well done; this first issue is a textbook example of how to set up an intriguing cast of characters: a damaged hero, a mysterious woman, shadowy pursuers, etc. Brubaker and Phillips, as always, make a smooth team — if you’re going to build a story around a woman who’s irresistible to men, you need an artist who can deliver that, and Phillips can do both sexy and hard-boiled with the best of them (he can do horror, too, as he demonstrated with Marvel Zombies, so Brubaker, like all good collaborators, has played to all of his strengths with this comic). Best book of the week.

Action Comics #5 — Writer: Grant Morrison;  Pencils: Andy Kubert;  Inks: Jesse Delperdang

This is mostly a flashback issue, showing the events on Krypton that led to the young Kal-El being rocketed to Earth, and setting up elements in current Superman continuity like the Phantom Zone, Krypto, the Kents, etc. (it’s also got a flash-forward scene, involving a mysterious group of villains and a familiar trio of time travelers, accompanied by an older Superman than we’ve seen in the book so far). It’s interesting that Morrison held off on this until the fifth issue of the new volume of Action, preferring to establish the young Superman in Metropolis first, but that was a good narrative choice: what happens in this comic  is complicated — Morrison complicated — and has a lot of insidery elements that wouldn’t have attracted the new readers picking up an earlier issue. As is, this isn’t satisfying as a stand-alone comic — too many plot features are unresolved — but it should work fine as part of the larger mega-story that Morrison is weaving here.

The Goon #37 — Writer/Artist: Eric Powell

Powell has such a wicked, over-the-top sense of humor (see: Satan’s Sodomy Baby) that it’s easy to think that’s all he has to offer, but not so: he’s a very careful, detailed artist, and he has a knack for horror. This issue of The Goon, which involves a thinly-fictionalized version of New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist fire ( a sweatshop disaster that killed 146 workers in 1911, and led to the rise of workplace safety regulations) demonstrates something else, too: a sense of history, and an outraged anti-robber baron, pro-union stance worthy of a Wobbly. It’s passionate, well-researched, well-drawn, and still has the little quirks and funny bits that Goon readers expect: all in all, an impressive change of pace, and a useful reminder of Powell’s multifaceted talents.

Rachel Rising: Writer/Artist: Terry Moore

Four issues in, this might be a novel of demonic possession, but it definitely involves a woman who keeps dying and reviving, somehow, and a number of seemingly-innocent people doing very bad things (including a compelling little girl in bunny slippers). It’s very low on the mystical mumbo-jumbo, though: there’s a page or two of medical talk that indicate that Moore has worked this out just as well as the scientific quantum-mechanics stuff in Echo; that, and the typically-well-composed and pretty-looking (and spooky) art, continue to let readers know that they’re in very competent hands.

Defenders #2 — Writer: Matt Fraction;  Pencils: Terry Dodson;  Inks: Rachel Dodson

Fraction, as with most of his books, seems to be having fun here, and it’s infectious: there’s the cosmic storyline, involving an insane Prester John, a universe-sustaining “concordance engine,” and Nul, the Breaker of Worlds from the Fear Itself mini-series; there’s the Defenders team of Dr. Strange, Red She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, Iron Fist and Namor, bickering and interacting in lots of interesting ways (Strange’s method of turning She-Holk back into Betty Brant, and her reaction, are a good example, as is Iron Fist’s woozy reaction to John’s mental restraining methods); there’s even all the little ’70s-style blurbs at the bottom of each page, some of which are legitimate plugs for other books, and some of which seem to be making a meta-commentary on the events in this one. Altogether, there’s plenty to keep the reader entertained, so here’s hoping that this incarnation of Marvel’s lesser-known superhero team generates enough buzz for a long run.

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha and Omega #1 (of 5) — Writer: Brian Wood;  Art: Roland Boschi and Dan Brown; Mark Brooks with Andrew Currie, Jay Leisten, Norman Lee and Ronda Pattison

Wood’s more known for indy books like Demo or DMZ than for superheroes (although Demo had elements of fantasy, and its many characters sometimes had small, offbeat powers), so this mini-series offers a change of pace for him. It’s Quentin Quire trapping Wolverine and Armor in a futuristic, Blade Runner-esque videogame landscape in their minds, just to be a jerk. The art’s just OK, but having different teams handle the “real” and the fantasy scenes is a smart idea, and the setup is intriguing enough to bring readers back for another issue, at least.

Uncanny X-Men #4 — Writer: Kieron Gillen;  Art: Brandon Peterson

A tale told from the point of view of the last surviving bit of the old Phalanx (the alien hive intelligence that made everyone and everything it touched into metallic, zombie-like parts of its whole), as it makes inadvertently-murderous attempts to survive on Earth, contact the rest of its race in outer space, and avoid the X-Men. If every issue was like this, readers would miss the typical soap-opera subplots and character interaction, but for one issue, its antagonist’s-perspective narration is an effective break from the book’s regular proceedings.

Avengers Annual #1 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art: Gabrielle Dell’otto

The second part of the story begun in last summer’s New Avengers Annual, as Wonder Man, somehow convinced that the Avengers are a fraud that cause more damage than they prevent, has pulled together a team of C-listers to defeat them. It’s more of a collection of character bits and battle scenes than an actual story — there’s no overall beginning-and-ending narrative structure, despite its 32 pages; instead, things happen and then stop, to be resolved in later books — but since the art’s relatively cool-looking and the writer’s been the primary architect of the Avengers books for the last five years, regular readers probably won’t mind.

O.M.A.C. #5 — Creators: Dan Didio, Jeff Lemire and Keith Giffen

Lemire’s on board because most of the issue is a slam-bang battle between his Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. title character and O.M.A.C. (two characters with a lot of acronym periods between them…). As with all the issues of this book so far, it’s worth reading because of the Kirby-esque artwork by Giffen (with coloring by “Hi-Fi,” and sound-effects lettering by Travis Lanham, that complement the tribute, and enhance the general energy level, enough to deserve special mention here).

The Boys #62 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Russ Braun

After over five years, the end’s in sight for this part-parody, part-romance and all-extreme superhero series. Credit to Ennis for making it unpredictable: while most of the minor characters are cartoons, the major ones — both good and bad — are complicated enough, with their various strengths and weaknesses, to make the book’s ultimate outcome hard to call. That refusal to take the easy narrative path has helped to keep readers hooked (the violence and sex alone aren’t enough; just ask all those terrible zombie books from Avatar), and if Ennis can pull off a satisfying conclusion in a few issues, this will be a worthy companion to his earlier Preacher.

Fables

In a week that’s a holiday gift to readers — after what’s turned into a great year for comics, there were at least a dozen noteworthy ones just this Wednesday — Fables gets first position this week because it’s a Christmas story, of sorts. While we check in with most of the current subplots (but not the one involving Bufkin, Willingham leaving his fate, literally, hanging), the main thread involves Rose Red and a story about hope, taking its structure from A Christmas Carol and featuring Santa Claus and the Little Match Girl, among others. After almost ten years, this continues to be one of the best-told and best-looking serial stories out there, and if you’re still one of those fans who’s never read it this would make a great gift to yourself, as a taste of what you’ve been missing.

Dark Horse Presents #7 — Various Creators

I’ve sung the praises of this book quite a bit — and, just this week, covered its earlier ’80s-’90s incarnation in It Came From the Back Room — but this issue outdoes itself: Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai; Hellboy by Mike Mignola; Skeleton Key by Andi Watson; Finder by Carla Speed McNeil; chapters of serials by Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin; a new story by Brandon Graham (of King City critical praise); and three other tales. It’s a Christmas stocking with ten great gifts in it, all on glossy paper and with coloring that makes the stories gleam and pop, and at $7.99 it continues to be the best bargain in the store.

Daredevil #7 — Writer: Mark Waid;  Pencils: Paolo Rivera;  Inks: Joe Rivera

This is a Christmas story, too, a one-shot episode that’s a little corny (a bus full of blind kids that overturns far out in the country during a blizzard), but perfect for the season, and heart-warming and entertaining in equal measure. Check out that cover, too: a perfect summary of the unexpected joys of this book, both visually and conceptually, and proof that, with Waid and Rivera, it continues to be in very competent hands.

PunisherMax #20 — Writer: Jason Aaron;  Art: Steve Dillon

Wolverine and the X-Men #3 — Writer: Jason Aaron; Pencils: Chris Bachalo, Duncan Rouleau and Matteo Scalera; Inks: seven different guys

Wolverine #20 — Writer: Jason Aaron;  Pencils: Renato Guedes;  Inks: Jose Wilson Magalhaes

Three by Aaron this week, all worth reading: PunisherMax features a long and brutal battle between Castle and Elektra, as his two-year-long encounter with the Kingpin is winding down, in predictably bloody fashion, and signaling the end of both their fight and the book itself; the Dillon art makes it the best of the pack. Wolverine and the X-Men isn’t far behind, though — the Bachalo art would have made it the best, except that, as you can see from the credits, he got a lot of help, and the inconsistency sometimes shows; however, this has the best story, as it concludes the title’s first arc with the wry humor and dynamic, intriguing cast of characters that’s quickly turned it into the most fun of all the X-books. Wolverine is the least of the three, having the most pedestrian art, but it still delivers Wolverine, now in New York City, vs. the Kingpin vs. the Yakuza, with mutant cannibal hillbillies and Logan’s juggling of three current and former romantic interests helping to spice up the mix. At this point, Aaron’s one of the top three go-to writers at Marvel (Matt Fraction and Bendis being the others), and his knack for combining fun, drama, comedy and adventure may make him the best.

Iron Man #511 — Writer: Matt Fraction;  Art: Salvador Larroca

Speaking of Fraction… we’re early in a new serial, as the Mandarin continues to turn the screws (via the Living Laser and Obadiah Stark, among others), but watching Tony facing various perils, and checking in with the varied and well-drawn cast members (Pepper and Bethany Cabe have the best encounter here, although Splitlip the dwarf (er… dark elf) is going to be a scene stealer) gives the reader plenty of reasons to keep buying this book.

Avengers #20 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art: Daniel Acuna

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Layouts: Sara Pichelli; Finishes: David Messina

And speaking of Bendis… Avengers sees the team splitting into groups to go hunt Norman Osborn, with predictably bad results (it being still early in the story), and three separate cliffhangers; it’s fine but pretty standard, especially if you’ve been following the title for the last five or six years of the Bendis era. Ultimate Spider-Man seems more enthusiastic and less been-there-done-that, as it’s devoted to Miles and his first encounters with Spider-Woman, Nick Fury and Elektro; Pichelli doing only layouts makes the visual appeal less than when she’s doing the full pencils, but it’s still a good-looking book, especially in the fight scenes.

Sergio Aragones Funnies #6 — Writer/Artist: Neal Adams

No, of course not really… it’s the usual combination of gags, longer Plop-like stories, autobiography, and games from Aragones, and the only reason it’s not higher on this list is because I’ve already praised it so much in earlier posts: suffice it to say, though, that the art continues to be wonderful, and that you’re missing a lot of good storytelling if you’re not getting this book.

Justice League #4 — Writer: Geoff Johns;  Pencils: Jim Lee; Inks: Scott Williams

Aquaman and a fully-formed Cyborg enter the mix — meaning that for the first time the full team from the cover of issue #1 is together —  and the big bad guy is revealed on the last page. Four full issues in, that’s not exactly compressed storytelling, but this book knows exactly what it’s doing, and it’s going to be a perennial best-seller as a trade, and I’d tell you to buy it, but, really, right now who isn’t?

Deadpool Max 2 #3 — Writer: David Lapham;  Aret: Shawn Crystal

Kyle Baker not drawing this book makes it a throwaway, although it’s almost worth it for that cover: brownie points to the first person who writes in with the title and issue number of the book that it’s… well, “parodying” isn’t the right word — maybe just “echoing”?

Amazing Spider-Man #676 — Writer: Dan Slott;  Pencils: Humberto Ramos;  Inks: Victor Olazaba

No actual appearances by the Wallcrawler — or even Peter Parker — in this issue, as the Sinister Six (with the Rhino and the Chameleon subbing for original members Vulture and Kraven) take on the Intelligencia (that’s the brainy-villain group from The Hulk, consisting of M.O.D.O.K., Red Ghost, Mad Thinker, Wizard and Klaw), as a taste of what’s to come in 2012 for the Spidey-verse. Ramos and Slott make this as dependably entertaining as ever, and in a normal week this would have been a lot higher on the list — but, as I said at the beginning, it was an awesome week for comics, a fitting almost-end to a good year in graphic storytelling. Merry Christmas, everyone!

The Defenders

This is Marvel’s latest attempt to revive this franchise, a best-seller in the ’70s and ’80s but not particularly successful since then, and Fraction’s using leftover plotlines from Fear Itself to do it (specifically, the Nul character who possessed the Hulk, now loose in our world and threatening to break the universe). The core group of Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer and Namor are there, with the Red She-Hulk substituting for Bruce Banner, and Iron Fist thrown in (presumably because Fraction likes writing him). As with Iron Man and Thor, Fraction provides smart, offbeat character stuff, an interesting menace, and enough cool hooks to bring readers back; add in the Dodson art, and maybe this version of Marvel’s non-team team book (their tagline this time: “Protecting humanity from the impossible!”) might just have a chance.

Hellblazer Annual 2011 — Writer: Peter Milligan;  Art: Simon Bisley

The Bisley/Milligan team has been providing some moody, high-quality horror stories on the regular Hellblazer book over the last few years (thanks especially to Milligan’s feel for the character, and the way the art’s shot straight from Bisley’s wonderfully-caricatured, lushly-delineated panels), and this 38-page story, about a bridge that lures suicides, showcases their talented teamwork well.

Animal Man #4 — Writer: Jeff Lemire;  Art: Travel Foreman

Sweet Tooth #28 — Writer: Jeff Lemire;  Art: Matt Kindt

Two by Lemire: Animal Man has been one of the critical favorites of the DC New 52, and Foreman’s imaginative art — especially in the otherworldly sequences, or when dealing with the shapeshifting monsters that have been tracking Buddy’s family — has been a big part of it. So, too, has Lemire’s knack for making all the members of the Baker family sympathetic and intriguing (next to Maxine, Cliff and Ellen, Buddy’s often threatened with being only the fourth most interesting character in his own book), and for coming up with last-page cliffhangers that emphasize the book’s horror aspirations, and guarentee that readers will keep coming back for more. Sweet Tooth has been more of an individual vision, since Lemire has been both writing and drawing it — but the last three issues, concluding with the current one, have had guest art from Matt Kindt. Featuring a flashback set in the Arctic of the early 1900s, they’ve revealed parts of the origins of the book’s dystopian future, and are notable because of Kindt’s style, which uses watercolors and sketchy pencils to create a dreamlike, fairy-tale mood that’s unlike anything else in mainstream comics.

Action Comics #4 — Writer: Grant Morrison;  Penciller: Rags Morales;  Inkers: Rick Bryant and Sean Parsons

We’re smack in the middle of a storyline — a Morrison storyline — so there’s a lot going on (Brainiac, Steel, rampaging robots, bottled cities, etc., etc.), and no resolution yet, and no longer even the pleasure of exploring the personality of the “new” Superman (who doesn’t get all that much screen time in this issue). It’s well done for all that, and fine as a chapter in a larger story — but it’s too bad that Morrison couldn’t have made this more satisfying as a stand-alone story, too (something he was largely able to pull off in his earlier All-Star Superman, which had a similar overarching story, but managed to make the individual parts work independently, too).

Moon Knight #8 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art: Alex Maleev

I like this book; it would seem like too much of a quick, deconstructed read, but Maleev’s art slows the reader’s eye down, to linger on many of the little facial effects and small filagrees of panel composition, so that each page seems worth absorbing slowly (Matt Hollingsworth’s color art effects contribute considerably to this, too). Add in the Moon Knight/Echo relationship, the way the two leads are vastly outweighed by the powers of their adversary, and Spector’s running inner-multiple-personality monologue (tetralogue?), and there’s plenty here to justify a reader’s continued attention.

Omac #4 — Writers: Dan Didio and Keith Giffen;  Penciller: Keith Giffen;  Inker: Scott Koblish

This continues to be a rollicking tribute to all things Kirby (and The King gets a nod in the credits, too); as long as Giffen stays on as co-writer and penciller (Scott Koblish, the inker, is doing full art on issue #6, but Giffen says that doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere), I’ll keep reading it, to marvel at the pretty colors, the craggy features, and the way that Max Lord, Makarri, Brother Eye, pre-fab women, and all the other ingredients coalesce into a tasty Kirby-tribute stew.

Deadpool Max-Mas #1 — Writer: David Lapham;  Artists: David Lapham; Kyle Baker; Shawn Crystal

Followers of the regular Lapham/Baker Deadpool Max series will want this — Lapham and Baker each supply art to a third of the book, with Lapham writing the whole thing, and it’s their typical tale of Wade and Bob the Terrorist acting like Looney-Tune characters in a slightly-skewed Marvel universe, except this time with tinsel and Santa Clause hats added, in honor of the season.

The Boys #61 — Writer: Garth Ennis;  Art: Russ Braun

This book’s edging closer to its (presumably apocalyptic) conclusion, and I like the way Ennis’s characters are tending against type: Annie, the naive one at the beginning of the story, has strengthened, while Hughie is frustratingly stalled out, unable to progress in their romance. Will he grow a pair? Will they find true love? Will it matter if the world’s been cracked in half? Mix in the Teen Titans parody, the Image-group parody, and the last-page reaction shot (where each character’s personality is revealed, neatly and silently, in their response to an upcoming fight), and it’s easy to see why Ennis has built such a following as one of the best pop-comics writers of his generation.

Dark Horse Presents

As always, this anthology delivers considerable quality for its $8 price, with stand-alone stories from Watson (Skeleton Key), Moon, and Dorkin/Thompson (their stellar Beasts of Burden) supply the meat, while chapters of ongoing serials from the others provide the side dishes — ten stories in all, 80 high-gloss pages of squarebound goodness, making this the Thanksgiving treat of the week.

Fantastic Four #600 — Writer: Jonathan Hickman;  Art:  Steve Epting/Rick Magyar;  Carmine di Giandomenico;  Ming Doyle;  Leinil Francis Yu;  Farel Dalrymple

This book’s $8 too, and offers 100 pages: a suitable celebration of Marvel’s first superhero title (yes, other titles like Thor, Captain America and Spider-Man have made it to the magic 600 number first, but the FF is still its oldest continuously-published title — 50 years and going strong, despite a few renumberings). There’s no resolution to the ongoing story (that’s reserved for FF #12, in a week or two), but there’s a long chapter of it, as Earth’s heroes gather for a final battle, and then there’s a long “What happened to the Human Torch?” segment (I trust we’re all grownups here, and that no one needed a spoiler warning for that…), an episode focusing on the Inhumans (with cool-looking art by Doyle), a Reed-talks-to-Galactus interlude, and a Franklin/Leech seven-pager by Dalrymple that’s a perfect dessert.

Secret Avengers #19 — Writer: Warren Ellis;  Breakdowns:  Michael Lark;  Finishes: Stefano Gaudiano with Brian Thies

Another of Ellis’s stand-alone black-ops stories: a textbook example of how to tell a complete, intriguing tale in 20 pages, without decompression, gratuitous subplots or padding for the trade (he was doing this ten years ago with Global Frequency, and these show why that earlier, now hard-to-find series became such a cult hit). Lark and Gaudiano developed a smooth artistic rapport on Daredevil a few years ago, and their art is suitably shadowy and menacing, with enough pyrotechnics to keep readers enthralled.

Wolverine and the X-Men #2 — Writer: Jason Aaron;  Pencils: Chris Bachalo;  Inks: Tim Townsend and Jaime Mendoza

Aaron has quickly made this book his own, with equal amounts of drama, offbeat humor, and unexpected character developments; the Bachalo art is as good as always, and his sometimes-cartoony style is fluid enough to handle both the fun stuff (his Quentin Quire is a hoot) and the big-money payoffs (full-page splashes of multiple Icemen, and of an army of Frankenstein monsters, both showcase his abilities). The announcement of the new X-titles made me roll my eyes, because it was such an obvious marketing ploy, but if the result is re-energized storytelling like this, then it was completely worth it.

The Invincible Iron Man #510 — Writer:  Matt Fraction;  Art: Salvador Larroca

The Mighty Thor #8 — Writer:  Matt Fraction;  Art: Pasqual Ferry

This week’s two from Fraction: Iron Man, fresh off of Fear Itself, has to face a super-villain team-up of the Mandarin and Zeke Stane, while acclimating his new gnomish sidekick to Earth (complete with an AA meeting). I would have preferred an issue or three of one-shot stories instead of leaping immediately into a new multi-parter, but it’s good stuff, so it’s hard to complain. So with Thor, wherein we get an unexpected but very clever and logical explanation about the “new” Thor, Tanarus, and find out more about what happened to the old one. Both of these books are everything an ongoing superhero serial should be: fun, colorful, dramatic and exciting; if I was 12 years old, they’d have me hooked, and eagerly awaiting their arrival every month.

Captain America and Bucky #524 — Writers: Ed Brubaker and Mark Andreyko;  Art: Chris Samnee

With the WW II stories finished, this offers an episode about the early years of Bucky as the Winter Soldier, teamed up with a young Black Widow. By the end, we’re up to the present day, and the news that a new creative team will be on board next issue — it looks like they’ll still be doing stories set in the past, but Brubaker’s hard-boiled scripting will be missed, as will Samnee’s efficient, deceptively-simple-looking and well-crafted art.

The Unwritten #31.5 — Writer: Mike Carey;  Art: Michael Wm. Kaluta;  Rick Geary;  Bryan Talbot

Three stand-alone stories set at various times in the past, involving the book’s shadowy, Illuminati-like Unwritten cabal and their machinations; the good news is the artist line-up — Kaluta on an Oriental tale, Geary on a Victorian-era one (of course) involving editorial cartoons during the Hearst era, and Talbot drawing knights during the time of Gutenberg. Even if you never normally read this book, get this: no prior knowledge of the plot is required, and that’s a stunning, eclectic lineup of talent.

All-Star Western #3 — Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti;  Art: Moritat; Jordi Bernet

Jonah continues, grumpily, to deal with an early Gotham City that’s already corrupt (his attempts to leave, only to keep getting delayed, promise to become a running joke), and there’s plenty of gunplay and bad goings-on. Only the setting of this comic has changed from its previous incarnation, and that’s good news, because Gray and Palmiotti know their scarred bounty hunter very well, and continue to attract top-level artists to chronicle his adventures; Moritat provides the main story, while the peerless Jordi Bernet supplies an El Diablo backup strip (that makes the book $3.99 instead of $2.99, but any time you can get eight pages of Bernet art for a buck, you ought to do it).

The Flash #3 — Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato;  Art: Francis Manapul

I didn’t expect to like this title, given its many aborted restarts and reboots over the last few years, but who knew Francis Manapul could write — and who knew that, given the freedom, he’d supply such classy, eye-catching art? From the page-one splash, to the double-page layouts, to the sketchier-looking art he uses for a flashback, to the Barry’s-perspective full-page panel near the end, Manapul’s technique has grown exponentially from his LSH days, and now he’s offering a comic better-looking than anybody’s in the “New 52″ except J. H. Williams III.

Rachel Rising

We’re still in “set up the mystery” mode, as the title character, having clawed her way out of a shallow grave, exhibits spooky precog powers and watches bad things happen to other people. There’s some kind of possession thing going on, and it’s all very well staged, and drawn very prettily too. Echo, Moore’s last effort, was remarkably well thought out, so I trust that the eventual explanation here will be a lot of fun, and involve a lot of action. With only four issues so far, readers still have time to get in on the ground floor of this story, and they’ll be happy if they do.

Jennifer Blood #6 — Writer: Garth Ennis;  Art: Kewber Baal

Ennis ends his first arc with this character, as she enacts revenge and we get an origin story. The title’s continuing, but not with Ennis, so while I’ll glance at the next issue I doubt I’ll get it; the concept (suburban housewife is the Punisher) isn’t that compelling, but the execution (you should pardon the pun) has been great, and it’s hard to see how anyone but Ellis can pull that off over the long haul.

Fear Itself 7.2:  Thor – Writer: Matt Fraction;  Pencils: Adam Kubert;  Inks: Mark Roslan

Like last week’s Captain America one-shot, this epilogue sets up a new status quo for its focus character’s comic (Odin’s gone; Asgard is ruled by triune goddesses (Freyja, Gaea, and Idunn); a new and much rougher-around-the-edges Thunder God has somehow materialized (no, not Thunderstrike, although that would have been amusing), and Thor, who’s dead, now… well, if you read the Cap tie-in last week, you know where this is going). If you’re currently reading Mighty Thor, you’ll want this, and will be entertained by the Kubert art and Fraction script; if you don’t care about Thor, you won’t need to buy this book.

Journey Into Mystery #631 — Writer: Kieron Gillen;  Pencils: Whilce Portacio;  Inks: Allen Martinez and Jeff Huet

Still the better of the Asgardian books, with its focus on the wily-but-goodhearted teen Loki, especially because Gillen knows just how to make him both sympathetic, impressively smart, and a lot of fun (Loki’s glee at his own cleverness is hard to resist). I miss Doug Braithwaite’s art, and am not that big a fan of Portacio’s Image-y, toothy style, but watching Loki deal with the new rulers of Asgard, and with the many ways his perfectly-justified actions are coming back to bite him in the butt, looks like it’ll be entertaining for some time to come.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #4 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art: Sara Pichelli

New Avengers #18 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis;  Art:  Mike Deodato

Two from the Bendis Comics Factory: UC Spider-Man continues Miles’s origin, tying it closely into the end of the earlier Ultimate Spider-Man book, and, via Gwen Stacy, bringing in the old “great power/great responsibility” theme; the idea of a… (sixth grader? He’s definitely not very old…) compelled to take up the spider-mantle, and the way it all echoes earlier events in the book’s history, all make it worth reading. New Avengers doesn’t focus on the good guys at all, but on the newly-escaped Norman Osborn and his gathering of allies, as he puts together his own new Dark Avengers team. Bendis is fortunate on both books: the stories aren’t spectacular by themselves — they’re both pieces of a larger arc — but they’re above average, and the two artists, Pichelli and Deodato, are so well-suited to their respective roles (Pichelli’s lithe figures are awesome at getting her young protagonist and his friend just right, while Deodato brings the heavy super-hero-posing artillery for all the villains flocking around Osborn) that the reader can’t help but admire and enjoy these comics.

Wolverine #18 — Writer: Jason Aaron;  Art: Ron Garney

PunisherMax #19 — Writer: Jason Aaron; Art: Steve Dillon

Two from writer Jason Aaron: Wolverine, after a couple of depressing arcs, is in the middle of a rollicking goodbye-to-San-Francisco adventure involving vast labyrinths underneath Chinatown, drug runners, dragons, Fat Cobra from Iron Fist, and other delights; it’s Aaron at his gonzo grindhouse best, energetic and not too serious. PunisherMax is similarly manic (it’s got Elektra seducing both the Kingpin and his wife, playing both off against the middle and the Punisher, all rendered with Steve Dillon’s usual graceful line and coldblooded eye for violence. As with Bendis, Aaron is dependably entertaining, and even more so with good art: both of these books are entertaining and fun comics.

Green Lantern #3 — Writer: Geoff Johns;  Pencils: Doug Mahnke;  Inks: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin and Tom Nguyen

I’ve given up reviewing all the DC titles each week (there’s only so many ways you can say “mediocre,” and, by definition, half of the week’s books are going to fall into that category), so let’s just look at the ones I’m buying. GL falls into that category based both on Johns’s script (he’s making a habit of going against reader expectations here, to the benefit of the story) and Mahnke’s art (his Sinestro, all beady-eyed and deadpan, is a menacing hoot).

Batwoman #3 — Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Hayden Blackman;  Art: J.H. Williams III

The writing and plotting are just OK (this title misses Greg Rucka), but then they’re both just carriers for the lush, imaginatively-designed art; the main character’s civilian guise, with her flaming-red hair and alabaster skin, is both striking and sexy, and the visuals carry the reader along on a happy cloud of eye candy.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3 — Writer: Jeff Lemire;  Art: Alberto Ponticelli

Demon Knights #3 — Writer: Paul Cornell;  Pencils: Diogenes Neves;  Inks: Oclair Albert

These two titles are related in that both are by good young writers who specialize in flashy ideas and intriguing large-group characterization; Lemire has a surreal, anything-goes indy sensibility (one that works well with Grant Morrison-created concepts like Frankenstein), while Cornell taps a deep knowledge of superhero tropes that helps him equally well with all the 3rd-string characters and DC backstories he’s dealing with in this gritty Justice League Middle Ages romp.

Batgirl #3 — Writer: Gail Simone;  Pencils: Ardian Syaf;  Inks: Vicente Cifuentes

Batgirl and Nightwing have a long conversation, and the plot inches forward. This book is pretty far down on my list right now, but Simone’s history as a good writer has kept me on board so far (and the easy familiarity between Babs and Dick here is a good indication of its potential); if things don’t start paying off big-time in the next issue or two, though, this book is probably going to get abandoned.

Resurrection Man #3 — Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning;  Art: Fernando Dagnino

Another book that’s barely making the cut. This one stays because the new-powers-every-life concept is fun (and reminds me of the ’60s Dial “H” For Hero, a guilty pleasure even back then), and because, like Simone, Abnett and Lanning have a long and entertaining track record. Like Batgirl, though, something startling and compelling had better happen soon, or my $3 will end up somewhere else.

Fables

This is just a normal issue of this book, by the normal creators — but it’s a good example of its charms: the monkey Bufkin and his allies are in the Land of Oz, fermenting revolution against the evil emperor Roquat, while in the land of the now-dead North Wind Bigby, Snow White and their children are facing down the other winds, and trying to decide which of the kids will take over as the new replacement avatar; meanwhile, in Mr. Dark’s old palace, the former Mrs. Spratt continues her training to become the destroyer of all the Fables, in revenge for their defeating her mentor. All of this is interweaved smoothly and skillfully, with clear and sometimes beautiful art —  and then there’s the last page…. Willingham and DC shopped this concept around to the TV networks a year or two ago, and they all passed — but now, this season, two of them have new shows about fairy-tale characters in the modern world. That’s a good example of (a) what an interesting and bountiful storytelling idea this concept is, and (b) how network executives are thieving scum, as unethical as any fairy-tale villains.

Dark Horse Presents #5 — Creators: Various.

There’s no Beasts of Burden story this time, more’s the pity, but there are chapters of serials by Carla Speed McNeil, Howard Chaykin, Steve Niles and Neal Adams, plus stand-alone stories by Eric Powell and Andi Watson (with his Skeleton Key characters), plus four other stories. It’s still the best anthology book out there, still $8, and still completely worth it (especially compared to those Marvel books with 22 pages of story for $4).

Invincible Iron Man #509 — Writer: Matt Fraction;  Art: Salvador Larroca

Journey Into Mystery #629 — Writer: Kieron Gillen;  Artists: Whilce Portacio, Doug Braithwaite and Allen Martinez

Fear Itself #7 (of 7) — Writer: Matt Fraction; Pencils: Stuart Immonen; Inks: Wade von Grawbadger and Dexter Vines

The Iron Man and Journey into Mystery are both Fear Itself tie-ins, so they should be read before the end of that mini-series; both are among the best regular-continuity Marvel books on the stands right now. Fraction has Tony Stark backsliding on his alcoholism, while struggling with a crew of armor-construction dwarves in Asgard; Fraction is a recovering addict himself, and those parts of the story are both realistic and poignant, while there’s plenty of humor (the dwarves swear in Norse runes, and now Tony has picked it up; I hope it continues once he’s back on Earth) and heroism. JIM features the now-early-teen Loki, which sounds stupid but turns out to be a smart move; he isn’t evil, but he’s still supremely devious, and his struggles to help Asgard are complicated, fun and, in the end, as self-sacrificing as any of the other heroes. That leaves Fear Itself itself: it’s 40 pages of very-good-looking battle and aftermath scenes (plus 16 more pages of promos for the four new books spinning out of it), and more than worth the $5 cover price, but still comes off a trifle flat: the one major character death has zero impact, since it’s a character who’s died before, and has his own comic, and has a movie franchise; when even the youngest and newest readers know that he has to come back, how much emotional resonance can there be?

Very quick DC 52 reviews this week, folks: as always, the big question is: is the title still worth reading, or not?

Batman #2 — Writer: Scott Snyder;  Pencils: Greg Capullo; Inks: Jonathan Glapion

Bruce Wayne gets thrown out a window, and a new shadowy organization, the Court of Owls, makes its presence felt. Yes, it’s still worth picking up: Snyder uses the cast and props of Gothan well, and all those years of drawing Spawn and his cape continue to prove great training for Capullo here.

Birds of Prey #2 — Writer: Duane Swierczynski;  Art: Jesus Saiz

Still in getting-the-band-together mode; Canary and Sparrow recruit Katanna, and there’s an appearance by the fourth recruit on the last page. I liked Gail Simone’s version of this title, and am not happy that it’s all been retconned away; the Saiz art is idiosynchratic enough to be interesting, and he can draw women, but the story isn’t very compelling so far. Let’s call it neutral.

Blue Beetle #2 — Writer: Tony Bedard;  Pencils: Ig Guara;  Inks: Ruy Jose

This is another title whose last incarnation I liked, so the retcon here doesn’t sit well either; on the other hand, Bedard does a good job emphasizing what made Jaime an appealing character in the original, and the whole “learning the powers” bit is always fun, especially with an alien scarab (part of a planet-conquering race) acting like Alfred the butler to a naive teenager. Mark this as a mild “keep buying.”

Captain Atom #2 — Writer: J.T. Krul;  Art: Freddie Williams II

The glowing-blue-guy-with-red-energy still makes for a pretty color palette, but the story is either a rehash of similar Dr. Solar/Manhattan origin bits, or just stupid (entering the brain of a kid with cancer to kill his tumor? Really?), and despite all the flashy lights, just isn’t that interesting. Sorry, guys: no third issue from me for this book.

Catwoman #2 — Writer: Judd Winick;  Art: Guillem March

Any book that starts with Batman and Catwoman basking in the afterglow of costumed sex is, at least, not boring, and the art has three or four good splash pages (although March seems to pour all of his effort into those at the expense of some of the lesser panels). On the other hand, parts of the story are stupid (Selina’s been having sex with Batman but, when she meets Bruce Wayne, even up close, has no glimmer of recognition, even though he’s presumably he’s got the same build, facial structure, voice and scent? He can’t change all of that, right? And she’s supposed to be observant?), and Winick’s attempts to shock the reader come off as manipulative. It’s intriguing in spite of all that, though; put it down as another mild “keep buying.”

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #2 — Writer: Paul Jenkins;  Art: Bernard Chang

Deadman’s attempts to break into a supernatural club, past all of its occult security measures, are kind of fun, but the resolution — there’s this library with a book that tells his whole story, and its absolutely forbidden for anyone to read their own future, but when he mildly threatens the librarian she just caves in and reads it to him anyway — is just conveniently dumb, and there’s nothing here to make me care about what he finds. No buy.

Green Lantern Corps #2 — Writer: Peter J. Tomasi;  Pencils: Fernando Pasarin;  Inks: Scott Hanna

Someone’s killing Green Lanterns, and entire alien worlds, as part of some revenge/terraforming plan, and Our Heroes are in the middle of it. It’s one of those story structures where it takes everything they have to defeat ten of the bad guys, but then at the end they have to face a couple of hundred more, so they’re right back where they started, but even worse, and the comic didn’t really move the story ahead at all. Don’t care.

Justice League #2 — Writer: Geoff Johns;  Pencils: Jim Lee;  Inks: Scott Williams

Green Lantern and Batman fight Superman, and the Flash shows up, and there are Mother boxes and parademons, and a pre-cyborg Vic Stone deals with his clueless father and gets blown up real good. It feels like more story than the first issue, but still more like 1/6 of a graphic novel than a satisfying comic, and the extra $1 cover price still feels like a cheat (you get, like two more pages of story, and a bunch of sketch/notebook pages: yippee); on the other hand, it’s fun and has the normal fan-friendly Johns beats, and the art is real pretty. Definitely keep buying.

Legion of Super-Heroes #2 — Writer: Paul Levitz;  Art: Francis Portela

Same old Levitz Legion story, with just average art, and no attempt to make the book accessible to new readers. You know, I think I’m finally burnt out on these guys; Jim Shooter was the last writer who made the LSH interesting, and editorial incompetence ran him off a couple of years ago. Feh.

Nightwing #2 — Writer: Kyle Higgins;  Pencils: Eddy Barrows;  Inks: JP Mayer and Paulo Siqueira

The art’s nice throughout (there’s a splash in a circus warehouse that’s a good example of Barrows’s skills at detail and mood), but the villain’s just a generic hardass in a costume, and I really don’t care about Nightwing and his little family circus, and despite some decent effort the creative team doesn’t give me any reason too. A mild “no” for me, but check out the art to see if YMMV.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2 — Writer: Scott Lobdell;  Art: Kenneth Rocafort

Um… no. For one thing, the continuity (Jason was Robin? And still died? And inexplicably came back? And now he’s grown up? Even though DC’s been saying that Batman’s only been around for five years in their new “universe”?) makes my head explode, and for another, I just find Lobdell generic and irritating, in both his plotting and his characterization. Go away, guys.

Supergirl #2 — Writers: Michael Green and Mike Johnson;  Pencils: Mahmud Asrar; Inks: Dan Green

A big fight/misunderstanding between the newly-arrived, confused Kara and her cousin Superman takes up the whole issue; it’s one of those comics where nothing actually happens and it takes about two minutes to read — both art and story are average, and offer no incentive to ever pick up this book again.

Wonder Woman #2 — Writer: Brian Azzarello;  Art: Cliff Chiang

Chiang’s art is still hit-or-miss with me, but the good panels outweigh the clunky ones, and the story’s intriguing, with a last-page revelation that makes sense and changes up WW’s origin in a way that’s both startling and makes perfect sense. I’ll be back for issue #3.

Casanova: Avaritia

What if you worked for a multiversal spy organization and had to go around blowing up alternate realities where the Nazis had taken over? What if, having gotten tired of destroying entire timelines, you realized that just killing the Hitler of each one — before he took power and became “Hitler” — would work instead? What if, having killed a bunch of those alternate-timeline young Hitlers (who, after all, hadn’t done anything crazy or wrong yet, and were mostly just creative-but-failed artists scuffling to get by), you started to like the guy… ?  That’s the premise of this new Casanova serial, although it’s “Newman Xeno,” Casanova’s mummy-bandaged genocidal nemesis, who’s the object of all the killing. Yes, it’s intriguing, and Ba’s art continues to make it sing (look at that cover, with its killer pandas!), and Fraction’s letters page in the back continues to rank with Bendis’s and Kirkman’s as the best in comics, and why, exactly, aren’t you buying this book right now?

Love and Rockets #4 — Creators: Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez

This came out a week or two ago, but Fraction gives it some love in the Casanova letters page, and I have to add my voice: Jaime, in a long story that started in L&R #3 a few months ago and ends here, wraps up his 30-years-running Locas story, and if you’re one of those people who’ve been following Maggie and Hopey and their lives since the ’80s — and, maybe like a lot of friends from when you were younger, you remember the good times with them but have kind of lost touch over the years —  you absolutely have to read it. It’s heartrending and beautifully drawn and wise, and if it doesn’t make you cry it’ll at least choke you up, and it’s absolutely the best comics story you’ll read, not just this year, but for a long, long time.

Avengers: 1959 #1 (of 5) — Writer/Artist: Howard Chaykin

If you passed this over on the stands as just another Avengers mini-series… well, it is, but it’s Howard Chaykin drawing a Nick Fury-assembled black ops Avengers team from, yes, 1959, and the members include Sabretooth, Kraven the Hunter, Dominic Fortune, the Sub-Mariner’s sister Namora, Silver Sable pere, and Ulysses Bloodstone. Even better, it’s only $2.99 instead of Marvel’s regular $3.99, for the same 20 pages of typically-meticulous Chaykin art. Buy a couple, and maybe they’ll be encouraged to stick with that price point for more of their other books, too.

OK, readers, we’re going to do the DC #2s this week, and the big question here is: does the second issue build on the first one, and make readers want to pick up #3? To be fair, let’s do them alphabetically:

Action #2 — Writer: Grant Morrison;  Pencils: Rags Morales;  Inks: Brent Anderson

… and, alphabetically, the best comes first: this doesn’t have the shock of the new that the first issue did, but it’s Superman captured by Luther and the US Army, and it’s an entire issue of him breaking out, so what’s not to like? The Morales/Anderson art is very nice (they make an effective pair, and they’re growing in quality as they get to know one another’s abilities) and Morrison knows just what he’s doing, and the last page sets up a super-villain team-up that old fans, especially, will appreciate. Yes, we’re all coming back to read the next issue; nobody’s going anywhere.

Animal Man #2 — Writer: Jeff Lemire;  Art: Travel Foreman

A good second issue — it builds on the story of the first, deepens our knowledge about Buddy and his family, shows Foreman’s art developing nicely (it’s particularly strong in the psychedelic “into the red” and the horror scenes, but even just the “Buddy’s family” pages have an offbeat-but-attractive indy feel), gives us characters and a quest worth rooting for, and generally makes us feel like we’re reading something cool and special, and worth sticking around for.

Batwing #2 — Writer: Judd Winick;  Art: Ben Oliver

This, on the other hand, doesn’t do itself any favors — the painted art is still interesting enough to be a plus, but it isn’t that clear in the storytelling; the well-researched modern-African setting, the other attraction of the first issue, gets little development here. Instead, we get a tired resolution to the first-issue cliffhanger (one of those “the blade missed your heart by a millimeter” lucky breaks); worse, unlike Action and Animal Man, which felt like satisfying chunks of story, this took about two minutes to read, with the last-page splash only getting us to the main battle that was forecast back on the first page of the first issue. The book’s last line, meant to pump us up and bring us back for #3, is tone-deaf and weak-ass; its missed opportunity sums up a disappointing comic.

Detective Comics #2 — Writer/Penciller: Tony Daniel;  Inker: Ryan Winn

Daniel, against all expectations (well, my expectations, anyway) is producing good work here. Last issue’s cliffhanger isn’t resolved, but that’s a wise move, saved for later; instead, we get surprisingly-effective scenes of our hero at work as both Bruce and Bat, nicely-integrated supporting-character bits, the introduction of a suitably-imposing new villain (with just enough hints of what he can do, and who his minions are, to make it all intriguing), and end with another last-page cliffhanger guaranteed to make us read the next issue. Score: Daniel 2, smart-ass reviewers 0.  

Green Arrow #2 — Writer: J.T. Krul;  Layouts: Dan Jurgens;  Finishes: George Perez

This one’s kind of a push: the Jurgens/Perez art is nice to look at, and there’s more than enough fighting to satisfy the casual superhero fan who picks this up (with a next-issue promise of an even bigger against-great-odds battle). On the other hand, this new version of Ollie is still a cypher (he might as well be Roy Harper, for all we know about him), and the writing is often painful (“You can just go suck it, Green Arrow,” says one villain and GA later says “You want nasty? I can do nasty“; that’s dialog that wouldn’t even work in a porn film, and just sounds stupid here). After two issues, I’m barely interested enough to look at the next issue — but I work in a comic store, and don’t have to buy it. Those of you who need to spend $3 to keep up will have a harder decision.

Hawk and Dove #2 — Writer: Sterling Gates;  Pencils: Rob Liefeld; Inks: Liefeld and Adelso Corona

So… other avatars named Condor and Swan to fight Hawk and Dove? Like Green Arrow, this ends with a battle about to start (not a bad way to bring people back), but other than setting up the bad guys nothing much happens, and while 12-year-olds might find the art kewl the rest of us can’t get past all the gritted teeth and people with legs twice as long as the rest of their bodies, and all the other Liefeldian anatomical impossibilities. Not being 12 years old, I’m going to pass.

Justice League International #2 — Writer: Dan Jurgens;  Pencils: Aaron Lopresti;  Inks: Matt Ryan

Inoffensive, but hard to remember — Jurgens knows how to write Booster Gold, at least, and his struggles to lead the new team (helped, interestingly enough, by Batman) are readable, but there’s no resolution to what’s happening, and when a new big bad guy is revealed on the last page, there’s not that much reason to care. Middle of the road in action, art and execution, it’ll bring back readers who already like the characters — but I don’t think it’ll be on the top of anyone’s reading list, and when expenses have to be cut it’ll be an easy comic to drop.

Men of War #2 — Writer: Ivan Brandon and Jonathan Vankin;  Art: Tom Derenick and Phil Winslade

The hook here is regular military grunts in a super-powered world, but other than an interlude with the red-headed floaty girl on the cover, nothing here plays with that concept, or shows why it’d be worth reading aboout. It’s fine in a regular war-comic kind of way, but if you weren’t already a war-comic fan going in, you wouldn’t find enough in this issue to bring you back.

O.M.A.C. #2 — Writers: Dan Didio and Keith Giffen;  Pencils: Keith Giffen;  INks: Scott Koblish

This one’s in my top five of the new 52, and the second issue works just as well as the first. Giffen’s Kirby-tribute art is still expansive, energetic and fun, and the coloring makes this a flashy, good-looking book. The idea of having a poor schlub keep getting turned into a Hulk-like creature at the behest of an omnipresent, electronic-jumping sentient computer, and smash whatever it wants him to, is presented clearly and with enough oomph to hold readers’ attentions; unlike, say Men of War, a newbie comics fan is given enough information to figure out what’s going on, and enough excitement and cool graphic fireworks to stay. This book started out near the bottom in total circulation, but I’ll bet that, unlike almost all the others, it’ll actually gain readers as it goes along, and end up lasting a lot longer than some of them.

Red Lanterns #2 — Writer: Peter Milligan;  Pencils: Ed Benes;  Inks: Rob Hunter

Ehhhh… one Lantern comic too many, right? Milligan keeps it interesting (there’s a long bit with two alien fighter pilots arguing that, with a lesser writer, would have been merely a quick cliche, and here actually humanizes them while moving the plot and theme along), but a whole comic about rage-fueled alien ring-slingers just doesn’t play to his more-subtle writing strengths. Benes is an artist who’s good when he’s given good material, but has little to work with here, and I suspect that this is another book that’s going to see a hefty third- and fourth-issue drop in readers.

Static Shock #2 — Writers: Scott McDaniel and John Rozum;  Art: Andy Owens

As with Batwing, this has a lame resolution of the first-issue cliffhanger (our hero, in effect, says “Gee, my powers must be giving me new abilities to survive something like that.” Lucky break for you, too, Virgil), and ends pretty much where it started, with another confrontation with the same bad guy.  There are some flashes of humor, and the tech stuff shows imagination; if that’s coming from Rozum, too bad, because he’s leaving in another issue or two, and then will there be enough to keep readers coming back? Hard to say, especially because it’s only maybe a 50/50 bet right now as it is.

Stormwatch #2 — Writer: Paul Cornell;  Artists: Miguel Sepulveda and Al Barrionuevo

This definitely shows improvement over the first issue: there’s a lot less of the “we have to introduce everybody and explain their powers” vibe, and more focus on the insane moon and the cool explosions and the way half the team want to be the leader, and are kind of cranky and sneaky and willing to stab each other in the back to do it. The art’s up to delivering the effects, too, especially the two-page splash at the end, and if other readers are as interested as I am, then this book should have some possibilities.

Swamp Thing #2 — Writer: Scott Snyder;  Art: Yanick Paquette

As an overall concept, this book is OK, although as a stand-alone second issue it has problems: it’s mostly a big info-dump talk with one of the Parliament of Trees, for example;  the P of T was what always made my eyes start to glaze over in the old Swamp Thing, and they haven’t improved their plot-goosing abilities in the “new” DC. Still, the art manages to look good (it echoes some of the Bissette/Totleben border effects and nature fetishes of the Moore Swampy run), and the horror angles and last-page appearance of an old character might help bring readers back. Because of the three Search for Swamp Thing issues before the relaunch, this book already feels like it’s been treading water for a long time, though, so some sort of resolution to the Alex/Swamp Thing split needs to occur soon.

If you are a subscription customer be sure to update your list and add the titles you want to continue on. Better yet, if you can make it in on Wed. we are having a one day SALE in conjunction with the release of the #2′s!

We still have a nice selection of many of the first issue first printings so if you buy any 2 DC 52 #2′s you can get 22% off a first printing #1! (Many Second Printings for sold out first issues arrive on Wed. as well).

If you buy any 2 Trade Paperbacks or Hardbacks you can get a third one for 22% off!

And if you buy BUY 2 or more BACK ISSUE COMICS you can get 22% off ALL OF YOUR BACK ISSUES!

Stop by Wed. 10/5/11 between 10 am and 8 pm to get the special 22% off sale specials.

The Simpsons’  Treehouse of Terror

Hallowe’en comics already? Well, yes… October’s beginning next week, and Safeway already has pumpkins out, so it must be time for the Simpsons’ annual gift to alt-comics fans. Woodring’s the most stellar creator in display here, and his offering, a tribute to sleazy off-brand ’50s horror comics, is great fun. So too for the Cannon/Ha contribution that leads off the book, a beautifully-drawn homage to Nosferatu, the 1922 silent movie that was the first vampire film. The Wiedlin/Hodges offers the most on-model art, providing a perfect bridge between the other two as it gives Marge a zombie problem — but not before light-sabre cosplay dressing Maggie as Yoda and Lisa as Leia. All in all, it’s a worthy successor to the last 16 years’ comics, and a reminder of how many top creators can cite the Yellow Gang from Springfield as an influence, and are eager to contribute to their adventures.

Dark Horse Presents #4 — Creators: Evan Dorkin, Jill Thompson, Chuck Brown, Sanford Greene, Filipe Melo, Juan Cavia, Robert Love, David Walker, Peter Hogan, Steve Parkhouse, Steve Niles, Christopher Mitten, Howard Chaykin, Ricardo Delgado, Carla Speed McNeil, Dara Naraghi, Victor Santos and Patrick Alexander

In any non-Treehouse week, this would have been the top book, just on the strength of the eight-page Beasts of Burden tale by Dorkin and Thompson, involving a goblin who’s a chicken thief.  Wonderfully evocative painted artwork, plus the dialogue — “Huss up an’ eat y’mushooms.” Heh. — make it worth the $8 by itself, but add in another 72 pages of ongoing serial chapters by Chaykin and McNeil, plus the starts of new ones by Niles/Mitten (starring Niles’ Cal McDonald occult private eye) and Hogan/Parkhouse, plus the great-looking Age of Reptiles one-shot by Delgado, plus all the other stuff (no Adams chapter this time; could he have missed a deadline? Why, Neal, that’s so unlike you…), and it’s a book that’s hard to deny.

Daredevil #4 — Writer: Mark Waid;  Art: Marcos Martin

Martin’s clean lines, clear storytelling and willingness to experiment are a perfect match for Waid’s take on DD as a swashbuckler who’s decided to stop moping around and take some delight in his costumed-adventurer role, and Muntsa Vicente’s coloring splashes the book with bright primary colors that make the story pop even more. Go look at the opening three-page sequence — two 15-panel pages breaking the night down the way DD “sees” it, followed by a full-page splash — and see if it doesn’t (a) make you smile, and (b) buy the comic.

Invincible Iron Man #508 — Writer: Matt Fraction;  Art: Salvador Larroca

Still liking this, including both the art and the gruff dwarven workers (they all swear like construction workers, but in Norse runes, which is unaccountably funny). However, this ends for Tony exactly where Fear Itself #6 did, with a plunge into the molten uru pool; while it fills in a few blanks, readers expecting the story to actually move forward a bit will be disappointed.

Wonder Woman #1 — Writer: Brian Azzarello;  Art: Cliff Chiang

Azzarello has chosen to focus on the mythological aspects of WW, but he does it with a gods-stalking-the-modern-world strategy that’s interesting, and is smart enough to give readers a viewpoint character who knows just as little about what’s going on as they do; that lets him introduce and explain his cast gradually, as the action unfolds. The Chiang art, which has gotten a lot of praise online, seems just a trifle stiff to me, but parts of it are very pretty, and DC deserves points for going with a non-traditional art style in one of its flagship superhero books.

Batman #1 — Writer: Scott Snyder;  Pencils: Greg Capullo;  Inks: Jonathan Glapion

Capullo’s a smart art choice here, too — all those years of drawing Spawn have certainly given him the chops to do flowing capes, rooftop acrobatics and horror. Snyder does a brisk job of setting up the cast (including Alfred, Gordon, a nicely-done Harvey Bullock, Vickie Vale and three Robins), showing what Batman’s about, establishing a mystery and ending on a cliffhanger revelation, all while being friendly to both new and returning readers; out of all the DC #1s this week, this is probably the best at simply being an effective, welcoming first issue.

Green Lantern Corps #1 — Writer: Peter Tomasi;  Art: Fernando Pasarin

So, too, for this book — Tomasi uses an opening sequence to sketch in the idea of the GLC and set up a worthy menace, then shifts to Earth and introduces his two main GLs, Guy Gardner and John Stewart (making sure to give each a few pages by himself, and set up their character beats and motivations), then takes them (and us) to Oa to show off the planet and get the mission started, and then ends on a suitably sinister note to bring everyone back for the next issue. Pasarin’s art is detailed and appealing; he’s a good choice because he can do human expressions and effective aliens and big widescreen battles equally well. The one criticism is that there’s quite a bit of casual slaughter for a book with a “Teen” rating, but that’s probably me being crotchety; otherwise, as a first issue, this should keep all the former readers of the series, and attract most of the new ones who pick it up, so it’s definitely accomplishing its goals.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 — Writer: Paul Levitz;  Art: Francis Portela

Levitz writing the LSH is Levitz writing the LSH — it doesn’t really matter who the artist is, as long as they’re competent (Portela is, although his panels are sometimes too crowded to allow for easy story flow; of course, in a book with a cast this big, that’s hard to avoid); you’re going to get the same effective characterization, plot and subplot juggling, and slow-building planetary/galactic menaces as always. Unlike some of the #1s this week, this isn’t particularly welcoming to new readers, but to current fans it’s a perfectly good continuation of the series.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 — Writer: Scott Lobdell;  Art: Kenneth Rocafort

This book’s been getting a lot of online criticism for its reboot of Starfire as a slut, an alien blow-up sex doll willing to jump into bed with anybody; fans with fond memories of the Wolfman/Perez ’80s Teen Titans — including a number of female readers attracted into comics by that book — are understandably peeved by her new bimbo status.  Similar, if non-sexual, continuity surgery has been performed on Jason Todd, who’s now apparently got a history with some ancient secret society, as opposed to his Superboy-punched-the-universe resurrection in old DC lore (on the other hand, he has a line about being a “former sidekick,” so who knows how much of his previous life is still valid?).  The real sin of this book is that, while neither the art nor the scripting are technically bad,  it’s got little humor and no heart, with three unlikeable main characters and a bunch of pointless shooting to go with the pointless cheesecake.

Birds of Prey #1 — Writer: Duana Swierczynski;  Art: Jesus Saiz

This one’s the definition of a generically-OK relaunch; it isn’t offensively wrongheaded like Red Hood, but the only recognizable character is Black Canary (Barbara Gordon appears in a few panels, although it seems like the former Birds of Prey never happened); Poison Ivy and Katana, who are featured prominently on the cover, never show up on-screen in the actual comic. There’s some running around and fighting, and a guy blows up at the end, but there isn’t much here to make either new or old readers pick up a second issue.

Catwoman #1 — Writer: Judd Winick;  Art: Guillem March

This is the other book that’s created an Internet scandal this week, with its out-of-nowhere last-four-pages sex scene between Catwoman and Batman (and, yes, even typing that sounds stupid). Yes, the ick factor is high, and it lends itself to ready parody (Catwoman’s fingers caressing one of Batman’s little pointy ears? Comedy gold.), but it’s not hackwork like Red Hood; the March art is too good for that, with a number of appealingly eye-catching and sexy moments throughout the book, and Winick, whatever one may think of his storytelling, never just phones it in; there’s enough heart and sly self-awareness here (the”costumes on” line is a callback to Watchmen, for example) to soften the ick and make readers wonder if it might actually be part of an overall plan — at least enough to bring them back for another issue.

Captain Atom #1 — Writer: J. T. Krul;  Art: Freddie Williams II

Speaking of Watchmen… the blue, glowing Captain Atom, who’s just learning to use his godlike molecular-manipulating powers, is very Dr. Manhattany — not to mention reminiscent of their common source, Dr. Solar; both the plot and style here feel a lot like Jim Shooter’s two takes on that character.  Not much memorable happens, but this is a good-looking book, with big, eye-catching panels from Williams II and effective coloring from Jose Villarrubia, using a pale-blue and red palette that grabs the reader’s attention effectively. Nice use of lettering to help drive home the almost-obligatory last-page cliffhanger, too.

Blue Beetle #1 — Writer: Tony Bedard;  Pencils: Ig Guara;  Inks: Ruy Jose

With Batman and Green Lantern Corps, this is the best book at actually being a first issue this week — it introduces the Scarab armor and the alien Reach, establishes their motivations, and then brings us to El Paso and Jaime’s high school, sketching in the characters of  him and his supporting cast and setting the scene for the inevitable bonding of armor and hero that comes in the last page. There’s a lot going on (the Fatal Five? Really?), but it doesn’t feel too rushed or info-dumpy, and it does its job of making readers want to know more about these people, and thus need to buy the next issue.

DC Universe Presents (Deadman) #1 — Writer: Paul Jenkins;  Art: Bernard Chang

This offers an interesting take on the character — the spirit of Boston Brand has a mission like Scott Bakula’s in Quantum Leap, but without the time travel: as penance for being such a jerk while he was mortal, he enters the lives of the suffering or downtrodden, walks in their shoes for days or weeks at a time, and tries to solve their problems. What’s interesting is that he’s been doing it for a while but failing at it; he can’t see that he’s improved anyone’s lot very much.  That’s not a bad idea, but the execution in this initial episode is just so-so; there isn’t anything memorable about the art, and no event startling enough to leave a lasting impression on the reader. Since this is a showcase comic — Deadman is only going to star for the first six issues — the intent may be to make this more of a trade than a series, with a slower buildup than most of the other first issues require; that’s fine, except that without the high-pressure first-issue sales job, there’s less incentive for readers to come back for more.

Nightwing #1 — Writer: Kyle Higgins;  Pencils: Eddy Barrows;  Inks: J.P. Mayer

Another generic, perfectly competent first issue – we get some background on Dick (including his previous status as Batman, to remind us that he’s good at his job), and then the bad-guy foreshadowing, and then the traveling circus in town, to establish his backstory, and then the costumed menace and the fight, ending in typical last-page impending death. As with Birds of Prey or LSH, if you were a fan before this issue won’t chase you off, but first-time readers won’t find anything particularly compelling, especially in a week with eleven other first issues clamoring for their attention.

Supergirl #1 — Writers: Michael Green and Mike Johnson;  Pencils: Mahmud Asrar; Inkers: Dan Green with Asrar

Like Blue Beetle, this book is starting completely from scratch; it’s an origin story, with no prior appearances of its title character left in DC continuity. As such, it’s OK but lacks heft: a rocket crashes; Supergirl in costume emerges; she fights some guys in robot suits; you-know-who shows up on the last page. Nothing’s offensive, but no particular panel or image or thought or line of dialog stands out, either, and the whole thing’s over before you know it. As with all the DC books this month, the big question is “Will readers want to come back for more?”, and by that standard this is a total coin flip.