Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 Writers: Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz Artist: Dan Duncan

So within this whole DC 52 reboot, there’s been another reboot over at IDW. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot has been nothing short of fantastic. When I was a kid, I didn’t really read the comics, but I had the toys (there’s still a party bus with rockin’ Ninja Turtles up in my attic!)  This Turtles comic is treating everything as if it’s brand new, and actually rebooting the entire saga. All the characters are coming along and it’s taking it’s time. It’s been wonderful work, and I can’t wait ’til they pull in Shredder. But that’s another thing! They’re taking their time to introduce everyone and not jumping the gun. So great!

The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1 Writer: David Hine Artist: Shaky Kane:

Raise your hand if you actually expected this to get another mini-series. Raise your hand if you actually read the first volume of this. OK. You’re lying if you raised your hands for both. This is quite possibly the oddest story that’s being published in all of comics, and in a world of Grant Morrison stories, that’s saying something. The story picks up slightly similar with the same retro characters, but turns this into more of a murder-mystery plot. As was the case with the first series, you find yourself thinking “hold on, What?” a lot throughout the series. We’ll see if this is as much of a parody as the first series was.

Justice League #5 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Jim Lee

The Savage Hawkman #5 Writer: James Bonny Artist: Philip Tan

Holy deadlines Batman! After being bumped a week, you can clearly see why there was a delay with this issue of Justice League. The story is still solid, but my God it looks like the inker threw up all over the page to cover for the fact that Lee wasn’t ready. Are you surprised? On the other hand, Hawkman hasn’t missed a deadline yet, but it’s starting to look really weird. I’ve never seen what rushed Tan art looks like, but here it is. I feel like the more rushed your art is, the more real it is. And in this case, I actually like this art better. The story is crap, but that’s not the point. I’m not dying when I look at Philip Tan art, so that’s progress!

The Ultimates #6 Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artists: Brandon Peterson and Esad Ribic

OK, you’ve re-suckered me in Ultimate line! Hickman is always going to go for a grander scale, and it works in most cases. But half of the battle is finding the right art style to accompany it. It’s a lot like Grant Morrison stuff, where it relies on the quality of the art, so ya don’t want Marc Silvestri drawing it (New X-Men burn). This book has been fairly solid and had a lot of action, but this issue has shown Hickman to slow it down and try to work out different pieces. I don’t mind that the Reed Richards of this world is all screwed up, it’s actually interesting, and I look forward to seeing what Hickman does with it.

I, Vampire #5 Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov Artist: Andrea Sorrentino

I’m still not exactly sure how this all fits into continuity, but hey! here’s Batman! He shows up this issue and joins the now 4-person team out to stop the vampires from taking over the world. Why didn’t they bring in Superman to just vaporize everyone except the one that the main character loves? Or why not call the Justice League? Or hey! It’s vampires, so Justice League Dark? Yeah, I’m nerd-ranting, but there’s practical solutions here to a problem that I’m not quite figuring out. I like looking at it though, so I’ll keep reading.

Secret Avengers 21.1 Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Patrick Zircher

So Brubaker put together the basic ideas of what they were fighting against, Nick Spencer tried to kill it in three issues, and Warren Ellis took it to absolute bat-$#!} crazy. Now Remender takes this .1 issue to rearrange the team and dial it back to what Brubaker was trying to do. And it’s interesting. If you like generic, normal spy stuff, this is the kind of story that will work for you. It hits all the points it needs to, and sets everything in motion for future issues. I’m intrigued to see how this all goes, so Remender has effectively done his job. Don’t expect it to be a continuation of Ellis’ style, but it’s going to be its own thing.

Aquaman #5 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Ivan Reis

Justice League Dark #5 Writer: Peter Milligan Artist: Mikel Janin

Flash #5 Writer/Artist: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato

So the new 52 is at a strange transition point, stories are coming to an end, books are being cancelled, and everyone is trying to keep up their momentum. These are three books that are hitting their marks. Aquaman is a one-shot with him facing the long joke of being stuck in the desert. Johns has been playing this completely straight, and it leads into whatever the next story is. Flash and JLDark both bring their first stories to an end. Flash planted some seeds for later stories, but hit main points and wrapped everything up. Dark ends its story but sets everything in motion for all the future issues. They are all very good stories and different attempts, so it’s worth checking out.

And that’s it! Have a good week, and I’ll be back in two!

“The” Dan Jacka

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.

Dr. Strange

Dr. Stephen Strange is the “other” Marvel mainstay created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (after Spider-Man, of course), and first appears as the back-up story in Strange Tales #110, in 1963. He has a typical Stan Lee fairy-tale, there’s-a-lesson-here origin: he’s a world-renowned surgeon, arrogant and uncaring, but then gets in a drunken car wreck that damages his hands, and makes it impossible for him to do surgery any more. Bitter and depressed, he schleps around the globe, eventually ending up at one of those hidden-temple Shangri-La Far East outposts, where he encounters the Ancient One, a magician/guru, and his disciple, Baron Mordo. Strange accidentally discovers that Mordo is really a villain, who’s learning the Ancient One’s arts for evil, and, revealing his buried heroism, risks his life to warn everyone about it and stop Mordo’s plans; Mordo ends up banished, and Strange becomes the Ancient One’s new disciple. All of this is rendered with imagination and grace by Ditko, whose ability to draw weird other dimensions, and make mystical powers like “bolts of bedevilment” seem both realistic and trippy/cool, turns the origin, and the tales that follow it, into ’60s hippy classics. Ditko leaves the book in 1966, with issue #146, but Strange soldiers on — drawn by, among others, Bill Everett, Marie Severin, Dan Adkins and Jim Steranko — and eventually takes over the comic, as Strange Tales becomes Dr. Strange with issue #169, in 1968. In issue #172, he receives his second great artist, Gene Colan, who draws him through the end of the book’s run, with issue #183, in 1969.

Strange is relegated to guest-star status for a while after that, but returns to his own stories in 1972, in the try-out title Marvel Premiere. His first appearance there, in issue #3, is written by Lee and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, and is a small masterpiece of mood and cool art (Strange, with his mystical and fantasy elements, has always attracted good artists). Lee only writes the first issue, and Smith only stays around for the next one, #4; there’s some flailing around after that, but in issue #9 the team of Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner takes over, and quickly makes the book a cult favorite, by doing things like killing the Ancient One, and having Dr. Strange travel to the beginning of the universe and meet God; after Marvel Premier #14, in fact, the book proves popular enough to get its own title again, and Dr. Strange #1 appears in June, 1974, still by Englehart and Brunner. That artist leaves after issue #5, but his replacement is Gene Colan, and he and Englehart, during the next year, deliver one of the best sustained Marvel runs of the ’70s: Dr. Strange #s 6-18, among other things, destroy the world and remake it, have Dr. Strange fight Dracula (in a two-parter that crosses over with Colan’s second title, Tomb of Dracula), and send Dr. Strange to Hell. Only a few of these issues are on the discount racks, but they’re surprisingly cheap, and available in the regular back-issue boxes for $5 or less each; if you’ve never read them, you’re missing some wonderful, influential work.

Unfortunately, just when the book is at its peak Englehart gets into a dispute with Marvel’s new editor-in-chief, Gerry Conway, and leaves the company; that leaves the book to try to pick up the pieces, and it goes into musical-creator mode for awhile. Part of the problem is that not all writers are compatible with the Doctor — Marv Wolfman and Chris Clarement, among others, try and mostly fail — but there are some interesting moments: Jim Starlin writing issues #24-26; Roger Stern and Tom Sutton on #s 27-30; Claremont and Colan on #s 38-45 (Claremont doesn’t add much, but the Colan art is worth a look). The next really decent run, though, starts with issue #47, as Roger Stern (who does prove to be a great Doc writer) teams with Colan for that issue, and then with Marshall Rogers from #48-53,  Michael Golden in #55, and Paul Smith in #56. Stern stays on with some lesser artists (although there’s another battle with Dracula in #s 60-62 that banishes all vampires from the Marvel Universe for awhile that’s pretty good), but then Smith returns in issue #65, and he and Stern have a nice little set of stories through issue #73. Both leave at that point, though, and the book only lasts a few more months, ending with issue #81 in February, 1987.

Strange’s third volume begins about a year and a half later, in November, 1988, and is titled Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme; the initial writer is Peter Gillis (who’d been the scripter for the last few issues of the previous series), with art chores by Richard Case (who’d eventually go on to DC Vertigo titles like Doom Patrol); that team only stays for the first four issues, though, and then is replaced by Roy Thomas (with, as co-writer, his wife Dann) and Jackson Guice, an association that proves fruitful enough to last for two years, through issue #24 (although there are a few fill-in artists: Richard Valentino in #17, and Gene Colan in #19). The most notorious issue of this run comes, not from any plot or character development, but from a cover: on issue #15, Guice swiped an image from one of Christian singer Amy Grant’s albums, and Grant, upset at both the theft and the fact that it was used on a “demonic” character’s cover, sued Marvel, who eventually settled out of court. The Thomases stay on after that, but with a series of undistinguished artists (Geof Isherwood being the most long-lived); even the plots become less memorable, because this is a period – the early ’90s — when Marvel is heavily into cosmic crossovers — Infinity Gauntlet, etc. — and Dr. Strange keeps tying into them, sacrificing any individual story for the larger mega-event. Thomas leaves with issue #47, and when scripter Len Kaminski replaces him the descent into mediocrity is complete. There are a couple of glimmers — in issue #60, a big crossover with the other Marvel occult titles like Morbius and Spirits of Vengeance (they’re all part of the group of books that Marvel marketed as the “Midnight Sons”) takes place, and Dr. Strange gets broken into three different beings; this story, by David Quinn and Melvin Rubi (at first), starts promisingly but then lasts through what seems forever, and sends Strange through so many makeovers and changes that the reader gets exhausted trying to keep it all straight. Points of note are issues #70-73, with art by Peter Gross; #75, by Mark Buckingham; #76, introducing a long-haired version of Strange by Gross that looks eerily like the older Tim from his Books of Magic series at DC Vertigo; #s 78 and 79, by Marie Severin; #80, featuring another new look for the character, this one written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Buckingham; #82, half by Buckingham and half by Gary Frank; and #s 84-90, drawn by Buckingham and with a story by J.M. DeMatteis — and that ends the series, in January 1996, and is the last time that Dr. Strange has had his own ongoing title.

That’s not to say that the character hasn’t been around, of course. There’ve been the occasional mini-series (J. Michael Straczynski and Brandon Peterson did the six-issue origin reboot Strange in 2004, while Mark Waid and Emma Rios contributed the four-issue Strange in 2010), and the Doctor has been a member of the Avengers (well, the New Avengers) during most of Brian Michael Bendis’s tenure on that book, as well as appearing in the current revival of The Defenders. Will audiences ever warm to him again? Sure: if comics history has proven anything, it’s that, with the right writer and the right artist, any character can rise from the comics graveyard. Given his past, the Master of the Mystic Arts is a better candidate than most.

Sgt. Fury #51 from 1968

Evil Nazis! Now that I have your attention, this is another “Nazis try to kill all the leaders of the Allied forces” that you get from a comic in the 60s… Hey wait-a-minute… didn’t the war end like 20 years before this comic came out? Whatever, anyway! One of the Commandos (the movie star) gets captured by a Nazi (with a conscience) who is trying to save his family by doing Hitler’s bidding. It’s a pretty standard war tale, and exactly what you’d expect. Then it ends with a double suicide. That’s the kinda stuff that even I’m not smart enough to make a joke about. More info can be found HERE

Sgt. Fury came back as Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. which then led to Secret Warriors. I’m not even sure where he stands anymore because Secret Warriors came to an end. I think it’s safe to assume he’ll pop up in any of the Avengers titles sometime soon.

Monsters on the Prowl #9 from 1971

While this comic book is from 1971, it appears to be reprints of 1950′s material, so let’s see what the 50′s has to offer! Mainly it has “Gorgilla! The monster of Midnight Mountain!” After attacking some stupid travelers, that monster then fights a dinosaur. That’s it. That’s all there is to that first story. The second story involves a dumb American who won’t let anyone in the desert tell him what to do.  He gets trapped in a Pyramid (obviously). The third story is about a cloud monster catching a spaceman. I think you might be noticing the pattern here. The real draw is the piece of Ditko art, but without proper credits, I’m not sure which story it is. More info can be found HERE

I cannot think of a story that has monsters like this in it anymore. If you’re looking for vampires and Man-Thing and stuff like that, go with “Legion of Monsters,” but otherwise, you’re out of luck. Big monster creatures just ain’t what they used to be.

Metamorpho #5 from 1966

Oh man, Metamorpho is seriously so weird! It starts with Metamorpho eating a timebomb planted on a train. Do I need to repeat myself? Well, Professor Stagg, who of course hates Metamorpho because he’s in love with Stagg’s daughter, creates a new Metamorpho, and no one can tell the difference! What a horrible coincidence! Obviously, this other Metamorpho has evil intentions. Stagg was planning to work with him to build a new type of building, but this guy wants to destroy all other buildings. Can he possibly be stopped? Well, the obvious answer is yes, and he does, but c’mon. This thing is just the right amount of bizarre to be awesome. More info can be found HERE

Metamorpho hasn’t made his debut in the new DC 52… yet. His last appearance was in the Outsiders, but I’m sure we’ll see him either in Justice League Dark, DC Universe Presents or some random cameo. Just wait and see.

And that’s it! I have football to watch, so there I go!

“The” Dan Jacka

PunisherMax #21 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Steve Dillon

Holy Moses. This is the penultimate issue of this title and everything starts to go bang bang bang! Phil and I had a discussion determining how this fit into any kind of continuity and I think I finally put it together. This is acting as the end of everything from the Garth Ennis MAX run. That’s why there’s a random appearance by Barracuda, and that’s why Aaron can get away with killing the S$^% out of mainstream Marvel characters. Hot damn, it is a seriously good book, and all that’s left is an epilogue, so I’m assuming that Vanessa Fisk is about to get what’s coming to her. I’m legit excited. This is freaking fantastic.

The Shade #4 Writer: James Robinson Artist: Darwyn Cooke

You don’t need to know that Darwyn Cooke is a good artist (just look at the freaking variant. Wow!) What you should know is how this is exactly up to form with Robinson’s old Starman mini-series. No more of the Justice League crap he was putting out. Robinson has stepped back into the Shade’s voice so easily. This is one of those “Times Past” where Robinson digs into the history of the DCU and mixes the Starman mythology in beautifully. This is seriously such a nice book to just look at. You get yourself some sweet Cooke-draws-Vigilante action. So, so good.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5 Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Alberto Ponticelli

Oh Frankenstein… I can never quite tell what the hell is going on with you, but I do just enjoy you so very much. Lemire has a perfect grip on the Morrison-originated character, giving him a perfect voice. Ponticelli steps out of his traditional framing and creates some bizarre fight scenes. This is apparently tied-in with the OMAC story that came out last week. I didn’t have a chance to actually read that, but this story definitely works. I can pretty much guarantee it’s Lemire making this story work, and not his collaboration with Dan Didio, but the OMAC book might be worth checking out.

Demon Knights #5 Writer: Paul Cornell Artist: Diogenes Neves

All the pieces are slowly moving in to place with Demon Knights, but that makes me wonder how long this can go on for. It’s fun to point out that I didn’t normally get any Cornell books before the relaunch, but now I’m getting Stormwatch and Demon Knights, so that’s progress! This is the kind of book that works on two levels. If you know the characters it’s a treat to see them in a new setting, and if you don’t, Cornell is a professional at giving each of them their own voice. Not to forget about Neves who is just drawing the hell out of this book! It’s good stuff for people who like…well, good stuff.

Whispers #1 Writer/Artist: Joshua Luna

Well this is weird, isn’t it? One of the Luna brothers begins a project on his own, and the difference between this and things like Girls and Sword is evident. The other brother must be what makes the traditional crisp Luna brothers. But that’s not bad. This looks more natural, as if it’s actually drawn as opposed to computer-generated. It’s a weird story where a germophobe can’t handle the world, but when he dreams he can be anywhere. It usually takes a couple issues for Lunas to get started, so we’ll just have to wait and see. I trust them, but only so far. Because seriously, Girls was F$^&ing nuts! So ya just never know.

Scarlet Spider #1 Writer: Chris Yost Artist: Ryan Stegman

So, the 90s are back. That’s not exactly a good thing. This takes Kaine, who I think was part of The Clone Saga, and brings him back to kinda- sorta not be a real superhero. You can kinda see where this is going. It’s a pretty traditional story that’s not really anything to write home about. It had a good set-up with a solid opening, but I can’t really say it’s worth checking out unless you really like the character or want to try something new. How’s that for a ringing endorsement?

New Avengers #20 Writer: Brian Bendis Artist: Mike Deodato:

Oh my God, I am so done with Bendis on the Avengers. It would help if he wasn’t completely recycling the ideas. Hey! Remember that Dark Avengers story from a couple years ago? This is it all over again, just with new people. Remember the Luke Cage baby stuff from New Avengers? Guess what? All over again. It’s just repeating the same blatant mediocrity and it seems like he’s not even trying. It also doesn’t help that we know Deodato can draw, so he seems completely wasted in this book. It’s frustrating and a little bit infuriating. I want anyone else to be writing this just to make it better.

And now some quick hits!

Luther Strode #4 Writer: Justin Jordan Artist: Tradd Moore: Image’s latest weird mini keeps moving right along. It’s fun stuff, and a bit super-violent. Good stuff.

Green Lantern #5 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Doug Mahnke: The first storyline wraps up and puts it all back when it belongs. Not bad, but the same as it ever is.

Batwoman #5 Writer: W. Haden Blackman Artist: JH Williams III: Another book that doesn’t ever dip in quality, so I can’t say anything else about it. Great.

Wolverine #300 Writer: Jason Aaron Artists: Adam Kubert, Ron Garney and Steve Sanders: A really good set-up heavy issue. I’m actually intrigued by what they’re doing with Sabretooth. It’s very good stuff.

X-Factor #230 Writer: Peter David Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino: Still the best X-book. Very good stuff, even with the random Wolverine cameo.

Wolverine & the X-men #4 Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Nick Bradshaw: This has been a good book, and Bradshaw’s Art-Adams style makes it even better.

Amazing Spider-Man #677 Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Emma Rios: Fun stuff, being a tie-in with Daredevil doesn’t hurt. Waid has a completely understanding of the character.

Lobster Johnson #1 Writer: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi Artist: Tonci Zonjic: The latest Mignola-verse book is as solid as ever. Zonjic draws like Chris Samnee, so it’s very nice to look at.

And that’s the week! I’ll be back for more later, as always.

“The” Dan Jacka

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.

Doom Patrol

The original version of DC’s “World’s Strangest Heroes” ran from 1964 to 1968, and featured three characters who were outcasts: race-car driver Cliff Steele, whose body was destroyed in a wreck but whose brain was transferred into a metal body, making him Robotman; Rita Farr, whose stretching powers made her Elasti-Girl; and Larry Trainor, whose radioactive body required that he be wrapped in bandages for the protection  of others, but who had the ability to project a flying, negative-image “energy being” out of his body (but only for a few minutes at a time; otherwise, he’s die). The three were led by the wheelchair-bound Niles Caulder, a brilliant scientist who took the bitter misfits and molded them into a superhero team. In one of those weird coincidences in comics history, the book first appeared about three months before X-Men #1, which also featured outcasts led by a brilliant guy in a wheelchair. The Doom Patrol was cancelled in 1968, in what was then, for comics, an unusual way: the team died in the last issue, blown up by bad guys.

The next incarnation of the series (and the first one that matters to us, since they’re the first ones we have discount issues of) appeared in 1987. It was revealed that only Robotman had survived the explosion (although, comics being comics, over the years the other three characters have all turned up, too), and he was paired with new characters Tempest (who could project energy blasts from his hands, one of those visual-but-generic powers that comics creators love), Negative Woman (a Russian astronaut who’d encountered the negative energy being that had been in Larry Trainor, and absorbed it), Celsius (heat and cold blasts, plus she was the wife of the presumed-dead Niles Caulder, and the reason the new team got together), Lodestone (magnetically-enhanced strength), Karma (psychic defensive powers) and Scott Fischer (heat projection from his hands). This team hung around for the first 18 issues of Doom Patrol volume 2, written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn, first, by Steve Lightle and later by a young Erik Larson. The episodes are mostly generic mid-’80s superhero storytelling, and largely forgettable (at least, I forgot most of them; I read the issues when they came out, but needed Wikipedia and a quick flip-through of the comics to recall any of it).

However, with issue #19, in 1988, things suddenly became more memorable: new writer Grant Morrison took over, accompanied by artist Richard Case, and they immediately supercharged the book. Morrison got rid of all the characters except for Cliff (Tempest stuck around as the team doctor, the Negative Being left its host and ended up being Larry Trainor again (sort of — don’t ask), and Lodestone was in a coma; everyone else was either dead or wandered off, never to return), and added two others: Dorothy, a simian-featured little girl with “imaginary friends” whom she could control, and Kay Challis, called “Crazy Jane,” a traumatized woman with 64 multiple personalities, each with a different superpower.

Comics fans are used to the Morrison brand of weirdness now, but 23 years ago it was brand-new, and a revelation after the standard antics of the previous team: there were the Scissormen, who could cut people out of reality; Red Jack, who tortured butterflies to survive and thought he claimed to be the reincarnation of Jack the Ripper; the Brotherhood of Dada, who were led by Mister Nobody, featured The Quiz, who had “every superpower you haven’t thought of yet,” and had a magical painting that led to dimensions based on types of artistic criticism — and that was all in the first year! That year ended with one of the best single issues of the series — Doom Patrol #30, wherein Cliff travels into the mind of Crazy Jane, who’s catatonic, and meets most of her personalities, while discovering what fractured her personality in the first place. It’s a haunting tale, told cleverly and subtly, and with images — Jane’s mind as a subway station and her personalities as different stops; Cliff, told that “no man” can enter a particular stop, standing and spreading his robotic hands and saying “Look at me. I’m not a man” — that linger long after the reader is through with the book.

Morrison stayed on the book through issue #63, mostly accompanied by Case (with a few exceptions — Kelley Jones in #36, for example, and Mike Dringenberg in #42, cover-featuring “Flex Mentallo,” a character based on the strongman in the old Charles Atlas ads that ended up getting DC sued by Atlas himself); special mention should also be made of the painted covers, often by Simon Bisely, starting with issue #26, which gave the book a distinctive identity on the comics racks. Almost every issue’s worth reading — and completists shouldn’t miss 1992′s Doom Force Special, a one-shot by Morrison and a number of artists that’s a satiric, vicious takedown of Image comics in general, and Rob Liefeld in particular — all the way up to the last book of the Morrison era, #63, wherein Crazy Jane is trapped in “our” world, institutionalized and subjected to electroshock therapy, leading to a poignant, perfect ending, half-optimistic and half-despairing (depending on whether you’re Jane or the reader).

Morrison’s departure wasn’t the end of Doom Patrol, though — writer Rachel Pollack took over with issue #64, and managed to keep the weirdeness percolating nicely, if not quite with the spice supplied by Morrison. Case stayed as artist for four issues, replaced by some interesting choices thereafter: Linda Medley (of Castle Waiting) in issues #68-74, and Ted McKeever in #s 75-79, 81, 82 and 84-87 (with the Pander Brothers in #80), which represented the end of the run.

The next version of Doom Patrol came along in 2001; as with the previous version, its only connection with the others was Cliff Steele. The writer was John Arcudi (known for Dark Horse series like The Mask and a number of Mike Mignola-related titles), while the artist was Tan Eng Huat, who brought a quirky, cartoony style that meshed well with Arcudi’s tongue-in-cheek, arch scripts (in this incarnation, Cliff was the mentor to a group of teen and twenty-something outcasts who bicker and bond like an MTV Real Worlds season). Arcudi and Huat stayed for all 22 issues of this volume, with two notable exceptions: #s 13 and 14 are by Seth Fisher (the idiosynchratic artist known for his obsessively-detailed, oddly-appealing manga-esque style (Fantastic Four: Big in Japan; Flash: Time Flies and Vertigo Pop: Tokyo), who died at the age of 33 in 2006 after falling from the rooftop of a nightclub in Tokyo), and issues # 20 and 21 are by Rick Geary, known mostly for his small-press titles focusing on true-life murder stories and on Victorian life.

Volume four of Doom Patrol followed very quickly, in 2004, and was a John Byrne production. It started strongly (it was led into by a vastly-hyped, six-part JLA crossover by Byrne and Chris Claremont), but was a reboot, erasing all the previous history of the team and starting over with the original cast of Robotman, Negative Man and Elasti-Girl. It had the typical Byrne advantages of clean, lively art and plotting, but quickly gradually lost both steam and sales, ending after 18 issues.

The most recent comic called Doom Patrol, volume five, started in 2009 and ended last July, after 22 issues; it had scripts by Keith Giffen and featured the three original members, although there were callbacks to previous versions of the team too — issues 3 and 4 are Blackest Night tie-ins, and feature the dead, Black Lantern-animated characters of Celsius, Negative Woman and Tempest, while issue #5 has the Negative Spirit reflecting on its previous host bodies, and has cameos from practically everyone who was ever in a Doom Patrol comic. Matthew Clark and Ron Randall supply most of the art for the run, although Giffen himself draws #16. Issue #19 has the second installment of a crossover with the Secret Six comic, and the final issue, #22, has a typically-Giffenesque ending, as Ambush Bug appears, to whisper to the bad guys that the book has been cancelled, pending the DC Flashpoint reboot; that said, everybody strikes the set and walks away, leaving the heroes to wonder what’s going to happen next. That’s where they are today — is there a place in the new DCU for the World’s Strangest Heroes, especially considering that their history is, again, set back to square one, and that they’ve had three failed relaunches in the last ten years? Only time, and reader interest, will tell….

Strange Adventures #120 from 1960

No joke, the first story of this issue of Strange Adventures involves living oil trying to take over the world. Somehow, these creatures can start fires and not burn out, and it doesn’t make any sense.  It all ends up being a giant ad for someday getting to Mars. No, I’m not kidding. The next story is kinda like Groundhog Day, but the real draw is the Atomic Knights appearance. I don’t know what exactly the big deal is, but they are a bunch of dudes who fight after the Atomic War of 1986 to provide law and order to a desolate wasteland. It’s Mad Max in knight’s armor. Now I understand the appeal of it.  They fight a giant salt creature. I don’t need to tell you any more than that, do I? More info can be found HERE

The closest you’re going to get to a modern version of Strange Adventures is the My Greatest Adventure mini-series, and even that is still mostly superheroes. It does have a Robot Man story that works like a sci-fi story, so maybe that will quench your appetite.

Tales of Suspense #84 from 1966

I believe I’ve said this before, but Stan Lee writes best when he only does it in 8-page stories at a time. The first story is the usual Iron Man, except that it doesn’t actually have Tony Stark in the suit at all. Stark has a heart attack and is basically incapacitated for most of the story. Long story short? It’s Mandarin’s fault and it’s to be continued. The Captain America story is actually much more interesting. It’s less whining, more straight-up fighting the Super-Adaptoid. Super-Adaptoid uses all the other Avengers to steal some powers and basically pummels on Cap for the whole story. Cap is left to drown in a river, but c’mon, we all know he’s not dead. Or is he? No seriously, they don’t have the guts to kill him that early. That comes later… More info can be found HERE

Iron Man is obviously most prominent in his self-titled series. He’s also a member of the Avengers. Captain America has two different books, the modern-day Cap title and the flashback Bucky and Captain America. He’s also tied into Avengers. So check those out!

Superboy #43 from 1955

Somebody stole Superboy’s Super Wrench! That is not a joke, that’s how the story really starts, and it just gets crazier from there. Everybody starts stealing items from Superboy to keep as collectibles. Yes, everybody in Smallville is a comic book guy. In the second story, Superboy is a farmer. He helps a cranky old farmer bond with boys and the whole thing has a very “Sandusky” feel to it, if you know what I mean… In the final story, Superboy is basically acting as the Make-a-Wish foundation, but that leads him to some trouble with his secret identity. It’s all very traditional Silver Age superhero stuff, and everything wraps up in a nice little bow every eight pages. This is the kinda stuff that our Supreme Owner absolutely loves, but for me, I’ll just say meh. More info can be found HERE

Superboy is still around, with a self-titled series and joining with the Teen Titans. Now is the time to get up on his story, as we’re only four issues deep on each, and they tie together. Just do it!

And that’s the week! Go! Be merry! Enjoy your New Year!

“The” Dan Jacka

TMNT Micro-Series #2 Michelangelo Writer: Brian Lynch Artist: Andy Kuhn:

All right you guys, I don’t’ know why I feel like some kind of huge sell-out, but I am absolutely Loving this new TMNT series. This micro-series is not even remotely a step down in quality from the current series, and it’s just pure fun. I know the name Andy Kuhn, but I can’t place where he’s from. His art is just the right amount of cartoon-y to keep you interested. The story is just what it says, a solo story of Michelangelo. He goes out for a night on the town of some fun, and “hilarity ensues.” I don’t have any other word to describe it aside from fun, so I’ll go with that. It’s fun!

Captain America #5 Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Steve McNiven and Giuseppe Camuncoli

Captain America #6 Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Alan Davis

Captain America & Bucky #625 Writer: Ed Brubaker and James Ausmus Artist: Francesco Francavilla:

This three-pack of Brubaker goodness is extremely Captain America heavy, and it actually improves as you go down the list. McNiven apparently couldn’t finish his end of this story, so Camuncoli makes a jarring fill-in. Since Alan Davis is a real artist, he’s already knocked out probably all of his storyline and more. The stories do carry over, so don’t read one without reading the other. They’re both good, but McNiven’s speed is just a pain. The Bucky title gets the award as the best of the lot just because Francavilla is around. That’s basically all you want from a comic is super pretty art like this. They’re all quality stories, but the Bucky stories have been my favorite for a few months now.

Secret Avengers #20 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Alex Maleev

I’m still not 100 percent sure what I actually read here, but I know I liked it. A completely bizarre time-travel story based around the Black Widow sees he encountering characters I’m not familiar with, exhibiting powers and things I don’t know about and blowing my mind completely. Ellis’ run on Secret Avengers has been straight up to par with his Thunderbolts work. It’s really too bad he hates superhero work so much because he is just so damn good at it. He brings different ideas and stories every time he writes. It’s some of the most fun you can possibly have with a comic.

Haunt #20 Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Nathan Fox

Vengeance #6 Writer: Joe Casey Artist: Nick Dragotta

Joe Casey is without a doubt the most underrated mainstream comic writer in the world. Vengeance was completely off my radar, and I’m a little disappointed in myself. It’s been an entire story based on the second generation of villains, and actually embraces the changes that have actually happened in the Marvel Universe. It’s also all tied together with the character of Zodiac, which Casey already used in the way-rad self-titled series a couple years ago. His artist on that story was Fox, who he works with on Haunt to great effect. I can’t praise this Haunt stuff enough, it’s leaps and bounds better than the original material they had to work with, and two issues in is already better than the other 18.

Black Panther #527 Writer: David Liss Artist: Michael Avon Oeming

The best series you couldn’t be bothered enough to read. And it’s coming to an end. You all have no one to blame but yourselves. Like Thor: The Mighty Avenger before it, this comic is just too good to last. This is the point in the story where everything is coming to a head. Black Panther is working to defeat Lady Bullseye and Typhoid Mary in a quest to bring down Kingpin. Here’s what confuses me. This is clearly a Daredevil comic, and it’s a good one. So why didn’t you buy it? Comic reading public… you have disappointed me. That is all.

All-Star Western #4 Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray Artist: Moritat and Phil Winslade

I’ve preached about the carry-over from the main Jonah Hex series before, and I’ll admit a sense of trepidation about Palmiotti and Gray doing ongoing stories instead of their traditional one-shots, and each time around I have been proven wrong. Month in and month out, All-Star Western has been one of the most consistent and fun books to read on the stands. It’s even earning its $3.99 price tag with a solid back-up strip. This month begins a new character named the Barbary Ghost (cheap pun realized as soon as I typed it out). It’s great stuff and well worth reading.

Now it’s time for the quick hits!

Spaceman #3 Writer: Brian Azzarello Artist: Eduardo Risso: Spaceman continues to be a bizarre sci-fi adventure. Risso’s characters usually look the same, and since they are all monster creatures, that actually works for once.

Kick-Ass 2 #6 Writer: Mark Millar Artist: John Romita Jr.: Kick-Ass is finally losing me. It was fun when it was an average comic with extreme moments, but now it feels like Millar is just pushing it because he can. It’s starting to not be worth it anymore.

Justice League Dark #4 Writer: Peter Milligan Artist: Mikel Janin: The first storyline is about to come to an end, and I’m still not exactly sure what the team is supposed to be. It’s a fun creepy comic and we all knew Milligan knew how to do dark, so it’s exactly the form you’d expect.

The Flash #4 Writer/Artist: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato: You can see how J.H. Williams III has worked to make Manapul better. His layouts are clearly rubbing off on his style, and the choices are just fantastic. Each page is fun to look at, and the story is holding up well.

Aquaman #4 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Ivan Reis: Aquaman is a bad ass and don’t you forget it! He kills a bunch of people, and murders an entire species. Then he gets a dog. This book is… odd. To say the least.

Batman: The Dark Knight #4 Writer: Paul Jenkins Artist: David Finch: It’s like Batman the Dark Knight and Voodoo have a competition each week for the worst comic. This book wins the week because of the horrible interior monologue that leads to the villain revelation. It was just terrible.

FF #13 Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artist: Juan Bobillo: I was ready to go off on how Bobillo is not nearly as good as Epting on Fantastic Four, but then he hit the end of the book. There was something about the Hickman twist that made this absolutely perfect. I could get over Bobillo’s squishy faces to make it work. Good stuff.

And that’s the week! Just because I’m cutting back on hours doesn’t mean I’m cutting back on reviews. I’ll be here for more on Sunday, and here again in two weeks!

“The” Dan Jacka

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!