Superman Beyond 3D #2 (of 2) — Writer: Grant Morrison; Pencils: Doug Mahnke; Inks: Christian Alamy with Tom Nguyen, Drew Geraci and Derek Fridolfs
This is exactly the kind of sophisticated, hyperactive superhero romp we all wanted Final Crisis to be, right done to the instructions on the 3D glasses and the wink at the end (and the metatextual insights as the secret ingredient…). For less than $10, you can get this and the first issue, and so only have to rip out one pair of the glasses. Totally worth it, and Mahnke is perfect for this stuff; he hits a couple of the scenes (like most of the cosmic wonder stuff, and the big New Villain Reveal near the end) right out of the park.
Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Artists: Mitch Breitweiser and Daniel Acuna
Two encounters between Emma Frost and the Sub-Mariner, one during her early Hellfire Club days and one in the present, and very well done; Fraction has a handle on her insouciant, icy personality (and the warmth at its core) and offers a tight tie-in with their Dark Reign meeting and its aftermath. Essential if you’re trying to follow the new Marvel Universe dynamic (he said, feeling as though Stan Lee was peeking over his shoulder…).
Dark Avengers #1 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: Mike Deodato
The second essential Dark Reign episode this week. Very much like Thunderbolts #1, except that we know the twist from the beginning, and observe as each bad guy takes over each hero role. The Morgan La Fey callback doesn’t bode well (she wasn’t even that interesting when used by Busiek and Perez), and it’s weird to read the Marvel United States going “dark,” just as the real world zeitgeist seems to be hoping for “light,” but let’s see what Bendis and crew can do with these developments: if they give us a year or two of fun and an actual, satisfying conclusion, a lot of past perceived sins will be forgiven.
Mighty Avengers #21 — Writer: Dan Slott; Penciller: Khoi Pham; Inkers: Allen Martinez and Danny Miki
Here, on the other hand, is a Dark Reign tie-in that feels less essential: it’s a gathering-of-the-team issue, arguing that where Jarvis is, there doth be the Avengers, but the crew (Hercules/Amadeus Cho, Hank Pym (as The Wasp; let’s not even start on that…), US Agent, the Hulk, Jocasta, Cassie and the Vision from the Young Avengers, and the Scarlet Witch (yeah, let’s not start on that, either…)) doesn’t offer the heft to be much more than a space-filler — fun enough, but only until more A-listers show up.
X-Men: Legacy #220 — Writer: Mike Carey; Art: Scott Eaton
Focusing on Rogue in Australia. Hey, Marvel: am I blind, or are there no credits for this issue (outside of the three last names on the cover)? I’m still waiting for Carey to hit anything like the heights he did in Lucifer, but in the meantime this is a perfectly good chapter of the ongoing soap opera, offering just enough small pleasures in the dialogue, and in the way everyone gets some page time and advances their stories, to keep the reader coming back for more.
Fallen Angel #33 — Writer: Peter David; Art: J.K. Woodward
“Final Issue,” it says on the cover, but then on the inside there’s an ad for Fallen Angel: Reborn #1 coming out in July, so not really. It comes off a little rushed, but ultimately works; it reads both as an ending and as a beginning, as the status reverts to a new quo with a poetically-reshuffled cast of characters. If you haven’t checked in on this title for a while, it’s a good place to do it.
Stuff I read and liked enough to buy, but don’t have much to say about, so read previous reviews in the archives if you’re interested:
Astonishing X-Men #28 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Penciller: Simone Bianchi; Inkers: Simone Bianchi and Andrea Silvestri
Green Lantern #37 — WriterL Geoff Johns; Pencils: Ivan Reis; Inks: Oclair Albert and Julio Ferreira
Amazing Spider-Man #584 — Writer: Marc Guggenheim; Pencils: John Rommita Jr.; Inks: Klaus Janson
Battlefields: The Night Witches #3 (of 3) — Writer: garth Ennis; Art: Russ Braun
Knights of the Dinner Table #147 — Creators: Jolly Blackburn, Steve Johansson, David Kenzer and Brian Jelke
Phil Mateer
