Blackest Night: Suicide Squad #67 — Writers: Gail Simone and John Ostrander; Art: J. Calafiore
Amanda Waller and crew appear a little, and Ostrander’s the co-writer, but this is actually a Secret Six story, and continues into the next issue of that title. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, since Simone is so good with that particular cast of characters, and since both teams involve bad guys trying to (occasionally) do the right thing (with Deadshot the link between them), it all makes just the kind of twisted sense that she specializes in; this is a much better BN tie-in than most.
Siege #1 (of 4) — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler: Oliver Coipel; Inker: Mark Morales
Ultimate Spider-Man #6 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Art: David Lafuente
Two by Bendis: Siege, of course, is the Big Event wrapup, as Loki manipulates Norman Osborn into invading Asgard, Thor needs help, and a long-dormant major piece enters the game. Lots of thunder and lightning, and plenty of action; making this only four issues feels just about right. We don’t need another drawn-out mini-series; we just want to watch Norman and his troops overplay their hand and get their heads handed to them by the good guys, and it looks like this will deliver. Ultimate Spider-Man is the latest in Bendis’s 10-year chronicles of the teen Peter Parker, who’s now living in Aunt May’s house with Gwen(!), Johnny Storm (!!) and Bobby Drake (!!); with Kitty Pryde hanging around, too, it’s not far from Spidey and his Amazing X-Friends, but it all makes sense in context, and Lafuentes’s mangaish art works very well for both the teen high-school stuff (with all of its comic undertones) and the superhero fights, too. May this title run another ten years, or at least as long as Bendis is still interested in it.
Stumptown #2 — Writer: Greg Rucka; Art: Matthew Southworth
There are a lot of crime/noir books out there right now, and readers have an easy rule to follow in sorting them out: if they’re by Rucka or Ed Brubaker, they’re going to be decent. Rucka honed his chops with the police-procedural Gothan Central, and has shown a fondness for tough-guy dialog and down-and-dirty settings; here, he’s delivering the non-super adventures of Dex, a private investigator who’s refreshingly realistic as she tries to track down a runaway, and handles getting punched, shot, and all the other occupational hazards of the genre with gritty aplomb. There’s nothing new here, but Rucka and Southworth deliver a very smooth, entertaining tale, and fans of the genre should seek this out.
B.P.R.D.: King of Fear #1 (of 5?) — Writers: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi; Art: Guy Davis
The first issue of a new storyline, and worth noting because Davis’s involvement always means confident, attractive visuals, whether it’s with the large cast of people (plus, in this case, various amphibians, ghosts, monsters, etc) or widescreen apocalyptic elder-god splashes. This issue, things are mostly quiet (too quiet, as more than one character points out), so it’s the smaller moments that propel things along; don’t worry though, since there’ll be plenty of time for monstrous effects in the next few installments.
Jonah Hex #51 — Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray; Art: Dick Giordano
As always, the art makes it worth buying the book; Palmiotti and Gray have corralled a series of old-time master artists for this book (since what artist can resist drawing the old West, and its various craggy settings and denizens?), and the done-in-one story here features Dick Giordano, doing both pencils and inks, in a typically cynical and steely-eyed tale of wrongdoers and their comeuppance.
The Boys #38 — Writer: Garth Ennis; Art: Darick Robertson
The origin of the Female, and Ennis makes fun of Japanese origins pretty much the same as he did with French ones last issue. Not too much to it, frankly, although Robertson’s art is particularly good on the character, and now, the main players’ backgrounds out of the way, we’re told that the next issue begins the “second half” of the book’s run. So: 72 issues total? Six more than Preacher?
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:
Echo #18 — Writer/Artist: Terry Moore
Phil Mateer
