Amazing Spider-Man #568 — Writer: Dan Slott; Pencils: John Romita, Jr.; Inks: Klaus Jansom
Probably the best issue since the relaunch; although it’ll cost you an extra buck, a lot of things seem to click into place. There’s 28 pages of Romita, Jr./Janson art (including a good three-page recap), action, new and old villains, subplots about Parker’s personal life that actually make sense: If you haven’t been reading this lately, and want to know how it’s going, this is a very good place to start..
Air #1 — Writer: G. Willow Wilson; Artist: M. K. Perker
A good first issue — the first from Vertigo in a while — and it does all the things a good first issue is supposed to: Perker draws people who are quirky but attractive, and Willow has them doing interesting things like falling out of airplanes and kickfighting and having sex in hospital beds and getting involved in sprawling international conspiracies, and it all reads briskly and leaves you wanting more.
Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 (of 5) — Writer: Geoff Johns; Pencils: George Perez; Inker: Scott Koblish
Good old-fashioned fun, and a lot more like the last two Crises than the “real” one is (not that there’s anything wrong with Morrison’s stubbornly anti-blockbuster approach…). Johns knows his continuity, and how to deliver the kind of straight-ahead crossover adventure many fans want, with its Superboy-Prime, its hundreds of Perez-drawn characters, and its casual intermingling of multiple alternate Earths and futures.
Madman Atomic Comics #10 — Writer/Artist: Michael Allred
Yet another good jump-on issue, as Allred tones back on the formal experimentation, and just shows off his characters, their relationships and their world. It’s a well-drawn and fascinating place, full of weird and interesting people, and new readers should be intrigued enough by it to want to come back for more.
The Brave and the Bold #16 — Writer: Mark Waid; Art: Scott Kolins
A Superman-Catwoman teamup. Selina’s vamping of the Big Guy, his straightlaced (but not naive) reactions, and her attempts to disguise him are all a hoot, and it’s a done-in-one, typically smooth and confident Waid story. If you ever need to give someone an example of a well-done superhero story, here it is.
Justice League of America #24 — Writer: Dwayne McDuffie; Penciller: Allan Goldman; Inkers: Prentis Rollins with Rodney Ramos and Derek Fridolfs
Worth mentioning because the editors should be hanged — in between the regular well-crafted McDuffie action, the whole issue teases a “behind the scenes” villain and sets up his big reveal for next issue — but the cover to this one tells us who it is. Why would you do something like that? With both a regular and an assistant editor, shouldn’t someone have noticed that they were, you know, ruining the climax of a long-running story?
Conan the Cimmerian #2 — Writer: Timothy Truman; Artists: Tomas Giorello and Richard Corben
This one’s worth mentioning for something good — the 16-page Corben flashback story, which doesn’t have Conan, but does have barbarians and werewolves. Corben werewolves: how can any fan pass that up?
Phil Mateer
