All right folks, lots of stuff this week, so let’s do this!
Age of Ultron #8 Writer: Brian Bendis Artist: Brandon Peterson
I just can’t get into this. I can’t explain why, I’m a huge fan of time travel, I love the high-concept stories, and I want to like the entire idea behind this, but it just feels like Bendis is trying to push a redone version of House of M at us, and I can’t get into it. Add the fact that Peterson seems wickedly rushed making his faces look crazy, and that everything has been building to a mediocre fight with Morgaine Le Fey (seriously), and I start to wonder why anyone would care. I still think they got the shipping right on this event, having it come out often is making it more memorable, but when the story isn’t very good, who cares?
X-Factor #256 Writer: Peter David Artist: Leonard Kirk
This, on the other hand, is almost completely perfect. Everything that’s been building in X-Factor for years finally comes to a head, people die, characters are completely changed, and no one quite knows exactly what’s coming next. The story is executed perfectly, and still has a totally depressing ending that leaves you begging for more. So what’s next? Well, this book has been cancelled so not very much, but there’s a ton of pieces that can still be messed with before the book comes to an end. This is an almost perfect X-book and you should definitely go back and look at the TPB’s to get the full story.
Dream Thief #1 Writer: Jai Nitz Artist: Greg Smallwood
I always hesitate on weird new titles, especially superhero stuff. It’s easy to go wrong. In this book, a mediocre dude steals an aborigine mask then blacks out. Every time he wakes up, he’s in a room full of dead people with no explanation why. It’s pretty freaking crazy, especially when he realizes who he’s killed. It’s the kind of mini-series that has a ton of potential. Because it’s a mini, we know there’s going to be a finite length with a complete ending. If you’re looking for something interesting that shouldn’t take years to fully read up on, this is absolutely the pick of the week for you.
Iron Man #10 Writer: Kieron Gillen Artist: Dale Eaglesham
Pay no attention to the Greg Land cover! This issue, as the last one, has improved the quality drastically just by having Eaglesham on the art. Gillen is taking liberties with Tony Stark’s origin story, and there’s a lot of potential here, but also a ton of possible backlash. It’s a good issue setting up an evil robot that we don’t really understand just yet, and Gillen is great at setting things up without giving any real information just yet. With the artist change, and this interesting story, there’s a good chance that Iron Man is about to get a whole lot better, so you should definitely get onboard now.
The Fall of the House of Usher Adapted/Drawn by: Richard Corben
Man, I am a sucker for Richard Corben, but it’s really hard not to be. Just look at this book! Everything about it is exactly what you’d want from a Poe interpretation; it’s creepy, mysterious, and leaves you wanting more. Corben takes some liberties and does his own thing, but you also know that he’s being incredibly faithful to the source material. There’s also a backmatter section where he shows sketches and talks about all the work he put into the book. C’mon you guys, this is Corben, do I really need to sell you on it?
And now some quick hits!
Battlestar Galactica #1 Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning Artist: Cezar Razek: This IS your parents BSG, and not the Sci-Fi version. It’s still fun and goofy so far, so we’ll see.
Wolverine and the X-Men #29 Writer: Jason Aaron ARtist: Ramon Perez: A fun little issue helping Wolverine grow more as a teacher, and involving time capsules and more. It’s enjoyable to say the least.
Wonder Woman #20 Writer: Brian Azzarello Artist: Goran Sudzuka & Cliff Chiang: Pieces keep moving right along and things keep happening while trying to save a baby!
The Dream Merchant #1 Writer: Nathan Edmondson Artist: Konstantin Novosadov:Absolutely worth the price tag, this is a big book again with potential. I don’t think it’s for me, but weight alone makes it worth looking at.
Cable and X-Force #8 Writer: Dennis Hopeless Artist: Salvador Larroca: I like this book more every issue. It’s fun and well put together. All the characters have distinguished voices and it’s a lot of fun.
Regular Show #1 Writer: KC Green Artist: Allison Strejlau: In the vein of Adventure Time, this is another fun all-ages book that you should definitely check out.
AND that’s the week! See you next time!
“The” Dan Jacka
