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The Pull List – 08/07/06
Yes, TPL will be making a return. I don’t know if it will be short lived or if I can actually keep it going. Only time will tell. This format I have is a bit different. It’s in prose form where I talk about some comics (with spoilers) but if you want a nice quick read with my rating and no spoilers, you can scroll down to the bottom. Enjoy!
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The first week of the month is the best. It’s the easiest on my wallet and makes my reviews easier. This week I only picked up 10 books, a perfect 5/5 split between Marvel and DC. Of course, in Marvel we are in the midst of a Civil War. Heroes are pitted against heroes, friends against friends and so on and so forth. There are two Civil War themed books this week, Fantastic Four #539 and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11. FNSM is listed under the Spider-Man Unmasked banner and featured Peter Parker going back to class to teach and amidst all the controversy, decides to retire. Peter stays the day and says goodbye to the nerds in the Ecology club when Mysterio strikes. Of course, Mysterio is dead so it’s a new Mysterio. He traps Spider-Man and the rest of the kids in the school and to confuse matters even further, the dead Mysterio shows up. Fantastic Four showed that The Mad Thinker (who was last seen as a head in She-Hulk) and the Puppet Master (last seen in an old people’s home in MK 4) were behind the fight that occurred where the anti’s freed an incarcerated hero. Besides the fact that the Mad Thinker and Puppet Master were behind this, one of Yancy Street Gang members died which causes the Thing to declare he’s leaving the country. Both the issues were filled with continuity gaffs (especially FF) though there was a nice touch in FNSM with Peter finally taking out Flash Thompson. Disappointing CW Crossovers this week.
A Spider-Man book that didn’t disappoint was Ultimate Spider-Man #98. Everyone thought Bendis was crazy to bring back the Clone Saga but the second part was very well done. Peter brings his clone to the FF where they are 94% sure it is Parker. Parker unmasks to the FF as well. He goes home and finds MJ is gone and goes off looking for her but instead runs into a Spider-Woman of some sort. He later follows her back to his old house and is shocked to see Gwen Stacy standing there! Bendis wrote Peter perfectly in this issue, especially his utter shock and confusion at the Baxter Building. Best book of the week. Another excellent book this week was Moon Knight #4. The writing is well-done and the art is amazing. Brian Finch was born to draw a character as gritty and dark as Moon Knight. We learn more of Moon Knight’s past and we wonder if Knoshu is actually real or just a fantasy of Marc Spector. We the readers are as confused as he is. That’s a great sign of the writing. The ending was to die for as well, as Taskmaster comes back to kill Spector.
Of course, comic book heroes don’t have a tendency to stay dead and usually are somehow resurrected. Resurrection is the theme of 52 Week Thirteen. This Superboy Cult is trying to raise Sue Dibny from the dead and Ralph almost goes along with it until his friends who accompany him (all who have died and returned) convince him it’s a hoax. He wrecks the whole thing but is shocked to see his wife apparently alive! He stays with her as the building blows up and then retreats under a bridge vowing to try again. We also see more of Black Adam and Isis as Isis saves a bunch of children and welcomes them to Kahndaq. There is also a brief origin of Elongated Man. Pretty average issue though Ralph inviting dead people he knew who came back was a nice touch. Speaking of origins, we also learn the origin of the Creeper in The Creeper #1. The Creeper is actually a talk show host known for humiliating his guests. His name is Jack Ryder and he is tracking a miracle cure but when the doctor who invented it runs afoul or some mobsters looking for this cure. The doctor puts the rest of the cure into Ryder and he takes a bullet in the head. Somehow, he turns into The Creeper, whose laugh can hurt people. This was actually a very good debut issue. It showed an actual origin story that was interesting and well-written and so far it is my favorite of the Brave New World mini’s that have come out.
Speaking of Brave New World books, the second issue of The All-New Atom and OMAC came out this week as well. Atom and OMAC were similar in that the main characters learned more about their powers and we learn a bit more about the main cast. In OMAC the main character is still in Vegas on the run from Cyborg and Firestorm and at the end is slowly getting more control while in OMAC form. Atom himself tests out his powers and even fights some crime when a woman he gave money to is kidnapped. He meets the miniscule menaces we’ve seen in the past and at the end meets a strange creature that has been waiting a long time for him. Both issues were decent and are building up nicely. OMAC I think is a mini-series so I don’t know where they will go with it though I like the idea of OMAC turning into a hero who can control his transformations. Atom has been well-written by Simone and the quotes thrown in add a bit to the story. I didn’t like them at first but they’re a nice touch. I’d have to say that Byrne has not been on his A-game though for this series. His art is not as crisp as it has been.
So I’ve run out of segues but there are two comics left on the table this week. Outsiders #37 and Agents of Atlas #1. Outsiders starts with Mallah and The Brain (side note, every time I hear this I think of Pinky and the Brain) have captured all of the Outsiders except Katana, who now has to free the rest of the group. It seems that Mallah and the Brain are cloning a bunch of meta-humans as well, including one resembling Elongated Man. I really like where the Outsiders have been going. Nightwing has made a great leader for the team and it’s been a lot better One Year Later. The stories are quickly-paced and feature great action and writing. Agents of Atlas I actually picked up on whim since it was a debut issue and it was definitely the surprise book of the week. It told of a secret team formed after World War II whose missions have been secret. When the leader, Johnny Woo, is left brain dead the secret team is not secret anymore. SHIELD can only locate one member from this team; The Gorilla. He asks SHIELD to keep him on life support and surprises everyone by getting the old members together and taking the body of Woo. I really anticipate seeing where this was going as it’s old-time story feel and just a great feel.
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Overall, an above average week. I would highly recommend a couple of books here, as Moon Knight, Ultimate Spider-Man and Agents of Atlas were clear winners, while the other two books were below average. DC this week was average, which is fine by my book. No books stood out as extraordinarily bad or good, though Creeper wins my vote as DC book of the week. Next week looks good with Annihilation #1 coming out and Front Line #5 dropping as well. See you next week.
Quick Hits (in reading order):
Ultimate Spider-Man #98: Peter stops by the FF to learn more about the clone as a surprise guest shows up at the end. Rating: 5
Fantastic Four #539: The Civil War continues and its effects will shock the FF and the Marvel Universe as the Thing makes his decision on where he stands. Rating: 2.5
Moon Knight #4: Marc Spector talks to Knoshu but is it real? Will we even find out before Taskmaster kills Spector? Rating: 5
52 #13: Ralph Dibny is at a ceremony to resurrect his wife, but will he go along with it? Rating: 3
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11: Peter returns to teach for the first time since unmasking and Mysterio is there awaiting him. Rating: 2
Outsiders # 39: The Outsiders battle Mallah and the Brain and their team of meta-human clones.
Creeper #1: Jack Ryder becomes the Creeper in this interesting and well-written origin story. Rating: 4
OMAC #2: OMAC is in Vegas with Cyborg and Firestorm on his tale. Rating: 3
Agents of Atlas #1: A secret team from the 50’s is uncovered as their secret mission repercussions are being felt today. Rating: 5
All-New Atom #2: Atom learns more about his powers and meets some micro-baddies. Rating: 3
Rating Scale:
5 – Must Read
4 – Recommended
3 – Mild Recommendation
2 – Wait for the Trade Paperback
1 – Avoid at all costs
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