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I apologize for the delay. I was on vacation this weekend and didn’t get back until Tuesday. I whipped this up pretty quickly so it could be posted before I read this week’s batch of comics. This week I pulled 15 books (along with a Toyfare), which include 9 Marvel books, and 6 DC books. This week was looking to be a decent week with a couple of Civil War tie-ins, a couple of debut mini-series (Annihilation and Martian Manhunter), more Planet Hulk madness and finally a second Ultimate Spider-Man annual. Let’s see how this week goes.
---Start Spoiler Warning---
Last week I started with a Civil War so this week I think I am going to begin in space, the final frontier. There were a few titles that dealt with outer space this week. They were: Incredible Hulk #97, Annihilation #1, Martian Manhunter #1, and Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files. Out of the four, one was clearly the best. Want a hint? It contains a green person as the main antagonist. Well, that could be all three books. The answer is the Incredible Hulk. This has been possibly the best Marvel title this year. We see the Hulk in an environment outside of Earth and where he’s at now, Sakaar, is a brutal, savage planet. It fits Hulk to a T. He is currently leading a rebel army against the evil emperor and it’s been all good. The art is fantastic and the writing superb. This should be on everyone’s pull list. This issue delves deeper into the Emperor’s craziness as he is killing his own people now to show he is their chosen one. The Hulk also has a problem with Miek and his brutality towards the people who enslaved his brothers. The Hulk actually tells him that he’s gone a bit too far and in the end, a bigger Miek wants to throw down with the Hulk as the issue closed. We also had two space debuts, Annihilation and Martian Manhunter. Martian Manhunter was a very good set-up story for the rest of the series. We learn there are other Martians, some being experimented on, and when MM finds out, he is pissed. He doesn’t know if his anger can be controlled. This was a very good debut issue that built up the mini-series well and got me interested in issue #2. So far, it’s my favorite of the Brave New World minis. Annihilation #1, however, was not a good debut. There were a quartet of four-issue mini’s to build up to this point and the whole thing came off as boring. Nova is now in charge of the troops against Annihilus with Drax, Ronan and Gamora on his side. We also learn at the end that Galactus and the Silver Surfer had been defeated. I guess the fact it started some time after the minis and the rushed battles didn’t make me craving the next issue. There was also a Marvel Handbook deal with Annihilation, which is for collectors, and people who like those kinds of things.
I almost forgot another space-y title. It is none other than Beyond #2. Beyond is trying to take all that was good about the original Secret War and put it in this title. Major Hero Death? Check. Major Hero Rebirth? Check. Return of a Major Character in a different form? Check. Yes, Spider-Man dies then came back to life, and Deathlok joins the team at the end. I don’t see good things coming from the story, as it has been pretty dull so far. I have read a story like this before. If this series does anything right, then it should establish Gravity as a major player, since he is a very fun one in my opinion. We will stick to the skies for the next book; Superman #655. Superman is always a fun read and Kurt Busiek has done a great job on this title thus far. Some mystical being is taking note of the actions in this issue, where Clark is flying to Kazakhstan to meet an old love named Callie Llewellyn. She had been investigating an old science experiment called Subjekt 17, a super strong being who can go in and out of shadows. Superman looks to be in for the battle of his life and our mysterious mystic decides to head to the future to fix something. Like I said, Superman has been more fun that it has been in ages. One Year Later gave us a fresh look at Clark and it is almost a Silver Age feel to it. Superman battles the big baddie, and we are being reintroduced to all his old supporting cast (Lana Lang was in this issue, she works for Lex Luthor’s corporation now) and Superman wondering if his identity is safe (he questions whether Cassie knows). Very good book as of late.
Speaking of Superman, when he died and there were 4 replacements, one of them being Steel. Steel is on the cover of 52 Week Fourteen, actually. In this issue, we see Question and Renee Montoya are in Kahndaq to investigate Intergang’s connection with moving weapons into Gotham. They look a little too deep and get captured in the end. Steel is still worried about his daughter leaving and built her a costume, but it’s too late. He doesn’t know how to get her back. Also, Doctor Magnus worked on Mercury when two agents requesting to buy the services of the Metal Men. He tells them they are not for sale and goes to visit Dr. Morrow, who has seemingly escaped. There is also a 2-page origin of Metamorpho drawn by Eric Powell. A solid week, if anything. I am enjoying Montoya and Question’s antics and it’s nice to see two different subjects of 52 finally coming in contact (they probably will interact with Black Adam after all). Steel gets the honor of being on the cover when he was in the book for about 3 pages. I still miss some characters (the people in space haven’t been seen in almost a month). Some other characters that have been seen in 52 only once had their own titles come out this week. Firestorm #28 and Green Arrow #65 both dropped this week. Firestorm was recently reunited with Professor Stein and is battling a green gelatinous goo to find answers about Gehenna’s father. He doesn’t find anything and fears he may lose Gehenna. It doesn’t help he is having problems at home either. His mother, who left him and his father when he was young, is back on the scene. She will be staying with them since she left her abusive boyfriend. Jason is not happy about that at all. Jason tells Professor this when another person associated with the Firestorm matrix arrives (Pozhar) as well as another friend, which is good since they are attacked by nuclear-powered dollies. Firestorm has been enjoyable as well since OYL hit. We see a lot more of his personal characteristics and his mother showing up should lend a good dynamic and enough turmoil to affect his super-heroing. Then there’s Green Arrow. He is battling more of the mutants when Speedy shows up. We get a nice dynamic of seeing them battle while people discuss Ollie’s politics. Green Lantern shows up to take away the mutated humans as Ollie explains to Speedy that he wants to make people aware of Star City and what has happened to it. Ollie also wants to know Connor is alright (he is). Ollie then blackmails the man who put the hit on him and we end with Slade in prison where he meets with Constantine Drakon to find out where Ollie went for a year. I know a lot of people have complained about Green Arrow and its political nature but it’s a nice departure from some of the other DC titles. There really aren’t other mainstream titles like this and I have enjoyed the post OYL stuff immensely.
There is only one other DC book on the agenda this week, that being Secret Six #3. Rag Doll is in the hospital and Scandal and Catman are visiting when they are ambushed by federal agents and escape. Knockout, who was horribly burned, has now healed due to her healing abilities. Scandal, meanwhile, has a run-in with her father who tells her that he needs an heir and Catman will be the father. She doesn’t have time to absorb this info since Catman has a lead on the people who were sent after Deadshot. They helicopter over the lead when Rag Doll (under control of Scandal) attacks the crew and drops Knockout from the chopper. She is alive but Scandal knows the power of her father and is told this is just a warning. Things don’t go any better when The Mad Hatter starts having a seizure. Things go from bad to worse when the Doom Patrol shows up. I will admit, I was lost the first two issues but this issue everything seems to have come together. I know the characters now and the different subplots have me ready to go for the next issue. Gail Simone works her magic on another book of otherwise B-listers. Speaking of B-listers, another book has featured them in spades, She-Hulk. She-Hulk #10 came out today with the COVER OF THE WEEK and Jen is enjoying married life with John. Jen is in full Civil War mode and stops Hellcat from stopping a robbery and gets her register. Two-Gun Kid ends Hellcat’s original goal of stopping Ruby Tuesday. Meanwhile, Pug is still trying to get information on Starfox and is convinced Jen is still under his spell. Why else would she marry John Jameson? He goes to confront Jen about this and this just riles up John. That’s not good. You see, Alistair Smythe visited the couple (dressed as Willie Lumpkin) and placed a robotic spider on his neck. The problems erupt with all three together when John turns into Man-Wolf. Things escalate when a Mr. Cicero discovers that Mr. Zix is in fact the robot RT-29, last seen in She-Hulk Vol.1 #7! That itself led to a funny conversation with some comic dorks, but Cicero ends up dead. She-Hulk continues to be a good read and it’s one of the most humorous books out there. The nods to comic geekdom and the huge cast of B-Listers who make appearances makes it just a joy to read. There’s a reason this title was brought back from the dead.
We saw She-Hulk capture Hellcat and forced her to register since we are in the midst of a Civil War, and there are two Civil War themed books that came out; Ms. Marvel #6 and Civil War: Front Line #5. In Front Line, Ben Urich had a run in with Green Goblin, but no one believes him, and then he gets fired from the Bugle. Sally Floyd finds she is being trailed due to her investigations with the rebel heroes and gets arrested by SHEILD for her efforts. Robbie Baldwin is moved from prisons. Instead of a regular ho-hum prison he is moved to a prison in the Negative Zone. Finally, Wonder Man makes an appearance and is drafted to check out who SHEILD believes is an undercover operative. Wonder Man doesn’t want to do it but he has no choice, he’s signed the registration already. Civil War Front Line has been the best of the CW tie-ins so far, but it’s had 5 issues to gel while the others are still on issue #1. I like the fact there are three different stories, which makes it quick and interesting (sort of in a 52 vein). Ms. Marvel is also working for SHEILD now and takes out the Prowler as the issue begins. She, Wonder Man and Jessica Carpenter (Spider-Woman II, now known as Arachne) are a trio of heroes designed to take out unregistered heroes. They mention Shroud and Arana as their two main targets now. There is one problem with the three heroes who are to take out the unregistered ones. It seems Arachne has been tipping them off as she tipped off the Prowler and is now at the Shroud’s place. Julia ends up on the run as well. Meanwhile, Carol and Simon are at a local chicken restaurant when they are attacked. In the confusion, the cashier turns out to be Arana and she transforms while hiding beneath the counter. As she pops up, she finds out that Simon and Carol already took care of things. I have actually disliked Ms. Marvel for some time. I kept it on TPL just due to the Civil War tie-ins and this has saved the book for me. I finally read an issue and was interested the whole time. I am familiar with Arana so I enjoyed seeing her in a mainstream book, and I like how Arachne has seemingly turned against the government.
There are only two issues left in the pull box with those issues being Wolverine Origins #5 and Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2. Origins came out with two variant covers again (so I bought them both) and the big revelation here is that Wolverine has a kid, who is alive! He knows that whoever has his kid is using the boy to get to him and turn him into a monster, much like what happened to Nuke. He knows he can’t be trusted and gives the only thing that can kill him (the red sword) to Cyclops. Wolverine also finds out from Emma that his kid hates him. Origins has been interesting if not for the revelations. The writing has been decent but I can’t get around the art. This is nothing against Dillon since I loved his work on the Punisher, but for some reason his style doesn’t fit on Wolverine. The final issue in TPL is also the BOOK OF THE WEEK. Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2 was a winner from start to finish. Mark Brooks did a great job on the artwork (it is similar to Bagley’s so it keeps the flow of the original). First off, Moon Knight escapes from the hospital. Spider-Man also meets with Jeanne De Wolf who tells him of an enemy (Kangaroo) who is dangerous and although he hasn’t done anything wrong he should look into it. She then dials Wilson Fisk to inform him of their meeting. So Spidey shows up and sees Daredevil is already there. They start arguing and things go from bad to worse when Punisher shows up and rockets the place. Moon Knight then shows up to take out Punisher! Eventually Kangaroo is taken down and DeWolffe arrests him. We learn she and The Kingpin are in cahoots and The Punisher knows this already and kills her. Wilson was actually sleeping with her too. When Punisher told Spidey she was dirty he didn’t believe it but Daredevil confirmed. Punisher is hauled off to jail as DD proposes to Moon Knight that the vigilantes team up. Wilson is sad at the end of the issue to show he is actually human. This issue had everything. It was a very good, action-packed story that had an effect on the main story. It was sad to see De Wolfe die so quickly but what can you do? Excellent issue.
---End Spoiler Warning---
This was a decent week for comics, in my opinion. Some titles didn’t live up to expectations (Annihilation, I am looking at you) but other books were just great, like Hulk and Ultimate Spider-Man for example. There were only 3 books below a 3, which is good, with a decent number above 3. I have enjoyed much of DC OYL, The Brave New World stuff has delivered, and Marvel is rolling along with Civil War and its positive impact on all the books.
Quick Hits (in reading order):
Incredible Hulk #97: The Hulk is free and the Emperor is pissed. Will dissention in Hulk’s army defeat the Hulk before the Emperor can? 5
Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2: Spider-Man battles a new baddie as some old vigilantes make their appearance. Will someone end up dead in the ensuing battle? Excellent issue and book of the week. 5.
Civil War Front Line #5: Both Sally, Urich and Wonder Man have problems at their job and one gets fired, one gets arrested, and one gets to take on a job he doesn’t want. Robbie Baldwin is also transferred to a different prison. Very good issue that sees the wide-ranging effect of the War. 3.5.
52 Week Fourteen: Steel is sad, Renee and Question are in Kahndaq and Magnus is working with his Metal Men. Solid issue that remained at the average mark the whole book. 3.
Wolverine: Origins #5: Wolverine finds out another shocking secret of his past! I still can’t get past Dillon’s art, as it doesn’t fit the style of Wolverine well. 2.5.
Superman #655: Superman arrives in Kazakhstan to investigate the mysterious and powerful Subjekt 17 as a mysterious man is watching. Very fun issue and Superman has been one of the funnest books on the shelves as late. 4.
Annihilation #1: Weak opener that takes place some time after the events of the mini’s. Not enough bang for my buck, especially with 12 issues buildup. 2.
She-Hulk #10: She-Hulk enjoys married life until an old foe returns for John Jameson. Pug is still searching for clues that Jen is still under Starfox’ spell. Very fun issue, as usual, and wins the award for Cover of the Week. 4.
Green Arrow #65: An old friend from Green Arrow’s past returns as we get an insight into Ollie’s political views. This has been a strong book since OYL and if you want a political / action book, this is it. 4.
Firestorm #28: Firestorm’s personal life may start interfering with his professional when someone from his past returns and someone from the present doesn’t want to see him. Enjoyable if not average. 3.
Secret Six #3: The Secret Six have a lead on who was after Deadshot but will a clash between themselves be their downfall. Also, how does Vandal Savage fit into this? Very good issue and I finally feel like I understand what is going on. 3.5.
Ms. Marvel #6: Ms. Marvel is readable again as Civil War comes to town. Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man and Arachne (Spider-Woman II) are brought together to hunt down unregistered heroes and Shroud and Arana are tops at the list. Very good read as CW made this a very good issue. 3.5.
Martian Manhunter #1: Very good opening story with Martian Manhunter discovering shocking secrets. The story is building quite nicely. 3.
Beyond! #2: Secret Wars Lite continues, as a major character returns at the end. Boring story thus far and very predictable. 2.
Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files #1: Marvel Handbook style look at the major players of Annihilation. Nice background info but it doesn’t take away from the story if you don’t get it. 2.
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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