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As I was going through the titles last week to look ahead, I completely forgot a major debut coming out this week, Justice League of America #1. Oops. I was surprised when I checked the shipping list this Monday and saw it on there. I enjoyed Identity Crisis and I look forward to Meltzer’s next DC book. Overall, another modest week. I picked up 14 books this week and the 5 Wednesday’s in August helped prevent TPL from getting too big this month. Also, the lack of Civil War tie-ins for the foreseeable future should help going into September. So this week I have 14 books to review with 9 of them being DC books and only 5 Marvels. The Civil War delays are apparent already. So on we go with this week’s TPL.
---Start Spoiler Warning---
This week will start off with the most anticipated release for August, Brad Meltzer’s next work with DC and a new relaunch. It can only be Justice League of America #1. We get two covers this week that when combined makes one cover. It is loaded with past and potential JLA’ers. The story starts with Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman debating and voting on who should be in this new JLA. While they discuss, we cut into different stories focusing on different characters. The first and most prominently focused on character is Red Tornado. He is still just a soulless robotic shell and his wife is not leaving his side until he comes back. She makes some mean remarks to Doctor Magnus, who is housing Red Tornado, about his robot toys and Platinum is there trying to understand Kathy Sutton’s emotions. Red Tornado’s soul is actually with Deadman and Red Tornado decides to inhabit a spare duplicate of Multiplex. He does it but after he leaves we see a shadowy figure that was impersonating Deadman. There are other stories showing Green Lantern buddying up with Arsenal (Green Arrow’s son), Black Lightning in Metropolis working as a mole in Luthor’s corporation, Vixen being led to an abandoned bar, Green Arrow not being asked back to the League and his son going instead, Platinum and Gold getting beheaded and Red Tornado’s shell being stolen, and finally concluding with Red Tornado in his new body coming back to his wife and kid. This was actually a very good build-up and an excellent debut issue. There are many plot line dangling waiting to be resolved in the future and count me on board for this run. Of course, we don’t know who all is in the JLA yet, but we will learn in time. Meltzer is showing how good of a writer he is by keeping things interesting and moving and leading towards the next issue. There are even a couple of pages of his new book included. I skimmed through it and it seemed pretty interesting. This was an excellent debut, much better than Wonder Woman and as long as Meltzer keeps his writing sharp, I’m on board.
There were some people feature in Justice League of America who appeared in other titles this month. Black Canary picked up Arsenal with Green Lantern and Black Canary is a part of the Birds of Prey, which also dropped this week. Birds of Prey #97 featured the Birds battling Talia Al Ghul, Cheetah and Faust as that evil trio is trying to lure Black Alice into their possession. The Birds of course try to help but Alice is pissed about the whole thing. Even worse is when Faust brings back Alice’s dead mother. That pushes her over the edge, realizing they took away the eternal peace her mother had. She basically whisk’s everyone away from her, to the county line, and steals Faust’s power. She tells the Birds not to come back. This was a very well written story, which isn’t unusual for Gail on this book, as we take a look into what Black Alice is thinking and that she really is just a young girl at heart. I hope that one day she will join the BoP. I don’t know what will happen to Black Canary since she’s on the JLA but I’m sure they will recover. They also spoke about the new Batwoman. They actually refer to her as the old one since she had red-hair and all and it should be interesting how this new Batwoman interacts with Barbara. Another prominent member of the JLA is Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman #2 will be our next focus. We look at Diana Prince, who is now a secret agent, refusing to become Wonder Woman in order to save Donna Troy (who is captured by Giganta, Dr. Psycho, and The Cheetah). They want the real Wonder Woman. Cassie (Wonder Girl) is there helping and is pissed to learn that Robin knew that Diana didn’t disappear. Cassie hasn’t seen her in over a year and just flies out in anger and tries to save Donna herself. She almost defeats Giganta but Dr. Psycho takes her out using his telepathy to create a Superboy image. Diana has decided she had enough and almost transforms when Hercules stops by saying its time for a man to do the job. This was a bit of a letdown from the first issue and there were some art choices that bugged me. The one thing that annoyed me was Robin’s eyes being seen through the mask instead of the usual white. It just seemed odd. One cool thing was having Giganta wear Donna Troy as a necklace. I wonder where this title is headed since the same week as this came out, JLA came out and it was pretty clear Diana was Wonder Woman. I don’t know if that will tell us how the story ends but I hope its good the rest of the way. Still, a bit of a disappointment considering the first issue.
One person who was considered but turned down for the JSA was Supergirl and she appeared in two books this week. Supergirl #9 featured Kara talking about recent events that happened between last issue and this (leaving Kandor, “breaking up” with Powergirl, reminiscing with Wonder Girl, visiting the Kents, and selling something to Batman that rewrites genetic code). She is also hanging out with Boomerang telling him these things and finally going home to talk to Cassie. This was actually a decent issue after the last few issues were kind of dull. We see Supergirl just hanging around and seeing what has gone on. It shows that she is alone in this world and how lonely she feels. I don’t know if it will start a relationship with Supergirl and Boomerang but hopefully this will start Supergirl on a good arc and keep on schedule. She was also in Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #21. She was added on just for sales (I believe) and I’ve only been reading this title since she was added on. I have enjoyed it and Waid has done a brilliant job bringing people up to date and telling us who these characters are. The story hardly has any Supergirl in it (she still thinks what she’s going through is a dream) and focuses on Colossal Boy questioning prisoners from Big City who attacked the small people and he is actually attacked and the prisoners are freed. Colossal Boy is beat up as well. Brainiac 5 is also trying to revive Dream Girl. He tries but Dream Girl disappears. When Element Lad tells him all hope is lost, Brainiac 5 gets pissed and chokes him! He comes to his senses when a voice tells him to stop. He later dreams of Dream Girl talking to him. Finally, there will be a vote to find the leader of the Legion. This was another pretty good issue. I like how they’ve used Supergirl to get people to buy the title and slowly introduce all the characters and the plot lines going on. This has been a very good title since I’ve picked it up and I will continue to do so.
Getting away from DC for a bit, let’s focus on the Ultimate Universe in Marvel, shall we? First off, there is Ultimate Spider-Man #99. This is the 3rd part of the Clone Saga and we are floored right away when we see Gwen Stacy at Peter’s old home! She is obviously a clone but doesn’t know it. Peter freaks when Aunt May finds out and I am shocked when Peter tells her he is Spider-Man. She is none to pleased and actually throws him out! Even more shocking, Peter’s father, Richard, shows up! The hits keep on coming when Mary-Jane is imprisoned by a deformed Parker clone and he wants to make Mary-Jane into a Spider-Woman and the FF call Col. Fury about the Scorpion Parker clone. Fury doesn’t seem too shocked by the clone and calls for the Spider Slayers to be deployed in full force. The great thing about this book is it is making me forget about the original Spider-Clone saga. This has been amazing writing by Bendis and I don’t think I have been so shocked reading a book. I didn’t see Parker telling Aunt May he was Spider-Man he was coming from a mile away. And then Richard Parker shows up. This has been great writing and Ultimate Spider-Man shows why it is the best Ultimate title on the stands, as well as the best Spider-Man title in general. Perfect writing, the story has been superb so far and I eagerly await next issue, the titles landmark 100th issue. There was also Ultimates Annual #2, which was not as good as USM. Basically it is a Captain America and Falcon team-up story where they battle a foe named Arnim Zola who somehow uses ghost soldiers to do his bidding. The story cuts between Cap meeting him in WW2, and him and Falcon battling a current version of Arnim. Apparently, the US Government has kept his brain alive to design weapons for them. Cap and Falcon win in the end and help clean up. This was an interesting self-contained story that fit into the current Ultimates continuity (with the destruction of the US and all) and shows how out of place Cap is in regards to current racial relations in the US. There was an interesting conversation between Cap and Falcon about it. The story kind of jumped around too much for my liking and it was a bit confusing in going from Cap and Falcon fighting the current Zola. Still, it was a decent read.
We’ll head from the Ultimate Universe to the 616 Universe and there’s a little something called The Civil War going on. There were three Civil War books that were released this week the first one I read was New Avengers #23. The last two issues have focused on a specific member of the New Avengers and their stand on the Civil War. We saw Captain America and Luke Cage already (both were anti) and this issue showcases Spider-Woman. Basically, she is ambushed by SHIELD and taken captive. Iron Man ratted to SHIELD about her triple agent status. All seems lost when Hydra comes and busts her loose. Hydra makes the case for her to become the head of Hydra. Jessica says no, blows up the base and goes in search of Nick Fury. She doesn’t find him but finds Cap hiding in one of his bunkers and asks to join the anti. This was a very good character study of Jessica Drew and the best of the 3 New Avengers Civil War books. Jessica is put through the emotional ringer and we see what a prick Iron Man is for ratting her out. She is absolutely devastated by the time she finds Cap and is really reaching out for help. This was the best written and the best drawn as well. Olivier Coipel did a fantastic job on this and this is a must-read for any Spider-Woman fan. Next up is another New Avenger in his own solo title. Yes, the next issue is Wolverine #45. Wolvie has been confusing as of late since he regenerated a whole new body after being incinerated, yet this issue when he tussles with Namor he is knocked out cold for a while by a single punch. Anyway, Wolvie is pissed that Namor shows up and kidnapped Nitro. Wolvie wants revenge and the name of the person who gave Nitro MGH but Namor is upset over his cousin, Namorita, dying. Namor takes Nitro after defeating Wolvie so Wolvie goes to Iron Man for help. Wolvie just wants the name and borrows an Iron Man suit to go to Atlantis. See, Wolverine gave his word he would spare Nitro if he got the name of the MGH supplier and Namor calls Wolvie arrogant for wanting to keep his word saying it is hypocritical. It was actually a valid point. So Wolvie goes to Nitro but Nitro kills an Atlantean that was questioning him. So Wolvie cuts off one of Nitro’s hands then leaves Nitro to the Atlanteans. He leaves without the name but Namor shows up at a bar to tell Wolvie they had a name that the questioner had told his wife before he died. It was Walter Declun, the CEO of Damage Control Inc. Wolverine continues to sputter along in the middle of the Civil War as the art is way to cartoony for what should be a serious title, and some of the writing doesn’t make sense. I have never seen Wolverine asking for so much help and being so odd and humorous in my years reading. Still, there is a lot of important info relevant to Civil War included. Finally, there is Heroes for Hire #1. This was a good set-up issue telling us who these people are and what they do. The team includes Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Humbug, Tarantula, Shang-Chi, Black Cat, Paladin and Orka. They basically take out the bad guys who haven’t registered through any means necessary and we see a nice scene of Colleen and Misty talking to Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man and Spider-Man about the Registration Act. They will only go after the bad guys and they will have Stark’s resources at their disposal and they can hand-pick their team. This was quite a good issue and if you’ve read Daughters of the Dragon (which was pretty decent) you’ll love it but even so, you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this. It is nice to see Billy Tucci back in the mainstream. This title may be overlooked due to the CW delays and no hype but pick it up for some good wholesome action.
With Marvel out of the way, let’s go back to DC and their weekly juggernaut, 52 Week Sixteen. Quite simply, this focuses entirely on the wedding of Black Adam and Isis. They prepare to wed as Question and Montoya learn there is a suicide bomber who wants to explode on their wedding. So the big day comes, Black Adam, Isis, Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel are there for the wedding. Aldo finds the bomber and is shocked it is just a young girl. She is too far away to tackle her so the only option she has is to shoot her and kill her. She is very saddened by this. The wedding goes off without a hitch. Finally, Starfire, Animal Man and Adam Strange escape the planet they were stranded on. There was an origin of Black Adam as well. One of the best things about 52 is the wide array of characters used and the different stories told every week. This week it seemed like a drag since it was all with Black Adam and the wedding. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. It just felt entirely average the whole time I was reading it. 52 took a step back from last week.
There are only three DC titles left. Blue Beetle #6 featured Jaime looking for a friend (Probe) of a gang of metas. She is apparently in a La Dama compound that houses many metas. They break in, get caught, and a battle ensues. It seems this compound had been shielded to magic but since Jaime flew one out of the compound, they are discovered. The leader of La Dama shows up, and Blue Beetle learns it is the aunt of his friend! She says that the Probe is there of her own free will. In the end, Blue Beetle and the La Dama leader make a deal that she won’t tell anyone his identity if he stays out of her business. The big shocker is dropped at the end when Blue Beetle learns that the scarab is not magic, its alien. This story arc has seen a decline in quality since issue #3. Hopefully this La Dama stuff will take a break while we learn what happened during Infinity Crisis to the Blue Beetle and why he was gone for a year. Another dud issue was Hawkgirl #55. Basically, the monster that has plagued Hawkgirl escaped and used an old Hawkman to attack Hawkgirl. That monster killed some cops and fought Hawkgirl using other people’s bodies. We get to see Kendra in her underwear again, though! Some mystery man was tracking Hawkgirl, too. This is the story that just won’t end. It features a pretty pathetic villain, a poorly written story with inane plot twists and the return of Hawkman, which was not done well, and if it was for shock value then they messed that up, too. Chaykin’s art is an acquired taste and though its gritty enough for this title, I don’t know how often Kendra will be drawn in her unmentionables. This arc concludes with the next issue and I don’t know how much longer I will keep it. You never want to end on a bad note so that leaves us with Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #3. Bart Allen runs to Star Labs to save Val Perez when he heard something explode over the phone. He wore Barry Allen’s old suit to do it as well. He still doesn’t want to be the Flash, though. Meanwhile, Bart’s roommate, has decided to become a superhero named The Griffin. He gained great strength in the explosion at his job in issue #1. He meets with pretty bad response when Jay Garrick has to assist on his first night out as a superhero. Griffin does find out who caused the explosion at Keystone Motors when he eavesdrops on a conversation between Bart and Jay. Valerie Perez, the woman who Bart saved, has her job in jeopardy when we find out her father was Atom Smasher, an old foe of the Flash. We also learn why Val is obsessed with Bart, he had saved her when he was Kid Flash. In the end, Griffin tries to take out Keystone’s CEO on a yacht Jay Garrick is on, with a torpedo heading towards it. This arc has been pretty good since it started, with Bart not wanting to be the Flash but seems to be falling into it. I like the new Flash and I like where the title is going.
---End Spoiler Warning---
This was actually a pretty good week for both company’s. Besides Hawkgirl there wasn’t a bad issue in the bunch. That title knocked DC down a lot but it still pulled through with a 3.05 average this week, with an overall average of 2.94. For what it’s worth, without Hawkgirl, both numbers would increase to 3.31 and 2.97 respectively. Marvel clocked in with a 3.5 weekly average and an overall average of 3.29. It’s tough to decide which book will win Book of the Week since there was some stiff competition at the top between Justice League of America #1 and Ultimate Spider-Man #99. In the end, Ultimate Spider-Man #99 provided the shocks needed to secure Book of the Week. Justice League of America shouldn’t feel too bad as it (and both of its covers) win Cover of the Week. Looking ahead to next week it looks to be pretty good. There are a few Civil War related books coming out (hopefully) including Young Avengers / Runaways and Mythos Hulk is out too. It looks to be a super week for DC as Action Comics, All-Star Superman and Superman/Batman are scheduled to drop. Check in next week to see how things went. I will also have a few days to read some recent Uncanny X-Men so I may post some quickies on Tuesday and Wednesday before I start TPL for next week.
Quick Hits (in reading order):
Justice League of America #1: Who will be voted into the new JLA? What is the status of the Red Tornado? Pick up this book and find the answers to these questions. Excellent debut as Meltzer writes some great characters and opens up some interesting plots. 5.
Ultimate Spider-Man #99: You’ll be shocked by the startling revelations in this issue. How will it affect Peter Parker when he learns someone he thought was dead was actually alive? Must-read issue and best of the Clone Saga to date. 5.
Ultimates Annual #2: Captain America and Falcon team up to fight a foe from Captain America’s past. Decent enough stand alone buddy issue, though it got confusing at times. 3.
52 Week Sixteen: Black Adam and Isis get married as Montoya and Question try to prevent a suicide bomber. This issue focused entirely on Black Adam so if that’s you’re cup of tea you’ll jump on it. I thought it was average at best. 2.5
New Avengers #23: Where does Spider-Woman stand on the Civil War? How will she react when one of her teammates betrays her? Very good read that focuses on Spider-Woman in the midst of the Civil War. 4.
Wolverine #45: Wolverine fights Namor in a battle to decide who will keep Nitro. The art was too cartoony for a serious title and the writing has not been up to par on this arc. Still important Civil War details are told. Check it out in the TPB if anything. 2.
Birds of Prey #97: The Birds battle evil Society members over Black Alice. How will the powerful Black Alice react? Very good read and with Batwoman on the way, look for this title to get better. 3.5.
Wonder Woman #2: Diana has to decide if she wants to become Wonder Woman again to save Donna Troy. A surprise character stops by at the end though. Bit of a drop-off from the debut issue and hopefully JLA doesn’t reveal the ending too soon of this initial arc. 3.
Heroes For Hire #1: A team of heroes are paid by the government to round up criminals not registered in the Registration Act. The 21st Century version of Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Very enjoyable and a sleeper hit to come out of Civil War. 3.5.
Blue Beetle #6: Blue Beetles helps find a meta named Probe who was kidnapped by La Dama. When they find her they will be in for one shock after another. A boring, complicated story doesn’t help but the reveal at the end should lead to a few good issues to come. 2.
Supergirl #9: Supergirl confides in a mystery man about recent events and what happened on Kandor. A nice look into the life of Supergirl and how she is coping with events in her life. 3.5.
Flash: Fastest Man Alive #3: Bart’s roommate becomes a super-hero named the Griffin and wants to take out the person responsible for the Keystone Motor’s attack. Bart still doesn’t want to be the Flash. Very good issue that is building up the next issue perfectly. 3.5.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #21: Brainiac 5 tries to revive Dream Girl while Colossal Boy deals with the giants who attacked last issue. Another good issue by Waid who continues to impress on this title. 3.5.
Hawkgirl #55: The same monster from the past few issues attacks Kendra. She is seen in her underwear again this issue. Another yawner featuring poor writing, a poor villain, and the ending of last issue wasn’t paid off well at all. 1.
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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