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It’s another really crowded week for me. The floors are still getting done and now I am relegated to the basement with only the computer and TV connected down here for enjoyment. It’s tough to go from a three-bedroom house to a crowded basement full of furniture from the top floors and not much room to maneuver. Luckily I have space to read and write and it is from the basement that this edition was written. So this week has some good representation. Dynamite tosses in an issue, DC threw in eight (including Wednesday Comics) and Marvel pitched in twelve and for you math-inept out there, that adds up to 21 comics.
Spoiler Alert
Marvel
-Amazing Spider-Man #603- Peter was captured by the Chameleon last issue and has been impersonating him. It is amazing what one can learn about a person by the friends he keeps and how incredibly Chameleon nailed the essence of Peter Parker. He gets a bit of revenge on Flash, calling him puny, setting up relationships with Mary-Jane and Vin’s sister and sort of ruins his life (of course). He summarizes that Peter’s life is worthless based on his personal life but forgets one fact, that Peter is Spider-Man and it is the web that has saved him from the acid bath he was going to take. Peter has to get up quickly because Chameleon is about to kill Harry and he’s about to do it in his Peter Parker guise. I really like this evil interpretation of Chameleon and not just a corny villain with different masks. It’s really going back to his spy background. 1/1.
-Daredevil #500- It’s another anniversary issue for Marvel this year. How ironic that on their 70th anniversary they were able to celebrate the 500th issue of Cap, Daredevil and Hulk, as well as the 600th issues of Spider-Man and Thor. Of them all, only Spidey and Daredevil can be really counted up to that milestone issue. DD is easy, he had 380 issues in Volume 1 and #500 was going to be #120 of the second volume so it all adds up. DD #500 was the most subdued of all the anniversary issues. We have the extra-long conclusion to Return of the King which sees DD blow up Kingpin’s plans by saving Foggy (thanks to Black Tarantula working on the inside with Izo) and taking over Hand while disposing of Kingpin and crippling the Owl. It is definitely a new direction for DD. There’s a story called 3 Jacks about DD being saved by two young kids which was a nice tale. There’s a cover gallery and a reprint of DD #191. It didn’t seem like they went all out with this like with Spidey or Cap. Hell, both had Lee and Simon. They couldn’t even get Frank Miller or Stan Lee on here! The conclusion to Return of the King was awesome and I don’t hear people talking about DD a lot right now and that’s a shame since the momentum from Bendis’ run has certainly carried onto Brubaker’s run. 2/2.
-Dark Reign: The Hood #4- The Hood has been a great DR tie-in not because it deals with Dark Reign but because it focuses on the enigmatic Hood. Here he tries to purge the demon of Dormammu and is using his ill-found wealth to help out his family. A villain with a heart. Unfortunately for him, White Fang knows his family exists and will be using that to get to Hood. I really enjoy how the Hood is being presented here. 3/3.
-Dark Reign: Mr. Negative #3- Spider-Man breaks free of Negative’s grip as the showdown between Hood and Negative are put to an end by Norman, who has started a partnership with Negative. The big surprise here is that Negative is not really Martin Li but an identity he must’ve stolen while being a slave-runner. This is another Dark Reign run-in that focuses on the character that just happens to take place under the Dark Reign banner. Since it focuses on another enigmatic character and we learn more about him it is well worth the price of admission. 4/4.
-Deadpool: Suicide Kings #5- The witty merc with a mouth is able to defeat the Wrecking Crew and Tombstone and gets Tomby to admit that Deadpool did not blow up that building. It was another fun arc for Deadpool and this is the new Wolverine of the Marvel Universe as he’s getting yet another solo title. I love how DP always breaks the third wall with his monologues and it’s just a really fun comic book to read. 5/5.
-GeNext United #4- The GeNext kids have been dispersed into other bodies and minds. We see their new lives (which eats up most of the comic) until Gambit finds Oli who in turn finds the rest of the mutants. They are still in their new bodies and head out to save Beast and Sati. I thought the look into the new lives of GeNext (almost getting the life they want) was a nice change of pace. 6/6.
-Mighty Avengers #28- There’s a couple of things going on here. First is the Unspoken one (an Inhuman) and how he wants to go back to the Inhumans and took out the Chinese super-heroes in the process. Scarlet Witch is discovered by Cassie who gets her friends, the Young Avengers, to battle the evil Loki. Luckily for them they have been followed by Ronin. Pym is off on some other side-project, too. I think this book has really come into its own. The Unspoken one is a villain that is both a) cool and b) original in that it fits conceivably into the Inhumans story. They have another villain in the wings with Loki and a good cast of heroes that have enough personality to keep the book going when there is no conflict. 7/7.
-Punisher: Noir #1- The Punisher story is very simple (wife and kids cut down in front of him and he now swears vengeance) and it works anywhere. Look at this, Frank is still a war veteran (of WWI now) and he runs afoul of mobsters when he doesn’t pay them for protection. His wife is already dead but his son is alive and you know he won’t stay alive for long. It’s an interpretation that may seem predictable but it really captures the essence of the Punisher character perfectly and I would like to see how it develops. 8/8.
-Stand: American Nightmares #5- The Stand continues moving forward with our main characters going through an array of experiences. Nick Andros has a dream about Flagg and how he is saved by Mother Abigail. Underwood finds out that Rita has OD’ed and she’s dead now. He takes out on his own. Stu runs into Frannie and Harold and immediately falls for Frannie. It is a very slow pace but that’s what happens when you break a novel up into 5-issue arcs. The art was beautiful here. 9/9.
-Wolverine: Weapon X #4- Wolvie heads out after the man who runs this Weapon X off-shoot and with the help of Maverick he is able to find him. He takes out one of the super-powered Weapon X soldiers as Maverick falls to one of the other ones. There is just a fabulous double-page spread with Wolverine fighting that soldier that makes this a great action book. The story is serviceable but I don’t think I’ll be sticking with this one after this arc is over. 10/10.
-X-Factor #47- Is there any book more awesome on the stands than X-Factor? No, there isn’t. In the future we see Jamie and Layla hiding a delusional Doom while the present time is really heating up. Longshot defeats the character that is controlling Monet and she’s pissed. I think we’re all shocked to see that this character is really Madrox and he is in the past to kill Lenore to make sure that Ruby Summers is never born. This book is funny and it is also incredibly intelligent. The letters column was also awesome, including a guy complaining about the kiss of Shatterstar and Rictor and David’s incredibly intelligent replay as well as a safe socks joke. 11/11.
-X-Men: Legacy #227- Rogue, Gambit and Danger save the mutant Trance from Hammer agents and later Ms. Marvel. They return home and Cyclops promises the X-Men will retaliate against Norman. This was a decent Utopia tie-in featuring a Rogue/Ms. Marvel conflict. 12/12.
DC
-Batgirl #1- We meet the new Batgirl and it is none other than Stephanie Brown. She’s taken over the reigns after Cassandra has left following Bruce’s death. Batman and Robin know she’s not the real Batgirl but don’t know who it is under the cowl yet. Barbara Gordon finds out and wants a chat with Steph. I guess it makes sense to have Stephanie as the newest Batgirl and this was a serviceable introductory issue, complete with some personal conflict (Steph told her mother she won’t be a super-hero anymore) and it looks like a good supporting cast (Barbara Gordon). 1/1.
-Blackest Night: Superman #1- Blackest Night gets even cooler as the death rings find Superman of Earth-2 and Lois Lane. E2 Superman decimates Smallville, battles Superman and Superboy (can they call him that anymore?) and kidnaps Ma Kent. Another awesome Blackest Night tie-in as the villains keep on piling on and our heroes are in for a real fight. 2/2.
-Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #4- Dance continues its solid showing. The group has been disbanded but Most Sexy Bat uncovers that something is happening in Japan and all their very public happenings (including their break-up) has been orchestrated by a panel of wealthy people who are now dead and burnt to a crisp. Most Sexy Bat needs to get the team back together to save Japan from the same threat that burnt the panel to a crisp. This is a really witty, different group of heroes and it’s been enjoyable. I thought that these guys weren’t used too well in Final Crisis but have been really developed here. 3/3.
-Justice League of America #36- The Royal Flush Gang (some of the lower cards) are stopped by the JLA but before they can talk are killed by the Ace of Spades, Amos Fortune. We see the origin of Amos (typical bad kid who ended up in the mob and then led his own group) and we see his expansion through the country. The JLA end the issue with having to split up and deal with three separate attacks. Divide and Conquer I guess. The Royal Flush Gang is made to be a little bit better as a nationwide gang instead of a stand-alone walkover villain group. 4/4.
-Red Circle: The Web #1- The Web is an interesting hero who was heir to a ton of money and decided to be good, like his brother. He opens a website and takes offers there for people who need saving. He finds out that his brother is actually in dept but he finds out too late and he’s killed. So Web decides to help people who can’t even turn to their families for help. This was a great intro to the Web and his backstory was just incredible. It was so well told in only 20 pages that you know everything about this guy and what makes his character tick. The best of the Red Circle tie-ins so far. 5/5.
-Superman Annual #14- Superman Annual doesn’t focus on Superman but on the guy who is now featured in his pages, Mon-El. It’s a good origin, showing how the Kryptonians came to Daxam and mingled with the Daxamites. They traveled, too, before a civil war ended it. It seems that Mon-El may be an off-shoot of a woman who one traveled to Earth and had relations with some of the Mayans and how Mon-El first came to Earth. It adds depth to Mon-El and what more can you ask for from an Annual that usually are stand-alone issues. 6/6.
-Superman/Batman #63- This was a really groovy Elseworlds type story where Grodd has taken over Earth and killed all the heroes except Batman (hiding underneath the tunnels of Gotham) and Superman (who has fled to space when Grodd changed the atmosphere to Kryptonite). It’s a single issue so it all ends with Supes coming back thanks to an antidote from Bruce and putting an end to Grodd. It’s a fun what-if type story and I always appreciate those. 7/7.
Dynamite
-Project Superpowers: Meet The Bad Guys #1- This is a cool tie-in to Volume 2 that introduces us to some super-villains in the Project Superpowers Universe. The first up is Bloodlust, the daughter of Tsarong, the deceased man-servant to Green Lama. She takes her frustrations out on a group of his followers but Green Lama defeats Bloodlust (who is able to draw blood on the supernatural Lama) and sacrifices himself to resurrect the followers. Like any ecosystem, Lama is reborn. This is a thoroughly enjoyable issue and so far all that Ross has reimagined with these lost heroes has been a lot of fun to read. 1/1.
Awards
-Book of the Week- Daredevil #500 was a great ending to an ongoing arc. The delay was annoying but that doesn’t take away from the epic feel of how this whole arc concluded. This was my favorite book of the week by far.
-Disappointment of the Week- I have to say that there were no books bad enough this week to lose a point so
-Cover of the Week- Marco Djurdjevic’s cover to Daredevil was just amazing and I loved how it combined the current threats to DD with some of his more classic rivals. It was just a beautiful cover.
-The Bottom Line- Well another week has come and gone and another week I am posting this close to midnight. Life is busy but I will always make time for my books! This week was fun, especially with the Daredevil anniversary issue and oddly enough this is the first time DD picked up a book of the week or cover of the week award. Let’s hope that new writer Andy Diggle can pick up where Bru left off.
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