ROUND FOUR: Comics for April 21, 2011

Ok, again with the late reviews. I won't presume to promise that this'll be the last time. Since these are reviews for last week's comics and I've already started reading this week's comics I'm going to resort to the old one (or more)-sentence trick. Oh yeah. That's how we're gonna party today. Get excited.

Everybody knows that everything in the world ever is a competition, so every week the publishers of the comics I read will be fighting for ultimate supremacy; hence "DC versus Marvel". I'm not limiting contestants to only DC and Marvel; I just shortened it for the sake of a catchier blog title. Books will be ranked from -1 to +1 which will add to or subtract from each publisher's overall score. Two +2 scores will be given per week for "Best Comic" of the week and "My Favorite Comic" of the week. I hope it never comes to this (because I don't usually like to buy bad comics), but if a book is just super terrible I may give a score of -2. When all scores are added up I will declare a winner and all other publishers will be killed. Thankfully, this is comics so nobody ever stays dead and we'll start right back over next week.

So here's what I picked up:
Deadpool Max #7
Fables #104
Generation Hope #6
Invincible #79
Power Girl #23
The Sixth Gun #11
Supergirl #63
Superman/Batman #83
Uncanny X-Force #8
X-Factor #218
Zatanna #12

I didn't read Generation Hope #6 or Superman/Batman #83 because I'm not caught up with either series. Don't you judge me.

Without further ado, because I'm tired and I want to read more before I have to go to bed............. FIGHT!!!

Zatanna #12 was almost My Favorite Comic Book of the week because it was smart and fun; pretty much exactly what a comic book about a Las Vegas magician who is also a super hero should be.

SCORE: +1

This week I finished reading Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle's run on Supergirl and was floored by how good it is despite being hobbled by event after event to tie into and I found myself wondering how good it could have been without being tied down. This week I found my answer: It could have been this good.

SCORE: +1

I read a review for this issue, in which the reviewer had an issue with a "poorly timed joke" made by Dupli-Kate, whereas I thought the joke fit the character quite well and broke the tension in what would have been an overly-emotional-in-a-bad-way-moment.

SCORE: +1

X-Factor is the black sheep of the X-Family tree and that's been something that has worked in the book's favor for pretty much the entire series since it means that literally ANYTHING can happen, which it does, and then it doesn't, but then you're left wondering why and how and who and what and that is exactly why I love it.

SCORE: +1

The Sixth Gun is almost always going to be The Best Comic Book of the week every time it comes out, but this week is the exception that makes the rule. Not because it wasn't amazing (it was) but because the winner of Best Comic Book of the week cheated a little bit (more on this later).

SCORE: +1

I read a review of this issue in which the reviewer took umbrage at the lack of violence. To that I say crazy is still crazy whether it's violent or not and Kyle Baker art is still Kyle Baker art and David Lapham scripts are still David Lapham scripts and Deadpool Max is still the sum of all of its parts, which when you look at its parts is quite a large sum.

SCORE: +1

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you have to explain why a joke is funny then it's not funny"? That's how I feel about this arc of Fables. The thing is, however, it's still Fables (which is a good thing) and the subplot (which I really hope comes to the fore soon) involving the many generations of Bigby's family promises to be AMAZING.

SCORE: +1

My Favorite Comic Book of the week is Power Girl #23 because any comic book that guest stars Superman, Zatanna, a velociraptor dressed as Paul Bunyan and Wexter the Tyrannosaurus Rex with gatling guns for arms from the Axe Cop comic will always be my favorite comic book of the week. Every time.

SCORE: +2

I have more than one sentence worth of things to write about Uncanny X-Force #8. There was no doubt in my mind after reading this that it would be anything other than the Best Comic Book of the week. It almost took the award for My Favorite Comic Book of the week, too. Seriously, guys, whatever you're doing that is keeping you from reading this series, stop it. Right now. Stop. Read this. Also, this book cheated. Issue #7 came out last week and I got confused and reviewed #8 instead of #7. So this week I'm going to review #7. Here it is: It's awesome.

SCORE: +2

That was so easy, you guys. It took like no time at all. I may get back on track after all. It didn't hurt that I bought nothing but amazing comics this week. Do me a favor and check out my homeboy Luke's webcomic Social Fist because, not only will I be posting reviews there, but he's a stand up guy and his comic is kind of awesome, too. Ok, let's see who lives and who dies this week...

DC: 4

Marvel: 4

Image: 1

Vertigo:1

Oni Press: 1

Oh man. We have a tie. Two survivors this week, but only two as Marvel and DC barely escaped the Sugar Man's mine in time to see the immovable door shut on the others and trap them with a horde of savage and hostile attackers. So sad. Thank goodness it's an alternate universe! Thanks for reading, everyone!