Round 23: Comics For August 3, 2011 - 10th Issue Special

Guess who had to deal with Batman filming traffic to get these comics? Sort of me! But first, let's get to the comics!


Avengers Academy #17
The Academy is sent home after their first battle is over with more psychological battle scars than physical. Veil and Mettle end up going through some personal therapy to deal with killing people, despite being Nazis while Reptil, Finesse and Striker discuss death. Meanwhile Titania and The Absorbing Man (powered by Hammers!) escape from the Antarctic breaking through into the Academy, ready to give Pym payback - through his students.
Gage continues to write incredibly well thought out and fleshed out characters and the book does a really good job tying in the Fear Itself and the worries that the students have about becoming evil.
+2 - Best Comic


Daredevil #1
I've not read Daredevil before and then I heard a lot of good things about this new start and decided to give it a shot. Daredevil is this character with a large history that is really affecting his life in the series but in depth knowledge is not needed. Matt Murdoch isn't struggling as much as he is being bothered by the fact that most people "believe" they know he is Daredevil no matter how much he denies it and when this causes him to get kicked off a case no one else would take, he decides he needs to find out why no one else would take it. There is also a solid back up story about Murdoch and how he sees the world and both stories are beautifully illustrated. Try it out!
+1


Dungeons and Dragons #9
The group makes a pact with the local elf lord to retrieve a powerful artifact so the elves can remove the threats to their kingdom and the party can go back to their world. This issue is Fomorians (not the ant guys), giant magical giants with a giant magical madness inducing eye. And a castle of driders (drow+spiders) and the fact that something killed all the spiders. Snappy dialogue made this a solidly fun issue.
+1




Flashpoint #4
Oh Flashpoint, you like wantonly killing people with really muddled action and confusing character choices. Element Woman who is insane for reasons not explained joins the Flash, Batman and Cyborg as they try to recruit Shazam/Captain Marvel who is controlled by a team of kids. The issue is that the kids don't all want to go. Also Hal Jordan dies. When the team finally reaches the battle Reverse Flash seemingly knocks out or kills everyone and meeeeeeeh. It isn't bad or anything but it isn't fun either.
+0



Herc #6
Last time Herc was turned into stone to be snuck in to fight Kyknos before he could resurrect Ares with help from Hectate. The problem is Kyknos was really angry that his father wouldn't be able to kill Herc so he distracts himself with some more chaos before Herc gets cured and lays the beatdown by transferring the powers of Kyknos' worshippers to his new teammates Basilisk, Man-Bull and Griffin. Then Herc wins the day and conquers all of the fears. Ever.
+1



Hero Comics 2011
Got this out to support comic artists and for some of the big things - Gaiman reuniting with his Sandman team, a Chew mini comic and more.
the Gaiman piece was too text-y for me and I was expecting more of a classic comic so I will not lie and I will say I skipped to the piece after.
The Chew piece showed what happens when Tony Chu the cibopath (meaning he sees the life of what he eats) takes drugs and it is insane and fun and ends up explaining what happens if he vomits as well. DARE to resist drugs kids!
The third multi-page piece is sort of an illustrated conversation between Gaiman and the other creators which isn't bad if you enjoy reading conversations (though in this case I found it rather dull but that may be due more to me wanting to read more explosions.
The fourth Elephantman piece really didn't for much for me either since it didn't tell a story as much as do a memorial and for a comic that could be drawing in new readers like Chew did it wasn't the best thing in my opinion.
In between stories are page long strips by beneficiaries of the money from Hero Initiative and that support (and the Chew Comic) made buying this worthwhile!
+1


Heroes For Hire #10
The Shroud and Elektra face the Purple Man's army of prisoners while Gargoyle and Paladin do damage control over on Yancy Street and Misty Knight sees the same damage on Earth. Eventually Shroud is able to black out the room long enough for him and Elektra to defeat the criminals... only for Purple Man to take control. Meanwhile the drug-changed chemist from the last issue has become able to turn into people's fears defeating Gargoyle and Paladin single-handedly. It's time for Misty Knight to hit the streets again!
+1


Hulk #38
The Thing! The Red Hulk! M.O.D.O.K.! Zero/One and The Black Fog! 4 teams! Only one enemy. When M.O.D.O.K. stops Black Fog from killing the Hulk after the Thing (brought to you by FEAR!) M.O.D.O.K. and Zero/One meet up to discuss that if the Nazis win, they won't be able to rule the world with brain power so M.O.D.O.K. and Zero/One form an alliance to kill some Nazis while Hulk is smashed away. A lot of fun, eye pleasing, brain pleasing. Hell, it is like Jeff Parker is writing this comic specifically for me.
+1


Moon Knight #4
Moon Knight improves slightly in this issue though it does have an incredibly clunky action scene. As Echo tries to find out who Moon Knight is/was/will be by contacting the New Avengers, she finds that nobody really knows. The two (Moon Knight and Echo) meet up as civilians only to be accosted and threatened by the Night Shift. The battle itself is really clunky with what seems like half of the panels of the panels missing and everything being really herky-jerky. The art is solid, it is just the battle is incomprehensible as far as the flow goes. It is getting better, just very slowly.
+0


Superman #714
Last issue an unknown woman had kidnapped and threatened Lois. This issue after hiding Lois, he discovered the woman had been infected with Superman' doubts and fears as well as his powers. Superman, after realizing he was wrong about there not needing to be a Superman, destroyed the infection she'd had by showing her the hope he had and the belief in Truth, Justice and The American Way and in the end, her being saved by Superman led to her saving Superman in return. This is Superman at his best.
+2 - Favorite Comic


Thunderbolts #161
As the Thunderbolts deal with the fallout of a Juggernaut (enhanced with Hammer!) doing the equivalent of a nuclear blast, a new threat appears - Zemo (who got back stabbed way back in the prelude to the story). Zemo decides to launch an invasion of his own with a bio-bomb capable of creating an army in second. On advice from Fixer, the team returns to Chicago to meet the oncoming army - or will it be their doom?
+1




Ultimate Fallout #2-4
My local comic book store was able to get me back issues 2 and 3 which I missed last week so this is my shout out - if you are in Pittsburgh PA, head over to Oakland and visit Phantom of the Attic - well stocked, friendly and knowledgeable.
#2
The funeral begins with Captain America blaming himself for the death of Spider-man to Aunt May who takes it hard. As she tries to leave she is consoled by Jameson. Meanwhile Thor pauses to remember Spider-man is in Valhalla with the other heroes (and yet not Hank Pym...). Meanwhile Rogue struggles with fears of the end of the world as Mary Jane struggles with what the world did to Peter Parker.
#3
Tony Stark meets after his brother's funeral (Tony Stark had a secret brother whaaaaaat?) with the richest people in the world who want to change it. Meanwhile Kitty is fed up with the funeral and the media circus and decides to leave to the new mutant safe place taking Iceman and Johnny Storm with her. Meanwhile in the SHIELD helicarrier, the Hulk is prepped to be controlled for mysterious reasons.
#4
The new much hyped Spider-man deals with negative feedback over taking Spider-mans costume as he struggles to learn about his powers. Meanwhile Reed Richards, who was an evil dick, struggles to leave the Negative Zone, before starting an organization that looks very familiar to the Future Foundation. Meanwhile it is revealed that the truth is going to come out about how the United States invented mutants.
Overall there is some strong emotional stuff going on here but there is also some stuff that makes less sense if you haven't been following the Ultimate Universe as closely.That said though, I do look forward to this future.
+1/+1/+1

Final Scores:
DC: +2
Marvel: +10
IDW: +2

Marvel really did a great job this week. I had about 3 other issues marked as possible +2s.

Next week:
Hellboy The Fury #3
Flashpoint: Frankenstein And The Creature Of The Unknown #3
Alpha Flight #3
Amazing Spider-Man #667
Deadpool #41
Fear Itself #5
Incredible Hulks #634
New Avengers #15
Spider-Island: Cloak and Dannger #1
Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1
Ultimate Comics Fallout #5

Be there or be ... not there.

Koltreg Review Annual #1

Holy butt toast I have been gone. I am declaring this to be my annual since it encompasses 5 weeks of pull list reviews. Vacation took away my desire to write reviews as well as my money but now I am getting paid so I can write reviews so for this 45 issue monster edition, I welcome you back!

For this long list, I just dropped a bunch of +2s for what I really liked and there was a lot.

Amazing Spider-Man #664-666 (Hail Satanna)
#664 -
Mr. Negative revealed to the public! Wraith revealed! Spider-man hiring Peter Parker for tech! This sort of ties in a bit more to prior stories that I like but nothing too confusing though newer readers would have not been able to guess the identity of the Wraith. I wasn't.
+1

#665 -
New Avengers used in skeeball by Arcade, deals with Peter's relationship with Betty Brant. When she is held up it shows how close the Daily Bugle family is while Spider-man goes out for revenge. Eventually Aunt May calls him back reminding how he always disappears after loved ones are hurt. And then Aunt May and Jameson Sr. move out of New York because it is finally too dangerous. All in all a great character piece reflecting on the interpersonal dramas of the characters.
+2
#666 -
The Spider-Island begins with Spider-man hanging out with his teams as he is unable to notice the bigger picture, namely the Jackal giving citizens of New York Spider-man powers. Also now Spider-man is a master of kung fu. Kung fu mastery is cool. Also they brought back Kaine because they brought back Kaine. I am looking forward to seeing where this arc is going though despite the horrors I have heard about the Clone Saga.
+1

Avengers #15
What makes Avengers great with the Fear Itself storyline is that they don't explain shit so they can just have the team fighting the Hulk interspersed with the interviews between the team members that develop the character. I want to say I am tired of this whole format but damn they make some cool battles. I need to remember this for Socialfist.
+2

Avengers Academy #16
While Hank Pym faces Serpent-powered Titania and The Absorbing his students fight in New York. There is a bunch of cool stuff in this issue like Pym building a giant gate out of destroyed buildings literally by stacking them. The comic really hits though when in her fury, Veil kills one of the enemy soldiers and is forced to deal with the consequences of taking one's life.
+2

Deadpool #40
Not entirely sure how I feel about this issue of Deadpool. After his last rampage when Deadpool tried to commit suicide via the Hulk due to his realization that he had no friends, he got committed to an insane asylum in England where his psychologist has suggested plastic surgery to fix his face - and possibly his mind. This is an interesting idea but early on Deadpool's escape borders on the on the macabre more that the humorous. I am interested in where this goes though.
+1

Fear Itself #4
First off I would like to thank my friend Devin for getting Matt Fraction to sign a copy of Fear Itself #1 for me. Also thank you Matt Fraction for signing that.
This issue ramps up everything as the Serpent's fate and Thor's are revealed to be intertwined (since they are destined to kill each other). Meanwhile Captain America goes to avenger Bucky who was killed by the Red Skull and Tony Stark is forced to meet and deal with Odin. Thor gets tossed out of the Serpent's realm and comes face to face with evil-hammer powered The Hulk and The Thing. Shiny!
+2

Fear Itself: Deadpool #2
Last time Deadpool decided to throw the Walrus a bone in the form of a fake magical hammer to cash in on the whole "everyone is afraid of villains with hammers so why not give one to an idiot so I can stop them for money." The problem was the hammer was magic and Deadpool is finding out the hard way. Unlike the last issue which was a bit unbalanced the newest issue had some great laughs, especially in the form of Deadpool's biggest fan - a little girl and the bedroom of Cable's biggest fan which Deadpool sent the Walrus to destroy.
+1

Fear Itself: The Deep #2
I don't know but for whatever reason The Deep isn't really holding my interest. The battles might be too dialogue heavy. It might be that it doesn't feel like much is being accomplished. If anything it is like grinding in a video game - fighting monster after monster for more experience except they just get more and more tired. Let them punch Attuma already!
+0

Fear Itself: FF
Bunn (who also did The Deep) doesn't do much in this issue except show a bit of the psyche of the possessed Ben Grim aka The Thing. Because he is such an important villain though, nothing happens in the one-shot making it feel a bit wasted. It definitely feels more filler-y than anything and ultimately doesn't feel satisfying at all.
+0

Fear Itself: Fearsome Four
Duck yeah Howard the Dinosaur! When we last left our heroes Man-Thing had turned them all into monsters with his Nexus-y powers. As they quickly are defeated they find out that Psycho-Man is behind the Man-Thing's rage in an attempt to make a fear bomb with his emotion controlling I-pad. And then the tagline for the next issue is The Old New Fantastic Four Vs The New New Fearsome Four. Oh man, this is what a fun issue is.
+1

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-force
It is pretty easy to tell someone different is writing this issue of X-force. The characters don't mesh as well, the story is muddled and I have no idea what the goal or point is. Apparently the anti-Mutant group the Purifiers captured a mutant and plan on killing him but I have no idea what makes this so special (minus a limited number of mutants). Still, confusing, disorienting and not fun.
+0

FF #5-7
#5
Sue, Spider-man and Alex of the Power Pack face off against an evil Reed and nobody warned Sue. Seriously? Nobody thought to warn the people that there are evil Reed Richards? Dick move. And then the Inhumans returned from space. It was okay but nothing really grabbed me.
+0

#6
I have no idea what is going on in this issue. I picked up a brief recap of War of Kings which I haven't read but I guess the Inhumans control the Kree or something? Really unintelligible especially for newer readers. And then Black Bolt was back from the dead.
-1

#7
So Blackbolt returns and then is like "we gotta go and have an Inhumans meeting and Blackbolt finds out he married 4 other women including a horse. I still have no idea what any of this means. Comics Alliance, I need those annotate FF articles please! Unlike the past two though, there was some fun stuff like Black Bolt fighting a giant octopus in space.
+1

Day 2:

Herc #5
As Hectate and Kyknos (the son of Ares who hates Herc) team up to bring New York under the thrall of magic, Herc, Man-Bull and Basilisk head to The Isle of Coney to confront the foes. On a giant centipede subway. Fighting police officer bugbears on dragons. And fire breathing baboons. Nuff said!
+2

Heroes For Hire #9
While Paladin and Gargoyle (not the Gray French hammer-powered one, the Etrigan plus wings one) team up to clear Yancy Street after the Thing attacked, a drug dealer conquers his fear, mortality, and humanity becoming something monstrous. Meanwhile Shroud and Elektra (being paid extra to not kill) run into trouble in the shape of Puppeteer and Purple Man (and Purple Man's armies). Oh man this is fun stuff and I look forward to the next issue.
+2

Hulk #36-37
#36
Hulk, Zzzax and MODOK in a three way battle for problems Ross (aka Red Hulk) caused. Zzzax for the uninformed was a monster Ross controlled mentally to fight Bruce Banner way back. When MODOK 2 shows up hunting the beast Ross realizes the threat and stops MODOK by taking over Zzzax one more time to save his partner. MODOK runs away swearing revenge most likely having had absorbed the electric creature. The art and layouts in this book were great with tons of well conveyed action.
+2

#37
M.O.D.O.K. did capture Zzzax after all! As he watches below, the Red Hulk returns to fight Ben Grimm in a battle we saw a while back in the Avengers resulting in the destruction of Avenger's Tower. Meanwhile, the Red Hulk's other enemies send the Black Fog (the genetically enhanced serial killing boogeyman) to finish the job the Thing (hammer powered) started. M.O.D.O.K. decides he's going to need a front seat and oh man Jeff Parker knocks out another great issue!
+2

The Incredible Hulks Annual
Last time our Parker watched as alternate super powered (he stopped Galactus) and sort of evil Peter Parker got coma'd doing the right thing. Then Deadpool and alternate Deadpool (who was really Victor Von Doom) became friends until the alternate Wade Wilson (acting as Doom) killed his friend. Deadpool took revenge sending alternate Wade to Hell. Also alternate Bruce Banner is the Sorcerer Supreme who banished the Hulk to Hell and now regular Bruce Banner can't Hulk out. And alternate Hulk is a demon who just got let out.
So Deadpool is transfomed into Banner to act as a distraction for demon Hulk as alt-Banner undoes the banishment before sacrificing his life to kill the Hulk once and for all. Alt-Parker is then released from hell by the spirit of alt-Banner and comes back as Ghost Spider who sends the heroes back to their own world.
+2 +2 +2 Oh man. If that didn't sound awesome what is wrong with you?

The Incredible Hulks #632-633
#622
Arm'cheddon who wished for a giant war fleet in the wishing well a while back gets his turn against the Hulk with help from a captured She-Hulk and A-Bomb (Bruce Banner's cousin and best friend) who he poisons curing them of their Hulk-ability. As Arm'cheddon continues his assault he pushes the Hulk too far threatening Betty Ross (the Red She-Hulk) and leading the Hulk to kill mercilessly. Damn.
+2

#623
As Umar, lover of the Hulk and leader of the Dark Dimension steps up to bat against the Hulk, she takes him home with her ending the battle of monsters. With the Hulk as her consort she begins her conquest of the Dark Dimension but Amadeus Cho, professional Hulk fan has issues especially since Betty Ross got pulled in. Teaming up with Monica Rappaccini, Scientist Supreme (meaning she comes with sour cream and tomatoes) the world's foremost poison expert and scientist, they create a portal to send Dr. Strange, Cho and a cured (Rappaccini dealt with the poison) Jennifer Walters (formerly the She-Hulk) in after him only to find the world's magic gone and Tyrannus and Red She-Hulk bringing the ruckus. The conclusion is coming closer and it will be titanic.
+2

Journey Into Mystery #625
Oh man. So Loki is setting up a deal so Hel (of the Norse Hell) and Mephisto (of normal Hell) will team up and fight the Serpent. And Loki all the while is this little asshole who is too smart for his own good until you remember his looks are deceiving and then he kills himself to go to Limbo on his Hell Hound. The art, writing and everything else about this are fantastic.
+2

Moon Knight #3
So Marc Spector's brief history as a television producer is delved into and it is okay. It is just Marc Spector is a pretty big asshole here with the whole dressing up like Bullseye thing. And I just don't care for Echo who has a tv that can translate phone calls to text because she is deaf. Seriously I don't get how they can't fix her hearing. Moon Knight does very little for me which is sad because I wanted to really like Moon Knight. When I re-up my subs I don't think this will be on the list.
-1

Mystery Men #3
As the General gets closer to awakening his master, the Mystery Men meet some new friends in the form of The Surgeon, a surgeon burnt in a fire but left with an aftertaste...for revenge and Achilles, the archeologist hired by the General to retrieve Achille's bracelet. When the General's attempt to kill the Archeologist goes south, the bracelet takes over turning the Archeologist into Achilles. As Nix, the General's god rises though, time is running out for the Mystery Men.
+1

The New Avengers #14
Gonna drop some truth on everyone. Before I watched the new Avengers cartoon I had no idea who Mockingbird was so her almost death meant nothing to me. She came back though pumped up with super-soldier juice (ewww) just in time to see Spider-man leaving the New Avengers and for Sin to launch an assault. The issue meant more knowing and somewhat caring who Mockingbird was and I don't know, it was enjoyable and not much else to say.
+1

Spider-Girl #8
By my estimation it has been about 4 or 5 months since the last Spider-girl and with this being the conclusion of her own series, it was too long. Raven, the evil American Ninja wielding group gets beaten by the newly repowered Spider-girl, Spider-man and Red Hulk avenging her father's murder and saving the day in time for Spider-Island. This is sort of melancholy-ish for me since I really loved the series and I wish it could have run longer but it wasn't meant to be sadly.
+2

Thunderbolts #160
As the Thunderbolts B-team plans to escape, A-team goes after the hammer powered Juggernaut who is ready for a fight. Unfortunately Satanna causes Man-Thing to poof away into Fearsome Four territory so she sends in Ghost (the cybernetic man) into Juggernaut in a sort of psychic Egyptian hierogylpic landscape where they see the Juggernaut controlled by the Serpent while keeping the power of Cyttorak in check. The Serpent then casts them out of the psyche and the comic ends with a bang. Great art, great story and dialogue. Oh man this is just such an awesome book to read. If you need a new comic, pick up Thunderbolts.
+2

Ultimate Fallout #1
I am actually tearing up over this issue, it hit me that hard. The city mourns Peter Parker's death in their own way as the truth comes out. When it comes to Aunt May meeting a child who Spider-man had saved though and the two of them hug, I honestly lost it. Macho points were lost but damn this was good.
+2
(I will get 2 and 3 in a week or so, my LCBS was sold out of it.)

Uncanny X-force #12
After getting stranded in the Age of Apocalypse, the remaining survivors and the X-force team up to get the Life Seeds, the one items capable of stopping Apocalypse once and for all - and the only way to save Archangel. The problem is Jean Grey and Wolverine are getting a little too close, the Sentinels found them and the team sent to stop the big base ran into The Black Legion who may be the best alternate world villains ever including Grimm Chamber (Ben Grimm + Chamber - the mutant who is a furnace inside), White Cloak (who seems to be Cloak and Dagger), Iron Ghost (Ghost Rider in the Iron Man Armor), Zombie Sentry (self explanatory), The Blob, Orange Hulk, Manphibian, Beta Red and Demon-Ock. Oh, and the alternate universe Wolverine. Snap!
+2

Venom #4-5
#4
As Venom races against the clock and Spider-man to save Betty and stop the vibranium shipment Venom's grudge with Spider-man and the return of Jack O'Lantern spice things up with bombs and distractions resulting in Spider-man saving Betty and Flash Thompson feeling resentment towards Spider-man, perhaps leading to some shared feelings with the Symbiote....
+1

#5
From the battlefield returns the warrior to find that his home is not as it was left and his experience in the war has darkened his vision. Before Flash can reconnect with Betty, he's called to find his father, the driving force behind Flash Thompson, the unappeasable father archetype. Flash is confronted with where his anger can lead and it sobered by it before being called off once more to serve his country. Also he fought the Human Fly in a classic Venom in the bell tower battle. All together really solid.
+2

And that is all of the Marvel with the point total at +42. Wheeeew. Day 2 finished at 4:37 am.


DC

Batman Inc #7
Man-Of-Bats and Raven, the Native American Batman Inc team get their time to shine both by having a light cast on them and creating a large back history through artifacts and connections. The comic has some fun ideas in it and I do like the Bats cave but the entire feeling over the issue seemed muddled to me. Is it supposed to be joking or what. I enjoyed it but it felt middling compared to what something more focused might have been.
+1

Flashpoint #3
So I like alternate universe stories and Flashpoint does some neat stuff but it does it poorly. Exposition heavy at times, the characters sort of lack much personality and feel like they are being dragged along. Also the Flash has to electrocute himself a second time in what is a really stupid comic. Seriously ugh. I do like Superman though as the emaciated and captured alien kept from the sun but the series doesn't really change anything, especially since after this the entire universe will change. Why not have people dying? Why not do more? Not bad but lacking courage and fun.
+0

Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #2
Frankenstein and his creature friends escape from the clutches of General Lane only for him to chase them down with G.I Robot and the granddaughter of their commander who had died trying to save them With grudges and parties at each other, Frankenstein discovers his next destination in Romania just in time to get surrounded. As the the creatures fight Lane's men and defeat them a new threat enters - Frankenstein's wife. Overall not as good as the first one (due to lack of Hitler killing) but still major fun.
+2

Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries
If this title wasn't a one shot it could be one of the best Flashpoint stories out there. Oliver Queen, commonly the Green Arrow is in the business of converting supervillain tech into weapons. The problem is he doesn't keep track well, his factories get attacked and people want revenge. The common people. When his base is assaulted by a mysterious intruder intent on bringing his evils (that he isn't aware of to light) Queen is hit with his legacy - the fact that he is hurting people and by meeting his daughter. The story is compact, fun and action pact like an Iron Man story and honestly, I wouldn't mind the real Green Arrow doing this.
+2

Flashpoint: Project Superman #1
A super soldier that loses humanity. That is the idea behind Project Superman. Neil Sinclair is a willing test subject in General Lane's race to make an American superhero but a disconnection from humanity and the beginning of omnipotence causes him to be feared and put on ice, seen more as a danger than a savior. The transformation and growth of powers and even the use is creatively done effectively putting you in his shoes. I need to remember to get the next issues of the series when they come out.
+2

Superman #713
Clark Kent decides Superman needs to go away and become a hidden crime fighter. The on;y thing that stops him - one of Superman's fans who reminds Clark and Superman why the world needs him. Superman does what is right for people. He defends them above all. He doesn't attempt to control anything and ultimately he cares. That is what Superman should be doing and should know in the depths of his heart. This is what the real Superman and all true heroes should know. This is what Chris Roberson shows and this is why he should have been given full command over the relaunch. Superman is the hero that makes me want to do more in my life, to be a better person and the fact that Chris Roberson can tell a good story at the same time - well that is just icing on the cake.
+2

Superman/Batman #86
If you recall I really didn't like the last issue of Superman/Batman but this one got it right. They totally absolved Batman of doing anything wrong, reminded Superman that Batman is ultimately good and dealt with the whole embezzling thing. When Batman takes tech from Wayne it is covered by insurance which is also owned by Bruce Wayne who then returns the money. The twist comes that it seems that the Joker killed the reporter and is about to try and kill Clark Kent. Oh man!
+1

Xombi #4 and #5
Xombi is a story that would do really well as a trade with everything collected and while I don't remember everything going on, there are giant floating immortal space cities and seriously, pick up the book. It is a bit confusing with breaks between releases but seriously, pick it up or wait for the trade (since DC is canceling the series after the reboot).
+2/+2

Zatanna #15
When a group of witch hunters target and mute Zatanna so she can't fully cast spells she has to use her other powers - intelligence and strength to save herself. I like the issue because Zatanna would totally be a character who would be prepared for this sort of thing. I mean not being able to use magic. Things did go macabre though when she sent the witch hunters back to Salem where they were burnt at the stake. No wonder Batman can't love you! Besides that though, this was another fun issue.
+1

DC Total - +15

Third Party Books

Hellboy: The Fury #2
As Hellboy faces the beast (I forget which one and it is late so I won't go searching) Alice goes to find out what is happening ( a bunch of witches commit suicide to escape torture). It's the apocalypse and Ragnarok all in one big Hellboy package!
+1

The Li'l Depressed Boy #5
After finding out the girl he liked and thought he was dating was actually dating someone else, LDB needed someone to lean on in the form of his friend Drew. As they hang out and trying to ignore the problems things look a little better until Drew gets arrested leaving LDB stranded out in the middle of a long highway with nowhere to go.
+1

The Sixth Gun #13
A train robbery of the corpse of the still undead General Hume, the low down dog too evil for the evil, conducted by servants of his wife who hired a necromancer to send a group of train robbing undead and a mummy to get his corpse and the 5 guns currently held by Drake Sinclair and Becky Montcrief. Big shiny train fights, plenty of shooting all rendered in wonderful color. Yes! This is a comic you should catch up with immediately. Don't let the train pass you by.
+2

Third Part Total - +4

Day 3 finished at 3:04 am.

For the totals, that is
Marvel: +42 with with 32 titles.
DC: +15 with 10 titles.
TPB: +4 with three titles.

Next week - regular review schedule.

ROUND 21: Comics For June 29, 2011 Vacation Edition

Welcome to week 1 of Vacation Comics-Athon. When I met the effluvious (not a real word) Rusty Shackles I ended up grabbing an issue I was looking for of the Rocketeer Adventures and I stopped off at the wonderful Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday and along with a new Transmetropolitan volume and the Nextwave complete TPB I got a few comics I'd not seen before.

Back Rack, Meshach and Abendnego


Rocketeer Adventures #2
I will repeat that if I am aware that there is an attractive Betty Page-ish girl in a book, I will be more likely to buy it. It is the same rule that got me to finally get a copy of The Spirit #14 reviewed in Round 15 that I bought for similar reasons. So far my belief that Betty Page look-alikes in comics mean quality has stood up. The new Rocketeer Adventures is a fun blast of nostalgia with wildly different stories, brassy dames and wonderful art. And everything requires little knowledge of the world or setting so you can pick up these books.
Favorite Comic
Score: +2


Gladstone's School For World Conquerors
I like supervillains and I too have desired to conquer the world. Gladstone's is a place I would like to go fully of interesting and bright characters, storylines that are shaping up to something and a fun environment. If I had kids I'd give them this book and if I weren't going to get visited by the police I'd hand this book out to kids on the street. The book is a lot of fun so hook up a younger reader.
Score: +1




The Sandman Presents Petrefax
Petrefax came from that Sandman story World's End where he decided to leave his master to explore the worlds and this story follows the young mortician on his journey. The problem is the journey is full of tropes with confusing characters and really a lack of wonderment leaving it a very dry story, at least for me. While I found the characters interesting nothing ever felt vital or at risk and the 100 pages quickly became a bore to read through. It lacks the fun or magic of Gaiman but it is far from horrible. In the end like a corpse it is very dry.
Score: +0


Hulk-Sized Mini-Hulks
I decided to try another kids book this week because I'd see the Mini-Hulks back up feature and decided to give it a try. HSMH left me without much enjoyment. The jokes follow a painfully dull format. While it is a gag a day style strip, that in no way means it has to be dull. What could be an enjoyable book just feels like a newspaper strip with better printing qualities. I'd not give this to a kid.
Score: -1




The Spirit #14
This may be my favorite single issue ever. I reviewed it twice, I've kept on rereading it. It is a great issue of comics. BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT!

Score: + All The Points



































IDW: +2
Veritgo: +0
Image: +1
Marvel: -1
DC: + All The Points

...and then DC got all the points for the week. See you next week internet when I pick up some comics with Joe Hunter of Changeling and then I yell at him I guess.

ROUND 19: Reviews For June 22, 2011

I come home for vacation and I find out that Niles got his reviews up before me? Gasp!
Like I mentioned last week-terday I'll not be reviewing new comics after this for the next two weeks because I am on vacation and I'd rather get comics late than not support my LCBS.
That said I will be grabbing a trade or two so I might review those instead but let's talk about some comics!


Deadpool #39
This issue of Deadpool ramps up the action by turning Deadpool into the one man suicide squad based on what I know about them which is the are prisoners who may die but wanna do good. I guess though Deadpool who is trying to die after he realized he has no friends (and immortality) so he isn't trying to live. The problem was Deadpool isn't a total ass so he also ends up saving a preschool from the Hulk and the army and dies. At least for a few weeks. Overall it was enjoyable, I didn't really laugh out loud But it is nice to see Deadpool having some morality. This is also as close to a Deadpool Kindergarten Cop as we will ever get - Eeets all ah tuumor.
Score: +1


Batman: Gates of Gotham #2
Bridges are built to connect man. To what? Probably something poetic and schmaltzy like the people. Last issue though, the symbolic bridges of Gotham, representative of the Elliots (Hush), Cobblepots (The Penguin) and the Waynes (Batman) got massively exploded. Now the architects of the attack are going after the family members themselves and it is up to the new family of Gotham (The Batman Family) to stop them. There is a good deal of banter and I like how the universe is being expanded historically though I do wish that we didn't need to worry about it becoming irrelevant. Great issue though and the art continues to be wonderful.
Score: +1


The Incredible Hulks #631 (Cover currently is incorrect)
Last week when they found the wishing well, Amadeus Cho wished for backup for the Hulk. The problem was he never specified if he wanted them to fight for or against the Hulk. Now Fin Fang Foom, BiBeast, Wendigo, Arm'chedo and Umar showed up with a grudge. If you recall I had said the last issue wasn't firing on all cylinders? This issue has Hulk fighting a super sized BiBeast and Wendigo in a floating Las Vegas and that makes it my Favorite Comic of the week. Also there is an Avengers casino where all the women dress as Scarlet Witch and that is pretty hilarious as a criticism of her costume and as a visual.
Favorite Comic
Score: + 2


Mystery Men #2
The Operative (think the Spirit) and The Revenant (think Zatara) team up, unwillingly, to fight the demonic possesed General in Marvel's continuing pulp history series. The problem is The Operative seemingly killed his girlfriend and her sister showed up wanted revenge on the General for faking the murder. Also her sister wears giant jets on her back and flies around! This is fun original comics! Try it out!
Score: +1




The Outsider #1
My weekly Flashpoint tie-in for the button revolves around a character who was originally Alfred (Batman's butler) who got killed and resurrected by a scientist (who Alfred then killed and turned into a dead clone of Alfred).This Outsider killed millions upon his birth when he made a three mile sinkhole. This Outsider is a master criminal (master criminals have legacies planned and are able to do things besides revenge). This Outsider kills Mr and Mrs. Terrific and The Rising Sun all while holding a business conference. This Outsider is baller. While not on Frankenstein levels of awesome it is nice to see another great Flashpoint title.
Score: +1


Sliver Surfer #5
To recap, The High Evolutionary stole Norrin Radd's power, defeated Galactus more or less and turned the doctor who was helping Norrin into his own herald. Then Norrin went into space with the Future Foundation and stole some of his powers back to stop the high Evolutionary who was transforming the Moon into a sustainable living planet - aka being Anti Galactus. Then Galactus showed up, Silver Surfer had to deal with emotions conflicting with his powers cosmic and Galactus told the High Evolutionary they were sort of equal. In the end the High Evolutionary leaves, his herald is depowered and Silver Surfer has to enter servitude to Galactus once more to keep him from eating the Moon which would end all life on Earth. It was sad because I originally didn't care for the beginning of the series but when it got going it was wonderful. I do look forward to seeing where this goes in the future.
Score: +1


Superman #712
Just read this, find out why I won't review the issue (short hand, it isn't more of Roberson's Superman and I don't care about Krypto feeling sad about stuff that no longer matters.)









Thunderbolts #159
The Fear Itself gets more Fear all in itself with the Double Sized Special because for a team this big, they gotta break apart. After the Raft got smashed by a Hammer powered Juggernaut the team got broken up in the wreckage. The main team of Songbird, Moonstone, Fixer, Mach-5, Hyde, Shocker, Centurius and Boomerang work to rescue the workers and stop escapees but Centurius and the new members decide it is a better time to set up for an escape by deactivating and removing their nanobots before returning to help. Meanwhile Moonstone ends up going down to the women's prison to take control only to have her powers stripped. Luckily for an ex psychologist she convinces the women to follow her. Ghost ends up going to save the Warden and we get to read the Warden's actions from the sterile side of Ghost who learns that people can surprise you and do the right thing. The final story deals with Taskmaster who plots his escape and then makes good on it because being a Nazi isn't going to endear you to anyone. All of the stories were solid, the art was varied and worked well and seriously, this may be my favorite Thunderbolts issue yet.
Best Comic
Score: +2


Ultimate Spider-man #160
Mylar bags! I can't open this! I want to hold onto it!
Oh wait...
Peter Parker continues his doomed fight as he bleeds to death against the Green Goblin and finally reaches closure by being able to die a heroes death. I was touched but man, this was a good comics week.
Score: +1

The All New OMAC #72
OMAC the One Man Army Corp faces OAMC the One Armed Man Corps! When 500 one armed men move into town and the banks start getting robbed it is up to OMAC to find the One Armed Man involved. The problem is all of the men are involved and OMAC will need to keep his wits together if he can stop their leader, Solo Von Southpaw! While I do like the continuing play with the initials of OMAC I do think OMAC might need a new creative team on it. But that might just be me.


Zatanna #14
After the last issue left me confused and dry the new issue that has Zatanna and Zachery (her cousin who is also a magician) going to a club is wonderful. If not for Hulk fighting giant versions of his enemies and Scarlet Witch server costumes this would be the Favorite. She calls dance music Oonce music, fights a succubus and casts lots of spells. Comics Everybody!
Score: +1



Subway Presents Justice League #2
Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Nascar Guy and Basketball Guy fight Gorilla Grodd and his army of gorillas. Here is the thing though, Nascar Guy and Basketball Guy know each other. Nascar guy drives his Nascar around the city to pick up Subway. Basketball Guy defeats Grodd by throwing a basketball at his head. Green Lantern makes a green version of Nascar Guy's car. Oh, and Green Lantern helps Basketball Guy cheat. And after all that they get to eat their sandwiches. And Green Lantern has a rape face. ... What.
Score: +1

DC: +4
Marvel: +8

This is the closest DC has come to winning. I mean if Superman had been the right issue they would have almost had this week (factoring out bonus points). Good job DC.

ROUND EIGHTEEN: New Comics for June 22, 2011 (and a little bit about the last two weeks)

First off, no. I'm not going to apologize for not posting reviews for the last two weeks. Secondly, yes. I did read those comics. Third, yes. There will be new music in the form of a free downloadable ep from Adam WarRock and myself very soon, which happens to also be the reason why all my writing time was dedicated to rap music and not reviewing comic books.

Anyways, here's what you missed:

June 8, I bought these comics:
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1 (of 5)
Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #519
Booster Gold #45
Mega Man #2
Morning Glories #10
Punisher Max #14
Scalped #49
Ultimate Spider-Man #159
The Unwritten #26

All of them were really good, except Black Panther, which was a really bad comic book gussied up with amazing artwork. My favorite comic book that week was Mega Man #2 for somehow being able to pack emotion into an issue where Rock destroys 3 of 6 Robot Masters. The best comic book that week was Scalped #49 for the scene where Dash and Catcher have a shootout on the inside of a pickup truck.

The following week, June 15, 2011 I bought these comics:
Batgirl #22
Cinderella: Fables are Forever #5 (of 6)
Deadpool Max #9
Generation Hope #8
Invincible #80
Power Girl #25
Supergirl #65
Uncanny X-Men #538
X-Factor #221

All of these comics were also very good, except Deadpool Max #9, which, as another reviewer pointed out in a much more timely manner, suffered greatly from the lack of Kyle Baker's particular brand of pop-art insanity. My favorite comic book that week was Batgirl #22 because an American superheroine in London is a phrase I never knew I needed to type so badly. The best comic book that week was Generation Hope #8 for Teon's courtroom-survivalist evolution and all of the potential madness that last page promises.

Old business now properly handled and out of the way, let's talk about this week's comics, shall we? Here's what I bought:
Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #520
Captain America #619
Fables #106
Ultimate Spider-Man #160
Zatanna #14

Not a big pull for me this week. It looks like I'll be able to make some progress towards catching up on Booster Gold and playing Darksiders on PS3, which it turns out is a super fun game. I digress... Let's get judgmental about comics!

Do you remember the movie A Night at the Roxbury? No? Well, that's ok. Because Adam Beechen remembers it just fine. This fun little done-in-one by the writer of the also quite fun Batman Beyond series begins with Zatanna lecturing her cousin (imagine Johnny Storm as a stage magician) about responsibility and then he's attacked by a succubus because he wasn't responsible enough to see that one coming. So, of course it's up to Zee to responsible her cousin out of the mess he irresponsibled himself into in the first place. This issue is a perfect addition to a series whose trademark is adventure lite.
SCORE: +1


Captain America is one of those series that if you're not already reading it, you'll never ever know how consistently great it is until you're reading some top ten or twenty list of all time best runs ten or twenty years from now and you see Ed Brubaker's Captain America on the list and you go, "I remember when that was coming out..." and so you pick up the omnibus or essential reprint and about the time you get to the second or third story arc you say, "Oh my god, this comic book is fantastic." And then you keep reading. Forever. This issue sees Bucky reunite with the Black Widow after a daring-but-reckless prison break and, more importantly, it has Nick Fury in a suit shooting missiles at robots as drawn by Chris Samnee. I once met Mr. Samnee at a convention and shook his hand and thanked him for his work on Thor: The Mighty Avenger. If I ever meet him again I'm going to shake his hand and thank him for this comic.
SCORE: +1

A lot of hubbub has been raised about this issue already and I'm sure a lot of much more skilled writers than I will have much more insightful things to say about it. So all I really want to say about it is that, for some reason the big moment didn't really resonate with me emotionally the way I thought it should have. I think that may actually be a failing on my part and not the comic. This series has always been one that is best read in trades or arcs and I think that may be what happened with this issue. It's pure momentum in the issues leading to this one and the fact that real-time and not story-time has passed between the last page of the last issue and the first page of this one detracts from the overall effect of this issue. All said and done, Ultimate Spider-Man remains Ultimate Spider-Man and it's a great comic. My favorite super hero book on the stands, hands down. Also, I'm not sure if it was intentional but there's totally a shout out to the cover of Action Comics #1 when Peter smashes Norman Osborn with a truck, which was pretty cool.
SCORE: +1

The Best Comic Book of the Week was Fables #106, which finally wraps up the Mister Dark saga while leaving a few new threats and twists on the table. The manner in which Bill Willingham actually deals with Mister Dark seemed, to me, a little bit too tidy at first. But after a couple more pages I realized that it's absolutely in keeping with the tone of Fables as a whole. The series has never shied away from actiony bits but even when it happened it was always in such a way that there seemed to be more talking than hitting/stabbing/doing. For most comics that would be a bad thing, but it absolutely works in Fables. That's what I pay my $2.99 to see. I look forward to reading more Fables comics in which they stand around talking the whole time.
SCORE: +2

I've been giving this series a hard time. But for good reason; the last few issues have been really, really bad. The only saving grace for this book was that the art has been consistently phenomenal. Best-looking-book-on-the-racks good. With this issue writer David Liss shows off some of the reasons he was given the job in the first place. The dynamic between Storm and Black Panther is just and absolute joy to behold. I laughed out loud several times during their banter. There are still some of the same qualms I had with previous issues but not on any of the pages where Storm and Black Panther are together. Not that I even need to say it at this point, but Jefte Palo's artwork is just amazing. This is My Favorite Comic Book of the Week.
SCORE: +2

Well, there you have it. New comics reviewed on the same day they come out. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't been there to witness the whole thing. Just don't get used to it. Score tally!
Marvel: 4
DC: 1
Vertigo: 2

Marvel wins this week, meaning they get to live to fight the resurrected zombie black lantern versions of DC and Vertigo. Thanks for reading. See you next time!

Oh, also don't forget to check out Changeling, the new webcomic by our other reviewer, Luke and Joe Hunter, who doesn't review comics here..............yet.

ROUND 17: Comics For June 15, 2011

Sorry for the lateness DC Versus Marvels, I was in the semi-final Finals Crisis. The next two weeks might be shaky as I am on break but let's talk about some comics. And then check out my new web comic Changeling.

No images this week since it is almost 3 and I am pooped.

Since I no longer can read stuff off of the racks, I present my new old issue series:
Back Rack, Meshach and Abendnego

Ghost Rider 0.1
I have no familiarity with Ghost Rider besides the movie and the Deadpool Team-Up. I know he rides a motorcycle and he has a flaming skull and he kills all the demons. Other than that I believe his name is Jonathan Ghostriderson, his bike is a ghost - thus he is the Ghost Rider.
In this issue Point One that came out a week or so ago, Jonathan Ghostriderson makes a deal with a stranger so he can stop riding on ghosts. And Jonathan is like "ok" so he drives SO FAST that he turns into a normal human. And then the show a last Ghost Rider because skelebone tits sell comics.
In all seriousness though, I have a problem with heroes giving up powers and especially Jonathan Ghostriderson. I mean he got his powers from the Devil and I don't think the Devil likes regifting. And I don't understand from this issue why Jonathan Ghostriderson gives up his powers. This ain't an introduction - it's just an exiting point. Point one. BAM!
Score: -1

MADMAN: ALL-NEW GIANT-SIZE SUPER GINCHY SPECIAL!
So Niles got this a while ago but when I rode all the way out to the store again to get Superman that didn't actually come out, I picked up this series.
I read the first collection of Madman back at work, loved it but never got to the other volumes and yet I was fine jumping into the special which contains 4 super fun stories. Pick it up.
Score: +2 Best Comic (Old)

Fear Itself: Alpha Flight #1
I know little about Alpha Flight except they die a lot and they are Canadian and the Fear Itself tie-in doesn't work as well if you are not as up to date with their current history and who died and who is on whoms side. I don't know. The comic didn't sit well with me despite my Pak and Van Lente fandom. Too much inner politics and character stuff I am not familiar with. I picked up the series because of the team and I felt let down.
Score: +1

Hulk #35
So last time Red Hulk, Rulk/Thunderbolt Ross, crashlanded on an alien planet, was forced to be a gladiator and the Planet Hulked in a single issue and became the king. This issue faces him off against the enemy king while a super destructive robot searches for the Red Hulk for revenge. Then as the Rulk destroys the enermy rival king with advanced war tactics, Rulk is pulled off the planet by a Watcher. Apparently the entire plan was to trap the robot in a time loop that could only be caused by Planet Hulk happening again and... seriously Jeff Parker, this felt life a weird let down, not to mention confusing.
Score: +1

Batman/Superman #85
After a miniseries with Superman and Batman as magic future wizards it can be a tough act to follow. The first issue of the Secret is not a strong following act. I understand not everything needs to follow in town with comics but a series where Batman and Superman are fighting over secret identities and jobs and Batman making a mistake I have issues. I mean, the story starts with the reader being forced to question whether or not Batman killed someone - Batman the man who does not kill! And apparently Bruce is screwing over investors and Superman is trying to do the right thing. I love that the book has Superman using his powers and using them in fun ways but the rest of the comic sits with me wrong.
Score: -1

Avengers Academy #15
Fear Itself visits the Avengers Academy! Hank Pym tries to keep the students out of harms way only for the government to put them right back in it. Avengers Academy continues to be my favorite book and it is an easy pick for this week's Best Comic.
Score: +2

Double Flashpoint: Legion of Doom/Grodd of War
I don't know. Legion of Doom I got for the pin and out of hopes it would be good. Grodd of War I got because it was a book about a talking evil gorilla. Neither were good or intelligent or entertaining. I just put them as one title to cut down on DC's point loss.
Score: -1

Justice League: Sacked
It is a comic where football players in Hawaii team up with the Justice League to fight Black Manta and Oceanmaster to protect their Subway. And it is like 8 pages long. And it made those Flashpoint comics readable. If this were a real comic it might be my favorite because it is about footballers fighting supervillains for Subway.
Score: +1

Dungeons and Dragons #8
I feel old when my common comics complaint is I forget what is happening in the issues and storyline. The group ends up in the Feywild, they help a gnome, the gnome betrays them and then the gnomes get attacked and some elf guy is after his daughter. It meant nothing much too me. Going to reread during break.
Score: +0

Avengers #14
Rulk Vs Hammer Possessed Ben Grimm! It is a battle for the Bronx and all of New York as the Crimson Crusher faces the Ever-hating Red Eyed Hammer Possessed Thing! Plenty of action! Plenty of cracking and it brings down the entire house and possibly the Rulk!
Favorite Comic!
+2

DC: - 1
IDW: +0
Image: +2
Marvel: +3

It was a weak week for comics all around. Nothing struck me all that well especially after a few weeks of really good comics. Ennngh. Maybe today will be better. Be back later internets!

ROUNDS 14 & 16: New Comics Reviews for May 25 & June 1, 2011

Seriously, you guys, I don't know how this blog would survive without Luke. Not only is he keeping up with the current weeks comics, he's doing it on time and he's doing it with style. Let's all make the sound of one hand clapping for the guy.

I, on the other hand, am charmingly and fashionably late. I have not one, but two weeks worth of comics I should have read and reviewed long ago. I'm giving you the super condensed version this time, along with an apology, because I've just got too much else that I have to write and I don't think it'll hurt too many people's feelings if I assign this blog as the lowest on the priority chain.

But, so that I'm not giving you nothing but apologies, here's the list of what I picked up:

May 25
American Vampire #15
Captain America #618
Detective Comics #877
FF #4
Secret Warriors #27
Uncanny X-Men #537
The Walking Dead #85
Xombi #3

June 1
Batman Beyond #6
iZombie #14
S.H.I.E.L.D. (v2) #1
Sweet Tooth #22
Uncanny X-Force #11
X-Factor #220

Absolutely everything I read was really, really good so it all gets a score of +1, but my favorites were FF #4 and Xombi #3 for the week of May 25, and iZombie #14 and Uncanny X-Force #11 for June 1. They were amazing and get scores of +2.

Again, sorry for the lack of content. On the bright side, my being too busy to post for the last couple weeks means that there's going to be new music very soon from my rap group The Remnant and my good friend Adam WarRock and myself. So stay tuned for that. Also, a big thanks goes to Luke, who is keeping this blog up to date with new reviews every week. Make sure you check out his webcomic, Socialfist. Also, check out the webcomic Let's Be Friends Again, because Curt and Chris are good dudes and their comic is the best.

Thanks for sticking with me, all. New reviews soon. I promise!