This Week In Comics: 04/13/2005

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for April 13th, 2005 - April 19th, 2005!

This is the place to discuss the comics you've bought this week, whether it be a brand new title or old back-issues. We also welcome and encourage talk about comics in general - news you've read on comic news sites, the state of the industry in general, upcoming issues you're excited about, etc. All we ask is that you please use spoiler brackets in the event that your comments get too detailed concerning a particular storyline. This way the book won't be ruined for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.diamondcomics.com/shipping/shipping_041305.txt).

To find a comic book store near you, check out the Comic Shop Locator Service (http://csls.diamondcomics.com/).

Comic store too far away from where you live? Want to support Toon Zone? We've teamed up with Things From Another World (http://www.tfaw.com/) to provide an avenue for you to buy comics. Click here (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1001569-5533438?url=http://www3.tfaw.com/comics/newreleases.html?cart=3183189286606656?qt=cjtoonzone) to see a listing of this week's comics being offered by TFAW.


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Highlights of the Week!



Randomguy's Pick:


http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/covers/0405/Shehulk_vol2_sm.jpg (http://www.marvel.com/catalog/showcomic.htm?id=1849&format=comic)

She-Hulk Vol. 2: Superhuman Law TPB




Ace the Bathound's Pick:



http://www.desperadopublishing.com/images/BeyondAvalon2cover250.jpg (http://www.desperadopublishing.com/Previews/Beyond%20Avalon%20Number%202%20Preview.htm)


Beyond Avalon #2





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[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Most of the good stuff's on the News or spread around the forum today, it seems. Jim Salicrup has some advice for Marvel Comics' 7-11 initiative (http://buzzscope.com/features.php?id=914) on the new and very-much-not-improved Buzzscope.com (formerly PopCultureShock.com), which is either "already done" (the revamped ratings system) or "blitheringly obvious." Naturally, the latter points will probably be completely ignored by the Powers That Be at Marvel.

Trina Robbins pays tribute to Dale Messick (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003653), creator of Brenda Starr, by admitting to petty larceny as a teenager to get her Starr fix.

Finally, getting to the comic book science bit, the New York Times Science section yesterday had a feature article on wolverines (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/12/science/12wolv.html?):


John Krebs, a biologist in British Columbia who studied wolverines for seven years and is writing up his research, said that in the 1930's a wolverine kept chewing into a log meat locker at a mountain lodge and dragging slabs of meat out. Leg hold traps were set. One day the trapper surprised the wolverine at work. With traps on three legs it was still trying to drag a carcass.
Sounds about right. They are apparently one of very few carnivores where the male actively participates in the raising of the young. Unfortunately, the article fails to mention how Wolverine's fast-healing factor and unbreakable skeleton make him the best there is at what he does, and what he does isn't very nice. (Go to www.bugmenot.com (http://www.bugmenot.com/) for login, etc etc)

-- Ed/Ace

[wonderfly]

Amazingly small week for me. That just means that I'm going to get slammed with a bunch of books in one week very soon...Anyways, I got:

Black Panther #3: Definently the best issue to date. Hudlin's story is coherent, and stays focused, (unlike his other title this week), and John Romita Jr.'s action scenes are what truly sells this issue. The assemblying of the team of villians is actually working for me. Batroc doesn't come across as stereotypical French. I was actually afraid of this title turning into "bash the white man" but I think the scene between T'chaka and the European businessmen was handled well. It probably shouldn't have worked for me, but it did. I also was afraid that when they got to the scene with the Vatican, that it'd be a detestable representation of Christians. But it was in a sense so corny that it worked for me. I suspect that there are those out there who know more about the Silver Age Black Knight more than I do, and they might be upset by his characterization here, but since I know nothing about him, it's fine with me. I'm actually looking forward to next issue now. It's still too corny in spots. But I'm trying to lighten up. Grade: A-

Iron Man #3: Another strong issue. It's a shame it's going to probably take another 8 months to get in the next 3 issues of this story arc. Adi Granov's artwork is a perfect match for this book, but it it takes so long for him to put out an issue...well, Marvel should've planned this better, that's all. Tony Stark is depicted as a man who's only truly complete when he's inside that armor. And the "Ruby Ridge"/"Waco" style flashback actually works for me. Unlike the white supremacists that often show up in Marvel comics, this villian's actions actually make sense given his history. I was worried that Iron Man versus a Captain American type super soldier wouldn't make for a good story, but that's the thing: This isn't Captain America type of super soldier! This guy would crush Cap. America in 2 seconds flat! The fight scene on the last few pages was well played out, though there were a bit too many explosions in the crashing cars on the highway...Grade: A

Marvel Knights Spiderman #13: Gah...I don't know what to make of this title...I wasn't the biggest fan of Mark Millar's run on the title, but now, I fear Hudlin's run may be worse. But I suppose it's a bit too early to judge. I see what Hudlin's trying to do with this book, (and with Black Panther, his other title): he's making the plot's simplistic, the one-liner's fun, and the action swift. In other words, he's trying to bring back the Marvel comics of the 1960's. It's similar to what Robert Kirkman's trying to do in the titles he writes, (Kirkman's style is equally frustrating to me...maybe moreso...). But the simplistic style only works if you have a truly fun and innovative plot, and if you stay true to the characters. This plot doesn't seem that original, (I'm already tired of Peter being yelled at for being late to work), and the characterization is phony: Peter would not be jealous of Wolverine for something as simple as having a conversation with Mary Jane. Still, I know Robert Kirkman has his fans on this board, and Hudlin's work may catch fire as well. As for myself, I'm either going to have to wrap my brain around this style of storytelling, or quit the title. Grade: C

New Thunderbolts #7: I think this series has yet to find it's footing. It's good, mind you...but there's just something missing from making this title great, like it once was years ago. It's probably the fact that the Hydra plot didn't get resolved satisfactory last issue. And the fact that Captain Marvel's being altered from the personality that made him so great in the recent Peter David series. The fill in artist made for wierd storytelling; the artwork didn't feel appropriate for this title. Still, I'm interested in what our "heroes" do next...Grade: C+

Reviews to follow as I read them.

[Batman91]

This week I got some back issues of Justice Leauge Adventures:#18 and #23

[Clayface]

There were so many good things coming out that I couldn't narrow down the selection to make a single pick of the week!

P. Craig Russell's Conan and the Jewles of Gwahlur #1 (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=10-594) hit stands this week, and, wow, does it look amazing. Russell is one of my favorite fantasy artists, and he does some beautiful work here. Click on the link to check out the 8-page (!!) preview.

This week also sees the release of part 7 of DC's new Adam Strange (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2753) mini-series, which has been nothing but fun right from the start. If you're not reading this, you should be. Back issues are still easy to find in my area, so it's not too late to start.

Two other books everyone should be reading also hit the stands this week: Gotham Central (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2830) (the best bat-book on the market right now), and Willingham's addicting Fables (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2888).

There's also a great big heaping helping of super-hero goodness with the new Black Panther (http://www.marvel.com/catalog/showcomic.htm?id=1838&format=comic) title. I haven't yet put my finger on what it is I like so much about it, but it's a dang good read. And this week's issue is only #3, so it's another title that it's not too late for new readers to jump in on.

And that's just the single issues! Then there's the new TPBs: the Batman: Year One Deluxe Edition Hardcover (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2712) and the Supreme Power Vol. 1 hardcover (http://www.marvel.com/catalog/showcomic.htm?id=1819&format=comic), both stuffed with all sorts of extras and goodies. You know you want 'em.

And those are just what I'd consider the "highlights" of the week. There are several other very good titles that hit the stands. Defintiely a great week for comics!

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Today's title for the Big Pile of Links comes courtesy of Jesse Salazar of the University of Pennsylvania, who is doing his senior thesis about Captain America and his role in wartime propaganda during WWII (http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/425e17d8be90b). Points out that Cap outsold Time magazine at the time, and how Jack & Joe mobilized support for America entering the war through the kids.

Here's a feature article about breast cancer survivor Marisa Acocella Marchetto and her comic strip about the experience of her treatment (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/14/books/14canc.html?), courtesy of the New York Times (www.bugmenot.com (http://www.bugmenot.com/) if you need a login/password). Yes, comics can cure cancer. Or at least help you prepare for and deal with the after-effects of the chemo, which is sometimes the most you can hope for.

File under: wanna try something different? Preview and interview for Territory 51 (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003660), the cowboys vs. aliens comic (first one's free (http://www.athenavoltaire.com/Territory51.html)), and one for Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31665), about....um...OK, click through and start reading -- you're on your own for that one. Funky cool art, though.

Make your own comic book out of your digital photo collection, courtesy of Comic Life (http://plasq.com/)! Only for MacOS X, though, so nyah nyah nyah to all you Windows people out there.

Finally, I usually don't like being excessively negative about comics, even ones I don't like, but there's some genuine pleasure to be derived from reading a really well-written negative review. Tom Spurgeon of the Comics Reporter takes a hatchet to the exclusive O.C. comic printed in this week's TV Guide (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/cr_reviews/1355/) and starts swinging, nailing the comic, older TV Guide comics, the magazine, and himself along the way.

-- Ed/Ace

[Redhood]

Fairly good week.

ultimates 2#5
JSA#72
marvel knights Spiderman#13
Action comics #826
New thunderbolts
iron man #3
black panther #3
nightwing #107
ultimate x-men #58
Toxin#1
Adam strange#7
batman gotham knights#190

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

P. Craig Russell on Conan...very interesting stuff!

I'm also stoked about the Little Lulu vol. 3 that should have been out this week, but there seems to be problems with Dark Horse TPBs coming out on time in my city. Chronicles of Conan v.7 should have been released weeks ago, no stores have gotten them in yet, despite the requests.

[Blue Zeo]

Nightwing #107
Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #190
Gotham Central #30 (the first copy I got over the weekend had 2 pages stuck together >_<)

[Condiment King]

JSA 72 – Great ending to JSA/JSA. Geoff Johns has elevated the book back to its epic storytelling. Interesting developments in the Courtney Whitmore side and how she was the one that narrated the final battle -- also the first seeds of the relationship between her and Atom Smasher have been planted. We'll see just where that goes since Captain Marvel is supposed to come on the book soon. ****

Nightwing 107 – Nice start. I didn't expect a whole lot. I positively loved Nightwing Year One. Chuck Dixon is great with all things Batman. I picked up this issue because I also positively love Phil Hester's art. I haven't read anything by Devin Grayson up to this point. Taking that all in, this was an okay start. I'll see where it goes. ***

[EinBebop]

A slow week for this non-Batty DC fan. Read JSA 72 which wrapped up the Old JSA/New JSA storyline, and Action 826, which kicked off the Superman/Shazam team-up. Starterd off a little slow, but with an interesting surprise at the end.

[wonderfly]

P. Craig Russell's Conan and the Jewles of Gwahlur #1 (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=10-594) hit stands this week, and, wow, does it look amazing. Russell is one of my favorite fantasy artists, and he does some beautiful work here. Click on the link to check out the 8-page (!!) preview.
I had the chance to pick this up but I didn't. Don't get me wrong, the artwork looks pretty nice, but I got burned on the last Conan spin off from Dark Horse, "Conan and the Daughters of Midora". That one-shot was crap. If it's not Kurt Busiek, and if it's not Cary Nord, it's not Conan for me, (at least nowadays at any rate...I still have a soft spot for old Marvel Conan issues).

I'm also a bit puzzled by the fact that I thought Kurt Busiek was going to adapt ALL of the original Howard stories. Yet they decided to let Mr. Russell handle this one. I think I know why: Having read MOST of the original Robert E. Howard Conan stories, I can say with some certainty that this is the worst of the original Conan tales. It's a simple "Conan hunting for jewels in some ancient ruins" tale. Yes, there's a few plot twists, but nothing you can't see coming a mile away. That, and the "love interest" for Conan in it is a bit of a dummy compared to other women in other Conan tales.

Now having said all that, I do think I'll pick up this miniseries eventually. I think I'll just wait for all three issues to come out, and to snatch it all up at once, or to buy a TPB version of it, (if it gets a TPB).

[the panther]

Well, looks like I'll be picking up:

Action Comics #826 - Yes, the da... ahem... darned first Super-title-wide crossover of the year. (The second is in July, and even crosses over with Wonder Woman.) Actually, I'm interested mostly because I've read, like, nothing with Captain Marvel in it.
Green Arrow #49 - I'm terribly underwhelmed with this series. #50 will be my last issue (although the Anarky ish after looks interesting, since he hasn't been around the DCU in a while, IIRC). Snip, snip, snip...
Marvel Knights 4 #17 - The Most Exciting Book of the Week. But I may not read it till I get #13 (haven't read anything since #12). Bummer, eh?

I'll be looking for some back-issues, mainly X-Men: Phoenix Endsong #3 and Green Lantern: Rebirth #1-3, which should all be on hold, actually. Well, not Endsong since I couldn't order it (!!!) and GLR #2 since it's sold out, but is being reissued the 20th.

And I wish I was getting Superman/Batman #19. That was supposed to come out this week, but was delayed another two weeks. Bummer.

Ho, boy. Whatever.

ETA:

Ah. MK4 doesn't come out till next week. Dang.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


I'm also a bit puzzled by the fact that I thought Kurt Busiek was going to adapt ALL of the original Howard stories. Yet they decided to let Mr. Russell handle this one. I think I know why: Having read MOST of the original Robert E. Howard Conan stories, I can say with some certainty that this is the worst of the original Conan tales.
Actually, I think Kurt just said it was because the "Jewels of Gwahlur" story happens right before Conan seizes the throne of Aquilonia, and that isn't going to happen for a good, long time yet in his series. Given that, and the fact that Conan is one of Dark Horse's unqualified hits at the moment, and it's clear that the adaptations being done by other people (Midora and this one) aren't artistic decisions as much as financial ones. I'm pretty sure that Busiek is cool with it, though -- he's working from the front, some people are working from the back occasionally, and some time in the future his stories will catch up to the other ones.

I'm a bit thrown by the tone of the preview, which seems a lot more mannered and expository than Busiek's. However, I'm probably not getting my copy for another few weeks, yet, so I can't say whether it changes up or not. It is undeniably stunning to look at, though.

-- Ed/Ace

[Conekiller]

Wow, there was not a single book waiting for me in my box this week.

I guess it's Karma for all the TPBs and Manga I bought at Border's buy 2-get-1-free sale.

anyway

Ultimate Spiderman TPB#12: I rmember alot of grumbling when some of these stories broke. I feel that mainly that is becuas of the incidents that occured in the previous arc. ou really shouldn't go from a best friend getting killed story to a funny romp with the X-men. I did enjoy the tounge-in-cheek attitude of the story, but it's placement feels so akward that I still get the impression that this was a mandate from higher up (as Bendis' spalsh page complaints seem to infer). I did marginally enjoy the Johnny storm bit if only for re-assuring us of why Spidey does his thing and building on the relationships of the characters (Tho I would have figured Peter would jsut stay completely clear of Flash by now). so the reaosn Liz is mutantphobic is cuz she thinks she is one? we havn't gotten any indication of this in the past. In fact I remember them mentioning something about her uncle being a mutant.

Anyway, the Dr. Strange story was alot better than I expected it to be. mainly from the very dream-logic-ish scenes. such as Kingpin with Venom's powers, and Aunt May marrying the Goblin. Shame Peter and MJ never got that date :sad:

Ultimate Nightmare : Talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=138689) It seems my talkback wasn't interesting enough to illicit a responce, at least someone was kind enough to spruce it up a bit.:sweat:

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

In an entry on his blog about Lockjaw (http://peterdavid.malibulist.com/archives/002778.html), the teleporting dog of the Inhumans, Peter David invents a new comic book history term: the "stetcon." This is the fix a writer applies to some other writer's retcon that reverts the history back to where it was in the first place. The example that triggers this whole discussion is whether or not Lockjaw was a humanoid who turned into a dog when exposed to the Terrigen Mists (as retconned by John Byrne) or a dog all along with the prior explanation being a practical joke (as stetconned by PAD). FFPlaza.com has the highlights of both stories (http://www.ffplaza.com/commcenter/articles/Lockjaw.shtml) if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

You know, if I was 13 again, I'd be getting melvins and having kids take my lunch money on a regular basis, wouldn't I?

Richard Starkings talks about possibly the easiest way to break into the comics biz: digital lettering (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31743). The book he and Comicraft put out (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0974056731/qid=1113598368/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2003060-1000127) is a lot of fun and also contains an original story by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen, I believe, which is a nice tribute to Will Eisner's Spirit stories.

Finally, the 24 Hour Comics Day project has gotten a blog (http://www.24hourcomics.com/blog/), just like all the cool kids have these days.

-- Ed/Ace

[Spider-Man]

This was a small week for me so I picked up a trade that I was really pleased with.

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #13 (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=138660))
She-Hulk Volume 2: Supernatural Law

I was blown away by the She-Hulk trade. I haven't had that much fun since...well...I read the first collection of her comics. This was some great stuff and it's exactly what Marvel needs. Given the state of most of their comics this book really serves as a fun alternative. I'd like to know what the writer has planned for season two.

[randomguy]

There were so many good things coming out that I couldn't narrow down the selection to make a single pick of the week!No kidding. I was gonna make this week's Gotham Central my pick, but then I figured "eh, Clayface always picks Gotham Central, so I'll go with something else." Oops.

Of course, I didn't pick up a lot of books this week, but that's because I'm reading Black Panther, The Invincible Iron Man, Fables, and Adam Strange in TPB.

One more high-profile release of note this week is Flight Vol. 2. This the second volume of the Image Comics anthology series, which teams young comics and animation talents to create short stories centered around the theme of flight. I found the first volume uneven, but the reviews have been a bit more enthusiastic for the second volume, so it might be worth looking into.

Anyhow, onto this week's 32 page pamphlets...

The Ultimates 2 #5: The assembled Ultimates, including the new European Union superheroes, attempt to take down the delusional (or is he?) Thor. The Ultimates 2 continues to impress with this fifth issue. I can now comfortably say that this is a huge step over the first volume. In fact, the improvement has really surprised me. The Ultimates was big, dumb fun if you could let go of your inhibitions and attatchments to the 616 Marvel Universe, but The Ultimates 2 has been surprisingly thoughtful. Not that this issue is lacking in big, dumb fun, mind you. There's an awesome fight scene, as cinematic and exciting as anything The Ultimates has ever done, and as usual, it's beatifully rendered by Bryan Hitch. But what really makes this issue work is the strength of the character moments, and the incredibly compelling mystery that Millar has surrounded Thor with. Thor, and the handling of his character, is easily the greatest success of The Ultimates, and Millar wisely gives him a certain degree of closure in this issue, while leaving the mystery around the character intact. As much fun as it would be to have all the questions answered, let's face it, Thor is way more compelling if you don't know whether he's a god or a crazy hobo. The action in this issue is great, but the drama and mystery are even better. This is, by a wide margin, the best thing Mark Millar has ever written. Worth picking up, even for those of you who tend to avoid these sorts of things. Grade: A

Gotham Central #30: Montoya and Allen face Dr. Alchemy in a Keystone Penitentiary holding cell. Trouble ensues. This is probably the first issue in a while that I wasn't totally crazy about. It's still good, but all the Dr. Alchemy bits come across as a rather uncreative lift from Silence of the Lambs, with one line in particular being rather jarring. Maybe it's supposed to be homage, but from where I'm standing, it looks more like rip-off. The character stuff regarding Montoya's love life is as strong as ever, though, and the ending is fantastic. A solid Grade: B

Ultimate X-Men #58: In this most rare of Ultimate stories (a single-issue one), Professor X deals with a bank robbery in his own unique way. This is actually an exceedingly clever standalone tale that really plays to Brian K. Vaughan's strengths, and one of the better Xavier stories I've ever read. It really explores his character, and particularly the Ultimate version, with all of its quirks. Vaughan illustrates both Xavier's altruism, and his fundamental creepiness and willingness to manipulate to forward his agenda. Very interesting read. The fill-in art is by Steve Dillon, who really brings the story to life and renders one character in particular very well. He's over-inked, unfortunately, but the art is still solid. Grade: A

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #13: The first issue of new creative team Reginald Hudlin and Billy Tan. Spider-Man struggles incompetently to deal with all the changes in his life, and that's about it. Admittedly, I wasn't planning on picking this up (I had instructed my comic shop to take Marvel Knights: Spider-Man off of my pull list after Millar's run), but it found its way into my pile quite by accident. My suspicions were correct: this is not a very good comic. There are two changes to the Spider-Man status quo in this issue: where he lives, and where he works. The former is a bit gratuitious, I think, but I'm willing to give it a chance. The latter, though, comes across as forced and backpedaling. Hudlin's script takes huge leaps of logic, and isn't really all that true to the character. Tan's art is hugely inconsistent... some panels look quite good, and his handling of Spider-Man in costume is great. But a lot of the figure work is atrocious, and the action is often hard to follow. The ending is the most offensive part of the issue, because it's incredibly stupid. I think this run could probably appeal to a lot of folks, but it's not my cup of tea. Grade: D

[PaQ]

Forgot to mention what I had gotten this past week. 9 comics: 5 Marvel, 2 DC, 1 Image & 1 Indy (whoever does Fathom). Anyway a pretty hefty week, with one thing resolved after, I'll be dropping Armor X asap.

JSA #72 - Finally a wrap up to the JSA/JSA arc, and I have to say I was disappointed with it. For something that was so hyped up, it moved too slowly and the ending wrapped up way too quickly. Atom Smasher nailed Degaton once and things started falling apart, at least it was a chance to see old JSA members in their prime working with their heirs. ***

Nightwing #107 - I like it. I was totally confused by the issue though, how did Dick get involved with those guys. What is he up to? Why did Tommy have his shadow shaped like Batman at one point? ****

Armor X #2 - I liked the first issue, because it felt edgy, but this issue really didn't capitalize on the momentum and went nowhere. I really haven't felt sorry for the main character, and I really find it hard to believe that the guy would figure out the blind girl was a piece to the puzzle so quickly. The only interesting thing in my book was that it seems the organism is manipulating him and changing what people are actually saying. **

Spider-Man #13 - I think I made the right choice with putting this as my main spidey book till at least Waid's Spidey book debuts. The art looks great in the interiors, albeit with a shaky cover, it really made Logan look weird. I wonder what's gonna result with the final panel, maybe that shape-shifter turned into Spidey and Logan could tell with his distinct smell? *****

New Thunderbolts #7 - Not much went on. It is a good place for new readers (like me) to jump on, since it really is an overview on the team and what they've been up to. I'd been wanting to get this for awhile, so I'll be sticking with it. I'm glad that it seems like they've ditched the Captain Marvel character (Billy Batson is the only true one :mad: ) since he's been reborn as 'Photon'. I think, anyway. ***

Powers #10 - I don't really know much about Powers, as this was the first issue I've read, but I'd been meaning to jump on for awhile, with it's unique look and the fact that this is Bendis's baby practically. Interesting issue. ***

Ultimate X-men #58 - Professor X goes to the bank! A very pointless issue imo, that was trippy the whole mind trick Xavier pulled on the cops thinking they shot the duo. ***

Ultimates 2 #5 - Millar is a freaking genius on this book. While he struggled with his overrated Spidey run, the characters and story in this book are simply amazing to read. I wonder how Thor is going to get out of it, and if some Ultimates are going to do the right thing. That final panel really caused everything to start sinking in.. *****

Fathom: Beginnings #1 - I actually had forgotten that I had gotten this comic, and was surprised when I saw it in my pull. I'm really not that fond of the whole Fathom franchise, except that the art looks nice. Nothing done in this little issue changed my outlook. **

[the panther]

I actually got everything on my list and more. This is shocking!

Action Comics #826 - If you look at the cover, you can see that Superman and Captain Marvel are - I mean - look like identical twins. The difference is slightly more noticeable on the inside, and the rest of the art is NICE. Ian Churchill draws pretty. :) It was interesting to read, partly because I'd never read a Captain Marvel or Ian Churchill comic before, but mostly because I'd never read a comic with Clark Kent and Lois Lane - gasp! - at the Daily Planet. It was neat. (Yes, I am a geek.) 4.5/5

Green Arrow #49 - As I stated last post, I'm terribly underwhelmed with this series. This issue raised a couple questions, but I guess I'll just head over to the Green Arrow board at ComicBoards to see if they've been answered already or whatever. The art was nice, and Ollie's mustache didn't look like it was trying to leave his face at any time. It was kind of surprising to find a fill-in penciller this issue, but it was refreshing. 2.5/5

A few back-issues:

Batman #638 - Head over here (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?p=1707322#post1707322) to find out what I thought. Beware of spoilers! 4.5/5

Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 - Wow, Ethan Van Sciver's art is even nicer than I had thought! Also, I loved how I just managed to get lost in the story. Even though it's a big mystery with all these weird things going on, surrounding Hal Jordan's past, I was actually able to understand everything and totally got sucked into the story. I don't think that's happened in a long while, especially being fairly new to comics (2 years may not seem like fairly new, but it is!). 6/5

Green Lantern: Rebirth #3 - Ah, not having #2 does impose a problem with reading #3. I'll be reading #2-5 next weekend, when I get the #2 that's on order/hold for me. N/A

Alas, I didn't find a couple I'm still looking for. Being that they're part of minis, I'll probably have to go to eBay. Bummer.

[wonderfly]

All of my reviews are up. My Pick of the Week goes to Iron Man #3. I reccomend the title to anyone who's a science fiction fan, (it's not traditional superheroics, that's for certain). It may be a while for the story arc to finish though, so I can certainly understand if you're waiting for the TPB instead of waiting for each new issue to come out...

[superprime]

This week I got:

The Flash #220: The Rogue War is finally here! I've been waiting for this story for a long time and the first chapter didn't disappoint. I liked Cold's narration at the begining. It gave good assesments of all the Rogues and why they're such good villians. I also liked that Wally and Linda are still trying to have kids. It's great that even though Zoom took their first children they're not giving up. On the subject of Zoom, I'm curious to see how exactly he fits into the War. His meeting with Jay this issue was interesting and I think he's trying to rebuild the Cosmic Treadmill, but for what I don't know. The last page where all the reformed Rogues showed up was great. Overall this was an awesome start to the arc and I can't wait for next issue. 4.5 out of 5.

Fantastic Four #524: I'm really going to miss Waid and Wieringo now that they're gone. It was they're run on the book that made me fall in love with the Fantastic Four and they made some really fun comics during their stay on the book. However, this was a good issue to end their run with. The idea of the teams powers jumping from person to person was pretty cool and each member of the team had some good moments. I especially liked Reed and Ben's talk in the subway. Ben made some good arguements for why Reed couldn't have his powers and it was really noble of him to take them back when he could have been done with them for good. The last scene of the team heading into the microverse again was great. Like they were saying, exploring and heading into the unknown is what the Fantastic Four is all about. This issue was a good end to great run. 4 out of 5.

[James Harvey]

As Clayface noted earlier in the thread, this week saw the release of the Batman: Year One - Deluxe Edition Hardcover. In short, it's a spectacular release that gives us the best possible presentation of the story, as well as a pile of great extra material. Even if you already own Batman: Year One, this hardcover is worth purchasing.

To celebrate this great release, five new talkbacks have been created that spotlight five of the greatest Batman stories ever told. Now, these aren't the greatest stories, but they are significant to the Batman lore. I hope you have a great time discussing and rediscovering these fantastic stories!

-Batman: Year One (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139000)
-Batman: Arkham Asylum (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139001)
-Batman: A Death In The Family (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139005)
-Batman: The Killing Joke (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139006)
-Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=139010)

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Today's title story is Geoff Johns talking about the Power Girl mini-series at Newsarama.com (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31789). Hey, if he could disentangle Hawkman and make him kind of coherent, Power Girl would be next on the list of characters in dire need of a heavy dose of retcon/stetcon/make-new-stuff-up-con.

Meanwhile, Newsarama.com's David Bird reviews 99 issues of Blade of the Immortal (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31823) so you can get caught up on this bloody, samurai manga. Spoilers ahoy.

Two from the Brian K. Vaughan forum (we're falling behind on our Recommended Weekly Allowance of BKV): one is confirmation that BKV will be writing the adventures of the Escapist for Dark Horse (http://bkv.tv/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=502&sid=7c0962a5592d028ad6c5063752da7aa2), the Escapist being the fictional superhero who figures prominently in Michael Chabon's prize-winning (and very good) novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

The other answers the age-old question of what you get when you cross Runaways with Peanuts (http://bkv.tv/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1902&sid=7c0962a5592d028ad6c5063752da7aa2). Five words: Old Lace Doing Snoopy Dance. Adrian Alphona totally and completely rules.

Finally, here's one last article about the Will Eisner memorial (http://comics.ign.com/articles/604/604647p1.html) held last week in NYC, courtesy of the great folks at the comics.ign.com website. Highlight is a full guest list.

-- Ed/Ace

[Spider-Man]

With all of the talk about Mike Weiringo's artwork over on the Marvel Board I decided to pick up the newest Fantastic Four issue this week and just loved it. I was caught up pretty quickly on the story and thought it just all came together nicely. I may have to hunt down some old trades for this Waid/Weiringo run.