This Week In Comics: 06/22/2005

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for June 22nd, 2005 - June 28th, 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_062205.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!




Ace the Bathound's Picks:


http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/2323_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=2323)....http://apcomics.com/images/covers/darkmists1_sm.jpg (http://apcomics.com/darkmists1.htm)
Astro City: The Dark Age #1 (of 16)............Dark Mists #1 (of 4)...............




Clayface's Picks:


http://www.tokyopop.com/dbdocuments/7/1/12317.jpg (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?page=product&productid=2106).......http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/med/11/11734.jpg (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=11-734)

Heat Guy J GN...................HellBoy: The Island #1 (of 2)



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[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Fantagraphics Publishing, the fine folks who bring us the Collected Peanuts books and a bunch of other stuff significantly naughtier, has just started up a blog (http://www.fantagraphics.com/blog/). This entry (http://www.fantagraphics.com/blog/archive/2005_06_01_fantagraphics_archive.html#111937347455928790) highlights the counter-cultural Summer Solstice parade (http://www.fantagraphics.com/blog/archive/2005_06_01_fantagraphics_archive.html#111937347455928790) in the Fremont section of Seattle, WA. It caught my eye because I thought the paraders had made some really amazing looking Incredibles costumes.

Suffice it to say that they aren't costumes, as such. I wonder what Edna would say.

(For what it's worth, this entry that describes an exhortation to break copyright law from a customs agent (http://www.fantagraphics.com/blog/archive/2005_06_01_fantagraphics_archive.html#111937347455928790) is pretty amusing, too.)

Speaking of quirky independent comics companies, Slave Labor Graphics is running a sale on their on-line store with a coupon code you can find in this weblog entry (http://www.livejournal.com/users/slg_news/73225.html). Tom Spurgeon helpfully provides some suggestions (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/slave_labors_summer_sale/) for products to buy, and I'm rather fond of the Gloomcookie Vol. 1 TPB (http://store.slavelabor.com/GCCinfo.shtml).

Christos Gage, fresh off the Deadshot mini-series from DC, brings us Paradox via Arcana Studios (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5451). It involves a mirror universe where magic has replaced technology, and where Winston Churchill is the leader of the magic Luddites seeking to replace magic with rationality and science. I think I may need to get this on general principle.

I may also need to take a look at Holmes (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36480), which features a stoned out Sherlock with Watson being the real brains of the outfit.

Another interview with Jim Ottoviani about the Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D36%26t%3D003916) graphic novel. Pre-order it now. Now, I say. It's got dinosaurs and cowboys in it. What more do you need? And I still say this is the coolest lettering trick (http://www.comicon.com/pulse/images_05/1bshp1.jpg) I've seen this year, because how else are you gonna do word balloons for P.T. Barnum. Now, I say.

Finally, after four years of story, Bill Willingham is coming clean on who the Adversary is in (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36490)Fables (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36490) but I'm reading it in trades and LA LA LA FINGERS IN EARS LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!

-- ED/ACE

[DarkHawk]

Some of my favortie titles released this week!


House of M #2 Huge letdown imo.......about the only thing cool about this imo was the sentiel statue. I might not be getting all the tie-ins like i was going to.

Teen Titans #25 Great issue, I liked the interaction between the outsiders and the titans. That Cassie girl went crazy on those bots too!

New Avengers #6 Finally this damn issue comes out......the delays have made me lose a lot of interest in this book. I liked the spidey wisecracks as usual and it looks like a new villian will be created soon from that last page!

Girls #2 Book of the week easily for me, if you haven't read this book yet, pick up #1 and this asap. This issue has one of the most disturbing/unexpected panels I have ever seen, and it was awesome!!!

JLA: Tower of Babel TPB Easily the best JLA storyline arc I have ever read. I wonder will this arc be brought up again doing the "Crisis"

Pretty decent week other then the "House of Crap" I had such high hopes for it too :( Hopefully "Crisis" will live up to the hype.

[Batman91]

got quite a bit this week

Green Lantern Rebirth#3
Green Lantern Rebirth#4
Green Lantern Rebirth#5
Green Lantern Rebirth#6
JTHM#3
JTHM#4
JTHM#5
JTHM#6
JTHM#7
Teen Titans#14
Justice Leauge Unlimited#10
The Batman Strikes#9

sad thing is is that I've read almost all of them already:D

[wonderfly]

I'm really, REALLY irked that the latest Previews didn't come out today...for some reason I'm super eager to see what's coming from Marvel in September...

This week's going to be pretty busy, I suspect, so no guarentees I'm going to be able to finish all of my comic reviews.

But anyway, this week I got:

Astro City: The Dark Age #1: Holy @#$%, a 16 issue miniseries?!? It's been a few years since I set foot in Astro City. The ongoing series from the mid 90's was one of my favorite series for a while. But I lost track of it, and soon found out it was cancelled. Since then, I hear there's been a couple of miniseries, and with the start of this one, I decided to jump back in. And now I'm hooked all over again. :) Busiek may have proven he can write a masterful Conan, but his speciality is still writing superheroes, specifically the plot device of seeing the superheroes through the eyes of the Average Joe. Here we are treated to the start of the darkest period in Astro City's history: showing us the superheroes of the 70's and early 80's. Supposedly, this was originally going to be set in the Marvel universe, detailing the end of the Silver Age, (that bleak period involving Watergate and Vietnam, a time period where Gwen Stacy died, the Punisher came on the scene, and the Marvel Universe became a bit darker). But setting it in Busiek's own Astro City is perhaps a better choice, as he can take the plots to their logical conclusion, (in the early 70's, I don't think the creators at Marvel and DC could really write that some superheroes might choose to side with North Vietnam). A fascinating start to this miniseries. Grade: A+

Black Panther #5: A bland issue. The action scenes are okay, (John Romita Jr.'s artwork is great as usual, but can't help this clunker of a plot). This story is supposed to be set in the Black Panther's early years, (the character first appeared in the late 60's, mind you). But here we have references to Chernobyl, along with references to the recent "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. In other words, this story doesn't know what time period it wants to be set in. Also, there's more portrayals of the U.S. military as evil. Again, let me state my 'line in the sand': It's okay to paint politicians and the military as evil, as long as it fits within the context of the universe you're writing. "Punisher" and "Supreme Power" do this quite well, because those are bleak, dark universes, where nobody is innocent. But in the midst of a standard superhero tale, set in the jolly Silver Age of Marvel comics, it doesn't work. And it's a political potshot. But beyond that, this is still a clunker of a plot. Grade: C

Captain America #7: Another "sideplot" issue, but a good one. Is it just me, or is the main plot advancing too slow? At any rate, this issue gives us a glimpse into what's been happening with Jack Monroe, (a member of Cap. America's supporting cast we haven't heard from in years). It's a tragic tale, a portrait of a man suffering from dementia and hallucinations, which plays up on the aspect that Monroe has always lived in the shadow of other men. The story also makes good use of continuity, mentioning all of the highlights of Jack Monroe's life. But beyond that, the fill in artwork was less than stellar, and that lowers the grade on this issue a bit. Grade: B-

Conan #17: At last, we come to one of the highlights of Conan's life: a young Conan in Zamora! It's Conan doing what he does best, cutting through lies and deceptions, outsmarting and outfighting anything the City of Thieves can throw at him! Conan is at the start of his life as a thief, and the stage has been set for the adaptation of "Tower of the Elephant" a couple of issues from now. The Cary Nord covers to these last couple of issues have been a welcome sight; keep him doing the covers as long as you can Dark Horse! Grade: A+

Dream Police #1: Okay, it's a one-shot comic made by the current creative team behind Amazing Spiderman, which turns out to be a fun read. What they have created is a world where dreams can run out of control, and it's up to a special division of the police to regulate them. I can see shades of "Men in Black" in the story, but it makes for a good read. JMS's script is fun, with plenty of laughs, and hints of a darker aspect, (after all, nightmares are dreams too). The two lead characters are a bit too much classic Dragnet style cops, (I was ready for one of them to say, "Just the facts, maam"), but they have a few distinct character moments. Deadato's artwork is the perfect fit for the murky world depicted here, and there's enough innovative concepts here that I want to see more. I'm not sure it's clever enough for a full fledged ongoing series, but another one-shot sequel, or a miniseries would be welcome from me. Grade: B+

House of M #2: And now we get to the heart of what this miniseries is about: An alternate universe where mutants, (namely Magneto) rule the Earth. There isn't too much advancement of the plot, instead, this issue focuses on giving us quick highlights of where all of our heroes are at in this version of the universe. Most of interest to me was the conversation between Beast and Hank Pym, which makes for a good examination of "reverse racism". An interesting political study of racial equality, (or the lack of it) told through the use of the old 'mirror universe' story-telling device. Grade: B+

Legion of Superheroes #7: This issue puts us back on track, (after the last couple of issues not quite living up to standards). The focus this time around is on Brainiac 5, who just happens to be the biggest ego maniac in all the universe. But his heart's in the right place, and as we see what happens to his home planet unfold over the issue, you can't help but feel sorry for him, (smug jerk that he is). Of importance to me is there's an end to the subplot started last issue: our supervillian is no longer a mystery to our heroes. That's good, as I don't know how much longer they could've dragged out that subplot. Things are starting to heat back up for this title. Grade: B

Livewires #5: Not much happened this issue, strangely enough. Where as the first few issues served as stand alone stories, this issue is just a bridge between the plot started last issue, and the grand finale to this miniseries next issue. Oh sure, people die, and there's plenty of action, but we're really just setting up for what this series seems to be all about: Stem Cell attempting to cast off her human programming, and becoming a true "Live Wire". Grade: B

New Avengers #6: Finally, the first story arc concludes. And it's a worthy enough ending, though it doesn't reveal much about our mystery villians, (of which this book has several). The reasoning given for Wolverine joining the team was strong enough, and Spiderman still gets to give plenty of one liners. This book's problem is still the fact that it's running late, (though that should improve with the next story arc), and that it's taking forever for the whole team to line up. The Sentry still has yet to join the team for instance... Grade: B

New Xmen #15: Our heroes first full school year has come to a conclussion with this issue, and succeeds in disassembling our team. They've been through turmoil and have dealt with upheaval, and are now at their lowest point. Next issue would naturally be the start of bringing the team back together, and making them a stronger group of friends because of the trials they have endured, right? Wrong. Next issue starts a "House of M" tie in storyline, which does nothing to advance the main plot here, and after that concludes, our regular writers for this book are being kicked off because Marvel wants to bring in some new writers. As such, I'm left a bit disatisfied. In interested in where the new writers will take these characters we've come to care for, but I know it won't be in the direction they were originally meant to go. Grade: B-

Spiderman: House of M #1: So far, it's better than the main "House of M" miniseries, (but the main miniseries is still in warm-up mode). Spiderman now has everything he ever wanted. Or does he? In a world where he is adored, and all of his loved ones who have died are still around, is it possible for trouble to touch our hero, who's now content to live in his Ivory Tower? Apparently so, as the Green Goblin and J. Jonah Jameson are still around in this mirror universe, and intent on causing trouble. The relationship between JJJ and Peter Parker is the most fascinating aspect here. In the main universe, their rivalry throughout the years has been built upon JJJ's jealousy of Spidey's good deeds. Here, Jameson can't throw stones at Peter anymore, because Spiderman is loved throughout the world! With the dynamics of their relationship changed, this makes for a compelling "What If" type of issue. Grade: A+

Supreme Power #17: This issue is spent building up towards the big revelation to the public of Hyperion's alien origin. What happens when the most powerful, (and most popular) superhero in the world is smeared in the public's eye? The next few issues will reveal, but I don't think it's going to be a pretty sight...It's a bit too slow paced, (as usual) but has good characterization. Grade: B

Reviews to follow as I read them.

[GregX]

the new House of M was mostly set-up anyway, showing us this new world. I'm sure it will pick up.

[Clayface]

Dream Police #1: Is this an ongoing series or a miniseries?

Glad to see someone else pick this up - it was almost one of my picks of the week. As to the book's status: JMS originally wrote a single issue to demonstrate the concept of an anthology comic that would have been published by Joe's Comics (a now defunct imprint of Top Cow, which collapsed when JMS' relationship with TC imploded). Top Cow was going to publish this as a one-shot, and sat on it while JMS and TC had their legal battle. JMS finally got the rights to it back, and Marvel finally published it. According to JMS, there will be more installments if the book is popular.

I'm still trying to read through my large stack of comics from last week. But here's this week's comics that I'll be adding to the stack:

BATMAN: JEKYLL AND HYDE #3 (OF 6) -I thought the first two issues were fascinating, and the Jae Lee art fits perfectly here. Unfortuantely, I ordered this one online, so it'll be a couple weeks before I get to read this latest issue. Is anyone else out there reading this?

BLACK PANTHER #5

BOOKS OF MAGICK: LIFE DURING WARTIME #12

CAPTAIN AMERICA #7

CONAN #17

DREAM POLICE #1

HEAT GUY J GN - I can't believe this finally came out. I remember when it was first solicited in Previews, way back when. It was actually after the series had first aired, and the interest in it was already dying down - I remember thinking they kinda missed the boat on that one. And then it didn't come out when the original solicitation said it would. Many months went by, and then they resolicited it, and finally it's here. Wonder what took 'em so long. I'll have to look into that. Anyway, I absolutely loved the anime, so I'm looking forward to the manga. Unfortunately, this is another book I've ordered online, so again it'll be a couple weeks before it's in my hands.

HELLBLAZER SPECIAL: PAPA MIDNITE #5 (OF 5)

HELLBOY: THE ISLAND #1 (OF 2) - Woo! New Hellboy! It's been far too long, and it's disappointing to me that his return is only two issues long. Still, the solicits promise answers to questions fans have been wondering about a long time, and I'll take what I can get!

MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN #2 (OF 4)

NEIL GAIMANS NEVERWHERE #1 (OF 9) - I've read the book, and seen the movie/mini-series. Not sure I really need a comic adaptation now too. But, I got it nice and cheap from DCBS, so what the heck.

NEW AVENGERS #6 - Good god, the delays on this book are killing me. Thank goodness they've got the recap page at the beginning - I didn't remember half of what happened in the last issue. This is another solid issue. I like the explanation for Sauron's return from the dead, and I thought the explanation for Wolverine's place on the team was clever. This book could be great, if they could keep themselves on a regular freakin' schedule. 4 out of 5

QUEEN & COUNTRY: DECLASSIFIED VOL 3 #1 (OF 3)

SUPREME POWER #17

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #20

ULTIMATE X-MEN #60

YEAR ONE: BATMAN/SCARECROW #2 (OF 2)

[rggkjg1]

got 30 dollar books today. good amount of new teen titans and various batman issues. had to hold off on some of this weeks and last week's stuff unfortunately.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #641 - my highlight of the week.

TEEN TITANS #25 - no doubt an important issue for infininte crisis. lex luthor makes his first move and public appearance.

BATMAN DARK DETECTIVE #4 - my excitement for this story goes down after every issue. dark detective is looking to be an "average" batman story. not something memerable as i hoped it to be. this isnt stopping me from getting strange apparitions though...

HOUSE OF M #2 - good issue. had to pass on house of m spider-man this week though.

GIANT SIZE X-MEN #3 - pretty much a filler for the lateness of astonishing x-men. has some neal adams art, so that was pretty good. i thumbed through the team up reprints. i thought those were really pointless, i think it would have been more logical to reprint giant size x-men 1 and 2 with this.

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #79 - one of the various batman dollar books. written by mark millar. this was a nice one shot issue.

[Clayface]

BATMAN DARK DETECTIVE #4 - my excitement for this story goes down after every issue. dark detective is looking to be an "average" batman story. not something memerable as i hoped it to be. this isnt stopping me from getting strange apparitions though...

Yeah, my reaction to Dark Detective has been much the same. It's just not grabbing me, and I'm finding myself less and less interested as it goes on. But, I'm glad to see you're still going to give Strange Apparitions a try - I enjoyed it myself.

[wonderfly]

Glad to see someone else pick this up - it was almost one of my picks of the week. As to the book's status: JMS originally wrote a single issue to demonstrate the concept of an anthology comic that would have been published by Joe's Comics (a now defunct imprint of Top Cow, which collapsed when JMS' relationship with TC imploded). Top Cow was going to publish this as a one-shot, and sat on it while JMS and TC had their legal battle. JMS finally got the rights to it back, and Marvel finally published it. According to JMS, there will be more installments if the book is popular.

Well, having flipped through it, it appears pretty intriguing, so I went ahead and picked it up. I think it deserves to at least be a full miniseries, (not just a one shot).


BATMAN: JEKYLL AND HYDE #3 (OF 6) -I thought the first two issues were fascinating, and the Jae Lee art fits perfectly here. Unfortuantely, I ordered this one online, so it'll be a couple weeks before I get to read this latest issue. Is anyone else out there reading this?

I flipped through the first couple of issues, and thought about picking it up, (out of respect for Paul Jenkins) but it looked like it was a bit too slow paced, and something about Jae Lee's artwork looked off to me. There are some stories he's perfect for, and other stories, it just looks wierd.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Newsarama.com has posted a few sneak peeks for the upcoming Marvel soliciations for September (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36593). Supposedly, the actual solicitations are due tomorrow.

The latest project from Ted Naifeh has been announced via press release: Polly and the Pirates stars young Polly as she, well, becomes a pirate (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36511). But pirates are the new monkeys and Ted Naifeh is Very Cool.

Novelist Denise Mina has been named as the new Hellblazer writer, starting with issue #216 in January, 2006. Newsarama.com talked to her about what to expect (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36567).

Fabian Nicieza talks New Thunderbolts (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5464) at ComicBookResources.com.

James Sime's Comics Pimp column returns to CBR today (http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=tcp&article=2173), too. Dig into his experiences as a comics retailer and his take on the "There are no comics for kids" argument. He's not above using four-letter punctuation, so consider yourself warned.

And over on the Isotope Lounge, the on-line counterpart to Sime's comic shop in San Francisco, Jock (cover artist for The Losers) shows off the style sheets that he did for Batman Begins (http://isotopecomics.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=742).

-- Ed/Ace

[King_of_doom]

Back issues:

-Young avengers #2

-Prelude to infinite crisis

This week:

-House of M #2

- The new avengers #6

-Last hero standing #4

-Metal gear solid #10

-Lethal instic

-Hellboy: the island

-Man with the screaming brain #2

TPB:

-Hellboy: wake the devil

[Clayface]

I flipped through the first couple of issues, and thought about picking it up, (out of respect for Paul Jenkins) but it looked like it was a bit too slow paced, and something about Jae Lee's artwork looked off to me. There are some stories he's perfect for, and other stories, it just looks wierd.

Well, I may not be the best person to judge the pacing (you're talking to a guy that has absolutely no problem with Warren Ellis' pacing on his titles, something that most everyone else seems to complain about). But I've gotta say the combo of Batman, Jenkins, and Lee is a unique one, and one I'm really enjoying so far. I'm not ready to recommend it whole heartedly yet, because I'm not sure which way the story is going. It could turn out incredible, or it could turn out terrible. But it's definitely got me interested enough to keep coming back for more. A Jae Lee Two-Face definitely takes some getting used to, but the zombie-esque creatures that popluate the story are fantastic looking, and I really dig his Batman. The art here is far less muddy and confusing than Lee's run on the GI Joe/Transformers miniseries a while back - most likely due to better inking. So far I'd give this mini-series a big thumbs up. I'll try and remember to post what I think of the latest issue once I get my hands on it.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

The Comics Foundry is giving away free autographed comics (http://www.comicfoundry.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=118%27) in return for 10 member portfolio reviews. Nothing says love like autographed free stuff, and it's even autographed by the likes of Neal Adams, Brian K. Vaughan, and Jim Lee.

Speaking of free stuff, Speakeasy Comics is also offering free stuff (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D37%26t%3D004931) if you team up with your Friendly Neighborhood Comic Shop to promote their comics.

Those hoity-toity entertainment parties are always good for free stuff, but only if you can land an invite. Luckily, Larry Young has one for being on some Entertainment Weekly list I linked to last week and have already forgotten, but Young gives the skinny on the celebrity bash of the century (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5466).

Proving that it hasn't been corrupted by fame, MAD Magazine issued an amusing press release screaming bloody murder over being selected as one of the Chicago Tribune's top 50 magazines (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36648).

Phil Foglio talks about Girl Genius (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36605) and his cunning plan to increase circulation by killing off the monthly comic book.

And finally, Newsarama has provided more details about the Dark Horse Comics/Harlequin Romance team-up (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36645). I'm not buying until I get my Fabio vs. Predator crossover mini-series.

-- Ed/Ace

[PaQ]

Finally got a chance to pick up my stack. 10 comics: 7 Marvel, 2 DC & 1 Image.

Robin #139 - I guess I shouldn't have been surprised of how proud Bruce was that Tim was attempting to pull the wool over everyone's eyes about the "Eddie" and how long it took Bruce to find out about it. Not to mention he's getting recruited to join some special forces group. ****

Teen Titans #25 - The traitor crossover with the Outsiders continues. Each team having a member betray them against their will has put things in a very precarious precision. But just who is in control, the Braniacs or the Luthors? ****

Girls #2 - Ok, these Luna brothers certainly have the taste for the original. That last panel where they open the bathroom door to see several of the women hatching out of eggs, presumably as a result of a little 1 on 1 with the main character. ****

Captain America #7 - Looking into what's gone on with Jack Monroe.. I wonder what this has to do with the Winter Soldier. ***

House of M #2 - Everything is different in the Marvel Universe as the Mutants are the dominant species, and these lives might just be too good to pass up... or are they? ****

New Avengers #6 - The newly formed Avengers narrowly escape from being attacked on by a section of SHIELD, but before they can get any answers the whole place is bombed! Oh and of course, Tony offers Logan a spot on the roster. ****

New X-men #15 - So the young teens squad has been splintered, can anything bring them back by the time next year comes around? The team work was great against the Blob, and I'm sure it'll come in handy as the MU crumbles around them. ***

Supreme Power #17 - So the secret is now out, Hyperion is an alien. But like Hyperion said in an earlier issue... "Who's going to stop me?" ***

Ultimate Fantastic Four #20 - The Last panel says it all. 616 Reed calling for help to Ultimate Reed. How can he refuse?! ***

Ultimate X-men #60 - More pointless story against Lady Deathstrike. UXM is starting to lose it's appeal for me. **

Also had a delivery of TPBs:

Noble Causes v.1 - Reading this gave me the satisfaction I had been expecting all along. It's really a shame that the individual issue price is $3.50, that's way too much for an ongoing comic and I bet more readers would read it if it was lower priced. This is an amazing story, the Nobles are very much the ideal soap opera family.. that happens to be superheros. Race meeting a normal woman, Rusty in a metal body after being attacked, Zephyr being the hot teen daughter & Frosty the half-brother.. Tons of storylines between the familes and that's not even covering what happened in the TPB. I will definitely continue to follow this series through trades, saved me some money. *****

Invincible v.1 - Finally got my hands on the first trade, I've been wanting to read this for the longest time. I remember getting shown the first issue online at the Image site for free and the artwork is as amazing as it is now. This might be the most appealing to the eye comic book on the stands right now. Anyway, Mark gets his powers, he meets up with the Teen Team and gets to hang with his dad (who also gets kidnapped and spends 9 months as a slave on another world.. but hey he's OMNI-MAN! Kirkman can do no wrong with this title. *****

Teen Titans v.2 - Like She-Hulk it took about an issue or two into the trade to remember what had gone on in the first volume. This was basically the search for Raven, the birth of Ravager, the digitizing of Jericho and the appearance of a new Brother Blood. Definitely not the best stuff of Johns' TT writing but still entertaining. ***

Supreme Power v.2 - I got to read the issues this volume covered back when I was thinking about whether to jump on the title, so reading it again was basically a refresher course. I had forgotten what the Power Princess had said to Mark about being the same and having waited 2000 years, it really must've been a lot for him to handle not even considering how everything he knew and believed in hit the fan not too long before meeting her. I think this is a great cast of characters and a good story, I still think it's a shame that it's going to leave the MAX label. ****

She-Hulk v.2 - It took a bit to recall what had occured in the first volume, but once it started to click the enjoyment factor of reading She-Hulk raised thoroughly. It's good fun and I can't wait to see the relaunch in October (unless it's been changed). Ms. Walters is a very likable character that definitely can support her own solo series. *****

Ultimates v.2 - I have to admit, my interest in the Ultimates is starting to dwindle as I get accustomed to their story. My favorite part of the trade was just one line, and it was done by Captain America, a little jab at France. The Hulk tearing it up at the end was a nice touch as well, including Hawkeye getting a little jumpy in his boots when he shoots the antidote just in the nick of time. ***

Ultra v.1 - Wow. The praise the Luna brothers got from doing this series was well deserved. By the end of the story I really felt for Pearl and didn't think of her just as a superhero, she was a woman with problems that get magnified to the nth degree due to her unique career. Her friends Aphrodite & Cow Girl are great characters and the comraderie between the three would be hard to reproduce. I almost wish there was more to this story, maybe after they finish Girls. *****

[jamesbell]

The House of M #5 looks like it has some promise. I just found it listed on Froogle. Check it out.

HOUSE OF M #5 on Froogle (http://froogle.google.com/froogle?scoring=p&q=HOUSE+OF+M+%235+Comics+Marvel+Universe+&btnG=Search+Froogle)

:gir:

Some of my favortie titles released this week!


House of M #2 Huge letdown imo.......about the only thing cool about this imo was the sentiel statue. I might not be getting all the tie-ins like i was going to.

Teen Titans #25 Great issue, I liked the interaction between the outsiders and the titans. That Cassie girl went crazy on those bots too!

New Avengers #6 Finally this damn issue comes out......the delays have made me lose a lot of interest in this book. I liked the spidey wisecracks as usual and it looks like a new villian will be created soon from that last page!

Girls #2 Book of the week easily for me, if you haven't read this book yet, pick up #1 and this asap. This issue has one of the most disturbing/unexpected panels I have ever seen, and it was awesome!!!

JLA: Tower of Babel TPB Easily the best JLA storyline arc I have ever read. I wonder will this arc be brought up again doing the "Crisis"

Pretty decent week other then the "House of Crap" I had such high hopes for it too :( Hopefully "Crisis" will live up to the hype.

[Singularity]

Hurm. So, I brought the Batman: Tales of the Demon trade paperback that collects the earliest stories involving Ra's al Ghul.

It's a good read, but I have some issues with it. Firstly, some of the dialogue: "I picked up his weapon! We may need it!" Also, certain actions: Batman turns on the projector just to slash the screen with Ra's face on it, and ski woman knocking out Batman with her skis, despite revealing later that she knows who he is.

The main problem is that, at the end of some issues, the action stops immediately, with no follow-up, making it seem as if there are issues missing from the collection. This problem is very evident in the end of the Batman #232 story, which has Talia kissing Batman's cheek, then we're skipped to Batman mulling over a body without a brain.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Image Comics is being forced to renege on its promise to give away pies (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36851) at the San Diego Comic Con this year because the convention planners are gonna treat it like they're food vendors instead of just nice guys who want to share pie. After reading the numbers, it is suddenly clear why it costs $8 for a rotten hot dog at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

Dark Horse is declaring October 2005 to be the Month of the Goon (http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/pulse.cgi?http%3A//www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi%3Fubb%3Dget_topic%26f%3D37%26t%3D004941). I've heard a few people on the Internet say this series is cool, but I don't trust them. Can anybody here fill me in on why this is a Big Deal?

Clickwheel.net now lets you read comics on your iPod (http://www.clickwheel.net/), and even provides a few free comics to try 'em out. File under, "Might be cooler in theory than in practice," but hey, why not?

Igor Kordey talks to the Comics Foundry about Smoke (http://www.comicfoundry.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=117), the independent and rather pricey new offering from him and Alex De Campi from IDW. He'd probably be even more insufferable if he weren't right more often than not.

I've just taken notice of Dave's Long Box blog (http://daveslongbox.blogspot.com/), partially because of the wonderful blend of affection and scorn he heaps on comics (like in this entry on Avengers #198 (http://daveslongbox.blogspot.com/2005/06/avengers-198-marvel-comics-1980.html)), mixed up with a lot of laughing gas and a real skill for placing the swear word right where it will be funniest.

Newsarama.com has six preview pages of Robert Kirkman's Battle Pope #1 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=36855). The comic has a pretty high offense potential, so if the idea of a papal candidate learning kung fu from Bruce Lee to battle evil on a direct and physical level upsets you, you probably don't want to click through that link there.

Finally, Tom Spurgeon (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cartoonists_fighting_for_rights_in_nepal/) reports on the issues political cartoonists have in Nepal (http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue253/media.htm). Among other things, something about the sentence, "Bimarsha Weekly had a cartoon ready to go to press but the military ‘guest editor’ posted in the newsroom had objections." is something that would be funny in a comic book, but is really really frightening when you think about it happening in the Real World.

Apropos of nothing other than that this is the place to babble about generic comics news, how is it that I've been less and less excited about DC and Marvel solicitations, but am spending more and more on comics and related stuff lately?

-- Ed/Ace

[Blue Zeo]

Batman: Jekyll and Hyde #3
Catwoman #44
Teen Titans #25
Robin #139
Year One: Batman/Scarecrow #2
Batman: Gotham Adventures - The Lost Years #1-#5

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Steve Pheley, a.k.a. the gutterninja, gets in touch with his inner Carson Kressley with his fashion guide to the San Diego Comic Con (http://gutterninja.com/archives/2005/06/14/convention-season-fashion-guide). With advice like, "...the Kingdom Come Superman logo (T-shirt) is one to avoid, with the possible exception of if you actually are Alex Ross," how can you say no?

Looking forward to part 2, wearing a costume, as long as he doesn't slam TZ's Barb Gordon, who has gone to SDCC as a totally killer Batgirl (http://www.gothampublicworks.com/batgirl.htm).

Broken Frontier talks to Adam Fortier, head of Speakeasy Comics, about what it takes to run a comics company (http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/details.php?id=192&PHPSESSID=c02a7be3d911be44bf6fd622f5d8c341) in the current era. If nothing else, it's kind of nice to read a guy talking about comics with equal parts affection for the medium and hard-nosed business sense. He also sounds like he's got the best Plan to Save Comics since CrossGen (which had a great plan and colossally incompetent execution). Go read, and then grab a Speakeasy Comic or two.

A book reviewer at the Boston Globe discovers Will Eisner through The Plot (http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/06/26/poison_penned/), and simultaneously discovers why graphic novels are cool and how comics aren't just for kids any more. Opening people's eyes to the possibilities of the medium even after he's dead -- feels like such an Eisner thing to do, doesn't it?

Steve Uy, of Feather and the much maligned Eden's Trail, is back with a comic told in verse called Jova's Harvest (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5472). Very offbeat, and coming in November from Arcana Studios.

Courtesy of the Johnny Bacardi Show (http://johnnybacardi.blogspot.com/2005/06/those-who-can-do-and-those-who-dont.html), we have Andy Runton's Owly as different superheroes (http://www.livejournal.com/users/owlyfriend/8411.html?#cutid1). Dig the greatness that is Owly Hawkman:

http://img268.echo.cx/img268/8489/heroeshawkowly6pi.th.jpg (click for biggerness) (http://www.andyrunton.com/share/heroes_hawk_owly.jpg)

Finally, thanks to a note on Tom Spurgeon's Comics Reporter (http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/letters/2178/) (from About Comics' Nat Gertler, no less), we note DollarManga.com (http://www.dollarmanga.com/), which is selling a lot of manga for super-cheap. Iron Wok Jan! is a personal favorite (at least for the first 4 or 5 volumes and before you realize that there isn't even the illusion of progress for most of the characters in the book), but the manga for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shaolin Soccer should appeal to any fans of the respective movies, from what I'm told. In any event, there's surely something there for people who have been saving their pennies for their manga or want to experiment without spending too much.

-- Ed/Ace

[wonderfly]

All of my reviews for this week are finally up. My Pick of the Week is a tough choice, as there were a lot of good stories this week. I think I'll give it to Astro City: The Dark Age #1, though Busiek's other title, (Conan) made a strong showing this week. Pretty good stuff all around.