This Week In Comics: 11/17/2004

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for November 17th - November 23rd, 2004!

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 Comic's Shipping List.

To find a comic book store near you, check out the Comic Shop Locator Service.

Comic store too far away from where you live? Want to support Toon Zone? We've teamed up with Things From Another World to provide an avenue for you to buy comics. Click here to see a listing of this week's comics being offered by TFAW.

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Highlights of the Week!


Clayface's Picks:

.....
....Ex Machina #6......Captain America #1



Emerald Archer's Pick:


Space Ghost #1 (of 6)



Fray's Picks:

...
Birds of Prey #76.....Catwoman #37...



Ace the Bathound's Picks:

........
...She-Hulk #9...........Boneyard Vol 3 TPB


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[Clayface]

I normally like to keep my section of the "Highlights of the Week" at one pick - the one title of the week (usually one with a small readership) that I'm most looking forward to reading; that one title that I know is going to be good; that one title I want to promote and get others to buy. This week there were so many good picks that I had to expand to two, and even narrowing my choices down that much was extremely painful. On the DC side of things you've got Books of Magick: Life During Wartime #5 (the newest title by Neil Gaiman that's floundering for readship), Ex Machina #6 (a fantastic sci-fi/superhero/political thriller title written by the incredibly talented Brian K. Vaughan), and one of my personal favorites, the Sandman spin-off title Lucifer. All incredibly satisfying reads, and all titles that more people should be reading. Then on the Marvel side you've got the new take on Captain America by Ed Brubaker (who's work on the Batman titles, especially Gotham Central, is a must-read for anyone, IMO), and Peter David's unique crime/detective-story spin on the Multiple Man character in Madrox (check out the reviews and 5-page previews of issues #1 and #2). And then there's the independent publishers! Argh!

So, in the end I went with DC's Ex Machina, because, of the three DC titles I mention above, this is the one that's got the best jumping on point for new readers - a new storyline begins with this issue. And I went with Captain America from Marvel for the same reason.

[Nick K.]

Just 4 comics this week... but they were awesome!

Ultimate X-men #53 - Great ending to a somewhat mediocre story arc. So the X-Men seem to be weeded out story arc by story arc... I like this rotating team.... Great Gambit, Rogue, Wolverine stuff. Iceman is a twip. Dazzler had some funny lines... A-

Ultimate Spider-Man #69 - Nice Spidey/ Torch team-up. Great Moments. A-

Teen Titans #18 - Whoa! Just awesome. Titans East thing is cool. Great Moments. I'm never disspaointed with Teen Titans.A+

Superman/ Batman #14 - Great issue. Interesting progress... can't wait to see where this goes... Uncle Sam! Yey. A

[PaQ]

Decent sized week. 9 comics, 5 DC, 4 Marvel, 1 back-issue.

Ultimate X-Men #53 - Good issue. I think from the cover it was evident what was going to happen. Poor Bobby.
Teen Titans #18 - Wow.. This future arc keeps getting better. Robin fighting his future self, Batman.
Robin #132 - Solid issue. Nice to see Robin making himself home at Bludhaven. Not surprised, he needs time to cope with things.
Ultimate Spider-Man #69 - Better issue. The story keeps improving and it was nice to see Spidey and Johnny Storm team up.
JLA #108 - Nice to get some backstory with what the CSA has been up to. I'm interested to see what's up with the Deja Vu.
Batman: Gotham Knights #59 - This might be my favorite Batman book with the way it's written. Makes it incredibly tough to cut down on the Bat books if I have to.
Superman/Batman #14 - Superb issue. I'm so glad to see S/B coming out regularly again. Interesting to see that history has been messed with.
Captain America #1 - Great issue. <3 Brubaker. That cliffhanger ending was great.
MK: Spider-Man #7 - Picked it up as a back issue. Spidey vs the Lizard was pretty cool, and I liked the detail put into this comic. Easily my favorite Spidey book.
Thoughts added.

[randomguy]

I don't have time to post comments quite yet, but I can say that this was an absurdly good week. Not a comic I read was actually bad, and all but one (JLA #108) were incredibly good. It's really satisfying to sit down with a nice pile of comics, spend an hour or so reading them, and be 100% happy with everything you bought.

And yes, this does mean that Jeph Loeb actually wrote a good issue of Superman/Batman. Apparently the universe is not yet out of surprises.

[Jack Frenzy]

And yes, this does mean that Jeph Loeb actually wrote a good issue of Superman/Batman. Apparently the universe is not yet out of surprises.

Keep in mind though, the one error he makes in the story:

Cosmic King, unlike Cosmic Boy, never had magnetic powers. He was a matter-transmuter (debuting long before Element Lad, who would have been a more natural nemesis). This was in contrast to Lightning Lord and Saturn Queen, both of whom were essentially dark versions of their Legionnaire counterparts.

(Why did Cosmic King have different powers? No idea, except that possibly the writer of the original "The Legion of Super Villains" tale thought a battle between magnetic-powered superbeings, each hurling metal objects at each other, could turn excessively violent for the late 50's.)

Loeb was apparently unaware of this, mistakingly giving Cosmic King magnetic powers.

However, someone apparently spotted the error. Hence, the convoluted description of C.K.'s powers at the end, in which he has both matter-transmutation and magnetic powers. Clearly, it's an attempt to appease continuity without having to redraw the opening pages.

[wonderfly]

I can't believe how jam packed this week is...don't the publishers have a way of spreading this out a bit more?

This week I got:

Captain America #1:

Conan #10:

Ex Machina #6:

Fantastic Four #520:

JLA #108:

Madrox #3:

Pulse #6:

Punisher #14:

She-Hulk #9:

Wolverine #22: Another action packed issue. Mark Miller loves his superhero slugfests! Fortunately, so do I! I have to say that I'm enjoying this version of Wolverine MUCH, MUCH more than the so-so Wolverine that we got under Greg Rucka. The fight between Logan and the Fantastic Four kicked ass...how many times can our boy Logan regenerate anyway?!? And I just love all the continuity this title has to offer...Grade: B+

X-men #164:

Reviews to follow as I read them.

[wonderfly]

I don't have time to post comments quite yet, but I can say that this was an absurdly good week. Not a comic I read was actually bad, and all but one (JLA #108) were incredibly good. It's really satisfying to sit down with a nice pile of comics, spend an hour or so reading them, and be 100% happy with everything you bought.

And yes, this does mean that Jeph Loeb actually wrote a good issue of Superman/Batman. Apparently the universe is not yet out of surprises.

You mean you're already done with reading all of your titles that you picked up?!?! How the hell do you do that! I usually don't finish all of the week's selections till Monday or Tuesday of next week! Of course, I only read 1 or 2 comics a night...

On a totally different note: Can someone tell me when Green Lantern: Rebirth #2 comes out? I thought about picking up the reprint of Issue 1 which came out today...I don't see how I missed the first issue when it came out. But I've been considering picking up this miniseries for a little while now, (though I'm still undecided...). I kinda figure I'm buying enough DC titles right now with Ex Machina, JLA, JLA Classified, Identity Crisis, and occasionally picking up Batman/Superman, (which I skipped over today). But still, I've always had a soft spot for Green Lantern...for Kyle Rayner as GL, that is...so I'm intrigued with what Geoff Johns is up to...

[Clayface]

And yes, this does mean that Jeph Loeb actually wrote a good issue of Superman/Batman. Apparently the universe is not yet out of surprises.

Really? I dropped the book toward the end of that awful Supergirl story, and just can't bring myself to dish out the cash for any more issues of this series. What was so good about it?

I just remembered that I forgot to read She-Hulk #4 in the store this week. Oops.

On a totally different note: Can someone tell me when Green Lantern: Rebirth #2 comes out?

According to the original solicitation, it's due in stores next week.

This was a big week for me as well. Here's what I got:

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #634 - This issue was a letdown to me. I love the new Parasite(s), and I was really looking forward to this issue to see the interaction between these new villians and Superman. Instead, we waste half the issue on a character I've always hated (Mr. Mxyzptlk), in a very unfunny, distracting, and obnoxious way. With "real life" pictures inserted trhoughout, I felt like I was rading an issue of Wizard or Toyfare rather than Adventures, and that's not a good thing. Blah. Ah well, the pages that did focus on the Parasites were very cool at least, and a mummified SUperman is always a neat sight to see. More Parasites and less Mr. Mxyzptlk in future issues, please! 2 out of 5

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #59 - I bought this issue for one reason, and one reason only: this totally friggin' awesome cover. The fact that it was a fairly entertaining issue to boot was just a bonus. I love the set-up:

Spoiler:

Batman and Mr. Freeze are trapped together in an ice igloo (created by Mr. Freeze's gun) in the middle of blazing inferno.

Great idea, and a neat way to add a ticking-clock urgency to the issue. Most of the issue is flashback, explaining how Freeze and Batman got to where they are, and I very much enjoyed the way Freeze is portrayed throughout the issue (echoes of B:TAS are abound). The solution to their predicament was a little anit-climatic, but the ending line by Batman ended the issue on a satisfying note. 4 out of 5

BOOKS OF MAGICK: LIFE DURING WARTIME #5

CAPTAIN AMERICA #1

CATWOMAN #37

CONAN #10

EX MACHINA #6

FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND #6 (Of 6)

G.I. JOE: RELOADED #9

JSA STRANGE ADVENTURES #1 (Of 6) - I flipped through issue #4 of this miniseries, which came out this week. It looked kind of interesting, and I was in the mood for a storyline like this, so I decided to pick up the first issue to see what this was all about.

LUCIFER #56

MADROX #3 (Of 5)

PUNISHER #14

SPACE GHOST #1 (Of 6)

TRANSFORMERS ENERGON #29 - Megatron returns, kicks a lot of bot butt, and the rest of the TFs stand around going "what the heck?!" Meh. Not a very meaty issue, and I've not been thrilled with this title as of late. I'll probably pick up #30 next month, and if nothing really grabs me in it, I'll probably be dropping the book as part of my pull-list revamping I'm doing at the beginning of the new year. 2.5 out of 5

ULTIMATE X-MEN #53

WALKING DEAD #13 - I think I may finally get around to reading issues #1-12 of this series sometime within the next week.

WOLVERINE #22

WONDER WOMAN #210

X-MEN #164

I'll post comments as I read them, of course.

I also received The DC Comics Encyclopedia in the mail with one of my online comic shop orders. Pretty impressive book, though I'm not sure I agree with all the editorial decisions. I'm a bit disappointed that The Endless got lumped together in one entry, and a small one at that. At the very least such an important and influential set of characters should have gotten individual entries, if not full page spreads, IMO. Needless to say, it'll be a while before I finish reading through this massive tome.

[Spider-Man]

After the brutal beating my wallet has taken over the past couple weeks I decided to take it easy this week.

Wolverine #22 (talkback)
X-Men #164 (talkback)
Ultimate Spider-Man #69 (talkback)


I also picked up Daredevil: Born Again after hearing so much about it both here from Amazing Spidey and a few other places. I decided to push my regular comics aside and just dive into this book and I'm really glad I did. The storyline was so addictive andwell done with some great artwork to boot!

I'll have comments on the regular titles in their respective threads soon.

[Somejerk]

Anybody get the new Titians this week? I wanna know if its worth while to pick up?

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Anybody get the new Titians this week? I wanna know if its worth while to pick up?

Yes. It is nothing short of brilliant, best story of the year, and theres still one more issue left.

[Stu]

I also picked up Daredevil: Born Again after hearing so much about it both here from Amazing Spidey and a few other places. I decided to push my regular comics aside and just dive into this book and I'm really glad I did. The storyline was so addictive andwell done with some great artwork to boot!

Good man. Glad you enjoyed it!

I got

Batman: Gotham Knights - This was actually a very good issue. I've been going off Batman books a lot as of late, I find them to be dark for the sake of being dark, and the art is just dull, but my brother told me to read this and I found it to be really enjoyable. A nice single standalone was what Gotham Knights needed, IMO.

She Hulk This issue was hilarious. The past arc was a little iffy for me, I wasn't fond of her in the intergaltical realm, and am glad she's back in her Law firm. Hercules dialouge was piss funny. Let's not forget the return of Awesome Andy, and the Fantastic Four guest spot. Great stuff. There was even a lawyer named Stu I'm intrigued by Jen's newfound strength, and the apprantat consequences that Reed Richards has yet to reveal. Book Of The Week.

Ultimate Spider-Man See talkback.

Fantastic Four I still can't believe Waid and 'Ringo are leaving. Incredibly dissapointing news. The Avengers tie in hasn't been the best, (where any of them good?) but the new arc is intriguing me. The highlight, however, was Reed's explanation as to why they had to hurry up. "B) Before Galactus loses his patience with Johnny"

Superman/Batman Was a helluva lot better than the pointless Supergirl arc. It's a little confusing, but more is to be told so I'll be reading the rest of the arc. It's also good to see Micheal Turner off the book.

Captain America I was again told to read this by my bro, and I'm glad I did. The story made a lot more sense when I was told what the Cosmic Cube actually was (apprantly, it can make thoughts reality), and that ending? Brilliant... but I doubt it'll last.

Not a bad week overall. My shop still didn't get Marvels or God Loves, Man Kills in, hoping he'll have them next week.

[rggkjg1]

JLA #108 - i knew this arc was going to get better. great issue. can't wait to see what happens in this arc.

SPACE GHOST #1 - was kind of hoping to see space ghost in his costume. its an origin story though. great issue and lookin to be a great mini series. hopefully this will lead to an on going series.

SUPERMAN BATMAN #14 - good issue but its sort of a brain teaser for me. im just trying to figure out how the world will go back to the way its supposed to be at the end of the arc.

TEEN TITANS #18 - this is the best story in this title and its only 3 issues. this could have been six!!! titans tommorow is going to be the best story for a while. the issues after this arc dont look as interesting.

THE PUNISHER #14 - blah. last issue was good....

ROBIN #132
WOLVERINE #22
GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW #1 AND 2

[Reed Richards]

am i the only one who thinks that She-Hulk's cover portrait looks like the actress Andrea Parker from Pretender and Less than Perfect?

also, GREAT issue of Batman and Superman, which i had previously taken to calling "BS"

[snakez3]

Pretty good week, only when I went into the comic store I realized I only had 8 dollars on me, so I wasnt able to get Captain America (although I will asap now that I hear it's some good).

Wolverine 22: I really enjoy reading this book. While It is dumb; "Oh no! Wolverine can't control himself AGAIN!", this is a really fun action packed book with decent writing and art.

Ultimate Spider-Man 69: These teamups are getting old. Still a good book though, I just want some substance. Looking at the cover to 70 gives me much hope, although I hear some strange things are going to happen. (sorry :P)

Punisher 14: I don't think anything important at all happened this issue. If anything did, I am having a very hard time remembering it.

[Mynd Hed]

I picked up the first couple issues of Black Widow. The art takes some getting used to (especially the scene in the first ish when she slaps the guy and her hand appears to become huge), and the feminism (does she count as a femi-Nazi if she's Russian?) is pretty heavy-handed, but it's interesting enough to keep me reading so far.