Heroes: Out of Time

Adam Munroe: The big reveal this week is that Adam Munroe is Takenzo Kensei, and that he's behind the company. This explains 90% of the occurances of the helix symbol (the Company, the murder pictures, Molly's dreams, etc.) We still don't know why it was on Jessica back (but not Niki's) and Chandra's book. It is also clear that he was the one that killed Kaito as he has a personal fued with Hiro. One more thing: Linderman was his protege, and they both have healing powers. Makes one think if there is a biological link.

The Nine: After Linderman's death, Kaito mentioned there was nine left. So by my count so far we have Adam, Angela, Bob, Kaito, and Murrey. That still leaves four of them unaccounted. Who are they?

Powers in Family: This episode establishes that Parkman has the same power as his father. This is the first confirmed instance of a power being passed down. But what about Clair and Micah? They don't have either of their parents powers. But what if they have their grandparent's powers? This might put some suspicion on Nathan's father as we already known Angela and a relationship with Kaito. Who is Nathan's real father? Linderman? Adam?

Niki: I think this is Niki, and not Jessica (or rather, a union of Niki and Jessica). Just one question here: did she see DL on her own the first time, and Murrey picked up on it, or was he messing with her then?

Issac's Paintings: So far 6 of the 8 paintings have come true. Only two left: Mohinder firing a gun, and Noah being shot. It looks like Mohinder shoots Noah. Or does he? I guess we'll have to wait to find out.

Bob: It looks like Bob isn't really that bad of guy. He seems to have real regrets over some his past actions and seems to be taking the Company in a better direction. He's not a paragon of virtue, but is he that bad? Mohinder thinks so, but even though his judgement is questionable at times, I think he made the right call here. I just wish they did a better job of distancing him from Noah first.

Angela: When she restored Peter's memory, did she use a power?

Time Travel: Last but not least, I got one question to put out here: If Peter (and friends) change the past, what happens to Catlyn? Will she cease to exist? Will she return to the present, or would she just show up when the present gets to that point. Is she still trapped in the alternate future? Also, why didn't the virus happen in the future last season, or Matt had expanded powers? Yes, events happened differently now that they stopped New York from going kablooey, but still....

That's all I have to say for now.

Brain Dead

Due to lack of time, I will no longer be continuing with comic reviews. My apologies to the 5 or so of you reading my blog.

BRIAN'S BRAIN: September 6, 2007

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Amazing Spider-Man #544: 5 out of 5
Written by J. Michael Stracynski
Art by Joe Quesada
A heart-wrenching tale of Peter Parker trying to come to terms with his Aunt's death. Running out of money to keep May on life support, Peter confronts Tony Stark. Tony initially rebuffs Peter, but ultimately does the right thing and fronts the money. But even so, the doctor doesn't think Aunt May will pull through. But Peter can't accept that just yet. Amazing Spider-Man, I choose you as...BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK.

Countdown 34: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini, Justin Gray, and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Keith Giffen and Jesus Saiz
Things really pickup with this issue, and every storyline advances. Wally West confronts Piper and Trickster, who after explaining themselves in the events leading to Bart's death reveal that Deathstroke is planning to attack Green Arrow's wedding to Black Canary. Jimmy Olsen reflects on the mysterious deaths we was investigating (which hopefully means he will return to that storyline rather then bumbling about trying to be a superhero) and consults Steel about his powers, who concludes that Jimmy is no longer human. Also, he seems to have knowledge about the 52 earths and the source wall floating around in his subconscious (sp?). Donna Troy and Jason Todd break free and send Belthera packing, but not before she nabs Donna. Holly Robinson, along with Harley "Funny Face" Quinn, win the gladiator games and win a trip to Paradise Island, where Granny Goodness no doubt has evil plans for them. Mary Marvel finds a mystical Chinese village where she is captured by Klarion the Witch Boy. And Orr reveals that Karate Kid is infected with the OMAC virus, and refers him (and Una) to Buddy Blank on behalf of Darkseid's lackey, Dassad. Also, the Origin of Lex Luthor, just in case anyone didn't know who he was.

Ms Marvel #19: 4 out of 5
Written by Brian Reed
Art Aaron Lopresti
First off, the cover is worth picking up this issue alone. Tigra! Second, it's Brian Reed, so you know it's all good. Third, Silverclaw, Stature, and Tigra! Fourth, Machine Man gets drunk. Fifth, Tigra! And finally, Puppet Master being really, really creepy. Plus: Tigra! Did I mention she was also in this issue? Oh what the heck, one more. Say it with me now: Tigra! Tigra makes Ms. Marvel...BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK.

Uncanny X-Men #490: 3 out of 5
This issue features Skids: Agent of SHIELD, who MUST team-up with Bob: Agent of Hydra now that I think about it. Somebody make this happen!. Hepzibah gets her freak on with Thunderbird. Oh, and they fight some Morlocks, and Masque makes Thunderbird ugly, which distracts Hapzibah enough for Bliss to blindside her. Storm, Caliban, and Skids find another group of pacifist Morlocks where they learn about a precog who wrote a book (no, not Destiny) that the Morlocks have taken as a religious text. Unfortunately, a cave in occurs, trapping Storm, who as you know, doesn't like tight spaces. Bad weather insues. In the backup, Beast hits another deadend, but thinks that maybe Bishop, being from the future and all, might hold the key in his DNA.

BRAIN DROPPINGS

All New Atom #15 (Countdown): 4 out of 5
Annihilation Conquest Wraith: 2 out of 5
Black Canary Wedding Planner: 2 out of 5
Detective Comics #836: 3 out of 5
Exiles #98: 3 out of 5
Incredible Hulk #110 (World War Hulk): 4 out of 5
Infinity Inc #1: 3 out of 5
Metal Men #2: 3 out of 5
New Excalibur #23: 3 out of 5
New Warriors #4 (The Initiative): 4 out of 5
She-Hulk #21: 4 out of 5
Supergirl #21 (Countdown): 3 out of 5
Super Villain Team Up MODOKs 11 #3: 3 out of 5

Next Week: Countdown 33, Green Lantern #23, JLA Wedding Special #1, Justice Society of America #9, New Avengers #34, X-Factor #23, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: August 29, 2007

SPOILER ALERT!!

Amazons Attack #6: 3 out of 5
Written by Will Pfeifer
Art by Pete Woods
This series doesn't make for great reading material, but it does have some ramifications to the DCU. Circe is revealed to be the mastermind of the war, and is imprisoned in Hades by Athena. Athena then chastises the Amazons for being duped and scatters them about to live covertly amongst humanity. Themyscira is exiled from the gods realm and now resides on New Earth, where the empty island is ruled over by Queen Hippolyta. And most importantly, it is revealed that Athena is not Athena, but rather Granny Goodness, who has captured the Greek Gods and assumed Athena's identity. This sheds some more light in the warrior cult appearing in Countdown.

Countdown 35: 3 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini and Sean McKeever
Art by Keith Giffen and Manuel Garcia
This is not one of countdown's better issues, inspite Sean McKeever being attached. It focuses mainly on the two of the less interesting storylines, namely Jimmy Olsen and the Challengers. Trickster and Piper don't even appear in this issue. The highlight is Zatana besting Mary Marvel in their magical catfight, ending with a depowered Mary being expelled from Zatana's home. It is perhaps interesting to note that Mary seems to be her normal self when depowered and tries to apologize, but it's too little, too late. Way to be a hero Z, leaving an obviously troubled young girl to her own devices. Anyway, the backup reveals the origin of Paralax, which brings us too....

PHUN PHYSICS PHACTS: The backup states the guardians chose the color green as it is a combination of yellow and blue. While this may be true when mixing paints, when talking about light (something more relevant to the Green LANTERNS), yellow and blue in fact make white, and yellow itself is a combination of green with red. Now this is based on the fact that the human eye can detect three colors: green, red, and blue (with all other colors being combinations of those three). Now the guardians, being alines, may be able to detect different colors of light, but I digress. Anyway, now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Countdown to Adventure: 4 out of 5
Written by Adam Beechen and Justin Gray
Art by Eddy Barrows, Fabrizio Fiorentino and Julio Ferreira
Don't let the "Countdown" in the title fool you, this issue is surprisingly good. The first half focuses on the space heroes of 52. Adam Strange finds himself replaced by a hotshot movie star, while Starfire crashes with Animal Man, much to the horror of Mrs. Animal Man. The backup reveals the origin of the Forerunner. She is from a parallel earth that surves as a battleground for the races of the Nine Houses (although I only count seven: the Mercurians, the Venusians, the Martians, the Jupitarians, the Saturnarians, and two unnamed Houses, presumably the Uranians and the Neptunians. Even if you count Pluto, I'm not sure where the last house comes from as Earth has been deemed uninhabitable by this point). The Forerunners are descended from the mixed blood of the survivors of the wars between the houses, and the Forerunner chosen by the Evil Monitor is an exceptional member of her race. Now according to Monarch, she wasn't the only Forerunner so chosen by her race, and the Monitors unleashed the Shadow Demons that lurk beyond the Source Wall to destory her homeward. This last bit must be taken with a grain of salt. Anyway, be sure to check this title out as it is...BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK.

Avengers the Initiative #5: 5 out of 5
Written by Dan Slott
Art by Stefano Caselli
Drama. Mystery. And a touch of that Dan Slott wit. These are the incrediants that makeup the best selling new comic to come out of the Initiative. This issue focuses on the Shadow Initiative:former villain the Constrictor, foreign national the Bengal, the mysterious Mutant Zero, the Scarlet Spiders, and rookie Trauma. Together they head into the warzone to recover the renegade recruits, dead or alive, to prevent a repeat of the Stamfrod incident. This leads to a throwdown between Trauma and the Hulk himself. Who is Mutant Zero? Who are the Scarlet Spiders, and why are there three of them? What's going on with MVP? Will Armory return? There are so many intersting plot threads going on in this title. Anyway, in case it wasn't clear by now, this book is...BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

BRAIN DROPPINGS

52 Aftermath the Four Horsemen #1: 3 out of 5
Action Comics #855: 4 out of 5
Black Panther #30 (The Initiative): 3 out of 5
Fallen Angel IDW #19: 4 out of 5
Fantastic Four #549 (The Initiative): 4 out of 5
Teen Titans #50: 4 out of 5
Wonder Woman #12 (Amazons Attack): 3 out of 5
World War Hulk X-Men #3: 4 out of 5

Next Week: Amazing Spider-Man #544, Countdown 34, Uncanny X-Men #490, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: August 22, 2007

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Amazing Spider-Man #543:5 out of 5
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art by Ron Garney
The conclusion to Back in Black. With the life of Aunt May hanging in the balance, Peter Parker finds himself spiraling downwards and dragging MJ down with him. The road to hell and all that. JMS does an excellent job exploring moral ambiguity on the wrong side of the law. Be sure to check this issue out as it is...BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK.

Astonishing X-Men #22: 4 out of 5
Written by Joss Whedon
Art by John Cassaday
Shipping delays have really dragged down the momentum of this title. Even so, it is still one of the best titles out there. Emma calling Danger's bluff was great, nobody writes Emma like Joss Whedon. It was also nice to see the "fornification" of Kitty and Peter. Plus Lockheed! Unfortunately, that Armor girl is still hanging around. Considering how many X-Men-in-training teams there have been (New Mutants/X-Force, Generation X, New X-Men), it's amazing how many people get to join the main team (or is that teams?) directly. Go figure.

Countdown 36: 3 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini and Tony Bedard
Art by Jim Calafiore
The Challengers story becomes marginally interesting this week as we are left wondering who Monitors Bob the Monitor, but Jimmy Olsen wastes a page. If you were looking for a follow up on the big reveal last issue, you'll find it in Action Comics. It is completely glossed over here folks. The Karate Kid storyling has become my least favorite. The Mary Marvel (who has a magic catfight with Zatanna...yum!...while Eclipso watches!) and the Piper/Trickster storylines are continue to carry this title for me. The new backup, Origin of Supervillains, is a complete waste of space. I mean, is anybody reading Countdown that don't know who Poison Ivy or Deathstroke the Terminator are? And don't give me the any comic might be someone's first line. That may hold for titles like Batman or Justice League, but nobody is going to walk into a comic book store and pick up Countdown on a whim. I'll stop ranting for now.

Green Lantern Corps #1: 3 out of 55
The Sinestro Corps War
Written by Dave Gibbons
Art by Patrick Gleason and Angel Unzueta
A descent issue in the shadow of its big brother. Still entertaining though and if you enjoy Green Lantern, you enjoy this issue as well. I mean it's got Killawog vs. his Sinestro Corps counterpart in it. Plus, Mogo the Planet Green Lantern for the giant city...um, Sinestro Corps member (Sinestro Lantern? Yellow Lantern?). And a punch of characters which I would probably know more about if I read the series, but I must say that Arisia chick is smoking!

The Order #2: 5 out of 5
The Initiative
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Barry Kitson
Say what you will about Civil War, it made possible great new series like Avengers the Initive, New Warriors, and this title, the Order (however the less said about Omega Flight the better). The Order just may be the best of the bunch. This issue spotlights the shapeshifting teen sensation Becky Ryan, codename Aralune (what the frak is an Aralune?), whose story brings to mind a certain former pop star that has fallen from the grace (I won't name names, but it's Britney Spears). In the hands of a lesser writer, this could spell disaster, but Matt Fraction totally pulls it off. If her and Anthem are any indication, I'm sure the rest of the team are equally flawed and interesting. Anyway, this is...BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK.

X-Men #202: 4 out of 5
Endangered Species
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Humberto Ramos
Colossus, Kitty Pryde, and the New X-Men vs. the new Acolytes. Mike Carey is an X-Fan, and it shows in his able to bring in obscure characters without stomping over their previous history and personalities. Chris Gage lends his writing talents to the Endangerd Species backup (that guy is fraking everywhere anymore. Did you see how many books he has coming out in November? Even Brian Bendis is telling him he needs to slow down).

BRAIN DROPPINGS

Annihilation Conquest Starlord #2: 4 out of 5
Blue Beetle #18: 4 out of 5
Birds of Prey #109: 4 out of 5
Cable Deadpool #44: 4 out of 5
Immortal Iron Fist #8: 4 out of 5
Mystic Arcana Scarlet Witch: 3 out of 5
Thunderbolts #116: 4 out of 5
World War Hulk Gamma Corps #2: 4 out of 5

Next Week: Amazons Attack #6, Countdown 35, and more! Including something from Marvel.

Stardust

Awesome movie. Plus Claire Daines looks radiant in it.

BRIAN'S BRAIN: August 15, 2007

Quick review this week.

DC COMICS

Action Comics #854 (Countdown): 3 out of 5

Amazons Attack #5: 2 out of 5

Black Canary #4: 4 out of 5

Booster Gold #1: 5 out of 5
Booster Gold is...BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Catwoman #70 (Amazons Attack): 3 out of 5

Checkkmate #17: 3 out of 5

Countdown 37: 4 out of 5

Flash #231: 3 out of 5

Green Lantern Corps #14: 3 out of 5
Late.

Justice League of America #12: 2 out of 5

Shadowpact #16: 3 out of 5

MARVEL COMICS

Annihilation Conquest Quasar #2: 5 out of 5
Annihilation Conquest Quasar is...BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK

Captain America #29 (Civil War Initiative): 4 out of 5

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #23: 3 out of 5

New X-Men #41: 3 out of 5

Super Villain Team Up MODOKs 11: 3 out of 5

Next Week: Countdown 36, Astonishing X-Men #22, X-Men #202, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: August 8, 2007

SPOILER ALERT

DC COMICS

Black Adam The Dark Age #1: 3 out of 5
Written by Tomasi Mahnke
Art by Alamy Rapmund
Black Adam recovers Isis's remains and apparently resurrects her. I have to give props to the artist for Black Adam's "makeover." He looks different enough to make his disguise feasible while at the same time still recognizable as Black Adam if you look closely.

Countdown 38: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Justin Gray
Art by Jesus Saiz
Calculator moves against Orcale, who simply outclasses him as a hacker. Marry Marvel continues to grow in power, brazeness, and anger as Eclipso looks on. Trickster (and Piper) convines the All-New, All-Lesbian Batwoman and Question that they are not guilty of killing the Flash through a puppet show. Robin turns down Mr. Action's offer to join the Teen Titans. Darkseid is (apparently) revealed to be behind the killings of the New Gods and claims the Deep Six amongst his latest victims. The backup reveals how Evil Monitor recruited the other 50 Monitors to his side, and Bob leaving to recruit the Challengers. It also verifies that Kyle, Donna, and Jason are not native to New Earth. All in all, one of the better issues of the series to date.

Gen 13 #11: 3 out of 5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Carlo Barberi and Sunny Lee
The Liberty Snots take a powder as Gen 13 faces off against the Authoriteens, and the Intern (the teen Doctor) reveals the in-continuity mumbo-jumbo behind Gen 13's reboot. Not a particularly outstanding issue, but the Authoriteens are thoroughly enjoyable take on the Authority. I particularly like Jack Hatfield, the spirit of small towns.

Green Lantern #22: 4 out of 5
Written by Goeff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis
Parallax infected Kyle Rayner vs. Hal Jordan and the Lost Lanterns. Superboy Prime looms menacingly. Cyborg Superman chats with Antimonitor about his death wish. And more Green Lanterns die.

Stormwatch PHD #10: 4 out of 5
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Andy Smith
Someone is killing off former members of Stormwatch (who, unfortunately, were apparently just created so they could get killed off instead of actually being former members of the serise, but I digress). Nautica, Sunburst, Prism, and Camache do make cameo appearences, but they don't appear to be on the hit list. As to who is behind this dastardly plot, I won't spoil it here, but here's a hint: HE'S ON THE FRAKING COVER!!! And without so much as a friendly, neighborhood spoiler alert to boot.

MARVEL COMICS

Annihilation Conquest Wraith #2: 2 out of 5
Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Artist by Kyle Hotz
I know, I know...after the review I gave issue #1, why did I pick up the second issue? To be honest, I don't have a good answer. This issue is a lot better, but still doesn't quite do it for me. We get Wraith's origin story, but it's delivered in such a way that you (or I at least) just don't connect with him enough to really care. Ronan and Super-Skrull both appear in this issue, and are far more interesting than the title character.

Daredevil #99: 5 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano
As Matt and crew deal with the aftermath of Gladiator (Melvin Potter, not the Shi'ar guy), Matt learns that it was a diversion investigates what really happened--Batman style. It would appear the mastermind behind it is...Mr. Fear, and he plays another card against Daredevil, and this one's a doozy, and I won't spoil it here. Every so often there's a title that drifts towards the bottom of my read pile that is shockingly good. This, my friends, is that title, and as such, it is...

BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK

Exiles #97: 3 out of 5
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Steve Scott
Anyway, Morph and Longshot debate ethics of interfering in Doom-topia before meeting up with Blink and Moleman Reed Richards. As Spider-Man 2099 and Sabretooth got their groove on, Doom reverse engineers the Talus and sends a strike force into the Crystal Palace where they encounter Psylocke , Ultimate Shadowcat, and a surprise character, whose powers include spoutting bad dialog. Sheesh, who talks like that (and who says sheesh for that matter).

Incredible Hulk #109 (World War Hulk): 3 out of 5
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Carlo Pagulayan
We finally get Hulk's answer to Amadeus Cho and the Renegades request to help him, which more or less amounts to giving them a free pass. It mostly recaps World War Hulk #3 with Amadeus repeating his "Hulk is not a killer" mantra, even as the Green Goliath starts building his arena. Not a bad issue, but considering it's mostly a rehash of WWH #3, you might want save your money.

New Avengers #33: 4 out of 5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Leinil Yu
Tensions are high as the New Avengers recover from the Elektra Skrull reveal. Wolverine reasons that Spider-Woman isn't a skrull since she didn't try to kill them when she had the chance. Meanwhile, the team continues to distrust one another. Just how high distrust is amongst them is brought home by Luke Cage, who can't even trust his own wife. Meanwhile, Wolverine cases a criminal bar and stumbles onto the Hood. The Hood plot feels more like a B-plot to the Skrull storyline, and I am left wondering when we get the next Skrull reveal.

New Excalibur #22: 3 out of 5
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Pat Olliffe
Wait, Excalibur is still fighting Albion and the Albion Corps, with still no end in sight. Although Dazzler does get to kick some @$$ and demonstrate some better skills with her powers, so at least there is that.

Nova #5: 4 out of 5
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by Sean Chen & Scott Hanna
Nova recruits his first deputy, Kree medic Ko-Rel. As Nova recovers, the Phalanx attack. Ko-Rell and the dubiously named Kree (Dimples? Flagpole?) fight a losing battle. Ko-Rell attempts to lead the Phallanx away from Nova and her crewmates, and it appears to work, but Gamora sees through the ruse and stays behind. She then brings the latest Phalanx Select into the fold!

Punisher War Journal #10: 3 out of 5
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Ariel Olivetti
After being tied to a pole for half this book's run, Frank finally delivers a beatdown to Hate-Monger which is too short and anti-climatic. G. W. Bridge gives Frank a free pass this time since he can't arrest I guy for beeting up Neo-Nazis. Stuart Clarke finds his lady friend has been killed and starts tracking down the recruits to kill them, in a move that makes Frank the sane one of the pair. Scarry that.

World War Hulk Front Line #3: 3 out of 5
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Ramon Bachs & Shawn Martinbrough
Ben Urich and Sally Floyd find themselves in the middle of a warzone, and Sally tries to take a sick day. Jameson is pissed that he got scooped by the upstart Front Line. Buddy cops Korg and Danny Granville uncover a survelance camera that has footage of the murder victim. Rhode Island looks for a superteam (yawn!).

X-Factor #22: 5 out of 5
Written Peter David
Artist Pablo Raimondi
Another great issue from Peter David. The Isolationist makes X-Factor an offer they can't refuse. M and Siryn track down anti-mutant singers to enforce their grandparents legal visitation rights, and run into a snag...Solo, and where he lives, terror dies. Oh, and Clay. Rahne claws up Rictor's back rather fierce, and Jamie figures out they've hooked up. Strong Guy makes bad jokes. And Nicole outcreeps Layla Miller. Yikes! By the way, this is...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Next Week: Amazons Attack #5, Booster Gold #1, Countdown 37, Flash #231, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: August 1, 2007

SPOILER ALERT!!!

DC COMICS

Action Comics #853 (Countdown): 4 out of 5
Written by Kurk Busiek
Art by Brad Walker
After defeateing the Exomorphic Man (off page, unfortunately--maybe we'll see this fight in Countdown 38?), Jimmy Olsen takes on the Kryptonite Man. Unfortunately, he's not quite up to the task and is captured. Superman comes to his rescue, but he too is overwhelmed by K-Man, inpsite of his fancy anti-radiation spray. Meanwhile, not knowing Superman is fighting the K-Man in the NEXT ROOM (between this and Countdown 50, Jimmy Olsen is apparently legally deaf) he constructs a device to mimic his Superman watch, but since Supes is getting his Big Blue Butt kicked, Jimmy instead summons...Krypto? Also, Jimmy reflects on how he suddenly knows stuff he shouldn't, like the secret identities of all three Robins. He even seems to subconsciously know Clark Kent is Superman, but his conscious mind doesn't quite seem to make the connection.

All New Atom #14 (Countdown):5 out of 5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Mike Norton
Gail Simone is a damn good writer. She took the least interesting part of Countdown, and totally made it her own. Ryan takes Bob, Donna, and Jason to the microscopic city that lives on his dogs @$$, and then into a facimile of Heaven where they meet...the late Ted Kord (Blue Beetle), complete with Angel-wings jetpack. And just when you think things couldn't get any strangers, Hell invades, lead by a demon-wing jackpack wearing Hitler, which Ryan proceeds to kick in the face. Now channeling my inner Chris Sims, I will repeat: RYAN CHOI KICKS A DEMON-WING JETPACK HITLER IN THE FACE!

Black Canary #3:4 out of 5
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Mike Norton
Black Canary vs. Merlyn. 'Nuff said.

Countdown 39: 4 out of 5
Written by Pail Dini and Sean McKeever
Art by Jim Calafiore
Karate Kid visits Oracle, who brushes him off as someone is trying to hack the secret id of all the heroes. Pengiun sells out Piper & Trickster to the Suicide Squad, but the Rogues gives them the slip. Ryan, Donna, Jason, and Bob go to crazy-space-land. Mary Marvel doesn't appear. Mr. Action stops a purse snatcher and gets smooched. He then reflects on joining a team, while the purse snatcher skulks away (albeit without the stolen purse). Holly confronts Athena about Harley turning away the single mom. The new Question and Batwoman (the all-new, all-lesbian Birds of Prey) confront Piper and Trickster. Oh, and in the backup the Monitors reveal what is beyond teh Source Wall.

Detective Comics #835: 4 out of 5
Written by John Rozum
Art by Tom Mandrake
The Scarecrow decides to prove he's more than a smuck with fear gas, and first busts out Arkham and then goes on a reign of terror through Gotham, relying on pure psychology rather than the aforementioned fear gas. All in all, a surprising good read.

Justice Society of America #8: 4 out of 5
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Fernando Pasarin
This issue spotlights Libery Belle, and features Damage promently as well. Between Sinestro Corps and JSA, Geoff Johns has been at the top of his game lately.

Metal Men #1: 3 out of 5
Written by Duncan Rouleau
Art Duncan Rouleau
A solid first issue. My knowledge of the Metal Men is somewhat limited, so fans might find more enjoyment here. And props to Duncan Rouleau on Will Magnus's Hypo-Hyper Flux Theory, although one wonders why he would be presenting a scientific theory at an inventors conference, but I digress.

Supergirl #20 (Amazons Attack): 3 out of 5
Writen by Tony Bedard
Art by Renato Guedes
Supergirl deals with the mistakes she made during Amazon Attacks, namely attacking Air Force One alongside Wonder Girl. A good introspective tale.

Welcome to Tranquility #9: 3 out of 5
Written bu Gail Simone
Art by Neil Googe
Not one of the better issues of this series, but then I'm not a fan of zombies in comics. Although Roxie from Gen 13 does get it on with one of the Liberty Snots. Of course, this usually is the kiss of death in zombie stories, no?

MARVEL COMICS

Fantastic Four #548 (Civil War Initiative): 3 out of 5
Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Art by Paul Pelletier
Believing Reed and the rest of the Fantastic Four are dead, the Wingless Wizard beats the captive Sue Richards trying to get her to admidt he is superior to her husband. Naturally, thanks to Black Panther, the FF are very much alive and ready to clobber some Frightful Four. However, the Wizard has an ace up his sleeve, as it is not the Frightful Four, but the Frightful Five! Reed, however, is apparently as blind as Jimmy Olsen is deaf. When the FF arived, the Frightful Four were plainly standing around the shackled Sue, but Reed feels the need to beat on the Wizard and demand to know where his wife is. I know Reed can be kind of oblvious at times, but come on.

Ms. Marvel #18: 4 out of 5
Written by Brian Reed
Art by Aaron Lopresti
Carol meets with Hank McCoy over her recent episode of turning blue, something the Beast knows a little about. She then welcomes two new recruits to Lightning Storm: Sleepwalker and Nextwave's Machine Man. Meanwhile, The Puppet Master is collecting superheroins to sell as slaves. Already in his collection: Shroud, Silverclaw, Stature, and Tigra. And his latest addition, Arana.

New Avengers Illuminati #4: 5 out of 5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed
Art by Jim Cheung
The Illuminati discuss girl troubles, which includes Namor giving Reed marital advise and Namor asking Tony "Why would you sleep with a woman who looks like Doctor Doom?" From there, they address the threat of...Marvel Boy? After dealing with major milestone events like the Kree-Skrull War, the Infinity Guantlet, and the Secret War, this seems like an odd choice. As a refreshing change of pace, the Illuminati use reason rather then violence to deal with Noh-Varr (well, other than Namor) of course. This is a great issue, the best of the series, and is...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

New Warriors #3: 4 out of 5
Written by Kevin Grevioux
Art by Paco Medina
Although Microbe and Namorita are clearly dead (and have the bodies to prove it), all that was left of Night Trasher after Stanford are is tattered costume. In addition, someone is accessing funds in the Taylor family using codes only Dwayne and his brother knew. Also, Wolverine checks in on Jubilee, and the New Warriors turn down Stark's offer with some colorful graffiti. We also get a glimpse at the rest of the team, but really, we know nothing about them the three former X-Men. Nonetheless, this is a great new book spinning out of Civil War and worth checking out.

She-Hulk #20: 5 out of 5
Written by Dan Slott and Ty Templeton
Art by Rick Burchett
This issue serves to wrap-up the lose threads as Dan Slott nears the end of his run. Stu's escape from Duck World, Artie Zix's revealed to be RT-Z9, Hawkeye taping the Doc Brown (from Back to the Future? Anyone? Damn, I'm old!) letter She-Hulk gave him, the tragic fate of Awesome Andy, Jen's marriage to John Jameson, and Mallory's master plan getting dismissed as petty and trivial. But this is not quite the end as She-Hulk's time as a galactic judge may result in unforseen consequences. I'm sure going to miss Dan Slott on this series, even as I'm looking forward to Peter David taking over. Anyway, this issue is...

BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK

Uncanny X-Men #489: 4 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Salvador Larroca
With the help of the FF computer, Storm attempts to track down the Morlocks. O*N*E get the drop on the Morlocks first, however, and get slaughtered. They X-Men uncover Skids among the wounded, and she reveals that she is an undercover SHIELD agent. Also, Xavier and Nightcrawler continue to track down Magneto. In the backup, which is signifigantly better than it was during the first few weeks, the Beast makes a deal with the devil...the Dark Beast.

World War Hulk #3: 4 out of 5
Written by Greg Pak
Art by John Romita Jr.
With both the Avengers AND the Fantastic Four down for the count, its up to Thunderbolt Ross and army to take out Hulk. Naturally, they are little match for the Hulk's rage. Doctor Strange contacts Hulk through the astral plane and tries to reason with him as a friend, and although it appears he is reaching Hulk (and Banner), the Hulk instead lures him in to break his hands. Meanwhile, the Warbound capture Echo, Iron First, and Ronin in their effort to protect Strange. Hulk then oversees the construction of a gladiator arena while Rick Jones continues to try to reason with him. The Sentry continues to remain on the fence.

Next Week: Countdown 38, Green Lantern #22, New Avengers #33, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: June 27, 2007

SPOILER ALERT!!!

DC COMICS

Blue Beetle #17: 4 out of 5
Writen by John Rogers
Art by Rafael Albuquerque
It's always harder to critique bad comics than praise good ones. Just buy this book. You'll be glad you did.

Countdown 40: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini and Tony Bedard
Art by Keith Giffen and Manuel Garcia
Jimmy Olsen debuts as Mr. Action! Mary Marvel catches a show with Zatana. Bob, Ryan, Jason, and Donna face off against microscopic gorila men. Holly learns that the shelter turns away an older single mother with a son. Someone (a New God?) spies on Darkseid building up an army of parademons. And the Question tracks Trickster and Piper to the Iceburg Lounge. Oh, and the backup this issue reveals new information for a change on the origin of the 52 monitors. All in all, a strong issue.

Fallen Angel #18: 4 out of 5
Written by Peter David
Art by J. K. Woodward
Man, I love Liandra. This being a comic book team-up, naturally she has to fight with Shi first, whom she beats using lesbian innuendo and poking fun at her whorish outfit. Things don't get much better off than that.

Green Arrow Year One #2: 1 out of 5
Written by Andy Diggle
Art by Jock
First of all, this issue takes less time to read than it does to tie your shoes. Not only that, most of the issue shows young Ollie fishing and making arrows. A real snoozer here.

Hawkgirl #66: 1 out of 5
Written by Wlater Simonson
Art by Renato Arlem
The last issue of Hawkgirl. That's good news as it will save me the trouble of dropping it from my pull list. The big show down against Hath-Set is fairly predictable, and lacks the gravity it should have after being built up so much. For someone who has supposedly killed the Hawks again and again over several millenia, he sure goes down easy.

Superman #665 (Countdown): 4 out of 5
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Rick Leonard
A flashback tale of how Superman and Jimmy Olsen became pals. A great read, but it doesn't seem to be essential to the ongoing Countdown series.

Teen Titans #49 (Amazons Attack): 3 out of 5
Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Al Barrioneuvo
Reunited with Cassie, the Teen Titans (and Supergirl) find themselves in between the U.S. Military and mounted amazons led by Artemis. Plus Superman is here for some reason, although he really isn't needed here. Anyway, in the end, the women captives get free, the Titan's and Supes prevent bloodshed, and Girls both Wonder and Super make peace with their amazon friends. Yeah.

Wonder Woman #11 (Amazons Attack): 2 out of 5
Written by J. Torres
Art by Paco Diaz
Meh. That's all I have to say here.

MARVEL COMICS

Amazing Spider-Man #542: 5 out of 5
Written by J. Michael Stracynski
Art by Ron Garney
Peter Paker gives Wilson Fisk a beatdown in front of an entire prison, completely destroying his image. An altogether great issue.

Annihilation Conquest Starlord #1: 3 out of 5
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Timothy Green II
The Kree assemble a makeshift team of ragtag prisoners commanded by Starlord to meet the threat of the Phalanx. By Keith Giffen. So far, it pretty much an assemble-the-team book. Not really enough to evaluate the series as a whole.

Black Panther #29 (Civil War Initiative): 3 out of 5
Written by Reginal Hudlin
Art by Francis Portela
So this month in Fantastic Four...I mean, Black Panther...Marvel's latest gimmick...the Marvel zombies...take on the New FF. Oh, and not only are they zombies, but they have the power of Galactus. So things don't go well and they are forced to withdraw while the Skrull FF cover their escape. They make contact with Marvel Zombie's Black Panther, who is married to whom I think is supposed to be the Wasp, who has some catty remarks to make to Storm. I really wish this book would get back to featuring the T'Challa instead of being a second-rate Fantastic Four.

Cable Deadpool #43: 4 out of 5
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Ron Lim
Well, things don't look good for Cable. It's been six weeks and he's still dead. Will this book be renamed Deadpool and Bob, Agent of Hydra? Plus, Wolverine guest stars (a Wolverine guest apperance? Shocking!) and takes on Deadpool inside of a Hydra base. Bad news for Wade as he loses his head. Literally.

Heroes for Hire #12 (World War Hulk): 3 out of 5
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Claw Mann
Not all of the Warbound are giving the Hulk their full attention, as Brood seems to have her own agenda. But where does Humbug loyalties lie? And more importantly, will their be tentacle porn next issue?

Immortal Iron Fist #7: 4 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Art by Travel Foreman
This issue is a stand alone tale of Wu Ao-Shi, the female Iron Fist. A great single issue story. 'Nuff said.

Incredible Hulk #108 (World War Hulk):3 out of 5
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Leonard Kirk
Rick Jones and Miek recall their relationship with the Hulk. In other words, a filler issue.

Iron Man #20 (World War Hulk): 3 out of 5
Written by Christos N. Gage
Art by Butch Guise
Not one of Chris Gage's best work, although it's still a fairly entertaining read as Dum Dum Dugan deals with the fallout of Iron Man's defeat and imprisonment by the Hulk.

Mighty Avengers #4 (Civil War Initiative): 4 out of 5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Frank Cho
Ares is starting to grow on me as a character, as he kicks major evil robot ass in this issue. Plus, Wasp gives Hank Pym's ego a verbal bitch slap, which is always nice to see (insert cheap Hank Pym beats his wife joke here). And Ultron strikes the Sentry where it hurts, and I'm not taking about hitting him between the legs. Plus: Frank Cho's artwork is always a bonus.

Onslaught Reborn #4: 3 out of 5
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Rob Liefeld
Ah, 90s nostalga. I remember when Onslaught first came out. Yes, I'm old. I know, I know. I've been reading X-Men for over half my life. Anyway, if you didn't read Onslaught and Heroes Reborn, just skip this series. Otherwise, it's fairly decent for those who have fond memories of the 90s.

X-Men #201: 5 out of 5
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Humberto Ramos
It's great to see the Marauders taking it to the X-Men again! If this book has a flaw, it's that HUGE cast of characters, and a few of them get lost in the background. In addition to this books class, we have the Astonishing and New X-Men, Sunfire, the Acolytes, and, of course, the Marauders. Even the backup story picks things up as the one evil scientist Beast seemed to forget when he called everyone else: his own evil doppleganger from the Age of Apocalypse! And this issue is thus...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Next Week: Countdown 39, Metal Man #1, World War Hulk #3, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: JULY 18, 2007

All FLash #1, Black Canary #1 (yes, it's late for me), Annihilation Conquest Quasar #1, Mystic Arcana Black Knight #1, Super Villain Team Up MODOK's 11 #1, The Order #1, and Thunderbolts Desperate Measures #1. That's a lot's of #1's this week. Anyway...

SPOILER ALERT!!!

DC COMICS

Action Comics #852 (Countdown): 3 out of 5
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Brad Walker
Featuring Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, this story spins out of Countdown (and apparently Lois's hair is much shorter her for some reason). The Kryptonite Man appeals to be allowed to continue his research, under supervision, but when the judge denies his request, he goes postal. Superman takes him down with one punch with the aid of a lead glove before Jimmy can power-up. Also, a flashback tells the origin of his signal watch. Olsen then decides to help out with a liquor store robbery, sporting a makeshift mask and his Elastic Lad powers, but unfortunately the book ends before we can see him in action. Somewhat interesting, but like Countdown, is slow and Jimmy Olsen does little but observe events.

All Flash #1: 4 out of 5
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Karl Kerchl, Ian Churchill, Norm Rapmund, Manuel Garcia, Joe Bennet, Ruy Jose, and Daniel Acuna (that's a lot of artists).
Note to self: do not piss off the Flash. Following the events of Flash The Fastest Man Alive #13 and Justice League #10, Wally leans of Bart's death and takes off after Inertia. In spite of his future knowledge, Inertia is surprised by this turn of events (no doubt due to the Legions involvement in Wally's return). Anyway, Wally turns Inertia into a freaking statue at the Flash museum, a move that would have even Batman going "Dude, cheer up." The remaing rogues are taken out by Deadshot (Secret Six/Suicide Squad), Count Vertigo (Checkmate), Kid Boomerang (Outsiders), and some Puma-like guy I don't recognize leaving only Piper and Trickster still on the run. Isis gives a glimpse at what's to come, include Wally's superpowered kids and a Bat-suit in a flash ring. Tease.

Amazons Attack #4: 3 out of 5
Written by Will Pfeifer
Art by Pete Woods
Superman swoops in to rescue Wonder Woman in her confrontation with her mother. After Wonder Girl and Supergirl corner the president, amazons arive to kill the man. Realizing they've been played, the two defend the president until Superman arives and gives a "can't we all be friends" speach before the military arives to take down the amazons. Also, Batman learns that the attacks outside of DC are by a group called the Bana, and heads off to pages of Catwoman to recruit her as a double agent. And Circe is revealed to be very much alive.

Birds of Prey #108: 5 out of 5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Nicola Scott
Gail's last issue of the Birds of Prey, she caps it off with a superb issue that makes you wish she wasn't leaving this book. The Secret Six limp off, with Catman getting a love note from Huntress. Harley decides to quit the team (and head off for the pages of Countdown). A mysterious voice, who may or may not be Amanda Waller, hacks their radio and reveals that they have footage of Deadshot murdering General Kerimov, which may or may not have to do with his recruitment into the Suicide Squad. Anyway, back to the Birds. Oracle challenges Spy Smasher to combat over leadership of her team, and after the former Batgirl hands Spy Smasher her buttocks, a four page spread of Barbara's friends back up her leadership claim. One wonders why Barbara didn't do this earlier if that was all that was needed to oust Spy Smasher. Then we get some girl time between Barbara, Helena, Dinah, and Zinda before Oracle and Lady Blackhawk headout to find Misfit. In the highlight of an excellent final issue for Gail Simone, Misfit's tragic origin story is revealed, and Orcale takes her in. As much as I'm looking forward to Sean McKeever coming on board, I still wish that this was the one title Gail Simone was keeping after her move to Wonder Woman. Tear tear, I promised myself...etc., etc.

Black Canary #1 and #2: 4 out of 5
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Paulo Siqueira
Merlyn, obsessed with all things Green Arrow, makes a play on Sin to (re)recruit her into the League of Assassins. He tricks Dinah, through her ex-husband, to enroll Sin in a private school for trouble children to get her away from the protection of Black Canary. After Sin takes out a squad of League ninjas, Merlyn, disguised as Ollie, tricks her into his car and puts her to sleep with a trick arrow. This isn't going to make Dinah happy. Also, we are treated to the occasional flash back of the Ollie/Dinah relationship.

Catwoman #69: 4 out of 5
Written by Will Pfeifer
Art by David Lopez
Spinning out of Amazons Attack, Batman recuits Selena to infiltrate te Bana (whom makes me think of that guy from the tragically bad Hulk movie every time I hear their name). But first, we are treated to the most shocking panel in the history of DC comics that you'll have to see to believe.

Checkmate #16: 4 out of 5
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Bennett and Prado
A Lost style flashback treats to an excellently written then-and-now tale of the romance between Mr. Terrific and Sasha Bordeaux. Fire reunites with Ice (who recently returned from the dead in the pages of Birds of Prey) in an instance of DC cohesiveness at its finest. And the new Black King's Bishop arives: August General in Iron, or whatever his name is. Oh, and Mirror Master, somewhere between killing the Bart Allen and getting taken out by Deadshot (or perhaps afterwards if he joined the Suidice Squad), gets a poparatzi (sp?) gig photographic Terrific/Bordeux in bed.

Countdown 41: 3 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini and Adam Beechen
Art by Dennis Calereo
Piper grabs a bag containing their gear, and with Trickster's "boots of levitation", they manage to slow their fall enough to make a water landing before setting off to the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge. Jimmy Olsen investigages the pitfalls of having a secret identity. Mary Marvel ponders. Donna Troy and Jason Todd (well, mostly Jason) christen the "good" Monitor with the moniker "Bob" before arriving in the Palmerverse to a not-so-friendly reception. Holly Robinson has to bail Harley Quinn out of trouble when she confronts protesters outside the Athenian Woman's Shelter. Karate Kid learns that his work in the past is not finished, and is joined by 1/3 of Triplicate girl. In other words, not a whole lot happens in this issue as Countdown continues to crawl. The backup contains a cliff-notes version of 52.

Justice League of America #11: 5 out of 5
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Gene Ha
After a rescue gone awry, Red Arrow and Vixen findthemselves trapped in a collapsed and sinking building. Vixen reveals that she has lost her animal powers and has been mouching off her fellow leaguers. That leaves things up to Red Arrow to save them with only his trick arrows. This issue his superbly written with only two characters in a claustrophobia (sp?) tale of survival.

MARVEL COMICS

Annihilation Conquest Quasar #1: 4 out of 5
Written by Christos N. Gage
Art by Mike Lilly
Or as I like to call it, SPACE LESBIANS OF THE 21ST CENTURY! Anyway, Phyla-Vell, perhaps the best thing to come out of Peter David's Captain Marvel (and that's saying something), starts her quest to find the savior of the Kree, with her lover, Moondragon. Unfortunately, they must first beat the latest Phalanx Select, the Super-Adaptoid, who has the combined powers of Hawkeye, Hercules, Quicksilver, Vision, and the original Captain Mar-Vell. We also get to see Phyla's introspective over her disfunctional family, and some nice scenes where she canoodles with Moondragon.

Avengers the Initiative #4 (World War Hulk): 4 out of 5
Written by Dan Slott
Art by Stefano Caselli
The deadly secret of why Iron Man's nanoprobes didn't depower the Hulk is revealed! I really hope they follow up on this. The Initiative heads to New York to help with the evacuation, but Triathalon soon looses control of the recruits (save for a subdued Komodo) when they rush to the front lines after seeing Iron Man boldly stand up to the Hulk. They arive just in time to see the Hulk and the Warbound standing victoriously over a combined Avengers team featuring such powerhouses like Ares, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Doc Sampson, She-Hulk, and Wonder Man. That would take the wind out of anyone's sails. Also, the mystery that is MVP deepens.

Captain America #28 (Civil War Initiative): 5 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve Epting and Mike Perkins
Sin leads the Serpent Squad on an attack on SHIELD to free her boytoy, Crossbones. There's just something about a red-haired, freckled vixin that looks so innocent but in truth is as evil as her namesake. Nick Fury, Falcon, and Sharon Carter continue to look for the Winter Soldier. And Tony Stark gets a mysterious letter from Cap to be delivered to him and only him in case of his death. I'm starting to think Ed Brubaker had the Shi-ar arc in Unncanny ghost-written.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #22: 4 out of 5
Written by Peter David
Art by Todd Nauck
Robbie Roberson informs his wife and kid of his being let go from the Bugle, much to his wife's relief as she felt his job (read Jonah) was overly stressful to him. His son doesn't take the news so well, and blames Peter naturally. Betty Brant with a shotgun arives to turn the tide against Ero, and the all-new, all-deadly Spider-Man echoes the Flash in creepiness this week. After a wounded Ero makes a threatening speach to Betty, Peter tracks her down and lures her to the Bronx zoo, where she gets eaten piecemeal by a flock of birds before Peter personally steps on one of her spiders. Flash and Betty patch things up and Peter learns of Robbie's firing, and heads off to confront J. Jonah Jameson.

Mystic Arcana Black Knight: 3 out of 5
Written by Roy Thomas
Art by Tom Grummet and Scott Hanna
A step down from the Magik issue, this story features not Dane Whtman but rather Sir Percy, the Black Knight from the days of King Arthur. Percy has to make a deadly choice about whether to save Camelot by killing Mordred or the save the future by letting Mordred kill him. Percy chooses the later, of course, and then becomes the mysterious Gwynn, who has previously been a guide and mentor throughout his life. The backup story bu David Sexton featureing Morgan Le Fay outshines the feature story and examines Le Fay in all her tragic villain glory.

New X-Men #40: 3 out of 5
Written by Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle
Art by Skottie Young
Sando, Anole, and Pixie all go through shocking transformations, with Anole taking a page from Hellboy by growing an extra-large right arm. Illyana continues to walk the line bewteen hero (or rather anti-hero) and villain, which leaves you guessing which side she is on, and spreads more confusion over her return as she apparently was never deaged after Inferno, and was separated from her soul (which was the deaged Illyana?). And how does House of M fit in here? Belasco brings Laura back to life, only to kill her again for kicks. And Amada Sefton brings Hellion and Surge (and a Sentinel) to Limbo. In the Endangerd Species backup, Beast visits Kavita Roa, who turns over her mutant research, which includes former mutant samples that are no longer x-gene positive. This seems to surprise the Beast as he apparently didn't have any samples himself (I guess since most of the X-Men were unaffected by M-day).

Super Villain Team Up MODOKs 11 #1: 5 out of 5
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Francis Protela
MODOK recruits D-list villains Armadillo, Puma, Mentallo, Rocket Racer, the Chameleon, Deadly Nightshade, Living Laser, and the Spot (yes, the Spot) for a heist job. This is only nine, including MODOK, which leaves two surprise members yet to come. Mentallo detects that MODOK has a hidden agenda, and MODOK brings him into the loop (but unfortunately) not the reader. Also, we are treated to a retelling of MODOK's origin story, where he volunteered only to impress his "girlfriend." This series is a tongue-in-cheek romp, amusing but not laugh-out-loud hysterical, that is nonetheless not to be missed, and is...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

The Order #1 (Civil War Initiative): 4 out of 5
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Barry Kitson
Featuring Anthem, who played Iron Man on TV and shares Tony Stark's alcoholism, stars in the start of this new series remaniscent of the first issue X-Force/X-Statix, where most of the team doesn't survive to the end. Only instead of getting killed, they are fired for getting drunk in public. That leaves only weather-wizard Anthem, speedster Calamity, and powerhouse Heavy (who is conspicously absent from the cover, so we probably shouldn't get too close to him) on the team, so four new members are recruited: Mulholland Black (street punk with a big hammer and a "pscyho-kinetic connection with LA"), Veda (self-absorbed animator), Becky Ryan (shapeshifter), and Supernaut (crippled mecha pilot). Other than Anthem, we don't learn much about the team, but there seems to be a lot of potential here.

Thunderbolts Desperate Measures: 3 out of 5
Written by Paul Jenkis
Art by Steve Lieber
Featuring Penace and Bullseye, the unlikely duo are sent to take down the unbalanced antihero Americop. Bullseye uses Penace as a weapon against him, and Penace stands up to Osborn by saving some of his power to wreck a irreplacable gizmo that personally cost him 17 million dollars. This only serves to impress the certifiable Osborn. Overall, a lackluster fill-in issue that leaves you missing Ellis (words I thought I'd never hear myself say).

World War Hulk #2: 5 out of 5
Written by Greg Pak
Art by John Romita Jr.
Hulk takes on the aforementioned combined Avengers team, including his cousin She-Hulk who attempts to reason with him, only to be bitched slap for not standing with him. The Hulk then makes short work of the Avengers before heading off to face the Fantastic Four. As Storm holds off the Warbound, Hulk takes out first the Human Torch and then the Thing. He then sees through Reed's ruse at pretending to be Hulk's friend, the Sentry, before breaking through Sue's force field before giving Reed a beatdown. Sue then attempts to enlist the real Sentry, who is watching from the sidelines. Rick Jones then reachs through to the Hulk, revealing to him the events of Civil War and the death of Captain America. Just when he breaks through the Hulk's anger, Dr. Stange attempts tow ork his magic against the Hulk, which only spurs him back to anger. Hulk then faces down Hercules, Angel, and Namorita, and General Ross arives to cleanup the mess since apparently he thinks he can suceed where Iron Man, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four have failed. This action-packed issue is thus...

BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK

World War Hulk Front Line #2: 3 out of 5
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Ramon Bachs
The feature story is mostly a retelling of events of World War Hulk #2 from the sidelines. The Daredevil scene, where a poor kid points out the heroes powerlesness prevents this issue from earner a lower rating, and is really the only part taht's worthwhile here. The first backup is a decent body cop story featuring the unlikely paiuring of Detective Danny Granville and Warbound Korg. The second backup is not even worth mentioning.

World War Hulk X-Men #2: 4 out of 5
Written by Chris Gage
Art by Andrea Divito
Inspite Xavier wanting to surrender, the Astonishing X-Men put themselves between him and the Hulk. They let loose with everthing they've got: Cyclops goes full blast, Wolverine goes for the Hulk's eyes, and Shadowcat phases the hulk into the ground. Even with the combined musscle of Emma Frost, Colossus, and the Beast, this isn't nearly enough to shop the Hulk, so the Stepford Cuckoos call in X-Factor, Uncanny X-Men, and New Excalibur for reinforcements (but surprising not the adjectiveless X-Men). New Excalibur, being on the "other-side-of-the-pond," have to sit this one out, but Juggernaut uses the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak to teleport there, in spite there never being an indication that it has this type of power. The Hulk makes short work of the Juggernaut, however, and his final words "Wuh--wait...this ain't right...I'm the J...." can only be finished with the infamous "Juggernaut bitch!" Pardon my French. Then in a surprising display of synchonicity, Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor then both arive on the scene. Chris Gage is a superb writer, who somehow manages to capture the essence of each character even when they only have a single line of dialog. This is a great, action-packed issue, but is not essential to the overall World War Hulk storyline.

Whew! That wraps things up this week.

Next Week: Annihilation Conquest Star Lord #1, Countdown 40, Mighty Avengers #4, X-Men #201, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: July 11, 2007

Super slushie edition.

SPOILER ALERT !!!

DC COMICS

Countdown 42: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini, Sean McKeever, and Tony Bedard
Art by Carlos Magno
As with all Sean McKeever issues, this is an entertaining read with great dialog and character interaction. However, it still can't seem to get out of the not-much-happens-sandtrap. This issue focuses mostly on the villains on the DC universe, from Trickster and Pied Piper getting shackled together by (presumably) the Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn explaining to Holly how she ended up in the shelter, Riddler joining forces with Mary Marvel in a good, old-fashioned team-up before recommending to her finding a mentor to help her understand her new powers. Jimmy Olsen and Karate Kid have short beats that don't do anything to advance their plotlines (not that Karate Kid has a plotline yet), and the Search-for-Ray-Palmer team enlists the aid of the new Atom Ryan Choi.

Gen 13 #10: 4 out of 5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Carlo Barberi
There's no rest for these five angst-ridden teens as they try to relax in Tranquility when Sally of the Liberty Snots picks a fight with Burnout after Ajita flirts with him. The inevitable team vs. team confrontation results, with the Authoriteens waiting in the wings. Also, Gail Simone provides a compelling sequence when the Gen 13ers pick their codenames. She even manages to compelling justify "Grunge." And is it just me, or did big-bad Megan forget to wear pants to her meeting this issue? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

Green Arrow Year One #1: 3 out of 5
Written by Andy Diggle
Art by Jock
Andy Diggle begins the tale of how Oliver Queen becomes Green Arrow. He starts off as an anarchist rich punk with a penchant for archery and the ladies, which of cource is nothing at all like Green Arrow.

Green Lantern #21: 5 out of 5
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis
The Sinestro Corps War continues! In the wake of their initial assault, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, and John Stewart (not to be confused with the late night comedian, Jon Stewart) regroup and head off to Qward after Kyle Rayner. Guy and John get taken out by a trap placed in the power battery, leaving Hal to face the Paralax possed Kyle Rayner. Unfortunately for Hal, Paralax brought friends.

Justice Society of America #7: 4 out of 5
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Dale Eaglesham
Featuring the JSA's newest legacy hero, Citizen Steel. In his first outing, Citizen Steel gets to beatup some Nazis (there is nothing more evil than Nazi!). Also, Geoff Johns shamelessly plugs an upcoming Superman/Legion of Superheroes arc coming in Action Comics.

Stormwatch PHD #9: 4 out of 5
Written by Christos Gas
Art by Andy Smith
Rather than drawing out (sorry, "decompressing") the murder mystery, Christos Gage refreshingly covers it from start to finish in a single issue. And it will keep you guessing until the end.

Shadowpact #15: 4 out of 5
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Tom Derenick
Shadowpact faces off against Doctor Gotham while Blue Devil visits his family. Doctor G. establishes his badguy cred by holding hostage a school bus filled with little kiddies, and then goes Pompeii on Chicago. Zatana is set to guest star next issue.

MARVEL COMICS

Annihilation Conquest Wraith #1: 0 out of 5
Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Art by Kyle Hotz
Wraith, a '90s anti-hero reject, spends this issue searching to kill someone we don't know for some reason we don't know. This is the entire extent of his character. Save your money here folks.

Deadpool GLI Summer Fun Spectacular: 5 out of 5
Written by Fabian Nicieza and Dan Slott
Art by Kieron Dwyer, Nelson, Paul Pelletier, and Clio Chiang
The only negative I have to say is that this is only a one-shot, and not an ongoing or even limited series. This title features not only the shear awesomeness that is Squirrel Girl, but also features the first-appearance of what's sure to be the best new character to come in years, P-Cat the Pennitent Pussy! This is a great issue, and it's...

BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK
Wait, it's not my Pick of the Week? Then what is? Stay tuned, True Believers!

Exiles #96: 2 out of 5
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Clayton Henry
True to form, the "good" Dr. Doom turns out to be not so much in spite first impressions. No matter what reality your inn, Dr. Doom is always evil I guess. Also, I have no idea what's happening on the cover between the Spider-Men, or what it has to do with this issue.

New Avengers #32: 3 out of 5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Lenil Yu
This issue is an essay by Brian Michael Bendis, delivered by Wolverine, about why we should care that Elektra's a skrull, and why each of the New Avengers shouldn't be trusted, including himself (since he's "everywhere at once" har har). Their plane then crashes (since Doctor Strange can't stop it with his poorly-defined powers), and Spider-Woman takes off with the Elektra-skrull corpse. Is she taking it to Tony Stark likes she suggests, or is she getting rid of the evidence?

New Excalibur #21: 2 out of 5
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Jeremey Haun
This Albion arch is really starting to drag. That's all I got to say.

Nova #4: 4 out of 4
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art by Sean Chen and Scott Hanna
With the full power of the Nova Corps, Richard Rider rushes to the aid of the Kree, and gets his butt whooped by Phalanx-infected Kree Sentries. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but he is forced to withdraw and runs smack into the barrier around Kree space, and crashed lands on a planet where a Kree ship also...um...unintentionally landed. There is some power transfer between Nova and the Kree captain, who gets pimped out with a Nova uniform. (She's the hot blue Nova seen in the solicits). Also, Gamora guest stars as a Phallanx conscript.

Punisher War Journal #9: 3 out of 5
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Ariel Olivetti
Isn't this arc over with yet? #10 is the last issue (thankfully), so let's hope Frank dishes out a much earned beat down on the all-new, all-racist Hate-Monger.

World War Hulk Gamma Corps #1: 3 out of 5
Written by Frank Tieri
Art by Carlos Ferriera
Not a great first issue, but no a bad one either. I have no idea who any of these guys are (are the new or have they appeared before, or some mix of the two) except for Gen. Ross and Glenn Talbot, who both only appear in flash backs. There is potential here, but in a limited series, I doubt we'll see much development of these characters that this title would need to stand out.

X-Factor #21: 5 out of 5
Written by Peter David
Artist Pablo Raimondi
Peter David knocks it out of the park folks! Great character moments around the whole team (I'm even starting to like Rictor, whom I've never, ever cared back all the way when he was running around the original X-Men version of X-Factor). I absolutely loved the Rahne/Rictor scene in particular. Also, it looks like M might be pregnant, but I'm hoping for a curveball here. Whenever you see a woman throw up in a work of fiction, it only ever means one thing. Anyone, in case it wasn't obvious, this is...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Next Week: All Flash #1, Annihilation Conquest Quasar #1, Countdown 41, The Order #1, Super Villain Team Up MODOKs 11 #1, World War Hulk #2, and more!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: July 5, 2007

Both the Flash and Captain America have their funerals this week.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

DC COMICS

All New Atom #13 (Countdown): 4 out of 5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Mike Norton and Dan Green
Ryan Choi searches for Ray Palmer. In a microscopic world where two sects argue over whether Ray is a savior or demon, Ryan finds himself in the middle of a civil war. As he points out, such things can last forever. Surely that's not a dig at a rival comics company.

Countdown 43: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini, Jimmy Palmitotti, and Justin Gray
Art by David Lopez
Most of the plot-threads intersect as most of the key players attend the Flash's funeral. Jimmy Olson, Jason Todd, Donna Troy, the good Monitor, the Trickster, and the Pied Piper are all in attendence. The latter two are their incognito and attempt to slip out unnoticed, but they are intercepted by Multiplex and Deadshot, the latter's Secret Six teammate nowhere to be seen (well, almost). Meanwhile, Holly makes an unlikely friend at the woman's shelter: Harley Quinn (another Secret Six member?). And Monarch shows Forerunner the Stormtrooper army he wants her to lead against the Monitors, who apparently had someone else wipe out Earth 34, which persumable is the homeworld of the Forerunners. Mary Marvel doesn't appear in this issue. The bottom line, this series continue to build towards something, and while good in quality, lacks the tension it needs to really stand out as the backbone of the DC universe.

Outsiders #49: 2 out of 5
Written by Judd Winnick and Greg Rucka
Art by Matthew Clark and Wayne Faucher
As the conclusion of a crossover, this issue is extremely anticlimatic. The "big bad" gets away without a fight, and what little fighting there is against mostly mooks and has hardly any tension. This is Winnick's last issue, and Batman taking over the reigns makes way for the "big" roster shakeup when the new creative team comes aboard. And considering that they're making a five-issue mini-series event, you might want to not run adds that reveal the new team. As of right now, I could take or leave this title. I definately won't be getting the mini-series (although I may pick it up as a trade). Will I get #50 though? Only time will tell.

Supergirl #19: 3 out of 5
Written by Joe Kelly
Art by Art by Alé Garze and Marlo Alquiza
Joe Kelly wraps up his run on this title, and this entire issue is just wrap-up of loose ends and a thank you to the fans. The new Supergirl hasn't been a great success. Joe Kelly breathed some life into the character, but his leaving could mark the end of the book.

Welcome to Tranquility #8: 4 out of 5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Jason Pearson, ChrisCross and Georges Jeanty
This issue is a collection of three flashbacks which reveal some backstory on Tommy, Zombie Zeke (a new character I think, although he may have been there in the background), and the Emoticon. The latter two are origin stories, while the first isn't particularly signifigant.

MARVEL COMICS

Fallen Son Death of Captain America Iron Man: 4 out of 5
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by John Cassaday
This might as well be titled Falcon as he hogs the spotlight in this issue, not Iron Man. The bulk of the issue contains Sam Wilson's oft referenced eulogy in Captain America #26. Nonetheless, this is one of the few decent issues in this series (the only other one being the Captain America issue). The heroes all say a final farewell to Cap (and Tony's cred as a jerk rises as he doesn't allow amnesty to the unregistered heroes so they could also pay their respects).

Loners #4: 4 out of 5
Written by C. B. Cebulski
Art by Karl Moline
This issue features Julie Power. There are a couple refences to her being a lesbian (since she looks like and has similar powers to Runaway's Karolina, a similar sexual preference was inevitable). It is revealed that she has been hidding behind the "dumb California blonde" persona and starts to openup more to her teammates. Plus: Darkhawk and Turbo hookup. This series has great characterizations and definately would make a strong ongoing series.

Ms. Marvel #17 (Civil War Initiative): 5 out of 5
Written by Brian Reed
Art by Aaron Lopresti
This series is not to be underestimated. A great miss of humor and superhero drama. And it features the one and only M.O.D.O.K! I liked this issue so much, that it is...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

New Warriors #2 (Civil War Initiative): 4 out of 5
Written by Kevin Grevious
Art by Paco Medina
This series is off to a slow start. Night Thrashers seemly return from the grave is unexplained (is he's a skrull?), and we still haven't met the majority of the New Warriors. We do, however, meet another member of the team--Jubilee! Is the whole team comprised of former X-Men?

Runaways #27: 5 out of 5
Written by Joss Whedon
Art by Michael Ryan
Teenage superheroes: check. Joss Whedon: check. Lesbians: check. Need I say more? Well, they Runawars are trapped in the past and get caught up in a gang war, with Gert's parents at the head of the one group. P.S. I think Xavin MIGHT be a skrull. I don't know why, but I just have a hunch that he is one. You can't trust anyone in the Marvel universe these days.

Ultimate Power #6: 3 out of 5
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art by Greg Land
As the Ultimates and Squadron Supreme square off, Doctor Doom makes his move for the nanoprobes which gave the Squadron their power. Unfortunately, this series continues to live up to its potential, and I'm not sure why I keep buying it.

Uncanny X-Men #488: 4 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker and Mike Carey
Art by Salvador Larroca and Mark Bagley
Storm leads a small group into the Morlock tunnels and unveils a prophecy scribbled onto the walls. Did Destiny stay in with the Morlocks? Or is this another precog? Also, Masque, Erg, and Skids make a terrorist attack on a subway car where Masque uses his flesh-warping power to turn the inhabitants into "mutants." Plus Nightcrawler and Professor X begin their search for Magneto. This arc is a big improvement over the disasterous Shi'ar arc.
The Endangered Species backup is completely uneventful. The various villains give their responses (which pretty much are variations of go frak yourself with a few exceptions). Beast heads to Wundergore to meet one-on-one with High Evolutionary, only to be intercepted by the New Men.

And that wraps up things this week.

NEXT WEEK: Countdown 42, Deadpool GLI Summer Fun Spectacular, New Avengers #32, World War Hulk Gamma Corps #1, and more!

Transformers: The Movie

SPOILER ALERT!!! If you would have told me that I would absolutely love a Transformers movie that focused on the humans a few years ago, I would have called you nucking futs. Keep that in mind when I tell you, in a year where we've had 300, Ghost Rider, Grindhouse, Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribean: At World's End, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and DOA: Dead or Alive (okay, so I'm probably the only one who liked this one) that this is without a doubt the best movie of the year. Seeing giant, live-action Transformers on the big screen is truely fraking awesome!

Things I loved about this movie:
-Peter Cullin as the voice Optimus Fraking Prime!
-Bumblebee's "Bee Atch" air freshner
-Bernie Mack trying to sell Sam Witwicky a yellow beatle instead of Bumblebee
-Bumblebee trying to help Sam get-it-on
-Barricade! Evil police cars rule.
-Iron Hide using the phrase "leaking lubricant"
-Optimus Prime using an energy axe
-Jazz attacking Devestator with shades of Kup/Blitzwing
-Optimus Prime saying "One shall stand, one shall fall"
-Seeing giant transforming robots fight on the big screen!!!

BRIAN'S BRAIN: June 27, 2007

Wow, what a week for comics. I'll be keeping my reviews brief this week.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

DC COMICS

Amazons Attack #3: 3 out of 5
Written by Will Pfeifer
Art by Pete Woods
This is pretty much an overview title, with the real story taking place in Teen Titans and Wonder Woman. 'Nuff said.

Blue Beetle #16 (Countdown): 4 out of 5
Written by John Rogers
Art by Rafael Albuquerque
A great blend of humor and character. Blue Beetle takes on Jean Lorring as Eclipso! Also, Blue Beetle's secret power fantasy is not to be missed.

Countdown 44: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini and Adam Beechen
Art by Carlos Magno
Countdown starts to pick up speeds. Billy Batson/Captain Marvel/Shazam confronts Mary Marvel about her new powers, Captain Atom/Monarch recruits Forerunner, Jimmy Olsen experiments with his power surges (not power escalations mind you), and Piper Trickster are on the run for their role in the death of Bart Allan/Flash. You know how cops get when you kill one of their own, so imagine what superheroes would do. Oh, and Holly visits an Amazonian woman's shelter. Okay, maybe that last one isn't as gripping, but it only takes up 2 pages, so at least it's short.

Fallen Angel #17 (IDW): 3 out of 5
Written by Peter David
Art by Joe Corroney
Yes, yes, I know this is no longer a DC title, but my friendly neighborhood comic shop keeps it in the Vertigo section, so what can you do? Anyway, not a whole lot happens here as it just leads up to Fallen Angel meeting Shi. Although Peter David provides some witty (as if he ever provides anything non-witty) commentary on the nature of free will.

Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1: 5 out of 5
Written by Goeff Johns
Art by Ethan Van Sciver
This issue simply blew me. The Sinestro Corps move on the Green Lantern Corps with devestating results. Plus, Sinestro recruits one last unlikely member into the fold, and the true power behind the Sinestro Corps is revealed. Don't let the $4.99 price tag deter you. This issue is worth every penny, especially since it's...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Teen Titans #48 (Amazons Attack): 4 out of 5
Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Al Barrionuevo
Wonder Girl and Supergirl have a lot in common. They're both blonde, they're both flying powerhouses, and they're both pissed at the U.S. government, who starts rounding up anyone remotely associated with the amazons. Miss Martian, Kid Devil, Ravager, and Robin find themselves caught in the middle.

Wonder Woman #10 (Amazons Attack): 4 out of 5
Written by Jodi Picoult
Art by Paco Diaz
The Amazons' secret weapon is revealed, and Wonder Woman takes drastic action to end the war.

MARVEL COMICS

Black Panther #28 (Civil War Initiative): 3 out of 5
Written by Reginald Hudlin
Art by Francis Portela
This title has really become a second Fantatic Four title. The foursome take on skrulls, zombies, and one giant bug. A fun tale, but nothing special here. Unless maybe your a fan of Marvel Zombies.

Cable Deadpool #42: 4 out of 5
Written by Favian Nicieza
Art by Reilly Brown and Jon Malin
A companion piece to X-Men #200 (although said title doesn't seem to know what's going on here in spite of Cable showing up in both issues). Cable battles former X-Men Gambit and Sunfire, while Deadpool faces down Senyaka! Who is Senyaka you ask? A member of the Acolytes I say. Who are the Acolytes?!? Sigh. I'm old. (When I was your age, comics only cost a $1.25!)

Daredevil #98: 4 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Michael Lark
Determined not to let Milla to become the next Elektra or Karen Page, Daredevil battles Gladiater. How can you not love a villain, reluctant or otherwise, that can shoot saw blades from their wrist-gauntlets?

Fantastic Four #547 (Civil War Initiative): 3 out of 5
Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Art by Paul Plletier
The Frightful Four make their move on their Fantastic counterparts. One wonders how the (Wingless) Wizard patched things up with Paste Pot Peter aka the Trapster, but I digress. But did they account for Black Panther and his queen Storm? Unfortunately, we have to wait until next month to find out. Also, don't question Storm about whether her hair and/or eyes are natural. Ever.

Immortal Iron Fist #6: 3 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction
Art by David Aja
I was all set to drop this title, but being the completionist that I am, I decided to pick up this issue. I mean, everyone else seems to rave about this book, so I figured I should give it one more chance. I'm glad I did as, while it may not be my favorite, this issue was surprising enjoyable. Especially when Luke Cage tells Misty Knight she should get gay-married to her partner-in-crime, Colleen Wing. Okay, maybe I'm just a sucker for lesbians, even in jest. Or at least, "crazy white girls" with swords. Danny Rand has gotten a repieve, for now at least. He can thank the incredible confusing Moon Knight for that.

She-Hulk #19: 5 out of 5
Written by Dan Slott and Ty Templeton
Art by Rick Burchett
Ah, Dan Slott, or as I like to call him, the second coming of Peter David. Too bad your leaving this book, but at least you'll be leaving it in good hands. I just hope Peter will be able to pick up some if not all of Slott's well-developed supporting cast. Or at least Awesom Andy, even if he's been MIA for a while now. Anyway, the Leader goes on trial represented by Mallory Book. Jen's testamony is not to be missed! In fact, even the Leader aborted his prearranged escape attempt to see how things play out after Mallory tears Jen a new one on the stand.

Silent War #6: 4 out of 5
Written by David Hine
Art by Frazer Irving
Silent War concludes! Well, not really, as seem to be the trend in David Hine limited series. Seriously, this guy needs an ongoing series. Maximus makes his play for Black Bolt's throne (and his family), while Black Bolt himself fights a mutated squad of marines to protect Attilan. I just want to know how events here relate to Black Bolt's appearance in World War Hulk #1. Without giving too much away, I will simply say that it doesn't seem to fit either before or after the events WWH.

Thunderbolts #115 (Civil War Initiative): 4 out of 5
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Mike Deodoto Jr.
I have to admidt, I haven't been a big fan of the Thunderbolts reboot. I miss Atlas, Mach-Whatever, the Fixer, Zemo, Joystick, Speed Demon, and Blizzard. But I must admidt, the new Thunderbolts do make for an interesting read. Ellis show's he's not affair to shake things up as one the 'bolts (apparently) gets removed from the team in the worst possible way. Also, I don't usually comment on the art as I am by no means an artist, but wow! The art here is incredible detailed. From the flames on the opening pages to the sweat dripping off someone's face one the last page, the level of detail is just incredible.

World War Hulk Front Line #1: 5 out of 5
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Sally Floyd
Ben Urich and Sally Floyd report on the opening of World War Hulk. It's always nice to see a title that focuses not on superheroes but rather on "average joes", especially when its done so well.

World War Hulk X-Men #1: 4 out of 5
Written by Chris Gage
Art by Andrea Divito
This issue shows just why I love Chris Gage. He totally nails the character of the New X-Men (and Beast for that matter), so much so that it fits seemlessly with their own title. All too many writers seem to disregard the works of others, so much so that you end up with characters that don't even resemble themselves. Take Geoff Johns' Wonder Girl vs. Peter David's Wonder Girl for instance. Yes, there is something to be said for different takes on the characters and character development and what not, but to see such radical departures happen overnight...but I digress. Anyway, the New X-Men lead by Beast make an impressive showing against the Hulk, holding him off long enough for Xavier to evacuate the rest of the students. Only once they are safe does Xavier confronts the Hulk, who has some questions about Chuck's friends in the Illuminati.

X-Factor #20: 5 out of 5
Written by Peter David
Art by Khoi Pham
The X-Cell situations arrives at its (literally) explosive conclusion. X-Cell consists of Calliso, Marrow, the Blob (aka Sir Not Appearing in This Issue), and B-list former mutants Abyss, Reaver, Fatale, and Elijah Cross (a new character who has a Juggernaut-esque restored mutant power, not to mention the non-mutant power of being completely expendable). My only complaint is that Abyss serves as a dues ex machina of sorts to save Reaver and Fatale, not to mention himself, because they're not expendable at all (now if this were written by Frank Teri on the other hand...) Also, Maddox's one man performance of 300, M trying to save Fatale, and Layla Miller's comments on her "catch phrase" are great moments. Very few writers can successfuly mix humor into an otherwise dark, noirish comic, but then Peter David is no ordinary writer.

X-Men #200 (Endangered Species): 5 out of 5
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo
Last but not lest, we have X-Men #200, and the return of the Marauders! Yes, the Marauders, once formidable enemies of the X-Men turned cloned jokes return to their former glory as the adjectiveless X-Men are betrayed by not one, not two, but three of their number (aka, half the team with Cable and Sabretooth gone), although admidtedly one is possessed by Malice. One wonders if they were manipulating Rogue when she assembled her team. Luckily, Beast, Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Wolverine are on hand to help even things out. Mike Carey really knocks it out of the park with this one, but unfortunately I only have one Pick each week. With that in mind, we have the first ever....

BRIAN'S HONORABLE MENTION OF THE WEEK Oh, and also, the Beast enlists some unlikely allies in the first chapter of Endangered Species, also by Mike Carey.

Next Week: Countdown 43, Fallen Son Death of Captain America Iron Man, and more! Plus, Endangered Species continues in Uncanny X-Men #488.

BRIAN'S BRAIN: June 20, 2007

SPOILER ALERT!!!

DC COMICS

Catwoman #68: 4 out of 5
Written by Will Pfeifer
Art by David Lopez
By threatening little Helna, Hammer and Sickle keep Selina on the ropes all issue, and Holly arives for a last minute save. I usually hate it when the title hero is saved by another, but due to Holly's intrical part in the book, it works here. However, Holly then has to leave Gotham (for Countdown presumably), but it is not made clear just why that is. For such an important plot point, it feels very rushed and forced.

Checkmate #15: 2 out of 5
Written by Greg Rucka and Judd Winick
Art by Joe Bennett
As Checkout continues on to its conclusion, not much happens. They group tries to rescue the captured Boomerang, Nightwing, and Sasha Bordbaux, but they are misled to the wrong location. It turns out, they are really in North Korea (presumably), and Batman has to save the day. So the entire issue was just a pretense for bringing in Batman to the Outsiders. Both Checkmate and Outsiders have been dropped from my pull list, although being a completionist, I will pick up Outsiders #49 for the conclusion of this story.

Countdown 45: 4 out of 5
Written by Paul Dini and Tony Bedard
Art by J. Calafiore
Things start to pick from last week as the character of Forerunner is given some depth as she battles Donna Troy over the injured Jason Todd. Good Monitor intervenes to save the pair, which causes the Monitors to exile Forerunner for her failure. The Jimmy Olsen story is essential a recap of his journey from Countdown 51 to Countdown 46, and he gives some exposition on the New Gods for those who don't have access to Wikipedia. Holly Robinson makes a brief apperance, but neither the Rogues nor Mary Marvel appear in this issue.

Flash The Fastest Man Alive: 4 out of 5
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Tony Daniel
Another one bites the dust. Without the Speed Force, Bart Allen is overwhelmed by the Rogues. But Bart fights on, and pays the ultimate price to save the day in the end. The last few pages are well done as Tim Drake (Robin), Jay Garrick (Golden Age Flash), and Jesse Quick (Liberty Bell) react to his death without any words. Less is more in this case.

Justice League of America #10: 4 out of 5
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes
The Lightning Sage concludes! I'm not going to spoil the big event in this issue, even with a Spoiler Warner. All I will say is not to overlook this book.

Shadowpact #14: 4 out of 5
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Tom Derenick
Zauriel confronts Blue Demon over him making demons cool, and after teasing a fight for several pages, reason prevails. It sounds dull, but is in the able hands of Bill Willingham, it actually works much better than the typical hero vs. hero fight. Blue Devil calls for a press confrence where he tells kids not to do drugs, I mean make deals with the devil, stating how it has ruined his life and those of everyone he cares about. He then takes a leave of absense from Shadowpact to go into Hell to investigate what happened to his family, with Zauriel temporarily taking his place on team.

MARVEL COMICS

Amazing Spider-Man #541: 4 out of 5
Written by J. Michael Stracynski
Art by Ron Garney
The darker Peter Parker learns of the Kingpins involvement in the assassination attempt on Aunt May, and the Kingpin prepares for their showdown by bribing a guard into helping him escape from his cell (and more important, change out of his prison jumpsuit). Peter checks in on his Aunt, and decides to take the desperate measure of injecting her with his Spider-Blood, as it has saved her life one before (albeit with side effects later on). Then Spider-Man and the Kingpin meet face to face in the prison, as the inmates look on in anticipation of their fight.

Annihilation Conquest: 5 out of 5
Written by Dave Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art by Mike Perkins
This review will be biased. The Phalanx Covenant was the event going on when I first got into comics, so can hardly be abjective here. Not to mention it features Phyla-Vell and Moondragon, two of my favorite characters in Peter David's Captain Marvel run (even before they became a lesbians and hooked up). Anyway, this issue is a great setup for Annihilation Conquest, and even if you didn't like the Phalanx from the 90s, you should check out this issue as it breathes new life into them. In fact, this issue is...

BRIAN'S PICK OF THE WEEK<

Captain America #27 CWI: 4 out of 5
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve Epting and Mike Perkins
This title really outshines the Fallen Son limited series in dealing with Cap's death thanks to the superb writing efforts of Ed Brubaker. The Winter Soldier targets Tony Stark, and begins by reclaiming Steve Roger's iconic shield from the Black Widow. In a flashback to the days of the Cold War, it is revealed that the two have a history. The Black Widow divines the Winter Soldier's motives and warns Tony. Meanwhile, the Falcon recruits Sharon Carter on behalf of Nick Fury to pursue the rogue Winter Soldier.

Fallen Son Death of Captain America Spider-Man: 3 out of 5
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by David Finch
This series have been mediocre at best, with the exception of the Captain America issue. Spider-Man grieves over Cap's death, bringing back memories of losing his parents, Uncle Ben, Captain Stacy, and of course Gwen Stacy. He has a rather pointless brawl with the Rhine, who is just there visiting his mother. Their battle is mostly filler as Peter reflects on a similar fight in which he teamed up with Cap to take down the Hulk. Wolverine trails after Peter and tries to cheer him up. You know your in a bad place when you need Wolverine to cheer you up.

Heroes for Hire #11 WWH: 3 out of 5
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Clay Mann
If you pick up this issue expecting a World War Hulk tie-in, prepare to be disappointed. This issue only tangentially ties-in to that storyline, as the Heroes help with the evacuation of NYC a bit before going off on a "side-quest" invovling some evil bugs from space.

Incredible Hulk #107 WWH: 4 out of 5
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Gary Frank
Amadeus Cho, the seventh smartest person on the planet (as they keep reminding us), gathers human allies for the Hulk, from former Champions Hercules and Angel (although it unclear what Angel's motives for doing so are) to the brother of the late Goliath and average joes. Hulk at first views the puny humans as enemies, but Amadeus tries to reason with him. The Hulk appears to be listening to him, especially when Hercules underscores his point by not fighting back as the Hulk smashes him.

Iron Man #19 WWH: 3 out of 5
Written by Christos Gate
Art by Butch Guice
Christos Gage takes on the task of making the post-Civil War Tony Stark heroic. Iron Man has the potential to be a great character, as evidenced in Civil War: The Confession and Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America - Captain America. Gage builds on that by showing that even though Tony Stark has made many questionable decisions of late, he still has the guts to face the consequences of his own actions.

Moon Knight #11 CWI: 3 out of 5
Written by Charlies Huston
Art by Mico Suayan
As I mentioned last week, I hate the hero-start-in-peril, flash-back-to-how-he-got-there plot device. This issue illustrates just how confusing it can be as three stories happen in a jumbled sequence, further confused by Marc Spector's proclivity towards hallucinations.

X-Men Endangered Species Special: 4 out of 5
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Scot Eaton
Endangered Species kicks off not with a bang, but with a whimper. A throw-away mutant has died, and various members of the X-Men, New X-Men, and X-Factor react to his death and the impending extinction of their species. A well written story, but hardly anything Earth-shattering.

Next Week: Amazons Attack #3, Countdown 44, X-Men #200, and more!