Wednesday, July 25, 2007

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!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

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!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

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!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

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!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

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!!!