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.
No comments:
Post a Comment