The Week in Revue (June 19-25, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Age of Ultron #10 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Bryan Hitch, Brandon Peterson, Carlos Pacheco, et al.

------- DC Reviews

Green Lantern: New Guardians #21
(w) Justin Jordan
(a) Bradley Walker and Andrew Hennessy

Wonder Woman #21
(w) Brian Azzarello
(a) Cliff Chiang

------- Marvel Reviews
Captain Marvel #13
(w) Kelly Sue DeConnick
(a) Amanda Conner

Uncanny Avengers #9
(w) Rick Remender
(a) Daniel Acuna

The Week in Revue (Apr 24-31, 2013)

------- DC Reviews

The Flash #19

(w) Brian Buccellato     (a) Marcio Takara

DC'S "WTF" MONTH CONTINUES WITH A BRAND NEW VILLAIN FOR THE FLASH!

Batman Incorporated #10

(w) Grant Morrison     (a) Chris Burnham

MORRISON'S EPIC BATMAN SAGA IS WINDING DOWN!

I, Vampire #19

(w) Joshua Hale Fialkov     (a) Fernando Blanco and Andrea Sorrentino

FINAL ISSUE! AND REALLY, FIALKOV'S FINAL ISSUE FOR DC! DANG.

------- Marvel Reviews

Young Avengers #4

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Jaime McKelvie

LOVE ME SOME YOUNG AVENGERS! 

Avengers #10

(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Dustin Weaver

HONESTLY, IT'S SUPER HARD TO KNOW WHAT HICKMAN IS GOING TO THROW AT US NEXT WITH THIS SERIES. WHATEVER IT IS, THOUGH, IT'LL BE GREAT.

Uncanny X-Men #5

(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Fraiser Irving

IT'S THE ORIGINAL COMIC BOOK WITH 'UNCANNY' IN THE TITLE, NOW THAT THERE ARE, LIKE, 30.

The Week in Revue (Apr 17-23, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Age of Ultron #6 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco
THE TIDES TURN AS THE SURVIVING HEROES BEGIN THE MARCH TO TAKE DOWN ULTRON!

------- DC Reviews

DC Universe Presents #19

(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Javier Pina

FINAL ISSUE! WHO HAS BROUGHT DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO THE JUSTICE LEAGUE? IF YOU READ PREVIEWS, YOU ALREADY KNOW.

Justice League #19

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

NOT A FINAL ISSUE! WHO HAS BROUGHT KRYPTONITE TO A FIGHT AGAINST THE JUSTICE LEAGUE? IF YOU READ PREVIEWS, YOU ALREADY KNOW.

---------- mini reviews

Green Lantern: New Guardians #19

(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Andres Guinaldo and Raul Fernandez

NOW THERE'S TWO WHITE LANTERNS? WASSUP WITH THIS CRAZY?

Wonder Woman #19

(w) Brian Azzarello     (a) Tony Akins and Dan Green

WONDER WOMAN vs. ORION! PLUS SOMETHING ELSE ON THE SECRET GATEFOLD!

------- Marvel Reviews
Captain America #6

(w) Rick Remender     (a) John Romita Jr.

I JUST LOVE THIS SERIES. IT'S CRAZY GOOD.

Nova #3

(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness

NOVA'S ORIGIN CONTINUES! 

The Week in Revue (Apr 10-16, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Ultron #1
(w) Kathryn Immonen     (a) Amilcar Pinna
THE RETURN OF VICTOR MANCHA: THE SON OF ULTRON!

------- DC Reviews

Batman #19

(w) Scott Snyder     (a) Andy Kubert

WHY IS BRUCE WAYNE AIMING A GUN? 

Constantine #2

(w) Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes     (a) Renato Guedes

I DON'T KNOW WHY DC IS TRYING TO CONVINCE ME CONSTANTINE IS DEAD IN THE SECOND ISSUE ALREADY...

Green Lantern Corps #19
(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Fernando Pasarin
"WRATH OF THE FIRST LANTERN" CONTINUES! NEED I SAY MORE?

---------- mini reviews

Batman and Red Robin #19
(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Patrick Gleason
THIS ONE MIGHT TURN INTO A FULL REVIEW SEEING AS THE REVEALED "WTF" COVER REVEALS A LOT MORE THAN EXPECTED.

Demon Knights #19
(w) Robert Vendetti     (a) Bernard Chang
CAIN IS GETTING EVER CLOSER TO HIS GOAL OF WORLD DOMINATION.

------- Marvel Reviews

Uncanny X-Men #4
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Chris Bachalo
MAGIK TAKES CENTER STAGE BECAUSE SHE'S STILL GOT A LOT OF POWER.

X-Treme X-Men #13
(w) Greg Pak     (a) Giuseppe Camuncoli
FINAL ISSUE! SPECIAL REVIEW FOR THE FINAL ISSUE OF AN AMAZING SERIES.

---------- mini reviews

Wolverine #2
(w) Paul Cornell     (a) Alan Davis
THIS SERIES IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN SAVAGE WOLVERINE!!!

The Week in Revue (Mar 27-Apr 2, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Guardians of the Galaxy #1
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Steve McNiven
THE GUARDIANS RETURN TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE!

------- DC Reviews

Batman Incorporated #9

(w) Grant Morrison     (a) Chris Burnham

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MOMENTS AFTER THE DEATH OF DAMIAN WAYNE?

The Flash #18

(w) Brian Buccellato     (a) Marcio Takara

THE TRICKSTER ACCUSED OF MURDER? AND A SPECIAL CROSSOVER WITH...DIAL H!

Justice League Dark #18

(w) Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes     (a) Mikel Janin

THE CONCLUSION TO "THE DEATH OF MAGIC!"


---------- mini reviews
Aquaman #18

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Paul Pelletier

"DEATH OF A KING" BEGINS HERE! A NEW ARC IN THIS ACCLAIMED SERIES!

Superman #18

(w) Scott Lobdell     (a) Kenneth Rocafort

H.I.V.E. MAKES IT'S NEW 52 DEBUT AS THEY TRY TO TAKE OVER METROPOLIS!

Teen Titans #18

(w) Scott Lobdell     (a) Eddy Barrows

FALLOUT FROM "DEATH OF THE FAMILY" AND THE DEATH OF DAMIAN WAYNE! GUEST STARRING THE SUICIDE SQUAD!

------- Marvel Reviews

Age of Ultron #3 of 10

(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Bryan Hitch

MARVEL'S POST-APOCALYPTIC EVENT CONTINUES!

Uncanny Avengers #5

(w) Rick Remender     (a) Olivier Coipel
WONDER MAN, WASP, AND SUNFIRE JOIN THE UNCANNY AVENGERS!

Young Avengers #3

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Jaime McKelvie

MORE AMAZINGNESS FROM GILLEN AND MCKELVIE ON THE LANDMARK SERIES!

---------- mini reviews

Fantastic Four #5AU

(w) Matt Fraction     (a) Andre Araujo

AN "AGE OF ULTRON" TIE-IN ISSUE!

The Superior Spider-Man #6AU

(w) Christos Gage     (a) Dexter Soy

AN "AGE OF ULTRON" TIE-IN ISSUE!

The Week In Revue (Mar 20-26, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Constantine #1
(w) Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes     (a) Renato Guedes
JOHN CONSTANTINE GETS HIS OWN SERIES IN THE 'NEW 52'!

------- DC Reviews

Justice League #18

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
THE METAL MEN MAKE THEIR 'NEW 52' DEBUT!

Justice League of America #2

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) David Finch
WILL THE NEW JLA COME TOGETHER TO STOP THIS SECRET NEW THREAT?

---------- mini reviews
Green Lantern: New Guardians #18
(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Aaron Kuder
"WRATH OF THE FIRST LANTERN" CONTINUES!

Wonder Woman #18
(w) Brian Azzarello     (a) Tony Akins
WHAT DOES THE GOD OF WAR HAVE PLANNED FOR DIANA'S FUTURE?

------- Marvel Reviews
All-New X-Men #9
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Stuart Immonen
THE ORIGINAL FIVE X-MEN GET NEW COSTUMES!

Avengers #8
(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Dustin Weaver
THE AVENGERS FACE THE WORLD BREAKER! LOOK FOR CONNECTIONS TO NEW AVENGERS!

---------- mini Reviews

Captain America #5
(w) Rick Remender     (a) John Romita Jr.
THE ODD WAR OF DIMENSION Z BEGINS HERE!

Nova #2
(w) Jeph Loeb     (a) Ed McGuinness
THE ORIGIN OF SAM ALEXANDER CONTINUES!

mini Reviews (Mar 6-12, 2013)

---------- mini DC reviews

Earth 2 #10
(w) James Robinson     (a) Nicola Scott

"Tower of Fate" begins this month in Earth 2 #10 as James Robinson introduces Khalid Ben-Hassin, the all-new Doctor Fate. A quick flashback reveals that Khalid initially rejected the power he was destined to hold, though his encounter with the helmet containing said power left him with sporadic and uncontrollable spurts of magic, as well as some sort of psychological issues. Robinson is doing a phenomenal job building Earth 2 from the ground up, making sure to focus on the entire forest instead of just the trees of the yet-to-be-formed Justice Society. The villainous Wotan also makes his 'New 52' debut as the malevolent, yet surprisingly polite seeker of the power of Fate for himself. All of this combines to make Earth 2 #10 a strong and impressive opening salvo to "Tower of Fate."

GRADE: 8/10 

Stormwatch #18

(w) Peter Milligan     (a) Will Conrad

Stormwatch has been an oddity in the 'New 52' -- it came out of WildStorm, it's not a very high-selling title, and it sits aside from most of the DCnU proper. With Jim Starlin taking over the title next month -- seemingly complete with a revamp of the title -- Peter Milligan brings his final arc to a close by ending the Engineer and bringing some closure to Apollo and Midnighter's relationship. Though it feels rushed, Milligan does a great job tying up some of the loose ends from his run, and we finally get to see that kiss between Apollo and Midnighter that's been building since they met. I've quite enjoyed this series so far, and Stormwatch #18 is a great end to a awesome run.

GRADE: 8/10

Superman #17
(w) Scott Lobdell     (a) Kenneth Rocafort

And just like that, "H'el on Earth" meanders to a close as ridiculously as it began -- with H'el no closer to his goals and us readers no closer to actually understanding anything about this inane new villain who felt more like a toy for Scott Lobdell to fling around and smack against things than a real threat worthy of any attention. I will always make time to mention Kenneth Rocafort's exquisite artwork because, at this point, it's the saving grace of Superman, akin to Michelangelo painting the musings of pimply teenager who think's it's funny to use 'hell' as someone's name. "H'el on Earth" has been nothing but annoying, and Superman #17 takes the cake for it's "payoff" of the coming of the Oracle, an entity teased for months only to sit there like a giant bump on a log and do absolutely nothing. In the end, it really should have been a Supergirl event seeing as she was the real focal point of the entire story with H'el, she helped him along the way and had to battle inner demons whilst doing so, then she makes a massive sacrifice in the name of justice -- instead, the entire event was a cobbled together mess that made little to no sense and ended with a big, fat whimper.

GRADE: 4/10

---------- mini Marvel Reviews

All-New X-Men #8
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) David Marquez

A whole lot happens in All-New X-Men #8: the two Angels have their weird you-are-me-and-I'm-you moment, the Avengers get savvy to what's going on in X-Men Land, seeds of dissent are planted, and something happens on the last three pages that changes everything for this series going forward. Brian Michael Bendis again proves that his unique brand of interpersonal storytelling is perfect for the X-Men, and that his premise for the original X-Men living in the present is a lot more viable as an ongoing series than anyone anticipated. The emotional nuance present throughout All-New X-Men #8 gets down to the core of Bendis' story: these young X-Men are here to stay, for better or worse, and with all the hurdles that come with it. All-New X-Men is one of the best series Marvel currently publishes and it gets better every issue.

GRADE: 9/10

Iron Man #7

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Greg Land

Tony Stark's tryst into deep space continues with a lot of talking and a trial --  it's not nearly as boring as it sounds. Charged with over a dozen different crimes concerning his part in defeating the Phoenix Force, Tony receives help from an unlikely source -- a Rigellian Recorder designated 451 -- and takes his chances in trial by combat against the best of the Voldi warriors, which proves to not be as difficult as Tony imagined. Kieron Gillen's take on Iron Man is peculiar in it's hit-or-miss quality; each issue either impresses with it's wit and subtly, or fails at grasping what makes Iron Man so interesting. Iron Man #7 contains a bit of both, which leaves me satisfied at issue's end, but not incredibly so.

GRADE: 6.5/10

The Week in Revue (Mar 6-12, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Age of Ultron #1 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Bryan Hitch

------- DC Reviews

Earth 2 #10

(w) James Robinson     (a) Nicola Scott

Green Lantern #18

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Doug Mahnke

---------- mini DC reviews

Green Arrow #18

(w) Jeff Lemire     (a) Andrea Sorrentino

Stormwatch #18

(w) Peter Milligan     (a) Will Conrad

Superman #17
(w) Scott Lobdell     (a) Kenneth Rocafort

------- Marvel Reviews
All-New X-Men #8
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) David Marquez

Avengers #7

(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Dustin Weaver

---------- mini Marvel Reviews

Iron Man #7

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Greg Land

The Superior Spider-Man #5

(w) Dan Slott     (a) Giuseppe Camuncoli

mini Reviews (Feb 20-26, 2013)

---------- mini DC reviews

Green Lantern Corps #17

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Fernando Pasarin


"Wrath of the First Lantern" continues in Green Lantern Corps #17 with Volthoom (the eponymous First Lantern) seeking out various colored Lanterns from which to leech emotional energy. Already, this follow-up to "Rise of the Third Army" feels long in the tooth -- a person who has the potential to literally reshape the entire fabric of the universe is spending his time poking around the lives of mere mortals? "Wrath of the First Lantern" needs to be about more than just exposing our protagonists' emotional frailty because that's basically all "Rise of the Third Army" was about, and that turned out pretty unsatisfactory. It's unfortunate that, even with a new crossover to pump it up, Green Lantern Corps #17 is simply forgettable.

GRADE: 6/10

Green Lantern: New Guardians #17

(w) Tony Bedard     (a) Aaron Kuder


Green Lantern: New Guardians #17 is the third and final GL family title this week to step up to the plate and attempt to make "Wrath of the First Lantern" interesting, and it's also the third to fail. Volthoom, at this point, isn't a very menacing villain because all he does is toy with peoples emotions to gain strength -- and GL:NG #17 proves that he's not even very good at that. Kyle Rayner has mastered all the emotional spectrum and his now a White Lantern, which gives him an edge when Volthoom flips reality at a whim, but there's no sense of high stakes. Much like "Rise of the Third Army", it's frustrating to see so much going on with so little explanation, and being forced to wait for a payoff again with "Wrath of the First Lantern" is already annoying.

GRADE: 6/10

---------- mini Marvel reviews

Avengers #6

(w) Jonathan Hickman     (a) Adam Kubert


Again, Jonathan Hickman surprises and astonishes with Avengers #6, which finally answers the question, "Who is Captain Universe?" The 'deus ex machina' of Hickman's first arc, "Avengers World", was a normal human who somehow became the living embodiment of the entire universe who was able to stop the misguided Ex Nihilo and Abyss from wrongly destroying earth -- with no real explanation until now. Hickman promised a huge, epic, grand narrative that would interweave with New Avengers, and the advent of Captain Universe brings those plans one step closer to fruition. If you're not reading Avengers, you should be; simple as that.

GRADE: 9/10

The Superior Spider-Man #4

(w) Dan Slott     (a) Giuseppe Camuncoli

The Superior Spider-Man continues to be one of Marvel's best series due in no small part to Dan Slott's impecable grasp on Otto Octavius -- the more we see of Otto as Spider-Man, the more we get to know the real motives and thoughts of a man who has been a villain for 50 years. The biggest complaint about SSM so far has been the use of 'Ghost Jedi Peter' -- Peter Parker's phantom consciousness still tied to his body -- and The Superior Spider-Man #4 answers those concerns by dialing back Ghost Peter's appearances allowing Otto to be himself. Though, Peter's emotional bias against Otto (as well as Otto doing anything differently than Peter did as Spider-Man) is starting to make him sound like a twat for constantly getting grossly upset over Otto's way of doing things. And while it's all been relative fun and games for Otto so far, the return of the cold-hearted Massacre promises a challenge that not even the Superior Spider-Man is prepared to face.

GRADE: 8/10

The Week (Feb 13-19, 2013)

------- Featured Review

Uncanny X-Men #1 PREVIEW

------- DC Reviews

• Batman #17 - Death of the Family Finale!
• Demon Knights #17

---------- mini DC reviews

• Katana #1
• Superboy #17

------- Marvel Reviews

• Fantastic Four #4

---------- mini Marvel reviews

• Avengers Assemble #12
• Powers: Bureau #1
• X-Treme X-Men #10

mini Reviews (Feb 6-12, 2013)

------- DC Reviews

Normally, each issue gets four dedicated sentences, but because Animal Man and Swamp Thing interconnect on such a basic level, I've gone ahead and combined them in one, eight-sentence review that covers the entire "Rotworld: Finale."

Animal Man #17
(w) Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire  (a) Steve Pugh, Timothy Green III, and Joseph Silver

Swamp Thing #17
(w) Scott Snyder & Jeff Lemire  (a) Andrew Belanger

This week, "Rotworld" finally came to a close with Animal Man #17 and Swamp Thing #17, a one-two punch finale that, unfortunately, succumbs to the law of diminishing returns and just doesn't feel all the satisfying after nearly two years of build-up. Even though the connections between Animal Man and Swamp Thing have only been official over the past six months, these series have been connected since issue one, and the threat of the Rot is starting to become a little long in the tooth. While nearly every other title in the 'New 52' has gone through at least two distinct story arcs, both Animal Man and Swamp Thing have been greatly decompressed to the point where it's hard to imagine either of these series outside their plight against Anton Arcane and the Rot -- when heroes start to be defined by their villains, you know something is wrong. "Rotworld: Finale" just doesn't live up to the hype Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire have been promising for what seems like forever now.

And the truth is, I don't really know why; Snyder and Lemire invested so much time, effort, and energy into crafting this massive crossover that would have lasting ramifications on these characters, yet in the final moments, it all comes down to something that's been in the equation since the beginning. I'm not a fan of "deus ex machina" situations like this where the answer has been sitting there the entire time because that kind of story betrays the intelligence of the characters and, by extension, the readers. I didn't dislike or hate "Rotworld: Finale" as a closing chapter of the ongoing Rotworld saga, but it's just not as explosive as I imagined it would be, and switching out Yannick Paquette for Andrew Belanger for Swamp Thing #17 was a mistake on DC's part because there's now a disconnect between the rest of the arc, which looks beautiful, and this final issue, which looks just passable. I'll continue to read both titles going forward, because Snyder and Lemire have amazing track records with them as well as their other work, but Animal Man #17 and Swamp Thing #17 both dropped the ball when it came to delivering a satisfying conclusion to the months-and-months long "Rotworld" narrative.

GRADE: 7/10 (Animal Man)

GRADE: 6.5/10 (Swamp Thing)


------- Marvel Reviews

Iron Man #6
(w) Kieron Gillen  (a) Greg Land

Kieron Gillen and Greg Land are taking Iron Man into space with "The Godkiller", a story arc designed to preface Tony Stark's membership in the newest iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as provide some proper aftermath to last year's Avengers vs. X-Men. For the most part, Gillen is having fun with Tony in space because it's a setting where the character doesn't have a lot of experience, which means his normal processes -- both on the job and at-play -- have to be adjusted accordingly. Iron Man #6 mostly takes a look at Tony experiencing the wonders of deep space by trying to hook up with a purple alien babe made to look eternally from the 80s by Greg Land. Being the first of only three parts, I expected a bit more plot-wise from Iron Man #6, but it's still an enjoyable issue that fulfills it's goal as a bridge between bigger ideas.

GRADE: 7/10 

The Week (Feb 6-12, 2013)

------- Featured Review
Avengers Assemble Annual #1

------- DC Reviews

• Earth 2 #9 PREVIEW
• The Phantom Stranger #5 PREVIEW
• Young Romance: A New 52 Valentine's Day Special

---------- mini DC reviews

• Animal Man #17 - Rotworld: Conclusion, Part 1
• Swamp Thing #17 - Rotworld: Conclusion, Part 2

------- Marvel Reviews

• All-New X-Men #7 PREVIEW
• Avengers #5
• The Superior Spider-Man #3 

---------- mini Marvel reviews

• Iron Man #6
• New Avengers #3

THE WEEK (JAN 30 - FEB 5, 2013)

Featured Review

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1
(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(a) ChrisCross

"Rise of the Third Army" finished up with this oversized annual issue! Now that the Guardian's new army has ravaged the universe, how will the Green Lantern Corps stop them? Find out here! Plus, GLC Annual #1 also leads into the next Green Lantern Family crossover, "Wrath of the First Lantern"!

Reviews

Aquaman #16
(w) Geoff Johns
(a) Paul Pelletier

"Throne of Atlantis" continues this week as Orm the Ocean Master declares all-out war on the surface world! Plus, remember how the monsters from "The Trench" got out a few issues back? Well here they come to eat your face off!

Batman and Robin Annual #1

Batman and Robin Annual #1
(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(a) Adrian Syaf

Hawkeye #7
(w) Matt Fraction
(a) Steve Lieber

The hurricane issue. All of Matt Fraction's royalties from this issue's sales are going directly to Hurricane Sandy relief. So, make sure to drop by your LCS and maybe pick up more than one copy if you've got the money to spare this week!

Justice League Dark #16
(w) Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
(a) Mikel Janin

The Superior Spider-Man #2
(w) Dan Slott
(a) Ryan Stegman

Dan Slott promised he would address the issue of rape between Peter and Mary Jane now that Peter is actually Doc Ock. I was very impressed with the first issue, so hopefully Slott can keep the momentum rolling!

Teen Titans #16
(w) Scott Lobdell
(a) Brett Booth

Extra! Extra!

Avengers #4
(w) Jonathan Hickman
(a) Adam Kubert

Batman, Incorporated #7
(w) Grant Morrison
(a) Chris Burnham

The Flash #16
(w) Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
(a) Francis Manapul

Superman #16
(w) Scott Lobdell
(a) Kenneth Rocafort

X-Men Legacy #5
(w) Simon Spurrier
(a) 

THE WEEK (JAN 23-29, 2013)

FEATURED REVIEW
Young Avengers #1
(Gillen, McKelvie)

Ever since Marvel announced that Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie were taking the reigns on a new volume of Young Avengers, I've basically been hoarding any and all info concerning the new series because the Young Avengers is my favorite superhero team ever. I own all the original 12 issues, I've read every crossover and tie-in there's been, and I waited and waited for Avengers: The Children's Crusade to finish up. Now, Gillen and McKelvie are taking Young Avengers in an exciting new direction that -- if it's anything like Phonogram -- is going to be AMAZING.

REVIEWS

Avengers #3
(Hickman, Epting)

Captain America continues his mission to gather his Avengers recruits for an assault on Mars against Ex Nihilo to free their fellow heroes. Jonathan Hickman's concept-saturated Avengers stories already have a lot of readers scratching their heads...in a good way!

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #6 of 6
(Cooke, et al.)

I stopped reviewing all the other Before Watchmen mini-series because, to be honest, none of them had a lot of staying power. While the first few issues of each series were mostly enjoyable (except for Comedian, which has been a train wreck the whole time), they've slipped and fell into 'filler issue' territory. Darwyn Cooke's Minutemen is the exception to the rule, as Cooke's fantastic art style and nuanced writing have made this series immaculate. 

FF #3
(Fraction, Allred)

I love this series. You should love it as well. Matt Fraction and Mike Allred take readers on a journey to discover why a mysterious messenger has brought a message of the Fantastic Four's demise!

Green Lantern #16
(Johns, Mahnke)

Even though none of the "Rise of the Third Army" tie-in issues have featured a whole lot of the eponymous Third Army, Green Lantern has been the most enjoyable series through this GL-crossover, as Geoff Johns' Simon Baz has proved to be one of the most interesting new superheroes in a long time. 

Justice League #16
(Johns, Reis, Prado)

"Throne of Atlantis" continues this week. It's pretty much obvious that Ocean Master is manipulating everything, right? Then again, Johns has a way of making readers believe what he'd like us to see up until the twist.

Uncanny Avengers #3
(Remender, Cassaday)

Finally, finally, we get Uncanny Avengers #3 nearly two months late. It's unfortunate that such a great series -- which is still considered the flagship 'Marvel NOW!' title, I'm assuming -- continues to have such a broken release schedule. To be honest, I nearly forgot it was coming out this week, and I had to go back and reread the first two issues to make sure I knew what was going on. Other than the weird releases, Uncanny Avengers #3 looks like it's going to be a turning point in this first arc.

Extra! Extra!

Green Lantern Corps #16
(Tomasi, Pasarin)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #16
(Lobdell, TBA)

Supergirl #16
(Johnson, Asrar)

Uncanny X-Force #1
(Humphries, Garney)

Wonder Woman #16
(Azzarello, Chiang)

EXTRA! EXTRA! (JAN 16-22, 2013)

All-New X-Men #6

(Bendis, Immonen)

After a five-issue opening salvo, Brian Michael Bendis begins his second arc with All-New X-Men #6 by focusing on Jean Grey and Cyclops as they each start to adapt to the modern day through trials by fire. For Jean, those trials involve dealing with her newfound powers, while Scott discovers a completely new world once he drives off the school grounds with Wolverine's motorcycle. Bendis does an excellent job playing Jean and Scott off of Kitty Pryde and Logan respectively -- Kitty teaches Jean a psychic cool-down technique Jean taught Kitty years ago, while Logan begrudgingly tries to be civil toward a young Scott Summers fearing for his safety because of something he hasn't done yet. I was worried, early on, that Bendis wouldn't be able to sustain All-New X-Men beyond the shock value of the original five X-Men being in the present, but he's proved that there's a lot that comes with being time-displaced amongst your future self, and that's what's going to keep this series alive for a long time.

GRADE: 9/10

Batgirl #16
(Simone, Benes)

I mentioned in my review of Batman #16 that "Death in the Family" is getting a bit long in the tooth, and that fact is quite evident in Batgirl #16, an issue that not only grasps at Joker straws for plot advancement, but also calls into question the entirety of Joker's actions in general. Joker explains to Barbara (after saying it to basically everyone else in one form or another) that Batman's allies are his weaknesses and the only way to make him stronger is to eliminate those weaknesses -- so Joker decides to kill the others and...marry Batgirl? The whole idea is cool from a theoretical standpoint, but the concept of Joker wanting to maim and wed Batgirl is just kind of silly; there's no real reason for Joker not wanting to simply kill Batgirl, and the inclusion of James Gordon Jr. is the only thing that kept me reading, as he was obviously the wild card that was injected to make a rather mediocre "DotF" tie-in worthwhile. I like Gail Simone, but her event crossover issues have just not been that good, and it all comes to a rather uninspired conclusion here in in Batgirl #16.

GRADE: 5/10

Demon Knights #16
(Vendetti, Chang)

Demon Knights #16 moves forward 30 years to reconnect the Demon Knights with each other once again to take on an impossible task: defeat the monster Cain before he can reach the island of Themyscira and turn the Amazonian population into his unstoppable army. Every member of the original team is imbued with some sort of agelessness, except for Al-Jabr, who has built a grand city of innovation in Spain, though has grown old as well. Robert Vendetti does an exceptional job catching up readers to the current status quo without giving too much away (what's up with Ystin and Exoristos' relationship going all sour?), as well as making the issue accessible enough for new readers to be able to understand who these characters are and why they're together. I've heard rumor that Demon Knights is next in line to be cancelled, and if that's true it would be a real shame because Paul Cornell -- and now Vendetti, as well -- has built up such an amazing a focused vision of DC's history.

GRADE: 8/10

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #16
(Kindt, Ponticelli)

It's the final issue of Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., which is sad because it's such a great series, but it's good because it means Matt Kindt and Alberto Ponticelli poured their all into issue to send the series off in good fashion. "The Monster Bomb" really doesn't differ much from the Creature Commandos' normal missions -- they're tasked with stopping a dirty viral bomb from being dropped on Central City by a terrorist cell known as The Plague -- so it's Karl Martin's parallel story that makes the issue more interesting. Martin's testimony to his superiors as to the legitimacy of monsters running around a major city land him a forced leave of absence to help deal with his delusions of a shadow organization employing cliche monsters to do in hours what federal organizations do in years. Matt Kindt decides to play it up for this series finale, giving us two sides of the same story and offering a more relatable situation that also acts as a way to bow out with dignity.

GRADE: 8/10

Indestructible Hulk #3
(Waid, Yu)

Slow-burn is the name of Mark Waid's game with Indestructible Hulk -- he has been taking deliberate steps to frame Bruce Banner's new designation as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., allowing the idea of the Hulk being an employee of an international peacekeeping/espionage organization to sink in a bit. That being said, Indestructible Hulk is moving a little too slow at times, and the action sequences are few and far between; case in point, this month's issue only really has one big fight scene, and it's over in a matter of panels. I'm predisposed to like Waid's Indestructible Hulk purely based on what I've seen the man do with other characters, but I'm worried there might be a lot of self-fulfilling prophecies and writing to expectations instead of what's good.

GRADE: 7.5/10

New Avengers #2
(Hickman, Epting)

If high-concept, science-saturated, ethically-complex storytelling isn't your cup of tea, New Avengers is going to be your least favorite series of the year -- Jonathan Hickman packs so much into New Avengers #2 that it might take you more than a fair share of rereads to understand what's really going on. Because Earth seems to be the constant incursion point in a chain reaction of imploding universes, the Illuminati gathers to discuss how to deal with the rapidly approaching end of all existence without resorting to killing other worlds to save our own. Mister Fantastic, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Namor, Captain America, Black Panther, and Iron Man all have their work cut out for them as they must keep the multidimensional apocalypse a secret, and also because one of the flash-forwards might possibly have revealed the origins of the coming Age of Ultron! Hickman and Epting have developed a stunning series with this new volume of New Avengers, and it's only going to get bigger and better.

GRADE: 9/10

Superboy #16
(DeFalco, Coello, Pinna)

There are really not adequate words to describe how bad Superboy #16 really is; aside from the lazy art and completely nonsensical plot points, Kon-El's personality goes through wildly changing iterations, Flash's internal monologue is some of the stupidest I've read in months, and "H'el on Earth" has become more confusing as opposed to more clear, which is what a story is supposed to do the farther along it gets. Throwing the Justice League into this issue is a blatant play for sales of a book that's simply bad -- Kon is basically just the League's pawn this issue, and their overall plan to use his telekinesis to overpower H'el's forcefield around the Fortress of Solitude is so dumb it's laughable (and Batman admitting he doesn't know what to do?!?! WHY TOM DEFALCO? WHY!?!?) There's really not a whole lot to like about Superboy #16, whether you're coming in as a new reader intrigued by "H'el on Earth", or you're a regular buyer who keeps up with the book. It boggles my mind as to why DC is so flippant with how they're handling their flagship teen hero and making him a cardboard cutout of a protagonist in order to pump up a severely fractured and uninteresting story.

GRADE: 2/10

THE WEEK (JAN 16-22, 2013) [update]

For all you regular readers out there, I want to apologize for not updating very much last week. It was a busy, stressful week that only got busier and more stressful with each passing day. It all culminated with a 5 1/2 hour drive to Washington D.C. on Sunday and the same drive back on Monday. With that being said, I'm ready to get back on the wagon and bring you as many reviews as I can this week! Enjoy!


FEATURED REVIEW
Savage Wolverine #1
(Cho)
Frank Cho tackles one of the two Wolverine titles for 'Marvel NOW!', taking the X-Men's most dangerous member to the Savage Land for some good old animalistic fun times! I mean, it's Wolverine and Shanna the She-Devil vs. dinosaurs? Count me in.

Batman #16
(Capullo, Synder)
I really hope DC keeps Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo together on Batman for as long as possible because that pairing is just a dream. Early reviews already call Batman #16 not only a turning point for "Death of the Family", but also an excellent use of a villain that's recently become a little over-exposed.

Batman and Robin #16
(Tomasi, Gleason, Gray)
It's Batman vs. Robin! Last month, Peter J. Tomasi left us hanging with a Joker venom-infected Batman coming after the Boy Wonder! Who will win? Joker, obviously. Because the villain always wins right?

Captain America #3
(Remender, Romita Jr.)
A lot of people aren't feeling Rick Remender's Cap' after all those years with Ed Brubaker, but I've thoroughly enjoyed both issues so far. I've always been a fan of John Romita Jr.'s artwork, and Remender's Dimension Z epic is just that: epic.


Indestructible Hulk #3
(Waid, Yu)
It's Hulk's first mission as an official Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! What could go wrong? Mark Waid is just one of the best writers currently working, and Leinil Yu's amazing, beautifully chaotic artwork just makes the book.

Saga #9
(Vaughan, Staples)
There's not a whole lot to be said about Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' amazing Saga that hasn't been said about a thousand times. But I'll try because I love it so much.

Threshold #1
(Giffen, Raney)
Spinning out of the events in Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1, "The Hunted" begins as Jediah Caul is tuck in the Tenebrian Dominion with a giant target on his head! While I really wasn't impressed with "Threshold #0" in GL:NG Annual #1, I'm more interested in Giffen introducing DC's space-faring heroes, as well as Larfleeze's back-up story written by Scott Kolins!

Extra! Extra!

All-New X-Men #6
(Bendis, Immonen)

Batgirl #16
(Simone, Benes)

Demon Knights #16
(Vendetti, Chang)

Frankenstein - Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #16 - Final Issue!
(Kindt, Ponticelli)

New Avengers #2
(Hickman, Epting)

Superboy #16
(DeFalco, Silva)

THE WEEK (JAN 9-15, 2013) 1

FEATURED REVIEW
The Superior Spider-Man #1

Reviews
Action Comics #16

Earth 2 #8

Fantastic Four #3

Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1

Extra! Extra!
Animal Man #16

Stormwatch #16

Swamp Thing #16

Thor: God of Thunder #4

THE WEEK (JAN 2-8, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW

New Avengers #1
(Hickman, Epting)
Jonathan Hickman's Avengers is already a homerun as far as I'm concerned, so I very much am looking forward to what he's got planned for New Avengers, which he's teased as being focused on the Marvel Illuminati attempting to stop the universe from colliding with another!

Batman Incorporated #6
(Morrison, Burnham)
Things have been getting increasingly better in Batman, Inc, and it has to do with Morrison finally breaking into some plot advancement instead of muddling around in mythos and talk of legacy and destiny.

The Flash #15
(Manapul, Buccellato)
Flash was absent from Justice League#15 due to Grodd's invasion of Keystone City. That's how important Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's "Gorilla Warfare" storyline seems to be -- that DC is cool with not having Barry hanging with the League for a while. And it makes sense because "Gorilla Warfare" is just so damn good.

Justice League Dark #15
(Lemire, Nolan)
What more can I say about Jeff Lemire's Justice League Dark other than it's one of DC's best current series. The fallout of "War for the Books of Magic" has left a void in the magic stability of the DC universe, and it's up the JLD to figure out how to get things working again.

Superman #15
(Lobdell, Rocafort)
"H'el on Earth" has been piecing itself together since Superman #13, a prologue issue that did little to build up this so-called major crossover. Scott Lobdell's narrative in Superman seems to be the primary storyline, though a lot more has been revealed and/or told about H'el -- and the story in general -- in the pages of Supergirl and Superboy thus far. Hopefully, Lobdell has something up his sleeve to really get this crossover to the next level, whatever that means.

Teen Titans #15
(Lobdell, Booth)
Finally, Teen Titans crosses over with Scott Snyder's "Death of the Family" as Red Robin has apparently been taken hostage by the Joker in Gotham City. Naturally, the team rolls out to save dear old RR, but what does that mean for a group of kids with no prior experience with the Clown Prince of Crime?

Extra! Extra!

All-New X-Men #5
(Bendis, Immonen)

Batman: The Dark Knight #15
(Hurwitz, Finch)

Red Lanterns #15
(Milligan, Sepulveda)

Talon #3
(Tynion IV, Snyder, Ryp)

THE WEEK (DEC 19-25, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW

Hawkeye #6
(Fraction, Aja)

Captain America #2
(Remender, Romita Jr.)

FF #2
(Fraction, Allred)

Green Lantern #15
(Johns, Mahnke)

Nightwing #15
(Higgins, Barrows)

Supergirl #15
(Johnson, Asrar)

Wonder Woman #15
(Azzarello, Chiang)

Extra! Extra!
All-New X-Men #4
Green Lantern: New Guardians #15
Indestructible Hulk #2
Red Hood and The Outlaws #15
Thor: God of Thunder #3
X-Men Legacy #3

EXTRA! EXTRA! (DEC 12-18, 2012)

Batgirl #15
(Simone, Benes)

While Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's main "Death of the Family" storyline is a vehicle for a much scarier and focused Joker, the model of car seems to be different depending on the title you're reading--last week's Batman and Robin #15 was incredible, but while this week's Batgirl #15 adequately conveys the story, it falls flat more than once. It feels like Gail Simone really doesn't know what to do with Barbara and the Joker together besides dredge up Barbara's feelings of anger and rage, which wouldn't be out of the question normally, but this is supposed to be the sort-of king of all Joker stories (in recent history, at least), and I supposed I just expected more from Simone after a poignant and suspenseful 14th issue. Also, a lot of what was set-up last month in Batgirl #14 doesn't really move forward so much as stays stagnant while the Joker waxes poetic about the hardships of life; not the most interesting use of panel space, but not totally boring. If you ignore the flashback scenes (which I'm sure will be important down the road, but show no indications of being so here), Batgirl #15 is a passable issue that builds upon the greater "DotF" narrative, but only a little bit.

GRADE: 7/10

Fantastic Four #2
(Fraction, Bagley)

After a fun and energetic first issue, Matt Fraction effectively hits the breaks this month and gives readers yet another full issue of build-up to the Fantastic Four's voyage into multidimensional space that's just kind of boring. As well as Fraction writes, it's a bit off-putting to see such utilitarian use of dialogue and narrative--Ben Grimm screaming at Yancy Street seems over the top, Reed and Scott Lang's scientific discussion has no emotional core, and the origin of Darla Deering as a member of the Fantastic Four is very, very weak. Obviously, things pick up next issue, as Reed launches his family into a portal at the end of Fantastic Four #2, but it's just annoying to have to wait yet another month to see Marvel's First Family on their ridiculously awesome adventure. A 'slow burn' story isn't bad, but this issue just feels like filler.

GRADE: 7/10

Green Lantern Corps #15
(Tomasi, Gleason)

"Rise of the Third Army" is becoming more and more of a misnomer because none of the GL titles are actually dealing with the rise of this Third Army, and Green Lantern Corps is a prime example--instead of focusing on the Corps fighting this monstrous parasitic force, Tomasi is focusing on Guy and John exclusively, giving them more personal stories when they should be at the front lines of this incursion. Yes, I know, the Guardians are sneaky and all that, but we're talking about GUY GARDNER, who normally doesn't take crap from anyone, and JOHN STEWART, who's got years of military experience telling him something is wrong. Yet, I like Green Lantern Corps #15, and the story of Guy and his family is told extremely well, it just feels superflous and unnecessary--why do I need to know so much about Guy's father (he's been in three issues so far)? The Third Army seems less like a universe-threatening force and more of an annoyance off in the corner of the of narrative, and if that's how it's supposed to be unfolding, then it's doing so in a clunky and unbecoming manner.

GRADE: 6/10

Iron Man #4
(Gillen, Land)

Things are looking better for Iron Man (not literally, as Greg Land's artwork is pretty underwhelming), as Kieron Gillen puts Tony in his 'Heavy' armor this week for a trip to France to find yet another illegal Extremis virus. Deep in the catacombs of Paris, Tony must fend off a legion of Extremis-infected women who've been stripped of their personality and humanity, effectively making them mindless killing machines. Tony's ethical dilemma over killing people who are effectively dead already is a testament to Gillen's ideals, but the concept struggles to come across smoothly, and the entire issue suffers from a lack of emotional depth. I'm a big fan of Kieron Gillen, but Iron Man has been fairly disappointing since it's fantastic first issue.

GRADE: 6.5/10 

Superboy #15
(DeFalco, Silva)

"H'el on Earth" hasn't been too understandable, so far--H'el himself doesn't have much of a backstory beyond claiming he was Jor-El's assistant, the narrative has been somewhat choppy and fragmented, and the three members of the Super family seem to have weirdly different personalities depending on the title you read. Fortunately, Superboy #15 hits all the right marks by focusing on Superman and Superboy while leaving H'el out of the picture until the very end. The main point of this issue is to show Superboy effectively inheriting Superman's Kryptonian armor, as it's the only thing that can possibly save Superboy's life after H'el's fatal beating. While I still despise Tom DeFalco's inner monologue for Superboy, the narrative is a lot stronger this issue than in Superman or Supergirl, and that's saying a lot for a series that's struggled to find it's footing since day one.

GRADE: 7/10