The Week in Revue (June 26 - July 2, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Batman/Superman #1
(w) Greg Pak
(a) Jae Lee

------- DC Reviews

The Flash #21
(w) Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
(a) Francis Manapul

Justice League #21 
(w) Geoff Johns
(a) Gary Frank
CHECK OUT THIS REVIEW ON DC COMICS NEWS!

Justice League of America #21
(w) Geoff Johns
(a) David Finch
CHECK OUT THIS REVIEW ON DC COMICS NEWS!

------- Marvel Reviews
Age of Ultron #10A.I.
(w) Mark Waid
(a) Andre Araujo

X-Men #2
(w) Brian Wood
(a) Olivier Coipel

Young Avengers #6
(w) Kieron Gillen
(a) Kate Brown

Uncanny Avengers #9 Review

(w) Rick Remender
(a) Daniel Acuna

It's quite obvious to me that Rogue and Scarlet Witch's argument represented the real-life arguments online after the release of Uncanny Avengers #5. In that issue, Remender intended to convey the idea that people shouldn't be judged by their race, gender, sexual orientation, or mutation. This was misinterpreted by many as advocating for assimilation instead of diversity. Remender's meltdown on Twitter was widely circulated, and he apologized shortly after, but Uncanny Avengers #9 is where he really gets to let it all out.


** SPOILERS AHEAD! **


At the beginning of the sequence, I assumed Scarlet Witch's argument defending Havok would come out on top. Fortunately, Remender keeps things balanced and allows Rogue to have her own opinion without it sounding condescending. Both women make valid points about what was said by Alex at the press conference, and neither budges from their point of view. If this sounds familiar, it's because this is how most people are, in general. Debate is all well and good, but not often are individuals swayed from their established notions.

As far as the story itself is concerned, Uncanny Avengers #9 advances the narrative for the Apocalypse Twins by setting in motion their plan to annihilate all human life on the planet and start fresh on a new mutant world. Remender is doing an excellent job weaving is grand narrative about Apocalypse -- which began with Uncanny X-Force -- into the world of the Avengers. Wolverine's hard choices have come back to haunt him and now threaten to divide the team when they need to be united the most. Insecurities bubble up, bitter truths are spoken, and everything the team stands for begins to break down.

Uncanny Avengers #9 is an excellent issue. From a long-form perspective, Remender's casting choices have been truly excellent in bringing diversity and balance to the title's tone. It feels like human-mutant relations in the Marvel universe may never be completely peaceful, and the Avengers Unity Team is beginning to internalize this feeling more and more.

GRADE

8/10

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

Guardians of the Galaxy #3 Review

(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Steve McNiven and Sara Pichelli

Though it started slow, I've really been digging Guardians of the Galaxy. Brian Michael Bendis is at his best writing epic, team-based stories, and this series checks off both those boxes. Man fans of the previous iterations of the Guardians were upset with the way Bendis basically ignored a lot of what came before in exchange for his own vision of the franchise. I never read any Guardians stories before this, so all I have to go on are these three issues (and the #0.1).

Guardians of the Galaxy #3 finds the team in the clutches of mean old King J-Son, Peter Quill's father and the ruler of the Spartax Empire. It's been pretty obvious since issue one that J-Son has some sort of scheme a-brewin due to his general withholding nature, the very existence of the galactic council he seems to lead, and the overall vagueness of everything he says. I'd be more frustrated with how enigmatic J-Son and his agenda are if I wasn't as familiar with Bendis' work as I am.

Other than that, the narrative is exciting and fast-paced without feeling rushed. Bendis is at his best writing teams. His work on the Avengers franchise is more than enough evidence to this fact. Guardians of the Galaxy #3 really conveys just how legendary this team of heroes is, though many consider them menaces and pirates. Basically, this series allows for Bendis to use all his favorite tropes in one place: pomp and grandeur, deriving conflict and character development from emotional resonance, the proverbial "David vs. Goliath", divisive interpretations of consequential happenings. All of this stuff can be seen in Guardians of the Galaxy #3. Bendis graduated from the Earth's Mightiest Heroes to the defenders of the entire galaxy.

GRADE

8/10

The Week in Revue (June 12-18, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Superman Unchained #1
(w) Scott Snyder
(a) Jim Lee

------- DC Reviews

Batman #21
(w) Scott Snyder
(w) Greg Capullo

Green Lantern Corps #21
(w) Robert Vendetti and Van Jensen
(a) Bernard Chang

------- Marvel Reviews
Guardians of the Galaxy #3
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Steve McNiven and Sara Pichelli

Thor: God of Thunder #9
(w) Jason Aaron
(a) Esad Ribic

The Week in Revue (June 5-11, 2013)

------- Spotlight
Green Lantern #21
(w) Robert Vendetti
(a) Billy Tan

------- DC Reviews
Earth 2 #13
(w) James Robinson
(a) Yildiray Cinar

The Movement #2
(w) Gail Simone
(a) Freddy Williams II

------- Marvel Reviews
Age of Ultron #9 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco

Hawkeye #11
(w) Matt Fraction
(a) David Aja

Spotlight: X-Men #1

(w) Brian Wood
(p/i) Olivier Coipel
(i) Mark Morales

I don't know what I was expecting.

Honestly.

I had absolutely no idea how to feel about Brian Wood's all-female relaunch of X-Men. Well, I had one. I felt (and still feel) that it should be titled X-Women. But that's beside the point.

X-Men #1 is a surprisingly awesome book. It starts out slow, and unless your generally familiar with the X-Men lore as of late...and into the 1990s, you might have a harder time jumping on. But that's to be expected in this modern age of continuity and time travel travesties. Wood has assembled all the most bad-ass female X-Men for a squad whose mission is to stop the destruction of all life in the universe.

While it doesn't sound like a terribly original plot, the threat itself that really drives this title. John Sublime was created by Grant Morrison during his run on New X-Men. He's the embodiment of a sentient bacteria that's been infecting living things since the beginning of life on Earth. Though he became somewhat buried amongst Morrison's numerous high-concept ideas for the X-Men at the time, Sublime represented a deep-seeded fear of someone or something having control over us as humans. He was a powerful character, not only literally, but also literarily.


**SPOILERS, HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!**


And now we learn Sublime has a sister.

Unfortunately, she's not like her terrestrial brother who chose to nurture life on Earth. Sublime reveals that their ancient, bacteria-level, primordial war resulted in his choosing Earth and casting his sister out into space to fend for herself and hope for evolution. And now she's all grown up and angry as hell.

Wood's focus on family comes through with this brother/sister relationship, as well as through Jubilation Lee's return to Westchester County to seek help from the X-Men. Though I detest narration boxes, Wood employs them well here with Jubilee, keeping it light and fast-moving to avoid lingering on something too long and sounding corny.

Jubilee has been out of the picture long enough for Wood to bring her back without having to do much by the way of quick character development. It's not like she's Wolverine and Wood's got to establish that this is, in fact, Wolverine by making him say "Bub" and look menacing while discussing an ethically impossible scenario. This is Jubilee, a character whose been out of rotation for a long time and needs to be treated accordingly. Fortunately, Wood does this by keeping her panel time relatively small. Though the infant she carries is the focal point of the issue, we don't get an intimate look at Jubilee. She's been away for a reason and now, she's wary of returning.

I LOVE Olivier Coipel's artwork. There's not much more to say there.

These days, I find myself enjoying stuff I often scoff at when reading solicitations. It's a bad habit I'm trying to drop, but it's also a testament to how early previews sometimes skew opinions before the book has a chance to really make it's own case. I made a choice to invest myself in #1's when I got back into comics with the 'New 52' and Avengers vs. X-Men. I did this so the comic could prove itself without my preconceived notions getting in the way. X-Men #1 makes my case.

GRADE

9/10

The Week in Revue (May 29-June 4, 2013)

It's a fifth week, so things are a bit slow. I'll only be covering three issues here on The Comic Book Revue this week, as I've started splitting my time between this blog, my work for Pop Matters, and reviews for DC Comics News, which is a BRAND NEW site dedicated to all things DC Comics.

Also, make sure to check out The Comic Book Revue later this week for a...drumroll please...A PODCAST! That's right: I'll be taking the plunge and recording my first ever podcast about various comics, news, and happenings. More information will come as I figure it out :/

------- Spotlight
X-Men #1
(w) Brian Wood
(a) Olivier Coipel

OLIVIER COIPEL IN AN ONGOING SERIES! YEEESSSSS!!!!!!

------- DC Reviews

Earth 2 Annual #1
(w) James Robinson
(a) Yildiray Cinar, CAFU, and Julius Gopez

LET'S MEET THE NEW BATMAN OF EARTH 2!

------- Marvel Reviews

Captain America #7
(w) Rick Remender
(w) John Romita Jr.

Young Avengers #5

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Jamie McKelvie

Origin stories tend to either be very, very cool, or very, very lame. I don't know why, nor do I pretend to understand why. It just seems to happen that way.

Even before this conclusion issue, it was evident that Kieron Gillen's team of Young Avengers was a whole different beast from Alan Heinberg's from back in the day. And I was prepared for that. I was ready for my favorite franchise to look and feel completely unique from what I'd come to love. But I'd read Phonogram so again, I knew I was in for something different. I wasn't, however, ready for just how awesome it could be. 

Gillen's opening arc for the second volume of Young Avengers is one of the most intriguing and interesting takes on the "getting the band together" comic book trope I've ever read. These characters are teenagers and they act like it. What kids are voluntarily putting their lives on the line instead of being glued to their cell phones and tablets? Well, if any would, it would be the ones who are superheroes. Gillen understands that normal teenage behavior doesn't go away when the superheroics kick in. These kids are always thinking about who they are and what they want, just like any other normal kid, The difference is that the Young Avengers have to juggle interdimensional monstrosities.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **

These kids don't want to be a team. This simple fact is what makes this vision of the Young Avengers so appealing -- by the end of Young Avengers #5, the only reason they all decide to stay together is to physically prevent an otherworldly invasion. It's not because they all necessarily like each other. In fact, everyone hates Loki mostly, and Miss America doesn't trust anyone else. Just like normal teenagers, their relationships are complicated. And just like eighteen-year-olds in real life, they have to recognize when to grow and step up to the challenge. This is as good at time as any.

GRADE

9.5/10

The Week in Revue (May 22-28, 2013)

------- Spotlight

The Green Team #1
(w) Art Baltazar and Franco     (a) Ig Guara
THE FOIL TO GAIL SIMONE'S THE MOVEMENT, THIS SERIES FEATURES THE SUPER-RICH TEENAGERS WHO INHABIT THE DCnU!

------- DC Reviews

Justice League Dark #20
(w) Jeff Lemire     (a) Mikel Janin
HOW DO THE JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, THE FLASH, AND SWAMP THING ALL CONNECT? ONLY JEFF LEMIRE KNOWS!

Teen Titans #20
(w) Scott Lobdell     (a) Eddy Barrows)
WILL SCOTT LOBDELL ACTUALLY DELIVER A SEMI-COGENT ISSUES THIS MONTH? I'M NOT HOLDING MY BREATH!

------- Marvel Reviews

Uncanny Avengers #8AU
(w) Rick Remender     (a) Andy Kubert
THE "AGE OF ULTRON" TIE-IN FEATURING KANG AND THE APOCALYPSE TWINS!

Young Avengers #5
(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Jaime McKelvie
THE FINAL ISSUE OF KIERON GILLEN'S FIRST AMAZING ARC!

Iron Man #10

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Dale Eaglesham

Kieron Gillen is no stranger to long-form narrative. Just take a look at his run on Journey Into Mystery and how each arc grew from the last and influenced the next, like a novel with it's many chapters. One would think this is how most comic books are written, but it tends to be a lot more difficult than it sounds. Iron Man didn't start out as strong as everyone hoped it would, but six issues in, Gillen upped the ante by sending Tony Stark into deep space where he faced the consequences of his attempt at destroying the Phoenix Force in Avengers vs. X-Men.

"The Secret Origin of Tony Stark" doesn't aim to retell Iron Man's origins. Quite the contrary, in fact. Working inside the strict parameters of comic book universe continuity seems to be Gillen's inspirational constraint. It's one of the elements of the comic book industry that makes it so amazing, that a creator 40 years removed from the character's origin can still add something to said origin, have it make sense, and make it totally awesome.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **


Iron Man #10 plays out like a 60s spy thriller as Howard Stark assembles a team to steal the one thing all his power, money, resources, connections, and intelligence can't get him: hope for his already dying prenatal child. If it seems a bit dark, then Gillen has done his job. Tony's always had a medically spotty history, but this pushes that concept to a whole new level. The fact that alien technology plays a part in this plan means Tony's life was influenced by technology before he ever left his mother's womb. I really like the team Howard assembles, but I wonder just how Gillen plans on using them as the story moves forward.

Overall, I found Iron Man #10 to be intriguing. It's the first official part of "Secret Origin", and it reveals quite a bit about the story leading up to Tony's birth, but nothing is intersecting yet. It's like one of those new puzzles without edges that are just that much harder to start piecing together, but are so much more satisfying when completed.

GRADE

8/10

The Week in Revue (May 8-14, 2013) (update)

------- Spotlight

Batman and Red Hood #20
(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Patrick Gleason

------- DC Reviews

Batman #20
(w) Scott Snyder     (a) Greg Capullo

Justice League of America #3
(w) Geoff Johns     (a) David Finch

Superboy #20
(w) Justin Jordan     (a) Brett Booth

------- Marvel Reviews

Uncanny Avengers #8
(w) Rick Remender     (a) Daniel Acuna

Iron Man #9

(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Dale Eaglesham

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how a comic book is done.

From beginning to end, Iron Man #9 is one of the best single issues I've read in quite a while. It's a fantastic 'jumping on' point that really does the phrase justice, the artwork is leaps and bounds better than the previous eight issues under Greg Land's airbrushing hands, and Death's Head might just be one of my new favorite tertiary characters.

Though this issue is technically a prologue to "The Secret Origin of Tony Stark", Kieron Gillen does an amazing job summarizing the last arc through Tony's conversation with Death's Head, a freelance bounty hunter whose written to sound like he's from the Old Country. It's a tactile way to rehash past events, and it doesn't come off as an overbearing information dump. Gillen's organic dialogue feels way more fluid than what most other writers in the industry are producing today. Basically, Iron Man #9 is an extended conversation between Tony and Death's Head that takes three huge turns in the very last pages that beautifully set up the forthcoming look back at Tony's origin.

I first took notice of Dale Eaglesham when he illustrated Villains United for DC as part of the "Countdown to Infinite Crisis" event. Since then, I've only come to enjoy his work more. The pages of Iron Man #9 are a testament to the man's talent and some of the best work I've ever seen from him. There's a subtle depth to his facial expressions as well as backgrounds and crowd scenes. All around, Eaglesham knocks this one out of the park.

Simply put, Iron Man #9 is a triumph. Rarely does a single issue so intuitively cater to both the dedicated fan and the new reader. We need more writing like this in the comic book industry. Sure, it's still about Iron Man zipping around the galaxy with a giant robotic bounty hunter looking for another robot who orchestrated genocide, but somehow, it feels incredibly relatable and down to earth.

GRADE

9.5/10

The Week in Revue (May 1-7, 2013)

Tempering down the workload this week (and going forward) in an effort to bring better quality reviews instead of a high quantity. 

This week, I'll be Spotlight-ing Gail Simone's The Movement, a 'New 52' series that introduces a whole slew of new characters into the DC universe. Along with The Movement from DC, I'll cover James Robinson's Earth 2 #12, which continues the "Tower of Fate" arc, as well as Swamp Thing #20, the second issue from rising star Charles Soule.

On the Marvel front, I'll take a look at Age of Ultron #7, the issue with the alternate heroes gracing the cover! AoU is shaping up to have huge ramifications for the entire Marvel universe. Also, I'll be covering Iron Man #9, the first issue of Kieron Gillen's fantastic series illustrated by Dale Eaglesham. Really, Greg Land's artwork has been the only truly bad thing about the 'Marvel NOW!' Iron Man, so I'm excited to see how Eaglesham interprets "The Secret Origin of Tony Stark".

------- Spotlight
The Movement #1
(w) Gail Simone     (a) Freddy Williams II

------- DC Reviews

Earth 2 #12
(w) James Robinson     (a) Nicola and Trevor Scott

Swamp Thing #20
(w) Charles Soule     (a) Kano

------- Marvel Reviews

Age of Ultron #7 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Carlos Pacheco and Brandon Peterson

Iron Man #9
(w) Kieron Gillen     (a) Dale Eaglesham

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! 

Uncanny X-Men #4

(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Chris Bachalo

This was a cop-out issue.

I'm sure -- sitting there -- writing both All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men at the same time got old Brian Michael Bendis thinking about how much these two books needed to connect. 'Quite a bit' is putting it mildly when it's not even solicited that these two titles interconnect to the point where you find out plot points from one within another.


**SPOILERS AHEAD**


Uncanny X-Men #4 is basically just a retelling of All-New X-Men #10 from the perspective of Cyclops' team; more specifically, Emma Frost. Most of the pages are filled with psychic banter between Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos about their attending Scott's new Xavier School. 

At first, they're all like "Nah" because they felt abandoned by Emma. Then, Emma shows them how Scott basically power-raped her for her portion of the Phoenix Force. The Cuckoos feel so bad for Emma that they decide to forgive her and join Scott's school.

How does this make any sense? The girls literally just saw Scott forcibly removing their mentors' powers, and now they're going to attend his school? Plus, it shows a severe lack of morality on Emma's part, to -- in as much as she can -- 'forgive' Scott for his actions under the influence of the Phoenix, only to use those actions against him later on for her own gain. Maybe it's what Bendis intended, but it doesn't feel that way.

This issue would have been a whole lot more interesting if it had hit a few important beats. First, there should have been some new information. We already knew the Cuckoos were going with Emma and Scott, so why spend most of an issue explaining that they do? Second, if Magik is on the cover, she should have had a much more central role in the issue beyond a few foreboding panels. Third, don't change character personalities at the drop of a hat (here's looking at you, Triage).

At least Chris Bachalo's artwork is still awesome.

GRADE

5/10

Uncanny Avengers #6

(w) Rick Remender     (a) Daniel Acuna

This is the first issue of Uncanny Avengers I haven't outright enjoyed from beginning to end. Rick Remender takes readers back in time for a look at the first time Thor met Apocalypse. It's sort of like an interlude prelude chapter to "The Apocalypse Twins" that foreshadows the events in the present day.

Thor-centric tales are difficult to write because, more often than not, they feature some disagreement between Thor and Odin. Remender falls victim to this cliche and once again, Odin finds some reason to be disappointed in Thor. 

As a side note: seriously, does Odin ever even like his son? It feels like the old codger is constantly drunk and looking for someone or something to unload all his anger and frustrations upon. It's one of the reasons I've never been a huge Thor fan, and it's also why Jason Aaron's current run on Thor: God of Thunder is so good. There's only so many times Thor's daddy issues can be exploited, and that quota was hit years go.

Remender is a master of foreshadowing and long-form narratives, so it's kind of a given that all the events in Uncanny Avengers #6 will have some bearing on the present day, but it still removes readers from the current-day story and stops the momentum Remender was building.

GRADE

7/10

Spotlight: Ultron #1AU

(w) Kathryn Immonen     (a) Amilcar Pinna

I love that the Runaways are making a comeback. First, Dennis Hopeless threw Nico and Chase into the mix over in Avengers Arena, and now, Victor Mancha gets his own one-shot that ties into Age of Ultron. Fans of Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways already know that Victor is the son of Ultron and a human mother, making him quite the anomaly in this narrative about robots vs. humanity. Kathryn Immonen gets a lot of freedom in Ultron #1AU because Victor hasn't been seen or heard from in a few years. Unfortunately, Immonen drops the ball simply due to this issue's overly-simplistic nature. This is an Age of Ultron tie-in that has one big connection to the event that never gets much real attention.

Victor's situation is rooted in his physiology as half human, half robot. Ultron drones are having trouble understanding exactly what Victor is, causing at least one gold-dome to explode from inexplicable data. Immonen reminds the reader of this fact on multiple occasions, but she does so without delving any deeper into the reason. Why can't the Ultron robots distinguish Victor's composition? Why hasn't Victor attempted to contact his father? What is Victor's greater significance?

Unfortunately, Immonen doesn't touch on any of these questions. Being a One-Shot issue means everything happening here has to be self-contained, more or less. Instead, we're dropped into the action without much set-up before Immonen uses the issue to introduce some new characters under Victor's care during the decimation of Los Angeles. It's a noble attempt to make Victor a foil for his father; protecting some while Ultron destroys so many. This is where Immonen falters because instead of pursuing this rich subtext, she continues to make the entire story about the robotics of it all. Yes, we get it Kathryn; Victor is half robot. Now, we need to know what that means.

Ultron #1AU is still a fun read. Victor himself is generally characterized well -- self-doubt mixed with a self-imposed predisposition to help people. And while Kathryn Immonen does a great job fleshing out Victor's inner journey, she stumbles in conveying a sympathetic plot. It's fair to assume Victor will play a part in Age of Ultron going forward and possibly into the future. That being said, the main reason I'm thinking this is the case is simply because the kid got his own One-Shot, not because of Immonen's story. Without any deeper connection to the main series or further exploration of Victor's significance, Ultron #1AU misses a lot of potential and doesn't feel as integral to the event as it should.

GRADE

6.5/10

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!!!