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)

REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN - NEW GUARDIANS ANNUAL #1

(w) Keith Giffen
(a) Scott Kolins and Andrei Bressan

Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1 is fractured -- it's got nothing to do with Kyle Rayner's quest to master the emotional spectrum, nor does it fully realize itself as a lead-in to DC's new sci-fi series, Threshold. There's too much going on in this issue, and with each subsequent page, readers are asked to process more and more characters, lingo, locations, and relationships. Coupled with the hyper-busy artwork by Scott Kolins and Andrei Bressan and GL:NG Annual #1 becomes fairly difficult to read and understand.

I'm not even going to talk about Kyle because Keith Giffen basically shoves the Torch Bearer off-panel within a few pages to focus on Carol Ferris Star Sapphire, Arkillo, and a returned Saint Walker as they attempt to contact the Lady Styx and convince her to join in the fight against the Guardians of the Universe and their Third Army of mindless drones. But really, this isn't what GL:NG Annual #1 is about. Giffen has used this issue -- and it's extra-long 'Annual' format -- as a platform with which to introduce Jediah Caul, a deep cover Green Lantern, as well as 'The Hunted', a sadistic practice involving the hunting down of perceived threats to the Tenebrian Dominion by way of civilian participation. 

Before I get into Caul as a character, I have to mention that the Tenebrian Hunt seems really interesting. Unlike Avengers Arena, which pretty much lifted the premise of The Hunger Games without regard, Giffen tweaks his idea enough to feel original and more believable. In the Tenebrian Dominion, criminals are given a day head start before the entire population of the system is allowed to hunt them down for big winnings. The game -- and it's merchandising, etc. -- provides financial support for the entire Dominion, which means they stay autonomous from the rest of the universe. Overall, the idea is fun, but Giffen "shows" instead of "tells" readers what's happening just a little too much. The use of 'space slang' is simply weird. It took me nearly the entire book to realize that "das'tall" was some sort of curse word and not a person's name.

Who is Jediah Caul? He's one of the few new characters to emerge out of DC's 'New 52' so far. Besides Scott Snyder's Court of Owls, the 'New 52' has been limited to reintroducing old characters in new forms. Unfortunately, Caul is just plan boring. He's supposedly a 'deep cover' Green Lantern in the Tenebrian Dominion, but his mission is never explained. Why is he in deep cover? What ends are he looking to achieve? Lo, we get none of this information. By issue's end, what we know about Jediah Caul can be summed up in one word: blowhard. It's hard to get invested in a character like Caul because he doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities.

Green Lanterns: New Guardians has a second-stringer title since it began due to a lack of direction and overall cohesiveness. I understand that this Annual was intended to be a lead-in to Threshold, but why? Why can't that series stand on it's own? Why make an already struggling title break focus and lose it's momentum in the process? Last month's issue was a great step forward, but Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1 is like taking two steps back.

GRADE

6.5/10