EXTRA! EXTRA! (OCT 10-16, 2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men: Consequences #1 of 5
(w) Kieron Gillen
(p) Tom Raney
Because every Marvel event requires a series focusing on its aftermath, Avengers vs. X-Men: Consequences exists to give us readers a bridge between the world of AvX (that we've been living in for the past seven months) and the 'Marvel NOW!' era that started concurrently this week with Uncanny Avengers. Kieron Gillen does the most with what he's given, but unfortunately, the script simply falls short because there's no cohesive plot thread holding the various stories together beyond the fact that they all take place after Cyclops falls. I guess the closest thing to a 'main story' is the one with Cyclops and Wolverine, but if you're trying to look at the big picture, there's not much to see. I'm sensing this just might be a hiccup for Gillen, whose done fantastic work on Uncanny X-Men and his creator-owned Phonogram.

GRADE: 7.2/10

Before Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan #2 of 4

(w) J. Michael Straczynski

(p) Adam Hughes

I don't know why, but both issues of Doctor Manhattan have been very lackluster. Sure, the Doc is a quantum-based entity capable of expanding his consciousness across unknown distance and time, so why does it feel like a chore to read? I've struggled to understand J. Michael Straczynski's hyper-detailed style (remember when Spider-Man met Ezekiel? I want to forget, too) for years now, and giving him Doctor Manhattan was like asking a rocket scientist to explain a coffee maker. Granted, it can be complex, but it constantly feels like Straczynski makes his writing more complicated than it needs to be, and that gets boring quickly.

GRADE: 6/10

Demon Knights #13

(w) Paul Cornell
(p) Bernard Chang

Being one of the sleeper hits of the 'New 52', Demon Knights has given a lot to the DCnU mythology in it's 14 current issues - readers get the history of characters like Etrigan and Vandal Savage, are introduced to new ones like Exoristos, Al Jabr, and the Horsewoman, and get fresh takes on the Shining Knight and Madame Xanadu. Demon Knights #13 sends the team literally into Hell when Etrigan betrays them to curry favor with Lucifer in hopes of freeing himself from the bond he shares with Jason Blood. Unfortunately, Lucifer isn't very impressed and just commands his demons to torture the team. Most of the issue surrounds each team member's individual hell, but the weather starts clearing when Shining Knight realizes his blood vaporizes demons - a strong weapon in the pits of hell.

GRADE: 8.5/10

The First X-Men #3 of 5

(w) Neal Adams and Christos Gage

(p) Neal Adams

I seriously don't like this series. I don't know why I keep reading it beyond the fact that I started reading it and feel a need to complete it. The writing is godawful, the artwork is typical 90s fare with little more than 'real' colors to let you know it was produced this decade, and the fact that Neal Adams and Christos Gage are so giddy about totally changing established continuity boggles my mind. Don't buy this comic book, and don't expect any more reviews of The First X-Men, a series I'm simply done paying money to let disappoint me each month.

GRADE: 1/10

Green Lantern Corps #13
(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(p) CAFU

This is where "Rise of the Third Army" really starts off - lots of Third Armiers (I seriously don't know what to call them; how about Guardian Soliders?), lots of Guardian malarkey, and a clear direction for both Guy and John. Mogo is rebuilding himself, but his origin point must be located for the process to succeed, so the Guardians ask a ready and willing John Steward to take point. Meanwhile, Guy and his hand-picked cew are charged with escorting an important delegation to Oa for peace talks - Guy gets word that one of his old enemies has escaped the Sciencells, and he's is worried the escapee is going after his family. Guy leaves only half his men with the delegation and takes the other half to Earth, even though the Guardians have sent Guy's enemy to kill the entire delegation - it's a pretty good bait and switch, plus the Guardian Soldiers show up to take one of Guy's GLs, showing themselves to the GLC for the first time.

GRADE: 8/10

The Phantom Stranger #1

(w) Dan Didio

(p) Brent Anderson

It's hard to know where Dan Didio is going with The Phantom Stranger - there aren't any clear signs as to what the overall purpose of the series is supposed to be. Is the Stranger supposed to be an agent of good, or is it less direct than that? Traditionally, the Stranger's motives are his own and nothing else, but to feature him in his own ongoing series, there needs to be more than simply mysterious circumstances and unknown meanings - that's fun for a while, but it doesn't make for a lasting narrative style. This month, Stranger finds Rachel, a girl with shadow-controlling powers and no clue how to control them. After a quick duel, Rachel lets the Stranger guide her to someone who can train her, when he takes her straight to her demon father, Trigon, the one being she was trying to stay away from - it's a haunting sight to see the Stranger so removed from humanity, serving only the "higher good" in exchange for his penance.

GRADE: 7/10

Red She-Hulk #58
(w) Jeff Parker
(p) Carlo Pagulayan and Wellinton Alves

'Marvel NOW!' may have officially kicked-off with Uncanny Avengers, but Hulk has changed it's name to Red She-Hulk to coincide with the new Marvel line-wide movement. Jeff Parker brings Betty Ross front and center to star in this 'Marvel NOW!' iteration of the series, which starts off with Betty facing the results of Project Echelon, the government's newest attempt at super soldiers for the future. The Hulk Family has never been too much on my radar, but I'm willing to give any 'Marvel NOW!' series a chance, as that's kind of the point of the whole initiative. Red She-Hulk #58 doesn't do much in the way of direct character development, but Parker does do a fantastic job building up a mythology around her so as to make me more interested in what's happening going forward.

GRADE: 7.1/10

Team 7 #1

(w) Justin Jordan

(p) Jesus Merino

Well, Team 7 #1 is basically just a rehash of Team 7 #0, which is exactly what I predicted - why introduce all the characters in the zero issue when you could have planted seeds for future issues seeing as issue one was literally just around the corner? That being said, Team 7 #1 is surprisingly good for it's plot that takes the team to a floating prison that's supposed to be inescapable. Because this is a comic book and these things happen in comic books, A.R.G.U.S. loses contact with the facility and sends the team up to investigate. I have extremely high hopes for this series, as it has the potential to give readers a lot of secret history of the DCnU, like getting a new "Issue Zero" each month.

GRADE: 7/10

THE WEEK (OCT 3-9, 2012)

Reviews
Action Comics #13
(Morrison, Foreman)
The Phantom Stranger makes a guest appearance this month, as well as Krypto: The Super Dog! I'm not sure there's a big fan base itching for Krypto to be included in the 'New 52', but Grant Morrison does, so why not.


Avengers vs. X-Men #12 of 12
(Aaron, Kubert)
It's the final chapter of Marvel's half-year-long event that's going to completely change the landscape of the Marvel universe. Okay, probably not, as Charles Xavier is already dead, we've had enough time to process it, and now we just want to see a cool battle between Dark Phoenix Cyclops, The Scarlett Witch, and Hope. Plus, we already know that Cyclops survives from October-December solicits, so what's the big change going to be? Well at this point, change for change's sake may not be so ridiculous.


Green Lantern #13
(Johns, Mahnke)
"Rise of the Third Army" is here, at last! Geoff Johns & Co. have been teasing this crossover event for some months now, and while the first Third Army solider was seen last at the end of Green Lantern Annual #1, it's time for the army to grow. Plus, new Green Lantern Baz makes his first appearance in his costume, and fights the Justice League.

Hawkeye #3
(Fraction, Aja)
Seriously, if you're not reading this series already, do yourself a favor and pick up the first two issues along with this third. Matt Fraction and David Aja have a clear and distinct vision for Clint Barton, and the first two issues are absolutely some of the best comic book work I've read in a long time (on par with Brian K. Vaughan's Saga). This is about Clint being himself, not an Avenger and not in the public eye. It's engrossing, relatable, grounded, emotional, and just plain great.

Uncanny X-Force #32
(Remender, Noto)
I finally started reading Uncanny X-Force and now I don't want to stop. Unfortunately, Rick Remender is stepping off the title he's taken two years to craft into one of the finest series currently available soon to focus on Uncanny Avengers and Captain America, both of which I'll be covering here on "The Endless Reel." The good news is, there's still a few issues of UXF left with Remender at the wheel, so I'll be covering these as well.

Leagues Beyond

It's the debut post of 'Leagues Beyond', the column that focuses on Justice League-related titles each week. This first week's offerings include two Earth 2-based titles, the eponymous series and World's Finest. I'll be talking about the formation of the Justice Society as they stand up against Grundy and the military-backed Atom, as well as Power Girl and Huntress' attempt to get back to Earth 2 via the boom tube that brought them to Earth 1!

Earth 2 #5

(Robinson, Scott)

World's Finest #5

(Levitz, Perez)

Shadowy Happenings
It's my first column of 'Shadowy Happenings' which covers all the 'Dark'-related titles DC releases. This week, both Animal Man and Swamp Thing delve into "Rotworld", each in their respective kingdoms to fight against the Rot and stave off a worldwide decay. In The Phantom Stranger, Dan Didio will introduce us to Raven, a character fans have been clamoring for since the 'New 52' relaunch, and the recent subject of Scott Lobdell's plans for an upcoming Teen Titans spinoff focused on a new team led by Raven herself.

Animal Man #13 - "Rotworld: The Red Kingdom"
(Lemire, Pugh)

Swamp Thing #13 - "Rotworld: The Green Kingdom"
(Snyder, Paquette)

The Phantom Stranger #1
(Didio, Anderson)

Extra! Extra!
4-SENTENCE REVIEWS are no more, as they are being replaced by 'Extra! Extra!', the section of titles that don't get standard reviews and also don't fall into an specific category of new columns. This isn't to say that these issues are any less good (or bad, in some cases) than the titles featured under the standard REVIEW header, it just means that I found a way to more eloquently talk about them in four sentences better than I could in four paragraphs. It's lika a haiku - sometimes creativity comes out of restrictions.

AvX: VS. #6 of 6
(Gillen, Immonen)

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #2 of 4
(Azzarello, Higgins)

The First X-Men #3 of 5
(Adams, Gage)

Stormwatch #13
(Milligan, Conrad)

Uncanny X-Men #19

(Gillen, Garney)

UPCOMING REVIEWS (SEP. 5-11)

Action Comics #0
(Morrison, Oliver)
- Grant Morrison takes us back in time! to give us a story about a boy who steals Superman's cape. There's got to be some connection to the overall Morrison story, so it'll be interesting to see how a carefree-sounding story might incorporate more complex elements.

Earth 2 #0
(Robinson, Giorello)
- Since Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman died in the opening pages of Earth 2 #1, this month's 'Issue Zero' will focus on their heroic adventures before the invasion of Apokolips. Plus, more connections will probably be made between E2 and World's Finest.

Green Lantern #0

(Johns, Mahnke)

- It's about damn time we get an introduction to BAZ! the newest member of the soon-to-maybe-be-extinct Green Lantern Corps. He's looking bad-ass, and probably won't get any training, which is a great set-up to the epic "Rise of the Third Army" starting next month. And maybe we'll get some insight into the fates of Hal Jordan and Sinestro.

Hawkeye #2
(Fraction, Aya)
- My review of Hawkeye #1 last month for PopMatters.com examined how Matt Fraction aimed to make Clint Barton more akin to the 1970s embodiment of Green Arrow, a hero who fought for the common man and the underscored in our society. Let's see if Fraction can keep it up.

The Phantom Stranger #0

(Didio, Anderson)

- After a fantastic and tragically cut short run on O.M.A.C., - not to mention a three-part "Challengers of the Unknown" arc on DC Universe Presents - Dan Didio returns to writing with The Phantom Stranger straight out of the pages of The New 52 #1, the 'Free Comic Book Day' issue that introduced us to the Trinity of Sin. If past work is any indication, Didio's take on the Stranger will be campy and awesome.

World's Finest #0
(Levitz, Maguire)
- After a less-than-stellar first arc, Paul Levitz takes us back to Earth 2 to a time when Karen was Supergirl, and Helena was Robin. They were two of the eight 'wonders' of Earth 2 before the Apokolips invasion destroyed everything. Just like Earth 2 #0, it's likely more will be revealed about the nature of the multiverse and how the two Earth's connect.

4-Sentence Reviews
- Animal Man #0
- Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #3 of 4
- Dial H #0
- The First X-Men #2 of 5

THE FIRST X-MEN #1 of 5

STORY: Christos Gage and Neal Adams
ART: Neal Adams

The First X-Men doesn't need to exist. It's as simple as that. For some reason, Christos Gage thought it would be cool to look at X-Men before there were...X-Men...which doesn't make much sense. The whole idea behind the name was that they were Xavier's Men, hence, X-Men. I understand that Gage and Adams are not calling this group 'X-Men' within the narrative, but the book's title and Neal Adams' obvious opine for the 1980s convey a sloppy and repetitive series that just didn't need to be. The problem stems from ground be retread. A team working for the safety and wellbeing of mutantkind? That's the X-Men! It's somewhat frustrating that Gage and Adams think this is some grand new idea that their pioneering. If they don't think what they're writing is somehow new, why would they write it in the first place? So either way, The First X-Men doesn't make sense.

From the very first page, this narrative feels undeveloped. Wolverine is helping a friend from the army find his son who has run away from home. Who is this mysterious friend? I guess we'll never know. Even with such a shaky beginning, I continued reading in hopes that the story would start making more sense. Instead, I was treated to more nonsense just for the sake of it. Why does The Wolverine want to act as babysitter to a bunch of muntant children? With decades of continuity as evidence, Logan doesn't take to children easily. Sure he was a mainstay at the Xavier School for a long, long time, but he was rarely more than a passing resident, mostly there to make sure the X-Men had the muscle they needed. Who's honestly going to take this seriously? And Sabertooth is helping out? I know there was a time when he and Wolverine worked together, but again, Gage and Adams warp Victor Creed's base personality, simply to tell a story. Not cool.

Then there's Charles Xavier. Dear God in Heaven, Charles Xavier. Why in the world Christos Gage and Neal Adams would feel it was okay to turn the greatest mutant revolutionary in Marvel universe history into a whining, selfish prig who just wants to be normal is beyond me. While he never actually says the word "normal", it's obvious that Xavier wants to live a purposely average life, which is an affront to the character at a very raw level. What's even more frustrating is how Marvel allowed this to happen.

None of this is even to mention Holly Bright, a carbon copy of Mastermind, who manipulates peoples minds into believing the horrific things he makes them see are real. Seriously, she does the exact same thing. Oh, but her name is Holo, which is a total anachronism because holograms or even the idea of them wouldn't have been around in this "years ago" time period. It's just so sloppy.

Perhaps the most frustrating parts of this series - and there are obviously many - is that Erik Lensherr is going to join the team. Magneto. So, Christos Gage and Neal Adams are trying to claim that Wolverine and Magneto were on a Pre-X-Men team that helped mutant kids before Charles Xavier possessed his lifelong ethics (really????) and decided to try and guide the mutant race. The entire idea is just stupid. There is no way this is alright. Not by a long shot. What The First X-Men is comes down to one word: disappointing. Not only is this series totally unnecessary, it slaps comic book fans across the face with a whole new slew of (technically official) canon that's just depressing to think is now part of a comic book universe that still had some semblance of sense to it. I'm not even going to start into Neal Adams' completely dated and awful artwork because it will just depress me. I'll just say, it's mind-numbingly bad (Magneto's hair looks like Nite Owl II's cowl).

GRADE

D-

UPCOMING REVIEWS (AUG 1-7)

Action Comics #12
(Morrison, Bryant)
- With Grant Morrison's announcement that he'll be leaving AC after issue 16, we now know that his sprawling, revamped origin for good old Superman actually will have a conclusion! This month, Morrison continues his tale of "The Forgotten Superman" as well as another back-up - this time featuring Perry White - that will again add more depth to Superman's world.

Animal Man #12

(Lemire, Pugh)

- Now that Buddy Baker and Alex Holland are finally teamed up, it's time to dive into the realm of the Rot. Unfortunately, this "Rotworld: Prologue" will mostly be a recap of the last year's events in both Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

Avengers vs. X-Men #9 of 12
(Someone, Kubert)
- As we enter Act III of Avengers vs. X-Men, the Phoenix Five's weakness has been revealed and Namor is down for the count! How will the the Scarlet Witch use her newfound ability to excise the Phoenix to turn the tides for the Avengers? I know this is completely out of left field, but as a Young Avengers fan, I want to see some Patriot, Wiccan, Hulkling, Stature, Speed, and Hawkeye II! Hey, a guy can dream.

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #2 of 4

(Straczynski, Kubert)

- Last month, Nite Owl saw the first meeting of the group that would become the Watchmen, including the first team-up between Nite Owl and Rorschach. This month continues Dan Dreiberg's journey to prove to himself that he's worthy of the Nite Owl mantle.

Earth 2 #4
(Robinson, Scott)
- Now that we've been properly introduced, it's time to see Earth 2 Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl in action! Also, the Atom of Earth 2 makes his debut, along with more insight to the Grey and this universe's Solomon Grundy. James Robinson has stated that he intends to build up this world before putting the JSA together, and he's doing a fantastic job so far.

Justice League International #12

(Jurgens, Lopresti)

- It's the "Funeral of Rocket Red" as the team deals with the fallout of their adventures thus far. Seeing as this is the last 'official' issue in the run - not counting the Annual issue later this month - Dan Jurgens will be pulling out all the punches to send out this fantastic series in style.

Swamp Thing #12
(Snyder, Paquette)
- All DC has released for press info is that this issue "continues from Animal Man #12" which is just a recap. Hopefully, we'll get to see some actual action happen here. If both issues turn out to be a recap, a single review will be written for both Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

4-Sentence Reviews
- Dial H #4
- First X-Men #1 of 5
- Hawkeye #1
- World's Finest #4