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 (Mar 13-19, 2013)

------- Spotlight

Age of Ultron #2 of 10
(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Bryan Hitch

------- DC Reviews

Batman #18

(w) Scott Snyder     (a) Greg Capullo

Green Lantern Corps #18

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

---------- mini reviews
Demon Knights #18

(w) Robert Vendetti     (a) Bernard Chang

Batman and Robin #18

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Patrick Gleason

Superboy #18

(w) Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco     (a) R.B. Silva


------- Marvel Reviews
Wolverine #1

(w) Paul Cornell     (a) Alan Davis

Uncanny X-Men #3

(w) Brian Michael Bendis     (a) Chris Bachalo

---------- mini Marvel Reviews

Secret Avengers #2

(w) Nick Spencer     (a) Luke Ross

Thor: God of Thunder #6

(w) Jason Aaron     (a) Esad Ribic

Thor: God of Thunder #5

(w) Jason Aaron     (a) Esad Ribic

Thor's history is thick with Norse mythology, Asgardian legends, and a whole lot of general complexity that comes with tales about gods. Unless you're inclined to that type of storytelling and ready to do some backpedaling to understand what's happening, it can be frustratingly difficult to pick apart the obscurities that hold Thor's narrative world together. And each time Thor dies, only to get a new ongoing series, it complicates things even further.

I was skeptical of Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic's Thor: God of Thunder back when it was originally announced. I was not a fan of Aaron's run on The Incredible Hulk, and I was lukewarm, at best, to Wolverine and The X-Men (I've since come around on this front). Similarly, I never in the past was particularly fond of Thor, nor did I seek out his comics. Imagine my surprise when I was completely and totally addicted to Thor: GoT after reading the first issue. This months Thor: God of Thunder #5 wraps up "The God Butcher", Aaron and Ribic's seminal opening salvo that introduces readers to Gorr the God Butcher, the most deadly and vicious foe Thor has ever faced.

Aaron's structure for "The God Butcher" has focused on Thor in three different points in his life, each of which feature a run-in with Gorr and his unfeeling Black Berserkers. The best part about this arc has been how little it relies on previous mythology to propel the story. As I mentioned before, nearly all of Thor's adventures in the past have focused on his ties to Asgard and everything that comes with being part of the royal family. Here, Aaron begins building his own set of rules by which to play, and the result is one of the most engaging and introspective tales about the God of Thunder in quite some time that's also completely new reader-friendly.

Gorr's quest to rid the universe of gods reaches it's next phase this month as the God Butcher secures the final elements necessary to design something capable of enabling him to "explore new horizons of deicide." This isn't the end of the story -- rather, it's more like the end of the first act. Gorr has left a murderous trail of blood across the stars and even that's not enough for him, a being whose singular desire is to see "a godless age". Only total elimination will suffice.

Thor: God of Thunder #5 is an excellent conclusion to a great opening chapter for a character lost in his own world for far too long. Jason Aaron is bringing a storytelling style and creative direction that gives new life to Thor, making him a more relatable character while simultaneously taking him beyond anything he's encountered before. There are a lot of good series that resulted from the 'Marvel NOW!' creative team switch-ups. Jason Aaron and Thor is turning out to be one of the best.

GRADE

9/10

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

REVIEW: THOR - GOD of THUNDER #1

(w) Jason Aaron

Thor: God of Thunder #1-3 all have connecting covers!

(p) Esad Ribic

Moving into the second chapter of "The God Butcher", Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic have toned down the grandeur of the first issue of Thor: God of Thunder in order to better convey a young Thor amongst his Viking subjects. Similarly, while the first issue explored all three eras of Thor's life, Thor: God of Thunder #2 focuses on the Asgardian Avenger years before he was able to lift the hammer, Mjolnir. Spreading out a story to the lengths that Aaron has is a daunting task and one that requires great precision and detail. If Aaron, for even one aspect of the story, slips up and contradicts himself, the entire epic would become a little less...well...epic!

This issue pits Thor against the titular God Butcher for the first time. During a raid into the Slavic northern lands -- a place that will come to be called Russia -- Thor encounters more dead gods when the defending Slavic tribesmen call upon their own deities for aid, only to be answered by a riderless horse and a decapitated god. These are haunting images, first of a bloodied winged horse without a rider, then the headless corpse of a god upon his own Pegasus. This is when the God Butcher attacks Thor, and these two forces of nature begin their apparently life-long struggle against one another.

Jason Aaron is deconstructing the concept of a pantheon of gods. A big part of that is the fact that gods can die in the Marvel universe, though this has been true for quite some time. The other major element of Aaron's tale is the diversity of gods across the cosmos and how they're all seen equally by each other and, most importantly, the God Butcher. Maybe it's social commentary on the relative nature of religious symbolism and how none is better or worse than the others. Perhaps it's a ploy to make gods more of a central idea in the Marvel universe. Or maybe it's just plain cool to see gods being assassinated like mere mortals. Whatever the reason, Aaron's somber take on the role of gods in the lives of mortal beings is phenomenal.

GRADE

8/10

THE WEEK (NOV 28-DEC 4, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW
FF #1
(w) Matt Fraction
(p) Mike Allred
This has got to be my most anticipated 'Marvel NOW!' series besides Young Avengers. It feels like Matt Fraction and Mike Allred are creating a book that's going to be something extremely special in this day and age. Don't miss it.

Reviews

Aquaman #14
(w) Geoff Johns
(p) Pete Woods
It's the aftermath of "The Others" and an unofficial prelude to next the upcoming "Throne of Atlantis" crossover with Justice League. The effects of Black Manta and Aquaman's face-off will be covered, I'm sure, and Ocean Master is making his 'New 52' debut!

Justice League Dark #14
(w) Jeff Lemire
(p) Lee Garbett
The conclusion of "War for the Books of Magic" brought Frankenstein and Amethyst into the fold as new members of the JLD. Jeff Lemire will "pick up the pieces" from the encounter with Nick Necro and get the next exciting arc going!


Superman #14
(w) Scott Lobdell
(p) Kenneth Rocafort
Being a 'Superman' event, technically, I guess I should have assumed we wouldn't get a bulk of the "H'el on Earth" story until an actual issue of Superman. Hopefully, Scott Lobdell can shed some light onto the machinations of H'el...please.

Teen Titans #14
(w) Scott Lobdell
(p) Ale Garza
Red Robin is missing -- presumably due to the events of "Death of the Family" -- so the Titans head to Gotham to look for him. Good idea, right? Nope.

Thor: God of Thunder #2
(w) Jason Aaron
(p) Esad Ribic
Jason Aaron continues his absolutely amazing new run with Thor: God of Thunder and the menace of the God Butcher. Esad Ribic's art seriously adds a whole new level of depth to the story, and Aaron's haunting tale of three eras is riveting.


Uncanny Avengers #2
(w) Rick Remender
(p) John Cassaday
It's been eight weeks since Uncanny Avengers #1, which is a little disconcerting. This is Marvel's new flagship series, and it's second issue was nearly a month late. Fortunately, Rick Remender and John Cassaday is a team I -- and many, many other fans -- am willing to wait for. Early reviews are putting this issue on a pedestal, so hopefully it lives up to the hype.

Extra! Extra!

All-New X-Men #2
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(p) Stuart Immonen

Batman Incorporated #5
(w) Grant Morrison
(p) Chris Burnham

Batman: The Dark Knight #14
(w) Gregg Hurwitz
(p) David Finch

The Flash #14
(w) Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
(p) Francis Manapul

Red Lanterns #14
(w) Peter Milligan
(p) Miguel Sepulveda

EXTRA! EXTRA! (NOV 14-20, 2012)

Batgirl #14

(w) Gail Simone
(p) Ed Benes

While last month's "Death of the Family" prologue issue of Batgirl barely contained any Joker references, Batgirl #14 more than makes up for it by throwing Barbara right smack-dab in the middle of the Joker's terrifying schemes. Gail Simone's writing improves significantly this month from last as Barbara's terror and fear over the return of the Joker is positively palpable -- the mysterious caller leading Batgirl to the Joker definitely adds to the air of darkness and horror. Simone is actually tackling two plot lines here, as DC's February solicitations touted the return of James Gordon Jr, Barbara's insane brother who is revealed to the sadistic caller who manipulated Barbara into the Joker's clutches. Not only are we getting Joker-related "Family" drama, but we also get actual family drama between Barbara and her brother -- I'm seriously considering re-subscribing to Batgirl.

GRADE: 8/10

Batman and Robin #14
(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(p) Patrick Gleason

I don't know what Batman and Robin is doing anymore -- after a positively fun first arc featuring an old-yet-new villain tied to Bruce Wayne's past, Peter J. Tomasi has struggled to find solid footing with the series since, and it's starting to get annoying. Of course, Tomasi is very good about making sure each issue he writes includes some relationship-building sequence between Bruce and Damian, but when that emotional journey overshadows the actual plot right in the middle of a generally hectic sequence, then it doesn't work well anymore. And while "Death of the Family" doesn't start up in B&R until next month, the Joker is shoehorned into being the villain behind the 'zombie' outbreak in Gotham, for some reason. It doesn't make a lot of sense, making it feel like DC editorial keeps pushing Tomasi around until they get what they want from each issue.

GRADE: 6.5/10

Thor: God of Thunder #1

(w) Jason Aaron
(p) Esad Ribic

Jason Aaron's take on Thor Odinson is yet another instance where 'Marvel NOW!' has gone against the grain of my usual comic preferences -- Thor: God of Thunder #1 is the most fun I've had with Thor ever. By looking in on Thor at three different points of his life, Aaron is giving readers a much deeper understanding of the Asgardian god that's been missing from the character for years in the name of plot development (see Siege). Also, Thor's in space for the Present Day sequence, and that's just awesome in and of itself. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Thor: God of Thunder, and how invested I am in Jason Aaron's dark and twisted tale of the God Butcher.

GRADE: 8.5/10

THE WEEK (NOV 14-20, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW
All-New X-Men #1
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(p) Stuart Immonen
Brian Michael Bendis' tenure on X-Men books starts here with All-New X-Men #1, chronicling the time-displaced original five X-Men as they come to the present and learn to cope with the world post-AvX. BMB did wonders for the Avengers, so hopefully he can do the same with the X-Men.

Batman #14
(w) Scott Snyder
(p) Greg Capullo
"Death of the Family" continues this month as the Joker attacks Alfred! Already, "DotF" seems like it's going to involve Joker pushing all of Batman's biggest buttons. It's all deliciously sadistic. Scott Snyder is absolutely tearing it up with Batman.

Fantastic Four #1
(w) Matt Fraction
(p) Mark Bagley
Matt Fraction is one of Marvel's best writers currently, and his FF prologue story in Marvel NOW! Point One promised amazing things from Marvel's first family and their substitutes. Also, Mark Bagley is just a phenomenal artist.

Green Lantern Corps #14
(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(p) Fernando Pasarin
Another of DC's events continues this week with "Rise of the Third Army" in Green Lantern Corps #14. So far, only GLC and Red Lanterns have come face-to-face with actual Third Army drones, so I'm excited to see where this issue goes.

The Phantom Stranger #2
(w) Dan Didio
(p) Brent Anderson
I'm definitely in the minority in my love of Dan Didio's The Phantom Stranger. It's a campy book through and through, and Didio doesn't shy away from this premise. This month, Pandora makes a guest appearance!

Superboy #14
(w) Tom DeFalco
(p) RB Silva
"H'el on Earth" starts here! We got to see H'el briefly at the end of Superman #13, and now he's center stage to take on the Boy of Steel! We know -- through various back-stories and #0's -- that Krypton once had a clone problem. How will that play into H'el's interactions with Superboy?

X-Men Legacy #1
(w) Si Spurrier
(p) Tan Eng Huat
Destined to be the black sheep to Bendis' All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, Si Spurrier's X-Men Legacy will focus on the late Professor Xavier's son, David, and his uncontrollable, reality-altering powers.

Extra! Extra!

Batgirl #14
(w) Gail Simone
(p) Ed Benes

Demon Knights #14
(w) Paul Cornell
(p) Bernard Chang

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #14
(w) Matt Kindt
(p) Alberto Ponticelli

Thor: God of Thunder #1
(w) Jason Aaron
(p) Esad Ribic

X-Treme X-Men #6
(w) Greg Pak
(p) Paco Diaz