EXTRA! EXTRA! (JAN 23-29, 2013)

Green Lantern Corps #16
(Tomasi, Pasarin)

Green Lantern Corps #0 back in September introduced Guy Gardner's family, a plot element that's continued throughout "Rise of the Third Army" as Guy's illustrious rank in the Corps is stripped and he's forced to go back to Earth, disgraced and powerless. Peter J. Tomasi has done a great job fleshing out Guy's downward spiral that comes to a head this month in Green Lantern Corps #16 as the Third Army goes after Guy. With guest stars B'dg and Simon Baz from the pages of Green Lantern, Tomasi is building up to next week's explosive finale of "Rise of the Third Army" that will lead into "Wrath of the First Lantern", an event that promises to change the cosmic landscape of the DCnU.

GRADE: 8/10

Red Hood and The Outlaws #16
(Lobdell, Green II, Faucher)

While definitely on the 'not terribly relevant' end of the spectrum for "Death of the Family" tie-ins, Red Hood and The Outlaws #16 does provide an interesting crossover between the title and the Teen Titans who join Arsenal and Starfire in searching for their respective Red-titled leaders. This issue is about setting up the future of Red Hood and The Outlaws by touching on Roy Harper's surprising past with Killer Croc, a look at the mysterious Dr. Hugo Strange, as well as an epilogue about Deathstroke pointing toward some re-envisioned classic Titans/Deathstroke action! Of all the titles he's writing for DC, Scott Lobdell's work on this series is the best: it's relatable and meaningful, it's not saturated with internal monologue, and the characters feel like real people instead of an idea of what people should sound like. Even though the Joker is hardly a focus of this chapter in "Death of the Family", the tie-in label is still valid because Joker's actions have caused a lot more consequences than even the Clown Prince of Crime could have anticipated.

GRADE: 8/10

Supergirl #16
(Johnson, Asrar)

While I was a big fan of Supergirl since it started, I've found myself liking it less and less every month, starting with the departure of series co-writer Michael Green II, then with the "H'el on Earth" tie-in issues that feel so forced I almost want to just stop reading the book until all this Kryptonian stuff is sorted out. Supergirl #16 continues the odd trend of reworking Kara's unique personality; instead of being the bold, independent thinker she'd been for 13 issues thus far, Kara's become a slack-jawed servant to the whims of H'el, a guy who couldn't look more evil and despicable if he tried. Homesickness can go a long way in influencing actions, but it's hard to balance Kara's total support of H'el's obviously insane machinations against her previous, well-adjusted self. I'm hoping we'll get the Kara we all know and love back after the conclusion of "H'el on Earth."

GRADE: 7/10

Uncanny X-Force #1
(Humphries, Garney, Miki)

With a title that requires this series to somewhat live up to the spectacle of it's predecessor, Sam Humphries and Ron Garney's Uncanny X-Force is about a new era for some of Marvel's leading ladies, as well as Puck, the mystical dwarf from Canada. But I digress because UXF (v2) is actually very fun and entertaining -- Storm and Psylocke are working together to find and stop classic X-Men villain Spiral from peddling her hive-mind hallucinogenics to club scene ravers. So far, there's not a lot to explain exactly why all these characters will eventually join forces (including Fantomex offshoot Cluster), but that's not the point of this first issue: it's to show how Betsy Braddock -- the only remaining member of the previous X-Force team unless you kind of count Cluster -- hasn't moved on from what happened with that team and how those lingering emotions are making her life unlivable. This volume of Uncanny X-Force has the potential to be one of the coolest 'Marvel NOW!' series going forward, but it's going to take a voice of it's own that's not drowned out by other female-centric books like the non-adjectived X-Men or even Fearless Defenders.

GRADE: 7.5/10

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! (OCT 3-9, 2012)

AvX: VS. #6 of 6
(W) Kieron Gillen
(P) Jim Cheung
(I) Jim Cheung, Mark Roslan, and Mark Morales

As an experiment, AvX: VS was a learning experience more than anything - it showed what creators could do under a different set of rules, some more freeing, others more strict. AvX: VS #6 showcases the best of what the series has to offer, with the main event between Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers not only taking the prize for most interesting duel in the entire run, but also giving readers more than just a fight, which is what we wanted all along. The latter half is filled with awesome one-page bouts that we didn't get to see throughout the Avengers vs. X-Men event, but in a humorous light (like showdowns between Jeeves and Toad, the science-y characters in the Marvel U, Red Hulk and Domino, Iceman and Iron Fist, and lastly, Squirrel Girl and Pixie, whose magic dice may have caused more damage than they anticipated). This was a strong finish for a tumultuous series.

GRADE: 8/10

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #2 of 4

(W) Brian Azzarello

(P/I) Lee Bermejo

While I very much enjoyed Rorschach #1, this second issue has really mutated into something I now don't want to read - somewhere along the line, Brian Azzarello decided it would be good sport to make Rorschach as much like Batman as possible, except here, Rorschach talks in two-to-three word sentences exclusively. I seem to remember that good ol' Inky Face didn't like prostitutes that much - going so far as to kill them - yet here, he's readily defending a woman of the night against her pimp, albeit to get to a bigger catch, but it's hypocritical nonetheless.  Azzarello is now batting zero for two with Rorschach and Comedian, the two least enjoyable books of the entire Before Watchmen line. Seriously, just stick to the other four (and upcoming Moloch) series because these two are simply unnecessary and silly.

GRADE: 4/10

Stormwatch #13
(W) Peter Milligan
(P/I) Will Conrad and Cliff Richards

I love me some Stormwatch - it's a series that, so far, has been set literally and figuratively at the fringe of DC's 'New 52' universe. Stormwatch #13 starts a new arc for the title, as Peter Milligan gives us more and more connections between the Stormwatch organization and the group of heroes banded together in Medieval times over in Demon Knights. There has already been a lot of foreshadowing that the Demon's Knights eventually become that era's Stormwatch, but here, Milligan finally brings Etrigan the Demon into current day continuity! Demon Knights has been one of my favorite titles from DC's 'New 52', and Stormwatch has been getting better and better ever since Milligan took over and stared planting the seeds of this awesome crossover.

GRADE: 7.5/10

Uncanny X-Force #32

(W) Rick Remender

(P/I) Phil Noto

Uncanny X-Force is so good, it makes me excited and worried for Rick Remender's upcoming 'Marvel NOW!' titles - I know Uncanny Avengers will be good, but I'm concerned Captain America will suffer because Remender seems to only be able to focus on one title at a time, as evidenced by his lackluster arc on Secret Avengers. Uncanny X-Force #32 is another brilliant chapter in possibly the best series Marvel currently publishes each month. "Final Execution" heats up as Deadpool and Evan (clone of Apocalypse) are confronted by the Evil Brotherhood of Mutants as Deadpool tries to break Evan out of their stronghold. Wolverine and Psylocke offer back-up, but times are looking grim for X-Force, as the premonition of Evan's ascension to the Apocalypse throne seems to be getting closer and closer.

GRADE: 9.5/10

Uncanny X-Men #19
(W) Kieron Gillen
(P/I) Dale Eaglesham

Uncanny X-Men #19 is "The Passion of Scott Summers", a look at what the leader of the X-Men was going through - internally - as he amassed the cosmic power and became the Dark Phoenix, ravaging the world before being defeated by the Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers. I typically don't like stories being told exclusively in formulaic first person perspective, but Kieron Gillen does an apt job convincing me that Scott Summers (of all people) is actually thinking these thoughts. It's incredibly hard to convey the idea of omnipotence (obviously), but Gillen somehow finds a way to come close by showing that even with all his power, Scott is still just a person, mostly unable to control or understand how that power actually works. It's sad knowing that Gillen is moving off UXM (due, mostly, to it's cancellation), but he's moving on to the newly announced Young Avengers, which gives me high hopes for the series.

GRADE: 8/10

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)