Justice League Unlimited #22 - DC

Again, this book is done in almost the exact same style as the cartoon. The difference being, the cartoon mostly seems to focus on 3 or 4 characters at a time. The Justice League has such a huge array of characters, you just want to see as many as possible. The book gives you character development on more per issue than per episode of the cartoon. The nice thing about this book also, is that it gives a little moral with each story. I'm sure that is for the kids, seeing that this book is probably targeted for pre-teen on up, but it's kind of nice to see those stories with a lesson. Also, this book is not just for kids. It's the Justice League. Everybody has a favorite character in here somewhere. They are also true to regular DC continuity. There's a little artistic license and stretching here and there. But, mostly the stories could fit anywhere in the DC universe. This issue focus' mainly on Gypsy. She's a leaguer from the Detroit Justice League. But she's fighting alongside Captain Atom, Mr. Terrific, Flash, Supergirl, Aztec, the Ray, and Huntress. So there's always a good mix of characters. Like I said for the Teen Titans, if you like the cartoon, but you haven't checked out the book yet, you should, you won't be dissapointed.

Teen Titans Go! #31 - DC

If you like the cartoon on Cartoon Network, you'll love the book. It is done in the exact same style. It appears to me that they found a formula that works with the cartoon, and they kept it the same for the comic book. And unlike the cartoon, where you seem to find nothing but reruns 8 months out of the year, this is a new story that comes out every month. I have both my nephews hooked on this book too. It's just a fun read. All your favorite characters are here, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire. It has all the fun, and the tongue-in-cheek humor of the cartoon. These are usually 1 issue stories. Occasionally 2, but not often. If you like the cartoon, but you haven't read the book yet, check it out. You won't be dissapointed.

JSA #86 - DC

First I'm a huge George Perez fan. So, his covers over the last couple of issues have been phenomonal. Paul Levitz does a good job of bringing some of the JSA's old history back to haunt them, literally. Jerry Ordway, who has an old style feel to his artwork while remaining crisp & fresh, is perfect for these stories. And, finally, Luke Ross, who is doing the history fill-in pages for the Gentleman Ghost, is doing his painted work, which he started on Jonah Hex, and it is awesome. The Gentleman Ghost has come back, which we've seen hints of over the last 6 to 8 months, and has decided that he wants to come back to life. Well in order to do this, he has to bring all the people he hates into a certain place, at a certain time, and kill them. Enter the JSA. Now the twist to this story is that through the process of all this, we've find out that Stargirl's powers and his don't seem to work on each other. Therefore, somehow, she's going to be the key to bringing him down. This book is so good because there is such a rich cast of characters. All of these characters could be in their own books, and some have here or there. But in this group setting they all put their egos aside to to work together, and do what they have to do to beat whatever foe they're fighting at the time. This is a true team book. And one of the originals to. This book takes you back to the feel of the JSA, JLA or ever Avengers of the 70's. It's a fun read, and you get to see alot of your favorite characters. To bad it's coming to an end.

Action Comics #839 - DC

We're in the one year later storyline, and with this issues Superman gets his powers back. Well they've been gradually coming back over the last couple chapters, but now they're full blown. And then some. First we learn how he lost his powers, during Infinite Crisis. Then we see him now, in Metropolis, face a cadre of super freaks who think they can take him down. When will they learn? He has a couple problems, as he's adapting to his newly returned powers, but overall he's stronger and smarter than ever. He ends up using their powers against each other and bringing them down pretty quick. Now he has to deal with the reinvigorated life of Clark Kent. After all he hasn't had powers for a year, so the only way he could fight or expose crime is as a reporter. Which he seems to have really sunk his teeth into. But, now that part of his live has to suffer again. Perry even pleads to Lois, "He's been so good lately, Lois. This whole past year. He's been dependable, steady - - hell, he's been brilliant. We need him to stay good. To stay sharp - -". But, obviously, now that he has to juggle again, something has to suffer. Add to this that Lex has brought up some Kryptonian artifact from deep under the earth. At first it's tearing up Metropolis, but it's ultimate goal is to create some kind of ship or fortress or something, for Lex to work out of and to help him in whatever his next evil scheme is. Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek craft a very good tale here. Renato Guedes, who appears to be a newcomer, does the art & colors, to which he does an exemplary job. Superman, his storys and his creative teams, have really been strong over the last 4 to 5 years. I don't know how long this team will be around, but they seem to have a very good feel for the character. We've been watching him deal with his loss of powers, for the last 6 chapters. Now it looks like we're going to see how he adjusts to getting them back.

Son of M #6 - Marvel

This has been a pretty interesting series. This is the last book though. But, it started out during the "House of M" drama. Quicksilver had lost his powers during that whole thing, and he knew if he could get to the moon and get the terrigan mists he could fix that. It ended up being more of an Inhuman story than an X-men story, at least I think it did. And the writing and the art were all very well crafted. David Hine did a good job of making us feel all the nuances of a person loosing their power and what they might go through, or be willing to do, to get them back. You really feel for this character. However, at the same time you know what he is doing is wrong and he's putting the Inhuman's in jeapordy. He even goes to the extent of using his daughter to help him get away with the goods. In her eyes he can do no wrong, and he uses that to get her to do something she probably wouldn't do on her own. Kind of ironic that that's how his father, Magneto, had treated him. Now thrown into the mix are some of the mutants that were left on Genosha. You also learn how, with the Inhumans, the use of the mists were a religious act. Therefore, moderated and used controllingly. When the mist are used without control, and the recipient isn't Inhuman, the side effects are worse than not having your powers. In the end, Quicksilver escapes capture, and somehow the mists have given him the ability to vibrate, or whatever, into the future. You don't really learn what he saw, but in his words "The world seems so peaceful. It's hard to believe that so much chaos is on it's way." And somehow, now, he can use his powers to kickstart others. And it looks like he's kickstarting bad guys. Obviously, this is not the end. The artist, Roy Allen Martinez, gives this book a genuine feel all it's own. His artwork flows from frame to frame very well. You'll probably be able to get this in a trade pretty soon. And you probably should, because this could be the start of something big.

Superman Returns - Prequel #1 - DC

Ok, I understand the need for this story. With the new "Superman Returns" movie coming out this summer, DC wants to make sure anyone that hasn't been reading this character lately, can get caught up with the story leading up to the movie. Now we all know that the movie versions of comics are never quite the same as the real deal. But, I think that we all accept that they take artistic license to make the character fit the screen, and the 2 to 3 hour storylines. And if they're truly doing this to bring the viewers up to speed, so they don't have to explain as much during the movie, then fantastic. As I've said before, that's why I think both the sequels to X-men and Spider-man were better than the original, was because with the second ones they didn't have to focus as much on explaining the history, and got to focus more on the story or the action. But, the whys are neither here nor there. This is a decent book. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray write it. And for a story that's been told and retold many times, they made it interesting. Ariel Olivetti does the art. He is a relative newcomer, past 8 to 10 years maybe, but I really like his stuff. He's has a unique style right from the beginning, but with each new project I think his stuff gets better. We all know this story. There's not really any new twists in this one. However, I like the view and dialogue of the Kryptonians. And I'm sure that next issue, they'll develop the Jonathon and Martha characters a little. All in all this is a nice book. If you know the story, you probably don't need this. But, if you're a collector like I am, you'll probably want it.

New X-men # 27 - Marvel

Ok I've stuck with this book through it's 3 or 4 title changes. This book, now is actually on issue 45 to 55 right now. But, that's ok. My guess is that they've decided to change their approach to these characters, and the title that they started with, was no longer going to fit the adapted group and storyline. Whether or not that's true, I don't know. But I'll keep telling myself it is. Anyways, what started out as various teams, or squads, has been filtered down into about 10 to 12 main characters. Some of the periphery ones got killed off in this issue. Thinning the flock I guess. Also in this book they are making a major change to the Josh Foley character. He finds out that William Stryker in the one responsible for Laurie's death, and uses his powers in a way either he, nor anyone else, knew was possible. There was somekind of feedback, and now he's incapacitated for awhile. And, supposedly, Stryker is dead. Also, we got the Sentinel Prime (?), looking for Forge for some reason, and the last page of the book, it finds him. First of all, it's good to see Forge brought back into the X-men storylines. Fantastic character. Second, this book is really turning in to an interesting group of characters. Nothing at all like the original X-men. Other than name, and they happen to be in the X-men school. But, other than that. And again that's ok. We've seen the X-men recreated many times. And, eventually, they fall back in to the same patterns and teams. I'm not complaining, because I really like the X-men. But, it's just good to see some new blood. And someone who's not going to be the next Cyclops, or the next Storm. We already have those characters. It's good to see some fresh ideas. Now, we have Craig Kyle & Chris Yost writing. Doing a pretty decent job. And Paca Medina on pencils. And, Paco's pencils have really been growing into this book. I really feel that this book is getting a feel all it's own in the X-men universe. I like it, and I look forward to seeing what's going to happen next. What more can I ask for?

Front Line - Civil War / Marvel Spotlight #1 Civil War

Ok I'm just gonna lump these 2 books together, because they're more like prequels, or addendums to the big Civil War storyline. I really don't want to complain, because I remember that this is just a company trying to make money, just like any other company. But, do they really have to put out all this extra stuff for the big story. Civil War is only on issue 2, but I'm willing to bet there's been at least 20 books come out so far that are either directly related to the story, or at least have the Civil War logo on the cover. I think it's a bit much. Ok, yes the story should have ramifications across the Marvel Universe, but the thing that really get me about these huge epic crossovers, first, is that half the books that supposedly tie in to this story as it's going along, will have no changes whatsoever coming out of this huge event. Sure there may be some creator changes, but to me that's not really a change in the core character or substance of a book or storyline. So, those books are disposable. Then, yes there probably will be a radical change in a few characters, but, either one of two things will happen. Either, first, it will be to a minor character, or some obscure character that they're trying to bring out of hybernation. Hello! Those characters are in hybernation for a reason. They SUCK! Or, second, they will make some radical change to a character, and then 10 to 12 months down the road something will happen to take them back to the way they were. Therefore the other half of the books are disposable. For instance, how long does anyone really think Spider-man will remain in the Tony Stark designed spider suit? 6 months? A year? Longer? I, personally, give it a year. Tops!! If you want characters to become embedded in the culture of the purchases, you have to let them change. Let them evolve. Let them grow. Let them become a product of the environment around them, which is the current world & events. Sure there's going to be some people mad when their favorite character changes. So what? There's going to be just as many fans that applaud the change, and will be mad when they change back. I'm really not trying to be cynical. Yes, I will give this storyline a chance. But, I can just see the writing on the wall. Yes you have to give them credit for trying something new and different. But, if things don't turn out like they expect. Or if they start getting complaints about how someone feels their handling a character, BOOOM!!! Everything will go back to the status quo. Then, our investments as consumers, becomes moot. I really hope they prove me wrong. But, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Jonah Hex #8 - DC

Who'd have thought it. The year is 2006 and Western comics are hot. It this the Bizarro world? Seriously though, between the two DC entrees into this genre, Loveless and Jonah Hex, it is clear that they are taking this step seriously. This series started out with some beautiful Luke Ross art. I know. Luke Ross is ok, but, beautiful. Seriously. He was doing the painted art style that other artists are doing now. And it was looking pretty good. Right now he's doing that for some fill in pages on JSA. I hope that's the only reason he's been off of this book for the last two issues. I hope he'll be back. Not only did his art look good, but it really fit the story well. This book is done by Dylan Teague (pgs 1-13) and Val Semeiks (pgs 14-22). Now, I like Val's work, but this Dylan Teague's stuff fits the story a lot better. Add to this, that the story is written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, and we've got a heck of a book. And a western. They're taking a good approach to the book. The stories are uncomplicated, in that you don't have to know a whole lot of the history to enjoy it. And they're pretty much one issue stories. And they're good stories. There really hasn't been a whole lot from any of the stories so far, other than the main character, to tie any of them together. But that's ok. You kind of think of these being simpler times, and these are simpler stories. This particular one has an old aquaintence of Jonah's seeing him in this town that he just brought the heads of 5 bounty's to. He needs Jonah's help because he has this party of "Bedroll Killers" chasing him. Of course there's a twist to the story, but, basically they come to town, Jonah shows some patience and sorts things out. He then wraps up the situation, and in the end is ready to move on to the next town. With all these space drama, and multi-part, multi-crossover, stories going on, it's nice to sit down with something like this, read it, and enjoy it. I don't think it's going to light the sales charts on fire, but it's a nice distraction from everything going on in the rest of the superhero universes.

Batman : Secrets #4 - DC

Sam Kieth writes and draws this. I've liked Sam's work for a long time. This, this is probably some of the best stuff I've seen from him ever! His panels are a huge mixture of styles. Of coarse some are cartoony, but then, he has some panels in this book that are just mastery. Maybe he's trying that painted style like so many other artists are doing right now, but whatever it is, it is incredible. There are so many panels in this book that I would love to blow up and frame. Then there's his writing talent. I love the humor that he puts into his stories. Batman's pummeling him, while he dressed in an astronaut uniform, don't ask, and the Joker is whining, "Hey . . . . this suit cost me $300!" To which Batman says, "This ends now. I won't let you hurt those two innocent - -", to which Joker replys, "Now, who's a joker?" Great stuff. Basically this book is about the Joker framing the Batman, because on one of his jaunts, a passerby took a picture of their altercation, and from the angle and lighting and everything, it really looks like Batman is taking a sadistic liking to the thrashing he is handing out. So he gets this picture out there everywhere, and trys to use it to turn public opinion against the Batman, and in favor of the Joker, through sympathy. That lasts for about a day and a half. But in that time, Joker thinks that he has stumbled across some secret that Batman has that, for the Joker, will just solve the whole mystery. Of course he's wrong. But, his attempts at trying to push the Batman are hysterical. There's an interlude in the middle, where, basically Batman and Joker are sitting in the shadows side by side staring out at us. Joker says, "So?" . . . . "Are you going to tell me?" . . . . . a couple frames of silence . . . . . "Pretty please?" . . . . a couple more frames of silence . . . . . "You're so serious all the time. Lighten up." . . . . . . . . . . . "You know to much stress can kill you." His capture of the characters is just right on the button. This story ends with the woman Joker's holding captive, holding a gun to his head, cocking the trigger and says, "I want you to think very carefully before answering this question. Do you love me?" End of story. Obviously this book will be out in trade paperback soon. But whether you want to get the originals, or the reprint, you should check out this story. This is one of the best Batman mini-series I've seen in a long time.

Wonder Woman #1 - DC

I have to say I have a lot of hopes for this book. I really liked the way the last series ended. This book has Diana & Donna. The focus is on Donna first, but she proves to be no match for Dr Psycho, Giganta and the Cheetah. They are looking for Diana, and after beating her, abduct Donna to take them to her. We find out on the last page though, that she's still around, but Sarge Steel introduces her to Nemesis, as Agent Diana Prince, his new partner. Yowza!!! I wouldn't mind being on a stakeout with her. I have to admit that I'm not familiar with Allen Heinberg, but I liked his first issue. Lots of character development, a couple of subplot thrown in and the reintroduction of some cool characters. I am, however, a big fan of Terry Dodson's artwork. I think that it has only improved since he seems to be working almost exclusively with his wife, Rachel, on inks. I think some people can ink Terry's work, a little to heavy, but Rachel seems to have just the right feel for it. Like I said, I think it has actually improved over the last year or two. There's a lot of explaining going on in this issue, but that's ok. I think it's mostly to bring people who aren't familiar with the character up to speed. I think the history is explained well, but the story leaves you hanging where it needs to. I just have to say that I think that the most perfect run on Wonder Woman was the Phil Jimenez run. The artwork was awesome, the story was awesome, and I feel that the whole ensemble (Wonder Woman, the Themysciran people and nation, and all of Wonder Woman's supporting characters) took huge leaps and bounds that hadn't been obtained by anyone else. Some of you might argue that George Perez' run was the pinnacle, but that's a discussion for another time. Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is, that run symbolizes the success that this book can achieve. Are Allen & Terry up to this challenge? I believe they are. I don't expect this to be like those books. But, that was Wonder Woman and all her mythos at their peak. Hopefully this team will achieve that greatness and go beyond. We'll see. We also have to see how long Terry stays on this book. Personally, I give him 10-12 issues. We'll see. And yes I did buy the $10 Adam Kubert cover.

Noble Causes #20 - Image

First of all with this book, Jay Faerber, writes an awesome story. It's almost like a soap opera, but with two super-powered families, the Nobles and the Blackthorns. The Noble are, supposedly, "good" and the Blackthorns are, supposedly, "bad". These families interact back and forth. Some out in the open, some undercover, or under the covers. There's a short list of friends that fall into the stories also. But mostly it's about these two families and their adventures. Both together, and separate. The series has had, I think, a one shot or two, two mini-series, and then this continuing one which is now on #20. The art was ok in the beginning, got a little iffy a couple of times in the middle, but now there's a new artist, Jon Bosco. He looks like he has a lot of potential. Right now, he looks green. But I think it will improve. But, the quality of the story, more that makes up for anything else. There's a lot of nuances in the character development, that really make the reader invest in the story. This book definitely isn't burning up the charts. I think my comic dealer only buys about 4 copies every month. But, I think it's a sleeper. Between the 2 families, you got about 15 or 16 characters, but Jay does a good job of focusing a little attention on each one every month. It's almost like a team-up book, but, it's not. It's a book that if you can get ahold of the trade paperbacks, you could get caught up. And I think you'd be happy with your investment. I like it. But, that's me. Try it out and let me know what you think.

52 Week 5 - DC

I love how these 4 writers (Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka , Mark Waid) are putting this book together. The opening page is Animal Man's wife and daughter standing in the front yard of their house. The wife is taking down a banner that says, "Welcome Home Hero". And the daughter says, "Dad's not coming home from space, is he?" I mean, to them, being off in space, or wherever, is as commonplace as being over in Irag for the war. Alan Scott shows up to tell her that Buddy is missing, so she decides that there is still hope and unrolls the banner. I mean the nuances that they are putting into these characters are spectacular. Anyways, Alan Scott is back missing an eye, and the one that he does have isn't his. Who's is it? Shayera is back, but she's about 40 feet tall and in a coma. And Firestorm and Cyborg are back, but they've been fused together. Oh, and Mal Duncan came through also, but he has some type of speaker aparatus, from Red Tornado, clamped onto his chest. Oh, and Animal Man, Adam Strange (who has no eyes) & Koriandr are stranded on a beautiful, exotic world together. This weekly serial that they're putting together is outstanding. I haven't seen this much character development written in to a story in a long time. I know the "super-hero" books are all about the fights, and teamups and larger than life situations. But, I really like to get invested in the characters that I'm reading about. I really like this book. In case you couldn't tell. If you're not buying this, you need to. Go back, find the first four, do what you gotta' do, but get on board with this series. You won't regret it.

X-men: The End - Men & X-men - Book 3 - #6 Marvel

This is a cool book for anyone who loves the X-men. Basically, over the course of the last 3 chapters, this being the third, Chris Claremont is telling the story of the end of the X-men. It's set an unknown number of years in the future. And, I guess, is supposed to be the story that eventually will wrap up the entire X-men continuity. So therefore it's only fitting that's it being done by Chris Claremont. Which I'm sure is by his design also. So far we've seen Magneto die. And in this story, Cassandra Nova and Xavier meld into one with the Phoenix along with some of the remaining X-men including Jean Grey, Madelyn Pryor and Scott Summers. Plus there's also lots of other X-men and Super Guardians that are wiped out. During this story Kitty Pryde is elected Mayor of Chicago, but at the end of the story, 20 years later, she is now the President and in giving a speech the only X-men I see left in the crowd is Wolverine, Bishop & his family, Nightcrawler & his family, Bobby Drake, Beast, Raven Darkholme and a couple more. But, that's about it. This, I believe is the end of the story. Although at the bottom of the last page it says, "the Beginning". But I don't believe there's going to be another installment of this set. Now, the problem is, with all X-men continuity, you don't ever know until later whether this continuity takes place in our timeline or not. And as far as that goes, they could say it's the ending for our X-men now, but then later something happens that changes our timeline then it's not our ending anymore. I know. Very complicated. But to most of us that's what we love about this group, sorry, family. Although some could say it's a cheap way out. Which it is. But if it's been done 20 times before, what's 21? But that being said, I do like this story. You get to see an aspect of these characters that we might not necessarily see in a regular X-men story. Plus it's a big climactic, end of the world story, which is where the X-men are best. I also did like Sean Chen's artwork. Unless you're a diehard fan I wouldn't worry to much about running out and getting the rest of the series because I'm sure it'll be out in Trade Paperback format within 2 months. But it is worth reading in some form or another.

Outsiders #37 - DC

This has always been one of my favorite books. I love the Teen Titans. This book with it's cast of characters, it more closely tied to that book than any other. Since the 1 Year Later storylines have started, this book is even better. Judd Winick writes it and Matthew Clark draws it, and they both seem to be working together wonderfully. Right now we're in the middle of a story where, the Outsiders are in some African country trying to bring down a vicious dictator of a country. In the process they come across a cloned Jay Garrick. Through their investigations, or interrogations, or just beating the information out of people, they've come to find out that Monsieur Mallah and the Brain, now calling themselves Silver & Grey, for Silverback and Grey Matter, are scouring the world for DNA from Meta-humans so that they can clone then and sell them to the highest bidder as weapons. Their alterior motive for this is to figure out an exact cloning process so they can clone the brain a body that won't reject it's tissue. The twist to this, is that underneath all this is a love story. See, Monsieur Mallah is in love with the Brain. And I think, that he thinks, that should their plan come to it's fruition, that the Brain will not be nearly as close to Monsieur Mallah because he will be much more self sufficient. So, I wouldn't doubt if Mallah isn't sabotaging the cloning process along the way. Maybe not intentionally, but definitely subconsiously. Now, add to this that Robin would love to get his hands on their plans, because he himself is frantically trying to repeat the cloning process for his best friend Superboy. So we have a pair of "Criminal" and a pair of "Good-Guys" trying to accomplish the same thing, pretty much for the same reason, but obviously on opposite sides of the law. Kind of ironic. Anyways, with the Outsiders, they are truly now outsiders. The world thinks they are dead. And they now have the new Captain Boomerang on their team. Add to this that Superman made a personal appearance to reprimand Nightwing for the way he's handling things. To which Nightwing replies, "There are things that none of you are willing to do. Things that have to be done for the common good. I will do these things." And he also let Superman know that he had Krptonite available should it be necessary. As Captain Boomerang said, after evesdropping on Superman and Nightwings exchange, "Look at the pair on you!" I can't really tell who did the cover, but it's great. Check out this book.

Ultimate Extinction #5 - Marvel

Another Marvel-ous book by writer extraodinaire Warren Ellis, and the magnificent pencils of Brandon Peterson. I've always liked Brandon, but not one of my favorites. But with this story, you have got to check out the art. Fantastic pencils, fantastic shading, outstanding details. Clearly the best I've ever seen from him. It's an Ultimate story about Gah Lak Tus coming to our earth, or the Ultimate earth. We see the Ultimate Vision, Silver Surfer, Mar-Vel, and throw in the Ultimate Fantastic Four, X-Men and Ultimates. Stir it up and have Warren Ellis write it, and you have history in the making. And how do we defeat Gah Lak Tus? With the power of our thoughts. "Above us is death. But it's a stupid, fearful death. And it's afraid of us. It's scared of us because we make things. Because we love. Because we imagine. Because we wonder what's next." "It cannot get close to us because our humanity makes it afraid. Give us your thoughts. Think of making things. Think of who you love. Your ideas, your fantasies, your ambitions. Each of those thoughts is a bullet. And we have the gun." Then after the cannon is fired, Xavier's thoughts are, "Contact. Remember me Gah Lak Tus? I've brought six billion of my friends to meet you." Then as Gah Lak Tus convulses in horror over us touching it, Reed Richards has accessed a baby universe. "A vast space of volatile gases, waiting for its Big Bang." "We're dropping the world's biggest H-bomb through the gate and detonating it there. Then we're going to fire the Big Bang from a baby universe through the gate at Gah Lak Tus." Then as it speeds away, they download the Ultimate Vision with the plans and technology of how they beat it, and send it racing through space after it so, hopefully, they can stop Gah Lak Tus from doing the same to some other unsuspecting race. I bet that's going to piss him, it, off. Who else but Warren Ellis could come up with this stuff? I know that this is a broad all-consuming remark, but if you want a well written book that makes you think, buy anything that Warren Ellis has written. You won't be disappointed. This was a fantastic Mini-series. And, as with all Ultimate books, it leaves you asking, "what's next?"

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man #9 - Marvel

First of all, if you've read any of my stuff, you know that I'm a huge fan of Spider-man. I'm also a fan of Peter David (writer), and Mike Wieringo (artist). However, with that being said, this story is just muddled. When I started reading this, I skipped the recap page, because you all know how much I hate 'em. I got 5 or 6 pages into the book, and had no idea what was going on. This is, as I mention in another review, a forced history or continuity. But with this one, maybe not so much forced, as jammed down my throat. They're trying to explain the Hobgoblin from . . . . 2211? How he, sorry she, had abducted the Spider-man from 2099, in an otherwise completely forgettable Spider-man special from 1995, and brought him back to meet the original Spider-man, for some forgettable reason. That was the first and only time that Hobgoblin 2211 was seen. Never seen again in Spider-man 2099, or anywhere else. Now, his, or her, history, which really hasn't happened yet, is being shoved down our throat so that this HG can be forced into Peter's continuity. It's also going to force a bunch of Spider-man geeks, unfortunately myself included, to jump on E-bay and start looking for this special that probably wasn't worth the $2 or $3 it cost the first time it came out. Which is going to make us pay $5 - $10 for a book that the only reason we want it is to have a complete continuity. Thanks!!
Thanks, for that headache. And, to top it off, I really do like time travel stories. This one, is just way to muddled. It leaves a lot more questions than it answers. It also muddies it up by, somehow, having HG cross some other dimension and not only come back to our time himself, err herself, but somehow, for some reason, dragging Ben Parker back with her from some other dimension. Did that make sense? Now, add to that, what looks like a "Spider-corps" from the future are actually "timespinners" whom "the universe owes for our efforts, a thousand times over." And after a long drawn out dramatic scene with the "spinners", where basically we get a whining version of what their job is, why they do it, and everyone's reason for questioning their viability, someone finds HG in the past and one of the "spinners" remarks, "That's a relief. Five more minutes of mea culpas, I would've been ready to change time myself." I couldn't have said it better myself. If I could change time I'd go back and erase this story from our history.

Batman Journey into Knight #10 - DC

This is a cool series. At first I wasn't sure if it was a continuing series or not, but, I guess it's a 12 issue maxi. The basic premise is that this is a story in the Batman history, that happens very, very shortly after he decides to don his persona. So early, that his Batmobile looks like an old Chevy Impala that been painted all black. But anyways, it's cool in that you see an unsure Batman, who is trying new things. Sometimes he fails, sometimes he doesn't. But you still see his determination, because he keeps trying. The artist, Tan Eng Haut, is not one of my favorites. He first came on the scene in a Doom Patrol incarnation. Loved the book, not so keen on the art. However, in this book his art fits. First of all his art has improved a little since the Doom Patrol a couple of years ago. Second, it has a simplistic look which fits in perfect for the mood this story is trying to create. I mean this story takes place before any Rogue's gallerey criminals. In fact a comment is made by Batman and Gordon, "the criminal element in Gotham is evolving . . . . into something unpredictable . . . . unbalanced . . . . evil . . . . something I'm not yet prepared to face." But, he better get prepared soon because on the last panel . . . . Joker. The main nemesis, so far, looks like it's going to change next issue, is the Board of Directors of Wayne Industries. Or at least a couple of them. They appear to be living fat off the hog since Thomas Wayne's death. But, now that they see Bruce is getting older, they see him as a threat to their lifestyle, and decide to frame him for a crime to get him out of the way. But, as seen by the last panel, maybe their intentions haven't been as simple as we thought. Or, maybe the two aren't connected, and by being placed in, what I'm guessing is an early Arkym Assylum, Bruce is going to meet up with the Joker before the Batman does. He's dropped off with an Elmo Buchalter, a " . . . patient with priveges. But it sounds to me like he was in charge of the whole damn wing." However, now we see that he is but a pawn of the Joker. So, maybe they're connected, maybe they're not. Anyways, this has been a pretty decent series. But since this is issue #10, there's only 2 left. By the way, the Pat Lee covers have been awesome too.

Ultimate Spiderman #95 - Marvel

As I've stated before, I love these Ultimate titles. Especially, this one. Bendis and Bagley are truly the team supreme. I honestly don't think I've read a single dud in this whole series yet. And right now, with the love interest between Peter Parker and Kitty Pryde, they are definitely breaking some new ground. Bendis has a way of working in new ideas, or shaking up the status quo, without making it feel forced. It just feels like the natural evolution of the story. Sure the history isn't the same as that of the regular Marvel Universe. But, who cares. These characters are fresh and upbeat. The new Silver Sable, in the last couple of months was great. Now this story arc is going to reintroduce Blade and Morbius. But honestly, it doesn't matter who Bendis revamps for this universe, because they always end up fresh and with a new special twist. The interaction between Peter and Mary-Jane is always well written. Especially since they're both teenagers. Also in this issue Ben Urich is biten by a Vampire. Wonder where that part of the story's going. That's another part I really like about Bendis, there's always little bits and pieces of various subplots brewing underneath in each story. And I've never been a huge Mark Bagley fan, until this book. His artwork is perfect for book. If there's any books you've been thinking about going back and getting from the beginning, it's these Ultimate titles. I'm sure you can collect everything in tradepaperback form, but I'm a purist. Honestly Ultimate Spiderman, Ultimate X-men and the Ultimates, are easily some of the best books out there. If you can, get 'em all.

JLA Classified #21 - DC

Ok, as I've stated before, this format is already in use with Legends of the Dark Knight. This is a book that tells stories, from any timeperiod of the JLA's long existence. They can be from any group, and aren't necessarily in any kind of chronological order. Again, like LotDK, I like this because, with the sheer number of characters in this book, there's just no way they can have a monthy title that tells every aspect of every story. So these stories tend to be a bit more experimentive. Which I like. This story arc has been about a dictator who obtains, or maybe it's his sister, a super being capable of bringing people back to life and, in doing so, instill in them a form of super power. Therefore, being a dictator, he takes soldiers, kills them, then bring them back to like to form his own super army. He then uses this super army to blackmail other countries into making him a sort of Supreme Dictator. So you can guess how that's going to end up. The jist of this story though, I believe, is to introduce these characters, especially the Hypothetical Woman, create a sort of imposed history, then bring them back in the regular title after they've been defeated and reborn, or defeated and upgraded or whatever. Because, at the end of this particular story, the wrapup on these super soldiers, and the Hypothetical Woman, is kind of vague. There's a lot of room left for interpretation of what could happen to these characters in the future. But anyways, I really admire Gail Simone's writing skills. I first notice her at Marvel, then she came over to DC and started on Birds of Prey, and now she seems to be everywhere. Good for her. And Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, has been one of my favorite artists for close to 30 years. He is someone that I believe the inker can make or break him. If the inker is to heavy on his pencils, the artwork just looks average. But, if the inker uses a lighter stroke over his pencils, his artwork can be fabulous. Check out the Treasury Edition with the Joker and the Hulk if you don't believe me. Sean Phillips inks him on this storyline, and I'm not overly thrilled by it. You can still see Garcia Lopez' unique style, especially the way his art flows from frame to frame, but it's not as crisp and clean as I've seen. Overall this was a decent storyline, and as I've said before, I really like this format. This is also done in JSA Classified. It's kind of a neat way to have a spin-off of a team book without having to create a whole new team, or having an East Coast / West Coast thing. Which, by the way, I haven't seen work yet.

Detective #820 - DC

I really liked everything about this issue. First of all, these Simon Bianchi covers are awesome. Every one has been a picture suitable for framing. Second James Robinson's story is right on the money with Batman. The fight in the beginning between Batman and the Scarecrow, with Robin's help, is very well played. During the fight, Batman is holding on a conversation with Commissioner Gordon, and Robin, while fighting and doing a little psychological work on the Scarecrow. Then, later on in the story, there's actually a touching moment between Batman & Robin, where he tells Robin, "I'm very proud of you." Also that he has plans, or ideas, about Tim Drakes future. Then, there is a moment between Batman and officer Harper, who we find out is the Grandneice of Jim Harper, the original Guardian. So something tells me that they have something in store for her in the near future. And the story ends up that they, Batman and Gordon, don't have to continue searching for Harvey Dent, because he's all over the news as Two-Face. I also liked the backup story about a private detective, Jason Bard, that Batman uses to do some of his legwork. After all the guy can't be everywhere at once. So, all in all I felt it was a very well written book. Finally, Leonard Kirk's art. It was fantastic. It's not overly flashy, or eye-popping, but it's just nice, crisp and clean. Great use of shadows. I know a lot of times, an inker can make or break an artist, so props to Andy Clarke also. Kirk and Clarke seem to work very well together, so, my advice to DC, try to keep them together as long as possible. Overall, I really liked the book. Also this "Face the Face" storyline has been very good. This is chapter 7 of 8. Therefore, I suggest, if you haven't tried to find the rest of the story, you should. I like this format where the story bounces back and forth between Batman and Detective. You get a new installment of the story every 2 weeks instead of 4.

Warlord #4 - DC

Was a huge fan of the first series. Both because of the character, and because of Mike Grell. First began to like Mike's work on his Legion of Super-heroes stories. Well, unfortunately, Mike is not on this series. However, Bruce Jones and Bart Sears are. I don't feel like they're ignoring what's gone on before, but rather retelling it with a more current relevance. Issue #1 started out the same, with Travis Morgan test piloting an aircraft which then ends up crashing it the actic. But, at the extreme pole, is an entrance in to the world, supposedly, inside the earth Skartaris. He then falls into a skirmish between two warring countries, or tribes, in which they end up feeling that he is a prophesized god that is supposed to be returning to help them. He does resemble the prophesies, and his necklace is the symbol of the diety. From there we begin our trek back in to sword & sorcery. Haven't been here in a while. It's good to be back. Now while I am a huge Bart Sears fan, I really can't comment positive or negatively on this new series. Yet! He is obviously trying a new style. It's definitely different from his older work, and he is doing his own inking this time. I see glimmers of hope, but I also see what looks like rushed work, sometimes. The style is good for this book. If it were anywhere else, I definitely would not like it. But, he's only 4 issues in. I've liked his work before on numerous series, for numerous companies, so when he hits his stride, it'll be awesome. Bruce Jones has already got a couple subplots going, so I feel that this series is only gonna get better and better.

Painkiller Jane #2 - Dynamite Entertainment

I have to be honest with you, I don't know a whole lot about this character. She only had 2 or 3 of her own stories under the Image imprint Gorilla. And she had a couple of crossovers. But, I do like detective stories and this is one with twist. Basically she has a fantastic healing factor, used to be a cop, and now with the help of a couple accomplises, trys to deal out justice to some people who deserve it. I know. It's been done. But, this is a character of Joe Quesada & Jimmy Palmiotti. Both of which have an excellent track record, both together and separate. So while these first 2 issues haven't bowled me over, I have very high hopes for it. Right now Jane is after a rich man who abducts women as sex slaves, or as a means to fulfill his sick twisted fantasies of pain, torture and death. Jane's main accomplice are Maureen Fernandez, a cop who likes to see justice done, but is also bound by rules and regulations. Helping her, on the force, is Lou Weber. I may be way off base, but I think that there's something up with him. I have a feeling he's going to end up betraying Maureen. Then there's the Doctor, Seth, that Maureen takes Jane to for help in mending and healing after she's been seriously hurt. Now, Jane knowing about this healing factor, I feel, has an urge to push it to the extreme to see exactly how far it is she can go, before she reaches the point she can't come back from. She hasn't reached that point yet. This girl takes some serious chances, and is always on the edge. There's also a guest appearance in here by "22 Brides", even though it is actually in a dream sequence. But hey, you gotta take what you can get. The artwork by Lee Moder is ok. It fits the series. Over all I think this book, and character, have huge potential. This Dynamite Entertainment is also a new comic line. So far I think they have Red Sonja, Painkiller Jane, Army of Darkness, Scout (maybe), and they're getting ready to launch a Xena title. Not a bad start for a new company. Lets see what they can do.

Amazing Spider-man #532 - Marvel

As I've said before, I love this character. This issue in particular is a prelude for Civil War, Marvel's big all encompasing story for the rest of the year. The Mutant Registration Act has been changed to the Super-Human Registration Act. They want to register them all. Good guys, bad guys it makes no difference. If the bill pushes through, and is signed into law, anyone leaving their house masked and not registered, would become an automatic criminal. Also if not registered, it would become unlawful for an unregistered person to use their powers in public for any reason. Sounds like the Age of Apocolypse times 2! Well, since Peter is an Avenger now, and living in Stark Towers, he has become very tight with Tony Stark. So much so, that Tony completely redesigned his uniform after his "rebirth", and he is now actually Tony's assistant, or maybe protege, or maybe sidekick. Who know's? But, he is with Tony on every trip to Washington, since Tony is spearheading the Registration Act. There's lots of insightful dialogue back and forth between the two on the pros and cons. Also in this issue, Tony has told the president that, yes he is still performing the duties of Iron Man. And, he is offering Spider-man up as proof of his ability to get the others to follow suit. And that's where this issue ends, with Tony leading a press conference on the Act and him calling out Spider-man, and the final words from Peter, in his old costume are, "I have an announcement to make." J.Michael Straczynski writes this book, and has for the last 30 issues or so. His stories, plot lines and subtext are always awesome. His stories always flow very smooth and develop naturally over the course of time. The conversation between Peter, Mary Jane and Aunt May was very thought provoking and touching. This is part one of six, and is titled "the War at Home" so, my guess is, that by the end of this story Peter will be back in his old costume, out of Stark Towers, maybe out of the Avengers and definitely not Tony's right-hand man anymore. But that's what this Civil War story line is about. Breaking up old alliances and creating new ones. As long as the change sticks, I'll like it. Something I noticed at the end, is Tony's remark "My passion for the federal employment of all super-heroes." That to me doesn't sound exactly like what the Super-Human Registration Act is all about. It looks like he might be misplacing his enthusiasm and, if so, might end up in the end an outsider from both sides of this conflict. Buy Spider-man, and if you can do it, follow this Civil War storyline through all of its myriad of titles.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #30 - Marvel

I love the Ultimate titles by Marvel. Why? Because as I've stated before I love books that create or become a catalyst for change. And that is how they've treated the stories in every on of these Ultimate titles. You get a familiar character, they follow the basic, and I do mean basic, history. But, then they throw everything else out the window. All previous continuity.... gone! All new continuity is developed, and therefore all new character development. Fantastic concept. I was hooked with Ultimate Spider-man. I love the Ultimates. And I think the Ultimate Fantastic Four is the best one yet. They've been around about 2 years, but they're up to issue #30. Which is another thing I love about this book, the issues come out faster than normal titles. Ultimate Spider-man actually started out as an internet comic on the Marvel Webpage, but became so popular that they had to publish it. Now, after really not having been around for that long, is almost up to issue #100. But back to the Fantastic Four. First they've got a great set of characters here. Second, they started their storyline when they were teenagers. They were teenagers that went to a thinktank/school in the Baxter Building with hundreds of other gifted teenagers from all over the world. Including a teenage Victor Van Damme. Yes I spelled his name right. Susan's father, the General, and mother, the scientist, are also involved in the school. Though both for very different reasons. Third, you've got Mark Millar writing and Greg Land drawing. Correct that, Greg Land does the artwork. Because it truly is artwork. So much so, that there are some panels in his books that I would really like to blow up and frame for my study. Seriously! Now, in this storyline they are dealing with 2 things. First is a alien sentient being growing inside of Johnny. They picked it up somehow when they were in the Nil dimension. Then, they still have to find a way do deal with their vamiric / zombie alter egos that they accidentally allowed to come here from a different dimension. Their goal is to infect and take over this world. And Ultimately, pun inteded, who do they have to turn to for help? Victor. Who has "in just 6 short months . . . . turned us from a bankrupt, peasant nation into the ninth richest country on earth." Who's the bad guy, and who's the good guy? Like I said, you know the characters, and you know the basic premise, but everything else is up for grabs. This is what makes books great. If you haven't picked up this series yet, it is definitely worth your time and effort to try to go back and pick up all the issues. They're Fantastic. They even deal with a teenage Namor. And next issue, the vampires are, I think, going to break out of their containment cell.

Batman Legends of the Dark Knight # 206 - DC

There's a couple of things I like about this book. First I like the 3 or 4 issue story arc. I like longer stories too, but, for the most part, the 8 to 12 issue "Maxi-Series" always end up with a couple of issue in the middle that are really boring. It's like, they start fast and furious into the story, give you a couple issues of either backfill or character development, then give you a couple more exciting issues as they race to the finish. Overall, when you look back, it may have been a great story, but there's always a couple of issues in the middle you could do without. But, the 3 or 4 issue story has to assume that you at least have a passing familiarity with the characters. Which is one of the main reason I feel X2 was so much better that the X-Men. But, that's a discussion best left for later. The other thing I like about this book, is that it follows no set chronology. When you start on a new story in this book, it could be at anytime during Batman's existence. Which is cool, because as long as Batman's been around, and as much as we know about him, there's got to be lots of stories that we don't know, or haven't heard yet. And as a concept for how this series is set up and envisioned, that is awesome. Now this particular story, "the Madmen of Gotham" is neat in that it's going back in to Thomas Wayne's life, Bruce's father, and some of the affect his influence or decisions had on Gotham. He was a member of a group called, you guessed it, "the Madmen of Gotham". They had a plan to keep Gotham safe and crime free by putting chemicals into the drinking supplies and creating a more submissive and more easily manipulated populace. As with most altruistic visions such as these, someone comes along and thinks they have a better use of the tool, and usually one that will feed into their own personal gain rather than that of the general populace. After all, why should you distribute the wealth, when it can be so much more satisfing and enjoyed by a select few. Hmm. Reminds me of some people in our government. Anyways, Batman has to figure out what this old original plan was, how it's being manipulated and used to create the problem that's happening today, and what he's going to do about it. Justin Gray delivers a good story, and Steven Cummings' art is developing a unique style and feel of it's own. Overall this is a good story arc. Now that's not to say there haven't been some dogs in this series. But, theoretically, if there is a dog you could skip those 3 or 4 issues, then decide if you want to come back on the next story arc. Theoetically. Have I done that? No. I have every issue. But that's me. I've talked about my obsession before. Another thing I like about this series is that you see support characters in roles, sometimes, that you're not used to seeing them in. This one in paticular has Alfred using some of his knowledge to help Batman with some of the legwork in trying to find an antidote to this psychotropic drug. And finally, with the 3 or 4 issue story arc, there is a definite conclusion. That's not to say that I don't like storylines that leave things left up in the air, after all that's what this form of story telling is all about. But, should some aspect of this story pop up in a later adventure, you have a definitive place to go to reevaluate the details. Plus it's actually kind of a "History of the Dark Knight". But, that's not as catchy of a title.

The Spectre #1 - DC

The Spectre has been around for a long time. Since the 40's, I believe. And, while I haven't read alot of the old stories, I have seen most of the stuff he's been in since the 70's. I'm sorry, but I have always seen him as a severely underated, and underdeveloped character. Now, 1 year later again, he's come back, after his love fight with Carol Palmer, the Atom's wife, who was under the influence of Eclipso, or at least his black diamond. I'm still a little shaky on that whole storyline. What I gather is the Spectre, who was without a host at the time since Hal Jordan came back to life, was at a crossroads in his existence in which he could be easily influenced. So, Carol Palmer, who essencially started this whole thing back in Identity Crisis, now posessed by Eclipso decided to make the Spectre feel like he was in love with her, and out of that love would come the mutual plan to wipe all magic out of existence. I think that's the basic synopsis. At least that's how I understand it. Anyways, you knew that wasn't gonna work out. So now the Spectre has returned looking for a new host. A Gotham Police Detective by the name of Crispus Allen. Apparently he was killed a year ago and was offered the position. He turned it down, but since he obviously wasn't going to move on to the afterlife, the Spectre told him to think about it and he'd be back in a year to offer it to him again. Hence, where the storyline picks up in this first issue. I really hope they can do something with this character this time. I really do. But, with the results of the last 2 or 3 outings, I'm not holding out much hope. This issue is mainly backfill to let you know how they've gotten to this point. You learn alot about Crispus, but not much about the Spectre. Except at the end when they do join and, after distributing justice to someone the Spectre deems worthy, or unworthy, it dawns on Crispus, that "He needs me alot more that I need him." And BOOM the story ends. So unless you're a die-hard Spectre fan, and I haven't run in to one yet, give this book a couple of issues to see how things pan out before you start putting it on your pull lists. Now the sales of this book will be decent, just because it's tied in to Infinite Crisis, but, I don't see any chance of it being a book you won't be able to find 6 months from now. Like I've said before, I like books that create change, stir things up, give us a new perspective on an old story. This one, as much as I hope otherwise, won't be one of those. But, in the end it's your 3 bucks.

Superman / Batman #26 - DC

This book has been one of my favorites since it's inception. The only downfall, is that it usually doesn't come out on time. It's been around for about 3 years now, but they're only on issue #26. Oh well, I guess you can't rush perfection. First of all Jeph Loeb has become, in my opinion, one of the best writers out there now. I think everyone can rattle off their top 10 favorite artists, the same with writers. Well Jeph is in my top 5. Add to that some of my favorite artists, Ed McGuinness, Jim Lee, Michael Turner, Tim Sale, Ian Churchill, Rob Liefeld, just to name a few, yes there's about 12 more artists on this issue. Again, well worth the price of admission. So we go through the first story where Robin is telling one of his favorite adventures with Conner, Superboy, and it is sad. We also get to see the new Toyman, Hiro Okumura, which we haven't seen in a while. It's a very touching story because they have a real Abbott & Costello thing going. Or if you don't know who that is, a Jerry Seifeld / Kramer thing. Then on top of that you have a story about, whom I can only assume is Jeph Loeb's son, Sam. It talks about his progression with cancer, and puts it in a frame of reference with Smallville. Not necessarily the TV show. But obviously, Superman was one of his favorite characters. Again, very moving story. Especially when you consider that his father wrote it. The good news is that all the original artwork is going to be auctioned off at Wizard World Chicago August 4-6, 2006. It says that all the proceeds are going to go to the SAM LOEB COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FUND. Sounds like a good cause. In his picture, he looks like a good kid. Go out and buy this book!!! And buy multiple copies. I did!!

Ion - Guardian of the Universe #2 - DC

Kyle Raynor is my favorite Green Lantern. I like Allen Scott. I like Hal Jordan. I like Guy Gardner. I like Killowog. Heck I even liked the dog thing, can't remember his name right now though. But still, Kyle is my favorite. Why? As I said in a previous blog, I like change. I like for things to be shaken up. I like to see things go in a different direction than what you expect, if for no other reason than that they can. I like to get invested in a character that you never know what to expect. And that is exactly what I've gotten from Kyle ever since he got the ring. Maybe DC planned on him just being around until Hal returned. I mean come on, everyone knew Hal was going to return. So now, Kyle is one of, if not, the most important Green Lantern there is, and he's still going through turmoil and change. Again, we're dealing with the 1 year later stuff, but we have Kyle who now apparently is a living battery, and he's merged with the starheart. Can't wait to see how they explain that. But, what's more important is the turmoil that's going on in him now. He's had these godlike powers before, but now, he's a schizophrenic god. Well, maybe not, but his two power sources are definitely at war with each other inside of him. Ron Marz, writes a fantastic story. And Greg Tocchini's pencils are perfect on this book. Darryl Banks will always be my favorite Kyle penciller, but this is good stuff too. So apparently one side of his psyche wants war, and the other peace. When he's calm Kyle wants to go to a secluded artists retreat and do nothing but pencil landscapes. But when he wakes up from one of his psychotic episode, he finds out that he's eliminted an entire race. Or at least he being blamed for it. These black outs and missing time, aren't doing much to convince him otherwise though. This is a 12 issue maxi series, but, that's ok. Why? Because, the one thing I know for sure is that Kyle definitely won't come out of this series the same way he went in. Good stuff!!!

52 - week 4 - DC Comics

Lots of stuff going on in this issue. We start out with, I'm guessing, detective Montoya doing some surveillance work for the Question. I've always felt that the Question was a severly underated player. Next we find Halo, up on a space station looking for some sign of the hero's return. Nothing for the last month until, uh oh, "I see a signal on the Zeta frequency!". Then we have Booster Gold arguing with Beatrice, who will end up as a checkmate knight, because he wants to expand his sponsorships, and she wants to do whatever she can to find the missing hero's. Next we have Steel doing a little introspection, whether he wants to or not, because he's apparently been drugged by someone. Won't find out this issue. Then we have Ralph Digby meeting up with Cassie, aka Wonder Girl, who is now part of a Kryptonian Death Cult, or is that a Ressurection Cult, whatever. I know she loved Conner, but he wasn't even really Kryptonian, technically speaking. And finally they capture and focus the Zeta beam, and find Alan Scott, Shayera Hall and Mal inside of it. Now that's just it in a nutshell, cause there's a lot of interaction between the characters and some movement along each of the subplots, but, that's alot for 1 book. Add to that the History of the DC Universe in the back, and you will definitely get your $2.50 worth. To bad more books couldn't be done like this. It's nice reading a title that comes out every week. I like it when Marvel goes twice monthly, but this is twice as good as that. Pun intended. But this book also opens up a lot of questions. Like, what's going to happen to Booster Gold? We're 3 months into 1 year later, and no sign at all of Booster anywhere around. We know what's going to happen to Allen & Beatrice, but why and how? Cassie will set aside her cultism and rejoin the Titans, maybe, but where did this cult come from and what are they trying to accomplish? In Steel's retrospective, you find out that he really is just trying to protect his neice, duh, but what does he know or how will his expertise shape the things to come? Come on, somebody doped him up for some reason. And we still don't know what happened to Superman, Wonder Woman or the Batman, or how Superman lost his powers. I'm hooked already. In case you couldn't tell. This is definitely a book worth getting, and find those first 3 issues, if you haven't already.