Uncanny X-Men #502 - Marvel

I have one complaint about this book, and really . . it's very, very minor. On the inside of the front page there's a Strike File - Active Roster page. It goes through some of the various team-members . . Wolverine, Kurt, Karma, Emma, Pixie and Dazzler. However, I have no idea what it says because it's done with a dark purple ink on a black page. So even when I try to read it under the light, the light reflects off the black page and creates a glare so I still can't read it. Maybe my eyes are getting old. I don't know. It just kind of aggravated me. Anyways, besides that minor detail, I thought it was a great book. Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker are doing an incredible job with these stories. And of course the artwork of Greg Land is just phenomenal. I'm not sure what's up with this chick that seems to be in charge of the Hellfire Cult, but she's the one that actually makes this group a threat. I think without her, the X-men could've easily taken these guys out, but she's the wild-card that turns a disturbance into a situation. When she's working over her pledges she kind of looks like Jean Grey in a dominatrix outfit. Except for her glowing eyes, of course. But after she works on Empath, one of the Hellion kids, she takes off her mask and she looks like Emma. So obviously she's a shape-shifter or something. Plus, from her treatments, she really seems to have Empath's powers amped up. So I would also guess some kind of psychic or suggestive powers also, as her group seems blindly faithful to her. While all of this is going on, Pixie was beaten up last issue. The X-Men took her to Marin but she decided she wanted to be back with her friends in Oakland. But she's changed her mind again, and is heading back to the X-Men . . . "I'm gonna' go crash with some friends. What could possibly go wrong?" Has this girl never heard of 'famous last words'? Anyways, I think this book is in a great place right now. I just really hope that they don't put Pixie through any more crap. The girl could really use a break right now. Unfortunately . . I have a feeling.

Young X-Men #6 - Marvel

I like this book, but it just seems to me that Marc Guggenheim is really putting these kids through a lot of crap. Recently their friend, and team-mate, Wolf Cub was killed. That happened after they found out that their entire recent existence, and legitimacy as bone-fide X-men, was negated because the whole time they were being played by Donald Pierce who was only posing as Scott Summers. Through this ordeal they find out that their other team-mate, Ink, may not be who he says he is. In fact he was working for Donald and may have been a traitor to them the whole time. Then because of this whole ordeal, Ruth, Blindfold, decides that she's going to be moving on. She doesn't say where she's going or why, but she does give Ink some reassuring words. Now to top the whole thing off, Scott has decided to keep the team together and teach them. But it's not going to be a 'school' per-se . . . "These kids need to learn how to defend themselves more than they need to know Algebra or a foreign language. They need combat training. Education in strategy and tactics . . ", to which he wants Dani and Roberto to be their instructors. And, as with the rest of the X-men, they're moving them to California. They won't be staying in the same bunker as the rest of the X-men. Instead they be living in a 100 year old Episcopal Cathedral. It appears that Kurt and Warren are behind that whole part of the plan. So now, maybe with a little luck, these kids can get back to semi-normal lives. At least now, hopefully, they'll no longer be tossed around and used as tools in other peoples agendas. The artwork by Ben Oliver is . . ok. There's really nothing wrong with it. It's just done in a style that I don't normally get all that excited about. Although I will say that the style, and the somber coloring, definitely fit the mood of the book. I just hope these kids get some time to be . . . well, a little more like kids.

Batman and the Outsiders #11 - DC

I had just mentioned in the Titans blog that Julian Lopez is now gone from this series. But, I felt that last issue, Ryan Benjamin had done a pretty decent job of filling in. This issue however . . I wasn't so pleased with the product. Ryan's a talented artist . . I'll give him that. But this issue . . just seemed like he rushed through it or something. Nothing was really 'wrong', but . . some of the panels just kind of felt like they weren't finished, or were done haphazardly. I'll be the first to tell you that I think the story is more important than the art, but . . sometimes I get frustrated when someone's talent, or potential, exceeds, by far, their output. And that's why it frustrates me, because I've seen much better work from Ryan. Anyways, on to Frank Tieri's story. I think Frank did a good job of showing how each of the characters have been dealing with the loss of their mentor, friend or boss. I don't think anybody believes that he's dead, but . . I also think that they believe he may not be coming back. The one most touching to me was the Commissioner and Dick. They really seem to be taking it the hardest. But then, Cassandra, I think, is obviously distraught. But, since she's a naturally violent person, it's hard to tell what she's doing different to deal with her feelings. However, at the end of the book, we find out that Batman has left a message for the group. "I wish that there was more time to explain myself, but there isn't. And really, there are only two things you need to know right now, anyway. First, I want you to know there's a reason why I've had to do things this way. And second . . . I'm going to need your help." The previews say next issue one of the Outsiders dies. That not a good omen. Despite my slight ragging on the artist, I did thoroughly enjoy this issue. Now that we're done with this Black Glove thing, we can get on with dealing with how to find the Batman . . and bring him back. The teams questions it's viability this issue . . . I don't know why they even bothered.

the Brave and the Bold #17 - DC

This was a team-up that I never expected . . Supergirl and Raven? But, as Marv Wolfman so elegantly points out to us during the course of the story . . powers not withstanding, these 2 girls are a lot more alike than either of them would care to admit. They're both haunted by their past and their fathers . . and they both feel like they're constantly balancing the fence between good and evil. Raven attempts to help her regain an inner calm, through meditation, but Kara just feels like there's so much going on in her head that she can't shut it off. However if she doesn't shut it off then she feels that she may succumb to it's influence. Wanting to help her, but now knowing how, Raven decides to take her to Azarath where she's hoping that the Priests of Azarath can help teach her how to control her emotions. The problem is, back on Earth, at the same time, there's another that's feeling haunted by his father, Jonathan Mitchell. We don't find out who his father is . . his mother claims at one time that she doesn't remember, at another that he was a vile criminal, and at another that he was a hero " . . perhaps one of the greatest.". So we don't really know which story is the truth. We do know however that he's been given some type of power because of his father's connection. I don't know how accurate some of the dream sequences are, but I think it's Triumph. He had a mini-series a while back, and I think he was in Justice League Task Force for a little while. He's kind of like the Sentry over at Marvel. He was a hero a long time ago, but then he disappeared and was forgotten. And then he returned. But we haven't really heard anything about him since his JLTF appearances. Also I'm not sure how his genetics could have such an adverse affect on Jonathan. Phil Winslade does the art on this series. I like his stuff, but his participation kind of worries me. The last couple of times he's popped up in the DC Universe has been right at the end of a series. He's a good artist. He kind of has a Neal Adams type feel to his stuff. I just kind of feel that he's like the Black Racer of the artistic community. If you see his stuff . . then you know the series is over. I really don't think that's the case here . . but it has happened a lot. Anyways, this is just a 2 issue story-arc so everything will come to a head, and hopefully a conclusion next issue. Overall I thought it was a good issue.

Action Comics #869 - DC

I really think that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are setting the new standard with the story-arc's they've been doing in this book. Each of them have been fantastic. They've each been informative and insightful . . even magical . . in their own right. And on a creative level, both with story and art, I think they've each outdone the previous one. Of course that could be my own interpretation, because with the success of each story it makes me look forward to the next one all that much more. So far . . they haven't let me down. They've reached and exceeded all my expectations. This issue we delve a little farther into the Brainiac story-line. Superman actually comes into contact with some of the residents of Kandor and learns some of their history. The problem is, now that Brainiac's actually found Superman, he's attempting to obtain the cities of Earth, much in the same way he did those of Krypton and all the other various worlds. Which means eventually, his task will be to destroy the planet. However, at the end of this issue, Brainiac has Superman wrapped in the cacoon which Superman found him in when he first got there. He's going to have to figure something out because Brainiac has launched a probe into the sun, which will send it into super-nova, and . . . next issue is the finale of this story-arc. They've got a lot of ground to cover. But if anyone can do it these 2 can. The story's great . . the art is fantastic . . it's a classic in the making. Do you have it in your pull?

All*Star Superman #12 - DC

Well . . the bad news is . . this is the last book in this series. Well . . at least with this creative team. The book may pick up with a new creative team, but I'm not really sure about that. The good news is . . Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely went out with a bang. This issue was fantastic, both with the story and visually. I thought Superman's solution for beating Lex was genius, and the ending with Superman and Lois was touching. I've really enjoyed Frank's work on this book also. Like the title says, it was definitely an "All*Star" collaboration. I've collected almost everything that Frank has done . . even those Vertigo issues from a long time ago, Flex Mentallo . . but I think his work on this series was easily his best to date. I enjoyed everything about it . . the pencils, the colors, the sequencing and framing . . I thought it was all fantastic. I even enjoyed the alternate cover by Neal Adams. Although, what's not to like. Even though it did cost me a few extra bucks. It's nice to know that, at least according to the Mile High website, that it has appreciated. I'd also like to say that this book is a testament to Grant and Frank's work as the All*Star Batman title actually came out before this one. However, in the 3+ years since, that title has only put out 8 issues. And these 12 issues are on top of all the other insane amount of work that Grant's done for DC in that time period. I think it's amazing and phenomenal. This isn't the first, or even the second or third time that Grant and Frank have teamed up. I surely hope it's not the last. Their collaborative effort is pure genius. I think we got new insight into Superman, and his cast of characters with this series . . which is no small feat considering that they've been around for 70 years. If you didn't get the books at least look for the TPBs. It'll definitely be worth your effort.

Titans #5 - DC

I love the Titans in all it's forms. Even the lame ones. But this series is far from that. So far I think this book has been one of the best incarnations yet. It would be nice if they could settle on an artist, but . . Judd Winick's stories, I think, have more than made up for any inconveniences there. Julian Lopez now seems to be the artist on this series. I'm not complaining though. I thought he and Bit had done a fantastic job on the books that they did for the Batman and the Outsiders series. They looked equally as impressive here. Plus Julian can draw some pretty sexy women. All I'm saying is there's a few in this cast he can pick from. I thought even Raven looked pretty hot . . for a 'goth' chick. The thing I like about Judd's stories are . . actually there's 2 things . . first of all I think he's fantastic at the team books. I think he focus' just the right amount of attention on each character and works them all into the story. You know how sometimes in team books you may not see a certain character for 2 or 3 months, well . . Judd does a good job of covering them all. I feel that if a issue focus' on a specific character . . as it does with Beast-boy and Raven this issue . . that doesn't mean that the rest of the cast aren't living their lives in the meantime. Sometimes I think team-books treat the other characters like they're on 'pause' when they aren't essential to a story. The way Judd writes it, it feels like it's more in 'real' time. You know what I mean? Also, I think he adds just the right amount of humor to his stories. The scene where Garth appears at Raven's dorm as a giant green bear, I thought was hilarious. Unfortunately, their date turns to crap as, at the end of the issue, Raven takes off into a portal with her 3 estranged brothers. I also thought the scene between Kory and Dick was touching. And inevitable. Like I said, I love the Titans in all their forms, and this one is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I'm just wondering if the artistic shift is permanent. I liked Julian on the Outsiders, but I thought Ryan Benjamin did a good job also. And I did really like Julian's interpretation of these characters. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Batgirl #3 - DC

I'm thrilled to death to see Casandra back in her own series. I thought her first outing was cut short, but I think it was more because of the creative aspect of the book than necessarily the character. However, she has remained an active part of the Batman family since then, so maybe the series was just going to be contradictory to the exploits she's had in the interim. Whatever the reason, I liked it and wish that it hadn't have ended. This series is brought to us by Adam Beechen and J Calafiore. I'm a big fan of the art. I think he draws some great action sequences . . his framing and flow is impeccable. I've also become a fan of Adam's stories in the last few years. In this series he's got Cassandra going after Cain and Slade . . Deathstroke. One or the other would be a monumental task for anyone, but both . . only Cassandra has the skill-set, or unpredictability to have a chance at accomplishing this goal. However, she has picked up some allies along the way . . . tentative, but still allies. It started out with Batgirl, who keeps tabs on Cain and his endeavors, finding out that he was creating an army of girls much in the same manner as he did her. From there she learned that Slade was also involved. As she's going around trying to find the various 'cells' of his operation, she comes across Marque who seems to be on the same task. Her history is very similar to Batgirl's, but she never had the calming influence of the Batman family. Now Ravager, who's found out that someone else was after her father, has also become involved. "Listen Batgirl, I know you think he's yours to take down, since he messed you up . . but he's not. Slade's mine! This isn't about any beef you and me have. Slade's my dad, so he's my get. I've been using every spare second away from the Titans to track him . . and that track's led right to you." From there they reluctantly decide to work together and go after his organization. However, it looks like 'Daddy' is only a few steps behind. It looks like they may be coming face to face with their prey next issue. I do have a question though. How does this fit in with the time-line for Last Will and Testament? In that book Geo-Force fatally wounded Slade . . so, I assume this takes place before that? I'm just wondering. Anyways, I thought this was a good book and I'm really enjoying the series. Could we make it a permanent one?

Hellblazer #247 - Vertigo

Andy Diggle is finally taking us back to the threat of Mako. However, in our 2 or 3 month absence from his story, he's literally tearing himself across the underbelly of the magic world. He's been knocking off mages and such all around, but his biggest achievement seems to be the decimation of the Tate club. There's actually 2 threats that come out of this, as far as John is concerned. First of all Mako's power increases every time he kills a fellow mage. Secondly . . actually maybe the top priority for John . . Mako is desperately searching for the Laughing Magician. Some people . . not John . . feel that this is him. So John's had to do what he could to evade Mako until he could get this whole thing sorted out. But this issue he decides to go on the offensive. He's found a minor saint in Italy, San Nicola . . Saint Nicholas . . who's remains are incredibly powerful because of the world-wide belief in Santa Claus. Anyways, he's ground his bones to dust and has decided to snort them . . enabling him to take a 'head-trip' straight into the magical realm. From there he can see Mako, without Mako seeing him, and can track him. However, Mako is in League with Lord Burnham who is trying to make a world for himself beyond the living. In exchange for Mako's help with this, he's offering him the Hell Mirror. I'm not exactly sure what it does, but . . it wouldn't be a good addition to Mako's already incredible power base. John's going to have to deal with this guy sooner or later. Whether or not he's the Laughing Magician . . Mako thinks he is. And he's going to have to do something before he gets to powerful. Leonardo Manco is back in true form with this issue. His artwork looks fantastic and it creates the perfect mood for this book. I thought this book kind of got off track for a little while, but . . I really think that Andy has breathed new life into it. I think a lot of it comes from him taking John back to his roots. He's not a flashy, popular, type of magician like Zatanna or Zatara. He's more of a behind the scenes, subtly coercing or instigating things, type of mage. A 'back-door' magician . . if you will. And, at this point in this series, he's fully entrenched in his element.

StormWatch: Post Earth Division - World's End #14 - WildStorm

I really only have 1 problem with this World's End story-line. And, the problem really isn't specific to any one of the books that are involved. If anything . . it encompasses all of them. My problem is this . . we have 3 main groups left behind in the post-apocalyptic society . . the Authority, WildCATS, and StormWatch. I appreciate that they've remained in their groups for comfort and support during this trying time. However, I would think that given the nature of these stories . . . these are 3 super-hero teams existing inside of a ravaged comic-book world . . that there would be something to distinguish them from one another . . other than their line-ups. Now that we're on the second issue of StormWatch I can say that it feels like Jackson King may have a different idea, or agenda, than say Jack Hawksmoor, or Zealot and Nemesis, or even Majestros. But up until now, there wasn't that much to distinguish them. All of them are trying to help, or offer aid or shelter to, the survivors. And they're all dealing with thier own issues in their various parts of the globe. Our other team, that's not fully organized yet, is Team-7. It seems that their role, or goal, is going to be to attack the problem head-on by going after Tao. I would just like to see all the teams more distinguishable from one another. The StormWatch story in this issue was brought to us by Ian Edginton and Leandro Fernandez. While the Dane story . . Team-7 . . was brought to us by Christos Gage and Brandon Badeaux. I liked both stories . . alot. I just think that we have a ways to go.

the Spirit #21 - DC

The story this issue was a tad better, but . . I still found myself bored and starting to drift off. I'm really not sure how they can make this book more interesting. I mean, this guy really doesn't have any powers. He's an adequate detective, but . . mostly he just stumbles into things. And this thing with him and Dolan's daughter? You'd think that unrequited love would only be unrequited for so long before it either turns to scorn or stalking. Maybe that's what would help . . turn Dolan's daughter into a Spirit stalker. She could make his life uncomfortable . . pop up in little teddies here and there, when he least expects it . . have him pull embarrassing undergarments out of his pockets, or wherever, that she's strategically left behind or in hiding . . convince her 'daddy' that they're engaged or have a date set . . any number of humorous things. He would think it was cute or humorous at first, but, eventually, he'd be looking over his shoulder at all times. The irony would be that she's stalking him as it's a gender reversal. All I know is that there was an issue . . several issues ago . . that had a lot more sexual innuendo in it . . and it made the book a lot more interesting. It's a comic. Have fun with it. Right now, mostly, I see it as an initiator of a nap.

Tiny Titans #8 - DC

This is another humorous look at some of my favorite characters. I do have to say though, they ran a joke through this book . . the Principle making a joke, playing on the powers or the name of each character . . that went from page, to page, to page, to page . . I think you get the idea. I think they ran that one a little thin. I was starting to think that's what the whole issue was going to be. Anyways, I like this book. I think it's cute. I liked Teen Titans Go! better, but . . . sometimes you just have to go with what you get. I like the Sunday morning comic strip type of feel this has to it. My only comment is . . watch how far, or long, you take a joke. After a while it stops being funny.

DC Special: Cyborg #5 - DC

I have to say I enjoyed this issue more than the last. Last issue Carlos Magno's art just didn't do it for me. I can't put my finger on it, but . . . I just didn't really like it. Mark Sable is weaving a rather complicated story here, but we did get a lot more explained to us this issue. The only thing I'm not sure about this issue is . . what happened to Ron? He's the guy that's been going around tearing up STAR Labs and everyone thought it was Vic. Anyways, Vic, this issue, is fighting the future version of himself. You know . . the one that popped up in the Teen Titans when they were battling the rest of their future selves? Well, for some reason, the future Vic never went back. And now our mysterious Mr. Orr has him convinced that he's the only one that can take himself down, and that if he doesn't do so his tech will never be able to be used to enrich fallen soldier's lives. So with Mr. Orr's help, Vic . . the future Vic . . now appears to be the leader of the Cyborg Revenge Squad. I'm not sure where Mr. Orr plucked them all from, but they look like a pretty nasty bunch. Next issue all of this gets wrapped up . . . hopefully. I'm not exactly sure of the ramifications of these 2 fighting each other, so . . it'll be interesting to see what happens. The rest of the Titans make an appearance this issue also, but it's mostly in a supporting role. All the main attention is directed at Cyborg. Hence . . the name of the series. Titans Together!

Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM! #2 - DC

I like this book. I like the style that Mike Kunkel uses both in his art and his story. Also I'm more than thrilled to see this title in the Johnny DC line of books. Much in the way of the Legion, I'm sure there's a vast majority of the younger readers that have no clue as to who this character is. The decision to keep Mary in her younger version after she transforms, I think, was perfect. These are actually 2 kids after all. I think it's nice to see one of them still acting like it after they get their powers. The scene where Mary decides to experiment with her lightning bolt, and uses Billy as the target, was hilarious. She's just so impulsive and impetuous. It gives the book a nice feel. I do however have one complaint. Actually, it's not even a complaint, just an observation. I know that Mike's trying to convey the history of these characters and their powers in the first couple of issues, but . . to me . . it just seems like there's an awful lot of story here for the audience that it's aimed at. Don't get me wrong, the adolescent part of the story, the humorous altercations . . are brilliant. And I really think the kids will appreciate the antics and humor. But during the descriptive part of the story . . I just think there's an awful lot of information for an 8 to 12 year old audience to process. As far as I'm concerned, I thought it was a great issue. But, from a different perspective . . it may be a bit much. That's all I'm sayin' . . really. I am thrilled though to have a regular monthly SHAZAM! title. It's been long overdue. Now maybe we could get one going under the Vertigo imprint . . . so we could expand on the character and his magics a bit? A guy can hope . . right?

Rann-Thanagar Holy War #5 - DC

This whole issue, really, was about the resurrection of Master Synnar into the form of Lord Synnar. Actually, from what I understand, it's the resurrection of the Nameless One . . the god that Deacon Dark worships, but this time around he's taken the name . . Lord Synnar. Deacon Dark is the one that's trying to make all of these events . . prophesies . . happen according to the time-line in which they were prophesied. That's why he's actually been instigating the war between the Ranns and the Thanagarians. He wants them, and Adam Strange's team, distracted so he can go about his unholy duties unfettered. And so far he's been pretty successful. The wild-card in this whole thing is Lady Styx. She has her own agenda, and she not to enthusiastic about the return of the Nameless One . . Lord Synarr. But for some reason, on her way to either Rann or Hardcore Station . . we don't really know which, she decides to swing by Throneworld. That's the home of Starman, Prince Gavyn. Anyways, by the time Adam and his team get there, she's wiped out the whole planet and it's entire population. Prince Gavyn had Bizarro there to aid in his fight against Lady Styx, but Adam and his team needed him for their fight on Rann. He thought that he'd get him back in time, before Lady Styx and her fleet arrived. Apparently they were wrong and now he feels responsible for the entire incident. Plus he knows as much as Prince Gavyn has a hard-on for retribution against Lady Styx . . he's wondering if he might be in his cross-hairs also. But that may be an event for a future story. The form that the Nameless One has taken is the one that Hawkman and Adam Strange saw in their visions . . you know, in the special one-shots. So I'm wondering if this group may be the Aberrant Six that Synarr spoke of in those visions . . Hawkman, Adam Strange, the Weird, Captain Comet, Prince Gavyn and Bizarro. We still don't know all the details about that group other than it's part of Hawkman's and Adam Strange's future. Plus we don't know if Starfire or Tiggorr figure into that mix in some way. However, at the end of this issue, the future's looking pretty bleak for this corner of the universe. As I've said, obviously, Jim Starlin is a master at the tales of cosmic conflict. And I really hope that when all's said and done that he'll be the creative force behind this aspect of the DC Universe. It really couldn't be in better hands. Also I think Ron Lim is the perfect fit for his tales. Barring Jim pencilling his own work, Ron conveys much of the same feel in his. I like where this book seems to be going, and I hope that Jim has another tale lined up after it. Keep 'em coming buddy!

DC Universe: Decisions #1 - DC

I'm not exactly sure yet what this book is actually about, but . . I really don't think it's about the Presidential Election in the DC Universe. First of all, this is actually a JLA mini-series. It's being played from the political angle . . which is genius considering the politics in our nation right now, but . . . I think there's more at stake here than just an election. The whole thing starts out with a bomb threat to a candidate in Cincinnati. Robot-man, from the Doom Patrol, happens to be on hand and helps the situation from being worse than it was, but . . it draw in the JLA. Through some investigating, they find out that whomever the bomber is . . they're targeting all of the candidates. Parties and gender and ethnicity don't seem to matter. So, either they really just have something against the government, or . . . they're trying to draw in the JLA for a reason. But since this is the first issue, we have no idea what that reason is. All we really know so far is that the candidate that Ollie has been assigned to has convinced him to come out in public support for him. Everybody's response is the same, "Ollie . . you damn fool. This story is being brought to us by Bill Willingham, Judd Winick and Rick Leonardi. As far as I can recall, this is the first time that Bill and Judd have worked together. This could be a very interesting collaboration. My curiosity has been peaked. Not so much because of the political aspect of the whole thing, but I'm really intrigued to find out who's behind it . . and why. Knowing Bill and Judd's styles . . there should be a few twists and turns along the way. All in all . . I think it'll be an interesting ride.

the Flash #244 - DC

This issue was ok . . I just think that Alan Burnett needs to get comfortable with these characters. Everything just seems a little forced with this issue. I know we're trying to go in a new direction . . . the kids are cured and all of that, but it just seems like they're trying a little bit to hard this issue. Of course it could just be me, but . . . that's just the way it felt. Don't get me wrong . . I think Wally is a great character, and I'm glad that he's finally got his life together and has a wife and kids to share it with. I really have a lot of hope for this book. I've been with the Flash for quite a long time . . going all the way back to the Carmine Infantino days. I'm one of the guys that hopes Barry comes back. Not to take anything away from Wally, I just thought Barry was a great character also. Hey, if we can have a half dozen Green Lanterns on Earth, why can't we have 5 or 6 Flashes? Unlike the Green Lanterns, I like that the Flash saga is really more of a family affair. I like the whole generations thing, and of course the Flash Rogues gallery is the best ever. I'd rank it right up there with Batman's. Anyways, I'm sure Alan will do a great job with this book, I just didn't particularly like this issue. As is the same with Paco Diaz's art. It's not that I have any major complaints, it just has a different feel to it. Maybe after a few issue when everybody starts getting into the roles a little more comfortably . . . I really want this book to do well. We'll see if it fits any better next issue. It's like when you get a new pair of shoes . . you want to like them, because they're new, but . . you're not sure if you do because you're still thinking about how comfortable the old one's were.

Checkmate #30 - DC

Going in to this, I have 2 misgivings. First of all there's only one issue to go. That's right next issue . . #31 . . will be the final issue. That's not to say that Checkmate won't still be a presence in the DC Universe . . they just won't have their own title to chronicle those exploits. However, I would really like to see Checkmate become a staple in the DC Universe, much in the way the SHIELD is over at Marvel. I think we made a move in that direction with this series, but . . we still have a little way to go. I really hope that they don't drop the ball on this. My second concern is that this incarnation didn't make it as long as the last . . 31 issues, compared to 33. That wouldn't bother me as much if this series wasn't so much better than the previous one. They couldn't stretch it out for 2 or 3 more issues? I'm just saying. Anyways, on to issue #30 by Bruce Jones and Manuel Garcia. I really like this soap-opera here that's playing out between Adam and Chloe. This whole story-arc started because of Checkmate's need to have someone to fight all these . . creatures that keep popping up all over the globe. But I think the real story is the story with Adam and Chloe. But with the end of this issue, they may not get the chance to finish their story. If you think back, it seems like all of these creatures have escalated as Chimera has taken them down one by one. Well now I think he faces the greatest one yet, and he's got Chloe grasped within his hands. I say 'he' because this monster originated as a man . . or in the form of man. What he is . . we may not know yet. But I'm starting to think that were beginning to fall into the 'nature or nurture' question here. Is the necessity of Chimera becoming more and more apparent? Or, is his existence resulting in adversaries that are equal to his abilities? Whatever the case, it should all play out next issue . . for better or worse. As I said earlier, unfortunately . . it'll be the last issue of this series.

Tangent: Superman's Reign #7 - DC

Before I get to far into this issue, I do have a complaint. We're on the last half of this series now, so what do they do? They change all the artists around. Dan Jurgens is still writing it . . thankfully, but on the lead story Wes Craig is doing the art. It's really not to bad, but . . it's not Jamal Igle. Jamal was doing a great job, I just don't understand why he needed to be replaced. It just kind of feels different now. But, I really do want to complain about the art on the back-up story. Andie Tong is the new artist there . . for some reason . . and I really don't like his style. But since I don't sit in an editorial chair . . I guess my opinion doesn't count for much. At least the price didn't go up yet . . unlike most of the Marvel books. Anyways, in this issue, the 2 Earth's Supermen finally come face to face. The 2 Batman's have lucked out because they've planned an assault on the Tangent Earth's Superman's headquarters . . and they do so just as Superman, Power-girl and Orion head to Metropolis for some reason. Their goal is to free all of their friends, and except for some robot security, they do so pretty unhampered. Just as they come upon their friends . . Superman confronts the Tangent Superman in Metropolis. I'm thinking that when Orion transported them out of his lair, they also crossed over worlds. So now the 3 of them are in the DC Universe. No wonder there's so much squalor still going on that the Tangent Superman wasn't aware of. Which means, I think that they're unaware that they've switched worlds. I've enjoyed this series so far, and I really enjoy this view into the Tangent world. I thought that our previous excursion here was rather brief. Hopefully after this one it won't take us such a long time to have a return visit. These characters are to good to only see every 4 or 5 years.

DC/WildStorm - Dreamwar #6 - DC/WildStorm

This wraps up our Dreamwar story. It was interesting. Lee Garbett's artwork was actually quite good. I liked it from the first issue and it got better as we moved along. Of course I'm sure it didn't hurt that he had Trevor Scott doing the inks. I liked the way Keith Giffen wrote this story. Even though the DC characters were actually just dream constructs, he kept them true to character. It was interesting to see, and hear, the different views that the various characters had on how this situation should be handled. I also liked seeing all of these characters together. I mean, the WildStorm Universe is actually one of the 52 . . right? So, I think, it's theoretical that something like this could happen again . . for real this time. The Doctor actually accomplished the most in this series. For all the posturing and 'measuring' that the rest of the heroes did, it was the Doctor's conversations that I think weakened this kid the most. Then it was just a matter of waking him up . . after they found him of course. At the end I liked the Doctor's comment when he returned the book the kid had stolen to the Athenaeum. "I believe this belongs here. The thief . . will never sleep again. You have my word on that." The only problem . . . the book is incomplete. There's still a few pages floating around out there. All in all I thought it was a pretty good mini-series. I thought it was a unique way to bring the 2 world's heroes together . . a cross-over . . kind of.

Birds of Prey #122 - DC

First of all I have to say that Stephane Roux's cover are delicious . . er, I mean . . fantastic! This girl has really come a long way in a short period of time. The interior work is done by Michael O'Hare. It looks pretty good also. I'm not particularly fond of his interpretation of the Joker, but . . other than that . . I like the rest. Anyways, the Platinum Flats crime syndicate, with the help of their recruited advisor, the Joker, are making a play to find out just who their adversaries are. They set up a trap with the intent of putting a tracer on one of the girls and then finding out just who Oracle really is. I like the way Tony Bedard is using some of the peripheral characters sporadically, or on an as needed basis. In this book that includes ManHunter, Zatanna and Infinity. But we still don't really know all that much about Infinity. I'm sure her story will be coming up soon though. The biggest surprise in this story though is on the final page when Babs comes face to face with the Joker. She thinks that the syndicate gave their location to the police, because there's a car sitting outside. Actually though, it's the Joker dressed as a police officer. "Officer Slaughter, Miss . . . I'm here to see the Oracle. And, no, I don't have an appointment." I like this book. It's not like your typical team book. All of these character admitedly work better solo. But, when they do work together . . it's fantastic. And Babs, besides being the un-official leader, is also like the big sister or best friend to all of those that work with her. The relationships that they share are incredible. I think that any of them would lay down their lives for any of the others. But anyways . . . I can't wait for next issue.

Robin #178 - DC

Fabian Nicieza and Freddie Williams II are putting together a fantastic story-line here. I love the direction that were heading. Robin seems to be wrestling with a decision, but he's not really saying what it is out loud. He's trying to figure out the best way to contain all of the violence that bubbling just below the surface of Gotham. He's really doing the best he can, and getting help from everyone he can . . including Ragman. But, there's a few X factors also. First, there's someone running around in the Red Robin outfit. He's shown up at a couple of Robin's scuffles . . from a distance . . and has kept his involvement to a minimum. But Robin doesn't really know who's side he's on. The only thing we really do know is that it's not Jason or Dick. Other than that . . who knows. The other factor is . . I think that Stephanie may be working against Tim. She acts like she wants to help . . and has been there for him on several occasions, but . . I think she has her own agenda. The problem is . . we don't know what that is. And Tim's got to much on his plate right now to even notice. But anyways . . back to the decision. I'm thinking the decision that Tim's wrestling with is . . . whether or not he's going to pose as the Batman in his absence. I think he's coming to the conclusion that there's only so much he can do without the threat of 'a Batman' out there. So I think he's going to address that personally. Which, unfortunately, would lead him closer to the future that he witnessed in Teen Titans. I don't think it's going to be long now.

Trinity #16 - DC

This evil group, Le Fey and Enigma and Despero, had to have some might big cajones to take on this trio. I mean think about it. These are the biggest names in the DC Universe. And not only do they want to take them on, but they want to take them down, and they want to control them. Unfortunately, this issue . . it looks like they may have accomplished the controlling part. Batman is fighting Despero, except . . . Despero isn't . . well he's . . actually we don't know what he is, but . . Batman does, and I think he's not Despero. But that doesn't really tell us who he is. But since he's not who he appears to be, Batman misjudges his abilities. Despero, or whomever, catches him off guard . . and brands him. But it appears to me that with Superman and Wonder Woman branded they only seemed to work together that much better. So what's going to happen with all 3 branded? Well . . we're going to have to wait until next issue to find out. I'm kind of thinking that Le Fey is on her own here because I'm not sure that Enigma is what he appears to be either. At the end of their story they're claiming victory. But we're going to have to wait until next issue to find out just what that means. Oh yeah, in the meantime, Firestorm went to check on Krona, physically. So now he knows that the egg and the man are missing. I'm just wondering if he's going to be able to make it back in time to warn the rest of the JLA. In the back-up story, Hawkman and Gangbuster finally find Tarot, but that's right when the Trinity's big battle is going on. Hawkman is determined to get there to help them but when trying he encounters something similar to the effects of the first Crisis. And Tarot is in agony because of something that's happening to the world's soul. Another fantastic issue by Busiek, Bagley, Nicieza and Norton. Seriously, the farther this series moves along . . the more I'm getting in to it.

Nyx: No Way Home #2 - Marvel

This is an interesting series. I seem to be having a hard time getting in to it . . but, it's interesting. It's written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Kalman Andrasofszky. It's about a bunch of mutant kids that live together in an apartment in New York City. All of them have had hardship in their lives so none of them have family . . except each other. The only other person they've let in is their teacher. She wants to help them. She wants them to go in the right direction. But her boyfriend wants her to pay more attention to him. So he's going to leave her. But now they have bigger problems. It appears that someone has broken into their apartment and abducted Cameron, the teacher, for some unknown reason. The kids are mutants, but they're not detectives. They want to help Cameron . . maybe even rescue her . . but they have no idea what to do or how to go about it. Remember . . they're just kids. Anyways, like I said, I'm just having a hard time getting in to this one. It reads ok, and it has a decent plot. I'm just finding myself having a hard time really caring about the characters. I am interested in seeing how this all plays out, but beyond that . . . it's just another story to me. Sorry!

New Exiles #11 - Marvel

Okay, remember the Empress Hydra from that one dimension where she was actually Susan Storm? Well, her and her comrades are starting to cause trouble across the Omniverse now. She's got a renegade Wolverine, Slaymaster and Venger working for her now. And they've been in the process of cutting a swath across the various dimensions. The only problem is, from the Crystal Cathedral, any dimension can be monitored. Betsy has already been on edge since she found out that the Slaymaster is gunning for her. So Creed has been trying to catch up with him on his hunt for all the various Psylockes. He finds their handy-work on a planet shortly after their attack. On that world Creed was married to Betsy and then had a few children. When the group came they killed everybody trying to get to Betsy. Creed finds this planet shortly after they leave, but close enough to follow their trail. He then goes back to the Palace to talk to Kitty about the whole thing but Kitty's busy trying to figure out why the Omniverse is dying. She and Creed have a bit of a tiff, but Creed still leaves her a recording telling her everything that's been happening, with the evil group, training Betsy, and his quest to avenge their most recent victims. He catches up to them on a world that appears to have no doppelgangers of themselves. My guess is that it's their resting spot between jumps. That's where Creed decides to confront them. But he's sorely at a disadvantage and they almost take him out. At the end it appears that Kitty has come to help him as he seems to phase into the ground barely avoiding Wolverine's attack. Chris Claremont, as usual, writes this story. It's got Chris' usual twists and turns in it. Plus Chris is the master of having multiple story-lines going on at the same time. However, the artwork in this issue is by Paco Diaz Luque. It's ok. But I really line Tom Grummett's artwork on this series. Paco's stuff is actually pretty good, but . . it just didn't have the same feel to it as Tom's. Overall though I still enjoyed the book. This is, and has been, one of my favorites for quite a while now. I like the unpredictability of it. It doesn't have to follow the usual Marvel rules of engagement, so when it comes down to it . . anything can happen. Just like life.

King-Size Cable #1 - Marvel

I'm a little unsure of why this story couldn't have occurred in the regular Cable title but . . for whatever reason . . here it is. Everything keeps going along at the same pace and momentum as Duane Swierczynski who wrote this also writes the regular title. So it fits right in with the current storyline. The nice thing about the art is that Ken Lashley did it and, since it's just a one-shot, we don't have to worry about whether or not he'll be back for the next issue. I sincerely enjoy Ken's work. It's just few and far between. This book has a really good look to it. Bishop figures out a couple of things about Cable this issue. First of all he figures out that his time device is broken so he can only go forward in time. That hadn't dawned on Bishop before now. Secondly, he figures out that the events and traveling of both of them are affecting the time-line in ways they hadn't expected. Well, I would guess more Bishop than Cable. Cable seems to be keeping a pretty low profile when he bounces around. But Bishop? Bishop is bouncing around through time like a bull in a china shop. Literally! He finds a journal that has a date and the initials, "NDS-RIP". So he jumps to that time to make sure that Cable and the baby are really dead. However, when he gets there he's attacked by this giant mutant bear. What he didn't know upon arrival was that the bear was originally targeting Cable and the baby. However, Bishop inadvertantly attracts it's attention and then has to fight for his life and ends up taking it down. It's only then that he notices Cable's injuries and that he doesn't have the baby. But before he can act Cable retrieves the baby and jumps ahead in time. So now what's just dawning on Bishop is that because of his involvement, Cable and the baby have just been spared. So the issue ends, as usual, with Bishop cursing out Cable for his damn stubbornness. I liked the issue. I liked the story and the art. But like I said, I don't understand why they couldn't just have put out an over-sized issue in with the regular title. Plus it say it's going to be 30 days until the next issue. Who knows what crazy ideas run through a marketing exec's mind? Anyways, overall I thought it was a pretty decent issue.

the Amazing Spider-man #571 - Marvel

It's hard for me to believe that the feel of this book could change this much just by adding John Romita Jr. into the mix. I mean, I have all the respect in the world for John's work, but . . it's still the same writer . . Dan Slott. So all that's really changed is the visuals. Granted, they're damn good visuals, but . . the essence of the book really hasn't changed. Although, we are on a new story-line . . . New Ways to Die!. Everything in the last year has been about adding new faces . . both to the supporting cast and the villains. It just seemed like expanding the cast was more important that the progression of Peter's story. Not that it didn't move along . . slowly . . but, it didn't seem like that was the main focus. This story-line seems to have changed in that respect. Yes we have Eddie Brock in his new form of Anti-Venom, but . . it still seems like it's mostly about Peter. He's got this Spider-tracer Killer thing on his mind, plus his powers seem to be acting up for no reason. Plus, remember way back when this Brand New Day first started, and Peter was mugged and somebody took his wallet and web-shooters? Well, whatever happened with all of that? I thought the mugger had pawned the wallet off to a bad guy and somehow Peter's identity would be compromised? I'm thinking that's still involved in all of this . . . somehow. Anyways, now Norman is only a breath away from figuring out Peter's secret. This issue he finds Peter's camera but he just assumes that Peter is just in cahoots with Spider-man. However he does figure out that the camera is set up to target Spidey's costume. So now he can track the signal. That's gonna' suck for Peter. But next issue is the big one . . . Spider-man vs Bullseye. This one should definitely be a classic. Thankfully the book seems to be getting back on track again. I know it's probably been pretty hectic trying to keep up with this new schedule, but maybe they're getting to the point where things are starting to click. From the readers point of view . . it sure feels like it. Thanks!

Ultimate X-Men / Ultimate Fantastic Four - Annual #1 - Marvel

I thought this was an interesting story, but . . it's to big to finish in this issue. In 2 weeks the Ultimate Fantastic Four / Ultimate X-Men Annual #1 will come out, and that will be the wrap-up for this story. It's been done before, so it wasn't completely unexpected. This issue is written by Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski. The artwork was split in half. Dan Panosian did the middle of the book, and Mark Brooks did the beginning and the end. Or I guess you could say that Dan did the current scenes and Mark did the future part of the story. The art was ok. Nothing to get excited about . . just ok. The gist of the story is that there's this team of X-Men, from 20 years in the future, that come back in time to stop Reed who somehow has a hand in thier persecution. Their team consists of Wolverine, Rogue, Kitty . . who now seems to have a whole plethora of powers . . Captain America . . who's actually Scott Summers, and Phoenix . . who is now Franklin Richards. But, when they come back to capture Reed, Franklin and Reed have a moment . . Franklin didn't know that Reed was his father. Anyways, they're in such a hurry because they're being hounded by Sentinels which now are made in the form of Wolverine. They take Reed to the future where he comes into contact with a new Fantastic Four. As I said, I thought the story was pretty good. As is usual for the Ultimate Universe, there was a slew of new and fresh ideas in this book. Which, really, is why I like this concept so much. Basically . . anything goes . . and often has. I think it'll be interesting to see how this all squares off next issue. Plus, I'm intrigued as to just what Reed's involvement was in this whole dystopian future. Chalk up another 'win' for the Ultimate Universe.

Ultimate Origins #4 - Marvel

This is a fantastic mini-series. The problem is, I don't see any way that they're going to be able to wrap all of this up in just 1 more issue. I wasn't overly impressed by either of the covers for this issue. I'm glad they were both for regular price. These obelisks that have been popping up everywhere? I think they are the Ultimate Universe's version of the Watchers. Apparently they show up whenever there's a significant event that's going to change, or shape, civilization. It tells Sue, "It's here to witness the most significant event of this generation. It just told me . . . it is here to witness the coming devastation." So apparently this series will lead directly into March on Ultimatum. We find out in this book though that Nick Fury was the original Super-soldier experiment. He was transformed about 90 years ago but he got scared and ran away. However, now he's come back to try to make up for his past transgressions. In that role he's been tasked by the President to develop the new Super-soldier formula. To that end he's recruited Doctor Franklin Storm, Richard Parker, Doctor Bruce Banner and Hank Pym. Doctor Storm is soon taken out of the equation and lent to the Army for the Baxter Building project. Richard is the calm on of the group, but it's hard for him to keep control of Bruce or Hank because they're both such mavericks. They've been told, specifically, that they aren't allowed to test on humans . . period. But when Bruce thinks that he's got the formula licked, he and Hank decided to test it on themselves. Bruce says he'll go first, and that's when he gets turned into the Hulk . . or the Ultimate Human, I guess, as he's called here. The resulting catastrophe is when Richard and his wife are killed, turning Peter into an orphan. Nick finds the baby in the rubble, and that's why, I think, he goes out of his way to protect him now that he's a teen-ager. He feels responsible for his parents. I'm not sure how all of this background story connects to the current one with the obelisks, but . . it'll have to all come together next issue, I guess. Since Brian Bendis is the creator of the Ultimate Universe, he's at the creative helm of this project. It appears that everything really is all connected. The interior work of Butch Guice's was fantastic. But then we've come to expect nothing less. I really can't wait to see how it all comes out next issue.

Secret Invasion: X-Men #2 - Marvel

This whole issue, really, is just one big slug-fest between the X-Men and the Skrulls. Although it does help to illustrate just how strong Scott is as a leader. Apparently the Skrulls didn't know about the X-Men moving to the West Coast. So they thought that would be a pretty easy acquisition. And everybody knows what happens when you assume. Anyways, they aren't expecting anyone to fight back, so when the X-Men show up it throws a serious kink into their plans. Besides all the guerrilla warfare that Scott's deploying against the enemy, he has Emma and the Cuckoo's attempting to figure out where, and how, they're blocking all transmissions . . including telepathy. Also he knows that the enemy will hone in on their form of transportation . . teleporters . . so he sets up a trap, with Pixie as the bait, to lure one of the Super-skrulls in. He then has X-Force take him down. He wants to take out their mother-ship, but before doing so his plan is to use the guerrilla tactics to keep them tied down until they gather the intel that they need for a major strike. In the meantime he's tasked Hank with coming up with something to take out the mother-ship . . a 'doomsday device'. Hank says it would help if he had a tissue sample, so that's why Scott had X-Force take out the Skrull. I also think that this orb that Kurt has come in to possession of, is somehow going to be a big key to this whole thing. But for some reason he hasn't told anybody else about it . . . including Scott. I like the way that Mike Carey has constructed this story. It really shows how the X-Men's best asset is there ability to fight as a team . . an army. I do have to say though, I'm a little disappointed in Cary Nord's pencils. They seem pretty rushed, and nowhere near his usual talent level. Although we do have a pretty awesome Terry Dodson cover. I'd also like to state that I bought this because it's an X-Men mini-series, not because it a Secret Invasion book. I just wanted to put that out there.