the Amazing Spider-man #573 - Marvel

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book . . the whole New Ways to Die story-line, actually. It's great to see Spidey back to his distracting humorous self again. "Wow. Ven-orpion. That's like the Turducken of Super-villains." That's the remark that he makes to Songbird and Radioactive man after he rescues them from Norman's self-destructing building and he sees Venom fighting Anti-Venom . . while Venom's dressed in the Scorpion outfit. Dan Slott really seems to be getting the hang of these characters. It's not just about putting them through the motions, and filling the book with action and intrigue. With Spider-man, I think, it's more about his huge cast of characters and making sure that you portray each of their various personalities accurately. Which Dan seems to becoming more and more capable of every issue. Plus, like I've said before, it was really nice seeing John Romita Jr back on this series. There's a lot of revelations though this issue. With this whole debacle at Oscorp, we find out that it was actually Harry that was experimenting on all of these Asian immigrants. Or at least that's what Norman's trying to make it look like. When Venom stings Anti-Venom with his Scorpion tail, the venom seems to remove Eddie's powers . . . at least temporarily. However, when Venom then tries to kill his de-powered nemesis . . the costume won't let him. It still has an affinity towards Eddie. Whodathunkit? As I said, Spidey rescues Songbird and Radioactive man from the collapsing building. In return, they tell him they'll tell everyone that they saw him crushed in the wreckage. Later on when Peter, Lily and Harry are back in the building, looking for some file that Harry says will clear his name . . . while alone . . Lily makes a play for Peter. "Sometimes I feel . . . like I chose the wrong guy." And they kiss. Luckily Harry didn't see it. And it appears that Mr Li is not his usual . . healing self. If fact he seems downright overwrought with weakness . . or illness? Anyways, that's another thing that I like so much about this book. There's always so many plot-lines developing just under the surface. It's taken quite a few months, but . . I feel like this book is finally getting back into it's groove.

Nyx: No Way Home #3 - Marvel

I like this book. I'm not really into the characters, but . . I can appreciate the dilemma that they find themselves in. Plus it's frustrating because it looks like things are going to get worse for these kids before they get better. They're out looking for their missing teacher, and mentor, Cameron Palmer. The problem is they're also the chief suspects in here abduction. Which means they have to go to desperate measures and confront a gang member that Bobby knows, to try to get some information. Tatiana touches him while he's bleeding and turns into, well . . him. Which startles him and he shoots her in the shoulder. Kiden uses her powers to get them out of the situation after Bobby beats him up and then some of his posse show up. But they have to take Tatiana directly to a hospital. That's where there luck really turns bad. First one of the nurses sees their faces on the TV, and then after Tatiana's operation they give her a transfusion . . . which turns her into . . whomever the blood came from . . on the operating table . . in front of everyone. But before she passes out from pain, Tatiana did get some information from the guy when she assumed his identity . . a contact number. Kiden and Bobby call it and meet up with the guy that's only known as the tattooed man. Fearing that he's going to do something to his younger brother, Bobby possess' him. The problem is, when he wakes up . . he doesn't remember any of them or what's going on. It seems that Kiden is slowly getting down to only herself that she can rely on. Nyx is an interesting character that was originally developed and created by Joe Quesada and Josh Middleton. Unfortunately, neither of them are present on this series. Here . . . Marjorie Liu is the writer, and Kalman Andrasofszky is the artist. However, luckily, the book really has the same feel as the first mini-series. It's ok. I bought it because I was curious. But so far, it really hasn't been all that great. It's interesting, and a decent read . . I just don't find it all that thrilling. We'll see though.

the Mighty Avengers #19 - Marvel

This was an interesting issue. Really, the whole thing was about Mar-vell. Or should I say . . Khn'nr. That's his real name. His Skrull name. It turns out that Captain Marvel is actually a sleeper agent . . a Skrull warrior. But, he's been a sleeper agent for so long that in his mind he's having a hard time figuring out who he actually is. Talk about split personalities. Anyways, this whole issue is about his inner conflict. He even takes on several other Skrull warriors and flies out into the Earth's orbit to take out a couple of their ships. All the while, his inner dialogue is like that of the girl in the Exorcist. Meanwhile, back at the Slab, there's a jail-break. One of the people that breaks out is Noh-Varr. A true Kree warrior. He's seen on the news about Mar-vell's return and has convinced himself that he's going to have to fight him. However, when he finds him, it's after he attacks the Skrull ships. He's been shot down and has fallen all the way through the orbit back to the Earth. Noh-Varr finds him after he lands, beaten and burned and realizes that he's actually a Skrull. What's he going to do now? Again, with this Secret Invasion thing, I have a ton of questions. Not so much about the story-line, but about this book. Doesn't Mar-vell have his own book out now? And wasn't there this big build up and everything about his return? So . . all of that and now we find out that he's actually a Skrull sleeper agent? But my real question is . . . if Mar-Vell's got his own book . . . why wasn't this story done there? There's not a mention or a sighting of a single Avenger in this book. Why? Because of this stupid story-line? I don't accept that as an acceptable answer. I'm really starting to become more than a little frustrated with Brian Bendis. As he appears to be the architect of this whole debacle . . it would seem that these creative decisions fall on him. I feel like I wasted $3 here. By the way Khoi Pham does the interior art. But the best thing about this whole issue was Marko Djurdjevic's cover. That's the best I can do. Sorry!

X-Men - World's Apart #1 - Marvel

Like the Young X-Men book I just read, this is another book with a story in it to keep us busy. It's a story about Ororo, Wakanda and the Shadow King. First he takes possession of Nezhno . . convincing this small African country that they had a murderer living within their borders. A murderer that happens to be a mutant. Then he takes control of T'Challa. And in front of his entire nation he renounces his love and arrangement with his now deposed Queen . . Ororo. She's thinking that her every waking nightmare has come to fruition. That is until T'Challa turns and winks at her. That's when she realizes that the Shadow King is now in control. But, really, this story is just the foundation for the book. The story that keeps us busy while the real story progresses along underneath, in the shadows, barely recognizable to us. The real story here is Ororo's feeling that she's disconnected with her true heritage. The problem is . . she doesn't know which side of her life is the real one, and what's really important. On one hand she's an X-Man. But in order to live that life, she has to pay less attention to her life as a wife and Queen. On the other hand, as a Queen, in Wakanda, on her home-continent, she is actually at home. But being here means that she leaves her responsibilities and family of the X-Men behind. So the question comes, is her real home where she's from . . . or where she's made it? And that, I think, is the true basis for this story. But it would be hard to fill 4 issues with self-doubt and introspection. There's got to be some action, right? I think Christopher Yost has put together a neat little tale here. We haven't seen the Shadow King in a while, and really this is an issue that eventually Ororo is going to have to resolve. But, to me, the unexpected star of this book is Diogenes Neves, the penciller. I don't know where this guy came from, but . . . he's got some amazing work throughout the pages of this book. This kid appears to be incredibly talented and I'm wondering why this is the first we've seen of him. Overall, I thought this book was an unexpected pleasure. This one's definitely drawn me in with the very first issue.

Young X-Men #7 - Marvel

This issue are group of teen-aged X-Men take a little trip to an island. There mission is to figure out what happened to the 56 construction workers that seem to have disappeared from there. They find out that the island is actually a Krakoa. You know, that living island from the early days of the X-Men. Well . . apparently there's more than one. Anyways, that's the story that the issue was wrapped in, the real story was the self inspection of a few of it's members. We find out that Sooraya has been visiting Donald Pierce so she can talk to him. She's heard rumors that one of thier members isn't a mutant. She's kind of hoping that it's her, because she wants off the team. Not because of anything that's happened, or anybody's said or anything. No, she wants off the team because she's dying and I think she wants to spare her friends any of the anguish of dealing with her condition. We also find out that Rock is hoping that Ink is the non-mutant because he really doesn't like him. He blames him for Wolfcub's death. But he has to come to terms that he's not really mad at Ink, but himself. He's using the mutant thing as an excuse not to like him. We also delve into Graymalkin's condition, but . . not very much. Emma is trying to help him. And finally, we learn that the non-mutant actually is Ink. Some of the members figure it out on their own, but Donald tells Sooraya that he's not a mutant, but . . his ink artist is. Makes sense. I guess. Anyways I thought this was a pretty good in-between issue by Marc Guggenheim and Ben Oliver. I think Marc is doing a great job with character development. Also the team seems a lot more relaxed now that they're in San Francisco with the rest of the X-Men. My only real complaint, and it's a minor one, is Ben Oliver's art. I mean . . it's ok, and all . . . I'm just not sure if he's the right artist for this book. With all the other X-Men books looking so good right now, it's just that this one seems kind of . . . less evolved. I guess. I don't know. I just wish they had a better artist on this series. I really like these characters, and now . . after 3 or 4 title changes . . they have a chance to go the distance in their own series. As long as they can draw attention to themselves and draw the reader in. I think a better artist would help with that. Anyways, it looks like next issue is going to get us going on a new story-arc, so . . I'll see ya then.

Uncanny X-Men #503 - Marvel

Well, that woman that we saw last issue . . the one that I said looked like Jean, but . . you know, in a dominatrix outfit? Well it turns out that it's Madelyn Pryor. Or at least someone that looks an awful lot like her. But, I'm going for the simplest solution . . she's not really dead. And it appears that Scott had sex with her this afternoon . . . well . . psychic sex. While he and Emma searched an old warehouse, he thought that Emma decided for a little exciting action, while everyone else was busy. Later on, when they're watching Allison perform at a club . . he sees Madelyn in the distance and realizes that he'd been duped. Well, that and Emma didn't have the same swarmy smile on her face that Scott did. Smells like teen spirit? Anyways, Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker are really pulling out all of the stops with this group right now. They even have Pixie going all primeval on Empath. Somebody had to stop him, and . . she did have her soul dagger ready. I really enjoyed the adventure that they put together here. And they worked, practically, everyone into the story . . Sam, Xian, Dani, Empath, Storm, Logan, Kurt, Warren, Scott & Emma, Hank, Pixie, Allison, Chimera and of course the reintroduction of Madelyn Pryor. And of course Greg Land's artwork speaks for itself. Wow! I also like it that this book and Astonishing is so closely intertwined now. There's enough action in the X-Men universe that they can easily fill 2 books with their x-ploits. And that's just this team. My only question is . . how does Scott attract all of these hot . . HOT!! . . women? Seriously! Jean to Madelyn, back to Jean, back and forth between Jean and Madelyn, back to Jean one last time, on to Emma, and now . . . he's got 2 in the same place looking at him they haven't eaten in 2 weeks and he's a piece of prime-rib. I'm beginning to think his mutant power is making women hot. I love this book!

Astonishing X-Men #27 - Marvel

It's amazing how much stuff Warren Ellis can put into one book. Astonishing is the right name for this book . . honestly. Here's what we got . . last issue the X-Men went to Chaparanga Beach. It's a place where dead space-ships are taken. There, they found a mutant . . . actually a triploid. He was trying to activate a box with the power from the ship. When the X-Men showed up, he killed himself rather than give up any information. I guess they found another mutant there also. Now a triploid can't exist naturally, and the other mutant had the x-gene on the wrong chromosome. Anyways they take the box back to San Francisco but Hank is just as stymied. So, Agent Brand from SWORD is called in. She immediately identifies the box as a Shadow Box. Apparently it some sort of technology that used to travel between dimensions . . parallel Earths. They also find a journal. It appears that the triploid and the unknown mutant were on opposite sides of some conflict . . a secret war. They also find reference to a place in China . . Tian. It's a five mile stretch in the Chinese forests that's completely unidentifiable. It's blocked from all forms of scanning equipment and has been for years. So, of course, the X-Men need to go and check it out. So, all of the stuff that's happened in the book so far . . is nothing compared to what they find in the forest. Tian mean 'heaven'. And the area they find . . a floating city . . looks just like it. First they find out that the whole city has spintronic activity. "These floors, these walls, they're slabs of spintronic computing material. Spintronics use the spin of electrons to store information. They open the way for quantum-based calculation. This entire building is a spintronic supercomputer. All of it." They find some dead mutants, but because of the energy in the room . . something generates preservative properties. So they determine that this location is the home of the Chinese X-Men. That is . . . until M-Day. Hank surmises that when Wanda whispered "No more mutants." that she turned them all off. I don't know how Warren can think up all of this stuff. The guys amazing. Plus, he does a fantastic job with the story . . as far as character development, interaction and dialogue. The guys a genius. Add to that the amazing pencils of Simone Bianchi . . and I think, we have one of the best X-Men story-arcs ever. Simone has drawn some amazing pages here. And I love the ways the panels flow. I didn't think anything was going to beat the first 24 issues of this book. But . . this chapter just may do it. There is some amazing work here. Props to all involved.

Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow #6 - WildStorm

This is the final issue of this book. Overall, I would consider it a moderate success. But, I don't see anything yet listed about a return engagement. So, I don't know if the powers that be thought it was good enough. It's written with a pretty open ending, so . . it could really go anywhere from here. I just don't know if it'll ever get that opportunity. Basically, there's something that's going to happen in the future. There seems to be 2 sides, as always, but Casey's opposition are 'seeded' humans. I guess some sort of alien race wants to take over the world eventually, so in order to do so, they're 'seeding' these individuals years ahead of time so that when the plan comes to fruition they'll be less likelihood up opposition. Somehow Casey can tune in on these 'seeded' people's frequency so she knows when there's one close by. She then seems to have this irresistible urge to kill them. I'm sure there's more people out there like Casey . . fighting for the same side, but she appears the first to be awoken. I think B Clay Moore and Carlo Barberi have done a pretty decent job with this series. Like I said, I just don't know if it got enough recognition to warrant a return engagement. Overall though . . I liked it. It doesn't hurt that Casey's pretty hot.

StormWatch - Post Earth Division #15 - WildStorm

This issue Jon Drake, from the Establishment, joins StormWatch. Well . . I don't know if 'joined' is the best word, but they do rescue him, and seeing as how there's not a lot of options in this world right now, I would think this group would be as good as any for him. We find out this issue that King is directly trying to keep StormWatch out of the Authority's sight. He's purposefully aligned the ship with the Earth's orbit so that Apollo won't be able to see them. He isn't even willing to entertain the option of asking the Authority for some space on their Carrier for all of the survivors that they've brought in. He just doesn't trust them. We also find out that the High . . the guy whose clones created all of this mess . . is gathering up survivors and taking them to Finland for relocation. "Something bad happened here a long time ago and everyone here decided not to let anyone with powers like mine inside. That's why you'll all be safe here. It's called the Masking Wall." And there's a new threat that's getting ready to expose itself. It's coming from the science cities in northern Russia . . Siberia. It's called the war golem. "It's a bio-organic construct with similarities to Jack Hawksmoor's physiology but on an industrial scale. It thrives on pollutants, radiation, heavy metals, toxins . . absorbs and reprocesses them as energy and fuel. It's totally automated, designed to activate when it detects certain post-apocalyptic conditions, like those created by the world storm. The Golem's sole objective is to breech the heart of the enemy territory . . in this instance, the continental US . . and lay waste to every living thing it finds." Well, it seems like we have a couple of new story-lines in the works here. I appreciate the effort that Ian Edginton and Leandro Fernandez are putting in to this book. However I find the back-up story more interesting on this one. It's about Marc Slayton finally making his way out of this I/O research facility in New Mexico. He finally makes it out, blowing up all the mutants contained within, only to find himself immediately contacted by someone from Team7. "I'll be damned if I know what even Team7 can do about doomsday." It's brought to us by Christos Gage and Mike McKone. Overall I like this book. It just seems like they're doing a lot of sitting around and waiting right now. Of course all of that could change in an instant. I guess we'll have to see what the future holds.

the Spirit #22 - DC

I'm still just not getting in to this book. I really do appreciate all the talent that's involved on this title . . . Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier on the scripts, and Chad Hardin and Wayne Faucher with the art, but . . I just can't get in to the stories. I just find them boring and rather simple. This issue was about a magic story, and . . it was all rather predictable. And when there is the opportunity for some more adult humor, or innuendo, between the Spirit and Ellen . . the don't capitalize on it. I mean, Ellen's a good looking girl, and she's putting herself out there for him . . you'd think he'd at least do some good natured flirting or something. That wouldn't necessarily change how I feel about the book, but, at least, it would make it more interesting. Right? Anyways, I guess I just don't see what the draw is. Nostalgia? Maybe! I'm not sure. But Super Friends is the first book I'm dropping off of my list. Maybe this book should be the second. I'll let you know.

DC Super Friends #8 - DC

I'm still having a hard time reading this book. I'm starting to think, maybe I should just give up. I mean . . it's cute and all, but . . it really is written for a much younger audience. I'm having a hard time enjoying it. Plus, in my head, I keep comparing it to Justice League Unlimited . . and really, it's nothing like that. At all! In my mind, I think, I'm just trying to make it that way. I particularly don't like the way Batman is portrayed in this book. Although . . I'm sure the kids do. I'm trying to stay positive . . thinking that this is a great series for the young readers to become involved in the hobby. But, I think I'm just hoping for the best. It seems that the entire Johnny DC line is going this direction. I get it. I understand the marketing. I think I just don't like it because it's not accessible . . to me! But then I'm not their target audience. I think I just need to realize that . . and move on. So . . . this'll be the end of this book . . for me anyways. I'll probably still pick it up for my nephew though.

the Flash #245 - DC

Wally really seems to be at a pivotal point in his life. In recent issues, he's save his wife and kids from various threats and life-ending ailments. But, was the cost to his person higher than he anticipated? He seems to be experiencing a 5% loss in power recently, which means that he can only travel at about the speed of sound . . around 700 miles per hour. Anything more than that and his body wouldn't be able to tolerate the stress heaped upon it. Anyways, with everything that Wally is dealing with this issue, he's also got Queen Bee gunning after him. Remember, they had an encounter back in JLA #20. I said in that blog that I wondered why the story wasn't told in a Flash book, because the story dealt more with the Flash and Queen Bee than with the rest of the Justice League. Yes Wonder Woman was present, but still. So this issue her drones make an attack on Linda. Wally saves her, but . . I'm wondering what they were really after. She seems to have some kind of time-travel device, that she attempting to operate, but . . they're having a hard time getting it to work right. "The device channels into a time warp. The humans who created it had no idea what they had tapped into. Not only is the device capable of increasing speed energy . . it can remove it, too . . . bringing time to a standstill, as you desired." But, they haven't got it to work properly, or to be able to target it properly. I'm thinking it has something to do with the speed-force because the next issue credit reads, "Queen Bee and Carapace make their move on their link to the Speed Force . . . Iris!" Overall I enjoyed the book. I just hate to think that Linda, or Iris & Jai will have to suffer because of their husband, and father's, occupation. This is a good place for new reader to start this book, because a lot of the focus this issue was on Wally's remembrances of the past . . Barry, the Teen Titans, the Justice League, etc.. We get a lot of information this issue. I think Alan Burnett is finally becoming more comfortable with this series and these characters. He seems to be settling in quite nicely. Carlo Barberi does the art this issue. He's the artist from the Casey Blue series, and I have to say I thought he felt really comfortable on this book. So far I like the new direction. Let's just see where it goes.

Booster Gold #13 - DC

I don't necessarily want these blogs to be a blow-by-blow account of the story . . or the book, but . . I kind of think of these posts as a way for people to look back at books that maybe they didn't pick up and are wondering what they're all about. One of my first posts was the mini-series American Way, by WildStorm. Does anybody even remember that series? And that was only 2 1/2 years ago. So, 2 or 3 years from now, when these posts are 4 or 5 years old . . there's going to be a lot of books in here that either people don't remember, or never had the opportunity to enjoy. So, I see what I'm doing as sharing a bit of the feeling of the book with the readers of this post. So while I don't necessarily want to do a blow-by-blow, sometimes I think it's the best way to get across the feeling of the book. Other times I may talk more about the artists or writers, or how the book made me feel. But overall, I just want to open up this medium to people that may not be able, or willing, to participate. There's a lot of stereotypes here, and really . . I'd just like to shatter all of them. I enjoy these books, and I enjoy collecting them. The opportunity to share that with others? . . . it just help make it all seem that much more worth-while. Maybe those ambitions are a bit to lofty for a comic-geek, but . . . hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. Plus, the whole thing helps to keep me out of trouble, and focus more on family and work. Yes it's all a delicate balance. I haven't achieved it yet . . . but I'm working on it. Anyways, this book made me think of that because, really . . it's a book about family. Yes it's disguised in the veil of a time-traveling adventurer, who is actually quite responsible and resourceful . . . even though the rest of the world sees him as an opportunistic moron. But, most recently, the stories involve Michael, his sister Michelle and his as yet to be determined son, Rip Hunter. It's the familial edge, or dynamic, that helps to make the stories interesting and relevant. Because, I mean really, how could anyone connect with somebody who jumps around through time fixing things that we never even realized happened? We've recently switched creative forces behind this book. I'm not sure how long they'll be on board, but currently Rick Remender is the author in residence, and Pat Olliffe is the artistic force behind the vision. Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens are going to be a hard act to follow, but . . I think these guys are doing a pretty decent job. Right now we have this whole cross-time, Starro the Conquerer thing going on. It's a bit . . . complicated, but it may lead to Booster learning the truth about his son. And, really, that may be why this book's stories seem to be ramping up. In the past, no-one's ever been privy to Rip's actual identity, or history. But, if someone were to put together the connection between Booster and Rip . . . there would definitely be new targets for them to aim at to change their histories. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out, and . . how they decide to keep it all under wraps. It really is . . the biggest secret in history.

DC Special: Cyborg #6 - DC

This series seemed to leave me with a lot more questions that answers. I love this character, and I'm glad that he finally got a mini-series of his own. But . . I think it was all a little overly complicated and kind of mish-mashed together. Mark Sable wrote the story, and Carlos Magno does the art. Overall . . I thought it was . . ok. First of all . . I really don't like this Mr Orr character. I'm sure that's not his real name, but that's what the rest of the espionage world seems to know him by. Anyways, he's a dick. And this is all wrapped up in a time story also . . . Cyborg 2.0 is the future version of himself that we met in the Teen Titans story-line where they all fought in Luthor's army. Anyways, he's teamed up with Orr and tells Vic that he's trying to stop him from making a bad decision. He's trying to make sure that his future comes to pass where he controls this Shadow-Limb portion of the government . . . and has created the Cyborg Revenge Squad to help accomplish that endeavor. However, the first chance he gets, he turns the Revenge Squad on the Shadow-Limb soldiers of today. That didn't make a lot of sense to me. Also, Vic ends up killing the future version of himself, and as he's dying he's smiling. Is he smiling because Vic made the right decision, or is he smiling because Vic made the decision that he wanted him to make? We may not know that answer for a while. But this series does wrap up the question of what can be done with Cyborg's tech. The government owns it, but . . Cyborg has retained the software rights and his father made it DNA specific to Vic. So that cleans up that muddled mess, but . . there's still a Cyborgirl out there? She wasn't from the future, so how does she figure into all of this? Like I said . . more questions than answers. Overall I enjoyed the book, but . . I think it leaves this problem wide open for the future.

the Brave and the Bold #18 - DC

I thought this was an interesting team-up, and . . . I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Raven and Supergirl actually work pretty well off of each other, and . . they're both kind of dealing with the same issues, but from different perspectives. Raven tries to help Kara, with the assistance of the priests of Azarath, but . . I think her stay there seems cut pretty short. If she's got any common-sense, when this is all over with, she'll try to go back there to continue her learning's in meditation, but . . we all know that Kara doesn't make the best decisions. So . . . we'll have to wait and see if she brings anything out of this. However, the real story here isn't about Raven or Supergirl. The real story is about a boy whose powers seem to be driving him crazy . . and is pushing him towards taking the rest of the world with him. The problem . . and the reason for this story . . is that his father is Triumph. I know a lot of you don't know who that is. Think the Sentry . . you know, with the Avengers . . but with the Justice League instead. The problem is that Triumph seems to be caught between realities. He comes in and out of our own, and everytime he does he's leaving his son with a portion of his power but also taking a piece of his soul. The resolution to the story is a little . . . questionable. Raven forces the boy through the same meditative techniques that she was trying to teach Kara . . forcing him to fight the truths that his mind has tried to bury. In the end, he seems to blink out of existence. But I'm sure it's not the last we've seen of him. Anyways, it was all kind of anti-climatic. Marv Wolfman and Phil Winslade brought us this chapter. It was interesting. I wouldn't say it was one of my favorite chapters, but . . it was definitely unique. Overall though, I really enjoy this book. I'm glad to see it back on the shelves.

Justice Society of America #19 - DC

This was another fantastic chapter in this terrific story-arc. Geoff Johns is truly a gift to this medium. I really think that his writing abilities have elevated these books to a whole new level. Of course he's had Alex Ross' help on this chapter also, but still . . . a fantastically crafted story. I also think that Dale Eaglesham, while not an overly flashy artist, is the perfect artist for this series. I'm a fan of Jerry Ordway's, but his Earth-2 sequences seemed really simple in comparison to Dale's work. I like Jerry, and I understand what they're trying to accomplish, but . . the differences seemed kind of distracting at times. But, that being said, I'm still interested in Karen's story and what's going to happen there. Anyways, it seems that the recipients of Gog's gifts are struggling with the consequences of their wishes. Starman is very distraught over his new found sanity. He's afraid most of all that now that his mind is clear, other's will be able to read it and know what his future plans are . . the reason he was sent here. The other thing that worries him is that now that he is sane . . . will he be able to go through with what he supposed to do? The other problem is David Reid . . Roosevelt's grand-son. His life was saved . . changed . . but now he's been officially deemed Magog by Gog. And the rest of the Society seems to be at a cross-roads . . a pivotal point in the future of their team, and the world. Do they continue following Gog, as he moves into Kahndaq, and then the Middle East, as he transforms all the men and women with guns into trees? Or do they make a stand now and stop him from transforming the world and saving people, from themselves, whether they ask for it or not? Which has the team split in 2 and ready to fight amongst themselves. And to make matters worse, Karen, on Earth-2, has hooked up with Terry Holt and is using Starman's black-hole power to give them a way to return to this Earth. The problem is . . . they've unwittingly brought the rest of Justice Society Infinity behind them. There's going to be a lot to sort out next issue, plus . . . they're still trying to ensure that this world doesn't become the world of Kingdom Come. Like I said, this is a fantastic series, and a terrific story-arc. I can't wait to see how this all washes out. Are we going to have . . dare I say it . . a Kingdom Come2 series? Keep your fingers crossed.

DC Universe: Decisions #3 - DC

I'm still a little confused on what this series is trying to accomplish exactly, but . . I did like the ending. Or I should say . . I didn't necessarily like who the culprit was, but . . it really answered a lot of questions. Bill Willingham and Judd Winick really seem to make a good team together. Whodathunkit? I can see both their strengths in this story, and they seem to compliment each other well. I also enjoyed Rick Leonardi's pencils. I think that Dan Green, as his inker, helped a lot. This seems to be the Rick of old . . when he was pretty popular over at Marvel. He's been doing more and more work lately, but a lot of it seems like a watered down version. Like he did the layouts, maybe, and someone else the finishes. These pages seem like Rick all the way. Anyways, our Justice League team is narrowing the list of possibilities down. At first they were thinking that it was a telepath, because of the close proximity it seemed was needed to control these people. And that the list of culprits seemed completely random. Almost like whomever was the most readily available. But I think the slip-up came when the most recent bombing attempt seemed to have been made by the very candidate whom would've been the victim. I guess I should say, the briefcase was the victims own . . and he was the one who left it there. Which forces the League to come to the conclusion that the culprit is not controlling the people, but . . possessing them. As soon as that was said . . I knew who it was. At the end of the issue, while trying to fight his attack, Hal Jordan is possessed by . . . Joey, Jericho . . . Deathstroke's son, and a Teen Titan. Now the question for the final issue is . . why? And what does this mean about the most recent issue of Titans where Joey shows up at the end still in the Match persona? I don't want Joey to be a 'bad-guy', and . . I really don't think he is. So . . is someone controlling him? We'll have to wait until next issue to find out. Now . . I don't like this series. I let you know next week.

Batgirl #4 - DC

Well, we're getting near the end of this series and we finally find out who it is that Cain and Slade are after . . . Oracle and her Birds of Prey. We just don't know why yet. This is a pretty intense group of dysfunctional girls we have here. Marque is after Cain . . her 'father', and the man who's taught her all of this hate and anger. Ravager is after her own father, Slade. We pretty much know her reasons. Hell, she'll tell anyone who asks . . and has many times. And then there's Cassandra . . Batgirl. She has a pretty stable and secure familial structure now . . you know, with the whole Bat-family and everything. But, she still feels it necessary to make her 'father', Cain, pay for what he's done to her. Plus, she's also trying to help, or stop, him from doing the same thing to other girls, which, as it appears, he's up to now. She doesn't necessarily like Slade any more than she does Cain, but she just sees him as a means to an end . . Cain. Now that she's found out who the guys targets are . . next issue she's off to Platinum Flats. I think Adam Beechen is doing a pretty decent job with this story. He's doing a good job of portraying Cassandra's feelings and inner conflicts. The other 2 girls are pretty one-dimensional, I think, but . . everybody's got to have some back-up. Right? I also enjoy J Calafiore's art. I know. He's not everybody's cup of tea. But, personally, I think he draws some great action sequences. Personally, I just hope that this series can segue into another run of her own. Maybe?

Robin #179 - DC

Tim really has it coming at him from all fronts . . without the Batman around to help him out. Nightwing is trying to deal with the Underground and Two-Face, while Robin tries to keep all the gangs under control. But the real threat that's coming at him, he doesn't even know about. It appears that Stephanie has gone the route of Zoom over in the Flash series. She loves Tim and cares for him deeply. So much so in fact that she's hired some people to help her. She wants to prepare Tim. She wants to make him stronger and more adept at handling these various situations, especially considering that he no longer has Batman around to help him out. To that end, it appears that she's hired the Scarab to make Tim's life difficult. And this guy who hates Robin, as much as Stephanie loves him, by the name of Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong. I'm not sure how Lynx or Red Robin fit in to all of this but . . they do, somehow. This series is written by Fabian Nicieza. I love his work and I think he's doing an outstanding job here. I'm also thrilled that Freddie Williams II is now the regular artist. I think his work has gotten much better, and more consistent. Next issue, Robin finally comes face to face with Red Robin. Speaking of which . . . I think I'm kind of hungry for a burger now . . and steak fries! Gotta go!

Titans #6 - DC

I have to admit, after reading this issue . . I have mixed feelings. First of all I want to say that I love what Judd Winick is doing with this book. He does a fantastic job with team books, and I think he's at the top of his craft here. Secondly, if we can't get Ian Churchill to be the regular artist . . I think Julian Lopez is a pretty adequate replacement. I really loved his work on Batman and the Outsiders, and I think he's carried on that feeling here. My mixed feelings come in with the resolution to this story. My first instinct is that it's all been wrapped up to fast. I mean, we found out last issue that the Sons of Trigon don't have any real power. Yes they do, but . . being back in this purgatory, or wherever they're at, they don't really have any access to it as they would on our world with 6.6 billions people that sin . . the source of their powers. And the powers that they stole form Trigon were vastly diminished, and I'm sure a disappointment compared to what they thought they would get. However, Raven, being the complicated person that she is, set up contingency plans for just such an event. She gave Donna a stone that would help them to mystically find her should she depart the Earthly plane. What she doesn't know is that it also contains a portion of her essence. Something she hid there should she ever need the help out of a situation where she can't find herself. So, it all wraps up pretty fast and neatly. On one hand it's kind of anti-climatic . . almost like a premature . . . well, you know what I'm getting at. But, on the other hand . . I'm kind of glad that the story wasn't dragged out. They've introduced these new villains . . now we know they're out there . . but we wrap it up and can move on to business with other members. That's what kind of has me confused. However, I do like the way the book ends. They receive a proximity alarm and find out that Match is back in the building. They find out that it's still Joey, but he seems anxious and hurting. He says he's stuck in Match and can't get out. I love the Teen Titans, and I think this is a great batch of characters. Actually, I guess, these would just be the Titans. The Teen ones are the other bunch. I'm also glad that they figured out a way around the 'East Coast' / 'West Coast' theme. I like this solution a whole lot better.

Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #3 - DC

Another fantastic chapter in this incredible series by Geoff Johns. I knew this book was going to be good, but by the time I got done reading it . . all I could think was . . WOW!! The Rogues are after Inertia. After all, he's the one that got them into this whole mess in the first place. Really, all they want to do is hang up their masks and shoes and take a break . . try to live a normal life. But, now that Inertia is back in the mix . . they've got some unfinished business that they need to wrap up. The problem is, Zoom has gotten to the kid before the Rogue's could. Also, the Pied Piper comes back into the mix this issue. There's a lot of stuff that comes to a head though this issue. Zoom, in his attempt to teach Inertia, has turned him into the new Kid Flash . . and forces him to go along with his plans. But if nothing else, this kid has moxy. Libra also shows up this issue, and he's trying to get the Rogue's to join in with his Secret Society. But they still aren't buying it . . . even if he did kidnap the Weather Wizard's son to try to up the ante. This distraction, however helps Inertia loosen Zoom's hold on him. First he gets bored with all of Libra's demands and posturing so he takes him out of the mix with a sonic-boom. In the process he also kills Weather Wizard's baby. Then he changes his costume and name. He's now Kid Zoom. And then he takes Zoom out of the equation by stealing Zooms power out from underneath him. "I'm pushing you backwards, Zoom. I'm stealing your time. You're back to being crippled." But then the Rogue's gather up their balls and take Kid Zoom out, much in the same manner that they did Bart. "We started this together, Cold, let's end this together. This isn't for my son. This isn't for Kid Flash. No. This is for one %%@#$@-up year." They leave his body at the doorstep of the Police Station with a message, "Tell the Flash we're even! - the Rogues!" They do however get one thing out of their conversation with Libra, and that's that they may have to deal with their true nemesis soon . . Barry Allen. "I don't like to run Trickster. And it wouldn't matter where we ran to if the Flash is back. Libra's right, we had unfinished business he's want to get on. The Rogue's can't outrun him. So once the skies are back to blue, the game's back on. And if the Flash is really back . . . there's no more rules in this universe to follow." This is going to set us up for a very interesting year in the Flash book next year. This was a fantastic chapter of the Final Crisis series. I love the way it ended and I can't wait to see what happens next year.

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #2 - DC

I know that this mini-series is all part of the Final Crisis epic, but . . I'm thinking that this one stands on it's own. Well . . almost. Basically what's happening here is that the Time-Trapper is making another bid to rid the Universe of the Legion. He's tried it from many various angles, but . . it's never really stuck. He makes head-way, he'll get some progress, but then something happens and they all come back together again. Maybe not the same as before, but . . they're still them. So this time he's going to let someone else do the work for him . . Superboy-prime. So far Superboy-prime has gathered the Legion of Super-villains, several major 'baddies' from the 31st century, and now . . this issue . . Mordru. After killing Rond Vidar, the Legion's own Green Lantern, the whole group is headed towards Earth and the Legion. But, Brainy has a plan. With his familiarity with time-travel, and multiple universes he's decided to bring all the Legionnaires together from 2 other universes. He's got a couple of other things in the works also. He's sending Polar Boy, Dawnstar and Wildfire back to the 21st century for some reason. I think this is where the connection with the Final Crisis is going to come in. Although, I can't say I know what's going to happen yet. And, Mon-el and Shadow Lass have taken Rond's body back to OA. There they're going to attempt to make contact with the true last Green Lantern . . Ion . . Sodam Yat. First of all, whomever thought up teaming Geoff Johns and George Perez together is a genius. Seriously! They should be given a medal or something. Scott Koblish does the inks for George on this series, and the work looks amazing. There are some fantastic pages in this issue. The first is the double-page spread of all the villains, being led by Superboy-prime. Then, later on in the issue, there's another double-pager of all the Legionnaires, from all 3 worlds, together for the first time. This page is especially amazing because of the triad of characters and their various looks and uniforms. I'm amazed the George could accomplish all of this. I'm still questioning how all of this is going to affect the current Legion book, but . . I guess it'll all work out in the end. For now I'm just going to enjoy this amazing story. Geoff has really put together and incredibly intricate and detailed journey here.

Batman and the Outsiders #12 - DC

First of all I want to say that I think Frank Tieri is doing a great job with this book. As of this issue he's completely deconstructed the Outsiders. And the tool he's used to do that . . . Batman. Or . . at least it looks like Batman. If you've been reading the regular Batman titles, and particularly Detective with the Hush storyline, then you know the 'Batman' that sends the Outsiders a fake message, and a self-destruct sequence for Remac . . . was actually Hush, Tommy Elliott.Now it appears that Remac is dead, Rex was blown up, and Thunder may be in a coma. With Grace and Ollie being the normal pessimists that they are, there's nothing really left to hold the team together. Except, maybe . . Batgirl. We also see that the Batman RIP storyline, with the Black Hand, and the Hush storyline are a lot more interconnected than they would have us believe . . at first. I for one can't wait to see how it all washes out. But anyways, now that he's torn it all apart, next issue . . . Frank and Cassandra are going to attempt to put it all back together. Again, this issue, the artwork was by Ryan Benjamin. I like his stuff. However, this issue, I don't really think that his inker is doing him any favors. The panels look good, and the flow. But the finished product doesn't seem up to it's usual quality. But that's just me. I'm picky about that stuff, sometimes. I did however enjoy the J Calafiore cover. Why can't he do the interiors? Anyways, I love this book and I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 - DC

From what I understand, we're going to have a series of mini's, or one-shots, here that are going to tie in to the story-lines running through Superman and Action comics. This one comes directly out of the Atlas story-line, and looks to run directly into the New Krypton story-line. James Robinson writes it. I thought it was a great story, with a lot of information, but . . the dialogue was a bit . . hard to read, at times. I get what he was trying to do. Jimmy was the narrator for the story, and it was written, basically, exactly how a normal person would go through his thought process'. You know, choppy, sporadic, and jumping around some times. Like I said, I understand what he was trying to accomplish, but . . it just got a little difficult to read sometimes. Anyways, that being said, I thought that there was a lot tackled and accomplished in this issue. First we reveal the guy that seemed to be orchestrating Atlas' attack on Superman as Jonathan Drew, aka Codename: Assassin. That's a name that hasn't been tossed around the DCU in quite a while. Maybe since the 70's? Anyways, his involvement leads to a government connection which leads Jimmy back to Cadmus. Once there the only thing he finds left is Dubbilex. However, Drew has been there first . . Dubbilex is dying. He does manage to tell him an interesting story about Jim Harper though before he passes. This leads him to the town of Warpath, in Arizona, Greg Saunders and the original clone of Jim Harper. He finally has a conversation with Jim, and I think that's when he finally puts together something that Dubbilex had told him, "The Army has taken everything . . the only thing they left was me. One of the men made the crack that the last thing they needed was an alien when killing another alien was their agenda." The only bad part about this book is that it doesn't reach a conclusion. There's a lot of stuff thrown at us . . stuff from the past . . but the story leads directly into Superman: New Krypton Special. So the next leg of our journey takes place there. If you're a Superman fan, this book was good because it had a lot of nostalgia . . brought up a lot of things that haven't been directly involved in the Superman books for quite a while now. If you're not a fan . . it provided a lot of information that it would've taken you a lot of time to dig up and reread on your own. Overall, it was nice to see Jimmy this focused and determined again. The art was done by a trio of pencillers . . Jesus Merino, Leno Carvalho and Steve Scott. It was a nice looking book. I also liked the Ryan Sook cover. If you follow Superman, it's a must. If not . . you can probably figure it out through the regular titles.

Trinity #20 - DC

I said this the last couple of issues, but I've really been getting more and more into this series as it goes along. I really like Carlos Pacheco's covers on these 3 issues. Anyways in this issue Firestorm is trying to figure out what's going on in this world that he's returned to . . after being in N-Space and finding out the Krona is loose. He and Gehenna are trying to piece together exactly what has happened and when. So he's doing what he's been taught by Batman, "When you're not sure what to do next, get more facts." Basically, we get a history lesson of the JSA in this world. It seems like everything changed after WWII. Also, they realize that Superman, and Wonder Woman have never made their debut, sparking the ideas of hope and humanity throughout the world. But, at the same time, they're being hunted down by the JSI's Amazo's. Think Sentinels looking like giant buff robot gymnasts. Funny . . but true. The story ends with Firestorm deciding that he's going to go looking for John Stewart and see if he can get him to listen. In the back-up we get a glimpse of what Krona's been up to. His first destination is the Controllers. Since they're one of the most advanced minds in the Universe, he thinks they can help him with his goal . . communicating with the Universe. Of course, in the end, he has to destroy them because while he's trying to control the Universe, they want to control him. Their deception gives way and, in a fit of rage, he wipes them out. But, as their planet dissolves, he hears a spark from it. So now he's on a new mission. While the Universal consciousness may be to expansive for him to reach, he thinks he can reach those of it's inhabitants . . the planets, and suns, and celestial bodies. Again, I thought it was a great effort by the entire creative staff . . Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Fabian Nicieza, and Tom Derenick. We're almost halfway through the series, and . . I think the best is yet to come.

Avengers / Invaders #5 - Marvel / Dynamite Entertainment

I have to admit it . . this is another one of those series that I just kind of picked up on a whim. I know! I'm still trying to watch my budget . . is that really a word, or did someone just make it up? Anyways, I do try to watch what I spend week to week, but . . I also like to get something new every now and again. You know . . . to expand my reading horizon. I've been getting in to the Avengers more and more over the last couple of years, and when I saw this team-up . . and the participation of Alex Ross and Jim Krueger . . . what was I supposed to do? I had to give it a shot. Really, my only preconception was that it would probably be a team-up or they would be fighting each other throughout the whole series. Which, honestly, isn't to far off of the mark . . so far. But, at the same time there's some interesting stories developing in the background. First of all, I want to say that I'm impressed with Steve Sadowski's pencils. I've seen his work before, but . . I could take it or leave it. On this series, though . . it seems like he's putting in a lot more effort. Also, this series has had some great covers. This issue's main cover is by Alex with a variant by Mike Deodato Jr. I'm glad Mike's getting back out there again. I hadn't seen much of his work lately, and now . . now he seems to be all over the place. He's an artist that I can never get to much of. But back to the story. Basically the Invaders are in Germany, during WWII, and they come across a green mist. When they come out the other side, they find they've been transported some 70 years into the future. They immediately come into contest with the Avengers . . both teams. The Mighty Avengers are trying to contain them . . for their own good . . and to return them back to their original time. The New Avengers are trying to rescue them from the Mighty Avengers and SHIELD. Basically, they're both trying to accomplish the same thing but for different reasons. Tony Stark wants to return them because of the scientific implications, Doctor Strange's reason are because of the mystical boundaries and the flow of time. I think it's ironic how they both want the same thing but they find themselves at odds because of the Registration Act. And the Invaders, whom they're both trying to help, see the whole she-bang as another ploy by the Nazi boot-steppers. I think that somewhere in that theme something is going to be resolved within this series. I'm not entirely sure of the whole implications and after-effects . . . but that's why we have 12 issues to sort it all out. The other interesting part is that the Human Torch finds himself empathetic for the SHIELD LMD's. He was created by a Jewish scientist to fight during WWII. He feels that it was the scientist's way of exacting revenge for what was done to his people by the German's. When Torch sees the LMD's, he sees the same type of oppression and disregard for their existence. Yes they aren't truly alive . . from our point of reference, but just because it's a new life form . . doesn't mean that their right to exist is any less credible than ours. At the end of this issue he comes back to the helicarrier, alone, to lead the revolution. I guess once a symbol against oppression and tyranny . . always a symbol. I really like this series. I'm not sure how it's all going to wash out, but I enjoy the themes that are being developed. I think it's another one of those books that becoming an instant classic. I'm a little confused about why Dynamite is the publisher for this . . . these are all Marvel creations, but . . I guess that's not for me to sort out. I'm just glad it's on the stands.

X-Men: Original Sin #1 - Marvel

I'm not exactly sure why this story couldn't be told in one of the X-Men titles. In the last Wolverine Origin I read we were starting to go into the direction of this Original Sin story-line. I guess maybe this is the prelude for the story to come in X-Men Legacy. But all of the X-Men creators are here on this book, between parts 1 & 2 of the story . . . Daniel Way, Mike Carey, Mike Deodato Jr and Scot Eaton. Anyways the gist of the story is that Wolverine, and now Daken, have been lead around by the nose most of their lives by this Romulus character. Nobody knows who he is or has ever seen him. But Logan's final mission for him was to join the X-Men. He wanted somebody on the inside. Well now Logan has found out that the guy has done the same thing to Daken. And like Logan, at one time, he's having a memory problem. So being a dad, Logan wants to try to help him . . with the assistance of Charles. He figures this is the best time to try to tear down some of the conditioning that going on in his head. The problem is Logan isn't the only one trying to help him . . or should I say help themselves to him. Lady Sinister . . although I wouldn't really call her a lady . . and the Hellfire club is also eager to get their hands on him. And Charles isn't really in the position to help much as he's experiencing his own memory problems . . as well as a question of nature. And all of that is really just the prelude to the story to come. I think this story is going to really get to the heart of the X-Men. Hopefully Logan can figure out some way to help his son, and we should be seeing, or at least finding out, who this Romulus character is. I'm really enjoying the creative side of the X-Men right now. We've got some really nice talent on these books right now. Hopefully they'll stick around for a while. Overall I really enjoyed this book. I think this story-line is going to be pretty revealing for the X-Men. I wonder what other skeletons we'll be digging up?

X-Men: Magneto - Testament #1 & 2 - Marvel

Oops! I made another mistake here. It wasn't until I picked up issue #2 and then started looking through my pile, that I realized I hadn't picked up issue #1. It must have been one of those huge weeks in October or November when I was worried about the number of books I was buying . . so I passed it up thinking I'd get it later. I really don't know why I do that, because I always end up going back and getting it. But sometimes I have to do some digging because my guy sold out of what he had. I don't know why I put myself through the stress. Anyways, it worked out ok because this way I get to read the first 2 issues together. That always helps me to get more into the story. I like this book. The writer, Greg Pak, put a little bio in the back of book 1. He's talking about how he doesn't want to step on the feet of what's come before, but it looks like this is going to be the definitive version of Magneto's story. We learn his true birth-name here . . Max Eisenhardt. And he was a Jew living in Germany. It all goes down-hill from there. This, like most of the stories from this time period, is truly sad. The family starts out in humble beginnings, but . . they're happy. They know they don't have everything, but they're also happy for what they do have. Max is doing good in school, and he even has a female interest . . Magda. But then the Nazi influence starts to bear it's ugly head. It all starts with the Nuremberg Laws. And almost immediately they can tell that they, and their brethren, are going to be the unfortunate recipients of this new regime's need for control. We find out what really turned the corner for the Nazi's was when a teenage Jewish boy kills the German attache' Ernst vom Rath in Paris. Basically, it was the excuse they were looking for. Anyways, I could go on and on about the story. It almost seems like a retelling of history rather than a comic book. I was afraid that all the history and story here was either going to be really heavy or very depressing. And it was, but at the same time . . it's interesting. We all knew that Magneto came from some terrible hardships in his life, but this story . . this story gives you a feeling of what he and his family and his people were forced to endure. You can see a glimmer of his power when he's in his teens, but I don't think he quite realizes what's going on yet. The artwork of Carmine Di Giandomenico was pretty decent. The art looks kind of scrappy and rough, but . . it fits the story very well. This is one of those stories that's really going to make you think . . think about history . . and think about how you feel about things. I just happen to be listening to Bring Me to Life by Evanescence while I'm doing this. The eerie mood of the song fits the feel of the book perfectly. Anyways, I'll be interested to see how this story unfolds and what directions they take. I mean most of us know this story, but it's the little details that we may not have seen or addressed before.

X-Men: Manifest Destiny #2 - Marvel

I like this book. First of all I love the Humberto Ramos cover. Emma looks hot! Secondly, I'm diggin' this story about Bobby and Mystique. I know that she's testing him . . pushing him and his powers . . I just don't know why. Yet! She pumps him full of one of Sinister's chemical cocktails this issue. She wants to see what happens. The story about Cain was interesting. He's sitting around in this bar, arguing with a bunch of drunks and rednecks. You're not really sure what it's all about . . until it gets towards the end. Apparently, Cain's indecision about whether he's a good guy or bad guy has put him in a bit of a moral quandary. So where does he go to sort out his feelings? Where else? And finally if you've been wondering about how Emma feels about being shacked up with Scott . . playing second fiddle to Jean . . . and being with a group that by all definitions were the mortal enemy, both literally and figuratively, of her old group, the Hellfire Club . . . then welcome to Emma's 5 minutes on the couch. The move to San Francisco seems to have really put a ton of stress on her. Now she's starting to question everything. Including all of the above. But surprisingly it's Wolverine that gives her the best advice and ends up helping her put it all into perspective. I wasn't sure what this mini-series was going to be about, but apparently it's a way to get a quick picture of all the various characters that comprise the now San Francisco based X-Men. Of course the Bobby and Mystique story-line will run through all 5 issues, but other than that . . it's rotating characters and stories for the remainder of the book. Also, except for Bobby's story, it's a rotating cast of creators also. All in all I think it makes for an interesting book. Even with all the various X-Men and X-related titles out there every month, it's still hard to get any kind of quality time with some of the characters. Some characters, more than others, always seem to play a back-seat to the story or the other characters. Anyways . . I liked it. To bad it's only going to last for 5 issues.

the Invincible Iron Man #5 & #6 - Marvel

Like I've said a couple times with this book . . I really picked it up on a lark. I've always liked Iron Man, but . . the monthly budget only stretches so far. And I never really saw anything to pull me in to the series long term. But then . . . I saw the movie. I thought it was fantastic! If it wasn't for the Batman movie it probably would've been my favorite movie of the summer. So when this new title came out, and I saw that Salvador Larroca would be doing the art . . one of my favorite artists . . I thought, what the heck. Let's give it a shot and see if it's any more exciting. Well . . we're up to issue #6 now, and I've been getting into the book more and more as it goes along. A lot of that I'll give credit to Matt Fraction for creating some great stories here. The reason I'm doing both issues here is because, honestly, it wasn't until I started putting these books into the blog that I realized I had missed issue #5. Oops! My bad. But that's ok. It happens sometimes. Anyway, this wraps up the Ezekiel Stane story-line. Tony finally hits the off-switch . . an EMP pulse . . to shut off all of his technology . . including the human bombs that Ezekiel had built. A couple of the bombers didn't make it, but . . there weren't anymore civilian casualties. I say it's over, but . . Ezekiel is still alive so . . it'll never really be over as long as he can plot and scheme. And, we do get to go in a new direction now, so we'll see how interesting Matt can keep this book. I'm definitely not an aficionado or anything of Iron Man or Tony Stark, but . . for what I like and enjoy in comic books, I would definitely recommend this series to those not reading it. It's got a great story, with some fantastic ideas . . some terrific art . . and a character that seems to have a lot of depth and resolve. All in all . . I like it.