Wetworks #11 - WildStorm

Well this book brings our team all back together again. But how can that be, when the book starts out with Rachel/Mother One's funeral? Well, it turns out that, like everyone, Rachel's soul has ended up in Deadworld. Actually, this time, it was taken their by the alien symbiote that use to be attached to her. It had been to Deadworld before. After seeing how it worked, it realized that it could come there, start it's own nation, and within a matter of time take the whole place over. The problem is, it got greedy. It also realized that with Rachel's soul, there would be nothing there that could stop it. What it didn't count on was Abdeath also coming there looking for her. It calls Abdeath the dustwalker, because he can travel between the 2 worlds. Now since Abdeath is not really alive, it can't absorb him like it would other beings. It can only do it with his consent. So they talk, and the symbiote realizes that with Abdeath's abilities, once it took over Deadworld, there would be nothing to stop it from coming back to ours. So Abdeath talks it into trading Rachel for him. On her way to the higher level, she realizes what's going on and comes back for him. But Abdeath is already starting to exert his influence. In Deadworld if you can dream it, it becomes reality. Well that's the symbiote's weakness, he can't dream. And since Abdeath can walk between the 2 worlds, he's probably the most powerful being there. Long story short, he ends up destroying the symbiote and the nation he's created, Rachel comes bursting out of her grave site, as Dane's sitting over it thinking. And within a short period of time Abdeath also rises from the ground nearby. So now, 12 issues later, the team is all officially back together. Well . . . all except Wilce Portacio. He's on the cover, but he's nowhere around on the interiors. I know he's doing some other projects for WildStorm and DC. But I thought this book was like, near and dear to him. JM DeMatteis is still on the scripting chores. But Joel Gomez does the art. It's ok. Really it is. It would just be nicer to see Whilce here. But we can't have everything. Right?

Wolverine #55 - Marvel

This issue we learn more about the guy we found out about in the Wolverine Origins Annual. Specifically . . Romulus. Let me rephrase that . . . we don't really learn anything about him . . . but . . Wolverine learns that he's real . . . and he's still around. The Lupine story, that Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi did in the last few issues, is directly related to all of this business. Somehow? WildChild tells Logan this issue that Romulus was the first. So whether he was the first genetic experiment, or the first mutant, or the first lupine . . . the list is endless . . . we don't really know yet. In fact, if anything, after this issue we really have more questions than answers. It's like that old saying, "You don't know what you don't know." In a nutshell . . that's what's happening here. This Romulus is shrouded in mystery. Hell . . we didn't even know he existed until about 2 months ago. So basically, Logan always thought that everything started with Weapon X. But, it appears that whatever is really going on, started a long time before that. Maybe Weapon X just got lucky in finding some of these Lupine creatures . . . . Sabretooth . . . Wolverine . . . WildChild. They seem to have gotten their hands on quite a few of them. Especially considering no one else made the connection between them until now. But anyways Logan kills Sabretooth this issue. Yes . . you heard me right. He got the Muramasa Blade from Scott, whom he entrusted with it, and went after Creed. Basically the blade inhibits their healing factors. He starts out cutting off Creed's arm. When it won't go back on, he knows he's f@#&ed. Logan tries to reason with him, but Creed just tells him to do it. So . . he cuts off his head. That's when WildChild and Romulus show up. Well . . he doesn't really see Romulus . . but he knows he's there. I have a feeling that this development will be carried on for quite a while to come. I mean . . Wolverine's been around for what? 30 some years. And we've learned more about him in the last 4 or 5 than we have in the whole time he's been on the scene. So do you think they're going to wrap up this story anytime soon? I seriously doubt it. But, I guess, now he's got a new thing to focus on. And we've got a new mystery. "The X-men! Where stories NEVER end!"

All*Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #6 - DC

This is another book that I really like . . . but at the same time I have some serious problems with. To start with . . the cover. I paid $10 for this cover at the right. It's the Frank Miller variant. However, the regular cover, by Jim Lee, in my opinion, far outshines this one. It shows this same Batgirl, Batman and Black Canary on it. It really is a lot cooler picture. My second complaint is the schedule. Luckily it's only been about 2 months since the last issue came out. But . . the one before that? Wow! It was like . . . 9 or 10 months. Serious drag time. And yes I know . . they have other projects going on. But keep to some kind of schedule. If it's every 2 months . . fine. If it's every 3 months . . fine. But at least that way we know what to expect. It's hard to keep up with a story that you have that much lag-time in between. And if you're a serious collector, you don't want to pull the last issue out of the bag and reread it. That's what causes wear and tear. Anyways, on a good note, we got introduced to 2 new characters this issue. Batgirl, Barbara Gordon and Black Canary. Barbara wants to be a hero. But Black Canary . . . she's just in it for the kicks. She doesn't really want anyone to get hurt . . . but . . . the more exciting the better. And in the process of beating up a bad guy, he happens to lose his wallet . . . well . . . finder's keepers. We also see Jimmy Olsen this issue. He's helping Vicki Vale with a story. Actually, he's helping himself to a view because he's using any excuse he can find to be around her. In fact the only character we really didn't see this issue . . . . was Robin. That's weird. But . . . whatever. Overall . . this is a fantastic series. But . . my advice . . wait for the TPB to come out and read it all in one sitting. It's a cool story. But the time gaps suck. And in the TPB they'll probably have all the cover pictured too . . so you'll get all the art. It really is a win/win.

Blue Beetle #17 - DC

I want to like this book. I really do. I'm getting in to the character more and more. But . . I just know . . as soon as I do . . or as soon as I admit that I do . . . they're going to cancel the book. I mean . . come on. This book really doesn't have long term written all over it . . . anywhere. I mean Jamie is an interesting character. And I think that this version of the Blue Beetle will probably be around for awhile. But . . . I don't really think he'll have his own title for that much longer. Seriously! He'd be a great character in a group. Maybe the Teen Titans. Or maybe the new Infinity Inc. coming out soon. But as far as solo . . . he just doesn't seem like that type of character. I mean look . . basically he has a team already. He's got his friends that help him with his Beetle Cave, or whatever they call it. Basically it's a web page that they all can connect in to and talk. Jamie can access it with his suit. So if he's in the middle of a fight and needs some information, he just gets the team together and gets them working on it. He's also been reading some of Ted Kord's journals. And he's starting to take some of his advice about fighting tactics. He's arguing with this Hotel clerk when he thinks, "I've read Ted Kord's notes. Strategy. Tactics. Stop reacting like a scared kid . . what's my obstacle? Is it this guy? He wants me to come straight at him. He knows how to deal with that. Don't fight his fight. Look around him. What are the options? What does he need? What's the one thing my enemy doesn't want to happen in the next five minutes? Just because he's the problem right in front of me doesn't mean he's the solution . . ." That's a very mature way of looking at it. So there's definitely some progress with the character. I just think there's going to be a point where he could grow and develop more as a character . . . within a group setting. He's a character that is a lot more interesting when he's interacting with other characters. So I'm just guessing . . . but I don't think this particular title has much more than a year left in it. We'll just have to wait and see.

Sensational Spider-man #39 - Marvel

This was an interesting story. The best thing about the art was when Peter, MJ and Anna Watson decide to hold a seance, with Madame Web, to try to reach Aunt May. The seance art was done by Clayton Crain. He's pretty awesome. With the blurred edges and stuff, it really looked like something we would see in a dream sequence. What they don't know though, is that while all of this is going on, Eddie Brock just happens to be in the same hospital getting his cancer treated. The irony of Eddie is, when he finally started repenting and sold the alien symbiote that is Venom, he thought he could start his life over again. What he didn't know is that he had terminal cancer, and that Venom was keeping it at bay. But, now that he's not there, his health is deteriorating quite rapidly. So whether he's really there or not, Eddie thinks that Venom is talking to him. Eddie, or they, find out that May is in the same hospital, and Venom talks him in to buying a cheap knock-off black Spider-man costume, so that he can get in to character and go on a killing spree. He has him kill his nurse first, to see if he still has a taste for it. Although Eddie does it, he tries to justify it, " . . . for interrupting his sleep as often as she did . . . for taking his blood and always missing his vein . . . for the condescending pity in hr eyes whenever she looked his way . . ." But when he gets to May . . . he just can't do it. He sees her lying there helpless in her bed, and he knows how innocent she is in all of this. He just can't bring himself to do it. He stalls long enough that Peter comes back from the seance and finds him in his room. "She's all right Peter. He wanted me to hurt her, but . . I wouldn't. The nurse yes . . but not someone as innocent and good as your aunt is . . . . I thought I could get rid of him, but he was inside, all the time . . . but I cut him out. I cut him out of me . . . look how I cut him out. I've done terrible things Peter . . . but I'm not a terrible person . . ." And with that he does a swan dive out the hospital window. Of course Peter saves him. And when he wakes up he thinks he sees Venom again. "I'm . . . ? . alive still? You . . . you're . . . fine with me. Now that we know who's in charge." I think maybe his cancer is in his brain. Anyways during the seance Peter found May, she was in a memory with Uncle Ben, but she didn't want to come back. She goes into what looks like her house, but there's something in there behind her. Peter can't quite make it out, but it looks ominous. And when she slams the door, Peter's out of the trance. Lot's of action. And also a great Clayton Crain cover. To bad this books going a way soon.

JSA Classified #28 - DC

I liked this book. But . . . I had a hard time with it because it seemed more like a Justice League Unlimited story. You know . . . from the Johnny DC line. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But . . . I expect better stories from this title. The Steve Yu art was pretty cool. And it's nice to see his take on these characters. Though, all we really saw was Green Lantern and Stargirl. Well . . . Jakeem Williams also. He's the one that this story was about. I mean . . . it was interesting. It's just . . . it was predictable. Jakeem is wondering why Johnny Thunder can't do more to help the people of the world. He sees a tenement building burn down. Witness' all the people that are homeless because of it. And starts to ask himself, "Why couldn't I make them a new building?" Green Lantern tries to give him some advice about the use of power and the responsibility that it entails. But, since he's an adult and Jakeem is a teenager . . . he thinks he knows better. So he decides he going to start granting wishes. He figures he can help more people out this way. But essentially . . . people are greedy. He starts doing big wishes, but it's not long before people are asking him for trivial stuff. And then they start getting mad when he won't, or can't do it. Like I said, basically you knew what was going to happen. He has a heart to heart with Allen, and even though he doesn't agree with it, in fact he thinks it's pretty unfair, he still understands the point that Allen was trying to get across to him. " . . . it's about balance. Magic used against magic becomes it's own natural balance . . . but when used on physical reality, it could affect the delicate balance regulating the new laws of magic." Basically, for someone to get something, someone has to lose something. ". . . just to balance some big cosmic scales? That's not fair!" So he doesn't agree with it, but he does see the wisdom in it. I don't know. Pretty basic story. At least maybe we could've had some more interaction between Jakeem and Courtney or something. Basically . . I just thought it was pretty dry.

Teen Titans Go! #45 - DC

Like I keep saying, this is a great book for kids. Nice stories. Good morals. Easy reading. This one gives us the origins of Beast Boy, and Cyborg. But they aren't like the usual origin stories. For kids, that would be very boring. Garth is telling his to some kids while they're camping. He's telling it like a ghost story around the campfire. And of course he has to camp up the story a bit. But we get a quick glimpse of the Justice League and the Doom Patrol. Cyborg is relating his to the kids chaperon. Who happens to be his ex-girlfriend. He agreed to help with the trip back when they were together, so he's here. But then he and Sarah start talking. This is the first time they've had to catch up since their college days. He hadn't tried to contact her because he just assumed that she wouldn't want anything to do with him. However, after telling her the story . . . . I think they'll be getting back together. I know. Simple story. But . . . it's for kids. Specifically! And they're doing a good job setting these stories up for a specific age level. They're cool and they're fun. What more could you ask for?

Amazing Spider-man #542 - Marvel

This is the issue where Peter finally goes after the Kingpin. Fisk is currently in jail, so that's where he has to go to meet him. But the Kingpin believes in doing everything in style. He has his suit brought in to him, to make sure he's ready for their meeting. Wilson starts with a long tirade. He's trying to break him down psychologically, and Spider-man's looking pretty somber. But then he springs in to action and is all over Fisk. But then he stops and looks at him and says, "I'm not here to kill you." He takes his mask off to show that he's Peter Parker, not Spider-man, and says, "I am!". And then, the frenzy he unleashes on him is relentless. He's fought Fisk before. He knows he's got power and stamina. He just has to wear him down, piece by piece. He gets to the point where he says he could kill him. All he has to do is shoot a stream of webbing down his throat, and fill his lungs. He's die from a lack of oxygen. But he says he's not going to do it right now. " . . I've learned something from you, Fisk. Something about cruelty and timing . . . I've done something far worse than kill you Fisk. I've beaten you . . . . . . the moment my Aunt dies, I'm coming back for you. And we're going to finish what we started. And as of right now, you know . . . you know that there is nothing you can do to stop me. I will come for you . . . and then . . . . you'll be dead. Meanwhile, you'll live with the memory of this moment, the humiliation of this moment . . . and the message of this moment . . ." Pretty strong stuff. Meanwhile, May is still in the hospital hanging on for dear life. J. Michael Straczynski really got in to the heart of these 2 characters with this story. The tirade from Fisk was . . . expected. He always goes for the emotional trump. Then Peter's lack of witty banter, and obvious determination, set the mood for him. But then he had to put the nail in the coffin by passing on his message of retribution should anyone else decide to mess with his family. Fantastic stuff. Also Ron Garney turned in a great artist job for this issue. I used to like Ron a lot. Then . . . I'm not sure what happened. I don't know if he was doing to much work, or maybe working to fast. Or maybe he was doing stories he didn't really care about. I'm not sure. But for a while his stuff wasn't all that great. This issue, however, turns that feeling completely around for me. This issue's art was fantastic. I don't know why. Maybe he was more in to this story. But this book looks beautiful. There's even a frame in here that has kind of a Frank Miller feel to it. It shows Fisk jumping across the panel at a motionless but taunting Peter. I'm telling you, this was the perfect art for this book. I hope he does this some more, because this is what I like Ron's work looking like.

Painkiller Jane - Episode 17 - Playback - SciFi Network

This was actually a pretty good story. It was set up like a Groundhog Day type of thing. Except it was a neuro, big surprise, that could rewind the day. As long as he did it in the same day. So anyways, this guy, and his mother, are after this Chinese Ambassador, for some reason. We never really do find out the reason why. Anyways, he knows where this Ambassador will be at a certain time. So he's set up in a lone-gunman type thing and is attempting to do the job. The problem is, Jane and her team keep showing up to thwart him. So what he's started doing is video-taping the surrounding activities, and is testing to see if there's anything he can change that will help him achieve his goals. When the job goes bad, he does this electrifying thing, and bounces himself back to 6:15 in the morning. He then starts going through his plans, and attempts to do it all over again. The first time in, Jane is blown to bits by a bomb booby-trapped on the steps leading up to him. But the biker guy gets up there to stop him. The next time, as she's going up the steps Jane remembers that something happened the first time. So she's the one that gets up there to stop him. Basically what happens is each time he bounces back, Jane remembers a little more of the adventure. One time she jumps through the portal with him. And in his apartment he shoots her several times. She lets him think that she's dead. That time he ends up killing the Ambassador. So now they have to make him want to jump back. So to accomplish that, they shoot his mother. When he bounce back, Jane's ready for him and she chips him. And then she has to explain to everybody else what happened because they don't remember anything. The stories are much improved, but I still have the same complaints I've had since the beginning of this series. I don't see this problem being fixed. And it's really aggravating me. But there's probably only about 4 more episodes left in the season, so . . . . I'll watch . . . and comment.

Countdown #40 - DC

Ok, another installment of our weekly DC drama. The soap opera from all across the multiverse. We start out in the Palmerverse with Donna, Ryan and Jason. They find the villagers that used to provide lodging for Ray Palmer. But when they see the colors of Ryans costume, they aren't very hospitable. If fact . . . they're downright aggressive. They fight them tooth and nail, until Donna is able to convince them that they're looking for Ray to help him. They aren't out to hurt him. They haven't seen him in a while, but they do tell them where the next best place to look would be. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Jimmy has jumped in to action as Mr. Action. Lois is starting to get reports from her people on the streets about the new action hero in town. Mary Marvel has gone looking for some help. She knows that something is off. She a little more aggressive than she used to be. Actually . . . than she ever was. So she gone to find Zatanna. She's on a cruise ship, so she's waiting until her show is over. But even before she can get to her, Zatanna already senses that there is something wrong with her. In the Athenian Women's Help Shelter, Holly is learning that even paradise has some dark spots. She overhears Harley talking to a women a child that are looking for a place to stay. But Harley turns them down flat. When Holly confronts her, she says that it's because she's to young, and she had a child. They aren't set up for those kind of conditions. Harley suggests that she should talk to Athena . . and . . . I believe Holly probably will. Or at least she'll try. Meanwhile on Apokolips, Darkseid is having his own problems. One of his concubines suggests that he's starting to show his sensitive side. He atomizes her. But, in the shadow, there's a kind of bug looking creature. He's been crawling around looking for clues in to the death of LightRay. But he can't find anything, so he's on his way to Metropolis to look. And finally, Piper and Trickster have ended up at Penquins club asking for sanctuary. He doesn't want to help them, because he knows that every hero will be looking for them, but after they trade some future favors he agrees to let them stay in the basement. However, Oracle, who has eyes everywhere, finds out where they are. And she has the new Question heading there now to arrest them. Basically this really is like one big soap-opera. As the DC Universe turns. "Like sands through the hour-glass, so to are the days of Donna, Ryan, Jason, Bob, Jimmy, Lois, Mary, Zatanna, Holly, Harley, Darkseid, Desaad, Penquin, Trickster, Piper, Oracle and Renee's life."

Wonder Woman #11 - DC

Well . . . more of the Amazon's attack storyline. This issue shows what happened when Superman swooped in and took Wonder Woman away. We saw that happen in Countdown, or maybe Amazon's Attack, but we didn't see what they did or where they went. They went to plan their strategy, and they all agreed that Diana was the only on who could retrieve the antidote from Themyscira, for Nemesis. Basically, she had to pray to Athena and ask her help in delivering her to Themyscira. Meanwhile, WildCat, Black Canary and Mr. Terrific are fighting some DEO agents who have been morphed by Circe's magic. Back on Themyscira, Diana is stunned by how empty her home is. Mr. Terrific is trying to hack in to the DEO computers to try to stop the missile launch that they have aimed at Themyscira. But . . he can't do it. The missile is launched. And since Diana is there, it's up to her to stop it. But it's also been mystically enchanted. So everything Diana tries, just repairs itself. It takes Athena herself to stop it, but in doing so, she becomes very angry with Diana. "Diana, today you invoked my name twice, asking for my help as the goddess of wisdom . . . but you seem to have forgotten, or perhaps chosen to ignore . . . that I am also the goddess of war . . . and the goddess of strategy . . and it is for me and me alone to say how and when and why I wave my mighty hand !" And with that she scoops Diana up in her hand, as if to crush her in her palm. Like I said, I like the way they're handling the cross-over parts of this storyline. There's no overlapping. You see the start of a scene in one book . . and then watch it play out in another. So with this story, you really do need to get all the cross-overs to know what's going on. Brilliant! J.Torres writes it and Paco Diaz does the art. It doesn't really matter whether I like them or not, because they're only going to be here for this 2 part story. Then we should be getting back to out regular creative team. Which, I believe, will coincide with the end of the Amazon Attacks mini. Then we'll get back to our regular stories. That is if the current events don't shake things up to much. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Batman #666 - DC

On the surface . . . this was a great book. Interesting story. Great art. But, the problem I have, we don't know how this story fits in to the Batman mythos. Is it an imaginary story? Is it an alternate earth story? Is it the future of Batman, Damian and Talia? It's never really explained to us. Basically Damian has grown up and taken Bruce's place as the Batman. "I knew I'd never be as good as my dad or Dick Grayson. Bit I promised I wouldn't leave Gotham without a Batman. So I specialized in cheating." He's referring to the building that he exploded on top of a bad guy to catch him. " . . . I spent the first 3 years as Batman making the job easy for myself. Turning the city into a weapon. The victory is is the preparation. So I booby-trapped every single prominent building in Gotham . . ." But he's also got some kind of mystical power. I think basically he can't be killed. Both the cops and this bad guy are trying to kill him, but to no avail. " . . . I guess the old dragon forgot to mention the bargain he made with me when I was fourteen . . . Gotham's survival . . . in return for my soul!" I don't know. Like I said . . . overall it was a good story. Pretty cool actually. With some very original ideas. But . . it like . . just came out of nowhere. I don't really understand. Maybe it's because it's issue #666. Apparently they don't care that we're confused, because there's no explanation, and next issue we go back to the regular storyline. Well . . it was a good story anyways. I guess I'll just have to enjoy it as that.

X-Men #201 - Marvel

This issue really doesn't take us to much farther than where we ended up last issue. Emma is incapacitated, so she's trying to use her mental powers to work through Sam. She's been picking at the brains of the Marauders, and has learned ". . . this isn't a grudge fight, mister Guthrie. It's much bigger than that . . . I'm downloading everything I found into your brain. Their goals Their remaining targets. It may give you some slight advantage. But only if you get out of here alive." She then takes over his body, and blasts him out of the building. But he does manage to pick up Bobby on the way out. Bobby is also incapacitated. Mystique knocked him out of commission with some neural inhibitors. Remember when they made love last issue? Well the neural inhibitors were " . . . in my lipstick . . . and . . . elsewhere." Sam and Bobby take off in the Blackbird, but they're far from safe. Somehow Mystique has gotten Sunfire to fight for her also. And he's attacking the jet. Meanwhile, back at the school, Peter and Katya are trying to keep everybody calm. But something happens to Blindfold when she touches Josh. And then another team strikes them. It's led by Exodus. They must be working in collusion with Mystique. It's to much of a coincidence that both teams are being attacked like this. Mike Carey writes it. And it's a decent story, but he really didn't give away any information this issue. At least nothing we can put together. Humberto Ramos does the pencils. They are, of course fantastic. In the next chapter of Endangered Species, Hank has taken all the information the Dr. Rao has given him and has been going through it. But he's not sure if it's going to help or not. So he decides to go to the old Weapon X facility and look for some answers there. But someone has beat him there, much as they did with the High Evolutionary. Somebody's already gone through all the files, and looked at all the tapes. But this time he waited around for Hank. It's the Dark Beast. You know. The one from the Age of Apocalypse universe. So now their either going to have to work together, fight . . . or tango. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here.

Onslaught Reborn #4 - Marvel

Basically, this book . . . is one big slug-fest. That's really about all it is. What we have is, Onslaught has gone to the Hero's Reborn universe. Since Franklin Richards created this universe, he has gone there to try to help. He and Bucky are hanging around quite a bit together. At the end of last issue, Onslaught had taken over Iron Man. So that's where we begin this issue, with Iron Man and Captain America slugging it out. That's basically all we have for the first 9 pages. We get a little glimpse of the Fantastic Four. They're trying to bring Donald Blake, Thor, back to life. And Namor's helping. Meanwhile over in the Avenger Mansion, Loki and his band of miscreant Asgardians are formulating their own plan for taking over the universe. Especially now that Thor is out of the picture. But Sue, the Vision, and the Ant-man are doing their best to thwart their plans. They start to make some headway, but . . . . they're fighting gods after all. But they do hold them off long enough for the FF, Namor and Thor to make their appearance. But Loki confirms what Reed had already suspected, ". . . for this universe to survive . . . the boy . . . . Franklin . . . must die!" And that's what we're left with. There's only 1 more issue in this mini, so they have to wrap it up next issue. The best part about this whole book was the J.Scott Campbell cover. I'm not a big Liefeld fan. Actually I'm not a fan at all. But I do love Jeph Loeb's work. But this story . . I don't know. It's just doesn't do his incredible talent justice. Maybe I'm being jaded because of my feelings for Rob. But . . . compare this to the Long Halloween . . . and you'll see there really is no comparison. So I don't really know what happened to his story here, but I'll be glad when it's over and he can move on to a different project.

the Mighty Avengers #4 - Marvel

Ok, our team is still trying to figure out how to fight the whole Tony Stark / Ultron thing. They don't know for sure that Tony's dead. But they do know that Ultron has assimilated his body and armor. And with Tony's body, comes all of his knowledge. Like the weather satellites that Ultron is now taking control of to change the weather patterns all over the globe. But they only figure this out after one of Tony's drones shows up. It's been programmed to come to the team's aid should Tony be killed. Ares beats it up a little bit. He thinks it's a Trojan horse. But after they bring it back on line, it helps them sort through some of what Tony would do. But by then it's to late. All Carol can do is send Simon and Bob out in to space to destroy the satellites. So then she disrupts the power grid . . . in the whole country. They figure out that it originated from Stark towers. Where she has now taken control of Tony's whole army of Iron Man drone's. But she's really only doing that to stall the rest of the team . . . while she kills Bob's wife. That one's going to send him over the edge. Meanwhile Ares is tearing his way through the various Iron Man armors, when, as he's ripping one apart, he says " . . I know how to stop her." But in the meantime, on the final page, we see that Ultron has hacked in to all the defense computers and obtained all the launch codes. She's getting ready to wipe out all life on the planet. But not until next issue. Great story by Brian Michael Bendis. With fantastic art by Frank Cho. This book is definitely living up to the Avenger's tradition.

Heroes for Hire #12 - Marvel

I know we're dealing with the whole Hulk War thing, but this book is getting a little strange for me. Last issue Humbug took one of the little Gremlin thingy guys, after Shang-Chi killed it, and splattered it's green blood all over the rest of the team. He said it was because the hivelings, I think they're called, didn't see in the traditional sense. But recognized the other's in the group by their smell. So if he put that smell on all of them, essentially they would be invisible to them. The reason they have to go through all this? Well, when the Hulk returned to Earth it brought some kind of alien insect with it. So the hivelings are actually looking for a home for the Queen to lay her egg-sac. The problem is that if the eggs hatch, the insects will overrun the earth, wiping out all human life. So our team has to sneak on board their ship, find the Queen, and stop her. Of course it's never going to be that easy. The Queen is in charge of the hive, but she still has a King in charge of the army. And he's not as easily fooled as the hivelings. Plus they're not very happy when they figure out that, " . . these humanoids murdered one of our brethren in cold blood." And they have their own humanoid-type warriors. Very powerful and efficient ones actually. So while the rest of the team is battle these guys, Humbug has snuck off to find the Queen. Which she has, but from the final page of the story it looks like she's seduced him in to coming over to their side, since he's kneeling before her. Like I said, kind of a strange story. And they still have the monkey-boy thingy with them too. I just think this team needs to find some direction. They've been pulled in every which way since issue #1. But they aren't really like the Avengers or Defenders or anything. So some of the things they've done seem improbable for the type of group they are. The only one who's actually stayed in character, consistently, is Palladin. I don't know. The whole concept seems a bit . . . aimless to me right now. Maybe something will become more clear after this whole Hulk War thing. At least I hope so.

Hellblazer #234 - Vertigo

John has a heightened sense now. Well . . . I don't know if I would call it heightened. It's more like . . . he's been walking around in the fog for a while. Well now, with him wrapping up loose ends at Ravenscar, it's like the fog has lifted. His senses are actually what they've always been. But right now, with the fog lifted, it's like he can see colors that he forgot were there. So he feels more attuned than he has in a long while. Anyways he's kind of stumbled across this gang. Group of boys really. Started out innocent enough. But then after getting in trouble for so long, and being blamed for things, they decided to be as bad as they're expected to be. Why not? They go by the Hunger Hill Massive. Because . . . that's where they live. The Hunger Hill projects. I know. Not very original. But . . a neat name, none the less. Anyways, everything's going along innocently enough. Well . . . as innocent as they can for a group called the Hunger Hill Massive. But then one day, during an uneventful afternoon of beer drinking, one of the boys, Danny, is . . . I guess . . . possessed. Basically, something takes control of him, hot-wires a car, goes for a joy-ride, and then deliberately runs over a baby-carriage. Danny appears to wake up, with blood running down his face, and a man outside screaming about his baby. He doesn't remember any of it. But he doesn't feel guilty about it, because he doesn't feel connected. At the same time, John is looking in to the Hunger Hill Projects, because his mate Haine chose to live there. He had heard that they were cursed, and he likes to be close to magic. Even the bad kind. Well Haine doesn't live there any more, because he's dead and stuffed in the trash chute. On the final pages another of the boys, Gav, calls Danny and tells him to meet him in the park, and to bring a hammer. Danny finds him laying on the ground. Gav gets up, takes the hammer, and proceeds to beat Danny's head in. Very disturbing image. Anyways, this is part 1 of a new story-arc, so we don't get all the answers this issue. But Andy Diggle seems like he was made to write this book. He really seems to have a feeling for these characters. But what's really improved, is Leonardo Manco's art. He's been on this book . . . off and on actually . . . for quite a while. I don't know if it's Andy's stories, or just a renewed energy, but I think this is some of Leonardo's best work. Ever! It really, really looks good. So this whole book just feels like it has this renewed energy to it. Almost like the book felt when it very first came out. Fantastic.

Deathblow #6 - WildStorm

Ok, my first observations about the artistic team of Carlos D'anda and Henry Flint . . . was wrong. These two are working very well together. And there really are some amazing panels in this book. I guess I jumped to judgement because of how different the style was from the other stuff Carlos has done of late. But now . . . I really think it works for this book. Michael is working with this dogie militia right now. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because Mr. Jiminy was nice to him when the Govt. put him up in the apartment with his fake wife and kids. Maybe it was because Mr. Jiminy warned him that his kids were actually assassins in young looking bodies. Or maybe Michael just likes dogs. Anyways, he's working with them, and this issue they go after a doctor. They want to kidnap him for some reason. But before they can, a gen-active, who looks like a homeless guy, pops in and takes the doctor for himself. Later he comes back for Michael because they want to know who he's working for " . . . us or them?". The guy talking to him works for the UNDERGROUND. I'd tell you what the acronym stands for . . . . but it's way, way to long. But the Govt. is watching their meeting place, and when they realize it, the UNDERGROUND guy, and the teleporter take off. Which leaves Michael alone in the tunnel with a hoard of combat ready . . . rats. That's all we get for now though. You'll just have to carry that image of the rats crawling all over him in your head until next issue comes out. This was a great story by Brian Azzarello. And like I said, I'm really starting to dig the art.

Green Arrow : Year 1 #2 - DC

This book, all around, is just fantastic. First of all, Andy Diggle is tremendous at these types of stories. He brings in to focus every nuance of Ollie's dilemma when he becomes trapped on this island. The character becomes very believable. Secondly, Jock's art is . . . . off the hook. I mean look at that cover. Honestly . . that's suitable for framing. Think about it really. Who out there doesn't know the story of Ollie Queen, or Green Arrow? If they don't know the whole story, they at least know pretty much what it's all about. So there's nothing really new here. But, somehow, Andy and Jock make it exciting and original. Even the coloring is tremendous. There's this scene on page 4, where Ollie is waking up on the beach, and the whole scene is this tremendously bright color. Which is probably all you would see, waking up in this situation, seeing the sand and the sun, being in the heat, and starving and thirsty. It conveyed the whole message. Even without the words on the page, you'd be able to put together the situation just by the art. The lines and the colors. On the final pages, Ollie here's a plane flying overhead. He's hoping to get rescued. But he soon finds out that these are probably the same people that took out the little village, and it's people. And by the gunfire it's apparent that they don't want to leave any survivors behind. Like I said it's a story that pretty much everyone knows. But we have to give serious props to Andy and Jock for making it so exciting and fresh. That's a sign of somebody that's a master of their craft.

Superman / Batman #38 - DC

All the pieces are starting to come in to place for this little drama. We're beginning to see, this issue, just who all the players are. Last issue, all we knew was that Killer Croc had stolen some piece of Kryptonian technology from Lex Luthor. But we didn't know why, or who he took it for. This issue we find out that Desaad is in Metropolis. He's using a combination of a very powerful transmitter and . . . well I'll save that for later. Anyways, he's using this transmitter to specifically target Superman's brainwaves. Basically he's trying to tear him down, without ever really touching him. But why? Well that should be obvious, to get him out of the way. So when the . . . person . . he works for comes for a visit, Superman won't be able to stand up to him. But even at his best, Superman's only gone toe to toe with Darkseid. So why is he so insistent on Superman being removed from the playing board? Why? Because for some reason, right now, Darkseid is only a shadow of what he was in his prime. That, I'm sure, is going to be the focus of the upcoming story. What has brought him to this level? Why is he renewing his quest for Earth? And even though, I'm sure, he still strikes fear into most of the hearts on Apocalypse, who will make a play for the throne? So anyways, Darkseid, through Desaad, is using all the options at his disposal to accomplish his tasks. Usually he would call on the many soldiers, para-demons, or even gods at his command. But for some reason, in this situation, he seems to be farming out some of the work. Maybe he doesn't want anyone on Apocalypse to know what he's up to. And if that's the case . . . why? So in this instance he using this very powerful transmitter to break the man of steel down. Well what could do that? It's obvious, I think. He's teamed up with the Scarecrow. This is a fantastic story by Alan Burnett and Dustin Nguyen. I wonder if he's any relation to Tila Nguyen. You know. Tila Tequila from MySpace? Sorry. Just a stray thought there. Anyways, fantastic book. And I think that this story is going to have ramifications across the whole DC universe, not just with Superman and Batman. I can't wait to see how it all shakes out.

SHAZAM! - the Monster Society of Evil #4 - DC

I'm sorry to say this. I really am. I'm a big fan of Jeff Smith's. And I really like the SHAZAM! character. But honestly . . . I found this book to be more than a bit . . . boring! I'm really sorry. But I did. I thought the story was boring. I thought the art was boring. I don't know . . . maybe Jeff was trying to give us that nostalgic feeling with the campy story. And the campy art. But, to be honest, those stories that we're thinking of . . . the SHAZAM! and Captain Marvel stories of the 50's, 60's and a little in the 70's . . . . really weren't all that good. I mean . . the 70's series was only around for about . . . . what . . . 35 issues. And a bunch of those, in the middle of the run, were giant sized reprints of the old old stories. Then the run only went on a bit farther because it was trying to hook in to the TV series. Which also . . . . to be honest . . . was not very good. The best SHAZAM! series I've seen in a long, long time would have to be the Trials of SHAZAM! maxi that's currently running. And that's barely about SHAZAM! It's more about Freddie. I know. Everybody has a soft spot in their heart for this character. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the wholesomeness. Maybe it's his strict code of honor and ethics. I'm not sure. But again . . . being honest . . . this actually is only a mediocre character at best. His very early stories were exciting, because they were different. But face it, there's really only so much you can do with this character. Then it becomes either unbelievable, or just not the same character. Which I'll give Jeff that . . . he definitely struck true to the character that is SHAZAM! He played him right in line with the character he's always been. Unfortunately, that character . . . is boring. Sorry!

Justice League of America #11 - DC

Wow!!! What a fantastic book. This issue is by Brad Meltzer and Gene Ha. But it's not Gene's usual work. This is something . . . . different. Something . . . special. Roy and Mari were in the Watergate building when it collapsed. They saved all the people, but they couldn't get themselves out before the structure fell in to the Potomac. So they're buried under all this rubble. But they're only a few feet apart. Mari is seriously panicking, but Roy is trying to keep them both calm. He wants her to tap in to her animal Totem, but she confesses to him that she hasn't been able to for months. Ever since their fight with Amazo. Where he's at, he feels like he's holding the structure of the building up on his shoulders. So he's afraid to move to much. Also every time the rubble settles, their space becomes smaller and smaller. So he passes a couple of arrows to her, and asks that she digs them out. She's afraid that she'll drown, but he talks her in to trying. She goes for a couple of minutes, but then she comes back to him. She thinks they're to far down and they'll never make it. That's when, for some reason, Roy realizes that his sense of up and down are backwards. He actually had Mari trying to swim in the wrong direction. With that information his spirit is renewed, and he's sure that they can make it. Which they do. Two things really got to me this story. First was the interaction between Roy and Mari. It was . . . perfect. I mean, to write this, you'd almost have to think that the author himself, had been in a situation similar to this. It was incredible, and moving. Then the art. Gene pencilled it in little jagged boxes. Kind of like the space that they were stuck in. The lighting and color set the perfect mood. And the way he structured the boxes when Roy realized that his equilibrium was upset was . . . brilliant. This has been an astounding series, right from issue #1. But I would have to say that this was the best issue yet. And considering the previous issues that I'm comparing it to, that's saying quite a bit. Fantastic book.

Countdown #41 - DC

I've said so much to praise this book, that to go on again, I'd just be repeating what I've said in pretty much every blog about it so far. So I'll just start in on the story this issue. Trickster and Piper are in a 32,ooo foot free-fall. But we knew that. Not only from the last page of last issue, but from the obvious state of affairs on the cover. Luckily though on the way out Piper grabbed at anything he could, and he just happened to grab the bag with all their gear in it. Trickster uses his flying boots to slow their fall. That, and the river they fall in, helps them survive. Meanwhile we see Jimmy starting to come up with his Mr. Action secret identity. Mary Marvel is mulling over her current state of affairs. And we see that she's being observed by someone of interest. I believe it's Eclipso. Donna, Jason and Ryan have taken off for the Palmerverse. That's the subatomic world where Ray Palmer would disappear to, to get away from the weirdness in his life. Bob says that he's the key to saving the Multi-verse. Bob? Sorry, that the name Jason has give the Monitor, because he needs to have something to call him by. Holly and Harley have been hanging out in the Athena Women's Shelter. But with all the weirdness going on in the world, anything to do with Amazon's has been targeted by the media. It's only a matter of time before they catch up to this place. Which they do this issue. And finally we get a little glimpse at the recent excursion to our time by the Legion. They're all heading back now, but they've left Karate Kid behind because they say he has an adventure here he has to go through. Triplicate Girl has also stayed to help him. But she's only 1 now, so she's called Una. Also our little history of the Multiverse back-up story is very interesting. It's almost caught up to present time. But what I'm interested in is when they show the bubbles of all the different worlds, and we see, obviously, a WildStorm earth. Also there's one with the Charlton heroes, the Shazam heroes, a Tangent world, and some of the other ones we've come to expect. I can't wait to see, after this series, on what DC is planning on doing with all this re-resurrected raw material. It should make for an interesting line of comics.

the Brave and the Bold #5 - DC

I really like what they've been doing with this series so far. I like the way the cross-overs have been working. And I really like the variety of characters that we've seen. But, it's the Brave & the Bold. I would expect nothing short of excellence. On top of all that praise, we have Mark Waid writing and George Perez doing the art. Wow!! Story and art wise the book is also fantastic. What more could we ask for? The Legion? How are we going to bring the Legion to a Batman book? Well . . . they did it this issue. Long story short, there's a Book of Destiny that has surfaced out there. There's also a device called the Haruspex. It's a probability altering weapon. I'm not exactly sure what one has to do with the other, but somehow they're connected. Anyways, the Haruspex, last issue, merged Batman and Tharok together. It then bounced them into the future, back to Thorok's time, I guess. Luckily Batman held on to the device when they left. The problem is Batman's not supposed to be in that time, so he's been flooded with Chronal radiation. This is bad because it will cause temporal rifts, and they're going to keep homing in on Batman. So what does Batman do? He grabs the Haruspex and makes a run for it. Basically he's trying to make himself seem like a danger to their society. The Haruspex will only work on things it's perceives as a danger, so he has to play that part to get it to send him back. Meanwhile, Green Lantern, Supergirl and Adam Strange are on Rann trying to track down the book. They've tracked it to an underground movement, and a General in specific. Supergirl tries to warn them that the Luck Lords are after it also, but it comes to late. On the final page, they've arrived, grabbed the book, and declared themselves the ruler of the Cosmos. "Abbott . . . this is another fine mess you've gotten us in to." You'll have to come back next month to find out where we go from here. According to the next issue blurb, we're going to find out the secret of the Book of Destiny.

Action Comics #852 - DC

I have to say, when this Brad Walker guy started doing Action comics, a few months ago, I wasn't to thrilled with him. I mean, yes the guy had some talent, but to me, he just wasn't the Superman kind of guy. Now, as he's done more work, I have to admit he shows some serious potential. I still think some of his frames, and action shots, seem a little awkward. But, he has shown improvement from issue to issue. And I do see little shots of brilliance in his panels from time to time. I think he still has a way to go . . . but like I said, there's a ton of potential. Anyways, this issue has a bunch of things going on. But that's what we've come to expect from a Kurt Busiek story. Jimmy has this major drama going on in his head. He's kind of freaked-out, but at the same time excited, about the changes he's been going through physically. No it's not puberty. Actually, ever since Lightray's death, he's been exhibiting outbursts of super-powers. That's enough to worry about, but Jimmy is also concerned about what he should do about these powers. How he should use them. While this is going on in his head, he and Clark have gone to Stryker's to cover the Kryptonite Man's trial. He seems calmed down and in control, but when the judge refuses his motion to continue his scientific work, under controlled circumstances, he goes in to a rage and shows his true colors. Literally. Clark/Superman makes quick work of him, but I have a feeling he's going to cause more trouble in the future. And at the end of the issue, hearing an alarm go off, Jimmy decides to go in to action as . . . . Mr. Action. Not the most brilliant of names, but I don't think this is something that's going to be going on for to awful long anyways. But it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Overall, a much better book than I was expecting going in to it. Like I said, I think Brad has a pretty good shot here. I just hope he rises to the occasion.

Ultimate Spider-man #111 - Marvel

What a fantastic book. By now we all know that this was Mark Bagley's last issue. Truly . . . it's very sad. But . . . that's all part of life. People come and go. Sometimes we only get to know someone for a short time. Other times . . . it's a much longer relationship. But the only constant is that sooner or later, everyone has to move on. We're constantly in motion. For 2 items to constantly be in motion . . . but for us to believe that they will always be close, or a part of each other's immediate space . . . is absurd. Or at the least . . defeatist. The logical thing to do would be to accept it and not get hung up on relationships. But . . . that's not the way we're wired. We're built to be autonomous beings. Basically self sufficient and self reliant. But . . . at the same time we crave social interactions and relationships. And most of the time, we judge our value . . or self-worth . . by the number or importance of our friends and family. And the more we like them . . or value their love or friendship . . the tighter we hang on. But with the laws of motion, it's just inevitable that eventually everything will move on. So to has Mark Bagley. He's been doing this for a long time. 111 issues to be exact. And we've known for the last 20 or so issues that this was going to be the end. But it doesn't make it any less bitter. I have nothing but respect for the guy. And wish him the best of luck. Yes I wish he could've stuck around longer. But, at the same time, I'm very happy for what we got. 111 issues of sheer perfection. As far as this particular issue? It's "the talk". Aunt May has finally come home from the hospital. To a newly rebuilt home. But all she wants to do is finish the conversation that started between her and Peter shortly before her heart-attack. And it's a very moving story. And now Aunt May is pretty much up to speed. But she has to process it all. So I'm sure they're not going to have the perfect relationship for a little while. But . . that's ok. It's all part of the process. The important thing is that she's willing to try . . . for Peter. This book started and, I feel, came to define the Ultimate universe. It's been the cornerstone, and pillar, to which all the books that followed were compared. Some have lived up to the standard . . some haven't. But . . . it's been a hell of a ride. And without this book, there probably wouldn't have been an Ultimate universe. So for that, there's many fans that owe Mark and Brian a huge "Thanks!!". They started it, and they set the standard. And I'm sure Mark will do that with his next project also. The King is dead! Long live the King!

Painkiller Jane #2 - Dynamite Entertainment

I really like this book, and this character. My problem now? I think I've been jaded by the TV series. The preview issue, and issue #1 were great. This one? Left me feeling kind of dry. I was waiting for something to happen . . . . but it never did. While I was reading this one, I kept thinking about it in reference to the TV series. To me, it kind of seemed like the kind of story they do there. No real action. A bad guy/girl, who basically seduces Jane and the doctor, and then turns it around on them. Big surprise there. But it may be that she made a mistake and came after the wrong person. So next issue, will she team up with Jane, or just go on her merry way? And in the preview issue when she talks about never getting tattoo's because they won't stick to her, why then does she have one on her ass? As far as the art work, by Lee Moder, I thought it was good. Jane, and this mystery woman both looked very sexy when they needed to. But again . . . no action! I thought this was an action book? Also it didn't seem like it was a full size comic. I could be wrong, but it seemed like it was less than the standard 22 pages. I just think if we're not going to put as much story into these books, and they're going to make us wait so long between issue, than the story needs to be of a better caliber, or at least enough to keep our interest until the next issue. By the time the next issue comes out, I'll have no idea what's going on. But, it's still early in the series, so I'll give it a little while to see if it gets better.

Robin #164 - DC

We're finally going to find out what Dodge has been up to all these months. He disappeared out of the hospital, and we haven't seen him since. Well he's putting a little gang together. They're all kind of b-list villains. But . . . if you put enough muscle together, you're still going to be a force to be reckoned with. Add to that, he's holding a hospital hostage, and you have a situation that you just know is going to get progressively worse. I can't even tell you who all these guys are. They're just a bunch of thugs, and metas that are hanging around Gotham and getting themselves in trouble. So why not get yourself in a gang and screw up with a little teamwork? I guess it's a plan. The only one who might be trouble is a girl called Skill. She's an assassin, and she's in Gotham to sell her services to the highest bidder. So she's interested in what Dodge has planned, " . . . . Robin will make my resume." And that's pretty much the book. Dodge is screaming out one of the hospital windows to bring him Robin. And on the final page, Robin obliges by appearing on the roof on the opposite side of the street. Adam Beechen writes this and Feddie E Williams does the art. The stories pretty decent. Not overly complicated. Same goes for the art. Freddie art is ok. He's been on the book now for a while, so he's given the book a certain feel. But what really sells it . . . . is the title character. Robin, or more specifically Tim Drake, is a fantastic character. They've really done a fantastic job, on all the Batman titles, of building up his character. And he's phenomenal on the Teen Titans. I hate to say it, but he may be even better there than Dick was. Anyways, he's a great character, and I hope he's going to be around for a long time to come.

Catwoman #69 - DC

This was an interesting book. First of all, this picture at the right, really doesn't do the Adam Hughes cover justice. On the cover all the computer screens are red, and the light is reflecting off of CatWoman's leather outfit. It really makes for a nice effect. All the face in the background are kind of whitewashed over. They aren't nearly as prominent. The actual cover is really breathtaking. Anyways, Batman, after being in DC with the rest of the League, has come home to recruit CatWoman. Que pasa? It's not actually for him. It's to try to figure out what's going on with the Bana. They're like an outlaw faction of the Amazons. Anyways, they're creating terrorist threats all over the country, and Batman wants someone on the inside so he can figure out what they're up to, and their next move. To look at them, they look like they just stepped out of an African jungle. But when Selina gets to their hideout, it looks like something out of Battlestar Galactica, or Star Wars. Major high tech devices. That's another thing Batman wants to figure out, what they have, and where they got it from. The Bana immediately put CatWoman to work. She has to steal a device from STAR labs. She doesn't know it, but it's a hand-held nuclear device. And now the Bana are holding the East End of Gotham hostage. And CatWoman, being the closest to the scene, has to figure out how to stop them. But that won't happen until next issue. I really think Will Pfeifer and David Lopez are doing a nice job on this book. They've really brought a nice feel to it.

Aquaman : Sword of Atlantis #54 - DC

Ok, this one was more than little confusing. Even Arthur, a couple of times in this book says, "Ok . . I'm totally lost." They give him some explanations about Sub Diego, Progene Tech, and Geist. Again, "I'm not getting any less lost. Anyone want to explain?" Anyways, Arthur already has himself a pretty big cast of characters. There's King Shark, Topo, Tempest, Lorena, Cal the Mayor and his wife, Chief Marley, and a few other stragglers. Oh yeah, and his dad's back this issue also. Basically, they came back to Sub Diego, an issue or 2 ago, I think, and Black Manta was running the city. Well between Arthur and his crew, and King Shark biting off Manta's face, they end up chasing him off. This issue they find out that Manta was actually working for this Progene Tech. And the real reason he took over Sub Diego was to get access to all the DNA samples. He was reporting to them regularly. They also find, in the lab, a large vat of Joker toxin. When they do a little more digging, they find that this Progene Tech has a subsidiary right here in Sub Diego, Tri-dent Industries. Arthur and Lorena decide that they're going to go talk to them. They're met with more than a little resistance. They're both captured, and Arthur is used, by Krusivax, to get his father to do what they wish. That's where the reunion happens. But there's also a little confusion here. Arthur thought that he survived his dad's lab explosion, and that's when he started living in the water. But his dad says he died, " . . . months before the lab was destroyed. I was there . . . I held your hand as you stopped breathing. You can't be Arthur, because my son is dead!" So more confusion in this already confusing story. On top of that, we find out that Progene Tech was actually founded by Vandal Savage. Who has now come to Sub Diego. "I've just escaped from prison, Merman, and I'm in a foul mood. Don't waste time on chatter . . . point me at something I can kill." Like I said very convoluted story-line. They're coming at this one from all angles. I just wish I knew which angle was the right one. And why we haven't heard anything more about Orin's corpse turning to water. "Lucy . . . you got some 'splainin to do!"