Ultimate Fantastic Four #49 - Marvel

This particular issue was kind of a let down to me. Unless it's setting up something for the future . . . I don't really know what the whole purpose of it was. A Dr. Kragoff invited Reed and Sue to Russia, for a science symposium. Supposedly. What he really wanted was Sue's DNA to try to bring his wife back to life. Yeah . . . that sounds like a plan that's going to work. Anyways, Sue is mad at Reed because he's been spending so much time in the lab, so she goes on her own. Another brilliant move. Well . . her plane is shot down. She's abducted by the good doctor. And as he's explaining his plans to her, he is killed by his assistant Rutskeye. She decides that she wants Sue's powers for her own. Well in the scuffle, Rutskeye gets caught in the labs laser and transforms herself in to the Red Ghost. She also apparently can absorb the DNA of those around her, so she becomes a mass collective of all the various lab animals that are in her immediate vicinity. Reed finds out what's happening, so of course he and Johnny and Ben rush off to Syberia. There, somehow, they hook up with the Crimson Dynamo. Reed wants to get Sue out. Rutskeye wants to keep Sue in. Both guys fight. The lab explodes. And our team of heroes are only saved because of Sue's trusty energy field bubbles. Bing Bang Boom! They head back home. But when they get to New York, they find out that the city is encased in some kind of energy cube. Hmmm! I wonder if this has anything to do with the cosmic cube thingy that Reeds been trying to build? To coincidental? We'll see. Anyways, I thought that this issue just lacked the usual pizazz that comes with these Ultimate titles. It was just kind of . . . . there. Something to do on a Saturday afternoon. Know what I mean? Just not to thrilled with it. It was brought to us by Mike Carey and Mark Brooks.

Giant Sized Avengers #1 - Marvel

This was an interesting book. But, I have to admit, I wasn't really overly thrilled about it. It was just . . . . ok. It's set up in a third person type of story-frame. Basically, the title tells it all, "Gossip Girls". Jan, Carol and Wanda have just completed a mission and have come back to Stark Towers to . . . . well . . . clean up after the mess. To unwind they start telling each other stories. Like I said, it was interesting, but . . . it was also kind of dull. The whole thing was framed together by C B Cebulski and Jim Cheung. Now I do have to admit that I did like Jim's art. Especially with the three women. Meoww! Anyways, they then go off in to there stories. The first is about Jarvis. He's submitting an article to a magazine about Butlering . . is that a word? . . and he has to do it in a way that doesn't divulge any of his charges secrets. He does it pretty well, by writing a story about parties in the manor. Not so much what happens, but how to clean up afterwards. The next is kind of a stupid story about how Thor, Iron-man, Cap and Gyrich ended up in the other dimension and the aliens there took something Gyrich said to be a kind of gospel. Kind of a strange one. Next is a story about a magician . . I guess . . who's travelled across various realities and dimensions, and has fought and beaten the Avengers in every one. However, when he comes here, the Avengers he finds are Luke Cage, Spider-man and Wolverine. Not at all what he was expecting. Which of course leads to his demise, because he wasn't prepared. And finally, they talk about how Spider-man was brought in to the fold, and why his particular personality is good for the over-all team. Like I said . . . interesting . . . but boring. And we round out this book with 2 reprints from Avengers #58 and #201. That's really about all I can say about it, without sounding like I'm just repeating myself. If you're a hard-core Avengers fan . . you should probably get it. If not . . . definitely skip it. But that's just my opinion.

X-Men #206 - Marvel

I really like the way this whole story, Messiah Complex, is shaping up. Much better than the Endangered Species story-line that was the back-up. But, I'm sure some of the themes that were explored there will make their way in to the main story-lines. It was, after-all, kind of the prologue to this story-line. The only thing I find disenheartening is that, I know, when all is said and done with this . . . there's going to be some major changes in all of these titles and teams. There has to be. Jamie and Layla have finally made it in to the inner bowels of the relocation camp in the future. And it's not turning out to be like anything that they expected. They find out 2 pieces of information. First, this is where Bishop came from. Why? Because they end up with the same tattoo on their face that he has. Secondly, someone makes reference to the six-minute war. "I lost both my kids in the six-minute war, you mutie sow. Know where I'd like to put this needle?" In the present Scott has put together a team to go after Cable. But, of course, they arrive there just a bit to late. Wolverine did everything he could to bring him in, but he tricked them and escaped with their Blackbird. Also in that skirmish, Caliban has been killed. Which, really, has affected Warpath the most. He's really, really upset about the whole thing. Our young team of X-Men, are back at the school trying to get Cerebro back up and functioning. The Cuckoo's, who had absorbed all of David's knowledge, have recently given it back to him. So he, and they, are trying to get it fixed. When they do they find out that Cable is heading straight to Dallas for Forge. But when Cable finally gets to Eagle Plaza, he finds Forge lying on the ground shot. As he's looking for clues, he himself is shot in the back. The issue ends with the baby lying on the floor, and Bishop holding a gun over her head. This was a fantastic chapter by Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo. The next chapter takes place in Uncanny X-Men #494. I can't wait.

Teen Titans #54 - DC

This really has turned into one of my favorite books out there. I was worried about the creative change. But Sean McKeever and Eddy Barrows really seem to have a grip on things. Plus, they really hit the ground running with this whole Titans of Tomorrow . . Today story-line. They've finally reached the turning point that will decide if this future comes to pass. But in order for them to do it, Ravager, Blue Beetle and Supergirl, all have to die. They were the 3 that stood in Batman's way . . Robin actually . . when he formulated his plan to make the world a Utopia. Of course I'm sure that plan was twisted a bit by Lex's involvement. He claims to be altruistic, but . . . we all know Lex. Also the tides are turned when Jamie convinces Flash to help him fight the Starros. And both Tims have a heart to heart. But when Connor slashes out at the younger Tim, for betraying him with Cassie, the Batman-Tim jumps in to his rescue. Which then changes their future, and they all start to fade away. But, some seeds of doubt have been planted. The mistrust issue with Ravager have been raised again, M'gann has some things to think about, and Red Devil tries to sow some seeds of mistrust regarding Blue Beetle. And of course they know never to get involved with Lex. Right? But in the epilogue we jump 8 years in to the future, where Tim is celebrating his birthday with Cassie. M'gann also joins the party with Lex. Apparently she's gone to him for some reason, and together they try to convince Tim to become the Batman. The issue ends with them looking at about 5 cloning chambers. You can see Connor and Bart, but . . who's the 2 females? Of course . . it's never the end. A fantastic book and a great cast of characters. Like I said . . one of my favorites.

Gotham Underground #3 - DC

This book is shaping up in to something special. Frank Tieri is doing a great job with the scripts. And I've been a big fan of J Calafiore's for a long time. His artistic talent really seems to shine here. Scarecrow is trying to put together his own little gang. After what happened at the Iceberg. But Scarface, his partner in crime, doesn't fully believe the story he's being told. " . . 2 people mad it outta that raid. An' yer right. Chances are somebody turned rat to do it . . . so how do we know that rat ain't you?" But Scarface is still interested in whats going on over at the Iceberg. Even if Crane is lying, he's still brought up a interesting scenario. And at the same time, Penguin is trying to strike a deal with Tobias. They both want to be the king of the Gotham Underground, but, they're both going about it in different ways. However, when he gets there he finds out the Penguin has put together his own little band of b-list baddies. Also, the Bat-family is having their own problems. Batman has gone undercover in Blackgate to try to find out some information into what's going on with all the disappearances. He was hoping, as Matches, to be taken with the rest of 'em. But, he was only arrested. So now he's trying to get info from the inside. But someone has sicked Zsasz after him. Somebody who wants him dead. Nightwing has also gone undercover in the Gotham Mob to try to figure out what has happened to Batman. And Robin, who's trying to hold the whole thing together, has gone to Oracle. But while there, they are attacked by someone. Someone who is either really fast, or invisible. Several blows are struck before Robin can take 'em out. But when he does he finds Spoiler laying on the ground. In usual Batman fashion, this was a fantastic story and book. My only regret is that it's only 9 issues long. But, you have to enjoy what you can . . while you can. Right?

JSA Classified #33 - DC

This story had a decent ending to it. Although it was very predictable. The only thing, really, that might've come out of it is, there may be a way for Alan to bring Jennie back, with the Starheart. The question is should he? Would that make him feel like he was trying to be a god? Of course it turns out the the Jennie manifestation was at the expense of the young girl from the crowd. It was her life essence that allowed Jennie to exist. So we knew it was going to come down to, Alan having to choose between his own happiness or that of the young girl. And of course he's going to make the right choice. That's what he does for a living. I didn't really agree with the move where Alan separated Jennie from Savage by putting her in a bubble and moving her away. Especially since the energy that was holding her was the very same stuff that she was made of. It didn't seem . . . feasible. Also it seems like Vandal was taken down just a little to easily. Especially with Alan not being at full power. Yes, I'm sure, the anguish of his daughter strengthened his resolve a bit. But still . . . . it's a bit far-fetched. And why, in the first place, did a major leaguer like Savage have to be the one to come after Alan. It really could've been anyone. Would've been the same story, and the same outcome. Vandal just seemed kind of . . . . diminished . . . in his role here. The basis of the whole story seemed tenuous at best. But . . . these are comics . . . right? Stir in some talent . . a great character . . and a lot of imagination . . . and wa-lah!! Really it was ok . . overall. It's just not a book that'll hold up under scrutiny. But I liked it. Seriously!

Legion of Super-Heroes #37 - DC

The Legion is back. Solo! Without Superboy or Supergirl. And with Jim Shooter at the helm, and Francis Manapul on the pencils, this should propel our team of teen-age heroes back in to the limelight that they deserve. And this issue, the first in the new creative teams repertoire, starts out with a bang. This whole issue, kind of, revolves around Lightning Lad. He's trying to deal with all the pressures of being the newly appointed leader, and . . he's making some mistakes. A few emergencies have popped up, but, since his head isn't completely wrapped around what he's doing, he's sent the wrong manpower to the wrong destinations. Triplicate Girl gets her butt kicked on her solo mission, because it was better suited for someone with some real fire-power. Luckily, Karate Kid was worried about her and showed up in time to save her from fatal injuries. Meanwhile, another team has been sent to Triton because Brainiac 5's solar scanners have picked up a potential attack on Triton. The team he's sent there, Star Boy, Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf and Invisible Kid, really isn't to bad. But, while there, the planet is indeed attacked and it looks like the same aliens Triplicate Girl was fighting in her mission. By the end of the book, the only one of the four left standing is Invisible Kid. Back at the headquarters, during all this drama, the President is sending over 7 pre-approved candidates. I assume this is some more potential Legionnaires. And Princess Projectra is having her own dilemma because, since her planet has been destroyed, " . . . I'm afraid that you no longer hold any recognized position of signifigance." And . . is it just me, or does the symbol on Invisible Kid's tunic look like the Image Icon? I'm just sayin' . . . Anyways, our new team really hit the ground running with this book. This was a fantastic book, and a great way to start the series' new direction. Long live the Legion!!!

the Death of the New Gods #4 - DC

What a fantastic story this book is turning out to be. After reading this issue, I have a couple of suspicions as to who our assassin is. But with Jim Starlin at the helm, we aren't going to know what we know, until we know what we don't know. Know what I mean? Fantastic story and art from the master of the science fiction genre. We do find out for sure this issue that the Forever People are also dead. And that's where our first suspicion comes in. Scott Free uses the power of the anti-life equation to try to coax an answer out of their departed friends. But whoever is responsible, somehow set them up to disintegrate rather than release the information. Which really, it should be impossible to resist the anti-life power. But with something Big Bear did say, it leads us to believe that the killer may be the Infinity Man. So when they go back to New Genesis, that's who Superman and Orion are keeping an eye out for. But, Himon and the Commander have come up with some evidence pointing to Orion as the culprit. While examining Takion's remains, they discovered trace elements of the Astro-Force. Which can only be wielded by Orion. But I kind of think Himon, or the Commander, are up to something here. It's just a little to neat. And the third suspicion, to me, and I think Superman, is Scott. He really seemed to freak out when he turned on the anti-life equation. But we aren't going to know for sure, for another issue or two. Also, Metron is on his own quest. He observed when Takion was killed, he was between time, so he knows who the killer is. He hasn't said his name aloud, but he has said, "This individual never before exhibited animosity towards the gods of New Genesis . . or anywhere near the level of power he's currently wielding." So he decides to try to follow his time-line backwards until he can figure out where it was that he snapped. That's when he discovers that the power was actually sent to him from a much earlier time period. So it appears that this whole thing has been premeditated. He follows that energy trail back to find that it came from a prehistoric era on some alien planet. Once there he finds evidence that someone is tampering with forces they shouldn't be. And he finally comes across that force. But in this time period, it's a ball of energy. However, Metron still recognizes him. But he still hasn't said his name aloud. "Godling, I knew you would finally recognize me for what I am. I greet you, Metron. You were always my favorite of the New Gods." Arrggh!! I hate this ending. Well actually . . . I hate it . . . and I love it. I'm sure we'll get some more answers next issue. But I don't want to wait. All I can say is that, if the Fifth World is anywhere near as good as this wrap-up of the Fourth World . . . we got nothing to worry about.

the Flash #235 - DC

I'm sorry. I'm just not overly thrilled with Freddie E Williams' art. I mean . . . it's not bad. It's just not my style. But . . . I am glad that Wally's back . . . and in his own book. So . . I 'll just leave it at that. The story, by Mark Waid, is pretty good. Wally has learned how to travel to the alien attacker's world, but he doesn't want to go alone. So he's enlisted some members of the JLA. Specifically, John Stewart, Wonder Woman and Black Lightning. However, somehow, they've been tricked. When they transport over, they land on top of a military compound. And they're immediately under siege. Wally, because of his hyper metabolism, realizes that they're fighting illusions. They wanted to keep them busy, while the aliens strike out at Keystone. Wally tries to get through to everyone, but they're so enthralled in their battle rage, that they aren't listening to reason. When he gets back, he finds out that the whole city has been over-run. His first concern is for his family. But when he get there Jai has already taken off. He goes and finds him, and they have a real heart to heart conversation. And then they decide to go in to battle together. Next issue is the final chapter of this story. In the back-up, we find that Wally and Bart may have inadvertently created this alien menace. It's a bit complicated, but suffice it to say that Bart got rambunctious and in his melee, something may have been done to cause the menace. We'll know for sure next issue, also, as that is that final chapter of this story too. So far we've seen every other Flash come to this dimension. Maybe next issue, we'll finally see how Wally and his family ended up there. Doug Braithwaite's art on the back-up is phenomenal. Also another fine cover from Daniel Acuna.

Countdown to Adventure #5 - DC

We finally make some progress with this whole "virus" thing this issue. Well . . . not a lot of progress . . . but any is an improvement. First of all, Animal Man finds out by accident that a hefty dose of sun-light will pretty much knock it out of your system. Now he just has to figure out how to dose everybody in San Diego, under the dome of silence . . . er . . I mean the dome of protection that the aliens erected to try to contain the virus. But he also has to hurry because it seems like there's another stage of transformation that is occurring. He sees it first in his son, because he was one of the first one's infected. He's also making some progress with figuring out what's going on with that whole morphogenic field and everything. We find out that the virus does actually have something to do with Lady Styx. I suspected that all along actually. And on Rann, Adam Strange is about to find out he can do the same thing with Zeta radiation. But he's pretty much all alone there. He really doesn't have anyone to help him in that struggle. Oh yeah, we also find out that the carrier wasn't actually Starfire . . . like we all thought. But it's actually Buddy. Not a big leap there. But I think Starfire was the prime suspect. So now it's going to be even harder for Buddy because the aliens have taken him away. In the Forerunner story, Forerunner has taken over a pirate ship. In doing so, and in taking out most of the pirates on her own, she's assembled her own little fighting force. They tend to follow the strongest leader. But before she can go after Monarch, she's going to have to fight off the Thanagarian fighters that have begun to cluster around her new ship. The back-up story was by Justin Gray and Fabrizio Fiorentino. And the main story was by Adam Beechen and Allan Goldman. Allan's stuff is showing signs of definite improvement already. This guy may be a new up-and-comer. Fantastic book, and characters. I hope they continue someplace again after this.

Countdown - Arena #4 - DC

What a fun book this would be the write and draw. I mean who else gets to tackle 3 Supermen fighting each other? Or who else gets to draw a whole platoon of Captain Atoms? Or variations thereof? Keith Champagne and Scott McDaniel have got to be having a ball with this book. It was kind of anti-climatic though, because I think we've seen the Supermen fight in almost every issue of this series. But . . they did do a good job this issue distracting Monarch, while the new Vampire Batman secreted away with all of Monarch's reserve. Those were the heroes that lost. But, they didn't die, so Monarch was keeping them is stasis so if he needed them later they would be easy to retrieve. I also liked the way they figured out that even though Monarch had destroyed the power source of the belt that Ray Palmer built, that one of the other Captain Atoms could use his own inherent energy to power it. Which is what Breach has done. Essentially, by the end of this book, both sides actually had a victory. Monarch put his little army together. His own little Justice League, if you will. Seriously, it consists of a Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Star-girl, Green Lantern, Flash . . and a couple of others. So he got what he wanted. And, all the heroes that lived through the battles ended up getting away. So maybe they'll go out to warn their respective worlds. But it seems like Monarch did this whole thing so that he could have the strength to take on the Monitors. But I'm not quite sure what he hopes to plan to gain by taking them down. Well we still have 17 issues of Countdown to go. So I'm sure we'll find out. This was a great mini-series, though.

WildCATS - Armageddon #1 - WildStorm

We finally get a chapter of this story, where it looks like some progress might be made. Of course when Void takes Nemesis into the future, she explains a lot more to her than she did to any of the others. She was definitely pointed in a certain direction, which, I don't think, anyone else had that advantage. I really can't blame anyone that Void brought here for information, because, they weren't really filled in on what it was Void was trying to accomplish. "Here's this bleak future . . . we don't really know what happened . . . I need you to find out . . . . we have to try to stop it . . . but we only have so much time." That was pretty much the extent of everyone else's prep. So I can't really blame them for not being able to do what she set out for them to do. It was kind of ambiguous. But anyways, this time, it really seemed like Nemesis knew what questions to ask. Like I said, she probably got more information in this one issue, than all of the rest combined. But she's not making use of it just yet. That's going to be coming up in the Revelations mini-series. Just from the previews it looks like it going to involve the WildCATS and the Authority. Other than that, I'm not sure what the whole goal is . . . . other than to stop this future. I'm pretty sure I heard that there's supposed to be a new WildCATS book on the horizon, so maybe this is going to be the setup for it. It was nice however to see all these WildCAT characters back in action though. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next mini-series. Hopefully it's not as ambiguous.

Hellblazer #239 - Vertigo

This issue starts a new story-arc. It's about a Shaman in Africa. Actually, it's about 2 Shamans. The one, the old man who's lived on the same piece of ground, in the same hut, forever . . is just trying to defend his people . . his life . . his heritage. The other . . a young upstart . . it seems to me, is going around Africa looking for the "old ones", and are killing them and absorbing . . . for lack of a better word . . . their power. It seems they've both had this dream about a "laughing magician". The old man has been a Shaman for a long time, so he knows how to use his powers. And he knows better how to interpret visions. So he knows where the laughing magician is. The young one has a lot of power by now, but wields it like a hammer. Just striking at whatever's in front of him. He's had the same vision. He knows it's important, but he doesn't know how to read all the signs . . so he doesn't know how to find him. He begins the painful process of trying to extract it from the old man. But just before he dies he realizes that the old man gave all that information away. There's not a hint of it left inside him. Before the young Shaman came to their village, the old man could sense his approach. So he transferred the knowledge in to a tree root, and sent it with one of the younger men of the village. He's to go to London and find the laughing magician. The young man knows what's at stake and does whatever he has to to gain passage. Once he arrives, in his frantic fervor to find him, he comes across to the authorities as a maniac or terrorist. So they end up shooting him down. Luckily, at that moment, Constantine arrives and picks up the root. It looks like John's going to be taking a nice little trip to Africa. Well . . . unless the Shaman comes to London looking for him. Fantastic story. Andy Diggle has really seemed to find his groove on this series. It also seems to have improved Leonardo Manco's work. Right now I think this series is probably the best it's ever been. Great stuff. Oh yeah . . and we can't forget the incredible Glenn Fabry cover. Awesome series!

Teen Titans Go! #50 - DC

What a fun book. Private Hive is back this issue. But now he's called Private Hive. He was the evil Captain America type figure that was part of the Hive Five. But he's struck out on his own. And his first order of business is to take down . . . and apart . . the Teen Titans. First he builds a large cadre of acolytes, and then he sends them out to do little random attacks all over the globe. The purpose is to tie up all the Titans around the globe so they'll have no kind of support structure. But luckily . . or unluckily . . . Robin is quarantined to the Tower because of his outbreak of chicken-pox. So he's there when Private Hive decides to try to take the tower for his own. Of course Robin defeats him, and in the process he has an epiphany. "We're already global, but we need to continue to expand the team. And here are some potential new recruits I'd like to discuss with you guys . . . . Cyborg . . how would you like to run a Teen Titans "boot camp" to train new recruits? Actually, we all have to help in our own way to make this work . . . but I think you'll all agree that with new team leaders, towers and recruits . . . the future of the Teen Titans is unlimited!" So will we be switching from Teen Titans Go! . . . to Teen Titans Unlimited? It's a good idea actually. I guess we'll just have to wait to see where it goes from here. This is a fantastic series, and the kids really love it. Some of us grown-ups too.

the Mighty Avengers #6 - Marvel

I like this book. I really do. Of course Brian Bendis always turns in incredible stories. And of course Frank Cho does a fantastic job drawing all these characters. Especially the female ones. Meowww! But . . . I do have a couple complaints. First of all I think Brian does a fantastic job with the dialogue and interactions between the characters. However . . . all this inner dialogue that we get between conversations . . . it's a bit unnecessary, and a bit distracting. As we're reading it, most of the time the reader . . . especially the ones who really know these characters . . . can pretty much fill in the little quips and jabs that are left unsaid. Actually I think it's better that way. It leaves more to the imagination. Secondly . . . what's up with these time-lines? This book is seriously off track. The whole thing with the symbiote crisis was done and over before anything was even mentioned it this book. So they had to skim through it really fast last issue to show that it was part of their time-line. This issue they finally wrap up the whole Ultron thing. It was interesting. It was fun. But obviously, it dragged out for way to long. They probably could've wrapped up the whole thing in 3 issues. So now, at the end of this issue, we finally get the meeting between Spider-woman and Tony, when she brings him the Skrull corpse from their fight in Japan. What is this, like, 4 or 5 months later? Seriously, I think we need to get this book back on track. And it's not like over in the New Avengers they haven't been running filler stories to try to give this book time to catch up. Because they have. And this book hasn't even touched on the whole Initiative thing, and they're on issue #10. I really want this book to succeed, but, I think we need to get some things back on track, to give it a fighting chance. At this rate, people are going to get really frustrated, really fast. Please! Please! I'm begging! Please, get things together in our Avengers books! Please!

Wolverine Origins #20 - Marvel

Well, we have a couple of problems here. I'm sorry. I don't mean we have a couple problems with the book. I mean we . . as in Wolverine, Cap and Bucky . . . have a couple of problems here. Last issue ended with Logan finding Baron Strucker. But then, unfortunately, he found out that his handlers, especially Seraph, needed Strucker. So they were protecting him. Logan's mission has now changed. He was to get Strucker out safely. Which meant that he was going to have to betray the man that he respected the most, Captain America. Basically he has to call on a bigger "bad-guy", Baron Zemo, to help get the job done. Also, Bucky seems to be a little craftier than his little leotard type outfit lets on. While Logan is talking to Strucker, Bucky is out in the hallway, unconscious. Well . . . supposedly. He realized that he'd learn more if he played possum rather than fighting. So he hears, I believe, most of their conversation. So he knows that Logan's going to have to betray their mission. He tries to warn Cap several times, but there was always something that came up. So Cap doesn't realize what's going on until Zemo's Messer-Schmitts shoots Caps transport out of the sky. Luckily though, after Cap beat him down, Logan didn't remember any of the event. I'm sure he was reprogrammed after that. But . . now he does remember. What he's going to do about it . . . . we just don't know yet. But in the epilogue, we find out that someone wants Logan taken out. They want it bad enough that they're willing to pay $20 million to do so. And they're willing to hire Deadpool for the task. I know I say this month after month, but I really like the job that Daniel Way and Steve Dillon are doing with this book. I think I really like this one better than his own title, because much of Logan's past is unfolding in these pages. And the part that I think that Daniel is doing the best is . . . he's putting in a lot of details. It would be easy to glide over these stories. Do the broad brush-strokes, and go with that. But Daniel is making them believable. Of course we're going to be interested . . it's Logan after all. But, I think, he's showing that a lot of the times, Logan wasn't really the main story. As in this one. The main story is Cap and Bucky. But, Logan was involved, and his involvement changed the outcome. And that, really, is what his legacy is. Fantastic book and series.

Exiles #100 - Marvel

This issue takes place immediately after Die by the Sword #5, and immediately before New Exiles #1. It's the end of the old era, and the beginning of the new. I see the book though, as more of a prequel to New Exiles, than the final chapter of the old. It's by the new creative team also. Chris Claremont is the scripter, and Tom Grummett will be the new penciller. Overall, I think the book looks really good. We saw at the end of Die by the Sword, that our team consisted of Blink, Sabretooth, Psylocke, Morph, Shadowcat, Thunderbird, Nocturne, Sage, Rogue and a male Mystiq. But that's an awful lot of members. So with this issue, they're going to thin it down a little more. First we're going to lose Nocturne and Thunderbird. To me though, that's not a big surprise. With everything Nocturne is going through . . and Thunderbird wants to try to help her recuperate . . . they've decided to relocate to Heather's dimension so that she can keep an eye on her, and monitor her progress. I definitely don't think it's the last we've seen of them though. But then, coming as a big surprise, Blink has decided to take a rest from the team. I also don't think it's the last we've seen of her. Maybe she'll get another mini-series. Sage is the obvious leader of the team, but she's going through some stuff because of all the information that Roma downloaded in her head. So I think, by default, it's going to be Creed leading them. This should prove to be very interesting. In the back of the book we also get a reprinting of Exiles #1. You know, from all those years ago. It was kind of nice to see the old book, by Judd Winick and Mike McKone. It's been a long time. I'm just glad that now we're getting back on track with a new monthly series. I can't wait to see it.

Wolverine - Firebreak #1 - Marvel

Ok, first the good news, it's a Wolverine book. Ha ha! I'm sorry. That's not the only good news. I just thought that was funny. This book contains 2 stories, and actually, both stories are good. The first is by Mike Carey and Scott Kolins. It's about a family, in a cabin, that gets caught in the middle of a wild-fire. Hence the title. It's a good human interest story. Basically, the family is on it's last leg, because of the husband's indiscretion. They thought they'd get away and try to fix things. But, as is the case with most couples, they don't do the one thing they should . . . talk! Long story short, they go through a life harrowing experience, between the fire and a hidden HYDRA bunker. Luckily, they come out of it alive. In doing so they realize how important life is, and how important the people in it are. The second story, I think, is by some new-comers, Macon Blair and Vasilis Lolos. It's also pretty decent. It's about a rich man's son who gets mixed up in the wrong crowd. Which puts him in jeopardy, because it puts him in a place he shouldn't have been. Which then enabled someone to use his prominence for their own gain. It's Wolverine's job to retrieve him. But this one doesn't end the way you'd expect it to. Like I said, both stories were good. Now the bad news . . . why was this special edition necessary? I mean, the stories weren't all that important. And the talent on the book was only mediocre. I'm really not trying to degrade anyone. I'm a fan of Mike and Scott's. But . . . it's not like it was a special Adam Hughes book. Or any other one of the top artists right now. It was just a book. With 2 stories that could've been back-ups in any of the regular Wolverine titles. Which I guess is my question. I don't understand why they weren't. Why did we have to spend $4 on a special Wolverine book that could've just been a part of any of the regular titles? I'm sorry. It really bothers me when these companies just push off stuff on us that they'll hope we buy, just because it contains a popular character. But I guess that answers the question also. They do it because they can, and because we give in and buy it. They wouldn't do it if it didn't sell. So it's really our own fault.

New X-Men #45 - Marvel

The best part about this whole book . . . was the art. Humberto Ramos did it . . . and it looked really good. The opening page with Cable standing on the icy mountain ready to fight Lady Deathstrike . . . . was truly beautiful. This page alone could be a poster. Actually . . . it was a pretty good story. Obviously Lady Deathstrike has caught up with Cable. But that's ok, because X-Force isn't to far behind her. And when they join in the fight . . . . Brokeback Mountain has a whole new meaning. X-23 takes on Lady Deathstrike, and she gives her a special kind of pain. She's in the mood for payback. "You are losing blood faster than you can heal. I cut your cybernetics faster than they can repair. You are dead, and do not even know it. . . . . . . . You were dead the second you touched Julian Keller." Also Caliban took some bullets meant for Warpath. But Cable makes it back to their jet and absconds with it, before Wolverine can catch up with him. In the future, Jamie and Layla have given themselves up so that they can go in to the mutant concentration camp to find out what's going on . . . from the inside. But so far . . . they haven't seen a single mutant. They're starting to get a little concerned. Predator X has made it all the way to New York State. And he's smelling a whole mess of mutants. And Emma and Surge have a bit of a touching moment. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic book. Like I said, it'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out when we get to the end of this mega-cross-over event. And I think we're going to get a few new titles out of it also. Yippee!!

Ultimate X-Men #89 - Marvel

I have to admit . . this issue was more interesting to me than the last few. I think it was because, in the original X-men titles . . somewhere along the line . . I completely missed any explanations into the Shadow King. His identity, his origin, his motivations . . . have all been lost to me for all these years. I originally started picking up Uncanny at about issue #145. Or there-abouts. Anyways, this issue we meet the Shadow King of the Ultimate Universe. He's Amahl Farouk. He and Ororo kind of had a thing, when they were teenagers. Ororo wasn't in full control of her powers at that time, and she accidentally struck him with a lightning bolt. So basically, she created him. I'm sure he was already a mutant, with some kind of powers, but when she hit him, and sent him in to a coma, he was forced to enter the mindscape. Or the shadow-realm as he now calls it. Once there, he was forced to hone his powers, because the predominant force there was the Brood. It seems like the guy already had some evil, or "badness", in him. But this experience, I think, kind of amped that up. Anyways, Ororo ends up beating him . . for now . . and works her way out of her "coma". But for some reason she doesn't want to tell any of the X-men about him. Probably because she feels guilty for creating him. But, you just know, that decision is going to come back to haunt her. We also meet another "bad-guy" of the Ultimate Universe this issue . . Dr. Cornelius. They end up taking him down too . . when Wolverine chops his head off . . but you just know he's going to be back. He's a geneticist after all. You just know he amped up his body function somehow. Like I said, overall, I think this issue was probably the best in quite a while. Of course it didn't hurt that Salvador Larroca did the pencils this issue. I'm glad it's getting more interesting, because issue #100 is just around the corner. And, being the Ultimate Universe, I can't wait to see what they have planned for it. I want to like this book. I really do. I think this issue has definitely taken a step in the right direction.

Superman / Batman #44 - DC

Shane Davis is turning in to a real talent. The first time I noticed him was on the Mystery in Space series. I could tell right from the first issue that he was something special. But, he actually got better as the series went along. He's done a few other things since then. And now . . he's done Superman / Batman. And his work looks incredible. Of course I'll have to give some credit to Matt "Batt" Banning, his inker, too. Every panel in this issue is a work of art. Simply fantastic. I also have to give credit to Michael Green for the story. Superman has been hurt by accident, by some stray Kryptonite lying around. After Alfred operates on him, and he takes 3 days to heal, it gets him to thinking. "Lana once joked that I should just superspeed around town and collect all the Kryptonite, stick it in a garbage truck and pitch the load of it into the sun. I was thinking maybe . . . we should do it." Batman agrees, but the first thing they need to do is come up with a map. "I calibrated the JLA satellite scanner to home in on Kryptonite's specific beta decay signature. It's sensitive to the atom. Every negatron of the stuff will show up here in green. Whatever turns up we, collect." The problem is . . . the satellite picture of the globe he has . . . is practically covered in green. "We're going to need a bigger container." Cool story. These two really are . . . . the World's Finest.

Detective Comics #839 - DC

What a fantastic way to end this story-line. Ra's has got himself a new body, but not the one he expected. Batman comes bursting in to Nanda Parbat just as Ra's is ready to transfer his essence in to Damian. But Batman stops him. And then he proceeds to shatter what is left of Ra's degenerating body. "I won't kill you Ra's. I'm not sure anything can. But I'll make damn sure you never move again." Batman orders his troops around like a general on a battlefield. Including Damian. And he's listening. He's willing to do anything his father tells him. But Talia wants to get him away from the chance of any harm coming to him. "No! I will stand by my father!", he shouts at her. So she does what she has to . . . . she knocks him out and carries him off. And then, what I assume is the League of Assassins, attacks. And the battle is pitched . . . until the Monks intervene and bring the festivities to a grinding halt. "Defilers of Nanda Parbat, Rama Kushna will be heard! To the goddess we prayed for salvation. Through our eyes she witnessed the atrocities committed here. Ra's Al Ghul, you have perverted the balance between life and death. Rama Kushna has decreed Nanda Parbat be closed to you for all time! Go now, or suffer death everlasting!" Obviously, this isn't over between Batman and Ra's. But . . for now . . in this place . . . it is! Everyone has to retreat in different directions as the city shifts to obscure itself from the world's view. Again! And Bruce, Dick, Tim and Alfred head on home. Oh yeah! The body that Ra's took over was . . . . . the White Ghost. It turns out he was actually his son. Paul Dini did the scripts. Ryan Benjamin and Don Kramer do the pencils. And it looks fantastic. I'm sure this'll be out in TPB within 6 months. It's an instant classic afterall.

Batman and the Outsiders #3 - DC

I really like the direction Chuck Dixon is taking with this series already. Batman's got some subversive things going on. And he's playing the League already. This one is billed as the Outsiders vs. the Justice League. Really it should say, the Outsiders play the Justice League. Which is exactly what Batman does this issue. He's got the OMAC from last issue, and he knows how the League is going to react. So he sets up a little bait and switch for them. They think that the OMAC they have in stasis has broke out, when actually it's doing exactly as it's been commanded to. Batman shows how tight his team is when they take it down. And then the League claims the burnt out shell. Meanwhile, the real OMAC . . . the one they want to dissect and study . . . is deeper in the complex. Away from prying eyes. Also Chuck is scripting a lot more interaction between characters. The scene with Grace, Thunder and the nude Cassandra was hilarious. And I really liked Brion's reaction when they told him he was being traded down, from the League to the Outsider. Classic stuff. Julian Lopez is the penciller, and, with Bit as his inker, his work looks really sharp. And we have a new member joining next issue. One who just knocks on the door of the Manor and asks for Bruce. Mark my words, by the end of the year, this is going to be the series to beat.

Superman #671 - DC

It seems like, in the last year or so, that the Superman books have become a place for new artist talent to make their appearances. This issue we have a new artist named Peter Vale. He's actually pretty good. There's a little bit of a consistency problem. Some of the panels weren't as tight as others. But that just comes with experience. Overall though, I think he shows a lot of promise. Kurt Busiek is still on the scripts. This issue we have a new protagonist. It's a species of alien insects that apparantly Lex Luthor had some kind of deal with. He was proving them with food or storage or something. But Lex isn't there any more. So when they come calling and Lana is there instead, they get agitated and abduct her. And without the handouts from Lex, they just start raiding his facilities around the globe. It isn't to long before Superman comes on to the scene and he races out west when he finds out that there's another break-in currently in progress. They overpower him, but eventually he breaks loose. But in his over zealousness for information, he pulls a general away from his troops, and because of the distance they all commit suicide. So basically he's lost his lead on Lana. But, speaking of which, Lana is in their hideout and is witness to the metamorphosis of their queen. As she's coming out of her cocoon, Lana is surprised that it looks exactly like her. Well . . except for the 4 arms that is. But Superman is still on the trail because he's realized that the dust they're leaving behind is actually moon dust. So it looks like that's where he'll be heading next issue. Of course I always love Kurt's stories. And I was actually impressed by the new art this issue. So overall, I really enjoyed the book.

Justice League of America #16 - DC

This issue left me feeling a bit . . . well . . . I had a few questions. First of all Dwayne McDuffie does the scripts. The stories ok. But that's where some of my questions lie. Joe Benitz does the art. I really like it. It almost has a early Todd McFarlane type feel to it. Anyways, my first question is, if Guy Gardner had stored away all his memorabilia from his bar, and some of it may be . . . well, it could get in to the wrong hands . . don't you think he'd have a more secure place to put it than just your average "Lock & Store"? I mean this is some stuff that could cause some serious damage. I can't even image Guy Gardner being that careless. Why couldn't John Stewart do anything against this Atom guy? Why was Dinah the first to make contact? I mean, I understand she's the leader, but, they're going in to a situation where some people have already disappeared. So wouldn't you want to send in your big gun? And finally, Dinah can't take him down and she's a martial artist, but Roy take him down with a hoe. It's a little bit of a stretch there. But, the main goal was accomplished, we had another interaction with the Tangent Universe. This time the Flash has come across and left behind. There's also a backup story that's . . . ok. It's a holiday thing, so you just know it's going to end up with some good human nature thing. But . . . it was ok. Overall, I liked the book. I just thought there were parts of the store that were a stretch. But I still liked it.

Birds of Prey #113 - DC

I was really concerned when Gail Simone left this book. But they kept the same artist, Nicola Scott, so the book kept it's feel. And Sean McKeever is no slouch in the scripting department, so . . . I think we're going to do ok. Misfit get's in to a little trouble this issue. And Superman shows up to reprimand the whole team. They're chasing after the little girl who wants to make a name for herself in the mob world of Metropolis. Actually, she wants to take her father's name after he's killed. But being only a 17 year old blond, nobody takes her seriously. But they don't know she's a sociopath. Oracle follows her to what she thinks in a gun buy, but, things turn wrong rather quickly. Huntress ends up chasing her down. But the truck isn't as it appears. They think it's a bomb, but it turns out to be a Transformer type of thing. The truck turns in to this huge female robot type of thing. Apparently she wants to kill all the other mob bosses with her bare hands. Well . . so to speak. The robot's hands actually. But at the last minute, against orders, Misfit jumps in to knock the girl out. The problem is, she doesn't know how to control the machine. And it immediately begins turning in on itself, creating this big whirlpool type of thing. Misfit can get out, but she's not going to be able to get the girl out because she can't take a person with her when she jumps. So regretably she does leave, and shortly after the machine disappears taking a small chuck of Metropolis with it. The girl, and some residents also go with it. Which is why Superman shows up to let them know that he's watching them. He thinks they seriously overstepped their abilities with this one, and that they shouldve called in someone for back-up. So the issue ends with everyone on the team feeling a little down, and Babs questioning her leadership and their missions. Another great issue, in a long run of them. Fantastic series, and great characters.

Catwoman #74 - DC

Catwoman is after a man called the Thief. Well . . . actually he's after her. He's new in town so he's trying to make his rep, and he thinks he's going to be able to do it with her. But Selina is nothing if not spunky. So she ends up muscling her way out of the situation. Of course. But now she's on the Calculator's trail also, because he's the one that put the Thief on her. So she goes Batman on his butt to get the information that she needs. But she's also got some people watching her. She has the Thief right where she wants him. He's in the middle of a heist, all the power grids just shut off, and she's going to catch him unaware. But just as she's ready to go in . . . . she's jumped by . . . . Boomerang? Why is Boomerang after her? And then Deadshot and Count Vertigo show up on the scene. We know what's up, but she doesn't yet. She's about to be hauled off to Salvation Run. This issue's brought to us by the usual creative team of Will Pfeifer and David Lopez. At first, all those issues ago, I wasn't overly thrilled with their presentation. But, after all this time, I have to admit that they definitely give a certain flavor to the book. And . . . it's all their own. Without Jim Balent, I thought there was no way this series was going to last as long as the last. But . . . they're proving me wrong. It appears it's going to last that long, and maybe longer.

Countdown to Final Crisis #19 - DC

Ok, either the Piper's going crazy . . . or Trickster really is haunting him. Either way, he's in worse shape now than he was when he was alive. Now he's dragging his lifeless corpse across the desert. And having an argument with him at the same time. An argument he can't possibly win, because he really is dead. I almost feel sorry for him. Our Challengers have ended up on Earth 51. Liberty Belle, Libby Lawerence-Chambers, is the President, and Clark Kent and Lois Lane-Kent are her closest friends. But they don't learn much here other than the realization that the Monitors haven't made a move on them yet. Which is suspicious in and of itself. Meanwhile, on Themyscira, the cave that Holly and Harley have stumbled in to is where Hippolyta has been hiding herself. Granny Goodness and the Furies came and took over the island, but she can't fight them by herself. But she may have help now. She sends them back with a cover story, so they can be her eyes from the inside. And Jimmy is displaying even more powers. He comes to Foragers aid, but she doesn't recognize him at first. So she tries to kill him. Come to find out she was just in a self-induced trance so she could deal with the pain that Bernadeth was inflicting on her. His eyes become a part of the source, and he turns in to a living Mother Box to bring her out. He also fakes his identity, when Bernadeth shows up, and convinces her that he's Darkseid. And, to get out of the predicament, he generates his own boom-tube that take him and Forager back to Metropolis. This issue ends with Forager kissing him. Pretty cool book. And we're getting near the end. Paul Dini and Tony Bedard do the script for this one. Jesus Saiz and Rodney Ramos do the pencils. If you haven't been reading this series, you don't know what you're missing. But, if you have, you should be anxiously awaiting the answers that'll be coming our way soon. What a fantastic book.

Countdown - Arena #3 - DC

This issue our heroes . . from various worlds . . make a little more headway against Monarch. The creative team is the same . . Keith Champagne and Scott McDaniel . . and we still have the beautiful covers by Andy Kubert. One of the Batman's that was killed was bitten by the Red Rain Batman. So he turned in to a Vampire also. Now he's using those new abilities, to try to get some intel from around the ship. The holster that one of the Beetle's built was made to travel between dimensions. Monarch came in shortly after they found it, and destroyed the power source. So, with all these other Firestorms and Captain Atom's running about, you'd think that one of them would've thought up the solution before it had to be handed to them by Batman. He's given it to Breach, a Captain Atom alternative, and sent him out to find as many versions of himself as he can. He wants him to bring them all back to the ship. His other part of the plan is to get someone to the lower decks that can get the fallen heroes out of stasis. He wants to put them back in to action. The only way they're going to beat Monarch is with sheer numbers. And now that they have the transportation device, they just might be able to pull that off. This issue we see fights between the Starmen, the Flashes and the Wonder Women. Next issue is the ultimate fight . . . Superman vs. Superman vs. Superman. Also don't forget, Forerunner is out there running loose in the multi-verse somewhere. And she's not Monarch's biggest fan anymore.

Countdown presents - the Search for Ray Palmer - Superwoman / Batwoman #1 - DC

Ok, this is another series that has me frustrated. I really don't see a point in all of these books, unless it was just to introduce us to some of the worlds in the new multi-verse. Other than that, they seem completely insignificant. Over the course of these 6 or 7 issues, we've accomplished nothing. In this issue, and the last, we at least got some acknowledgement that Ray was actually there. But in most of the books . . . we didn't even get that. In most of the books, the Challengers just popped in to the world, looked around and then left. And since they're looking for a guy that can be the size of an atom, it really didn't seem like they put all that much effort in to that, even. I understand that Bob is probably honing in on the Atom's chronal energy or something. But . . could the guy be any more vague. These heroes didn't ask to come on this trip. He's the one that recruited them. And then they're just supposed to be his little soldiers and not ask questions? Especially with Jason Todd in the mix? Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what the point of all this was, but, apparantly I completely missed it. Now we have to wait for Countdown #18, which is supposed to give us some answers. But this is like those mini-series that I'm always complaining about. Except, this one, we could've left the whole series out, and I don't think you'd have a hard time following the story. It just seems, to me, like a tremendous waste of effort, time and money.