Moon Knight #3 - Marvel

This book is truly going in the right direction. I really like what Charlie Huston and David Finch are trying to do here. Marc Spector is truly at his lowest point. His life right now, truly is the dumpster at the bottom. On top of that, it appears that we have some kind of group, govt. or otherwise, profiling him and trying to keep him right where he's at. And Bushman is part of, if not the leader of, this group. Marc is reaching out to DuChamp, although it seems to be a set up, as they both think the other called. There also seems as if there may be a new Moon Knight, a female, Marlene Alraune. Her father is the Dr. excavated the newly discovered chambers, of King Seti II, in the Valley of the Kings. So we just know that she's going to play in to this somehow. As the profiler states, "She's a killer too." and "Killer always end up being drawn together." So they decide they're going to come up with a plan to isolate Marc even more, so that he will pull himself even farther out of the world. However, someone in the group takes the initiative to initiate the plan prematurely. He has DuChamp beaten up, Marc delves out justice by carving the attacker up, and in doing so realizes how much he truly misses the life and will now do anything to get it back. The opposite of what the group was trying to do. The character development they've put into this series so far is astounding. We really get a feel for these characters, and are having feeling for them already. Like I said, I really like where they're going, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Teen Titans #37 - DC

Ok, I have a rant to go with, but I'll talk about the book first. Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel. I hope these two stay on this book for a long time to come. They really have a feel for these characters. They've joined up with the Doom Patrol this issue and they're in one of their endless fights with the Brotherhood, who also has some new team members now. Anyways, through the course of this fighting, Robin finally convinces the Doom Patrol, that the Chief is not the altuistic man he is always displaying himself as. His underlying motives begin to come out, and we come to find out that the reason the Brotherhood hate him so much is because essentially Niles created that team too. Some of it's members are actually earlier experiments that failed to create the Doom Patrol. There are some major revalations in this book. We also get some more character development, with Kid Devil, Ravager and especially Cyborg. But in the end Vic and Cassie both decide that they're going to stick around. Cassie also finds out the lengths that Tim has been going to to try to bring back Conner. "I've lost too many people, Cassie. I want one back. I want my best friend back." Then they have a little sad moment together and they end up embracing and kissing. Uh-oh, I don't think that's a good idea. But anyways, awesome book. Now for my rant. The Doom Patrol, this is a team that has been hanging on to the edges for almost 40 years now. They are an awesome team, but nobody's really stuck with 'em for that long. They've had what, 5 or 6 incarnations. Some good, some not so much. Let's quit playing around with this team and do something with them. Quit treating them as a group that can just come out of the closet every few years or so, when some storyline can benefit from them, dust 'em off, rough 'em up, and then put 'em away until some other obscure storyline needs them again. Here's what DC needs to do. Give them to Grant Morrison. I don't mean have him come up with a new concept, I mean actually give them to him. Give him full creator rights. I know he didn't actually create them, but so what. Invest him fully in to them. Let him do whatever the hell he wants. Kill some off, create new ones, let him come up with a continuity that actually ties the last 40 years together. Let him make sense of all the incarnations and how they fit, what their purpose and motivations were, and who is Niles Caulder or Steve Dayton really?? Give it all to him. Let him hand choose the rest of his creative team, and let him do whatever the hell he wants. The only stipulation I would put in the creator agreement is that they stay with DC no matter what, but other than that, open the flood gates. If they do this, and if Grant truly has free reign, I guarantee that within a year or two, this will be the premiere book in the industry. Not just the best DC book, but the best period. It would tear up the charts. I know that this will probably never happen, but if some editor has enough vision, and enough balls, to put this together, the book would be unstoppable. And, maybe I'm missing some of the nuances to the business side of things, but I don't see a down side. Not for the fans, not for the creators and not for DC/Warner Bros.. And if things played out right, there might even be a movie franchise in it's future. A creator owned movie franchise. So Grant could quit saying that the Matrix ripped off his ideas, and show the world what his head can really wrap itself around. This really could blow away everything. Ok, I know I'm dreaming. I know that Grant's done the Doom Patrol before. And I know that chances are no one will ever read this. Especially an Editor at DC that could make a difference. But, if we don't have hopes and dreams, what do we got? I really feel that if they could get Grant truly fully invested in this project, that the sky would be the limit. Ok, I know I've pulled every metaphor out of the book for this, but if I just knew that I could get someone to actually think about, and consider this, I would be happy.

New Avengers #20 - Marvel

First I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but somehow things got mixed up in my pile and I actually read #21 before I read #20. Ooops!! But anyways, this book gives you the one / two punch creatively. Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deotato Jr., WOW!!! What more could you ask for?? This Michael guy, that we've come to find out absorbed all the missing powers after M-Day, has decided that he can't handle what he's become and he feels that the only person who can is Magneto. So he's gone to Genosha to expunge himself of all this, and give it to Eric. Well of course the Avengers are hot on his heels. During the course of the transfer we come to find out that the driving force behind this whole series of events has been Xorn. Being a pure energy being himself, when Michael absorbed everything, apparently Xorn still maintaining his motor functions, sort of , took control of the situation and has been driving him ever since he crash landed in Alaska. This guy is so powerful that he literally brings all of the million of dead corpses in Genosha to life to fight the Avengers and keep them busy. Iron Man brings in this Shield agent who can create earth quakes, and has her focus a mini one to materialize right in Eric's frontal lobe. When he becomes indisposed, of course, Xorn is set loose, or his energy is. Tony captures it in a containment cell, and Bob flies it into the sun. Bim, Bam, Boom the situation is resolved. But, it's not the end of the story because there's a lot of loose thread lines. But that is what make's this such an awesome title. Finally as they go to fly Magneto's body out, the helicopter explodes and there's not a trace left of him. "No sign? There's not even a foot? Floating there in the . . . .". From here we go in to "Civil War" and a new dissassembled Avengers. Luckily we'll still have Brian at the helm, so it's all gonna be gravy.

Ultimates 2 #11 - Marvel

I frakkin' love this book. If Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch don't get some kind of award for this series, then there ain't no justice. To bring you up to speed, the Liberators have taken control of, well, everything. Thor is locked up because Loki has convinced the world that he was a fake. By the way, Loki is the driving force behind the Liberators also. Bruce, Hulk, is in a self imposed exile, because the rest of the world believes he is dead. The Ultimates were supposed to have nuked him for his crimes. Also Steve and Janet are in love. Or at least he is in love, or infatuation, with her. Anyway we start out with Thor praying to Odin, and then somehow dissapearing from his holding tank. Cap and Janet find this out after fighting through an army of guys to get to him. At the Dome in Brussels, Europe is getting ready to send its self made, literally, team in to DC to try to do something to help. The Liberators are starting to feel cocky, always the brick that breaks the wall, because as some of their team bring in the President, in what's left of a shell of Air Force 1, they find out that Thor has escaped and the leader isn't overly concerned. He wants to proceed as normal, and all of the captured hero's will be beheaded and midnight. And on that note, Cap breaks in to the room that the rest are being held, only to find out that they've liberated themselves. But then they're overcome by a swarm of the Schizoid Man's body, whom I assume is there version of Jamie Madrox. Then, we have Iron Man, who with the help of the Govt., I assume, has obtained one of Iron Man's earlier suits and is using it to get to one of Stark's orbital satellites to get him his latest version. Back at the White House, we're just having an all out slug fest between the Liberators and the Ultimates. Both sides are hurting the other, but it looks like pretty much a stalemate. Although neither side will concede. That is until Bruce Banner shows up standing in the path of one of the giant robots. As he's standing there he says, "Sorry gentleman, I'm going nowhere. I didn't travel 5000 miles just to get pushed around the second I got back to my own damn country. I don't need to run away from anyone now that I'm in touch with my nasty inner sociopath. That's the way. Just keep coming if you want to meet him . . . . .", and then he's stepped on. That of course enrages him, and he single handedly, literally, tears apart the robot and we end up with a splash page of a full on Hulk standing in the wreckage shouting, "NOW! BRING IT ON!". If this book isn't the epitome of the super hero team book, I don't know what is. This book doesn't always come out on time, and it's on it's second incarnation. But it is always worth the wait. This series is going to be read and reread for a long time to come.

Batman #654 - DC

This is the final installment of "Face the Face". Batman has returned to Gotham after his year hiatus. Harvey Dent, whom he put in charge of watching out for the city, took his return as a direct commentary on the Batman's trust for him. Add to this the Great White Shark, who is now the new crime boss of Gotham, framing him for murder and it has sent his fragile psyche over the edge. And let's face it, Harvey was barely hanging on as it was. So anyways Harvey sets up an elaborate scheme, kills 5 police officers, all to let Batman know that he blames him for his return to Two-Face. After Harvey eludes capture, Batman goes to Arkham, to let the Great White Shark know that he's on to him. Batman can't prove any of this right now, but then he doesn't have to. And I really don't remember that many time when his instict wasn't dead on. After his confrontation Batman goes home, and him and Alfred decide to tell Tim that if he will have him, he'd like to adopt him as a son. Of course Tim is overcome with emotion. The issue ends with him embracing Tim, the Great White Shark lying in his bunk obviously scheming, and Harvey on the loose. James Robinson and Dan Kramer have done an awesome job with this storyline. I don't want to take anything away from this chapter of Batman's life, because it has been superb. But, next issue Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert take over. Yippee!!!! We got no place to go but up.

Blue Beetle #4 - DC

I really like the direction that Keith Giffen, John Rogers and Cully Hamner are taking this book in. A high school kid named Jamie, has obtained the power of the Scarab. So to find out more of what he's dealing with, he looks up the Blue Beetle's history on line and starts taking notes. Oracle tries to introduce herself, but of course he's suspicious and gets mad and ends up thrashing his computer. After that we mostly deal with the dialogue between him and his mom, and him and his friends. They're all trying to figure out what exactly is going on, and what they can do to help and support Jamie. There's also a bad guy, mystic, who happens to be working for one of his friends mother, who decides he's going to test the Beetle to see what he knows, how he's dealing with it, and if he's going to pose a threat. The teen angst in this book, puts me back to the early days of the Spider-man. Which is a good thing. Like so many other new books by DC, this one has amazing potential. And with someone like Keith Giffen at the helm, I can't see them leaving to many ideas out of the mix.

Hawkgirl #53 - DC

Ok, Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin are fantastic on thier own. Together they are unstoppable. They have taken this mediocre sideline character and really thrust her into the forefront. She's the guardian of St. Roch Louisianna, as well as the museum curator. This issue while on patrol, she decides to follow two detectives that she knows, to find out what they're up to. They're actually trying to stop a gang hit, but that is kiboshed by Khimaera. A woman who been turned into a 1 woman wrecking crew, by some mystical force that needs to life-energy of people to sustain it. So while they're on the stakeout, this Khimaera, jumps into the mist of things and starts killing the bangers. After she kills her 3rd of 4th person, the detectives jump in to try to control the situation. Being seriously outmanned, Hawkwoman shows up as the calvary. Although she herself almost gets killed, but not before most of her clothes are ripped off. Love those Chaykin details. But one of the detectives comes to her aid, and ends up getting killed himself. Typical Simonson and Chaykin style. Lots of action. Lots of intrigue. Lots of sexual innuendo. But I like it! This is seriously turning into a must have book every month. This is the forth issue of thier run and they haven't showed signs of slowing down yet.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 - Marvel

It appears that annuals are all the rage again. After having none for a while, then having them but them being called something else (Summer Special, 2005 Special, Special Event, whatever), it's good to finally get them back again. And it looks like everyone is going to be putting one out this summer. Yippee! This issue is an inbetween issue. It falls between issue #474 of the X-men, and the new "Wedding of the Century" storyline. I'm not sure if that storyline will be in an X book or exclusively in Black Panther. My guess is Black Panther, and they're showcasing it in X-Men to try to get you to cross titles. Maybe. We'll see. But we got Bishop, Psylocke, Nightcrawler, Cannonball and Phoenix, in Africa, coming to Storm's aid. There's lots of flashbacks for Storm. And a lot of storybuilding to help you figure out what going on in this little country of Turkana. Throw in a Sentinel, an evil dictator and his mercenary soldiers, and you have the X-men in a "BlackHawk Down" situation. So while the X-men are doing all this fighting, Storm is going on a little soul searching, while she's trying to recover from some wounds that she's recieved. By the end of the search, she has decided what she needs to do. She goes to take down the dictator, only to find out that he is her uncle. This is one of those X-men issues, that doesn't really advance the story line very much, but, gives you a ton of information. At the end we're set up for the "Wedding of the Century".

SOLO #11 - DC

I love this concept. Basically, they focus on an artist each month, and let them do whatever they want to fill up the book. This month's focus is Sergio Aragone's, with writing help by Mark Evanier. I can't say enough about this guy. His artwork is so simplistic, yet dead on the subject. If you're not sure who I'm talking about, he's been in every Mad Magazine you've ever read. He's also the artistic force behind Groo the Wanderer. It amazes me that this guy is almost 70 years old. The irony and humor in his stips, has always been ahead of it's time, yet relevant to current events. I don't want to bog you down with statistics, because there's a "Focus On-" at the end of the book. Suffice it to say, this guy is an icon. And this series is cool too. Next issues focus is Brendan McCarthy.

Loveless #7 & #8 - DC

I'm only doing these two together because somehow #7 was missed in my pull, but I didn't realize it until this week when I went to pick up #8. I saw #7 sitting there and I didn't think that I had read it. At least I didn't miss it. This is a great book. I know. A Western in 2006? But, hey. It works. First of all Brian Azzarello's writing is spendid. When I saw this book first advertised, I knew it would be good, if for no other reason than the writing. His work on 100 Bullets, has been outstanding. And he's carried over the same work ethics to this book. And this artist, DanijelZezelj, at first I wasn't sure. The art fit the book, but I wasn't overly thrilled with it. Now, I look over every page a couple times to make sure I see all the detail. He has taken Frank Miller's style that he developed for Sin City, with the shadows defining the art work rather than the pencil and lines, to a whole new lever. The opening page to #7 is just a piece of art. The same goes for the panel on page 3, where she is looking down into the water,and you can see the reflection of her face amongst the ripples. Just outstanding. I also like the way he uses color for the present tense, and the browned hugh on the flashbacks. This issues focus' mainly on Ruth Cutter, and what she's had to go through since her husband Wes has left for the war. How the roles the women took on back then, were way different than the things they do and have to deal with now. Brian also did a neat thing in that all the past tense contained the dialogue, and the story with the present was told strictly with art. #8 on the other hand now, is mostly about Wes. What he's had to deal with since coming back from the war. Then there's mister Trotter, he appears to be one of the wealthiest men in town. He has decided that because of Wes' background, he would be the perfect candidate for Sheriff. Although I think he has some underlying motives to this that we haven't seen yet. Only time will tell. So this story tells of his present dealings with this Mr. Trotter, and with some flashbacks during the war, how the present is tied in with his past. And with a town name of BlackWater, you just know that there's more mayhem coming down the road. Excellent story, fantastic art, what more could you ask for? If you haven't tried this book out yet, you definitely need to. This story has the vibrancy and feel of the early Alan Moore Swamp Things. I think they will become just as classic also.

Uncanny X-men #474 - Marvel

This issue starts out after the X-men have been pulled through the rip in space that the Foursaken created last issue. We begin with Psylocke waking up in what appears to be an Egyptian town, and a winged man waited off her balcony to escort her. He says he is the First Fallen. Supposedly from what they learned last issue, he is the male counterpart to the Phoenix. He wants to show her where their at, and what he has accomplished. Apparently he'sgone across the galaxy and wiped out whole civilizations, and brought the last four of each to this "Waco" commune to live together in peace and harmony. He says that he is inhibiting everyone's powers to sustain the peace, but it's also his way of controlling everyone. We learn the history of Jamie Braddock and how the Foursaken came to be. But since everyone's powers are inhibited, there's nothing the X-men or the Foursaken can do about their circumstances. That is until Betsy comes along. Since she's impervious to psychic assaults she can still yield her soul sword, so she does so and takes down the First Fallen. This immediately reverts everyone back to their animalistic selves, powers and all. Now we learn some history on the Phoenix and the First Fallen and how they are connected. After she separates the First Fallen from it's host body, Jamie, in all the madness and confusion, sends all the X-men back to their planet. They are immediately called to help Storm in the African nation of Turkana, where she is trying to depose a vicious dictator. This will lead us into the Uncanny X-men Annual and the "Wedding of the Century" storyline, between Storm and the Black Panther. The X-men have long been one of my favorites, and they continue to astound and mystify me. I love the story lines, and all the subplots that sometimes stretch out for years. This isn't just a team, this is a family. And a family that we've all grown to care about.

Amazing Spider-man #533 - Marvel

This is the issue that picks up after Peter announces to the world that he is Spider-man, and that he has been so since he was 15 years old. We get to see a 3 page rant by J. Jonah Jameson because he's feels betrayed by Peter and also because he has decided to sue him for misrepresentation, fraud and breach of contract. That sucks!! Tony tries to console Peter, but he does a pretty good job at standing up to him. Outside there's a lot of people with plaquards. Some in praise of Spider-man, some calling him a freak. I liked the moment in the car when he gets a phone call from Reed Richards. At the time he's on the other phone talking to MJ and as he boucing back and forth between the conversations, Sue Richards ends up chiming in and Peter has to web the phones together so her and MJ can talk. We also get to see a few other peoples reactions, Flash Tompson, Eddie Brock, and a collage of all the faces in his rogues gallery as well as the faces of his colleagues and peers. Then the rock falls. Tony is on TV telling the country that he has compiled a list of 137 of his colleagues and their identities, and if they don't voluntarily register, he will begin a task force designed specifically to round them up.The initial strike team will consist of himself, Reed Richards, Hank Pym and Spider-man. News to Peter. When MJ and him go out to get some air and think, a guy with a gun comes up on them, and says "I'm Captain America's #1 fan . . . . and you're a traitor to everything he stands for!" As he shoots, Peter webs up his gun and it blows up in his hand. Of course Peter feels guilty, so he decides he needs to go have a talk with Tony. Peter tells him,"It's been a five star day. Starting with you . . . and ending with you." "I call you boss because I know that it bugs you. Don't start taking it to seriously!" But in the end he follows Tony inside where he tells Peter, "It's best I introduce you to the others you'll be fighting with them in this was . . . before the dying starts tomorrow." Pretty ominous stuff. I like that both sides are digging in this deep in to their trenches, because that means there's going to be hell to pay before any of this is sorted out.

New Avengers #21 - Marvel

This has consistently been an incredible book. First you have the Avengers who, let's face it, are awesome. Then you have Bendis writing it. And now with this issue we have Howard Chaykin drawing it. Talk about a Trifecta. This book, literally, has it all. Then to add icing to the cake, this is a Civil War story. I told you, I'm all for change. Well in this issue, Captain America is on the run from the U.S. government. Because he's such a role model, they really want him to take the lead on this registration act. Of course with his black&white perspective on the world, he's definitely not going to go along with that. So, he goes underground and begins assembling a team. If you've read Civil War #2, you know who this team will eventually enlist. So S.H.I.E.L.D. sends a squadron of men, "capekillers", to apprehend him, but, honestly, this is Captain America. One of them ends up being Dum Dum Dugan. "They sent a friend. Three thousand agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on active dury, and they sent a friend". This really pisses him off and he plays a little dirty pool himself to escape custody. He goes to one of Nick Fury's old bunkers. Apparently only him & Cap know about these places. And again, if you've read Civil War #2, you already know that these bunkers will be Cap's base of operation. The last part of the book is Cap & Falcon going around trying to assemble a team. Spider-man is out, because he's in league with Tony Stark. Antman/Giantman is out because he's apparently in the govt.'s pocket. So next is Luke Cage. This book is fantastic. It's been fantastic ever since the dissassembled storyline. And with Bendis at the helm, there's nothing but greatness is this books future. Every month, I can't wait for this book to come out.

Exiles #83 - Marvel

This one is a sad story. I guess they've decided to go through the Crystal Palace and do some housekeeping. So, they're taking all the people that are in stasis, but are dead, back to their home earth's so they can get the proper closure and burial that they deserve. They send back Magnus, Mesmero, Wolverine, Maverick, Daredevil (who isn't dead, but is a bad guy), Iron Man (who also isn't dead, but is his worlds P.E. #1), Kane, Angel ,Storm, Vision, Colossus, Magik, Hulk, Spider, Ms. Marvel, Gambit and Namora. Blink who, originally wanted to bury Cal, Mimic, in the desert inside the Crystal Palace to keep him close, eventually decides to take him back to his home earth personally. She blinks into Xavier's and tells the X-men, "I've brought him home for a proper funeral. Cal died fighting for what he believed in. I'll tell you what happened. And why he's been gone . . . . and, then I hope you'll tell me everything he never got a chance to tell me himself." Sad stuff. But hopefully this is just tying up some loose ends, and we'll get back into the action next month. I think next month will bring a new creative team also. I'm not sure who the artist is going to be, but I think Chris Claremont will be writing it. Can't wait to see where we're going next.

Catwoman #56 - DC

This is of course a 1 year later book. This story starts out with Selina telling Holly that she wants her to take over for her. She's going to have a baby, which we know to be Helena. Now the protaganists are a newcomer with a Film Noir motif, and a complexion that looks like he's straight out of a black and white movie, and the Angle man. I'm not sure what this film guys beef with Catwoman is, but the Angle man wants her because he's already killed her once. We also have two detectives, Lenahan and Worth, who are on Catwomans trail, and Lenahan is particular is obsessed with finding out what's going on. Add to that Wildcat, who calls up Holly because he's going to bust up a chop shop and wants some help. We also get a quick glimpse of Slam Bradley and his dad who run Bradley investigations. Finally we end up with the film guy and Angle man breaking into Selina's house and abducting baby Helena, for what purpose we don't know yet. Will Pfeifer does a good job handling Selina's adventures, and David Lopez who fills in as artist this book, has a style that fits right in with this book. Also, you gotta love those Adam Hughes covers. I really like this series. It's not the same as it was with Jim Balent, but that's ok because it definitely has it's own style and direction.

Teen Titans Go! #32 - DC

Ok, I'm not sure who the protaganist is in this book, but he looks like a Caesar. He's holding gladiator type fights, and kidnapping metas, specifically some Teen Titans, to compete. General Immortus in watching the events, I would suppose to put together a new team. He's impressed by a champion by the name of Private Hive. Anyways, when they take Beast Boy, Pantha, Kole and Gnarrk, they get the teams attention. In typical fashion, they go in kick ass, rescue their team-mates, and capture the main guy whom Cyborg refers to as "toga man". But, Private Hive eludes capture. I'm sure that one's going to come back to bite them. I love the TV series, and I love the book. The book couldn't be any truer to the TV series if it tried. Check it out, it's good fun.

Warlord #5 - DC

Ok this issue epitomizes what the series is about. Travis has taken on the role of the returned god, though apparently under the influence of some kind of magic. Or, maybe he's being posessed by someone? Regardless, he swoops in to Shamballah, literally on the back of 2 winged steeds, and starts kicking ass and taking names. He's yeilding the magical "Sword of Truth". It appears that nothing, not prince Bovis or his army, can stop him. But then Terry who, with Alexa, has been searching for Travis and his plane, finds the plane, enters the cockpit and turns it on. Boom!!! Travis' magic is gone. I'm not sure what the connection is here, but I'm sure we'll find out more next issue. Although the treasure vessel in the treasure chamber, does bear more than a striking resemblance to Travis' ship that is still underwater. Coincidence? I can't give enough credit to Bruce Jones' story and writing. It is just phenomonal. And Bart Sears' artwork, apparentely he's doing his own inking with this series, is taking some serious strides. I really liked the flow of this issue. I know. Bart is an established superstar. But, with this series he seems to be experimenting with some different styles. I wasn't to thrilled at first, but it's really growing on me. The full page with Travis riding in on the 2 winged steeds was breathtaking. I had a lot of hopes for this series, and they seem to be coming true.

Brave new World - DC

First of all this is an 80 pg giant for $1. That in and of itself is a good reason to buy it. The book is a intro to 6 new books coming out in the next couple of months. It's not excerpts from these books, but actually like prequels to the first issues. The stories are written almost as an inbetween to what happens from the end of the crisis, leading into their own titles. We start out with the Martian Manhunter. A.J.Lieberman writes it, and Al Barrionuevo is the artist. Basically John has found out that he is not the last Martian and there are others on earth somewhere. So everything he's believed for the past few years is in question. This story seems well written and definitely has potential. Next we have O.M.A.C., by Bruce Jones and Renato Guedes. We got this guy Mike who is being chased by O.M.A.C.'s and his girlfriend Vienna is trying to protect him because he seems to have amnesia. After being chased through town, rescued by Superman, they loose him and go off on their own. In an embrace at the end, we come to find out that Vienna is actually the O.M.A.C. and in their embrace she transforms and begins to "modifiy Michael and extinguish him". Then he apparently wakes up and it's all a dream. This book definitely has potential. Especially with Bruce Jones at the helm. Now we have the Freedom Fighters. Their nemesis seems to be Father Time and S.H.A.D.E., whom they actually work for, but don't seem to have their best interests at heart. This one's by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti with stunning artwork by Daniel Acuna. This is one I really can't wait to see. The last page alone, a full page spread of Uncle Sam, is incredible. Next we go with the Creeper by Steve Niles and Justiniano on art. This goes back to the roots of the Creeper's and Jack Ryder's relationship and coexistence. This really takes us back to how the Creeper should be written. You gotta admit the last one or two mini's were a huge disappointment. Next we get to see the new Atom. Written by Gail Simone and drawn by John Byrne, this one is a must have in my pull. The story is action packed, fast paced, and full of new ideas and plays off the old stories. There's a new Atom, it's not Ray Palmer anymore. So we'll see what happens with him. Finally we have the Trials of Shazam by Judd Winick and Howard Porter. This story looks awesome. After the Crisis and the Spectre's assault on everything magical, it appears that everyone's magic, except Cap's is malfunctioning. Cap's is actually malfuntioning too, but while everyone else's is failing, Cap's seems to be overloading. Take all this and wrap it up in a few pages at the beginning and end of the Monitor's watching our earth again, and we gotta wonder what's going on. So, not only did DC give us an 80 pg book for $1, but they also filled it with fantastic stuff and a necessary step in the future of the DC Universe. What more could you ask for?

Crisis Aftermath - the Battle for Bludhaven #5 - DC

This issue shows Major Force in all of his demented glory. It starts out with him defeating the Titans, leaving only Monolith and Firebrand behind to try to stop him. Good luck with that. Then Hal Jordan shows up and all of Major Forces rage comes out. I don't think its a coincidence that the Major's initials are M.F. When Phantom Lady starts referring to him as that, it's hilarious. Now on top of this, we have Captain Atom, whom they are trying to contain in an empty bunker under the city. His outer shell is cracked, apparently from his return from his side trip to the Wildstorm Universe. Because of this he is leaking radiation, and it is steadily building. Therefore the Atomic Knights are coming in to try to take him to wherever there base is and hopefully "fix" him. We also have the "Nuclear Family", a group of androids that look and talk like a family from the 50's, and the new Freedom Fighters. There's literally about 40 characters running around this book, and they are all pivitol to the story. WOW!! I would say that this is probably the beginning of about 4 different spin off books. We already know that the Freedom Fighters are getting their own book. But I would expect the Nuclear Family and the Atomic Knights to show up someplace. If not in their own book, at least a mini-series. Then we have Captain Atom, who seems to be in the spotlight once again, and I would think that this Father Time, with his agency S.H.A.D.E., are going to be somebody's nemesis somewhere. And of course the book ends with a splash page of an all out brawl between all of them. There's a lot of stuff going on in this book. Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti are doing a good job of keeping everything organized and flowing smoothly. I like this mini because it seems like a lot of good things are going to be coming out of it. But, next issue is the last, so it'll be interesting to see how they wrap it up.

Swamp Thing #28 - DC

So far in this series, author Joshua Dysart has done well to stay true to the Swamp Thing mythos. In fact most of these stories so far have been an attempt to take him back to his "Roots". It looks like his "family" is eventually going to get back together, no matter how dysfuntional they are. It just seems like all 3, Swamp Thing, Abigail and Tefe, just look to be a little lost or unfocused without one another. The chaos around them is always staggering, but it seems 10 fold when they try to go off on their own. At the end of this issue, it looks like Jason Woodrue is back. And all the madness that comes with that revelation. Enrique Breccia's art also seems true to the series. It's not overly polished, but it is detailed and perfect for this book.

All*Star Superman #4 - DC

First of all, Grant Morrison is an insane genius! Oxymoron? I don't think so. The ideas he comes up with are just fantastic. I really don't know how he can consistently write at this level for the length of time he's been doing it. There are so many cool ideas and twists and turns in this book. This is a new idea DC has of bringing together a dream team of creators, this one has Grant with Frank Quitely, giving them an A list character, and them giving them free reign to do whatever they want. And with Grant, that's the key to the floodgates. He's taking a different approach to this series also in that each issue is a self contained story. This one is mostly about Jimmy Olsen. Franks work on art is also awesome. He has a definite cinematic flare to him. He also adds alot of little details in the backgrounds of his stuff. Like in Jimmy's apartment there's a framed picture of him as Turtle-boy. How funny is that? Jimmy does these "For a Day" column's for the Planet. He wants to outdo himself so he becomes director for a day of P.R.O.J.E.C.T.s. That's what leads to his trouble with Superman. They resolve their issues and Jimmy's biggest worry is that this was his best "For a Day" ever, but he can never tell anyone. Oh and he carves a note on the moon for Lucy. Great stuff! If you haven't picked up any of these yet, you should. The All-Star Batman, with Frank Miller & Jim Lee, is awesome too. The next issue blurb reads, "How did Truth, Justice and the American Way land Superman in the big house?"

Superman #653 - DC

Last issue we saw Lex bring up the alien crystal from the depths of the earth. It tore up Metropolis, and looked like it was building a big crystal spaceship in the sky. This issue we find Lex commanding that spaceship and come to learn that it was actually Dru-Zod's ship. The flagship of the Kryptonian fleet. We also get a little back story on why the Kryptonians would need this technology. Were'nt they a peaceful race? This is also the reason the Luthor has been gathering up all the Kryptonite from all over the earth for this last year. Which he then uses to turn the complete vessel into Kryptonite. The issue ends when Superman has decided to plow through the ship and pull Luthor out, even though it may mean losing his powers. Which is what happens when they are falling into the ocean in the last panel. Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns are fantastic writers. This is chapter 7 of the "Up, up and away" storyline where Superman, after coming back from his year hiatus with no powers, is gradually getting them back. Or at least until the end of this issue. The next chapter is supposed to wrap up this storyline. So it'll be interesting to see what happens, and where they go from here. Up, or down.

Shadowpact #2 - DC

Interesting bunch of characters. This book comes directly from the Infinite Crisis storyline. It's written and drawn by Bill Willingham, so, what could go wrong. This issue starts out, as explained by the Phantom Stranger, "It's been a year since the Shadowpact disappeared inside the blood barrier, which still stands, entirely covering the town of River Rock Wyoming. This world's most powerful sorcerers have failed to destroy the barrier, and my one attempt to pierce it nearly killed me and leveled the forest for miles around." Then we go back one year, to when the Shadowpact first entered the bubble, and watch them take on their conterparts, the Pentacle, inside who are trying to build a "Murder Hole" where they can kill townsfolk and send their bodies through as sacrifices in order to open a doorway for a lord of light that they want to bring across from another universe. Something that they learn through their skirmishes is that the two teams are almost member for member the opposite of each other. Little bit more than a coincidence? The issue ends with the Pentacle ready to make a sacrifice, and their member Karnevil, ready to do a little carving of his own on the Detective Chimp. Next issue is called, "Feeding the Hole". Ominous, huh?

JLA Classified #22 - DC

Like I said this series can pick it's stories from anywhere in the Leagues history. So why, did this one pick the Detroit League. Now these characters are interesting, but kinda lame. We have Steel, Gypsy, Vixen, Vibe and their mentor John Jonzz. It was nice to see Mike Zeck's name on the cover art though. Haven't seen or heard from him in a long time. The artwork on the inside is actually not bad either. I was worried because when they were the Justice League, in it's final issues, the stories were lame, and the artwork was worse. But this one, is ok. It shows the team early in their developement, when the Martian Manhunter is trying to train them and make them more cohesive as a team. This issue focus' a lot on Steel's background. Next issue's focus is Vibe. So my guess is that is the purpose of this story arc, to explain the background of these characters a little better. Of course there's the obligatory brawl with the Royal Flush Gang. But I think the main thing we're supposed to get out of this one is the character developement. There also seems to be a little bit of developement with the Royal Flush Gang. We see the characters in and out of their costumes. And we already know that they won't be the Gang forever, because there's a couple different versions that show up between then and now. We also have Aquaman thrown into the mix, who supposedly is on his way to rescue them, but doesn't show up before the end of the book. Maybe next issue. So anyways, better story than I expected. It'll actually be interesting to see how this one plays out. And also what is DC's plan for these characters after this book. All this history must be setting up something. We'll see.

Nightwing #121 - DC

Ok, we're in the middle of the Nightwing / Jason Todd storyline. Jason has been abducted by an ugly alien dwarf, who swallows people up whole and then spits them out in these oxygenated sacks that hold them until they decide to do something with him. Now Dick has to decide whether he really wants to save him or not. Dick has fallen in love with, or is at least sleeping with, this fashion designer Cheyenne Freemont, who also has powers. That's going to be the downfall of that relationship, because Dick is going to try to talk her into being a hero. Anyways they get into an argument and basically destroy his apartment. Then after seeing a "Missing" picture of Jason on his milk carton, decides that he really should do something about this. Dick also has a psychiatrist that he sees regularly, Clancy, who he stops by to run his problem past. You know what he's going to decide, but it was good character interaction. He then starts looking for where Jason may be being held, but of course is being set up by the Pierce brothers. He's calls to warn Cheyenne, who's supposed to have a date with Barry Pierce that night, but of course she shows up at the scene donning a mask and a skin tight Nightwing costume. Dick says, "Town's getting lousy with Nightwings. Top's a little snug on you, isn't it?" Being the newcomer, Cheyenne is immediately swallowed by the alien. It's looks like Dick's going to have to rescue everyone. But then Cheyenne blows him apart from the inside. After which they find out that the alien was the only thing that could get Jason out of the cacoon. Decisions. Decisions. Next issue is supposed to be the last in this story arc, so it'll be interesting to see where all these characters go from here. I'm kinda suprised this book lasted this long, but I'm glad it did.

Birds of Prey #95 - DC

Ok I'm not a person to judge a book by it's cover. But, this cover sucks. This is one of my favorite books out there and, I gotta tell you, I was really worried about the inside, when I saw this cover. But, I should've known I had nothing to worry about. We start out with the "Birds", who consist of Oracle, Huntress, Shiva, Zinda and Gypsy, trying to rescue the Crime Doctor from Prometheus. He wants to torture the Dr. by killing his daughter, Bethany, in front of him because he defected from the Society. We also are following the story in Asia, where Black Canary, going through the steps of being Shiva's protege, is living in a village where everyone is devoted to training Shiva's replacement. She comes across a little girl, Sin, who, before she came along, was supposed to be the one trained. She befriends her and finds out that should she leave, Sin will once again be the trainee. Black Canary confronts "Mother", lays down the law, then with her contacts with Oliver Queen, takes Sin and leaves the country. The girls don't beat Prometheus, but in a moment of clarity, the Crime Doctor takes his own life to save his daughters. Once that's done, there no further need for Prometheus' involvement, so he leaves. The issue ends with BC deciding to take on a motherly role with Sin, and Shiva going to Bethany's school to take her with her as her next apprentice. Lots of underlying sub-plots going on here. Gail Simone has really gotten a hold of these characters and has done a wonderful job writing this book. My only concern is that she's on a couple different books now, and I hope she doesn't spread herself so thin that her stories start to suffer. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, enjoy!!

JSA Classified #13 - DC

This issue wraps up the Vandal Savage storyline. He's going after Allen Scott, who he, with his "green rock", blames for all the troubles and turmoil in his exhaustingly long life. I mean who would really want to live for 23,000 + years?? I mean, I hate paying utility bills year after year. Imagine if one day you stopped to look back and realized you've been paying electric bills for over 300 years. Or that you've watched 300 years of Sit-Coms, come & go, & come & go, & come & go, & come & go. Eewww! Or that after 300 years of the Simpsons, Bart is still a kid and Maggie still can't talk. There's a comedy act in there for somebody. Take it, and good luck!!! Anyways, I digress. Vandal has made his own clone from his own DNA, but it's flawed because he had to use second-hand equipment. So his idea is to put Allen's blood into the creature which will absorb his DNA and make him better. Kind of holds Allen in high esteem, considering he hates him so much? Anyways, after Allen beats him down, then Vandal returns the favor, Allen calls in the support of his Checkmate contacts and, with some Blackhawk fighters, sanctions the whole area. He's too tired to look for Vandal's body, that's a mistake waiting to happen, and grabs up his Lantern and takes off. Cut to a sub chamber that Vandal and his clone have clawed their way in to, and when he realizes that the clone actually is getting better, uses it apparently to havest the organs necessary to prolong his life once again. The issue ends with him sitting a table, amid the wreckage, eating the hand of his clone. Good story. Next issue we got Gypsy, Vixen, Star Girl and Wildcat. Can't wait to see it.

Superman / Batman #27 - DC

I'm not sure if this story is an imaginary tale, or a dream. But, who cares. It's written by Mark Verheiden, drawn by Kevin Maguire and has a beautiful cover by Ethan VanShiver. And it features 2 babes, Power Girl & Huntress. I mean, what more could you ask for. Basically what happens is, the Ultra Humanite and Brainwave have a plan to implant Superman & Batman's consciousness into Power Girl & Huntress. The idea is that although S & B's personalities will be dominant at first, eventually the girls consciousness will re-emerge, take control, pushing the boys out of the way, and when that happen their bodies will die. Then, they can make PG & Huntress feel responsible for what they've done. Basically wiped out 4 heroes in one fell swoop. Well, of course, plans don't always work out the way their supposed to. The girls and the guys try to work together. They defeat the Ultra Humanite, and when they confront Brainwave, he's gives them enough clues to piece together where their bodies are being kept. We also get Solomon Grundy thrown in the mix. For some reason. I'm not exactly sure why he's in the story. But anyways, things are wrapped up, then PG wakes up from her sleep, says she had a weird dream, and gets back to her duties as Flamebird and Nightwing in Kandor. You can follow that story in the Supergirl series. Anyways imaginary or not, it was a good fill-in issue. Which is my guess because next issue Ethan is on full art chores for a new story arc. Fantastic!! This series get better and better all the time. It's basically a reboot of the "World's Finest" series of the 70's & 80's. But, who cares. That was a cool series too. So pick it up. Enjoy it. And never look back.

Superman Prequel #2 & #3 - DC

More of the character developement that leads into the movie. Issue 2 is about Martha Kent. Issue 3 is about Lex Luthor. These characters are a little different than what we're used to. But not much. Really, it feels like a cross between the comics and "Smallville". There's a little bit of both realities in there. I know "Smallville" gets some criticism, especially from hard-core DC continuity buffs. But, taken in it's own context, "Smallville" is a great show. And anything that gets the characters more exposure and media, in my book, is aces. Like I said in my review of issue 1, I hope that this series means that the movie will be handled as if everyone has a basic knowledge of the Superman mythos, and we can focus more on the story than on the explanations. This mini series, so far, has been almost exclusively about character developement. Because, right now, according to the book, Superman hasn't returned yet. He's been gone for 5 years and no one knows where. But, something happens at the end of book 3 that might be signaling his return. I mean obviously he's going to return. It's just a matter of when and how. Hopefully this movie will be a great addition to the Superman history. Who cares what the "Critics" think. It all comes down to whether the people will buy it or not. Here's hoping for the best.

New Excalibur #6 - Marvel

This is yet another off shoot of the X-men. But we got some great characters here. So far we have, Captain Britain, Sage, Dazzler, Juggernaut, Nocturne and Pete Wisdom from MI-13. Is that a future Tom Cruise movie? Probably! Anyways, this is another fun book. We're early in the series so they're still focusing on some of the character developement. We get to see some in this issue about Nocturne, Allison, and Captain Britain. We also get a guest appearance from Psylocke. Next issue Chamber is coming back. Yay!! Underneath this character developement we have the attack by the "Dark X-men". They're really the X-men from another universe that have been under the influence of the Shadow King. Yes he's returned. We find out that he was hurtled into that dimension when Betsy was killed. He took over Xavier, and turned all the X-men into his hounds. When M-Day happened, he was pulled back in to this universe. At the end of this issue, it appears that Betsy has sacrificed herself to thwart the Shadow King. I guess we'll have to wait to see how it plays out next issue. Overall a great book though. Chris Claremont writes it. Even though Christopher Yost was given credit on the cover. It says he did some additional dialogue and plotting. But from what I understand, after next issue, Chris Claremont will be at the helm full time. Fantastic!! Nobody writes the X-men better than him. This book is already good, and it has a very bright future.