WildStorm - Revelations #6 - WildStorm

Unfortunately, this issue doesn't really resolve anything. We don't learn who's behind this whole thing with the missing generation of heroes, unless we're just building on the government conspiracy thing. We don't learn why these people went missing, or even how they did it. All we know for sure is that it happened right around the time of the end of World War II. We also don't learn what, whomever is doing this, hopes to accomplish. I mean, if your trying to bring about the end of the world . . . there's not a whole lot to gain, and there really isn't much of an upside. That being said though, our terrific trio of fem-fatales has a nice little adventure through the island of Gamorra, and more specifically a little face-to-face time with Kaizen. All they really want is some of the information he has in his storage banks. There was a time when John Colt, posing as Kaizen, had taken his place. That's how they learned about his vast data-banks. They end up leaving with what they want, but it was pretty close there. They almost had to marry him, becoming part of his harem, or at least satisfying him before he would allow them to leave. But, when they found out what they were after and why, it seemed to amuse him. He's a sick 'ol dude. Hadrian and Zealot actually stick around to see what they learn. Which helps because Hadrian access' the information for them. They find out, whatever's being planned is huge, and they appear to be cloning on of the supers. Finding out which one, though, is proving difficult. The people in the bunker in Nevada only refer to him as patient-zero. And anytime one of them tries to talk . . their head dissolves. They come face to face with one, but all it keeps saying is "Reap what you sow. Change or die.", over and over and over again. They're really ugly. They look like decomposing zombies. In the end, Nemesis does destroy the complex, but Mr Majestic has to pull her out at the last second. Oh yeah, also this issue, Zealot does tell Savant that she's her mother. But it happens by accident, and she kind of blurts it out. Believe me when I say, it didn't go over to well. Anyways, this series leads right in to the next . . Number of the Beast. That's the next mini-series, and hopefully we'll get some more information out of that one. I thought Scott Beaty and Christos Gage did a pretty decent job with this story. I would've liked to have gotten some more information, but then what would be the incentive to read the next series? I also really like the way Wes Craig progressed as and artist. I thought he did a fabulous job, and you could see him improving every issue. I liked the book, but, it really leaves you hanging.

Authority Prime #6 - WildStorm

This is another book that I bought, really, because it was an Authority book. I never really got in to StormWatch all that much, so some of the characters in this mini . . I'm not really familiar with. I mean, I only know who Battalion is because of the PHD title. But, even with that deficiency, I still liked this one. Of course, what's not to like about Darick Robertson's art. It's phenomenal. But then, obviously, that's part of the reason I like the Boys so much too. Also, Christos Gage seems to be getting better with his stories. I've seen a definite improvement since he first started doing some of these WildStorm titles. This is one of those series though, that leaves more unanswered questions than it satisfies. Like this Rose Tattoo character. Henry so easily sways her to turn on her teammates, but then Swift and the new Weatherman, Henry's son, get her to turn her back on him, really, without to much effort. And now that she's been killed, she's been brought back somewhere. We know it's somewhere in Arkansas, but we don't know if she the Spirit of Life, or the Spirit of Murder. Obviously she's hanging around for some future storyline. And, the main antagonist of this story, Henry . . is he dead, or not? When they got to his bunker he appeared, but it was just a computer program programmed to act like him, in it's hologram form. Then, somehow, that program got transferred in to one of the cloned meta-human bodies that had been growing inside. I'm not exactly sure how that could happen. And now, apparently, it thinks it's Henry. At least that's how it was talking when it was trying to take down all these heroes. And, on top of that conundrum, it appears, at the end of the issue, Henry's program has transferred itself yet again in to Henry's son's body. Again . . how? Another tidbit that's hanging around for some future storyline. Like I said, I enjoyed the book, but . . there's still a lot of questions.

Countdown to Adventure #8 - DC

This ended up being a great series. Adam Beechen and Allan Goldman, ended up having some work to be very proud of here. Allan hasn't been around for long, that I know of, but I first noticed him on the Superman titles. I thought he was ok. However, as he's progressed through this book . . he has definitely improved. This guy has some serious potential. Anyways, when they recharged Kory, she used her powers to cure Rann. Now they're back on Earth, and she needs to do the same thing for these people. However, the Healers have their drones flying all over the place . . and up everybody's you-know-what! Eventually, Buddy uses his new powers to communicate with the Healers, and gets them to call off the cleansing until they can try to cure things with Kory. After all of that, it's kind of anti-climatic. Adam goes back to Rann to be it's champion . . Kory's going back to the Titans . . and Buddy decides he just going to settle in and enjoy his family for a while. Well . . that is, until the Rann / Thanagar war explodes. Also Lady Styx is not very happy about he set-back on these 2 worlds. In the backup, Forerunner, after commandeering a Thanagarian vessel, finds out that . . . it's out of gas. So they're stuck . . floating around space. That is until they come across this galaxy farm. It's a place where new planets are born, until they can be taken out to the star-system in which they'll live. Long story short, she ends up escorting the planet, but in order to protect it, she has to give it some of her blood so it can make anti-bodies. Actually more like Golems . . to fight the invading horde. Obviously they win, but the planet offers her a new place to call home. It'll be teaming with live soon, and since she gave up some of her blood, all of it, down to the smallest amoeba, will basically be a descendant of her. She can have a whole new family. One that doesn't have to fight and struggle to maintain an existence. She accepts, so, I think, the story of Forerunner . . is actually just beginning. I thought it was a very good series. It had a lot of action and suspense, not to mention a great cast of characters. I just hope we get to see more of these guys in the near future. Keep it coming!

JSA Classified #36 - DC

I bought this book because I enjoy this series. We get to see a lot of the characters that don't have their own title. But, Wildcat is not one of my favorite characters. So I didn't expect much from this story. But then, this issue . . . Catwoman joins the fun. I don't know what it is, but when these to get together . . it's really magic. Not romantic, or swooning type of magic. Just the magic that comes from 2 characters who, when portrayed together, in the same story, really pull off the team-work thing with little or no effort. Ted has heard some rumors about some funny stuff going on in his old gyms, so he's gone to Gotham to check it out. Last issue, after making his presence known . . . on the way out, he gets his keister handed to him. This issue starts with him coming out of it in Selina's apartment. Apparently she was watching him, and stopped them from killing him. From the looks of things, the gyms are being used to train new muscle. You know, for the mobs and gangs of Gotham. But, not only are they training them, they also seem to be familiarizing them with different heroes fighting styles. Which, apparently, is how they got the drop on Ted. At the same time Selina is looking in to a shipment of cats that are on their way to Gotham from Europe. Somehow the 2 cases are connected. Also Ted's having these recurring dreams about this guy who used to fix his motorcycle for him . . "Stretch". I'm not sure how he fits in to this whole thing, but I'm sure we'll find out next issue. B. Clay Moore writes the story. Last issue was ok, but it's 100% better, this issue, with Catwoman involved. Also Ramon Perez does the art. It's ok. The guy definitely has talent. But, that being said . . it's just not my style. However I did enjoy the book. Thanks, Selina.

Secret History of the Authority : Hawksmoor #1 - WildStorm

I liked this book. I thought it was an interesting story. However, when I first picked it up . . . I wasn't so sure. First of all is the Cully Hamner cover. I'm not a huge fan, and I thought if that's what the rest of the book would be like . . I might not pick up any more. When we go inside though . . it was a different artist. This book was done by a Finoa Staples. I've never heard of her, so I assume she's pretty new. I thought the art was interesting, but not overly impressive. I did like the beginning stuff when the Authority is in Kiev. There appears to be some giant forgotten Slavic god attacking the capital city. One by one the Authority's ego gets crushed as it takes them down much in the way we swat flys, or brush away ants. They barely seem to draw any attention from it at all. For some reason this takes Jack back to 1994 when a giant robot was attacking San Francisco. During that melee he met Juliet. "I knew right then she'd be trouble. That's why I decided to forget all about her." That is until later when there's a murder in Pacific Heights. Jack goes to investigate but for some reason nothing in the house . . not the floors, the TV, the windows . . nothing will tell him anything. Which, for him, is very unusual. What's even more unusual is that someone else enters the house without his sensing their approach. Who does it turn out to be? Take a wild guess. Anyways, I thought the first part of this story was interesting. Mike Costa is the writer. Now . . back to Fiona's art. As I was saying, I thought it was ok, but not overly flashy. But, as I worked through the story, it really grew on me. I liked her shading and coloring. I also really like her framing sequences. I especially thought it was good during the fight scene with Jack and the Robot over the harbor. It felt like you could actually feel him jumping around. Now? I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series. I mean, come on . . . the only reason I even picked it up was because it was the Authority. I love these characters, and it's one of my favorite groups out there. But, of that group, previously, in my opinion, Jack was one of the weakest and least interesting. I may be changing that opinion. But before I do, we'll see how this series plays out. From the first issue . . it looks pretty interesting.

Teen Titans Go! #53 - DC

My nephew finally got all his copies of this title caught up. I helped him out, when I got him started with this, but, hey, I can't give him the same Christmas Present every year. Right? Anyways, he has a new shop that opened up by him, and he and his father went in and got him all caught up. I think he was only missing like 12 issues or so. Anyways, my point of this is that there's some kids out there that would really enjoy this hobby. You may not think so, or you may still carry the stigma that "comics are for kids", but a lot of them, now a days, have never been exposed to them. I had bought some large lots off of e-bay, and in doing so I had amassed quite a pile of old Archie's and Richie Rich and other stuff. So one day I gathered them up and gave them all to him. He absolutely loved them. His mom, my sister, loved them also because it piqued his interest in reading. He was at that age, 7 or 8, where he really wasn't liking it much. Plus, he had to practice more than most because he had a reading disability. Now he's got a comic box, everything organized, and he can't wait to show me every time we go to visit. Do you remember what that was like? The time when you very first got interested in comics? I do. It was magical. I'm glad I could give my nephew that same feeling.

Hellblazer #242 - Vertigo

Again, I have to applaud Andy Diggle and Leonardo Manco for turning in a fantastic story-line. This Laughing Magician thing is turning out to be a real piece of work. The insights and ideas that Andy is putting in to this are worthy of Warren Ellis or Garth Ennis. There's certain people that I just love reading their stuff. Not necessarily because they write any better story than anyone else, but because when you read their stuff it gets you thinking about stuff in a different way. They have a unique way of shining a light on a certain idea or notion that makes you look at it in a way that you never did before. That's the way I feel about Warren and Garth, not to mention Grant Morrison, but now? Now I feel that same way about Andy's stories. And John Constantine is the perfect character to apply this type of writing to. He's a person that works from the background. He doesn't hide. He's always right there in your face, laughing at your jokes, making eyes at your women, but . . he always has something else going on. Something that he's working on from around the left and behind your ear. You don't see it coming because he does it from a perspective and angle that you never even thought about. And he's smart. He may not be able to control the board, or all the pieces, but . . he always know where they're at, their moves and a lot of times their goals and intentions. He's intuitive like that. Which in his business, is going to keep him alive for a long time. He may not believe he's the laughing magician . . but his actions speak louder than words. So far he's misdirected the man chasing him towards one of his enemies. He was hoping they would end up taking each other out, but they end up forming an alliance. Now he's got him going towards the chaps that just put him through that piece of shite in Hunger Hill . . . as he's leaving the country on a jet . . . probably laughing. Coincidence? I think not. I love this book. It's always full of irony, wit and sarcasm . . the bedrock of a truly great anti-hero. A fantastic job from Andy and Leonardo. Thanks!

Blue Beetle #25 - DC

I hate to admit it . . because I gave this book such a hard time when it first came out . . . but, I'm really getting in to this title. I really don't like the art any better. But, that being said, I've gotten used to it. So, in my eyes, all the credit needs to go to John Rogers for writing some fantastic stories, and the job he's done on really getting us to care about these characters. Gradually, over the last 25 issues, John has shown us bits and pieces into Jamie Reyes' character. We've seen what a unique person he is, and how well he's adapted to this role he's been thrust in to. He's also been introducing us, gradually, to the Scarab . . or Blue Beetle . . who we find out this issues name is Khaji Da. Jamie and he, I presume, have been talking more and more as this series progress'. But, I truly think, after this arc, that they'll be working together better than ever. They'll be true teammates. Basically, this issue, Jamie finishes taking down the Reach. A job he started an issue or 2 ago. I was also pleasantly surprised by the guest-stars this issue. They include, Booster Gold, Fire & Ice . . not together . . Guy Gardner and the Peacemaker. Next issue is an all Spanish issue. (??) And Jamie and Traci go out on their first date. I have to say, I'm really enjoying this book right now. Thanks to all involved.

X-Men Legacy #209 - Marvel

Come on! You knew that Charles wasn't going to stay down that long. Right? Exodus has done everything in his power to revive Charles. I'm thinking that since he can no longer worship Magneto, he's going to the next best thing . . . Charles. They were, after-all, almost brothers. At one time, in every way except the name. Should Charles survive, he would arguably be the most powerful mutant alive. Although some might debate that, but right now, I think, Exodus is just kind of floundering a bit without someone to put his support behind. Yes, in and of himself, he's a very powerful mutant. And he does command a following. But, when it comes right down to it, I think he's a better soldier, than a commander. However, for all his power, all he can really do is facilitate the healing of Charles tissue. Both inside and out. He can heal his brain, but it's not within his power to put it back together. So they bring in Eric and Sentinel-prime. Exodus forbids anyone from calling him Magneto, since he's a flat-line now. And really, all Eric can do is talk to Charles, and hopefully give his mind something to focus on. Something to draw back to. That, and a little electroshock therapy from the Sentinel . . and eventually they bring him back. But he's not 100%. He's immediately challenged by Cargill, who still sees him as the enemy, and wants to tear his head off. I think it's this excitement and stimuli that is helping Charles to become stronger by the second. Cargill is near indestructible, so Eric has to take her down by shooting a laser through her pupil and into her brain. But now he has to face Exodus. Which . . should be ok, except . . Charles takes exception to the way he's treating Eric. He calls him out. Or in . . as the case would be . . he challenges him on the psychic plane. Mike Carey has been the writer of X-Men now for a little while. Actually, now it's called X-Men:Legacy. My bad! Anyways, I was going to say that he seems to have a very firm grip on these characters. Also Scot Eaton's pencils have been absolutely fantastic the last few issues. I'm not sure what the purpose of the name change is . . unless they're getting ready to launch another X-Men title? It's a fantastic book, and it's in great hands right now. Enjoy!

Ultimate X-Men #92 - Marvel

Ok, this book has gotten a bit more interesting. But really, it's only because Sinister has transformed. He's now Apocalypse. In this version, Apocalypse thinks that he's the first mutant. Therefore, none can stand against him, because they are all descendants of his DNA. That's why Cable, Wolverine, took him in to the future. They knew when Apocalypse was going to pop up, but without the proper training, Xavier and his crew were never going to be able to stand up to him. So now Charles is back, in what looks like the Onslaught armor. Cable is by his side in the Weapon X armor. But even with a year of training, Charles is struggling just to hold his own against Apocalypse. Even the Fantastic Four have joined the fight, but they're having little or no affect on him. But there is one thing that may just stack the cards against him. One thing that, until now, has been kept secret. Jean accepts the full power of the Phoenix. She allows it to take her over. She knows that it's the only way that they stand a chance. But to beat Apocalypse, she may have just unleashed something worse. "I told you that you would beg for me in the end. At long last, now and forever more . . . I AM FREE! Now you face the wrath of PHOENIX!!" I've been really hard on Robert Kirkman for the way he's been writing this series. But right now, it's shaping up to be an interesting story. I'd have to say my biggest complaint is that I'd just like to see things shaken up a bit more. It's the Ultimate Universe. The idea is to take some liberties . . . some artistic license. Put your own spin on things. Robert's done that a bit, but I think he'd be able to do so much more. That being said, however, I did enjoy the book. And as always, Salvador Larroca is a hugely underrated talent. I love his work. And we're almost to issue #100.

the Mighty Avengers #11 - Marvel

Victor Von Doom really pulled out all the stops on this one. Last issue, he, Tony and Bob were returning from an inadvertent trip to the past. But Victor's been doing some homework, and other things, in the past with Morgan Le Fay. He's decided that as smart as he is, it would still be wise to have other options to attack his opponents with. So he's been studying the dark arts . . from the master. Anyways, on their way back to the present, Victor used some kind of magic to give himself about a half-hour lead. He figured that would be about all the time he would need to turn the tables on Tony and Bob. In that time, he also went back to the castle Le Fay, to learn how to create an army. Not an army of men . . " . . an army of the devil's creatures". He returns to the present with them, and captures all the Avengers. Remember, he's still within that half-hour lead, so his ultimate goal is to set a trap for Tony. He wants to overload his system, rendering him moot, and then take his armor and reverse engineer it. The trap works, but somehow Jessica uses her energy discharge to take out the arcane tethers that are holding them. Which makes Natasha incredibly suspicious afterwards. And Carol zips out and gets to Tony in time to give him a split second warning. The blast still takes out his systems, but . . it doesn't kill him. And, with a little help from Bob, he's able to reboot. They capture Victor, and the day is won. But for Tony, it doesn't really feel like a victory. And, they're not going to get much down time because next issue we go right into Skrull Invasion! Personally, I think Brian Bendis is doing a fantastic job with these titles. Still a little to much inner dialogue for my tastes. Victor pretty much explains his whole plan to us . . . in his head . . in-between a conversation he's having with the rest of the Avengers. I understand the purpose, and the effect. But, to me, it's just distracting. Plus, I think, most readers are smart enough to fill-in the in-between stuff. Maybe not. But I like to give people credit. I'm also really glad the Mark Bagley has come on board as the penciller. Him and Brian work very well together. It's seems like the titles back on track now . . time-line wise . . so we'll all be going in to this Skrull Invasion together. Fan-frikkin-tastic!

Ultimate Human #3 - Marvel

This issue was spent, almost solely, explaining to us how Peter Wisdom became the Leader. And actually, it seems like a natural course of events. Especially considering Peter's personality, ego and ambition. After the Hulk tore up the Ironworks facility, and he and Iron Man had a drawn out battle . . . until Tony sent an electro-shock through the Hulk's eye and into his brain . . Peter swooped in an capture Tony and Bruce. Neither of them were in to much of a mood to fight anymore at that point. So this issue is Peter's way of explaining to them just how he became the man he is today. My question is, why did he even bother capturing them? The facility had been pretty much decimated, and there probably wasn't to much personnel available to put up much of a fight. All he really wants is a large portion of Bruce's blood, and Tony's DNA and Nanobots. Couldn't he have gotten that on the scene. Ok, I'll concede that he probably needed to take Tony. It's hard telling how much effort would have to be put in to removing all those microscopic robots. So . . they may need to take their time with him. But Bruce? Bruce they could've just treated like a milking cow and taken as much juice out of him as they needed. Warren Ellis writes this story, so there's lots of fantastic ideas floating around in here. Unfortunately, it's only a 4 issue series, so he may not be able to expound on them to the extent that he likes. Next issue is the final chapter. Although I'm sure there will be more. Cary Nord handles the pencils wonderfully. He creates the perfect mood and tone for this book. I hope this one sells well, so we'll get a rematch sometime soon. I just hope we don't have to wait 2 years like we did for the Iron Man mini. A wonderful book from a fantastic imprint.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #52 - Marvel

Ok. It looks like Thanos' master plan is going to be fulfilled. When Reed and the rest of the group were on Acheron, before, Thanos planted the idea of the cube in his mind. He didn't really know if he's succeed or not, but hey, he's got nothing to lose. But it turns out, he made the right choice because Reed did indeed recreate the cube. So now, Thanos has come for it. He took the Cube, which is currently holding most of Mid-Town in side of it, back to Acheron and demanded that Reed battle him for it. Without to much of an effort, Ben was taken out, Reed was killed and Thanos re-obtained his trinket. However, this issue, we find out a few things. First of all, Ben isn't dead. He was actually plucked from the scene by Atrea, Thanos' daughter. I guess she wanted to play with him, or keep him as a pet. I'm a little unclear as to her motives. But she's very powerful and she's not very happy when Ben refuses to be subservient. Meanwhile, Thanos has gone to Earth with the Cube, and a transformed Sue and Johnny, to remake the planet in his image. After some convincing, Atrea has taken Ben back to Acheron where they find Reed's body. After Atrea examines it, she alerts Ben "I can't say for sure whether your friend is dead . . because this isn't him." Right! So how is this group going to get out of this one? Mike Carey writes a fantastic story for this book. I like the way these story-arcs are tying together. Tyler Kirkman is the artist. He's ok, but . . nothing fantastic. Next issue will wrap up this story-line. So it should be an action-packed book. Overall I enjoyed it. I would like to see them get a different artist though. But that's just me.

Green Lantern #29 - DC

This is another book that, honestly, just keeps getting better and better. I mean, when they billed this issue as Green Lantern - Secret Origin, I thought how many times can we see a variation of Hal Jordan's origin? But you know what? Geoff Johns truly brought something different to this telling of it. And of course I can't say enough about Ivan Reis' art. It is truly incredible. I've liked this guy from the minute he came on this series. I actually liked him way back when he did Lady Death. But, he's actually gotten better since he's come to this book. I don't know how. I already thought he was a hugely underrated talent. But now? Forgedaboutit! After reading this issue, all I can say is . . . WOW! And that's a lot, considering the story-line that we just came out of. I don't want to give the story away, because I think it's good enough that everybody should get it. But, we start way back when Hal was just a kid. We see his mom and brothers as we've never seen them before. We even get a look at a very young Carol Ferris. Hal's story progress' through the years, and this issue ends about the time of his mother's death. However, what I was really surprised about was that they included some of Abin Sur's history . . . leading up to his crash landing on Earth. Do you know what he was investigating in his final mission? He was asking questions about the Prophecies, and in particular about . . . the Blackest Night. Even way back then . . it all ties together. There's been 2 constants with this incarnation so far. First, all 29 issues have been incredible. Second, each issue, and story-line, has been better than the one preceeding it. Not many books can say that. This one . . . has been a rock. If you aren't getting this . . you need to. And now's the perfect time to pick it up.

Teen Titans #57 - DC

This book, and this series, is fantastic. Surprisingly, Eddy Barrows, who does the art, and has for a couple of issues, really show some promising growth. He's fairly new to the scene, and I always thought he was ok. But I really like what he's doing, and how he's progressing, in this title. Of course some props have to go to Sean McKeever for his scripts. Actually, this new story-arc, with the Terror Titans, I think, is brilliant. So far we've seen Copperhead, Persuader and Dreadbolt. They're being lead by the Clock King. Last issue they took out Kid Devil. This issue they have their sites set on the Ravager. But she ends up being a bit more than they can handle. Still, in the end, she has to blow up part of the tower in order to escape from them. We also see some more of Wendy and Marvin this issue. Do you remember the Super-friends cartoon on TV? They had some twins named Wendy and Marvin. They were the Wonder Twins. Remember? "Wonder Twins power . . activate!" I know. It was corny. Anyways, these 2 don't have any powers . . other than being super-smart. They're really just a homage to those characters. But it seems as if their roles have been getting larger, gradually, the last couple of issues. At the end of the book, we don't really know if Rose evaded capture or not. All we can see is the Tower burning. I thought it was an excellent issue, that definitely keeps with the long heritage of these characters. Even if we didn't get to see the rest of them, I thought it was a great spotlight for Rose's character. Plus, the new Titans book will be coming out in another week or 2. I can't wait.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #7 - DC

Ok. Ray's dad, Happy, finally figures out what's causing the Red Bee to act this way. After Ray explains their battle out in space, he surmises that the large bugs are the warrior drones. That means that the small bugs must be in charge of conquest. Which means that all the people that are not acting normal, have been infested. So, now that his name is Neon, he decides to put his new powers to good use. Basically, he turns in to a giant human bug zapper. He draws the bugs that have infested his son's teammates out, and they all turn back to normal. Well, except Red Bee. They had such a hold on her that when they were expelled it sent her into a semi-catatonic state. Which she eventually comes out of, but when she does, she remembers that the rest of the swarm is on it's way. We also have Dr. Glenn, who is at the Pentagon trying to stop the creation that formed when she tried to expand Lester and the rest of the army men that were shrunken. Somehow, in the process, they all combined together in to one big being. But, since Lester is in there, and so is the Vice-President, she's able to calm them/him down and get them back to the lab so she can start working on fixing them. Also, Miss America, who flew off in to space with a nuclear bomb . . . she was trying to save the rest of her teammates . . we find out isn't dead at all. But she is changing. Somehow, between her own powers and the explosion, she's combining with the very fabric of the universe, her powers are expanding and she's being reborn as Miss Cosmos. No not the magazine, and not the cocktail. The colony ship they fought before, has come in to contact with another one. So now there's 2 heading towards Earth. And even though there's 11 of them now . . Sam, Ray, Phantom Lady, Red Bee, Human Bomb, Black Condor, Firebrand, Neon, Captain Triumph, Magno and the Libertine . . . they're still going to need all the help they can get. I think Miss Cosmos is going to be the one to turn the tide. There's only 1 thing I don't like about this series, and that's that next issue is the final one. That stinks! Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti have done a great job with this series. I think Renato Arlem has come a long way as an artist. I just hope that there's another mini-series, or something, somewhere down the road. Please!

Countdown Presents - Lord Havok and the Extremists #6 - DC

This issue confuses me a little bit. But maybe it's just a clerical error. There's been several issues that, on the top right corner of the cover, it says issue #2 (of 8), or as is the case this issue . . #6 (of 8). Now when I look back, issues #3,4 & 5 all say (of 6). And obviously, as is the case with this issue, 6 is the total number, because at the end of this book . . . it's the end. They leave their world and take off with Monarch. I liked how Frank Tieri progressed this story though. We've gone through the story, from issue to issue, but at the same time he's introduced us to each of the Extremists and given us a look in to their history. This issue we focus on the title character himself, Lord Havok. We see how he came from his childhood in Russia, as the deformed son of Czar Nikolai III. He was excited in anticipation of his son's birth, Alexi. But when he was born with several birth defects his father basically abandoned him and disowned him. But with his mother's help, he realized his potential as the brilliant scientific mind that he is. As we're seeing this story unfold, were also seeing how Americommando and his troops have invaded Havok's sovereign country. Of course he has the help of Monarch and his group of baddies also. But it seems as if Havok's regards towards Monarch, have been nothing but contempt, since they met. His only concern, really, is to lure Americommando, and the rest of his Meta-Militia, into his fortified room. It's a room that negates the powers of anyone who enters, except those of his fellow Extremists. Once they're beaten, for Havok, the war is over. That's when he decides that he and his group should join up with Monarch. I believe he has other reasons, but, right now, they're his own. Liam Sharp obviously did the cover of this issue. I believe he also had more of a hand with the interiors this time. On the interiors, it's almost like he did every-other issue during this series. Which is really to bad, because he's the main reason I started buying the book. But it ended up, overall, that I really enjoyed this series. I like the way it ties in to the Countdown storyline, and I really like these characters. Hopefully we'll see them somewhere soon in the near future.

the Spirit #15 - DC

Another chapter in the life of the Spirit. I'm still not sure what the appeal of this guy is. Maybe in the 50's when our police role-models were Barney Fife & Sheriff Taylor, but now? Now we expect a little more sophistication from our crime fighters. We have CSI teams all over the television. Law & Order shows on some channel, like every night of the week. And even the Sheriff in Eureka has some common sense and street smarts. Maybe it's the nostalgia thing. I could accept that, but, I don't know if it's enough of a draw to publish a book month after month. I will say that I actually like Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier's stories better. This issue Paul Smith does the art. It's not great, but it does keep in the same style as has been established throughout this run. I'm sorry, but to me, the Spirit just comes off as a goof . . a joke. I'm really only buying it because of my penchant . . . or obsession . . to have a complete run. I guess I'm hoping someday I can lump them together and sell them on E-Bay. Anyways, I read it. I don't get it. But I read it. I don't fault the creators because they're obviously doing what they've been told. Or, they're trying to make it look exactly like the old one. But to me, old-fashioned doesn't necessarily mean nostalgia. I'm sorry. I just can't get in to it.

Loveless #23 - Vertigo

I really like this book. I think Brian Azzarello is a writing genius. Also, the way Danijel Zezelj illustrates this book is phenomenal. I love the way he uses colors and shading to set the mood in every one of his panels. The whole book is a piece of art. That being said, I don't really understand what the story in this particular issue has to do with the Loveless "theme" to date. As far as I can tell it has nothing to do with the town of Loveless or with the characters of Wes and Ruth Cutter. In fact this story takes place in Texas, 1934. Bonnie and Clyde are in it, but the story actually comes from an old man in the house that they stop to hold-up in. We never actually learn the old man's name, but the story he's relaying is about him and his friend Jasper. It happened some 60 years ago, when they were 15 and worked the race track circuit as riders. Basically, he's talking about the lessons he's learned in life, and the mistakes he's made. The story climaxes in a scene where he and his friend are competing in a race. He actually wins, but during the ride his friend was thrown . . his back and most of his ribs, shattered. A few days later he died. When dark settles in, Bonnie & Clyde head out. But before leaving, Bonnie gives the man a hug. I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. Like I said, Brian's stories are amazing, and Danijel's art is truly breathtaking. I'm not sure how, or why, it all fits in to the Loveless chronology. But I enjoyed it, none the less.

Cable #2 - Marvel

For being the military genius that he is, Cable kind of feels like he's going about this new adventure . . . protecting the mutant messiah . . . kind of half-assed. Maybe that's just my take on it. But, he doesn't seem at all prepared to deal with the baby, and this future. Now, my guess is, when he went forward in time, he didn't want to go to his old stomping grounds, or anywhere familiar, so that people couldn't find him. I think he wanted to hole-up someplace relatively unknown, and hopefully safe . . or safe enough . . for him to raise the baby to a point where it could take care of itself. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. He didn't realize that Bishop was going to be so unrelenting. Actually, he didn't even know Bishop was alive. So half of this issue is spent explaining the time between Bishop shooting Charles, to the time when he surprises Cable in the Diner. It's an interesting use of his abilities, and I like the way that he searches for, and then home's in on, Cable. It's a testament to Bishop's training and expertise. I just wish we would see the same brilliance from Cable. Bishop gets the drop on him, putting 3 bullets in him. Cable, unfortunately, can't really fight back. Why? Hello! He has a baby strapped to his chest. So he tries to use the town-folk against him. But that's only going to last so long. While hiding behind a truck, he decides that his best bet is to jump forward or backward in time. That's when he finds out that his time mechanism is broken . . just as Bishop is holding a semi-truck over his head. Duane Swierczynski is writing a pretty good story. I'm not sure if I like the way he's handling Cable so far, but it is only the second issue. I have to give him a chance. Other than that, I like what he's doing. On a side note, there's a sitcom on Fox . . Back to You. There's a goofy reporter on the show whose character's last name, I think, is Swierczynski. I could be wrong. It was just something I noticed. Anyways, as usual, Ariel Olivetti's artwork is amazing. I don't know how they got him on this book, but I hope he stays. He's really doing a bang-up job.

Jack of Fables #21 - Vertigo

This issue was a bit . . . strange. But then, that's what we've come to expect from this title. That being said, this issue was a bit . . . strange. Jack's not actually in this issue. This issue is about Wicked John. Whom, I guess, is who Jack replaced somewhere along the line. I forget what the specific reasoning was for all of that. Anyways, Gary decides to put on a play for the residents of the Golden Burroughs. John is in the play, but he's more worried about sleeping with Alice, and attempting another escape, that he does nothing to aid Gary's endeavors. Obviously, this story takes place farther back in our time-line. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me. But then again . . . not much in this book does. My presumption would be that this is a fill-in issue. Although, I don't really know why. As usual Bill Willingham does the scripts, with the aid of Matthew Sturges. Tony Akins is the artist. The thing I like the most about this book is it's absurdity. But even this issue pushed that to it's limits. I really feel, this time, this issue was a complete waste of time and money. Not to mention the paper that it's printed on. Hopefully, we'll get back to the normal amount of absurdity next issue.

Legion of Super-heroes #40 - DC

I really love the Legion. And, I love that Jim Shooter is back on this book . . finally . . . after a very long sabbatical. There's a couple things though that the average reader is going to have to be patient with, though. First of all, everyone has to know that Jim loves the Legion as much as anyone. In fact his knowledge of their history is probably one of the best out there. So he knows about the people, the powers, the planets and the relationships. He's the type of writer that's going to use all of that in his stories. So much so, that it may slow the pace down a little bit because he packs each issue with so much information. If you're a die-hard Legion fan, you're ok with that because, despite their individual adventures and stories, the Legion is really about the "big-picture". Things that happen right now may seem irrelevant, but 8, 10, 12 issues down the road . . everything's going to fall right in to place. But for someone who just picks up the book to pick it up . . they may not appreciate the pace, or flow or intricacies. To them, all I can say is, "Be patient!". Jim's not going to take over the book, and then go in to some action-packed story-line just to boost interest in the book. At least that's not what you're going to think at first. But . . as we progress farther, and things start to come together, it's going to feel more and more like that. But right now, we're looking at a pile of puzzle pieces and not what the ultimate picture is going to be. Now don't get me wrong . . I'm not making any excuses for this book. I don't think it needs any. I think it's a fantastic book, with arguably one of the best writers in the industry. It's an incredible cast of characters which Jim intricately understands and appreciates. Also Francis Manapul's pencils, while different from previous Legion incarnations, are absolutely incredible. Between Jim's writing and Francis' art, they are absolutely setting the mood for a new era of Legion greatness. I just pray that the readers, and the industry, are patient enough to see it. Long live the Legion!

Spawn #176 - Image

I really like this new direction with the book. I like that right now we're kind of focusing on Al's past . . distant past, plus we're starting to see some of the effects of his messing with reality. We finally get to see Al's parents, only to find out that they've been held in limbo . . in the house that Al grew up in, because of his mom's involvement with Mammon . . or as she knew him, Malefick. Also, his father has know about the taint on their bloodline, for quite a while, because his grandfather had left a journal talking about his run in with Malebolgia. It happened a long time ago, in the Wild Wild West . . as was explained to us in the recent 2-part Cowboy Spawn story-line. And we find out that Al has 2 brothers. This issue we see more of his brother, Dr. Marc Simmons. They're looking in to a string of bizarre murders. A "locked-door" kind of mystery. But in Al's world, there's an explanation for everything, and nothing . . is beyond reason. As long as you're willing to expand your mind and be willing to accept where that answer may be coming from. Marc finds out that this "boy in the bubble" that lives in a local hospital was affected by the "white-light". He doesn't know that happened when Al recreated the world. Basically he creates a psychic projection that takes him out of his room . . cell . . and allows him the freedom to do what he wants. Right now he's exacting his revenge upon the people who beat him in a recent Manga art competition. With Nyx's help, when Marc gets the information so does Al. But he's to late to save the latest victim. But now that he knows who's responsible, and he has his sights set . . . who knows what kind of mayhem will ensue next issue. I really think David Hine is doing a great job with these stories. Also Brian Haberlin's art has been incredible through this whole "new direction", but on this issue he does a painted art style. It's . . . eerie! I like this style of art, but with this story . . . it's dark nature, and mood . . it's especially effective. An excellent addition to the Spawn library.

Ultimate Spider-man #120 - Marvel

This continues to be a fantastic book, month after month. Which really, is no surprise considering it's been that way since it's inception . . . 120 issues ago. We ended last issue with Spidey, Bobby, and Fire-star . . er, I mean Liz Allen . . face to face with Magneto. Magneto wants her to join his group, the Brotherhood, and Peter and Bobby want . . . well, anything except that. It turns out that in the Ultimate Universe, that Franklin, the Blob, is her father. Apparently when he was travelling around with the Carnival, on one of his trips in to town, he hooked up with Liz's mother when she was younger. I'm not exactly sure what the attraction was, but apparently there was some because they bumped uglies and Liz was the product of their relationship. After a while, Liz has Magneto getting in her face to join the Brotherhood . . to come and see her father, and Pete and Bobby are in her face to join the X-Men. The problem is, to her, it sounds like everyone is telling her what to do, but nobody is asking her what she wants to do. She already is confused. The last thing she ever thought would happen would be her turning out to be a mutant. So after everybody disperses, Liz takes off and ends up in Mary Jane's backyard to talk to her. Of course Peter knows where she's going, and after a little while he shows up to offer some words of encouragement. But it's all empty promises to her, until Peter takes off his mask and shows her who he is. Then everything starts to make sense to her. It's then that his words start to take on a little more meaning to her. I think she's going to do the right thing and give the X-Men a try. Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen are doing an excellent job with this book. It really hasn't missed a beat, with the creative change. This book continues to be the benchmark for the rest of the Ultimate Universe to live up to.

X-Men - First Class #10 - Marvel

I enjoyed this book, but, as the cover suggests, it was mainly about Scott. The rest of the team was down with some kind of flu or something. When Charles sent him to West Virginia to look in to finding a mutant that's popped up on Cerebro, I thought for sure it was going to have something to do, very early, with the Guthrie family. But I was way off base there. This one just had to do with this guy that lived way under-ground, in the coal mines, but his powers were psychic in nature. Basically, he made everyone around him feel as he did. So right now he was scared with a lot of anxiety. I like this book because of it's upbeat feel. That's not to say there aren't other upbeat books out there, but this one is about our favorite group of mutants. And lets face it, ever since about the mid 80's, this group has gone from one life ending episode to the next. They're always out saving the world, or the Universe, or just the human race with no accolades or acknowledgements. And with all that heavy burden on their shoulders, these guys don't get to be upbeat very often. At least not anymore. But, these stories take place in the beginning of the groups history. These are the stories of when these kids very first got together. And it's really nice seeing these kids, who end up saving the world over and over and over again, enjoying life and each other's company. This particular issue was a bit more serious than the others. But, only because Scott was by himself, so there wasn't really anybody for him to trade quips with. But that's ok. Even in the beginnings of this young group's history, they know that what they're trying to do . . . the difference they're trying to make . . . is going to get serious sometimes. Right now though, sometimes, they're allowed to forget about it. Jeff Parker is the writer of this series, but this issue Craig Rousseau does the pencils. He does ok. He keeps with the young fresh look of his predecessor. I really like this book, and I like this setting for our young heroes. It's like a breath of fresh air.

Wolverine - First Class #1 - Marvel

Really, my only complaint about this book is that I expected it to have more of the same type of feel to it as the X-Men First Class book. It didn't . . but . . it has a different creative team, and after reading it, I think, a different perspective on the time in the lives of the X-Men that these adventures take place. It's written by Fred Van Lente, with art by Andrea Di Vito. I'm not really familiar with either of these creators, but . . they definitely did the book justice. Basically, it is, kind of, like the X-Men First Class title. But, you have to remember, this story actually takes place later in the story of the X-Men . . . than that other book does. By the time this story takes place, Ororo, Peter, Logan, Kurt and Kitty are all on the team. So the dynamics are obviously going to be different than the original team of X-Men. And really Logan doesn't play to big a part in this story, other than Kitty's inner-dialogue about his reputation, and what she expects from his actions. Basically, this story is about Kitty's first real interaction with Logan, and the first time that Charles teamed them up together. They both learn that the other has more depth of character than either saw on the surface. And they become friends. I'm not sure if this one is aimed at the younger audience, or not. It seems so . . but the story is more intricate than the other First Class title. But . . I liked it. It'll be interesting to see where this title goes. Are they going to focus on Wolverine, or just his interactions with the others around him? Will all the characters be different, or the same, every issue . . except for him? When I understand the direction of the book more, I think I'll enjoy the stories better. But, in the meantime, it's a welcome addition to my X-Men library.

the New Avengers #39 - Marvel

Overall, I really liked this book. I had one complaint, and really . . . it's just because of my own stubborness. I refuse to pick up the Secret Invasion books. I'm just tired of these mega-crossovers, and I don't want to get wrapped up in another one. If it falls in to one of the regular titles I pick up . . . then fine. But, the problem is . . . and like I said, really, it's my own problem . . . is that I probably don't get the whole spectrum or experience of the story. Which, while the story is going on, could be confusing, but . . as I've seen in the past, especially with these Marvel mega-events . . . as long as you read the beginning, and the end, and have some exposure to the flavor in the middle . . . you can usually piece together what's happened, and I don't have to spend all that money. Maybe that's the cheap way to go about it, but hey, you have to have a budget somewhere. Or at least the appearance of one. Anyways, this book, the Skrulls make a play for Maya. It looks as if they want to take her out and replace her. They do this by posing as Matt Murdock, when she needs somebody to talk to. Luckily, Wolverine was following her . . supposedly to keep an eye on her . . and ends up pulling her fat out of the fire. She actually appears to be holding her own, but, I think, in the end the Skrull would've overpowered her. When it knows it's defeated, it just takes off. Leaving Maya and Logan with more questions than answers. In the final pages, Maya and Clint talk about his feelings for her. I believe there's a romance brewing her, because then they spend the night together. As usual, Brian Bendis does the story. I'm glad there wasn't so much inner dialogue this issue. It gets distracting. David Mack does the art. Of course you know he's awesome. I'm not exactly sure how he ended up doing this book, but . . I'm glad he did. A fantastic addition to the already over-burgeoning Avengers library.

Iron Man II #4 - Marvel

I like this book. I like the story . . . and I like the art. Orson Scott Card is obviously a very talented writer, and of course, we all know that Pasqual Ferry is an incredible artistic talent. As I've said the first couple issues of this book . . really, all my complaints come down to the back-story. The recap page. I understand that they're trying to get the reader involvement. I get that they want them to buy in to the story. But really . . . . I mean really, is the re-cap page . . . does it really need to be that complicated. I mean, it reads like the plot line for the previous year of the Bold & the Beautiful, or the Young & the Restless. Seriously, it just seems to be a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but . . that's just my opinion. But, having said that, I really did enjoy the story. But I had to read it as if I was ignoring that page. Last issue we saw Tony and Obadiah get on a plane, to make a deal where Tony traded one of his "robots" for information on the nuke that was somewhere in America. Of course they're double-crossed. And, to make matters worse, they found the nuke. It's on the plane with them. This Dolores guy, who was Obadiah's contact, was supposed to take them to the rendezvous spot, but . . he wasn't even on the plane. They just thought he was. So I thought the way that Tony got out of this situation this issue, was pretty original. Especially considering that he know that if he's blown to pieces . . . he'll just grow new ones. When he gets together with his father, after the incident, to try to figure out what happened and why, they find out a few things. First of all, Dolores was never really in charge of anything. He was simply a middle-man. Why? Because they find him assassinated in his apartment. So now they have to figure out who it is. For being so young, Tony has an awfully detailed analytical thought process. After the plane blew-up, and he had to wait in the ocean for the rescue party to show up, he thought about what was happening . . and why. He's figured out that the person behind the whole thing is most likely . . . Loni, Howard's first wife. After Howard, she married Zebadiah Stane, Obadiah's father, and ended up with Howard's company. Then, I'm sure, after Zebadiah was killed, she probably also ended up with his company. So basically, she's a very powerful woman. Fu#$%d up! But, powerful. Which, I guess, really, is what this whole back story is all about. It's to show us that even the wealthy families . . . the Starks and the Stanes . . . when it comes down to it, are just as fu#$%d up as the rest of us. Despite my misgivings, the reason I liked this book so much is because there were so many original ideas. Which, in general, is why I like the Ultimate line so much. So in my eyes, this book is definitely living up to the image and expectations of it's imprint.

Countdown to Final Crisis #5 - DC

This issue, as well as the last, is told from the perspective of Buddy Blank. On this world Buddy is a scientist at Cadmus and is present when our Challengers arrive with their doomsday prophesies. Cadmus and Dubbilex do everything they can to try to figure out this Morticoccus and hopefully synthesize a antidote. But, from the moment the heroes arrived on this planet . . they doomed it. Val is already dead, so the virus is looking for a new host. When they try to tap his spine, the virus actually manifests itself in the shape of a giant tape-worm of sorts. It's actually very powerful. Buddy chronicles the fall of their civilization. But he's worried about his daughter and grandson. When everybody else at Cadmus gives up and decides they want to spend their final moments with their loved ones, Buddy also decides to make sure his kin is ok. With Una's help he does make it to their apartment. While the boy is ok, his daughter has been infected. As well as every cat, dog and rodent in the building. They travel to the roof to escape, but that where they find his infected daughter. Una probably could've handled her own against just the woman, but then the rodents start swarming over her and it's all she can do to keep her head up. Before she goes down though, she tosses he Legion ring to Buddy and tells him to save his grandson. He doesn't really want to, but he knows there's no hope for her. Luckily, since he worked for the government, he knows where all the bases are, and he goes to the Command D Bunker and decides to make it their new home. From there he reactivates Brother Eye so he can use it's satellite imagery to view what's going on in the rest of the world. As he's looking at his sleeping grandson, he's thinking, "I can only hope that one day, he'll forgive me . . . for making him the last boy on Earth." Now that sounds familiar. Either this is the world from the original OMAC series, by Jack Kirby . . . or . . it's the world of Kamandi. Pretty sneaky there. By the by, when the civilization is pretty much gone, and there's nothing else they can do, the Challengers use the mother-box to create a boom-tube to take them elsewhere. The question is . . where did they go? I like that this book is keeping up it's momentum, right to the very end. They actually have Jim Starlin doing the pencils on this issue. Fantastic! Only 5 more issues to go.

the Death of the New Gods #7 - DC

We finally find out who the killer is this issue. But really . . . we already knew . . it was Himon. Well . . yes, and no. It was actually the Infinity Man portraying himself as Himon. If we would have looked closely, we would've seen that Himon was already on the Source wall. Anyways, the Infinity Man is actually just acting as the agent of the source. What he really wants to do is instigate Scott Free enough that he uses his anti-life equation powers and ushers in the new-age. Which he does. The Infinity Man plants himself on the Source wall and Scott hits him with everything he's got. The result is the destruction of the Infinity Man and the entirety of the Source Wall. Completely demolished, which allows for the reunification of the Source. Unfortunately it also knocks out Superman so he can no longer bear witness. The new Entity bids adieu to Scott and Metron and then kills them as it did the others. Shorty after Superman awakens, but . . it's to late. He still thinks he's after the Infinity Man but he can't find him anywhere. So he figures his next logical step it to go to Apokolips. As he's leaving, something happens with Arion's helmet, so I'm not sure what that's all about. Anyways, the Entity has already gotten to Apokolips and is ready to kill Darkseid. But Darkseid has one final card up his sleeve. He's gotten the Soul-fire project of Desaad's and drunken it. Now he's covered from head to toe in Soul-fire. "This was unexpected.", says the Entity. To which Darkseid replies, "And in that, comes my victory." So next issue, all the apples hit the counter. Good or bad, right or wrong, it all comes to a head next issue. Will Darkseid survive the Fourth World and become part of the Fifth? Only Jim Starlin and the Entity know for sure. This is a fantastic epic that could only be told by Jim Starlin. This will definitely go down as one of his best works. Simply fantastic. But the real genius is going to be how he ties it up, and begins anew. The king is dead . . long live the king!