AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #557
Marvel Comics
Zeb Wells (W)/Chris Bachalo (A)
BRETT: “Zeb Wells’ first ‘Brand New Day’ arc wraps up this month. The crazy Dr. Rabin makes his move to sacrifice Carlie in order to fill himself with powerful Mayan juice. Spidey, who discovered Rabin’s dead co-workers last issue, runs into with the gnarly deity Rabin conjured up. The surviving member of Rabin’s crew (and potential snack) escapes and Spidey engages in a time-bendy battle with the deity. Rabin shows up with Carlie and starts his ritualistic hokey pokey until he’s interrupted by a hairy little guest star! No, not Wolverine (whose appearance in this arc was hyped like whoa) but the homeless guy Spidey befriended last issue! With their help, the offer for the evil expires, causing the deity to disappear and Rabin to lose all of his Mayan mojo. While it’s definitely not a huge event, this feels like a good old-fashioned Spider-Man story. To read a Spider-Man story and actually laugh out loud and be engaged is quite a feat. Plus Chris Bachalo’s art is sensational and full of big action and big comedy. You really can’t ask for more from this book! Except Mary Jane. Seriously, a phone call to Harry Osborn is the only thing that retcon allowed this issue to do.”
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #6
DC Comics
Chuck Dixon (W)/Carlos Rodriguez (A) TJ: “Dixon continues to throw everything he can think of at this latest band of Outsiders to see how and if they come out smelling like roses or…well, poo. This issue finds Metamorpho on a space shuttle after the events of the last issue. He lands on a space station that seems to be run by mind-controlled humans. To save his teammate, Batman sends a team to China where they’re supposed to steal a rocket, but, as usual for the Outsiders, things don’t work out so well. As a fan of both the original series and Judd Winick’s team, I like how Dixon’s treating DC’s hard luck heroes and find the odd pairing of new and old members (and even throwing in Green Arrow every now and then) a good balance. Also, Rodriguez’s art looks great; it looks big and bold even when he’s just drawing a few characters talking in a dark room. Hopefully, this book will get a fair shot and a good run.”
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #12
DC Comics
Mark Waid (W)/ Jerry Ordway (A)
RICKEY: “If there’s one book on the stands that doesn’t need my thumbs-up of approval, it’s this comic-fan explosion of fun. Waid and Ordway slingshot readers into the type of mammoth, fantastical story you’d only find back in the middle glory years of superhero books like Showcase. I say the series doesn’t need my thumbs up because it’s already been raking in positive reviews from all over the reviewing community thanks to the old-school feel of the stories. All I can add is this: The story that’s been running through the series so far comes its conclusion in such a mega-team-up way that you’ll want to immediately go out and read through your old Archives Editions—or at least go out and buy one for the first time.”
CATWOMAN #78
DC Comics
Will Pfeifer (W)/David Lopez (A)
BRETT: “Catwoman is stranded on a planet not her own and being stared down by Boris and Natasha. The feline femme fatale strikes up an uneasy alliance with them and decides to track down Lex Luthor. Catwoman’s heard that baldy has figured out how to get off the planet and she’s aiming on getting that information out of him. On their way to their rendezvous, the unlikely trio is ambushed by Cheetah who throws Catwoman off a cliff…while being tangled in Catwoman’s whip. The two land in front of Luthor just as something ominously approaches off panel. Back on Earth, Slam Bradley gets around to tracking down the missing Catwoman by beating up the DCU’s answer to Multiple Man. The issue ends with Slam being led into a trap, surround by dozens of Not-Multiple Mans in a warehouse. I find that I enjoy Catwoman every time I read it. All the characters are set up well and the dialogue is incredibly snappy. The plot is simple but the solid art and likeable characters make it an enjoyable read. ”
THE DARKNESS #3
Top Cow
Phil Hester (W)/ Michael Broussard/Dale Keown (A)
RICKEY: “I’m not gonna lie to you—I haven’t read an entire Darkness comic in probably two or three years. That being said, this book is nowhere what I expected it to be, and actually pretty effing interesting. No more of main character Jackie Estacado running around with the mob. Now the guy’s synthesizing high-end drugs using his own body-chemicals, hanging with a mad scientist who teaches him how to use his powers under practical terms (including the development of a ‘Darkness gun’) and facing off with the U.S. government. Looks like this book finally shed its mafia roots to explore interesting avenues of subject matter. Broussard’s art had that normal Top Cow feel, but Keown’s flashback sequences are the standout here. My only complaint is that the lettering used to show Jackie’s internal monologue seems a little tough to read, but that’s a major nitpick. Give this book a try.”
GHOST RIDER #22
Marvel Comics
Jason Aaron (W)/Roland Boschi (A)
ANDY: “The ‘Hell-Bent & Heaven Bound’ arc heats up—literally—as the Spirit of Vengeance gives his would-be ghostly attackers a fiery brush off when they refuse to end their assault against the young man in Johnny Blaze’s charge. Speaking of action, GR also manages to hack, slash, burn and ram his way to victory against the specters of death, while on the other side of town, our hapless, handless deputy is on a dinner date with the town’s cannibalistic coroner. This is all heading to a fiery showdown in the middle of town between GR, the gun-toting nurses from heaven, the aforementioned cannibal and a young woman trying to get a way from all the chaos. Major props to Aaron’s demonically good dialogue, as he not only nails GR’s voice, but peppers the book with razor-sharp one-liners throughout. As for Boschi’s art? It’ll light your eyeballs on fire.”
HELLBLAZER #243
DC/Vertigo
Andy Diggle (W)/Giuseppe Camucoli (A)
ANDY: “Sure to inflame the right-wing Christian fundamentalist crowd, this latest adventure for John Constantine finds the mystical conman helping a troubled priest exorcise a demon from the Vatican. Seems there’s a secret room an old pope created to allow the priests to ‘understand’ their sins by acting them out, but when Father Luigi uses it to work out his lust issues—with a succubus (or sex demon) no less—things go to hell in the Vatican for real! (Hey, you pay a hooker to leave, not stay!) Diggle’s wicked humor cuts like a razor in Constantine’s dialogue, and the secret history of the Vatican is sure to get the holy-rollers heading for Judgment Day. Camuncoli’s a worthy fill-in for Leanardo Manco, with devilishly good pencils perfect for this would-be supernatural exterminator.”
INCREDIBLE HERC #116
Marvel Comics
Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (W)/Rafa Sandoval (A)
ANDY: “The sheer amount of talent Marvel keeps putting on this book is enough to stagger the Hulk himself: Artist Rafa Sandoval’s pencils take on a godly demeanor in this ish (with a little Daniel Acuna vibe), as Herc and Athena (with Amadeus Cho in tow) travel to San Francisco where they cross swords with some confused Eternals over Hercules’ real identity (they think he’s the Eternal Gilgamesh). After a rollicking good throwdown with Ikaris and Thena (interspersed with Pak’s patented flashbacks to Herc’s tragic B.C. days), the real reason for Athena’s trip to the Bay Area stands revealed—she’s meeting the assembled pantheons of gods to build an army to fight the Skrulls! Can you say ‘Crossover Smash’? Look out for ‘Sacred Invasion’ in upcoming issues. (Gotta love that wordplay from Pak, almost as much as I love parenthesis.)”
IRON MAN #28
Marvel Comics
Charles and Daniel Knauf (W)/Roberto de la Torre (A)
ANDY: “Man, talk about a blockbuster finale. From the corridors of power to a battlefield in China against his archenemy the Mandarin, Tony Stark/Iron Man proves to be possibly the most formidable hero in the Marvel Universe. First, his S.H.I.E.L.D. crew pull off an impossible escape from inside the U.N. building when Stark’s accused of terrorism. Then, he travels to China—in his awesome old red-and-silver armor—to beat the living snot out of the Mandarin in a brutal hand-to-hand showdown that ends when Shellhead rips the alien power rings out of Mandarin’s spine! The Knaufs craft one hell of an ending to this superpowered espionage thriller, one that’s on par with Marvel’s standard bearer in the genre, Captain America.”
IRON MAN: LEGACY OF DOOM #1
Marvel Comics
David Michelinie and Bob Layton (W)/Ron Lim (A)
TJ: “This flashback miniseries focuses on Tony Stark suddenly remembering a previously forgotten run-in with Dr. Doom in which he abandons Iron Man in Mephisto’s realm. There’s a lot of great interplay between the two super-brainiacs, but one thing that left me scratching my head was why Tony Stark would need to melt down his old armors (which he does in the opening of this book). The reason given in the story is that he doesn’t want people to steal his tech (like they did in the now famous ‘Armor Wars’ story), but can’t this guy see through satellites and control all machines? If he can’t keep an eye on his own armors, then maybe he shouldn’t be in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. Though, maybe that’s just me.”
LONE RANGER #11
Dynamite Entertainment
Brett Matthews (W)/Sergio Cariello & Paul Pope (A)
ANDY: “This intense, emotionally draining story finds Tonto confronting the condemned killer Rafael in his jail cell right before he’s scheduled to be hung. Tonto conveys a fable-esque tale about a wolf wandering the wilderness and confronting men, but it’s not just an object less for the young killer, it’s a look into Tonto’s enigmatic past. Meanwhile, the Ranger tells the corrupt sheriff responsible for Rafael’s imprisonment that his brand of justice is no longer required in the territory, while the psychotic Cavendish finally makes his way to Texas, ostensibly for a showdown with the Lone Ranger and Tonto. I love the way Matthews weaves the subplots together, and Paul Pope adds a wonderful, naturalistic touch to Tonto’s wolf story in the pages he renders. The Old West has never been more inviting—or so dangerously complex—as in this legendary re-imagining of the Lone Ranger mythos.”
THE PERHAPANAUTS #1
Image Comics
Todd Dezago (W)/Craig Rousseau (A)
RICKEY: “I’ve been a fan of this creative team since their stint on Impulse back in the day (go read that stuff right now…I’ll wait), and they haven’t lost their fun-loving style in the interim. If anything, they’ve tightened up this B.P.R.D.-esque book since it left Dark Horse after Volume One and hit the ground running here with a story focusing on the Mothman’s background. For those of you who don’t know, the book revolves around a secret team of monsters trained to tackle creepy situations while dealing with their own team turmoil. Light-hearted and dope, don’t be surprised if you see this property made into an animated film in the coming years!”
PIGEONS FROM HELL #1 (of 4)
Dark Horse Comics
Joe R. Lansdale (W)/Nathan Fox (A)
BRETT: “The original short story by Robert E. Howard gets a modern facelift this month. Janet and Claire, along with three friends, check out the old Louisiana mansion left to them by their grandmother. It’s old, decrepit, filled with a huge mountain of dead pigeons and rats, the usual. After one of the friends falls through the stairs and badly injures his leg, they all get into their car and head to a hospital. That is, until a deer causes them to wreck, thus forcing them to head back for one night in the mansion. As night falls, formless apparitions begin to float out of the surrounding graves. Being unfamiliar with the original tale, I’m not aware of the weird stuff coming along in the next three issues. Based on the first issue, I’m not going to be coming back for more. The writing is fine, I just have no connection to the characters. I had to read it twice to pick up some of their names and I still have no clue how they all know each other (Claire looks old enough to be their mother). The art is a strong plus; Fox’s pencils are cartoony while still being dark and intricate. The book looks like a twisted version of ‘Scooby Doo,’ which fits because it’s just about as scary.”
’76 #3
Image Comics
B. Clay Moore & Seth Peck (W)/Ed Tadem & Tigh Walker (A)
ANDY: “Reading these hard-boiled but fun-loving crime stories transports me back to the decade of my birth, and reminds me of movies like ‘The French Connection’ and books such as George Pelecanos’ period crime novels. Moore and Peck, in their respective ways, capture the cocaine-fueled energy of the time period, and create memorable characters familiar to fans of blaxploitation and buddy-action flicks. Throw in cool extras like the Top 10 music lists for each story to go along with the glorious black and white artwork from both Tadem and Walker, ’76 has me saving up for the time machine I’ve been wanting so badly.”
STAR TREK: YEAR FOUR: ENTERPRISE EXPERIMENT #1
IDW
D.C. Fontana & Derek Chester (W)/Gordon Purcell (A)
ANDY: “Longtime ‘Trek’ writer D.C. Fontana throws her pen into the mix with predictably solid results: She and co-writer Derek Chester nail the voices of all the major players (Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty), while the retro-style plot not only plays off established TV continuity (Romulans! Cloaking devices!), it adds new elements to the mix like the alien Starfleet officer Arex, a telepath with three arms and a noggin like Hammerhead. Joe Blow off the street may not care geek out over the Galileo shuttle or references to the Melkotians and the Tholians, but hardcore Trekkers should get a Fun Factor of 10 out of this TV-inspired read.”
SUICIDE SQUAD #8
DC Comics
John Ostrander (W)/Javi Pina and Robin Riggs (A) TJ: “It’s really great to see a writer who worked on a series like Suicide Squad in the ’80s come back and do a killer story like this today. Not everyone can do it, and Ostrander should get major kudos for being able to pull it off. The final issue of this eight-issue miniseries has a raw battle scene, some great character moments and features a number of characters finishing their arcs that were set out in the beginning of the series. Pina’s art style fits with the down and dirty feel of the book (most of these characters are villains after all). I’d really like to see a post-Salvation Run/Countdown series—or at least another mini—staring this team that brings the darker side of the DCU out into the light every now and then.”
WORLD WAR HULK: WARBOUND #5 (of 5)
Marvel Comics
Greg Pak (W)/Leonard Kirk (A)
ANDY: “It’s all-out war in the gamma dome, as the Warbound aliens and the Leader throw down in a final confrontation to decide the fate of the humans trapped inside. The Warbound only have each other, the Leader—he’s got a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. wardroids that he usurped from Kate Waynesboro! (Stupid S.H.I.E.L.D.!) The action comes fast and furious, as you’ve come to expect with the Hulk spinoff books, and Pak and Kirk don’t disappoint. There’s even a touching death scene that sets off a whole new status quo, as the Warbound lose one member, only to gain another. Personally, I’m hoping the Warbound don’t take too long a hiatus; I’d like to see them back in a Hulk book ASAP.”
X-MEN: DIVIDED WE STAND #1 (of 2)
Marvel Comics
Mike Carey, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Skottie Young & Matt Fraction (W)/Brandon Peterson, Sana Takeda, Skottie Young, David LaFuente & Jamie McKelvie (A)
BRETT: “This issue is made up of vignettes following the various members of the X-Men after Cyclops disbanded the team, post-‘Messiah Complex.’ The first story stars Cannonball as he copes with being helpless in the final bit of ‘Messiah CompleX’ by pounding on a surly member of the Cabot family. Following that, former New X-Men Nehzno, Anole and Hellion are each given stories depicting their empty lives after Cyke shut down the school and invited a bunch of no-names to form the Young X-Men. Nehzno is shunned back in Wakanda, Anole is attacking his parents at the drop of a coffee mug thanks to his traumatic semester, and Hellion tries to join Magneto to rebel against the X-Men and fails. The issue closes off with a paranoid Scalphunter working in a rundown diner and serving an image-induced Nightcrawler daily. Nightcrawler finally attacks Scalphunter but stops short of killing him, hoping that the mercy will give Scalphunter some of his soul back. For an issue with five separate stories, I think it’s surprisingly even. The characters are all coping in believable ways and it’s good that the X-Office isn’t letting these characters fade into the background. Fraction gives us a great religious speech from Nightcrawler, and Skottie Young’s Anole tale is beautifully illustrated.”
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