Tag Archives: avengers: x-sanction

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 3/21/12

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Another week down, hopefully I’ll speed things up and get caught up with reviews.

Avengers: X-Sanction #4 – Wow, just so bad.  Why is Spider-Man in his black costume and Wolverine in his X-Force when they don’t wear it at all?!  And that ending?  This is the lead up to the war between the X-Men and Avengers and if it’s goal was to get me excited, I’m not.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.5

Batman #7 – Batman suffers from the trauma he experienced from the Court of Owls and we discover the truth behind Talon.  This is some of the best Batman I’ve read in years and Scott Snyder’s writing with Greg Capullo’s art is just beyond so much of the other material being put out there.  Fantastic.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Captain Atom #7 – The concept of time is explored as we learn the origin of Captain Atom.  Such a fantastic issue, I hope this series finds the audience it deserves.  The art is fantastic, story top notch.  A great series.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

DC Universe Presents #7 – Well, well done DC, another series I don’t have to buy.  Hopefully the next arc is more worth it than this one.  I just don’t care and I’m just not entertained about the Challengers of the Unknown.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child #1 – Taking place post Katrina in New Orleans this is a pretty interesting story full of Voodoo, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and who knows what else.  There’s an interesting vibe to the series, but I’m not totally sold.  It’s a decent start, but not quite the kick I was hoping for.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Fables #115 – Another chapter in the war in Oz, the toys of Discardia and the events going on in Castle Dark, so many stories, so much to keep track.  Maybe too much to keep track?  The series is still solid, I just think there might be too many storylines weaving about.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Fear Itself: The Fearless #11 – Is it just me or does Hellstrom’s actions and depictions not add up in the three different series’ he’s been depicted in this past month?  As far as the rest of the story… yawn.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.5

Generation Hope #17 – And that’s the end of the series.  It ended much better than it’s been for quite a bit, but it still feels very junior league to me.  The ending was ok, but I think Kenji was a waste of a character even though he was so stereotypical.  Oh well….

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Green Lantern Corps. #7 – Stewart deals with his actions in an ok story that throws out a lot of possibilities in the future.  We’ll see what all of this might lead to in the future, here’s hoping some decent emotional long term repercussions.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Hoax Hunters #0 – It’s Scooby Doo and all of those ghost reality shows mixed together in an entertaining series collecting the short stories that’ve appeared before.  The series is entertaining and fun mixing some light horror and humor with original ideas.  The series will be kicking off into an ongoing soon and it’ll be great to see what they do with the ability to pull off a story over multiple issues.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

The Invincible Iron Man #514 – Tony is presented an option instead of facing a trial and like a game of chess so many moving parts are going on.  It’ll be very interesting to see how this all plays out because as Tony hints towards the end, he’s a few steps ahead of the rest.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Justice League #7 – The main story was pretty damn bad.  The quiet moments when the team is talking to Trevor is good, and the Shazam short story is interesting enough, but overall, this is supposed to be a top line DC title?

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.5

Kick-Ass 2 #7 – And that’s the end of the second volume.  There’s some good stuff here, but it’s still mostly violence for violence sake.  There’s a bit of character development and the third volume has potential to be much better than this second one.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 6.75

New Mutants #39 – If you need more evidence that Warlock in large doses is annoying… well here you go.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.5

Nightwing #7 – Seven issues in and it was all a lead up to a crossover with Batman and his Court of Owls storyline.  Overall, we really still don’t get the why of it all, it just seems like an empty lead up to me.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Rebel Blood #1 – Another hot series from Image that fills a nice horror niche.  The series is great and left me not totally understanding everything.  The story looks great and left me wanting more.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Supercrooks #1 – Why do criminals always commit crimes in cities where super heroes are?  That’s the question this new series from Mark Millar and Leinil Yu asks.  The series’ first issue is a solid start with some great action, great characters and solid art.  The concept is good and this is a more subdued comic compared to Kick-Ass.  This very well might be Millar grown up a bit.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.5

Supergirl #7 – Supergirl fights the Worldkillers and it’s all a set up for Doomsday to eventually show up.  The art is great but story flimsy.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Thunderbolts #171 – Songbird goes on vacation and of course that goes wrong.  The story is very meh, but I guess the point was to get Songbird to a certain point in her powers….

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Uncanny X-Men #9 – There’s an escape of aliens that make an otherwise boring day exciting, except the writing is bad, the dialogue laughable.  The art is decent though.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Wolverine #303 – The battle between the Hand and Yakuza wages on in what I can only assume is a way to shake some things up when it comes to those entities in the Marvel universe.  The story is ok, but I hate hate hate hate hate the switching of the art in the different chapters.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Wonder Woman #7 – Wonder Woman prepares for a trip to Hell and meets Eros and finds out a truth about the Amazons and any boys born.  The story is ok, but not quite the quality we’ve seen from the series, depicting men as victims instead of strong women.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.25

X-Factor #233 – The team thinks Jamie is dead so they’re out doing some work for Val and Havok is in charge.  The series veers from it’s usually noir feel with more of an action story, but the writing is solid as always.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Around the Tubes

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It’s a new week and we hope everyone had a great weekend.  Did folks see Hunger Games this weekend?  What’d everyone think?

Around the Blogs:

CBLDF – Doonesbury Censorship Fosters Outrage, Debate – While I don’t agree with everything said, there’s some decent points brought up by some newspapers who censored the strip.

 

Around the Tubes Reviews:

CBR – Avengers: X-Sanction #4

CBR – Fables #115

CBR – Nightwing #7

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 2/1/12

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The goal is to get two more weeks reviewed by Sunday….

Animal Man #6 – A very impressive issue that slows the weirdness down a bit and instead focuses on a movie staring a super hero and his family.  The story is so good and really reflects well on Animal Man and his superheroing with this family.  Words just can’t reflect how good this is, but it’s up there as one of the best issues of the year.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Avengers Academy #25 – The kids battle Hybrid and there’s enough here to make me interested.  But the series still feels like it’s a bit “B” level compared to the regulars Avengers “A” game.  Still, entertaining in it’s own ways.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25

Avengers X-Sanction #3 – Bits I’ve liked, others not so much.  It’s a prelude, but a prelude that could have been done in a one shot oversized comic instead of being dragged out over four issues.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Batman: Detective Comics #6 – So there’s a lot of Batman comics it seems, and that’s getting me a bit confused as to what’s going on in which.  That’s also hurting my enjoyment a bit, particularly of this series which I think is the weakest of the bunch.  Overall, a mess due to too much monthly Batman.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 6.75

Batwing #6 – We get a hint as to Massacre might be, though that’s too simple really.  It also looks like the story is shifting back to Gotham.  It’s six issues in and it kind of feels like this story should of wrapped up already.  I do like the filling in of history, but the main story has dragged on for quite a bit and not a lot of resolution.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.25

the Defenders #3 – Um, entertaining, but rather abrupt ending.  With such build up a bad guy really shouldn’t be defeated so easily.  Overall, I don’t expect this series to last very long.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

the Punisher #8 – Not the strongest issue in a while, it’s a bit jumbled and choppy for me.  The series generally has been great and the art is fantastic.  I’m not letting one issue get me down, and maybe as a slice of the bigger story it’s better than it stands as a solo issue.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7

Rachel Rising #5 – The series is creepy, beyond creepy.  A dead girl and another with a demon friend.  Some great horror right here and two female leads.  This is a definite recommend for the horror fans as I imagine not too many of you are picking it up and missing out on a great series.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Red Lanterns #6 – So many issues with this series.  The issue focuses on the new human Red Lantern and like that Corps., it’s all rage and little depth.  The issue suffers from the concept, but the series is shifting to give us more, it’s just taking a while.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Stormwatch #6 – The series has a lot going for it and it’s been six issues and it’s just getting going it feels like.  I really feel like a lot of this could have been settled in the first arc, instead the series has tried to be too smart and instead continues to be a jumbled mess.  It’s getting better though.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

Swamp Thing #6 – Scott Snyder is one of the best writers out there right now and combined  with art from Marco Rudy, this series continues to show why it’s one of the best in DC’s relaunch and best on the market.  It’s creepy, gross, haunting and just fantastic.  The build up has been coming, and the story is about to explode.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

The Twelve #9 – The limited series WAS fantastic, but too much time has passed and I can’t say I remember enough to care.  I still want to see how it all ends, but that’s more because the delay makes me fascinated to see what might have been.

Story: 6.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Uncanny X-Force #21 – The art is off, story a bit jumbled and big reveal at the end had no impact on me.  Wow did this issue slip in quality.  Oh well, hopefully it’ll bounce back.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Uncanny X-Men #6 – Great to see some issues from Uncanny X-Force dealt with, but boy is this bad.  Something isn’t clicking for me.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Venom #13 – The Circle of Four kicks off here with the heroes gathering to fight demons.  The art isn’t as solid as it usually is and the story is meh.  Not a good story to a pretty high profile story arc.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

Villains for Hire #3 – It’s Misty Knight in control, so the villains turn on her, but is there more to this all.  The end I paused and said, wtf!?  The limited series has been great four three issues, lets hope the fourth doesn’t disappoint.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Winter Soldier #1 – The first issue of the series is interesting and to a point it tries to be smarter than it really needs to be.  The series follows the Winter Soldier/Bucky and Black Widow as they deal with other sleeper agents.  A great premise that could lead to some great spy/noir storytelling, but too much is crammed in and the series instead feels like a cheap action comic.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.25

X-Factor #231 – We find out more about the world Madrox wound up in and it’s pretty interesting.  I imagine we’ll see it again the future.  Madrox hops to another world.  It’s all supposedly concluded next issue.  Thankfully.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Avengers: X-Sanction #3 Sells Out & Heads Back To Press!

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AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #3 Sells Out & Heads Back To Press!

Marvel is pleased to announce that Avengers: X-Sanction #3 has sold out at Diamond and this March will be back exploding off store shelves with Avengers: X-Sanction #3 Second Printing Variant! Here’s your second chance to catch the Eisner Award-winning writer Jeph Loeb and superstar artist Ed McGuinness as they pit Cable against the Avenger’s most dangerous member – Red Hulk. Leading into the comics event of 2012, Avengers Vs. X-Men, and with every issue of this red-hot series selling out – fans can’t miss this!

“Ed and I are so grateful to the fans, retailers and readers who’ve made this book such a success,” exclaimed Loeb. “It’s great having Cable back in the Marvel Universe kicking butt and taking names — and as a lead up to the blockbuster Avengers vs. X-Men — you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Cable stands face to face with Red Hulk as time continues to slip away; will Cable save the future? Find out in Avengers: X-Sanction #3 Second Printing Variant as Loeb and McGuinness send Cable against the Avengers, while the fight for the future rages on!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #3 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC118178)
Written by JEPH LOEB
Pencils & Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Rated: T+ …$3.99
FOC – 2/13/12, ON SALE – 3/14/12

Comic Book (not so) Weekly Reviews – 1/4/12

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Catching up slowly with reviews….

Animal Man #5 – The rot is spreading and Animal Man and his family must fight it.  The series art has dipped a little, but story is Vertigo meets mainstream DC.  Solid work and I can’t wait to see where it goes….

Story: 8 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.75

The Avengers Annual #1 – Remember when Wonder Man and a team attacked the Avengers mansion?  Yeah… so if you wondered whatever happened to that story, it gets wrapped up in this issue.  It’s interesting and sets up a lot of potential, but it’s been so long since that first part you have to wonder why it’s taken so damn long.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Avengers Academy #24 – Hmm, kind of torn on this issue.  The art is just ok, and the time travel/traitor story has been done, but there’s something interesting about it all.  It’s not “A” level, but getting better than it’s been.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Avengers: X-Sanction #2 – Cable continues to fight the Avengers as more hints towards the why are given.  Cable slips between the present and future in decent story telling, the art I’m iffy on over it.  The story is intriguing, just not totally sold.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Batman: Detective Comics #5 – The main story is ok, Batman chases some guy as people protest Batman.  The back-up story is a jumble of a mess.  I’d rather have a longer main story or something else, cause the quality is just not good.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Batwing #5 – Anyone else think it’s odd that Batwing has to call in the white Batman to help?  No message there?  The issue is decent and has some character depth added for Batwing and the art is fantastic.  The series is one of the bright spots for the DC relaunch.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

The Defenders #2 – The series second issue is a bit better than the first.  There’s a tone and pacing that’s different and entertaining to it.  The blurbs at the bottom are interesting too.  I can’t say this is a huge hit and must read series, but it’s getting better in my opinion.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Fatale #1 – So much hype surrounding the series and while it’s interesting, it’s not as good as Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ previous work.  The noir meets Lovecraft series is not as good as what they’ve done, but that makes it better than most everything else.  My gut says the series will be a better read in one sitting instead of individual issues.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Fear Itself: The Fearless #6 – What happened to Crossbone’s new ability?  That seemed to go away… The event spin-off hasn’t gotten much better and I’m not seeing the point.  I’m reading it in hopes it leads to something.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

The Punisher #7 – I really liked this issue.  On the way to the massacre from the last issue, two detectives talk about the Punisher and what he does and how that differs from what the police and law do.  I solid issue that really gets you to think about justice and who decides and dispenses it.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Rachel Rising #4 – The state of Rachel is starting to be noticed as more bodies are dumped.  The series is weird and a very slow creepy burn to it.  It’s so good though showing why horror was my pick of genre of the year last year.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Red Lanterns #5 – A bunch of the Lanterns get smarter as they look for Krona.  Earth gets it’s own Red Lantern.  Overall an ok story that’s getting somewhere, just not sure where.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Stormwatch #5 – Um, what the hell did I read?  I am so confused by this series.  There’s a bunch I like and then again, this is just not a friendly series for new readers. What. The. Hell?

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Swamp Thing #5 – The rot continues to get stronger while the green attempts to fight back.  The series is colliding with Animal Man and damn it’s good.  There’s just this great horror feel to it all and it’s easy to get into, even with such material that’s come before.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Thunderbolts #168 – Luke Cage is going after escaped convicts from the Raft as Mockingbird and Mach V deal with the committe that oversees the program.  At the same time the other Thunderbolts are on the run still and did Ghost reach them?  Lots going on here in an interesting issue that’s pretty solid.  Not bade, but not great either.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Uncanny X-Force #19.1 – We get a preview of what to expect when the Age of Apocalypse comes back as an ongoing series.  The preview is crazy and entertaining, but I wonder what the big game plan it is for the series.  There has to be something.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5

Uncanny X-Men #4 – A story of the Phalanx and it’s interesting.  There’s a slight tie-in with Sinister which seems a bit stretched.  A lot I like and some I don’t.  Pretty decent read though.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Villains for Hire #2 – Purple Man is on the move to find his rival and it’s a shocker as to who it is, but that ending just made my jaw drop.  I have no idea what is happening next, but this series is very entertaining.  I can’t wait to see what it leads to.

Story: 8 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.75

X-Men #23 – Yay, we get a semi-mission/point for this team, other than leaving weapons of mass destruction lying around.  What an anti-climatic ending to the story…

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Wolverine & the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1 – Quentin Quire decides to get his revenge on Wolverine for sending him to Westchester.  Sadly, the story isn’t needed and really adds nothing so far.  The art is just ok and doesn’t live up to the cool cover.  Overall, no idea why this is being done.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

X-23 #20 – Laura and Jubilee have a night out and Laura gets an offer as to where she should go next.  The story is ok, but really could have had a much more emotional impact.  The sub-par art didn’t help at all as well.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.5

Scarlet Spider #1 Leads The Charge On A Slew Of New Year Second Printings!

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Official Press Release

SCARLET SPIDER #1 Leads The Charge On A Slew Of New Year Second Printings!

Marvel is pleased to announce that several critically acclaimed books have sold out at Diamond and will be going back to press. Leading the charge as it hits stands, Scarlet Spider #1 Second Printing Variant brings fans a whole new brand of web-slinging action as Kaine takes up the mantle of the Scarlet Spider and heads to Houston! But the new Scarlet Spider isn’t the only one fans are clamoring for as The Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, Carnage, the Defenders and Uncanny X-Force also continue to fly off store shelves.

Here’s a full list of blockbuster titles with superstar creative teams going back to press:

  • Avengers Annual #1 Second Printing Variant by Brian Michael Bendis & Gabrielle Dell’otto
  • Avengers: X-Sanction #2 Second Printing Variant by Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness
  • Carnage USA #2 Second Printing Variant by Zeb Wells & Clayton Crain
  • Defenders #2 Second Printing Variant by Matt Fraction & Terry Dodson
  • Incredible Hulk #3 Second Printing Variant by Jason Aaron & Marc Silvestri
  • Uncanny X-Force #19 Second Printing Variant by Rick Remender & Robbi Rodriguez

Did you miss the previous issues of these amazing titles? Well Marvel has you covered with these additional printings!

  • New Avengers Annual #1 Second Printing Variant by Brian Michael Bendis & Gabrielle Dell’otto (JUL118236)
  • Avengers: X-Sanction #1 Second Printing Variant A by Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness (OCT118095)
  • Avengers: X-Sanction #1 Second Printing Variant B by Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness (OCT118096)
  • Carnage USA #1 Second Printing Variant by Zeb Wells & Clayton Crain (NOV118101)
  • Incredible Hulk #1 Second Printing Variant by Jason Aaron & Marc Silvestri (SEP118121)
  • Incredible Hulk #2 Second Printing Variant by Jason Aaron & Marc Silvestri (OCT118116)
  • Uncanny X-Force #18 Second Printing Variant by Rick Remender & Jerome Opena (NOV118069)

With so many red-hot new series quickly gaining steam, Marvel wants to ensure that comic shops have enough copies on hand to meet demand. No fan can miss out on these exciting new titles taking place in all corners of the Marvel Universe!

SCARLET SPIDER #1 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118186)
Written by CHRIS YOST
Pencils by RYAN STEGMAN
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

AVENGERS ANNUAL #1 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118185)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by GABRIELLE DELL’OTTO
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #2 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118182)
Written by JEPH LOEB
Pencils by ED MCGUINNESS
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

CARNAGE USA #2 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118187)
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art by CLAYTON CRAIN
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

DEFENDERS #2 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118183)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Pencils by TERRY DODSON
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

INCREDIBLE HULK #3 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118142)
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils by MARC SILVESTRI
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

UNCANNY X-FORCE #19 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (NOV118184)
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils by ROBBI RODRIGUIEZ
FOC – 1/23/12, ON SALE – 2/15/12

Pick of the Week – Avengers: X-Sanction #2

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There’s a lot of interesting comics coming out this week, but I’m fascinated to see what happens next in Avengers: X-Sanction #2.  The first issue had Cable picking off the Avengers one by one to prevent some future disaster and we know the Avengers and X-Men clash in a few months.  This is the prelude that leads into all of that and I have no idea what to expect.

  • Avengers: X-Sanction #2 – see above
  • Fatale #1 – I read the first issue and while it’s not as solid as Brubakers and Philips’ last team-ups, the comic is solid as expected.
  • Animal Man #5/Swamp Thing #5 – What happens with the Red and the Green next!?  I want to know!
  • Nowhere Man #1 – Marc Guggenheim’s latest. It just looks cool.
  • Peanuts #1 – I love me some Peanuts.

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 12/14/11

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It’s a good mix of comics this week including a bunch I’ve been waiting to read.  What’s worth it?  Find out below!

American Vampire #21 – We get some insight into who Skinner is, but still not how he became what he is.  That’s the story I thought was being told, but it’s clear that this story arc was just one small piece of the larger puzzle that Scott Snyder will eventually reveal.  Much like his general writing style, even with the bigger story telling, Snyder takes his time, laying it out in a slow, but enjoyable reveal.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Avengers Academy #23 – The plot of future Reptil coming back to make sure his timeline happens is rather interesting, but there’s something that’s missing to me as far as the writing.  The art too isn’t as top notch as I’d expect from an important title like this.  As with the characters, there’s something that just seems junior to me.  It’s an improvement in the series, but still not enough for me to consider it an “A” title.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25

Avengers: X-Sanction #1 – This is the first step in the big Avengers vs. X-Men fight that reaches it’s full blown madness in a few months.  Cable is back to prevent a disaster in the future and to do that he has to take on the Avengers.  It all revolves around Hope too, and with all the mystery surrounding her, this event has the potential to reveal a hell of a lot.  The first issue is interesting and pretty solid, but quite of a few of Marvel’s recent events have started out strong too only to stumble.  We’ll see if this one can buck that trend.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5

Batgirl #4 – We finally find out how Barbara is walking, even if it’s just a few panels and her battle with Mirror comes to an end in this holiday themed issue.  Overall the comic is pretty good as expected with Gail Simone behind the wheel, but it still nags me about Barbara Gordon now walking.  That’s not Simone’s fault, but it’s still the elephant in the room as it feels insulting to those who are in wheelchairs or who have other disabilities.  The comic is good though, even with the rather lame villain.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Batman and Robin #4 – We learn a bit as to who Nobody is as the villain and Batman fight for Damian’s loyalty.  It’s interesting these two so easily represent the dual sides of Damian, but it’s also so obvious this is the intent.  The comic doesn’t have subtlety, but the story is entertaining and art very solid.  Overall a good addition to the Bat family of comics.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

Batwoman #4 – Flamebird gets her butt whooped as Batwoman continues to search for the missing children and attempts to have a social life.  The story as usual isn’t the draw here, it’s all about the art which continues to be amazing.  Hopefully the storytelling will get to the level of the art and layout and at that point, this’ll be one of the best comics out there.  Until then, it’s only for people looking for something beautiful to look at.

Story: 7.25 Art: 9 Overall: 7.5

Battle Scars #2 – The mystery of Marcus Johnson isn’t revealed in this second issue…. maybe the next one?  The comic is ok, but nothing that’s gotten me too excited.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #526 – In a plot that’s rather appropriate in today’s anti-corporate fervor, we find out exactly what Wilson Fisk wants with the Bank of Wakanda.  The story is pretty solid in it’s chess like plot and the art is always great.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Green Lantern #4 – Jordan and Sinestro versus the entire Sinestro Corps.  But, what happens when they fail?  Captured and surrounded by people that hate them, Sinestro and Jordan have to figure out how to escape and free an enslaved world that despises them.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Iron Man 2.0 #11 – Just one more issue to go with Warmachine taking on a nano tech villain.  It’s been an interesting story, but nothing quite amazing.  The art in this issue though takes a dip as a few different folks hop in to put it all together.  The usual interesting and unique look changes a bunch and often in a jarring way.

Story: 7.25 Art: 6.75 Overall: 7

Magneto: Not a Hero #2 – What the hell is going on?  Unless you’re a die-hard “X” fan and care about Joseph/Erik/Magneto, this comic just makes little sense for the folks who haven’t been reading for decades.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

the New Avengers #19 – It’s Norman Osborn’s new Dark Avengers and a lot of discussion of what worked, what didn’t and why this team is better.  At the same time the new Avengers discuss Norman being loose and it looks like they have a traitor in their midst.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Resurrection Man #4 – A bunch of crazy in this issue as various forces merge to get Shelley back.  There’s heaven and hell and two women sporting big guns and a guy calling himself Transhuman.  The series is pretty crazy, but something very entertaining and interesting about it all.

Story: 8 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8

S.H.I.E.L.D. #4 – Is this in continuity?  There’s some things shown here that are pretty huge if this is happening in the 616 world.  As usual, a lot I like in the series but also a lot that’s a bit dense and hard to get in to.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.25

Suicide Squad #4 – The cover lays it out there “betrayed by one of their own,” but who it is and why definitely caught me off guard.  The second arc comes to a close and leads directly into the third.  The series isn’t the tops out there and needs a bit more fine tuning to turn it into a solid Dirty Dozen type comic, but it’s still entertaining to read.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Superboy #4 – Superboy is given a choice after it’s clear who and what Red is.  But, in his wandering to figure it all out, Superboy comes off as a dick.  It’s interesting to follow this series, just because of it’s tie into Teen Titans, but without that, there’s not a whole lot that’s enjoyable about this Superboy.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Ultimate Comics X-Men #4 – Well, hell, I totally didn’t expect that and see that coming.  Stryker attacks New York while the US government and the remaining X-Men have to figure out how to respond.  The story is very familiar, but just different enough to keep me on my toes.  The Ultimate universe is one where anything can happen and it does.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Uncanny X-Force #18 – Well that was one hell of an ending and I have to say I got a bit emotional for part of it, but still not sure why there was a bag.  Rick Remender’s epic story of the rise of the new Apocalypse goes out with a bang and deserves to be put up there as one of the best “X” stories ever.  Solid on every level.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

The Walking Dead #92 – Just when you think writer Robert Kirkman is going to go in one direction, he throws something at you that you weren’t expecting.  This issue really shakes up the series and I’m sure you’re jaw dropped at the ending like mine.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Around the Tubes

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It’s been a pretty quiet 24 hours as far as news, but below is what caught my eyes….

Around the Blogs:

Bleeding Cool – Project Marvel Nets 27 Firearms, $110,000 And 395 Criminal Charges – I really want to know what the criminals were calling each other.

The Mary Sue – Superheroines Urge You to Self-Examine in These Mozambican Breast Cancer PSAs – Hope this does some good.

Kotaku – New Batman: Arkham City Figures Include Catwoman and The Riddler – These look so good.

 

Around the Tubes Reviews:

CBR – Avengers: X-Sanction #1

ComicBookMovie.com – Everlast

CBR – The Strain #1

Pick of the Week – The Strain #1

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I’ve read a good chunk of this week’s picks so very confident in this week’s top five.  The top spot goes to The Strain #1 a new take on the vampire mythos from Guillermo del Toro.  The comic can jokingly be called vampires on a plane, but the tense feeling over the standoff that is involved around that particular scene just shows how amazing this comic series may be.  The vampire story has been done a ton, but this one had me on the edge nervous as to what would happen next.

  • The Strain #1 – see above
  • 27: Second Set #4 – The fourth issue of the second volume of the series ends on a high note.  The ending is awesome and I can’t wait to see what volume three has in store.
  • PIGS #4 – KGB assassins running around the US.  The first issue had a major shock and this one throws in another holy crap moment as we learn the fate of the KGB sleeper cell.
  • Locke & Key: Clockworks #3 – I’m new to Locke & Key but absolutely love it.
  • Avengers: X-Sanction #1 – Cable is out to kill the Avengers in the beginning of Marvel’s next big event.  Sign me up!
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