It’s a new week of books dominated by even tie-ins.  Is it the status quo, with one clearly outshining the other?  Find out what’s worth it and what you should skip below!

Chew #19 – The series by John Layman and Rob Guillory continues to be one of the most original and entertaining comics on the market.  Consistently fun, always keeping you on the edge, never knowing what to expect, the series is fantastic in every way imaginable.  It should be on everyone’s pull list.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Fear Itself #4 – It’s taken four issues, but the story has finally kicked up and started to be coherent.  If only it started out this way.  The art doesn’t blow me away, but the site of Steve Rogers as Captain America was too long in the making.

Story: 8 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1 – There’s some slight art issues, but overall the story is great with a good angle of a group of Purifier offshoots reacting to the end of the world.  Hopefully the limited series keeps it’s focus and doesn’t get too distracted.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

Fear Itself: Wolverine #1 – The story is ok, the art not bad, but it seems a bit silly that there’s this mini-series as well as the Uncanny X-Force one.  Wolverine I’m sure will also play a big role in the main series, so along with Deadpool, as usual we get overkill and over use of a character.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25

Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #3 – This issue sees one of the deaths Marvel hyped.  It’s an ok series but doesn’t add a whole lot to the overall story which is what you hope the tie-ins would do.

Story: 7 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7

Flashpoint #3 – If Flashpoint is any indication DcNu is going to give Marvel a run for their money.  The story continues to be solid and entertaining with great moments peppered throughout.  We finally get to see what happened to Superman and Grifter is officially folded into the DC universe.

Story: 8.75 Art: 9 Overall: 8.75

Flashpoint: Abin Sur – The Green Lantern #2 – Well that was a pretty shocking and unexpected twist.  A lot of questions are raised though, and hopefully we get some answers.  I also notice the comic is tied into the movie a bit more as far as the look, will we see the other series do the same?

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.55

Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance #2 – Wow, just wow.  Brian Azzarello shows off how much of a solid writer he is.  So damn good.  Do everything you can to avoid finding out about this issue’s twist.  It’s a great one.

Story: 9.25 Art: 9 Overall: 9.25

Flashpoint: Secret Seven #2 – I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first issue and the second also just doesn’t do it for me.  The weakest of the series for this event.  Part of the issue is I’m very unfamiliar with the character at the center of it, so really don’t understand what’s going on at times.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #2 – One of the weaker of the Flashpoint tie-ins.  The story is ok and you get a smattering of the world this event is set in, but again, I don’t think it adds a lot to the main series.  Maybe that changes in the next issue, but so far, meh.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Heroes for Hire #9 – Fear Itself seems to be taking what were once solid comics, distracting them from their decent stories and forcing them to participate in sub-par stories that add little to the overall Fear Itself plot line.  This issue for a great series is exactly that.  Everything is off, especially the art.  A definite skip.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

Irredeemable #27 – For issues now we’ve seen Plutonian attempting to escape the insane asylum he was sent while a few also tried to rescue him.  We thought he was reformed but at this point I have no idea what to expect.  Mark Waid continues to keep the readers on their toes with a series that pushes the hero/villain relaitonship/roles.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Moon Knight #3 – The cover alone makes the comic worth purchasing, but there’s a fantastic story in there too as the series continues to shake out and we’re introduced to the main characters who will play some roles.  Just beyond solid and such a great series so far.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Red Skull: Incarnate #1 – An attempt to copy the magic of Magneto: Testament and show the flip side of the coin.  The series “historical” roots really just sits in text talking about the cost of items at the store.  The series first issue doesn’t have the emotional depth as Magneto’s tale and instead just comes off as pornographic violence.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Secret Six #35 – The series had taken a turn with distractions such as a trip to Hell, but Bane is a focused man again and is on a mission and he needs the rest of the team to help.  It’s good to see villains acting the sort again and the series to return to it’s proper form.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Supreme Power #2 – The first issue was great as it was Marvel’s look at what super powered beings would really do in a modern world.  The second issue picks up on that but delves a bit further into the previous volumes which I haven’t read.  This makes it a bit more difficult to appreciate and understand.  It’s good, but just not as accessible as it should be.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Thunderbolts #160 – A Fear Itself tie-in that again drags down the series.  The issue is they take on the Juggernaut in Chicago.  But, in another series we see him in Vegas, which means they obviously failed in their mission.  Well, if Wolverine can be in like six tie-ins, then I guess so can the Juggernaut.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Uncanny X-Men #540 – And again it’s the Juggernaut taking center stage as the villain.  In one week of comics he’s gone from Chicago to Las Vegas and now San Francisco.  That’s a lot of mileage covered and more appearances than Wolverine and Deadpool.  Congrats Juggernaut, you now have the title of most overused character of the week.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.25

Vengeance #1 – I really don’t get it.

Story: 6 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.25

X-Men #14 – It’s funny when a retcon works and when it doesn’t at the same time.  Some secret history is being wedged into continuity and it sort of works.  It’ll be the end before we know how well, but overall, it’s somewhat entertaining.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

X-23 #12 – The issue continues the whole “trigger scent” plot and the individual issue is ok, but I think the overall arc will be a lot better than any of the individual issues.  The art though is fantastic with just a wonderful anime feel to it.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.75