Tag Archives: villains for hire

Top Five Recently Canceled Series I Wish Were Still Being Published

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Sorry haven’t posted in a while, but life has been getting in the way, but I should be back in the regular mix here at Graphic Policy from now on. My first post back is pretty straightforward, I’m going to take a look at five series that have ended recently that I wish were still going on. Not limited series, but ongoing series that have been canceled.

Honorable Mention: The Order, all of Marvel’s cosmic titles

OMAC 5. OMAC (8 issues, last in April 2012): OMAC wasn’t brilliant and it was, of course, little more than a tribute to Jack Kirby that hadn’t really been developed into anything of its own yet, but it had a lot of potential. Keith Giffen gave us art that was as true to Kirby as if Jack had done it himself. Dan DiDio was starting to establish an original character in Kevin Kho (the only Cambodian-American character in comics I know of) and there were a lot of Brother Eye stories to be told. Many crappier titles survived into the Second Wave of the New 52, hopefully we’ll see more from Kho, OMAC and Brother Eye again soon.

Heroes for Hire 4. Heroes for Hire (12 issues, last in November 2011): Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning showed us with this series that there are no small characters, just small stories and small writers. Misty Knight and Paladin were turned into compelling and entertaining characters in a way they rarely have been in the past. The first issue of this series, with its shout-out to The Warriors, remains one of the best first issues of any series I’ve ever read. Luckily we got to see the story continued in Spider Island and Villains for Hire, but with the team having no current home, I worry that we won’t be seeing them as much.

28 Days Later 3. 28 Days Later (24 issues, last in June 2011): In the days when zombie comics are rightfully dominated by The Walking Dead and wrongfully imitated by dozens of inferior titles, 28 Days Later was one of the few non-Robert Kirkman series that actually added something to the genre. Every issue started with a brilliant cover (most of the recent ones by Sean Phillips), continued with solid interior art by Alejandro Aragon and top-notch storytelling by Michael Alan Nelson. Following in the footsteps of the first movie, the series was always compelling and gave us a look at the aftermath of the British zombie outbreak that broke new ground in a well-worn genre. The comic did the same.

SWORD 2. SWORD (5 issues, last in March 2010): SWORD is exactly what I’m looking for when I pick up comics. It was one of the smartest comics on the shelf, fast-paced, funny, filled with references and jokes that you don’t need to know, but if you do they add layers to the story, action-packed, and consistently awesome. It featured a strong female lead who could’ve developed into one of Marvel’s better characters and introduced us to one of the more intriguing characters to come along in years in the Unit. Luckily, we’re still seeing flashes of these characters and SWORD in X-Men comics, but it’s sad, that from what I understand, the comic was never really given a chance. Keiron Gillen gets most of the credit for how great this comic was.

Secret Warriors 1. Secret Warriors (28 issues, last in September 2011): Secret Warriors beats out SWORD, to me, because, while SWORD is exactly what I come to comics to find, Secret Warriors consistently surprised me. It was way better than I expected and it brought to my attention things I wouldn’t have otherwise read or thought about. It also had better art than SWORD. Another series with consistently brilliant covers and superior art by the likes of Allesandro Viti and Stefano Caselli (among others), the comic clearly had its own visual style and it was better than most of what was on the market. On top of that, the writing was even better. Originally a Brian Michael Bendis project and later taken over by Jonathan Hickman, the comic delved into the espionage side of the Marvel Universe, particularly the ongoing tale of Nick Fury, better than it has been done in decades. I’m not even that big a fan of Fury and the espionage stuff. Well, I wasn’t until this series. The only thing that still touches on this stuff in a good way are the ongoing Captain America and Secret Avengers titles, but neither of them is as consistently good (and shocking) as Secret Warriors was.

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 3/7/12

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That’s three week’s of reviews taken care of this week.  Getting closer to catching up.

Age of Apocalypse #1 – It’s the last remaining humans versus Weapon Omega and a world full of mutants.  It’s the reverse of the 616 in a way and while I missed the Age of Apocalypse the first time around, the writing style, voice and art have me wanting to come back for more.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Animal Man #7 – The battle along with Swamp Thing is growing nearer as the Rot continues to hunt Animal Man and his family.  The story is solid as expected and it’s the fright along with the quiet moments that makes this series great.  Vertigo has come to DC and damn is it good.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Avengers Academy #27 – Part one of the Runaways’ visit to Avengers Academy starts with a stereotypical fight and looks like the second part will be one too…. sigh.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Avengers: the Children’s Crusade #9 – After so much build-up.  After so many delays, the final issue of this mini-series is kind of a let down.  Not much really happens other than events being set into motion concerning Iron Lad and what happens to Vision, but really it’s all to neat and tidy when the vents leading up to it and depicted during were anything but.

Story: 6.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7

Batman: Detective Comics #7 – The story involving Penguin’s Casino is over and I’m all mixed up as to what the hell is going on.  Too many Batman comics with not enough distinction.  The stories seem to blur together a bit and that’s not a good thing.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

Batwing #7 – We find out the horrific thing the Kingdom did and really, it’s impact just didn’t hit me.  But.. the fight heads to Gotham.  What’s it say that Batwing has to run to the other “white” Batman and friends to solve his issue?  Doesn’t really make the character stand on his own….

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

the Defenders #4 – The first arc is over, but that doesn’t mean the story is over.  There’s a dream machine and Strange doesn’t know what it does and how it works.  The issue really focuses on Strange and his history and a lot of potential of what the story could be.  Lots of hints of excellence, but it doesn’t quite work for me.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Fairest #1 – Spinning out of Fables, what ever happened to Sleeping Beauty?  Ali Baba is the Prince of Thieves in search of treasure and this first issue harkens back to the quality of early Fables comics.  So good.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Hell Yeah #1 – It’s the last generation of heroes and there was a lot of buzz about this book and there’s a reason.  It’s so good, Hell Yeah lives up to it’s name.  The comic has great art and the story has me very interested.  Such a solid first issue that shows why Image is one of the most buzzed about publishers.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

The Manhattan Projects #1 – Jonathan Hickman’s latest series is so interesting involving the Manhattan Project and how that was really a front.  The ideas are so out there as expected, Hickman knocks it out of the park with this first issue.  The art is interesting and not quite to my liking, but overall the series is a great read and absolute buy.

Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 9

Night Force #1 – What the fuck did I just read?  This is really only for hardcore fans of whatever came before.

Story: 6 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.25

Rachel Rising #6 – Wow.  A slow burn of a horror series that seems to only get better with each issue.  I really wish more people were praising the series because it deserves the mass exposure a certain other horror comic series is getting.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Ralph Wiggum Comics #1 – The things that come out of Ralph’s mouth are some of the best things ever said on The Simpsons.  He’s easily one of my favorite characters.  I was giddy when I heard about this series and it’s as funny and innocent as I expected.  I had a smile on my face the entire time and was laughing out loud.  So much potential, so much fun.

Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 8.75

Red Lanterns #7 – Atrocitus still searches for Krona so Bleez decides to take the Red Lanterns on a mission.  Then there’s the Red Lantern of Earth, who of course lashes out and fights Guy Gardner.  For all good there is, there’s also so much bad…

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Stormwatch #7 – The series is so close to being something great, but it just doesn’t quite do it for me.  I’m still reading hoping it’ll get there.  It shows improvement, but still not there yet.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Swamp Thing #7 – The Green is under assault by the Rot and Alec must choose what he’ll do.  Does he become the Swamp Thing or does he let the Rot win.  Here’s what we’ve been waiting for… the decision.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #8 – Miles and his uncle have a talk while the Scorpion is after the Prowler.  Miles is still dealing with his new role as others are adjusting to the news of a new Spider-Man.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Uncanny X-Men #8 – The Tabula Rasa story is over and I’m sure that’s not the last we’ll see of it.  Overall a poor follow up to X-Force’s story that created it, but interesting concepts.  The art is still very uneven.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Venom #14 – The battle in Vegas is over thankfully… such a bad story arc.  Here’s hoping the series gets back on track.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Villains for Hire #4 – And with that, a good concept comes to an end.  So sad as the Heroes and Villains concept had a ton of potential and the Heroes version was a lot of fun.  This ending was a bit convoluted, but still entertaining.  We’ll see if there’s any lasting impact to this all.  I hope there is.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Winter Soldier #3 – Not as quite good as Cap stories of the past, the series is slowly finding it’s own voice and coming together.  Bucky and Widow have to break into the Latverian Embassy to have a chat with Von Doom after figuring out who is behind all the activity they’re tracking.  There’s a lot of action here, but the comic stands out when it slows down and focuses on the characters.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Wolverine #302 – Wolverine struggles against mind control, what a shock.  His battle with the Hand continues and gets noticed by the Hand’s leader Wilson Fisk…  The story is ok, but the art is sub-par.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 7.25

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #3 – And the point to this miniseries is?  I really need to learn to not buy these.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

X-Men #26 – Wow is the art bad in this issue.  Storm looks anorexic in the majority of panels.  The story is so-so, but really, I kind of hoped someone would stake Jubilee and get this story arc over with.

Story: 7 Art: 6 Overall: 6.75

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

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

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 12/7/11

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It’s a think stack of books this week as we head into the last month of the year.  What company is going out with a bang and making the case to be the publisher of year?  Find out below!

Animal Man #4 – We learn what the Rot is and what they want, sort of.  It’s also laid out as to what’s been pretty obvious, we’ll be getting a crossover pretty soon with Swamp Thing, because nothing says simplifying a comic universe like interconnected stories and crossovers.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Avenging Spider-Man #2 – Lots of action, great art and enough to get me to laugh quite a few times.  This series is exactly what comics should be, fun and easy to get into.  So entertaining, I highly recommend it, and this is from someone who has never been a big Spider-Man fan.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Batman: Detective Comics #4 – Batman continues to fight the Dollmaker to a rather unsatisfying conclusion.  Really, nothing is resolved here and it all gets pushed off for another story arc.  This is definitely the weakest of the Batman books.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Batwing #4 – We get the origin of Batwing and while there’s so much to mine, the fact it’s told so quickly without much depth makes it all shallow.  There’s a lot here to work with, but the first steps just doesn’t go into the depth it deserves.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.5

Chew #22 – Tony is on a mission to find his daughter as he winds up getting into trouble himself.  The issue isn’t as solid as the series usually is, but was still entertaining.  An even ok issue of Chew is better than the majority of books out there.

Story: 8 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

the Defenders #1 – The team is gathered by Hulk to take on the Breaker of Worlds, and I yawn, a lot.  The series first issue just didn’t do it for me at all.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.75

Fear Itself: the Fearless #4 – The Fear Itself follow up is as bad as the series that it’s spun out of.  Someone needs to go and see what blood looks like in water and the story is just plodding and boring.  Get to the action quicker, because this race to get all of the hammers is pretty damn boring.

Story: 6 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6

Jennifer Blood #7 – After Jennifer has taken care of her targets, I’ve been wondering where the series would go from here, but we now get an idea.  The over the top violently funny series continues it’s depraved streak as various new plot threads are weaved that all promise to continue the entertaining sickness of the series.  This “female Punisher” looks like it’s finally getting an identity of it’s own.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Mega Man #8 – Mega Man’s second battle with Dr. Wiley comes to an end and the comic is still great for all ages.  It’s a lot of similar events as the first one with some small twists here and there, but hopefully the third story arc will transcend the predictable plot of the video game it’s based on.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Moon Knight #8 – Lots of Moon Knight and Echo action here as they take on Count Nefaria and Moon Knight as deals with a certain detective.  The series is fantastic, not just in it’s writing, but also the art.  This is easily one of the best comic book series Marvel is putting out and one of the best out there period.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.5

the Punisher #6 – Frank and Rachel meet as they both go after their targets.  There’s a very interesting dual narrative going on, one with a white motif and the other black.  A lot is working for the comic, in it’s simple execution it’s actually pretty damn deep.  The art is a little off, but overall, the execution is solid.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

Red Lanterns #4 – Writer Peter Milligan continues to shuffle up these one note characters.  Depth is attempting to be given and it’s working only a little.  There’s a pretty big hurtle that he has to overcome in getting this series to really justify it existing on it’s own and it’s getting there, just very slowly.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Stormwatch #4 – Hmmm, I’m still torn on the series and it’s not until this issue it starts to really find it’s voice and not seem so jumbled.  The art is decent and characters interesting, but still something doesn’t totally click.  I’ll keep going for now, but the series teeters on the edge of being dropped by me.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Swamp Thing #4 – And we get the Green’s take on the battle with the Rot.  The series is great with it’s companion series Animal Man and like that series stands on it’s own, but I can’t help but think how complicated a story the two are telling when part of the point of the DCnU was to simplify it all.  Overall though, the two put together a compelling tale.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles: Micro-Series Raphael – A pretty decent one-shot that adds to the main TMNT comic book series.  Raphael is out on patrol with Casey Jones and meets a new mutated creature.  Some pretty cool stuff that will leave fans of the cartoon or previous comic iterations with a smile on their face.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Venom #10 – Some old acquaintances come calling for Venom as Captain America comes to shut the program down.  It’s an interesting start to the post Spider-Island direction.  I liked the series before, so here’s hoping it quickly gets back on it’s feet and gives us the same quality as before.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Villains for Hire #1 – Huh, not what I was expecting but very good.  It looks like this is a bridge from Heroes for Hire into something else, and I can’t wait to see what.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5

X-Club #1 – And the point of this limited series is?

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

X-Factor #228 – Interesting.  Now we know the secret between Layla and Guido.  Not sure I particularly like that revelation, but interesting.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

X-Men #22 – This team of X-Men have a lot of Sentinels to take on.  The story is interesting and art has it’s moments, but the series is still fresh and doesn’t have enough yet to really stand out on it’s own.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

X-23 #18 – Amazing art but schizophrenic story.

Story: 6.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 11/2/11

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The pile of new comics has started to dwindle as I’m figuring out the comics from DC’s relaunch I’m keeping and what’s just not making the cut.  Will things get cut this week?  Find out below!

American Vampire #20 – The lead up to the origin of Skinner continues as we learn more about how his maker became a vampire and there’s hints why the “American vampire” is different than it’s European cousins, though that’s not completely laid out.  The story is entertaining and it’s fun to see a western mashed up with a good ole horror tale.  Snyder continues to put out a solid product here.

Story: 8.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8

Animal Man #3 – Vertigo is in full effect in the DCU.  This comic is so out there and so crazy and at the same time so entertaining.  Animal Man and his daughter head into The Red and we learn a bit about the origin of Animal Man.  Meanwhile the rest of their family are attacked too.  The series is so crazy and “out horrors” the rest of DC dark.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Avengers Academy #21 – I haven’t been the biggest fan of the series, much preferring it’s incarnation as the “Initiative,” but this issue kicks off it’s new direction with a lot of new characters and one hell of an ending.  I’m still a bit skeptical due to the past, but this first issue has piqued my interest.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Batman: Detective Comics #3 – So, we finally get to find out who the Dollmaker is, but something about this issue just doesn’t quite seem right.  It might be because it’s predictable.  It might be that the whole schtick for this bad guy doesn’t quite make sense.  Out of the three main Bat-titles, this is the weakest of the bunch.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Batwing #3 – Huh.  The politics is very subtle so far, but this issue delves a little into that with The Kingdom, but mostly the issue is Batwing getting his ass kicked and we get to see a bit of his past that adds a whole lot of depth about him.  The series is interesting and surprisingly good.  The art is solid and stands out.  Overall, it’s a welcome addition to the Bat-family and DC comics.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Dark Shadows #1 – All I know of Dark Shadows is that it’s a former television show involving a vampire that has a cult following and is highly regarded.  So, I went into the first issue as a blank slate and I came out pretty impressed.  The issue focuses on the individuals giving enough for new readers to figure out who everyone is and what their deal is and I’m sure fans will have a lot more to go on.  The story is interesting and I can’t quite tell if this is a horror soap opera or a straight up horror story.  There’s enough to make me come back for a second issue.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Fear Itself #7.1: Captain America – The first of three epilogue’s for Fear Itself reveals the fate of Bucky who’ll get his own series starting in January (I’d say that’s a spoiler, but it’s been all over).  It’s funny that this comic is so much better than the event in spun out of, but it really feels like a lead up and pitch for a new series as opposed to closure to Marvel’s sub-par event.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Fear Itself: The Fearless #2 – The series is focused on Valkyrie’s and Crossbone’s attempts to regain the hammers.  Valkyrie’s story is a bit of a stretch as it attempts to flesh out her background and Crossbone’s seems to avoid the change that happened to him in Thunderbolts.  The first issue was entertaining, but this second one quickly has fallen into issues that Fear Itself had.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Huntress #1 – I’ve had a lot of people recommend this comic that came out a few weeks ago, so I decided to give it a shot.  Huntress heads to Naples and takes on a smuggler of women and guns.  The series is pretty solid, but I don’t quite get why it doesn’t take place in the new DCU.  The Huntress is a solid, strong, female lead which is great to see.  She kicks a lot of ass and the bad guy is down to Earth in that, he doesn’t have super powers sort of way.  The series could have a hell of a message if the writer wanted, but as it stands it’s an entertaining read.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Moon Knight #7 – Moon Knight deals with the fact that he was snitched on and the Avengers were called.  He also hatches a plan to find out who the bad guy behind it all is.  Those around him also begin to deal with the fact the man is clearly nuts.  The series is fantastic with amazing art, and some great action.  The interaction between everyone is top notch as well.  This is one of the best comics Marvel is putting out right now.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

New Mutants #33 – The split is done and the team must decide who they’re sticking with and what their role in the “X” world will be.  The art I think is still off and there’s some parts of the story I liked, but overall something is still off about the series.  It seems that they’ll be playing a more integrated role with human society in Cyclop’s world and their first mission seems interesting, but there’s a lot of talk in this issue that doesn’t shed a lot of depth on the characters.  It is a decent hopping on point for new readers.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Red Lantern #3 – Writer Peter Milligan is attempting to give depth to characters who have been one note up until now.  His direction has them being the Ghost Riders of rage and so far it’s been ok.  But, the characters have been mindless beasts for the most part driven by rage.  Next up to get the fleshed out treatment is Bleez whose mind is cleared and becomes the second in command.  But, with that promotion there’s also hints there’s more to it.  Not the best issue, but Milligan is doing what he can with what he’s been given.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Stormwatch #3 – This is supposed to be one of the pillars of the new DCU but the comic has been a bit hard to sift through and figure out everything that’s going on.  We’ve been thrown into the action without much of an explanation and while it’s all quirky and somewhat entertaining, I can’t yet declare it an “A” list series.  I’m giving it the first arc, then I’ll make my decision.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Swamp Thing #3 – We’re starting to get a clearer picture as to what the big baddie Swamp Thing will face.  I also get a sense that this same bad guy is also who Animal Man will deal with.  It’s interesting that these two series are relying on colors as much as Green Lantern mythos does.  The horror feel is still present and the two books are definitely Vertigo come to DC.  Snyder is always slow to start with his series, that’s his style, but when it’s still so good, who cares.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.5

Uncanny X-Men #1 – The good is they’ve finally thrown it out there and equated mutant powers as a deterrent and Utopia as a nation with one.  They’ve been hinting at it for quite a while, but never just laid it out there.  It’s some interesting logic thrown around and hopefully we finally get to see what was promised, the focus on a true mutant nation and what that really means as well as what it takes to pull that off.  The action itself revolves around the Dreaming Celestial and Mr. Sinister, that’s all off.  If anything, this first issue shows a lot of potential, but doesn’t quite excite.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.25

Villains for Hire #0.1 – We’ve seen the heroes, but this point one issue sets up the villains out there looking to be hired to pull off jobs.  The first issue is interesting, but doesn’t quite set up the series to come enough.  Instead it focuses a lot more on the heroes stopping the villains, not what brought them together.  Together the two series should be fun and here’s hoping it has the exploitation movie feel like it’s sister series.  But, this “first issue” doesn’t quite excite me enough.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

X-Men #20 – Hmmm.  The team is interesting and first issue of it’s direction much like Uncanny has potential.  I don’t dig the overused good guys versus good guys over a misunderstanding before they team up schtick.  But, the story continues the whole proliferation of Sentinels story, so that’s cool.  But, overall, meh.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

X-23 #16 – Um, yeah.  Can’t say I dig the Captain Universe thing.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5