John Babos
Hmm. 9 books this week.
- Batman #40 – Endgame’s endgame!
- Convergence #4 – Mid-point of the event!
- Convergence Booster Gold #1 – Probably the most important 2-shot due to time travellers piece; moreso after having read Convergence #3.
- Convergence Crime Syndicate #1 – Curious to how this will be.
- Convergence Infinity Inc #1 – Jerry Ordway writing Not on art? But he was involved in the original Infinity Inc. series, so that’s a win!
- Convergence Justice Society #1 – Love the JSA.
- G.I. Joe #8 (Cover A) – Enjoying this new take on the Joe’s and Cobra.
- Justice League #40 – Darkseid War!
- Multiversity #2 – Curious how this book ties into Convergence.
Mike Maillaro
It’s DC Catch Up week! Apparently, they realized they still had a bunch of books that were supposed to come out before Convergence that didn’t come out yet and thought it might be a good time to catch up. Batman #40, Justice League #40, Superman #40, and Multiversity #2 all FINALLY come out this week. Still waiting for any signs of Secret Six issues 3 and 4! Hopefully we will see them before the next crisis catchs up to us.
- Convergence Week 4 – This is definitely my favorite week so far. Lots of books that I am excited to see. Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Crime Syndicate, Infinity Inc, Justice Society, Plastic Man, Shazam, and World’s Finest (Seven Soldier of Victory). These seemed like the varied and different series they put out so far. I also thought issue 3 was the best issue so far, so hopefully they will continue heading in the right direction.
- Fantastic Four #645 – The FINAL ISSUE OF FANTASTIC FOUR EVER. Yeah, sorry, I don’t believe that for a second, but nothing amuses me more than stoking the conspiracy theory fires. Fantastic Four has always been hit or miss for me, but I thought Robinson’s run has been excellent. I am really curious how he brings everything to an end, and where these characters go from here.
- New Avengers Ultron Forever #1 – I actually kind of thought I was done with Ultron stories, but Avengers: Ultron Forever was a surprisingly good read. Really looking forward to seeing how the rest of this series plays out from here. I get that it’s just a cash in on the movie, but it still was entertaining.
- Injustice Gods Among Us Year Three Annual #1 – Injustice has been an excellent digital series. I actually get annoyed when they do these “print first” annuals, as they have provided some great insight for some of the characters. It just feels a little disrespectful to the regular fans of this series, since everything else is digital first. I know that is very petty. I make no apologies.
- Quantum And Woody Must Die #4 – ARGH!! Q+W’s last issue…again. I hope we get news on something more Quantum and Woody soon. Back enough I’ve had to go without Archer and Armstrong the last few months, not sure I can stay sane with both books missing for any period of time.
- Superior Iron Man #8 – Definitely an underrated series. This dark look at Tony Stark manages to feel in character, which still providing us with an entertaining story. I’ve really liked Teen Abomination and I hope that we see more of him in other titles.
- S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 – Mystical gunrunners and the Scarlet Witch. SHIELD seems to exist in its own little pocket of the Marvel universe, and I lovethe stories we’ve gotten so far. Waid is definitely on his game here.
- Spider-Man And The X-Men #6 – How can Marvel charge $5 for this issue??? Spidey and the X-Men has always kind of been on the border for me. It’s not a bad book, but it’s also not a great book. Definitely not something that I would pay $5 for.
Alexander Lucard
After two busy weeks, back down to a more manageable six this week.
- Convergence #4 – Sticking with it for Mike Grell’s Warlord characters. Here’s hoping we get a Warlord series by Grell out of it.
- Convergence Blue Beetle #1 – TED KORD IS MY FAVORITE SUPERHERO. Plus I get classic Question.
- Convergence Booster Gold #1 MICHAEL JON CARTER IS MY SECOND FAVORITE SUPER HERO. This is probably the most important two-shot in this “event” similar to Booster in Five Years Later or whatever it was called. I’m getting this for the character and story.
- Convergence Shazam! #1 Really, I’m getting this to support the character being called CAPTAIN MARVEL. Shazam is the wizard, not Billy Batson DC. Plus it’s the Big Red Cheese vs. Gotham by Gaslight. How can this not be awesome?
- Convergence Detective Comics #1 – Earth 2 Robin and Huntress written by Len Wein. Another must have.
- Quantum and Woody Must Die #4 – I love this series. Like Mike, I am going to go through serious withdrawal without either A&A or Q&W every month.
Mike Maillaro – Honestly, I have NO sympathy when it comes to DC regarding the Captain Marvel name.even though I am typically a fan of the character. They bought the name Captain Marvel just to kill him, and had no interest in doing anything with him. Marvel took the name (which made sense for them), and I am probably the world’s ONLY Mar-Vell fan (I literally own every issue and every appearance I could find).
Alexander Lucard – I own everything with Mar-Vell too. My favorite Marvel character after pre-2001 Captain America and Hawkeye. What DC did back in the day to Fawcett was shitty but it’s annoying as hell to be a longtime Captain Marvel fan and see them calling him Shazam. No sympathy for DC – just for Billy Batson.
James Fulton
- Avengers #44/New Avengers #33 – I feel like Jonathan Hickman is nowhere near the end of this story, but these are the last issues of this series, as we launch into Secret Wars on Free Comic Book Day. I’ve really liked Time Runs Out, but at the same time, I’m a little apprehensive that the Marvel Event Machine might send everything off-course.
- Multiversity #2 – Kind of like Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers of Victory, this series of one-shots has not lived up to its hype or potential, but the first issue was good, and I’m looking forward to finally returning to the characters and story that began in the first issue.
- Bitch Planet #4 – The first two issues got me hooked, the third issue swerved into a flashback, and then we got a bit of a hiatus. Now, the book is returning, and I’m happy about that.
- All-New Captain America #6 – I’ve enjoyed this first arc, and am hoping that this title is going to return after Secret Wars, so we can continue to watch Sam Wilson take on and live up to the mantle of Captain America.
- Hellbreak #2 – The first issue of Hellbreak, a new Oni Press series about a group who rescue the souls of the possessed from Hell, was pretty good. I see this book as the replacement for The Sixth Gun when it ends (both are written by Cullen Bunn), and I hope it gets as long a life as that title.
Paul Miranda
It’s mostly DC on my radar this week:
- ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA #6
- AVENGERS #44 [final issue]
- BATMAN #40
- CONVERGENCE #4 (of 8)
- CONVERGENCE: BOOSTER GOLD #1 (of 2)
- CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY of AMERICA #1 (of 2)
- CONVERGENCE: SHAZAM! #1 (of 2)
- DAREDEVIL #15
- FANTASTIC FOUR #645 [final issue]
- JUSTICE LEAGUE #40
- MULTIVERSITY #2 (of 2)
- NEW AVENGERS #33 [final issue]
- NEW AVENGERS: ULTRON FOREVER
- POWERS FIRSTS #1
- SILK #3
- SUPERMAN #40
- TRUE BELIEVERS: AGE of ULTRON #1
- TRUE BELIEVERS: MILES MORALES #1
AVENGERS #44 / NEW AVENGERS #33
It’s a one-two punch as Jonathan Hickman ends his long-spanning run on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I for one am relieved that the Incursion has finally come! It’s no longer a secret (HAH!) that this pair of books leads directly to SECRET WARS #1 since he’s the architect of that concept. I just hope each title has a more than satisfying conclusion.
BATMAN #40
“Endgame” reaches its crazy climactic conclusion!! The burning question remains: is the Joker immortal? How can Batman take him down and will it be permanent?
CONVERGENCE #4 (of 8)
After the triple shock (two major deaths & one maiming) from last issue, I’m legitimately on-board with this mini. I was gonna read the whole thing anyway but I’m glad Jeff King is dropping bombs. I don’t read ahead so no spoilers for me. I enjoy having my jaw dropped as I slowly turn each page.
CONVERGENCE: BOOSTER GOLD #1 (of 2)
The time travel guardian unknown to everyone!! Booster is the ultimate underdog. He can’t catch a break no matter what he does since he can’t tell anyone!! Despite all that, he does his duty and keeps on trekkin’. Dan Jurgens, his creator, will do him right.
CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY of AMERICA #1 (of 2)
The original all-star team come back to the forefront!! The heroes that created defining legacies will have to deal with a crisis that may be too overwhelming even for them. You can’t keep old dogs down!
CONVERGENCE: SHAZAM! #1 (of 2)
The magic! The merriment! The wonder! Billy Batson speaks one word and BAM! he transforms into the World’s Mightiest Mortal! For all the “gee whiz”s and “golly”s, real danger surrounds his existence. With his family in tow, Captain Marvel is more than capable of any challenge.
FANTASTIC FOUR #645
What fate awaits Marvel’s First Family? So much controversy has swirled about the intellectual property. The FF can’t be forgotten from hearts and minds. That’d be too outrageous. The movie might sate one’s appetite for their adventures. Hopefully, this is goodbye not farewell.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #40
Darkseid returns for a re-match!! The Magnificent Seven put up a valiant battle that saved their planet but the despot never let that rest. That’s not the only threat. The Anti-Monitor has breached the New 52 Universe! The JL will be in the middle of two cosmic forces that seem nigh impossible to vanquish.
MULTIVERSITY #2 (of 2)
Time to put the genies back in the bottles. NOT!! Mr. Morrison’s mind-bending masterpiece comes to a close…or does it? A major shake-up will occur, that much is guaranteed. Whatever this superior scribe writes does impact the DCU as a whole. Be on the alert!
SUPERMAN #40
JRJR’s first volley into writing for the Distinguished Competition!! What pits The Man of Steel against his teammates? His newest super-power which would cause immense worry. After the stunning “Ulysses” storyline, this epilogue will demonstrate why Supes is DC’s first and greatest super-hero.
