Agents of Atlas #3
In this Issue: The Agents continue to ally with Osborn in order to undermine him, selling them a tech destroying gun. Annoyingly, Captain America, despite being on the cover, is only on the last page.
What I thought: This is one of the more fun comics on the stands, being consistently absurd but never embarrassing or hokey. Get into it while we’re still only three issues in and it’s easy to fall in love with a book this fun.
Rating: 8/10 – Great
Avengers/Invaders #9 of 12
In this Issue: Unsurprisingly the Red Skull gets the cosmic cube. In a cute twist, the heroes dress as old school heroes to try and take him down.
What I thought: This is just straight, strong superheroics. There’s nothing fancy here- we have teams working together to defeat the omnipotent villain and set history straight with the cute twist of the modern heroes having to pretend they’re obscure period heroes, powers and all.
Rating: 7/10 – Good
Battle for the Cowl #2
In this Issue: Gun-toting Batman-Todd takes out Damien then Tim Drake as Batman. Black Mask plays Two Face and Penguin against each other.
What I thought: Black Mask stuff is going well as he’ll clearly be the crime lord to feud with the new Batman (all but confirmed to be Grayson). As for the rest… meh. I don’t buy Jason Todd as this dangerous to a series of vigilantes. He’s just not that dangerous comparatively and I surely don’t buy him beating Drake with all Tim’s current improvements.
Rating: 4/10 – Below Average
Cable #13
In this Issue: With the Messiah War, stuff finally happens! Stryfe and Bishop own the future and the heroes are in trouble… even from within as Logan and Cable cannot agree on what to do. Deadpool keeps the issue from getting dreary as apparently he spent hundreds of years trapped in a fridge.
What I thought: This is more like it. Cable is stubborn and the heroes seem screwed. Hope may just grow up to be the prophesized villain due entirely to Bishop’s trying to prevent that. She’s still my call for the returned “Jean” in Uncanny X-Men. This is also easily the best Deadpool in rotation at the moment and fans of his should definitely pick this book up.
Rating: 7/10 – Good
Captain America Comics #1
In this Issue: We get a flashback from a young Bucky to how Cap was chosen to be a super soldier- by delivering the secrets of the serum and outrunning some Nazis.
What I thought: A lot of what Cap does here before being a super soldier is unreal and hokey and it takes away a bit from his former everyman status… but James Robinson’s writing and Marcos Martin’s art do a great job of selling Steve Rogers as internally something special, keeping this throwback comic more than afloat.
Rating: 7/10 – Good
Dark Reign Fantastic 4 #2 of 5
In this Issue: The kids deal with SHIELD, Reed figures out that his mistake that caused Civil War is working with Pym and Stark (since alone he would have made it peaceful) via looking at alternate worlds, while the rest of the FF are transported around into various roles.
What I thought: My man-crush on Hickman is getting out of hand. This is the Fantastic Four as they should be- on sweeping, absurd adventures that only they can have. These are Hickman’s throwaway ideas for FF, so I’m really dying to see what he has in store for the main title, because this is great.
Rating: 8/10 – Great
Deadpool #9
In this Issue: Deadpool and Taskmaster team up to play cat and mouse with the Thunderbolts, but Wade is more interested in Black Widow 2. Much wackiness ensues.
What I thought: Deadpool would fit this team extraordinarily well, giving them some star power and developing the relationship with Black Widow. Short of that, there shouldn’t be a way out of this plot, as Norman really does need Deadpool to die for his power to be secure. Taskmaster, a major Initiative player, also has a lot to lose with this gambit and nothing to really gain, so the plot has holes… but at least the issue is fun.
Rating: 6/10 – Solid
Exiles #1
In this Issue: A new team is recruited of Beast, Scarlett Witch, Forge, Blink, Black Panther and Polaris, all plucked from realities where they’re about to die. Black Panther is more of an adventurer, Polaris is more of a powerhouse, Forge’s world is FUBAR, Scarlett Witch is upset that her Quicksilver is dead, and Beast is far bigger. Blink, however, is a new Blink who barely talks.
What I thought: This was mostly exposition to set up the new series, but given that a Jeff Parker written Morph gave it, I can live with that. Blink being so quiet makes me think this will somehow be AoA Blink again. All the leader/scientist types on the team make for an interesting dynamic and this book looks really fun.
Rating: 7/10 – Good
Flash: Rebirth #1
In this Issue: Barry and Bart Allen return, everyone is thrilled and inspired by Barry, but he’s worried he won’t have time to do all he needs. Hal and Barry have a big discussion about this and Barry goes off to fight crime. We also get Barry’s origin retold, but with the added bonus of personal tragedy.
What I thought: I really wish they had left Barry as a good man, doing good because he wanted to. Not every hero needs a deep tragedy in their upbringing. Barry also comes off as an ungrateful whiner, a big contrast to those who are looking forward to seeing him and their warm hope. It’s a nice device, but it doesn’t endear Barry to me or make me want to read more of him. This actually feels more like an imposter than Waid’s old “Return of Barry Allen” arc. That at least had the decency to make us like him.
Rating: 3/10 – Bad
Green Lantern #39
In this Issue: We go to great lengths for Hal to explain he doesn’t believe in hope and try and turn down a Blue Lantern ring, but fail. This goes along the same time as we find out why the Vega system is off limits, causing the waking of Avarice and the Orange Lanterns. At the point, corrupt Guardian Scar decides the Guardians should take personal action.
What I thought: I hate how whenever a corrupt force appears in a group, in this case Scar, all the rest of the group immediately become sedate idiots and follow. While the Vega system payoff works well, why are we suddenly getting a Hal who is utterly against hope? Didn’t Johns write both this and Green Lantern: Rebirth? It just doesn’t fit and feels forced. Avarice worked out quite well, but the rest felt like the plot forcing the characters to act more than it really should.
Rating: 4/10 – Below Average
Justice Society of America #25
In this issue: Billy joins Mary on the evil team and Isis tries to destroy all life on Earth until even Black Adam tries to stop her. The Wizard shows up to save the day, but is pissed at Billy and so takes his powers and turns Black Adam and Isis to stone. A new evil is released and takes Adam and Isis to be his champions.
What I thought: This was barely a JSA issue with the team having no real part in the proceedings. The Wizard stops all the trouble in pure dues ex manner and is pissed at Billy for no readily apparent reason. Johns run on this book is one of my all time favorite in comics, but this last arc is easily his biggest miss. Hopefully the last issue redeems this some, because this arc was terribly mishandled.
Rating: 2/10 – Terrible
Secret Six #8
In this Issue: The Claremont style date between big fights occurs, as Scandal decides to try and hope, while Deadshot and Jeannette start a perverse romance.
What I thought: The characterization, as always, is dead on and some down time to let the characters breathe after the previous seven issue chase and fight sequence is much deserved, but this still feels a bit like filler. Good thing some character subplots were advanced to keep this from feeling like a waste.
Rating: 6/10 – Solid
Secret Warriors #3
In this Issue: Gorgon beats the piss out of the team while Nick Fury dates Contessa then decides that he needs back-up.
What I thought: Gorgon can kill Wolverine, so him wrecking an inexperienced team worked for me and it was portrayed beautifully, as the team insists on working like superheroes, not spies, which keeps getting them in trouble… of course Phobos realizes this is also Nick’s fault for sending idealistic kids to be soldiers, but Nick has a war to win and can’t afford to care. As for the Warriors, they’re off to be retrained so Fury gets Dum Dum Duggan to help him wreck some Hydra in upcoming issues. Yes, I’m psyched about that.
Rating: 9/10 – Excellent
Teen Titans #69
In this Issue: The kids who were kidnapped by the Darkseid Club come to stay with the Titans and whittle themselves down to a new team of Cassie, Bombshell, a powerless Kid Devil, Blue Beetle, Static, Aquagirl, Kid Eternity and M’Gann. Everyone deciding to stay makes sense, always a plus.
What I thought: Good characterization here as McKeever finally gets to let the characters breathe without a crisis. Nothing fancy as far as team building goes, and with McKeever leaving, we’ll see how long this lineup lasts, but as an opening to a longer run, this is quite solid.
Rating: 6/10 – Solid
Teen Titans Annual #1
In this Issue: Jericho controls Cyborg who controls Titans Tower to try and kill the Teen Titans. Of course, he doesn’t know Static who shuts him down fairly easily, but now the team is aware of the crisis.
What I thought: Jericho could have killed the Titans numerous times this issue and doesn’t. Great to defang that threat before the big crossover. At least Static got to be interesting.
Rating: 5/10 – Average
Titans # 12
In this issue: The Titans and Teen Titans decide they have to find Jericho to help him and decide that Vigilante is their best shot.
What I thought: Umm, yep, this sure did happen. A straight gathering of the forces and figuring a plan issue that might have worked… if the heroes had any real logical plan. They want leads from Vigilante on finding Jericho, but Vigilante will only show because he thinks Jericho is in Cyborg… which he isn’t… so he obviously has no leads. I’m really happy McKeever is leaving soon.
Rating: 2/10 – Terrible
War of Kings #2 of 6
In this Issue: Crystal becomes the people’s princess by speaking for the injured hero Ronan the Accuser, while Medusa becomes jealous. That doesn’t effect the war too much as robots powered by Black Bolt’s voice smoke the Shi’ar.
What I thought: This is great, epic space battling, but where are my Guardians and Nova Corps? For a pro-active squad supposedly set to stop catastrophes they sure are slow on the uptake. As far as this issue though? Pure epic space-fighting goodness.
Rating: 7/10
War of the Kings: Ascencion #1
In this Issue: Darkhawk and his new trainer in the ways of being a Raptor fight in the Negative Zone, only for it to be revealed that the Raptor’s are evil and Darkhawk is overwritten by the armor’s previous owner. Also, an Annihilus drone is trying to harness the Cosmic Rod, which would make him a major player.
What I thought: The twist was fairly obvious here, but still worked, as now we have several new players tossed into the War of the Kings fray incase stuff was getting too simple.
Rating: 7/10 – Good
Wolverine: Weapon X #1
In this Issue: Wolverine hunts guys making new Wolverines with Weapon X software.
What I thought: Jason Aaron writes a good Wolvy, but, umm, wasn’t the point of Logan that he was all but impossible to duplicate? Now we get multiples on a weekly basis. They’ve killed nearly everything I once found cool or interesting in this character. If you enjoy current Wolverine, this is the best he gets, but I was hoping for a more retro take.
Rating: 6/10 – Solid
