A Fistful of Reviews

Tomorrow is my birthday. Just so you all know :)

Atomic Robo 4.4 (Red 5 Comics)


This is always a fun book to read although I feel like I don't see as much from Red 5 Comics these days. Of course this is probably due to there being no recent Neozoic stories. I miss Neozoic. At least Atomic Robo keeps me smiling.

Air #18 (Vertigo)


I really get a kick out of this book. For one I am extremely happy that Blythe and Zayn seemed to have made up as I enjoy them as a couple. I also like how this story keeps changing and moving forward (which is honestly one of the advantages Vertigo comics seem to have). This issue was fairly light hearted and was mostly setting up for the next story arch. I am looking forward to seeing Blythe's friends develop as characters on their upcoming journey.

Supergirl #50 (DC)


I felt like this was a let down at the end of the issue. There was all sorts of good build up and then it ends with Kara throwing (essentially) a teenage tantrum. Because obviously there is no way she can comprehend Lana not telling her about her illness sooner. Lame. I liked Dr Light guest starring though as I feel we don't see enough of Kimiko in the DCU.

Invincible #70 (Image)


Ew. Slimy brainy looking aliens. This issue was certaintly a turning point for poor Mark who actually kills an innocent person to stop an alien invasion. While logical it definately shows how much Mark has changed over the years. I'm interested to see what Cecil will have to say about it next issue.

Green Lantern Corps #45/GL#51 (DC)

I really has gotten to enjoy the Blackest Night stuff even though it seemed like DC zombies to me at the beginning. I really feel like Guy is being made into a better character and I hope to see him continue to grow. I love Kyle as always. I also wonder where the whole Hal/Carol thing is going. I mean, doesn't Hal have a girlfriend or did I miss something? Not that I much cared for "Cowgirl" but I feel like she's just been forgotten. In fact I wonder if Johns is heading towards Carol having to sacrifice herself to save Hal or something. I guess we'll just have to wait and see where things go.

Locke&Key: Crown of Shadows #3 (IDW)


Locke&Key is such a great series. Of course I'm wondering how bad these poor kids' lives are going to get at this point. The attacking shadows seem pretty dire. This is a fast paced good versus evil type story in many ways but still manages to be heartwarming. I pass this story around to my friends and will continue to look forward to each issue.

Adventure Comics #8 – A Review and Commentary on the State of the DCU

This book was a lot of fun for a dyed in the wool Legion fan like me. Plus we got three stories instead of just one. What I like best about the whole set of stories is the Legion story is being moved forward and the Superman story line finally seems to be taking off.

The first story was all about the LOSH in the future and featured arguably the most important Legionnaire of all time Brainiac 5. It set up a disaster that is occurring in the 31st Century that has its origins in the 21st Century. It also explains why Brainiac 5 is named after his hated ancestor Brainiac.

The second story gives us some background on why a bunch of Legionnaires have been hanging out in the past and what they need Mon-el to do for them. Both stories lead into the Last Stand of New Krypton.

The last story is about a Kryptonian who has infiltrated General Lang’s operation. I love stories about undercover agent’s as often the sacrifices they make in order to sell themselves to the enemy or to blend in are the hardest for anyone to do. Eric Trautmann did a brilliant job writing this story and he seems to be a rising star at DC.

What this book did was give me a good overall feeling not only about this comic but about the DCU in general. The DCU has been essentially a sleeping giant for years. I truly believe that the catalog of characters they own are far superior to Marvel. I mean Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are the most iconic four color characters, if nothing else from the age of the characters. Still Marvel has been squarely handing DC their a** when you look up the sales figures. Of course this is the direct market only, but still DC has been firmly number two. Marvel has flooded the market with product, but lately DC has been challenging Marvel consistently for the top spots with the books in the top ten. I think we are starting to see a turn of fortunes as DC seems to be slowly getting their act together and maybe poised for a renaissance in their line.

The way I see it is the Batman side of things is in good shape. You have Batman and Robin (which just hit a bump). Batman (okay but a second tier book now), Batgirl (off to a fine start), Red Robin (doing well), Gotham City Sirens (has an odd charm), Batman Streets of Gotham (solid street level adventures of Batman) and Batman Confidential (an arc by arc book) all solid books and usually month by month a more exciting place to be then it was two years ago. Add into the mix the “Return of Bruce Wayne” storyline and you have a great core of books that carry DC.

The Green Lantern stuff has just ruled and out of Blackest Night we have three GL titles and a Bi-Weekly book called Brightest Day. The writing group of Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi and Tony Bedard are great picks to continue this success from Blackest Night and keep this portion of the world going strong. It was important move to see the level of talent that is being used to continue this success and that each writer is a proven writer with super heroes. Add into that mix the JLA finally getting some direction, the launch of a new LOSH book, Rebels, Secret Six, a new Flash series, Birds of Prey coming back and the DCU looks even brighter.

What have been dragging the line down are Superman and Wonder Woman. After reading Adventure Comics, hearing about Superman The Last Stand of New Krypton and the War of Superman event for May and you finally see the Superman side of the DCU coming back to life. If out of the War of Superman DC produces a strong line up of writers to chart the Superman titles we could see a revival of that portion of the DCU. In my opinion the removal of Superman from his own books turned all of the titles into books that were focused on sub-plots and the “real” story has been treading water and waiting in the wings. It looks like the real story is here and having the event happen in one month is a great idea.

Wonder Woman is still a mystery to me. I’m about to drop this title and it is killing me. I love Gail Simone’s writing on Birds of Prey and have been amazed at her work on Secret Six, but Wonder Woman is a disaster. I have no clue if anyone can make this a book one I want to read, but Gail has tried and it ain’t working for me. Every issue I read I’m not sure I read the one before. Gail’s handling of the multiple plot lines has been disjointed and almost incoherent. A friend told me she can’t handle juggling multiple storylines and I disagreed, but agreed it was not working here. It is time to scrap this effort and look for plan “B”.

The rest of the DCU is still a work in progress as titles such as Doom Patrol and Booster Gold are only okay and I think in this market you need to be at least good to very good to survive. We have the JSA books and Jonah Hex are other really good books, but DC needs to develop a lot more second tier books to go along with what they have, but what they do have going is very good and I only see 2010 as getting better. I look at the Red Circle, First Wave, the Batman and Superman OGNs coming out and I see DC is taking steps that make a lot of sense in making their line of books the best of the best.

Copper - Reviewed

Jim and I were talking the other day and he mentioned that I don’t do many reviews for the site. Actually, it was more of a “WTF! How come you never do reviews?” Jim’s point was that I talk about all the indie books but I never review them. And, as much as it pains me to admit this, he’s right. So, I shall endeavor to review some indie books.

The first book I want to talk about is “Copper” written and drawn by Kazu Kibuishi, published by Graphix. With all the cold weather and snow we’re having, I needed to read something bright, cheery, and pure lightheated fun, which “Copper” was!

Copper is a collection of short stories and one page comics about a boy, Copper, and his dog, Fred. Copper is the eternal optimist, while Fred is more often than not, the voice of reason. Copper inhabits a brightly colored world full of cities in clouds, strange little Martians, and beautiful landscapes. Within this world, Copper often reflects upon life and enjoys the little moments. Whether it’s staying up late playing video games or trying to build his own airplace, Copper always has fun.

Copper is a book that falls into the all ages category but don’t let that stop you from reading it. Kibuishi manages to keep the stories simple enough for kids but deep enough for adults to enjoy. Sometimes the ‘moral’ of a story would be slightly heavy handed, but within two pages there would be a story that a child could visually love, but an adult would see deeper meaning in it. Copper is a little thin at 96 pages but that’s actually the perfect length for this material. I was able to settle in and read without having to make a long extended commitment.

In tone, the stories within Copper range from slightly moribund to complete silliness. In his introduction, Kibuishi stated that Copper was a reflection of his life at the time each story was written. Once, I knew that each story took on greater meaning. It was easy to see how a bad day could produce a slightly downer of a strip.

The art in Copper is great. The characters have a simplicity to them that’s very endearing. It’s great for both kids and adults alike. Because of the character designs, it’s really up to Kibuishi to maximize facial expressions and he does this perfectly. The other facet of this book that really drew me in was the various page designs. Kibuishi works very, very hard to utilize various page layouts. There are nine panel pages, there are six panels pages, and varying panel layouts. And, the panel experimentation isn’t limited to the single page stories. Kibuishi continues to push himself on the longer stories.

Finally, the book is wrapped up with a “How I do it” section by Kibuishi. He shows the reader exactly how Copper goes from pen & ink to finished product. I know how comics are made, but I always find these ‘behind the scenes’ sections interesting because each creator is different.

Copper is one of those rare books that is a perfect blend between adult comics and kiddie books. It’s like reading a Pixar movie because there’s enough for children and an equal number of ideas for adults too. So, if you’re looking for something light hearted and fun then this is the book for you.

You can visit Copper and read some stories here.
There a longer story here.

First Wave #1 (of 6) – A Review

First Wave #1 (of 6)

Publisher DC Comics

Writer Brian Azzarello

Art Rags Morales

Color Nei Ruffino

Format 30 Pages of Story and Art - $3.99

Wow, what a great first issue of this new series. My biggest gripe that this is a mini-series as I already want more than six issues.

I was a little worried about Brian Azzarello on this as super heroes are not his strong suit, but none of these guys are super. I was wondering how Rags art would look as the last regular gig he was working on was Nightwing and I thought it was very good but not his absolute best. This book was his absolute best. The story and art were spot on and we are off and racing to what looks to be an exciting adventure. It is only the second book I have read this week and I believe it will win best book.

Starting with the art first. I want to go a little deeper into what is making this book be so highly regarded by this reviewer. I have always enjoyed Rags Morales artwork from Black Condor to Hourman, Identity Crisis and other projects. I have felt that at times he shows the world that he is one of the top comic book artists in the business. After Identity Crisis I thought he would be the main go to guy for DC. It didn’t happen and I read different things interfere, but wow this is his best work ever and he has done great work before. No one but Rags should ink Rags and I hope he was given enough lead time to do all six issues as the work is stunning. He is one of those rare artists who have a photo realist style and a fluid style that makes him half Neal Adams and half Alan Davis and yet it is all Rags. His work hits on all cylinders and Azz’s script calls for just about everything in this first issue.

We start off with a jungle scene and close up action of a man fleeing for his life. Then we have an old style robot attacking the man and some graphic violence. Shift to a funeral scene as Doc Savage shows up to visit his father’s grave in a classic rain soaked solemn type of event. Jump to the Spirit and Dolan at the Spirit’s grave. We then have Doc in a lab with his father’s body which has been exhumed, a scene on the dock with a bad guy of the story, cut back to the jungle and a shot of a jungle girl who saved the man running through the jungle, some great action sequences with the Spirit and more.

To give you a real feel for Rags work I have scanned a four panel page to give you a sense of how good he is with his work. In panel #1 we see the kick to the face of a bad guy by the Spirit. The Spirit has a great grimace on his face and the bad guy’s back is bending from the force of the blow. The second panel shows the left cross to a bad guy and we also see the Spirit is lifting him under his leg with his other hand. Next we have the clunking of the bad guys’ heads and then a beautiful silhouette shot that breaks out of the panel and has the Spirit’s tie flapping in the wind. Also notice how much weight he gives his figures. On top of all that he knows how to layout pages, draw sexy women and convey all of the emotions. This is a top flight artist at the absolute top of his game. People will be swiping scenes from this book for years to come.

The story itself is a lot of set-up, but it is well structured for the first issue. In this issue we get to meet Doc Savage and The Spirit. We get a lot of insight into both characters in a short amount of time. Also if you followed the other Spirit series you are immediately disabused of the notion of this being the same character. This Denny Colt died for a week and came back. He has a devil may care attitude, but you feel he does want justice. The Dolan in this book is his ex-boss, but more of a crooked cop that on occasion uses The Spirit to help him do right and keep his hands out of it. A lot more grey in this version of the Spirit and it worked fantastically.

Doc Savage is every inch the human paragon of perfection. His mental and physical prowess is never overtly displayed in this issue but he just oozes it from every panel he is in. We are never privy to his thoughts and that makes the outsider news article criticizing Doc have that much more of an impact. This is the Doc Savage that I remember reading about when I was a child.

Finally we are given tons of mysteries. Doc’s father’s empty coffin filled with gold that have bloody handprints on the bags, robots and jungle girls, a heavily bearded and drunk Russian on the dock up to no good, coffins being delivered to airports in the dead of night to a Blackhawk plane. It was just great. A real page turner that you wanted to take you time with in order to be able to drink in all the details you get from both the story and the art. And that is the ultimate compliment, the words and pictures worked together in perfect harmony. The text is never explaining what the art shows us and yet it is giving us enough of the story to be waiting on the edge of our seats for the next issue.

Overall Grade A – Azzarello and Morales have given DC a launch that should make it to the moon and back without a hitch. I’m excited about this new Earth and I’m signed up for this the Doc Savage and Spirit series to come.

Dark Horse Preview Review for May

Lee: The more I look at these books every month, the more I spend with DH. I love their stuff!!
Jim: Dark Horse is not only a publisher lately, but they are also a merchandiser. These guys are pretty darn smart as they seem to be doing most of it themselves.

THE GOON: FANCY PANTS EDITION VOLUME 3
Eric Powell (W/A) and Dave Stewart (C)
On sale July 7, FC, 272 pgs, HC, 7" x 10", $34.99
This volume contains all of Eric Powell’s stories from “Goon Year: The Return of Labrazio” in a signed limited-edition hardcover.The town on the edge of Horse-Eater’s Wood is permeated by all manner of dark things—hatred, fear, unhappiness, demons, and the undead (to name a few)—brought on by a curse that has festered within the forest for many years. The death of one of the Goon’s closest allies is revealed as the work of the dead mobster Labrazio, returned to wreak havoc and destruction upon the Goon and those who stand by him. The Goon and Franky must fight back against Labrazio’s undead hordes in this touching story of demonic kitties, zombie burlesque, and animal love (there’s a sentence you never thought you’d read).• Copies of The Goon: Fancy Pants Vol. 3 hardcover will be printed to initial orders and are exclusive to the direct market.• This edition also includes an exclusive Eric Powell illustration, individually signed by Powell!• Collects The Goon #20–#31.• Look for an all-new spinoff series coming soon!
Lee: I love these Goon hc’s! They are soooo very, very nice. I’m pretty sure everyone is getting these by now but it’s still fun to talk about.
Jim: Yeah, yeah, very nice, now sell your volume one.
Lee: hummmm, just noticed the fine print…a new spin off series? Does the Good really need a spin off? Well, BPRD is great and that’s spun off Hellboy so maybe this is good news.
Jim: Not sure what the spin-off is all about, but I will give Eric plenty of rope and try it out.

HELLBOY IN MEXICO (OR, A DRUNKEN BLUR)
Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Richard Corben (A/Cover), and Dave Stewart (C)
On sale May 5, FC, 32 pgs, $3.50, One-Shot
During the 1950s, Hellboy caravans across Mexico with a trio of vampire-killing luchadores, finding the undead; evil turkeys; a terrible bat god; and a little too much tequila.Reuniting Mike Mignola and Richard Corben, the creative team behind the Eisner Award-winning miniseries Hellboy: The Crooked Man!• Arriving just in time for Cinco de Mayo this issue features a variant cover, in Spanish, by Mike Mignola.
Lee: Corben does Hellboy! What’s not to love? If anything, Corben’s art has gotten better over the years and Hellboy is the perfect vehicle for him to show it off.
Jim: I have enjoyed the other Hellboy issues with Corben and between this and his Marvel stuff Corben has enjoyed a true renaissance.

NEXUS ARCHIVES VOLUME 11
Mike Baron (W), Mark Heike (P), Hugh Haynes (P), John K. Snyder III (P), Luke McDonnell (P), and Les Dorscheid (C)
On sale July 14, FC, 232 pgs, HC, 7" x 10", $49.99
Saved from certain death by Sundra’s shrewd business dealings, current Nexus Stan Korivitsky attempts to pick up where he left off: creating the University of Ylum and pursuing a relationship with Sonia, a former mole within the Elvonic Order. However, when the latter attachment is violently severed, Stan throws himself into his Nexus work with such brutal and indiscriminate fervor that even Ylum is forced to cut ties! Enter the Bad Brains, twisted Head-like beings who are all too willing to provide Stan fusionkasting powers in exchange for him enacting their vengeance. Meanwhile, a well-kept secret of the long-absent Merk is uncovered, the antitechnology god Elvon imperils Ylum, and Horatio’s extended soul-searching travels come to a surprising conclusion.
Lee: I’m pretty impressed that DH is still reprinting these because this material is only ok. By this point, Rude had left and Baron’s stories were starting to flounder. I looked at the original issues the other night (yes, I have all these too) and even I think I’ll pass.
Jim: Too deep into the series to be worth the archive treatment in my view. I'm sure the Nexus completists are happy.

THUN’DA, KING OF THE CONGO ARCHIVE
Frank Frazetta (W/A), Gardner Fox (W), and Bob Powell (A)
On sale July 7, FC, 224 pages, HC, 6 5/8" x 10 3/16", $49.99
Frank Frazetta is widely renowned as one of the greatest fantasy illustrators of all time. But he didn’t hone his skills in study at the fabled galleries of Paris or Milan; his legendary talents flourished as he worked for hire during the Golden Age of comics! In the early 1950s, Frazetta set up shop at bustling comics publisher Magazine Enterprises, contributing beautiful cover illustrations and comics pages. There, he also created his first mighty adventurer: the lost-world-jungle hero Thun’da! Though Frazetta left Magazine Enterprises shortly after the first issue of Thun’da was released, and the series was ultimately short lived despite the talented care of collaborators Gardner Fox and Bob Powell, to this day the Thun’da, King of the Congo comics series is held in high regard both as an exciting adventure title and as the only comics series ever to include a cover-to-cover, all-Frazetta issue!• Collecting all six issues of Thun’da, King of the Congo, as well as the Thun’da backup stories that appeared in Cave Girl and Africa: Thrilling Land of Mystery.Featuring art by golden age greats Frank Frazetta, Gardner Fox, and Bob Powell!
Lee: How did DH ever get the rights to this???? I wonder if this fell into public domain? Oh well, doesn’t matter to me because I’m getting this. There isn’t much Frazetta comic work to be collected so this is somewhat of a rarity. I’m excited.
Jim: Also the vast majority of the art is Bob Powell, but I'm getting it too. Frazetta is always a draw for me.
Lee: How do you know the vast majority of the art is Powell???? I know his art so that's still very good to me but I bet many people don't.
Jim: Because I'm all wise and knowing. -- I read it somewhere. Frazetta only did the first issue if I'm correct. I could look it up, but I'm being lazy.


TRIAD: GHOST 12" FIGURE
On sale July 14, $99.99
One of the most popular Dark Horse characters is surely Ghost. Introduced in Comics’ Greatest World in 1993, Ghost won her own title and continued for many issues, drawn by some of the industry’s best artists. The tale of Elisa Cameron and her search for the truth surrounding her apparent death struck a chord with readers, and we are happy to see her returning from her natural state of unbeing into our physical plane with this lovingly detailed 12" articulated figure produced by Triad Toys. Triad has paid attention to every detail: from her fatal .45s, her fitted gloves, her flowing white cape and cowl, and her luxurious, realistic hair. This is the ultimate Ghost collector’s item.
Lee: Going right on the shelf next to my Barb Wire inflatable dooollllll…. Um, right next to all my other action figures. Yes indeedy, this will look nice. Right in the middle of the shelf, waaayyyy in the middle-back of the shelf where my wife and kids can’t see it. Nice indeed.
Jim: That figure will be riding in the car next to you and you will try to tell the cop why she qualifies you to use an HOV lane. $100 for an action figure - who is buying these????

TROUBLEMAKER BOOK 1
Janet Evanovich (W), Alex Evanovich (W), and Joëlle Jones (A)
On sale July 20, FC, 112 pages, HC, 6" x 9", $17.99
Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker are back together and fighting crime the only way they know how—by leaving a trail of chaos, panic, and disorder. Alex, an auto mechanic and spotter for racecar driver Sam Hooker, is drawn to trouble like a giant palmetto bug to a day-old taco. Unfortunately, she’s also drawn to Hooker in the same fashion. There’s no steering clear of trouble or Hooker when friends Rosa and Felicia call for help. A man has gone missing, and in order to find him Barnaby and Hooker will have to go deep into the underbelly of Miami and southern Florida, surviving Petro Voodoo, explosions, gift-wrapped body parts, a deadly swamp chase, and Hooker’s mom.• Janet Evanovich, author of Finger Lickin’ Fifteen, continues her New York Times best-selling Barnaby series with her very first graphic novel!
Lee: Janet who? Good for DH to diversify. But, I really need to read more than just comic books. Jim: Yeah I'm with Lee Janet who, although I really like Joelle Jones artwork and the premise sounds good. I'm a little afraid of jumping into the middle of a series though.

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY POCKET WATCH AND STATUE SET
On sale July 14, Limited to 500, numbered with a certificate of authenticity, $129.99
For the discerning Umbrella Academy fan and collector, we are proud to introduce a distinguished pocket watch, featuring artwork from the wildly popular The Umbrella Academy, paired with a 5.5" statuette of 00.05, also known as The Boy, whose character is often seen glancing at a similar timepiece in the saga of his reluctant superhero family. Encapsulating the designs and stylistic ideas of Umbrella Academy writer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá, Dark Horse has created a high-end watch. Measuring 2.18" in diameter, this state-of-the-art timepiece combines with a sturdy 12" chain so you can carry your watch in style. The watch comes in a deluxe faux-leather, velveteen-lined box with a numbered metal certificate of authenticity. A sleek outer sleeve, designed by Gabriel Bá, holds it all together in one classy, modern package.The statuette is a limited edition in its own right, and the two items together make an unusual but oddly fitting and well-executed package— which, come to think of it, is just like The Umbrella Academy itself.
Lee: OOOOHHHH, pretty! I have to admit that I am a pocket watch nerd and this is sharp looking. Now, add the fact that I could wear this at work and ‘silently’ display my comic book geekiness and I just might have to get this.
Jim: Get this and watch (pun intended) you wife clock (pun intended) you for getting this. Again some nice collectibles of market branding, but who gets this stuff???

Lee: I'm really considering the watch. That's pretty cool. I may have to wait until Christmas when 'Santa' leaves it under the tree for me... but it's worth the wait.
Jim: Always fun to review Dark Horse and I can't wait to see Lee carry around his Umbrella Academy pocket watch.

VOTE FOR BARBARA GORDON

This little venture by my friends at Cosmic Comix is great fun. March Madness is turned into battle between character in four divisions and you go out and vote for your favorite character.

I'm pushing for Babs to make it out of round one.

Even if you don't vote you should check out the set up and all the hard work that has been done to make this an event.

Each character is given a history and a reason why they should win. Bottom line – it's FUN!

Check it out and vote!

What I’m Getting Wednesday March 2

So I have a little bit of a rant against the accepted wisdom of the day. Two things, the recession is over and global warming (climate change) is a man made problem. The second first, many papers outside the US have said it the whole global warming stuff and all the brouhaha about what man has done is not proven fact. A few things have always lead me to believe that to be true, number one the climate has always changed and our measurements are based on seconds in geological time. Also I have lived through dire predictions of food shortages, new ice age coming and overpopulation will destroy the world and none have yet. Finally our climate is so complex and influenced by so many factors it is the pinnacle of hubris to assume we know what causes what. The recession is over is another joke. The government needs us to believe this is true, but what our government has done over the last couple of decades has moved us into an unsustainable position. We have spent more than we can ever pay. We are going to face a reckoning at some time in the future, how that shakes out and what impact it has on our society is still to be determined. The financial meltdown still needs to happen and it will make the last one seem like a minor hiccup. These are my opinions and they are based on more than belief. No real strong reason why I opened this week with a rant other then I get tired of hearing the “news” be given by certain outlets with too much of a viewpoint as opposed to a report on facts.

Okay kicking over my soapbox and getting back to comics, last week was awesome and this week also looks to be full of great stuff. I have to say the winter doldrums are gone and we are roaring into March.

First Wave #1 (of 6) is coming out from DC and since it has one of my favorite artists, Rags Morales, and is about a new continuity I’m really looking forward to it. Brian Azzarello has been inconsistent in his super hero stuff but a world full on non-powered heroes where the thirties and modern technology go hand in hand sounds like a winner. Plus we have a new Spirit and Doc Savage series coming out soon that will round out this new universe.

Wildstorm has a new mini-series starting also with Sparta USA #1 (of 6) with David Lapham as the writer. The tag line is Lapham exposes the rotten core of the American Dream. Not 100% sure I like where that maybe going, but I question many premises of our government today and want to at least check out what is going on in issue #1. I actually have a rarity with 3 Wildstorm books being on my list with Astro City The Dark Age Book Four #2 (of 4) and The Authority #20. Since the revamp with Wildcats and The Authority this issue will have to be really good as I have already cancelled this series after last issue, but I’m giving it a last shot before I drop it.

Vertigo seems to be well represented every week and this week we have Demo #2 (of 6), Cinderella From Fabletown With Love #5 (of 6) and Sweet Tooth #7. The first issue of Demo had a mixed reception from some fans and I agree it was not the strongest story, but having read the Demo trade before I was thought it was still a solid read, if uneventful. Each issue is a one and done, so judging this book is an issue by issue deal. The Cindy mini-series has been enjoyable, but I was hoping for something more spy oriented then action adventure oriented. Finally Sweet Tooth continues to be a solid series and I’m looking forward to learning more about exactly what is going on with the half animal children.

From the regular DCU we have Adventure Comics #8 which promise to get deeper into why some any of the Legion of Super Heroes are hanging out in the 21st Century. Of course anyone who reads my columns knows what a fan I am of the Legion and seeing this Legion is just icing on the cake.

The rest of the DCU is a mixed bag with Batman Confidential #42, continuing Sam Keith’s arc, Detective Comics #862 as Batman and Batwoman are involved in cases that will connect, the Great Ten #5 (of 10) continues to impress as each issue highlights one of the characters. Also coming out is Milestone Forever #2 (of 2) ending the Milestone Universe I believe and ushering those characters into the main DCU and Warlord #12 which I’m still on the fence about continuing. The rest is Jonah Hex #53, JSA All Stars #4, Justice League Cry for Justice #7 (of 7) and Nemesis the Imposters #1 (of 4). Nemesis is interesting as they tried to make him Wonder Woman’s boy friend and that did not work and have now trotted him out in two mini-series almost back to back. Not sure how he become a favorite inside DC but they are giving this character a chance.

A solid week for indies with the always enjoyable Chew #9, Sword #22, Underground #5 (of 5), Grendel Behold the Devil HC and Crossed #9 (of 9). Crossed has been the bleakest post apocalyptic story on the market and I was surprised to hear that a second series by David Lapham is coming out after this book. I’m very curious to see how Garth Ennis is going to wrap this up as he has made this book be about people who survived the event, but really have no hope left in their lives. This is a very tough book mentally in addition to the scenes of the Crossed’s depravity.

Marvel has Invincible Iron Man #24, Mighty Avengers #34, Realm of Kings Son of Hulk #2 (of 4), Spider-Man Noir Eyes Without a Face #4 (of 4), Starr Slayer TP A Star is Born and Ultimate Comic Avengers #5 coming out. My friend Rusty was singing the praises of Star Slayer so I decided to just wait it out and get the trade to read it all at once. Still the price point sucks as it was four issues at $4 per book which should equal $16, but Marvel has jacked the trade price to $20, a hefty jump and one I’m usually unwilling to make.

For whatever reason this is a lighter week for me and depending on my mood and what a brief flip through of the book shows me I may pick up Girl Comics #1 (of 3) from Marvel, X-Men Hope One-Shot, Stephen Kings N #1 (of 4), and Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #l. An odd week as normally I have either committed to try something or not, but lighter weeks allow me to consider trying different stuff.