Best to Worst of Last Week

A decent week of comics. No major event issue really was coming out, just a lot of regular issues of various series. It seems that with all the “news” during convention season that there are so many “big” things happening that when a solid week of books comes out that many reviewers almost denigrate the material for its lack. Not everything has to be the issue that changes everything or the one issue you can’t miss. I enjoy a solid well constructed series that is enjoyable issue in and issue out and builds on what has gone before.

Black Adam The Dark Age #1 (of 6) – A very powerful first issue. A non-powered Black Adam enlists true believers to help him escape his country and then rescue Isis’ bones. He sacrifices all of his followers to get to a Lazarus pit to revive Isis. The brutal and obsessive sides of Black Adam with or without powers were on display. Great opening.
Green Lantern #22 – The “Sinestro War” is a really exciting story line and so much is going on in each issue that it is amazing. I really can’t wait for the next chapter. Fantastic stuff.
Bad Planet #1 & #2 (of 12?) – Not sure is this is a six or 12 issue series. What a great book from the minds of Steve Niles and Thomas Jane, two of the same people who did Alien Pig Farm. Issue #1 came out years ago, but thankfully they reissued #1 with #2. This is a slam bang 50’s era “B” sci-fi horror flick with monsters galore and an Alien bad a** coming to earth to save us. Really a nice read and solid art.
Green Arrow Year One #3 (of 6) – Ollie confronts his “friend” and almost makes a fatal mistake. A wonderful updating of GA’s origin.
Criminal #8 – Brubaker and Phillips deliver a comic book that has the noir feeling so down pat I can hear Robert Mitchum doing the narrative voice over.
X-Factor #22 – This issue was a really well done story. This book has set its own bar high and the last few issues have been decent, but not great, this was a sure winner. Layla gets totally taken unawares as our team seems to be falling into the deep end of multiple story lines.
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Fables #64 – Nice story about the Bigby and Snow’s cubs becoming five and background on the training going on for the forthcoming war. Great series.
Stormwatch PHD #10 – This is just a rock solid series and Slaughterhouse Smith just blows the team away at the end of this issue. Gage continues to write a great series.
Jack of Fables #13 – This book seems to be improving as the series progresses. Jack is now stuck with a sword thru him as apparently he is the stone from the “Sword in the Stone” story.
Daredevil #99 – Nice issue as Matt goes after the bad guys and leaves Milla alone to flip out and we get the grand reveal of the bad guy as Larry Cranston – Mr. Fear. Without the internet I would still have not known who he was. Grand reveals from stuff I don’t remember is always a yawn and not a shocker.
Batman Confidential #8 – Decent issue as the villain who will become the Joker story line continues. Alfred building the best computer in the world was a really stupid moment in the book, but otherwise well done.
Nova #5 – Good issue as the Kree woman who gets stuck with the Nova helmet tries to outplay the Phalanx and saves some of her people but Richard appears to have been taken over by the Phalanx.
Batman #667 – JH Williams did a great job on the art and the story line was set-up for the rest of the arc. Interesting to see all the “Batman” from other countries.
Cover Girl #4 (of 5) – Great penultimate issue leading up to the showdown between our heroine and the main bad guy. The art felt a little weak this issue, at times a little amateurish. Looking forward to the finale.
Gen 13 #11 – A very good issue of this book. The Authoriteens were hilarious.
Fantastic Five #3 (of 5) – I’m enjoying the possible future story of the FF versus Doctor Doom. Old time comic book drama.
Dynamo 5 #6 – Another good issue that keeps the story going forward as Maggie saves herself by using the Whiptail formula. The art felt a little rushed this issue.
JLA Classified #41 – Nice ending to the “Kid Amazo” storyline, that gave us an examination of Kid Amazo and of the JLA itself.
Outsiders Five of A Kind Katana/Shazam – Barely related to Batman picking his team, but a nice issue to spotlight Katana and give us an updating of where her life has lead her to currently.
Annihilation Conquest Wraith #2 (of 4) – Good story so far and they are building the Wraith up as a very tragic character.
Countdown #38 – Seems to be getting a little better again. Mary Marvel’s story is moving slowly forward and the Karate Kid story had a major reveal.
Ghosting #1 (of 4) – An okay start to a little tale about college fraternity hazing that has a supernatural twist to it. Nothing earth shattering, but a nice start to a little story.
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Deadman #12 – Next issue is the last and because of that we actually got some resolutions going on in this story line.
New Avengers #33– People talk and are all angst ridden and we are lead to believe that the “Hood” is a very tough criminal mastermind.
Hulk #109 – Really adding absolutely nothing to the mini-series.
Omega Flight #5 (of 5) – Okay ending and nice art by Kolins, but I could care less about these characters.
Un-Men #1 – Did what few books could ever do; make me drop an unlimited series after the first issue. This comic was way too dense of a story (good artwork) but without a single character that I want to relate too or can care about.

If Hulk’s storyline was not moving back into his comic after the WW Hulk mini-series I would drop that book. They really should have had a separate story line or something to make the regular comic worthwhile during the mini-series. Still all in all a good week with only one book hitting the cutting room floor.