Best to Worst of Last Week

This was a really good week for comics in my opinion. There were a lot of really solid books and a few books that I thought needed to fall off my list. All in all I feel like I got a decent bang for my buck with these comics. There are really a lot of talented people in this industry striving to do there best in a commercial medium.

Potter's Field #1 (Of 3) – Great start, told a story, established the main character, gave us background on his operation, and set up the next story. Story and art were well done and this is the beginning of what could be a franchise series for Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta. I did a more detailed review before, but this can so easily be set up as a series of mini-series. I think Mark has created a character that can be a franchise type of series with many other writers and artists being able to contribute to the series.
JLA Wedding Special #1 – What a misnomer, this was JLA Special #1 introducing the next era of the JLA. In one issue we had more action and story set-up then in the last 12 issues. The JLA looked great – welcome aboard Dwayne McDuffie.
Green Lantern #23 – An excellent chapter in “The Sinestro War”. The change by the Guardians to allow lethal use of the rings is a major shift and we find that Earth is Sinestro’s goal, not OA.
Fables #65 – What a great issue, within a great series, the major reveal in this issue was done with such a deft touch that it was truly a great event. Essentially a major plot element was revealed as an almost “oh by the way” moment in the middle of the “Good Prince” story line.
Black Adam The Dark Age #2 (of 6) – This is a really strong mini-series and Teth-Adam is willing to do whatever it takes to try and revive Isis. He is brutal and obsessed.
Justice Society of America #9 – Geoff Johns has made this series into a family book and made it such a great series, that has character development and action still built into it. Reminds me of how the FF used to feel years ago.
Suicide Squad Raise the Flag #1 (of 8) – Wow, John Ostrander came back to this book years later and has not missed a beat. Bronze Tiger, Nightshade, Rick Flagg, Amanda Waller and the rest are back in a book set in the past for now. Suicide Squad is back and better then ever.
Cover Girl #5 (of 5) – This book had an ending that was very good and a perfect fit for the whole story. So often ending fall flat and this one did not. Great issue and a very good series.
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Nova #6 – Issue after issue this is a good book. Nova is tunred by the Phalanax and defeats the Kree Nova.
Booster Gold #2 – Really enjoying this book. Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz are really doing a great job of staying true to Booster as he helps to fix the time line. The twists in this story are unexpected and well done.
Parade with Fireworks #1 (of 2) – Hard to fit this in the list as it is such a different book, but very enjoyable and I look forward to the end of the story.
Superman #667 – A very strong issue for the penultimate chapter in the Camelot Falls storyline. Carlos Pacheo is leaving the book after next issue and he will be missed, he did a great Superman with Kurt Busiek as writer.
Thor #3 – Moved pretty high up the charts for me because I enjoyed how much Thor just handed Iron Man his a**, the whining about New Orleans and some other plot points were worthless, but the Iron Man battle was well done.
Stormwatch PHD #11 – Really hate that this series seems to be coming to an end with issue #12, a very good series month in and month out.
Fear Agent The Lat Goodbye #3 (of 4) – This book has been a little more serious for this arc, but still well done and very entertaining.
Ultimate Spider-Man #113 – Bendis did a fantastic job of making the Ultimate Norman Osbourne every bit as maniacal and Machiavellian as the regular Marvel U’s version.
Fantastic Five #5 (of 5) – A good solid ending to a solid mini-series. This book reminded me of how the FF used to be and that is a good thing.
Jack of Fables #14 – This book is so much fun it should be outlawed. Who knew that it was originally John and the Beanstalk?
Heroes for Hire #13 – Zeb Wells continues to impress with the way he is building these characters into complete and multi-layered people.
X-Factor #23 – Solid issue, I’m just confused if Huber is Mr. Sinister, did Mr. Sinister always have all of these powers? I guess by dropping off the X-Men for about 10 years I missed a lot.
Daredevil #100 – A decent issue, but certainly not the beginning or end of a story arc, as they tried to advertise. I appreciate the reprints as at least I know who this Cranston guy is now supposed to be.
Trails of Shazam #8 – The book has been too slow in its coming out, but the overall story line is a good one. Freddy now has to fight Apollo as Atlas died and Apollo is the god that takes his place.
Fallen Angel #20 - Strong issue with the new Magistrate trying to learn how to be in charge of the city.
Welcome to Tranquility #10 – A good issue. I enjoy this title, but I believe it is an acquired taste and worry that it may be a little too dense for easy entry and therefore may not garner many new fans as it continues.
Drafted #1 – Did not start like I expected and that was a good thing. So I’m sticking around for another issue or two.
JLA Classified #42 – Nice start to an arc focusing on one of my favorite characters the Martian Manhunter. Still nothing new was really done here yet, but a solid start to this story.
Batman Confidential #9 – Really a good origin story for the Joker, but I consider these “elseworld tales” because they are really far off established continuity.
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Ultimate Power #7 (of 9) – Loeb comes on as writer and tries to explain everything and then at the end adds a more convoluted twist with another Squadron Supreme. I should have quit this book months ago.
Wonder Girl #1 (of 6) – Nothing really wrong with this book, except due to the tone and art style it felt like a Johnny DC book and not part of the DCU. I cancelled it, not because it was poorly done, but because it was not to my taste.
Countdown #33 – This series is moving way too slow and until it picks up it is a book treading water until it is time for something to happen.
New Avengers #34 – What a nothing issue and Bendis continues his obsession with grade school boy humor – just swell.
Lone Ranger #8 – Good artwork, but I have lost interest. The story has become very disjointed and has lost my interest. Cancelled.
Countdown Search for Ray Palmer Wildstorm #1 – A wasted tie-in book to Countdown. Nothing I hate more then pointless books trying to build on some other “event”.

Two cuts this week, the early out for Wonder Girl, my new strategy against the growing wave of mini-series and the Lone Ranger falling off his horse. There is just something not gelling in the story telling on that book and I’m not going to fight that hard to figure out the disjointed breaks. I have seen a lot of story telling where the breaks in the story and scene switches are abrupt. I guess this is someone’s idea of a style, if done right it can work, but most writers have not done it right at all.