New Comix - Week of 7/27/11

Green Lantern Corps #62 This issue stars my favorite Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, so I'm likely to enjoy this issue no matter what...and I do. The story focuses entirely on the strained relationship between Kyle and his GL girlfriend, Soranik Natu. A Star Sapphire (who is powered by Love) forces the strained couple to team up to fight against her, all in the hopes of rekindling their relationship. Well they do team up and they do subdue the Sapphire, but in the process it comes out that Kyle lied to Soranik early in the relationship and that pretty much ends everything. He tries to apologize and explain himself, but she flies off and tells him never to talk to her again. Ouch.

This was not an exciting issue, but it was a good character-building story.  The art was pretty good, but not amazing.
I enjoyed reading it though.

The Dark Knight #4
So, Batman has been tracking down a Gotham Socialite that has been kidnapped.  She was a childhood friend of
Bruce Wayne.  In this issue he saves her from Killer Croc/Penguin, only for her to tell him that her father is a cult
leader who is trying to find her so he can sacrifice her to Satan.  The issue ends with a LOT of demons converging on
the penthouse where the two are talking.

Batman vs demons should be a good fight.  The story is so-so.  I'm still only buying this title for the art.  David Finch
was BORN to draw Batman.  He's great with gritty, shadowed characters.





Mighty Thor #4
DANG!  Just...DANG!  The warriors of Asgard take up arms against the approaching Silver Surfer and Galactus.
Odin has an artifact that Galactus thinks might sate his hunger for all time.  Odin doesn't want to give it up though.
Thor vs Surfer!  Thor propells himself into Galactus' head, knocking him back and actually breaking off part of his big,
purple helmet!  Surfer responds by body-slamming Thor into Mars!  Thor gets up and pounds Surfer into the red dirt!
All the while Odin and Galactus are mentally attacking each other, making the other relive horrible memories from
their past.  DANG!  This issue was short, but full of AWESOME action!  I can't wait until next issue to see who comes
out on top!

Matt Fraction's story is just a LOT of fun.  Olivier Coipel's art is some of the best in the business, and he's especially
good at drawing Asgardians.

  Surfer vs Thor = PICK OF THE WEEK!!!

New Comix - Week of 7/20/11

Welcome back! It was a pretty light comic-buying week compared to last week, but then, I usually only buy 2-3 issues on average. Comics are so expensive these days, I'm very choosy on what I decide to buy. If a series goes a direction I don't like, i drop it pretty fast. Now let's get to the reviews!


Green Lantern Aftermath #1
This is the followup to the Green Lantern Wars that saw the rogue Guardian, Krona, killed by Hal Jordan and the GL Corps in disarray after having been controlled by Krona and made to kill in his name. Hal has been banished back to Earth. The lanterns are on the verge of all quitting, as they feel that the Guardians cannot even "guard" them from one of their own. The Guardians are terrified because a Green Lantern should not have been able to kill a Guardian with a power ring, and yet that has happened. Now they feel like vulnerable and afraid of their own soldiers. Worst of all, a green power ring selected Sinestro as a GL during the last battle and he is unable to take it off and the Guardians are considering letting him keep it. Pretty much no one is happy here.

My take: Though the story is a real downer right now and the art was pretty sub-par, I enjoyed reading about the different Lanterns and how the GL War effected them. This is a similar story to what's going on at Marvel with the Ultimate Fallout, only this doesn't seem as forced. I actually enjoyed reading this issue and will go ahead and get the next one to see where they're going. It's been hinted that my favorite GL, Kyle Rayner, will be traveling "in new company" soon, so I'm anxious to see what that means. If he leaves the Green Lanterns, I'll probably follow him to whatever book he goes to next.

- Pick of the Week!


Ultimate Fallout #2
This issue was a little better than last week's issue #1, but not a whole lot better. Aunt May takes her frustration out on Captain America and slaps his face at Peter's funeral, which was actually deserved, if you new the whole story. The bright spot in the story, for me, was the Thor section drawn by the always-incredible Bryan Hitch. Thor daydreams during the funeral and sees himself in Asgard and while thinking of the viking version of Heaven, sees all the main fallen heroes of the Ultimate Universe enjoying an eternal feast in Valhalla, including: Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Giant Man, and Spider-Man. That was fun to see.

Overall, though this is a book I could have lived without. I'm only torn because I know this 6-issue series will setup the return of the Ultimate Universe in September and I'm curious who the next Spider-Man will be. I don't know if it will be worth buying 4 lackluster issues though.





Rocketeer Adventures #3
This is a very fun series staring the pulp-era hero, The Rocketeer. These comics are a collection of short stories written and illustrated by various creative teams. While the art in this series has been spectacular, this issue was not so great in the art department. That being said, the stories are fun, standalone adventures and are worth a read if you don't have a lot of other comics to buy when it comes out.

New Comix - Week of 7/13/11

Green Lantern #67
The War of the Green Lanterns has been going on for 12 issues spanning 3 different GL titles. It's been pretty good. Quick synopsis…The rogue Guardian, Krona, has defeated the other Guardians and has taken control of every GL except for the 4 from Earth. The 4 Earth Lanterns have to put on rings from the other color spectrums to fight back; Guy goes Red, John goes Purple, Hal goes Yellow, and Kyle goes Blue. They manage to thwart the rogue Guardian and release all of the Green Lanterns from his hypnotic clutches. Now it's all the GLs versus Krona and the still mind-controlled Guardians. During the fight, Sinestro (of all people) is selected by a green ring to become a Green Lantern once again. In the end it simply comes down to Hal Jordan shooting a green beam of light and shattering Krona's previously unbeatable defenses and blowing a hole through him.

First off, I expected a "smarter" ending than "Hal Jordan just overpowers the bad guy". Krona was an unstoppable force of nature! And Hal just wins because…why? And after he saves the day the Guardians thank him by berating him for killing a Guardian, take his ring, and send him back to Earth….WHAT?!? I don't get it. I enjoyed the series, but the ending left me a little cold. Not sure if I will continue with this title when it restarts in September with a new #1 issue starring Green Lantern Sinestro.

Despite it's lackluster ending, there were some really great action sequences.



Green Lantern Corps #61
This story picks up right after the events of Green Lantern #67. The Green Lantern Corps comic has been focusing on Green Lanterns John Stewart and Kyle Rayner, both of Earth. This issue is all about John Stewart though, who I could care less about. He goes off with a new recruit to help her deal with a civil war on a planet in her sector. This wasn't terribly interesting and the art wasn't anything special. I would pass on this one if I were you.





Avengers VS New Ultimates #6
This issue finishes off a six issue miniseries that saw the 2 teams of the Ultimate Universe Avengers both believing the other to be traitors so they start beating each other up for 6 issues while over in Queens, Ultimate Spider-Man was being beaten to death outside Aunt May's house by the Sinister 6. I have to admit, this story had me guessing. I really wasn't sure who was the traitor until right before it was revealed. Turns out it was Tony Starks' older brother, Greg, who had been helping SHIELD. In the end the teams have to team up to take him down. Tony uses an EMP to shut down all tech in the area (which is where both he and Greg get their powers) and Thor proceeds to hit him with a lightning bold in the chest and fry him to a crisp. Tony's response is, "Thor! What the Hell?!?" He thought they would knock out Greg or something…Thor didn't get the memo.

Like I said, this is all happening while the Green Goblin's team of villains are killing Spidey over in Queens. The Avengers don't know any of that is happening until it's already over. It's too bad. Ultimate Spiderman is probably the best book I've been reading this year. I'll talk more on that in the next review.

Pretty good story mixed with good art.



Ultimate Fallout #1
This is the first issue following Peter's death in Ultimate Spider-Man #160. That was such a great comic and the story of his death was so well done it was gut-wrenching to read. Ultimate Spidey is the ultimate hero. The only reason the Goblin was able to take him out was because he had already been shot in the gut by the time he got there. They are relaunching the series in September with a new Spiderman. I hope it is half as good as this series has been.

But I digress…as good as that last issue was, this one seems very forced. Over half of the issue is just showing the supporting characters and how they are responding to Peter's death. After a while it gets kind of silly. The best part to me was when Captain America comes up to Aunt May at the funeral and apologizes because he feels like it's his fault Peter died. Overall not that strong a story. I'm going to give it one more issue to pick up. If it's more forced emotions, I'm dropping it.





Batman The Dark Knight #3
This is a series written and illustrated by the awesomely talented David Finch. His artwork is dark and gritty and perfect for Batman. This story isn't anything special, but this book is worth buying for the artwork alone. It's great. Seriously.





Captain America #1
I wasn't planning on buying this issue when I went to the comic store, but when I saw Steve McNiven was the artist, I had to get it. That guy is maybe the best in the business right now. I'm so glad I got this book! Not only is the art superb, but the story is compelling and rich and the whole experience was just an unexpected treat. I've always like the good Captain, but I have never read a story of his that showed this much promise. There's mystery, action, blasts from the past…I just can't say enough. I can't wait for the next issue!

- Pick of the Week!!!