Lots of comics this week. Actually not quite as many as last week. That was a crazy week. But we do have some really good books. There were some crazy things that happened in the pages of today's comics. We had the return of some characters. Characters making startling announcements. Crazy humorous stories. The beginning of Marvel's next big event. Did we have any deaths? As soon as I'm done here, I have to read the rest to see.
Let us know what you thought about these issues as well as any awesome (and not so awesome) books you read that weren't mentioned here.
Brightest Day #23
Comic book events usually promise that things will change and they clearly are going to by the time Brightest Day ends. It's hard to believe the end is almost upon us. The momentum builds up here and doesn't let up. If you've been waiting for answers from the last few issues, you will get them here and more. This issue begins to reveal what the big picture is. Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi have managed to seamlessly bring the return of a fan-favorite character in a way that makes sense and brings excitement to the reader. Reading this issue will make you want to see what happens next. Brightest Day might be almost over but now we know it's going to go out with a bang.
To read Tony's full review, click here.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38
I usually hate... HATE... annual issues because they're one shot stories which very rarely change anything in the character or book's continuity. They're usually throw away issues from creative teams that are so-so at best. That being said, Amazing Spider-Man Annual 38 isn't your typical annual book, and while the events of this book may not change the landscape of Spidey's 616 universe, overall, the book is certainly worth your time. It's even worth more of your time if you don't mind picking up Hulk and Deadpool's annuals. I recommend the issue and the story, especially if the other two issues are written by Layman.
To read Mat's full review, click here.
Superman/Batman Annual #5
If you have been reading Reign of Doomsday, then this chapter is another stellar addition to the story arc and you will absolutely love how far Doomsday and Cyborg Superman go to try to stop one another and pummel each other into submission. Even though it has some pacing problems, the only way I say you don’t pick this up is if you haven’t read the previous chapters and to that I tell you to go catch up as soon as you can so you can read this comic.
To read Ray's full review, click here.
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5
To read Tony's full review, click here.This comic makes me happy. Normally when release schedules are a little wacky, the interruption in the flow hampers my enjoyment of the series. With Children's Crusade, that can be overlooked simply by the compelling story with crazy action by Allan Heinberg along with the gorgeous artwork by Jim Cheung. There are some big twists and turns here along with a couple shocking moments. The story has such a grand scale feel to it that it almost takes you away from everything, including other comics set in the Marvel Universe. The story is one that will be great collected and read over and over. I can't wait for the next issue to see what crazy shenanigans we'll have.
Sweet Tooth #20
Obviously, since it's a new story arc that's fairly far in the story's history (20 issues can be a long time), pick up Sweet Tooth's previous issues if the prior references are giving you a headache. I'm looking forward to this with great promise, but it's still setting the arc up: expect some twists, and for some of those horrible feelings in your gut to be right.
To read Matt's full review, click here.
Annihilators #2
We have a great back-up story, and a main story that left me in the dark that I don't have anything really great to say about. Even though I know little to nothing about these characters, I'd still read a Rocket Raccoon/Groot series because it is written so reader friendly. Annihilators, on the other hand, makes you feel bad as you flip through it because you're not part of group of people who understand these characters. I do not recommend this book for new readers; however, I'm sure fans of the cosmic world of Marvel will enjoy this book because it is well-written. For the rest of us, it's a borrow just for the back-up story.
To read Mat's full review, click here.
Jonah Hex #66
Fantastic writing. Once again the characterization of Jonah Hex by Gray and Palmiotti was absolutely brilliant, even if the art lacked detail. Still, another solid issue.
To read Sara's full review, click here.
Madman All-New Giant-Size Super Ginchy Special!
It's the return of Mike Allred and Madman. This is clearly a book for Madman fans as we get to see several familiar characters appearing briefly during the main story. It's a trippy story that isn't a surprise coming from the mind of Allred. The other stories give us interesting interpretations on the characters but honestly, not what I'm looking for in a Madman comic. As part of a special, I can accept it. Also, the pin-ups by so many different artist was a blast to see. Let's hope this is the beginning of more Madman comics!
To read Tony's full review, click here.
Secret Six #32
To read Ray's full review, click here.For the middle part of a three-part arc, I was expecting a bit more action, but the plot was forwarded considerably so hopefully the time for talking is done come part three. I also hope this leads to some issues with Bane down the road and explores his difficulty in accepting his fate. If you’ve been reading the Secret Six, this is no time to stop now as I’m sure this arc will end explosively next issue and still maintain that spark of humor even in hell, but this is also definitely not the time to be jumping into this comic if you’re looking to add something to your weekly pull list.
Fear Itself #1
Fear Itself 1 is hard to grade, as it's the first issue of a crossover. It's setting up a lot of things that may be boring, but they're important to the successful implementation of a complicated story arc. The villains are threatening, the heroes know something evil's on the horizon, and we're just going to have to wait until issue two to see where it all leads.
To read Matt's full review, click here.
Batman Beyond #4
This is what I want in a Batman Beyond comic. As much as I loved the show, I could never get into the 1999 series. It felt watered down as if it was meant for kids. With Adam Beechen's series, we get a darker take on the concept and are seeing some more connections to the current Batman continuity, something I've been wanting to see more of. Beechen is adding depth to the characters and we're seeing the beginning of an evolution for a couple of them. Eduardo Pansica's art brings a new feel to characters. It was a little weird to see after all the Ryan Benjamin issues but it's a nice evolution. Be prepared to be caught off guard by what happens here.
To read Tony's full review, click here.
Skaar: King of the Savage Land #1
Although it was weird bouncing back and forth between the great action with Skaar and the political agendas being dealt with by Ka-zar, you could clearly see the direction this limited series is trying to weave for itself. I would have much preferred Ka-zar and Skaar to be working together though, like some epic team-up, instead of dealing with clearly different and separate threats and hope that they come together much sooner in the future issues rather than later.
To read Ray's full review, click here.
Blue Estate #1
Blue Estate contains everything you could want in an exciting story. The first issue is definitely interesting, captivating and will be sure to knock your socks off. However, I would not recommend this series to anyone under 16 as it deals with mature concepts and is not a book you want your mother to catch you reading.
To read Sara's full review, click here.
Herc #1
To read Ray's full review, click here.If you have been following Herc up to this point and enjoying it then you are going to love what happens to him in this first issue of his own monthly. Full of lots of action that already paints a vivid picture of how Herc will find himself caught in the middle of a struggle between man and god, Herc #1 is one of the most fun and entertaining first issues for a comic I’ve read in a while. If issue two is as good as this first one, I’m definitely putting this in the pull box.
Ultimate Captain America #4
While, overall, I really enjoyed this issue, the overall series was just ok. If you just want to see Captain America beat the snot out of the bad guy, however, then pick this issue up because that's exactly what you're going to get. The artwork and writing are great, but just keep in mind that there's a lot of macho man madness happening in this book. Can you dig it? Oh yeah! This one is a borrow.
To read Mat's full review, click here.
Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #2
Is it a comic of pure literary substance? No, but that's not what people are looking for in comic books. As with the first issue, the story here is completely over the top. There's no telling what where it's going to go. These days, you can almost predict what will happen in most books. That is not the case with Axe Cop. You get an edge-of-your-seat ride of insane and humorous action. At times it feels as if different ideas are simply thrown into a blender and mixed to create the scenes. If that's the case, I say get more blenders. The pure kookiness of the book is what I look forward to. It's a silly but fun and entertaining book that will deliver what it sets out to do. This kind of comic doesn't come along too often.
To read Tony's full review, click here.
Heroes for Hire #5
Although a rather boring issue, it ties up all the loose ends of what was a great opening story arc up to this point. With Misty still feeling the effects of the drugs from Puppet Master and Paladin and Iron Fist barking at each other more than anything, there was just a lot of dialogue with very little actually going on. If you’ve picked up the first four issues, then pick this up to find out how things finally end up shaking out and then look forward to issue six when things will hopefully start to ramp up again after the action for this arc simply jumped off a cliff in this issue.
To read Ray's full review, click here.
Uncanny X-Men # 534.1
Can the public accept Magneto as an X-Men? If the team is looking to gain the public's trust, this is a major issue they need to address. With this Point One story, it is a self-contained story and gives some background on what's going on. It isn't completely new reader friendly though. Magneto is and should be a complex character and Kieron Gillen does a great job in showing his thoughts on the P.R. game. The villains in this issue aren't necessarily memorable but serves to move the story along. Carlos Pacheco's art makes this feel like an actual comic book instead of a bunch of pin-ups with some word balloons.
To read Tony's full review, click here.
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