This Weeks comics in 3 lines or less! 27-Feb

Hiya! Nice week for comics, new beginnings, last goodbyes, end of Punisher and Rucka for the foreseeable future, start of a new Rocketeer series, exciting stuff!

Aquaman #17: Epilogue to Throne of Atlantis; this issue doesn't just describe the fallout from ToA, it goes much deeper, showing the hardships that come with Aquaman going it alone. It appears that nobody's on his side anymore and you really get a feel for how lonely he is in his new role. I can see a heavy few issues in Aquaman's future...4/5

Batman, Incorporated #8: Well, this has been "leaked" so much it's hard not to know about it, but I won't spoil it...just incase. So this has been set up to be a key moment in New 52 history...it didn't feel all that spectacular. I really like Grant Morrison but he get's overly keen and rushes things at times. This issue means a lot to some, and more care could have been taken in making it a grander gesture. 3/5

Injustice: Gods Among Us #2: I think once you get over how out-of-character some of your favorite superheroes are in this series, it's actually a good read. I'd only recommend it to somebody who plans on buying the game though; Tom Taylor's understanding of DC superheroes and their personalities and abilities could be...primitive...frustrating to battle-fans and purists. Don't take it seriously though, and you'll like it. 3/5

Deadpool Killustrated #2: I have to give it to Cullen Bunn and the DKTMU team...I actually enjoyed this issue! Really glad I gave this a second chance. With all of the foundations set in #1 the not-so-serious business of violently dismembering classic literature. The art and direction in this book does a great job of showing there's more to meets the eye in this series. Hoping they keep this pace up. 4/5

Journey into Mystery #649: This was a weird one...it was entertaining to see Sif's team interact with Spider-Man (or in particular, new yorkers)...it was just a little too much like an unofficial A+X issue. A little too tongue in cheek at times. I enjoy JiM for the sense of adventure, and it was kind of missing from this issue, but a fun read is still a good read. 3/5

Punisher: War Zone #5: Bittersweet. This series has been fantastic, but to see the last Greg Rucka and the last Punisher hit the shelves is a huge shame. This issue was great. Rucka writes for the fans; he portrays Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Man etc so well. In this issue we see Punisher make his stand against the Avengers and it's done with spectacular ceremony and gives every character their chance to show their colours. 5/5

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #1: Been looking forward to this for a while and wasn't disappointed! The narrative in this is great, the artwork is perfectly kitsch, the 1930s dialogue and references were fluent and natural. Really nice, lighthearted read. 5/5

Picks of the week:

Punisher and Rocketeer are both worth picking up this week. Even if you haven't been following War Zone, this issue stands alone as a great stand-off between Punisher and the Avengers, and fans of either will appreciate the writing here. Also if, like me, you didn't like the previous Killustrated, it's worth giving the series a second chance.

Books to Miss:

Like I said, if you're not picking up Injustice as a game, the comic will probably grate on you a little. The characters and their actions are written in a way that's purely to fuel the upcoming game, so don't be surprised if you're uncomfortable/unsure with some of the behavior.

I think it's a bit amusing that I've absolutely loved every single issue of Injustice, and I think it's the number one must-read book for everyone, even people not planning to play the game, and you say it's the one to miss.

@akbogert: haha me and you seem to be like oil and water on here at times!

I just think in the CV community people get really worked up about out-of-character moments and inconsistencies, and if they're going to find them anywhere, it'll be in Injustice. You, yourself wrote a pretty impressive piece on Dennis Hopeless recently for similar reasons (congrats on it btw, always nice to see a rant on here with some actual backing).

I personally liked the book and just picked up Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 yesterday (harder to find) as a result. Issue 1 was brutal! I'll probably give it a 4/5 when I do my next batch of write-ups on Wednesday. What did you think? I take it you're picking up the digitals so are further ahead in it?

@Manbehindthewires: Oh yes, I'm pretty much a purely digital reader, though the couple Marvel NOW titles I'm reading make most sense to get physically since I can also use the codes to keep my entire library on my iPad. I'll buy a collected print volume of Injustice too, however, though the individual issues (which equate with 3 digital issues per book) aren't worth it for me. The thing for me that makes OOC writing acceptable is that this is a non-canon book. I'd be furious (as would everyone) if half this stuff were canon. The notable exception being that this version of Harley Quinn is PERFECT and needs to replace the "real" one ASAP.

This is the one book I point to as an excuse for people who hesitate about buying digital to just bite the bullet and get them every week, because the developments here are kind of a big deal and I can't imagine waiting three weeks at a clip to see what happens next.

I think it's important to note that the characters aren't so much being written inconsistently as they are being written inconsistently with typical DC events. That is to say -- I think everyone in these books has behaved precisely as they ought to, it's just that things like this would never actually happen in real DCU. People got all up in arms about what Supes did but I'd have called BS if he hadn't at least tried to. No one is strong enough to just accept what Joker did to him. Had he not reacted the way he did, I'd have called the whole thing far more ridiculous.

Oh, and thanks :) I do my best with the blogs, though it's the comments sections that prove the real challenge ^_^

@akbogert: I think I'm on the fence with Superman. With supes and Batman, you're dealing with archetypes representing absolutes (or even perfection), so to see him reacting in blind rage and so terminally towards something is, for me at least, pretty discomforting, regardless of the reason behind it.

If that were gospel though, a battles game like Injustice would never happen, so I think it's worth taking the hit on this one for the sake of the game. I think the event itself was really good and if it did occur in the main run, would raise a lot of questions.

I like the Harley Quinn in this book. Personality-wise, she reminds me of the old animated series :)

@Manbehindthewires: Issue 5 -- the part with HQ & Green Arrow -- is perfect. Actually perfect.

And with Superman, I guess the point is, no one is perfect. Someone makes you kill your wife, your unborn child, and create a holocaust of millions (including everyone else you've ever known, worked with, or cared about), you don't just shrug that off. I'd say killing Joker quickly is justice. A lesser man would have done unspeakable things instead of letting him die.

And yeah, you have to accept Superman beating the crap out of other heroes at some point. I dare you to find a better reason :P

Nice wee blog post