purple reign

drive-by readings

Green Lantern #57 (DC) "What Happens in Vegas" Geoff Johns Doug Mahnke Christian Alamy Tom Nguyen Keith Champagne Randy Mayor Gabe Eltaeb Nick Napolitano Mahnke/Hi-Fi (cover) Ryan Sook/Fernando Pasarin/Joel Gomez/Mayor/Carrie Strachan (variant cover)

what we learned: after a brawl stretching from Minnesota to the Sin City, Star Sapphire of Sector 2814 (a.k.a. Carol Ferris) corrals "The Love Predator" (which is definitely different from Ah-Nuld's nemesis) and makes a stand about it, earning here the title of queen of the Star Sapphires, whose erstwhile queen conveniently decides to croak at that particular moment.
oh shit moment: Carol kisses the Predator (John Walsh and Chris Hansen just tore their hairpieces out) and Hal's jaw tenses. for one moment there, he was going to go Parallax again. or not.
what's next: next time you get arrested for stalking your ex-girlfriend or your crush, you can blame the Love Predator. no, really.


you don't have the proportions, Larfleeze.

NYPD Green

-----
art from Emerald Warriors #1

things i liked this week

Thunderbolts #144
Jeff Parker/Kev Walker/Frank Martin/Albert Deschesne (cover: Marko Djurdjevic)

by now, everyone who follows the Marvel U and the T-Bolts in particular are probably in an ICU, for the nerd-neurysm that Jeff Parker gave them last Wednesday. in fact, i am typing this with my mind, because i have lost control of my motor skills.

Secret Avengers #1 (Marvel)
Ed Brubaker/Mike Deodato/Rain Beredo/Dave Lanphear (cover: Marko Djurdjevic)
Avengers fans who also follow the T-Bolts and didn't get to read T-Bolts #144 probably landed first in the hospital because of this.

Wolverine: Weapon X #13 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Ron Garney/Jason Keith/Cory Petit (cover: Garney/Morry Hollowell)

the action heats up as Logan and Bucky Cap track down the inventor of the original Deathlok designer. curiosity arises as what's the beef between Logan and Buck (Natasha maybe?). anyhoo, they're unable to prevent Deathlok from reconfiguring himself and they're back on their heels. nice twist: the death of the future amazing Spider-Man.

Scalped #38 (DC/Vertigo)
Jason Aaron/R.M. Guera/Guilia Brusco/Steve Wands (cover: Jock)

Wade the Indian, a veteran soldier, whose lineage include nameless patriots who died for their country, is the luckiest man alive in terms of being able to escape certain death in the jungles of Vietnam. he's even considered unworthy to be killed by the Saigon residents in the final day of the war. now he's back in the US, and there seems to be a connection with him and the late Gina Bad Horse. hmm, Dashielle's dad then?

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Frazer Irving/Jared Fletcher (cover: Andy Kubert/Irving)

i confess it took me a couple of reads, but i get it. Bruce reappears in puritanical New England (i presume) and right away puts logic and common sense over the close-minded and religious beliefs of the times. hot on his heels are Superman, Booster Gold, Rip Hunter and the rest of his friends who are impressed by the fact that he survived Final Crisis, but are also there in fact to stop him because, well, that's where things get complicated as Darkseid designed it to use Bruce as a doomsday Trojan horse. but this is Bruce we're talking about here - am sure he also solved that part too.

Thor #610 (Marvel)
Kieron Gillen/Doug Braithwaite/Andy Troy/Paul Mounts/Joe Sabino (cover: Mico Suayan/Laura Martin)

an epilogue of sorts to Siege, but with a final clash with that annoying Ragnarok a.k.a. Clor. i was surprised Tony or Reed ("short-sighted men") didn't show up here to help Thor take him down once and for all, which would also prove that either of them regret ever building that junk in the first place. it was heartbreaking to see Bill (Not Beta) alive in Valhalla, all but touchable by Kelda. and with Loki's disappearance, the wool has been pulled once again over the Asgardians' eyes. i'm glad Thor didn't accept the offer to be king again, because he's gonna be a goddarned regular Avenger from hereon. not sure though where this title goes from here (apart from the rebuilding of Asgard in one form or another). Straczynski successfully brought Thor back, and Gillen ends the chapter with the Asgardians tied in much tighter with the 616 universe.

Detective Comics #865 (DC)
David Hine/Jeremy Haun/David Baron/Todd Klein

so ... you think Jeremiah Arkham was the weakest link eh? the only thing about potentially one of the most damaging Bat villains in years isn't his own man, because he's merely a Joker co-creation.

Mystery Society (IDW)
Steve Niles/Fiona Staples/Robbie Robbins

Nick Mystery is like a modern day Indiana Jones figure but dealing more with conspiracy theories, government secrets and the fantastical. along with his wife, he forms the Mystery Society, but in the present day, he's being hauled off to prison for a variety of charges. this is basically an origin story, but it evokes some Hellboy and some Jonathan Hickman-S.H.I.E.L.D. (you know its good when its being referenced after only one issue).

Amazing Spider-Man #632 (Marvel)
Zeb Wells/Chris Bachalo/Emma Rios/Tim Townsend/Jaime Mendoza/Victor Olazaba/Antonio Fabela/Joe Caramagna (variant cover: Jay Anacleto/Brian Haberlin/Bob McLeod)

easily one of the best storylines of the year, Shed is another prime example why Spider-Man ABND (After Brand New Day) is one of the best Marvel titles again. and if they're making Spider-Man IV, its the Lizard's time to shed, ... i mean, shine!

X-Force #27 (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/Mike Choi/Sonia Oback/Cory Petit (cover: Adi Granov, variant cover: David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald)

its a very bad time to be a mutant. Nimrod-class sentinels from the future have trapped the X-Men in San Francisco and have inflicted heavy damages. the 10 pages dedicated to the battle - with no dialogue or sound effects - evoke memories of Superman vs. Doomsday. Cyclops' only card is to send X-Force to that future and somehow shut down the Sentinels with Doug's power (uh, couldn't Magneto or Box do this? oh right, the latter is outside the dome). expect more casualties before this thing is over. and oh yeah, i expect to see that talk between Ororo and Cyke about X-Force.

X-Men: Blind Science (Marvel)
Simon Spurrier/Paul Davidson/Francis Portela/Chris Sotomayor/Rob Steen (cover: Gerald Parel)

goddamn, i like Dr. Nemesis! i want him to be more vocal and more sarcastic and more smart-assy when he's talking to Cyke and the inner council around Utopia (God knows, Hank lost his sense of humor during one of his evolution phases and Bobby isn't that funny). wait, there may not be an Utopia after Bastion is done with them.

obviously, they're NOT Thundercats.

Doomwar #4 (Marvel)
Jonathan Maberry/Scot Eaton/Andy Lanning/Robert Campanella/Jean-Francois Beaulieu/Cory Petit (cover: John Romita Jr./Klaus Janson/Dean White)
this title has taken a backseat to Siege and Second Coming but it really should have been finished even before Soldier Field got blown to bits. and just when you think all is lost, and everything is gloom and (pun intended) doom, this guy shows up:


Green Lantern #54 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Doug Mahnke/Christian Alamy/Tom Nguyen/Keith Champagne/Randy Mayor/Gabe Eltaeb/Nick J. Napolitano (cover: Shane Davis/Sandra Hope/Barbara Ciardo, variant cover: Alex Garner)

what do i like about this issue? hmmm. Atrocitus in the New York subway. Sinestro kind of being the grumpy uncle to Hal and Carol. the continuing mystery of who's collecting entities that used to reside in each ring color (?). and then the appearance of this guy:

Green Lantern Corps #48 (DC)
Tony Bedard/Ardian Syaf/Vicente Cifuentes/Randy Mayor/Gabe Eltaeb/Carrie Strachan/Steve Wands (cover: Rodolfo Migliari, variant cover: Pat Gleason/Mark Irwin/Mayor)

Ganthet continues his attention-hogging drama queen antics by renouncing his Guardianship and becoming a Green Lantern. what's next, he's gonna have his own reality TV show? anyway, some Alpha Lanterns are secretly massing and recruiting for something. what i want to know is: what's Guy been put up to by Ganthet that he claims will result in having his friendship with Hal to be over.

The Thanos Imperative: Ignition one shot (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Brad Walker/Andrew Hennessy/Wil Quintana/Joe Caramagna (cover: Aleksi Briclot)

and just in case somebody dozed off on the cosmic ongoings out there, this is a reminder that Thanos has come back! but he may not be the biggest threat at all - his name starts with the letter M and rhymes with "Barvell". oh ftaghn, oh ftaghn, oh ftaghn!! (wait, fark sounds better)

Power Girl #12 (DC)
Justin Gray/Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Conner/Paul Mounts/John J. Hill
need i say more? let's celebrate the last hurrah with the departure of Amanda Conner and the rest of the crew. any chance of having the Dodsons take over this title?

things i liked this week

X-Men: Legacy #235 (Marvel)
Mike Carey/Greg Land/Jay Leisten/Justin Ponsor/Cory Petit (cover: Adi Granov)
you know things are really grave (pun intended) when goody-two-shoes Doug Ramsey makes BFF Warlock suck the life-force out of Hodge and the Right soldiers. in other words, the New Mutants should really no longer be called such, becaused they've been bloodied to hell and back already. our intrepid mutants sustain two more blows, and one's a Fallen Angel (if any of you still remember). i don't care if Greg Land is drawing this (and in one panel, Cable's mouth is not symmetrical to his face), this is shaping up to be an exciting X-crossover.


Ultimate Avengers #6 (Marvel)
Mark Millar/Carlos Pacheco/Dexter Vines/Cory Petit/Justin Ponsor/Laura Martin
an ending worthy of past Millar Ultimates books. father and son finally gets the their final 5-minute faceoff, and guess who loses. Carlos Pacheco turns in overall, his best work in recent years (except for random details, like two missing jet needles in one panel, certainly an important element to the eventual conclusion).


Doomwar #3 (Marvel)
Jonathan Maberry/Scot Eaton/Andy Lanning/Robert Campanella/Jean-Francois Beaulieu/Cory Petit (cover: John Romita Jr./Klaus Janson/Dean White)
Doom has Vibranium
the Panther God lets him pass
T'Challa is pissed.


Batman: Streets of Gotham #11 (DC)
Paul Dini/Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs/John Kalisz/Steve Wands

finally someone takes down Zsasz. Damian's character is getting fleshed out, and DC is doing right with him. i think now he's much more interesting than Tim Drake. thank the God of Comics.

Power Girl #11 (DC)
Justin Gray/Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Conner/Paul Mounts/John J. Hill
i wouldn't say its a cop out, but having a cloning tank takes the thrill out of beating the bad guys. but listen, a monthly Power Girl book is always a must. so, please don't cancel this.


Guardians of the Galaxy #25 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Brad Walker/Andrew Hennessy/Wil Quintana/Joe Caramagna (cover: Alex Garner)

the team is back together again, and i couldn't be happier. hey, wait, according to the future iterations of the Guardians, this 2010 version of them are the only ones standing in the way of annihilation caused by the chronal error of a resurrected Thanos. let The Thanos Imperative begin.

Green Lantern #53 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Doug Mahnke/Christian Alamy/Keith Champagne/Mark Irwin/Randy Mayor/Nick Napolitano (variant cover: Ryan Sook)
Johns allows us a bit of a moment to catch our breath before Brightest Day, and what best way to spend it except to witness playful flirting between Highball (heh - he only has one ball and he's high) and Carol. turns out Sinestro wants to join in. in other news, who's this character who seems to be the sole protector of the Universe back when it was young? could it be ... G.O.D.?


Siege: Spider-Man #1 (Marvel)
Brian Reed/Marco Santucci/Chris Sotomayor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Marko Djurdjevic)
this one-shot is both a treat and a letdown, as Brian Reed follows up on the Peter-Carol angle (which makes sense as he's made his peace with Michelle and the MJ option has slim odds). and we get them beating up on TIKAMG (The Idiot Known as Mac Gargan). but that has no complete closure as it all occurs during Siege. duh.


Dark Wolverine #85 (Marvel)
Daniel Way/Marjorie Liu/Stephen Segovia/Cam Smith/Marte Gracia/Cory Petit/Rain Beredo
not sure why i like this. it has the annoying Romulus. and also the most gay-ass scenes between Logan and Daken, it borders on creepy. maybe its because we finally see the punk get stabbed with the Muramasa blade.


Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Mirco Pierfederici/Todd Klein/Matt Fraction/Brendan McCarthy/Howard Hallis/Stuart Moore/Joe Quinones/Javier Rodriguez
why can't they do these more often? and tone down the Deadpool stuff. is there a law against Assistant Editor's Month? (pssst. its not Assistant Editor's Month. whatever.)

things i liked this week

X-Men Second Coming one-shot (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov, variant cover: Finch with Jason Keith)

has Finch been around too long that i think of this dirty rough-edged work with old colleague Batt kind of a throwback? is Hope Summers a positive or a negative? also, see X-23 make a point!

Blackest Night #8 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Ivan Reis/Oclair Albert/Joe Prado/Alex Sinclair/Nick Napolitano (variant cover: Doug Mahnke)

did anybody notice that this was released leading up to the Easter weekend? the conclusion, although nothing totally surprising, has mixed results with the fan base. certain characters were brought back for a reason (and the reason being "we can have more events with them!" - they weren't randomly pulled from a bag). and i can certainly agree with Geoff Johns that Ivan Reis is a god - imagine drawing all this craziness for eight straight issues. we need to give him a White Lantern ring. wait, that's totally gay.

X-Factor #203 (Marvel)
Peter David/Val De Landro/Pat Davidson/Jeromy Cox/Cory Petit (cover: David Yardin/Nathan Fairbairn)
Monet goes to rescue her father in South America. probably kidnapped by Nazis hiding there. anyhoo, look who's got a mad-on for her! woooohoooooo!!!


Gotham City Sirens #10 (DC)
Paul Dini/Andres Guinaldo/Raul Fernandez/Ian Hannin/Sal Cipriano (cover: Guillem March)
listen, there's only one Fable that works - its that book by Bill Willingham. anyway, Doctor Aesop? pffffft. also: the girls' relationship with Riddler? pffffft.


Realm of Kings: Inhumans #5 (Marvel)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Pablo Raimondi/Tim Seeley/Victor Olazaba/Adriano Lucas (cover: Stjepan Sejic)
say what??? this is all a sham? oh, wait till Thanos returns. and the real Maximus comes back.


X-Force #25 (Marvel)
Craig Kyle/Christopher Yost/Clayton Crain/Cory Petit

Attack of the 50-foot giant, blue, goth goddess sexbomb! hey, question: doesn't anybody question why certain mutants show up in Cerebra as Colorado visitors every so often? do the Cuckoos mindwipe those who notice?

Cloak and Dagger #1 (Marvel)
Stuart Moore/Mark Brooks/Walden Wong/Emily Warren/Dave Sharpe
riddle me this, Batman! are Tandy and Ty doing what they do as a woman and a man?

Green Hornet #2 (Dynamite)
Kevin Smith/Phil Hester/Jonathan Lau/Ivan Nunes/Simon Bowland (covers: Alex Ross/John Cassaday/Joe Benitez)
out with the old, in with the new. one thing sure, Southwest Airlines is not a sponsor of this book.


Punisher #15
Rick Remender/Roland Boschi/Dan Brown/Lee Loughridge/Joe Caramagna (cover: Mike McKone/Morry Hollowell)

Frank versus dead Nazis, samurais and Hellsgaard! what more do you want? oh wait, is Frankencastle concept ending?

The Sword #23 (Image)
Joshua Luna/Jonathan Luna

you know that line that goes 'that the greatest trick the devil played was to make everyone believe he never existed' or something like that? well .... kinda something like that.

snaps: Blackest Night #8

... where the Rainbow Riders finally get to defeat Nekron and the Black Hand (as if there was any doubt). and in a complete reversal of a cookie-cutter comicbook event, NO ONE DIES (well, except the bad guy and the jury is out on that, and because they were fighting dead people to begin with), and A FEW DEAD PEOPLE COME BACK (not just all you hoped for). all in all, i'd still rank Blackest Night below The Sinestro Corps War, primarily because there were no more surprises after the first issue. plus with the Internet talk these days, you basically get a preview of what's going to happen anyway ... what's that? Brightest Day is going to be a gay musical starring our DC heroes? for sure?

"and that's for not getting my back when i got captured by that loser Libra!!"


why do you have to be a heartpuller?


coming soon to Broadway: Brightest Gay Day!


"uh, J'onn ... are you gonna reimburse us for that funeral we threw you?"


goodbye, Infinite Crisis!


goodbye, 90's!! farewell, beard and hook!!


William can't even wipe off his drool with his Hand.

things i liked this week

Batman: Streets of Gotham #10 (DC)
Paul Dini/Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs/John Kalisz/Steve Wands
holy shit. what is this? am i really warming up to Damian? really? OMGOMGZSASZOMG!!


Power Girl #10 (DC)
Jimmy Palmiotti/Justin Gray/Amanda Conner/Paul Mounts/John J. Hill
here's six words for you: never trust a girl named Terra. ok, that's a bit unfair. Ultra Humanite's in da house, you dig?


Green Lantern #52 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Doug Mahnke/Christian Alamy/Rebecca Buchman/Keith Champagne/Randy Mayor/Gabe Eltaeb/Carrie Strachan/Rob Leigh (variant cover: Shane Davis/Sandra Hope/Barbara Ciardo)
doesn't Sinestro in all white with that pedophile moustache look creepy to you? but it was worth the price of admission to see him get chopped in two and have John Stewart lead a team sever all Black Lantern connections.


Deadpool #21
Daniel Way/Carlo Barberi/Sandu Florea/Marte Gracia/Joe Sabino (cover: Jason Pearson)

its the conclusion of the Hit-Monkey story (what's next? Hit-Dolphin?). giggly fun: Reed Richards acting as a proper dad, Deadpool assuming Spidey's identity (don't ask), that banter between two similarly-looking costumed dorks, and of course, a monkey at a funeral.

Thor #608 (Marvel)
Kieron Gillen/Billy Tan/Batt/Rich Elson/Christina Strain/Matt Hollingsworth/Joe Sabino (cover: Mico Suayan/Laura Martin)

all you need to know: Volstagg versus Ragnarok (he'll always be Clor to us)!!! and having said that, we didn't know the fat guy can JUMP.

Thunderbolts #142 (Marvel)
Jeff Parker/Wellinton Alves/Nelson Pereira/Frank Martin/Albert Deschesne (cover: Adi Granov)

Jeff Parker actually was on leave during the last two pages of this issue, because James Robinson snuck in and promptly inserted Roy Harper in. hey, that's not Roy.

New Avengers #63 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/Mike McKone/Dave McCaig/Albert Deschesne (cover: Stuart Immonen/Wade Von Grawbadger)
more Siege tie-ins, focusing specifically on two of Marvel's memorable couples (Luke/Jessica and Clint/Bobbi) while kicking ass in Asgard. did we see Mockingbird in any of the teasers for the new Avengers books coming out? uh oh.


Superman #698 (DC)
James Robinson/Javier Pina/Bernard Chiang/Blond/John J. Hill (cover: Julian Lopez/Bit/Santiago Arcas)
ladies and gentlemen, live at the New York Comedy Club ... Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeex Luthor!!


Uncanny X-Men #522 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Whilce Portacio/Ed Tadeo/Justin Ponsor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Terry Dodson, variant cover: Mark Brooks)
Kitty Pryde fans, rejoice!! by the same token, Kitty Pryde fans, weep!!!


Amazing Spider-Man #626 (Marvel)
Fred Van Lente/Michael Gaydos/Joe Caramagna (cover: Michael Del Mundo)
you know where Spidey isn't a loser? in the Avengers books!!


Mighty Avengers #35 (Marvel)
Dan Slott/Khoi Pham/Craig Yeung/John Rauch/Dave Lanphear/Morry Hollowell
creepy Henry Pym
making out with Jocasta
while Ultron's about.

Avengers - The Initiative #34 (Marvel)
Christos N. Gage/Jorge Molina/Andrew Hennessy/Edgar Delgado/Joe Caramagna (cover: David Yardin)

the Initiative guys (principally the ex-New Warriors) get their shit together and finally make a stand. over in the Siege of Asgard, Taskmaster goes for A-list status and maybe fails. despite all the Siege hoopla and coordination nightmares, this issue holds up heading towards its finale. cancellation time, fellas.

Captain America #604 (Marvel)
Ed Brubaker/Luke Ross/Butch Guice/Dean White/Joe Caramagna (cover: Gerald Parel)

what made me happy about this issue? the Falcon bringing the ass-kicking for a change. Sam, you are a credit to your race! in other news, Bad-Cap & Bucky go to the Hoover Dam for a swim.

A-Team: Shotgun Wedding #1 (IDW)
Joe Carnahan/Tom Waltz/Stephen Mooney/Alfredo Rodriguez/Neil Uyatake (cover: John K. Snyder III/Jason Wright)
is this gonna be the plot for the A-Team movie (uh, because director Joe Carnahan is involved)? if so, its pretty damn exciting. Hannibal and the team ride shotgun for a wedding of the daughter of an old friend, because there's a mysterious threat. i bet there's a betrayal around here somewhere. and Face already hooked up with the bride.


Nemesis (Marvel/Icon)
Mark Millar/Steve McNiven/Dave McCaig/Chris Eliopoulos (variant cover: Leinil Francis Yu)

i kinda miss Mark Morales inking McNiven. and what's with the Nurse Jackie reference but the president's not umm, up to date? i guess nobody wants to go there. c'mon, let the speculation on optioning this as a movie commence.