pig newton

drive-by readings

S.H.I.E.L.D. #3 (Marvel) "Chapter Three: The Theory of Eternal Life" Jonathan Hickman Dustin Weaver Christina Strain/Justin Ponsor Todd Klein Gerald Parel/Weaver (cover)

what we learned: even though you're a history buff or have no interest in it whatsoever, you will be sufficiently intrigued by this brainy series, and chances are, you won't be able to peel all the layers Hickman serves in one or two readings. Isaac Newton, recruited into SHIELD, realizes the future means much more science than what is laid before him, and so delves into the dark side, regardless of the cost.
oh shit moment: i froze when i realized that was Newton performing miscegenation with a Deviant (Ikaris does not approve!), or that he actually whacked Galileo (when i say "whack", i mean in a Mafia sense). interestingly, Galileo passed away in 1642, while Newton was born that same year. go figure. oh, and Nostradamus was kept alive as Newton's personal clairvoyant. oh, and if you still have a sliver of faith left in the Catholic Church, the roots of this event, delineated in the archive pages, will wipe that out.
what's next: the resurrected Leonardo da Vinci and Leonid square off against the apple guy (no, not Steve Jobs!).


take that, you racist bastards!

things i liked this week

Batman #700 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Tony Daniel/Frank Quitely/Ian Hannin/Scott Kolins/Alex Sinclair/Tony Aviña/Andy Kubert/Brad Anderson/David Finch/Richard Friend/Peter Steigerwald/Jared K. Fletcher (covers: Finch/Mike Mignola)
now that's an anniversary: a mystery across the past, present and future handled by the various Batmen. Terry McGinnis is getting a lot of face time lately.

Secret Six #22 (DC)
Gail Simone/Jim Calafiore/Jason Wright/Travis Lanham (cover: Daniel Luvisi)
Catman undergoes the Batman experience, but his revenge is much more immediate than Bruce's.

Avengers Academy #1 (Marvel)
Christos N. Gage/Mike McKone/Jeromy Cox/Clayton Cowles
what we learned: young Avengers for the new decade! but are they going to survive the experience? even further, were they put together because they more likely to cross over to the dark side? and along with that ... welcome back, Speedball!
holy shit moment: considering this is a educational institution of sorts, does Tigra really have to be dressed in a bikini all the time? really?? SHE'S A LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. not that i'm complaining .... i'm just concerned about the kids!!
what's next: riot! riot! riot!!!

a girl and two C-Creep-ios

Uncanny X-Men #525 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson/Justin Ponsor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov, variant by David Finch/Matt Banning/Peter Steigerwald)
what we learned: X-Force is sent to the future that may be the Days of Future Past storyline, and it looks like all the high end Sentinels have been shipped off to the past to kill Utopia. this means they can probably easily correct the problem. also, Thing's new boss is Bucky Barnes. huh.
holy shit moment: what is Hope's relationship to Cyclops? also, Namor looking well-adjusted. where was he in the past X-crossovers??
what's next: will Legion be of any help? yes, that Legion who's responsible of Age of Apocalypse.


Daytripper #7 (DC/Vertigo)
Fabio Moon/Gabriel Bá/Dave Stewart/Sean Konot
what we learned: Brás de Oliva Domingos, successful writer, takes friendship to its extreme limits by looking for his long-lost friend Jorge, and paying the price.
holy shit moment: is the same Brás de Oliva Domingos who died in a car crash last issue because he wanted to see said friend? former DC editor Bob Schreck wasn't kidding about this trip.
what's next: Daytripper should adorn your comicbook shelf, especially the trade edition.


Nemesis #1 (Marvel)
Mark Millar/Steve McNiven/Dave McCaig/Chris Eliopoulos (variant cover: John Cassaday/Laura Martin)
what we learned: Nemesis is the rich scion of perverted bastards and has been targeting DC Police Chief Blake Morrow for the demise of his family. basically, he's the evil Batman, down to the Batcave, the serious bank, and preparedness.
holy shit moment: killing 20,000 peeps in the Pentagon via gas - a real life terrorist's wet dream.
what's next: i don't think he's kidding when he says he planned for his own arrest.


Punisher MAX #8 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Steve Dillon/Matt Hollingsworth/Cory Petit (cover: Dave Johnson)
what we learned: Jason Aaron ups the Bullseye psycho level and Frank gets desperate in trying to find Kingpin's new assassin.
holy shit moment: take your pick: Vanessa shooting the Kingpin during sex, Bullseye re-enacting the Castle massacre with hostages, and Frank finally putting down a cop (is this a retcon?).
what's next: waiting for Punisher vs Bullseye, Round 2.


Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven #1 (Marvel)
Ron Zimmerman/Howard Chaykin/Edgar Delgado/Jeff Eckleberry (cover: John Cassaday)
Rawhide Kid continues to upend the Wild West. as much as i like Chaykin's art in measured doses like this, i wonder if Amanda Conner or Steve Dillon could take a crack (heh.) at this.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman/Dustin Weaver/Christina Strain/Todd Klein
what we learned: Leonardo Da Vinci has a bone to pick with humanity's self-appointed defenders.
holy shit moment: Howard Stark and Nate Richards doing the Men in Black thing, fighting off the Night Machine
what's next: curious and curiouser - what's Leonid's role in all of these, as the 'Source of the Machine'? the Riddler's riddles are much easier.

what, you haven't seen a talking pigeon before? do you know Big Bird?

things i liked this week

Batman and Robin #11 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Andy Clarke/Scott Hanna/Tony Aviña/Alex Sinclair/Patrick Brosseau
devils, bats and sextons, oh my! Damian's probably not gonna forgive his mom.

Shield #1 (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman/Dustin Weaver/Christina Strain/Todd Klein (cover with Gerald Parel)
Marvel history buffs, this one's for you. everything you know is ... well, let's just say nobody really knew anything. can you imagine the spinoffs? i vote for one that features Agents walking between the raindrops of (and influencing) Marvel events in the last twenty years (Jasper Sitwell, come on down!).

Superman: Secret Origins #5 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Gary Frank/Jon Sibal/Brad Anderson/Steve Wands
terrific story by Johns, with Luthor, Lois Lane's douchebag military dad and his tool protege all coming together to take down the naive Superman. this should have been the material to reboot the Superman franchise (especially considering Johns' history with the films and the Donners).


Uncanny X-Men #523 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson/Rachel Dodson/Justin Ponsor/Joe Caramagna (cover: Adi Granov, variant cover: David Finch/Peter Steigerwald)
although the Dodsons turn in some work not up to par with their standards (the X-Men teleporting a couple of times to cover a few feet?), Matt Fraction's handling of the newest X-crossover has been all pedal-to-the-metal, which i am liking. Scott's about to pay big time for authorizing X-Force, but first they have to bring back Hope and Cable safe and sound. not that easy.


Red Robin #11 (DC)
Christopher Yost/Marcus To/Ray McCarthy/Mark McKenna/Guy Major/Sal Cipriano
if Bruce Wayne is already here, what is Tim Drake doing running around looking for him though?

say it! "Red Robin ....... yuummmmmm!"

The Boys #41 (Dynamite)
Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson/Simon Bowland/Tony Aviña
Malchemical joins the bunch of retard ... oppps, sheltered superheroes in SuperDuper, and a chance meeting with Hughie adds to Butcher's suspicions. this is not going to end in a good way.


Thor and the Warriors Four #1 (Marvel)
Alex Zalben/Gurihiru/Dave Sharpe
Power Pack meets Pet Avengers in their quest to ask Thor for golden apples to cure their grandma. aaaaaawwwww. the only thing i need to point out is, didn't the kids meet Thor way back in the Mutant Massacre? why does it look like they're not sure he exists?


Turf #1 (Image)
Jonathan Ross/Tommy Lee Edwards/John Workman/John Barber (variant covers: Jim Steranko/Duncan Fregedo)
vampires in Prohibition era New York. i thought it was Punisher Noir. well, minus the vampires. let me guess: honorable vampire teams up with honorable mobster against the beasts. and i'm not even referring to the earth-bound bloodsuckers.


Wolverine: Weapon X #12 (Marvel)
Jason Aaron/Ron Garney/Jason Keith/Cory Petit
Deathloks! Old Man No Hand Logan! Buckaptain America! Butterfly Effects! wooooooooh!

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers #1 (Marvel)
Reginald Hudlin/Denys Cowan/Klaus Janson/Pete Pantazis/Joe Sabino
the Hooters vs. Nazis vs. Wakandans. i meant the Howlers, dammit!!! USA! USA! USA!

Deadpool Corps #1 (Marvel)
Victor Gischler/Rob Liefeld/Adelso Corona/Matt Yackey/Clayton Cowles
i know, i know, its like the umpteenth Deadpool book in last few years. amused by the Prelude, i couldn't resist checking what trouble they'd all get into. now if they just put Humberto Ramos in here on art instead of 'Pool's co-creator ...

always be covering

drive-by readings

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 (Marvel) "The Unholy Resurrection of Leonardo da Vinci" Jonathan Hickman Dustin Weaver Christina Strain Todd Klein Gerald Parel (cover) this is a book that should have been made a longtime ago, yet you still get the feeling that the timing is right nevertheless. in unveiling its true origins, S.H.I.E.L.D. finally comes out of the shadows and as a 'supporting ensemble character' in the 616 U, and becomes a much more important player as an organization. Jonathan Hickman crafts a tale that stretches as far back as the days of the pharaohs, and we see the unofficial inspiration for a global protector in Imhotep, who defeats a Brood invasion. then each generation of mankind had its own protectors, and uncannily the wise men of their times - Zhang Heng (who faces off against a Celestial), Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, to name a few. this is all revealed by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high council to a man named Leonid, in 1953 Rome, and he's their newest recruit. however, his dad's a supervillain called the Night Machine, and was even killed once by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Starks and Richards (fathers of you-know-whos, apparently). this tells us that Leonid has some kind of powers too, that may or may not be beneficial to S.H.I.E.L.D. (damn, its hard typing that thing all the time). complemented by artwork of Dustin Weaver, Hickman's newest salvo harkens back to his Nightly News days, but with much more accessibility. it might even convert those who are allergic to history.