things i liked this week

Siege #4 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/Olivier Coipel/Mark Morales/Laura Martin/Chris Eliopoulos (variant covers: Gabrielle Dell'Otto/Joe Quesada/Danny Miki/Richard Isanove)

and that's the fall of Norman Osborn in four tidy chapters. the world is right again, and don't you give too much credence to those who complain. i for one am glad the Blackest Night Dark Reign is over, and let's get back to our shiny happy heroes doing the one good thing for the first time in a long time: playing together again.

Dark Avengers #16 (Marvel)
Brian Michael Bendis/Mike Deodato/Rain Beredo/Cory Petit
a thrill-an-issue ride comes to a fitting end. in Hollywood, they might treat this as a franchise and churn out unworthy sequels. in Marvel, they ... whooops, don't give them any ideas! (wait, it is the House of Ideas after all ...)

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1 (DC)
Grant Morrison/Chris Sprouse/Karl Story/Guy Major/Jared Fletcher
who doesn't want to see prehistoric Batman? crusader Batman? pirate Batman? revolutionary soldier Batman? Zulu Batman? WW2 infantryman Batman? disco roller Batman? wait, are they all available in action figures? count me in!!!

Birds of Prey #1 (DC)
Gail Simone/Ed Benes/Nei Ruffino/Steve Wands
aaaand they're back as well. this should be a consistent highly-touted title, and maybe Gail Simone can make this work again. not sure about Ed Benes who didn't exactly totally wow us in the Justice League reboot, but is actually returning to a book he did before. i want to enjoy this ride, and its with the usual suspects (Oracle, Huntress, Zinda and Black Canary) with a few new ones (Hawk & Dove). Hawkgirl should also be here from time to time. let's go, Birds! woooo-wooooo!


Black Widow #2 (Marvel)
Marjorie Liu/Daniel Acuña/Nate Piekos (variant cover: Stephanie Hans)
whu-? how the hell did i miss the first issue? after looking up images of Ms. Liu on the 'Net, man, am sold! i mean she's the reason why Daken's in touch with his feminine side. seriously, here's the premise: someone's gunning for 'Tasha, and she's suddenly like public enemy number one. we see Clint rocking the Hawkeye duds again, so its already the Heroic Age. hello, can't someone vouch for her? and will see that fake ass bitch Widow Yelena again? probably.


War of the Supermen #2 (DC)
Sterling Gates/James Robinson/Eduardo Pansica/Wayne Faucher/Blond/John J. Hill (cover: Eddy Barrows/J.P. Mayer/Rod Reis, variant cover: Aaron Lopresti/Matt Ryan/Brad Anderson)
hmmm. maybe it is fun to see arrogant Kryptonians and equally-douchebaggy Earthmen duke it out. i dont know, though, who's the most loathsome: Lex Luthor, General Lane or General Zod. whatever, i hope they all get sent to the Phantom Zone then play tag with Prometheus' ghost or something.


Justice League: Generation Lost #1 (DC)
Judd Winick/Keith Giffen/Aaron Lopresti/Matt Ryan/Hi-Fi/Sal Cipriano

right, your best friend-turned-evil Max Lord is back in town and he just gave everyone the shivers. even worse, he just made you forget he ever existed. JLI and FKATJL fans, don't expect the ha-ha-ha this time around, if only because Kevin Maguire isn't involved in the interiors.

Daytripper #6 (DC/Vertigo)
Fabio Moon/Gabriel Ba/Dave Stewart/Sean Konot
the melancholy daytripping continues. Moon and Ba find these stories that are tailor-made to pinch your heart. some people might say, if God existed, He works in mysterious ways, and we have no control over our destiny, because its been already set. so why bother living? should we not fear the unknown, but be always ready for the ride to come to a grinding halt?

Amazing Spider-Man #631 (Marvel)
Zeb Wells/Emma Rios/Chris Bachalo/Tim Townsend/Jaime Mendoza/Antonio Fabela/Joe Caramagna (variant cover: Doug Braithwaite)
let me just ask one question: how is it that Peter has not yet been driven insane with all the crap he has to deal with since Brand New Day? well, the answer might be it gets balanced because he gets to be in a happy place when he's with the Avengers ... (Chris Bachalo, your scaly lizards rock!!)


Avengers: The Initiative #35 (Marvel)
Christos Gage/Jorge Molina/Andrew Hennessy/Edgar Delgado/Joe Caramagna (cover: David Yardin)
and this is the end of the Initiative. though you're somewhat required to check out the other books for certain events in here, it doesn't detract much as a bookend to almost three years worth of stories of Avengers-in-training. some loose ends will still be loose ends (the Baron, the robbin' Hood) and some issues are open-ended (Diamondback and Constrictor). bonus: gratuitous T&A shots of suddenly-a-MILF Tigra. oh yeah.

doesn't he have the Skrull Hank's eyes?

Flash #2 (DC)
Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul/Brian Buccellato/Sal Cipriano (variant: Ryan Sook)
this merits a "like" because am a bit intrigued where Johns is going with this (with that, should i also say, "Wally West, we hardly knew ye"?). on the flipside, its just the second issue and Manapul's backgrounds have been barely there or completely disappeared. is it because 'everything's a blur' with this title?

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.

snaps: Avengers - The Initiative #34

... where eyes are finally opened, friendships are renewed and broken, and the New Warriors reunite! no, really. and pompous Taskmaster is taken to ...task (hey, wasn't he hired by the good guys once?). the issue focuses mostly on the Initiative guys until the latter part where they switch to Asgard only because we need to see Taskmaster get taken down (or not). and lest we forget that ex-Cap gal pal Diamondback is indeed an Initiative member (but as a spy, natch!), this is the part where she loses it when she sees her blond stud ex alive and well. well, poor Constrictor.

hey, here's a thought: what IF Dwayne wasn't in heaven??


look who's calling the kettle black, Mister Former-D-Lister. (you're still a D-Lister to me, brah)


Cap giving it to the castle grey skull.


Frank can forget about tapping that ass. and Rachel apparently forgot about Agent 13.


so is he gonna go back to being Speedball now? is he? is he? considering he's sort of directly responsible for all of these 7 years ago?

gore '08

really, Dan Slott? the title of your latest Avengers: The Initiative installment is:



?

do the kids know this? especially since on the cover, it says Rated T+.

well, i guess kids today know a lot more than we give them credit for (the Internet, a huge playground for lawlessness and sin, which is why the damn corporations want you to pay thru the nose for the privilege of playing in the sandbox). maybe that's what the plus sign means (Teens Who Know A Lot More Than Their Parents Think).

plus this issue is chockful of violence and gore that wouldn't be out of place in the latest torture porn films (thank you, Splat Pack).

of course, noted tightass Delroy Garrett would be squeamish.








but really ... Skrull *#@%ers?? a few clicks on Google and the kids would know the origin of the word.




somewhere out there Joe Quesada is laughing.


just for myself, an entertaining read with great art by Stefano Caselli, who keeps improving as he goes along.
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Avengers: The Initiative #16

cliffhanger of the week #9

#7 - I Don't See The Light

what is our resident DC rapist up to? no good, of course. attempting to burglarize Superman's fortress only results in a beatdown by Batman. trouble is, where did Dr. Light disappear to? DC Nation wants to know!

Superman/Batman #43 (DC)
Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning/Mike McKone/Jonathan Glapion/Rebecca Buchman/Jason Wright/Rob Leigh


#6 - Show Me The Money

hey, superheroes need to send kids to college too. can you imagine how much pampers and twinkies and toys cost? its enough to drive a man to crime! and if you're the Flash, it'll be so easy!

The Flash #238 (DC)
Tom Peyer/Freddie Williams III/Tanya & Richard Horie/Travis Lanham

#5 - We Started the Fire

aside from a big explosion, a gun to the head of a protagonist or a protagonist's loved one is definitely cliffhanger material. and so it is found here in Robert Kirkman's long-running zombie epic, where much blood is once again spilled with the evil Governor's assault on the prison survivors. poor Rick Grimes. just can't catch a break.

The Walking Dead #47 (Image)
Robert Kirkman/Charlie Adlard/Cliff Rathburn/Rus Wooton

#4 - Kids Don't Play Nice

the point of the Initiative was to train superpowered kids in the use of their powers. so far all they've done is get manipulated by scheming adults and fight each other. right now, a formerly-dead MVP is wiping the floor with the Initiative recruits, and in a desperate gambit to use a clean MVP clone to use against the bad one, the kids run into the Justice-led New Warriors, who think doing the right thing is enough, so they have to do some posturing. basically, there is no difference between kids and adults when it comes to pissing contests.

Avengers: The Initiative #10 (Marvel)
Dan Slott/Christos N. Gage/Stefano Caselli/Daniel Rudoni/Joe Caramagna


#3 - Secret War

the war between the Penguin and the Whale is heating up. this is just like Happy Feet duking it out with Free Willy for the kids' attention at the box office! woooohooo!! and in between, a bird gets shot ... TFCKANW (the former Robin currently known as Nightwing). wooohoooo!

Gotham Underground #6 (DC)
Frank Tieri/Jim Calafiore/Jack Purcell/Mark McKenna/Brian Reber/Sal Cipriano

#2 - Danny's Got A Plan

yes, those words do not fill me with confidence either. but at least something's about to blow up, because i kind of got letdown with the pseudo-Mortal Kombat tournament they were hyping a few issues ago. please ... its time for more punching and kicking, less talking.

The Immortal Iron Fist #13 (Marvel)
Matt Fraction/Ed Brubaker/Tonci Zonjic/David Aja/Kano/Matt Hollingsworth/Artmonkey Studios

#1 - Time to Die

when you reach #49, you better make sure you got a cliffhanger. and Robert Kirkman knows this too well. Mark Grayson faces a grave betrayal, and we can't wait for next month to arrive.

Invincible #49 (Image)
Robert Kirkman/Ryan Ottley/Bill Crabtree/Rus Wooton

hulkamania 2

World War Hulk sightings:

Hulk Destroys the Marvel Universe
i mean, wow. it was almost as if, to a man, the Marvel head honchos said, "ok, how do we top our heroes kicking each others' butt? well, let's have the Hulk kick all their butts! and really good!" the Hulk has never been written this powerful and menacing, and he has control of all his faculties. means bad news for all his former friends, who wish they still had the original dumb Hulk leaping around.

She-Hulk? for once, blood is not thicker than water.


Ares? i think he has to give up this 'God of War' thing.


Human Torch? you must be kid-ding.


Ben Grimm? definitively the ass-kicking of his life.


and Mr. Smarty-Pants Reed Richards himself? well, you know what they say about good intentions. hopefully, he still has a third honeymoon in him.

that's Black Bolt, Iron Man, the Avengers (the supposedly mighty ones - how does this tie-in with New Avengers?), the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four ... including give or take a few of heavy hitters. the last remaining hope is Dr. Strange, who couldn't complete his spell, and the enigmatic Sentry (which for the life of me, i don't know why he's sitting at home watching Food Network). wait ... who's that approaching? is that General Thunderbolt Ross? seriously!?

Iron Man gets Screwed

by one of his Initiative recruits, no less. it didn't take long for sneaky government types to meddle with the super-army Tony Stark built. Hardball, an immature loose cannon who hasn't really revealed the full extent of his powers, has been coerced to sell the one thing that could have brought the Hulk down for family security. security, pfah!

New Yorkers have an Attitude. Even The Young'Uns.
if i were Daredevil, i'd have smacked the shit out of this kid. i'm just saying!


CSI Alienation

an android under the command of the AWH (aliens with Hulk) gets "killed" and the outerworlders are out for blood. what do we humans do? why, conduct an investigation, of course. easier said than done.

Ghost Rider Cops Out

and i mean the Ghost Rider, not Johnny Blaze. Dr. Strange said it well - Blaze was the one limiting the Rider's powers, because if not, you'd have a much more powerful entity unleashed on the world. however, that might be the one thing needed to beat the Hulk.

can you imagine the Hulk being mischievous? (straps a 7 train to the unsuspecting GR's chain)


after dropping a building on Hulk (cool) and expanding a huge blast of hellfire (how is NYC still standing?), it all comes to this staredown and ...


... nothing. Ghost Rider drives away because he only avenges the innocent.

which most certainly, our so-called protectors (Iron Man, Reed Richards, etc.) haven't been.

but ... but ... what about the innocents killed in this attack? you mean there's no body count? are you kidding me?

damn you, Daniel Way!


i knew the continuity was breaking down. for those who haven't read it yet, sorry for spoiling it for you, but you'd better read this thing from beginning to end when its all said and done.
-----
World War Hulk #2
Greg Pak, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson
Avengers: The Initiative #4
Dan Slott, Stefano Caselli
World War Hulk: Frontline #2
Paul Jenkins, Ramon Bachs
Ghost Rider #13
Daniel Way, Javier Saltares, Scott Hanna

iHaul (Wk 14)

a sampling from last week.

	well, look who's back. and look who's gone as well. Andy Hartnell soldiers on, without J. Scott Campbell, who really draws the definitive DG. the girls are once again called into action, looking for the mysterious (huh?) Master Key, which supposedly shouldn't fall into any hands (except DG's). on the opposite side, there's another badass femme fatale on a collision course with Abbey et al. think for a moment if Greg Rucka or Mike Bendis wrote this. and then we'll holler: Mr. Campbell, please come back!
Danger Girl: Body Shots #1	Andy Hartnell, Nick Bradshaw, Jim Charalampidis
i thought that was what they meant by 'boob tube'

	never read much of this Joe Q-Jimmy P creation; suffice it to say, she was part of the Bad Girl revolution of the mid-90s (all you fanboys drool and wave your mint collection). but just like DG above, if you're going to bring back the character, give it the visual ooomph it deserves. and Vampirella and Lady Death are still around, right? can't you throw money at Adam Hughes? or Terry Dodson? so we have Jane getting tattooed (literally) and ending up in the middle of a firefight between a stupid punk and dealers and cops. next!
Painkiller Jane #0	Jimmy Palmiotti, Lee Moder
ok, i have no excuse for this

	i have three words for you: Too. Many. Avengers. is this your version of martial law? who's to say the E.U. won't form its own superhero army? will superhero boot camp be the answer to loose cannons? as long as the government has an agenda, i don't care how noble Tony Stark's intentions are - this isn't gonna work. what happens when they need to go against the government? will they stage a coup d'etat? i'm sure these questions have been churning in the mind of the happiest man on Earth, Mr. Dan Slott. hi, Dan!
Avengers: The Initiative #1	Dan Slott, Stefano Caselli
what happens, indeed?

	continuing the cash-raking event that is Civil War; Marvel has made out like Tony Stark here - you 'War' profiteers! anyway, does anybody know if Gerry Alanguilan is still alive? because Leinil Yu's art needs him. badly. unless you're slacking off, Leinil. c'mon, do us Pinoys proud once more. at least he's not being a Joe Mad or a J. Scott Campbell. anyhoo, Wolverine has infiltrated the morgue twice already. and each time, he finds out Cap's not there or not alive. just read my blog, Logan. Cap's alive in these pages.
Fallen Son: Wolverine #1	Jeph Loeb, Leinil Yu
this is going to happen: someone frames Stark, then they duke it out. $$$!

	after years of trying to figure out what to do with that bunch of goofy Canadians, Marvel finally killed them off. but they retained that symbol of hardy Canuck spirit, Wolverine. oh, sorry, i meant Sasquatch. and make him the leader of a final Flight - before the USA thinks they're wimps and take over their country too. bad news: American bad guys are running amok. worse news: Omega Flight is to be composed of expat Yanks. worst news: Scott Kolins is drawing the series.
Omega Flight #1	Michael Avon Oeming, Scott Kolins
screenshot of Chewbacca vs. Stormtroopers in the latest Tekken

	oy! there's too much cash cows mooing in the meadows. i don't know how they even got Ash and the Army of Darkness in here, but its all for fun, picking up where that out-of-nowhere hit Marvel Zombies left off (Robert Kirkman himself is a 'consultant'). but really, aren't you sick of the walking dead already? i can already foresee them making Marvel vs DC: Zombies. now that's a cash cow! (pssst, Mr. Art Suydam, nice retouch on that classic Jim Lee X-Men cover)
Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness #2	John Layman, Fabiano Neves
like the kid in Meet The Fockers said: "ASH-hooo!"