Mini Reviews 30/05/2010

While we may not always have the time to review all the comics we get every week, we do try and provide a snapshot of the latest releases, mixing the good with the not so good.

A bumper, post-Bristol Comic Expo set of reviews this week, and we also catch up on Matt C's ongoing Buscema Avengers Project.


AVENGERS #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: John Romita Jr & Klaus Janson
Marvel $3.99

Matt C: It’s no secret that I have numerous problems with Bendis’ mainstream superhero work, so you may wonder what I’m doing picking this up latest reboot of Avengers. Well, I did find myself enjoying the visceral propulsion of Siege in a ‘guilty pleasure’ kind of way, and I also have to credit the man with pushing this team to the forefront of the Marvel Universe, topping the sales charts in a way only the X-Men books used to manage. That and it’s the Avengers! Anyone reading my Buscema Avengers Project should be able to gather that I’m a longterm fan of the team, so a relaunch is bound to grab my attention. I was really quite prepared to give it a fair shot, but having read it I think I’m just going to have to accept that me and Bendis don’t see eye to eye when it comes to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. As you might expect coming from the writer, there’s a hell of a lot of chatter. Too much chatter, quite frankly. Bar Thor wielding Mjolnir in fine style, it’s all talk and little action; in other words, Bendis up to his old tricks again. There’s a few nice ideas being played with, but the delivery just doesn’t work for me. Romita Jr’s art might have saved it, but I’m not the only one around these parts who’s noticed his work looking a little rushed and sloppy on occasion (and that’s a really lame cover!). It’s not like it’s nose-dived into mediocrity, but if you look at his art from five, ten, even twenty years ago (or last year if you flip through Kick Ass) surely you’ll agree he’s capable of much more? There’ll be legions of fans lapping this up – and good luck to them – but I won’t be joining them this time out. 5/10

Stewart R: The Free Comic Book Day offering made me cautious and I'm afraid to say that issue #1 of this latest Avengers relaunch has proven to be the patchy effort that I thought it would be. A healthy dose of Bendis doing his 'talking heads' thing and offering little in the way of varying characterization sucks the enjoyment from the very page leaving JR Jr to try to carry the spectacle with his art, which unfortunately doesn't push my 'WOW' button. Why do the heroes have to go on this mission now? Surely if they know the actual point at which things go wrong then they can get to it whenever they want to? There's simply no pressing reason given why they have to act this very instant. This could have been great but it seems that the leading title in Marvel's Heroic Age is likely to be a grower or a dud. Oh, and why is Hawkeye smiling when asking Kang his question? He looks like a simpleton! 4/10


BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #2
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Frazer Irving
DC Comics $3.99

Tom P: Morrison's second issue in this miniseries is another fine example of his brilliant run on the Bat books. Just when you think you know where he’s taking you he shows you something completely unexpected. The writer’s take on Bruce has always been a that of a strategist, somebody with a solution for every problem. Reading the last few pages I got the feeling that somehow Bruce has a plan as he jumps through time unaware that he's a weapon. The other highlights for me were his detective skills overriding the superstitions of the ‘New World’ Gotham, along with the women who finds him, Annie, who both saves and unintentionally dooms Bruce. "A tiny spark unnoticed in all the cosmic geometry." All this topped off with some brilliant artwork from Irving. Gripping. 9/10

James R: You there! Comics writer! Do you need a puritan in your script? Then look no further than Frazer Irving; Klarion, Gutsville - he does the silver-buckled chapeau like nobody else! The search for Bruce Wayne continues with Morrison throwing a whole lot of goodness our way - the super-friends on Bruce's temporal trail go to the end of the Universe to track him down, and we find out that he is actually Darkseid's final weapon against humanity. Meanwhile, in the 17th century, Batman has a case of witchcraft to deal with, and a mean Witchfinder to go up against. A blast from beginning to end, it's The Crucible meets 2001 - how can you resist such a combo? Essential stuff, and a tale that only can work in comics. 9/10


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #632
Writer: Zeb Wells
Art: Chris Bachalo, Emma Rios, Tim Townsend, Olazaba & Mendoza
Marvel $2.99

Stewart R: I have to say that I am enjoying the crap out of this story from Zeb Wells. He has truly managed to evolve the Lizard as a character and has really pushed an emotional button with me in his handling of the tragic events that have unfolded for Curt Connors. There's a terrific sense of confusion as Spider-Man has to react against his altered foe and the explanation behind just how and why the Lizard has gone through this metamorphosis is lovely piece of comic writing. The mix of Bachalo and Rios artwork turns up again and the bookended way in which it's delivered works okay. The only gripe is that I'm not too keen on Rios' portrayal of The Lizard in her section of the book, but when a story is this darn good I think I'll probably forgive everything! 9/10


JERSEY GODS #12
Writer: Glen Brunswick
Art: Dan McDaid
Image $4.99

Matt C: In a way it’s a shame this series has reached it’s end, but if I’m honest I probably would have been dropping it anyway. That would have been partly a financial decision rather than a criticism of the quality of storytelling from the creators; this has been a fine comic, but it didn’t really go in the direction I thought it might do at the start, and that was what I really wanted to see. What we got was a more focused look at Barock and Co’s adventures in outer space, but the initial appeal for me was the incongruity of the regular gal falling for the galactic god. That aspect took a bit of a back seat, and it seems Brunswick felt it wiser to keep McDaid happy by giving him stuff to blow up in space instead of zeroing in on a bizarre romance. That’s fair enough, but my interest did wane as a result. Both guys have made their mark though, and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for what they do next. 6/10


BRIGHTEST DAY #2
Writers: Geoff Johns & Peter J.Tomasi
Art: Various
DC $2.99

Stewart R: I have fears that this is not going to work as a series. There's just far too much going on and currently, while we can all guess that it's interconnected somehow, it makes for a far too jumpy and interrupted read. The Firestorm and Martian Manhunter stories are interesting enough but then the Hawkman and Hawkgirl section just doesn't appeal to me at all. Aquaman, while adorning the cover in a tantalising tease, actually appears in only one, inconsequential panel, which annoys me and makes me think that this is probably going to work far better when it's collected and read at length. The art is certainly consistent and pleasant on the eye, and the level of menace that Johns and Tomasi are bringing with returning foes is a refreshing touch, but considering that the page count drops from next issue I may have to think about leaving DC's new event alone for now. 6/10


SECRET AVENGERS #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Mike Deodato
Mavel $3.99

Stewart R: Seems like the Avengers title that I'll be picking up on a regular basis will be this instead of the main Bendis Avengers book thanks to a great first effort from Brubaker and Deodato. On paper this seems like something of a confused team but Brubaker just drops us into things mid-mission and we can pretty much sit back and enjoy Deodato's work as the roster goes about their business. The premise of Steve Rogers having a team that take proactive measures to prevent threats rather than deal with the aftermath should allow this to stand on it's own and hopefully not cross over into other stories and titles too much. There's been far too much cross-pollination over the past couple of years and I'd like this book to steer clear of that if possible. Deodato's art is definitely clean but he does have some occasional iffy moments with certain poses and angles - nothing too distracting though. Promising stuff. 7/10

Matt C: I wasn’t sure this would work. For a start, it initially looked like all the players were randomly pulled out of hat rather than having a justifiable reason for being involved, and in all honesty I’d much rather see Steve Rogers back in the Cap costume than running around in this new getup. Still, Brubaker’s produced some outstanding work for Marvel over the last few years, so I had to give him credit that he knew what he was doing here. Right on cue comes a verbal exchange between Steve and Sharon Carter where the former Captain America likens this new team to the Invaders, and that’s the moment where it all made perfect sense. Yeah, they don’t seem like a cast of characters that instantly fit together, but Brubaker makes it work, giving each an entirely plausible reason why they’re on the team. Fresh off Dark Avengers (and Thunderbolts before that) Deodato is showing he has a brilliant knack of capturing the mood of teams that don’t really fit in with the standard model, and his action choreography is spot on. I don’t normally use the following term, as it can be a bit lazy, but it seems that it’s the perfect one to apply here: Secret Avengers is an exceedingly cool book, and I’m thoroughly excited to see where it’s heading. 8/10

James R: After last week's flabby Avengers from Bendis, I was delighted with this for two reasons: 1) It's clear that Brubaker has got his superhero mojo back after a dodgy last few months on Captain America; and 2) Ant Man! Yeah! (The cool one who is a bit of a git, not Hank Pym!) In the issue itself Brubaker throws us straight into the action, and then flashes back to show us Steve Rogers putting his team together. The only person that doesn't seem to be a logical fit is Nova, but I trust Brubaker enough to stand back and see how this plays out. I've enjoyed Deodato's art since his work on Thunderbolts and he produces the goods here, giving us a comic that's epic in scope and heavy on action. I can't say I'm thrilled by Marvel's 'flood-the-market' Avengers relaunches, but out of the plethora of books carrying the Avengers masthead, this is the one that has won the battle for my geek dollar/pound! 7/10


EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #0
Writers: M. Zacjary Sherman & Matt Cirulnick
Art: Mack Chater & Martin Montiel
Radical Publishing $1.00

Matt C: A dollar price-tag is a wise move from Radical for this nifty updating of the Wyatt Earp legend – I probably would have passed it over it they weren’t offering it at a such an attractive price. With more Vertigo dollar #1’s due later in the year too, I hope other publishers cotton on to the fact that it’s a great way to get new readers hooked onto something they wouldn’t normally pick up. Anyway, the story: set in the not-too-distant future (Blade Runner visuals? Check!) it creates an alternate history that provides a plausible reason why gun-totin’, bank robbin’ cowboys might rise to prominence again. The lush art bestows the book with a neo-noir sensibility, which works well with the script, but while it’s a generally impressive package there’s a lack of a definite hook to get me excited for issue #1, due in a few months time. We’ll see if I’m swayed when that hits the stands, but in the meantime, for a dollar, it’s a thoroughly worthwhile purchase. 6/10


INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #26
Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: Salvador Larroca
Marvel $2.99

Stewart R: You marvellous tease, Mr Fraction. Many a writer would have already had Tony zooming all over the place demonstrating his latest suit's abilities, but Fraction resists and plays the sensible card, having Stark deal with the more pressing task of getting his life back on track and getting his energy venture off of the ground. The scene with Maria Hill is terrific as Tony once again presses home his belief that his previous decisions were made with the greater good in mind and it adds a further layer of complication to their already bizarre friendship. The Spymaster appearance should mean that we're unlikely to get the 'all guns blazing' scenario any time soon and it’ll keep this as possibly Marvel's most consistent title in their current schedule. Larroca, of course, plays a big part in that, as does colourist D'Armata, and they both bring excellent work to the page for the umpteenth time. 8/10


JOE THE BARBARIAN #5
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Sean Murphy
DC/Vertigo $2.99

James R: I haven't got too much to add to my previous gushing praise for this title. Grant Morrison keeps up the pace of Joe's increasingly desperate voyage through the kingdom/his home, and Sean Murphy's art is astounding - he surely deserves a whole cabinet of awards for his pencils and his subtle, yet clever, adjustment of style to portray the two different worlds. The main thing I wanted to applaud here is that with three issues left, I genuinely have no idea how Morrison is going to tie all this up. Given that we're fans of a medium which tends to recycle ideas over and over, this comic stands out as being beautiful to look at, smart to read, and - so far - refreshingly unpredictable. 9/10


THUNDERBOLTS #144
Writer: Jeff Parker
Art: Kev Walker
Marvel $2.99

Stewart R: Okay, I'm really not keen on what Kev Walker's done with Songbird's hair. That's it. That's the only complaint that I have about this great comic. The reset button has been pushed once again and now Luke Cage leads a new roster of Thunderbolts with the intention of cleaning up a lot of the mess left over from Norman Osborn's leadership. This is only the recruitment issue but it reads so well as Cage is given a truly varied bunch of criminals, supervillains and bizarre creatures to oversee. Parker is arguably the best 'team' writer that Marvel have at their disposal - possibly contested by Abnett and Lanning on Guardians Of The Galaxy - and he's brought his A-game to this with neat little explanations for each member's inclusion. Kev Walker, if remaining as the regular artist on this title, shows some very promising talent and a different feel to his recent work on the Imperial Guard miniseries. A great start. 8/10


ZATANNA #1
Writer: Paul Dini
Art: Stephane Roux & Karl Story
DC $2.99

James R: With Palmiotti, Gray & Conner finishing their run on Power Girl I've been on the lookout for another equally fun and lovingly crafted comic to fill the void. With almost supernatural timing, here comes Zatanna! She's one of the DC characters who, like Deadman, I file under 'Untapped Potential'. Despite not being a lover of magic and the supernatural in comics, Zatanna seems to be a character that I always have a passing interest in: Grant Morrison wrote a brilliant miniseries for his Seven Soldiers project, and she's always had a number of cool cameo appearances in more high profile books. It always appeared that she just needed to find a writer who could successfully combine the magical elements with a great narrative and a good grip on her character (she's one of the few DCU characters who has to perform heroics in the shadow of their father's greatness.) After reading issue #1, I feel Paul Dini is certainly the right man for the task - in 22 pages he does a fantastic job of introducing the uninitiated to Zatanna's world and establishing a creepy and horrific tone to the title, whilst never forgetting the lighter moments that make Zatanna such a likeable character. Add into this tidy (yet unspectacular) art from Stephane Roux and you have a great first issue. To put in a more magical way: "Tsil llup ym no!" 8/10

Matt C: I’ve never been particularly drawn to this character; she works as a team player but I’ve not really found myself eager to see her go solo. I decided to give this book a shot based on Paul Dini’s name alone; I know he’s got a lot of love for Zatanna, and he can be a really great writer in the right circumstances (which is my way of letting him off the hook – slightly – for Countdown!). It’s a pretty good debut, all told: Dini makes his cast believable and Roux & Story do a grand job of infusing the tale with visual energy, but….. it didn’t work for me. I’m generally not a fan of magic-based stories, so I’ll chalk my reaction up to that. It’s not a bad book, and I’m sure it’ll please Zatanna fans no end, but this is a series I won’t be pursuing. 6/10


FANTASTIC FOUR #579
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Neil Edwards & Andrew Currie
Marvel $2.99

Matt C: Wow. This is exactly the kind of issue of Fantastic Four I hoped Hickman would deliver when he joined as writer, but up to this point there hasn’t been a tremendous synergy between plot and character. Basically, there have been a lot of great ideas and a real understanding of the group dynamic, but a lack of an obvious overall story arc. It’s beginning to coalesce now though, and there’s a definite sense that Hickman has always had his eye on the bigger picture and has simply been carefully assembling all the pieces. Here he portrays Reed Richards as a man who passionately believes in the future of the human race, and can’t abide any of his peers who look for ways mankind can survive going forward rather than how they can flourish. The opening sequence where Reed lays this philosophy out to his colleagues at the Singularity Conference is a brilliant piece of writing, and the way it sets up the events that follow is expertly handled. Edwards art works well here, aping the style of regular artist Dale Eaglesham to guarantee some visual continuity. Everything seems to click into place effortlessly, and I hope we get to see things to continue in the same fashion over the coming months. 9/10

James R: Okay, my belief is starting to waiver a little. I love Hickman as a writer, and thought he was a perfect choice for Fantastic Four, but after some frankly odd issues with some insane editorial choices, I was starting to wonder just where all this was going. This month, we start to get an answer, with Reed Richards deciding that he's going to build the future with the children of the disparate states he's discovered in the past few issues. It's a cool concept, but for me, there's just something missing from this title at the moment. I'm all for an ideas-driven comic, but it helps if it's married up with compelling content. Two pages of Franklin doing karate doesn't quite cut it for me. I really hope this is culminating in a jaw-dropping pay off, but at the moment the FF are, well, a bit undeserving of the name. 6/10


SCALPED #38
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: R.M. Guera
DC/Vertigo $2.99

Matt C: Another month, another superb issue of Scalped. Here we’re taken back to the 1970s where we meet a man named Wade who has unexpected links to certain characters we’ve become very familiar with since the series began. The opening sequence, set in the midst of the Vietnam War, recalls Jason Aaron’s incredible breakthrough mini, The Other Side, capturing the harsh realities of hopeless conflict in just a few short, intense pages. It’s another absorbing introduction to an individual not fully acquainted with the law, and both Aaron and Guera continue to bring their A-game to the title. Once you realize where Wade sits in the grand scheme of things you can’t help but take your hat off to these guys. Vertigo have a phenomenal line up of books at the moment, and Scalped is at the very top of the pile. 9/10


THANOS IMPERATIVE: IGNITION #1
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art: Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy
Marvel $3.99

Stewart R: What a $4 bundle of cosmic chaos and delight this is. DnA bring all of the interstellar threads together to give this one-shot introduction to the upcoming event that sees Thanos, the Avatar of Death himself, the target of the malevolent forces that linger just the other side of The Fault. Because we have a brilliant level of consistency with the SBU titles in Marvel's canon, everything just feels right, from the Guardian's heated debate over what to do with the Mad Titan, to Nova's pursuit of the Fault-side Quasar. Brad Walker's artwork is lavish and coats the whole story with a truly epic sense of scale and tension. The back-up reprint of an old Thanos/Drax story could really have been left out but that's the only criticism of a terrific read. Now I just have to worry whether Sepulveda's pencils are going to cut the mustard on the main event title... 9/10


7 PSYCHOPATHS #1
Writer: Fabien Vehlmann
Art: Sean Phillips
Boom! Studios $3.99

Tom P: The premise of this comic is that after reading a letter from a Professor in a psychiatric hospital Colonel Thompson decides to try to put together a team of seven psychopaths to assassinate Hitler. Its a fun idea but the main draw for me was Phillips’ artwork which as always looks great; its interesting to see his work coloured by Hubert instead of his regular colourist on Criminal and Incognito, Val Staples. It looks bright and bold and is a good match. Overall I enjoyed this issue; it's a mad concept full of crazy characters, and even Colonel Thompson seems a tad nuts to consider trying out this plan. There's something just holding it back from being truly gripping but I have a lot of faith in Phillips. Lets see if he can pull it off. 7/10

Matt C: I do love it when various American publishers save me the trouble of having to learn a foreign language by translating European comics for the English-speaking market. There’s some fantastic material out there from various creators most of us have never heard of, although there are several instances where writers and artists we are familiar with turn their skills to something outside of the US mainstream. Here we see Sean Phillips do just that, and if you’ve been a fan of his like I have over the last few years (surely you’re reading Criminal by now?) then you’ll want to check this out. The story involves a secret wartime project to get together a team of seven nutjobs and send them over to Germany to assassinate Hitler. With such a bonkers premise it’s understandable that you can sense Vehlmann’s tongue in his cheek on occasion, but he mostly plays it straight, only ‘winking’ at the reader every now and then. It is, of course, enormously silly, but it’s also a hell of a lot of fun. Things are only in set-up stage at the moment, but surely it won’t be long before the team are let loose unexpecting Nazis? Bring it on! 7/10


GREEN LANTERN CORPS #48
Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Adrian Syaf & Vicente Cifuentes
DC $2.99

Stewart R: So we've got a new creative team onboard and my first impression is that we might be in safe hands. Bedard picks up where Tomasi left off, leading us through the rebuilding of Oa and the Corps itself, and setting up some interesting little plot points that should prove entertaining over the coming months. The Alpha Lanterns are freaky at the best of times but their actions here offer promise of further power struggles to come. Ganthet and Guy Gardner's deal with Atrocitus is simply revisited for the sake of those readers who may not have picked up Brightest Day #0, so there's nothing terribly new there, but the following scene with Ganthet conveying his position to the rest of the Guardians and then taking on his new role is terrifically cinematic. Syaf's style is similar to Patrick Gleason's so I'm certainly pleased that the 'feel' of the Green Lantern Corps comic has remained the same for the most part. 7/10


AVENGERS #268
Writer: Roger Stern
Art: John Buscema & Tom Palmer
Marvel $0.75

Matt C: Another grab-your-attention cover (it manages to make pink look good on an Avengers book!) indicates that there’s greatness within these pages. A huge amount of the first half of the issue is taken up by exposition, as Kang recounts his life story from his origin continuing up to his current situation, but it’s fantastic moustache-twirling-villain exposition, the kind that you can only really find in comics. The second half is where the action kicks in, and where Buscema and Palmer get to flex their artistic muscles, which they do in fine style. It’s tremendous fun, refreshing the reader’s memory of Kang’s mythology while adding to and expanding on it in the new, exciting ways. 8/10

Bristol 2010: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality, here are our thoughts on last weekend's events:

Matt T: Three days, two nights, four panels attended, a few hundred pounds spent and 52 comics bought. Bristol Comic Expo by the numbers sounds pretty straightforward, but this weekend was pretty much the opposite of that. The convention centre (or, hotel) was all the better for the expanded floor space, making far more room for back issues. This was the main focus for myself as, with few gaps to fill, I was after some new blood to fill my comic boxes. In the end I left with far, far more than I intended but still pretty happy. A huge stack of John Ostrander's Suicide Squad, some Steve Niles titles, a few issues of Criminal and some mid-Nineties Spider-Man amongst others. There was a fair amount on offer for those wanting to root through the boxes for it, and in spite of the warm weather the crowd was of good nature. There were a several people playing a touch of dress up, the majority of which were teenagers out for a little more than a bit of attention, and a couple of familiar faces floating/waddling around.

In terms of comic book creators Kieron Gillen and Paul Cornell were both engaging and humorous on their panels, as was David Hine. Bob Wayne was as entertaining as ever leading the DC panel, giving little away without being annoyingly evasive. The MMMS (excuse me if I forget what it stood for!) collected Marvel creators old and new making it just about the closest thing we'd get to an official Marvel panel, even if we didn't get a whole lot of insight into how Marvel is run. Chris Claremont provided the odd look into how he crafted one of the classic X-Men runs, coming across as an American equivalent of Victor Meldrew, showing how a long-running contract with a publisher can sometimes be a blessing and a curse as he revealed the only reason he got to do X-Men Forever was because he had two years left to run on his contract. Finally the Vertigo panel, which could have been interesting, were it not for the obnoxious, arrogant and frankly childish presence of Simon Bisley trying his hardest to get himself fired. While the rest of the panel, with varying degrees of success, attempted to carry on in a professional manner, he attempted to hijack every answer or statement with a spurious, often offensive comment seemingly for his own amusement.

To end on a positive note I really enjoyed seeing some old friends, grabbing some comics and generally drinking in the impressively geektastic atmosphere of Bristol once more. Till next year!

Stewart R: And let the post-holiday blues commence! Nah, I'm just kidding, I'm still buzzing from what was an intriguing and entertaining weekend away with the many members of the Paradox Comics Group. In best road trip fashion there was an unfortunate mechanical mishap - hope the car's feeling better Brett! - to start the proceedings but being a fairly practical bunch we were soon speeding westwards to Bristol's welcoming arms.

Friday night is usually a time for checking in, grabbing a meal and then heading to the Ramada bar for a brief spot of talent-spotting (not the luscious lady type I'll add) as the various guests mingle on the eve of the convention. A keen eye had me spotting Chris Claremont wandering about the bar area and thus began the geek-fest that was the Bristol Comic Expo. Once the tickets were in hand Saturday morning it was a leisurely dash to the longboxes to grab those precious bargains or must-haves before any other sticky fingers found their way to them. I managed to snap up seven of the eight issues of The Sentry mini, the first eight instalments of the '80s Power Pack series and a dozen or so issues of Scalped, all for less than £3, and that was just in the first two hours worth of 'thumbing'!

Of course it's not all about the longboxes, and there were plenty of panels, signings and indie presentations scattered across the two sites. I actually did manage to get into the Claremont panel which was certainly interesting but revealed just how weary Mr Claremont seemed with the industry after many years of forging his career. The DC panel, chock full of talent, seemed a slightly quieter affair without the ball of energy that is Dan Didio, but Bob Wayne compared things with a sense of friendly fun, even having a poke at yours truly when I asked him whether he missed being able to read through a DC comic without already knowing what the reveal or surprise is going to be. Apparently the word 'crikey' doesn't tend to form part of the regular vocabulary of DC's Vice President of Sales!

Saturday also included a platoon of various Stormtroopers acting as security to an ever so slightly misshapen Darth Vader, and also a bizarre introduction to Simon Bisley at the bar as he tried to order a shot, any shot, from the barmaid at 11.45 in the morning. Of course there was more Bisley to come the following day when he appeared to be committing career suicide in the Vertigo panel as Shelly Bond and company looked on in bemusement as he interrupted, bumbled and swore his way through the hour even when politely prompted to shut up. A big 'well done' goes to Shelly as she managed to remain composed throughout.

The Merry Marvel Marching Society (there you go, Matt T!) was a tremendous amount of fun as Rob Williams, Kieron Gillen, Paul Cornell and Neil Edwards proceeded to discuss everything from Mary Poppins becoming a Thor villain to sending Daredevil - "leave him alone, he's blind!" - into space, and I dare say that that hour sits proudly atop the panel leaderboard for me. The sheen of my first visit has certainly worn off but what has remained is a darn fun weekend away and glimpse into the inner workings of the comic industry.

Matt C: It wasn’t a vintage Bristol Expo, but even a below par Bristol Expo is nothing less than enjoyable. How can a weekend surrounded by comics goodness be anything but fun? I guess, following Dan Didio’s enthusiastic presence last year, there was a definite lack of anyone matching his infectious energy. Chris Claremont was the ‘Guest of Honour’ for 2010, and while his panel was interesting there was a noticeable undercurrent of bitterness (for whatever reasons), and he was more engaging when talking about the state of the comic industry rather than his work on X-Men Forever. In fact, talking about where comics are at now, in 2010, often provided the most enlightening discussions on all the panels I attended. For example, it was a bit revelatory to hear the creators in the DC panel (Lee Garbett, Paul Cornell, David Hine) say that they’d previously never believed they’d read comics in any other format other than monthlies or TPBs until they got a look at the iPad. It was a sentiment echoed throughout the weekend – whether you like the idea or not, it seems the iPad has changed a lot of minds and will dramatically alter the way we consume comics.

The best panel for me was the sparsely-attended Elephantmen talk headed by Richard Starkings, with Ian Churchill and Boo Cook as his wingmen. Starkings was thoroughly engrossing with his topics ranging from the Elephentmen comic to his past in the industry to what he saw in the future. Great stuff! The most disappointingly panel was, sadly, the Vertigo panel, although I must stress that Shelly Bond struggled valiantly to keep things on track. Unfortunately, Simon Bisley felt it necessary to derail the talk by constant interruptions, puerile jokes and what seemed like a general disregard for what his fellow panellists had to say. A grand shame considering how excellent the panel was last year, and how much extraordinary work the imprint is currently putting out.

Spending wise, I achieved my aim by keeping the number of back issues I picked up to a minimum. Several Thor and Thing comics from the ‘80s and a couple of miscellaneous bits and pieces kept my total under twenty quid. I did venture over to the Small Press Expo over at the Mercure Hotel and picked up several indie books that I’ll be taking a more in depth look at soon. It’s a part of the Expo I’ve sort of neglected before, but I’m glad that I had a proper look around this year.

James and Ross from Creeping With Armstrong were making their presence known, trusty microphone always to hand, so keep your eyes, or ears, peeled for their forthcoming podcast on the Expo. Let’s hope they keep the drunken ramblings of certain people (ahem) on the cutting room floor!

That’s it for 2010 then. The dates are booked in for 2011’s Expo (thankfully putting those ‘last one ever’ rumours to bed) so it’s time to start counting down the days until then!

Incoming... 26/05/2010

New comics are released tomorrow (in the States at least; we have to wait until Thursday in the UK!). Here's a brief look at our expectations for the books we're picking up this week.


Stewart R: Phew!! Barely have I recovered from the comic-filled festivities of a weekend on the town with the Paradox Comics Group as we rocked the Bristol Comic Expo, when another week's worth of published goodies come creeping up on the horizon. There was a point on Monday morning when I had to reach for a regular, picture-less novel, such was my state of comic-fatigue, but I have to say now that I'm rather excited by the prospect of picking up my order on Thursday.

Amazing Spider-Man #632 will definitely be the first thing that gets my attention after I walk out of the doors of Paradox having parted with my hard-earned (pfffft!) cash. Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo have produced two fantastic chapters of the gripping 'Shed' storyline so far and I really don't see them letting the quality dip at any point during this arc. After the shocking and highly emotional ending of #631 I'd expect things to remain particularly dark and twisted on this title.

Speaking of things dark and twisted I suppose my next port of call will have to be Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1 and characters don't come much darker and more twisted than the malevolent Titan himself. The SBU (stick a search in at the top of this page if you've forgotten...) cast of characters and Brad Walker's tremendous pencils should make this an unmissable start to what is sure to be one of the more involving events of Summer 2010. I personally am hoping for plenty of Rocket Raccoon and Groot action.

Of course DC do their cosmic titles well and this week sees a new dawn for the wielders of the Emerald Light as writer Tony Bedard and artist Ardian Syaf take the reigns of Green Lantern Corps #48. Tomasi and Gleason's run through the Blackest Night was a thoroughly enjoyable read and the series has been left at a tantalising juncture for the new creative team to come onboard. It seems that the various divisions in the Corps are going to be explored in greater detail over the coming months and I'm interested to see how the mix of political wrestling and powered-ring battles come together and whether this will remain an unmoving pillar in my Parthenon-like pull-list.

On the sister title the creative 'commanding officers' remain the same for the time being as Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke bring us Green Lantern #54. While the GLC title deals with the issues on Oa, Green Lantern is focusing on Hal Jordan's exploits on Earth and the continued involvement of the various other Lantern Corps is making the DC world a more interesting place for me as a reader. Characters like Larfleeze and Atrocitus are certainly fun and intriguing in their own right, but by putting them in the unfamiliar surrounds of Planet Earth I think Johns is going to give us some inventive and absorbing storylines.

While Brian Michael Bendis seems to have his fingers deeply embedded in all things Avengers at the moment he has left Secret Avengers #1 in the incredibly capable hands of Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato and this title ticks my curiosity box this week simply because the roster is so darn interesting. Steve Rogers, Beast, the Irredeemable Ant-Man and War Machine make perfect sense to me considering their similar stances and positions as former Avengers, but I'm certainly curious to see how Brubaker is going to fold the unstable Moon Knight and incredibly busy Nova (hello... Thanos Imperative anyone?) into the line-up. Deodato delivered some impeccable art in the Dark Avengers finale so I've now forgiven some of his muddier efforts in recent times and if writer and artist manage to get the balance of this right we could have a real winner on our hands.

One writer who seems to have that title already bestowed upon their book after only one instalment is Grant Morrison but Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2 will prove whether the rolling artist line-up is a successful idea or whether it rips the enjoyment and continuity out of the series. Frazer Irving's style is quite different to that of last issue's artist, Chris Sprouse, but with a shift in time to the puritan/witch-hunter era the art-style shift might well compliment the time-jumping plot. My one slight beef might come if we end up with Bruce having a scrap in every single issue because I find it hard to believe that he couldn't go for one or two time shifts without having to cave some evil-doer's skull in.

A quick round-up of the other worthy titles this week sees us move ever closer to the end of Jonathan Hickman's brilliant Secret Warriors series with issue #16 hitting shelves. The Thunderbolts seem to be able to survive any huge roster change and Jeff Parker will show us just what he has in store for Luke Cage and his gang of nefarious and formerly-villainous 'heroes' in Thunderbolts #144. Detective Comics is just about hanging on to my pull-list by its fingernails at the moment - issue #865 being released this week - but I get the feeling that once The Question backup arc has ended that might be it for me and DC's prime title. The same might be said of the X-Men black ops team in a few months but seeing as how X-Force #27 is still part of the epic 'Second Coming' storyline it keeps its place on my roster... for now! Finally, I'll be flicking through Incorruptible #6 as BOOM! Studios hopefully deliver another great instalment of what has become a terrific companion to the Irredeemable book.

The Road To Bristol 2010

You will notice an absence of new reviews this coming weekend, but have no fear – we haven’t given up on funny books! No, this weekend you will find us at the annual Comic Expo in Bristol, so the usual mix of back issue hoarding and drunken mayhem means reviewing new books takes a back seat for once. Expect a bumper selection of reviews the following weekend. In the meantime, we look at what’s on the agenda for 2010's Expo…

Matt C: Can it really be my 10th time at the Bristol Comic Expo? Am I really that old?! These are questions I’d prefer to leave unanswered for the time being (!), and instead focus on the anticipated highlights of the forthcoming weekend. For me it’s all about over-indulging in my lifelong hobby, which comes in the form of purchasing stacks of back issues, meeting creators and general chinwagging about comics.

This year I’m intending to reign in my spending on back issues due to financial constraints, as well as the pile of unread comics I’ve accumulated over the last few years. It’s always nice to have something to hand to read, but as my wife likes to remind me, it has got a little bit out of control. If I can, I’ll plug the gaps in my Invaders and Howard The Duck collections, and maybe pick up some Silver and Bronze Age Thor issues I’m missing. But that’s it. Honest.

As unusual, a few previously announced guests have dropped out, the main disappointment being Image publisher Eric Stephenson. I was looking forward to asking him what happened to War Heroes, Gutsville, Pretty Baby Machine, Infinite Horizon, and all those other Image books that went AWOL before their conclusions! Oh well. Maybe next time. The major draw this year is undoubtedly Chris Claremont. He may not command the attention he once did, but there’s no denying his the industry-changing impact of his seminal work on Uncanny X-Men throughout the 1980s. There’s a good argument to be made that superhero comics would look a lot different today (for good or bad, depending on where you sit) if he hadn’t been steering the mutant ship throughout that decade.

A look at the official website reveals there’ll be plenty going on, and even though it’s the second year of operating on a reduced scale (making it even smaller than the US cons we dream of going to) it’s still the best comics-based gathering in England at the moment, so I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Matt T: Another year, another con. After last year’s downsized, reduced and thoroughly shrunken-down effort I’m at the very least going to be less disappointed with the floor space of the Expo. Instead of aiming to fill in all my gaps and massively expand my amount of back issues I’m going to be aiming more at completely new runs, such as John Ostrander’s take on the Suicide Squad. It’s been recommended to me in the past, and I’m a big fan of any series that takes minor characters out of the background and gives them something more interesting to do. I might start picking up a few issues of Astro City as well, as it’s one of those classic books I seem to have completely missed out on in spite of the various good reviews. My long standing search for both Moon Knight and Ragman books will also continue, although I’m not expecting to find anything I haven’t already got, and I'll be keeping my eye out for as some mid-Nineties' Spidey books too. I’m also looking to grab some EC titles and maybe some issues of Creepy and Eeire issues, as they’re always good for a giggle.

The panels look pretty interesting this year, especially ‘Comic Writing for Dummies’ at the Mecure Hotel and obviously Chris Claremont at the Ramada. The DC Universe panel is always good for some new info, and Bob Wayne is an entertaining fella when in charge of proceedings. There’s another Claremont panel on Sunday involving Alan Davis as well, which will certainly be a must, and the Vertigo session will be worth it just to watch Matt C corner the panel again.

I’m going to try and get Mike Carey to sign my Unwritten # 1, and Chris Claremont to squiggle on a few old X-men for me. Of course I’m also looking forward to a few beers with the Paradox posse, as well as some old friends I’ve not seen for a while.

Stewart R: This is just my second visit to Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo (to give it its full title!) and after last year's grand weekend of geek fun with the Paradox Group I'm looking forward to a second bite of the cherry. Last year's events seemed to zoom past as I tried to get to grips with the etiquette of the Expo longboxes - 'elbows out and if there's a sliver of space make it yours' seems to be a winning tactic - and work the queues for the various panels.

With the foresight to have looked at the panel line-up and timings I feel I'm now prepped to get the best out of the two days. I'll possibly stick my nose in for the Chris Claremont panel but suspect there'll be a throng of fans far more determined to get a seat. With The Losers motion picture hitting UK cinemas next weekend I'll certainly be interested to see what Jock and Andy Diggle have to say in their panel, not least because Jock seemed very excited about the adaptation when he appeared last year. Minus the enthusiastic energy of Dan Didio and the easy sells of Blackest Night and Wednesday Comics I'll certainly be looking for Bob Wayne to bring some saliva-inducing news items and guests to the DC Universe panel this time, and the inclusion of Batgirl artist Lee Garbett has me locked in for a fight for a seat. A year ago I certainly wouldn't have been queuing to get into a Vertigo panel but their body of work has been so strong these past 12 months that I dare say that that hour on the Sunday is possibly the panel I'm looking forward to most of all.

After last year's random and unorganised purchasing of back issues - I was young(er), naive and new to the game - I've had a few titles written down for the past 6 months or so that may need to be dug out and purchased for a bargain price if I can find them. High on the list is Green Lantern Corps Vol 2 as I've loved Tomasi and Gleason's work through the Blackest Night tie-in and I'm expecting to be able to pick up several issues here and there for a snip. I'll also be aiming to pick up some of Ron Lim's work on Silver Surfer Vol 3 as I was given a few copies by an Aunt back when I was 8 or 9 years old and they're some of my favourite comics of all time.

Am I excited? Does Thanos like being dead?!

Matt C: As it’s not been mentioned already, this year sees the debut appearance of podcasters extraordinaire, James and Ross, aka Creeping With Armstrong, who will be out and about looking for ‘celebs’ to interview/interrogate. We mention this as CWA’s James is none other than reviewer James R from the Paradox Group, so don’t be surprised if several other Paradox lend their (possibly inebriated) dulcet tones to a future CWA episode.

See you on the other side!

Incoming... 19/05/2010

New comics are released tomorrow (in the States at least; we have to wait until Thursday in the UK!). Here's a brief look at our expectations for the books we're picking up this week.


Stewart R: Are Marvel having a little laugh? C'mon, they must be holding their sides while they rock gently with chuckled mirth at the size of the solicitations list this week? No less than twelve titles on their shipping manifest for this Wednesday have a '#1' splashed teasingly upon the cover. Twelve!? Hahahahaha...NO! Stop it Marvel! Bad Marvel!!

Fair enough, some titles have run their course and now disappeared into the ether, and replacements will obviously surface as Marvel needs to keep those books balanced, but there are just far too many to pick from this week. As a result of this madness I have elected to NOT pick up the following that are hitting shelves this Wednesday and Thursday:

Age Of Heroes #1
Anita Blake: Circus Of The Damned Book 1 #1
Avengers Assemble #1
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger #1
Enter The Heroic Age #1
Galacta: Daughter of Galactus #1
Marvel 1602 MGC #1
Origins of Marvel Comics #1
Rescue #1

There was only one on that list that I've been pondering over, Age of Heroes #1, but having read the synopsis for this one I have to say that it sounds instantly forgettable. I've already got three titles not mentioned in that little batch that I've picked out as definites and I'm hoping that they'll be worth sticking with in the coming months. The three I shall be giving a good reading to will be Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jnr' Avengers #1, Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman's Atlas #1 and Brian Reed and Philip Briones' Amazing Spider-Man Presents: American Son #1. The American Son title I am particularly interested in as Norman Osborn's ultimate defeat now raises questions about Harry's next move and whether his former fiancé, Lily - now pregnant with his baby brother, yep that Norman Osborn is a classy character - plays any part in that.

Avengers #1 should be interesting enough as I imagine it will set the tone for the 'Heroic Age' and allow us to see whether it's a comic world that will keep us interested for some years to come or possible dash off to alternative comic realities (and publishers!). I've not seen any preview art as yet but it the recent Free Comic Book Day offering from Marvel is anything to go by then I expect that we may not be seeing JR Jr's work at its best. He certainly seems to be one of the quicker pencillers in the business today but since World War Hulk I've noticed the art supremo's game slipping every now and then which disappoints me a little.

Still, nobody's perfect, and that's a pretty decent saying to apply to Jimmy Woo's team of rag-tag misfits who have entertainingly bumbled there way through the Dark Reign to emerge as one of the most promising superhero teams in Marvel's canon. That's mostly down to Jeff Parker's inherent ability to understand team dynamics and how various personalities are likely to interact with each other. The big question for this title is whether the creative team have had to shake up the way in which they portrayed the Agents of Atlas previously to fit in with the Heroic Age or whether their previous successful model is going to remain in place. I'm certainly hoping for a 'more of the same' type situation but realise it could go either way.

Deadpool #23 gets a look in this week but I do get the feeling that I might be saying 'Auf Wiedersehen' to this title fairly soon. Daniel Way had me guffawing and belly-laughing with the antics of Wade Wilson in the first 15-odd issues of this title but since then the laughs seem to have dried up somewhat. It's certainly not to do with Carlo Barberi on artistic detail as he has been a worthy successor to Paco Medina. I dunno, maybe it's just that the joke has worn off somewhat and the saturation of the Merc With The Mouth in the Marvel Universe has probably taken a toll. I'll give it this one more issue and then it's time to pass judgement.

No judgement is needed of course for Invincible Iron Man #26 as Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca's work is something I'm very pleased to have locked into a monthly order. I'm anticipating a greater look at that new armour this time out but Mr Fraction does like to drop surprises here and there so I won't take anything for granted. The interesting point will be how much of a threat the Hammer Girls can truly be and I'm expecting problems to start popping out of the woodwork for Tony any time now.

A big week for Marvel but there are some other juicy titles out there in Comic Land this week. Scott Snyder and Stephen King's American Vampire #3 bares its fangs to a grateful readership, Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy's Joe The Barbarian #5 promises more childhood weirdness and Haunt #7 should show us just where Robert Kirkman and Greg Capullo plan to lead the brothers Kilgore in their superpowered exploits. These are three titles that have really impressed from the get-go and each of them offers something a little different. American Vampire's turn of the 20th Century setting is a captivating battleground for a secret vampire war; Joe the Barbarian's a great retro read that offers a chance to reminisce on growing up and the toys that accompanied the children of the 1980s through their journey to the 1990s, and Haunt's symbiotic powered heroics are balanced nicely by the odd study here and there of the affect of isolation on relationships.

Of course (formerly) Deadman, Boston Brand, knows all about isolation and I'm expecting Geoff Johns and Co to really start looking at why this important protagonist is darting all over the world in his new capacity as a White Lantern when we open the pages of Brightest Day #2. The first issue did suffer slightly from the brevity afflicting some of the scenes but with the twice-monthly format I'm hoping that this becomes a moot point once the stories really kick into gear. If it doesn't manage to gain a sense of cohesion quite quickly I fear we might start hearing the sound of the Brightest Day being torn from many a pull-list.

Mini Reviews 16/05/2010

While we may not always have the time to review all the comics we get every week, we do try and provide a snapshot of the latest releases, mixing the good with the not so good.

This week also sees the next instalment of Matt C's Buscema Avengers Project.


BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Chris Sprouse & Karl Story
DC $3.99

James R: When the preview art for this appeared there were more than a few people who were incredulous - Pirate Batman? Batman with a big bat on his head? Madness! Etc. However, I for one was all about giving Grant Morrison his way as a) his work on Batman And Robin has almost been sublime of late, and b) c'mon, it's a story about a bloke who dresses up as a bat to dispense vigilante justice - if you're willing to accept that, go the whole nine yards! Having devoured this issue, I pleased that I stood up for it. Morrison neatly explains how Bruce is going to be all these different Batmen, and shows how the concept of the man who will do anything to fight a bully and the unjust is woven into the very fabric of the DC Universe and popular culture. He also gives us a peak at the early years of the DC's immortal Vandal Savage (hinted at in Final Crisis) and shows that a gang of Bat-pals are on his trail as he lurches through time. I'm a huge fan of Tom Strong and so I was really pleased to see the art team of Sprouse & Story let loose on some of the big names of the DCU... I would dearly love to see them on a high-profile book on a more regular basis. Nothing cheesy here, just a blast from first page to last. 8/10

Matt C: While several of my Paradox reviewing colleagues were frothing at the mouth in anticipation of this miniseries, I was far less enthused by the prospect. Firstly, Grant Morrison can sometimes produce gold, but I often find that he’s more likely to produce fool’s gold than the real deal. Secondly, those covers didn’t exactly fill me with excitement. Caveman Batman? Pirate Batman? Seriously?! Is this the DC of the 21st Century or the 1950s? But…. I’m just too much of a fan of the Dark Knight to not check out the first issue, and I’m surprised to say I’m giving it a cautious thumbs up. The major plus point is Chris Sprouse and Karl Story’s art – I don’t recall seeing much of Sprouse’s work since Tom Strong concluded, but I’m immediately reminded how exciting his bold linework and strong sense of composition are, and how well Story reinforces these qualities out with his inking. Morrision’s story is way better than I expected; well paced and structured, his attempt at simulating primate-speak irritates at first but soon clicks into place, drawing you into Bruce Wayne’s prehistoric excursion. It’s an intriguing opening shot, but I’ve been burnt by Morrison enough times before to get too excited. 7/10

Tom P: Bruce Wayne is back, baby, returning with all the flair I would expect from Morrison, a writer who has gone above and beyond the call of duty on the magnificent Batman and Robin. A bit like Captain America: Reborn, we find Bruce lost in the past, but this is an infinitely more interesting story. I really love the way we see his crash landing from the point of view of the cavemen who find him. It makes the story more interesting and intriguing as a result, along with the way his dialogue is hard to read and understand. Chris Sprouse makes this comic pop, and his Tom Strong sneak peak is a welcome bonus - I love his Caveman Batman and if it comes out as an action figure I'm buying it straight away and placing it next to my Red Son Batman! 9/10

Stewart R: Having had little experience of Batman in comic form - I've tended to stick to animation and video games when it comes to the exploits of Bruce Wayne so far - I've pretty much no idea of how the Dark Knight has ended up in a stone age nightmare where he's forced to fight for his life once more. The thing is I don't really need to. Morrison keeps the dialogue brief and succinct including a neat touch where he essentially places the reader in the position of a native whenever Bruce speaks. By keeping things simple Morrison has allowed the artists to tell the majority of the story with Sprouse’s trusty pencils and Story's moody inking taking us through brutal tribal battles, a trippy dream sequence and a decent caped scrap with a certain familiar face. I've a feeling that we could be waiting until the fifth or sixth issue to find out just why Bruce's return to the 21st Century is such a potentially dangerous thing, but at this moment I'm locked into picking this title up to find out. 8/10

Matt T: The brisk pace of this first issue makes me think DC want Wayne back in standard continuity pretty rapidly, but the fact that it’s a six-parter and Morrison still has Batman And Robin on his job sheet means it might not be quite as rapid as I expect. Still, this keeps enough DCU references in the mix for me to nod and smile at (an impromptu Robin turning up as well as another couple of time travellers to add some mystery) and the art is cracking from Sprouse, being impressively detailed and altering the look of Wayne/Batman just enough to maintain the feel of the character, even if he is just a man wearing a bloody great animal hide. It’s not the gimmicky Elseworlds-style title I thought it would be, just dropping Batman into various time periods and seeing what he does, as Morrison is weaving in some sense of urgency and an eye on the larger continuity as well without ruining the breakneck pacing. 8/10


SIEGE #4
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Olivier Coipel & Mark Morales
Marvel $3.99

Matt T: Siege wasn’t really going in the direction to throw any huge surprises into the mix, but at least it kept some of the bigger battles for the end and had some pleasant twists along the way. The Sentry had started to become something of a deus ex machina in the Marvel U, turning up and smashing crap to atoms when all hope seemed lost, so it’s no big surprise that he’s become the ‘big bad’ of Siege. Heroes being heroic, villains getting their arses kicked, and no huge jumps in logic establish this firmly as one of my favourite big events of recent years from Marvel, and even if it’s all been essentially righting the wrongs of the likes of Secret Invasion and Civil War it’s been a decent read throughout. 8/10

James R: I was definitely not on board when issue #1 of Siege hit the racks. For a while, I found that the Marvel Universe was getting increasingly daft. With the exception of Captain America & Iron Man, I found that the effervescent House of Ideas seemed to be surprisingly flat. Then my fellow Paradox Group members convinced me to take a look, and - hey! - they were right. I enjoyed parts 1 & 2 and thought, that maybe, just maybe, Marvel were back on track. The last issue of Siege suggests that I should reserve judgement for just a while longer. On one hand it looks absolutely gorgeous - Coipel & Morales make for an exceptional art team, and they deliver some cracking 'widescreen' moments. The problem, however, lies with the plotting. After sticking resolutely with the Sentry since the start of his run on New Avengers, Bendis has never seemed to know quite how to deal with him as a character, and this is shown in grand style here. Moreover, too much stuff happens with a click of the fingers (literally, in Loki's case!) and the ending felt horribly rushed. An event 7 years in the making? Whatever. 7 minutes in the plotting, more like. I'll be back for Avengers, but this event, like so many of Marvel’s recent endeavours, has left me underwhelmed. 5/10

Matt C: The second issue of this four-parter was rollicking dollop of blockbuster superheroics, but the other three haven’t managed hit it out of the park the way that #2 unexpectedly did. It’s still been pretty good though, and coming from me, someone who’s been railing on Bendis’ superhero writing for several years, that’s high praise. Yeah, it’s big, loud, lacking in any real substance, and various character motivations are highly questionable, but it’s been propelled along with such momentum (from the king of decompression himself!) that you don’t have the time to focus on the flaws. Even the writer’s trademark ‘Bendis-speak’ (where all characters talk in exactly the same way) is kept to the minimum, and there is a definite individuality manifesting itself amongst the cast members. Having said that, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the series half as much as I did if it wasn’t for Coipel’s extraordinary art. Epic, muscular imagery that drives home the sheer scale of the events unfolding as well as adding dramatic weight to the rather slender script. It’s nowhere near perfect, but it’s a far more satisfying read than either Secret Invasion, Civil War or House Of M. 7/10

Stewart R: There’s a part of me that read through this issue the first time, sighed and asked myself ‘Is that it??’ Then there was another part of me that said ‘Wait a minute, go on, read it again!’ such had been the promise shown by the earlier instalments. After three read-throughs I still can’t quite bring myself to love this. It’s pretty good in places but there are flaws and gaps and things glazed over which are blatantly ready to be fleshed out in the myriad of other titles released in the next few weeks. I suppose that’s where the bones get stuck in my throat; too much of Bendis’ finale is pushing me off to other titles to get the full widescreen picture of how this event finally ends, and it’s all due to the restriction of the four-issue run enforced here. It smells quite badly of ‘reset button’ territory where the ‘Heroic Age’ simply cannot be delayed and to heck with finishing Dark Reign in the measured way that it deserved. Coipel’s artwork, which was spotless in the first two issues, seems just a tad rushed in odd places and there are certain layout niggles – the last ‘hammer blow scene’ seems a little understated to me considering what had come before – that tarnish what had been a promising concept. 6/10

Tom P: I will start this review my saying that up till now Siege has been a fantastic read and while this last issue is not all bad, the opening disappointed me a great deal. My disappointment is over two things: Loki and the Void. Lets start with Loki: I've just finished reading JMS's Thor run and Loki's actions in this are so horribly out of character it spoilt the whole thing for me. In Thor #12, which is without a doubt my favourite issue in that series, we are given a great insight into the God of Mischief and his motivations, and to some respect his end game. For a character as clever and manipulative as he is, to be begging for help with some stones just makes no sense to me and made me wish we could have seen where Straczynski would have taken us... but that’s a topic for another day. The second thing is The Void. I was looking forward to this battle but Bendis has written himself into hole; how do you defeat someone this powerful? The whole battle felt too swift and to lazy to me. Ultimately this comic ends and puts everyone where they need to be but I feel extremely disappointed, and cant help feel an artist as skilled as Coipel deserves better. 4/10


DAYTRIPPER #6
Writers: Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon
Art: Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba
Vertigo $2.99

Stewart R: These writers are leading us by the hand through the emotional spectrum with this title, that's for sure! Where last issue had a brighter, reminiscent quality to it, this issue has a sombre, numb feeling running throughout as they elect to send Bras on a path of worry and concern for his missing friend Jorge. Rather than keeping the focus squarely on Bras from start to finish, Ba and Moon weave his personal anguish through the city of Sao Paulo's attempts to mourn and recover following a disaster, and it works terrifically well as a study of societal grief and feelings of empathy. That's where I would say that this title is working so very well; Daytripper makes the reader think about all of the paths and possibilities that their life could have taken by showing you a snippet of the various lives of Bras de Oliva Domingos. I've also noticed that these artists don't drop smiles carelessly throughout these comics and perhaps they might be on to something; humans in general don't tend to smile by default! Go on, have a look when you're walking to your local comic shop this Wednesday or Thursday to pick up a copy of this decent comic. 7/10


NEW AVENGERS FINALE #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Brian Hitch
Marvel $4.99

Matt T: Now that the Siege is finally over (and thank God for the ‘Read Siege #4 before reading this!’ notice on page 1 of this book!) most of the Avengers titles are wrapping up before the big 'Heroic Age' restart. Telling this concluding part of the ‘outlaw Avengers’ from the perspective of Luke Cage is one of Bendis’ cleverer ploys, using what is clearly one of his favourite characters to humanise the insanity of the various world-shattering incidents. Only a couple of villains need sweeping up and dropping off to the relevant authorities and, while a fair slice of Siege #4 is repeated here, much like in various other titles this week, it never feels like a needless rehash. There are just a lot of villains getting their comeuppance, and heroes finding a more preferable status quo, making the whole of New Avengers Finale feel something of a bloated epilogue. It’s by no means terrible, just $4.99 worth of ‘everything’s cool, wait till the new books’ rather than a significant addition to Siege. 7/10


THE MARVELS PROJECT #8
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Steve Epting
Marvel $3.99

Matt C: While it may not have lived up to the promise of the first issue, The Marvels Project has been a solid, well-crafted series that’s had plenty to offer die-hard Mavelites, even though it's played things a bit safe. I’ve said it in practically every review I’ve written for the book, but the Angel’s voiceover was the key problem for me, keeping the emotional core of the events at a distance, resulting in a rather dry telling of the birth of the Marvel Universe. What I would have liked is for this to have been a lead up to a full-blown Invaders series, with Brubaker taking the same approach to the team that he did during the flashbacks in those early issues of his run on Captain America. That doesn’t appear to be the case, and although there are several plot threads left hanging, they look like they’ll be picked up in a contemporary setting rather than WWII. While the script could have used a bit more emotional colour, there are no complaints with the art. I’m convinced this is the best work of Epting’s career, and I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing with that statement. His powerful, dynamic visuals draw you into the story, capturing the feel of the wartime era with real panache. Seeing him draw Cap, Namor, Bucky and the Torches in action makes an even stronger case for an Invaders series. How about it, Marvel? 8/10

James R: When this title was announced, I was hugely enthusiastic - one of my favourite writers, Ed Brubaker, teaming up with his Captain America partner Steve Epting to tell a WW2 tale? Sweet. The first issue hinted that this could be a classic, but with each issue, my initial excitement has waned. Just as Captain America has drifted from a 'Must Read' title to worryingly pedestrian, this series has seldom got out of second gear. Given the cast of characters involved, I feel I've been given little insight into Steve Rogers, into Namor, or even into our narrator, Thomas Holloway. Given the cool 'How do you create tomorrow' backcover that has graced each issue, I would have expected this question more actively addressed in the narrative, but sadly not. Rather than revitalising Marvel's illustrious past, Marvels Project has just given us a tour round some very familiar locations. I'm sure Brubaker has a thousand brilliant stories left to tell in his career, but this hasn't been his finest hour. 5/10


UNWRITTEN #13
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Peter Gross
DC/Vertigo $2.99

Matt T: This book has gone from strength to strength, with maybe a slight lull before the ‘Mr Bun’ storyline in issue #12, and #13 is no different. Heading back to the main plotline, Carey moves things along to keep an impressive level of tension, peril and mystery by utilising something as simple as a book launch. Even when the unscrupulous editor of Tommy Taylor’s latest adventure is revealed to be harbouring a secret, it doesn’t feel like a needless distraction, but a necessary element to advance the plot. The various twists and turns always keep me guessing, and the ending has me wondering what will follow when the infamous tome of Taylor is finally released. 9/10


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #631
Writer: Zeb Wells
Art: Chris Bachalo, Emma Rios, Tim Townsend & Jaime Mendoza
Marvel $2.99

Stewart R: Wow, another title that I wasn't so sure about after the first read this week but after the second tear through I'm convinced now that this is a superb piece of comic writing. The use of Emma Rios' art is a slight distraction through the first eight pages, despite being an accomplished effort, but thankfully that start simply feels like an apt prelude to what then follows as Spider-Man confronts one of his most vicious and unpredictable foes. Wells and Bachalo really wring the best out of what is a short and brutal battle of instinct, and the back and forth between the inner voices works tremendously well to propel the action on. What Wells then leads us through demonstrates just how terrible an act of vengeance the Gauntlet is shaping up to be and, with Bachalo masterfully leaving things up to our imaginations at the crucial point, this is a comic moment that will stick with me for quite a while to come. I believe this works particularly well as we're being given an inside view of the manipulation that the Kraven's are enacting and we can do nothing but look on as the terrible events unfold. Chilling, stunning and quite, quite brilliant. 9/10


SENTRY: FALLEN SUN #1
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Art: Tom Raney & Scott Hanna
Marvel $3.99

Tom P: I added this book to my weekly haul and have come to regret that choice a great deal. I didn't flick through it before buying as I didn't want to spoil Siege #4 - this was a mistake as it's a boring read to be honest. I never found the Sentry to be overly interesting but the Void stuff in Dark Avengers and the first three issues of Siege had sparked my interest. If you're a big fan of his then you might enjoy this one-shot a lot more than I did, but all I felt while reading this was that my $3.99 could have been better spent elsewhere. 2/10


FLASH #2
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Francis Manapul
DC $2.99

Matt C: In the 25th Century the Rogues are employed as law enforcement officers and have come back to our time to arrest the Flash for the murder of one of their own. It’s a fun premise, and Johns uses it as a means to display various stupendous facets of the superhero’s unique powerset. I’m warming to Manupal’s art a lot more now, and his style fits the tone, blending realism with a more light-hearted, cartoonish quality. This is definitely headed in the right direction, with the balance between Barry Allen’s personal and superhero life kept just right, and if Johns can retain that balance for the duration then I may just have found the Flash book I can stick with and enjoy. 8/10


AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #35
Writer: Christos N. Gage
Art: Jorge Molina & Andrew Hennessy
Marvel $2.99

Stewart R: Final issues are always a strange proposition, especially when they're not forced by financial constraints or a lack of readership. The Initiative is brought to an end as the legislation that saw its very formation is repealed at the end of the Dark Reign. Despite the foreseen end point this is not as fulfilling a read as it could have been, with Gage seemingly forced to deal with too many plot points to fit comfortably within the 22-page limit. The scenes in Asgard offer no real shock or surprise, but the inclusion of The Hood there is unfortunately necessary to explain a shift in power, burning more panels that could have been used to flesh out the more deserving stories. The fact that a significant jump in story is included where you would need to pick up New Avengers: Finale to learn how events transpire to then allow Tigra to get her closure irks me somewhat and is part of my major bugbear with Siege as a whole. It was bad enough that readers were going to lose this title, but it's been made worse by an ending that doesn't do justice to the legacy that it will leave. Gage and Molina do their best with what they've been given but it's not quite enough. 6/10


AVENGERS #268
Writer: Roger Stern
Art: John Buscema & Tom Palmer
Marvel $0.75

Matt C: Three Avengers are stuck in Limbo at the mercy of Kang’s machinations whilst the other three attempt to locate their teammates as soon as possible. There are plenty of fisticuffs on display as this issue focuses more on action rather than progressing the plot forward much. That’s okay though, because when Stern manages to weave the Space Phantom (!) into the story, you have to applaud not only his adherence and respect to Avengers history and continuity but also his sheer audaciousness. The art’s stellar as usual, but perhaps it’s worth pointing out that, while I may have labelled this undertaking the Buscema Avengers Project for simplicity’s sake, Tom Palmer was just as critical to the visual prowess of this run as Buscema himself. They aren’t credited as ‘penciller’ and ‘inker’, instead it’s ‘breakdowns’ and ‘finished art’, which gives an indication of exactly how much Palmer contributed. 8/10