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.
INCOGNITO: BAD INFLUENCES #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Sean Phillips
Marvel/Icon $3.50
James R: This is quite effortlessly my book of the week. Firstly, it's the next instalment in the life of Zack Overkill, the antihero of the first series of Incognito. Overkill lives in a world which I can't get enough of - it's the world of the ‘20s and ‘30s pulps brought up to date, and it's a killer hybrid of Brubaker's 'Bad Guy' books - Criminal and horribly under-read Sleeper. This time around, we're finding more out about Zack's origins, featuring the suitably pulpy mysterious figure of Lazarus, the Returned Man. Meanwhile, Overkill gets a new assignment - to hunt down a SOS agent gone rogue. In every department, this book excels - Brubaker's plotting (with some brilliant flashbacks & side-steps) and trademark hardboiled dialogue are superb, and Sean Phillips continues to be outstanding. A special mention to Val Staples too, whose colours give both Criminal and Incognito an unmistakable and perfect look. Phew, just buy it already! 9/10
Stewart R: Hooray!! Zack Overkill’s back!! Let the anti-hero.... um, heroics commence! Brubaker and Phillips debut a new arc that drops us straight back into their dark vision of a world where the bad guys can end up working for the good guys and still have to do their own laundry. Zack may be using his skills and powers to fight the good fight now but he’s seeing little reward for it and it’s great to watch him struggle to lead a boring, average life with the ‘normals’ while in the same stroke being ostracised by the powered good guys he’s forced to work beside. The new story ties once again into Zack’s past, which should ensure that things remain complicated in the most enjoyable and interesting way possible and give Brubaker even more scope for expanding upon this rich, atmospheric world. Phillips is the artist for this story, these characters, and he once again excels at capturing every little emotion and nuance in Zack’s frustrating and life-altering situation. Early days but if this debut and the pedigree of the creators is anything to go by we’ve got another potential series of the year contender. 8/10
Matt C: Third page in and there’s a flashback panel of Zack Overkill taking down a group of costumed bad guys. Their names? Dark Leopold and the Nuclear Nazis! That’s one of the reasons I love this book: the acknowledged debt to pulp traditions, filtered through a superhero prism and then delivered with a thoroughly modern, adult sensibility that revels in the idea that people afflicted with superpowers would generally be a bunch of misanthropic fuck ups. As with many of Brubaker’s stories in this vein (Criminal, Sleeper), it’s all about seeing our hero (or anti-hero? or complete bastard?) finding himself in situations that get worse by the minute, but being utterly incapable of extricating himself from them. You know from the off that Zack’s going to find himself getting deeper and deeper into the shit, but a lot of the fun comes from watching how it all unfolds. Brubaker knows this stuff inside out, and with Phillips and colourist Val Staples in tow you can be confident, based on past experience, that this will easily be a ride worth both your time and money. So, if you not doing so already, get onboard now. 8/10
DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS #3
Writer: Kurt Busiek & Daryl Gregory
Art: Damian Couceiro
Boom! Studios $3.99
Matt C: I’m enjoying this way more than I anticipated, but then Busiek’s non-superhero stuff is usually quite meaty so I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised (even if he’s only responsible for the story and doesn’t actually script the thing). I like the idea of the world’s most famous vampire being resurrected by a struggling multinational company to assist in corporate warfare – it helps it avoid many of the clichés prevalent in the current vampire boom (although this isn’t to say it ignores accepted vampire lore). Dracula himself is portrayed as fearsomely intelligent individual, disgusted with this new world he's awoken to, but acutely aware that he needs to bide his time before he can turn his current predicament to his advantage. Couceiro’s art has a nice way with expression but I’ve got a feeling he’s still waiting to really let rip. An unusual riff on the vampire mythos that’s worth keeping tabs on. 7/10
HELLBOY/BEASTS OF BURDEN ONE-SHOT
Writesr: Evan Dorkin & Mike Mignola
Art: Jill Thompson
Dark Horse $3.50
Tom P: I've read loads of Hellboy books but until today I had never read a Beasts Of Burden comic. After going through this one-shot you can rest assured I will be pestering Andy H at Paradox for the hardcover collection quite swiftly. I loved this comic. The story starts quite normally (for Hellboy at least) with him slaying a vampire for some small village folk. A scruffy grey dog appears and Hellboy follows him into some woods where he comes face to face with a small gang of talking dogs and cats. They explain that they protect Burden Hill from the paranormal and could use his help. So off we go on a little quest to stop the baddies and save the day! Its all done with such charm, wit and humour that I could not help but be completely absorbed by this beautifully drawn and written one-shot/team-up. Pugs is the mutt that stole the show for me with lines like "Lookit this! You ever seen anything so beautiful?! He's a skull-crackin' machine!" Just as he warms to Hellboy, I warmed to him. The last shot of Pugs sat sadly alone made me feel quite emotional (I am a big dog lover so it doesn't take much!). The quality of this work is undeniable and it’s safe to say the Beasts have a new fan. Superb. 10/10
SECRET AVENGERS #6
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Mike Deodato
Marvel $3.99
Matt C: I’m beginning to love this book. There’s no messing about in Secret Avengers – it thunders along with a restless energy, barely giving you a chance to catch your breath, and even during the scenes where there are no fists flying you get a sense of the clocking ticking in the background. Rogers is the obvious constant in the team, and I’m guessing Black Widow and Beast are mainstays too, but what makes this deep cover variant of the Avengers so appealing is that the roster appears to be flexible, meaning we’re likely to see a lot of new faces come and go over the next few months. Brubaker injects some of the Kung Fu magic he helped bring to the first few arcs of Immortal Iron Fist and Deodato continues to cement his status as a great manipulator of an action scene during some thrillingly executed panels. Forget what Bendis is doing; this is where it’s at with the Avengers as far as I’m concerned. 8/10
James R: I wouldn't expect Brubaker to produce two comics in a single week as good as Incognito, but still Secret Avengers continues to be a total blast. After the exceptional LMD Fury one-shot, we're back into a longer arc this month. The team were first introduced in a trans-world romp, and now Brubaker keeps us on our toes by delving into ‘70s Marvel with a story featuring Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu! (I have a soft spot for Shang-Chi as I got a cheap omnibus of his adventures when I was a callow youth!) Don't expect a comic that's going to redefine the medium, but do anticipate a fast and pacy read that is so much more entertaining than any other Avengers title Marvel is currently trying to push on you! 7/10
Stewart R: Mike Deodato draws the lower half of muscley characters bodies as if they were He-Man action figures from the 1980s! I’ve just realised that, but it’s the only bizarre criticism I can find about his artwork this issue as he once again gives us another sumptuous comic to look at. Be it slicing and dicing ninja attacks or simply Sharon Carter and Steve Rogers sharing some downtime, every panel is well thought out and captures the impetus and tension at just the right moment. Brubaker is thankfully keeping the Secret Avengers away from other events and happenings in the Marvel Universe and allowing this team to tackle those threats for which they were formed: secret ones!! This time it happens to be Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu and his not-so-deceased villainous father, and it’s a great excuse for some mystical martial arts action and a nice dose of infiltration on foreign soil. I do have to question why just two members of the team and one Kung Fu master are doing the leg-work presently but I’m sure we’ll get a full roster appearance before too long when the resurrection ceremonies inevitably begin and the ninja hordes really start to amass. 8/10
SCALPED #42
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: R.M. Guera
DC/Vertigo $2.99
Matt C: There’s no question in my mind that Scalped is an exceptional comic, and I consider it to be the finest book currently being published right now, but there is the odd occasion when it even manages to outclass itself, essentially leaving every other title on the shelves in the dust. This issue is one of those occasions. It all comes down to the phenomenal character work, here focusing on the way fantasises of a better life are often crushed by the grim realisation of what it takes to survive in a harsh world day by day. The key scene revolves around a conversation between Carol and Dashiell, neither of them saying to the other what they really mean, but, thanks to the uniqueness of the comic book medium, the reader is let in on exactly what’s going on in their respective heads. It’s a heartbreaking sequence, and you really want to jump into the pages and bang their heads together, get them to sort things out and go and find that better life. This being Scalped, there’s never anything even remotely approaching a fairytale ending to be found for its lead characters, but thankfully there’s the odd glimmer of hope that pops up here and there. It may be a book populated with self-loathing, often repellent individuals, but there’s an undercurrent of genuine humanity that still lingers between the panels. It may not always be readily apparent, but it is there, and it prevents Scalped from simply being an exercise in wallowing in other people’s misery and pushes it into the company of the various venerated classics of the medium. 10/10
THUNDERBOLTS #149
Writer: Jeff Parker
Art: Declan Shalvey
Marvel $2.99
Stewart R: This issue of Thunderbolts is by no means terrible and it does go a little way towards expanding the team identity, getting several of them actually thinking about what it means to be a hero (even if their motives aren’t based on moral grounds quite yet) and also develops upon Crossbone’s exposure to the Terrigen mists. Unfortunately there are a couple of things that hold it back from being great. Salvey’s art, which was never likely to measure up to Kev Walker’s during this brief tenure, is a little too simplistic in places and then suddenly effective in others; one minute he seems to have real trouble capturing the hulking Man-Thing with the level of strength and intimidation that the creature possesses and the next he’s impressing me with an accomplished panel of a Juggernaut charge. It’s just all too inconsistent. Then there’s this Shadowland crossover which hasn’t been a crossover really at all. This is a T’bolts comic that just happens to involve a huge scrap with some Underhand (oh jeez) ninjas that are loosely affiliated with the occurrences in Hell’s Kitchen, and to top it off it doesn’t even include Luke Cage - the reason this is all happening in the first place - until the final panel. Anyone picking up this to be a Shadowland completist would likely be disappointed had they not also picked up any of the initial three issues in the run to understand what the team development was all about. Thankfully I’ve stocked up a huge amount of enthusiasm for Parker’s future on this title and so I can overlook the iffy position it appears that the publisher put him in by stamping ‘Shadowland’ on the cover. 5/10
KILL SHAKESPEARE #6
Writers: Conor McCreery & Anthony Del Col
Art: Andy Belanger
IDW $3.99
Stewart R: If you’d said to me this time last year that I would be reading a comic based upon the works of the Bard himself AND would be enjoying it, I would have probably raised a suspicious eyebrow in your direction and then shaken my head with bewilderment, thumbing in your direction behind your back and asking others in the vicinity “What are they on?”. But nevertheless, here we are and I have to say that Kill Shakespeare is quite the enjoyable work of comic fiction. McCreery and Del Col have taken this army of established characters and carefully threaded them all into one huge plot that isn’t showing a single sign of creaking under the weight. Juliet’s continued fight for the common man and campaigning for an uprising against the ghastly King Richard is the heart of the comic at this point while Hamlet’s questioning of his destiny and who he is allows him to remain the conflicted protagonist. All the while there’s an inevitability to Iago’s baiting of Othello that ups the tension by a notch or ten; I know what’s likely to come but I just don’t know when and it drives things on and keeps those pages turning. It has to be said that there are a couple of oddities: the last panels of Lady Macbeth and Richard’s conversation seem to possibly be missing a speech bubble or two and the reunion early on seems to come out of nowhere though it’s later put simply down to ‘fate’. Aside from that, this is still ticking along nicely. 7/10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #15
Writer:Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Sara Pichelli
Marvel $3.99
Tom P: With this issue Pichelli joins the Ultimate Spider-Man team and brings an exciting new style to the book, complementing regular artist David Lafuente brilliantly, and with this kind of talent working side by side the quality of this title will no doubt remain high. In my opinion USM is the best Spider-Man book Marvel put out; having dipped in and out of Amazing Spider-Man it always fails to live up to what could be considered to be the finest book Bendis writes. Next month USM will be renumbered to #150 – which is a fantastic achievement for Bendis - and I cant wait to read more from him as well as looking forward to what Pichelli's work will bring to this title. 8/10
ACTION COMICS #894
Writer: Paul Cornell
Art: Pete Woods
DC Comics $3.99
James R: Ok, it's confession time: I've never been a fan of Neil Gaiman's Sandman - I've read them in collected editions, and to be honest, it's just not for me. I know they're regarded as art and all, but give me Planetary or Watchmen any day of the week. That said, I was still interested to see how this issue of Paul Cornell's Lex Luthor arc was going to play out, with Sandman's Death having a tete-a-tete with Lex. For me, it was two parts great, one part disappointing. On the great front, I'm totally in awe of Pete Wood's art - until this arc began I hadn't had much exposure to his work, but I'm now going to follow him avidly. He hasn't drawn a bad panel yet, and in this issue his work on Lex's emotions are great. The other plus point here is that the story is structured according to the stages of grief - a fact alluded to in the plot by Death herself, and this illustrates what a smart writer Cornell can be. Knowing this, it's therefore frustrating that the to and fro between Death & Lex isn't, well, smarter. Given that he's a genius, and she's an eternal pantheistic figure, I was expecting a little more from Cornell. As Lex outlines why he doesn't believe in a God, he asks for Death's point of view, which she simply reveals is "Not in the way that you're thinking." Oh. I guess I expect too much from my omniscient figures these days. 6/10
CAPTAIN AMERICA #611
Writers: Ed Brubaker & Sean McKeever
Art: Daniel Acuna & Filipe Andrade
Marvel $3.99
Stewart R: In my mind Brubaker is at his best on this title when he’s looking at the political viewpoint of what it is to be Captain America, the talisman for a nation, and what sort of man is worthy of wearing the uniform. Having already looked at Bucky’s own personal comparison to his beloved and respected predecessor, Brubaker is now taking time to flip things on their head and investigate what a nation, his peers and the very influential media have to say on the matter. The Winter Soldier is a piece of Bucky’s history that should be looked at thoroughly before Brubaker marches our hero off onto future fights and I really like the fact that he’s been doing this study over a prolonged period. This time out he uses the Avengers, and in particular Hawkeye, in an engaging fashion to highlight just what such a terrible skeleton in the closet Bucky has and what it means to have kept this secret for so long. Steve Rogers’ meeting with the President is another neat touch which highlights firstly the respect that Rogers’ has earned over the years and also the philosophical level at which Bucky’s appointment is being analysed. It’s brilliant stuff. Daniel Acuna is an artist I’ve briefly had exposure to in the past and while his style is certainly unique it sits well with the brooding atmosphere that has permeated the pages of Captain America for several years now. This is a series getting back to the heady heights. (Tell you what, even the Nomad back up is pretty good this time!) 9/10
Matt C: One issue into ‘The Trial Of Captain America’ and it already looks like it’s shaping up to be story arc we can really sink our teeth into: Bucky’s past as the Winter Soldier has finally caught up with him and, thanks to Baron Zemo, the entire world now knows the amount of blood he has on his hands. Brubaker has re-entered an arena of moral uncertainties and strained allegiances as the question of whether Bucky should pay for crimes committed when he was under the KGB’s control is raised by all and sundry. It’s great stuff, and new arrival Acuna’s moody art (which is rather different to what we’re used to seeing on the book) turns out to be a great fit for the subject matter the script deals with. The Nomad back-up is also becoming a more compelling read with each issue, Andrade’s thrilling, jagged illustrated style undoubtedly a key component in its improvement. Captain America continues its ascent back to the top, where it belongs. 8/10
STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES - A TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT #3
Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Chris Scalf
Dark Horse $3.50
Tom P: Recently I’ve been watching all six Star Wars movies and the night before picked up my comics it was the turn of Attack Of The Clones. Say what you want haters, but this Star Wars fan likes the Prequel Trilogy and when I spotted this comic on the shelves it was swiftly purchased. It’s down to my strange must-buy-more-Star-Wars-stuff mood that I enjoy regularly, that and I haven't purchased a Star Wars comic in years. Happily I can report this is an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of Jango, Boba Fett, rogue clone troopers and broken familes. Boba Fett has always been one of my favourite characters and even though he tumbled into the pit of Sarlacc years ago I'm glad we can still get the opportunity to read about his adventures in a well-written, incredibly realistic, lushly painted comic book. (Can't resist anymore, just say it… ) Try this you must, strong with the Force, it is. 9/10
SECRET WARRIORS #21
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Mirko Colak & Alessandro Vitti
Marvel $2.99
Stewart R: And so we have a comic of two halves here as we live through the ‘Night’ of the Secret Warriors. It’s a comic of two halves for no other reason than the artistic switch up halfway through that really improves upon a mediocre beginning. Hickman’s scripting of the Hydra ambush is decent enough but it’s just a pity that the art by Mirko Colak seems to leave the action bereft of much tension - it may have something to do with the depth of vision and use of space that has things feeling rather disconnected, but it robs us of a chance for a terrific standoff between Fury and Baron Strucker. As soon as series regular Alessandro Vitti tags back in we’re gifted with eleven pages of exciting storytelling which starts to tie things back to Alex (aka Phobos, Son of Ares) and his premonitions for the team back in the early days when this comic was showing real promise. The showdown with Gorgon is as swift and brutal as most samurai-style sword fights should be and following the disappointing start to the read it left me feeling that we might yet get the send off and closure that the Secret Warriors deserve. 7/10
AVENGERS #292
Writer: Walter Simonson
Art: John Buscema & Tom Palmer
Marvel $1.00
Matt C: Namor’s monstrously mutated wife Marrina continues to wreak havoc in the Atlantic Ocean while the Avengers bicker over the best course of action to deal with her. Or, more to the point, Doctor Druid continues to undermine Captain Marvel’s authority in what practically amounts to the first stages of a covert coup. Meanwhile, Simonson expands on Roger Stern’s Kang storyline from issues #269 & #269 in a most surprising and imaginative way. As with last issue, the dramatic increase in quality sees Buscema and Palmer rise to the challenge of matching the excellent script, producing some thrilling images of oceanic carnage. Genuinely exciting and it stands the test of time without any problem. 8/10
New comics are released Wednesday (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: Behold!! Ed Brubaker week is upon us! Oh yes, one of Marvel’s strongest and most consistent writers - OK, so we may have to overlook the whole Captain America: Reborn thing - is bringing no less than three, yes count them, three titles to the table this Wednesday. The one that may well garner the most excitement from knowledgeable comic readers out there is Incognito: Bad Influences #1 the anticipated sequel to 2009’s well received anti-hero series. That particular comic was my first exposure to Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips’ collaborative work and it was a highly enjoyable read and runner for miniseries of the year for me. Living in these times as we do it seems that every success must be given a chance to live on beyond its initial scope but unlike my concerns last week with Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass 2 I don’t have any worries ahead of launch day.Zack Overkill is a great protagonist and exploring a world where the bad guys can end up working for the good guys and looking at whether having a normal everyday life can reverse corruption within a character is an intriguing concept. Brubaker has promised that he’ll be playing with the moral compass idea a bit more this time around and bringing in some of the elements that he explored during his Sleeper series too. With Sean Phillips delivering a brilliantly dark superhero world in Incognito I’m quite excited to see what he gets to play around with this time and just how dark and brooding things are likely to get.Second on Mr Brubaker’s roll call is Secret Avengers #6... oh go on then...”Everybody was Kung Fu fighting! Na-na-na-na nah nah, na-nah nah!” It seems that Steve Roger’s secretive team of ass-kickers, probably without Nova for the minute (and a good thing that is too), head off to one dark corner of the Marvel Universe to team up with Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu himself. Now I’ve little experience with old Shang but when the Secret Avengers roster contains some able-bodied and deadly-skilled fighters amongst the ranks I tend to think that we may be in for an arc of ass-kicking proportions. Admittedly an awful lot of responsibility will fall upon the shoulders of Mike Deodato Jr to make sure we get the best hand-to-hand fighting scenes that he can muster and while he’s been adept at portraying planet-busting super powers I am interested to see how he handles frenetic martial arts action.
Right, nearly there. So making up the trinity is Captain America #611 and it seems that Brubaker is going to lead us into a political arc as we bear witness to ‘The Trial of Captain America’. I love Bucky as Cap and have really enjoyed the character trying to fill the shoes of his predecessor and do it in his own style all the while battling a great many personal demons. But of course you can’t be someone as lethal and destructive as the Winter Soldier in a past life and not expect it to come back to haunt you and it seems that we may be back to territory that Brubaker seems ultra-comfortable with and that’s analysing just what it takes to be Captain America. Being the talisman for truth and justice that he now is I’m anticipating a terrific look at how Bucky copes - or maybe doesn’t - with the spotlight levelled squarely upon him and the accusations flying.So with Brubaker-fest out of the way I started looking around at what else was coming out and I have to say it’s a very light week from me when it comes to DC’s offerings. I’ve decided to say goodbye to Action Comics for the time being as I just haven’t felt that enthralled by Paul Cornell’s Lex Luthor led story and just can’t bring myself to keep investing in it every month expecting to finally be sucked into it. I will be picking up Superman #704 to see how Kal-El’s little stroll across the United States is going but I’ve certainly been less impressed with that series than I expected to be. It’s also a little annoying to see that after only three issues we get an interlude from Straczynski’s story to focus on a G. Willow Wilson piece looking at Lois Lane and the choices that she’s made with her life. Now it may turn out to be a superb piece of comic reading when I get my hands on it Thursday but pausing the main story this early in the run seems a bit strange to me.
It’s generally slim pickings around the other publishers too this week. In fact I’d say that it’s so damn slim that I couldn’t see it if it were stood side-on to me. Gears of War #14 from terminally diagnosed Wildstorm starts off a new arc but since my former housemate has decided to wait for the trade now I won’t even get a sneaky peek at that as my interest was only marginal at the best of times. So that just leaves me with more Marvel efforts to thumb through but to be honest I can’t really complain as there are some tasty morsels sat on that plate. Top of the list will be Jeff Parker’s Thunderbolts #149 as we wrap up the teams’ involvement with Shadowland as they face off against a swarm of ninja in their own loose, free and destructive fighting style. This title has really been lifted by Parker and the various artists that he’s been working with and I dare say it’s now nestling next to Invincible Iron Man on that heady shelf labelled ‘Undroppable’.Of course Matt Fraction is also doing some decent work with mutantkind as well and the Five Lights saga has been bubbling along nicely in the wake of Bastion’s defeat. I have to say that I am getting a little fed up with Whilce Portacio’s art at this juncture but the writing has been good enough to cover that little blip. and I hope it'll see me through Uncanny X-Men #529. I never thought I’d be thinking how nice it’d be to have Greg Land’s army of poster girl female characters back but that day is drawing close. Nosing around the rest of my haul I see Jonathan Hickman start to wind up/down the Secret Warriors title as the little unknown team that could find themselves outnumbered and seriously outgunned by a Hydra ambush and treachery within in #21. I just have to hope that this great series gets the ending it deserves in a few months time.
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.
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OLDIER ZERO #1
Writer: Paul Cornell
Art: Javier Pina
Boom! Studios $3.99
Matt C: This new collaboration with Boom! sees the umpteenth attempt by Stan Lee to make a significant splash on the comics scene again, but let's be honest, no one's really been terribly excited by any new projects from Stan The Man in the last few decades. Having said that, you can never, ever dismiss this guy - the comics scene as we know it wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him. (And before anyone says it, yeah Kirby, yeah Ditko, but these fellas wouldn't have had the same success without Lee at their side. So there!) With that preamble out of the way, onto Soldier Zero, the first of a series of books from Boom! with Lee's name emblazoned on the cover (although exactly how much input he actually has beyond the high concepts is unclear). This one sees a human chap become conjoined with a powerful alien entity, which is far from the most original idea in the world, the twist here being that the chap in question is confined to a wheelchair before his metamorphosis (which isn't exactly anything new either!). Fortunately, Cornell breathes fresh life into the hackneyed concept thanks to some strong characterization and a believable look at how someone deals with recent disability (although there are a couple of occasions when he lays it on a little too thickly). Pina's art does it's job well, snapping back and forth from sci-fi action to human drama with relative ease. All told, it's an enjoyable read, but at this juncture there's nothing that suggests it's likely to carve out a distinctive niche for itself. If you're looking for the magic touch that brought us Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor and more, look elsewhere. However, if you're in the market for something 'new' in the superhero genre, you could do worse than Soldier Zero. 6/10
Stewart R: So Stan’s at it again, rummaging through that brain of his for more tales of heroism, courage and the battle in the face of adversity. In all honesty it’s hard to tell how much of this debut is down to him and how much of a hand Paul Cornell has put in but I would imagine that the latter’s effort probably outweighs that of the former. Either way this is still an encouraging start as paralysed Afghanistan veteran Stewart Trautmann struggles to deal with the perception of him that friends and strangers have now that he’s wheelchair-bound. I did roll my eyes somewhat during the early pages as it all seemed a little formulaic in typical Lee fashion with themes and plot points smacking you in the face with little subtlety to be seen. However as it progresses the character development starts to seep in - “Ahhh, Mr Cornell’s work I presume?” - and I like the straight talking interaction between Stewart and potential love interest Lily when it comes to the subject of his condition. Throw in the clichéd, but nevertheless acceptable, alter-ego origin with some serviceable artwork from Pina and all told it’s not a bad start. 7/10
LOKI #1
Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art: Sebastian Fiumara & Michel Lacombe
Marvel $3.99
Matt C: A bit of a last minute purchase, this. Much as I love Thor and the way Marvel have co-opted Norse mythology to create something rich and unique, the current deluge of related titles arriving in preparation for next year's movie doesn't really tickle my collector gene. I mean, how many Thor books could one man need (or read) in a single month?! Saying that, it was a relatively quiet week (well, okay, maybe not!) and I really do think Thor and his brethren are ripe for continued exploration, and, well, Fiumara's cover was a definite eye-catcher, capturing the gleeful malevolence of the God of Mischief perfectly. So it found its may onto this week's pile, and I'm happy to say it was a worthwhile addition. An exiled Loki is hiding out in the only spot on Midgard the all-seeing eye of Odin can't reach but unsurprisingly he's eventually discovered and visited by his estranged half-brother, Thor. What we then get is an interpretation of the forging of Mjolinir, purposefully not clicking with the more familiar origin, the suggestion being that these individuals are so ancient, and have found their stories retold on countless occasions throughout the ages, that truth and myth start to get blurred over time. It can also be taken as comment on how we're all guilty of revising our own personal histories as we go, embellishing to suit our needs, which leads to the question of whether there's ever any real truth or just somebody's interpretation of the truth (particularly releavant when dealing with a trickster god). It's a smart script with some deliciously slick imagery from Fiumara, but beyond the idea's Aguirre-Sacasa plays with there's not a great deal going on in the story and I'm not certain which direction it's heading in. I'm more than willing to find out though. 7/10
STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER #4
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Dale Eaglesham
Marvel $3.99
Matt C: This fast-paced, entertaining mini may not have possessed the depth of Brubaker's early work on Captain America but it brought back fond memories of it with its tale of espionage and intrigue mixed up with Steve Rogers past. If I'm honest, I got much more of a kick out of it than recent issues of Captain America. I guess that's because - as much as a like Bucky - Rogers is just that much more of a commanding character and that no one else, no matter how good they are, comes close. The series has featured Eaglesham's best work for Marvel since he made the jump for DC, with a retro muscularity that pushes all the right action/adventure buttons. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but a lot of fun all the same, and with a twist that may just be picked up on in future issues of Secret Avengers. 7/10
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #53
Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Tyler Kirkham & BATT
DC $2.99
Stewart R: Well, a big old example of positives and negatives with this month’s GLC offering. I’ll start on the high note and that would be Tyler Kirkham and BATT’s artwork which feels raw and powerful in a '90s kind of way and suits the action and settings perfectly. Briefly visiting Planet Korugar, current home of the Sinestro Corps, is also a nice touch by Bedard as these agents of fear have been somewhat conspicuous by their absence since the dawning of the Brightest Day. My biggest problem however is that Bedard seems to have completely wiped Kyle Rayner of any and all personality which results in dropping ‘dude' and ‘buddy' here there and everywhere in an attempt to make up for it. With Tomasi having poached Guy Gardner for the Emerald Warriors title Bedard has been left with stiff-backed John Stewart and emotional Rayner to play with, but if this is how he’s planning to portray such an important character for the foreseeable future I may have to start adding up the art team’s style with the writer’s lack of substance and see if it equals a regular $2.99 donation. 5/10
TURF #3
Writer: Jonathan Ross
Art: Tommy Lee Edwards
Image $2.99
James R: Ah, the plot explanation issue, how the devil are you?! Three issues in and Jonathan Ross decides to take the opportunity to fill in the blanks for us - we find out who that alien fella is, as well as getting the backgrounds of the vampires, Eddie Falco and the nefarious Pete O'Leary. As with the previous issues of Turf, the creative team of Ross and Edwards certainly give you value for money - the pages are dense and dialogue-heavy, and Edwards' pencils are superb. However, I can't quite escape the feeling that Ross has gone too overboard here - there's enough good ideas for three separate comics, all fighting for attention, and it means that not one element stands out, or has time to breathe. I still enjoyed it as a read, and it's definitely got my attention (and my cash!) for the remaining two instalments. 7/10
Stewart R: A very worthy third chapter from Ross and Edwards sees things take a slightly more reserved turn as we get some back-story development, involved character interaction and the odd slice of cliché here and there. Now the appearance of cliché in a comic that’s trying to merge three different genres into one cohesive story could sound like a bad thing but it’s a necessary evil in order for Ross to get the most out of this story in the quickest time possible without having to try to rework our knowledge of vampires, aliens and gangsters. By relying on common knowledge and recognition of these genre types, Ross is actually allowing the three to come together almost seamlessly, forming it all into a really engrossing period piece. Admittedly some of the dialogue is a little forced in places but once again I’m taking that to be due to the constraint on time in order to get this story to its conclusion. Edwards has two of the three genres nailed with his human and vampire work oozing visual charisma but I still think he hasn’t quite got Squeed and the alien tech quite right yet. 8/10
BATMAN AND ROBIN #15
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Frazer Irving
DC $2.99
James R: So, we're nearly there - this is Grant Morrison's penultimate issue on the title before branching out to start Batman Inc. Rather fittingly, it feels like the whole run in microcosm: it's full of good ideas and invention, but you really miss it when Frank Quitely isn't drawing it. As a couple of us said last month, for all his obvious talents, Frazer Irving's pencils are just bewildering sometimes. This is a real shame, as this time Morrison goes all-out, piling in the ideas from Batman: RIP, Return Of Bruce Wayne and this title too. It's breathless stuff, but I can't escape the feeling that it would have been more effective drawn by (whisper it) someone like Tony Daniel, who despite his shortcomings, well, he made the end of RIP clear enough! Here's hoping Yanick Paquette is up to the task on Morrison's next chapter in his epic Bat-novel. 8/10
Stewart R: Since Oberon Sexton was revealed to be the Joker in disguise a few issues back - which was a real high point in Morrison’s run on this title - things have, for me, been a little confused, and at times, thanks to Irving’s artwork, bewildering. Thankfully things become a little clearer on all levels this week as the ‘Batman and Robin: Must Die’ story starts out on the road towards its inevitable climax. Irving’s work for the most part fits the drama unfolding as Robin attempts a rescue of Dick, though I have to say there’s something about his style that doesn’t quite feel right for me, but that’s just a personal preference rather than a knock against his level of quality. Morrison is being careful to keep this tense story from falling into full Return of Bruce Wayne territory but is dropping in a few bits and pieces here and there to keep that particular plot thread in plain sight. Since November seems to be Bruce Wayne month at DC the grand finale to this particular chapter could be unmissable. 7/10
Matt C: As soon as this arc’s finished, I’m out of here. Yeah, I know it’s Grant Morrison’s last issue next month – what I really mean is that I’m leaving his corner of the Bat-Universe behind. The first three issues of this book were pretty special, but now I wonder if it was largely down to Frank Quitely’s beautiful art because, while there have been points where I’ve approved of things Morrison has done (most notably with Damian Wayne), at this stage of the game I’m reading this book and spending a lot of time trying to figure out what the heck is going on. It’s a problem I repeatedly have with Morrison’s work – there’s always a nagging feeling that he’s leaving bits out of the narrative because he deems them inessential, but the result is it leaves the reader scratching their head. Frazer Irving’s art doesn’t help things. Something like (the still AWOL) Gutsville suits his gothic style perfectly, and while you would think it would transfer well to Batman’s milieu, it doesn’t. There some nice touches – Joker’s demented, grinning face in particular – but there are too many instances of iffy anatomical perspective, too many action scenes that feel strangely static. Basically, this isn’t really what I’m after when I pick up a Batman title; there are some clever ideas being utilized but the execution doesn’t work for me. Batman remains an eternal favourite of mine, but while Morrison remains at the wheel I’m going to have to steer clear. 4/10
KICK-ASS 2 #1
Writer: Mark Millar
Art: John Romira Jr & Tom Palmer
Marvel/Icon $2.99
Matt C: Much as enjoyed the first series of Kick-Ass it was Matthew Vaughan’s movie adaptation that really lived up to its title (and it’s a film that gets better with repeat viewings). Millar’s sequel (which may or may not make its way to the big screen at some point in the future) seems to absorb some of the deviations the movie made from the original source so it’s not too confounding for anyone picking this up fresh, having not read the first mini. It may be hard to separate both comic and film versions in your mind at certain points early on but it soon finds its groove, taking the story of Kick-Ass and Hit Girl to the next stage in a fairly organic fashion. As a comic initially pitched as a look at how superheroes could exist in the real world, it’s now plunged headfast into a fantastical world as different to our own as the Marvel Universe is, so it’s now abundantly clear – if it wasn’t a long time ago – that the pitch was just another manifestation of Millar’s trademark hyperbole. But it doesn’t matter: Kick-Ass is just a hell of a lot more fun (and funny) than anything the writer’s turned his hand to in a long while. Some of the humour feels forced (especially when Millar tries to shoehorn in contemporary cultural references) but it hits the mark more often than it doesn’t. Romita Jr’s art is a damn sight better here than it has been in any of the other gigs he’s had recently (I’m looking directly at you, Avengers) and I’d put that down to him caring a lot more about characters he has joint ownership of along with the fact that it’s the redoubtable (can I say legendary too?) Tom Palmer providing the inks (or ‘finishes’ and ‘ink washes’ as it says in the credits). It’s a fine looking book, reaffirming Romita Jr’s standing as one of the best in the business, and while it’s not a completely assured beginning, I now have far more confidence in this series than I did when I saw the 8-page snippet in CLiNT. 7/10
Stewart R: Mark Millar seems to be investing a lot of his time in Hollywood these days and as everyone knows making a sequel to any initial success, film or otherwise, is one of the hardest things to do. I really was carrying a level of scepticism when Kick-Ass 2: Balls To The Wall was announced, figuring it would just be a case of cashing in on a sure thing, but I have to say that I’m suitably impressed with this first issue. Millar moves on a few months from the events of the first arc but keeps things fairly grounded with Kick-Ass and Hit Girl still in the picture but focusing on how their alter-ego, everyday lives have been affected. There’s a level of escalation that Millar has hinted at which could prove interesting down the line and I do like the fact that he has offered us teasers of what’s to come while intimating that the journey to that point is going to be where the entertainment lies. Romita Jr turns in a decent effort matching his work on the first run and I expect he’ll keep that consistency throughout this promising sequel. The first Kick-Ass series was great fun and created an interesting comic book world - at this first glance it seems that we might be in store for more of the same. 7/10
James R: I've always stopped myself from using the following term in reviewing comics as I think it's a little lazy, but man, Kick-Ass 2 deserves it: meh. Put simply, it's 'Kick Ass forms a super-team'. It makes logical sense following on from the finale of the first series (which saw Dave's triumph being that he'd influenced culture to the degree that other people were now dressing up as him) but given that the primary concerns of a first issue should be to hook you in and leave you wanting more, (something Millar has been great at in the past) this title fails to do either. Even Millar's flash-forward trick made me think that the rest of the run is going to be pedestrian. If you were a huge fan of the first series, you'll undoubtedly find more to enjoy here, but as a sequel, it feels unnecessary, and well, a little meh. 6/10
DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS #7
Writer: Brian Wood
Art: Rebekah Isaacs
DC/Wildstorm $2.99
Matt C: The penultimate issue, and all the praise I’ve heaped on this miniseries so far still applies. It remains an utterly arresting study of how dangerous super-powered teenagers would really be, particularly when dropped into a primitive society without any moral authority to reign them in if they stepped out of line. It’s like a social experiment on a global scale using superheroes still blighted by adolescent insecurities as the guinea pigs. I particularly like Gem’s supposition that the DV8 team are essentially creating a new mythology with all of them cast in the roles of gods – if we look back at Greek or Norse myths they’re populated with deities afflicted with very human foibles, like jealousy, selfishness and deviousness, the only thing setting them apart from the natives being the power they wielded. Wood may be the ideas man responsible for this book, but as always it a collaborative effort in comics, and Rebekah Isaacs has really made her mark here. Her bold, clean linework, the way she can draw emotion out of a scene, her adeptness at portraying large scale, sweeping action scenes… I wasn’t familiar with her work before this series so for me she’s definitely one of the brightest new stars on the scene this year. The sad thing is, just as these two creators are opening up new possibilities for the Wildstorm Universe, DC decides to pull the plug on the imprint. All we can do is enjoy these last gasps of brilliance while they last. 8/10
AVENGERS #291
Writer: Walt Simonson
Art: John Buscema & Tom Palmer
Marvel $1.00
Matt C: This is more like it! Walt Simonson comes onboard as writer and there's a significant jump in quality. The stakes seem higher, the characterization seems more astutely observed, and it just generally feels like an important book again. It's no surprise really: Simonson had just come off his acclaimed run on Thor where he proved on a consistent basis that he was not just a distinctive artist but also a shit hot storyteller. The art team of Buscema and Palmer remain in place, leaving Simonson to concentrate on his words, but both penciller and inker seem invigorated following the writer's arrival, turning in some incredible work that is as explosive as it is exciting. With Namor watching his spouse mutate into a monster, the Avengers scrabbling to figure out what's going on (with Doc Druid still making snide comments about Captain Marvel's leadership), and with Kang reappearing in the book, there's a level of intensity in place that's exhilarating. This is Avengers back to its very best. 9/10
Review by Matt C
THE OUTFIT
Adapted & Illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
IDW $24.99
clear to the Outfit last time around: leave me alone and I leave you alone. The message doesn’t seem to have sunk in properly though and Parker discovers there's a price on his head following an assassination attempt he thwarts with relative ease. He doesn't like the idea of having to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life so he sets a plan in motion. Outfit joints have previously been off limits for career thieves but Parker gets in touch with various old cronies and arranges for a host of Outfit operations to get hit at once. Understandably, the Outfit head honcho isn't pleased and redoubles his efforts to take Parker down, but Parker has other angles to work and is prepared to carry his grievances directly to the top.Structurally, The Outfit is quite different from The Hunter, which more or less had an A to B narrative. First off, The Outfit contains an extended flashback that was previously issued as The Man With The Getaway Face earlier this year. While it was effective as a self-contained read, in this context, as part of a bigger picture, layers of the story that were previously hidden suddenly manifest themselves. Cooke breaks things up further when he tackles several of the heists performed on various Outfit establishments: one is relayed in prose with only a couple of illustrations; another employs a far more exaggerated, cartoonish art style; the last relies on stripped back linework to tell its tale.
From an artist standpoint, it's a marvellously inventive approach, showing how Cooke grasps the various possibilities the comic book medium has to offer. It does break the momentum of the story though; The Hunter felt like a hardboiled, unstoppable juggernaut, smashing its way towards its conclusion, but The Outfit - because of its structure and the portrayal of Parker as man not fuelled by the same level of violence as before - can't match the impact of the first book. It has many bruising moments, but The Hunter had you in a headlock from its opening page.This is a minor quibble though as The Outfit is still a prime example of contemporary comics storytelling at its finest. Cooke's now halfway through his project to release four Parker graphic novels and all the signs suggest that, once completed, it will be viewed as one of the most important, vital additions to the medium in recent times. 9/10
New comics are released Wednesday (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: Quite the variety popping up on my radar this week it must be said and for once Marvel looks quite the minor player in my little world of comic reading! I’ve only one of their titles penciled in for this Thursday and even then I’m only getting it out of vague interest rather than sheer drooling, crazed enthusiasm. Kick-Ass 2 #1 by the big ideas man himself, Mark Millar, makes it’s solo debut this week - a fair portion was printed within the rather underwhelming CLiNT #1 this side of the pond over a month ago - and I have concerns that Millar and Romita Jr are on a hiding to nothing. Sequels to successful creator-owned titles are a risky business at the best of times and I hate to say it but Romita Jr’s artistic style seems to be lacking the ‘oomph’ that it had back when Kick-Ass was making waves the first time around. There’s also the risk that Millar is juggling far too many writing gigs at the moment and that something that could possibly be labelled a sure thing might get a little less of his attention when it may actually need it.Lack of attention is evidently something that’s not troubling a couple of other comic creators though as Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards are taking their time to make sure we get the best damn vampire/gangster/sci-fi comic that they can provide. Yes that’s right folks, Turf #3 is but hours away from our twitchy, eager fingers and now I’m studying my pull list for this week I’d say that this stands out as the title I’m most looking forward to. For an unproven comic writer Ross has done a sterling job to date in weaving an engrossing story with so many different themes and elements that could threaten to overwhelm even the most experienced of authors. Edwards meanwhile has taken those various ingredients and sunk them into a believable 1920s period setting where nothing seems ‘over the top’ or too out of place. Oh yes, I have great hopes for this third instalment!
I’ve also great confidence in Larry Hama’s ability to bring me the best darn Duke, Cobra Commander and Snake Eyes story that he can and his resurrection of a top franchise series over at IDW has been a real relief. G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero #159 should, I hope, kick the series into high gear after last issue revealed what bat-shit crazy location the Joes had set as their rendezvous point following Cobra’s appointment as security force supreme for the whole of the US. The story has been cracking along at breakneck speed and the action has been brutal, dark and, as expected for the franchise, swift, so I can’t see that winning combination coming to an end anytime soon. Add to that the fact that Agustin Padilla has managed to capture the balance between a modern day comic feel and that of the classic series and I think things are looking very rosy over at IDW where this comic is concerned.Not to play the obvious segue card too often but I must stipulate that I do have 'concern' over a couple of comics this week and they’re both due to come sauntering out of DC’s door. For Batman and Robin #15 my main worry is Frazer Irving’s art work which at numerous points during the current ‘Batman Must Die’ arc has confused me to Riddler-esque proportions. Last issue in particular suffered because I couldn’t quite fathom some of the angles and jumps in time/perspective that he was employing and I couldn’t tell whether it was symptomatic of an artist trying to keep things interesting or possibly misinterpreting Grant Morrison's outline. This is the last issue of the arc so I’ll reserve that final coffin nail until I’ve leafed through to the 32nd page.
The other title on the list of dubious confidence is my beloved Green Lantern Corps. Tony Bedard really punched home a poster book ending last month that I didn’t warm to and felt was out of place in a series that has experienced under Peter J. Tomasi a great sense of continuity and development from one arc to another. Of course I appreciate that the torch has now been passed and it’s Bedard’s turn to tell his GLC stories his way but I’m expecting him to really up his game for #53 else I may have to start thinking seriously about whether I have room for three Green Lantern-based comics on that rather hefty comic list that I keep. Admittedly the preview art from Tyler Kirkham makes things a little more interesting as his line style with BATT’s inking should suit GLC down to the ground.Speeding through the rest of the titles like a Chilean miner through a fresh borehole I spy Batman Beyond #5 sitting there, waiting to edge ever nearer to it’s conclusion and it’s been a fairly entertaining read thus far; the reveal last time certainly means there are questions eager to be answered this week. Oni Press’s Sixth Gun #5 holds promise that Drake and Becky are on the verge of taking the fight to General Hume and his apocalyptic horsemen while back at Image, Haunt #10 promises a big old bout of fisticuffs between the ghostly, morphing hero and deadly, cumbersome villain Kurg in what is sure to be a Greg Capullo-based eye-treat! May your brains be tingly with comic related stimulation folks!
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.
SUPERIOR #1
Writer: Mark Millar
Art: Leinil Yu
Marvel/Icon $2.99
Tom P: I liked this more than Nemesis, lets start with that. This is a much better comic from Millar. Sure, there is nothing fresh about a boy who turns into an adult Superhero. Captain Marvel and Bananaman have used this concept but I like the fact Superior is introduced as a fictional character. Simon gets his wish to be this hero that’s branded by his pal as old fashioned and boring, but it doesn't stop Simon from looking up to him and wanting to become that invincible, honourable hero. What I like most about Superior is it has charm; its not a PG comic by any stretch of the imagination - it's Millar after all - but it’s not overly violent and doesn’t rely on a shock value. I also loved Yu's art and have always been a fan of his energetic and expressive style; it’s a better fit for him than Secret Invasion was. My only grumble would be that it all seems to be over too quickly. 8/10
Stewart R: So Millar is at it again, taking a ‘big idea’ and getting a fair amount of hype generated before the finished product hits the shelves. Unlike Kick-Ass and the recent Nemesis, Superior at first glance has a closer, compassionate feel that makes for a refreshing change to Millar’s usual ‘larger-than-life’ style. The early stages dealing with Simon’s deterioration as multiple sclerosis gradually robs him of what was a promising future are tinged with a feeling of melancholy and there’s a neat little swipe at a certain well known Kryptonian that obviously harks back to a certain failed Hollywood pitch from years past. I’m definitely looking forward to finding out more on just where Ormon comes from and what his motives are, but with the end riffing on Tom Hanks’s Big and this being Millar, I do fear that everything may end in disappointment. On positive note, this is the strongest work that I’ve seen Lenil Yu put out in quite a while both in terms of his handling of action and intimate moments. 7/10
GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #3
Writer: Peter J Tomasi
Art: Fernando Pasarin & Cam Smith
DC $3.99
Stewart R: There’s no doubt in my mind these days that this title IS the Green Lantern Corps comic regardless of the banner emblazoned across the front page. Tomasi has taken all the accomplished work that he put into GLC and carried it right over to Emerald Warriors with nary a beat missed. This particular instalment deals with Guy Gardner’s recent brush with the Red Lanterns and highlights that all is not well with the Green Lantern power set presently. There’s a great dust-up on Odym involving colours red, green and blue and it gives Pasarin yet another chance to flex his action-drawing muscles. All the while Tomasi keeps those mysterious plot threads in sight taking us from Daxam to the Unknown Sectors and back again and making Zardor’s intentions all the more intriguing. This series has ‘hit’ written all over it only three issues in and I really do recommend giving it a chance to impress you. 8/10
WARLORD OF MARS #1
Writer: Arvid Nelson
Art: Stephen Sadowski
Dynamite Entertainment $1.00
Matt C: There’s a real gap in my sci-fi/fantasy knowledge when it comes to Edgar Rice Burrough’s second most famous creation, John Carter of Mars, but no doubt I’ll one day familiarize myself with his adventures. Perhaps that will come in the form of the big budget live-action movie due out in 2012. Or maybe I’ll learn more about the character in this new series from Dynamite – the debut issue goes quite a way in tempting me towards the rest of the series, although it’s not an all out win. Nelson doesn’t rush into things, and sets the twin narratives (which even the uninitiated can tell will join together soon enough) rolling in a fairly compelling manner. Sadowski does a fine job too, although his art seems more robust in the Western scenes than it does when relocated to Mars. The dollar price tag should be a convincing enough reason for people to give this a shot, and I suspect many of them may be back for more. 7/10
THANOS IMPERATIVE #5
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Migiel Sepulveda
Marvel $3.99
Stewart R: Oh, there’s cosmic poop of all colours hitting a multitude of fans on both sides of the horrific Fault in this penultimate episode of Thanos Imperative. ‘Bleak’ doesn’t quite sum up how desperate a situation Star Lord, Nova and company find themselves in as Mar-Vell’s Cancerverse armies continue their invasion and the hunt for Thanos, the Avatar of Death himself. As with all good events and series this is steadily building to a crescendo of epic proportions with Abnett and Lanning really hitting the high-notes but, as things come to a head, it seems that the focus is shifting and this is becoming something of a farewell for the Cosmic Universe as we know it. Just like Butch and Sundance’s last, fateful trip down to Mexico, I really am fearing that our heroes may be just about to go out in a blaze of glory that will rob us of a fantastic corner of Marvel’s Universe. 8/10
NORTHLANDERS #33
Writer: Brian Wood
Art: Riccardo Burchielli
DC/Vertigo Comics $2.99
James R: I was a little late coming to the party with Northlanders, but by Odin's Raven, am I glad that I caught up! This is the penultimate issue of one of Brian Wood's longer arcs, and it's been nothing short of awesome. One of my gripes about comics is their inherent safety - established characters always live to fight another day, and even if they do die, well, they'll soon be back in a multi-part rebirth arc. Refreshingly this is never the case with Northlanders - by eschewing a stable cast for a shift in both time and place from arc to arc, the title has a vibrancy rare in modern comics. The 'Metal' arc has been corking too, as Wood examines the conflict between the traditional Norse faith and nascent Christianity. My esteemed colleague Matt C often says that Scalped would make a brilliant HBO series due to the sophistication of its storytelling - for me, Northlanders deserves equal praise. Scalped followed by Northlanders? That would be TV worth staying in for! 8/10
TOMB OF TERROR #1
Writers: Various
Art: Various
Marvel $3.99
Tom P: Maybe it's because its October - full of Halloween and horror- or maybe its after seeing the excellent History Of Horror with Mark Gatiss (currently available on BBC iPlayer). Whatever the reason, I was drawn to pick this title up this week with its "48 All-New Pages In Glorious Black & White" - at $3.99 that’s great value and the cover has a real retro charm. It stars Jack Russell, Man-Thing and the Son of Satan, who I last read about as the Midnight Sons in the excellent Marvel Zombies 4 by Van Lente and Kev Walker (who's currently rocking it on Thunderbolts). It fair to say that these short tales aren’t the most amazing thing I've read this week, but when enjoyed as a pulpy, gruesome reads, they do exactly as advertised. 7/10
BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #5
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Ryan Sook, Mick Gray & Pere Perez
DC $3.99
James R: My fellow reviewers seemed to have lost faith with this series a little while ago, but I've had fun with it. I'm an unashamed Morrison fan, and in this issue I really enjoyed how he pulled together strands from his Batman: RIP arc and his work in Batman & Robin. Simultaneously, I've enjoyed seeing how Batman is such a force of nature he has become his own mythology (and yes, I know that's a crackers statement!) Bruce tumbles through time to Gotham of the recent past, and Morrison uses it as a template for a hardboiled tale of the Waynes. If you'd never read a Batman comic before, you would wonder what the eff was going on, but this is definitely one for us fanboys. Minus points for having to get Perez in to pick up the slack from Ryan Sook, but to be fair, he does an admirable job. After a great 2010, I can't wait to see where Morrison goes with Batman Inc. 8/10
Matt C: Even though I’m still reading this mini for completist reasons rather than any great desire to see what happens, I have to admit this was a much better issue than the last one. Two reasons for this: I’m a big fan of noirish detective stories, so it appealed to me on that level, and secondly, Ryan Sook is a pretty amazing artist (although it’s a rather poor show to see he only made it two thirds of the way through before Perez took over). So, yeah, I guess I feel I got something for my money this time (still not worth £3.99 though). What really makes me shake my head in despair is how DC managed to balls up the scheduling of an event again. There’s still one more issue of the mini to go, but this week also saw a series of Bat-related one-shots dealing with the after effects of Wayne’s return. At this point I’m not really that interested in the overall story, but it's still a sorry state of affairs when a publisher is releasing a bunch of post-event books before the event in question has actually finished. When are they going to learn? 6/10
THOR #616
Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: Pascal Ferry
Marvel $3.99
Matt C: The second issue of Fraction's run on Thor stays at about the same level of quality as the first i.e. on the cusp of greatness, but not quite there yet. The reason it fails to build on the promise of the previous instalment is because it pretty much covers the same ground as before; essentially, we're given more of the same without the plot being pushed forward a great deal. So, more of the quantum scientist warning Asgardians of the vacuum that needs to be filled following Asgard's relocation; more Thor moping about his brother’s demise; more alien invaders boasting about their forthcoming conquest of the Nine Worlds; oh, and some additional moping from Kendra thrown in for good measure. Fraction's script is as smart as you'd expect, but it's Pascal Ferry's art that prevents this from being a redundant retread over ground previously covered. Actually, it's Ferry and colourist Matt Hollingsworth who make this near-essential, as Hollingsworth's bold palette really helps add a further level of visual distinctiveness on top of Ferry's soft but powerful linework. Fraction just needs to step things up; we're getting there though. 7/10
HELLBLAZER: CITY OF DEMONS #1
Writer: Si Spencer
Art: Sean Murphy
DC/Vertigo $2.99
Tom P: My horror kick continues with a spot of John Constantine and, hands down, this is the best thing I picked up this week. When I found out that Murphy (whose dazzling artwork on Joe the Barbarian has had me spellbound) was the artist on this standalone miniseries, I put in the call into Paradox straight away. His work is fantastic: his sense of scale, perspective and space is masterful, his characters are emotive and detailed. In short, the man’s bloody good! Spencer also turns in a solid read, his dialogue is a lot of fun and I liked Constantine's world-weary grumpy opinions. The last page definitely succeeded in grabbing my attention for the rest of the run. City Of Demons: good-looking, gripping and very British. 9/10
EDGE OF DOOM #1
Writer: Steve Niles
Art: Kelley Jones
IDW $3.99
Stewart R: So after all of the scheduling fun - see this week’s Incoming for more details on my previous confusion - I actually got my hands on Edge of Doom. It starts off interestingly enough with divorcee Richard Stallman struggling to come to terms with his lonelier existence and parts of his former life trying to draw him back in. It then gets a little strange with firearms offences against answering machines before diving head-first into a goblin’s nest of bizarre when Richard discovers that he’s sharing his property with a colony of vicious, carnivorous nasties that aren’t too keen on letting an unfortunate transgression go unpunished. Cue some gruesome scenes and a man facing the last straw fighting back against lethal odds. Jones’ art style is suitably visceral in all the right places and brings a definite black comedy feel to things. That said, there isn’t much more to it; Richard isn’t particularly developed as a protagonist and it’s not clear where this can head as a series when it all gets wrapped up as a one-shot would. It just hasn’t impressed me enough to keep making the investment for further chapters I’m afraid. 5/10
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #31
Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: Salvador Larroca
Marvel $2.99
Matt C: There may have been a couple of dips here and there, but there’s a strong case to be made saying Invincible Iron Man has been the most consistently brilliant Marvel superhero book of the last couple of years. One substantial reason for this is that the creative team has remained in place throughout. That’s a real rarity these days, and is especially impressive when you consider the regular monthly schedule has remained more or less intact. It helps of course that both Fraction and Larroca continue to bring their ‘A’ game to the title. I know this is a dodgy pun, but you can tell they’re working on the same page. They make a great team. This book is slick, smart, sophisticated and eminently cool. It’s hard to believe that only a few years ago, around the time of Civil War, that we were used to seeing Tony Stark portrayed as a bit of a bastard (some even went as far as describing him as the biggest villain in the Marvel Universe). The success of the movies didn’t do any damage, but Fraction has done a damn fine job of returning Tony to the top. From what I can see, there’s no reason why he won’t be staying there for a long time to come. 8/10
James R: Hmm. Every now and then there's a comic that you know is a quality production, and all your friends like it, but there's... just something missing, damnit! This is how I feel about Fraction's Invincible Iron Man - it's beautifully drawn and neatly written, but somewhere it's just not doing it for me. In this issue, Stark figures out there's industrial espionage afoot (but, hey, when isn't there in Invincible Iron Man?!) and the Hammer family (sadly, still not reconciled with MC Hammer) try to destroy the debut prototype of the Starkmobile. As contradictory as it sounds, it didn't feel like an awful lot actually happened. It felt like a filler issue, and that's served to compound my feeling that this title isn't as grand as some think it is. For me, this arc has been in a low gear, and I still remain unconvinced. 6/10
AVENGERS #290
Writer: Ralph Macchio
Art: John Buscema & Tom Palmer
Marvel $0.75
Matt C: Ralph Macchio ends his brief (last minute?) stint on Avengers on a relative high. After replicating Kubik's power (the being evolved from the Cosmic Cube) the Super-Adaptiod dubs himself the Supreme Adaptoid and begins birthing new adaptaoids who venture out with the intention to replicate and then destroy every living being on Earth(!). Macchio handles the power-mad arrogance of the artificial lifeform imbued with reality-altering abilities very well, but then he goes and cheats by roping in Captain America (currently in his guise as The Captain following his 'defrocking' by the US government) who up to this point has been engaged in adventures in his own book. It's a shame that the writer couldn't have used one of the existing players to defeat the Adaptoid rather than relying on Cap to swoop in and save the day but it's good to see the Sentinel of Liberty using psychological techniques as well as brawn to bring down his mechanical opponent. Buscema and Palmer finally get a decent chance to strut their stuff (the opportunities eluded them the past few issues): the full-page splash of the Adaptoid 'giving birth' is awesome. Not bad at all. Next: Walt Simonson! 7/10
INCOGNITO: BAD INFLUENCES #1
DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS #3
HELLBOY/BEASTS OF BURDEN ONE-SHOT
SECRET AVENGERS #6
SCALPED #42
THUNDERBOLTS #149
KILL SHAKESPEARE #6
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #15
ACTION COMICS #894
CAPTAIN AMERICA #611
STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES - A TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT #3
SECRET WARRIORS #21
AVENGERS #292
