Comics I've read over the past two weeks (but not counting this week)

[Insert excuse about why it seems to take so long to get these damned things written here.]

Here's a look at the titles I've read which came out on June 24th and July 1st:

Secret Warriors #5
For a book that’s so different from “Agents of Atlas,” this one actually has quite a bit in common with it. Both books were launched in the wake of the less-than-stellar conclusion of Bendis’ “Secret Invasion.” Both are team books, featuring characters that, while new to the reader, are actually well-woven into the fabric of Marvel Universe continuity. And both are built around or feature large corporate entities in the MU.
But While the Agents of Atlas are high-profile characters masquerading as bad guys, Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors (AKA the new Howling Commandos, a much better team name in my opinion) stick to the shadows. This is a young, powerful, wholly inexperienced team of “caterpillars” spurred on by a grumpy old bastard with an eye-patch, attempting to take on one of (if not THE) biggest criminal syndicates in Marveldom. And where Jimmy Woo’s agents are essentially old pros running an elaborate con for the greater good, Fury’s Secret Warriors are a military unit, fighting battles that will never make it into the pages of the Daily Bugle. This is definitely an appealing aspect to this title. While the characters are interesting and compelling, they’re also much more expendable than, say, the Avengers or the Mighty Avengers. Like Kyle and Yost’s New X-Men or Wein and later Claremont’s X-Men of the 70s and 80s, any one of the characters within “Secret Warriors” could get their ticket punched at any minute. That element of suspense just isn’t possible to a certain extent with the big-name books. Wolverine’s always gonna be the best he is at blah blah blah. Spider-Man’s always gonna just barely manage to get out of a tricky situation. The powers that be won’t kill off a major character without a serious golden parachute (a la Cap or Hawkeye). But these guys, these new kids in the Marvel U, are all fair game.
And it doesn’t hurt that this book is co-written by Bendis and Hickman, two of the better comic book writers at any company.

Avengers: The Initiative # 25
Not a lot of good stuff to say about this issue, but not a lot of bad stuff either. This issue continues the ongoing theme that “Initiative” has found itself immersed in lately; that of mediocrity.
Not that there weren’t some fun bits. The revelation that Tigra’s apparently got a bun in the oven thanks to an over-enthusiastic Skrull agent impersonating Hank Pym a few months back was fun. And the dozen or so former members of the Initiative who put the “Original” New Warriors band back together decided to change their name to the Avengers Resistance in response to Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R.’s hostile takeover of the Initiative program. Oh, and Taskmaster’s back to being a supervillian again, which is awesome.
But I really don’t care about fucking MVP and the Spider-Clones. Or Gauntlet. Let’s just sweep all that shit under the rug and move on.

Detective Comics #854
This one looks like the sleeper hit in this week’s pile o’ comics. I bought this title rather reluctantly, not expecting anything good to come of it. “Detective” is, after all, no longer featuring stories about Batman. Instead the title’s been handed over to the “new” Batwoman, a character I’ve been less than enthused about since her reconned return in “52” a few years ago. I was expecting bad things from this title.
Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong. “Detective” #854 is definitely one of those times. The art in this issue is AMAZING. I would wholeheartedly recommend this issue to anyone just on the basis of the art. J.H. Williams has outdone himself. Every page layout, every picture was uniquely tailored to fit the tone writer Greg Rucka wanted to set. The story’s solid as well, doing as much as introductory issues can. Rucka gives us a first real look at Batwoman’s alter ego Kate Kane, as well as her supporting cast.
It’s also worth mentioning that the new Batwoman is a lesbian. This is a big step for DC, and Batwoman is their first big character I can think of (beyond her ex, Renne Montoya, the new Question) to come out of the closet. They’re a little bit late on this, but I applaud the gesture.
Ironically, I just read a bit ago that the character of Katherine Kane was originally created in the 1950s to act as Batman’s love interest, after the comic book witch-hunt called Seduction of the Innocent claimed that Batman was a gay pedophile. They brought Kathy Kane in so that there’d be no doubt that Batman was all man. Go figure.

Green Lantern #42
This was an interesting, albeit abrupt, ending to “Agent Orange.” Hal kind of accidentally figures out how to use the Blue Lantern (hope) ring he’d been saddled with for the past few issues, and the Guardians manage to strike up another uneasy truce with Larfleeze, the comical wielder of the Orange Lantern (avarice).
Everything’s pretty well wrapped up here, with a sudden conclusion that didn’t really seem to fit the overall pace and build-up of the “Agent Orange” storyline. But on the other hand, this issue showed just how devious and shady the Guardians can actually be, as evidenced by their secret negotiations with Larfleeze and subsequent betrayal of one of their own.
Next month, no more excuses. No more build-up. “Darkest Night” will finally be here. For better or worse.

New Avengers #54
Well, it’s official. There’s a new Sorcerer Supreme in town. I’ve got mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I’m really sorry to see Stephen Strange step out of the spotlight. He’s a great character, one of the most undervalued ones in Marvel’s lineup. Stripping him of the Sorcerer Supreme title seems a little like the end of a really cool era. It’s like saying Gambit doesn’t get to wear a trench coat and throw cards around any more.
On the other hand, the show must go on. I’m a big fan of generational continuity, which is something Marvel’s only lately taken a real stab at. To paraphrase Bill Watterson, if nothing ever ended, how would we ever know if anything was good? I’m really enthused about Bendis’ choice for the new Sorcerer Supreme (I won’t say who yet, just in case there’s anyone who hasn’t read the past couple of issues), hopefully this character will find a permanent position on the team. Also, this issue finally dealt with the Hood’s Spawn-like problem of eventually burning out as he got too powerful. He’s got a new power source now, complete with interesting new strings attached. Nicely done.

Thor #602
The Asgardians get comfortable in their new homeland (Doom’s Latveria), Thor uses what’s left of the Odin Force to rebuild his hammer, and Sif is finally found in the nick of time. Meanwhile Baulder struggles with the idea of being guests of a despot, and the mortal William and goddess Kelda push back against those who think Bill’s not a worth suitor.
Oh, and Loki’s a guy again. This kind of took me by surprise, but it makes sense now that I think about it. With Sif successfully called back into the Midgard world, Loki got booted out of her shell. One thing I don’t really get though is that the rest of the Asgardians don’t even blink an eye when they see the male Loki again. He’s been visible to them only as a woman since Thor accidentally called him back. Why aren’t the Asgardians weirded out by his sudden remasculization? And now that Sif’s back, how much does she know about Loki’s machinations? God I love this title.
So imagine my dismay to learn that writer J. Michael Straczynski will be leaving the title he’s successfully literally lifted out of the ashes of Ragnarok as of September. This really, really sucks. JMS’s run on Thor has been consistently the best Thor run I’ve ever read. Hopefully it’ll be a great ending. I don’t envy the writer who’ll be taking over on the title after JMS leaves, either. He’s gonna have some big leather war boots to fill.

Incredible Hercules #130
Kind of a slow issue here. Amadeus Cho breaks off from the underworld trial of Zeus to go look for his dead parents, but finds one of the only Marvel characters that died and actually stayed dead instead (knock on wood). Herc tries to explain that his dad’s really not so bad in the grand scheme of things, but kind of only makes things worse. And Zeus tries to pull a Nixon in his defense. Seriously, he literally says “Because you won’t have God to kick around any more!” Which makes sense. Zeus is written as a douche here, acting much like I assume Tricky Dick would have, had he only been the omnipotent ruler of Olympus. Oh, and apparently Herc has an undead doppelganger in Hades (or something). A fun issue overall, but not quite as much fun as this title normally is.

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1
The X-Men are a lot like the mafia; just when you think you’re done reading them, they pull you back in. I dropped almost all of my X-related titles (the exception being “Wolverine”) when Kristen and I moved to Bellingham. My favorite part about the X-Men books was discussing and reminiscing about them with my friend and former coworker Sam; after moving halfway across the country, I didn’t really have the heart to keep picking up X-titles that weren’t really doing anything for me. In all fairness, Mike Carey’s “X-Men: Legacy” was a decent book, but there’s only so much I can read about Professor Xavier without going bald myself.
I picked up “Utopia” more out of a reluctant sense of duty than for any other reason. After all, this was a Dark Avengers crossover, so if I wanted the next two issues of “Dark Avengers” to make any sense, I kind of have to pick up the rest of the “Utopia” storyline. Also, I confess I’m interested to see what kind of team the so-called “Dark X-Men” will look like. And Silvestri did the art for this opening issue, so I figured what the hell, I’ll pick it up.
In hindsight, that may have been a mistake. Anti-mutant fundamentalists. An accidental mutant/human riot. Beast getting the shit kicked out of him. White Queen trying on a new outfit. Xavier apparently kidnapped and forced to do something he doesn’t want to. This is just a sampling of the overused clichés and predictable twists this issue is literally stuffed with. So basically, the opening issue of “Utopia” sucked. I’ll probably still pick up the rest of the series, just to see how this trainwreck ends. And I’m still morbidly curious to see what the Dark X-Men team will look like (Namor’s technically a mutant…). But damn. This issue sucked.

X-Factor #45
AAIGHHH!! What the hell, man!?!? Ugh! I don’t care about the gay stuff, but I grew up reading these guys!! Are you TRYING to put me into counseling here, Peter David?!? Enough. Time for a shower, Crying Game style. Gah! Moving on!







Dark Avengers #6
It always bugs me when an image on a comic book’s cover has absolutely nothing to do with what’s going on inside the pages. I’m talking about the cover of this issue, specifically, which depicts a showdown of sorts between Venom and a fleeing Marvel Boy. Marvel Boy didn’t even show up once in this issue. Venom had only the briefest of cameos. Fail.
Aside from what didn’t happen, though, a lot did go on in this issue. Atlantean terror cells, Cabal meetings, missing alien teammates, you name it. But the underlying focus on this issue seemed to be how Norman Osborn’s only barely managing to keep his shit together. He’s the Director of National Security within the U.S. He’s in charge of H.A.M.M.E.R., his own personal international Gestapo. He’s the chairman of an international cabal of notorious shady characters. He’s the Iron Patriot, the leader of the (Dark) Avengers.
But he’s also a heavily-medicated, mentally unbalanced guy trying to suppress a whole big chunk of green, pumpkin-bomb-throwing, glider-riding, Spider-Man-hating, craziness. And he’s stretched WAY too thin to do it effectively. Good stuff.

Greek Street #1
Well, at least it was only a buck. And, as Neil the comic book shop guy pointed out, there are boobs on the first page, so that makes it automatically worth a dollar.
This issue was literally all over the place. Everyone has a name vaguely similar to a figure from ancient Greek myth. Some of the myth motifs are showing up. The concept of this issue, a modern-day retelling of Greek myths and whatnot, is interesting. But writer Peter Milligan seems hell-bent on telling them all at the exact same time. I have absolutely no idea of what I read, everything was just shmooshed together haphazardly. I’ll probably stick with this title a little while just in case it manages to untangle itself, but thus far, “Greek Street” has been a disappointment. Too bad, I had high hopes for this book.

Green Lantern Corps #38
Hopefully somebody kept the receipt for the giant green lantern shell thingy, it must have set the Guardians back some serious dough. Well, the riots are over. And the Guardians, in another act that makes me question their moral compass (see the latest “Green Lantern” for the prior shady act), take a pretty extreme step in ensuring that more riots won’t happen. Meanwhile, the Daxamites utilize their newfound badassery to expel the invading Yellow Lanterns from Daxam. I gotta say, the idea was cool but the action didn’t actually ever happen. In the prior issue, the remaining Green Lantern was talking about going underground to train a resistance. Suddenly, in this issue, the Yellow Lanterns are routed. What the hell?

The Sword #18
The last of the three element-controlling bastard children of (a) God has confronted Darah, but in a way I really didn’t see coming. Instead of trying to beat Darah and her sword with the power of wind (she controls the Air element), she’s decided to use public opinion. It’s a great idea; Darah could probably take her out no problem, but now she’s fighting not only the last of the Godlings, but the entire planet (which now thinks she’s some kind of unstoppable, invading evil). This issue also finally wrapped up the several-issue-long throw-down between Darah and the guy who could control the ground. I’m really eager to see how this series wraps up.

Batman and Robin #2
Damien is a little bastard, and I love it. It’s fun to see the tough, hard-ass, no mercy character portrayed as a ten-year-old boy. Also, Alfred’s approach to Dick being Batman now was really interesting. I like the concept of Dick looking at the Batman persona as a role, instead of as a hidden part of himself the way Bruce did it. Once again, Frank Quitely’s art was gorgeous. That’s nothing new, though. It plays well with the slight absurdity of the series; this is, it seems, a Gotham more closely related to the Adam West TV show than to the Frank Miller dystopian “Dark Knight Returns.” And that’s great, I think. This is the kind of setting where Dick will thrive as Batman.
Bat Quad! Sweet!

Captain America: Reborn #1
Sooo… Cap’s maybe not dead, but stuck in time somewhere? Because he was shot by a… time pistol? And even though that’s really him that died from being shot several times, he’s actually floating around in history like a certain Kurt Vonnegut character?
Jesus. This almost makes me want to see Mephisto pop in and play another round of “Let’s Make a Deal.” The premise is painfully bad here, especially if it’s just to bring Steve Rogers back so damn soon. I get the feeling that maybe Brubaker’s gonna try and pull a fast one on us, along the same lines as the bone-claw/adamantium Wolverine switcheroo from several years ago. At least I hope that’s what he’s doing.

Agents of Atlas #7
Last issue, shit got weird when cousins Namor and Namora made out. The situation was made only slightly less weird when it was revealed that they weren’t actually blood relatives, and could therefore procreate to their heart’s content without worrying about having a baby that was born with a third eye or a fifth ankle wing. Although I’m not sure the two knew about the non-relatives thing before they started sucking face. This issue, the wedding gets postponed indefinitely when it’s learned that the feelings Namor and Namora share may have possibly been engineered by Atlantean geneticists hoping to cash in on another god-like human-Atlantean mutant hybrid. Yeah, that’ll put a kink in the pipes. Oh, and there’s a side-story involving dragons fighting genies. Seriously. If you’re not reading this title, you’re really missing out.

Best comic of the past two weeks: Tied between Agents of Atlas #7 and Batman and Robin #2.

Worst comic of the past two weeks: X-Factor #45, because it just destroyed all the pleasant childhood memories I had from reading X-Force. What the HELL, man?!

What did you guys think? Any gems I’m missing out on? I heard “Irredeemable” is really good, anyone else reading it?

Comics I've read over the past two weeks (May 27 and June 3, 2009)

The Good, the Bad, the New Mutants. Here are the issues I've been reading over the past two weeks:

The Sword # 17
This is the type of comic that was made for collected editions. And I’m not making a comment on the quality of the book when I say that. It’s the pacing I’m concerned with. It’s slow. Slooow. Which is fine, I like stories that take their time, building as they go. But a deliberate buildup and comprehensive examination of the situation can be a hindrance when you’re confined to 22 pages on a monthly basis. For the most part, creators the Luna brothers have been up to the task, blending pacing with quality story-telling. But this is the third issue (I think) of the same fight, with no end in sight. Granted, when this chunk of “The Sword” is collected in trade, reading all seven or eight issues at once will no doubt be a treat. But individually, staying interested on a fight that takes three to five months from beginning to end is kind of asking a lot.

The New Avengers # 53
Writer Brian Michael Bendis faked me out on this one. I thought I knew who the new Sorcerer Supreme was going to be, and then he went in a totally different direction (although, admittedly a cool direction). But then, just as I’m warming to the idea of the idea of Damion “Son of Satan” Hellstrom being the new SS, Bendis throws another curve and goes back to my original guess. I won’t give away who the new SS is, but needless to say I’m very happy with the choice. And also now hopeful that Hellstrom will get some more comics coverage, he’s one of those forgotten gems from Marvel’s Bronze Age past.
The one thing I really miss in this issue is the lack of Chris Bachalo art. He’s been one of my favorites since the early days of “Generation X,” and it was a real treat to see him contribute to the past few issues of “New Avengers.” Billy Tan, the other artist, is okay I guess. But he doesn’t hold a candle to the detail Bachalo invests in his work.

Green Lantern #41
Did I miss something? Since when is Peter David writing Green Lantern?
David’s not actually writing this issue, but from the climatic end of this issue of Agent Orange vs. Hal Jordan, you could have fooled me. I’ll spare you all the snide remarks about how this is just yet another issue of filler while we all wait for “Darkest Night” to kick off next month. I’ll just say that this issue was entertaining for filler. The art was decent, the greedy warthog people were amusing. Now let’s make with the “Darkest Night” already!

Avengers: The Initiative #24
I’ve noticed a somewhat disturbing trend in my comic book reading. There are several titles I regularly read which are just fucking awful. And yet, every month I throw down three more dollars to see where the awfulness is going now. A case of repressed comic book sadomasochism? Who knows.
In fairness, “The Initiative” isn’t as bad as, say, “Green Arrow-Black Canary,” or some of the final few issues of “New Warriors.” It’s just kind of blah. I’ve got nothing invested in the characters, none of their actions affect me as a reader in the slightest. This series is just mundane. It’s not terrible (yet), but “The Initiative” should have quit while it was ahead. I.E., just before “Secret Invasion.”

Wolverine #72
This was the best issue of “Old Man Logan” to date. Too bad it’s also the last to come out in the regular series. All I can say is that the Giant-Sized special which is supposed to wrap things up will have its hands full.
OML is a really cool story. Writer Mark Millar has a great little thing going with his post-apocalyptic Marvel Universe, full of all kinds of sweet ideas and innovations. And artist Steve McNiven is currently one of the best artists in the industry. The guy’s just fucking amazing. I totally don’t mind the occasional shipping delay caused by McNiven taking his time to deliver quality art, and that’s really rare for me.
But the thing that kills me about OML is the lopsided pacing. Out of the entire seven-part run of OML, four and a half to five issues were nothing but exposition. Granted, it was cool exposition; Millar’s vision of a world several generations after super villains exterminated pretty much all the heroes on the planet and divvied up North America is fascinating. The art, like I said, is absolutely gorgeous. But nothing important in relation to the story (Logan and a blind Hawkeye driving across North America in the Spider-Mobile so that Hawkeye can sell some drugs and Logan can pay his rent) happened throughout the majority of Millar’s run. Part one sets up the plot, part five reveals why Logan’s a pacifist, and part seven restores the old man back to his former self. Everything else was filler. Great filler, like I said, but filler. Now, seven issues later, OML is an issue away from being over and it’s only just now gotten really, really interesting. OML would have been so much better if Millar had only condensed those seven issues into about three. Maybe four. Either that, or he should have taken a page from J. Michael Straczynski’s magnificent ongoing run on “Thor,” and matched drawn-out and satisfying exposition with drawn-out and satisfying plot.
“Snikt.” Dammit, what a waste!

The Incredible Hercules #129
Ye gods, this is a great book. The plot’s solid; the dialogue is humorous, sharp and engaging. Title character Hercules and sidekick Cho are fleshed out and appealing. Writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente do a fantastic job blending ancient Greek myth (specifically the Hercules mythos) in with modern Marvel Universe continuity. This is a comic I consistently look forward to reading every month, and the latest issue is no exception.
My only complaint with this issue is a complaint with the Marvel Universe (and what the hell, the DC Universe too) in general. Herc and Cho travel to Hades in an effort to fetch Zeus from the underworld and throw him out in front of Hera, the current leader of the Olympus Group. Thing is, Hades is boring. The only dead superheroes in the Marvel Universe are the crappy B-listers (ditto to the DCU). I mean, the only two major heroes Herc and Cho encounter are Wasp and Banshee, and deeming either a “major hero” is a serious stretch. And the cast of dead villains assembled by Hades to go up against Herc and Cho at the end are equally embarrassing. Jack-O-Lantern, for chrissakes?! It makes me yearn for the early 2000’s at Marvel, when , as whatsisname put it, “dead means dead.”
Other than that, great book.

New Mutants #2
Sure enough, no mention whatsoever about how Legion’s suddenly alive and well and the same age after being killed by Bishop in the 50s. And why the fuck is Sunspot dressing like an 18-year-old trust fund kid. This was the guy who ran his own branch of X-Corps and the fucking Hellfire Club! Gah! I really hate this title. Some crappy new mutant was chased around and small-town southerners were stereotyped into violent shotgun-wielding hillbillies (when in fact only 60 percent fall into that category). Then Sam flew through some stuff. Suck. Moving on.

Agents of Atlas #5, 6
The shipping schedule on this book is really throwing me off. I bought issues five and six back to back, but I’m not sure if that’s how they were actually released. Oh well. Two more really solid issues from a really solid book. Sarcastic gorillas, death-dealing robots, and cameos by first the New Avengers and then Namor the Sub-Mariner. Jimmy Woo and gang continue to front as an evil criminal empire, all the while working to subvert and destroy Norman Osborne from behind the scene. Their confrontation with the New Avengers was fun, and not your normal crossover fight-then-talk-about-it scenario. The Namor issue was equally interesting, with Venus’ mesmerizing voice having a rather odd affect on a couple of listeners. The art in both issues was stellar, most significantly in issue six when used to portray the new undersea home of the Atlanteans. Just good stuff in general, I highly recommend “Agents of Atlas.”

The Mighty Avengers #25
I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I like this new team of U.N. sanctioned Avengers. The revamped Pym is cool. U.S. Agent is not. Herc and Cho, good; Kid Vision and whatever the daughter of Ant Man’s called, not so much. Quicksilver, awful. Writer Dan Slott just totally dismissed all the character development Peter David put Quicksilver through in “X-Factor.” Slott replaced the newfound depth and complexity of the character with unexplainably restored powers and typecast arrogance.
This issue’s worth picking up, just to read the brutal exchange between Pym and Mr. Fantastic. Not sure how that got past Marvel editorial, but it made me laugh out loud.

Dark Avengers #5
Christ, there are just too many Avengers books out at the moment. Although “Dark Avengers,” featuring villains dressed up as heroes and led by Green Goblin/Iron Patriot (what a great name) is one of the better Avengers titles out there. This issue serves as the bad guy rebuttal for an issue of “New Avengers” a few months ago, when Clint Barton went on live television, proclaiming that Osborn and company are actually the scum of the earth, and probably shouldn’t be essentially in charge of security of the USA. Osborn’s own televised response to Barton’s accusations was very well done, I thought. Writer Brian Michael Bendis lent Osborn’s response that particular “let me break it down for you” rationale made famous by politicians taking an issue and morphing it into something else entirely with just a few words. Osborn is like Oklahoma’s Jim Inhofe, but with weird hair. A fun issue, especially if you’re a fan of primetime cable news networks.

Batman and Robin #1
I have two copies of this book. That right there should tell you how much I loved this first issue. Granted, my comic book shop was running a really weird promotion where subscribers who bought “Batman and Robin” got a second free copy of the title, but still. This was such a badass book that I probably would have bought a second copy anyway.
Grant Morrison has returned to the Batman mythos! Morrison’s triumphant return has made “Battle for the Cowl” obsolete faster than you can say “Countdown.”
I like the reversed dynamic here of the new Batman and Robin. Instead of a serious Batman and lighthearted sidekick, Morrison gives us a patient and bemused Dick Grayson as Batman and an arrogant and fanatical Damien Wayne as Robin. It’s a fun reversal. As of one issue, Dick seems to wear the pointy ears well this time; it’s plain to see he’s no Bruce Wayne, but he’s a fitting successor. Damien’s a little prick, kind of a miniature and more arrogant Bruce Wayne stuck in the body of a 13-year-old kid. Quitely’s art is spectacular. I really like the slightly customized costumes on both characters. The batmobile hover-car will take some getting used to, but I don’t hate it. Villains linked to the circus is a good symbolic choice for Dick’s first adventure as Batman, considering his own childhood. But the part that I loved the most was the teaser for upcoming issues at the end of the book. Dr. Hurt’s making a comeback, baby! Let the Black Glove shenanigans begin!

Worst comic of the past two weeks: New Mutants #2.

Best comic of the past two weeks: Batman and Robin #1.

So what did you guys think of the past two weeks of comic book goodness? Anything phenomenal that I’m missing out on? Did I slam anything you’re enjoying? Do you think Marvel’s gonna bring back Steve Rogers already?