Brave New Worlds

Secret Avengers #1

Ed Brubaker (w), Mike Deodato, Rainier Beredo (a)

I’m Putting the Band Back Together Well, sort of. Commander Steve Rogers is now the nation’s top cop and his first act is to put together his very own Secret Avengers squad. As he puts it after their first successful mission, “we won and we are getting away without anyone knowing who we are.”

Something About Cap Not sure what it is, maybe its Brubaker or maybe its just the blue eyes and blonde hair, but Rogers makes me care about this new squad he has put together. And I SO did not care about this team when it was announced. Kudos.

Fade to Black Wow, I so did not see that last panel coming. Interesting and of course, it left me wanting more, the sign of every great issue.

Picture Says a Thousand Words Or something like that. Fresh off his Dark Avengers run, Deodato transfers his awesome storytelling abilities and the issue is the better for it.     It is sort of fitting that this team takes place in the shadows since Deodato likes to work in that space.

You Can Quote Me Great first issue. It was terrific seeing Steve Rogers back in action, and making a relevant impact on the Marvel ‘verse.

Justice League Generation Lost #2

Judd Winick, Keith Giffen (w), Joe Bennett, Jack Jadson (a)

If a Tree Falls in the Woods But now one is there to see it, did it really happen? Or if Maxwell Lord falls in the woods, and no one know who Maxwell Lord is, did he really fall? Makes you think doesn’t it?

For a Minute There I thought Lord would just be content on getting away with erasing everyone’s memories of his existence. Boy was I wrong.

I Feel Like I am Watching Lost So are you telling me Wonder Woman really did not kill Maxwell Lord?

Whipping Boy How much does it suck to be Booster Gold. The rest of the former JLI rates to be ruined but Booster not so much. Of course he is going to win the pennant now like they did in Major League.

Thunderbolts #144

Jeff Parker (w), Kev Walker (a)

New Sheriff in Town Never got into the Thunderbolts before with all its history but decided to give this issue a shot as it takes a new direction entering the Heroic Age. Glad my instincts paid off on this one.

What Heroic Age? I like how they decided to keep the program running despite the end of the Dark Reign and yada, yada, yada. I especially love the fact that Luke Cage is now running the team.

I am Not a Crook Yeah right I am turning my back on this group. I especially am impressed that Steve Rogers is not holding a grudge allowing so many past stooges a second shot, ala Moonstone, which we are all the better for.

Quote of the Issue “Back in the day we had a lavish training area … and now we practice in a seagull toilet.” Guess who.

Man-Thing This issue has Man-Thing, freaking Man-Thing. ‘nuff said.

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #2 (0f 6)

Grant Morrison (w),Frazer Irving (a)

Plot Thickens Now this issue felt a little more like a Morrison tale. Not with all the obscure character references, but with all the twists and turns. Still, part 2 of the return only made me more interested in what the heck is going on.

Did You Catch the Jewelry Bruce’s new girl has some interesting jewelry. Wonder where she got that from?

Reason No. 267 Why You Never Piss Off a Witch Because they just go ahead and curse your family.

End of Time So the rescue team has gone all the way to the end of time to figure out where Bruce is. Only nine minutes left until oblivion. Yeah, this will end well.

Mystery Society #1

Steve Niles (w), Fiona Staples (a)

Not a Niles Man Really never able to get behind any of his other stuff, but not for a lack of trying. Finally, Niles has written something specifically for me. Mystery Society #1 is a terrific premiere issue that introduces us to the basic concept of what’s going on.

Happy Couple There was a terrific banter between the Mystery Society’s couple, Nick and Anastasia, that made me feel like they were old friends returning after a long time. Nice job Steve!

Area 51 Yes, another book takes a daring move to take us to Area 51 and we are so the better for it. Trust me.

That New Independent Book I am Going to Push in the Store In the tradition of the Highwaymen and Red Herring, add Mystery Society to your reading stack.

Power Girl #12

Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray (w), Amanda Conner (a)

All Good Things The creative team of Palmiotti, Gray and Conner say goodbye to Power Girl with this Valentine to the fans as they revisit the past year in one exciting issue.

The Floating Head Returns ‘nuff said.

Funny Books While not every book can pull off the fun that is Power Girl, I always feel DC knows how to balance and achieve the fun in its books and this book did just that. And I am going to miss it. Tear …

Whatever. So I’ve missed a few weeks of writing down what I wanna read on Wednesday. And I am writing this one far in advance so I have no insight into what the books are actually like. Also one of them is a trade. Tomorrow new comics come out!

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A Character To Learn More About…the it sucks outside cause it can’t decide if it wants to rain and break the humidity or just keep making it suckier by adding humidity to the crap that it calls weather edition. Hit the jump…

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Avengers #1 Brian Michael Bendis (w), John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson (a)

Everything Old is New Again Kudos to Bendis who brought me back to the days of my youth. Avengers #1 felt like a throwback narrative-wise to Marvel’s last heroic age of the 1980s, without feeling hokey.

Best Moment Kang is back, and before he can do anything, Thor takes him out.  Hawkeye’s response is classic and is my quote of the book.

Another Kang Story Yes it is, but it is a different type of story that should make the character’s return fun and (the word of the day) fresh. It’s great when a classic villain returns, and without the same old shtick. What a great way to welcome the latest incarnation of the Avengers back.

Easter Egg For me, the entire issue is an easter egg storywise.  Titled “Next Avengers,” if you caught the Lionsgate DVD release from a few years back, you will appreciate this issue even more.

The Reveal I so did not see that last page coming. Another reason why Bendis is the master, may all lesser beings bow down before him. I did not want this issue to end after page one.

Pick of the Week Avengers #1 gets the nod for me. Bendis is at the top of his game (isn’t he always with these characters?).

American Vampire #3 Scott Snyder, Stephen King (w), Rafael Albuquerque (a)

True Blood Got Nothing On This Book Vampire stories seemed to have run their course and no one is truly interested in tales of the Wild West since the 1950s, but for whatever reason the freshness of combining both really works for American Vampire.

Time Travel Great story-telling device continued in issue three which splits the story into two time periods with Snyder telling the story in its present setting (of 1925), while King takes the origin set about 15 years earlier. It works really well.

Double Revenge Pearl makes her first assault against those who left her for dead, however she tells Hattie to leave before she strikes.  Of course, Hattie does not listen and hilarity will surely ensue for these two whacky girls just trying to make it in the bright lights of Hollywood.

That’s a New Look Albuquerque’s interpretation of the creatures of the night gives a new twist to an old legend. And it works really well. Besides, his pencil and inks are all that and a bag of chips. Some Vertigo books go for that gritty look, Albuquerque’s pencils are just right for this tale.

The Spirit #2 Mark Schultz (w), Moritat (a)

More Fun in Central City Issue two of The Spirit picks up with Denny Colt bleeding on Ellen Dolan’s doorsteps. He then relives the tale of how he got there. Last issue ended with Angel Smerti arriving with a price on The Spirit’s head. Put two and two together and the story tells itself.

Just the Right Tone I said it after issue number one, and Schultz continues to supply the correct amount of fun and levity to the Spirit to make him work. Eisner’s creation is at his best when he is having fun, torching the captain and flirting with his true love of Ellen while continuing to check out every other pair of legs that come his way.  No wonder all his assassins are women.

X-Men Legacy #236 Second Coming Chapter Eight Mike Carey (w), Greg Land (P)

Rook to Knight Seven It has taken eight chapters, but Bastion has made his final moves on the board as he traps the X-Men for his assault.

Decisions, Decisions Cable gives Hope the choice of bolting now that Bastion has shown his cards. Will she take it and let Nightcrawler’s sacrifice be in vein?

Cavalry There are two kinds of crazy in the world, the kind that gets naked and howls at the moon, and then the kind that does it in your living room. The first one you can ignore, the second one you have to deal with. Now that Bastion’s move has been revealed, other heroes in the ‘verse have noticed, and you will never guess who they are.

It’s another Saturday and that means another character to learn more about (this is a DC Saturday…i got some recommends that were Marvel this week so they may show up next week) so let’s take a look at who I’ve picked this week.

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Alpha Flight #30 Volume 1 Bill Mantlo (w), Mike Mignola (p), Gerry Talaoc (i)

Did You Know Mike Mignola did have a life before creating Hellboy, including a run on Alpha Flight when he swapped books with Alpha Flight creator John Byrne, who took over Hulk.

On the Welfare With Byrne gone, Mantlo decided to go the government route and have Canada’s first super-hero squad funded entirely by the government.  This issue sees the team moving into their new digs on Tamarind Island.

Motley Crew By issue #30, Alpha Flight’s original ranks had been decimated to Heather Hudson, Puck, “depressed twins” Northstar and Aurora, Snowbird, Box and the mysterious Mr. Jeffries (named obviously after those tubes in Star Trek!).

Crossroads While issue #29 was the new creative team’s debut, issue 30 served as its pilot as Alpha Flight current and past were all embarking on new paths this time out.

Scramble, The Mixed-Up Man For more on this issue’s big bad, check out BRiAN’s A Character to Learn More About this week.

Aftermath All’s well at issue’s end as Alpha Flight works its mojo on that crazy Scramble.  But from the ashes rises a new threat rises from the morgue of all places.  That can’t be good.

Final Verdict Loved Mignola’s cover.  His pencils were okay, and were something different for 80’s Marvel Comics

.  I think he probably would have benefited from a seasoned inker.  Mantlo’s storytelling had a little too much inner-dialogue going on for its own good.

Dark Avengers #16 Brian Michael Bendis (w), Mike Deodato (a)

End of an Era Marvel’s top-selling book of the past year concludes as the events of Siege are wrapped up.  We find out (sort of) what happens to everyone’s crazy team of Avengers as we truly witness the dawn of Marvel’s New Heroic Age.

Run for It Hands on their heads, kneeling on the ground, Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers are in custody at the ruins of Asgard, but of course it does not end there.  Wait until you see who makes a run for it, and if they actually get away.

Where Did What’s His Name Go? Yep, someone did not get caught, and made it out of Dodge, with a BANG!

Second Chances Steve Rogers allows one of Norman’s crew to remain free and continue the good fight they were convinced they were fighting for with H.A.M.M.E.R.

Fitting Conclusion The final three-and-a-half pages is all Norman, including a dialogue to kill for – here’s a taste; “I was right.  The world is a mess and the wold needed me to fix it. And I would have.  I could have.”

Thumbs Up or Down In a week of some really awesome books, this was hand downs the best one.  Bendis put the icing on the cake, the cherry came on the final page with a letter to the fans you don’t want to skip.

Siege #4 Brian Michael Bendis (w), Olivier Copiel (p), Mark Morales (i)

As Promised Heroes and villains fall in this issue.  The hero you probably already sort of figured out, but wait until you see the bad dude that got what was coming to them.  Granted, this is comics and nothing is ever permanent, but still …

Final Battle Some of my compatriots have complained that they felt the resolution to the final fight was a little quick and maybe contrived.  First, it was only a four-issue mini-series.  Second, when you take into account how much was jammed into the final chapter, I felt like the resolution was just right.

The Trinity Marvel’s trinity of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor were operating at maximum awesomeness this issue. the dawn of the new Heroic Age starts here.

New Roles We do get an answer as to who will wield the shield (sorry to everyone who bought that one-shot), and what happens to the odd man out (don’t worry, they will have something cool to do).

Justice League: Generation Lost #1 Judd Winick & Keith Giffen (w), Aaron Lopresti (p), Matt Ryan (i)

Aftermath In case you forgot some of the evil doers that returned during Brightest Day, no worries, the JLA are all over that and Maxwell Lord becomes target number one.

The Reveal The issue and probably the series main mystery comes together quickly in this issue as we find out what Lord is up to immediately.  Now it’s trying to figure out why.

The Gang’s Almost All Here Of course not everyone from the original JLI is back (R.I.P. Ted Kord), but most of the surviving members get back together to do their own search.

Welcome Back Ice I liked the fact that this issue did not spend all 32 pages getting everyone back together.  That being said, I would have liked to seen a little more of the distraught that Ice was experiencing.

Best Line It was a quote thrown on the final page – “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn’t exist,” Charles Baudelaire.  I like where this is going.

Batman The Return of Bruce Wayne #1 Grant Morrison (w), Chris Sprouse (p), Karl Story (i)

Something in the Water Yes, I do realize that for the second-straight week I have tabbed a Grant Morrison book to recognize, but this was a really interesting issue and I am hooked like a crack addict now.  Damn you Morrison!

Remember No, I am not referring to when Spock did the whammy to McCoy and gave him his katra at the end of Wrath of Khan, I am talking about the final page of Final Crisis.  Remember that last image?  Well, that’s where we pick up.

What is that Doing Here? Not sure how some of the artifacts discovered in issue #1 found their way into our hero’s hands, but it was pretty cool just the same.

Like Riding a Bike Although he does not really seem like Bruce right now, he’s Bruce and up to his old tricks in the issue that takes place dialogue-wise from the natives of the place or time bruce has been omega-beamed to.

Pretty Cool Search Party Rip Hunter, Green Lantern, Superman and Booster Gold. After figuring out Bruce is somewhere in town, now the trick is when.  And since this is issue one, they probably did not find out this time.

Quantum Leap Loved how this issue ended.  That’s all I’m going to say.

A movie/tv show star/famous person writing a comic?…nothing new there. The return of a “dead” character?…again nothing really new either. Both of these books happen to be #1’s though… Hit the jump to see what books I wanna read tomorrow…

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I’m gonna ride the wave that is Iron Man 2 (if its not really a wave it is in my mind so there) and look up a character from the movie that I don’t know too much about and share some stuff with you. Hit the jump to see who I picked for this week.

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Batman and Robin #12 Grant Morrison (w), Andy Clarke (p)

Bandwagon Jumping It’s not that I was a Grant Morrison hater, I was just not in love with him like so many others are.  Well, I finally discovered the awesomeness that is Morrison these past two months as Batman and Robin has really clicked with me.

Nice Foreshadowing After Damian is finished trying to kill Dick he has this to say about Sextion, “…there’s something funny about him.”  Wait until you see what that means.

How Come We Never Noticed That Before Bruce continues to leave new clues for Dick and the gang to find on the grounds of Wayne Manor, as we learn even more fun facts about the house that the Wayne’s built and just where the heck Bruce is.

Oh No She Didn’t If you thought it was messed up when Talia gave control of Damian’s body to Slade to kill Dick, wait until you see the next reveal up her sleeve when her son confronts her and makes a fateful decision.

Spirit Homage All it was missing was Denny Colt as every character on a two-page spread had a “Spirit” mask on.  Granted it was part of the story, I just liked how it was dress as your favorite DC character day, and everyone’s favorite was The Spirit.

Wait Until You See the Last Page Don’t want to give anything away, if I did not earlier.  But Dick has slowly been putting the pieces together and that last page is a doozy.

Thumbs Up or Down If you buy one book this week, Batman and Robin #12 should be it.

Uncanny X-Men #524 Second Coming Chapter 6 Matt Fraction (w), Terry and Rachel Dodson (a)

Pressure, What Pressure Well now that one of their own has died protecting her, there are a lot of pissed off X-folks who want to see Hope use her abilities to bring that person back to life.  Oops. No abilities yet.

Wakey, Wakey Magneto finally wakes up and has the line of the issue – “I have the strangest feeling … that something’s happened.  What have I missed?”

Did Not See That Coming I was curious to see how Bastion was always one-step ahead of the X-Men and was systematically taking out his telepaths.  Now I know.

New Mentor Do you think Hope would be as unimpressed with Magneto if she really knew who he was?  And since Cable has spent the better part of two years keeping her alive, don’t you think she would listen to him when he tells her not to talk to Magneto.  Just asking?

Memorial Service Nothing can ever top the funeral for Steve Rogers from Fallen Son a few years back.  That being said, Fraction’s funeral for Wolverine’s best friend was a nice piece of writing that honored the character and got me a little choked up.  Kudos to Terry Dodson who does a really nice job of drawing these two pages as well as the entire issue.

The Fan With eight more chapters still remaining, it looks like the proverbial defecation is really going to hit the oscillation unit in the next issue.

Thumbs Up or Down Second Coming has been a pure adrenaline ride from the start and has yet to disappoint.  However, jumping in the middle of this story might make you confused like watching an episode of Lost for the first time ever this season.
Superman War of the Supermen #1 James Robinson, Sterling Gates (w), Jamal Igle (p)

Have to Admit It’s Getting Better Is it me of has Igle’s pencils gotten better?  Maybe it’s me.  Whatever is going on, loved his two-page spread in the middle of the book – you’ll know the one.

Oh No They Didn’t (Pt 2) Speaking of that spread, ever wonder what was going to become of all those Kryptonians flying around after Superman freed them from the bottle a few years back, wonder no more.

Up or Down This issue was better than I thought it was going to be.  And it appears that a lot of plot threads that have been lying around since 2006 will finally be tied up to all those faithful readers.  Three more issues to go before a new Superman day is born, again.

Amazing Spider-Man #630 Shed Part One Zeb Well (w), Chris Bachalo (p)

Love, Love, Love When Bachalo pencils a Spidey book.  Especially when it has the Lizard and Black Cat.  Besides the cover, take a look at that final page of art with the Lizard.

Blink and You’ll Miss It Did I mention Felicia Hardy and Curt Connors?  There is a lot going on in this issue.

Star Trek Captain’s Log: Harriman Marc Guggenheim (w), Andrew Currie (p)

Remember Me? He appeared on screen briefly, but John Harriman joined a group of very elite people when he took command of the Enterprise B in Star Trek Generations.  Granted he helped kill Kirk, but that’s what this issue is all about.

Seldom Used Reserve Activation Clause Yep, that’s right, everyone’s favorite Starfleet doctor is back, “shanghaied” once again for the better good.

Lots of Awesome There are quite a few great moments that harken back to the original crew movies, which are nicely written by Guggenheim.

Why This Issue Works Not much is known about Harriman’s characters, who gets a shot of redemption and stops being the laughing stock Rick Berman allowed him to be in the movie.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #35 Twilight Part Four Brad Meltzer (w), Georges Jeanty (p)

Twilight Part Four Getting closer to the end, we find out even more about what is going on with Buffy and Angel.

Awesome Final Page Version Three That’s right, yet another book takes advantage of the final page to draw you back next month with a reveal that will either have you saying it’s about time or as the immortal Keanu Reeves goes, “whoa.”

John Byrne And just check out this homage to Byrne’s cover of Uncanny X-Men #138.  This is a sweet (thanks Brian) cover!

Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 Jason Aaron (w), Adam Kubert (p)

Butterfly Effect If you love time travel stories where if you mess with the past it messes with the present, you’ll love this issue.

Butterfly Effect Part 2 Devil Dinosaur.  ‘nuff said.

Why Our Superheroes Should Shave Look at page 2 of this issue and you will have you answer.  This is really just a reason to draw attention to Kubert’s detailed and amazing pencils.  As always, this guy rocks.