Suicide Squad v2: Basilisk Rising TPB

Ugh. I’m sorry, it doesn’t matter what else happens in this collection. The main villain behind the titular Basilisk organization is Regulus. Regulus is one of the worst designed, generic, and 90’s looking villains I’ve ever seen. What little we get of his origin is almost unreadably boring. Seriously, there is a zero issue in this trade that focuses on the New 52 version of Team 7, and I couldn’t read it. The characters all looked and talked the same and their motivations and plot were needlessly vague. Honestly, I couldn’t force myself to read it.

The main storyline isn’t quite as dire. The Suicide Squad concept works well because it is so darn easy to get invested in. A crew of super-villains sent by the government to do some dirty work? Instant classic. Even better, Adam Glass wisely steers away from too many New 52 references. This can almost, but not quite, stand on its own (there are a few too many references to Harley Quinn’s obsession with the Joker’s sliced-off face).

Deadshot makes for a surprisingly effective lead, and the romantic tension between him and Harley gives the book a good dynamic during the personal scenes. King Shark is played for savage comedy like always, and he still excels in the role. El Diablo and Black Spider are too generic to get too much of a read from, but they work well as seat-fillers for the rest of the team. New member Iceberg also fits right in (and seems destined for a quick body bag if you ask me).

The trade includes a pretty interesting race to capture the Resurrection Man. The crossover with that comic is the strongest story, probably helped by the involvement of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning. That story feels the most populated and histories; the characters actually seem like they have complex motivations.

The Basilisk story is pretty generic; a traitor, secret organization, another traitor. It has been so long, I can’t remember if Boomerang’s relationship with Deadshot is from this series or if it relies on old continuity, but my confusion about what counts and what doesn’t ensured that I didn’t care about seeing these classic teammates reunite. It is simply too much work remembering what “happened” and what didn’t.

The art from Fernando Dagnino is average to good, with some action sequences really coming off nicely but the slower “acting” not coming through clearly. The art isn’t helped by some horrible printing; multiple pages are blurry or scratchy, looking like a bad print job. I could have spent more time trying to interpret those pages, but honestly… why?

This book is cancelled, and I can’t imagine my library is going to order any more trades for this POOR title. I think I’ll survive. 

Resurrection Man (2011) #1-7

I finally got around to giving one of my favorite writing teams a second chance on their new 52 launch book. I’ve loved just about everything Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have worked on, so I remember being a little stunned at my lack of interest in the rebooted Resurrection Man. I went back and read a bit further, making it all the way to issue 7. I don’t think I’m going to make it any farther.

The odd part is, while this is clearly a reboot, it really doesn’t directly contradict any of my memories from the original series. RM is still Mitch Shelley, his powers and attitude remain much the same. I don’t remember quire this much from Heaven and Hell battling over his soul, but that’s hardly a huge problem.

Instead, most of my problems come from some of the house style decisions from the New 52. The body count in the first few issues is really high, involving a plane crash and lots of bystanders getting blown apart. The Body Doubles were always slinky, sexy assassins, but it seems like they are ramped up to a more ridiculous level in issues 1-4.

When DnA get around to Mitch’s origin, I found myself a bit more interested. We see a neat flashback to Mitch’s work in the Middle East, back when he was hiring Deathstroke to provide security. I’m not sure what this does to the 5-year timeline of the new 52, though. Either Mitch just because Resurrection Man very recently, or he and Deathstroke have been around longer than 5 years. The problem with having a recent origin is that it takes away from some of the “mysterious, long lifetime” stuff that Mitch and Wolverine both benefit from.

I also have to mention the Transhuman. He’s a nineteen year old trapped in the body of an elderly man, and his armor is actually pretty cool. The problem is that name. Why are all the names in the new 52 so awful? Are all the good names really taken? I mean, jeez!

Fernando Dagnino provides the DC house style for the art in all the issues I read. I respect his consistency (and his ability to keep a schedule) but man, it just seems wrong having Birds of Prey style art in an action-horror book. I’ve got to think another artist might have been a better fit.

So I don’t regret reading these books, but I’m not in rush to see what happens. I think that means this comic is EVIL.  

Guardians of the Galaxy #1

Bendis had an awfully high bar set for him on Guardians of the Galaxy. I absolutely loved Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s take a few years ago. In fact, their runs on Nova and Guardians still hold up as some of my favorite comics ever. I was so annoyed that Bendis was getting the reigns that I didn’t even read the Point One issue. Couldn’t do it.

But seeing Rocket, Groot, and Gamorra again was worth it. I picked up issue 1. And you know? It was pretty entertaining.

I still don’t like the idea of Iron Man on the team. I get why Marvel is doing it, the book is a lot more commercial if a very familiar face like Tony Stark is on the team. It just bums me out that the old resident Earther, Jack Flagg, lost his place. It’s going to be neat seeing Stark try to deal with the madness of space heroics; I will just miss the bigger cast. In fact, pretty much all my complaints boil down to “this isn’t the last series of Guardians.”

This book has a much stronger Star Lord focus, with Peter Quill’s Spartoi ties providing a lot of the motivation. Quill is the heir to the Spartoi throne, so having him slum around with the Guardians is pretty insulting to his father, the current monarch of the empire. In what seems like a petty move, a galactic of shifty looking aliens decreed that Earth is off-limits. The aliens include the Shi’ar, Spartoi, Brood, and more, but basically they are just declaring open-season on the Earth. The main battle involves the Badoon making a play and the Guardians getting in the way.

Bendis retains a lot of DnA’s characterization. Rocket Raccoon and Groot are the same, and Drax feels like he stepped out of the older series too. It’s too early to tell on Gamorra, and I don’t mind Star Lord’s new heritage-based plot. Overall, the series has a lot of potential.

Steve McNiven won’t stick around long, I’m sure, but while he’s here, the book will look good. Rocket Raccoon is far and away my favorite; it’s hard to keep him cute and cuddly while keeping him heavily armed, but McNiven pulls it off. Gamorra looks fantastic, of course, but that’s one of McNiven’s specialties. I also like the Star Lord redesign. It’s less Warhammer 40k, but more classic Marvel, while retaining elements of both. It’s a great look.

Good

Heroes for Hire: Fear Itself TPB

Oh man, why are Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning out of Marvel? After totally recreating and revitalizing Marvel cosmic, they were doing a great job on Heroes for Hire, too. When was the last time Silver Sable, Gargoyle, or Paladin got this much love. Heck, I even liked Elektra as she was written here! DnA have a great, funny take on Spider-Man too, it’s too bad his appearance couldn’t raise sales enough to keep this book from being cancelled. 

Far and away, the breakout character for me in Heroes for Hire is Misty Knight. I have read a lot of her adventures, at this point, but I’ve never liked the character as much as I do in this collection. She’s funny, smart, and when things get tough, she can go kick butt, too. She even gets Spidey’s nerd references! 

DnA clearly have a lot of affection for Paladin. The professional hero is a bit of a sad sack through this entire trade, but that does make for compelling comics. It’s really neat seeing the constantly self-doubting Spider-Man held up as the paragon of heroics, while Paladin is unable to even compete in his shadow. 

And who are all these heroes fighting? In the core story, it’s Batroc the Leaper. One of my all-time favorites. And he gets the respect he deserves in this trade. While everyone makes fun of him, Batroc kicks the crap out of just about everyone he goes up against. Tying this B-level villain to the ongoing crimes from earlier in this series raises the stakes nicely. 

There are a few issues of Fear Itself plugged in the middle, but a different artist and the forced nature of the story forces the collection off target. The book can’t help but lose focus when it is dealing with random destruction and new villains rather than the long-simmering subplots that open and close the book. 

The art in this collection is a bit of a mixed bag. That hurts the overall consistency too. Brad Walker’s art is fantastic. His Spidey has a bit of a big head, but Silver Sable, Paladin, Misty Knight, Moon Knight, they all look great. Walker gets to draw a real A-lister at the conclusion, too. I’d love to see him tackle that character more too. Tim Seeley helps out with this story, and his art fits pretty seamlessly into Walker’s. They work fine together.

Kyle Hotz draws the Fear Itself issues. Hotz’s work is a lot more cartoony than anything else in this collection. It is a bit jarring seeing the tonal shift in the artwork. The distraction is by the subject matter. Hotz is drawing mass destruction and chaos. Hotz draws a lot of horror, and he’s good at it. 

I’ll miss this book!

Good

New Mutants #25-28

So… I guess DnA aren’t coming back to the Guardians of the Galaxy, huh? With a film in the works, it’s time for Marvel to put the book into bigger, more famous hands, and that means if I want my diet of solid entertainment, it’s time to follow DnA to their next title. New Mutants.

I buckled down and digitally purchased these issues before a 99 cent sale. That’s how I’m reading a whole lot of books these days, but I decided I couldn’t wait. Part of that had to do with Leandro Fernandez’ unique art on the first arc, but the greater factor was the villain up there on the cover. I love me some Sugar Man, so this popped into must-buy for me.

After Age of X and the Fall of the New Mutants, the team is in shambles. Cannonball has taken himself off active duty. Magik is locked up so she can’t betray anyone else, and confidence is low amongst the remaining members. Well, Cypher seems fine, but that’s because he’s become a human robot, calculating and deciphering clues and meaning from the world around him. He’s almost PBS’ Sherlock, which is fine with me.

The star of this opening arc is Mirage, and it’s not close. Cypher gets a few choice words of dialogue, but he’s the only competition. Sunspot, Karma, Magma, and Warlock are there to fill out the team and banter. DnA have good voices for all of them, but the focus here is on the de-powered Dani Moonstar. To be honest, she seems to be doing just fine She sure seems to have moved up in the archery and combat departments. Her arrows are like mini-spears and she takes on Sugar Man one-on-one, so she’s pretty friggin’ tough.

Sugar Man is there because DnA are rescuing a character from limbo. Paul Cornell brought X-Man back in the Dark X-Men mini, but he’s been gone ever since. In this story he comes back to Utopia ready to sign on with the New Mutants. His powers are greatly diminished down to basic TK, but that makes him a better fit for a team book.

I’ve always like Fernandez’ art, and this is no exception. I like his take on Warlock and Sunspot especially. He always does a great job on faces, so having the leads all mask-less is a good choice. I’m not sure if Fernandez sticks around, but I’d sure like to see him working with this cast some more. The designs for Sugar Man’s new lackeys get the point across without too much complication.

Good

Annihilators: Earthfall TPB

What a sad way for DnA’s classic run on cosmic Marvel to come to an end. This story probably could have been a great close, but unfortunately a poor choice of artist didn’t let that happen. I’ve enjoyed Tan Eng Huat’s art before, mostly on his Doom Patrol work. But he is not the right artist for straight-up, normal super-heroics. There is a disconnect here in his style versus the classic look necessary for DnA’s script. Faces end up smooshed. The battle scenes are hard to follow. There seems to be perspective problems in multiple panels (there are a few scenes where there are explosions in the background that seem to be the response to Gladiator’s punches in the foreground.) Again, I don’t want to be mean, because I have liked this artists work in other projects, but the clash of style caused such a disconnect that this was honestly a chore to read.

DnA deliver a story that serves as a nice capstone to their run involving the Universal Church of Truth AND the Magus. That’s a brilliant new concept AND a classic Marvel villain. But the Church ends up as a bunch of faceless, generic villains that don’t deserve to be on the same page as the Avengers or Annihilators.

I’m particularly interested in the interaction Quasar has with his old team as he tries to explain the galactic view he’s been forced to take. This is Wisconsin’s small-town hero operating on a galactic scale and telling Cap to keep things in perspective! I would have liked a bit more of that type of material, along with some more of Ikon’s fascination with Quasar. There was no time, though, because this book was running from explosion to explosion. I love action books, but I like it to look a bit prettier.

Average

Hypernaturals FCBD

Can I just go ahead and start whining now? My longboxes are full of lost treasures, series that I loved but never found mass-market appeal. I can guarantee that The Hypernaturals is destined to share that fate. But darn if I won’t enjoy it while I can.

DnA excel on the cosmic stuff, and they do it again here. This book takes place in the future, but the future is a very recognizable place. Kids still eat sandwiches. The media still loves their heroes. And no matter how powerful the heroes are, there’s always someone bigger.

The Hypernaturals starring in this issue are the newest incarnation of a long-lasting team. Things don’t look good for them on one of their first missions, but I think the real focus is going to end up on the former members anyway. DnA do a masterful job building the core cast with just a few panels for each. This book feels like a successor to the Legion of Super-Heroes; we’ve got a Braniac type, a Timber Wolf type, and a few other generically powered heroes. The book isn’t about the powers, though, it’s about the personalities.

It’s not fair, launching a series with a couple ringers like Brad Walker and Tom Derenick. These guys have been delivering solid super-hero epics for years now. The two artists make everything look easy, from new character introductions to the fearful arrival on an alien world.

My only complaint is that this is going to be $3.99 a pop. Does Boom drop their digital price after a month? If so, I may just get this in that format, because I really want to see what happens.

Don't sleep on this one, Guardians fans!

Excellent

Villains for Hire #4

Duh. I really should have seen that one coming. I mean, I KNEW that Misty Knight didn’t kill Paladin a few issues ago, but I didn’t see how he’d get re-integrated to the storyline. Nicely done, DnA! (I especially enjoy seeing this character trying to keep everything nice and clean when the villains start fleeing the scene!)

This series is clearly the conclusion to the Heroes for Hire series, unfortunately I bought that one in trade and this one in floppy, so I haven’t seen the resolution for H4H yet. That said, this is a satisfying read on its own. If you dig backup characters like Purple Man, Man Ape, and Avalanche, this is for you. Heck, smaller names like Bombshell and Tiger Shark get a lot of dialogue and work here too.

The pacing seems a tad off, I think this story was meant to percolate a bit longer before the pay off, but Marvel cancelled this book pretty quickly after launching it. I suppose we should be happy DnA wrapped it up at all. The series leaves Misty Knight, Paladin, and most of the villains in convenient places to be picked up again, and the Marvel U always benefits when villains get their moment in the sun.

Renato Arlem’s work is serviceable, the action is clear and the costumes look good, but as always his book looks like snapshots with costumes drawn on. There isn’t a huge sense of motion. (He does squeeze in some more butt-shots for Misty Knight too, always amusing.)

Good

Villains for Hire #3

Tiger Shark on the cover of a comic. That I assume must have been trying to make sales. It just makes me laugh. As I’ve said from the start, I’m clearly the target audience for a book like this, but how many mid-30’s readers who pored over their Marvel Universe Handbooks could there possibly be?

Things are pretty frantic this issue, with Purple Man’s ever-increasing gang of thugs out to take out Misty Knight. It was pretty neat seeing the odd matchups scattered through the book. Bushmaster and Speed Demon go down so quickly they barely register, but Man Ape vs. Tiger Shark is a pretty fun battle. Crossfire and Stilt-Man vs. Bombshell, Shocker, Avalanche, and Death Stalker would be a quick fight, but I do wish we could have seen more of it. Of course, Stilt-Man and Man Ape love being villains, so they aren’t about to work for Misty Knight. Crossfire shows some character-building professionalism, but that doesn’t serve him too well.

It’s too bad I haven’t read the closing chapters of Heroes for Hire yet, I’m certain Puppet Master’s reappearance would be a lot more dramatic if I’d seen how that volume closed. (And there is no way Paladin is actually dead, right?)

Renato Arlem continues to be serviceable penciling the book. His takes on these classic rogues is all on model, but sometimes the art is a bit too photo-reference-y for my tastes.

Good

Villains for Hire #2

Once again I’m struck by what a niche concept this book is. Who the heck asked for a title starring Misty Knight and the Purple Man? With most of the dialogue supplied by luminaries like Tiger Shark and Bombshell? Heck, isn’t Bombshell one of the Death Throws? That makes TWO Hawkeye villains regulars in this series (including Crossfire.) I totally understand why Marvel cut this book down by a few issues.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to love it while we’ve got it.

I love hearing more from Tiger Shark! Purple Man? Why not hear more about his hopes and dreams! Factor in a mysterious and worrisome new attitude from Misty Knight, and this is a pretty dang entertaining comic.

I’m a tad annoyed that Scourge is a new guy, why not just keep him Nuke like he was in the recent Thunderbolts? (That tells me Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are going to kill him during this mini.) I wouldn’t argue with more Avalanche, Nightshade, or Shocker, either. They are fun villains we rarely see, so hopefully they will get some panels soon. I also think it’s a smart move for DnA to include Paladin; that gives the reader at least one “good guy” to support with Misty acting so strangely.

Renato Arlem is doing a solid job with the art, although he has a tendency to look a bit traced. I’m not positive, but some of the panels sure look like they’re photographs or really traced. It’s not awful, I like his costume design and his art does look like snapshots taken in the middle of a fight. (His Speed Demon is really nice. I think I know a sketch I need this summer!)

Good

Villains for Hire #1

Well, I suppose I can understand how this series got downgraded to a limited. Let’s look at the stars of the book: Purple Man, Avalanche, Bombshell, Tiger Shark, Nightshade, Crossfire, Scourge, and a couple other folks no one has heard of. (Well, no one but a major Marvel nerd like me.) It actually makes me happy that series like this get made, because really, did Marvel ever think that anyone besides dedicated fanboys would care about the Purple Man trying to take over New York?

There is an element at the close of the book that makes the popularity factor rise a bit, but still, probably not enough to keep sales very high on this title. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are delivering fanboy comics here, no two ways about it.

This is a villain-caper book very much in the vein of MODOK’s 11 from a few years ago. These types of projects are great at casting a spotlight on characters that have never had it before. If you are a fan of Marvel minutiae, than maybe you too get a thrill from seeing the Shocker described as a powerful villain. Or Nightshade as a serious hazard.

Renato Arlem does a nice job drawing these third-rate characters. Tiger Shark looks imposing, Avalanche looks like a powerhouse, and Bombshell looks like a hottie. (Arlem sure likes drawing ladies with no pants. If it wasn’t for the coloring…) The action can sometimes look a bit stiff or photo-referenced, but overall, the art is pretty strong.

Good

Heroes for Hire: Control TPB

"Hello hero. This is Control. Are you for hire tonight?" I love that opening scene, mostly because artist Brad Walker does a great job flashing back to The Warriors, that sweet gang movie from the '70s. I never would have thought to put Misty Knight in this sort of role, but she does really well with it.

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are well-known for their cosmic stories these days, but their street-level kung-fu is strong too. Rather than put together an odd crew of street level heroes and making them into a regular team, this title actually only has two characters appear every issue. Misty Knight is Control, drafting heroes in the Marvel U, using money or the mission to inspire action. The cast is pretty varied, and they never actually show up and work together as a unit. Paladin is a bit more heroic in his portrayal here, but he's still got that mercenary streak. Moon Knight, Elektra, and Silver Sable show up for some money too, but Ghost Rider, Falcon, and Black Widow are all inspired by the mission rather than a pay-off. Iron Fist and Punisher show up too, but they don't get recruited quite the same way...

As we expect from DnA, the book is filled with off-the-wall ideas (like soul-powered rifles) and old characters we haven't seen in awhile. I particularly enjoyed seeing Silver Sable again, she's a neat character who doesn't get much time in the sun.

And who could complain about the secret villain pulling everyone's strings? I half-thought this guy was dead, I thought he bought it in Ms. Marvel's book a few years ago, but I'm not going to complain. He's a great villain and he's creepy and effective in this title.

Brad Walker doesn't get to do the whole book, but the chapters he handles look fantastic. If you like the idea of Moon Knight versus a raptor, this is the book for you, cause it looks every bit as good as you'd hope. Robert Atkins handles some art too, and he's fine, but after Walker's brilliant pages, it's a rough comparison.

Good

Resurrection Man #2

Well, at least Mitch Shelley seems to be competent this issue! No mass bystander deaths or other examples of poor heroics.

It's interesting that DnA said this is essentially "Ultimate Resurrection Man" because it does seem to be one of the more clear-cut reboots. Although, with Mitch an amnesiac, I suppose the old series could have happened...

Mitch is on the trail of his Dad, who died a year ago, making any kind of reconnection difficult. Fortunately an old friend of his father's is willing to help Mitch take a look around. I'm a little suspicious of this guy, and that has nothing to do with his former occupation. He just seems a little too willing to go out there for a relative stranger. Isn't someone from the "other office" on Mitch's trail like that weird angel lady is for the office upstairs?

I did like Fernando Dagnino's happy rest home. This isn't Bubba Ho-Tep, everyone is smiling and life seems pretty good. Of course, being the DCnU, all the residents will probably get blown apart by the Body Doubles next issue! Some of the faces do seem uneven this issue, with the Doubles almost looking photo-realistic, then a little more sketchy. It's not bad, but not quite as tight as the first issue, art-wise.

Fair

Resurrection Man #1

As a fan of the original series, I'm quite pleased to see Mitch Shelley returning to the DCU. And for most of this issue, I really enjoyed the book. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are masters of atmosphere and pacing, two essential elements for a book like this. Mitch is immediately likeable, he seems like a normal guy in a rough spot. While he does some shady things, he regrets and rationalizes his choices.

Things pick up on his flight. It seems Mitch's soul is quite the prize to both Heaven and Hell, and both "offices" have sent collectors out to try and acquire it. The battle sequence on the plane looked great. Fernando Dagnino is channeling some Tom Mandrake here, and it really works. The floating faces in the storm, the horrific angelic agent, they all look like they came from Mandrake's crazy imagination (and I mean that as a compliment).

What I didn't care for was the resolution. SPOILERS BELOW

Mitch basically drives off the creature, but gets tossed into the plane's engine, causing it to crash. I have one concern that constantly killing Mitch will make him seem incompetent, but DnA have balanced that in the old series, so it may not be an issue. But I also have a problem with the death toll. A plane full of people is a pretty huge amount of collateral damage. I hope that elements like this aren't required of the "Dark" line, because too much of that will sour me on the book.

I enjoyed the comic, but it sure felt like Mitch isn't very competent.

Fair

San Diego 2011 News

As always, there is way more news than any rational person could really read, so I'm performing a public service and throwing out some high spots, along with brief comments. I always think the same thing after seeing this kind of news; I'm glad I still love comics, there is a lot of neat stuff coming out!

UPDATED
Jason Aaron and Marc Silvestri are launching a new (green) Hulk title. There must be a limit on how many titles Aaron can write a month, I bet this is why Scalped is ending.

Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson are bringing back the Defenders, featuring Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Red She-Hulk, and Namor (and more). With that creative team, this should be great.
Fear Itself must be leaving everyone really sad. There are numerous follow-up series planned, including the hilariously named "Shattered Heroes" one-shots. Hee hee.

Fury of FirestormS still doesn't look like a take on the characters I will enjoy.

In no particular order:
Walking Dead still looks awesome.

No way. Marvel released a picture of the Scarlet Spider's hoodie in flames. Will Ben Reilly return?

The Starjammers will show up in Mike Carey's X-Men: Legacy. 

Darwin will be returning in the pages of X-Force.

Don't assume Cyclops will survive Schism. He'd better, or I'll be pretty upset!

Martian Manhunter will appear in the opening arc of Justice League!

Catwoman seems to be having hard time keeping her clothes on in the DCNu.

Lois and Clark will definitely NOT be together in the new Superman titles.

It sounds like Stephanie Brown will be back in her Spoiler ID soon.

Apollo and Midnighter? Don't panic. Still gay.

The Justice League and the Justice League International will NOT be working together.

Green Arrow is going to be a lot younger than the version we've read about for years. I'm assuming that Connor Hawke will disappear the same way Wally West is going to. Kyle Rayner got off easy!

Power Girl may not exist in the DCNu, but Karen Starr will appear in Mr. Terrific (which means I won't see her, I guess!)

The New Gods are now on Earth-51, and will appear in Multiversity from Grant Morrison!

I found it interesting that the writer of the new Suicide Squad book had little input on Harely Quinn's new ho-bag look.

It sounds like Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness' upcoming mystery project is Cable, who they call the "Captain America of the X-Men." I did not see that one coming!

Brian Vaughn returns to comics with a Star Wars-inspired sci-fi comic from Image, Saga.

Marvel is launching Fearless, a new title showing what our favorite heroes are up to post-Fear Itself. Too bad I'm sure it will be $3.99 like the source series! Trade for me.

There are some sweet promo posters for the upcoming Avengers movie.

Bill Willingham is launching a new Fables spin-off. It's called "Fairest" and will feature the pretty princesses of the Fables world. Too bad it's Vertigo, I think my daughters would be thrilled!

DnA are relaunching Heroes for Hire as Villains for Hire, still starring Misty Knight and Paladin. Neat! 

Black Panther, the Man Without Fear is going to face down the Kingpin! At this point, David Liss can do no wrong. Can't wait!

Christos Gage is expanding the class of the Avengers Academy, plus they're moving out to the Avengers West Coast HQ. That should be fun for Hank Pym and Tigra, they have some weird history there. I think one of the new members is White Tiger, and possibly a member of Power Pack.

The Avengers continue getting some respect with some interesting looking one-shots. I'm not sure if I'm sold yet, but they have potential.

"Hulk of Arabia" by Jeff Parker? Say no more, I'm sold.

The Thanos Imperative HC

Wow, DnA know how to rock the world of Marvel cosmic. This epic is the swan song for the cancelled Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova. I love that DnA end the series pretty dramatically for the stars of those two books. I don't believe the permanence of their status for a moment, but it's a great idea to take these guys off the table for a bit. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

With such a huge cast, and with Thanos justifiably taking up so many panels, a lot of the cosmic cast gets relegated to the background. Poor Jack Flagg and the Inhumans barely appear. Major Victory is a walking plot dump. But Rocket Raccoon, Drax, and Mantis all make out pretty nicely, even with fierce competition for page.

I never would have guessed that my childhood fave Quasar would be so important or powerful, but I'm not complaining. That big-budget, slo-mo shot where the Annihilators form up? Simply awesome. I love seeing Quaze and Ronan the Accuser in such fine company.

The story is truly epic, and I think it works best when the stakes are highest. The enormous battle at the Fault rift is well done, with Galactus and other cosmic entities trying to hold back the seeping life of the overgrown universe. I love the sequences back in the other universe too, with Star-Lord and Thanos teaming up with the robotic resistance there. I'm not sure the Revengers totally work as bad guys, I never bought into them as being too scary. While I love the idea of that character leading the forces of life, he isn't disfigured or frightening enough considering he's supposed to be tied to Lovecraftian elder gods.

The art in the prologue is the strongest. Brad Walker owns the Guardians, and his work is stellar. Miguel Sepulveda does a decent job with the rest of the material, but Walker is a hard act to follow.

Good

News from Comicon and the Past Week!

Here's the stuff that's caught my eye so far. I'm including some thoughts on the solicits of the past week too.


DC Announcements (many announements were pre-Comicon this week)

Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are the new creative team on Batman & Robin. This is a great move by DC, I'll keep the title on my pull list for sure.

Paul Cornell is writing a Knight & Squire limited for DC. Sounds totally excellent, I can't wait. In anticipation of many re-reads, I'm going to wait for the trade.

David Finch is getting a new Batman book. I'll wait for the library, thanks.

Marc Guggenheim is taking over JSA after James Robinson finishes his current story. I really dug Bill Willingham's take, so I think I'll bow out after the crossover.

DC is putting out a new THUNDER Agents book. I have no exposure to these guys, so I have no idea if this will be any good. I'm not sure what to think of the creative team either!

Static is back in his own ongoing series! Yay! It's not written by Dwayne McDuffie! Boo. So much for that idea. I'll sit this one out.

Tyler Kirkham is the new penciller on Green Lantern Corps. I expect it to be Silvestri-iffic!
Christos Gage is back in the DCU with a Ragman 1-shot. Sold!

Tiny Titans is crossing over with Archie. My daughters are sold on the Titans these days, I wonder if they'll cross over?

Marvel Announcements (limited details so far)

• Joss Whedon confirmed himself as the director of the Avengers movie. I predict a bigger part for Wasp!
• Fred Van Lente is following up his Shadowland: Power Man series with a Power Man & Iron Fist limited. Mark me down for the trades!
• Mark Waid is coming back to Cap with a new limited, Captain America: Man Out of Time! Sold! Any chance Ron Garney can do the art?
  
• Jonathan Hickman and Carlos Pacheco launch Ultimate Thor in October. I look forward to picking this up from the library! If anything could pull me back into the Ultimate U for real, this might have been it.
• Holy cow! Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are launching Thor/Iron Man this fall! That should be awesome!
• Rocket Raccoon and Groot have a limited series from DnA too. Are you kidding? I mean, I'm buying it, but wow!

Nova #36

Damn, I'm going to miss this title. Clearly the book is being cancelled because we get the fake optimistic "Never the end!" closing (but no next issue box). I wonder if Marvel cosmic is being reduced to a series of mini-series? I can handle that as long as they are constant. I'm just surprised the cosmic corner would get reduced from two ongoings and three mini's into just one mini. Maybe sales were worse than I thought...

But DnA are taking us out in style. The book combines a ton of the best elements they've established for Nova. We see the new Worldmind, the updated Nova Corps, Project Pegasus, Namorita, Darkhawk, and Quasar. Seriously, the legacy these guys have create for Marvel is downright inspiring (at least to a nerd like me). Nova is back in town to help deal with the Fault, the rift in space time that is spilling over into the Marvel U. I don't want to spoil the great set up, but the eventual combat of Nova and Darkhawk taking on a horrific Lovecraftian monster is just awesome. I do wonder if there will be repercussions to Darkhawk's injury though, you don't face down a Lovecraftian Old One and walk away unaffected. Hell, any comic that has a monster crawling through a "Horrorscope" from another dimension? That's my kind of comic!

Andrea DiVito's art is great, and I'm going to miss his take on the Nova centurion armor. He draws a cool, clean-cut Quasar too. For such a clean style he really does a good job with the creepy crawlies too. Evil Quasar's face horns are gross, the creature in the portal is scary, and the little mind-controlling creatures are quite creepy.

Excellent

Guardians of the Galaxy #25

Hoo boy, Thanos is back and he's pissed.

DnA have a fair amount of weirdness this issue as we meet the odd Guardians of All Galaxies. This is the group that sent the variant Starhawks back in time at the start of the issue to find the problem with spacetime. After many false alarms (that have coincidentally gone along with Marvel cosmic crossovers) it now looks like Thanos is the anomaly the group must stop. Not sure what exactly that means, but it doesn't get resolved here.

What does get resolved is a great fight with the Guardians taking on Thanos. Thanos is raging unintelligibly and just tearing crap up. He supposedly has already killed Phyla, but I have my doubts. Star Lord and the rest of the team arrive just in time to save their comrades from a Titan-ian beat down from the purple powerhouse. Moondragon tries and fails to take him on, leading to an awesome scene where Major Victory actually deflects a double punch from Thanos that leaves Cap's shield smoking. Groot and Drax do a nice job trying to take him out, but it is up to Star Lord to use one of Marvel's best plot devices to take down the mad Titan. I love how DnA make it work in the story, giving the Guardians a legit way to take on this A-list villain.

I will say I'm tremendously bummed that this seems to be the last issue of Guardians. The next issue space promises this will be continued in The Thanos Imperative, but I'm going to miss this book.

Brad Walker is back and he rocks it. That double punch on Cap's shield looks tremendous, I'd love to buy that page. His facial expressions are perfect and I love how he makes Rocket Raccoon look soft but still tough. Jack Flagg's helmet is still one of the coolest hats in comics too.

Excellent

Realm of Kings: Inhumans #5

Hoo boy, Medusa is in danger of becoming a full-time villain. Meanwhile, Ronan the Accuser has mellowed out to the point that I'd say you can't call him a villain anymore. All it took was the affections of Crystal and the guy becomes a pussycat! DnA explain that all the troubles up to this issue have been the result of Medusa and Maximus' meddling as they attempt to endear the Inhumans to their Kree subjects. Medusa has a plan to put her people at the top of the food chain that is downright evil, and when Gorgon gets too big for his britches, she puts him in his place by beating the crap out of him. There are a lot of fun character developments here, but since the story sort of swoops in to the conclusion of the Imperial Guard mini, this probably wasn't entirely necessary. If you're a fan of the Inhumans, I'd recommend this just for the spotlight that Triton and Gorgon get, they usually are more background characters. I do need to see Ronan smash someone with his hammer soon.

The art has a hilariously jarring change halfway through the issue. Pablo Ramiondi picks up for a few pages here and there, and the art is clear and understated, as he always tends to be. Tim Seely provides a few pages with the added consequence of an increase in chest circumference for every female in the book. Crystal swelled so alarmingly I had to jump to the credits to see what happened.

Fair