Hawkeye & Mockingbird #3

Jim McCann keeps us trucking right along, giving us some new Death T.H.R.O.Ws and starting hints that Crossfire isn't the top villain. Not sure who he might be bringing in to take on Hawk & Mock, but I'm excited to find out. Graviton?

I'm also pleased that Mock's Mom didn't actually die last issue. It's unnecessary to kill off folks when you can get the same dramatic effect giving them a serious injury. Nicely played. I also love how Dominic Fortune is sort of an alternate partner for Mockingbird. She's fine with bolting out with Dominic on the "serious" missions and leaving Hawkeye out of it. How great was it seeing the three of them trying to work together? And with Dominic starting to come around and liking Hawkeye, the whole team dynamic is coming along nicely.

Bonus points to McCann for tackling Hawkeye's code against killing head-on. Dominic Fortune recognizes how out of character Hawk's vendetta against Norman Osborn was; I can't wait to see how that gets resolved.

David Lopez's art is stunning. Hawkeye's hair is awesome. Mockingbird's assault gear is cool and boosts her powers nicely. And Lopez always makes sure that the leads are smiling during their fights. They love this stuff! When Hawkeye is drawing his swords for robot-fighting duty, he actually seems happy to do it!

Good

Brightest Day #7

SPOILERS!
Seven issues in, and we're finally getting some clues about what the returned characters are supposed to be doing during the Brightest Day. After heroically eating a cheeseburger (maybe I have what it takes to be a hero myself, eh?) Deadman kicks off a series of visions for all the returnees. It seems each character has something to accomplish.

Martian Manunter has to burn down the Star City forest (although he doesn't seem keen on the idea). I figure this will bring back Swamp Thing.

I'm wondering if Nekron is still active in the third voice in Firestorm; Jason and Ronnie have to learn from each other to stop him.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl have to deal with that silly new animal world they're trapped on.

Aquaman needs to find the new Aqualad.

Captain Boomerang needs to try and kill Dove.

Jade needs to help Obsidian stop Eclispo.

Osiris needs to bring back Isis (and I'd bet Black Adam).

Max Lord needs to kill Magog!!!!

The Reverse Flash already finished his mission, bringing back Barry Allen. His reward is a return to life.

Hawk needs to save Dove.

So, it seems that anyone who succeeds in their mission will get to stay alive with that LIFE RETURNED designation. I'm actually interested in all of these stories except for the Hawks. I love how Aquaman totally doesn't care that Mera was an assassin, he's right, they've been through too much together for that to make a difference now. I can't wait for Black Adam and Isis to return. I'm worried about Magog, I don't hate him as much as everyone else.

The art is pretty solid throughout. I loved how the one page had quick hits of returnees, each drawn by the artist of their ongoing series. How great did Eclipso look?

Good

Green Lantern Corps #50

This issue sorts of treads water as Tony Bedard gets readers up to speed on the Cyborg Superman. John Stewart gets to stroll through the Cyborg's memories of both his origin and how he spent Blackest Night. It's interesting, the Black Lanterns couldn't even see Cyborg Superman, he theorizes it's because of his lack of a heart. But I know that Vibe and the other JLA zombies spent time taking out Red Tornado, and Metamorpho surely doesn't have a heart anymore, right? So it's a good dramatic punch, but I'm not sure it fits with what we saw during Blackest Night.

As for plot movement, the four stars sort of float around the robot planet, but there isn't a ton of story movement. Hopefully things pick up next issue.

Ardian Syaf's art has that DC house style down, but I'm not sure I like it. Kyle Rayner and John Stewart are sporting some tough-guy stubble, but it sort of looks wrong on both of them. And I love seeing what sort of fun creations Kyle manifests with his ring. In this issue he makes a missile, samurai armor, a swat team door-buster, and a stretcher. Nothing crazy or pop-culture enough!

Fair

Justice League of America #47

I'm not sure if I'm just not into it or what, but I'm just not thrilled by this Starheart storyline. I've never been into the whole Starheart concept, it's a bit too abstract for me, and this story is no exception.

James Robinson has formed up a unique cast of leads by merging the JLA and JSA. NightBats, Donna Troy, Jesse Quick, Hourman, Jade, Mr. America and Mr. Miracle II are a strike force trying to get to the center of a green city on the Moon. Somehow the Starheart is controlling Alan Scott, and tons of heroes and villains all over the DCU are going crazy. So is it just me, or does one of those names not belong with the others. I'll call it now, James Robinson is going to kill off Mr. America during this storyline. He just doesn't belong with that team. Robinson does a nice job with NightBats and Donna Troy. His Mr. Miracle II is fun, but then, Shilo is a great character. His JSAers are far more generic. They don't come across anywhere near as well. Obsidian has a decent role, although I'm unhappy to see him being mentally controlled yet again. That guy can't win.

Mark Bagley continues his solid run on the stars of the DCU. Batman looks great, and his Mr. Miracle II is cool and current looking. I like Obsidian's look these days too. Hopefully he'll stick around after this story.

Average

Marvel Super-Heroes #4

So I'm trying to find comics appropriate for my eight-year old nephews, but at the same time, I need the comics to be good enough to get them hooked on comics. I remember reading Uncanny X-Men and Marvel Age at eight, that hooked me for life. So what comics are out there now to do the same for my nephews?

My first try is Marve Super-Heroes #4. And actually, it is a really good choice. It's got recognizable characters in Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and even Black Widow. There are those mysterious new folks (to a first time reader) like Nova and Vision. There is a great guest-star in Kraven the Hunter, who is funny, unique, and most importantly, feels established. And best of all, Deadpool. Deadpool goes unnamed through the whole issue, although I'm not sure why. They call him Wade Wilson and other stuff, but maybe you can't say "Dead" in an all-ages book?

There is the start of a sub-plot with Namor, the Blonde Phantom, and Invisible Woman. All good for creating that "look how big and expansive comics are" feeling. There are plenty of strings here for my nephews to start tugging on as they explore comics.

Paul Tobin has this book set up nicely. It's got a Marvel feel and yet kids can still enjoy it.

Ronan Cliquet's pencils are sharp, the colors are bright, and the characters look on-model. This is about as good as I can hope for in hooking my nephews.

Good

X-Men: Utopia (part 3) Dark X-Men: The Beginning

I like seeing Norman Osborn put together his team. It's funny, Namor is such an important character and such an important part of this story, yet I get tired of the guy really quickly. He just doesn't work for me as a sympathetic character. When he and Osborn face off, I didn't really have anyone to root for.

The Mimic story is fun, but wasn't as heroic as I'd hope for the character. Weapon Omega also comes across as a patsy. Osborn's manipulation of Daken is well played, and I loved the odd face off with Mystique. (Has anyone written Mystique as well as Jason Aaron?) Cloak and Dagger go along for the greater good, but that just makes me question why they ditched Osborn as easily as they did. It was never an easy decision for them to join up with him. Dark Beast is another story, it sure looks like he may end up with more control than Osborn.

The best segment in this mini-series is "The One That Got Away" featuring Aurora. When Norman Osborn tries to reign in her two personalities, he finds out things are just a bit more complicated. Aurora is a neat character, and in the speedster-poor Marvel U, I wish we could see more of her. I don't want to see all these new personalities coming back anytime soon, but I'd love to see some of the personality quirks she talks about show up in either of her two "prime" personalities. I always like seeing Alpha Flight characters, so having Aurora show up so tough her was nice.

Overall, the mini-series is probably unnecessary, but there are enough nice moments to make it worthy as part of a greater trade.

Fair

X-Men: Utopia (part 2) X-Men Legacy #226-227

I think Mike Carey's ongoing storyline in X-Men Legacy took a bit of a detour during Utopia. Carey had to rush Rogue, Gambit, and Danger, back to San Francisco so they could be part of the crossover. And with all the self-discovery and development of the past few issues, it was a tad disappointing seeing the three characters basically running around and getting in silly fights.

Carey does line up an interesting face-off with Rogue and the fake Ms. Marvel (Moonstone). Both characters have a ton of history with the real Ms. Marvel, so it is interesting seeing them facing off with the original totally left out of the equation. I also love that at least for a bit, Rogue got some of her old powers back. By absorbing strength and invulnerability from Ares, she almost seemed like her old self. I love bricks, so I hope we see more of that "classic" Rogue in the book.

There's a ton of characters wandering around these scenes that I have absolutely no clue about. Ariel, Onyxx, Trance... I don't know any of these people. Trance actually has an important part; she's the macguffin that drives the story, but I know nothing about any of them.

Dustin Weaver does a nice job on the art, he's solid. I'm particularly amused that he had Rogue's costume rip so she's running around with her bra showing for the whole story. I suppose that is more realistic than what we usually see when lady heroes' outfits rip!

Fair