Jono's Books:

Amazing Spider-Man #555

I gave in. I bought this issue of Spider-Man because my favorite comic book artist was on board, Chris Bachalo. That's a good thing. I love his stylized look, and I'll always remember him for introducing me to the world of Generation X.

That being said, I think Marvel should just scrap this whole One More Day/ Brand New Day business and call it a day. It troubles me when the book's own editor gives a convoluted explanation as to what point in continuity one of the first few scenes takes place in. That's only one of the problems of this obviously out-of-continuity tale. The story reads like some bizarre amalgamation of Archie and the 70s Spider-Man cartoon. I keep expecting a laugh track every time I read a mind-numbingly horrible joke or characterization. From Marvel's perspective, I guess this is how they hope to gain more youthful readers which really shouldn't be the case. Superheroes grow up. They inherit responsibilities.

Remember Marvel, it's "With great power comes great responsibility" not "With great power comes a batch of horrible clichés and bad writing."

I hope that Sgt. Sausagepants' theory (from the earlier Secret Invasion review) that this is a Spidey Skrull is correct, because that would be the best explanation as to why he's been acting like such an idiot.

Skip It (Saved from being burned because of Bachalo)

Countdown to Final Crisis #4

Well this is awkward. I actually enjoyed this issue. As a new reader covering for regular reviewer kid_ampersand (and boning up on all things Countdown thanks to Wikipedia), I was expecting to dive into some convoluted pit of exposition. So I was surprised to find out that I was able to follow the majority of the story easily. My jaw nearly dropped when...well let's just say someone receives an unexpected visitor and the casualness of it all is what makes it creepy. Despite the fact that some things were lost on me-- "Even though I've wrested the Great Disaster from him...allowing the Morticoccus to thrive in Nix Uotan's reconstituted fifty-first universe instead of that original universe..."(uhh...what?)--I was able to follow the majority of the story. But that's the thing...this is the 48th book in the series...and from what I've read, it doesn't seem that anything before this issue had too much relevance. But if you're just jumping on board now, like me, you'll find an interesting story with some pretty decent scenes.

Read It

Everybody's Dead #2

Issue #2 turns the pace up several notches as zombies start spreading all over town. The hilarious humor combined with the gross horror remind be of Army of Darkness and I am down for the ride. This issue basically serves to identify the threat at hand and show our heroes kicking some undead arse. It doesn't bring anything profound to the genre, and it definitely lacks in innovation, but I'd highly recommend reading this for a quick laugh and for your daily dose of zombies

Read it.

Oraclechele's Books:

Buffy Season 8 #13

And fans thought Buffy sleeping with a fellow slayer was big news. How does the fact that Xander spent some time, following Anya's death, playing manservant to Dracula strike you? Well, that is the back-story presented in issue #13 of Buffy Season Eight and it seems that since Xander left, Dracula has been able to give Angel a run for his money in the brooding department. I wonder how this reveal will echo in the Buffy fandom?

Once again the Buffy creative team strikes gold. Buffy is her usual overly focused self as the team hunts for the perpetrators of the scythe theft. Xander and Renee get some fun exchanges in the midst of their run in with Dracula. Thankfully some very racist statements by the Prince of Darkness don't go unmentioned and neither does the one-night stand between Buffy and Satsu. In typical Buffy fashion a serious chat between Willow and Satsu doesn't end without, what readers will consider, a 'wide grin' moment.

I'm probably in the minority here, but my one 'take it or leave it' scene involves Andrew teaching some of the Slayers. The exposition he presents is important but I could have done without the overt geek references, which always seem to make the character seem a little one note.

Beyond the writing of the issue one can't help but also admire the art both inside and out. I have become an especially big fan of the talents that Dark Horse and Whedon have brought together to do the cover art, especially the painted covers. Both Jo Chen and the current cover artist Jon Foster have done more then capture the story in one image they have also created gorgeous works that could just as easily hang on my walls.

What else can I say but BUY IT!

Goblin's Books:

Logan #2

Brian K. Vaughn is a powerhouse name in comics nowadays and his occassional forays into company-owned characters is a marked occasion since he doesn't do them often anymore. So when he and Edward Risso were going to do a book about Logan (specifically not Wolverine) under the Marvel Knights banner where a lot of the normal restrictions are lifted, I was understandably excited. The outcome? Eh.

The first issue was great. It was spooky and unnerving, showcased a period of Logan's life we haven't seen much of (the end of WW II) and set up what may be one of his first Japanese romances. I've never been a huge fan of Risso, but his art was more than satisfactory. He seemed to have cleaned it up some for the book. Everything was going great, even the slightly hackneyed device of placing Logan in Hiroshima on that fateful day in August of 1945. This second issue undoes some of that goodwill, placing Logan essentially at ground zero of the blast and surviving (Marc Guggenheim, anyone?). Logan's sparring partner is an uninteresting version of Sabretooth with no charisma at all. It seems like BKV has a definite idea he wants to push with Logan, I'm just not sure what that point is.

Given that this is issue two of a three issue book, I worry it will not be concluded in a way that brings everything together. It's a shame we have to let BKV go to TV Land and write Lost before coming back to comics and the salt on the wound is that this is the last we'll hear from him for a while outside of Ex Machina. The book is an interesting idea, but the execution seems flawed. That said, it's worth reading, just don't bother paying for it and swipe a copy from your sad comic-reading friend who paid for it ... like me, sadly.

Read It.

G.I. Joe: America's Elite #34

I admit it, I am a child of the 80s and was suckered into Image's Joe book a few years ago. Nostalgia ran rampant as I loved seeing the crazy costumes and vehicles I remembered from my childhood. Then the spin-off books came and the series just kept getting crazier and crazier. I could not care less if Random Ninja #17 - er, I mean, T'Jbang became he head of some ninja clan in a mountain. I was getting ready to drop the book, then it was canceled and relaunched as America's Elite. Thank God for that because G.I. Joe or no, this is one kickass book, my friends.Realistic and with a pared down cast (and only one ninja, but you have to keep Snake Eyes so it's okay), America's Elite is a title that stands toe-to-toe with Sgt. Rock and The 'Nam as some of the best military books.

The current storyline, "World War III," is ramping it up in ways I didn't think they'd ever do. Cobra Commander has taken over the United States and is making his way across the globe. The Rock, the Joe's headquarters, was taken by Cobra. Lady Jaye is dead. Hawk is paralyzed. Destro is no longer the head of M.A.R.S. The Baroness has had a child, only to have it kidnapped by Cobra Commander. Destro's son is the new ruler of the U.K. Things are happening here, people!

In #34, Storm Shadow returns with some unlikely allies. Destro Jr. is up to something and it doesn't look like the Commander will be happy. The Commander's son has been literally crucified. Hawk has split the team into three. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow have a reunion. And most importantly, we find out that Storm Shadow's man on the inside is hiding as - ah, but that would be telling. Some things should be read for yourself. This issue if part ten of the twelve part "World War II," but I heartily suggest you pick the rest of the storyline - hell, pick up the entire America's Elite volume as it will be worth your time.

Buy It

Sgt. Sausagepant's Books

Midnighter #18

Midnighter's book draws ever closer to it's unjust conclusion (it''s being canceled). I seem to have missed an issue somewhere because I am pretty confused about exactly where Midnighter's new foe came from, how he learned so much about the Authority, and why he is doing this at all. It reeks to me of a sloppy send off; a storyline just designed to end the series. The series definitely hit its peak when Midnighter went back in time to kill Hitler. (thats a fun sentence to write)

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The Boys #17

Hughie has some fun, The Butcher gets a laugh, and a Hamster meets up with an old friend. The crude humor is leads to one or two really good jokes in this issue and we get more foreshadowing of the eventual confrontation between the Boys and the Seven. More character development than action, so it feels just a bit like filler, or maybe I just think they are stretching it out a bit too long.

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Young X-Men #1

You know, for someone who used to believe in peace between humanity and mutants, Cyclops does a hell of a lot of property damage in this issue. I know he's never had much of a personality, but this doesn't seem like him. Time will tell how this series turns out, but so far all we have is a standard 'recruitment' issue, the real action will most likely come with issue #2.

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