Goblin's Books:

Captain America #37

Have you read any of my other reviews of Cap's book? Have you read any reviews of Cap's book by anyone else? Then you should know by now that this book is excellent. Brubaker has crafted one hell of a story that keeps delivering long after Captain America himself is dead. I was skeptical of Bucky returning at all let alone taking up the mantle of the Sentinel of Liberty, but every turn has prove to be more interesting than the last.

#37 has Agent 33 free of her mind control and trying to rescue who she thinks is the kidnapped Steve Rogers. Bucky gets a visit from Hawkeye and Falcon, both of whom seem to reluctantly agree to help him for now. Iron Man is still a manipulative S.O.B., but fighting for the good of all people ... supposedly. The Red Skull is getting crazier and his plan for the takeover of the United States is getting scarily close to realization. Bucky's dream is quite funny as Bucky tells Cap as they storm a war torn Europe in the 1940s that he needs to e-mail his girlfriend. I could go on and on telling you how the writing is as sharp as ever, the story is enthralling, the art is perfectly dark and realistic with an action flare and a host of other compliments, but I'd just be reiterating myself from every other review of Captain America, not to mention just about every other review by anyone worth their salt out there.

Bottom line - this book should be at the top of your list every month.

Buy It.

Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1 (of 4)

Remember that seminal arc in Iron Man where he and Dr. Doom get shoved back to Camelot (as in England, not Chappaquiddick)? It was a great storyline, right? It was among Micheline and Layton's best on the series and they had some rockin' stories. Now that the Iron Man movie is coming out soon and we need some material on the shelves, let's revisit this great storyline with a limited series!

If you're unaware of the arc I'm talking about you will probably be uninterested in this book from the get-go. While it's not rooted in the history of the story per se, it's most definitely a sequel to it. It's framed a flashback from present day (not the Extremis mention) to a time in Tony's life he apparently remembers incorrectly. No, alcohol is NOT involved this time. It seems Doc Doom tricks Tony into helping him go after Mehpisto who Doom says is about to bring about the End of Days. A nice nod to the Dr. Strange/Dr. Doom graphic novel, the concept is not new by any stretch of the imagination, but I've always loved it when Doom uses his magic side. Seeing him in Hell certainly qualifies here. The twist ending is not exactly shocking, but it definitely sets up the next three issues and shows how badass Doom can be, not to mention how cunning he can be when he wants something.

Ron Lim's art echoes the art of the time this book takes place. It looks a little simplistic by today's standards (and even Lim's usual work) but I think that's the point. This is essentially a period piece and he goes the extra mile to make the art fit the time. This looks like it's shaping up to be a fun little story, but probably won't be more than an extra title to have on the shelves when the Iron Man movie hits the screen. If you're a die hard fan of the original Iron Man/Dr. Doom tussle then this might give you a little thrill, other than that it's just a nice little action story.

Browse It

X-Men: Divided We Stand #1 (of 2)

It would seem Marvel's modus operandi these days are to take all of the issues between events as giant storylines so as to always be able to throw a banner on top of the the books. Need a bridge between Civil War and Secret Invasion? It's called The Initiative. Need a bridge between Messiah Complex and Uncanny #500? It's called Divided We Stand. This doesn't necessarily mean that the stories under these banners are bad, but you know you're going to get some extraneous fluff books out of these banner ideas. This little double shot mini is one of these fluff books and would have been completely useless if not for two of the five vignettes.

Let's look at the three crap ones first. A story about Cannonball going home to Kentucky and starting a bar fight while his sister Paige (Husk of Generation X) watches from the sidelines. Sam's reasoning for this? Essentially, he's itching for a fight because the X-Men have disbanded and there are no evil mutants left to wail on. What kind of Neanderthal logic is this? Because he can't kick the Blob's ass anymore he's just going to beat up on some small town loser? This isn't exactly what I think of when I hear the word "superhero." Also, while I normally love Brandon Peterson's art, he should never ink his own lines again. Too dark and wiry. In Hellion's story, Julian is understandably pissed off at Emma Frost for closing the school and abandoning he and his friends. So what does he do? He seeks out Magneto. I loved Magneto's dialogue in the second half, but Julain's actions make no sense and Magneto is right to rebuke him. I like Hellion and I love Magneto, but the story does nothing but beat the dead horse of "the X-Men disbanded, I'm angry, grrr!" The last story is a neat idea, but utterly worthless. A priest keeps annoying this fry cook in the middle of nowhere. Going on and on about the validity of copies and art in reproduction, we learn the cook is actually the Marauder Scalphunter (who have been cloned and recloned by Mr. Sinister so many times even he's probably lost count). The priest turns out to be Nightcrawler and it's a fun little story and meditation on the philosophy of clones, but it's a story about Scalphunter. Not that it can't be good, but it will never affect anything ever. If they were going to do this story right, it would be an issue unto itself and there would be something of substance said, not just Kurt's "I love God" speech at the end. It's hard to be that deep in eight pages.

The two better stories star Nehzno and Anole, both formally of the New X-Men (and with Hellion push this book into an almost New X-Men Epilogue territory). Nehzno is Wakandan, but from a Russian father. Combine this with the fact that he left Wakanda to live in America and when he finally returns (what with the Xavier Institute being shut down) he is shunned by the entire country, even his own mother. It's a good depiction of isolation in a metropolitan world and gives him an extra layer of exclusion. Mutants are accepted in Wakanda, but that isn't why he's shunned. It's a great idea and while it's handled well here, I would love to see the idea followed up on. The Vibranium tattooing to control his powers is also an infinitely fascinating idea and would LOVE to see it again. Maybe in the pages of Young X-Men?

The best story in this mini anthology stars Anole, the lizard-like youngin' from New X-Men. It appears he's completely fallen off the grid after Xavier's closed and Cyclops is worried about him. Northstar is called in to track him down and make sure he's okay. What follows is one of the single best portraits of life outside superheroes to be printed. Anole isn't ostracized for being a mutant. He returns to his small Illinois town and they all welcome him back (even less human than before now that he has a freakishly deformed right arm) with open arms. The problem, as he says, is him. Because he spent so much time training to be an X-Man, he fell behind in normal school activities like English and Math. He's now struggling at school because half of the curriculum at Xavier's is spent in the Danger Room or rebuilding the mansion because Nimrod blew it up. Then he jumps at the smallest things (like a cup dropping to the floor) and almost takes his father's head off because he's been trained to fight. He is no longer a midwestern kid, he's a trained soldier with no one to fight. As he says, they were just kids but the X-Men took them and made them into what the X-Men needed, not what the kids needed. Anole's homosexuality is touched on as a reason he might feel so distraught, but it really isn't. It's treated as it would be in real life. it's assumed to make the problem worse, but Anole is what he is and it doesn't factor into everything.

I give Skottie Young a hearty congratulations for writing and drawing the Anole storyline and ask most of the other writers - why? Not that these were terrible stories (although Canonball's was), but they serve little purpose to move the plot along and are too short to have any sort of literary resonance. I'm all for character spotlight stories, but can we get them to be more than seven or eight pages long? Reluctantly, I'm going to give this book a "BUY" rating but it really is only because of the Anole story. The book as a whole does little but grab your face and scream at you, "the mutants are angry the X-Men disbanded!"

Buy It

Jono's Books:

Captain Marvel #5

Well I can't say that I saw where this was going, though do I have to say that I'm pleasantly happy with the ending to this issue. Without revealing too much, the writers have certainly done justice to Captain Marvel's character and you can expect to see a lot more of him as Secret Invasion continues. The last few scenes feature a cool riff on Secret Invasion #1's Skrull reveals (with requisite 'He loves you' quotes) and what happens to them is an unexpected comeuppance that still has me tingling in anticipation for what's to come.

Buy It

Avengers: The Initiative #11

I have to admit, I'm a huge sucker for the latest trend in killing off all your teenage cast members for shock and awe (see: New X-Men) but Avengers: The Initiative #11 tests my love. In a rather anticlimactic ending, we see the latest story arc sizzle into territories that the end of Buffy's season six handled much better. After a truly terrifying and interesting first two issues, the arc someone loses its relevancy as KIA becomes another mindless, one-dimensional grunt with a painfully obvious weak spot. Of course, the issue as a whole isn't terrible: it's actually a decent romp that's the equivalent of a popcorn flick. I just wish that it had remained consistent in tone with the first two issues of this arc.

Read It

Robin #173

This is the first issue of Robin that I've picked up in ages, mostly because of the Spoiler hype surrounding it. Was it worth it? Meh. It's a set-up issue that introduces the new Spoiler and we're only given a taste, as her big identity reveal is predictably interrupted by the bad guys du jour. It's not a bad issue at all, just a little bland in execution. Perhaps the next few issues will be able to pique my interest a bit more. But for now, I have to recommend that you browse before you buy.

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Catwoman #78

Umbrella stories that affect an entire comic universe can make for tricky storytelling terrain. With the 'One Year Later' arc Catwoman found herself victim to one of the most dangerous plot twists in the history of storytelling - she was made pregnant. Everyone knows that such a move can hinder story. After months of baby imperil arcs, Catwoman asked Bruce Wayne to place the child into a good home and readers of the book saw it as a chance for the Catwoman comics to get back on track.

Then the effects of the current DC umbrella story swept her on to a 'hell planet' with the likes of Lex Luthor and the rest of the universes rogue gallery of villains. Although this development has had it's share of fun moments I just want back to the "East End" stories and characters that make up Catwoman's world.

There are hints of that energy in issue #78 as readers see the return of Slam Bradley, the drunken private detective. He's noticed the disappearances and thinks he's found the person to lead him to where Catwoman, and the others, might be. The question now for Slam is - can he handle it on his own? Meanwhile, on the hell planet, Catwoman makes a deal with Hammer and Sickle and goes toe to toe with Cheetah.

Over the years the Catwoman comic has been more of a solo book but thanks to the Brubaker run it became more of a team book and writer Will Pfeifer hasn't been helped by all the dreaded umbrella effects that DC has imposed. I look forward to reading what's to come without the story handcuffs.

The brightest spot for me is the art. Penciller, David Lopez and Inker, Alvard Lopez really bring out Catwoman's frisky side and Slam's brutal one in their choices. Flipping through the story as it goes from blues and greens to reds and yellows gives hope to readers that soon all those colors will be able to live throughout the same book.

Here's to the promise that this umbrella is closing and a chance for Catwoman to get back to the East End she holds so dear.

Read It!

Sgt. Sausagepant's Books

Tangent: Superman's Reign #2

With the re-ordering of the DC Multiverse, the Tangent world (Earth #9) has returned to focus, against all odds. To be honest, I'm not sure what to think of it. In some ways, it's kind of cool to see the characters again. Do we really need to have a JLA crossover with every single alternate universe though? The old Elseworlds books were basically DC's "What If" concept, allowing them to create bizarre and tangential worlds where the stories wouldn't be bogged down by mainstream continuity. I worry that some of that creative freedom will be lost if the authors know that at some point, Superman will probably pay a visit to that reality. As for this series, so far it's been catching up on backstory, and the real action looks to be happening in the next issue.

Browse it.

Dreamwar #1

Speaking of crossovers... The DC and Wildstorm universes collide in this miniseries. Quite literally too... buildings from DC, (such as the Titans Tower), simply start appearing in Wildstorm cities, in some cases overlapping with the structures already there. They appear to be pulling from different points in time as well, as we've seen the classic Teen Titans and the futuristic Legion of Superheroes. The initial wave of "OMG other supers take them down they might be a threat" has started and I'm sure soon we'll find out what caused all this and the heroes will start working together. It surprises me how easily Majestic gets his ass handed to him by the Titans, however, at least at first. An interesting concept but again, do we really need to do this many crossovers? (Especially when there have already been DC/Wildstorm crossovers in the past)

Browse it.

X-Factor #30

Arcade continues to torment the X-Factor team in this mostly action issue. We get some funny moments in this issue with Strong Guy and Monet, however. This looks like this give the impetus for the team to NOT fall apart, which is good. Personally, I'm wondering when they'll start getting back to being detectives. We never see that part anymore and I thought it was interesting.

Read it.

Countdown #2

I really can't say too much about Countdown, because honestly, I stopped buying it around issue 25 when I realized I'd been buying it weekly for six months and nothing interesting had happened. I figured I should check out the last few issues though as it will tie in to whatever 'crisis' is coming next. I come back to Jimmy 'Turtle Boy' Olsen fighting Darkseid for some reason, then Orion showing up and taking over from there. Oh, and the major DC heroes just sort of standing on the sidelines spouting corny dialogue. Perhaps this is because I missed the last 23 issues but I was confused as hell. Oh, and DC, don't bother killing powerful characters (I won't say who) if you know they'll be back later. You got to do it once with Superman, lets not make it a habit.

Burn it. [Editor's note: a PK first!]