Deadpool #2

They canceled Cable & Deadpool for this? I chuckled a few times and the idea of an attempted traitor to the Skrulls is interesting, but once again Daniel Way has severely underwhelmed me. I just don't care about anything he writes as there's no connection to the characters. The book isn't terrible, but all it does is sit there on the page and think it's a lot better than it is. I'll give it six issues, but I'd be surprised if I stick with this series, despite my love for Wade Wilson.

Skip it.

1985 #5

Speaking of not caring, what the hell is the point of this book? I was expecting a meta review of comics or Marvel in the 1980s and what I get is a story about a strange kid who gets invaded by the Marvel villains. This is a What If? one-shot dragged out to dix issues and with some fantastic art. The appearance of the big baddie at this issue's end is little consolation. If there wasn't just one issue lef ti would skip the end of this book.

Skip it.

Avengers: The Initiative #17

Things are heating up at Camp Hammond as the Skrull Invasion are starting to become a little lax in their methods now that they've taken control. Is it enough for the Initiative recruits, the stealth team and the Skrull Kill Krew to take the edge? Who cares, this is a great read as we see several different plots coming to an oncoming joining point. I finally enjoy the new Ant-Man and who would have thought that the 3-D Man would be interesting again? Even if it's a satellite book to the second degree, Avengers: Initiative stands toe-to-toe with the Secret Invasion issues of New and Mighty Avengers in terms of quality. It looks like the throwdown at Camp Hammond is coming soon so stay tuned to AI for a nice capper to this storyline.

Read it.

New Avengers #45

In a lot of ways, this issue reminded me of a Lost episode, with its main storyline taking place at a crucial moment in the past in order to show you the motivations behind certain characters. But Lost can and has pulled this off effortlessly by making their flashbacks meaningful and full of potential . Sadly, this is no Lost. What happened to the Skrulls during the House of M is an unimaginative, skippable event that makes me question why Marvel decided to publish---oh who are we kidding. The milking of Secret Invasion continues.

Skip it

Fantastic Four #560

Arguably, this is Mark Millar's best current book (sorry Kick-Ass, 1985, and Wolverine). Millar manages to surprise me twice in this issue and make me go "oh sh--!". The pacing is fast and infused with a sense of wonder...which, quite franky, is what was sorely needed from the FF. The title of this story arc "The Dead of the Invisible Woman" finally starts to make sense but the story is over all too soon. My only complaint is Bryan Hitch's art, which jumps back and forth from depicting Valerie Richards as a toddler and a 5 year old. But it's just a minor inconsistency in the greater tapestry of an amazing book.

MUST HAVE

My Name Is Bruce

Note to self: Never buy a movie tie-in comic. Especially one that ties in to a movie you haven't seen yet. I was really looking forward to the flick, but this comic stole some of that thunder. I see this problem a lot with the Army of Darkness comics too. Campbell's one-liners just don't work that well on page. You can write any corny line you want, the guy can deliver it. But take away the acting chops and you have some really awkward splash pages.

Skip it

Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man #2

I haven't read Brand New Day, so I really have no idea who Jackpot is (aside from the obvious), but I was liking her story a little bit. The superhero with a PR rep had me intrigued. Now that I've seen her in action...I'm less intrigued. Once again, I haven't kept up (so I may be wrong), but she just has enhanced strength and agility, right? And that's it? So, she's the black cat without the black suit or interesting criminal background? Ok. Can we see what Spidey's up to now?

Skip it.

Runaways #3

Something that bothered me about the first two issues of this book was Xavin. During Whedon's arc, there was a really neat moment where Xavin got mad and reverted back to his girl form. It was a nice development for he and Karolina's relationship. However, in the first two issues of the re-launch it seems like it was forgotten about. This issue we see girl-Xavin again. And a very skrully girl-Xavin at that. Other then that, I think the book is slowly hitting it's stride again. There are some real touching moments between some of the group that I won't spoil here, but it's nice to see some of that emotional attatchment to the characters return.

Read it

Superman Batman #52

The L'il Justice League story concludes when both JLAs find out that in their reality the little villains may even be crazier than their counterparts. If you look back, the story is pretty silly and ridiculous, but it's very fun (and the Tiny Titans nod is great); it's definitely nice to read something mainstream that isn't so full of angst and status quo-breaking.

Buy it

New Avengers #45

So what did happen to the skrulls plan during House of M? In short? Nothing. Most of House of M is just an overview and it doesn't really change anything other than a few small things. The Avengers books had been pretty good at filling in a lot of the gaps and how things led up to Secret Invasion, but honestly, this issue feels more like an afterthought and stretches to fill the pages with things we mostly already know.

Skip it

Ultimates 3 #5

Well, it's finally over, the third Ultimates series. Ultimate Ultron's (that just sounds redundant) plans unfold and stuff happens that leads up to the whole Ultimatum thing. Some were surprised this book was "only" five issues, but honestly, the story could have easily been told in three. In the end, it wasn't very interesting and the wait for it to come out didn't justify the payoff in the story and climax. Obviously it's important to the Ultimate universe, but it's probably better to just read what happens on wiki and save the money.

Skip it

Horror Book Volume 1

If I had to wrap this book up in one word it'd sadly have to be 'mediocre.' If I had to expand, I'd say 'mediocre at best.' I had some high hopes for this book, expecting some (at least interesting) twists on the cavalcade of classic monsters-- zombies, Frankenstein's monster, werewolves, vampires, and a Lovecraft-come-Black Lagoon creature story. But alas, it was not meant to be. Maybe next year.

Skip this

Vincent Price Presents #1

Bluewater's first ongoing series is off to a good start. The book is an anthology series with a different story each issue. "Family of the Night" is an intriguing fable about the corporate takeover of the country. In this case, vampires have formed a corporation so powerful and extensive, that they have total control over America. In order to maintain a steady blood supply, the vampires created a feeding class. Children have single letter names and are kept in wealthy vampire communities as food. The vampire couples "adopt" the children, feeding on them nightly until death. Once a child dies, they take in another son or daughter. It's a creepy concept and is well executed. The painted artwork looks similar to that of children's books, which creates a unique mood that fits the story perfectly. Vincent Price, the horror icon himself, appears in bookend portions as he introduces and ends the story. The likeness is uncanny.

Read it.

Solomon Kane #1

My students hate Robert E. Howard. They just don't understand how important he is to American literary history. At least the rest of us can enjoy his work! I have not read Howard's Kane stories, but this title is the perfect introduction. The book is dense and takes a while to read, which I find refreshing since most comics today take all of five minutes to get through. The prose is as lush as the art. I don't know if I like Kane as a character yet, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. After dispatching some bandits, Kane saves a boy from hanging. Curious to see what kind of man would execute a child, Kane makes his way to the Castle of the Devil to find answers. While the story has some ominous moments and foreshadowing, the end of the issue lacks a strong hook to convince readers to come back for the second part. The story, however, reflects the pulp goodness we expect from Howard. I'd recommend the book for fans of historical adventure and pulp fiction.

Read it.

Bartholomew of the Scissors #1

This book has a strong Lovecraftian vibe, which is always a good thing. Three key elements are introduced in the course of one issue: an undead boy (Bartholomew) seeking revenge by mutilating people with rusty scissors, octopus-like spectral phantasms that take over people by attaching to their nervous systems, and a giant amoeba-like being from the sea called the White Blob. It seems like a lot to cover in the first issue, but Chad Helder juggles everything easily, weaving a truly weird tale. A paranormal investigation agency attempts to figure out the truth about Bartholomew as they dig deeper into the mystery of the spectral phantasms. And whatever the White Blob cultists are up to can't be good. The artwork is stunning and original. Crosier burns the images into planks of wood and then paints over them. The result is gorgeous and something I've never seen in a comic before. It's only a matter of time before Vertigo finds out about this guy and snatches him up for a project. While the story itself is engaging, the artwork alone makes this book a must read.

Must have.