Giant Size Comics Countdown, Part 2

I'm back again, and ready to provide part 2 of this week's massive Comics Countdown post. Last night I shared a look at five of my picks for the best 10 issues of the last two weeks (hope you weren't told there would be no math). Now I'm back with the cream of the cream of the crop, rising to the top in 3... 2... 1... NOW:

5. Young Liars # 16. This series blows my mind in a way that no other comic being published right now even approaches. Series writer/artist Lapham is constantly shifting the status quo and revealing everything we thought we knew to be, well... a lie. With so many shifts of perspective and reversals of reality, the fact that Lapham has us caring at all about any of these characters is a major feat. This issue, he pulls back a little and focuses on the story of a bit character we've never seen before (or perhaps only seen briefly, I'm not sure). It seems like it could be a throw-away, but instead it ends up being a tightly narrated, dense tale focusing on duality - from the main character's obsession with yin and yang, to the case of mistaken identity that lifts him up from nothing and eventually brings him crashing back down, to the cruel twist of a town called "Freedom" being remade in the image of a faceless mega-big-box corporation (think Wal-Mart on steroids). I often find these little slice of life tales interspersed within a larger, mind-warping narrative to be particularly effective, and this one is no exception.

4. Incognito # 4. Brubaker. Phillips. Pulp. This would probably be higher if this didn't have the super-hero stuff thrown in (I really miss Criminal), but its still really good stuff, just as you would expect from these guys. I don't really have much more to say about this particular issue - except get it, or at least pick up the trade when it gets collected.

3. Uncanny X-Men # 512. I have found Matt Fraction's run on Uncanny X-Men to be enjoyable overall, yet markedly uneven. I don't completely blame Fraction for this, as much of the unevenness is the result of the rotating artists on the book, and probably to some extent to the inevitable editorial meddling that has to occur with a flagship title like UXM. But if the overall output of this book has been uneven, this issue stands as the absolute pinnacle of Fraction's run so far. Beast's X-Club of scientists, along with Psylocke and Angel, travel back to 1912 to get a sample of DNA from Dr. Nemesis' parents. Once they get there, they have to square off against both an early iteration of the Hellfire Club and a proto-Sentinel. It may sound like goofy action, but it is goofy action carried off with style and wit, with a little pathos mixed in for good measure in the form of some revelations concerning Dr. Nemesis' upbringing. In other words, its got everything you could possibly want from an issue of Uncanny X-Men, and then some. If a meandering and poorly rendered arc about the umpteenth resurrection of one of Scott Summers' wives is the price we have to pay to have Fraction turned loose on a story like this, then I say it was well worth it.

2. Captain America # 600. The brilliance of this issue was diminished greatly by the hype surrounding it. The early release, combined with the supposed "big news" from Marvel that was met with a resounding sigh from everyone inside the comics community, and not a whit of interest whatsoever from those outside it, made this issue feel like a bit of a let-down on first read. And that's a damn shame, as this issue continues the great pacing and wonderful character work that is the hallmark of Brubaker's run on Captain America, no matter who is in the costume. This is an anniversary issue not just because of the number on the cover, but because it truly is a look back at Captain America in his various incarnations, as Brubaker checks in on a lot of supporting cast members from past, present, and even alternative realities (the "Girl Bucky"). The result of these perspectives is a wonderful gestalt showing, not telling, why both the concept of Captain America and the life of Steve Rogers should be celebrated. The back-up pieces included here are nice as well, as Roger Stern contributes a story about characters from an era of Cap's history I am not too familiar with, and Mark Waid provides a really well-told story about a collector of Captain America memorabilia who sells his collection in order to prevent Cap's good name from being besmirched by an obnoxious publisher. Finally, we get a repring of a golden-age story where Cap and Bucky take on the Red Skull. In other words, a ton of content, all of it good, some of it truly great.

1. Detective Comics # 854. The writing is good, but nothing special. Nothing spectacular. But the art.... well, the art is phenomenal. This is bar none the best-looking comic, superhero or otherwise, that has been released so far this year. J.H. Williams work is nothing short of stunning. The only downside is that after this arc is done, I can't imagine that anyone else who draws Batwoman will be able to live up to the ridiculously high standards set by Williams. The action pops off the page. The page layout and design is innovative yet easy to read and straight-forward. The figures are beautifully rendered. A captivating artistic performance that leaves you wanting to read it again immediately because it is just that beautiful. Head and shoulders above anything else on the shelves.

Giant Size Comics Countdown, Part 1

Not a dream! Not a hoax! Comics Countdown is back after an off week, providing you my admittedly biased take on the best books of (in this case) the past two weeks. Over those weeks I bought a ton of comics, and really enjoyed them all for the most part. I won't be doing my "dog of the week" this time, because it really seems unfair to pick on any of the books I deigned to purchase. Instead, I'll just pick the best of the best and ignore the rest. So without further ado, let the Countdown begin.

10. Dark Reign: Young Avengers # 2. This book has been seemingly slipping under the radar, as I haven't heard much buzz about it whatsoever, but it is really, really good. Paul Cornell's writing on this is at least the equal of his work on Captain Britain, and the art isn't too shabby either. Much as Cornell's opening Captain Britain arc carved out an interesting and different take on the major marvel event at the time (Secret Invasion), this mini has a refreshing take on the effect of Dark Reign on the Marvel Universe.

The "Dark" Young Avengers team that are the focus of this book don't have a direct connection to Norman Osborn and his "Dark" Avengers, but they are inspired by him to some extent. The idea of super hero team as performance art attempting to expose the inherent contradictions in the term in a world where one of the most notorious super-villains is in charge is a novel concept that is being handled quite deftly here. And after this issue, it is still entirely unclear whether these "Dark" Young Avengers will become true heroes, or tragic failures. Cornell does an excellent job of portraying the uncertainties and insecurities of youth, and has us really caring about the future of these characters (whether we are rooting for or against them). This is far and away the most impressive of the Dark Reign minis so far, and it deserves more recognition.

9. Northlanders # 18. This issue continues the general excellence of Brian Wood's Viking-themed anthology. This time, we get the first of a two-part story involving three women fighting to survive in an inhospitable world. It's a fascinating look at the role of women in that historical period, and Wood really invests these characters with identifiable and realistic personalities. So often in historical comics, the women are presented as nothing more than objects, or as completely independent modern women of a type at odds with any concept of historical accuracy. The women presented in Northlanders # 18 are fully realized women seeking independence, but within the confines of the harsh realities of their time. All of this is nicely rendered by Danijel Zezelj, making for a particularly strong issue of this consistently good series.

8. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia. As set-ups for a six-part crossover between the X-Men and Avengers go, this one is about as good as you can hope for. That might seem like faint praise, but this is really an enjoyable issue if you've been following either Dark Avengers or Uncanny X-Men lately and are at all invested in the characters. Its really nice to see Marc Silvestri drawing these characters again, and Matt Fraction does a nice job moving the story along. I won't give away the twist at the end, but suffice it to say that it is both shocking and entirely logical in the context of the story and characters, which is a rarer feat than one might think. Too often this type of twist either is easy to see coming, or is shocking without making much sense in terms of the story or characters. That Fraction's ending hits the perfect tone and has me anxiously anticipating the next installment earns this book my #8 spot.

7. Phonogram 2: The Singles Club # 3. This issue gives us another look at a single night at a single dance club in London town, and the fact that Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie are able to make such a concept work without it being either repetitive to those who've been reading the entire series or incomprehensible to those who pick up a single issue is a real testament to their craft. There are a lot of musical references, and they enhance the story if you get them, but prior knowledge is not necessary for enjoyment. There are also some nice back-up stories and some good text material (giving a full run-down of the aforementioned musical referents and a full interview with electronic group "The Knife"). Definitely more than worth your hard-earned $3.50.

6. Punisher # 6. Scoff if you like. Chuckle, snort, snigger, point and say "HA HA." But I defy you to show me a book that is more fun right now than the Punisher. Rick Remender has hit all the right notes in his short run on this book, and it just keeps getting better. Want to see Frank Castle using an Ant-Man helmet and other Marvel tech creatively? You've got it. Want to see the Hood resurrect some skeevy and cheesy Marvel D-List villains to go after ol' Frank? You've got it. Want to see Frank suffer through lectures about the straight-edge lifestyle and crack jokes about PETA? You got it. Want to see a really talented writer mesh with pitch-perfect art for an engrossing take on a character you thought couldn't be made engrossing in the mainstream Marvel Universe? Start buying Punisher.

The Art of the Review

I usually don't just provide linkage, but I had to share this really well-written piece by Tim Callahan over at CBR, about the art of reviewing comics. Definite food for thought for me personally, or really for anyone who writes or reads reviews of comic books (and a lot of applies to movie reviews or any other type of criticism, really).

Random Musings

-- I didn't do a Comics Countdown post last week because my pull list was enormous (I think I bought something like 23 singles), and I didn't have time to finish all the books until Wednesday, when we were treated to another round of new stuff - and another pretty big week at that. Sometime in the near future, probably Sunday or Monday, I plan to do a double-size countdown that encompasses the past two weeks, and features a Top 10, not the usual Top 5.

-- I never really did think of a list of interrupted runs I'd like to see hypothetically continued, a la X-Men Forever. I think maybe, rather than that, it would be fun if Marvel just picked a top-shelf creator, like Grant Morrison or Paul Pope, and just said "write a single, ongoing comic that is your take on the entire Marvel universe." Kind of like the Multiversity thing Grant is currently working on for DC, but on a more expansive scale.

-- I guess it must help sales, or they wouldn't do it, but I kind of think Marvel might be shooting itself in the foot a little by lumping all their recent mini-series under the Dark Reign banner. It makes it really easy for anyone who isn't digging Dark Reign to dismiss all of them out of hand, even the really good one. I am particularly loving Paul Cornell's Young Avengers mini right now. Its surprisingly compelling stuff, with lots of grey areas about what it really means to be a superhero, and about the nature of art in a world populated by super-beings. Yet I recently overheard someone who I think would probably like this series say that "all those Dark Reign minis are shit," or something to that effect. DC's Final Crisis Aftermath minis face a similar problem, with people who didn't like Final Crisis refusing to give them a look just because they are under the "Final Crisis" banner.

-- Detective Comics # 854 is probably the best looking mainstream comic I have seen in a very long time.

-- Under the category of simple joys, watching Batman: Brave and the Bold with my four-year-old daughter is a beautiful thing. As is reading that almost-destroyed-from-use issue of DC Superfriends with the Super Pets to her for the 57th time.

-- The trailer for Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" is simply amazing. I cannot wait to see that film.

-- "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and make a change." R.I.P., Michael.

The Curious Case of X-Men Forever

I have to admit, my primary interest in X-Men Forever has nothing to do with the actual contents of the book. Despite the fact that the Claremont-era X-Men were a big part of my induction into the world of comics in my youth, I don't have a lot of interest in seeing him continue that story at this late date. His barely readable return to Uncanny X-Men in the late '90s acted as a vaccine that prevents me from ever being excited about Chris Claremont writing the X-Men again, despite my continuing love for his initial run.

No, what excites me about this book, and makes me hope that it is successful, is that its basic structure is an extended - nay, more than extended, indefinite - riff on another Marvel concept near and dear to my heart: "What If?" I've loved those type of imaginary, alternate universe stories almost as long as I've loved comics. I love that "What If?" always starts with a turning point or event in the Marvel Universe at large, or at least a big event for a particular character or team, and can go anywhere from there. Its the sense of total unpredictability, and therefore limitless possibility, that always had me hooked. No matter what happens in the "real" Marvel Universe, we all know Spiderman isn't going to die (at least not permanently). In a "What If?," Spiderman might die on page 2.

Regular "What If?" stories were always told in a single, self-contained issue, or occasionally a two-parter. X-Men Forever, on the other hand, is a different animal completely. It has the same "anything goes" possibility as a normal "What If?" tale, but this time the question being asked isn't "What if event X had gone differently?" but "What if creator X had stuck around?" This time, though, Creator X gets to tell a long-form, potentially unlimited story, without the constraints of working in a shared universe. If Claremont wants to have Wolverine go nuts and kill Tony Stark, he can. Heck, if Claremont wants to go nuts and kill off Wolverine, he can do that too.

While I'm not too interested in checking out Claremont's vision in this particular case, there are certain creators I would love to see do a project like this. We all have our favorite runs by various creators, and I'm sure that we'd all love to see what would have happened next if those creators had stayed on their respective books. Barring that, I'm sure there are creators we'd love to see handed the keys to the entire Marvel Universe, whether in the present day or in a particular era, and given the freedom to do whatever they feel like with it. While it may seem like an odd idea for a comics series when you first think about, if X-Men Forever eventually leads to a project or two like that, it can only be a good thing.

P.S. Oddly enough, I'm having kind of a tough time thinking of examples of this type of thing I'd like to see. I'll try to mull it over a bit and post a Top 5 "continuation series" I'd like to see happen sometime in the very near future.

Curses, Foiled Again!

I was all ready to swing by my friendly neighborhood comics shop later and pick up my copy of Captain America #600, when I realized that said shop closes an hour earlier than usual on Mondays and will not be open by the time I get home from work.

Oh well, its not like I was really that excited to read it today - it was just an excuse to drop by the shop and pick up some new stuff on a day I wouldn't have otherwise. It will be waiting patiently for me in my pull box when I make my usual Wednesday run.

Return of Comics Countdown

Not a hoax! Not a dream! Not technically too late to do this, since we still have a couple of extra days until new comics come out and the cycle begins anew. As always, I will use this space to count down my personal top 5 of the books I bought this week, and maybe also share some thoughts about other books that didn't make the cut.

Dog of the Week - Fantastic Four # 567. I was so excited when I first found out that Millar and Hitch were going to be the regular team on FF, and had high hopes for their run. But at this point, I am unfortunately just as excited for their exit from the book. Their run hasn't been bad, per se, but it hasn't been great either. In fact, more than anything, its seemed kind of insubstantial - something that is especially bad because of the "big events and big ideas" expectations engendered by Millar and Hitch. This issue was nothing more than a slight "what if Dr. Doom became a good guy" sandwiched into the middle of the main plot. It was set up as if the events might be real at first, but it was pretty obvious from the outset that things were not as they seemed. When we finally found out what was going on - "Doom's Master" was simply showing Doom what is was like to be happy, then cruelly ripping it away - the explanation felt a bit hollow and trite. I mean, does anyone think that Doom's heart desire is to be a good guy (albeit one who is on top of the world)? The big destruction of Latveria here also seems like a bit of a ploy, and I'm almost certain we'll see some way out of it in the upcoming issues. On the bright side, I've really been enjoying Hickman's Dark Reign: FF mini, so the book seems to be in good hands once again in a couple of months.

Other stuff I bought: This week was really kind of a "meh" week for me, comics-wise. I don't have any real complaints about any of the books I picked up (even my "Dog of the Week" was actually a fairly enjoyable comic), but none of them really blew my mind, either. In other words, all this "other stuff" isn't much below the Top 5 in terms of quality. X-Factor #44, Uncanny X-Men # 511, Red Robin # 1, Final Crisis: Escape # 2, Red Robin # 1, Amazing Spiderman # 597.

Honorable Mention: Wolverine # 74. If this had all been penned by Jason Aaron (which I will now focus on exclusively), it would have probably made the top five. He seems to really have a good handle on the Wolverine character, something that is rarer than you might think given the large numbers of Wolverine appearances month in and month out. His story does an admirable job of trying to explain why Wolverine is in at least 3 different team books, along with his solo adventures. Aaron does a pretty decent job with Spidey as well, which is surprising given that Aaron's sensibilities don't seem like they would be a great fit for the web-head. This is my last issue of this title, at least for the foreseeable future, as I am not much for Daniel Way's work, and changing the book to focus on Wolverine's son, Daken, while Wolverine goes off into Aaron's "Weapon X" book really seems like a particularly crass move by Marvel. If they had wanted to give Daken his own book, they should have done so as a new # 1, and allowed Aaron to simply tell his Weapon X story in the main Wolverine title. I'm sure that wasn't done because Marvel correctly figured that not many people would pick up a new title starring Son of Wolvie. So rather than launching that book upfront, they just switched over the main Wolverine title, hoping enough people would keep picking it up out of habit that the absence of... well, Wolverine... wouldn't hurt sales. In my case, they figured wrong, but in the overall picture, they sadly were probably right.

# 5. Batman # 687. I picked this book up with a sense of dread in my heart. I have read very little, if any, of Winick's superhero stuff before, but had always heard mostly bad things about it. Further, I'm not a big fan of Benes' artwork. I thought I'd give this book a try for a while, though, and Winick's first issue did not disappoint. It was a bit odd to read a story about Dick Grayson struggling with his decision to become Batman, since we had just seen an event mini-series covering pretty much the same ground, but I thought Winick pulled it off very well, and captured the emotional weight of losing Bruce Wayne in a way that Battle of the Cowl never really did. I really got the sense, in the scenes with Dick and Alfred, that they were really hurting, grieving in their own personal way that had little to do with a bat-suit. If Winick continues to write Dick Grayson this well, and this comic becomes the place for solo Batman, I think I will be sorely disappointed when the inevitable return of Bruce does occur.

# 4. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers # 2. This book was a breath of fresh air. A lighthearted, fun romp featuring various animals from the Marvel Universe being chased by Devil Dinosaur - what more could you ask. This was a comics equivalent of a good Dreamworks animated film like Shrek or Kung Fu Panda - light fun for the adults, and appropriate to share with the kids. A welcome break from "Dark Reign of Blackest Shadows, Oh Did We Mention Its Also at Night?" or whatever the latest "serious" superhero stuff is.

# 3. Resurrection vol. 2, # 1. Oni, your Free Comic Book Day offering worked enough of its magic on me to get me to pick up this book, and it followed through. Its a bit too early to tell if there will be much to separate this story from other post-apocalyptic band of survivors fare, but even if not, this is a well-told version of that basic premise, with a bit of a mystery at its heart (what DID happen to all the aliens?) On second thought, I guess maybe that mystery was revealed in Volume 1, since I haven't read it, but heck, its a mystery to me.

# 2. JSA v. Kobra, Engines of Faith # 1. I have been waiting for this book to arrive ever since I got a sneak peek at Don Cramer's art a few weeks back. Most of us had seen his work before, but I know my jaw dropped at those pages - this series is a real leap for an already good artist, and the finished pages are just as gorgeous. The story isn't bad either. Even though I am not all that familiar with Checkmate or even the JSA, I had no problem following what was going on. Troutman seems to be setting up some interesting points about the destructive potential of fundamentalism, as well as how far we will go to combat it. These points are introduced in service to the plot, though, and never come off as preachy or heavy-handed.

# 1. The Unwitten # 2. Mike Carey and Peter Gross set the bar high for this series with the $1.00 first issue, but they clear that bar with room to spare in this issue. This is one of those series that throws a lot at you out of the gate, but it never seems jumbled or confusing. Instead, this book is a nice puzzle, with Carey making you work to try to solve it while assimilating new facts along the way. There are a lot of serious goings-on here, but this book also has some funny stuff in it - I laughed out loud at the first dialogue of the issue, a cocky unicorn saying "you can stroke it if you like." As a confirmed bibliophile, I also love the literary trivia that is constantly being dropped by Tommy (and which I'm sure will figure into the plot prominently later on). Vertigo has really hit the ground running with this one, and I can only hope it continues to garner enough interest for a long run that fully explores the concepts teased in the first couple of issues.

Omniboo, or Chunks of the Good Stuff

I can't really give a rational reason for it, but I love Omnibuses. (Omnibu? Omnibi? What the hell is the plural of Omnibus, anyway?) There is something about getting a massive chunk of comics in a ridiculously thick hardcover package that I find awesome. I would much rather buy the Marvel Omnibus of the Fantastic Four, for example, than pick up the three or four Marvel Masterworks editions that collect the same issues. The only thing that drives me crazy about these editions is that they really seem to be here today, gone tomorrow, at least where Marvel is concerned. And while I spend more than any sane man should on comics, I can't always afford to dish out for one of those bad boys right when it comes out, usually at the hefty price tag of $99 (some of the "smaller" ones are $75). I know the Omniboo must be expensive to keep in print, and probably have a relatively limted audience, but I wish they would remain just a bit more available. Some of them, like the one collecting Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, are now prohibitively expensive on e-bay, where I've seen them sell for upwards of $200. While DC puts out less of these types of collections than I'd like, at least most of theirs seem to remain available for much longer on average. C'mon Marvel, there's got to be a better way.

DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes

The bad news: no new comics for me today. No chance to get by my local shop to pick them up, due to . . .

The good news: going to see Art Brut at Schuba's tonight. I've loved this band for a few years now. Saw them at the 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival, where they were very good, but as enjoyable as festivals can be it is always better to see a band at their own show in a smaller venue like Schuba's. Hopefully Eddie Argos and the boys will be in fine form tonight, the third of a week-long residency.

I like most of their stuff as it is, but I must say I will be a bit disappointed if they don't play "DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshakes," from their new album, "Art Brut v. Satan." Before that song, I never knew Argos enjoyed his comics fix as much as I do, but I should have guessed. His cleverly observational spoken-not-sung lyrics including tongue-in-cheek delusions of grandeur ("Formed a Band", featuring the line "We want to be the band that writes the song that makes Israel and Palestine get along"), high school crushes ("Emily Kane"), and exuberance at actually finding a lady-friend ("Good Weekend," where he exuberantly extols "I've seen her naked, TWICE!!!"), all placed over a simple yet satisfying DIY art punk aesthetic, fit nicely into the cool-by-virtue-of-being-not-cool paradigm that we comics enthusiasts like to imagine ourselves occupying. Hell, its a small venue, so maybe I'll even lure him into a conversation about Batman and Robin, Final Crisis, or the upcoming Blackest Night.

Just a Pilgrim

I finally checked out Volume 1 of the Scott Pilgrim series this weekend. I wanted to try it because I had heard so many good things about it, but I did not have high hopes. The style of it seemed very manga, and I have yet to find any manga that I am really interested in. I'm not saying that there isn't some very good manga out there - there is probably manga available that would have me running down the street singing its praises like a gibbering idiot. Its just that anything I've chanced across in the past has left me very cold. I also have to admit that it is very hard for me to read comics in a small digest format, because it isn't the "right" size for comics, having grown up reading American super-hero books and other stuff that is at least that size or bigger.

Nonetheless, I finally put my reservations aside and read it, and I'm glad I did. It was a very enjoyable book. There were a couple of parts that were a bit too cute and rang somewhat false (like Scott believing that somehow the CDs he ordered would arrive immediately, and the fact that he ordered said CDs with his roommates credit card info without protest), but other aspects of the book more than made up for it. I loved the dynamicism of the musical bits - O'Malley really nails them such that we can almost hear the music as we read the pages, an effect that has to be incredibly hard to pull off. Still, I was on the fence between "eh, its OK" and "yeah, this rocks" until the climactic fight scene. Up until that point, I had found it mostly funny and charming, but hadn't really detected anything exceptional to bring me back for more. The musical beatdown of Matthew Patel, however, displayed loads of originality and clinched it for me - now I am looking forward to picking up Volume 2 when I next set foot in my local comic shop, and reporting back on whether the Scott Pilgrim experiment continues to succeed after I've read it.

This Week's Comics Countdown

Each week, I plan to list what I bought that week, and provide a "Top 5" listing my favorite books that week. I'll also try to single out the worst book I picked up, as well as give a word or two on any other book I found noteworthy for any reason. So, without further ado, lets begin with:

The Dog of the Week - Ultimatum # 4.

You know how some people enjoy going to see movies, like Plan 9 From Outer Space, because they're just so bad it's good. Well, I was going to say that Ultimatum # 4 is like that, but there is really nothing that is enjoyable about this book, even in a campy way. The best way I can describe the book is a sequence of events happen -- there is no reason given why you should care that these things are happening, and most of the things are gratuitously grisly. Unless you are particularly inclined to watch someone's head explode just 'cause the writer/artist thought it would be cool to explode said cranium, you should probably skip this one.

Other stuff I bought: Amazing Spiderman #596, The Boys #31, Mighty Avengers # 25, Captain Britain and MI13 Annual #1 (I fully expected Captain Britain to make the Top 5, but the annual, while not bad, did not live up to the high standards set by the monthly issues).

Honorable Mention: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Tales of the Vampires. Before going into this one, I need to confess something - I never really got into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I like a lot of Joss Whedon's other work, and I always thought Buffy would be something I'd enjoy, but I missed the boat on the series when it first started airing, and just never found a good jumping on point. I picked up this issue on the strength of Becky Cloonan and Vasilis Lolos past work, and it turned out to be a very good comic that required no real knowledge of the Buffy-verse to enjoy. Cloonan's "slice of vampire life" story really draws you in and has you very engaged with the main character by the end, and Lolos' art is wonderfully expressive as always. This book is what a one-shot should be - it told a very complete story in relatively few pages, and required no prior knowledge for full enjoyment. Recommended.

# 5. Irredeemable #3. Peter Krause's art is good, but Mark Waid's story is the reason to pick up this book. Waid seems to be taking a sadistic glee in this exploration of what happens when an extremely powerful superhero (the Plutonian, a clear Superman analogue) goes bad, and that glee really comes across in the book. Seeing the Plutonian's former friends and enemies trying to figure out how to deal with this madman is just plain fun. Unlike Ultimatum, which features pointless ultra-violence, the destruction dealt by the Plutonian here is very much in service of the story and always feels consequential and entirely in character.

# 4. Dark Avengers # 5. I get that not everyone enjoys Bendis' approach to superhero comics, but I still do. While its true that not a lot happens in this issue, Bendis' dialogue always draws me into the story and probably rings truer than almost any other writer. I've been thoroughly enjoying his run on this book, which is basically Ellis' Thunderbolts elevated to Avengers status. Bendis really seems to be having a lot of fun with Osborn, and he is also setting up some nice things with the other "Dark Avengers," where half of the team seem irredeemably evil, while the other half seem to have heroic potential. A solid issue of a very solid series.

# 3. War of Kings # 4. Now we're cooking with gas. Up until this issue, I've found War of Kings to be an enjoyable event, but a bit middle of the road. This issue took it to the next level, with things escalating on a number of fronts in the war between the Shiar and the Kree, led by the Inhumans. I was especially impressed by the fact that Abnett and Lanning actually talk about tactics and strategy of war, rather than just showing unconnected fight scene after fight scene. This is space opera at its best, illustrated wonderfully by Paul Pelletier. And while I won't spoil the ending, its a shocker that I didn't see coming, but is a perfectly sensible development. If you aren't into Dark Reign, you could do worse than immersing yourself in Marvel's cosmic characters for a while, starting with this series.

# 2. Batman and Robin # 1. On probably almost any other week, this would be the # 1 issue. Really, Dick Grayson says it best: "Batman and Robin. Together again for the first time." (The drippingly sarcastic "crime is doomed" is also a good one). Morrison and Quitely (the Lennon and McCartney of modern comics) hit this one out of the park, pulling off the trick of presenting a quintessentially classic Batman and Robin story without Bruce Wayne. (Yes, Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman - get over it). Everything about this issue feels exciting and fresh, with new heroes (or at least heroes new to their roles), a new Batmobile, and new villains, while at the same time staying true to the tone and feel of what a Batman story should be. A comic so close to perfection can only be trumped by. . . .

# 1. Seaguy - Slaves of Mickey Eye # 3. "Time to Sell! Time to Buy! Here Comes Mickey Eye!" "1/2 an Animal on a Stick." Its an ironic that a book so unabashedly absurd is probably also the most meaningful and moving comic of the year. Cameron Stewart's art here is perfectly tailored to fit the story, conveying depths of feeling (especially in the final fight/love scene between Seaguy and She-Beard) and heights of absurdity with equal proficiency. Morrison's story here continues the complex exploration of corporate culture at large (and mainstream comics in particular, I suspect), and what it really means to rebel against the system. Even if you win, you're still a slave of Mickey Eye. Hey, maybe in the end, we all secretly want to be lulled into complacency by reality TV while a mindless parasite "gives our brain a lick." I have a lot more to say about this issue, and the series as a whole, than could really fit in this write-up, so I'll try to get a piece up next week with an in-depth analysis of the whole thing.

HUH?!?

Well, I just published my first post - I didn't realize it would show the date I started the posts (over 3 months ago) rather than the date I actually decided I was really going to do the bloggy thing and posted it, thus revealing the monumental nature of my sloth, and the fact it took my something over a quarter of a year to finish something.

Oh well....