blast-o-rama.

Another week, and like clockwork, the world of comics has delivered to us another week of issues. Once again, I find myself with a stacked week, with the continuation of the “Ends of the Earth” arc in The Amazing Spider-Man, the kick off of the “Night of the Owls” arc in the Batman comics, and yes, way more Avengers vs. X-Men action.

What ruled? What didn’t? Lets read on and see, shall we?

Amazing Spider-Man #684
Written by Dan Slott, Art by Humberto Ramos

The “Ends of the Earth” arc continues here, with Humberto Ramos joining on for the art.  With the Avengers taken out by the Sinister Six, Pete is left to team with Black Widow (the lone remaining uninjured member of the team) and the surprise return of Silver Sable, who appears to have jacked Wonder Woman’s ride.  The push for this issue is to have Spider-Man have one of the biggest battles ever with Sandman, and considering the setting – the Sahara Desert, I’m not sure any will reach this scale for some time.  I’m starting to see why some folks don’t like Pete having all of the right tech for all of the battles, but having the Deus Ex Machina being provided to him by the talented folks at Horizon kinda evens it out for me, and makes them an even more key member of the supporting cast.  Of course, with Spider-Man, even with things going well, something has to go wrong, and as the end of the book shows, Doc Ock is incredibly prepared for his “last” stand.  What gets set up at the end is one of the biggest things to ever happen to Spider-Man, and is matching the set expectations for this storyline.

Avengers vs. X-Men #2
Written by Jason Aaron, Art by John Romita Jr.

Issue two of the Marvel Super Event has hit the stands, and all hell breaks loose, as this is the book where the punches start to get thrown.  The Cyclops/Captain America battle is everything you’d want it to be, and there is a moment with Colossus which will have all of the long time X-Men fans really geeked.  While these battles are going on (with fantastically over-done narration by Jason Aaron), the plot starts to unfurl in the background, with a special Avengers team attempting to face the Phoenix threat head on.  As the end of the book shows, they are CLEARLY out gunned here, and I’m left wondering with a scale this large, how can Marvel continue this for 12 issues, let alone properly wrap this up?

Batman #8
Written by Scott Snyder, Art by Greg Capullo

The best Superhero book of the New 52 continues to rock my face as it kicks into it’s second arc, the “Night of the Owls”. Set to link the Batman family of titles (yet remaining self contained in each book), it kicks off here as the new villains for Batman, the Court of Owls, have sent MANY assassins for a number of notable Gotham citizens, starting with Bruce Wayne. Did they realize that Bruce is Batman? Not really sure, but who cares, as this book is Bruce in a goddamned house coat beating the crap out of bad guys throughout Wayne Manor, and it RULES.  Alfred even gets involved as well (as the backup story breaks down), and it’s page to page to page of Batman based greatness. I can’t wait to see how this arc goes, especially as the Court, arguably the coolest Batvillain in years, gets involved with the rest of the “family”.  Oh, and DC Direct (or whatever they’re called now), you better be working on an action figure of what we see on the last page. This is my pick of the week.

Invincible Iron Man #515
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Salvador Larroca

The “Demons” arc (which I enjoyed so much last month that I read the parts that lead up to it) wrapped up in this issue, and man did it end big! I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s rare that you read a comic arc where the main character loses, but Tony does, and he loses big.  Also, props to Fraction and Larroca for making The Living Laser look and act like such a badass.  Matt Fraction hasn’t been afraid of redefining the Iron Man world since coming on the book, and now, YEARS into his run, I’m still feeling like he has many many tricks up his sleeve. Good stuff.

Prophet #24
Written by Brandon Graham, Art by Farel Dalrymple

The growth of Prophet as a surreal Sci-Fi book continues here, as once again Brandon Graham guides a unique artist through the world of one interpretation of Prophet.  This story in particular reminds me much of a Lovecraftian version of Moon, and Farel Dalrymple does an amazing job of illustrating the grotesque creatures which fill the pages of this month’s issue.  What’s kinda nice is, as issue 4 in the new run, you can also see the end of this issue as an explanation of all the ones previous, and most likely, those to follow.  Prophet continues to be one of the most interesting and unique books on the stands every month, and while I may not like every issue, I’m prepared for the ride. Well done, Mr. Graham.

Rocketeer Adventures 2 #2
Written by Walt Simonson, Tom Taylor, & Paul Dini, Art by John Paul Leon, Bill Morrison, & Colin Wilson

As a celebration of the Rocketeer character, and the life of creator Dave Stevens, IDW has been doing a compilation series called Rocketeer Adventures, featuring stories by a number of writer and artists teams to give current creators a shot at the flying hero.  Each issue has been a breeze of a read, quite enjoyable if you’re a fan of the character, or just have a 1940′s flying character fetish as I do.  This book isn’t going to win awards, but each issue has a gem, much like this issue’s “Work to Do” by Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson.  While the other creators tend to go for goofy storytelling, this is a touching work that inserts the Rocketeer into World War II, and the results are heartbreakingly good.  If you dig the Rocketeer, you should check out this series, but this book won’t convert those who aren’t interested.

The Walking Dead #96
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Charlie Adlard

The end of the A Larger World arc comes to a…surprising end.  After a series of issues which left me wondering if Kirkman was going to be doing the same story again, and again, and again, he throws a change of heart into the mix just in time for issue 100.  I can’t say for sure that I feel as if this story will turn out as expected, but didn’t Kirkman once say that he wanted to end around issue 100? I’m very intrigued to see if the changes presented here stick, or if they’re a reprieve from the standard “everything goes HORRIBLY wrong” status quo.

Wolverine and the X-Men #9
Written by Jason Aaron, Art by Chris Bachalo

Attention Marvel Comics writers: how do you write a stand alone book that somehow also ties into the big crossover series AND the issues which came before it? TAKE NOTES FROM JASON AARON.  I was SO worried that after 8 issues of greatness, Jason Aaron would be forced to take Wolverine and the X-Men and turn it into the next chapter of the AvX saga. Instead, he gives us a great issue of Wolverine and the X-Men that addresses the issues surrounding the Avengers/X-Men clash, but lets the book remain in its own world.  Bachalo is always welcome on the pencils, and I have to say, I LOVE his Captain America.  The true highlight of the book for me? “‘Oh, To Fly Among the Stars!’ A Detailed Oral History of the Nova Corps and a Reasoned Explanation for Why I Should Be Allowed To Join Their Esteemed Ranks, by Broo the Brood.”

I don’t know if every book is on fire right now, but once again, I find myself at the end of this review LOVING the current state of comics. Props to DC, Marvel, Image and everyone in between for doing the best that you can.

Coming up next week:

• The Flash #8
• AvX VS #1
• Daredevil #11
• Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #9

I know, I know, it’s Friday night. But I’ve already decided that Thursday is a better day for me to write these (so I don’t rush), and last night I had an AWFUL sinus headache. I apologize for the delay.

Adventure Time #3
Written by Ryan North, Art by Shelli Paroline

Adventure Time is the greatest cartoon in the world right now. If you haven’t seen it yet, yes, you should consider that a bad thing.  Personally, I stumbled into it via a marathon while I was in a hotel room over the summer, and I’ve been able to see more via the magic of DVD.  Since I don’t have cable at home, I don’t get the option of the weekly episodes – but luckily for me, there’s now a monthly comic which is just as good.  Written by webcomic wiz Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics fame, and drawn by former Muppet Show artist Shelli Paroline (who, full disclosure, has appeared on a Super Art Fight show in the past), I’m pleased to say the comic is just as good. The art is simple but perfect, the writing is on point, and there’s all sorts of fun within the book, like entertaining backup stories, “alt-text” on every pages, and even comics within the comic.  This really is a fun book that perfectly captures the silly, 4th wall breaking fun of the cartoon, and I dare say is as essential to any Adventure Time fan as the show itself. Highly recommended.

America’s Got Powers #1
Written by Jonathan Ross, Art by Bryan Hitch

The first major post-Marvel work by artist Bryan Hitch, and written by known UK celebrity Jonathan Ross, it’s safe to say that Image’s America’s Got Powers is a “big deal”.  That said, the book really could stand to be better.  You have what feels like a warmed over plot of a superhero based reality show (think American Idol meets the Running Man, or Hunger Games), a lead who “has no powers” that SURPRISE! discovers them at the end of the first issue, and even Hitch kinda feels like he’s on autopilot, with pages that appear to be well…Hitch by Numbers.  I do think the book has the potential to go to some unique places, but from this first issue, I’m not terribly impressed. Lets see what happens through the rest of the series, yeah?

Avenging Spider-Man #6
Written by Greg Rucka & Mark Waid, Art by Marco Checchetto

The first part of a 3 parter which mixes my favorite Spider-Man book with the current, great, Daredevil book by Mark Waid and…oh yeah, Punisher as well, Avenging Spider-Man #6 is a fun, breezy read.  Waid nails Spidey’s voice and tone (which makes me wonder, has Mark Waid EVER written a Spider-Man book?), this is a nice continuation of the current Daredevil arc, and…uh, I guess Punisher is cool? He kinda looks like Solid Snake for some reason now. I don’t really know why.  Marco Checchetto draws well enough (his Spidey eyes, while more realistic, sure are weird, though), but this issue is mostly setup and ninja fighting.  I sure hope that Daredevil’s issue in this stands alone, as I don’t think I’ll be grabbing the Punisher part.  As a normal issue of Avenging Spider-Man, I do really miss Zeb Wells from the writer’s chair, but this story could play out well enough.

Batwoman #8
Written by J.H. Williams, III & W. Haden Blackman, Art by Amy Reeder

Oh, Batwoman – you are a book which is dropping off hard for me.  I absolutely loved the first six issue arc, written and drawn by JH Williams, but the current arc kinda bores me.  Amy Reeder is a great artist for the series, retaining a clean style while mixing in the unique panel stylings we’ve come to expect from the Batwoman comics, but this arc is doing nothing for me.  I suppose it’s because I’ve never really been too into mystical, sorcery based characters (like Dr. Strange), so building an arc about a villain in that style isn’t really going to draw me in.  Batwoman was a book I really loved as the DC New 52 began, but if we continue on this track, I’ll be dropping it soon.

Daredevil: Season One
Written by Antony Johnston, Art by Wellington Alves

The Marvel Season One series, for those unaware, is a new initiative by Marvel to give new comic readers an easy access point to the classic origins of different characters.  They aren’t really re-imagined versions of the origins, but instead, mostly faithful retellings done in a modern style, whether it’s with a new perspective, refreshed character designs, or streamlined storytelling.  The series started with both Fantastic Four and X-Men, each of which was really quite stellar (and surprisingly, in both cases, written from a lead female perspective), and continues this week with Daredevil: Season One.  As you know, I’ve only recently gotten into Daredevil with the current run, so to get his origins was actually a nice thing for me.  Antony Johnson (Oni Press’s Wasteland) does a great job scripting the book, giving us a weaving tale including clashes with classic DD villains The Owl and the Purple Man, and it’s matched nicely by clean art from Wellington Alves.  It’s a really enjoyable, fun read, and as far as I’m concerned, Marvel Season One is 3 for 3.

Saga #2
Written by Bryan K. Vaughn, Art by Fiona Staples

I’ve written in the past about how much I was looking forward to this book, and just two issues in, Saga is delivering in spades.  The storyline, which seems to meld Star Wars-esq scope with a Romeo & Juliet tale of warring alien lovers who have a child and are now on the run, is unfurling slowly, but providing just enough details to draw you in.  Fiona Staples is an absolutely amazing artist, and each panel just draws me in with the clean linework and superb coloring.  Also, how inventive are the alien races in this series?  This might be my absolute favorite book on the stands today, and is totally my pick of this week. Get in on the ground floor, everyone – this could end up amazing.

Scarlet Spider #4
Written by Chris Yost, Art by Ryan Stegma

Taking what could be an awful concept (the return of Kaine and the Scarlet Spider character from the much disliked Clone Saga storyline from Spider-Man) and turning it into an interesting story has been no easy job for the team of Yost and Stegma, but four issues in, I’m getting into this book.  Making a meaner, rougher, more violent Spider-Man is a unique enough idea for the series, but supplanting him into a region like Texas gives him a definite difference from the normal web-swinging action, and removes it from the rest of the Marvel U, giving the comic it’s own world.  I still think Kaine’s motives and the overall story for the book needs to be fleshed out a bit more for my tastes, but considering I thought this was an awful idea for a series, I really need to give this team credit – this may end up being a pretty damn good comic after all.

That’s this week in comics – not a bad one at all. If I tell you to get anything this week? Saga, Adventure Time and Daredevil Season One.

What’s on tap for next week?

• Batman #8
• Rocketeer Adventures 2 #2
• Prophet #24
• The Walking Dead #96
• Amazing Spider-Man #684
• Avengers vs. X-Men #2
• Invincible Iron Man #515
• Wolverine and the X-Men #9

See you next week with a whole bunch more comics!

We’ve gone past Hump Day, and this means that Yes, Virginia, it’s Comic Book time. Hide your children, get your gun and make some Ovaltine, it’s time to kick back and Read ALL The Comics!

This week is a big one for Marvel as they kick off the huge Summer 2012 event Avengers vs. X-Men. Elsewhere, the big Spider-Man event continues, some of my favorite books of the DC New 52 continue on, and we get some Invincible in there too!

Action Comics #8
Written by Grant Morrison, Art by Rags Morales

The first arc for the rebooted Superman book wraps up here, and appropriately, it ends with a slam bang battle between Superman and Braniac.  We’re starting to shift toward a more typical Superman status quo from the almost Ultimate Spider-Man-esq feel of the first few issues, which bums me out a bit.  That said, this was a very well done wrap-up, and I’m in for at least the next arc.  Given my general “eh” feelings about Superman, however, I could see me leaving whenever Grant Morrison decides that he is done.

Amazing Spider-Man #683
Written by Dan Slott, Art by Stefano Caselli

The Ends of the Earth continues on with a big time battle between the Sinister Six and the Avengers, as Doc Ock’s final plan continues on.  Once again, I really enjoyed Slott’s work here, between shocking moments like Spidey punching out Al Gore (it makes sense in the book, I promise) and Doc Ock’s back up plans to take out each Avenger.  The stakes are getting raised ever higher in this storyline, and as a long time Spidey fan, this is a great arc to have come back on.  Question – when did ALL of the Sinister Six get such dramatic redesigns? I’m not complaining, as I like them, but I didn’t know if they were exclusive to this storyline or what. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Animal Man #8
Written by Jeff Lemire, Art by Steve Pugh and Travel Foreman

One of the biggest joys of the DC New 52 has been the re-launch of Animal Man. Best known for its history as a fourth wall breaking mindfuck by Grant Morrison, under Jeff Lemire, the book has turned into what I believe is a first – a superhero family horror comic. As bizarre a mixture as that sounds, it works in spades, as Lemire does a great job balancing the family dynamic alongside some very dark and gruesome scenes.  It doesn’t get much darker or gruesomer than this weeks issue, as Buddy Baker and family continue their battle with the force known as the Rot, and things start to go very, very wrong.  This issue is an intense page turner, and based on what happens to Buddy at the end of the book, I can’t wait for issue 9 to hit. Seriously, one of  my top books right now. Check it out.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by John Romita Jr.

Considering the relative importance of this book, you’d think that I would list it first, but no, I ADHERE TO ALPHABETICAL ORDER. I’ve seen some other blogs slag this first issue of the Marvel Mega Event, but really, I was enthralled from page to page. Sure, Romita draws some weird facial expressions here and there, but I really dug the hell out of this book.  From the word go, and the strong return of the Phoenix Force, this definitely feels like a large scale book.  Sure, we just get the first punch thrown in the fight, but this is set to go for twelve issues, not including the tie-in AVX book, which is literally supposed to be page to page fights.  Maybe its because I didn’t have to go through the whole Fear Itself/Secret Invasion/Dark Reign thing, but I’m not seeing why this didn’t serve up the goods. Of note – it’s really nice to see Laura Martin colors again, she’s always made books pop, and that continues here.

Danger Club #1
Written by Landry Walker, Art by Eric Jones

Danger Club is a new book from Image, and has been described by many as the perfect Image book to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the company. And certainly, I can see that – it very much is an “extreme” superhero book. And for me, I really liked the art, and the concept – a world where all of the adults and lead heroes have left, we’re stuck with only the younger people and teen sidekicks – is a nice draw, but the book really left me wanting. It feels a little too much like we’re tossed in the middle of the story, it’s hard to keep track of our new cast, and it was a smidge too unnecessarily violent for my tastes. That said, any book that decides to use a Flaming Lips reference for a character name gets some positive response from me.  I’ll give it another issue or two.

Daredevil #10.1
Written by Mark Waid, Art by Khoi Pham

Yes, that’s a “Point One”.  Marvel started doing this “Point One” initiative last year to give fans a jumping on point for any series. Sort of a leg up, so ongoing series don’t seem so daunting. While the comic itself is a great intro to Daredevil, and honestly, matches the quality of the series so far, given that issue 11 will itself start a new arc for the comic, and the series has only run for 10 issues so far, isn’t it more than a little early for such an issue?  A fun read, especially if you’re wanting to dip your toes in the DD pool, but I still felt like this was unnecessary.

Invincible #90
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley

Oh, how Invincible makes my month.  Invincible has been my most common read, being the one book besides Atomic Robo to read with every single trade release over the past few years.  And the series is in a very unique transition.  While The Walking Dead seems to have been moving towards a state of repetition, Robert Kirkman seems to be using Invincible as a sandbox to take every superhero trope and mix it up.  Here, we are in the midst of an arc mixing the classic “new guy replacing the normal hero” and “hero can’t use his powers” story lines, and they are working very very well.  Also, Kirkman isn’t afraid to take some risks here, taking the new fan favorite cast member of Dinosaurus and….well, leaving him in a very different place from where he was when the issue started.  It’s also worth giving a shot to the amazing art of Ryan Ottley, who has seriously stepped up his game over the past year – his work looked AMAZING in this issue.

Skullkickers #13
Written by Jim Zubkavitch, Art by Edwin Huwang

If you aren’t reading Skullkickers, you really really need to.  An absolute blast of a fantasy based romp, you have two nameless heroes (a tall Bald man and a short red-haired midget) getting into all sorts of hilarious antics gone wrong.  Issue 13 returns the series after a brief hiatus, and the fun has not left.  Zubkavitch continues to piece together hilarious adventures brought to life with Huwang’s beautiful art, and this issue just zoomed by.  The first part of a new tale that places the duo and their new elven friend on a pirate ship, the book made me laugh and laugh hard with the action which ensued and some classic Skullkickers tropes including bizarre onomatopoeia for different sound effects.  If you haven’t read Skullkickers, guess what? It’s being posted in webcomic form too. Go check it out, now.

Sweet Tooth #32
Written by Jeff Lemire, Art by Jeff Lemire

More Jeff Lemire goodness! This is the final issue of the current arc of Sweet Tooth and it wraps up well, with Gus and his half human half animal pals striking a blow against those who wish to continue to capture them.  Lemire is really firing on all cylinders on this book, and for those who have followed his prior work in Essex County, they’ll love the hockey references which come up here.  A truly bizarre and whimsical tale set in a very unique apocalypse, it’s equal parts Walking Dead, Y The Last Man and The Elephant Man and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by David Marquez

The story of Miles Morales continues to grow, with his issues along side his Uncle (the criminal known as this universe’s version of The Prowler) coming to mix into his issues against the new, way more gangsta version of The Scorpion.  What’s really nice is this issue mixes in some of the classic Parker angst by having Morales start to encounter issues in school with his new found superherodom.  David Marquez jumped on this issue, and he’s going to be a great addition to what has been a near flawless team of artists on this series so far.

Wolverine and the X-Men #8
Written by Jason Aaron, Art by Chris Bachalo

I’ll say it – Wolverine and the X-Men is the BEST X-Men book since Morrison. I am 100% into each character, the new dynamics of the school, the growth this series has shown from the standard X-Men setup, all of it.  And now, of course, we’re headed right towards the Avengers vs. X-Men tie-ins.  While it’s certainly possible that Aaron and company will make the book work through the tie-ins, if this issue is the last of the “new” status quo, they go out with a bang. You have an awesome Beast vs. Sabertooth battle at the center, but such fun things as the mind-wiped Angel getting a true hero moment, Kid Gladiator wrecking stuff on a casino planet, and Wolverine literally becoming the Xavier of his new school by being stuck in a wheelchair.  Now, how long until I get a Jean Grey School shirt?

So, while I was a little late with this edition (so much to read!) you can’t deny that it wasn’t a good week in comics.  What should be on tap next week? According to Diamond’s shipping list…this!

• Adventure Time #3
• Batwoman #8
• America’s Got Powers #1
• Saga #2
• Avenging Spider-Man #6
• Daredevil Season One
• Scarlet Spider #4

Go ahead and leave your thoughts on your reads this week in the comments. I’d love to get a dialogue going.