Wednesday Number Ones 6/29/11

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  All Winners Squad: Band of Heroes #1, Fear Itself: Black Widow #1, Marvel Universe versus Wolverine #1, and Witch Doctor #1.

Flashpoint Wednesdays 6/29/11

If the rumors are true, it seems that the mini series called Flashpoint will have some major repercussions on the DC Universe proper.  What exactly those repercussions are going to be though, it's anyones guess at this point.  What Top 5 Comics aims to do with this series of articles is take a gander at all of the Flashpoint issues and their tie-ins, giving the rundown on them, telling you which ones to check out and which ones aren't exactly up to muster.  It's obviously a big event, but will it be a good one?  Only time will tell.

This week we will cover: Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries One Shot, Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1, Flashpoint: Project Superman #1 and Flashpoint: Canterbury Cricket One Shot.

Week in Review 6/28/11

Action Comics #902
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort & Axel Giminez
Company: DC Comics

A "Reign of Doomsday" issue that induces head scratching.  Paul Cornell has fast become a favorite writer of mine, putting forth things like Captain Britain & the MI13 and his original run on Action Comics that focused on Lex Luthor, but not even his talents can make this story do anything more than make you go, "meh."  I do think that the small tid-bits that are added, a new version of Doomsday that actually feels remorse and a few moments where the characters use their powers in clever ways, make the pain more tolerable but the action here just isn't exciting.  The art for the issue is

Ultimate Spider-Man #160

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley
Company: Marvel Comics

Reading this book makes me think of the saying, "On any given Sunday."  Yes, that's a sports reference and yes it's also a reference to a sub-par Oliver Stone movie, so I can imagine people are scratching their heads as to what it is that I'm referring to.  We'll get there.  Where Brian Bendis is concerned, I really have a few problems with his writing style, which is apparent if you've read my reviews of his Avengers book lately.  His tics are so apparent and teeth gnashing that it's sometimes hard to make it through an issue without feeling the need to scream or throw my hands up in the air and scream, "Why, God?  Why?"  Still, On Any Given Sunday, any writer can bring their A Game and kick some ass.  J.T. Krul did

Flashpoint Wednesdays 6/22/11

If the rumors are true, it seems that the mini series called Flashpoint will have some major repercussions on the DC Universe proper.  What exactly those repercussions are going to be though, it's anyones guess at this point.  What Top 5 Comics aims to do with this series of articles is take a gander at all of the Flashpoint issues and their tie-ins, giving the rundown on them, telling you which ones to check out and which ones aren't exactly up to muster.  It's obviously a big event, but will it be a good one?  Only time will tell.

This week we will cover: Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1, Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #1, Flashpoint: The Outsider #1 and Flashpoint: The Reverse Flash One Shot.

Wednesday Number Ones 6/22/11

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  All Nighter #1, Brightest Day Search for Swamp Thing #1, Rage #1 and Samurai's Blood #1.

Spotlight: The Sixth Gun

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Brian Hurtt
Company: Oni Press

Supernatural.  Western.  Two genres that while different, oddly enough, when put together work hand in hand to create something new.  This is shown to be true in the pages of The Sixth Gun, a book that bleeds both genres together in an unnatural comic book peanut butter and jelly sandwich to form something that is unique, interesting, and unforgettably captivating.  The same creative team of The Sixth Gun were also responsible for another title, a book named The Damned.  When The Damned came out, I was hooked immediately by it's Prohibition Era Monster tale and found Bunn's characters to be full of life.  The Sixth Gun's premise/story and its characters are equally as intriguing, but what makes it stand out from

Legion Lost HC

Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist: Olivier Coipel & Pascal Alixe
Company: DC Comics

My history with the Legion of Superheroes is a bit odd.  I love the concept: Gifted teens from different worlds banding together to create a peace keeping force.  It's a bit of Green Lantern mixed with Star Trek.  That said, my first experience of TLOSH as a kid was the "Five Years Later" story arc from Keith Giffen.  As one might imagine, that's a pretty tough nut to crack, especially for a kid.  Years later though a friend re-introduced me to The Legion, where DnA had a run of 33 issues.  It instantly grabbed me in a way that few books do.  It was a mixture of fun, sci-fi, classic DC, and just great action.  Still, I had always heard such great things about their Legion Lost storyline, not to mention their "Legion of the Damned"

Week in Review 6/17/11

Avengers #14

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: John Romita Jr.

Company: Marvel Comics

Well first off, Romita Jr. continues to keep the ball rolling with successful and amazing art.  This knock down drag out slug fest between Red Hulk and the newly "Hammered" Thing looks beautiful.  The action is splashy, well thought out, and it all feels very dynamic.  This is the true definition of what comic book action should equal.  The story side is where things get a bit shaky with this one.  What do I mean by that?  Well, one of the biggest issues is that the entire book is told in the past tense by talking Avengers heads (for fun, in your head flip around who's saying what...as it

Spotlight: Uncanny X-Force

Writer: Rick Remender
Artists: Jerome Opena, Esad Ribic & Rafael Albuquerque
Company: Marvel Comics

I remember going on a vacation with my family the year the original X-Force came out.  You know, the one by Liefeld and Nicieza with the collectible cards featuring an individual character from the book.  I remember having to beg to buy multiple copies to get a whole set of the characters, because really, you just had to.  I loved that book growing up.  That's where my Deadpool love started (though the Casey and Simone runs cemented that and made the character much cooler).  Hell, I even had a birthday cake based off of the cover to issue #8.  Yes, to reiterate, I had a Liefeld inspired birthday cake.  Not many people can say that.  So in truth, I have a soft spot for the X-Force

Flashpoint Wednesdays 6/15/11

If the rumors are true, it seems that the mini series called Flashpoint will have some major repercussions on the DC Universe proper.  What exactly those repercussions are going to be though, it's anyones guess at this point.  What Top 5 Comics aims to do with this series of articles is take a gander at all of the Flashpoint issues and their tie-ins, giving the rundown on them, telling you which ones to check out and which ones aren't exactly up to muster.  It's obviously a big event, but will it be a good one?  Only time will tell.

This week we will cover: Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1, Flashpoint: Grodd of War One Shot, Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1 and Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #1.

Wednesday Number Ones 6/15/11

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  Alpha Flight #1, Captain America Corps #1, Godzilla Gangsters & Goliaths #1, Graveyard of Empires #1 and Kirby Genesis #1.

Week in Review 6/10/11

Batman and Robin #24
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Greg Tocchini
Company: DC Comics

Another great cover by Guillem March, one that the internet meme personality that inevitably lives inside my brain says, "Nom nom nom."  Beyond the cover though, action is again the name of the game as we see the aftermath of Jason Todd getting sprung from prison last issue.  The thing about the action here is that it's very smart action.  Winick makes you feel as if you're riding along with Todd in the driver's seat of his own mind as you see him fight tooth and nail to survive.  It makes the experience much more unique and enjoyable, something that sets it apart from other action pieces,

Empowered: 10 Questions for the Maidman

Writer: Adam Warren
Artist: Adam Warren
Company: Dark Horse Comics

You pretty much know a comic is good when you find yourself truly engaged by its contents.  With an action book, if the explosions don't singe your eyebrows or you're not flipping the pages at a pace that would make the Flash envious, they've done something wrong.  With a humor comic, which Empowered most certainly is, laughter is the bread and butter of the occasion, the one thing that it should strive to elicit from the reader.  If it can succeed in that one aspect, it's done its job.

So did this issue of Empowered do it's job?

Flashpoint Wednesdays 6/8/11

If the rumors are true, it seems that the mini series called Flashpoint will have some major repercussions on the DC Universe proper.  What exactly those repercussions are going to be though, it's anyones guess at this point.  What Top 5 Comics aims to do with this series of articles is take a gander at all of the Flashpoint issues and their tie-ins, giving the rundown on them, telling you which ones to check out and which ones aren't exactly up to muster.  It's obviously a big event, but will it be a good one?  Only time will tell.

This week we will cover: Booster Gold #45, Flashpoint Citizen Cold #1, Flashpoint Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1, Flashpoint Emperor Aquaman #1 and Flashpoint Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1.

Wednesday Number Ones 6/8/11

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  15 Love #1, American Vampire Survival of the Fittest #1, Fear Itself Deadpool #1, Fear Itself Fearsome Four #1, Fly #1, Ghost Rider #0.1, Iron Age Alpha #1, Ka-Zar #1 and Mystery Men #1.

DC Comics Relaunch - The List

Well, we've certainly seen quite a few names being thrown around over the last few days, haven't we?  DC hasn't announced the creative teams for every single book yet, though at the rate they're going I wouldn't be shocked if by the end of the week that changed. Still, I figured that there were enough confirmed to sit down and talk about how they sound.  I know people are saying that DC is merely shuffling chairs on the Titanic, as some of the creative teams aren't that different.  I can see why they're saying such things, though I'm certainly willing to give these writers and artists, people who may not have thrilled me in the past, a chance to surprise.  I certainly think that is in their wheelhouse.

Week in Review 6/3/11

Fear Itself #3
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Company: Marvel Comics

I'm a tad conflicted with this one.  On one hand I felt that Fraction's story is picking up steam and coming together a bit more (which is something that needed to happen), but on the other hand, the story is still very cold and has an almost antiseptic-like feel.  There is action however to sate your desire for story and Immonen does make it all pretty and "widescreen", which has become common-place since Civil War.  Seeing the Thing become one of the Hammer-Bearers and watching as Avengers take on Sin/Skadi is cool enough, though I do have a particular gripe with

Flashpoint Wednesdays 6/1/11

If the rumors are true, it seems that the mini series called Flashpoint will have some major repercussions on the DC Universe proper.  What exactly those repercussions are going to be though, it's anyones guess at this point.  What Top 5 Comics aims to do with this series of articles is take a gander at all of the Flashpoint issues and their tie-ins, giving the rundown on them, telling you which ones to check out and which ones aren't exactly up to muster.  It's obviously a big event, but will it be a good one?  Only time will tell.

This week we will cover: Flashpoint #2, Flashpoint Abin Sur #1, Flashpoint Batman Knight of Vengeance #1, Flashpoint Secret Seven #1 and Flashpoint World of Flashpoint #1.

Wednesday Number Ones 6/1/11

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  50 Girls 50 #1, Fear Itself Deep #1, Foster Broussard #1, Reed Gunther #1 and Shinku #1.