Week in Review 11/26/11

Astonishing X-Men #44
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Mike McKone
Company: Marvel Comics

First off, the cover to this one is definitely one that has an immediate grab factor. That sounds stranger than I meant for it to, but I still stand by my statement. The comic inside, written by Greg (Hulk) Pak is quite good too. It's standard fare, but not run of the mill or boring, as it deals with Storm requiring a favor and some help from Cyclops. The focus on

All Star Western #3

Writers: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Moritat & Jordi Bernet
Company: DC Comics

Violent. Bloody violent. That's what All Star Western is and what it should be. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have been at the wheel of the character named Jonah Hex for a long time now. They've always put together a solid book, one that embodied who Jonah Hex is and the stories that he usually found himself in. With All Star however, things are a bit different. For the better. Including him in the DCU proper has been one of the best moves yet and essentially teaming him up with a burgeoning Amadeus Arkham allows a whole new take on the character to be seen.

Fantastic Four #600

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Steve Epting, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ming Doyle, Leinil Francis Yu, & Farel Dalrymple
Company: Marvel Comics

To be completely honest, I had lost interest in the story that Jonathan Hickman was forming in the pages of FF over the past few months. When the focus of the book strayed from the main players to a few background characters, namely the Supreme Intelligence and the Inhumans, my interest dropped off the face of the map and spiraled into Don't Caresville. Those characters are tough sells to begin with and the story was boring and felt like a huge deviation from what had been building into a tense and memorable tale. After reading this 600th issue, I feel the need to go back to those issues and catch up. Why? Because taken as a hole, though those issues may have been

Week in Review 11/19/11

Amazing Spider-Man #674
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Company: Marvel Comics

With Spider Island having seen its conclusion, Peter Parker picks up the pieces of his life and shoulders on. Slott still has that mixture of things that work and things that don't in this book. The revitalization of an old villain by making him the leader of a group of Emo teenagers causing mayhem doesn't jibe all that well and makes them seem like rejects out of Rumble Fish. On the other hand,

Catwoman #3

Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Guillem March
Company: DC Comics

After the "controversy" of the first issue, not much has really been said about our favorite feline anti-hero. Whether that's because it was written off as a tawdry book who's only reason for existence was to show some skin and have page after page of sexual innuendo or for some other reason, I don't know. For me, Catwoman has fast become the sleeper hit of the DC relaunch. Yes, it's tawdry and unrelentingly dark, but Winick is pulling the threads of a calculated and interesting story together, panel by panel, inch by inch.

The cover, drawn by March, is telling and gives us a quick glimpse of what is to be found inside. The use of

Justice League #3

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Jim Lee
Company: DC Comics

While a few DC books have been floundering, Geoff Johns' foray into the land of the Justice League continues to be one of the most entertaining titles of the relaunch. Why? Because every single issue that's come out is packed to the gills with so much stuff that it has a re-readability quality that many other books don't. It's also that cool combination of stage magic where it has both flash and substance that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This third issue is no different. Right off the bat it is our introduction to Wonder Woman's character and then once that has been established, goes right into the chaos as Parademons begin their attack for Darkseid on various cities all around the world.

Avenging Spider-Man #1

Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Joe Madureira
Company: Marvel Comics

A very middle of the road affair, all told. Sometimes you hate to say certain things about comics, especially when you know that they are issues that people are looking forward to, but it's true, Avenging Spider-Man is the perfect example of what a "Middle of the Road" comic looks like. That said, it's big news that Joe Madureira has returned to the land of comics (even though it shall more than likely be a brief visit). Like Jim Lee, he's one of those beloved creators that had an intense artistic impact on a huge group of people years ago and created a huge fan-base that constantly crave something new from him. His X-Men and Battle Chasers are of course still held in high regard, so yes, him on a Spider-Man title is a big deal.