Batman Incorporated # 7

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham
Company: DC Comics

Say what you will about Grant Morrison.  I know for a fact that a lot of people haven't cared for his run on Batman, that they feel that his version of the character doesn't work and the weirdness that he's known for just feels wrong in the superhero context.  I can see that to some extent.  Morrison does bring the strange and throughout his run he's had Batman lose his mind, kill a god, die, travel through time, save the world from total annihilation, and out Bruce Wayne as Batman's financier.  I can see how some people might think that these things compromise a character who's essentially supposed to be the greatest detective and battle thugs and villains on the streets of Gotham.  These are strange, very out there ideas, no doubt

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.