Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes: Season 1 Review

Writers: Chris Yost, Brandon Auman, Keven Burke, Chris Wyatt, Michael Ryan, Paul Giacoppo, Joel Sellner, Eugene Son, and Brian Reed

Directors: Vinton Heuck and Sebastion Montes

Starring: Brian Bloom, Chris Cox, Phil Lamarr, Eric Loomis, Gabriel Mann, James C. Mathis III, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Fred Tiasciore, Rick D. Wasserman, and Wally Wingert

The history of cartoons based on Marvel comics is mixed bag of super hero cartoons. From older cartoons that weren't that well animated, to cartoons in the 90's that weren't that well animated, most of the shows made before the year 2000 just weren't that good. Even cartoons that were a beloved part of many fans' childhood, such as the X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons from the 90s, just haven't aged too well. Still, in recent years a few gems have emerged, such as X-Men: Evolution, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, and Wolverine and the X-Men. These were series that not only had great animation, but were also well written, fun shows that any animation junkie can enjoy.

Last year, The Avengers got a new series called Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The series follows the Marvel Universe's greatest team with a very classic line-up of Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, Captain America, Black Panther, and Hawkeye.

Now, right out the door, this show is a little tough to get into. The team doesn't actually form until the seventh episode, with the first five episodes being introductions to the various team members with the sixth and seventh episodes telling the story of how the Avengers came together. These are a rough seven episodes, with Captain America's episode being the strongest of the first five and the two-parter being just alright.

Things pick up a bit over the next few episodes as the team begins to get some more interaction. One of the things the writers really got down well is how the Avengers are very flawed individuals. Iron Man is the cool jerk leader whose ego often gets the better of him. Ant-Man is a good natured scientist, but is a little too hesitant to take action at times. Hulk and Thor are both a little too violent.

The writers also do a great job of putting some conflict in there with these characters. Hulk and Thor are quite stand-offish in the beginning. Iron Man and Thor will often argue about just how useful earth technology is. On the flip side, there are times where the conflicts can be a little cheesy, with the worst offender being a mid-season episode where Iron Man and Cap have an argument over whether having a well trained body or technology feeling a little weak considering that these are both rather intelligent men.

Perhaps the biggest strength of this show is just how well it was planned out. While the first seven episodes aren't very strong, they each have elements and plot points that carry throughout the first season and that pay off so well in the long run, with a few future threads hung out there to boot. It really helps that there is such a wealth of stories to draw from, with elements from the comics and movies.

For the truly nerdy at heart, there are also some really cool easter eggs thrown into the show. One example is James Howlett (aka Wolverine) being in the Howling Commandos in the Captain America episode. At another point, Hawkeye jokes that the Avengers should move to the West Coast. It's things like these that show that the writers really care to show that they know the base material well and intend to use it to the fullest.

If the show has any real weakness, it's that it may not be aesthetically pleasing to everyone. This is a very stylized series. Still, designs are very close to the original looks of their comic counterparts, save for Iron Man, who looks more inline with his look from the movies and Wasp, who sports a completely original design. Of all the designs, my favorite is Ant-Man, who has a really cool costume that uses the classic Ant-Man design when he shrinks, and the Giant Man design for when he grows into a giant.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an all around great cartoon. After the initial hump, which pays off later on, the series really picks up and shows it's stuff as perhaps the finest Marvel cartoon yet. If you love the Avengers, or even just cartoons in general, give this series a look. It can be found on Disney XD, Marvel's website, and on Netflix Instant Streaming.

Comics I Like: Procrastination Edition!

Hey, look at the time! It's REVIEWING TIME! Sorry for procrastinating on these so much lately, I've really been getting distracted by my 3DS. Between replaying Super Mario 64DS and Cave Story and finally playing Ocarina of Time (I'm ashamed to admit that it's taken me this long to play this game), watching Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Which I will do a large review of when I'm all caught up) and Doctor Who (not so much reviewing this one, but I am loving it), I've distracted myself a little too much to do these little reviews. Still, here I am, with a bunch of comics I've been reading. I'm even dipping into non-creator owned stuff with this post! So let's get to it.

INDIE COMICS

The Goon #34

Writer and Artist: Eric Powell

It's been quite a while since the last issue of The Goon came out, so it's really nice to have this series back. This issue, Powell tackles the Twilight phenomenon in one of the best introductions to a comic I've ever read. He really does a great job of satirizing the Twilight style vampires and even provides us with a cover that I'd love to have on a T-Shirt.

But, oh, Twilight is only the beginning, as the Goon decides that it's time to take the fight to the source itself: tween girls. Yes, for too long we've had to sit by and watch these young lasses flood the airwaves with terrible things like Twilight, the Jonas Brothers, and dozens of other terrible, horrible forms of entertainment that no one should ever be forced to endure. Powell tackles this subject with his usual style of crude humor and he does so very well. If you haven't been reading The Goon, give this issue a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Verdict: BUY IT

RASL #11

Writing and Art: Jeff Smith

Much like The Goon, it's been a little bit since the last issue of RASL hit. Unlike The Goon, this isn't a one-and-done story. Still, this is yet another solid chapter in Jeff Smith's latest book. This issue has a really neat, trippy sequence in it, too, as our hero finds himself disconnecting with reality as a result of his travels between alternate timelines. If you've been reading this series so far, then you'll really be intrigued by the big event of this issue.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this issue to new readers. If you haven't been reading this one, put out the money for the large hardcovers or the paperback pocket edition. Otherwise, you'll really find yourself confused with what's going on. Still, I do recommend that you read this series, because RASL is such a good read. Don't miss out on it.

Verdict: BUY THE COLLECTED VOLUMES INSTEAD

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Sean Murphy

Colorist: Dave Stewart

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

I have a confession to make: I haven't been reading American Vampire. I'm ashamed of myself. It's got one of my favorite artists, Rafael Albuquerque, providing art that's finally getting him noticed and it's apparently an amazing read. So needless to say, I took this opportunity to get started on the series with American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest. This miniseries follows two of the characters from the main book as they go on a mission to take down Nazi Vampires before they can be unleashed onto the battle field. So we've got secret agents fighting Nazi Vampires using guns that fire wooden bullets? Awesome.

Sadly, regular series artist Rafael Albuquerque isn't providing art on this miniseries. Fortunately, Joe the Barbarian artist Sean Murphy is providing the art. Needless to say, said art is fantastic here. Heck, this may be a case where I pick up a series more for the art than for the writing. Considering how fantastic the writing is on this mini, that's really saying something.

Verdict: BUY IT

Marvel, DC, and Everything Else!

Sonic The Hedgehog #226

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Patrick Spaziante and Tracy Yardley

Inker: Terry Austin

Colors: Matt Herms

Letterer: Matt Workman

First up on the Non-independently owned side of things is Sonic the Hedgehog, a comic that I'm actually jumping back onto. This issue is the first part of the Sonic: Genesis story line, in which writer Ian Flynn hits the reset button and sends the story back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Needless to say, this issue is one huge nostalgia trip as our hero traverses the Green Hill and Marble Zones. Long time fans won't lose too much, as Freedom Fighters Sally, Antoine, and Rotor join him in his adventures. The story is light and fun, which is great because fans old and young alike will find themselves enjoying this one.

Perhaps the strongest element of this comic is the art, which is great. Spaz and the other artists really do a great job of bringing the classic games to life, bringing back some of the classic designs. This works especially well with Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik himself, who is back to his orignal design. Every page is like a window into my childhood, where I spent hours in front of my Sega Genesis playing old Sonic games.

If you're looking for a nice piece of 90's nostalgia, give Sonic the Hedgehog a shot.

Verdict: BUY IT

Batman: Knight of Vengeance #2

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Eduardo Risso

Of all the Flashpoint tie-ins out there, I'm only reading two different series. Of those series, Batman: Knight of Vengeance is far and away the better of the two. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that this is the best event tie-in series I've ever read. The story revolves around the Flashpoint timeline Batman as he searches for the Joker, who has kidnapped the children of Harvey Dent. The big twist of the issue is just who the Joker is, though I actually saw it coming by the time I was halfway through the issue. Still, just the way they reveal the Joker's identity and just what the Joker does at the end of the issue is powerful enough that it still pays off.

Mr. Azzarello really does a fantastic job weaving this story of a darker, older Batman and the fact that it's Thomas Wayne who fights to avenge Bruce's death makes this twisted image all the more intriguing. I think what I love most about this story is that you could actually remove the Flashpoint banner as this could stand alone as an Elseworlds' title. You don't need to know why this world is the way it is and you don't need to know that this Batman is helping Barry Allen fix this dark reflection of the DC universe. All you need to know is that this is Thomas Wayne a man who lost his family that night, who now fights crime as the Batman.

Verdict: BUY IT

Amazing Spider-Man #665

Writer: Dan Slott

Artist: Ryan Stegman

Inker: Michael Babinski

Colorist: John Rauch

Letterer: VC's Joe Carmagna

Finally, we have Amazing Spider-Man #665, the final issue before we start huge Spider Island storyline. This issue focuses on how Pete's new chapter in life affecting his tradition of taking in crappy movies with his good friend and former love interest Betty Brant. Sadly, Pete's new job and his membership in the Future Foundation and the Avengers, on top of his regular Spider-Man duties keep him from taking part in their favorite passtime. So when Betty decides to take in a movie she really wants to see by herself in a bad part of town and ends up getting mugged and seriously injured, Spider-Man goes on the hunt. Add in some touching moments in the main story and the back up and you get and this issue isn't too shabby.

Still, this isn't the strongest issue of ASM, and considering how close we are to Spider-Island, that really makes this issue stand out even less. It's still a good issue, just not a very strong one. That being said, the art in this issue is great. From that lovely cover up there (easily my favorite cover of the week) to the lovely interiors, this is a pleasure to look at.

Verdict: BUY IT

So that's it for now. I'll be back Thursday or Friday with a few of my favorite issues from this week, too. I'll also be back within the next two weeks with my thoughts on the first season of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. For now, however, I'm going to go get some sleep.

Indie Comics I Like: 6/1/2011

So now that I'm done being lazy and back to somewhat regular posting, it's time to return to the indie spotlight. Then I decided that was a dumb name and that "Indie Comics I Like" is better. This week I've got a new title from Image comics, plus four that I haven't gotten around to talking about. Oh, I'm also trying out a new Format for these short reviews. Feedback would be very awesome.

Reed Gunther #1

Writer: Shane Houghton

Artist: Chris Houghton

Reed Gunther And the Steak Snacking Snake! is the story of a Cowboy who rides a bear. Oh, and he's fighting a giant snake, too. If you can't tell how awesome that is just by reading that sentence or looking at that cover to the left, then there is no helping you.

So what's going on in said awesome comic? Well, in our fun filled first issue, Reed and his bear buddy Sterling are helping a cow herder save her cows from a giant, cow eating snake. It's a fun introduction to a world where a cowboy can ride a bear and giant snakes harbor thousands of tinier snakes. There's also a great sense of humor here, which goes hand in hand with the ridiculousness of the book. I found myself laughing at least once every page.

The art also suits the book really well; it's fun and cartoon-y. I'm used to first issues looking a little awkward since the artist usually hasn't gotten too used to drawing the characters yet, but right here everything's great. It also speaks levels of the artist that he can do so much with such simplistic face designs; you can tell what the characters feel and think just by looking at them.

All in all, this was a great first issue. If I had one criticism, it's that this is technically a reprint the with the first three issues of the series available on the book's website (issue 4 is sold out, sadly). That being said, reprinting through Image is a fantastic way of getting the title out there for more readers to try. It's also a great title for both older and younger readers, which is always a great thing in an industry so caught up in stuff that caters to older audiences.

Verdict: READ IT!

The Intrepids #4

Writer: Curtis J Wiebe

Artist: Scott Kowalchuk

Colorist: Donna Gregory

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Another great new title from Image is The Intrepids, a tale of youngsters with unique talents guided by a scientist named Dante. Their mission? Stop mad scientists like the evil Doctor Koi. It's a bit like the James Bond meets the X-men and it's blast to read. Much like Reed Gunther, this is a fun read, though this title is a bit darker.

This issue our heroes find themselves unsure of their mentor and theirs a bit of tension in their ranks. Our fearless leader, Crystal, isn't sure that Dante is being completely honest. Genius inventor Chester, however, believes that they should all be grateful and trust Dante. It's a nice little scene that doesn't eat up too much time and it provides a bit more depth for Chester's character. Of course this issue isn't all bickering and character moments; we get a few pages of super espionage.

Mr. Kowalchuk's art is great, too. I think the thing I appreciate most is that his women look like women in this line of work should. He's also got a real distinct look to his work. It doesn't look much like anything else I've ever seen and that's a great thing. I'd also do a disservice to not mention these lovely covers. Mr. Kowalchuk does a fantastic job of making overs that feel like classic comic book covers. I absolutely love it.

Overall, this is some good comic book. If you haven't picked it up yet, give it a try.

Verdict: READ IT!

Super Dinosaur #2

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Jason Howard

Letterer: Rus Wooton

If you read comics, you should know the name of Robert Kirkman. He's the guy who created The Walking Dead and Invincible, two of Image's best selling titles. Both are also pretty gruesome and definitely aren't for kids. Well now he's got a title that is for kids: Super Dinosaur! Super Dinosaur is the the story of Derek Dynamo and his best pal Super Dinosaur as they wage war on Max Maximus and his corrupted Dinos. This series is pure fun and you should give it a try. While it's a kid's title on the surface, there's enough meat in the story for older readers to get enjoyment out of it, too. Also, it has a Dinosaur with robot arms, which is automatically great. The only real issue here is that the dialog can be a bit off at times, and there was one moment that felt like it was a toy advertisement. Outside of that, though, everything here is a-okay.

Verdict: READ IT!

Gladstone's School for World Conquerors #1

Writer: Mark A. Smith

Artist: Armand Villavert

Colorist: Carlos Carrasco

Letterer: Fenografiks

Gladstone's School for World Conquerors #1 is a comic about the students of the world's greatest school for super villainry. The story follows Kid Nefarious and his friends Martian Jones, Mummy Girl, and Ghost Girl as they attend the school in hopes of one day becoming super villains. But not is all as it seems as it looks like Super Heroes and Super Villains, much like Pro Wrestling, predetermine their fights ahead of time. This is a really great concept for a comic that is pulled off really well. It's also pretty funny, with perhaps the funniest moment being the short introduction to the school's history in the beginning. Also. like Super Dinosaur and Reed Gunther, the title is a great book for kids.

Verdict: READ IT!

Nonplayer #1

Writer and Artist: Nate Simpson

Okay, so while all the Other titles today are really good stuff, Nonplayer is hands down the best of the bunch. It's also the only title that I wouldn't say is necessarily kid-friendly. I'm also a month late on this one, so I won't spend too much time telling you how good it is when just about everyone else out there has been freaking out over it. Heck, it sold out it's first week on shelves and I had to wait for the second printing. Anyways, this is a comic about an MMO and it's pretty awesome. But as awesome as the story is, the art is what steals the show on this one. Perhaps the best part about the art is that I can't tell if it's CG or not and that it actually works so well; I usually hate static CG images, but here it's breathtakingly beautiful. Mr. Simpson has really created something awesome here and I feel so bad only giving it a short review, but I'm pretty sure you've all read this or read about it by now. There's nothing to really tell you other than asking "Isn't this awesome?"

Verdit: READ IT TWICE!

That's it for this week's indie books. I also think you should give Flashpoint #2 and Flashpoint: Batman: Kinght of Vengeance #1 a shot. I'm really digging Flashpoint so far and it looks like it's going to lead to a DC reboot, which I might just post about later tonight!

Flashpoint #1 Review

This week marks the beginning of DC's Flashpoint event. Written by Geoff Johns and featuring art from Andy Kubert, this is a book that looks to do for the Flash what the Sinestro Corps War did for Green Lantern. And considering how crazy good and event the Sinestro Corps War was, this book has a lot to live up to.

Right off the bat, we're hurled into the situation with Barry Allen waking up to find that his world has been rocked. He's no longer got his powers, he's no longer married to Iris West, and oh yeah, Superman and the Justice League no longer exists. This is a world where Europe has been ravaged by a war between Atlantis and Themyscira. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are tyrants. Batman is a murderer. Captain Cold is Citizen Cold, hero of Central. This is not the world Barry knows. And it is this world and it's introduction in this issue that will have me coming back for Flashpoint #2.

This is a great issue because it does a great job of introducing us to this broken world. And this is a world I want to know about, because it's pretty exciting. Take the Batman of this world, for example, who for the most part is the focus character in this issue. In many ways he's the same dark, brooding protector of Gotham that we know and love. But then he tosses a criminal he's trying to interrogate off of a building after she refuses to tell him what he wants to know. He's a very darker, angrier Batman. I think the most intriguing thing about him is his identity; that is something you'll have to find out for yourself, but it's the thing that's got me the most excited about this version of the character.

It doesn't hurt that this issue Andy Kubert's art, either. It makes this issue look mighty fine. One moment in particular, the scene where Barry realizes that he's no longer the Flash, was particularly nice. The sequence of Barry falling down the steps was a great play on the usual Flash panels where you see him doing cool stuff while running. There's also the two page splash where Cyborg introduces the team he wants to assemble to battle Aquaman and Wonder Woman. It's a great ensemble of the characters in this book and while it isn't especially exciting, it is really good looking.

Still, I'm not completely sold on this series yet. We've been introduced to this awesome little world, but now we need to have something happen in that world. Barry Allen has a challenge to overcome and hopefully that ends up. But what worries me is that the lead up to this point, the Flashpoint Prelude from the main Flash book, was boring and drawn out much too long. It could have easily been told in one or two issues less than it was. That's the kind of drawn out, decompressed story telling that can kill an event outright. And Johns suffered that kind of problem with Blackest Night. Still, with only five issues to fill up I'm a little optimistic that this can work. Give Flashpoint #1 a shot; you won't regret it.

The Verdict: READ IT.

TWR: Indie Spotlight (3/02-08/2011)

Well boys and girls, it's time for the weekly round-up. This week we've got two comics from Dark Horse, one of my personal favorite publishers, so let's get right to it!

We start things off with a book that I've been very excited for ever since it was announced at last year's SDCC, Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth. This is the first issue of a three issue mini-series that has Axe Cop and his team of heroes facing off against the entire world in what is sure to be one amazing adventure. Heads will get chopped, dinosaurs will be armed to the teeth, and babies and chickens will be dumb.

For those of you uninitiated with Axe Cop (which can be found at Axecop.com), it's a series about a cop who finds the perfect fireman's axe and does the only logical thing; he fights crime with the help of his partner Flute Cop (or Dinosaur soldier, Avocado Cop, or any number of his different forms that he takes at any given time.) The series is a web comic created by brothers Ethan (age 30, the artist) and Malachai (age 6, the visionary) and their playtime adventures. The comics has been online for a over year now and in that time the characters have teamed up with Moon Warriors to battle, fought the Ultimate Battle, and even saved Christmas. So needless to say, this series rocks more than a Viking riding in the sky on top of a fire breathing robot dinosaur while playing a wicked guitar solo.

This first issue of Bad Guy Earth is no different and is packed full of amazing moments, such as Axe Cop and Dinosaur Soldier blowing up a bad guy planet. One moment that I loved in particular is in the middle of the issue, when Axe Cop has a dream about a crying dinosaur and immediately knows that he must go back in time and save the dinosaurs. Yes, when your comic has the line "I have no time for that, I have to go back in time and save the dinosaurs" there's no way your book isn't awesome. Another spectacularly hilarious moment is when Axe Cop and Dinosaur Soldier are facing off against the normal cops (actually, just the panel of Axe Cop scoffing at the normal cops alone is hilarious) who want to arrest them for breaking all the cop rules and our heroes have to use weapons like "knock out gas" and "knock out bullets" because the normal cops are good guys. It's exactly something that I could see myself coming up with as a kid and it's wonderful for it.

Of course Malachai's story (which is the main draw) is only half of the awesome here, because Ethan's art is what brings Malachai's vision to life and translates it perfectly. You can tell that he really has a love and understanding of his little brother's creation and wants to show the world the kids vision as best as he can. His art is a crystal clear window into the mind of pure fun and adventure that exists within young Malachai. Everything in this book, be it Axe Cop himself or any of the other colorful characters like the pet T-Rex Wexter are all rendered so well because this is clearly a labor of love for the older brother. And it's that love that really makes this comic into something special.

You can buy Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 at your nearest comic shop and you can also pick up the first volume of the web series while you're at it. If you want to read more from Ethan Nicolle, he'll soon have "Bearmageddon" up on the web or you can pick up copies of his old comic "Chumble Spuzz".

The other book I'm highlighting this week is Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. Usagi is a character that just about everyone from my age group should recognize, as he appeared in a few episodes of the old and new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even had a figure or two in the TMNT toy line. He's also starred in his own series for over two decades now. In fact, when I think of creator owned comic books characters, Usagi is definitely the first character that comes to mind for me.

This issue we find Usagi coming across the path of the Lord of the Owls, a mysterious figure who may or may not be the grim reaper. Every line of his is about how his opponent shall live or die and when he's just a down right creepy character. When Usagi mistakenly thinks he's murder some priests, he attacks and there's actually a moment where you think Usagi is about to meet his end. Sakai really does a great job with the suspense here and I really felt myself feeling anxious when it looked like this was the end for our long eared samurai hero.

While Sakai's writing is great, it is immensely over shadowed by his art. The man is a master cartoonist and every page is full of eye candy. His facial expression tell you exactly what his characters are feeling at that moment. One of my favorite things that Sakai does is how he expresses death in this book, which is to show a rough looking though bubble with a skull in it. It's a rather creative way to show that someone has died and it's one of the various ways that help Sakai stand out in a medium where so many artist just blend into the crowd.

You can pick up Usagi Yojimbo at your local comic shop and there's plenty of material to dig into.

And there you have it, two more really good creator owned comics that everyone should be reading. Come back next week for some more indie comics that you should be reading.

TWR Returns!: Indie-Spotlight (2/23-3/02/2011)

I'M BACK BABY! After taking a bit of a hiatus, The Weekly Round-Up has returned. And we're immediately coming back with something special: for the next year (and maybe onward), TWR will feature nothing but independent comics. That's right, in common Pig's Pen fashion (read: several week's late) I'm getting behind the Indie creators movement and showing you my favorite indie comics. And we start off with two books from Red5 comics! Atomic Robo and Bonnie Lass!

The penultimate issue of the latest volume of Atomic Robo, "Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science" saw it's release this week. This time around, we're meeting a younger, much less experienced Robo, as he teams up with the masked vigilante Jack Tarot to take down a group of gangsters that have been stealing various pieces of technology. This issue our heroes find themselves inching closer to finally cracking their case and finding out who's behind all the robberies and stopping them before their fiendish plans can be fulfilled.

What's really sets this volume apart from the others is that the sci-fi side of things really takes a bit of a back seat to a detective story. There's less talking dinosaurs and more gangsters than usual, though there is a Giant robot henchman, created by none other than Robo's greatest foe, Thomas Edison. But other than that, this is your standard pulp story.

Of course the story isn't all gun fights and criminals, there's also Clevinger's spectacular brand of comedy. Robo and Jack play off of each other well, with Robo playing the part of the naive sidekick to Jack, the grumpy vigilante. Scenes like a flashback of the two taking on Edison's robot are just oozing with hilarity, especially seeing Robo with a gun or entering Jack's hideout through the secret entrance in a very conspicuous way.

We also get to see Robo's humanity in this volume. There's a lot of great material between Tesla and Robo, showing they're less than perfect father/son relationship. There's also his relationship with Jack's daughter Helen, where we see that, yes, a Robot can love.

With only one issue left, this is looking to be one of the best volumes of Atomic Robo ever. So give this title a look, because it's hands down my favorite comic book ever.

Now, however, it looks like Atomic Robo has got some competition for his throne of Red5's best comic. This week I downloaded the first two issues of Bonnie Lass: The Legend on my iPhone. This is a title that caught my eye through the ads printed on the back of the last few issues of Atomic Robo. From the minds of Michael Mayne and Tyler Fluharty, this is (obviously) the tale of Bonnie Lass, a young pirate and her two side kicks, Trick Fischer and (her brother) Ben Lass.

The three have come across a quite a mystery as a little trinket a client wanted them to retrieve looks to be more that originally thought. Now, on top of having a bounty on their heads, the gang have some very bad people on their butts. In the first issue we get to watch Bonnie and crew as they manage to pull off a very daring escape and Mayne and Fluharty show us that they're a hell of a team, crafty a great first issue. Comedy and Action are a plenty here.

Issue two gives us a bit of Bonnie and Ben's backstory. The two were the children of the legendary pirate Cuttlass, a legacy that Bonnie wishes to not only live up to, but crush. This issue really does a great job of fleshing out out heroes, all the while moving the plot along. We end up with quite a cliff hanger two, as our heroes find themselves in a mighty sticky situation. Needless to say, I'm loving this series and I'm eager to get my hands on he next issue.

Of course the writing is only half the story here; this book has some fantastic art that perfectly compliments it's story. Mr. Mayne's fluid, cartoony art is a joy to the eyes. His action scenes are lively and exciting. There's some major anime influence in his art too, which he really does well. There's not a moment in this book that doesn't look spectacular. My only regret is that I don't own a copy of this in print. Hopefully the trade paperback comes out soon, because I'm eager to have a copy to keep with my collection. I really can't praise this art enough.

Atomic Robo can be found at your local comic shop for $3.50 a pop, or you can find both Atomic Robo and Bonnie Lass through Comixology's digital distribution on the iPhone, iPad, PSP, or comics.comixology.com. You can also go to Red5comics.com for both and bonnielasscomic.blogspot.com.

And there you have it: two of Red5's finest, books that no one should be missing out on. Hopefully you enjoy these fantastic little funny books as much as I do. As for me, I'm off to go read these books again.

The (Very Late) Weekly Round-Up: 11/10/10

Hey there loyal readers! I had a wedding to help prepare for and then go to last week, so I wasn't going to do last week's Weekly Round-Up. Then I got my comics for this week and holy crap was there some awesome stuff. Not talking about everything this week, but I will cover the 4-way tie for my issue of the week. Each one is a great book and each one is worth the cover price on the front.

If I had to pick one book of the four, I think Amazing Spider-Man #648 would take the spot for various reasons. For one thing, It's a huge comic: the main story is 39 pages with an 8 page back-up to go along with it. For $4 there aren't many other comics that pack that much of a value. And it's not just a great value, it's easily the best one-shot Spider-Man story of the year. And that's counting those Rhino issues ( #617 and #626 if I remember correctly) which were both amazing issues.

The main story is actually two stories in one, but each one centers around the idea of Peter Parker (in both personas) going "Big Time". The first half centers around Spider-Man and the his teammates from the Avengers working together to face off against Doctor Octopus' army of "Macro-Octobots" from destroying New York City. The next part focuses on Pete's non-heroing life, with his roomate Michele moving back to Chicago and Pete looking to get his living arrangements figure out. While the second half isn't nearly as action packed as the first, it does a great job of introducing us to the supporting cast of the book.

For people staying on the book it's nothing major, but for people just hopping on, there's a lot that's changed since Brand New Day began and there are a few more changes that happen by the end of the story. One big change is Pete's new job as a scientist at Horizon Labs, which is described as both an Apple Store and Willy Wonka's Factory mixed togther and "Pixar meets The Baxter Building". The overall story also does a great job of building on upcoming plotlines, such as the reformed Sinister Six (Doc Ock, Rhino, Mysterio, Electro, Chameleon, and Sandman) putting a huge plan together and the Kingpin hiring the Hobgoblin to steal an experimental replacement for Vibranium being made by Horizon Labs. Combine all of this with the delicious art stylings of Humberto Ramos and you've got one hell of an issue, with a nice back-up featuring Spider-Girl, who's about to get an ongoing of her own. This is a hell of an issue and easily a must read for fans of Spidey.

Atomic Robo is also out this week, with the first issue of the 5th volume of the series "Atomic Robo and the Dangerous Art of Science". This issue takes us back to the 1930's, where Robo is still living with Tesla. What's awesome about this issue is we get to see a very different Robo than the one we're used to: in the first four volumes, we've gotten to know the Robo who was an "Action Scientist" who takes on Nazis, Lovecraftian monsters, and talking genius Raptors. Here, we get to see a younger Robo who's not nearly as focused. His fanboyish naivety over getting to see a masked man taking on mobsters is comedy gold. We're also going to see a bit more of the feud between Robo and his greatest enemy, Thomas Edison, which will be so awesome. It's a bit of a surprise to have it back so soon, I'm used to having almost a year between volumes, but it's good to have it back on my stack and I'm looking forward to seeing what Clevinger and Wegener have in store for us in the next few issues. And as usual, there's a few of those delicious Robo pin-ups from other artists that usually populate the back of the issue, though I'm sad to see the lack of a cool back-up story. Those are usually really fun to have.

Knight and Squire #2 is also out this week and it's a great read. If I had to describe this title, I think the best way is like this: Knight and Squire is what you'd get if the BBC had mad the old Adam West Batman show from the 60's. This issue we has the Dynamic Duo of the UK facing off against The Morris Men, a group of men looking to make England a place for the wealthy, straight, white man. The issue is a blast, with a mix of British charm and campy goodness that mix together just right. Now, I do have to warn you: if you aren't very familiar with British people talking, you're not going to understand a third of the dialog in this book. Cornell does a good job of explaining a good bit of it all with a short entry in the back explaining most of it for those who aren't familiar with Morris Men and even point out a few of the inspirations for some of the things going on in the issue itself. And for what you miss in dialog, the book makes up for in humor. One moment in particular, where Knight and Squire steal some disguises off of a pair of guards had me laughing out loud until my ribs hurt. If you're even remotely a fan of Batman and the idea of the Club of Heroes, then definitely pick this issue up.

And lastly, the 4th book tying for my "issue of the week" is Justice League: Generation Lost. This issue was the first thing I read this week and it's still the one that hit me the hardest. This issue has Magog facing off against Captain Atom in one huge smack down. It's one hell of a showdown with an ending that made me say "Oh $#!%" before putting down the book to take in what just happened. Before this series I was skeptical of Winick. After this issue I can now say that I take back anything I may have said about the man's writing. This is a fantastic read and a chilling issue. Max Lord is back and Judd Winick is showing us just how much of a crazy, evil, magnificent bastard he is. If you're looking for a Justice League book to read, this is the one you should be reading. This is the best new series from DC this year and if you haven't begun reading it yet, then go pick up the back issues or preorder the trades, because no one should be missing this.

And that's it for this week. 4 books that you should be reading, each one earning my choice as "issue of the week". Come back tomorrow or Thursday for this week's books, because Batman Incorporated is starting up and it's gonna be awesome!

The Weekly Round-Up: 11/3/10

Howdy-ho, girls and boys, it's The Weekly Round-Up! I took last week off for Halloween or in other words, I decided to be lazy last week and couldn't be bothered to write one paragraph of review for the comics I bought last week. But hey, this week I decided to grace all ten of you readers with my presence! Now then, onto the reviews, because this week has some awesome choices.

If I had to pick a winner for "Best Cover of the Week" It'd hands down go to this book right here, Superboy #1. That's right, the composite clone of Superman and Lex Luthor is getting a series of his own (because Adventure Comics couldn't have been that at all, right DC?) and Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo are ready to take him to new heights. Lemire, for those of you unfamiliar, is the writer behind the fantastic Vertigo book "Sweet Tooth" which is simply amazing. I'd talk about it more often, but I'm only buying it in trade these days and I'm a good deal behind on those. But enough about Lemire's other works, let's talk Superboy!

This issue is a first issue, which means it's introduction time. For an introduction to Superboy, this does it's job pretty damn well. Lemire also does a good job of picking up some of the cool elements of the Johns run from Adventure Comics run by introducing us to the two friends Connor made in that; Lori Luthor Lex's niece and Simon Valentine, boy scientist. It's nice to see that Lemire is not forgetting those two characters, because I liked them both in the 5 issues we got to meet them in and I'm really looking forward to what Lemire has in store for them. There's also a cool little fight between Superboy and Parasite that rounds out the issue and we end with a teaser at what's to come from this book in the future. Lemire is off to an interesting start here.

Art duties are handeled buy Pier Gallo and he does a great job with that. Smallville looks like a small farm town and Superboy and the other inhabitants are all drawn very well. And it's not all just pretty stuff, Parasite looks as gross and monstrous as he should. Still, the real star on art duties is the cover by one of my current favorites in the world of comic art, Rafael Albuquerque. Albuquerque's art combined with those amazing colors just make it stick right out on the shelf and makes me want to pick it up and own it.

So go buy Superboy today, because it's an awesome start to a promising book. But that's not the only thing I bought today!

Best value of the week goes to Amazing Spider-Man #647, which is the final curtain call for Brand New Day's revolving door of writers. Everyone contributes to this one and for 5 dollars you get a whole buttload of comic. So what's the good stuff here? Well first off is "Another Door" by Fred Van Lente with Max Fiumara on art. This is pretty much the primary wrap up story of BND. We've got Vin returning from his prison time, Harry starting his new life as a dad, and Carlie and Pete finally becoming a couple. It's a pretty good story and wraps everything up pretty well while also giving a decent amount of Spidey action, but it's far from the best story here.

The best story in this collection has to be "Norah's Last Night in NYC" written by Joe Kelly with J.M.Ken Nimura on art duties. these two also provided a fun little back up story at the beginning of The Gauntlet, and they're best known collaboration is the fantastic Image comic "I Kill Giants". Well here they come back together to weave yet another fantastically heartwarming tale about Pete's good friend Norah, who is apparently leaving New York to go back "home". when she doesn't give Pete the real reason he decides that maybe it's time for Spider-Man to show up and give a hand. Hilarity and heartwarming goodness ensues. While I'm looking forward to the Dan Slott "Big Time" era, it's stories like this that is really going to make me miss the wonderful adventure that was "Brand New Day". Hopefully this isn't the last time we're gonna be seeing Kelly handle Spider-Man because he's been one of my favorite writers on the book in the last year. And then there's Mr. Nimura who has only gotten to do 2 small stories for this book, which makes me sad because his stuff is outstanding. I really look forward to seeing what this team puts out next.

The only grip I have with this issue is that they do one of those cover galleries where all the covers are tiny to the point where you wonder what the point is. I don't want to look at tiny little thumbnails of these covers, I want these things big and beautiful as they should be! Overall, though, this is a great way to send off the "Brand New Day" team and while it's no ASM #600 it's still a great issue.

Speaking of the end of one story before a the beginning of something bigger, Batman and Robin #16 comes out this week and Grant Morrison ends his run on the book with a bang. Bruce Wayne is back and he's ready to lay the hurt onto Dr. Hurt. What's really cool here is that we're getting to see the first interactions between the Dick/Damian Batman and Robin team and Bruce. It doesn't last long because Bruce has to face off with Hurt while Dick and Damian head off to stop Professor Pyg. The two fights are great, with the duties being split between Cameron Stewart and Frazier Irving. While the two styles are definitely very different, both work equally as well as the other. This is a great way to send off this run. Batman Incorporated is just around the corner, which is the next chapter of Morrison's insanely awesome Batman run and we've got Paul Cornell stepping in for three issues on this book before Tomasi and Gleason step in to take over on this book. So I think it goes without saying that big things are coming on this title and that you better get ready for it.

Before we continue with this week, let's travel back in time to the land of last week. Halloween hadn't yet happened, the Giants weren't World Champs yet, and Hellboy and the Beasts of Burden teamed up for what was definitely the best comic of last week. That's right, Mike Mignola, Evan Dorkin, and Jill Thompson have teamed up to bring Dark Horse's best paranormal investigators together and the two go together better than chocolate and peanut butter! This book is scary, funny, creepy, adorable, and ass-kickingly awesome. Hellboy gets lost after helping some Amish people out and ends up in the BoB's world, where the two end up working together to put a stop to an evil soul and the crazy bag lady who is dedicated to bringing him back to life. Oh, and it's all rendered beautifully thanks to Jill Thompson's amazing art. So go out and pick this issue up, because it's great. And when you're done with it, go pick up the Beasts of Burden Hardcover!

Back in the present, Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente continue on their awesome Hercules run with Chaos War #3. Herc has his team of heroes assembled and he's ready to take on the Chaos King and his army of dead gods and heroes. This issue has some really great stuff going on, from Herc getting to share a touching moment with his dad, to the Chaos King getting ever closer to completing his goal of total annihilation of everything. With one issue left to go I can't help but wonder what this story has left in store for us and if this is it for the Pak/Van Lente Hercules extravaganza. It'd be a great way for this run to end no doubt, but these two are tearing it up so well that I'll be sad to see it go.

And that's it for what I have to talk about this week. Still not enough for ya? Well then do yourself a favor and pick up Iron Man/Thor by Abnett and Lanning, Secret Six by Gail Simone, and Strange Tales. As for me, I'm out. See you next week!

The Weekly Round-Up: 10/20/10

Hey there, anybody awesome enough to read this; it's time for the Weekly Round-Up! What's the Weekly Round-Up? It's where I get every comic I've read this week, pick out a few, and write a short review for each one because I'm too lazy to write up a full review for each individual comic! Now let's get started shall we?

This week saw the release of Kick-Ass 2 #1, the first chapter of the sequel to Mark Millar's crazy comic which got turned into one of my favorite movies from this year! This issue has us looking in on the current situations of both Kick-Ass and Hit Girl after the big finale from the first series. Kick-Ass is trying to step up his super hero game, which include getting training from Hit Girl as well as looking into joining a super hero team. Hit Girl, meanwhile, is trying to get back into living life with her mother and new step father, which means she might just have to give up her life as Hit Girl. Story wise, it's a slow start back, though it is a first issue so it's not like I was expecting anything huge to happen. Still, much like last book, we're given a small taste of what's to come towards the beginning of this issue and what's to come looks amazingly awesome. Mark Millar, you have me ready to buy issue two, so please don't let me down with this one! Art duties are still held by John Romita Jr. and I wouldn't have it any other way. The guy draws some great violence and he draws a pretty good showdown between Kick-Ass and some thugs. There's also a nice little thank you letter from Millar himself as well as a look at how one of the pages from this issue was made, which is always kind of cool to see. I'm still on the fence on whether or not I'm going to buy all of this volume in issues: if I'm going to be waiting 2 years for 6 issues again, I'll just wait for the collected version. But if you liked the first one and you want at least a taste of what's to come this time around, pick this issue up!

This week also so the release of Carnage #1 by Zeb Wells and Clayton Cain. That's right, Marvel decided that it was time to bring Carnage back! Okay, I know how horrible that sounds; I'm not a fan of the guy either, but I picked this issue up because it's being penned by Zeb Wells, the guy who wrote the fantastic "Shed" story in Amazing Spider-Man a few months back. If he can make the Lizard awesome again, I have no doubt he can make Carnage into something other than a crap relic of the 90's! So does this first issue have me sold on this series at all? I'm still not sure, myself. The dialog here is good enough, and it's not too bad a start, but this issue has heavy reference to Maximum Carnage, which I've never heard anything good about (except for the SNES game based on it; that was awesome). We've got the Spider-Man doppleganger showing up and Shriek even shows up towards the end. Spider-Man even recounts a small bit of what happened in Maximum Carnage and how Carnage has the ability to make people go crazy. Wells already visited something like this in "Shed", so to see him maybe bringing an element like this into another one of his stories so soon is a bit alarming. And at $4 an issue for a mini bringing back a character I'm not sure should even come back I really need to be sold before I can recommend this to anyone else. So if you're really looking to feed that itch for Carnage, give this one a look. For everyone else, give this a small skim through at the LCS. I'm probably coming back for issue two, but I'm not sure I'll be going much farther than that.

Speaking of characters I wasn't sold on getting redemption: Jeff Parker's Hulk #26 is out this week and the big red jerk is actually proving to be a really good read! We start right back where we left off last issue with Rulk and Iron Man facing off with the cyborg drones from last issue. That doesn't last too long, as Rulk gets that solved rather quickly. We also get to see Thor smack Rulk around for a bit before the two are sent off into space to stop two comets from crashing into earth and doing some serious damage. We've also got the A-Bomb back-up which isn't too shabby itself. Parker is doing a great job writing this series so far and I look forward to seeing where he's going next.

Meanwhile, over at DC, Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin continues this week, with the penultimate issue of Morrison's run seeing release this week. This issue starts us off with Robin kidnapped by the Joker, Batman captured by Hurt and his cronies, and Gotham on the brink of destruction thanks to Hurt's plan. This issue has Robin kicking some ass, Hurt almost taking the win, and a final page that has me excited to see where this final issue of the run is going to take us! Not to be out done by the writing, Frazier Irving does a magnificent job on the art duties in this issue; I may still miss the glorious styling of Frank Quietly, but with Irving around I think I can live. Hopefully next issue isn't delayed too long, because I'm ready for it already, as well as the final issue of "The Return of Bruce Wayne". Add on top of all that the promise of the upcoming Batman Incorporated, and I'm as giddy as a school girl!

Finally this week, we've got Darkwing Duck #5. This is the start of the book's second story arc, and is the perfect jumping on point for anyone who hasn't done so yet. Negaduck is back and he's looking to take Darkwing down. This time, however, he's teaming up with a powerful ally that Ducktales fans might recognize: Magica de Spell! Their plan: destroy Darkwing's reputation by hypnotizing various Darkwings from alternate worlds and having them wreak havoc! To say that I'm loving this book would be a huge understatement: this is the book I find myself looking forward to more than any! It's funny, it's well written, and it isn't afraid to be a comic book, and I love it for that. And on top of all that, this is a comic that can be entertaining while still being for both kids and adults. There's only a handful of comics that can say that and as far as I'm concerned, this is the best of them! If you're planning on picking up only one comic this week, this is the comic you should be buying! I know how much wank I'm writing for this title, but it deserves every last bit of that wank and it deserves every last bit of praise and money I can give it.

And that's if for the Weekly Round-Up! But before I go I do have one last thing to add: DC Comic Presents: Batman 100-Page Spectacular is out this week and it's got some fantastic Batman reprints from none other than Ed Brubaker. It's an $8 book, but it's damn good and if you've got the money to dish out for it, get it! It's awesome. I'm also going to write up a full review for Strange Tales 2 #1 at some point in the next two days, so look for that!

The Weekly Round-Up: 10/6-13/10

Hey there, people who actually read my my reviews! Looks like I missed last week's reviews. I'd apologize, but I missed it so I could watch Doc Halladay throw a no-hitter in his first post-season game, so suck it! Still, I guess I could talk about last week's comics along with this week's because that's just the kind of guy I am. So let's get started with what I read and liked (or maybe even didn't like) from the last two weeks!

First up is Shadowland: Spider-Man by Dan Slott and Paulo Siquera. Now, I gave up on Shadowland about a month or two ago because I just could not care less about it. Still, when I saw this I couldn't help but pick it up because Spider-Man and Shang Chi teaming up is totally awesome. The story centers around Spider-man and Shang-Chi facing off against Mr. Negative and his gang of unkillable demon gangster. Seems Negative decided that he'd take advantage of Daredevil's crazy Shadowland crap and make his territory bigger. Our heroes follow and decide to get into the mix-up between Negative's gang and DD's Hand Ninja. Honestly, I don't think this one-shot even NEEDS the Shadowland name on it because you could take out all the Shadowland elements here and it would still work as well as it does. This could have just been the "Spider-man and Shan-Chi One-Shot", which might have made it even better because it would mean I wouldn't have to buy into ANYTHING Shadowland related. Hell, this could have just been a one off issue of Amazing Spider-Man and it would do just as well. Anyway, if you're looking for some good ol' fashioned Marvel Team-Up-ing, then give this one a shot (see what I did there?)

Next up is Amazing Spider-Man: Back in Quack by Stuart Moore, Mark Brooks, Ray Height, and Joe Suitor, with a cover by Scottie Young. The best thing about this issue is the cover by Scottie Young. The actual issue itself isn't very good; the story centers around Howard the Duck and his lovely lady Bev being brainwashed by a company called "S.O.O.Ph.I." (which stands for "The Service Organization Of Philanthropic Individuals") and Spider-Man having to snap them out of it and stop S.O.O.Ph.I. from turning all of New York into a bunch of cynical sarcastic jerks. The story has a nice little moral about how being cynical doesn't make you cool and witty and how we should always just think for ourselves, which I think is a great message. Unfortunately, it accomplishes this through unfunny, stiff dialogue, a bad "Caturday" reference, a random quote that just comes out of nowhere, and a story that just feels garbled. There's one funny joke in the entire book, which is the "EMAX BLANDITRON" screens that are used for brainwashing. In a book starring Spider-Man and Howard the Duck, you should have more than one successful joke: the book should be stuffed with humor. This is just bad. There's also a Swamp Thing story which isn't too bad, but feels a bit out of place. The overall interior art duties are odd, half of the main story gets split with the second half looking so much better than the first and the Swamp Thing story looking appropriately depressing. Honestly, I can't recommend this to anyone: if you want a really good current Howard the Duck story, Marvel Zombies 5 by Fred Van Lente has him AND Machine Man and is totally awesome. You should go read that. If you want good Spider-Man, Amazing or Ultimate flavors should satisfy you.

Speaking of Amazing Spider-Man, that came out this week! Mark Waid's "Origin of Species" continues as Spider-Man continues to face down an onslaught of bad guys and in this issue he's gotten serious. We've got Spider-Man hunting down each and every masked criminal that has accepted Doc Ock's offer and he's showing them: a) why they call him the AMAZING Spider-Man and b) why you don't mess with him. If you like seeing Spider-Man kick ass for 22 straight pages of comic, then you might want to give this issue a read. Art duties are handled by Paul Azaceta and Matthew Southworth on pencils and the two blend so well together that I didn't even know that there were two different pencilers until I looked at the credits page. Maybe they're that good together of maybe Javier Rodriguez's coloring is that damned good, but either way I enjoyed the art here. There's also Stan Lee and Marcos Martin's back-up, which comes to a close in a way that I didn't quite see coming and that I really enjoyed. It's good to see Stan the man back on one of the books that made him the legend he is today and I hope he and Martin will team-up again some time soon to provide another fun little tale like this!

Meanwhile, at DC, Batman is trapped in time and he's got 5 different books this week: I only bought one of those and that one is BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #5! This is the penultimate issue of Grant Morrison's insanely awesome tale of Batman in time and in this issue he's found himself caught up in an investigation of his own parents' murder. Things aren't quite what they seem though and a few threads that showed up in Batman RIP seem to be coming back. And to top it all off it looks like Red Robin and the Justice League have run out of time in their mission to stop time itself from being destroyed! Grant's writing the hell out of this series and I'm excited to see where this last issue will take us. Art in this book is handled by Ryan Sook and Pere Perez, with Sook providing some amazingly awesome noirish art and Perez taking over for the last 8 pages which include and crazy final page that has me pumped for what the next issue will bring.
Also in the Batman world this week is issue #1 of Paul Cornell's Knight and Squire mini! For those of you who don't know, Knight and Squire are the british Batman and Robin and they're awesome. And it's being written by (as I previously stated) Paul Cornell who is tearing it up on Action Comic right now, doing an amazing job with his Lex Luthor story. This first issue is a great little one-off introducing us to the world of British Super Heroes and Villains, who are all a lot more chill than they're American counter parts. "How much more chill" you ask? Well they all share drinks with each other in a magical truce bar once a month where nobody can fight because it's been magically made to keep fighting from happen. I love this issue and I love the idea of getting to see this awesome side of the DC universe. Jimmy Broxton and Guy Major, the art team on this book, manage to make this book all the better with they're combination of quirky art and awesome coloring. This is just an all around awesome book and if you're looking for another Batman book to pick up that isn't some lame tie-in than this is your book!

What else is awesome from DC? Why, it's Justice League Genereation Lost, issue number 11! What's so awesome about this issue? Well it's got the freaking Metal Men in it, and that's insanely awesome! That's right, Fire, Ice, and Rocket Red must work together to face off with the robot team, who Max Lord has had reprogrammed into thinking they're some magical fantasy world guardians of this princess. And then they combine into that robot thing on the cover and I can only find myself thinking one thing: Max Lord has had the Metal Men reprogrammed into thinking they're VOLTRON! If that's not awesome to you, than you need to find a new reality, because you suck at living in this one. With each and every issue, this series continues to be one of the best damn books I'm reading from DC and I can't wait to see where it goes next, because it's just fantastic. Thank you Judd Winnick for making what is officially THE Justice League book as far as I'm concerned. Now give me an awesome issue of Blue Beetle and I will offer up my unborn child to you as a token of my appreciation.

That's it for me talking about books this week, but this isn't the extent of what I got and enjoyed so here's a list of other titles that I'm enjoying that you should be reading: Invincible Iron Man (Matt Fraction is tearing it up on this book and Stark Resilient just keeps getting better!), Booster Gold (Those of you who miss Ted Kord should be reading this!), Green Lantern Emerald Warriors (It's got Guy Gardner kicking ass!), Green Lantern (The Blue entity shows up!), The New Avengers (It's crazy awesome!). There's also some Thor books, but you'll have to wait for some point this weekend for A THORSDAY REVIEW OF AWESOMENESS! See you then!

The Weekly Round-Up: 09/29/10

Another week, another stack of comics and this week had some really good comics! So let's get started with this week's first book

We'll start off with a book I didn't think I'd ever be reading: Hulk! Yes, the one with the big red guy. The one that had Jeph Loeb's name on it until very recently. Well, I decided to give Jeff Parker's run on the book a chance; the guy is doing well on Atlas and Thunderbolts, so I can't go wrong here, right? Well, it could, but luckily for me it didn't. The issue itself is a pretty good jumping on point; Rulk's now under the watch of Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers, so that means he's playing on the good guy's side, whether he wants to or not. Of course the real surprise here is the art, which I thought was going to be the delicious Ed McGuinness art on the cover (the cover actually states otherwise, but I'm an idiot.) At first that put me off a little; the art by Mr. Hardman is so much different from the McGuinness art, but after a few pages of comic I found that I actually love Mr. Hardman's stuff just as much. There's also an A-Bomb (and I will go on record by saying that that name is stupid and should go back to the 90's where it belongs) back-up, and a one page story featuring three different hulks. The (ugh) A-Bomb back-up is a fun little story, with nice cartoon-y art by Mark Robinson (writer is still Parker). The one-page hulk story is written by Audrey Loeb with Dario Brizuela on art, and that story will fit right in with those of you who love the mini-marvel stories. Overall, if you've been avoiding the Red Hulk like it was red tide, you might actually find yourself surprised with this one. Give it a shot!

Meanwhile, over at DC, Paul Cornell is tearing it up on Action Comics; his Lex Luthor story is getting more and more fun with each issue. This issue has the mortal enemy of Superman facing down one of the Flash's greatest foes, Gorilla Grodd and what a fight it is! Luthor pulls some impressive stunts and Grodd goes the Venom route and eats brains (FOR THEIR DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS KNOWLEDGE!). And the whole thing ends with a guest appearance that will knock your socks off! (...unless the internet already spoiled it for you.)Of course that's only 1/3 of the issue; there's also the start to what is looking to be one of the most unusual second features yet as Jimmy Olsen, Superman's pal gets his own stories told. No Superman here, though; this story is following the events in the life of Jimmy Olsen during Superman's time on New Krypton! Oh, and Chloe Sullivan from Smallville is in it. One of the few things I really enjoyed about Smallville up to the end was Chloe, so I was really happy to see her showing up here. Overall, this is a fantastic book and is easily one of the best things DC is putting out right now!

Amazing Spider-Man #644 continues the finale of "Brand New Day" with "Origin of Species part-3" and boy does it have some great moments. Spidey continues to face off a huge gauntlet (oh, hey, I see what I did there) of his greatest foes and he does so while protecting a baby! Favorite moments from this include: Spidey getting rid of the Rhino using logic, Spidey beating Mysterio with logic, and Spidey beating up Vulture and Freak with, you guessed it, clever decoys! Okay, that joke was bad, but this issue had some pretty good LOL moments, like Doctor Octopus' "Octo-tracers" and the Chamelion pulling one over on Spidey. With one more issue left in this story, Mark Waid continues to build the grand finale that Brand New Day deserves and I'm excited to see how it all ends.

And finally, Brian Michael Bendis' Powers continues in Powers #6. Bendis' fantastic little series about police officers dealing with super power related crime is a pretty good series, and this issue has flash backs, twists and turns, a dead god, and a last page that will have long-time readers doing a double take. If you aren't reading this series yet, this is a good issue to give it a shot with. If you are reading, then I don't have to tell you twice. If you're only reading this one in trade, then I'm not going to spoil much more than I already have.

Overall, while this is a light week for me, it's a pretty good week. I found a new book, and got three issues of books I'm already really enjoying. And I'm not done yet! I've got the final issue of Atlas and a Pilot Season one-shot from Top Cow to talk about later this week, but for now I've got a cold and I feel like being lazy for a bit!

THORSDAY, Part Three: THORSDAY EVERYDAY!

Hey kids, guess what time it is! That's right it's time for THE THORSDAY REVIEW OF AWESOMENESS! What's that? "But it can't be Thorsday because Thorsday is a Thursday pun!" GUESS WHAT POOZERS, THORSDAY IS TOO POWERFUL TO BE JUST ONE DAY SO IT TAKES THEM ALL! Friday? THORSDAY! Saturday? THORSDAY! Christmas Day? THORSMAS DAY! So let's stop whining like little babies and man up because it's THOR TIME!

Today we look at Thor #615, which is the start of Matt Fraction's run on the series, which promises to be awesome. And if you look to your right, you'll see the cover for this issue. I really like this cover; Thor's standing in a heroic pose, looking up to the skies as is to signify that we're about to start up the winding road filled with all kinds of awesome adventure. Behind him stands Asgard, surrounded by dark ominous clouds, signifying that the Siege and fall of Asgard is over and it's time to start picking up the pieces. It's a new beginning and this cover does an awesome job of showing us that. It gets me excited and pumped for what's about to come up after it. And I'm glad to say that the content itself does not disappoint.

This first issue is a bit all over the place; We've got an off screen Asgardian talking with a scientist with a warning about the dangers of Asgard being on Earth, sweet little aliens getting decimated by meaner, planet conquering aliens, and Thor reminiscing on Loki before he heads off to give Balder a much needed pep-talk. Still, it manages to be a good start to a promising run on the book. There isn't much action, but Fraction's got some big threads starting here and I'm excited to see where it all goes. And it isn't all action and danger that's good, there's a hilarious little dialog between Thor and Daniel Blake as well as a funny, if not slightly predictable last page reveal. There's also some heartwarming moments, such as Thor's dialog with Balder. This isn't anything new; Fraction's done this same kind of stuff on Invincible Iron Man, but that doesn't stop this from being good.

My one complaint with Fraction's Invincible Iron Man is that the Larroca art is terrible; with Thor I absolutely cannot complain. The art here is awesome; the beautiful little planet of the doomed little aliens, the sheer savagery of the invader aliens, and a gorgeous two page spread of Thor looking over the fallen Asgard are all fantastic examples of Mr. Ferry's outstanding artistic abilities. This book is simply beautiful. Another visual pleasure is that the lettering here looks like it was done by hand. In a day and age where lettering is done on computers, it's kind of nice to see a comic look like it was lettered by hand. It's one of the things I love about Jeff Smith's comics and now it's one of the things I'm going to love about Thor.

If this issue is anything to go by, it looks like Thor is about to go to some very exciting places. If you haven't picked this issue up yet, you're really missing out because this is tied for my pick of the week!