Here it is.
Two big things hit this week - the conclusion of Civil War, and a major plot thread’s conclusion in 52.
The Brave and the Bold #1: Fun story. It’s really nice to see Batman has been undickified enough that Hal would casually consult him for a mystery, and he’d be glad to help. Good mystery and I love Perez. The format, tag teams instead of moving from one complete teamup story to the next, could be really interesting too. Is Hal in all of them, or could #3 be Supergirl and someone else?
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis #49: Kinda confusing and blurry. Busiek had a great concept here, Aquaman as pure sword and sorcery hero is a great way to approach the character, but he didn’t quite live up to the potential. Perhaps the next guy will be able to run with it.
52 Week 42: I’m of two minds on this. [spoiler] On the one hand, that was a hell of a way to go. Ralph totally pwned the Devil. On the other hand, it didn’t seem quite necessary. Ralph didn’t need to give his life to lock away Neron and Faust, he just saw the opportunity and took it. It feels a bit more like suicide than sacrifice.
On the third hand, I’d like to know exactly what Ralph’s wish was. We may not have seen the last of him yet. [/spoiler]
Birds of Prey #103: The ending, though I know it must be a temporary setback, leaves me with an icky feeling. It’s probably just because of the secondhand stuff I’ve heard about the end of Civil War.
Speaking of which, am I supposed to be rooting for Hulk to come down and kick everyone’s ass? I mean, just complete beatdowns while I laugh and laugh and laugh. I don’t even want him to lose at the end, as I know he must, just beat up everyone until he gets bored with it.
The Helmet of Fate: Black Alice #1: Standard prosecuted teen cautionary fable, a la Carrie, but moderately entertaining. I think the colorist went a little too crazy though. She’s a Goth, not Klarion the Witch-Boy. (Man, what a teamup that would be, you listening there, Waid?)
Checkmate #11: I like Computron. How could you not? He’s a floating head named “Computron”.
Superman #659: It’s sweet little stories like this that make Superman, and other big icon heroes, still worth reading about.
Civil War #7: It’s problematic when the writers on a mega-crossover so obviously don’t read each others’ stuff. Stark’s gratuitous dig at Maria Hill towards the end is nothing like the working relationship these two characters developed in a recent New Avengers issue, and Reed’s love note to Sue made him seem more condescending and less passionate than he’s been shown to be for the last 45 years. Was Cap seriously going to take Tony’s head off before he was interrupted? What cheap tinfoil is the current armor made of, anyway? And wasn’t Victoria “Shooting” Starr revealed to be a Dire Wraith, or is this a new Texas gal in the costume?
This should’ve been so much better.
Well, I haven’t been buying Civil War—I’ve been following via Wikipedia, at best. Ugh.—but as for the aftermath, I just discovered the new “Mighty Avengers” roster.
[spoiler]…ugh.
I know, I know. I’m sure they’re all very nice characters, and they’re mostly Avengers veterans. (And, story-wise, this is probably the best possible lineup you could write in with any kind of realism) But still—I know this is probably shallow, I rather think a large part of the appeal of having a comic “Supergroup” is having the really big-name characters in the lineup.
This is like having Peter O’Toole, Bruno Kirby, and Kathy Bates heading up an all-star celebrity benefit. I mean, they’re not awful, but…[/spoiler]
sigh Vivat Era Argentum, I guess. 
I hated the ending of Civil War. I’d have taken Stark’s head off and moved on with my life.
But a sudden ‘oh my, what have I done?’ out of Cap? He’s lucky the others fighting with him didn’t just nuke the whole city.
Other than that:
The Spirit #3 - Still good stuff from Cooke and co. This one’s a keeper.
Shadowpact #10 - I like the recruitment effort. At least they’re under no illusions about their importance.
She-Hulk #16 - That is one seriously self-esteem losing heroine. I wonder if she’s got a serious depressive cycle going because of Civil War. And what’s up at the law firm?
Civil War #7: I wasn’t impressed with the start, and Millar kept that pace going right on through to the end. This event could’ve been wrapped up on issue 4 for all the last three issues have brought us. Just a quick recap of the major points in issue 7 Hercules kills Clor. Captain America surrenders due to his innate fear of success apparently. The anti-regs are given amnesty though some (those that form the new New Avengers lineup) stay underground and illegal. Tony Stark becomes the new head of SHIELDSeriously, you tack a few pages on to issue 4 or make it a SPECIAL DOUBLE SIZED SPECTACULAR and you’ve wrapped the book up, spared us some delays, and saved a few trees. Of course, then we wouldn’t have the set up to their next big event, “The Initiative.” :rolleyes: Goody. A super team in every state. I can’t wait to buy “Avengers: Idaho.”
Hey, speaking of delays and their effect on publishing…
Amazing Spider Man: The set-up to the back in black storyline. The big spoiler is that Aunt May gets shot, though it looks non fatal What’s the problem? Every other spider book already has Spider Man in his black formal leggings and the actual explanation storyline doesn’t start until next month.
Civil War was roundly unsatisfying.
As I wrote elsewhere :
I felt the ending was an anti-climax, and continued the trend of out of character behavior we’ve come to know and loathe. The two best moments in the book - Spider-Man’s agile assault on Reed, and Hercules vs. Clor - were marred by cheesy, stupid jokes. I think the Spider-Man one was passable, but the Hercules dialogue is unforgiveable.
I also picked up New Avengers : Illuminati #2, with the assemblage of the Infinity Gauntlet. Boy, I guess when the Living Tribunal says something can’t be done, that just means it will be moderately difficult. I liked how they touched on that point in the comic itself and then dismissed it with “Says who?” Of course, I was hoping Reed would do something more creative with the Gauntlet. If only he possessed advanced socio-mathematical ability to predict Civil War, he could’ve used the Gauntlet to set things aright.
Oh. Wait…
Then there’s Amazing Spider-Man, with that injury. I don’t know if that will prove the impetus for the costume change, or if it will derive from the outcome of Civil War, and I really don’t care anymore.
She-Hulk was the most solid Marvel entry for the month so far. It delights and amuses, and I am likely to continue collecting it even after I drop most of my other Marvel stuff.
Ultimate FF’s new story arc seems a little more interesting than the last, and the art’s a damn sight better. I don’t know that it will be enough to keep me buying the book though.
52 - Ralph rocked! Though they could just get to the point where Montoya becomes the new Question, already - what, like that outcome is suspenseful? Get the mask on her, get her back to Gotham, and have her and Kate smack down Intergang already.
The great thing about wrapping up a mystery story is it makes you go back to look at all the clues you missed. I re-read issue # 1, where Ralph puts the gun to his mouth, thinking that I’d see him making the wish, but no such luck. But it did me some good, because the re-read convinced me that
Mister Mind has taken over Skeets
I also got this Marvel Preview. Stupidity: The blurb for Fantastic Four # 546 says, “Reed and Sue leave to work on their marriage - two new member join, you won’t guess who they are!” RIGHT UNDER A PICTURE OF JOHNNY AND BEN WITH STORM AND THE BLACK PANTHER. Gee, maybe, just maybe I can guess who the new members will be.
Also, does Ms. Marvel have a license for those deadly weapons? I’m used to cheesecake in comics, but those are huge…tracts of land. Is the interior all about the cheesecake as well, or is it just the cover, to draw readers in?
Civil War was a mess. When the most “exciting” plot point is a clone/cyborg Thor then you know it’s just crap. Reed has tech in the Baxter Building that allows him to move so fast that he transends time yet he decides to clone Thor? WTF.
The entire premise was flawed. The SHRA makes a lot of sense and no-one in their right mind would oppose it. The elements requiring heroes to join the army would be instantly struck out in any court.
Stupid premise, worse execution.
I didn’t think that the Civil War wrap-up was that bad, besides being rushed as hell and requiring almost everyone to behave completely out of character. In spite of how “altering” the event was going to be, I wish more had been at stake other than a robot thor getting busted up. Captain America actually decapitating Iron Man would have been a MAJOR paradigm-shifting deal for the MU. It also bums me that they’re just going into another massive crossover straight ouf this - what’s this, number four or five in a row? Disassembled into House of M into DeciMation into Civil Pre-War into Civil War…I’d just like to see a completely “back-to-normal” MU for a few years.
Let me be the latest to join the chorus: Civil War was an abomination. Horrible, horrible writing from start to finish.
They won’t stop making massive crossovers until you stop buying them. It’s the reality tv of comics – everybody complains about 'em, but everybody buys 'em, so Marvel’ll keep selling them. No matter how bad they are.
I divested myself of Marvel ('cept “Astonishing X” and “Young Avengers” if it ever comes out again) a long while ago, but every time Civil War has been mentioned in these threads, it’s been nothing but ripped up one side and down the other. Next issue comes out, and the same people are back complaining, having bought into another issue. I don’t blame Marvel for planning crossovers 'till the Skrull cows come home – Marvel fandom apparently has suckers that would’ve made P.T. Barnum green with envy.
Let’s do the world a favor, and if a comic series is bad, stop buying it. And stop watching reality tv, too.
Civil War could have been great, and showed promise until near the end of the final issue. A more satisfying ending would have been a radical thinning out of the superhero ranks, i.e. two thirds of all costumed people wearing briefs over their tights.
See, the premise appeared to be that all secret identities would be compromised/eliminated. This means that the hoariest staple in comic books, the “Green Goblin knows I’m Peter Parker” story, would be out the window, having been done to death for 70 years. Writers would be forced to tell new types of stories about new types of characters, stories that reflected the growth and change in actual people’s adult lives.
Costumed vigilantes would be phased out and replaced with new and different types of characters. Goodby Speedball, hello “Java Man from the New Guinea forests stuck in modern day Los Angeles.” Sayonara Night Thrasher, hello “Singing Cowboy who Discovers a Depraved Government Conspiracy.” Rest in peace, Captain Britain; welcome to Manhattan, “Committed Eco-Activist who is Ironically Enough in the Body of a Military Cyborg.” Push up the daisies already, Spider-Girl, you’re being replaced by “Sexy Grad Student Imitating a Superhero as Part of her Doctoral Thesis on the Anthropology of Superheroes.”
What did we get instead? Fifty new super-teams, indistinguishable from the last fifty that nobody gave a damn about. It’s just a huge missed opportunity.
I just wanted to step in here and say that Marvel does have some good stuff…which is the stuff that’s not affected by Civil War. Iron Fist and Dr. Strange are pretty good, methinks.
Damn. Not even Quesada’s that crazy. (By the way, #1 has been done: Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur. #2 is parts of Infinite Crisis. Good old Vigilante. #3 could qualify as Deathlok 2, I think, and #4 is clearly an Adam Warren title.)
Not QUITE a perfect match, but close enough to his Titans Elseworld Scissors, Paper, Stone. in fact. (That book rocked so hard. And seems to be in the same universe as his Dirty Pair. I wonder how many other disparate licences he could work into that 'verse.)
Vigilante wasn’t in Infinite Crisis, as far as I could tell, and certainly didn’t stumble on a government conspiracy.
Picked up Omega Men this week - art still sucks, but the writing has a couple of shiny moments.
Ion was kinda blah - after the mind-blowing last issue, I was hoping for something more. Interesting villainous return though.
Catwoman - I like Selina on a LexCorp heist. It fits. It’s good.
Black Alice : Helmet of Fate - I’m satisfied with it, though I agree she was a little TOO pale.
52 - A Ralph, you’re too clever for…well, everyone.
Birds of Prey - I do not like Spy Smasher. I do not like her at all. And I still say most of her supposed credentials are fake. (Although, the first couple pages, I was expecting Babs and Katarina to end up in a passionate embrace. Clearly, it was a hell of a breakup.)
Retro Rocket - Finally finishes, with an interesting twist concerning the villains. A bit of a letdown after the rest of the series, but still worth the read.
Rush City - Better than the last issue. I was expecting an actual overarching plot to have developed at some point, since it’s a mini…
Wonder Woman - FINALLY. Not the greatest issue, ever, but I’m glad that it finally came out.
I was thinking of Seven Soldiers, which kicked off Infinite Crisis. Wasn’t a government conspiracy, either. But he was a singing cowboy once…
Birds of Prey #103: I love everything about this damn book. One minor nitpick. Shouldn’t Katrina have been about a head above Babs in the flashbacks? Maybe the feds just employ a number of short men.
Ion #11: I suppose I should have seen that character’s return coming, but I didn’t. I can’t believe it’ll be over in one issue.
52 #42: Oh snap! Nice work, Ralph.