Scout Attacks! Amazing Spider-Man #543 and Sensational Spider-Man #40

I'm finally getting around to some reviews that I found really difficult to write. There's this one, and, hopefully, an Astonishing X-Men #22 one coming up soon. We'll see.

To be honest, I could not even finish reading Amazing Spider-Man #543. It just becomes increasingly obvious that the people at Marvel have not even been trying to tell good Spider-Man stories in years. They have been intentionally driving the character into the ground so that when the inevitable reboot happens, we will cheer and thank them for getting rid of this crap.

So, the blood transfusion that Peter gave Aunt May didn't work and a reverend is coming around asking MJ if any thought has been given to what arrangements May would want made if she died. This is the first thing that pissed me off, because Peter's reactions to all this were completely selfish. For starters, I find it hard to believe that, as practical, not to mention old, as May is, she would not have let Peter know what she wanted when she died. What would Aunt May want done if she died, Peter? Well, what about whatever you did the last time she died? (As an aside, I wonder if they ever did anything about the fact that they buried an actress as Aunt May.) Also, considering the fact that Aunt May has been shown to be a Church-goer within the pages of JMS scripted comics, the whole conversation about what May believed in was just really bad.

Then we get to the part where the detective is investigating May's shooting. This is where Peter's actions went from selfish to nonsensical. It was just a lot of overreaction. For starters, I don't understand how knocking the police officer out so that he and Mary Jane could get away didn't still fall firmly into the category of breaking the law but knowing that he was right. It was tying the cop up that really crossed the line. Also, why the hell did he take May? If he had left her there, the hospital would have had to continue to give her medical attention. She might have been transfered to a cheaper hospital, but since he's transferring her anyway, it doesn't really make a difference. Anyway, it was when he started counting off his felonies that I had to stop reading. I tried going back to it later, but the best I could do was skim through the last few pages. When I first read this issue, or part of it, I was really upset. How could they do this to Spidey? Thinking about it now though, I realize that really, all these lines that he's supposedly crossing is just a huge overstatement of what is actually happening. This storyline just grows increasingly idiotic with each issue.

I enjoyed Sensational Spider-Man #40 a lot more. It's really just another story just another story where Peter realizes that for all the bad things that have happened, being Spider-Man was ultimately worth it because of all the good he has done helping others, this time by having a little chat with God in the guise of a homeless man who looks like an uglier Iggy Pop. I liked when Peter asked if he had really saved thousands upon thousands of people and God answered "Well, I'm counting team-ups, but...yeah. At least." (If God's counting team-ups, then Peter's helped save the entire world as recently as the Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four miniseries "The Silver Age.") This issue also began with a nice little recap of Spider-Man's history. Bonus points for remembering Liz Allen's existence and having Peter count Harry among all the people that he has lost. I could have done without the "His first, and some say truest love, Gwen Stacy" line though, and not just because of my personal feelings about Gwen Stacy. The story is being narrated by God. If Gwen Stacy was Peter's truest love, he would know. He wouldn't need to comment on what "some say," and since it is narrated by God, and not just an anonymous narrator, it makes it sound like people within the world of the comic book, as opposed to the readers, are sitting around debating the point. What do I know though. Maybe that's how Betty and Flash spend their dates. (I now realize that I just devoted several lines to a very minor quibble, but it's like they can't mention Gwen Stacy in a comic book without saying "his first, and some say truest love" like it's her full name. It's irritating, and especially so when it doesn't belong.) This issue also gets points for the fact that Clayton Crain made Peter Parker look like Billy Crudup. Looking like Billy Crudup is never a bad thing.

Peter and MJ make for a ridiculously hot older couple.

What I liked most though was that this issue left us off with some hope for Peter's future. That's not something we get a lot of in Spider-Man comics anymore, and it was certainly something I needed after Amazing Spider-Man #543. All in all, this was a nice wrap up for what has been a pretty uneven series.

Scout Attacks! Spider-Man/Red Sonja #1

So, I wanted to to a post tonight, and it was seriously running the risk of being another whiny "But the Spider-marriage is so wonderful" post. I didn't want to do that. It's coming, I'm sure, because it's all consuming lately. I think I might have to change the name of this blog to Peter & Mary Jane Matter. (I'm just giving Quesada what he wants and I hate myself for it.) I wanted to do something more positive, though. I have an X-Men post that I want to do too, but that's going to require more energy than I generally have, and when I do have that much energy, I have more important things I have to do. Anyway, this is still a Spidey & (sorta) MJ post, but it is one that's made of awesome. This is about the super fun Spider-Man/Red Sonja #1.

Let's start with the cover:

Ah, Michael Turner, your awfulness never fails to entertain. I just want to point out the, uh, pointy-ness of Red Sonja's ears. I almost think that I'm being too hard on his inability to render a realistic human figure when it is so clear that he isn't even trying to draw a human. And in the spirit of being kinder to Michael Turner, why won't somebody write the epic lesbian elf porn that he was so clear born to illustrate? This is actually one of his better covers though, possibly because Sonja's feet are obscured. In the variant cover she is literally standing on the tip of her toes, as if she were a Barbie doll whose feet are permanently molded to high heels. That's a pretty decent Spider-Man he's got going on there though.

The interior's a lot better. First, there's an amusing phone conversation between Spidey and MJ:

First, the nitpicker in me needs to point out that she would never say she is doing MacBeth. She's an actress, and she is in a theater. It's "The Scottish Play." Calling it by it's name is a bigger no-no than wishing someone good luck. Clearly, whatever happens in "One More Day," Mary Jane has brought it on herself by tempting fate like that. But it's Peter's behavior that is more troubling. He likes it when she dresses up like a cat? I'm sure MJ is the fun, adventurous type, but a girls got to draw the line somewhere. If she's dressing up like a cat for him now, next he'll be having her don a blond wig and a miniskirt and directing her to play dead.

Enough about Parker's kinks. Let's get to the wacky, but first, one of the cool things about this issue is that it has more Robbie than possibly JMS's entire run on Amazing Spider-Man. Look:



Two whole panels! And hey, do you think Venom's going to show up at some point?

I've read some complaints this issue was all set up, but I didn't mind, not when that alone is fun to read. If you don't already know, this story is a follow-up to the awesomely cracktastic Marvel Team-Up #79, where a museum exhibit causes a bunch of wacky creatures to pop up in New York and people to get possessed. Naturally, Mary Jane gets possessed by Red Sonja, while some random guard gets possessed by Kulan Gath, the bad guy. Well, all that happens again, except this time the whole city gets transformed, even Spideys cell phone:

Frankly, I think Parker made out pretty good here. Even a small sack of gold has got to be worth more than any cell phone he could afford. Where does Spidey carry his cell phone anyway?

Another cool thing about this issue has got to be the continuity with the earlier story. Kulan Gath is determined not to let Spider-Man and Red Sonja team up and spoil his plans again.

Turning Mary Jane into Red Sonja and pitting her against Spider-Man makes so much more sense than just keeping her away from the sword and thereby leaving Red Sonja out of the equation altogether. Kulan Gath is a genius! You can't argue villain logic though, especially when the final outcome is as awesome as this:

MJ's not even really possessed. She's just pissed. I'm not getting the impression that Peter told her that she's turned into Red Sonja before. Oh, and let's not forget the cat costume thing. As a matter of fact, I think it would be awesome if this was the real lead up to "One More Day." Not that MJ's pissed at Peter about it, but that after turning back into herself, MJ decides that she rather likes carrying around a sword. Imagine how much cooler your average Mary Jane plot point would be with a sword. Sure it was awesome when she beat the crap out of the Chameleon with a baseball bat, but it would have been awesomer if she had chopped off some limbs. And the next time she has a stalker, she could just impale him. Unfortunately, Spider-Man just can't be married to someone who goes around chopping off people's limbs. Mary Jane has to choose, Peter or the sword. Mary Jane chooses the sword, and all Joe Quesada's problems are solved.

Anyway, the series can only get wackier from here. I can't wait.

Scout Attacks! Random Comments About Various Comics

So I lied. I am going to do little reviews. Well, not really. These are just things that occurred to me while reading. I would hardly call them reviews.

The Amazing Spider-Man #542: Well, that was ridiculously out of character, and there's still another issue left in this arc. I am so bored. More and more I am getting the idea that Spider-Man has been intentionally written into the ground since issue #500 (that hand in the newly released cover is so Future Spidey) in order to justify whatever stunt they are going to pull at the end of "One More Day."

Batman #666: I actually really liked this issue. It raised a lot of questions that I think are going to be important for the rest of Morrison's run. I've been loving this evil Batman storyline though, even though I don't understand it. It's just a shame Barbara will have such an unfortunate haircut in the future.

Batman #667: And Then There Were None recast with The International Club of Heroes. I've always though that Agatha Christie needed more people in silly costumes. Extra points for the abundance of ethnic stereotypes.

Black Canary #3: This story still might not actually be about Black Canary, but damn if no one kicks more ass than her. That was some hurt she put on Ollie.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5 "The Chain": Wow. Just wow. This might have been the strongest issue yet.

The New Avengers Illuminati #4: I love Namor. Has he always been this cool? Also, Tony Stark is totally a Skrull. Either that or he is now so arrogant that he doesn't even consider himself a member of the human race anymore. Wait. That's actually believable too.

The New Avengers #33: I'd just like to point out that Madame Mask is on the cover of two New Avengers covers (this and Illuminati) in a single month. I think that's funny. Also, Spidey shouldn't be on this team anymore, and Hawkeye appears not to be a Skrull. My threat to personally storm Marvel offices and beat the crap out of anyone there if Luke Cage of Jessica Jones is a Skrull still stands.

Sensational Spider-Man #39: Woah! It's Anna Watson. Man, did she pick a bad time to visit from Florida. Also, Peter, Aunt May is older than Yoda. If she wants to go, just let her go.

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #4: I love you Jeff Parker. I love that Spidey gets a monument erected in his honor, even if he doesn't know about it. and how perfect is it that the book ends on Peter telling a bad joke and the Impossible Man being coughed up by a cat, like a hairball.

Wonder Woman #11: So they bring in Jodi Piccoult, publicize the hell out of her run, then stick her with a stupid crossover which was obviously at odds with the direction she wanted to take the character in and she doesn't even finish the story arc? That makes no sense. Worse than that, the start of this issue reads like the new writer just randomly decided to do a complete 180 on the events of the last issue. DC has so fucked this title up. But hey, at least we get some nostalgia by having Diana straddle a big rocket. That's something, I guess. It would be nice to see Wonder Woman actually win at something though, just for a change.

Scout Attacks! Supergirl #20

So, I've decided to change the way I do things and just review a couple of comics that I really have something to say about. I've just gotten so far behind and have realized that I have no real desire to catch up. I'm going to start this new era of Scout Attacks! with Supergirl #20.

I have never had much interest in Supergirl, so it's a surprise even to me that I picked this up, let a lone was actually excited about its release. Admittedly, that excitement was pretty much based entirely based on my love for Renato Guedes' art and the pact that the character sketches that had been released a while back looked absolutely gorgeous. However, after reading numerous interviews with writer Tony Bedard, I became really interested in reading his take on the character. It's not secret that Kara's been getting a lot of bad press, and frankly, everything I had seen or heard about the title was a really big turn off. Between Bedard and Guedes, I was getting the idea that Supergirl might be on the road to becoming the kind of superheroine I would like to read about. Then Amazons Attack #4 came out and I got really pessimistic again.

This issue directly ties in to the events of Amazons Attack #4, and that's really a huge drawback. It's not a good event. Furthermore, Supergirl's actions in that issue - she and Wonder Girl hijacked Air Force One and tried to forceably take the President to meet with Hippolyta to end the war - seemed irredeemably and criminally stupid. I really did not believe that any writer would be able to pull the character out of that in any believable way. The fact that Bedard not only manages to do that, but is able to present the story in such a way that it is not completely necessary to have read Amazons Attack #4, is a huge credit to him as a writer. Also, he manages to do it while having Kara fight a huge freaking cyclops. That's just cool.

As much as I enjoyed Bedard's take on the character, what really made this issue worthwhile was Renato Guedes' art. I know I've mentioned my dislike for photorealism before, but he uses it to beautiful effect, without ever being distracting. (I don't look at his work and think of it as some famous actor playing the character. His characters look like themselves first and foremost.) Also, unlike the previous versions of Supergirl that I have seen, this version looks powerful and real. She's still beautiful and a little sexy, but there's a bit of awkwardness too. It's her strength that stands out - strength of character as well as physical strength - like in this image:

It would have been nice if the issue had a Guedes cover too, but that cover is a fairly good representation of the content. Kara screwed up and has to make it better. It's really a bit of a redemption story. This isn't a perfect issue, but it's a good superhero story with both action and character development. It's really a shame that this creative team is only doing three issues, and that they had to be event tie-ins (especially considering how uninteresting the events are), but if Kara continues to be a strong and heroic yet vulnerable character, who is a bit confused but is trying to do the right thing, even if it turns out all wrong, I might continue reading even without Guedes' art.

Scout Attacks!: Still Catching Up Part 3

I dropped the week number. It's meaning less at this point. I'm not even sure when these comics came out.

All Flash: This was little more that a super powered revenge story, which was a little off putting. It's not that it wasn't justified, it just was weird. Anyway, I picked this up because I thought it would give me an indication of whether I want to read the new (or return to old, or whatever) series. It didn't really give me an indication of what to expect, except that something weird is going to happen with Batman's costume and Wally's going to have his super powered kids trailing along. I don't really like kids. Some of the art in this issue was really good. Some of it wasn't at all.

Amazons Attack #4: There's so much wrong with this whole event. I don't even know how to review it. It's like a train wreck. Major events of this issue are Supergirl and Wonder Girl doing the stupidest thing ever and Batman and Superman being patronizing and awful. Seriously. When Superman was making his little speech to the Amazons towards the end, even though he was right, all I could think was that they should just beat the crap out of him. What an asshole. I'm beginning to think all these people are skrulls.

Birds of Prey #108: Gail Simone's last issue. Fortunately, it's a good one. It was so awesome seeing Babs, in her Batgirl shirt, beat up Spy Smasher. And then to have Spy Smasher confronted by all the superheroes who came out in support of Babs, rounded up by Black Canary, of course. This was just a total "Fuck Yeah!" issue. We also got Misfit's origin at the end, which was very touching. I love that kid.

Black Canary #2: We get another fun flashback at the start of this issue, this time from Green Arrow's perspective. Also in this issue, Sin starts at the special school for dangerous kids that Dinah's ex found, and Ollie gets a bit needy and insecure about the fact that Dinah's ex has shown up and she still hasn't accepted his proposal. Of course, the school thing is just a set-up so that the League of Assassins can kidnap Sin. I must say that Sin actually is kind of adorable, mostly when she is kicking people in the face, which she does to all the assassins and two cops. Unfortunately, Merlyn shows up disguised as Ollie, who Sin trusts, and she goes with him. That's why, when I was a little girl being hunted by the League of Assassins, I had a code word. I wasn't supposed to go with anyone who didn't know it. Dinah really needs to work on her parenting skills. Anyway, this was another solidly entertaining issue. The only problem is that it's not really about Black Canary.

The Brave and the Bold #5: I read somewhere that Mark Waid has suggested that the reason this book isn't selling as well as it should is because people keep describing it as "fun," and that has come to translate to inconsequential. That's certainly believable, though I don't really understand why people don't want to have fun. "Fun" is why I initially decided to pick this title up. Just in case though, I'm not going to call this book "fun" anymore. This book isn't fun, it's awesome. You will not in any other book see Batman engage in a mid-air fight with Karate Kid. It's way better than that other Batman and Karate Kid fight. There's also a story here, with that book they are trying to track down and the Luck Lords showing up at the end, all of which keeps this series from being inconsequential, if that's the sort of thing you care about. I just don't happen to care about that stuff.

Justice League of America #11: Meltzer produces an adequately tight and tense story here, even if trapped in an enclosed place stories are a bit cliche. The art is amazing and Ha does an incredible job of heightening the mood here. All that makes this a pretty good issue for anyone who is picking up the book for the first time. What made it really frustrating for me was that the set up to get to this story was horribly contrived. It felt a little like Meltzer was just trying to trump up Roy's character, but I guess he was trying to trump up Vixen as well, except Vixen doesn't really do much but whine and reveal that she kept a very important secret from the rest of the team. Roy's narration says a lot of good things about her, but that's just talk, so it's pretty meaningless. Also, everyone in the Justice League and the Justice Society are freaking morons for not realizing that cheetahs can't run as fast as the Flash.

Spike: Shadow Puppets #2: This continues to be a light and entertaining story that relies solely on the premise that anything + puppets = funny. That's not really a flaw. The puppet horse head in the bed kind of proves that. We get to see some returning characters from Spike: Asylum, which is cool, and we get introduced to an entertaining new character. There are also tons of great little moments. However, the real strength here, as it was with Spike: Asylum, was how good a handle Lynch has on Spike and Lorne. He doesn't fall into any of the traps that other writers have, like relying too heavily on British slang. It's just really good.

Captain America #28: This is another one of those comics that's hard to review. The quality is so consistent, that it's hard to say something different about every issue. This title is very good. Everyone should be reading it. I will say a couple of things though. The Serpent Squad's S.H.E.I.L.D. disguises aren't going to do much good if they put them on over their regular costumes. That goes double for the guy with the cobra head. Also, I find it hard to believe that, in a world where psychics are fairly common and there existence is widely known, there would be some kind of law against using them to question suspects. That's got to be some kind of civil rights violation. Now, I'm not saying that it's necessarily wrong to bring down Cap's killer by any means necessary, but as Tony Stark is now a government official instead of a superhero, it's pretty sketchy, almost, I don't know, Fascist.

Scout Attacks! week 20: Still Catching Up Part 2

I think I'm almost caught up now, but I noticed that I still haven't talked about how awesome X-Men First Class #1 was, and #2 is coming out on Wednesday. Uhg! I'm going to do and X-edition of Scout Attacks. It's the only solution.

Fables #63: It's hard to review this book just because it is so consistently good. That doesn't really leave a lot to say. I will say that I felt like this arc was going to be the best storyline ever, and I'm just not feeling that, but it's still really great. Also, Prince Charming has developed into really effectual character and I never expected that at all. I did think that the sequence where Beast is buying out all those sniper, or whatever, training schools was kind of scary, just because of the implication that all of that is being done and it is not tipping off any non-Fable authorities. Maybe it will though. Who knows where Willingham is going to go with all this.

Green Arrow Year One #1: I really enjoyed this. I like the art a lot, and the writing does a good job of giving hints of the genuinely good guy that lurks under the douchebag exterior. The fact that Ollie idolized Robin Hood as a boy says a lot on its own, but even his drunken speech, when he says that "If any of us really gave a rat's ass about the poor little druggies, we'd be down in the ghetto handing out needles right now -- instead of swanning around here in our thousand-dollar monkey suits!" he shows that he does know the right thing to do. (It's also kind of funny when you think about what happened to Speedy.) I really appreciated the Howard Hill reference too. Kudos to them for using a real reference, instead of deciding it was too out of date. Anyway, this isn't the greatest thing ever, but it's really very good.

Superman #664: I really loved this issue. There are just so many little moments to enjoy, like the interaction between Lois and Jimmy, the Prankster, or an entire splash page devoted to Superman getting hit with a giant pie! The bigger reasons why this issue was so great is that the story in general. It has really gone from being something that I wasn't really sure what to make of to being genuinely intriguing. And I love how Superman has to deal with the fact that, while everyone loves him, there is always this underlying fear of his power. He does get mind controlled often, and it is good to see that he has found ways to deal with that. They send in every flying member of the JLA and the JSA to stop him too, which leaves Batman out, but even he was on the case. And there's Squad K too, which actually just makes a lot of sense. It just illustrates how catastrophic a bad Superman could be. Another great character moment was how Superman was so frustrated about losing Arion that he went and took down the Prankster just so he could feel like he accomplished something. That's such a normal, relatable impulse. It's clear that everything is building to something, and I can't wait. I'm annoyed that the story is being interrupted for a Countdown tie-in issue. So disappointing. Anyway, this was a really great issue and I think that Busiek is doing a wonderful job of telling a meaningful story while also keeping things exciting and fun. Pacheco's art is great too. Did I mention that the Prankster hits Superman with a giant pie? Because he does and it is awesome.

Superman Confidential #5: Another great Superman comic. I actually thought this was the weakest issue of the series so far, the reveal that the Kryptonite's sentience had taken over Anthony Gallo's body and was not going to explain everything to Superman seemed a little too easy to me. It's still so good, and such an original story though. Also, I'm willing to give Cooke the benefit of the doubt that he's going somewhere with this, and with Lex Luthor showing up at the end like that, I am excited to see what happens in the conclusion. I don't think I need to repeat my feelings about Tim Sale's art either. It's gorgeous. I'm going to be sorry when this is over.

Supernatural Origins #3: Things are starting to tie into the show a bit more now as Harvelle's Bar is introduced and we see when John first met Ellen. Jo gets a mention too, and my only problem with that is that I can't really believe that she is supposed to be as old as Dean, or even Sam. We're also starting to see these characters become more like the versions of themselves we know from the show.

Deadpool GLI Summer Fun Spectacular: HAHAHAHAHA! That's my review. I will also add that Tippy-Toe's interjection was awesome. You can't not love this: "Yeah, that's right. Squirrel Girl totally pwns Doc Doom? Know why? 'Cause of somethin' that happened in a story by Steve - freakin' - Ditko! That's so in continuity. So just deal with it, fanboy." You cannot argue with that. It was pretty amazing that Marvel poke fun at emo-Speedball like that though. They literally point out why there was no need for him to go all creepy self-cutter, because it wasn't his fault. P-Cat, the Penitent Puss is simultaneously hilarious, depressing and horrifying. Ah, Squirrel Girl, you made a noble effort and we love you for it.

The New Avengers #32: The problem with this issue isn't that it wasn't entertaining, it was, despite the fact that it was just the team talking on a plane. It wasn't that it was explaining why we, the readers, should care that Elektra was a Skrull. It was that it was necessary to explain to the readers the significance of Elektra being a Skrull. As I've said before, I like the concept behind what Bendis is going for here, but this reveal just wasn't good enough. It wasn't shocking. It didn't sell the implications that are talked about in this issue. It was only Elektra. If it was revealed that key leading members in Shield were Skrulls, that would have sold it. Maybe. I'm not even sure. I just think this needed to be a lot bigger to have real significance. Aanother problem with this issue was that the plane is going down, and for no apparent reason, Dr. Strange can't use any magic to help. That was dumb.

Scout Attacks! week 19: Still Catching Up

Eventually, I will be all caught up on these reviews. Unfortunately, I have no idea when that will be.

Action Comics #851: I'm still just really excited that I got to read a 3-D comic book. I think that's so cool. It really worked well too. It was a bit of a strain to look at, but I think that was an intentional attempt to try and create the same effect that being in the PZ was having on Superman. It's worth noting that I enjoyed Adam Kubert's art much more here than I have on any other issue, so maybe 3-D just agrees with him. I enjoyed the story too, even if it did seem a bit like filler. My heart really went out to Mon-El, and I am enjoying everything with Zod and Christopher. Way to step up, kid. Did Ursa mean that she killed all the other female Kryptonians when she said that she was the last by her choice? That's a bit extreme, even for crazy, killer types. Finally, I really did not see that development with Luthor at the end coming at all, and I can't wait to see the team up in the next Annual.

All Star Superman #8: While I wouldn't say this issue wasn't as good as the rest of the series, it loses points for just being really depressing. There's some amusing stuff with the Bizarro-JLA (I especially likes "Bizarro-Batman am no shot dead by him parents!") but everything was dragged down by the Zibarro's plight. His desperation to get off Bizarro world was so strong, and things like him asking Superman to look at his writing were so pathetic, it was almost uncomfortable to read, especially when Superman's later comments about said work seemed somewhat condescending. I think it would have been more palatable if I understood what Morrison expected the reader to take away from the encounter between Superman and Zibarro (Morrison's Superman, always so sincere in this series, really just seems like he's placating Zibarro in order to get back to Earth, and Zibarro may or may not be intentionally sabotaging his attempts), but it's all very ambiguous, making it an odd fit with the rest of the series as a whole.

Black Canary #1: This mini-series has a lot going against it, like the fact that it's built around whether or not Dinah will accept Ollie's proposal of marriage when we already know that she will, but despite that, it manages to be pretty entertaining. It helps that it is peppered with a lot of amusing little touches. I especially liked the Elvis impersonator assassins, which are second only to monkey assassins in awesomeness, and Merlin's extensive Green Arrow collection. The whole flashback to Dinah and Ollie's first meeting was great. It's so easy to see why Dinah would feel the way she did about him. Bedard also writes Dinah well, and you can't say that Siqueira doesn't make her look good. A few things did bug me though. It seems like Sin's first meeting with Ollie would be fairly important given so much of Dinah's response is supposedly weighted by her wanting to make sure she does what is best for Sin. (Where was Sin during the Ollie/Dinah 40 hour sex marathon from Green Arrow a few months back anyway? Did Dinah just leave her in the motel?) Also, after all we know about Sin from Birds of Prey, it seems odd to see her crying after an altercation with some other kids. I thought not crying was sort of her thing. This issue was by no means great, but it was fun and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Spike: Shadow Puppets #1: I picked this up because Brian Lynch was writing it. Of bought the first issue of almost every Angel or Spike mini-series that IDW has put out, and have thought them all to be fairly awful, written by people who didn't seem to get the characters at all or were just plain bad, except for Spike Asylum. Lynch did a really good job on that series, so I wanted to pick this up despite the fact that I think the concept is dumb. Don't get me wrong. "Smile Time" may just be my favorite episode of Angel's entire run. I just don't think revisiting the concept, this time with Spike, is a particularly good idea. Of course, then I get to the final page, with Spike being overwhelmed by and onslaught of puppet ninjas, and I am completely sold.

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America: Iron Man: I didn't pick up any of the other issues in this series, but I had to get this one if only for Cassaday's art. Fortunately, it did not disappoint. I would even go so far as to say that, while Loeb did not do a bad job on the writing, the words almost detracted from the sheer beauty of the images here. There was just no way they could have matched the impact. I thought The Falcon's eulogy, which made up the bulk of the narrative, especially did not have the impact it should have. It didn't matter though, because the art was so gorgeous it bolstered the whole thing. I'm not ashamed to say that, in the end, I was a bit choked up. Also, I didn't want to punch Tony Stark in the face once. I think I'm making progress.

Loners #4: This month John Hughes cover homage is to Pretty In Pink, and I am just now wondering if the fact that it features three female characters, instead of a female character and two male characters like the original movie poster, is supposed to be a clue, as this issue all but says that Julie Power is a lesbian. I'm curious to see whether it is ever going to be explicitly stated or it will be left ambiguous. Considering the crux of the issue is Julie coming to terms with who she is and not wanting to pretend to be something she's not anymore, it seems like her coming out is inevitable, but in the world of comic books, one never knows when that sort of thing would be deemed acceptable or not. As the book is rated T+, the same rating as Young Avengers, it seems like there shouldn't be a problem. (Personally, I do not see why it wouldn't be acceptable even in an All Ages title, but I doubt the people at Marvel feel the same.) Anyway, this was another really entertaining character study, and I am really enjoying the way the relationships between the characters are evolving. Cebulski is capturing the John Hughes movie vibe quite well. I would love to see this series become an ongoing, but I seriously doubt that will happen. Hopefully, we will at least get some more mini-series with these characters.

The New Avengers/The Transformers #1: I don't know what I was thinking when I picked up this book. I think I was still on a high for seeing the movie the day before, and a bit excited by the idea of Optimus Prime and Captain America interacting. This really sucked though, and not in the cheesy bad, but fun way. I realize that the story needed to be set up, but the writer really should have found a way to get to the robot and superhero action a lot quicker. Is anyone really picking this title up for the story anyway? As it was, most of the issue consisted of the New Avengers (Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Luke Cage) bickering with eachother, while we barely even get to see the Transformers until the end. That's just not going to cut it. A series like this needs to deliver on at least one solid, giant robot fight per issue to even begin to be worthwhile.

Scout Attacks! week 18: Comic Reviews for the Week of...Whenever the Hell They Came Out

Everything got all messed up because of the holiday and me not being able to get all my comics, and then I had to go to a wedding. Anyway, I'm just going to review a bunch of comics tonight, and then I will review a bunch of comics tomorrow night. Then I will be almost caught up. On the plus side, this week I have pictures!

Amazons Attack #3: This comic book is just bad. Will Pfeifer, if I want crappy political comentary, I will re-read Civil War or pick up some of Marvel's Initiative books. Worse than that though is that, none of this stuff seems to line up with what happens in Wonder Woman #10, or even with the events that lead up to the whole event. Clearly DC editors are too busy trying, mostly in vain, to get their creators to make their deadlines to actually read any of the books. There was one thing I liked in this issue though:

Superman throwing a dumpster at an Amazonian who is about to kill Batman. He then carries the dumpster away, presumably because it would have been disrespectful to leave it on the Korean War Memorial. Seeing Batman sneak around the Memorial is fairly amusing as well.

Detective Comics #834: This issue was a bit of a let down after the last one, but, overall, another entertaining issue. It had some clever gags. We get an explanation for how Joker came to impersonate Loxias, and I am just going to assume that everything that has taken place in Detective Comics during Dini's run takes place prior to the events of Batman during Morrison and Kubert's run. This saves me from having to criticize the editors again. The success of this story, and the real point of it, is the reconciliation of Batman and Zatanna. It's a credit to Dini that he made me care about this relationship to the extent that I do, in the span of just two issues, considering I could not have cared less about it prior to issue #833.

Wonder Woman #10: The best thing I can say about this issue is that it brought us that much closer to Gail Simone's run. This issue just feels like a mess, like there are all sorts of conflicting ideas going on. I mean, what the hell is this?

The tone of that scene is completely off from the rest of the Amazons Attack event. It's so random. Also, Jodi Piccoult should never be allowed to write Batman again. The thing is, I'm still seeing some interesting stuff in what Piccoult is doing. She's trying to bring Wonder Woman to a more emotional place. I think that, had it not been for this editorially mandated event, there might have at least been an interesting and entertaining take on superhero comics here, if not necessarily specifically an interesting take on Wonder Woman. I'm still wondering why DC would go to the trouble of getting a big name novelist to write this title and then impose a story on her that seems so at odds with what she wants to do. Also, what the hell is up with the killer bees? Seriously? Killer bees? Wasn't Wonder Woman being held captive in order to get some advanced piece of weaponry that the Amazons had? On a final note, I really don't think Nemesis is going to die, which is why I am so surprised that they had him figure out Wonder Woman's secret identity so soon. Maybe I'm wrong though. I was completely confused by his monologue though. Did he not get to choose his own name? At least the cover was cool:


Runaways #27: Leave it to Joss Whedon to make the always tricky, and rarely successful, concept of time travel work. He isn't just telling some story where the kids have a wacky adventure in the past, and considering the revelation at the end, it almost seems surprising that it has taken so long for Runaways to have a time travel story. Not only are the pieces falling into place with regard to the events that happened while they were still in the present, but complexities are being added to the characters and the relationships. Even Leapfrog might be more than it seems. Also, this entire page was just priceless:

I think I have a new favorite character. I still miss Vaughn and Alphona, but Whedon and Ryan are doing a bang up job. Finally, while I don't think I have ever met a Jo Chen cover I didn't like, this one is probably her best ever:


Sensational Spider-Man #38: I stopped reading this title during Aguirre-Sacasa's first story arc (and after sticking it out through the entirety of Hudlin's run too), but decided to pick this issue up because I was curious to see what he could have planned for an Eddie Brock story now that Brock isn't Venom. After reading this issue, I think I may have made a mistake. It's not the best writing, but there is a lot of interesting stuff going on and he has a really good handle on these characters. There's a good flow to the narrative, as it shifts perspective from Brock, to MJ, to Spider-Man, and then back to Brock. Brock is losing his mind here, and it is genuinely creepy. I'm enjoying Lee Weeks' art as well. I don't think he was the artist the last time I picked up this title, because I recall the art being one of my major complaints with it. It's also nice to see the original Venom design again. As much as I have always thought he was an overrated villain, he was always cool looking. The new Venom, in addition to being less interesting, just looks dumb (it's the eyes). My favorite part though is probably MJ's speech to the comatose Aunt May. It's no secret that I love MJ, so I naturally like when she's given some real moments of her own to shine. Again, the writing here is not the best (I'd like to think that it was intentionally written as overly melodramatic, because, well, she's MJ), but the sentiment is. I have always been fond of the relationship between MJ and Aunt May, and the speech highlights that bond, as well as showing how much she has taken Peter's own feelings about guilt and responsibility onto herself. From dingbat, party girl who wanted nothing more than fame and fortune, to this. Peter and Mary Jane really are a lot more alike than a lot of people seem to understand.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales #2: While the first issue of this series, was, in addition to being one of the most adorable comic books I have ever read, clearly identifiable as being about Peter and, even more so, Mary Jane, the connection is a bit harder to see in this issue. However, the story here, which is based on African folklore (I couldn't tell you if it is a real folk tale or not), is very much about power and responsibility - the issues at the core of any good Spider-Man story. It's also about the power of friendship, which is odd to me, since Spider-Man is more of a loner, but I guess it's about him joining the New Avengers, much like the Red Riding Hood story was about Peter and MJ's marriage. Maybe the next issue will be a fairy tale version of "Sins Past" and then the mini series will wrap up with a Native American folklore rendition of "The Other." Then we will have JMS's whole Amazing Spider-Man run in the far more entertaining fairy tale form. Kidding aside though, the thing that makes this issue worthwhile is Niko Henrichon's art.

X-Men: Endangered Species: I'm not a fan of the fact that the mutant population has been cut down to only 198 (and now less). I think it ruins the metaphor of mutants as a minority group. (Quite frankly, if there are less than 200 of them in the world and there cannot be any more of them born, they're basically irrelevant on a societal scale.) I also didn't think that a lot of the things that happened to the mutant population in the wake of House of M made much sense. (I guess Marvel was going for an analogy to Native Americans being put on reservations, but it really didn't work because the issues leading up to it were so completely different.) All that considered, I was surprised to find myself actually interested in where Carey is going to take this. While I do think the essence of what Marvel's mutant population has always been representative of has been completely undermined, the population dilemma that the X-Men are facing is an interesting one. (I'll also add that it's long overdue for the X-books to be dealing with it.) Carey also handles the characters quite well here, providing several good moments, particularly the conversations between Professor X and Sebastian Shaw and Cyclops and Wolverine. All this adds up to me having to start reading X-Men comics again, which really, really sucks. Also, how skanky is it to wear fishnet stockings to a funeral?

Scout Attacks! week 17: Michael Turner Is Just Bad

This past week, UPS failed to deliver a bunch of boxes to the comic shop I frequent, so I missed out on the X-Men: Endangered Species one shot, Sensational Spider-Man, Spike: Shadow Puppets, and The Tick Twentieth Anniversary Special. How much does that suck? Hopefully I will be able to get them this Wednesday.

The Brave and the Bold #4: This issue seems like filler. While there is some amusing interaction between Supergirl and Lobo, their storyline seems irrelevant and unnecessary. However, this is still an entertaining read, so while I would normally complain about wasting my time and money, I won't. Sometimes being entertaining is more than enough. Also, the half-Batman/half-Cyborg is awesome.

Justice League of America #10: Apparently, DC reduced Power Girl's breast size from the version of the cover that was previewed. That's a nice gesture and all, but it's still an ugly ass cover and Power Girl still looks like a deformed elf who is completely stoned. I look forward to the day when we can all move past the "Michael Turner covers are sexist" debate and onto the agreement that Michael Turner is just a really bad artist. The story inside isn't much prettier than the cover. Basically, what we learned in this issue is that everything we read for the past however-many-issues-this-crossover-was was pretty pointless. They could have condensed it to two issues and it wouldn't have made any difference. The JLA and the JSA meet up with a bunch of time traveling members of the Legion of Superheroes who are getting together to bring back the Flash. There was no need for all the amnesia and searching and all that stuff. It wasn't interesting or entertaining enough to warrant all the time put into it - just a bunch of issues of the JSA and the JLA on a wild goose chase and ultimately not doing anything. I would have preferred and extended six issue story arc about the game of capture the flag from the first issue ending with Wally West walking into the Hall of Justice saying, "Hey! What did I miss?" All the interesting stuff that hinted at greater conspiracies and events, like the fact that the Legion of Superheroes appeared to bring someone else back in addition to Wally and his family or the white gorilla born in Gorilla City or the Ultra Humanite stuff, is apparently going to be dealt with elsewhere, presumably Countdown. That's just wasting my time, and not in a good way, especially since I have dropped Countdown with no intention of buying it again (until Ollie's bachelor party, anyway).

Highwaymen #1: This was entertaining enough, if fairly generic. Two over the hill adventurers come out of retirement to deal with something from their past. Old guys with guns is practically a genre in and of itself, and it's one I'm fond of, but this story doesn't do anything to set itself apart. Also, it seemed to be trying too hard to be clever in parts (like the whole "President Clinton...no, the other President Clinton" thing), and, in the end, it was somewhat forgettable.

The Amazing Spider-Man #541: My first reaction when I finished reading this issue was "There are seriously going to more issues in this storyline? Is the next issue just going to be page after page of Spider-Man getting his ass kicked by the inmates?" On top of that, this just isn't very interesting. The outcome is a foregone conclusion, mostly because we know that Kingpin isn't dead from other Marvel comics, but also because of the simple fact that this is Spider-Man. It's just tiresome. It's also not very believable. I don't think I really buy Spidey having these reactions, unless it had been one continuous tear between May being shot to Kingpin. The more time he takes, whether it be to call MJ or to sit at May's bedside, the less likely his actions seem. This also marks the second storyline in a row where it would actually seem relevant for him to be thinking about Gwen Stacy, and yet he isn't, so I had to sit through House of M: Spider-Man for nothing.

Captain America #27: This is another comic where not a lot happens in this issue, but it doesn't matter because it's so well done. Basically, it's just more of everyone dealing with Cap's death, while Bucky continues to be bad ass. He goes to the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian, sees that the shield on display there is a fake and sets out to get the real one because he doesn't think Tony Stark deserves to get to keep it; he fights the Black Widow and we learn that they used to have a relationship; the Falcon and Sharon are sent out stop him, but get there too late; Sharon wears an interesting but cool white cat suit; and Black widow informs Tony Stark that Bucky is out to kill him. Ultimately, that's the most interesting thing about this issue as I am intrigued to know what Stark is going to do about it. Also, I don't think I've mentioned this before, but part of what makes this title so much cooler than the other ones I read is, in addition to the amazing work by Brubaker and Epting, it has flying cars. They're just cool.

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #3: I've been enjoying this series, but this issue was made infinitely cooler by an appearance from Dr. Doom. He makes everything better. Also, this issue has anthropomorphic animals as an added bonus, and Wieringo makes them look adorable. This mini is just fun., and that's enough. I know it's a long shot, but I think it would be cool if Jeff Parker were one of the new Amazing Spider-Man writers.

Spider-Man Mythos: The world probably didn't need another retelling of Spider-Man's origin, but it's such a good story, and I am so partial to Spidey, that I am rarely able to resist them. Fortunately, this one features some pretty solid writing and some really beautiful art. I thought the appearance by Conan O'Brien was a bit weird though. I prefer the pro-wrestling.

Scout Attacks! week 16: Skrull Edition

Before I begin, I just want to announce that Skrulls are going to be my new thing. I'm going to blame everything on Skrulls from now on, or at least until I get tired of it. If it's anything like Superboy Prime's time punch, that could take a while.

Fables #60: James Jean's cover is gorgeous. His covers are always gorgeous, but this cover is particularly so. I wasn't as impressed with the rest of the issue. It was typically good. An average issue of Fables is still better than most other comics. It just felt a like filler. I realize that certain things, like Flycatcher's transformation, the exposition about Lancelot, and everything with Hansel were important to moving the story forward, but they all seemed like relatively minor developments to build and entire issue around. I'm assuming that this was a matter of pacing though. I expect awesomeness in the next issue.

Green Arrow #75: I don't even know what to say about this issue. It wasn't good. There were several groan-worthy moments. I cannot even fathom why Batman would have developed something that could not only dissolve a wall into a water-like substance, but happens to smell like milk and honey. It is quite possibly one of the dumbest things I have read in a comic book in quite some time, which, given the state of Marvel right now, is saying something. Then there's the fact that the whole thing is basically just a missive on how wonderful Oliver Queen is. My least favorite part of the issue though is when Slade is about to kill Dinah and Ollie pleads with him to kill him instead. This is dumb in so many ways. The first being that Slade obviously intends to kill both of them and Ollie is an idiot for thinking that Slade would just kill him and leave Dinah alone. The second is that the whole scene is obviously meant to show how much he loves Dinah and can't live without her, but the point is completely blown by the fact that he's a superhero, one with no powers I might add, and lays his life down for other people all the time. I am knew to these characters, but it seems to me that the best way to show Ollie's devotion to Dinah would be to show him being a decent guy over a period of time. Grand life and death gestures just don't cut it for people who deal in life and death all the time. It's emotionally hollow. I'm not inherently against the pairing since I'm not all that familiar with the characters, but these issues have done nothing to sell me on it either. There are a lot of things that can be dictated by editorial mandate and rushed into being story-wise. Good romance is not one of those things. Also, as someone who is primarily interested in Black Canary, I am concerned about the upcoming joint Black Canary/Green Arrow series being scripted by Winick. Has the entire series been all wonder and praise to the glory of Oliver Queen while he's been writing it, or has it just been part of the rushed romance and showing that he's changed and is worthy of Dinah? If it's the former, I have no interest in reading a series where Dinah is going to spend all her time gushing about how awesome Ollie is. Anyway, at the end of the issue, Ollie proposes, even though they have only been back together for approximately 2 nanoseconds, and we are left on a cliffhanger for her answer. Given the DC solicits for September, it's the opposite of what I would advise. I'm still totally going to buy all the special wedding issues though. This one especially looks super cute:

Supernatural Origins #2: Things start to get exciting, dark and really morally questionable in this issue. It's clear that this series will be about showing how John Winchester went from normal, loving and good husband and father to the man we saw on the television show. Some mysterious new characters are introduced also, and I am interested to see if they are what they claim to be. One in particular has the potential to be a mentor figure who teaches John how to hunt, but something about him doesn't seem quite right. This is getting pretty good. I also really like the art. It's more along the lines of a B.P.R.D. as opposed to the average licensed property and it really adds to the tone, as well as making it feel more like it was meant to be comic book rather than just something based on a television show.

Avengers Classic #1: Not being up on my Avengers history, I'm really happy about getting to start from the beginning, and I always love reprints of 60s stuff. Lee and Kirby were...well, they were Lee and Kirby. 'Nuff said. But I really like the new stuff too. First of all, the Art Adams cover is gorgeous. Then there's Dwayne McDuffie's story which is seriously fun. I love how the Wasp plays on the team's sexism to get to become the first Avengers (secret) chairman. It fits so well with the way the female characters were written back then, while subtly subverting it. The whole story is very funny. Finally, there's "The real Origin of the Avengers!" by Stan Lee, which follows the "Stan as ultimate huckster" thing that we have seen in a lot of his stories where he meets his characters. It's still amusing. "I'll finally be able to buy a saddle!" is definitely the line of the week.

New Avengers #31: It's pretty pointless to discuss anything but the big reveal at the end, like the fact that the art in this issue is just weird and the story doesn't really flow well from panel to panel in certain places, so I'm just going to get to it. First of all, if the writer has to go around to every major comics website explaining what the huge reveal in the comic means, the reveal doesn't work. Simple as that. I'm not sure why the reveal didn't work. I think part of it was that it was Elektra, as opposed to someone more major or in a position of power in Shield or something. Elektra being a Skrull just doesn't seem to be all that important to the greater Marvel Universe. Also, when New Avengers began, the conspiracy plot was really at the forefront and was by far the most interesting thing about the book, but it got dropped in order to deal with Civil War, thereby causing it to lose its momentum. And then there's the question of why Wolverine couldn't smell the difference in Elektra, but I assume that's an issue that will be dealt with at some point. (I strongly suspect that they are going to reveal that Elektra has been a Skrull since her first death anyway.) That said, I think the concept is pretty cool. While there is absolutely a chance for Marvel to take this way too far and reboot everything, making everything that's happened in the last few years pointless, the stories that can grow out of it in the future have a great deal of potential. Unlike Civil War, which was socially relevant in a heavy handed and insulting way, the idea that anyone can be a Skrull is pretty creepy and socially relevant like really great science fiction or horror. It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. OK, so it's not terribly original, but to my knowledge it has never been done in superhero comics. I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with this, but I'm preparing myself for disappointment. Other than that, this issue wasn't very good. Really, this arc was only interesting during the flashbacks in the earlier issues. I liked the banter between Spider-Man and Ronin/Hawkeye, but I'm still pissed off that Spidey's characterization is completely different in every book. Also, if either Jessica Jones or Luke Cage are Skrulls, which is very possible with that creepy baby moment, I will personally storm Marvel's offices. I love them, and just...no. They can't be Skrulls. That is final.

I'm starting to think I made a mistake in not picking up World War Hulk #1. I don't really have any interest in the Hulk, but I love John Romita Jr. and I have a strong desire to see Iron Man get his ass kicked.

Scout Attacks! week 15: Tuocs Skcatta!

It was a decent week though. I forgot to pick up Supernatural: Origins #2 though. I hate it when I do that.

Countdown #47: So, Jimmy Olsen is having freaky dreams, the Monitors are making big speeches and targeting Jason Todd, Donna Troy and Kyle Rayner, the Rogues share a moment, and Mary Marvel gets Black Adam's powers. While the I thought the scene between Trickster and Pied Piper was nice, the Mary Marvel part was the only thing about this issue that was truly interesting. That's why it was too bad that it didn't make much sense. The last time I saw Black Adam he was looking to get his powers back. Now he has them and doesn't want them. It's an obvious attempt to get me to read the upcoming Black Adam mini series, and while I think it was probably successful, I'm very close to dropping this title, so I think DC is losing out in the long run. The basic problem with this series is that it is far too uneven, and unlike 52, which hooked me on the characters from the beginning, Countdown has yet to really make me care more than mild curiosity. It doesn't help that the end of the last issue made a big deal about what it might mean for a god to die and then this issue had no follow through on that. It destroys the whole impact and forward momentum.

Birds of Prey #107: As I suspected, the cover is very misleading, but this was still a rollicking good issue. We've got everyone just brawling, some truly awesome Harley Quinn lines, Huntress and Catman being the sensible ones, while also being flirty (more of this pairing, please), and a really great Deadshot moment. Really great. We do lose a member of the team though, but I think it was worth it to see Zinda take out Spysmasher like that. I am very much looking forward to the Babs/Spysmasher showdown in the next issue. It should be good.

Detective Comics #833: It amazes me that I had dropped this title at one point. Sure I wound up going back and picking up the issues I missed, but there was still a point where I didn't think it was worth continuing to read this title. I am completely flummoxed over how it got from that point to this really great issue. There's so much good here from the character stuff, to the suspense, to a reveal at the end that I really did not see coming. There are also a bunch of Alan Moore references. It's also really nice to see Zatanna clothed here, unlike the last time I saw her where she appeared to be wearing her underwear while helping Superman.

Superman #663: This is one of those issues that is probably essential to the story arc, but feels inconsequential right now. Still, I thought it was fairly entertaining. All the stuff with the New God youngsters was pretty cute. I'm interested to see if anything is going to happen there now that Lightray is dead. It's clear that a lot of stuff is being set up with Arion too. It's no surprise though that Superman has decided not to just sit back and watch civilization crumble. He is Superman after all. I just kind of hope this doesn't lead to a storyline where Superman gets mind controlled and destroys a bunch of stuff, but then snaps out of it and all is better. This whole concept is pretty intriguing and I would like to see the story come to a more satisfying conclusion than that. It's all been pretty philosophical so far, and while there definitely needs to be some action, I don't want things to just end with a brawl.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4: This is the last issue of this arc and it's plainly clear that Whedon isn't even trying to reach out to readers that are not familiar with the television show. Warren, aka skinless guy, doesn't even get a name check. I guess that's OK though since, judging by sales, there are a lot more Buffy watchers than comic book readers. That's probably the biggest flaw with this series, but since I am a Buffy fanatic, I don't really have many problems at all with this series. I will say that it has been a little strange the way the story is unfolding though, because it sort of follows the format of the television series, in that while this storyline has ended, it's really just a set up for things to come, but it's different because what was multiple issues here probably would have been cut down to a single episode. The effect is something unlike a normal comic series, but also unlike the television series and is therefore taking some getting used to. Moreso that any of the action is this issue, what was good was the future potential of what was being set up. Willow is rescued, but Buffy and the slayers clearly have bigger things to worry about, and I love that Whedon is revisiting the issue of what a slayer actually is, while also questioning a lot of what Buffy has done when she chose to give all this power to these young women. Nothing's ever black and white with this franchise and everything has consequences. It will be interesting to see how far Whedon can take this without undermining the female empowerment message that he clearly set out to make with the show's series finale. Also, I've never been one of those fans that outright hated Dawn, though I was often frustrated with the character, so I am interested in seeing what develops in Buffy and dawn's relationship. We know that Buffy loves Dawn so much she was willing to sacrifice her life for her, but ever since then there has been an ever growing gulf between them. I think repairing that bond is going to be very important to Buffy and her humanity in the coming months.

Loners #3: I have a confession to make. I have always liked Phil Urich. Sure I thought it was a bit idiotic to try and be a good guy version of the Green Goblin, but that's one of the things I like about him - that he tried. This issue is told from his perspective, and well, he's a little messed up. He's trying to keep everything under control, for him and the group, but he's obviously ready to snap. It doesn't help that they have some major problems with Julie Power now in the hospital after being attacked by Hollow, formally known as Penance before Speedball stole her name, and the leader of the MGH dealers after them because Hollow escaped. In the end, Mickey makes a mysterious deal to make there problems go away, but nobody really feels good about what has happened. Phil does now have a smitten Hollow sleeping on his floor though (and it is absolutely adorable when she kisses him earlier in the book). I'm really enjoying this series, and I really hope Marvel sees fit to make it an ongoing. It's interesting because it isn't a superhero series at all really, but it deals with the issues of being a superhero in a way that I don't think I've seen before. Oh, and this issues John Hughes movie cover inspiration is Weird Science, for anyone keeping track.

Spider-Man Family #3: Usually, the most enjoyment I get out of this title is from the reprints and Mini Marvels stories, which are always adorable, but the new story in this one is really good Tobin does a good job with all the characters and the art is really different and cool. There's just one thing that kept me from loving it. Why didn't Spider-Man see the brick that is floating, practically, right in front of his face?

Uncanny X-Men #487: I had dropped this title during the Shi'ar arc because it was boring and the pacing was all off, but bringing in Storm got me to give it another chance, because, well, Brubaker is good enough for me to think of the previous arc as an anomaly and Storm is cool. So far, this story seems pretty interesting, and given that it is only 5 issues long, I'm confidant that it will hold up better than the last, which also started out as fairly interesting. It seems I did miss quite a bit though, as Corsair is now dead. I wonder if they showed Scott's reaction to that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what's going on with the Morlocks in the post-M-Day Marvel Universe, and I always think it's interesting to see Storm dealing with them. Also, as much as I think everything with Magneto is kind of a mess right now, I'm interested to see if Brubaker brings him back. Somehow I think that if anyone could right Magneto really well at this point, it would be him.

In other news, Smallville has announced that they have added Supergirl to their already over inflated cast. Kara is going to be 19, with a rebellious streak and able to fly...before Clark. This is part of Millar and Gough's ongoing plan to make the lamest incarnation of Superman ever.

Scout Attacks! week 14: To Grandmother's House I Go

I'm thinking my favorite comic of the week will be as much of a surprise to you as it was to me. It really had no right to be as good as it was.

Countdown #48: This issue wasn't as good as last week's, but it's held my attention for at least another week. I really want to see what's going to happen with Mary Marvel and Black Adam, since he's still got my interest held over from 52. Also, Jimmy Olsen had superspeed this week, so I really want to know what the deal is with his spontaneously appearing powers. Finally, something shadowy and mysterious killed a New God named Lightray. Superman got very melodramatic about it, finishing his sentences in big red letters. They're setting up a lot of potentially interesting things here, it's just not nearly as accessible as 52 was and far less character driven, which was the real strength of that series. All that is making it a bit difficult to get really invested in this series, especially since so much of it is interwoven with what is going on in the rest of the DCU.

Action Comics #850: Renato Guedes is back! I love him. Seriously. I want to marry this art and have its babies. OK. That's an exaggeration. I want to marry John Cassaday's art and have its babies. This art can be my starter marriage. Anyway, this anniversary issue was a nice look at Superman continuity as it stands now in the One Year Later DCU, without giving everything a way so there's still plenty to reveal in the year(s) to come, which is why it makes sense that this issue was written by the three main Superman writers. Also, we got to see Krypto, which was cool (but also a dirty tease since we are still waiting on Busiek's Krypto story), and the look at all the different versions of Superman was a lot of fun. This issue gets bonus points for making fun of his 1990s hair style. I love stories that touch on Superman's isolation. The way the story jumped around, it was hard to get a really capitalize on the emotion of that, but they did a good job of capturing what his life is like in a few key moments. I thought the scene where Flash asked for his autograph, showing that even the other superheroes see him as something other, and his dinner with Lois were especially poignant. What this story did an excellent job of showing was how Supergirl came to understand her cousin better and how much it must mean to him to have her in his life now. I'm sure it's not to everyone's liking, but I find the interaction between them to be pretty realistically familial.

Amazons Attack #2: I think this issue made it pretty clear that there's something wrong with Hippolyta, since even the other Amazons are questioning her judgment now. I'm guessing she's either not really Hippolyta or Circe brought her back from the dead wrong somehow. If this was Marvel, I would say she was a zombie. I liked the first issue of this series, but now it just seems superfluous. What exactly is being provided here that's necessary to the story that we are not getting in Wonder Woman? I suppose we're getting to see what the other superheroes are doing, but since they're really not doing much, it doesn't seem like we needed to see more of them than we did in the last issue of Wonder Woman. We did get the obligatory scene where Batman questioned Wonder Woman's loyalty. Just once I would love to see the inevitable moment of silence while Batman decides whether or not he believes the other person to end with him saying "I'm just messin' with ya. Pretending to be the old un-trusting asshole I used to be. Bad joke. Sorry. My old Bat-dick days are way behind me." It's never going to happen though. The big cliffhanger is Superman rushing off to Kansas to save his parents. Whatever. They're not going to die. They're going to survive so that later in the year Jonathan Kent can die of a heart attack.

Justice Society of America #6: This was a weird issue because a ton of stuff happened, but also nothing at all happened. And the only thing I know about the Legion of Superheroes is what I have learned from the Saturday morning cartoon (I'll miss you Ferro Lad. *sniffle*), so all that stuff was really confusing to me. What I did learn this issue is that Liberty Belle is one of those obnoxious newly married people who want to marry off everyone else. I did like the reference to Kingdom Come (Earth 22) and he fact that the Multiverse is what messed up Starman's head. I do think something fairly intriguing is being set up here between this crossover and Countdown with regard to all that and I just think it sucks that it's going to take all year to get to the bottom of it. There's also a really cool fight with a robot tentacle monster, who I think the reader is expected to recognize as someone, but I don't. It still looks great though. I kind of love Eaglesham's art. He's draws really pretty men too. I'm just saying. His Karate Kid could totally land a starring role on a CW show.

New Avengers Illuminati: This issue had a huge retcon with regard to the Beyonder, and frankly, my memory isn't good enough to say whether it worked or not. Being free of the burdens of continuity as I am, this was a pretty enjoyable issue. Not as good as the first two, but interesting. (It's also possible that I would enjoy anything with Jim Cheung's art, since I'm still in Young Avengers withdrawal after all this time.) I really liked Black Bolt here with his struggle to remember, and also Namor's understanding of how to deal with the Beyonder because he was the only one who understood how a king relates to his subject, and vice versa. That was a nice touch. I am curious on one point though. Am I missing a crucial part of Dr. Strange's backstory with regard to his love interests or is his greatest desire simply to have a threesome? That seems a little unambitious, considering Namor wants to take over the surface world. Finally, while I'm enjoying this series, I'm concerned about where exactly it is heading. With the gems from the Infinity Gauntlet divided between the members of the Illuminati, all of whom are about to get their asses kicked by the Hulk, and the Beyonder running around somewhere on Earth, it seems like the pieces are being put into place for Marvel to pull their own version of Superboy Prime punching time.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales #1: I fully admit to being a complete sucker for Spidey. I've gotten better over the years. I don't feel the need to pick up every single comic with him in it. I've gotten so good that I am currently only reading one of his monthly titles (though the urge to pick up the other 2 main Marvel universe titles is strong), but when something new comes out I am physically compelled to at least give it a try. What I am saying is, I didn't want to buy this comic book. I had to buy this comic book, and I am so glad I did. It was by far the most enjoyable thing I read this week, and it was a fairly decent week. Anyway, I loved it. It was adorable. I want this to officially replace the actual Little Red Riding Hood story as the one that is commonly known. People should be reading this to their children at night. You might ask why I think that, and I will tell you. First of all, it is Spider-Man, which makes everything better. Second of all, Mary Jane is all about her independence and not being a damsel in distress. She's a much better role model than the average fairy tale character. Peter too is great as a boy who believes he's meant for something a little bit more than just being your average wood cutter. In the end they learn that it's all about working together and being equals. Also, kudos to C.B Cebulski for distilling several years of the Peter/MJ marital life into one little fable. As great a job as I think J. M. Strazynski has done with that relationship, Cebulski managed to get the same point across in one comic. My one disappointment with this story was that I expected the Big Bad Wolf to turn out to be recognizable as one of the regular Spidey villains. I suppose it could have been Venom, or at least the symbiote, but it just looked like a big, black, shadowy wolf.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales also raised another question with me about the Marvel ratings system. It seemed perfectly suitable for "All Ages," but it was rated "A." I'm further confused by the fact that Illuminati is rated "T+," which I would have thought would be for slightly younger readers than "A." However, the "A" rated Spider-Man Fairy Tales was all perfectly innocent, while the "T+" rated Illuminati had two panels of Dr. Strange in bed with two obviously naked women. This is going to require further investigation.

Scout Attacks! week 13: The One Where I Have Memory Trouble

I read these comics on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, but couldn't write the reviews until now because I went away for the weekend. I'm not sure I remember them all that well. I had trouble finding the comics when I sat down to do this too, so I wasn't even sure I remembered what I was supposed to review. This is going to be tough, so don't expect too much from me. Good thing it was a light week.

Countdown #49: This was a make it or break it week for this book. I was set to stop buying it, but this issue guaranteed that I would be back next week at the very least. That's largely due to the last page cliffhanger with Mary Marvel and Black Adam. Also, while the resolution to the previous week's cliffhanger with Jimmy Olsen made as little sense as the cliffhanger itself, the fact that it looks like someone has been slipping him Ralph Dibny's Gingold Juice is pretty interesting. Considering how little I remember of everything else, I'm going to say that it was pretty meh, but I think the stuff with the Monitors and Flash's rogues have potential.

Birds of Prey #106: This issue was pretty much just one big brawl, and tons of fun. All the match ups are entertaining in and of themselves and provide a bunch of nice little character moments. Misfit versus Harley Quinn is just delightful and I am really enjoying the Huntress/Catman interaction. Finally, I know absolutely nothing about Ice, but if her power is to create and control a giant ice monster, that is so cool. So. So. Cool. Oh yeah, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Scandal isn't dead, since there's a coffin on next month's cover. That always means fake out.

Wonder Woman #9: I have to say that while the writing still isn't great, Jodi Picoult is improving with every issue. It's actually a shame that her run is almost over. I think if she had another arc on the title, it might have been really good. It would have been even better if she had worked on a less high profile character first before trying her hand at Wonder Woman. As usual, there's interesting stuff going on here, but the execution just feels a bit off in places. For example, the joke about aiming for a metaphor by toppling the Washington Monument was a good one, it just felt forced. Also, I kind of felt like Black Canary should have said it instead of Batman. And I just never know how I feel about Nemesis. He can be obnoxious, and he's clearly got a super heroine fetish, but sometimes his interaction Diana is cute. I still can't get my head around the idea of them together though. Then there's Diana's interaction with her mother. I love what Picoult is going for here. The blind faith that her mother would never do anything like this coupled with the desperate desire to have her mother back is so real and honest. Anyway, all the players seem to be putting the pieces of the conspiracy puzzle together. Everyman's involvement makes me wonder if perhaps Lex Luthor is involved somehow, since last time we saw him, at least that I know of, he was still working for Luthor back in 52. The book ends with Circe getting a spear to the chest and fading away Yoda-style. Somehow I don't think a goddess can be killed like that though. On a final note, Dodson's art is beautiful, as always, but looks a bit rushed in some places, particularly at the beginning (and I can't be the only person that hates the way he draws Superman's face). Everything at the end looks incredible though.

Captain America #26: I think I would love anything in this book just because of Epting's art. It's phenomenal. Fortunately, Brubaker is still doing great things with this story. This issue had a really good balance between the ongoing storyline with the Red Skull and having the supporting characters deal with Cap's death. It still amazes me how well bringing Bucky back has worked. I don't think it will ever stop amazing me, because it really, really should have sucked. He really shouldn't try and kill Tony Stark though. As much as that might make me laugh, Cap wouldn't have liked it and Bucky really needs to get out of the cycle of violence and death. Also, poor Sharon. Her head's been royally fucked with. that is so not cool. I didn't know that Cap and her aunt were once a thing though. That's kind of creepy. Falcon's the only one of them who's holding it together. One last thing. Does Arnim Zola remind anyone else of Krang? It's the whole exosuit thing.

So, I kind of fucked up Spider-Man month. I'm disappointed with myself about that, but in the past two months, I have been blogging a lot more than I ever had before. That counts for something, right? Anyway, I still plan on doing my post about Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1. That would have been done last week, but my scanner mysteriously stopped working, and the whole fun of that post was going to be the pictures. It seems to have mysteriously started working again, so I will get to that soon. The other posts I had planned I will just do when I had originally planned to do them before I decided to declare May Spider-Man month. And, of course, I'm still me, so there will be other Spidey related posts that pop up, I am sure.