Thanos Imperative #3 – I kind of like these cosmic sagas and this one has been pretty solid so far. I’ve been a big fan of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and they continue to provide solid stories that I can always count on liking. I also like that I don’t have to buy a million tie-in issues to see the full story. It is all self contained and that has a certain charm to it. This issue we follow Thanos further into the Cancerverse where Death has died and Nova assembled a strike team to go after Namorita. The explanation behind why Death doesn’t exist there anymore was ok, a tad weak, but alright. My main complaint is the artwork. Miguel Sepulveda does such a poor job that I can’t figure out what’s going on half the time. Sometimes he makes the story harder to follow than it should be. I had to go back a re-read to figure out who was saying what because the pictures didn’t seem to tell me well enough. Just terrible stuff. The artwork makes me mad. This should be an issue worth buying and it is just to stay up on what’s going on, but the artwork almost turns me against it. Buy for the story, not the art.
X-Men #2 – Well, that wasn’t quite as bad as I was expecting. So in X-Men, we’re still talking about Vampires and their virus they’re unleashing and the want they have to get to the mutants. But the story gets much better this issue than in last. It’s still pretty hokey in spots and still hasn’t grabbed my imagination. There’s a smidge of me that’s really trying to like Victor Gischler’s work, but I don’t. His story just didn’t seem very imaginative and everything just falls flat for me. Paco Medina’s artwork was hit and miss. The early pages I liked pretty well and then it seemed a tad different later on. His Cyclops just drives me batty, he draws him even more stiff than you would Al Gore. His mouth on Cyclops looks really weird half the time, I just didn’t care for it. This series promises to be the big miss of the summer. And there ain’t no cure for the summertime X-Men #2. Dah dah dah dunt. Just skip it, save that money for something else.
Avengers Prime #2 – I like the word “meh” for some reason and it kind of describes this issue. The issue isn’t terrible actually and there are some fun moments. There are just weird things that I didn’t care for. Are the troll-like dudes who talked to Tony Stark hard on hearing? One moment he’s shouting about being friends with Thor and then ignore him. The next time he talks about it, they say “Our lord Thor?” Well, duh, can’t you hear? I hate gaps in logic like that. The final reveal towards the end wasn’t too awfully shocking and I found myself saying, “Who even cares?” This is not the best work Brian Michael Bendis has done. But since we’re going crazy on Avengers EVERYTHING, might as well pile on more issues to cash in on the future movie and build up interest. I can’t say that I blame them. There are far worse issues you could buy, but this is mostly meh.
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1 - Peter Tomasi has been doing a fine job with his Green Lantern Corp runs and he stumbles a tad out of the gates, but still tells me a story I’m interested in and entertained by. I’m interested in seeing how things play out between Atrocitus/Gardner/Ganthet. Also there seems to be more things working in the background. I guess I’m a bit biased because the Green Lanter Corps stuff has always been some of my favorite stuff and if they can get back to just telling some good stories, I’m a happy man. Still, I’m not sure what the heck of the first 10 pages of this issue is even there for besides filler. It gets better towards the end though. The artwork is well detailed and there’s a wall of skulls and some scenes in this issue that are just fantastic. The artist Fernando Pasarin is doing some pretty good stuff here and I’m interested in seeing more of it. The storyline isn’t the best, but like I said, picks up steam. If you like the Green Lantern Corp stuff Tomasi did, this isn’t quite there yet, so time will see. As for this issue, not a must buy, just ok.
The Amazing Spider-man #639 – Joe Quesada cannot write revisionist history worth a lick. This issue was a mangle of rewind, half-rewind, present, rewind, blah. His story just doesn’t seem to be adding up as to why MJ and Peter didn’t get married. And then he takes a total wimp-out in several spots and you’re left wondering what the hell is going on with this storyline. It feels like he decided he was going to do it overnight and then threw out a script that would last several issues. There really isn’t anything going on here that’s very interesting at all. I’m not fond of Joe Quesada’s hybrid art on his pages because he draws Peter to look like a mutant elf. Hmmm… come to think of it, he does resemble Nightcrawler in these. Paolo Rivera has some decent “throwback” artwork going on and that’s where the real storytelling happens. He is the only bright spot in this pile of poop. Skip it, maybe something will happen next issue but don’t bank on it.
Hawkeye and Mockingbird #3 – Jim McCann can write and this series keeps up a pretty steady pace. This issue is high on action and the artwork of David Lopez captures it all and does it justice. So in this issue Mockingbird goes after Crossfire after what he did to her mother. A pretty straightforward issue with backstory still moving along. The relationship between Clint and Bobbi, still having their disagreements, is good stuff as well. But really, a LOT of action in this issue and it is done fairly well, so I can’t complain when there a GOOD action sequences, because that’s part of what makes comic great. This is a fantastic series and this is a solid issue. Not quite as good as #1 & 2, but pick it up and enjoy!
The Invincible Iron Man #29 – We further our storyline involving Stark Resilient getting up and running, Pepper get the repulsor tech put back in her, and the Hammer girls running roughshod. A lot of storylines working well together and giving us another good story. This issue has a few more dull spots than others, like the argument with Maria Hill and Stark just wasn’t particularly well done. Then we have these weird giant launchable flying penises is the only way to describe them. Apparently they’re Detroit Steel’s flying penises, but boy were they poorly designed and the whole concept of them (okay, they aren’t REALLY penises, they just look like them) is really quite lame. Download an app and fly them? Really? Have they actually seen the limitations of cell phone technology? It just came off flat. Everything else in the issue after that is pretty decent, but the first several pages were groaners. It did finish strong though and may be worth picking up for one hilarious scene with Tony and Pepper. Salvador Larroca gives this series a unique feel with his artwork, but he loses points for the flying penises. Matt Fraction’s writing is once again good like I said, except for the first several pages. Buy if you’re already elbow deep in the series, otherwise not a must buy.
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