On The Shelf This Week – 01.10.07

On The Shelf This Week – 01.10.07

Jan 10

 

ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade

DARK HORSE COMICS
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Blade Of The Immortal #121, $2.99, 32 Pages. By Hiroaki Samura. As always, it just amazes me how beautifully drawn this comic is. Worth checking out on that basis alone. It is the fourth part of a story arc, so maybe not the best place to jump aboard, but it is worth keeping an eye on.

Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic #12, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written
by John Jackson Miller, Art by Brian Ching and Michael Atiyeh. This series has excelled at being generic. It isn’t bad at all, it just has a plastic feel to it. A rogue padawan wasn’t exactly the direction I expected from a Knight of the Old Republic series, so it isn’t nearly as political as it could be. Nonetheless, it is a decent and very easy read. Nothing spectacular, but if you like Star Wars, you will enjoy this.

Star Wars Legacy #7, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by John Ostrander, Art by Jan Duursema, Dan Parsons, and Brad Anderson. This is possibly the best of the new Star Wars books, but it is also the most original. So there is a chance that Star Wars purists won’t like this one. This title is still young, but if you are curious about Star Wars comics, and want to try one for the first time, this one might be a good choice.

DC COMICS
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52 Week #36, $2.50, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Breakdowns by Keith Giffen, Art by Chris Batista and Jack Jadson. Wow then, last week’s issue was pretty darned good. Don’t say that often about 52. It is good, enjoyable even, but rarely does it have those issues that just click start to finish. Looks like all that build-up might have been worth it. And boy, wasn’t it nice to not have to trudge through those flat back-up features? I could sure do without them the rest of the run. Alas, it is not to be.

Batman #662, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by John Ostrander, Art by Tom Mandrake. This is the last Ostrander issue before we get back to a double-shot of Morrison next month. Then nothing in March, strangely enough. This arc hasn’t been too bad, just the shock of a sudden creative fill-in was a bit much. Looking forward to a good Joker story next month.

Batman Confidential #2, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Andy Diggle, Art by Whilce Portacio and Richard Friend. Seriously, did they have to start with a first time encounter arc? Not every old continuity story has to involve a big “first meeting.” Seems like this was a great idea for a series that they have had many times in the past – they just don’t seem to be able to get the idea right! A big 6 issue story arc is exactly the wrong way to launch a title like this one. This almost demands single-issue stories, much easier for the casual reader to enjoy. And those really are the perfect target readers for a book like this.

Batman Strikes #29, $2.25, 32 Pages. Written by Jai Nitz, Art by Christopher Jones and Terry Beatty. Robin Strikes! Yippie! And more Batgirl, if you enjoy that character. As always, decent for anyone who enjoys the cartoon.

Green Arrow #70, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Judd Winick, Art by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens. The OYL title of the year? Possibly. Winick has really worked magic with this book post-Infinite Crisis, and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Gotta wait until April if you want a new arc to start on, so if you want to give this book a shot, just ask for a copy of last month’s issue as well, and you should be good.

Green Lantern Corps #8, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Keith Champagne; Art by Patrick Gleason and Prentis Rollins. Champagne didn’t do so bad last issue, thank goodness. Gibbons has done such great things with this book, it would be a shame to see him go. Thankfully it looks like Gibbons will be back in March. Though if this issue is anything like last issue, he can fill in any time he wants.

JSA Classified #21, $2.99, 32 Pages. By Walter Simonson. A bit of a JSA double dose this week, starting with this book, which is presently crossing over with Hawkgirl. Simonson has gotten a lot of flak for his efforts on Hawkgirl, but even the best writers can be dragged down by bad art (for example, look at Gail Simone’s Teen Titans arc). Hawkgirl seems like a book on the cusp – if only one or two minor changes could be made, the book would be stellar. The last book I can recall in this position was Firestorm, and look what happened there! Of course, art wasn’t the main problem there, but they were both similarly on the cusp. Hopefully something shakes loose on that book real soon.

Martian Manhunter #6 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by A.J. Lieberman, Art by Al Barrionuevo and Bit. It is over yet? J’onn certainly needed a bit of focus, but this just wasn’t the team to do it. Hopefully DC puts someone else on the character after this one finishes to mop up the damage a bit.

OMAC #7 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bruce Jones, Art by Renato Guedes. This book is quietly chugging along, and it really hasn’t been that bad. Not as sensational as anyone expected out of Bruce Jones, but a huge step in the right direction for him at DC. Definitely worth checking out the trade.

Outsiders #44, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Judd Winick, Art by Ron Randall and Art Thibert. It really didn’t take too long at all for a flashback here – what are we, barely a half year into OYL? In any case, those of you who were curious what happened with some of the members of the Outsiders following the Red Hood break-up, this arc is for you.

Superman Batman Vs Aliens Predators #1 (Of 2), $5.99, 48 Pages. Written by Mark Schultz, Art by Ariel Olivetti. So it is Batman: Dead End plus Superman. OK, so not an original idea, but still something that will be cool to see. Especially since it is “Sanctioned.” Ariel Olivetti could well make this series more than readable – some of you might remember his outstanding arc from the Space Ghost mini (we still need a sequel for that!) – his style definitely lends itself to an epic sci-fi story. This has potential.

Tales Of The Unexpected #4 (Of 8), $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by David Lapham and Brian Azzarello, Art by Eric Battle, Cliff Chiang and Prentis Rollins. No one is talking about this book – which is strange indeed. The few people that mention it don’t seem to like it all that much, which is a real shame. The chances of actually seeing a real anthology book come out from DC or Marvel don’t look good when the ones they do attempt aren’t up to snuff. Hopefully this one picks up at the hump.

Wildstorm

Gen 13 #4, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone, Art by Talent Caldwell and Matt “Batt” Banning. Probably the best of the new Wildstorm books, but that isn’t saying a whole lot. Simone is doing wonderful job with what she has been given, but it is really starting to look like the whole Wildstorm relaunch is going to do more harm than good to the line.

Majestic Vol 3 The Final Cut TPB, $14.99, 128 Pages. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Art by Neil Googe, Diego Olmos, Kevin West and others. This trade is like twisting the knife, quite honestly. Majestic had so much promise, and they threw it all away just to turn back the clock to the 90s. Such a shame indeed.

Stormwatch PHD #3, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Christos N. Gage, Art by Doug Mahnke. The best way to describe this book is decent – but just not special. PHD is fairly generic and somewhat unimaginative, but that pretty well sums up classic 90s Wildstorm. So on that note it is a success.

Welcome To Tranquility #2, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone, Art by Neil Googe. Ah, a Wildstorm book worth crowing about. Retired Superheroes! We see them occasionally as antagonists (The Black Marvel comes to mind), and occasionally they show up in an effort to help the stronger, younger hero, but rarely do we ever get a look at them like this. Creative, original, and well written. Kind of the opposite of what is going on with the rest of Wildstorm. This one is highly recommended.

IMAGE
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Godland #15, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Joe Casey, Art by Tom Scioli and Riochard Starkins. The first of what is supposed to be a G0dland double dip this month. Issue #16 which is also supposed to hit stands in January is the much anticipated 60 cent issue. If you are curious about this book, next issue is the one you want to sample.

MARVEL COMICS
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Agents Of Atlas #6 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Leonard Kirk, Kris Justice, and Michelle Madsen. This one is regrettably wrapping up this month. It has been a real solid mini, and will make a great trade read. If you missed out, be sure to keep an eye out for the inevitable collection.

Amazing Spider-Girl #4, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Tom DeFalco, Art by Ron Frenz. Maybe I had my expectations a little too high, but this series really hasn’t delivered like I had hoped. It is still good – almost as good as Spider-Girl ever was, but one or two things have stuck out as “nor right,” and it has hampered enjoyment. Chalk it up to overhyping – the most likely culprit. Still a good series and a fun one.

Blade #5, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Marc Guggenheim, Art by Howard Chaykin. The absolute worst part of crossover events – tie-ins like this one. No telling exactly how involved this issue will actually be in the Civil War storyline, outside Wolverine’s involvement, so it is possible that there is really only the Civil War tag here to draw in some readers. As it is a stand alone, though, it definitely feels like it will be an issue devoted to the Civil War story. In other words, a filler issue for those actually following the ongoing Blade book. It doesn’t seem like Blade would really much care about Registration all that much…

Champions Classic Vol 2 TPB, $19.99, 216 Pages. Written by Bill Mantlo, John Byrne, and Jom Shooter, Art by John Byrne, Bob Hall, and George Tuska. This trade collects some fun issues, and anyone who happens to be a fan of any of the Champions line-up might want to check this trade out. Collects Champions #12-17, Iron Man Annual #4, Avengers #163, Super-Villain Team-up #14, and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #17-18.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #16, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Peter David, Art by Scot Eaton and John Dell. Seriously, this is the only reason Peter Parker unmasking could ever be considered a good idea – stories like this one. Spider-Man has such an extensive supporting cast that you could do years of stories based solely on how people who’s lives were affected by him react. Granted, eventually it becomes a dead horse, and then there is something of a problem, but for the time being – at least someone is doing it right.

Ghost Rider Vol 1 Vicious Cycle TPB, $13.99, 120 Pages. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Javier Saltares and Mark Texiera. Man, this one didn’t even take a month to hit trades. They sure turn those around fast! You can bet that this trade will be around at least until the film hits. This series didn’t really blow anyone away, but it wasn’t too too terrible Ghost Rider just isn’t one of those characters that really have a whole lot more territory to go over. A good trade if you are a fan, though. Also Available: Mythos: Ghost Rider #3, $3.99, 32 Pages. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Paolo Rivera.

Hellstorm Son Of Satan #4 (Of 5), $3.99, 32 Pages. Written by Alexander Irvine, Art by Russell Braun and Klaus Janson. Another title in the vastly underused MAX imprint. Really with Marvel would do something coherent with all of these mature, out of continuity books. Dabel Brothers is nice, but if just letting them do their thing really isn’t enough. They need a Vertigo! That aside, this series has been decent – about what we all expected.

New Excalibur #15, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Frank Tieri, Art by James Calafiore and Rick Ketcham. Juggernaut’s face-turn hasn’t been the best handled character development in the history of Marvel, but at least they are still trying. This arc deals with Cain’s loss of power and his struggle to regain his former strength. This marks the last issue for Frank Tieri’s run – a fitting one for his departure. Hopefully Claremont can step it up a notch and make this title a little better than it was before he left upon his return.

New X-Men #34, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, Art by Paco Medina. This title has been bludgeoned to death since Weir and DeFillipis left – and that was well deserved. It has taken some time, but it may have finally started to move past that comparison. It is a long way from that level of greatness to be sure, but it has been consistently average for an X-book. Still has that lead weight of a character X-23, but you figure they were going to use her somewhere…

Punisher #43, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Lan Medina and Bill Reinhold. A seven issue arc? Man, that’s a long one. But whatever works – Ennis has pretty well established himself as the Punisher writer of the decade, so whatever he thinks is best, no? This story could be interesting – Punisher has killed a lot of men, and it only makes sense that he would leave some angry and bitter widows in his wake. The story may be long, but it may have potential.

Runaways #23, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Adrian Alphona and Craig Yeung. The end of the Vaughan era is closing fast – though it is kind of hard to tell whether fans are excited or disappointed! Sure it is rough to lose the series creator, but the prospect of Whedon taking over is too exciting for some. As long as this doesn’t become Jr. Buffy, Whedon should do well. Hopefully Vaughan can manage to go out with the bang he no doubt is looking for.

Squadron Supreme Hyperion Vs Nighthawk #1 (Of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Marc Guggenheim, Art by Paul Gulacy. Another Squadron Supreme mini – hopefully it is better than most of the past ones have been. Guggenheim looks like he is going to draw some real-world events as the basis of this story – specifically the situation in Darfur. As tragic as that is, there is real potential for political nastiness here – hopefully Guggenheim can resist the temptation to turn this story into a baseless political attack. Nothing worse than someone who uses tragedy to their own philosophical advantage.

Thunderbolts #110, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Mike Deodato. The beginning of the New Thunderbolts… this would be one of the few times in recent Marvel history that the New tag would be appropriate! This change of focus no doubt has long time fans of the series nervous, as it should. No telling how long this will last, but we do have a grueling six months to wait before this first story finally wraps up and we can make a decision.

Wolverine Origins #10, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Steve Dillon. The Son of Wolverine. Oiy, wasn’t X-23 enough! As old as Wolverine is, and as many love interests as he has no doubt had, it does make some sense that there would be offspring out there, but do we really need a Wolverine-Boy? To play devil’s advocate, why not? Superman has Supergirl, Superboy, Krypto … there are a few Wonder Women and Batman has a whole stable. Let’s not even talk about Flashes and Marvels. Why can’t a Marvel Character have a similar stable? If it is well written, why not?

Craig’s Pick of the Week

Justice Society Of America #2, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Dale Eaglesham and Art Thibert. Relief? After going through a few issues of Justice League of America, the danger that this series would drag just as much became very real. It is only one issue into it, but so far, so good! As usual, this title is for the involved DC fan, or for those who don’t mind surfing the web for a little background info while reading an issue. #1 was a great read, hopefully #2 keeps up the pace.

NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.

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