On the Shelf This Week - 12.12.07
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #15, $3.99, 64 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Tom Defalco, Art by Ron Frenz, Sal Buscema, and Impacto
Ten years! Has it been so long since May Parker first graced the pages of What If? #105? And Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz are still the creative minds behind the character? There have been a few fill-in issues here and there, but that has to be some kind of record. At least in this day and age.
Many, many, many times, it didn’t seem like Spider-Girl would make it this far. Thankfully a small group of vocal fans had their way. Hopefully this is the start of another successful decade!
BAT LASH #1 (OF 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Peter Brandvold and Sergio Aragones; Art by John Severin; Cover by Walter Simonson; Variant Cover by Severin
It has been a long, slow time, but finally we have another series set in DC’s Western Universe - Bat Lash. Lash recently made a guest appearance in Jonah Hex (alongside El Diablo) in a pretty decent warm-up for this mini. Bat Lash isn’t quite of the same mold as Jonah, but this should still make for an interesting story. The writing team is solid - Branvold is an old hand in Westerns with his novels, and Aragones - well, no one can doubt his comic credentials. A nice mix.
Hopefully this series does well. As great as it would be to have another DC ongoing Western, it makes sense to start slow. A few minis like this would be a great addition to the line.
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #3, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Judd Winick; Art and Cover by Cliff Chiang; Variant Cover by Chiang
This issue is promising some answers to some of the lingering questions that have surrounded this series. Specifically, who kidnapped and replaced Ollie, if it is the Amazons, why are they interested in Dinah, and why they are willing to get rid of Ollie to get to her. Satisfactory answers to those questions would take this mini from good to great, so it is great that they are getting to them before the arc comes to an end.
Winick is doing a fantastic job on this book - keeping the mood light despite the serious plot points the title is addressing. He is striking a great balance, and should be commended.
Fun mini - wonder what is next after this one wraps up?
GREEN LANTERN #25, $4.99, 64 Pages, DC Comics
Kind of hard to believe the Sinestro Corps War is coming to an end, isn’t it? It has been so exciting from moment one, the very idea of something coming next is kind of hard to deal with!
This being an anniversary issue (#25 may be a minor one, but it is an anniversary nonetheless), a little reflection is called for! Thinking back to when Green Lantern: Rebirth was first announced, I am reminded at the dread that came along with Hal Jordan’s eventual return. Everyone knew it was coming, and many (including some rabid Kyle Rayner fans) were none too pleased about it. Not that there was anything particularly bad about Hal Jordan, but fans accepted his death, and grew to love other Lanterns. To have Hal come back and kick Kyle to the curb didn’t sit well with people.
Well, here we are, about 3 years later - and boy were we wrong! Though this title had a rocky start, it became the centerpiece of an awesome universe of Green Lanterns. Hal is naturally the focus of this title, but we are still getting plenty of Kyle, heck, we are even getting a healthy dose of Guy, and it isn’t a bad thing!
This is one small corner of the DC Universe that is being handled perfectly these days. Hopefully it starts to rub off on some of the other corners that aren’t doing as well!
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #4, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics
By Various
Yeah, this title does get mentioned a lot here, but it is really important that you pick it up! Plus, since I spent so many years calling for an anthology from Marvel or DC, it is even more important to support it now that it is here!
Unfortunately, one major formatting problem is starting to come to a head - multi-part stories. For the most part, a good anthology won’t be dominated by 6 and 12 part stories, but that is the bulk of this title right now. Both the Guardian and Vanguard stories are 12 parters (unless I am mistaken), and the Hellcat story is at least five, if not six parts. There seems to be a rotating story - this month we will see an Outlaw Kid take rounding out the title.
It really highlights the inability of creators to put together solid 8 page stories anymore. Even Vanguard, which has been the highlight of the title thus-far, doesn’t quite handle the 8 page serial format very well. Last month’s Magneto story was a great example of how an 8 pager should be done, but the Guardian story, on the other end of the coin, really feels like a long story that was broken up into smaller bits arbitrarily, without regard for actual pacing.
Marvel has a great thing going here - it is a solid title and well worth your money. It just could stand some improvement - and while it is unlikely that Marvel is heeding advice in this column, hopefully the editors have come to the same conclusions!
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS ION #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Ron Marz; Art by Michael Lacomb; Cover by Ivan Reis
Is it just me, or does Kyle Rayner have a string of bad luck, or what? It seems like every time he gets something good (Say, the Ion mantle), it is ripped away from him. This issue will no doubt deal with that very issue, as we see Sodam Yat (the new Ion) and Kyle Rayner on the cover. Should be a good issue, and a great afterwards to the Sinestro Corps War saga.
Maybe one day, Kyle Rayner will catch a break!
SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK
ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #1 (OF 4), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel
Written by Orson Scott Card, Art by Pasqual Ferry and Justin Ponsor
It has been a long wait, but Card is finally back with his sequel to his first Ultimate Iron Man mini. Just in time too - this series should be wrapping up right when the Iron Man movie hits theaters next year. By then we should finally have Ultimate Tony Stark in some working armor - one would imagine! The last mini was a great character story, dealing with the young genius Tony (but then, Card has always had an affinity for the young genius protagonists), and it looks like this one will pick right up where the last left off.
Ultimate minis are usually hit and miss, but this one is pretty well a guaranteed great read. So you needn’t worry. It’s great to see Card back - I was worried his first time though (since novelists rarely make the transition to the new medium with much success), but as good as the last five issues were, that shouldn’t be an issue. This is a must-get this week.
DC COMICS
BAT LASH #1 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
BATMAN STRIKES #40 $2.25 Now: $1.99
BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #5 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
COUNTDOWN ARENA #2 (OF 4) $3.99 Now: $3.49
COUNTDOWN SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER RED SON #1 $2.99 Now: $2.69
COUNTDOWN SPECIAL THE ATOM 80 PAGE GIANT #1 (OF 2) $4.99 Now: $4.39
GEN 13 #15 $2.99 Now: $2.69
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #3 VARIANT $9.99
GREEN LANTERN #25 $4.99 Now: $4.49
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #19 $2.99 Now: $2.59
NIGHTWING #139 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SALVATION RUN #2 (OF 7) $2.99 Now: $2.69
SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #10 $2.99 Now: $2.84
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS ION #1 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WONDER GIRL #4 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
WONDER WOMAN #15 $2.99 Now: $2.69
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: ORIGINS #1 (of 4) $3.50 Now: $2.79
HIGHLANDER WAY O/T SWORD #1 $3.50 Now: $2.99
IMAGE COMICS
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #4 $2.99 Now: $2.69
DARKNESS #1 $2.99 Now: $2.59
SPAWN #173 $2.95 Now: $2.69
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #15 $3.99 Now: $3.49
CIVIL WAR CHRONICLES #6 $4.99 Now: $4.39
FANTASTIC FOUR #552 $2.99 Now: $2.69
GHOST RIDER #18 $2.99 Now: $2.79
IRON MAN POWER PACK #2 (OF 4) $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #6 $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #4 $3.99 Now: $3.49
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MAN IN THE IRON MASK #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
NEW AVENGERS #37 $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW WARRIORS #6 $2.99 Now: $2.79
NEW X-MEN TP VOL 05 CHILDHOODS END $17.99 Now: $14.99
NOVA #9 $2.99 Now: $2.94
SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #6 $4.99 Now: $4.39
SPIDER-MAN RED SONJA #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #1 (OF 4) $2.99 Now: $2.79
WOLVERINE #60 $2.99 Now: $2.84
X-FACTOR #26 $2.99
X-MEN DIE BY THE SWORD #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.69
SPOILER’S RETURN?
Maybe it is looking a little too deeply into things, but for months now we have been seeing Spoiler pop up all over the place, be it on Gotham Underground covers, ads, solicitation texts, or the cover to Robin #171, penned by Spoiler co-creator Chuck Dixon.
Coincidence, or something more? If they are bringing back Spoiler, it is great news. Her apparent death was tragic, but that story was done in a way in which she could not only come back, but also may not have died at all. Unlike other returns, this one wouldn’t cheapen the story one bit, and might actually add to it if done properly. And if they are teasing it right now, they certainly seem to be going about it the right way. While it seems doubtful that she will actually appear in February’s issue, that could be the start of a plot thread that leads to her return down the line. Something to watch for!
REMENDER ON ALL NEW ATOM
DC recently confirmed that Rick Remender will be taking on the writing duties of All New Atom next year. This might fall under the radar for a lot of you, but if you aren’t reading the title, that would be an excellent spot to jump on. Remender does well with titles of a sci-fi bent, as evidenced by the outstanding Fear Agent series. As long as Fear Agent’s schedule isn’t affected at all by this new assignment, this can be seen as nothing but good news. Keep an eye out for his name in the solicits in coming months!
RUCKA’S DC EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT TO LAPSE
Adding to a strange streak of writers frustrated with their home publisher (Straczynski’s name being removed from the last two issues of Spider-Man’s One More Day story), Greg Rucka has announced that he will not be renewing his agreement with DC when it comes to an end. While no other projects have been explicitly announced, it could mean that new Queen & Country issues could be in the works, which is great news for fans of his indy work.
What Rucka is upset about has been tactfully omitted - you are free to draw your own conclusions - but perhaps in the end they really aren’t important to the reader. It is possible that he will be continuing to write titles for DC (like the highly-acclaimed Checkmate), but this move will allow him to stretch his creative wings a little bit, which can only lead to better work. No matter what the reasons, hopefully this move will allow Rucka to find what he needs!
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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