HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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CHECKMATE #23, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann; Art by Joe Bennett and Jack Jadson; Cover by Kalman Andrasovfsky

There have been many rumors about the future of this book. Is it cancelled? Possibly - though DC hasn’t made that official. Signs seem to point a different direction though - that Rucka will be leaving the title soon. Rucka has dropped some hints that some upcoming announcements might make it seem like he is parting ways with DC, and him wrapping up on this title would fit that bill. We have seen Eric Trautmann’s name for a couple issues now listed as a cowriter, which could suggest that he is being groomed as a replacement. And finally, this issue starts the “Castling” arc, which will resolve a major plot point that Rucka set in motion some time ago, namely the undercover mission of Pawn 502 in Kobra.

This is a solid title, one that has remained consistently outstanding since it started. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like it will be going anywhere anytime soon, though losing Rucka will be a blow.

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #114, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak, Art by Khoi Pham, Paul Neary, and Stephane Peru

In almost no time at all, Van Lente and Pak have made this title one of a very few “must-read” books in the Marvel line-up. This is really out of left field - Hercules has been mishandled for a long, long time, and there was no reason to expect that he would be able to take over the popular Hulk ongoing and make it even better. Especially in the wake of some serious disappointment amongst Hulk fans thanks to the sour turn the Hulk’s story took in the wake of World War Hulk.

This title is already a highly entertaining read, and is still relatively easy for a new reader to try out. Better to give Herc a try now, instead of a few arcs from now, when the continuity gets a little bit thicker.

RUNAWAYS #29, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comic
Written by Joss Whedon, Art by Michael Ryan, Rick Ketcham, and Christina Strain

My, it seems like it has been forever since the last issue of Runaways came out, hasn’t it? Issue #27 hit in early July, and #28 was released way back in October, so it has been some time. Whedon’s short stint has been fairly decent - excellent if you keep in mind that he really is the fill-in writer (one arc doesn’t really qualify as a full-blown “run” if you ask me), but the delays are a slight concern. Even more troubling is the fact that issue #31 has still not been solicited, which is to feature the debut of Terry Moore (of Strangers in Paradise fame), and the divisive Humberto Ramos (Some people love him - some hate him. Either way, he certainly has a distinct style). That is making Moore fans all the more anxious, as they are also still waiting for the solicit for his first issue of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, which seems to have been on hold for forever.

In any case, Runaways fans will finally have a new issue, and if Marvel holds true to the solicit date, the next and final issue of Whedon’s arc should be out next month. No word of issue #31 in the April solicits - May’s issues should be announced in the next day or two, so keep your fingers crossed!

SPIRIT #14, $2.99, 32 pages, DC Comics
Written by Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier; Art by Mike Ploog; Cover by Jordi Bernet

After an all-too short but fantastic run on The Spirit by Darwyn Cooke, this issue starts up a brand new run by the acclaimed Aragones & Evanier (of Groo the Wanderer fame), and Abadazad’s Mike Ploog. Cooke is a tough act to follow on this title - he managed to give Eisner’s creation the star treatment, remaining true to the original character while still updating it in all the right places to make it more accessible to the modern reader. It takes a special team to follow that - and an unconventional one to say the least. In that respect, Aragones, Evanier, and Ploog are the perfect fit. I am really looking forward to seeing their take on this character.

SUPERMAN BATMAN #46, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson; Art and cover by Shane Davis and Matt Banning

The first couple issues with Mike Green writing have been pretty decent, enough that it seems like this title might be on the right track finally. Well, Aquaman seemed a little off last issue, but outside of that, this does seem like the proper sort of story for the World’s Finest to tackle together. This issue is going to introduce a new Kryptonite color - it sure didn’t take long to go back to the Kryptonite rainbow in the wake of Infinite Crisis, did it? Well, as long as the story is good, it really doesn’t make much of a difference, does it? Superman/Batman finally seems to be good again, which is the important thing.

I wonder what is going to happen to this title once Trinity starts up?

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #22, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Daniel Way, Art by Steve Dillon and Matt Milla

Well, the future of Deadpool is here. Last month started the five issue story arc that will spin off into Deadpool’s new ongoing series, and Deadpool fans are rightly wringing their hands a bit. Way’s Deadpool had a few good moments, but then totally unraveled. He seemed to be drawing more from Deadpool and Wolverine’s confrontation way back in Deadpool #27 when Deadpool was going crazy (well, crazier) and hallucinating, and Doctor Bong advised him to go fight Wolverine in order to work through his issues. A great issue, but sadly that is ancient history, and this confrontation pales in comparison to the more recent match-up we saw in Cable & Deadpool. And at that point, Deadpool seeing things made sense - here Way seems to be incorporating it into his character, which just doesn’t work.

Still four issues left - so maybe Way just needs a little while to get back into the swing of things. As to the art - Dillon does an OK job, he is no Patrick Zircher, but with a decent script, it should be passable. So it is all down to Way…

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

CABLE DEADPOOL #50, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Reilly Brown and Fabian Nicieza, Art by Reilly Brown, Jeremy Freeman, and Gotham

Man, is this a sad, sad day - the last issue of Cable/Deadpool. It doesn’t even look like Nicieza is writing this issue - certainly it is his plot, but he isn’t even the first writer listed in the byline anymore. A real shame.

Of course, the story is well-known by now - in the wake of Messiah Complex, Marvel decided that Cable needed his own ongoing series (because everyone knows a boring muscle-bound mutant with some guns running around with a baby equals sales). This title had basically been “Deadpool Team-Up” for the last few issues (and a good chunk of its run), so it made little sense to have Cable in a different time share a book with Deadpool in the present.

Of course, fans were far from pleased. Of course, there is the breed of X-Men fan that will be happy to see Cable on his own, but few were happy to see Deadpool fall by the wayside. For the first time in a long, long time, Deadpool was written by someone who knows what to do with him, with an almost-full supporting cast (Blind Al and Deuce would have made that a perfect set), and a string of outstanding issues. Marvel did respond to fan pressure though and has since announced a new Deadpool ongoing. Unfortunately, it will be spinning out of the Wolverine/Deadpool arc in Wolverine Origins (part 2 of which is out this week), and handled by the same creative team. Honestly, Way and Dillon might do a good job, but it is disappointing as a Deadpool fan to see the character handled so well, only to be handed over to a team that probably won’t be able to do him justice. Then when sales flag, will Marvel’s marketing decided that Deadpool just can’t carry a title on his own, when in reality it would have been a creative failing?

So even with the new Deadpool ongoing upcoming, it feels like we are saying goodbye to the Merc With a Mouth once again. At least until another creative team takes over his ongoing, or we get another new ongoing somewhere in the distant future. Hopefully the wait isn’t too long. In any case - be sure to pick up this issue and bid Deadpool a fond farewell.

DARK HORSE

STAR WARS DARK TIMES #9 $2.99 Now $2.59

DC COMICS

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #4 $2.99 Now $2.69
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #13 $2.99 Now $2.69
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #10 $2.99 Now $2.69
CHECKMATE #23 $2.99 Now $2.69
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 10 $2.99 Now $2.79
DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #6 (OF 8) $3.50 Now $2.99
FLASH #237 $2.99 Now $2.69
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #18 $2.99 Now $2.69
PROGRAMME #8 (OF 12) $2.99 Now $2.59
ROBIN #171 $2.99 Now $2.59
SHADOWPACT #22 $2.99 Now $2.69
SPIRIT #14 $2.99 Now $2.59
SUPERMAN BATMAN #46 $2.99 Now $2.69
SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #12 $2.99 Now $2.69
WILDSTORM REVELATIONS #4 (OF 6) $2.99 Now $2.59
WONDER GIRL #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now $2.59
WORLD OF WARCRAFT #4 $2.99 Now $2.69

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ORIGINS #3 $3.50 Now $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

PVP #38 $3.50 Now $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #551 $2.99 Now $2.69
AVENGERS CLASSIC #9 $2.99 Now $2.59
CABLE DEADPOOL #50 $3.99 Now $3.49
HULK #2 $2.99 Now $2.69
IMMORTAL IRON FIST ORSON RANDALL GREEN MIST DEATH $3.49 Now $2.69
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #114 $2.99 Now $2.69
IRON MAN #26 $2.99 Now $2.59
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED ILIAD #3 (OF 8) $2.99 Now $2.59
MIGHTY AVENGERS #9 $2.99 Now $2.69
RUNAWAYS #29 $2.99 Now $2.69
ULTIMATE HUMAN #2 (OF 4) $2.99 Now $2.74
ULTIMATE X-MEN #91 $2.99 Now $2.69
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #22 $2.99 Now $2.69
WORLD WAR HULK AFTERSMASH WARBOUND #3 (OF 5) $2.99 Now $2.69

New American Dream Mini

The MC2 minis just keep on coming. The Fantastic Five mini didn’t really live up to the high standard that we got in Last Hero and Planet Standing, but you can only go explosive and big for so long before you need to dial things back and focus more on the characters. With that in mind, an American Dream mini fits the bill to a tee.

For those who don’t know, Shannon Carter, or the American Dream, was formerly a tour guide at the Avenger’s Mansion when she took on the mantle of Captain America in the MC2 Universe. She proved herself worthy of the mantle to Steve Rogers himself, who gave her the shield (well, the shield from an alternate universe), which she uses in addition to some mini-discs which are quite similar to Ricochet’s (of Slingers and Loners fame).

Shannon got limited development in the A-Next series, and in a few subsequent stories, but we really haven’t had the chance to see her on her own. Thus far, her appearances seem limited to Avengers-level threats… seeing her take on something a little more down-to-earth will go a long way towards adding some depth to her character. The preview pages released thus-far look solid… looking forward to seeing the completed package.

Issue one of The American Dream will be out in May!

R.I.P. Marvel Universe Online

The why’s and how’s seem to be lost in the corporate spin, but Microsoft Games officially announced that Marvel Universe Online, an M.M.O. in the mold of City of Heroes, has stopped production. This will be a little disappointing to those people who were frustrated at their inability to make almost perfect copies of their favorite Marvel heroes on City of Heroes (thanks to some copyright spats), but long-time City of Heroes fans might just be breathing a sigh of relief.

Is their room for two successful Superhero-based MMORPGs? Probably not - but it looks like we won’t have to see the answer to that question anytime soon.

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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