HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!

BLUE BEETLE #24, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by John Rogers; Art and cover by Rafael Albuquerque

This title has really grown up, and reminds me about what is traditionally good about DC - great stories and interesting characters. A lot of that seems to be lost since Infinite Crisis wrapped up, but the occasional title like this one shows that tradition is still there - you just need to look a little harder for it. Sure, it has crossed over here and there, Teen Titans and the Sinestro Corps War notably, but they have all been logical crossovers that have added to the Blue Beetle’s saga (instead of shoehorning him in), and have added more to the character. John Rogers has guided this character through the fires of those angry at the death and replacement of Ted Kord and the barbs of those rightly concerned that DC was trying to achieve racial diversity at the expense of beloved characters, and created a worthy successor to Ted Kord and the Blue Beetle legacy- a character with real depth and personality.

You should be reading Blue Beetle. Don’t let this title fade away like Firestorm did. It deserves to be a success.

CRIME BIBLE THE FIVE LESSONS OF BLOOD #5 (OF 5), $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Manuel Garcia and Jimmy Palmiotti; Cover by John Van Fleet

This series has become a redemption for Greg Rucka, at least where Renee Montoya is concerned. Readers of 52 might recall feeling a bit bewildered as they watched Vic Sage die, and pass the mantle of The Question on to Renee Montoya. Montoya was a well established character, and it was interesting to see her take on a role that would cement her place in the DCU as more than a simple member of the Gotham PD - but The Question? It just didn’t fit, and it felt really contrived. After a slow start, Rucka turned around and showed that she is viable in the role with this series.

On the whole, this turned out to be an unexpected good read. Well worth checking out if you can find the back issues. Otherwise, the trade should be out in June.

NEW WARRIORS #9, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Kevin Grevioux, Art by Paco Medina, Juan Velasco, and Studio F’s Marte Gracia

After some initial misgivings about this title, it has turned out to be pretty decent after all. Sure, it would have been far more satisfying to have a return of the original New Warriors, but in a strange way, it is gratifying to see a group of people with mostly no ties to the original team basically saying they have been mistreated. Of course, they are talking about how they were mistreated in the Marvel Universe, and not how the characters themselves were treated by editorial, but it is easy to imagine they mean more.

Still - a solid title that gets a little better week after week. Of course, I still don’t understand how Beak and Angel suddenly became attractive - even without their mutation, they weren’t “pretty people.” That was part of the appeal of their character. Kind of have to overlook that bit of character destruction to enjoy the book, but it is a small price to pay.

THOR #6, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Oliver Coipel, Mark Morales, and Laura Martin

Still wish Oeming was given this title, but thus far JMS’s run on this book has been decent. It has felt a little padded (I’ve come to expect that from JMS though), but overall not too bad. A solid opening arc that is wrapping up with this issue. Hopefully Straczynski keeps this title focused on issues important to Thor and Donald Blake, and resists what must be a strong urge to throw Thor into the thick of the mainstream Marvel story. This title will continue to be a success as long as it is about Thor, and not just another cog in the crossover machine.

Fingers crossed!

TWELVE #1 (OF 12) 2ND PTG VAR, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Chris Weston

Miss this issue? Thankfully, Marvel went right back to press with the sold-out issue #1. Some people might have had some misgivings about this book - the vehicle used to get these heroes to the present was a bit overused, but it worked. OK - the “asleep in time” angle isn’t the most creative, but it was a means to an end. Deep in the Marvel library these characters have gathered dust for far too long. JMS and Weston have done a great job taking these characters and updating them for the modern reader, while still keeping the spirit of what they were intact. How they are fitting into the modern era and reacting to modern situations is compelling to watch. It is a sure bet that at least a couple of these characters will find a permanent spot on the Marvel Universe once this series wraps up. Issue #2 came out earlier this month - this week would be an ideal time to pick up both, and get right into the story.

YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #2 (OF 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Brian Reed, Art by Harvey Talibao

Well, last month’s issue by Ed Brubaker ended up being something of a disaster. Instead of bolstering Patriot as a hero and cementing his part of the legacy of Captain America (along with the original Patriot), Brubaker took the low road and looked to define Elijah by his race (instead of his heroism), and fell back on the same old “America is really racist” storyline. A real shame - in this age where people seem to be yearning for diversity in comic heroes, it should be only natural to want to show that what minority heroes there are in comics today are defined by their heroic spirit and acts, and not what color their skin is. A real missed opportunity if you ask me. Thankfully, we have another chance this issue - a new creative team will take on Hulkling, and tell the story of his first meeting with his father. Hopefully Reed can redeem this series a bit.

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

TEEN TITANS #56, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Sean McKeever; Art and Cover by Eddy Barrows

It takes more than an issue to reverse a trend, but things are looking up for Teen Titans. After an extremely lackluster start, McKeever himself lamented the quality of the opening arc, and explained that there were some unresolved plot issues he needed to wrap up before getting to the “good stuff” which would start in issue #55. We finally got there last month, and so far so good! Finally the characters were presented the way we all expected from McKeever, putting his strength with the “teen voice” to good use. Sure, one issue could be a fluke, but since the bump in quality came when predicted, there is probably something more to it. It is safe to come back to this title now - McKeever seems to have finally found his groove.

DARK HORSE

STAR WARS LEGACY #20 $2.99 Now: $2.69

DC COMICS

ACTION COMICS #862 $2.99 Now: $2.69
BATMAN #674 $2.99 Now: $2.69
BLUE BEETLE #24 $2.99 Now: $2.69
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 9 $2.99 Now: $2.69
CRIME BIBLE THE FIVE LESSONS OF BLOOD #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.69
DEATHBLOW #9 $2.99 Now: $2.69
FABLES #70 $2.69 Now: $2.69
JLA CLASSIFIED #53 $2.99 Now: $2.69
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #13 $2.99 Now: $2.59
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #39 $2.99 Now: $2.69
TEEN TITANS #56 $2.99 Now: $2.59

DEVIL’S DUE

DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES VOL 3 GOPEZ CVR A #8 (OF 12) $3.50 Now: $2.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER WAY OF THE SWORD #3 $3.50 Now: $2.99

IMAGE COMICS

ELEPHANTMEN WAR TOYS #2 (OF 3) $2.99 Now: $2.59
SHARK-MAN #2 $3.50 Now: $2.99

MARVEL COMICS

BLACK PANTHER ANNUAL #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49
CAPTAIN AMERICA #35 $2.99 Now: $2.69
CRIMINAL 2 #1 $3.50 Now: $2.99
DAREDEVIL #105 $2.99 Now: $2.69
HOUSE OF M AVENGERS #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.69
KICK *** #1 $2.99 Now: $2.69
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #33 $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED PICTURE DORIAN GRAY #3 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.79
NEW EXILES #1 2ND PTG VAR $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW WARRIORS #9 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SHE-HULK 2 #26 $2.99 Now: $2.79
SPIDER-MAN WITH GREAT POWER #2 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.59
THOR #6 $2.99 Now: $2.69
THUNDERBOLTS INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT $2.99 Now: $2.59
TWELVE #1 (OF 12) 2ND PTG VAR $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #51 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #119 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN FIRST CLASS VOL 2 #9 $2.99 Now: $2.79
X-MEN LEGACY #208 $2.99 Now: $2.69
YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #2 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69

THE NEW CHECKMATE CREATIVE TEAM

Last week’s speculation that Eric Trautmann would be Greg Rucka’s replacement on Checkmate turned out to be just that - speculation. DC has since announced that Greg Rucka’s final issue would be April’s #25, and that he would be followed by Bruce Jones. This has caused a bit of a stir - Bruce Jones’s arrival at DC was celebrated, but his tenure since then has been troubled to say the least. Is Checkmate to be the title where he finally snaps his slump? With luck - Bruce Jones did some solid work at Marvel, and it seems like he just never found the right project. It is the perfect opportunity to redeem himself - I wouldn’t count this title out yet.

DEADPOOL ON THE BIG SCREEN

Rumors have been abound for weeks, but it would seem that Deadpool will be making his big-screed debut after all in the upcoming Wolverine Movie, to be played by Ryan Reynolds. Not a bad casting choice - but the question remains: just what does a yellow voice sound like, anyway? This is outstanding news for Deadpool fans, who will no doubt be nervously waiting to see if the Merc With a Mouth can actually work on the big screen. Also confirmed for the film was John Wraith (played by will.i.am) and Gambit (played by Taylor Kisch).

DEMO RETURNS

To all of you Brian Wood fans out there who have been hailing his work since he first appeared on the scene - you will be happy to know that Demo will be returning under the Vertigo imprint. Demo was originally a 12 issue series from AiT/PlanetLar that eventually propelled Brian Wood to more high-profile project. Becky Cloonan will also be returning to handle the art chores, to complete the picture. Long-time Wood fans will probably already have this on their list - for those new to his work, well, this might be a good chance to see what everyone was talking about.

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

Post your comments in the Forum!

---