HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EXTRA, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Zeb Wells, Marc Guggenheim, and Joe Kelly, Art by Chris Bachalo.

This one shot issue features three brand new stories set in Spider-Man’s new reality - presumably to help flesh out some of the nuances of the universe shift that Spider-Man went through in the wake of One More Day. Joe Kelly joins regular Spider-Man writers Guggemheim and Wells for this issue, and it promises the return of Hammerhead, as well as hints about future storylines. A definite must by if you have been following Amazing Spider-Man since it went thrice-monthly.

CATWOMAN #81, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Will Pfeifer; Art by David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez; Cover by Adam Hughes

It really is a shame to see this one go. Pfeifer has done an admirable job taking on a title that has been extremely solid since it was relaunched (especially Brubaker’s outstanding run), but DC has seen fit to put it out to pasture. Of course, it had a tough time starting with the One Year Later shift, but even though that, Pfeifer delivered an excellent story. Sadly, it didn’t seem like fans were taking to the storyline as DC had hoped, and this title finally has been ended. Catwoman has been one of the few titles with a female lead that has maintained much consistent success (Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman are both outstanding, but two titles compared to a wealth of books featuring male leads is certainly unequal), which makes its loss even more painful. Naturally, this isn’t to say that DC should follow an “affirmative action” approach to publishing, but Catwoman is a strong character and her title has been consistently good - how DC couldn’t keep this one afloat is a real mystery.

It might seem too late to check this book out, but pick up this issue, and write DC and tell them what you think. If enough people show support for this book, perhaps it will make a return. It worked for Manhunter, after all…

JOKERS ASYLUM TWO FACE #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by David Hine; Art and cover by Andy Clarke

So far, the Joker’s Asylum stories haven’t been very well received. This could be an exception, however. One of the perks of a series like this is the rotating creative team, and David Hine is usually the kind of writer that can be counted on to tell a good story. He occasionally gets a little too political, but with a one-shot story, there won’t be much time for that kind of shortcoming. You might be ready to give up on Joker’s Asylum, but if any issue is going to buck the trend, it is this one.

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT UNCANNY X-MEN 500 ISSUES, $2.99, Marvel Comics
Written by John Rhett Thomas

Marvel Spotlight is one of those titles that can be a mixed bag. Sometimes they focus on a subject that is blatant marketing, attempting to generate hype around a project in order to increase sales (basically, a $3 ad), but sometimes they focus on something that deserves the attention. 500 issues of Uncanny X-Men is definitely the latter. As mentioned last week, Uncanny X-Men is the first title Marvel has taken all the way to #500 without any numbering tricks, relaunches that were later taken back, or any other monkey business to get to the big magic number. A retrospective of the title’s history is most definitely in order.

NEWUNIVERSAL 1959 #1, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Gregg Scott & Val Staples

The first “season” of newuniversal was kind of an unappreciated title. The story was solid, but the title itself got some needless criticism for the art style, in which the look of several characters was not-so-subtly based on existing Hollywood stars. Perhaps that was a bad choice in terms of artistic direction, especially with the Heroes television series just kicking off, and the similarities between the two stories drew some negative comparisons. Still, it sold well, and got some good reviews, and the second mini got started a couple months ago. This will be the first of two one-shots that will be published before issue #3 of Shockfront comes out in September. If you still haven’t tried the series, this might be a good issue to check out. It is stand alone, and though it is produced by a different creative team, Kieron Gillen was supposedly “handpicked” by Warren Ellis, and you can imagine that Ellis had a lot of input on the direction of this issue.

TRUE BELIEVERS #1 (OF 5), $2.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Cary Bates, Art by Paul Gulacy and Rainer Beredo

Tough to know what to expect from this series. It calls itself a “Female Fight Club,” where a group of superpowered women who seek subversion via transmitted messages across the internet. Is this an example of “edgy sex appeal,” or is there something more to this? Would have to read and see, of course. If this series is meant to tie into current continuity, this group is supposed to be generally heroic, seemingly, but opposed to the status quo. Might be one to check out if you are interested in something a little different, and the idea appeals to you.

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

X-MEN ODD MEN OUT, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Roger Stern and Michael Higgens, Art by Dave Cockrum

If you are a fan of the X-Men, particularly of the legendary Dave Cockrum, this is a must-buy issue. Cockrum of course, passed away a couple years ago, and is remembered as one of the creators of the X-Men relaunch in the 1970’s. Though his work on the X-Men was relatively brief, he is credited as the co-creator of mainstay X-Men like Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. With the arrival of the milestone 500th issue of Uncanny X-Men, it is fitting to take a look back at his work. This issue contains a pair of unpublished stories drawn by Cockrum, one a Professor X story, and the other telling a story of the New Mutants confronting the Mad Thinker. This issue is a definite must for X-Men devotees.

DC COMICS

CATWOMAN #81 $2.99 Now: $2.70
GREEN LANTERN #33 $2.99 Now: $2.69
HUNTRESS YEAR ONE #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
JOKERS ASYLUM TWO FACE #1 $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW DYNAMIX #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.59
SUPERMAN BATMAN #50 $3.99 Now: $3.49
TEEN TITANS #61 $2.99 Now: $2.69
TRINITY #9 $2.99 Now: $2.69

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON ZERO #11 $2.99 Now: $2.69
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #5 (OF 7) $2.99 Now: $2.69

IMAGE COMICS

PILOT SEASON THE CORE #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49

MARVEL COMICS

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EXTRA $3.99 Now: $3.49
HULK #4 2ND PTG MCGUINNESS WRAPAROUND VAR $2.99 Now: $2.69
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT UNCANNY X-MEN 500 ISSUES $2.99 Now: $2.59
NEWUNIVERSAL 1959 #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49
SECRET INVASION WHO DO YOU TRUST 2ND PTG JIMENEZ VAR $3.99 Now: $3.49
SPIDER-MAN WITH GREAT POWER #5 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.49
THOR #10 $2.99 Now: $2.69
TRUE BELIEVERS #1 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.79
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #124 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE #67 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #27 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN FIRST CLASS VOL 2 #14 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN ODD MEN OUT $3.99 Now: $2.69

Flash: Rebirth

One of the biggest announcement coming out of the San Diego Comicon was the upcoming Flash: Rebirth series. This event, by the same creators behind the acclaimed Green Lantern: Rebirth series, will bring back another icon from the DCU’s past, Barry Allen. Unlike the Green Lantern event, however, this one could backfire in a major way. There is little doubt that the story will be great. Johns and Van Sciver are accomplished creators, and their work of late has been stellar. But to bring back Barry… that is something that isn’t going to be well received. Hal Jordan’s death was never something that was totally permanent. He has been ever-present in the DCU in his role as the Spectre’s host (something fans never really took to), and his return could be celebrated, because those fans who had taken to Kyle Jordan wouldn’t necessarily lose their favorite Green Lantern. And while there are multiple Flashes running around, Wally West cemented himself as THE Flash of the modern era. Even as beloved a character as Bart was, fans didn’t take well to his assuming the mantle, and Wally was quickly returned as a means of damage control. Wally was a character heavily developed prior to Barry’s death, and his assumption of the Flash mantle in the wake of Barry’s incredibly noble sacrifice was a pivotal moment in the history of the DCU. Wally was arguably the first sidekick to take on the mantle of his mentor with such success - over the past couple of decades, Wally was no longer an impostor. He was the Flash, and Barry was a memory. A fond memory, but a memory all the same. Returning Barry to the DCU not only diminishes Wally’s important rise, but it also cheapens Barry’s sacrifice.

Johns has an incredible uphill battle ahead of him. Hopefully he is up to the challenge.

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

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