HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #23, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Tom Defalco, Art by Ron Frenz

Spider-Girl, while usually consistently good, has been all the more enjoyable these past few months. The “Brand New May” has proven to be a really compelling story idea, and definitely worth reading. Spider-Girl has always been an intricate story, with a lot going on at once - which really is to Defalco’s credit. To this day Spider-Girl maintains a very old-school Spider-Man feel. The large supporting cast with intertwining plotlines, some cheesy teen angst, some semi-poor art but amazing artistic storytelling… Spider-Girl is a title that is easy to read, easy to enjoy, and the fact that you aren’t burdened with an entire universe of continuity (just enough to make it interesting) is a huge plus. Can’t wait to see where this story ends up.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #26, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Simone Bianchi

Brand new creative team started last month on Astonishing X-Men - Ellis and Bianchi took over for the departing Whedon and Cassaday. Marvel does look like it is going to try to maintain this titles “individuality.” One of the biggest selling points of Astonishing throughout its history was its detached nature. Today, with so many major events going on, it will be nice for readers to have a source of good X-Men stories that will not be bogged down by event mass hysteria. So far - results are mixed. Ellis has a very distinct writing style that doesn’t quite garner the same universal appeal that Whedon’s mere name does, so it might be a few months before this team really sticks with readers. If he pulls out a good story in the end, I suspect fan disappointment over Whedon’s departure will be quick to evaporate.

BROTHERS IN ARMS #3, $3.50, Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Mike Neumann, Art by Davide Fabri

A comic based on a video game is usually an easy one to pass up. They typically aren’t very well done, and are just an excuse to get the game’s characters on page in an effort to make a few quick bucks. This comic has gotten almost no attention, probably for that reason, but this might be an occasion where a good book is being overlooked. The few reviews this title has received have been extremely positive, and this series is being compared to some of the great war titles of the past. Plus, it is Dynamite - and they have been putting out some outstanding work of late. This might be a title to give a second look to - it seems clear that at the very least, it is more than your run-of-the-mill video game comic adaptation.

FINAL CRISIS REVELATIONS #1 (OF 5), $3.99, 40 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Philip Tan, Jeff De Los Santos and Jonathan Glapion; Covers by Philip Tan

Yeah, this series is going to get some attention because it is a Final Crisis tie-in, but it really is interesting for an entirely different reason. Greg Rucka penning two Gotham Central alums - Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya - that is always worth checking out. Not sure how he is going to work out a Spectre/Question team-up, but there is little doubt he has a decent story in mind. This should be a good read.

SECRET INVASION X-MEN #1 (OF 4), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Mike Carey, Art by Cary Nord and Dave McCaig

The Secret Invasion tie-in minis are in full swing, with a bunch of them coming out about now. Tough to say what to expect from this mini - seems like there will be a lot going on, so it could end up being a bit cluttered. Marvel is promising something HUGE in this series (of course, they say that about everything), and has indicated that every single X-Man will be appearing here. On the surface, that makes it seem like we will have cover-to-cover action, but some story tid-bits from future issues (Nightcrawler being subverted by a Skrull bible… that one had me scratching my head) definitely indicate that there will be a lot more than action in this series. Typically, the tie-ins are better than the event itself, so that may hold true here. Definitely one to pick up if you are an X-men fan who has been waiting for their appearance in this story.

WONDER WOMAN #23, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Gail Simone Cover by Aaron Lopresti; Art by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

Overall, this issue really did seem like a hiccup for Simone’s young-but-acclaimed run on Wonder Woman. There was a lot of potential - but with this final issue of the arc arriving this week, it seems apparent that a lot of that won’t really be realized. This could have been a decent story to help Wonder Woman come to grips with her true self… sure, it isn’t exactly the most creative story technique, but it is the way most truly “great” runs on a comic start… tuning up the character before sending them through the ringer.

Still - the previews for the upcoming story do show some promise, and while Ends of the Earth wasn’t as mind blowing as it could have been, there is still an issue to go, and a lot can happen.

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

X-MEN ORIGINS JEAN GREY, $3.99, Marvel Comics
Written by Sean McKeever, Art by Mike Mayhew

McKeever would have been great during the early X-Men run. His style fits perfectly with that kind of character group - his work on Teen Titans now really shows that. With that in mind, it will be interesting to read his take on Jean Grey’s early career with the X-Men. This Origins story follows Jean’s first outing with the X-Men, starting with her admission to the Xavier Institute. Naturally, we should get to see the entire original X-Men.

Of course, this issue has been sitting in a drawer for a while now, with McKeever’s move to DC Excliusive, so it does make you wonder why Marvel has elected to release it right now. Probably a question we will never get answered, but it is worth thinking about.

With the good work done on X-Men First Class, it wouldn’t be too bad to see more of that original group. Especially if writers like McKeever will be taking them on. Less mutants was almost always better. We probably won’t really get anything new in this issue, but books like this are always about how old information is represented. A good pick for a Jean Grey fan.

DC COMICS

BATMAN #679 $2.99 Now: $2.69
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #20 $2.99 Now: $2.69
CHECKMATE #29 $2.99 Now: $2.69
CHUCK #3 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
FINAL CRISIS REVELATIONS #1 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.49
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #11 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SUPERGIRL BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL TP $17.99 Now: $14.99
TINY TITANS #7 $2.25 Now: $1.99
TRINITY #11 $2.99 Now: $2.59
WONDER WOMAN #23 $2.99 Now: $2.69

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

BROTHERS IN ARMS #3 $3.50 [b]Now: $2.99/b]

IMAGE COMICS

SPAWN #181 $2.95 Now: $2.69

MARVEL COMICS

AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #23 $2.99 Now: $2.69
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #567 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ASTONISHING X-MEN #25 2ND PTG BIANCHI VAR 2.99 Now: $2.69
ASTONISHING X-MEN #26 $2.99 Now: $2.69
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #4 $2.99 Now: $2.59
FANTASTIC FOUR #559 $2.99 Now: $2.69
GENEXT #4 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.49
HULK CHRONICLES WWH #2 $4.99 Now: $4.39
LAST DEFENDERS #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
SECRET INVASION #5 (OF 8) $3.99 Now: $3.49
SECRET INVASION RUNAWAYS YOUNG AVENGERS #2 (OF 3) $2.99 Now: $2.69
SECRET INVASION X-MEN #1 (OF 4) $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE TP GET MYSTIQUE $10.99 Now: $8.99
X-MEN ORIGINS JEAN GREY $3.99 Now: $3.49

The opinions in this article are the writer’s alone, and no not necessarily reflect the views of X-World Comics or comiXtreme.com.

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