HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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CATWOMAN #82, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Will Pfeifer; Art by David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez

Looks like last issues “Final Issue” wasn’t so final after all. Nothing but good news - sure, it seems like a tease, but one more issue of Catwoman is better than none.

As to the future of Catwoman, well, it looks kind of bleak. In discussing the make-up of that “The Real Power of the DC Universe” poster that has been floating about, it seemed that the powers-that-be (Dan DiDio) at DC didn’t even want Catwoman to be in the poster. Allegedly, Adam Hughes strongly disagreed, and finally submitted the poster with her in there anyway, with a note that she could be easily removed if need be. Clearly she fit the theme, and the image would have been incomplete without her, so there she remained.

So why didn’t they want Catwoman in the image in the first place? It seems like DC feels that Catwoman is overexposed, and that the fans didn’t really want to see Catwoman for a while. So the plan seems to be to completely bury her.

Sad news indeed. There are two or three different rants you could go on with this news, but nothing you don’t already know. Just pick this issue up - agree with DC’s stance on the character or not, it looks like it will be the last bit of Catwoman we will be seeing in a long while.

DC UNIVERSE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT #1, $3.99, 48 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Brad Meltzer; Art and covers by Adam Kubert and John Dell

Another Final Crisis tie-in… and another with some decent potential. Looks like this is a one-shot, penned by Identity Crisis’s Brad Meltzer (with Adam Kubert handling the art - automatically a good pick). Meltzer is excellent at character stories, and that is exactly what this issue is - a story about how the various heroes face the day before they might meet their doom.

A great creative team combined with a slam dunk premise should make for a decent read. This issue should be a safe bet.

FINAL CRISIS SUPERMAN BEYOND #1 (OF 2), $4.50, 40 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

Maybe a must-have issue, but that depends on a lot of things.

If you generally aren’t enjoying Morrison’s Final Crisis story, this might not be the book for you. Then again, if you enjoy wild comic stories featuring different versions of the same character, you might think again. If there is one thing Morrison does well, it is the strange - and a two issue story featuring the Supermen of the 52 Earths with selected 3-D pages is definitely odd.

Superman, Morrison, and Final Crisis fans should be all over this series. The price point is hefty, but extra pages and the included 3D Glasses do help account for that.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #18, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Duane Swiercynski, Art by Travel Foreman

This is the second issue from the new creative team of Swiercynski and Foreman on Iron Fist, taking over for the much lauded Fraction/Brubaker/Aja team. So far, as expected, some readers are a little disappointed. It’s hard not to be - when you have a team telling stories that entertaining, it is hard not to be a little let down. Hope is not lost though - of course there is a dramatic change in the feel of this book, but Swiercynski is consciously taking this title down the same road that Brubaker and Fraction did - the mythos of the Iron Fist. Specifically, in this arc, Danny Rand faces the fact that no other Iron Fist has lived to be older than 33 (this, on his 33rd birthday).

This is a step down from Brubaker and Fraction, but no one every thought it wouldn’t be. But it is still decent - and there is a spark of potential here. It is tough going from great to good, but in this case, it might be worth it to be a little forgiving. This title might shine a little brighter in the coming months.

NOVA #16, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Art by Wellington Alves, Scott Hanna, and Guru-EFX

Seems like this title has been in a major event crossover for most of its history. Kind of a shame, really - and really emblematic of the problems that a continuous event season poses for titles. Thankfully, Abnett and Lanning have been up to the challenge, and have done a good job establishing this title despite the crossovers. This issue, of course, brings the Super-Skrull back into Nova’s life. Is it just a crossover because it involves a Skrull, or is it going to be a little deeper than that?

Ideally, the “Secret Invasion” will only be mentioned in passing, but even if it isn’t, Abnett and Lanning will do a good job integrating it into an already good story. There is a reason this book continues to be referred to as one of the best Marvel books on the market. Well worth your time.

TEEN TITANS #62, $2.99, 32 pages
Written by Sean McKeever; Art and Cover by Eddy Barrows and Ruy José

Looks like this might be a stand-alone issue, though it isn’t specifically labeled as such. Usually a stand-alone is a good place for new readers to jump in - that might not be the case here. This issue turns the focus to the other residents of Titans Tower - Wendy and Marvin. Oh, and Wonderdog - that bit will either be extremely awesome or wholly cheesy, no way to tell in advance. This seems to be a bit of “supporting cast” development - in team books, they tend to get neglected, but what would the Avengers be without Jarvis? McKeever has done an outstanding job on this title, and it is still very much worth checking out.

ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #5 (OF 5), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Orson Scott Card, Art by Pasqual Ferry and Dean White

Wow - this one really drifted off the radar. Initially, it seemed like Marvel was putting this issue off for just one month, so that it would be released during the height of Iron Man Movie Mania, but that time quickly came and went. This issue was originally due out May 21st… so it is only three months late, but if you consider that issue #4 came out in March… well, 5 months between issues isn’t very good at all.

This was a solid series - and though it is difficult to support a book that is this late, especially going into the last issue, it is just to hard to miss how this one will end.

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

RUNAWAYS #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Terry Moore, Art by Humberto Ramos, Dave Meikis, and Christina Strain

Marvel really has done right by this title. There was a time when it started to fall by the wayside, much like many of their “B List” books went, especially when Tsunami started to collapse. This was one of those times that fan support brought a title back from the dead. After series creator Brian K Vaughan left, many were sure that the title would slowly fade away. Putting Whedon on the book after Vaughan departed was a great way to keep fan interest in the series high. Of course, it has been frustrating that the book was chronically delayed during Whedon’s short run, but his “star-power” kept the book afloat, and the fan base willing and waiting. Terry Moore is probably better suited to write this book than Joss Whedon, and though not quite the “name” - Moore will certainly bring his own fan base to the table here.

This will be the start of something big for the Runaways. Sure longtime readers might groan at a new #1, but at the end of the day, the number on the cover means nothing. If #1 brings more people onboard for a great story, then it can only be considered a good thing, right?

That being said - a lot of people will wait for reviews or trades before deciding to pick up a new book. This is one of those times when you need to take the plunge and pick it up from the first issue. This isn’t like a new Avengers or X-Men book - if sales aren’t great from the start, Runaways will be on the chopping block right away. You will just have to trust me on this one - Runaways will be worth your money. Give it a shot.

DARK HORSE COMICS

STAR WARS REBELLION #16 VECTOR PART 8 (OF 12) $2.99 Now: $2.59

DC COMICS

BATMAN GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT #4 (OF 12) $2.99 Now: $2.59
CATWOMAN #82 $2.99 Now: $2.69
DC UNIVERSE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49
FINAL CRISIS ROGUES REVENGE #2 (OF 3) $3.99 Now: $3.49
FINAL CRISIS SUPERMAN BEYOND #1 (OF 2) $4.50 Now: $3.89
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #18 $2.99 Now: $2.69
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #45 $2.99 Now: $2.59
REIGN IN HELL #2 (OF 8) $3.50 Now: $2.99
SECRET HISTORY THE AUTHORITY HAWKSMOOR #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
SUPERMAN #679 $2.99 Now: $2.69
TEEN TITANS #62 $2.99 Now: $2.69
TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE #6 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
TRINITY #13 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WILDCATS WORLDS END #2 $2.99 Now: $2.59

IMAGE COMICS

BRIT #8 $2.99 Now: $2.59

MARVEL COMICS

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #569 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ANGEL REVELATIONS #4 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.49
DAREDEVIL #110 $2.99 Now: $2.69
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #18 $2.99 Now: $2.69
MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #27 $2.99 Now: $2.59
MIGHTY AVENGERS #17 $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW AVENGERS #44 $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW EXILES #10 $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEWUNIVERSAL CONQUEROR $3.99 Now: $3.49
NOVA #16 $2.99 Now:$2.69
RUNAWAYS #1 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SECRET INVASION AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 (OF 3) $2.99 Now: $2.69
SHE-HULK 2 #32 $2.99 Now: $2.59
ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #5 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #125 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE X-MEN #97 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE #68 $2.99 Now: $2.69
WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #6 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-FORCE #6 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN LEGACY #215 $2.99 Now: $2.69

SLEEPER MOVIE?

Before Brubaker was the mover and shaker at Marvel, many will remember his “Sleeper” hit over at Wildstorm. Great series - in fact, the worst part about his departure to Marvel was that this series would be forced to end.

So the big news this week is that Sleeper has been optioned for a motion picture. Great news! Bad news? Sam Raimi is set to direct, and Tom Cruise star.

Of course this is all speculation at this point. Comics get optioned for movies all the time. But then - most people thought a Halle Berry Catwoman movie was a joke at first too.

At first - Raimi might not seem so bad. But considering the films he has made that were good - none of them quite fit the dark tone you would need to make Sleeper work. So not a terrible choice - good name recognition for comic fans, but not really an ideal pick.

But Tom Cruise? As Holden Carver? You have got to be kidding… It’s like they want the movie to fail. That is about as opposite you can get to the kind of character Holden is supposed to be. That’s worse than Keanu as John Constantine.

Let’s just pray that if this movie comes to pass, the director and the lead actor are totally different people. At least there will always be one Sleeper movie worth watching…

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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