Pull List for 12 Aug 2009

1. Atomika #10 (of 12)
2. Batman #689
3. Captain America Theater of War: To Soldier On #1 (one-shot)
4. Deadpool #13 *
5. GrimJack: The Manx Cat #1 (of 6)
6. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #5 (of 8)
7. HERO Comics (one-shot)
8. The Incredible Hercules #132
9. The Marvels Project #1 (of 8)
10. Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 *
11. The Unwritten #4
12. Werewolves on the Moon: Versus Vampires #3 (of 3)

* — Denotes those wavering at the edge of the Culling List.
§ — Denotes my last issue of this misbegotten series.

Yes, even though Millar’s back on Ultimates, I’m still putting this on the wait-and-see list.  It’s going to have to be darn good to keep me buying a $4 comic every month.

Deadpool has been wearing a bit thin.  Not sure how much longer I’ll continue to get it.

GRIMJACK!!! On a side note, I’ll direct you to this post again. If anyone in the comics industry deserves your support, it’s John Ostrander. If you can’t help via Comix4Sight, at least buy a copy of this book (or maybe some of the GrimJack collections) to help send some more money his way.

Nice to see Mignola returning to Hellboy.

I don’t remember what Marvels Project was supposed to be about, but I’ve liked the majority of Brubaker’s work, so it’s at least worth a look-see.

Quick Reviews for 24 Sep 2008

1. Ambush Bug: Year None #3 — Things are a little more disjointed this issue, as Ambush Bug tries to get his marriage annulled. This is turning into more of a collection of random jokes than a satire. B
2. Captain America #42 — At the risk of sounding like an Internet fanboy, OMFG!!! WTF?!?1? The last page alone is worth the price.  LOVED IT!  A
3. Deadpool #2 — This story probably would’ve worked better as a double-sized #1 instead of a lackluster #1 and an okay #2.  I’m going to give this another issue or two to decide, but I’m not convinced Way is the best fit for Deadpool. B
4. Fantastic Four #560 — So we get the origins of the New Defenders, or whatever the hell they’re calling themselves.  Yea… more environmental propaganda. I’m going to let this arc finish, and then I’m done with this.  Too predictible and preachy, in my opinion.  At least the pictures are pretty, though. C
5. Hellboy: The Crooked Man #3 — Very cool final battle with the Crooked Man.  A
6. Ms. Marvel #31 — See, this is what I’m talking about.  Once we get away from the crossover, Reed turns out a great personal piece.  The art could’ve been a bit stronger in conveying the emotion, but otherwise a good read.  B
7. The New Avengers #45 — For some reason, we do a flashback (?) to the “House of M” storyline, the result of which make the Skrull’s invasion easier. I thought they did this in the HoM tie-in, so why did Bendis feel the need to repeat it here? C
8. Northlanders #10 — Edwin sees his revenge exacted and gets a shot at joining with the Vikings. Great stuff. A
9. Project Superpowers #6 — The penultimate issue in the first story arc.  This has had it’s good moments as well as its not-so-good.  This was somewhere in between. B
10. She-Hulk #33 — Nice development with Jazinda and Super-Skrull. David really excels on complex characterization.  A
11. Wolverine: Origins #28 — So this is the prologue to a crossover with X-Men.  Why?  C
12. X-Force #7 — I’m probably going to get some flak here, but I actually thought this issue was a great improvement over the first storyline.  There were some good character moments, and some definite tension between the various members.  B

Quick Reviews for 27 Aug 2008

1. Ambush Bug: Year None #2 — Not as funny as the first issue.  Some good bits, but it jumped around quite a bit and distracted from the humor. B
2. Catwoman #82 — Catwoman essentially gets Batman to chase her for the entire issue.  Cute, but otherwise pretty throwaway stuff. B
3. DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1 — This confused me a bit.  It’s a perfectly fine story, but its connection to “Final Crisis” is tenuous at best.  Still a good story, though. A
4. Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge #2 — The Rogues get to kick some ass in this issue. Good stuff. A
5. Kick-Ass #4 — This issue fell a bit flat with me.  It seemed to meander while Dave wallowed in his own confusion regarding Hit-Girl.  JR  Jr.’s art is still awesome, though.  B
6. New Avengers #44 —While this issue had some deliciously sinister moments, as a whole it fell a bit flat.  Personally, I think the tie-ins need to concentrate on the plotline of the event, and not the back story.  That, and I could care less about the Illuminati, which I still find an unnecessary concept. C
7. Northlanders #9 — Little Edwin hates his family, and he constantly prays to Woden for deliverance. Then the Vikings show up… A
8. She-Hulk #32 — Shulkie and Jazinda deal with their captive.  I’m not loving PAD’s “Secret Invasion” tie-ins. C
9. Ultimate Iron Man II #5 — Aside from having to wait six months or so for this, the layouts were terrible and made the story hard to read.  This was initially slated as a four-issue miniseries, then #4 had an “of Five” notation appear on it, so I’m wondering if there was a rewrite involved.  Well, if this is the better option, I shudder to think what a stinker the original was.  I don’t think I’ll be picking up UIM III if it comes out. D
10. Wolverine #68 — Nice twist in this one, and great art again from McNiven.  A
11. X-Force #6 — I can’t figure out if this series is trying to be more than it is, or whether Kyle and Yost are just over-thinking the concept.  As I’ve said before, they need to either add some depth to this title or just take it so far over the top, it’s borderline ludicrous.  As it stands right now, it’s frustrating. Purty pictures, though. C

Pull List for 27 Aug 2008

1. Ambush Bug: Year None #2 (of 6)
2. Catwoman #82 (final issue)
3. DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1 (one-shot)
4. Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge #2 (of 3)
5. Kick-Ass #4
6. New Avengers #44
7. Northlanders #9
8. She-Hulk #32
9. Ultimate Iron Man II #5 (of 5)
10. Wolverine #68
11. X-Force #6 *

* — Denotes those wavering at the edge of the Culling List.
§ — Denotes my last issue of this misbegotten series.

Most anticipated titles are either Kick-Ass or Northlanders.  Kick-Ass has been excellent all along, and Northlanders begins a new tale. Ambush Bug is no slouch, either.  All in all, a pretty good week.

As you can see, I left Trinity on the shelf this week.  Unless I see rave reviews about this series, that’s where it’ll stay.

Ultimate Iron Man II is kind of pointless since #4 came out what… six months ago?  Hell, I don’t know if I can even remember what happened.

Picked up Catwoman since it was the last issue, and the DCU:LWaT because Meltzer, the Kubert brothers, and John Dell are all very good.  We’ll see what happens there.

Quick Reviews for 30 Jul – 13 Aug 2008

I was busy a few of these weekends, so I’m way behind on reviewing.  Also, I somehow missed Secret Invasion #5 this week.  Oh well, I’m sure there’ll be a few issues left next week.  On to the reviews:

1. Batman #679 — Morrison starts pulling things together.  I’m liking this. A
2. Contract #1 — Some okay stuff here. Kind of derivative of Firefly. Not sure if I’ll buy any more, but it’s perfectly fine for what it’s trying to accomplish. B
3. Criminal #4 — Do you need to ask? Awesome as always. A
4. Crossed #0 — I already saw this.  It was called 28 Days Later. Pass. D
5. Detective Comics #847 — Again, I’m not sure why this is part of “R.I.P.” when it’s going down a completely different road. It also seems a bit straightforward, so I’m enjoying Morrison’s arc more.  B
6. Echo #5 — The action picks up a bit in this issue, which supposedly closes the first arc of the story.  If I continue to get this, it’ll be in TPB form. B
7. Fantastic Four #559 — Okay, Millar, you’ve piqued my interest with the last few pages of this issue.  I’ll give you another chance.  B
8. Fantastic Four: True Story #1 — Maybe I need to re-read this, but it came across as confusing, pretentious, and self-referential.  I’m probably not going to buy any more of this mini. C
9. Final Crisis #3 — Um.  Wow.  Er.  Yike!  A
10. Frank Frazetta’s Creatures #1 — A fun little jaunt very similar to Hellboy.  B
11. Frank Frazetta’s Dracula Meets the Wolfman #1 — Probably the weakest of the Frazetta comics to come out so far.  The story is so straightforward, you know exactly what’s going to happen before it does. C
12. Hack/Slash #14 — More of the same from this series.  Either you like it, or you don’t. B
13. Hellboy: The Crooked Man #2 — Mignola and Corben create some really creepy imagery in this issue.  Good stuff. A
14. Mercy Sparx #0 — Sorry, but this reeks of the whole Chaos/bad girl phase of the mid-1990s.  Blaylock’s going to have to pull something amazing out of the story to make it stand out against all the other supernatural hunter-chicks. C
15. Ms. Marvel #29 — Mostly just another all-fight issue. I’m hoping this series starts going somewhere again once “Secret Invasion” is over. C
16. Northlanders #8 — Not the ending I was expecting, but one that makes a lot of sense. Very good stuff you should pick up in TPB if you didn’t get the individual issues. A
17. Pilot Season: The Core #1 — This reminded me a lot of one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Farscape.  And there’s a surprise towards the end to boot. I’d definitely like to see more of this series, especially if they can keep Rocafort on art duties. A
18. Project Superpowers #5 — People and events start coming together in this issue, which was my major complaint with the series up until now.  B
19. Red Sonja #36 — Well, the inevitable finally happens, and Sonja is set on her new/old path. I’m giving this a couple more issues, but this whole “reboot” seemed like a waste of 3–4 issues. C
20. Rest #0 — If this is supposed to be a teaser issue, it failed miserably.  There isn’t enough story here to hook the reader onto the main plot.  It’s mostly just the backgrounds of the two main characters, neither of which was particularly interesting. D
21. Secret Invasion: Thor #1 — If JMS ever leaves the main series, they have to get Fraction next.  Hell, I’m not so sure I don’t like Fraction better. A
22. Simon Dark #11 — At least the story beings to pick up some.  I’m still done with this title once this storyline ends, which’ll probably be next issue. B
23. Sparks #3 — I’m really liking this blend of noir and superheroes. A
24. Special Forces #3 — Okay, this series has been over-the-top since moment one, but this issue just goes off the deep end. Typically I love Baker’s stuff, but this isn’t working for me. C
25. Thor #10 — I love how JMS is handling Loki. Strong stuff all around. A
26. Trinity #9–11 — Okay, the story’s beginning to falter again, which you wouldn’t think with the action building up.  Aside from Superman, I’m not seeing the big personality changes that are supposedly happening to the Trinity, and that’s only because Superman’s change is like a ball peen hammer to the forehead. I’m becoming more and more convinced on the padding of this series. C
27. Ultimate Origins #3 — Magneto’s turn.  Why is this series necessary again? C
28. Wolverine #67 — Again, I’m not sure why we’re telling this story in the main title, but it’s good nonetheless. A
29. Wolverine: Origins #27 — One of the better issues of this series.  We’ll see if Way can pull something good out of it. B
30. Wonder Woman #23 — Kind of a no-brainer after last issue’s twist.  Next issue looks to be more of Simone’s forté.  B