The best ongoing series of 2010

The best ongoing series of 2010

5. X-Men

   Victor Gischler has handled this series very well. This series did suffer from starting in the middle of a series by using the vampires to early, and they did leave several loose ends. For example, what happened to Janus, and where is Magneto, but this series was written extremely well. When Wolverine had to come back from being a vampire there could have been an easy way out, but Gischler found a way to do it quickly and in a way that made sense. Combined with the art of Paco Medina and the series was great.


4. Justice Society of America

     I've been with this series for the past couple arcs, and I was impressed with two out of the past three. Then one with the Winds of War was one of the greatest arcs I've read in my life time, and the one that is currently out does the same. But the cross over with the Justice League of America and the Starheart I didn't care for. But the series has gone in two arcs what it took the comic book medium to do in 60 years. They showed how superheroes fought army in WWII and they fought terrorists in modern day, and that exactly what the JSA has done in the past year, and thats why the series is the fourth best ongoing series of 2010.


3. The Flash

     I've always loved the Flash, Not just one Flash, but all of them, Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. When Geoff Johns wrote Wally West a couple years back, I thought that those were the best comics that I will ever read. This series, like X-Men, started in the middle. The Renegades should have been postponed until the second or third arc, but even though it came early the art was great. The writing, the plots, the art, all of it, this series would not have been the same without Geoff Johns or Francis Manapul, and this series is definitely one of the best this year.


2. Detective Comics

        The Batwoman arcs were good, but the impostor Joker Wars arcs is what really puts this series above all others. The arc showed the insanity of Gotham, andpeople, in any city. It wasn't only showed by the writing and story, but David Hine did very well with that, but the art reflected the story and the craziness, maybe even better than the story. It was a fun read, and then when other arcs came it got dark, and scary, there were funny moments, and happy m   oments, this series has everything, arc quality does vary, but it's consistently a good, and interesting read.


1. Amazing Spiderman

        I must admit that picking this series is strictly based off the past three issues. Redoing Spiderman, has just been the best thing that could ever be done to and for this series. Giving Peter Parker a new place where he can Spiderman and Parker was just a brilliant idea. There are still risks, but now it's not just the same story with Michelle every issue, which was just getting tedious. He has a job, a somewhat steady life, there are still risks, and it's just entertaining which is perfect. Just because of the past couple issues, this series is definitely the number one ongoing series of the year.

      

Detective Comics #871

           The last arc in Detective Comics was really good, and I'm a little sad to see David Hine leave the series, but I am hopeful that Scott Snyder will really make Dick Grayson his own Batman, with some of the old villains, and some new ones.
           In this issue Dick Grayson is worrying that he's not worthy of being Batman. Then Jim Gordon uses the Wayne's forensic lab. A boy attacked any other kids at a pool, and he had the Killer Croc mutagen in his system. Gordon came to compare the one used on Croc, and the one used on the boy to see if the two are "from the same batch," Which they were. Batman goes and talks to the families butler. The boy, who is now in a coma, was practically raised by his butler. When the butler is about to say something, the mother comes in and shoots him, then she runs out of a window and dies. Batman finds the mark of the Mad Hatter on her neck. Commissioner Gordon sends Batman to an ex-cop who had a record of stealing evidence. Batman goes there, but when he is interogating him, a tree grows out of his mouth and kills him. But before he died he did say he was working for some one called "The Dealer."
            This issue had a lot of build up. It had the previews in the back of many comic books, it had the letter "As I Write This There Is A Batman Costume Sitting In A Box Beside My Desk," where Scott Snyder said "We'll be introducing a lot of new villains in the coming year." Essentially this is a copy cat villain, I've seen these many times recently. I've seen them in Batman #698, and I saw one of them in the last issue of Detective Comics, I can hardly see this as a new villain. Although if this is the same villain we saw in Batman #698 that would be much better, it was never really clear what happened and this could clear it up, but if "The Dealer" is a new person then it would just look like DC is running out of ideas. When I first saw Dick Grayson wondering if he was worthy of being Batman, it was a very "oh, this again" kind of reaction, but as soon as he said "I actually sleep worse in this place now that Bruce is back," it came across as a different approach. When Bruce Wayne was travailing through time it seemed like every one was wondering if they were worthy of being who they were, and now that Bruce Wayne is back all of those feeling stopped abruptly, and now Dick Grayson is still worrying about this which is interesting and could be a constant theme for a while. So this was a very decent issue with a few flaws, and the problem with the Copy Cat villain could go either way, but I do have to admit that I am doubtful.





Grade: 6/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

The Flash #7

            I have always loved Geoff Johns work with the Flash, especially Wally West, so I decided to pick up his series with Barry Allen. I must admit that some of the earlier issues were a let down, but once Johns got into the series  (around issues five and six) it started to get much better.
           This issue has almost nothing to do with the Flash, it is very much an origin issue about Captain Boomerang. This issue starts off with Captain Boomerang breaking Girder out of prison. Then it tells his origin. When his father and brother left him to go work, a delivery man brought Harkness a Wiggins boomerang with no sign of who sent it. Digger tries it out, and ends up sending it into his dad's windshield. After he lost that boomerang, a new one came, he learned to use it, and then he robbed a store with it. His dad through him out of the house, but his mother gave him money to go work for Wiggins. He became the mascot, known as Captain Boomerang. He later turned to crime, got beat by the Flash and joined the Rogues, then joined the Suicide Squad. Then he went home for his mothers funeral and killed his father. Then the flash back ends and Captain Boomerang releases Zoom, which the Rogues don't like.
           I didn't expect to like this issue, but I did, a lot. Captain Boomerang is one of those characters that can be menacing while still having a very classic feel, even if he's not wearing his Wiggins Captain Boomerang suit. This also gives a real reason to put the Brightest Day header on, before Johns did put the header on, but barley talked about Captain Boomerang, and the series had almost nothing to do with Brightest Day, but now that he's focusing on Captain Boomerang more, it is tying Brightest Day into the series very well. I'm not a huge fan of not using Francis Manapul. Scott Kollins does a good job with the art, but he lacks a certain crispness that Manapul had. Although Manapul was a better artist, Kollins is the better story teller. Manapul had many effects, and stunts like when Flash ran on the helicopter rotor, but Manapul takes more of a subtle approach, so even if his art isn't as good, he tells the story better.  I'm very exited for the next couple issues to see how people react to Zoom. I do hope that the Rogues don't work with Flash against Zoom, simply because that would be tedious, and we just got done with the Renegades. So the rest of this arc could either be very good, or very bad, it all depends on the next two or three issues, but this issue was very good, and a very fun read.






Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Green Lantern/ Plastic Man #1

         Recently I've been reading a lot of Green Lantern, and Plastic Man has always been one of my favorite characters, so this comic looked like the best thing that could ever exist, and that is why I picked it up.
        In this issue Plastic Man goes to Green Lantern and says that he got attacked by some weird alien weapons, and that he needs Green Lantern's help. Green Lantern decides to help. They disguise them selves as gangsters and try to investigate. They find that some of the gangsters in the bar are going to work for the aliens. Plastic Man then gets caught, and tortured by the aliens. Green Lantern disguised as a fly goes and frees Plastic Man when the aliens leave. The aliens turn out to be ducks from outer space, and Green Lantern contacts the good ducks. They disguise themselves as gangsters again and infiltrate the meeting the ducks are having with their gangster troops. Plastic Man and Green Lantern reveal that the ducks are trying to take over the world, and the gangsters turn against them, and the ducks lose and the gangsters promise to go clean.
         As far as I know, Green Lantern can't turn into a fly, or anything. The dialogue in this story was also weak. Now that I think of it this story was probably made for children, but when I read it. Plastic Man is such a powerful and interesting character, and yet he has been reduced to children's books for a while, for this and his last series. The Plastic Man in Batman the Dark Knight Strikes again is the ideal Plastic Man. One that is funny and annoying, but also is one of the more powerful people in the entire DC universe. Honestly I can't really judge the comic because it was made for a much younger audience so this grade is focused on how DC uses Plastic Man. Although I do have to say, even if this is a children's story don't use an evil alien race of ducks, give the story a little more credit than that.





Grade: 2/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Shadowland After the Fall #1

          Daredevil is a character that I've wanted to be redone for a while. As soon as I heard about Shadowland I knew that there was a chance, and now that it is over Black Panther is taking over for a while, and that is just disappointing because I want some reborn Daredevil.
          In this issue Ben Urich and Detective Kurtz are both looking for Matt Murdock or Daredevil. They ask everyone, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spiderman and even Moon Knight. Finally they both think to ask Foggy, he also has no idea, but when the suggestion came up that Matt might be dead, Foggy was outraged. Urich goes to Matt's place and finds a tape recording for Urich, saying that Matt doesn't know when he will be back, and not to tell Foggy anything. Electra comes in and tells Urich to stop his hunt. Kurtz finds Black Panther breaking up a fight. Then a bunch of cops tell Kurtz to stop the hunt for Daredevil because he's a good guy, but the Captain disagrees   with them and continues the hunt.
          Like I said before I really want Daredevil back,  I'm definitely going to keep reading because I love Black Panther, and I really want to here whats up with Daredevil and with Black Panther. I must admit that I want Black Panther's run to be short lived, because I really want Daredevil back. When the series returns I really want Johnston to pick up the series, because this issue was amazing. When I opened it up and saw that it was about Urich and Kurtz I was disappointed. But after reading the issue I was really happy, it investigated in to Daredevil and how others are reacting to Shadowland in a way that makes perfect sense. That and the art, not just the cover art, but all of the art through out the entire issue was perfect. When Daredevil returns I want this entire team on the series because this issue was great.




Grade: 10/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Superman #706

            Grounded is much like Shadowland, it started off as a very promising series with one of the best first issues ever written, and when Shadowland slowly started slipping, Grounded did it very fast.  I gave the first issue a ten out of ten, and the second a six out of ten. It became something to look forward to, to something that I might remember to pick up.
           In this issue a kid named Sandeep gives Perry White a bad picture, Perry White doesn't like that, he throws him out. After that Ron Troupe walks in and tells Perry that a news blog named Urbanitis released a story saying that the Daily Planet is paying Superman for interviews, and that Lois Lane is having an affair with Superman. Perry calls Lois and she denies it, so he sends Sandeep in as a mole to Urbanitis. Superman meets with Perry and offered to help, Perry says he can handle it. He calls the head of Urbanitis and meets with him, he says he has a picture, but then Sandeep reveals that it was a photoshopped picture. Perry wants an apology and for the head of Urbanitis to apply for an internship this summer.
           Granted this story wasn't written y J. Michael Straczynski so this issue is not his fault. This was not good, for starters it had nothing to do with the grounded story line, it's almost like Wilson was asked to do an issue and he had no ideas. Also as much as I like Perry Whites outbursts, by the ninth or tenth I just got board. That combined with terrible art just made this a bad issue, perhaps the worst Superman comic I've ever read. Grounded started off with Superman talking down someone who was going to jump off of a building, why do I care about some scandal that was posted on a blog. Every time I pick up  Grounded I hope that maybe this will be better, maybe it will be like the first issue, but every issue I read is even worse than the last. I'm going to keep reading because I really want this series to be good, but I have serious doubts.




Grade: 3/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Shadowland #5

           This is the last issue of Shadowland. This has been a great mini series, I wasn't a huge fan of Shadowland issue four, but the rest of the series has been fantastic. The first issue might have been the best opening issues of a series that I've ever read.
           In the final issue Foggy Nelson was climbing the Shadow Land Fortress' wall, and now he is falling. Ghost Rider picks him up and puts him on a roof. He goes in to battle Daredevil, but his flame only makes Daredevil more powerful, so Ghost Rider loses, and is down. Daredevil then turns to kill Foggy, after White Tiger brings him, but before he can Iron Fist builds up a lot of Chi and punches him very hard. The Chi energy is a life force and Iron Fist used it to exorcise the demon out of Daredevil. Matt Murdock goes through a weird thing in his mind filled with awful images of people he knows telling him how disappointing he is. Daredevil goes unconscious, and the fighting in the streets stops. Matt Murdock runs away, and no one can find him. He went to a church to do some confessing, and Kingpin takes over the Hand.
          I always wanted Daredevil to leave the Hand, ever since he joined up with them, and when Shadowland came out I knew this was going to be the end, the first issues were great, but then I wasn't fond of the idea that it was some sort if demon possessing him. It looked like Diggle was trying to find an excuse to get Murdock back to being a good guy. Also when Iron Fist punched him with the Chi energy all I could think of is why didn't that just happen before, couldn't Diggle think of something better, even if Iron Fist's Chi energy was amplified by something and thats why it was powerful enough to exorcise a demon, then that would have been better, but the whole demon and Chi healing just felt rushed. Another disappointment was Ghost Rider, he is one of the more powerful people in the Marvel universe, and he had this great build up to him (including the cover of the issue) and then he was taken out in the first six pages of the final issue. At least give him a couple moments before rendering him useless. Overall this issue felt like a rush to finnish the story by the fifth issue, and Diggle didn't take the time to think the plot through and how to use the characters. A series with a great first issue ended with a disappointing last one.




Grade: 4/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Green Lantern Corps #54

          I've been on and off with Green Lantern. I have had trouble deciding whether or not it is worth sticking with, and instead of picking up Green Lantern this time, I decided to try Green Lantern Corps instead, mainly because I liked the cover.
          In this issue Sinestro is fuming because Kyle Rayner  punched him. They decide to fight without rings. Sinestro wins, by a lot. Rayner reveals that he punched Sinestro to get his attention because Soranik Natu has been captured by a Weponer. This Weponer blames Sinestro for his exile, he made the original yellow ring and gave it to Sinestro. Sinestro got greedy came back and killed the warriors of Qward and made the Weponers make yellow rings until they died. So now this particular Weponer (who was exiled for making the first yellow ring) is exiled and blames Sinestro for it. But when lanterns come, it's a group of Green Lanterns, not Sinestro.
           As I said before the cover is what attracted me to this issue, and it was a very good cover. I also really liked the story, it had a perfect sinestro. Tony Bedard managed to make Sinestro just "jerky" enough. The ringless fight between Rayner and Sinestro just seemed like a way to put in a cool fight scene, and it was cool, but after I read it the scene just seemed contrived. I really liked the simplicity of the issue. It had a very simple and easy to understand story, that just made the issue a fun read. Honestly I've never liked Soranik Natu, or Kyle Rayner, but after this issue I have decided to reconsider. They were both written very well. Along with the Weponers, the only time I've really seen them before is in Green Lantern First Flight, and this was a very different approach to them, and both approaches were very good.
         This issue was very good, and I'm definitely going to pick up the next one.






Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Justice League Generation Lost #15

             This is the first issue of Justice League Generation Lost I've read. I've been trying to get into this series for a while, but I never had time to pick it up. I've heard about how good this series was from many reviews and people, but I finally was able to pick it up.
             In this issue Max Lord learns that he is the only one who can remember the existence of Wonder Woman. His tracking devices aren't working, it's like she never exists. He gets angry, calls Cadmus and tells them to activate things that aren't ready. He wants to find Wonder Woman and then kill her. He also framed Captain Atom of murder. Captain Atom rants about killing Max Lord, and Booster Gold rants about how good guys don't kill. Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire, and Ice can all remember Wonder Woman, but Blue Beetle, Rocket Red, Skeets and the rest of the world can't. Then the JLI is invaded by the Creature Commandos.
              I've always liked the new Blue Beetle, and Captain Atom, but have never found a way to read about them. I was slightly disappointed that the Blue Beetle wasn't used more, but I wouldn't blame that on the series, because the series is 15 issues in. I really liked the rant by Booster Gold, because he is usually known as a "silly," not to be taken seriously character, and this showed that he was a dynamic character that has many different aspects to him, and really just makes him a more interesting character. I must admit that while the Creature Commandos were cool, I've never heard of them before, so what I'm assuming was supposed to be a shocking event, it was lost on me. Judd Winick did a really great job with the whole Wonder Woman thing. Both with the commented recap, and with her disappearance. He really left me in suspense, and wanting to read the next issue.
              So this was the first issue of this series that I've read and I must say that I loved it. It had good writing, good story, and good character usage. I'm really looking forward to the next issue. This is a good issue that I strongly recommend.



Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Justice Society of America #45

          I've really liked this series. I loved the arc with the Fourth Reich, I must admit I skipped this whole star heart business, and so far I've liked this new arc. It could be because I've always loved the Justice Society of America, and the past couple arcs have been really important, but it could also be that the past couple arcs have just been written very well.
        This issue starts with the Flash and Green Lantern on a mission during WWII. The mission was to destroy the  "Drachen Project."When they finally find the "Drachen Project" it turns out to be a baby. The Flash wants to kill it, but Green Lantern wont let him. Meanwhile (back in present day) heroes are helping with clean up of Monument Point. The citizens of the city come and yell at the Flash for not caring. Then a senator reveals that the terrorist that just destroyed the city, is the Drachen child. Elsewhere Green Lantern wakes up in the hospital and finds that he's paralyzed.
          This was a very good issue. It was really full of emotion from all of the characters with Jay Garrick getting yelled at by the people he was trying to save, and Alan Scott being paralyzed. Although as I said before, Jay Garrick being yelled at would have been better if I hadn't seen it so many times before. Although, this time, it was better than in Superman, or Green Lantern. It was the art, and one panel where a man is really yelling that made it better. Also the anger and disgust Flash showed toward the senator was done very well, as was the scene with Alan Scott. This comic does a good job of showing a big part of the JSA, and that is their past experience, especially WWII. It really bridges the gap between old comics, which were about fighting for America, against a foreign enemy, and todays comics, which are about terrorists. A huge part of this comic was the art. The writing was good, but with out Scott Kolins, and Mike Atiyeh, this comic wouldn't be nearly as good. They found a way to express emotion so well that even without the words in the story, I would be able to tell what the character was feeling. I also like that the terrorist did succeed, he was caught, but he still inflicted fear in the DCU, which was really his goal. This is much like the superhero version of 9/11. When the terrorist strikes there is nothing to do, but rebuild. This issue showed that perfectly.
           I'm caught between two things to say about this comic. I don't know weather to call it a extremely good one that you should look at, or a must buy. I'm somewhere in between right now, but definitely look at this issue.



Grade: 9.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Superman/Batman #78

            I've been looking forward to this issue for about a month but for some reason it got mailed late. In the times that I've read this series I've been thrilled, and I don't know why I didn't subscribe earlier. The reason I did subscribe to this is because Brave and the Bold (which was one of my favorite series) got canceled and DC replaced my subscription with Superman/Batman, and this is one of the best series I've ever read.
           In this issue two kids are talking about who would win, Superman or Batman, but they are having trouble figuring out how to do that. They create rules like: No Kryptonite, no magic and no Batmite. Once the battle is underway a series of hypotheticals happen making both characters unbeatable. Superman and Batman both listened to the conversation, and Batman assures Superman that he could beat him without Kryptonite.
            Discussing who would win Superman or Batman is something that goes all the way back to the golden age, when Detective Comics and Action Comics were putting out their first couple issues, and most if not all of the comic fans I know have discussed this, so I was very exited for a DC writer to put the whole story in a comic. My main problem with this story is that it wasn't long enough, only half of the book was devoted to Superman and Batman, the other half was given to Power Girl and Huntress. I was disappointed that it wasn't longer because this is a moment that I have been waiting for. Not just this issue, but a layout of a battle between Superman and Batman. But after that I really don't have any big  complaints, except that the dialogue could have been better, but this was from the point of view of a couple of kids. Also I noticed a couple panels where the art could have been better. But I really have no big complaints, except it wasn't long enough. If it were longer it would be a must buy, but since it's short I would say, check it out if you have some extra time.





Grade: 7.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Amazing Spiderman #649

           I can't even describe how much I loved the previous issue in this arc. Gave Spiderman his life back, and showed so much hope for the future of Spiderman, and the Amazing Spiderman series. Before it was always something I got in the mail, and read, but it wasn't exiting like getting a Legion of Superheroes, or Captain America, but now I'm constantly looking forward to the days when I find Amazing Spiderman in my mail box.
           In this issue the original Hobgoblin is working for the Kingpin. Hobgoblin goes down to Green Goblin's stash of high tech toys. When he gets their Phil Urich is hiding there. Hobgoblin is about to kill him, but then Urich uses his sonic scream and cuts his head off, and then he becomes the Hobgoblin. Spiderman beats up some Green Goblin worshipers with a reformed Black Cat. Aunt May walks Peter into work. After a unproductive day, Hobgoblin breaks into Horizon Labs, and starts fighting Spiderman.
          Another near flawless issue. The "revamping" of spiderman continues, not he has a place to work on being Spiderman. I'm pretty impartial about killing off the Hobgoblin and replacing him with another Hobgoblin because I've never really had much Hobgoblin experience. I don't really know why Marvel decided to make Hobgoblin into an evil Black Canary. It kind of works because it's Hobgoblin, but then making it the Sonic Scream seemed unnecessary, instead to just having him just steal a piece of Green Goblin tech. It would have made more sense, but that is only a little part of the story, so I'm not to worried about it. I loved the scene with Aunt May looking back on a conversation with Peter Parker. Especially during the revamp, it's always good to go back, it made the issue so much better, and gave emotion to the issue. I also like that Black Cat is being revamped simultaneously with Spiderman. I would say that this was a good issue, but it's not entirely about that, it's about making Spiderman the great character he once was. So I'm incredibly exited for the next couple issues, and the arcs that come after this with the improved Spiderman.





Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

X-Men #5

            This series has been “disappointingly average.” When two things like mutants and vampires are out together in the same arc, and the mutants are X-Men, I get high expectations. If this arc isn’t great then I am discouraged. So far that is exactly what this series has been, and I have been disappointed.

            In this issue the vampires siege Utopia. Cyclops puts all of his “hard skinned” people out front. Like Emma Frost, Colossus, Ice Man, and archangel. Cyclops also stays out side, and all the other people go inside. The vampires then release the vampired Wolverine. Cyclops then reveals that he temporarily shut down Wolverine’s healing gene, but then he turns it back on, and gets the vampirism out of him. So the mutants beat the vampires. Then Dracula comes back and takes control of the vampires.

            This is a good issue. In X-Men 3: the last stand there was a moment where they were about to battle the brother hood where it felt like the movie was holding its breath. This issue had the exact same feeling before the vampires. It’s hard to do that in a comic, but Gischler did it very well. Other than that the comic was almost entirely a fight scene, but a very entertaining fight scene. Except when Xarus lost, his defeated attitude and expressions really showed that he felt powerless. I still don’t know what happened to Janus, I expected him to show up around issue two or three, but I still just have no idea what happened to him. It’s a loose end that no one has tied up, if he appears now it will be pointless because he was on the run from Xarus, and now he’s not in charge any more, so I just don’t know about him.

            This arc isn’t over yet, but now I’m genuinely exited for the next couple issues, and the next arc. I wouldn’t call this a must buy issue, but it’s definitely in that range.

Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Detective comics #870

          I've really enjoyed this arc, it showed the mayhem of what the Joker, or even someone who was joker gassed can be. The last couple of issues have been fantastic, they've been nearly perfect. I've liked David Hine for a while, because of his work with Batman and his villains, but he has out done himself.
          In this issue the "Impostor War" is on its last day. War has broken out in the fair that Winslow Heath set up. Batman goes and hunts down the Impostor Batman. He fights him and then rips off his mask, revealing that he is Winslow Heath/Impostor Joker. Heath says "I found that spot when I was exploring the rooftops. I used to climb around up there where it's quiet, away from the crowds and the hustle. No one else ever went up there, just me and Beth, we'd get stoned...I was planning to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me." That is when the Joker gassed him and Beth. Batman rescued Heath, but no one noticed Beth. The two survived because of some drugs they took, but Beth was hidden and frozen, as the birds fed off of her, while she was still alive. He blames Batman "We're collateral damage. You're the reason [the Joker] comes to Gotham. You're the reason they all come. The impostor Joker escapes and goes home to the skeleton of Beth.
           This is a great issue. Hine really pulled the watch the world burn thing down. I especially liked how Winslow Heath was the Impostor Joker, and the Impostor Batman, he just wanted to see the world burn. As I've said before the art in this is amazing, not because it's especially good, but it captures the insanity of the Impostor War, it's even better now that Winslow Heath was trying to accomplish just that. The part with Beth I thought was done very well because that combined with Joker gas, and a little bit of being awake during a coma, is enough to make someone crazy. Although I didn't like the "you bring the Joker here" bit, because like in Superman #705 I've seen it so many times before. While I do know with thousands of Batman stories, and it's probably getting hard not to recycle things, but those past two events have been constant themes in series of comics, and each time the authors think it's going to be as shocking as last time. My last complaint with this issue is that Winslow Heath being the Impostor Batman was really predictable. So I wouldn't say this issue is a must buy, just a check it out if you have nothing to do. Although if you've been a fan of the series then pick it up.          
      




Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Superman #705

         The first issue in this series was outstanding, the second one was bad, (I must admit I never read the third one) and the fourth one was on the worse side of okay.  That is just a let down, the first issue showed so much promise for this year long arc, but no matter what issue I've read I've been disappointed.
        In this issue Superman is walking through Illinois. While in Chicago some people tell him that he is a loaded weapon, and they're scared of him. He then goes to meet Lois in a park, and one girl follows him. When Superman goes to sleep he dreams about Metropolis in flames, with a giant monster, and a voice saying "if you can't save them all, what's the point in saving any of them?"The voice belonged to the girl that has been following him. When Superman wakes up his face is bruised. After putting on some makeup he goes and walks through Mt. Prospect. Where a little boy tries to defend his mother from his abusive father. The father throws and locks the boy into the basement. Using his super hearing Superman heard the boy, breaks into the house and arrests the father. He gives the boy a number to call everyday, and leave a message, and if he doesn't call one day, he's coming back to see what's wrong.
       The first part of this comic would have been shocking and touching if it weren't for the fact that I've seen it so many times before. That is the classic problem with Superman he's too powerful, and why Straczynski decided to devote an entire monologue to it is beyond me. Two or three panels would have been sufficient. Those two pages would have been better devoted to the family with the abusive father. I absolutely loved the part with the boy, it was touching, powerful, entertaining, and in the same genera of problem that made Superman #701 so good. Crowds that are against superheroes, I've seen it many before. Psychic dream, again I've seen it many times before. But taking an all to real situation like an abusive father, and show people that this is a problem, not very often. It takes superheroes and puts them into the selfless situation they were made for, with out being juvenile. There is one thing that all of the grounded issues have done right. The covers have all been great. Simple and eye catching, and this issue was no exception.
        So, this issue wasn't great, but it does show promise that Grounded may become great again.





Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Hellboy Double Feature of Evil #0

          I've always liked Hellboy, but I've always wanted to like him more. I've read a couple one-shots, and some of his graphic novels/anthologies, and I always enjoyed them, just not as much as I thought I would. My two favorite genera of comic are horror and superhero, and Hellboy is both. But the whole Hellboy operation was just a let down for me. But I picked up this issue anyway hoping it would change my mind.
          In this issue Hellboy investigates two cases. In the first case a man comes to Hellboy and says his house is making him kill people. He describes how a man gave him the house and some money as a gift, and after the first night he slept in the house, he got a craving to kill people. So every time he killed people money would come down the stairs. There is a portrait near the stairs, and both the guy and Hellboy think it's his money coming down the stairs every time. So Hellboy goes up into the room, and after the man pushes him in, Hellboy sees the guy who's portrait is on the wall doing some magic stuff. A huge block of gold comes down the stairs and kills the first guy. Hellboy runs out of the room, rips open some floor boards, where he finds a heart. (most likely the heart of the house) he stabs it and the house explodes. In the second story, a man who works in the gift shop at a museum thinks he's an ancient Egyptian priest of Horus, and he's holding someone hostage in the museum, when Hellboy comes the "priest of Horus" gets scared and runs into the wrong temple, and prays to the wrong god, who has an alligator head. The god by the name of Sabek eats him.
         This was a great issue, and what I've been waiting for. This is the perfect combination of Horror and Superhero. Especially the first story which had murdering, someone going crazy, and the sorcerer. Those three things are always good in a horror, or more specifically a Hellboy. It was by no means a perfect story, but it really had a good... horror feel to it. I was disappointed not to ee Mike Mignola drawing the book. He was part of the reason I originally started with Hellboy, because his unique style was fantastic (to say the least.) The second story was so much shorter than the other, so no one can expect much plot development it's all pretty much one scene, although I though him running into the wrong temple (while it did feel like one of the old horror comics that I love very much) looked kind of like "okay let's end this quickly."  That story I wasn't a fan of, and if those stories in  separate comics, I would probably be very angry after reading the second one. But while I read it I was still impressed with the first story, so that was okay. I wouldn't call this a musty buy, but definitely check it out.





Grade: 7.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Amazing Spiderman #648

          Amazing Spiderman has only been a decent series, the last arc was an improvement but it still wasn't enough to make this a great series. Spiderman is one of the more brilliant characters ever developed, and the only reason I've stayed with Amazing Spiderman as long as I have is purely because of the character, not the stories or the writing.
          In this issue Spiderman leads the Avengers into a city full of Dr. Octopus giant robots.But this is all a diversion for Chamilion and Electro to brake into an army base and plant some weird Doc Oc toys. Doctor Octopus then sets all of the giant robots to explode, and while Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic are trying to figure out what to do, Peter Parker (science wiz) figures it out. Michelle moves out of her apartment, and by doing so also kicks Peter out. At Raft Maximum Security Prison they are ripping the Venom from it's host for examination, and Peter gets a job at Horizon. Also Fisk sends the Hobgoblin to Horizon.
           I don't even know where to begin when I'm trying to describe how good this issue was. This is the issue I have been waiting for. The issue where Marvel says, here is Spiderman, here is Peter Parker, here is his life. Mainly what Marvel did was give structure to Spiderman again. While trying to make him relatable Marvel only succeded in making him complicated. He was hated by the mayor, an out of work photogropher, the whole thing with MJ, plus the whole thing with Michele and all of the evolving villains, somewhere along that road I just stopped caring. But now that his life is put back together I'm very happy. I also like that the "nerdy" part of Peter Parker is being shown again, it disappeared for a while, and with it part of Spiderman, but like many other things this issue, it's back. This issue also established a couple main villains are back in action, like Venom and Hobgoblin, and the little bit in here about Green Goblin. Besides that the writing in this was really good, and the art was extremely well done. This was a funny, happy issue, and I'm going to put it on the must buy list.




Grade: 10/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Justice Society of America #44

          I know I haven't reviewed a Justice Society of America for a while, but that's because I skipped the whole "Star Heart" thing. If you look back on my archive of reviews you will see Justice League of America #45 which I absolutely hated. Coincidently it was the lead up to the whole Star Heart event, so I skipped the whole arc. However, before that arc, there was an arc about the Fourth Reich, and I loved that story line, so that's why I didn't just drop the Justice Society all together.
       In this issue Jay Garrick announces that he will retire soon because he had just been elected mayor in his town. But Alan Scott won't let him. Mean while Mr. Terrific keeps taking IQ tests and his score is gradually falling. Then the entire JSA  is called into battle because some super powered terrorist breaks out of a CIA prison in Afghanistan. Green Lantern goes to arrest the man/thing but the terrorist ends up knocking him down. Thats when everything breaks. Dr. Fate puts Green Lantern in a hospital, and the rest of the team beats the terrorist, but in doing that they destroyed the city, and then we find Green Lantern is paralyzed from the hips down.
        I'm just going to say right out front that this is a great issue and I would conceder it a must buy. The writing and story were both great, and the art was "iffy" at first but then improve ten fold. I really loved the idea of the terrorist winning. It pretty much took 9/11 and threw it into a comic book. Now something like that could have easily been overdone or underdone, but Marc Guggenheim did it perfectly, so that you can see the resemblance, and still have it be a good story. I'm not really a fan of the fact that Mr. Terrific's intelligence is going down, because that would just ruin the character, and this is one of those moment where I'm just waiting for them to fix it. It's kind of like a "made you look" kind of thing. It happens more than I would like. Besides that my only other complaint is not using more of the JSA members, like Dr. Midnight. Especially him, because I really think that having a medical person around during the time where Alan Scott gets paralyzed would have been better. Actually that's what I thought was going to happen because Dr. Midnight is even on the cover of the comic. I'm very exited for the rest of this arc, especially because the end of this issue leads to so many more opportunities. Now the world is going to turn against the JSA and even though I've seen that before, combining that with the terrorist winning and you have a really good arc.
            Like I said before this is a MUST BUY.






Grade: 9.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Ragman #1

              Frankly, I don't know why DC decided to make a One-Shot right now, unless they are planning on making an ongoing series. To be honest, I had never heard of Ragman until the announcement of the One-Shot but I thought the catch phrase: Suit of Souls was pretty cool so I decided to pick up the issue.
              In the one-shot  a guy named Roy Regan walks into a Rabbi's office and asks "How does someone hate... [themselves] so much?" After some conversation between Roy and the Rabbi, Roy reveals that he is a superhero named Ragman, the defender of the Jews. He was created because the Golem (from the jewish myths) didn't have a soul and was ruthless. Roy's father was the previous Ragman, but he never told Roy about where they came from,  their history, and he didn't even say they were Jewish until Roy was 16. So roy naturally asked why?  Since the Ragman can take evil  souls and make them a patch in his suit, (so they can redeem them selves and go to heaven) he goes back and talks to someone his father captured. A stormtrooper named Jaegar Brandt. Jaegar explains the situation and then finally goes to heaven. I can't say what he said without having this be a major spoiler, but I can say what Roy learned at the end: He stopped being Ragman... [but] he never stopped being a hero.
              When I finished this book I was at a loss for words. One of the best issues I've ever read. Ragman is a tear jerking master piece. Batman has been known as the one of, if not the best comic book character ever created, and that is because of his dark past, so that mixed with moral dilemmas made him such an interesting character. Ragman has that and more. Christos Gage has only been writing comic for around five years, but I've never seen anything like this. Ragman is a fantastic character, but that isn't the only reason this comic was so good. It was written like a dream. The writing drew me into the story and kept me there. I do have to admit that Ragman is a lot like Batman, dad killed in front of him. But while Bruce Wayne is always trying prove himself to his father, Roy Regan is trying to find out why his father did the things he did. Even though it's not as sad as Bruce Wayne's story it's still sad.
               I see so much potential in this character DC must make this an ongoing series. I have searched recent reviews of this issue and the popular rating for this issue is "mediocre" which I flat out disagree with. This is one of the best comics I've ever read, and this is a must buy. There wasn't a dull moment in the issue, and the part with the stormtrooper was one of the best moments in pop culture history. While I respect that other people disagree with me, I say this was a perfect issue. Oh... and I also have to mention that the art/cover were both done beautifully. Buy this issue, and I sincerely hope that DC makes this an ongoing series.





Grade: 10/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Bruce Wayne the Road Home: Ra's al Ghul #1

              I've wanted Bruce Wayne to come back since the moment he was gone, I will admit that I've been a little biased against Dick Grayson being Batman, but that's because He's Not Batman. There are a couple things in the comics world that should never change, the secret identity of Superman, getting rid of the Guardians, and killing (kind of) Batman. I'm happy that when Dick Grayson was Batman, the writers didn't try to make him like Bruce Wayne, they made him his own Batman, but sometimes they tried a little to hard, like getting rid of the Bat-Cave, and instead having a Bat-Bunker, and also changing the Bat-Mobil, things like that, which are harmless, sometimes seem like DC is trying to hard to make Dick Grayson his own person. Although, I do like the new Robin, as I said in my review of "Superman/Batman #77" I really think that Damian Wayne is a good Robin, and in the direction that the writers are going. Damien Wayne is the perfect way to give a new Batman a new Robin, and still have both of the characters have Bruce Wayne lurking the back of there minds.
            In this issue Ra's al Ghul sends the new Gray Ghost out to kill Vicki Vale, but he's stopped by some robotic Batman. When Vale finds some cops, she also finds that they've also been paid by Ra's to kill her, but they are also stopped by the robotic Batman. When Vicki Vale finally gets back to her apartment Ra's al Ghul is waiting for her, with a sword in his hand. The robotic Batman gets there and steps in front of Ra's, and takes off his helmet revealing that he's Bruce Wayne, Ra's goes away for reasons I can't fathom, and then there is a whole shtick with Bruce and Vicki.
            This issue has been titled wrong, it should not be Bruce Wayne the Road Home: Ra's al Ghul, it should be Bruce Wayne the Road Home:Vicki Vale. To be honest I had no idea that Bruce Wayne was actually going to be in the Road Home one shots, so I only bought Ra's al Ghul because I like his character, especially his sophistication, I got no Ra's, but I did get Bruce, which is better. I thought DC was waiting for the new Dark Knight series to really bring Wayne back, but I guess not. I don't think Scott McDaniel was the right choice for the art in this issue. He does work in the most recent Detective comics arc because it reflected what happened in the story, but for this issue I would have picked, someone more like David Finch, who has a darker drawing style.
             Even though I thought the reason Ra's left was (to be perfectly frank) bogus, Nicieza really did a good job with the character, he was just smart, tough, and "gentlemanly" enough to be a good Ra's al Ghul. Several times writers will make him too much of an action hero, or too much of a wise guy, but this was a happy medium.






Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Uncanny X-Force

          I had never liked these X-Men spinoffs, actually (recently) I've never really liked any of the X-Men series, nor did I like Deadpool. (which is kind of X-Men) But when Angle, Wolverine, and Deadpool are all in the same series I had to check it out. I'm just saying now that I've had no experience with Fantomex, or Psylocke.
          The series starts off with Deadpool going on some covert mission to a cult sort of thing, well, until he was knocked unconscious by a giant statue. Then we see Psylocke's dream, she dreams that Angle is arguing with Archangel, and Archangel is killing both of them. Angle and Psylocke both wakeup and argue about lying to each other when they get a call, not really sure what about, probably Deadpool. Then there is a competition between Fantomex and Wolverine, and Wolverine wins. I was then a little confused when the X-Force just kinds of meets with no lead up. They go to where Deadpool was and they get attacked by the giant statue, after they overcome that and rescue Deadpool, you see Apocalypse as a small boy, and Angel declares that he's going to kill him.
            I found this issue confusing. I don't know who called Angle, or what about, Angle later said something about how Deadpool was gathering info about something for years, and I don't know what, and most importantly I don't know what brought the X-Force back together. (Although I Fantomex just decided to get them all back) But as I was reading I barley noticed, what I did notice was great writing, great art, and the best written Deadpool I've ever seen. It's like the way Bendis writes Spiderman, Remender writes Deadpool like I've always wanted to see him. Another character that is done really well in this series is Fantomex, he had a very nice classiness about him, but I still don't know anything about him. (I'll be sure to look him up so I'm prepared for next issue) Angle, Wolverine, and Psylocke were also written well, but not as well as Deadpool and Fantomex. For a series like this I would usually comment about "starting in the middle of the series," but the trailer for this series took that thought right out of my mind.
           This was a really good issue, with great art, and great writing, there were just a couple of holes in the plot, most of which I would consider irrelevant.



Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Wolverine #2

        At first I was skeptical about "Wolverine Goes to Hell," I thought it would be just another Marvel event to make comic headlines, while they are simultaneously doing "Curse of the Mutants," and "Shadowland." I thought it was going to be a publicity stunt, that is only written half heartedly. After I read the first issue, I thought I was right. It was only written okay, and the plot was confusing. In the series defense, I didn't read Daken or X-23 (although I gave X-23 some thought) because I've never really liked the whole family of Wolverine thing, so I don't know how well those were written, but in Wolverine issue one, it was not good.
         In this issue Wolverine is fighting every single person that he had ever killed. (in Hell) Nazis, ninjas, and Omega Red, he is fighting and killing (again) all of them. He has no powers and no adamantium. The Devil keeps telling Wolverine he can stop if he lets out one little scream, but Wolverine simply replies: "Keep 'em comin', Bub." Wolverine's girlfriend (who was rescued by Mystique last issue) calls Yukio. (Wolverine's former girlfriend) While on the phone Yukio is killed by Wolverine's demon possessed body, and goes to Hell, where the devil makes her whip Logan until he screams. At the end of the comic you see two people planning to use Wolverine, one who was small would use him to escape Hell, the other would use him for a hidden agenda.
       Right after I finished this comic I knew that it was a good one. My original assumptions about this series were wrong. The comic was filled with emotion (on a wolverine scale) between fighting Omega Red, and being tortured by his ex girlfriend. To be very blunt "it's been a ruff day for Wolverine."  This issue was written very well, the writing had an almost poetic way about it. Which was also reflected by the fantastic art. My only real complaint with this issue was that Aaron didn't use Saber Tooth enough. Wolverine is in Hell, in pain, emotionally compromised, if Saber Tooth had come out, and had a dialogue while he was fighting that would have topped off the issue and made it from great to amazing. In fairness Aaron did kind of do that with Omega Red, but Saber Tooth would have been better. I also have to point out how Melita called Yukio of all people, opposed to like Cyclops or Beast, it just looked like away to bring Yukio into the story, that's what it was, but it just looked a little forced.
       This was a great issue, but it could have been better.
      




Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Daredevil #511

           This is also a series that I have had little experience with, but it does tie into Shadowland. Shadowland has been a great series, but I really want Matt Murdock back. I also have a problem that just because the guys name is Daredevil (for a completely different reason then he wants to act like a demon from Hell) someone decides to make a demon from Hell inhabit, and take control of his body. On the other hand, the action, writing, and character usage has been remarkable. Even without reading all of the one shots that have come off this series, I still get to see Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and the best written Spiderman ever. I've alway wanted to start reading Moon Knight but have never gotten the chance, and I have always liked Ghost Rider, but he makes few appearances now. Shadowland has been a good series with good tie-ins so I was very exited to subscribe to it's biggest tie-in, Daredevil.
          Recently Foggy Nelson has been the star of the Daredevil series, and this issue is no exception. In this issue the police charge the Shadowland area of Hell's Kitchen, and fight a rowdy crowd of people.  Dakota  tries to preach sanity, but ends up having to break a guys nose. Detective Kurtz tries to do the same thing, but someone throws a molotov cocktail at him. Dakota then goes to rescue Becky who is in an apartment right above where the riot is happening. Foggy Nelson scales the side of the Shadowland temple, and gets inside when then something happens.
          This was a decent issue at best, it was more police trying to "maintain the peace" than actual Shadowland stuff, if it weren't for Foggy at the end this series would be in the exact same place as it was last issue. I'm in no way criticizing Diggle's writing ability, just his story telling. This issue was written very well, just there was little to no forward motion (except the Foggy thing, which probably saved this issue.) Besides that I have really nothing to say except that I liked the art, it has that same darkness that Captain America has, but it's also sketchy which makes it even darker, which reflects the darkness of recent Shadowland/Daredevil events. I do also have to complain that one of the Daredevil characters was completely taken from Batman. Detective Kurtz is almost exactly like commissioner Gordon, he does the same thing, even though he's not commissioner, but he looks the same and acts the same, and plays and equally prominent role in Daredevil that Gordon plays in Batman.
           I wouldn't consider this a must read, but if you like Shadowland and Daredevil then by all means, check it out.




Grade: 6/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Legion of Super-Heroes #6

          Recently this series has gone from good to amazing. I do have my problems with the series but they are few. I don't know of a single writer that would have been better for this series than Paul Levitz. He has found a way to incorporate several of the characters, and giving some more face time than others, which is really a trait this series needs. On top of that the art has constantly been great in this series. Francis Portela has found a way to show the seriousness of what Levitz is doing, and capture the "Mom and apple pie" feeling of the original comics.
          In this issue Shadow Lass is angry that Phantom Girl didn't knock before entering the room when she found Shadow Lass sleeping with Earth-Man. Then Earth-Man, Timber Wolf, and Brainiac 5 destroy some xenophobes, and Earth-Man denounces his old beliefs. Then Earth-Man goes to Brainiac and yells at him and demands a normal flight ring, and he tells him "I may be convinced that we have to get along with offworlders, but it doesn't mean I have to like 'em... especially you."
At the end of the story Matter-Eater Lad announces that the fans get to vote on the next Legion Head. But this is after Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl go on temporary leave, so you can't vote for them.
           I thought it was really smart of Levitz not to put Matter-Eater Lad in the actual story, because if he did you would have the option of voting for him. I love MEL as much as the next guy, and I most likely would have voted for him if he were on the ballot, but he wouldn't be a good Legion Head in the story. Te actual story of this issue wasn't all that good. For one Levitz didn't  bring up Shadow Lass and Earth-Man enough, I know I said I didn't like the pace of it last issue, but the cover is devoted to that, and that was the big thing that happened last issue, and not once this issue was Earth-Man even in the same panel of Shadow Lass. There was a little where Shadow Lass goes on about how Earth-Man is a warrior, but that was way to little, plus I was also disappointed about how fast Phantom Girl excepted everything.. If Shadow Lass and Earth-Man talked, and Phantom Girl was a little less accepting this issue would have been much better. On top of that, when Levitz wrote the part with Earth-Man and Brainiac 5, did he forget that Earth-Man is now with an "offworlder?" He had finally become excepting, and then he went on a rant about how much he doesn't like Aliens. I don't know what was going through Levitz head. Other than that this issue was mainly made up of space fillers, just a bunch of loose dribble. The only reason I would encourage buying this issue is because Matter-Eater lad is in one page, and he announces a pretty cool event. Colossal Boy 2010!




Grade: 3/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Superman/Batman #77

           I've only read a couple issues of Superman/Batman , so I don't really know what to say about the series. But with the little experience I've had with it I do know that this is a decent series, that is a good go to when you want a simple pleasure read. I was upset that Brave and the Bold had been canceled again, but when the letter came that my subscription was to be switched to Superman/Batman, I was exited.
           This issue is not about Superman or Batman, it's Supergirl and Robin. After some interns from Lex Corp get murdered a cop accuses Supergirl of not caring about things that don't have to with giant alien invasions. She goes to find Batman so he can help her with this case, but instead she gets Robin. They investigate at Lex Corp, and then go to a halloween party that all of the interns are. Everyone is talking about the murders except one Batman villain that really likes Halloween and fear.

            First off I have to say that the whole thing between the cop and Supergirl would have been really effective if I hadn't seen it about a hundred times before. Like in Legacies issue four, and Green Lantern/Green Arrow issue 76, and in so many more places. Other than that I really liked this issue. After I read it I thought to myself "this was a fun read," which it is but then I remembered the murders in the beginning, but it's still a fun read. This comic really puts Damian Wayne in the spot light which I think is good because I really like Damian Wayne, most likely I'm in a minority here, but I think he's a funny character and a good/contemporary Robin. I hope that this issue will help change the minds of all the people out there who hate Damian Wayne. Especially the way he was done here, Josh Williamson really made Damian Wayne, there were parts where I just couldn't stop laughing.
I'm now very exited for more Superman/Batman, and I urge you to pick up this issue.




Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Detective Comics #869

           I really liked the first issue of this arc, but I didn't know what to think about the issue after that, I will admit that I was misinformed about what Winslow Heath was putting the knock off Joker gas in. I thought it was day to day products, which would have copied the Batman movie, making the plot unoriginal.
           In this issue some cops come back to work after they have apparently been out with food poisoning, but Bullock is suspicious that they are working for the Guardian Bats. Also when Heath's chief scientist enjoys watching people kill each other Wilson is not amused. He then opens a fair and resizes tones of Joker gas to the people who are attending, all of which are previous gas users. The Guardian Bats rally, where the leader of the Guardian Bats throw a "Guardian Robin" off the roof. Also somewhere in the middle of the issue, when the Impostor Joker was in a comma, he was actually awake for that entire time.
          I almost didn't pick up this arc because of the art work, but now it is continuously impressing me. It is ridiculously cartoony which reflects the insanity of Gotham, and the Jokerz. I also like that this "Impostor Joker" has a sole, if he were exactly like the Joker (which is one of the better characters ever made) the series would be boring, because even though it would be pleasantly violent, and twisted, the entire time I would be thinking" this isn't actually the Joker."
          I especially like the idea of the Guardian Bats. This rash and violent militia is what would happen in a situation that was this scary, this publicized, and this out of control. That is why I like this arc, between addiction, the violent militia, and the crazy art work, this arc does exactly what Batman is supposed to be, realistic, and twisted. DC has been doing a great job with Batman in that way, the only problem is that would be much better if this was Bruce Wayne, which would then be the person who was supposed to be Batman, being who Batman is supposed to be. Regardless, pick this issue up, it's fantastic.



Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

X-Men #4

             I always look forward to this series, I just resized I never reviewed X-Men issue three, so I'll give it a grade right now Grade: 9/10. I had stopped liking Marvel for a little while, because they destroyed Hulk to the point where I can no longer read it, and I wasn't a huge fan of what they did to Spiderman's villains (Doc Oc, Vulture etc. but it did grow on me later) but now I love Marvel again, this is just a great series.
              In this issue Blade and Angel hunt down some vampires and then realize they have to run away from them because there are too many. Xarus then confirms that there is no chance Wolverine is healing off the vampire gene, and gains his trust. Xarus then calls up Cyclops and uses Wolverine to intimidate him, so now the vampires are going to invade Utopia.
              I'm just waiting for the moment when Wolverine says "ha ha I'm not a vampire."  I guess that adds suspense, but that is canceled out by predictability. I do think that Jubilee should stay a vampire, because now that she isn't a mutant her character has become a annoyance, and this is a way to give some conflict to the X-Men and purpose to Jubilee.
              I don't think that Blade is being used to his full potential, six pages were devoted to Blade and Angle (two of my absolute favorite characters in any comic universe) but they didn't do anything. They found vampires and ran away. Blade is one character that can pull the Punisher thing off well, and there making him a "sissy."I do have to complement the cover which is just very realistic and very cool, although, the art inside the book is just okay. (like green arrow it's nothing special) This issue does open the gate for many good issues in the future, but only if Gischler uses Blade, and Jubilee to their full potential.
              While this issue wasn't the best thing I've ever read, I still love the series and am looking forward to future issues.
            




Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Green Arrow #4

           This series has been bad, plain and simple. That art has been just below average, the story way below, and the writing has been rock bottom. I've said this numerous times, but I will say it again: Krul doesn't know who his is writing for, is it Green Arrow, or Robin Hood. I've only stuck with this series, because my subscription goes for another eight issues.
           In this issue Martial Man Hunter comes into the Star City forest and starts going crazy and attacking the white lantern tree. Green Arrow manages to stop him, and then MMH explains that the white lantern forest made him go crazy. Green Arrow then goes to a rally and saves Mary from the Royal Guard, and then at the end he figures out that some assassin is trying to kill her.
           Honestly my description doesn't do the book justice. I was happy to find that there is a good issue in this series opposed to all the dribble that was the first three issues. I was very happy to see Martian Man Hunter in this issue, I lost track of the Brightest Day series a while ago, so I haven't seen him at all. I was also very happy to see Ollie venture out of the forest and be moire like Green Arrow than Robin Hood for once. I was a little confused about what actually happened with Martian Man Hunter, but I have the gist of it. I really did like the story, but I'm always confused why the cover art is alway so great, but then inside it's just okay. I really wish that Mauro Cascioli would be the cover artist and the inside artist as well. Didgens Neves is okay, but If that art improved just a little this comic would be so much better.
          This was by no means a great issue, but it is with out a doubt the best issue in this series, I really hope it is uphill from

Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Legion of Super-Heroes #5

               This series has been getting better and better, it started off as okay, but then became good, and now I look forward to it every month. Levitz, has been doing a great job with this series. Instead of focusing on all of the characters in great detail, he picked a few to focus on, a couple sub heroes, and then some ones that make an appearance but aren't that big. I like it that way, it makes the comic enjoyable, without being confusing. On top of that he has the whole thing with Earth-Man and the Green Lantern Corps, but he does that in the perfect moderation, so again, it's enjoyable without being confusing.

            In this issue several heroes are helping some refugees from Titan off a rescue ship that just crashed then the Earth Force comes and they take down all of the Legion except Sun Boy, but then Earth-Man and other Legion members help  him out. Then the Green Lantern ring tries to go onto Professor Li, but she rejects. At the end Earth-Man and Sun Boy arrest everyone at the illuminati thing, and at the very end Phantom Girl finds that Shadow Lass is sleeping with Earth-Man.

            This comic was fantastic, there were parts with Chameleon Boy that were just fantastic. (this is a comic that has the opportunity to use politics, and Levits found a way to moderate it perfectly) Levits also has made Earth-Man a likable character, which is also something I like, because When there's one character I just hate in a series, I end up not liking the series. (example: Hawk in the Birds of Prey) A lot of people liked the end, they say it gives many opportunities to the seres, I agree, but I didn't like the way it was done. It seems like Levitz said: "okay I finished one plot, lets start another right now!" Maybe if it were at the beginning of issue six it would have been better, but if thats my only complaint, and it's a small one, you know this issue was very good.

             I urge you to pick up this series.



Grade: 9.5 /10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Flash #5

           To be honest I almost dropped this series, with a new Geoff Johns , Barry Allen Flash series, I expected to be constantly giving this series nine's and ten's out of ten, opposed to six's and seven's. I've been really disappointed and I was exited to get almost any comic except Flash, but I heard such great things about this issue that I thought I would give it a try, and let this be the deciding issue. (if the score is more than 7/10 I'll continue) 
           In this issue the 25th century version of the Top is working with the Flash, so that Iris doesn't become some Super Villain thing. He stops Mirror Master from breaking the glass with the mirror lords, but then the White Lantern ora thing told Captain Boomerang to throw his boomerang and he broke the glass, now the Flash has to distract them so that the Top can do something else.
           I really liked this story, the action was clever, entertaining, and just plain awesome, also it didn't distract from the rest of the story. I was a little confused about what happened to Captain Boomerang, but Brightest Day is supposed to be a mystery, for now. I really liked how not everything went according to what Top told the Flash, because now it's not "Geoff Johns goes through the motions and then at the end of the arch makes a stupid excuse to make it different." I've seen that so many times before and I'm happy that it happened this way.
         The art in this is extraordinary. I like Francis Manapul but this is some of his best work. I especially like how powerful he made weather wizard. Usually I would give the credit to the writer for something like this, but Manapul really captured him as an all powerful being. A lot of times people underestimate people like him (for example: Storm) but really they are all powerful. Weather Wizard was only in this issue for a short amount of time, but I thought I'd mention it any way, because it shows how well Francis Manapul did in this issue.
         I really liked this issue, best one of the series. (so far) The art was great, the story was great, the writing was great. I especially liked how it was just one big fight scene, but it didn't take away from the rest of Barry's life, nor did it slow down the plot. This is a great issue and I'm definitely continuing with the series.



Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Justice League of America #49

          I absolutely hated Justice League of America number 45, it was just plain awful, I think I gave it a 0. something. So because of that I didn't even read the past story arc because I hated the lead up to it and I just wasn't a big fan of the whole Starheart thing, so when this came I was exited to see what a normal Justice League story is like, and I was happy that this was a one shot, because there is no better way to start following a series.
          In this issue Donna Troy was called to San Francisco and she brought Jade. They were called to Alcatraz, because someone named Shadow Thief is going crazy, he keeps saying "soon he will come." Bogeyman (who has the power to control children's minds) asked to see Donna for no reason. Then Donna has mind games played on her when she's attacked by the original Teen Titans, and Jade is being told how disappointing she is buy Kyle.
          I always love it when mind games are played with Superheroes, that is why I like people like Mongul, Mysterio, and Boogyman, and it did wonders for this issue. This was just a great issue best comic I've read in October (so far) hands down. While I usually think Jade is annoying and a waste of space, Robinson did a great job with her. Before writers have made her emotions way out of proportion and have had everyone baby her, but this one she was kind of like that (so Robinson didn't just suddenly change her character) but she was more self dependent.
          The art in this issue was beyond fantastic, it might be some of the greatest art I've ever seen. Pow Rodrix did a amazing job with this issue, this is one of the only times where I opened an issue and immediately noticed the art.
          This issue is a must buy, I loved the story and the art, it was just a highly enjoyable comic. I didn't mention some bit between Supergirl and Dick Grayson, but that is the only part not worth mentioning, because it was kind of random and pointless, but maybe it will come into play later.



Grade: 9.5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Birds of prey #5

          This series has been going down hill since issue one. I really hate this story arc, I don't like White Canary, nor do I like Hawk, and both of them are galavanting around this series where they don't belong. What I want is a starting arc that utilizes all of the characters, I can understand adding someone (just why did it have to be Hawk) and bringing back a common enemy. For instance the Calculator, or doing more with the thing they have about Savant and Creote, that is by far my favorite part of this arc, if they had done more of that and replaced the whole White Canary thing with a perticularly devious Penguin plot, I would be happy.
         This issue starts off with more Savant and Creote, which I like, they say sorry and they're going to get through this and all of that stuff. Then it goes to Black Canary who announces she's leaving the team to go work with White Canary. So Huntress and Lady Black-Hawk fallow her. Lastly there is a little bit where Hawk Dreams that his brother is alive.
         Again, I do not like the White Canary thing, I understand that Simone is trying to make this issue shocking so that people will be wondering if Black Canary is really staying, but of course she is, if this were a mini series I wouldn't be so sure, but you don't get rid of the poster girl for a team in issue five. I also found the Savant and Creote thing just a little disapointing this issue, it was a lot of just making up lovey dovey stuff. I have to admit though, that had to come sometime, and Simone did a great job with that scene, which could easily be messed up in a catostrophic way. This series has still been on a down hill, I will not renew my subscription when it runs out, I just really don't like this series. I loved issue one which sold around 50 thousand issues, but then I just really hated the fallowing issue which sold around six to seven thousand issues fewer,  this series had just been a dissapointment, and this issue was no prize.



Grade: 5/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com