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Location: Blogs Atomic FalloutCritical Mass |
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| Posted by: Jake Bell |
Thursday, April 19, 2007 12:12 PM |
 Wow, for those few of you that know me (and the fewer that read this) this is a ridiculously huge week for me. It may seem small, but man is it crammed fulla awesome. World War III is finally here but, more importantly, Manhunter is in THREE--count’ em three--books this week!!! This is unheard of. It seems the write-in campaign to keep this book alive has paid off in spades. I take back all the mean things I said about Jann Jones and Dan Didio and their heartless cancellation of DC’s best title. To top it off, scribe Marc Andreyko wrote the Nightwing Annual as well as Manhunter this week. You were warned last week that I was gonna rant and it’s coming up fast. 3… 2… 1… and we have ranting!!!
John’s Picks of the Week
Nightwing Annual #2
Man oh man, was this awesome. Not only does it fill in the missing year for Nightwing but it spans the long and tumultuous relationship between Barbra Gordon (Batgirl) and Dick Grayson from his days as Robin all the way to the present.
Manhunter writer Mark Andeyko knocks the ball right out of the park with this tale of love lost and found and lost again. Andreyko captures Nightwing’s charm and major character flaws well and makes retcon look easy. I laughed so hard a one point I dropped the book. The next minute, I felt like murdering Nightwing. Let’s just say Mr. Grayson really lives up to his first name, and sometimes I think it’s what does the thinking for him too.
I have enjoyed Nightwing for years, but it has been clear for some time that DC had intended to kill him off in the Infinite Crisis. The book has been spinning its wheels and going nowhere, especially when Bruce Jones was writing it. Hey Bruce, when you write yourself into a corner, don’t just throw in an inexplicable monster man. Andreyko’s annual is a must have as it is the first truly good Nightwing issue in the last year. A+++
Manhunter #30: I just thought that I’d hit this since I was on a big Andreyko kick. This was supposed to be the final issue of this book… again. After a massive letter writing campaign by the fans (including yours truly), Dan Didio pulled it off the chopping block for a second time. It’s no secret that this is one of my all-time favorite titles. I fought the uphill battle to save it harder than most. This is DC’s diamond in the rough. It is a well rounded character driven title with a strong supporting cast. Okay, enough pimping and self-congratulatory back-patting and down to the review.
Kate Spencer (Manhunter) has been fighting to prove Wonder Woman’s innocence in the murder of Maxwell Lord. In the meantime, Dylan Battles has been fighting against Trapp to save his girlfriend and Mark Shaw (the former Manhunter) has been fighting his inner demons and the Order of St. Dumas. Yeah, the Order of St. Dumas, the Azrael dudes from Knightfall.
If you want a great read, see why fans have been so adamant about this book by picking up the trade paperbacks out now and catch up on the best book you are not reading. A++
Okay, now for the lightning round.
52 Week 50: World War III finally is here. Black Adam is smashing his way across the world and leaving a trail of corpses a mile wide. This is the condensed World War III, but be warned. You want to read World War III first if you are gonna get it.
World War III: I am gonna lump all of World War III together in one review simply because I don’t know anyone who is going to buy just one part. This is the big one, THE DC COMICS EVENT IN FOUR PARTS… all at once… one time… and no one chickens out (cough cough Captain America cough).
Black Adam smashes his way across the world, Aquaman’s transformation is finally explained, Amanda Waller get the old Squad back together, Beast Boy learns leading the Titans is never as easy as it looks, and Martian Manhunter goes nuts with the world’s mental feedback. And that’s just the stuff I can think off the top of my head. WWIII is a great story that is a great payoff for DC fans. A+
Bird of Prey #105: The Secret Six have it out with Oracle’s crew and the secret member of said six is finally revealed. Meanwhile, Big Barda and Knockout are prepping for the big Apoklyps Alumni Slapfight next issue. All in all, a really fun read. B+
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #11: The Rogues are back and they are finally getting properly organized to take out the scarlet speedster. My question is, whose idea was it to turn Abra Kadabra into a bad David Blaine/Chris Angel knockoff? B
Justice League of America #8: JLA plus JSA is a recipe for awesome. Toss in a dash of Legion of Superheroes, mix well, and you have the recipe for LEGENDARY!!!! (Okay, I have been watching waaaay too much “How I Met Your Mother.”)
Robin #161: Robin vs gangbanger metajunkies? Yeah, that’s right. I love how well Adam Beechen writes teenaged characters. Robin is Robin, not Mini-Batman. Good work for Beechen. B
Shadowpact #12: Nightmaster’s fate is finally revealed and Enchantress finally manages to get some well deserved sleep. Bill Willingham has successfully turned a bunch of B, C, and F list underdogs into a team that you really want to see win… or at least come out even. B
Spirit #5: Denny Colt, Bean Spokesman? Yeah, you heard me. Sorta. This book is like a Saturday morning cartoon for adults. A well thought out balance of action, adventure, and humor continue to make this one of the best books out on a monthly basis. A
Superman Batman #34: The Metal Men return. Or is this their first appearance? Infinite Crisis has me so confused some times. This issue also features Pat “I like to farm my work out to Canadians” Lee and it was tolerable for once… so it was obviously not his work. Yeah, I know some of you laugh… and the rest of you need and explanation. A fun tale all around though. B+
Cable Deadpool #39: When are they gonna simply change the name of this book to Deadpool? There hasn’t been any Cable in it for at least three issues.
Marvel Adventures Avengers #12: Ego the Living Planet is out looking for some booty and he has his eyes on Earth. This unexpected issue is my favorite Marvel book this week. If you wanna see why, grab it. It will have you laughing so hard you may lose bowel control. A+
Mighty Avengers #2: Naked Ultron Girl attacks New York. This is a book that could only be brought to you by the team of Cho and Bendis. Oh, and man how creepy is Hank Pym for building a super-intelligent killing machine that likes to imitate his ex-wife? Ares learns a vital lesson too. Just because you’re a god, doesn’t make you better than a naked robot girl. A
Moon Knight #9: How does this rate a CAUSUALTIES OF WAR banner? He sure complains a lot too. This book should be Mope Knight. C
Sensational Spider-man #37: Mr. Hyde has been making normal runaways into Spider-Man clones? What? Why? Why is Marvel so clone obsessed lately? C
Ultimate Spider-man #108: I only have one complaint about this book right now. Why does Bendis feel he has to throw us Ultimate Ronin and Ultimate Jessica Jones? Isn’t this supposed to be modern retellings of classic Spidey stuff? Why is it turning into modern retellings of modern stories? Still the best Spider-man title out by a long shot. A
Ultimate X-men #81: How many Bishops do you think we need in this book? Did you say three? Really? Then I have good news. Also, Beast is back? Holy Recon, Batman!!! C-
X-23: Target X #5: I wanna hate this book, but X-23 keeps getting maimed and I am a sadist who hates this little clone so I keep reading. I wish the artistic team knew how to draw dudes that didn’t look like girl though. B for X-23 getting her butt handed to her, but reduced to a C for girly dude factor. C
X-Factor #18: Is “My name is Layla Miller…I know stuff” the greatest catchphrase in a long time or what? There needs to be more books like this in the Marvel Universe. Peter David consistently balances intrigue, action, drama and humor so well that I take it for granted. He raises the bar for all the other writers to trip over. A+
Happy reading peoples, and remember to stop by Metrocenter on Free Comic Book Day to meet Christos Gage, writer of the best Wildstorm book, Stormwatch PHD. Yeah I know that was a shamless plug, but it’s my column and I’ll do what I want. Damn the Torpedoes!!!! I always wanted to say that. |
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Comments (4)
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Re: These Things I Read |
By comiclover6 on
Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:57 PM |
| do you read any captain america comics? |
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Re: These Things I Read |
By AtomicJohn on
Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:18 PM |
| OH MY GOD I HAVE A READER!!!! Thanks man. Oh yeah back to the question. I love the Brubaker run a heckuvva lot and ultimate cap is awesomely manly, like a super soldier Kirk Douglas. Who doesn't love cap. |
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Re: These Things I Read |
By TuxedoGin on
Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:40 PM |
| Hi John. Nice to talk to you today in the store. Now go get me a copy of Nightwing Annual #2 :) |
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Re: These Things I Read |
By KingdomGone on
Monday, April 23, 2007 3:34 AM |
I am a big time Captain America fan - but I have to agree with John. Brubaker is handling him well, but it's hard to justify his unilateral decision to surrender himself and his allies without knowing how they would be handled.... but enough about that.
How can you have a more fun comic than Black Adam vs everyone else. It was a great read, but I wasn't a fan of how they used his rage for "housecleaning" on certain titans
and the Spirit is such an underrated fun read
I can't wait for the end of 52....it seems so odd that it will be ending after all this time. |
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