How were they? ver. 2 SPOILERS

[GhostMachine]

Justice Society of America #5 - I'm kicking myself for not picking up the first part ot this crossover, but I am extremely happy regarding what the result of this crossover may be: the return of the real Legion of Super-Heroes! (or a close enough approximation) I always felt the LSH got the biggest shaft during Crisis On Infinite Earths, and while I have read some of the various Legion series following [/b]Crisis[/b], NONE of them could hold a candle to the original pre-Crisis team.

Highlights of the issue: Dr. Destiny unleashing the greatest fears of Two-Face, the Riddler and the Mad Hatter on the group of heroes invading Arkham Asylum, Dream Girl telling Dr. Destiny his future, the next Legionnaire being revealed:
[spoiler]Wildfire!!![/spoiler]

And Cyclone's all-too brief conversation with the Red Tornado in the Fortress of Solitude.

I just hope DC doesn't mess this up with an ending that gets me riled up, because I'm already pretty much fed up with Marvel.....

[crimsonquill]

Okay, guess this is going to be a first for me since I have not done any reviews on FR before...

New Warriors v4 #1 - I just finished reading the comic a few moments ago and was thrilled to see a few familiar faces right away. It definitly seems to be getting off to the right start by bringing back the old school feeling of the first incarnation of the team (street level superheroes who fight crime no matter what it takes to get the job done) - especially love the team mark they leave behind. Anyway, now to some of the team spoilers:
[spoiler]Right off the start we are introduced to a masked female hero who very easily seems to fit the power profile of Cassie Lang aka Stature. However I keep seeing her popping up in the background of various Initiative titles which brings some doubt to this. Great news for New X-Men fans because Sofia aka Wind Dancer has assumed a normal life despite leaving her rich father and old life behind. Next we discover to our shock that the handsome young man that has been stalking her is named Barry aka Barnell Bohusk - yea, you heard me right - BEAK! It's pretty obvious that he is now War Hawk since it fits what he wanted to be. And of course the founder of the team is the apparently resurrected Night Thrasher (wearing his first costume to boot) since he would have the cash and tech to outfit his new team.[/spoiler]

Of course those sneaking peeks off Wikipedia on clues would have already revealed the above spoilers anyway.
We don't quite get a huge intro to the whole team or how they have gathered together yet.. but it looks like it should be a good read for however many issues Quesada decides sell well.
My review:  :thumbup:

Avengers: The Initiative #3 - Now some folks don't seem to like the direction of this title but I'm growing attached to some of these newbie characters. Plus getting to see some C-Level heroes finally getting assigned to their respective state teams is fun reading for me anyway. However I still get the vibe here that SHIELD and the powers that be really are not the good guys we believe them to be.
[spoiler]Especially when you find out that Tony Stark's "Red Team" are wearing versions of the Iron Spidey suits. :blink:[/spoiler]

But the core story is that Komodo finally gets some field action against a few old school spidey villians and Spidey himself - who really gives her an education.
My review:  :)

That's all I've read thru today...

- CrimsonQuill

[Podmark]

Yeah New Warriors has both surprised and excited me with the characters that have appeared.

I'm 99% sure Wondra is not Stature. For one thing she didn't grow, she shrunk Grey Gargoyle. I'm wondering if she might be Angel.

[Agent]

Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #18 - It's a shame some people won't read this just because Marvel decided people shouldn't like Tony Stark.  This title is better than it's been in years.  This particular issue is action-packed with the SHIELD Helicarrier infected with a genetically engineered weapon that takes over crew members and makes them do it's biding, including giving away Iron Man and his Alpha Team's location to the Chinese authorities.  Tony Stark's method for getting rid of the infection is yet another indicator of how cool the character can be when written by someone who actually knows who they're writing.  There's also the added bonus of the Mandarin's plans beginning to take shape and they definitely don't look good for Tony.
Rating:  :thumbup:   


QUICK HITS

Countdown #47 - I really think DC is shooting themselves in the foot with this Black Adam stuff.  Granted technically, Black Adam spent at least a few months minus his powers but from the readers point of view he lost his powers, got them back 4 weeks later, then gave them up again a week after that.  The brewing conflict between the Monitors is interesting though and I still want to know what the heck is up with Jimmy. 
Rating:  :mellow:

Outsiders #48 -  Part 4 of the crossover between Checkmate and the Outsiders.  Wall to wall action here.  The dynamic between the two teams is handle nicely with certain Outsiders still chaffing at the team up but still getting the job done. 
Rating:  :)

All-New Atom #12 - I love the little blurbs from the Ivy Town Chamber of Commerce scattered throughout the issue.  "Newly lowered radiation levels mean its probably okay to reproduce again!"   :D Throw in a surprise attack by some of Ray Palmer's lamer villains (Bug-Eyed Bandit, anyone) and Chronos (aka mysterious anagram loving cab driver) showing up to help Ryan locate Ray Palmer and you've got a great issue.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Birds of Prey #107 - I really hate to see Gail Simone leave this title.  Nobody writes fighting psychos like Gail.   :P
Rating:  :thumbup:

Detective Comics #833 - I accidentally saw the final page of this issue before I read it so I kind of ruined the surprise ending for myself.  Still it was a great issue.  Batman and Zatanna team up and Dini manages to address Identitly Crisis without letting it derail the story or making one of the heroes look like the bad guy.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4 - I was kind of disappointed in this issue.  The threat was built up so much that having Warren and Amy be defeated so quickly just seemed like a let down.
Rating:  :mellow:

Spawn #168 - I started reading Spawn back at issue #166 after reading an interview with the current writer, David Hine (District X, Son of M).  It's become a very good horror comic under his watch.  The idea that Spawn has taken God and Satan out of the picture is a pretty gutsy idea, although I'm not sure if that's Hine's doing or the previous writer.  This particular issue wasn't as good as the previous two but it was still an enjoyable read.
Rating:  :)

Nightwing #133 - Jamal Igle's art is really giving this book a boost.  He remembers that Nightwing isn't just Bats in a different costume.  Dick's background as an acrobat is emphasized in his fighting style and even the way he gets from point A to point B.  Storywise, Marv Wolfman has laid the foundation for a conflict between Nightwing and Vigilante and left readers wondering exactly what Liu's history with Dick is all about.
Rating:  :)

Omega Flight #3 - Cool issue.  I even liked Thunderball's characterization a bit better this time around.  I like the fact that Oeming is really making use of Alpha Flight's history by having the Wrecking Crew seek out the Great Beasts for a power boost.  Beta Ray Bill finally makes his first appearance in this issue, too.
Rating:  :)

BTW, when did Beta Ray Bill get a human form?

Welcome to Tranquility #7 - Not bad but lots of set up.  The part about Sheriff Lindo's grandfather, the Black Glider, was cool.  He'd make an interesting back up feature.
Rating:  :)

Midnighter # 8 - Jack Hawksmoor dares the notoriously antisocial Midnighter to help an ordinary person with an ordinary problem.  I didn't like the fact that the woman in this issue didn't seem to think it was strange that a guy dressed head to toe in black leather wanted to help her little girl find her cat but other than that it wasn't bad.  I can see how someone might not care for this particular story though.  It kind of taxes the readers ability to suspend disbelief.
Rating:  :mellow:

Jonah Hex #20 - Gray and Palmiotti have really hit there stride on this title.
Rating:  :)

EDIT:  Oops.  How could I forget Superman.

Superman #663 - Lightray and the Young Gods have a great guest appearance and Superman gives Arion his answer, causing Arion to finally show his true colors.  Great issue and Carlos Pacheco does an excellent job on the art.
Rating:  :thumbup:

[crimsonquill]

Yeah New Warriors has both surprised and excited me with the characters that have appeared.

I'm 99% sure Wondra is not Stature. For one thing she didn't grow, she shrunk Grey Gargoyle. I'm wondering if she might be Angel.

True, Angel was also depowered after M-Day and she would probably take on a giant man/wasp like role if her powers come from Pym Particles which could be easily stolen from SHIELD labs.

- CrimsonQuill

[crimsonquill]

Omega Flight #3 - Cool issue.  I even liked Thunderball's characterization a bit better this time around.  I like the fact that Oeming is really making use of Alpha Flight's history by having the Wrecking Crew seek out the Great Beasts for a power boost.  Beta Ray Bill finally makes his first appearance in this issue, too.
Rating:  :)

BTW, when did Beta Ray Bill get a human form?

The whole story takes place in the mini-series called Stormbreaker: The Saga Of Beta Ray Bill where he is sent away from Asguard by Thor so that he can live to tell the tales of their great finale battle. Beta then finds himself on a great adventure to save his people while facing Galactus and his newest herald Stardust. Click below for the details:
[spoiler]He encounters a demon called Asteroth and teams up with Stardust to defeat it. Bill ends up becoming possessed by the demon trying to protect the "Meta-Orb" (the device that the survivors of his alien species are held in status). He summons his full power while struggling for control to kill his demonicly possessed form to save the universe. As he lays dying a glowing robed figure appears before him and is told that his job was not finished yet but his people will be given a new world before he blacks out. He awakens on Earth with a new human body and after an encounter with Spidey fighting a villian named The Boar he discovers that he can change back and forth by striking the ground. They both talk over how things are changing and Spidey bids him luck on his new life.[/spoiler]

- CrimsonQuill

[Podmark]

Spawn #168 - I started reading Spawn back at issue #166 after reading an interview with the current writer, David Hine (District X, Son of M).  It's become a very good horror comic under his watch.  The idea that Spawn has taken God and Satan out of the picture is a pretty gutsy idea, although I'm not sure if that's Hine's doing or the previous writer.  This particular issue wasn't as good as the previous two but it was still an enjoyable read.
Rating:  :)

I'm pretty sure it was Hine that took out God and Satan, but not positive.

[Agent]

Thanks for the info guys.  :)

[Sword]

Countdown 48
Let's think of this for a moment. Jimmy Olsen is the following:
A) A LSH reservist( Elastic Lad)
B) Capable of tapping into the Speedforce(or something like it)
C) The Inheritor of Lightray's Power.(Remember, the light from the crater was coming from Jimmy, not Lightray's body)
Are we going to see more of Olsen's power? I seem to remember him using an energy blast of some kind during the Funeral for a Friend storyline. Maybe the reason he has to die is he's an empath like Peter Petrelli.

[bredon7777]

Countdown 48
Let's think of this for a moment. Jimmy Olsen is the following:
A) A LSH reservist( Elastic Lad)
B) Capable of tapping into the Speedforce(or something like it)
C) The Inheritor of Lightray's Power.(Remember, the light from the crater was coming from Jimmy, not Lightray's body)
Are we going to see more of Olsen's power? I seem to remember him using an energy blast of some kind during the Funeral for a Friend storyline. Maybe the reason he has to die is he's an empath like Peter Petrelli.

[spoiler]

Nah, as the Earth's are merging with each other, hes getting powers from the Jimmy's in other universes\

[/spoiler]

[Sword]

And speaking of Countdown, everybody who said Black Adam's new word wasn't "Sorry" pay up now. I take payment in cookies, fudge or coffee beans.

Aside from that, It's unfortunate, because I really wanted to like the storyline, but now... Countdown is on my drop list.

The Initiative 3
There is so much that is wrong with this, and yet that is outweighed by the right. Slott nails Spidey's characterization, I liked seeing Ben help train the newbs, and Moonstar headlocking Trauma. Issues however... Boomerang is just skilled in thrown weapons and Shocker's power comes from the suit. Those SPIN darts would only knock Hydro-man's powers out. Unless I'm mistaken

I also want to take this time to add Brubaker to my personal pantheon of favorite comic writers. We've got Cap, Iron Fist and Daredevil all with fantastic, engaging storylines that though they may cross into Civil War territory, can and do well enough without it. Henceforth, anything with Bru's name on it, I'm picking up.

Omega Flight 3
I'm giving it two more issues. Really,I don't need six pages devoted to a guy with Xorn's power trying to out-emo Speedball, begging to be killed by Talisman. Bill as always, steals the show and almost makes me forget the despicable state of affairs. Almost.

[Agent]

Green Lantern Corps #13 - This is hands down my favorite issue of GLC so far.  Vath Sarn, Isamot Kol, and Mogo's newly introduced insectoid partner, Bzzd, head to Mogo to bring in fugitive lantern Guy Gardner.  Guy has been framed for the murder of two GLs.  However, the two dead GLs, as well as a few others including Kilowog, had been brainwashed by a strange yellow substance infesting Mogo's forest.  Natu joins the group after Guy convinces the others he's innocent and the brainwashed Kilowog shows up to kill Guy.  Gibbons does a great job letting the various character's shine.  I'm already anxious to see more of Bzzd.  An insect that can take down Kilowog deserves to get more face time in my book.  Mogo itself gets a great moment when it moves into the path of an asteroid in order to purge the fungus from its surface before it reaches Mogo's core and can gain control of the planet itself.  This is a prologue to the Sinestro Corps story and Gibbons has me anxious to see the GLC's side of things.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Nova #3 - Abnett and Lanning have done a great job handling Nova's return to Earth.  It's already been established that this is going to be a space based character but they give him a really great reason not to stay on Earth.  After an unprovoked attack by the Thunderbolts and a visit from Penance aka Speedball, Nova decides he simply has no desire to live on a world that's changed so much.  It's interesting in that the writers have made Nova represent those readers who don't like the changes created by Civil War and have left Marvel, either completely or partially.  I also commend Abnett and Lanning for not falling into the trap of making every pro-reg hero a bad guy.  He even allows Iron Man and Justice to make good points.  So much so that Nova actually needed time to decide whether or not to join the Initiative.
Rating:  :thumbup:

QUICK HITS

Countdown #46 - Still digging Jimmy and the Monitor's stories.  Mary Marvel is starting to get interesting just cause I'm curious were they're going with this.
Rating:  :)

Justice #12 - Great ending to the series.  I still say they should just rename it All-Star Justice League and keep it going.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Trials of Shazam #7 - Winick gives us some background on Sabine as she and Freddy battle for the strength of Hercules.  Overall a good issue and I like the modern day take on Atlas.
Rating:  :)

Star Wars: Legacy #13 - Great issue.  We get to see more of how the Sith and particularly Darth Maladi operate and we see Emperor Fel in hot Jedi on Jedi action.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Green Arrow #75 - An alright conclusion to the solo Green Arrow series.
Rating:   :mellow:

Stormwatch PHD #8 - Stormwatch PHD meets Stormwatch Prime.  Gage handles the meeting between the two teams well then delivers a great "I did not see that coming" cliffhanger.  Someone has shot Jackson King and the members of Prime and PHD are the prime suspects.
Rating:  :thumbup:

JLA Classified #39 - Good issue.
Rating:  :)

Avenger Classics #1 - I knew how the Avengers first formed but I hadn't read the story before now.  It's very interesting to see the differences in how certain characters were portrayed then.  Especially Ant Man and the Wasp.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Batman Confidential #6 - Not bad.  I'm glad Diggle remembered "Honest Businessman" Lex's typical weasling out of responsibility for the G.I. Robots.
Rating:  :)

[zuludelta]

The Boys Vol.1 - The Name of the Game

Garth Ennis - Writer
Darick Robertson - Art

Notes: contains coarse language and scenes of violence, gore, and explicit sexuality

Garth Ennis' "The Boys" has a significant bit of controversy surrounding it. Originally published by DC Comics under its Wildstorm imprint (before the imprint was appropriated by DC editorial as simply one of the alternae earths in their multiverse), the creators eventually reached an agreement with the publisher to move their creator-owned work to Dynamite Entertainment (of Red Sonja and Lone Ranger fame) after DC's bigwigs allegedly took issue with Ennis' less-than-flattering portrayal of superheroes. This has echoes of the Authority fiasco from a few years back that led to Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, and Bryan Hitch pulling up their stakes and setting shop elsewhere. Comic book politics aside, apart from the over-the-top violence and sex, I don't think there was anything conceptually that was way out of line for a Vertigo book. What I don't understand about the whole controversy is that DC should've known what they were in for when they took on Garth Ennis, their moves with regards to the book is equivalent to somebody hiring Sepultura to play at a party and then complaining that the music is way too loud.

This trade paperback collects the first 6 issues of the series, and sees Ennis reunited with frequent collaborator Darick Robertson. The main plot revolves around the story of Hughie, a young Scot whose girlfriend is killed in a chance encounter with a superhero. Depressed and despondent, Hughie is approached by a mysterious figure called the Butcher, who offers him the opportunity to exact some measure of revenge on the superhero community. Ennis portrays the superheroes as belonging to one of two extremes: either as clueless, naive, Pollyana-ish youngsters or decadent, perverse, mysoginistic sadomasochists. Ennis also takes the opportunity to poke fun at superhero conventions such as the goofy code-names and the tight-fitting and revealing outfits. But beyond the good and not-so-good natured ribbing at the expense of the superhero genre, there lies a deeper metaphor that has the "supers" standing in for spoiled, rich, and media-obsessed celebrities and the ridiculous culture and industry that has grown around them. As a piece of social commentary, "The Boys" is a more than a little clumsy, but then again, subtlety has never been Ennis' strong suit. To his credit, though, Ennis really knows how to hammer home his point.       

All in all, a nice exercise in comic book excess and superhero parody, although so far, it doesn't really offer anything we haven't seen in one form or another on Ellis' and Millar's runs on The Authority. Obviously, I wouldn't recommend this collection to the easily offended or those who feel that any attempt to point out the inherent ridiculousness in superheroes is an attempt at besmirching the genre but I'd say that anybody with a healthy (and probably slightly twisted) sense of humour and a tolerance for over the top language and violence should at least browse it on the stands to see if anything grabs them.

My rating: 3.5 decapitated heads out of 5

[lugaru]

I read a few pages of the series and it dosent look bad but it suffers from a garth ennis convention that really annoys me... the fact that if a character he likes gets punched nothing happens but if a character he likes punches somebody they instantly turn into blood and bone shards, even if they have superman level invulnerability. Then again he's not known for being subtle, even in his bias.

[thanoson]

New X-men. I'm really digging the Search for Magick stuff. I was a real big fan of hers. N'astirh is her pet? Sym is still pretty tough and then there's the awesome Belasco. Wish I could make a one armed guy for City of heroes.

[Silver Shocker]

I don't like New X-Men, and I dislike the current arc most. This may be in part due to the fact that I neither care about Magic or Belasco, but I doubt it. I just don't think the storyarc is done well.

[crimsonquill]

New X-men. I'm really digging the Search for Magick stuff. I was a real big fan of hers. N'astirh is her pet? Sym is still pretty tough and then there's the awesome Belasco. Wish I could make a one armed guy for City of heroes.

To understand most of the current New X-Men arc you have to have read the "Inferno" arc in X-Men which had demons trying to take over New York and that N'astirh and S'ym fueded over Belesco's throne after he was banished from limbo. The key thing of that story is that Magik sacrificed her magical dark childe form to end the takeover and ended up returning to the age she was when Peter first saw her vanish. There has been debate that child was an alternate version of Illyanna or her teenage form that was in New Mutants was an alternate version - uhm, To avoid confusion here.. Illyanna vanished as a child and then when the X-Men found her days later she had aged to a teenager while being taught dark magic by Belesco (theory is that time passes faster in limbo).

[spoiler]There has been talk in the Marvel grapevine that Magik has returned because of Scarlet Witch's spell which undid something at the end of Inferno allowing the Illyanna from House Of M to be sucked into limbo and become trapped in the form of Dark Childe.[/spoiler]

- CrimsonQuill

[zuludelta]

Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol. 7: God War

Story: Mike Carey
Art: Pasqual Ferry

note: this trade paperback collects issues #33-38 of the Ultimate Fantastic Four series

A common criticism leveled at the Ultimate universe is that it is wholly dependent on the retelling of classic Marvel stories for material, and that it doesn't really offer much of anything new in terms of plotlines and character motivations. While I think there is some truth to this assertion, those who dismiss the Ultimate line out of hand can and do miss out on some of the better and more innovative superhero stories being published by Marvel regardless of the continuity setting.

The seventh Ultimate Fantastic Four collection is a sterling example of an Ultimate Marvel story done right. The protagonists seem fresher (for lack of a better term) and their dialogue sounds and flows more naturally, while still remaining true to their original comic book characterizations. The plot itself doesn't seem to be directly rooted in any particular "616" Marvel Universe story, so even the long-time Marvel reader is kept guessing as to the story's outcome. In fact, Mike (Lucifer, Wetworks, X-Men) Carey's story seems to be an homage to Jack Kirby's Fourth World creations from the 1970s, with parallels to the Forever People (Seed Unit Nineteen), Darkseid (Ultimate Thanos), and Kalibak (Ultimate Ronan the Accuser). Carey instills a feeling of otherworldly wonder in the characters that he introduces in this story-arc, and there is a sense that these extradimensional beings are truly alien and far removed from us both in time and space. In terms of space-y, technobabble-addled fun, I think Carey actually out-Ellises Warren Ellis on this one.

Pasqual (Adam Strange, New Avengers) Ferry's art is outstanding in this collection. It's apparent that the art was shot directly from his pencils, with no inking involved, and this gives it a soft, almost dream-like quality that fits with the story. Ferry is adept at conveying facial expressions and emotion, and that really helps ground the book. I didn't really care much for his take on Ultimate Thanos but everything else is stellar artwise.

All in all, a solid superhero tale with a sci-fi bent, and in my opinion, one of the best stories to come out of the Ultimate line since the first Ultimates series.

My rating: 5 out of 5

[Agent]

Annihilation Conquest Prologue - Annihilation Conquest and the Sinestro Corps War are the two stories I've most been looking forward to this summer.  The Sinestro Corps Special comes out next week and if it's as good as Annihilation I'm gonna be one happy camper.  What I like best about Annihilation Conquest is the fact that the Annihilation wave has had such a sweeping impact on the entire galaxy.  We're used to seeing the Kree as villains but now they're really the only hope for keeping the galaxy from falling in complete chaos.  With the complete destruction of the Skrull Empire, the Kree are the only superpower left with the military might needed to keep the peace.  In order to further enhance that ability, Special Military Advisor to the Kree, Peter Quill, formerly Star-Lord, has set up a meeting with the Space Knights in order to test their A-ware software to enhance the Kree's defensive war-net.  Unfortunately, that doesn't quite work out the way he planned.  Meanwhile, the new Quasar, Phyla-Vell, struggles to adapt to her new role with the help of Moondragon.  She receives a warning from the Quantum Bands themselves telling her to "Find him" in order to save the Kree race.  Annihilation's sequel is off to a great start.  The Phalanx are a great choice of villains and cutting the Kree Empire off from the rest of the galaxy turns up the intensity for our heroes very nicely. 
Rating:  :thumbup:


QUICK HITS   

Countdown #45 - Forerunner is rather interesting.  Now I'm wondering if Capt. Atom is being set up to become a new type of Anti-Monitor.
Rating:  :)

Iron Man #19 - I'm really not that interested in World War Hulk so I'm a little disappointed to see the Knaufs' story put on the back burner for two issues.  That said, Christos Gage has already demonstrated he knows how to write Tony Stark in the Casualties of War one-shot he wrote and that's still the case here.
Rating:  :)

Captain America #27 - The Winter Soldier continues his plan to kill Tony Stark starting with stealing Cap's shield which leads to a confrontation with the Black Widow and the revelation that the two have met before.  Ed Brubaker has set up a great cat and mouse and cat game with Winter Soldier going after Tony Stark and the Falcon and Sharon Carter trying to stop him.  Things are made more suspenseful this issue as the Black Widow informs Stark that the Winter Soldier is gunning for him.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Justice League of America #10 - I was expecting Barry Allen but this is close enough.
Rating:  :)

Checkmate #15 - Greg Rucka and Judd Winick have done a great job with this crossover.  Shang-Tzu is especially sadistic here.  We're definitely seeing why China and the rest of the world would see him as a threat.  I liked the way Mr. Terrific took charge at the end, too.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Brave and the Bold #4 - I liked the first half of this issue better than the second.  It finishes up the Batman and Blue Beetle team up from last issue and sets up the Legion of Super-Heroes appearance.  The second half team up between Lobo and Supergirl isn't as interesting but we do learn how a bunch of thieves got they're hands on the book of Destiny.
Rating:  :)

Iron Man: Hypervelocity #6 - The final issue of this mini is wall to wall action with lots of table turning going on.  It's interesting that the fate of Tony 2.0 is left up in the air.
Rating:  :)
Series Rating:  :)

Flash #13 - I think I'll avoid the Flash boards for a while.   :P
Rating:  :)

Spirit #7 - This issue is made up of 3 stories created by 3 different writers and artists.  I liked the first two stories but I wasn't crazy about the third.
Rating:  :)

Madame Mirage #1 - An okay start.  Nothing spectacular though.
Rating:  :mellow:

Shadowpact #14 - A lawyer wants to help Blue Devil get out of his contract with the Devil and Zauriel has been ordered to kill Blue Devil because he's unintentionally encouraging others to make similar deals.  Zauriel agrees to hold off while Blue Devil works on getting things straightened out but in the meantime Nightsword railroads him into taking Blue Devil's place on the Shadowpact.  Good issue with an interesting dilemma set up for our heroes.
Rating:  :)

Highwaymen #1 - Pretty good first issue.  Monroe and McQueen look like they could be a pretty interesting duo.
Rating:  :)

[Podmark]

Flash 13 makes me very very sad. And also poor poor Tim.

[murs47]

Flash 13 makes me very very sad. And also poor poor Tim.

yeah.....me too. what's DC's deal with......

[spoiler].....killing Bart off? I swear DC just likes to cater to the "hardcore fanboys." "Bring back Hal! Bring back Barry!"
I agree that Wally is a better Flash but you didn't have to kill off Bart so it could happen. He was a good character that DC could have used elsewhere and now they just threw him away so some fans would be happy. Oh well, what can you do.....sorry for the rant.[/spoiler]

[thanoson]

Please put in a spoiler what happens to Bart?

[Jakew]

 :spoiler: :spoiler: :spoiler:

[spoiler]He got depowered and beaten to death by The Rogues. Not a nice way to go!

Villains have really been getting nasty to some well-known characters in the DC Universe since Identity Crisis.
[/spoiler]

[Agent]

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special - Fan-freakin-tastic!!  In other words I liked it.  This special had tons of moments that I just loved.  Kyle's first appearance where Van Sciver and Co. show him virtually brimming with power, Bedovian being called into action, John Stewart taking Bedovian out of action, the two page spread of the freakshow that is the Sinestro Corps, Kyle alone against the Sinestro Corps, the truth about Ion, and of course the reveal about the Sinestro Corps' version of a Guardian.  The Tales of the Sinestro Corps backup proved to be a perfect compliment to the rest of the story and provided great insight into Sinestro and his goals.  I've always loved villains who don't think they're villains.  Having Lyssa Drak speak directly to the reader was a nice touch, too.  I can't wait to see the next issues of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps.  The GLs are going to have their hands full.
Rating:  :thumbup:


QUICK HITS

Countdown 44 - Good issue.  I liked seeing Monarch reappear. 
Rating:  :)

Immortal Iron Fist #6 - Ed Brubaker is doing a great job exploring the Iron Fists' history.  It was always hinted that there was a deeper history to Danny's power.  Funny no one thought to delve this deeply into it until now.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Blue Beetle #16 - If you complain that comic book companies don't make funny, light-hearted comics anymore and you're not reading Blue Beetle you need to shut the blankity-blank up.  "I--am--a dentist!"  Bwah-ha-ha!!!   :P
Rating:  :thumbup:

X-Factor #20 - Nice conclusion to the X-Cell story. 
Rating:  :)

Supergirl & the Legion of Super-Heroes #31 - This is the official beginning of Tony Bedard's run on the series and he does a very good job.  His grasp on the characters looks pretty solid.  I miss Barry Kitson's art though.
Rating:  :)

Daredevil #98 - I don't think anybody does intense, gritty, drama like Ed Brubaker.  I was on the edge of my seat while reading this issue.  Excellent read.
Rating:  :thumbup:

Teen Titans #48 - I haven't been following Amazons Attack so other than being aware that the Amazons are . . . um, attacking I'm not quite up to speed.  Still I think I was able to follow what happened okay.  Unfortunately, I didn't care for it.  Except for Robin, Beechen really doesn't have a good handle on these characters.  Especially Wonder Girl.  She's become whiney to the point I can't stand her.  Miss Martian has become generic and lost all of the sweet, innocent persona she had when she was first introduced.  Everyone else just seems to stand around waiting for the fight to be over.  I hope Sean McKeever has a better grasp on them when he takes over.
Rating:  :(

Fantastic Four #547 - I'm looking forward to seeing the FF+2 take on the Frightful Four next issue.  I liked seeing Reed and Hank Pym in scientist mode.  It was interesting to see the tension between anti-reg T'Challa and pro-reg Pym, too.  My only complaint would be Storm insisting that Ben pull her hair to prove it's not a weave.  That was just silly.   :thumbdown:
Rating:  :)

Silver Surfer: Requiem #2 - Last issue Reed Richards told the Silver Surfer he was dying.  Now the Surfer wants to take one last look at Earth before returning home to Zenn-La to die.  He meets up with Spider-Man who attempts to help the Surfer think of one final gift he can give his adopted home before leaving.  Their conversation is handled very well and ends up being very engrossing.  Esad Ribic's muted style goes well with the subject matter.  He did make the eyes on Spider-Man's mask black for some reason.  I'm actually a little embarrassed by how much that bugged me. 
Rating:  :thumbup:

JSA Classified #27 - This concludes the Fight Game storyline.  I was disappointed that the idea of gambling on superhero fights wasn't explored more.  Plus, I don't like the idea that it was all Darkseid's idea.  1) It suggests Darkseid is slipping plan-wise and 2) it's not like humans wouldn't think of doing that on our own.
Rating:  :mellow:

[Agent]

murs47, I love that banner.  :thumbup:

[murs47]

murs47, I love that banner.  :thumbup:

Thanks would you like a custom one of your own?

Good reviews by the way....they are very fair of the books, I havn't read Teen Titans yet but I was sure it was going to get good reviews, the series has been slumping ever since Titans East arc, but I'm sticking with it to see what McKeever does.

[thanoson]

World War Hulk- X-men: Just like I said, Hulk is too raged for a proper psychic to stop. Plus, he knew everything about the new kids. He's done his homework on this one folks.

[The Hitman]

Yeah, Sinestro Corps was AWESOME! Best DC comic I've read in a while.

WWHulk- I'm not getting it, but I read through WWH X-Men, and that almost changed my mind on the subject.

OK wrap- up for X- Factor, but I hope the next storyline is a little more interesting. Whatever happened to Maddrox searching out his dupes? That really had potential, I thought.

Teen Titans- I'm starting to regret picking up this comic.

Hey Murs, ol' buddy... you wouldn't mind whipping up a Corps War banner using Bedovian, wouldya'? (EDIT: You are the coolest! Thanks!)

[Agent]

murs47, I love that banner.  :thumbup:

Thanks would you like a custom one of your own?

Good reviews by the way....they are very fair of the books, I havn't read Teen Titans yet but I was sure it was going to get good reviews, the series has been slumping ever since Titans East arc, but I'm sticking with it to see what McKeever does.

I'd love a Kilowog banner if you don't mind (Kilowog vs. Arkillo, that's the fight I can't wait to see  :D).

And thanks for the kind words.   :D

[Jakew]

 :spoiler: :spoiler: :spoiler:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/GL14.jpg

Interesting!