The Week in Comics – Week of 06/17/09
Wow, this week brought us a bumper crop of awesome comics! I apologize for getting this up a little late, I came down with a sudden cold. Well, I can’t wait any longer, let’s jump right in!
Captain America #600 (Marvel Comics)
This comic asks, “Where Were You When Captain America Died?”, putting us one year after his passing. I really, really liked this issue. It has a number of stories in it, starting with a recap of Cap’s origin. Next, we have a story about Sharon Carter finding the man who assisted her in what she did (don’t want to spoil this for any new Cap readers!) and finding out that Cap might be alive still, followed by a really neat story about the “other” Captain America. In another story, Rikki Barnes, a sidekick to a Cap in a different universe, huts down Patriot (of the Young Avengers) to talk to him about Cap. Crossbones and Sin make an appearance in the weakest story of the bunch, and then Bucky and the rest of the Avengers are going to a rally to remember Cap, and need to hid from the Dark Avengers. Finally, the book finishes with a reprint of “Red Skull’s Deadly Revenge” from Captain America Comics #16 from 1942.
Obviously, this issue is jam packed with Captain America related goodness, and it is honestly worth the $4.99 cover price. Say what you will about the Monday release tactic Marvel employed, the comic is really really good. Recommended for any Cap fan!
Jack of Fables #35 (DC Comics, Vertigo Imprint)
Yeah, yeah, I know, I don’t know why I’m reading this either. The only redeeming factor to this issue was Bigsby Wolf, currently in the form of a little girl (see cover) MURDERS the entire Genres force put against the fables in terrible ways. Those three pages were awesome, the rest of the book was not. Avoid!
Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1 (of 3) (Marvel Comics)
Mr. Negative is a new villain in Spider-Man’s Rogue’s Gallery, and in my opinion, he’s the best one in a while. A Chinese immigrant who rose to power in the underworld and in the financial world, he has the power to control the mind of anyone he comes in contact with. I found his story to be pretty interesting, and the ending was completely bad ass. Recommended if you’re a Spidey fan!
Herogasm #2 (Dynamite Comics)
Herogasm is a spin-off of the Garth Ennis penned The Boys, and is basically about a resort all the super-heroes go to every year to get crazy drunk, high, and then screw like rabbits. All the heroes basically come together, say they have to fly into space and fight aliens, but they really go to this giant party. This book is basically the flip-side to The Boys, and it shows WHY The Boys are needed to control the super hero population. Recommended if you like drawn boobs and read The Boys.
Punisher #6 (Marvel Comics)
I admitted am a fan of the Punisher, but this issue was a little weak. I like the fact that there are a bunch of old villains on the hunt for Frank, but I hate how the the regular Marvel Universe Punisher is ALWAYS fighting super villains. Frank should be, in my opinion, removed from the normal Marvel U and kept in the Max Universe. Recommended if you are a hard-core Punisher fan.
Captain Britain and MI 13 #14 (Marvel Comics)
Sadly, this is the second to last issue in the series, because EVERYONE WHO DIDN’T READ IT SUCKS! YOU SUCK YOU SUCKING SUCKERS! …anyways, this issue it’s revealed that MI 13 was working with the demon Plotka (see the Annual) to stick Dracula into a perfect world, basically the last issue was a dream! I loved Blade’s reaction to the dream (MI 13 was able to observe), where it was revealed that Dracula LIKES fighting Blade! The twist to the issue was very well played, and this makes me even more sad that the series is ending. Recommended!
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #3 (of 5) (Marvel Comics)
My favorite thing about the Dark Reign storyline has been Bullseye impersonating Hawkeye, hands down. In this issue, “Hawkeye” is confronted by a person dressed in a Bullseye costume. Thinking he’s going even more insane, or “Norman Osborne-crazy”, he is haunted by this Bulleye that no one else sees. He eventually chases one through New York, and the ending two pages are AWESOME. Recommended if you like murdering psychopaths.
Dark Reign – Young Avengers #2 (of 5) (Marvel Comics)
Man, what a bland issue. I found nothing in this comic was interested, and I LIKE the “current” Young Avengers team. Nothing happened in this issue except for me wanting to nod off half-way through. Skip it!
Marvel Zombies 4 #3 (of 4) (Marvel Comics)
This was an OK issue. I’m a pretty huge zombie fan, but the Marvel Zombies idea is really getting played out. The best part of this issue are the pages with Man-Thing and the last two pages. That’s pretty much it. Skip it!
All-New Savage She-Hulk #3 (of 4) (Marvel Comics)
I like the original She-Hulk, who does make an appearance here, but she is not the titular character and the She-Hulk that is…well, she’s boring and has aboring back plot. The ending twist of the issue was kind of cool, but honestly it took three issues to get there and it’s just not worth it. Skip it!
Olympus #2 (of 4) (Image Comics)
GORGEOUS ART is the first thing that comes to mind when you pick this issue up. I am enthralled with the art, and I will be buying this comic based on that alone, because the story is simply average. I like the idea of modern Greek-gods, but that story has been done so much I’m not feeling anything fresh, But the art! My god the art! Recommended if you like awesomely odd stylized art.
Invincible #63 (Image Comics)
Robert Kirman, my personal man-god, HATES his characters. He must, because each of his characters go through a living nightmare every few issues. This, my friends, is THE issue where Invincible’s world is torn apart even more. This issue made me hope, for the only time EVER, that it will all turn out to be a simulation/dream/magic/all in his head. This issue is hyper-violent, blood soaked, and incredibly sad if you are a fan of the book. Recommended as highly as I can, BOOK OF THE WEEK!