HAWKEYE #2: Written by Matt Fraction (who's taking over both Fantastic Four books this Fall) and drawn by David Aja, this book is piggy-backing on The Avengers movie that came out in May (apparently Hawkeye was in it...I didn't see it). This book is terrific but thin; it's light, swift, cool, funny, and looks good. But it's totally forgettable. Hawkeye and his friend, Kate Bishop, foil a team of Cirque du Soleil robbers. It's enjoyable but I can't see it going on too long without more long-term storylines. **1/2 (out of ****)
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #2: Yeah, Valiant is back. I used to read a ton of their books back in the early 90's. I'm hazy as to why they went bankrupt (I guess every comic book company took a hit in the mid-90's when the boom ended), but they're back with a slew of new books. I loved this book back in the day mostly because of the awesome Barry Windsor Smith art. The plot and characters are still stellar; it's like a funny buddy comedy Da Vinci Code. ***
FASHION BEAST #1: Alan Moore wrote one movie screenplay, Fashion Beast, in the 80's. Not sure why it was ever made...but Avatar is adapting it. It's kind of in a dystopian future and kind of about fashion and the main character is a cross-dresser. So far it's eh. *1/2
SAVAGE DRAGON #181: Typical good stuff by Erik Larsen, although it's not stellar, just another chapter amidst an enormous, ever-growing plot. Dragon ditches his species on a new planet and heads home while Malcom and Angel pick up the pieces after an alien attack. **1/2
