MARVEL NOW! REVIEWS

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #1: C'mon, idiots; it's The Incredible Hulk. That's a great title. Why change it? The Hulk books have been hit-or-miss for a very long time. When was the last great run? It was certainly before my time. Lately they had Ed McGuiness and Jeph Loeb with a red Hulk and over-the-top action and then Jason Aaron's short run was even more over-the-top. This issue feels so safe and dull after those runs. Mark Waid, the fan boys' favorite writer, and Leinil Yu bring Banner to S.H.I.E.L.D. He'll work for them now. Yawn. The art is good when it's people but for some reason Yu is not a good match for drawing the Hulk. Oh, well.
** (out of ****)

ALL NEW X-MEN #1: So in two years will this still be called All New when in fact it will be old? Bendis is writing it and Stuart Immonen is drawing it and the premise has Beast bringing the 60's X-Men to the present day to talk some sense into Cyclops. It's actually a really good storyline even though it makes no sense and Immonen's art is terrific. ***

THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #1: Jason Aaron, Marvel's best writer, is put on this when he should be writing Spider-Man. And even though this copies from both Millar's "Old Man Logan" storyline and Bendis' God-killing serial killer storyline from Powers, it's still a terrific first issue that looks stunning thanks to Esad Ribic's art. The one thing that is fresh is that the book is split into three stories involving the young Thor, the current Thor, and the old, one-eyed, one-armed Thor. Plus, Aaron's villain, Gor the God Butcher, promises to be epic. ***1/2

CAPTAIN AMERICA #1: Great art by John Romita, Jr. and a terrific, old-school, 70's sci-fi type story by Rick Remender, who I usually loathe. I loved Brubaker's run on this book but the last year or so has gotten stale and this is a vibrant, engaging, classic take. A really inviting first issue. ***1/2

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #698

Peter Parker dies in this issue. Okay. Peter Parker sort of dies in this issue. Writer Dan Slott had mentioned awhile ago that something big was going to happen in this issue. Someone scanned part of this issue early and posted it on the internet and the spoilers were all over. I avoided them and was actually shocked by the last two pages. I figured Mary Jane would die or something lame. But no, they actually killed off Peter Parker. The premise has Dr. Octopus on his death bed at The Raft, a prison for super villains. Parker visits him and Doc Ock switches his mind with Parker somehow (it isn't revealed how). Dr. Octopus with Peter Parker's mind dies and Peter Parker, now controlled by Doc Ock, goes on living. That's it. Totally fucked up, right? Well...only if in thirty years Dr. Octopus is still Spider-Man, which I doubt will happen. This all leads into the big #700 issue and next year a new series, Superior Spider-Man #1. Peter Parker is dead, which is a big deal. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out and how they reverse it (I'm guessing time travel). So Parker is dead. Is he in hell? Quick. Get Jason Aaron on it; Peter Parker in Hell #1. **1/2 (out of ****)

IRON MAN #1

Wait a minute. Iron Man #1? Hasn't that been around since the 60's or something? How is at #1? I think it used to be called The Invincible Iron Man or something...but that's not why it's #1. It's #1 because DC did such a phenomenal job with their 52 #1 issues in September of 2011 that Marvel copied it...sort of. The new Marvel books aren't all coming out in the same month (I think it's like a four month stint), there isn't a new universe with new origins, and not every book is getting a #1 or a new creator (X-Factor is staying the same and Wolverine & the X-Men is staying among a few). But they have changed writers and artists around and this is the second book of the Marvel Now initiative (the first was Uncanny Avengers #1 last month which was typical over-the-top garbage by writer Rick Remender). Deadpool #1 also came out this week but that was awful except for the nice Tony Moore artwork. Iron Man #1 is by writer Keiron Gillen and tracer Greg Land. I wasn't sure what to expect because Gillen did good work on Journey to Mystery but did little on Uncanny X-Men. So far...this book is by-the-numbers and mediocre. There's one great shot of Extremis standing in a plume of smoke that's cool but the rest isn't at all interesting. Land of course is loathed by fanboys for copying his drawings from other sources. That, and all of his women look like porn stars. But Land's art is clean and pretty but the story here is just dull. For a re-launch we all want to be blown away...especially to pay $3.99 for 20 pages. ** (out of ****)

BATMAN #13

It's good to have a plan...right? So Dan Didio & Jim Lee, the co-publishers of DC, and, probably, a few others, created the new DC era by re-launching every book with a new #1 and new creators. There plan didn't stop there. There idea for how to keep things fresh in year two was to re-introduce The Joker in a big event titled "Death in the Family." Honestly? Part one of this new Joker serial is the best book I've read so far in this new DC era. It helps that The Joker is a great villain and it helps that Greg Capullo is one of my favorite artists. & writer Scott Snyder does a terrific job at making this creepy and not silly. The one problem is that this has all been done before. Not better, but this story is far from new or fresh. The Joker had his face cut off in Detective Comics #1 last September and finally returns here by killing a bunch of cops, setting up Harley Quinn to capture Batman, then attacking Alfred at Wayne Manor. Plus...this issue has a die-cut cover. Yeah. Bring on the 90's excess! The extra story drawn by Jock is good but unnecessary but the main story is 24 pages so $3.99 is an okay cover price. It's a good start...but, honestly, I'm still pondering if this is the right thing to do after a guy shot up a Batman movie premiere after dying his hair like The Joker in July. Is it okay that I'm enjoying a violent book? I often wonder. ***1/2 (out of ****)

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #12

It's over (mercifully) (finally). It took 12 issues to...what? Kill off Professor Xavier, bring back more mutants to Earth...and...is that it? I admit that I actually read this entire event (minus most of the B-titles) and enjoyed a lot of it. There was one good issue that Jonathan Hickman wrote and one issue that had good art by Olivier Coipel. The rest was mostly a mess, but I was at least entertained and curious about the story, which I haven't been in a long time when talking about Marvel events (I might have read one or two issues of Fear Itself and none of Siege or Secret Invasion). In this issue the Phoenix leaves Cyclops, goes into Hope, then leaves the planet. That's it. Seriously. Where's the fucking drama? Cyclops stammers, "Please...kill me. Before it's...," in one panel which means this book could've been dramatic and sad and bloody and awesome. Most of that potential was lost. The art by Adam Kubert is good but the Jason Aaron script is poor and the final panel is awful. Not a good ending to a book that never truly took off. ** (out of ****).

Short Reviews

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

BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS #2

Fucking great cover by Jae Lee, right? The only problem is that it doesn't exactly have anything to do with what's inside this issue. There are a group of Asian women in their underwear and wearing surgical face masks while they cut up cocaine in this issue...but they're not in full Dominatrix outfits or have gas-masks and they certainly don't have power over Ozymandias. Perhaps this cover has something to do with what happened in #1, which I read (both written by Len Wein, who edited the original Watchmen series), but vaguely remember. I guess that's not a good thing if I don't remember #1 which came out a few weeks ago. & while I haven't given up on Before Watchmen, at this juncture the art has been a lot better than the writing. So admire this awesome cover and don't even bother opening up the book.
*1/2 (out of ****)

BATMAN: EARTH ONE

So there's a new DC series called Earth 2...and it takes place in a parallel universe where Superman and Batman are dead. This book, and last year's Superman: Earth One, take place in a different parallel universe. So what the fuck is the regular DC universe called? Earth Zero? Earth Three? So there's that mild annoyance. The other annoyance is...Gary Frank drew this and Geoff Johns wrote it...and that's a superstar team. They did a great storyline about Braniac in Action Comics a few years back. I'd rather see them doing a Batman story in a regular, monthly book than this, which is a long, hardcover graphic novel. I'm guessing DC makes more cash selling hardcovers. So it's all about money, eh? This particular book is readable, it's enjoyable, but nothing outstanding. It's more or less an origin tale with various differences; The Penguin is just a corrupt mayor. Two Face is just a fresh-faced, Hollywood-style rookie cop. It's light and forgettable. **1/2

THE WALKING DEAD #100

This book came out on July 11th. On July 20th at around 12:30 AM a 24 year old psycho shot up a movie theater that was screening the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. 12 people died, around 50 were injured, and it brought back the conversation about violence in the media. I suppose you can argue that if movies, video games, books, and TV shows didn't have a plethora of violence in them then perhaps things like this wouldn't happen. Violence in movies and video games and TV shows and books and comic books is never going away...so we never will know their effect, will we? Granted, there's a lot of violence in the Bible and Greek myths and Shakespeare and those are old...right? But there is a difference between those and video games like Max Payne 3 that came out in May that features you practically shooting and killing everyone in Brazil. The Walking Dead is, obviously, violent...and this issue in particular is brutal. Quite basically, the new bad guy shows up and uses a barbed wire baseball bat to bludgeon Glenn to death. That's the entire book. And it's shocking and sick and it doesn't happen off panel, it's right there for all to see. After the movie theater shooting...should I pause and ponder why I'm reading and entertained by this? Why I can't wait to see Rick's obviously brutal and bloody revenge? Am I fucked up, warped in the head to love a book that is barbaric and wrong and might be a part of the problem? Or are psycho's just psychotic? They'd do it no matter what? Who cares? I guess it says something that this book will probably end up being the best-selling comic book of the year, that it came out amidst the San Diego Comic Con and was the buzzed about book there. If you remember post-Columbine they blamed the video game Doom and violence in the movies and everything they're probably going to blame now. Did anything change after Columbine? Apparently not. Movies are still blood-soaked affairs while sex in movies and porn is usually looked down upon. The movie theater killer lived 15 miles from Columbine and still ordered his ammunition online and didn't have a problem buying a gas mask and a bullet proof vest and guns that are not meant to kill animals. I'm not going to stop reading violent comic books and what does that say about me? Is it too late? Have I lived too long with this constant flow of violent images to be desensitized? It will be curious to see how comic books are affected. DC already postponed this week's Batman: Incorporated #3 because of something mysterious within its pages. I doubt anything will change, and maybe that's a shame.

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: CENTURY #3 : 2009

I suppose it's fitting that Alan Moore has a new book out amidst the Before Watchmen event DC is putting out. Apparently, DC told Alan Moore that if he came back to write a new Watchmen book that they would give him back the rights to it. Either Alan Moore is a cantankerous old man or he's the world's last great, true artist. I think he's a bit of both...and while his latest book, the final part in the third part of the LOEG series, is mostly mediocre, it's still very readable and enjoyable albeit very, very sad. Harry Potter and Mary Poppins show up in this book (sort of), and Alan Quartermain and the Anti-Christ perish...so if you're looking for "big" happenings, I suppose you'll find them here. Kevin O'Neill's artwork is sloppy in parts but really, that's how he draws, and I've grown to like his work for this series as he's been there since day one (the gorgeous colors certainly help). I have said that the second part of this epic, the one with martians attacking London and Mr. Hyde raping the Invisible Man, was the best thing Alan Moore has ever written. Most would say Swamp Thing or Watchmen...but I love his characterization of Mina and the adventure of it all. The problem with the 2.5 book, The Black Dossier, and this 3rd part, is that a lot of the best characters are gone (namely...Dr. Jeckyl and the Invisible Man) AND the books have veered into LSD territory. But even when Moore is writing a book not as good as his masterpieces they're still intriguing, still entertaining, filled with special things, and odd but interesting. And hell, it's a lot better than Before Watchmen. **1/2

BEFORE WATCHMEN: COMEDIAN #1

If you didn't know (and, really, why are you reading a comic book blog if you didn't?), Watchmen came out in 1985. So here we are twenty-seven years later and we're finally getting more Watchmen. It's a long story of why, but the new DC publisher, Dan Didio, is going balls to the wall trying to improve sales. He made a big marketing gimmick out of pricing most of the books at $2.99, he re-introduced letter columns (they're gone already), and he re-numbered every book #1 last September and re-booted most aspects of the DC universe. Six new Watchmen prequel books are his latest salvo...and the controversy is astounding. I say...who cares? If you don't like Alan Moore's book being tampered with than don't read it. I think this is good for comics as it's something to talk about. The problem is that so far the books suck. Hard. This is the third book, a six-parter written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by JG Jones. It's about, obviously, The Comedian, a super-hero bad-ass that killed JFK in the original but here didn't. What? I'm confounded. Some say that Alan Moore has used other characters in his books (Moriarty, Alice in Wonderland, Jeckyl & Hyde, etc.) so why is he pissed someone is using his characters? & sure, wasn't Watchmen like 50% flashbacks anyway? Is there a point to have prequels? The art in this book is good but the writing and story are dull. Perhaps it'll go somewhere. I doubt it. * (out of ****)

BATMAN INCORPORATED #1

There are now, in the "new" DC, five monthly Batman books. Is that a bad thing? Not really. Batman is their best character. Superman only has two monthly books and they're both not so great. There's also a monthly Catwoman title and a Nightwing title...so technically there are seven Batman books. Why not give Joker a monthly, already?

This, Batman Incorporated #1, is the continuation of Grant Morrison's old Batman, Inc. book. Apparently it's set in the old, forgotten DC universe. It's not as weird as most Morrison books, which is good, and the art by Chris Burnham looks a lot like Frank Quitely, which is also good.

The story now has Talia Al Ghoul putting a bounty on her son, Robin, and some schlub with a goat mask takes him out. Cliffhanger!

I suppose it's saying something about the "new" DC that this is probably the second best Batman book. The best being Batman & Robin, which has heart and had a terrific seven issue storyline that finished up last month featuring Nobody.

*** (out of ****)

Short Reviews 5-2-12

30 DAYS OF NIGHT #7:

The great art of Sam Keith is gone but the story is better; a bad group of vampires descend on L.A. to seemingly take over the world. It's bloody, it's good, albeit nothing special. **1/2 (out of ****)







SPIDER #1:

This was a pulp hero from the 40's. The twist? He kills! Pretty sick stuff here, including a zombie kid that has a bomb collar go off. I liked it. What does that say about me? ***







X-O MANOWAR #1:

Really dull and mostly idiotic. I miss Valiant but perhaps I'm mixing up nostalgia with actual quality. *






 AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #3:

The best issue so far. Brubaker writes it. This book is still way too slow (it's 12 issues...Jesus Christ!). Just infect someone already, Phoenix force. **1/2






ANIMAL MAN #9:

The fans love this. Not sure why. It's depressing and weird. *








 SWAMP THING #9:

The fans also love this. The art is interesting. I'm already sick of The Rot and this storyline. The villain Arcane comes back at the end. I don't even know who that is. **






EARTH 2 #1:

It made no sense to me but I liked it. It's fun, entertaining. The final page is way too silly, though. I guess this is like the Ultimate universe that Marvel has. James Robinson is a fantastic writer, though. Good start. ***








DAREDEVIL #12:

Fluff and slight but a fun issue. Good art by Chris Samnee. **1/2









ACTION COMICS #9:

The best issue yet. Grant Morrison is finally getting bizarre. **1/2








ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #10:

Most of this issue has Miles and his uncle talking...but it's engrossing. **1/2










SUPREME #64:

No more Alan Moore so it's obviously a drop-off. I like the premise, though; an evil Supreme has been unleashed. **1/2







DETECTIVE COMICS #9:

Awful. This is a Night of the Owls cross-over and it feels totally forced. I used to like Tony Daniel. What happened? 1/2*








WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN: ALPHA & OMEGA #5:

This book went on way too long...and what, really, was the point? *









AGE OF APOCALYPSE #3:

Too dark and drab and not exciting or interesting at all. I can't fathom anyone actually enjoying this book. 1/2*








BOYS #66:

This book has really dropped off, although it hasn't been good since, like, issue #6. *

SECRET #1

Jonathan Hickman is certainly busy these days, right? Add a new book! He has. This new book from Image Comics is all about the secret, spy-like ways an evil group of baddies can outwit the good guys. Granted, the good guy in this issue is the head of a Washington, D.C. company...and aren't CEO's the new enemy these days? So it's a bit far from the super hero world of Fantastic Four that Hickman usually plays in...and that's kind of the problem; it's boring. The art, by Ryan Bodenheim, is good, fairly realistic and pedestrian...but I couldn't tell the characters apart and thus the last page reveal fell on deaf ears. The colors are also super awkward; most panels are done in only one color. Not sure what the point is but it certainly doesn't make the book look good. All in all it's a not-needed, barely there new book. Aren't first issues supposed to knock it out of the park? Guess I'm spoiled by Saga. **

SUPREME #63

I noticed this in 2010 when I was reading Neonomicon, Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows' mini-series about H.P. Lovecraft. & I realized it again when reading this issue. The reason I think Alan Moore is a great writer (and perhaps the best comic book writer ever) is the way his books envelope you. There's a lot of words in his books so it takes awhile to read them...but it's more than that. The plot that fits like a complete jigsaw puzzle, the strange, thrilling aura of everything; when you read an Alan Moore book it simply takes over, washes over you, and lets you escape somewhere unique. Moore obviously doesn't write much anymore, and his best days are certainly behind him, but he still has the power to knock your socks off, to wow you, to make you smile when reading a picture book of all things. Moore wrote Supreme in the 90's and this was the last issue he wrote. It was a cliffhanger and it was never published so this year when re-launching a handful of old Rob Liefeld Extreme Studios books they decided to get Erik Larsen to draw the last Alan Moore script and then continue on his own. So this is possibly the last ever mainstream superhero book Alan Moore will ever write. & what a glorious, bizarre, ecstatic finish. Larsen is at the top of his game here but the dialogue and story are downright intriguing and chock full of hilarity and entertainment. First off; a duck/man character is referred to as not only the "canard of carnage" but the "waterfowl of woe" and the "poultry of paranoia." How fun is that shit? The story has Supreme's nemesis, Dax, traveling to a parallel world of all Dax's and Supreme's new girlfriend showing up for a dinner date. Trust me, though, it's filled to the brim with awesomeness. What a treat. What a great issue. I already miss Alan Moore. Sigh. ****

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1

When they announced this (about two years after Brian Bendis said that Marvel wouldn't be doing big events for awhile...and a year after Marvel's last event, Fear This) I thought: these teams have been around since the 60's...they've never done this before? Duh. They have. I'm sure multiple times...but in the late 80's there was a 4-issue mini-series called Avengers vs. X-Men drawn by Marc Silvestri. So it's nothing new. Add the fact that this new event features the Dark Phoenix, the evil force that ended up killing Jean Grey, and you realize that is about as far from original as possible. But I do love events, I love John Romita, Jr., and this excited me. I'm a sucker for big events, whether it's a big summer popcorn film or a new Stephen King release or a new album from Lady Gaga...they peak my interest. Not that I would actually buy all 12 issues of this, the 6 side battle VS. issues, the many tie-ins...but I'll read some of it. I hated last week's #0 issue...but this #1 is entertaining. The premise has the Dark Phoenix headed towards Earth and ready to take over Hope and destroy the planet. I'm taking a guess, but expect the evil force to take over and kill Cyclops. Why? Cyclops doesn't want to give Hope to the Avengers so they start fighting. Literally that's the entire plot. But I do like the Dark Phoenix even though it's pretty much a copy of Parallax from Green Lantern. & John Romita, Jr.'s art is awesome stuff (everyone hates him for some reason these days). Bendis' script is super-basic. It's same-old, un-original, standard fare...but the book as a whole entertained me. **1/2

THE NEW DEADWARDIANS #1

So...are you sick of vampires yet? What about zombies? Lucky for you, this book doesn't have werewolves...not in this first issue, anyway. It's funny how big monsters have become. Scream in '96 kind of made horror movies popular again and 28 Days Later made zombies popular again (even though the movie was about a rage virus and not the undead). I guess you can blame Twilight for vampires and werewolves. And now that every medium is saturated with these creatures we're now getting the twists on the genre. The New Deadwardians' twist is that there was a zombie apocalypse in the late nineteenth century. The rich dudes in London turned themselves into vampires and walled off the zombies. Hence, there's a class difference; the rich vamps, the zombies, and the poor suckers stuck human fighting for their lives. Add a murder mystery to this world and you get this book. It's a good premise, right? And everyone loves a murder mystery, right? With good, clean art by I.N.J. Culbard and a decent script by Dan Abnett and you have an interesting, fairly exotic new entry into a genre you're probably sick of but still secretly love. ***

SAGA #1

Maybe you don't read comics...but Saga #1 is as big as a new Star Wars movie hitting theaters. It's the biggest new comic book release in years. I'm not sure I can even think of something as big that came out recently...maybe the "new 52" DC relaunch, although that was a cumulative event. It's a big deal because it's the first new Brian K. Vaughn book in three years and it's an ongoing. Vaughn has written a lot before but his big book was Y: the Last Man. If you never read it, well, it's only one of the best comics ever. After his book, Ex-Machina, concluded he went to Hollywood and wrote/produced Lost (he wrote one of the best episodes, that one where Desmond traveled through time to find Penny). Vaughn is back with artist Fiona Staples on a book that's a mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy. It features a couple that has just had a baby and they're on the run from pretty much everyone in the galaxy. The dialogue is typical Vaughn; it's modern, catchy, cute, and funny. Marko, the "hero", is basically Yorrick from Y: the Last Man. But this book is a little different in that it's totally bonkers. There's a butler that happens to be an alligator in a suit. There's a scene where two people with TV sets for heads are fucking (but the guy can't get hard). There's a tiger-like beast that a bounty hunter works with that can detect lies. And the main character has horns and can do magic and his baby momma has wings. This book is, honestly, pretty much perfect. The colors are a little stale but that's about the only negative. It's super-fun to read, totally engrossing, unique, beautiful, and the world and plots that Vaughn has presented open up a billion possibilities. The final page is a cliffhanger and a beautiful splash page and a note-perfect ending to a #1 issue. I cannot wait to read more. Is it a cliche to say it? This is why we all read comic books. ****(out of ****)

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #1

Even I don't understand writer Jonathan Hickman's run on Fantastic Four...but his newest, independent book is pretty clear-cut even though a lot of it is similar to the multiple-dimension and space/time mumbo jumbo of FF. The Manhattan Project was the U.S. Government's atomic bomb program. But what if, really, they were coming up with other, weirder projects that we never knew about and the atomic bomb was just the beginning? That's a good premise, but Hickman has added a caveat; what if the guru behind the program, Dr. Oppenheimer, was actually murdered by his twin brother and that guy took over the identity of the government scientist? So there's a serial killer coming up with crazy, new, destructive shit for the government. Plus...the Dr. fights samurai robots in this issue. & colorist Cris Peters truly makes Nick Pitarra's pencils shine. It's win-win. ***

GLORY #23 + HELL YEAH #1

Writer Joe Keatinge is younger than me (he was born in '82) and the new "it" guy at Image. He previously worked in the PR department at Image and was the editor of the large Popgun anthologies. These are his first two ongoing books, and they're definitely a great start to what should be an interesting career. Glory #23 is one of the new Awesome Comics books, picking up where the Rob Liefeld book started over a decade ago (it ran from '95 to '97...when Keatinge was just entering high school). I never read the original, but a handy retread here helps that establishes the premise: an evil race and a good race of aliens were fighting on some distant alien planet until the leaders of both races fucked and had a daughter, Glory, a white-skinned, long-haired, warrior Goddess who traveled to Earth to fight crime. Picking up from that we learn that Glory is in bad shape and whatever almost killed her is coming back. The twist is that we learn all this from a junior detective student that's always been fascinated by Glory. So there's a merging of real world and the superhero world that melds nicely and interestingly together. The art, by Ross Campbell, is unique as well; very cartoon-like. A terrific book...which leads to Hell Yeah #1, another odd duck about a college kid with super powers that also (maybe) has super parents. In this world, super heroes from another planet traveled to Earth to change it for the better and now everything is totally different. Both books are bizarre and feel more Image than Marvel or DC. They have an indie streak to them that make them fresh. I picture Joe Keatinge writing Spider-Man in five years and bitching that he used to be better...remember him before he sold out? Kid had it. So enjoy the early stuff and hop on the bandwagon. GLORY #23 **** HELL YEAH #1 **1/2

AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1

I used to read, buy, & collect comic books back in the heyday of comic books; the early 90's. That's when I started and that's the last time comics were mega-big (when Jim Lee's X-Men #1 apparently sold a million copies). It was a great time to be a comic book fan because a lot happened (namely, Image Comics...but also The Death of Superman...Todd McFarlane still drawing Spider-Man...the holographic, foil, embossed, ridiculous cover craze...okay, that last one sucked). Comics from that era are worth shit, though, so that sucks. But after that era came Marvel's Age of Apocalypse saga. It ran through a billion books; 48 main books and over 20 assorted prequels, sequels, and tie-ins. It ran in '95 and '96, featured artists like Steve Epting, Joe Madureira, and Chris Bachalo. It also featured the temporary change of the title names; Uncanny X-Men became Astonishing X-Men, Cable became X-Man, etc. So, yeah, it was a big deal. The thing is; I never heard of it until last week when I searched for it read up on it. I started high school in '95 and started drinking and going to parties in '96...so I guess I was preoccupied. But The Age of Apocalypse is back thanks to writer Rick Remender who brought it back in his Uncanny X-Force book. Now it's back as a regular, ongoing series with writer David Lapham and artist Roberto De La Torre (who did amazing work with Brubaker on that epic Daredevil run). The premise of the original story had a mutant, Legion, going back in time to kill Prof. Charles Xavier. This created an alternative time where Apocalypse took over the world and killed all the humans so mutants could rule. So this new book takes place in this alternate world, a world where chaos reigns (sorry, Antichrist). Wolverine is a bad guy and Sabretooth, Jean Grey, and a cast of B-characters are taking up the fight for the little man. It's basically a scorched Earth, post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian future tale...which may have been fresh in '94 but is so been-there-done-that these days (see The Hunger Games). This issue is pretty basic; but it does make you interested in the original series, which I've never read. I'm not one for sequels or re-boots so I'm not sure what the point of this is. It's semi-enjoyable but mostly forgettable. Feels like a What-If? book. **1/2 (out of ****)

PROPHET #21

Image Comics is doing something so weird that I wonder who's idea it was: they're bringing back Extreme Studios. The weird thing is that not only are they only re-doing Rob Liefeld books...but they're, more or less, completely changing them. If you forget, Extreme Studios & Awesome Entertainment were the Rob Liefeld Image books. There were literally a ton; Youngblood, Team Youngblood, Bloodstrike, Prophet, Glory, Supreme, and a bunch of others. The most famous books out of this were written by Alan Moore...but for the most part they were big, dumb, superhero books in the classic Liefeld style. Prophet did get some buzz when superstar artist Stephen Platt quit Marvel and drew a few issues before quitting and going to Hollywood to draw storyboards (he never came back to comics). Prophet is back with a new team and it's super fucking bizarre. It features a guy that travels through time. In this issue he interacts with aliens. The art, by Simon Roy, is rugged and the colors, by Richard Ballerman, are beautiful. It's just weird, though; writer Brandon Graham shows us a jell city, weird, mutated beasts, and a sexual encounter with an alien. But it is fascinating and oh-so far away from the Liefeld/Platt stuff. ***

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1

"Hey, Conan, where's yer sword?" If you've ever watched Conan O'Brien then you've probably heard this story; as a kid growing up the Conan movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger ruined his life. All of a sudden he was mocked...but really, who wouldn't want to be linked to a muscle-bound, womanizing warrior stud? The first film came out in 1982 but the books came out in the 30's. This particular issue, #1, is really #88 in Dark Horse Comics' re-telling of the old tales. The reason they made this a #1 is to get new readers and more money but they do have a new writer, Brian Wood, the writer of DMZ, Northlanders, and the current, excellent mini-series with the longest title in comic book history; Wolverine & the X-Men: Alpha and Omega. This book is part one of "Queen of the Black Coast," a tale about a super-hot, deadly woman pirate that Conan falls in love with. The story is typical old-world warrior stuff but it's not that silly. The pirate lore is a bit creepy/cool and Conan comes off as more of an arrogant prick than some perfect Adonis. & they got a chick to draw it! Becky Cloonan does a good job; it's spare, easy to soak up, but pretty to look at. All in all a pretty good entry in the mythos. **1/2 (out of ****)

WINTER SOLDIER #1

In January, the top 10 best-selling comic books were all DC books. I guess it's good news for Marvel that this week brings the first "big" new series of 2012: Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier #1. I'll admit that Brubaker has revolutionized Captain America. I'll also admit that he's been treading water with these books lately. The new book has Bucky Barnes back as the Winter Soldier, teamed up with the Black Widow, and tracking down some evil dudes that are re-animating frozen soldiers from the Cold War. Bucky was once a frozen, "in stasis" super soldier programmed by the Russians to be a hit man but now he's a good guy and trying to stop them from doing it again. It's more or less a classic, spy/action book. Writer Ed Brubaker has added some kitsch; a machine-gun wielding ape, a cyborg woman villain, etc., but the book is fairly standard. The art, by Butch Guice, is also fairly standard. That's the big problem; this book is too pedestrain. ** (out of ****)

BEST COVER OF 2011: SECRET AVENGERS #17

John Cassaday's cover for this was so in your face that it practically leaped off the shelf and into your hands. This is what a good cover should do; jump out at you and get you to look at it. Very dynamic, very vibrant, truly alive.

BEST COMIC BOOK OF 2011: LOCKE & KEY

The first six-part series of Locke and Key was a bit too bloodthirsty even for me, but ever since then, writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez have gone in a thousand different directions and explored everything and anything to make this the most entertaining, beautiful, emotional, and surprising book out there. The three kids have become the heart of the book and while the book has explored the usual young-love and adolescent angst of most high school stories, this one feels real and raw and the way it truly is. Add on the supernatural element and a super-evil baddie and a ton of keys that unlock untold new worlds and this book just keeps getting wilder and better.