Image December Solicitations

Just the one Image comic that I'll be getting in December, but it is one I am really looking forward to.

Issue #3 was excellent with sublime art, so Viking #5 (Brandon/Klein) is a must buy for me this December.

It is apparently the season finale, though I don't know how they're organising the series, maybe one arc every year. But whatever the case is, I will certainly be buying it.

Marvel December Solicitations

Incredible Hercules #139 (Pak/Van Lente/Buchemi and Parker/Hardman)

I'm still not decided whether to jump on with Assault on New Olympus, I'll decide nearer November when it starts.

Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #2 (Abnett/Lanning/Walker)

All of DnA's cosmic work for Marvel is brilliant and an essential purchase for me. Its good that as well as developing the Imperial Guard they will also be keeping the Starjammers involved. I wonder if Raza Longknife will rejoin them after being separated from the

symbiote.

Realm of Kings: Inhumans #2 (Abnett/Lanning/Raimondi)

Again, I'm really interested in the Inhumans and look forward to this focus on them. It should also be good to see Quicksilver interacting with the Royal Family again as well as the other Mighty Avengers.

Both Guardians of the Galaxy #21 (Abnett/Lanning/Walker) and Nova #32 (Abnett/Lanning/DiVito) also have guaranteed places on my pull list. Guardians will be good as always, and while I have no idea who the Sphinx is, DnA are very good at establishing characters in a very short space of time and will no doubt make sure to clue readers in.

I bought Ghost Box in hard cover and enjoyed it, though the plot wasn't as engaging as I would have liked the character interaction was brilliant and the art had its moments. I've really become a fan of Warren Ellis recently, and Phil Jimenez' art should be good, so I think I will be getting Astonishing X-Men #33 (Ellis/Jimenez).

I don't think I'll be getting X-Force Annual #1 (Kirkman/Kyle/Yost/Pearson/Barberi) though I may change my mind once I see some previews/reviews.

I've decided not to start collecting X-Men: Legacy straight away, though there's a good chance I will start when it becomes part of Necrosha with #231 (Carey/Mann). #230 (Carey/Acuna) is the end of the first arc with Emplate as the major threat, which I'm not too bothered about following, and also has a Cable back story which puts the price up and I'm not sure what its about. The second issue in December however does interest me, particularly the team of Nightcrawler, Colossus, Psylocke and Rogue, though I'm not sure about the artist.

X-Force #22 (Kyle/Yost/Crain) and New Mutants #8 (Wells/Neves) are both Necrosha issues and while there is a chance I might decide in October to trim some titles from my list including the Necrosha event, I probably will get these issues, though again I'm not sure about the Cable back-up pushing up the price on X-Force.

X-Necrosha: The Gathering (Kyle/Yost/Various) on the other hand, I don't think I will get as Marvel's recent anthology tie-ins haven't seemed that necessary.

S.W.O.R.D. #2 (Gillen/Sanders) is very likely to be on my list, though of course it depends on the first issue.

I'm not sure yet whether I will be rejoining X-Factor with its renumbered relaunch #200 (David/Cansino). I have been enjoying the current story though it does seem to be dragging, but I'm not sure about the high cost of this issue or the new artist and how much will be reprints. The return to the central idea of mutant (now superhero) detective agency does interest me however.

Finally, Wolverine: Weapon X #8 (Aaron/Paquette) should be good, Aaron is one of my favourite writers at the moment and one of the best Wolverine writers around.

DC December Solicitations

Detective Comics #860 (Rucka/Williams/Hamner)

While the story in Detective hasn't kept my interest as much as the first issue promised, I am still interested in Kate Kane/Batwoman as a character and the art is sure to be great. The Question back-up hasn't really been much yet, though the art has been nice and the team-up with Huntress might be interesting.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #7 (Dini/Nguyen and Andreyko/Haun)

With Dini back and probably picking up his story lines from the first four issues, including Zsasz, I might get back on board this series with this issue.

Looking through the solicits there isn't one for Batman and Robin #7, which I was looking forward to as Cameron Stewart seems a very good artist and well-matched to Grant Morrison, and it seemed it was going to be in England with Knight and Squire. If there is no B&R then I may well get Streets of Gotham in its place.

Again, with Blackest Night taking over so much of DC's plans, there isn't really anything outside of the Bat-books that interests me.

2nd and 10th September comic releases

Exiles #6 Parker/Espin

A shame this series had to end so soon, but the size of this issue (48 pages) goes some way to making up for it. Parker has to pack a lot in to wrap up everything from this series and the previous series but still manages to keep up the light-hearted interaction between the team members. The explanation of the workings of the multiverse is also quite well done, achieving a good degree of clarity. Salva Espin is back on art and does not disappoint, his bold art, complemented by Anthony Washington's vivid colours. Overall, the amount of content and its high quality merits: Gold

War of Kings: Who Will Rule? Abnett/Lanning/Pelletier

A very satisfying epilogue to the War of Kings event, which validates being spun into a one-shot rather than compressed into the end of War of Kings #6. DnA manage to keep an issue focused mostly on various characters talking highly engrossing and develop their characters, particularly Crystal and Gladiator even more. The last page which ties the last issue of Guardians of the Galaxy into the future direction of the cosmic arena is welcome as is the revelation that Talon and the Fraternity of Raptors are going to continue playing a role. Pelletier contributes again on pencils, and while maybe not his best work on WofK I espescially liked his designs for the funereal wear of the Inhumans and Gladiator. Gold

Review of August comics

Book of the Month

War of Kings #6

Abnett/Lanning/Pelletier

Runner-up

Guardians of the Galaxy #17

Abnett/Lanning/Walker

Cover of the Month

Nova #28

Cover by Daniel Acuna

Runner-up

Batman: Streets of Gotham #3

Cover by Dustin Nguyen

Artist of the Month

Nic Klein

Viking

Runner-up

Ron Garney

Wolverine: Weapon X

Characters of the Month

Crystal Amaquelin Maximoff

War of Kings/War of Kings: Warriors

Rocket Raccoon

Guardians of the Galaxy

Damian Wayne

Robin and Batman

26th August comic releases

Batman and Robin #3 Morrison/Quitely

A very good end to the first arc, Morrison and Quitely make Pyg a gloriously grotesque and disturbing villain. On the first read I wasn't sure whether this issue strayed into being too weird for the sake of being weird, but on re-reading it I was much more satisfied. I am actually really enjoying Damien as Robin and the reversal of the normal Dynamic Duo relationship. The introduction the Red Hood leaves me very interested for the next arc, even though Quitely is not on art duties. Gold

Detective Comics #856 Rucka/Williams

The art, of course, is brilliant, though I actually preferred the Kate Kane parts of the issue to the Batwoman parts. The double page dance scene is the stand-out piece of art, with the penultimate page that bleeds from the Kate Kane to Batwoman styles is also great.

While Rucka is doing a good job making me interested in the central character, and it is especially good to see her civilian life, and Alice works well as the main villain, the rest of Crime Bible storyline doesn't gel as well. I don't quite know where the werewolf, squid-man and lizard-woman fit into everything and what the point of them being brought into the story was. Silver

The Question Rucka/Hamner

I am quite enjoying this Question story, though there's not really much to it so far, but the art is nice. Bronze

Guardians of the Galaxy #17 Abnett/Lanning/Walker

As usual, GotG is packed full of awesome. Rocket Raccoon, Groot and Maximus are all incredibly funny and the last part sets up great possibilities for future stories. Walker's art has improved greatly and this issue is very impressive. The choice of colours also really stands out. Gold

New Mutants #4 Wells/Neves

I'm very glad I decided to try this series out, this issue caps an impressive debut arc. Wells has managed to get me invested in the team in a very short space of time and provides more great character moments this month. I particularly enjoyed the last page interaction between Cannonball and Cyclops. Neves' art is also very good, giving all the characters distinctive looks and depicting the action well. Silver

Nova #28 Abnett/Lanning/Di Vito

DnA produce another great, fun comic this week, keeping up the pace from last issue while still finding time for quieter character moments. A satisfying conclusion to the Strontian fight is followed by more great interaction between Nova Prime and Blastaar, before the new core of the reformed Corps is introduced. Di Vito provides his usual high quality, clean and bold art. Gold

X-Force #18 Kyle/Yost/Choi/Oback

A welcome improvement from last issue, Warpath's rescue of Boom Boom and Wolverine and Cyclops' "discussion" are both great moments. As well as wrapping up the fallout from the Leper Queen story before Messiah War, this issue also introduces both the immediate, X-23 centric next arc and the upcoming Necrosha event. The only thing that doesn't fit is Wolfsbane and Hrimhari's fight against the frost giants, which I can't really see the point of taking up three pages. The art is very good, Domino's suprise is expressed very well and there are some cool splash pages, the only problem being X-23 apparently having a right arm cut off her left shoulder. Silver

19th August comic reviews

Wolverine: Weapon X #4 Aaron/Garney

Great issue, shows just why Wolverine is so popular and over-exposed. The main fight scene is brilliantly choreographed with amazing art from Ron Garney. Also liked the interplay between Maverick and the Hammer agent. Gold

X-Factor #47 David/De Landro

Cortex is great, enjoyed Madrox and Layla's conversation and the "whinging" remarks. The art was good except for Monet's strangely saggy face near the end. Not sure who Cortex is supposed to have been revealed as exactly. Silver

Batman: Streets of Gotham #3 Dini/Nguyen

Enjoyed this issue, the parts with Zsasz were very good, as was the Penguin's internal monologue, though I hope the Hush situation hasn't been fully wrapped up so quickly like the Firefly plot was. More really good art from Nguyen. Silver

Manhunter Andreyko/Jeanty

Really just an extended chase and fight scene, but Kate Spencer's internal monologue was still interesting and funny. The art was a bit mixed, some of it really good, but a few bits let it down. Bronze

Viking #3 Brandon/Klein

The series really gets interesting with this issue, the characters are easier to differentiate, and the main plot has kicked in. The art is simply sublime: atmospheric, visceral and incredibly expressive. Gold

I didn't think...

...Greg Land could get any worse, but then I saw two of his covers for November issues, both of which seem unfinished:

In the Uncanny cover, the characters are floating around with no perspective and all at completely different scales, Emma Frost's cloak is unfinished, and she seems to be standing on a flying X-badge, Namor has a Psylocke-shaped growth sprouting from his chest, there's no background, it's absolutely ridiculous that the supposed flagship of the X-Men franchise is so blighted by such terrible "art".

The Black Widow cover also has no perspective, Black Widow is floating in front of a giant skull, having jumped out of a huge scope, the Eiffel tower is trying to be a background but failing and a car is driving away from an explosion that isn't actually happening anywhere exactly. And that's without mentioning that she's clearly been traced from an amputee porn star...

Marvel November Solicitations

Damn you Marvel for announcing so many interesting new series, story arcs or events and creative teams all the time!

The first example of this: Assault on New Olympus and Incredible Hercules #138 (Pak/Van Lente/Buchemi). I was thinking of getting into Herc a while ago, but put it off as there was a lot of other stuff I was getting anyway. November however seems to be the time to get started, with the big event and the added bonus of Agents of Atlas back-ups, another series I was going to start but put off. Therefore, I'm quite likely to get these two issues, though not finally decided yet.

Mighty Avengers #31 (Slott/Gage/Chen) might be on my list, though it depends on whether I decide to get into the Unspoken arc now (including catching up with last issue) and while I'm really into the Inhumans, I'm not sure I have space for this series.

Now, the cosmic titles are must buys for me, so firstly: Guardians of the Galaxy #20 (Abnett/Lanning/Walker) which I'm sure won't disappoint. Brad Walker has provided some good art on recent issues, though hopefully he can sort out his depiction of Rocket Raccoon again.

Nova #31 (Abnett/Lanning/DiVito) sees Richard Rider having to track down Darkhawk, who is believed to be assassin of Lilandra. I thought that Darkhawk reappearing in Nova was one possibility after WofK and I think this makes more sense than giving him an ongoing series at this point. DiVito has been brilliant as regular Nova artist and I hope he's in it for the long run.

The Realm of Kings kicks off with a one shot (Abnett/Lanning/Manco) then leads into Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #1(Abnett/Lanning/Walker) and Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1 (Abnett/Lanning/Raimondi).

The political intrigue angle of the Inhumans mini sounds very appealing, while the Imperial Guard are finally getting some development. I'm not familiar with Leonardo Manco, but Kev Walker was good on Annihilation: Nova, and I liked Pablo Raimondi's work on Madrox and the Books of Doom.

The X-Books next: I'm not sure about Astonishing X-Men #32 (Ellis/Jimenez). I want to read Astonishing, but I don't know whether I'll pick it up in singles or wait for the trade. It partly depends on whether I get Ghost Box in hardcover or wait for the trade. I may hold off for now, as there are so many other books to follow.

X-Force #21 (Kyle/Yost/Crain) and New Mutants #7 (Wells/Neves).

The Necrosha crossover actually has my interest, I like how it doesn't hop between books but has parallel stories and I was already following or planning to start with each series. Crain can produce very good art that should suit the story, though hopefully he's improved his fuzzy faces problem. I'm also really enjoying Neves' art on New Mutants so far.

Dark X-Men #1 (Cornell/Kirk): Though this is by one of my favourite creative teams I'm unlikely to buy it for several reasons. First, I haven't been reading the Utopia crossover; second, I have very little interest in the characters, as they include two alternate reality analogues of main universe characters (Dark Beast/Beast and Nate Grey/Cable), along with Mimic and Weapon Omega who I'm not really aware of; and finally the higher price for a miniseries makes me rank this as less important than all the other announcements that were made at the same time.

On the other hand, S.W.O.R.D. #1 (Gillen/Sanders) definitely appeals. The concept of Earth's planetary border agency really interests me, and I became a fan of Agent Brand during Joss Whedon's run on AXM. I also quite like Beast, and Gillen's description in interviews of Lockheed as the team's Wolverine sounds good. Plus, covers by John Cassaday!

Wolverine: Weapon X #7 (Aaron/Paquette). I've enjoyed this series so far, and I'm sure Aaron can make this second arc great. Haven't seen much of Paquette's art, but his Uncanny issue was well received so I'm sure it will be good.

I'm probably going to get X-Men Legacy #229 (Carey/Roberson?/Acuna) as I'm interested in seeing Rogue's new role. I hope Gambit isn't being pushed away from the X-Men again, my idea is that maybe he will be using his skills as a thief (and possible as a saboteur) for the benefit of the X-Men.

I mentioned trying to get into Agents of Atlas earlier, so X-Men vs Agents of Atlas #2 (Parker/Pagulayan) will probably be where I start, before it becomes a back-up in iHerc and hopefully gets relaunched again later.

DC November Solicitations

There's only really the Batman line that interests me from DC at the moment.

Though Sinestro Corps War was brilliant, Blackest Night just doesn't appeal to me at all.

Characters I've either never heard of or only vaguely know coming back as basically zombies, a big bad reveal to which my only response is "Who?!?" and the sidelining of the War of Light, which I am interested in as a continuation of the Sinestro Corps War, in favour of "DC Zombies! From Space!" makes me glad I decided against getting all caught up in it.

So, Batman and Robin #6 (Morrison/Tan) will be a must, I've really enjoyed the new partnership between Dick and Damian so far and though Frank Quitely won't be on art for this second arc, Philip Tan's covers have looked good.

Detective Comics #859 (Rucka/Williams/Hamner) is also a definite purchase, I'm very interested in seeing the origin of Batwoman explored, the Question backup has also been good so far, and the art on both parts will of course be amazing.

The other Batman title I have picked up since the June relaunch is Batman: Streets of Gotham. #6 (Yost/Nguyen and Andreyko/Haun) is not likely to remain on my pull list. I've come to the probable conclusion that I'll drop the book with #5, as this arc has a guest writer, guest stars (though I am interested in the Huntress) and I imagine Paul Dini's initial storylines (especially Hush impersonating Bruce Wayne) will be finished by then. I'm not really all that invested in the Manhunter backup, so #5 seems like a good place to drop the series.

The main reason is that in November, and October less so, Marvel have a shedload of new books/story arcs that I'm interested in, and I'm already getting two Bat-books, so Streets of Gotham is up for the chop to make a bit of room.

5th August comic reviews

War of Kings #6 Abnett/Lanning/Pelletier

A brilliant climax to the event, which has been exciting, unpredictable and filled not only with action but a great deal of character development and interaction. The fight between Black Bolt and Vulcan is brutal, but the continuing development of Crystal ensures this issue is not all action. Paul Pelletier has become my favourite artist through Guardians of the Galaxy and War of Kings and while I'd like to see him on higher profile books, I hope he returns to GotG soon. Looking forward to the Who Will Rule? epilogue issue next month. Gold

War of Kings: Warriors #2 Faerber/Melo/Perez

Crystal Jay Faerber contributes a very good story that further adds to Crystal's prominent role in WoK. Melo's art is good on the whole, though Crystal's breasts are ridiculously large most of the time. Silver

Lilandra I think this is the weakest of the Warriors stories, it seems very quick doesn't really link into Lilandra's role in the event. Perez depicts some good motion and the Brood design is good, but overall the art is too cartoony. Bronze

Exiles #5 Parker/Jones

The compact stories are refreshing in Exiles. Parker has managed to make the characters really interesting in a short space of time. The art is good again. Silver

Review of July comics

Book of the Month

Batman and Robin #2

Morrison/Quitely

Runner-up

War of Kings #5

Abnett/Lanning/Pelletier

Cover of the Month

Nova #27

Cover by Daniel Acuna

Artist of the Month

Frank Quitely

Batman and Robin

Characters of the Month

Crystal Amaquelin Maximoff

War of Kings

Faiza Hussain

Captain Britain and MI13

Dani Moonstar

New Mutants

29th July comic reviews

Detective Comics #855 Rucka/Williams

Great art again, darker and more psychedelic than last issue, but overall less impressive than the second issue of Batman and Robin. Silver

The Question Rucka/Hamner

Impressive second part, with a good fight scene and great art. Silver

War of Kings: Ascension #4 Abnett/Lanning/Alves

An enjoyable end to the tie-in mini, a couple of good fights and good art. I would be keen to follow a Darkhawk ongoing if it was written by DnA. Silver

22nd July comic reviews

Captain Britain and MI13 #15 Cornell/Kirk

Shame that this is the last issue of course, but Cornell wraps everything up well, with the usual great interaction between characters. Kirk's art doesn't seem quite as good as earlier but no real issues. Gold

Guardians of the Galaxy #16 Abnett/Lanning/Craig

Thought this was a great one-off trip to the future to meet the classic Guardians. DnA establish these characters quickly and effectively and there is some great interaction between the two teams. I liked the cartoony art, made an interesting change from the norm. Gold

Nova #27 Abnett/Lanning/DiVito

Fast-paced issue of Nova, really liked the interplay between Nova Prime and King Blastaar, great art. Gold

X-Force #17 Kyle/Yost/Choi/Oback

A reasonable issue, mainly catching up after Messiah War. Pretty good art, though the depictions of an overpowered Surge are brilliant. Bronze

15th July comic reviews

Batman: Streets of Gotham #2 Dini/Nguyen
Disappointed that the threat of Firefly is over so soon, but good to see the characters' civilian lives getting some focus. Great art. Silver
Manhunter Andreyko/Jeanty
Interesting continuation of Kate Spencer's search for her predecessor's killer. Silver

New Mutants #3 Wells/Neves
Another good issue with very good art, Legion's multiple personalities make the fight scenes interesting. Silver

X-Factor #46 David/Santucci
The plot thickens, even as more is revealed. Silver

War of Kings: Warriors #1 Gage/Asrar/Magno
Pleasantly surprised with this, two interesting stories that shed more light on Gladiator and Blastaar. Both artists produce good work. Silver

1st July comic reviews

Batman and Robin #2 Morrison/Quitely
Great character work on Dick and Damian and Alfred's motivational speech, yet more brilliant artwork by Quitely, not sure how well this series will work without him. Really love the sound effects as part of the art, particularly when Robin gets smacked into the wall. Gold

War of Kings #5 Abnett/Lanning/Pelletier
The War of Kings rushes towards it's climax, but DnA don't neglect their characters, continuing to develop them well. Gold

Exiles #4 Parker/Jones
Another good Exiles issue, the characters are mostly more interesting than their normal counterparts. Jones' art is good, though I preferred Salva Espin. Silver

Viking #2 Brandon/Klein
Klein's art is brilliant, the variety of art styles he uses from panel to panel really makes Viking an exciting book to read. It seems that this issue is still setting up the characters and the story for future issues, and on the first read I wasn't acquainted enough with Finn and Egil to be sure which was which as the issue progressed. Silver

June comic reviews

Haven't done anything on this blog for the last month because my laptop went haywire (three times in three days, after which I gave up on it, finally). So, I haven't been doing any reviews of comics as I don't get enough time sharing this laptop to be messing about with this.

Therefore, I think I'm going to run down all the comics I bought in June (if I remember all of them), but I think this time I'm going to give maybe just a quick comment or two, and then score them Gold, Silver, Bronze and then Negative for a negative review, if I have any.

War of Kings #4 Abnett/Lanning/Pelletier
Genuine surprise ending, brilliant scene with Crystal and Ronan. Paul Pelletier proves himself again to be one of Marvel's best artists. Gold

Batman and Robin #1 Morrison/Quitely
Great debut issue by one of the best creative teams in comics, looking forward to exploring Dick as Batman and Damian as Robin, as well as the Circus of Strange. Gold

Exiles #3 Parker/Espin
Bought (along with #1 and 2) on recommendation from comic shop guy, very good, funny, compact story, great art from Salva Espin, really like the character designs. Gold

Captain Britain and MI13 Annual Cornell/Collins/Alphona
First story sets up Meggan's return in #14, second is a British take on the X-Men baseball games of old. Quite enjoyable but not brilliant. Bronze

New Mutants #2 Wells/Neves
Still quite a mysterious story, though it's quite deep in continuity with Legion as the main antagonist, still accessible. Silver

X-Factor #44 David/De Landro/Santucci
Features two of three subplots running at the moment, great character work, both artists produce consistent and compatible work. Silver

War of Kings: Savage World of Skaar Gage/Nolan/Brown
Tie-in to War of Kings, not sure how important it really was, but interesting to put the spotlight on Gorgon and Starbolt. Bronze

Batman: Streets of Gotham #1 Dini/Nguyen
Pretty good, interesting different perspective on the new Batman, Dustin Nguyen's art really good. Silver
Manhunter Andreyko/Jeanty Introduction to Kate Spencer's new role as Gotham DA and vigilante. Silver

Cable #15 Swiercynski/Olivetti
I've quite enjoyed Messiah War, though it seems it could have been shorter. Olivetti's art doesn't seem as good as earlier in the crossover but still has it's moments. Bronze

Captain Britain and MI13 #14 Cornell/Kirk
Liked MI13's ploy of using Plotka, have to go back and see if there were any clues in previous issues. Spitfire turns on Dracula and has a great emotional moment. Look forward to seeing Meggan's part in the final issue next month. Gold

War of Kings: Ascension #3 Abnett/Lanning/Alves
Shows behind the scenes of WofK #4 as well as setting up Christopher Powell for a lot of trouble. Silver

Detective Comics #854 Rucka/Williams
Absolutely incredible art and panel layout by JH Williams III, Rucka starts to show more of Batwoman's character. Very accessible introduction to the character, fills in all you need to know about previous appearances. Gold
The Question Rucka/Hamner
Good to see Detective Comics living up to it's name with Renee Montoya as the Question investigating a girl's disappearance, art also good. Silver

Guardians of the Galaxy #15 Abnett/Lanning/Walker
Yet another brilliant issue of Guardians, with great action and character interplay. Walker's art is very good again, only one complaint being his design of Rocket Raccoon which had been better in recent issues regressing to what it had been in his earlier stint. Gold

Nova #26 Abnett/Lanning/Di Vito
Richard Rider gets back to business as Nova Prime while Robbie goes after Strontian. I really love Di Vito's work on Nova. Silver

Wolverine: Weapon X #3 Aaron/Garney
Wolverine starts to take apart Strikeforce X, but I really liked the focus on the investigative reporter and Maverick's show of skill in taking down Blackguard's enforcers. Silver

X-Factor #45 David/De Landro/Santucci
Madrox and Layla visit a decrepit Doctor Doom, still with his superiority complex and more of the Cortex puzzle is revealed. Silver

X-Force #16 Kyle/Yost/Crain
The final chapter of Messiah War is quite enjoyable, though doesn't really resolve anything about Hope. Elixir now knows something important about her, but for some reason I can't see we're not told what it is within the crossover. Crain's art is perhaps not as good as previous issues, with some panels very fuzzy, though there is a very good splash page of Apocalypse and Archangel. Bronze

Comics Reviews and Releases

Yeah, very late as I was in Bournemouth this week.

Captain Britain and MI13 #13

W: Paul Cornell

A: Adrian Syaf/Leonard Kirk

Just started collecting Captain Britain, also bought the previous three issues at the same time to catch up with Vampire State, and then it goes and gets cancelled.  Having read the current arc and the first trade now, that seems like the kind of decision typical of entertainment companies these days, not to mention the wider economy as a whole, only thinking in the short-term and making decisions based only on a narrow range of business criteria.

But anyway, a great issue that shows Dracula's strategic brilliance without making MI13 look like blundering idiots with no capability for strategic thought as can sometimes be the case when trying to depict an enemy's military genius.

There are two different pencillers on this issue, but the transitions do not jar or ruin the story and both Syaf and Kirk produce good, consistent work.

I am greatly looking forward to seeing how Paul Cornell wraps up the arc as well as the series in the next two issues plus annual.

A - Book of the Week

X-Factor #43

W: Peter David

A: Valentine de Landro/Marco Santucci

Another book I've just decided to pick up, and though I haven't got any of the issues leading up to this one, I had no trouble understanding what was going on.  There are several strands of story going through this issue and all of them were interesting with good characters.  The different plots do seem though to be linked even though Madrox is 80 years in the future.

Again, two different artists on this issue, but both styles match well and I didn't really even notice any difference, and both de Landro and Santucci produce very good work.

A

War of Kings: Ascension #2

W: Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning

A: Wellington Alves

Part 2 of a 4 part tie-in to War of Kings, as of yet not directly linking to the main story, but this issue gives hints of the Fraternity of Raptors' future influence on the conflict.  Its interesting to see a group of evil characters playing a part in an event, as usually the ongoings and miniseries that make up such an event tend to be focussed on the good guys.

I'm also interested in how Chris Powell will manage to reassert control over his Darkhawk armour, if he does before the end of War of Kings or the Raptors' damage is done.

Wellington Alves' art is very good again, so I think that the War of Kings event has one of the best groups of artists across the four main books: Paul Pelletier on WofK itself, Andrea di Vito on Nova and Brad Walker on Guardians.

B

Of this week's releases, I've ordered Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3, Wolverine: Weapon X #2 and also Secret Six #9 from earlier.

20 May Releases

I'm going down to Bournemouth this week, so I'm not sure when I'll get this week's releases, it depends if I go into Poole to Paradox Comics on Thursday before coming home.

Only two comics that I'm planning on buying this week:

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3

W: Tony Daniel

A: Tony Daniel/Sandu Florea

Wolverine: Weapon X #2

W: Jason Aaron

A: Ron Garney

I had been thinking of buying Captain America #50, but I'm not really that interested in it and don't see the point of buying three extra-sized anniversary issues in a row.

13 May Releases

I'm going to order again this week, so I'll receive them early next.

There are three new releases  I will be buying:

War of Kings: Ascension #2

W: Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning

A: Wellington Alves

X-Factor #43

W: Peter David

A: Valentine de Landro

Captain Britain and MI13 #13

W: Paul Cornell

A: Leonard Kirk/Adrian Syaf

I will also be getting the previous three issues of Captain Britain in order to catch up with the Vampire State story arc.

I had been thinking of getting Action Comics #877, but I've ultimately decided against continuing with that series. Though I enjoyed the first two issues of Greg Rucka and Eddy Barrow's arc featuring Nightwing and Flamebird, it seems this issue has a fill-in artist and then the next few will have a different art team, and from the solicitations it looks like the next arc will lead into a Superman crossover which I don't want to get caught up in.

Comic Reviews - 6th May

War of Kings #3  W: Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning

Marvel Comics A: Paul Pelletier

Another great issue of War of Kings from DnA, who manage to fit a lot of action in while also giving plenty of time to quieter moments and character development.  

Paul Pelletier's art is brilliant yet again, especially in the final battle between the Imperial Guard and Guardians of the Galaxy.  

Which brings me to the best moment of the issue and the week, Rocket Raccoon taking down Gladiator with a mop! (with help from Rachel Grey's telepathy).

A - Book of the Week

Cable #14 W: Duane Swierczynski

Marvel Comics A: Ariel Olivetti

Part Four of Messiah War starts just after Stryfe has captured Hope and Warpath, so there are several strands running through this issue as X-Force split up to attempt to salvage their mission, and the events within Stryfe's citadel. 

All of these strands seem to be being set up for resolution in later parts of the crossover, so there isn't really much resolution in this issue, though it does appear that Archangel has made his decision regarding Apocalypse. 

Ariel Olivetti's art is quite good, I think it depicts the weird ambience of this Age of Stryfe well.

B

New Mutants #1 W: Zeb Wells

Marvel Comics A: Diogenes Neves

I decided to try out this new series featuring the (remaining) members of the original junior X-Men team and though I'm not familiar with those characters, I enjoyed this issue, an intriguing start to the story. 

Magik especially is an interesting character and gets a lot of good lines in this issue. 

Neves' art was pretty good on the whole, so while I'm still not sure I'll continue to pick it up, there is a good chance I will.

B

6th May Releases

I reckon I'll be ordering this week's comics online as I don't really feel like going all the way into Birmingham, though I don't know when they'll be available to order on the website because there was a bank holiday this week.

Anyway, there are two issues I will definitely be buying:

War of Kings #3 and Cable # 14

I think I'll also order Thor #601 from a while ago, I wasn't sure whether to start collecting Thor but now think I will.

A couple of other comics I might just get are Battle for the Cowl - the Network and New Mutants #1 (though I don't know whose bright idea it was to put #1s at the higher price, you'd think they'd discount them to get people interested).  I was thinking of getting The Trojan War #1 as well, but I'm not so sure now, I'll decide once I've seen a few reviews for these three.