Uhhhh BOUGHT AND THOUGHT? 5/11

[luckofthedraw]

BOUGHT AND THOUGHT 5/11

Seems this thread hasn't been started yet, but here it is. I've been sick at home but got off my ass to buy some comics, and was shocked to see all of the punisher stuff out on the stands, but i bought all of it. All positive reviews, and i forgot to pick up Powers #11, I guess i missed it on the stands. someone else review it? well, here goes:

THE PUNISHER #21: I'll be damned if this isn't the best punisher storyline I've ever read. One hard-hitting issue after the other, all telling a gritty story with all the right sides and angles and characters. This issue was even better than the last. The Punisher has not really changed since he was first invented. He speaks softly and carries a big stick...we've never really gotten a peek into his emotions. until now. Ennis is showing us shit we've never seen before, and i must say that i am loving it. there isn't any telling how this will unfold, how Frank's madness has a method...but i'll be sticking around. 5/5

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #77: The conclusion to the Hobgoblin arc has me fluttery. There was good action in this issue and good portrayal of emotion. This one went pretty quickly as well. I love Bendis' Ultimate Nick Fury...yet i don't see where he could go with:
I think it's time for Peter Parker to say good-bye to those spider powers.
But it'll be interesting to see how that unfolds. I loved how in the end, No one had to say anything, yet we still understood. Bag's art is stellar as usual. I liked Spidey's outlash on Fury. My one complaint is that much of this issue we have seen before:
It again has Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. cleaning up Spidey's mess, and the Goblin take-down...i'd like to see more responsibility on Spidey's part. Also, the break-up, although different and nescessary, has happened before! I will be disappointed if they get back together.
but, it's a great title. i dont mind paying my $2.25. 4/5

THE PUNISHER: THE CELL: Although significantly longer than my other comics, this one went pretty quick, too. I'm not sure if this is in continuity with the rest of the Punisher Universe...but i still liked the Mob confessions however disgusting Ennis makes them...this one wasn't as good as the other titles i purchased because of the disruption of Frank Castle's personality, he becomes less of a "i'll kill you without telling you why, because you should know" and more of a "i am the drama killer, the one who likes you to remember your past before i bash your brains in, damn i like to hear the sound of my own voice". That kind of upset me, but now i can appreciate that this was nescessary to tell a good story, to make it interesting and engrossing. worth the $4.99. My other complaint is all of the profanity. People love to curse, but there is a "fuck" in every speech bubble. it just doesn't seem realistic, and i want super-hero titles to be as realistic and down to earth as they can be while working with their premise. whatever. This one follows the tradition of the many other times Punisher has been in prison, and im sure its one of the best takes. I am, however, left wanting more at the end. How does he escape? 4/5

MARVEL TEAM-UP #8: I haven't read the other Marvel Team-ups, and kind of jumped in on this arc, which is maybe why this was the worst read of the week for me. I don't know what's going on with that Tittanus guy and what that has to do with Blade or the Punisher. However, the dialogue between the two is great. Perfect, even. they both acted well (except for the punisher's little silenced outburst- it seems unlike him to jump into things without knowing who what when where and why to pull the trigger.). Even though i am kind of sick of the punisher and i've never really read Blade (saw the first movie, kind of sucked) ...this was pretty enjoyable. 3/5 (for me)

And now for you guys. Time to read ACTION COMICS #827 for me.

[luckofthedraw]

someones gonna have to keep this alive.

[justjeffery]

I just havent read anything yet... I will shortly... I got a PILE of books...

[luckofthedraw]

read powers. i wanna know how that panned out.

[DrMachine]

THE PUNISHER #21: I'll be damned if this isn't the best punisher storyline I've ever read. One hard-hitting issue after the other, all telling a gritty story with all the right sides and angles and characters. This issue was even better than the last. The Punisher has not really changed since he was first invented. He speaks softly and carries a big stick...we've never really gotten a peek into his emotions. until now. Ennis is showing us shit we've never seen before, and i must say that i am loving it. there isn't any telling how this will unfold, how Frank's madness has a method...but i'll be sticking around. 5/5

MOTHERFUCKER

I forgot to pick this up

[Criden]

read powers. i wanna know how that panned out.

powers didn't come out....

[luckofthedraw]

powers didn't come out....
it says it did on marvel.com...?

[Criden]

HAHAHA--wow...well, you're supposed to learn something every day, so here's what you can learn today: marvel.com is not reliable in terms of comics coming out, use diamondcomics.com/shipping.asp...

[Ray G.]

I got 22 fucking books today. I haven't even scratched the surface yet. All I'll say is this.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6
Adam Strange #8
The Rann/Thanagar War #1

all on the same day.


FUCK YES.

[Ben]

Astonishing X-Men #10: What. The. Fuck. There's DEFINITELY something funky going on because I can't believe what happened would actually have happened.

[luckofthedraw]

I got 22 fucking books today. I haven't even scratched the surface yet. All I'll say is this.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6
Adam Strange #8
The Rann/Thanagar War #1

all on the same day.


FUCK YES.
i was gonna buy green lantern rebirth but i flipped it and realized i had no idea what was going on.

[luckofthedraw]

HAHAHA--wow...well, you're supposed to learn something every day, so here's what you can learn today: marvel.com is not reliable in terms of comics coming out, use diamondcomics.com/shipping.asp...
thanks a ton, man. they should be right about their own catalog, though.

[justjeffery]

thanks a ton, man. they should be right about their own catalog, though.

That's like saying Kenner should know when certain toys will be on the shelves at your local Wal-Mart.. they only make them, they dont distribute...

[luckofthedraw]

shouldn't they? and isnt this thread supposed to be about bought and thought?

[Ray G.]

Astonishing X-Men #10: What. The. Fuck. There's DEFINITELY something funky going on because I can't believe what happened would actually have happened.

Yeah, it's got to be an illusion of some kind. I took that as a given.

[Freeway]

Somebody sticky this MOFO!

Desolation Jones #1: Intriguing. 9/10. See Review Group Thread for details.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 (of 6): Excellent finish. The art is fantastic, the story continues to have great support from continuity, and the finish opens things up for an amazingly large amount of possibilities. 9/10

Marvel Team-Up #8: Good. No Spidey or Moon Knight, and the majority of the issue is a conversation between The Punisher & Blade. It's fun, though. 7/10

The Rann/Thanagar War #1 (of 6): My DC readings usually amount to The Flash, occasional Batman runs and JLA once in a while. Oh, and Starman and a bit of GL. I'm not really up to snuff on Cosmic DC. However, this issue did a lot in catching me up. Really enjoyed it, and I want to see where this all goes. 8/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #77: Strong finish, and the status quo has been changed. This is probably Marvel's most consistently great comic. 8.5/10

[Garra]

Astonishing Xmen 10 I thought was pretty good as usual. Not sure how "what happened" in will be explained, but I dont take it seriously. I liked how it ended.

Green Lantern : Rebirth 6/6 Not fair for me to comment on really as I got this to simply finish the series. Have never been a GL fan, I picked it up when it first came out because I kept hearing how great it would be. I think I am the only one who didnt care for it. This issue seemed rush tho, just a fast wrap up of the 6 part series.

USM - Liked it, agree with what was said already, been there done that already basically. But some good action and left with a double whammy at the end.

Rann-Thanagar War -Didnt do anything for me. Was good for someone who doesnt know the DC universe or these characters as an entry point. But nothing that is happening means anything for me. This is just a tie in book for continuity for me so I will know whats going on in the IC story line.

Nightwing - Good read, more of the last issue just developing the same story line, nothing major but enjoyable.

Punisher - The Cell - I have not read Punisher since back when War Zone came out. Thought this looked good so grabbed it also and I really enjoyed it. Not gonna start reading punisher again, but this book caught the feel of what I always thought the punisher should be. Artwork was very nice and the story I felt moved very well and didnt rush the plot. Hate to be rushed in a story dang it ;)

[BenitoCereno]

I hereby cast my vote for Paul Grist as sultan of the universe.

You guys are all missing out.

[luckofthedraw]

I hereby cast my vote for Paul Grist as sultan of the universe.

You guys are all missing out.
wha?

[BriRedfern]

I got 22 fucking books today. I haven't even scratched the surface yet. All I'll say is this.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6
Adam Strange #8
The Rann/Thanagar War #1

all on the same day.


FUCK YES.

I am somewhat pissed that it turns out Adam Strange was just a big fucking set up for Rann/Thanagar war. I was going to buy it in trade. but no more.

[Blandy vs Terrorism]

wha?

I believe Jack Staff came out this week. Get it if you like good comics.

[BenitoCereno]

wha?

Paul Grist, the comics creator, had two books come out today:

Issue eight of volume two of Jack Staff, and the volume 4 trade of Kane.

These two books were so ball-drainingly awesome that I think Paul Grist should have sovereignty over the universe. And yet no one else in this thread has mentioned buying either of them.

Grist is absolutely the most under-rated creator in comics today, and Jack Staff is the most under-rated superhero book on the shelves.

[luckofthedraw]

paul grist? jack staff? okay, thanks, ill keep that in mind. whatsit about?

[BenitoCereno]

It's about Britain's Greatest Superhero, Jack Staff. He disappeared 20 years ago, but now he's back. Where'd he go? Why's he back? It's also about Sgt States, Tom Tom the Robot Man, Doc Tempest, Becky Burdock, Girl Reporter, Bramble and Sons, Vampire Hunters, the Steel Claw, Helen Morgan, Q....it's about a lot of stuff. It's very elegantly and very cleverly put together. I can't recommend the first trade, Everything Used to Be Black and White--which contains the entire 12 issue run of the first volume for $20--enough. It's really, really incredible.

[luckofthedraw]

hey, the thread got push-pinned. this should garner more posts.

[marco19]

Astonishing X-men 10 I for one did not like this issue. The sublot with ORD and the SWORD Operatives was intersting but the overall story about the danger room gone mad just hasnt clicked for me. Cassidy as always delivers some awesome artwork.

ExCalibur 13 The first of Many house of M tie in issues. Excalibur in general hasnt found its way yet and rumors tend to suggest it may be replaced by a new x-book once house of m is over. The few pages of strange and xavier discussing things is pretty cool though.

X-men End 3 ugh while im a big Claremont fan and its intersing seeing him play around with some of his 300 or so subplots from years past this story just drags on and on 18 issues for this series is just way too long.

District X 13 what started off as a great series went downhill way way too quickly. This issue at least gets back to basics about mutant town..this book is canceled soon anyway .

Gambit 10 another cancled x-book but i must say this one of the more fun reads. Layman really gets the gambit character and the book tries its best to keep up with x coninity .

Ultimate Spidey 77 this hobgoblin arc just did not work for me. 6 issues later and i feel that nothing was really accomplished besides peter and mj breaking up. Cool scenes with Nick Fury but overall nothing great but i look forward to the gang war storyline.

[Jonny Z]

Astonishing X Men 10- i thought cassady's art was very john byrnish and it looked a bit rushed... but still very good. and geez, wtf is up with the impaling?

i'd rather he not go down the road of it was all just an illusion or dream... that would invalidate the last 4 issues.

[JoshuaFialkov]

Paul Grist is a genius, everyone not reading his stuff is missing out. Grab the Jack Staff Vol. 1 trade, you won't be sorry.

[Jasmine]

Pretty slow week, but next week will be better.

USM #77-The arc finishes on a strong note. More intense action and dialogue between the characters. Favorite part was Fury getting punched in the face, he deserved it. Even sweeter there is that little twist regarding Fury's plans for Peter.

Marvel Adventures #3-Normally, I would not of gotten this comic, but Otto was in it and wherever he appears, I collect. Despite being targeted to a younger audience, I found myself actually liking this mini.. All the villians got to play their part, but still not liking the art much.

[Anthony Loring]

Astonishing X-Men was fantastic, I thought. Great fight scene and Xavier was a badass.

[Xander Boune]

Astonishing X-Men was fantastic, I thought. Great fight scene and Xavier was a badass.

I agree. This is probably my favorite issue of the Dangerous arc, though I'm not sure if we're supposed to believe what we saw. Xavier looked badass on the cover and the last page.

I also bought Ultimate Spider-Man, which I really enjoyed. Hobgoblin was definitely one of the stronger arcs in recent memory. My one complaint would be that there is a "Hulkbuster" unit. If SHIELD can arm all their soldiers with fancy jetpacks and guns that can mess up the Hulk, why do they need the Ultimates?

[Anthony Loring]

I dunno, none of them looked that dead to me. Kitty and Colossus maybe, but X-Men characters have survived impalings before. Although, I guess Danger's (?) goal was to kill them, and she seemed satisifed. I guess we'll see. I like the Ord subplot and am increasingly intrigued by what Emma is secretly doing.

Thought USM was great too. Wasn't there a hulkbuster squad during Disassembled to deal with she-hulk? I guess the Ultimates are meant to be iconic, and more of a PR thing.

[deadend]

The Punisher: The Cell- Ennis Does His Usual Gritty Ass Punisher Thing On This Ish. Way Better Than That Red Xmas One Shot(which Was Pure Garbage). Ennis Owns Punisher Now I Cant Picture Anyone Else Messing With It. In A Perfect World Maleev Would Have Provided The Pencils For This, I Think That Would Have Taken It To The Razors Edge.

Gotham Central- Its Okay Definitly Not The Best Rucka. By The Way Where The Hell Is Queen And Country.

Ultimate Spider-man- Bagley Is Getting Better And Better. Its A Nice Escape From Artists Who Are Trying To Give Comics That Realistic Look. I Think This Comic Has Everything I Used To Love About Spider-man From When I Was Young, Great Action, A Cartooonist Slant On Pencils, Humorous Dialogue, And A Consistent Teenage Turmoil That Is Peter Parker. For 77 Issues This Has Been A Guaranteed Fun Experience From When The First Page Opens Until The Last One Closes. Its Always One Of The First I Read From The Pile And That Says Something. Also Not To Be Overlooked Is J.d. Smith On Colors. Man From Breaking Night To Day Through The Fight To Osborns Fiery Figure This Dude Totally Completes This Comic.

Astonishing X-men- Its Gonna Be Pretty Hard To Judge This Issue Untill The Next One Comes Out. Ive Got To See How Whedon Backs His Way Out Of Killing The Team To Make A Fair Assesment. Im Hoping We Dont See Xavier Wake Up And They Al In The X-shower Together. Anyway Pencil Is Off The Hook. This For Me Reads Real Slow Cauz I Find Myself Studying Cassadays Work Thoroughly. I Love How He Gives That Less Is More Quality To His Work.

X-men The End- Best Part Is The Cover, Nuff Said.

[luckofthedraw]

The Punisher: The Cell- Ennis Does His Usual Gritty Ass Punisher Thing On This Ish. Way Better Than That Red Xmas One Shot(which Was Pure Garbage). Ennis Owns Punisher Now I Cant Picture Anyone Else Messing With It. In A Perfect World Maleev Would Have Provided The Pencils For This, I Think That Would Have Taken It To The Razors Edge.

Gotham Central- Its Okay Definitly Not The Best Rucka. By The Way Where The Hell Is Queen And Country.

Ultimate Spider-man- Bagley Is Getting Better And Better. Its A Nice Escape From Artists Who Are Trying To Give Comics That Realistic Look. I Think This Comic Has Everything I Used To Love About Spider-man From When I Was Young, Great Action, A Cartooonist Slant On Pencils, Humorous Dialogue, And A Consistent Teenage Turmoil That Is Peter Parker. For 77 Issues This Has Been A Guaranteed Fun Experience From When The First Page Opens Until The Last One Closes. Its Always One Of The First I Read From The Pile And That Says Something. Also Not To Be Overlooked Is J.d. Smith On Colors. Man From Breaking Night To Day Through The Fight To Osborns Fiery Figure This Dude Totally Completes This Comic.

Astonishing X-men- Its Gonna Be Pretty Hard To Judge This Issue Untill The Next One Comes Out. Ive Got To See How Whedon Backs His Way Out Of Killing The Team To Make A Fair Assesment. Im Hoping We Dont See Xavier Wake Up And They Al In The X-shower Together. Anyway Pencil Is Off The Hook. This For Me Reads Real Slow Cauz I Find Myself Studying Cassadays Work Thoroughly. I Love How He Gives That Less Is More Quality To His Work.

X-men The End- Best Part Is The Cover, Nuff Said.
im guessing youre wakkajawakka's new alias?

[Jonny Z]

I agree. This is probably my favorite issue of the Dangerous arc, though I'm not sure if we're supposed to believe what we saw. Xavier looked badass on the cover and the last page.

I also bought Ultimate Spider-Man, which I really enjoyed. Hobgoblin was definitely one of the stronger arcs in recent memory. My one complaint would be that there is a "Hulkbuster" unit. If SHIELD can arm all their soldiers with fancy jetpacks and guns that can mess up the Hulk, why do they need the Ultimates?

im thinkin now that maybe Xavier is in the Danger Room's head, so to speak. theyre already communicating telepathically...

[Len Ford]

im thinkin now that maybe Xavier is in the Danger Room's head, so to speak. theyre already communicating telepathically...

I got that feeling too... maybe Xavier is using Cerebro to hack into the Danger Room's "head"... (Cerebro's still around, right?)

-Len

[Jonny Z]

I got that feeling too... maybe Xavier is using Cerebro to hack into the Danger Room's "head"... (Cerebro's still around, right?)

-Len


honestly, i have no fuckin clue. when it comes to x-men, i throw continuity out with the trash

[Marcdachamp]

Astonishing- PICK OF THE WEEK! I friggin' loved it. After a so-so issue last month, this one is back to greatness. Lots of surprising moments, fantastic art, lots of nice subplots and a cliffhanger that has me itching for next issue. Isn't that what the X-Men are all about? 9/10

Marvel Nemesis- What happened to Jae Lee? I thought he was doing the interiors too! Damn... Arlem was good too, but he felt like a Jae Lee replacement. Not bad, but nothing great. We'll see where it goes. 7/10

Excaliber- HUGE rip-off. That cover is such BS. 4 fucking pages of Xavier asking Strange for help and the rest about the Excaliber crew. It's not that it was THAT bad, just very deceitful. 6/10

[Fizz]

Astonishing X-Men 10: 9/10
Until this issue, I wasn’t too sure if the whole “danger room as the villain” plot was going to be any good but this issue won me over. The fight scene was great. It was interesting to see the x-men being forced to try new strategies. A moment between colossus and emma had me cracking up. “Yes, I see how it works. Normally I wouldn’t have done that” :lol:. It was kind of chilling to see how quickly and effectively the danger room ended the fight. Obviously, the outcome of the fight isn’t what it appears to be but it still surprised me. And next issue, Xavier is gonna kick some ass :cool:

Ultimate Spider-Man 77: 9/10
A great conclusion. Bagley’s art looked even better than last issues. The most interesting thing about this arc was that Harry was more of a victim than a villain. Yeah he was a big hulking fireball throwing monster, but he was still a victim of circumstances who sincerely didn’t want any of this to happen . I was glad to see how determined spidey was in trying to save Harry. When spidey gave nick fury the smackdown I felt like cheering. I’m looking forward to seeing the consequences of this arc in the next issue.

[twigglet]

Couldn't Whedon use that gold kid from NXM:AX and earlier on in AXM to fix what happened in AXM #10 without making it an illusion.

[aj110]

Did anyone buy City of Heroes? If so, how was it?

[SteveZegers]

Action Comics #827 $2.50 - Gave me exactly what I want Action Comics to be. Action, good dialogue, and I still like the way JB draws Superman. Good job by Gail.

Adam Strange #8 $2.99 - This book was so much better than I hoped. I've always liked the character, (guy in space with a jet pack and a ray gun) but this was an exceptional mini.

Fables #37 $2.50 Great stuff. I really like the fantasy aspect of the last few issues after the more realistic hollywood stuff.

Green Arrow #50 $3.50 - I just don't like the art. And when did the Riddler become the Joker?

Green Lantern Rebirth #6 $2.99 - Book of... I don't know, the decade? I couldn't have liked this more. Everything about it was great, One punch, the different way everyone's rings respond, the oath, Ollie, light back in the universe. Geoff Johns could write crap for the rest of his career, and this will make up for it.

JSA #73 $2.50 - Good stuff, love the suspense.

Rann Thanagar War #1 $2.50 - My favorite of the "countdown" books so far.

PvP #17 $2.95 - Iron Thor... Yes! :p I can't imagine any comic fan not buying this.

Astonishing X-Men #10 $2.99 - Keeps delivering month after month. I've never seen a pic of Prof X and said "Holy crap! Cool!" before.

Fantastic Four #526 $2.99 - Meh. Tough act to follow I guess.

Marvel Team-Up #8 $2.99 - Fun story with two characters that I really don't like.

Ultimate Spider-Man #77 $2.25 - I understand that not everything can be happy, but it's so darned depressing! Good stuff, but I need some happy pills after reading it.

Eclipse And Vega The Beds We Make #2 Fun Saul goodness.

[dEnny!]

F-STOP by Antony Johnston & Matthew Loux by Oni Press - another great romantic comedy by Antony Johnston who has captured the essence of this genre and put it on paper. Matthew's art is flowing, fluid, and gorgeous. This should be out everywhere next week so be sure and pick it up.

[Chris McCarver]

Astonishing X-Men #10: Jeezus-tits, that had to be one of the most brutal damned superhero fights I've ever seen in a Marvel comic short of the mall massacre in Supreme Power. And that end bit with Xavier at the end? I'm with Zegers, I've never seen Xavier done so damned cool. (9/10)

Desolation Jones #1: Somehow I feel this series will fill the void the end of Transmetropolitan left in my black, black heart. (9.5/10)

Ultimate Spider-Man #77: Man. I guess this had the desired effect, because this issue bummed me the hell out after flipping to the last page. Gotta wonder what it means when the one Ellis book I purchase is the most upbeat comic I get this week. (9/10)

[ItsDLEVY]

Did anyone buy City of Heroes? If so, how was it?

I did. I've never played the game, so I can't speak to how it ties in, but it manages to introduce a buttload of characters and keep them distinct and interesting. The plot hook is clever enough for me - superheroes have lost their powers but want to continue to fight anyway, but their team leader wants to keep them apart. The coloring (or the printing) is a little dark for my taste, but the art is pretty good, particularly during the big battle sequences. I liked it enough that I'll probably get the next issue.

[BGorski]

I havent picked up my comics yet but heres my list

Astonshing 10
USM
GL Rebirth
UFF

andd... i think thats it. :disguise:

[PeterSparker]

AXM #10 - I agree that this was the best issue of the Danger Room arc so far, and I don't think everything we're seeing is to be believed wither. I'm glad Xavier is gonna be back too, that will just make the book better. I'd also have to say this issue finally won me over on this arc. Cassady was very good here if not great. 8/10

GREEN LANTERN:REBIRTH #6 - An excellent conclusion to a very good mini series. I thought Johns really pulled this off. I loved seeing Batman get decked, and then their face to face at the end. Ethan did an amazing job on every issue, and finished in fine style here. 9/10

BATTLE HYMN #2 - I really like this book so far. Yeah it, in a way, has a been there, done that feel, but still its coming off well. Its also headed in a slightly different direction than I thought. I love the WWII era feel of the book, I like all the characters, especially The Artificial man. Haun's art is a great fit with the style of the book. This story has a good depth to it, and I'm looking forward to the next issue. 8/10

MTU #8 - Now I'm a real big fan of this book, and I liked this issue, but it was probably the least enjoyable so far. Still though, I very much liked it. I know barely anything about Blade, but I thought Kirkman did a great job of giving you a sense of who he and The Punisher are, some good dialouge between them. The book continues to move forward always throwing something new into the mix, this time Vampires, I mean whats not to like about that? :) Jeff Johnson kept the same look as Kolins has givin the book, and did a good job. Loved the last page, and still loving this series. 8/10

USM #77 - This was fucking great!!! This was a kick ass comic book. I hear a lot about people not liking this book as much any more, that its lost its earlier feel, well there may be some truth to that, but with the conclusion of this arc USM is as good as its been yet. The fight was great, I'm actually glad Harry is still alive. The scenes with Fury were excellent, especially Peter knocking him on his ass! The ominus line that Fury then says has totaly kicked up the intrigue in this book big time for the future, and the scene at the end between Peter and MJ was vintage, believable, and a bummer. Bags is friggin Bags, thats all I need to say there! 9/10



Pretty good week, and I agree with the Jack Staff love, I actually didn't pick up the issue today myself because I have the first collected B&W book, and then the first collection of the second color volume, so I want to keep collecting it in trades, but I agree it is great stuff and should be more widely read!!

[Bandit Chimera]

Alright so please bear with me here because i have two weeks worth of comics. (and JLA Classified from last month that never made it into my box.)

Punisher the cell: Wow what a book. I liked how Ennis wrote the Punisher in this book. Normaly he's the kill you and leave kinda guy. Punisher is cold methodical and calculating in this book and it works well. Granted punisher comes off more like a "bad guy" in this book but you'll see why if you read it. Way better than the red Xmas or The End this might very well be one of the best one shots i've read in a while IMO. The art was good too IMO. Nothing drop dead gorgeous but very good. 9.5/10

Punisher 21: I love this arc. If they close the Max line they need to throw this one in icons or somthing because it needs to read and be the way its been this whole series (bloody, violent and lots of mobsters using bad words). The plot thickens and now we know troubles a brewin for Nicky. 9/10


Excaliber 12 and 13: 13 was suposed to be a house of M prelude? Hahahaha bullshit Marvel you guys suck. I liked the story but paige was written campy,Calisto was just kinda fluff, Viper has always been crazy so she was written ok and the rest of the people involved were just meh. I really want to see more of Freakshow, Wicked, Hub and Shola acting as a team though. That Omega sentinal thing is too powerful. Overal only an ok read. Nothing to write home to momma about lol 6/10

Astonishing Xmen 10: WTF happened in this book ? It was great and still is but after reading it i was like "what ?" Hopfully the next one clears stuff up but overal it was quite good. As for the art it was quality as always. 8/10

Villians united 1: I already posted my thoughs about this in another thread 6/10

Lex Luthor 3: I love this book but i wish i knew when it took place in the time frame. The art is simply stunning i wish the artist would do more work in mainstram comics. I'd proabably buy the books for the art alone. 8/10

JLA Classified 6: I'm going to miss this team. They were funny cool and baddass all rolled into one. The art isn't my fav. but i like it. 7/10

Nightwing 108: I'm hoping they get to the point next issue. I want more nightwing and less "mobster dicky" Art is good though. 6/10

GLA 2: Funny but wrong on so many levels. Its morbidly cute, the art is good, and it makes me laugh and occasionaly do a double take. I like it 7/10

Shining knight: I was shakey on the first isue but this one was really good. I had no idea who the mobsters were, the guys with the winged horse, but it was pretty darn good. I'm staying on this ship. 8.5/10

and id review DD Redemption but strangly i can find a "redeeming"quality at all to this book. I would have dropped this after issue 1 except im buying this for my GF.

[Dan]

Let me just put this here:

Somehow Fables didn't end up in my pull bag. This really boils my potatoes.

I did get plenty of other comics however:

Punisher: The Cell Although I've stopped buying Punisher in singles, who knows when Marvel will collect the one-shots, so I had to get this. As usual, Ennis is really gruesome, and writes a really dark book. Loved the Larosa art, although the coloring was sometimes so dark I could hardly see it. This can't be the first time this particular story has been told, though, is it?

Fantastic Four #526 Fair issue, I liked the Grummett art as I so often do. And Diablo was my first FF villain I ever read, so it was fun to see him again. The goofy use of the philosopher's stone here was a weird contrast to it in Gotham Central, that's for sure.

Adam Strange #8 Decent end to the miniseries, if a little scattered. Pascal Ferry has been so great on this whole book. And the setup for Rann/Thanagar war was enough to make me want to pick that up.

Rann/Thanagar War #1 So it was a good thing the comic shop had copies left (hidden behind the counter, but they had them). This had some great art full of huge battle scenes, and the whole idea of all the various alliances possibly choosing sides and starting a huge war is really intriguing.

Gotham Central #31 The other Philospher's stone book. While this arc was a fine read, I didn't really like it as much as the other GC stories. Less procedural, more superheroey, I guess.

Cap & Falcon #14 This series ends, finally, and I have to admit to being disappointed for the most part. It certainly wasn't as great as Priest's other recent work like BP and The Crew. It started out confusing, and never really regained it's footing. And this issue wasn't really any different. Plus, Jurgens' art, while not bad, doesn't match the great work that Joe Bennett was doing on the book.

Battle Hymn #2 Using the Invaders template, but it's way more interesting than the Invaders are, to me at least. The Artificial Man comes off as really creepy. Haun's art works as effectively as the flashback sequences Michael Lark is doing in Cap.

Astonishing X-men #10 I still have no complaints about this book, sure it's not a highbrow look at the X-men or anything, but I'm getting what I want to see. That was a really gruesome attack on Kitty & Colossus. And Whedon is the king of the last line cliffhanger. And of course that cover kicks serious ass.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 You know, the reversal of the "One Punch" with Batman would have gone over a lot better with me if DC weren't destroying the JLI all the time these days! Anyway, the book ends exactly as expected, by now there weren't going to be any real surprises. Great art from EVS. I'm still not a Hal Jordan fan by any means, I'll give the new series a few issues to change my mind.

MTU #8 Punisher & Blade, cool. No actual killing of vampires and mob guys in this issue, not as cool. But it was interesting to at least see the similarities between the 2 characters. Blade, who rarely speaks as Wesley Snipes, has to do all the talking here. Jeff Johnson does a passable job replacing Scott Kolins, who I didn't miss as much due to there not being a huge action blowout for him to draw.

Ultimate Spider-man #77 Bendis does a good job in making the Harry Osborn Goblin fight a lot different than the Norman one. And I loved Spidey's interaction with Nick Fury, and Fury's response should lead to a great story. Also you can really feel the frustration Peter has with MJ. Standard great Bagley action sequences.

Desolation Jones #1 Ah, a new Ellis series. All the regular Ellis stuff is here, and I like it. The whole LA as exile idea should make for great story mileage, and the art's not too shabby either. Who knows, maybe JH Williams will even draw some of that Hitler porn.

I also got the free copy of Ex Machina (I would have left it for someone else, but I really wanted that cover), and I have to say I still love it as much as I did last year when I first read it.

[SolidGoldBomb]

Punisher: The Cell - WOW...lemme say it again....WOW!!! Ennis is THE fucking man. Ennis has just written THE definitive Punisher for Marvel with this book along with Frank's graphically updated origin in Punisher MAX and Punisher: The End as a perfect bookend to this story. This felt like the missing piece of the puzzle for me. And if you loved The End, then this is a must have for you. 10/10

GL: Rebirth #6 - Awesome wrap-up for Hal's return. The art is just incredible...why cant they get Ethan on the regular GL book? And Hal punching Batman was a great panel. I just don't think this is "our reality's" Hal, mainly cause his girl said something like "you're not cold anymore". That might have been a Spectre reference though. 10/10

Rann/Thanagar #1 - This book made me feel like I was missing something for not reading Adam Strange. How much of Adam Strange's story was from his mini series and how much happened after the story ends and before Rann/Thanagar? Another very cool IC tie-in, DC has officially gotten me hooked. 8.5/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #77 - It was pretty good, maybe its just how good DC has been that has me feeling like this title has lost something. Its still good, just not like it used to be. And why couldn't Harry have died instead of Gwen? 7/10

[Freeway]

GL: Rebirth #6 - Awesome wrap-up for Hal's return. The art is just incredible...why cant they get Ethan on the regular GL book? And Hal punching Batman was a great panel. I just don't think this is "our reality's" Hal, mainly cause his girl said something like "you're not cold anymore". That might have been a Spectre reference though. 10/10

Well, because while fantastically awesome...he's SLOW. However, I do believe that Van Sciver is tandeming with Carlos Pacheco on the new title so theoretically, the art will be forever awesome and the book will be forever on-time.

[TyPierce]

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 Not only did Johns make me care about Hal Jordan, a character I didn't have much interest in before this series started, but he's also piqued my interest in the DCU in general. Phenomenal series all around - the art was fantastic and literally stopped me in my tracks on more than one occasion, the story and script was excellent. I'm not a DCU scholar by any means, but I was very impressed with how Johns fit the various facets of Hal/Spectre/Parralax and the histories into a cohesive story. Well done!

Owly - Splashing Around (FCBD) I picked up what few FCBD offerings my shop still had left and was pleasantly surprised by this one. An all-ages tale, it surprised me with it's simplicity and effectiveness. I can totally see kids picking up on Owly and his worm sidekick, and the fact that Munton doesn't use words, but rather pictures and punctuations in their place, is fantastic. Accessible, cute and fun.

Late to the Party (I couldn't get to the shop last week):

Y: The Last Man #33 Wow. The fact that Vaughan continues to surprise us every damn issue is a testament to the greatness of this series. I've hooked several friends on it, and it's my Number 1 Read every month.


Detective Comics #806 Every issue it takes me about 10 pages or so to get back in the groove of what Lapham's doing. Once I do get there, I love it, but I have a feeling this story will read much better in one sitting than monthly. The back-up story is, for once, very good times, and it was nice to see Jeff Parker's art back in the mix.

[masigl4179]

Ok, I just want to go on record for saying that this was one of the best Comic Book Wednesdays I’ve had in a long time. I picked up 10 very strong titles this week, and a lot of times there were no clear losers.
10) JSA# 73- I love the Alex Ross cover of Captain Marvel. It’s so tight because it really seems to radiate such power. The only reason, this is at the bottom of my list, is because this issue was all set up for the JSA to go back to Khandaq, but I’m expecting big things nevertheless, because I know a mission like this is only gone get ugly.
9) Adam Strange#8-I have two complaints about this book. 1) I felt like it lost some steam because maybe it ran longer than it was supposed too, perhaps, it should have been 6 issues instead of 8. 2) I feel like the Darkstars kinda got shafted. I mean one of the joys of this series was seeing all the DC sci-fi characters and then if you really didn’t know them getting an introduction. The Darkstars showed up for one minute and got killed. 2) This isn’t really a complaint but the story didn’t really, righteously come to end, it just kinda transitioned into the Rann-Thanagar War, maybe I would have preferred this to be an ongoing series. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked this mini-series, I thought it was hot, and I’m happy I have the individual issues, and I would highly recommend anyone who hasn’t read it to pick up the trade. This series was so good, that I put it up there with Farscape and my beloved Negation.
8) Rann-Thanagar War#1-You know what, I’ve come to the conclusion, that no matter where you go in the DC universe, you’re going to get f#cked because things are so bad all over right now. It’s like every situation is a pot ready to boil over into the Infinite Crisis. This was a good issue, full of combat action in my opinion. Sure it was mainly set-up, but I’m impressed that Dave Gibbons and Ivan Reis were able to come together and put out such a good product. I’m looking forward to see where it’s going to go.
7) Outsiders#23-I think Arsenal redeemed himself this issue. Lately, every DC book I look at, he’s getting his ass whupped, and he’s with his background and experience he ain’t supposed to be no pushover. I really like how he held his ground against some of the super powered members of the team like Grace. I can also really tell that Winick channeled some of his Real World San Francisco experience into this. I could feel the tension in the air between the Outsiders. I’m curious to see where this is going to go, so now it looks like I have to read Teen Titans.
6) Astonishing X-men#10-I really don’t know if I was Astonished but I have to admit that this had a bunch of “oh sh#t” moments. First of all, I have to give props to Cassaday for that dope cover of Professor X. I liked the fight, but I like how Whedon set the tone for future developments by bringing up SWORD and whatever Emma Frost’s secret is. I like how the Danger Room f#cked up Kitty and Peter, although I have to admit the whole self aware machine construct thing reminds me of Adam from the 4th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m curious to see exactly what Professor X is going to do though.
5) Green Lantern#6- I think Geoff Johns is one of those few DC writers that really gets how much of an @sshole the Batman really is. I also thinks he gets how much of a Hero Hal Jordan really is or how much of a hero Hal Jordan is supposed to be. Honestly, this is one of the best of Superhero resurrection stories I’ve ever read. Probably the only thing better than this is Kevin Smith’s story about the resurrection of Green Arrow. It was a good story with a good art. I really have a good vibe about the upcoming Green Lantern stories.
4) Fables#37-Man, DC is pissing me off, because they are not pushing this book like they should. This is the modern-day Sandman, and they should be pushing it like they did Sandman. This issue continues the story about Blue Boy wrecking havoc in the Homelands. This story really has the makings of a great epic like the Lord of the Rings, although, I’m really not so sure how happy this particular story is going to end.
3) The Punisher#21-Oh my god, Garth Ennis’ Punisher is a soulless killing machine. After, Nicky Cavella desecrated the Castle Family gravesite, Frank Castle goes out of his gourd and goes on one of the most horrific killing rampages that I’ve ever seen. I’m just wondering how f#cked will this story get?
2) Captain America and Falcon#14-Priest, Priest, Priest. Christopher Priest has written one of the best commentaries on what it means to be Captain America in present day America that I have ever read. This series is what the John Neys Rieber Marvel Knights Captain America series was meant to be. I hate that this series has come to an end, and I hate that we didn’t to get see Falcon anymore either, but I really believe that what he did with Sam Wilson, how he changed the dynamic of this book from Cap and Falcon to Falcon and Cap was truly dynamic and groundbreaking. Much love and respect.
1) Desolation Jones#1-In my opinion, Warren Ellis has done it again! He and J.H. Williams of Promethea fame have really blown my mind with Desolation Jones. I see it getting a lot of so-so reviews because people are saying that this series is a retread of Planetary, Transmetropolitan (which I never read), and Global Frequency, and my response is so what? It’s still Warren Ellis, it’s still crazy, it’s still out there, and it’s still brilliant. Come on man, a rogue spook, the lone survivor of horrible experiments, living as a PI in LA, trying to solve the case of Adolph Hitler’s missing porn? That’s insane!

[jamesbell]

I gotta say I am a Punisher Fan and have not been let down.
:D You know I am finding better and better deals online - I am starting to question ever leaving the house. Best prices to date seem to be www.360comics.com (www.360comics.com) but I will keep comparing.

[Ryan Walsh]

Eclipse & Vega 2: My LCS guys gave me crap for buying my "porno" book, and I couldn't tell if they were giving me my usual flak or if they seriously thought that way. It's suggestive as hell, it's blatantly advertising via sex appeal, no doubt, but it's also just a REALLY funny book. Pop culture references and parodies everywhere, plus word play and slapstick, it really tries to hit all the funny buttons. It's not too deep, but it's great for a pick-me up funny book.

Fables 37: Awesome stuff. I love seeing empires that've been cock of the walk get taken down a peg or three. Imagine what it would mean if BB was able to return to Fabletown after all this -- it would mean the Adversary IS vulnerable. And I could very well be wrong, but is the Snow Queen from Narnia? If so, I'm amazed at how much Willingham can draw from; I would've bet anything Narnia was not free license.

MTU 8: I liked the back-and-forth between Blade and Punisher. The green man from wherever plot needs to pick up speed.

Ultimate Spider-Man 77: At first I thought Fury was threatening to "cure" Peter, but from the solicitations, it may be Peter that Fury means to rub out. Peter without Spider-Man's an emotionally unstable security risk, but Spider-Man without Peter's a superhuman without public ties - MUCH more appealing to a man like Fury. The way things are looking for the Peter-side of things, I doubt he could find much of a reason to object, either.

Astonishing X-Men 10: Balls-Out Awesome!! Danger's break-down of the X-Men was very interesting, and they methods both it and the X-Men came up with to compensate with each other were very original. I think Wolverine was taken down too fast, but at the same time it makes sense to make sure he goes down first. I don't think this was a simulation or a mental image, either: I don't think Xavier can enter the brain of a machine for one thing (it put up psychic barricades anyway just to be safe), and even if he could there was too much innovation from everyone to all come from him. My bet is that the X-Men are in real medical trouble, and an alien killbot is on it's way to Genosha, and that it'll have to deal with not one but TWO people it's never dealt with before (unless Magneto's pulled some Danger Room time, that is.)


I'm just wondering, would threads like this (review/ feedback of comics) be better off looking more at the WAY these books are written, rather than the characters they're about? I'm noticing that a lot of us, myself included, spend way more time talking about the characters and how true their actions and motivations are when there's so much more to what we buy that we don't talk about much. Fables switched voices from the last issue to this one, going from BB's perspective to the comptroller's, that had a significant effect on the way the story was told between issues. Astonishing's been gradually moving from the X-Men's perspective at the beginning of the current arc to the Danger Room's perspective in this one, letting the reader get to know the type of character Danger would be before actually introducing her, and thus making her appearance less random and more significant. Also, why female characteristics? It could just as easily have taken on more masculine proportions. Was it looking for increased manueverability, did it want to play on old time "don't hit women" sympathies from the mostly-male group, or was it to suggest the possibility that this incredibly lethal threat could reporduce? These are the things that MAKE a story worth reading at least as much as the characters and plot, but they don't seem to get as much recognition. That's something I'm going to try to pay more attention to, I think.

[greg donovan]

Owly - Splashing Around (FCBD) I picked up what few FCBD offerings my shop still had left and was pleasantly surprised by this one. An all-ages tale, it surprised me with it's simplicity and effectiveness. I can totally see kids picking up on Owly and his worm sidekick, and the fact that Munton doesn't use words, but rather pictures and punctuations in their place, is fantastic. Accessible, cute and fun.


i am "reading" Owly to my 3 year old daughter. she is anjoying it but the attention span only allows for about 5 minutes or so of this type of "reading" at a time. we take our time and describe the pictures to each other. i plan on ordering the rest of them.

i loved the end of USM.

i am part way through the first star wars tales #23. the art in the second story looks awesome.

[TheManWithoutFear]

My only buy this week...

Ultimate Spider-Man #77 - Well this was THE WORST ARC ever. I come onto this thread and I see all of you fanboys giving it a 9/10. Bendis is not coming to your house for dinner no matter how hard you try. I am a very very very easy person to please. I'm a huge fanboy whose just content with nearly everything. When I think something is bad, it's just gotta be bad. I really feel that with this arc the title is getting insanely sloppy.

Shaw isn't even explained. Maybe he will down the road but when's that gonna be? Another year until we get GG vs. HG.

I was so hopeing that Harry was going to die. I was hopeing that Harry and Norman would be working together at some point in this arc and Norman would go crazy and destroy his son. This would totally mess with Peter's head and amp up Norman's "archenemy" status to the max.... no we have to wait and wait and wait to see what happens because now all that happened was Harry was captured, like his father, and we have two "mutant-goblins"... not cool, IMO.

Hulkbusters? Ok, here's my theory on Millar and the whole Hulk situation. Fury let Hulk live, period. So the only reason that there better be Hulkbusters is because Fury knows Hulk is still alive otherwise Hulk is dead... and if you're going to bring "Ultimate Hulkbusters" in, you should at least please other fanboys and have a character named Talbot in charge of them... thanks for nothing there... should've been left for the Ultimate Hulk Mini.

Fury... I won't comment on the "stripping of powers" thing because I don't know where it's going or where you're going to take it. So do your thing just try to make it make some sense. As for Fury attacking Hobgoblin against Peter's wishes... I have no problem with that. Peter's a kid and what did he want to do sit there and talk with Harry? Ok... Fury did the right thing and it's not like he killed Harry so. I love how Bendis writes Fury I really do but if he's trying to take him down the "Fury's a bad guy" road, I'll be livid.

MJ/Pete ... I believe they're meant for eachother but really I could give a shit about them anymore it's just annoying and I hate seeing it... thank god the whole next issue centers on MJ and her being "dumped"... can't wait... :roll:

3/10

[JoshuaFialkov]

My only buy this week...



Shaw isn't even explained. Maybe he will down the road but when's that gonna be? Another year until we get GG vs. HG.


Um, SPOILERS
SHaw is a safety construct that Norman had programmed into Harry during Therapy. They cover it pretty clearly in the second issue of the arc, I think..

Or am I imagining things?

[TheManWithoutFear]

Um, SPOILERS
SHaw is a safety construct that Norman had programmed into Harry during Therapy. They cover it pretty clearly in the second issue of the arc, I think..

Or am I imagining things?

No I agree with you. But it's definitely not explained and I know at other boards people are just not buying the fact that he is imaginary and think he's actually some kind of mutant who SHIELD can't see. But seriously it should've been covered and then instead of breaking his dad out Shaw wants him to kill himself? WHY? WHY?

[Criden]

because harry's gone fucking crazy with thismental construct in his head, this drug-induced imaginary friend.

[DrSettleton]

These reviews are sponsered by Shaw, everybody's favorite drug induced imaginary friend. Now at CVS for $19.99! 2 for $29.99!

Best buy bitches!

PUNISHER #21:

Yes, this is the best Punisher has ever been. Yes, the current storyline is the best- FUCK YEAH!- sorry, it's hard for me to restrain my enthusiasm for this book. Why aren't you buying it? You must realize this can't last. The MAX line is headed for Memorylane and Punisher will most likely be back at Marvel Knights in a few years. Will Ennis stick around? (Don't believe me? They've already slated Supreme Power to put it's clothes back on! Marvel Knights is gonna be Marvel's censored MAX line!) Ahem. 10/10. thank you Ennis, you sick fuck.

Rest of em:

ASTONISHING X-MEN #10:
Look, we're all happy that there is finally a good X-Men book going on, but that doesn't excuse "Danger", one of the stupidest characters ever made! The best thing about this book is the dialogue and the perfect mix of characters. What else can you ask for...um...besides decent villains...Hey, at least Whedon is trying to come up with new characters, like Ord from SWORD!!!...uhhhhh.....uuuuuuuggh.....huuuuuuuughh. ..(please keep trying!)
8/10

MNEMOVORE#2:

I really like the art in this book. I do. This is an interesting read that hasn't made me wish I'd used my $2.99 on tiny little hookers...yet. Dun dun!!
6/10.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #77: I kind of agree with the guy that said we need to stop thinking Bendis is coming over for dinner. He's eating at home tonight. And this book feels mailed in to me. I wrote a review for USM a few issues back- right here on this board! and I said, "What happened to the Ultimate in Ultimate Spider-Man?" It's effin gone mates. Whoo hoo, the art is great and the book is better than on time but...who gives a shit anymore? Who thinks, "Man oh man, this is the week USM comes out! I'm gonna cream my pants (this works for guys and girls) if Wednesday doesn't come soon!" Nobody! Nobody does- and Bendis, you are getting called out. Fix this fucking book. Give us something we haven't seen before. Please. (This book shouldn't be getting the same grade as Mnemovore)
6/10.

PUNISHER: The Cell:
I don't know what to say guys. This book would give Patrick Bateman 1'000 boners. Ennis is at the top of his Punisher game. But this issue did make me think that this story MUST have been told before somewhere. Does anybody know where?
10/10


I got chased by a dog today so I'm feelin a little uppitty. (I'm a mail-man, so, y'know.)

[Criden]

i actually don't think it was, doc.

[Ben Rosen]

I actually really liked USM, the only book I've read so far this week. Set up some interesting things for the future, like Fury and the breakup of Peter and MJ. And Shaw was explained pretty well I thought. Gets a 9/10 from me.

[DrSettleton]

i actually don't think it was, doc.

Wasn't there a story in Punisher War Journal where he meets up with the guy that was supposed to be killed in Central Park? I vaguely recall this happening somewhere...

[Criden]

Wasn't there a story in Punisher War Journal where he meets up with the guy that was supposed to be killed in Central Park? I vaguely recall this happening somewhere...

maybe...but nothing like this.

[BENDIS!]

I actually really liked USM, the only book I've read so far this week. Set up some interesting things for the future, like Fury and the breakup of Peter and MJ. And Shaw was explained pretty well I thought. Gets a 9/10 from me.

You want to come over my house for dinner?

[Captain Sensation]

Ultimate Spider-man......so many words cant even begin to describe how disappointed with this book i am. Bendis is given credit as a great writer and his name alone seems to keep a lot of people from seeing how bad the series has got as of late. Bags art is good as usual, but the stories have fallen off. I view USM like i view eminem....the content was good the first album came out, but when you get so deep down the road from the first couple of albums and compare them to the last one(which wasnt anything great) you feel cheated. You feel cheated because you expect quality and you are given something that feels half assed. Im sorry but when you compare the first half of the series to the later.....its like 2 different writers wrote it.

Nothing was solved in this issue or the arc for that matter....i could have skipped over this arc and felt like i didnt miss anything at all save for the break up. the whole setup/flashback/fight/last issue of reflection is growing stale. Sure bendis is still a good writer, but i feel a lot of people just say usm is great just because its better than a lot of the other comics coming out. That is true, but that doesnt take away from the awful writing as of late. If the next issue doesnt add some insight on this arc or continues to bore me, this book will be dropped....mr bendis...that is not a threat...that is a promise.

Now if only yorick could wear a costume id be hooked on that book a lot more than any other comic out there.

[PeterSparker]

You want to come over my house for dinner?


Bastard, I liked USM too. :x And are these guys really right, you're not gonna come over for dinner? Fine, then wait'll you read my review for HoM! (and I was gonna make paella too...)

[J_Esformes]

Ultimate Spider-man- Bagley Is Getting Better And Better. Its A Nice Escape From Artists Who Are Trying To Give Comics That Realistic Look. I Think This Comic Has Everything I Used To Love About Spider-man From When I Was Young, Great Action, A Cartooonist Slant On Pencils, Humorous Dialogue, And A Consistent Teenage Turmoil That Is Peter Parker. For 77 Issues This Has Been A Guaranteed Fun Experience From When The First Page Opens Until The Last One Closes. Its Always One Of The First I Read From The Pile And That Says Something. Also Not To Be Overlooked Is J.d. Smith On Colors. Man From Breaking Night To Day Through The Fight To Osborns Fiery Figure This Dude Totally Completes This Comic.

Totally agree. A fantastic series so far. I haven't been disappointed not even once with this series. This is the series that brought be back to comics. Hope Bendis writing is not affected by the few negative comments in the net, as I wouldn't like any changes in his style and the overall direction of the series. A very solid run, and I’m sure that Bendis knows what he is doing and where he going in the future with USM.

[Blandy vs Terrorism]

Punisher: The Cell- Wow. The end was completely not anything I expected. And four of the most powerful and upsetting panels I've seen in a comic in a long time.

The Gift 8 through 11- Starting to see a little bit more of what's behind the Ancient One, but not enough to really give anything away, leaving me wanting more and more. This book is visual crack. I'm still missing issues 6 and 7 though.

This is all I've read so far still to go....

Punisher 21
Green Arrow 50
Hawkman 39
Outsiders 23
JSA 73
Adam Strange 1
Robin 137
Wonder Woman 216
Nightwing 108
City of Heroes 1
FF 526
GL: Rebirth 6
AXM 10
Marvel Nemesis: The Imperfects 1
MTU 8
Desolation Jones 1
Action Comics 827

EDIT forgot the trades

Nightwing: Big Guns
Stray Bullets vol 2
Hellblazer: Red Sepulchre
Punisher: Mother Russia

[Ben Rosen]

You want to come over my house for dinner?

:lol:

it worked!

;)

[bstie1198]

Um, on the whole Shaw thing, the only reason I can think of that people would be confused as to whether or not he was real is that it's the same character that tried to kill Peter in the opening arc, but if he's a mental implant, it makes sense that Harry'd imagine him to be the same as someone who was his father's assistant. And I enjoyed the arc. Everything's a matter of taste, and this arc (especially the past two issues) was heavy on Bagley action, which is something we haven't really seen much of. It was a change of pace from the talking heads with maybe one or two pages of Peter in costume. I can't describe how much I enjoyed watching Bags cut loose.

[SolidGoldBomb]

Punisher #21 - Oh My FUCKING GOD! If this isn't the best comic being made today, I don't know what is. This comic was so good I needed a beer after I read it to calm my nerves, I felt like I was right there watching this. The Punisher with a M50 Machine Gun going insane while he's talking about the recurring dream he has.....just amazing stuff. I applaud Marvel for letting Ennis cut loose like this, this is the best that The Punisher will ever be....EVER! 11/10!!!

Astonishing X-Men #10 - Good shit all around. Colossus & Kitty getting skewered made me do a serious double-take. WTF...WOW! This comic is still kickin ass. 8.6/10

Desolation Jones #1 - Good setup issue, I think im on for the ride. I like Jones' character, and the dialogue was great. Good mix of dark humor and action as well, and the last page with the Angels over LA was great. Can't wait to see how crazy this gets. 8/10

[St.-]

You want to come over my house for dinner?

why isnt there a thread of just Bendis' post here, like this one?

[David]

My first post on this board... hope I don't make a jackass out of myself right out of the gate.

Ulttimate Spiderman 77 - Wrapped up the arc nicely, but i have a (probably stupid) question that goes back 3 issues. In issue 73 Mr. Shaw is taking Harry to Normans secret bunker and he's driving, but Mr. Shaw is a "figment' of Harry's imagination (or more percise a "program" implanted by Norman by Harry's theropist during his sessions), so who the hell then is driving the car??? or was that all just a dream sequence to help Harry deal with who his father really is? See told ya stupid, but its just been nagging me.

The Punisher The Cell - Uh....I thought Castle had already killed all the people involved in his families murder. Loved the sequence involving the 5 retelling their darkest secrets, reminded me of a dark spoof of the scar swapping stories in Jaws and Chasing Amy for some reason.

Marvel Nemesis:The Imperfects 1 - Loved Ben at the beginning of the book, especially his dialouge with the kids in the pizzaria/comic shop. Seems to me that Spidey was just thrown into the mix hap-hazardly as you see what was going on with Ben,Logan,and Elektra but he just shows and says he was in the middle of breaking up a car thift. Want to see where the story goes.

Desolation Jones 1 - My fave of the week (sorry Bendis, that question's still bugging me), loved the concept and the entire sequence in Filthy's Porno store.

Matador 1 - For some reason this book had me lost half way thorugh, even though i understood what was going on. Loved the fight sequence at the end, especially the 3/4 page 3 panel backflip the matador does all the while popping rounds off into the car.

Not Yet Finished:
BITE CLUB TPB - Meant to read it during work but alas, but why is the trade the size of a digest trade, curious.....

[Blandy vs Terrorism]

Punisher #21 - Oh My FUCKING GOD! If this isn't the best comic being made today, I don't know what is. This comic was so good I needed a beer after I read it to calm my nerves, I felt like I was right there watching this. The Punisher with a M50 Machine Gun going insane while he's talking about the recurring dream he has.....just amazing stuff. I applaud Marvel for letting Ennis cut loose like this, this is the best that The Punisher will ever be....EVER! 11/10!!!


Not to be picky, but it's an M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon). Other than that, I completely agree with you.

[ItsDLEVY]

The only thing I've read this week that either I haven't already mentioned or other people haven't adequately covered is the Avengers TPB "Kang: Time and Time Again." I'm about halfway through, and it's a lot of fun. It combines a couple of Avengers arcs with some Kang appearances from Thor and Hulk. The reproductions are sharp and the colors are bold - and there's none (yet) of the occasional pixillated bad scans that occasionally plagues Marvel reprints.

At the back of the book is an epic-length Kang profile ala Marvel Handbook. It hurt my brain to try to keep track of all the different Kangs, timelines, and Earth-###s, but that's okay. One of the arcs reprinted in the book even pokes fun at this, with Kangs from different timelines policing the stupid Kangs who muck up their reputation by launching hairbrained, doomed-to-fail schemes.

The book isn't a must-have, and it's a little peculiar that it doesn't include the very first Kang stories from either FF or Avengers, but it's a lot of fun to read and certainly is tiding me over until the next Young Avengers issue arrives.

[Howlett]

The Punisher The Cell - Uh....I thought Castle had already killed all the people involved in his families murder. Loved the sequence involving the 5 retelling their darkest secrets, reminded me of a dark spoof of the scar swapping stories in Jaws and Chasing Amy for some reason.
You could say that it was a flashback story. I don't remember actually SEEING Frank kill the people who killed his family, it was just mentioned. And it isn't a big stretch either since it wouldn't be the first time that he was in prison and escaped.

[David]

You could say that it was a flashback story. I don't remember actually SEEING Frank kill the people who killed his family, it was just mentioned. And it isn't a big stretch either since it wouldn't be the first time that he was in prison and escaped.

I am duely rebuked sir, it has been a while since I read my early punisher issues, and you are correct in saying that the gunmen were (to what i've read) been never PUNISHED. You are also correct with the prison and escape mention, see.. told you, right out the gate and I make my self sound like a jackass.

[dEnny!]

Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 by Geoff Johns & Ethan Van Sciver - And Hal Jordan and the Corp are back! I really enjoyed this series, I loved the pages where they showed the differences between the various GL's. Kyle the artist, Kilowog the brute strength, John the technically minded, Guy the spontaneous one, and of course Hal the consistent, fearless, experienced one. The funny thing is this issue also reminded me why I don't always enjoy reading the Green Lantern books, it's not something I can put my finger on, it's just the "feel" of the book. Weird. Maybe I'm more of a Batman/Green Arrow kind of guy; if that makes sense. I will be checking out the new Green Lantern series though.

Gotham Central #31 by Greg Rucka & Stefano Gaudiano - an excellent, emotional conclusion to this amazing storyline. This is by far one of DC's best titles and most underrated. I highly recommend everyone check this book out. The second trade is on the way and hopefully DC will get off their butts and get a third one out soon.

Nightwing #108 by Devin Grayson, Phil Hester & Ande Parks - As usual Hester & Parks deliver. I can not rave enough about this duo. However, Grayson continues to underwhelm with this unbelievable "Donnie Brasco" tale.

[Doug]

Only one other person read Gail's Action Comics debut?

I'm dissapointed in you all.

It was a very good start to her run. Byrne's art was pretty good too.

I though Gail mixed in the right amounts of humor and action. This is Gail's first crack at one of the biggest characters in comics ever, and she handled herself well. I hope this is the beginning of a very long run.

8.5/10

[thecheat1]

I thumbed through the Action Comics issue at the racks, Byrne's artwork is dangerously close to being a deal breaker for me (though his writing is an even bigger deal breaker) and the issue just didn't look all that interesting. With so many good things coming out, I just can't afford to buy something just for moral support of a creator I like (Simone).

[thecheat1]

Enjoyed your reviews Denny, seemed like they said what I was thinking pretty nicely. Hester and Parks really can save a book in my opinion. Heck, they got me to read Winick's Green Arrow!

[Jef UK]

No one read Wonder Woman this week? I think y'all are missing out, especially those of you who enjoy Rucka's work. Rag's artwork was wonderful as well. This issue was creepy and cool and Wonder Woman is one of my favorite books out there these days. I used to consider myself a Marvel Zombie, but DC is kicking ass right now!

I guess I'm the only one that thought R'ann/Thanagar War was boring. Definitely my least favorite Countdown book (Omac and Day of Vengeance tying for 1st so far).

A great week, though: MTU, AXM, USM, GLR, WW, and the Punisher books, all had me saying, "Whoah," at least once per issue. Desolation Jones was cool too.

Excalibur sucked like I knew it would, but I couldn't resist the House Of M tie-in. What was interesting about this issue, though, was that Claremont didn't use any Narration boxes! Any exposition was given in dialogue, which I have never seen him do in all my years of reading him. Sadly, I think Claremont has been churning out crap for the last 10 years, so I generally avoid any books with his name on it. But good for him for changing it up a bit.

Marvel Nemises #1: was okay, but I'm not going to waste my money or time with the rest. The story isn't going to matter in the long run, and this story crafted to sell a videogame or something, right?

Rock!

[TheManWithoutFear]

Yeah, I just want to bring up two things about USM #76 again. I know, why won't I let it go?

Anyway, two things that people said that I'm too lazy to go back and look for.

#1. How is Shaw driving if he's a figment of Harry's imagination? The answer lies within' a movie called fight club. Harry's actually doing the driving if he's even going anywhere. He could just be dreaming about the whole bunker too. If Tyler Durden was a figment of the Narrator, then how did he physically do all the things that he did in the movie? Shaw's character in this arc was actually my favorite thing about it... I just wish it was expanded upon.

#2 Someone gives props to Bagley for the transition of Day to Night during the fight? Hmmm.... The fight takes place during classtime so that would be daytime, no later than about 2:30. I don't think it was a transition at all. I think it was a mistake just like Iron Man floating around the Trisk was a mistake.

Ok, I'm done now... sorry guys.