AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #619: I already cranked on for a while last week about how great the team of Dan Slott and Marcos Martin are on Spider-Man. So to keep things punchy… That continues to be true this week! Plus, Mysterio, mobsters, and mysteries… Oh my! This is good comics.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #32: Personally? I like Taskmaster in the background, part of the cast; throwing off quips and beating people down without a care. So I’m not inclined to be crazy about this issue which puts him center-stage, and really explores his psyche. That said, Christos Gage does a good job constructing a unique story about the man with a skull for a head, and giving him motivation for throwing himself center stage in Siege. I like what Gage has been doing these past few issues, but I’m itching to see him get back to the school aspects of the title (or rather, Avengers Academy) post-Siege.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #6: It’s a bit of a bummer that this didn’t come out on time, because it’s easily the most purely enjoyable issue of this whole series. While on a whole Reborn may have suffered from pacing problems – both real world, and script wise – the non-stop battle scene is of course perfectly drawn by Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice, with big moments aplenty (pun intended, you’ll see what I mean on Wednesday). And while the final fate of a few characters may have been ruined in advance, there’s still a surprise here and there, and some great teases for Cap’s future. With this whole “event” out of the way, it’s time for Brubaker to get back to telling great Captain America stories. Which, given the timing, he’s already done, starting last week. Bully for that.

DAREDEVIL #504: …And with this issue, Andy Diggle finally steps up and gives us something new with his run. He’s stay playing with Brubaker’s toys (and by extension Bendis’), but just like Daredevil finally taking a stand, Diggle starts to set up a Daredevil we haven’t seen before. I’d love to see him push it even farther, but right now, the promise of the “Matt Murdock: Leader of the Hand” set-up is starting to pay off.

FALL OF THE HULKS: RED HULK #1: Normally, I’d say one Red Hulk book is more than enough, but honestly, that’s not what this book really is, so that’s a-okay with me. Jeff Parker taking on the good guy team, and filling in the gaps between various other issues in the Fall of the Hulks saga is good comics. Because it is mostly exposition, its a bit more talking than last week’s Hulk books, but its still good fun, with at least two plot points that reveal info about classic characters that fit perfectly into existing continuity – something that Parker is always good at. This event is just getting started, and I’m really starting to dig it.

FANTASTIC FOUR #575: This is the first issue of FF it feels like Jonathan Hickman is firing on all cylinders, mixing fantastic science with FF continuity new and old. Dael Eaglesham’s art, as always, is Rockwell-esque and beautifully colored, so the issue looks great, and it’s nice to see a new spin on a Mole Man story. Given the back-matter though (you’ll see when this comes out), I’m very, very curious as to where the story is going.

KICK-ASS #8: You know, like most of Mark Millar’s work, Kick-Ass is way, way over the top. It’s a movie in comic book form (hence, you know, the upcoming movie). And it’ll read far better in the trade than in the single issue form. But damn me if it isn’t a hell of a ride while you’re getting there. This issue, like every other issue of the book, is basically a big F-U to comic book fans, showing how freaking stupid we all are. You can almost hear Millar cackling at his keyboard as he writes the thing. But if you’re into a little of the old ultra-violence, and some great John Romita Jr. art, this is a ton of fun. Again, I’d recommend just getting this in trade; it’s a breeze to read, and will feel a little fuller with all eight issues together. But for those of you wondering: yes, he ties up the story; yes, its satisfying; and yes, he gets in a couple of ridiculous sequences before he’s done. If you liked the previous seven issues, why wouldn’t you pick this up?

MS. MARVEL #49: Brian Reed is playing on themes he’s explored throughout his run on this series, and while it’s not as slam-bang as the previous issue, or, presumably the next (final) issue, it’s still a lot of fun. He’s done a heck of a job on this title, and I’m going to save most of my praise for next month when we see how it concludes.

NEW AVENGERS #61: I got totally confused halfway through this issue, thinking Stuart Immonen was working in a bold new art style. Turns out, it was Danie Acuna taking half the pages, and I’m kind of dumb. Oh well! Anyway, some fun fights in this issue, nothing really earth-shattering (as opposed to the last few cornerstone issues). But the centerpiece is a delightful, patented Bendis exchange between Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, that, let’s say, is Peanuts-esque. Really.

PUNISHER #13: Never, ever let the Punisher not be a Frankenstein monster. He’s just too fun the way he is. This issue sees Frank start to fight back, and it’s the bloody good time you’d expect from Rick Remender and Tony Moore. The art is not quite as clean as previous issues (probably do to a collabo with Mike Hawthorne), but it’s still eminently readable.

THOR #606: Kieron Gillen ties up his first arc just how he came in, with class and style. There’s some nice action moments between Doom and Thor, and good character moments for Balder and Loki. Like a lot of titles, there’s a bit of treading water until Siege is over and Fraction and Romita Jr. take over, but it’s pleasant enough water. Plus, Gillen is plenty confident with the old-timey speak; here’s hoping, even if he’s not on Thor in the long run, he still gets to play in that side of the Marvel U again.

ULTIMATE COMICS ENEMY #1: So… Ultimate Secret War, huh? Already? Maybe? All the chips aren’t quite on the table yet, but there are enough clues to make this intriguing. Bendis is writing on all cylinders, channeling Ultimate Spider-Man more than, say, Siege. And Rafa Sandoval’s art is gorgeous. But I can’t help feel like we were just here with Ultimatum. Maybe this is Ultimate Ultimatum? If it is, that’s the most genius thing I’ve ever heard. Regardless, great character stuff with the Ultimate FF (and how long has it been since that last happened?), even if I’m still a little unclear as to the thrust – or reason – for the series.

X-FACTOR #201: It’s nice to see this title back to doing what it does best, which is twisty mysteries set in the Marvel Universe. I’m sure writer Peter David will get back to the greater continuity at some point, but hopefully with the bump in numbers, and re-focus of the title, more people are picking this up… Which will let X-Factor go long enough to get back to those bigger issues. For now, though: evil Fantastic Four; cryptic Layla; and everybody kind of liking (but also hating) each other is what this title is good at.

X-FORCE #23: Ah, this is a toughie. I’ve been really enjoying both X-Force, and the Necrosha cross-over. And previous issues have been great, with big moments and hardcore action aplenty. I’ve even been a fan of Clayton Crain’s dark, metallic, and exaggerated art, which has perfectly fit this title. But… With dead people in dark places, blood and pieces of people flying everywhere… It was honestly pretty tough to figure out what was going on in this issue. I got the general gist of this story, and there’s a nice moment with Angel. Plus, the quieter storyline with Rahne and her wolf prince, which “ties up” this time around was completely clear. But all the dark color and sheen ruined a few key moments (and you know they’re key moments, as the dialogue indicates it). Hopefully, once our characters are out of small, metal hallways next issue, things will get a little clearer.

X-MEN LEGACY #232: The tough thing about overpowered, unstoppable enemies like Proteus is that they are unstoppable. You have to develop some sort of convoluted explanation to beat them. So while this issue has good fights in it, eventually, down the road, there’s going to be some sort of deus ex machina, and that’s a little frustrating. I hate to judge a book by an entirely different issue down the road, but there you go. Nice last page, by the way.