AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #609 - Guggenheim continues his “Who Was Ben Reilly?” arc with appearances by Kaine, flashbacks to Ben Reilly, and a new villain (first introduced in ASM Annual #something) called Raptor. This is fine. I like Guggenheim as a writer, and don’t have an inherent problem with revisiting the Clone Saga. There’s something to be said for tackling hated storylines, and making them work… But it feels like Guggenheim is playing it a little safe here. Also, and this is very nitpicky, but there’s a lot of fond farewell going on. I realize Guggenheim (along with Dan Slott, Zeb Wells, and a few others) was on the original Spidey brain-trust that so successfully rebooted Mr. Parker in Brand New Day. But each of the individual authors hasn’t written quite enough stories to make the nose blowing and fond farewells worth it. A long, consistent run I could have seen, but Guggenheim has written a few arcs, and that’s it. Anyway, I’m being nitpicky, as stated. This is still more solid than Spider-Man has been in years, so bully to them.

DARK AVENGERS #10 - I swear to god, if I read one more scene of the Dark Avengers sitting around a table eating lunch, I will… Well, I’ll probably still read the rest of the issue, but between that, and the New Avengers getting most of their missions from watching the TV, there’s a little bit of wheel spinning going on. That aside, one of my favorite characters is back, and I’m a total sucker for villains turned heroes re-embracing their villainy. The last page is a doozy (though I’m worried it’ll turn out to be a fake-out; if not, holy cats). And the comedy stuff with Venom is probably not quite as funny as anyone thought it was, though maybe that will pay off, too? Last little quibble. With the Women in Marvel event coming up next year, can we put a moratorium on showing how evil/strong willed a woman is by having her f**king whoever happens to be around? Moonstone having sex with people is becoming as tedious as Venom wanting to eat brains. I like having sex and eating, too, but I also talk about other things occasionally.

DARK REIGN: THE LIST – HULK - After this issue, I really want to see a Ms. Hand vs. Agent Brand fight. They both have weird hair, and oppositely tinted sunglasses! Anyway, this is reliably solid work from Pak, and though there is a biggish event in the issue, it doesn’t feel as remotely necessary as the main issue of Incredible that comes out this week. Weirdly. I really, really want to like this “List” event, but the whole thing feels held back by a lack of change.

DARK WOLVERINE #79 - Smart. If there’s one word I’d use to describe Dark Wolverine, that’s the one I’d use. It’s a bunch of intelligently written double crosses that have done far more to outline Daken’s character, and make him a viable addition to the Marvel Universe. Though I have no idea how it would fare in the long run or if once Daken leaves Osborn’s employ it’ll even be worth it, I’d be more interested to see a Daken ongoing than any of the thousand Wolverine stories that are happening at any particular time. Wolverine is in stasis; Daken has the ability to grow and change.

DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #4 – This continues to be one of the top three Deadpool books being published by Marvel!

INCREDIBLE HULK #603 - As I said earlier, I’m loving this book now. Great, great character work with Skaar and Banner vs. Daken and Wolverine, a nice twist on the old Hulk/Wolverine rivalry that perfectly fits with the characters. The Wolverine/Banner stuff in particular is fun without feeling forced. I don’t know that I’m 100% buying the “Banner is the true monster here!” thing that’s going on… He’s not Professor X for goodness sake (plus, why smart people have a whole madonna/whore thing going on in the Marvel U is a much longer essay). But I’ll buy it for the fun interplay between Banner and Skaar, and because I’m really curious to see where this is going. Pak consistently plays the long game, so I’m in for the long haul.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #19 - Is it fair to call this the best Iron Man story ever? Probably not until the next arc (Tony Stark: Disassembled) is done, but in my mind I can’t think of a better one. Demon in a Bottle was revolutionary, but it doesn’t hold up. Armor Wars, I guess, but again… Just okay. Fraction has crafted a brilliant Flowers for Algernon meets Marvel U tale that works in and out of continuity. Yes, it’s essentially based in current Dark Reign stuff. But I contend that all you need to know is that Norman Osborn has stolen Tony Stark’s armor, and now wants everything else that’s in him. That’s all you need to know. And though the “twist” Fraction has been touting for the end may not be as mind-blowing as he’s teased, it is pretty sweet (natured that is), and a great pay-off for long time fans of the current Marvel U. Can’t wait for the next issue.

MIGHTY AVENGERS #30 - Right around this arc is when Mighty Avengers became fun again, and this issue is no different. Big Avengers action, old school style, and I’m enjoying every moment of it. There’s a scene so ballsy in here with Hank Pym, I wanted to scoff, and yet… It felt like the Avengers comics I used to read as a kid, with silly over the top cosmic moments that aren’t there to darken the Universe; they’re there to lighten them. MA is on the vanguard of what’s probably coming from Marvel next year, and if this is the direction, I like it.

SPIDER-WOMAN #2 - This is great. Bendis writing a character he loves, in a genre he loves, with Alex Maleev drawing? Lovely. And I’ll say for the record that this is probably worth the extra two bucks, versus the motion comic, so you can spend some time with Maleev’s art.

THUNDERBOLTS #137 - I love Rick Remender, but this is the most fill-in issue of Thunderbolts in a long while. Looking forward to Jeff Parker picking it up next ish (I think?) so we can get back to building the story.

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #41 - The first half of this issue, which essentially treads the same ground as Incredible Hulk this week, is the most fun I’ve had reading a Wolverine story in a good long time. Big fun moments, great character work, and then… Then Romulus, king of the wolf-people, master of bonking people on the head with swords, and nefarious owner of an operator style telephone headset comes back into play. Sigh. I’m all for maniacal uber-villains, but this guy is just not doing it for me. He’s more Dr. Claw than Apocalypse, and that’s just silly. Probably worth a pick up, though, for the delightful first half.

X-MEN LEGACY #228 - I guess the MO of this title now is “in flux?” Or, at least, reflecting the side goings-on of the main X-Men continuity. Mike Carey turns in a reliably solid script, and Emplate is a pretty great villain… But I wish I knew where this was going. Back when the title got renamed after Messiah Complex, my main concern was that Professor X regaining his memory wasn’t a sustainable concept. And though it lasted far longer (and better) than I thought it would, the title has switched over to Rogue, Gambit, and Danger. Which is nice and all, but again, there doesn’t seem to be a mission statement here other than “support the main title.” Probably a bit more sustainable in the long run, but also not the most necessary of concepts. Anyway, it’s a good issue, worth picking up, but I wish there was more of a focus. Ah well.