AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #610: This may be totally unfair, but I feel like, if you’re going to go and do a Clone Saga storyline, just go for it. Yes, Kaine was thrown back into the mix. Yes, there were scenes with Ben Reilly. And yes, the Clone Saga is the most hated (or is it second most hated now?) storyline in Spider-Man history. But this whole storyline suffered from playing things a little too safe. Guggenheim turns in yet another reliable script (his last for Spidey), and while I wasn’t crazy about Mario Checchetto, Luke Ross, and Rick Magyar’s art, the sequences in the past are appropriately Sal Buscema-esque. But… This needed to be a balls-to-the-wall action adventure, almost a f- you to the audience. Take the insanity of the clone saga, distill it down, and spin it in a way where the threat level is ratcheted up to 11. And we didn’t quite get there. Solid comics, as usual, but it needed to get tongues wagging. It didn’t.

ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS PROLOGUE: For those of you wondering when to jump on Incredible Hercules — this is the issue. Pak and Ven Lente make every issue of Herc brim with humor and intelligence. It’s a dense, fun read in exactly the right way… Only problem is, it ain’t sellin’ too good. So here we go with a universe spanning cross-over, kicking off with a fight with Spider-Man, and guest appearances by the big stars of the Marvel U. It’s a sales ploy… But it totally works. This issue builds on months of Herc storylines, and introduces every single bit of the storyline, conflict, and characters succinctly in one or two pages, without feeling needlessly expository. Plus, even if you haven’t been paying attention to the title before, there’s a new/old adversary, the big bad of the series, who also is effortlessly added in. Fun, funny, sexy, and darn near perfect: you need to know nothing to pick up this issue, other than that you have a love of comics and things that are good.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #32: Can I say I like this current storyline approximately one million times better than the last one? I think I probably can, because I’m writing this review, so I’ll just go ahead and put this on record: I can totally get behind biological sentinels that shoot brood from their fingertips. That’s good comics.

BLACK WIDOW: DEADLY ORIGIN #1: I love Paul Cornell, and though this is a blatant “let’s get the series out, so we can collect it in trade before Iron Man 2″ move, he completely makes the issue work. In particular, the first scene is a doozy of spy one-up-manship. The rest of the issue is a current day story mixed with flashbacks to the Black Widow’s, um, deadly origin, and while I’m not a huge fan of the “huge swathe of a person’s life” montage, Cornell does make the flashbacks fluid and easy to read. What I’m not as crazy about is the current day story, but as that’s given the least page time, I could change my mind next issue.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #4: Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Four issues in, and we finally get the huge action movie we were promised from the start, with big reveals, big villains, and big, big action. Hitch draws the crap out of this issue, and Brubaker writes a totally perfect Dr. Doom. One issue can’t really forgive the wheel-spinning of the last two issues (I’ll say I liked the first, for the record), but if it keeps up this pace for the next two, we are good to go.

DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #899: There’s been a lot of talk about why there are so many Deadpool books right now, and whether three ongoing series is too many. The thing is: you guys are buying them. Personally, I’ve been mildly enjoying them, with Daniel Way’s main series my fave of the three, but Fred Van Lente turns in a fun old-school team-up in this book, that ties into current continuity, while still existing nicely on its own. My only quibble is the three dueling Deadpool voices. Again, Van Lente makes it work for the story, which is great, but the dueling narration is Daniel Way’s thing, and I wish it would stay in his book. Meaning, being an author’s tool, rather than the way Deadpool is portrayed across the board. Don’t think I’m going to get my wish there anytime soon.

DEATHLOK #1: Hey, everybody: in the future, war will be like sports! I don’t really like sports. That aside, and ignoring the fact that makes this book a little impenetrable to me, I do think the Starship Troopers vibe Charlie Huston cleverly injects the Deathlok concept with doesn’t quite mesh with the hyper-real art of Len Medina. They’re both good at what they do, I’m just not sure its working together. The opening sequence, introducing (I think) a new Deathlok works quite well, but the subsequent pages and action are a little too stiff.

DOCTOR VOODOO: AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL #2: I like the fact that Dr. Voodoo is trying to get a handle on who he is, now that he’s Sorcerer Supreme, just as we, the readers are doing the same. Writer Rick Remender has also done an excellent job of throwing DV in a situation way out of his league right off, so we know he’ll be more worthy of the title once he conquers this sitch. Though, knowing Remender’s work, its actually possible he might find himself deeper in a hole than he is now. Anyway, this second issue sells me more on the title than the first did, and that’s a good thing.

GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN’S ON FIRE #4: I love than Jason Aaron is really flexing his comedy muscles, in general, and that shines through nicely in this issue. The panel with Ghost Rider (yeah, you read that right) is one of the funniest of the week, and the rest of the issue is pretty amusing, too. Plus, Aaron balances the humor with great moments of horror and terror, as well as a delightful trip through villains of the Marvel U. past. Possibly the most fun Ghost Rider has ever been.

HOUSE OF M: MASTERS OF EVIL #4: A good story is a good story, no matter what, right? Except not exactly so in the world of mainstream comics, where continuity and universe building trump story-telling… At least most of the time. Point is, I have intellectual problems with this series, and questions why it even exists. But beyond all that, Christos Gage has built a solid story that exists better on its on, than when compared to the House of M event and universe. Its not necessary reading, but it is a well done story. And that should matter more in comics than it does.

MARVEL ZOMBIES: EVIL EVOLUTION: Zombies vs. Apes shouldn’t be nearly as complicated as it is… But it is. Ah well, I was really liking the Marvel Apes stuff up until now, and the Zombies stuff tied itself up nicely with the last mini. Let’s just pretend this issue never happened?

PSYLOCKE #1: Psylocke has got a complicated history at this point, and though I may be singing a different tune at the end of this mini, I don’t think this first issue helps that much. You need to know most of her history, most of the current X-Men history, and even a little international law to get into this. Plus, the art is a little too action-manga-esque for my tastes, at least when melded with a Western coloring style. I trust Chris Yost enough to give the next issue a try, but this did not grab me.

THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ #1: “Perfect” is a pretty big word to throw around, and I don’t use it lightly, but the first Oz series by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young was a perfect comic book experience, beautiful to look at, and a joy to read. The one thing hampering it, perhaps, was the familiarity of the story, which took the reader out a bit… We’re all familiar with the movie, the book less so, and the differences led to a less immersive reading experience than an unknown story would have. Which is why this new series is so great. I’ve read the Oz books, but so long ago that I don’t even vaguely remember what happened in the novel version of this story. So its a completely new experience, and perfectly recaptures the magic of “The Wizard of Oz,” and moreso. Skottie Young’s art is brilliantly paired with Jean-Francois Beauleu’s lush coloring for a unique artistic experience unlike anything on the stands. Plus, kudos to both Shanower and Young for adapting a book, making it literary, but still uniquely molding it to the comic book form. Once again, I’m pleased to say this is a perfect comic book experience.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #4: Along with Skottie Young’s work on the Oz books, David LaFeunte’s take on Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the two best drawn books Marvel is currently publishing… As much as I love Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen, LaFuente’s unique characters have taken Bendis’ plotting to the next level. This is as good as, if not better than, Ultimate Spider-Man has ever been. One of the great things about these first four issues is that Bendis nicely bucks the trend of this title, that would intersperse very dialogue-light issues, with dialogue heavy ones, and instead has found a way (with LaFuente’s help, I think) to merge the two sides of his brain into a glorious whole. All of the characterizations are great, the mysteries are interesting, and this whole package earns the right to call itself “Ultimate,” once again.

X-MEN ORIGINS: ICEMAN: Honestly, I don’t remember whether Iceman has ever had his origin told before, but this probably isn’t it? For me, Angel: Revelations is the gold standard to which all of these Origins books should be held, which sounds unfair, except… Sorry, they should be. That Origin, and Magneto: Testament were quality pieces of work, and unique bits of storytelling. I like the idea of having Origins stories for all the X-Men, but this needed to be a little less generic. Bobby Drake is the happy mutant; why does he have to have the exact same origin as everyone else? Couldn’t we see some other side of things? Not to mention, there’s bits that just don’t fit, like Professor X talking about having a school for mutants, and us seeing full grounds of kids… But then, at the end of the issue, Xavier clearly states that there are only two students, Cyclops and Iceman. Unfortunately spotty work.

X-MEN VS. AGENTS OF ATLAS #2: I really hope you picked up the first issue of this, and now pick up the second, because this series is tons of fun. Its accomplishing the same thing as Assault on New Olympus, giving a lighter, easier story for people to get into the Agents of Atlas, and like AoNO, it works. Other, side note: Read this before you read the back-up in AoNO, it’ll make more sense that way.