PICK! 100 Bullets #89
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Penciller: Eduardo Risso
Inker: Eduardo Risso
Colorist: Trish Mulvihill
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo

Ernie: Location, location, and location. One of the endless “bullet” points as to why this book is so good, is the locations. Every place this epic takes place whether it’s Vegas, Chicago, New York, Rome, Paris, Miami, Atlantic City, border towns, hell even Cleveland and takes the best of each to romanticize this world but each location has its own mystique, dark corners and hidden past. These spots are where the characters in 100 Bullets are born, bred, and play. The beginning of the end starts here, in the beginning of what will likely be the last two stories in the series. Pick this up with the trades that build to this point and see where the lines in the sand are drawn and who steps behind them.
SHOCK VALUE: A

PICK! BIRDS OF PREY #116
Writer: Sean McKeever
Penciller: Nicola Scott
Inker: Doug Hazlewood
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics

Samantha: This title’s been languishing for a while, certainly since McKeever took over, and arguably, since OYL began. But, while a long way from perfect, it regained some of its lost momentum in this title. First and foremost, Helena’s personality came back! As she was fighting with Zinda in attempt to get Zinda to overcome the brainwashing, she sounded like the old feisty Helena. No spouting off about anyone being “pure of spirit,” as she was doing last issue. Her battle cry this time was one of a woman who doesn’t want to hurt her friend, but will commence butt-kicking if necessary – and frankly, with Helena, that should always be on the menu. That Zinda overcame the drugging of her own free will also rang very true to the type of women who brought me to this title in the first place, back when it was Dinah and Babs. That point is further driven home when Barbara tells Misfit that Zinda and Helena can take care of themselves.
Yeah, they really can, and it was great to see them do it so competently and well.
SHOCK VALUE: B

DOUBLE PICK! CAPTAIN AMERICA #36
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciller: Butch Guice & Mike Perkins
Inker: Butch Guice & Mike Perkins
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Publisher: Marvel Comics

David U.: Ed Brubaker’s Cap is like a roller coaster – no, seriously, hear me out. You can see about five yards in front of you most of the time, and you can always tell what the next twist is going to be. But the overall picture – and the meticulousness of its construction – will completely elude you until the end, when you walk off and look at it in perspective. That’s this run, and that’s why every ’shocker’ in this book has seemed so fascinating and yet inevitable. This is the last part of “The Burden of Dreams”, the second act of the Cap’s Death Saga, and it ends on a moment of crushing weight for the storyline. God, I love this comic.
SHOCK VALUE: A

Samantha: In this issue, we really see Bucky struggling to live up to the ideals Steve established during his time in the costume. We see it physically, after Bucky gets thoroughly trounced by Crossbones. We also see it mentally, as he tries – and fails – to deliver the speech that Steve would have given to calm the protesters. And most gratifyingly of all, we see him struggling as he admits that, as much as he’s trying to live up to what Steve would have been, he’s also doing this for himself, to make up for all the years he spent under mind control. Mixed in between all this lovely character development are some excellent fight scenes with Sin and Crossbones, and the best Tony Stark Marvel has produced in years.
The pregnancy plot is still stupid. If anyone at Marvel is a Skrull, I want that baby to be. But despite Sharon’s annoying presence in this story, it’s still one of my top picks out of the last month.
SHOCK VALUE: A-

PICK! CATWOMAN #77
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Penciller: David Lopez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Colorist: Jeremy Cox & Guy Major
Publisher: DC Comics

Samantha: When this issue starts, Selina is still trapped inside her “mental submission” box on the alien prison planet. As such, she believes she is in a world in which she can do anything she wants. This, for the reader, has the delightful side effect of letting her go through and kick everyone in the JLA’s butt. It is sheer gratuitous hero on hero violence at its best. As the story ends, however, both the reader and Selina realize that this is all just a figment of her mind trying to give her a perfect world to make up for the shambles of a life she has back home, and Selina vows that if she could pick up the pieces and determine her own fate in the fake version of her life, she can do so in real life, too. I hope so, because I would like to have a Selina I can root for again, like I used to pre-OYL and like I did in this issue.
Also, this issue made me care a lot more about the prison planet nonsense than the last two issues of JLA combined have.
SHOCK VALUE: B+

SEMI-PAN! DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #7
Writer: Jim Starlin
Penciller: Jim Starlin
Inker: Art Thibert
Colorist: Jeremy Cox
Publisher: DC Comics

David U: This comic is so specifically targeted that I’m kind of stymied DC has made it the backbone of this whole event cycle; that said, maybe the original idea for Countdown was a more general, ‘reader-friendly’ version of this title. (They failed.) My main comment regarding this issue is the cheap trick Starlin plays regarding last issue’s cliffhanger – I don’t want to elaborate, but it’s a really dirty narrative trick that left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the issue. Luckily, it improves after that, with solid character moments as everything goes towards a fairly predictable final destination. This book really isn’t for the average reader, and Starlin’s distaste for some characters (like Scott Free) makes it somewhat unpalatable for a lot of hardcore Kirby fans, too. It’s a fun guessing game and Starlin’s Metron is still great, but it’s not a great comic.
SHOCK VALUE: C

PICK! FABLES #71
Writer: Bill Willingham
Penciller: Mark Buckingham
Inker: Steve Leialoha
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo

Ernie: “Cinderella Cut it Up One Time… Let’s talk about war, bay-bee, let’s talk about war, bay-bee. Let’s talk about all the goblins and the dead guys there will be…” Like every issue of Fables, you never know what type of story you’ll get. You just get it all with this series. This time around, Cinder-fucking-rella plays a game of espionage and does so efficiently–and succinctly–I might add. She’s to obtain an important part for the war against the adversary. Bill Willingham and the boys blue, Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha cut up the spy game playing by all the rules when you need to and then knowing just when to break them. It seems like every story that comes up, I say, “Ooh, this is going to be the big one.” and that’s what this crew continually accomplishes nearly every single storyline, topping themselves and building on the massive world they’ve recreated.
SHOCK VALUE: A-

DOUBLE PICK! FLASH #238
Writer: Tom Peyer
Penciller: Freddie E. Williams II
Inker: n/a
Colorist: Tanya & Richard Horie
Publisher: DC Comics

Samantha: I don’t really like Wally West. I generally think that Barry was a better Flash, and Bart was a better person, so I’m kind of annoyed that we’re stuck with Wally as Flash again. I mostly read his comic because he’s a former Titan, and I have Titan obligation issues. That bias being in place, I still really loved this issue. It really brought Wally down off the pedestal he’s been on – he’s not portrayed as the greatest Flash ever, as Waid had a tendency to do too often. He worries about being a good dad, gets a (deserved) lecture from Jay Garrick, and is cranky and irritable, but understandably so considering he’s an unemployed father of two kids who may wake up older than he is tomorrow. But on the flip side, he’s a very good dad and has the only (currently) healthy marriage at DC in which he and Linda are genuine partners. This issue made me like Wally, and fall in love with his family – which is important since the title is about all four of them, and not just Wally himself. Also on the positive side, the art is gorgeous, and I look forward to seeing Spin cause some more havoc in Wally’s life.
SHOCK VALUE: A

David U: Iloved Tom Peyer on Hourman, and here he does a pretty good job of keeping up the lighthearted tone Mark Waid set. It really harkens back to the Flash stores of the early ’90s, with silly villains that really only act as catalysts for stories about Wally’s life and his place in the DC Universe as the perennial working-class hero. Nothing incredibly special, and West-family haters won’t be swayed, but I enjoyed it.
SHOCK VALUE: B

PAN! FX #1
Writer: Wayne Osborne
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: John Byrne
Colorist: John Byrne
Publisher: IDW

Jason: I know everybody is pretty much done with John Byrne these days, but I still love his art. There’s a great energy to his comics, and I always wished he’d done more things like Danger Unlimited, self-contained bursts of adventure, as opposed to diddling around with the Fourth World or The Demon, trying to prove to the world that he understood how to do Kirby’s characters better than anyone else, as if being the best Johnny-come-lately was somehow something to aspire to. (Oh, hey, I just caught the pun with “Johnny-come-lately”. Completely unintended, but now I love it). Anyway – though I wish he wouldn’t ink himself, I still like Byrne’s art, and so for about the first third of FX I was tricked into thinking it was a good comic book. Then I started actually paying attention to the script by Wayne Osborne, and realized just how much of a half-assed early-Spider-Man rip off the whole thing was, only with less believable teenaged dialogue than even Stan Lee was able to muster. There’s something sort of admirable about how the superpower the main character acquires is basically the ultimate in eight-year-old wish-fulfillment: being able to do any of the things he pretends to do when he’s goofing around with his buddy (like pointing his finger pretending it’s a ray gun, only to have it shoot actual rays). And, yes, the kid really does name himself “FX” as a superhero, as in, “wouldn’t this look great as movie FX?” I’m not sure if this book is a blatant try for a movie option, or just nostalgia-heavy for old superhero books, or both. At least there’s a giant talking gorilla for the hero to fight, so it wasn’t a total loss. And, y’know, the art was good.
SHOCK VALUE: D

FLASHBACK PICK! GHOST RIDER #20
Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciller: Roland Boschi
Inker: Roland Boschi
Colorist: Dan Brown
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Ernie: Ghost Rider is one title that I was never drawn to despite all of the inspired creative teams over the years. But Jason Aaron is a big fan of the Rider, and he knows these characters back to front. Thanks to the Daniel Way’s run, Ghost Rider’s an angel instead of demon and is hunting down the rogue angel, Zadkiel. I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. This new direction is something fresh in the Marvel landscape with everything else seemingly involved in a post-Civil War or the Skree Invasion. I was never drawn into the nineties connection with Blade and the Nightstalkers, and the movie did nothing to get me interested but setting churches ablaze, nurses toting uzis, and fire and brimstone battle between heaven and hell–this sounds like fun! And Roland Boschi’s art reminds me of when an unknown Jae Lee broke onto the scene with Namor, I hope he remains for Aaron’s entire run and we can see him grow as an artist. Aaron is the reason I picked up Ghost Rider this month but I have a good feeling I’ll be picking it up for the next couple of years for many more.
SHOCK VALUE: A-

DOUBLE PICK! GHOST RIDER #21
Writer: Jason Aaron
Penciller: Roland Boschi
Inker: Roland Boschi
Colorist: Dan Brown
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Ernie: In “Hell-Bent and Heaven Bound” Jason Aaron is taking a character who in my opinion is in Marvel’s third or fourth class and taking him close to the top of the second. He’s taking everything that’s slick about Johnny Blaze and really emphasizing that by placing him in 70’s exploitation-type story. I understand the apprehension, people, I am talking about Ghost Rider but here’s the hook. After taking on the devil, Blaze finds out all this time he’s been a tool of the baddest-ass rogue angel behind the pearly gates, Zadkiel. So the hunt is on and heaven’s throwing everything at this guy including a hospital where nurses are packing semi-automatic heat. It’s a hip premise complete with flesh devouring creatures and corn field fisticuffs. Aaron’s also answering the question: why is Montana such a large state and so sparsely populated? You can hear the soundtrack skipping, smell the leather burning off the pages, and witness the making of the turnaround of the year. Pick this up!
SHOCK VALUE: A

David U: Jason Aaron mentioned he was going for a sort of grindhouse theme with this comic, and he’s succeeding without making the story seem fluffy or weightless. In terms of subject matter and tone, this really reminds me of Preacher in all the ways Way (ha) was reaching for but never got, and I hope Aaron fits some time for character development in eventually (but since this is only his second issue, I’m willing to give him a balls-out-the-gate opening few issues).
SHOCK VALUE: B+

DOUBLE PICK! INCREDIBLE HERCULES #115
Writer: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Penciller: Khoi Pham
Inker: Paul Neary with Danny Miki
Colorist: Dennis Calero
Publisher: Marvel Comics

David U: I thought this book was going to be good, but like everyone else, I don’t think anybody was expecting it to be THIS good. From interviews, as far as I can tell even Pak and Van Lente are surprised by the reaction. They shouldn’t be – this is a completely amazing comic that deserves all the praise, a well-constructed surprise hit in the vein of Immortal Iron Fist. This issue wraps up the first arc beautifully, continuing the great mixture of introspection, mythology and humor that marked the first three issues. I’m really excited for the future of this comic.
SHOCK VALUE: A

Gavin: Greg Pak finds characters with potential and makes sure they fulfill that potential. That’s what he did for Hulk and that’s what he’s doing for Hercules. Hell, the guy was able to do it for freaking Johnny Ohm and Brigade, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s great that Marvel was able to take the momentum Hercules gathered from Civil War and make it into one of their best ongoing series. The issue is filled with great humor, great character interactions, absolutely fantastic action (the list of badass things Ares has done grows longer) and a really nice moment where Hercules explains the true story of one of the old myths about him. I can’t say enough good things about this series. Loeb stealing the Hulk for himself and crapping it up is almost worth it.
SHOCK VALUE: A+

PICK! IRON FIST #13
Writer: Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction
Penciller: Tonci Zonjic, David Aja, Kano
Inker: Tonci Zonjic, David Aja, Kano
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Gavin: Part of me never wants this storyline to end. There seem to be like fifty different subplots going on here, but not a single one fails to keep my attention. I’ve found that Fraction’s main skill is to make you think the story is going in a certain direction, only to go in a different, more exciting direction. That’s definitely what I feel with this whole storyline. From the first issue it looked like we’d be seeing some variation of Iron Fist vs. Davos in the end, yet we’re getting something infinitely better. The coolest thing about this issue is the flashbacks to Wendell Rand’s past. The entire thing is a sweet parallel to Danny’s initial storyline, back in the 70’s.
Now come on, guys. Give us a Fat Cobra spin-off already!
SHOCK VALUE: A

PICK! INVINCIBLE #49
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Penciller: Ryan Ottley
Inker: Ryan Ottley
Colorist: Bill Crabtree
Publisher: Image Comics

Gavin: It’s the setup for the major shakeup that’s been hyped for the next issue, as well as closure to the Doc Seismic crossover story. The main story here is the long-teased confrontation between Invincible and Cecil, which is the natural thing to do. After all, the series got off the ground by having Mark learn his father’s dark secrets and challenge him. Now it’s the same, but different. The real highlight of issue is Invincible’s explosion at another hero and the hypocrisy that comes from it. I don’t mean hypocrisy from what Mark’s done in an earlier issue, as Cecil brings up, but from what he was going to do in this one.
You can hate on this issue for not being the next, but it delivered everything I could have asked for.
SHOCK VALUE: A

PAN! JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #19
Writer: Alan Burnett
Penciller: Ed Benes
Inker: Sandra Hope, Mariah Benes, Ruy José
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Publisher: DC Comics

Samantha: As I sit here trying to express my discontent with this issue, I realize there are a number of problems I could pick. I could complain about bad characterization, for one, and the fact that Cheshire has tried to kill almost everyone Roy has loved at one point or the other and making him be obsessed with her makes me wonder if he’s having a smack relapse. Failing that, I could complain about the plot holes from the last issue to this one.
But worst than any other complaint I have about the story is the simple fact that it was boring. For all that it’s supposed to be dramatic – government plots! prison planets! lost teammates! two back-up quivers! – the issue kept trying to whip up my suspense, and delivered no payoff. This may be, admittedly, because I can’t care about the prison world plot. Or it may be because none of the writers that keep trying to sell me on it have managed to make it interesting enough to hold my attention. Whichever the case, I can forgive a superhero comic for a lot of things, but I can’t forgive it for being boring.
SHOCK VALUE: D+

PICK! WAR IS HELL: THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE #1
Writer: Garth Ennis
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Inker: Howard Chaykin
Colorist: Brian Reber
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Jason: WAR IS HELL: THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE is a new WWI aviation comic written by Garth Ennis, and thus is a guaranteed purchase for me. I always thought that WAR STORIES from DC/Vertigo was one of Garth Ennis’s finest hours as a writer, and apparently someone at Marvel did too. Something about war clearly brings out the best in Ennis, and Howard Chaykin is as worthy a collaborator (if not moreso) than any of the WAR STORIES artists.
WAR IS HELL opens like the crack of a whip. The first two images (1 full page + 1 double-page spread) set the tone so well, it’s like a great guitar phrase dragging you into a strong drum beat kicking off your favorite single…
Click here for a link to Jason’s full review.
SHOCK VALUE: A

SEMI-PAN! WOLVERINE ORIGINS #23
Writer: Daniel Way
Penciller: Steve Dillon
Inker: Steve Dillon
Colorist: Avalon’s Matt Milla
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Gavin: This whole story arc has really just been Daniel Way’s audition for doing a new Deadpool series. I hold a lot against Way, namely because I read every single issue of his horrendous Venom run, but in terms of writing Wade, he isn’t all that bad. Therein lies the problem. The last few issues have been the Wade Wilson Show, having very little to do with Wolverine and his Origins. Is it funny? Sure. He even does a good job with depicting Deadpool as being insane instead of simply wacky. But someone is going to buy this trade and get really annoyed when they finish reading it in ten minutes. This entire arc is just one, big decompressed fight scene. That’s fine when it’s just one issue, but stretching it this far just doesn’t fly.
SHOCK VALUE: C