Nick’s reviews:

Daredevil #500

I have not read a Daredevil comic in years, but seeing how pretty much ALL of the Marvel series are having anniversaries this month I decided to pick it up. The main issue was awesome, with Matt Murdock finally making the decision that I believe every hero should make: to abandon the ones they are closest to so that they are never hurt again. I love how it just isn’t Kingpin if there isn’t somebody making fat jokes. The short, 3 Jacks was pretty good, but it seemed like the was no point at all to the story. All in all, a good issue, but the extras all seemed to focus on Bullseye even though he was not present in the main issue.

Most Balls-y Moment: Kingpin gets dethroned while he has several samurai swords sticking out of his back.
Grade: B

Punisher: Noir #1

When I heard that the newest installment of the “Noir” series would be starring The Punisher I asked myself one question: Really? I mean, aren’t all of Frank Castle’s stories pretty much as noir as it gets anyway? After reading the first installment, I am really not sold at all. Frank Tieri has written Castle (or, Castelione) as a vet of the first World War. Also, his wife, Ruth, died from cancer and he has a son. This just does not sound like The Punisher to me. Perhaps in later issues, Frank’s son will be killed and he will be given motivation that way. I feel like this series has one more issue to pick up steam for me to follow it.

Most Balls-y Moment: Cigar cutter + fingers = BALLS-Y
Grade: C-

The Amazing Spider-Man #603

This is what comic books are supposed to be! It is so wonderful to see a dark version of Peter walking around, making real Peter’s life complicated. This issue was actually really suspenseful, and has already set up months of side stories. All of which are angles that I would like to see opened up. Like, Peter confronting MJ about his feelings for Gwen and how MJ has always had to compete for a space in Pete’s heart with the dead. Really looking forward to next week!

Most Balls-y Moment: Chameleon Peter says, “Guess you’re the puny one now,” to paraplegic veteran Flash Thompson.
Grade: A

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #4

I have loved this miniseries. But I had mixed feelings when I got to the end of the issue and there was an ad for the full length series that the Pet Avengers will be getting in 2010. I loved the characters here and Throg is easily one of my top comic book characters of all time now, but I just don’t see how they will keep it interesting. They barely did for these four issues. But back to the issue at hand, an amazing finale with Lockjaw gathering the Infinity Jems and battling Thanos. Awesome.

Most Balls-y Moment: Pet Avengers … ASSEMBLE!!
Grade: B+

Tim’s reviews:

Mighty Avengers #28

This one doesn’t have much forward movement. Last month we found out about the secret king of the Inhumans who was banished by Black Bolt and his cadre of royalty. After living in exile for so long, this lost King finally returned and was rampaging across China. After defeating China’s super-heroes, US Agent and Quicksilver realize they are outmatched. This issue picks up with Quicksilver and the Agent calling for help, only to have the signal cut off by Loki in her Scarlet Witch disguise. Stature complicates things by witnessing this, setting up a big confrontation with Stature at the close of the issue. Making it a bit more interesting, Stature seeks out her Young Avengers teammates and brings them back to the Avengers mansion to confront who she thinks is the Scarlet Witch. She brings along a tag-along too. Ronin shows up at the end of the issue wanting some answers too. I wish Ronin was in his Hawkeye duds, of course, but I am pleased to see him showing up in a book I’m already enjoying.

As I said, there is not a lot of plot movement with the Inhuman King, and right now we’re only getting teases about the Scarlet Witch reveal. I’m hoping next issue kicks it up a bit and we get more payoffs, this title has been a tad slow lately.

Khoi Pham’s art is looking sketchier and sketchier. I think the book would benefit from a tighter inker coming in and finishing up some of the characters. This book has a large cast, so I’m sure it is a lot of work, but too many times background character’s faces end up being lumpy or unfinished looking.
Grade: C+

Invincible #65

Kirkman pays off his swerve of the last few months by delivering the funeral of Rex Splode rather than Atom Eve. Most of the issue is setting up the new status quo where Atom Eve’s powers are a little more unpredictable than we’re used to. It seems her creations and changes are a little bit imperfect now. What she did get right was a few “improvements” to her assets from when she healed herself last issue. It seems Invincible digs her larger personality too.

Much of the issue deals with the losses of the past few months while also ramping up the threat level presented by the sequids, the Viltrumites, the government, and even Invincible himself. The book closes with Invincible deciding that he will use lethal force when necessary. This comic is always so good and well thought out. It is actually hard to imagine getting a Superboy comic this good.

Ryan Ottley handled Atom Eve’s improvements well, it is noticable, but not over the top. I liked his take on the Image cameos at Rex’s funeral too, although I want to see how Bulletproof is dealing with being a hand down.
Grade: B

Brave & the Bold #26

This comic started out really strong, then just kind of petered out. John Rozum has a neat idea where the Spectre kills a murderer, but then the murderer starts killing ghosts and nice vampires. It seems that Spectre is only allowed to cast judgement on the living, so until the very end of the issue, the Spectre is kind of hands off. He eventually changes his mind and just pops the murderer’s ghost to eliminate the problem.

You might ask who the team-up is in this one, and the answer is Xombi. The problem is that Xombi doesn’t really have useful powers. He regenerates from physical damage but his main contribution to the plot is basically “hey Spectre, remember when you were a cop and wanted to help folks?” That’s what inspires Spectre to take action at the end, but that’s a pretty weak role for a hero getting top billing on the cover. I never read Xombi in the Milestone days and I hate to say there isn’t a lot of incentive to go back now.

Scott Hampton’s art is moody and spooky like it needs to be, but it is occasionally unclear too. I had a hard time discerning when the ghost was around or when it was Xombi after he took some damage, that’s how close their faces were. When Xombi is Asian and the murderer is white, that’s a problem.
Grade: C

Mike’s reviews:

The Mighty Avengers #28

In the Mighty Avengers #28, the Scarlet Witch shows her true colors (red is the new evil), but it’s really Loki in disguise (Loki prefers green and yellow anyway). Stature doesn’t know there’s been a witch-switch, but gathers her buds in the Young Avengers to go after Wanda anyway. Ronin shows up for the fun (Clint looks better in purple). Dan Slott and Christos Gage have got that old school Avengers vibe going, but they can’t make the Unspoken anything to speak of.
Grade: B

X-Factor #47

There’s a lot going on in X-Factor #47, but how long has it been going on? Jamie and Layla are in the future. Still. For a book about the future, not much is pushing forward. There have been some great moments on this book but they’ve been stretched out a little. It’s a fun ride, but a slow ride. That said, it’s the best of X-books, and the villainous Cortex is revealed.
Grade: B-

Daredevil #500

Daredevil #500 dares to play with devils to save his friends. There are several nail biting moments in this issue, and a shocking change to the status quo. Scribe Ed Brubaker ends his historic run with a bang. Normally anniversary issues tell one great story and then get filled with schlock. Not so here, the back ups are as rich and compelling as the main event, especially Ann Nocenti’s tale about an innocent caught in the crossfire between a Daredevil/Bullseye fight.
Grade: A

Randy’s reviews:

Invincible #65

This month’s issue of Invincible is pretty much the expository aftermath of the last few issues where we get to take a deep breath and see where everyone is at. Mark and his brother are in the hospital; we find out how Eve survived and that she made some “improvements”; Rex’s funeral; and Cecil is still up to his behind the scenes shenanigans. Also we get a few hints as to what kind of trouble our favorite superhero can expect very soon. It was very much a “talking heads” issue, but after the break neck pace and graphic beating of the last few months it was a welcome respite.

Grade: B+

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #5

Deadpool’s mini comes to a close and what a fun ride it’s been! The story behind the issue itself wasn’t exactly stellar, but the writers (and even Deadpool himself) know it and milk it for all the comic gold they can. The result made me laugh out loud several times. If you’re looking for a deep, engrossing conclusion to a deep engrossing story, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is one of the most entertaining and hilarious mini’s in recent history, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Grade: A-

Batman: Streets of Gotham #3

Once again Dini is in top form as he continues his plot with Hush posing as Bruce Wayne, becoming Gotham’s “White Knight” while at the same time depleting the Batman’s resources. The “board of trustees” was a nice touch on Dick’s part. It’s an interesting plot made all the more so by the goings on in the underworld of Gotham. The scenes from Zsasz’s point of view were especially well done. The Manhunter second feature still didn’t interest me at all, though I do give props for the “Turner and Hooch” reference. Still, that aside this is shaping up to be a great Batman story.

Grade: A-

Randy’s reviews:

The Punisher Noir #1

Imagine being Frank Tieri getting handed the assignment for a book called Punisher Noir. You sit down in front of the computer, fire up your preferred word processor and then wham! You’re hit with the realization that this project is going to be harder than expected and the problem can be summed up in one thought: isn’t the Punisher already noir by himself?

Well, yes, he is. He’s actually very noir (if you can quantify a genre). So what can Tieri do to make Punisher more noir than he usually is? The first change-up is to bring him back in time to the 1930s and start his origin in the first World War instead of Vietnam. The scenario is changed drastically as his son is still alive and the Punisher identity seems to come out of a need for a personal protection more than vengance. This is essential to making this book at all worthwhile. The same premise survives but the surroundings and even Castle himself is very, very different from the real version.

This is very much an origin issue as we don’t even see skull-face himself proper, but the Punisher has always lent himself to the slow-burn anyway so that isn’t inherently bad. The art won’t knock your socks off, to be frank, but it has the gritty feel of post-war NYC. The storytelling is certainly solid and considering these Noir books aren’t exactly chart-toppers it’s somewhat understandable. That said, there is an AMAZING Tim Bradstreet cover to start this book off.

All told, the book is different enough to justify its existence, but it’ll take another issue or two to see if it will actually be good.
Grade: C+

X-Factor #47

What the hell? What just happened here? The disparate storylines begin to coalesce but whereas most Peter David stories only get better at that part, this story is losing its luster. The villain in the current day is beginning to grate my nerves some and the final page reveal seems like it could very easily be bad – early 90′s X-Men bad. While I thoroughly enjoy the insane Dr. Doom in the future, he isn’t enough to keep things going when the other parts are beginning to fray.

I’ll still give David the benefit of the doubt to wrap this up, but this chapter is definitely the low point fo the book for the past while.
Grade: D+

Dark Reign: The Hood #4 (of 5)

This book isn’t the true origin of the Hood (that honor goes to the Marvel Knights limited series written by Brian K Vaughn), it’s certainly his backstory for the “Dark Reign” crossover. We find out why he moved out to the forefront of the criminal underworld and why he takes so many chances. This is certainly a viable idea for a book given his promience in the Marvel Universe right now, but it doesn’t fully succeed on those merits though it’s not for lack of trying.

Part of making your character sympathetic is giving the audience a reason to care for their well-being. The wife and child is one way to go about it, but it isn’t enough given how vile the Hood has been recently as one of Norman Osborn’s lackey. He seems to be moving toward an Osborn rebellion recently, but it’s hard to care about him since he’s been a one note super-assistant to Norman. To make him likable is an uphill battle to begin with since he’s a villain, but given his lack of characterization it’s even doubly so.

The ideas for the limited series coming out of “Dark Reign” have been surprisingly good for the most part, filling in holes that actually need to be filled, but the Hood’s story falls prey to not being long enough to allow the character’s charisma to build and being hampered by so many other stories using him.
Grade: C -

Dark Reign: Mister Negative #3 (of 3)

Yet another “Dark Reign” limited series with a good premise (take a new Spidey villain and throw in the NYC underworld reaction to Norman’s takeover), only this one works better with brevity. Using Mr. Negative as the focal point, the book not only doesn’t focus on Spider-Man, he’s barely in it.

This books works because its feet are firmly planted in the Dark Reign overview, but it tells a story on the tangent of the big picture. It fills in some story holes from Negative’s appearances in Amazing Spider-Man, adds some depth to the character and shows us a facet of “Dark Reign” not covered elsewhere (namely what the organized crime syndicates like the Maggia are doing with a supervillain running the chessboard). No matter how good the book is, it’s still mainly for completists. Random passers-by won’t understand a lot of what’s going on because they don’t get into great detail about Negative’s stories in ASM. That said, you could read this book as a standalone and just not have any preconceived notions of Negative.

If you’re looking for a fun three issues to read and take a quick detour of the “Dark Reign” story, this is definitely not the worst you could do.
Grade: B+