i thought i'd start this thread, up again !!!

so what did everyone buy this week ???

today i bought:

Action Comics #801 [ DnA on the big "S" !! ]
Hawkman #23
Hero #12
Superman: Secret Identity #1
Teen Titans #7

are you guy's still reading "Hero" ?? i'm not sure if i'm gonna continue with this ?? it's an okay read, but i'm not blown away ... i may give it another 6 issues or so ??

it was nice to see Tom Grummett back on the "TITANS" !!! i love his version of STARFIRE !!!

although i did miss seeing Mike McKone's version of SUPERBOY !!!

more later .... as i've had a full look of them all !!!

Matthew.

And a good thought it was, although I firs came into this thread expecting somethiing about CBS television. D'OH!

My haul included:

1602 #6
Alter Ego #32
Gotham Central #15
Hawkman #23
Hero #12
Superman: Secret Identity #1
Teen Titans #7
Ultimate Adventures #6

I enjoy Hero quite a bit. I had intially passed on it, but tried an out a copy 3-4 issues into the run, went back and got the ones I had missed, and have been with it ever since. Granted thit issues was not much of a variation on the standard gender switching plot, but I thought it was fun. And the art was ....YUM.

Agreed. Although, am I the only one who though that a couple of panels here and there had a real Keith Giffinish feel to them? Actually sent back to the credit box to make sure Grummett was not inking Giffin.

with regards to Tom Grumment, i know what you mean about the artwork !!! i must admit this isn't my favourite issue of Tom's work, i prefer his more detailed style, but as you said about the inking, this might have played a part of me not liking it quite so much ....

and considering i loved his work on the "SUPERBOY" title, in this issue, i thought he made SB look like he was "ill" !!!???

and McKone draws his hair, so much better .... [ but i still enjoyed it, don't wanna sound like i didn't ]

Matthew.

I may have gotten a couple issues from last week in yesterday's purchase.

Teen Titans (day-in-the-life is such a Titan's staple. I'm glad they brought it back. Excellent writing and some of the art was quite nice but I miss McKone)

Negation (OMG -Evinlea actually did it. Liz is my favorite of the castaways (especially now that Matua is gone -they were tied before) and it looks like she may be getting a major power-up)

Avengers (I love Coipel, but Cap is a bit too BUFF. I really enjoyed the British family and the tone in their speech.)

Supreme Power (I LOVE THIS BOOK)

New X-Men (Silvestri is back and looking good, storyline seems interesting, if a bit confusing)

Uncanny X-Men (LARROCA -YAY. Not sure on the storyline yet, but Lorraca is back -YAY!)

Exiles (in imminent danger of being dropped)

I haven't gotten any new comics yet this year.

I did get a great new art book called Japanese Comickers, though.

I got all of these. I was thinking of getting Teen Titans, but decided not to. The title's been OK, but it's not really captivating me to the point that I must have it.

I was bored with HERO for a while, but I loved the caveman issue, and I like Kirk's art, so I may be back on the HERO bandwagon again.

I also picked up Marvel's Sentinel. Is anyone reading this title, which has manga/anime-influenced art?

Is Sentinel still being published? I thought the last issue had come out last month or before. I only ever picked up the first issue but I just can't get into the manga/anime art style.

Which issue was this? Last one I picked up was #25. Thought #26 was supposed to be out week before last but it wasn't at my shop. I've gotten totally hooked on this title thanks to reading all the back issues through Forge.

Ditto. I haven't even read the last few issues and I was looking forward to the Hyperion storyline. I really need to go through my hold list and just trim it down by half.

I haven't been to the comics shop this week, but I'm looking forward to HERO # 12. It's a recent discovery of mine -- I found issues # 7-9 at the same time and was instantly hooked. Really liked the caveman story in # 11. In fact, I recently wrote an overview of the series for the Comics Creators Network newsletter.

Not sure on the #, but its the cover where the Negation Emperor guy (is it Charon) is holding Evinlea seductively. GREAT issue from front to back. The last 4 or 5 pages need to be scanned and shown in the forum because I think a LOT of us will get a kick out of them. The art and writing on this title has been consistently excellent. I really hope it survives THE WAR crossover, but I can only wonder how it will continue in the aftermath. As long as Liz survives, I'll be okay.

Just got back from the CBS and not much in my holds, about $20 worth after discounts and that included Inquest magazine. No Negation so I think I've missed this one. I'll hunt for a copy though so we can post the pages.

And if I recall correctly, Negation is one of the titles that will continue. I don't know how unless Charon wins The War or the team gets stuck in the Negation universe after the war. Either way I hope they keep up the good work.

Let me know if you need a copy and I'll mail it out. Anything for a fellow Negation lover and the co-creator of LegionWorld.

Thanks for the offer Ger, much appreciated. But I was able to find a copy through my file sharing and man! Quite an issue! I just wish they would tell us what it was Liz found out.

OMG!

NEGATION 26 kicked total NASS!!! I just got my mid-month delivery, and have alot of great books to read-- Black Reign 1 and 2 in Hawkman and JSA, Teen Titans 7, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang #1... Nightwing, Thanos, Supreme Power, Way o/t Rat... but THIS was my "must read first", and it didn't disappoint! Holy crap, I can't wait for issue 27! And the... THE WAR!

OMG!!!

I am surprised that her absorption power works that fast. The part with the choking cracked me up.

Spoilers below-
Those last few pages also cracked me up. Evinlea really surprised me. She wasn't kidding when she said "A LOVE THAT WILL SHATTER WORLDS". I hope she gets her just deserts when/if the rest of the First find out how she is betraying them.

Now -quickly regarding the issue 25 -did Gammid's death surprise you guys as much as it did me? I hope the rebels get some pretty serious revenge on that Negation teleport chick.

Hmm, maybe I should check out Negation... are there TPBs?

I know there is at least one, called Negation: Bohica. I'm not sure if a second collection was published or not.

If you want Stu, I can put together a CD of the comics so far. I don't have the early issues electronically but it would be nothing to get them. I even have the Mark of Charon mini that ties into Negation.

Some speculation on Ger's

S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
.
.
.


My first thought was "Now, THAT'S a 'Big Bang'!"

I like how Evinlea is unaware of the events of the last issues of THE FIRST. All her scheming is based on her preconceptions. Won't SHE be surprised!

Yeah. I really wanted to see him reunited with his brother and the rest of the Atlanteans during THE WAR. BUuuuut... he didn't "flare" like Javi did. He might be "resurrected" by someone with the power of Dannik or Altwaal, like Javi was originally by Charon... :wishwish:

That would be super cool, Scott!

Consider it done. I downloaded the missing issues last night. The only one I need is #25, which no one seems to have done but it is the one real copy I have so I'll get it scanned and mail you out a CD this weekend.

Any other CrossGen book you interested in catching up on? I think I can put two series onto one CD, as long as both are under 30 issues.

Bohica is the first TPB. There is also a second one, called Baptism of Fire. And Negation is one of the titles CrossGen's made available on CD.

Scott, are you getting the electronic version from Comics on the Web? I always wanted to check it out, but haven't yet because I get all the CG's I want as monthlies.

I stopped collecting First shortly after Pyrem rescued Ingra from the spider guy. I have been meaning to go get the last TPB -if its out yet- to see how the book ended.

this is what i bought today:

The Adventures of Superman #624
Rose and Thorn #1&2
Outsiders #8
Birds of Prey #63
JSA #57

what did you guy's get ???

Matthew.

I got...

Outsiders -Love the Huntress -especially her reasoning for Nightwing not wanting her on the team
Birds of Prey -really liking this book
Sojourn -beautiful
Exiles -next issue will be my last issue
Uncanny X-Men -I can't believe I'm collecting X-titles again -but it sure has purty art
New X-Men -ditto

Speaking of X-Titles. Has it been a while since New Mutants came out or have I just not been seeing the new issues. The last one I got was when Amara was woken from her coma.

I haven't really checked out Comics on the Web either because its a pay service. But I understand that the comics presented there are in Flash. What I have are basically JPG's of the issues, zipped into and Win-RAR format that is readable by CDisplay.

That would be great, Scott!

And I would love to catch up on another CrossGen book -- the only one I've ever really read is Way of the Rat.

What title, other than Negation, would you most highly recommend?

I just got into Way of the Rat myself. Love it so far, after 3 or 4 issues. I would recommend either Crux, which has a slight tie-in to Negation and if you like sci-fi. Or Ruse. Ruse is an excellantly written Sherlock Holmes type. Heck, maybe I can put both of the other series on the same CD. I'll see what I can do. Just finishing up with scanning Negation #25 so that will be up-to-date for you.

How much of Way of the Rat have you read?

Adventures of Superman 624
JSA 57
Liberty Meadows 35

Entertaining week, if a bit low in quantity ...

Cool! Ruse was in fact one of the other titles I'd taken a look at in the store, and been interested in on more than one occasion.

I've read every issue of Way of the Rat! I really like the way the storylines segueway and flow into each other... there's very little let-up in the action. My only complaint is that the issues are a bit on the short side -- I tend to breeze through each new issue in 10 minutes. Is this true of other CrossGen titles as well?

JSA and BoP this week were both a little blah. The Black Reign storyline in JSA and Hawkman (normally two of my favorite titles) just isn't really doing it for me... yet.

But I DID really like the stand-alone issue of HUMAN TARGET that came out this week! Interesting and provocative writing by Peter Milligan, and I'm a big fan of Cliff Chiang's art (e.g., BEWARE THE CREEPER)...

I think that 15 to 20 minutes is about average on an issue. Maybe its because they don't have the ads to break them up like DC and Marvel do. It doesn't seem to bother me as much on CrossGen as compared to the other companies.

I felt the same way. Im just anxious for Black Reign to be over with. Although I have to wonder what, if any, role Obsidian will play...

I think part of the reason for my blah-ness over BoP is the fact that the art has been done by two different people for the last two issues. This is something I find jarring and really don't care for... even if I like both artists' work individually, I usually don't appreciate the mixing of different styles in one issue. Just a personal pet peeve, I guess...

This was a slow week... (I'm not 100% positive on the issue numbers, but I think...)

WildGuard #5
Ultimate Six #6
Legion #29

I thought Wildguard and Ultimate 6 was the last issue of those respective series. Boy was I surprised. So next month I will have the end of Wildguard, the end of Ultimate 6 and the End of the Darkseid storyline in Legion -all at once.

This was a pretty big week for me. In addition to the three books Ger mentioned, I also got Hawkman, JLA, X-Statix, and the 200th issue of Wonder Woman -- which I think I will go read now!

Picked up my last two week's worth tonight.

Legion #29 (my usual 2 copies)
Ultimate FF #2
Batman #623
Reign of the Zodiac #6
JLA #92
Superman #201 (cool retro cover)
Wildguard #5
The Walking Dead #4 (anyone know where I can find issue #2?)
Sojourn #31
Iron Man #76
FF #509
Adventures of Superman #624
Exiles #41

I need to cut back.

I got issue #2, which I thought was great. By the time issue #2 came out, though, issue #1 was nowhere to be found.

And, even though I got a copy of issue #4 on Wednesday, I never did see issue #3.

Frustrating!!!

Got a scanner Stu? If you'll scan me issue #2 I'll send you back issues #1 and #3. The only one I've missed, and never saw on any self, was #2. And the community I share my electronic versions with doesn't have #2. It must have been short-printed.

A relatively expensive week for me, with the two Prestige format Duck titles and the new issue of Previews:

Hawkman 24
JLA 92
Legion 29
P.S.238 5
Superman 201
Uncle $crooge 326
Walt Disney's Comics & Stories 641

I'm enjoying Black Reign, and I liked the Mr. Majestic arc in the Super-titles; not crazy about the current JLA arc.

Buy P.S.238 and you could become a Minion of Zodon!! (okay, that was actually a couple of issues ago, but Zodon does have a big role in the newest story)

I don't have a scanner... yet. I might buy one real soon, though! I'll let ya know when I do...

Huh... there weren't any at my store when I went this week. Did these two come out this week?

(And did they have any Don Rosa stories? If not, I'm not going to worry too much...)

Er, I haven't been to the shop in a while so got this lot all in one go:

(regulars)
Legion 29
Hero 12
Catwoman 27
Gotham Central 15
New X-Men 152

(ones I bought just to have a look at)
Supreme Power 6 (Just coz people on here were enthusing about it. I really liked it! Cheers guys!)
X-Statix 18 (probly won't be continuing with this now the current storyline has ended)
Rose and Thorn 2
Wonder Woman 200 (might come back next month)

Confirming: yes, these issues were both new January 28th. U$ contains a reprint of a two-page Rosa gag from the Gladstone days; WDC&S contains nothing by Rosa this month.

Thanks for the info! For some reason, my store didn't have either title this week.

But if there isn't a substantial Rosa story that I don't already have, I'm not going to sweat it...

Wow! LOTS of jaw-dropping moments in JSA #58. And I just about fell out of my seat when I saw the last page...!

It looks like I'm finally starting to get into Black Reign...

What issue did Black Reign start? And would I need any prior issues to understand the story?

JSA #56.

So it's been:

JSA #56 - Hawkman #23 - JSA #57 - Hawkman #24 - JSA #58 - and I think it'll end in Hawkman #25.

The main story really doesn't begin until JSA #57 (which is when things started to get good!). All you really need to know (other than who's who in the JSA generally) is that, in JSA #56, Black Adam and a bunch of his companions took back Kahndaq by force -- Kahndaq is Adam's homeland.

Maybe I'll check it out. Thanks!

Okay, just downloaded and read the first four parts of Black Reign. Pretty good so far. Maybe more like what we should have had for Dream Crime and the current arc in the Legion in terms of pacing. It was easy enough for me to get into, not knowing the characters that well (never been a big follower of the JSA). Now I just need to get my hands on JSA #58.

another slow week...

Supreme Power -awesome
Uncanny X-Men -beautiful and the story is shaping up
Exiles -haven't read yet but this is the last issue for this title.

What I really liked about JSA #58 were all the genuine surprises and shocks -- not done just for the sake of shock value, but integrated into the story in a believable way. Plus, the guest villain who shows up at the end was awesome. I'd been wondering what happened to him/her/it all this time!

I just finished #58 (have I said lately how much I love DC++?). Great ending but I'm curious. I'm not much on Captain Marvel or Shazam history. Is that supposed to be ?

Yes.

Otherwise known as the !

Can't wait for the ending now.

I agree. This has been Johns' best arc on JSA in quite some time.

Anyone pick up "Secret Wars"?? It's an interesting take on supervillains and espionage.

***SPOILERS FOR #1*********

Nick Fury tries to answer the question: where do these supervillains get all that tech?? (or the cash to pay for it since they never seem to actually score enough from their jobs just to pay for the upkeep of their stuff) It leads to some interesting international intrigue and a moral dilema when his hands become tied by the President himself.

It was cool to see Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Danny Rand etc... and lesser folks like Killer Shrike and a flashback with the late Jack o' Lantern Despite the cover, Spider-Man doesn't appear (unless you count the pin-up in the appendix).

If I had to guess about the conspiracy angle here, I'd say that the U.S. knew full well that their money was being funneled for use by supervillains. Why? To keep the superhuman populace in check -- give them something to do, some *one* to fight rather than look at the bigger picture. Also, fighting "villains" would make them adored public heroes, and when you're loved by the public, there's less reason to become anti-social and a potential villain themselves. (well, that's my theory...)

I'm looking forward to see Fury assemble his team and to see how they'll be presented.

Oh yeah, and Bendis sure does like writing cop interrogation scenes doesn't he? (why not -- he's really good at those)

Hmm... I'm a bit disappointed with the ending of "Black Reign," in part because the Captain Marvel villain alluded to above was pretty much dispatched in one panel, with practically no fanfare.

I think this storyline peaked with the penultimate issue...

I had a surprise in my holds this week. A copy of The Walking Dead #2! Can't believe my shop found me a copy. Here's what I picked up:

Superman/Batman #6
Sojourn #32
Exiles #43
FF #510
The Walking Dead #2
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang #2
Adventures of Superman #625
Coup D'etat #2 and #3

Now to find the time to read them!

You didn't get Superman: Secret Identity or DC: The New Frontier? I'm excited about both (as well as the new Human Target featuring art by Cliff Chiang).

this is what i got today:

"SUPERMAN / BATMAN" #6

"OUTSIDERS" #9

"WONDER WOMAN" #201

"THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN" #625

"SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY" #2

"ROSE & THORN" #3

"BIRDS OF PREY" #64

Matthew.

Did anyone pick up "The Pulse"? The very last page is a driver's license of a woman who was found dead in Cental Park, but there's nothing on the card (except a blurry photo and part of the signature)! I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be a computer image overlay that somehow got lost! The first two letters of the name seem to be "Te..." and the last letters of the last name could be "...ller" or "...fler"?? The cop says that this is a big deal so I imagine it's someone we're supposed to know. She's a young female with short hair (it seems light colored in the photo, but the body has dark hair). I can't think of who it might be!!

BATMAN/ SUPERMAN #6: Soo..... Captain Atom gets blown to smithereens again. Nice to see that he at least gets to save the day (a la Ferro Lad, taking Supe's place as pilot of the "SuperBat" robot (there's no explaining it -- you gotta see it)). Odd that the way it was shown, it appears that he blew up on impact but the whole idea was that he was supposed to absorb the Kryptonite radiation, so it's unclear what actually happened there. I wonder if this is a direct lead-in to Kara's appearance. Luthor never did explain why the meteor was "drawn" to Superman.

And Luthor's last line "There will be a reckoning ... A CRISIS." Whoo-boy if that's not a loaded statement... (nice Byrne Wolverine homage btw, with that image)

Superman/Batman really is shaping up to be an important title in terms of events in the DCU. (Er, it *is* in-continuity, isn't it?)

I'm frankly a bit glad to see the whole Luthor-as-President storyline finally resolved... it had pretty much run its course, IMO...

Is DC: The New Frontier #2 out? I have both Secret Identity #1 and New Frontier #1 downloaded and am downloading Secret #2 (as my store didn't have a copy). But I thought New Frontier just came out and I didn't look for a copy.

DC: The New Frontier #2 came out yesterday.

what do u mean downloaded? we can download comics now??

my comics for this week:

THE LEGION #30 [ final part of "Foundations" ]

SUPERMAN #202 [ Part 3 of "Godfall" ]

GREEN LANTERN #174

THE FLASH #207

AVENGERS #79

and

WIZARD #150 [ info on Jim Lee's "Superman" and a preview of "Identity Crisis", i'm really looking forward to both of these .... ]

Matthew.

If you share you can.

Bear with any typos in my list as I've been confined to a wrist splint for my recently diagnosed carpal tunnel.

Here is my last three weeks worth of comics, picked up yesterday for a total of about $95 (my discount didn't kick in for some reason but I'll get it fixed tomorrow):

Cerebus #300
Avengers/Thunderbolts #1 - I wasn't going to pick this up but I peeked at the interior and thought I'd give the first issue a try.
Ultimate FF #3
Superman #202
Regin of the Zodiac #7 - sticking with it until the very end.
Negation #27 - Yay! I got a copy. This is my favorite title right now.
Legion #30 - still getting two copies but wondering why.
JLA #93 & #94 - didn't realize the Byrne/Claremont reunion was here already.
Inhumans #10
El Cazador #5 - forgot this was even on my pull list. I need to start over from the beginning.
Avengers #79
Supreme Power #8
Superman Batman #7
Superman: Birthright #8
Snake Plissken #4 - finally got published
Authority #10
Iron Man #78
Lady Death #12
Ultimate Spider-Man #54 - I thought I dropped this title. I really need to.
Ultimate X-Men #43 - getting close to being dropped like Ultimate Spidey.
Action Comics #813
El Cazador Blackjack Tom #1
Green Arrow #36
Exiles #44
Batman #624
Inquest #108
Diamond Previews

just got back from the CBS !!!

this what i bought:

Teen Titans #9
Superman / Batman #8
Adventures of Superman #626
Wonder Woman #202
Rose & Thorn #4
Smallville #7
Superman: Secret Identity #3

Matthew.

No Teen Titans #9 at my shop. I'll look for it in Vegas next week. Here's what I picked up this week, which includes last week's books:

Previews
Conan #2 - Whatta cover!
Avengers #80 - I'll stick it out until the end. Once this volume is over, its gone.
Ultimate FF #4
Ultimate Spider-Man #55 - got a copy of my pull list. With the help of Previews I'm prunning it down. This is the first title to go.
Wildguard #6
X-Treme X-Men #43 - Gambit was on the cover so I had to buy it for Caroline.
Adventures of Superman #626
Aquaman #16
Fantastic Four #511 - another candidate for the drop list.
Inhumans #11 - only 1 issue to go.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang #3
Superman/Batman #8

Well, After my misadventures this weekend trying (unsuccessfully ) to get Darden to a shop around here, I was bound and determined I'd hit Wonderland Comics this afternoon. And for my troubles, the guy at the desk gave me a 10% first-time buyer's discount!

My Legion back-issue picks:

1-3 and 5 of the LSH Index by ICG
Superman 423
Secret Origins v.2 #8 (Shady) and 37 (The Subs)

I also got 3 or 4 books I'd missed on my preorders, and a bunch of POWER PACKs off the 50 cent rack.

Still wish Far and Des ere there, though.

NEXT time, right?

A light week:

Justice League Adventures 30 : This was OK, though I've never been a Kamandi fan ...

Plastic Man 5 : This was a pleasant surprise! I'd been more or less indifferent to the previous issues, and seriously expected to drop this title after the end of the first story-arc. This issue had drama, suspense, and surprises (Plas' Boss actually gets a chance to display competence at his job! ); if next issue is this good, this title will be officially reprieved, at least as far as my reserve-list is concerned.

There was a rumor that BONE 54 might ship this week, but alas, it was not to be ...

this is what i got today [ a day later than usual, because of the bank holiday, on Monday !! ]

Teen Titans #10 [ Mike McKone's artwork is so great !!! i hope he stays on this title for a long while !!! ]

Action Comics #814 [ the logo has gone back to the more original typeface !!! i was really liking the new ones, with the large SUPERMAN logo, as part of it !!! ]

JSA #60

Matthew.

SCORE!

Back from another trek out to Wonderland Comics, and my fanboy coup of the day was Showcase '96 #3 for cover price. Both Mile High and Lone Star credit it as the first Birds of Prey team-up, wiht Oracle and Dinah working with Lois Lane, and want over $10 for it!

I also finally tracked down Conan #2. Beautiful book that's going in my preorders!

And for my Legion finds of the day, I got Showcase '96 #8, and the complete Timber Wolf mini for $4.

Add a couple more hole-fillers, and it was a great comix day.

I picked up three weeks worth of comics this past weekend, which is pretty much all the DC's, Marvel's and Crossgens to come out in the last three weeks (quite a bit).

Thoughts so far:

1602- A great end to a great series. I can see some people considering this a let down, but this is pretty much Gaiman's normal way of ending things, not so much with a bang but with an eerie sense that there is more going on and more to come. It's left open for him to continue his stories in 1602, which would be good, but I'm more interested in Gaiman doing other projects at Marvel, like Fury, Dr. Strange or Thor.

Flash- DC's best book. Great story, great pacing, great characterization, just great everything. I can't get enough.

Negation War- Awesome. Bring it on, I can't wait to read the rest of this. A Crisis scale story where nothing is truly safe.

I also really enjoyed Pulse, Ultimate Spider Man, Amazing Spider-man, Spider-man, Legion (already posted a review), JSA, Fables, My Faith in Frankie and Y: the Last Man.

Now I have two huge stacks of comics to read after that...

This has to be the first week in a long time that I actually had enough cash to pay for my hold and actually got change back from a $20. And that was with my Inquest magazine included. This is what I picked up:

Dawn of the Dead #1
The Walking Dead #6
Superman/Batman #9
Fantastic Four #512
Adv. of Superman #627

Seems like there should have been more but I won't know until I can check the release schedule.

Any way you look at it, a week with two great zombie books has got to be a good week!

today i got:

Superman / Batman #9
Rose & Thorn #5
Wonder Woman #203
Outsiders #11
Adventures Of Superman #627
Hawkman #27
Superman: Secret Identity #4

i've only read Superman / Batman so far !!! another great issue, this one of my favourite books each month, i love how Jeph Loeb writes the thoughts of Clark and Bruce !!!

and Michael Turners art looks amazing !!! looking forward to seeing more on KARA !!!

Matthew.

While on vacation in Cincinnati this week I stopped in my old comics shop since the manager's an old friend. Of course, I had to pick some stuff up:

Supes/Bats #9
Marvel 1602 #8
Outsiders #11
Hellboy's Weird Tales #7 and #8
Astro City/Arrowsmith Flip Book
Tokyo Storm Warning/Red TPB
Secret War #1

I thought I'd missed the boat on Secret Wars since you can't find an issue anywhere back home. But I just happened to mention that casually, and - lo and behold - my man came through.

1602 -- It was an entertaining yarn, but the main reason they managed to hook me, by saying that this wasn't an elseworlds or alternate timeline, turned out to pretty much be a lie! The host of heroes weren't the characters we know, they were somehow birthed by the universe or whatever because the cosmic timetable was upset -- their powers merely resembled the heroes we know. The time traveling Cap wasn't even the "real" Cap -- he was from an alternate future. Considering the cost, it wasn't worth it.

She-Hulk -- has anyone else picked this up? The first issue set up the series, but the second one is where things really take off in establishing what a lawfirm in the Marvel U might look like -- the kind of bizarre cases and legalities that arise in a world of spandex-clad supermen. There's a funny scene with Dr Strange and the legalities of an "Eye of Agamotto induced" confession, lawyers with jetpacks, a shape-changing process server and *Awesome Andy!* (The Awesome Android as office "gofer" -- think Benny from "L.A. Law") Fun (and funny) stuff. From "the Jean Grey defense", to She-Hulk reading comic books (like her own origin) as legal research ("the long boxes are in the basement"), this is shaping up to have a lot of potential for comic book satire. The art's great too -- don't go by the boring and totally uninformative (though nicely illustrated) covers.

Back from Wonderland again.

My Legion find: DC Special #28, "Earth-Shattering Disasters". 3 Tales featuring Batman, Aquaman and the Legion. The art's pretty unremarkable, but there's a nice splash by Jim Aparo featuring scenes from each of the three stories- and the inks on the Legion story are by Bob Layton. At the very least, I can say I have it.

Also picked up Conan 3, as well as back issues of Brath and the original Astro City mini, as well as recent issues of New Mutants and Inhumans I somehow missed with my preorders.

I almost picked up the Japanese import Harley Quinn action figure... maybe next time...

today i bought:

Firestorm #1
Superman: Birthright #10

and i thought i'd see what was going on in the current X-MEN world !!!

Uncanny X-Men #444
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men

i was surprised to see that RACHEL SUMMERS is back !!! i always liked her in EXCALIBUR !!!

is she the same character, then ???

Matthew.

Big week at the CBS for me:
-- Secret War
-- Legion
-- Astonishing X-Men
-- Avengers
-- New Frontier
-- Supreme Power
-- Superman

SECRET WAR: (reposted from my take on #1)If I had to guess about the conspiracy angle here, I'd say that the U.S. knew full well that their money was being funneled for use by supervillains. Why? To keep the superhuman populace in check -- give them something to do, some *one* to fight rather than look at the bigger picture. Also, fighting "villains" would make them adored public heroes, and when you're loved by the public, there's less reason to become anti-social and a potential villain themselves. (well, that's my theory...)

After having read #2, I still stick to this theory. It was fun seeing Bendis' take on the "Secret War" team interacting. Wolverine seemed like a bit of a goof (especially since the Fury file said he's immune to alcohol), but Parker was funny and as always gives a human voice to the superhuman shenanigans going on.

Wasn't the whole "taking over Latveria" thing just done in "Fantastic Four" with Fury sent in to stop Richards from what he was doing? Sloppy editorial I can forgive (like Logan saying he had never met Spidey in his civilian guise even though they did in the "Wolverine/Spiderman" one-shot), but it took me out of the story a minute.

Great art -- painted comics sometimes annoys me, but there was enough dynamism to his figures that kept it lively.

So, the mysterious member, the one who looks like Angelina Jolie from "Hackers" is probably the earthquake chick, right?

SUPERMAN: Yeah, so I have no idea what's going on here....