A Winter Wonderland

I wish Brizzle really had an authentic Captain Cold costume to wear all winter long. -$

How The $oss Reviewed His Pull-List on Christmas

If I give something a bad review this week it's not because my heart is two sizes too small:

Fantastic Four #601

More intergalactic ridiculousness. Enough with The Kree and The Inhumans. For six solid months Reed Richards and crew have been on a strict diet of space battles. The Fantastic Four works best as a title when it mixes things up, some space travel and aliens some alternate reality and some standard super heroics. This has just been too much of one ingredient for my taste. I think I'm done reading this title for a little while.

Justice League #4

As DC's flagship title Justice League has the most hyped artistic team and the most glamourous heroes at it's disposal. Regardless of all these winning ingredients this is still a pretty bland book. The story is slow and the manner of introducing one hero per issue is turning any momentum this title could gather into sludge. I'm not emotionally attached to any of the characters. The whole thing feels rushed and hollow.

I know Gint will not like this but I have no problem with the way that Johns is portraying Hal Jordan. Isn't he supposed to be an arrogant dude who plays by his own rules? I loved when he touched Diana's truth lasso and started talking about how a lot of what he does is to impress people. That seems right in line with the young version of Hal to me. If this Green Lantern has never worked with any other heroes besides The Flash wouldn't it take some time for him to round into the level-headed version of Hal that we see years later in current Green Lantern books? To be honest Hal's immature actions are about the only tangible plot point that highlights the supposed five year difference in time. That is unless you count someone saying "I didn't think you really existed!" every other page. 

It is odd that a book loaded with A-list talent and characters isn't even in my Top 5 DC books.

Batman #4

Scott Snyder lost me a little bit with his flashback of Batman as a child detective. Writers can usually convince me that Bruce Wayne can do pretty much anything but at least make it the full grown Bruce. 

Greg Capullo's pencils are above average once again. I love the slightly cartoonish style that he brings to the table. It reminds me of the good qualities that some 90's comic art had. I said "some". He uses a variety of odd sized panels in this issue which is always a welcome change of pace from the norm. FCO Plasencia has provided amazing color work for this first arc. The gray, brown palette along with the red tinted Gotham night sky is a nice tip of the hat to Batman: The Animated Series. This remains my favorite of the Batman-centric titles I collect.

Here Comes Daredevil #2

I'm months behind on this title but I love what I had seen so far from. Pablo Rivera's work is truly something to behold. Simple, elegant lines that carry great energy are his forte and I've never seen an artist visually capture Matt Murrdock's powers quite like this. I really enjoy the way that he moves his characters thru the page, unrestrained by boundaries of panels. He creates his own structure as he goes along. This new Daredevil book is worth picking up strictly to watch Rivera at work.

Wonder Woman #4

Diana and company travel to London while back on Themyscira the goddess Herra drops by to have a chat with Queen Hippolyta. Brian Azzarello dives deeper into Wonder Woman's feelings of isolation and betrayal from her sister Amazon's. We also are witness to the punishment for Hippolyta's adulteress actions. It seems as if all of Themyscira must pay for her transgressions.  

Cliff Chiang continues to prove that he was the perfect choice as penciler for this book. His Amazon women are convincingly strong and sexy at the same time. 

I agree with Gint's comments that this book feels disconnected from the rest of the DCU. However, I think introducing other DC heroes at this point in the story would feel unnatural since most of this tale has been told on Diana's home island. Leave the cameo's for next arc and let Azzarello and Chiang build the foundation for this new Wonder Woman and her intriguing cast of supporting characters. -$

Panel of the Week: Mike Mignola's Hellboy delivering Christmas cheer.

F'ing Snow

Cold weather, hate it. Snow, hate it. If I could get rid of one season there's no question it would be winter. And while I despise the months of November thru March there are those that love every bone chilling, miserable moment.-$

Gint's 12-21-11 Pull-List Review: Christmas Edition

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of Gint's Pull-List Review. There's nothing really Christmas-ey about these books, so I at least changed some colors for you.

On the Fourth Day of Comic Book Day...

Green Lantern Corps #4

This issue we learn that the big bads in this first arc hail from the hidden dimension where the Lanterns keep their lanterns. As usual the Guardians know something about these dudes but haven't divulged to the Corps yet.

We even get a surprise visit from Stormwatch member Martian Manhunter. Unfortunately, the DCnU J'onn is different than the one we know. He doesn't know Guy Gardner and vice versa. He's also cold and doesn't like the Green Lanterns and apparently blames the Corps for not saving Mars. That's really a fair point considering it happened on Sinestro's watch. And he's supposed to be the greatest Lantern ever.

Fernando Pasarin's art looks fantastic as always. Its nice getting a full issue of Pasarin without a fill-in artist. Scott Hanna also does a nice job on inks though some pages look a little rougher than other.

Ultimately if I'm going to find something wrong about this book its going to be nitpicking. Peter Tomasi writes these characters better than almost anyone. Especially b-list Lanterns like Isamot Kol and Salaak.

On the Third Day of Comic Book Day...

Justice League: #4

Maybe the expectations for this book were too high? Chemistry isn't a given. It happens frequently on hockey teams where one team acquires one star player in hopes that he'll have chemistry with another star player. Then it doesn't work out. That's what's happening on this book.

A book written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee should be instant chemistry and comic gold. While Justice League has been far from bad, its just not making me jump out of my seat with excitement every month.

And don't get me started on Hal Jordan. I know this is 5 years ago, and Hal is supposed to be younger and more brash than the current Hal in his own title. But its too much of a change of personality. I get what Johns is doing trying to show a progression of his maturation, but its almost like the Star Wars prequels and the Original Trilogy... it just doesn't match up.

Its a great looking book and the action is fast and furious. But I'm almost more looking forward to the epilogue when Darkseid is defeated and our heroes are left to answer the question, "what do we do now?" THAT's the story I want to read.

On the Second Day of Comic Book Day...

Supergirl #4

Mahmud Asrar does some great work on this book. His pencils are akin to the pencils I would like to draw had I had the talent to draw an actual comic book. There's a certain design-y element to his work along side the smooth lines and definition. There's also a Leniel Yu quality this issue that I really like.

A talent Asrar has, even better than Jamal Igle, is drawing Supergirl like the teenager she's supposed to be. Too many artists like to get their hands on her and draw her as a supermodel and lose the fact that she's just a girl. Asrar's work also makes me want to see a Supergirl movie where they could actually cast a teenager in the role. Good good stuff.

Michael Green and Mike Johnson continue to write a very interesting story introducing a whole new world and cast of characters just as well-fitting and entertaining as anything that has been or is coming from DC these days.

On the First Day of Comic Book Day:

Wonder Woman #4

Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang continue to helm the wheel of one of the best ships out of DC's fleet of New 52 books. Forgive the sailing reference it really has nothing to do with anything.

Slowly, but with deliberate steps each issue, Wonder Woman builds itself up to what looks like a war between the Gods and Diana. The Gods we've met so far are untrustworthy (save Hermes) and dangerous. Hera is a crazy bitch. But each character has its own nuance that really makes them shine.

If anything has been missing from Wonder Woman so far its the lack of any contact with the rest of the DCnU. I'm sure this is Azzarello's plan, making Wonder Woman really stand on its own. But in a shared universe like DC has been promoting, I'd love to see some other characters from the ol' DCnU show up.

Great story. Great art. Damn fine book.

Panel (Image) of the Week:

While I really enjoyed the art of each book this week, I wanted to get into the spirit of Christmas and offer up some classic Alex Ross.

Merry Christmas from Mc$oss!

-Gint

Lion-O, Graphic Designer

 

A co-worker recently told me, "you have to dress for the job you want, not the job you have." If my options are wearing a suit and tie to mimic upper-management, or the sweet raiment of the leader of the ThunderCats, I think its apparent which one I'm going to choose.

And a thank you to my buddy BomTron for getting the creative wheels turning on this one.

-Gint

$oss' Pull-List Reviews 12-21-11

The New Avengers #19 

Norman Osborn is rebuilding his Dark Avengers and after their battle with the giant Gozilla-esque monster The Avengers are not going to be prepared to take them on. I hate when the cover of a comic has nothing to do with the interior. I was promised Spider-Man being beaten to a pulp by these new Dark Avengers. Instead I got everybody standing around and Tony Stark throwing a tantrum. 

Damn! Mike Deodato's inks are heavy as shit! It's as if every scene takes place at midnight. I'm convinced he just covers all of his mistakes this way.

Green Lantern #4 

This arc has really grown on me. However, one thing that bothers me is the idea that Sinestro can create rings. I can even deal with him making Hal's ring, but an entire army? Come on. 

Doug Mahnke's art is great in this issue. While most of the story takes place in two pitch black cells Mahnke infuses a lot of personality in each panel.  There are a couple of really great images of Hal using his ring in an attempt to break free from the cell. 

Swamp Thing #4 

The war between The Green, The Red and The Rot is coming fast. William Arcane is beginning to harness his disturbing power  as he uses a diner full of people as practice. Note to self, when a kid in blood stained pajamas and a gas mask asks for a vanilla shake don't give him chocolate. 

Alec Holland learns more of the history of The Green from The Parliament of Trees. They also warn him that one day he will have to kill his new found ally and former love interest Abby Arcane. The Parliament of Trees doesn't mess around. 

Each week I go back and forth over which book in The New 52 is my favorite, Animal Man or Swamp Thing. This week the protector of The Green wins out.-$

Panel of the Week:  The haunting visual representation of The Rot and The Green brought to you by the amazing Marco Rudy. Why can't all books look this beautiful?

I'll Take Your Breath Away

People gravitate towards things that remind them of their everyday lives. Sitcoms like The Office and The League play on the work habits and interests of everyday people. I would imagine that the title of this song would grab Boston Brand's attention.-$

Gint's 12-14-11 Pull-List Review

A nice 4-comic week. And away we go...

Fourth Place:
Resurrection Man #4


Years ago, when $oss and I had the pleasure of working in the same office together, a fellow employee of ours learned we were into comics and tried to get us interested in the world of Joseph Michael Linsner's Dawn. Despite the title character being super hot and having giant jubblees this was the most homoerotic craziness I've ever experienced. In any medium. It was a straaaaange book and I couldn't hang.


What does this have to do with Resurrection Man? Well, the newly introduced angel Suriel looks an awful lot like Dawn. Oversexualized complete with tear tattoo on her face. Now, I love me some T & A. F'reals. But there's almost too much T & A going on in this book. More even than Ed Benes' constant drawings of female rump roasts in Red Lanterns. The chicks in this book are too sexualized and it takes away from their characters. My penis is screaming in protest at my desire to play down naked ladies.


All I know about this book is that it was originally a product of the 90s where substance was thrown out the window in favor of flash, leg bands, pouches and T & A. If that's what writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are going for, a recreation of the original product, then mission accomplished. If this is their attempt to update a character in order to give the modern comic-reading audience a more robust and fulfilling read? Fail.

Third Place:
Superboy #4


Part of what makes Superboy such an interesting read is the way its written compared to Teen Titans. Scott Lobdell writes both books, both about super-powered teens. But Superboy is good and Teen Titans, well... isn't.


Superboy seems to come from a more mature level, where Teen Titans is juvenile. Each book makes you feel the opposite for the other. By reading Superboy I think, "why can't Teen Titans be this good?" Different characters and elements I guess. But regardless Lobdell gets it right on Superboy.


I'm sure the artwork of R.B. Silva doesn't hurt either. Its clean, crisp and well thought out. It creates a smooth, flowing story. He also draws the hell out of Rockefeller Center this issue.


Superboy is a clear example of a reboot that's working.

Second Place:
Batman & Robin #4


This issue didn't feel like there was a lot going on. But what it provided was a deeper look into who our three main characters in this story are. Peter Tomasi writes a smooth story highlighting some of the inner motivations and machinations of Bruce, Damian and Morgan Ducard, aka NoBody.


Where Tomasi's skill really comes through is in his writing of Damian. He writes him as hard and cold, but doesn't write him as unlikeable. He makes you feel sorry for Damian despite all of his psychoses and shortcomings. And makes you say, "Damn, Bruce, quit being such a dick!"


Patrick Gleason's heavy black pencils continue to match Tomasi's story perfectly. Much like how $oss really appreciates the new Spider-Man title over at Marvel, I really appreciate a Batman title that I can't wait to read every month.

First Place:
Green Lantern #4


When Geoff Johns gave Sinestro a first name, it could have been anything he wanted. He could have used a play on an evil word, like "Sinestro" for example. But he showed restraint and named him Thaal. Somewhat regal and fitting the character's personality. And just weird enough to be from another planet.


Johns and Green Lantern continue to roll on nearly flawlessly. The many facets of emotion and personality that Johns has imbued in these characters has really grown them from who they used to be.


Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy and Keith Champagne do a great job with the art. Though someone played a little fast and loose with the inks on page 5.


This current arc IS about Sinestro. Its been a good story, but I'm looking forward to the focus turning back to Hal.

Panel of the Week:

If it was Doug Mahnke's goal this issue to give me nightmares, well played Mr. Mahnke.


-Gint

Smart

 

This is actually pretty amusing to do, if not the wisest way to spend part of a car trip. I recommend trying it, though please breathe if you feel yourself slipping into unconsciousness.

-Gint

$oss' Pull List Reviews 12-14-11

Detective Comics #4

Tony Daniel is a decent artist. I always liked his highly detailed style. Unfortunately as a writer his stories always seem cliche. Four issues into this arc and it feels like Batman just keeps fighting the same Joker clones over and over again. This story is stuck in quicksand. 

When compared to what is going on over in Batman or even Batman & Robin this title just doesn't have the same sizzle. If Daniels teamed with a better writer Detective could be just as good as it's sister titles.

Action Comics #4
I liked the misdirection on the cover introducing Steel as a potential villain but as the story unfolds the traditional version of John Henry Irons makes his debut. I was never a big Steel fan but I liked the redesign of his costume and I thought the backup story was a nice touch. I usually hate these backup stories that DC puts at the end of their books but this one really worked. 

Avenging Spider-Man #2

Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira hit it out of the park again. The Red Hulk is an awesome character. He maintains the same personality of his alter ego, General Ross, so instead of a rampaging and mindless brute this version of the Hulk is cunning and strategic. I always hated that big idiot so this new spin is intriguing to me. I'm so thankful to once again have a Spider-Man title that I'm truly excited to read. 

The Defenders #1
This team has long been the butt of many jokes in the comic community. A team consisting of Dr. Strange, She-Hulk, Iron Fist, Namor and the Silver Surfer doesn't make much sense. It's as if Stan Lee put all the names of Marvel heroes in a hat and these were the ones he picked out. 

Still, this new spin on the group has promise. The first few pages reminded me of Justice League Dark as Matt Fraction set the stage in an insane asylum. The appearance of the Black Hulk has the universe acting up. The next scene was just as good as Doctor Strange wakes up the morning after some inappropriate late night studies with a beautiful undergrad student. Doctor Strangelove indeed! Writers always play Strange as a boring, dry straight man. It's refreshing to see some of his flaws. But after the first couple of pages its pretty much your standard "let's get the band back together" story.

I did like Fraction's take on each of the members of this version of The Defenders. Doctor Strange is like a college professor trying to bang every woman in sight. Namor is his usual royal, snobbish self. The Silver Surfer is laid back and spiritual. Iron Fist is a big rich kid, more concerned with comic books than the mission and She-Hulk is just pissed. Overall it's a great mix of personalities that could prove to have great chemistry. Hopefully they will get some quality villains to battle. 

My major complaint with this book is that it has no real direction. There's no niche for this team, no specific threat to defend the Earth from. Just a rag tag bunch of dudes out to fight......whatever. The talent on this book is outstanding and it wasn't a bad read. It just lacks focus. I'm anxious to see where Fraction and the Dodson's take this book -$

Panel of the Week: The Joker is going to have a hard time laughing about this.

The Big Red Sleaze

 

For the un-nerdy, Billy Batson is a 10-year old boy who, when granted the power of Shazam turns into a fully grown man with super powers. For one reason or another I believe if granted adulthood, our intentions would be somewhat less than altruistic.

-Gint

Gint's 12-7-11 Pull-List Review

Welcome back to the Pull-List after a week off. It feels good to read some new comics.

Fifth Place:

Red Lanterns #4

Its a good thing Ed Benes is drawing the hell out of this book because the story is draaaaaaaging. Half of every issue is Atrocitus acting like an angsty teenage girl wondering what to do if Bleez is scheming behing his back. Get over it Atrocitus. You're a fucking Red Lantern. Go be mad about shit. I thought I was getting a book about fury. Instead its a book about a teenage girl who can't control his own Corps.

Ed Benes does to a great job though. No ass-shots this issue, but everything else looks really good.

Fourth Place:

Supernatural: Caledonia #3

This book doesn't feel very... Supernatural-ie? Maybe its the lack of Dean Winchester. The first part was all Sam and it looks like this second part will be all Sam too. Its not bad, but it doesn't have the tone of the show either, which I think writer Brian Wood should do a better job of capturing.

Sam gets word that Emma from Scotland needs him, so up he goes to Scotland without telling Dean. After Sam's first foray to Scotland in Part 1, you'd think maybe taking Dean along wouldn't be a bad idea. So now Sam is alone in Scotland, pulled into the ocean by some sea witch-monster-thing.

I really like the look and tone of Grant Bond's art, but it it could be more technically sound.

And can we please get some Dean Winchester in this piece!

Third Place:

Voltron #1

I branched out this week with Voltron #1. Dynamite's first appearance on the Pull-List. And they didn't do too bad. I've seen worse from The New 52.

Growing up, like any normal child of the 80s, I loved Star Wars, He-Man and ThunderCats. Looking back, part of the reason I think I liked these shows was that they had nothing to do with Earth. I liked that these Universes were so far removed from our boring one. Voltron also fell in this category... kinda sorta. I can't remember if they talked about Earth or not. Voltron's anime-style kept it more on the fringes of my childhood interests.

Regardless, one of the things I like about issue number one here is that it DOES take place on Earth. Some of the promo images showed the giant robot in the middle of Times Square. This struck me as being really cool since I never remembered Voltron being in familiar places. It was a new twist on an old classic and it really worked.

The writing of Brandon Thomas worked much better than the art of Ariel Padilla. Thomas keeps the old characters familiar and looks to build in their personalities as the series goes on. He sets up a good start in a slightly different Voltron Universe.

Padilla however needs to learn a little more about storytelling and needs to lighten up on the inks. Some heavy blacks and some questionable page layouts put unnecessary hitches in what could have been smoother storytelling.

Since I'm not an ardent Voltron fan, I'm not judging this book with 80s colored glasses. It was a solid book and has the potential to follow the footsteps of the old Dreamwave Transformers series. Though that's a pretty high bar to follow.

Second Place:

Action Comics #4

From what I remember about Action Comics #3, I was a little let down. But #4 winds it right back up to the top of the Pull-List. This was a great issue.

Its not the depth of the story that makes it great, (its pretty much non-stop action [appropriate] and fighting) but its the way its told. Its very smooth. The issue has a flow to it between the story, dialogue and art that more comics should strive for. We've seen Superman fight giant robots before. A lot. So that in itself isn't anything new. But its the way its told that gives it that New 52 life.

Rags Morales is on his game. While some panels aren't drawn perfectly, enough of the mannerisms and body positions are to make you feel that emotion. There's a particular panel where Supes hauls off and punches Metallo in the chest and even though there's no sound effect, you can almost hear the audible "bong" of striking the metal. Morrison and Morales are quite a team.

And the back up story is pretty good too. Back up stories usually never are. But this brief tale about the DCnU's Steel is pretty solid. Despite no inks from artist Brad Walker, everything looks great. I'd love to see him on a regular title, but his work looks like he couldn't keep up with a monthly. Bummer.

Buy Action Comics, folks. Its what Superman should be.

First Place:

Animal Man #4

I don't think saying Animal Man has been the runaway surprise hit of The New 52 is much of a stretch. #4 keeps the amazing madness rolling.

Buddy and Maxine come back from the Red with an avatar of life: a cat named Socks. Its so ridiculous and so perfect. Its Socks' job to teach Maxine how to use her advanced powers since she is THE avatar of life apparently. Meanwhile Mrs. Baker and Cliff unknowingly drive out to the country with one of the Hunters Three.

Jeff Lemire keeps writing a quick, smooth story. Even his brief exposition about what the Rot is doesn't feel like exposition. And Travel Foreman keeps drawing creepy fucking shit. Lots of good stuff happening in this book.

Panel of the Week:

I couldn't NOT make this the panel of the week. Fucking gross.

-Gint

The House of Marketing's New Campaign

For years the Mc$oss crew has supported the Ol' Shell Head Lager brand of beer. I thought it was about time to give the boys a darker alternative to the standard brew they were used to.-$

$oss Pull List Reviews 12-07-11

The Dark Knight #3 

This book has really improved since issue #1. Paul Jenkins and David Finch have turned a story that seemed like a carbon copy of Scott Snyder's Batman and moved it along to something interesting. The Flash makes an appearance in this issue as he and Bruce try to track down a new villain, The White Rabbit.

  

Finch's art is really good this time out. It helps that it is supported by a more focused plot. I think I'll continue to give this book a shot on my pull list.

Punisher Max: Frank 

Following the events of his battle with Bullseye Frank Castle is severely wounded and taken into police custody. Confided to a prison hospital bed it's simply a matter of time before the prisoners work up the courage to extract their revenge. Most of this story is a flashback to the time right after Frank returned home from Vietnam. What makes this look at his pre-Punisher life different is that it wasn't as rosey as other writers usual tell it. In fact it was down right awful. 

Jason Aaron paints a picture of a man lost in life. He knows that he doesn't fit in with normal society. He can't relate to his children. He is cold to his wife. He works shitty, low key jobs as a meat packer and a dishwasher to stay away from trouble. He knows full well that once he gets another taste of war there will be no going back. Nick Fury makes an appearance in this story as he tries to recruit Castle to be part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and there is also a new spin on why Frank and his family are gunned down in the park. These new details about Frank's connection Fury and the Mafia make his descent into his role as The Punisher all the more tragic. The Castle family's trip to the park also has a purpose. The final conversation between Frank and his wife is sad in ways that I never could have imagined. 

Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon have surpassed the work that Ennis and Dillon did a decade ago. I can honestly say that this is the most well executed version of the Punisher I've ever had the pleasure to read. Once I finished reading this I wanted to start reading it all over again. It's addictive.-$

Panel of the Week: Franks final moments with his family as he realizes this is all his fault. 

You Can't Outrun Unemployment

 

One month into a brand new universe may be too early to start planning comebacks and surprise entrances from some old favorites like Wally West. When DC rebooted their entire line of books, Wally West was kicked out of the Flash uniform for cagey veteran Barry Allen.

When Kyle Rayner was replaced by old school Lantern Hal Jordan, that was okay in my book because Kyle never felt like MY Green Lantern. Wally West however, WAS my Flash. From the Justice League cartoon and the years of roughly 2001 to 2010 in the comics, Wally became my Flash. Kyle Rayner was given a corner of the DCnU all to himself. He even essentially has his own book. But no Wally.

So here's to all my fellow Wally West fans out there hoping Didio and Co. have something up their sleeves for the character many fans believe is THE Flash.

-Gint

Mc$oss Sketchbook

 

Due to the fact that my Pull-List this week was empty, there is nothing to review. So, I offer a look into the Mc$oss Sketchbook.

Included are three drawings $oss and I refer to as Prehistoric Mc$oss. They were drawn about 7 years before Mc$oss' inception. Also included are a couple from when we began Mc$oss in '08. 

Lastly, a quick sketch of what Tyler Labine might look like had he been in Mc$oss instead of a handful of good but unwatched TV shows.

-Gint

What Do You Believe?

Come on, you all know this song is the jam! While Judas was a crappy friend he sure knew how to dress! -$

http://youtu.be/dDzxn66W3uM

$oss' Pull List Reviews 11-30-11

Deadman #1-3 

My local comic shop had a midnight sale on Thanksgiving discounting all the #1 and #2 issues of The New 52. DC has done an outstanding job with all the books that I've read so far so I took this opportunity to try out some titles that I skipped the first time around. Seeing that my favorite books from the New 52 have mainly come from the darker side of DC (Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Justice League Dark) I thought Deadman would be another home run. Wrong. What should have been a dark and haunting tale of possession, the dead and the undead turned out to be just another superhero story.

Bernard Chang's talents would be much better used on a traditional title like Superman or Green Lantern. When compared to the strange and exotic illustrations in Animal Man or the gruesome, photorealistic art found in JL Dark and Swamp Thing Chang's work simply doesn't fit.

Voodoo #3 

I feel like this book is my dirty little secret. If Gint was with me at the comic shop he would probably slap this book out of my hands. And what's worse is it's not really even that good. Sami Barsi is an amazing artist. Each month I fall in love with the clean lines and great character design. I'm going to start a petition to get Barsi on a quality book. 

The story.....kind of shitty. Standard "aliens walk among us" type stuff. But the story wasn't the biggest problem I had with this issue. Green Lantern is featured in this book but I was unsure if this Green Lantern was Kyle Rayner or Hal Jordan. It looked like Kyle, but since I only read Green Lantern and not any of the hundreds of other GL centric books I'm not even certain if Kyle still rocks a ring. This could have been cleared up with one caption saying "Kyle Rayner. Green Lantern". I'd imagine this would really confuse a brand new reader who is unfamiliar with Earth's multiple Lanterns. Shame on you DC editorial staff.

Wolverine and the X-Men #2 

The question is still left unanswered. Do I like Chris Bachalo's art? This month was pretty shaky. Jumbled panels and bad coloring are the major culprits here. Bachalo also has a habit of not drawing backgrounds for many of his panels. It gets hard to gauge where the characters are. I end up spending more time figuring out where the action is taking place than what is going on in the story. It's a shame because the story is interesting. The evolution of Wolverine, Kitty Pryde and Iceman is enjoyable. Jason Aaron is taking these characters to places that haven't been explored. I just wish the art could clean itself up to match the storytelling.

Justice League Dark #3

The cover art promises a story involving Deadman, John Constantine and Zatanna. Instead we get Shade the Changing Man and a villain named Mind Warp. What a dirty trick. Despite these two dumb characters hogging all the panels this month I'm still totally invested in this story arc. I'm having a lot of fun with this book and it's strange cast of characters. 

Mikel Janin's art is mind blowing (or mind warping, zing!). I especially like the way Deadman is presented. He isn't just a pale bald dude. You can see the bones underneath his wrinkled, shagging skin. He looks like a corpse and isn't that the whole point?-$

Panel of the Week: Oh Kyle, you are so creative.