Gint's Pull-List Review 3-2-11

In theory, the week of 3-2-11 should have dropped 5 solid books in the Pull-List. Lets see how they played out.

5th Place:

Annihilators #1

A Marvel book in Gint’s Pull-List?! Yep. The only one you’ll find too.

After being disillusioned by One More Day and unimpressed by Secret Invasion I was done with the Earth-bound Marvel U. Then I was turned on to Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova. Goddamn were those good books. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning know how to write a good space story.

There have been ups and downs, meaningful deaths and universe threatening danger all leading up to Annihilators.

There's definitely a hole in the Marvel cosmos without Star-Lord and Nova, but I trust Annihilators is a step in the right direction to bringing them back.

I like the idea of this super-team of Quasar, Silver Surfer, Ronan, Beta-Ray Bill and the Guardian, but so far their chemistry is pretty flat. This isn't surprising and I suspect DNA have a future plan for these guys and this 4-part mini-series.

We've seen bits and pieces of these characters since DNA took over, but I'm not sure just 4 issues is enough to open these guys up and get some really good character moments out of them.

While some of the angles of the art slip and slide a little bit, Tan Eng Huat does a good job and nothing is so egregious it pulls me out of the story.

And I'd be remiss to say I'm not happy to see Rocket Raccoon and Groot back in my Pull-List. They were heart and soul of what DNA has built so I feel its only right that they're part of what's happening in the cosmos. A solid and entertaining start my hope is that this story dovetails with the Annihilators on the road to getting the band back together.

4th Place:

First Wave #6

Brian Azzarello and I haven’t really seen eye to eye. And I don’t really know or care about The Spirit or Doc Savage. But for some reason, I picked up this series when it started and wasn’t disappointed.

It was a damn solid series all the way through, but it lost some steam toward the end. That could have been story-related but I suspect it has more to do with a longer lag waiting for the last couple issues.

This final issue gives a nicely polished finish with big action and a thoughtful ending. Its probably my favorite thing I’ve read by Brian Azzarello. At some point I’ll sit down and read it all in one sitting. I think it will work even better that way without any issue delays.

Rags Morales blew me away with his work on Identity Crisis. His work between that and First Wave wasn’t all that impressive. I think he really found his groove again on First Wave. Well done.

If this team wanted to do another 6-issue arc, I’d definitely pick it up.

A surprising 3rd Place finish:

Green Lantern #63

War of the Green Lanterns begins! With a ... small bang?

Maybe I shouldn't expect too much from a kick-off issue. Or maybe my expectations for a Geoff Johns'-penned issue are so high, its hard to meet those expectations. Or maybe this issue was just OK? For whatever reason this issue wasn't gripping. It was good, but not enthralling.

As most set up issues are, there's some explaining to be done to get the story rolling. We learn a few big things and fear a little more for Hal's sanity. It WAS nice to get some Hal/Carol time. I'd like to see more of that through this event.

Art duties are split between Ed Benes and Ardian Syaf and they do a really nice job. I'd also like to give a nod to Randy Mayor who always knows how to color a Green Lantern book.

So a good start, but I'm eager for this event to get rolling.

A strong finish in 2nd Place:

Brightest Day # 21

I love me some J'onn J'onzz. But I love me some J'onn J'onzz as a supporting character. While he (much like Aquaman) isn't going to find a lot of success supporting his own on-going, a vehicle like Brightest Day is perfect for stories highlighting these characters.

Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi really have their pulse on who these characters are and what makes them tick. J'onn has struggled with his allegiance to his dead planet for so long, its nice to see him get some peace of mind (if breifly) in this issue.

The Brightest Day team is leading this story to a grand finish in an impressive way. We're going to have a really good story on our hands if they can wrap it up as excitingly as they've made the last few issues.

And our undisputed 1st Place finish:

Secret Six #31

If the rest of The Darkest House arc is as good as the first part (part 1 of 3) Secret Six is going to be in good shape.

For everything that happens to kick of this new storyline, the dialogue and art are pitch-perfect and get you through at a pretty quick read. Between story and art, everything is on-point and nothing is wasted.

If I had to pick something wrong with this issue I couldn't do it. Its a fine example of why I read comic books. There's a little bit of everything for everyone.

And how creepy is Bane on that cover? Besides the Resident Evil arm his head alone is terrifying. Dan LuVisi has been doing great work on these covers.

Ps Hilarious Secret Six commercial at the beginning of the book.


-Gint