This week's Pull-List is maxed out at ten books. I'm pretty sure the previous record is nine. Good thing I like reading comics because this took a while. AND they were all pretty good. Except Superman which was just "meh."
Tenth Place:
Superman #10
Superman fights Anguish. Anguish is a dumb character. Totally 90s. Dumb name, dumb costume. Real waste of a character that actually has a little potential once you get past the 90s-ness.
Writer Dan Jurgens and artist Jesus Merino are a good team. Jurgens' Lois and Jimmy are still uninteresting white bread (that negative connotation bothers me because I love white bread) but the overall story seems to be finding its footing. Shame a new creative team will take over in another issue. Jurgens and Merino, we hardly knew ye.
Ninth Place:
The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Men #10
Yildiray Cinar's stock is rising. He's drawing the hell out of a book that I don't know how many people are reading. I don't think its too many. I however think its pretty good.
Jason and Ronnie continue to battle the world's different Firestorms while coming closer to running into each other again. Jason and Ronnie don't like each other much but I think I speak for most of Firestorm fandom that we want them to be buddies and team up and kick some ass. So far, not yet.
Ethan Van Sciver and Joe Harris seem intent on taking Ronnie through a harrowing journey. They're making him kind of nuts and that's something I'd like them to smooth out sooner rather than later.
Eighth Place:
Teen Titans #10
An enjoyable issue of Teen Titans. Kind of silly that they end up on some mystery island with wacky animals/dinosaurs and there's really no explanation, but Scott Lobdell seems to be dropping a lot of little hints as the book moves along. We haven't seen the last of Mystery Island.
The best part of this issue is that its a "down" issue. All this crazy shit happens to the Titans and this issue gives them a chance to just hang out, catch their breath and give us a chance to get to know them when they're not in the middle of a fight. A very well done issue.
Seventh Place:
Green Lantern: New Guardians #10
The mystery of why there's an evil space army of Blue Beetles isn't answered in this issue but its a great issue none the less.
Tony Bedard does great work bringing this ensemble cast together and giving everyone some good face time. Even though the whole issue centers around the evil Blue Beetle army attacking Odym, there are enough character moments that it doesn't feel like just 20 pages of punching.
And as far as no inker goes, Thomas Giorello does a great job making his pencils black enough that its not a muddy eye-sore. He also does a great job on the art in general.
Sixth Place:
The Flash #10
Way back in the olden days before The New 52 there was a book called Red Robin. Being a huge Tim Drake fan I ate it up. Marcus To was the artist on that book and knocked it out of the park. Since the New 52 was introduced almost a year ago, I haven't seen much (or any) of To's work. Well this month's Flash gives us a whole book of it. And he hooks it up.
I love the artwork Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato put into The Flash but seeing Marcus To's work really made me miss him on a regular title. C'mon, DC. Give this guy a book!
Barry encounters the Weather Wizard, who doesn't seem to be such a bad guy. He also decides to tell Patty Spivot who he is, and then decides not too. I really don't understand that part. Other than that, another great Flash book.
Fifth Place:
Aquaman #10
This was a quick read. I don't know if it was because it was so intense or if there just weren't a lot of words.
We learn how Aquaman killed Black Manta's father. It was on accident. Sort of. And Manta is coming for artifacts held by each of the Others for some master plan I'm sure. I'm glad Manta is getting some play in this book along with being on Young Justice. What's long over due is to see him go up against a different Justice League member and hold his own.
Ivan Reis and the art team continue to draw on of the best looking books on the shelf. Aquaman is a great superhero read.
Fourth Place:
Justice League Dark #10
Jeff Lemire has done an interesting thing in placing two opposites with each other in this book. There's an uncomfortable working arrangement between the JLDark and U.S. government agency A.R.G.U.S. Lemire does a great job showing how the freaky mystical world and the scientific government both deal with runaway magic.
And Mikel Janin does it again. Another perfect issue. Hopefully this guy is around the DCU a long time because he's pretty amazing. He does some great creepy shit and seems to be at home drawing this book, but I'd love to see his take on a few of the more contemporary heroes of the DCU.
Third Place:
Justice League #10
Jim Lee can draw a damn comic book. F'reals. He gets some heat for being late, but this run on Justice League has been well planned. And this second arc is where its at.
Maybe its the sequel theory? We got all the introductions and everything out of the way in the first art, so we can get right into the action in the second. Much like Bedard on New Guardians this month, Johns give us just the right amount of action and character moments to bring this team and their relationships to life.
I'm still on the fence about new villain David Graves, but we'll see how it plays out. The Avengers can suck my nuts. Justice League is where its at.
Second Place:
I, Vampire #10
What a cool fucking book. Lots of talking in this one, but Joshua Hale Fialkov dances the conversation between Troughton and the head of the Van Helsings through the pages. Great read.
Mary attacks Andrew and we get a good idea of how powerful he is. Scary powerful. Then the Van Helsings try to nuke the vampires and all hell breaks loose. Especially when the dead Van Helsings start to rise.
I wasn't sure what Fialkov had in mind after the first arc but he clearly has a plan. DC is offering up a lot of different styles of books with different styles of art. This book is a great example.
First Place:
Voltron #6
Wow. Just wow. I really didn't see the ending of this issue coming. Maybe I should have given some clues placed in Voltron: Year One, but I didn't. And I'm kind of glad I didn't because writer Brandon Thomas just blew my mind. Ariel Padilla's art is still woefully awful, but thankfully this is his last issue. N. Steven Harris takes over art duties on #7.
This issue was the story of King Zarkon. How he went from human scientist to intergalactic despot. And it was a great story. Not only that but we also got to see the no-respect-getting vehicle Voltron and some hints that there are 4 more Voltrons out there.
I have never been this amped about Voltron. Not even when I was a kid. Proof that sentimentality and nostalgia CAN be recreated. Take note, George Lucas.
Panel of the Week:
The actual art isn't that great, but anytime the lame vehicle Voltron shows up, he needs a shout-out.
-Gint
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