The Clock is Ticking

Another year in the books, folks. They go by quick, don't they? With a reprieve from Death himself, it looks like we'll be around another year to churn out the online entertainment you deserve. And on that note: thank you.

Thank you to the old and the new McSoss fans who have read our comics and reviews and listened to our podcast over the last year. We've said it before, but Ian and I would be creating this content if just to amuse ourselves. What makes it special is all of you other readers and listeners out there enjoying the ride with us.

Thanks to everyone for a great 2014, and here's to an even better 2015!

-Gint

Gint's 12-24-14 Pull-List Review

Due to being on vacation this week, here's a more concise review of this week's books. I was surprised to see seven books on the Pull-List with it being Christmas week and all.

Seventh Place:

Futures End #37

Last place because I didn't read it. By the time I made it to The Dark Side Comics & Games in Sarasota, they were sold out. I trust it was the usual Futures End fare.

Sixth Place:

Nova #25

What could have been told in a quick 20 pages was broken out into a 30-page, $4.99 extravaganza celebrating Nova's 25th issue. I guess it's a nice mark to reach and all, but this was clearly Marvel's way of milking us out of an extra buck. The story (Nova's induction into the Avengers) was cute, but unnecessary. Especially for 30 pages.

Fifth Place:

Superman #37

Geoff Johns and John Romita, Jr.'s run on this book has been hot and cold. This was one of the hotter issues. Ulysses' plan comes to light about the potential murder of 6 million Earthlings to fuel the other dimension planet that he calls home. We briefly a sarcastic side of Superman that usually doesn't get written. More of this, please.

Fourth Place:

Robin Rises: Alpha #1

The conclusion of the Robin Rises storyline doesn't disappoint. Andy Kubert takes over the art for this oversized one-shot and we get a good idea of what's to come from a Damian Wayne who's come back to life... with super powers. Bruce is pissed. I can't imagine Damian's Superman-like powers will last long, but its another interesting road for Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason to explore in the book going forward.

Third Place:

Superman Wonder Woman #14

I don't understand the boner writers have for Kingdom Come characters. They worked great in Kingdom Come, but that's their place. Introducing Red Robin and guys like Magog into regular continuity always seems forced. So my excitement for Magog showing up in this issue is nil. I really liked Wonderstar. Seemed like a character with a lot of potential. Other potential lies in a more sinister (and cool) villain behind the scenes pulling Magog's strings.

Second Place:

He-Man: The Eternity War #1

The mythology Dan Abnett is creating on this book is magical. For real - magical. Its so huge and spans not only all of Eternia, but all of the past lore from the history of the He-Man license. No stone is being left unturned. Up to this point Skeletor et al have been MIA while the Masters are overrun my Hordak. The Eternity War looks like we're going to get the Masters vs. the Horde vs. Team Skeletor. Fucking A.

First Place:
Aquaman #37

Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier team up two of DC's biggest races making a completely natural and organic connection between Atlantis and Gorilla City. Gorilla Grodd is usually reserved for the Flash, but Parker and Pelletier have found a way to make him and Gorilla City more important to the greater DCU. Its a great fucking turn of the plot in their Maelstrom storyline.







Panel of the Week:

This Andy Kubert panel from Robin Rises: Alpha #1 made me laugh because it looks like the T-Rex from the Batcave is part of the team.

-Gint

Enlightenment

If you follow the McSoss brand in all its various forms (comic, podcast, reviews, Twitter, Facebook), chances are you know I have discarded Green Lantern and its ancillary titles from my monthly comic Pull-List. While I have no doubt Robert Venditti and Van Jensen have the best intentions to make the absolute best Green Lantern book they can, it's not for me. Following up Geoff Johns groundbreaking, fan and critically acclaimed run on the title would be a challenge for anyone.

Unfortunately, the book I loved like it was a part of my own soul took some turns that I felt purposefully stood against the continuity established by Johns. The final straw was the giant Godhead crossover which pitted my Green Lanterns (along side the other color corps I love) against the reviled New Gods. Let me be perfectly clear how I feel about the New Gods: they are fucking stupid. So I bailed.

In the meantime I will be patient. A creator's run on a book doesn't last all that long these days and eventually this creative team will move on and give another group a run at Green Lantern. I can only hope we don't run into a Spider-Man situation where Dan Slott has been on that book for fucking ever, to the dismay of a lot of fans (@thesoss, @lildpressedmatt).

There will be plenty of books out there to spend my money on, and I hear Geoff Johns is even bringing Hal Jordan back to the Justice League in 2015. The brightest day is out there folks. Sometimes we need to make it through the blackest night to get there.

-Gint

Behind the Scenes: The resolution was originally intended to be Gint and Soss superimposed sitting in the Full House living room, but I couldn't find a good enough quality image to make that work to its best effect. Dave Coulier's last days in the McSoss Universe seemed like great quality material to mine.

McSoss Podcast Episode 85: The Real Episode 85

This week we discuss Suicide Squad casting, Hobbit haters and our Toys for Tots shopping trip. 

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Yay Women!

If you know me, you know I love the ladies. That absolutely extends to the most iconic lady of all: Wonder Woman. The fact that she hasn't had an honest media presence since the 70s and is still the most recognizable female character says a lot about what she's capable of. It also says a lot about her stewards, Warner Bros., and their ineptitude in getting the character in a movie or TV show.

There have been recent attempts like the NBC, Adrienne Palicki-starring pilot that flopped, and the once in-development series Amazon from the CW. But much like Wonder Woman's history outside comics, they've been mired in post/pre-production hell and classic Warner Bros. "too many cooks in the kitchen."

We have to wait until 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for Wonder Woman to finally get her big screen debut. And you can imagine how fandom will critique that appearance. Casting Gal Gadot as the Amazon princess has already resulted in wave upon wave of haters hatin'.

So before we see the DC Cinematic Universe version of Wonder Woman, remember, Warner Bros. wouldn't be dragging their heels on this property so much if they didn't want to make sure it was absolutely right. (Ha! Listen to me defend Warners.)

Until then I highly recommend Gail Simone's run on the book from 2008-2010, beginning with The Circle, with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson. If you don't thoroughly enjoy this run, then you don't like Wonder Woman and you probably hate women too.

-Gint

Gint's 12-17-14 Pull-List Review

I was super excited to read a couple of these this week. They didn't disappoint.

Fifth Place:

Futures End #33

Aaron Lopresti is responsible for drawing probably the grossest thing in Futures End so far. That thing is called Father Time and its an alien octopus-like parasite that lives on the brain stem. The Atom sees it when he enters the brain and its pretty gross. Kudos to Lopresti for inspiring such a visceral reaction.

Elsewhere, Fifty Sue (who may be calling herself Sequel now) tracks down Grifter after delivering a scientist to King Faraday. Plastique makes Terry McGinnis question his entire existence and the new diverse Firestorm meets the New 52's Doctor Polaris... who has an incredibly dumb suit. But in the context of the character that's created it, I guess it makes sense.

We're getting closer to seeing the cyborg hybrid characters we were promised in early solicits. Lopresti also draws a pretty gruesome Brother Eye-infested Plastique. I'd say he was on his game this issue.

Fourth Place:

Wytches #3

My fingers never want to comply when I try typing "wytches." Its unnatural. Then again its a pretty unnatural story so I guess it works out.

The creepy stuff continues this month, but goddamn was this a hard issue to follow. Mainly because the art is such a distraction. I thought it was Jock's fault. Its not. Due to the handy color breakdown at the end of the issue, its colorist Matt Hollingsworth's fault. His actual color pallet for the story is great. Gives the perfect tone of the book. But its the color splatter overlays that I find unnecessary. Some panels make it hard to see the ink underneath and you're left wondering if that's part of the story, or something you should just look past.

A good issue, and very enjoyable too. But like our next book on the Pull-List, slightly confusing to follow.

Third Place:

Batman #37

What do you know, Scott Snyder again (he also writes Wytches). At some point when this run is over, I'm going to sit down and read the entire thing front to back and see if it makes total cohesive sense. So far, each issue I pick up leaves me asking, "wait, what happened?"

The story itself is classic. The Joker has paralyzed the city with a Joker virus and its up to Batman and Jim Gordon to save the day. The most intriguing tidbit of the story is the intimation that the Joker has been around terrorizing Gotham for a century. A demon spirit like Pennywise murdering throughout the decades. I can't imagine that will be a real thing that becomes canon, but it's pretty cool.

I stopped following Greg Capullo on Twitter because he Tweets too much, but he's still one of the bests artists in the game. Always a pleasure.

Second Place:

Batman & Robin #37

I guess the Hellbat suit (created by Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman et al) should be enough to help Bruce fight Darkseid in a fist fight, but I will always find it improbable that he lasts more than 5 seconds. He DOES get his ass handed to him, which makes me feel a little better.

So, Damian is back. Brought back to life through comic book science, and I guess its okay. I really did enjoy Pete Tomasi's version of the character. Being that big changes are in store for next June at DC, writers are going to have to get their tables set moving forward.

This Robin Rises story concludes next week with the Andy Kubert-drawn Robin Rises: Alpha. Its been a good story. Maybe a little larger in scope than I prefer from Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, but still doing their character and their time on the book justice.

First Place:

Justice League #37

Man, Geoff Johns is on his game. Lex has created a virus to stop meta-humans, and its been accidentally released on the public. The meta-humans are sick and regular old people are dying.

Its a nice, tight story centering on just a handful of characters in Metropolis trying to fix the problem. Its more character driven than anything and its great to see. The quiet moments between Lex and his sister, and Bruce and Clark really give the greater Amazo virus story depth.

And holy shit is Jason Fabok's art beautiful. I had no idea this dude was this good until he hopped on this book. Art-wise it's damn near flawless. His page layouts, much like Ivan Reis, give the story a big budget movie quality. Art and story, this is a damn good book.

Splash of the Week:

I couldn't NOT make this the Splash of the Week. Jason Fabok's Wonder Woman from Justice League.

-Gint

A Face Only A Mother Could Love

Let it be known, I have nothing against John C. Reilly. The dude is hilarious. I probably like him more than Will Ferrell. But he's not really a Nova. Not in the traditional comic book sense anyhow.

I understand Guardians of the Galaxy had to make the Nova Corps something more like a legit galactic police force. Something de-powered to put the spotlight on the actual "Guardians." But in the wide world of Marvel Movie Mania, don't you think it should be okay for the Nova's to be, you know... the Novas? At least a little?

Gone were the Green Lantern-like individuals able to project energy blasts and fly independently through space channeling the Nova Force through their helmets. Instead we got standard police officers who had nothing much to offer except cool ships that made a cool net. How much more awesome would it have been seeing 100 Novas linking their power, putting themselves (literally) on the front line to prevent the Dark Aster from invading the planet?

I guess I have a type. Green Lantern is my favorite DC hero and Nova is my favorite Marvel hero. If Dark Horse had a power-wielding cosmic hero, I'd like him instead of Hellboy. At least Marvel's current Nova book is an enjoyable read every month, unlike Green Lantern.

-Gint

Behind the Scenes: John C. Reilly is actually a lot of fun to draw. After a handful of sketches to find the one I liked best, I could have drawn him all day. Try it. You'll see what I mean.

Soss' Suggestions 12-18-14

Bitch Planet #1

In the distant future women are rounded up and blasted into space to serve out their sentences at the Auxiliary Compliancy Outpost or Bitch Planet as it is commonly called. What types of crimes are these women guilty of you may ask. Non-compliance of course! This vague term is used by the Council of Fathers to rid the home planet of essentially any woman they please.

This book was like Caged Heat or Iron Eagle but packed with social commentary. So take all the fun out of those flicks and you have this book. 

It is well written and wonderfully illustrated but I don't see how some online critics are calling this "The Best Book of the Year".  I get what Kelly Sue DeConnick is trying to say but it comes off as extremely heavy handed to me. I hope this title does well but I don't think I'll be making a return trip to Bitch Planet. -Soss

Panel of the Week: A star is born

Proud Heritage

When I started to write this strip I had to ask myself what would be the things Gint would feel made him a "fan" of Soss.  It couldn't be shared interests like Star Wars and Weezer. It wouldn't be my German or Polish heritage. That wouldn't be any fun for him. I doubt he would even consider things that I actually like. He'd skip right over the Al Green albums and sweet potato pie and go straight for the dashiki's and collard greens. -Soss

Gint's 12-10-14 Pull-List Review

What do we like? Short review weeks is what we like. The extra cash also lets me get caught up on some trade paperback buying like The Walking Dead Vol. 22 and B.P.R.D.: Reign of the Black Flame.

Second Place:

Futures End #32

What interested me this issue was the return from space of the Atom, Frankenstein and Amethyst. It interested me because I forgot they were part of this book. They've had such a long break from the issues that other, better stories have stepped up. Its been nice.

My overall interest in Futures End has waned. After a lot of high finishes on the Pull-List, my excitement to read each issue just isn't the same. Where the first so many issues really seemed to be building toward something, we're now stuck in a lull before the big finish. Exactly 20 issues to go, folks.

Most depressing is the quiet love story building between Terry McGinnis and Plastique. Through some corny rom-com tropes this issue (you can almost hear the audible "awww" as she wipes pizza sauce off his face) you see the characters get a little closer. This setup can only mean one thing: Plastique will not be alive when this book wraps. She's been one of my favorite characters, and that bums me out.

First Place:

Coffin Hill #14

Caitlin Kittredge is now in the habit of taking an issue between her main Eve Coffin-centric story arcs to tell one-issue stories about smaller happenings around Coffin Hill, Massachusetts. This month she tells a very well put together 70s slasher-type story reminiscent of the hunters becoming the prey in The Last House On The Left.

You have to work a horror story a certain way in a comic book. Its a much tougher assignment to elicit some of the scares and raw panic that come naturally in live action. A lot of the success of this issue is from Ryan Kelly's pencils. He and colorist Eva De La Cruz nail the authentic nature of a 1970s horror movie.

Sounds strange to say it, being that there's so much blood and killing and horrible things in this book, but this was a really fun issue.

Splash of the Week:

Like I said above, Ryan Kelly and Eva De La Cruz really gave the full 1970s horror movie vibe in Coffin Hill.

-Gint

The Subtlety of Fandom

The announcement that Ryan Reynolds was confirmed to star in the Deadpool solo film was surprising only in the way that everyone thought it was a done deal. I really don't see how Fox could have cast anyone else in that role after the test footage was leaked. There would have been hordes of fanboys throwing chimichangas at studio executive's cars for weeks. 

What is it with Deadpool and chimichangas? I guess 13 year olds in the 90's thought it sounded funny and it stuck. Hopefully a feature film will help me understand the appeal of this character. -Soss

Soss' Suggestions 12-11-14

The Empty Man #1 

This horror comic by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey is centered around a pandemic of "contagious insanity". When a pattern is discovered in an outbreak of gruesome suicides the FBI and CDC get involved to get to the bottom of this disease the public refers to as The Empty Man. 

I love the idea behind this book. Since we don't get confirmation on what the disease actually is there's a great deal of tension that builds for the reader as the story moves along. 

My only complaint would be that Del Rey's pencils are very difficult to read. Her sketchy lines set an overall tone that fits the story, but I can't tell what is going on in some panels. This is definitely a much improved effort for Boom Studios and worth the read. -Soss 

Panel of the Week: That sounds like a creepy ass baby.

I Know What I Like

I honestly think Paul would like Doctor Who if he gave it a chance. The exotic worlds, the wonderful gadgets and rich history are all things that usually appeal to him. Unfortunately the hype may be too much to overcome. -Soss

Gint's 12-3-14 Pull-List Review

Some DC, a little Image and its a pretty quiet 3-book week for the Pull-List.

Third Place:
Futures End #31

We're really getting down to the wire here. Just about 20 issues to go. Seems like the writing crew has advanced most of the plot lines to a phase two. Chiefly, Cadmus Island has been outed to the public and Jason Rusch and Madison Payne are the new Firestorm.

The most frustrating plotline is Madison's refusal to tell Tim Drake she's not dead, and she's really Firestorm. It's a forced plot point because she knows Tim is formerly Red Robin. She knows he could handle the news. BUT, I guess its more interesting the other way?

Futures End has taken a couple steps back the last few weeks. Some of the more interesting plots have either wrapped or taken a back seat to other stuff. The Superman story (fighting a Brainiac bear in the woods with Constantine) is positively wacko. Still, lots of other interesting stuff to pull from for this back half of this book.

Second Place:
Nailbiter #8

Its getting to the point where the amount of crazies in one town is unbelievable. I suppose that's the point of the book – that this one American town is super nutso. But every issue we seem to meet a new denizen of Buckaroo, OR that's totally out of their gourd. This month is the beekeeper.

A cuckoo old man thinks bee pheromones are responsible for all the serial killers coming out of the town. Eliot Carroll was looking down this lead before he got his ass handed to him. Chances are this guy doesn't make it out of next issue alive. Chances are also this could play into a larger part of the main plot.

Its a great, well-written book. Its something you could definitely see late on a Sunday night from AMC or HBO. Don't be surprised if you see it eventually. And if you do, you heard it here first.

First Place:
Detective Comics #37

This issue was immediately more interesting than anything in Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's first arc. I'm not sure if it was that this one involved some familiar characters, but this one issue was leaps and bounds better than the first six.

Anarchy (admittedly never my favorite Batman villain) is taking the lead in this one, but we also see the Mad Hatter and the Tweedles. The storyline is a little more straight forward. A little more immediately understandable. The tone is the same as their first arc, the art is brilliant, but this was way better. Can't really put my finger on the major difference.

This was the kind of awesome story I was expecting the first time out when Manapul and Buccellato left The Flash for Detective. These guys are more than capable of telling a brilliant story. Seems we may be getting it this time.

Panel of the Week:

Jesús Merino's Maxine Baker is terrifying.

-Gint
 

The Deepest of Cuts

As far as I can tell, this t-shirt doesn't exist. Know that there's a good chance I'll make one on my own just to rub my comic book deep cut knowledge all up in someone's business. Like, "oh... you don't know what this is?!"

Appropriately, DC's new Secret Six title launches this month. Though it's written by Gail Simone (who reinvigorated the property in 2005), it IS a New 52 reboot and features characters not in the original. Gone are Six mainstays Deadshot and Scandal Savage, replaced by Talon, Black Alice and some other characters I don't recognize.

Simone took Catman, once a joke of the DC Universe, and made him a total fucking badass. Rare do you see such turns in the industry that really take like Thomas Blake's Catman. I'm pretty sure he'll be involved in this New 52 incarnation, but enough has changed, and enough time has passed for me to pass on buying the book.

That's partially because I held the previous series so dear. There are a handful of runs on a book where you can't wait to read every issue. Where certain characters (like Catman and Deadshot) speak to a part of you that's so honest, it makes you uncomfortable.

Most villain-led books are apologetic and soften up the character so they're likable and redeemable. Simone did no such thing. She wrote these despicable characters in such a way that you liked their loose morals, because they were real people. Lets be honest – if you got superpowers, you'd use them to make some money and raise the quality of life for yourself. Maybe even use it to become a celebrity. Selfless acts are for people in comic books, not real life. Simone mined this territory and made Deadshot you and me. He didn't want to save mankind or takeover the world. He just wanted to be rich and fuck. And deep down, isn't that what we all want.

I may yet be coaxed into picking up Simone's new Secret Six. Afterall, she is one of the best writers in the business. But the old Secret Six wound was deep, and hasn't completely healed.

Until then, we'll always have the original run to look back on.

-Gint

BEHIND THE SCENES: This comic originally had a fourth panel with Gint and Soss retiring the Catman shirt. The joke was going to be something about this shirt being too much work. Ultimately, halfway through drawing the pencils I decided I liked the above last panel better. Gint's frustration was more emphatic than what was previously proposed.

Soss' Suggestions 12-04-14

Who Needs The Moon? #1

Who Needs the Moon? is an independently published comic from Canadian writer/illustrator Todd McCullough.  I thought the cover was intresting and I always like a good horror book. Plus it was only 99 cents!

The first book follows werewolf Ethan Roland as he tracks down a group of vampires to the town of Kingsford. Most of the book spends time getting the reader familiar with this sleepy town with monsters hiding in its shadows.

The art style of this book is light and cartoonish. I'm not sure how effective that will be once we start to dive further into the more ghoulish aspects of the series.

After one issue I'm entertained enough to come back for more. McCullough also has a Pay What You Feel option on his site at gumroad.com so you could in theory try out the first issue for free then pay what you like for the additional books. - Soss

Panel of The Week: Follow your nose.

McSoss Podcast Episode 84: Things Paul Hates with Paul

This week we breakdown the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. -Soss

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The Unwashed Masses

I have a lot of Green Lantern gear. T-shirts, DVDs, action figures, statues, mugs... you name it, I've got it with a GL logo on it. My passionate fandom has resulted in a lot of disappointment lately while the writer of the current book (Robert Venditti) and I have had wildly differing ideas of what should be at the core of that comic book and overall mythology. Where he zigs, I prefer to zag, and so on.

So while Green Lantern is absent from my Pull-List I will find other avenues of comicdom to keep me occupied. One of those will be Batman in some way, shape or form. Batman is, afterall, the reason I read comics today.

The slippery slope started with the vaunted Animated Series; collecting Animated Series-based single issues and trades, until graduating to the regular DC Batman titles of the day. With some ups (Geoff Johns and Gary Franks' Batman: Earth One) and some downs (anything from Grant Morrison) Batman has always had a place on my bookshelf. As eternal a character he is, I assume it will always be that way. No matter how much I love a large power set, or a cosmic setting, Batman always has something to offer the comic fan.

That's part of what makes Batman the success he is – his universal appeal. Batman is a versatile enough character that he can be the silly one-note campy 1966 Batman, the grizzled old Frank Miller Batman, or the modern ultra-realistic Christopher Nolan Batman. In his 75 year history, chances are Batman has been exactly what you wanted him to be at some point or another. For me, its the Animated Series.
So while Hal Jordan isn't hitting the marks he should be, there's a wild world out there to explore until the character I prefer returns. Until then, a few stops in Gotham are on the itinerary.
-Gint

Gint's 11-26-14 Pull-List Review

Thanksgiving week brought us a varied quality of books with no real standout.

Fifth Place:

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #19

Rob David gets a crack at writing Prelude to the Eternity War. I'm guessing Dan Abnett will be back on the title for the actual Eternity War. So far, the prelude was just that – a prelude.

David and artist Tom Derenick take us back to Prince Adam's youth, to when Zodac wants to kill a child and Adam's Uncle Keldor makes his move to take over Eternia. I'm going to assume this issue is just a little set piece setting up a few character's histories and motives. Skeletor and company have been largely absent from Abnett's run, so it'll be nice to see them featured prominently in the next arc.

Tom Derenick's art has some problems. I understand its hard to draw an early teenager. But Derenick's Adam and Teela range anywhere from 10 to 16. I just can't tell how old their supposed to be. Here's to Pop Mhan getting back in the pencil game for Eternity War.

Fourth Place:

Futures End #30

I guess the Cadmus Island stuff is my least favorite plotline running in Futures End. This entire issue deals solely with Team Green Arrow going in to infiltrate and take it down. The bulk of Team Arrow are characters I'm unfamiliar with, so to me, they're cannon fodder.

Tom Raney draws a passable issue, but much like Tom Derenick's above on He-Man, the regular talent is better. As far as the story is concerned, for all the self-defenses and re-purposed heroes at Brother Eye's disposal, Team Arrow takes down the entire island with relative ease. You THINK Big Barda bites it, but no one really knows.

The highlight this issue is another really cool cover by Ryan Sook. He's killing it. The hulking giant O.M.A.C. rising out of the ocean behind the heroes is super creepy and threatening. The actual giant O.M.A.C. in the issue isn't nearly as cool. Its actually kind of lame.

Third Place:

Superman #36

This book still isn't tearing up the Pull-List, but this issue was interesting. John Romita, Jr. and the art team do a great job illustrating the panic around the city as Ulysses tells the world he'll take 6 million people to "the Great World," his home planet from the Fourth Dimension to live in utopia. They really get across the feeling of, "what the fuck is happening?!"

Geoff Johns must have a greater plan in mind because so far, the Machinist has been forgotten in place of Ulysses betrayal. They've got to tie into one another somehow. Right now it looks like a plot point that was just discarded.

Still, the story is much less about Superman than it is about Ulysses, and it makes it that much less interesting. Johns is a great writer with great ideas. I'll keep the trust and hope he can pull this together in the second half.

Second Place:

Nova #24

Another Axis tie-in that hasn't had a real chance to grow on its own. As I've said before, Gerry Duggan has done a masterful job navigating the interloping waters of Marvel crossovers in order to keep the book firmly about Nova.

Duggan and Carlos Baldeon, leave Sam Alexander in real peril. He gets his ass handed to him by some insane Hulk, then hands it back. The problem is Sam now has a broken arm, some other injuries, and certainly a concussion. I'd love to see Sam actually be grounded for a couple issues highlighting the seriousness of his injuries.

The obligatory Axis tie-in panels are present, like Spider-Man looking for Hulk-buster tech, and Cletus Kasady (Carnage) making an appearance. But in the end it all ties back to Sam being a high schooler dealing with being a hero. Well done, Gerry Duggan.

First Place:

Aquaman #36

Still one of the most underrated books DC is putting out. Its consistently well drawn, engaging and entertaining. Jeff Parker really understands the groundwork for who Arthur is as a hero and a King of a fabled country. He's taking the book to some cool places.

Nice to see a J'onn J'onzz cameo this issue. Especially a J'onzz that isn't a total asshole like when the New 52 launched. The interplay between Jonn and Aquaman is masterfully done. It highlights their relationship that maybe Aquaman didn't really agree with the decision to kick J'onn out of the Justice League. That story has been a standing New 52 rumor since Justice League #1.

I admittedly haven't read a lot of Aquaman solo stories. I hear the Peter David stuff is legendary. But what Jeff Parker is putting together here is pretty slick too. He's building a whole world around Atlantis, making the fabled city not only Arthur's home, but a character in itself. The Gotham to Aquaman's Batman.

Panel of the Week:

Ulysses' weird backwards-bending animal legs. They're not supposed to do that. C'mon, JRJR, you're better than that.

-Gint