What 6/8 Comics I Would Recommend

Spoilers ahead!!

Action Comics #828



Boy, that is NOT a good looking cover.

In any event, I was just thinking...while there are only two issues of this Simone/Byrne run released so far, I think it is safe enough to say that this is, in my opinion, the best DC Universe (i.e. not counting Baker and Morrison) superhero title out there (honorable mentions to Legion and the current Winick Batman).

Click here to see why I liked it.

The Punisher #22



Now this was just an example in well-executed comics (hey, that could almost be a pun!).

Ennis develops the characters so well that even if this was the first issue you picked up, I don't think you'd even be all that confused (and how many comics in the middle of a long storyline can say THAT?).

Leandro Fernandez's worst impulses have either been tempered by Fernandez (in which case, congrats, Leandro! It is so nice to see an artist fix their problems) or covered up by inker Scott Hanna (in which case, congrats, Scott! It is nice to see an inker help a penciller become a stronger artist). In either case, this is the best Fernandez's art has ever looked, in my view.

In any event, the plot moves forward nicely, and it has a really cool ending/cliffhanger.

Ennis has made Punisher a must read again!

New Thunderbolts #9



Check here for why I think this issue was good.

Mary Jane: Homecoming #4



This is the last issue of this mini-series, and I really hope that it is not the last we see of these characters (although writer Sean McKeever does a good job of wrapping things up so that if this IS the last we see of them, we at least have a satisfying end).

McKeever has created such a great character in this Mary Jane, but just as important are the supporting characters, like Flash and Harry and Liz Allen.

Their interactions are the key to the coolness of this comic.

In addition, while McKeever certainly imbues them with personality, I do not think the book would be nearly as good if not for artist Takeshi Miyazawa, who manages to perfectly create, with not super-realistic art, facial expressions that speak VOLUMES, esPECIALLY Liz Allen.

I hope we see more of this series!

Fables #38



This is interesting, as the lines have blurred so much with this series that this "part one" of a story could just as easily been part four of the previous storyline.

In any event, this was yet another strong issue by Mssrs. Willingham, Buckingham and Leialoha.

Little Boy Blue as an action hero is awesome, and the Snow Queen makes for a marvelous villain.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #67

Check here for why I thought this was a good issue (if someone could fine a clear scan of this cover, I'd be mighty appreciative!).

Gravity #1



McKeever again!

This time working with ANOTHER strong artist, Mike Norton (with Jonathan Glapion on inks).

I like this introduction to a new Marvel superhero, Gravity.

He has a fun looking costume, decent powers, and best of all, a down-to-Earth, likable personality.

It is this personality that lets us keep rooting for him even though he attacks a black hero because he thinks he is a super villain.

Less developed character, we would think such a move was racist. Not so with this guy.

In any event, this looks like another winner from McKeever.

With him and Marc Sumerak, Marvel is cornering the market on "character-driven superhero comics."


The following comics I liked well enough, but I would not go as far as to say I recommend them:

Toxin #3 - Good issue, but not as good as #2, and since the premise is so weak (it is the spawn of the spawn on Venom!) I hold this book to a higher standard. The current "villain that Milligan tries to make cool" is the Answer, and while he does an able attempt, it just doesn't work enough, I don't think.

Gotham Central #32 - Rucka does a good job here, I think. But I also think that he is hitting a lot of the same exact notes, in the same order as usual. Enough so that I won't beef it up to "recommended" status.

Lex Luthor #4 - Great art, but the story got a bit hazy for me with this issue.

Justice League Elite #12 - Fine ending, but a bit too much tied into the previous 11 issues to recommend to a new reader.

New Warriors #1 - This was fun. But it had basically NOTHING to do with the New Warriors. These could have been ANY superheroes. I thought that was silly.

That's it for me...but feel free to tell me what y'all thought of the week that was!!

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