What 7/20 Comics I Would Recommend

By Brian Cronin

Spoilers ahead!!

The Goon #13


This was a fun issue, with Goon being thrown into prison with the good Doctor. Meanwhile, the local orphans decide to break Goon out of prison.

However, Goon really doesn't need any help, as he is too tough for prison.

Sight gags and jokes about Goon's toughness abound throughout the comic, and while they are not all winners, enough of them are to make the comic a very enjoyable reading experience.

And Eric Powell's art matches his script beautifully.

I particularly loved how the kids got the name of their gang...hehe.


Defenders #1
This is definitely one of those acquired taste comics.

If you dislike Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League, you will not enjoy this comic.

I happen to have really enjoyed their Justice League, so I really liked it, but I think there was enough good stuff in this comic even if you were not a fan of their Justice League.

Kevin Maguire's art is out of sight.

The idea of Dormammu and his sister teaming up is a good one, and I like how their threat is really real.

Beyond that, it is just tons of good-natured ribbing of the Defenders.

Stuff like "You don't even know if Wong is his first name or last name, do you?"

I liked it.

Ultimates 2 #7

I enjoyed this issue, and I think this might have been the best issue of this current series, but I still fear that the level of darkness and cynicism at the end of this issue will be the tone of the rest of the series, and not the dark part of the story (as the dark part of the story, it works well...as the beginning of more of the same, it would get tedious).

The opening of the issue was suitably impressive, with good work by Hitch.

The Hank and Jan scenes were quite amusing.

The issue, though, really lived and died (pun not intended at first, but now intended) with the Hawkeye scenes. Hitch did a marvelous job with the Hawkeye scenes.

It was like watching a movie (and without actually just aping a movie! How novel!), and the end was truly brutal.

Good issue...but I do not want this to be a regular thing now.

Red Sonja #1

Click here to see why I thought this book is recommendable.

GLA #4



I didn't love this issue, but I have to give Dan Slott a lot of credit. He really set the book up to have all the events changed, and he stuck to his guns.

I respect that.

And the fact that he made it work was even cooler.

The art was nice and clean, and the story was pretty good.

The way they defeat the bad guy was quite amusing.

And that ending?

TOOO funny.

Marvel Knights 4 #20

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa gives us an issue where the decisions are not made lightly, nor are they the ones we want to see.

This is BASICALLY the same concept of an old issue of PAD's Captain Marvel, where we let different cultures do things that we, ourselves, might find barbaric.

Well, in this issue, the Fantastic Four find themselves in that exact position, and they make the difficult decision to do nothing.

Truly brutal, but heartfelt.

Strong work by Aguirre-Sacasa.

Ororo: Before the Storm #2

Click here to see why I liked this issue.

Conan #18



This was a simple tale, just following a helmet through all the lives and deaths of its wearers.

Very simple, but very well told.

Great John Severin art, too.

The following books I thought were good enough for me to say some nice things about them...

Batgirl #66 - I liked it, but the art wasn't great and the OMAC tie-in was annoying.

Birds of Prey #84 - GREAT art by Joe Bennett, but the story was a bit too recap-y.

Plastic Man #17 - LOVED the mocking of DCU, but this story is dragging on a bit. Great art.

Grounded #1 - I liked this book a lot, except I just think that the book should not be set in a world filled with superheroes! That irked me a lot.

Ultimate Spider-Man #80 - This book has been pretty decent recently.

That's it for me!

Feel free to share your thoughts on the week that was!