If you judged this book by its cover, you'd be absolutely right: it kicks ass.

For the last few months, Marvel has released a series of one shots, collectively called “The List,” in which Norman Osborn enacts devious plots against various heroes in the Marvel Universe. Each issue has been a self-contained story, and for the most part, they have all been rather enjoyable. This week saw the release of the best one to date, which stars Wolverine.

As novel an idea as it may be for Wolverine to star in a comic </sarcasm>, I was more intrigued by the guest stars of this issue: Noh-Varr and Fantomex. Both characters were created by Grant Morrison, and have either been mishandled or ignored completely since Morrison left for DC a few years ago. It’s good to see writer Jason Aaron take these characters (as well as other concepts from Morrison’s X-Men run) and use them to craft one of the most fun comics I’ve read in a long time. This comic has tons of action and is funny as hell. All of the characters get some great lines, particularly Osborn.

Not only does this comic contain a great story, but like a good DVD, it has plenty of bonus features, including Marvel Universe entries for Fantomex and Marvel Boy, and a short Wolverine story written by Aaron earlier in his career.

Highly recommended. You get a lot of bang for your 4 bucks here.

More info about the comics reviewed after the break.

Invincible #67
Amazing Spider-Man #609
X-Men: Legacy #228
Spider-Woman #2
Punisher Noir #3
Invincible Iron Man #19
The Incredible Hulk #603
Thunderbolts #137
Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #4
Cowboy Ninja Viking #1

The World's Second Finest Duo...

What has come before: Connor Kent (aka Kon-El aka Superboy) has recently returned from the dead. Shortly before his death, he was cloned from both Superman and Lex Luthor. He is now trying to figure out his place in the world, and which of his “fathers” paths to follow…

This comic worked for me on a couple of levels. On the one hand, it was a self-contained story that had some really nice character development between Connor and Tim Drake (formerly Robin, now Red Robin). It was a little light on action, but had genuinely touching moments and an intriguing cliffhanger.

On the other hand, the events in this series are tightly woven into current events in DC Continuity (this title is one of many written by the prolific Geoff Johns). As Superboy reacquaints himself with the world, it also allows the reader to discover what’s going on in the DCU.

The last two issues provided a reasonable recap of events in the Superman titles and Teen Titans, and this one catches readers up on the Batman titles, including Red Robin’s own series. It isn’t a hard sell; it’s more like getting an e-mail from an old friend reminding you that they’re still around. Plus, the irony of a typically brash hero starring in such an introspective series amuses me.

The backup story features the Legion of Super-Heroes, and it’s a fun, weightless story, but I got far more enjoyment out of the main story, and my recommendation is based almost entirely on the Superboy segments of the comic.

More info on what’s reviewed after the jump!

Reviews of 2 of this week’s new comic releases:

• Batgirl #3
• Deadpool #900

Also:
• I met Tim Bradstreet at Big Apple Comic Con!

ARISE!!!!

This is the most fun and most pure example of pulp fiction reworked for the 21st century. Jason Howard’s art and FCO/Ivan Plascencia’s colors go above and beyond the call of comic book duty, laying down a summer blockbuster feel in the span of 22 pages. Senseless doodles all, of course, if not for the love poured into the book by writer Robert Kirkman.

Kirkman is, as you may be aware, is closing shop on Astounding Wolf-Man with issue 25. It makes sense, he’s got a lot on his plate these days, and while AWM was a good idea, it may not be a Great Idea like Walking Dead or Invincible.

AWM 19 shows us what the series could have been, in a very distilled form. It also shows us how far Kirkman has come as a writer. If you look back even as far as his run on Ultimate X-Men, you’ll find interesting ideas and conflicts being executed by unfortunately similar voices.

Not so here. Even in this (to quote the author) “action packed extravaganza”, extraordinary events elicit unique emotional responses both courageous and cowardly from every player. This is wrapped snugly in the veneer of spontaneous and very believable interaction. The resolution is logical, very clever, and completely in character for the billionaire engineer. The storytelling is not telegraphed or over explained. Kirkman lets Howard do his work.

Plus, the robot suit is fucking epic.

More info about the comics covered this week after the break.

The Walking Dead #66
The Astounding Wolf-Man #19
Uncanny X-Men #516
The Incredible Hercules #136
DMZ #44
The Marvel’s Project #3
Deadpool #900

More info on what’s reviewed after the jump!

Reviews of a few of this week’s new comic releases including:

• The Boys #35
• Deadpool #16
• Crossed #7
• War Heroes #3

More info about this video after the break.

Comics covered this week:

Haunt #1
Astonishing X-Men #31
Amazing Spider-Man #608
Batman and Robin #5
Spider-Man 1602 #1
Kill Audio #1
The Torch #2

… apparently I was very confused this week while reading comics.

Die Hard: Year One #1 cover

People always ask me, “Mike, why do you read those crappy indie comics?” or “There’s a comic book based off of that TV Show/Movie?” and every time, I give those people the middle finger. Mind you, I do realize these are my friends I’m flipping off but nevertheless, this comic is one of those ‘crappy indie comics’ that I read: Die Hard: Year One. But to my surprise, this comic is anything but crap; it’s fantastic.

With writer Howard Chaykin and artist Stephen Thompson, this comic surprised me at how well put together it was. I mean, when someone thinks of a prequel to a movie in a comic book form, all hope becomes lost for it because, in all seriousness, how many good comic books have been released that were in relation to a hit blockbuster series (here in the US that is)? I can’t say I know of any.

And here we have Die Hard: Year One #1. Let me explain why this comic was so great after the break. (pseudo-spoilers abound)

You guys remember that guy John McClane, right? You know: bad ass, threw a German guy off a roof? Stabbed a dude in his eye with an ice sickle? Hung out with a loud black man solving puzzles that were linked to bombs? Yeah. That guy. From those Die Hard movies. This comic book is all about everything before that guy. This comic is about the slightly less crazy John McClane. A John McClane who wanted to do good as a cop because it was the right thing to do… oh wait, same guy. Never mind.

Anyways, Die Hard: Year One #1 is a very interesting origin story told in a very segmented, yet functional way. Chaykin definitely knows how to tell a story (remember Squadron Supreme?) and after getting to the end of the issue I was flabbergasted at how clever it all really was. John McClane’s narration of parts of the story and his dialogue is straight out of the Bruce Willis Die Hard movies. McClane is sarcastic as all hell in a very stale way, and I really hope readers of this book realize this because if not, McClane comes off as a huge dick.

The whole plot revolves around seeming unrelated characters and is developed just like a movie; something that usually doesn’t work in a comic book medium unless it’s very, very careful (cough:Nextwave: Agents Of H.A.T.E.:cough). Everything comes roundabout and all ends on a very interesting and suspenseful note–as any good comic should–and it just confirms my “bitch, don’t give me shit about getting indie comics” stance on comics like this. Of course, reading from BOOM!, you’re kind of guaranteed a pretty good comics.

Overall, I’d have to tell anyone looking for a random comic book to pick up that you already know a little bit about, check out Die Hard: Year One #1. As I said, it’s pretty fantastic.

More info on what’s reviewed after the jump!

Reviews of a few of this week’s new comic releases including:

• Batman: The Widening Gyre #2
• Spider-man Clone Saga #1
• Green Lantern #46 (Blackest Night)
• Halo Helljumper #3
• Gotham City Sirens #4
• Bomb Queen “Oh-bomb-ah” #1

I ask you, is this the face of a killer?

What has come before: An eccentric billionaire adopts seven extraordinary children “to save the world, of course.” Over the years, the children face a never-ending parade of grotesque, surreal threats that causes strain on the family dynamic.

It is nearly impossible to talk about The Umbrella Academy without mentioning  Gerard Way’s day job as the frontman for My Chemical Romance. The fact is, his comics have a lot in common with his music. He has sold a lot of records singing about death, doomed romances, and the hell of childhood. As the writer of The Umbrella Academy, he also touches upon these  themes, but throws in an occasional talking chimpanzee or rampaging monument every now and then. In both media, Way wears his influences on his sleeve (The Black Parade was full of nods to The Smashing Pumpkins and Queen; The Apocalypse Suite owes much of existence to Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Way is also keenly interested in building mythologies (the story of the doomed lovers in Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge; the decades long history of the Academy). The fact that he takes the same creative approach to comics as music is a double edged sword: on the one hand, it infuses the comics with a fresh perspective, making for one of the most unique comics on the stand. On the other hand, the loose narrative of the “concept album” approach means that the series lack cohesion, leaving a lot of things open to interpretation by the reader (which can be frustrating for some, but a pleasant experience for others, your mileage may vary).

In Dallas, Way’s ability to tell a coherent story has improved quite a bit from The Apocalypse Suite. His characters are much deeper than in the previous volume, and the story of Number 5 is rather moving here. He doesn’t skimp on the mad, beautiful ideas though, and he introduces some truly twisted villains in this volume (Seriously, I’m going to have nightmares about Hazel and Cha-Cha).

Way is blessed with an artist that can keep up with his manic output of concepts. Gabriel Ba’s art rolls with whatever punches Way’s scripts throw at him (and the reader). His loose, somewhat cartoony style is an excellent fit for the irreverent stories he has been asked to draw, and he is every bit as responsible for the book’s success as Way is.

Recommended For: Fans of Grant Morrison (especially Doom Patrol); people who were a little disappointed with the first volume of Umbrella Academy but are willing to give it another go.

Well! We had no response from our winner in the first giveaway… which means the stakes have changed!

If you recall, we’re giving away a snazzy package of things:

The Middleman: The Complete Series PLUS The Middleman: The Doomsday Apocalypse Armageddon GN–the unfilmed season finale in graphic novel format.

To enter the contest, send an e-mail to: cyborg@destroythecyb.org (only one e-mail per will be valid per person). We will close the contest next Thursday (October 8, 2009) and will announce the win winner sometime Friday (October 9, 2009).

All the thanks for this giveaway goes to our staff writer Daniel Palacio as he took the time to get these items at SDCC this summer as well as the time to get the graphic novel signed.

More info after the jump.

• The Middleman: The Complete Series DVD is courtesy of Shout! Factory.
• The Middleman: The Doomsday Apocalypse Armageddon graphic novel is courtesy of Viper Comics.
• The GN is signed by creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach and cast members Matt Keeslar, Natalie Morales, Mary Pat Gleason, Brit Morgan, Jake Smollett, Brendan Hines, and Mark Sheppard
• The winner of the giveaway will be chosen AT RANDOM.

* (DISCLAIMER: Neither this contest, nor DestroyTheCyb.org! are affiliated with, or officially endorsed by, the makers of The Middleman, Viper Comics, ViperComics.com, Shout! Factory, or ABC Family.  All responsibility for selection of the winner and distribution of prizes rests solely with Mike Rapin and DestroyTheCyb.org!.  We’re giving things away fair and square.)

More info on what’s reviewed after the jump!

A few reviews of this week’s comic books including:

• What I Think of Blackest Night so far
• Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1
• Dark Reign: Made Men #1 (One Shot)
• Detective Comics: Batwoman #857
• Spider-Woman #1

i am barely restraining the obvious pun here, folks

This four part series spins out from the hit-and-miss Mark Millar Fantastic Four run that wrapped a couple months ago, taking characters only seen in that particular arc of that particular run who haven’t been mentioned again. That arc takes the groan-inducing concept of Nu-World, a deliberately constructed cross-dimensional Earth, and eventually populates it with the denizens of a five hundred year forward future Earth that has twenty-two seconds to live, so to speak.

This mini-series deals with the fallout of that arc. Was it very good? Not in my opinion. Was that arc very popular? I frankly haven’t checked, though it must have been to warrant the creation of this mini; someone must have been curious to ’see what happened next’, but who? And if it was so popular, with so much potential, why was this mini so colon-burstingly awful?

In both concept and execution, Fantastic Force is a lobotomized simulacrum of the Millar arc; it tries too hard and does too little. The art, by Steve Kurth, is a Chinese fast-food mess of slightly incorrect perspectives, arid action sequences, and heavy handed details; the framing renders everything into the same flat, stuttering voice. Writer Joe Aheame does little to alleviate the situation with one note characters (oh look the android is lusty; he is a lusty android), too many ideas, and zero breathing moments.

In an era of strongly built characters with serious emotional responses, calm character notes before heavy plot storms, and thoroughly expressive art, this volume of Fantastic Force hearkens back to the early 90s, making us appreciate what we have now…except, of course, for this volume of Fantastic Force.

After a nice little random number generation thanks to Random.org, we have picked an official winner of our Middleman DVD/GN giveaway…

Ian! (aka this comment) You’ve won!

All we need from you is an e-mail with your name and shipping address and we can have your DVD out to you as soon as possible. Please e-mail cyborg[at]destroythecyb[dot]org.

Thanks again to everyone who commented and participated!

More info on what’s reviewed after the jump!

Quick reviews of this week’s comic books including:

• Anti-Venom – New Ways to Live #1
• Punisher Noir #2
• Dark Wolverine #78
• Captain America Reborn #3
• Amazing Spider-man #605
• Batman & Robin #4
• Batman: Streets of Gotham #4
• Dark Reign – The List: Daredevil (One-Shot)
• Ghostbusters – Displaced Aggresion #1

Under the Covers Volume 2

Artist:  Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
Title:  Under the Covers Vol. 2 [Deluxe Edition]
Label:  Shout! Factory

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs are back with this sequel to their 2006 album Under the Covers Volume 1.  Matthew Sweet has a long career as a pop-alternative artist and is probably best known for a couple of Anime filled music videos from his breakthrough album Girlfriend.  Susanna Hoffs was a member of the 80’s group the Bangles.  Both of them worked together on the soundtrack for ‘Austin Powers‘ as part of the band Ming Tea.  Under the Covers Volume 1 was a light, fun album that covered a diverse mix of music from the 60’s.  On the new album the have moved forward a decade to cover their favorite hits from the 70’s, again covering a diverse mix of artists and styles.

Volume 1 was a favorite of mine when it was released and I’ve been hungry for more ever since.  Does Volume 2 live up to its predecessor or does it fall into the dreaded sophomore slump?

My review after the break.

This album works well on all levels.  Susanna Hoffs has a wonderful voice.  It does well when she’s primary vocalist and in harmony with Matthew Sweet’s.  Matthew Sweet also shines as primary vocalist on many of the tracks as well.  The song selections ride the line between well known(’You’re So Vain‘, ‘Maggie May‘) and some lesser known (’Marquee Moon‘, ‘Beware of Darkness‘).  The music is faithful to the originals.  Many of the songs are recognizable immediately and vary little from the originals in structure, but Sweet and Hoffs manage to make each song their own.  All of the technical elements are there and in place.

All in all I should love this album. . .but I don’t.

The hallmark of a good album for me, technical proficiency aside, is playability.  An artist can put their heart and soul into an album, play every note right, sing every word in the correct pitch, and at the end of the day it can still be unplayable.  It’s a subjective qualifier to be sure, but it’s what makes us play the same CD over and over and over again until we find the next CD that clicks with us.  This album doesn’t have that playability factor for me.  I can’t listen to it straight through once, let alone multiple times.  And that’s a shame because it is a good album in all other aspects.   Having said that, this album lends itself to a good mix list.  There are a lot of good covers on it and they work really well in small doses.

I picked up the deluxe edition that contains a second disc with ten more songs on it, mostly later 70’s new wave and punk.  Again the extra songs are well played and there are some gems in there, but overall it doesn’t work for me.  Perhaps it is too much to ingest or perhaps it is the inclusion of songs I don’t know well.  Either way I’m glad I got the album, but it doesn’t fuel the same excitement that Volume 1 did.

I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

He's keeping a running tally of all the continuity mistakes...

What has come before: Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin, now the Iron Patriot) pretty much runs America. Clint Barton (formerly Hawkeye, now Ronin) seems to be more upset about this than anyone (even Spider-Man, oddly enough).
This comic dredges up some mixed emotions in me. I’ll get into it further after the break, as there are some spoilers contained herein.

On the one hand, this isssue has everything I enjoy about comics: It’s new-reader friendly and tells a complete story while still contributing to a larger arc. The pacing is excellent, the dialogue is naturalistic (Brian Bendis’ greatest strength as a writer), and the penciller manages to dazzle while still telling a coherent story. Bonus points to penciller Marko Djurdevic for drawing Norman Osborn rather than portraits of Tommy Lee Jones (Mike Deodato, you’re on notice).

On the other hand, Bendis’ complete disrespect for previously established Avengers canon still bothers me. I’m totally willing to overlook the scene where Captain America (formerly Bucky) mentioned that he killed Hitler, even though for years it was accepted that Hitler died at the hands of the original Human Torch. It was a funny bit, it fits the character, and even mentioning it here feels like nitpicking. What I can’t overlook is the idea that Clint Barton is so hell-bent on killing Norman Osborn. Barton has a deeply entrenched code against taking a life. It’s so ingrained that when his then-wife Mockingbird let a villain fall to his death, he kicked her off of the team and out of his life. Come to think of it, Mockingbird should have been way less supportive and called him on his hypocrisy in this issue.

Also, why was Spider-Man talking him out of killing Osborn? You know, the Norman Osborn that murdered Gwen Stacy? The one that knocked up said girlfriend with twins? THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLONE SAGA (we can’t pretend that it didn’t happen anymore)?!? I know that Spider-Man doesn’t kill either, but it would make much more sense for him to reach a breaking point with Osborn before Ronin would. Besides, wouldn’t it be more logical for Spider-Man to storm into Avengers Tower and take on the Dark Avengers singlehandedly than a guy with conventional weapons and a grappling hook?

In short, if you’re a relative newcomer to Marvel, or if you don’t really care about continuity, then pick this up right away. Otherwise, you may want to give it a miss.

The Middleman: The Complete Series

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we at DestroyTheCyb.org! are giving away a once-in-a-lifetime DVD/graphic novel combination!:

The Middleman: The Complete Series PLUS The Middleman: The Doomsday Apocalypse Armageddon GN–the unfilmed season finale in graphic novel format.

To enter the contest, simply make a comment on this post (only one comment will be valid per person). We will close the contest on Sunday at 9 PM EST.

All the thanks for this giveaway goes to our staff writer Daniel Palacio as he took the time to get these items at SDCC this summer as well as the time to get the graphic novel signed.

More info after the jump.

• The Middleman: The Complete Series DVD is courtesy of Shout! Factory.
• The Middleman: The Doomsday Apocalypse Armageddon graphic novel is courtesy of Viper Comics.
• The GN is signed by creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach and cast members Matt Keeslar, Natalie Morales, Mary Pat Gleason, Brit Morgan, Jake Smollett, Brendan Hines, and Mark Sheppard
• The winner of the giveaway will be chosen AT RANDOM.
• The winner will be announced on Monday.

* (DISCLAIMER: Neither this contest, nor DestroyTheCyb.org! are affiliated with, or officially endorsed by, the makers of The Middleman, Viper Comics, ViperComics.com, Shout! Factory, or ABC Family.  All responsibility for selection of the winner and distribution of prizes rests solely with Mike Rapin and DestroyTheCyb.org!.  We’re giving things away fair and square.)

Well, those times are back because after a long, long, long, long, long flipping waiting period, we’re finally given a comic that seriously rules all others: Kick-Ass #7.

If you don’t remember what happened last time, let me lay it on the line:

Kick-Ass, aka Dave Lizewski, has been trying to be a super hero. He’s had his ass kicked multiple times, has been hospitalized for along period of time, has had a metal plate put in his head and all the while he’s trying to live a regular nerdy life. Then enter Big Daddy and Hit Girl; heroes who kick ass and have been inspired by Kick-Ass. Add Red Mist to the mix and you have a great combo of heroes. Right? Wrong. Red Mist was working for the mob who’s been hunting Big Daddy and Hit Girl and they’ve been set up, along with Kick-Ass, to be slaughtered.

That was up through issue #6. More on this month’s issue after the break. (spoiler images after the break)

Kick-Ass #7 page 20 -- a very bad ass scene

Kick-Ass #7 began exactly where #6 left off: Kick-Ass in the hands of Red Mist, tons of mob guys kicking the shit out of Hit Girl and Big Daddy and Dave thinking “I am screwed.”

This issue is absolutely fantastic in it’s story. Page after page of shock and awe and badassery come in together to make this one issue of Kick-Ass the best yet. Knowing the story and knowing the characters, I really felt blown away in some points in this issue as everything began to click and explain all sorts of motives for some of the characters as well as move the plot forward into what is most likely to be an eighth issue full of nothing but end-all-be-all kick-ass-ness.

John Romita Jr.’s art is no let down either. He and Mark Millar make an unbelievable team. There’s one major frame in this issue that had me shocked as to what was happening and it was Romita Jr.’s art that made it that much “shockier.” I truly love the art in this comic and this issue really shines with Romita Jr.’s unique style that makes everything about Kick-Ass great. (See also: the cover for this issue)

This part of the comic gave me so much respect for one character

This month’s issue is the first of the two giant lead-ups to the end of this series (or this first arc, I’m not really sure) and I definitely say that Mark Millar is planning to make the ending of this story to be one of the most brutal, bad ass, and bloody fight scenes you’ll see in a comic book. John Romita Jr. is keeping up the pace with absolutely beautiful art that gets better frame after frame. I’ll be running around like a four-year-old on crack when issue #8 is out. If you haven’t been reading this comic… find a way to read it or die. It’s honestly that good.

If the War of Kings miniseries had a failing, it was that the ending was rather abrupt. Thankfully, this issue provided a much needed epilogue for this epic crossover.  Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning maintain their high level of quality output here, as does artist Paul Pelletier. Like their Secret Invasion: War of Kings one shot, this issue concisely sums up the previous crossover, tells a self-contained story, and provides all the necessary set up for the next crossover event. My only problem with it is that it makes me want to follow the upcoming Realm of Kings crossover, despite my crossover fatigue and rapidly shrinking comics budget.

Of course, if Marvel continues to publish transitional one-shots of such high quality, I may just skip the crossovers altogether and buy these every few months…

Mini-reviews of a few of this week’s comics, including:

• Punisher Max #74
• Amazing Spider-man #604
• Red Robin #4
• Kick Ass #7

I know I’m too close to the camera and you can’t see the covers, but it’s late and I don’t have time for reshoots… You wanna cry about it?

Mini-reviews of a few of this week’s comics, including:

• Dark X-Men #3
• Ultimate Spider-Man #2
• Savage Dragon #152
• Deadpool #15

Deadpool… you’ve broken my heart.

For those of you that know anything about the Darkness you may be aware that Jackie has had some awesome crossovers/team-ups over the years. He’s met Lara Croft, Vampirella, Painkiller Jane and Dr. Strange and tangled with the Incredible Hulk, Ghost Rider, Superman and Wolverine, just to name a few. Are any of these stories even remotely close to Darkness canon? Ehh. Are they a blast to read? Without a doubt. Luckily for us Darkness/Pitt #1 starts the limited series off in the same stellar tradition, pitting everyone’s favorite evil playboy and a burly alien hybrid against an army of extraterrestrial zombies. Yeah, for reals.

In a book like this you wouldn’t expect the story to amount to much but Paul Jenkins (of Hellblazer and Marvel comics fame) weaves a pretty tale that manages to tie Jackie and Pitt together while holding water at the same time. A quick synopsis goes a bit like this: Jackie gets attacked by alien zombies while eating his favorite veal escalopini and when he sets out to investigate he runs into Pitt and his little brother Tim, who looks to be about 10. While the particularly stoic Pitt isn’t quite that interesting (unless he’s tearing into zombies), the fun bits come from Tim and Jackie’s exchanges. Tim’s enamored by the smooth talking gangster and Estacado doesn’t seem to mind the little guy either.  All the while two government spooks are following the unlikely trifecta from the shadows, quite possibly the worst place to be when messing with a guy like Jackie.

When I first became interested in the Darkness, some 7 years ago, Dale Keown’s pencils were what I saw first and have set my standard for Darkness art to this day. In my mind nobody quite captures the violently visceral, rotten world of the Darkness like Keown and it’s great to seem him back in the game (he also did the art for The Darkness vs. The Incredible Hulk, another phenomenal crossover). Jackie looks great and the darklings are just as vile and repulsive as you remember them. Gore abounds and you’ll certainly come across more than your pound of flesh as you flip the pages. Not to be neglected, Keown’s Pitt is awesomely massive and Tim, Pitt’s little brother, is the perfect picture of an innocent weapon of mass destruction. The art is simply top-notch and I tip my hat to Mr. Keown.

From what I’ve seen so far, this Darkness/Pitt crossover is going to be a really fun romp through piles and piles of alien zombies. What more can you ask for? While all of our favorite titles are tied up in company wide crossovers the Darkness/Pitt book is a little breath of fresh air.  Just read and enjoy, you’ll be glad you did.

ted

Check out a preview here, courtesy of Comic Book Resources

I have nothing bad to say about Alan Davis's covers. That logo, on the other hand...

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s aborted run on Fantastic Four was ambitious, yet disappointing. With their final issue, they joined the ranks of extraordinarily talented creative teams (JMS and Mike McKone, Jeph Loeb and Carlos Pacheco, Chris Claremont and Salvador LaRocca, etc.) that, for one reason or another, proved unable to fill Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Galactus-sized shoes. When I heard about the incoming creative team, I was indifferent at best. I am unfamiliar with writer Jonathan Hickman’s previous work, and Dale Eaglesham’s art has always been solid, but has never fostered any sense of fannish loyalty in me. Still, since I have been fascinated with these four heroes for a long time, I felt compelled to give them a chance and picked up their first issue, despite the retro 70’s logo and the Alan Davis cover (I adore Davis, but his awesome covers have graced some awful comics).

Anyway, the majority of this comic bored me to tears. It was by-the-numbers FF, with a B-list recurring villain, cutesy banter between Johnny and Ben, more cutesy banter between Reed, Franklin and Valeria, and still more banter between Reed and Sue. I was looking forward to the $3 a month I was going to save by dropping this title when I got to page 28. The last few pages of the comic introduced a fresh, novel idea that would make Stan Lee kick himself for not thinking of it back in 1967. It gave me hope for Hickman & Eaglesham’s upcoming tenure on this title.  If Hickman continues to balance respect for what has come before with new and innovative concepts, this run could be as well-regarded as John Byrne’s 1980s tenure or the epic Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo comics from a few years ago.

So, kudos, Mr. Hickman. You got me to commit to at least the entire first story arc.  I recommend that you all do the same…