So here the books I read this week.***Great Book***

BLACK SUMMER issue 0
Avatar


Warren Ellis writing a superhero book that is not really a superhero book. This issue sets up what looks like a great series. A worls where the heros have suffered some real problems, not the least of which has been death and dismemberment. When one of the strongest decides that the President is worng for starting a war he takes matters into his own hands and kills the Executive Chief and his staff and anyone else who might step in. he then calls for a new election.

Great art from Juan Jose Ryp. I already love this.

Freshmen II #4
Top Cow


The continuing saga of these young heros continues as they track down missingmembers of their group and come closer to discovering the secret to who’s been after them.

Really fun writing here from Hugh Sterbakov who has a real flare for writing the younger crowd. And I really love The Intoxicator! This is a great book.

Countdown 47
DC Comics


The tale continues to unfold as thius week we see Mary Marvel reagin powers, but are they hers or someone a little more sinister? New Black Costume looks great.
More clues being dropped by Jimmy Olsen, though no real answers yet. But it’s early days and I’m loving the way it unfolds.
The Monitors are seeming ready to pose more of a problem for some of my favorite heroes. I’m real curious to see who this plays out. And a bit of The Amazons Attack shows up here tying that title in with the big event. It could get bloody real quick…
Thumbs up DC for another great event.

Superman 663
DC Comics


Fun abounds in Metropolis as Superman has deal deal with teenage New Gods who just want to have fun. Classic Superman in the style of the comics I loved from the 70’s. Kurt Busiek is such a great writer and I love watching him play in the DC Comics sandbox.

Supergirl 18
DC Comics


Great story with plenty of fighting and confusion on the part of our young hero as she goes up against what looks like the classic Supergirl. Joe Kelly is great on Supergirl.
I have to say though that I’m not a big fan of the art work by Adam Archer and Ale’ Garva. The doppleganger supergirl looks way too oriental and the coloring is all off. I think maybe a little too much Mang influence for mainstream comics. The layouts are great, but the actual art for the characters just bugs me and was a bit distracting.
Still, the writing made it a fun read.

Birds Of Prey 107
DC Comics


Gail Simone should be allowed to write any titles she wants. I love her work and she obviously loves these characters.
This stroy line is wrapping up and ICE is back and just a bit pissed. Wonderful action and a terrific story. I loved the scenes with our favorite Blackhawk getting pissed and leaving. ( I do however want her back!)
As always, great art from Nicola Scott who really know how to do great fight scenes.

Detective 883
DC Comics


The magic tales unfolds as Batman calls on Zatanna. We also see the first meeting between the two when they were kids. A great sequence. Very character driven as Batman should be this is a great story,Paul Dini rocks.

Outsiders 48
DC Comics
I erally loved this title when it started and while I still enjoy it it isn’t as great as it was. The stroies seem to get overshadowed by Judd Winick’s character changes. I don’t quite understand the neeed for having Grace and Thunder become lesbian lovers and it is more distracting than anything else. It really does nothing to advance the stories and seems to be more of a Winick agenda.
That said, I like the Checkmate crossover. It makes perfect sense and Winick doeas a real nice job withthe Checkmate folks.

Supernatural #2
Wildstorm


I love this Television show and this comics prequel is loads of fun. It’s filling in the missing years as the boys’s Dad first learns his monster/demon hunting craft.
Moody art by Matthew Dow Smith really adds to the creepy feel. Good stuff here.

New Warriors #1
Marvel


I didn’t want to like this, but the truth is it’s really good. It is taking all the bad taste out of my mouth from Civil War. A group of young heroes decides it’s time to act out against the facist nature of superheroing as it’s been laid out by Tony (government lapdog) Stark.
Some familiar faces pop up and it looks like this one will be worth following.

Avengers: The Initiative #3
Marvel


Blah blah blah. Let’s stop Spiderman. God I’m sick of this over used and underwhelming idea. The whole idea behind Spiderman’s outlaw status is tainted by the fact theat he is registered and unmasked. Tony Stak is angry with him and is using his vendetta to go after him.
I also think that the boot camp for young heroes being forced to train is a bit heavy handed and not really all that fresh of an idea. What story development there is feels very overshadowed by the whole BIG BROTHER feel of the government.
Having a hard time caring enough about this to keep spending money on it.

The Mighty Avengers #3
Marvel


Ultron is back and kicking ass.
A really nice story from Bendis that has some real classic Avengers feel to it. I’m a little tired of the over use of the thought ballons. I think Bendis misses the point of them. They are to explain things we don’t get to learn through dialogue, not let us in on the mundane activity in the heroes heads.
The artwork is really nice, and the story overall is also entertaining.

Overall DC rocks, and Marvel seems to be doing ok, though it really feels like what they aremost concerned with is making money first and keeping fans happy second. There is a reason they call the marvel “Zombies”. DC clearly loves their readers and want to keep them reading. DC doesn’t want zombies, they want readers.
And keep an eye on Avatar, looks like they have some fun stuff coming our way, as does Top Cow.