I'm not certain whether the upcoming "Codename: Patriot" story will improve things, but I do know that the Second Feature in this issue made me feel a little better about spending four bucks. The art by Cafu is gorgeous, and well colored by Arcas. All but Captain Atom are bathed in shades of red, thus making the blue tinted hero stand out beautifully. The story is also good. Rucka and Robinson have a great hook, and I just hope it is executed well since some of their good concepts over in Superman have lost steam.

On a final note, the art is perfect for this story. I could not imagine anyone, but M.K. Perker on this book. There is something about the faces of the characters that carries just enough of a glint of the foreign. This glint plays very well with the overall story of travel and journeying. As with most Vertigo books, while the art may not be standard comic book fare, it is very well suited to the story being told.

A good done-in-one issue that makes an old Spider-Man foe relevant again, but also manages to squeeze a ton more in. Whats there not to be happy about?

Another good issue of Amazing Spider-Man that provides an interesting new chapter in a long-standing relationship. Its just too bad that New Avengers had to make it less effective.

It may sometimes be easy to forget just how important the visual element is in this storytelling medium, especially when we get bogged down in the finer details of intrigue, but the bottom line is that the art is as much responsible for conveying the story as anything. If that cant be done consistently then it hurts the story, plain and simple. So while this issue should have been a four, or better, I gave it three and a half bullets because of this failure.

While technically adept at getting from point A to point B, the story does not succeed at being particularly original. Yes, it is quite satisfying if you've been reading the ongoing. It is even more so if you really like dinosaurs, but the message here is nothing new. Gage does his best, but it's really just a rehash of earlier ideas, which at times has some good characterization, but that's only great for fans of the series.

Finally, Ethan van Sciver, offers us an insightful two pages into the creation of the new lantern symbols, which made for an interesting read. And with that it is clear that what we have here is window dressing for the main Blackest Night stories, a little extra with a cherry on top. However, this is standard 32 page comic book, albeit with a nicer cover, that prices in at $3.99. That price and the fact that it is clear that they really had to try to fill the pages makes me cringe. I can sort of understand the reprint of the Corps specific pages from the Free Comic Book Day offering of Blackest Night, but the way the Black Lantern Corps page was just snuck into this issue makes me wonder. Perhaps, DC should lay off the Orange, and either price these down, or insert them as back-ups into other titles.

There's some fun stuff here, especially if you like Deadpool, but really the stakes aren't raised any higher, and this issue doesn't advance things much further than the prologue already did.

This is a good beginning to what could become a great story, but much still depends on what happens next.

This one-shot surprised me. I did not expect something so good, and while I had previously discounted Benson's upcoming Deadpool mini-series, Suicide Kings, I am now seriously considering checking it out. So, while there is an overabundance of Deadpool these days, so far at least, it seems to be a good thing.

This should come as great new to fans of the show, since season three is still on hiatus until July 7, which is a long time, especially since the last episode aired sometime in the fall. So, the long wait should be ameliorated by this book, which provides all of the humor, cutting edge technology, and action of the show.

A great book for fans of the show.

On a final note, Van Scivers art is good. Ive never been a great fan of his work, but outside of some oddly proportioned bodies theres nothing I can really complain about. Again the thing is that this is an okay comic book, when it should be great one. And the friction between that expectation and reality is not doing the Flash (whoever it may be in the suit) any favors.

Guillem Marchs art provides a lot of character, mostly because of his talent in depicting facial expressions. He succeeds in capturing a lot of nuances there, plus, his panels can be dynamic and innovative, which really makes some pages shine. His work has a slightly manga feel to it as it bounces from overtly sexy to blatantly comic and that certainly helps the book as well. Its very promising stuff, but too many times falls prey to odd proportions. The female bodies he depicts look odd occasionally, overwhelmed by unnatural curves and limbs that dont quite connect properly. It can be distracting and I can only hope that practice will make perfect in the long run.

If youre not a huge Batman fan this is not for you, especially since it doesnt seem like it will impact the coming Battle for the Cowl. On the other hand, for Batman fans this is a nice treat.

This is a wonderful series steeped in fantasy, horror, and mystery. Definitely worth giving a try, but, on account of the ongoing plot, it is not all that friendly to new readers. Thankfully, these days TPBs can catch you up.

Otherwise, the art is great. Rossi has been doing a great job, and his pencils are so well suited to this story. Likewise Loughridges colors provide a level of consistency across all of the art in the book and also aid in setting the darker feel of the book. Finally, Lobaccaros work in the short story is good, its different, and yet similar enough, thanks to the coloring, to the rest that it ties the short story into the ongoing, while also setting it apart.

With New Krypton orbiting opposite Earth, with Bruce Wayne dead, Blackest Night descending, and Barry being reborn is there really any reason to care about this book? Not particularly, there is more excitement elsewhere, and certainly better books elsewhere. A good team book featuring second stringers? Secret Six comes to mind, which is brilliant, and even Tomasi's Outsiders is better than what the Justice League has come to. What should be one of the primary titles in the DC universe has become largely irrelevant. Providing middle of the way stories is simply not enough. Will that change soon? One can only hope so.

In conclusion, this was a so-so start, when it could have been much more.

This book is just another example of the great stuff that Vertigo is publishing. If you havent been reading this book, now is a good time to pick it up, because otherwise youre missing out on some good storytelling.

If you are not reading Northlanders, you are missing out on some thoughtful storytelling. Yes, there are Vikings, and yes there is a lot of action and gore, but there is more here besides just that. This series is as much about the Viking invaders and the people inhabiting the British Isles, as it is about anything else. Well crafted characters inhabit this world, and Brian Wood does a great job of weaving their stories into historical settings and events. Three arcs into this series, despite the sense of disconnect created by the fact that each arc is a separate entity, it is still going strong. Personally, I cant wait to see what Mr. Wood has in store for us next.

I will wait until this arc ends and then will probably stop reading this title. There are two reasons to read comics in my view--one, because its a good story, and two, simply because one is a fan and chooses to keep up with a character. The second allows a reader to read mediocre stories. These days, however, my wallet will simply not allow that, and just like that the new Batman titles may soon see their first casualty.

The bottom line is that Keith Giffen moved pieces around on a chess board, made an interesting tapestry, but at the end of the day never really got me to care about the chess pieces.

Ever since Gates and Igle have begun their work on this book, it has gotten consistently better. Supergirl is finally the book it should have always been, a compelling story about a teenage girl caught between two worlds. I for one cant wait until next month.

This first issue does its job admirably. It establishes a story with great potential for the year to come. I just hope that it will live up to it. Especially since, I recently saw a similar maxi-series (Tangent: Supermans Reign) end less than gracefully.

Things may be coming together for this team of Titans, but the future of the title is uncertain, and for $4.99 its a little too steep.

There were some good things here, but as with other DC mini-series of late, it just tackles too much for its own good, and consequently isnt as satisfactorily concluded as it could be.

A good issue, there is certainly plenty to enjoy here, but this issues cliffhanger is less than exciting. The next few issues will have to pick things up a bit. Weve gotten a lot of good characterization. Now its time to give this title a sense of purpose.

The art has been similar enough to Peter Snejbjergs work that the change in artist has not been jarring, and that probably has a lot to do with John Kaliszs colors. His colors in fact are quite important since they provide a somewhat darker feel to the book, one that goes a long way towards creating a fairly grim world. The Superman-like hero is not a center of light, rather he is constantly bathed in shadow and darkness, and that paints a great question mark--one that goes hand in hand with the story telling here.

Djurdjevics art is wonderful. Between his work and that of Coipel on this title, it has been a beautiful ride. Their work fits well with the Nordic muscle-bound feel of the book, and does so without giving way to the common excess know in portraying such characters. Its a job well done, and consistently so. Finally, while Djurdjevics work has had a darker feel that does work well here because of the general sense of foreboding.

Its been better than Countdown, but thats not saying much. Out of sheer stubbornness, I will ride it out to its end, but it really isnt worth the money on a weekly basis.

This issue was better. It raises an interesting question, and is an overall improvement, but its too little too late. I gave it two and a half bullets because it is an improvement, but the whole is still mediocre. I didnt say much about the art, but it was okay, nothing to rave about. It did its job, nothing more.

I gave it three bullets, which is maybe a little generous, but if youve been following this story and are a fan of Vigilante, this is decent. Theres sufficient promise for the future to make it worth your while.

For fans of the hobby it might be fun to see the Warhammer 40,000 universe come to life (even if somewhat imperfectly), but for everyone else this is a pointless and clich story.

Sejics work is great as usual. Locking him down on this title for a while was definitely a great idea. He provides the steady quality, art-wise, that this title definitely needed. He definitely brings something unique to the title, and the manner in which he illustrates the Witchblade armor is a welcome addition, especially since its a more realistic one, than the nearly bare skin versions of the past.

The issue itself, while it was its moments, doesnt add up to much, but the arc as a whole still promises a lot. Ill be back next week and the week after that-- for now at least Gail Simones run on this title still has me roped in.

The same can be said for Dustin Weaver's artwork. It isnt bad. In fact, there's nothing glaringly bad about it, but there isn't anything great either. It straddles the middle ground, and there is nothing particularly wrong with that, except that with rising comic book prices, mediocre just doesn't cut it anymore. With how much I read, at this rate this series might not stay on my pull list much longer.