It’s easy to say that Phonogram: The Singles Club is quite clearly the coolest book being published today. It takes all the great aspects of comic books and pushes them into the realm of pop culture beyond the normal stuff that comes out every week. It’s a damn shame that the book has to go through these periods of waiting because the audience just isn’t there, but I implore you: buy this book! This review only covered the main story and there are even backup features highlighting gorgeous art and story, as well as a glossary to all the musical references in case you wish to broaden your horizon. It’s a great steal and a surefire way to broaden your horizons.

As a value package, the two backup stories to Phonogram incorporate enough unique material to keep things interesting. While I’d like to see more of the main plot, what Gillen/McKelvie give us is satisfactory enough to keep the story going. The extra material is icing on the cake with this book, and proves more and more that the creative team is true masters of the comic form. It’s a fantastic bang for your buck and when I say this is the coolest comic around.

Like so many edgy noir moments, Lemire captures a shades-of-grey feeling incredibly well, and by the time the book ends, it leaves the question about who reader's should favor as the hero and who the true villain is. As we examine our own sense of place in our world and define who we are in the community, the invisible man will follow is a mirror upon the soul to bring out the worst, and highlight the best. It doesn't hurt that the few crazy people in this book turn out in some ways to be the most noble, and that Jeff Lemire is deserving of all the praise heaped upon him by the comics community with The Nobody as a successful work and Sweet Tooth soon to follow.

It’s a wonderful treat to have no delays between issues as the team that brought you All Star Superman has now created a wonderful collaboration in Batman and Robin. While many will slight the book once Quitely leaves, if Morrison can keep up with the frantic action and excitement then there should be no shortage of fun books going into the new year.

Though I always want more, this issue was a solid effort by Morrison to further along the story. I was hoping for more of the off-the-wall action shown earlier in earlier issues but the show must go on. Let’s hope the next part is a little more dynamic because the art team screams for some higher energy action with less talk and more punches.

Bruce is a confused mess when it comes to talking so he's having trouble communicating his basic ideas in any spoken form. Though he and the cavemen he comes to defend develop an understanding there is this interesting barrier between Batman and his allies. What ensues is a long-standing battle that ends with a time hop – the concept is very simple but here we are seeing the myth of Batman being rebuilt throughout history. He has no idea exactly who he is but by adapting a Bat-costume he assumes some kind of semblance of his past.

I loved how Morrison implies that no matter what era of time, Batman will be a foundation of Gotham City. Bruce, still in a daze about his true identity, recognizes his homeland no matter what the century and when he experiences what would later become the bat cave, it causes a geek out excitement in me knowing that no matter where he is, he will always be Batman. It’s also great to see Batman bring on the age of reason vs. the age of enlightenment in the pilgrim setting. Think Darwin versus the Quakers and you get the idea. Batman has battled the devil both literally and figuratively in many regards – to which Morrison gives us a wink as to who the true villain was in R.I.P.

American Vampire continues to be one of a new generation of Vertigo titles that keeps the publisher as a great source for off the beaten path stories. Though a little slow to start, there is a heaping amount of potential thanks to its dual plot lines and intersecting bits. Snyder shows us the potential and King fills in the blanks, giving us 40 pages of something new and different. I certainly can’t wait for the next issue.

With the story finally going somewhere it’s amazing to see Ivan Reis’s gorgeous pencils maintain a level of quality with such a large scope. Between horrific renditions of Firestorm and a scene that gives me the creeps to the dead rising, (again, I know), things are definitely moving in the right direction. If he can maintain this level of quality throughout the entire series then it will be an amazing feat considering how often pencilers get bogged down with events.

Overall, Cars turns out to be quite the fun series in Boom! Studios’ line of Disney books. If there’s a larger plot that the book is moving towards, then I want to follow, since I think this book is much better than the film and a great read for any reader.

As I said earlier, Daredevil is far more exciting for me than the last few years of the book. Diggle took a Brubaker idea and is running with it, and I hope he keeps going in these new direction because Matt Murdock may finally evolve from the Born Again era he’s been stuck in for so long.

By the end it's just an amazing work and probably my favorite tie-in thus far in terms of the overall Blackest Night crossover. I'm hoping that once this is all over Tomasi can start taking the team into some epic directions as he's proven himself more than capable as a writer with this title.

Overall, this might be the next best companion piece to the Vertigo $1.00 introduction issues. There are great insights to all these new books and teams that many readers might not be following. I think it’s a great way to capitalize on the company’s number one top talent and bring in his fans as well as show off some other stuff. I do think that there could be a bit less feeling of “this is an advertisement” if the teams fleshed out their short stories into something more concise but overall it’s a great book and well worth the price.

By the end of the book I was quite satisfied with #3. While my enjoyment of the Muppet Show waned a little as the original concept followed the show a little too closely, so does this book in following some of that book's own inspirations. With a little more originality, this book could go from great to excellent, but for what it aims to do, it's quite the satisfying read.

I cannot deny that this issue is a major improvement over the last and it gives me hope that the best is still yet to to come. Even though I’m half expecting the “to be continued in this book’s new issue number one,” I’m hoping Bendis can work up a great transition from the Siege of Asgard to the Heroic age. If he does, it’ll be one of the better Marvel events to come.

Accompanied by some great art that would do well to replace regular penciler Jamal Igle, (should he decide to move to other projects), Supergirl Annual #1 is what you should do with a setup story in terms of delivery and expectations. The co-feature is a quality piece of work. I look at the first story as nothing more than extra material that makes me think of future stories. Stories where Kara can come away from New Krypton and deal with some of the supporting characters and plot promises that Gates revealed all the way back in issue #34. It’s definitely a book to get if you’re a Superman family fan.

For the most part, this book is still really enjoyable. The team is able to make me like an era of X-men that I never cared much about, and to move the story forward in a logical way in order to fill in some of the gaps left between the original X-men, and Giant Size X-men. I do wonder if this will be the last of X-men first class we see for a while, as their titles “graduation” puts reader quite near the Claremont stories, so hopefully this won't be the end of First Class for quite a while. It's a great little story for anyone looking for a trip back to the past.

For Rucka’s hasty effort on Batwoman, it’s interesting to see how much improvement he acquires with The Question second feature. Montoya’s journey, despite its only eight to ten page, feels like a complete issue and worth the extra dollar. What I didn’t like about Chapter 1 was how it felt like 1/3 of an actual story, but this time Rucka/Hammer are able to make the piece have a weight and heft that comes with a normal monthly comic. It’ll be interesting to see what they can accomplish when the backup feature takes over for one issue of Detective Comics. If anything, it shows that Rucka is a quick learner and with the next issue I hope he finds the balance for both Kate’s story and Renee’s.

With Jock’s art the story was a fair continuation from the Williams drawn pages. Though I wasn’t expecting Scott Kolins to come in and take over a few pages, it’s barely noticeable at all that there are two artists on the team. Both are highly skilled creators who add a layer of grittiness to the book. Everything is dark and seedy, just like a book starring the Bat-family should be.

With this issue, the Muppet Show continues to be an intelligent read despite their youth-like nature. I look at those movies and television programs as intelligent for both the younger and older generations, and as I transition from child to adulthood, I can see why I found the characters so appealing. They don’t talk down to the audience, but rather include them in everything about the Muppet world and allow discovery to take place. Langridge is able to do the same thing with his book, by keeping it all ages friendly but not filtering the plot in order to satisfy one group of readers. It’s still a fantastic read and while we’re only halfway through the year, I’d be surprised if any other title can top this great piece of work.

When it comes to “Gonzo’s Story”, the main problem is that there are too many stories going on in one issue. While densely packed, it loses appeal as so many stories start to clash rather than work together in an even flow. Langridge does the best job he can with the story, but there is room to do better.

As the narrative switches back to Miss Piggy it should be noted that The Muppet Show #4 also breaks with tradition and finally brings a guest into the mix. Although in line with the unique universe these characters inhabit, the guest host harkens back to the real live show and its bounty of unique guests that would make for something special. Although humans have yet to take the stage in this rendition of the Muppets, I do wonder if Langridge will bridge that gap between the reality of the hosts and the imagination of Jim Henson. Whatever he does, I’m sure it will be brilliant and I can’t wait for the next batch of The Muppet Show comics to come out from Boom! Studios.

Overall, Action Comics #880 is an unbalanced piece. Should you come only looking for the “Codename Patriot” portions, you’ll be treated to some wonderful Superman moments. As for Captain Atom, the book is passable right now and hopefully things will improve over the coming months. I’m sure the inclusion in Action Comics is intentional and I wonder what role the Captain may play in Metropolis in the near future. Hopefully it’s something more enjoyable than his trip through the past.

As I said, this book has potential. It’s a pretty good first effort and I hope that if there are more stories, Mel comes to the forefront because like Arthur’s childhood and the journey from a peasant to a king, Mel has the same potential to shine above the now resurrected king.

Both pieces are off to solid starts, with Manhunter picking up with a renewed energy. Dini has what it takes to write a great Batman story; his more traditional take will be a welcome to those fans not looking for Morrison, Rucka, or Winnick’s take, but I’d like to see his focus stretch out to the more street level characters that aren’t super.

If you think the tie-ins to Blackest Night are just excuses to get you to blow more money, then you're right. This is a tie-in but the overall quality is there if you want something tangent to Blackest Night that flashes a light on a corner of the DC Universe. I'm waiting for the excitement to kick in before committing higher scores to the book but for what is offered I would say it's worth checking out.

Blackest Night: Batman is an overall success and enjoyable story considering what Tomasi is given to work with. Knowing that Deadman will play a role in the future of the Blackest Night event makes you wonder whether this quick stop in Gotham will add more to the story or just be a quick spotlight on one of the many horrific events happening right now. It helps to have one of the primary Blackest Night writers on the book but I'm still waiting for something more to happen in this series than just dead people versus living.

The overall question still remains as to whether or not BN: Wonder Woman is a worthy title to the series, and so far the answer is yes. The last page hints at a much different Wonder Woman next issue and steps away from the played out motifs that happened in the earlier Blackest Night mini-series.

If there's one thing to say about Captain Britain and MI:13 it's that this is a series that shouldn't end. Although this annual leans towards the second half in terms of story success, Cornell is a true genius when it comes to writing about the more obscure Marvel heroes. Let's hope his talent is spent on more exciting projects that tie-in X or Y because Captain Britain is a corner of the Marvel universe that shouldn't be passed over.

Like the Green Lantern series, Johns and his rebirth arcs are introductory points that play out in a greater scheme. Flash has moments of intrigued strewn along with regular storytelling that is primarily focused on selling a character to readers more than the story. Maybe down the road this will play out in the same way the Green Lantern universe has but for now it’s just another comic book.

As for Peter Krause’s art, it’s fairly good in terms of capturing the story. With most of this issue taking place with dialog rather than action, I don’t think he really had the chance to show off his talents, so I hope that he gets some more pages to really explode in terms of panel design and story elements. If not, it’s a waste of potential because I enjoy the mellow style for the most part.

Overall Mickey Mouse and Friends will surely delight the younger audience if they have the patience to finish the story. Personally, I think this is a trade-waiting situation in the making. I can see parents sitting down and reading this to their kids much like my parents did with me and the Disney picture books. As a single issue you’re probably going to get a nostalgia kick unless you’re under ten years old. The story isn’t anything but average. It’s not bad considering the series is bringing a new generation something the rest of the world has known for years.

One of my biggest pet peeves with this story will continue to be the mixing of history and fiction. Although historical fiction is nothing new, to cast Poe as a hero is a risk and if Mitchell and Kotz can pull it off, then this series has a chance to go somewhere interesting knowing the history behind Poe.

Overall, Incredibles #2 is a gradual improvement compared to the first issue, although it still has a ways to go. Maybe by issue #3 we’ll see some real progress because this series is surely one that can take advantage of the comic book medium. And if the Muppet Show can make the transition, then so can the Incredibles.

Straczynski is still a master storyteller, and is producing of comics best pieces, but every once in a while there’s a hiccup that derails all the excitement. The best I can say about this piece is that I’m waiting for things to blow up again, because Thor is epic and each issue should be just as epic within the given 22 pages. I do hope he is able to push Djurdjevic past his limits and transform the artist from a great cover designer to a great interior penciller as well. Until that happens, I’ll just stay letdown by this most recent issue.

After loving Phonogram, its certainly a treat to see Gillen applying that same love for magic and mythos in his Marvel writing career. Though fans in the end will decide how important the run is, the actual storytelling and art alone make it a worthy follow up to what JMS left in terms of plot points and story beats.

Overall the book is surprise for me considering my history with the Titans. Krul does a good job with the writing but since this is only a first issue it is clear that there is a ways to go before anything truly exciting happens. I think without the nostalgia factor this is nothing more than your standard comic book.

I can’t say much else about Blackest Night: Titans #3. If you’re picking up this book then you’re obviously a Titans fan. If you’re new to the group it’s a good way to catch up on some of the important deaths that have transpired over the course of thirty to forty years. However, if you’re not interested in the Titans then this doesn’t provide much else than that small hint at what is on the horizon I mentioned earlier.

These awkward moments and a complete three hundred and sixty at the end of the story ruin any kind of ominous mood. While it’s a great trek back into the Golden Age Robinson’s Blackest Night: Superman #2 needs more than it offers in plot and a better direction for the story. The writer clearly has a handle on the character and artist Eddie Barrows does a mighty fine job at rendering the important points of the plot but there needs to be more if the book hopes to graduate beyond a waste of money.

If you’re looking for a fun traditional story-featuring Batman this is your kind of book. While I’m hoping to see more of a direction as we pass Daniel’s arc I can accept this issue for what it is: a setup with payoff coming down the road. Not something necessarily worth the money unless you just can’t go without missing an issue.

At some point I have to ask: why do we need this book? Lately Image has gained buzz for teaming up with today’s hottest celebrities, but is it worth it if this is the final product? Great art, but the story needs to figure out if it just wants to be a book about killing people or something more.

Overall, Codename Patriot was a waste of time and effort as it’s nothing more than setup for events down the line. Will it be important? Probably. But as a standalone work it was more exhausting than exciting.

If you’re interested in standard action and comic book narrative, then Witchblade #126 is a good choice if you’re looking to try out something new. Top Cow’s aggressiveness must be commended for trying to push the comic medium forward, but this title wasn’t for me. I like Ron Marz and I’ll always give him a fair shot because he’s written some of my favorite stories growing up, but I’m going to look at other things he might work on for the near future.

I can’t recommend Witchblade because I have yet to have fun with it. I commend Top Cow for doing a lot when it comes to promoting comics as a medium and art, but I don’t think Witchblade is necessarily the right choice to establish a direction with your company. While it may have worked in the past, as a new reader I’ve yet to find a reason to continue with the series, and wonder if “War of the Witchblades” will be my beginning and end with the title.