I'm tired of seeing popular characters dick around for 25 pages. That's what everyone got this summer, and we're done. It's time for some substance.

In the end, this is not, and no Morrison book ever will be, an easy read. He’s going to force his readers to sit back and think about what’s happening. He won’t spoon feed anything to anyone (he’s not Christopher Nolan), but if you take the time, it’s worth it.

I say all of this with the caveat that I truly do have faith that Hickman will give fans the bombastic epic that they’re wanting, it’s just not happening yet. His work on Ultimate Comics Ultimates proved he can work with these characters and make them do great things, he’s just going to need to make that tangible.

AvX ended horribly and in an unsatisfactory fashion, and Consequences appears to have the ability to remedy that.

This book continues to be great (and seemingly underrated), and I imagine PJT will put together one of the best pieces of Death of the Family.

I do have to say that it’s a lot easier to review a bad book than it is a good one, and I’m going to be getting upset if Image Comics and their creators keep making my job harder. Maybe Marvel will republish AvX to compensate.

The book isn’t perfect, it can get a bit to expository at points (some subtext would have been nice), but other than that, it’s fantastic, and most important, it accomplishes everything it needed to: handled Spidey with grace, was a soft opening for new Daredevil readers, and swiftly moved the plot along in spite of it all. If nothing else, Waid should have earned the readership of a hefty portion of web-slinger fans.

That just blew your mind a little bit, didn’t it? Now read.

And though the art may take the cake from this go, the writing fits into it perfectly. The two elements complement each other like eggs and bacon, they can both stand on their own, but there’s nothing better than the two together. This series, closely followed by Hawkeye, are the best things Marvel has going for them. I’ve accepted that a series like this can never truly be the mainstream in comics, and I’ll be honest and say I probably wouldn’t want it to be. It’s not very much fun, it’s certainly not very light, and all of the excitement has passed. Nobody wants to deal exclusively in the aftermath. But regardless, this is the highest standard. Superhero titles should strive to be this. Few should be as dark and few could possibly be this insightful, but the way Bendis and Mack tackle the important issues, that’s the golden ticket.

All of the issues are definitely things that time can iron out, but for now, I remain hopeful but skeptical. It’s a good base, but it could easily go either way. If Fraction keeps his head in the game, this could be a fantastic book. If he doesn’t, it’s a disaster. And he appears to be walking a very fine line.

Fraction has already given the story and the characters a new feel, and despite being blessed and cursed with both Fantastic Four and FF, he works them well together but carefully makes each one a supplement to the other, not a necessity. The books are cultivated with care and precision. And more than that, this book is really good.

This is the worst FF issue to date, but that’s not so bad, all things considered. There was some very good art and the story line works. This was a speed bump, not a detour, and Fraction and Co. will most certainly continue delivering.

So, the Emerald Archer embarks on a new run that is poised to be one of, if not the, best in the character’s history. It’s brave, it’s unforgiving, and it’s willing to shake everything to the core for the sake of a good read. I’ll take it.

I know Phil Hester & Co. can offer more than that. But it hasn’t happened yet.

Marvel NOW! is beginning to show me, and maybe everyone, exactly why it’s important that they jumbled things around. It might actually prove to be a good thing.

It’s an entertaining book, but Johns too easily forgoes character for excitement within its pages. Clearly something big is coming from his corner, as having control over Justice League and Justice League of America will eventually lead to an epic, but to end a big crossover event like this is a disappointment, especially when the first half of the book was good.

This book was a much needed bounce back from last month, and while it is really only the inklings of something fantastic, I believe that the next arc will really be something great. Here’s to hoping.

Regardless, Justice League Dark has been one of the most consistent books for DC in the recent months, and Lemire’s work is laudable. #19 continues his inventive, colorful vision of what Justice League Dark should and can be, and it’s only getting stronger.

Realistically, this issue was a necessary evil. No matter how much I disliked it, they got the messy, boring origins out of the way, and can jump right into the meat of the story in the second issue. I have little doubt that this will be a great run, but this wasn’t the start that I was looking for.

Maybe the reason I’m feeling so down on Mara is because I can feel its potential. This book has a lot going for it and has a very compelling, relevant and powerful message within its pages, but it’s not there yet, and it’s really, honestly, far from getting where it needs to be. I know that this creative team has the talent to make this book something great, and I’m hoping beyond hope that they take it where it should go, but I’m skeptical. First issues are always important, and this one, ultimately, struck out.

Unfortunately, I've always found it tricky to review things that I hold in such a high regard, so I'll close with this: read the fucking comic book. Please.

Hickman is the right writer to tackle Avengers/New Avengers. These books should be phenomenal, and though Uncanny Avengers is the purported flagship book, Hickman’s Avenger’s duo could easily earn its spot as the definitive work in the reinvigorated Marvel landscape.

Either way, it’s a strong issue, and that’s something to be thankful for, as it’d be quite easy for the Bat Family books to just go through the motions until they get their hands on the Joker.

Despite good art and lots of bullets, this book falls very flat. It has the potential to buck up over the next four issues, and it’s always tough to churn out a first issue with new colleagues and such. I’m not condemning the book just yet, but it’s not on my nice list. This books has been treading around the nuances of The Punisher’s character but hasn’t actually touched any of them. They need to do more than just scrape the surface moving forward if they want the book to reach its potential.

I still like it, and I’ll still read it, but it’s not what it could be.

I really, really hate ripping on comic books like this. I’d much rather do what I was able to do with Daredevil: End of Days or Multiple Warheads, and examine the beautiful work these teams did and discuss why the books were so effective. But reviews like this are important, if for no other reason than letting DC and the writers know that they’re not going unchecked. Lobdell said that the next two issues are two of the best he’s written in his career. So, I guess we’ll see how that goes.

This book seems primed to set the stage for a more S.H.I.E.L.D. oriented universe, maybe like the one that will be on TV soon enough, and it fits that mold very well. It’s not going to be the best or the deepest comic book run in history, but it has its tongue in its cheek and it’s going to be a hell of a fun ride, and sometimes that’s all you need.

There's no telling how well the plot is going to play out in the coming months, I trust that the creative team is aware of how volatile the material they're dealing with is, and I trust that they'll handle it responsibly. Personally, I'm not enough of a Star Wars purist to get up in arms about it, but I'm, in this case, the exception, not the rule. As long as the team finds a balance between bravely and carefully, they'll continue doing a fantastic job. But if they step too far over one of those lines, things could go south fast.

There’s nothing else to say about this particular issue. It was horrible, and Lobdell will probably drive the book straight into the ground. If anyone is looking for a Superman book, read Action Comics and try really hard to pretend that this doesn’t exist.

Talon #1 is far from a perfect book and further from a perfect start, but it got the wheels turning for the series, and it did so quickly and while building a solid character base for readers to jump off of.

I’ve said it before (I think), but I read Teen Titans because I love the Teen Titans to death, but with Lobdell’s work on the book, that feels like exactly where it’s all headed.

I've got nothing else to say. This was a terrible issue. That's all there is.

This title, for me, is the realization of Hickman’s ability. I can’t get into Avengers or New Avengers, and I liked his run on Ultimate Comics Ultimates, but this shows what he can do. It’s a high-concept, really-scientific-science-fiction, and it’s one of the smartest titles on shelves right now.

On the bright side, there are still three issues left, which give Edmondson at least a little time to recover. On the other hand, there are only three issues left, and it appears that the order might be three more than necessary.

Overall, this is a very promising #1 issue. It sets up for a second very well and does an important job of bringing readers into the series. It would make sense for them to let Wolverine out of the proverbial cage as things progress, and if done carefully, it can be a powerful way to build the character and for Starr to leave his mark on Wolverine.

There really isn’t much else to say. I’m left feeling angry and disappointed with this book, and all I’ll have are fantasies of what could have been. With the success and quality of the Nick Fury and Punisher books, I had my expectations high up, and I can’t begin to explain how far away this was from meeting them.

So, all of that is great (or it’s not great, depending on which paragraph), but how do I feel about this particular issue? Despite the brilliant panel work and the effective dive to depth, it’s ultimately bogged down by trying to do too much in too little time, and it falters. Maybe Wonder Woman needs two books (like Fantastic Four and FF in Marvel NOW!) or maybe it’s something else, but, though I enjoy it, it’s not where it should be.

What I’m saying is that this book shows eons more promise than any of the other that I’ve read so far, and also that if I could cuddle with one Marvel NOW! release, it would be this one. It’s got heart, it’s got meat and I, for one, am very excited.

There are a lot of X-Men books out there, and there are a lot of really good ones, but this one is making a case for its name being near the top of that list. It’s a character study on being more powerful than one knows what to do with, and a very good one at that.