While this issue is a little bit disappointing to start with, Cornell obviously has a plan to let us get to know the new team before bringing in the old team, and Brooks delivers his usual solid, clean work. While off the marks a bit slower than I expected, this mini-series is still off to a good start.

This issue is a mix of good and bad, band proves to be enough to make me come back to the series. The main story has some flaws that Pak needs to work out, and the co-feature needs a bit of work to make it more exciting, but neither are necessarily terrible.

With this issue, Slott has taken a step in the right direction, but really needs to iron out his portrayal of a lot of his cast. The plot still has me intrigued, and I am far from giving up on this book, but I am still worried this book won’t elevate of the level of Dark and New Avengers.

This issue is a lot of hot and cold, with the continually solid Brian Reed delivering some great moments, while his artist Sana Takeda really isn’t quite up to par just yet on her inexperienced pencils. Still, this title is mostly a success, as the story is strong enough to carry the artwork to the slightly above average status. I look forward to where Reed is taking this book, and hopefully Takeda will grow and only get better.

All in all, Widening Gyre is a Batman tale that is very much a lot of madcap Kevin Smith fun, but toned down just enough that it is just the right amount of madcap fun. Both Smith and Flanagan do what they need to and make this a nice place to catch Bruce Wayne in action in light of the 'Batman Reborn' line of books.

Once again Exiles has returned to being a much less serious, fun book that involves some nods for X-Men fans without isolating new readers. If you have been weary of some of the more complicated storylines such as Secret Invasion and Final Crisis, Exiles really is a title you don’t need to read everything Marvel is publishing to understand, and that really is a rarity.

This looks to be a step in the right direction, at least for McDuffie. He has his team settled, and this is the perfect chance for him to get to do his own thing with the title, but it really is up to DC to let him do this. If they only just gave him a good artist, or even bring back Benes, and let him get started, Justice League of America could be the flagship title it should be, not the shadow that it is now.

This is a series that anyone in the family could read from child to grandfather, and enjoy and have a pleasurable read. The concept is ridiculous in a good way, and is filled with laughs. While it is far from the most complex book on the stands, it is easily the most classic Avengers book on the stands.

A nice transition issue with a fun last page, it’ll be great to see where this ‘new’ Sorcerer Supreme’s storyline will go, and while I’m doubtful that anyone but Dr. Strange will be the SS after this arc is over, it’d be really cool is someone else was.

This series, despite having a glut of DC history embedded within, has managed to keep me interested despite not knowing the significance of everything. If you are willing to do a little online research and are not bothered by not knowing every little thing about the book, this series provides fun science fiction adventure.

Warlord is definitely moving in the right direction, with Grell and Prado working together well to smooth out the flaws of the first issue. By returning the emphasis to Skartaris and Warlord, they have really made me more interested in the main character and the world he lives in. This book is one that really doesn’t have to worry about Final Crisis or any other major events going on, and that readers can enjoy with very little baggage. It’s unique and interesting in today’s market.

Thunderbolts proved to be a pleasant surprise, as I enjoyed the book. The Secret Invasion part was almost just an extension of the page in the first issue, but I’m interested to see where they go from there.

Still, this issue is a fun little one-shot for Free Comic Book Day, and is a fairly good indication on what exactly each of the two teams are about. Even though Bendis uses a lot of the same plots he has been, this book is free, so you really can’t go wrong by having picked it up.

I'm not sure that the high quality of this issue will carry on into the next one, but this issue is strong enough on its own that you could simply pick up this issue and not need to read the rest of the series. In fact, that is what I would recommend any casual reader to do, because it's a lot of fun without a sirens in sight.

Superman: World of New Krypton has managed to be a wholly enjoyable series so far, as Rucka and Robinson start to lay the foundations for this new Kryptonian civilization. The art is solid and the dialogue and story intriguing, so hopefully this series continues to be the best Superman title on the shelves. Oh, and hopefully we keep seeing much less of the costume, as well.

This issue is a perfect one for fans of the DC Universe, as it really is a complex cosmic story that deals with all sorts of sections of the DC Universe. A lot is going on, and you really end up feeling like you get your moneys worth. And really, anyone angry because of the delays or worried because of the Final Crisis name on the top, it’s good enough that you should get over it and pick this up!