It may be a slower start than I would have liked, but Batman RIP has finally started nonetheless. I'm happy DC appears to have addressed the shipping problems with this series. After reading the first issue I'm more excited than I've ever been, and I can't stand the wait for very long.

I'm not saying former villains can't or shouldn't return to villainy, but at the very least I want the journey to happen in due course. From what I've read of Will Pfeifer's Catwoman work, I don't think this will be a major problem. He's put too much time and effort into Selina Kyle's story to just yank the rug out from under us. If you're not reading the book, hop on board with issue #71 and see why I, Dan, and the rest of the Catwoman fans enjoy this series so much.

I only wish there was more to this issue besides the fight. I appreciate that Bendis uses the annual to address several recent Marvel events, most notably World War Hulk. On the other hand, the Peter Parker in this issue is very blatantly still in his "Back in Black" phase, and it's almost too depressing to know I'm reading his last Avengers appearance before the One More Day changes take effect. As for the ramifications of the fight, I was hoping for a few more ties to Secret Invasion. I suppose Brian Michael Bendis has to save a few Skrull revelations for Secret Invasion itself. Instead, Bendis shakes up the status quo in a different way, which essentially puts the Avengers in a spot they've been in too many times over the past few years. I won't say anymore for now, but I'm slightly less excited for upcoming issues than I had hoped because of it. Though this annual was a solid effort in many respects, I think that shows it didn't quite accomplish what it set out to do.

It's hard to know exactly what to make of Vector so far. The general mystery is definitely intriguing, but the main character is somewhat less so. Still, plenty of enjoyable crossovers have had less than auspicious starts. I'm more than willing to give Vector the benefit of the doubt for now.