Kirk Warren's Comic Reviews

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I have my doubts about the need for this series to be six issues, but I think this issue brought enough to the table for most to at least take a look at. Not much happens, but the interactions between Superman and Batman are especially well done and we see the rebirth of the Horsemen by the end of the issue and, with how one manages to take a bite out of Superman, literally, we see that they will actually be a major threat to the three heroes as well. I will save judgment of this series for later, but I am not sure if this series will be worth the money by the end of the day or not.

I can't see any reason for this series to exist except to undermine Black Adam's killing of the Horsemen, proving yet again that only the Big Three can truly defeat a major menace. Skip this nonstory and wait for issue 5 or 6 when Giffen finally tells a story and tries to wrap everything up. Everything so far has been a waste of space.

Legion fans might view this as a Must Read, but coming in fresh, it's a bit overwhelming for me and I'm sure anyone else who is not a Legion faithful. Still a solid read that's worth checking out at the very least.

This month's issue just has Superman and the Legion free some of their friends and finding out that Brainiac already escaped. From here, they head to the underground Legion base where the evil JLA tracks them down. Before they can capture them, the Legion makes their escape as they head to Brainiac's homeworld to find him. There, they find him and he's apparently evil, ending our issue.

I liked how they finally made mention of the lightning rod from the JSA / JLA crossover. Seems it can't be used until the crisis of the 31st century, which I guess is going to be in Final Crisis. Can't imagine there being another crisis after a final crisis, but DC does like that naming convention. It was good to see they tried to explain all the stars turning red through the use of one of the captured Legion members. Still doesn't make much sense, but it's a comic book and at least they tried.

From there, all the Legion members take turns trying to stop Earth-Man, who has all of their powers and then some at his disposal. It was a basic, "hey, we have powers, look at us!", scene where they end up all failing to stop him. This leads to Superman punching him once to knock him out and ending the threat. Way to kill any credibility Earth-Man or the Legion has by making them all look like fools, Kal. Felt like a rushed ending to a very Silver Age-esque story.

It was a lot of fun reading the scene with Clark and the new members of the Daily Planet and the new Brainiac has me intrigued to the point I want to know more about how this fits in with everything we already know.

Not sure why Brainiac's probes became weaklings or what's going on with this the lack of knowledge about Kandor, but I still enjoyed this issue a great deal and can't wait to see the next one. Excellent use of supporting characters, specifically Supergirl, and a nice proactive approach by Superman combined with this creepy new version of Brainiac have me enthralled with the current storyline.

Again, if you've never read Superman or don't really care about what happened in the past, these complaints are completely moot. In fact, I, and everyone else, that have a problem with the wanton disregard for previous stories still find it hard to criticize a book as good as Action Comics and I loved everything about this issue, from the creepy Matrixlike feel of Brainiac's ship to the confrontation with Brainiac.

Few small problems, but nothing deal breaking in this great issue. Highly recommended.

There are a few minor quibbles and nitpicks that could be made about this issue, but it was just too good to really dwell on them for any length of time. Great story that has me genuinely excited for the Superman titles for the first time since, well, since he died, I suppose.

Another solid addition to the New Krypton story. It's a bit of a slow burn for the storyline, so I'll leave it as Check It, but I suspect it will quickly turn into a series of Must Reads by the end of this.

Another solid outing from Johns, but a rather disappointing continuation of the socalled New Krypton event.

While I found the reveal for the 'magically aging' Chris Kent to be a tad off putting, everything else about this issue and the plot Rucka has set up for future issues was more than enough for me to give this a Must Read rating.

No answers to the rapidly aging Chris subplot and a quickly derailed plot, which opted for a fight oriented character focus on Ursa, keeps this otherwise entertaining issue from being a Must Read.

There's nothing here that will entice you to pick up this book if you aren't already, but it should entertain those that already are. I just hope this comic starts picking up again or I may end up dropping it. Next issue will more than likely be the decider for me.

Very good first issue to this arc. Enjoying the Lex Luthor centric story and looking forward to seeing how his quest for a power ring turns out.

A truly fun comic that captuers the essence of the classic Silver Age tales while maintaining modern sensibilities. A great insight into the character of Lex Luthor and how he perceives himself and the world around him.

It's not a bad issue, but not worth the huge delay either. Add an indecisive conclusion and it's really only worth picking up if you absolutely must read how this storyline finishes. Maybe it'll read better in trade or for people less jaded over delays.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. While a tad slow for a first issue, if you have the slightest interest in Superboy or the Legion, you should probably be buying this first issue.

There's some good dialogue and beautiful art in the Superboy part of the book, but it fails to address the previous year of in story time and events in favour of getting the two characters back together. With Johns and Manapul off the book with issue six, I may just drop the title as well.

Things were going so smoothly for Adventure Comics with some nice, if not the meatiest, stories following Superboy and Legion related offerings. Shame Blackest Night rolled up and brought Prime into the mix.

I really enjoy this book and this issue continues with the hilariously over the top version of Batman that Miller has been writing since issue one. However, if you still can't stand this version of Batman, this issue won't change your opinion on this book. Otherwise, it's a great read.

I'd buy this book for those first dozen pages and would be more than satisfied. Would liked to have seen the Joker or Catwoman at least make another cameo, but it was a goddamn fine goddamn AllStar Batman issue, so no real complaints from me.

Seriously, I could go on about at least a dozen more single panel or one off things that happen in this issue that I didn't list in the overly long review as it is. Hell, one panel randomly has Superman counting off his DNA strands that ties in later to his developing a means to possibly clone himself. Sorry, this closing remark will go on forever if I start listing random things again. For Christ's sake, Superman makes his own universe in this issue! Buy it!

There's little I can say or do that hasn't been said before by better writers than me. Cloning should be started on Morrison and Quitely and mass production should be ready by 2015 so that we can replace every Superman title's creative team with an army of Morrison's and Quitely's. Only then will my dreams be fulfilled.

I could have bashed my head against the keyboard and put out some mangled review and I'd still expect you people to buy this book without the need for a review, but it had to be done. Buy this book!

The book's not for everyone, but most issues are fairly self-contained and there's an old school Amazing Spider-Man feel to the series. So, if you're a fan of retro style stories with a modern twist, give this book a shot. It's a real love it or hate it title and you'll know if it's for you after an issue or two.

This is an average to slightly below average issue and pretty much nothing happens in the entire issue. All the emotional impact comes off as forced and contrived or having a 'been done before' feeling.

Finally, the extra price tag for such lackluster extras was the final nail in the coffin for this issue. Did we really need a dumbed down Wikipedia entry with some rehashed artwork at the end of this issue? Was anyone interested in Joe Q's pencils and inked versions of the phoned in artwork that accompanied this issue? Save me the extra money and use the time wasted on these "extras" and work on the actual stories for the next couple parts of this event.

I'm not sure if it's a Must Read book or not. It's so odd and different from what SpiderMan has been for so long and there's things that just don't sit right with me. I like it on one level and then there are times I hate it. I think I'll know after the next issue whether I really like this or not.

Despite the negative tone, it wasn't a terrible issue. I'm a bit bitter over the direction of Spidey and these issues aren't convincing me of the need for this change. This could all be done with a married SpiderMan and there's still not much of a supporting cast, or at least one that Peter interacts with. One more issue I suppose.

You might enjoy it more than me. I don't know. I'm disenfranchised with the character and I'm not sure if I'm ever going to care about him the way I used to.

Definitely worth picking this issue up, even if you dislike much of the BND stuff. At the very least, you can drop it after the three issue story is over. However, I think you'll all be very impressed with this issue and, hopefully, the entire storyarc.

I like Paper Doll, but the mystery and creepiness has sort of been lost with how much limelight she got this issue and, sadly, no Screwball this time around, but I'm hoping to see her at least one more time before this arc concludes. It was a good issue, but it felt more like the opening BND arc instead of the fun I had with the last issue.

. I did enjoy the issue, but I just can't find it in me to love it or even gush over the little extra touches Slott has put in this issue, like a moving box with old copies of Webs in it or the light hearted chat between MJ and Spidey. Considering this comes out three times a month, I find it odd how fast they ditched this paparazzi angle and I think they wasted a lot of potential on it.

It's Brand New Day. If you liked it before this arc, you'll love this. If you didn't care for it prior to this, I doubt anything that happens here will change your mind.

Maybe if the whole AntiVenom thing hadn't been spoiled months in advance, this might have been more interesting, but this entire story has been just going through the motions, hitting the beats you'd expect as it goes along with no real surprises along the way. Not bad at any point, but nothing 'amazing' either.

It's mindless fun and very little story. Sets up some interesting quirks with AntiVenom (change that name already, jeez), but I don't see anything that screams 'must read' to me and I probably won't be sticking around after this storyline unless something drastic happens.

For how much was going on in this issue, it all felt like setup for the upcoming issues and I've yet to be wowed by a single issue of this event. It's not bad, but not great either.

While the review may come off as overly negative, many of my problems stem primarily from BND. This issue never strays into a definitive Avoid It territory, but it's never overly impressive either. JRJr's Green Goblin is still one of my favourite interpretations of the character. Some of his best recent work, to be honest.

If you're looking for a complete story in one issue or were looking to give SpiderMan or the Brand New Day era a look, this is a perfect jumping on point and an issue that, while not perfect, is still a fun ride.

Aside from my nerdraging over a little thing like SpiderMan drinking alcohol, the issue was the atypical Brand New Day story. It looks and feels like a SpiderMan story, has the creative talent behind it and will definitely appeal to fans of the status quo, but, as a long time reader, I still can't get into this and it just doesn't feel like the book is 'for me' any more. The backup, however, was great. Really made my day and helped justify the purchase for me, despite enjoying the main story on a fundamental level.

Odd transition from last issue to this Chameleon centric arc. Was hoping for more Mary Jane/Peter interaction (or, at least some interaction). Was actually one of the better Brand New Day issues I've read for the simple fact it didn't feel like a BND issue. It was just a SpiderMan comic to me, which was the first time it's felt like that in a long time.

I almost wish Chameleon could stay as Peter. He was quite entertaining in the role. I'd also hate to be Peter when he finds out about everything Chameleon did as him. That's going to be one bad day. However, ending to this arc looks like it will be a predictable conclusion. Will save judgement until next issue though.

Solid ending to an all around good arc, which was one of the first BND era SpiderMan stories to, well, feel like a SpiderMan story to me.

Horrible handling of female characters, inexplicable appearance and behaviour of Black Cat and a retread of past stories beyond the standard Brand New Dayera level of rehashing. Just about everything here could have been handled in a better way.

A completely forgettable comic that is the poster boy of why I've been having trouble getting into the Brand New Day era of comics. Was hoping it would follow the lead of the enjoyable RedHeaded Stranger arc and focus on new stories and growth of the characters. Instead, it's a regression to the past.

Don't give too many of these to Amazing SpiderMan anymore, but I think this twoparter deserves it on the strength of the story and art and the fact it's an instant classic SpiderMan story that I'm sure I'll be rereading in the years to come.

Nothing ground breaking in this arc, but it's a solid effort from everyone involved.

Just about everything about this conclusion was awful and I can't even put to words my disappointment with how this debacle turned out. They had a golden opportunity to reintroduce some of the better parts of the Clone Saga and turned into into a complete waste of paper. Even me, a Clone Saga fan, does not even want to see any more of this garbage if this is the best they can muster.

Very entertaining read that acts as both a doneinone team up with Deadpool and progresses the overarching subplot with Kraven's family and the upcoming Gauntlet. I just wish more issues could be like this one.

I'm not sure how many people would be willing to buy a book simply for a short backup story, so I'll leave it as a Check It, but I, personally, would buy it simply for more Joe Kelly and J.K. Nimura SpiderMan. A pleasant surprise that caught me off guard and really made the issue for me whereas the Gauntlet story went south quickly.

Only good thing I can really say about this issue is that this story is over. Oh, and the political meta nonsense from previous issues was toned down/restricted to the opening part of the story, so I guess that was good, too.

This issue, combined with the previous two by Fred Van Lente and Javier Pulido, are the perfect examples of how to do a SpiderMan comic. Peter is likeable for the first time in years (yes, years), SpiderMan is lighthearted and fun to watch, Peter's supporting cast has been interesting and, most importantly, they aren't rubbing the whole Brand New Day status quo in our face. Aside from the lack of a marriage, these issues could have taken place at any point in Spidey's history and been just as good. Why can't every issue be like these ones?

It's pure fun. Loved every minute of this issue. It's the kind of fun you can only have with a SpiderMan comic and an issue I can see myself rereading again and again.

Forgettable is just about the worst thing I can say about any story driven purchase, whether it be a movie, book or comic. Inability to engage a reader on any level is a failure to me. So, while technically sound in both writing and art, I can't recommend this issue on any creative or entertainment level.

Very good issue marred by a few hiccups. Fiumara is an excellent artist and his image of the original Rhino back in action was amazing and worth the price of admission alone. The entire Rhino storyline, save the cause and reasons for his return to action, was top notch and, while I disagree with how they made him come back to crime, I still thoroughly enjoyed the issue and highly recommend it.

Neither great nor terrible, this is a relatively straightforward SpiderMan story that, while has its flaws, is otherwise satisfying.

Very strong opening issue to this storyline. Loved the art and story and highly recommend picking it up.

What started out strong ends on a bit of a low note. I had high expectations going in, so that may account for my disappointment, but I don't regret my purchase of this arc and still think it had its moments and was an above average story. I think I was hoping for Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut 2 and set the bar too high though.

Another fantastic reintroduction of one of Spidey's rogue gallery members and one of the best Lizard stories I've read in a long time.

Good issue, but didn't agree with the direction they went with the Lizard or the addition of new powers to him. Put a damper on what was looking like an instant classic story, but not so much that it ruins or makes it unreadable or anything.

This issue really nailed the new Lizard concept down and capped off a strong storyline leading into Grim Hunt. Easily one of my favourite Lizard stories and one of the best SpiderMan arcs in years.

I had some minor issues with the story, particularly the end, but it was a top notch effort all around in both writing and art and the extras provided with the backup stories were all value added content that no one will look at as pure filler or wasted pages. Great start to a long awaited storyline.

SpiderMan dies. I'm not sure what defines a must read comic for most people, but I think this one fits the bill. It also helps that this was another compelling chapter of Grim Hunt with the great swerve with Ezekiel and it's a comic you should be reading.

Still a solid story, but some miscues really dulled my enjoyment of this one compared to the previous two parts.

A bit hasty and rushed, but otherwise, I enjoyed this issue. While I think there's some wasted potential with the various killings and resurrections, the story was good when it needed to be and delivered the action in spades. Not the best arc, but still recommended reading if you enjoy SpiderMan.

Peter misses his wedding because a fat guy fell on him. I repeat, Peter misses his wedding because a fat guy fell on him and he couldn't get up. This is why they don't get married. This was the great story that justifies the Brand New Day continuity and had to be told. Additionally, they butchered a classic story to tell this abomination of a comic.

This is the start of the sequel to the incredible Annihilation from last year. It's got everything that made the last one great and looks to be following in its predecessor's footsteps.

This is the start of the sequel to the incredible Annihilation from last year. It's got everything that made the last one great and looks to be following in its predecessor's footsteps.

If you like Green Lantern's Sinestro Corps War or are a fan of fun, nondecompressed, action packed comics featuring great characters, do yourself a favour and pick up Conquest.

This is like bottled awesomeness in paper form with pretty pictures. If you aren't reading Conquest, you're a DC fanboy. Ya, I went there. Now go buy it!

Ya, a Check It for Conquest. It's not that the book was bad by any means. I actually loved it, but, all bias aside, it was a rather pedestrian outing that gets the disparate storylines all moving towards Hala for the big showdown. Add Ronan's big, secret plan and this issue slides down to Check It range. Just think of this as the calm before the storm.

I love the series and enjoyed the issue, but I don't think this was a Must Read issue for anyone except the most diehard Annihilation fans, like myself. Final issue is doublesized, so maybe they'll be able to wrap up the numerous plot threads without rushing it.

I liked it, but I'm a bit biased with regards to this book. There's a lot of flaws I'm easily able to overlook that many might scoff at. While not a series I'd call a true event, this is still an enjoyable story. Disappointment over this not being as good or better than the original Annihilation is the biggest detriment and something most people will find hard to overlook when evaluating this series.

This issue continues the story and gives us a little action, but the main focus is Moondragon and what happens to her at the end of this issue. Still well worth the price of admission and an excellent addition to the Conquest saga. If you can afford more than Nova and Starlord each month, make sure this book is the next one on your list.

Aside from the big splash page reveal of Adam Warlock, there is nothing worth seeing in this issue. Is one page of something you've been spoiled on worth plodding through this overly sappy and cliched comic? I don't think so. Save some money and skip this. Gage is usually so much better than this. Not sure what happened here.

It may not be as good as the first three issues, but it's still a damn good read compared to everything else out there and is easily one of the best Conquest tieins. While not immediately present in the debut issue of Conquest, the events of this series should be felt as the team is set to show up in the near future.

While not a great book, and easily the weakest of the Conquest tieins, this issue does set the stage for the Kree resistance for the upcoming Conquest series proper. If this is the worst book you check out this week, you're in good shape.

While I personally enjoyed the issue a great deal, I'm only giving it a Check It for the simple fact that it fails to accomplish what I perceived as the objective of the oneshot to sell people on the concept of this new event and get new readers on board. Hercules fans and most that pick it up will likely enjoy the book, but enough to buy into an event?

Whedon's dialogue continues to impress, especially the snide remarks between Kitty and Emma. Armour seems to be taking the Jubilee role while partnered with Wolverine. Pretty much every character gets to shine in this issue and there's plenty of action and character moments that make this a nearly perfect issue.

Like I said, Whedon just moves some pieces around the board despite having set up his big conclusion set up last issue, making this just a bunch of redundant fluff as we wait for the actual main event to start whenever he decides to write the final script.

I'm tempted to say Avoid It as nothing happens here. You could pick it up next issue and probably follow along with ease. I may be judging this too harshly. However, given the pedigree of this title and the quality of the new creative team, I expected far more than what was offered in this debut issue.

. It's not that bad, but I say avoid it because you should just wait for the trade. You aren't missing anything waiting, this will probably be delayed and it's just not good enough given the pedigree of the title's creators and pales in comparison to Whedon and Cassaday's run. Give it six issues and, if it's good, grab the trade.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

Turns out Stephen Hawking doesn't like Robo and is, in fact, a bastard. Good times were had by all. There's a 2 or 3 page backup story that features Thomas Edison's men trying to assassinate Robo, the Dr Tesla creation, that was excellent as well. Look for Robo in the Moments of the Week tomorrow.

Solid story that is still worth reading, but no where near as funny or entertaining as previous issues.

This issue wraps up one of the most entertaining new titles / characters in a long time.

Fairly standard action story with few of the trademark quips and humour from the first series. However, the backup was a little closer to the original series, but is far too short to really make the issue a Must Read. With most of the setup done, things should quickly return to form with the next issue.

This was exactly what I was expecting from a new volume of Atomic Robo and I can't wait to read the rest of this miniseries.

Another great read from the Atomic Robo team. Fleshes out the villains of the piece, introduces a new character and puts Robo in some real conflict that shows he's not invincible.

My book of the week and a fantastic start to another volume of Atomic Robo. With the promise of Dr Dinosaur, a trip to Japan and more in future issues of this volume, I can't imagine this not being the best volume of Atomic Robo yet.

Just another day at the office for Atmoic Robo is just another great issue of Atomic Robo for fans.

I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this issue. Perfect blend of comedy, action, SCIENCE! and plot progression that reminds me why I love this series so much.

Great read from start to finish that wraps up the Shadows From Beyond Time volume of Atomic Robo. Action, comedy and a strong concluding chapter for my favourite volume of Atomic Robo to date.

Everything was quite accessible and it was an fun and entertaining done in one story that has me contemplating picking up the next issue. If you've got a few extra dollars in the budget this week, consider picking this issue up.

A solid first issue. I'm tempted to give it a higher rating, but there were some minor hiccups in this issue and it felt like a sort of reintroduction issue for past fans than a straight up story for anyone to pick up. It's also on a bimonthly schedule, barring delays, which are likely with Heinberg's record, and it might be a better choice to trade wait this one.

Great issue all around and I, honestly, cannot find a single bad thing about this issue, a very rare thing considering it was a mandatory tie-in issue to a huge event. Those types of books are typically the worst of the lot. Probably the best Avengers book on the market today.

The issue ends with a very freaky looking Slapstick recalling how he beat Gauntlet half to death in one of the coolest, and most disturbing, scenes I've seen in a while. I never took Slapstick seriously before, but damn this was a cool scene. Look for it in the Comic Book Moments of the Week on Friday.

As for the rest of the issue, the Scarlet Spiders are revealed as MVP clones? Scarlet Spider. Clone. Oh Marvel, you sly dog. Will you never learn? I don't think Clor was exactly well received and you let the name Scarlet Spider be associated with clones again? I personally don't care as I liked most of the Clone Saga (most, not all), but I hope Slott and Marvel have this planned out very carefully. I can see this ending badly.

Again, I really liked the issue, but I'm also getting tired of the random killing just for the shock value factor. There are better ways to make me care about the characters and I hope Slott tones it down a bit in future issues.

It's confusing talking about a book when I have to differentiate old and new versions of teams with the same name or deal with four characters that are all clones of another character, so this review might come off a tad negative in connotation, but I really enjoyed this arc. All that remains is to deal with the aftermath and hopefully find out Slott didn't kill off half the characters in the book.

It's kind of sad to see how Cloud 9 has progressed from the free spirited girl that just wanted to fly on her clouds back at the beginning of the series compared to the jaded and cynical soldier she is now, but also a testament to the character progression Slott has set up over the course of the past year. I hope to see some more development with her and maybe some positive super heroics to bring back some of that lost childhood for her.

One of the most heart warming and fun comics I've read in a while. Since it's almost all new characters, no excuse for not picking this gem up.

I'm a little annoyed that these goggles can detect the Skrulls so easily while SpiderMan's spidersense, Wolverine's overpowered senses, telepaths and even the sorceror supreme of the entire freaking universe can't tell who is or isn't a Skrull. Otherwise, the issue was another good outing from what I'd consider the best Avengers title on the stands.

I liked it, but the story doesn't flow very well and there's some repetition from stories we've already seen.

It's a fun read with lots of action and great art. 3D Man is really growing on me and it was fun seeing Kimodo again.

There are flashes of the old Initiative book preSI tieins, but they are few and far between. With only one issue left of tieins, I wonder if the book will be able to keep me entertained long enough to stick it out for future stories.

This title appears to be back on track, but still lacks a real purpose, especially with the destruction of most of Camp Hammond here and the fallout of Secret Invasion's Skrull infestation. Gage just needs to show me he has something long term planned for the title or a new direction of some kind and I'll be sold on sticking with this title for the long haul again.

This is a good jumping on point for people interested, but the new direction is also a good jumping off point for others, such as myself. While not a bad book or issue, I feel it's served its purpose and it's time to move on.

Overall, it's better than the current Avengers The Initiative Secret Invasion stuff, but suffers from poor pacing and some subpar artwork. It should be interesting to see when this is picked up in the main title, but won't really convert any nonInitiative readers to the flock either.

I don't think anyone wants to be reminded of how badly this character has been treated recently. They should have spent the issue developing that little thing called the plot instead of wasting so many pages with recaps and pointless fight scenes that go nowhere.

Mild complaints aside, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this issue. One of the stronger Batman Reborn relaunch issues. Wanted to see more on Cassie and why she quit, but will with hold judgement on that for a few issues as they establish this new status quo.

I wanted to like this new Batgirl series. Stephanie was given the cowl and one of the few people I was willing to accept as the new Batgirl, Oracle looked like she was going to return to a mentor status like she did with Cassandra and I was sure with Steph's friendship with Cass we'd see some follow up on why she quit and gave the costume to Steph. What we get is weak writing, poor plots, Oracle acting snide and snarky and Cassandra completely ignored in favour of poorly written and forced college scenes.

I'm not sure what I just read and how it ties into the Ra's storyline, but Ra's returned in this issue and some stuff happened. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

However, I did enjoy the issue for the most part, but I would love it if they took the time build up people like Sensei or explain the various going ons before jumping to a new plot point. Also, I'm not sure what's left to do. I think Tim's supposed to join up with Ra's based on the covers and solicit information, but I still have no clue what's left to happen in this story. Ra's has a new monk body, but I guess that will decompose?

The Joker scene was great, but the rest of the issue felt like filler and recaps for new readers jumping on for this event. The art was excellent by Daniels, but I hope the story picks up next issue.

I came away with nothing from this issue. Maybe it's not for me. Maybe I'm being too critical and trying too hard to fit Morrison's Batman into what I perceive to be the "true" Batman image in my mind. I just can't see how throwing old Silver Age nonsense at the wall and hoping it sticks as a coherent story makes this good and I'm very tentative in picking up any future issues of this storyline.

Seriously, this makes no sense, relies on Silver Age stories that have no place in current continuity with as little effort as Morrison has put into fleshing them out and does nothing to further the RIP storyline. At this point, I can't see how any amount of drugs or future issues could possibly make this story make any sense and it will most likely be retconned or forgotten the minute it ends.

I'm wary to give it a Must Read since the first couple of issues were nearly unreadable and I'm unsure if this will continue to improve or if this will take another trip down the rabbit hole next issue. For now, this was good, but tread lightly in fear of future issues.

In the end, not much happened until the last few pages, but it was still a much better outing than previous issues. Where the others seemed to be lacking any kind of editorial restraint or focus, this issue managed to combine the insanity of previous issues with a tempered direction and story progression that really worked in comparison.

As a single issue, I think this was the strongest in the Batman RIP storyline and, combined with the last issue, redeems a story I had almost written off. However, as a concluding chapter to a story promising the death of Batman, with mountains of hype surrounding it, I think it fails to deliver any kind of definitive ending, good or bad, which is rather disappointing in the grand scheme of things. Mostly a Must Read for the impact it will have on the coming months, but a good issue on its own, as well.

Nothing noteworthy happens and there's nothing here that I can even remotely see as foreshadowing or setup for future storylines that would justify a read.

One thing to note about the issue before making any judgements is that this is only the first half of the story and seems to be grounded in mostly preCrisis era stories, barring the "I'm the goddamn Riddler!" line, and we still have the concluding chapter (delayed until March thanks to Kubert's involvement) to look forward to. So, at that, I'll leave most of the speculation and comparisons to Moore's work until we see how this turns out before making anymore bold claims about this issue.

If you skipped Battle for the Cowl, you might enjoy seeing Dick come to terms with becoming Batman more than I did, but for the rest of us, I think it's a weak first issue and not nearly enough to get me to come back again next month.

It's a good issue, but there's not much substance here. There's not even the usual Grant Morrison nuances in the writing or structure. It's like they dusted off some culled epilogue issue and pushed it out for a filler issue. It has its moments, but falls short of the standards set by most of Morrison's Batman and Robin issues.

Was hoping this would be as entertaining as Pak's last run on Incredible Hulk, but it was a really slow issue that wasted a lot of time on exposition and recaps instead of establishing a plot to grab readers. I'm going to pass on anymore of this series unless I start hearing Planet Hulklike praise for it.

It's fun. Pure, unadultered fun. Something I can't say about too many comics. Is it perfect? No. Are there flaws? Yes. Do they matter? Not a bit.

This was a wonderful conclusion to the Pyg storyline and he's an excellent addition to the Batman rogue's gallery that I hope isn't forgotten once Morrison's run ends. Disappointed to see Quitely off the book for the next six months, but it's better than constant delays, too.

A steep decline in quality, both in writing and artwork, for what had been some of the best Batman work in over a decade. I'm hoping this is only a temporary set back for the title as it's just pedestrian work right now. At least Morrison's preBatman and Robin work was interesting and unique, if not something I cared for. This is just dull and uninspired in comparison to that and the past three issues of this series.

I'm not saying this is Final Crisislevel of channel zapping or that you will not understand this comic. It is, actually, quite a straight forward tale. However, you will have to work for it and may even want to reread it again just to make sure you got it all straight in your head. Like all Grant Morrison stories, I think this will make for a much better trade read, though this is still a very good read.

Yes, I just wrote like a 1000 words lambasting how text was displayed and criticizing the fact Batman helped kill a woman that was injured with the plan being he'd just revive her in a magic pool of water that was buried under tonnes of rock with no guarantee of her being saved and I'm still giving this a Check It instead of outright Avoid It rating. Why? Because I still enjoyed it and think less anal, OCD people will be able to look past those, and other minor, failings to see this is still a solid read. And there's always Cameron Stewart's beautiful art to fall back on.

Really, it's like night and day between this and the previous few issues. I'm so glad I forgot to have the book removed from my pull list at the shop. Otherwise, I would have missed out on possibly the best issue of the series so far and a return to the greatness of the opening arc of this title. As a bonus, it's assuaged any fears about whether I'd enjoy it or hesitation in I had regarding picking up the upcoming Return of Bruce Wayne. Highly recommended issue.

All in all, I really enjoyed this issue, but it has a middle issue feeling some decent moments, good characterization and art, but very little happens. Players were moved into position for the big conclusion next month and while I have anticipation for what will happen next, I almost feel like I could skip this issue and be fine going into the final part with how little plot sensitive material was here and that keeps this from a Must Read verdict for me. Don't let this slight negativity fool you though, it was still an excellent read and I still highly recommend it.

If you have any interest or fond memories of Batman Beyond, I think you'll really enjoy this issue. It's a great return for the franchise and I was quite impressed with the debut issue, despite my minor misgivings.

It's a fun read and captures the essence of the Batman Beyond universe quite well. Beechen has a real grasp of Terry's character and the action and dialogue between him and the new Catwoman shows this. If you've any interest in Batman Beyond, you won't go wrong with this comic.

This story went off the rails in this issue. Bruce Wayne is painted as incompetent both in his younger days as Batman and as Terry's mentor and is nothing like Batman or his Beyond appearances prior to this series. The Hush mystery/Dick Grayson debacle is just the final straw. It'll take some serious work to redeem this series after this issue with only two issues left.

This is part two of a five part story and it's been nothing but fun and games for me. Love the Catwoman / Batgirl dynamic and you can see how much fun the creators are having writing and drawing this book. It just shines through in every page. On top of all the fun, there's an interesting mystery developing with regards to this notebook and Catwoman's motivation for needing it. Great stuff all around.

It's out of continuity and many gave up on Confidential after that Joker origin fiasco, but this is a different creative team and the story rocks. At the least, if you don't want to buy the singles, consider picking up the trade in the future.

By far my favourite issue of Batman, Inc to date and I feel it is the first to capitalize on the promise and potential of the concept. It almost reads like what should have been the first issue of this series with dozens of Batmen operatives in action, layers of intrigue, secret organizations, Batman building an army and so on. On top of this, it's just plain fun to read.

While I wasn't exactly thrilled with the characterization, the story does have promise and, as it's only three issues long, I'm going to stick with it for the duration.

Only thing you need to know from this entire event is that Nightwing became Batman on the last page, Tim Drake will probably be out of commission for a while due to superficial wounds and Damian is the new Robin, all things you knew prior to the event.

Fairly entertaining, albeit predictable read. Quite satisfied with the purchase even though I know this isn't the best book I'll ever read.

Great issue that moves the story forward, but still leaves us wanting more with the mystery of who the villain is and why they are doing this. Excellent character moments and art round out the package.

All in all, it's a solid read, but the book seems unclear as to what it wants to be about. I'd love to see the Hush angle played up more and maybe even see him taking over the book as its main character, but I suspect we'll continue with the series of interconnected plots playing up Gotham City as the character while the actual characters are just the set pieces.

Despite not liking how Batman and Robin handled Hush's usurping of Bruce Wayne's identity, this was still a very solid outing for Streets of Gotham.

I really enjoyed this issue. Even if you aren't following the title, it's a great doneinone that still has threads that tie into past issues and lead into future ones. Worth picking up just to know the origin of all those crazy amusement parks and rundown villain hideouts.

For a filler issue, I was actually satisfied with the effort and don't regret my purchase. Would have been nice to see some nods to Dini's ongoing subplots, but otherwise happy with it.

Average story with above average art. Great backup, though I imagine it would be difficult for those jumping right into it. It kepts Streets of Gotham on our radar instead of delaying it due to other committments on Dini's part, but I can't say I'm not looking forward to Dini's return next month.

Just a lot of fun to read. Few comics will put a smile on your face like this one did for me.

If you're still on the fence with this series, this issue should decide it for you. It maintains the Elsewoldslike theme while moving the overarching plot forward. While still pretty light on the details, you can get a sense for where Morrison is taking this and it makes for a more compelling read than previous issues in that regard.

Great issue that pushes the Return of Bruce Wayne back to its roots with a noir tale and then rockets us towards the end game with an excellent cliffhanger ending.

If you're only experience with Beta Ray Bill has been the lackluster appearances in Omega Flight and what not, you owe it to yourself to see why this character is beloved by so many people. The miniseries even has backups of the first appearance of Bill, showing you some of his best stories. As of right now, this is an early front runner for my Best Miniseries award and this could be compared to the Thor Ages of Thunder series from last year.

Fantastic series that does just about everything right, including a great ending to a premise we all knew the ending (or the basic outline of it) to already.

I was truly surprised this issue was not rated for mature readers or that it did not come with some kind of warning. This issue contains, but is not limited to, multiple visible deaths, cannibalism, murder, torture and more. Pretty graphic and violent stuff for a comic book not marked for mature readers. However, it fit what I would expect from a Black Adam book given his current state of mind and I thought it was an excellent issue. I recommend this to anyone that enjoyed 52, JSA or has any interest in post-52 Black Adam.

Seriously, if you aren't reading Black Adam, what the hell's wrong with you? I can't think of a single reason for you not to be reading this book. This isn't a random fanboy musing or "oh this is my favourite character" speil. This is fact. Read this book. Go now. The rest of the reviews will be here when you get back.

If you enjoy fun zombie stories, this book has been a great source of it for the last few issues. While not a perfect story arc by any means, it is fun and enjoyable and that is all that really matters.

This issue combined the epic scope of an alien invasion, the dire straits of a people battling back against insurmountable odds and the alien shape shifting, "Who do you trust?", nature of the Skrulls into one story that has managed to upstage the entirety of Bendis' event. Take a bow Aaron and Palo, you deserve it.

This is easily the best Black Panther I have ever read and a superior secret invasion than the actual Secret Invasion event. Cannot recommend this enough.

A fun, short ride that, as a Secret Invasion "cashin", was better than it had any right to be. Great stuff.

Overall, this issue was fairly average. I'm still enjoying it, but there are flaws that may hurt the event in the long run if they aren't corrected in future issues. Things like Daredevil's weak motivation or the senseless fighting with other heroes these make for an easy access event, but lack the depth and characterization necessary for an event of this size. I'm hoping the ongoing Daredevil can continue to compliment this series as it did with the first issue last month. If not, this could fizzle out quickly.

More present day than actual origin story, which disappointed me, but the six or so pages of origin were fantastic, especially in terms of art. I like Black Widow, but have never really read her origin before, so was looking forward to that aspect. Wish it had been played up more than it was.

A solid story that offers more to long term readers than new ones but still has its own charms and definitely got me more interested in Blackest Night.

Slow start for anyone following the buildup to this event, but kicks it into high gear about halfway through and never slows down. Lots of new Black Lanterns to mull over and tonnes of new information to speculate on. Not a flawless issue, as it has its faults, but was damn entertaining and a great way to kick off this event.

Very little progression in terms of plot and a tad excessive in the violence and gore department, but an otherwise entertaining issue.

. I didn't want to write a full review of this because, well, I'm completely apathetic about it now. Loved ones come back from the dead, say mean things and kill people. Rinse and repeat. Same story for three issues and a dozen or so tieins. Yawn.

To be honest, this is an event book you could probably skip and still enjoy the event just as much by reading the "tieins" that are Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Blackest Night is still a good book and accomplishes what DC wants to do with it, but I think it's failing as a Green Lantern story. This is more like a Blackest Night DCU tiein than the main event to me. Take that one or two pages of Nekron's reveal out and you wouldn't think twice about calling it a tiein. That's pretty telling for the main event title for the event.

First issue that felt like it was required reading, which is odd when you consider this is the main event book. Lots of action and some great reveals and character moments marred by jarring art and the same lack of Green Lantern focus for the event that previous issues had.

The deputizing of multiple Earthbased heroes and villains was pure pandering and I loved it, but it doesn't really make up for the first half of this issue, which ignored everything from last issue and just recapped the previous issues for us. In fact, I'm left wondering if we'll just ignore these deputized heroes like the "dead" heroes from last issue or Nekron from the reveal in the issue before that. However, with a skip month in place for this event, I'm left wanting more after this issue, which is a good thing I think.

I loved the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps issues of this event. They were extremely well done. This...thing...though? No, I can't recommend it. It's the antithesis of good storytelling and the equivilent of Michael Bay's Transformers movies. Some action and eye candy along the way, but an empty and vapid venture nonetheless.

I don't think the book is worth buying for the content you get. Most of it is retreading relatively new stories that were just released in trade (don't get me started on DC's slow trade department). Only a handful of pages from the issue are really new material as well. Pick it up if you are an absolute Blackest Night junkie, but otherwise not worth it for what you get.

I enjoyed these stories for what they are and will continue to pick up the series due to wanting to know everything Blackest Night related, but I'm pretty confident in saying that, at $3.99, you can easily skip this and not miss a beat when the Indigo Tribe finally shows up in Blackest Night. Nothing here is required reading and only the most diehard fans need apply.

Better than the first, but still feels a bit too light for a $3.99 comic. Die hard fans will obviously want this and shouldn't be disappointed, but casuals expecting something relevant to the Blackest Night event should probably steer clear.

I liked the character work Johns did with Barry Allen here. Much better than the work I've seen in Flash Rebirth. I could see myself reading a book about this Barry Allen. However, that's not enough to warrant the same, repetitive Blackest Night formula for this story that every other tiein has been based around.

Great miniseries that builds upon Blackest Night, adds to it and also tells its own story. Some interesting implications for Brightest Day and the beginnings of what I believe will be another Rogues return to prominence in the upcoming Flash monthly. This has me more excited for that new ongoing than Rebirth has, so if you've been on the fence about Barry's return, pick up this series to change your opinion on him.

In the end, the conflict of this issue, Lobo, trying to stop a rocket from launching, is of little importance as this issue is about our hero meeting the Teen Titans and being offered to come hang out with them any time he wants. And, in this, the book succeeds perfectly, as this is the best the Titans have been written in months. This is an issue anyone can enjoy and there is no major continuity or plot points that will confuse the reader or force you to buy other books to get the rest of the story. While it says it ties into Teen Titans #50, it is more of a side story to that and not an official "part" of any continued story. Great issue that everyone should not hesitate to pick up.

The ending was a great finish to the book with Brenda and Jaime's mom in a touching and heartfelt moment. After the rollercoaster ride of an issue, the ending really packs a punch and drives home the emotions of that final page. Excellent comic and shame on you guys if you aren't reading it.

It's still a good book and worth a read. It just doesn't feel like a normal Blue Beetle issue and I was hoping for a little more out of this tiein. Things should get back to normal next month and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of the death of Peacemaker.

Not sure what's going to happen with this ending, whether he gets a Dan Garret costume or it's some new way to access his Blue Beetle powers or what, but I honestly don't know how I'll last the whole month before next issue.

When it comes time to rank the events for 2008, Secret Invasion and Final Crisis and anything else are going to have a tough time beating this three issue Blue Beetle / Reach arc. My only complaint is Rogers is leaving the book indefinitely with this issue.

However, the Spanish aspect of this issue did pull me out of it at times. Having the Parasite speaking Spanish for no reason or Jaime doing it when he's off by himself as the Blue Beetle, which he's never done before, made it feel like, at times, it was having them speak Spanish for the sake of speaking Spanish. As others pointed out, there was a translation in the back of the book, but flipping back and forth got a little old after the first couple pages (I did do it for the whole thing though), but it still made it a chore to "read" this issue at times.

All-in-all, it was a fun issue, but I think I enjoyed the all-Spanish issue more, even with flipping back and forth. This issue had its moments, such as the discussion on Batman, but for the most part, it was an average outing and, as such, it gets a Check It rating.

. Solid doneinone issue that gives you a full story, does a great job with the character and his supporting cast and manages to weave more of the Blue Beetle mythos into this title.

Allinall, a good start to Sturges run, but nothing that screams go out and buy this issue. Blue Beetle fans should be happy for the return to stability of a permanent writer and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

Kind of similar to how I felt about the recent Nightwing main story, Sturges first arc on Blue Beetle brings the goods for characterization and hits a lot of the right Blue Beetle notes, but the actual plot is a real stinker and counters just about all the positives he's brought to the book.

It seems that saving Ted Kord had some dire consequences, as there's a tonne of OMACs searching for Ted and Booster when the other Blue Beetles return to their time periods and blue and gold return to talk to Rip. The menacing look the future Blue Beetle gave as he explained Ted was safe before returning to his own timeline made me think he knew the consequences of saving Ted and used everyone to do it, but it could just be the art.

I love time travel books when they are handled properly and Booster Gold is definitely the best book I have ever seen handle the topic. Having Booster inadvertently be responsible for all of the random events in the DCU is a perfect role for him and I can't wait for the next issue. Do yourself a favour and go back to the shop and pick this book up. It's worth every penny.

Don't let my Negative Nancy fears dissuade you from buying this issue though. It's still hilarious and a must read for everyone. I have faith Johns and Katz won't let me down.

Usually a Must Read book, but this month's offering just fell a little bit below the bar. Still better than most books on the market though.

Now, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy this issue or the previous ones, but it just doesn't feel like any of this matters and you could skip the previous couple of issues and you wouldn't have missed a beat. Still a good book, but a far cry from the comedy goldmine the earlier issues were. I blame the severe lack of Skeets.

Overall, I'm still disappointed with the way this book has turned out ever since Supernova was revealed to be Booster's father, but the series is showing signs of life again with this build up to the conclusion to Johns and Katz' run on the book. Shame they didn't cut the filler issues with Green Arrow and Hawkman and the numerous failed attempts at stopping Lord.

It seemed like more happened in this issue than the last four or five issues combined. It had action, comedy, major reveals and was just a joy to read.

Dixon is a perfect follow up to Johns and Katz, which makes me sad he's been fired by DC. He would have made a great replacement for that team.

While I used Countdown in my comparison, note that it is nowhere near Countdown-level of bad. The story was just laid out like an issue of Countdown in the format. It looks better and is written well, but the 'spine of the DC Universe' format it seems to be using killed my interest in the project. Will give it a couple of issues to win me over and dissuade my fears.

As of right now, it's three issues in and, much like Countdown and Trinity, I don't foresee this storyline going anywhere for another 20 issues and I am not willing to sit around reading two and three pages of individual stories every second week for the next year as we wait for some imagined pay off down the road. Comics should be good every issue. There shouldn't be some carrot dangled in front of the reader or creators/fans telling us to sit tight because it'll get better later on.

This month's issue continues the time jumping with an equally entertaining Fantastic Four team up. Shame this book is going to end soon. It's far better without Cable in my opinion. The humour isn't for everyone though, so give it a flip through before picking this up.

I might, and I stress the might, pick #2 up next month if it happens to fall on a dead week with few books coming out and only to see if they explain why the hell Bishop is such an asshole these days and how he survived Messiah Complex. It's extremely unlikely I'll be picking up this book after this first issue and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but the most diehard Cable fan.

Terrible story, terrible art, horrendous dialogue and the most retarded explanations ever imaginable and time travel logic that makes my head spin make this one of the worst books I've ever read. Why didn't Bishop just go back in time and kill the freaking baby's mother when no one was around? He knew where it took place. He could warp in, kill the mother and warp out, no fuss, no muss. Since when can you time travel at will like this? Why doesn't he just go into the future and double check and see if the girl kills everyone and is the anti-Christ he thinks it is? Why the million jumps to find Cable and these retarded plot twists? I give up. I could keep this up all day.

. If you're reading this event, you'll be happy to know the story picks up with this issue, but there's not really much here for those uninterested or trade waiting to get excited over just yet.

Nothing really happened. Sound and fury signifying nothing, but with bad art. Most crossovers, even as bad as they some parts are, they are typically worth purchasing to know what is going on. Not the case with this one.

Brubaker has turned Captain America into one of the best books on the market and this continues even with the main character dead. Do yourself a favour and pick this book up along with any back issues or TPB's you can find.

An incredible issue with tonnes of information to digest with several shocking revelations. Who will be the new Cap? Will Bucky take this letter as a sign Cap wants him to take up the mantle? What about Hawkeye? Tony asked him once, will this change his mind? Based on the cover previews and Red Skull and Dr Faust's capture of Bucky, it looks like they reprogram him as Winter Soldier and force him to fight or try to assassinate Tony. I'm not sure what Skulls overall plan is, but this series just kicked into high gear and this is easily the Book of the Week. No matter what you do, do not miss the issue.

Usually give this a Must Read, but this issue was just plain average and, if you compare it to previous offerings from this series, almost mediocre in comparison. Note, compared to the insanely high quality of previous Captain America issues, not compared to stuff like Countdown or what have you. It still blows those out of the water in terms of quality.

The fight ended with Tony telling Bucky about Cap's letter and, later, showing said letter to him. As most expected, this obviously led to Tony offering Bucky the job as the new Captain America. It was handled well and, while no big shocker, was still quite enjoyable to see. I don't agree with the new Cap's costume, but I suspect Bucky will fill the role perfectly.

Short, but oh, so sweet. If you aren't reading Captain America, I recommend picking up back issues starting around the time he died. While it all relates to earlier issues, they aren't pivotal to understanding what's going on. It's a crying shame if you're skipping this book because you don't want to jump in and not understand what's going on.

I imagine this will all matter next issue or a couple issues time when these security forces probably execute a coup and the Red Skull takes over, but for this single issue? It's filler for the most part. Highly enjoyable filler, but filler none the less.

Hard to fault a book for telling an entertaining story that may go down as one of the best runs on any single title, even if the story has slowed to a crawl. I was thinking of giving it a Check It for how slow paced the plot has been, but this issue's supervillain throw down was much more satisying than the previous Hydra henchmen and rioter "fights" on Captain Bucky's part.

Personally, I'm getting a little impatient with this storyline. I understand why it's being done and I know this will read so much better in a trade, but aside from one or two issues, ever since Bucky took over as Cap, it feels like we're watching paint dry.

Wait for a trade is probably the best advice. I'm flat out yawning after reading it. It's the same stuff with two steps forward, 3 steps back for story progression. We're exactly where we were six months ago and I'm left wanting more.

While most of the story advancement in this issue was predictable, this was still a much better read than the previous couple months worth of Captain America. It finally feels like we're over the filler hump and the plot can get moving again.

This issue was amazing in everyway and, despite my little tangent to start the review off, I cannot recommend this issue enough. It's issues like this that cause everyone to call Captain America one of the best books on the market.

Amazing issue and one of the strongest for Captain America in months. It looks like this arc will end with a bang next month, but this issue definitely put the ultimate in penultimate.

I'm going to be remembering what happened in this issue for a while, especially the Grand Director killing, and the last page of Skull's new body.

While most Captain America issues come away with a Must Read verdict, I think I enjoyed this issue more than any other in recent months, just on the strength of the Batroc portrayal and the fact Brubaker did an excellent job setting up this new storyarc.

Allinall, I'm just glad this arc is over and we can move on. It had it's moments, most of them in the earlier chapters, but it really dragged its feet in these latter parts. However, a 'bad' Captain America issue is still better than most anything on the market, so take any complaints with a grain of salt.

Brilliant character piece that is potentially setting up some major bombshells for the back to back anniversary issues / renumberings.

If you hate these types of issues, it's an Avoid It. If you're unfamiliar with Captain America or the current series or just like these types of stories, it's a Must Read. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't exactly thrilling for a $3.99 price hike just because of the big number 50 on the cover.

It's a good issue, but nothing special and hardly worth the amount of attention it's received. It's greatest failing is probably due to not living up to the hype as it's still a solid outing for Brubaker and Co.

While I personally can't stand the reverting of Zemo to generic nazi badguy with daddy issues, the story is otherwise fairly solid with your standard hero confronting and overcoming his personal demons plot. Art is good and fits the tone of the story, too.

Unless you absolutely need to know why Steve Rogers is coming back or just want to continue the story from Captain America, I see no reason to pick this book up and would not recommend it to anyone looking for a continuation of what was going on in Captain America. Unless something drastic happens, I may even end up dropping both Reborn and the monthly Captain America over this.

This seems to be the final Secret Invasion tiein for this title and I hope it results in some boosted sales that keep this book on the shelves because it's a damn fine book and it's just been added to my pull list indefinitely.

Best new series in a long time. I don't know these characters, aside from knowing them to see them, I have no prior attachments to them and I can't believe I'm enjoying this as much as I am.

Grab the second or third printings, or even the trades, and get on board this series. Even if you've never been a fan or if you don't have any experience with these characters, just give this book a shot.

If you've been looking for an excuse to jump into this series, by all means, do so now. This is a great jumping on point with some down time between characters to help ease you in as well as some great building blocks for the next storyarc being put in place.

Great follow up to Dracula's sneak attacks last issue make up the bulk of this issue. Add quality character moments and solid artwork and it's a Must Read all the way.

I really can't express how good this series has been since day one and it's only been getting better as it goes along. Do yourself a favour and either grab the first trade or jump in on this Dracula storyline. You won't regret it.

Few other comics feature so much action in one issue, let alone an entire arc. This arc has already been placed on my list for early candidates for Best Villain and Best Story and with good reason. Definitely a must read comic.

All in all, despite the whole dream sequence washing away at the start, this was a very good issue of the always excellent Captain Britain and MI13 that has left me wanting more. Can't wait to see how this storyline concludes.

Tempted to say Avoid It for this based on how disappointing the Meggan half of the story was, but the backup story does go a long way to redeeming it and was much more in line with how the series typically reads. I do feel that this is probably something only current readers of the series or longtime fans of Meggan will enjoy, so I wouldn't go rushing out to pick it up as an introduction to the much talked about series. For that, go back and start with the first trade or this Vampire State storyarc.

There's some nice imagry here and, I have to admit, I do enjoy seeing the real MarVell again, but I'm still confused as to the point of this aside from Marvel preying on nostalgic fans' desire to see MarVell again. The issue, itself, wasn't bad, per se. In fact, I'd say it was pretty good, but I'm hoping future issues will convince me MarVell's return was worth the effort and that this story won't end up being some cheap cash grab.

So, if you haven't been picking this title up or had no interest in it before now, I think I'd hold off another issue before running out and picking up all the back issues. Hard to say if this will be important or if it's just some cheap stunt to lure readers in.

On top of that, they had the Skrull activate Marvel's "sleeper programming" and he beats the Skrull down and leaves to join the Captain Marvel Church. There was some other random garbage about how he vowed to protect this world and now he's going to do it whether we want it or not. It was all very pedestrian and I really just want my time and money back on this one.

While this was a better issue than the last one, the series, on the whole, feels completely unnecessary and only the first issue really made me wish Captain Marvel was back.

As for the contents of this issue, it picks up after last issue's cliffhanger, where Catwoman's apartment was gutted and blown up, nearly killing Selina. Selina quickly pulls herself together and seeks to find out who's doing this to her. She immediately finds out that whoever it is, is thorough, as even her secret stashes and extra costumes have been annexed.

I don't know how Pfeifer is getting away with "tying in but not really tying in" to Salvation Run, but the book is definitely benefitting from the decision. Selina got thrown back to a Gotham that featured a gun totting Batman at the end last issue and we spend this issue with a focus on the dimension hopping goodness. Simply put, no Salvation Run = back to being one of DC's best books and I only hope Pfeifer can avoid SR until it runs its course and we can get back to regular Catwoman on Earth stories. Tempted to give it a must read, but there's still something not right about the book compared to a few months ago and it's pretty much due to the cosmic nature of the stories. Still, I think most will enjoy the book.

Considering this series is going to end in four or five months, I'm a bit disappointed it's going to wallow in these tie-ins instead of giving us a satisfying conclusion to the series, but, hey, it was fun while it lasted.

We end the issue with the villain getting away, which Catwoman allowed by faking injury, and she's set to follow him and find The Thief and put an end to the man who stole her life from her.

I thought it was a great ending that was a longtime coming. It would have been nice if Thief had ended up being someone more prominent or Catwoman's former archnemsis, Hellhound, but, for how little time was left in this doomed series, I think Pfeifer did an excellent job wrapping up the dangling subplots.

Will Catwoman continue her self-destructive freefall into moral bankruptcy or will she return to the anti-hero character or even turn her life around completely? Considering the fact she's appearing carefree in Detective Comics and being promoted for the Fight for the Cowl post-RIP event, I think the ending is fairly obvious, but the journey to that point, even if it's only one more issue for this series, is guaranteed to be a gripping story that I can't wait to read.

If you have any interest in Batman and Catwoman and their complicated relationship, this is the issue for you. It's a done in one that boils down what makes their relationship click.

Tempted to give it a Must Read, but the art really let this title down, which is surprising for McDaniel, and it's still just a fanboy book with little actual story or significance. Something akin to Marvel VS DC. I'm a bit upset they killed off Gotham by Gaslight Batman, too. So much potential wasted, but it looks like the Multiverse will be going the way of the dodo by the end of Final Crisis or at least getting a restart.

Not much to see here and this series is quickly turning into a quick cash grab from DC. I could see if the fights were decent, but it's basically warp them in and watch them die or try to escape. There's very little variation and I don't really care about any of these characters, which makes this a less than enjoyable issue.

I really don't know if I like this book or hate it. It's fun to see hero fights. It's just something fans always wonder about, but it all feels so cheap and inconsequential and I have no idea what Monarch is hoping to accomplish. He discarded Forerunner, who proved stronger than just about everyone, including entire Justice Leagues, on most Earths, so why gather weaker people in the first place? The art is still atrocious, too.

Every other Countdown tiein, with the exception of Search For Ray Palmer Wildstorm, left me with the feeling that it was a unique story and deserved to be told. At this point I'm not sure if this series needed to be anything more than a oneshot, but I'll give it another chance next month to prove me wrong.

It was a very entertaining read and I'm really enjoying the Jokester character. The book ended with Jokester jumping through the portal with the Challengers, but in the next panel, it is revealed Eve is still alive and I'm curious to see if this will ever be picked up on again or if it is just another tragic event for the Jokester. Seeing Duela again was a nice touch as well, even though it was in flash backs. I liked how she was talking about how she gets confused and can't tell the difference between her Earth and her trips to ours. My only question with this though is how this relates to the Search for Ray Palmer. It had absolutely nothing to do with that and Ray is not even mentioned in this issue. They should have just told this story in another tie-in, like a Countdown Presents: Jokester or something similar. In the end though, this is still a good book and definitely worth a read.

Started as a fun reintroduction to the Gotham by Gaslight Earth, but an unnecessarily complicated plot twist at the end kind of ruined it. Still worth checking out if you enjoyed that old Elseworlds story or just curious as to what this Earth was all about.

Probably my favourite Countdown tiein to date. If you're unfamiliar to the Red Rain Elseworlds story, you'll more than likely be inticed to pick it up after reading this excellent oneshot.

I enjoyed both stories for different reasons and feel it justifies the price tag attached to this issue. The first one for its ties to 52 and the new adventures of those characters and the second story for its revelations pertaining to Countdown and the Forerunner race. Others who are only interested in one of the two stories may feel burned by the hefty price though, especially considering the lackluster art in the Forerunner story. If the rest of the Countdown miniseries end up like this one, this will mark the first time an event's tie-ins will far surpass the main book.

On the Forerunner side of things, we get to see the magic based Earth-33. Always cool to see these alternate versions of our heroes and it was interesting to see Forerunner's first actual loss in battle. Only problem is with the introduction of the Dark Angel villain as she just shows up as the Oracle out of no where with practically no build up whatsoever. Hopefully next issue will give us some background info.

I can only imagine what this carnival freak show of a comic book has in store for next issue. I guess the Salvation Run villains will arrive in Metropolis from a boom tube and start a big brawl or some other garbage. Maybe Mary Marvel's disappearance will be explained, who knows?

Finally, the Atom is inside Jimmy's head, breaks Darkseid's control chip and Jimmy then grows into a giant lizard-man thing and we end with him about to fight Darkseid. God, I hope the big conclusion to Countdown isn't an "epic" battle between Jimmy Olsen and Darkseid. I don't think I could handle it.

Countdown had almost wiped the stench of the first half off, but decided to throw away any goodwill it had built up and provide us with this drek for the final month. Bravo.

Let's see, we have the same horrible Buddy Blank narrative with no actual dialogue again this week, there's a dog with a carving knife that looks like Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Doo's retarded little cousin or nephew, Una gets eaten by rats and Buddy takes Kamandi back to the bunker and activates this world's Brother Eye. On top of that, the preview for next week's cover shows Mary Marvel's costume switching back to black, meaning we get more of evil Mary, one of the worst storylines from the past year of this drek brought back to piss everyone off. Saying this issue was bad would be an understatement.

Oh ya, Hal Jordan gets to help facilitate another Multiverse-level genocide (see Zero Hour for the first one) as he spreads his furry STD to everyone in the universe. Why he had to leave Earth and go infect everyone instead of using his ring to call for help or listening to the smart people telling him not to leave the planet can probably be attributed to Parallax or some other retcon, possibly involving bad writing.

I bitched about it quite a bit, but I'm either becoming immune to Countdown's faults or I just don't care anymore and want to see this sideshow carnival end. Either way, I don't think it was an overly bad issue, but it's not exactly fine art either.

There's a conclusion coming from somewhere. Why we spent so much time assimilating Apokalips just to blow it up is a bit odd, but makes for decent popcorn style action.

Still seems like a lot of filler and anticlimax since the end of the war a few issues back, but it was still a decent outing.

In general, lots of random, unexplainable nonsense. Thankfully, it moves the story along to a point where I can probably forget about everything that happened this issue by the time the next one shows up.

I don't think I mentioned it yet, but there were a lot of Boom Tubes in this issue. You could say they were booming. The internet should upgrade to Boom Tubes. Sure beats the series of tubes it runs on now.

I can understand why some might not like this book, but it really takes a few issues to get into and if you start back just before this Earth51 war, I think you'll really enjoy this entire string of issues. Many people just look at one scene, like the "kill you to death" one and claim the book is still crap when it's just not the case. Might not appeal to you, but it's far from the trash it was for the first 30 issues.

Can't all be slugfests and world destroying war issues. Grab it if you're reading Countdown. It's a good addition, but you won't miss anything if you skip it either.

A great outing from Countdown. I'm not sure how anyone who hasn't been following along will view this, but as someone who's stuck with it, this is actually starting to deliver and I can't believe I'm saying it, but I can't wait for next week's issue.

DC's doing a great job on this Earth51 / Monarch vs Monitor war and this is the best Countdown has ever been in my opinion. Probably has something to do with no Amazons, Mary Marvel, Jimmy (okay, one naked bug girl page of his story was here), and no Karate Kid stories. It's funny how good a story can get when they stop focusing on pointless garbage.

Despite having some Mary Marvel stuff, I think the evil Bob / Monitor / Monarch stuff easily outweighs the bad and is actually entertaining if you don't pick it apart too much.

Pretty average outing. No major complaints, but nothing noteworthy either.

Finally, Una and Karate Kid's relationship was a little over the top this week with the speech's on how they aren't a couple. That development came out of nowhere and I have no idea why it was even brought up or included in the storyline.

Close to a Must Read, but falls short in a few areas. Definitely one of the better issues of Countdown if you ask me though.

Unless you want to read about Superman Prime crying for 22 pages straight, just avoid wasting money on this issue altogether.

Yes, I'm giving this issue a Must Read. This is the first time I've ever given a Countdown issue my full recommendation and I really can't find any faults with the issue outside the Firestorm conclusion, which, to be honest, wasn't even that bad. If you've been ignoring Countdown up until now or dropped it along the way, do yourself a favour and pick this issue up. I guarantee you'll like it.

I'm sure someone out there likes Firestorm and the Karate Kid storyline, so they'll probably enjoy this issue much more than me. The only bright side for me was knowing that the faster the Karate Kid storyline progresses, the sooner I won't have to read about it anymore. Hopefully they get back to the more tolerable storylines next week.

It's like a new beginning for Countdown and appears to be a pretty good jumping on point due to the recap point of view from the Monitors and it read like a completely different book, unlike any other issue of Countdown to date. Give this book another try if you dropped it or held off based on poor reviews.

Another good outing for Countdown. Definitely the right time to get back into this series as all the stories heat up and the book prepares to change to Countdown to Final Crisis. Can't wait for the name change and promise of improved art on this book. This week's art was atrocious and an assault on the eyes.

As of this issue, Countdown has been really hitting its stride. This marks the third straight week I have enjoyed this weekly and most of the tie-ins have been excellent of late. I still dislike several of the storylines it is featuring, but they are all finally seeing some progression and I don't feel like I am being ripped off each week with 2 page non-stories that were recaps of other monthly books like earlier issues featured. If you were shying away from Countdown, now might be a good time to start considering jumping in on it, which is something I never thought I'd end up saying just a few months ago. Definitely not the best book on the market, but probably one of the most improved books and looks to be set to go higher.

Luckily, Countdown spent only a few pages on these weaker stories and focused the brunt of its time wisely on the Challengers and Earth-15. Countdown still isn't the best book on the market, but it is definitely on the upswing and not nearly as frustrating to read as it once was.

Despite my negative attitude throughout the review, the book is doing much better than usual. The stories are all finally starting to come together and things are finally starting to happen.

Not a great issue of Countdown, but probably one of the best in the last while. I hope this is a sign that the series is actually starting to right itself and might actually creep up into at least decent level of quality. The art was less than stellar again this week, but not outright terrible like some previous works.

Save yourself the money and just "Byrne" this at the store if you have any interest in it still. Maybe when this renames to Countdown to Final Crisis they will make a concerted effort to offer us a weekly, quality comic like 52 as opposed to slapping half finished pencils and regurgitated plot points from multiple DC books together and calling it a book.

Still far too many inconsistencies and down right stupid developments to recommend this book to anyone. There is also the problem that many of these storylines will be jumping ship to mini-series in the coming months, among them being Mary Marvel's, Red Hood / Donna Troy, Forerunner and several others. While I am less than impressed with this weekly requiring even more tie-in books to understand, hopefully it means that the main storyline will emerge and the many plot inconsistencies can begin to smooth out and I can actually recommend this book to someone.

While not the best issue this week, it definitely enticed me enough to want to come back next month and find out more about each half of this double header issue. The only problem with this issue might be readers' reluctance to pick up a more expensive issue if they are only interested in one part of the story, much like the problem Countdown to Adventure faces with its dual story nature. With this issue though, I'd wager it was one of the strongest Countdown tie-in mini's so far, so it isn't as big an issue in my opinion. Take a chance on this issue, more than likely you will enjoy at least one of the stories.

Two entertaining stories that compliment each other nicely. Not a perfect book, but definitely enjoyable. Check it out, one or both of the stories should appeal to you.

This Dr Fate story is nothing like that and focuses on the more cerebral side of things as a former pyschiatrist deals with wrapping his head around the concepts of being this supposed supreme magical being. I usually dislike overly verbose books, but the writing is so well written, I don't mind the rather large number of thought boxes and dialogue heavy pages of this story. I'm saddened to know there won't be an ongoing follow up by the now deceased writer of this story.

at215 AMThought BubblesReview,Weekly Crisis Comic Book Quick Shot Reviews

Daken is more than just a Wolverine Jr. Marjorie Liu has done some amazing things with him and I love his manipulative nature. It's a shame he isn't portrayed this way in his other appearances, but it makes for compelling reads with moments like his interaction with Mystique in this issue. Little leary about the possessed Wolverine story, but otherwise enjoying this new series.

While a few hiccups in the reader friendly department, this issue does its job well in being accessible and is an excellent jumping on point for those interested in Daken or curious about seeing how differently, and most would agree better, he is written in his own title compared to other random Marvel title appearances. Add great art and freedom from tieins and crossover stories and this is one of the best issues of the title to date. Take a look if you have some extra cash, you might find a new book you never expected to grab you.

This is a great book that anyone can pick up and enjoy. There is very little reference to the main storyline Brubaker is building here, and current readers might complain about that, but the issue was so well done, I cannot really bring myself to fault the book for it. Feel free to pick this one up when you get the rest of your books this week, you will not regret it.

This issue was amazing and I'm upset with myself for not giving it a full review. Last issue's milestone extravaganza was a lot of filler and stalled any progression in the story. This issue really cranks everything into high gear, as if Brubaker was reading my mind, giving us lots of story developments and an awesome cliffhanger featuring The Hood! That ending blew me away. I had just assumed The Hood was hands off as Bendis was using him. Seeing him tying into the Mr Fear stuff here was pure genius.

Aside from a few plot points, not much really happens here. You could probably skip this issue and pick up the next one and not miss a beat in this storyline.

There's some excellent scenes and Matt's fall from grace continues as his world crumbles around him. Mr Fear teaming with Hood can only make things worse. Next month's cover is one that dares people to just try and not pick it up and I can't wait to read it.

In the end, though, I'm not sure what Mr Fear was out to accomplish. Why go get your ass kicked by Murdock and go to jail? The little tidbit about how his fear powers don't require the gas anymore and are like pheromones was nice and he now runs the prison, but still, why not team up with Hood, kill / humiliate Matt and call it a day? Good issue, but a different, not sure if I'd call it great or bad, ending to this storyline.

I want to say Avoid It, but it's still well written and newer readers will probably be impressed. Me, though? I kept waiting for something to happen to set this apart and was disappointed on every page because I've read this before.

If you're looking for the guy in the red pajama's, I'm sure he'll show up more in the next few issues. However, don't let that stop you from picking up a great murder mystery that after just one issue has sunk it's teeth into me pretty damn deep and has me mulling over how this is going to turn out over the coming months. Highly recommended issue.

I'm not usually one to get sucked into these murder mystery trials, as they are typically just twist endings or that random clue right at the end to turn the tide, but Rucka and Brubaker are doing a great job of fleshing this out while still finding time to focus on the characters.

While I loved this arc, this conclusion was just too rushed for my liking. With Lady Bullseye coming in next issue, it doesn't look like any follow up or epilogue is coming either. However, still a solid read that I doubt anyone will be upset with buying either.

On principle, I can't recommend an otherwise decent comic book. This, to me, is the equivilent of the formerly happily married SpiderMan simply waking up one day and going off to have sex with Black Cat and not caring about MJ anymore.

Brubaker and Lark go out with a bang with what has been the best of these renumbered anniversary issues from Marvel. I loved the additions to the Daredevil mythos which add to without diminishing other writer's contributions over the years, as well as the new status quo that showed great care in keeping Matt's old life and loved ones safe and sound (most would just kill them off hamfistedly) while still putting Matt in a bold new direction that will be a lot of fun to follow. Top notch issue and highly recommended.

Andy Diggle & Roberto De La Torre are taking this book in a whole new direction and I'm just happy to be along for the ride. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I missed Daredevil when I ended up boycotting Brubaker's run for his treatment of Matt's marriage and fridging of his wife. It's great to be reading it again and Diggle is certainly making his mark on a series that has been defined by a veritable who's who list of writers before him.

This is a great issue, hands down. You, honestly, can't go wrong picking this up. There's no back story or current events you need to know from the main series to read this. It's an excellently crafted doneinone story and one of the best from Brubaker's run on Daredevil to date.

With no love for Secret Invasion, I was hesitant coming into this, but Bendis and Deodato blew me away with this opening issue. Will definitely be around for more of this series.

Despite some flaws, I'm still going to give this issue a Must Read verdict as I enjoyed it immensely and more than a few pages had me going, "OH SH!". This isn't the most cerebral comic on the market, but it's definitely entertaining.

Despite the negative tone of the review, I didn't hate this issue and it was still much better than any of Bendis' recent New Avengers work. I was just disappointed that he's fallen back into his NA writing patterns when he had been doing something unique, for a change, with the Dark Avengers.

Good, but feels out of touch with the rest of the Marvel Universe with the lateness in dealing with certain topics and many characters have yet to establish a voice of their own under Bendis.

. A good issue, but felt extremely light at time. Read incredibly fast as well. At $3.99 a pop, I should feel a little more satisfied after reading it than I did, but very few actual complaints about it either.

A very strong opening issue to this arc and one of Bendis's best from a character standpoint. He's done a great job on the premise and setup of this story and it has me looking forward to seeing how he resolves the threat in future issues.

A lot of negatives listed, but, ignoring the Sentry powerup, I didn't hate this issue. It's pretty straight forward and concludes abruptly, but great art, some interesting character developments for Hand and Osborn and bonus points for not dragging this out for six issues.

While on one hand, I think this is actually a pretty solid issue with fantastic art and even some great character moments, the plot and where it lines up with Siege, something it's listed as a tiein to, just doesn't work for me and pulled me out of the issue, resulting in me questioning everything about it. Good stories shouldn't do that.

If you like what Bendis is doing with NohVar or have no feelings one way or the other about the character from Marvel Boy, you'll probably rate this issue a little higher than I do. It's a pretty solid effort from both Bendis and Ramos, but I just can't look past what they've done with NohVar.

I'm going to hold off on a Must Read verdict until we see where the Phobos plot goes and how it lines up with other storylines first. I'm also leaving the bar a little higher so that future issues have the ability to wow me even more than this opening salvo did. I had so much fun reading this one, I can't wait for the next chapter.

If you aren't following this series, I implore you to pick it up or at least pencil the trade into your future purchases. You've missed out on something special by skipping this series and it will change how you view Ares as a character, especially if Bendis's Avengers titles are the only times you've seen the character.

I liked this issue enough that I'll be coming back again for the second part, but I'm also unsure of how much staying power this will have or even how important this will be in regards to the rest of the Marvel Universe. I actually suspect this series will fall between the cracks when the upcoming diluge of Dark Reign miniseries start pouring onto the shelves.

Other than that little hiccup with Osborn's rationalizing unleashing Bullseye, there was little to complain about with this issue and I absolutely loved the opening fight sequence with the HAMMER cannonfodder. Not the deepest comic you'll ever read, but entertaining nonetheless.

A great series that reestablishes Elektra, tells us why the Skrulls wanted her first and gives us the exact timeframe of when she was captured. While the miniseries was probably not needed to reveal these simple facts, it was a whirlwind of a ride that was filled with great moments and just fun to read from start to finish.

While I did enjoy this, there's that pesky $3.99 price tag and the fact this is almost entirely setup for the remainder of the series with few reasons for nonFantastic Four fans to really jump in.

Great Doom short story, some interesting character studies for the rest of the Cabal, but nothing that reaches out and grabs you or that people will be talking about months later like the various Illuminati stories.

Good premise, solid start, but weak finish. Fails to sell people on the new status quo and poor choice of artist for the style of this character made an uneven book that just petered out in the end. Preview for next issue of Daredevil more than makes up for it though.

A surprisingly good read. I'm not sure if I'll follow up on Frankencastle or not just yet, but the preview for it looked good and Remender impressed me here. I may just put money towards the trade for the Punisher vs Hood stuff instead of following up on the Franken stuff, but we'll see. However, this is a great, done in one that most should be easily able to pick up and enjoy.

Unless you just want to see Hawkeye act completely out of character, rant and rave about killing people and go off half cocked to kill Osborn and get captured in the process, there's nothing worth seeing or reading here. Story feels forced to propel this List "event" forward.

It's a soso first issue that doesn't immediately hook you, but there's something unique about the concept that appealed to me enough that I want to see what happens next.

While not a must read or major story, this was still quite entertaining and fans of Young Avengers will be very pleased with their handling here.

. These holiday specials are fun, but hardly essential for most comic fans. This issue, in particular, has several good stories, but the vast majority are fun, yet forgettable. I was coming in hoping for that one or two great stories that previous specials had and this one delivered on that end, so I was pleased with the purchase,but many will be turned off by the hefty pricetag.

It's free, basically, so it's hard to tell anyone not to pick this up, but there's no story, the art, while featuring a great selection of artists, has no dynamic shots or anything I'd consider a "wow" factor and there's absolutely nothing here you didn't already know, except maybe the Spartans, er, I mean Manazons. If you paid 50 cents for this, it's as if you paid DC for the priviledge of reading their advertisements.

Little tip for DC. Don't make long ass mini-series if all you have to offer is filler issues.

Ignoring the art, this was another solid addition to this story. I enjoyed seeing Damian bail on Robin and his explanation for leaving him behind was pretty funny. Seems Ra's wants to make Batman join him to take on the Sensei or choose between Robin and Damian as to who becomes Ra's' next host body. Nightwing was actually competent for the second issue in a row, which is a first for him in a long time. Looking forward to seeing where this story goes in the upcoming issues.

Batman being a crazy nutjob badass is always a Must Read for me.

A great doneinone that any Batman fan should be able to enjoy. It wasn't what I was expecting when I originally picked up the issue, but it turned out great in the end, so no complaints on this one from me.

Don't buy it for the RIP tiein. There's nothing related to it in this issue. I liked the additions to Hush's origin, but he's still a very weak villain and foil for Batman, but this arc shows promise and there was enough good in here to outweigh the negatives, so I'm happy with the purchase.

While I really liked this issue, it's not perfect by any means and there's the obvious misdirection with the whole nonBatman RIP tiein that should justify a knock down from Must Read on principle. I think the next issue is still required to judge whether this will be a must read story or to see if the wheels fall off the wagon.

I'm upgrading this storyline to a Must Read based on how much I've consistently enjoyed it and the fact it's been improving with every issue to the point it's at now.

It's a comic you need to experience to truly appreciate and something that will be talked about and discussed for years to come.

Disappointment over the cofeature aside, the actual Batwoman related story was just about as good as I could have possibly hoped. I don't say this often, but you almost owe it to yourself to buy it for the art alone. The excellent and engaging story is only going to be a bonus to Williams's art.

Beautiful art that is worth buying the issue for on its own. Story is going in a direction I don't like, but I seem to be in the minority based on other online reviews, so your mileage may vary.

Despite some concerns about the storyline on the whole, this was probably the strongest issue of Detective Comics since Rucka and Williams debuted on the book. However, Willaims is clearly the main draw at this point, though Rucka isn't exactly dragging his feet either.

Ignoring the backup, which I view as merely a "free" extra, the Batwoman part of this issue was absolutely stunning and a must read by any definition of the word.

I was tempted to give this a Must Read like the previous issue, but it read more like a straight up origin with few shocks or draws. It's well written and Williams is still fantastic on art, but not nearly as powerful as the previous issue. Still highly recommended though.

. A good issue that continues to build up Batwoman. Batman is starting to make appearances, but it still feels like Kate's book. A bit of a paintbynumbers, cookiecutter plot, but I liked the detective parts of this story showing the contrasting methods of Batman and Batwoman. Solid effort all around.

Loving this series and it's a real sleeper hit in my eyes. Give it a look if you still are sitting on the fence or at least consider grabbing the trade.

This issue was another great read and I could see this event being one of the best of the year at this rate. I love the self contained nature of it and the focus on Dr Doom. The inclusion of various other heroes, such as the Fantastic Four and XMen, also gives it an epic feeling and no tieins or other excess baggage makes it a compelling and satsifying read every time.

There's some minor issues with the ending that prevent me from outright proclaiming this a perfect issue, but Doomwar entertained and is the early favourite for best event of the year. It was epic in scope, self contained, filled with great character moments, and every issue delivered in spades. No decompression, no filler or fluffing up of the story for the trade just a well written and drawn comic that's been criminally ignored by the majority of comic fans.

There's some seeds for a future plot, but based on this issue alone, there's not much to see here. Little to no character development as well. I hope the next issue can return to the much more enjoyable style and tone of the earlier issues.

A very promising start to this adaptation and I was quite pleased with it. Very much looking forward to the next issue and Ender's arrival at Battle School.

Basically, Reed and Panther reuse the weapon that was destroying reality to...um...redestroy reality, but then Dr Strange shows up in an outside the universe pocket reality where he is fighting the antibodies of Eternity and Storm becomes the vessel to hold Eternity while Strange...uh...operates and excises a pocket reality or something...and then they have supper at the Baxter Building. Gravity was in there doing stuff as well as the suture of the universe or something. Watcher also retconned his secret identity, which makes me wonder if he'll help Spider-Man out. Oh ya, Silver Surfer does...stuff...here as well. I'm just gonna file this one under the WTF pile and slowly back away.

I almost want to give this a Must Read, but McDuffie's run has been all over the place and I'm hesitant to suggest people jump in based on this single issue. He could easily come back next month with another dud or it could be a masterpiece. His run has really been that erratic. If you're interested in the Fantastic Four or future stories with evil versions of our heroes, this is a solid first issue that you'll probably want to check out.

Don't let my harping on about the magazine layouts or just about anything negative I had to say stop you from picking this up. It's the most fun I've had with a Fantastic Four issue in years. It's worth picking up just for the Doombot Herbies. The fun story and solid art is just a bonus.

It's a fun read. Everything flows well and I'm just enjoying the hell out of this story, even with any and all nitpicks I have with the title.

Despite some glaring holes in the story, I still enjoyed this book. It's not the best book on the market and, if you came on expecting Ultimates, you'll probably be disappointed. But, when all things are said and done, this is just fun to read and that's all you can ask for.

If skipped the first arc of Millar's FF run, you might want to take a look at this one. As much fun as those first four issues were, they pale in comparison to this one. Pretty much has all things you'd want in an FF comic family focus, high concept adventures, interesting villains and Dr Doom to boot.

It's easy to just write Fantastic Four off as that book you buy and enjoy every month, but take for granted, similar to how we view the always entertaining Ultimate SpiderMan. I'm tempted to give this a Check It, but I can't imagine dropping this in favour of any of the other Must Read's this week, so I can't see how it would be justified in putting a Check It here.

Enjoyable read, but Millar, for as much as I enjoy his works, is becoming a bit of a one trick pony in terms of storytelling. You're enjoyment of the issue will depend on how much you like or dislike Millar's other work.

Not a perfect issue, but a good Fantastic Four issue. More in line with classic interpretations of the team and personalities than the more over the top Millar work.

Very, very solid start to Hickman's and Eaglesham's run on Fantastic Four and each issue has been better than the previous so far. Would like to see more of the other Fantastic Four members, but also understand it's only two issues into the run and there's time to explore them later.

. Excellent issue and probably one of Hickman's strongest yet. Feels like what a Fantastic Four issue should be cosmic adventure and exploring new races and worlds. One minute they're sipping tea, the next they are on a rocket to the Moon and meeting new alien races. Never feels forced or like they are shoehorning new races into the backstory.

No Annihilus, but still an engaging read with some stunning art.

Very underwhelming issue that felt incredibly short and ends abruptly. Aside from people getting hammers to join the Worthy, of which we learn very little about despite their being the focus of the issue, not much happens here and it still reads very quickly. Little action, plot or character driven story here either. Almost feels like filler two issues in.

Hickman fans will love it and I do, but it's hard to really judge this type of story on a single issue basis when so much of it demands knowledge of his entire run on Fantastic Four and with so many disparate threads and plots moving in different directions and the story feeling very much like it was written entirely with the trade in mind.

It's by no means a bad issue and I'm sure it will all connect together in a few issues or on subsequent read throughs when everything's said and done, but it would be nice to be able to follow the comic I'm buying on a monthly basis. I shouldn't have to wait for the whole thing to be over with to enjoy something I bought now. Also, I found Jones' art to be lackluster in comparison to the first issue, but it may have been teh colourist or inker's fault, hard to tell.

Bad writing, bad art, a throw shit at the wall and hope something sticks attitude to storytelling, bastardization of characters and a cheap timeskip solution to 'evil winning'. Want an awesome Grant Morrison story featuring Darkside taking over? Ignore this nonsense and go pick up Rock of Ages from his JLA run.

I think it's safe to say this event starts with this issue. I'd honestly recommend not even reading the first three issues at this point. All you need to know is evil won and this is the aftermath and you should be able to enjoy every aspect of this issue with even the vaguest knowledge of DC. Oh, but make sure to read Final Crisis Submit first. It fills in a fairly large chunk of story for the Hall of Justice scene with Black Lightning and the Tattoo Man.

While not a perfect issue, the few flaws I do talk about, seemingly at length, didn't affect my enjoyment of this issue in the least and Final Crisis may just deliver on much of the hype. However, the art, which I didn't really mention in the review, looks terrible in comparison to earlier issues and it's a shame.

Batman dies, you have to read it whether you're a fan of it or not. However, for what it's worth, this is easily the best issue of the series, regardless of how the event turned out, and, when I read this, it was the first time I was honestly blown away by this event.

Is this the greatest comic ever written? No. Will rereading the series make you like it more? Debatable. But I imagine many will have a newfound appreciation for the craft and what Morrison was trying to accomplish with it afterwards, regardless of whether they end up liking it more or not.

While I think it's safe to avoid this if you are short on cash, it is actually one of the few Final Crisis tieins that actually impacts the main storyline and, while I didn't overly enjoy the story, it does explain a lot about what happened with Black Lightning and the Tattoo Man's circuit tattoo seems like it will be important to the storyline, making this worth checking out at the very least.

Solid read with a few minor quibbles on my part. Nothing worth skipping or even docking this issue over, so feel free to grab another excellent Final Crisis tiein. Bonus this issue actually ties into Final Crisis!

I don't think it's an understatement to call it this year's Sinestro Corps War Special and I can see this one going back to printing several times, just as that issue did last year. Fails as a tiein to Final Crisis, but kicks the Rage of the Red Lanterns storyline off with a bang.

Seriously, you have to read this book. You will literally care about the Martian Manhunter after reading it and probably wonder what was going through DC's head when they killed him off. My only worry is they'll have a rushed resurrection shortly after to nullify the impact of this amazing issue, but that's just me being a bit overly cynical.

To be fair, I think you could skip this issue, read this review or random spoilers and be able to jump right into the next issue without missing a beat. This was the equivilent of a Secret Files oneshot or some other character profile book with the exception it was narrated instead of just static images and text profiles. To me, that's not good storytelling and I don't like paying $3.99 for it. However, what little that does happen is great and the setup for the rest of the story is taken care of, leaving us with nothing but, hopefully, action packed, balls to the wall action for the rest of the series.

This has been a lengthy review as it is, but I just have to end this on a positive note, as this comes off as one big hateon for this issue when that couldn't be any further from the truth. This is an excellent, yet flawed, issue. Thankfully, the good outweighs the bad by a large margin, but this review is for those that aren't buying this issue, for whatever reason, and I think they've read more than enough of the glowing reviews on other sites and are interested in knowing the flaws as well. For the rest of us that bought it, we just get to enjoy it and shake our heads at why they didn't.

Clearly, this issue and series is not aimed at me anymore. I love that Johns has revived Superboy and Kid Flash, but with so many time travel options available to them, they didn't have to be so hamfisted about these resurrections. It's like handwaving of details away so he can have his cake and eat it, too.

Whether Johns actually meant the SuperboyPrime conclusion to come off this way or not, this is about the least professional thing I've ever seen and I honestly thought I was being pranked by some fake copy my LCS spliced together before finally letting it sink in that I just spent more than $20 and about a year's worth of time on a series only to be treated as the butt of a joke by the writer and DC. This isn't a "I'm never buying DC or Geoff Johns comics again!", but there's a definite lack of respect for both after reading this and I can't, in good faith, recommend something like that to anyone.

One thing that has me a little cautious at recommending this issue is the fact it's $3.99 an issue and supposedly five issues long. That's a hefty price tag for a relatively light, storywise, issue and I'm unsure if it's worth paying $20+ for five issues of something that will probably be a $5 trade on Amazon in a few months, but I suppose that could be said for just about any story.

I'm tempted to say Check It, as this might make some sense to people that have read several obscure miniseries, but as one of the few tieins to a major event at DC and at a higher cover price than normal, this issue just does not cut it for me. There is some promise here, but I'm not sure if I want to stick it out to see it through to the end. The art, however, was excellent. Best part of the issue, by far.

It's rare to have a story told from the villain's perspective and Johns does an excellent job of getting someone like myself, with no previous experience with these characters, into each of the villains' heads. I feel like I understand each of their motivations and reasons for doing the things they do and I'm excited to see where this story goes from here. Shame there's almost no Final Crisis connection though...

Each character is given time to shine and each has their personalities and motivations laid bare in a perfectly executed narrative by Johns, both progressing the story and involving us with each villain at the same time. Oh, and a guy gets a tornado in his stomach. Doesn't get any better than that.

I can't say enough good things about this title. Just a joy to read and it reminds me of why I read comics.

Otherwise, this book was an excellent return for Wally and family and worth a look for anyone interested in the fastest man alive. I was disappointed at absolutely no mention or alluding to the death of the previous Flash, but it is possible the picture Iris throws across the room was of him, but that would be an odd action to take for someone who was close to them. While I do not want them dwelling on the previous series or events, I would still like some mention of the sacrifice made and the effects he had on Keystone City. Despite this, I am still looking forward to the next issue and more of the scarlet speedster family.

Where's the follow up on the Bart's death? Where's the reactions to his 'back from the grave'? Where's the Flash in this Flash title? Hopefully Waid can turn things around now that this initial alien threat has been dealt with, but with the promise of their return at the end of this issue, I'm not sure if I'll be sticking around on this book.

A solid, if slow opening issue that failed, by a large margin, to reach the expectations set for it. Additionally, Johns spent far too much time having characters espouse the greatness of Saint Barry as opposed to actually showing us why he's so great or deserving of all this attention. However, it's early on in this miniseries, so there's still time to solve these problems.

I'm not willing to recommend this series to any new readers of Flash and I'm not even sure if it's something old fans should run out to pick up, but it wasn't a bad issue either. It's mostly falling a victim of its own hype and my high expectations, to which it is falling well short of presently.

I don't think this book is written for me or other readers like me. It's clearly being aimed at long time Flash fans who would appreciate the return of Barry and could draw on emotional baggage associated with his Silver Age stories to carry an otherwise unremarkable issue.

I rarely drop miniseries or events midway through, but I came in looking for more of the Barry Allen from Final Crisis, not the grimdark Saint Barry version, and was curious if Johns could recapture the magic from his original run on Flash. Sadly, this event seems to be aimed directly at a very distinct minority of Flash fans moreso than a catch all reboot/launch of the Flash franchise like Green Lantern Rebirth was. Shame.

Great issue that hooked me instantly and never let go. After one issue, I want, no, need to know more about this world and these characters and am already picking out various tieins I want to try out simply because of how engaging and interesting this world and story is so far.

The best issue of PAD's run and sadly his last. I recommend this issue for any fan of Spider-man, new or old, and anyone in general as it is a great comic book that anyone can enjoy.

I'm hesitant to call it a Must Read as this does deal with a lot of fringe characters and the more mystical sides of the Marvel Universe, but this is a very good read and, my complaints about the useless recap page at the start aside, fairly reader friendly, all things considered.

The negatives seem to overpower this quick shot review, but I did enjoy this issue. I just felt that not much happened to drive this "event" (more of an extension of the nowcancelled Ghost Rider series) forward and I was a bit confused over the villains and their powers. However, I imagine longtime Ghost Rider readers are loving it as I'm still quite impressed with what I see here.

It literally felt like Whedon thought up some great dialogue or action scenes and then strung them all together in some incoherent finale that "killed" off a beloved character, sent another into space for the unforseeable future and, otherwise, left the team the exact same as when the run started. Even Cyclops, who had been incredible in the last half, had his newfound sight taken from him and is relegated to wearing the visor again. Yay, lack of progress in 40 year old characters!

Entertaining read from a collection of talented creators with a diverse range of styles and influences that makes for a fun and engaging read that is sure to have something of note for even the most reluctant reader.

As anthologies can be very hit or miss for each individual reader, it's likely others will enjoy the content of this issue more than I did. There's also the desire for some to support teh impetus behind this anthology's creation and to show Marvel you'd like to see more female creators getting work. As such, I'm giving this a Check It there's some unique content here that should appeal to a broad range of readers, but, personally, I felt this was a rather weak issue compared to the first.

. Nothing to see here. Move along now.

I was really disappointed to see this become just another Countdown tie-in. I was expecting something related to Deathstroke at the very least. My recommendation is to just ignore this and read the reviews / summaries online. Not much happens and what little that does is not worth the cover price.

That's the issue. Really, that's all that happens.

Considering the situation with Connor being kidnapped and critically injured, you'd think there'd be some sense of urgency or at least some emotion from these people. They're all laughing it up and by the looks of things, they don't seem to be in any hurry to find him, if they even recall that's what the point of this whole thing is. Under different pretenses, this could probably be a decent, light hearted romp, and the opening with Hal was perfect, when taken out of context, but right now, this boggles the mind.

Good, fun issue. Just turn the brain off for a bit and enjoy this entertaining issue for what it is.

This issue was a joy to read and this should be DC's mega event that crossover into every book. The scale and scope of this crossover is incredible and every issue is packed with highlight reel moments. As I stated earlier, the only complaint is Johns' appears to be trying to put too much in each issue. The battle with Lyssa and the Anti-Monitor are a couple of instances of this. A page or two and then a few skipped scenes as the Lanterns are escaping with no real explanation or visibly shown means of escape. Thankfully, Johns has a bunch of one-shots to fill in the gaps along with Green Lantern Corps to fill my appetite for all things Sinestro Corps War related and hopefully it will hold me over until the next issue of this spectacular book.

This comic still gets a must buy from me and you'd be a fool to pass it up. I may not agree with what Johns decided to do with the story at this stage of the game, but it's still a damn good book and one of the best on the market.

Fantastic ending to an incredible storyline that was phoenominal from start to finish.

Still a solid read, but nothing nearly as ground breaking or adrenaline pumping as previous issues. Felt like a "Taking a break, see ya next month!" type of issue.

Johns was back to form this month and the Alpha Lantern story is actually going somewhere now. There were a lot of subplots going on in the background here as well and all of them quite interesting, especially the 'evil' Guardian one.

Still nothing I'd write home about. Well, technically I am writing about it, but the point stands. There's some neat things here, but nothing really holding it all together or forming a cohesive plot or story.

Unless you have no idea who Hal Jordan is, you're wasting your money. Not even the art could save this, as it was far from Reis, or possibly the colourists, finest outing. Just hit up Wikipedia and you'll be fine.

I'm still not sold on the need for this Secret Origin or, at the very least, the need for the rehashed material concerning Hal and Carol and so on. They still don't have enough new material to fill a single issue and I don't think next issue will reveal too much more, either. I'll give it a Check It, as it's a more enjoyable issue than Hal running around as a kid and getting kicked out the Air Force, but this is barely a step above anything you'd find on Wikipedia or from the back issue bins for a quarter, where the story's been told a million times.

Best of the Secret Origin issues so far, but only because of Sinestro. Still nothing new offered outside the two pages of Red Lantern stuff, which wasn't much. They still haven't provided enough new material to cover a single issue, which annoys me to no end. Should have just released this as a Year One special and fleshed out or progressed the actual story in the main book.

Finally, a story that lives up to the "secret" in the Secret Origin title of this arc. I was beginning to think there was no point to this retelling. Next issue promises to be a similarly enjoyable experience. Shame the first four parts couldn't be like this.

This is everything the Secret Origin should have been from the start and almost makes me forget those first few repeat issues. Has me pumped for Green Lantern again after several months of decline postSinestro Corps War.

I want to give it a Must Read, but, unlike the last couple of issues, there's almost no new content related to the present day story. We see some foreshadowing of the Red Lanterns, but only for a panel or two and the rest is just some entertaining dialogue with the Guardians.

It's great to see Green Lantern return to the heights it once reached and the past few issues have renewed my faith and interest in the upcoming Blackest Night.

I have some concerns, as they are, about the potential for this story to go off the tracks with the additions of more and more corps to the mix and the use of multiple rings by one person, but the sheer amount of good things that happened in this issue was more than enough to silence those concerns for the time being.

Agent Orange = Great. Everything else = Average at best. Made for an up and down issue. Still looking forward to the rest of Agent Orange, but I'm getting the feeling Johns may be stretching himself a little thin lately.