Maybe Waid needed to make himself go through these motions. Maybe he needed to exorcise the demons of a thousand forced company crossovers. Whatever the cause, the sooner he gets out of this creative ghetto the better.

The book also feels slightly amateur due to the near constant typos and the weirdly bland cover, which could lead one to mistakenly think the book is about a spiritually possessed forest thats getting ready to gang rape the protagonists. That description of it is a lot more exciting than it is in actuality. Pinckney and his art team have more than a little ground to cover before they can be taken seriously.

Once again, the saving grace of Carbon Grey is its art, which is so potent that you can actually improve your experience by ignoring the text altogether and instead directing your attention to the visuals. Hoang Nguyen and his team are far better suited to the job of artwork than storytelling and in the future it may be to their benefit to stay away from the story element altogether. Until then, Carbon Grey may remain an exceedingly bright student who just happens to not test very well.

Blue Estate has its moments and there is some promise to its methods but it ultimately fails to generate the kind of excitement it should. The book is strictly style over substance, with its story of Devine and his placement in the Maddoxs domestic issues and Bruces convoluted involvement in some kind of Russian mob troubles a whole heaping barrel of cliches and tropes. Blue Estate may find its footing before too long and wind up as something thats more than just a pretty face, but for the moment you owe yourself something a little more adventurous.

Breakneck isnt a fully formed debut but its got enough potential to make its flaws forgettable. With more room to breathe in upcoming issues now that the concept and character introduction is out of the way, Breakneck will likely only get better. Hop on now while you can.

Iron Man 2.0 might already be more action-packed than its brother book, but what makes it potentially more enticing is the way it handles the paradoxical nature of military service in a frank and unflinching way. There simply arent enough books willing to delve into this territory, and Spencers already heading in the right direction by doing so. That a storyline that features a disembodied mad scientist is the most boring part should really say something about how excellent Spencers writing is. Now if he can just get the rest of the books creative side together.

Mahoney and Sablik do have their dialogue down pat, and the core hook of the series, Alec's discovery that he is seemingly immortal, is relatively strong despite appearances in other, better works like the British series Misfits or Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's early DC series Resurrection Man. That means there's hope for where this book could eventually go if Mahoney and Sablik can improve their plotting and avoid the hugely obvious twist of the assassination being a set-up to improve the mayor's ratings. But until that happens, Last Mortal is mostly a strong case for how useful Tom Nachlik's talents could be elsewhere. Who knows, maybe Brian Michael Bendis is looking to get back to his roots.

Im not normally an optimist, but when it comes to Spencer, Im willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As it stands, this is an issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents that is squarely in the middle of the road, a bland (by Spencers standards) bit of storytelling that has no real payoff. But its extremely likely that my opinion could be entirely different as soon as next issue. And isnt that what makes sequential storytelling so fun?

At some point, Ennis is going to become his creation. His pet subject of revenge is going to consume him and there will be no other colors in his palette. Id personally rather get off the ride before then.

Even with its clumsy moments, the second issue of The Pound remains an entertaining read with more than enough to keep readers coming back. As Nilson and Waller grow more comfortable with their characters and story, The Pound will likely blossom into a true sleeper hit. There's just so much potential in their killer concept that it would be a mistake to stop reading before things really kick into gear.

As much of a step down from the last issue as it may be in terms of creativity, issue eight continues Lapham and Baker's unending chain of hits and with the puzzling question it finishes on, it seems clear that shit's about to get real.

Dracula: The Company of Monsters is still far from a classic but it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through monsterdom, human and otherwise. And it owes its creative success to its inspired decision to keep Dracula himself largely out of the spotlight in favor of the more realistic and interesting character of Evan. Given time this could be a series to which to devote yourself.

Its clear that Spencers ambition is sometimes his worst enemy. Spencer is an immensely talented guy who seems to have a boundless imagination and, to his detractors, his books are nonstop displays of Spencers fancies. A large portion of this issue will offer plenty of ammunition for those detractors but the strength of the quieter, more personal moments in the book should offer ample proof that shock and awe isnt Spencers only mode. Stumbles aside, though, The Infinite Vacation remains an intriguing book with an especially promising future.

Lowesville in particular, as Cook draws it, is endlessly fascinating. Looking like a hybrid of Lynchian small town eeriness and populated by figures of Cronenbergian anatomical creepiness, Lowesville is the ingredient that makes this dish. Cooks handling of Lowesville alone makes Memoir worth the glance and if McCool can find his narrative footing and start pulling as much weight as his artist, Memoir could just be another surprise hit from Image.

Those of us on the Spencer train likely won't get off unless we see an entire derail, but more casual fans might be a little wary of stop-and-go pacing this arc has utilized. That's a fair criticism, especially given how short Spencer's track record is, but this is the kind of story that has to be told this way. What I'm more concerned about is the sudden, deus ex machina-like appearance of a man in white... or, off-white I should say. But that's a discussion for another issue.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents #7Posted: Monday, May 23, 2011By: Morgan Davis Nick SpencerCafu, Mike Grell, Nick Dragotta, Bit (i),DC Remember when David Lapham would start issues of Young Liars off by suggesting a soundtrack? I've always wondered why more writers don't do that kind of thing, especially since comics don't need to deal with the hassles of licensing and royalties the way movies and television do, leaving a potentially infinite number of soundtrack possibilities for comics. Which is why it was a pleasant surprise to see Nick Spencer adopt a similar trick in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents seven, with the bulk of the issue's first story unrolling to the subtly creepy Dion hit "The Wanderer."

Like the wonderfully weird, sorely underrated indie horror film Pontypool (which I urge you to check out), The Light is a story that will bore its way into your brain and keep you asking questions long after it ends.

Nilsons scripting abilities arent quite on the level of Wallers artistic talents just yet as he tends to lean heavily on characters blatantly making their thoughts known rather than trusting Waller to broadcast their moods through their faces but Nilson has his pacing and plotting down. The choreography of the action scenes likewise leaves a lot to be desired, the first issues climax standing out as one of the more confusing and awkward fights Ive seen in a comic. But theres plenty to indicate that Nilson will find his footing soon enough and until then Waller more than makes up the difference making this book an easy recommendation.

Caligula will undoubtedly split readers and the gore and perversion on display in the first issue will probably keep some folks away despite the fact that real purpose of the series is something altogether more fantastic. If you can make it through the brutality and trust Lapham, though, this is a book that should not be overlooked. Where Lapham will take it is anyones guess, but youre missing out if you arent willing to hold on and find out.

Baker latches onto this notion, dropping in moments of quiet beauty (like a sight gag that references Banksy in the first few pages) amidst the cartoony chaos he excels at. If youre looking at Bakers art and all youre seeing is freakish anatomy and rough lines, then youre a lost cause. The truth is Deadpool MAX continues to be an unfortunately slept-on work of wonder from two of comics most vital personalities. Get in before everyone says I told you so, folks.

But that is an extremely minor complaint thats irrelevant this early in the game anyway. Perhaps more relevant is the dialogue mix-up on Page 15 that has one of Macabres clients speaking his lines. For the moment, Doc Macabre is a treat, unique and fun with just the right mixture of big ideas and playfulness. Halloween may be long over but theres no reason you should stop yourself from giving Doc Macabre a ring.

Abnett and Lanning have proven themselves countless times to be more than capable of reviving ailing parts of the Marvel U and Heroes for Hire proves that that extends to parts of the 616 that arent Cosmic. Whatever the grand plan for Heroes for Hire ultimately is, I cant wait to find out.

But that's a nitpicky point and in any event, you shouldn't be reading Kirby Genesis in the hopes that it will exactly replicate the Kirby experience (what could?) -- you should be reading it hoping to have your mind blown in a way that would have made Kirby proud. And if the Kirby Genesis team can keep up the standard of wonder presented here in the series proper, you're going to get just that.

However, even with that lack of climactic struggle, for Smith fans and creators who are feeling unsure of their style, Modern Masters Volume 25 is a necessary addition to the library.

As long as Morning Glories remains a relative hit for Image, Spencer should be free to patiently reveal the pieces of the Morning Glory Academy puzzle and thats to everyones advantage. Spencer gets to tell the story the way he wants, Eismas art continues to get ridiculously great and readers are treated to one of the best current examples of how perfectly suited the comics medium is to serialized storytelling.

If you're coming up short, you're not alone. No matter where Morning Gloriesends up- hopefully not cancelled before all is revealed- it's powerful stuff, a work that proves that there's no reason why comics can't provoke as many water cooler discussions as the best tv has to offer.

Part of the fun of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is watching Spencer play in such a big, high stakes world. Itll be interesting to see exactly how it all comes crashing down for the characters, as Spencer has hinted it invariably will. Spencers undoubtedly ambitious but hes off to a great start and its highly recommended you get on board now.

The real question is whether Spencer truly knows what hes doing, whether the hints he drops and the questions he poses have real meat to them or if hes a creator whose creations are really just tugging him along. But isnt that the fun? What use is a comic whose every move is broadcast from a mile away? Weve put Spencer up on a pedestal precisely because he demands risk and he doesnt do what you expect and even if T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a disappointment of Lost magnitude in the end, will it have been any less fun of a ride? Certainly not.

What keeps this issue from being perfect is the plot, which doesnt appear at this point to have stakes anywhere near as high as the last arc. The Borg-like intentions of the program sticks us with just a bit of a been there, done that feel. This is Remender, though, so I highly doubt that itll go anywhere near what were expecting, but its far too early to start handing out the perfect scores. What we have is an excellent start that fleshes out the team dynamics nicely, and thats more than enough for the moment.

Despite having an epic scope and a pretty huge roster of characters, Carbon Grey remains a ridiculously fun outing that deftly combines the sexy uber-violence of latter day Tarantino with a fantasy setting that promises plenty of high-minded adventure. As long as Nguyen and his team can keep up the pace, this might just be an early entry for best limited series of the year.

That Lapham and Baker can stretch the goofy extremes of Deadpool so far and still end on a surprisingly poignant note is a testament to how perfectly suited to this book they are. Given that this book has everything Deadpool fans of all aspects could ever want, I'm completely baffled by the fact that it isn't one of this year's most massive hits. Lapham and Baker are truly breaking new ground with this character and they aren't sacrificing fun or humor to do that. This is pop comics at its finest and you're only hurting yourself by missing it.

Maybe Spencers ideas wont cross through to everyone, and its likely it wont catch on the way some of his other works have, but ask me in ten years what work of art had the future figured out best and I wouldnt be surprised if I told you it was this one.

Has Joe the Barbarian been a perfect ride all the way through? Of course not. Is it possible that Morrison doesnt actually know what hes doing and just scrambled on the ending? You could read it that way, but if you do then youre just causing yourself to lose out on one of the best works in Morrisons canon.

And even if Im wrong, if this isnt a change in the chemistry of the song but instead someone getting the chords out of order, well, Ill just pretend theres a version of the world out there where that didnt happen.

What is clear, though, is that Morning Glories, which one could say has wrapped up its first season now that the debut volume of the TPB is out, is already ahead of its Lost in at least one regard- handling character emotions and attraction. Morning Glories gratefully lacks a Jack and Kate, making the payoff of the Hunter and Casey subplot so much more believable, a welcome contrast to the type of hamfisted romances you see so often on television or in comics. If Morning Glories keeps up this pace, we may just be looking at one of the most important, well-crafted series of all-time.

As comic fans, we can all identify with that -- comics as a medium have often thrived on their bright, bold colors and world-spanning stories. Even without all the buzz that has been building up about Nonplayer, it seems clear that this is a series that would have clicked with comic fans regardless. After this first issue, Dana might not be the only one wanting to stick around in Jarvath.

Its impossible to read this issue and not see how much Lapham and Baker are having in this particular sandbox; the panels showing the Cubs getting their merit badges is especially worth a few extra glances and everything that involves Deadpool and Taskmaster is brilliant. You owe it to yourself to pick up this book immediately and watch one of comics best teams do some of their best work.

It doesn't matter if you're passionate about the subject or haven't thought much of it one way or the other, Paying for It is required reading for anyone who seeks to better comprehend the limits of romantic love.