This is a terrible comic. Trite storytelling and substandard art.

The art is interesting, if uneven, but the exposition-filled story didn't grip me enough to follow this to issue 2

This book was frustrating, an issue as comatose as Tony Stark himself. It is an endless series of talking heads, but nothing being said is original or relevatory. It again features blind stubbornness from Captain Marvel, and Miles Morales' Spider-Man lurking around lamenting the future. I don't know why I expected different. This has me feeling trepidatious for "Secret Empire," mostly because it is just boring, and none of these characters are likeable. The vision that closes the book was undeniably cool and haunting, but nothing about this issue suggests that this event won't be as desperately mired in self-absorbed contemplation, and contemplation that comes to no end, as "Civil War II" was.

Well, I do not know what the fuck that was, but i am perplexed by "Deadman" #1. The art is as-advertised Neal Adams, but the plot was incomprehensible. That being said, I'll be back for issue #2. It is Neal Adams, after all. Note: I've adjusted my score from 5.0 to 6.0 (after about a week) because the more I think about it, the more I am actually looking forward to the next issue, as much of a mess as this is.

I don't know...I don't think this series is for me. It reads as too didactic to me. The conversation between Snugglepuss and Huckleberry Hound is sort of interesting, but none of this has the cleverness of Russell's "Flintstones" or "God is Disappointed in You." I need something more to make this bit of moralizing palatable.

Well, this issue was a bit shaky for me. The fight in the alley between Felix and his ex-love Russian spy was a bit awkward (i.e., why is Felix blinded? how does she disappear?) I found the art to be so-so. One panel (the shot of the bridge) in particular looks like the most blatant example of photoshopping I've ever seen. Also, not much comes out of the characterization of Felix except he's beaten down. I'm not too sold on this version of Felix.

As a fan of some of Chaykin's work ("Satellite Sam," though that was written by Matt Fraction) I thought to check this out; it's not necessarily a bad comic--it does make a forceful impact on the reader, as I'm sure was the intent. What it is, however, is a bit too brutal and nihilistic for me to really want to collect. His dystopian vision of the United States promises to be dark, bleak, and sure, timely, but it's not for me. Now, I think people railing on "Secret Empire" for its dark vision is a bit silly, so maybe I'm being hypocritical here, but I entrust that truth and justice will prevail there; this is ugly and cynical in a profound way. Chayken admits his usual cheeky humour is missing here. Too true. I am not going any further with this.

I'm out.

"Strong" issue in a muddled mess of a series. Emphasis on the quotation marks around strong.

Thank f**k it's over. All I have to do now is not gag while Marvel continues to try to push the fascist Captain Marvel down our throats, calling her the most popular character in the universe, paying no attention to the reality that this series made her the most hated. Yecchh. Terrible.

After a pretty great run with "Scarlet Witch," and a very solid start to "Nick Fury," I was looking forward to this, but it falls pretty flat. The action didn't really move me, and there wasn't much beside that. Pacheco's pencils were okay, but not as strong as I recalled. Overall, pretty "meh."

I have the last few issues of "Cable" in various piles around my house, and rather than hunt them down, I just read #5 on its own. It was mild fun. The art seems like a throwback to generic Marvel art of the 80s...not good, not bad, but solid. While I enjoyed a few moments (Cable enlists the support of dinosaurs!), I can't help but think a series featuring Cable should be more bad-assed.

So...Cyclops died over a cloud? For not allowing potential inhumans to gestate? Life begins at cloud particle formulation. But wait, he's been dead all along...because Marvel could not stand to allow him to go out heroically? I also don't understand how any of this made Cyclops a pariah amongst the rest of the mutants. I can't believe a writer as good as Lemire is responsible for this garbage fire. Marvel has really shit the bed with their handling of the X-Men and Inhumans post-Secret Wars...I hate both these teams now

Not terrible, but of no consequence. If Marvel is going to continue to publish these antiquated editions, they would be better served to make them significant somehow, not just a collection of throwaway back up tales.

When I picked this up, I was like, "Ugh, I don't want to read this." Such is the quality of most Marvel annuals that it is only natural to assume this would be shitty. But, it's not terrible! The first story actually kept me interested enough to finish, and though it's pretty run-of-the-mill, it's innocuous enough, and I liked Cory Smith's art. The second story featured a version of the spider-sense as a series of headaches varied by degree, which is inconsistent with every other depiction of Spidey I've seen or read ever, and mildly enraged me. So, I wouldn't really recommend buying it, but if it lands in your pullbox because of your "Amazing" subscription, as it did for me, it's not all that bad.

Not bad, but not necessary, by any definition. The monster battle repeats scenes and dialogue I read in "Monsters Unleashed" #1. I'll be skipping the rest of the tie-ins.

Sorry. I was bored. i went from reading to skimming half way through. I loved the "All-New, All-Different Guardians of the Galaxy," but, this didn't really work for me.

I liked this issue better than the last, as the story was quickly paced and interesting. I found the art to be uneven, though; I like some of To's images, like the splash of Ant Man, but in most panels the figures are small, the background emphasized. The art was so good during the "All-New Guardians of the Galaxy," this is a pretty big comedown for me. I'm kind of on the fence on this series.

I've never read an extended Justice League run because somehow the book has never captured or captivated me enough to keep me coming back. However with this relaunch I thought I'd try it again, but, looking at the Justice League assembled in the psychic boardroom did not get me. I just was kind of bored here, and the heavy-handed narration is just a further reminder that Scott Snyder's style has evolved into something I don't really like reading. The Jim Cheung art is rougher than usual, but still pretty awesome. But he's gone next issue, and so am I. I don't care enough about anything going on here to read issue #2.

This is a fairly lacklustre comic, totally lacking the charm that made "Power Man and Iron Fist" so fun. I know Walker is going for a different tone here, but I just didn't find it that interesting. Also, the pencils of Nelson Blake are pretty pedestrian. I think I'm going to wait until "The Defenders" to check back on Luke.

Keiran Gillen's "Darth Vader" was so good, this series has a lot to live up to. It makes itself its own thing by exploring rookie Vader, but....I didn't really care too much for this. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it didn't have the coolness or badassedness of its former iteration. I also thought Camuncoli's pencils would work better than they did. I'll try issue #2, but I'm not really sold here.

Not great. Perhaps this isn't the fault of Soule or the book (certainly not Camuncoli, who draws Vader well), but I am not really interested in seeing the jedi lore of the prequels expanded further upon. Also, cool as he is, Vader is a tough character to hold down a solo book. Keiran Gillen developed a strong supporting cast in the first series to balance a character who seldom speaks and for whom an inner narration would be almost absurd, something missing here, as we have to have Storm Trooper banter guide the story. I'm just not feeling it.

This is alright I guess...I'm not even sure why I added this to my pull list...I think because I recognized Bret Blevins name from X-Men books in the 90s. It's just not really noteworthy. I read it about an hour ago and I already kind of forget what happened...I think I'm out

"Monsters Unleashed" part one was a whole lot of fun. It is exactly as it seems to be: Marvel's heroes rising to fight giant monsters across the globe. The Steve McNiven art on this was a definite treat--the book looks absolutely great. There are no big character moments with a book like this, but Bunn keeps the story moving and has the voices down. It is nice to see Marvel's all-stars gather without heavy-handed conflict arising between them. Lots of action, lots of fun.

This series is the exact opposite of Civil War II; the last Marvel event was plagued by issues dominated by dialogue, a lack of action, whereas this series is all-action. Well, I guess the common point is that the story behind each is lacking. Anyway, this was pleasant, and I liked issue 1, but I'm already kind of bored by these monsters.

This series has become frustrating. Lionil Yu's art here is upper level stuff, totally awesome, but the story...not. What there is of story totally lacks any originality. This is happening because Inhumans. Fucking terrigen cloud, Marvel's explanation for everything. So this rating is a 10 on art, and a 4 on story. So, there you go.

So many monsters. So...meh. This is all-action, and it's all-boring.

Well, it's over. Utterly pointless. This kind of mindless action was fun for me for exactly one issue, when my sensibilities were bludgeoned by the heavy handedness of "Civil War II," and silly action seemed welcome. Then each further issue continued to grate more and more on my nerves. If I was seven years old again perhaps I would have liked this series. And the art was stellar throughout. And Marvel kept it so on schedule, by the time I decided to drop it the issues had been pre-ordered for me. So there's that...

I started this, convinced I wasn't going to like it, briefly thought "Well, it could be OK, this seems fun," but by the finish couldn't wait for it to end...

I can't believe I'm giving a Christmas issue 9/10, but this surprised me with how much fun it was! Most Holiday issues are a write-off, but this had me smiling all the way through, from Deadpool's gift for Hawkeyes and riff on Banner, to the tender Christmas friendship moments between Deadpool and Spidey. This team-up is full of Saturnalia mirth!

Not the greatest issue, but things are bound to be weird between these two after "Secret Empire". I picked this series up after a few months off because of the Chris Bachalo art, which made this worth its while. Looks really great and was a solid bit of fun so I'll stay on board.

I like Chris Bachalo's art, but I found this hard to get through. The art looked pretty good, but it terms of storytelling, was kind of confusing. Storewise, lots of wacky stuff happening, but I just found it boring. Sorry.

Somehow, after the terrible prelude that was "Death of X," this issue turned out to be awesome. I love the opening assault launched by the X-Men; The scene with Jean Grey and Karnak was especially cool. My support lies totally behind the mutants: Old man Logan puts it best when he says, more or less, if the cloud survives we all die. If we destroy the cloud a bunch of people stay the same but don't get to have superpowers. I do have the sense, given the way Marvel has treated the mutants in the past year or two, that I'm backing the losing horse, but the last couple of years I've also built up a fervent hatred of the Inhumans in me. In any case, this issue was very well written and has beautiful art , and I am very excited for what is to come.

After a pretty flawless opening issue, this book slips back a bit, showing the X-Men's attack and incapacitation of the Inhumans. However, most of the Inhumans' heavy hitters aren't accounted for here, so the tide will turn. Even so, it's nice to see the mutants confident and powerful in defence of themselves. I'm still super excited for this series, but this issue was a bit light.

This issue is a bit of a holding pattern. Forge's machine to destroy the Terrigen cloud is destroyed, and the Inhumans continue to rally. Outside of the interesting Jean Grey/Karnak scene, not much excites here. And the artwork is sub-par, with awkward poses and faces. I understand that Lionel Yu couldn't continue to draw this and have it stay on schedule, but choosing a back up artist who is in the same ballpark would have helped. This series started great, but it's starting to lag pretty hard.

This series, which started so well, is tanking. Hard. The moment in which...Synapse? Is that his name? Takes over Magneto, who conveniently takes off his helmet to allow psychic attacks, and then begs of to go to the bathroom is...stupid. Just stupid. These nuhumans are not appealing characters at all. They are not memorable, with gimmicky names and powers. I don't care about them. The tide shifts here in favour of the Inhumans because this has to be six issues. The art is frustratingly hack-ish for an event like this. I understand Leinil Yu couldn't keep up to keep this coming out, but...it's bad. And, I shouldn't be surprised by this at this point, but the writing is just as bad. Jeff Lemire is one of the best writers in comics, and I can't believe he is associated with this mess. Charles Soule...ughh. And Ms. Marvel again asks, "Who are the bad guys?" in a bad flashback to Civil War II. The Inhumans! Obviously! I'm looking forward to Resurrexion, but the whole creative team is shitting the bed with this series. It's just a pointless, bad comic.

After a terrible 4th issue, "IvX" rebounds somewhat here; it is also a wildly inconsistent book, with hideous dialogue. Fantomex and Karnak argue about boring each other. Havoc talks about how Medusa destroyed his brothers reputation, then shrugs and says, basically, "Sure, take Black Bolt. After all, where can you go?" Sigh. Cyclops turns on the mutants, for a good cause and blah blah blah. They Inhumans, after acting like assholes for the past year+ say "We're not monsters!" Javi Garron's art continues to underwhelm. This is a colour-by-numbers "event" comic. On a more positive note, there's only one more issue of this shit.

This issue, like the series, is wildly inconsistent. On the positive side, Lionil Yu returns and the book looks great. I also enjoyed Emma Frost's turn toward's more complete villainy, even if I sympathized with her. On the other hand, Medusa is told that the X-Men only attacked because the terrigen cloud was killing them, and she was like, "Why didn't they tell me?" Didn't Beast tell her this in the first fucking issue? So after 7 issues (including #0) the conflict is wrapped up in minutes. The dialogue was also quite often terrible; Psylocke tells Medusa, "I've got a sword. You can't beat me with hair!" and Medusa responds, "Wanna bet?" Ehhh. So, my overall thoughts on the series are: 1) Well, that happened. 2) Couldn't this story have been told in two issues? 3) I appreciate the need to use back-up artists to stick to the schedule, but when there is such a drop in quality between the primary artist and his replacement, it is not good. 4) Now that it's done, I'm so glad to have the Inhumans out of my life.

Ehhh...I'm sorta on board. I liked the sweet romantic bit more than the junk with the drugs and cops.

Grimy, druggy crime story, fascinating enough, if not overly chaotic. This chaos reflects the lives of the characters well, however.

In the end, "Loose Ends" isn't for me. It was messy, confusing and the dialogue is cringe-worthy ("Face like a plate full of assholes"). I like noir, but this failed for me.

Strong conclusion to the Civil War II crossover. The ending brought a touch of humanity to an event that has been pretty devoid of realistic emotion. If only the main book could accomplish the same.

Terrible. Pointless filler. Please, Marvel, stay away from "celebrity" guest-stars. The most painful thing is that it doesn't end; there is another issue of this nonsense.

Pointless throwaway issue that has me on the verge of dropping this title. I want to like it, but a 2 part Jeremy Linn team-up? Brutal.

For the last few issues this title has been delivering softball stories that seem to have very few stakes to make things interesting. This issue is mildly amusing but Greg Pak delivers his message ("there's more to us all than racial stereotypes") with the subtlety of a gamma bomb. Mahmud Asrar's return is a great relief, as his art is very strong here, making for a great looking book. But the story has the tone of an after school special. Or an episode of Saved by the Bell.

This issue is fine...it's just not for me. I just don't care enough for the plot or characterization to let the art save it for me. I used this to see if I'm keeping this title or dropping it, and the latter won out.

An improvement on the last few issues, in my opinion. The first one where Amadeus didn't act like a knob. This is my last one ordered through my subscription, but I won't rule out picking up the next issue if it looks cool.

Yeah, sorry, I don't know what the fuck is going on here. Sorry Brian K. Vaughan, I need to understand the dialogue in my comics. I get that by making the audience illiterate in a certain language it puts us in the place of the characters. And I guess there is a theme emerging of understanding humanity beyond simple language barriers? If so, that's too simple, and this is too frustrating to read. And, to really get to the nitty gritty, Marcos Martin's work on "Private Eye" was better than this. So, yup, it was okay, but ultimately disappointing.

I liked the first issue of "Barrier" but have continued to be befuddled by it with each issue, largely due to the Spanish captions; for some of this I hit "GoogleTranslate," other times I muddled through--this issue, though, was more comprehensible in that it fills in the background tragedies that each of our main characters is dealing with. It ends in a surprising way which, when you think about it, is not surprising at all in that we have had the fate and lives of our characters obstructed throughout the series, so this fate is kind of in tune. If kind of disappointing, to sort of overemphasize his themes of the barriers of language. Marcos Martin's art was the best since the first issue--a certain 2 key scenes were expertly portrayed in best tragic form. A kind of okay end to a series I really thought and hoped would be a bit better.

Not a bad comic. It builds to what should be an exciting final issue (I think issue 8 is the end...?) For a Batman title, this has very little to do with Batman, though, and I had no idea wtf was going on in the mini-comic with Green Lantern's floating severed hand, but...yeah.

No, this isn't a good comic, but it is amusing in a peculiar kind of way. We continue in this issue with a lot of Kubert's imitation Dark Knight Miller art, and it's okay, I guess...? The mini-comic is a showcase on how rough actual Frank Miller art has become, but, it, er, features the return of Bruno, a.k.a. Nazi-tits? I can't say don't buy this because I laid down $5.99 for every issue so far and will do so again for the finale. So, there you go...

Well, this didn't all amount to much, but this issue in itself is a solid conclusion. It seems to set the table for more Dark Knight, which is, well, um...yeah. It had it's charming moments, like Batman warming to the new Batwoman, and the surprisingly optimistic mini-comic, with Miller pencils that didn't look horrifically distorted. So, there it is.

This issue did a solid job of establishing the world of "Flavor"... I felt at one point it was growing a bit tedious in its exposition, but then the cool ending happened, in which a shocking act of violence is counter spliced with a cooking montage. Because of this last scene, I'll read issue #2. But my main complaint is, where was the cooking? The editorial brags of having a "food scientist" as a consultant, but any cooking scenes are indistinct, just one off shots with no ingredients shown...Listen, this may seem geeky, but "Starved," from 2 or so years ago (?) presented a distinct world and making the food, as well as the characters, the star. I'm hoping this series (though a million miles away from "Starved" in terms of look and tone) can do the same.

I dunno. For all that was going on, I was bored and struggled to finish the issue. I don't think this book is necessarily bad, I just think it's not for me.

This wasn't a bad comic book, but nothing about this team stands out for me. I will check out the next issue, but this is on shaky ground.

This isn't a bad comic, but it's not a comic for me. I can't get behind this team. It's just a book I don't need. That being said, for those who enjoy slightly wackier Avengers antics, and, I guess, Squirrel Girl or whatever, there you go. I did enjoy the idea of Luke and Jessica's kid becoming Captain America, but another Cap running about in this universe? Nah.

This isn't a bad comic, but it is a bit too cutesy and meta for me. Not bad, but not my thing. The Joe Quinones art looks very good. I was surprised to see the overall user rating on this. I feel like a lot of people are bashing this comic here as a complaint against Marvel's recent trend towards more youth-oriented, diverse stories. It certainly doesn't justify a rating below 5, for god's sake. A lot of people are hitting this extra hard.

The story with the Joker awaiting his invitation to Batman and Catwoman's wedding is beyond awesome--it is a tightrope throughout, but I also felt the nervous tension made it more funny as well, in a weird way--Tom King does a great job of capturing the Joker's disconnectedness from reality. It's a bit different than most of the takes I've seen on the Joker lately, which was interesting. The Clay Mann art here was also incredible. Tom King continues to show himself to be a master of short tales--he has done a number of great one-shots in "Batman," and this and other shorter stories like "Good Boy" show he can tell a great story in even a limited number of pages. So, I loved this story. There were also two other stories that were noisy with dialogue, and busy in design, and boring in character. I kind of was reduced to skipping by the end of the last two stories because they were dull and I didn't care. I've come to realize that I have grown to really dislike Scott Snyder's bombastic post-Batman stuff. "Heavy Metal" was an incomprehensible mess, and it seems like most of Snyder's writing in the last couple years leans in that direction. This used to be a guy who could tell stories with subtlety. His new stuff, it's not for me. But 25 cents for a wicked Tom King/Clay Mann Joker short? Fuck yeah!

Wolverine is back! And there are clues! I probably wouldn't have gotten this if not for the David Marquez art, and, sure enough, his pages look great. The story of Logan's body going missing is mildly interesting. The back up tale, kind of skippable. But, hey, Guardian shows up! Is it me, or wasn't he killed in Alpha Flight #12 in 1984? Anyway, this is followed by four mini-series surrounding the mystery of Logan's location, none of which I will be reading. So...yeah.

I haven't read a "Justice League" book since early in the New 52, but with the new creative team, decided to give it a spin. And...it's fine. Pete Woods art is, for the most part, pretty strong here, and I felt the book was nicely paced at first, but by the end, I felt like...well..."ehhh." I wanted to be grabbed here, like I was by the awesome cover, but I don't think I'll be adding this to my pull list.

The humour in this issue fell flat for me. This storyline, in fact, is falling flat. These villains, the support group...ehh. Bludhaven is a silly place.

Hints of the whereabouts of Alex Braith are here, and I hope that they lead somewhere, as I miss her presence in this series.

Things get fucking weird here, but I'm glad I stayed on this title...I want to see what happens next.

I feel hesitant to give this too poor a mark, because there was some okay things here, like some of Belanger's art, but I was utterly lost, and the shit going kept getting weirder and weirder, leading into a direction with the ending that doesn't really interest me. I'm out.

I really liked this. It has an intriguing opening sequence for which we get no explanation this issue, but that's okay. It has a charming sequence with Miles and Ganke and a girl Miles is crushing on. The premise of another Miles existing in this universe is an interesting one, though it takes a bit of effort to combat alternate universe fatigue. But the killer is Sara Pichelli's gorgeous art. This issue reads, and looks, really great. I had a lot of fun reading it.

I really liked the first issue, but this issue...what's the point? We were left with a cliffhanger, as Peter looks shocked, stunned to discover...a Google search that goes nowhere! I like the rapport between the Spider-Men, but aside from being pretty to look at, there's not much to this issue. And...Peter only 3 years older than Miles? What the fuck is that?

This series is pretty muddled. After a strong first ish, it hasn't really gone anywhere. This month we get a flashback explaining Miles' father's background, which was pretty entertaining in its own right; it doesn't really seem like it should be the centerpiece to a 5-part story. There's a serious lack of momentum going on, and, as for the central conflict/idea of the story, I don't care so much.

This series was a dud. In a weird way it doesn't even seem like there a big stakes here, as I guess the big thing in this series is Miles coming to terms with his identity. And the ending, pencilled by Mark Bagely, made me cringe a bit (due to both the content and Bagley's art). Even the Sarah Pichelli art in this issue seems below her usual standards. Not recommended.

"Strangers in Paradise" suffers from heavy, heavy exposition--it starts with Katchoo in a dire situation, and then reels back how we got there. But it is so text-heavy, I felt like I was reading a synopsis. My interest revived somewhat with the brief introduction/mash-up with "Rachel Rising," but it only kind of made me wish I was reading something as good as that series instead. I don't have a long background with the "Strangers" characters, having read most of the first super-thick omnibus of the original series (40 or so issues), and I must say I enjoyed "Motor Girl" and "Rachel Rising" more than I am this. It seems sorta dated to me. Anyway, Moore's art is gorgeous, so it's worth it for that, but I gotta say this series is sort of just "pretty good" so far.

This comic isn't bad, but it didn't hook me enough to come back for the rest of the series. I liked the premise of the "haunted" characters, and the ending is pretty damn cool, but some of Sharpe's dialogue seems awkward ("the rutting of the beast with two backs"...ugghhhh) and I really felt the folklore stuff to overly wordy and overly full of goblins or whatever, which is not really what I was looking for coming in. If you're into the Celtic folk stuff, this series probably has a lot to offer, but it's not my bag right now.

Really fun book so far.

The art was a giant step down. Without Will Robson, I was left asking, "Why am I reading this?" The story did not do much for me.

I'm kind of torn on "The Weatherman." I wasn't really liking it, and I was kind of feeling that it was boring, and kind of decided to just flip through the rest of it. But when I saw what happened, I was like "Oh shit, I better read this!" The premise is sort of interesting, but the mystery of what happened didn't really even play that big a part here. Halfway through the book I decided I was going to drop it, but now I'm on the fence. I'll read issue #2 to see where this goes.

This is alright. I dunno. I'm going to keep reading it, but nothing in this first issue was really captivating. The music thing was sort of dumb. I'm gonna stay on, but this book is kind of on a short leash.

This is pretty underwhelming in terms of being an enjoyable comic in its own right; what we have instead here is a reset of the status quo, an issue of exposition that employs the overplayed trope of Kitty returning home and reflecting on change. I also found the artwork to be very spotty. The scene with Lady Deathstrike and, uh...Carla is horribly drawn. Oh well. I'm going to give the new X-books a chance, but this isn't an overly promising start.

I liked this issue. Jen's new client suggests an interesting story to come, and I absolutely loved Nico Leon's art here. The pace is slow, as Jen doesn't actually become Hulk here, and I'm okay with that. I guess what feels weird is that this fragile, damaged version of Jen is unlike any other iteration of her I've read. Like the opposite. Exploring PTSD with a comic character is an interesting idea, given the trauma many of these heroes go through, and perhaps having it affect Jen, so normally gregarious, underlines its damage. So it may feel a bit out of place, but I am definitely on board and excited to see where the series leads.

This book is interesting, but plodding in pace. I do want to know what follows, but hope that things pick up a bit from the slow build of the first two issues.

This series may be on a bit too slow of a burn, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless. Suspense is building as to just how Jen will behave when she finally does hulk out. Nico Leon's pencils are great here, kind of reminding me of Adrian Alphona's Ms. Marvel work. The book looks really sharp.

The story continues to burn slowly, but I didn't mind this issue. It digs deeper into what is going on with Maise and offers the promise that next issue, Jen shall surely hulk out. And I'm loving this Nico Leon art.

This series has been slow paced, to say the least, and I've been largely okay with that, but it is kind of grating here, where the first half of the book is a gratuitous flashback and the cover offers more than the interior delivers. It looks like we'll see Jen in Hulk form next issue, but on this one, I'm a bit annoyed by the delay.

Well, Jen finally hulks out, and it's pretty underwhelming. I've enjoyed Nico Leon's art in this series, but it seems pretty bare and rushed in the fight scene. After all this slow build up, this barely feels like a resolution, as, well, nothing is really resolved. Maise goes to jail. Whatever. I gave this six issues, but the fascination it held for me in the beginning has turned to impatience. I'm dropping this book.

I dropped this title after the first arc, but not fast enough to avoid getting this one, so, yeah. The story was kind of annoying. Thanks for the meaningless Hellcat visit. Jen herself has outworn her welcome for me. And the guy makes the toxic (or whatever) cake after his boyfriend watches some dude pour green stuff out on the ingredients, so...this comic has wasted my time for the last time and I don't really like Jen Walters anymore and I'm not reading this lame nothing-ever-happens book again.

There's nothing that wrong with this book...Stefano Caselli's art is great; I enjoy Riri Williams; but it's pretty much superhero origin crafting by rote... and of course the spectre of what happened to Tony Stark looms over all.

Good issue, even though not much happens...the art is stellar, and Riri is a likeable character so far. I did raise a cynical eye at the editor asking where the Riri cosplay pics were, for this character in her second issue who we are just getting to know. Marvel really wants Riri-mania to happen, it's clear, but need to just let the character evolve, not force the issue...

I know it's fashionable to hate on Bendis right now, and it's true that "Civil War II" was an unmitigated disaster, but I was genuinely charmed by this issue. Bendis dialogue and characterization are on; I enjoyed Riri's interaction with AI Tony and Pepper. Also, Stefano Caselli is a damn fine artist. His "acting," the facial expressions of the characters, is dead on, and the montage of Ironheart fighting various villains while arguing with (again) AI Tony looked great. Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this issue.

This was the first issue where there was more action than character building, and the result is a comic that is just okay. I'm not sold on the protagonist, but I like Riri so I'm going to stay on.

Good issue, but I didn't like it as much as the previous issues. First, the selfie cover reminds me of the Oscar Awards selfie, and please, Marvel, don't do that. I missed projection-Tony Stark, and this Inhuman villain was as bland and generic as every other Nuhuman...Nu-Inhuman...whatever. It still has knock out art and I thought the scene in the first half of the book with Riri's mom was well done.

This issue was enjoyable, if a bit heavy on Riri being gobsmacked to be in the position she is now because ohmygod. A big help in issues like this where not a lot happens is Stefano Caselli's art, which is just great, and always helps this title stand out.

Riri continues to be a pretty charming character, and her chemistry with A.I. Tony continues to provide fun moments. Bendis effectively uses flashback scenes to develop Riri's character. And Stefano Caselli really delivers on art. "Invincible Iron Man" continues to quietly be a pretty damn good comic.

Fun issue with Riri subbing in as Queen of Latvaria. This is silly, of course, but an enjoyable read. Caseli kills it on art once again.

This series has been pretty damn good, but this issue is a disappointment. It's basically a space/time-filler before the Legacy relaunch next month, and it reads like filler. The women of Tony's life gather to discover he's not a total asshole after all! I found the multiple artists here jarring--they really took me out of the book. When your regular artist is Stefano Caselli, any drop in quality is shocking. There are a few pages of anime style big eyes near the end and I was like, "Nope. No no no." This is probably just a blip in the quality radar, but there's nothing that will be missed from skipping this issue.

I was reading this when I stopped and thought just how much I like the cast of this comic, and how great it could be if they keep Victor (and Maleev!) involved in the Iron Man universe. Caselli's art is great, and there is a cool, genuine sense of mystery over where Tony has gone. Strong work.

This issue looks pretty and is interesting, even if it feels a bit like treading water. I found the opening with Victor and his discovery interesting, but the whole bit with Riri's shit being stolen was kind of pointless. The art from Caselli, and especially Maleev, is pretty great here. And the ending suggests the story will be making a bigger advancement with the next issue--I only hope Bendis has enough time to give this big story he's crafted over the last few years properly.

This issue is not good. The first few pages are beautiful to look at, but very little of interest happens here. Doom falls to the Wrecking Crew, who seem to me like goons who are not at Doom's level. And Riri is going to get her armour back. And Tony is still missing! The thrills never end...

"The Search for Tony Stark" is a dud. At this point, I don't really give a fuck where Tony is, I know he'll be back for his relaunched title in a couple months. So we get to watch Victor being bested by a host of clownish b-villains, and Riri make friends, and it looks nice, but man, Bendis' Iron Man story is flaming out. Wasted potential from what was a really intriguing storyline a few months ago.

Umm...Part 7 in this endlessly boring tale of "where is Tony Stark?" I'm waiting for the 2020 sequel, "Tony Stark is Missing Again: Dare You Give a Fuck?" I don't really care about this at all. It's kind of crummy to see the two Bendis' titles on Victor and Riri succumb to this...boringness? I'm even thinking of opting out of the new Dan Slott Iron Man title, because...enough of this guy. Which is a weird way to think when he actually hasn't been here for a year. Except, oh yeah, his a.i. self was here, so it was like he was never gone...And then Leonardo! Fuck off, Bendis. Yeah, I didn't like it.

I was shocked and disappointed when I first heard Bendis was leaving Marvel (my faith even surviving "Civil War II), but after his farewell tour, I'm kind of like...thank fuck. This issue is woeful. It's like Bendis just sweeps all his post Civil War II Iron Man work away in an issue that substitutes solid storytelling with an absolute fuckload of exposition via dialogue. Riri and Victor have been the subject of some great comics in the last year or so, but she is nowhere to be found and Victor has the entire post-Secret War slate supposedly reversed. And, and Rhodey is alive again, because exactly no one was clamouring for his return, but, back to square one. I think I'm so turned off by this horseshit that I am considering skipping out on Slott's Iron Man relaunch. If you enjoy comics that are good and make sense, please do not read this.

After a few iffy issues this book is really picking up steam...loved the surprise ending.

I really liked this issue; it may be a slow burn, but for me, the intrigue continues to build. I must say I am fascinated by the machinations of Hydra-Cap, and Spencer's story is offset by awesome Jesus Saiz art. This is shaping into a strong series.

This issue was interesting, but ultimately fails to deliver, unless the purpose is to get me to grow more annoyed by Maria Hill. Her closing argument/presentation/blackmail attempt (?) stretched credulity to the point of seeming a parody (as anything referencing the building of a wall must now seem). At least this leads to the verdict which is...oh, yeah. Okay. No verdict. Right. This is a step back.

I have been fascinated by the idea of a Hydra-agent Cap moreso than the actual execution of the idea. It seems to have led to a lot of issues in which we get to see characters gathered...to talk. And talk. Occasionally captivating, all too often boring. I feel that Spencer is a bit too in love with having his characters debate, give speeches, and converse. This is not all bad, of course, except that there is no action to offer a reprieve from it. And the art here was pretty substandard. Jesus Saiz' name is on it, but I can't see anything here that looks like his art. Disappointing issue.

Continues to raise the stakes of Cap's villainy. Jesus Saiz makes it look great. The dark intrigue is building to a boil before "Secret Empire" begins.

This series has, after it's shocking intro, been all about the slow build, and that doesn't change here. That said, I found it interesting, and while this book isn't the same without Jesus Saiz, Javier Pina fills in admirably.

I liked the focus on Zemo here...his scenes questioning Bob in the apartment are well done. The art here is a good fill in for Jesus Saiz...Ted Brandt and Ro Stein give this book a nice look. Relentlessly, we march towards "Secret Empire," but this issue of the series was one of the better ones.

Each issue of this book threatens redundancy by only being a lead up to "Secret Empire," but this issue was intriguing nonetheless, as Hydra's forces consolidate. An interesting ending has me looking forward to the next issue.

It's not bad. It's fine. The art isn't terrible. It's passable. I'm just tired of endless set-up and want the goddam story to begin already. So, there you go.

Well, I read "Secret Empire" #0 first, so...whatever. Now that the event is started, can we finally be done with the fucking flashbacks of young Hydra Steve? I wonder if I need to even keep buying this in the midst of "Secret Empire." I have decided that I don't need to know anything the main title doesn't tell me.

Exposition! Filling in gaps! Characters acting against type! Heavy-handedness! Shitty, substandard art! It's "Steve Rogers: Captain America," the title that always leaves me with the question, why the fuck am I reading this?

A not-quite but sorta terrible issue. Steve goes full-fascist, grimacing and pounding his fist in a speech warning all others they shall fall in Hydra's wake if they do not comply. I thought it was a bit over-done. I did like the appearance from Black Panther, which provided the highlight of the issue. I don't think Steve has been characterized consistently over this event, sometimes earnestly wishing the world would see the truth he knows in some, sometimes a finger-wagging, overblown tyrant, like here. The art rose a bit above the wretched levels of the last couple of issues at least. So, yeah, it only kinda sucked.

I've enjoyed Muse as a villain, and found this storyline enjoyable, but my interest in this particular issue flagged a bit with its focus on Blindspot.

This is an interesting issue. Coming off of the fantastic last arc, this deals with the fallout. "Matt Murdock" has placed a bounty on Daredevil's life, and I'm not sure why. Is it only to draw out foes to beat them senseless in guilty rage? I assume that there is more to it than this, but this is pure speculation.

This is my favourite "Daredevil" issue in a long time. I was hesitant about this whole thing of Matt putting out a hit on himself, and for a while though I was dealing with the "I Am Suicide" Daredevil edition, but Charles Soule masterfully handled the back half of this comic to remind me why Daredevil is an awesome character. That he was always trying to stop Bullseye's bullet was a great touch. This is an excellent comic.

This was a riveting issue. It was cool to see The Purple Man, who I don't really know from the comics so much as "Jessica Jones" on Netflix. But he is terrifying here as he was there. The ending of this issue leaves me hanging on anxiously for the next. Charles Soule seems to have Daredevil down, and Ron Garney's raw art style is the perfect fit for this character and this story. Impressive stuff.

Ehh. I didn't really like this issue. No real depth or insight on Matt from Charles Soule here. Maybe the whole thing was marred for me by the art, which was pedestrian at best. Where's Ron Garney? It's not terrible, but it's mediocre.

The end of all crime in NY! Because the legal system! Um, yeah, Matt...let's get serious. This issue was kind of not great. I found the idea of Matt dancing around acting out action scenes for Echo to be a bit ludicrous. Not really a super-fan of Sudzuka's art, especially after Garney. Can't say I'm exactly looking forward to this plotline.

This comic, and the premise behind it, are fucking stupid. Matt's thinking that having heroes testify in court will stop crime is ridiculous, as is the idea of someone anonymously testifying in a uniform. The idea of having Matt prove he's Daredevil for the court is a dumb gimmick. The defence attorney is a cliche, as are all the other courtroom players. The Sudzuka art is average at best. I am thinking I need to just drop this title and come around when Charles Soule is gone. I hated this.

This was pretty good. Drawn by the much maligned Greg Land, I thought the issue looked sharp. My only concern is a bit of fatigue with the Weapon X program. The other books promised a lighter tone, and I know that the same can't be done with this rogues gallery, but it will have to go in some different directions for me to be in for the long haul. But I'm giving it a shot.

The story itself, and the antagonists, are a bit stale, but I did enjoy the action of this issue. I also liked the introductory characterization of Warpath. I will like this book a little more when the characters are able to face a different threat than weapon x scientists; I don't know if it's going there, but I liked this enough to hang on for a bit to see.

This is pretty run-of-the-mill mutant stuff; not terrible, but not interesting either. Now, leading into a crossover with "Totally Awesome Hulk," I'm bailing out on this series.

It's a bit tough to judge this issue objectively with the Ardian Syaf controversy raging; I wanted to dislike his artwork here more than I did. But this was a surprisingly refreshing X-Men comic. It doesn't tread new ground in any way, but is comfortable and hits some pretty good character notes. Kitty phasing an entire building was a neat concept, but isn't portrayed artistically in an interesting. The now-departed (after 2 more issues) Syaf did a good job, for the most part, except showing he has no idea what softball is or how it's played. Is that cricket? Is that what cricket looks like? Guggenheim's voice is pretty solid here, though Storm's angst over the fate of the Inhumans made me role my eyes (please...no more Inhumans...please!). Overall, good enough to keep me on board.

This is the conclusion to a first arc that was pretty much mutants-by-numbers storytelling, with average art and a lack of compelling opponents. It's not terrible, but it's not anything more than mediocre. The only really interesting scene is the final one. The line-up is strong, but I have questions about Marc Guggenheim's ability to make these characters stand out. I'm going to see if this improves when the new art team shakes out, but so far it's a distant second to "X-Men Blue" in terms of telling compelling mutant tales.

The sentinels are dealt with much more interestingly in Cullen Bunn's "X-Men Blue" than they are here, in another just okay issue of "X-Men Gold." It's pretty much by-the-numbers X-Men here; despite having the flashier team, this book's stories are much less interesting. I was intrigued by the cover, but the return of Gambit doesn't amount to much. It's not bad, it's just...meh.

When I saw the cover to this I thought, "Aw, fuck, the Sentinels." I didn't really like issue #4, but things picked up for me here in what I found to be the strongest issue in the series to date. Marc Guggenheim's writing seemed a little sharper and I enjoyed the artwork of R.B. Silva. The team had a good rapport in this issue and Kitty got to stretch her leadership muscles. A pleasant surprise.

Big battle issue, with random other Marvel heroes appearing in fight scenes. Rachel confronting her dead parents in her head. I wasn't as interested in her internal struggle as the author would like. She's not really a strong enough character to carry the issue. Other than a fleeting moment with Storm and Gambit, there's not much here.

I've got a pile of unread copies of "X-Men Gold" and "X-Men Blue" here, having a hard time staying on top of the relentless X-schedule. I haven't read since #4 or #5...? Anyway, I cut in with this issue, and it was...okay. It was okay. The Mojo bits were amusing, but having just finished reading it, I can't think of much that stood out, storewise. The Mike Matthew art looks good at times, other times pretty dicey. It kind of feels like someone attempting copy the vibe of X-Men books from the 90s rather than writing organic stories, which I guess is what it really is. So, yeah.

This is a really great looking book. Jesus Saiz' work on "Steve Rogers Captain America" was pretty great, and this painted style is really cool. The first few pages are exciting, as Stephen does some cool magic, and then....ehhh. It seems as if Mark Waid (or the editors) failed to read Jason Aaron's run, because he's lost the magic once again. Add in a heavy handed narration from Waid chronicling the magic-free life of Strange, and this issue really loses its way. Perhaps its greatest offence is how boring it is. Maybe Mark Waid is stretching himself thin writing, I don't know, 5-6 books, but this is really uninspiring.

The last issue left me unmoved, as It seemingly offered little that seemed new or different. But writer Mark Waid steps it up here with a much more interesting an issue, one defined by character interaction over heavy 3rd-person narration (still there, not as all-present as last issue though). I liked Talla (I think that’s it) as a companion for Stephen on his journey through space. This fun well-paced issue has definitely got me coming back for more after I was really uncertain about issue #1.

Doesn't reach the heights of the last two issues, but very solid

Solid fun, but lacking the charm of North and, er, Charm's first Jughead story with Sabrina.

This is a fun comic! It's like an old episode of "Scooby Doo"...in the best way!

I liked Robbi Rodriguez' art for the most part, but this felt a bit underwhelming. I don't know what the deal is with the power-ups, and the superhero with limited powers thing seems kind of played out. I added this to my reading list because I enjoyed issue 13, and in anticipation of her team up with Miles next issue, but on its own this did not really captivate me.

This issue is carried by the chemistry between Gwen and Miles, and Robbi Rodriquez' art. The character moments here are well done, as we see Gwen's loneliness alleviated by having Miles there. I'm not a fan of the Spider-Gwen universe, but this was a good book.

This issue was a disappointment. I loved the last part in "Spider-Man," but this really goes nowhere with an unwelcome appearance by the ubiquitous Ms. Marvel, who I really feel Marvel is overusing to the point of making her seem tedious. I also felt the Miles/Gwen connection didn't work nearly as well here. Also, the jokes and the dialogue fell flat for me. I think we're facing a situation where the Bendis issues of this crossover are excellent, and the Latour issues are...ehhhh.

This was a pretty good, but not really great conclusion to the Miles/Gwen team-up. I think we all knew the romantic element between them wouldn't really happen, but after the intriguing start in Bendis' "Spider-Man," it still seems a little underplayed. And now I must say goodbye, Spider-Gwen; I picked up this book for the crossover and now it is dropped.

Poor Nico Leon, having to waste his awesome art on this nothing story. Civil War II has destroyed this series. Total filler. And the cover is a sham. Where's Venom? Where's Spider-Man for that matter? What a waste of time.

The final few pages of the issue are interesting and seem relevant… The rest is more of Bendis repeating a scene we've already seen done in another comic...Except for the final pages this is a frustrating waste of time… please please please let this put the god awful disaster that was Civil War II to bed

This issue had me until the surprise twist, which fell flat for me. Great Pichelli art though.

This was a good issue, so welcome after this title was sucked into the black hole that was "Civil War II" for so long. The opening pages definitely hooked me, and I am interested to see Miles and Gwen interact.

I loved this issue! The showdown between Miles and his dad was intense and thrilling, and the Sara Pichelli artwork was absolutely fantastic! This issue looks totally great! And it is "good Bendis," personal, charming, and funny ("A girl that meets your inherent sense of self-loathing?") I'm totally into this storyline, and really like the Miles/Gwen chemistry. Fun stuff.

I really liked this character-driven issue, which slows things down after the time-travel mini-epic of the last few issues. It's a lot more grounded, and sincerely emotional look at Miles and his family. And I'm not sure where Szymon Kudranski is from, but he's great. I sighed when I saw Pichelli didn't draw this, but was very pleasantly surprised. This was really good.

Good issue, with Bazaldua doing a pretty good job with pencils (though the Pat Brown cover is not at all to my liking). I like the character moments, but Black Cat continues to be underwhelming as the crime boss of NYC.

Aside from the hideous cover (Howard Porter has got to go, sorry--his covers are terrible), this is a good issue. Miles is all dark, but this issue does a nice job with his supporting cast, trying to help him find perspective. The opening scene with Bombshell is well done, and Bendis actually has us consider the plight of the bad guy. Good fight action with Hammerhead here, as Oscar Bazalua does a fine job on pencils.

This was a good issue. I'm really liking Hammerhead as a nemesis, and it was awesome to see Golfballs go all-out here. The characterization in this series continues to be really strong, and Oscar Bazaldua's art is a great fit.

A solid, but more or less average issue. Nico Leon's art is nice, holding the issue up a bit higher than the plot (which is pretty standard fare) does. And, hey, a cover that has absolutely no contextual tie to the book inside! That's always neat!

This is a fun and exciting issue, as Miles is in a bit over his head in Japan. The action here is excellent, and Nico Leon is killer on art...I love the two-page spread after Miles falls through the roof into the room full of Inhuman Ninjas. Tomoe is an interesting adversary for Miles. And the scene with Miles mowing through all these Ninjas as his dad talks about Bruce Lee clearing through opponents was fun. Aside from the cover, which is done in a style that is really not for me, this was a really cool issue.

This is, by all standards, a disappointing comic. To call the new Sinister Six underwhelming would be an understatement--the jokey nature of this crew paints them as, well...a lame bunch of b-listers. Too much of this issue is their (boring) scheming. But nothing much happens after we switch to see Miles' goings on, either. This seems to be Bendis phoning it in--I have really liked his work, but this issue just tastes stale. Also, enough with the terrible Patrick Brown covers...they are beyond gaudy.

This series continues to sputter with this new Sinister Six plot, which is leaving me questioning how much I need to be reading this book. The opening with Ganke (Ned?) and his new girlfriend was interesting and funny, but the rest was just a bore, with tedious dialogue I had struggle not to just skim. And, sorry, these Patrick Brown covers are as gaudy as shit. Skip this.

This series has more or less been a major disappointment as of late, as the the whole Sinister Six thing is kind of run of the mill for me. This issue, while nothing spectacular, kept me interested enough to hang in till the surprise conclusion, which actually has me interested to read this next time, for the first time in a while.

Bendis' run on Miles Morales' "Spider-Man" seems to be ending with a whimper as opposed to a bang. This Sinister Six, possibly the most dull collection of villains ever, continue to...uh, steal stuff, and then the Champions come, and...I was pretty bored. The drama between Miles and his Uncle is not really interesting, largely because there is nothing special about his Iron Spider. If you asked me to summarize this plot, I'm thinking I might have trouble locating key points to highlight. Nothing much is happening here. Move along.

The final Bendis issue of "Spider-Man" serves as an analog of Bendis' illness this past year, which unexpectedly almost took his life. It's sentimental, but not overly so, and serves as a nice outdo to his Miles run. Thankfully the Sinister Six plot plays a minor role in this, and we see the people in Miles life rally around him. I really liked the ending with Ganke, Curiously, Miles himself seems to be stepping away from the role of Spider-Man, as Bendis himself is walking away from the character. I feel like I got on the Miles bandwagon too late, and missed most of the really great stories Bendis did with him, but I certainly appreciate the character and am curious to see where Marvel takes him next.

There are elements to "Man of Steel" that I really liked. What first caught my attention was the way Bendis created a credible and understandable conflict in just the opening couple of pages, and then I next was really thrilled by the page where Superman catches a stray song in his and tries to focus on it, only before it is drowned out by the screams for help in Metropolis. It shows his fantastic powers and humanizes him at the same time. Perhaps this is just a small sample of the kind of writing Bendis can bring to the character.nIvan Ries' art was great. I'm pleasantly surprised here. I felt that Bendis generally went down with a thud at Marvel, but I'm excited to read more!

Hey, what's going on with Lois Lane?! I don't really care, which made this issue less than thrilling for me. It is still generally well-written, because it is Bendis, but nothing much of any consequence happens here (because it is Bendis). We see more of the staff of The Daily Planet (Holy shit! Newspapers are in trouble!), but I don't really care about Jimmy or Perry, or the Planet, or whatever. I realize that makes a pretty poor review, and that I'm a Marvel guy, but at many points since "Rebirth" I really enjoyed Superman stories with Jon and Lois; so this is okay, but nothing about it is captivating me and making me care like some of those comic did.

I liked this issue of "Man of Steel," a powerful, action-packed, fast-paced issue that also packs an emotional punch as key parts of Superman's history and heritage are destroyed. This Rogol Zaar dude is kind of plagued by 1990s design, but Bendis certainly does a nice job of establishing him as a threat, if not a unique, distinct character. And Ryan Sook's art was really cool. I don't know how much of him I've seen before, but I'll keep an eye out for him now.

This isn't bad, but it isn't very interesting either. "Man of Steel" is kind of falling flat for me. The villain (Rogor Zaar) is kind of a dud, and, despite Bendis' arrival, there doesn't seem to be much of a point for this series. It's like just another Superman story, not something really warranting a mini-series delivered weekly. It's pretty flat.

I really liked this! It's totally weird, and there are a lot of unanswered questions, but it is an emotional, suspenseful, well-paced comic. If that is Ozymandias with the cloak and weird staff, though, what's up with the cloak and weird staff? Anyway, good stuff!

This was pretty good. Strangely enough, for all the excitement over Marvel's Fresh Start, this is kind of less entertaining than the 16-week mega-event that proceeded it. Still, it was entertaining enough, and Ed McGuinness' art was way more solid--not just solid, but cool--than I expected. The cover is a bit iffy so I didn't know what to expect. This was certainly sweeping in scope, and I'm pretty cool with the new line-up, except that She-Hulk's action-less, excitement-less solo title wearied me on PTSD Jen. Good idea, frustrating execution on that series. But, overall, this comic book was enjoyable.

"Avengers" #2 was a pretty solid issue. The Avengers are scattered across the globe battling celestial villains, which I'm sure will ultimately lead to a giant team formation issue. I liked the Robbie Reyes bits; I haven't really read much of the character since the first six or so issues of his original series a couple of years ago. I'm not sold on She-Hulk; I don't think it's ever been explained why Jen hulks out in the more traditional sense now, becoming dumb and brutish. We know she has PTSD, but I think this change warrants more of an explanation than that. And Loki's back, in a more traditionally evil garb. Good book. But I miss "No Surrender."

I'm not really into this series, or this team, so far. The story seems surprisingly flat from Aaron, who doesn't seem to have the handle on making each character of the team stand out. I guess I am also tired of these team books with enormous stakes all the time, especially since we're coming off a 16 issue space extravaganza. I liked that book more than this one. One other thing that irked me is this iteration of She-Hulk, or just Hulk now...her personality and humour was always the best thing about her, but now she's Hulk-dumb. I dunno. It's not terrible, certainly a solid book, but I don't think it stands out in any way.

I kind of came into this issue thinking this series has been kind of a disappointment so far, but I ended up really enjoying this one. I still don't know when Jen Walters turned into a traditional Banner-type Hulk, but it's not really annoying me any more--the moment she breathes/kisses life into Thor was cool. I just was pretty captivated from the start to the finish. The art was pretty solid--I liked it, though in some panels I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking at. Overall, I like the cast, this story is getting more interesting, so ... I'm on board of this thing.

This was interesting. I have no clue what is going on, but I want to know, so, to that end, it's an effective first issue. The standout is the great art of Greg Hinkle, who was amazing on "Airboy," and looks like he'll get an equal chance to shine here.

I don't really have any idea what is going on here, but at least it was not boring. I understand that the writers are purposefully unveiling the story slowly, but I'm not sure if I'm down for a whole arc of this confusion. I am coming back for issue 3, in any case.

Ehhh. After 3 issues, I suppose we get some kind of direction on what this story will be about, with the war or whatever, but not enough for me. It looks pretty good, but I just am not feeling the story. The narrative isn't giving me enough. The more I read of Jason Latour's writing, the more I am convinced it's just not for me. I love his art on "Southern Bastards," but this is just confusing me and not paying off for me.

The credulity of the love at first sight angle seems questionable, but Robinson and Feister made this entertaining enough to bring me back for the next issue. This is a pretty fun comic.

My only Judge Dredd memories are reading some Simon Bisley issues---never really left an impression, except maybe being kinda weird. But, seeing Mark Russell doing this intrigued me, and I checked it out. It's okay. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet. I'm hoping that Russell will flesh things out more in the upcoming issues. The art was solid, pretty nice. This didn't blow my mind, but I'm interested enough to put it on my pull list.

That was different. I am not a Man-Thing fan, but was curious enough to give this a try. It reads like a 70s-80s comic with the 3rd person narration, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing (though some of the jokes were groan-inducing...like an old comic). At 42, I think I'm too old to have read any "Goosebumps," but this left me entertained enough to try issue 2 as well.

Well-done, but formulaic sci-fi. The boy's loneliness and his relationship with Q interested me more than the particle mining and attacking bug things.

Great issue, highlighted by outstanding art from Barravecchia and Rosen...the rich and creepy details bring out the horror of the Witch's Road. Great depiction of this magical realm.

It seems after all this Wanda's mother is gone, leaving many secrets behind; I'm not sure if this isn't a bit of a cheat. What truly dragged this issue down, however, was the art, which was shockingly sub-standard for a Marvel comic.

Al things considered, for a pointless tie-in, it was actually quite amusing. I'm done with "Monsters Unleashed" cross-overs, but this is not at all a bad comic.

After last issue's heavy events, a change of pace is due--it's just not that interesting or funny

I enjoyed this issue as a close-up of Misty Night. Her narration and the look at her past was fun. It would have been better had she faced a real threat instead of the cheesy Slug with his silly ploy to exploit women; Misty is painted as a real badass, but Spencer throws her at a third-rate foe. I did enjoy the glimpse of Rosario Dawson/Claire.

This attempted parody of right wrongheadedness and leftist extremism is overly simplistic and silly. The art is pedestrian The colouring is an orange-tinged muck. This is not a good comic.

After a few issues dealing mostly with the supporting cast, Sam Wilson returns to the forefront here, and the result is a very strong issue. Sam deals with the weight of doing right as Captain America, suppress the truth to avoid turmoil or unveil the corruption of the system. This issue takes on a bit of added weight in the fact that the advice of Steve Rogers may be in the service of H.Y.D.R.A.'s interests. Deep issue, aided also by the return of Daniel Acuna, whose art is superb here.

This is a pivotal part to the main plot of "Secret Empire," so perhaps that is where this story should have taken place, as the tides are finally starting to turn. A good read with good art.

This is an interesting, if unspectacular issue. I haven't read "The Flash" since dropping it 7-8 issues after Rebirth, due to a revolving door of artists and a basic failure to really connect with the character. But of, course, I'm back for "The Button." After the spectacular comic that was "Batman" #21, I thought a lot of that would carry over, but that was distinctly a Batman comic and this is distinctly a Flash comic. I've always been more of a Marvel than DC fan, so maybe this issue has greater significance to DC diehards.

I dropped "The Flash" after about 10 issues, frustrated by the inconsistencies in having various artists. But I picked it up for "The Button" and, seeing Di Giandomenico was back on for this issue, decided to stick. It's pretty good. I really enjoyed the opening sequence with the hall of Flashes, which was pretty cool. It slows down a bit as Barry remains lost in thought about recent events, but picks up and builds to an exciting ending that ensures I'm staying on board. I don't like Williamson's writing for DC quite as much as I did "Nailbiter," but when he and Di GIandomenico are together, it's hard to miss. I'm sticking with it.

"The Button" brought me back on board with "The Flash," and I'm glad to be back. This issue was really good, and felt really high stakes, the prelude to a big Flash storyline. I love Di Giandomenico's art on this character. Question: when Hal forms a bar and bottles and glasses with his ring for he and Flash to sit at, are real drinks created by his ring? Or is it all props?

Yeah, I dunno, I don't wanna hate, but, I didn't really like this...I didn't really dislike it either, I just am not very into it. There's too much going on for me to care about much of it. But Porter's art was pretty good.

I haven't read an issue of "The Flash" in a while, but decided to give this one a try. First off--the cover is seriously awesome. The power of Grodd here is imposing. Next, it was a pretty good read--there is one moment in the book where things get eerily quiet and the atmosphere established by Williamson and Di Giandomenico is really creepy. As always, when Di Giandomenico draws this, it becomes a much more dynamic book. The ending has me looking forward to a very cool arc.

Ehhhhhh....

I'm enjoying the post-Civil War II Marvel landscape (mainly because the train wreck that was Civil War II is over) and this is no exception. I kind of enjoy Ms. Marvel in non world threatening situations, and I enjoyed this move in that direction. And Tekeshi Miyagawa is awesome on art.

As I opened this, I did so without a lot of excitement; with her (over) exposure in other Marvel comics lately, I just think I am starting to suffer from some Kamala Khan fatigue. But this issue was a good read. Wilson has been a bit heavy handed with the messages that seem to come part and parcel with Ms. Marvel stories lately, but the book's heart is in the right place, and Takeshi Miyagawa draws a hell of a comic, so much so that I almost don't miss Adrian Alphona. I kind of wish I could read it without feeling trapped in an after school special, but also realize that the book is reaching for younger readers to whom the messages may not seem so blunt. Overall, it's still enjoyable and still on my pull list.

This is a fantastic issue. While some writers seem to portray a caricature of what Kamala is, Willow Wilson delivers her in all her charm and earnest desire to do the right thing. This storyline has been a really great one...I almost forget all about "Civil War II" when I am reading it! And Takeshi Miyagawa kills it on art. This is one of those issues that makes me remember why this character was so original and so great in the first place.

This was a great arc with a not-so-great finale. For all the threat that was built over the last 4 issues, it is dismissed by...playing nice? It takes a complex idea and over-simplifies it. But oh well. Still looked great.

Filler issue with a misleading cover. Does nothing to address the rift between Bruno and Kamala. When it comes to solo Bruno tales, I just don't care.

Goddammit. I want to like this...I'm not Marvel hater, I collect more than three times as many Marvel titles than DC, because I just like their characters more...I disagree with all those who say there is nothing of quality coming from the company any more. But this was frustrating. It was cold, sterile. Hydra-like I guess. It just seemed unexciting, despite the high stakes. I suppose that's not all Spencer's fault. I'm just not moved by scenes where the entirety of the Marvel universe engages in battle all at once, because these are essentially boring scenes. And, for whatthefuck moments: either Tony Stark is back from the coma or his AI has eyes and vengeful looks...and, when the Avengers assemble, is that the original Hulk jumping with the team?! It's not Amadeus Cho, because he's pictured with the Champions in the following panel. He's not red hulk. Fuck, man, these are continuity basics. And the Defenders are a team, as of now I guess? It looked good. And I'm going to buy the rest of it, because I need to know (or am a twisted masochist)...It'll pick up. It'll have awesome art by Yu and Sorrentino and McNiven. It can't be as bad as "Civil War II," right? Right?

This issue isn't bad, really; it is, more than anything else, a little boring. Hydra has somehow taken over America to the point where their revised history is taught in schools, and those who love freedom are on the run. It makes more sense as an alternative reality, but this is real Marvel universe (I don't know what to call it since "Secret Wars"). There's just a lot of talking here; Cap feels sad, because he's really a good guy still despite being a Naz--er, Hydra leader. Tony's A.I. is disillusioned, because I guess artificial intelligences have feelings too? So, yeah. Rick Jones is assassinated to show Hydra is really evil. Odinson some other Avengers fight for Cap for some reason. Well, it looks good, anyway. Here's to only 8 more issues, Andrea Sorrentino art next issue, and the promise (hope?) that something more interesting will happen.

A shocking ending contributes largely to my grade here, as it makes the issue come full circle, and offers so much intrigue in what is yet to come. A little less grand in scope than the first two, this shows dividing lines between the characters. Sorrentino's artwork is a bit better suited to something more insular like "Old Man Logan," but make no mistake, this issue still looks fuckin' great. I did, on occasion, find the characters looked a bit too similar. I wanted to like the first two issues, and was frustrated to find I didn't, really, but I'm happy to say this series is trending upwards.

I'm warming up to this series by just kind of letting it all go...looking at this as a story that's happening and ignoring the illogical elements or the fact it seems totally out of sync with every other Marvel book I'm reading (I am avoiding the crossover issues, though). I thought the Scarlet Witch-led underground Champions was cool, as was the ending, even though I'm not sure who it is Frank is taking down because Sorrentino's characters sometimes look the same. Despite this complaint, the art is great. Rod Ries' fill-in scenes don't seem out of place because they are all scenes with alternate-Steve. One question: does A.I.-Tony Stark get cold, or does he put on a hoody in Dakota just to fit in?

Well, it can't be denied that this series is a shit-show. I still don't really understand the motivations behind anyone being on the side they are, and A.I. Tony just acting like a normal dude, leading the defiance, really, still irritates me. But I love an old-school Avengers dinner scene where the sparks fly! This was weird, but I liked Ultron/Pym here. Lienil Yu's art wasn't quite up to his usual standards, but it was still plenty good. For a book with so much stuff going on, at least I was entertained.

What saved this issue was an ending that genuinely took me by surprise. Shock ending(s) notwithstanding, this issue moves along at a rather slow pace. There are still five issues left and an epilogue, but I can't help wondering why this whole thing couldn't be done in, say, 6-7 total issues. There is a surplus of characters, but because of this they don't really get deep characterization. That being said, I am interested in reading #6.

Another frustratingly inconsistent issue; it wasn't bad, but there were parts (heroes arguing with each other) I just wanted to flip through. I liked the Cap/Banner part, and then the Hulk part. Curious characterization continue to be problem. I don't know why Odinson is doing this. It's like they are all chess pieces that are moved around in whatever role they need to be to service the plot. I did like Yu's art. But why does A.I. Tony grow a beard? I get his whole consciousness is now A.I., as the book tries to explain, but...sigh. Okay.

Another issue of "Secret Empire," and a whole bunch of stuff going on. The plot is building up, and it's getting more exciting, but I still have trouble with the series initial premise. Sorrentino's pages look great, but his action scenes can be a little confusing. Not great, but pretty good.

Suffers from what the whole series has so far: too many characters, too busy, too much dialogue. That being said, it, like the other issues, has a killer surprise ending. The art is a bit average, but those who found all of this too gloomy will be pleased to see the heroes refuse to quit in their battle against Hydra. Inconsistent, but also with some pretty good parts.

I'm a little torn on this. After a build-up that seemed at times to take forever, the ending seems rushed. So many questions are left unanswered. Kobik reinstating a better reality seems like an unimaginative way to conclude. But good Steve picked up Thor's hammer and knocked the shit out of evil Steve, yo! This issue is receiving a lot of condemnation and vitriol, and, yes, I am a sucker, but I generally liked it. It was a wildly inconsistent event, but Spencer and Steve McNiven did a great job here in delivering an utterly predictable but cheer-worthy ending. I know that, all things considered, I probably shouldn't like this, but what the fuck; I liked it!

Solid issue...Kirk's head/face sometimes looks peculiar, as Chris Pine seems to pose particular trouble for artist Shasteen

Good issue with an ending leaving me anxious to read the next... like any comic where the artist is trying to mimic the faces of actors, the art occasionally comes off a little wonky, for the overall look is good and this is a fun comic.

The first arc of this series concludes with the Borg battling Spock, whose unique nature makes him immune to assimilation. The defeat of the Borg seemed a bit too easy here, but the fact that they will return en masse reestablishes the idea that they are a huge threat. The art of Tony Shasteen keeps getting better; I though some of his renderings of the actors faces seemed unnatural in the first few issues, but that's not a problem here. The overall art is stellar in this issue. Mike Johnson has the voices down for these characters as well. I'm excited for this series! But gimme more McCoy!

I love this series! I thought "Star Trek Beyond" was the best of the new trilogy, and I'm psyched that I get to follow their adventures every month. As a big fan of the movie, it goes without saying that I was excited to see Jaylah enter the series; I'm not sure if the structure of this story robs a bit of suspense from it, or if it all kind of reverse builds to an awesome final page that wouldn't have the same impact if the story were told chronologically. Probably the latter, because I loved that last page. This title is a must for fans of Star Trek, or just fans of good comics.

Generally solid, well written issue that has some major problems on art. Simply put, Megan Levens pencils were barely adequate. A good read, but not going as boldly as it did over the first arc.

This series hasn't proven to be spectacular, though showing hints that it could be at times in the first arc, but it is solid. I did enjoy this read, although the art isn't up to the level of Tony Shasteen's work on 1-4. Solid, unspectacular, but worth keeping up on just so I can check in with these characters every month.

This issue explores Spock and Uhura's relationship, and their suitability to each other as human and Vulcan mates. It does so in the backdrop of a plot which stresses the differences between the two species. Not great, but pretty good. Tony Shasteen returns some stability to the art.

The art in this issue is just not for me--I like cartoony artwork at times, but this looked like stills from a cartoon from the 70s. It totally threw me off, and there was not enough there with the story to keep me hanging on. This series is listing a bit.

Mercifully the last chapter in an arc that has been uneven, at best. This story was just silly (Han/Leia racing across the destroyer; floating outside it in space with only flimsy masks as protection). More disturbing to me, though, is Marvel allowing such substandard art in its bestselling title. The return to Ben Kenobi's journal and Salvador Latricia art next issue are sorely needed for this flagging book.

This issue is a pleasing turnaround from the last arc, which left me on the verge of dropping this title. I enjoyed C3PO spilling the beans on all his "exploits" in the opening pages and I found the introduction to the Yoda story amusing as well. And the art is a serious upgrade.

I enjoyed this issue. The mystery of the blue rock in the story had me interested, and I feel like I haven't spent time with Yoda in a long time. Though there's no way he lets himself be taken captive. Anyway, the art, for the most part, was crisp and strong, and this continues to be a nice change from the last arc, which I really found annoying.

This arc is shaping up well, as this issue begins to show how it might tie all together for Luke, Ben and Yoda. I really enjoyed this issue.

This is a weird arc that has been quite enjoyable for me. I have never been the biggest Yoda fan, but I am enjoying Jason Aaron's characterization of him here, and Salvador Larroca's art is top notch. The narrative trick of having Luke read this in Obi Wan's journal is a bit forced, but I am interested to see how this shapes out.

Underwhelming final issue in this Yoda-centric arc. Pretty anti-climactic. I've liked Salvador Larroca's art in this run, but this issue featured some of the most egregious use of photo-shopping I've ever seen in a comic. There are a couple of panels where Luke's face looks pasted on. Not good.

This doesn't quite have the pacing and charm of "The Screaming Citadel Part 1," but it is an interesting entry nonetheless. Aaron's writing doesn't seem to have quite the zest Gillen's did on the one-shot. The art is solid; a few blatant examples of photoshopping, but the book generally comes across correct.

The "Vader Down" crossover was really good, as was the "Screaming Citadel" one-shot, but this crossover has kind of fizzled out, in my eyes. This issue was okay, but I think I would have preferred this to be a Luke/Aphra solo team up story, without dragging in the supporting casts. I think the underlying problem is that Jason Aaron's "Star Wars" hasn't been consistently good in a very long time, leaving me to think he's running in place regarding interesting things to do with this property.

This was a really good issue of "Star Wars." I've been a big critic of this comic as of late, mostly finding it to be a big disappointment, but this one was a really fun, interesting read. I enjoyed the narrative style, as Leia reflects upon her current adventures through the veil of having lost her home world. Larroca's pencils are spot on...this book looked really good too. It's nice to see a simple one-shot that tells an impactful and meaningful story; here's looking to more of this in the future.

Fun, exciting issue, with strong art by Neves. I prefer his work to Jonboy Meyers'....I picked this series up to give it a try, and after 2 strong issues I am in for the long haul.

Damian remains a frustratingly inconsistent character, but I enjoyed the "Breakfast Club" style bonding and character building here. I'm sticking around to see what happens.

Nothing really bad here, except Damian being Damian. Being stubborn. Then learning. Then growing. To no doubt act stubborn and stupid again the next time the plot demands it. The other Teen Titans haven't really done anything to distinguish themselves in this series either. Maybe if I had a background with these characters I would feel differently, but I just don't care enough about them to continue past this arc. Oh, and Ra's al Ghul is a punk here. That was bad.

Interesting, action-packed book that nevertheless isn't quite grabbing me the way the rest of the Young Animal books are.

This was an interesting, fast-paced issue, with some powerful moments (Cave confronts the corpse, Mad Dog almost turns his gun on himself). It is visually interesting, as with the scene when one character has her head swiftly removed from her body. I must say, though, that I am not really sure what is going on with the ending, and the...milking? Yeah. So...

Not a lot happens in this issue but there's solid art and fun dialogue to make it worth the read

Solid issue. I like the intro flashback morphing into a nightmare with Rogue. This book seems set on the level of an always good, but not excellent, title for me.

This was a really fun issue. I liked seeing the creepy ways Red Skull used Xavier's power to infect the minds of the Avengers, and the battle between Cable and the Skull was interesting. The story is well plotted and the events here definitely heightened the stakes, with the Avengers about to run amok and Deadpool reloading with Wong and Spider-man. Very strong issue.

This series continues to impress with the Red Skull storyline. Skull is definitely an awesome foe with the telepathic mind of Charles Xavier, and he's delightful as the villain here. This book has action, a tight plot, and strong dialogue. Pepe Larraz's artwork also impresses here. It's a lot of fun to read.

Why am I always surprised that I enjoy this book so much? It's one of the most consistently enjoyable books Marvel is making right now, and this Red Skull storyline has been a big hit with me. And Kevin Labranda is a more than capable step-in artist. Really good stuff.

Things wind down after a pretty intense run of issues...it was a good read, although typical of the "let's go out to a bar and relax after saving earth/humanity" genre. Wonder Man is back, and I think, "I don't care, I've never even read a Wonder Man comic, so...not super excited for next issue, but this series has been reliably high quality so I'm in anyway.

While I'm enjoying the main event (well...mainly), this "Secret Empire" crossover clearly illustrates why event crossovers so often suck. It's just a fight against a black bubble and (yet another) portal opened to let in nameless, bland creatures. Jacinto's art is strong, but it's wasted on this boring, meaningless battle issue. I thought I was done with "Monsters Unleashed."

Great first issue...it's nice to see that Peter/Mary Jane relationship again, and Stegman's art is sweet. I liked Spidey trying to remember his grocery list mid-battle. A lot of fun. I'll be back for more.

I don't know if we need to see MJ dialect up to hero... this is OK, but I can't see this whole spider family thing going on too long before wearing thin.

I was (and am) a little wary of the idea of Mary Jane as super-heroine, but this issue charmed me with Annie May Parker getting the spotlight. This was fun.

I liked this. A good conclusion to the first arc. That being said, I don't know how much water the concept of a Spider-family fighting crime will hold in a continuing series. Given Peter's very nature, him allowing his daughter to be placed in danger continuously just doesn't jive. But it's fun enough for me to stay on for now.

This book is a bit too much over-the-top "fun"...it's kind of losing it's charm for me. It's getting a bit played out. And Stockman's art was too Saturday-morning cartoony for me.

This was the last issue pulled for me after I decided to drop this title, and, lo and behold, I really liked it. It's fun to see this old school, but different iteration of the X-Men. The whole concept of this book has kind of lost me, with Peter's whole family super-powered, but I'll probably try to get the rest of this X-Men storyline.

This is silly, but fun

This series is a whole lot of fun, and the team members have great chemistry. I like that the issues are more or less self-contained, a rarity in today's comic world. Humberto Ramos style is a great fit for the vibe of this book. "Champions" is one to look out for.

This issue continues in the social justice vein, but adds Gwenpool as...kind of a counterpoint, I guess? Anyway, they have to convince her to kind of think before blowing things up. One great aspect of the kind of one-off nature of this series means that she is gone; this is my first exposure to this character, and my response is a resounding "Ehhhh....."

This is a fun story during the team building paintball game, but as soon as the Freelancers come around, things thud to a halt. This group must be Mark Waid parodying childish supervillainy, mentally abusing homeless men. And framing the Champions for being...mean to the homeless, I guess. To destroy their public image. Meh.

I really enjoyed this issue until the last two pages, where Waid shifts the focus back on the Freelancers striking deep in the heart of the Champions by making them look like heartless land barons. It's kind of stupid, in my opinion. And I like Ms. Marvel in her own series...here, she's a little much, having a near mental breakdown over the group's reputation being disparaged on twitter. Oh well, there's nothing to do but sigh and wait for the next issue, because despite my complaints, it's still too good not to stick with. I'd just like Waid to tone down the overbearing social justice themes that have become this series' driving force.

This series is going south for me a bit. I honestly found this issue pretty annoying as the group gets upset over someone cashing in their brand, casting them as sell-outs. It seems...I don't know, trivial? Stupid? I like this group, and moments like Amadeus and Scott, but I still find the characterization of Kamala to be off here. In her own book, she is mature and thoughtful, in this book she has no control over her emotions and is just kind of annoying. Hopefully we can move on to something a bit more significant than the Champions image control.

Well, this was pretty good, my favourite "Champions" in a few issues. I liked the cab ride with Viv and the driver, and the Red Locust was entertaining enough, though I thought of "Kick Ass" for some reason. I kind of groaned when I saw that she will probably join the team as a permanent member, but, okay, whatever.

This issue uses a situation from "Secret Empire" to plunge the Champions (or 3 of them) into action; it turns out to be an okay issue, as they find their youthful optimism regarding the freeing of refugees disrupted by the complexities of the situation. It turns out to be a solid issue of a series that can be infuriatingly inconsistent.

"Curse Words" is a bit of a silly book, but Wizord seems like a fun character. I enjoyed the glimpse we got of his world, and I wonder just where he stands on an earthly moral scale. Is he evil, or just a superficial jerk?

This was okay. A come down from the first issue, though. I didn't care for the art, and the story was okay in fits and spurts. I don't know if I'm going to keep going with it. I'm on the fence.

I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but I enjoyed this nonetheless; it's building up to something, and my interest grew throughout the issue until the climax, which left me "Huh?" but again, excited to figure out what's happening. There are several of DCs heroes who don't have books currently popping up, which didn't excite me as much as I figure it excited DC heads, but it made this feel more exotic and interesting. As I a Marvel guy, I thought the deep-DC cast might be alienating, but that wasn't so. I may not know much about Hackman, but I've read the Outsiders and Mr. Miracle before. I expected the art changes to be jarring, and was surprisingly not jarred--the book looked good throughout. So, I am down with DCs first big event. This was a fun read.

I sort of liked 2 of the 3 parts of the story here, but found it was burdened by a lot of explanatory dialogue on ominous warning of darkness and destruction. And the narration during the Hackman part was boring mumbo-jumbo. That being said, I don't know shit about Hawkman...but this did not inspire me to learn more. The Jim Lee cover and his third of the art looked nice. So, yeah.

Intriguing story. A bit of a slow burn, but definitely interesting.

Well, that's it for the monthly issues. But I am going to follow this saga in the new Graphic Novel format.

Solid first issue.

This is a really fun comic. Doctor Aphra is a likeable lead, I think not in spite of, but because of her moral ambivalence. The dialogue is snappy without being annoying, and the different aspects of the 2 flashbacks here is clever. Doctor Aphra and her murder-droids are characters worthy of the great cast "Star Wars" offers.

This series continues to be fun and exciting. Doctor Aphra is a great addition to the Star Wars universe.

This book seemed a little light on content, as it was a very fast read. Entertaining, but slight. In any case, it sets up the next issue very well.

I loved this issue. The scene where Beetee and Triple Zero hide in the shadows while the troopers are rushing past towards Aphra and her father was funny. I also enjoyed the character work here, as we dig deeper into Aphra's relationship with her father. And the story of the lost Jedi was interesting. Nice Kev Walker art. Really good book.

I like Doctor Aphra, but the story in this arc fell apart for me as it progressed. Looking forward to an uptick in the crossover with Star Wars, and the team-up between Aphra and Luke.

"Screaming Citadel" kind of veers off track in this issue for me, as Luke's people arrive and we have some goofy action. It just didn't interest me like the first two chapters. There are definitely diminishing returns from the excellent opener to this chapter. The art was pretty good, but in the final panel of one page in the middle of the book, when Luke is talking to Aphra, he looks exactly like Alfred E. Neuman. So, there you go.

Ugh. After the strong start this series had with the "Screaming Citadel" one-shot, it ends with me just being thankful it's over and wondering if I need to keep buying the Star Wars titles. To call these titles inconsistent would be doing them credit. Here, Broccardo's cartoony style just doesn't fit, and I was just frankly bored by the story, uninterested in its villains, uninterested by the Aphra/Sana Solo relationship, and just wanted it to end.

I totally loved this issue. Great cover. Great to see the return of Kev Walker on pencils. It was a very interesting issue from start to finish. Coming off of the disappointing "Star Wars" crossover, this is such a breath of fresh air. It revitalizes Doctor Aphra as a character. As well as the kill-droids...after kind of existing as comedic sidekicks, it was easy to forget their brutal nature, but that ends here. And the ending of the issue is a kick-ass surprise. Awesome.

A fun issue introducing a whole different cast of seedy space characters. A good read, with strong Kev Walker art.

Entertaining enough first issue.

This was a good, fun issue. Zdarsky gives Peter Quill heart to go alongside his selfishness, and the scenes in the bar are amusing.

This is another strong entry in this series, though the Black Cat grates as a villain. I can't quite buy her as boss of the NYC mob, and I can't quite buy Star-Lord, Logan, and Daredevil combined not being up to the task of taking her down. Anyway, this issue continues to hit the right humorous and touching notes. It's been fun and I am looking forward to see how it resolves next issue.

I actually started reading this unenthused, wondering why I wasn't reading a real Fantastic Four comic, and wondering if this thing being tied to DC's "Metal" event would make it a drag to read. I was pleasantly surprised. Lemire gives his characters FF traits for sure, just switching up the roles of each character type (Plastic Man, unlike Reed, is a goofball). But it was fun, and Lemire kept the reader interested and informed through the action and dialogue--reading "Metal" is not necessary for this (I have given up on that bit of bloated nonsense). The art is good. It's pretty good!

This was a pretty enjoyable issue of "The Terrifics." I don't really care for these DC d-listers, except maybe Mr. Terrific and Phantom Girl--Metamorpho and Plastic Man are too Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm for their own good. That said, the scene where Phantom Girl describes her origin is a wonderful look at old comics, and I'm interested enough at the end to read issue #3. And the art is brilliant. So...yeah.

This is a good issue, as things amp up in anticipation for the finale. I almost wish there were more issues, as I wonder how this can be all wrapped up in only one more...but I also wish there were more issues because it's an entertaining read and I don't want it to end yet.

This series rounds out in good form with a good issue; I feel like there are still a lot of answers to come about the mysterious water people, but the ending hints at a sequel.

Nothing much of consequence happens in this exposition-heavy issue; it's not a bad comic, but "The Clone Conspiracy" seems to have turned "Amazing" into a series of back-up tales during its duration.

Interesting issue that provides a lot of relevant info, but it comes in the form of flashbacks, prohibiting any forward action. Still, an important piece in this event.

This is an emotional issue, a tie-in to the main event that actually means something, as Peter and Gwen get into a heavy discussion about her death, Peter's inability to be happy, and her identity as a clone of Gwen. I read this immediately after "Clone Conspiracy" #4, and this issue works great in tandem with it, exploring aspects that the main title can't as it hurtles towards its conclusion. A key component to the story line as a whole, which is welcome in a world of meaningless event tie-ins.

Echhh. Why does this issue exist? To see that Ben Reilly escapes with his life? They could have done that in his own soon-to-launch title (which I will buy when clones roam the earth in real life). I liked the event proper, but the "Amazing" tie-ins were hit and miss, and I look forward to new things next month (Immonen!)

Oh, Marvel. Keep being you. This contains a pretty strong main story, with truly amazing art by Stuart Immonen, and an interesting final page story that falls out of Clone Conspiracy. These were well-done. Anyway, the rest of the issue is filled with throwaways that I only half read because they were nonsense. Well, the Hannah Blumenrieich one was charming. However, something about Marvel's unmitigated greed in releasing a 10 dollar comic, and Peter's complaining about life as a billionaire doesn't sit right.

This was the best issue of "Amazing" in quite a while. The opening pages establish a creepy atmosphere as Norman emerges prematurely from surgery, leaving him twisted and scarred. Seeing his face does a whole lot for the characterization of Norman, who seemed pretty nondescript in the first two parts of this arc. I like the interaction between Spidey and his amazing friends, Silver Sable and Mockingbird. The pace here seemed really tight, even though a whole lot doesn't happen in terms of plot advancement, if that makes any sense. And the Stuart Immonen art is just so above par. No offence to any artists who have been doing this book lately, but Immonen is in a different stratosphere. I can't wait for the next issue!

"Amazing Spider-Man" #28 is a great comic book. The climax of Peter and Norman's struggle was so well executed; it took me back to reading so many of their classic battles of the past. Stuart Immonen continues to kill it on art, as the battle between Spidey and Norman is a tour de force. And, it's neat when the editorial notes call back to Amazing #96. I really felt the history here without this seeming like a retread of what has gone before. That's tough with two characters who share the past they do.

I enjoyed this issue. Immonen's art is, well, amazing, and I liked the return of the Superior Spider-Man. That was a great series and this new iteration of Otto/Spidey works with me. Also, it fits in well as a "Secret Empire" crossover as it works independently as its own story.

This issue deals with Peter trying to build a last defence for Parker Industries, which is pretty by the numbers. It sets the story elements in place for what looks like a more thrilling next issue. What elevates it here is the phenomenal art of Stuart Immonen, who somehow seems to be getting better by the issue.

It all comes tumbling down here, as Peter and Otto match minds, and Peter shows the extent he's willing to go to in order to keep Parker Industries out of Otto's hands. Strong art from Immonen, as always. So the "Secret Empire" crossover ends, and judging from the preview of the next issue, it'll be a doozy.

Cool one-shot featuring Norman Osborne searching for the madness that has consumed him all his adult life. The story is fun and interesting but the real treat here is the Greg Smallwood art. With Stuart Immonen as the regular artist, it's not likely to find a fill-in who is in the same league, but they've done it here. I think a tandem of Immonen/Smallwood as ASM artists is any Spidey fan's dream.

This issue was pretty good. I like the chemistry between Peter and Bobbi, and the opening scene where Peter is wearing her t-shirt made me laugh out loud. The story itself isn't that much, and the anti-Parker stuff sometimes seems heavy-handed. But it is an entertaining read. The art of Stuart Immonen continues to destroy the competition, making this book a must for that alone.

I felt this was a pretty so-so issue. The fallout of Parker's collapse continues, but the Clash threat is a minor (and uninteresting) threat, and I've gotten my fill of Spidey/Torch hanging out in "Spectacular Spider-Man," and nothing new is added here. With the exception of the amazing art, a disappointing issue.

"The Fall of Parker" ends on an upbeat note, as things actually seem to be going okay for Pete, despite circumstances. He and Bobby are a fun team (even if their banter was on the edge of being too much for me), and its nice to see Pete happy in a way he didn't seem to be in the weird Tony Stark/Parker era. Plus, Stuart Immonen is awesome, so this continues to be one of my favourite titles of late.

I liked the intro special, but this sags a bit, focusing on the gang led by Felicia, the group of which I am growing quite bored. I am also not brushed up enough on my symbiotes...how many are we dealing with here? I dunno. The art was strong, but this event has hit a snag in issue 2.

This is a solid one-shot issue, but the most interesting part is the ending, which is admittedly badassed, and the return of Stuart Immonen on art. Looks like this will take an upward swing with Part 2.

Dan Slott's "Amazing Spider-Man" run is approaching its end, and as I was reading this I thought not that it was bad or anything, but seems kind of just another of the same kind of story...the same vibe or feel, which has kind of gotten tired at times over the past couple of years. Like this Goblin Squad or whatever...I'm tired of these guys. That said, I did like Jameson's interactions with Spidey, I did say wtf when I saw Peter's interactions with MJ, and I did enjoy Mike Hawthorne's Spider-Man scenes, even if some of his faces weren't that great...after what seems like a minor chapter in this arc, things look to pick up next issue.

This issue uses the conceit of having Norman Osborne "interview" someone intimate in Spider-Man's life in an attempt to get this identity, and then builds up to the point where we begin with flashbacks. It's not an overly original trope, but it works to good effect here, building up to the reveal at the end. The "breakup" with Peter and Mary Jane seemed entirely unoriginal, and kind of unearned here, but any off points are settled through Immonen's art, as this one is another beauty to look at.

What a great issue of "Amazing Spider-Man"! The long build-up to the reveal of the Red Goblin proves to be worth it here, as he arrives with devastating consequences. The battle between Spidey and the Red Goblin is beautifully drawn by Stuart Immonen, as he really captures the brute terror and violence of this Carnage/Norman Osborne creature. The art is top notch here throughout--check the acting on the page where Jameson is struggling for release, cursing himself for giving up Peter. Jameson's anguish is so clear. The design of the Red Goblin is cool as well, and the Carnage-bombs go from cute to horrifying in a second. The colouring is incredible, when Peter crashes into the warehouse, the contrast of the Red Goblin with the darkness. Slott's dialogue was dead on and the story is really tight--no fluff. Anyone sleeping on this is missing an incredible arc of Spidey stories.

After last issue kicked this conflict into overdrive, Slott pulls back here in an issue that focuses more on Pete's Amazing Friends than Spidey himself. It's pretty good, though after all the spider-events over the last few years, none of the Spider-family really excite me. But the Immonen art is beautiful, and next issue looks like it'll be crazy. So, yeah.

This issue serves as the conclusion to not only the whole, slow-building Norman Osborn/Red Goblin saga, but Dan Slott's whole "Amazing" run. This was an entertaining issue, if not quite meeting the high expectations established in the build-up to this finale. I must say I expected more Immonen art here, and while his pages look great, there aren't quite enough. The dialogue here is well-done, with a lot of funny/groan-worthy lines, and the pace is not bad for an 80 page issue--it's exciting enough that it rarely feels like there are too many pages here. I also like the way the Spidey/Jonah relationship is going. While all of this is good, I felt the Red Goblin didn't quite live up to his billing here; issues 797 & 798 established such a creepy threat, it doesn't exactly evoke the same menace here. And the stupid-looking eyes on Spidey/Venom drove me nuts. But overall, a good end to what has been a really great Slott/Immonen run.

This is a simple, sweet, and heartfelt goodbye to “The Amazing Spider-Man” for Dan Slott after a decade writing the book. It’s a look into who Spidey is and how he touches so many of the lives of those he helps. Dan Slott powerfully gets to the core of what heroism is. The art here is by Marcos Martin, who brings his a-game and delivers some of his best work yet. This dude was made to draw Spider-Man, a classic Ditko-esque style that is still modern and all his own. Gorgeous stuff here.

Fun as always. I like how Jie Eisma has settled in as the regular artist. Can't wait to see how Cheryl Blossom shakes up the Riverdale status quo.

Underwhelming issue as Dilton Doily Black Mirrors Riverdale high with an app with which they harshly judge each other on superficialities. A couple of chuckles, but...eh.

This issue reminds me a lot of classic Archie stories with it's little touches: Cheryl and Jason pushing people of bikes and kicking the change away from hoboes, Archie rolling down a hill in a barrel of molasses with no explanation...it's silly fun.

This issue's storyline was a bit tepid, but new artist Pete Woods is great. I liked it, and maybe it's all the "Riverdale" I'm watching, but this seemed a bit too innocuous.

This was a lot of fun, reading a lot like classic Archie without feeling out of time. i.e. the running gag of Archie tangled in the tent was funny and aptly showed the comedic style of new artist Pete Woods. Really fun issue of a really fun series.

I'm torn on this. I get what Waid is trying to do, create an Archie comic that has stakes, not just laughs. Nonetheless, I don't think it was my bag. I liked "Riverdale" (the show), which is pretty serious in parts, but that is its own thing. I don't know if I'm looking for deadly serous stakes here.

This is a good comic. The two-page spread showing Archie and Betty's history beautifully shows their relationship. The comic is filled with dramatic tension. But I'm not sure if this is the tone I'm looking for in an Archie comic. I loved the show "Riverdale," but the comics are a different thing. The light, comic sweetness of most of the series, echoing all the Archie books of the past, was what I wanted. I'm still on board, but seeing where this all goes.

This is a pretty great issue. I didn't know how this series would deal with the more intense storyline of Betty's being paralyzed, but this is a mature, realistic look at the issue, focusing on the financial weight that accompanies serious injuries. Betty is resilient throughout, until a page late in the book that shows her frailty. Added to the hope-inspiring ending, I loved it. Mark Waid and Audrey Mok rule in this issue.

I wasn't feeling this issue of "Archie." Or the series as a whole of late. Here, the physical gags fall a little bit flat and the script seemed somehow off a bit. Perhaps, some 25 issues of "Archie" in, to go with several issues of "Jughead" and "Betty and Veronica," I'm just feeling a bit of "Archie" fatigue.

I'm not usually a fan of Charles Soule's work, but with art by Jim Cheung, I had to pick this up. And...it was good. The story as well as the art. I liked the way Soule introduced the major players of this X-team in the opening pages, and the central conflict is introduced in an interesting way. And the art was awesome, of course.

Ed McGUinness art! That's...not very good? I was disappointed by the look of this issue, where Morales inks seem to kill McGuinness work. The story was okay, but Old Man Logan is coming close to being as overexposed as the original Wolverine before he died.

I was a little surprised, but I totally loved this issue. It was great to read a Professor Xavier-centric story again. I also really enjoyed Ramon Rosanas' art here, especially the kind of minimalist linework; I'd love to see more of him. I enjoyed this more than any other X-Men issue lately. Great read.

I've dropped off "X-Men Gold" and "Blue," but I have been pleasantly surprised by "Astonishing X-Men." I'm not really a fan of Charles Soule (understatement), but I like what he's been doing here, especially the last couple of issues. The return of Xavier is a nice twist and long overdue. The art by Mike Del Mundo is good, though it can't match the work of Roman Rosanas from last issue (if only this title could continue with him as the regular artist!). Overall, this is quite an enjoyable title so far.

This is an interesting issue of "Astonishing X-Men," as Professor Xavier is reborn...sort of. I must say I found this new incarnation a bit weird, and even a bit like X-Files Ghost Mr. Burns talking of peace and gifts for everyone. I did like the scene with Betsy and Fantomex, and the scene with Bishop analyzing the green sun over London was cool. As was Phil Noto's art. After dropping "Blue" and "Gold," "Astonishing" is doing a good job keeping me into the X-Men.

"Astonishing X-Men" is my lone X-title after I dropped "Blue" and "Gold," and it has been surprisingly good. But this issue is a dud. It is all talk. The reborn Xavier, annoyingly dubbed "X," is kind of not working for me, and, curiously, he is smirking evilly like a super villain in the first few pages, which is weirdly distracting. I guess the art overall was distracting in that it was not good. At all. The rotating cast of artists offers us a chance to see various stars every month, but Siquiera's figures are stiff and dull...this is kind of IDW quality stuff. Hopefully this thing can turn itself around next month.

I was a bit wary of this after finding that "Astonishing" #8 was a terrible looking mess of an issue, but surprisingly, I really enjoyed this one, a big bounce-back for the series. The action and script were tight and moved along at a good pace, and the mystery of X deepened in an intriguing way. Perhaps the characters could use a bit more definition from each other, but that is a quibble I kind of ignored in the face of what I found to be a good read. Maybe all the difference is in the art: we go from amateur to awesome as Matteo Buffagni draws the hell out of this issue, and Yu contributes a great cover. I liked this a lot.

This book is notable mainly because of the artist. Not much happens to move the plot, as this issue is mainly a giant psychic battle between the X-Men and Proteus, but it is a dynamically portrayed psychic battle. Aco, who stood out for his awesome and stylistically innovative work on “Nick Fury,” really makes his pages come alive. This comic’s revolving door artist policy has brought us a few duds, but issues like this make it worth it.

I was sorting through my latest shipment of comics, and when I saw this, I was, "Ooh, Ron Garney!" And, indeed, Garney is the highlight of this book with his rough and raw pencils. I have enjoyed his work in "Daredevil" over the last couple of years, but quit that book, so it's nice to see his return here. With his work on "Daredevil" and "Men of Wrath" with Jason Aaron a few years ago, this guy is seriously underrated. The artist-of-the-month thing has brought us good and bad, but here it brings us awesome. The story was fun and exciting too. I have enjoyed this series a lot more than I thought I would!

I've more or less enjoyed this series, even after dropping "Blue" and "Gold," and have been excited about the return of Xavier. But instead of Xavier, we have his new incarnation as "X," who is ... meh. I dunno. I want OG Xavier. The art was pretty solid. Lots of splash pages conceal the lack of story, though. Not great. I guess I'll try the new direction the book takes next issue, but this book is on thin ice for me.

I'm really starting to enjoy the team concept in this book, and the First Victim is an intriguing new villain...this is a really good book

The art changes are somewhat jarring, but I am growing more interested in Batman's supporting cast. If someone told me I would enjoy a "Detective Comics" that puts the Dark Knight in the background I wouldn't have believed it, but...

This is my favourite Rebirth issue of "Detective" so far, a comic that is captivating and filled with great character moments...a very strong conclusion to the "First Victim" arc. I was not sold on the team aspect of the book at first, but the great thing about the rebirth Batman titles is that they are so different than one another. This is a great issue and what is shaping up to be a great series run.

This is a solid issue made dynamite by the great painted art of Ben Oliver. The book looks absolutely great. Not too excited about rehashing "Night of the Monster Men," a story that was so terrible I dropped the respective titles for the second half. To me, Batman and giant monsters just don't mix.

Strong character issue for Batwoman, complimented by beautiful Ben Oliver artwork.

I liked the exploration of Orphan's character, which opens the book. However, this is followed by an Azreal story I didn't really care for, and a Batman story that was more of a hint of things to come than an actual story. So, okay, fine, but not great.

Solid introduction to the new arc, held down somewhat by the so-so art of Christian Duce, who suffers coming on the heels of Eddie Barrow and Ben Oliver.

This issue was pretty good. The Gotham PD's belief that Batman killed the mayor, and willingness to shoot on sight any of his allies, stretched credulity. I liked the art for the first three pages, but then we have a switch, and fall back to just-okay art. I have really liked this book since the Rebirth, but wasn't quite feeling it all the way this time. Good, not great.

Solid, but unspectacular issue, with fine, but uninspired art. It was alright.

This story strikes me as good, but not great. These shadowy assassins are actually not that thrilling. It seems like every story arc, Gotham City itself, and every one of Batman's team, are placed on death's brink. If Gotham is always on the verge of collapse, only to pull out the victory every 6 or 7 issues, it's not that suspenseful. The nuances of Gotham City can be explored in smaller scale stories.

A solid conclusion to the "League of Shadows" story arc. The standout for me was the Marcio Takara art, which looks great and fits the mood of the book well, in my opinion.

Meh. Spoiler solo story isn't very interesting, with her monologue growing quite tedious for me as the issue went on. I get it, you hate heroes. So act as a hero in disguise, because that makes sense. The art was also rather mediocre. So, yeah.

The ending delivers promise for next issue, but other than that, nothing much about this issue really grabbed me. I'm not much of an Azrael fan, so maybe that plays a part, but, there you go.

In the early pages, I was very sceptical about the art style of Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, but before long I had fallen for his work here, sketchy, rough, cartoony. The story worked well enough.

I enjoyed this issue of “Hit-Girl” with its over the top violence and cartoony art. The plot with the Padre and the Colombian gangs is interesting enough and the issue was paced well. Loved the art—the page where Mindy and the assassin guy are riding the back of the train is great—Roderigo Lopez Ortiz brings an incredible sense of movement to his panels here. One would think Mindy and Big Daddy’s code would prevent her being friends with this dude, kind of odd, but this has also gotta end with a showdown between the two...Anyway, I liked it!

I kind of found this bloodletting issue to be a bore, and for the first time since the debut issue, I felt the art did not really fit what was going on--or else the tone just did not work for me. What has me excited is Jeff Lemire (cool!) and Eduardo Risso (holy fuck!) taking over next issue...this I am down with...

This book was pretty fun and enjoyable. It's not really bringing anything new to the table, but it is a cool story to read. I was delighted to see Eduardo Risso on pencils, as he's easily one of the best artists in the industry. And I'm Canadian and this is taking place in Canada, so, yeah! Fun book.

Not sure what to make of this series, but I liked the prequel issues, and, whattaya know, it was pretty fun! Kuder's art is great, and it's a fun little reunion with he and the Guardians, coming after a pretty fine run on the belated "All-New Guardians of the Galaxy." These things can be a slog of too many characters, so I like that Duggan chose to focus on a relatively small cast. I'll be back for more next month!

I wasn't looking forward to this, still wary of Marvel events, or in this case, a pre-event series, but it was really fun! Loved Aaron Kuder's artwork. His style seems to have developed into a really clear, not minimalistic, but Samnee-esque approach to detail. And it was fast paced and really readable. I forgot I missed the Guardians! My faith in this series is restored!

Strangely enough, I continue to enjoy this prelude to an event miniseries--fun, exciting, interesting writing and art, Guardians of the Galaxy fix, cool new ideas in every issue. I like it a lot!

This was an average comic book, with inconsistent art and a kind of meandering plot. I was surprised about the reveal at the end, which was cool and will have me back for the next issue. So there you go.

Solid issue with two strong points: a revelation about Negan in the opening pages, and the revelation that the war is not finished, but only getting started in the closing pages.

This series continues marching along, good but not great. An interesting issue with an interesting conclusion. Pretty good stuff.

Still dealing with the aftermath of the Whisperer War and Andrea's death, this is a quiet but powerful issue, as the different communities pick up and try to carry on. There's lots of tension and intrigue here. Really strong issue.

I kind of like this series more on the slow-broil moments more than the big war issues. Another very solid instalment here.

"The Walking Dead" keeps moving with a pretty exciting issue. I've missed the last couple, so this is the first time I've seen the new cool-chick character, who more than anything reminds me of Poochie from "The Simpsons." So, yeah.

This is a pretty strong issue, focussing on Negan and his lonely life of exile. It is touching how Negan reaches out towards his dead wife, his narrative to her the only thing giving him peace. Is it possible for Negan to be turned into, if not a good guy, then an antihero, as opposed to villain? I'm not sure if it will work, but watching Negan's transformation has been interesting, at least.

This was an okay issue of "The Walking Dead," though the "take me to Stephanie or shoot us," "No, cooperate or we'll shoot you thing got stale, and I must say I find this new "wacky" character, Juanita or "Princess," grating at best. On the plus side, the revelations near the end of the issue are interesting and have promise for a strong arc ahead.

This plot picks up a bit with a strong second instalment. Although I felt a bit of “this again” when the new group exhibit hints of an oppressive regime, the narrative of Michonne’s daughter being alive drives the issue forward. “New World Order” is getting interesting.

Having fallen off the show last year, it's quite something that this book has me still interested, and in issues like this, captivated, 177 issues in. This is a good one. I find the new "threat" interesting, as Kirkman peels the layers to let us slowly see what this society is about. Michonne's reunion with her daughter is touching, as is the bit with that kid and Rick and the poetry. I would have rated this a 9.0 but I didn't recognize who that one dude is in the final scene--I don't know if it's one of the many bearded characters that I'm supposed to know, or just a guy, or whatever, but it was a small hiccup at the end of the issue for me.

This is a good issue, with typically good character beats. The Commonwealth continues to be an interesting new adversary, with many ominous signs presenting themselves here. One note: sorry, Princess has not won me over, even after this issue. She is an annoying cliche. She is the Poochie of the Walking Dead.

I really liked this arc of "The Walking Dead," and this issue in particular. I have found the strategic exploration on behalf of Rick's people and the Commonwealth interesting, and this issue does a great job in cementing the conflict that will guide this book in the future. I love the clash of ideas--Rick's New World Order vs. The Commonwealth's Old World Laws. And to see Michonne falling on one side of this equation and Rick on the other is an interesting move. I still find the Rick-centred issues the best, and this is another great exploration of the character and his beliefs. And the cover is fantastic!

This is, well, a pretty dull issue. It doesn't really feel like there are real stakes with these zombies anymore...I'm not feeling the threat. Anyway, nothing much happens here.

This was a good issue. It gets us to know the characters better, and develops the storyline. I like the part with the "Prairie Dog" and her father. Great ending. An entertaining read.

This isn't the kind of comic I usually read, but it continues to be interesting. I'm staying with it.

2 great stories by King and Finch and Snyder and Shalvy, and another one that's pretty good. Three out of five ain't bad...

This is a really nice love story between Batman and Catwoman, tracing their relationship from its beginning to its end. Lee Weeks does a really spectacular job here, with Michael Lark also providing great pages. Batman is in the midst of a super strong run under Tom King...who'd of thought an annual, after reading so many throwaway annuals and specials, would be so good?

Strong first issue for this crime thriller. We get introduced to Caruso, who Arcudi paints as wounded by the past, with an ex who is a good man that had to move on, a failed career, and suggestions of a drinking problem. She's not a stereotype though; she works as a strong lead. I'm interested in the case, and the surprise ending raises has me curious for the next issue. I wasn't always 100% for art at first, but the style and colouring do a good job establishing atmosphere. Definitely a good read.

Solid issue keeps the murder mystery interesting. The art distracted me more here than in the first issue, but I'm sticking with this to see how it goes for sure. I also want to find out the full story on our protagonist, Caruso.

The mystery continues to build in this inside-job cop prison murder story. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm gonna keep reading to find out.

The mystery deepens as we explore the backgrounds of Q and Lily in greater detail, unearthing the conflict between them and their relationship with Mia's father. The pace of this series is undeniably slow, but I enjoyed this instalment.

The story doesn't really move forward, but I liked the character moments here, especially the background of Mia's tragic mother.

Totally charming Groot story, told in the fashion of Dr. Seuss.

F**king Captain Marvel!

In the "Grounded" storyline, Bendis has been giving us individual stories that are, well, grounded, giving greater insight into character along the way. This is the first one that kind of falters. I didn't know much about Angela, and I still don't really. It starts all right then descends into an action scene that I didn't really find that interesting, not knowing the stakes. Not bad, but as interesting as the last several issues.

I enjoyed this issue...it was a lot of fun, with a lot of great art. The story is lighter than your average fare battling Thanos, but the overall tone works in this issue.

The Inhumans intrigued me since way back when Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee did the awesome 12-issue limited series. But they've underwhelmed me since. Lately, with the battles with the X-Men and the endless stream of Nuhumans, I've grown to downright dislike them. But, since this deals with the original, core members, I thought I'd check it out. And it's pretty good. An interesting start to the series, a refreshing break from the nonsense that started with Marvel trying to force them down our throats, and awesome Phil Noto art, which makes it worth looking at alone.

This issue raises a lot of questions that have yet to be answered, but I am enjoying the intrigue. Jessica and Luke's conflict is intense, leaving me wanting to know what caused such estrangement. Bendis and Gaydos are in top form here. Can't wait for the next issue.

Progress made in the first two issues falls off a cliff here. This issue goes nowhere, failing to advance the plot in any way. And it's boring.

This issue started alright, but proved frustrating. I really enjoyed Luke's talk with Misty Knight in the opening pages. What I did not like is Captain Marvel showing up, dragging Jessica into the bullshit fallout from Civil War II. And it seems this Allison woman she falsely accused in Civil War II has become a villain, because Ullyses. And Carol selfishly asked Jessica to sacrifice her marriage and family to go undercover. And Jessica agreed, for some reason. Ugh. I really liked how this series started, but the direction it has gone in the last two issues has left me just annoyed.

I had a problem with the direction and pace of the last two issues, but this surprised me and pulled me back in. I did not expect to see this darkly intense look at the ramifications of Secret Wars, and didn't really consider them in the way this issue forces the reader to, as the nullification of billions of lives, countless universes. It's very smartly done, and has me reinvested in this series.

So Jessica fucked up her life and her marriage and custody of her child to help stupid Carol Danvers with her stupid plan to nail Alison Greene, so Bendis can have her be right about everything in "Civil War II" because Marvel has to continue shoving her down our throats? I don't think I've had such a love/hate relationship with a comic like this before. Just when an amazing issue pops up, Bendis shits the bed in the next issue.

This series has been pretty erratic so far, with Bendis impressing me at one turn and infuriating me at the next, but this issue I enjoyed. The two pages with Jessica in the liquor store amongst countless bottles (countless escapes) says a lot about where she is right now without words. I still find her choices regarding going undercover and risking her family for it head shaking, but this is a good issue.

Meh. Too much Maria Hill, too much S.H.I.E.L.D. I would have preferred this book to go on its own direction for a bit after having the last arc tie around Captain Marvel, but to no avail. Not looking forward to another arc draped around characters I'm already tired of.

"Jessica Jones" can be frustrating, and yeah, not a lot of plot happens, but this character issue truly delivers. It's a lot of fun and shows us what's really going on in the mind of these characters. This is the good that comes with the bad of Bendis. We feel the great chemistry between Luke and Jessica for the first time in a long time, and Gaydos kills it. With this, and his work on "The Black Hood" last year (?), he is really on top of his game.

An okay issue. Not much happens, but it's not boring either. More excellent Gaydos art. Not great, but not bad.

This issue uses a creative flashback, using Javier Pulido's classic Steranko-esque art to bring us back in time. I did find, however, the flashback a bit hard to follow. Moreso, however, is the fact that I don't really care about Maria Hill, so this arc is falling a little flat for me. This series has been wildly inconsistent, ranging from excellent to solid to frustrating. I'd say this is one of the solid, but unspectacular issues.

This issue rounds out the whole Maria Hill mystery, in an issue that is above average largely for its art. Michael Gaydos does his usual outstanding job drawing Jessica in gritty, modern-day style, while Javier Pulido's clean lines draw us to the past with an early meeting between Hill and Nick Fury. The contrast works great in dividing the story's past/present. I have found this arc inconsistent and occasionally frustrating, but it ends on a higher note, with the ending revealing an explosive hint of what is coming.

This is a generally well done issue, even if nothing really happens. The killer ending leaves a strong impression, and has me thoroughly creeped out/pumped for the next issue.

Bendis’ time with Marvel is almost done, as we see the series he writes reach their conclusion. This is trademark Bendis, an issue built around a conversation—but it’s a very interesting conversation that leads to a rather unexpected conclusion. Time is almost up—I’m savouring Bendis writing Jessica for what may be the last time.

This feels like a last issue. Jessica's struggle with the Purple Man comes to a close, albeit a somewhat underwhelming one. I'm not even sure if this series will continue post-Bendis, but there is at least one more. This is a little too conversational (too Bendis-y?), even if it does have great Gaydos art.

"Jessica Jones" has come to an end, or at least Jessica Jones as we know here has, as Brian Michael Bendis is moving on to DC. This issue is not what I expected the conclusion to be, but it was wonderful and amazing, a fantastic one-shot that really epitomizes everything Jessica Jones is. Bendis smartly equates Jessica with the issue's not-really antagonist, and the way they mirror each other and learn from each other in their conversation is just great. Michael Gaydos absolutely just brought it here for the finale, and this one looks so good...his versions of Spider-Man and Ben Grimm left me dazed. This is a great end to a great run.

I really enjoyed this issue of "Kick-Ass"-- it's well-paced, violent, funny, and has heart, just like the original "Kick-Ass." Romita Jr.'s art was good, and I like Patience as a character so far. Fun book.

I'm kind of surprised by how much I like the new "Kick-Ass," but Patience is a likeable character, and this brings the mix of humanity and brutal, crushing violence that the original series did so well. This is a fast, exciting read that leaves me wanting more. And what more do you want from a comic than that?

This was a good issue. Lots of action and tension, and a clever plot point referring to last issue to save Kick-Ass's...well. But I found JRJR's characters look a lot a like, confusing me a bit in the midst of the action.

I liked this issue. Tense and interesting throughout. I thought this Solo dude made an interesting nemesis. He's kind of a cliche, but it's well played. JRJR's pencils were strong. Nothing too deep going on here, but a fun read.

Solid first issue with great sketchy art.

I wasn't sure if I was going to read this after the first issue; I liked it, but wasn't sure if I was down for the whole "angels living in our world" story. However, read this issue I did and I really enjoyed it. The story has me captivated, and the art is really great for a small press book. I'm in for issue #3.

The final page is another example of how great Steve Dillon's art could be.

I really enjoyed this issue. It's maybe the biggest glimpse we've gotten so far in this series of Frank's humanity (in the same issue he disembowels a man and sets a bear on him!). I liked the Frank/Ethel vibe. The art was a bit stiff in a couple of places but still good, and I'm sure everyone was scrambling after Steve Dillon's unfortunate passing. Very good issue here.

This was a really solid issue that opens with a pretty cool action scene, leading to a pretty viable premise for Frank to get the War Machine armour. The art is alright, and the cover by Clayton Crain. I'm up for this if it lasts for an arc or something as opposed to being the new normal, but I liked it and am on board next issue.

This was a big issue that caught readers up to everything in the opening 8-9 pages, which was really helpful, because I am a monthly comic reader, and I forgot stuff over the eight months this was missing. What I remembered, or was delighted to have the book remind me of, was how charming and funny and fun this comic can be--anytime I put a comic down for a break because I am laughing is a good sign. This was a really, really good comic, sexy, funny, propelling the plot forward, always aware of propelling Jon and Suzie's characterization forward. Good fucking stuff. Oh, and the Fiona Staples cover is crazy.

I usually love every instalment of this series, but I didn't like this one, with the little sex trolls. Kind of stupid.

A return to form after a shaky last issue, this one shows us that no matter what kind of relationship you're in, we all have hang-ups. A kind of quieter character-building issue. Refreshingly sex-troll free until the last page.

Things continue to fall apart in this arc, as Jon and Susie can't find ground to stand on. A solid issue in which Zdarsky's art does more of the storytelling than Fraction's words.

This issue was okay, exploring Jon and Suzie's adjustments to lives of banality without each other. I think the tone of the book, unrelenting as it is, can be a bit much at times, and this was the case here. And I'm not sure how much I care about the cast of characters outside Jon and Suzie. But I am interested enough to keep reading.

It turns out this book is really more interesting for its character stories than the outrageous sex bits that made it famous--the scene with Suzie looking at her mother's attempt to recreate the past in this new house, and her striving to connect with her lost father is really good. And there is the sense that both of these souls, Jon and Suzie, are ultimately lost without each other. And I liked the scene with the dude with the beard (yeah, sorry, forget the name) is left behind by his lover, only for the ghost of another woman to appear at his side. This is pretty good.

This is my favourite episode of "Sex Criminals" in a while. It's a quiet issue, exploring depression and alienation and its relationship to sex. It's like some of the key characters here are suffering from a sexual ennui--unhappily going through the motions, in some cases, an attempt at happiness that seems empty in the midst of the characters' individual suffering. I really like the subtle nature of this issue, the facial acting employed by Chip Zdarsky...this is a really good issue.

Kind of a flat issue of “Sex Criminals” for me. This focuses on the supporting cast quite a bit, characters far less interesting than our 2 leads. Not bad, but not up to usual standards either.

Good standalone story. The discussion of Alderaan was interesting, dealt with in a way I haven't seen before.

Entertaining one-shot. I enjoyed seeing Swamp Thing again, and found this depiction of his powers interesting. And, dare I say, I enjoyed the break from Superboy. Good comic.

Too much Jon and Damian for me; Jon is wearing thin with his "Aw, shucks, Dad," characterization and Damian is just a jerk. This iteration of Superman and Batman don't seem to have the background relationship to justify why they are doing all this. This depiction of Batman doesn't fit the tone DC has going with him in any other book. I felt like I was reading a 1960s DC comic--in a bad way. This is not for me.

Entertaining comic, great pace and strong art. Nice to see the return of Frankenstein, agent of S.H.A.D.E...fun comic

This was a fun, well-paced issue, entertaining from start to finish. It was nice to see the different iterations of Superman from throughout the multiverse. Great start to the new arc.

Very good conclusion to what was a fun 3-issue arc.

This was a crazy, spooky little one-shot that was a lot of fun. I expect we'll see this mysterious swamp man/creature in the future, but this story in itself was well-done and entertaining. I like the interaction between Jon (who I sometimes find grating, but not here) and his friend Kathy. And Sebastian Fiumara's artwork was excellent.

This issue opens with some stuff about Mr. Oz, who I guess will somehow be tied to the mystery of who this Clark Kent is. It's a good read, and builds suspense for the story by showing Rebirth-Superman's life being stripped away. I liked this enough to get on board for next week's "Action Comics," a title I don't usually read, so, there you go.

There's demonic milk in Hamilton County! Watch out, Superman family! This continues to be a fun series. I also really enjoyed the Patrick Gleason art here. He's made for the Man of Steel. And family.

We knew that all is not as it seems in Hamilton County, but I was still surprised by the ending of this book in what is turning out to be a neat little arc. I've fallen off most of the Rebirth titles, but Superman keeps on bringing fun and enjoyable issues.

I loved the narrative framework here, as Lois is the centre of the action and we see the mysteries of their hometown exposed through her perspective. The scene where Lois gets behind the wheel of the Batmobile was pretty awesome...this issue doesn't offer much of anything in terms of answers about what the f**k is going on with the Kents' hometown, but it is a really fun ride. As a whole, Rebirth "Superman" has been a great title.

This arc stretches credulity a bit (i.e., all of this going on under Superman's nose with him none the wiser; Superman just letting Jon be kidnapped), but well, fuck it, I like it anyway. This was an exciting read, with a nice fight scene, and the art was pretty darn good. Looking forward to Superboy Black next issue.

Didn't really care for this. Too many small panels with lots dialogue to go with the fighting. Wasn't effectively done in my opinion. Though there is a possessed cow smoking a cigarette, so...that's cool.

A kind of trite one-off focussing on Jon and Superman's relationship. I liked it enough, though its pretty inconsequential. Not really good, not really bad.

It's been a while since I checked out "Superman," having drifted away during one of the crossovers in the past 10-15 issues. But, there's Bizzaro with family American Gothic style, so, there you go. This was fun, though the Bizarro-dialogue had my head swimming a bit. Most impressive is Gleason's art here. He's got a way with this book. I think I'll be around for the next issue.

This is a pretty solid read. The take on Boyzarro coming from a dysfunctional family is kind of funny, and I liked the scenes with Boyzarro and Superboy. And Robzarro was kind of funny. Pretty good.

Dark, weird, eerily creepy book. It's a one-shot, but it felt a bit like part one of something. But any one-shot that leaves the reader wanting more has done its job.

I enjoyed this issue for the most part. In all, there is not a lot to the story so far, despite the extra pages, but I am intrigued enough to continue. The art style was different and I liked it a lot, though I did get lost in the action somewhat. Good first issue.

I'm not a magic guy, I've never read a Harry Potter book or watched a Harry Potter movie, but this enticed me due to the creative team. And it was pretty cool! The opening is devastating and awesome. Magic is employed in an interesting way. And the Olivier Coipel art looked great. I'll keep reading this.

Clay Mann's art is Manapul-worthy in this issue, which has turned out to be my favourite of the Rebirth titles. I am enjoying the introspection into the psyche of these characters; I find it an interesting character aspect that Clark gains peace from his interactions with Pa last issue, but Bruce is tortured by his past here. I'm interested to see how it will go with Diana. Great book.

Solid issue, though it seems to move slower than the first three, and while the art certainly isn't bad, it doesn't reach the same heights Francis Manupul and Clay Mann reached in issues 1-3.

The end of this arc pales in comparison to the early issues that opened it, as it feels all too much a rushed and pat conclusion. This book is not bad. It's just average.

I unsubscribed to this title after issue #6, but that wasn't fast enough to escape having #7 pulled for me (my sub service takes 3 weeks notice). Surprisingly, I liked this a lot for over half the issue, in a kind of super-villainy campy way, but when the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman monster popped up, my interest waned. The Clay Mann art, so good in the first half, also seems to dip in the fight pages in the second half. So, okay, but I'm content to let this series go for now.

Fantastic horror. Things come to a head in perhaps the best issue of "Clean Room" yet. A must-read.

A bit of a lull after the momentous events of issue 12, this is an uneven issue that misses Davis-Hunt's art. Creepy-good ending, though.

Solid issue, but doesn't really move the overall story. Some of Sanya Anwar's panels really shine. I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.

I really liked this series, for the most part, and this issue is no exception. It does feel like everything wrapped a little too quickly, something having more to do with the business of comics I think than Gail Simone's plan for the series. Anyway, I found the character of Astrid the most interesting part in this series, and she shines in defeating the demons here. I like the ending of the novel, and even though the overall story didn't play out in as much depth as I expected, it's good enough.

Fascinating and entertaining start to this series, as a man of science sets out to explain and define a magical crime. My interest really picks up when we leave the Dr Seuss-ian visuals behind and enter, however briefly, the destitute conditions our scientist/detective finds himself living in the real world, and the flashback that follows. Kindt and Rubin have me hooked...

Liked the first "Ether," but this bored me. Didn't like this elf sidekick. Didn't want to finish it. Dropped.

This strange series continues to be interesting, but I think the question of what happened to Boone in real life (and what there is real and what's not) is more intriguing than the fantasy world he travels to.

This was an entertaining issue, and I think things may be getting more interesting with the ending and a suggestion that we may be seeing both of Boone's world's merge.

Wow! I'm amazed after reading this brilliantly told story! I have been enjoying this series, but I did not expect an issue like this to come along, and that made it all the better...the dark underside of the Ether is exposed here in an unexpected but amazing turn...hands of to sirs' Kindt and Rubin for this great issue!

This is a strong conclusion to this series, which I'm glad to see will be returning. We get to see in greater detail the personal stakes Boone must pay to enter the Ether. Very interesting stuff.

I liked this issue--and am looking forward to the Doom/Thing confrontation--but the overall storyline is kind of plodding so far. I hope the pacing picks up next issue with our adversaries face to face.

Great issue bringing Doom's adoption of Tony's armour into clearer focus. Great art and the pace of the story picks up, leading to the cool conclusion of the story, with the Thing and Victor's mother.

This is a great issue in what has been a very fascinating series so far. Von Doom returns to Latveria to find it in a shambles, leading him back to Castle Doom where his mother awaits. Not a lot of advancement plot-wise, but another strong character issue. I'm really enjoying Victor in this role.

This was a fascinating issue with a narrative framework I really liked, picking up on last issue from the perspective of Ben Grimm. The dialogue has been strong for this whole series, and that continues here, giving us more insight into what drives the sort-of reformed Doom. The action scenes where Victor attacks his mother with magic are beautifully rendered here, as Alex Maleev and Matt Hollingsworth do great work. Adding a bit to my grade was the ending, a serious wtf moment for me that, at the same time, invested me in this series all the more.

This is one of my favourite Marvel titles right now. I look forward to seeing Victor face of against Ultimate Reed, and his first meeting with Riri as well. The pace is slow, but I still find myself enjoying every issue.

This is an interesting issue, but only that. It's pace is sloooow, and Victor is almost too humble to believe here...I mean, he is still Doom, right? I'm looking forward to the next issue, though, where it looks like Doom and Reed will face off.

This an interesting issue, as we see twin conversations that build the slow burn of the story and serve as excellent character moments. I like the interaction between Victor and Riri (and Riri and A.I. Tony). The conversation between The Maker and Ben is interesting, too, as Reed attempts to win over Ben by talking about the good ol' times; this is before he makes a request that, to me, reveals he is definitely not the Reed Ben knows. Add a total WTF ending and this is a pretty great read.

Continues to be strong in characterization and art, though the story seems a bit plodding. But when the first two of these elements are done so well, I'm not complaining that much. The Johnny/Ben Grimm interaction was great, and makes me long for a return of the Fantastic Four by Bendis.

This issue has good moments but an ending that is pretty unclear and muddied. The scene with young Victor and his mother was interesting, and I really liked the scene with Ben Grimm looking through the ruins of Doom's castle, and the encounter he has. This book has a strong Fantastic Four feel. It has good characterization. But things continue to move at a snail's pace.

Because of the slow pace of this series, it is easy to criticize it for what it doesn't do rather than celebrate it for the things it did. While the tendency to ask for more action and plot movement is there, this series has been endlessly fascinating as a study of Doom's character and his relation to the rest of the Marvel universe. Bendis accompanies this great characterization with interesting dialogue, and when paired with Maleev's exemplary pencils, this series has been one of my favourites over the course of its run. With only one issue left, I am sad that it is over; surely this is the test of a fine series.

Bendis fails badly in the lacklustre #12 issue that has been, until now, a deeply fascinating title. The story that gained momentum over the first near-dozen issues crumbles at the end, with a rip-off quick ending that wraps up the necessary plot lines in a cheap and unsatisfying "Mephisto did it all!" Ending. The breaking of the 4th wall by Mephisto was beyond belief dumb. An interesting series that shits the bed at the end.

This story of the prohibition business (and werewolves) continues in great fashion with mystery, intrigue, and totally stunning Eduardo Risso art. Cool comic.

This was a great issue. The mystery continues to build, but pieces are falling into place, to the point of a big reveal at the end. The Eduardo Risso art is absolutely amazing; he is a virtuoso. This issue is sexy, dangerous, and cool.

It's a treat to get regular Eduardo Risso art; he is a master in comic art. The first arc comes to a close, and it's mainly raining bullets here. It was cool to see the wolf revealed in his full fury. I feel that I kind of forget what has happened previously in this series when a new issue comes out, so now that the first arc is done, I look forward to reading all six issues at once.

“Moonshine” is back, and, I must say I am somewhat baffled by the events here, it’s been so long on hiatus. Welcome to modern comics. The creators have got to get the reader back in tune with the plot and characters, something not really effectively done here. Russo’s art is beautiful, and the book succeeds in mood/atmosphere, but I wasn’t floored like I feel I should be after a book with this caliber of creator.

I don't really know what's going on here, and that may be on me, but this comic does little to fill us in as to what has been occurring. Could a simple lack of a recap ruin this book for me? It's certainly not helping. I pieced it together enough to get a grasp of things...Lou's "Cool Hand Luke" thing was okay, and we got to see a single shoe fly in the air with the sound effect pow, just like Charlie Brown in "Peanuts"! So, yeah!

This is a terribly paced, plodding storyline, and I am not even sure what's going on because it seems Azzarello is giving us plot scraps rather than anything coherent. The issue ended well, but I'm still lost. I loved "100 Bullets," but this series has been seriously underwhelming. Rizzo's art is great, but I have taken to think of reading this as a chore when I see it in my pile, which can't be good.

Okay issue. The multiple Kangs aspect was fun, but I don't have much of a sense of who this team is. I'm not feeling the chemistry.

The Mike Del Mundo art on this issue is awe-inspiring. It looks just great. The history of Kang was interestingly written, too, but this stands out as an artistic tour de force.

This was a cool issue in that it brought back Avengers' teams past to enter into the current Kang war. It looked good, but was probably Mike del Mundo's shakiest effort to date; the character work featured a parade of shocked faces, eyes wide and mouths agape. But overall, good stuff.

This first arc concludes in an entertaining issue. I seldom knew quite exactly what was going on in this arc, but it has been fun to read regardless. It was cool to see the different iterations of the Avengers here, and cool to see Kang being acknowledged as one of Marvel's greatest and most powerful villains. Mike Del Mundo does a great job here, as does Alex Ross on a fantastic cover.

This is the best issue of "The Avengers" yet, and I liked the Kang arc. I really enjoyed Victor Von Doom here, and was surprised to see Nadia go all fangirl over him. It added some fun to the story though (Victor and Nadia sipping tea). It's pretty charming. Phil Noto is great here, as usual. Looking forward to more Victor in my Avengers!

This is a really good issue with a beautiful and touching ending. It also has badass moments, like when Thor grabs the bolt of lightning. The narration choice ends up being a very good one, and Del Mundo kills on art. Great stuff.

I liked the opening pages with the narration by Otto Octavius, and of course seeing Vision and Scarlett Witch together, but the actual story here is slight, to say the least. An interesting turn near the end is rendered moot by a lie told by one of these makeshift Hydra Avengers. An interesting concept, but little comes from it.

This was okay. It settled into a fairly standard plot, but I generally liked the interactions between the characters. Jesus Saiz is pretty fine on pencils. Oh, and I almost skipped the little 3-page Avengers origin synopsis at the back, but I read it and found it charming. So, there you go...solid, but I'm sure better lay ahead

This issue is a pretty solid story with absolutely jaw-dropping work by Jesus Saiz. This is worth it for the art alone.

I dropped off "The Avengers" before "No Surrender" started, but have noticed the positive buzz this storyline has been getting. What drew me back, though, was the re-emergence of Banner Hulk, in the form of "The Immortal Hulk." And this issue is pretty fun! It's a testament to the creative team that this is so accessible to new readers despite being the 10th part of a 16 issue arc. I settled in and enjoyed the spectacle. This read like an old school 70s comic to me, and I mean that in the best way. The story is kind of wacky and high stakes and just goes for it. I don't know if I'm gonna go back to read parts 1-9, but I'm going to pick up the next issue anyway. Good stuff.

I skipped much of this event before being drawn in last issue by the resurrection of Banner Hulk, in the guise of The Immortal Hulk, which, as a Banner/Hulk fan, is pretty fuckin' cool. Who would have guessed that, after so many misbegotten purchases of terrible Marvel events or mini-events (I'm looking at you, "Death of X," you merciless bastard!), here is one that is a bit crazy and a whole lot of fun. I just really enjoyed this read. It's more or less all action, but done at a really reader-friendly pace. Also, I missed like 9 parts of this story, but the writers don't make me feel like it. If anything, I want to read the issues I missed cause they look cool, not because I need to in order to understand the plot. For 3 writers, it's pretty seamless. And Paco Medina's art is not breathtaking, but never had me wincing or wishing someone else drew this. I think it's a testament to all involved that, after starting a storyline at parts 10 and 11 of 16, I'm absolutely down.

That was another really fun issue of "The Avengers" as "No Surrender" marches to its conclusion. This new iteration of the Hulk takes a few unexpected turns here that make the character more interesting and complex than he at first seemed. The action is fast paced and exciting. Good stuff. Oh, and I really liked Wonder Man and thought his narration was well done.

This issue of "The Avengers" slows the pace to allow the players in this story to regroup, and for the writers to explore themes of redemption and...well, forgiveness? There's a nice talk with Jarvis and Bruce Banner in which Jarvis challenges Bruce's ideas on himself, and we gather for the final push. 3 issues left!

"No Surrender" continues to be a fun event, and this issue is a particularly good one. It's fast paced, which is paradoxically not always true on a book that features a guy running around the world really fast. But there are other cool moments, like when the Hulk arrives. I'm not quite yet sure what to make of this iteration, but he's back, and he's Banner, but he's still different so...cool. And, I've ragged on Mark Brooks covers in the past, but I really dug this one. "The Avengers" continues its roll.

The penultimate issue of "No Surrender" is a likely climax to the the story, big and sweeping, and full of feel-good Avenger moments. I have to say that Pepe Larraz's art looks better now than it did when I first stepped on board this arc, and I think this serves as a note for Avengers writers as to the right tone and mood for the book. I think a lot of the good here comes from the really fun villains, and the cosmic-ness of the story. I never would have thought I'd say this, but the new Jason Aaron "Avengers" book has some big boots to fill.

I'm glad the creators left room for what is essentially an epilogue issue, dealing with the ramifications of the epic event that just went down. I really liked this issue. What struck me first is how great the Pepe Larraz artwork was. I remember being sort of ambivalent about his work before, but it seems like his style has developed into something great. I also loved the tone of this, of course, jubilant and victorious and, especially, hopeful. I also am grateful this series restored Bruce Banner, though in a new kind of iteration. All told, I got on board this thing halfway through, but I will definitely fill out the story for myself by getting those original issues I missed, or, more likely, shelling out a lot of bucks for a nice hardcover with this whole story.

I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I'm still entertained...is that a review? That's what I got..

Maybe it's because I have never read anything about Doom Patrol before this series, but I have no idea what the fuck is going on. Maybe that's on me, but ending each issue perplexed is hurting the book's readability for me.

I opened up this issue already frustrated, thinking, oh, this is so impenetrable, I forget what's going on...but everything came together for me soon, and this turns out to be a really strong issue. It's trippy ideas reach a head with Jane's personalities outrunning the dominant one, in what was a really cool idea. I liked the moments with her and Cliff, and the group action to resolve the story. I am looking to reread all the issues to make some more sense of the overall arc (I never read Doom Patrol before this, but maybe now the familiarity I've gotten with the characters will help) and starting a new one.

This series is on a bit of a slow burn, and I hope the ideas about celebrity go a bit deeper, but I enjoyed this issue.

This was okay. Cory Walker can draw, but this issue feels very rushed, as it doesn't seem up to standards. And the conclusion of the story seems like a bit of a cheat. I'm still looking forward to what is to come, but this didn't fully deliver for me.

Allen! Say it ain't so! This was a very strong start to the final arc of "Invincible"...We're entering the stretch run, and things are gonna be crazy. And welcome back Ryan Ottley!

I really liked this issue as the characters all recognize their responsibility, coming face to face with the idea of losing all they have because fighting is the right thing, the only thing to do. A character heavy issue, I found this quite charming (as was the return of the original costumes!).

While these kind of epic battles can get long and drawn out, this issue is just fine as a set-up to further mayhem and action as the stakes continue to rise. "Invincible" has been a great series for a long time, and looks to finish strong if this issue is any indication.

The epic battle continues, and Ryan Ottley shines in this issue, which is pretty to look at before being overcome by his trademark gore, where it becomes a mishmash of smashed and severed bodies. I'm more a fan of character-led issues than all-out battle ones, so I hope Kirkman allows for these moments alongside the carnage.

Setting things up for next issue's big battle, mostly, this felt disjointed for me, as seemingly every page cuts to a different faction readying for war.

This is an all-battle issue, with some really strong art by Ryan Ottley. And there are casualties. The stakes seem to be getting higher and higher as we approach the end.

Robert Kirkman's "Invincible" comes to an epic close here in the extra-sized issue #144. Having started the series through trades early last year to catch up around the "Reboot" in the #120s., I have read a whole lot of "Invincible," and this conclusion brings the series full circle. Not many series, certainly not superhero series, allow us to view the whole scope of a man's life, his failings and his victories. Mark was never perfect, and that makes him, and the universe Kirkman, Ottley, and Smith have built around him, believable. This was a truly unique series, and I'm gonna miss it.

Amazing, intriguing first issue. I was duely fascinated by Houser's story and Tommy Lee Edwards' art blew me away. The excellent back-up story capped things off in a very cool way.

This issue shows digs us a little deeper into the mystery of Violet Paige and her role as the newest vigilante in Gotham. Great character moments and fantastic art by Tommy Lee Edwards.

Tommy Lee Edwards draws a hell of a book, and Jody Houser's script is dark and edgy. Somehow this seems like a more real glimpse at Gotham than what the Bat books are giving us.

I was shockingly disappointed in this issue. The story seemed bland, but the most egregious thing about this comic is the change in the art team. Never has a style of art so ill suited a book's general tone and identity. I disliked the cartoony, seemingly rushed art so much I'm not sure if the story is even really that bad--all I could focus on was how much I disliked the art. I really liked the first three issues, but if Tommy Lee Edwards is done with this book, then so am I.

I found Shawn Crystal's art so jarring last issue, I contemplated dropping this title. Then I saw John Paul Leon will be doing the following arc, so I decided I better stay. Not to be overly harsh on Crystal--his style is not my bag, but perhaps on another title it would work. But the tone of the writing and the tone of the art don't synch. Despite all this, I decided to make the best of it reading this issue, and found it to be pretty good. When Leon joins, this book will likely rise up the list of must-look titles.

Anyone who has made it through the harrowing Shawn Crystal era (issues 4-6, of which I read the first two and then decided to just skip #6 and wait) is richly rewarded by the gorgeous artwork of John Paul Lyon here in issue 7. Goddamn, this book looks fucking awesome. His style fits the tone of the book, and as a result this is the strongest issue yet. There is some mystery brewing about Violet and what drives her, and the body bag killer was creepy. The final scene is captivating as well; I am pumped to have "Mother Panic" back to what it should be, and can't wait for the next issue.

A typical issue, with wacky events galore. JR JRs art is working here more than Snyder'a scripting. Cool, kitchy aspects in how Batman uses his arise, but Mt Snyder has got to change the tone

Good conclusion to the first arc. I liked the art from the oft-maligned John Romita Jr. This has been a fun, if not spectacular, series so far.

This was a very good issue, and I was caught unawares by Scott Synder's POV trick in the final pages of the book. Jock's art is absolutely great, as I felt transported to the sub-zero world of Mr. Freeze.

I loved the Poison Ivy story. It gave me a much greater understanding of her than the myriad Poison Ivy stories I've read before. And, Tula Lotay's art is absolutely gorgeous and so well suited to this story. After two issues, I believe I'm enjoying this story even more than the first. The back-up is so-so; at only 8 pages a month I barely remember what's going on, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere at all quickly, but Francisco Francavilla's art is great to look at so...really great issue.

I didn't especially care for Snyder's heavily stylized narrative style here, and the back-up, while looking good, ultimately left me a bit disinterested. I think by the time this issue comes out each month, I've forgotten what's going on in the back-up. I'll have to go back and read it as one story when it concludes, perhaps, to fully appreciate it.

This is a good finale to the "Ends of the Earth" storyline--it's interesting to see a final face-off between Batman and his mysterious enemy as it takes place here, more fascinating than your typical punch-fest. I lost track of the back-up long ago, and now I'm glad, because it apparently doesn't end here, but leads to "Black Matter," which is kind of cheap. So, yeah.

This is an interesting look at the Bruce/Alfred relationship, kind of focusing on the idea that Alfred has always kind of been Bruce's defacto dad. The Miami setting is interesting, as is the idea of this being a kind of pirate adventure. Also boasts strong Rafeal Albuquerque art.

This issue had highs and lows. I liked the Rafeal Albuquerque art, but wasn't really feeling the black-ops Alfred thing or his narration about his dad. I kind of sighed when I saw the back-up, because with these 8-page instalments I never remember what happened in the last one (I read a lot of comics!), but I got into this one. So, not great, but pretty good issue.

This is a really fun launch to the new "Amazing Spider-Man," the first time in a long time we've gotten a new creative team on the book, with Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley taking over. It was a good read, pretty funny and entertaining. It also has that trademark Parker luck working its best to bring Spider down, but by the time the main story ends, I'm pretty sure things aren't looking too bad for Pete, despite the world coming down around him. I really dug Ryan Ottley's pencils here, it's a refreshing look and I really liked "Invincible" ... all told, not perfect, but an entertaining launch to the new series with some neat surprises at the end.

This is a fun and interesting comic book--I'm enjoying Nick Spencer's tone and voice on this and the Ryan Ottley art is pretty great. I'm liking the fact that Pete and MJ are together and the whole back to school thing. This has become one of my favourite reads.

This one didn't get me as much as the first two issues, but it was still a lot of fun. It's kind of heavy on exposition, but Ryan Ottley makes it interesting regardless. The idea of a separate Peter Parker and Spider-Man isn't exactly original (Is that other Clark Kent still running around in Superman comics?), it's done in an interesting way. I just hope that this is a story that wraps up in another few issues, and we don't have to live with the split. But, I am really liking this new Spidey relaunch. Also, the Steve Ditko tribute at the beginning was very well done, a great testament to the man who co-created my favourite comic character of all time, my man Spidey. Love you Ditko!

I am conflicted... The conceit of having Hot Dog emcee this comic doesn't work for me, and I don't like being so annoyed by Betty Cooper... but the art is incredible and I can't wait for the next issue...Waugh!

This was a fun issue, a nice conclusion to the story. It was funny to see Betty Hulk-out, and, most importantly, it looked absolutely fantastic with Adam Hughes' art. I hope he sticks with this series, even if it means only 3 or so issues a year.

"Black Hammer: Age of Doom" #1 is a good, entertaining read. It's nice to see Dean Ormstrom back on art, and it's nice to visit these characters again, but aside from the character work, not a lot goes on here. It's a bit slow. I did, however, find Lucy's placement in another mysterious environment which appears like an unescapable loop pretty cool. I feel a bit of momentum was lost in the interim between this and the last issue of "Black Hammer," along with the interceding spin-offs, but I am still definitely intrigued to see where the main title in this universe goes.

Though nothing really happens in this issue, I liked it. Lemire has given us characters that I find interesting and care about, so an issue that is mainly spent on these characters just talking to each other and being themselves is interesting. Lucy's journey is still pretty mysterious, but I love the addition of Jack Sabbath, and even though the plot doesn't really propel forward here, when I put down the book I knew I had a fun time reading it. So, is Lemire stalling on the plot a bit? Yeah. But this is a lot of fun. Oh, also, Dean Ormston is awesome. Great looking book!

Good issue of “Black Hammer: Age of Doom” in which we see some of the subplots that have been ambling along pick up momentum. Dean Ormston’s art is great here, with one really cool visual nod, and a creepily exciting final page.

This book is fuckin' creepy, man. It is a little bit unsettling in its weirdness, which is good thing for a horror book, I think.

"Come Into Me" raises some interesting ideas about identity and body and privacy, but the real thing that makes it stand out is that it is fucking creepy. This is some really unsettling shit.

This series is kind of frustrating in its inconsistency, as it sometimes becomes burdensome due to its often sluggish pace. This issue was a good one one, though, with driller back in action and an ending that suggests an exiting next issue. It is, as always, beautiful to look at.

Exciting conclusion to this arc as things are really looking bad for all our protagonists. This series is really good when Lemire keeps the action going, and Dustin Nguyen makes every of this book beautiful to look at. Good stuff.

"Descender" 22 is a good read...exciting, action-packed, and suspenseful. I feel like this series has spent too much time treading water, not moving ahead fast enough, but this is a good sign for this arc. All the slow issues in the past year are so have helped build to this, and it looks like a lot of significant things happening.

"Descender" is on a role. This issue is action-packed and a great read. The final page is a super-cool cliffhanger. Great stuff.

This is a really strong issue that benefits from seeing Tim-21 imbued with some mysterious new ability to read what is going on all around him--we're set up for a helluva conclusion. The pace of this series has led to some frustrating moments, but it's all paying off here. Once again, Nguyen just gives us a beautiful book. Great stuff.

This issue of "Descender" is interesting enough, functioning as a stand alone story of sorts, but one that will provide illumination for the series as a whole, It's a good read, but the standout is the jaw-dropping watercolour art of Dustin Nguyen. This is breathtaking stuff, one of the best looking issues of the series so far.

"Descender" #29 is a fast-paced, action-packed issue. It also propels the final story of this series along, showing the kind of momentum the series has lacked in the past. We do get a strong sense of character here, in these moments of action, perhaps attributable to the previous arcs which featured character development over story. Whatever inconsistencies, this has been a really good series and I am excited to see how this wraps up in the upcoming months.

"Descender" is approaching its end, and this issue is a powerful lead-up to that moment. The action was fast paced and interesting throughout the issue, and the Dustin Nguyen art was beautifully done as always, but the reunion between Tim-21 and Andy was so well done, it was a great payoff for people like me who've been with this all the way. Again, Nyuyen renders this two-page reunion masterfully. Great stuff.

I've been with "Descender" since #1, and now it has reached its penultimate issue. The stakes are really high...apocalyptic, really. Things are coming to a head and humanity is on the brink of being eliminated. The art, as it has been from the series' inception, is fantastic. I've enjoyed these characters, and am excited to see how things wrap up next issue.

This is a really great spin-off in the "Black Hammer" universe, the classic trope of the obsessed scientist whose ambition has unintended, tragic results. This issue has a powerful ending that closes the issue with force, a sad, impactful ending I didn't see coming. I really liked Max Fiumara's art here...he gives the protagonist, the aptly named James Robinson, a really palpable anguish. Dave Stewart's colours gave this an even more dynamic look. I almost slept on this series...don't miss it!

Issue #2 of "Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows" is a good read, though it is steeped in tragedy. Star is confronting the cost of his life of space adventuring, his loved ones left behind, thinking he had gone forever. Lemire lays the "Cats in the Cradle" stuff on a bit thick early, and the art seemed a bit...off, occasionally...but this is still plenty worth reading.

This series remains pretty fun and interesting, despite some heaviness in the character of Doctor Star and his family's sense of his betrayal. I liked the part where The Green Lan--sorry, Star Sheriff Squadron shows up and it is revealed how Star has shaped their entire society. I think this is only 4 issues (?) but I look forward to seeing how Lemire wraps this up.

I liked "Gideon Falls" #1, but at the same time didn't love it like I thought I would. Sorrentino's art looks great, but I didn't always know what was going on in this book, be that attributed to the artist or the writer. The ending was intriguing, and I'm sure Lemire will answer the questions this issue raises in cool ways, so I'm totally down with this series. I just think, with this creative team, greater things are to come.

“Gideon Falls” is still on a slow burn as of issue #3, but it’s deeply rich in terms of creating a mood and tone of dark fear. There is also interesting characterization here, a given for Lemire. The showstopper is still the gorgeous, complex design and layout by Sorrentino. This book looks incredible. I reread the first two issues before this one, and together they make a brooding, suspenseful read, leaving me excited for the further development of this story.

This is a strong issue that keeps the plot moving forward. Peter Stanchek reunites with his former teammates, but continues to struggle when new foes bring his demons back to life. He remains the most interesting character to me. The art excels in a couple of points but is overall merely fine. Overall, though, I like this book a lot.

This was an exciting issue of "Peepland," as the stakes surrounding the murder tape grow more and more deadly. Full of twists and turns and lots of 80s NYC grime, this comic is good stuff.

This was a really good comic. It's a fascinating look at the Kingpin of Crime, and how he's...changed? The dialogue was sharp, Sarah Dewey's character was well done, and the ending was a great bit of characterization for Wilson. I'm keeping on with this series.

Rosenberg continues to explore the human side of the Kingpin, with a certain dark menace underlying his displays of humanity. A deeper look than we are used to. I liked it.

I picked up this series because of Matthew Rosenberg's work (I like it), and I am glad I did, because this was as good as any mini-series on the Kingpin that could be expected. The book took a turn towards the Kingpin's more conventional characterization here, but it makes sense due to what Rosenberg established in the first four issues. The ending takes on a more sinister edge because it isn't quite what I expected from the last page. Series' based upon a villain can be tough, but the team did a pretty good job here.

Fun and intriguing 1st issue, with a reveal on the final page that left me wanting more. Builds up the world we'll be living in here without interfering with the story. Likeable protagonist. Cool art that really evokes the tension in the bike races. As fun as "Road Rash" on my old Sega Genesis!

This series continues to be a lot of fun, in a soap opera-ish way, in the 2nd issue. The racing scenes are rendered with skill, and there is some good character work her with Domino and her old flame. It's not breaking ground, but I like it a lot.

This is a fun, interesting, and good looking series so far. This issue ends on an intriguing note as we wonder if this mysterious stranger can end Domino's downwards skid.

This is a vibrant, fun series, and this issue proved no exception, as more mysteries are revealed even as we learn more about Domino's past. I didn't expect to like this series as much as I do, but it always ends up one my fave's of the week every time it comes out.