DC's NEW 52 issues #6 Part One

ACTION COMICS #6:  The book begins with negotiations being made for the Kryptonite from Kal-El’s rocket. Hey, if it’s made right, it can be Red-K,  Black-K, Silver-K and the ultra special Blue-K. But Kal-El and the adult Legion of Superheroes are trying to fix the rocket and realize they need to go into Superman’s brain where there is a Tesseract space where the Anti-Superman Squad is hiding. The Legion defeat the bad guys, Superman repowers the ship and the mission gets accomplished. In the back-up story, Clark packs up his stuff and moves out of the family home after the death of his parents.

Wow: I totally have to bow to the genius of Grant Morrison and thank him for these last two issues. We get the adult Legion of Superheroes, the ORIGINAL youthful trio that I grew up with, some really nice turns with Clark and Pa Kent, the entire rainbow of K’s. Sorry…just geeking out there for a moment. So, Mr. Morrison hits one out of the park and makes me remember why I love comics so much. And Andy Kubert’s art should make his family proud.. Great story arc. I hope the momentum continues next issue as we go back to the storyline left hanging at the end of issue #4.

ALL STAR WESTERN #6: Jonah and Dr. Arkham, well mostly Jonah, takes out the giant bat and make their way out of the Bat cave. Yeah…really the bat cave as they emerge from under the stately home of Alan and Catherine Wayne. Right…Wayne Manor. Wayne, Hex and Arkham lead a raid on the underground mine.that ends up in a major bloodfest. Leave it to Jonah to let a little torture lead him to the answers he needs. Seems Mister O’Grady has been hiding young Mr. Moody and Thurston Moody is responsible for kidnapping the boys and putting them to work in the mine. So Hex heads to New Orleans to find Moody. Waiting for him there: Nighthawk and Cinnamon. The back-up story concludes the origin story of the Asian heroine The Barbary Ghost.

Yet again, I am forced to bitch out DC for giving me a 20 page main story with a back-up tale for $3.99. The main story rocks and I love where it goes, especially showing up in Wayne Manor after finding a giant bat UNDER Wayne Manor! And I do like the back-up story. I could seriously see this being a lead feature or headlining a book. But give me a full main story for my FOUR BUCKS!

ANIMAL MAN #6: What I can best call a fill-in issue as Cliff spends most of the book watching a film called TIGHTS starring Buddy Baker.

The first issue if this title that I really haven’t been happy with. The story is an interesting analogy for our hero but doesn’t progress the story foreword to my liking. Nice art from John Paul Leon, but three pages of continuity and the use of the word “porn” three times in two pages sdoesn’t cut it for me.

AQUAMAN #6: Four years ago, Mera’s father sends her off to kill the man she ends up with. But that’s food for later as Mera ends up in town to get dog food and gets hit on by this perverted store clerk named Randy. Mera takes care of him by snapping his arm like a twig. Things gets crazy as someone calls the police and we have a bit of a situation. But it gets worse as someone has broken out of prison and is holding his daughter hostage. We discover that Mera has the power to drain water from bodies and that is how he gets weak enough to be taken into custody. We also find that Mera doesn’t quite understand us surface dwellers. She does makes friends with Jennifer, one of the other clerks from the grocery store. When she returns home, Arthur tells her they are off to see Dr. Shin, who is going to tell them who sank Atlantis.

Like the last issue, this one goes into some weird places. Mera was supposed to kill Aquaman? Really? That’s a serious rewrite on history. Then we get the whole get molested and then end up at a hostage taking sub-plot. So next issue, the pair find out who sunk Atlantis, which seems like a big surprise to Mera. Have I ever said that Ivan Reis’ art blows me away? And Geoff Johns script is pretty cool too…certainly better than what he is writing for JUSTICE LEAGUE.

BATGIRL #6:  Batgirl ends up talking Bruce Wayne out of killing her and we get the back story on Gretel. Once a reporter named Lisly Bonner, she was essentially murdered by Boss Whittaker. But she came back with special powers and turned herself into the vigilante. Batman gets involved, as does Detective McKenna, who cuts the two heroes some slack so they can capture Gretel.

Nice wrap up to the storyline with Gretel, who makes a very cool addition to the Interesting new villain and a bunch of fun with Babs mom. Nice Gail Simone story and typically cool art from Ardian Syaf. Still one of my favorite books and I’m still waiting  for the payoff on Barbara Gordon’s recovery.

BATMAN #6: Batman is still alive but not for long as the Court of the Owls is calling for his death. Just when it seems Batman is done, he rises up and takes down Talon and manages to escape. The Court of Owls decides to do away with Talon, who has failed them. Not a big problem for them as they have a room filled with caskets filled with potential new Talons.

Okay, this was kind of a let down. We spend the first third of the book with Batman getting his ass whipped and then, all of a sudden, he gets the reserve and strikes back. Yeah…that’s called painting yourself out of a plot corner. But that’s all right because this is the introduction to the cross title Owl storyline coming in the next few months. That’s a good thing because another issue like this would be a horrible mistake.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #6: Batman recovers from the butt whipping he got from Superman last issue and realizes that The Flash has been poisoned and if he stops running the toxin will kill him. So Superman heads off to find him while the next surprise member of the super enhanced Rogues Gallery arrives: Bane(of course…there IS a movie coming soon!). There’s the guy behind the toxin! Now THAT makes sense. Only problem is that the toxin makes the already monstrously muscular Bane smarter.

Another beautiful looking issue that FINALLY gives us a payoff regarding the mystery of the Toxin. Of note this issue is that David Finch is still getting top billing on the cover while Paul Jenkins actually wrote this issue solo while Finch only handled the art chores. Does it makes a noticeable difference? It didn’t to me. It pretty much read the same as previous issues, so I guess it shows how much co-writing was actually going on.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #6: Ducard pushes Damien to cross over to the Dark Side to no avail, as he rejects his burning methods(see…it has to do with acid baths). We get the tale of how Bruce left the tutelage of the Ducards after he was betrayed. Meanwhile, Batman gets to listen to his son being tortured. Yeah…this isn’t going to end well for someone!

Another top-notch issue here. We get a little more back story on the relationship between a younger Bruce Wayne and the Ducards. Peter Tomasi once again writes a great story filled with twists and turns while Patrick Gleason puts the icing on the cake with his great artwork. Winner, winner, Batman and Robin dinner!

BATWOMAN #6: Batwoman is fighting with a guy with a scythe while some dude in a legionnaires outfit watches. What? So we cut to a month earlier, where Bette’s uncle reads to her as she is still in the hospital. Jump to a week ago where Maggie is dealing with a woman who wants to know where her children are. Four months ago, an Asian woman sets everything in motion by drowning Maria’s children. Kate’s story goes back three weeks and while being romantic with Maggie, she is still doing her share of hiding things from her, specifically her activities as Batwoman. Chase’s story is from two weeks ago and we find out what kind of a costume upgrade Batwoman got from the D.E.O.. And that brings us all back to now, as Batwoman turns the table on the guy with the psythe for a hand.

Very strange issue that bounces in so many directions that it becomes overly confusing. The timeline is all over the place and it took me two good solid readings to get comfortable with the story. Picture reading PULP FICTION. This issue does not play in a lineal fashion.. Amy Reeder is the artist this month and her work is good but not as attractive as J. H. Williams. Curious to see if this trend of storytelling continues over the next few issues or not.

BIRDS OF PREY#6: It’s all about Choke. Seems that the mysterious Choke is responsible for putting post hypnotic suggestions into emails and texts or some people and uses them to do the dirty work. Well, the Birds have figured that out and now find themselves in an office, attacked by office workers reciting nursery rhymes. Next issue: Choke Revealed.

Yeah…nothing I like better than ending with a cliffhanger the issue before and having it get resolved(somewhat) on page 14 of the following issue. C’mon…REALLY!? I said last month this storyline needs to end and I meant it. It will take SEVEN issues to get this resolved…not to mention that this was a total cluster of crap. Isn’t AMAZING how they figured this out? Really? How about a little “this is how we figured it out” thrown in there. And they managed to capture all of these brainwashed people. When did that happen? Oh yeah…as they say in the movie and TV business…it happened OFF CAMERA. That just means poor storytelling. Nice art fill from Javier Pina tough. Finish it, guys. Or else I will find myself finished with this title.

 CATWOMAN #6: Selena finds herself in the custody of some of the dirty cops on the Gotham Police Department. She also realizes that Reach is working with them and proceeds to get a major whipping at her hands. Lucky for her she knows how to bite someone'’ ear off and gain a little bit of an advantage back. And just before it looks REALLY bad, the day is saved by one good cop, who allows her to go free. She tussles up with Batman and admits she has a death wish. At the end of the tale, she reveals herself to Gwen Altamont and asks for her help.

Wow! Nice end to this part of the story. Great little line about how Batman won’t do anything as long as they continue to have sex. Yeah…I’m not making that one up. That is THE LINE. Another truly awesome issue from Judd Winick and Guillem March. I have nothing else to say. I just continue to advise you each month to support this title. Just go buy the book!

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6: CHALLENGERS is a TV reality show where a group of celebrities make their way to the Himalayas in a “competition of wits and edurance”. Along with the celebrities are host Clay Brody, producer June Robbins, her pilot boyfriend Ace and his co pilot Maverick. Along the way, the mountain seemingly comes alive and the plane crashes ina big fireball. June awakens from a nightmare where Ace is killing her to find she and the other survivors are in Nanda Parbat(DC’s version of Shangri-La). Ace is buried in the Well of Souls but the High Priest of Rama Kushna has a banquet in their honor. A drugged banquet as the survivors go to sleep only to wake up at the crash site. And Clay has a secret: an archaeological stone which led him here. A rescue helicopter arrives but not before Clay is swallowed by some long tongued beast in the mountains. As the survivors fly off, June sees that they are all “living on borrowed time”(the motto of the original Challengers) and that they should “make the most of  it”

I’m psyched about this series! I LOVED the CHALLENGERS in almost all of their incarnations. A little back story for the uninformed. CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN made their appearance in SHOWCASE  #6 way back in 1957. The original team was Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Matthew "Red" Ryan, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, and Walter Mark "Prof" Haley. Later on, Ryan was killed and replaced by his pop star brother Tino Manarry. When Ryan came back from the dead, his brother disappeared (with one of Red’s eyes…long story). June Robbins later joined the Challengers as an honorary Challenger. Their adventures ran throughout the Sixties and infrequently during the Seventies and showed up in various alternate versions and one truly trippy version by Howard Chaykin.

So now we get this version. And, most importantly, we get Nanda Parbat. How important is that. Name it: Judomaster lived here, The “original” Question trained Renee Montoya here(and he died here). But, most importantly, Rama Kushna hangs her hat here. And even though Ace appears dead, we have a Prof and a Rocky and a Red, along with some other characters who may or may play their parts in the future months(maybe Brenda is supposed to represent occultist Corinna Stark). Interesting that it looks like June, the “honorary Challenger” may be the one taking the lead in this new series. Dan Didio, who has already proven he can tap into classic Sixties  and Seventies works turns in a fun story here and the legendary Jerry Ordway combines with Ray McCarthy and Andy Lanning(yes…THAT Andy Lanning) to turn out his always killer art. I cannot wait for the next issue. Hey guys: don’t mess this up and give us a regular series down the road(how about a SEA DEVILS series while you’re at it?)/

DEATHSTROKE #6: Starting with a flashback of Grant and Slade in training. The flashback ends with Grant’s apparent death. In the present, Slade and the “suit” continue to battle. Slade finds out this is about April who he bumped off in issue #1. But Slade knows how to use an E.M.P. blast and that shuts down the bad guy. And we find out who is pulling the strings of April’s mom and dad: Grant Wilson. There’s a twist!

The team of Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert gets circumvented this month by having Eduardo Pansica and Vicente Cifuentes take over the art chores. No biggie: their work is great and fits the tone of the book just fine. One more issue to go and then Mr. Liefeld puts his feet all over it. Hope it doesn’t go downhill, as I really like this title!

DEMON KNIGHTS #6: Exoristos leads the attack while Xanadu plots to do something terrible, but can’t. Horsewoman sends an army of horses into battle to the dragons while Etrigan saves Exoristos long enough to have the final charge begin. Next issue: the final battle.

Lots of action this month with only a little plot movement. More great stuff from the team of Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves. Really looking forward to the conclusion of this storyline!

DETECTIVE COMICS #6: Rivers is still at Penguin’s Casino. Batman finds Raju, one of the Penguin’s men, dead in a bloody bathtub. We meet a new character named Snakeskin and the temptress with an eye patch, who has a sister named…Charlotte Rivers. Unfortunately for her, she gets attacked by Snakeskin just as Batman arrives. Even worse, his feelings for her get the two of them in a very cold situation they may not get out of.

A much better story than last issue’s disaster, fully written and illustrated(with inks by Sandu Florea) by Tony Salvatore Daniel. Having sisters being on opposite sides of the law is nothing new, but always fun to see woven into a story. And just what is The Penguin up to? You know it can’t be good!. And no 8 page back-up story this time around. Nice job, guys!

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #6: While humanoids are being devolved and recycled, one of them gains intelligence and runs away. Off on planet Earth, Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos are trolling down the Mekong Delta in search of Colonel Quantum: a refugee from the Vietnam War who apparently has pulled a Colonel Kurtz in the deep jungle. And just like in APOCALYPSE NOW, the mission is to assassinate Quantum. When they arrive at Quantum’s home in the jungle, he begs to be taken out and is quickly accommodated. But things are bad at S.H.A.D.E.net as the original Creature Commandos take control.

Another bang-up issue by the team of J.G. Jones, Alberto Ponticelli and Jeff Lemire. And obviously, the story gets a nod to Joseph Conrad and Francis Ford Copolla too. Can this story get wrapped by the time issue #9 comes oput, when I expect the O.M.A.C. story to get merged into this title(as O.M.A.C. gets cancelled at issue #8 to make room from some of the six new  NEW 52 titles).

GREEN LANTERN #6: Hal busts up a bunch of guys trying to steal airplane parts. He’s impressed: he can do this without having an active Lantern ring. Meanwhile, Sinestro gets into a tussle with Starstorm. That goes well, but Sinestro still needa a partner and goes to retrieve Jordan who ends up as Sinestro’s sidekick, whether he likes it or not.

This issue let me down this month. Okay, so we know Jordan wants to be a Lantern but is trying to kick the habit. And Sinestro has his own agendas on his plate and will pursue them to the fullest. And that means dragging poor Hal back into it. Yawn-we KNOW this is where this is going, so move it along. Also wasn’t thrilled with Mike Choi’s art. There’s nothing wrong with it but I’m just not a huge fan of the painted art thing.  So, this issue falls flat and I hope it doesn’t become a two-time problem with the next issue.

THE HUNTRESS #6: Helena breaks a lot of rules in a foreign land to finally get to The Chairman’s son. She makes him promise to donate 2 billion to charities associated with abused women and she will let him live. So how does she get away from the authorities and get out of the country. By having a friend like Kara Starr, soon to be known as Power Girl. Yes, this is the lead in to WORLD’S FINEST in just 60 short days.

Finally it ends, not with a bang but with a definite whimper. This book was SO BAD that words continue to fail me. I do not like Helena as a character, I don’t like The Huntress as a character and the plot could have been wrapped up in two issues , maybe three. To run it out for six issues was a reason to make money. Thumbs DOWN to Paul Levitz even while giving a BIG THUMBS UP to Marcus To. And REALLY BIG THUMBS UP to Guillem March for a great cover which has nothing really to do with the book, except it looks REALLY GOOD! I have said previously that I wouldn’t read Levitz’ WORLD’S

FINEST(yes, they have moved the apostrophe YET AGAIN!). I may not even read issue #1.

DC's NEW 52 issue #5, part 2

RED LANTERN: Atrocitus and Bleez get into it over the missing body of Krona. Plus we get more of the back-stories for Ratchet and Skallox. On Earth, Ray and John meet their destinies as one brother dies and the other is called to become a Red Lantern.

Yeah…this IS the Lantern book to be reading. Okay, I know that I called the Lantern turn on Earth months ago but we ALL knew this was going to happen. Why ELSE would you introduce these character. That having been said, the cause of the turn was a bit unexpected and now should be interesting to see how John Moore handles his new life. Great stuff from Peter Milligan and Ed Benes.

RESURRECTION MAN: Mitch Shelley is dead and we get a flashback to three years ago when he was in Basra. Deathstroke is there clearing the way and he along with his teammate Mr. Hooker are doing some sort of Nanotech experiments on wounded service people. One of the wounded troopers is named Carmen Leto and she gets a rebuild from their experiments. The technician working with her is Bonnie Hoffman. Not long after, bombs erupt at the facility, mortally wounding Hooker, who Shelley leaves behind. Shelley loses an arm in the process and confronts someone in an alien costume. The “alien” injects Shelley with the mysterious serum and declares “not your time”. Apparently, it’s not his time in the present either, as his soul never gets to Heaven. Instead, he is on his way to Arkham Asylum.

Thus, we get the origin story. And how many of you are paying attention that Bonnie and Carmen become the BODY DOUBLES??? So, Mitch Shelley is a bad man who ends up living forever and gaining new powers because something alien did this to him? Interesting plot point. I am curious to see where Abnett and Lanning take this in future months. It remains one of the coolest books on the racks today. You MUST BE reading this book!!!

STORMWATCH :  The Shadow Cabinet(Weren’t they originally a Dakota creation?) arrives on Stormwatch One and exterminates Adam(technically makes him ready to join the Shadow Cabinet). Then the representative has to make a decision as to who should lead Stormwatch. After pointing out the flaws of every member, The Projectionist is chosen, despite her reluctance. Apollo and Midnighter get to know each other better and it’s a good thing as stuff gets happening real quick. Midnighter and Harry mix it up and Harry finds a way to blow the alien horn. The last thing we see is Stormwatch One exploding.
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Yeah…this book is now laying groundwork that will be felt in other titles across the NEW 52 Universe. And that seems to be all it is doing. Oh…it is also starting to put that love story together between Apollo and Midnighter. Paul Cornell’s story rocks on and Miguel Sepulveda keeps turning out top notch artwork. Of the former Wildstorm, this was the only one that managed to keep me interested past the first issue. Let’s hope that trend continues and it doesn’t fizzle out during this extended tale.

SUICIDE SQUAD: Deadshot is taking out prisoners from Belle Reve like crazy but the Squad is dropping quickly. King Shark eats yo-Yo and it gets so bad that Amanda Waller makes one last telephone call and prepares to release the nerve gas. But Diablo saves the day. As part of an agreement, Deadshot gets to visit what we believe is his daughter Zoe, although she is never referred to by name. The visit is cut short when it is learned that Harley Quinn is missing.

Well…that was a mindless excuse for blood and violence! And it is STILL my favorite title of the NEW 52. Adam Glass knows when to turn the story loose and when to hold back. This was almost as crazy as the zombie issue! Once again the art is by Federico Dallocchio and it’s nicely done. Next month: the new origin of Harley Quinn as she searches for Mr. J. I cannot wait!

SUPERBOY: Superboy is dealing with Caitlin’s departure and Dr. Umber tries to comfort him. Mr. Templar shows up and reminds Umber that there is a price for failure as the creatures within him kill most of the remaining team members gathered there. Rose Wilson gets a deep look into a drive left by Caitlin. Inside are all manner of goodies including files on The Colony and Culling Day. There is even a picture of Rose and she is referred to as a ravager. Superboy takes actions into his own hands and proceeds to kidnap Caitlin back from the people that took her. Later, he confronts Templar while two fine farm folks deal with Attigan and Bryce and how they will fit into the concept of the Culling.

Scott Lobdell really knows how to write a good teen superhero book and continues to do it each and every month with titles like this and TEEN TITANS. What started as a simple “clone looking for his identity” has become a far-reaching title that will touch into many DC books in the coming year and help launch a title called THE RAVAGERS. But it is really all about writing a great story and filling it with lots of good comic book stuff. And this title fits the bill admirably. As always, this book is highly recommended!

SUPERGIRL: Kara ends up on Argo City(how is THAT possible) and has a conversation with her deceased father. He explains to her that the sunstone she holds has a full historical record of doomed Krypton. But she also gets to see his death and the sunstone crumbles. She ends up in a battle with a “worldkiller” named Reign and gets pinned against the wall. Argo is getting ready to crash and burn and it looks like Supergirl is going with it.

Well Supergirl now knows for certain that her homeworld is gone and she is one of the last surviving inhabitants(along with her cousin Kal-El of course). Michael Green and Mike Johnson do a nice job of having her continue to deal with the loneliness and confusion of it all. And now we have Reign, who looks to be a continuing member of her Rogues Gallery, especially when she has a sword which can pin the Maiden of Might against a wall!

SUPERMAN:  Superman loses his mind and becomes a vigilante. No…really: he starts speaking Kryptonian and even kills off poor Titano (nice nod to the good old days of Superman). The three alien possessed humans remain in a hospital unconscious and it looks like Superman made actually be split from his own self. Seems there is another Superman floating through deep space.

PLEASE finish this storyline. I said this last month: ACTION is fast becoming my favorite of the two Superman titles. I don’t care about what happens. Okay-Superman has lost his mind. Is it Red K or something else? It’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of plot twist before. George Perez is a legend in the business but this title is fast becoming a turkey!

SWAMP THING: Our tale begins in the jungles of Brazil with a Professor who apparently has been possessed by the rot. Back in the states, while Alec and Abigail are getting supplies, William comes riding into town with a herd of hungry beasts. So Alec “digs deep” and taps into the power of the green and destroys the critters. Abigail is injured and Alec and she share a tender moment, echoed in a moment from the past(that long time fans will remember and appreciate). Unfortunately, Alec begins to feel changes. It seems that the Professor in Brazil is in the midst of the Parliament of Trees and he is about to burn it down.

Once again, SWAMP THING takes its’ rightful place as one of the two scariest books on the stands today(only to be equaled if not sometimes outdone by ANIMAL MAN). Scott Snyder continues to pave new sections onto the road that previously existed. So much history exists with this character and Snyder is well aware of the importance of being rverential toi it. Such little things like the sign for the PASKO DINER (Marty Pasko was a writer on this title back in the day) along with stores like BERGER KEYS(editor Karen Berger), CORBEN AND CO.(Richard Corben that is) and REDONDO SHOES(as in Nestor Redondo) just makes an old fan like me smile so wide! And Yanick Paquette so fits into the style of the past that it is truly scary! This book goes hand in swampy hand with ANIMAL MAN so read them together!

TEEN TITANS: Here’s all you need to know: Superboy has come in search of Wonder Girl and must fight the Teen Titans to do so. So it becomes Superboy vs. The Teen Titans. Supes whips their butts, realizes he has been played by N.O.W.H.E.R.E and does a pretty good job of disrupting their security operations. The last page shows the thoroughly defeated Titans.

We got Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth. We got action up the proverbial backside. Superheroes in tights! You get the picture. A book that is much better than it should be!

WONDER WOMAN:  Hermes, Diana and Zola enjoy a nice meal when a bruiser called Lennox, who claims to be Diana’s brother. Somewhere along the lines, Diana requests an audience with Lord Poseidon, who is a huge amphibious creature as opposed to the old bearded guy with the crown we have all crown accustomed to. Meanwhile, Lennox goes to talk to Lord Hades.

Brian Azzarello continues to blow this title away. Love it or absolutely hate it, it has fans talking about it…a lot! Tony Akins fill in the art chores for this issue and issue #6 and he nails it! Go out and buy this book already! It is not your father’s Wonder Woman…or even your grandfather’s.

THE PUNISHER from Marvel

Frank Castle has become something of a legendary anti-hero in the Marvel Universe since he made his debut way back in 1974 in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #129. We all pretty much know the story: Castle is a war vet whose his wife and two children are killed by the mob when they witnessed a gangland execution in Central Park. He transforms himself into The Punisher and wages a war on the criminal element. At his most popular, he maintained four monthly titles(plus a black and white magazine) and was the subject of three less than stellar movies starring three different actors(Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson).

But Marvel has always struggled to maintain momentum on the title. How far can you take a vigilante like Frank Castle? Marvel gave him the MAX treatment that allowed them to stretch out the blood and the guts. They even had him disemboweled and decapitated and resurrected by Morbius and the Legion of Monsters as FrankenCastle. But how do you keep him fresh? In 2011, they let noted novelist and comic writer Greg Rucka and artist Marco Checchetto have their shot at him.

Issue #1 begins with a wedding and a slaughter. When all is said and done, there are 27 dead(with more added as issues go on), nineteen wounded and a bride who has become a widow.  So it’s up to Detectives Oscar Clemons and Walter Bolt to investigate. This leads them to the South Bronx where they find the corpse of a weapons dealer. Meanwhile, a party in Brooklyn ends badly for the party-goers as the man with the skull on his chest breaks things up. We also get the back story on how Bolt met the Punisher and a promotion in the process. Did I also mention that Bolt has been feeding information to The Punisher. Yeah…that too.

Norah Winters, investigative reporter, gets all up in the detectives business as she looks into a connection between the wedding murders and The Punisher. And the Punisher, who has been working his way through the organization known as The Exchange,  gets into it with The Vulture(version 6, 7, 8 or whatever…). During the battle, he falls several stories and gets found by…Miss Winters who helps him get away from the scene. Castle does his best to patch himself up while Winters begins a relationship, professional that is, with the widow Cole. Frank gets to spend some quality time trying to retrain his skills and work on his costume design. The widow Cole investigates Norah’s notebook and gets some clues of her own to help in ultimate goal: taking out The Exchange.

Soon Rachel is on her way to a nice little ski resort in the Hudson River Valley. And it quickly becomes a great night for capping bad guys. And she also gets to meet The Punisher himself, who is there on a similar mission. Clemons and Bolt respond to the scene and the deduction is made that Castle has a partner. Unbeknown to them, that partnership is more of an uneasy truce between Marines. .

This is the kick-ass, take no prisoners Punisher we all know and love. At one point, he busts up what can best be called a white slavery ring. And then wastes the girl responsible for drugging the women. No sir: Frank Castle doesn’t care what sex you are…you will pay. Greg Rucka, who began his writing career with the Atticus Kodiak series of novels, knows how to write compelling fiction. After all, he is responsible for such noted comic works as his work on DETECTIVE COMICS,  ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, CHECKMATE and 52, among others. His writing style is very prose oriented, but he also knows how to write some killer dialogue and this book has all that. He  also has great subplots. The relationship games played throughout are fascinating. Winters and Cole. Cole and Castle. Bolt and Clemons. Gerard and Poulsen. Sorry…I didn’t mention that the heads of The Exchange are a former AIM scientist and a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, They are, adding more fuel to the fire. 

The art on the book is my only gripe because it seemingly changes from issue to issue. The first few issues were by Marco Checchetto, followed by Matthew Southworth and Matthew Clark filling in with issue #6 and Michael Lark doing issue #7, before having Checchetto back with issue #8 but another fill in for issue #9. Also(I guess that makes 2 gripes), must we draw Ozzy Clemons and characterize him in such a way that he totally reminds me of Detective Lieutenant William R. Somerset (although Bolt is certainly not Detective David Mills). At what point will we find a head in a box?

Anyway, the series totally rocks and, as jaded as I have become with Punisher titles, this is the best one in a long time. It is highly recommended as a good read!

DC's NEW 52:Issue #5, Part 1

ACTION COMICS: We take a break from the action (no pun intended) with what seems like the bottled city of Metropolis to bring you the revised origin story of Superman. Krypton is falling apart and Jor-El decides the family will escape into the Phantom Zone. Well, all the criminals of Krypton are there waiting and that’s when we lose Krypto. So into the rocket goes baby Kal-El who makes his journey to Earth where Jon and Martha Kent discover him. They take the child and it is a good thing because it is not long before the government or some organization is surrounding the ship, Jonathan gives them a misshapen calf to chew over. Then we segue to a future time where the adult Kal El discovers the ship (we’ve seen this before in one of the earlier issues) and then a mysterious group of what I assume are villains appears and steals an engine made from Green Kryptonite. They disappear and what we know as the Legion of Superheroes arrive (a little harder looking than I remember, but…).

Nice turn on the origin, especially with the military arriving to take the ship right after it lands. Definitely a step away from the ship being in the ground or in the barn for all those years. Morrison’s story is good and I find myself having to take back most of the bad things I said after issue #1. Andy Kubert’s art rocks. In addition, the introduction of the “classic” Legion is priceless.

ALL STAR WESTERN:  Jonah and Dr. Arkham end up inside the Bat Cave. No really. They end up trying to get out of this underground mine and it’s a full issue adventure ending with them encountering a giant bat. The back-up story continues the origin story of the Asian heroine The Barbary Ghost

Yet again, what is this like the THIRD OR FOURTH MONTH IN A ROW, I bitch out DC for giving me a 20 page main story with a back-up tale for $3.99. I do like the back-up story and could possibly see this becoming a lead feature, especially since I hear rumors that Jonah gets a temporary retirement as both the lead and backup stories will involve the characters of Cinnamon and Nighthawk. Until then, just turn this book into an anthology title.

ANIMAL MAN: The Detective creature continues to torment Ellen and Cliff as Buddy, Maxine, and the cat race to the scene. Buddy arrives and struggles with the creature and is submitted to some nasty hallucinations. Maxine tries to help her father by sending the animals of the forest to eat the creature and unknowingly spreads the rot into them, making the situation much worse. Time to split, as they understand that only the Swamp Thing can help them now.

Here is another creepy issue of this title that continues to revel in DC’s dark side. Jeff Lemire continues to make this the book you want to take a bath after reading. And Travel Foreman’s art is creepy and gross at the same time. How gross? You would be hard pressed to turn this into a feature film, even with great CGI effects, as it would make THE THING look tame. Now you know for sure: you have to read this and SWAMP THING together for the full picture.

AQUAMAN: Aquaman gets a call regarding a glyph found in the wall of the cocoons he got from the trench last issue. While investigating, it looks like some water logged Atlanteans (no really…they are truly water filled) got involved trying to get the artifact. The helicopter blows up and Aquaman ends up in the desert where he totally hallucinates and has a conversation with his father. That soon turns into retrieving a transmission off the glyph with one of the Atlanteans killed by the creatures in the trench (we believe). When the Navy finally rescues our hero and he gets home, he finds that Mera went into town to get dog food.

Well, this goes into several wacky places. First off, it IS another issue with really bad Aquaman jokes (Aquaman got lost in the desert, “talk about a fish out of water”) and silly bits (I did not know the A on his belt buckle stood for Atlantean). Nevertheless, it is also another issue with killer Ivan Reis art! So we have Atlanteans and a the government and a cover that has NOTHING to do with the story (the cover screams BURIED ALIVE when Aquaman is actually just wandering through the desert. Let’s see where the next part of this goes.

BATGIRL:  Babs ends up in a bust of the Whittiker Mob and a new character named Gretel interrupts it and it doesn’t go well. Barbara ends up back with her mom, who is still living with her and baking like crazy. Detective McKenna gets a telephone call from Jim Gordon and he wants Batgirl’s head on a plate. And Batgirl has a close encounter with Bruce Wayne who tries to kill her. So, what is the deal with 338?

We get an interesting new villain and a bunch of fun with Babs' mom. Nice Gail Simone story and typically cool art from Ardian Syaf. Still one of my favorite books and I’m still waiting for the payoff on Barbara Gordon’s recovery.

BATMAN: Eight days have passed and Batman has been struggling to fight his way out of the Labyrinth of the Owls. He hasn’t had any success and ends up taking a serious stabbing from Talon. Meanwhile, the Bat Signal burns out.

Strange little issue as Batman goes through the ringer, the book is turned upside down (literally!) and our hero gets skewered! Last month, I was bemoaning that this was fast becoming the Bat book NOT to read. A partial reprieve this month as the whole Batman has a nervous breakdown bit is awesome. Killer art again from Greg Capullo and a very creepy story from Scott Snyder.

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT: The Scarecrow taps into Batman’s deepest fears and drives him slightly mad. But Superman shows up and tries to help him. However, Batman is jacked on this toxin and wails on him, sending Superman whipping about. So Superman wails back and Batman is slightly broken when all is said and done.

Another great looking issue. I really want to see where this is going to end up. I find it hard to believe that The Scarecrow’s toxin would be able to cause both fear and intense, muscle-altering strength. David Finch and Paul Jenkins write a great story and Finch’ art totally speaks for itself.

BATMAN AND ROBIN: Damien ends up with Ducard and it looks like his training is getting ready to begin. We get Ducard’s back-story and, among other things, find out that he offed his mother. We also find that Bruce Wayne trained with the Ducards. But will Robin pull the trigger when push comes to shove?

Another great issue here. More back story on Ducard this time around as opposed to Damien and the Dark Side. Peter Tomasi's story continues to rock while Patrick Gleason blows the top off the book with his great artistic style. As always: this book is a winner.

BATWOMAN: Batwoman goes toe to toe with ghost woman Maria and we get the parallels to her life and Kate’s. Then it becomes a search for Medusa, which was a clue left my Maria. No sooner does she start researching then a certain Agent Chase and her boss the smoking skull named Director Bones. We learn that Medusa is not a person, but an organization. She cuts a deal and joins the D.E.O., which will give her some advantages and puts her at odds with Batman.

Man, this book continues to blow me away. J.H. Williams III art is so life-like. And the plot by Williams and W. Haden Blackman continues to move along at a good clip. And I love the whole interweaving with the D.E.O. into the story is great. I loved CHASE and bringing the characters back makes me happy, happy, happy! I cannot recommend this book enough.

BIRDS OF PREY: When we last left off, the girls were getting ready to battle and found themselves outside and missing a Batgirl. They fight the bad guys, make their way back into the building, and decide to meet up again in 24 hours, making note of where they are going in case they get mind wiped. In the meantime, Starling ends up at somebody named June’s house. Don’t know what this is about, but there is some definite relationship going on here (or at least was). Starling eventually ends up being shot at and doing the swan dive into the sea.

Duane Swierczynski turns in another intriguing issue while Jesus Saiz' continues to turn up the heat in the art department. However, this story is running on a bit too long. Did someone in DC editorial decide that all of the new 52 books needed to have 5 or 6 issue arcs? Because I am quite happy with some nice short little three issue pieces that spells out the whole thing and moves on. The days of epic stories are over as we have no time or interest, unless there are enough plot points to keep us jumping. That’s starting to be lacking here. I LOVE the old BIRDS OF PREY and, after five issues, I am finally finding myself missing it.

CATWOMAN: When last we saw Catwoman she was falling from the sky. Well, it is a hard landing and all, but she mixes it up with Reach and wins the day. The police realize they need to be looking for Catwoman and she discovers that there is a big payday to the tune of just under a half a million dollars. Of course, the money is from a heist and out of custody and is DEFINITELY marked! Unfortunately, Selena decides to start pampering herself and spending it like crazy. It’s not long before she’s under arrest for spending that dirty Gotham Police Department money.

Another awesome issue from Judd Winick and Guillem March. What more can I say: the book rocks. Just go buy the book!
 
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS: Deadman has it out with Rama and lays down some pretty heavy demands. Finally, those souls tied to him are now released. He gets a chance to jump back into Johnny Foster’s body and makes a hero out of him What Deadman learns from all of this is not to ask “why me” but to say “why not me”.

Nice ending to the storyline. Boston Brand finally comes to grips with his past and his present and prepares to move on to the future. Paul Jenkins and Mike Chang did a great job of retooling this classic character for the current generation. They didn’t totally screw with him and he finally got to meet up and have a serious sit down with Rama. Nice job guys and now onto the next arc, which I am DYING FOR: CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN by Dan Didio and the amazing Jerry Ordway.

DEATHSTROKE: We’re back many years ago as Deathstroke and Christoph are breaking in a couple of new recruits including Slade’s son Grant and Alex, who you may remember from previous issues. Soon we are in the present and Slade is burning Christoph’s dead body. Slade also discovers that the Ravager’s knife is bugged and that bugs him. It isn’t long before Slade is in a tussle with the newest person in “the suit”. Bad stuff here as he gets a Russian submarine thrown at him. That’s not good!

As I have said before: this is a great book that just keeps getting better and better thanks to the team of Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert.  Dear Lord: please don’t let Rob Liefeld SCREW IT UP when he comes on board with issue #8 and changes things up. Until then, I plan to enjoy this heartily!

DEMON KNIGHTS: Horse-Woman attacked Exoristos, who has been exiled from Paradise Island (yeah…she is truly an Amazon) but made sure she missed the vital organs. Mordru and Morgan use their astral projections to try to sway the knights to no avail…except for Vandal Savage, who turns traitor.

I love this book! Each issue puts another piece together and adds to the legend of these classic characters. Paul Cornell’s story is totally captivating and Diogenes Neves’ artwork rocks! Highly recommended!

DETECTIVE COMICS: Followers of the Joker are demonstrating and Batman is not exactly their favorite person right now. Meanwhile, Charlotte Rivers is doing some undercover work at The Penguin’s Casino and is probably going to get in big trouble. In the back-up story, we meet the son of Doctor Hugo Strange

We come from the great first story arc that wrapped up last issue and we get this? A 12-page lead story that goes nowhere fast followed by an 8-page back up that sends up a future story line and also goes nowhere fast. 20 pages for three bucks? SHAME ON ALL OF YOU. And they weren’t even 20 GOOD PAGES! Where’s more of the continuing Joker story. After all, this is where is started and, although it continues in SUICIDE SQUAD, it would be nice to see it move along here. Not my favorite read of the month…not by a long shot!

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.: Maxwell Lord finds himself in a world of trouble and asks S.H.A.D.E.net for some help. So Frankenstein gets sent down to do battle with O.M.A.C. and does. Meanwhile, Father Time is trying to hack into Brother Eye and apparently does…just as O.M.A.C. is transported out of the battle with Frankenstein’s arm in his grasp. Back at S.H.A.D.E.net, Frankenstein gets patched up by Nina and vents at Father, who used him to get what he wanted…and he’s not happy about it.

Kind of a nice in-between arcs issue here that not only crosses over with but is repeated from a different perspective in O.M.A.C. Great looking cover from J.G. Jones with the always surrealistic interiors from Alberto Ponticelli. Add in an adroit story from Jeff Lemire and you have a real fun issue.

GREEN LANTERN: The captors they hoped to free lock up Hal Jordan and Sinestro. The lantern is still outside their prison and wreaks a little havoc on one of the Sinestro Corps members, then frees the prison and it is off to the races in the form of some major revenge! So now Sinestro has gone from being a zero to a hero and takes leave along with Hal. And Hal is left with a ring he cannot recharge. All of this seems to be part of the Guardians grand plan to eliminate the Corps.

This book continues to blow away all the other Green Lantern titles. Geoff Johns does his best work on this title, followed by his writing on AQUAMAN and the JUSTICE LEAGUE. And I have always loved Doug Mahnke’s art all the way back to his work on MAJOR DISASTER. Poor Hal Jordan: the one thing he craves the most, even more than Carol Ferris, is the power he gets from his ring. And he can’t do anything about it. Bummer Hal!

THE HUNTRESS: Now that Helena has finished with Moretti, she turns her attention to the bigger fish running the white slavery ring: The Chairman and his son. Well, by the end of this issue it will only be down to one of the two…

PLEASE let there be an end!!! This book continues to wallow below some of the WORST of the Punisher stories over the last 40 years! This story has just become so much of a drag to read, even with Marcus To’s “how hot can I make The Huntress” art. I know I said I would not read the last two issues of this mini-series, but I really, REALLY hoped to see a change. SILLY ME!!! Now it’s down to one more issue and my only hope is that it will somehow set up Levitz’ WORLDS' FINEST (which I swear I won’t read after issue #1)

JUSTICE LEAGUE: Darkseid is in the house and starts firing those wonderful tracking beams out of his eyes. Flash manages to duck and one of Darkseid’s minions is hit but Superman isn’t so lucky and not only gets zapped but is taken away by the flying “demons”. Green Lantern decides to take command but is whipped in the process. Batman reveals his true identity to him and convinces him to let Batman do it his way. His way is to be captured. But he didn’t realize it would lead him to… Apokolips.

Again, we get some of Jim Lee’s BEST work in some time (maybe the fact that he has four inkers working with him might help?). However, we are again troubled with the curse of the 13 year-old’s dumb dialogue (no offense to any 13-year-old kids out there). Seriously: GREEN LANTERN’S GOT THIS. Granted, this becomes a sticking point when Flash asks him if this is his “big battle cry”. And we get Batman doing the big reveal, explaining to Green Lantern that the two of them are the only “normal” people here G.L.responds with the question: “wearing a batsuit is normal”. So Geoff Johns: are you writing to a 13-year-old level or are you writing this with your tongue so deep in your cheek that you are bleeding out? When someone figures this out let me know.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL: The team takes on Peraxxus directly by making him think he has blown up their spacecraft (yeah…it was a Guy Gardner creation). They don’t destroy him, but do defeat him and send him on his way with a variation of the “I’ll be back” speech. First mission accomplished-here’s to the future.

And so ends the first story arc. Nothing fantastic here but a nice ending to a nice introductory story. The team continues to try and gel and it should be interesting over the next few issues to see how all that works out. Dan Jurgens writing certainly evokes a great old school JLI feel to it (yes…it’s about putting the Diva in Godiva). Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan’s art continues to hearken back to Kevin McGuire’s work on the old JLI.. I absolutely cannot wait for the next story arc to begin. TRULY, THE Justice League title to be reading.

NIGHTWING: Some witch named Zohna summons a demon and sends them after someone at the Haley Circus. In New Orleans, Dick is trying to keep things together at the Haly Circus and wondering what the deal is with the book he discovered with his name in it. Before long the demon shows up for Jimmy the Clown. It seems he and Zohna had a thing going and she wants him back. It’s Nightwing to the rescue, defeats the demon, and arrests the girl. The following day, Jimmy gets rid of the ring that connected him to Zohna and we discover that Raya and Raymond are in cohoots with each other. Seems she is not as innocent as she appears. And wait: isn’t he supposed to be dead?

This wasn’t too bad an issue as we discover that Raya and Raymond have some serious skeletons in their closets. And what DOES the book mean? It’s obvious that Raya and Raymond know about it and are pleased Dick discovered it. Where will it all end? We will hopefully find out in the next issue.

O.M.A.C.: Kevin is having one of those days when Brother Eye has him OMACTIVATE (that is SO corny that I love it to death!) because Frankenstein is on his way down to kick the you know what out of him. What follows is a full issue fight sequence (with a great two page, silent spread right in the middle of the staples!) ending up with Brother Eye pulling O.M.A.C. out and a transformed Kevin (can’t believe I spent the review of issue #4 calling him BUDDY…as in Buddy Blank from the original Kirby series) ends up with Frankenstein’s art as a souvenir. Meanwhile, Mokarri is ready with Zero Patient and this could be another battle issue with issue #6.

Ask me how pissed off I am that DC is pulling the plug on this tittle. Now I understand that Dan Didio is probably falling on his own sword because he finds it unfair to chop other titles and not take one of his down too. But this book is SUCH the guilty pleasure title for me. Each issue, Didio and Keith Giffen embraced the spirit of Jack Kirby and ran wild with his legacy of quirky characters. I certainly hope the stories and characters here make their way into what I assume will be FRANKENSTEIN.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS: Roy battles Crux, who is confused as to why human Roy isn’t working with him against the alien known as Starfire. Meanwhile, Jason Todd battles the Untitled, who killed his mentor. When all is said and done, the trio is on the run out of town as the townspeople see them not as heroes but as murders.

Interesting twists here by Scott Lobdell. Just when you think that Jason Todd will be revered as the hero he always wanted to be recognized as, he is seen as a murdering villain and chased out of town. What was cool was how he mentions that the “thrall” could be anywhere in any town. Seems a little INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS kind of cool to me.

Marvel's BATTLE SCARS

When Marvel announced the book BATTLE SCARS, the second mini-series to come out of FEAR ITSELF, the hype behind it promised that the main character would be important to the Marvel Universe in the months to come.

The book begins with a brief flashback to the events of FEAR ITSELF and then thrusts us straight into an firefight in Afghanistan where we meet Sergeant Marcus Johnson. 72 hours later, all is quiet and Johnson gets a letter which send s him home. The letter tells him his mother has died. Four days later and there’s a funeral, followed by Johnson returning to the family home. Not long after that, he have Russian hit men attacking Johnson and the police on duty investigating the scene. And then there’s the Taskmaster trying to take him out.  What does all of this have to do with a mysterious gentleman  hooked up to a respirator?

Captain America and Quake show up to mix it up. Well, Cap mixes it up and Quake gets Johnson out of harm’s way. In short: that means S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. Once there, Johnson gets debriefed, told that his mother was targeted by terrorists because of something she may have seen. S.H.I.E.L.D. may think he’s secure, but Johnson escapes to continue his own investigation of his mother’s death. He eventually hooks up with a fellow Ranger named Cheese who is told they have a target named Taskmaster. And then there’s the rumble with Deadpool, who also gets involved with Taskmaster and the Serpent Society.

Meanwhile, we have this old guy who apparently is dying, getting older with every minute. And then there’s Orion, who is really…NICK FURY?

Okay…so we’re four issues in and I have NO IDEA what the deal is, except someone wants Johnson’s blood to keep his old butt alive. I guess the whole idea of being so important to the Marvel Universe is going to depend on who the old guy is. To be honest, I really don’t care at this point who this guy is. He’s really an uninteresting guy in the middle of a bigger plot.

Chris  Yost, Cullen Bunn and Matt Faction are all listed as being responsible for the story but Yost takes credit for the script. Bunn and Faction’s name on this piece lead me to believe that there is a much bigger story here, but it would be nice to see that…especially after four full issues. We have got all these superheroes and villains showing up because this guy is so important but, at this point, we have yet to see it. And you know, with two issues left, I feel I have to hang on for the payday.

Scott Eaton’s artwork fits nicely with the story. He’s a good artist…not phenomenal, but really good. But I really wish that this thing has a good payoff…not, make that an absolutely amazing payoff,  in the next two issues otherwise I find myself feeling like I’ve been raped at $3.00 an issue.  


UPDATE: the series has concluded and here's the BIG SECRET we waited six crummy issues to get(yeah MAJOR SPOILER ALERT HERE!)-Johnson's BIRTH NAME is Nicholas Fury Jr.! So he beats the bad guy, shaves his head(yeah...lost an eye during the mini-series too) and now looks like Samuel L. Jackson. So we retconned the whole idea of having Nick Fury be African American in all Marvel's movies starting with IRON MAN by doing this! And Nick, the REAL NICK, no longer has the Infinity Formula on his side soi he will eventually die and THIS will be Nick Fury. SERIOUSLY? Now I REALLY feel like I've been raped for six issues! Make Mine Marvel? Not after this pile of poop! I'll be thinking twice as to where I'll put my comic money in the future, especially with new titles.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1

It has always been a tumultuous trip for Bruce Banner and his alter ego the Incredible Hulk. In the last few years, he has been shot into space by the Illuminati, lands on the planet Sakaar and becomes emperor. The ship he landed with eventually explodes, killing millions, including the Hulk's pregnant queen, Caiera. He comes back to Earth and trashes most of  Manhattan before being defeated and taken into custody. A Red Hulk emerged, revealed to be General Thuderbolt Ross. Rick Jones became the Gamma irradiated A-Bomb. Betty Ross became the Red She Hulk. Skaar, the son of Hulk, made his appearance on Earth and Bruce Banner, unable to change into the Hulk, after Red Hulk absorbed Hulk's radiation, was exposed again to Gamma radiation by Norman Osborn and turned into Hulk once more.

Then they all tried to live as one big happy family, complete with Bruce trying to fix his now non-existent marriage to Betty. In the final issue of THE INCREDIBLE HULKS #635,  Bruce and Betty resume their romantic relationship. The last scene of the issue is of them in Hulk forms leaping off into the air.

In October 2011, a new INCREDIBLE HULK SERIES was born. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Marc Silvestri (issue #4 is illustrated by Whilce Portacio), it begins with a bearded loin skinned Hulk ruling an underground world filled with Moloids. In the midst of his peaceful rule, he gets visited by robots bearing sonic disrupters and a woman by the name of Amanda Von Doom(no relation…seriously: that’s her line, not mine). And she’s actually here to enlist the green guy to battle Banner.

Yeah…the two of them are separated and he’s on an island playing the role of the mad scientist to the hilt. In fact, he’s trying to recreate the Hulk by experimenting on the creatures on the island, who all refer to Banner as father. It seems he and Betty ended up on this tropical island after the separation(which we still have yet to learn about) and he basically blows her off in lieu of his concerns with betting the monster back. She splits and leaves him to his experiments. Well, all he has to show for it are a bunch of failures and a “brain tumor the size of a grapefruit”(guess that’s what’s happens when you stick your head in a gamma powered microwave oven.). So, after years of trying to rid himself of the monster, all he wants is the power back.

Von Doom gets the Hulk from his underground territory and introduces him to her team. Hulk has no interest at all, despite the fact that the ship gets attacked by some of Banner’s creation. Of course, that is before he realizes that some of Banner’s minions, collectively known as the Boar Brothers,  are in his kingdom and looking to kill everything. When the Hulk returns and finds that the brothers have taken the young Moloids, he proceeds to seek and destroy, leaving them alive enough to return to Banner and suffer their days. The Moloids move further underground,  Hulk seals them there, joins Von Doom’s crew and prepares to attack. But Banner has a trick or two up his sleeve.

This is a very strange book and I’m not quite certain how I feel about this book. Jason Aaron writes a really good story, as evident by his work on WOLVERINE, SCALPED and PUNISHERMAX. And the concept of these two being split is interesting. But to see Banner go from the milquetoast we all knew and loved to becoming this insane Dr. Moreau styled scientist doesn’t work for me. So unless there is some explanation that he lost his mind as part of the process that split them, I can’t go there. As far as Marc Silvestri’s art: okay-it’s Silvestri. People were jumping up and down like this was the Second Coming. Big deal. He’s good and always has been. I won’t say it’s his best work, but it’s not his worst.

I figure I’ll give it through the end of issue #5 anyway, as they promise to reveal the secret of the separation. Beyond that: no promises.

AVENGERS 1959

In NEW AVENGERS #10, we got this great little story that introduced us to a 1950s Avengers team. It was created by Nick Fury and was designed to hunt the last of the Third Reich. The team was made up of Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Dominic Fortune, Namora, Sabretooth, Silver Sable (not the hottie from Spider Man days, but Ernst Sablinova), Kraven the Hunter, and Ulysses Bloodstone.  Following the fan reaction to this, Marvel let legendary creator Howard Chaykin run wild on a five-issue mini-series appropriately called AVENGERS 1959. This time around they have some new friends including Eric Koenig , The Blonde Phantom, and British wizard and spy Powell McTeague.

Our story begins with the core six members toasting The Avengers and going the separate ways. Louise Mason, also known as The Blonde Phantom, is undercover and involved with Dieter Skul who is hanging out in the capital of Lateria. The other Avengers are all being attacked by various bad guys and gals (including the female ninja who gets impaled on a bus stop sign) carrying some sort of signature skull emblem. Did I also mention that Kraven and Namora are physically involved? Powell McTeague shows up to talk to Nick Fury, explaining the some former Nazis are looking to start a Fourth Reich.

Soon, Fury is on his way to Lateria where he meets up with his old Howling Commando friend Eric Koenig and the infamous Blonde Phnatom to investigate a possible Nazi cell. Rumor has it that the king of Wakanda has been kidnapped. In the process, Fury and the Phantom end up fighting zombie soldiers. Meanwhile, the rest of the team shows up on a boat in the middle of the Pacific and battle Baron Blood and Brain Drain. And then they get help from McTeague. The villains disappear, leaving the skull emblem on the deck of the ship. McTeague explains that he does not believe the Ubermadschen are behind this-that it is an unknown foe that is pulling the strings. We discover that Geoffrey Sydenham, a U.S. government official with ties to Dormammu, is masterminding the whole thing.

Fury and the Phantom continue their search for the missing Wakandan king and end up running across the quartet of Axis Annie, Madame Mauser, Praulein Fatale and Penny Panzer. With the help of the other Avengers, the foursome is taken captive and dropped off and interrogated on the island of Madripoor. Back in Washington, Gorilla Man, sent there by Agent Jimmy Woo (nice tie in to the Agents of Atlas series), saves General Hill from an assassin’s bullet. Sydenham’s partners Dieter Skul and Count von Blitzkrieg send an electromagnetic pulse through Wakanda, leading to a battle between the forces of evil and The Avengers.

I will not ruin the ending but suffice it to say it reveals secrets, there’s a big battle or two, and it leaves room for a sequel.

You either have to believe that Howard Chaykin is insane or a genius. Just look at some of the books that are part of his body of work: CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN, THE SHADOW, WORLD OF KRYPTON, AMERICAN CENTURY, PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL, AMERICAN FLAGG, BLACK KISS, TIME 2. These are some of the most talked about and in some case, controversial titles of the last 20 years. Sometimes he is dead on the money-sometimes his work leaves a lot to be desired (still smarting over the 2010 THE RAWHIDE KID series). But this book is killer. His writing is sharp and crisp and the dialogue snippets are great. And his artwork has not been this good looking in quite a while.

I loved the mini-series and look forward to a sequel. Just seeing such diverse characters as Sabretooth and Kraven hanging out with Nick Fury and Dominic Fortune makes this whole effort totally worth the cost.