Positive Feedback - September 5th

September 5th was a great release date for a lot of outstanding comics, to the point that I couldn't pick just one favourite, so instead I give you four favourites, all by the same writer.

Favourite Comic(s) of the Week - The ones by Matt Fraction (with David Aja, Jamie McKelvie, Salvador Larroca, and Alan Davis)



This week, Matt Fraction gave us Hawkeye #2, Defenders #10, Invincible Iron Man #524, and The Mighty Thor #19 (co-written by Kieron Gillen), and I loved them all.

Hawkeye #2 showed us that David Aja is a master of comic book art and storytelling. I love all of the head-shot panels used to show conversations or emotions, each from a different angle, non-repeating. Like the 14 panels used to show Kate saying "Well that's cool" in slow motion. And I loved Kate Bishop. As Clint says, "She's pretty great." I'll be glad to see her develop as part of this series. In just this one issue, she was already made more awesome than in any of her other appearances.

Defenders #10 was a great move towards an end game for this series. If Aja's art in Hawkeye was all about small panels and small moments, McKelvie's art in Defenders was all about big moments and big ideas expressed in grand form. The death Celestial, She-Hulk punching a bird, and those Silver Surfer pages... it was all awesome. I recently re-read the last 9 issues of this series, and it was definitely better on a second read than the first. I'm hoping for a deluxe hardcover collecting the whole series one day.

Invincible Iron Man #524 moves the series closer to its finale, and that last splash page has me super excited for it. Fraction has been a great writer for Tony Stark, and Larroca hasn't missed a beat. I'm curious to see where he will be going next, because his 60ish issues of Iron Man have made me a fan.

Lastly, The Mighty Thor #19 continues the progress of "Everything Burns" nicely. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Alan Davis's art, but having only one artist for the whole 6-part story, or two more similar stories, might have been better. One thought on where they're going - "King Volstagg" has potential.

Other highlights from this week -

Action Comics #0 by Grant Morrison and Ben Oliver - I really liked this story, and Oliver's art worked great for it. It wasn't really about Clark or Superman. It was about how he affected everyone around him, and the first time Lois and Jimmy ever really saw him in action, and how Lois named him. I'm enjoying the new Superman status quo, but it's also good to see some things never change. And now I want to go watch my Lois & Clark DVDs.

Age of Apocalypse #7 by David Lapham and Renato Arlem - I lost interest in this series after the second issue, but this month had Doom in it, and that was enough to make me check it out. Now I want to see more of the story of this Doom and his fight as a rebel human trying to take back Latveria.

Amazing Spider-Man #693 by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos - Part 2 of the Alpha story was great, and I'm really excited to see where Spider-Man's heading. I love the Jackal, and his clone army has a lot of potential. I never imagined him as a "rule the world by killing everyone and replacing them with clones" kind of villain though. Alpha's feeling more fleshed out and realistic as a character, and Peter's reaction to that feels true to his character. And the re-building of a closer relationship between Peter and MJ is something I'm thrilled to see. I saw a lot of good come out of OMD and BND, but I love MJ and feel she always needs to be a part of Peter's life.

Earth 2 #0 by James Robinson and Tomas Giorello - Apparently this Earth 2 Terry Sloan doesn't believe in "Fair Play" like his Golden Age counterpart, but it made for an awesome story that should pay off over the next little while in Earth 2. I'm looking forward to it.

Green Arrow #0 by Judd Winick and Freddie Williams II - I like Freddie Williams II's artwork. Liked it on Robin, liked it on Flash, liked it here. What's he working on right now? The story in this comic was great too, and it seems that it could lead very well into Green Arrow: Year One. Two things that really surprised and pleased me were the introduction of Merlyn, and where he was left at the end of the story, and the cause of Ollie's girlfriend's death. Definitely a different direction than I expected.

Green Lantern #0 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke - So unlike all the other #0 issues that are jumping back several years, this one keeps the present running, first introducing Simon Baz and his origins, and then taking us right up to the point where he gets the power ring in the present. The most interesting part - "Simon Baz of Earth. You have the -- ERROR -- ability to overcome great fear."

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #14 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez - Loved the first page parody/tribute. Loved Gwen's attitude towards Captain America. Loved Mary Jane's stance on things. Loved that Mary Jane was in it (she needs to be more). Loved Aunt May's words of wisdom and gift for Miles. Loved the fight with the Rhino. Loved Cap's decision. Just loved it. Long live Miles Morales. (Maybe introduce a 616 version as a new Prowler... there's an idea.)

World's Finest #0 by Paul Levitz and Kevin Maguire with Wes Craig - Best #0 issue so far. There are so many more stories you could tell with these characters, and I would love to see them. Maguire's art really works for them too. I liked that Selina's Catwoman costume on Earth 2 looks a lot like Helena's new Huntress costume now that she's stuck on Earth 1. If you haven't been reading World's Finest, I suggest getting hooked on this issue and then picking up the rest to catch up.


Trade Paperbacks & Graphic Novels -

Aquaman vol. 1: The Trench Hardcover by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis - I've been telling my friends for years that Aquaman is awesome. This book is proof I was right all along and I am going to shove it in their faces.

New Avengers Omnibus vol 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and various - I already own the deluxe size hardcovers of the entire series, but if you don't, you should buy this. It's absolutely gigantic, collecting everything from Avengers Disassembled through to the discovery of Skrull Elektra, including 8 one-shots or specials, for a total of 42 issues, or 1208 pages. I don't think I own an Omnibus this big yet.

Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six Premiere HC by Erik Larsen, with backup story by Terry Kavanagh and Scott McDaniel - This is a great, fun story from the early '90s, right after Todd McFarlane left Spider-Man. I was happy to get it in hardcover. I remember they only added the backup story originally because Larsen's house had burned down, he had lost everything he owned, and he couldn't churn out the pages as fast as usual for two issues, while fixing and replacing things. But that just means two stories instead of one!

Starman Omnibus vol 2 softcover by James Robinson, Tony Harris, and JH Williams III - If you weren't lucky enough to get the hardcover (I was), you should at least get the softcover of this - possibly one of the greatest comic series of all time.


Comic news from this week -

There were 4 new Marvel Now! teasers posted. "Lightning," (with cross-hairs aiming at it) by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. "Survive," (with blood spattered on it) by Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker. "Killers," by Sam Humphries and Ron Garney. And "Wanted," again by Dennis Hopeless, but this time with Salvador Larroca. I have no clue what any of these are, but Jonathan Hickman posted on Twitter that "The SURVIVE promo today for [Dennis Hopeless] and Kevin Walker's new book was hands down the best pitch of the Marvel Now books." That's the best endorsement I can think of, and has me very intrigued.

Other than that, the preview of Avengers with Jerome Opena's art was the news highlight of the week. I love that other artists cursed him on Twitter for being so good. It's nice to see that fun and games among them.

Positive Feedback - August 29th

Favourite Comic of the week - Wolverine and the X-Men #15 by Jason Aaron and Jorge Molina

There were a lot of great comics out last week, but this won out as my favourite because it had so much humour and heart in it. Logan and Hope talk about Jean and what she meant to Logan. "Those aren't holes... that's just where the Kung-Fu Power comes in." Broo makes friends with Tony Stark. Iceman proposes he and Kitty go to a strip club for their first date. Professor X endorses Quentin Quire for class president. Kubark has to say goodbye even though he doesn't want to. And that's just a handful of the great things that happened in this one issue.

Other highlights from this week -

Aquaman #12 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis - First off, I love the Robot Chicken variant cover. Beyond that, I enjoyed the rest of the issue too. The opening with Mera claiming she's faster than Arthur, through that big fight scene against Black Manta, to the third last story page; a beautiful splash of friends watching one of their own dying. I really enjoyed it all, only to be disappointed to find the dramatic ending won't pay off for two months, because next month they interrupt our regularly scheduled programming with issue #0. I'm fine with the #0 concept, but it would have been better if they weren't interrupting ongoing stories to do it.

Captain Marvel #3 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy (with others) - Dexter Soy's art is getting more beautiful with each issue, and the colours have gotten a lot brighter since the first issue, which is working a lot better for me. Kelly Sue's writing is great too, and I loved Carol issuing her challenge to the enemy soldier. Totally bad-ass.

FF #21 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta - Having recently read Hickman's entire F4/FF run again, I have to say that I'm enjoying these one-off wrap-up issues more than I enjoyed the big, reaching arc that ended in "Forever". This issue was the runner-up for my favourite this week. Hickman and Dragotta's interpretation of Black Bolt makes him scarier than I've ever thought him to be before. Dragotta's Susan is cute and doe-eyed and just looks great. The Spider-Man "big butt" moment was priceless. The resolution of Crystal and Ronan's relationship was sad. But my favourite moment of the issue was when Reed suggested to Sue that they call the Inhumans and tell them they're running late. It was a beautiful moment between husband and wife that felt absolutely human and true to life. You don't see that a lot.

The Flash Annual #1 by Francis Manapul, Brian Buccellato, Marcus To, Scott Kolins, Diogenes Neves, and Marcio Takara - I hope nobody who's reading the Flash missed this Annual, because it is absolutely essential to the story (I personally would rather they wrap the story in regular issues than an Annual). Manapul handled all the breakdowns for this whole issue, and the other artists handled pencils & inks beyond that, and it worked really well. The book flows consistently from start to finish, and consistent with the monthly series that Manapul draws regularly. How the Rogues got powers is explained, supporting character stories are continued, and a new story is launched in a cliffhanger ending. Artistically, "New 52" Flash is shaping up to be my favourite run on the character. Story-wise, it's good, but Mark Waid's Wally West stuff still wins for me there.

Green Lantern Annual #1 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver and Pete Woods - I hate myself a little for liking this. On principle, I disagree with the New 52 reboot not affecting Green Lantern. Everything Johns has done with the character since Rebirth has been kept in continuity. Superman is getting a complete rewrite. Wonder Woman too. And Flash. But GL? Picks up right where it left off. And that bugs me. But, on the flip side, everything Johns has done with the character has been fairly good, and this issue has me excited for what's still coming. Especially Black Hand, who can raise the dead, being locked up with a dead Guardian. That should lead somewhere good.

Justice League #12 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee - The dysfunction within the League is fun to see, and it was really cool to see Green Lantern volunteer to play scapegoat and Batman try to stop him. That's completely different behaviour than we would have seen pre-New 52. Superman and Wonder Woman kissing was nice art, and may be a good story as it develops, but I was way more intrigued by some of the other upcoming stories they teased, especially that 2-page splash of a different League which included the Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Hawkman, the new Green Lantern Baz, and what clearly looks-to-be Stargirl, among others.

The Sixth Gun #24 by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, and Bill Crabtree - This was my first issue of The Sixth Gun. I've been enjoying Bunn's work on Captain America, Venom, and other stuff for Marvel, and he talks about this series on his Twitter, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I really enjoyed it, and will be looking for trades of previous runs. It's a great idea - like a mix of medieval fantasy and western genres - and I could imagine it being adapted into a pretty good TV series or video game.


Hardcovers & Graphic Novels -

The Flash Omnibus by Geoff Johns vol 3 - I'm an Omnibus guy. Love 'em. Want more of 'em. So this one's a no-brainer. Johns had a great run on the Flash, and did some amazing work with the classic Rogues gallery. After Waid's run on the character, and throughout this run, Wally West became the better character, the one, true Flash, as far as I was concerned. Still wish they hasn't brought Barry back, and I hope to see Wally show up in grand fashion someday in the New 52. Maybe in a big event with Linda and the kids, and he remembers how everything was before Flashpoint. Seems like it would be the right role for him.

Guarding the Globe vol 1 by Kirkman, Cereno, Getty, & Anka - This series was a fun read as an Invincible fan, and I really liked a lot of the characters in it, both heroes and villains. I'll get it just for something fresh to read that's not one of the big 2.


That's all for last week. There wasn't any news I felt was absolutely necessary to comment on, and I've decided to save my pitches and ideas for separate posts. See you in a day or two for this week's post.

Positive Feedback - August 22nd

Of all the comics released on Wednesday, August 22nd, I read 16 books from Marvel (including their 2 creator-owned releases), 12 from DC, and 4 from other publishers. This week, it was hard to pick a definitive favourite, so instead I have picked out one favourite each from Marvel, DC, and others.

Favourite Marvel book of the week - Amazing Spider-Man #692 by Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos, Dean Haspiel, Joshua Hale Fialkov, and Nuno Plati

First off, this was also my collector's item of the week. Not only is it the "official" 50th anniversary issue, but those Marcos Martin variant covers are gorgeous, and there's also a really nice FanExpo Canada exclusive cover that I have a friend picking up for me.

The main story was spoiled months ago on the comics news sites, but only in general terms. The details of it made it shine. It's a fresh direction that I've never seen in 50 years of Spider-Man comics, and, as far as I know, I've read them all. I like the "accident" that gave Alpha his powers. I like how Peter takes responsibility for it, like he does for everything. I like the "are they back together" question. I like the villain and his entourage at the end. And I absolutely loved that moment where Reed reveals he discovered "Parker Particles" years ago, but knew the risk in tapping them. Coming from Hank or Tony it would have seemed like a dick comment, but coming from Reed, you really get the impression Peter has done something dangerous here.

The backup stories are great too. Haspiel's had a "Boy Who Collects Spider-Man" feeling to it, but Fiaklov and Plati's was the story I enjoyed most in this issue. The two-page splash of Spidey and Chris (which Plati posted on his blog and I'm linking here) is gorgeous, and is everything I imagine any fan would want to do if they could spend a day with Spidey. Beyond that, the jokes made me laugh out loud, and the whole story just felt so true to Spider-Man's character. He's always been that hero who would take a day to spend with a fan, or friend, or just someone in need.


Favourite DC book of the week - The Flash #12 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato

The Flash is consistently one of the best books DC puts out. From the cover (the variant sketch version of which looks even better!) to the last page, everything in this issue looked great. One thing to notice is the unconventional panel layout. Manapul uses panels within panels, angled panels, panels that get smaller as a character falls through them, and wavy panels to help tell his story. Some of them he only uses when a certain character is using their powers. It adds so much to the art and feel and flow of the book, and I think giving Manapul writing and art duties on this series going into the New 52 is one of the best decisions DC made.

Favourite other publisher book of the week - The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

I would never have looked at this book if it weren't by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. I've never read any other Rocketeer comics, or seen the movie. That didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book at all. The story moved quickly, introducing us to Cliff Secord's personal life and heroic life at the same time and kickstarting directions to take them both in. This looks like it will be a very fast-paced series judging by the pace of this issue, but that works well with Samnee's art, which is also perfect for this 1940 universe they're working in. I can't wait for the second issue. I'm not about to go out looking for more Rocketeer stuff, but this is a good comic, so I'll keep reading it.


Other good comics this week -

Astonishing X-Men #53 - I just want to call out another really cool Dustin Weaver cover on this one.

Captain America & Namor #635.1 by Cullen Bunn and Will Conrad - I imagine this story was setting something up for upcoming stories in Captain America and..., but it stood really well on its own. I love Namor when he's handled properly, namely arrogant and ruthless.

Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe #4 by Cullen Bunn and Dalibor Talajic - My favourite part of this series was the ending. Kudos to Cullen Bunn for that.

I, Vampire #12 by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino - I really liked seeing Stormwatch appear in this series, as it makes sense that this is something they'd be dealing with. I hope they stick around for the next issue and we get to see some epic fight scenes between them and Andrew Bennett.

Invincible Iron Man #523 by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca - I've finished re-reading Hickman's FF run to date, and moved on to reading Fraction's Invincible Iron Man from the beginning again. Doing so just makes this final story even better, and I highly recommend it. Seeing the Titanomechs first appear in Tony's dreams and nightmares almost 40 issues ago and knowing now that was the start of the Mandarin's attack... I don't even know how to finish that sentence. I'll be sad to see Fraction and Larroca go, and can only hope Gillen and Land can live up to what was done here.

Supercrooks #4 of 4 by Mark Millar and Leinil Yu - I don't always like Millar's creator-owned books, and I don't always like Yu's art, but I liked this series. Have the movie rights been optioned? I'm assuming so, and it should make a good movie too. Can't wait to pick up a hardcover of it.

Venom #23 by Cullen Bunn and Thony Silas - It looks like Bunn is becoming one of my favourite writers at Marvel. It doesn't hurt that he's working on all the right characters to pluck at my heartstrings. This is his first solo issue of Venom, so it's a great jumping on point for new readers, and it gets into the action nice and fast.


Hardcovers & Graphic Novels -

Wolverine & The X-Men vol 2 by Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw came out in hardcover this week. I liked this material better than the launch story, so I'll definitely pick up the collection. It also has one of my favourite lines of comic book dialogue ever - "Anyone not willing to murder for the sake of science is no scientist at all."

Swamp Thing vol 1 by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette came out in softcover, and if you haven't been reading this series, I suggest picking it up. When it comes to collections, I stick to hardcover, but trades are a great way to get into a series if you've never read it before.


Comic News from this week -

Mike Allred put out some variant covers that are going to be available for FF #2-5 here and here and here and here. Love 'em all. Gonna have to get 'em all.

On a similar note, almost all of the Skottie Young baby variants for Marvel Now! are available for preview here. Thor is my favourite, but I'm also gonna have to get pretty much all of these. I already have Marvel Now! Point One #1 (which isn't shown there) and Uncanny Avengers #1 on order through local stores, but neither of those stores can meet the requirements for A-Plus X, and the rest haven't been solicited yet.

Rob Liefeld quit DC on Twitter in a very public, bridge-burning fashion. I know a lot of people hate on the guy and are probably happy he's gone, but it doesn't bode well for DC that he isn't the first creator to leave citing editorial problems less than a year into the New 52. Hopefully they can get it under control so that it gets better and not worse.

Dan Slott got some pretty hateful messages on Twitter and responded by blocking the people and with a nice little note saying it's okay to hate his work, but don't seek him out on Twitter or anywhere else just to be mean to him, or any other comic creators. It's the exact reason why this blog is called Positive Feedback; because there are too many people out there just broadcasting blind negativity, and I would rather praise people for giving me something I like than attack them for something I didn't.

FanExpo Canada is going on right now, and, sadly, I couldn't afford to make it this year after my son was born 7 weeks ago. There's sure to be lots more news out of it, but so far we've heard that Jason Latour will be taking over Winter Soldier from Ed Brubaker, which leaves me wondering - what are Brubaker's plans? We've also heard that Jeff Parker will be introducing a new team of Dark Avengers in issue #184, including USAgent. As much as I didn't like the change from Thunderbolts to Dark Avengers, it worked in the story, and I'm sure this will too. I have faith in Parker to deliver.


Lastly, my pitch of the week -

Amazing Spider-Man #692 featured the introduction of Alpha, and I couldn't help but see similarities between him and Gravity, a Marvel character created by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton in a 5-issue mini in 2005. Gravity is my favourite new character of the last 10 years, and I think has a ton of potential, but hasn't really caught on. I've probably written a dozen different pitches for the character, and will probably write a dozen more. When you see potential, how could you not?

The Fundamental Gravity

A Proposal

We open on Greg Willis, Gravity, standing on the ledge of a building, preparing to jump.

“Once, I flew off this building,” the first caption reads.

“Once, I took off my mask and “quit” on this building,” the second caption reads.

“Once, I jumped off this building, powerless, to my certain death,” the third caption reads.

The last panel on the first page shows him taking a step forward, and the second page has him plummeting to his death.

“Oh wait. That’s happening now,” the caption reads.


We cut back to days earlier to show the chain of events leading to Gravity’s suicidal leap. He still has his powers, and defeats Brushfire, one of his regular rogues. He returns to his home, unaware he is being watched. He finds a message from Lauren, his old girlfriend, on his machine. She wants to get together, and this excites him. For once, everything is going right in his life. A knock on his door prompts him to rush out of his costume and into regular clothes. When he answers it, he is grabbed by the man behind it, who has some kind of machinery running up his arm. Energy shoots through the machinery, out of Greg’s body and into the other man’s.

Greg wakes up tied to a chair. The attacker explains who he is – Graviton – Avengers and Thunderbolts villain, presumed dead. He tells Greg his story. Once again, his powers took him to another dimension to save him from certain death. But this time, he wasn’t welcome there. The aliens from that dimension tried to use his powers to open a portal to Earth. When they did, he saw a boy get pulled in, but the portal was unstable, and Graviton’s powers transferred through it and into the boy. Graviton was left powerless and kept in an alien prison. But they didn’t know he was once a scientist, and he was able to use their technology to make his own portal back to Earth, and a machine to steal his powers back. And now that he has them back, he’s going to have some fun with them.

“Avengers Assemble!” kicks off the second issue as Cap leads the team against Graviton, to no avail. Greg is still in his apartment, tied to a chair, but his phone starts to ring, and he manages to knock himself over and squirm to answer it. It’s Lauren, his ex, again, and he begs her to come over and help him, explaining his situation. As she tries to make her way over, she finds Manhattan is practically being destroyed by the fight between Graviton and the Avengers. She gets to Greg’s apartment and unties him. Greg insists that the Avengers will take win. They have to. But he turns on the News to check, and finds that Graviton has defeated Thor, the last Avenger standing.

In our third part, having defeated the Avengers, Graviton extends his powers to lift Manhattan out of the water. He’s clearly as crazy as ever, loudly proclaiming that this is his city now. Greg is left to watch and ask “what can I do?” He has to explain the whole crazy situation to Lauren, who can only comfort him and tell him she believes in him and she loves him and if she wasn’t sure before, almost dying on her way to his apartment made her sure. Her faith helps him open his eyes, and he notices Graviton left the ruined machinery that he used to steal Greg’s powers behind. Greg grabs it, and runs out of the apartment, doubling back to give Lauren a kiss, tell her he loves her too, and to stay there, where she’ll be safe.

While he runs through the city, other superheroes show up to confront Graviton, and he defeats them all. Greg is putting his life on the line trying to dodge falling debris and explosions being caused by Graviton’s destruction of the city, but he knows he can’t stop. If he had tried to figure out where his powers came from, or if he had noticed Graviton following him, or if he had learned to control the power to the extent that Graviton has, maybe none of this would be happening. Graviton is throwing superheroes into space, possibly killing them. Greg knows he has to take responsibility for it. He has to stop it. Hopefully his idea works, as he reaches his destination – Horizon Labs. He bangs on the sealed security doors.

Minutes later, Uatu Jackson brings him into Peter Parker’s lab. “This guy says he’s a superhero, and he knows how to stop that Graviton dude, but he needs your help,” Uatu tells Peter. Greg explains that he saw on the news how Peter helped make tech for Spider-Man, and so he thought Peter could fix the power transference machine. Peter agrees to take a look at it.

The last part of the story brings us back to the start. Greg, on a building, powerless, leaps to almost certain death. Peter was able to fix the machine, and, on his way to the ground, Greg manages to grab a hold of Graviton, who was floating below. He holds on tight as the power transfer machine starts to do its job and Graviton screams, slowly falling to the ground. It’s not working as well as it did the first time though, and Graviton is able to fight back against it, putting himself and Greg in a super-powered arm-wrestling match. As it looks like Graviton might take back the upper hand, Spider-Man shows up, having been watching for his moment. He webs Graviton’s eyes and punches him, breaking their grip on each other. Graviton isn’t left powerless though, and he quickly takes Spider-Man out of the fight. But Greg is no longer powerless, and so the two men fight, pitting their powers against each other to see who came out of the power transfer with more. Greg wins, and then strains to extend his power and lower the city back where it came from. He barely survives the experience, but manages, passing out as he finishes.

He wakes up in Avengers Mansion, having been taken in and checked over after the Avengers and other heroes were able to break Graviton’s hold that kept them in the upper atmosphere and return to Manhattan. They all praise him for winning the day. He thanks them, but thinks to himself that he still has a long way to go before he’s the hero he wants to be. Lauren is let into visit him, and they kiss, both happy to be back together.

In an epilogue, a newscaster reads the Avengers statement about Gravity saving the day. Black Death, Gravity’s first major villain, is watching, and says to himself “Little fish, little fish… looks like we’re both ready to swim in a bigger pond.”

Positive Feedback - August 15th

We're on a better track this week for another installment of Positive Feedback, looking at comics that came out on August 15th, 2012.

Favourite Comic of the Week - Wonder Woman #12 by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang

I'm usually a Marvel guy. I've probably made that pretty obvious in my prior reviews. But DC really knocked it out of the park this week.

Wonder Woman #12 won as my favourite book this week because so much happened in it. Action, drama, comedy, set-ups, and conclusions. Cliff Chiang's artwork was as fantastic as ever, and I love his re-designs of the Greek pantheon that is key to Wonder Woman's mythos. Apollo looks evil. Hermes looks like some kind of strange monster. They all have secret agendas. And Diana can kick all their butts.

I also liked Azzarello's other book this week, as mentioned below, but it's that kind of grim and gritty city crime stories I expect him to deliver on, based on his other work that I've read. I didn't expect his Wonder Woman to be this good, but it's turned into my favourite run on the character, and one of my favourite New 52 titles in general.

And how about that ending? Cannot wait to see that pay off. "BOOM."


Other good comics this week -

Amazing Spider-Man #691 by Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli - Another great conclusion to another great Spider-Man story by Dan Slott. The Lizard is re-defined. I loved the peaceful nature of the transformed Horizon team. I loved the introduction of Devil-Spider. And I look forward to next week for 692 - the 50th anniversary issue.

Avengers Academy #35 by Christos Gage and Andrea Di Vito - The second part of the Final Exam story amps it up into high gear. It's such a great cast of characters, and they're all getting great moments to shine. It's sweet, and it's sad. And I'm hoping it's not really the end for these characters, but I'm sure some of them won't come out of this story unscathed.

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1 by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo - Bermejo's artwork is so beautiful that I usually just look at and try to enjoy every page before I start actually reading the text. He certainly doesn't disappoint in this issue, and I hope he keeps up the same high quality throughout the series. Say what you will about the legal and moral debate - these are good comics, that really wouldn't have worked with other characters.

Captain Marvel #2 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy - Everything I thought was missing from the first issue was delivered in this issue. Soy's artwork continues to impress, and I hope he has a bright future ahead of him. And Kelly Sue clearly gets Carol Danvers, and is doing a fantastic job of communicating her personality and motivation.

Daredevil #17 by Mark Waid and Mike Allred - If not for Wonder Woman, this would have been my favourite book this week. Allred's art is fantastic as always, and really works on Daredevil. I'd be very happy if they convince him to do more guest spots. Waid delivers great character moments and character developments again. And I love that optimistic ending - "I'm a winner. Just like my dad."

DC Universe Presents #12 by Fabian Nicieza and Jorge Jimenez - I've never noticed Jorge Jimenez's name in the credits on another comic, but I really liked his art in this book, and I almost always like Nicieza's writing. Although I liked the last DCU Presents story more, this one off story focused on Kid Flash was a lot of fun and looks like it may lead in to some cool Teen Titans stories down the road.

Green Lantern #12 by Geoff Johns, Renato Guedes, and Jim Calafiore - This is just good stuff, keeping Green Lantern interesting and fun to read. I'm genuinely curious where this is all going, and invested in what's going to happen to Hal and Sinestro. I could do without Hal dying again, but if it's written well, I won't be able to complain.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #12 by Scott Lobdell and Timothy Green II - I'll be honest; the only reason this book is on here is because of the cover by Kenneth Rocafort. Love a good-looking Star Wars parody.

Saga #6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Alternatively to the last title, this book is on here for all of the right reasons. Probably third on my list this week, I loved the art, I loved the story development, I loved the twists, and I loved the really freaking cool Rocketship.









Hardcovers & Graphic Novels -

Incredible Hulk Season One by Fred Van Lente and Julian Totino - Like most of the Season One books so far, this was a fun book to read. I've never read the early Hulk stuff, so I couldn't speak to how well it fits into continuity (I don't think very well), but I liked seeing women throw themselves at Bruce, and that it wasn't Rick Jones or the street kids shooting up, and the way Van Lente worked in the parental abuse and inner child aspect to Hulk and Bruce, even though that wasn't originally introduced until much later on. I wouldn't rate it up there with DC's Earth One graphic novels, and it isn't even my favourite of the Season One books so far (Daredevil and Ant-Man are), but it's definitely an enjoyable book.


Comic News from last week -

I didn't see much news this week, but there were three things I saw worth talking about.

Marvel confirmed Kelly Sue DeConnick and Stefano Caselli will be taking over Avengers Assemble with issue #9. I'm really excited that we're seeing a variety of fresh voices on the Avengers titles after so long with Bendis, even though I enjoyed all of his stuff. When you look back at everything since Avengers Disassembled, Marvel launched New Avengers twice, Mighty Avengers, Avengers volume 4, Dark Avengers, Secret Avengers, and Avengers Assemble all as ongoing series, and Bendis was the writer on all but one of those books at launch. I'm not saying it wasn't good stuff, but I'm looking forward to a few different fresh voices, and I love Caselli's art, so I'm excited for this. Also, Spider-Woman's in the teaser art. I like Spider-Woman.

Marvel also announced Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti will take over Journey Into Mystery with issue #646. I'm a big fan of Immonen's writing, and encourage anyone who's looking for something fun to read to find her Patsy Walker: Hellcat series. Last time I was at FanExpo, I went up to the Immonen's booth and talked to Kathryn for 5 minutes or so about the Hellcat series, which was still coming out at the time, while lots of other convention-goers tried to get Stuart's attention and autograph. Immonen spoke to how Sif will be the lead character, and I like the ideas she has about the character.

Lastly, Joe Kubert passed away, and that's very sad. Most of his work was before my time, but I've loved what I've seen, and I have a lot of respect for him and his wife for running the Kubert School and training so many talented people. I've seen all of the various eulogies and obituaries that were posted, including the less tasteful one that DC retracted, but my favourite - the one I found most touching - was Neal Adams's, posted at the Gutters website here, along with a beautiful artistic tribute.


This week, I'm gonna end on that. I think it's more important than any ideas I could pitch at you.

Positive Feedback - August 8th

A little late this week, with new comics out tomorrow, but here's my thoughts on August 8th comics, in brief.

Favourite comic - Fantastic Four #609 by Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Stegman

After reading my New X-Men by Grant Morrison Omnibus last weekend, I decided to dive into re-reading Hickman's Fantastic Four and FF runs to date, and I'm just finishing up now. All the connections are a lot clearer reading it over a couple of days, as opposed to years, and I really love how he's tying up all the loose ends now that his big main story is wrapped.

In this issue in particular, I enjoyed Stegman's art, the re-appearance of the New Defenders characters that first appeared in Millar's run, and that Hickman has visited on Nu-World 2 or 3 times before, the idea of using the body of the deceased future Galactus as a space ship, and the sweet conversation between Reed and Sue at the end.

"Oh, there's a very real possibility that it won't [work]," says Reed. "A significant statistical probability, in fact."
"But you think it will," replies Sue.
"I do."

It's optimism that sits at the heart of Reed's character, and that has been a theme of Hickman's run. I found it very uplifting.


Other good comics -

Venom #22 by Rick Remender and Declan Shalvey - Remender ends his run on Venom on a high note, with a good epilogue to his main arc, a nice summary of where Flash Thompson's life is at, and how he got there. Shalvey's art really stole my attention away from the script, though. The two-page splash would have been especially good textless.

Spider-Men #4 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli - This mini has definitely been enjoyable, and I liked this issue for its sweet character moments, which Pichelli handles beautifully, and its humourous moments. I hope Peter gets to share a few words with Ultimate MJ in the next issue, and I'd really like to see more of Gwen, May, and MJ in the ongoing Ultimate series.

Deathstroke #12 by Rob Liefeld - Say what you will about Liefeld. I'll probably join in. He's the Aquaman of comic creators; whether his current stuff is good or not, people are going to make fun of him, if for no other reason than because it's common practice. That being said, I liked this issue. Lots of fun and action, and a few interesting plot developments too.

Captain America and Iron Man #635 by Cullen Bunn and Barry Kitson - I always love Kitson on art, and this was definitely my favourite "Cap and..." story yet. I'm hoping this series is continuing into Marvel Now! with Cullen Bunn writing, but, even if it doesn't, the next story features the Black Widow with Francesco Francavilla art, so I have that to look forward to.

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #2 by Len Wein and Jae Lee - Man, Jae Lee's art, right? Is there anything else to talk about here? I read a blog this week in which someone postulated that DC had chosen creators for Before Watchmen by picking recognizable names in order to try and bring credibility to an otherwise unscrupulous project. I think they probably picked the people with the best ideas and art, who would produce the best comics.






Hardcovers & Graphic Novels -
Scarlet Spider vol 1: Life After Death by Yost & Stegman - This is the only hardcover collection I picked up this week. I really enjoy this series, and it's one I would love to take a stab at writing if I ever had the chance. My only problem with this collection - it's not printed to the same quality as all of my other Marvel hardcovers to date. The cover is printed right on the book, not on a dust jacket with a nice black cover with an embossed title underneath, and the paper is lighter and flimsier. It actually feels like the same quality paper the original issues are printed on, which is disappointing, because I buy hardcovers as well as original issues because the hardcovers are higher quality. If that changes, Marvel will sadly see less of my money.


Comics News from last week -

- Marvel posted interviews with all the creative teams they announced the week before. After reading the interviews and seeing some of the covers, the order of which titles I am most excited for has changed.

#1 - Tie - Fantastic Four and FF, by Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley and Mike Allred (3M?) - Fraction plans to tell a story about an intergalactic, time-travelling family road trip in the main book, and feature a backup team of Scott Lang as Ant Man, She-Hulk, Medusa, and Miss Thing in FF. Not a single part of his plans didn't sound really fun and awesome, and I can't wait to see it.

#2 - Captain America by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr. - A 10-issue opening arc featuring Arnim Zola, and re-telling the origin of Steve Rogers, as a boy in the depression? Yes, please. Brubaker is going to be a tough act to follow, but it certainly sounds like Remender's up to the job.

#3 - Iron Man by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land - Remender said he plans to leave the WWII stuff that Brubaker covered so well alone with Cap. Gillen said he plans to leave the "corporate" stuff that Fraction covered so well alone with Tony. Instead he plans to tell a story about Tony travelling the world, tinkering with his armor constantly, and seeing the effects of supertech like Extremis unleashed. Fraction's run is the first time I've really loved Iron Man for more than 6 issues, but I'm definitely prepared to love Gillen's run too.

#4 - Indestructible Hulk by Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu - Waid played his plans pretty close to the vest in his interview, but I have every confidence in this being an awesome series.

In anticipation of these series, I'm going to do more re-reading. After I finish Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF, I'm going to re-read Invincible Iron Man by Fraction and Larroca, and then Brubaker's Cap, and then I'm going to dig out some Peter David Hulk comics. It's going to be a good couple of weeks.


Lastly, my brilliant idea of the week -

Ultimate Comics Spider-Woman

I said I wanted to see more of Ultimate Gwen, May, and MJ. I think this would be a great series for them to support in, since Ultimate Jessica Drew is a clone of Peter Parker, who also still has all his memories up to the point his blood was taken at least.

The story (to start) - Once again, Norman Osborn wakes up, transforms into the Goblin, and breaks out of where he is being held. Except this time, he wasn't taken away for study. He was presumed dead, pumped full of embalming fluids, and buried. The embalming fluids cause brain damage, among other physical damage, so he goes on a wild, mindless rampage as his body and brain try to heal. The damage is on scale with the Hulk's rampage in the Ultimates.

Obviously, Nick Fury and the Ultimates are the first to catch wind of it. He assembles the team (including Miles Morales) and sends them in to shut Osborn down. But not Jessica. He has a special mission for her. She needs to go get May and Gwen and MJ to safety.

It's awkward for Jessica, as she finally has to fully explain who she is to the people who were closest to Peter, but, of course, the situation gets worse when the Goblin does show up, still half brain-dead.

Emotions run high as the Goblin and the Ultimates fight to the finish, with Spider-Woman scrambling to keep the Parker clan safe, and the big question - how do you keep the Goblin down for good?

Positive Feedback - August 1st

So being back at work and having a newborn at home prevented me from getting to last week's comics in a timely manner, but this week I managed to make it work, so I'm back with more "Positive Feedback."

Aside - I've chosen "Positive Feedback" as my title because that is my goal with these posts. There is enough negativity on the internet, especially on comic websites and forums, that I do not feel it necessary to add to. I'd rather talk about what I liked, and what has me excited. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

So, for the week of August 1st, 2012, I read 12 DC Comics, and 15 Marvel.

Favourite comic of the week - Peter Parker: Spider-Man 156.1 by Roger Stern and Roberto De La Torre

I had no idea what to expect when Marvel solicited these 50th Anniversary "Point One" and even "Point Two" issues, numbered to fit at the ends of previously cancelled Spidey titles.

If I expected anything, it was stories set in the past, that only really worked in the context of having read Peter Parker: Spider-Man 156, but a little research tells me no such comic existed. The two volumes of Peter Parker: Spider-Man were published at a final total of 155 issues - Volume 1 ran to issue 98, then volume 2 started with a new #1 and ran to issue 57. Next week's Sensational Spider-Man 33.1 works in the context of following Sensational Spider-Man volume 1, which ended with issue 33 in November 1998, but there was a 2nd volume that ran 40 issues. It's a very confusing numbering system.

That said, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the issue. What I got wasn't at all what I expected. The story was set in the present, but written by one of the all-time great Spidey writers from the past, Roger Stern, and with beautiful artwork by Roberto De La Torre. A well-crafted done-in-one story, it ties Peter's origins to his present without simply re-telling the origin like has been done so many times before. Peter's character feels experienced, as so many little things from his past come together in his present, but he doesn't feel too old or too young, which is a fine line with his character that a lot of writers seem to struggle with. It's also a story that is perfect for Spider-Man. There is no real villain - just lives to save from drowning in a tunnel. Superman would do it in seconds and it would present no threat to him, but with Spider-Man, it's a life or death situation for both himself and the men he's trying to save.

Beyond Peter's character, Stern also did a great job writing the supporting cast. Norah Winters, a young character in terms of Spider-Man's 50 year history, was perfect in her brash attitude and thoughtlessness in her pursuit of a news story. And Joe "Robbie" Robertson, longtime Daily Bugle editor, had my favourite moment of the book, when he finds out Norah took Peter to the old Acme warehouse, and knows immediately that it's the same warehouse where the police cornered the burglar who killed Uncle Ben. He doesn't need to look into it. At this point in their lives, he's like family to Peter, which means he just knows.

I don't think it's a book for everyone, but it's definitely for me. I'm a life-long Spider-Man fan, and Stern's letter to the readers in the letters page reveals he is too. In 1966, as a teenager, he discovered Spider-Man with Amazing Spider-Man #40. He never imagined he would be writing Spider-Man one day, but reveals it is still, in his mind, the best job in the world. And I know the same is true of Dan Slott, the current Spidey writer. He was a fan first and foremost. I'm sure he never imagined he'd be writing the 50th Anniversary issue, or the 700th issue, of Amazing Spider-Man. But that's what makes Spidey stories by these men so great. They love the character as much as anyone else ever has.


Other great comics that came out this week, and thoughts on them -

Hawkeye #1 by Matt Fraction and David Aja - It seems like everyone enjoyed this book. I think David Aja's art really won it for me, although the story was fun, and really conveyed Clint's attitude and personality clearly.





Defenders #9 by Matt Fraction and Jamie McKelvie - another book by Fraction where the art won the book for me more than the story. As long as McKelvie's on this series, I'll stick with it. The other dimensional Nick Fury stuff was gold. I can't find if McKelvie sells his original artwork online anywhere, but after reading this issue, I looked.

World's Finest #4 by Paul Levitz, George Perez, Scott Koblish, and Kevin Maguire - Lots of people are talking about Earth 2, and it seems like this book gets overlooked. That is an absolute shame, because it's a fantastic comic. Perez is great on art as always. Maguire's sequences work great in contrast to it, complimenting it while still differentiating past from present. Karen's and Helena's characters are being handled nicely. They feel almost like new characters being built from scratch, as opposed to characters being re-established in a new universe like most of DC's other characters. And lastly, I loved the little in-joke where Power Girl gets hit with a missile that damages her costume - in the form of a big hole right in the upper chest area, just like with her old costume.

Earth 2 #4 by James Robinson and Nicola Scott and others - As I said above, lots of people are talking about this comic, but it really deserves it. This was my favourite issue yet, with the action really getting started. Something tells me Grundy isn't down for the count yet, and I can't wait to see if any other familiar characters show up to help stop him.






Daredevil #16 by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee - Another great issue. I loved the parallels between DD and Hank Pym. Never would have thought of that, myself. The ending was a nice twist, and I cannot wait for the next issue, with Mike Allred on art duties.






Avengers vs. X-Men #9 by lots of people - Best issue of AvX yet. Probably the Spider-fan in me saying that, but it was so good to see him single-handedly leading to the rescue of all of the captured Avengers, and the defeat of two of the Phoenix hosts. Can't wait to see what comes next. But one bit of negativity - hate the man-thong on the outside of Cyclops's costume.




Hardcovers & Graphic Novels -
New X-Men by Grant Morrison Omnibus (Second Printing) - The original release was years ago, and it sold out quickly, and my pre-order was actually cancelled because it couldn't be filled, so I was very excited when Marvel re-solicited it months ago, and my copy finally arrived yesterday. It's safe to say it owns the rest of my weekend. Morrison is one of my all time favourite comic book creators. After I read this, I'll probably be tempted to re-read his JLA run, his Batman run, and Final Crisis. And I'll enjoy every second of it.


In the Comic News this week -

Marvel posted some creative team reveal Marvel Now! teasers, and I'm more excited than ever for this initiative.
- "Invincible" by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land is most likely Iron Man. I love Gillen's writing, and he's worked with Land before on X-Men (I think). I was never really an Iron Man fan until Fraction's run, which I'm sad to see coming to an end, but Gillen could keep me on this book.
- "Worthy" by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic is probably Thor. The Quesada cover for Marvel Now! Point One has him armored and carrying swords, as well as Mjolnir, so it looks like he's ready for war. If he is, this is the creative team I'd want to see telling that story. Can't wait.
- "Indestructible" by Mark Waid and Leinil Yu has been confirmed by Waid as Hulk. I'll read it because Waid is writing it. I loved his Flash. I loved his Captain America. I loved his Fantastic Four. I love his Daredevil. I've never been a Hulk fan, and I expect Waid to change my mind. I also found it funny that the writer of Irredeemable, Incorruptible, and Insufferable got "Indestructible" as a teaser. Should just name the book that.
- "Chimichangas" by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, and Tony Moore is obviously Deadpool. I'm curious, which is more interest than most Deadpool stuff gets from me.
- "Legacy" by Simon Spurrier and Tan Eng Huat - I have no idea. I don't think I've read much of anything by either of them. I look forward to more info.
- "Family" by Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley - Fantastic Four, right? Awesome news if it is. Hickman's run is going to be tough to follow, but as everything Fraction's done in Invincible Iron Man comes back around in his final story, he's showing that he can tell the big, long-reaching story too. Or maybe he'll have a different approach. I'm ridiculously interested in seeing it either way.
- "Extended" by Matt Fraction and Mike Allred I'm not so sure about. I'm hoping for FF, because I've really been enjoying the adventures of these kids. Allred's art would be great for it and family-man Fraction could probably write some great young characters. But the presence of the letter "X" in any Marvel teaser always makes me wonder.
- And the last one, which I'm more excited for than any of the others - "Soldier" by Remender and Romita Jr., which Remender has confirmed as Captain America. Brubaker's Winter Soldier and Death of Captain America stuff was fantastic, but I haven't loved much of what came after Captain America Reborn. Liked, but not loved. I can't wait to see what Remender has in store, and Romita Jr. is like icing on a maple-bacon cupcake. They've already put everything I love together, and then they find a way to make it even better.

Also in the news, Preview art for Captain Marvel 3 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy is up on Newsarama. I don't always check out preview art, but I was happy to look at this and see a much brighter color palette than we saw in the first issue. I think it fits the character much better.

DC execs have also said they plan to keep the New 52 model, by keeping the line at 52 series, meaning they'll cancel some and launch others periodically, instead of just launching new books and over-saturating the market. I like their current line-up for the most part, so I'm happy to see it stay at this size.


Lastly, my brilliant idea of the week.

Jonathan Hickman hasn't announced who any of the 18+ characters he's going to be using in Avengers or New Avengers are, but earlier this week I was wondering - with Bendis leaving, what's going to become of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones?

(Aside - If you're a comic-lover and don't check out Gutters every now and then, you probably should. I'm pretty sure if Luke Cage's song from yesterday's strip really existed, Brian Michael Bendis would have it as his ringtone. And be singing it constantly.)

My idea - relaunch The Pulse, or a Daily Bugle comic, and put Jones and Cage in there. Not only would it keep them from fading into obscurity, but it would also bring the other members of the Daily Bugle staff back into regular appearances. Now that Peter Parker doesn't work there anymore, we barely ever see Robbie, Ben Urich, Sally Floyd, Norah Winters, or Randy Roberston. Jessica Jones worked there before, in The Pulse, and Luke could probably provide color commentary as a consultant as he struggles to settle down and be a good husband and father, despite his desire to be a superhero instead.

Marvels was about a newspaperman. There's been a Daily Bugle mini before. The Pulse. Decimation: Generation M. Civil War: Front Line. World War Hulk: Front Line. Secret Invasion: Front Line. Siege: Embedded. It's not unprecedented to do a series about it. Marvel could even make a page on their own website, showcasing the fictional front page of the paper, and linking to the fictional articles. Or make that accessible through the Augmented Reality app, just to give the reader a little something extra. And if it was an ongoing, they wouldn't have to launch a tie-in mini with every major event.

July 18th Comics

For July 18th, there were 24 new comics I checked out. 12 from Marvel, 10 from DC, and 2 others.

Favourite Comic: Journey into Mystery #641 by Kieron Gillen and Richard Elson, with a gorgeous Stephanie Hans cover (Marvel)

- This issue was a terrifically fun mix of humour, explosions, and plot twists. It brought a fitting end to the Manchester Gods story, which has opened up a lot of possibilities for future Captain Britain and Otherworld stories. It also brought a sad ending to Loki's friendship with Leah, and set up for the upcoming Everything Burns story. Dan Slott tweeted on June 29th "This happened at the @Marvel Creative Summit: @kierongillen patiently waited for the right moment... & in 1 sentence, BLEW EVERYONE'S MINDS!" With Gillen penning issues like this one, I totally believe it, and can't wait to see what he has in the works.

Runners-Up for Marvel: Captain Marvel #1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy, and Daredevil #15 by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

Captain Marvel #1 was a good comic, and a nice introduction to the character for readers unfamiliar with Carol Danvers. I really thought, going into the store, that this was going to be my favourite this week. I ordered all the variants, plus signed and CGC graded copies. I'm a huge fan of all of the Captain Marvels - Mar-Vell, Genis Vell, Phyla Vell, Monica Rambeau, Noh-Varr, and Khn'Nr. And I'm also a fan of Carol Danvers and the previous Ms. Marvel series. And I think my knowledge of these characters and the Captain Marvel legacy is what kept me from loving this issue - it was an introduction that a lot of readers needed, but I wasn't one of them. Nonetheless, Kelly Sue is an excellent writer who did a great job introducing Carol - strong and commanding in her battle against the Absorbing Man, but still uncertain of herself when it comes to if she's worthy of Mar-Vell's title. Dexter Soy's artwork was great too, and I look forward to seeing a lot more of it. I'm definitely sticking with this series, and looking forward to the stories that are still to come.

Daredevil #15 was just a perfect continuation to the last issue. It's still my favourite ongoing series, and this issue is just further proof that the team deserved all those Eisners they won last week. I love the adversity Matt is facing, and that it isn't based on Kingpin or Bullseye or Mr. Fear attacking his personal life. The Iron Man and Captain Marvel cameo at the end served as a nice reminder that he is an Avenger, even though he has barely appeared in those comics since joining the team. Chris Samnee and Javier Rodriguez really nailed the art too, but who didn't expect that?

Runner-up for DC: DC Universe Presents #11 by James Robinson and Bernard Chang

This issue is the conclusion of the Savage story, which introduces Vandal Savage to the New 52 Universe, and is now my favourite New 52 story yet. The story and approach really felt fresh, like an episode of Criminal Minds set in the DCU, even though it wasn't a superhero story. It was never really established if Savage is actually immortal, or if he just believes himself to be. And it worked. The identity of the killer was a surprise. The ending was open enough that we could see more. Next month, DCU Presents goes back to telling superhero stories, but I hope they return to stories like this before too long.

Other good stuff this week:

Free stuff:

- I don't know that all comic book stores are participating, but my local store is doing a weekend sale, but also giving away free Batman: Earth One teaser comics from DC, and free Batman pins too, because Dark Knight Rises comes out tomorrow. This is a fantastic idea! Marvel should embrace it too, with their upcoming movie schedule.

Other comics:

- Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #2 has more gorgeous Amanda Conner artwork.
- Avengers vs X-Men #8 kept that event going nicely. I really liked how Fantastic Four #608 ties into it.

- Saga #5 continued the series nicely. I love how much time Vaughan takes to establish personalities and motivations for every one of his characters, not just the main ones.

Trades and hardcovers:

- Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth Hardcover - A truly great Dan Slott story, beautiful artwork by Stefano Caselli (with some Humberto Ramos in there too), and all in a deluxe size package, meaning it's even bigger than the original issues! A must have!

Comic book news:

- With SDCC last week, it's been a slower week for news. But apparently the Dark Knight Rises is good, and that's good to hear. With a running time of 2h 45m, I won't be taking my 2-week old son to it in theatres, but I look forward to the Blu-Ray release.

- I am really excited for Marvel Now! though, and the slow reveals of the full Point One cover, featuring Nick Fury Jr. and 5 characters/character groups that will see elevated status after Marvel Now launches are raising that excitement a lot. So far we've seen Nova, Ant-Man (or is it Black Ant?), Cable, and just today a grouping of Wiccan, Loki, and Miss America from Joe Casey's Vengeance mini-series, possibly a new Young Avengers team. These are all characters I love, and I can't wait to see what creators are going to be on these series.

My brilliant idea of the week:

At SDCC, someone asked how Marvel Now! would affect popular books like Daredevil and Wolverine & the X-Men. The answer was, basically, "Wait and see." With what we know at the moment - that the Avengers and X-Men will be mingling and working together more after AvX ends, I had the following idea - 

Cancel Wolverine & the X-Men and Avengers Academy.

Replace them with two new titles - Wolverine & the Avengers Academy, and Spider-Man & the X-Men.

It allows you to mix characters nicely, while teaching the students that they can learn about their powers from anyone with powers, not just other mutants, or other "accidents".

The first story - Wolverine & the Avengers Academy

- After a bad first day dealing with the students having issues with his approach to teaching, and asking him what they're supposed to learn from him, other than how to kill people, Logan goes to bed angry. In the middle of the night, a mystery figure comes into his room. Minutes later, the alarms go off and the Academy goes into lockdown. The students look for the teachers, but can't find any of them. And one by one, they get picked off, separated, and taken away screaming. Wolverine is hunting them down. But why? Reptil is the last one standing, willing to fight to his last breath for his missing, and presumed dead, friends. But he is also willing to kill Logan for vengeance. And so he has learned his lesson. Yes, Logan could teach them how to kill. He can also teach them why. And hopefully he can teach them how to control their rage too.

The first story - Spider-Man & the X-Men

- Whereas the Avengers Academy kids are scared of Logan, the X-kids just don't like or respect Spider-Man. So the first story is Spider-Man versus the students of the Jean Grey School as they try and hit him with every prank in the book, plus as many new ones they can think of, and he eventually sinks to their level and starts playing some old-fashioned Spidey jokes for revenge. When both sides are equally exhausted and destroyed, they both learn their lesson - With great power comes great responsibility, and having the power to play a prank also means you have the responsibility to decide if it's the right thing to do.