Book of the Week 11/14/07 Avengers: The Initiative #7

Written by Dan Slott
Art by Stefano Caselli
Colors by Daniele Rudoni
Letters by Joe Caramagna


This book just keeps getting better and better! As hesitant as I was for all the titles with "Initiative" stamped on the cover in this post civil war world, I'm so happy to have this book. The idea of a government sponsored super-team isn't a new concept however Dan Slott has just the right mix of action and intrigue in this comic to keep my interest piqued at every turn, especially now that we're clear of World War Hulk.


This issue centers around the scarlet spiders making their first public appearance and Peter Parker's reaction to it. Peter's jokes about Tony telling him the suit was specially made for him made me laugh out loud. Slott's handling of Peter is reminiscent of Bendis, and that's no small feet. This story culminates with a hint of doubt cast towards the public as to Spiderman's true identity which I figured would be the first step towards a retcon. A side story of this issue involves Justice investigating the death and possible resurrection of MVP. The ending of this part of the book was great if not a little ruined by the previews for this issue (which I'm starting to avoid like the plague).


The art and layouts on this book are great. The characters are vibrant and full of expression. I noticed as I read this issue that the action scenes have a very kinetic feel to them. Panels subtly overlap creating a sense of quickness and urgency. So far the Initiative has proven quite enjoyable. Kudos Mr. Stark, you're Initiative is a success.

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 18- Batman #670

Eric chose Batman #670 as the best book he read this week because it's the kickoff to the resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul and it was pretty damn good. We also discuss another huge event starting right now with the X-men: Messiah Complex one-shot, and we touch on Countdown #26, JSA #10 and more. We finish the show out with our reviews of the latest episodes of Heroes and Smallvile and discuss the upcoming JLA movie, is it a good or bad idea?

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Book of the Week 11/7/07 Uncanny X-men #492

Written by Ed Brubaker
Pencils by Billy Tan
Inks by Danny Miki & Allan Martinez
Coloring by Frank D'Armata
Letters by Chris Eliopoulos

Well Messiah Complex is officially off and running and we're getting a good glimpse into what this crossover has in store for us in this issue. It's great to see the X-men united again, in this issue we see Scott send word to Jamie Madrox that they need to put their differences aside and work together because this new mutant is more important than anything else that is going on.

As Eric and I talked about in the latest podcast, you really understand just how important this new mutant is to the world, it's great to know that the stakes are higher than they've ever been and the X-men are ready to meet this challenge head-on.

I've talked about how I haven't been huge fans of Brubaker and Carey's run the X-books but things feel really different now and it really feels like everything that they've been plotting has been leading into this storyline, it's very exciting to be an X-men fan right now!

Billy Tan has been a little hit or miss since starting Uncanny, I've been a fan of his art overall but on some issues it seems a bit rushed. I was happy to see that Tan was in great form in this issue and this is probably his best pencils on the book yet, he lends a subtle dark, yet realistic tone to his art and I think that's something that a lot of superhero books could use more of.

Overall I'm glad to see the X-men back as I've remembered them, as great superheroes who fight for their own distinct cause. I've complained a lot of Grant Morrison's run on the X-men and how much it changed things and I feel that right now the X-men are finally back to where they used to be, where they should be, and that is a complete breath of fresh air.


-And man oh man was this a badass week for Scott Summers, between his revelations in Astonishing and his dealings with Xavier in this book, ah it's good to have you back Scott, better than ever!

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 17- X-men #204

I picked X-men #204 this week because I finally understood what's been going on and that it was linked to Messiah Complex and I was pretty stoked about that. Eric and I also discuss our mixed feelings about Flash and Green Lantern Corps and more. We throw you guys a little bone with a great DVD recommendation and we finish off the podcast with our top 5 superhero costume changes/upgrades.

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Book of the Week 10/31/07 Batman #670

Written by Grant Morrison
Pencilled by Tony Daniel
Inks by Jonathan Glapion

This week kicked off two big events from the big two companies. While I thought Messiah Complex was very good, with it being Halloween, I've gotta go with the guy in the bat costume. I've been awfully critical of Morrison's work on Batman thus far but I'll admit I'm really excited for the resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul. This issue mainly serves as setup for the main drama which kicks off soon. We do get treated to some great scenes between Talia, the "new" Ra's, and the original plan for Damian. To Morrison's credit, Damian isn't completely irritating in this book and his need for approval from his father is clearly shown. The dynamic between Damian and Ra's will be an interesting thing to watch as this story unfolds. Talia seems to be a third wheel in this story so far so I'm hoping that she will take on a larger role as time goes on. With Ra's back in the picture, I think she's going back to second string status.

This has the feel of the large, off-beat story that Morrison is known for, as did his previous arcs. I think the difference with this story is that it's a subject that fans have been wanting to see happen since the end of "Batman and Son". There is a slight worry that I've had (and this issue only reinforces it) that DC may be grooming a new Robin. That drama alone will keep me coming back for more.

This Tony Daniel guy can draw! Working somewhere between Andy Kubert and Jim Lee, Daniel's Batman is a stylistic masterpiece. Together with Glapion's inks, the shadows in this book come alive. I know this is all expected in the world of Batman but it's not everyday that the finished product looks so good.

Weekly Review Podcast Episode 16 Catwoman #72

Eric thought Catwoman #72 was the best book he read this week because of the emotional punch in the gut that it gave him. We also give you guys our thoughts of Mighty Avengers #5, Captain America #31 and more. We finish off the podcast by discussing the current season of Smallville, a review of this week's Heroes episode "Fight or Flight" and a little listener feedback.

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Book of the week 10/24/07 X-men#204

Written by Mike Carey
Art by Mike Choi
Coloring by Sonia Oback
Lettering by Cory Petit


I can't believe there was a time that i didn't like Mike Carey's X-men run. I really didn't like his first story arc with Rogue's new team, the weird children villians and the whole hecotomb stuff but with this issue it really seems like all of those things happened for a reason and it's now building to a head.


This issue is taking us straight into Messiah Complex and like I've said on the podcast, I'm really excited about this crossover. Carey does a great job of doing a little re-cap in this issue but also with finally providing us with answers as to what it going on with the X-men

I've said before that it seemed like what was going on in X-men was big, but was still being kept a mystery and in this issue, the cat is finally out of the bag. We found out that sinister is hunting down mutants with ties to the future because he doesn't want the X-men to know about something that about to happen, and it looks like that event is the first mutant birth since Decimation and that's taking us straight into Messiah Complex.

Mike Choi also did a wonderful job with the art in this issue, while I did think that Humberto Ramos' art was growing on me, I think Choi is a better fit with this title. His art is very sleek and straight forward and I think Ramos' cartoony style distracted you from the story.

So congratulations Mr. Mike Carey. I did not like you're first two arcs at all but this last one has made it all worth it, you don't see that a lot in comics, but I'm so glad I stuck with you and this book and I can't wait for Messiah Complex.......which starts next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!