Best Book Nominees for Wednesday, Oct. 5
Before we get to the nominations today I would like to mention two books.
No real surprises in X-MEN SCHISM #5 (OF 5). As you know Cyclops and Wolverine are not happy with each other and as expected Wolverine leaves Utopia to start up his own team. What I found interesting was the look Wolverine gave to a picture of Professor X and his original team on the wall while walking out and the fact that it seems only the “kiddie” X-Men went with him. They do end up in Westchester at the ruins of the old X-Mansion and it appears that Wolverine is going to try and revive the original premise of the X-Men as a school for gifted youngsters. Wolverine channeling some serious Professor X! Who woulda thunk it.
Did enjoy INVINCIBLE #83 as always but they got me good this week. Welcome home, Robot Rex! Welcome home, Monster Girl! Huh? What? And while Rex may just want to forget what happened in their time away, help me out because I don’t even remember them leaving! Might just be that blow to the head I took during the Viltrumite war… I am diggin’ the new Invincible attitude. You did what?! You reanimated dead alternate versions of me?! Okay. Hope that works out for you. Call me if you need anything.
Nominees!
ACTION COMICS #2 – Who’s up for some more torture? The new DCU is turning out to be one brutal place. Lex Luthor puts the screws to Superman this time around. Lasted almost 10 pages! But never fear, Lex talks too much and Superman escaped relatively unscathed. Loved that they also put Superman’s cape through a battery of tests. Thought it was funny that Lex kept referring to Superman as it, although no one else would. He’s not human!! Thought Supes’ ship was cool. Thought the end was good. Thought it was better than issue #1.
CHEW #21 – Major League Chew Part #1. Chew Vol 4. TP: Tasters Choice, which collects up to issue #20, came out a couple of weeks ago and this issue is a great jump on point. All aboard! Choo-Choo!
DETECTIVE COMICS #2 – Kept the ball rolling from an excellent issue #1 with an excellent issue #2. All sorts of stuff going on and yet very straight forward. We meet the Dollmaker and his entourage and Commissioner Gordon ain’t looking too good. The new DCU is indeed a brutal place and the commissioner looks to have hours of plastic surgery awaiting him in his future. Assuming he survives!
PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #1 (OF 5) – The first (along with HUNTRESS #1) of the next batch of new titles from DC. Although they are just mini’s. And I guess it has to take place in the new DCU but it was never clarified in the issue. Anyway, it was excellent. Greg Hurwitz writes and Szymon Kudranski draws. Love the art. Mr. Kudranski has been drawing Spawn of late. That’s “new” Spawn. Not “old” Spawn. And if you don’t know the difference I encourage you to open up an issue of the “new” Spawn and check it out. Anyway, great story. Penguin growing up. Penguin being in power. How his world view was formed. Why he acts like he does. His unquestioned authority. How everyone bows down to him. And a character shows up on the last page who makes you think again about everything you just read.
RED LANTERNS #2 – Of all the new DC books I have read, this issue was probably the purest example of one of the new publishing initiatives that DC is trying with the New 52. A self-contained story that expands a character’s character and moves the overall plot forward. The story is about a people called the Yuevers who have come to the planet Ghan IX to stop a civil war but are now involved in a guerilla war with the indigenous population. The character is Atrocious. Who is trying to get a better handle on pain, vengeance and, of course, rage. The underlying plot is that Atrocious cannot face the challenges of the universe alone and is going to choose one of his Red Lanterns to help him. And next issue he will. Wonderfully constructed. Great way to tell a story. Thought it was great.
SUPERIOR #5 (OF 6) – Two Kick-Ass issues in two months… and now Superior is back… and it stopped raining… and the sun came out… will miracles never cease! I did pick both issues one and three of Superior as previous best book winners. Liked this issue a lot. In a single day, Superior succeeded where the world’s greatest super-power had failed and driven Al Qaeda completely from Afghanistan. Without one single fatality. It was pretty damn cool. Also helped the Russians dispose of their out-of-date nuclear weapons and brought famine relief to Africa. Then the crazy space monkey took away his powers, told him he was the devil and that the only way to for Superior to get his powers back was to sell him his soul!
SWAMP THING #2 – Over ANIMAL MAN #2, BATWING #2, and STORMWATCH #2. All of which I liked but I only have so much room here.
SWEET TOOTH #26 – The Taxidermist Part One. They finally made it to Alaska. Sorta. Sweet Tooth, Jeppard and the rest of the merry band do not appear in the issue. Circa 1911. Dr. James Thacker goes to Alaska to find his brother-in-law to be who has gone missing while on a Christian mission. Not sure why I tend to like issues where the main characters don’t appear. Maybe it’s just something different. But it’s probably because when a writer decides to totally forgo his main plot and his main characters, he usually has a very interesting story to tell. This was excellent and I’m very interested.
THUNDERBOLTS #164 – Issue #2 of the Golden Age Thunderbolts and it is excellent. Time Travel. Baron Zemo. The Red Skull. Man Thing eating some Nazi’s. Fire monsters at the end. Did get into what affects the time line. Don’t want to change the past lest you never get born! They pretty much went with what happened happened which is what I prefer. Makes it very difficult to tell a story otherwise. And a super shout out to Terry Pallot. He inked the issue. And made Kev Walker look even better than usual. Very pretty book.
WALKING DEAD #89 – Dude puts his rebellion into action. What the hell is going on here? Answers now! I’m taking this place back! You’re taking the community back? Side note! Nice slip-in of the word community, Mr. Kirkman. Not sure it is a "community" if half the people in it want to kill the other half. Back to the show. From Andrea? From Abraham? From Michonne? From Glenn? From Me? Do you have any idea who you’re talking to? Yeah. A crazy man! Whose going to get everyone killed! Dude is a moron but dude don’t want to die! Best part, besides Rick crying, was his realization that Carl is not a little boy anymore. Duh! Carl is the grown up in the relationship. That was established a long time ago. Which only shows that Rick is not only crazy but also a moron. Where’s my hat!
See ya!
Rusty
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Rusty says “Wolverine channeling some serious Professor X! Who woulda thunk it.” – exactly. It is a new personality being forced on Wolverine, just doesn’t make sense to me. I guess this is new “emo” Wolverine.
Jim: Stop yelling for those kids to get off your porch and tell us WHAT YOU LIKED! :D
LMAO!!!!