MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter 13

There are a ton of books this week. Couple that with a busy week with little time to read and this column is a couple of days later than I would like. That being said, the reviews will be brief. One thing; I lost a lot of books this week. Three, maybe four depending on Gerard Way and his ability to meet some deadlines. That's a lot of books to miss.
Let's get on with this, shall we?

  BLACK PANTHER #13

The book has been absent from this column because I haven't been reading it. Now, a new story arc has come along and T'Challa is trying to find where the gods of Wakanda have gone to. It's an interesting concept and I am excited to see how it plays out. A very exciting issue.

HULK #5

This has been a long burn to Jennifer turning into the monster inside. It looks like that will happen next issue. I can't wait to see. This was a super creepy issue and it worked really well.

BATWOMAN #2

See, this is my first foray into Batwoman territory. There are things playing out here that I don't understand, but it is an interesting comic book. I like that she has her own Pennyworth.

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #19

Rip Hunter has come to warn of a future with no Yellow Lanterns and that's a bad thing. Also, Space Ape lives! Yesssssssssss!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 5

We find out why Batman chose Lobo and an arms dealer that deals in some serious hardware. Exciting to the end and a cliffhanger that makes me want to read the next issue now. Always a sign of a great book.

WONDER WOMAN #21

News of Rucka leaving the book means that his long story is wrapping up. I'm glad Izzy gets her face back after all these years.

DOCTOR WHO #12

Sin Eaters part 2 concludes a story that proves that you never want to separate a Time Lord from his emotions. Reminded me of a classic Who adventure. Probably the best Who book out there now.

THE MISFITS # 4

The penultimate issue! We get Roxy's story and it's heartbreaking and wonderful. I have no idea how they are going to wrap this up in one more issue. I hope they decide to keep going.

THE BLUE BEETLE #8

J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen are back together. And Jaime Reyes has lost the scarab to Arion. Add in an appearance by OMAC and this nerd boy is very very happy about this issue.

INFAMOUS IRON MAN #7

Doom decides the most efficient way to fight crime is to take out all the villains at once. He gets quite a few of them and not a single fatality. He tries to apologize to Ben Grimm, knowing that there past will negate anythign he has to say. But it doesn't stop him from trying. Doom is showing the signs of a man wanting to make goodn regardless of what he was before. And, who is this Reed Richards that keeps popping up?

THE FLASH #21

We get the second part of a four part Batman crossover that tells us more of the Rebirth puzzle. The Time Treadmill is back and we see things that Flash and Batman never knew existed. This is pretty good, but I'm still not buying the Batman books.

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #18

We learn the secret to what makes this team work. Two heads are better than one. Lunella is supposed to be the smartest there is, but it took a dinosaur to show her what is truth in the universe. This is such a great series.

DOOM PATROL #6

The Doom Patrol is back together. I hope we get more of them. IT's nice to have a trippy Vertigo book once a month and this one definitely qualifies.

HOOKJAW #5

This is the last issue. Hookjaw got what she wanted and the one person who survived deserved it. I'm sad to see it go. It was always creepy when Hookjaw talked. It's creepier when a person understands it. I will miss this book.

PATSY WALKER A.K.A. HELLCAT! #17

Another book gone with the wind. It was a great run and Hellcat gets the best happy ending of all. Still a shame that Marvel keeps cancelling my favorite books.

THE GREAT LAKES AVENGERS #7

If they had to go it was nice to see how they went out. It stayed funny and had such great artwork. I'm pretty sure I would buy another book by either the writer or artist of this run.It's The Great Lakes Avengers. You can cancel the book, you know they're still out there, fighting the oddest villains in the Marvel universe.

There ya go folks. Some excellent books once again. Nice to have Black Panther back. NO way he'll fill the hole vacated by the GLA and Hellcat, but we shall see. Patsy is a cat maybe she can get a gig in the Black Panther and his Crew book. That would be alright. Or she could turn up in the new HULK book since she and Jennifer are just great friends.
Go read a comic book.
Seeya!

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter 12

Twelve columns! Woot! Not too shabby if I say so myself. Big week with some amazing books. A couple of new ones that are, well they are awesome. One suggested by the lovely Martha Waltz. I am the luckiest man alive!
Ahem
Anyway, let's get down to it.

GREEN ARROW #21

First Green Arrow has been defeated and now the team of villains that did it are after Seattle. They want to make it Star City. Juan Ferreya's artwork for this is breathtaking. It looks painted. Oliver is going to have a rough time of it and this new story arc starts off with a magnificent bang. I hope Green is ready for an uphill battle. One of them took down a skyscraper with his bare hands!!!

AQUAMAN #21

We finally learn the secret of Deep Water. It's...yeah, buy the book. It is really a cool concept and might have a positive aspect for Atlantis in the long run. And while Aquaman is trying to save the damn world, people in Atlantis are being petty. Same old same old, but this new revelation of Deep Water is a game changer. Okay, I'll tell you...it's...Nah, you really need to read this one.

KONG OF SKULL ISLAND #10

When last we left the rebel tribesmen, they were about to make a fatal mistake with the queen's daughter. Now they have an angry mother along with more than one Kong to deal with. This book is such a delight every month.. The artwork is magnificent and the storyline pulls you in over and over again. People who loved the film would love this.

COADY AND THE CREEPIES #2

The band is on the road to get the last pin in the Pinmageddon tour. Something evil wants to stop them, but luckily friends you make on the road tend to turn up when it will do the most good. I would love it if they made actual pins like they show in the book. I'd buy them.

SKULL ISLAND THE BIRTH OF KONG #1

I know what you're thinking. Didn't you just review the Kong book up a ways? Yup, that was BOOM!'s licensed historical book of Kong. This is released by Legendary under their Monsterverse Imprint. I am excited that there is a book imprint called Monsterverse. Maybe some Godzilla next? Anyway, this fills in some blanks after the film and is set in the future with a new team headed to Skull Island.  Not a good plan. Maybe they didn;t watch the movie and realize the place is filled with monsters? Anyway, if you had told me when I was a kid and huge Kong geek that there would be two Kong comic books I would have laughed in disbelief. A really good looking book.

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS #6

When last we left he Pussycats they were being arrested for plagiarism. Yeah, about that. It seems that Alexander Cabot thought his sister was still mad at Josie so he drags them to his Antarctic palace to judge them. This was a one and done that is funny and shows how much money the Cabot family actually has. Great book.

CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE #7

Cave saves Superman after he is weakened by Kryptonite and attacked by a crystal monster. But that wa the past and when he wakes up his cybernetic eye is still missing and there is a huge monster in the sky. Um, what? I love this book because half the time I have no idea what is going on. Can't have it all laid out for us, can we?

THE GREATEST ADVENTURE #1

I have been waiting for this book for a long time. Tarzan is visited by Jason Gridley about an interstellar fleet that captured him and forced him to make a weapon. He escaped and now feels they need to find the rest of his research that could aid the invaders. Tarzan assembles a team that boggles the mind. Here's a few; Korak, son of Tarzan, Billy Byrne, The Mucker, Townsend Harper from Monster Men and Barney Custer, sometime King of Lutha. That's right it's a mash of all of Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters and they have some pretty deep cuts here. It's a set up issue, but they waste no time to leap into battle. This is a dream come true and I love what they are doing with the cast. There are so many I hope it doesn't become too unwieldy. We shall see because I am not missing an issue.

GODSHAPER #1

This is the one Martha picked and it is amazing. In 1958 something happened that took all the modern conveniences of life away from us. An alternative came along in that every person on the planet got their own god that could learn to do things. People would trade services depending on what their god could do. And, the people with no god could shape the gods and make modification to them for a fee. This is the story of Ennay a master shaper, but he might be more than that.  This is such a fun concept and the artwork is really well done. A new book to add to the list and I think it can only continue to get great.  

U.S.AVENGERS #5

I promised no negative reviews here. This is a tie in to a event called Secret Empire. I am not buying that book and have forsaken all recent books with Captain America in the title. Not interested and all that. So, with that being said, the book has this really cool part with Squirrel Girl and Red Hulk vs Arthur Nagan King of the Gorilla Men! That part was excellent.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

NICK FURY #1

So, yeah, this is the Nick Fury that more recognizable from the films. Nick Fury Jr. in the Marvel Universe since Nick Fury Sr. is The Watcher now. (It's complicated) Anyway, this book reminds me of the old spy comics of Nick Fury with that amazing Steranko art. It captures that feel and also the art. James Robinson writes this excellent tale and ACO does the penciling while Hugo Petrus does the inking. I do want to mention Rachelle Rosenberg as the colorist because the wild color motif is what makes this book. And, it does something I haven't seen in a very long time. The book is a page turner. It makes you turn the pages as fast as possible. It's like a printed car chase in a kick ass action film. You can't stop. You need to find out what happens next. I read it twice so fast I forced myself to slow down and appreciate the artwork. It still went fast. This book is super fast. So, very good and it made me smile and nostalgic all at the same time. Great book.




So another week and three new books. Sure, I still miss Jonesy. I asked both of the creators why, but neither of them have bothered to deem me worthy for a response. That Nick Fury book makes me extremely happy.

Seeya next week.

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter 11

Okay, they cancelled two of my books this week. One I knew about, the other came out of left field. This has made me sad and I'm keeping this brief.

BLACK PANTHER AND THE CREW #1

I admit to not reading the Black Panther book for a few months, but a team of Black Panther, Misty Knight, Storm, Luke Cage and someone I don;t know named Manifold sounded pretty cool. Someone got murdered while in jail and Harlem is up in arms. There are robot police and a curfew waiting to be broken. Someone wants a riot. The Crew needs to make sure no one gets hurt. It's a pretty busy book for a first issue, but it does have a lot more action than Black Panther has. I like the way it starts and will keep with it unless it gets chatty.



THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL # 19

Always a fun read. I need a book that is nothing but Alfredo The Chicken and Chef Bear. I would read that every month.

BATGIRL BIRDS OF PREY # 9

Practically a Black Canary issue and not in a bad way. She uncovers what is going on in the underground fight club and it ain't pretty. Time to rally the troops and put down the bad guy. Great book.

THE FLASH #20

The Black Hole is stealing the bodies of all the speedsters killed by Godspeed. Why? Well, you will have to wait until next issue. This one shows us Iris is a formidable opponent in her own right and the last page is a gut churner for anyone who has read the book from the beginning.

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #18

So, the Green and Yellow are learning to work together. It's an uphill battle after so many years of mutual hatred, but they will pull it together. And something bizarre is trying to wipe them out before they even get started. Another classic hero in the DC canon given the book he deserves with the largest supporting cast in any book.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4

The JLA is here to stop Lord Havok from destroying our planet. This shows the team as Batman designed them. To help others complete whatever task is laid before them. Not to do it for them. This is a team of street level heavy hitters, not the God like beings of the original JLA. BAtman knows what works and proves it here in the downfall of a tyrant.

WONDER WOMAN #20

In the continuing GODWATCH story, Veronica is done with logic to cure her daughter. It's time to invoke some magic and Circe seems like the obvious choice. Right? Yeah, this issue gets out of hand, in a good way, and it shows that nothing is as it seems. And the answer to the problem may be more than what it's worth. This is a good storyline that accentuates the one taking place in the odd numbered books. It will be interesting to see them finally come together in the end.

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #12

Velma believes that the only answer to the problem at hand is to find her maniacal brother and force him to help her find a cure. Only problem? He ain't interested. But, this long on the road is starting to bring our team together like the old cartoons and that will help more than anything else.

POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #15

Yeah, I knew this book was going the way of the Dodo, but I still didn't want to have it happen. It ends on an up note which is nice and the bad guys are defeated and our heroes save the day. But, I'm going to miss this book. A lot. Sure, the Iron Fist book is pretty good and the upcoming Luke Cage book looks good, but I want them back the way they used to be. I hope someone else uses Senor Magico somewhere else. Hopefully, he won't share the same fate as Doombot from Avengers A.I.. The last panel choked me up.

JONESY #12

WAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! THEY CANCELLED MY BOOOOOOKKKKKK!!!!!! WAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!. This odd little book that started out as a four issue mini series managed to make it four times longer than that, but I had no idea the book was done. I have always been a fan of Sam Humphries and that quirky art by Caitlin Rose Boyle made this a unique book that I thought was going to go on forever.
WWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sniff

I make JONESY The Book of the Week.

This sucks.

I'll see you next week.

BAH!

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMIC BOOKS Chapter 10

Probably the shortest column to date. There were not a lot of books out this week, but there was a lot of great stuff regardless. Ready? Good I need to get this done so I can finish getting ready for Cinema Wasteland, the best convention in the world!
Here we go...

JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #25

As the series nears it's end Jem has revealed her secret to an angry Rio who has left the island. The Stingers have decided to break everyone up and hatch a plan to drive a wedge between Stormer and Kimber and it might involve lava. Not on purpose or anything, but, hey, stuff happens. It feels like next issue will be the end and I will be sad to see the book go. Now I will just have three books about fictional girl bands to buy. Oh well, If you haven't picked up the book they did just release the first six books in a trade that looks pretty sweet.

INVADER ZIM #18

Zim is jealous of another Invader so he takes over the local Burrito King, but neither he or Gir now how to make a burrito. Here's a hint; they do not contain howler monkeys. I heard they are doing a new movie and I hope it's as much fun as this series has been. I remember when it started and they were doing a limited series. Yeah, Zim doesn't look like it's going anywhere any time soon. Thank goodness.

GREEN ARROW #20

The end of The Return of Roy Harper. The crooked people get what's coming to them and justice of a sort is given to the natives. Green Arrow and Roy mend old wounds and decide that two people might be better suited to bring Green Arrow back to his former glory. This book has been fascinating to read, the art is always exceptional the writing is magnificent. They have been making this one of the best books in the new Rebirth.

AQUAMAN #20

Speaking of great Rebirth books, Aquaman manages to switch gears from huge, world shattering issues to Aquaman and Mera trying to discover what is turning normal people into monsters that can teleport through the smallest amount of water. Next issue will give us the reveal and I can't wait to see what we will get. Another great issue.

IRON FIST #2

Danny Rand has been presented with an offer. On the island of Liu-Shi there are seven masters of different animal styles of kung fu. If he defeats them all he will receive their chi and regain what has been lost to him. Lose and the secret of Shou Lao the Undying will become the property of Liu Shi and they will transform into the new city of Heaven. This has been a great start to a new series and I will be happy to see what becomes of it as the tournament continues. Art is also very good. The whole thing feels like a big budget kung fu movie.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

THE UNCANNY AVENGERS #22

From the first issue of the first volume of this book the biggest problem has been that The Red Skull has incorporated Charles Xavier's brain with his own. Now, with Deadpool giving Rogue Magneto's helmet, effectively breaking any sort of mind control, the brain of Charles Xavier has been separated from The Red Skull once and for all.
To me this book has been the most Marvel like it takes a disparate group of heroes, presents them with impossible challenges and they rise above them and win. Last issue got me so pumped for this issue that it was the first thing I read. With all the changes in Marvel that I am not a huge fan of I am glad this book is here for me. It was the best thing I read all week and it also has me jonesing for the next issue.
My favorite book is the book of the week.

Okay, there you go kiddies. A short, small week, but some of the best things I have read in a while. GO visit your local comic book shop and get some books to read. You know you want to.

Seeya!