No intro this week, folks. Let’s hit the ground running.
ATLAS #1 – With its $4 price tag, I hope this isn’t the end of my run with Agents of Atlas, but I do hope they add some extra material to justify the higher price tag.
- EX MACHINA #49 – This book had been lagging somewhat, but as we continue to make our way to the end (now #50, I believe) it’s picking up steam again.
- HAUNT #7 – I picked up #6 because I was curious how Greg Capullo would do on the book, but I felt pretty let down. I’m officially off the bandwagon.
- JOE THE BARBARIAN #5 – It’s taken me a while to just track down the first 4 issues, but Grant Morrison’s story of a boy flitting between two worlds has been incredible. Sean Murphy’s art has been amazing, making this a book definitely worth checking out.
- ZATANNA #1 – It’s because I like Paul Dini, not just because of the girl in a corset and fishnets. Sheesh.
In the review arena, I’ve picked up a huge stack of deep-discounted Dark Reign books that I’m slowly making my way through. Some are hits (The Hood, Hawkeye), some are misses (Young Avengers, Sinister
Spider-Man), but the one that took me completely by surprise was Zodiac, a character I’d never heard of before. Taking his name (among other things) from the original Zodiac group, he assembles a group of z-list villains and sets about making things difficult for Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R., not wanting to be neutered into being a government-sponsored villain. It works out very well, with a surprisingly intricate story by Joe Casey and art by Nathan Fox that reminds me of Paul Pope. The way Zodiac reveals his true plan was fairly forced, but that’s a minor complaint considering how impressed I was by a book I went into with low expectations.
I hadn’t planned on saying anything about Iron Man 2, since anything that could be said almost certainly has been already, but I caught it last night and enjoyed it a lot. Like everyone else, I didn’t think it was a good as the first, in that it is the standard “continuation of the hero’s journey,” but it was a fun ride featuring several suits of armor pounding on each other, which is pretty much what you’d want/expect. My only quibbles are Sam Rockwell’s hackneyed Justin Hammer, and the Stark birthday party that reminded me a little too much of “Dancin’ Peter Parker.” It’s a strong sequel, though, and it’s great to see the Avengers starting to come together a little bit more. Don’t forget to stay to the end of the credits.
That’s it for me. What are YOU looking at?
