Week of May 9th

Honorable Mention

Ferals # 5 (Avatar Press)

It used to be that werewolves were a rare occurrence....and you’d only have to deal with one at any given time. These days, they have whole towns full of them, and they have the same relationship problems humans do....worse in fact, cause when things turn violent, there’s usually guts spread all over the place. Sleep with the wife of a werewolf, and things are bound to get very ugly indeed. It’s also never a good sign when you see mysterious men wearing black suits...

Grifter # 9 (DC Comics)

Killing Daemonites while backflipping on a snowboard off of a cliff...yup, this is a Grifter book. He’s really made the Daemonites angry, so they’ve sent the Elite Class to deal with him. Great thing he has some help from the mysterious Niko...although she isn’t too pleased with his attitude, and he isn’t too thrilled with her news. Thinking she has placed a bit more importance on his role than is warranted, this is a perfect time for the appearance of Deathblow.

Incorruptible # 29 (Boom)

The world is going to hell since the return of the Plutonian, but that can’t be a concern for Max Damage....because Coalville is on the faster track to the same destination. A radioactive cloud is coming to town, and everyone is in a state of panic because there s nothing anyone can do about...or to save the populace. Enter Max Damage...with his power to become stronger and tougher the longer he stays awake, he is going to offer the town the one thing it doesn’t have...hope.

Invincible # 91 (Image)

Eve is looking for Invincible after he has been rescued from the Regent by Dynosaurus. Her search gathers many of his allies, including his brother as everyone is thinking the worst...since nobody realizes Dynosaurus isn’t an enemy anymore, but a friend. Things get a little out of hand when they finally find him...but really get complicated when Invincible discovers, the hard way, that he has been altered from his prior dispute with his brother.

The Punisher # 11 (Marvel)

Detective Walter Bolt has a story to tell...and it’s a good one! How many people can say they stood side-by-side with the Punisher fighting zombies in the middle of times square? Not many...but Bolt is a lier and his role alongside the Punisher isn’t as grandiose as some would believe...so why will he still be touted a hero after the truth comes out? The Punisher doesn’t work for the NYPD.

The Ultimates # 10 (Marvel)

You know things are bad when the Secretary of Energy is next in line to be the President of the United States. With the Ultimates on the outs with the government and the US under attack, now is the perfect time for Tony to develop a tumor...and the Invisible Woman to discover that her husband is responsible for the attack. Things are looking pretty sour...with assurances that they will get worse.

...and now for this weeks All-Stars!

Artifacts # 17

Company: Image/ Top Cow Productions

All-Star Crew of Presenters: Writer: Ron Marz, Artist: Stjepan Sejic, Letterer: Troy Peteri, Editor: Filip Sablik

All-Star Summary for Choice: The artwork of Stjepan Sejic continues to be amazing. I look forward to reading this book every month because I know it’s like chocolate cake for my eyes. The dark tone of the book doesn’t diminish the work at all...and it seems to just improve with each issue.

   The Darkness and the Rapture square off in a battle replete with amazing displays of power by both combatants. Yet, with all that, both were holding back...but the situation will soon be coming to a head, and all bets are off when that day comes. Tom Judge is still trying to make sense of the new world that has been created by the machinations of the Darkness...and feels there must be an Angelus...a single host, to offset the power of the Darkness.

   Danielle Baptiste, the Angelus from the previous version of the world, is the logical choice...but things have a way of coming together in very unexpected ways. Danielle happens upon her former lover Finch, but it’s at the wrong place at the wrong time...or is it? Perhaps Finch is supposed to be the new Angelus...or maybe things really are as screwed up as they seem.



All-Star Quote of the Book: “You saved me once, Tom. You gave me hope, literally, when I was in hell. I owe you...and that’s what saved you tonight.”

Batman and Robin # 9

Company: DC Comics

All-Star Crew of Presenters: Writers: Peter J. Tomasi, Artists: Lee Garbett and Andy Clarke, Inkers: Ray McCarthy and Keith Champagne, Colorist: John Kalisz,  Letterer: Dezi Sienty, Editor: Mike Marts.

All-Star Summary for Choice:  The Court of Owls has finally made their move on Gotham City, and it calls for the deaths on many of the high ranking and influential people in the city. It also calls for making a clean slate if you’re a disgraced Talon. Disgraced that is, by the survival of a previous target that has spawned generations of family...that must now be eliminated to restore your honor. Gotta love the moral compass of these guys.

   Damien must fight alone, and save the life of one of these descendants....from a deadly Talon with a healing factor that would shame Wolverine. Damien is quickly becoming my favorite version of Robin as his skills are far and above any of the previous wearers of the mantle. I blame his mother and all that assassins training he had from birth. The training he gets from his father just further enhances his overall ability to overcome incredible odds in the face of certain death.

   Damien coordinates a squad of men quite easily, having read Clausewitz and Jomini at the age of six. Even with that, they are overmatched by the Talon and success for him is on;t a blade stroke away. How perfectly Batman-like of Robin to figure a way to beat the odds...at a moment when all hope has been abandoned. This is what I love about this character...he’s smart, ruthless and makes anyone that underestimates him pay...big time.


All-Star Quote of the Book: “What’s going on, General Burrows, is that some of your men have probably just been murdered by a Talon.”

Dan the Unharmable # 1 

Company: Avatar Press

All-Star Crew of Presenters: Writer: David Lapham, Artist: Rafael Ortiz, Color: Digikore Studios, Editor: William Christensen.

All-Star Summary for Choice: The whole idea of this book is fantastic. Dan is a man that is unharmable. Bullets bounce off him, fire is a minor annoyance, a swan dive off the roof of a tall building just messes up his clothes. With power like that...I know what I’d be doing. Dan, however, leads a very simplistic life and has no want or care beyond his next meal and good night’s sleep. How then does he end up in extreme situations? Great writing...that’s how.

   Dan takes odd jobs to pass the time and fund his lifestyle, such that it is. One such job lands him in hot water with some heavy hitters, but they can’t hit heavy enough to faze Dan. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that set you off...and here I think the writer made a connection with me. Dan’s cd is destroyed and then it’s time to start giving the beating instead of taking it. The graphic nature of the book presented by nice artwork is another hook that sinks into me.

   This isn’t just a book where some guy sits around waiting for stuff to happen, stuff just happens and he’s just in the thick of it. Who gets confronted, while walking home, by a stranger telling him she’s his daughter? Who doesn’t even have time to come to grips with this revelation before they get home and discover their best friend has been tied up and his guts have been ripped out? Wh will I be following monthly in their comic book? If you’ve answered “Dan” to all of these questions...give yourself a no-prize!

All-Star Quote of the Book: “I was going let you shoot me or toss me off the building or whatever floats your boat. But now you’ve really pissed me off.”

NOTE: This book contains profanity, extreme violence and nudity

Green Lantern # 9

Company: DC Comics

All-Star Crew of Presenters: Writer: Geoff Johns, Artist: Doug Mahnke, Colorists: Alex Sinclair, Inkers: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin & Tom Nguyen, Letterer: Sal Cipriano, Editor: Brian Cunningham

All-Star Summary for Choice: I’ll start this off by saying the artwork and coloring of this book is absolutely wonderful. There are so many opportunities to shine in this story and Doug Mahnke and the colorists take every one of them.

   I’ve been intrigued by the different corps that have sprung forth recently, but less so about the Indigo Tribe. I’ll admit that now that they are delving into them and their secret, it is a very interesting story, and quite shocking. Hal and Sinestro are trapped on the home planet of the Tribe....and Sinestro has been converted int one of them...just as Black Hand before him. This shouldn’t be an issue since Hal has been wanting Sinestro to change for quite some time...except, Sinestro is the power source for Hal’s ring...and he needs Sinestro, as Sinestro, to get back home.

   Leave it to Hal to uncover, more of the mystery, of what Abin Sur was really up to, who the Indigo Tribe really are...and what the future holds for the Gaurdians of the Universe. The more this big picture comes into focus, the more excited I get for the next piece of the puzzle. This is one shoe that I can’t wait to have drop...especially since the Indigo power battery has been de-powered, leaving the entire Tribe devoid of passion as they revert to their...previous ways.

All-Star Quote of the Book: “Now I know you’ve been brainwashed. Which surprisingly bothers me.”

Mind the Gap # 1 

Company: Image Comics, Inc

All-Star Crew of Presenters: Writer: Jim McCann, Artist: Rodin Esquejo and Sonia Oback, Letterer: Dave Lanphear

All-Star Summary for Choice: I saw this book on the shelf and, intrigued by the cover, picked it up and thumbed through it. Of course, now that you see it posted here, you must know the artwork grabbed me. If it hadn’t, this book would never have gotten past the cash register...and it’d be on the shelf right where I found it.

   Every once in a while a book comes along that is different from the rest, and offers another part of the imagination to flourish away from capes and powers and the constant struggle between good and evil. Well, there’s always that...even here, but the evil in real life isn’t always so recognizable...and this story captures that very well.

   Something has happened to Elle...she has been beaten into a coma, and we don’t know why or by whom. We do, however, have a lot of suspects. Elle is going to play a huge role in uncovering the truth, since she now knows there is a world between life and death...and she’s not so far gone that she is unable to interact with the living, she just does it through the bodies of other people. 

   With clues carefully placed throughout the book for the reader...this book takes being involved to another level and opens the door to a more profound way of entertainment than usually present from a regular comic.

All-Star Quote of the Book: “Welcome to the neighborhood beautiful.”