snap judgments

A teeny list this week, as I was completely put off by the continued holiday shipping schedule.  I guess this is what you get when you revolve your week around when the comics come in; until about a couple hours ago, I could have sworn this was Tuesday.
Anyhoo, on with the show!

Bullet Points #3

So, JMS took a look at Reed Richards, blackened out one of his eyes and declared “What a twist!”.  He also continues to wax poetic about bullets, something I hope he either gets more original on or just stops in order to concentrate his story because it sure sounds like he’s in love with his premise more than the results.  Steve Rogers Iron Man dies in Peter Parker Hulk rampage and Reed Richards is tapped by SHIELD after his cosmic ray jaunt into space crashes from sabotage, killing the rest of the ‘family’.  This should have really had a What If? on the cove, considering how badly this is turning out for everyone in true Uatu recounting style.

Incredible Hulk #102

I really wish this could have been its own series.  The evil Emperor dies and I still don’t have a sense of how momentums this all was; if it was its own series, they wouldn’t have felt the need keep putting the Hulk in it and could have used a couple issue to flesh out just how ‘ooh evil’ he was instead of relying on supporting character accounts and general ‘he killed a lot of people!’ flashbacks.  It seems like every thing he threw at the Hulk eventually turned to his side which doesn’t really give me a feeling for a strong dictatorship.  In any case, that arc is over as the Emperor is dead and the Hulk is primed to take his place, as he leapt into molten lava to swim so far into the planet that he can push the tectonic plates to save everyone.  Now, in Wolverine, being regenerated from his skeleton missed my bullcrap meter because of Humberto Ramos’s cartoonish kinetic art style.  But the phenomenal artist on Hulk, Aaron Lopresti, does not get such an excuse as his artwork has been fairly detailed and realistic; so when can the Hulk survive a planet’s semi-core and move tectonic plates?!  Must have been really angry.  Anyhow, he’s now the new leader (thus the name, Planet Hulk) with an all new alien bride at his side and the Borg ‘Spikes’ allied to him.

Ms. Marvel #11

… Rogue’s in the hospital?  Really?  She looks pretty good over in the X-Men.  But apparently Ms. Marvel remembered that she hated her guts despite that storyline having resolved itself long ago.  Ah, well, it’s date time!  This issue mostly serves as how easy it is to get in a lip lock with Carol Danvers and how oh so hard it is to live a normal life when you’re a superhero.  Having around guy called the Doomsday Man hasn’t turned out too well for AIM and he’s now out and looking to take revenge on Ms. Marvel, proving that Brian reed indeed did read most of the comics from the first Ms. Marvel series.  It’s not what I’m looking for in a premiere Marvel superheroine, but it’s not a ‘bad’ book per se.

newuniversal #2

Everyone get your thinking helmets on as this is the issue where Warren Ellis is going to explain everything.  It’s think, it’s dense and you’ll need notes.  The word ‘paradigm’ will be used.  But trust me, it will be worth it.  As Justice tried to rationalize his new existence to himself (”I am dead and in hell.  So I can do anything.”) to Spitfire’s dust gathering project kicked into high gear the moment superpowers are detected.  I’m really thinking this just might e the next Annihilation for me, one of those under the radar books you wish everyone else was reading…

Spider-Man Power Pack #3

So, sue me, I love these.  Simple, funny, fun and a true to fun loving characters.  In a convenient way to get Mary Jane, Peter Parker and Power Pack in the same room, the Power kids get free passes to a fashion event thanks to the friendly neighborhood one after helping him out last issue.  Yeah, weird thing to get kids, but hey.  It gives them the right circumstances for some fashion designer to have run into Venom of all people- er, things, used science to use it’s shapechanging properties for a new line of clothing and then of course, wackiness ensues as Venom possesses the models (hey, look MJ!) and they all fight.  Hokey?  Yes.  Funny?  You bet.  Strange tentacle shot with youngest Power girl? … check.  And ew for me even going there.  But next issue promises a Venom in pigtails, which is pretty cute.  Also, the back up Mini Marvels Civil Wards parody by Chris Giarrusso is also worth every penny, despite my personal preference for Year One.

Uncanny X-Men #482

Starjammers!  Yay!  Action packed through and through, this is one of my favorite issues Brubaker’s done so far as things get down to business.  The Starjammers set about catching everyone up on the Shi’ar coup, Alex catches Corsair up on Vulcan suddenly around (which makes him a hard drinkin’ man I see).  And Lilandra catches me up on the fact she and Charles Xavier were married, as I had always thought being her ‘consort’ was more of a long distance relationship kind of thing.  Huh.  Anyway, fighting goes down (*sigh* and Rachel and Lorna talking about kissing), Darwin turns out to be pretty hardcore, cursing in what I assume is Shi’ar (because ‘Chak’balaar’ doesn’t seem to mean anything, though Chak’Bazaar gets me a nifty grocery store) and recognizes D’ken back from the dead, or at least Vulcan standing behind him in support along with Deathbird.  In true X-Men fashion, the plot has gotten peculiar and complicated.  Brubaker might have the hang of this yet.

X-23: Target X #2

I was not supposed to like this book.  But Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost continue to knock it out of the park for me.  This issue shows us that a little girl in leg braces kicked enough ass as to remain on Captain America’s grudge list or a few years (though really… I have no idea when this book is supposed to fit into continuity yet; I mean, Matt Murdock is there in a legal way, Captain America is around, it’s dark room… I have no clue), thus this current interrogation.  Because no matter how cute her flashbacks are with her gal pal and infiltrated family, you just know she probably killed them all.  Or they were all killed and she was blame for it as the bad guys seem to be tailing her with the pheromone that kicks in her berserker rage.

As a final note, for those of us on the west coast, be kind to your local comic shop.  I fear the worst from Civil War #6.  I’m not saying anything, just… be gentle.
Happy Thursday.