So it's the last Pull List of the year, and despite last week's impressive haul, there are some gems in the stack that should end 2011 in style.
Considering that the fantastic and difficult-to-wait-for penultimate issue of Avengers: Children's Crusade is out, it seems it would be a shoe-in for any "Pick of the Week" spotlights. But in truth it didn't even affect the easy decision of honoring Mike Carey's final issue of X-Men Legacy after 5 years.
This reader will miss you, Mr. Carey. Thanks for the great comics.
Read on for the list.
DC
None this week. Slightly tempted by Aquaman and/or The Flash because they're so gosh-darned pretty, but haven't picked up the last couple and I have to believe there was a reason for that. If it's not a well-written Batman comic, or a hero I have affection for, there's not much DC can do at this point to get my money back. Except maybe some kind of Anti-New-52 initiative.
DARK HORSE
Angel & Faith #5: I've been very impressed by this comic and Gage's versatility and ease with the characters. The storylines are also surprisingly good, and while I want to delve more into Angel assuming characteristics of Giles, I'm not really eager for Harmony to visit. She was fantastic in real life, especially in Angel Season 5 where she developed a pretty fun rapport with Angel, but her stint as celebrity vamp in Buffy Season 8 by Jane Espenson was practically unreadable for me and certainly not memorable. Let's hope her screen time is minimal.
MARVEL
Alpha Flight #7: It's tempting because Wolverine is in it, but I have only picked up a few of this (mini)series, and the whole political unrest, extreme-right-wing villains turns my stomach so I stopped. Here's a warning to comic writers: when you get too righteous and political and personal, even a guest-starring Wolverine can't sway readers back.
Annihilators: Earthfall #4 of 4: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are in my top five favorite comic writers ever, especially when they're doing cosmic stuff, but for some reason this series has been seriously underwhelming. Combining Quasar and his massive powerhouse team with the Avengers seems like a no-fail scenario, yet there's been nothing spectacular or moving or even exciting about it. And then the return of the Magus, whom DnA used to such great effect in Guardians of the Galaxy and Thanos Imperative, hasn't been epic either, just mildly creepy and clearly inevitable that he will lose. Maybe the final issue will make up for it, or, more likely, set up a new cosmic story/direction that DnA can really sink their teeth into.
Astonishing X-Men #45: Certainly not the most fascinating of X-books out there, and I'm not a huge fan of random alternate reality story arcs (especially since Mike Carey's Age of X put 'em all to shame) but it's a fun read and plus, the whole Storm kissing Cyclops thing is rare enough to string me along for a few months.
Avengers: Children's Crusade #8 of 9: The penultimate issue. Victor von Doom restored to health and imbued with the Life Force, that mysterious and reality-altering power that drove Wanda mad, built a new reality, killed Avengers, and destroyed a species. The Young Avengers trying to stop him and trying to fight their heroes. Previews for pre-AvX comics have shown that Wanda survives and is operational (beating up MODOKs outside the White House with her magic touch) so we at least know she makes it, but solicits prepare us for the "Death of an Avenger". Don't expect all the kids to come back from this adventure.
FF #13: Couldn't tell you exactly what's going on. Val and the Future Foundation kids are in Latveria with Doom, his son, and some evil Reeds, along with part of the Baxter Building, and they're opening up the Bridge. I know their family is off fighting Annihilus or the Negative Zone or whatever, but aren't they curious about their kids? Regardless, things look scary but hey, don't stress: Valeria's got a plan.
Secret Avengers #20: Kind of the Astonshing X-Men title of the Avengers line. Great concept, but in the year or more since it's debuted, hugely disappointing. Having Warren Ellis on it is more exciting, but he's mostly doing one-shots with the least interesting members of a not-super-interesting team. I never could warm up to Black Widow. But it's Ellis and Cassaday on a comic, and that just makes me think of Planetary, which means I'll buy it for the memories.
Uncanny X-Men #3: Kieron Gillen's big Sinister arc continues, and Hope is front and center fighting the fight. But then he has to go and bring up the Phoenix. Jerk. I'm guessing that doesn't work out for him. In other news, I have no idea what's going on in this cover, but it has made me super uncomfortable and kinda grossed out for the 2 months I've been seeing it. If variants weren't so expensive, I'd definitely go for one here.
X-Men: Legacy #260: The pick of the week and Mike Carey's final issue. *Sob* Rogue's heart and mind are divided, as evah, and she must come to a decision re: staying with Cyclops on Utopia or going with Wolvie to the school. We all know what she chooses, so this isn't the big conflict of the issue. Carey wouldn't be satisfied with that. Instead he has Korvus acting out and, I expect, reconciling his life and love with Rachel. And he has Rogue rescuing Ariel, saving a lost soul and doing what she does best; improvising in the face of giant status quo alterations. Whatever happens, it'll be good, and Carey will be missed.
Considering that the fantastic and difficult-to-wait-for penultimate issue of Avengers: Children's Crusade is out, it seems it would be a shoe-in for any "Pick of the Week" spotlights. But in truth it didn't even affect the easy decision of honoring Mike Carey's final issue of X-Men Legacy after 5 years.
 |
| X-Men Legacy #260 |
This reader will miss you, Mr. Carey. Thanks for the great comics.
Read on for the list.
DC
None this week. Slightly tempted by Aquaman and/or The Flash because they're so gosh-darned pretty, but haven't picked up the last couple and I have to believe there was a reason for that. If it's not a well-written Batman comic, or a hero I have affection for, there's not much DC can do at this point to get my money back. Except maybe some kind of Anti-New-52 initiative.
DARK HORSE
Angel & Faith #5: I've been very impressed by this comic and Gage's versatility and ease with the characters. The storylines are also surprisingly good, and while I want to delve more into Angel assuming characteristics of Giles, I'm not really eager for Harmony to visit. She was fantastic in real life, especially in Angel Season 5 where she developed a pretty fun rapport with Angel, but her stint as celebrity vamp in Buffy Season 8 by Jane Espenson was practically unreadable for me and certainly not memorable. Let's hope her screen time is minimal.
MARVEL
Annihilators: Earthfall #4 of 4: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are in my top five favorite comic writers ever, especially when they're doing cosmic stuff, but for some reason this series has been seriously underwhelming. Combining Quasar and his massive powerhouse team with the Avengers seems like a no-fail scenario, yet there's been nothing spectacular or moving or even exciting about it. And then the return of the Magus, whom DnA used to such great effect in Guardians of the Galaxy and Thanos Imperative, hasn't been epic either, just mildly creepy and clearly inevitable that he will lose. Maybe the final issue will make up for it, or, more likely, set up a new cosmic story/direction that DnA can really sink their teeth into.
Astonishing X-Men #45: Certainly not the most fascinating of X-books out there, and I'm not a huge fan of random alternate reality story arcs (especially since Mike Carey's Age of X put 'em all to shame) but it's a fun read and plus, the whole Storm kissing Cyclops thing is rare enough to string me along for a few months.
Avengers: Children's Crusade #8 of 9: The penultimate issue. Victor von Doom restored to health and imbued with the Life Force, that mysterious and reality-altering power that drove Wanda mad, built a new reality, killed Avengers, and destroyed a species. The Young Avengers trying to stop him and trying to fight their heroes. Previews for pre-AvX comics have shown that Wanda survives and is operational (beating up MODOKs outside the White House with her magic touch) so we at least know she makes it, but solicits prepare us for the "Death of an Avenger". Don't expect all the kids to come back from this adventure.
FF #13: Couldn't tell you exactly what's going on. Val and the Future Foundation kids are in Latveria with Doom, his son, and some evil Reeds, along with part of the Baxter Building, and they're opening up the Bridge. I know their family is off fighting Annihilus or the Negative Zone or whatever, but aren't they curious about their kids? Regardless, things look scary but hey, don't stress: Valeria's got a plan.
Secret Avengers #20: Kind of the Astonshing X-Men title of the Avengers line. Great concept, but in the year or more since it's debuted, hugely disappointing. Having Warren Ellis on it is more exciting, but he's mostly doing one-shots with the least interesting members of a not-super-interesting team. I never could warm up to Black Widow. But it's Ellis and Cassaday on a comic, and that just makes me think of Planetary, which means I'll buy it for the memories.
Uncanny X-Men #3: Kieron Gillen's big Sinister arc continues, and Hope is front and center fighting the fight. But then he has to go and bring up the Phoenix. Jerk. I'm guessing that doesn't work out for him. In other news, I have no idea what's going on in this cover, but it has made me super uncomfortable and kinda grossed out for the 2 months I've been seeing it. If variants weren't so expensive, I'd definitely go for one here.
X-Men: Legacy #260: The pick of the week and Mike Carey's final issue. *Sob* Rogue's heart and mind are divided, as evah, and she must come to a decision re: staying with Cyclops on Utopia or going with Wolvie to the school. We all know what she chooses, so this isn't the big conflict of the issue. Carey wouldn't be satisfied with that. Instead he has Korvus acting out and, I expect, reconciling his life and love with Rachel. And he has Rogue rescuing Ariel, saving a lost soul and doing what she does best; improvising in the face of giant status quo alterations. Whatever happens, it'll be good, and Carey will be missed.
a tribute to Jewish superheroes video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVRWGClMRDw&feature=youtube_gdata
There is a God! Carey the Woe Is Me False Martyr is finally gone! Too bad Rogue is still alive, still waiting for that ugly thing to die in a fucking fire, guess we'll continue to ignore Legacy as we've done since it became the Rogue show, us and nearly 600 of our closest friends.
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