DS Arsenault Comic Reviews

This issue is worth buying just for the Superboy story. Little action on the outside, but lots of action on the inside. Buy this book.

Johns and Manapul are delivering great character stories while putting the pieces in place for a menace to come to Smallville. This is a slow simmer of a book and considering what Johns did with his simmering time on Green Lantern, I'm staying tuned.

The Superboy-Krypto story was a lot of fun and I could have followed a whole book of it. The Superboy Prime blackest night story flopped for me. Dan Didio has said many times at conventions (you can catch a lot of his speeches in the DC podcasts) that DC is not afraid to try new things. I admire that a lot. They tried metafiction with an unsympathetic character, but it didn't feel worth my money. Dan: don't stop trying. You're more courageous than Superboy Prime, even if he trashed your desk…

Solid ending to an interesting arc. Too bad Johns and Manapul are leaving.

Adventure Comics #521 delivered on its title and brought me shrunken and futuristic adventure and excitement. I love the Legion and they are the main reason I bought the book, but Lemire and Asrar have got me feeling for the Atom.

Pagulayan's art, combined with Parker's strong, well-paced un-ravelling of ancient and recent mysteries make this a very solid issue.

Waid and Azeceta effectively launched the new Gauntlet arc. They've hit the right tone, put the menace in place, have some secret plan hatching and it's all going south for Spidey. The editors unfortunately inserted a backup story that artistically doesn't fit the mood of the main book and the gear-shift didn't work for me. I'll still tune in for the next issue, though.

I stayed away from Spider-Man for a long time because after forty-five years (and even after thirty), his world had become so convoluted that I felt I needed a playbook to keep up. This current Spider-Man doesn't feel like that at all. In fact, with classic villains and a soap opera background, this feels far more like the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man I love, just brought up to date. That's a huge compliment to Mr. Waid and Mr. Azaceta. Pick it up. You'll like it.

This was a really fun issue and it's still priced at $2.99. Pick it up!

Parker and team have delivered a solid Atlas adventure to comic shops. The story is high-concept with a great mystery element and is well-executed by the art team. Pick it up.

An clay-footed story with some attractive art. Don't bother.

Attractive packaging, but I'm not convinced after two issues that this is a story that needs telling. Inadequately developed characters using stale dialogue lent this story no emotional impact. Not recommended.

Honestly, this was a pretty strong adventure piece, with some solid growth going on. I totally recommend picking it up. And this stand-alone issue is a perfect place to start with this series if you haven't been following it yet.

Action and adventure, but this series isn't going to reshape the comic field or anything. Cable fans may rejoice that he's got 4 issues of center stage time. Fighting the Avengers is going to be pretty hard and he has some history with more than one.

This is an enjoyable book, but entirely average. I think something remarkable will have to spring from this title, something that makes it relevant to the DCU or unique enough to be its own draw, or Batgirl will have an easily forgettable short run.

Conculsion: Despite some growing pains in finding the character, the addition of Barbara Gordon makes for a strong story with powerful resonances.

This was a really fun book on the surface, with some deeper levels of meaning lurking just underneath. Well worth picking up if you're a bat-follower, or even if you're not.

Batgirl is an entertaining book and very accessible to the new reader. This is what mainstream comics do well. But I hope that Batgirl does not get lost behind a lot of other books that are also delivering mainstream stories.

This book was awesome, and part one of a new arc means it's a great place to pick up the Batgirl series. Having two of DC's most popular characters guest starring is also a great move and sure to show this book to a larger audience. Pick it up!

Batgirl is your one-stop shop for Gotham fun. Batman and Robin as guest stars make this issue even better.

Go out and buy this issue and this series, whether or not you've been following it up to now. It's a series that takes a lighter view on a dark world. It's youthful enthusiasm and irreverence in a girl growing up. Miller has cornered the market on an authentic teenage nerd-girl becoming a superhero!

Pick it up. This is the right time to jump on this series (well, you should have jumped on with issue #1, but if you're not here now, beggars can't be choosers, can they?).

Miller has suspense tension, romantic tension and personality friction driving this story along in classic Batgirl mode. That being said, Batgirl remains an adventure comic that delivers action and romance, and not a book that offers anything new or innovative to the field. The genre probably needs books that deliver adventure month after month, but no matter how well-crafted, the reader experience of Batgirl will have a hard time moving above average. We love Stephanie. We're going to read her stories. Now Michael Siglain has to ask Bryan Q. Miller what he wants to say in his Batgirl stories.

Fun adventure with a lot of growth and change in the characters this issue. It's worth the $2.99, but doesn't shake the comic field.

I'm not sure if the artist switch was the major turn off, but this issue didn't come together for me and I can't recommend it. I'll tune in next month to see if this drop in fun was temporary.

A funny issue of Batgirl. I had a laugh, but missed my sense of escapist wonder. Pick it up. Share it with your kids.

This was a fun issue. I'm still getting used to the art change, but the fun, coming-of-age tone of the book is rock solid.

Silly Batgirl fun on Valentine's day. Not necessary to buy for the sake of continuity, but probably important for hardcore Stephanie Brown fans and completist collectors.

This was a satisfying investment for $2.99. We're mid-arc, so the emotional punch of the climax isn't here yet, but Daniels sure has dug the new Batman into a hole, which is right where he should be if the story is good.

A good little book. I doubt this issue would be kind to a new reader in mid-arc, but Batman is definitely a series to pick up.

An emotionally, but not intellectually, satisfying conclusion to an action-packed Gotham adventure. Pick it up if you're a real fan or if you've been following the arc. Otherwise, consider picking up Batman #698 as a new arc starts.

It felt like Daniel just mailed this in, which is unfortunate, because I've read better stories by him and know he's capable of more. I can't recommend this book.

Morrison and the gigantic art team delivered a fine piece of Batman lore for the collector and the fan alike. It is a stand alone book, not capping any story lines leading up to it, nor launching any for afterwards, so it is accessible to new readers and time travel stories are great fun. The cover price is heavy at $4.99, but Batman fans, whether the Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson or Damian Wayne varieties, will all be pleased with the offering.

Since nothing really happened, this is, unfortunately, an eminently forgettable and skippable issue.

As Mr. Grayson is my favorite Batman, I know that I'll be able to come to Tony Daniel for my monthly fix. He's selling what I want. Go pick it up. You'll see.

I really enjoyed this one. Out of a raft of good DC books, Batman by Tony Daniel is really standing out. Go pick it up, whether you're following the series or not. Even though this is part two of the arc, it's good for non-experts.

This was the launch of a strong conceptual story arc with great visuals. Pick it up.

What a stellar book! Absolutely brilliant. $2.99 is cheap for what Morrison and Quitely deliver. Buy this book now.

Very solid storytelling opens up bigger and more dangerous things for the new dynamic duo. Get on board.

Issue after issue, it's moody Batman brilliance, redefining the way we will look at the Batman mythos for the next decade.

If you've been following the Weekly Top Picks, you've probably heard some of the other editors calling Batman and Robin the Batman book. They're right. Morrison and Tan and crew are building up a new Batman, grounded in the old mythos, but charging into a new one, with a new set of villains and surprises. If you haven't been following Batman and Robin yet, do yourself a favor and hop on with the next issue as Morrison starts a new arc.

This arc looks like it's going to be good, but some parts of this story seemed to be real head-scratchers for me. My advice: pick it up and strap yourself in anyway. Something important is happening in the Bat-world.

This is a solid Batman adventure with a lot of fun moments and some unexpected twists and turns. You should be following DC's flagship Batman book, especially at $2.99.

If the ads for the return of Bruce Wayne (including the cover caption) doesn't have you chomping at the bit for this issue, buy it anyway. Good story. Good characters. And the art is fun to look at, even if it doesn't propel the story onward.

This is the second middling grade in a row I've given Batman and Robin. I'm not sure what's happening. Morrison has got all the ingredients of something great, but the plotting and art just aren't firing on all cylinders. All those who inevitably are going to disagree with me are welcome to throw more tomatoes….

New arc, new creative team, brilliant book. Pick this up. Trust me. I don't give out a whole lot of grades like this…

A visually stunning issue, chock-full on psychological menace from Gotham's lunatic edge. Pick this up!

If you can get over DC's editorial/publishing snafu, this issue will do a lot to bring some closure, but some of its transitions are a bit jagged. It's a clay-footed beauty of an issue.

Cornell started us on a new Batman and Robin adventure, with a new villain and a new tone for the book. This issue suffered (in my opinion) on the art side, to the point where I have a hard time saying you should pick this up. Skim through the art yourself, then make your choice. I'm going to follow this title for a bit. If Cornell can keep my fascination with Dick and Damian going, I will stay on as a reader.

In just the first few pages of their first issue on this series, Tomasi, Gleason and Gray have sold me. I am delighted with the new creative team. DC has locked me in for more.

I can't recommend this issue, even though I think that the White Knight is a promising villain. The story didn't come into focus. Hopefully, Tomasi will reveal next issue why he wrote this issue this way.

I'm more of a Grayson-Batman fan than a Wayne-Batman fan, but Finch hooked me very personally to Bruce's newest quest and I'm signing on for the whole ride. Pick it up. The art alone is worth the price of admission.

A solid issue of Batman. A definite buy.

This book was very entertaining, and DC obviously threw their A-list creators at it. I'm very comfortable giving it a grade that will put it among the best comics of the year. Go pick it up.

A carefully crafted, slow-paced opening to a 6-issue arc that should bring Bruce Wayne home, if it doesn't destroy the future.

A great, great book. Tops. Go get it. Now. I'll wait. It's a great time-spanning, cosmic mystery, with disaster barreling down on us. This feels more like a bat-book than the first issue did.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 was a lot of time-traveling adventure fun. Check it out.

Run out and buy this issue. If you haven't been following the Return of Batman, what are you smoking? Do what you have to do to get ready for next month, because DC's patient, 2-year Bruce Wayne saga is about to come to a head.

The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 satisfied me emotionally (reunion of the family, victory of the heroes), almost satisfied me intellectually (the plot makes sense, everything was tied together) and left me unsatisfied on the art. Now that King is back, I want to see what happens to the Princes who ruled while he was gone.

Simone serves up great stories and except for a few quibbles, I think this arc is going to be one of them. The Birds are in real, irreversible trouble that is going to force at least some of them to radically change how they deal with the DCU. Pick up Birds of Prey. And vote for Hawk and Dove to be dropped in a river….

We're getting really close to epic-level here. If you're not following Blackest Night, check with your doctor; you might have an enzyme imbalance.

Blackest Night is the event that everyone should be following. Don't miss out.

Two words: comic blockbuster!

Finishing this comic, with the quiet talk between the Flash and the Green Lantern, two old soldiers who have been through fifty years of adventure together, made me feel like I did when I read issue #12 of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Johns and company pulled off an epic that people will be talking about twenty-five years from now. I am giving my first "E" rating ever.

Buy it. At $2.99 it's a deal for your DC zombie apocalypse.

Buy this book now! You'll love it. I did.

The Blackest Night storyline has a lot of potential, so it's unfortunate that this story was so average. It was drawn by an extraordinary art team, though.

Robinson, Barrows and team brought this miniseries to a satisfying conclusion that will tie effectively into the larger Blackest Night book. A lot of fun. I'm looking forward to the other Blackest Night minis, especially Wonder Woman's.

Did anything super-important happen in this book? Not really, which was a bit of a disappointment given the advanced excitement Blackest Night has been getting. This is a collection of back-stories with one teaser for the future. Well-executed, but if you don't buy it, it shouldn't get in the way of your enjoyment of Blackest Night.

The story makes this issue worth picking up, especially at $2.99. The art held the book back, though.

If Kolins' style works for you, definitely pick up this issue. However, I have to grade this book according to my enjoyment.

If you're following Blackest Night, even if you're not a huge Titans fan, I recommend picking up this book (the first issue is probably still on some stands too). It's a great story of fear and the undead hitting the DC universe, with fantastic art and an overwhelming menace.

Krul and Benes delivered a very fine conclusion to this miniseries. Gar and Donna went through some heart-rending experiences that will change them as people. If you are fans of those characters, then this miniseries matters to you. And if you are not, you will be by the end of this book. Recommended.

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1 opens with a bang and promises a lot. Rucka, Scott and team put out a fine issue and I will definitely be back for issue #2.

Skip this issue. Read Blackest Night #6. Everything you need is there. If you want great Rucka, read Detective Comics #861 in a couple of weeks, where he's doing brilliant work.

If you want to know what it's like to be a star sapphire or you want a window of insight into Wonder Woman, then buy this issue. It's a good deal for $2.99. If you're looking for a story that you must have to understand Blackest Night or even the first two issues of this series, then that isn't this book.

An issue #0 is a prologue. It has to lay the groundwork to effectively launch the first issue. You don't always need one, if the plot is more compelling, but I think DC made the right choice in posing the major event question in this issue. I'll be around for this series and probably most of the cross-overs to see why these twelve were resurrected.

The mystery questions are strong enough to propel the Brightest Day event, but I'm wondering if the writers and artists have enough time to do their work right. Some pinch-hitting seems to have been going on here and that made this issue an average read.

The slow development of this mystery means that following this series so far is an act of faith that there will be a big payoff in the end. I haven't stopped reading, but this issue felt more like a puzzle piece than a story.

Front to back, a solid issue with rising tension and first class art. Pick it up!

Johns and Tomasi are putting this series into third gear and the cosmic weirdness is ramping up too. You should buy it, even if I don't like Hawk and Dove.

Comic book readers have a lot of choices. Some other publishers are doing great things with different themes. In Brightest Day, DC has gotten to the core of the superhero adventures theme. This is a pure superhero adventure read and if superheroes are why you're in the genre, you should be picking up Brightest Day.

Minor art problems aside, this book is certainly worth its $2.99 cover price and is a good investment for fans of the cosmic in the DCU.

Brightest Day #7 is an exciting adventure with engaging, Earth-centered heroes and a cosmic backdrop. If you like a classic-style superhero story, pick it up. I really enjoyed it.

Movement, but not momentum. Some interesting reveals. Worth the cover price if you are collecting Brightest Day, but doesn't register very high on the richter scale of comic book impact.

The slow pacing of the Geoff Johns story is starting to dampen Brightest Day's momentum. The fact that Blackest Night was compressed into eight issues forced a certain discipline on a writer who loves the epic scale. Now DC has given him a lot more space, and he's filling it, but I don't feel the same kick, book for book, dollar for dollar, as I did with Blackest Night.

This was a good, fun issue of Brightest Day, firing on most cylinders and worth the price of admission. Pick it up!

For those of you out there who have not yet bailed on this series, do pick this one up. It's worth it. If you abandoned this series, I don't want to be responsible for bringing you back.

I absolutely, positively and categorically command you to pick up Brightest Day #17. I loved it.

Some great art mixed with some flaws, mixed with some great story and suspense. Worth the price of admission. Bring friends. Check it out!

Johns, Tomasi and an art army have served up a good issue, succeeding in transforming, at least for this issue, a mid-list superhero into somebody important. They also succeed in expanding the Aquaman mythos. Check it out.

Brightest Day is finishing big and we're getting to see some hints of where this is heading (for those that are following the Green Lantern series as well). This is looking to be as cosmic as Blackest Night, which could make this quite cool.

I liked the plot and the art told the story, with some very effective visual moments, but I couldn't really engage with the weak main character. I recommend that Brightest Day fans and Firestorm fans tune in and buy.

If you've got the other 22 issues, you really should get this one, but there was a bit of story turbulence. Artwise, this is definitely a keeper.

Cable #22 is very skipable because nothing really changes. I don't know whether Marvel has their writers on short leashes or whether they are overworking them, but the editors need to up the ante on those times when characters are obviously in a holding pattern for the next big event.

Lots of comics have brought the surreal to superhero art (think Ditko's Dr. Strange or Starlin's Warlock), but here Lobis and Moiselle have brought the surreal to superhero writing. They've done something original. I'll be looking for next month's issue.

Caped #4 came down from it's high in issue #3. The ending nicely works and ties up the irony of the story, but the art really gets in the way of full appreciation of the book.

Billed as the launch of a new arc, Cap and Bucky #625 effectively is a good launch and a good place to start on this series. Some subtle, sophisticated art combined with a clever narrative structure pulls this book above the pack.

It's a rare book that fires on all cylinders: plot, theme, pacing, words, pencils, inks and color; but this one is firing on all of them. This is a solid team on a solid title. Check it out.

I am loving Carbon Grey. The visuals, the setting and the action, all got me in a kung-fu Prussian grip. If you haven't had your dose of high-quality, adrenaline-rushing, leather-clad, steampunk girl assassins, then not buying Carbon Grey is an oversight.

This is two weeks in a row that Marvel has really made me wish I hadn't picked up a book. I certainly won't go anywhere near this conceptual train wreck again.

Quite a satisfying issue that shone a bit of a light on DD's heart, much in the same way as Jenkins recently did with some powerfully simple and effective stories with Thor.

I'd been avoiding some of the Daredevil stuff through the recent event that so many fans have complained about and was waiting for the right moment to dive back into Matt's world. Diggle gave me that moment in this issue and it was totally worth the wait. Go get it, despite the price.

Kyle and Yost deliver a really strong boy loses girl character story, tied to everything that's going on in the Marvel Universe right now. And I have to say, there's a lot more to this couple than there ever was with Scott's relationship with Jean.

I liked this book and would describe it in this way: Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets High Plains Drifter meets Aliens. Worth checking out if you'd like to taste weird westerns.

I don't know how much of the comic-buying community is itching for weird westerns, but Deadlands #1 has me hoping for some, because I'd like to see more.

I was concerned with the tone of this book as of Defenders #1, but stuck around for issue #2 to give it a chance. I'm not going to buy any more Defenders unless this series gets a whole lot closer to what the Defenders are really about, which is a team made up of heroes and anti-heroes who don't fit elsewhere and have bizarre (sometimes psychedelic…remember the Head-Men?) villains that have vitality and potency in the context of a book starring a non-team. The charm of the Defenders was their spooky earnestness and wistful antisocial cast. This new series lacks that charm and goes for the short gag.

DC has delivered a pretty solid, giant-sized Annual for our delight. The Batman story and the Question story are complementary in artistic style, pacing and writing focus, but I think that both work well in a single book under the Detective Comics cover. It is a bit pricey, so I leave it up to you. I don't regret the money I spent…I'm just counting it.

Rucka has put Detective on my pull list. If Detective, Batman and Robin, Batgirl, Red Robin and Batman are what happens when Bruce Wayne is taken out of the picture, I hope Bruce never comes back. The Bat-family of titles is fast becoming a must-read for smart readers.

Pick up Detective Comics #860 if you're a Batwoman fan. If you're not, you should be, and you should tune in to Detective Comics next issue.

There are lots of challenges to writing and drawing the Sorcerer Supreme well. Marvel has hit on the right concept and launched a great new series. I expect a few growing pains, but this first issue caught the tone needed to make the Sorcerer Supreme work. Go out and get it.

Whether youre a sorcerer supreme fanboy or not, go out and buy this book. It is original, tense, spooky, surreal and moody.

I'm not going to make a buy/don't buy recommendation on a free book, but I definitely recommend picking up Elric #1 in July based on this prologue.

BOOM! has delivered a fine offering for Moorcock fans. This was a strong enough opening that I (as a Moorcock fan) will be back for issue #2 and will decide then if I stick with the series.

Wohl and company succeeded in the prologue to Executive Assistant Iris. I'm intrigued and will likely be back for issue #1, on the strength of this prologue.

If you really care about Thunderbolt Ross and what different people thought of him, you should rush to your local comic shop now. Go on. I'll wait. If you want a complete Fall of the Hulks collection, go to your comic shop tomorrow and pick this up. If you care about neither of these things, you can probably skip this issue and pick up the Fall of the Hulks arc in Hulk #19 and Incredible Hulk #606.

I good start to a series that has a lot of promise.

The original Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980 had some really great core ideas. Battlestar Galactica chucked everything and got a reboot on TV. Galactica 1980 is keeping its history and rebooting at the point of first contact. So far it's a great ride.

I'm a fan of Marvel's supernatural side, but I waited until the latest interminably Marvel event was done before checking back into Ghost Rider. I was totally surprised by how much I loved this book and will be back for issue #6. Pick it up.

Green Arrow has a rich, meaningful past of trick arrows and gritty, underworld action. None of the history or potential is exploited in this issue. Don't bother with it. I may look for #21 for curiosity's sake, but then again I may not.

A slightly sub-average offering. Despite trick arrows and the slowly-revealed origin of Black Canary, the lack of originality in story and in character made this issue forgettable. Save your $2.99.

Pick up this book. Green Arrow has always been a character with a lot of potential for depth, given the right writer. Krul is the right writer. I'm going to see what he does with GA.

A solid addition to a sprawling, lantern-filled, zombie-choked saga.

Buy it, whether you've been following Blackest Night or not. I don't give a lot of grades like this!

The Sinestro entrance aside, I would have liked to have gone on and on about what's good with this issue, on both art and story, but hey, just go out and pick it up. I'm definitely going to follow this story into Emerald Warriors #1, GLC #48, and Brightest Day #1. Stay tuned!

This book should satisfy any reader looking for a dose of cosmic superhero adventure and mystery. The Brightest Day story arc is coming into its own and proving to be a fitting successor, and not an inglorious sequel, to Blackest Night. This is a visually delightful offering with an emotionally- and intellectually-engaging story that I recommend to friends.

For $2.99, this is a good book if you like lantern fights. Did something major happen? Not really. Did something minor happen that will influence later events? Probably. Will you fall apart if you miss this issue? Doubt it. Pick up Green Lantern #55 if you're following Brightest Day and you want the whole set.

The latest chapter in the Brightest Day event is a fun adventure romp that is well worth picking up.

The story is probably a bit far along for people to pick this book up cold (you pretty much have to have read Blackest Night and Brightest Day to get everything out of it), but I still recommend picking it up even if you haven't. This book is where things are happening and you've got to start somewhere, right?

Theres always something happening in the Green Lantern series. Issue #59 puts some new pieces on the table that are adding to the Lantern mythos. I think youll like it.

This was a rare issue. Stand-alone. Emotionally powerful. Hauntingly clingy to the insides of your head. Johns did a great job and the art team had his back. Buy this issue, whether you read GL or not. All you need to know in advance is that Atrocitus has anger issues! Enjoy.

This issue to the arc did not conclude the story and it diminished the dramatic stature of several characters in my eyes. I'll be tuning in to War of the Green Lanterns, but having to put up with occasionally dodgy issues like this is frustrating.

Month after month, the gradual expansion of the Green Lantern mythos is a fascinating place to be and issue #63 is no exception. Check it out.

Definitely buy it. Go now. This is looking like it's going to be awesome.

Green Lantern #65 is very much a regrouping chapter of a large action story. The tide is shifting. Heroes started out on the run, and ended on the attack. Lots of fun.

I'm sad to say, but this issue is forgettable, and maybe even skippable (too bad that's not a real word). Save your money and go straight to Blackest Night #8, unless you want to see the same battle you've seen in the last few issues.

Green Lantern Corps #43 is a fine book telling the story of a military unit in the middle of the biggest damn war anyone has ever seen. It has both a microscopic emotional feel and a macroscopic epic feel. Pick it up. It's worth the price of admission!

Rising action, desperate danger and coerced betrayal! If you're following Blackest Night, pick this up!

I'm sad to say, but this issue is forgettable, and maybe even skippable (too bad that's not a real word). Save your money and go straight to Blackest Night #8, unless you want to see the same battle you've seen in the last few issues.

If you followed Blackest Night and the GLC and you need closure, you'll enjoy this.

DC is knocking them out of the park this week! One after another. This issue is freakishly fun and priced to move. Pick it up.

Green Lanterns face zombies, again, but different. This time all of creation isn't at stake, but this is still a dangerous place for the GLC and a fun adventure for us! Pick it up!

Great story, great art, fumbled writing. Worth picking up, but the craftsmanship was needlessly reduced.

Plot is working. Art is working. Characterization has more than a few weaknesses that seriously get in the way.

This ending felt right and satisfying. My plot and art quibbles do not change my recommendation for you to go out and buy the issue if you love the Green Lantern mythos.

Run out and buy this. I was waffling a bit a few issues ago on whether I should keep Green Lantern Corps on my pull list, but if the new creative team can keep this kind of quality up, I'll sign on for another bunch of issues.

Ever want to see your four favorite Green Lanterns wearing different color rings and going up against the entire Green Lantern Corps? Now's your chance! If you're a lantern fan, you shouldn't miss pure adventure fun.

This is one of the first issues of HfH that I've picked up, so maybe there is more substance to the rest of the series and this issue happens to be a light break between heavy arcs. I love the concept of the team, and the characters are intriguing, so there's a lot of grist for the mill. I just didn't see the best of the story potential realized here. Pick it up if you love these characters.

A solid opening for Marvel's next big gamma-powered crossover. Getting in on this floor is not a bad idea, although Marvel is charging a $3.99 for this, while DC is still charging $2.99 for Blackest Night, Batman and Detective Comics.

This was a very enjoyable issue. I would even recommend it for readers who don't normally follow the Hulk.

You NEED to be following Irredeemable every month.

A tightly-plotted story with great art, priced to bring in new readers. Get it while you can.

This is a pretty sharp stylistic departure from all that has come before. I think Marvel is taking a risk, and I'm not sure it is going to pay off. Right now, I can't recommend buying it, but if you want a taste of something different, this might be your thing.

This little issue was a hoot, whether you followed Fear Itself or not. It is self-contained and has enough information to work in new readers. Recommended.

There's some good story in here. If you like the gung-ho side of the JSA, check out JSA All-Stars.

This is a fine offering by DC. James Robinson is still fiddling with the team, as he should, but it's fun to watch the characters we love struggle with this transition. I'll be here for next issue.

The writing flaws in this comic were difficult to overlook. Robinson had some hits and misses with New Krypton; Cry for Justice was really poor (on the writing side); and now I've been almost consistently disappointed with JLA since he took over. Don't buy this book. Despite the Brightest Day element, I'm considering not buying the next issue.

Treasured heroes commiting venal acts on flimsy pretexts to counter a villain who isn't that intimidating, powerful or multidimensional… Twenty-two pages of lost opportunity for DC.

The story is suffering from a few missteps, but a powerhouse set of characters, a promised change in the status quo of the DCU and the art make this book worth the buy.

Art wise, I don't think there's another artist in comics I'd rather see right now than Casciolo, but he couldn't save this issue, and probably not this series. Save your money. Wait until Robinson starts on the main JLA title in 2010. It isn't really important why some people are on the JLA and others aren't, is it? Even if you read Cry for Justice, I'm not sure it becomes any clearer.

If you'd like a low-calorie offering that looks good, but makes no sense, buy this book. If you are going to think at all about the story, or wonder about the motives and actions of the characters, you'd best just skip the frustration and accept the new composition of the JLA without understanding how it got that way. I have no further faith that this series will answer that question anyway.

Strong art, but weak writing. I wish I could recommend this book, but I can't. If this is what the next five or six issues are going to be like, I might think about dropping JSA from my list.

The art is great and the writing was more solid, but this book is still far from a must-read.

Willingham and Sturgess promised us lots of tension and lots of conflict and they are delivering with the help of Jesus Merino. I'll be back for issue #32, when I expect that the fractures in this oversized team start to break open at the same time as the team of villainous bounty hunters hits them again.

Sturges, Willingham and Merino have me on the edge of my seat, and I can't wait for the answers to all the questions they've put on the table.

Some interesting story going on here, but the technical flaws break the suspension of disbelief.

Great story with a lot of momentum. Get in on it, even though it's in mid-arc.

Kato's is an original story, which is a rare thing in comics. In this bizarre, and unfortunately real, world, our hero adventures through racist historic North America as the persecuted minority. Go pick this up. Well worth the cover price of $3.99.

I was totally ready this week for Kato Origins #3 to take second place to The Thanos Imperative #3, but Nitz and Worley really caught all of this one and knocked it out of the park. Pick it up.

Dynamite's Kato Origins has been on my pull list since issue #1 and shows no signs of falling off. This issue launches into the Hellfire Club arc and further defines and hones a character we fell for months ago. Go buy it.

Nitz, Worley and Lopez take us on a trip into some of the weirder parts of 1940s USA in a cozy murder mystery plot. Definitely buy it if you're following Kato Origins. If you're wanting to get in on this series, I'd say wait for this arc to be done and then climb aboard.

An issue #0 has to give the reader a good conceptual taste of what the series is about, without firing the starting gun. This issue completely succeeded and I can't wait for Kirby Genesis #1.

Dynamite Entertainment has gone to the one of the most original creators comics (or any medium) has ever seen, rifled through his dusty pockets and old papers and found conceptual gems that just needed to find the right setting to really shine. Kirby Genesis is that setting and I unreservedly recommend this book.

The Lone Ranger is definitely worth buying. It takes a great heroic idea and does it right.

I wasn't wowed by this book and I can't recommend it.

Masquerade #4 was a solid character study to top off this arc. There were some storytelling problems that made it more a bit of a tough go in some spots, but it was still worth it.

A solid Marvel offering for fans of Ms. Marvel or Brian Reed, but nothing memorable.

I will, unfortunately, not be buying issue #3. I'm sad about this because this series had so much potential to be something cool and original. It's reliance on stock characters and conflicts, as well as some overwriting, is an opportunity lost. I don't recommend you buy it, even though the art is awesome.

This was a solid book in the middle of an arc. Great characters were featured, and solid artwork fairly accompanied the multiple storylines. The next issue might jsut be worth picking up.

There's great art here, but some pretty flawed story-telling that gets in the way of the story.

I think Gray and Palmiotti did a great job with this first issue. PG was introduced into her new environment and an insane killer is sicked on her. It will take a few issues to figure out how Gray and Palmiotti want us to take the serieswhether it is meant to provide eye candy and laughs or whether they intend to cement a multi-dimensional character into the center of the DC mythos.

You can read this issue on the surface and have a good laugh. However, Gray and Palmiotti were trying to make us laugh and make us uncomfortable at the same time (something only the best comedians can do) by exposing our pretty superficial expectations and motivations for reading this series. They succeed. If you want mildly titillating irony aimed at you, then pick up this book.

I'm not going to lie to you. If you don't enjoy an ironic attack on the comic book genre, if you wouldn't like the style of "Austin Powers meets Barbarella," then this isn't the book for you. This comic isn't going to find a ton of fans among the faithful legions of noir readers shooting up the Dark Knight and Daredevil. This is not a shot at the creative team by any means. Metafiction can be a hard sell, but this is metafiction done right.

You get a whole lot of quality story and first class production for only $2.99 with Queen Sonja #1. I started reading Red Sonja because of podcasts I'd heard from Dynamite, but I'd felt a little lost jumping in mid-story. This is a great issue to get on board.

With a solid issue with fantastic art, I can't wait to see how Dox pulls this one out of the fire. I will definitely be here for issue #5.

Another solid offering by Bedard, St. Aubin, Hanna, and Villarrubia. If you like cosmic stories, but you're not reading R.E.B.E.L.S. yet, you should pick this book up.

Month after month, R.E.B.E.L.S. delivers. This book is no exception. Go buy it.

A solid read, well worth following. I'll be back for more Red Robin.

The Red Robin series feels like a monthly dose of a summer block-buster: action-packed and thrill-jammed. Check it out!

Red Robin is pulling ahead of the competition and it is now the first thing I read. Tim has a mystery quest on his hands and has only his wits to save him from the danger besetting him on all sides. Check it out!

This issue fell flat for me, because (a) I really don't care about Tam and (b) the building of the Council of Spiders didn't have much tension. Red Robin has dominated most pages of every previous issue, and an issue mostly without him, his angst and his obsession, is a letdown. Maybe Yost needed to bring together some threads, but the fact that I missed seeing Tim on the go means that maybe those threads weren't that important and that maybe the less you see of the villains the better.

If Red Robin isn't on your pull list yet, you may want to try it out next issue. Those who have been following the Council of Spiders arc will be satisfied with this issue.

This issue didn't blow me away on plot, but I did enjoy being part of Tim's homecoming. I'm hoping Tim will continue to keep me entertained through this new four-issue arc. For now, this is a fair start.

I can't wait for part four! Red Robin is top of my pull list again! Fun characters packed in edge-of-your-seat action… Pick it up.

Neither Red Robin nor Batgirl are typical Gotham residents. They are fun and light-hearted and optimistic. If that's what you want in your Gotham book, then Red Robin should be on your pull-list. I had mused a few months ago that Red Robin as a series was going to hit a wall if the DCU staff couldn't find a new direction to take it. The Hit List arc is not a new direction, but it capitalizes on Tim's strengths (he's the man with the plan) to make this character much more powerful by putting him in the driver's seat. I look forward to seeing where this creative team has him go.

I havent checked the sales figures in a while, but I hope Red Robin is somewhere in the mid-range of sales, because I want to be able to keep reading this book. Month after month, DC delivers adventure and spills and turns in Red Robin. Check it out.

Story-wise, Nicieza has Tim's voice down pat, and the dialogue always comes across as strong and honest. OK, it got a bit emotional at the reunion with the Titans, but Tim is a teenager, right? I'll give him that.What's Not So Good: My complaints about this issue are in the plot. Although a lot happened in this issue, it felt like it passed quickly. I wondered why I had that feeling and looked back and I think the story itself was a bit rushed and lacked logic. We jump from success in Russia to Tim having an inconclusive and ambivalent fight with a Secret Six mercenary whose ending didn't make a lot of sense to me. If Cat-Man tips off the Calculator that Tam has access to the Unternet, how does Tim conclude that ten minutes later, her University dorm will be blown up? The revelation that Tam was safe somewhere else sort of dropped the tension as well (making me wonder if the threat had been worth it) and smacked a bit of writer's convenience. I thought that the fact that no other stude

I don't think I'm coming back for issue #2. That being said, if you want to check the book out and disagree with me, go right ahead. Issue #1 is priced at a cool dollar, so that you can see for yourself for less than a bag of chips.

This is a good, bloody character study for Deadshot fans and Secret Six Lovers, but it didn't make itself a "must-buy".

This was a very strong book on my first read, and my puzzling to write this review revealed more layers than I expected. You should totally go buy this book.

Severed is combining an authentic American horror story with haunting period art. Pick it up.

Snyder, Tuft and Fukari are making up the new old American horror. They're looking to scare the shit out of us by taking parts of turn-of-the-century quaint legends, like the hobo, the travelling salesman and taking a man at his word, and revealing that our trust in the world is misguided. The results of misplaced trust are terrifying.

Siege may have been years in the making, but its execution was rushed and emotionally flat. If the $3.99 cover price doesn't scare you off, go ahead and buy it for the art and the *massive* superhero beat-downs, but you might find that in some parts, you don't engage with the story.

Dynamite asks for a leap of faith for a spin-off book with a patient start. However, they've put some really credible talent behind this first throw. Jai Nitz has impressed me over and over with his work on Kato Origins and now he's playing in Jack Kirby's sandbox under the guidance of Alex Ross. Faith seems justified. Recommended.

The art was nice and the story competently told, but after two issues, I'm ready to conclude that Silver Star lacks heart. I'll be on the lookout for the next Dynamite project and the next Nitz project, but this one didn't work for me.

I'm disappointed not only for this series, but also because I know that the failure of this series will delay a true return by Dr. Strange to the mainstream of the Marvel Universe for a couple of years. (I'll still buy issue #2, though, because Stephen Strange is such a great character)

This was an offering of filler and trivial character development that will have no effect on these characters in the DCU, but the art in the Arkham flashback was awesome.

DC has a solid creative team at bat with a mildly interesting question. If you want a self-contained story, The Last Family of Krypton might be your thing. If you want a story whose impact will send out ripples (big or small) into the rest of the DCU, this series may not matter to you. I'm not hooked enough that I'm sure I'll fork out another ten bucks for the next two issues.

DC has delivered a strong book on a series that promises to wrap up everything I've been following for the last fourteen months since World of New Krypton started. DC has me pumped up for the rest of the series over the next three weeks. Pick it up. It looks like a good ride for only $2.99 a book.

If you don't care about physics or the motivations superheroes have when they fight each other, you'll probably enjoy this book. (Sorry for the nerd-out moment…)

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Pure action and adventure, and at stake… all of humanity. Pick it up for a lot of fun.

This could easily be one of my favorite books. I'll be back for issue #4.

I was really pumped up by the first three issues. After the climactic hostage stand-off and the fight between Gor and Kal-El last issue, I was expecting the same pace in this one. It's a good book, but it doesn't reach the peak achieved in the last issue.

This was a fair issue, but the arc has been losing steam since the high point the creative team hit with issue #3. In fact, it barely feels like the arc has been completed at all, except that next month, the first part of the next arc is starting.

World of New Krypton continues to satisfy, but Rucka and Robinson may be trying to fit too much into one year of stories.

Despite the increasingly episodic nature of the story, this remains a fun, if mildly disorienting ride, well worth including in your pull list.

World of New Krypton has meandered through eleven issues so far without coming into focus. If you're into complete collections and you've already got the other 10, you should really buy this issue. The series wraps up next issue and based on the cover of issue #12, it looks like it's ending on another new development that makes this series episodic rather than surprising.

This issue has been a year in the making and all along, the series has implicitly promised something big. Did it pay off? We find out who was behind the apparently random things that happened over the last year, but did it satisfy? Was there an "Aha!" moment? No. And, maybe harder to take, the series ends on a cliffhanger, to be continued in Superman: The Last Stand of New Krypton. As Cartman would say: "Weak."

Great idea for a story and well-written, although the art doesn't meet the same standard. Worth a try. I'll take a look at the next one.

I'm glad Damian's not on my team, but I like reading about him on someone else's! Pick it up. It's fun.

The Thanos Imperative is a high-caliber piece of sequential storytelling. Abnett, Lanning, Sepulveda and Ramos have roped me in for issue #2. This is a great book starring some of my favorite Marvel characters.

The Thanos Imperative is a great series, and this book offered a lot of reveal, but I felt that somehow the temperature get turned down on this issue. I'm still going to buy issue #4, but I loved issues #1 and #2 more.

In terms of production value, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly can compete with anything Marvel or DC has on the market. Pick it up if you're into moody, gritty western drama. Very easy entry for a new reader since it's the start of a new arc.

Going offshore for the main characters adds a lot of freshness to scene, story and theme. I hope it pays off. I recommend this quality book and I will certainly be back for issue #2.

This is high-quality, disturbing stuff, with an impending sense of dread. Few comics go for this route and fewer still do it right. Buy this book.

What a gem of a book! I can totally recommend The Vault. Get it now. They will only be three issues.

In the end, I just didn't believe this story. If you're a Warlord fan, go ahead and pick it up. If you're like me, where you haven't felt invested in Warlord, this issue won't be the one to change your mind.

One of the smartest comics I've read in a while, one with emotional and intellectual heft, while staying true to the superhero convention. I'm totally checking in for issue four and will hunt out issues one and two.

Quite a good issue. I totally recommend picking it up.

Beautiful visuals couldn't salvage a story that came out of the gates on life-support. I love the Eternals and for this reason picked this up as soon as I saw the title, but I was disappointed. Not recommended.

If you like to watch your favorite villains pretending to be heroes and shooting and beating each other, this issue is for you. Otherwise, nothing much changes in the Thunderbolts universe, so if you need to skip an issue, it shouldn't affect how you read next one.

A fun issue about an ber-offbeat super-team of anti-heroes and heroes in training, doing a tour in time.

I think the Titans need Cyclops to be in charge. Put Scott Summers in charge of Power Pack, tie one hand behind his back, and he still would have outsmarted Jericho three issues ago. Batman could have done it by himself. So could Dr. Light, Shadow Lass , and pretty much anybody telepathic, or whose costume includes opaque goggles, or anyone who is willing to poke Jericho in the eye.

I wish there were more writers out there who could write a solid, single-issue story with so much in it. Even if you're not a Titans or Cyborg fan, it's worth checking out.

A pretty good offering by DC. Not a home run, but a respectable base hit, and maybe a double for Titans fans.

A fair book. I like what Yost is doing and hope to see where the writers take Starfire next.

Despite the art, I recommend picking up this issue if you like fine character stories. For myself as a writer, in the same way that I might study Stephen Baxter or Greg Egan for examples of the hard physics in sci-fi, I think I'm going to start studying Krul and Bryan Q. Miller for their character work.

Ever since the end of the god-awful Deathtrap storyline, the Titans have produced a sequence of well-told character stories. This issue does honor to that trend and ties the emotions and the conflict not only to the present, but to the future. This issue is well worth picking up, as a stand-alone Titans story that now includes some of the major players in the DCU.

(a) Marvel, I want my $3.99 back. (b) Thank you, Marvel, for making this just a one-shot.

This is a fine story shining a light onto the earlier days of Tars Tarkas, one of the more iconic noble savages in pulp science fiction. Although the cover price of $4.99 demands a bit more of a commitment, considering many smaller books with more ads are selling for only a dollar less, this is a good deal.

Dynamite has priced this issue to fly off the shelf at $1.00, but it could be priced a lot more and still go toe-to-toe with anything Marvel or DC is producing right now. Nelson and Sadowski have put Warlord of Mars at the top of my pull list.

Dynamite has put out a second good issue of Warlord of Mars. I like the first issue better, but this one is definitely worth picking up. And, issue #3 is going to start with John Carter on Mars.

I loved this issue. If you liked John Carter or Tarzan as a kid, you've got to pick up this gem of a series.

Definitely a buy. Go get it and the first four issues, and get ready to fall in love with Barsoom again or for the first time.

Why the hell aren't you reading Warlord of Mars? Pick it up now. This is classic sword and planet adventure, with really high-end production values.

I can sum up this issue with the I had feeling as I closed the book: "This was the best issue of Warlord of Mars so far." Go buy it. I unreservedly recommend Warlord of Mars.

Hanging a thousand feet off the ground with enemies above, while the love of his life is about to be married, against her will, to his enemy, John Carter is in deep trouble. Warlord of Mars #8 hurtles towards the climax of Dynamite's reimagining of A Princess of Mars.

Dynamite has sewn up a high-calibre adaptation of A Princess of Mars, just in time to set the bar for Marvel's first issue of its own Princess of Mars limited series. Definitely buy Warolord of Mars #9 if you've got the rest. If you don't have the rest, I highly recommend the trade when it's out. Dynamite is doing some great work on Barsoom. Put on your hard hats and come on over.

As a hard-core Barsoom fan, I'm going to continue with the series, but the art switch really got me down. Hopefully, Sadowski grows on me. Or they bring back Antonio. Recommended for people like me.

I found myself loving this issue. I love the characters, the mystery and the action. And, I can't wait for two issues from now, when Carter comes back.

All the pieces are in place. The mystery of Carter's disappearance is not yet solved, but Carthoris, Tars Tarkas and Dejah Thoris are poised for next issue when Dynamite starts The Gods of Mars, the second novel I ever read. I can't wait. Bring on the plant men!

OK. So, no secret. I love this series and I loved this issue. The visuals are beautiful. The adventure is breakneck. Pick it up.

I love this series. It was firing on all cylinders for me before, but the art got to a whole new level in issue 14 and the story has left the runway far behind.

Arvid Nelson has got Barsoom down and his art team is spectacular. This is the right time to get on board and you should. I am looking forward anxiously to issue #2.

Dynamite has a winner with a great setting, a strong female lead, an unlimited storehouse of adventures and the creative team to make it happen. You should be reading the series.

I feel like Burroughs is really back! Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3 is a lot of fun. Definitely pick it up for old-school, sword and planet adventure. I'll definitely be back for #4.

Nelson is distilling what makes pulp stories awesome and delivering it to Rafael and Lopez so that they can make it come alive. You should totally buy this book.

Nelson and the art team have sold me on their tone-perfect revival of old Barsoom.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I don't yet feel the same sense of emotional engagement as I did in the Colossus of Mars story, where the emotional triggers were a bit stronger (Dejah Thoris' forced marriage, the bullying of Valian, the imminent fall of Helium), but I'm holding out hope for emotional stakes in this well-launched adventure.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris is exploring Barsoom in Burroughs' classic style. Well, well worth checking out.

An adventurous conclusion to a pure Barsoomian adventure yarn. I can see people wanting to pick this up in the trade edition, but if you've been following this story since the beginning of the arc, you'd be foolish not to pick up this finish.

100,000 years before John Carter set foot on Mars, Dynamite told a story about the fall of Barsoom. It is totally cool. Pick it up!

The myth of the fall of civilization has been with us since Homer's Atlantis, the first view of the pyramids by the Greeks, and through all western history after the fall of Rome. Dynamite has captured a reflection of this myth in the Fall of Barsoom. Haunting" Powerful… Pick it up!

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was hoping for more. Krul has given us so much in the past, but this one felt phoned-in, low-stakes and contrived. I see no reason for anyone to buy this issue, because even the reconciliation at the end didn't seem to be that meaningful.

With Simone perfectly building this epic fight scene up, while providing an unforgettable character study within each preceeding book, the conclusion is simply amazing. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next issue.

Despite an overly complex plot, I liked this issue. Gail Simone really writes a heroic Diana, and Lopresti and Ryan are the perfect duo in bringing her to life.

Gail Simone is a writer to follow; and with one third of the Trinity in her hands she's going to continue to make waves.

Simone, Lopresti and Ryan are delivering a really great series. If you haven't been following Diana up to now, get the trades and start following the series monthly with this issue, the first part in a 4-book arc called Warkiller.

The mismatched artist really put this book off its game, despite a really great story by Simone. Still, this is the second part of a 4-issue arc, so you might not want to miss it.

Fine, fine work by a great team. If you've been following the Warkiller arc, you *have* to pick this up. If you haven't been following Wonder Woman, next issue is a perfect place to get started.

Both the art and writing staff have delivered stronger work in the past. I'm going to chalk up this month's lower grade to the rough start of a new arc and will check out the next issue to see where Simone and company take us with this surprising and new (and apparently coincidental) villain.

Wow. My regular readers will know I really don't give out a lot of A-grades, to any company. X-23 #10 totally earned it. Pick it up.

A fair offering for X-Factor and Madrox fans. There was some nice, standard poignancy in the tragedy of Cap and Iron Man and I look forward to seeing what's up with the Sorceror Supreme in the next issue.

I am loving the evolutionaries arc in the X-Men. It looks like Yost is expanding the X-Men mythos and pushing its roots millions of years farther back. Way, way cool story. Artwise, there's some to love and some to like, but on the balance, artistically positive.

X-Men #13 is fascinating reveal after fascinating reveal. Yost has a firm hand on the steering wheel on this one and I'm loving everywhere he's taking us.

Yost and his art team are producing one of the best retcons I've seen. Tune in for awesomeness and pick up this series.

While I still recommend completing this arc, I don't think it lived up to its potential. However, Yost has left the X-mythos with a past that reaches into the deep time leading back to the Eternals and a grudge that will cast shadows into the future.

This is an interesting start to a pure adventure story, with great art, but limited emotional investment. Spend your dollars accordingly.

Not a bad read, nor even that difficult to get into, considering I didn't get in on the ground floor of this arc. I'd say go for it.

I loved X-Men Giant-Size #1. Yost and his giant-size art team launched this arc with a lot of thrust on a true course. I'm definitely signed up for the next chapter in X-Men #12.

Xavier kicks ass and takes names. Don't mess with him.

I think X-Men Legacy #249 was okay, but missed a chance at being great. Carey made some easy creative choices instead of some original ones, and didn't approach the excellent high-water marks I've seen him set in other stories. Should you pick it up? For completists, I'd say yes. For casual readers of many comics, I didn't see anything you couldn't miss in here.

Despite the price, I'm totally happy I picked up Schism #1. Aaron launched the first issue well and I'm stoked to see where this goes.

A fine issue of Schism for X-Men fans, bringing excellent art and tense action to the table.