Patrick Hume Comic Reviews

With a new roster assembled and a clear and present danger on their doorstep, this latest iteration of the Avengers are going to be jumping right into the thick of things. I look forward to getting to know them a little better as a unit and seeing if they're able to live up to the teams of yesteryear.

Riccardo Burchielli replaces regular penciller Mateus Santolouco on art, which helps give this period piece it's own look, although the texture and jagged energy of Santoluoco's work is missed.

Evil Ernie #5 is a quick read that will probably not stick with you much longer than it takes you to turn the last page. I think one of the worse things you can say about horror in any medium is that it's bland, but that's the word that springs immediately to mind here. I wasn't frightened or intrigued, amused or outraged, at any point. I hadn't read it, and then I had " that's all that changed in me. Creating something just for entertainment value is fine, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't aim a little higher than this.

Fraction and Larroca's run starts coming to a close next month as "Armor Wars III" kicks off. While The Invincible Iron Man #523 may be an unremarkable component of the larger whole, I have hopes that its last pages have positioned the cast for an explosive finale, one that will make this team of creators the benchmark for Iron Man for years to come.

The seeds of ongoing conflict are planted in the differing opinions of the Sampsons over how to best deploy themselves " altruism, authoritarianism, or hedonism " and there's at least one clear inciting event, but the narrative is not the important part of Jupiter's Legacy #1. What Millar and Quitely do here, and do so well, is show us a world where superheroes exist, yet nothing is better, then invite us to consider what that says about the way we have chosen to abdicate responsibility in favor of comfort. I wish more creators were willing to push the boundaries of the genre in such a compelling way.

I've been a fan of Rucka's since the Queen & Country days, and it's great to see him get back on another property of his own device. Lazarus #1 is a model of clean, clear, engaging storytelling, about a frighteningly plausible tomorrow and the woman who no longer wants to be part of the problem. I can't wait to see where it goes next.

Vaughan and Martin have created an intriguing new project in The Private Eye " intriguing for reasons both literary and commercial. Even if the comic itself was undistinguished, the business model it is being created under would be worthy of observation and interest. Happily, the book has everything going for it - ultramodern themes underpinned by tested tropes, a deadly mystery, and an exciting and contemporary look. Even if you come in the name of experimentation with new publishing methods, you'll stay for the story.

Gillen and primary artist Carlos Pacheco have taken on a great deal in rebooting Uncanny. The X-universe has changed dramatically over the past couple of years, and anyone who stepped away from reading comics for a while would have very little idea what was going on in this book. It's clear, however, that Gillen and Pacheco intend to swing for the fences and see what happens, an attitude I can appreciate. Gillen has a lot of big ideas, and once his and Pacheco's styles begin to gel a little more, I think this could be a great standard-bearer for the Regenesis era of X-Men comics.

The art is solid, keeping the dialogue-focused story visually interesting, though facial expressions and gestures are at times too exaggerated or cartoony.