Grading the Comics! April 3 Edition

UPDATED! Friday April 4
Okay, I picked up some books and did a little reading last night.
Here's what I'm thinkin'...

ANNA MERCURY #1 - Okay, NOT Warren's version of Madame Mirage (thank God! I LOVE Dini's book!). Seems like there's civil war between two cities, with stealth operatives and saboteurs on the loose. Anna *seems* to be on the right side but... is she? And what the heck to make of that last page? B+

BOYS #17 - hits a new high note for "EWW!" Billy will be laughing about this one for months. And Hughie's gerbil only just started feeling safe. Oh no. B+

COUNTDOWN #4 - Mary's gone bad (again--oh, she is so gonna get killed), Jimmy's on a one-way trip to Apokolips, Red Robin calls it quits, Holly and Harley hit the road, Atom has misgivings and... oh, did I mention this is a spoiler-heavy commentary? I just saved you $2.99. C
COUNTDOWN SPECIAL: KAMANDI - Cool to see Klassic Kirby! A

DETECTIVE COMICS #843 - Spotlight on the all-new Ventriloquist and fan-fave Scarface. Interesting but I'm seeing an awful lot of Zatanna cropping up in 'Tec. Does Dini want to write a Zatanna series or what? B-

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #44 - One kid's take on his old man, who happens to be... nah, I'd rather let you read it. B

NEW DYNAMIX #2 - I really have no idea what's happening here. Lots of talking, summoning up a few way-old characters from GEN13 (first volume) and mid-90s WildStorm, not to mention a pissing contest between Black Halo and Sword? Plus, I get the sense that Sword's more a whitewashed villain than a badass hero. Still, I'm onboard for a few more issues. C

SECRET INVASION #1 - Kick. Ass. The Marvel heroes just got their heads handed to them in nearly every possible way. Big opening to what looks like a very world-shaking series. A+

TRIALS OF SHAZAM! #12 - Freddie finishes his exam and... ok, here's one I won't spoil. A leeetle too obvious wrap up but still worth reading. B

WALKING DEAD #48 - OMG. Unbelievable. There's one splash page that I would defy any long term reader not to scream in horror and disbelief at seeing. Where the heck does Kirkman go from here? A

Haven't yet read...
ACTION COMICS #863 (sold out!)
KICK-ASS #2 (sold out!)
METAL MEN #7 (of 8) - I'm working on this one!

Join us here next time, true readers, as we wrap up this list.