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.

Harry Potter and the End of Reading

We're about two days from knowing what Fate (aka JK Rowling) has in store for Harry Potter and crew... though, if you believe the Internet, you can find all of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows online already for your spoilage pleasure.

For a long while now, I've shared with family and friends-- well, basically, anyone who cares-- my theory about how it will end. It's not a complete narrative, just a handful of things I'm betting will happen, including the outcome:

• Voldemort dies (big surprise on that prediction, eh?)-- this is permanent, no returning, he is DEAD DEAD DEAD
• Most likely supporting character death: Severus Snape
• Second most likely: Ron
• Who else has a bullseye on their forehead? Ginny (a long shot), Hermione (also a long shot), Prof. McGonagle (even money), Neville (um, pretty good odds, actually), Draco Malfoy (probably not)
• Kreacher betrays the Order of the Phoenix to the Death Eaters
• Nearly all of the Death Eaters, especially Malfoy and Bellatrix, die in the last great battle
• Dumbledore returns briefly through a magical contrivance but does not stay in the land of the living for very long-- his role is pivotal but brief
• Snape betrays the Death Eaters and is killed by Voldemort, possibly after taking out the next-to-last Horcrux
• What happens to Harry? Well... Harry is the final Horcrux, the last piece of Voldemort's soul that resides outside his body. The manifestation is Harry's scar. Harry reaches a moment of decision, where he can defeat Voldemort and render him mortal--and thus killable. All he has to do is give up his magic-- permanently. No taking it back, no drinking a potion, no, this is FOR GOOD. No more Quidditch, no more flying on a broomstick, no more Diagon Alley or Hogwarts or hanging around the Weasley household or dragons or anything. HE MUST SACRIFICE EVERYTHING HE LOVES TO DEFEAT VOLDEMORT.
• He does.
• He makes the sacrifice, giving up everything that makes him special, and Voldemort is destroyed.
• Harry finds that he still has his friends (those who survive, anyway) who are astounded by what he's done. He may no longer be a wizard--he's now only a Muggle--but he's a hero.
• The book flash-forwards to when Harry and his wife (not a wizard, not Ginny) are proud grandparents... and find their latest grand-baby has magic powers. Here we go again.

Just my thoughts. I was intrigued that Keith Olbermann on Countdown came to the same conclusions regarding Harry's fate. I don't think JK Rowling came all that way just to kill Harry-- it's too easy, for one thing, and lacks the poignancy of sacrifice that has been a theme in the last few books especially. No, I think she has something more painful, more tragic and more heroic in mind for Harry.

I guess we'll see on July 21!