Grading the Comics: Week of August 3

Hey there, seems like forever since I graded my comic book purchases.
Having a baby in the house will do that. I have books from two or three weeks ago that I haven't even read yet.
=sigh=
Anyway, here's what I'm planning to buy today:

• AGENTS OF ATLAS #9 - Darn it, I forgot to pick this up. Will try to snag a copy today.
• BOYS #33 - Sick, what Butcher does to Payback, but very entertaining. And there's material besides that sets up some interesting stuff ahead. B
• CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #2 (OF 5) - Good stuff. Steve Rogers is on his way back (slowly) and yet--will he be Cap when he finally returns? A-
• DOOM PATROL #1 - Side by side with Metal Men, this is one wacked-out book. A must-read. A+
• HULK #13 - Bruce says bye to A-Bomb and we're thinking Ol' Jadejaws is gone...? B
• JUSTICE LEAGUE CRY FOR JUSTICE #2 (OF 7) - Haven't read it yet.
• SAVAGE DRAGON #151 - Geez, for a dead guy, Dragon sure can carry a book. B
• SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #6 (OF 12) - Didn't have a copy at the store, hope to have it tonight.
• ULTIMATUM: FANTASTIC FOUR REQUIEM #1 - Ditto.
• ULTIMATUM: X-MEN REQUIEM #1 - Ditto.

As I've said elsewhere (I think), I'm probably going to let the WildStorm stuff fall by the wayside. "World's End" has been an interesting direction for the books but I'm ready to let it go.

Ditto the Ultimate line of books. I wasn't thrilled with the last issue of ULTIMATUM (see below), and now seems like a good time to let those titles slip off my reserve list. I'll keep an eye on the line to see what's happening, and reserve the right to change my mind, but... we'll just have to see.

Man, I sure didn't have a lot to say about the books this week-- but I'll fix that soon enough.

later!

Grading the Comics: August 8, 2008

You're probably watching the Olympics, my friendly readers, but just in case...

• AUTHORITY #1 - Okay, the WildStorm Earth is WAY messed up. Gotta see how this plays out but it's a different kind of place to set superhero stories. The heroes are facing serious problems on several fronts, not the least of which is that half the team is... well, let's just say they've seen better days as a group and leave it at that. And things are not looking up, either. B
• BOYS #21 - Part three of a four-part digging into the back story of why things are so jacked up in NYC especially, it has a lot to say about how superheroes don't work the way we think--even in the most cliche of situations. A-
• FINAL CRISIS #3 (OF 7) - Gotta admit, I'm not sure where this is going or what I think of it. Some interesting images but I don't know if it jells for me. Still, Barry's back! B-
• FX #6 (OF 6) - A neat six-issue mini, tightly plotted and very well drawn, with a cool Silver Age vibe to it. Here's hoping there's more on the way. A
• HULK #5 - Is it me or is the Red Hulk way too powerful to believe? C'mon, a monster that shrugs off She-Hulk or Abomination (old and new) I can buy... shrugs off original green Hulk, maybe... shrugs off Thor slamming Mjolnir into his face? Um, no. Well drawn but the enemy is amped beyond my suspension of disbelief load limit. C-
• STAR TREK ASSIGNMENT EARTH #4 - A nice done-in-one from John Byrne, who has a real affinity for Classic Trek. Hopefully he'll be on this title for a long while to come, 'cause I'm enjoying it a lot. A
• TRINITY #10 - Some interesting ideas but I'm not any closer to knowing if I like this story or not. Great art but... I'm not locking into the story. C+
• ULTIMATE ORIGINS #3 (OF 5) - Another story that seems a little too unfocused. We get to see Young Magneto and Young Professor X doing their bonding thing in the Savage Land, amid the original Brotherhood (guess the Evil Mutants part came later), while the modern FF try to figure out what this HAL 9000-meets-Stone Age probe is supposed to be doing. Um... halfway through and I have no idea what's really going on. Not good. C

Okay, that's it for this week. Overall not bad but not stellar either. Comments?

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.