Review author: Mike Murray, owner/operator of MyComicStore.net

Now I know this is getting old.. I’m going to tell you how much I loved these three books and I do. These are some of the books that have got me completely hooked on reading monthly comics every week again and I’m happy to share them with you.

All New X-Men #6

All New X-Men is a treat! Written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by David Marquez and colored by Marte Gracia this book is just a sharp offering. I’m really enjoying the characterizations of the original X-Men brought forward in time to the present day and how they’re interacting with modern mutants. It’s very well done and a good example of what the X-Men are all about and how they should be presented.

Archer & Armstrong #6

Archer & Armstrong is just such a perfect book! Written by Fred Van Lente and drawn by Emanuela Lupacchino this is a fantastic buddy book that has me sucked right in and enjoying every moment. I don’t know how they’re going to tie this into the rest of the Valiant Universe but I couldn’t care less when I’m reading it. I may be looking forward to the Planet Death story in XO Manowar and the upcoming Harbinger Wars but this is a series that has me completely captivated. Emanuela is a great and very personable artist as well. It was a real pleasure to meet her in New York and at the time I didn’t say much more than “Thank you” but I’d sure have more to talk to her about now…

Bloodshot #7

And speaking of the upcoming Harbinger Wars, Duane Swierczynski, Matthew Clark, and Stefano Gaudiano left the Bloodshot timeline to give us this back story issue on the history of Project Rising Spirit and their hunt for the Harbingers. I have no idea how this is going to fit into the current mindset that Bloodshot is in but this book really did a fabulous job of setting me up for the coming story and I really, really hope Valiant Entertainment eventually gets to the hardcover collections.

Review author: Mike Murray, owner/operator of MyComicStore.net

Spider-man: The World's Greatest Hero trade paperback

Stern, Defalco, Moore, De La Torre, Barberi, and Scott are all named on the cover and there were plenty more people that worked on this collection of anniversary issues. Picking up where the various past Spider-man story lines left off, this volume collects Peter Parker, Spider-man #156.1, Sensational Spider-man #33.1 and #33.2, and Web of Spider-man #129.1 and #129.2, and these are five comics that never needed to be made. The best part of this whole book is that beautiful cover illustration by Mike McKone.

These were nonsensical stories that didn’t further or enhance the Spider-man story at all. Although I did enjoy that one of the stories referenced events from circa Amazing Spider-man #235. That era was from early in my joy of all that is comics and Spider-man in particular.

I found the whole thing rather depressing. Spider-man is so much more than this and anyone who buys this book looking for “The world’s greatest super hero” is instead going to find a very unfunny joke. That’s really too bad because Spider-man, in spite of being 50 years old this year, really is the world’s greatest super hero!

Review author: Mike Murray, owner/operator of MyComicStore.net

Fantastic Four Now #3

The Fantastic Four by Matt Fraction, Mark Bagley, and Mark Farmer is very good. Bagley’s art is great on this book, which for me is kind of a funny, iconic, thing. Bagley on Amazing Spider-man was great. Bagley on Ultimate Spider-man was genius. Bagley on Justice League was awful. It’s not that the art wasn’t good, it just wasn’t a good fit. The characters didn’t feel right. Like I said, “Iconic”. Here though, as I’ve said before… I think we have one of the best looking Things ever. Mark Bagley’s art not only feels right, but enhances these characters. In fact, the only ‘complaint’ I had about this book was that while traveling through space and time the Fantastic Four discover such a “terrestrial” problem. I wished it had been something we’ve never experienced here on Earth. And then I started thinking ‘How could I wrap my head around something we’ve NEVER experienced’ and then I just thought of how silly my complaint is. This is a very good book, from a, so far, very good series and it’s doing a very good job of keeping me interested in Marvel Comics.

Shadowman #3

Shadowman #3 by Justin Jordan and Patrick Zircher does show us something unexperienced when Jack enters into the Deadtime, and his monkey guide just comes across as if it’s not really there but how my brain is able to process what’s happening in this other place. Shadowman was not the worst of the original Valiant offerings but this book went a long way to show me why it deserves to be one of the best of what I’m reading right now. Very cool, indeed!

Punisher War Zone #3 (of 5)

Punisher War Zone #3 didn’t let me down either. Written by Greg Rucka with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, I’ve been critical of this book right from the start based on the idea that there’s no way in any suspension of disbelief that Frank Castle could compete with the Avengers. So far he has and in this issue it’s Thor’s turn. Turns out Thor doesn’t engage the Punisher in battle but something else entirely. While I didn’t see what was coming at all, I did enjoy it for what it was. This issue kept me engaged and gave me renewed hope for the final two issues in this series.