There were a lot of great comics that came out this week. We always try to read as many comics on Wednesday as we can. We thought we'd make reading all the reviews a little easier this time. Rather than post each review individually, we decided to post snippets from each and provide the link to the review on the actual issue page. Which one of these comics did you read? Do you agree with our ratings or do you feel differently?
Green Arrow #6
Read Mat's full review here.The last couple of issues may have lost me, but this issue was great fun. When the focus is more on Oliver, the book shines. I recommend the issue, but not to new readers. There's a lot of characters and stories all ready in motion and it may be hard for new readers to jump on. I say wait for the first trade of this series, if you're interested in the book, and buy that since overall, the first six issues are great.
Amazing Spider-Man # 649
Read my full review here.The huge shocker is not something I'm happy with. When you read it, you'll know that I'm holding back some. The big change that happens affects one of my all-time favorite characters. The reason I'm okay with it is it made the story so freaking amazing. It caught me off my guard and I'm thankful I read it before I saw any spoilers. Things are heating up for Spider-Man. This is the beginning of a change in his life. While I have been enjoying the stories since Brand New Day, I can't recall the last time I was so excited about Spider-Man's adventures and left on the edge of my seat as I await the next issue.
Detective Comics #871
Read Zack's full review here.I thoroughly enjoyed the previous arc on Detective, so Snyder and Jock have a tough act to follow. While this isn't as wonderfully outrageous and exuberant as the Impostor War, it's still quite tight and really impressive for finding a new angle on the well-explored Bat mythos. While I'm not sure how feasible the "open invite" crime lab is, it is an interesting addition to the line's larger Batman Inc. developments.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #150
Read Zack's full review here.Every month, I keep saying that this is an exemplary comic. It not only shows what every Ultimate book should be, it also shows what every Spider-Man book should be. Bendis puts Peter in a new situation at the end of this issue that I haven't seen him in before (even though I always figured it was a rational development.) Freed from the restraints of continuity and tradition, this Spider-Man feels fresher and more alive than he's ever been.
Uncanny X-Men #530
Although there were times the art looked great, there were also quite a few times were I thought I was looking at a something that was traced. The art is done by Greg Land, so it's not a way out there idea, but it does become distracting, especially when the facial expression doesn't fit the panel or scene. It tends to look and feel a bit exaggerated. In addition, is that John Sublime? The man who has his own X-Men team towards the end of the issue is never named, but I have a good feeling it's Sublime. I'm not too sure.
Read Mat's full review here.
Thunderstrike #1
Read Zack's full review here.This conceptual hook for this is really sharp. Not only has it been a long time coming, it's also intrinsically interesting to see a wayward teen finally getting to make the superhero community own up to the bad hand it dealt his family. While the "old school" style is certainly part of the appeal, I do think this title could still swing a little more in the other direction to make Thunderstrike more contemporary and give him an identity independent of his father's.
Captain America #612
Read Mat's full review here.Although this was an amazing issue, I can't strongly say you need to pick this book up because we're in the middle of one giant arc. In order to truly understand what is going on in this book, you'll need to at least read the Winter Soldier arc towards the beginning of this series. I'd also recommend the Death of Captain America, and the arc where Bucky becomes Captain America. Needless to say, it's a lot of reading, but well worth it.
Deadpool #29
Read Zack's full review here.I'll admit to being easy to please when it comes to DP. While I enjoy the deep stuff as much as the hardcore fans do, I'm still pleased as punch whenever the character's allowed to basically be a sadistic, close-to-evil Buster Keaton. Read this and enjoy it if you want to see somebody burst superheroes sometimes too-serious-for-their-own-good bubbles without matters ever falling too far into all-out spoof.
Astonishing Thor #1
Read Zack's full review here.While I'm still not quite sure where this fits in relation to all the other Thor books that have started in anticipation in the movie, it's still a bawdy, almost hypnotic take on the thunder god's mythos that feels very much in the tradition of P. Craig Russell 's fantasies from the 70s. Although the cliffhanger has a revelation answering a question that I don't believe has ever been asked in Ego's 40 odd years of existence, I'm still intrigued to see where this lofty conflict with the Stranger goes in future issues.
Batwoman #0
Read my full review here.I am more excited for the first issue than I was before. The Batwoman stories before felt like they were missing something and hopefully that won't be an issue with the series. Batman having some sort of involvement could help out but he it wouldn't be necessary for him to have a constant part. Batman's assessment of Batwoman in this issue shows that he does respect her and she is capable of being on her own. This is obviously a great jumping on point if you've been wondering what Batwoman is all about. I just wish we had a little bit more story pages in this issue.