Sunday, June 24, 2012

Weekly Roundup - June 20

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, where I describe this this week’s pulled books in one paragraph or less!



This week proved somewhat disappointing. My favorite monthly of the lot, Wonder Woman, failed to deliver, but Splinter and Comedian helped prop up an otherwise mediocre array of books. The lesser anticipated titles managed to be solid as well. And now, the blurbs.

Before Watchmen: Comedian #1: An unexpected take on one of Watchmen’s most fearsome characters. The Comedian, Eddie Blake, is portrayed less as a psychotic killer and more as a tough anti-hero who, in his heart, is a caring person. This book also wins the most frightening cover of the week award.


Green Lantern Corps #10: John Stewart is sentenced to death by the ridiculous Alpha Lanterns. His lawful good acquiescence once again stands in stark contrast to Guy Gardner’s chaotic good brashness. This story has been done to death.

Nightwing #10: A man has been found murdered by one of Dick Grayson’s escrima sticks, and a corrupt detective leads a crusade to lay the crime on Nightwing’s shoulders. A solid reintroduction to the plot derailed by the Court of the Owls story.

Supergirl #10: Supergirl girl fights a Kryptonian dragon in the mindscape of an evil Irish warlock who absorbed her consciousness. The beautiful art provides a nice look into the culture of dead Krypton.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 Splinter: Splinter kicks Foot tail while pondering the meaning of honor in light of mistakes made hundreds of years in the past. The flashbacks to ancient Japan are an interesting look into the novel twist thrown into the Turtles’ origin in this latest TMNT series.

Wonder Woman #10: Wonder Woman shares the love in the most disappointing ending to a great arc in the New 52 so far. Azzarello draws material from the likes of Care Bears and My Little Pony to round out the story that made me care about Wonder Woman.


Next week is poised to be much better with such heavy hitters as Justice League, Flash, and my most anticipated, Batman Incorporated. The second issue of Bendis’ Spider-Men event should also make for some interesting content. Stay tuned!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Paul's Picks! - June 7, 2012


Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And now for his much-anticipated pick-of-the-week...

Alright, alright, you got me; I totally skipped out on you all last week. All joking aside, I completely forgot that I hadn't written it until around Friday, and by then I felt like there was almost no point in going on to write it. In a week with very few issues coming out to read anyhow (those darn 5th weeks get me every time), there wasn't a whole lot to choose from in the first place. However, you're just dying to know which book tickled my fancy last Wednesday, go check out our most recent episode of the AC Podcast, where you can find not only my pick, but also Seth's and Ethan's. Fun times are sure to follow.

Now that we got that awkward moment behind us, let's move on to what you're really here for: Paul's Pick from Wednesday, June 7th. The first week of the month has become one of those that always contain some A list titles, such as Action Comics and Swamp Thing, not to mention the recent addition of some new books like Earth 2. And yet, while I had my share of topnotch series to choose from this week, I found myself somewhat underwhelmed by many of these titles. Don't get me wrong, there were some good books, but no single comic jumped out as the winner of the week. I hated the thought of just picking one, as it kind of demeans what "Paul's Picks!" is all about. Therefore, I've decided to give you all another "special edition" of the column, where I will stray from my usual choice of a single title that reigns victorious by instead picking out my favorite aspects of several books. So instead of a "pick of the week," I'm gonna give my pick of the best aspects from a handful of books. Sound good? Ok, let's get to it then...

ALERT! There are probably going to be some spoilers present, so if you haven't read the book I'm discussing, skip that segment, or you just might regret it!