Comics Roundup for 6/23/10

Avengers #2 - My only complaint with this issue is a common complaint that people have with the writing of Brian Michael Bendis. All the characters often sound the same. He makes too many of them sound like smartasses, and he's a bit too indulgent in "clever" dialogue. It's a minor complaint, but it bears noting. Other than that, this was a fun issue, as it follows up on the new Captain Marvel and gives him a place in the new status quo. I would have liked to have seen some more personal interactions between the characters, but this series is starting to feel almost more like the Justice League, where it's the huge, universe-shattering challenge of the moment. Whatever, it was a fun read, and I look forward to the next one.

The Amazing Spider-Man #635 - I'm continuing to not only enjoy the main story but the backup features as well. My favorite Spider-Man stories always involve him faced with a challenge where it looks like there's just no way to win, yet he continues to persevere despite the odds. This story also features a lot of twists, and it's good to see the current creative team building on some of the stuff from the pre-One More Day team.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #13 - This was a fun read just like the last one, but what really got me interested was that it followed up on the whole storyline with Hush posing as Bruce Wayne. As of right now, the good guys have the upper hand on him, but he's a schemer, and this issue lets us know that he's not just given up. With the return of Bruce Wayne coming soon, I wonder how it's all going to pan out. Plus, it looks like we have the return of Mr. Freeze next issue by the man who made him a cool (no pun intended) villain in the first place.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 (of 6) - Batman continues to travel through time, and this issue we get him as a pirate. Just like previous issues, there's all sorts of weird twists and turns, and a lot of the stuff that didn't make a whole lot of sense is slowly starting to make sense. I think that this series, just like the whole RIP storyline, will read a lot better in one sitting where I can keep all the twists and turns straight in my head.

Superman #700 - I was really getting into the Superman books when Kurt Busiek was writing the main title and Geoff Johns was writing Action Comics. I started to lose interest when the whole New Krypton saga was dragging on for far too long. With this issue, it looks like a new beginning with J.M. Straczynski taking over the book. It ends with an interesting premise, but I think that I'll flip through the next issue before committing myself to buying this title again.