Comics Roundup for 8/4/10

Captain America #608 - To think that I was bemoaning the fact that the covers on this series were looking kinda shabby. This is probably the best looking one on the shelf this week. Anyway, we have yet another solid installment of this series with this one, as Baron Zemo continues to shake up the life of "Bucky" Barnes. Bucky's secret identity is out in the open, and even worse, everybody knows about his time as the Winter Soldier, where he worked for the communists (albeit against his free will). Brubaker is really putting this character through the wringer in this series, and it makes for some compelling reading. Speaking of which, I liked the Nomad backup even more (maybe not the art so much) this time around, as it's finally starting to deal with what's interesting about the character - the fact that she's a "girl out of her world" which is a nice parallel to how Captain America is a "man out of his time". It was nice to see her story tie a bit more into what's going on in the main storyline as well, as she got a chance to talk to Steve Rogers, her former partner and the original Captain America.

Avengers Prime #2 (of 5) - I like how this issue managed to still deal with the tension between Steve "not Captain America now" Rogers, Iron Man, and Thor while still having them all off on separate (although connected) adventures. Of course, the Alan Davis artwork is always nice to see.

The Amazing Spider-Man #639 - Last issue, we found out how Peter and Mary Jane never really got married in the first place. This issue, we found out how Aunt May managed to survive. Next time, we'll learn how everybody forgot the fact that Peter is Spider-Man. One thing is certain, this story is not going to undo the undoing of the marriage. I also have to say that in way, this story makes more sense than the original did, considering everything that was going on in the series right up until the marriage issue. I'm old school, and I remember even back then that it seemed kind of abrupt that all of a sudden, Peter was proposing to Mary Jane (despite the fact that he was shirtless and embracing Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, in the previous issue.)

Hellboy: The Storm #1 (of 3) - This was another great issue. The best part was the quiet moment where Hellboy thought about his childhood with Professor Bruttenholm. It really did a nice job of emphasizing the fact that he's a monster who simply wants to be human - which is precisely what makes him so human.