Comics Roundup for 11/24/10

The Amazing Spider-Man #649 - This certainly had a surprising plot twist, and I'm not sure if I like it. SPOILER ALERT! Roderick Kingsley, the original Hobgoblin, did indeed come back. It made sense, too, since Norman Osborn, who screwed him over royally, is now out of the picture. However, as soon as he's back, he gets killed (rather brutally) by Phil Urich, the one-time Green Goblin - you know, the lame, good one who had his own series for a while there. I certainly didn't see that coming, and I'm kind of disappointed to see the end (?) of Kingsley so soon after his return. Still, it was an entertaining issue, and I'm interested to see how this all pans out.

Secret Avengers #7 - This series recently won a poll as the Best Avengers book. I still don't think it's much of an Avengers book other than its name, but it's still a pretty good read. We got to see a bit more of the supporting cast this time (although Moon Knight's nowhere to be seen despite being on the cover). I also don't know much about this Prince of Orphans guy. I don't know if that's a cool name or a lame one.

Detective Comics #871 - Lots of new Batman stuff coming out, and I almost bought everything that came out this week. However, I decided to just try this one, as Batman and Robin seemed like nothing but filler, and I gave Tony Daniel enough of a chance over on Batman. Plus, the zero issue of Batwoman seemed pretty thin. I'm not familiar with the creative team on this title, but I figured that I'd give it a try. My verdict? A pretty solid detective story, with this issue focusing on the Dick Grayson Batman. I also like that the backup story featured Jim Gordon in a story that's going to tie into the main plot. That's the way to do a backup story.

Captain America #612 - I don't have much to say about this issue other than it was another solid installment in a series that's been delivering the goods for several years now. I think that this series continues to be popular because readers like me are as invested in the "Bucky" Captain America as they are the original Cap. I'm really curious as to how this is all going to end up.

The Walking Dead - Volume 13 - When I get around to it, I'll write a blog entry about the excellent TV adaptation of this series. As for this current volume, I'm pleased to say that it offered quite a few surprises. Just when I thought I knew where everything was going, I wound up being thrown for a couple of loops. Also, it's nice to see that Rick isn't completely far gone as I would have thought with the last volume, and maybe now he has a real chance at what passes for happiness in a zombie apocalypse.

Ex Machina - Volume 10 - I haven't gotten around to reading this one yet, and I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to reread the entire series like I did with 100 Bullets since this is the last volume. I have to say that this is probably one of the best series I've read that's simultaneously lame to describe to people. "It's about a superhero who becomes the mayor!" Yeah, that sounds lame. Trust me, it isn't.