Comics Roundup for 4/13/11

Fear Itself #1 (of 7) - This is the latest crossover event, and while it's a decent first issue, I can't seem to get as enthused about it as some other events like Blackest Night, Civil War, or Siege. I think that the main problem is that it's tough to give a quick synopsis as to what it's all about, whereas it was a lot easier to do so for the aforementioned ones. What we have so far is that the daughter of the Red Skull has discovered that there are more mystical hammers out there than Mjolnir, and she has brought back to life some old Norse god of fear. That's a decent enough of a setup, but why a major crossover event? I'm not sure, but again, it's interesting enough to keep reading, and I'm glad to see Stuart Immonen on the art duties, as I think he's one of the best superhero artists working today.

The Flash #10 - Speaking of crossovers, this introduces DC's next big crossover story, Flashpoint. I'm even less certain as to what this one is about, but just like with Fear Itself I'm enjoying what's happened so far. It looks like there's a Flash from a parallel Earth who might not be exactly what he says he is. I guess the most disappointing thing is that this series is supposedly coming to an end soon. Too bad, as I really like it, but I guess I'll check out Aquaman, which will be written by Geoff Johns when he presumably leaves this series to write that one.

Batman and Robin #22 - This was a satisfying conclusion to a fun three-part storyline that introduced a new villain. I'm disappointed though to hear that Peter J. Tomasi is not going to keep on with the series. However, Judd Winick will be writing the next story that will deal with the Red Hood. Considering that I liked all of his other Red Hood stuff, and that this will be building on what Grant Morrison did with the character, I'll be sure to stick around. Still, I'd like to see a consistent creative team on this series; otherwise, it will all just start to seem like another aimless anthology series.

Carnage #4 (of 5) - While this started out really interesting, it's now starting to read like a reason to bring Carnage back to life, which I guess was really the point all along. Still, I'm hoping for a more interesting final issue than just a big superhero/supervillain brawl. I hope that rich businessman with the misplaced sense of priorities gets what's coming to him.

The New Avengers #11 - We're continuing the double story here with the really-old Avengers and the New Avengers, but I'm not quite seeing how the two storylines connect. It still feels like the flashbacks belong in something like Secret Avengers, but it doesn't matter that much so long as both stories are enjoyable. Plus, I really have to wonder if Bendis is going to kill off Mockingbird when she's been back from the dead for just a few years now. Seems a little soon to kill her AGAIN.

The Amazing Spider-Man #658 - Nothing too special about this issue, as it basically just shows us Spidey's adventures with the Freedom Foundation from his perspective. (That's the new incarnation of The Fantastic Four with Spidey replacing The Human Torch.) Still, it's nice to see both the art of Javier Pulido and Peter having problems with his girlfriend due to his secret identity.