Comics Roundup for 4/18/12

The Avengers #25 - This is an AvX tie-in?  Could have fooled me - with the exception of the last few pages.  Oh well, it was still a good issue.  Even better, Walt Simonson drew it, and the artwork is looking pretty darned good.  His work is as dynamic and expressive as ever.  I wasn't always a fan, but he's grown on me.

The Punisher #10 - I just picked this one up as it ties into Avenging Spider-Man and Daredevil.  I'm glad that I did though, as it was a pretty solid read.  I'm thinking that I might want to pick up the first trade paperback of this series when it comes out, even though I usually can't seem to get into Greg Rucka's writing.

Wolverine and the X-Men #9 - Now this one actually felt like more of a tie-in with AvX, and a good thing too, considering that Wolverine is easily one of the most pivotal characters in this whole storyline.  I'm still pretty iffy about Chris Bachalo's work.  It looks nice, but it's a bit hard to follow at times.  I liked it when his style was a bit more restrained.

Justice League #8 - This was a fairly fun issue, and even though I prefer the pre-New 52 look of Green Arrow, it was nice to see him get involved with the team in a way that didn't feel like a retread of something that I've read before.  The artwork was pretty good too, but I'm pretty excited that Jim Lee is going to be drawing some more issues.

Wonder Woman #8 - Another awesome issue.  Apparently a lot of fanboys on the interwebs are mad about some of the changes that Brian Azarello has brought to the character and her mythology.  Sure, he's doing some pretty radical stuff, but the heart of the character seems to be the same as far as I can tell, and what's more important, this series is one hell of a compelling read.  With a slight hiccup for a couple of issues, this is probably one of my favorite titles right now, and I never thought I'd say that about a Wonder Woman comic.

Batman #8 - Speaking of favorites, this one was pretty damned good as well.  I've probably said this before, but it's really cool to see what Greg Capullo can do while he's working with a talented writer.  Anyway, this issue is pretty much all-action, and while that can sometimes be wearisome, I found it to be a quick and engrossing read.  I'm digging this whole "Court of Owls" storyline, and I'm eager to see how it affects the other bat-books that I'm reading.

Avengers Versus X-Men #2 - Good stuff here.  The story moved forward nicely, and the stakes have been raised.  I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue.

The Amazing Spider-Man #684 - To think Spider-Man once beat The Sandman with a vacuum cleaner.  Anyway, this was, yet again, another fun read.  Also, it was cool to see Spidey defeat The Sandman in a way that we've never seen before - and a way that makes sense.