Comics Roundup for 10/24/12

Captain America #19 - Ed Brubaker goes out on a high note, and it's good to see that Marvel hooked him up with Steve Epting for his final issue, considering that was the artist when he started his rather lengthy run with the character.  It's too bad to see Brubaker go, but it's time.  While the series certainly wasn't bad, it wasn't quite as much of a "must read" as it was for the first several years.  It's time for a change of direction, and so far I'm interested in what incoming writer Rick Remender has planned for Cap.

Basically, this issue gets to the heart of everything that makes the character special, and it touches on some unfinished business as we revisit the Captain America of the 1950s.  You know, the one who goes nuts.  Basically by the end, Steve Rogers comes to grips with the fact that Captain America will outlive him, but it's up to him to remain that symbol for as long as he can.  I have a hard time seeing anybody else doing the well-worn "somebody else is Cap" storyline after this.

Batman, Incorporated #4 - More Grant Morrison nuttiness, and it seems like Jason Todd is up for redemption in this series.

A vs. X:  Consequences #3 - Another good issue that sets up some pretty interesting ideas for the future.  The only thing that bugs me is Iron Man's issue with "faith".  He wants to understand The Phoenix from a scientific standpoint, but he's being told that it's not science.  The thing is, skepticism and science don't really make sense in a fictional world where magic exists.  It's not like the real world, because things that are magical actually have verifiable, empirical results in the world of comics.  If the Phoenix really existed and did what it did, then it could be studied through science.

The Avengers #32 - So they get Steve Epting to see Ed Brubaker off, but they get some absolute crap artist for Brian Michael Bendis's final arc on The Avengers?  Anyway, I like the story, and I like the way they're bringing the Wasp back.  Plus, I should mention that one of the two artists on the book is doing a decent job, but this seems like a pretty lame way to send off the man who's basically been driving Marvel's flagship book for so long now.

The Amazing Spider-Man #696 - The Hobgoblins face off and I'm happy.  Too bad the art, while certainly not awful, wasn't better.

Punisher War Zone #1 (of 5) - Haven't read a Punisher book in some time, but it's interesting to see the Avengers finally take an interest in taking down Frank Castle.  The character always works best when it's understood that he most absolutely is not a good guy.

Comics Roundup for 10/17/12

This is actually for last week as well, so I'm gonna keep them brief:

Batman and Robin #13 - Surprised that this isn't tying in to "Death of the Family", yet it somewhat touched on that story.  Nothing too special here, but an entertaining read like always.

Batman #13 - The "Death of the Family" story is only getting started.  So far, it seems pretty good.  It's probably not easy to do a Joker story that feels original.  I have to wonder whose idea it was to have his face cut off in the first place, but since it happened in another book, I'm thinking it wasn't Scott Snyder's.  Nice to see him making good use of that though.

Uncanny Avengers #1 - Wasn't too sure what to expect, but I really liked this one.  It had the right combination of drama, action, character interaction, and nutty comic book villainy to get my interest.  I think that this book definitely has some potential.

The Secret Service #4 - It's strange that no matter how much stuff I'm reading, I'm always able to follow along with Mark Millar's comics without having to review the rest of the series.  Good story, good characters, yet again.

Captain America #18 - I'm hoping that Ed Brubaker's final issue doesn't feel quite so perfunctory as his penultimate issue.  Nothing wrong with this one, but nothing too spectacular either.

The Phantom Stranger #1 - I didn't like this one as much as the zero issue, and considering I can barely remember what happened, this is probably it for me.

AvX Consequences #1 & #2 - I thought that the first issue was just a one-shot for some reason, but I didn't mind picking up the second issue as the story was compelling enough.  There's definitely a lot of fallout from this last crossover, so it's nice to see it getting some space here.

The Avengers #31 - Brian Michael Bendis begins his final story with this issue.  He seems to be setting up something big here, and it's good to see him dealing with some leftover plot threads from issues past.

Avenging Spider-Man #13 - Another fun issue with Deadpool, and it's cool to see Spider-Man get the better of him.

Wolverine and the X-Men #18 - I really liked this one a lot.  The new Hellfire Club is a pretty good new set of villains, and I'm worried that this is the end of Broo, one of my favorite characters from this book.

Hawkeye #3 - Well crap, this book is so much better than it has any right to be.  It's a great combination of art, story, and character, and I'll be back for more so long as this team is in place.

Wonder Woman #13 - I thought we'd see Orion by now?  We get a guest artist here, but it's still really good stuff.  It was the first one that I read, and that's saying something.

Daredevil #19 - I don't understand why The Spot was considered to be a lame villain for so long.  Seems like a pretty cool power to have, and no doubt it would make him formidable.  I guess that Mark Waid gets that, and we get something really cool at the end of this issue.

The New Avengers #31 - And so begins the final run for Bendis on this series as well.  I was a bit more intrigued by this one, but I've always enjoyed this series a bit more.  I think it's fitting that when Bendis leaves, so does Luke Cage, and it seems like the new New Avengers will be an entirely different sort of a book.

Batwoman #13 - The book I want to love, but I just can't.  As always, the art is gorgeous, but the prose is so ponderous and annoying.  JH Williams comes up with some interesting layouts, but it's like he throws in text just to fill the space, and not because it moves the story forward.  I think that I'm done here.

Avengers Assemble #8 - Speaking of being done, I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series after this issue. I'll flip through the new creative team's first issue and pick it up if it looks interesting.  Anyway, this series has had a few high points, but overall it's a bit "meh" and only set up things for the new Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Justice League #13 - I'm done here, too.  I didn't even finish reading this one.  The initial story was pretty fun, but I just don't think that Geoff Johns has anything all that interesting to say with this concept.  You know it's bad when my favorite issue of this title was the one that put the backup story as the main story.

Comics Roundup for 10/3/12

Avengers vs. X-Men #12 - Now that it's all over, I'd say that this has been a decent, but not great, crossover.  The things that held it back from being great include the fact that the art has been inconsistent, with good artists turning in sub-par work (like Adam Kubert in this issue), and the fact that it was dragged out for far too long.  The good thing is that it wasn't just a rehash of Civil War.  That series tore the Marvel Universe in two.  This one actually brings it all together.  Still, I have to wonder why they're suddenly going to have a lot more mutants in the MU again.  Wasn't narrowing the number of mutants one of the "fixes" of Joe Quesada's reign as Editor in Chief?  Why turn that around?  Seemed like a good plan to me.

Detective Comics #13 - Thought I'd give the new creative team a chance with this one.  I liked the artwork, and the story was decent.  I'll get at least another issue, but I wasn't overly impressed.

Green Lantern #13 - Another interesting installment of an entertaining series.  The Justice League gets involved with the new GL by the end of the issue, so I'm looking forward to the next one.

The Amazing Spider-Man #695 - The Hobgoblin versus Hobgoblin saga finally gets started, but it only barely gets started.  Boo.  Other than that, not a bad issue.

Talon #0 - Spinning out of the "Court of Owls" story in Batman, we learn about a Talon who got away from the Court.  Interesting enough, at least to check out the next issue.  And is it just me, or is Guillem March channeling Joe Kubert?