Four Color Commentary - Books Shipped 5-3-06

Well this weekend was wildly crappier and wildly more successful than I thought it could be. You can read about some of my misadventures on Friday night here. I managed to catch a vicious headache and spend most of Saturday and Sunday passing in and out of consciousness as the last bits of the Asian Bird Flu worked its way through my thoroughly exhausted body. Of course this means I missed my dinner party on Saturday and managed to talk to exactly two humans on Sunday, one a roommate and one the drive thru lady at Taco Bell. This also means that, in my moments of lucidity, I was able to get completely caught up on the rather large pile of comics I needed to read, including all of this week’s offerings. I can tell you’re thrilled.


Annihilation : Silver Surfer #2 (of 4)
Keith Giffen, Writer
Renato Arlem, Artist

More Annihilation goodness. I am enjoying all of the Annihilation series even though I am not certain where they are headed. Okay, that’s not true, I am pretty sure all of these series are leading up to yet another ongoing Silver Surfer or Nova series. Lets face it, if nothing else Earth is going to have to survive the Annihilation Wave unmolested otherwise it would interrupt the Civil War we have been hearing about for months on end. Now that Galactus has shown his pretty planet consuming face I am interested to see what is going to happen between him and Annihilus. Oh yeah, and why are the bug-girls surrounding Annihilus’ throne nubile in a very mammalian way? And why is Annihilus’ throne room a direct rip off of the Emperor’s throne room from Return of the Jedi? I appreciate the occasional visual geek in-joke but a wholesale rip off that lasts four pages is a bit much.


Batman : Journey into Knight #9
Andrew Helfer, Writer
Tan Eng Huat, Artist

Ah, a young and chatty Batman who is not a dick. Sounds like a one year later story except that it has been going on for about nine months now. I like this series but I am stuck wondering why this had to be its own series rather than a year long run in Legends of the Dark Knight? This series is also starting to feel like it is dragging on a bit long. When I saw issue nine was coming out this past week I had to check my list to make sure I had not gotten it before. I am ready for this series to be over.


Fury: Peacemaker #4 (of 6)
Garth Ennis, Writer
Darick Robertson, Penciller
Jimmy Palmiotti, Inker

Mmmm. Nazi’s. Nick Fury. Secret plots. What’s not to love in this series? Having said that this issue really feels like a place-holder rather than doing anything to advance the main plot of the series, which is nebulous to me at best. Initially I thought this series was supposed to be Fury’s introduction to war behind the lines, however this took up all of two issues before we moved a couple of years ahead. I am certain issues 5 and 6 of this series will feature some more scenery and Nazi chewing by Fury and this will, in the end, be a fun ride.


Supergirl #6
Greg Rucka, Writer
Ed Benes, Penciller
Norm Rapmund, Inker

I am not certain why this issue popped up in my pull box, but since it is one of the OYL titles and I happen to be a fan of most of Rucka’s work I thought I would take it for a spin. I was really underwhelmed by this issue although I always like a girl drawn by Ed Benes. According to some in the comics blogosphere (I hate that word) this story is an off-shoot of the Godfall storyline done a year or so ago by the Aspen crew however I barely remember the storyline and thus this really had very little meaning to me. I don’t think I am going to bother continuing this storyline. Oh yeah, I got the variant cover biyatches.


Team Zero #6 (of 6)
Chuck Dixon, Writer
Doug Mahnke, Penciller
Drew Geraci, Sandra Hope, and Doug Mahnke, Inkers

I have two things to say about this issue. First off, suck it traitor boy, you got WAY better than you deserved, but those are the fortunes of war. Second, in reference to the final panel of the comic, oh snap! Although I have to admit showing the Americans and British at odds during WWII kind of rubs me the wrong way.


Teen Titans #35
Geoff Johns, Writer
Tony S. Daniel, Penciller
Kevin Conrad, Inker

I thought the whole point of OYL was to de-dickify the DCU. Then we get this, from one of the masterminds of the de-dickification, Cyborg saying, “…You’ll help us bring the rest of them back. Gar. Raven. Bart. Mia. The REAL Titans.” This really seems to be out of touch with who Cyborg is. He reformed the Titans in order to provide a place for young heroes to stretch their wings and then he is being a prick about what young heroes he takes in. I think Robin has the right of this and Devil Boy and Ravager have a place in the Titans and I hope Cyborg will come around. Also I hope 52 offers some info on how Bart can still be one of the Titans as we learned in the finale of Infinite Crisis the Speed Force is no more.


X-Men: The End Book 3 – Men & X-Men #5
Chris Claremont, Writer
Sean Chen, Artist

Sweet Jebus when will it end?! I honestly have no idea what is really going on in this series but I do know, or rather suspect, something it will all be over in one more issue and my comics OCD can relax and return to our regularly scheduled X-Men. About the only thing that keeps me somewhat interested in this series is to see if Kitty Pryde wins the election or not. Se is, after all, my first comics crush.


The rest:

• B.P.R.D. – The Universal Machine #2
• Mike Mignola and Jon Arcudi, Writers
• Guy Davis, Artist

• Detective Comics #819
• James Robinson, Writer
• Leonard Kirk, Layouts
• Andy Clarke & Wayne Faucher, Finishes

• Exiles #80
• Tony Bedard, Writer
• Paul Pelletier, Penciller
• Rick Magyar, Inker

• Infinite Crisis #7 (of 7)
• Geoff Johns, Writer
• A metric ass load of artists on pencils, layouts, inks, and finishes.

• JSA #85
• Paul Levitz, Writer
• Rags Morales, Luke Ross & Dave Meikis, Artists

• Outsiders #36
• Judd Winick, Writer
• Matthew Clark, Penciller
• Art Thibert, Inker

This post is brought to you a day later than intended by Jennifer Garner and her blue latex dress from the first season of Alias.

Hello Nurse!