AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 (Marvel) - Off to an interesting start. The 1950s heroes are introduced quickly and efficiently via flashback, and then we're brought to the present as mysteries and conspiracies unfold. Very nice artwork by Kirk, and just the right touch of humor. Should be fun.
ARTESIA BESIEGED #2 (Archaia Studios Press) - You can always count on Artesia for plenty of swordplay, sorcery, and sex. Plus lots of politics and betrayal, which come to the fore in a wicked cliffhanger this issue. Throw in the gorgeous painted artwork, and you've got a winner.
ASTONISHING X-MEN #16 (Marvel) - The Kitty Pryde vs. Emma Frost fight is what we all came for. And it's great. But it turns out there's more than that to the story, including a couple of extremely interesting plot twists. After a slow patch, this book is really picking up ste655am again.
BATMAN #655-656 (DC) - Doesn't quite live up to the sky-high, OMFG-It's-Grant-Morrison expectations, but there's some cool stuff going on, and I'm definitely interested in seeing how the stuff with Talia plays out. Kubert's art is unnecessarily cluttered and hard to read, but it's serviceable.
BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK #1 (DC) - Disappointing. Most of the issue is lifted wholesale from Miller's "Year One", and the rest hits all the most tired cliches of vampire stories ("Gasp! All the blood has been drained from her body! What could it possibly mean???"). No mood, no style, no fun.
THE COMICS JOURNAL #277 (Fantagraphics) - A better-than-average issue of this essential mag. Includes a thorough history of the Direct Market, including the boom-bust cycles and the distributor wars that got us where we are today. Plus various folks weigh in on the current state of the industry, and we get a complete reprint of a trashy, squarebound comicbook from 1950 called "It Rhymes With Lust" -- quite possibly the first graphic novel.
DETECTIVE COMICS #822 (DC) - Exactly what you'd expect from The Animated Batman Series Guy: Tight plotting, sharp dialogue, and cool action. Pretty good artwork too, although the colorist does his best to try and sabotage it (Seriously, what is up with these guys? Why would you deliberately make the book harder to read?).
FELL #6 (Image) - Another deeply-disturbing crime tale. Not usually my sort of thing, but there's something compelling about the stripped-down, matter-of-fact style they're using here. And Templesmith's style makes even people standing around talking look creepy, so he's perfect for this.
JACK KIRBY'S GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS #1-2 (Marvel/Icon) - I wanted to like this more than I did. The creators involved are almost painfully sincere in their attempt to evoke Kirby, but in the end it's just a mannered pastiche with no life of its own. The good news is that the ads in the back show that Marvel is making a big push to get more of Kirby's *real* work back into print.
KABUKI THE ALCHEMY #6 (Marvel/Icon) - It's hard to describe this storyline without making it sound deadly dull: Kabuki sits around the house, writing and thinking about her past and future. But it's absolutely riveting, thanks in no small part to Mack's imaginative, experimental artwork. I'm already dying to see the next installment.
NEXTWAVE AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. #7 (Marvel) - This brilliant mix of over-the-top action and snarky satire keeps delivering the goods. You know, it occurs to me that this book actually has more of a "modern-day Kirby" feel to it than GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS, in the way it throws one crazy-ass idea after another onto the page with barely a chance to catch your breath. And Immonen's stylish artwork (and those amazing covers!) are a big part of why it works so well.
PSYCHOZORT #18-19 (Larry Blake) - Larry's superhero work is an odd but appealing mix of mainstream and underground sensibilities. These two issues deal with "The Warriors", a group of Silver Age-style heroes trying to find a place in the modern world. The clash between their solid, traditional morality and modern cynicism is pretty interesting reading. There's also some funny "meta" stuff with a Marvel-style publisher trying to sue them for being too similar to their comicbook heroes. (Not available in stores; Send $5.00 per issue to Larry Blake / 69306 State Route 124 / Reedsville, OH 45772).
SOLO #12 (DC) - And speaking of Absolutely Stark Raving Mad In The Best Possible Way... ladies and gentlemen, Brendan McCarthy. One whacked-out fever dream after another, seemingly-unrelated short stories, but with certain themes and motifs that almost-but-not-quite start to cohere into something you can grasp... aw, I give up, it's indescribable, just buy it!
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