I can not take this issue seriously. Finally, after numerous cameos, artwork focused only on beauty and a needlessly complex storyline, this issue reaches the epitome of punch-lines… and I can’t wait to read more!
To save a friend and stop a deadly drug from infecting the entire city, Batman must race against the clock and go up against a slew of his deadliest, drug-induced-super-powered enemies. But he does have the help of another super-powered ally.
Warren Ellis completes his short run on Secret Avengers, which amounts to being little more than a series of filler issues. However, that doesn’t mean these haven’t been some clever and entertaining filler issues. Ellis’ final issue, in which he reunites with his Nextwave cohort Stuart Immonen, is no exception.
This last adventure sees Commander Rogers leading the Secret Avengers on a covert assault of O*N*E’s Houston office to weed out a Shadow Council spy. In doing so, they are confronted with a critical emergency involving an experiment gone wrong with alien hybrids kept in the basement. It’s typical Ellis material. He gives just enough grounded science fiction to make the outlandish more believable, which leads to a dramatic crisis that feels more real. When he gives an explanation for the breeding experiment, it makes sense. It just makes sense in a twisted and insane way.
To start off 2012 with a bang, we are announcing the Comic Awards: anything from greatest hero to greatest event is here. Something you love didn’t make it in 1st place or as a runner-up? Tell us your picks in the comments section below.
Best Comic Book Hero of 2011: Aquaman
Aquaman has not only become one of the New 52’s greatest surprises, but also one of their greatest heroes. By utilizing the stigma that has been associated with him and turning it on its ear, Geoff Johns and DC has made Arthur Curry a serious force to be reckoned with, in both the Justice League as well as the Aquaman series. Not only have they made this man a complete badass, but they also created some depth to his character, by having him battle this preconceived notion that he is one of the worst superheroes of all time. I mean, really, who doesn’t like the underdog?
Continuing last year’s tradition of the Best Covers of 2010, this year I will be picking the Top 10 Best Covers of 2011. Again, this list is limited by one issue per series and is for comics that came out in 2011, including comics labeled 2012 that came out on comic book stands up to December 31st. It doesn’t matter how good an issue is on this list on the inside, the outside is all that counts on this list.
10. Witchblade #150: A beautiful cover for the “End of an Era” issue of Witchblade, perfectly playing homage to the very first issue of Witchblade and truly “Ending an Era.”
Before even hitting the shelves for release on January 4th, Fatale #1 (written by Ed Brubaker and penciled by Sean Phillips) sold out even though it was grossly overprinted.
Fatale #1 is a horror comic blended with crime-noir slated to be one of Brubaker’s and Phillips’ greatest works and does not disappoint. The story revolves around the godson of a detective novelist who finds out about his godfather’s troubling past and gets into a bit of trouble himself when some goons with guns come to his doorstep. With the help of a beautiful and mysterious woman named Jo who looks stunningly similar to his godfather’s former love interest, our protagonist must survive and uncover some of his godfather’s darkest secrets in the process.
A thrilling crime-noir with more than a dash of horror, Fatale does nothing revolutionary… except that it may prove to be one of the best new titles of 2012. The narration feels like it has come out of a crime novel and the multiple genres combine into a wonderfully grotesque drama filled with crime, the regression and renewal of passion, and some decapitated bodies.
After the death of his “hack” detective novelist godfather, Nicolas Lash finds his godfather’s first manuscript… and a group of mysterious men at his doorstep with guns blazing. With the help of a sensuous woman named Jo, who has an indirect connection to his godfather, Nicolas must escape alive while learning about his godfather’s past through his manuscript, which is filled with affairs, corruption, and monstrous horrors.
This may not be the Scarlet Spider some wanted, but this first issue goes a long way toward showing that this is a Scarlet Spider worth having. Christopher Yost and Ryan Stegman bring Kaine to Houston in a storm of violence and show that, no matter what the DNA may say, this is not Spider-Man.
Admittedly, Spider-Island didn’t do much for me as a reader. I found it goofy in its premise and overblown in its execution. But what I can appreciate about it is that it at least restored Kaine to a state where he was usable as a character again. As many faults as the Clone Saga had, there were some gems in there too, and Kaine can be counted among them. Kaine always knew he was a clone, but he represented a dark side of that acceptance. Knowing he was not Peter Parker led him to aggressively reject the copied qualities of Peter inside him. Having no one to care about and a degenerating condition, he gave into his anger and power to become a killer. Fortunately, this interesting premise for a character seems to be what Yost is focusing on rather than any kind of follow-up to the events of Spider-Island.
