QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-14-08

Click here for sweet cover art:

http://www.johnjudy.net/blog/

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-14-08
By John Judy

ALL-NEW IRON MANUAL #1 by Eliot Brown and Various Writers. Everything you ever wanted to know about Tony Stark and his suits of armor, right down to the schematics! Kids, don’t try this at home!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #559 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. The always-readable Mr. Slott is back in the spider-rotation so this issue is filled with action and jokes that actually work. Add to that an artist who appears to have studied his Darwyn Cooke and you’ve got a very respectable issue, despite the whole Spidey re-boot being more aggravation than renovation. Recommended anyway.

BATMAN #676 by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. “Batman R.I.P.” begins here. I believe it stands for “Rolling In Profit.”

BOOSTER GOLD #9 by Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz, and Dan Jurgens. The return of the Justice League International! Too bad Kevin Maguire couldn’t guest-pencil. So awesome you almost don’t mind the OMACs. Stupid OMACs…

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. How do Limeys fight the Skrulls? With a stiff upper lip, boiled food, and bad dentistry! “Surrender, you rotters or we’ll thrash you with pictures of Princess Diana!” Pip-pip!

FINAL CRISIS SKETCHBOOK by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. A peek into what’s coming. Potentially very cool. Worth a look.

GOON #24 written and drawn by Eric Powell. In which we learn how Horse Eater’s Woods got its name. Amazing stuff. Recommended.

NEWUNIVERSAL: SHOCKFRONT #1 of 6 by Warren Ellis and Steve Kurth. Admit it, you forgot Warren Ellis was still working on the New Universe, didn’t you? It’s okay. So did he. Anyway, it’s coming out again and Ellis is writing it. Recommended.

PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #3 of 7 by Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger, and Carlos Paul. Like Straczynski and Weston’s “The Twelve” without all that pesky story and character development.

PUNISHER #57 by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov. As of last issue the Punisher knew he was up against U.S. Special Forces. Now we find out if they know what they’re up against. Recommended. Not for kids.

SERENITY: BETTER DAYS #3 of 3 by Joss Whedon, Bret Matthews, and Will Conrad. Mal’s getting’ tortured. Again. Stupid Fox TV.

SUPERMAN #676 by Vito Delsante and Julian Lopez. The first encounter/fight between Supes and the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Features an Alex Ross cover. A gotta-look for geeks like me.

THUNDERBOLTS #120 by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato. The Green Goblin works out some of his frustrations with the help, courtesy of that nice Mr. Ellis. Recommended for older teens and up.

THE TWELVE #5 of 12 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. (See “Project Superpowers” above. On second thought, don’t.) “The Origin of The Witness.” Highly recommended.

WACKY PACKAGES HC by Topps. A tribute to the product parody stickers that outsold baseball cards for a while back in the seventies. Featuring an interview with artist/fan/legend Art Spiegelman. Recommended.

WALKING DEAD #49 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. In the aftermath of the prison massacre “everything is different now.” Great, devastating stuff. Recommended. NEVER for kids.

WOLVERINE #65 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. The conclusion to the best Wolverine story in many a moon as Logan finally catches up to Mystique. Hijinks ensue. Highly recommended.

WOLVERINE: THE AMAZING IMMORTAL MAN & OTHER BLOODY TALES #1 by David Lapham, Kelly Goodine, and Johnny Timmons. Three stories of Marvel’s most ubiquitous mutant, featuring occasional gouts of dialogue!

WONDER WOMAN #20 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. Wonder Woman meets an ancient hero and it ain’t John McCain!

X-MEN LEGACY #211 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Professor X delves into his own past in an effort to reconstruct his memory. Think “Memento” without all the ink.

YOUNG LIARS #3 written and drawn by David Lapham. Out of control Laphamesque mayhem. For all of us who miss “Stray Bullets!” Recommended.

www.johnjudy.net