QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 01-23-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 01-23-08
By John Judy
(Support Striking Writers for Having More Stones Than the Directors!)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #548 by Dan Slott and Steve McNiven. Love it or hate it, it’s coming out three times a month! That’s almost as much as a GOP Congressman! The aftermath of the most controversial Marvel decision since the “death” of Captain America continues here!

ASTONISHING X-MEN #24 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. This is it! Will “Breakworld” finally live up to its name and break already? Rumors abound that someone won’t be coming back from this one. Hopefully they’re a Skrull.

COMPLETE TERRY AND THE PIRATES VOL. 2 HC written and illustrated by Milton Caniff. Volume two of IDW’s six-volume reprinting of the entire run of Caniff’s iconic strip. Dailies and Sunday color strips. Recommended.

CRIME BIBLE: FIVE LESSONS OF BLOOD #4 of 5 by Greg Rucka and Diego Olmos. “Deceit?” Check. “Lust?” Check. “Greed?” Check. “Murder…?” The latest of the lessons gets taught in Hub City. Recommended. (Thank-you, Professor Rucka.)

DAN DARE #3 of 7 by Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine. Space opera, zap-gun fights, a war comic in sci-fi clothing. All done up Ennis style. Dive in.

HELLBLAZER #240 by Andy Diggle and Leonardo Manco. Okay, if last issue didn’t get you anxious about Constantine’s latest foe, try this one. “The Laughing Magician” versus an African War Mage in the middle of London! NOT for kids.

HULK VISIONARIES: PETER DAVID VOL. 5 by PAD and Friends. Collecting INCREDIBLE #364-372 and ANNUAL #16 of a truly legendary run. Hopefully Marvel will end up collecting and publishing the whole magilla.

MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 #4 of 5 by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips. The Zombie Civil War continues with Colonel America back from the un-dead and a cover that could kill the Iron Man movie. Not for kids but great fun for the rest of us freaks.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN-AGE DARING MYSTERY, VOL.1 HC by Nobody Seems to Know. A collection of adventures from this forties anthology title featuring every Marvel/Timely character you’ve never heard of, at least until Straczynski revived them for THE TWELVE. This week’s “Gotta Have It” based on sheer weirdness alone.

PUNISHER #54 by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov. Every issue of Punisher vs. Barracuda gets bloodier and more gut-wrenching than the last. Supposedly “This Is It!” but Ennis seems to really love The Cuda. Can he bring himself to finally pull the pin? Absolutely 100% not for kids under any circumstance, but highly recommended anyway.

SHE HULK #25 by Peter David and Shawn Moll. Double-sized anniversary ish in which we learn why Shulk left the lawyering biz, plus two back-up stories and an alien fight.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS AQUAMAN VOL. 2 SC by Jack Miller, Bob Haney, Ramona Fradon, Nick Cardy and Friends. Sixties Aqua-Fun, appropriate for all ages!

STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY GN by Harvey Pekar, Gary Dumm, and historian Paul Buhle. A non-fiction account of the rise and fall of one of the most ambitious and controversial activist groups of the 1960s. This week. Honest. Recommended.

ULTIMATE FF, IRON MAN II, VISION SC, and ULTIMATES 3 #2 by Lotsa People. It’s a big week for ULTIMATE titles, is all I’m saying. There’s fights. Big ones.

WONDER WOMAN #16 by Gail Simone and Terry & Rachel Dodson. This title is back to looking and reading great! Give it a whirl! Recommended.

X-MEN #207 by Mike Carey and Chris Bachalo. “Messiah Complex: the 13th and Final Chapter for the love of merciful, muppety Odin!” They promise! No mas! It’s done! At least until the phone-book sized Premiere hardcover with the lasers…

YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #1 of 6 by Ed Brubaker and Paco Medina. Okay, watch this title carefully because every issue is going to have a new “top” creative team. This issue is Brubaker/Medina doing a Patriot/Winter Bucky team-up so we kind of need to look. Next issue….?

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