On 28 June, 2006

The stars have aligned, or the planets, or both, but something clicked. Big Max #1, which I'd all but forgotten about, came, thereby completing the Vaughan-Ellis-Slott Axis.

So, right, I have a particularly excellent end-of-month-sized stack, so I won't bother with real reviews of last week's fare. But, in a nutshell, Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe #2 was kind of disappointing, and The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #1 was incomprehensible, but All-Star Superman #4 and Giant-Size Hulk #1 were fun. I still haven't read Manhunter #23.

Reading music: Riverdance: Music from the Show

--Warning: Spoilers ahead--

DC

Blue Beetle #4 is great, chock full of mystery, humor, and story. This issue touches on the previous Blue Beetles, as Jaime reintigrates into his world (which isn't turning out to be that hard, since apparently a lot of weird stuff went down the year he was gone), reconnects with his friends, and fights evil Ents. And fights the scarab about fighting with said Ents, who are trying to kill him. The scarab doesn't want to hurt nature, but Jaime doesn't want nature to hurt him. Interesting little conflict of interest type deal.

Also, I love seeing "marginal" heroes tell off the bigger names, so Jaime telling Oracle to "go to Hell" was, by itself, worth the price of the book.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Marvel

All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #6

Amazing Spider-Man #533 Spiderman's unmasking cracks the Marvel internet in half, at least. And the car phone conversation is great. But what really has me wondering is what JMS has in mind. In Fantastic Four #538 (see below), he's writing Ben as neutral where the Superhero Registration Act is concerned, and Sue as torn but essentially reluctant to hunt down her friends. But... There they both are, front and center on Tony Stark's strike team. I trust JMS has a plan, but at the moment, it's a bit confusing.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Civil War: Front Line #2
Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Not quite enough to write a blurb, but yeah.

Fantastic Four #538: Reed is cold, and just about every dialogue bubble of Sue's might as well be dripping with ice when he's in the room. Johnny's comatose and Ben... Well, aside from the ominous brewing subplots involving Mjolnor, and the Mad Thinker and Puppet Master, this book is about Ben and his voice of reason. He manages to kick ass without clobbering things, by being warm and pretty much refusing to fight with his friends. Or to get between fighting friends like Ms. Marvel and Silverclaw. Ben Grimm: One of the few Marvel superheroes currently behaving like a rational adult. And he knows it. It's wonderful.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Nextwave #6: Elsa and Tabby dispatch of Samaroids and I am forced to read many, many panels of pictures without words. That's challenging for one accustomed to thinking in sound, not sight. Luckily, theirs is a straightforward slugfest interspersed with panels with words. Beautiful words. And with those words, the depth of Dirk Anger's insanity and, ultimately, a cross-dressing robot. Oh! And homicide crabs. Can't forget the homicide crabs.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Runaways #17: Ahh, the bittersweet raturn of radiant Karolina, with Xavin at her side, expands the "adults at war" theme to a cosmic degree. A world is lost to the insult of a bridesmaid's dress. It's off-panel, sure, but between Karolina's story and the mysterious flash last issue, it's all too real.

She helps the team patch up its differences in time to face explosions, an attempt to save Molly and a potentially tragic cliffhanger ending. Vaughan is killing off a Runaway next issue, and the sad part is, I almost hope this isn't a red herring.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Mr. Comics

Big Max #1: An ape-based super-hero tale by Dan Slott, complete with frosty beverages, secret identites, evil mimes, and some grand nods (i.e., allusions even I can pick out) to Superman. You do the math.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Week's most memorable moment: The Thing sends a cat flying in Fantastic Four #538.

Runner up: Dirk Anger ordering the launch of Atomic Puppies in Nextwave #6. "Yap yap bang!"

Tentative checklist for 6 July, 2006
Archenemies #4
Fantastic Four: First Family #5
Marvel's Greatest Comics: Fantastic Four #1
The Thing #8

On 21 June, 2006

FIFA? Meet Marvel. Marvel? FIFA:


I'm also cheering for France and Sweden. Rooting for the USA is kind of futile at this point, but why not be a little patriotic, right?

No reviews for last week's comics. I just didn't have the motivation to write about my hodgepodge little pile. (How do people do this week after week?) Seriously, this is supposed to be a fun activity, and when reading the latest issue of Manhunter starts to feel like a chore, it's time to take a break. You know. Sit back, eat some popcorn, watch David Beckham score the game-winning goal (on a free kick) against Ecuador, watch him ralph all over the pitch, see if Wayne Rooney can play the full 90 (plus stoppage time) in 90 degree heat, watch Beckham ralph some more, watch them finally pull the guy off the field (in like the 85th minute) to get some water so he doesn't die before quarter-finals...

You get the idea. I took a football break. I am rested. So maybe if I get on a role with this week's pile, I'll slip in reviews of:

All-Star Superman #4
The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #1
Giant-Size Hulk #1
Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe #2
Manhunter #23

And if I don't, well, you really aren't missing anything.

Actually, I was motivated enough to scan this week's memorable moment, which comes from Giant-Sized Hulk #1. Enjoy!



Tentative checklist for 28 June, 2006
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #6
Amazing Spider-Man #533
Blue Beetle #4
Civil War: Front Line #2
Fantastic Four #538
Nextwave #6
Runaways #17

Warning. Non-Comics Sports Post Ahead.

Unfortunately, I live in a nation, possibly the only nation in the world, where the common consensus seems to be that soccer is boring. (Don't get me wrong. I love the United States, but we can be so backwards for a developed nation.) It's getting better -- ABC actually broadcast some non-USA games this weekend -- but for the most part it seems like the World Cup matches are confined to cable television in favor of things that are boring. Like golf.

Or maybe not. I don't know. I don't follow sports that closely, but I do wish it were easier to follow real football. There's a lot of beauty in World Cup soccer, if you care to look. A well-played game is like ballet. The intricate footwork the players use is simply amazing, and when that ball soars through the air, neatly past the goalkeeper into the net... It's a sight as lovely as it is rare.

Aesthetics aside, the real wonder of watching World Cup soccer is the fact that you are watching right along with half the world. This isn't like the Olympics. There is only one event, one focus, and that is the game. And when you are watching, whatever team you're rooting for, you can be certain that millions of other people around the world are cheering, too. Maybe not at the same time (time zones being what they are), but it's still a very global, very unifying experience.

No wonder the US isn't a soccer nation. Pity.

(Cover scan from The GCD)

On 14 June, 2006

This week's pile includes 1 (one) DC comic, 1 (one) IDW comic, and 5 (five) Marvel comic books. That's over 71% Marvel and around these parts, that's not atypical. I think I need to use my new Photoshopping skills to make a... badge or something. A Marvel-centric Blog badge. Yes, that would be fun.

Reading music: Liz Carroll and John Doyle: In Play

--Warning: Spoilers ahead--

DC

Ex Machina Special #2: The Machine vs. Animal slugfest concludes with a bloody confrontation in a Manhattan animal shelter. The insane Pherson has murdered a police officer and fed him to the pound puppies. He is also holding two workers hostage in order to draw out a somewhat worse-for-wear Mitchell and kill him with said hounds. Needless to say, the whole thing ends messily, and then we're back to the "present," where a conflicted mayor shares his views on the death penalty with a hard-hitting radio host.

This really became more of a "former superhero looks back on his past with regret" story than a Man versus Nature tale. That's okay, too. It's still a good read.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Sure.

IDW

Supermarket #3: Streetwise, Pella is not. She's wanted by the rival gangs her parents represented, and she has only Beta, a Yakuza and a friend, to help her. Well, him and her parents' considerable funds. (How'd she get those funds back, anyway? I'm kind of confused about that; I thought she was locked out of their accounts or something.) She's still obsessed with money. She "look[s] down and wonder[s] what's the current market value of the square foot of pavement [she stands] on" in the richest sector of the city. She ponders wealth to no end, but has no clue about how to go incognito, to stay alive. She is, in fact, learning the real cost of survival. It's a sharp learning curve, Pella comes to see, as Beta kills one of his own to protect her.

The issue ends on a nice West Side Story note, which is actually not at odds with the overall tone of the book. We'll see how it leads into the conclusion, and how much Pella actually grows as a character next month (or whenever the fourth and last issue comes out.) At least, I hope that's what we'll see.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Marvel

Civil War #2: Now, I can't help but wonder whether Tony Stark has staged the Doombot attack on the Big Apple. I mean, Reed Richards and Hank Pym are right there as part of the team that takes it out off-panel, and ever since Stark set up the battle between Titanium Man and Spider-Man, I just don't trust the guy. The ends don't justify these means, Tony! Oi. Sure, Dr. Doom is back in action somewhere, but it still seems like the odds of a set up are damn good.

Meanwhile... Reed's predicting the Apocalypse if Superhuman activities aren't brought under control (and upsetting Sue due to his seeming lack of interest in Johnny's welfare). Tony has doubts. A secret identity is revealed. (For that spoiler, check out some of the mainstream news organizations.) Lots of things are going on, but the main thing is Captain America's new underground safehouse network for illegal vigilantes. The camps are neatly established, and the plot is moving right along in tidy steps.

Also, and I know I don't comment much on artwork, but still... I really dig Steve McNiven now.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yes.

Four #30: Click here for a special review.

Marvel Romance Redux: Love is a Four Letter Word: "Hot Alien Love." Just what it sounds like. A female "Homeworld Security" agent falls in love (?) with a Lustarian and escapes Earth to join him on his homeworld. Make of that what you will.

"Buffy Willow: Agent of A.D.D." Another secret agent. This one has a bad case of (you guessed it) A.D.D. The narration is funny, so this one has some redeeming value.

"Mice and Money." Two disgusting people with a rodent fetish get together. Their world is filled with people who enjoy rodents. Mostly as cuisine, but still. Rodents. It's like a twisted version of Pokemon wherein the losing Rattatas and Pikachus end up in the oven.

"Love Me, Love My Clones!" A technophile falls for an android after breaking it off with half a dozen ever-lovin' clones.

"They Said I Was... Insane!" And they'd be right.

Do I Know What I Just Read? ???
Do I Care? ???

Marvel Westerns Two Gun Kid: Matthew Hawk goes werewolf hunting in the present and the past, the premise being that a lycanthrope's curse has followed the gunslinger from 1876 to 2006. And it has touched the current quarry. At least, that's what the Two-Gun Kid believes.Westerns really aren't my cup of tea (unless they're sci-fi westerns, in which case they are très cool), but this is a Dan Slott story. That's probably the reason I was able to get through it at all.

Haven't read the back-up stories yet. I will eventually, but to be honest, the dialect is a bit of a turn-off. Maybe it's just my northern ears. Or maybe the wannabe "Texas cowboy" President's ruined it for me. Probably a combination of factors, but what can you do, right?

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes, what I read of it.
Do I Care? Eh.

Ms. Marvel #4: Is total gibberish just shorthand for someone losing his or her mind, if the reader isn't looking through the crazy-person's eyes? Because, really, do people suffering from psychosis actually say stuff like "I cannot cartel any primrose?" Aside from bad poets on drugs? Just curious...

Anywho, Carol's just sort of starting to recover from her latest ordeal, but she has to deal with her overbearing publicist (who is sort of scary), and an evil other-dimensional sorcerer. That would be where Dr. Strange comes in. The sorcerer, Sir Warren Traveler, possesses the Eye of Watoomb; seems to be after the Wand that goes with the Eye; is somehow connected to Carol via the House of M event (They did actually refer to it as an "event."); and is more than a match for Dr. Strange. In other words, he's scary.

But still not as scary as Sarah Day.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Kinda sorta.

Week's most memorable moment(s): The sweetest Infinite Possibility is the last page and a half or so of Four #30, but this I.P. is a great deal more entertaining...

Tentative checklist for 21 June, 2006
All-Star Superman #4
Giant-Size Hulk #1
Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allen Poe #2
Manhunter #23
The Thing #8 (Last issue. Sigh.)

Four

I never did participate in First Comic Week. I wrote a silly rambling entry that I never typed, much less posted. It's too early for that kind of nostalgia. But today? Well, I'll get to my normal little blurb reviews in a few days, (after I've read the rest of my week's pile), but Four #30 warrants some special attention. (There are spoilers a few paragraphs down, though nothing earth-shattering.)

My first real foray into the fantastical comic-book world of capes and cowls was the first trade paperback of Ultimate Fantastic Four. It was Book of the Month at my LCS around the time the movie came out. I'd been planning to see the movie, but gave in to that "read the book before seeing the film" curiousity. And I was hooked. That's what really drew me into this whole genre.

But if Ultimate Fantastic Four was Sue's ill-advised jab at Ben's fragile male ego, Marvel Knights 4 was the Pocket Rocket that launched me into the world of the Superhero. Specifically, it was #21, a stand-alone that focuses on Sue's relationship with Reed and features a few of Sue's close friends, one of whom is She-Hulk, a character that has quickly grown to be one of my favorites and a focus for my new comic-accumulating habit. Point is, Bendis and Millar drew me in with the first trade of the Ultimate version, but Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa kept me in with his light, family-focused take on the Earth-616 version of the Four.

Today, with the 30th issue, Four (nee Marvel Knights 4) concludes, tying up some loose ends as the team holds an Open House at the Baxter Building. (Pay no attention to the solicitation text. It does not apply.) The Inhumans make an appearance, reassuring Susan that the Inhuman children encountered earlier in the series are well. Rebellious, but well. Alicia Masters comes to the Open House, too, though her insane, "practically invalid" stepfather stays home with a lump of harmless, non-radioactive clay. Namor shows up to talk to Reed, and for once compliments Sue without shamelessly hitting on her. Dr. Strange even comes with the Salem Seven. The Poppupians do not seem to be around, though, which is probably for the best.

The book opens with Susan wondering if the public doesn't only perceive the family as a group of "action-adventure stars." Maybe their public does, but that's not all they are, and that's what this series has been about. The family. And on the family-oriented front, things are incredibly normal. Susan loves Reed. Johny plays yet another prank on Ben. Ben and Johnny squabble. Reed considers the Infinite Possibilities. It's nothing unexpected, and it's comforting.

Really, not a lot happens in this book, but it is a sweet little goodbye issue for a sweet little series. I think I'm going to miss it.

On Hope

Marvel versus DC. The debate rages on (in spite of any efforts to the contrary.) And, again, in a DC-dominated comics blogosphere, I feel the foolish need to reassess why Marvel appeals to me. It's probably so much bullshit, but I think... I think this is why. At least, it is today.

It's about hope. Not the hope of the civilian on the ground cheering on the hero who's flying in to save the day for the umpteenth time, ogling (depending on your tastes) Green Lantern or Power Girl. You know, the "It's a bird, it's a plane" civilian. That can be fun and all, but... it seems like that's DC hope.

I tend to prefer Marvel-style hope. The hope that the world will go on, that things will go back to the way they were before Tony Stark unmasked (for the umpteenth time, I hear), before Hawkeye sort of died, before the New Warriors screwed up.* I don't want to be a civilian on the ground admiring iconic greatness; I want to get inside the heroes' heads and hearts, into their hopes: that they will live to fight another day; that their lost friends will return; that the civilians will let them do their jobs; and that Damage Control will clean up afterwards.

DC hope versus Marvel hope. It's the hope of the sanctimonious mayoral millionaire archer versus the hope of the archer who rose from a life of poverty and petty thievery to earn his status.

It's the hope of the god-gifted Amazon princess that she can live up to the works of her predecessor versus the hope of the woman warrior that she can simply be good enough to protect her people.

It's the hope for utopia versus the hope for survival. The hope that the multiverse will endure without shattering.

It's a hope for the underdog we know will win.

Yes. That kind of hope.

*Yes, I have been reading '80s reprints and back issues. Why do you ask?

On 7 June, 2006

There is a great little new and used bookstore kitty-corner from my LCS. I've been a regular there (the bookstore) for, well, years now. I'd been neglecting it of late, due to the distraction that is the comic book store, but I need a little more prose in my life. So back to the bookstore! (Er, also, they've expanded their inventory to include CDs, LPs, and a couple short boxes of miscellaneous comics, from Batman to Witchblade to that copy of Gumby's Summer Fun Special. Heh.) Anywho, I may start writing some "Project Prose" entries that may or may not be comic-book related. (That book of Wonder Woman short stories is, Charlotte Brontë's Shirley is most decidedly not.)

So, right... I best finish these silly blurbs and get to bed. Yesh...

Reading music: Serenity soundtrack

--Warning: Possible spoilers ahead--

Dark Horse

Archenemies #3: I'm sorry to say I never wrote in a letter to the Archenemies team. Should have. Maybe I still will. These guys certainly deserve all the kudos they get and plenty they don't.

Drew and company deliver a fast-paced, fun story, and what could be a candidate for the most violent funeral ever. Secret identities are compromised, major misunderstandings continue, new romance is (possibly) in the air, and Ethan actually displays a level of nobility. Not intelligence so much (That's Vincent's area), but heroism nevertheless. It's a lot of story packed into one little comic. Pity this is only a mini-series.

It's probably too late to shoot off an e-mail, but I might just do so anyway.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

DC

52 Week 1 & 2: Curiousity got the better of me, and it was a light week, so I went ahead and picked up the first two weeks of 52. They manage to cram a lot of different subplots into these things. Booster Gold's android's issues, the Question and Montoya, that... steel guy and his daughter, The Dibny mystery... Geez. Between that and the frequency of the publication, it's a little daunting.

So it's back to my original plan. Pay attention and pick up issues that involve Blue Beetle, but otherwise, just wait for the trade.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Kinda...

Wonder Woman #1 is a fast read with slick (but not soulless) art and very, very handy captions introducing key characters. In other words, a heckuvan introduction for a new reader.

This makes two of the big three. Still haven't touched Batman (not sure why), but between Clark and Donna, we're two for two thus far.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Actually, yeah

Marvel

Civil War: Front Line #1 is a three-parter. The first story, "Embedded," follows journalists Ben Urich and Sally Floyd (both interesting characters) as they work to report on the Civil War for their respective newspapers. Ben is frustrated with his right wing rag (The Daily Bugle), as he feels it's not covering the real meat of the story. Meanwhile, Sally gets an interview and a hot news tip from Spider-Man as she works to stay on the wagon (or not) and cover the liberal side of the big story. It's not a shocker of a story, but it works, and Sally's conversation with Spidey is the highlight of the thing.

The second story, "The Accused," follows the discovery and arrest of the one New Warrior who barely survived the Stamford disaster. It's not pretty.

The third and last part of the comic perplexes me. It attempts to relate the WWII Japanese concentration camps to Marvel's Civil War. This should work. Good people unjustly rounded up for security's sake just because they happen to superficially resemble the bad guys? Sure. Yeah, that fits. There are parallels, it's not a huge stretch. But... Spiderman swinging around and being angsty? I'm just not seeing the real connection. Ah, well...

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yeah...

Fantastic Four: First Family #4: And this is the issue where they all lose it, in their own separate ways. Yes, let the squabbles begin.

Really, the cover about says it all. (Woohoo, my first attempt at a cover analysis. Er, does it count if you've already read the story?)

There we have Reed, his back to us, clad in his unstable molecule uniform. All blue, all business, gazing into the void. To his left is Sue, the really only member of the Four in civilian clothing. She stands rather stiffly, holding one arm with the other. She's very stressed, and superheroing is hardly her first concern. Opposite Sue is Johnny, flamed on, almost smiling, heels on the edge of the platform, probably ready to take off. He's the only one actively using his new power, the only one who really enjoys it. Ben, nearest the front, stands hunched, lamenting his condition.

The platform itself is cracked four ways, though not beyond repair. The pieces may be coming together or drifting apart. It's hard to tell. The team stands facing outwards. We know why this really is, but that configuration is also a practically instinctive defensive position. If they can keep that platform together (and, again, we know they do), they'll be well equipped to fight for what they hold dear.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Week's most memorable moment(s): Again, Sue rocks the force field in Fantastic Four: First Family #4.

Tentative checklist for 14 June, 2006
Civil War #2
Ex Machina Special #2
Green Lantern Corps #1 (Probably against my better judgement, but we'll see. Maybe somebody will talk me into it...)
Marvel Romance Redux: Love is a Four Letter Word
Marvel Westerns Two Gun Kid
Ms. Marvel #4

Rally Time

I work in Lansing. Specifically, I work in what I would call the "Government District" of downtown Lansing. I'm pretty sure that's not an official term, but it's accurate inasmuch as my workplace is within easy walking distance of the state capitol.

This is demonstration season. It seems like there's a protest or rally every other day on and in front of the capitol steps. Today's was in support of legislation that would repeal Michigan's helmet law (Read all about it), and it was comprised of the largest gathering of bikers I have ever seen. Not that I've seen many, mind, but still, there were a lot of burly biker guys there reinforcing that black leather-clad, scruffy-bearded, tattoo-sporting bandanna-wearing stereotype. It was quite a crowd, in front of the capitol. And there were bikes parked clear around the block, and beyond. It was really something else.

While I have no definite opinion on the helmet law (though I do believe that helmet-wearing is a good idea, whatever kind of bike you're riding, and can't imagine why anyone would voluntarily choose not to wear a helmet), the sight of the political biker rally really made my Wednesday. Well, the first day of Photoshop class and the new comics helped, too...

Anyway, in honor of said event, here's the cover of Ghost Rider #50, courtesy of The Grand Comics Database Project.

Remember, Ghost Rider is exempt from helmet-wearing because he isn't mortal, and a helmet probably wouldn't survive his blazing skull in any case.

In the Headwaters

Still wading the headwaters, reading Showcase Presents: Superman Vol. 1. Just letting the sediment settle as I go. (You kind of have to do that, if you want a chance at seeing the bottom of the stream.)

Intellectually, I know that, once upon a slightly more innocent time, comics were written for children. It's the questions in the narrative really hit the concept home, though.

Reprinted from Action Comics #242.

Just in case you're curious, this is the "hint" from the previous page. And this is, of course, the answer.

On 1 June, 2006

Reading music: Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie

--Warning: Spoilers ahead--

Image

Doll & Creature #3: Well, this is getting political. The bad guys behind the Hydes are Gops, well-dressed gents sporting ties and attache cases marked WWJD? Their leader is The Gipper (a guy with a Reagan mask bonded to his face.)

So, yeah. Kinda political. But that means it also got good, because what is this comic besides the weirdest social commentary I've ever read? The third issue just elevated it to the next logical level. Oh, and Doll and Creature are now a team, not just two characters who, you know, met up during an incredibly gory fight in the first issue.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yes.

Marvel

All New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5: Howard the Duck gets a three-page entry. So does HYDRA, but Howard is arguably more important. That's really all you need to know, isn't it? If not, well, Gravity has an entry, too.

Do I Know What I Just Read? It's a handbook. What's to know?
Do I Care? Yep.

Amazing Spider-Man #532 is pretty much just a talking head issue. Not very exciting. Peter has a talk with Tony Stark and a heart-to-heart with MJ and Aunt May. All of this is about the Superhuman Registration Act, naturally. What side is Spider-Man on? Not sure, but we may find out next issue. I guess none of this was anything particularly shocking or unexpected. Ah well. I'm still on board, because... er... well, I just am. (If you hadn't guessed, I'm not all about the biff and the pow.)

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Kinda.

Runaways #16: Highlights? Gert's angst, and... what the heck is going on with Karolina Dean? Wow. Oh, and "Pixies, find the leak!"

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
DO I Care? Yes. Just not overly inspired to write about it.

A reunion, some depowerings (good ones, this time), and a declaration of war make Son of M #6 not so much the end of a story as the beginning of a new one. See, the U.S. Government has confiscated the Terrigen Mists, and the Inhumans are cheesed off. Luna will, hopefully, recover from her Terrigen exposure, but it doesn't look like Pietro will. Is he going to take over his dad's role as a mutant supervillain? That could be interesting.

He's certainly insane enough.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Not enough to pick up any spin-offs.

The Thing #7: Second to last issue, and Dan Slott has fun with time travel. See this? It makes even more sense now than it did! It's... well, perfect. (It also turns out that Hercules, apart from being slightly less chauvinistic, remains basically unchanged from 130 B.C.)

This book manages to be a very cool balance between super-hero battles and sweet family moments. Definitely worth picking up.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yes.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #30: So it turns out, due to an alien infection from the N-Zone, Johnny Storm has but days to live. And his last hope is Dr. Doom. Also, the Zombie Four are on the verge of escape.

Yikes. It's nice to see things looking up for Ultimate Ben, anyway, what with Alicia and all. *sigh* I really want to like this book as much as I did when Warren Ellis was writing it, and Greg Land wasn't drawing it.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? I'm starting not to.

Week's most memorable moments: Thing #7 was full of them, but it really came to this "Heh" moment...



...and this "Awww" moment.



Hrm... Yeah, definitely a tie.

Tentative checklist for 7 June, 2006
Archenemies #3
Civil War: Front Line #1
Fantastic Four: First Family #4
Wonder Woman #1