Incredible Hulk #12

Jason Aaron's run on the Incredible Hulk has been one of the most disappointing things I've read in a long time. This is a writer who perfectly replaced Garth Ennis on the superb PunisherMAX, who wrote some of the most twisted Wolverine stories ever, and who is writing the current best X-title out there in Wolverine & the X-Men. So when I heard he was taking over the Jade Giant, I figured we'd get some of the most insane, epic brawls the Hulk has ever been in. But what we've gotten is the strangest take on the Banner/Hulk ideal ever. And it has not been good in any way, shape, or form. In fact, the issue that guest-starred the Punisher was one of the worst books I've ever read. The whole "Stay Angry" arc has been a horrible read. Each part has introduced the dumbest elements ever seen in a Hulk book. From mutated dog drug dealers, to Atlantean hicks, to space bears (which I will admit was an absolute hilarious issue), to a city of sasquatches, this has been a painful story to read. Except for this issue. This is the one where we finally see what Aaron could've done with his run.

The issue's main story is nothing we haven't seen a million times: the Hulk vs Wolverine & the Thing. And it's everything you'd expect out of that almost-annual battle. It's non-stop destruction, clobberin,' slashing and smashing. But it's the dialog that made me love this issue. If you read my review of New Avengers #29 (And if you didn't, why not? Don't you like me?), then you know sometimes all you need for a great story is to have great dialog. This issue shows you can have great dialog at the same time as great pummeling. Each character is given an equal amount of time to shine with their fists and their thoughts. The bickering between the three is exactly how you'd imagine these rivals to act. The funniest take on all three.

Carlos Pacheco really nails the brutality and savagery in the combatants. His art starts out smooth and refined, then ends sharp and rugged once the main event unfolds. I think it's his best art since returning to Marvel. I also think Roger Bonet does an exceptional job on inks giving each character the depth in their muscles to show their strength and ferocity. Laura Martin's colors really shine in this issue as well, giving everything a brutal shine with each blow delivered.

So while I can't recommend this entire Incredible Hulk series, or even this whole arc, I can say if you want an issue where three legendary brawlers pound the living snot out of each other while delivering the most killer one-liners, then look no further than this book.

New Avengers #29

My original plan was to review every single part of AvX after I had my first published review on Bleedingcool.com with #0. But the series blew up so big that it seemed like every person on the planet was reading it, so I didn't feel the need to review something everybody already had their hands on. And while that feeling still holds true, this tie-in issue was so good, so powerful, that I had to share my thoughts.

To me, Brian Michael Bendis is one of the best, if not THE best, at giving characterizations. This issue personifies that quite possibly better than anything else he's written. It's easily my favorite of any AvX issue so far, including the main series. It centers around Captain America's calling together of the remaining members of the Illuminati with the hope of talking some sense into Namor. As each member shows up, they all tell Cap how futile an effort it is to expect Namor to actually show up to peace talks. But Cap holds out hope that one of his oldest compatriots will see the light.

The entire issue is nothing but one big conversation, and that is what makes it perfect. Each character's thoughts on the whole AvX battle is truly eye-opening. The reasoning with which Reed Richards explains why he feels the X-Men might be right is a logical surprise. Professor X's inner turmoil about feeling blamed by the others for Cyclops' turn and his own feelings of failing Scott as a father is gut-wrenching. Iron Man's jerkish attitude hides his inability to find a solution to a crisis he feels he created when his weapon spilt the Phoenix into the Phoenix Five. Dr. Strange's slight indifference of doing anything other than taking orders from Cap. And of course, Cap's staunch refusal to believe his teammate is beyond reasoning with.

All of the emotion is brought to life brilliantly by artist Mike Deodato. The facial expressions he gives each character is exactly what you'd expect someone to look like in a real life situation. But that's always been one of Mike's best qualities as an artist; his realism. You can actually believe these people are out there doing these things. Even if it's just sitting around a table debating.

The only problem with this issue, and it's a pretty big one, is I'm not sure when it takes place. All of the Phoenix Five have their powers here, but that hasn't been the case for over a month. And when you factor in Namor's attack on Wakanda, this issue had to be before AvX #7. I just can't place it.

That possible continuity flub should in no way make you pass on reading one of the best written books in years. It's definitely the hands-down best written tie-in of any of these event books that have been the norm for the Big Two the past 8 years or so. Yes, there's really no action in this issue, but sometimes words are the most powerful weapons.

X-Treme X-Men #1

This book is exactly (or should that be x-actly?) what I figured it would be: pointless. There is just no need for this title to exist. It springs from an Astonishing X-Men storyline that was bad, and it doesn't get better here. Didn't we already see this book? Wasn't it called Mutant X? Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Exiles. It's the same old, same old. Just this time we get Dazzler! Hooray. No offense to any Dazzler fans out there. I like Alison. If anything, this gives Dazzler fans exactly what they want. She'll finally get a starring role. But honestly, how long will this book last? It is offered as an on-going, but shouldn't be more than a mini-series. It's too much to expect readers to stick with this book for two years, three years, or more. If this lasts one year, I'll be shocked.

It's not even that the book is bad. There's good dialog, and nice fluid art. But all of that is wasted on an over-used plot. And a plot the X-Men seem to own all to themselves. One of them gets sucked into another dimension and have to team up with that dimension's X-Men to save other dimensions? Oh man, sign me up for that original idea! Sigh.

Greg Pak is a very talented writer. It's sad to see him wasted on a book that shouldn't ever have been made. Why couldn't this just be another arc in Astonishing X-Men, like the story that inspired it? I just don't get it. Maybe Marvel was going to lose the rights to the term "X-Treme X-Men" like they almost did with "X-Factor" almost 15 years ago? It's really the only explanation I have as to why they bothered making this a monthly title.

If you love Dazzler, get this book. By all means, support this so Marvel will continue to actively use her. If you have no interest in her at all, then there's really no need bother with this.

Debris #1

Debris is set in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are a premium and humanity is dwindling. There is an encampment of survivors who struggle to make it in this harsh world. Adding to their troubles of survival are strange creatures that seem to be a mixture of long-lost broken technology and organics. A sort of cybernetic species, if you will. Enter Maya, who has been chosen to protect the camp from these creatures. She is their only hope to ensure their future. But when her mentor, Calista, is killed during an attack, Maya must abide by Calista's final wish and set forth on a journey to find the key to saving the remainder of the populace.

This premise has been seen in variations before. Nothing overly groundbreaking here. The creatures that seem to be made of junk are interesting. There was no backstory to why the world has become this way, why these people are all that is left of what we assume is earth, or even how these robotic creatures came to be. That will be a turn-off to some readers, I'm sure. It would've been nice to learn more about these characters in the first issue so we can learn why we're supposed to care for them. It's hard to worry about whether a character lives or dies if all we get is a lot of action panels with no explanation as to how these situations came to be. Hopefully the second issue sheds light on some of these areas. This is only a four-issue mini-series, so answers need to come fairly quickly.

The art is the selling point to me. I picked it up because I liked what I saw in the preview pages when the book was offered. The style is very similar to something you'd see in Heavy Metal. And it is the perfect style for the rugged, desolate future look this book commands. A lot of sharp points and muted colors to show how bleak this period is.

Overall, I was hoping for a little more out of this. I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I took a chance with it because the premise seemed a bit new. After reading it, I was disappointed that it had a lot of the same premises that I have seen before. It's not a terrible read, but not much above average either. I'm sticking around since it's only four issues. Those type of books get to their points right away since there's no time to waste. Here's hoping the next issue can resolve some of my doubts.

Danger Girl/G.I. Joe #1

This is a cross-over I never would've guessed in a million years. On one hand you have the world's most elite anti-terrorist organization and on the other you have a group of ultra sexy adventurer chicks. That just screams team-up, doesn't it? Well, guess what? It actually works. It's a surprisingly well-crafted action tale that brings the best qualities of both franchises to the front.

The Joe team is escorting an important transport when they are caught in a Cobra ambush. Scarlett and Flint get caught behind enemy lines, but the Joes can do nothing to save them because the President has suspended the team due to the botched mission. So who can the Joes turn to? Team Danger Girl of course! Seems there's a connection with one of the members and my favorite Joe, Cover Girl. But just as the rescue plan is set, a traitor is revealed! Dun-dun-duuun!

This is another series that is played just for fun. And why not? The current G.I. Joe books are terrific, but they are strictly serious military books. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but this series plays upon the old cartoon tone. The Joes are in their old school uniforms, and the cool vehicles are present. There's a very nostalgic feel to it. The Danger Girl crew doesn't take center stage in this first issue like the Joes do, but the scenes they are in fit their style perfectly.

My one beef with the plot is the fact that the Joe team is suspended in yet another story. For a government that sorely needs the Joes to protect it, they sure love going out of their way to shut them down every chance they get. It makes sense in this case because why else would they need outside help, but it's just been used in so many different incarnations of G.I. Joe that it's really repetitive.

John Royle's artwork is very reminiscent of J. Scott Campbell's style, which makes sense since Campbell is the co-creator of Danger Girl. Royle's art is very action oriented. The best fit for a G.I. Joe title. I wish he had done the last Danger Girl series. That art was very sub par. Not this though. It adds a very cinematic style to the book, something that the Danger Girl books have become known for.

If you're unfamiliar with neither of these franchises, this issue doesn't give you much history of who the players are. That could be a detriment. But if you're knowledgeable with at least one side, you should get a kick out of this series. What starts out seeming like an impossible pairing ends up making more sense than any of the G.I. Joe/Transformers cross-overs!

Revival #1

Revival #1. Buy it. The end.

No, just kidding. Not about the buying part, though. You should definitely do that. In fact, go ahead and do that now. I'll wait here.
La la la. La la la. La la la.
Oh good, you're back. Now don't read it yet, let me tell you why you just bought an amazing book. Then you can read it and see how right I was.

Image has some of the best horror books in the market today. This one has quickly put itself right near the top. It has all the creepy atmosphere, intriguing characters, suspenseful moments, and gore needed to scare the living bejeezus out of you. The last two or three pages really grab you and don't let go. I literally yelled an expletive out loud when I read it. And I read it at work, so talk about awkward.

I'm not going to get into too much detail about the plot. I feel it would spoil a great mystery that the first issue really only hints at. Too many things are spoiled by trailers or solicitations nowadays. Remember before the internet when you didn't know when a character was going to die? Man, those were the days. Everything was exciting. Now we're all jaded before we even read the issue. Just go to any comic site's forums. People hate books just from teaser pictures. It's ridiculous.
Wow, where'd all that come from? Sorry about that. Anyways, what I will say about the plot is that it is not zombies. At least not your typical ones if it has to be classified as zombies. Trust me, it's a pretty fresh take on the horror genre.

The art is really gorgeous. It's a great blend of realistic, yet cartoony. The people look like they could be people you know, yet exist in a fantasy world. And we should all be thankful we don't live in their world. The fact that the entire first issue takes place in the daylight and yet is still as scary as if it took place at midnight is all in thanks to Mike Norton's handiwork.

Norton and writer Tim Seeley have a real winner on their hands. Revival came out the same day as the 100th issue of The Walking Dead. I don't think that was a coincidence. It was a perfect marketing opportunity by Image to get some attention to their next horror icon. Will Revival make it to issue #100? Will it surpass The Walking Dead as the premiere horror comic currently on the stands? I don't have the answers to either of those questions, but I do know it's off to the right start to accomplish both of those things.

Avenging Spider-Man #9

Avenging Spider-Man has kind of started to lose it's purpose anymore. It's still the Spidey team-up book, but I just feel it's really redundant now. With all of the guest-stars that are in Amazing Spider-Man each month, what's the point of this title? Maybe it's just the fact that the last few issues haven't been that great. This latest issue continues that disappointing trend.

This issue was truly crappy. From horrible dialog, to a very uninteresting plot, to a lame new character. I'm not sure if it's because this came out before Captain Marvel #1 and yet takes place AFTER that, or what. All I know is, since this was written by the same writer of the new Captain Marvel book, then that book is not going to last long. I couldn't stand any of the characters in this issue. I didn't care if they won or lost, lived or died. And I like Spider-Man and Carol Danvers. All I cared about was for this issue to be over and to see who Spidey would team-up with next month. Imagine my horror when the dreaded "To be continued" reared it's ugly face on the last page. Ugh.

At least the art was nice. It's by the Dodsons, so that's no shock. But even they couldn't make me care about Carol's new costume. What was wrong with her old costume? Heck, they could've at least put her back in her original one.

On a side note, I will say I like the art on the new Captain Marvel book. So it at least has one good thing going for it. Maybe one of you will tell me if the story and dialog is any good. Change my mind for me people!

Here's to hoping issue #11 comes by a lot quicker so it washes the taste of this arc out of my mouth. But then again, it could also be another disaster in the waiting...