New Avengers #3

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Artist: Steve Epting

Oh-Ehm-Gee! This is bad... in a good way! Jonathan Hickman delivers his first major one-two punch since taking over the Avengers franchise. Infinity has Beast joining the Illuminati just in time for the secretive organization to stop one of the soon-to-be-common incursions, cataclysmic events that end up in the destruction of two universes at a time. In the aftermath of this last minute save, the team has a big ideological clash over the way these threats are to be approached.

   

Cap's view, of course, is that the end does not justify the means, and he is not willing to go down what clearly is a slippery slope. Namor then rises an even more disquieting point: is a man's clear conscience more important than all of existence? This is good writing, dear fans. What comes next is a shocker that will throw everyone for a spin, as questions about the sequence of events between this book and Avengers are answered, forcing one to wonder whether what is happening in that title is all a dog and pony show, and the stage is set for Tony Stark and company to declare moral bankruptcy. Fantastic issue!

Mr. Fantastic, Namor, Black Bolt, and Black Pather. Art by Steve Epting.

Earth-Two #9

Writer: James Robinson

Artist: Nicola Scott

A new arc begins for the Wonders that slowly are resurfacing on Earth-2. The Tower of Fate will bring about the much expected return of one of the most representative characters of that world; for now, however, readers are introduced to the human host of Nabu's helm, Khalid Ben-Hassin, a young man that each time he uses the magical artifact, gains great powers at the cost of his sanity; an interesting conflict for someone who will need to to save the world on a daily basis by losing himself in the process. The Man Who Was Scared also sees the debut of Sonia Sato, who in the old continuity was the newest Judomaster, and here is also a Major in the World Army. Robinson is being very successful at making this book a reflection of the diverse society in which we live today; it doesn't feel forced, it actually feels quite natural. Hawkgirl's grudge against Green Lantern, or rather, her way of expressing it, makes one go "why don't you tell me how you really feel about it?" Fun stuff, great issue!

Kendra Munoz-Saunders by Nicola Scott,Trevor Scott, and Alex Sinclair

Superman #16

Writer: Scott Lobdell

Artist: Kenneth Rocafort

The first major crossover in the Superman family of books continues. A Fistful of Sticks focuses on the origin of H'El, and although his story initially makes him a sympathetic figure, his too-evident lies reveal he is up to something shady, and that could be an issue with the plot. It is easy to guess that Supergirl will turn against him at some crucial point, because the way she is catching him in the lie is too obvious; no subtlety here. Somewhere in the middle of the issue, Lobdell makes a nice comparison between Kal-El and Kon-El's powers, which is a nice way to avoid the perception of redundancy between both characters. An appearance by the Justice League is the perfect excuse for Kenneth Rockafort, Sunny Gho, and Blond to come up with some beautiful artwork; the colors in this book are mind blowing.  It would be appreciated if Wonder Woman were not to be referred to as "Superman's current lover;" no one talks like that. "Better half" or even "love interest" are available if "girlfriend" sounds too high-schoolish.

Superman by Kenneth Rockafort, Sunny Gho, and Blond

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Chriscross

This one is big... is huge, actually. Peter J. Tomasi takes a bowl the size of the universe, throws in it the storylines that for the past several months Geoff Johns, Tony Bedard, Peter Milligan, and himself have been pre-cooking, adds some badass artwork by Chriscross, and a few sprinkles of that old Gardner attitude, and the result is a yummy conclusion to the Rise of the Third Army that exceeds the expectations of an arc that at times seemed to have lost its way, but in the end did pay off. Tomasi brings together the threads from all four Lantern titles in such a way that the pieces perfectly fit when the time comes for the GL Corps and their allies to confront those little, despicable Guardians. Mogo's return, Kilowog's highjacking of the central battery, Guy's sacrifice, Kyle's arrival, Atrocitus' gift to the Guardians, the inevitable battle that ensues, and much, much more, are a non-stop sequence of explosive events that keep the momentum going from the first page to the very last one. Annuals are not usually this good!

Simon Baz by Chriscross, and Wil Quintana

Avengers #4

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Artist: Adam Kubert

Black Widow and Captain Marvel take a team of Avengers to the exotic Savage Land in order to deal with one of the origin bombs The Garden sent to Earth. The new Hyperion takes the spotlight in this trip as his origin is explored and the connection to the events in New Avengers is established. In his plot, Hickman tries to convey the idea that Hyperion has two different aspects to his personality; however, these two facets get lost in the poetics of the story and are not clearly defined. Whether this is on purpose, remains to be seen. Something that works well is the aforementioned link to the tale being told over in New Avengers. It becomes clear that what is being planned for Earth's Mightiest for the next couple of years is truly massive, and that makes it an exciting time to be a fan. Adam Kubert and Frank D'Armata slightly alter their styles between present and flashback sequences to successfully mark the pace. Overall, the issue is okay, but certainly not as relevant or grandiose as the arc that just ended.

Hyperion by Adam Kubert and Frank D'Armata

Dark Knight #16

Writer: Gregg Hurwitz

Artist: Ethan Van Sciver

After a brief appearance last year in issue #8 of the series, Jervis Tetch becomes the subject of Gregg Hurwitz's writing as he takes readers inside the twisted world of the Mad Hatter. It would have been easy to fall for a crazy-in-a-comical-way angle when fleshing out this particular baddie; but instead, this is a disturbing, dark story that promises to elevate the Hatter to A+ creep status within Batman's rogue gallery. Super-star Ethan Van Sciver takes the reins of the art department with his refined style. From the ingenious cover concept, to Mad Hatter's elaborate character design, to his distinctive, wing-like take on Batman's cape, Van Sciver brings much class to the title with the assistance of Hi-Fi's somber colors. This arc is the perfect opportunity to bring back someone who debuted in this book and has not been heard of for a while: Jaina Hudson, the deceitful White Rabbit. Fingers crossed.

Mad Hatter by Ethan Van Sciver and Hi-Fi

Aquaman #16

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Paul Pelletier

Things take a surprising turn when the Justice League reserves join the fight against the atlanteans, and the creatures from the trench become an unexpected third party in the bellic conflict. Cyborg loses another shred of his humanity, Hawkman's character develops more with a few lines than it has with 16 issues of his own book, a mysterious Atom and bubbly Element Woman make their New 52 debut, and a revelation leading to the big conclusion makes everyone fall off their chair. A busy chapter with no dull moment. Using Cyborg and Mera as the cavalry is a nice touch, since Johns has worked hard on both characters to get them much deserved exposure and recognition. The whole thing with the big three trapped in cocoons is kind of silly, but at least it serves the purpose of getting the heroes to make amends, and even Batman to make a kind of admission/apology; it is very subtle -it's Batman after all- but it's there. Pelletier pulls some nice pages, but the kudos go to Rod Reis for bringing cohesiveness to the story by coloring the entire crossover.

Aquaman vs. The Trench. Art by Paul Pelletier, Sean Parsons, and Rod Reis

Uncanny X-Force #1

Writer: Sam Humphries

Artist: Ron Garney

Six months ago Elizabeth Braddock had found something resembling a happy ending; today, she is a haunted woman trying to bury the darkness left by her and her former companions. Unable to adapt to life at the School, Betsy has been assigned a new mission that will put her on a course to the rebirth of X-Force. Psylocke and Storm's friendship is one of the highlights of this issue; both women have deep wounds that need healing, and maybe this new venture is a way for them to get there. Spiral surfaces once again, and her link to Betsy is immediately brought to the forefront. How exactly she ends up on the side of the good guys will be a fun thing to see. Love. Ron. Garney's. Artwork. He draws a killer Psylocke and the hottest mohawk-sporting Storm. Meanwhile, Gracia and Gonzalez embellish the pages with a very interesting palette; lots of gray tones with bright, colorful accents. Very nice visuals. That last page? Eww!

Psylocke and Storm by Garney, Miki, Gracia, and Gonzalez

Green Lantern #16

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Doug Mahnke

Green Lantern B'dg (the one that looks like a squirrel) shows up to lend Simon Baz a hand, and become his mentor as he learns to wield his power ring. Rather than making him the butt of a bad joke, Johns treats B'dg with such dignity that he actually comes off pretty cool. Mr. Baz suddenly becomes a very special Green Lantern, and the first threads of his joining the new JLoA are weaved here via agent Fed, who has ties to the always shady Amanda Waller. All that, plus a freaky twist in Hal and Sinestro's adventure in the beyond make of this chapter a great read. Thus far Simon's storyline and Mahnke's art have been enjoyable; what has been somewhat irritating lately is the use of so many inkers per single issue; this one had five of them, and the transitions are quite noticeable. While a delay of one or two weeks for the artists to catch up could become the beginning of a slippery slope schedule-wise, is it really that terrible in the bigger scheme of things when the end result is a better quality product?

Green Lantern Simon Baz. Art by Doug Mahnke