New Avengers #22

The New Avengers hiding from the authorities at Dr. Strange's sanctum sanctorum; Jessica Jones abandoning Luke Cage and taking the baby with her; Captain America about to be tried by the government; Norman Osborn turning everyone against the team; villains becoming Dark Avengers. Just because he wrote these storylines years ago, does not mean Bendis is excused for rehashing them so shamelessly. Another tired plot is that one of the double and triple agents; just like when Spider Woman was working for Nick Fury pretending to work for Hydra pretending to work for the New Avengers, but was really Skrull Queen Veranke, we have a similar pattern with Victoria Hand, who despite being a breakout character back in the day, has now fallen victim of bad writing. Then there's Skaar. Conrad and Deodato's work saves this issue.

New Guardians #6

The New Guardians face the "Rage of Angels" in a story written by Tony Bedard. One by one, the representatives of the different corps are defeated by Invictus, who after all, may not be the bad guy of the story. There are big developments for Kyle, and once again we see why he is so special, not only among the Green Lanterns, but all the other Lanterns as well.  It is also clear in this issue that the characters are accepting the fact that they are a team; the evolution of their dynamics has been superbly written by Bedard.  Tyler Kirkham shines as usual with his pencils; he is equally good at drawing splash pages and smaller panels, and adding just the right amount of detail to not make the scenes feel neither flat nor busy. Nei Rufino also deserves credit for his great management of colors; not once do the pages look like a colorfest. Great issue!

The Most Viewed in February 2012

1. Uncanny X-Men Omnibus I

2. Hawk and Dove #6

3. Scarlet Spider #2

4. The Avengers vs. Ultron

5. Robin Dies

Justice League #6

Johns and Lee saved the best for last. After hitting some bumps along the road, the origin of the Justice League ends with a "Boom," and what a finale it was. Everyone kicked butt: the writer with the plot, the artist with his visuals, and most of all, the heroes finally coming together to school the big bad guy. This is the Justice League everyone wants to see, and that moment when they all unite to defeat Darkseid in a flash of white light, is the one that will resonate for however long this reboot lasts. Long live the Super Friends. The second feature "Pandora" penciled by Carlos D'anda, stars the mysterious hooded woman from "Flashpoint" and the always cool Phantom Stranger. A nice short story that raises tons of questions and plants the seeds for future storylines. Nice artwork, and great colors. The best issue of the series.

The Flash #6

An improved and more powerful Captain Cold makes his debut in the DCnU courtesy of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. Long time readers will be pleased to know that Cold is still Leonard Snart, just an updated version of him; one that not even the scarlet speedster is familiar with. That's probably the main takeaway of this issue: the changes to the character are not just thrown at us, there is a mystery involved as to how he went from using pistols to generating cold biologically.  The artwork steals the show in this installment. The dynamism and fluidity in the panels pop in each page. There's a scene where Iris and Patty are falling down a tilting ship, and the pencils truly covey that sense of dizziness. The colors are also very inviting thanks to the contrast of Flash's reds and Cold's blues. Great issue.

Aquaman #6

No supporting character in comics has been due a solo story longer than Mera, but her moment has finally come thanks to Geoff Johns, who ever since "Blackest Night" has taken great strides to ensure that everyone gets to know and love her. In this spotlight issue, Mera goes to town and things go wrong as soon as she starts interacting with the locals.  Although somewhat pedestrian and a bit condescending, the story shows an aspect of Mera's power that had never been seen before: not only can she move the oceans, but also manipulate water at a molecular level and display fine motor control; amazing. "Deserted" also touches on her past; one that had been visited briefly prior to the reboot in "Brightest Day," but here, the added elements clearly connect her family to whatever it is that's coming next. Joe Prado did a good job with the art, but Ivan Reis was greatly missed.

Birds of Prey #6

Cliffhangers in this series are pointless. By the end of issue #5, Sterling was being shot at by some black-ops dudes, but then in this book, the moment is reduced to an inconsequential event resolved in a flashback. It's not the first time Swierczynski pulls the same move in this series, and it is aggravating because it trivializes what are supposed to be the most energetic parts of the story. The pencils by Pina are also somewhat awkward in this installment, and have a certain something that reminds me of Greg Land's traced artwork; the strange poses in some of the scenes make it look as if they had been taken from a fashion magazine. Katana does very little in this chapter, Batgirl even less; which begs the question once again: what is she doing here? I want to see her in the team, but only if her presence is relevant. Iffy issue.

New Avengers #21

A menace from a past they would rather soon forget, returns to haunt the New Avengers.  First the good:  The Thor clone who caused so much pain and grief during Civil War looks truly menacing and intimidating thanks to Mike Deodato's pencils and Paul Mounts' colors.  No one does Thor like Deodato, after all, he's had more than 16 years of experience drawing him; the whole battle sequence is stunning.  Now the bad: Despite the nice artwork, the arc is still a rehash of storylines that are relatively recent; the clone, the Dark Avengers, and Tommy Lee Jones -er... Norman Osborne, are all elements from events that are still fresh. Then there's Wolverine being ridiculously indestructible, and the lack of attention to other team members.  Why isn't Daredevil front and center?  Why is Ms. Marvel being used as background filler? I liked this issue for the confrontation, but all else is forgettable.

Nightwing #6

After the demonic events of last issue, Nightwing returns to more grounded action when Haly's circus makes a stop in Texas.  Searching for clues that could take him to Saiko, Nightwing does not realize that the enemy is right in front of him, or that he's being played by friends.  From there, the story focuses on characterization, including a visit by Alfred Pennyworth, who is seldom seen outside the mansion or the cave. The art team led by Eddy Barrows delivers another great visual experience; particularly notorious are the detailed and vivid backgrounds featuring the city of Austin.  The plot does not advance significantly, except at the end, when Saiko makes his presence known and reveals his identity to Nightwing right before committing an atrocious act.  The last page is yet another example of the edgier side of this new universe.