Hello again friends! You know me. I’m Anthony Silva, loveable host of your favorite geek out podcast Comic Issues. I gotta tell you readers, sometimes it pays being a geek. This week every single book I read was awesome. Just about any book I read this week could have been a top pick, so it’s was a tough decision when it came to what I was gonna make my top pick for the week. It’s tough being me with all my glorious problems, but you knew that cause you’re pretty awesome.
((Warning, spoilers ahead))
Top Pick: Ultimate Spider-man #157 Creative team Bendis (writer) Bagley (pencils) Lanning (inks) Ponsor (colors)
The Death of Spider-man is boiling over and with this issue the top is exploding off the pot! Having Mark Bagley back for this event feels so right. This is turning out to be the biggest moment in Peter’s life as his world is drastically changing from the best it’s ever been to the worst day of his life as The Sinister Six are on the loose and Norman Osbourne has plans for them. Doc Ock has different plans and wants to make a new and better life for himself, but the Green Goblin can’t have turncoats and instead puts the Doc into his grave. All that and you’re still only half way through the book!
Reading these last couple of issues has thrilled me in the same way as when I read the first Ultimate Spider-man arc. Everything is feeling fresh and that anything can happen from here. The art is on fire, and story has got me hooked bad. With this issue tied so tightly to Mark Millers Avengers vs. Ultimates this mini event has all the drive of the larger events, but wrapped up in just two books. If I was to recommend any book right now it would be Ultimate Spider-man.
Runner Up: Uncanny X-Force #7 Creative team Remender (writer) Ribic (pencils) Lucas (ink) Wilson (colors)
This darker and edgier X-book has managed to keep its high paced popularity to come out as one of the most desirable X-books on the shelf. Remender is challenging the characters with the tough decisions that don’t get wrapped up neatly at the end of the book. In this issues the Dethlok Nation story arc comes to a close as the X-Force team travel into “The World” to stop the utopia of the future that’s created by the slavery of Marvel’s superheroes. I’ve especially enjoyed this issue for the chance it gave to Fantom X and Deadpool to develop a bit and even letting Wolverine take a back seat. Remender was a little clumsy with their voices earlier in the series but he’s turned it around and made both characters deeper and more likeable than when they came into the book. This book has been awesome for the reason that these stories are different from the other X-books but you still get the superheroes that you love.
Runners up:
The Flash # 10 The road the Flashpoint continues as a mysterious Barry Allen from a parallel earth, but he’s not here to join forces with his Earth 1 counterpart He’s out to stop the threat to the history or future… depending on how you’re looking out it. Francis Manapul is rocking this book, the whole art team has made this a beautiful book to look at.
Deadpool # 35 I don’t care what people say, when Deadpool is written well then the book is a lot of fun to read. That’s exactly what I’ve been getting with this book under Daniel way and the art team of of Barberi, Wong, and Mossa. It’s full of ridiculous antics and genius wrapped in stupidity. This is a book that’s just full and fun but doesn’t carry the weight of other more serious stories.
Amazing Spider-man # 658 Ol’ Web Head is called for Future Foundation duty as the team takes off to repair the Time-Space Continuum. I’ve really been enjoying Dan Slott’s run on ASM so far but even though this one was fun as it was, it felt more like a FF issue than a Spider-man. In FF #1 Spidey is given his new costume for the team, but in this issue he shows up in a dis-tasteful Fantastic Four version. It was a move that I really felt was out of character. All together Slott still has an awesome voice for Spider-man and I am still loving his work.
The New Avengers # 11 The dual timeline and story lines continue with still no sign of connection yet, but this is still the best Avenger book on the shelves. Mockingbird is rushed to the E.R. with a critical gunshot to the stomach and the New Avengers are helpless as they watch their teammate struggle to hold on to life. Bendis is countering that dark tone with a fun story of Nick Fury and the first Avengers team in 1959. It’s mostly business as usual as they hunt down the Red Skull in Sweden. This rag tag team made up of Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Namora, Kraven, Ulysses Bloodstone, Domonic Fortune, Silver Sable, and the strangest and most off putting member Sabertooth who seems to be serving as comic relief almost, is still the perfect team to get the job done.
X-Men Legacy # 247 Age of X continues in this issue as Chapter 5 for the series. Professor X is awakened from a chemically induced coma and it doesn’t take him long to realize that this strange world is not right and not all it seems to be. The truth is told in this issue as all the clues left up until this point come together to solve the riddle of the Age of X world, but no one’s out of the woods yet as the puppet master behind this charade is revealed and her puppet Legion begins to break the force walls down. I’m still in on this book even though it’s resembled storylines from the past. It’s still been a fresh look on the characters and how they could interact if things had been different.
Uncanny X-men # 535 Kieron Gillen blasts off his run on Uncanny with a business as usual story that’s well written and full of beautiful art from Terry and Rachel Dodson. S.W.O.R.D. picks up a colossal Breakworld ship on the outskirts of the soloar system and it looks like Powerlord Kruun is back to get his revenge on Colossus for ripping his arm off. I would honestly read this book just for the Dodsons’ art but Gillen also nails every character with sniper like precision. I’m happy to see the X-Men off planet again and getting back to saving the world, I want at least one X-book to always be doing stuff like this. It’s why I loved them so much as a kid.
Just to let you guys know Comic Issues will be taking a road trip to Anaheim this month of Wizard World. It’s gonna be an awesome event full of artists, writers, TV stars, and everything else you want in your comic conventions. We’re super excited to go but we’d love to see you there. If you’re in the area Wizard World is a can’t miss fun time for all. We’ll be filming and interview guest and fans so find us there and you may end up in our Wizard World Video Show!