IT'S ALRIGHT MA, I'M ONLY READING! NEW COMICS 02.08.2012

The QUALITY, POTENTIAL and RUBBISH for comics that were shipped on 02.08.2012.  Alright, this week we had a couple of great issues with some kids, the rise and fall of THE PUNISHER, a new team on Secret Avengers and my mounting frustration with a lacklustre GL title.  Away we go!

QUALITY

BATMAN & ROBIN #6

THE REAL ME - Such a dark and psychological read.  This is definitely not your Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, Batman and Robin.  We're starting to learn that Damian and Bruce have a lot more in common than Bruce would care to admit and probably the same reason he is scared for his son.  He has the will power to suppress his inner demons.  Does Damian?  Tomasi and Gleason are one of the best writer and artist teams out there.

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #634

THE TERRORISM MYTH:  PT 2 -  Everything about this book is to be loved.  The WONDER WOMAN book by Azzarello, has been successful through it's ability to take ancient mythology and put it into a 21st century context.  JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY revels in this modern take on mythology and how old gods fit into this world.  Kid Loki, Ikol, Thori the hell hound and Leah are some of the best character additions to THOR if not Marvel comics in recent memory.  This title is gathering readership by the month and has been a must read for marvel fans since THOR became JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY again.

THE PUNISHER #7

THE STRING - This title was actually released on 01.04.2012, but I missed it.  Though I am sad to see PUNISHERMAX go, THE PUNISHER by Greg Rucka can definitely fill that void.  I really find nowadays that a comic really peaks interest when it takes a genre (in this case crime fiction with a dash of noir) and adapts the character to that genre, rather than the genre adapting to the character.  The whole comic is driven by the characters around the Punisher and Frank has had very little dialogue at all.  He comes across as a force of nature.  That way it should be, classic Frank.  The reference in this issue back to the first meeting of Daredevil and the Punisher (I think that was written by Frank Miller in the mid 80s?) and how the Punisher's methods really do pervert justice by contaminating crime scenes so criminals walk, only to by murdered by Frank upon release.  You really begin to understand the negative effect the Punisher personally has on detectives as the justice they seek on behalf of law and order is taken from them.  Careers left unfulfilled, because of the Punisher's warped sense of justice.  Makes it that much more dramatic when one of the detectives is outed for giving info to the Punisher.  As well, the blizzard in this story arc is the same blizzard Daredevil found himself in during DAREDEVIL #7.  These titles are ready to collide hard!  If you loved Rucka's GOTHAM CENTRAL, you will love THE PUNISHER even more.  Michael Lark can be guest artist again please and bringing over Hollingworth as colourist from PUNISHERMAX makes this title your home for a Punisher run not to be missed.

PUNISHERMAX #22

WAR'S END - WOW!  Have you ever felt about a comic run while you were reading it that you knew you had something so absolutely special it was o.k for it to end?  Or if the title continued it would tarnish what you had already enjoyed?  I've felt that way about WATCHMEN and now I feel this way about Jason Aaron's run on PUNISHERMAX.  Especially since Jason was delving into Garth Ennis territory with this title, awards should be showered on Mr. Aaron and Mr. Steve Dillon for this soon to be definitive and timeless Punisher classic.  There was only way for this Max series to end or the creative team would have just found themselves with the same character over in the regular Marvel 616, just no super villains.  The best word to describe issues #1 to #22 is INTEGRITY.  The one thing that I was looking forward to though (and didn't happen) was Frank's battle with that inner voice that has popped up in previous issues when he was close to being dead, to get up and not to die.  How did Frank finally suppress that inner drive and finally die in peace?  Very fitting to have Nick Fury tie up all the loose ends to the misery he himself created.  R.I.P PUNISHERMAX  What will the new MAX line title by?  I hope Marvel could pull off another Max series just as great with another character.

SECRET AVENGERS #22

NEW LIFE - New creative team of Remender and Hardman continuing on from Warren Ellis on the best AVENGERS title out there.  This title takes more risks than anything that has recently happened in NEW AVENGERS and AVENGERS.  The real action for Avengers fans is in SECRET AVENGERS.  Captain Britain fighting the monster made up of individual people was a nice little nod to Alan Moore's CAPTAIN BRITAIN.  With Cap Britain over in UNCANNY X-FORCE as well, do you think Remender is a fan?  Thank you Remender for bringing back a great character.  Sentinels kill mutants.  Adaptoids kill Avengers.  It also seems Hawkeye is having his biggest revival since WEST COAST AVENGERS as the AVENGERS movie starts to influence the Marvel character designs.  Next issue an Avenger dies?

POTENTIAL

BATWOMAN #6

TO DROWN THE WORLD:  PT 1 - Since Rucka and Williams' creation and run with Batwoman in DETECTIVE COMICS , I cannot get enough of this title.  The writing is so honest and humane, the characters pop with life.  Good writing is about depicting characters as real people and not cheap stereotypes.  Many attempts at writing gay characters tend to take the cheap route by letting sexual preference be the dominant character trait rather than deal with the individual as an individual and a human being.  Being human is the primary goal with a character, everything else will just fall in line.  That is what Williams does with Kate Kane.  Great to have an accomplished artist in Amy Reeder lending her talents, but J.H Williams I.I.I's art style is the definitive Batwoman.  Next to BATMAN, the best Bat-franchise book available.  Really hope the Court of Owls will be seen in the pages of BATWOMAN soon.

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN:  ALPHA & OMEGA #2 OF 5

Love Brian Wood.  As much as I also love DC comics, it was a good thing for comics fans when his exclusive contract to DC ended, unfortunately so did DMZ.  He wasn't getting mainstream books and mainstream comic fans not familiar with Mr. Woods' work will have their minds blown.  I would argue Brian Wood should be writing an X-Men monthly, as this ltd series has been better than the WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN monthly.  This X-Men ltd series reads a lot like DMZ but adapting Quentin Quire, Logan and Armor into Woods' anarchy.  The only knock though is, didn't we just have Logan's psyche removed for his body to wander around in a murderous rage?  Jason Aaron just did that in WOLVERINE.  All in all though a great read next to UNCANNY X-MEN.  Just can't get into Jason Aaron's WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN.

RUBBISH

BATTLE SCARS #4 OF 6

To be fair I have been enjoying this title and the introduction of Army Ranger Marcus Johnson.  However, with this issue or perhaps the issue before, the story has become far too predictable.  You could see who Marcus' father was going to be from a mile away.  If the old man turns out to be Baron Strucker (who was shot in the head and killed by Fury at the end of SECRET WARRIORS) this title will have been a waste of money.  There is already a reference to Hickman's SECRET WARRIORS with the name Orion given in this issue.  Orion was one of the spymaster sleepers Fury went to war with during SECRET WARRIORS.  Going to ride out the next 2 issues to the end of the series and see what the consequences are, if any.

GREEN LANTERN #6

This huge GL fan is increasingly frustrated with this title.  Everything that John's has written in the GL universe over the last year has built to no climax and no pay off,  just stories that end by beginning a new story.  By the standards he set for the GL universe through REBIRTH and BLACKEST NIGHT this is a huge disappoint.  Issue #6 is the exact same issue (as far as plot) as issue #1 when the DC NEW 52 began.  While other DC titles hit new heights, this title (which should be the cornerstone) hits new lows.  I want new GL stories that push boundaries and not rehashed stories as Johns goes fishing in the silver age of comics and hopes to catch a lucky bite again.  Green Lantern Corps should not be the better GL title.   Where is the excitment every issue had up until BLACKEST NIGHT ended.  I just have a feeling this is all headed for BLACKEST NIGHT 2.  Oh, and wait, whatever happened to Sodam Yat?  The supposed greatest GL?  Too many hanging plot threads for my liking.  This is a writer who is tapped out at the moment after an incredible long run on GL, things have become convuluted and confusing.  Hopefully he is just a little stretched at the moment and his creative juices are all flowing through the BATMAN:  EARTH 1 project due in late spring with artist Gary Frank.  Though I would like DC to hand the reigns of GL to a new writer, so we as fans can head into a fresh direction with new perspectives on the adventures of Hal Jordan and the GL Corps.  Would love Johns to get his hands on SUPERMAN as his previous run with Supes on ACTION COMICS was too short, but gave us SUPERMAN:  LEGION OF SUPER HEROES and SUPERMAN:  BRAINIAC.  Giffen and Jurgens have just taken over SUPERMAN from George Perez, so maybe after their arc, Johns could take over.  Just sayin'.

Cheers for reading!