batman & the outsiders: the snare

by Chuck Dixon, Carlos Rodriguez, Julian Lopez and more

collects Batman & The Outsiders # 6-10

the premise:  The Outsiders undertake to rescue the shanghaied Metamorpho, only to end up trapped in a carefully devised snare.  Plus: with monsters on the loose in Gotham City, Batman turns to Looker for help.

the lowdown:  The second volume of this run picks up where the first left off, with a broken mission that could've been swiped from the old Suicide Squad playbook.  It's an intriguing setup complete with an international conspiracy, alien abduction and possession, and lots of fireworks.  A very nice start.

Unfortunately it goes completely off the rails about halfway through.  The mystery of the secret space station just gets dropped midstream in favor of the monster plot, which rolls in out of nowhere.  As a diversion it wouldn't be so bad - but it's not just a diversion.  Dixon was fired from the series after these issues, and although another writer came on for the next few issues, a) I understand they're a R.I.P. tie-in, so they probably don't wrap up Dixon's stuff, and b) As far as I know DC has no plans to collect them.  Seriously - the book ends with a "to be continued" but will never be continued.  Professional publishers are not supposed to do stuff like this.

The mandate to tie into everything else DC is publishing takes a toll again as well.  I thought Dixon was building up to something interesting involving Kirk (Man-Bat) Langstrom being missing.  Perhaps the Outsiders would have to find him in a later arc?  Nope - turns out he was (I think) on the Salvation Run planet, and with that storyline over he just... shows up.  Terrific suspense.

The art this time around is some mix-n-match.  Rodriguez and Lopez both do pretty good if unspectacular work, before turning the final issue over to an artist who IMO turns in some really horrible work.  Think Liefeld without the enthusiasm.

the verdict:  I wish I could recommend this one, because I really liked the first volume.  But save your money.  This is not good, and frankly it sours me on buying new mid-tier DC books, because I may get two volumes into a plot just to get a phantom "to be continued".

ultimate origins

by Brian Michael Bendis & Butch Guice

collects Ultimate Origins # 1-5

the premise:  "It's all connected."  As the Fantastic Four investigates a mystery in the present, the origins of the ultimate Marvel characters are revealed for the first time.  Learn the connections between Captain America, Nick Fury, Wolverine, the Hulk and more.

the lowdown:  This is the story that Bendis has been hinting at since way back in Ultimate Team-Up #2, where Bruce Banner utters the above quote to Spider-Man.  It's possible they waited a little too long to roll this one out, as I think a lot of the anticipation for it kind of waned as the Ultimate books slipped in quality and popularity.  But here it is - and it's deftly illustrated by Guice.  Guice is IMO among the top 10 artists working on "mainstream" comics, and he doesn't disappoint here.

The story itself is something of a slow burn, because it takes awhile for Bendis to pull together the various strands he puts in play.  Yes, it's all connected - sort of - but the connection is more thematic than anything else.  The Ultimate characters didn't really all come from the same place; they came from the same historical trend, and it's one that's been fairly evident from a close reading of the Ultimate books over the last decade.  The big twist here is the inclusion of the mutants in the story, and I wonder if that was planned all along or thrown in to lead in to the "Ultimatum" event.  As it stands, this story is intended to serve as a prologue to Ultimatum, and once I got done chuckling at the notion that a Jeph Loeb story would require a prologue, that was mildly annoying.  (Just in case it's not clear, I have no interest in Ultimatum.)

Bendis does hit some interesting notes, though.  The background on Fury is interesting, as are the bits with Peter Parker's parents.  There's a particularly interesting connection between Spider-Man and the Hulk that I wonder if Bendis plans to pick up on at some later date.

the verdict:  I don't feel like I wasted my time or money on this one.  It is not vintage Bendis but it looks great and does a pretty good job with an interesting if obvious premise.

huntress: year one

by Ivory Madison & Cliff Richards

collects Huntress: Year One # 1-6

the premise:  The orphaned daughter of a Mafia family returns to Gotham, after growing up abroad, to seek her family's killer.  In so doing she crosses paths with Batman, Batgirl and Catwoman.

the lowdown:  This book was the subject of a recent mini-controversy when it inexplicably shot way up the Amazon listings.  Turned out the spike was due to the writer buying up a bunch of copies as promotional giveaways.  Other than that this book didn't seem to make much of an impression on the marketplace.  And that's a shame, because it's really pretty good.

Madison's comic debut reimagines the Huntress, but only subtly.  Much of the apathy towards the series seemed to stem from the fact that Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett just told a variation of this story a few years earlier, and did so quite well.  Madison's story, for the most part, fits around that one - it doesn't really replace it so much as supplement it.  The only bit that's changed much is that Madison's Huntress wasn't inspired to become a vigilante by Batman - and that was one of the weaker points of the Rucka series anyway.

Madison gets Huntress' voice almost exactly right here.  The Huntress-as-black sheep of the Bat-family characterization is a staple but usually it's been done in a way that made Helena appear overly defensive and, at times, borderline psychotic.  Here it makes sense, because Madison takes the time to establish a character who is just spit on by life at every opportunity.  Her defensiveness, her inability to get along with people - it works here, and it's dropped in the middle of a pretty compelling mob/ crime story.

The ending is okay but Madison gets a little too enamored with nodding to the pre-Crisis Huntress, shoehorning Catwoman into the denouement.  There is a solid resolution to the book's central conflict, though.

I've not been a fan of Richards' artwork previously, but it is improved here, perhaps because it was a regular gig as opposed to a deadline-busting job.  Nothing spectacular, but it is a nice effort and fits with the current DC house style.

the verdict:  An impressive debut for Madison, and nice work all the way around.  Even if Madison doesn't send you a free copy in the mail, I'd recommend checking this one out.

secret invasion: thunderbolts

by Christos Gage, Fernando Blanco, Ben Oliver & more

collects Thunderbolts # 122-125 & one-shots

the premise:  Skrull Captain Marvel attacks Thunderbolts Mountain, leading to Norman Osborn taking a proactive role in repelling the invasion.

the lowdown:  I know, I know - more Skrulls.  This is like a coda to the Skrull-a-thon, and is positively the end of the line.

By and large this is one of those stories that fits in between the panels of another story, fleshing out and adding texture to the 'bolts' role in SI.  Is it a story that really needs telling?  Probably not so much.  I don't think you'd miss anything important by just reading the main series.  For the completist or the Thunderbolts fan, though, this is a reasonably well put-together arc.

It's supplemented by three one-shots, all written by Gage, that were designed to keep material on the shelves when Warren Ellis was late with scripts.  Each focuses on a different character, and for the most part they're cute.  They're not in any way SI-related, but I guess they fit here as well as they would anywhere.

The art varies.  None of it is up to Deodato's standard but none of it is bad either.  

the verdict:  Skippable but not bad.  It's essentially filler material but fairly well-done for those who like that sort of thing.

justice league of america: sanctuary

by Alan Burnett, Dwayne McDuffie, Ed Benes & more

collects Justice League of America # 17-21

the premise: A group of villains seek out the JLA for protection against the Suicide Squad, which wants to exile them to a prison planet.  Plus: solo stories spotlighting the Flash and the Human Flame.

the lowdown:  Boy, it's really not hard to see the problem here, is it?

This collection opens with a three part arc guest-written by Burnett, in which the JLA becomes aware of the Salvation Run planet and squares off with the Suicide Squad.  It's a story that was bound to be told at some point.  Not much actually gets accomplished in the arc, though, so while it makes sense that the JLA would be involved, their presence to the meta-plot is more or less inconsequential.  Burnett plots it competently enough, though apparently no one bothered to tell him that Black Canary is the current leader of the team.  

This arc is drawn by Ed Benes, whose work grates on me more and more.  He clearly is talented, and is serving his fanbase well, I'm sure - but I'm not in the target audience.

The three Salvation Run issues feature backups by McDuffie, and appear to be designed only to tease later arcs on the book.  They're fine, but a distraction interspersed as they are with the Squad plot.  McDuffie returns on the final two issues, both one-shots.  Those are drawn by Ethan Van Sciver and Carlos Pacheco and look terrific.  But at their heart they're really just placeholders designed to tease other storylines.

And that's the problem with this book.  Here's a five-issue collection - the first three issues show part of a meta-plot that plays out in another book.  The fourth comes closest to actually being a complete story but really just plays off events in Flash's title.  The fifth is a setup for Final Crisis.  Nowhere in this book do any of the writers actually tell THEIR stories.  This is one of DC's flagship books, and it's been almost entirely subjugated to editorial meta-plots.  The people dictating plots to Dwayne McDuffie aren't as creative as McDuffie is, and they don't know how to construct a story like he does.

the verdict:  I have already pre-ordered the next volume, so I'll be around for that.  Barring something unforeseen that will be it for me.  Not recommended.

criminal vol. 4: bad night

by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips

collects Criminal v. 2 # 4-7

the premise:  An acquitted alleged murderer turned cartoonist has a chance encounter with a dangerous woman who spends his life spiraling out of control.

the lowdown:  Man, if there was ever a terrific palette cleanser after two weeks of Skrull comics, this one was it.  This book absolutely hits the spot.

I've sung the praises of Criminal before, but this is the best volume yet.  This time around Brubaker and Phillips spin a classic noir tale, complete with a likeable but flawed protagonist and a femme fatale that makes him nuts.  You keep rooting for them to succeed even though you know they can't possibly.  You root for the hero to get the girl even though you know she's ridiculously bad for him.  It takes skill to suck the reader into this world, to engage them in a way that makes them hope for an outcome even though they know going in it won't happen.

And if that's not enough, Brubaker also plays with the reader's perceptions in a way very similar to what he did in Point Blank, teasing the reader into seeing a straightforward caper plot even though there's something else lurking beneath the surface.  Even the end of this little drama isn't what you expect.

Phillips' art is a huge part of this book's success.  He can give you hard edges and dark noir one moment, and a sexy femme fatale the next.  He can show you the same characters in different ways in different scenes, just by subtly altering his style, the lighting, or what have you.  These guys have worked together for so long now that they're a well-oiled machine.  Even the book's few flaws (a few too many coincidences in the plot) are easy to overlook, because what the book does well, it does REALLY well.

the verdict:  Exceptional work.  This is the best volume to date of a series that's always been really good.  Highly recommended.

secret invasion

by Brian Michael Bendis & Leinel Yu

collects Secret Invasion # 1-8

the premise:  The Skrull invasion of Earth, teased for months, is underway.  The Avengers - New, Mighty, and otherwise - must rally from internal turmoil and overwhelming odds to protect Earth.

the lowdown:  This is me exhaling after two weeks of Skrull posts.  There is actually one other of the tie-in books I'll be reviewing in awhile, but this marks the end of the Skrull marathon.  Not a moment too soon.  Actually more than a few moments too late.

There's not a ton I can say about this book that Abhay Khosla didn't already say better over at Savage Critics.  It's a decent widescreen action story with nice art from Yu.  It's got a lot of big "moments" where continuity-altering stuff happens.  It sets up a new status quo for, apparently, virtually every Marvel book being published.  A book like this can be evaluated in two ways, and a lot of times the discussions about these books get bogged down as people mix the two.

The first is whether the story itself holds up, is well-told, etc.  This story has some problems in that regard.  It starts off quite well, with a slam-bang first chapter filled with explosions and reveals.  As it progresses, though, the story seems to collapse under its own weight.  Page after page of the Young Avengers?  I read the first volume of that book 4-5 years ago - I don't even remember who those characters are, and I don't need them taking up space in the middle of what has been a Grownup Avengers story from the get-go.  Captain Marvel?  Why, exactly?  Not needed for the through-line of the main plot, thus not welcome.

The storytelling also gets quite wonky in the last chapter, as the Skrulls unleash their master plan - which seems to be strange black dots that cause pain of some sort.  But never fear - the black dots can be stopped by... spinning... or something.  It's very unclear.  Maybe that's what Bendis was shooting for - a kind of man on the street perspective - after all, if you were in the middle of the battle you'd probably be confused too - but in a story where everything else is spelled out that just seems weird.

The second way to look at these stories is as a bridge to whatever new status quo they're trying to establish.  It's more of a results-oriented approach.  The end result of this story is a status quo that's at least moderately interesting - but seriously: how stupid are the people in the Marvel Universe?  They thought Captain America was a war criminal, but friggin' green aliens show up in warships and they're ready to accept them as the new leaders of the planet?  I won't spoil the twist at the end, even though I'm sure most people have had it spoiled already, but I ask you - if  O.J. Simpson happens to kill a bad guy while he's in jail, will he return to his status as a national hero?  And if the answer to that is "no", then how in the HELL does the end of this story make any sense?  It's a neat premise, but the means they used to get there only works if literally everyone in the Marvel Universe is a complete moron.

the verdict:  If you've enjoyed the last few years of Avengers stories, as I have, you'll want to pick this up to see the resolution of the big meta-plot.  This is not, however, a particularly wonderful story.  It's very flawed in many respects, and I can already feel it starting to age badly.

mighty avengers vol. 4: secret invasion book 2

by Brian Michael Bendis, Koi Pham & more

collects Mighty Avengers # 16-20

the premise:  Find out when and how the Skrulls replaced Elektra.  See Hank Pym suck even when he's a Skrull!  Plus: in the aftermath of the invasion, the heroes bury one of their own.

the lowdown:  Oh ye gods, this event is just too large.

It's my own fault, really.  No one put a gun to my head and forced me to buy all this stuff.  I was totally digging this stuff until I OD'd on it for two solid weeks.   Now even Skrullnut is bored.

This book has a few interesting ideas.  A few.  The notion that replacing Hank Pym with a Skrull is problematic because the Skrull will eventually go nuts due to Pym's suckitude is pretty good.  The funeral issue isn't terrible.  

But I'm sorry - the rest of it is total continuity pr0n, and not the good kind of pr0n with Jenna Jameson.  It's the bad kind of pr0n with John Wayne Bobbit.  It's bizarro pr0n.  It's n0rp.

There's a Mar-vell issue that doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  There's Elektra getting replaced - sometime.  It's filler - and it's filler that they charge $20 to read.  Even Pham's art is uninspired.  They should've just published Secret Invasion in this title and in Mighty Avengers and skipped all this "where was Elektra during House of M" stuff.  Maybe that wouldn't have sold as well, but it would have worked better creatively.

the verdict:  Avoid.  Hank Pym sucks - I just told you everything you need to know.  Avoid.

secret invasion: amazing spider-man

by Brian Reed, Marco Santucci, Mark Guggenheim & Mike McKone

collects Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man # 1-3 & Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2008

the premise:  A Skrull shows up looking for Spider-Man, but he's not around, and it's up to Jackpot to save the DB staff.  Plus: Jackpot revealed!

the lowdown:  I suppose they wanted a SI trade with Spidey's name on it, so here we go.  Spider-Man doesn't actually appear in the lead story, since he's off in the Savage Land with the Avengers, though.  Instead we get Jackpot and Menace.

Despite that, this isn't a bad little action story.  I'm still not real sure why there's a single Skrull in NY, or why he cares about Spider-Man, but if you just go with that part, it's actually not a bad ride.  Reed's script is a good bit crisper than his other work has been, and he does one of the best jobs I've seen of showing the proverbial "man on the street" and his reaction while the Skrulls explode everything.  Like many of the tie-ins, it's not really dependent on the Skrulls per se - you could replace them with Venom and not lose much.

The annual by Guggenheim and McKone reveals the secret ID of Jackpot, and explains the mystery surrounding her.  McKone does a nice job maintaining visual continuity with Santucci (though that's probably just a happy coincidence), but the reveal itself is a little flat.  They tell you up front that Jackpot isn't who you think she is - which is fine - but then they don't really make her anyone interesting.  This plot ends with a fizzle.

the verdict:  Not really "required reading" for Spidey fans, but it is a pretty good look at some of the supporting characters.  Mildly recommended.

secret invasion: black panther

by Jason Aaron & Jefte Palo

collects Black Panther # 39-41

the premise:  Wait for it... wait for it... Skrulls!  Versus the Black Panther!

the lowdown:  This was my first Black Panther comic ever.  I think I read about him in one issue of Avengers back when Roy Thomas was writing the book, but no mas.  I picked this one up entirely because of Jason Aaron's name in the credits.

And what I got was a cool little story about war in Wakanda, with Black Panther, Storm and the rest of the nation trying to avoid being conquered for the first time in their history.  It kind of reminds me of workplaces that have signs up showing how long it's been since their last occupational accident - except this time, with Skrulls!  Moreso than any of the tie-ins I've read, though, this story stands on its own as a nice complete tale, with more than a few twists and turns.  It's quite satisfying.

Some of that credit must go to Palo, whose work I encountered here for the first time.  He has a minimalist style reminiscent of Michael Lark or Alex Maleev.  He's not at those guys' level yet, but he shows a ton of promise here.  I understand he's moved over to Moon Knight, and I look forward to following him over.

Biggest complaint this time would be the length - 3 issues is not a proper collection.  They did fill out the book with some creator interviews, which was actually interesting to me given my, ahem, limited knowledge of Black Panther.  Priest's interview makes me want to go find his run.  Don't be surprised if those trades show up on the Berg at some point.

the verdict:  Skrullnut says to check this one out.  It's a nice introduction to the Black Panther and his mythos, and a pretty good war story in its own right.

secret invasion: war machine

by Christos Gage & Sean Chen

collects Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #33-35 & Iron Man v. 1 # 144

the premise:  With Tony Stark seemingly dead, War Machine is called to the front lines (in.. uh.. Russia) to fight Skrulls.

the lowdown:  OK, now we *finally* find out what War Machine was up to when... wait... oh yeah, no one really cares about War Machine.  

That's overly harsh.  I don't *care* about War Machine, but I do think he's kind of cool, and so I picked this up to read three issues of War Machine shooting stuff and being shot at.  And this book delivers.  Introspection?  Who needs it?  This is the Secret Invasion tie-in that really doesn't need Skrulls in order to work.  The enemy could be pretty much anyone, and the story would be unchanged.  War Machine shoots lots of stuff, and some of it blows up.

Plus: the Winter Guard appears, and I think the Winter Guard is kind of cool too.  So there's that, even if they do end up at odds with Rhodey for reasons that are kind of dumb.  

The art is by Sean Chen, who turns in his usual good work.  Workmanlike, maybe, but he never detracts from the script, and frankly looks more polished here than he did on Salvation Run.

To fill out the trade Marvel included a classic Michelinie/ Layton/ JrJr Iron Man issue detailing how he met Rhodey.  Well, after finishing up the storyline that had been running in the title for the prior few issues.  It's kind of odd, really, but I was reading the title when that issue first came out and thought it was odd then too.

the verdict:  If you like stories about people with lots of weapons shooting stuff, this could be the book for you.  I liked it.  It won't be winning any awards but it was fun.

avengers the initiative vol. 3: secret invasion

by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Stefano Caselli & Harvey Tolibao

collects Avengers: The Initiative # 14-19

the premise:  The Skrull infiltration of Camp Hammond stands revealed, leaving the shell-shocked Initiative to combat fifty states worth of Skrulls.

the lowdown:  Neat cover, huh?  It's by Mark Brooks and IMO looks really good.  I've managed to convince my kids that the dog has been replaced by a Skrull.  Normally he is named Peanut, but we've taken to calling him Skrullnut.  It's possible this Skrull thing has finally broken me.

In any event, this volume sees the Initiative dealing with the fallout of having its fearless leader revealed as a Skrull.  After War Machine leaves to go take over Iron Man's series (check back tomorrow), the rest of the group, plus the Skrull Kill Krew and the new 3D-Man, try to take out the remaining Skrulls before they can.. do something bad... with the various HQs around the country.

Sounds dumb, I know, but it's actually not bad at all.  This has become a rather enjoyable book about c and d-list Marvel characters, and it's gotten far enough into the series that it's developed a pretty nice rhythm.  It's still very old-school but less so this time around (perhaps because the New Warriors are gone - they suck BTW).  

The art is a hodgepodge this time around.  Tolibao draws three of the issues, and while he's no Caselli he does nice work.  His work here reminds me of Scott Kolins before Kolins just went bezerk with his figure design.  In time I think Tolibao could evolve into a similar artist.  Steve Kurth also does one issue.

the verdict:  An enjoyable if goofy action comic.  It makes nice use of the Skrull plot but manages to tell its own story.  Recommended.

new avengers vol. 9: secret invasion book 2

by Brian Michael Bendis, Billy Tan & more

collects New Avengers # 43-47

the premise:  The story behind the story continues.  Learn what the Skrulls were up to during House of M.  Learn how they figured out how to be undetectable.  Learn what the villains were up to in the meantime.

the lowdown:  {looks around}  Yup, still Skrully around here.  This volume features four more stories about what happened before the Skrull invasion, with one present-day between the moments story (albeit with copious flashbacks) featuring Cage and Jessica Jones.

Stretching these behind-the-scenes moments into two volumes (four if you count the Mighty Avengers tomes) was not the best idea.  There are exactly two questions posed here that are pretty interesting - what happened with the Skrulls during House of M, and how did the villains get involved with the plot.  The first of those questions is an intriguing bit of continuity pr0n, but the answer is wholly unsatisfactory.  Basically they didn't do anything.  They tried to do some stuff, but not really.  That's it.  22 pages it takes for them to tell us that (well, 21 and then on the last page we all learn about Annihilation).

The villain plotline is moderately interesting but not really an integral part of the overarching story - frankly the Hood and his minions could have been left completely out of the story and it wouldn't have lost anything.  And that really underlines the whole problem with these stories.  They're not strong enough to stand on their own; they're only appealing as filler for the real story taking place in another title.

The Cage/ Jessica story has some neat flashbacks by Michael Gaydos, but is very out of place with the rest of the book.  It reads like an issue of Alias (which in and of itself isn't a bad thing, seeing as how I loved Alias), but with a crossover tagged onto the end.  

Most of the art this time around is by Tan, who is okay but really not the strongest artist this book has had.  He has a very 90's Marvel look to his work - OK if you're into that, but not really what I'd prefer.  Jim Cheung does the House of M issue.

Also - does anyone else notice that Bendis' trademark dialogue patterns are nowhere in sight?  Not sure how I feel about that.  I get that his dialogue bugs some folks, but I like it, and it's really one of the draws of a Bendis-written book for me.  Having it vanish is.. I don't know.. unsatisfying.

the verdict:  Really only needed if you're very interested in what the Skrulls were up to in House of M.  I WAS interested in that - but they didn't actually do *anything*, it turns out.

mighty avengers vol. 3: secret invasion book 1

by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev and more

collects Mighty Avengers # 12-15

the premise:  Learn what Nick Fury's been up to since Secret War.  Plus: the Skrulls plot against the Sentry and Hank Pym.

the lowdown:  Our extended look at Secret Invasion continues with a Mighty Avengers volume that doesn't feature the Mighty Avengers.  Seriously - one issue kind of has Sentry in it, and other than that, nada.  So fans who enjoyed the team from the first two volumes and were looking for more of that may be disappointed.

I, however, was not disappointed, because three of these four issues are quite good.  As with the New Avengers book we examined yesterday, this is pure, unadulterated continuity porn - its only real purpose is to fill in details in older issues.  But y'know, there's good pr0n and bad pr0n, and this is pretty good.  The first two issues are a Nick Fury story by Alex Maleev, and Bendis "gets" Fury really well.

The last story in the book is all about the Skrull Hank Pym, who.. doesn't suck?  Well, I guess he kind of still sucks, but on the scale of suckitude he's not nearly as bad as usual.  Bendis actually makes the Wasp look like the bad guy in their relationship, which is no mean feat where the John Ritter of superheroes is concerned.  Anyway, that story has some nice twists and does a nice job of showing the hand behind the curtain of some of the earlier arcs.

The Sentry story is kind of mediocre - really the only clunker in the book.

the verdict:  Nice work here - interesting background on Fury and Pym.  I enjoyed it.

new avengers vol. 8: secret invasion book 1

by Brian Michael Bendis, Jim Cheung and more

collects New Avengers # 38-42

the premise:  Luke Cage and Jessica Jones struggle with their relationship amidst Skrull paranoia.  The Skrulls come for Echo.  Plus: details of the early days of the Skrull invasion - and the truth about the Savage Land and SHIELD.

the lowdown:  Fair warning - the blog may be a little Skrully for the next few weeks.  I'm finally working my way through Secret Invasion and its various tie-ins (well, some of them, cause geez), and they present some unique challenges for a tradewaiter.  The New and Mighty Avengers issues in particular were designed to run parallel to the main series, so I'm attempting to read them in that order.  Which is hard since it's a bunch of different books.  Props to Chad Nevett (link on the right) for doing a post with a recommended reading order.

In any event, these five issues give us some of the backstory behind the Skrull invasion.  It begins with a Cage/ Jessica issue by Michael Gaydos, which is nicely done and plays into the pre-invasion paranoia quite nicely.  This is followed by a decent but forgettable Echo story by David Mack, and then three issues dealing with the early days of the invasion, by Cheung and Billy Tan.  The latter issues are pretty plainly continuity porn, but for whatever reason I'm enthralled by them.  I suppose that speaks to the execution of the earlier parts of the story, some of which are only now paying off.  

As a collection the book ends up a little disjointed, though, for the same reason the Civil War volume did - there's really not a story here, just vignettes or odds and ends.  They're interesting odds and ends, but if you're looking for something meatier, you may be disappointed.

the verdict:  A fun diversion, some pretty good continuity porn.  Engaging enough to keep me coming back.  Skippable if you're not into the whole SI meta-plot though.

the walking dead vol. 9: here we remain

by Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard

collects The Walking Dead # 49-54

the premise:  Rick & Carl try to pick up the pieces after fleeing the prison, but both have been horribly scarred by their experiences.  Plus: a new direction, and a cast of new characters.

the lowdown:  So I supposed Kirkman thought things had become a little too pat - thus the massive shakeup at the end of volume 8.  This latest volume deals, in part, with the fallout from those events, with both Rick and Carl getting a good bit of screentime.  That's nothing new for Rick, of course, but we see a good bit more of Carl this time around than usual.  The way their stories are developed isn't exactly subtle - subtlety really isn't Kirkman's thing - but they're pretty compelling nonetheless.

One thing that has become abundantly clear is that Kirkman has very little in the way of a long term plan for this series.  This isn't long-form storytelling at all - it's a soap opera that happens to have zombies in it.  The changes in direction frankly are too jarring to be planned.  I will confess to some mild disappointment at that realization.   Some of the events this time around remind me of Y - The Last Man, but it was always clear in Y that BKV put everything in the book for a reason.  I'm not sure that's true of Kirkman.  It reads more like he's, to coin a phrase, making it up as he goes along.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course, so long as it stays interesting.  And so far it has.  One just wonders how long this can go before it gets repetitive and hopelessly bleak.  Already it's a pretty downbeat comic - at what point does it become pointlessly so?  I'm not sure - it hasn't happened yet but I think it might eventually.

the verdict:  Another enjoyable volume, subject to the above caveats.  

shadowpact: the burning age

by Matt Sturges, Phil Winslade and more

collects Shadowpact # 20-25

the premise:  Nightmaster learns his destiny in the Nightshade Dimension.  Plus: the Phantom Stranger gathers Shadowpacts from all eras to fight a massive threat to the world.

the lowdown:  Geez, I kinda feel like a Matt Sturges mark lately - he's been all over the 'berg.  Coincidence, I assure you.

Anyway, this is the fourth and final volume of the Shadowpact series, and it wraps up most of the plotlines in two final arcs.  The first deals with the team (or a portion of it) being stuck in the Nightshade Dimension, and is focused heavily on Nightmaster.  It's the better of the two.

The second is a little weaker, featuring the Stranger recruiting bunches of Shadowpact teams, including ours.  Kind of a neat premise, but the other 'pacts are really just ciphers, and you end up with a lot of random characters cluttering up the page.  It does, however, feature Blue Devil pretty heavily, so it's not a total loss.  Sturges proves himself to be a really old school Blue Devil fan, which is cool for the other three old school Blue Devil fans (i.e. me and two of my aliases).

Winslade draws the entirety of the final arc, and does his usual good work.  The first arc has each issue drawn by someone different, but the styles are similar enough that it works.

the verdict:  I'll miss this book.  This was a fun use of some d-list DC characters, and it rarely failed to entertain.  As it is, it had a nice 25 issue run and 4 TPBs.  Nice work that can be read without having to also read 47 other books to understand what's going on.