X-Men Second Coming #2: It is with great, great pleasure that I review this book, primarily because it ends my sixteen week marathon of reviewing X-Books and also because it was actually a fair solid bookend. Where Second Coming #1 was the launch title, #2 is a nice little anthology that wraps up the remaining plot threads while laying out the new status quos for the X-Books. The reveals here aren't anything surprising, but the writing is solid through and through. Way back in like week six I complained how Matt Fraction handled the funeral interlude and Mike Carey's bit here further exposed its awkwardness. The last page of this issue concludes a storyline that has been on-going for five years now and it is definitely going to be interesting to see not only what comes next, but how we look back at world where there were "No More Mutants." While the mystery surrounding Hope Summers is slowly becoming clearer, the future of the X-Men remains murkier than ever. The new X-Force looks like it could be highly entertaining though. B+
Avengers Academy #2: Two issues in and I really love this book. I've been a strong proponent of Christos Gage for awhile now and it is good to see him finally penning a series that clearly has his fingerprints all over it. I'm digging the new characters and while there are already some strong voices, each one is unique and fresh enough to not fade into the background just yet. The kids are definitely the hook for the book, so it is hard to keep in mind that the mentoring Avengers are also important figures here as well, and Gage brings them to the forefront here addressing some of Quicksilver's drama in a fun way. A lot of credit to Gage too for keeping this book interesting by doing a lot of different things. A nice mix of character interaction, action, flashbacks and forward movement blend well to produce an excellent second issue. Although admittedly I'm a bit nervous that they are launching into a crossover after 2 issues, but Jeff Parker is a talent, so we'll see what happens. Mike McKone continues to guide this book with his talents as an artist and as a storyteller, constantly keeping the pages moving in different ways and keeping the eyeball engaged, even if his faces can get a little wonky. They can cancel Atlas all they want, but I don't know how they could even dream of canceling this book. The first three pages of Avengers Academy alone will haunt JT Krul and Joe Casey's dreams for years to come. A-
Invincible Iron Man #28: Sometimes I wonder if I could just trade Matt Fraction $2.99 for a copy of the script instead of the issue. I love comics but I'd almost prefer the novella considering I only read the words. Larocca draws perfectly suitable Iron Men and Iron Men action scenes, but a majority of the book is usually talking heads and they always look goofy. I've heard that the fault lies primarily with D'Armata, the colorist, but my problems tend to be with the entire visual package. Regardless, whatever has gotten into Fraction recently has been fantastic. I didn't particularly enjoy World's Most Wanted or Stark Disassembled but I am absolutely loving Stark Resilient: it is funny, action packed, developing Tony's new status quo in a significant fashion and really reads a comic featuring a science action hero should. It always seems to drift towards the middle or bottom of my stack, but Iron Man continues to be some of the best treatment the character has received in recent memory. B
Batman #701: I love Grant Morrison. His Batman run continues to be one of the best stories that has been produced in comics and I cannot even imagine what will have come to pass by the time it is all said and done. Revisiting the conclusion of the R.I.P. storyline from Bruce's perspective almost two years after it wraps, G-Mo continues to frame some of the recent Batman and Robin threads that people have been theorizing about since the Return of Bruce Wayne began by showing us that Bruce actually knew about some of them even if Grayson and Co didn't. Admittedly this issue is a bit shallow for those whole have been pouring over the issues, but excellently spells out the ending of R.I.P. for those who had some difficulty with it, however it is still enjoyable even though it feels like some practice work for Bruce's return as Bruce. Tony Daniel's art continues to improve and looks worlds better than it did at the time of R.I.P. I've been a slow convert to his work and now that he'll be continuing on the book as both the writer and artist, I can look forward to his next arc. Overall, another superb chapter in one of the best Batman stories ever told. B+
Amazing Spider-Man #637: Holy Geez this book was insane. The final issue of The Gauntlet/Grim Hunt was definitely a doozy as Joe Kelly wraps everything up in an explosive fashion. For some reason I find a weird enjoyment in the stories where Peter gives in and becomes "The Spi(y)der" and this was no exception. Pushed to the limit by Kraven's clan, he finally has enough and goes off the rails to end this once and for all. I won't say too much as I try my best to stay committed to my "No Spoilers" policy, but this issue was absolutely top notch from beginning to end. Michael Lark killed it, and Kelly wrote a bonkers script. A worthy successor to Kraven's Last Hunt indeed. A+
X-Force - Sex and Violence #1: Over a year after its announcement, this book has finally dropped and while the plot is paper thin, it is definitely one of the most beautiful comics I have seen this year. Gabriele Dell'Otto's talent as a painter and storyteller puts DC's painting talent to shame and even though his pace is slow, his work is GORGEOUS. There is not a page in this comic that isn't amazingly illustrated, colored and rendered. A perfect summer popcorn comic. The art alone gets it an A- even though Michael Bay movies have more plot.
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