Every comic you've read in 2016

[Missy]

Under Siege made me love The Wrecking Crew. Until that book, I thought they were a bunch of losers with a construction theme, but man did they kick seven shades of crap out of everyone.

[Missy]

1872 #1-4: By name and concept, this Secret Wars tie-in will suffer lasting comparisons to Marvel 1602. Some will be unfair, while others are rightly justified, but, if nothing else, it is a very loving tribute to Marvel's comic book roots. From the dusty town named Timely to the series being a Western tale, there are a lot of Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the four issues. Beyond the nods and references, though, 1872 is worth a lazy Sunday read. While the characters aren't all that deep and might be too similar to their in-continuity counterparts, it's fun seeing Steve Rogers as a sheriff and Tony Stark as the good-hearted town drunk. Red Wolf, however, is too clichéd for my liking. He's the local Native America who learns to be a good, honorable man by following in the footsteps of his white savior / mentor. He even sets aside his aspiration of destroying the dam (which has cutoff water to his tribe) in order to finish said savior's tasks. It's not cringe-worthy, but I wasn't pleased with that aspect of the story.

Nik Virella (Hyperion) brings the town to life without relying too heavily on every Western trope we've seen since the dawn of cinema. The town is dusty and dirty, yes, but the Marvel flairs -- as seen on characters and the buildings -- add to the love letter that this book, at its core, is to Marvel Comics. Anyone familiar with Marvel, through the comics or movies, will be able to point out Steve, Tony, Natasha, and others, but Virella's touches make them feel as if they actually belong in 1872 rather than 2016.

Comics: 171

[Dread]

Sheriff of Babylon #5: consistently one of the best comics out there.

Spider-Man #3: pretty solid even though there isn't a lot of SM.

Street Fighter x GI Joe #2: ok, I'm done. It isn't even trying.

Survivor's Club #7: I'm officially done now. Should have quit like three issues ago.

The Fix #1: fucking delightful. Same team as Superior Foes and Astonishing Ant-Man so no surprise there.

The X-Files Deviations #1: Fox Mulder was taken by aliens instead of his sister. His sister then joined the FBI and took on XFiles. Seems a little...neat. No good.

Comics: 460
Trades: 18

Graphic Novels: 13

Omnibuses: 7

[Venneh]

Sheriff of Babylon #5: consistently one of the best comics out there.

Survivor's Club #7: I'm officially done now. Should have quit like three issues ago.

The Fix #1: fucking delightful. Same team as Superior Foes and Astonishing Ant-Man so no surprise there.

 

I'm THIS close to putting Sheriff on my pull. I ended up dropping SC and I'm just gonna read it on the trade, it feels like it'll work better in one shot rather than month to month. And yeah, I kind of fucking love the Fix already. 

[Koete]

So you guys are saying The Fix...is in?

[Missy]

The Fix #1: Well, that was fucking awesome. It's like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, but set in a modern LA crime story. I'm in big time. 

Comics: 172

[Davedevil]

Flash #50 - Fun issue, setting up what should be an interesting story. Love the art, especially the pages by Paul Pelletier.

Harley's Little Black Book #3 - Solid team-up. Not sure if it needs the expanded page count, but it's still enjoyable. The art by Linsner is fantastic.

Godzilla Oblivion #2 - This is really good. 

Captain Marvel #4 - Entertaining enough but it's lacking. Good art by Anka and Felipe Smith.

Silk #7 - Provides some nice character moments for Silk as well as progressing the Spider-Women story a bit. Decent art but not the best.

Star Wars Obi-Wan and Anakin #4 - Pretty strange in that it feels that the main plot is dropping the Star Wars characters in a mecha video game. Not necessarily bad, just different. Still pretty good. Checchetto can do no wrong with the art.

[Missy]

Ultimates #1-6: Though there's a big part of me that wishes this was the Fantastic Four, I'm enjoying it for its own virtues: Kenneth Rocafort's mind-blowing designs and page layouts, Al Ewing's universe-bending ideas, and its references to Secret Wars. Sadly, though, I do not find myself connecting with the characters, which is the same problem I had with Ewing's New Avengers; though he's able to pull off his grand ideas, his characters don't fully gel as a team, and I'm not connecting with them as individuals. Don't get me wrong, it's a damn fine book and I will stick with it, I just hope something clicks, character wise, soon.  

Comics: 178

[Venneh]

Kat and Mouse vols 2-4: Just a really fun, cute read that you can probably find for under $10 total (because Tokyopop from back in the day). Does some really good stuff with humaninzing most of the "mean girls", with a dose of science, and middle school girls being middle school girls. 

The Sheriff of Babylon 5: So glad this got extended out, as I have a feeling this issue was maybe a small part of an issue originally, but here it got extended out to be an entire issue by itself. It's just two people talking, but they drop some major bombs, backstory wise. And the color work here is fantastic, and the art is wonderful as always. 

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl 3-6: Random ass time travel done Ryan North style, and the beginning of the Howard the Duck crossover, which works pretty well, all things considered. Fun read, nothing I need to follow month to month, but fun to catch up on here and there. 

Howard the Duck 3-6: Again, playing catchup here on the remnants of the crazy ass space arc and the crossover with Squirrel Girl. Zdarsky is really good at cosmic hilarity, with the occasional bit of pathos. Quinones' art is solid, not anything that particularly stands out, but nice. 

Single Issues: 205
TPBs/Collections: 60
Digital First Issues: 10

Edited May 2, 2016 by Venneh

[Missy]

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1-4: This is (almost) exactly what I always thought a Rorschach adventure would look and feel like. Set in late 1970s New York, Lee Bermejo is one of the few artists with the pure talent to bring that scummy era to life without diving headfirst into cartoony clichés. Rorschach, himself, is perfectly represented through his journals, actions, and voice; his mission is unwavering, even at the cost of himself. Brian Azzarello does a good job representing the character and city for what they are: broken, burning trash heaps. His only misstep was the final issue, in which the otherwise badass, Vietnam vet, streetwise gang leader turns into an insane, prancing Bond villain. There is literally no reason for him to do anything he does in that issue. And the way Rorschach survives? Bull and shit. He might not have Batman-level skills when it comes to planning, but he's dead if not for narrative convenience. (While I see the parallels with Bubastis, it wasn't needed in this story.) In many ways, much as Alan Moore was persuaded from using the Charlton characters, creating his own with them as a template, I wish this was not Rorschach and Azzarello was allowed to have the masked hero killed and hacked to bits by the end. That would have better fit this ruthless world than the plot saving the day.

Despite my gripes with the last issue, this lines up well with the original series and looks so damn amazing.

Comics: 182

[Missy]

Black Widow #3: Widow's movements are perfectly cinematic, the ballet / fight scene was a masterstroke in storytelling, and the flashbacks are weaved in seamlessly. I'm not sure this is worth a monthly purchase, but it will make for a wonderful collection.

Scarlet Witch #6: Though the story won't change your world, Marguerite Sauvage's art make this worth the price of admission. I'll be keeping an eye open for her.

The Punisher #1: Becky Cloonan writes a perfectly acceptable Punisher story, however absolutely nothing new is brought to the table. The DEA has been on a case for months, The Punisher kills the gun- / drug-runners before they can be arrested, an old war buddy makes himself known, and Steve Dillon draws it. Hell, even the final page is a reveal out of the Garth Ennis playbook. Read it if you want a Punisher fix, but your back issues will serve the same purpose.

X-Men '92 #3: I should not be enjoying this book as much as I am, but here we are.

Poe Dameron #2: Despite saying I was going to wait for a few more issues before I returned to Poe, I am so damn glad I went against myself. With the introduction of Agent Terex, this just became an action comedy. Imagine if Batroc the Leaper led Hydra on a mission, 'cause that's what we have here. He's a smooth-as-silk scoundrel who enjoys life and loves to fight, but he's also a nasty piece of work who means every word he says. I want a miniseries featuring Terex's adventures. Also, Stormtroopers with jet packs. Oh yeah!

Comics: 187

[Dan]

Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1: collects the Batman stories from Detective Comics #27-56, New York World's Fair Comics #2, and World's Best/Finest Comics #1-3, as well as Batman #1-7.

This comic starts off really strange and interesting and gets more middle-of-the-road the further you delve into it. As amateurish as the really early stuff is - it seriously reminded me at times of the comics my friends and I would draw in high school - it's definitely done with a lot of enthusiasm, and the dark tone and inherent weirdness of the early Batman is entertaining as hell. This is the Batman you always heard about, breaking goons' necks and raining fiery death from the skies like the Shadow ripoff he so clearly is. As things progress, and things get a little more toned down, the slow evolution from grim avenger to Uncle Batman is pretty much complete by the end of the book. The introduction of Robin after a year or so is the most obvious signpost; they try to keep Batman dark and scary for another issue or two, but it's very clear right away that it isn't working anymore with this little kid dressed in primary colors cracking jokes next to him the whole time. By the end, Batman fights crime not out of vengeance or drive, but because he's having a ball doing it. At no point does he ever really start working with the police, but by Batman #7 he has a fairly good relationship with the cops, whereas even a few months before he was still a wanted vigilante trying to avoid arrest (even if cops would, from time to time, let him walk so long as he knocked them out so Gordon wouldn't find out). The really interesting thing is Robin; yes, there's a certain amount of "Boy Hostage" here, but Dick spends a lot of time on his own, doing the bulk of the detective work while Bruce is nowhere to be seen. Whenever Robin is by himself, he's completely capable of cracking skulls and handling pretty much anything; it's just when Batman is around that he starts to need rescuing. It's the Golden Age, so there's pretty crude art (in the stories Kane himself actually drew, it's clear he only knows how to draw three poses and uses them over and over again), simplistic stories, and a not-zero amount of racism, but the overall experience I had was pretty fun.

What I found telling was the credits; as contractually obligated, the phrase "Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger" is gotten out of the way immediately. After that, every single time the creators are mentioned, Bill Finger comes first. Every time. And then in the table of contents, it opens with "All stories by Bill Finger and Bob Kane unless otherwise noted", followed by three pages of credits where virtually every single story has other peoples' names on them. Gardner Fox wrote a handful, and Whitney Ellsworth wrote one; otherwise this is all Finger. The art, on the other hand, almost always reads "Inked by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson and George Roussos", where even DC at this point is saying to the reader, "Look, we all know Kane didn't touch 95% of this stuff, right? We credit Kane as the penciler because Jack Liebowitz signed something 75 years ago that says we have to, but seriously, we can just take it as read that Jerry penciled and George inked everything, yes?"

Also, this book features Detective Comics #54, which has probably the ugliest, most amateurish cover ever scrawled and then slapped on the cover of a magazine printed and distributed by a professional publishing company. This is the biggest scan I could find, so it's not immediately apparent, but this looks like it was done by a ten-year-old.

[Professor]

Avengers West Coast #102 - Why? Because the line at the drive-thru was that long and this was in my car.  While I have read very little Avengers (and less West Coast), this was not completely lost on me.  Granted, I knew that West Coast lead into Force Works, so maybe that helped.  That said, every Coast of Avengers come of as complete assholes.  It is an all talk final issue that does not entice me to pick up the next series at all.  When New Mutants #100 ended, it was a 'oh shit' moment that made me need to get X-Force #1.  This had Wonder Man look sad.  Sign me up.

[Koete]

it opens with "All stories by Bill Finger and Bob Kane unless otherwise noted", followed by three pages of credits where virtually every single story has other peoples' names on them.

Love it. 

[Missy]

Batman Beyond #12: Apparently Terry is dead and Tim Drake is the new Batman. Also, Drake was never tortured by The Joker, but Tim was Red Robin in this version of the Batman Beyond continuity. That initial confusion aside, this is an okay issue but not one I could recommend for more than a glance here. And said glance is for Philip Tan who manages to add some energy to the story.

Detective Comics #52: Since when does Jim Gordon banter like 1950s Robin? Despite Fernando Pasarin's solid line work, I simply cannot figure out what's going on with the armor when it's in a fist fight. I don't blame him, though; it's the proportions of the suit and the shoulder-mounted turrets that throw me off. Anyway, another flip-through.

Thunderbolts (2016) #1: To quote Des, "I'm out." To expand upon that: Bucky and Moonstone are all "GRERRRERERERERR" at each other for no apparent reason other than the story needs drama; the little kid is full of "Look at me, I'm cutesy! He-he!" bullshit; the art is a weird mixture of Rob Liefeld and Brett Booth; and I can already see how the EXTREME~! cliffhanger will be rectified in the opening pages of the second issue. 

Comics: 190

[Dread]

Thunderbolts (2016) #1: To quote Des, "I'm out." To expand upon that: Bucky and Moonstone are all "GRERRRERERERERR" at each other for no apparent reason other than the story needs drama; the little kid is full of "Look at me, I'm cutesy! He-he!" bullshit; the art is a weird mixture of Rob Liefeld and Brett Booth; and I can already see how the EXTREME~! cliffhanger will be rectified in the opening pages of the second issue. 

Comics: 190

Hahaha! That one's on my "to read" list. I look forward to it (sarcasm).

 

[Missy]

Unfollow #1-7: Imagine if Steve Jobs founded Twitter and, on his deathbed, divided his fortune amongst 140 (seemingly) random people, all of whom he's invited to his private island. Also imagine he plants this little seed in their brains: As the 140 die off one by one, the fortune is then split between the remaining 139, then 138, 137, and so on. If this sounds like a The Most Dangerous Game / Battle Royale / Hunger Games ripoff, you'd be wrong. I thought that too, but Unfollow defied all expectations before the first storyline had wrapped up. Without spoiling too much, though people do begin to die and it would seem more will soon, it may or may not be at the hands to the other members of the so-called 140. Unfollow is a deep look at greed and the human spirit. It asks one to imagine how far they would go to not only protect their newfound fortune, but also how far they would go to amass more.

Initially I wasn't too keen on Mike Dowling's art. His lines were too thin and his faces a bit mushy for my liking. But as the story progressed and the characters grew, his style became perfect for the book and I now very much like what he's bringing to the table. His is a very down-to-earth style, which is perfect for the quiet character moments and shocking when violence falls upon the characters.

Issues six and seven are illustrated by RM Guera and Marguerite Sauvage respectively. These stories focus on two of the 140 rather than the world, and their talents are perfect for both of the spotlighted characters. Guera's heavy lines and stark violence best suits The Deacon's sad, dark world. Meanwhile, Sauvage beautifully soft European ascetic brings the fashion and glitz to Courtney's celebrity lifestyle.

The series is only seven issues in, and I the first trade (collecting #1-6) comes out in a few weeks. Give it a try. I think this might be the next big Vertigo darling.

Comics: 197

[Venneh]

Survivors Club 8: Well, I thought I dropped this, but apparently my guy didn't get the notice. Maybe it kicks in next month? Either way I guess I'm in this till the end now. And again, you can tell that they're trying their best to wrap it up in the space of two more issues, but man are they barreling along to try and do it. 

Boom!/Archaia FCBD Summer Blast: Combination of two Boom! original properties (Lumberjanes, Goldie Vance), two licensed properties (Adventure Time, Labyrinth), and two Archaia offerings (Mouse Guard, Cloud). Mouse Guard and Labyrinth are beautiful, Lumberjanes is as cute as ever, Goldie Vance is intriguing, as is Cloud, and Adventure Time is a thing that's there.

March FCBD: Black and white graphic novel offering done by John Lewis that's an autobiography of his time in the civil rights movement. Excerpts from the three volumes, the art by Aydin and Powell is gorgeous, will likely look at getting all three volumes once they're all out.

One Punch Man/My Hero Academia FCBD: Wrt One Punch Man: I definitely see what the fuss is about now. Looks fun, I'd probably pick up a volume of this if it were reasonably priced. My Hero Academia seems like a standard shounen manga take on X-Men. *shrug* 

DC Superhero Girls FCBD: Yeah, it's a tie in comic for a doll line, but it's actually pretty solid despite that? Like, nothing I'd go out of my way to pick up month to month, but definitely worth a read here and there. 

Attack on Titan Anthology FCBD: Previews of pieces from the full anthology. Looks to be taking place both in the world of the show, but also in the real world, in one of the more meta excerpts. Intriguing enough, will probably give it a page through when it's released. 

Kitaro: Birth of Kitaro FCBD: Looks like this was a FCBD offering from last year, but Drawn and Quarterly basically translates Kitaro's origin story (he was born of a mummy and a ghost after they died, and his dad regenerated his eyeball so he could be around his kid). Some beautiful linework, definitely worth checking out. 

Civil War II FCBD: ....Well, "Thanos! You're under arrest!" is sure a phrase that was said there. This is, as far as I can tell, probably an excerpt from the first issue, and it's... sure a thing that happens a lot. I look forward to the eventual tire fire. There's also an excerpt of them reintroducing a Wasp into the universe from All New All Different Avengers. She seems to have been a Russian superfan who basically helped herself to his life's work after he got dead? I don't even know. 

Alpha King 1: Picked this up at my comic guy's recommendation. Azzarello and Floyd write a weird ass meta comic about one of the characters featured on their (Three Floyds) brews, a king who's apparently hiding in the form of a mild mannered brewer who has his lady stolen by interdimensional mercenaries after him because of his beer, in something that only comes off as a slight power fantasy for Floyd, thanks to Azzarello. Simon Bisley does the art on it. ...I don't even know how this came about, but man, I kinda want to see how this plays out. 

Insexts 5: Alright, we get a bit more explanation of what's going on, and an awesome, intriguing new villain in the Hag and how she's using the men (and women) around our mains. Manages to veer nicely between the erotic and the straight up "what in the actual fuck". Kristiana's art is as gorgeous as ever. 

Cry Havoc 4: Okay, yeah, this is going full on meta up its own ass, but it's only six issues, so hopefully it manages to veer a bit away from this next issue. The different ways of bringing out Kelly's art as done by the colorists are still a neat touch. 

Ultimates 6: The story gets to take a bit of a breather as Ewing explains what the fuck is going on with Galactus these days, and brings in Christian Ward to do the art for the more cosmic issue here. Ward does real good in some moments, but not so good in others. It's still neat as hell to see him tackle Marvel cosmic, and hopefully as he refines his work a bit, he gets to do more and more stuff with them. 

Angela: Queen of Hel 7: Marguerite manages to wrap things nicely, get a goodbye in using a character that she clearly identifies with, and give everyone happy enough endings. Jacinto is still clearly struggling on the art here, but at the least Hans is there to draw some of the best parts of the issue, which I really appreciate. (Those flash forwards are clearly ways Margeurite was hoping to take the story at some point, but didn't quite get to. Would pay to see a one shot of that Guardians/Team Angela karaoke night.)

WicDiv 19: The plot deepens, we get some pretty goddamn awesome fight scenes from Jamie and Matt, and things are set up for what's going to be a pretty neat confrontation over the next few issues. Bring it, boys. (Also, goddamn, that variant.)

Single Issues: 219
TPBs/Collections: 60
Digital First Issues: 10

[Davedevil]

Hellboy Beyond the Fences #3 - I might get more out of this if I read more Hellboy, or even the 1950s miniseries, but it was still enjoyable. Love the Rivera art.

Batgirl #51 - Still feels like the old creative team's here somewhat, which is good for a transition to something new. 

Harley Quinn #27 - Fun. The Red Tool thing didn't click with me until they spelled it out, and I immediately felt dumb. Really like Timms' art, although some layouts were kinda confusing.

Spider-Woman #6 - Joelle Jones is just perfect for Jess Drew. Man, the art in this. This issue might be the strongest part of Spider-Women so far.

Star Wars #18 - A bit lacking in momentum, but I'm still enjoying this, mostly for the Yu art.

The Ultimates #6 - Beyond my letter being printed in this, I really liked this issue. Galactus takes on the status quo, quite literally. I haven't read much of anything with the Molecule Man, but I enjoyed his appearance here. Christian Ward's well-suited for this story.

Eleventh Doctor Year 2 #8 - Liked the stuff with Abslom Daak. Some really funny moments. The art was better than I've come to expect. Not that it's ever been bad, just not to my taste.

[Dread]

The Discipline #2: fuck I love this. Great horror. A little sleazy. Good stuff.

Transformers Deviations #1: I honestly can't remember a single panel of this and I read it like 3 days ago.

Uncanny Avengers #8: I could have skipped these UA tie-ins and would have missed nothing.

Unfollow #6: so fucking good.

Vampirella #2: eh...it's ok. I'll give it one more.

Vision #6: really fucking good.

4 Kids Walk Into a Bank #1: also ok. Maybe give it one more.

A&A The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #2: Goddammit, A&A was my favorite of the Valiant run, but this new series is lame, like a boring kids cartoon version of it. Lame.

Actionverse #1,2: interesting concept of multiple indie heroes crossing over. Interesting. Not great, but pretty good.

Agents of SHIELD #4: same with UA. Could have easily skipped it.

Aliens Salvation: not good.

All-New Wolverine #7: here's a shocker: I fucking hate Squirrel Girl. I also hate this issue. I'd rather read Deadpool. I'll read more of this series because of how great the first 6 issues were.

All-New X-Men #8: Solid.

ANAD Avengers #8: maybe the weakest issue yet. Not a fan.

Batman/TMNT #5: the only actual good thing was seeing the mutated Bat-villains.

Black Road #1: disappointing. Dependin on my mood at the time, I may give a second issue a shot.

Black Eyed Kids #1: cool and creepy

Bloodshot Reborn #12: awesome.

Captain America Road to War #1: dogshit.

Captain America Sam Wilson #8: less of the light tone than other issues, but still good.

Carnage #7: great to see Victoria Montesi, but overall not a good issue.

Clean Room #7: cool. redeeming.

Comics: 483
Trades: 18

Graphic Novels: 13

Omnibuses: 7

[Venneh]

All of the below will be discussed in more detail on a future episode of our still untitled segment, lol.

4001 FCBD: solid prelude story to lead nicely into 4001, previews for the new Archer and Armstrong, Divinity II, Faith, and Bloodshot Island (Bloodshot puppy!!). Has some one pagers for some intriguing stuff too. 

4001 AD 1: I am actually excited for a summer event comic. The hell is this shit? Continues threads from the last volume of Rai, and takes the fight back to Father, using a mech made from the Manowar armor. Also, new Japan becomes a giant goddamn space dragon. YEAH.

4001 AD: XO Manowar: Explains where that XO Manowar mech came from. Is basically built up to be Pacific Rim, but with the twist of massive failure at the end. Also explains why, say, no one tried to stop Father/New Japan.

Single Issues: 222
TPBs/Collections: 60
Digital First Issues: 10

 

Edited May 8, 2016 by Venneh

[Missy]

Black-Eyed Kids #1: There's not a lot going on here in terms of character- and world-building, but I enjoy the setup. The mystery has only just begun. Are they vampires (one clue suggests so), are they brainwashed, are they bewitched? I like not knowing, and I hope the book keeps it a mystery for a long time. Yet, I also hope we get to know some of these people, because I can't recall any names and I only just put the book down.

Szymon Kudranski's art is suitably creepy, in that its realism sets it here and now -- not in some far away fictional realm. This could be your neighborhood; this could be happening as we speak.

For some this might be a trade-wait, but I'll grab the next few issues.

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor (2016) #1: This was fun! There are lots of references to classic-era Who, a long-forgotten robotic foe returns (at least in name), I actually enjoyed the cliffhanger reveal, and the fan girl alien was cute. While this does seem to be a slight redressing of The One Doctor, I chalk that up to a coincidence; the idea of someone impersonating The Doctor can be rolled out every few years as far as I'm concerned. And, for the most part, Adriana Melo captures the overall look and feel of The Doctor, Rose, and Jack. A few panels are way too loose for my liking, but the look is a nice blend of realistic and fantastical.

Empress #1: Stuart Immonen can do no wrong, and I love the space adventure Mark Millar has crafted. Why pre-man Earth? Hopefully that will play out, otherwise it could be any planet.

Comics: 200

[Missy]

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #1: I can see young kids, especially young girls, devouring this series. Seven years after it was first released, it holds up in tone and art, which is always a plus with all-age comics. Too quickly they can become dated thanks to references to technology or social media. This one sidesteps that trope, focusing on Kara's outsider nature and setting it in a timeless world. I might read the remaining five issues, but not in one lump as, I suspect, kids would. Hitting one at a time, leaving breathing room between issues, is a good way for this 38 year old to enjoy the series.

Comics: 201

[Missy]

Ant-Man #1-5, Annual #1, and Ant-Man: Last Days: Mixed in with the shrinking man, bear-suited man, and robot guy is a hard, honest look at failed family relationships. I went in thinking this would be a pure comedy -- and it is very often funny --  but it's mostly Scott Lang lamenting how he's ruined the lives of his daughter and ex-wife, how he sucks as a human being and superhero, and how he's fallen ass-backwards into most of his success. It's amazing in that way. Scott has always been my Ant-Man, and the way he's portrayed here as a broken-but-trying-to-be-better father solidifies that stance even more. The plots, though zany, don't really matter all that much; this series is a character piece about Lang more than anything else.

Ramon Rosanas is brilliant. He made me forget about the gutters; I saw the action, as if the book was actually a movie in my hands. The way he portrays Scott's gestures is what sells the movement. They're perfectly rendered tiny motions that flow from one panel to the next, revealing so much about the man inside the suit. The faces he makes in Last Days, as he's describing his adventures to Ms. Morgenstern, are downright hilarious and worth the cover price of that book alone -- especially his Task Master impersonation.

I am so looking forward to the follow-up series, but I might take a little break between the two books.

Comics: 208

[Missy]

Batman #52: James Tynion IV and Riley Rossmo team-up to craft a look at Bruce's life throughout the ages, specifically how he attempted to cope with the loss of his parents through the use of a journal. When a thief gets his hands on the book, Batman is none too happy. The issue itself isn't deep, but it puts a small stamp on the Bruce / Alfred relationship. It reminds us that, despite Batman's grim personality, he does love and respect Alfred.

What I mostly took away from the issue, though, was Rossmo's depiction of Batman, Bruce, and the world as a whole. There is a slight bit of Sean Murphy to his scratchy lines, but their styles are different enough that the two will not be mistaken. I also appreciate that Rossmo's Batman isn't built like a tank; he's a fit, agile man, not a muscle-bound monster. Also, the smile Batman gives the villain: creepy!

Action Comics #52: Golden-Energy Superman chases post-Flashpoint Superman to post-Crisis Superman's home, who flees to safety with his family. Not much else happens. This is the sixth part of the "Final Days of Superman" storyline, and all it does is move some pieces around the board. Though Peter J. Tomasi does an admirable job of giving Superman and Batman a touching moment, the bulk of the issue could have been condensed into a few pages in another book.

Dale Eaglesham and Scot Eaton should be commended for their ability to make Golden-Energy Superman, post-Flashpoint Superman, and post-Crisis Superman look identical yet different. Post-Crisis is clearly older than post-Flashpoint, and Golden-Energy seems somewhere in between.

Black Panther #2: Pretty, but I don't care.

Darth Vader #20: The backup story is a fun one, but the main story is little more than The Emperor pontificating to Vader.

Comics: 212