Reviews - Week of September 09, 2009

***Book of the Week***

Dark Reign: The List - Avengers
Writer: Brian Bendis / Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
All the tension that has been building in New Avengers is on full display beautifully here. For months, we've been reading about the differences in heroic philosophies amongst the team members, but never has it been told better than in this issue. I actually felt Hawkeye's anger, Spider-Man's feeling of responsibility, and Captain America's willingness to listen to both sides. We're also treated to some great action too. Hawkeye sneaking into Avengers Tower and taking out the Dark Avengers one by one was highly entertaining. None of the characterization or action would have been as great without Marko Djurdjevic's spot-on art. Not only is every panel beautiful, but every character is drawn precisely, whether it's Ms. Marvel being slightly more muscular than Mockingbird, Mockingbird's hair being longer and straighter than Ms. Marvel's, or the nonchalant way Moonstone leans against the wall when she sees her base under attack. All the action and dialogue in this issue has me seriously excited for what Norman Osborn has in store for the rest of the Marvel Universe.
IGN - 7.4/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3.5/5

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Amazing Spider-Man #604
Writer: Fred van Lente / Artist: Barry Kitson
After three stellar issues of great suspense and humor, I was sad to see Fred van Lente shift his focus to action and hokiness. I suppose it's understandable. We can't read about the Chameleon's methods of capture and mimicry every issue and Spider-Man had to save the day at some point, but the style of the first three issues was sorely missed. Some of the action was actually kind of annoying. Jameson's Spider Slayer squad attacking Spider-Man while he's trying save the day gets old real quick and Jameson himself was painfully stupid this issue. Barry Kitson does an admirable job though. His action is easy to follow and all the characters are depicted really well. Even with the lackluster final issue, I'd still consider this arc a success though. It reintroduced us to an awesome villain in Chameleon and sets him up for future arcs with a great surprise guest as a teaser.
IGN - 7.8/10
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

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Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus
Writer: Matt Fraction / Artist: Mike Deodato Jr., Terry Dodson
Well at least we get a cool fight. Utopia was always a dumb premise and none of that changes with this issue, but the fight was highly entertaining. Seeing bunches of mutants run for cover against Bullseye speaks volumes for his badassery and any fan of his will relish that sequence. The rest of the Dark Avengers are equally cool as they fight the hundreds of mutants, all of them except Daken of course. While the fighting may have been awesome, nothing else is. Anytime Matt Fraction tried to tie anything back to Cyclops's plan or some overarching story, I rolled my eyes. Thankfully, Mike Deodato Jr. did the art for all the action sequences. He's one of my favorites because of his innovative panel layouts, use of shadows, and all-around stunning depictions and all three are on full blast here. And just as Fraction fails jumping from the action, so too does the art as Dodson takes over for any panel without the awesome fight. In case you couldn't tell by now, only the fight between the X-Men and Dark Avengers is good. Don't read anything else.
IGN - 8.2/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Comics Bulletin - 3/5

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Green Lantern Corps #40
Writer: Peter Tomasi / Artist: Patrick Gleason
Probably the best thing about this issue was seeing just how bad Scar messed up the Guardians. They're still in that black goo and totally incapacitated. Not even the Green Lantern rings can recognize an energy signature from them. Awesommmmmmme. Other than that, not much else happens. We see some more fighting between Black Lanterns and Green Lanterns. It was cool to see some of the old dead Lanterns back and fighting their former friends. I also enjoyed Salaak putting the Alpha Lanterns in their place and the new partnership between a Star Sapphire and Sinestro member. That sounds like a lot of cool things, but they are all minor parts of this issue. Most of it is dedicated to the fight. Sure the fight is always cool, but it's all the stuff I've been seeing in any Blackest Night book. Patrick Gleason's art is pretty impressive. None of his characters look like hill billies and most of his panels are nicely drawn. Overall though, nothing significant takes place in this issue and only die hard Blackest Night fans will find this a must-read.
IGN 8.3/10
Green Lantern Corps #40 - 3/5
Comics Bulletin - 4/5

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Thunderbolts #135
Writer: Andy Diggle / Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
This book is espionage at its finest. I love every twist and secret of the arc and this issue sees most of those coming to a head. Widow and Songbird make a great team and I hope to see them with Nick Fury in Secret Warriors in the future. Thankfully, the Thunderbolts are no joke either. While Songbird is incapacitated, they do a nice job taking out Black Widow, who puts up a valiant effort, but let's face it, she has no powers. Mister X was incredibly cool in the fight and I loved seeing Scourge taking charge. Speaking of him, I think Scourge may end up being another person secretly working for Fury, because that guy always has an ace up his sleeve. Pretty much the only thing I didn't like about this book is the art. Sepulveda art is a little silly and washed out and doesn't match the tone of the book at all. Another thing that bothers me is Black Widow's capture. Including this book, she is currently being held captive in three ongoing series. She is a continuity conundrum. All in all though, this book is great and I love how it ties into Secret Warriors.
IGN - 8.6/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5