***Book of the Week***
Thor #603Writer: John Michael Straczynski / Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
I love Thor. No other book feels as epic, personal, and even humorous as this one does. This issue continues on all that magnificently, especially Thor and Sif's relationship. For over two years, Thor has been freeing his people from their human body prisons but only found his lady love last issue. Immediately though, you could see their love for each other and how important Sif is to Thor as she notices all the bad going on and gives Thor the confidence to do something about it. That's good stuff right there. We also get the revelation of the second half of Loki and Doom's deal. In exchange for letting him stay in Latveria, Loki has given Doom a means to become immortal by experimenting on Asgardians. This is a very interesting development and I sincerely hope Doom succeeds. He's one of the coolest villains in Marvel and seeing him become an even greater threat to the universe presents countless potential story threads. I am a little disturbed by Bill's speedy progression though. He's even getting buffer. Wasn't he a fat lard at the beginning of the series? Oh well. It sure was nice to see him get his at the end of the issue, although I did hate that he held his own somehow. Something that definitely did not disappoint was Marko Djurdjevic's art. Every character is beautifully pictured, every story element is clearly depicted, and every action sequence flows masterfully. Surprisingly, we won't have to wait a crazy amount of time for the next issue, as it's due out in only a month. However, that giant-size issue will be the last of JMS's, marking the end of his brilliant run on this series.IGN - 8.8/10
Comic Book Resources - 3.5/5
Amazing Spider-Man #607
Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Mike McKone, Adriana Melo
That's my boy Spidey! Spider-Man is finally starting to live life a little bit and he could not have picked a better person to liven it up with. Black Cat provides a very fun dynamic and mystery in this book and I wouldn't mind seeing her pop up a little more often. Her bad luck powers are a little lame, but I can let it slide if the writers keep coming up with creative ways to utilize her in the overarching story. Speaking of which, something interesting happens at the end of the issue. It seems like the Kravenoffs are putting a team together. For what? I don't know. But I am intrigued and Lady Kraven was super cool when she first appeared. Mike McKone handles the art for the first half of the issue. He's great. His characters are eye-catching and his images really pop off the page. The action was a little hard to follow in some instances though. Adriana Melo's half isn't nearly as good. Not only does it clash with McKone's style, but it's bland and all the characters look too butch (even Black Cat). All in all though, this is a good issue filled with interesting banter, Spidey's clumsy discomfort, and some interesting plot developments.IGN - 8/10
Green Lantern #46
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Doug Mahnke
You know how tie-in issues of a big event don't really feel important to the event itself sometimes? Well there's no need to worry about that with this issue. In fact, I think it should be called Blackest Night #4. This issue acts as a continuation from the events at the end of Blackest Night #3. We see Hal Jordan and the Indigo Tribe search for more key members of the light corps to build up a strategy against the Black Lanterns. That brings them to Sinestro and Carol Ferris. And being the wielders of the compassion light, the Indigo Tribe give Sinestro exactly what he needs (and what we want). They teleport him to Korugar to deal with Mongul. That battle is awesome. I loved every bit of Sinestro's determination and arrogance on display and the outcome is both fitting and supremely cool. None of it could have been possible without Doug Mahnke's great art though. Every panel is stunning and portrays the story beautifully. I feel this issue of Green Lantern may be vital to Blackest Night and worry for those are only reading the event book. Every one should be reading this book though, especially if you're a Blackest Night. Heck, if you're a fan of reading, get this book.IGN - 8.9/10
Runaways #14
Writer: Kathryn Immonen / Artist: Sara Pichelli
I'm beginning to grow a little tired with the new story. I still have no idea what happened at the beginning of Immonen's run. Why did a missile hit their house and why did Old Lace have to die? Now, without addressing that, a new plot thread opens up with Chase's mysterious uncle. And what was with the Gertrude appearance? I get the feeling Immonen is just trying to throw crazy developments (like Chase's near death) at us to hopefully keep our attention, instead of telling a cohesive story. I'm on to you! Pichelli's art isn't any better. She continues to miss the boat on the older team members, making them look disfigured and no where near their age. This issue proved to be disappointing, uninteresting, and frustrating.IGN - 7.1/10
Secret Warriors #8
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Alessandro Vitti
Nick Fury continues to be the baddest dude in the Marvel Universe. The man seriously has a hand in everything that's going on. Norman Osborn ain't got nothing on you, Nick. In this issue we only get to see him a little bit, but in that short scene he manages to up the intrigue of the series tenfold. What is he planning and why does his accomplice dread it so much? I can't wait to find out. The rest of the issue involves Phobos, Hellfire, and Druid escaping the Dark Avengers. Their part wasn't really exciting, but I did like seeing Phobos finally showing what he can do (against Osborn, no less). I also love how Ares enjoyed seeing his son use his gifts and granted him mercy for it. Alessandro Vitti's art is quite good. His style is pretty close to Caselli's and his storytelling is great. This series keeps getting better and better and I have a feeling Jonathan Hickman has Nick Fury leading us to something big.IGN - 8.6/10
Comic Book Resources - 4/5
Thunderbotls #136
Writer: Andy Diggle / Artist: Carlos Rodriguez
What a bad way to end a run. Andy Diggle has been nothing short of phenomenal with Thunderbolts, but this issue doesn't resemble the others at all. His team was fearsome and murderous before. They are ambivalent and heroic now. Why in the world would Paladin and Headsman save Black Widow? Aren't they the same two who hijacked Obama's plane and decapitated Deadpool? And what was with the Scourge reveal? The solicit made a big deal about his identity and I still don't know who he is. Sure, he took his mask off, but the person underneath it has no significance to anything I've ever read. Rodriguez's art isn't any better. His style is a little murky, his characters are a tad cartoony, and his action is overly clumsy. This book was just ridiculous.IGN - 6.6/10
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