Tracie's Pull List - Week of June 22, 2011

So, if you haven't, please go check out our collective reviews of the Green Lantern movie, a couple posts back. I'd like to watch it again, just to see if I get any different perspective on it. There were definitely a number of things to like and it was sure nice looking. Definitely some of the best live-action 3D I've seen since probably Avatar. I keep suckering myself into these 3D movies when the only ones that seem to actually benefit from it are the animated films. But, anyway... More on that another time, perhaps.

I don't think you'll be getting any CBXF review of Cars 2, this weekend.

Today would mark the beginning of Ultimate Spider-Man Spoiler radio silence if I was smart. IF. But I'm just too plugged in to completely tear myself away from my RSS feeds and Twitter and the like. But the AP has already started running stories about tomorrow's (yeah, TOMORROW'S) final issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. Well. I dunno how MUCH spoilage is going in the article. (I've managed to skip past them for the most part) I mean, the comic is called The Death of Spider-Man, so it's safe to say we're all pretty sure what happens in it. And the issues leading up to it certainly do spell which way this'll go and roughly how it's going down, which is not to say that any of that will stop me from being an emotional wreck after reading it.

But hey, let's take a look at what else I'll be buying tomorrow before the Associated Press decides to plaster spoiler headers all over my internets.



Action Comics #902

Oh Paul Cornell, I wish they could've just ended Action Comics (or at least, your run) with the conclusion of your brilliant Lex Luthor epic, instead of shoehorning this uninspired Reign of the Doomsdays story into your run, sullying your otherwise illustrious time on the title. At least we get some really lovely Kenneth Rockafort art out of it. I just wish Superman's return to the title could've been a little bit more triumphant. But I can see now why these final few issues aren't quite so important to the DC brass.

Avatar the Last Airbender TP Vol 01 Lost Adventures

I'm pretty darned excited about this and fans of the show should be too. Here we have a collection of out-of-print and brand new in-continuity stories by show creators and comics talent like J. Torres, Gurihiru, and Corey Lewis. I'm really hoping this includes the story that was printed in the Avatar/Star Wars flip-book on Free Comic Book Day because I missed that one. Hopefully this will do a bit to wash some of the still-lingering bad taste out of our mouths from the last thing that carried the name Last Airbender and maybe it'll tide us over until the follow-up animated series airs.

Batman Gates Of Gotham #2 (OF 5)

GUYS you should totally read this because it'll still be in continuity in September! And also Scott Snyder is doing awesome Batman stuff that feels like the kind of awesome Batman stuff that I enjoy! And Trevor McCarthy's art is slick. And future DCnU Nightwing and Deathstroke writer Kyle Higgins is co-writing this badboy. Snyder & Higgins are digging into the history of Gotham City and the family legacies that made it what it is today, for better or worse. Families with names like Wayne, Elliot, and Cobblepot. Dig it.

Captain America #619

The conclusion of Gulag! Also, I think this should be the point where this story catches up to where Fear Itself began. I think this also marks the final issue before this title gets renamed Captain America & Bucky and we get the amazing Chris Samnee FULL TIME. Hopefully it's not the last time we get to see dudes fight giant talking bears, though.

Flashpoint Kid Flash Lost #1 (OF 3)

SO, funny thing. Back when Flash: Rebirth was concluding and Geoff Johns was launching a new Flash series with Francis Manapul, there was an announcement that Sterling Gates would be writing a Kid Flash companion series. That was exciting for me to hear because I'm a big fan of Sterling (and Sterling digs my webcomic, FIGHT!) and Bart Allen was my favorite character back when he was called Impulse and used to be fun. I was really looking forward to Sterling tacking Bart Allen and making him fun again. Well... Flash kept chugging along and there was no sign of any Kid Flash series. (and no sign of Sterling, once his Supergirl run wrapped up) Now, here we are. Flash has concluded (or rather, been replaced with Flashpoint) and only now do we get this. A 3 issue Flashpoint tie-in series starring Kid Flash and written by Sterling Gates. I'm glad to have this, though it's definitely not what I was anticipating. And now it's looking like this may be the swan song for Bart Allen as we know him today (which, honestly, isn't the Bart Allen I knew when I started reading him). I'm excited to see how this series plays out and I'm happy to have Sterling on board. It's just a shame it's such a limited engagement.

Flashpoint Lois Lane And The Resistance #1 (OF 3)

I'm not sure if I'm going to like this series because I'm not sure I like what's going on in Flashpoint Europe. But I love Lois Lane and she finally gets to headline a series after much too long a wait. It's just a bit of a shame that it's only a 3 issue Flashpoint tie-in and thus the Lois in this story may not be "our" Lois. But still, here I am.

Flashpoint The Reverse Flash #1

Reverse Flash one-shot wherein we perhaps get some answers as to what Thawne has done to the universe and how it plays into his larger goals and issues concerning Barry Allen and his own complicated existence. This may be the Flashpoint tie-in I'm most curious about just because it seems like it has the potential to weigh most heavily on the overall story.

Green Arrow #13

Unless the next two fill-in issues peak my interest, this may very well be my last issue of Green Arrow in quite some time. I've been reading the character nonstop since Kevin Smith and Phil Hester brought Oliver Queen back to life in 2000. He quickly rose to being one of my very favorite characters at DC, perhaps only second to Superman. He even became my favorite character on Justice League Unlimited and reignited my interest in Smallville for a bit. But I just haven't found anything about him interesting in this entire 13 issue run. The only think keeping my interest was the mystery of the forest and the White Lantern. With all of that wrapped up and this issue serving as an epilogue, I just don't really have it in me anymore to blindly follow the character who seems to have lost so much of his spark. Thus, the announcement that the same writer would be continuing his story in the September relaunch did not fill me with any enthusiasm. Couple with the fact that I just don't find Dan Jurgens' art very engaging. Thus, this might be my goodbye with Ollie. At least until the next team takes a crack at him.

Marvel Zombie Christmas Carol #2 (OF 5)

I really don't have any interest in a zombie Christmas Carol mash-up thing but I just found out my buddy Jeremy Treece is doing some flashback art in this series (or just this issue?) and I'm super psyched for him that he's drawing a Marvel book. Jeremy's a great guy and a great artist and we've known each other for years and got the chance to work together a couple times. I wish him all the very best.

Mighty Thor #3

Oh Olivier, you draw so pretty. Yet as epic and beautiful as his Galactus, Silver Surfer, and Thor are, all my favorite scenes end up being the ones of the Broxton, Oklahoma townsfolk.

New Mutants #26

NEW MUTANTS VERSUS X-MAN! Yes, THAT X-Man. Nate Grey and motherflippin' Sugar Man are up in this joint. It's a great time for Age of Apocalypse fans right now.

Secret Avengers #14

I think this may be Nick Spencer's final issue on Secret Avengers, but he gave us Abraham Lincoln punching a Nazi robot and I will forever love him for that. This issue we get the tale of how Valkyrie's origin ties into the events of Fear Itself.

Thunderbolts #159

It's a Thunderbolts jam session as several creators including favorites Jen Van Meter and Eric Canete join regular writer Jeff Parker for an anthology-style Fear Itself tie-in as Raft inmate and Thunderbolt, Juggernaut, gets a magic hammer and ruins everything.

Ultimate Avengers Vs New Ultimates #5 (OF 6)

It's Mark Millar's penultimate issue writing Marvel characters. I like to describe his take on the Ultimates and Ultimate Avengers as "A bunch of jerks being jerks to each other." Hopefully Hickman's Ultimates will have more likable personalities. Just one. That's all I ask. I guess Janet was pretty likable until The Blob ate her. ...[sigh]

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160

AAAAAAAAA NOOOOOOO!!! FINAL ISSUE!! PETERRRRRR!!! AAAAAA!!! :(((( (stay tuned for a post-mortem once I stop blubbering after reading this tomorrow)

Zatanna #14

Man, Zatanna has been such a super fun book and Paul Dini is a guy who clearly adores this character and puts so much love into her and it's very sad that she won't be carrying her own series in the DCnU relaunch. (and I really don't dig the new look she's sporing in Justice League Dark... you don't mess with the top hat and fishnets)

So that's me. What's bleeding your wallet dry this week?