So... are, uh... are Caleb and I the only ones kinda dug Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance?
Were we just in the right mood for it with precisely adjusted expectations?
Anyway, just more fuel to the (hell)fire of Tracie Likes Everything.
But hey, don't let my broad and forgiving taste in cinema disuade you. Let's take a rundown of this week's comics-- most of which are genuinely VERY good (if not GREAT), and not just mindless, stunt-filled entertainment which, I assure you, is a totally okay thing to enjoy now and again.
(I mean, you're not going to get The Dark Knight out of a Ghost Rider movie. Ghost Rider lives and breathes camp... and then pees fire on it)
ALRIGHT COMICS!
AQUAMAN #6
Mera spotlight issue! I know Geoff Johns had plans to make Mera a big character in the DCU, following Blackest Night and Brightest Day and it's nice to see that she still remains a focus for him in The New 52. Wish we could say the same of the there-and-gone new Aqualad. (though I guess he's not THAT bad off if he still gets a cartoon series, action figures, and an upcoming videogame-- c'mon, comics, what about SYNERGY???)
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY #627
Cap versus robots, as drawn by the excellent Franco Francavilla!
DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD IN OZ #5 (OF 8)
I really don't have anything new to say about the Oz comics because Eric and Skottie are just so good at what they do. Keep it up.
FANTASTIC FOUR #603
GALACTUS VERSUS CELESTIALS!!!! You don't get much more Kirby than THAT.
INCORRUPTIBLE #27
I finally caught up on the "Mark Waid is Evil" comics and, unsurprisingly, they are still SOOOO GOOOOD and now that I know we're in the home stretch of both books, the impact is even stronger. I'm genuinely going to miss these comics when they're gone. Oh, and hey, if you were interested in getting a taste of this great series about a supervillain gone good (or, well... he TRIES), this is the beginning of a new storyarc/jumping-on point.
NEW MUTANTS #38
So there I was, feeling all wishy-washy about New Mutants, just because the Blink storyline seemed like it was... okay... good, not great. And maybe partly, I held some silly grudge over New Mutants stealing artist David Lopez from MYSTIC(and without bringing his excellent colorist with him). But then it happened. #37 was a stand-alone story of Magma going on a date with Mephisto... and it was delightful. Absolutely delightful. It was funny and charming and surprising and I loved everything about it. So now I feel like I gotta give New Mutants another chance to win me over. This storyline is being drawn by Leonardo Fernandez and revolves around Cypher's death back in the original New Mutants run. But, really, I think the message I want comics to take away from this experience is: MORE STAND-ALONE STORIES, PLEASE. It's so easy to become bored over the course of padded-out arcs but if you can pack a lasting punch in a single issue, you have my attention.
SECRET AVENGERS #23
Rick Remender and Gabriel Hardman continue being awesome--and look, the Black-Ops Venom joins the team! (between this and The Fearless, Art Adams is turning in some amaaaaazing covers at Marvel)
TEEN TITANS #6
Static guest-stars!!! Maybe he could find another home here, after his book is canceled.
THE FLASH #6
The Flash and Batwoman are maybe the very best arguments against going digital. There's no way the impact of the gorgeous layouts in these books isn't lost with the digital comic guided-view. Much less, if you were trying to read the full page on your smartphone. Books like these, the bigger you print them, the better they'll look.
THE MIGHTY THOR #11
Fraction's Thor felt like it was taking a little while for it to really click with me-- and I mean the character himself. I was really enjoying the Volstagg versus Scientist discussions at the beginning of his run but Thor, the character, didn't really seem like much. But man-oh-man am I loving what they're doing with this Thor battling his way back into existence thing. And the more Kid Loki I get, the better.
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #7
MILES MORALES! MILES MORALES! This is just pure joy of comics right here. And anything Chris Samnee touches is gold.
UNCANNY X-FORCE #22
Having never read Alan Davis's Excalibur or Captain Britian comics, a lot of this Otherworld story is lost on me... but Rick Remender's X-Force is still one of the best/worst teams in comics right now.
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #6
More pure, gleaming joy. I haven't had this much fun reading X-Men comics since I started. It's like everything I've ever loved about the X-Men, smushed into one comic. And then the bits of love that can't all fit into this, trickle over to Kieron Gillen's Uncanny X-Men.
COMICS, YOU GUYS!
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