Comics: Week of Jan. 10, 2007

A little late this week.

52 Weeks 33-36 - This run has: A little resolution to the space arc, or at least the main threat is dealt with (though it seemed a little rushed). A bait-and-switch concerning the death of a character (he better not be dead... it's wrong on so many levels, and pointless). A reveal of where Rip Hunter has been hiding that I thought was quite clever.

Apparently, we'll find out who Supernova is in short order. My bet is the Ray Palmer theory that's been floated out there on the interweb. It makes more sense than it being Booster (though I'm not ruling that out). My hopes for a zombified Superboy seem to be dashed.

Agents of Atlas #6 - Nice tidy wrap-up to this series. I hope Parker gets a chance to revisit these characters, as they are some of the most interesting I've seen out of Marvel lately. The reveal at the end is along the lines of what I was expecting, but the new status quo was not. Given that Marvel seems to be throwing continuity out the window more than not, it's nice to read a series that has no baggage that needs to be forcibly ignored in order to enjoy it.

All Star Superman #6 - Simply the best Superman series I've ever read. Captures everything great about the character and world, weaving in elements from his best incarnations. The thing I like most about Morrison, a trait he shares with other great writers, is that he has his own internal sense of continuity that he returns to when he can. I like the Silver Age goodness that permeates this title, but I also like the little bits pulled from Morrison's JLA and DC One Million.

Civil War #6 - It's official: I've lost any kind of enthusiasm for this series. I know, I know, what could I expect? I don't know... I thought this thing was going to be relatively self-contained and balanced. I'm a fool, I know.

At the very least, I trusted Millar to write something that would be compelling on its own instead of the bare-bone outline that this series has turned out to be. I'm not getting the full story in Civil War, which I knew going in, but I figured I'd be getting a story. I'm getting an ad for other titles that way tell me the story...

How will all this resolve? Probably some half-ass half-measure where heroes can come forth of their own will and get government funding and training. Also, there will be fallout Marvel Angsty Moodiness (TM) for the foreseeable future... until Hulk returns and the Annihilation Wave arrives and everything dovetails into the next event I most likely will bow out on.

I may go back to waiting for trades when it comes to Marvel. At least I'll have a better idea if something turns out well or not, plus I hear Marvel puts more quality into their trades than their floppies /sarcasm

JSA #2 - Now the Alex Ross story credit makes sense. Looks like Kingdom Come is being brought into play (Can Hypertime be far behind?) as well as pre-Crisis Legion? That was Dawnstar in issue one's teaser, and as far as I know, she hasn't reappeared since. Starman looks like he might be a time-lost Thom Kallor, bouncing around alternate realities.

Manhunter #27 - I had great hopes that this series would kick out all the stops for its now-confirmed final arc, but it seems to be slowing down a bit out of the gate. Andreyko has written one of the most unique characters to come out of DC since, well, Starman and Chase back in the late 90's. It's too bad no one's buying, and the company seems all too eager to plunder the ideas and characters for other, more commercially viable properties. Sigh. I've heard rumors that somehow this series may play into an upcoming event, but I don't know. The story about Wonder Woman on trial feels like it's already been dealt with, and I'm getting a little "Is this OYL or not" anxiety. I'll hang on to the bitter end, though. It's still a better read than most.

Tags: 52 agents of atlas all star superman civil war jsa manhunter