Comics: Week of Feb. 28 2007

52 Week 43 - See, I knew they couldn't kill Buddy. At least, not this way. I get the feeling that Morrison's run on Animal Man is still in continuity, but what that means could be very different. I get the sense that the yellow aliens could just be figments of Buddy's imagination at this point, which is fine. This is probably the coolest "sampling" of animal powers ever, though there could be sinister implications. This series, as always, is best at linking two disparate points of the DCU together, showing the variety and abundance of ideas at play, and that they all work together.

And the fourth horseman is revealed. Pretty brutal, but the kid was getting on my nerves anyway. Now who could have written that especially bloody, gore-splattered sequence?

I'm looking at you, Johns.

Eternals #7 - Kind of what I was expecting in the end. It's all been a grand reset for this property, and I expect news of a new ongoing as a lot of things are left unresolved. I'm wondering about the additional issue to this series (as it was originally solicited as a 6-issue run). What I keep coming back to is that this series could provide a hell of a loophole for the the Marvel U. Sprite's changed the world, we got a Celestial parked in San Francisco and a stronger than needed connection to Civil War. Seems to me that Gaiman has handed them one giant, seven issue reset button.

Immortal Iron Fist #1-3 - Playing catch-up on this title. The pace is a little slower than I'd like for a monthly, but it's good.

The writers are taking the tried and true method of connecting a somewhat b-string character and revealing that they are, in fact, part of some kind of legacy. It's been used to revive Swamp Thing, Starman and Manhunter, to name a few (of my favorites), so naturally I'm a sucker for this kind of thing. It makes sense that Danny isn't the only Iron Fist ever, and I like the flashbacks to different eras using different art styles.

Power Man and Iron Fist was one of my guilty pleasures back in the day. It was a quirky title that kind of existed in its own corner of the Marvel U. Secret Wars II kind of came along and messed that up, but up until then, the title had a charm to it, and was relatively self-contained.

There's a scene in issue two between Danny and Luke Cage that kind of boils down the magic appeal these two have together. I almost wish Cage was more than a cameo, but it's Iron Fist's book. I'm going to see how this first arc plays out.

X-Factor #16 - I love Peter David. Clearly he's on a trade-length arc, but demonstrates the rare skill to actually make each issue feel complete on its own. There are titles I enjoy, but can't bear to pick up in monthly format due to the pacing.

This is not one of them.




Tags: 52 eternals iron fist x-factor