MONDOmagazine

Adventure Comics #4
Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates, Michael Shoemaker (w), Jerry Ordway, Clayton Henry (p), Bob Wiacek, Clayton Henry (i), Brian Buccellato, Brian Reber (c). DC Comics.

This issue is amazing — set on “Earth Prime” (ostensibly our Earth) Superboy Prime reads this very comic — Adventure Comics #4, and immediately rushes off to a comic store to get #5, because he has to know what happens to himself! As with anything that includes Superboy Prime they poke a lot of fun at us comic nerds, but this is kind of the first instance of the joke working and being funny (as opposed to insulting to the core audience). In fact, it’s really funny. — Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 4.5 out of 5

Amazing Spider-Man #612
Main story: Mark Waid (w), Paul Azaceta (a), Dave Stewart (c).
Backup story: Joe Kelly, JM Ken Niimura (a). Marvel Comics

Good start, story that Marvel has been advertising the hell out of for months and months. It got my hopes up, for sure. I’ve been a little iffy on Spider-Man’s adventures recently, but this did a lot to win me over. Though, one thing that is just driving me nuts (and maybe it’s just me), can Peter Parker just get with Nora already? She’s awesome and hilarious and totally into Peter. Do her! — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4 out of 5

Batman: Streets of Gotham #6
Chris Yost, Marc Andreyko (w), Dustin Nguyen, Jeremy Haun (p), Derek Fridolfs, John Lucas (i), John Kalisz, Nick Filardi (c). DC Comics.

I didn’t like the previous issue; it seemed too decompressed for my liking, like the whole thing could have been captured in a couple of pages. I stand by that, but the continuation of the story was certainly well done — all of the characters play their role intelligently (which is often all I ask) and, naturally, Robin has a panel of fantastic dialogue. The Manhunter backup story also includes Dick Grayson, which I like because it sort of acknowledges the new status quo of Manhunter being the backup story set in Gotham, not just a continuation of the Manhunter series. The creative team needs to try and remember that, because there’s a shocking revelation at the end which I don’t get, because I’m new to the characters. — Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Brave and the Bold #29
J. Michael Straczynski (w), Jesus Saiz (a), Trish Mulvihill (c). DC Comics.

Straczynski continues his run of heavily thematic-based comics, each one shaping up better than the previous. The last issue was dealing with something far too big for a single comic, but the balance is excellent here while of course managing to say something. As Brother Power the Geek awakens into our modern era he suffers from considerable culture shock. The world isn’t about peace, love, and togetherness anymore, and it takes a while for the Geek (Batman can’t really bring himself to call the guy “Brother Power”) to wake up. Though he’s a fearsome looking figure, his is a gentle spirit that will endure, and as Batman says “I find that thought strangely comforting.” — Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 4 out of 5

Dark Avengers #11
Brian Michael Bendis (w), Mike Deodato and Greg Horn (a), Marvel Comics

This issue is why I dig Dark Avengers. When this book isn’t stuck in kinda cool but frustrating crossovers Bendis puts a lot of time into developing his characters, and in between the great scenes of Molecule Man taking out Norman’s Avengers there are a few moments of excellent characterization, most notably of Victoria Hand. I’m a sucker for a writer taking the time to tell their audience what the minor characters in a story are all about, so it’s no wonder that I’m digging this book. — Owen Craig

Owen’s rating: 4 out of 5

Dark Reign: The List – Amazing Spider-Man
Dan Slott (w), Adam Kubert (p), Mark Morales (i) Dean White (c). Marvel Comics.

It’s hard to review this without letting my opinion of the other Dark Reign: The List books colour my opinion. In short, this was a disappointing non-crossover but kinda a crossover. From issue to issue they were strong issues, but they were more like a second dose of your favourite Marvel stories instead of the all-important second act of Dark Reign because nothing actually happened. Well, not really. And at the $3.99 prince point they were often packaged with reprints as extras. Sometimes this was kinda neat, but in the case of this comic, it was a reprint of The Pulse #5 which I already own in a trade paperback. It’s not like it’s old material that’s hard to get. You can get that trade in a remainder bin for the price of this single issue. Anyway, this issue Dan Slott does that thing where he writes Spider-Man better than anyone else on the planet. And Adam Kubert reminds me that he’s become a better artist while his brother has become a worse one. So, I’m trying to not let the context influence my review and score but I just can’t. — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 3 out of 5

Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #5 (of 8)
Victor Gischler (w), Bong Dazo (p), Jose Pimental (i), Matt Milla(c). Marvel Comics.

Oh Deadpool, you are always good for a laugh. There wasn’t anything particularly special about this issue, but it gave me a few good chuckles. It’s completely ridiculous with giant gun fight, jiggling breasts, talking zombie heads, and a trip to Florida? I know, it’s a mish-mash of all sorts of different things, but in the land of Deadpool, anything goes. After foiling A.I.M.’s plan to use zombie Deadpool as bioweapon to infect the rest of the world, regular Deadpool, along with zombie head, Dr. Swanson, and “Bill” are off to Florida to find a solution to the problem. I can only imagine that hilarity will ensue. — Sandra Yao

Sandra’s rating: 3.5 out of 5

Dr. Horrible #1 (one-shot)
Zack Whedon (w), Joelle Jones (a), Dan Jackson (c). Dark Horse.

If you’re a fan of the three-part internet series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog this comic is worth checking out — checking out to the max. It captures the world and the voices of the characters in a way that uses the strength of the comic medium and reminds you exactly of how those beats would play out in the show. If you don’t know the series, well, this is an origin story and the vast majority of the jokes will land for you, but there’s a ton of nods to the series that you’re going to miss. Jones’ art is utterly fantastic. She just nails facial expressions and the comedic timing of the show. Surprisingly awesome, a definite buy. — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Flash: Rebirth #5
Geoff Johns (w), Ethan Van Sciver (a), Brian Miller (c). DC Comics.

I’m pretty excited, there’s a reveal in this issue which I totally called like three issues ago. I’m not going to say what it is, so you can check out the issue yourself (yes, I know I shouldn’t have even said anything, but I totally called it). Classic Geoff Johns style yields numerous full page entrances of characters looking awesome, but how much can I complain? I kept exclaiming while reading. Going like “!” all the time, it’s like I’m a random soldier in the Metal Gear Solid games. I’m glad to see the combined efforts of no less than seven super speed characters are doing well against their shared antagonist — it’s really dumb when they do the “give your powers to the main hero so he can save the day” thing — this isn’t a Dragon Ball Z movie, and let’s keep it that way. A lot of Van Scivers work is looking more “relaxed”, like he may be losing ground to deadlines, but I think that’s a good thing — he doesn’t have to prove anything to me, so just get the story out! Then again, I have seen some weird anatomy from him in the past… okay, work a little hard, dude. — Isaac Mills

Isaac’s rating: 4 out of 5

Irredeemable #8
Mark Waid (w), Peter Krause (a). BOOM! Studios.

LOVE IT. This series just keeps getting better and better. If Mark Waid were around, I’d give him high five. In fact, I’ll mentally send him one right now. The more Waid takes us deeper into the Plutonian’s psyche, the more disturbing it gets and the more I love it. I mean it’s always fascinating to read about all the dirty little secrets even superheroes have hiding in their twisted minds. Under a façade of superhero powers, there is always this fragile inner soul that just looks for the simplest things in life like friendship, kinship, and love. I can understand why the loss of such things could snap those we see as being the strongest. Loneliness is very a very powerful emotion that can lead us to do crazy, messed up things, and it’s certainly done that for the Plutonian.— Sandra Yao

Sandra’s rating: 4 out of 5

Mickey Mouse and Friends #297
Stefano Ambrosio (w), Marco Gervasio (a), BOOM! Studios.

This is the book from Boom’s Disney launch that I’m most unsure of. It has its moments, but the story is so concerned with getting where it’s going and not taking enough time to delve into what’s happening. For example, this issue a wizard’s tournament takes place at such breakneck speed that  I didn’t know or care about most of the teams taking part and then a major confrontation between Mickey and Pete seemed to be over before it began. Of course, it should be said that this is a kid’s book and I think kids would like it a lot, but I don’t think that this one is the all-ages delight that Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge are.

Owen’s rating: 2 out of 5

The Mighty Avengers #31
Dan Slott & Christos N. Gage (w), Sean Chen (p), Craig Yeung & Mark Morales (i), John Rauch (c). Marvel Comics.

You know, I’ve been really hard on this comic recently and I was right — it was hard to like this series for the last few issues. But I’m happy — ecstatic — to report that the finale of this arc is beyond fantastic. It’s action packed, filled with great character bits, and leaves you with more than a little sad at the end. It’s campy adventure comics with crazy-evil villains and universe-wide threats. All the treads that Slott and Gage laid down (and there were a lot of threads) come together in a way that’s going to read a million times better in trade. However, I will rest easy knowing that I’ve read three killer Hercules jokes months before the trade-waiters will. — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4.5 out of 5

Nomad Girl Without A World #3 (of 4)
Sean McKeever (w), David Baldeon (a), Chris Sotomayor (c). Marvel Comics.

It must be really awkward to be a teenager living in an alternate universe where the guy who’s suppose to be your brother in the other universe tries to mack on you in the current universe. The story continues at a good pace, moving the story forward, but not making it feel rushed. Rikki’s caught up in a mysterious plot aimed to force the world into chaos in destruction and ends up revealing her true identity in the mix. But her true identity is not the only one that is unveiled. You just can’t trust anyone anymore, not even friendly looking men in Santa Claus beards. — Sandra Yao

Sandra’s rating: 3.5 out of 5

Punisher #11
Rick Remender (w), Tony Moore (a). Marvel Comics.

I’m debating whether I should stop referring to Tony Moore as “one of my favourite artists in comics” and just start saying “my favourite”, full stop. Because, wow, that sequence of the monsters being hunted is one of the most expressive scenes I’ve seen in ages. I have no idea who those monsters were, but I could see fear in their eyes, then anger and then sadness. The man is fantastic, he got me to buy Punisher. I promise I’ll deliver a more detailed/less-raving- about-the-art review next issue when I’ve decided what I think about this story (besides the fact that Tony Moore rocks). — Owen Craig

Owen’s rating: 3.5 out of 5

Spider-Woman #3
Brian Michael Bendis (w), Alex Maleev (a). Marvel Comics.

I wasn’t going to buy this book. The first issue was four dollars, and I try not to buy Marvel’s four dollar books since I don’t want to give Marvel the impression that four dollar series  are acceptable. It turns out that I was mistaken about this being a four dollar series and that was only the first issue, so one day I picked up the first two issues and wow, this book is gorgeous. Not only that, but it’s a darn compelling read. There are some flaws, such as Maleev’s tendency to awkwardly duplicate panels (hair flowing in the wind should not be in the exact same position in two separate panels) or Bendis’ struggle to punctuate his words to have readers read the lines the way they sound in his head but overall I’m glad I gave this comic another chance. And yeah, extremely extremely beautiful. – Owen Craig

Owen’s rating: 4 out of 5

Thunderbolts #138
Jeff Parker (w), Miguel Sepulveda (a), Frank Martin (c). Marvel Comics.

I love that Jeff Parker refuses to let Agents of Atlas die and will write them into every Marvel book he touches. And he’s right — those characters are great. They don’t make much of an appearance in this issue but will serve as the kicker for Parker’s first storyline. But it was a smart play that, with this first issue, to display that he knows what makes a team like this ticks — they’re all out to get each other and don’t even try to redeem them. They’re much more fun like this. — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4 out of 5

Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #700
Giorgio Salati, Riccardo Sacchi & Alessandro Ferrari (w), Ettore Gula, Roberto Migheli, Stefano Turconi & Antonello Dalena (a). BOOM! Studios.

This is the other Boom/Disney book that I’m sort of luke-warm on. The crew of seven (!) people who wrote and drew it did a perfectly good job of crafting a cute Disney superhero story, but it’s just not something that I’m that interested in reading. After all, I’ve got plenty of superhero stories to read already. But make no mistake, this is a great comic for a kid to read. If I had kinds I’d be buying this book to give to them, (better this, after all, than Irredeemable) it’s a well-crafted story that with great artwork, that just so happens to be better suited for a younger audience. As an aside, though, I really appreciated the fact that Boom über-sized this issue (complete with a bonus back-up tale) at no extra charge. Classy move, Boom! – Owen Craig

Owen’s rating: 3 out of 5

Wolverine: Weapon X #7
Jason Aaron (w), Yanick Paquette (p), Michel Lacombe (i). Marvel Comics.

I can’t believe that they’ve let Jason Aaron loose in the Marvel universe. The man is crazy, and his work on Wolverine has just reached new heights of freaking weird. This issue the mystery of what the man running the asylum where Wolverine is currently holed up reaches new levels and…wow. Really, I have no words for this. It is messed-up, disturbing and creepy stuff. Check it out. – Owen Craig

Owen’s rating: 4 out of 5

X-Men Legacy #229
Mike Carey (w), Daniel Acuna (a). Marvel Comics.

This isn’t going to be a big shocker — but I really like Mike Carey and what he’s doing for the X-Men. I say that about every issue of this series, more or less. He makes the X-Men — as a brand — better. He integrates old ideas and continuity and brings them into the modern age more focused and character-driven. He captures the voices of his characters in significant ways. But more importantly, he making me love Gambit again. Gambit! You know what, I’m going to say it — X-Men Legacy is the best X-title on the market. You’ve been replaced in my heart, X-Factor. — Miles Baker

Miles’ rating: 4 out of 5