This week in comics: Superman and Wonder Woman have their much publicized make out session, DC Comics unleashes a boatload of Annuals, Uncanny X-Force continues to depress us while American Vampire rips our hearts out, and Spider-Man teams up with Aunt May (kind of).
DC COMICS
American Vampire #30
Written by Scott Snyder | Art by Rafael Albuquerque
"Ever since Henry and Pearl began their relationship, I knew there would be a time where Pearl’s inability to age would catch up to them and the series would punch me in the gut with such ferocity that the pain would travel up my body and my heart would shatter to pieces and scatter across the freeway and be obliterated to pieces against the windshields of oncoming traffic like insects. That moment happens in American Vampire #30." -Joey
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Final Score:
9.5
Aquaman #12
Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Ivan Reis
"Prepare to be enthralled and annoyed with Aquaman #12. Enthralled because Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis deliver yet another memorable chapter of what is easily one of the best books among the New 52. Annoyed because this issue is a bit lacking in forward momentum, forcing us to wait two months before the final clash between Aquaman and Black Manta." -Jesse
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Final Score:
8.5
Before Watchmen: Minutemen #3
Written by Darwyn Cooke | Art by Darwyn Cooke
"Before Watchmen: Minutemen has been solidly executed from the start, but the first two issues failed to add much to the story of the team that we hadn't seen before. Issue #3 marks the first point where Darwyn Cooke is really able to dive into the psychologies of the characters and offer some genuinely new and interesting material." -Jesse
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Final Score:
8.5
Detective Comics Annual #1
Written by Tony Daniel | Art by Romano Molenaar & Pere Perez
"Prior to the New 52, much of Tony Daniel's Batman work was centered around establishing a new version of Black Mask, a villain who turned out to be none other than Dr. Jeremiah Arkham. Recently, Daniel has returned to Black Mask in his Detective Comics run, though now Roman Sionis is back under the mask and Arkham is on the right side of the law again. Detective Comics Annual #1 offers Daniel a chance to explore the current status quo of these characters outside the confines of the main series. Though it definitely has its rough patches, this annual isn't a bad way for Daniel to end his writing stint on the series." -Jesse
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Final Score:
7.0
The Flash Annual #1
Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato | Art by Various
"The Flash Annual #1 uses its extended format to tell a five chapter story that does a nice job of answering some big questions and escalating the conflict to truly outrageous heights. Although Flash has his name on the book, the story has become more focused on Captain Cold. He has a good chunk of page time and must deal with more interesting twists and turns than Flash throughout the book. Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul deliver a fine story, just not for the character they intended." -Joshua
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Final Score:
7.5
Green Lantern Annual #1
Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Ethan Van Sciver
"Ethan Van Sciver has returned to Green Lantern! Given that he drew Green Lantern: Rebirth and ushered in the new era of Hal Jordan and the Corps, it feels right for him to come back to kick off the next big GL crossover event that has been teased to be an end of sorts for Hal, Rise of the Third Army. At the start of this 48-page issue, things are grim for Hal as he and Sinestro are at the mercy of Black Hand while the Guardians seek out the First Lantern. Geoff Johns opens up a whole new expanse of GL mythology with this status quo-altering bombshell." -Joshua
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Final Score:
8.0
Justice League #12
Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Jim Lee
"Justice League has been struggling to find its footing because Geoff Johns and Jim Lee seem bent on delivering big action on big splash pages, leaving the story to play catch up as it tries to make sense of it all. This entry starts off with a fair bit of that as the team has their showdown with the underwhelming new villain, Graves. Yet in the wake of the battle, the series finds itself on solid ground thanks to the excellent dialogue and momentous turning points -- not to mention Superman and Wonder Woman totally make out!" -Joshua
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Final Score:
8.0
Justice League International Annual #1
Written by Geoff Johns & Dan Didio | Art by Jason Fabok
"There are a few things going against the Justice League International Annual right from the get-go: it’s an amendment to a book we know is canned, it’s handled by a new creative team (which isn’t a bad thing in my case, but for the JLI faithful it could be off-putting), and it’s $5. While I can’t proclaim that this annual is worth the money, it does offer up some interesting new threads for the next year or so – though where they will all play out is anybody’s guess. There’s a 'continued in Justice League in 2013' bit at the end here, but I doubt we’ll be continuing the story of August General in Iron and Booster Gold in the New 52’s flagship title." -Joey
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Final Score:
7.0
National Comics: Looker #1
Written by Ian Edginton | Art by Mike S. Miller
"It’s becoming apparent that the new National Comics done-in-one anthology series has a structure that is both its greatest asset and biggest shortcoming. While last month’s Kid Eternity story was a stellar tale that felt complete (though I was desperate for more), Looker is more of a broad strokes introduction to the revamped Emily Briggs than a satisfying story. We get bits and pieces of some interesting things with the loose framework of a murder mystery, but overall there’s not enough here in this one-shot to deliver anything that we can latch onto in such a short amount of time." -Joey
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Final Score:
6.0
The New Deadwardians #6
Written by Dan Abnett | Art by I.N.J. Culbard
"When Vertigo showed off all the new series it was launching in 2012, I'll admit that the one I was least excited for was The New Deadwardians. Now, as we near the series finale, I can safely say that it is not only the best new Vertigo book, but quite possibly the best series of the year. Everything about it is near perfection. This issue gives us some of the most brilliant dialogue to be scripted in a comic book, maybe ever. This is shaping up to be a masterpiece." -Benjamin
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Final Score:
9.5
Phantom Lady #1
Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti | Art by Cat Staggs
"Given the bright colored cover showcasing a busty babe holding a tiny man in her hand, I did not expect Phantom Lady #1 to be so dark. Her parents get set on fire (in true DC origin fashion), her friend gets her face bashed into the hood of a car, and the enforcers from a dangerous crime family try to incinerate her partner. Normally I welcome when a book surprises by contrasting with its cover, like Captain Marvel, but the lack of grace in Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti’s storytelling stops this book from not just defying expectations but exceeding them." -Joshua
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Final Score:
6.5
Superman Annual #1
Written by Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza | Art by Various
"If Superman Annual #1 were a person, I’d be sure that it was suffering from multiple personality disorder. It’s not a person, though, so I have to wonder what the hell was going on down at DC editorial when they cooked this one up." -Poet
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Final Score:
4.0
Source : ign[dot]com
