Writer's Pull List: 01-26-11

Here it is folks, what we're reading this week.  We're always open to recommendations!

Matt's Note:  Yay Age of X!  In unexpected news, I'm really digging Generation Lost more than Brightest Day.
Arnab's Note: I'm all kinds of excited for Age of X as well. Actually, it looks like a good load of books in general.

Matt's List
American Vampire #11
Justice League Generation Lost #18
Wonder Woman #606
Age of X Alpha #1
Avengers #9
New Mutants #21
Secret Avengers #9
Uncanny X-Force #4
Uncanny X-Men #532
X-Men #7
Chew #17 (Is this even coming out? My comic store's emails are hard to read)


Arnab's List

DC

Detective Comics #873

Green Arrow #8

Teen TItans #91

Marvel

Age of X Alpha #1

Uncanny X-Force #4

Uncanny X-Men #532

X-Men #7

Vertigo

American Vampire #11

Top Cow

Artifacts #5

Maybe I've evolved into just a head…like on "Futurama".

X-Factor ***1/2
Writer: Peter David
Artist(s): Valentine De Landro and Pat Davidson
Cover Artist(s): David Yardin and Sonia Oback
Publisher: Marvel

If it was X-Factor you wanted, you didn't really get much of that this issue. However, what you did get was a pretty great issue focused on Darwin, the Immortal (or at least that's what his name should be.) After leaving team X-Factor, Darwin goes wandering in the desert trying to find himself. Instead he finds the set of an old western were an aged Rahne's son warns him of an impending Apocalypse. This issue was really good for a couple of reasons. The first being, that David was able to make a book solely about Darwin interesting. And I know that sounds like a strange comment, but let's be honest, Darwin has been pretty boring for a while. However, after his battle with Hela he's proved to be one of the most powerful mutants alive.

Writer's Pull List 01-19-11

Welcome everyone, to this week's pull list. Our opportunity to let you know what the two of us will be reading and reviewing.

Arnab's Note: If you noticed, I had no non-DC books last week. I'm back with reviews this week though.
Matt's Note:  Italics aren't priorities, so it depends on my mood and bank account.


Arnab's List: 
DC
Batman #706
Batman: Streets of Gotham #19
Brightest Day #18
Green Lantern Corps #56 
Marvel
X-Factor #214
X-Men Legacy #244

Matt's List:
Batman #706
Brightest Day #18
Green Lantern Corps #56
Young Justice #0
Invincible Iron Man #500
Scarlet #4
X-Factor #214
X-Men Legacy #244
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #40

Writer's Pull List 01-12-11

Well folks, here's our first pull list of the year. Basically, it is our chance to let you know what we will be reading and reviewing this week.

Arnab's Note: Interestingly, I only have DC books this week.
Matt's Note: A nice quite week.

Arnab's List: 
DC
Batman and Robin #19
Birds of Prey #8
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #6
Red Robin #19
Thunder Agents #3

Matt's List: 
Batman and Robin #19
Birds of Prey #8
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #6
Red Robin #19
Justice League: Generation Lost #17

I'm back, Billy. And I'm here to protect you

Avengers: Children's Crusade #4 ****1/2
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Artist(s): Jim Cheung and Mark Morales
Cover Artist(s): Jim Cheung, Justin Ponsor, and Art Adams
Publisher: Marvel

Another absolutely fantastic issue by this great creative team. In the last issue Wiccan found himself in the deadly grasp of the powerful Doom. After a brief battle, Doom overpowers Wiccan and relieves him of his powers. Meanwhile, the rest of the Young Avengers and team Maximoff rush to the aide of the young Warlock. Before they reach Doom's kingdom, the Avengers arrive just in time to screw things up. Wanda rescues Wiccan from his prison and the two of them leave the castle just in time to witness a war going on. I thought that this issue was just great and the reveal at the end was all kinds of exciting. The interaction between Wiccan and his surroundings was done well. In fact, I think Heinberg is doing a great job capturing the personalities of all the characters. The art in the issue is spectacular, to say the least. And other than the minor glitches in Marvel continuity I think this series has been fantastic.

Phoenix Lantern Corps' Best and Worst of 2010

As evidenced by my horrible posting schedule, there was not enough time this year, which might explain how it's now the end of December.  There's Hannukah and Christmas and New Years, each with their own parties and gifts and plans.  But if my blog roll is any indication, it's also time to start looking back at the last year and judge reflect all of the developments that have come.  Being nothing if not followers, we will be doing the same list, at least to the best of our abilities.  Note that this stuff is from what we read, not from all comics ever.  Let us know how we were wrong!

BEST...

New Series
Matt: Avengers: Children's Crusade, without a doubt.  Even when I'm too busy to eat, this series will get me into the comic store.  Birds of Prey is a runners up, as is S.H.I.E.L.D.
Arnab: There have been a lot of great new series' this year, but my vote definitely goes to American Vampire. The creative team have been putting out consistent, quality, exciting work since the first issue.

Avengers Children's Crusade

I'm a new vampire, though

Welcome to the New Year folks! I've got one last batch of comics from 2010 for you all. I've got a great set of books from a variety of publishers. 

Chew #16 ****
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory
Cover Artist: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image

The writing that has appeared in the sky has put everyone on edge and for a change chicken is no longer a priority. Tony is in the process of tracking down a missing F.D.A. agent, Daniel Migdalo, who just happens to be voresophic. Month after month this continues to be a great book to read. Not only does it keep you on your toes and guessing, it also does an excellent job of maintaining interest and intrigue by creating depth to the characters, both old and new.

Writer's Pull List 12-22-10

Hey folks! This is our pull list for the week. Our chance to let you know what we will be reading and reviewing.  Merry Christmas everybody!

Arnab's Note: This week is a nice and diverse week for me, with regards to publishers.

Matt's Note: All I want for Christmas is a a gift card to the comics store. Italics are what I'll read but not buy. 


Arnab's List:
DC 
Batman Annual #28
Batman Incorporated #2
Batman Streets of Gotham #18
Green Lantern Corps #55
Image 
Chew #16
Marvel 
Uncanny X-Men #531
X-Men #6
X-Men Legacy #243
Top Cow 
Artifacts #4
Vertigo
 American Vampire #10 

Matt's List: 
American Vampire #10
Batman Incorporated #2
Batman Annual #28
Green Lantern Corps #55
Wonder Woman #605
Justice League Generation Lost #16
Uncanny X-Men #531
X-Men #6
X-Men Legacy #243
Invincible Iron Man #33
Secret Avengers #8

Writer's Pull List 12-15-10

So, we missed out on our pull list last week, but we're back now. For those of you not in the know, the pull list is our way of letting you all know what we will be reading and reviewing this week.

Arnab's Note: Two weeks of a low count pull list and I'm back at 10 issues this week.

Matt's Note: This is late completely because of me. New Years Resolution: Better blogging.

Arnab's List: 
DC
Batman #705
Batman and Robin #18
Batman Orphans #2
Birds of Prey #7
Brightest Day #16
Green Lantern #60
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #5
Time Masters Vanishing Point #5
Marvel
Uncanny X-Force #3
X-Factor #212

Matt's List:
Batman and Robin #18
Batman #705
Birds of Prey #7
Brightest Day #16
Green Lantern #60
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #5
Superman #706
Uncanny X-Force #3
X-Factor #212

Head to the moon and you'll find the cheese

So this week we've got Marvel's two best X-titles.

Uncanny X-Force #3 ****
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Jerome Opena
Cover Artist: Esad Ribic
Publisher: Marvel

First up is the relatively new series, Uncanny X-Force. From the get go the creative team has done an excellent job with this series. This issue starts off with the X-Force continuing to get beat down by the new Horsemen. While Wolverine is nearly killed, Fantomex and Betsy are able to use their telepathy to confuse and distract the horsemen long enough to keep everyone alive. Meanwhile, Angel is on the verge of death himself and without a nifty healing mutation he is left with Deadpool taking care of him. The writing in this series is just great. The characters are depicted in a manner that is true to their history as well as with just a bit of an edge, that would one would expect from a covert team. We also get a nice dose of humor, from the likes of Deadpool and Fantomex especially, in an otherwise dark series. The art continues to please with its unique and beautiful style.

I was held back once. First grade. Terrible Trauma.

So I missed out on two weeks of reviews, but since I had no reviews for the blog last week, I figured today would be a great day to catch up.

American Vampire #9 *****
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque and Mateus Santolouco
Cover Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Publisher: Vertigo

The end of the second arc comes to a fantastic end in this issue. The vampire killers, the vampires, and Skinner Sweet all make their move and in the end it is Cashel who is left to pick up the pieces. By this point it is clear that Snyder is able to create a vampire story that is not only fresh, but exciting from issue to issue. The league of vampires going around killing off other vampire cults is a nice juxtaposition to the vampire killers who are going around killing all vampires. Skinner Sweet reveals himself to be the ultimate badass in this issue, breaking his deal with the vampire league, then double crossing Cashel's father, and finally reaping his revenge on Cashel's unborn child. This story is consistently intelligent, fresh, and exciting. The art continues to be outstanding on Rafael Albuquerque's part as well as newcomer Mateus Santolouco. Essentially, this is a must read book.  

Writer's Pull List: 12-1-10

Hey folks, this is our pull list. It's a sneak preview of the books that we will be reading this week.

Arnab's Note: This is the smallest pull I've had in weeks, which is great because of the sheer amount of work I have right now. 

Matt's Note: I don't really have a note right now, short of Happy Holidays!

Arnab's List:
DC
Batman 80 Page Giant 2010
Batman Orphans #1
Brightest Day #15
Marvel
Generation #2
Vertigo
American Vampire #9

Matt's List:
American Vampire #9
Batman 80-page Giant 2010
Brightest Day #15
Generation Hope #2
Buffy #39

Shatterstar looks like he's having the time of his life.

Artifacts #3 ****
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Michael Broussard
Cover Artist(s): Kalman Andrasofszky and John Tyler Christopher
Publisher: Top Cow

This is the third issue in the Top Cow major event and things are starting to heat up. On the one end, the good guys have all gathered together in light of Sara's missing daughter. While all gathered together, they are informed of the plot to bring all 13 artifacts together and the chaos and destruction such an act would cause. On the other end of the spectrum, team evil has gone around the world recruiting some of the wielders of the artifacts to join their cause. While this issue was mainly team building, it does set up the the future to look very interesting. The writing and the art combine to make one very beautiful book. My only concern is that somewhere along the 13 issues the story might falter. However, until that happens, if it happens at all, this book still remains a great read.

Writer's Pull List 11-17-10

Another week, another Pull List.  Here's what we're reading this week, and hopefully it will inspire some of you.  Tell us what you're reading!

Matt's Note:  It's the return of Batman and the kick-off for Batman Inc.  Aka, it's a really big week for comics, and a really bad week for my wallet.  Things in italics are things that I probably won't be buying, but will try to read.

Arnab's Note: It is a huge week for Batman. And that makes me so happy I could... do something. Interestingly enough, the italics hold no significance in my portion of the list other than to signify the title.

Matt's List
Batman #704
Batman Incorporated #1
Batman The Return #1
Brightest Day #14
Flash #6
Green Lantern #59
Green Lantern Corps #54
Superman #705
Avengers #7
X-Factor #211
X-Men #5

Arnab's List
DC
 Batman #704
Batman Incorporated #1
Batman: Streets of Gotham #17
Batman: The Return
Brightest Day #14
Flash #6
Green Lantern #59
Green Lantern Corps #54
Marvel 
X-Factor #211
X-Men #5
Top Cow 
Artifacts #3

Super Mega Review Round-up: DC Edition

 
It has been approximately 5 months since I wrote a weekly review.  That's a hell of a lot of comics to catch up on, and there's no way I can possibly write 25 posts for each of the weeks I've missed.  To counteract that, I'm going to write two mega-posts about all of the titles from the two main publishers, DC and Marvel.  They will probably be long, but at least well-organized and you can skip to whatever you're curious about!

For the record, I am not the sort of person who enjoys dressing up in his mother's clothes

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3 ****1/2
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Artist(s): Jim Cheung and Mark Morales
Cover Artist(s): Jim Cheung, Justin Ponsor, and Art Adams
Publisher: Marvel

This is looking to be an epic 9 part series. On both accounts, writing and art, the creative team knocks it out of the park. Fearing Wanda is being capture by Doom, the Young Avengers, Quicksilver, and Magneto all have different ideas of what they should do. Bickering and whining ensues, with a helping of yelling by Hulkling, and in the end Wiccan ventures off to Latveria on his own. With a bit of smart thinking (turning into Wanda) he is able to trick his way into Wanda's room only to come upon some startling news. Meanwhile, in Avengers' headquarters the Avengers approach Wonder Man to assist them in finding Wanda. Upon realizing what they intend to do with her, Wonder Man rejects their offer and goes off to find her on his own. Heinberg has created a fantastic story that is full of life and imagination. He has a great handle on all of these characters and is able to utilize them in a fascinating way. The art is absolutely beautiful in this book, from page to page there are more and more stunning spreads and splash pages. While it is unfortunate that there is a two month wait between issues, it does also mean that the story will stick with us for a longer amount of time and as long as it continues to be this great, who can complain. 

Writer's Pull List 11-10-10

Another week, another pull list. This is a list of all the good books coming out, ha. Really though, it's a list of all the books that we will be reading and reviewing.

Arnab's Note: I wouldn't exactly call this a big week for me, but it is a big week as far as the array of publishers that have books out this week that I read.


Matt's Note: Finally, finally, finally we get new Children's Crusade.


Arnab's List:
DC
Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #6
Birds of Prey #6
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #4
Red Robin #17
Marvel
Avengers: Children's Crusade #3
Vertigo
American Vampire #8
Image
Chew #15

Matt's List:
American Vampire #8
Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #6
Birds of Prey #6
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #4
Red Robin #17
Avengers: Children's Crusade #3
Chew #15

Teon has just urinated on my feet!

Generation #1 ***1/2
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Salva Espin
Cover Artist: Olivier Coipel
Publisher: Marvel

Hope, Rogue, and four of Earth's newest mutants make their way to collect the fifth light in the launch of this new series. Logan and Scott encounters the final mutant in Japan, who also happens to be the most interesting new mutant, and unfortunately he has undergone a tragic mutation. After meeting these mutants in Uncanny X-Men, I didn't have the greatest impression, considering they're all basically copies of previous mutants. However, they're beginning to feel a bit more human and slightly more likeable. What this does great is show Hope as the leader she was born to be. She appears to have a great deal of influence and control over these new lights. Unfortunately, she's also a bit reckless. While she has been raised by one of the greatest soldiers of all time, she does not take orders well, at all. Along those same lines, as a result of her solitary childhood, she's not particularly a team player, which will most likely cause problems with her role as an X-Man and her role as a leader. The art stands out, in light of some of the other art in the other X-books, as being done exceptionally well. Overall, this was a pretty good start to this new series.

Check out my DC reviews at ComicAttack.net!

Superman/Batman - Apocalypse

Stop the presses, I'm writing a review. After a three month absence, I am back.  I have no idea for how long, but at least there is virtual proof that I am not dead.

So anyway, back to the review.  Last week I watched the new direct-to-DVD animated film "Superman/Batman - Apocalypse."  And I gotta say, it was kind of awesome.  First things first, though: this movie should be called "Trinity - Apocalypse" because Wonder Woman has just a big a role as either Bruce or Clark.  And I'm not gonna lie, her kicking ass plays a big part into why I like the film. 

I'm having "Necrosha" deja-vu, but Arnab says I'm crazy

Writer's Pull List 11-03-10

Hey folks, this is our pull list. Everything we'll be reading this week and will be reviewing.

Arnab's Note:
I'm a little displeased that Avengers: The Children's Crusade is late. In other news, I am happy that DC decided to push Batman Inc.'s launch back so that the Bruce Wayne could return in a timely fashion.

Matt's Note: I too have been wondering where the hell Children's Crusade is. In other news I finally got my ass to the comic shop.


Arnab's List:
DC
Batman and Robin #16
Batman/Catwoman Follow the Money
Brightest Day #13
Red Hood: Lost Days #6
Superboy #1
Marvel
Generation Hope #1

Matt's List:
Batman and Robin #16
Superboy #1
Generation Hope #1
Scarlet #3
X-Men: To Serve and Protect #1 (Maybe)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #38