Various Recent SuperHero Single Issues

Amazing Spider-Man #635 by Joe Kelly and Michael Lark with a backup by J.M. DeMatteis and Max Fiumara and another back up by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin.

I really liked this issue. In the last issue we get the cliffhanger of Ezekiel coming back from the dead so I was very interested in what would happen. In the end of the issue we find out that Ezekiel is actually the chameleon, which makes complete sense. I was surprised how well they fooled me. I like how Kelly has been playing with spiritual forces but at the same time doesn't go too far with them. Overall the issue was really good, with great artwork by Michael Lark and an issue full of action and intensity. I am looking forward to the rest of the series, specially considering the incredible cliffhanger at the end of the issue.

The first backup, which is written by J.M. DeMatteis is pretty good. This is the second issue in this storyline about Kraven. I liked Fiumara's artwork more here then in the previous issue, he seems to have gotten a better hold on how to draw Kraven and Kaine. The issue was pretty good, I really like the interaction between Kraven and Kaine.

The last backup, the two pages by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin are interesting. Not as good as in the previous issue, but it seems to be setting a funny series. These two pages don't work as well in isolation, but hopefully it will work well once we have all the package together.

Superman #701 by J.M. Straczynski and Eddy Barrows.

After a lackluster prologue in #700, Straczynski finally starts his Superman story called "Grounded" in which Superman walks across America to find his roots and why he is a hero. This issue has a few flaws, places where Superman says strange things (such as saying the world is unfair by mentioning that John Lennon is dead) and seems a bit pretentious at times (quoting Thoreau near the end), however I liked it in whole. I liked that Superman is not nice to reporters, given that I hate reporters that just follow celebrities. I liked that Superman cares about saving one life. The scene where he cares about a girl about to kill herself is pretty good, although one has to wonder about this scene, given that Morrison had just done this in an "All Star Superman" issue.

The artwork in the issue is not great, but it is not bad either. I think in terms of storytelling it is okay, he just sometimes doesn't draw Superman's face as perfect as I imagine Superman. Sometimes he nails it, sometimes he doesn't.

I am looking forward to the rest of the series. It was a much better issue than the prologue and I think that once Straczynski goes into rhythm we'll get better issues.

Irredeemable #15 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto.

Issue #14 ended with the Plutonian coming at the Paradigm in full force, so this issue starts with a lot of action. The heroes have a secret weapon that can destroy the Plutonian, a bullet that has a special wax inside that is known to make the Plutonian vulnerable. One of the Paradigm's leaders, Qubit, doesn't trust the Orion, an evil alien that is helping the Paradigm destroy the Plutonian. There is a bit of a struggle between the Paradigm deciding whether to kill the Plutonian, in which case they would be vulnerable to Orion and not destroying the Plutonian now in hopes of finding a way later on. Besides all these problems, the Paradigm doesn't know that who they think is their resurrected friend Samsara, is actually the villain Modeus. In other words, all sorts of chaos is going on in this series and I love it. Anything can happen. The end of this issue was incredible, making a victory seem like a loss.

While I miss Peter Krause's artwork a bit, Diego Barreto does a fantastic job of covering him. The action scenes are well drawn and he is able to clearly show complex situations in the book. I like his artwork quite a bit.

Overall this series continues to impress. I am glad I gave it a chance last year and I will continue to read it for a while.

Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine #2 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert.

I had already forgotten the end of the first issue, so I was confused with how this issue started. However, I shouldn't worry about being confused anyways, because later on I realized that the writer just skipped months in time between the end of last issue and the beginning of this issue. Last issue was based in prehistoric times where Wolverine leads a tribe while Spider-man tries to figure out how to get back in time. At the end of the issue, Spider-man and Wolverine are thrown in time to the future, a future where humanity ended and instead of humans, ape-people rule the world. Ape-people are pretty friendly and in fact Spidey has been teaching them science these months.

The issue is quite good. Once the threat arrives, planet Doom, the issue becomes incredible. I can't believe how much detail Kubert is able to put in his art and I can't believe how outrageous this comic has been. Really fun, unpredictable and exciting. An excellent combination. I am looking forward to the rest of the series, I am very happy I am reading this series.

More Single Issues

Shield #2 by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver.

I love this comic. The first issue was awesome, but this might be even better. The story is just so interesting. This comic has made me interested in reading other stuff by Hickman. I have read the first two issues of Secret Warriors because of this and I am planning on getting his first Fantastic Four trade paperback soon. This series is the reason I try out new series. Every once in a while you discover a series that makes you realize why comics are so good.

The art is incredible, I have become a fan of Dustin Weaver with this series. There is outstanding detail in the pencils, there are creative panels and the storytelling is great. I can't ask for more from Dustin Weaver.

Codebreakers #3 by Ross Richie, Carey Malloy and Scott Godlewski.

I am starting to lose interest in this series. However, the series ends next issue, so it comes at the right time. The issue ends with a big cliffhanger making me want to see what happens in the final issue of the series, but I have to say that I am not that impressed with the story so far. I was expecting more mathematics in a series about codebreaking. I guess I was spoiled with the terrific book "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson.

Irredeemable #14 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto.

This series is very good and this issue is great. I really like the direction the series is taking and how Waid has made me feel like I know these characters. The last panel makes for a great cliffhanger for the next issue. I can't wait to find out what Modeus is up to.

The comic book started being about a hero gone wrong, but it keeps getting deeper and deeper as the series goes on. I really like this series.

Chew #11 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.

I love Chew. I think Shield was better this month, but Chew was a close second. The series is just hilarious while at the same time having an interesting plot behind it. I love it.

This issue has Tony Chu have his first date. The date goes exactly like one would expect in this comic. The date has danger, gore and jokes. I get excited every time I get a new issue in this series.

Chip #2 by Richard Moore.

The 2-issue miniseries ends in this issue. The story is quite simple, but it is humorous and it has a nice feel. I like it. The art is very good. It is a nice comic book for kids.