The Coffeespy

The reading list this week, in the order they came out of the bag:

• 52 #49
• The New Avengers #29 (from “The Initiative” pull)
• Punisher War Journal #6 (from “The Initiative” pull)
• Thunderbolts #113  (from “The Initiative” pull)
• Iron Man #16 (from “The Initiative” pull)
• Nova #1

52

I have to say, 52 is the best title I read for consistent comic-bookishness.  This week, Chang Tzu’s Science Squad gets its just rewards, and from the inside.  Let’s see, this week has a giant, megalomaniac egg leading a group of mad scientists against… the world.  They’re holding the living vessel of several gods, Black Adam, hostage.  The Justice Society shows up just in time for a Mad Scientist #7 (seriously, does anyone know who this guy is?) to declare:

Lovely… That’s followed up with the return of the Metal Men (in mini form), Will Magnus making “I needed my meds” jokes, and the destruction of Humpty the Mastermind with three well placed Ka-Shooms.  I can already see the courtroom drama unfold.  “Mr. Magnus, isn’t it true you ka-shoomed Chang Tzu three times when only one ka-shoom was really necessary?  What kind of man feels the need to empty an entire clip of ka-shooms into a defenseless egg?!”

The book ends with Black Adam escaping and swearing to kill whoever’s responsible while the pseudo-heroes left over from Lex Luthor’s Infinity, Inc. babble cheerfully about needing someone to fight.  Uh… we can see where this is leading.  WWIII.

New Avengers

First off, the art is fantastic.  Emphasis on fan.  If you’re a fan of comic book artistic styles, you can’t help but love Leinil Yu’s lines especially when they’re filled in perfectly by Dave McCaig’s color work.  It makes for a beautiful book.

That’s kind of where it drops off.  The New Avengers have just gone from fighting Avengers actual (Iron Man, Power Man, Ms. Marvel, the actual God of War Ares, you get the picture - epic level heroes) to battling the Hand… a bunch of ninjas.  I don’t care that Elektra is leading them, Luke Cage can’t be hurt, Iron Fist is magnitudes above your red pajama’d ninj-compoop.  Wolverine?!  Come on!

And let’s look at the team.  Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Spiderwoman, Wolverine, and Dr. Strange.  Why Dr. Strange?  Because when you get in a fight with A-List heroes you’re going to need a plot device to save your butt.  That’s why Dr. Strange.  Of course, I’m friggin’ thrilled to see the good Doctor in a regular series, so let’s hope they figure out a way to keep him interesting and not a cheap magic show escape hatch.

The New Avengers can be a good book.  The dialogue is good, the characters are an interesting mix, but throwing them in between the best the world has to offer on one end and the weakest link on the other just shows the creative team probably doesn’t have any idea who best to showcase their characters against.

Oh, by the way, the best part of the book is Danny Rand making Tony Stark look like a complete buffoon - all on tape.  And a character I despise gets the best line of the book:

Punisher War Journal

Another book with incredible art.  There are more bulging veins, gritted teeth, and fearsome glares than any other book this month (and possibly this year).  I really wish a character called the Hate-Monger wouldn’t go around saying lines like “America is for Americans” (which leads me to believe the writer thinks anti-illegals means evil) but what the hell, he looks good in the costume at the end.

Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog has the best panel out of the whole book.  You’ll have to scroll down a ways to find it, but it’s unmistakable.

Thunderbolts

It was a words issue.  Character development, plot development… art’s nothing special but not bad.  The Green Goblin and Bullseye are on the cover for some reason, no sign of them in the book unless you count Norman Osborne doing office chores.

I like the Thunderbolts potential but it’s not paying off yet.

Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Umm… jeez.  I really dislike disliking this, but Iron Man is going the wrong way.  The best part of the whole book doesn’t even feature Iron Man, it features the return of the Mandarin (and it is a really sweet return).  I’ll keep reading for another month but something more than Tony learning to lead rather than be a CEO is going to have to happen.

That said, any dude looking like Rip Van Winkle and chained to a floor who can still kill a bunch of professional killers before he even gets his magic rings back is likely to put a hurtin’ on Shellhead.

Nova

Before I opened the book - The Awesometer was pegged by the cover.

And I was not disappointed.  The first few pages are comic gold fueled by the imperfect translator in his helmet.  Nova’s lines are distilled sequential violence purity and the art is straight-up classic.  It’s like reading silver age made modern day.  There’s good guys and bad guys, not some moral ambiguity BS I can get from any newspaper.

Guttural shriek of abject terror!

The book is pure throwdown from page 1 to the end.  The teaser at the end with Nova and Iron Man headbutting each other, to see who’s helmet is manlier no doubt, is a perfect ending to a perfect book.  THIS, my friends, is what comic books are all about.  Want to feel like a kid again?  Pick up Nova.

In other comics news this week:

• Polite Dissent beat me to a great Will Magus line in 52 and reviews Amazing Spider-Man #539, which I haven’t been reading.
• Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog manages to do on Thursday what it took me all of Sunday to get done.