Here are my favorite covers from this week. I have picked them based upon a few factors. Each factor is worth 5 points and the points are totaled to give the cover a rating. Those factors are:

• Style - Is it unique and something new or just classic and clean.
• Pop - How much does it pop out to the readers eyes when it's sitting on the shelf.
• Relevance - How relevant is the cover to what is actually happening inside the book.
• Iconic Value - Is this a cover that will stand out over the course of time or is it neat but nothing legendary.

Without further ado here we go:

4. Messiah War One-Shot (Kaare Andrews)

• Style - The style fits the direness of the title very well. It is very dark and decrepit. The look of Archangel in the background is a very haunting image and works well as a focal point for the eye in the background. 4/5
• Pop - Almost everything that helps this title in the style category hurts it here in the pop category. It does have some great A-List characters from the x-books here which will draw some readers to look at it. The dark drab colors though doesn't really make it immediately appealing. 2/5
• Relevance - It has a majority of the characters from this arc in what appears to be a wasteland much like the future that appears under the cover. This is about where it ends. 2/5
• Iconic Value - It is a great visual piece of art. Very dark and brooding and it sets a great tone for this story arc. It has some great characters in a great pose looking half dead. Iconic? Wouldn't go that far. I would say it will probably be one of the more memorable covers from this crossover though. 3/5
• SPRI Total 11/20

3. Amazing Spider-Man #589 (Chirs Eliopolous, Klaus Janson and Dean White)

• Style - This cover takes a chance and I dig it. While there isn't much art it has flavor nonetheless. The large font with Spidey's hand coming out of it is really a neat idea. It stands out from its peers on the shelves. Name one other book that looks anything like this. No matter whether you think that's a good thing or a bad thing. It still has a style of it's own. 3/5
• Pop - Again because of its uniqueness it pop quite a bit. Enough to get you to buy it? Not so sure. But pop it has in spades. If you walk by it you are sure to take a few seconds to let your peepers take a look at it. 4/5
• Relevance - Well i'll be damned if the Spot doesn't return here so i'd say the relevance is through the roof. 5/5
• Iconic Value - It isn't iconic as much as it has a real retro unique feel to it. I can't get give it a ton of marks here but it definitely deserves some credit for trying. 2/5
• SPRI Total 14/20

Justice League of America # 31 (Ed Benes and Brian Miller)

• Style - Pretty cool cover with the big three walking away. Really dig the torn JLA flag billowing over their heads. Always enjoy when a logo can be incorporated into a cover as more than just a static logo stamped at the top. Definitely seems to show the end of an era here. 3/5
• Pop - Anytime you have the big three on a cover there is immediate pop. The fact that things look so bleak yet you have a little sun coming up only adds more pop. The JLA flag up top is a really nice touch that adds a little more flair to it as well. 4/5
• Relevance - All three of these characters are now out of the title as the cover implies. The cover does a great job of implying the end of an era and on the inside this is exactly what is going on. 4/5
• Iconic Value - For this era of JLA this is a very iconic and well done cover. While we all know that these three will be back at some point right now they are out. Since this title was relaunched it has been an uber power team but this looks to be shifting. So i'd say for the era that is now passing this is iconic as it marks the end. 4/5
• SPRI Total 15/20

Daredevil #117 (Marko Djurdjevic)

• Style - Love the look of this cover. DD and Kingpin meeting in a graveyard and shaking hands. Great stuff. Scream deal with the devil. Which is the devil though? Very Faustian. The light coming in from the background really brings the dark nature of the foreground into focus and gives it that highlighted effect as your eyes are drawn right there. 3/5
• Pop - DD and Kingpin shaking hands in a graveyard is great. The light surrounding them brings your eyes onto them immediately and makes you think, "Now why the hell would these two be shaking hands?!". I know it did for me. I then popped the sucker open and consumed it with my eyes. 4/5
• Relevance - This scene is in there. It happens at the end as it should too. The cover makes you want to see it and they make you wait till the end to see it. Oh and it's worth it. 5/5
• Iconic Value - DD and Kingpin shaking hands. Mortal enemies seemingly making a gentleman's agreement. It is beautifully rendered. I think it will be remembered for awhile. 4/5
• SPRI Total 16/20
  

Let me know what you think Inmates and tune in next week as we start on April! Just as a refresher the final three nominees for Cover of March are Action Comics #875 by Andrew Robinson, X-Force #13 by Clayton Crain and Daredevil #117 by Marko Djurdjevic.

Alright last category for the week of 3/18/09 here. Much like the other two this is a shorty.

5. X-Men Legacy #222 - This title had top artist and writer nods. Placing 5th for artist and 5th for writer. This has been a fun title that has done a lot of tweaking of the X-Universe. Some has been for the worse some has been for the better. This issue was one of the betters as we are seeing a lot of development with the characters of Rogue and Gambit.

4. Wolverine: Old Man Logan #71 - This crazy look at the potential future of our favorite hairy Canadian canucklehead has been a great joy ride. This title was awarded 2nd in artists and 4th in writers for this week. This issue pushed the story forward finally after a bit of time where it felt like this title was just going to be a more violent road trip movie. The end of this issue could potentially change the whole direction of this story.

3. Amazing Spider-Man #588 - 3rd for covers and 2nd for writing gets this title in at the 3rd spot for title of the week. While it obviously had writing and covers I enjoy the art was also great. Any other week and it probably would have been a top 5. It actually was 6th on my list so there is that. Really enjoyed all the elements of this title and where it left us going forward into the future. It left many stories available such as where does the whole Lily/Menace and Harry/Goblin relationship go?!

2. X-Factor #41 - Pulled down 3rd for covers and 3rd for writing. Lot going on here. Rahne has some good moments. Madrox and Layla together in the future. Don't want to go into much detail here because PAD as been so eager to keep people from spoiling things. Just believe me this has been a great title recently and this title ratchets it up another level.

1. X-Force #13 - Death, destruction and New X-Men appearances galore! This title was nominated in all three categories. 1st in covers, 3rd in artists, and 1st in writing. The trio of Kyle, Yost and Crain are pumping out some great stuff. This title almost seems like the main x-title honestly. It ties into more of the other x-titles than any other book does and it seems to be one of the highest quality on a consistent basis.

So the two titles of the week so far this month are Ghost Rider #33 and X-Force #13. Stay tuned later in the week to find out the last title of the week for March.

This will be another short and sweet one. This week we should be back on track and doing it the old way. But who knows how we'll do it. Maybe people like it better this way?! Let me know what you think people. So here we go top writers!

5. Mike Carey (X-Men: Legacy #222) - So this was a really good issue. Starting to get somewhere I think. Rogues characterization has been really spot on as has Gambits. I love seeing those two characters written well. I just hope this arc concludes with the two of them being part of a new X-Men team lead by Xavier. Who knows where Carey is going with this though. I'll be there to find out though and that's in very large part to the writing here.

4. Mark Millar (Wolverine: Old Man Logan #71) - This has been a really great arc. While it doesn't take place in continuity it still has me connected to the characters. It still has me feeling slightly sad when something happens to a character like Hawkeye who gets an abrupt ending to his story here. Hopefully now though berserker Wolverine will make his return and Millar as we know can write that quite well.

3. Peter David (X-Factor #41) - Let this title never end! PAD has been amazing here. This title has been good since the start. For a bit there it was good but nothing great. Almost resting on its laurels. Not anymore the last few issues have provided us with twists, turns, and killer cliffhanger endings. This is a book that only seems to get better issue after issue. Can't wait for the next one after the way PAD left us hanging on the last one!

2. Marc Guggenheim (Amazing Spider-Man #588) - While I really miss the MJ and Peter relationship I gotta admit I have enjoyed these stories set in Brand New Day. The Spidey Brain-Trust now know as the Web-Heads are why. Guggenheim has given us a great character arc here and provides plenty of action as well. This issue in particular was a heart breaker but so is the life of Peter and those who surround him.

1. Craig Kyle and Chris Yost (X-Force #13) - These guys plus an X-Title is guaranteed gold for Marvel and fans. They are amazing writers and you can tell by the way they off characters but still fanboys keep coming back. This issue was no exception a they rid another mutant from the world with the promise that two more could go next issue. They can do the blood and gore fighting like no other but they also have touching moments with Rahne here that should keep everyone happy.

So there you go! We now have two of our three nominees for Writer of the Month. First being Peter Tomasi (Green Lantern Corps) and now Craig Kyle and Chris Yost (X-Force). Stay tuned later this week as I run down this weeks top 5 and we get our last nominee!

So here are the books on my to get list this week. Some will end up in my pull box while some from previous weeks will probably come out of the box but this is my list of what I feel is worth picking up from this weeks releases.

Coming Home No Questions Asked:

Justice League of America #31 - Probably my last for this title for a bit though. Seems like the big three will be leaving the team and a few of the Milestone characters will be coming over which I could care less about. Unless this issue is absolutely killer that will be the end for this one. It's the only reason it comes home this week.

Amazing Spider-Man #589 - Digging the new Spider-Man stuff still. Not sure why MJ couldn't have been left as his wife but still loving the stories.

Captain America #48 - So far the weakest arc of Brubaker's run but still good stuff. This is consistently one of my favorite titles. Love me some Bucky Cap.

Immortal Iron Fist #24 - Another Iron Fist already? Awesome! This one always come home when it releases. Great title that is well worth the money.

Mighty Avengers #23 - This one is like JLA not really digging it and may be the last one unless this issue proves me wrong and hooks me. Coming home tomorrow just to find out.

Ms. Marvel #37 - Love the title. Brian Reed usually never disappoints. Interested having said that to see how this title is with a new lady in the Ms. Marvel uniform.

New Avengers #51 - Can't wait to see who the new Sorcerer Supreme is! This is a consistently out of this park hit with me. No complaints at all.

Skaar: Son of Hulk #9 - Great title that keeps me coming back. Love the art especially. The muted colors and the perfect fantasy vibe with a hulk is a great mix. Feel like Planet Hulk never ended when I read this.

Messiah War Prologue: Can't wait for this one! Loved Messiah Complex and this is the second part of the Messiah trilogy. Hopefully we will see some real progress with the stories of Cable, Hope and especially Bishop.

X-Infernus #4 - This has been a fun mini and I am interested to see how they close this one out. Hoping for no casualties from the New X-Men class.

X-Men: Kingbreaker #4 - Going to miss this one. The art has been fantastic. The writing has been great. I really love the X-Men infused Starjammers and hope they stick around in some capacity.

X-Men: Sword of Braddocks - As has been pointed out in a previous post I am looking forward to this. I am a fan of Psylocke and can't wait till she comes back to the 616 proper. While I love Claremont I am excited this is his last story with her for awhile.

X-Men: Bishop Mini #2 - Enjoying seeing the future from Bishop's POV. Interested to see what has brought him to the point we are at in the Messiah trilogy. Bishop is one of my favorite X-Men so I hope he comes out better than he is going into this one. I wanna be able to break out the Bishop Was Right shirts.

Going in The Box:

Wonder Woman #30 - Gotta get the last one from the box before I get this one. Another title I will probably be dropping. Just waiting till the end of this long arc. The whole Genocide thing has been just plain flat for me.

Umbrella Academy #5 - Gotta get the previous one from the box. This is a fun title it just unfortunately gets shifted to the box because of all the other things out this week.

Fantastic Four #585 - Just waiting for the new team to come on board. Not my favorite run on this title.

Guardians of the Galaxy #12 - Another one I enjoy but gets shifted to the box because of all the other stuff out this box or that is currently in my box that needs to come out.

Nova #23 - Good title but gotta get the last one from my box. Wish it didn't have to go in but a big week means sacrifices.

Thunderbolts #130 - Gotta get the last one from my box. Fun title though. Love G.I. Ant-Man sleaze bag.

Not Sure Whether to Get or Not:

Dark Reign: Elektra #1 - Art looks cool. Character is fun. Just not sure if it is going to be worth the $3.99 price of admission. Better be something real spectacular.


So as anyone who comes to this blog can tell I am an X-Men fan. So a lot of X-Men this week. Also the trend continues with less and less DC titles every week. It is a real shame as I was on a huge DC kick after Infinite Crisis and 52. Looking forward to reading this weeks titles.

Here are my favorite 5 covers from this week. I have picked them based upon a few factors. Each factor is worth 5 points and the points are totaled to give the cover a rating. Those factors are:

• Style - Is it unique and something new or just classic and clean.
• Pop - How much does it pop out to the readers eyes when it's sitting on the shelf.
• Relevance - How relevant is the cover to what is actually happening inside the book.
• Iconic Value - Is this a cover that will stand out over the course of time or is it neat but nothing legendary.

So here are the top 5:

5. Deadpool : Games of Death - (Greg Land with Justin Ponsor)

• Style - Typical Greg Land style here. Well minus a female. Pretty goofy not taking itself to serious. funny but nothing special style wise. 2/5
• Pop - It definitely stands out. I mean you got the merc with a mouth firing off a handgun holding a teddy bear. That surely has some pop factor to it. 3/5
• Relevance - Well actually none at all. There is no carnival or teddy bears inside. 0/5
• Iconic Value - It's Deadpool in a pose that only Deadpool could pull off. He looks badass holding a teddy bear. Pretty classic. 3/5
• SPRI Total 8/20

4. Ultimatum #3 - (David Finch, Danny Miki, Steve Firchow)

• Style - Static pose down shot done gorgeously by Finch. Colors and inking enhance it quite a deal and provides a very beautiful shot that fits together with the other covers from Ultimatum. The Magneto eye glow effect is a great touch. 3/5
• Pop - It's gorgeous like I said and it stands out because you see the whole Brotherhood in one shot with Magneto eyes a glowing in the background and Sabertooth roiding out in the foreground. 3/5
• Relevance - Not much. Sure you see some of these guys in the interior but you get no clue as to what is going on inside from the cover. I mean Quicksilver in the background is even dead by this issue. 0/5
• Iconic Value - As far as iconic value goes it is extremely iconic for the Ultimate Universe. This title is the end of the Ultimate Universe as we know it and this is a great shot of some the hardest evil mutants the Ultimate U has to offer. Great way to showcase these guys before obliterating the Universe and some, if not all of them, along the way. 5/5
• SPRI Total 11/20

3. Amazing Spider-Man #588 - (John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, Dean White)

• Style - This is a very classic looking John Romita Jr. style. There is something about JRJR's style that just seems classic when it is attached to Spidey. The image is very dark and haunting and is rendered very well by JRJR. It even has newspaper in the image that tells you what the story is about. Nice touch. 4/5
• Pop - It doesn't pop so much for me. While I think it is well done by JRJR and is yet another classic Spidey image done by him it doesn't really sell the book you know what I mean? Nothing really flashy about it. 2/5
• Relevance - It's relevant alright. As I mentioned above the newspaper on the cover even tells you what is happening inside the cover and a little of what happened before. It's a great cover that tells you all you need to know about the interior. Pretty neat way to recap on the cover without really being overt about it. 5/5
• Iconic Value - It's JRJR and I would argue just about all of his covers are iconic in some way because he does Spidey so well. Long into the future I think JRJR will be remembered as one of the best ever to draw Spidey. Having said that this is not the most iconic of all the drawings he has done and surely not the most memorable. 2/5
• SPRI Total 13/20

2. X-Factor #41 (David Yardin with Nathan Fairbain)

• Style - Very foreboding and dark. Th Sentinel looks great seemingly preparing to destroy Madrox and his multiples. The sheer panic on Madrox and the dupes is great and I love the interior of the Sentinel's mouth the detail is fantastic. 3/5
• Pop - You have a giant Sentinel in the background with its chest, eyes, and mouth glowing with energy. In such a dark cover these elements really make it stand out. It draws your eyes in and then you see Madrox and the dupes and the terror they are experiencing. 4/5
• Relevance - It's got Madrox and a Sentinel. Both are inside in some capacity. Maybe not the same as this exact image but its close enough. It definitely gives you a damn good idea of whats inside and does not disappoint. 4/5
• Iconic Value - Pretty iconic Sentinel. Probably one of the more iconic images of the series so far in my opinion. Maybe not iconic in a everyone will remember it forever sort of way but still pretty chilling and memorable. 3/5
• SPRI Total 14/20

1. X-Force #13 - (Clayton Crane)

• Style - I think Clayton Crain's style is currently extremely unique. Crain's digital painting style is very dark, I mean VERY dark, and just stands apart from the crowd. This cover is no exception 4/5
• Pop - This cover pops right out there. First you have a character in front of the logo which automatically sets it apart from other things on the shelf that have a static logo in the top of the image. Second you have everything shot to hell in the image including the previously mentioned logo. Then you have the antagonist standing over the members of the team who all have her crazy weird Jason mask on and are bound. Looks pretty dire and makes you want to crack the book open fairly quickly. 4/5
• Relevance - This scene does not happen in the book but it figuratively is very relevant. Leper queen is in control and she has these guys right where she wants them. This is a downer issue, in a great way, and this cover captures all of that. 4/5
• Iconic Value - Not a lot of iconic value on this one. It is though one of the cooler covers for this series which makes it a little iconic for this book. It's an image I will remember when I think of this book. 3/5
• SPRI Total 15/20

Let me know what you think Inmates and tune in next week as we review another five covers and pick the last nominee for cover of the month. Just as a refresher the two nominees so far are Action Comics #875 by Andrew Robinson and X-Force #13 by Clayton Crain.

Well today is that day that we all wait for ladies and gentlemen. New Comic Day! The day where no matter how hard the economy is hitting your wallet you can still justify dropping 3-4 bucks on some paper with pretty pictures and words in it. All held together with three staples. Yours and mine visual crack.

In looking at the shipping list it appears to be X-Men week. Just about every x-title under the sun comes out this week. Not complaining just wish it was a little more spread out so there wont be a week where there are no x-titles.

So what am I picking up from this weeks offerings? Whats going in the box? Let's take a look.

Taking Home:

Amazing Spider-Man #588
Amazing Spider-Man: Extra #3
Dark Avengers #3
Thunderbolts #130
Punisher #3
Ultimate X-Men #100
Ultimatum #3
Uncanny X-Men #507
Wolverine #71
Wolverine: Origins #34
X-Factor #41
X-Force #13
X-Men Kingbreaker #4
X-Men: Legacy #222
Young X-Men #12

Pull Box:

Azrael: Death's Dark Knight #1
Supergirl #39
Deadpool Annual: Games of Death
Spider-Man Noir #4

So most of it's coming home with me this week.

Gotta say I am noticing a trend. It seems that most of my comics are now Marvel. For awhile there I was getting a pretty equal amount from the big two but as money has gotten tighter I find myself looking to drop titles and mostly they end up being DC. I really think the quality of their books has decreased a fair amount in the last couple of years. Exceptions of course for anything written by Geoff Johns. If Marvel ever snagged him DC would be in for some serious hurt.

Well things can change and sometimes comics don't come in so we will see if this list changes or not. I'll try and get on later tonight with some thoughts and what not on this weeks bounty. So all five of you that come here and the two of you that follow check back and see whats what!

So this is the list of comics I actually ended up getting this week:

Action Comics #875
Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1
Batman: Cacophony #3
Booster Gold #18
Green Arrow/Black Canary #18
Green Lantern Corps #34
Secret Six #7
Superman #685
Superman: World of New Krypton #1
Madman: Atomic Comics #14
Astonishing Tales #2
Captain Britain and MI: 13 #11
Deadpool #8
Ghost Rider #33
Immortal Iron Fist #23
Invincible Iron Man #11
Skaar Son of Hulk #8
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #3
X-Men Noir #4
X-Men: Nightcrawler One-Shot

I know some of this didn't come out this week and is old but I don't always get everything new the week it comes out. Some things go into my pull box to be picked up at a later date.

You can expect some short reviews either tonight or tomorrow and the rest later in the week.

So while I was at my LCS one of the guys who works there, Will, showed me this glorious piece of merchandise.
It is called Spider-Man's Fury. I kid you not. When he showed it to me all I could say was, "I hope you aren't going to ask me what that thing is!" Sure enough he did and we all laughed our asses off. But for all wondering it is actually a knife. Which brings another question I suppose. Since when did Spidey carry a knife for his fury?

Alright so it has been a little over a week and no update. I'm sorry and oh so ashamed of myself. Right, anyway...

So the way were going to do these reviews is to give the comics a rating based on a scale of 0 to 10. So pretty much the reviews will just get a DSM Rating of Crazy (DSM-RoC) from The Comic Book Asylum courtesy of Dr. Burpee.

X-Men/Spider-Man #4 - This was a great mini. I really enjoyed it and hope there is some follow up as it pertains to the big bad reveal. Really not a fan of the Xravin name though. Kinda weak if you ask me. Overall though between art and words this was a mini that was worth the money I spent on it. That is a rare thing lately it seems.
DSM-RoC of 45

Secret Warriors #2 - Liking this series. The big reveal from the first issue was neat but I wanna see how they play it before I pass full judgment yay or nay. This second issue had some neat features such as a seeming look at the future for the characters with the vision that one of the group is bound to eat some dirt. The return at the end was a welcome return but nothing to Earth shattering and no where near as twisty as the end of the first issue.
DSM-RoC of 9

War of Kings #1 - Dug the art dug the story. Bit disappointed at the lack of plot twists in this one. Past cosmic events (Annihilation and Annihilation 2) had a decent twist that set the tone for the series. Not much in that way here. Lots of great characters though and I love seeing some Gladiator commentary.
DSM-RoC of 12

Cable #12 - So Hope saves Cable and we finally get some insight into her inner workings. It's nice to see some fleshing out of this character as so far we know next to nothing. The art switch in here was odd and probably didn't need to occur. It did though so who cares I suppose. Really stoked for the next issue and the Messiah War crossover.
DSM-RoC of 8

New Avengers: The Reunion #1 - Not much changes here in this issue. A nice conversation between Bucky and Clint was probably the highlight of the issue to me. Overall not much to say about this issue as it really wasn't that great.
DSM-RoC of 4

JSA #24 - Awesomeness to the extreme. Love it. Love it. Love it. Billy with Courtney was great. enjoyed seeing the two interact on a heart to heart level. Really like the refresher on Billy and his parents history with Black Adam. Jerry Ordway's art was stellar too. The Origins and Omen backup feature was, like most of them have been, a great addition and got my interest piqued for what is coming in the series post Geoff Johns. Just when I wasn't sure about keeping on they bring me back into the fold solidly.
DSM-RoC of 60

Ultimate Spider-Man #131 - So Jonah has a change of heart on Spidey, Aunt May meets alter gender Peter, Dr. Strange's joint blows up spewing demons and other magic, and Hulk listens to Peter. Good issue with plenty of crazy.
DSM-RoC of 45

Ms. Marvel #36 - Wasn't too enthralled by this issue.
DSM-RoC of 3

Legion of Superheroes #50 - What was this about? Not what I was hoping for at all. Clearly slapped together. Amazingly though there was no price increase for this final/anniversary issue. What a mess
DSM-RoC of -30

Guardians of The Galaxy # 10 - Solid issue with plenty of action. Brad Walker's art fits nicely with the crowded action scenes as he has an eye for detail. You can view the crowded action scenes and still make out what Abnett and Lanning are trying to convey. Not quite Perez level here but solid. What the hell is in that cocoon?
DSm-RoC of 8

Captain America #47 - Brubaker and Captain America/Bucky equals great f'in comic. Can't complain here as Brubaker's iconic run on Cap pushes on. Natasha finding his suit should make for some fun later but for now I'm more interested to see what happens with Namor, Bucky, and Toro as the reunion of the Invaders continues to be one that isn't so much fun for them as it is for fans.
DSM-RoC of 73

Green Lantern #38 - OK so this issue was awesome. There is a but though. They really wrapped up the arc abruptly. I would have liked to have seen this stretched out a little longer. Loving the Blue Lanterns of Hope. The twist of needing a Green Lantern around to provide Willpower for them to be effective only made the Blue Lanterns more interesting. An interesting twist on the Lantern Corps and how they all interact. You have the Green Lanterns who had the weakness to Yellow and now you have Blue which is the opposite and requires the Green. Johns is really knocking this out of the park. The Origins and Omens backup hints at some things that if they are what they seem, which I am sure they will not be, then we are in for a fun ride with some potential casualties. Looking forward to it.
DSM-RoC of 200

Ratings are well thought out and are based upon writing, art, and other various factors.