Alright, I know that I have been hella lax on getting content up and I am sorry. Finals are now over for me and the summer is coming. Tomorrow after I get off work I will start the content flowing again.

This weekend I intend to name the books of April in categories of art, writing, and overall. As well as cover some Delicious Free Comic Book Day stuff. If you aren't aware of FCBD click on that link and check it out. It has where to find stores, what comics will be free and much more to help you out. I personally am taking the day off and bringing the fam to my LCS Bosco's! Should be great fun. If you get out there and have a good time share with me what your FCBD was like in the rants section.

Alright, good being on here again and those 4 of you who kept coming back despite the lack of content I owe you a pint of the liquid of your choosing!

See ya in the panels.

So I picked up the new issue of Green Arrow and Black Canary,which was #19, last week and wasn't that impressed with it. I really liked the issues leading into it but l kinda felt let down by this one. That though is not the biggest problem I have with this issue.

One of the usual things i like to do here is give a run down of my favorite covers each week. This time though instead I would like to just share my least favorite cover of the YEAR so far. If you have this issue feel free to pull it out and take a gander with me.

To start this cover has been changed form its original solicitation. Here is the solicitation version
to the left here. And the actual to the right here. (I apologize for the the quality of the actual one but I took it with my Iphone because I couldn't find an actual one online.)

So as you can tell the faces on Black Canary are different as well as the hair on Cupid. Also the coloring is slightly different. Not sure why the change but change it did.

Now that isn't my issue with the cover either. My issue is that when you take a closer look at Black Canary's face and body things just are weird looking. If you have the issue to look at I would suggest doing so. Otherwise I have a closer look pic from my Iphone here to the right. Now if we are all looking at the picture lets share things that are odd. 1.) That is one ugly pissed off woman face, 2.) Those are some giant breasticles, 3.) That is one hideously skinny waist to have such huge breasticles that were pointed out in point 2, and finally 4.)The way the bottom of Black Canary's costume comes down into here southern region it almost looks like it is a slight man bulge. Altogether, these points make for a nasty ass cover.

Now what the hell was with the title of this entry? Well take a look at the body presented to us for Black canary. Now check out this picture of Dolly Parton to the left here. Don't they look eerily similar. I think so. Big tits small waste weathered blonde head. Yep, DC now has Dolly Parton playing the part of Black canary. Well, for this cover anyway.

What's everyone think? Fair assessment of the cover? Anyone else see the Dolly Parton resemblance?

Alright, so not sure why I haven't tried this yet but figured I would. I am looking for an artist who would like to help develop a project that we can try and get out there. I can write but am no help on the art side of things. I am open to any type of project that the artist is comfortable to work with. I would be at my best though with horror, humor, and super heroes. Combining all of those would be gold. If you are an artist and are interested you can reach me in any of these ways:

Email: Burpee714@gmail.com
Twitter: BrandonBurpee
or simply click rant below and leave me your info

If you are interested and have a deviantart page or something I can look at that would be great. I am also prepared to share some of my ideas if you want to hear them so we can asses how well we can work together. I really want to make this happen so if you do to then hit me up!

Alright so Insane Afterthoughts is the new name for my short reviews. Needed something that fit more with the Asylum and yet also showed that we were reviewing. So Insane Afterthoughts it is for now! Or for those who think this is stupid and dislike my reviews, most i'm assuming fit in this category, feel free to call this the Inane Afterthoughts! Like anything else here though I may change this. Wouldn't be the first time and wont be the last. So awaaaaaaaay we goooooo!

Secret Six #8 - Based on the sheer fact that we were served up a double date issue with Deadshot I am thinking decent grade here. Gail Simone provides a fun issue that still keeps all the characters voices intact yet gives us something completely different compared to what has come before in the past 7 issues. I also enjoyed seeing Scandal meeting back up with the stripper Knockout. Interested to see where this whole plot is going. Good issue but nothing amazing. B

Green Arrow and Black Canary #19 - I have been loving the hell out of this arc and was really looking forward to how it all would end. I came away fairly disappointed unfortunately. The train scene was neat and the stuff with Merlyn was pretty good but I just wanted and expected more from this. I honestly can't even tell you what I wanted out of it. I just know I don't feel that I got it. C

Incognito #3 - This is shaping up to be really good. I have enjoyed it thus far and each issue pulls back the curtain a little more and we get a greater glimpse of the world as it is in this title. The main character is written so well that as big of a scum as he is you really feel for him as he is being taken advantage of by his friend. After this issue I can only imagine things are going to get crazier and crazier as he has now been outed. The art here is also sufficiently dark and helps to lend that foreboding feeling a title like this should have. B

Captain America #49 - WTF was this? I thought this issue was supposed to be the biggest thing since the death of Cap. I understand this was probably setting something up but what? the last couple of pages were confusing as shit and did not leave me with an OH SHIT! moment like I was expecting. I was drooling as I opened this book because the solicit had built my need to read this issue into a total rage and instead I was left with my nothing but a limp dick. It's pretty looking though. D

Green Lantern Corps #35 - The last page was off the chain! I can't wait for the next issue. Also, am I the only one who loved the idea of Arkillo carrying his tongue around his neck?! Great visual image in that panel. I seriously am super fucking amped for Blackest Night. DC better not let me down like they have been so brilliant at lately. B

X-Men Legacy #223 - Alright so fast approaching the end of this portion of Legacy. I was hoping they would drop the Legacy sub header but if what i'm hearing is right it will be staying on there. Anyway, that has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Gotta say Carey has done more for Rogue than anyone else in quite some time. He really seems to ahve a great grasp on her. i can't wait to see who everyone is looking at on the last page there. The art continues to be a shining part of this book. interested to see how they close this all out. B

So this is what is on my pull list this week. Some will stay in the box and some will come home with me. Also hoping to get some out of my box this week so i'll post a final list of what I got this week later. For now though these are the new books this week i'll be pulling.

DC

Green Arrow/Black Canary #19 - This title has been great as of late. Andrew Kinsberg and Mike Norton have been dishing out the goods since they took over and the current storyline has been both twisted and fun.

Green Lantern Corp # 35 - Green Lanterns, Blackest Night Prelude, Red Lanterns, Guy Gardner...you sold yet? I know I am.


Marvel

Amazing Spider-Man #591 - Last issue was old school fun and left us with a cliffhanger that may or may not shake some things up depending on where they go this week. This was my title of the week two weeks ago so we'll see if it can keep up the quality.

Captain America #49 - Are we really forty-nine issues into Brubaker's run? Incredible. This has been an epic run that I hope continues for quite some time. Plus this is supposedly, according to the solicits, going to be the biggest issue since #25 and the death of Steve Rogers. That is a mighty big claim Marvel. We fanpeople will be the judges of that.

Incognito #3 - This is another Brubaker gem. Enjoying every page of it.

Punisher #4 - I love he art on this book. Jerome Opena's art is a perfect match for a title that features nitty gritty characters like the Punisher and the Hood. Love seeing those to characters feud. Match made in heaven...well maybe hell.

Beta Ray Bill One-Shot - Love Beta Ray Bill. This is tagged as a Secret Invasion book. A little late? Anyway Bill's here so I am too.

Uncanny X-Men #508 - Other than the amazing X-Club I have been fairly uninterested in this title. Just seems like there is so much going on but yet so little. Does that make sense to anyone else reading this title?

X-Factor #42 - Every week that I see this is coming out I have a fabulous geekgasm! This book is the rocks. After the cliffhangers we have been given the last couple of issues I am super stoked to see what we get here. Plus the Summers Rebellion! That is if everything is what it seems.

X-Men: Legacy #223 - So this is supposed to be the beginning of he end for this stint of Legacy. I wish once this was done they would just go back to X-Men. No reason to continually add and remove these sub headers and adjectives . This story is good but I am honestly more excited to see where this all goes when this is all done. What will be the status of this title?

So that is my list. My list gets shorter every week it seems. Very few DC yet again this week. Probably one of the smaller DC weeks I have had in years. What is everyone else getting?

So this week I got a pretty small amount of what came out and quite a bit went into the box. For this reason the weeks list of best titles is pretty small. Instead of five this week we have but two. The two this week though were pretty good IMHO. So... shall we?

Green Lantern #39(w/ Geoff Johns, a/ Philip Tan) - The art in this issue was off the chain! Philip Tan is bringing his A-game here and then some. Every time I turned the page I found myself spending some obscene amount of time eye balling the art. Not only was the art fantastic the coloring and the inks made the pencils all the more gorgeous. Every piece of the art team here deserves some love.

The writing wasn't as amazing as the art but it was still solid. Even when Johns doesn't seem to be on the top of his game he still is better than most out there. (This issue wasn't an example of Johns not bringing the written word to the page well by any means I just wanted to bring that thought to light.) Johns continues here to build the different Corps. and the Blue definitely is becoming my second favorite. Johns continues here to build an epic run on a title that will forever be connected to the character of the Green Lantern. His run here is a run that will be looked upon in the same ranks as Claremont and the X-Men characters.

Now this was a setup issue and thus there was a lot going on but nothing Earth shaking. We get a little more on the Orange Lanterns but not too much. Also, a little more of the Blue Lanterns plans for Hal Jordan come into focus. To top it all of we get the intro of a new law in the Book of OA. Overall, this has the making of an excellent arc leading into Blackest Night.

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 (w and a/Tony Daniel) - This has been a fun title. It, like the first issue, has some top notch art. This title also keeps the summer blockbuster feel to it that it began in the first issue. There is still a lot going on that and I have a hard time believing that it can all be neatly wrapped up in the next issue. Well, it might be but not in a way that will be pleasing to those reading this mini. I think what will happen is that instead of wrapping this up neatly next issue it will instead just set the status quo then bleed into the new titles. Making this more of a starting point than it's own story between two eras of the Batman franchise. If that is the case that would be a better alternative to wrapping it all up in one issue and coming across as rushed.

Tony Daniels ability to write as well as do art on this book should open some eyes that may not have been open to this man's talent. Hopefully we will get more opportunities to see Daniels on both chores again in the near future. I personally would like to see him on a Hawkman title pulling double duty. Am I the only one who can see the beauty that would be that book? Maybe.

This issue has a fun battle between two Batmans as well as Catwoman and a Batman meeting and mingling. Also, we get more of Black Mask shaking the beehive in Gotham City and serving up a steaming plate of misdirection. The end of the issue is where the battle of the would be Batmen and it was a lot of fun to see the two go at it.

While we know the identity of one of the Batmen and assume the other I am hoping there will be a twist coming. I almost feel like it's really strange that we have not seen the Joker through all of this. Then we get to the Batmen fight and the uber violent Batman gets pummeled by Robin/Batman with a crowbar which would be mighty ironic if the uber violent Batman turns out to be Joker. Then during that battle uber violent Batman with a bloody smiling mouth starts to laugh in a manner consistent with the Joker. While Jason Todd is believed to be UV Batman i'm not 100% sure of this. When was the last time Jason Todd stopped being a prick and turned into a manically laughing madman? Never? That's what I thought. Seems more consistent to have Redhood/Joker running around causing carnage as Batman. Even if i'm wrong it's fun to think about.

Oh and the one page of art with Black Mask reveling in the destruction of Gotham was a great shot and really made me wish they would use the Black Mask character in the next Batman movie. He would be a great villain that would work amazingly well in the movie universe that has been created for Batman.

So which is the title of the week? Well the two made it tough to decide that goes without saying. Since I do have to pick one as it's title of the week and not titles of the week i'm going to go ahead and go with...

So the title I most enjoyed last week was easily Amazing Spider-Man #590. Everything in this issue was enjoyable. The art of Barry Kitson and the writing of Dan Slott is a match that I hope we see more often. The whole story reads as an old fashioned fun story. No brooding bad guys, no drama with the normal cast and no lady issues. It is a great way to shift gears after the darkly intense issues we've been presented with in the last few months. While those issues were great they make an issue like this that much better.

This issue basically revolves around Spidey and the Fantastic Four and a prior visit to the Macroverse they made. They end up saving some inhabitants and all the while Spidey does so without a mask. Now, cut to sometime later and this same area is calling for help from these heroes specifically. Of course they go but there is a problem with the situation to Johnny. He remembers Spidey not wearing a mask and for the life of him he can't remember what he looked like. Then to top it off they find statues glorifying them all but Spidey's is mask less and the face is worn off. So Johnny demands the truth but a reluctant Spidey refuses. Johnny though burns the mask of his face and Spidey is potentially exposed. Potentially...

One of the best scenes here is Reed trying without success to convince the others to let the villainy they witness go on because they don't want to interact. Uatu protocols he calls it. Though in succession they all leave Reed standing there as they rush in to help. Great scene that was a lot of fun.

Another great scene where the art and writing are in fantastic sync is Spidey questioning a villain he has webbed to a wall. He explains how Norman's darker times can make him darker as well. He draws in closely and looks very menacing. Then with a great shot of the villains eye you see Spidey's reflection as the villain panics. Spidey then swings away as the villain screams of the wedgie that Spidey has given him while he's webbed to the wall. Classic and fun Spidey rendered quite well.

The only gripe I had about this issue was Spidey unmasking for the Fantastic four. Just the week before we had Spidey doing it for his New Avengers teammates. Granted this issue, in a very Human Torch fashion, Johnny pushes the subject and forces Spidey to unmask. For whatever reason he unmasks he still does and it is all very quick considering how even quicker the identity subject was washed away along with the marriage. This could really start to pick at the festering wounds of the fanboys and fangirls who really dislike Brand New Day. Also, the whole worn face on the statue of Spidey in the Macroverse implies Belasco's reach and the deal stretch into areas that maybe he wouldn't even have influence on.

It is to be noted that we don't know for sure that he has been unmasked to be Peter Parker. As I said earlier this issue has that real old school team-up vibe and at the end of the issue all we see is a shot of the mask on the floor and the Torch saying, "NO WAY! NO FREAKIN WAY!", to a neck down shot of Spidey. That leaves this open to the old school twist where something happens and no identity is revelaed. Another mask underneath? Some Chameleon face putty? Who knows. I'll be there for the next issue I know that much though. I suggest you be there as well Inmates.

Alright so in the previous entry I was critical of Jeff Parker's Exiles relaunch. I may have jumped the gun here. I complained like a whiny fanboy that the Blink in that title did not appear to be the original Blink from the original Exiles series. I had various reasons for believing so. I also stated that she seemed kind of fishy as no background was given for her.

Well it turns out I was wrong and that it is indeed her. I found this out by getting on Twitter and tweeting Jeff Parker. This was the conversation which was short and sweet.

Me: Is that not the original Blink?
Jeff Parker: It is her. Watch her closely!

So there you have it. I humbly apologize and will indeed keep an eye on things.

Oh yeah and just for the record Jeff Parker is a real nice guy. Every time I have tweeted him I have gotten a response. It usually takes a bit but he gets back to me and is always pretty helpful and friendly.

Alright so this week marked the release of two titles that I really hoped would be good despite a bad feeling I had about both of them. Those titles are the relaunch of Exiles and the first issue of Wolverine: Weapon X. Both titles had great potential but neither came through for me at all.

First off is Exiles #1 this is the start of what was supposed to be an Exiles relaunch bringing Blink back into the fold. In interviews i've read with writer Jeff Parker he has stated that this would indeed be the Blink that was the leader of the Exiles in the first series. This is clearly not the case when you read the issue. This Blink has no clue what the Talus is and no recognition of Morph or the timebroker concept.

This could end up being the same Blink with some kind of memory loss but that would be a cheap cop out. Something is surly not what it seems when it comes to this Blink. If you notice she is the only one who does not get a back story and near death. She is just there in the field with the rest of them when Morph lays out the premise of the title for them. So I will implore a wait and see mentality because the last page was pretty damn cool but Marvel has really missed a great opportunity here to return this title to its original greatness.

Wolverine: Weapon X i'm sad to say disappointed me as well. The fact that Jason Aaron has been writing a stellar Ghost Rider title and also wrote the fan favorite Wolverine arc "Get Mystique" left me feeling like this had great potential. It still may get better but as of now this title is pretty sub par in the quality department.

The dialogue was pretty atrocious. In particular the train scene was miserable. Wolverine cuts a guys hand off and he says, "I'm going to lay down now" or something of that sort? Come on that's a Deadpool comic not a Wolverine comic.

Also, Aaron's interpretation of the character of Wolverine here was terrible. It seems like he thinks Logan is Hancock with claws. Passed out on a train and going way over the top to stop a mugging. A factor that seems to be truly lost on writers anymore is that Wolverine is a noble character. He doesn't just chop muggers hands off and then roll on. I mean that guy probably bled to death and Wolverine just moved along. Just ridiculous on top of ridiculous here.

One up side for the Wolverine: Weapon X title is that artist Ron Garney must be a fan of the 90's cartoon as Wolverine in his civvies was decked out in the same outfit that Wolverine from the cartoon wore consistently throughout the series. That I appreciated. ;)

Anyone else read these and find themselves less than satisfied? Neither was terrible but neither met expectations. Let me know what you think Inmates.

This is what I have on my pull list for this week. Some will end up in my box due to lack of funds as has been consistent since the volcano decided to jack up the hotel occupancy thus jacking up my wallets occupancy. Anyway though....

DC

Batman: Battle For The Cowl #2 - Hoping it looks as Jim Lee like as the last one. Hopefully it can accomplish a quarter of what it had setup last issue cause there is way too much going on to be just wrapped up in the third issue.
Booster Gold #19 - Probably gonna box it. Sad to say but true.
Green Lantern #39 - The mother load this week son! Can't fucking wait!
Secret Six #8 - Another box candidate.
Superman The World of New Krypton #2 - Not sure but probably boxing this bitch.

Marvel

Captain Britain and MI:13 #12 - Great title and now it has Doom and Dracula hells to the yeah!
Deadpool: Suicide Kings One-Shot - Not sure if i'll be getting this. Need to take a peak under the cover first to be sold.
Exiles #1 - Don't screw this one up Marvel. The first was so damn cool. The last was utter trash on top of a pile of shit on top of baby diapers exploding with baby feces. Yes...that bad!
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #4 - Lenil Yu is the only thing keeping me going on this one.
Wolverine: Weapon X #1 - Another Wolverine title? Ok, but only cause I am a moron and I buy stuff like this when there is better stuff out there.

So anyone who has been reading either of these titles for more than three years knows that these titles have both fallen on hard times. Like the economy they keep on dropping further instead of entering into some form of recovery. What could happen to two titles that started out so strong upon their relaunches? How do you go about fixing whats wrong? Here are my ideas.


1. Bring Back Top Talent

First things first and that is putting creative teams on these titles that are A-List and nothing less. When these titles originally relaunched this is exactly what they had. Geoff Johns on Teen Titans and Brad Meltzer on JLA drove those titles. Letting untested writers and artists or even a team that is simply ok is not enough. These are two of DC's premier titles/teams they should be treated with caviar and champagne.
Having said this DC may be fixing this problem on at least one of the titles. Rumors are that JLA may be gaining the creative team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. This would be an amazing team and would surely post this title at the top of the charts.

2. Bring Back The Big Boys and Girls

Alright so sometimes having a few off beat second or even third tier characters on one of these titles works. Having a character on the team who may not be a regular top notch player can help to give the reader an in to the team that they can relate to someone a little more normal like them. Filling the team with characters like this is a huge mistake.
Unfortunately, filling a team with second and third tier characters appears to be DC's plan of action with these titles. On look at the cover of Teen Titans #69 proves my point. While there are some interesting characters on there the majority are near unknowns to the uninitiated. This should not happen. This team should have all the best sidekicks or underage heroes as well as classic Teen Titans members.

3. Slim Down The Line

This last one helps Teen Titans more but it could also be beneficial to JLA. I would say it's time to let the Titans title go. It has been terrible lately and when it comes to importance Teen Titans should be far more important. So cut it loose and let the members disperse to other things.

If Your So Smart You Build a Team!

I will! So this is just for fun but this is how I would personally fix the two problems i've listed.

Teen Titans
Written By - Marv Wolfman
Penciled By - Mark Bagley
Cast- Cyborg(Leader), Starfire, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, Ravager and Firestorm.
This would give you an A-List writer/artist team and a cast that contains classic members as well as modern favorites. It would also add a new element in Firestorm. This team could change to include other members as the status of the DC universe shifts more. Eventually you could bring in the new Robin for instance.

JLA
Written By - Geoff Johns
Penciled By -Jim Lee
Cast - Wonder Woman (Leader), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Hawkman, Flash (Barry Allen), Black Canary, Green Arrow and Supergirl.
This would fix the creative team issue without doubt. This team is also based on the status of the DCU so the omission of Batman(Dead) and Superman(Off world) are due to those stories. Once these stories resolve themselves I would place these characters back on the teams. Bringing in Superman to replace Supergirl and eventually Batman, whether it be the new one or Bruce, would solidify this roster as the heavy hitters of the DCU again.


So this is what I would do to fix these things. I am but a lonely fanboy/blogger though so what do I know? Anyone like what I have here or have arguments? Please feel free to rant. Check ya later Inmates.

Alright so I saw this online and it instantly reminded me of Alexander Luthor from Infinite Crisis trying to form his Earth again. The giant hand of Alexander. So is this proof of a real Crisis in reality? Will people start coming back from the dead because some Superboy is going to punch something and the ripples will change history? We'll just have to wait and see.

Until then here is the pic. It's a nebula and the blue stuff is emanating from it. Looks a lot like a world smashing hand though to me.

Amazing Spider-Man #590 - I really enjoyed this one. It is a lot lighter in feel than what we've been getting from Spidey lately. Don't get me wrong I have been enjoying the other darker more character driven stuff but a little change of pace never hurt. This is as I said a fairly light fun jaunt with the FF. The art was great and the writing was fun. The conversation is especially crisp between Johnny and Pete. This is a title that most disagreed with when the new direction took place, me included, but this has proven a lot of people wrong and has continually been worth my money three times a month. Although I must say that the end unless changed by the end of last issue will have some people screaming foul when this even is coupled with the latest issue of New Avengers. To soon? I think maybe so. Still great stuff though! A

Flash: Rebirth #1 - The cover on this baby is pure fire! The interior art is just as great. The story is not. For as much hype as this has received and given the fact that this is the return of a character that many thought would stay dead this just seemed kinda flat to me. This was by no means a bad issue but it wasn't amazing like it should have been. Perhaps it was over hyped? Did I expect to much? I just figured return of an epic long dead character with the team who single handedly brought back Hal Jordan and made the Green Lantern characters a huge part of DC would have nailed this. Not quite. C

Captain America Comics - This was a fun little one shot that reminds us that Steve Rogers was the man. That he was a patriot and a hardass even before he was all HGH'd...I mean Super Soldiered up. The art by Marcos Martin especially was fantastic. The art was clean and crisp but included plenty o detail. The splash pages in this thing were phenomenal. A-

Invincible Iron Man #12 - In this issue Pepper Pots the Iron Maiden! Catching planes and doing damage with all her protective/defensive armor. Then quickly without a fight or use of any of these "superior" defensive technologies surrenders to H.A.M.M.E.R. agents. Wait what?! Also Maria Hill is turned into a Super Sexy Shield Zombie! Or is that Super Sexy Hydra Zombie?! Who can keep the affairs of SHIELD straight these days. Ok well anyway certain plot holes aside this was a decent read. B-

Justice Society of America #25 - So we see Johns starting to wrap up his run on JSA here. The end is nigh Johns JSA fans. It' sad to see but it was a great ride. In the end of this we have Marvel's no more and Shazam pissed as hell. Oh and also Shazam gets Black Adam and Isis stoned. Well of sorts that is. ;) Overall a wrap up issue that doesn't represent what Johns has done for this title for so long. Worth your money just not the best. B-

War of Kings #2 - So unlike the two previous Marvel space epics this series has yet to give that WOW moment. In the others there was some big reveal that sent us spinning Annhilius, Galactus imprisoned, Phalanx controlled by Ultron and so on. Here we get nothing of the sort. While it is still a good story it isn't what had hoped for. Granted this is not called Annihilation 3 so I shouldn't have expected anything like the other two. If anything my high expectations go to show that the team of DnA have established themselves as amazing writers when it comes to Marvel's space characters and people expect big things when they see their names on a space event comic. C+

Cable #13 - This like War of Kings was disappointing. Messiah Complex was an awesome ride from start to finish that really shook things up. Messiah War has not been anything of the sort. I have found it so far to be boring and a slow ride that I almost wish I had never gotten on. There are still more issues so maybe it will get better but so far the future is indeed bleak. Well, for this crossover anyway. D+

Secret Warriors #3 - This is a title with some heat. It really has had some excellent moments. Fury's dinner date where he gets put in his place is one of those moments. While this issue hasn't been like the other two issues with a crazy reveal or return of a character it does provide strong storytelling and compelling characters. B+

Astonishing Tales #3 - Now this is how you do an Anthology. Short entertaining stories with different flavors in each of them. Hopefully in the future we will see stories with longer and short parts. Marvel Comics Presents' mistake was that its parts were just too long. With some shorter stories that rotate through you can easily reintroduce old characters with a new fresh twist or just plain tell great stories with existing characters when they wont fit anywhere else. B

Umbrella Academy #4 & #5 - This has been some wackiness. This thing is loony tunes and enjoyable as shit. The two issues here provided a wide breadth of substance. We have Vietnam and sugared up killers as well as time travel. This has been a fun ride like its predecessor and I or one hope Way and Ba come back to do another of the sort. B+ and A respectively.

So I recently picked up a copy of New Mutants Saga from my LCS. I have all but 6 issues from the original New Mutants run and have a good deal of the X-Force stuff that followed. Despite that I still read through the Saga issue and found it to be, like all the other Sagas that Marvel puts out, a genius idea.

With the various Saga issues Marvel is doing something that no other publisher is doing. Granted some companies do recap books but nobody does these recap issues like Marvel. They are easy to follow, comprehensive and most of all they are totally fucking free!

Whether Marvel is trying to launch a new series staring existing characters or they are about to launch a major event they have been consistent in putting one of the Saga books out. They catch fans up on all relevant material so fans, new and old alike, can stay in the game. In an age where a large amount of continuity is perceived as a hindrance in drawing new fans Marvel has found a great way to say, "Hey! Look continuity ain't so scary! This is all you need to know!". I've even offered these up to my Wife knowing she could easily read these then get in on some of the stuff I read. (So far constantly declined. She fell off the comic scene after Y: The Last Man)

So I guess I just wanted to drop some props for Marvel. It seems the internet is used so much for abusing the creators and publishers when often times they are doing great things like this and don't get any respect for it at all. So I just wanted to say good job Marvel and thank you!

Alright so earlier in the week I posted a pics of my comic book related tattoos. One of those was a Green Lantern tattoo which I got with two other friends. I said I would try and get up shots of the other two. I was successful in getting a shot of one of them.

And here's Matt's which you can kinda see the crack at the top of the lantern symbol inside the circle. A closer shot (which I didn't get) would show you the crack goes into the symbol almost to the middle of it.

So there are two of the three. If I can ever get a shot of the other one I will post it as well. Anyway there you go. Anyone else part of the Corps and have themselves tagged with the symbol of Willpower?

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.

• Style - Upon first glance this is clearly Marcos Martin work. It has that Golden Age flavor. It's very clean but also has plenty of detail. Adding the sketch Hitler in the background to give it the portrait look was also a very nice touch. I also like the transparent trade dress and Timely Comics logo. Adds to that 70th Anniversary feel. 4/5
  
• Pop - As much as I enjoy Marcos Martin work and as much as I like this cover there isn't much pop here. You get that initial woah Cap's punching out Nazis thing but that fades rather quickly. It is lacking something that screams look at me! 2/5
• Relevance - This actually has nothing to do with the interior. Between the covers is about Steve Rogers and has little of Captain America. Most of this (95%) is about scrawny Steve Rogers showing his American spirit. 1/5
• Iconic Value -Everyone loves some cap punching Nazis! With Marcos Martin's art the punching Nazis aspect is only that much more enjoyable. While it may not be an image that will be held in the forebrain forever it does look rather iconic as that is the whole purpose of the cover. 3/5
• SPRI Total 10/20

• Style - Rocafort's art is something that has been blowing up my brain. I really enjoy it and think it is dynamic and original. I can't think of another artist whose art looks like this. It has the sketchiness of a Lenil Yu but it is far from the same style at all. He draws a mean Mojo, a menacing Iron Man, and a gorgeous Spider-Woman. It is a beauty of a cover. 4/5
• Pop - It doesn't really have a ton of pop besides being really gorgeous. What it does have though is a Spider-Woman that fanboys will eat up and then look inside for more of. Only to be disappointed that Rocafort doesn't do her story. Or the ones with any characters on the cover for that matter. 2/5
• Relevance - all three characters do appear inside. None of them together though. As an anthology title this cover works great though because it gives you an overlay if you will of what the interior holds. 3/5
• Iconic Value - Not very iconic at all. It is gorgeous and it has the static poses of an iconic cover. It even has the whole hero and hot heroine with the villain thing going but it just doesn't pull in the iconic factor. 1/5
• SPRI Total 10/20

• Style - This is one awesome full cover shot. When done right one of these types of covers can really make a book. When the book is free it only makes it that much more awesome. Neves renders some great New Mutants. Anyone know is he the upcoming artist for the title? If so i'm in. Sunspot especially looks fantastic. 4/5
• Pop - The cover is a wraparound that has the New Mutants squad jumping out at you. It also has much going on in the background behind the characters jumping out. It's a beautiful non complicated piece that draws the reader in. It isn't a high end pop factor but wraparound covers definitely add some juice to the pop factor. 3/5
• Relevance - Well it is a group shot of the New Mutants. The interior isn't a new comic but rather one of the great Saga issues Marvel has been doing that gives you a quick narrative on the history of the characters. This is an intro book and what better way to introduce the characters than in a clean simple, "here they are don't they look awesome?!", kind of way. 3/5
• Iconic Value - This isn't really iconic as much as a hey here they are they look cool read this then buy up our title cause Marvel loves money sort of cover. This really is a beautiful cover but it is a generic New Mutants pose off cover. 2/5
• SPRI Total 12/20
  

• Style - To quote Paris Hilton, "That's hot!". Now that I have channeled my inner celebutante we return to the review. Seriously this cover is SEXY. There lightning/speed effect coupled with Flash suiting up is fantastic. Van Sciver's work looks like it has stepped it up for this book. 4/5
• Pop - This pops like popcorn. It is everywhere. The lightning/speed effect just draws the eye in and dares you to trace the lightning all over the cover with your eyes. It's amazingly vibrant. 5/5
• Relevance - The cover shows what appears to be a newly recharged Barry Allen pulling his boots on. He looks like he is about to get out there and tear up some asphalt dragging some Rouges along with him. This cover screams, "I'm back!", which is exactly what this issue is all about. The return of Barry Allen returns here people and this covers brings that to the table. 4/5
• Iconic Value - Th return of Barry Allen should feel huge. This cover presents that and more. Barry pulling his boots on and returning to action is something that many fans have clamored decades for. This cover is for them. This cover will be remembered by all who have waited for this and even those who just pick this up to see what its all about. (as if anyone doesn't know what this title is when they see it). 5/5
• SPRI Total 18/20

It was brought to my attention by one of the Inmates that the Rants(replies) portion of the posts weren't working. I fixed this and appreciate the heads up very much. The inmate who helped me runs a great blog where you can list and buy comics. It's called The Comic Book Listings Blog.

So check there and who knows you might find those issues you've been missing. Thanks again Inmates and start the ranting!

So the title of the month for March came down to Ghost Rider #33, X-Force #13, and X-Men: Kingbreaker #4. The number one title of the month out of these three for me was a pretty easy choice. While I thought All were really great reads I did feel that Ghost Rider #33 was the third best of the group. While I really enjoyed the art and the story it didn't bring me personally as much excitement as the other two did.

Now the final two were both X-Cellent X-Titles. I'm sorry I know that was wrong but I just had to do it. Just this once. But seriously lets be honest here. Both had some similarities. Both titles involve X-Men doing things that aren't really the norm. You have Kingbreaker with the Starjammer X-Men and X-Force with the stabby stab stabbing of things. Both also act as great lead ins to what are supposed to be pretty important Marvel crossovers. Both have excellent writing (it is Yost on both) and also amazing art. When it comes down to it though I have to say that the winner is...