June 13 Reviews

Fables #62
Vertigo
4/5

One of the many things Fables does well is create a constant anticipation of the future. Even in issues with little action, such as this one, events are still focused around the understanding that there is a perpetual threat and eventually there will be a war. So while this third installment of the "Frog Prince" arc serves only to move the plot toward future action it is still a captivating and, above all, fun read. The events of this issue have set the stage though, and from this point forward it's hard to imagine that the remainder of this arc will be anything less than thrilling. Bring it on.
-Tom


New X-Men #39
Marvel
3.5/5

For a book presumably aimed at a youthful crowd, this is some dark shit. Most of the issue involves children dying, watching their friends dying, screaming about not wanting to die, and some discussion of ripping out people's souls. Yikes. That said, the severity of the stakes actually pulled me into a story I otherwise would have written off and been bored with. Perhaps I'm jaded and/or desensitized to the degree that it takes the slaughter of children to get my blood moving. I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this, but I'm not wishing I had my time back.
-Grady


New Avengers #31
Marvel
3.5/5

Finally, this series is starting to look like it's headed in a direction. Any direction. One of the problems that has plagued this series is that so many of the members are of such high profiles. It's tough to do much character development with characters as convoluted and beaten to death as Spidey and Wolverine. This issue does a good job of sidestepping that problem by simply allowing the members' well-known personalities to play off of each other in ways that are entertaining. There is a great deal of battle-banter and cheekiness which helps to alleviate the strain of the continuing endless battle against limitless ninjas. As for the hooplah surrounding the final pages; there is a twist and no I didn't see it coming. As for whether or not this will turn out to be 'the most important panel of the year,' will only be known once we see where things go from here. For the first time in a long while this series seems like it might be on the verge of doing something worth reading about.
-Grady


World War Hulk #1
Marvel
4.5/5

I have to admit it, this first issue of World War Hulk grabbed me. They are doing an incredible job of taking Hulk's rampage and making it relevant in the ongoing Marvel storylines. There were two things that stood out to me here, the first being that Hulk is about as badass as I can imagine him getting. So far it seems as though his strength is unlimited. The second, and most enjoyable, thing I noticed about this issue was the refreshing change of perspective on Tony Stark. I used to love Iron Man, and there were some tremendous things done with him in this issue that, to me, stood out as the emotional core of the entire story thus far. Good stuff. I was only moderately into Civil War and didn't expect much from WWH, but this event is looking like it may not be quite as derivative as I anticipated. Check it out.
-Tom