Mixed run to the comic shop today:
Daredevel Dark Knights #5:
Second part of a two part story. I left it in my pull file (along with part one) as this is a fairly low profile book and I am rationing money at the moment. The next issue kicks off a 3 part arc by Diggle, which I will be skipping entirely.
Uber #6:
This is the start of a new arc, and is sitting in my pull file. I got the regular cover edition, despite preferring the wrap-around edition's cover because the only wrap-around copy at the shop was dingled up. The first "Uber" compilation is due out soon. I am very much looking forward to that.
Hoooookay, comics I actually did buy this week:
Cobra Files #7:
As ever, Costa is a bright spot on my pull list. He rarely disappoints me, and has never done so on this book. "The House Always Wins" is set to be the last arc of "Cobra Files". I would be more upset by this if Costa were not slated to be writing something for IDW in the near future (even if that project has yet to be announced). The blurring/erasing of lines between the factions theme is evident in this issue when Flint is called out for losing his nerve by Clockspring. (Flint's heroic squeemishness arguably is undermining the effectiveness of the team as a whole.) And, Costa manages to use Night Adder (a non-screen movie character) to good effect. I almost want a Night Adder figure now....
Grade: A
Earth 2 #16:
After last month's pointless digression, it is nice to see the book back on track. (Okay, to be fair, last month was not all bad. The "Desaad" special was actually a poorly re-branded issue of "World's Finest". And, the "Solomon Grundy" special would have been fine as a back-up spread out over two or three regular issues. But, I am still kind of peeved by the hype and fancy covers stunt that DC pulled.) The narration jumps around more than I would like in this issue. (Properly used lettering makes it clear which characters are talking/narrating. But, the lack of focus is bothersome.) The big reveal on the last few pages confirms the speculation that has been floating around the net for the last few months,
Brutaal is the E2 Superman
. I am going to avoid judging this development until the arc plays out. (I am trying to read "Earth 2" as much like a "normal old comic" as possible, and am willing to wait and see what the writers have planned before complaining about a plot point. But, I am not going to say that I am wholly okay with
Superman not being dead
, especially considering how much
the premise of the book is defined by the big 3 being dead
.)
Grade: pending
Iron Man #16:
Despite ending on a "to be continued", this issue is more or less the end of the "Tony goes to space" arc. There are no real suprises. Stark gets back to Earth. The God-Killer armour is shunted off to another dimension along with Death's Head. It is pretty clear that Gillen was clearing the board, but there is nothing to rule out either the GK or DH returning later. (In fact, we can more or less assume that GH already came back due to time-travel, but you know what I mean.) It also looks like Gillen is forshadowing the theme of the next arc. Recorder 451 saw Tony as part of a series of terrible mistakes that were borne of the best intentions. This issue makes clear that Stark has some really good, and ambitious, intentions that involve the remains of 451. Despite the last issue being predictable and the less than stellar resolution in this issue, I will be sticking with Gillen's "Iron Man".
Grade: B/C
-Discerning Dom.....