Pull List Review: Gotta Catch 'Em All

This post is going to be a whirlwind storm of back issues that I've yet to review for a PLR. These will be short and sweet -- if you see something you want me to expand upon, let me know in the comments section below:

Err... I have some catching up to do...

Favorites (Best of the best)

All-New X-Men #4 - #7: This series is still going strong, though it has slowed down a bit. My favorite parts are Angel meeting Angel, young Cyke blasting Wolverine, and Jean working with Kitty. I really can't get enough and wish these would come out faster! 10/10
Star Wars #1 and #2: The rebels have to find a new base after Yavin 4 and the destruction of the Death Star while rooting out a spy. The spy bit is WAY overdone in Star Wars Extended Universe, but I'm liking the classic characters and the new roles Leia is being put in. Nice to have a strong leading lady who isn't falling for men left and right. Also, loving the art. 10/10, this is a good book.

Staying Strong (Nothing special, good or bad)

Ultimate Spider-Man #17 - #20: An Ultimate Venom is back and attacking Miles (and his dad). Interesting, Venom looks especially monstrous, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going. 7/10
Venom #29 - #31 - Nothing super special, but Venom is now in Philly and dating Valkyrie. Oh, and being stalked. I do NOT like how Flash is having possessed blackouts, but I guess they won't leave well enough alone. 7/10
Age of Apocalypse #11 and #12: The series is coming to a close. Maybe? Weapon X is deposed, things have been shaken up, but there seem to be more changes on the horizon. An 8/10 for finally getting interesting.
Cable and X-Force #2 - #4: I don't know any of these characters particularly well, but so far seeing their connections and an X-team screwing up royally is always nice. Not sure about the series, but I'll stick with it for some more, I'm enjoying the Cable exposure. 7/10
Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 and #16: Doc Ock being in the shoes of Spidey and teaming up with all of Peter's old pals? Avenging may have just gotten interesting. It loses a point for having a Spidey/Wolverine (my favorite pairing) fight that made me sad :( 7/10
Uncanny Avengers #2 and #3: I'm liking the Red Skull action, the possession shtick is ok, and Wolverine just got his ass kicked by Thor. Yeah, that's pretty solid, and looks like Apocalypse is coming up soon! 8/10
Nova #1: This was a random grab. I know nothing of Nova so am a bit in the dark, but though it was interesting. Reminded me of The Last Starfighter a bit, netting it an 8/10 in my book, and added to the pull list.

Missteps (Series with recent issues being sub-par)

Scarlet Spider #12.1 - #14: Mexican werewolves. Kaine dies again. Kaine comes back all spidery again. This series is too new to already be repeating itself with a death and pointless reincarnation. Also, Spider-Kaine looks really, really stupid. Hoping this picks up soon. 4/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 - #17: The issues aren't particularly bad, but as a tie in to the Death of the Family tie in, they are especially weak in regards to events happening, aren't coherent at all, and don't advance the Outlaws at all, other than apparently Jason getting some face melting at the last page. Hopefully, with the event having wrapped up, we'll see some interesting stories again. 3/10

Dropped Series (Series I've dropped from my Pull List)

Deadpool #1 - #3: The story is funny, but the writers have completely given up on any interesting plot to fill it with camp. That's fine for some, but for me, I don't like sacrificing interesting for funny. 2/10 because I did laugh some.

Thunderbolts #1 - #4: I only got to issue 4 because they came out so fast. Honestly, this would get a low score on the art alone (I HATE THIS ARTIST! Everyone looks the exact same, why does Marvel still employ him!? Every book he touches leaving me feeling dirty after), but compound that with the cliche story and lackluster character choice, and mark this as a 0/10 and the official death of the Thunderbolts for me.

This is a sad day because the Thunderbolts are what prompted the creation for this blog :(

A+X #2 - #4: I don't remember if I actually dropped this yet or not, but it's only being dropped because I've grown tired of the too-quick stories that really won't amount to anything in the end. Still, not a bad series, so it's getting an 8/10 because I DID enjoy them.

Avengers Arena #1 - #4: Marvel's Hunger Games with maybe 3 characters I actually enjoy. Not an awful premise, but drags along too slow to keep my interest. 4/10


Ok, I know this is a really compacted version, but that's just because I've been too lazy to do a PLR on time. This format is what future PLRs will look like, though I would like to go into a bit more issue specifics.

If you have any thoughts or comments to add on the above issues, please post them, I'd love to hear them!

UPDATE: Sorry this post took a bit longer to go up... My PC has died (NOOOOOOO!), and I'm not sure when I'll be able to fix it. I still have a laptop I can use, so the Nerd is down but not out!

Coming up next: First Impressions of Bioshock Infinite. Sometime after that, I'll finally take a look at the Thor: God of Thunder series.

Seriously. It will happen.

Extra! Extra! Pull List Review

Hi all! Sorry for another missed Friday, my schedule has been very crazy these past few weeks. I'm on call all week this week, so, barring any major incidents, Friday should come out on schedule this week. We'll see.

This is late... because I was playing Halo 4. More on that Wednesday (more like Wednesday-ish).

For now, this week's Extra! Extra! will take a look at my most recent Pull List!

Scarlet Spider # 10 (Minimum Carnage Part 2) In this issue, Venom and Carnage meet after Carnage disappeared into the Microverse last issue. At first, things seem to go well, until the Venom symbiote goes batshit insane (my favorite because it reverts to the Eddie Brock style suit) and lashes out at Kaine (probably recognizing him). This fight ends pretty quickly (though is still pretty awesome). It does show that Kaine is willing to do anything to survive, which I'm sure will come in to play soon. After they make up, they jump into the portal to the Microverse, getting separated. Venom finds allies, Scarlet finds a giant monster. Carnage, meanwhile, is being prepped for an assassination, though has some plans of his own... The art, while not as good as Alpha, is still pretty awesome. This issue gets a 9/10.
Venom #26 (Minimum Carnage Part 3) In this issue, Venom finds out that his allies don't like him very much because the symbiote seems to infect/eat the Microverse simply by being there. He joins with them, however, to help get to their leader, the Redeemer, who just happens to be Carnage's target. Scarlet fights a giant monster while the Redeemer watches. Carnage... Well, does what Carnage does. He kills the villains that freed him and decides to hunt down the Redeemer anyway. At the end of the issue, Venom goes even more batshit insane during a fight against a bunch of random enemies, while Carnage runs into Scarlet and the Redeemer. Next issue should be awesome! I love the issue, but didn't care as much for the art, especially the depiction of Carnage. Issue was definately a solid 8/10 for me, though.
Amazing Spider-Man #696 As I guessed it, Peter Parker is held hostage to be used as bait for Spidey. The go between is Max Modell, who manages to give Peter the opportunity to escape without revealing his identity, though Max should really be catching on by now. The main event in this issue, however, is the fight between the original Hobgoblin and the New Hobgoblin. They go at it while Kingpin shouts and waves his arms. The end of the issue has them coming to an agreement, however, to recapture the escaped Parker and Modell -- they managed to steal the "Goblin Key" that Spidey stole from the New Hobby last issue. A decent issue overall, and I don't mind a regression to the old using Parker as bait to catch Spidey shtick from times past. I'd give it an 8/10, with a note that at least one point is for the awesome cover. Oh, and if Superior Spider-Man turns out to be in anyway a Doctor Octopus controlled character or the Doc himself, I will be very, very displeased. In this issue, we see one of Ock's bots crawl out of the water, and this one is special because it's a golden snitch gold.
Avenging Spider-Man #13 This issue is pretty much just a long fight between Spidey and the Hypno Hustler's mind control, with a little bit of Deadpool thrown in on both sides. The only notable thing is the way Spidey and Deadpool choose to team up... A 6/10. It wasn't aweful, I just didn't care for the HH and I don't care for issues in which Spidey is made out to be a bad guy. THAT shtick was done to death.
Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1 This is another Spidey team-up in which minds are altered. This time, it's due to an alien artifiact a couple of chumps dig up in Central Park. It makes everyone hate eachother and become violent. They try to sell it to a gangster-type while NYC tries to kill itself. Spidey and the Thing also throw down. Of course, Spidey is mostly able to shrug off the effects and finds the source. When the device is damage, everyone begins to love each other... physically. The issue ends in a neat, tidy bow. A relatively fun issue. I didn't care for it, so a 6/10 -- at least the art style and writing kept it interesting.
Ultimate Spider-Man #16 Miles narrowly avoids getting arrested by Cap when Hydra attacks the base. Miles teams up with Cap and SHIELD to repel the invaders, impression Cap enough to accept his request to join the Ultimates. ... Little sick of Cap needing to be impressed every other issue. The end of the issue reflects the major (and quite startling) major change that comes from the Divided We Fall event -- Captain America becomes President of the United States. Issue is a 7/10. I still don't care for Ult. Cap, but it was good to see Miles in action some more.
Ultimate Spider-Man 16.1 This issue takes place directly after the death of the Prowler, in which Betty Brant, who is a huge douche in the Utlimate universe, tries to uncover dirt on Spider-Man and find his identity. She mistakenly comes to believe that Miles' father is the masked vigilante, and goes to Jameson with her "proof." Unlike 616 JJJ, the Ultimate version is against A) slamming Spider-Man and B) ruining a family's life just to sell a story. I LOVE Ultimate Jameson. Betty decides to take her story elsewhere, though is killed before she can do so... by Venom! Finally! This issue gets a 6/10, and that only because I liked JJJ and am looking forward to Venom. I dislike Marvel's confusing "Point One" system -- it was launched as a way for new readers to jump in mid-series, and is now a lazy way to say "Hey, we're writing about a story we probably should have done earlier, hope you don't mind! Also, nuts to future collectors who expect whole numbered issues!" I mind.
Red Hood and the Outlaws # 13 First, the covers of this run have been VERY misleading. It's an old school technique that I don't particularly care for; a cover should have SOMETHING to do with what's going on in the story. Instead of fighting (as most fans might have expected), Starfire and her sister team up (along with the other Outlaws) to take back Tameran. Blackfire gets seriously wounded, but the good guys pull through and the Outlaws decide to head on home. The end shows that Blackfire is aware of the Thirteen and knows they must be stopped, even if she doesn't share that info with anyone. Also, the Joker is shown back on Earth at Starfire's old, crashed ship. He's pulling the original Red Hood's (Joker's first alias) helmet out of a box and laughing... Issue is a 9/10 for me. Really enoying this series, and it's the only DC item still on my pull list.

Because the Wife picked up the Pull List, she ended up picking a few other issues she thought I might like. Thus, we have the Pull List BONUS ROUND!

Uncanny Avengers #1 I was NOT going to pick this title up. I've never really cared for a team book, especially the Avengers. That being said, I enjoyed this issue! It's just the recruitment issue, showing how Cap, Thor, Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, and Havok all wind up on one team, but it shows some interesting character dynamics (especially between Rogue and Scarlet Witch) and has me interested for the next few issues. That being said, I'd rate it an optimistic 8/10. The art on some characters is terrible (what the HELL did they do to Wolverine?), but mostly it was decent and there was a nice scene between the Summers brothers (thought I hate what they've done to Cyclops). We'll see how long this stays on the Pull.

A+X #1 This is another surprise. I normally dislike team-up titles as a rule and ESPECIALLY hate comics that tell more than one story -- there's not enough room to really flesh out two full stories, and comics don't do short stories well as far as I'm concerned. That being said, I liked both the stories here. The first has Cap and Bucky during WWII teaming up with Cable to stop Sentinels being produced before their time. The enemy, notably enough, is a Trask descendant from the year 2099. Here's hoping we see more of that!! The second story has Wolverine and the Hulk going toe to toe with... Wolverine and the Hulk? Future Wolverine and Future Hulk (called Maestro) fight it out in Avengers tower when the future pair randomly teleports in, hunting for "a Hulk." They don't find who they're looking for and leave quickly. They return to their time (I didn't recognize it, honestly. I'd say NOT 2099, but could be wrong) and wind up in what appears to be the Oval Office, being told that the Red Hulk MUST die by none other than... the Red Hulk himself? What the... So, a pretty interesting issue. As long as the team up pairs are interesting, I'll keep it on the Pull List.

That's all for this time, though keep an eye out for the following Marvel NOW! titles I've added to my Pull List:

Brand New X-Men (can't wait to see the interactions)
Deadpool (just a test run)
Superior Spider-Man (this won't be out for a bit)
Avengers Arena (has some interesting characters)
Thunderbolts (these might not be added to my reviews until I catch up with the past volumes)
Uncanny X-Force (because the current run has gone so well)

Alright, that's all for tonight! Sorry for the late and long post, I'll see you Wednesday with some Halo and CoD talk!

Pull List Review: Spiders Everywhere!

Finally made it to the LCS (Local Comic Shop for the layman) and picked up my pull list.

Seeing as how there's a decent stack to work with, I'm going to break up these posts a bit. The first will be the longest -- I'll be taking a look at all my Spider-Man related books.

As usual, these WILL contain spoilers!

Amazing Spider-Man #691 The end of our current Lizard Arc. Not a particularly exciting issue, though this is possibly related to the amount of time it took me to pick the end of the run up. Spidey makes the decision to inject the Lizard with the cure, even if it kills him. Immediately after injecting it, Peter panics and regrets his action, grovelling with a potentially too-late apology. Fortunately for Spidey, the Lizard lives, but the cure didn't work... Or at least, not exactly. Curt Connors' brain was cured and is now permanently trapped in a lizard body. Issue gets a 5/10 for me. Too many cop outs (the Horizon Lab gang turned into lizards, yes, but were non-violent because Connors wasn't mind controlling them.), and I hated Spidey regretting his action the panel after it occurs.
Amazing Spider-Man #692 The 50th Anniversary issue, made up of three smaller stories. The first story introduces Alpha, a high school kid given incredible powers due to Peter having a lab accident during a field trip. I was interested by the idea, but the product doesn't interest me -- Alpha is a swiss-army-knife hero (other examples being Superman or the Sentry) who, due to the nature of his powers, is destined to be the strongest character, ever. And Spidey has to train him. It gets a hopeful 7/10, though I assume the kid will be de-powered sooner rather than later. The second story is during the time Spidey threw out his outfit. A criminal picks it up and tries to be a hero for his sick granddaughter (via more robbery). A pointless mini-issue that I rate a 0/10. I didn't like the art and didn't find it at all relative to what's going on in the Spidey world. The last story is about Parker dealing with Parker luck, feeling down on himself, then perking up after he helps a kid understand that he doesn't have to lie to get ahead. It gets a 5/10 because I've read the same story many times. I understand why it's in the anniversary issue, I just didn't need it. I did pick up all the issues with the variant covers, something I never do. As the Wife told me, Spidey will only turn 50 once. The covers get an 9/10 from me, so all is not lost.
Scarlet-Spider #8 Kaine fights the Rangers while trying to uncover Roxxon's secrets. That's pretty much the sum of the issue, though the art, action, and writing were all on point. I especially appreciate Kaine's blunt opinions and responses to things going on around him. I'm MUCH happier with the character in his own title than I expected. Still don't agree that this character makes sense coming from the Kaine of the '90s, but I'm accepting the series, anyway. The actual secret seems to be some sort of energy-creature that Roxxon has been feeding Native Americans too as if they were AA batteries. Hoping the next issue gets explosive. Rated an 8/10 with me, and I'm eagerly anticipating Minimum Carnage.
Avenging Spider-Man #10 We see the end of Spidey's team-up with Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers' current alias). It turns out that the insane red head with a jetpack is an insane readhead prone to blowing up. There's a continuation of the argument between Carol and a character she calls "Robocop" that irks me -- it reminded me of a skit from Monty Python dealing with arguments vs. contradictions. Issue gets a 7/10. Decent writing and art, just not particularly interesting overall. I always like the connection between Carol and Spidey, though.
Avenging Spider-Man #11 Being in line with the 50th anniversary, this issue takes place at Uncle Ben's grave with Peter and Aunt May having a heartfelt reflection on the past. Personally, I'd rather have an especially interesting issue to commemorate the event, not something we've seen before that makes it look like the only thing Peter does is bash his head against a wall and forget all the good advice/acceptance he's had. That being said, we are shown a different side of Uncle Ben (a seemingly more honest depiction than we normally get) and even Aunt May is becoming more interesting (though this is nothing new -- take a look at Ultimate Aunt May). Even the sentimental story would have been acceptable next to the art, though. It is probably the worst drawn issue of Spider-Man I've ever seen. Peter looks like he's got some sort of Jersey Shore blowout and every other character is just plain ugly. Every single panel is bland and unappealing. I had to double check to make sure it wasn't a new artist -- fortunately it was only a guest artist for the anniversary issue. If it was a permanent change, I'd drop the title on the art style alone. It's THAT bad. 2/10 would be my best rating for it. What a lousy anniversary for Spidey stories. The story itself should get a higher rating, but all in all it felt lack-luster to me and the art direction is absolutely repulsive.
Ultimate Spider-Man #13 Some big changes occur in the Ultimate Universe in between issue 12 and 13 of USM, and, unfortunately, I'm ONLY caught up with Spider-Man. The "Divided We Fall" event is ongoing and the US is in turmoil -- what's left of it anyway. Somehow, the headlines are still broadcasting that the new Spider-Man is a murdered. Miles deals with the emotional turmoil over his uncles death and has a secret meeting with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, right before Captain America crashes the party with the intent of revoking the Spidey title. I'm pretty sure Miles is about to get his web-shooters -- it's not stated, but I assume the package May is holding contains Peter's web shooters. I'd give this an 8/10. Solid title. As for the event itself, it's pretty interesting and I'm hoping actually sticks (which Ultimate is pretty good with, actually). I should really catch up on Ultimate X-Men...
Spider-Men #4 This is more of an emotional issue than anything else. 616 Peter, along with Miles, spends time with Ultimate Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, swapping stories about differences. It's a nice nod to Ultimate Peter, and I feel it was done very tactfully. May and Gwen get to say goodbye, though it does leaving you feeling bad for Ultimate MJ. At the end of the issue, Miles uses his familiarity with Brooklyn to help Shield get a lead on Mysterio, which will culminate in the end of mini-series next issue. This was a well done and well drawn story. There's no action to speak of, but that's a nice change in itself. I give this a 9/10, and would go so far as to say it's the best Spidey title I've read from this selection.

I was going to add the two Venom titles I've got to this list, but I'll lump them in the next post (or the one after that, if there's enough issues to warrant three posts).

Question for any readers: was anyone particularly pleased with Spidey's 50th anniversary?

Dusting off the Pull List (Updated and Finished)

Got a large batch from Joker's Child and I've been finally catching up on my pull list.

I'll post a short, potentially spoiler-ific synopsis, my brief opinion on the issue, and add any additional notes I have as needed. If that works well, I'll be doing the same for all future renditions of "Pull List" posts.

Amazing Spider-Man #688
This issue revolves around a fight between Spider-Man and the Lizard in the sewers. There are flashbacks set hours before the encounter, leading up to Morbius and the Horizon Labs crew helping Spider-Man take the Lizard out, permanatly:

I really thought he was going to do it. In my head, I said "finaly!" Spidey was finally going to put down one of his villains that would never be rehabilitated or that had taken many lives. I was, of course, let down. Morbius had cooked up a serum to permanently regress the Lizard. Unfortunately, that's all it did; after the end of the "Shed" arc, Curt Connors' mind is gone. Unbeknownst to anyone present, the Lizard's mind is now stuck in Connors body.

That alone is an interesting twist that I look forward to seeing. After the death of his son, I thought Connors had finally lost all potentially interesting stories. I was wrong. If I were to arbitrarily give it a number score, I'd say an 8. What that means to me is that I liked it. It didn't wow me, but it was solid.

Hmm, explaining that kind of makes it less arbitrary... but there it is.

Amazing Spider-Man #689 Connors-Lizard plots to re-inject himself with Lizard juice. To this end, he turns Spider-Man on Moribius by causing Morbius to attack Sajani (of Horizon Labs) due to extreme blood lost. Morbius flees, apologizing constantly. Spidey follows and pounds on him, sounding like a drug addicts relative tired of throwing interventions. Connors-Lizard injects himself but only succeeds in regrowing his arm (Connors' original goal). He then injects Max Modell (head of Horizon Labs) so he can study the change and find a way to overcome it. Modell begins to transform at the end of the issue. Spidey has become a little too proclamation heavy. It's almost like the character is bipolar, going from wanting to save everyone to eradicating everything he determines is a monster (we'll see he far he goes on this end). This issue gets a 7. Good content, good story, poor Spidey dialogue throughout.
Amazing Spider-Man #690 Connors converts the Horizon Labs staff to Lizards while Spidey beats on Morbius. In the middle of the fight, Spidey gets a DIRE warning from Madame Web (... not a character I approve of AT ALL). Spidey wraps up Morbius, has an opportunity to pull out his literal Avengers membership card, then makes it back to Horizon just before it locks down due to the Lizard epidemic. Connors himself has finally found the correct serum to get his scales back, but the issue closes on a moment of doubt -- is being a mammal all that bad? Considering the harsh words Spidey has for Morbius, the ending of their one sided fight was anti-climactic. I believe next issue is supposed to be the true turning point for Spidey -- maybe the (Curt) Lizard will die (again)? A 7 for me. No problems, but nothing particularly exemplary.
Avenging Spider-Man #9 Spidey hitches a ride with Carol Danvers in a junk heap of a plane. They are almost hit by a young girl using a faulty jetpack. They save her and are immediately fired upon by some private security forces working alongside Boston police. Carol, now using the name Captain Marvel, fights the mech-equipped security while Spidey tries to learn information from the jetpack girl, who is apparently a Robin Hood (calling herself Robyn Hood) style bank robber. After she surrenders and is still fired on by the security force, she absorbs the blow and grows into a giant as more security forces arrive. Like other Avenging issues, this wasn't much of a Spidey story. I found the security forces to be unbelievable in the level of violence they were allowed to use in the name of the law. Issue gets a 6.
Scarlet Spider #7 Scarlet is baking in the Houston heat when an exploding building almost falls on him. He ends up saving a helpless crowd and a falling victim. The victim turns into a one night stand who turns out to be the one who blew up the building who turns out to be the daughter of the Roxxon CEO, the owner of the building. Scarlet finds all this out after some digging, which leads to the introduction of one of the campiest looking super teams I have ever seen, the Rangers! The most interesting thing in this issue was Kaine hooking up with the girl, who was ostensibly on an adrenaline high. It's a situation Peter would have handled wildly different and a refreshing reminder that Kaine is NOT Peter. Hopefully it will stay that way. Arbitrary rating is a 6.
Ultimate Spider-Man #12 This issue is the apparent final showdown with the Prowler, Miles' uncle. Miles decides not to work for him or be bullied by him. He decides to tell his parents (though we don't see if he does or not in this issue), then he was a pretty awesp,e fight that ends with one of the Prowlers gloves (stolen/borrowed from the Shocker) explodes, apparently killing him. So far, this Spider-Man has his own new sets of problems, and they seem pretty interesting. I'd like to see him more interaction on the external world, but for now this was at least a good issue. Gets an 8 from me.
Spider-Men #1, #2, and #3 So for, not a terrible cross over, if a little forced. Mysterio has somehow stumbled onto a way to travel between dimensions (or at least is at the site of a portal). Spidey finds the abandoned warehouse due to an obligatory shaft of light and is eventually pushed into said portal. He almost immediately meets Miles-Spidey. The next issue features Miles, (Ultimate) Nick Fury, and (Amazing) Peter trying to figure out what's going on, after a short fight scene (where Ultimate Spidey somehow manages to win -- silly venom sting). After the longest word bubble I have ever seen, Nick fury decides to send Peter with Miles to learn about this dimension's Peter. The third issue features a Mysterio avatar fighting the Spider-Men. His surprise tactic is to slip them a chemical that causes their fears to manifest and be able to physically hurt them (not explained well -- yet anyways). Mysterious loses, per usual, though the avatar does blow up and knock Miles out. He comes to with the Ultimates having arrive and Peter having run off. Last panel is Peter unmasking to (Ultimate) Aunt May and Gwen, crying (... not really sure why. Maybe seeing a young Gwen? We'll see). So far, my favorite part about the run is Miles reaction to meeting a Peter Parker, though I wish they could take some training time together (and someone get that boy some webs, damn it!) I'll rate the series as a whole when it finished in a couple episodes.
Venom #20 This is a fairly eventful title that doesn't sell itself as large as I would expect. Flash discovers his mother missing and is attacked by Death Adder. This is followed by the death of Death Adder when Flash snaps his neck, finally doing as a Venom character should -- taking out the trash, permanently. Flash then finds the Human Fly (along with his mother) and procedes to maim him (by ripping his wings off) to find out where the Crime Master is. The end of the episode shows Betty meeting the Crime Master face to face, only to learn that it his her brother, Bennet. I'd have to re-read the Crime Master introduction to see how I feel about the reveal. For now, it was a decent issue and gets an 7 for being a turning point for the new Venom. It'd be better if I was more interested in the villains he's taking on. I'd like to see what happens to Eddie Brock, specifically.
Venom #21 Another eventful title, but it feels VERY rushed for all that happens. Venom kills off random Crime Master thugs while making his way into the hidden base. Crime Master is busy getting a little too touchy-feely with his sister (it's not overtly creepy, but close enough). Venom fights Megatek, who has his head bitten of by Eddie Brock in the modified (I guess) Toxin symbiote. Venom and Toxin fight, which apparently ends in the fiery death of Toxin AND Eddie Brock. I doubt they're killing off Eddie right now, but at the very least he wasn't looking much better then Anakin at the end of Episode III. Speaking of Star Wars, after Venom easily dispatches Jack O'Lantern, he his disabled by Crime Master. Flash looks very Luke Skywalker-esque and then pleads with Betty for help, who ends up shooting Crime Master in the back, causing him to fall into the same vat of liquid Jack just went into. ...Uh. Why build all that up just to kill almost everyone off? So far, I'm not pleased with Flash's rouge gallery. This issue gets a 7, though only because a lot of interesting things happen. It loses points for happening so quickly.
Avengers vs X-Men #7 and #8 The first issue is the follow up to Scott's statement of "No More Mutants." We see the Pheonix Five taking the high road by continuing to rebuild the world while discrediting the Avengers (supposedly -- I assume you need to be reading the ancillary issues, but I don't personally feel the need, I'm getting a bit sick of cross-overs). There are a couple fights here and there (because everyone and their mother can teleport), with the biggest news being that the Scarlet Which is the Avenger's biggest gun, actually able to hurt the Five. The issue ends with some dissent among the Five -- Namor wants to rule the world his way. Emma helps him by giving him and only him the location of the Avengers (and kissing him?). The follow up issue opens with Namor destroying Wakanda and it taking the full might of the Avengers just to knock him down. Fortunately, that was all it took -- the Phoenix Force abandoned Namor and was spread among the remaining Four. The heroes then take refuge in the mystical city where Kung Fu was born... Yup. The idea is that Hope is going to undergo some secret, mystical training to combat the Phoenix Force. This series has become the Michael Bay film of comic books. Tons of explosions, not very much plot movement. I'm not going to bother rating the individual issues -- I'll rate the event after the 12 issues have run their course.
Age of Apocalypse #5 This series... isn't as interesting to me as the earlier AoA stuff. This issue featured Jean getting more training from the X-Terminated and then going on a mission to try and recruit the up-and-coming Quentin Quire, who had managed to build a network of psychics that were subservient to him. Jean has a mental conversation with him, explaining that she has lost all of her powers and showed when Wolverine became infected with Apocalypse's seed. She then offers to help Quentin sort through the voices in his head. In response, he kills himself. Uh. What? This issue gets a 4 from me. I don't care for the art, the X-team and, really, the series hasn't been as interesting as I'd hoped. As an ongoing title, the pace doesn't keep up with previous AoA arcs. If next issue doesn't redeem it, I'll drop it from my list and wait to pick it up when the series has ended. Maybe I'll swap in something else -- a hunt of old Exiles issues or maybe switch in X-Treme X-men. We'll see.
Batman #11 This issue the conclusion to the Night of Owls. I've seen a lot of praise for the story arc, but I'm personally not seeing it. This issue has B-Man squaring off against the man once called Lincoln March, now calling himself Thomas Wayne. Supposedly, his is Bruce's long lost brother that Bruce's parents kept secret in a home for damaged children -- he had been hurt in a car accident that, as far as anyone else had known, had led to the early birth and death of the actual Thomas Wayne. Batman denies it, and a fight ensues. Thomas, in his advanced Owl Armor, drags Bats throughout Gotham, going on a tirade about how his parents left him and Bruce forgot about him so Gotham could belong only to Bruce. Batman eventually shuts the rant up and the fight concludes with an under-construction tower exploding and falling on top of Thomas. No body was found, of course. Later, Bruce has a conversation with Dick Grayson. The main purpose for this convo is so Bruce can explain that he looked up all the records on Thomas Wayne, and there is no way that Lincoln-Thomas could really be his brother. Or, you know, Probably not. With a capitol P. And that's how they leave use -- probably, mostly sure. But not really. Which, in my opinion, is a lousy way to end it. Going hard one either side of the fence wouldn't detract from a new, potentially interesting villain. Obscurity in a comic following the greatest detective... As if Batman wouldn't have managed to collect a DNA sample during the fight. It's BATMAN! Issue gets a 6 after all is said and done, which is pretty much how I felt about the entire "Night of the Owls" run. Solid art and a decent story, but it relies far too heavily on the DC reboot to be vague and interesting. I might just be expecting too much from Batman, so I'll hang on for a bit and see what's coming up next before I kick the title to the curb.
The Ravagers #3 This issue... wasn't that exciting. We're introduced to Brother Blood (kind of), see Thunder and Lightning fighting in the buff against a horde of mindless zealots, and watch while Beast Boy and Terra make their way back to the group in order to save them. I'm waiting to see where this series goes. So far, it doesn't seem to have any major direction, at least nothing I would consider sustainable. Then again, most of Gen 13 was spent with a team of teenagers on the run... This issue gets a 4. Still sticking with the series, but this issue didn't interest me much at all.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #11 This issue shows Roy Harper being interrogated by the enemy (soldiers of The Blight) while regaling his captors with a brief tale of Starfire's origin. Major spotlight for this issue is the revelation of Starfire's sister, who looks pretty damn awesome at the moment. Cat-fight next issue. I'm NOT really sure what's going on with Jason's date. She travelled with them to Starfire's ship (... Starfire), and given a warriors jumpsuit to wear. I dunno if the Isabel is a known DC entity or not, we'll see (I refuse to look it up). If not, her inclusion seems pointless, other than a potential catalyst of motivation (which will be a bit contrived, if you ask me). At the tail end of the issue is a snippet involving Essence in her quest to kill the All Caste. I... don't particularly care about these snippets -- if the All Caste are so dangerous, why have I seen several offed already? Rating is an 8. It got me looking forward to the next issue, gave me some interesting background, and I love the art of this title.

I am going to go ahead and post this now. I still need to review Spider-Men #1, #2 and #3, Avengers vs X-Men #7 and #8, Venom #21, Age of Apocalypse #5, and Batman #11, but I'd rather have something up now and update it as I'm going along. All set! And next Pull List I will definitely be doing something different with how I break these posts down.

Unfortunately, I never put Teen Titans on my Pull List and am missing issue 10. Next time I get a chance, I'll pick it up and add Teen Titans to the next Pull List post.

For now, expect this post to be updated with the listed issues in the near future! For future posts, I'll consider breaking Pull List Reviews up a bit more -- I have enough Spider titles to make an entire post, I think.

Tell me what you think about the new theme please!

The Pull List

First, does every comic book store have a "pull list", or do they use some other term? The two I've used (Rubber Chicken in Franklin, MA and now Joker's Child in Fair Lawn, NJ) knew what I was talking about. When I move back to MA, I'm wondering if it will be the same...

Would love to know some other terminology! I'm still surprised that there are some folks who call every carbonated beverage a "coke".

Right, back on topic.

My pull list is currently comprised of:

Amazing Spider-Man: This will be a title I always follow. I eventually plan to go back and pick up every issue of ASM, but for now I'm content and staying current. Now, I don't like the changes that "Brand New Day" brought. It is our version of the 90's "Clone Saga", except it accomplished what the writers wanted: Spider-Man was now a young bachelor with a lot of romantic and professional options.

The "Clone Saga" attempted to do this by replacing Peter Parker with Ben Reilly (Peter's Clone, you'll remember). This would let Peter hang up the webs to become Spider-Dad and Ben could be a new, single Spider-Man with future plans wide open. In my opinion, this failed because they dragged it out and gave fans a chance riot. The storyline became too convoluted, especially with determining who was actually a clone, a fact that shouldn't have been paramount to begin with (seriously, you want readers to believe they've been following a fake for five years?). But that's neither here nor there. And I still love the Scarlet Spider costume.

On topic! Brand New Day was an abrupt change, but it has been an interesting ride. The stories coming out of ASM are continuously getting better, which is the important part. I enjoy the villain changes we've been seeing and my favorite thing to come from the recent issues is Peter Parker being an important part of the Spider-Man role. Peter finally using his head instead of his natural abilities is how it should be, and it being translated into new costumes is effective.

Avenging Spider-Man: Love the art in this book, and the story has been getting more interesting every issue. I don't think we really needed another Spider-Man title, but I'm ok with it so far.

Ultimate Spider-Man: I have every issue of USM to date, and I've really enjoyed it. I much more enjoyed Peter Parker's stint because it was a fresh take on the established mythos, but I'm not hating Miles Morales' story so far. It is all new and interesting, though I feel it is moving a touch slow in the first 10 issues. And, of course, I wish they had gone a different route with how Peter was shuffled out.

Scarlet Spider: I'll be honest, I'm only reading this because of the title. And the sad hope that Ben Reilly will somehow find a way back. If they can bring Kaine back from the dead multiple times, why not? The story has some potential, but I'm not sure it's gotten there just yet (though I am a little behind). Kaine is being built as a dark-side Spider-Man, but they are trimming his claws and having him not kill his enemies. That's fine, we don't need another Venom. I'm just not sure we need another Scarlet Spider that second guesses everything he does. I look forward to seeing how Kaine finds his way and then bashing it on here if I don't approve. Also, as I've said before, his costume is stupid. Stop it, Marvel, too many red and black Spider-Men as it was.

Boy, that's a lot of Spiders... Now for something different!

Venom: Ok, not SO different, but oh well! I'm trying to like Flash as Venom, I really am. I just hate the new design. The character. His love/personal life. His enemies. Oh, and the military use of the symbiote, which was done in one of the old, terrible runs of Eddie Brock as Venom. Note: I love old, terrible runs. And I love Venom in general. This series isn't terrible, I'm just hoping it picks up soon (last issue I read saw Eddie Brock getting a new symbiote, so maybe I'm getting my wish). Can't wait to read the issue(s) in my pull list!

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War: I own and have read every issue of Knights of the Old Republic, as well. I think they ended on a note I enjoyed. Now they are bringing Zayne back to play a role in the actual conflict known as the Mandalorian Wars. I don't know how long it will go, but I'm not enjoying it so far. If they were going to start the series again, I want more stories with the characters that made the first 50 issues interesting. Zayne travelling with a new group, none of whom I like, isn't working. Until I see otherwise, I feel this series should stayed finished.

Avengers vs X-Men: Going well so far. I don't follow either group unless there's an interesting event going on, but this has been a good one. Also, these are the first issues I've ever seen using the Marvel AR app, which I'm enjoying. This makes me mildly more interested to read up on the X-men, but only mildly. Avengers I still don't care about, beyond a character here and there.

Batman: GASP! A DC title! It is one of two on my current list (Flash used to be a third, but I really didn't enjoy the first several issues). I'm not really enjoying this run yet. I almost wish I had picked a different Bat title, because this one simply shows Batman at a very low point, getting beat by a bunch of owls. So far, I haven't seen much of any supporting characters. I'll stick with it until the Night of Owls finishes, but if it doesn't improve, I don't think Batman is for me.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: This is a much more interesting book for me, possibly because I have few preconceived notions about the characters (Red Hood, Arsenal, and Starfire). So far I like the writing, the new back stories, the characters, and the enemies. Following this series with interest for now.

I think that's it for the pull list. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments; I swear I'm not just a Marvel fanboy!

Next post will be about the comic characters I enjoy. Or Civilization 5. Because I just need... one... more... turn...


In more personal news, the wife and I just finished unpacking at the new, temporary apartment during the renovation process at the old place. Pro: We have a bathtub (well, two) and a porch. Con: The sink has a garbage disposal and it is one of the most frightening things I have ever seen. Doing dishes will now be put on par with petting slugs in my fear department.

Ok, I'm being dramatic. Petting slugs would be much worse, and I can't believe I even wrote that. Blearg.