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.

Comic Tour to the Capitol

Hi All,

Just wanted to post that you can find the Twitter recap of our trip to Washington, DC here: #comicsandcapitol.

Stay tuned for some PLRs soon and possibly some news on another social media front. I'm playing around with the idea of incorporating a Tumblr into this mess...

Highlights from the trip:

Day 1 Haul

I picked up a bunch of Ultimate X-Men, including at least 30 consecutive issues that I can start reading now, which will bring me up to issue 69 (I have some later issues, but refuse to read series out of order).

I was able to find a good amount of Exiles comics for cheap, including the first 10 or so issues, meaning I can start reading the series.

DASH RENDAR ACTION FIGURE! YES!

I found some sets I didn't know I wanted, completed a few sets I've been hunting for for awhile, and found a few random series that look worth following up on.

Biggest finds for me were probably the random issues of Y the Last Man, Wasteland, and Preacher. They are all somewhat difficult to find series that, up until this trip, I'd not had a single issue of. And I managed to find all these in $1 or 50 cent bins.

Speaking of bins, the best comic shop from the trip would have to be Main Street Comics in Milltown, NJ. It was relatively small, but 90% of their back issues were in ORGANIZED $1 bins. Normally, cheap bins are disorganized messes that you dig through for hours and HOPE to find an issue or two you're looking for. I was able to pick up a ton of good stuff here and will hopefully find time to swing by again before moving back to MA.

Honorary mention to Captain Blue Bird Comics and Stormwatch Comics, the last two stops on our trips that I also really enjoyed and sported a good selection of cheap bins.

Oh, also, DC was a lot of fun. It was cold and windy, which made it like an adventure (at one point it even seemed like a Post Apocalyptic adventure). My favorite part would have to be the Dinosaur Exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Not only do I love dinosaurs, the Wife does too!

Rare sighting of the elusive Nerd...

Ok, that's all for now.

Extra! Extra! Centennial Edition (100th Post!)

With this edition of Extra! Extra!, I officially hit 100 posts! Going along with this theme, I'm going to select my top 5 favorite comic book series that have gotten to at least 100 issues (without renumbering) and talk about them a little bit.

Oh the fun we will have.

Wolverine I'm going to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of the Wolverine series. There are several story arcs that I find interesting, but overall I never got into it. That being said, I really do enjoy the character, especially when he's working along side other characters (Wolverine and Spidey is my favorite team-up, ever). So this series gets credit for developing a character I've come to enjoy, if nothing else. The series HAS been renumbered a couple of times now, but at least Volume 2 ran for 189 numbered issues, and I'm counting it.
Star Wars (Marvel) This series is... well, very much dated. That being said, it has two things going for it that will make me always appreciate it: First, the covers are awesome! Sometimes they're insane or oddly drawn, but each one has so much going on or so much attention paid to it. This is the era when comic book covers could be a story unto themselves. Second, this series helped pace the way for the Star Wars EU and the many, many Star Wars comic series that have followed. As for the issues themselves, I haven't read too many, and most of those were when I was a kid. My preference would be Knights of the Old Republic and Legacy, but I'd have to add those series together to hit 100 issues...
Batman This series started and stayed campy as hell for a long, long time. That alone gives it some credit. Since then, the title has grown into the Dark Knight we all know and love and has produced several quality arcs that I enjoy. But I will never forget the Adam West era, which bled into the comic series in its formative years. The campiest campy-ness that ever did camp. I will never collect the series, but I will always appreciate the stories that have come from it and keep an eye out for the older issues at yard sales and the like -- they're worth a pretty penny. I'm pretty sure this series didn't get renumbered for #713 numbered issues, which is a feat in and of itself.
Ultimate X-Men I have not finished this series, and have heard there were some ups and downs with the story telling. From what I've read, I've enjoyed the different directions taken with the characters and the way the writers were able to play fast and loose with recognizable characters that are overlay established in the main Marvel line. I could actually say the same for all the Ultimate titles, but Ultimate X-Men has the honor of making it to issue 100 (exactly) before being renumbered. I will eventually collect every title in this series, similar to what I've done with Ultimate Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man If you didn't see this one coming, you obviously don't know me very well! ASM has been renumbered once so far, but that didn't happen until after issue #441. It was slapped back into the original numbering system with issue #500, but will sadly be ending with issue #700, to be replaced by Superior Spider-Man. Your friendly neighborhood nerd is NOT happy with this, but will probably survive. I love Spider-Man because I really enjoyed Peter Parker when he was the nerdy kid down on his luck, to being the every man as he got older. His personal life was interesting without being too insane (though it CERTAINLY had its moments) unless his Spider-Man issues got in the way, which was ALSO interesting. One of my favorite things about Spider-Man, however, are is the varied Rogue Gallery that has cropped up around him and spread to other books. The series has been campy, light-hearted, dark, depressing, upbeat, confusing, obscure, upsetting as a reader (I'm looking at you, One More/Brand New Day), but, in the end, always something I've enjoyed reading and look forward to its eventual return. Because you know Marvel can't let a good title die.

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I didn't realize how many series I read have been renumbered before issue #100. It's kind of sad, actually. For a moment, this turned into a hunt for series I've read SOMETHING from that have hit 100 issues. I'm happy with this list, but would love some other thoughts on long running series, and I always appreciate more comments!

Other than that, this wraps up my 100th blog post. I'll try and plan something a bit more special for post #200. Maybe a video blog? Would that be awkward enough? I'll be accepting suggestions until then!

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!

Extra! Extra! Pull List Review (Part 1: Spider-Books)

Hi all! This week's Monday post is going to focus on the Spider-titles from this month's Pull List. Throughout the course of this week, I'll post the rest. Keep an eye out to see who got cut, who might get added, and other fun things that popped up for me this month in comics.

So far, it's been a pretty good month!

Oh, and, in case you missed it, here's my review of Minimum Carnage, which I picked up with this Pull List but loved so much I gave it its own post.

Amazing Spider-Man #693 This issue has us seeing some more of the obnoxious Alpha! He becomes even more of a super-douche and then manages to get kidnapped by Jackal and his new Spider-Queen-Clones or whatever. Spidey saves the day, because Alpha is still his responsibility, and gets to watch Alpha obliterate the "Alpha Clones" Jackal cooked up (at which point Spidey reminds himself to never tell Kaine about the incident, which is a perfect line). The end result has Alpha completely striking out on his own, attempting to out douche his douchiness. And Spidey says "Alpha: No More." Because that isn't overdone. I'm... liking things. I like the slow reintroduction of MJ we're getting, I don't hate Alpha (any more than I'm supposed to), and I'm never really sure where things are going. This gets an 8/10 and is a solid read.
Amazing Spider-Man #694 Peter works on his plan to de-power Alpha while Alpha lives it up like a celebrity Alpha gets called in to defeat an invasion of the Earth, but almost kills civilians (including Jay and Aunt May) in the crossfire. Alpha's powers are obviously growing, but so is his recklessness. Spidey stops a plane crash (by acting as a replacement strut), gets thanked by JJJ (what!?), and then manages to trick Alpha into having his powers majorly regressed. Spidey couldn't remove them without killing Alpha, so he did the next best thing and made it so they'd need to grow back on their own. It's actually kind of sad for the kid. Unfortunately, there was never really any personal back story for the kid, so we can't be too attached. We just know that he hated his unimportant self, which is what he's more or less back to. Issues a bit of a cop out with Alpha, but I like the airplane scene especially... So let's give it a 7/10. Then we're told that next issue features some Hobgoblin action, and I have to say, this excited me!
Amazing Spider-Man #695 First, anyone thing the recent covers have been going back to old-school awesome quality? I've been liking them a lot. As for the issue itself, we see the New Hobgoblin and the Old Hobgoblin moving in circles, the Old hunting the New, setting up what will hopefully be a decent confrontation. We also see the Spider-Sense Jammers back-firing and boosting Spidey's Spidey-Sense, which is awesome... Until we realize that it becomes a problem the second time... Peter can't handle the over-drive of his Spidey-Sense because EVERYTHING is dangerous (and gets humorously labled throughout the issue). While Peter is losing it, he's abducted by the New Hobgob. The issue tries to make it seem that Urich figured out Pete is Spidey, but I'm sure next issue will show that Urich is only capturing Pete because of the recent Bugle article explaining Pete is Spidey's tech-guy. Pretty sure this shtick was pulled when Pete was Spidey's photographer... but oh well! I don't care for characters who can see into the future, so Julia Carpenter's storyline throughout this doesn't interest me, though she's apparently foreseeing her own doom, which may or may not have come due to the Spider-Sense Jammers (or Enhancers, if you will) that are giving Pete such a hard time too. Despite not caring about Carpenter, I really enjoyed this issue and can't wait for Kingsly to show Urich the what-for. Or for Urich (whom I've been enjoying) to pull a fast one over the pro. Whatever works, and that's why it will be good. This issue pulls in as a 9/10 for me, and I'm enjoying the current art style we've been seeing with ASM, this issue especially. I really appreciate it when attention to detail is paid to characters out of costume.
Avenging Spider-Man #12 A Spider-Man and Deadpool team-up would usually be up my alley, but I really didn't like this issue. It starts with us out of sorts and not really knowing what's going on, which is an over-used gimmick. Deadpool is, for some reason, helping Spidey fight through his dreams because someone is trying to control Spidey through them. They go through a lot of goofy lines and scenes and eventually succeed. Turns out, Deadpool was hustling Spider-Man to help free the Hypno-Hustler (why, just why?). We'll see the result of this next issue. I get that any team-up with Deadpool has to be on the goofy side, but I really dislike overly goofy villains. This issue is a 4/10 for me, though I really enjoy the cover.
Scarlet Spider #9 This issue is the finale to the recent arc featuring Scarlet and the Rangers going up against Roxxon. It's mostly just action, with Kaine using some smarts to defeat the energy monster Roxxon dug up. It's a decently pulled off heroic issue for the Scarlet Spider. Then he punches out the leader of the Rangers for offering him a position. The issue was enjoyable enough, just nothing spectacular. I'd give it a 6/10. I enjoyed the art and the writing, and I'm looking forward to seeing Scarlet's involvement in the Minimum Carnage crossover we'll be seeing next month.
Venom #24 The symbiote got possessed last issue, and looked corny as hell. This issue made it look a bit more badass and is really playing up the supernatural stint with Venom, which is kind of unusual. The demon in the symbiote wants out because it isn't kosher to inhabit someone "marked," but for some reason it can't pull away. Towards this end, Flash hunts down and ambushes Hellstrom (thanks to some info via Flash's new female reporter/informant). That's when Venom is forcefully introduced to the rest of the cornily named "Monsters of Evil," which are giant possessed animals... and things. I... don't care for the supernatural twists. I've never really cared for the supernatural side of Marvel, so I don't even have enough background to really apply to the Hellstrom character. However, the writing wasn't bad, the art was strong, and they're going in a different direction. So I'll give this issue a 7/10.
Venom #25 This issue is the close of the Monsters of Evil run. Venom has some interesting fight scenes with the more-interesting-than-I-thought possessed menagerie, and then pulls a new trick that he's discovered -- for some reason, he can tell the demons what to do. We learn that this is due to him being marked, which apparently means he's been chosen (as the hellish legend goes) to participate in something called "the Descent." This supernatural bit might get interesting after all! The legend says that, "one of the Hell-Lords will fall farther tahn the others... and in so doing will become the true devil." Venom (along with Rulk, X-23, and the new Ghost Rider) has been marked as one of Mephisto's potential heirs as he tries become the actual Devil. The other Hell-Lords are supposedly also gathering their forces... Hopefully they don't drag this one out too much and it comes after Minimum Carnage, but we'll see. This issue is an 8/10 because it was interesting, had gruesome fights, and has a cover I enjoy (something the Venom titles have been seriously lacking).
Spider-Men #5 It's the finale to Spider-Men and... And it's actually quite boring. For the length of it, barely anything actually happens. The good guys catch Mysterio. He kind of breaks free and then is quickly apprehended again. Miles sees 616 NY for a moment and Pete gives him some Spider-Advice before going home. Other than the lackluster finish, I also have a gripe that this Quentin Beck is NOTHING like the past few times we've seen him (I'm thinking mainly during the Gauntlet run), where he's actually managed to be mildly interesting. Now he's just a crazy, ineffectual nut who is obsessed with hating Spider-Man (wait, didn't we just work on getting RID of Doc Ock?). The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. Peter decides to Google Miles Morales to see what he's going in 616 and... has a really shocked expression. The end. For a run that I've been mostly enjoying, I really hated this issue. It gets a 3/10 from me for having almost no motion at all and an annoying cliff-hanger. The mini-series itself was decent, maybe a 7-8/10, but this issue really brought it down from what it could have been.
Ultimate Spider-Man #14 This cover is terrible, simply for Cap's face. The issue, on the other hand, is pretty good. Cap gets told off by Gwen Stacey and Aunt May (and MJ shows up too -- I really hope we see more from her Ultimate character), who then give Miles Peter's Web-Shooters (called it!). Despite being told he can't be Spider-Man, Miles swings in to help Cap in a fight against Rhino (after some obligatory web-swinging). The fight scene is awesome, we see some uncertainty on Miles' part when he remembers his uncle (which I think is important), and Cap finally recognizes that Miles needs training, not rejection. I... like it. 8/10, I hope they can keep up the interesting stories with Ultimate. That being said, not much is touched upon in regards to the state of the United States in this issue, which you'd think is kind of a bid deal...
Ultimate Spider-Man #15 This is a Miles issue, not a Spidey issue, and that's something Ultimate Spidey needs. We get some interesting scenes between him and his best friend, Ganke (whom I enjoy), and then we see some tension when Miles visits home to find the police waiting for him. Maria Hill, as a detective (and Ex-Shield Agent) has questions about Miles' Uncle, the Prowler. Miles is happy to learn he didn't kill his uncle, though still haunted by his death and the last words he spoke: "You are... just... ...like me." Back at school, things switch up -- the school is closing down until it is safe for students to return (due to the nation being in turmoil and all of that). Miles decides it's time to try and help out the Ultimates. The issue ends with him making a fool out of himself in front of Cap and informing the super soldier that Spider-Man is reporting for duty. 9/10 simply because we need more character driven super heroes, and Ultimate seems to be doing it right. I'm hoping next issue we get to see some more of the over-arching issues going on in the Ultimate-verse, but we'll just have to wait and see.

That's it for the Spider-Titles, check back soon when I post the rest of my pull list. This month some issues didn't make the cut, and a couple new ones will be added on, so keep an eye out for the next Pull List Review!

Extra! Extra! Alternate Dimensions Edition

That's right folks, for this weeks rendition of Extra! Extra!, we're taking a look at some alternate dimensions of popular comics that you should look into.

Some of these universes may have come up in previous posts, but I'll make sure that the chosen books are different!

Note: Marvel's "Main" Universe is designated 616, while DC's is designated Earth-0 (I think -- this could be wrong because the New 52 actually merged several of their universes together to make their current main universe).

Ultimate X-Men (Ultimate Universe) The Ultimate Universe was originally an updated retelling of popular Marvel titles, with liberal changes here and there -- I would say that no character remained completely unchanged. It has since gone on to look MUCH different than the 616 universe -- many characters have been killed or permanently changed, and many team rosters have been edited. The X-Men start out when Sentinels are being released on unsuspecting mutants and Charles Xavier (Professor X) recruits a team of mutants to combat them. These original cast includes Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Storm, Iceman, Beast, Colossus, and Wolverine. One example of a dramatic character change: Wolverine initially joins the group because he was hired to assassinate Xavier. I'm not too far into the X-Men series, but what I have read has been very interesting, and I'm looking forward to eventually catching up. I've also read: The Ultimates, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Team-Up
Iron Man Noir (Noir Universe) The Noire Universe is another set of retellings, this time with elements taking from Noir films and stories and are set in the mid-1900s. Iron Man follows Tony Stark, an adventurer who has his journeys chronicled for a magazine targeted towards men, allowing them to escape into fantasy during troubled times -- this being during the events of WWII. Tony is actually going on these quests in the hope of finding a way to cure or permanently power his mechanical heart (we never learn how he got it). He finds much, much more as he is hounded by Baron Zemo and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker during his quests. I've also read: Spider-Man Noir I want to read: X-Men Noir
Superman: Red Son (Elseworlds Universe) Elseworlds was the format DC used for telling alternative stories without adding on universes to actually worry about. Since then, several worlds introduced in Elseworlds have made their way into the DC Multiverse. Red Son follows an alternate timeline in which Superman fell to Earth and landed in the Soviet Union instead of the US. Superman becomes the Soviet Union's new greatest weapon. Instead of a Nuclear Arms race, this creates a super-being arms race. Alternate versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, Bizarro and political figures of the time abound. I have yet to actually read this, but I'm looking forward to picking it up in the near future. I think it will be very interesting to see a Superman with core values very different from the one we know today.
Wolverine: Days of Future Past (811 Universe) The 811 Universe pops up in a few different titles, those these are generally related to the X-Men in some way. The biggest different with this univserse is that mutants are hunted down and incarcerated in internment camps. The Wolverine tie in is actually a prequel to the main story line that occurs in Uncanny X-Men. It explains why Wolverine is in Canada and Magneto is in a wheelchair. I am currently working up my collection of Days of Future Past issues, so I have not read the series myself. The original Uncanny X-Men run (I think it was two issues) is considered a classic X-Men story line, and I am looking forward to collecting them in the future.
The Exiles (Many Universes) For this one, I'm cheating a little bit. The Exiles are a group of heroes from disparate dimensions (one of the main characters, Blink, is actually from the Age of Apocalypse dimension)that have come together for their different reasons. Their job is to correct errors that occur in other dimensions that would create more or worse divergent timelines. Its an interesting concept that has potentially infinite possibilities. This is another series I am not read up on, though I was especially interested when I found out that a version of Spider-Man 2099 eventually makes his way onto (and off of) the roster. I've started collecting them and will do some more posts on the series when I find especially interesting runs.

Along with collecting Exiles, I'm also looking to start collecting issues of Uncanny X-Force and finishing off my (currently small) collection of Spider-Man 2099. When I find particularly interesting runs of these series, I will rotate them into the Monday "Extra! Extra!" posts. Hopefully this will add some new flavor to the standard suggested reading format.

If there's anything else you'd like to see me take a look at, please leave a comment below!

For now, I have no clue what next week will bring!

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!