This Week's Singles

Trinity #3 - So, I think I'm starting to like this book, but overall I think it's being hamstrung by its structure. Though both Busiek & Bagley are great storytellers, it still feels like every week they're only telling two-thirds of the story in their 16 pages. The backups have been OK, with this week's actually being pretty great, but I also attribute that to Jerry Ordway's finishes as they really elevate the writing. As for the main story this week, it's good, but after watching the JLA get its ass handed to it yet again, you have to wonder why and of the current chuckle heads are on the team. I mean really, they got their butts kicked by The Human Flame three weeks ago, and this week they lose to Konvikt? Crap in a hat, that just isn't right. Anyway, I've added this one to my pull-list so its got another month to get going good.

Ex Machina #37 - Well, over a year after I tried to break up with this book, I finally have. While there's nothing exactly wrong with it, it just doesn't have any storytelling momentum anymore. Considering that they already know how they are going to end the book, they just don't seem to be doing anything to actually get there. I'm sure I'll eventually read the whole thing in trades.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 -So I'm really starting to like this spin-off from the Annihilation Conquest event mini. It's really delivering on it's "dirty dozen in spaaaaaaaaaaceee" promises and is chock full of big, crazy sci-fi ideas (chunks of frozen time, galaxy-spanning scientologists) so I'm in for the long haul on this one. I just hope that the up-coming tie-in to Secret Invasion doesn't derail the book too much.

X-Factor #32 - You know, I'm thinking about dropping this book, which would make me a little sad, since it has been consistently good, despite being sucked into every crappy cross-over that has floated through the peyote crazed minds of the X-office. Anyway, as I said, this has been a good book, and an OK diversion every month when it hits the shelf, but there's nothing really holding me here. None of the characters are that compelling and without Layla around to give the book some drive, it's kind of sitting dead in the water. But, with this issue, they're wrapping up the current arc and moving onto a new status quo. I guess I'll give it a few more issues to see where it goes from here. Let's hope their stay in Detroit is better than the Justice League's.

The Spirit #18 - Gone. Sorry, Mr. Aragones, Mr. Evanier, & Mr. Smith. Individually, I regularly love you work, but on this book, it's just not working for me.

Best of the Week
The Brave and the Bold #14

Dammit, just when I thought I was ready to let this series go, Waid comes back with a cool little tale of Green Arrow and Deadman teaming up to face off against a Hindu revenge-god. The only thing that could have made this issue better was if they could have brought in Neal Adams to pencil two of his most well known subjects. Anyway, Scott Kolins acquits himself well in this issue, hes an artist that I definitely run hot and cold on, I loved his stuff on the Flash, and pretty much hated everything he did at Marvel, but this really suits him. The only disappointing thing about this issue is that it ends on a cliff-hanger, which is something new for this series, but I'm looking forward to the remainder of this story.