thelostmaximoff | Lots of rants on comics

So last year around November or so I made this post that was basically the top 5 ongoing comics that I was currently really into. I was rereading over it today and decided that I should do it again just to see how much things have changed. Also, I threw in some extra stuff too.

5 comics I love:

Runaways:
The kids hit the snag this year of Whedon-induced limbo but I think Terry Moore is a very smart choice for the new writer. I've only read the first few pages of his first issue but the dialogue seems wittier and the jokes are funnier. I think he's going for a "back to basics" feel and so far I'm all for it.

Thunderbolts:
I'm really sad that Warren Ellis is leaving this title because honestly I think he's the only one who could write it with the appropriate level of sleeze. I have a feeling that Ellis wants you to be uncomfortable if not enraged when you read this book. It's designed to illustrate how ass-backwards the Marvel Universe is now that unrepentant monsters like Bullseye and Venom can earn Presidential pardons and be touted as great American heroes while people like Captain America are called traitors and terrorists. I hope the new writer keeps up the contradictory feel of this book.

X-Force:
A lot of people criticize this book because it's too bloody or because it's too angsty or even because the need for this kind of team shouldn't exist. No, the need for this team shouldn't exist but the Purifiers have painted the X-Men into a corner and when you corner an animal it gets more desperate and consequently more vicious. This book is a brutal one but the writing is as solid as ever with Kyle/Yost and the art on it is gorgeous, particularly the coloring. A couple panels really look like paintings, specifically the one in #6 with (Arch)Angel on top of the bodies. All in all, this book isn't everyone's bag but I think it takes the top X-franchise spot away from X-Factor at least for now.

Fables/Jack of Fables:
Since JoF is a spin-off of Fables, I decided to group them together. Both these books are still great with Fables taking a more serious turn while JoF still provides the laughs. I especially loved the "The Good Prince" arc in Fables. The idea of winning a fight without actually fighting is something I've always thought was cool and it's nice to see Flycatcher/Ambrose go from being a comic-relief-type character to a real hero. I like going from that to JoF where Jack cons his way through predicaments with the greatest of ease.

Detective Comics:
I'm a little behind on this series but I think Paul Dini writes really solid Batman stories. Last year, this comic gave us one of my favorite Joker stories ever and it's still delivering quality, BM:TAS-style stories month after month. Dini definitely is putting the "detective" back into Detective Comics and back into Batman whereas Grant Morrison is doing . . . I don't even know what he's doing (more on this later).

5 comics I have mixed feelings towards:

Robin:
I love Tim Drake. I think he's probably the best Robin out of any we've had and he certainly is the only Robin that deserves his own ongoing series. I think the reason I'm lukewarm about this book lately is the whole Spoiler thing. To me, Spoiler never stood on her own as a character so I was only sad about her "death" because of how it would affect Tim (and also Cassandra Cain). Having Steph back should feel good but she could've at least told Tim she wasn't really dead in order to spare him the ton of angst that followed. I think Tim has a right to be mad at her a little and if he isn't then that's just bad writing.

Amazing Spider-Man:
When I pick up this book and read the Brand New Day stuff it feels like I'm reading the Spider-Man stories I always wanted to read. The problem is that it's designed to feel that way. One More Day was probably the worst idea ever to get Spidey out of the corner he'd been painted into and I can't get over it in order to enjoy the BND stuff.

New Warriors:
Contrary to popular belief, this book is going somewhere . . . I think. I like the rebellion/resistance feel of this book and a few issues back there was awesome interaction between Jubilee and Jono. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of action in this book. That would be fine but aside from Night Thrasher, Jubilee, and recently Jono there's not a lot of characterization in the book either. Most of the time, the New Warriors debate with one another about whether or not they're doing the right thing and lately they seem to argue about whether or not they can trust their leader Night Thrasher. I do want to see what Night Thrasher's angle is and where he's taking the plot but honestly the payoff needs to be huge.

Booster Gold:
This storyline in 52 left me really confused by its end. Honestly, I've never liked time travel but I like the Booster Gold character. I've only read a couple issues and the book plays kind of like Quantum Leap or Butterfly Effect in that Booster keeps going back to change things and his changing of things messes everything up even more. I don't think this is a book you can just pick up at any issue and read. The first one I read was #9 and it was in the middle of a story arc so I was royally confused. If you liked the Booster Gold stuff in 52 then pick this up.

X-Factor:
The mighty have fallen if only a little bit. A lot of people have been really down on this series lately. I definitely agree the quality's dropped off but I think it's because this book's been sort of a crossover casualty lately. Two issues of it were sucked up by Messiah Complex and two issues of it have been sucked up by the Secret Invasion crossover with She-Hulk. The team dynamic does feel different without Layla and Rahne but I can live with it and no one can convince me that Layla is gone for good. What I don't think I can live with is the art but I've been told that will change in a few months.

5 comics I think are really bad:

Young X-Men:
Some people have been really scathing in their reviews for this thing so I thought I'd read a couple issues, my thought process something along the lines of "It can't be that bad". It is. No really, it's that bad and it's even worse because New X-Men got the axe so we could have this. The next few issues have to be amazingly awesome so I can get the bad taste out of my mouth but honestly I don't see that happening.

Batman:
Many people will cite "R.I.P." as the nail in the coffin concerning this book but honestly for me it was months and months ago when they said Grant Morrison would be the writer. Ever since his run on New X-Men, I've come to the conclusion that lately no matter how great Morrison might start out with something it will inevitably take a left turn into WTF? City and leave readers either scratching their heads or just flat out disliking it. As I speak, I believe Batman is currently high as hell on meth/heroin and is running around dressed in a purple/pink suit thinking he's the Bat-Man from [insert planet name here because I can't remember it]. He got this way due to the Black Glove and some villain drugging him and the villain may or may not be Thomas Wayne who actually faked his death all those years ago and has come back to . . . I don't even know what he wants to do because I'm confused just typing out a summary.

Teen Titans:
I honestly have no clue what's going on in this book but that's because I haven't been reading it. It's not that I think this book is really bad. It's just that there's honestly nothing to keep me interested. I've seen the lineup for the new team and they took Robin out as well as Ravager. Kid Devil can't keep this book going for me so this gets the thumbs down.

Secret Invasion:
This book took too long to get going. If writing a seven-issue story arc is like playing chess then you shouldn't still be doing opening moves when part three rolls around. The premise of this whole thing is intriguing but it's also too much of a "magic reset button" type idea for me to really like. Newsflash kids: The Skrulls are going to win. The Marvel Universe is the Skrulls' world and you just live in it.

Batgirl:
I can't figure out if this is an ongoing or just a mini-series. Either way, I'm underwhelmed by it. It feels like they're just recycling the Mad Dog part that happened in the final issues of the Batgirl series and I really think it's time to move forward from the whole "Deathstroke made me crazy" thing. I love Cassandra Cain but at this point I think her story should've ended with the last issue of Batgirl.