Fantastic Four Vol. 2

This second volume of Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four run is kind of an odd duck in today’s age of comic books it is a series of single-issue stories that are loosely tied together in the overall plot.  Each of these stories takes place at a different location & showcases one of the each of these four cities that are yet to come into play.  It’s nice to see the Inhumans front & center in a story although now days they are all over Marvel.  The great thing about these four cities are that they harken back to old Marvel Universe events which is really kind of cool the Evolutionary War, Annihilation & Atlantis Attacks just to name a few; although that last one might be a bit of a stretch.  I am looking forward to see how these single issue events build into the big pay off.  Other than that this is still some of the best Fantastic Four I’ve ever read.

Fantastic Four Vol. 1

Reed Richards rebuilds the bridge & connects with Reeds from all over the Multiverse.  As if that wasn't bad enough Reed Richards begins to understand that to solve everything means losing everything.  This forces him refocus his priorities on his family just in time for Franklin's birthday.  Franklin's birthday is awesome its great to see who all of his friends are.  The cliffhanger ending of this volume is great especially when you think of the implications going forward.  I would like to see a time travel story that involves future Franklin & Val.

Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Hot in the City

This first volume of the New 52 Harley Quinn is a riot.  This is one of the funniest books out there on the market today.  Harley is contemplating what a comic book about her would look like when she finds a parting gift from Mr. J.  This is just the tip the iceberg because another mysterious benefactor has left Ms. Quinn an apartment building on Coney Island.  Throw on top of that a hit put out on Harley, job hunting & misplaced good deeds which propel her from one adventure to another.  If you are looking for super-hero heroics mixed with humor this title is for you.

Justice League Vol. 2: The Villains Journey

This second volume of the Justice League book moves ahead to present day from the origin issue of the League in the first volume.  A new villain is on the rise in this book, I kind of wished that DC had not put his image on any of the individual issue covers until the final issue of the story-arc because it takes away some of the mystery about who Graves is.  Jim Lee's artwork is superb in this volume giving hints as to what the villain looks like before he ambushes the League in their own home.  This is definitely a highlight of the New 52 compared to some of the titles that were released in the first wave.

Fantastic Four: Dark Reign

This is the first Fantastic Four story to come out after the Secret Invasion story-arc.  This is also the first story to officially start off the epic Jonathan Hickman, Fantastic Four run.  I am not really that big of a Fantastic Four fan the only knowledge I had previous to this book was the animated series of the 90's & those two piss poor movies.  This was a fun introduction to the first family of the Marvel Universe.  Reed Richards believes that he is the cause of many of the Marvel Universe's current slate of problems there is even a foreshadowed mention of Marvel's upcoming Summer event Secret Wars starting in May, 2015.  This helps show just how much planning goes into the story-arcs & events that Marvel puts on year after year.  I haven't been able to say the same about DC Comics just yet but I may be able to with these DC weekly collections coming out currently.  There was a lot to like in this volume from Reeds inner conflict to the Richards children taking on Norman Osborn, head of Hammer.  Just the fact that Osborn has the audacity to try & shut down the Fantastic Four with his new found government power is priceless.

Kick-Ass 3

Attention this is not your kids comic book!  This was a good & satisfying ending for Dave but not really for Mindy.  I like where it ended as a whole though.  Mark Millar has made series his greatest creator owned success compared to other titles I have read recently.  Some characters live some die this wraps up everything, if I told you how it ended that would spoil the rest of this series.  Now Mark Millar is not a genius with a script unlike some other comic writers like Brian K. Vaughan, Frank Miller or Neil Gaiman.  Now that doesn't mean that Millar isn't a good writer his style is just blunt & to the point.  Mark touches on what is important & lets the reader figure out the rest.  This leads to some of my biggest complaints about this series.  I feel that Mark Millar kind of didn't know what to do with Hit-Girl in this volume its like he spent so much time focusing on Kick-Ass that her narrative got cut short & left hanging.  I wish this had been cleared up.  I also didn't like the little after credits scene that Mark Millar put in at the end of the book implying that there could be a sequel or spin-off.  Its not something we need but it will be welcomed if it exist.  

Bloodshot Vol. 1: Setting the World on Fire

This first volume of Bloodshot is a lot like reading a Captain America book if Steve Rogers was being used & brain washed by a secret government organization.  Oh wait that is exactly what happened to the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.  Bloodshot has been betrayed & is on the run looking for answers.  While this book offers a great introduction to the character it does not provide many answers.  One of the things I love about the Valiant Universe compared to that of the DC Universe or the Marvel Universe is that it feels fresh, new & inviting.  While the other two feel like a visit with old friends bogged down with history.  The Valiant Universe feels like anything can & will happen it is great to have this company back in the mix of weekly comics.  Another great thing about the Valiant Universe is that it is very condensed, while this may not always be the case currently it is a blessing that makes every title Valiant puts out accessible.

The Secret Service

Just in time for The Kingsman: The Secret Service movie directed by Matthew Vaughn who also directed Kick-Ass.  I must say Vaughn has a way of improving upon Mark Millar's source material which is always a good thing, I wish we could have a do over with the Wanted movie that came out.  The Secret Service book is just OK compared to the trailers I have seen for the movie, there are several things that have been changed for the movie which I think can only help improve the story.  I would have liked more outlandish spy-craft craft & comedy so I was kind of let down that this book took itself quite seriously compared to other work by Mark Millar. There are several twist & turns in this book about who can you trust but all in all it is about as predictable as Supercrooks.