Daken, Dark Wolverine vs. X-23: Collision

This is the second book in both the Daken, Dark Wolverine & X-23 series.  This is a great read & displays both the of the lead characters in top form.  In all fairness though this feels more like a Daken story than an X-23 story.  The previous X-23 volume just didn't provide enough of of a lead in to this particular story.  The previous volume of Daken, Dark Wolverine connects flawlessly to this story.  I have to say I am rapidly becoming a Daken Akihiro fan.  Another plus to this story is that X-23 has shown some real character growth in this story-arc so much so that it makes me look forward to her next volume.  The two lead characters weren't the only characters to shine in this story Gambit & Tyger Tiger who both of whom stood out as great supporting characters.  Gambit's showdown with Daken is awesome on par with the two title characters showdown.  Tyger is a really complex supporting character which would make a great addition to future Wolverine-Family related stories.

Daken, Dark Wolverine Vol. 1: Empire

Daken is an intriguing character in that he is like a younger version of Logan but with an ambitious drive that Logan doesn't have do to his age & experience.  Whereas Wolverine is trying to atone for his past, everything he does is to in some way make up for something he regrets.  Daken is still young & willing to do anything to get what he feels is his in this world.  Laura on the other hand is trying to find her place in the world since leaving X-Force.  She knows that her life experiences have made her an outcast in the eyes of many of the X-Men similar to the way Wolverine probably felt when he first joined Alpha Flight.  However she wants to be in control of her future instead of having someone make her decisions for her like when she was an assassin.  Unlike X-23 Daken is not a clone of Wolverine but his actual son this makes her the closest thing he has to a sibling.  Daken is filled with rage & vengeance which makes for a great read but this first volume like that of X-23 is all set up in the Heroic Age & tying into the Wolverine Goes to Hell story arc.  I actually liked this better than the first volume of X-23 because there was more characterization with Daken than with Laura.  He is a character that you know is up to no good yet you still want to read it because he draws you in similar to the pheromone part of his mutation it can be used to manipulate people.  Just seeing how he interacted with Mystique was proof that there is more to him than he lets on.  This volume did a great job setting up the Collision story arc unlike X-23's first volume; bring on Collision.

  

X-23 Vol. 1: The Killing Dream

This is the first volume of the X-23 series that started with the Heroic Age alongside Jason Aaron's Wolverine series.  The first story-arc in this book ties in with the Wolverine goes to Hell arc.  X-23 is one of my favorite mutants in the X-Men ever since she was introduced in X-Men: Evolution.  I really liked how this book started out but the second story-arc was only OK.  I don't know if it is just me or did the artist Will Conrad model his interpretation of Laura Kinney off of writer Marjorie Liu.  This series is a perfect jumping on point for fans of the character it takes place after X-Men: Second Coming which puts an end-cap on her X-Force activities.  One of the redeeming things about the second story in this is origin of the relationship between Laura & Gambit but also the return of Mr. Sinister who supposedly died back in X-Men: Messiah Complex.  Marjorie Liu is kinda like Marvel's answer to Gail Simone over at DC, however that title may soon be given to Kelly Sue DeConnick for her Captain Marvel series.  I know this is a short series since it only lasted for a little of twenty issues,  but I'll enjoy every bit of it.

  

Thief of Thieves Vol. 3: Venice

This is it the Venice job Conrad has been planning for three years; the plan he has been working on when he up & quit.  Conrad has played almost everybody in this book so far & this is only the third volume.  Andy Diggle jumps on for this arc which is awesome because this kind of heist is right up is alley.  There is definitely going to be some major fallout from this volume especially where Arno is concerned.  I really want to see Agent Cohen shine at some point, it seems they keep building to her big moment & then she gets played for such a fool.  I mean she seems to be smarter than the rest of the agents in her division & she even knows she got played at the end of this book.  The Venice job is similar to something from Oceans 11 mixed with the Italian Job.  Its simplistic on paper but the attention to detail makes it seem so complicated.  Again this is were the art & the layout shine, it perfectly complements the story were the writing leaves off.  By the end of this volume the look on Conrad's face says it all.  I still don't know as a reader if everything went the way he planned, but it seems that it did.  I really want to know what is going to happen next.

Thief of Thieves Vol. 2: Help Me

Robert Kirkman's  Thief of Thieves is certainly becoming one of my new favorite titles out there on the market today.  This volume he co-writes with James Asmus, the only other book I've read by Asmus was Gambit which I can say was OK but not stellar.  This volume is not as good as its predecessor but it does have one hell of a cliffhanger.  This volume is all about Conrad & Augustus working together but its primary goal is to set up future story arcs by leaving a lot of loose ends.  The first volume on the other hand was just supposed to set the tone for the entire series.  But once you reach the end of this volume you will immediately want to pick up the next one.  

Thief of Thieves Vol. 1: I Quit

If Neal Caffrey & Daniel Ocean were the same person they would be Conrad Paulson.  This is an awesome book in terms of writing, art & story.  Robert Kirkman the creator of The Walking Dead is co-writing this book with Nick Spencer.  If you love heist movies or stories this is a title for you.  This is a story that really relies on the artwork to move the story along there pages of panels without text that tell an essential part of the story without the work of Shawn Martinbrough this series would not have been as effective.  This is how you write a heist book compared to the previous title I read Supercrooks; this was the superior read.  I like how conflicted Conrad is about his life but I like that he has a plan to make sure life plays by his rules.  Elizabeth Cohen seems to be a fairly competent F.B.I. agent but in the end is just stuck with a bad hand that she was dealt.  I like where this is going, I really hope this turns into a television show it would definitely give White Collar a run for its money.       

Mouse Guard: The Black Axe

David Petersen has crafted a rich & profound history for the Black Axe.  In this tale the reader discovers more about the world beyond the mouse territories.  Most of this story takes place in the past revolving around three characters Em, Celanawe & Conrad.  This is a great quest story about how Celanawe became the Black Axe & his lineage.  The greatest part of this story is the building of the legend that would make one hell of a bedtime story for any child.  Em introduces the reader to this history of the Axe which brings more depth to the world as a whole.  Celanawe like many of the guards mice in the previous two volumes goes through a life changing series of events to bring him to the place to were he is currently.  This story also sheds light on Conrad who dies in the Fall 1152.  Again like all of the previous books in this series David Petersen's art work speaks volumes & in most cases convey more than the text.  I really like the last page of were Lieam is reading Em's book which Celanawe has augmented to Kenzie & Saxon.  If David Petersen's tale of the mouse territories comes to an end here it would be a fulfilling & satisfying ending.  That being said the last page really could be the forward to whole new set of adventures with the guards mice.   

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152

This volume picks up shortly after the events of the previous volume, the guards mice are on a quest for Gwendolyn.  By the second chapter the story takes a new twist from quest to exploration & self discovery, David Petersen has done some great characterization in this title in making the reader care about these characters that have each had only a little screen time.  Again this title shows shades of Lord of the Rings with the Kenzie, Saxon & Sadie's discovery of Darkheather.  Meanwhile Celanawe & Lieam continue the journey back to Lockhaven during which they become mentor & student similar to the likes of Al'Lan Mandragoran & Rand Al'Thor from the Wheel of Time series, Henry Ducard & Bruce Wayne from Batman or even Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi of Star Wars fame.  I am really looking forward to a continuation of the story because the end of this volume feels like the calm before the storm like the worst is still to come. I am also interested to see how the revelations & the new status quo for the main characters affects the next entry into the series.   

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152

This is a cross between a comic book & a children's picture book.  On the one hand if you are a fan of Lord of the Rings or any other fantasy, medieval works this is a title for you. If you are wanting to introduce your children to that type of literary work then this is a great introduction.  Unlike many of the graphic novels put forth by the mainstream publishers like Marvel, DC, Darkhorse & Image this is an all ages title where as you can see that most titles by the others publishers are for teens & up.  Overall I thought this was a great read it reminded me of the Church Mice series by Graham Oakley that my parents read to me as a child.  I did feel that there were some time jumps in which the reader had to infer what happened in between chapters but overall it was still great.  I also kind of wished that the reveal of the traitor had taken longer to figure out, it would have built more suspense for the reader.     

Wolverine Vol. 8: Covenant

This is the final volume of this incarnation of Wolverine stories.  Cullen Bunn is back to write Logan into the sunset but this finale of a story is weak compared to Bunn's previous volume.  The Covenant is a cross between the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen & the Illuminati.  However they are just pitiful individually as villains & Wolverine moves through them rather quickly.  I would have liked to see this story fleshed out some more because it jumped around a lot there were more than a few parts that just didn't make any sense.  I would like to think that the dreaming maiden is a herald of Galactus but that doesn't make any sense either so overall this is a Wolverine story that can be skipped in the long run.  The only real high point of this story is that Seraph's Angels get a good chunk of panel time.