Alrighty! Another month has passed us by and another installment of both the New Avengers and Secret Invasion have been plopped into my lap. Since the two story lines are so closely knit, I’m going to be reviewing them together from now on. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my review of both Secret Invasion #7 and New Avengers #46 after the break.

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Green Lantern Corps #29 Cover

Having previously read a bit of Green Lantern (specifically Green Lantern: Rebirth, a bit of Sinestro Corps War and most recently Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns) I decided to catch up with the Corps by starting with issue #29, part one of Sins of the Star Sapphire.

Peter Tomasi’s series serves as a perfect compliment to the Green Lantern proper, and is arguably better than the latter.  Combined with Patrick Gleason’s expressive artwork, Green Lantern Corps is a must read for any Green Lantern reader, and #29 is a perfect place to start.

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The Mighty #1 Cover

Here we are, mid-November and things here in West Michigan are just now starting to turn towards the bitter cold of winter. But in the forever-looking-ahead world of comics, we are already starting to think about February, when we start breaking out of the dead of winter and spring is just around the corner.

I was hoping that by February solicitations, all those cryptic Dark Reign comics would be revealed for all the world to bask in their glory. Unfortunately, with Secret Invasion not ending for a couple of weeks, we are once again left with several Marvel books without proper solicitations. Despite this, there’s still a ton of comics to look at in February, including a bunch of Marvel stuff, a few DC books and maybe even an indie thrown in for good measure.

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It seems to happen every year. All your favorite comics start ramping up their storylines. Something big is coming. They are all leading to something. The big summer event! And, like moths to the flame, we get extremely excited about the upcoming crossover in our favorite universe. Finally, all our beloved characters join together to fight a common threat and we flock to the comic shops to pick up endless tie-ins.

And then, 4 months later, suddenly, our passion for this event, this amazing, life-changing book that will forever alter the comic world forever, dies and we are left wondering when this epic story will end and we can get back to loving our comics again. This, my friends, is what we call event fatigue and it can happen to the best of us.

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In Case You’re Just Joining Us:

Vixen went back to her home country as soon as she found out that the man who killed her parents is free. She confronts him, only to discover he has super powers of his own. She suffers a nasty stomach wound and has a gun pointed to her head.

But the real review is after the break.

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I can’t believe I (Mike) forgot to tell everyone!

We’ve got ourselves another very promising writer: Daniel Palacio! Dan is from the San Diego area and has been reading comics since he was 4 and sees no end. His unique end-all-sum-up is a great addition to our staff and I hope you all enjoy his future reviews. All in all, we’re lucky to have him.

Look for his first review of Vixen: Return of the Lion #2, very soon!

a tonfa will mess you right up

These days, a review about Nightwing is really a review about writer Peter Tomasi. Tomasi’s name is one I hadn’t remembered reading before I pounced on his Great Leap arc in Nightwing 147-150, but then I looked the guy up. His work on last year’s Black Adam mini was richly entertaining, but his Nightwing work has really been top notch. With issue 150, Tomasi concludes his Great Leap arc.

Great Leap, loosely part of the Batman RIP event, pits Nightwing against the villain many consider to be his true arch foe, Two-Face.

The twist?  Nightwing starts out the arc with a little help from Harvey Dent.

You heard me.

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52 Week 23 Cover

Last week in 52: Lex thinks that Supernova’s true identity is Superman; he makes clear that he wants to become a superhero to rival him.  However, after given a blood test he realizes that he is incompatible for the metagene therapy.

Meanwhile, Jon Standing Bear visits Metropolis to attend his father’s funeral.  Afterwards, his grandfather tells Jon of his obligation to follow family tradition and become the new Super-Chief.

On the fifth day of Week 22, Lex Luthor celebrates the grand opening of his Business School. Steel makes an appearance at the opening ceremony, intending to speak with Luthor about his niece and his own newfound powers, but another man who took part in the metagene therapy beats him to it.  After the man is taken away, Steel sympathizes with him.

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Amazing Spider-Man #575 cover

This week wasn’t too huge for me, but I had one comic I was really looking forward to: Amazing Spider-Man #576. Now, I meant to write a review for #575 but… well, it just didn’t happen. Nevertheless, these last two issues were utterly fantastic and I’ll go and sum things up in a moment.

Writer Joe Kelly entered the Spider-Man brain trust last week beginning his two-part series, “Family Ties.” Focusing around Hammerhead and the aftermath of him being saved by Mr. Negative this mini-arc is building more and more of the sub-plot that is Mr. Negative (yea, I know all ASM is doing lately is building, but bear with me).

But let’s get into things after the jump and I’ll give you the run down.

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Madame Xanadu #5 Cover

Previously in Madame Xanadu:

After saving Kublai Khan’s favored consort from assassins, Marco Polo and Nimue are awarded for their bravery. Marco Polo accepts an emerald lantern from the Khan’s grand chest, a descendent of the Green Lantern lamps. Upon receiving the artifact, Phantom Stranger escapes the prison. He reunites with Nimue and they share an emotional moment together, until Khan’s guards find him. Aware that she is now as much a criminal, Nimue and Phantom Stranger flee to the outskirts of town. However, as an agent of fate, Phantom Stranger abandons Nimue in the desert to fend for herself.

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