In case you happy-go-lucky kids are interested, I want to try and wrap up some of last week’s comics for you. Why? Because I forgot to do it on Sunday (Weekend Whiz) and mainly because I like to think in the back of my head that someone out there likes to read mini-reviews.

I want to cover a lot, so let me smear the boogers out of my nose real quick and get this instant-twist-off-winner series of reviews started before it’s over.

Lightning fast reviews for you:

• Amazing Spider-Man #567
• Captain Britain and MI: 13 #4
• Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2
• Secret Invasion: Thor #1
• Secret Invasion: X-Men #1

And we’re off! Gotta love all those Secret Invasion stories!

**spoilers, as always, after the break**

Amazing Spider-Man #567

Amazing Spider-Man #567

This week’s issue (if don’t know ASM comes out weekly 3 out of 4 weeks a month–which is amazing) summed up the “Kraven’s First Hunt” arc which, in my mind, felt like it could have and should have gone on for at least 2-3 more issues. Nevertheless, it added yet another sub-plot to later be explored in the whole Brand New Day Spider-Man world. Now, I enjoy a good sub-plot, but with the “New Ways To Die” arc coming next week, I’m not sure when this story will surface again. Still, the ending of this arc gave up a nice little–somewhat expected–plot twist: Kraven has a daughter and she’s bent on killing Spider-Man, but failed. Fun stuff.

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Captain Britain and MI: 13 #4

Captain Britain and MI: 13 #4

Ah #4. We see the beginning of the end of the Secret Invasion Tie-Ins. Captain Britain kicks some ass with the help of the MI: 13 group and magic wins. What more can I say. We see Pete Wisdom’s bad deed of bring out dark spirits turn into a good deed when after freeing said dark spirits, Mr. Wisdom gets one wish and he wishes for all the Skrulls (in Britain) to just go away… which I’m wondering if the disappearing act will have some major effect like House Of M did with the mutants… but still, we open up a great new series with the MI: 13 gang coming together now to defeat the dark spirits that are now free in the UK. I’m excited for the next arc… definitely.

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Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2

Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2 cover

This issue opened up what I thought was a lot of information on the Skrulls. We see Xavin, at the beginning of the issue, at a place of worship and we hear that this “chosen one” will unite the Skrulls meaning that Billy/Hulkling/Dorrek of the Young Avengers is kind of important to the Skrulls. This is the second of the two plots in the story, where the first one is how the rest of the Runaways are trying to survive the Skrull invasion. It’s a monster issue packed full of some sweet fighting (gotta love that super strength of Molly’s!), but it all comes down to the end where we see the rest of the Young Avengers getting tortured by some Super-Skrulls on TV and the issue ends on some Super-Skrulls showing up right in front of the Runaways. What a doozy! If I have any complaints about this comic it’s that the artist draw the characters a little too young, but it’s overall a very good comic.

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Secret Invasion: Thor #1

Secret Invasion: Thor #1 cover

Despite the fact Matt Fraction isn’t writing Thor right now (because the amazing J. Michael Straczynski is writing it) it makes no sense that SI: Thor is so similar to the Thor series right now. Seriously. The characters are written the same, the atmosphere of the story feels the same and the dialogue is spot on. Could this be Fraction’s awesome-ness at work? Probably. Maybe I just like these two writers so much I can’t distinguish, but that aside, this issue starts off as I feel many Thor plots begin: god-damned Loki puts suspicion into the minds of the Norse gods. But to top that off, the Skrulls do decide to attack the new Asgard and as the leader/king of the Norse gods, Thor knows he must protect the people of Midgard (Earth). And here is issue 1. A great beginning.

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Secret Invasion: X-Men #1

Secret Invasion: X-Men #1 cover

As I say all the time, I’m an X-Men fanatic. A huge one. So I just had to buy this mini-series. Beginning with the some-what expected, the Skrulls decide to attack in San Francisco–coincidence? uh… sure. Arriving, ready to easily take over the west-coast of the US, the Skrulls drop down a boat-load (well, ship-load) of Skrull infantry and boy were they unprepared. We see a humongous battle ensue–my favorite part was when Cannonball, Colossus and Armor are standing in front of a Skrull tank for a 2 frames then they just unleash; three powerhouses all attacking at once, you can’t ask for more. What was interesting in this issue was the very brutal army generals in the Skrull army and how they reacted to this unprepared assault. On top of that we see the ever-loved Nightcrawler somehow–I assume we’ll find out soon enough–be convinced to fight with the Skrulls. Is he a Skrull? I guess we’ll have to wait a month. It was a very nice cliff hanger, and let me say this: Bang-up job on the art, it was absolutely stunning.

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So, last week was amazing. I hope you guys picked up or somehow read all of those titles and if not, go out and get them! They’re all awesome!