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BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #3 – Dick and Tim are forced to confront their dead parents and their killers as Damian gets Barbara and Jim Gordon to safety. Having recruited Deadman last issue, he goes to get the help of Jason Blood/Etrigan the Demon (against his will of course…). Dick and Tim are about to join the ranks of the dead just when Deadman shows up with The Demon and starts burning the living dead trying to feed off of Tim and Dick’s emotions. Dick determines that the only way to save themselves is to die and uses Mr. Freeze’s freeze gun to put Tim and himself on ice. Unable to “read” Etrigan and believing Batman and Red Robin are dead, the Corps of Death moves on to other prey. Deadman then possesses them one-at-a-time to break free of the ice. Dick then tells Tim they need to gather up any remaining heroes to share what they’ve learned. Blackest Night is really starting to ramp up into the third act of @$$-kickery.

UNCANNY X-MEN #516 – This was the best comic I’ve read in while. It’s no secret that I’m a huge X-Men fan, but Matt Fraction has just passed Bendis as my favorite writer at Marvel (probably because Matt isn’t trying to write every other book Marvel puts outs. Focus B.M.B.!). I also love being right about that way this would turn out. With Magneto showing up at the end of the last issue – fully using his powers – Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men are a tad on edge. Magneto tries to show his intention by offering Scott his helmet, but Prof. X isn’t convinced as he mind blasts Mags. Cyke then gets in Charles’ face and tells him to stand down. Magneto then tells Scott (AS HE DROPS TO HIS KNEES!!!) that he has not come to bury Caesar, but to praise him. Like I said on ComicCenter, I can easily foresee Cyclops’ advisors or even Magneto staying and Charles taking a group of mutants back to the east coast. Be sure to grab this one. Greg Land’s art is great and seeing Magneto bow to Scott was mind-blowing…

Undercover Fanboy Rating:  

RED ROBIN #5 – Tim is forced to make a deal with Ra’s to save the life of one of Lucius Fox’s daughters who has been kidnapped. Ra’s asks Tim to take control of the League of Assassins to discover who and why League members are being killed. All Tim wants is someone that will help him get Bruce back. This series is going to be the one that truly discovers Bruce Wayne’s true fate (hint: he’s in the past…). Tim decides to use the League’s resources to find information about Bruce’s whereabouts and plans to bring down both the League and the group targeting them when he’s done.

ADVENTURE COMICS #3 – Conner and Tim finally talk since Conner’s resurrection and Tim tells him all the “gray area” things he’s done in the year that Conner was dead – from trying to clone Conner, to kissing his old girlfriend, to now being one of the only people on Earth who believe Bruce Wayne is still alive and . Francis Manapul’s art on this book is some of the best that DC has going and it’s only a matter of time before Marvel tries to steal him away. Geoff Johns is really doing a good job exploring what makes Conner tick, plus: Lex Luthor is on the horizon. The one thing I would like to change on this book is the Legion of Superheroes back-up story. I know everyone at DC that has been there for more than 10 years loves the LoSH. So what. The Legion has run its course. Do a series of mini-series and don’t waste good pages on these (at best) stories that would suck in Marvel Comics Presents…

STAR WARS: INVASION #0 – Part of Dark Horse’s One-Shots designed to get new readers, Star Wars: Invasion #0 does not disappoint. Writer Tom Taylor has done his research and brings new insight to established characters every issue. Taylor’s job is harder because he’s writing about characters we know. The writers on the others Star Wars titles (Dark Times, Knights of the Old Republic and Legacy) are exploring new territory with new characters. Invasion #0 takes places just prior to the events of issue #1 and shows us two Outer Rim explorers up against the full armada of the Yuuzhan Vong, Grand Master Luke Skywalker getting a vision of the future, Finn and his family before the Vong’s invasion of his planet and Han Solo still dealing with the death of Chewbacca. If you only pick up one Star Wars title a month – this is it…

BATGIRL #3 – Finally this story takes a turn in the right direction! With Oracle yelling at her in her ear, Steph is forced to deal with Scarecrow on her own. Fighting visions of her own failures and Scarecrow at the same time, Steph is ready to fold until Oracle gives her some positive feedback – waking her up enough to take him down. Afterwards, in the Bat Cave, Barbara and Steph make the same oath that Bruce and Dick did before Dick became Robin – ending with Barbara passing on the mantle (and new costume…) of Batgirl to Steph. Barbara promises to train and support Steph as Batgirl as much as she can. I’m glad this series is moving forward from the traditional Bat-story that we’re all getting tired of. I will say that the new costume design by Phil Noto works better than the “no mouth” version of Cassandra Cain…

DEADPOOL #900 – Wow, time does fly. I remember when I picked up Deadpool #16. Two weeks ago. Keeping with Deadpool’s insane humor, issue #900 is a collection of short stories that explore the many jobs and sides of Mr. Pool. The first page is hilarious all by itself and it’s just Deadpool talking about reaching issue #900. Jason Aaron and Chris Staggs tell a story about Deadpool getting abducted by anal-probing aliens in which his chews off his own arm to escape and then proceeds to beat aliens to death with the severed arm. Fred Van Lente and Dalibor Talajic pit the Crimson Comedian against a trio of killer mimes (trust me, it’s funny…). Mike Benson and Damion Scott have Wade going to a psychiatrist only to reveal the good doctor is his current mark. Joe Kelly and Rob Liefeld show the Merc with a Mouth trying to collect on a bet from twenty years ago (pssst… Liefeld’s actually drawing better – with decent proportions. Really!). The best part of their story was Deadpool shoving a cat in an enemy’s mouth (the cat lived – bad guy didn’t…). But, my favorite story has to be the one told by Duane Swierczynski (get him off Cable – he’s better doing other books (obviously…)) and Shawn Crystal. Deadpool is found “dead” in a cheap Vegas hotel and a CSI team is brought in to investigate the crime scene. Deadpool s mentally commenting as the team goes through all the possibilities – like they do on the hundred different flavors of CSI shows. The team is Deadpool’s target for taking payoffs to cover up a crime. And he’s mostly upset by the fact that they didn’t comment about the live chicken found in the room with him. Funny stuff (but the art sucked worse than Moon Knight…). Victor Gischler and Sanford Green (get this guy a Marvel Adventures title!) show Wade going on a cruise and bumping into Doc Ock. After a heated (three hour) ping-pong game that ‘pool wins – their ensuing battle sinks the ship. Charlie Huston and Kyle Baker bring us a “chicken or egg” story that winds ups severely breaking the 4^th wall. Deadpool wants to die and decides the only way to do that is to kill all of his readers (killing writers doesn’t work – he’s tried that…). If you want a good laugh and don’t mind shelling out $4.99 – grab this before it goes into a second printing…

BATMAN #691 – Two-Face has figured out that the man in the cowl isn’t the original Batman and has broken into the Bat Cave and drugged the current Batman with hallucinogens. With the help of Alfred, Dick manages to convince Harvey that he IS Batman and bundles him up for transport to Blackgate Prison. The convoy that is transporting Two-Face is attacked by former residents of Arkham Asylum led by Black Mask. Two-Face is told he has three choices: join up as one of his lieutenants, leave town or die on the spot. Harvey decides that it’s time to do some travelling. Dick decides to move everything out of the Bat Cave since he’s set up his own HQ in Gotham City and discovers a usb drive hidden in the base of Jason Todd’s Robin costume. Dick opens the key and discovers that it contains new case information about the murder of his parents. Judd Winick is writing a great story showing Dick Grayson truly growing up to take on the role he was meant to inherit. I just hope that the artist they get to replace Mark Bagley can use shadows better.

JON SABLE – Freelance: ASHES OF EDEN #1 – I first picked up Mike Grell’s Jon Sable – Freelance back in 1990. I had just got my license and drove over to a place called Comic Book Warehouse. It was an old tire service center with five service bays that they had converted into a back issue Mecca. They would buy all the back issues other metro area stores couldn’t sell and bought “Costco-type” racks. Step ladders were in use. My friends and I would pack a lunch and spend a Saturday picking through the bargain shelves. That’s when I discovered Grell’s distinctive art and incredible storytelling. Jon Sable is a Vietnam vet that has become a mercenary and children’s book author (not kidding. It works…). Sable is as smooth as James Bond and as bad-@$$ as Chuck Norris in Missing in Action. Ashes of Eden has Sable working as a bodyguard for a South African that has “acquired” a blood diamond the size of a fist. He is to escort both the diamond and his employer’s model girlfriend into the United States. Great art and amazing art never goes wrong.

SAVE YOUR MONEY…

G.I. JOE: ORIGINS #8 – Not even Larry Hama can save this title. How about ONE freaking G.I. Joe book with ONE good story and not four books with mediocre storylines? With the flop of the G.I. Joe movie in the fanboys minds, IDW needs to be concentrating on making good titles – not this crap.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #1 – More Clone crap. And a Spider-Girl story. I’ll tell you this: the clones are only acceptable in the alternate future that Spider-Girl lives in. This is another (re: The Clone Saga) attempt to give old spider-Man writers Tom Defalco and J.M. DeMatteis work. The best story in this issue was The Fabulous Frog-Man. Maybe Disney does need to send someone into the Marvel offices to kick some @$$es…

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