Check Out These Books: Week of February 3rd

Comic book fans have known for years that Wednesday is a sacred day. The day that our favorite titles break loose from the gates of heaven and rain down upon us. Every week there are ups and downs, highs and lows. It would be nice to get some direction in a sea of series that can easily over take any fan boy. I cannot say that my taste is better than anyone else, but I can tell you what I like.  I may even tell you what I don’t like. These are a few suggestions from this past Wednesday.

Check out these books after the jump. Cable, Invincible Iron Man, Blackest Night Wonder Woman, JSA Annual

Cable # 23

The story thus far:

Since the day that almost all of the mutant population lost their powers the remnants of the species has been struggling to survive. In some mutants eyes, the last chance for the race lies with the only mutant to be born since the decimation, Hope. Cable had been waiting for so many years for this child birth to take place and he promised to keep Hope alive against those who would harm her; namely X-Man Bishop. In Bishop’s future he believes that Hope is the reason that mutants get enslaved and the only way to prevent that is to kill her. Now Cable and Hope are jumping forward in time to stay alive and Bishop is hot on their tail.

The story line has been pretty much the same since it started; Keep Hope safe. There have been about four issues or so that have been boring, but as a whole it’s been a pretty fun ride. In the “present” time has been going by at a regular pace, but for Cable, Hope and Bishop it has been years. Last time that the X-Men had seen Hope she was a baby. Now, she looks to be anywhere between 15 to 17. The series is going to get even better as Cable and Hope are trying to get back to the “present”. After that little four issue dry spell Cable has been back to the action.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

Invincible Iron Man # 23

The story thus far:

Tony Stark has gone from Avenger to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Director to the worlds most wanted man and now is in a vegetative state. It is up to Thor, Captain America and friends to help Tony piece his mind back together and become the Iron Avenger that the world needs once again.

It was funny that when the first Iron Man movie came out that most of the comic book community hated Tony Stark for his role in the Marvel event known as the Civil War. Since then, Marvel has been on damage control to put Tony back into the good graces of the comic book fan boys. The story has been so captivating since the after math of Secret Invasion. Invincible Iron Man is one of the few Marvel books that I can not wait for every month. It’s going to be tying into the Siege story that is going on at Marvel right now which is supposed to reunite Marvels “Big Three” Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. First, they have to put the pieces back together from Tony’s, self inflicted, shattered mind. You see, Tony kept all of the secret identities of all of the registered superheroes in his head(see the Civil War link) and didn’t want to run the risk of his enemies getting a hold of that list so he wiped his own mind. This is a great comic book to pick up right now if you want to get hyped for the Iron Man 2 film due out in May. Not because it has anything to do with the movie, but because it’s just good Iron Man stuff.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

Blackest Night Wonder Woman # 3

The story thus far:

Spinning out of the major cross over from DC Comics Blackest Night black rings have descended upon the universe and are raising the dead in the name of Nekron. Unfortunately the heroes that have died and come back to life have been susceptible to the Black Lantern influence and have been taken over. Wonder Woman’s infinite capacity for love set her free from the Black Lantern ring and made it possible for a Violet ring of love to guide her.

Of all of the Blackest Night tie ins this one started out the worst. It’s only a three issue mini series, but the first issue didn’t do anything for me. Now, issues two and three were a different story. They were packed full of action and gave the readers some interesting things to contemplate about Wonder Woman and her supposed “true love”. As I stated I really wasn’t on board when the mini series started, but now it may be one of my favorite BN tie ins.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

JSA Annual # 2

The story thus far:

The Justice Society of America is an institution. The JLA can teach you to fight, the Teen Titans teach you about family, but the JSA teaches you how to be a hero. The team is always taking on new recruits either because they are part of a legacy or because that recruit needs direction. Recently, the team had become, almost, too big to be one team. Because of different view points and beliefs it was decided to split the team in two. Though some of the veterans thought that  this was for best it has caused some tension between the two teams.

What was such a strong series has become a train wreck. The main title has become JSA and JSA All Stars. The JSA is mostly comprised of the veterans and the All Stars are a few vets and many of the newbies. The JSA main title is and ok book while the All Stars story line is bogus. The two books clashed in the JSA Annual #2 and had them fighting each other as well as some villains. It was sad to see such a tight knit group fall apart and distrust one another so quickly. The first twenty or so issue were written by Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Blackest Night) and they were amazing. They really showed how together the JSA was. Now, with a new writer and a split  up of the team the magic of the book is just gone. I recommend reading the JSA relaunch from issue number one, but beware when Johns leaves the title. Steer clear of the the All Stars book at all costs.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

Thank you for looking at our suggestions for this week. Please comment on our selections and let us know what you would like to see. If you have any stories that you would like us to touch on, let us know.