The triumphant return of this site's most favorite feature...

Heroes For Hire #4 - I want this series to be good, because it's by Abnett & Lanning, but it's been a struggle, in part because it features Paladin so heavily and he's such a lame character. But i was intrigued by the Puppet Master twist on the Bird of Prey style set-up. That said, what i really didn't need was about 3 pages of pure exposition from the Puppet Master explaining what he was up to in a contrived one-way phone conversation, which also reveals that the Puppet Master isn't working alone. It's a little unclear if he's working for someone or with someone, but i'm not too excited about either (unless it's his longtime partner the Mad Thinker but then why would he be explaining his powers in such detail?). Anyway, we'll see where it goes but it's not the series i was hoping for.

Avengers Academy #10 - Yay, Leech! I like this series, and i really like Sean Chen on art. But my god Veil is just stupid, huh?

Thunderbolts #154 - Ok, let's get my geeky complaint out of the way. As far as i know, Jennifer Kale never knew Man-Thing as Ted Sallis, and there's no reason for her to be calling him Ted. It seems to just be a cheap and quick way of establishing that she has a deeper relationship with the Man-Thing than any of the Thunderbolts, but it doesn't work for me. Now my story-telling complaint: the scene where the lizard thing was chasing the people on the fishing boat... you knew that the Man-Thing was going to show up to save them, but my god, it felt like it took forever to get there. We're looking at about 6 pages, and that's after the initial scene establishing the lizard people threat. I kinda get the idea that it's like this horror-movie stalkerish scene, but i don't think it worked very well in comic form. Ok, both of those minor complaints out of the way, i thought this was a great issue. Love the idea of the Thunderbolts learning about the Man-Thing, and the Man-Thing, on some primitive level, enjoying hanging around with a group. Cool stuff, and well written. Also wondering who the Thunderbolts will bring in to bolster their mystical gap. They show Dr. Strange in the end panel, but surely it won't be him, right? Or this book really does become Luke Cage's Avengers part 2. Keeping with the theme of the book, it should be some evil mystic looking to reform, or at least someone not necessarily evil but looking for redemption, right? I can't think of anyone like that. I mean, Brother Voodoo might be looking for redemption at this point but they need to give him a rest. Hopefully not Son of Satan, either.

New Avengers #10 - Ok, all of the flashback art was terrible. I never liked Chaykin's art, but at least it used to be stylish. This is just rough stuff. The scenes from the present with Deodato's art are great though. Now on to the real problems.... I've no problem with Nick Fury recruiting a super-team in the late 1950s. But the idea that they would be called The Avengers is just impossible to reconcile, unless we're going to retcon the idea that the Wasp didn't come up with the name of the real Avengers team on her own. Which would be incredibly lame. As to the team membership... Ulysses i'm fine with. The original Silver Sable: i actually think that's a cool idea. Dominic Fortune: i see no need to bring into 'real' Marvel continuity, but if you're going to do that, fine. Namora: ok, i guess it's after the original Agents of Atlas breaks up but before she gets frozen. Kraven the Hunter.... well, he certainly was already an established and renown game hunter in his first appearance, but the idea that he was really some sort of super secret agent doesn't really work for me. And putting him in a relationship with Namora seems wrong. But i can live with him being on the team; it's actually kind of innovative. Finally, Sabertooth. My immediate reaction was WTF? And yet, and yet... i'm willing to give it a go. Luckily i've studiously avoided all of the backstories involving Wolverine and Sabertooth and (god help us) Maverick, and Silver Fox, and god knows who else, so i don't have to worry about whether it makes sense for him to be active and part of a team at this time. But yeah, his healing factor seems way overpowered. Wolverine could possibly survive a shot to the head because he's got an adamantium skull. There's no way Sabertooth can just take a bullet right through his brain and be back up and walking around a few minutes later. That aside, though, my big problem so far is with the team's name, not the make-up of its members.

Annihilators #1 - Terrible art. Really bad facial expressions. And really boring interpretation of the Space Knights. They all look the same. Beyond that, i really liked the appearance of Ikon and her analysis of the team's weakness. It was kinda marred by the fact that during that whole cool scene, the narration boxes from Quasar were full of angsty self-doubt. But i can ignore that if you're bringing me Doctor Dredd (terrible Bill Mantlo name) and the Dire Wraiths. So on balance, this was a win. As for the back-up story, the art style is not for me, and i don't like the idea of Groot not really being Groot. At all. NOT AT ALL!

I just read that Fortune was in a MTU issue, so has been in continuity for a while.

Indeed, it turns out he's been in Iron Man and Web of Spider-man, too. And now we know he is a founding member of the Avengers!

H4H: you all know i REALLY wanted to like Heroes for Hire. I really did. but, omg, can this plot actually move to step 2? it's been 4 issues of misty knight talking about how "this is my life now". i want to smother her with a pillow. yeah, i get it. the puppet master's manipulating her. we got that at the end of Issue #1! move on, already!

TB: i cannot tell you how much i hate Moonstone. and now the Man-Thing's got a thing for her cause she's blonde like his "good friend" Jennifer Kale....ARRRGGGGH! Moonstone wasn't even actually in this issue but i hate her so much that it taints Thunderbolts in general. On a more relevant note - i agree that the lizard/motorboat chase was too long.

NA: hated the flashbacks for content and art and that it took up space that could have been used to better purpose by giving me more New Avengers. Namora and Kraven? really? just no. The present day stuff was good. I always love the banter. But wacko is spelled without an H. I don't care if it's accepted with the H. it's weird, it's wrong, and i don't like it.

Annihilators: too much self doubt. not enough talking psychic dog. not enough groot.