…and wanted to write some jittery, unfocused thoughts on comics. I left the office late and there were leftovers from our monthly breakfast thing, and they would have been stale by morning, so…

By the way, who brings McDonald’s breakfast burritos to one of these? Weird, right? Yes, I ate one.

Thor #615 & #616 - the bar was set pretty low for me to enjoy this one. It really only took the wise move of changing the lettering font to something besides the headache-inducing Norse-like thing they were using (Helavetica? Sorry, I already used the Times New Asgardian joke in an earlier post). Having the other nine realms out of whack and ripe for a takeover due to Asgard no longer occupying its normal space is a nice idea by Matt Fraction. Pascual Ferry is fine. #616 covered much the same ground as #615, though. I know it’s another paycheck and helps to make for a bigger collection, but don’t these writers realize that fans know when they’re getting padded work, and respond accordingly when it comes time for the next issue or trade? Pick the pace back up; we’ve all got lots of other things we could be doing than reading Thor. 

Generation Hope #1 - So former Thor writer Kieron Gillen moves over to this new X-book, and it’s forgettable, aside from the possible new member whose power seems to be turning into Cthulhu. I didn’t dig the art, though, and for my money we’ve already got two good New Mutant-y books going, Avengers Academy and Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. 

Hellblazer: City of Demons - Why on Earth was DC sitting on this beautiful Sean Murphy work? Must have been all the crap Hellblazer graphic novels they had to release first. Si Spencer’s writing is tight as well, though I’m starting to lose sight of just what the point of this demon infection idea was, and why it seems like Constantine brings it out in people. But damn, Murphy. You really bust your ass on the page, huh? 

Action Comics - It’s a good time to be Paul Cornell. The Superman books have been and continue to be so mediocre that his nicely characterized/lightly plotted Lex Luthor stories look so much better. He’s DC’s tallest little dwarf right now. I did like the necrotic nose gag with Death, though.

Superman #703 - I would like to see if Straczynski’s outline for his “Superman Across America” run actually mentioned a story where Superman fights a Kryptonite-powered redneck (or whatever you call the Ohio version of a redneck). Seems not to really go along with the point of the journey. Also, the scene with Batman really felt like he planned it to be Bruce Wayne and then had to rewrite it for Dick Grayson, but forgot to tell Eddy Barrows, who drew Dick as grimacey as Bruce. I don’t want to be one of those guys who just bitch and bitch about a comic they don’t like, so I’ll just stop reading this one.

Incognito: Bad Influences #1 - I liked the first mini almost as much as Criminal, so I’m happy to see Brubaker and Phillips back in action on what seems to me kind of Wanted done right. One thing—I think it’s fine for Zack to be in a frustrating sexual relationship with Zoe Zeppelin, but this is getting to be a little too common in Brubaker’s work, as is the subplot with his boss hating his guts. It seemed like I was reading Sleeper again. Still, it’s better than a lot of what’s out there. I liked the glimpses of past adventures we missed, like G.I. Gorilla.

Amazing Spider-Man #647 - And thus three years plus of almost weekly comics comes to an end in pretty strong fashion. I’ll miss Waid’s and Azaceta’s work together most, but generally enjoyed most of the creators, and for such a difficult schedule, editors Wacker and Brennan deserve a lot of credit for how cohesive it’s been (caveat: I’ve only read the second half of this time). This issue shuttled Harry Osborn and his new son off the book, in hiding from the long arm of father Norman, and that’s kind of a shame, as Harry’s been written pretty well. Ditto for Flash Thompson, who’s, cruel as it may sound, a better character for being a disabled war veteran. I’m happy that Peter finally chose a chance at happiness with Carlie Cooper, but one thing that’s been good about the book is that with its schedule, and the backup stories, there has been ample space to explore the supporting cast. Going back to monthly, and with one regular writer in Dan Slott, might mean that some characters fade into the background. Hope not.

Sugar buzz gone.

—Christopher Allen