Review- IRON FIST THE LIVING WEAPON VOL. 1: RAGE

IRON FIST THE LIVING WEAPON VOL. 1: RAGE (Marvel, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #1-6 (cover dates June- November, 2014)

Writer, Artist, and Colorist: Kaare Kyle Andrews

As much as I dislike decompression and modern comics where an entire issue is little more than one or two scenes, comics with an abundance of mediocre dialogue which drag across one or two scenes for an entire issue are even worse. Kaare Kyle Andrews likens himself to a do-it-all-yourselfer like Jim Steranko but falls short on every count. His writing sucks, his artwork is wretched, possibly the worst this side of Rob Liefeld, and his coloring is the worst that I have ever seen. He uses endless Photoshop effects to try and mask his horrid artwork. Fake aging, fake line folds, and other anomalies are added to try and distract folks from how bad his artwork truly is.

The story is bland and boring, with what should have been a 40 page double-size introductory recapping Iron Fist's origin. Instead, it is stretched across six issues and inserts all kinds of gobbledygook that adds nothing to Iron Fist's origin. Very little actually happens in this book and there is no resolution to the story as an arc. It's like half of an arc. This story plodded along in such an uninteresting way that I do not care what happens and won't be back for volume 2. Kaare Kyle Andrews has been added to my DO NOT BUY list of comic creators. I have already flushed this turd down the eBay toilet.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 0 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Paper stock: Good weight semi-glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: IRON FIST VOL. 2

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: IRON FIST VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Iron Fist Nos. 3-15 and Marvel Team-Up Nos. 63, 64 (cover dates February, 1976- December, 1977)

Writer: Chris Claremont

Artists: John Byrne with Inking by Frank Chiaramonte, Dan Adkins, Dan Green, and Dave Hunt

The Bronze Age is not looked back on fondly by many comic fans when compared to the Silver Age or even the Golden Age. While it is true that there was some subpar material churned out there was also some exceptionally good stuff, such as Iron Fist.

I love how Iron Fist gets his ass handed to him by the Wrecking Crew in #11. Sabretooth is introduced in #14, and I much prefer the earlier version of the character to the omnipotent immortal that came to be. Marvel has crapped up so many of their characters over the years, becoming as bad as DC in that regard. Back in the halcyon days that these comics were originally published in their continuity was as tight as a drum.

I also love how Claremont and Byrne introduce diversity to comics without pandering or the ridiculous hype that seems to surround such acts these days. Misty Knight was a strong black female character who was a love interest of Daniel Rand, a.k.a. Iron First. Talk about bold for this era! That is how I like my progress and diversity in comics- done for the sake of the story, not for the sake of a 140 character soundbite. Misty Knight was a good character who happened to be a black female. Now the quota PC diversity squad goes out of their way to insert every ethnicity and sexual orientation into the mix first with characterization second. This is why everything comes off as lame and laughable in modern comics, and why I buy next to nothing that Marvel offers today.

This stuff is so good. Chris Claremont and John Byrne are the team supreme. Like Lennon and McCartney or Simon and Garfunkel, everyone wishes that there were more work from them. It's something that I will spend the rest of my days pining away for, since their “reunion” on JLA a decade ago didn't exactly work out. We'll likely never see them collaborate again. Comic books like this makes me realize how much I miss Marvel. Most modern Marvel Comics suck balls. Make mine Marvel THEN!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

Buy MARVEL MASTERWORKS: IRON FIST VOL. 2 HC at InStockTrades!

The OCD zone- Marvel Masterworks are my poison of choice. For Masterworks of this book's vintage, rest assured that this is the definitive Blu-Ray edition of this material.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Introduction by Bruce Canwell. (4 pages)

Iron Fist #10, page 11 original art. (1 page)

Iron Fist #13, page 15 original art. (1 page)

Iron Fist #15, page 11 original art. (1 page)

Iron Fist #15, page 14 original art. (1 page)

Marvel Team-Up #64, page 13 original art. (1 page)

Linework and Color restoration rating: Think of the post-2007 Masterworks as definitive Blu-Ray editions, with painstakingly restored linework and a color palette that is 100% faithful to the source material.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Thick coated semi-glossy stock that has that sweet, sweet smell that all Chinese manufactured books have. I theorize that this delectable aroma is caused by the toxic stew of broken asbestos tiles, lead paint chips, heavy metal industrial waste, and mercury from recalled thermometers combined with the blood, sweat, and tears of the Chinese children working the sweatshop printing presses. The frosting on this delicious cake scent is the paper which is likely sourced from virgin Amazon rainforests.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Rounded book casing and Smyth sewn binding (six stitches per signature) allow this book to lay completely flat in one hand as Godzilla intended. 

Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: IRON FIST VOL. 1

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: IRON FIST VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Marvel Premiere Nos. 15-25 and Iron Fist Nos. 1, 2 (cover dates May, 1974- December, 1975)

Writers: Roy Thomas, Doug Moench, Tony Isabella, Chris Claremont, and Len Wein

Artists: Pencilers- Gil Kane, Larry Hama, Arvell Jones, John Byrne, and Pat Broderick; Inkers- Dick Giordano, Dan Green, Vince Colletta, Bob McLeod, and others

I had no knowledge of, or interest in, Iron Fist growing up. None. I bought the old Marvel Visionaries: Gil Kane trade paperback, and it reprinted Marvel Premiere #15, Iron Fist's first appearance. I was so blown away by the quality of that story that I hunted down Essential Iron Fist Vol. 1 and was even more blown away. So much so that I was primed and ready for a full color collection. Years later, this book was released. Even more years later, I rotated this through my backlog and read it. I think that it takes mystical K'Un-Lun less time to appear again than it did for all of this to occur.

Marvel Premiere was one of Marvel's “tryout” books. Lots of new 1970s concepts were tried out in these rather than being launched with an endless stream of new #1s and cancelled and relaunched titles. Iron Fist enjoyed a long run in Marvel Premiere, lasting eleven issues before being spun off in his own magazine. The launch of his solo series came smack dab in the middle of an ongoing storyline. In this book it reads just fine. I can see where folks who bought it off of the spinner racks would be confused, though. Wait, isn't this the first issue? 

Like many Bronze Age titles, this series was handed off like a baton to a number of comic book journeymen. To the writers' credit, things never became disjointed and continuity was maintained throughout. No egotistical crybabies trying to undo what another writer had just done, trying to put their “stamp” on it, just moving the story forward from one issue to the next. If one didn't read the credits, one wouldn't notice a huge difference in the writing until Chris Claremont came aboard. His distinct voice was already fully formed, even in his salad days. Thomas, Claremont, Isabella, Moench...these guys were all students of the artform, growing up with it and have a genuine love for it.

The artwork is a mixed bag. Gil Kane starts things off strong. Kane is a master, one of the best artists of his day. The only reason that modern fans are unaware of him is that he jumped around too much and didn't have a defining “run” on any title. Larry Hama did a few issues after Kane's one and only issue. Yes, that would be the same Larry Hama who helped Hasbro co-create the G.I. Joe characters of the '80s and wrote all but 6 of the 155 issues of the original title. He started out as an artist but made his mark as a writer. Arvell Jones and Pat Broderick are those artists who did solid work but whom nobody calls a favorite. If you flip through your collection of '70s and '80s comics you likely own many issues that they drew.

I enjoyed seeing Iron Fist fight Batroc the Leaper. I am always a sucker for the shared universe aspect, where one hero's villains wind up in another one's title and they fight. Most of the better villains and battles occur in the next volume in this series. There is tons of high octane, bone crushing martial arts action here, though. Iron Fist is very much a product of it's time but holds up extremely well some 40 years later.

Chris Claremont takes the reins with Marvel Premiere #23, where he introduces a villain named Warhawk. Warhawk was some kind of shell-shocked Viet Nam veteran who saw the world as a war that was still continuing, much like the Punisher. While the Punisher was more of a zeitgeist antihero, Warhawk was a villain plain and simple, shooting at civilians and whatnot. 

John Byrne's first published Marvel work.

John Byrne comes aboard with issue 25. This marks the dawn of the collaboration between Claremont and Byrne which would be continued in Marvel Team-Up and reach artistic heights in Uncanny X-Men just two years later. This is like John Lennon meeting Paul McCartney, and the two began writing songs together. This is also when the series kicks into high gear. Claremont and Byrne never met a subplot they didn't like, and they would throw interludes in while putting seemingly endless new developments into motion. Things always got tidied up. It was a blast reading this stuff for the first time, and was equally thrilling on the re-read. While this book is great, the issues collected in volume 2 are even better.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Marvel Masterworks are my poison of choice. While the line has certainly had some missteps and mistakes over the years, it has been pretty much perfect since 2007-2008. When it comes to earlier printings I would advise folks to avoid them for the most part and buy the softcovers. They often boast superior restoration to the existing hardcovers and use the same upgrades found in the Omnibus hardcovers. For Masterworks of this book's vintage, rest assured that this is the definitive Blu-Ray edition of your favorites.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Introduction By Roy Thomas (2 pages).

Creator Biographies by John Rhett Thomas (4 pages).

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Think of the post-2007 Masterworks as definitive Blu-Ray editions.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Thick coated semi-glossy stock which smells nice.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Rounded book casing and smyth sewn binding (six stitches per signature) allow this book to lay completely flat as Godzilla intended.

Buy MARVEL MASTERWORKS: IRON FIST VOL. 1 HC at InStockTrades!

Review- NEW AVENGERS VOL. 4: A VS. X

NEW AVENGERS VOL. 4: A VS. X (Marvel, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects New Avengers Nos. 24-30 (cover dates June- November, 2012)

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Mike Deodato

Bendis's snarky dialogue seems to be toned down, although much like that relative that can't seem to speak appropriately around the kids at Christmas, it slips through here and there. Like that relative, he just can't help himself. I will give Bendis props for putting more story into each issue, even if we do get yet another breakfast table conversation segment. Those just never get old. Someday we'll all be reminiscing about the early aughts Avengers, and people will say “Man, remember all of those awesome breakfast table conversations”, just like they speak about the Kree-Skrull War and Roger Stern's run. -End sarcasm mode.-

The thing that makes Bendis' writing so palatable to so many is the fact that he is often paired with top artists, in this case Mike Deodato. My first exposure to Deodato was on Amazing Spider-Man on the Sins Past arc, and I thought that he was okay back then. He has continually improved and refined his craft to the point that I would rank him in the upper echelon of comic book artists. I'm talking Alex Ross good. This book would have been ranked a 2 if not for his brilliant artwork. 

The endless conversations between Luke Cage (Power Man) and Jessica Jones are tiring, with cringe-inducing “realistic” Bendis dialogue. Bendis writing “street” is such a joke. This Red Hulk nonsense also has to stop. What, is the Hulk so boring that these writers can't figure out a way to make him interesting? Do we really need a smart, commanding Red Hulk? It seems so DC to me.

Issues 25 and 26 don't feature a single Avenger in them. This is another Bendis hallmark, hijacking a title and inserting something else in it. This bulk of these issues take place in K'un Lun hundreds of years ago. The rest of issue 25 is one scene not involving The Avengers. Go Bendis! In issue 26 (and half off 27) we see Leonardo DaVinci working to repel the Phoenix Force. Yup, as in DaVinci Code Leonardo DaVinci. Yes, I realize how incredibly stupid this is. Issue 28 is pretty clever. I'm not going to spoil that one at all for you. Issue 29 is an Avengers Illuminati one-shot disguised as issue of Avengers. Lots of conversations in this issue. Daredevil shows up as an Avenger with no real explanation. It is assumed that you simply buy every Marvel title. This book has shown me how stupid the whole Avengers Vs. X-Men crossover and mini-series is. Thankfully I didn't waste my time or money on the $75 MSRP hardcover. Bendis' reign of terror on this title is almost over. Patience, grasshopper...

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Typical Marvel Premiere Edition Hardcover, with the same production values that the format has to offer.

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. Coated stock with a slight sheen, perfect for modern coloring. The paper seems to be getting thinner as the prices on these Premiere Hardcovers keeps ticking upwards. Bad combination.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. It's glued, but it's a thin hardcover, so it's no biggie. It's not like it's going to fall apart or anything. I normally lose sleep over books with glued binding, but not with these Premiere Hardcovers.

Review- SHADOWLAND

SHADOWLAND (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Shadowland Nos. 1-5 (cover dates September, 2010- January, 2011)

Writer: Andy Diggle

Artist: Billy Tan

Like most modern Marvel Comics, this is a spit-shined production. The writing, the artwork, and the coloring are all slick and professionally done. The problem rests with the story itself. I cannot buy the premise that this enter mini-series is based on. There will be some spoilers from here on out. Sorry, but this time I cannot critique this book without discussing some specific plot points.

Shadowland is Hell's Kitchen in New York City. Bullseye apparently blew up a tenement block, killing 107 people. Daredevil made some pact with his enemies, the ninja clan The Hand, and built some ridiculous Japanese looking temple in the middle of the city. Given how much trouble that I recently have had with permits in the city I reside in just to build a f***ing garage, this would be no small undertaking. Not to mention scheduling contractors. Sheesh. “This crew can't come in until that crew has done this.” “Oh, it rained today. Maybe next week.” I find it hard to believe that Daredevil could get such a structure erected before someone came sniffing around. This is the premise laid out in the first issue. These events took place in Daredevil, which I do not regularly read. So going in, I couldn't buy it. 

Unfortunately for me and my wallet, I did buy this book. At least the artwork was pretty, right? So I soldiered on. Daredevil acts completely out of character, the result of him being possessed by some lameass ninja demon. As if having an army of ninjas in the middle of New York wasn't unbelievable enough, we have some ancient demon thing, too. Right. Elektra is also around to crap up the proceedings, as well as piss on Frank Miller's legacy on the title. Nice.

So all in all, this was a beautiful, highly polished turd. I couldn't buy it, couldn't get into it, and now relegate it to What If...? fan fiction status.

The OCD zone- Standard Marvel Premiere Edition hardcover, with the same nice paper and glued binding.

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Battle for the Planet of Junk Food For Thought

X-MEN LEGACY: SALVAGE (Marvel, 2009)

Collects X-Men Legacy Nos. 219-225 (cover dates February- August, 2009)

I was afraid that something like this might happen... a writer having nostalgia for '90s comics. Ugghhhhhhh, Mike Carey should have left that stuff for dead. This was pretty crappy overall and will ultimately have no bearing in long term X-continuity.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN OMNIBUS (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Captain America Nos. 305, 306, New Mutants Annual No. 2, Uncanny X-Men Annual No. 11, and selections from Captain Britain Nos. 1-14, The Daredevils Nos. 1-11, Marvel Super Heroes Nos. 377, 378 and The Mighty World of Marvel Nos. 7-16 (cover dates September, 1981- Annual 1987).

Alan Davis is one of my favorite artists/ writers, and it is fascinating to watch him evolve here. His early CB is pretty rough, and it takes a while for this book to actually get good, but when it does (around 50 pages in), it takes off. Alan Moore handles the writing for quite a while and does a fantastic job of rebooting the character. Jamie Delano picks up the writing chores after Moore leaves and also does a bang-up job. Captain Britain becomes a lovable buffoon in these pages, and this book picks up where the Panini UK trades left off. I have the first three of those, and am awaiting the release of the fourth (which was supposed to be out months ago already), but they don't touch the quality of this material. Loads of quality DVD-style extras in the back of the book made this well worth the upgrade from the two inferior Captain Britain trades that covered a portion of this 600+ page monster.

BLACK WIDOW: THE STING OF THE WIDOW (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man No. 86, Daredevil No. 81 and selections from Amazing Adventures Nos. 1-8 and Tales of Suspense No. 52 (cover dates April, 1964- November, 1971).

Dated, lovable latter era Silver Age/ proto-Bronze Age goodness. I adore the whole militant vs. establishment era of youth culture, as it is hilarious here in 2010. The art restoration was lacking in a few of the issues, with the fine linework being obliterated. Was this the results of stats? Low resolution scans? Fiche? Who knows. I wish that this material would have gotten the Masterworks TLC that it deserves, though. Of course, it would have cost Masterworks cabbage, too. All in all, a nice package, hardcover with around 150 pages with nice paper and sewn binding at half the price of a Marvel Masterwork.

X-FACTOR: TIME AND A HALF (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects X-Factor (Vol. 3) Nos. 39-45 (cover dates March- August, 2009)

More enjoyable stuff by Peter David, with solid artwork by Valentine De Landro and Marco Santucci. Oh, and the Shatterstar thing was hilarious. Was it a swipe at Liefeld? One can only hope...

X-MEN: INFERNO (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects New Mutants (Vol. 1) Nos. 71-73, Uncanny X-Men Nos. 239-243, X-Factor (Vol. 1) Nos. 33-40, X-Factor Annual No. 4 and X-Terminators Nos. 1-4 (cover dates October, 1988- May, 1989).

This one falls under the category of 'not as good as I remembered it being'. I only bought the Uncanny X-Men issues off of the stands, so my initial interpretation of this crossover was that it was great. I had the old softcover trade that didn't cover as many bases as this expanded hardcover edition does and it seemed like a better read. The X-Terminators mini series sucks. I bought the first issue off of the stands and was so put off by Jon Bogdanove's artwork that I never followed through with the rest of the series. This was an okay read here in late 2009/ early 2010, but it was tired by the end. On the plus side, it was presented in a beautiful oversized hardcover package with nice paper and sewn binding, so at least it has that going for it.

THE MIGHTY AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Mighty Avengers Nos. 21-26 and selections from Secret Invasion: Requiem (cover dates March- August, 2009).

WOW! Dan Slott's Avengers are worlds better than Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers, largely because these Avengers A) have actual adventures, B) fight villains, and C) actually act heroic. Amazing. That, and the issues took more than five or ten minutes a piece to read. It really feels like I got my money's worth, especially when compared to a Bendis picture book.

THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST VOL. 5: ESCAPE FROM THE EIGHTH CITY (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects The Immortal Iron Fist Nos. 21-27 (cover dates February- August, 2009)

AAAargggghhhh!! This series has been cancelled, and I feel partially responsible. Let me explain. I buy the hardcovers of this series rather than the floppies, or single issues, and I always feel guilty when a series that I have followed in this format is cancelled. If only I bought this title monthly, maybe it would have survived, the self-imposed guilt trip usually goes. I know that trade sales are factored in to a title's overall sales, but I can't help but think that maybe people like me (trade waiters) are really ruining the industry, at least as far as less popular titles go. With the exception of issue 27, this entire series has been of such undeniable quality writing-wise, if not always artwork-wise, that I for one am sad to see it end.

SPIDER-MAN: 24/7 (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 589-594 and selections from Amazing Spider-Man Extra! Nos. 2, 3 (cover dates March- July, 2009).

I really look forward to reading this title, and since the Brand New Day reboot, it hasn't let me down yet. Amazing Spider-Man has once again become Marvel's best title, with each issue packed to the brim with quality. Fred Van Lente's done-in-one Issue 589 featuring the return of the Spot was just fantastic. I was around when Spot first came out circa 1984, and although most people hated him at the time, I dug him. Bendis would have stretched Issue 589 out to a 6 issue arc. Mild spoiler ahead: I am not crazy about Spider-Man revealing his identity to the Fantastic Four. I also forgot, or was unaware, that Peter was aware of that fact that the world once knew his identity. The new Vulture seems interesting, and I am looking forward to finding out more about him. Man, there is just so much going on in this title that it's really exciting. I have no problem sliding my hard-earned money across the counter for this title.

SPIDER-MAN: AMERICAN SON (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 595-599 and selections from Amazing Spider-Ma: Extra! No. 3 (cover dates May- September, 2009).

Joe Kelly's run isn't quite as good as the rest of the 'Spidey Brain Trust"'s, but that could be because he was dealt the Norman Osborn/ H.A.M.M.E.R. hand. Don't get me wrong, this arc has it's moments and is overall an enjoyable read, but it wasn't great. That's okay, ASM is still the best title Marvel has going right now and every issue doesn't have to be the greatest issue ever made.

SPIDER-MAN: THE SHORT HALLOWEEN (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Spider-Man: The Short Halloween and selections from Amazing Spider-Man Family Nos. 4-6 (cover dates April- July, 2009).

A hit or miss collection, with Spider-Ma'Am and Spider-Ham falling under miss and the rest being mostly decent.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

Ah yes, cross-brand marketing at work. A few weekends ago it was super cold outside and there was nothing to do on a Sunday, so we went to McDonald's so that Billy could run around and burn some energy off in the play area. The toy that came with his Happy Meal was Alvin, and then he saw the ad for the movie... Fast forward a week, it was even colder outside, so I took him to see the movie. To say that my 3 year old loved it is a gross understatement. When we watch something like Wonder Pets on DVD and the 22 minute episode ends he says "There will be more". After the 90 minute movie, he also said "There will be more" and refused to leave. I was like "No buddy, that's it". He argued, all the way through the credits and until the theatre staff came in to clean. They had to tell him that there won't be more and that you have to go home. He really loved it. Me, not so much. I liked that he enjoyed it so much, and since 36 year old males are likely not the target audience for this move I think that it did what it set out to do. Cute for kids, lame for adults.

Originally posted on my myspace blog on 6/8 & 6/18/2009

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA STRANGE TALES VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Strange Tales (Vol. 1) Nos. 11-20 (October, 1952- July, 1953)

Time was, I could never have dreamed of reading these stories. Now, thanks to the Masterworks, I have! These are inferior to EC's output at the time, but are decent and will help hold me over while Russ Cochran shops the EC license around since Gemstone has essentially collapsed. 

MIGHTY AVENGERS VOL. 4: SECRET INVASION BOOK 2 (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Mighty Avengers Nos. 16-20 (September, 2008- February, 2009)

Another sucktastic, bloated, made-for-the-trade "arc" by the Michael Bay of comic books, Brian Michael Bendis. I will suffer through whatever this man wrote that is currently in my backlog, but after that, I am done. The '90s are made fun of because of Liefeld's laughable "artwork". The 2000s will be laughed at because of Bendis' laughable "writing". Decompression is the writing equivalent of stylized '90s art.

SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE: THE TARANTULA (DC, 1995)

Collects Sandman Mystery Theatre Nos. 1-4 (cover dates April- July, 1993)

This was an enjoyable Golden Age/ crime/ noir flavored comic. I'm on board for Vol. 2, and can't wait to get to it in the backlog.

AMERICA’S BEST COMICS PRIMER (DC, 2008)

Collects Promethea No. 1, Tom Strong No. 1, Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales No. 1, Tomorrow Stories Nos. 1, 6 and Top 10 No. 1 (cover dates June, 1999- April, 2003)

This is one of those off-brand (sort of; Wildstorm, whose parent company is DC, puts this line out) $4.99 sampler trades that I am such a sucker for. The bulk of this is written by Alan Moore, whose ideas here are hit or miss but never uninteresting. Tom Strong, Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales, and Promethea were all fun reads, and the Tomorrow Stories anthology stories were hit or miss. My friend loaned me the first Top 10 trade a while back, and I didn't much care for it then and I don't much care for it now. This book is an entertaining read, and at $5.00, you can't go wrong.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN VOL. 11: ANIMAL INSTINCT (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Nos. 41-44 (cover dates September- December, 2008)

This series remains an enjoyable read. Why can't Amazing Spider-Man feature some more light-hearted, done in one stories like these, with some of the lesser villains? Man-Bull, the Puma, Orka, and the Lizard are all great.

EERIE ARCHIVES VOL. 1 (Dark Horse, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Eerie Nos. 1-5 (cover dates September, 1965- September, 1966)

Eerie, along with it's sister title Creepy, are the finest post-EC Horror comics ever made. Most of the EC stable of artists contributed to this title, along with many Silver Age greats.

FANTASTIC FOUR: THE BEGINNING OF THE END (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Fantastic Four Nos. 525, 526, 551-553 (cover dates June, 2005 and January- March, 2008)

This was a X-Mas gift, and I really enjoyed reading it. I like the Fantastic Four, but haven't followed them since Byrne's run. These arcs featured two of the all-time great FF villains: Diablo and Doctor Doom. Fun for the whole family!

ESSENTIAL POWER MAN AND IRON FIST VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Daredevil No. 178 and Power Man and Iron Fist Nos. 76-100 (cover dates December, 1981- December, 1983)

B-level ‘80s Marvel is still better than most A-level ‘00s Marvel. We get to see Kurt Busiek cut his teeth on this title. Most of these issues are self-contained, but multi-parters become more common towards the end of the book. Ernie Chan's artwork is good, and can be great, depending on the inker. Power Man and Iron Fist are street level heroes and, as such, typically fight street level villains. That is something that is missing from many modern comic books: the street level villain. Now, everything is some kind of Skrull invasion or Norman Osborn led conspiracy. These issues are dated, but lovably so.

SECRET INVASION (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Secret Invasion Nos. 1-8 (cover dates June, 2008- January, 2009)

Crossovers, “events”, and Brian Michael Bendis all suck, and I am done with all three. This mini-series could have been so much more than it ended up being. I mean, they really could have undone most of the messy continuity and ret-cons* that have plagued Marvel in recent years, but it looks like they are instead going to super-size them with the whole Norman Osborn/ Thunderbolts Initiative garbage. It looks like I will be saving more money by not buying more modern Marvel comics. (*ret-con is short for retro-active continuity, where they will insert a back story into continuity that was never there before, often flying in the face of canon and logic.)

HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL. 1: ROOM & BOREDOM (DC, 2008)

Collects House of Mystery (Vol. 2) Nos. 1-5 (cover dates July- November, 2008)

This is the new Vertigo series, and it is a very interesting read. This isn't the way that I would have re-launched a beloved "brand" like House of Mystery, though.

SPIDER-MAN: AMAZING FRIENDS (Marvel, 2009)

Collects selections from King-Size Spider-Man Summer Special No. 1, Spider-Man Family Featuring Spider-Man’s Amazing Friends No. 1, Spider-Man Featuring the Silver Surfer Magazine and Spider-Man Magazine: Great Power (cover dates October, 2006-2008)

These stories are a non-continuity hodge-podge with varying degrees of quality. The best ones are the ones with Iceman and Firestar, "reuniting" the cast from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends animated series from the early '80s. This was a bit on the light side in terms of content, and I am going to be more selective with these sidebar releases in the future.