Comics

Scarlet Spider #19

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Scarlet Spider #19Sometimes you just have to kill a god. The Scarlet Spider and Wolverine‘s team-up comes to and as the two murderers turned heroes take on not only Bella Donna and the Assassins Guild but the immortal Candra who wishes to feed of the bones of both men.

The uneasy alliance between the two lasts through the fighting, but Wolverine is less than pleased with the methods Kaine uses to end the war with the Assassins Guild as he serves the group to the Kingpin on a silver platter. Wolverine’s chastising aside, Kaine is willing to pay whatever price necessary for solving his problem with the Guild and keeping Aracely (who the X-Men seem to be in a great hurry to get rid of) safe at least for the foreseeable future.

Although I don’t see Kaine getting invited back to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning for high tea any time soon, the forced team-up with two of Marvel’s deadliest heroes works well (and allows for plenty of Kaine’s sardonic narration which writer Christopher Yost does so well). Kaine’s deal with the Kingpin also foreshadows new trouble for the hero sometime down the line. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Larfleeze #2

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Larfleeze #2There’s both good and bad news for Pulsar Stargrave in the latest issue of Larfleeze. The good news is he is finally free of his service to his insane master Larfleeze who bit off a little more than he could chew when he attack Laord of the Hunt who has journeyed to this dimension after killing his way through his own. The bad news is Pulsar now finds himself in service of the genocidal hunter.

Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis make a great team. For the second month in a row Larfleeze, a comic centered around a character I have no great affection for, turns out to be one of the best books of the New 52. We get the tail end the battle between Larfleez and Laord to begin the issue, but nearly the entire comic is focused on Stargrave, his current fate, and his befriending of Lou (the hound of Laord not killed by Larfleeze) and Loard’s lackey Herb.

I’ve been bemoaning the lack of humor and fun in the New 52 for nearly two years now and, at least for the first two issues, that’s exactly what Larfleeze delivers. Crazy, absurdest, space adventure wackiness. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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The Flash #22

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The Flash #22When the Speed Force killer kills again, the Flash sets out to protect the only other person besides himself who he believes is still tied to it, Iris West, by cloaking her in a suit like his own, which for some reason has hidden the hero from the Reverse-Flash.

After racing around with Iris, Barry calls on the help of Patty Spivot to watch over her while the Flash takes a closer look into the recent activities of Dr. Elias whose Speed Force engine has drawn the unwanted attention of the Reverse-Flash leading to the first meeting between the villain and our hero.

After teasing the confrontation for months the comic finally delivers with Barry pretty much getting his ass kicked by the Reverse-Flash. But I’m betting the Flash gets his second wind. After setting up Elias as a future villain it will be interesting to see what the loss of his invention means going forward. Iris suit, logic not withstanding, provides for some fun panels including her racing around with the Flash on his investigation. And leaving her with Patty allows for a tense conversation between the pair about Patty’s relationship with Barry. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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The Shadow: Year One #4

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The Shadow: Year One #4Matt Wagner’s retelling of the origins of The Shadow continue as Margo Lane earns her spot the ever-widening web of spies working silently for The Shadow. Although the issue does nothing to explain the motives of the monstrous Dr. Zorn, it does confirm he is behind the gang war whose true purpose only he seems to fathom.

Now at the halfway point of the mini-series we do have Margo and Lamont Cranston working together, but I would have expected The Shadow to at least get some inkling, if not actually have met, the figure working against him to rid the city of crime. The storyline is beginning to feel like a six-issue arc that has been unnecessarily inflated and drawn out over two extra issues. That said, what we do get in the further teasing of Zorn and the showcasing of how The Shadow builds his silent army are both handled well.

I’m hoping Wagner speeds things up a little in the next issue involving The Shadow’s investigations as well as the reveal of Zorn’s motives and origins. For fans.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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G.I. JOE: Special Missions #5

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G.I. JOE: Special Missions #5When the Chinese Government forces down a Cobra spy satellite using a combination of a high and low tech assault, the satellite crashes to Earth somewhere in the middle of the Australian outback. The JOEs send Roadblock, Tripwire, Hard Drive, Beach Head, and Spirit to retrieve the remains of which contain vital information about Destro‘s M.A.S.S. Project.

The team runs into trouble, first from the half-crazed nomad who decides to drag away what he believes is a UFO and then from an old enemy. Zartan has built himself his own personal army of road warriors since Snake Eyes blasted him from the skies over Australia, and now with the M.A.S.S. data one of Cobra’s former top lieutenants once again has real power at his fingertips.

G.I. JOE: Special Missions #5 does a good job of reintroducing Zartan and giving an explanation of how and why the master of disguise would put a crew like the Dreadnoks together. The issue introduces Buzzer, Ripper, Thrasher, Crusher, and an unnamed character I’m guessing to be either Zanya or Zarana. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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