Comics

Comic Rack

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It’s a new week so it must be time to talk about comics! Welcome to the RazorFine Comic Rack boys and girls. Pull up a bean bag and take a seat at feet of the master as we offer you this quick list of all kinds of comic book goodness set to hit comic shops and bookstores this week from all your favorite publishers including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Archie, Dynamite, Image Comics, and others.

This week includes Avengers, Birds of Prey, Captain Atom, Cobra, Daredevil, Fables, Ghost, Ghostbusters, Godzilla, Justice League, KISS, The Mighty Thor, Nightwing, Peter Panzerfaust, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Sonja: Atlantis Rises, Shadow, Supergirl, Uncanny X-Men, the first issues of Doctor Who, Womanthology: Space, and the final issues of Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures, Avengers vs. X-Men, Captain Atom, Dorothy of Oz Prequel, Fatima: The Blood Spinners, Spider-Men, and Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison.

Enjoy issue #191

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Winter Soldier #10

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winter-soldier-10-coverWith the Black Widow still under the control of Soviet sleeper agent Leo Novokov, the Winter Soldier‘s world implodes as he sees the damage his lover does to S.H.I.E.L.D., including nearly killing Nick Fury.

To help track down the Black Widow, who still believes she’s a Soviet spy who has been working undercover for years, Captain America shows up with a pair of Avengers in Wolverine and Hawkeye (meaning the “secret” of Bucky’s survival lasted less than a year).

It’s unlikely the Black Widow will stay lost for long and, yes, there will be some guilt over her actions and the death of Jasper but no real lingering effects to the overall Marvel Universe. The only way this story has any lasting meaning is if the Black Widow had killed Nick Fury (which didn’t happen, and I don’t see any reason a character with the savvy of Fury would have put himself in position for her to try) or if Bucky is forced to kill Natasha (which won’t happen either). Still, it’s well told and worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #13

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btvs-season-nine-13-cover“Guarded” comes to an end as Buffy has to save the life of her client from the demon she brought in as added muscle and destroy TINCAN, the Senior Partners sole connection to Earth. Oh, and she punches out her boss, too.

There’s plenty of action, and the arc is wrapped up satisfactorily. However, I am disappointed (though far from surprised) by the story’s epilogue. For a show, and now comic, about a character growing up and changing Buffy sure seems to be stuck in neutral as she chooses martyrdom and over the lucrative offer Kennedy offers her (which would also allow her to continue using her gifts to save people in need), even after the black eye Buffy gave her.

I know the point of the season is to return the character back to basics, and her decision sure wants to be profound, but it simply doesn’t come off that way. Instead it feels far too much like the old self-centered Buffy long before she learned to rely on others to help her with her calling. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Avengers Assemble #7

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avengers-assemble-7-coverHonestly, I wasn’t looking to get into another Avengers title (especially after being discouraged by the recent AvX tie-ins in the other comics), and, even after reading it, I’m a little unsure in what version of the Marvel Universe the title actually takes place. But if you throw in Thanos and the Guardians of the Galaxy I’m going to give it a shot.

The issue opens with most of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy slowly dying in the vacuum of space as their attack on a Badoon warship didn’t go exactly to plan. The team regroups and makes another attack (the issue certainly isn’t light on action), but they find themselves out of the frying pan and into the fire as the issue ends with them confronting a super-powered Thanos with his own Cosmic Cube.

The use of the Badoon is a nice touch (given their importance to the original Guardians of the Galaxy) and although Thanos omnipotence and brashness to the Elders of the Universe is nothing new, it’s presented well. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Batman #0

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batman-new-52-0-coverAlthough the stories presented in Batman #0 work fine independently (even if the writing seems to be hand-holding the audience far more than necessary) the timeline makes absolutely no sense. In the first story, set six years prior to the present New 52 DCU, we see Bruce Wayne‘s early days after his travels working on becoming a vigilante before becoming Batman. And that’s only the beginning.

The back-up story jumps one year in the future and gives us the all three Robins (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake) in the early days of Batman before the Dark Knight had chosen a partner. Not only does the tale suggest all three are roughly the same age (an enormous change in Batman continuity) but it presents Jason, who is an accomplice to murder, as the most likable and least brash of the trio.

To tie the two stories together we get a Red Hood Gang which feels more than a little trite and appearances by Jim Gordon. The second story also gives us the origin of the Bat-Signal and the first glimmer of Batgirl.

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