Rather light on the actual whining this week, as it was a pretty strong week.
Blue Beetle #25 – Awesome, but not quite as awesome as the previous issue. Still, a no-contest victor for “Book of the Week.” Now it’s time to be nervous about the writer leaving.
Green Lantern #29 – Solid and well-told, but with everything going down in the Green Lantern corner of the DCU, and the countdown to “Blackest Night” already beginning… this is really a bad time to derail the book in favor of retelling Hal Jordan’s origin. Maybe future issues will make the decision seem more sensible, but I’d much rather be exploring the various new Corps that are starting up.
Ultimate Spider-Man #120 – Another very nicely done issue of the only reason I pay any attention to the Ultimate Universe anymore. (Which is rather sad, as not too long ago I was eagerly following Ult. X-Men, Ult. FF, and the Ultimates.) With the events of this issue, I stand by my half-joking prediction that Ult. Spidey is well on his way to being demasked and married.
Wolverine: First Class #1 – Nicely done. You’d have to ask someone who cares for how well it fits into continuity, but on its own merits it’s a well-told done-in-one that establishes a workable status quo for an ongoing series, with nice characterization on Wolverine and Kitty Pryde. No complaints here; I just wonder if the “Wolverine” in the title will make this perform better than the other all ages books in the direct market.
X-Men First Class #10 – This, on the other hand… well, I’ve been disappointed in the past few issues, and this is no change. It’s a competently told, bland, predictable Cyclops spotlight story that does nothing interesting with the character. It continues to feel like there’s been a writer change, as the humor that enlivened earlier issues is almost completely missing in action here, outside the always awesome “recap” pages. I’m probably going to drop this series soon if it doesn’t start turning around.