What I Read This Week

JLA Classified #44 -- You ever read a comic book, and, as you're reading it, you are saying to yourself 'Is this a retcon? Because that didn't happen that way... at least I don't think so,' and as you continue to read it, you get more annoyed because the writer "screwed everything up" and all of the references are wrong, but then you get to the end and there's a reason why everything is out of whack? Yeah, that's this mag right here. Featuring a cameo from the Detroit Justice League!

Graveslinger #1 -- The Old West was a strange place, with a mix of world-shaping technologies and just enough mystery left to make one cross themselves before passing a graveyard. So seeing Frank Timmons hunt down the escapees of Gila Flats prison across the desert is not unusual, and maybe, just maybe, it's not too unusual to realize that the men he hunts down have already been executed. Denton and Mariotte's newest spin on the "Weird Western" is an enjoyably low-key read -- something akin to Louis L'Amour mixed with Dean Koontz -- and John Cboins linework is just quirky enough to fit right in. Worth checking out if you like the genre.

Superman #668 -- Yeah, I know, another fill-in/content change from DC. But you know what? At least this time Busiek and company spell it out on the splash page, and, get this, apologize for it. So quitcher cryin' and just enjoy the first part of "The Third Kryptonian." I know I did! Between the interaction of Superman and Chris, Superman and Batman, and Robin and Chris, to the mysterious presence of Kryptonian molecules to the looming alien threat, this is a fun superheroing tale, with nary a trace of angst in sight... just the way I like Big Blue.

Nova #7 -- Annihilation: Conquest can't get here soon enough! It's like the antidote to the rest of the Marvel line. So it's no surprise that this series -- born of the first Annihilation -- is so enjoyable. Here, it's an internal battle as Richard Rider tries to escape the programming the Phalanx have subjected him to. The finale pretty neatly answers my question about what this title would be doing during A:C proper (and is a riff on a direction taken by the old Silver Surfer series about a decade ago). The Human Rocket keeps on shining.

Heroes for Hire #14 -- The Planet Hulk tie-in continues, and honestly has worn out it's welcome. It's hard to fault a tie-in to a one note "event" for being one note, but that's the problem here. Humbug is still all messed up, Col and Chula are in trouble, and the rest of the team is trying to figure out some way to save their friends, if not stop the invasion. It's still solid reading, but the for the love of Hashut let's move on, alright? Either that or bring in Devil Dinosaur again. This may or may not be the second to last issue of the title -- Marvel's certainly not telling us!

X-Men: Die By The Sword #1 -- Sure enough, this shipped before New Excalibur #24, and thus, I have not read it. I will say this, however -- the cover is sweet.

Star Trek Aliens Spotlight: Gorn -- Ahh the Gorn. Long my favorite of the Star Trek aliens, they get little to no attention from the show's lore. Why, I have no idea. But this one-shot is a step in the right direction, as we get to see them in a context besides trying to kill Captain Kirk. Of course, that's not totally absent, as it seems that "Arena" is in fact one of the defining moments for the entire race. Coincidence? Metatextual commentary? I'm not sure. What we have here is a nice enough story about Captain Terrell from Wrath of Khan and Chekov, along with some redshirts, getting stranded on a Gorn world. Overall, I liked it, but I had the same complaint I have with all IDW Trek stories -- 22 pages is good for adapting a half an hour show, not an hour show. Would have been much improved to be double-sized.

The Pick of the Pile is Superman, which holds off a very strong effort from Nova. Chalk it up to Busiek starting a new story as opposed to DnA wrapping one up.

So what did you read this week?