What I Read This Week

Justice Society of America #16 -- I am reminded of the line from Ghostbusters: "Ray, if someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!"  The JSoA face down the true Gog -- god of the "Third World" who has re-emerged on Earth.  A pretty seamless transition from the previous story, Johns keeps things moving along and pushes in new and interesting directions.  New artist Fernando Pasarin does a good job rendering the towering Gog as well as keeping the look of the various colorful heroes at the same time.  Very enjoyable from start to finish, even if it does require you to know a few things about DC history to really appreciate and understand.  

Tor #2 -  This comic is many things, and almost of them good.  From the simple text on the cover to the pacing and progression of the story, from the timeless depction of Kubert's caveman to the feral visciousness of the saber-toothed cat, everything comes together very smoothly on this title.  For something which I would deem as "experimental" insofar as DC is publishing it now in 2008, this is a simple tale of survival and adaption, and making the most of what you have, even when you have nothing but your wits.  I wouldn't mind at all seeing DC getting Kubert to produce sporadic Tor minis or specials after this one wraps up.  Definitely worth your time to check this one out.

The War That Time Forgot #2 -- Ah, now things are getting good!  Last issue had a lot of setup to deal with, but this time we jump a bit more into the conflict, as we meet the other faction on the island and their strange diety.  The introduction of the Viking Prince and his friends on the side opposite from Tomahawk, Firehair, and Enemy Ace makes perfect sense, at least from the story standpoint, and sets up a very interesting dynamic.  I think that this series is really going to pick things up and just go bonkers.

Invincible Iron Man #2 -- Any comic with Advanced Genocide Mechanics and their leader, MODOG, automatically has a certain special something to it already.  Fraction pushes the "cool exec" mode just as hard as last time, and it's a good comic, but the artwork by Salvador Larroca did nothing for me.  For one thing, everything looks flat and static (a criticism levied often at Adi Granov that I do not share); for another, characters just look strange.  Pepper looks like a man for crissakes!  The Thor cameo will tickle fans of the Thunder God, but it smacked of more jobbing to this admittedly dyed-in-the-wool and paranoid Iron Fan.  Still, beyond those complaints, I really liked this issue, and this series is shaping up to be pretty fun.

Nova #14 -- Similar to above, any time Galactus and the Silver Surfer show up, generally, I am happy.  Throw it in with the awesome work that DnA have been turning out with this title, and Wellington Alves brutal pencils, and you have a recipe for success.  As Nova tries to appeal to Galactus to give him a few hours to get everyone off-planet, the Surfer shows why you don't mess with a Herald.  TI called this Marvel's answer to Green Lantern, and I mean that: DnA have the same affection for Nova and the Marvel cosmos that Johns has for the GL universe, and that affection shows on the pages.  

House of Mystery #2 -- The mystery deepens, as is appropriate.  Tig gets her bearings at the House and tries to figure out just how she got here, while the patrons hear a story from the greatest supernatural process server of all time.  Sturges and Willingham have a tight grip on their main story here, and while the introduction of the side stories does slow things down a bit, I don't mind; I like the idea of a broad backdrop of stories and characters to flesh things out.  The pacing and style remind me of Sandman, and that's pretty high praise from me.  The art in the main section by Luca Rossi retains that lmost minimalist, quasi-realistic quasi-fantastical look which I always liked on Sandman.  And Jill Thompson's art for the short is whimsical and fun, fitting with the narrator's tone.  All this plus the same awesome paper stock.  I think Vertigo has a winner on it's hands.

The Pick Of The Pile is a hard call this week, as everything was quite good across the board.  I am going to go a little out of the ordinary for me and go with Tor, which was exciting and intresting and just all around really well done.  But another good week from top to bottom, I must admit.

So what did YOU read this week?