What I Read This Week

Iron Man #30 -- Stuart Moore is still handling the scripting chores as Tony Stark's history catches up with him in a tiny former Soviet Republic.  Meanwhile, bad things are going down back stateside as a mothballed SHIELD superweapon gets a little more super thanks to some outside interference.  Another solid issue in what is turning into an interesting two-pronged story, with action going down on two continents.  De La Torre's art pairs up nicely with the techno-thriller setting and Moore has a good handle on Tony Stark, both past and present.  If the Knaufs are leaving the title, Moore would be a good candidate to replace them based on this arc so far.

Batman And The Outsiders #8 -- Batgirl has to save her teammates from the Chinese army, with a little help from some friends.  With Chuck Dixon's exit, it seems that what I have dubbed the "Jardine Saga" (in fact, I recommend DC collect the story under that title, as "Saga" always makes things sound dramatic) will be his sole story arc on the title.  But that's okay, as I am enjoying it.  Outsiders is an action title, and that is what we get: action.  Lopez's art is dynamic and fluid, and a great fit.  My main complaint: Where's Geo-Force?  We saw him last issue, so we know he was out on the Navy ship, but he doesn't show up this time.

Guardians Of The Galaxy #2 -- Time, Adam Warlock tells us, does not necessarily repeat itself, but sometimes, it does rhyme.  Such a case happens here as the newly formed Guardians discover a certain familiar shield frozen in a block!  This title is quickly establishing itself as fast-paced and fun, with a good mix of characters and a wide-open concept.  And anything featuring a talking bipedal racoon and a Russian talking dog, who just so happen to be at odds with one another, is a winner for me.

Flash #241 -- Speaking of talking animals, Gorilla Grodd is in town, and a guy of his stature makes the new supervillian Spin seem pretty tame by comparison.  Plus, just what have Brother Drive and Brother Think done by kidnapping Jai and Iris?  I have really liked "Fast Money," and Peyer has a nice voice for all aspects of Wally West -- hero, father, and regular guy.  He spends a good amount of time this issue in examining Wally's thoughts on how he dealt with Inertia after that dweeb murdered Bart.  It's interesting stuff, but at the same time one does wonder how this ties into the larger story... well, I mean, I see how it does, but it's very circuituous.  Williams' art looks fast, which is a good trait for Flash.  I am liking this team on the title, but I am not sure how long they will last.

Captain Britian and MI:13 #2 -- With Captain Britian dead, the Skrulls pour into Avalon in an attempt to secure all of the Earth's magic for themselves, forcing Pete Wisdom to call in a favor of sorts from the fairie folk.  Better than last issue by a good measure, Cornell does a good job of putting over the loss of Captain Britian as a blow to the entire island, as well as to the magical community.  I'm still not sold on the series -- it's hard to tell in the middle of a "SI" crossover -- but I can see how this is a setup for a superteam that deals with threats both normal and supernatural... you know, like Excalibur.  I'm less enamored with the new girl taking the role of British Kitty Pryde at the moment, but I have to give that angle more time to develop.  Penciller Leonard Kirk's work is very nice, I must say.  

The Pick Of The Pile is Iron Man.  Yeah, I know, a bold choice for me.  But it really was the best book of the bunch this time out, continuing the trend of mixing superheroics with intrigue and political machinations, all without reading like a poly-sci major's blog.  I actually really enjoyed all of the comics I bought this week, so between that and HeroesCon, it was a good Four Color Week.

So what did YOU read this week?