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[Punchy]

Animal Man #1 was pretty good, but what about the second month? This is where the DC relaunch lives and dies for me, can they keep it up?



Animal Man #2
as selected by Zero
Maxine’s new abilities continue to terrify Ellen and Buddy Baker, and things take a turn for the worse as Buddy begins a startling transformation of his own that will lead him on a journey into the heart of The Red. Meanwhile, The Hunters Three arrive on Earth and set their sights on the Baker family. The Hunt is on as DC’s most surprising new series continues to take ANIMAL MAN in shocking new directions.


Kerny has next week's pick and he has plumped for Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3!


If you would like to join the group, it's easy. Just post a review and I'll add you to the member's list. As long as you stay active, eventually it will be your turn to make a pick.

With $4 comics becoming the norm, the economy being what it is and the growing popularity of mail order services the Review Group recognizes that it's becoming harder and harder to commit to participating each and every week. As long as you can post one review per calendar month you will stay in the member's list. It doesn't matter if you post your review the week of it's release or if you post it later. There is no such thing as a "late" review.

The only request I make is that if you don't plan on posting a review or if you're going to be posting late is that you drop a note in the thread so that I can keep track of who is active and who isn't. The Spreadsheet of Doom is thorough, but it can't read your mind.


Comics are to be scored on a scale from 1-10. 1 being suck, 10 being a damn good comic. Beyond that, there's no right or wrong.


If it's your week, you must announce your selection by 5pm EST the day Diamond releases it's shipping list. If you do not announce your pick at that time, I will add a poll to the thread that will remain open until 12pm EST so that the group can make the selection for that week. (If you're seriously MIA, I'll probably put the poll up sooner) To ensure that you know it's your week, I will PM you when Midtown's list goes live on Thursdays. Also you'd better keep in mind the Amber Atoms rule, if your pick isn't reviewed by 2 or more people you will be exiled from the Group for 1 year. Our definition of a single issue comic is limited to comics listed at $3.99 or lower, anything above that is off limits. Also, to prevent utter filth being chosen deliberately, the Weird Worlds Rule has also gone into affect. Any book scoring a new all-time low (2.12 as of today) will not count as a miss if people wisely choose not to purchase it. Any poor soul who did review the book will earn a free pass on a book of their choice.

Zero
Kerny
Royal Nonesuch
Victorian Squid
False Prophet
Stephen Day
Punchy
BlueStreak
guitarsmashley
Starlord
John Snow
fieldy snuts
Daringd
Amoebas
Deadfett
SilverPhoenix
Eli Katz
Comic_Doctor

BLUE indicates explanation given for not posting a review.
RED indicate that no review or explanation has been posted in two weeks.
RED and BOLD will be deleted at the end of the week unless a review or explanation is posted.


Eventually, someone will together all of our reviews and we will have our very own article on the front page of The Outhouse! If you would like for your review to be included, please try to have it posted by the end of day on Monday.

[Punchy]

[Reveal] Spoiler: Click to Expand

001. Daredevil #82 - 8.13
002. Exiles #77 - 6.29
003. Jonah Hex #5 - 6.26
004. American Virgin #1 - 7.7
005. Birds of Prey #92 - 6.41
006. Squadron Supreme #1 - 7.66
007. Blue Beetle #1 - 5.95
008. Aquaman: SoA #41 - 6.67
009. DMZ #6 - 7.65
010. Captain America #17 - 7.43
011. Thing #6 - 7.03
012. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 - 7.68
013. Cable & Deadpool #28 - 7.45
014. Fell #5 - 8.81
015. X-Factor #7 - 7.84
016. My Inner Bimbo #1 - 6.38
017. Wonder Woman #1 - 7.3
018. Green Lantern Corps #1 - 5.65
019. Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 - 5.38
020. New Avengers #21 - 6.12
021. Detective Comics #821 - 8.05
022. Ultimate Spider-Man #97 - 7.86
023. Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #1 - 4.17
024. Batman #655 - 7.69
025. Usagi Yojimbo #95 - 6.41
026. Sonic the Hedgehog #165 - 6.5
027. The Boys #1 - 7.3
028. Heroes for Hire #1 - 6.25
029. Ultimate Fantastic Four #33 - 5.75
030. Local #6 - 9.1
031. Thunderbolts #106 - 6.14
032. Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #8 - 8.34
033. True Story, Swear to God #1 - 7.69
034. Criminal #1 - 7.63
035. Fables #1/#54 - 8.83
036. WildCats #1 - 6.51
037. Action Comics #844 - 7.22
038. Incredible Hulk #100 - 7.5
039. Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius: Happy Franksgiving - 4.32
040. Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1 - 4.34
041. Punisher War Journal #1 - 6.54
042. Immortal Iron Fist #1 - 7.35
043. Spider-Man: Reign #1 - 4.79
044. The Spirit #1 - 7.67
045. New Avengers: Illuminati #1 - 7.33
046. Winter Soldier: Winter Kills - 8.27
047. Amazing Spider-Man #537 - 6.94
048. Thunderbolts #110 - 6.75
049. Red Menace #3 - 7.43
050. Moon Knight #7 - 5.86
051. Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis #1 - 6.21
052. Action Comics Annual #10 - 7.87
052. All New Atom #8 - 6.98
052. Dark Tower #1 - 8.61
052. Fantastic Four: The End #5 - 8.55
052. Fell #7 - 9.03
052. newuniversal #3 - 8.13
052. Pirates of Coney Island #4 - 7.93
052. Ultimate Spider-Man #105 - 7.7
052. Uncanny X-Men #483 - 6.47
053. Batman #663 - 3.83
054. Civil War #7 - 7.2
055. Runaways #24 - 9.01
056. Punisher MAX #45 - 7.47
057. Blade #7 - 6.08
058. Army@Love #1 - 6.38
059. Blue Beetle #13 - 6.4
060. Avengers: The Initiative #1 - 7.27
061. Nova #1 - 6.92
062. Cable & Deadpool #39 - 5.92
063. Catwoman #66 - 7.06
064. 52 Week Fifty-Two - 7.15
065. Countdown #51 - 6.8
066. Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #12 - 6.31
067. Captain America #26 - 8.28
068. Witchblade #106 - 5.81
069. Invincible #42 - 8.35
070. Sub-Mariner #1 - 5.54
071. Highwaymen #1 - 7.87
072. Superman/Batman #37 - 4.6
073. Dynamo 5 #5 - 6.28
074. Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith #1 - 6.63
075. Lone Ranger #7 - 7.54
076. X-Men #201 - 4.76
077. Metal Men #1 - 6.18
078. Green Lantern #22 - 7.85
079. Pilot Season: Ripclaw - 5.89
080. X-Men: First Class #3 - 7.53
081. Teen Titans #50 - 8.02
082. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #6 - 6.96
083. Punisher War Journal #11 - 5.22
084. World War Hulk #4 - 6.96
085. All-Star Batman & Robin #7 - 6.43
086. Vinyl Underground #1 - 5.73
087. Green Arrow & Black Canary #1 - 8.27
088. The Sword #1 - 6.89
089. She-Hulk #22 - 7.38
090. Tales of the Fear Agent: Twelve Steps in One - 6.18
091. Annihilation: Conquest #1 - 6.93
092. Batman and the Outsiders #1 - 6.87
093. Flash #234 - 5.72
094. Gotham Underground #2 - 5.52
095. Ultimates 3 #1 - 4.8
096. Amazing Spider-Girl #15 - 6
097. Birds of Prey #113 - 7.16
098. Pax Romana #1 - 8.59
099. Hack/Slash #7 - 6.97
100. HULK #1 - 7.19
101. Booster Gold #6 - 7.68
102. Order #7 - 6.97
103. Narcopolis #1 - 5.37
104. Reviewer's Choice
105. Tiny Titans #1 - 6.81
106. Loaded Bible 3: Communion - 8.68
107. Project Superpowers #1 - 5.93
108. Echo #1 - 8.34
109. Mighty Avengers #10 - 7.12
110. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #27 - 7.73
111. Proof #6 - 8.48
112. Secret Invasion #1 - 7.95
113. Titans #1 - 6
114. Noble Causes #32 - 7.26
115. Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide - 7.39
116. DC Universe 0 - 4.94
117. House of Mystery #1 - 7.77
118. Captain Britain and MI:13 #1 - 7.36
119. Checkmate #26 - 4.09
120. Final Crisis #1 - 6.91
121. The Boys #19 - 8.3
122. Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 - 5.53
123. Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus - 5.92
124. Trinity #4 - 5.15
125. Jonah Hex #33 - 8.7
126. I Kill Giants #1 - 7.55
127. Batgirl #1 - 5.23
128. Uncanny X-Men #500 - 6.22
129. Wildcats #1 - 7.33
130. Venom: Dark Origin #1 - 7.16
131. Astonishing X-Men #26 - 5.12
132. Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 - 7.67
133. Runaways #1 - 7.34
134. Marvel Apes #1 - 6.15
135. Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1 - 6.22
136. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33 - 7.25
137. Back to Brooklyn #1 - 5.58
138. Four Eyes #1 - 9.26
139. Green Lantern Corps #29 - 6.16
140. Ghost Rider #28 - 7.44
141. Unknown Soldier #1 - 8.66
142. Amazing Spider-Man #575 - 6.98
143. Final Crisis: Resist - 6.44
144. Batman: Cacophony #1 - 7.37
145. Deadpool #4 - 6.57
146. Ms. Marvel #33 - 5.97
147. Secret Invasion #8 - 7.15
148. Punisher: War Zone #1 - 7.17
149. Ex Machina #40 - 8.11
150. Immortal Iron Fist #21 - 8.21
151. Incognito #1 - 8.65
152. Punisher #1 - 6.25
153. G.I. Joe #1 - 6.68
154. Hellblazer #251 - 6.94
155. Justice Society of America #23 - 6.53
156. Watchmen - 9.88
157. Batman #686 - 8.84
158. Amber Atoms #1 - 4.25
159. Runaways #7 - 5.25 (Column)
160. Superman: World of New Krypton #1 - 6.68 (Column)
161. Guardians of the Galaxy #11 - 6.41 (Column)
162. Invincible #60 - 7.08 (Column)
163. Muppet Show #1 - 6.66 (Column)
164. Flash: Rebirth #1 - 6.93 (Column)
165. Wolverine: Weapon X #1 - 6.52 (Column)
166. The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #1 - 7.82 (Column)
167. Ghost Rider #34 - 8.82 (Column)
168. Phonogram: The Singles Club #2 - 6.33 (Column)
169. Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1 - 7 (Column)
170. Unwritten #1 - 8.53 (Column)
171. The Boys: Herogasm #1 - 7.09 (Column)
172. Last Days of Animal Man #1 - 6.23 (Column)
173. Batman and Robin #1 - 8.01 (Column)
174. Amazing Spider-Man #597 - 7.19 (Column)
175. Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper - 7 (Column)
176. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia - 6.62 (Column)
177. Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 - 6.71 (Column)
178. Wednesday Comics #1 - 7.84 (Column)
179. Blackest Night #1 - 8.87 (Column)
180. Immortal Weapons #1 - 7.17 (Column)
181. Mice Templar: Destiny #1 - 7.81 (Column)
182. Doom Patrol #1 - 5.12 (Column)
183. Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 - 7.14 (Column)
184. Daredevil #500 - 8.62 (Column)
185. Fantastic Four #570 - 6.9 (Column)
186. Sweet Tooth #1 - 8.1 (Column)
187. Dark Reign: The List - Avengers - 5.95 (Column)
188. Beasts of Burden #1 - 8.73 (Column)
189. Wolverine: Giant Size Old Man Logan - 7.95 (Column)
190. Teen Titans #75 - 4.67 (Column)
191. Haunt #1 - 6.6 (Column)
192. Unwritten #6 - 7.41 (Column)
193. Azrael #1 - 4.11 (Column)
194. Dark Avengers: Ares #1 - 6.79 (Column)
195. Deadpool Team-Up #899 - 5.24 (Column)
196. Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1 - 6.96 (Column)
197. Punisher #11 - 7.39 (Column)
198. Image United #1 - 3.53 (Column)
199. Jonah Hex #50 - 9.23 (Column)
200. Invincible Iron Man #21 - 7.45 (Column)
201. Walt Disney Comics & Stories #701 - 5.85 (Column)
202. Hellboy: The Bride of Hell - 7.32 (Column)
203. Webcomics Week (Column)
204. Siege #1 - 7.84 (Column)
205. Amazing Spider-Man #617 - 8.39 (Column)
206. Joe the Barbarian #1 - 7.97 (Column)
207. Robocop #1 - 3.59 (Column)
208. FREE4ALL (Column)
209. Choker #1 - 6.17 (Column)
209. Tails of the Pet Avengers - 7.04 (Column)
210. Supergirl #50 - 5.34 (Column)
211. X-Men Forever #18 - 5.35 (Column)
212. First Wave #1 - 6.98 (Column)
213. Daytripper #4 - 7.19 (Column)
214. Irredeemable #12 - 6.28 (Column)
215. Amazing Spider-Man #626 - 5.18 (Column)
216. Blackest Night #8 - 6.41 (Column)
217. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 9.23 (Column)
218. Kill Shakespeare #1 - 5.36 (Column)
219. X-Men Forever Annual #1 - 6.41 (Column)
220. Siege: Secret Warriors - 6.53 (Column)
221. I, Zombie #1 - 8.22 (Column)
222. Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1 - 7.25 (Column)
223. Avengers #1 - 7.51 (Column)
224. Gotham City Sirens #12 - 4.39 (Column)
225. Red Hood: The Lost Days #1 - 6.71 (Column)
226. S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 - 7.57 (Column)
227. New Avengers #1 - 6.15 (Column)
228. Bullet to the Head #1 - 4.5 (Column)
229. Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War #2 - 4.2 (Column)
230. Batman & Robin #13 - 6.24 (Column)
231. Gorilla-Man #1 - 4.81 (Column)
232. Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 - 4.79 (Column)
233. Justice League: Generation Lost #6 - 7.39 (Column)
234. Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1 - 6.46 (Column)
235. Thor: The Mighty Avenger #3 - 6.21 (Column)
236. Tiny Titans #31 - 5.17 (Column)
236. New Avengers #3 - 4.88 (Column)
237. Garrison #5 - 4.71 (Column)
238. 1 Month 2 Live #1 - 6.02 (Column)
239. Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London #1 - 7.82 (Column)
240. Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #3 - 7.73 (Column)
241. Nemesis #3 - 5.17 (Column)
242. Franken-Castle #21 - 6.14 (Column)
243. Ultimate Comics Thor #1 - 5.88 (Column)
244. Victorian Undead Special - 6.25 (Column)
245. Kick Ass 2 #1 - 6.58 (Column)
246. Incognito: Bad Influences #1 - 8.05 (Column)
247. Superboy #1 - 6.81 (Column)
248. American Vampire #8 - 8.17 (Column)
249. Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil - 8.5 (Column)
250. Batwoman #0 - 8.04 (Column)
251. Daredevil #512 - 5.87 (Column)
252. Booster Gold #32 - 7 (Column)
253. Suicide Forest #1 - 8.16 (Column)
254. Larfleeze Christmas Special - 4.89 (Column)
255. Action Comics #896 - 6.92 (Column)
256. Weird Worlds #1 - 2.02 (Column)
257. Casanova: Gula #1 - 8.53 (Column)
258. The Spirit #10 - 6.72 (Column)
259. Fantastic Four #587 - 5.1 (Column)
260. Week 260 (Column)
261. Heroes for Hire #3 - 7.24 (Column)
262. Hellblazer #276 - 5.28 (Column)
263. Avengers #10 - 4.16 (Column)
264. Secret Warriors #25 - 6.61 (Column)
265. Ultimate Spider-Man #155 - 6.68 (Column)
266. Morning Glories #8 - 7.5 (Column)
267. Lorna: Relic Wrangler #1 - 3.46 (Column)
268. Butcher Baker: The Righteous Maker #1 - 7.09 (Column)
269. Brightest Day #23 - 4.38 (Column)
270. Uncanny X-Men #535 - 7.50(Column)
271. Thunderbolts #156(Column)
272. Walking Dead #84(Column)
273. Avengers Academy #13(Column)
274. Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1(Column)
275. Hawkeye: Blindspot #4(Column)
276. Nice Spencer Double Team!(Column)
277. SHIELD #1 - 5.67 (Column)
278. Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1-5.48 (Column)
279. Northlanders #41 - 6.83 (Column)
280. All-Nighter #1 (Free Comic) - 6.36 (Column)
281. THUNDER Agents #8 - 7.95 (Column)
282. Jonah Hex #69 - 8.84 (Column)
283 Red Wing #1 -6.10 (Column)
284. Daredevil #1 - 7.92(Column)
285. Amazing Spider-Man #666 – 6.15
286. Severed #1 - 8.26
287. Detective Comics #881 - 8.81
288. Damaged #1 -7.31
289. The Ultimates #1 - 5.41
290. Uncanny X-Force #14 - 8.11
291. Static Shock #1 - 6.00
292. Criminal: TLOTI #4 - 6.50
293. Batman #1 - 6.98
294. Aquaman #1 - 5.87

[******]

Worth it to read the first issue of this?

[BlueStreak]

Probably. It's been hailed as one of the best of DC's offerings.

[******]

Probably. It's been hailed as one of the best of DC's offerings.

Low bar, IMO.

[Amoebas]

Probably. It's been hailed as one of the best of DC's offerings.

Not by me. I ranked it dead last.

But I preordered all the 52 #2's so I guess I'll have no choice but look at it.

[Zero]

Not by me. I ranked it dead last.

But I preordered all the 52 #2's so I guess I'll have no choice but look at it.

A ringing endorsement if I ever saw one.

It was my favourite of the New 52 (Edging out Wonder Woman) and really felt like it'd be perfectly at home in the classic Vertigo years.

[Punchy]

Worth it to read the first issue of this?

Very much so, it was really good.

[Chris]

Really good. I have to read Swamp Thing #2 still, but as of right now this is probably the best DCnU book.

Very interesting developments in this issue.. Lemire seems to be building a very Alan Moore-on-Swamp Thing-esque thing with The Red Place. It is very similar to The Green, except for animals.

The art has grown on me a bit. I think Foreman is way too sloppy for this book, but it's passable.

Art: 6
Story: 9

[BlueStreak]

That's a deliberate move on Lemire's part, Chris. Swamp Thing and Animal Man will be sharing more than a few themes in the coming months.

[Chris]

That's a deliberate move on Lemire's part, Chris. Swamp Thing and Animal Man will be sharing more than a few themes in the coming months.

I just read Swamp Thing #2, and I can see that now. There's mentions of The Red in it as well.

Very interesting.

And I take it back.. Swamp Thing is still the best. Holy shit. Some major developments in that book. Love it.

[Zero]

I just read Swamp Thing #2, and I can see that now. There's mentions of The Red in it as well.

Very interesting.

And I take it back.. Swamp Thing is still the best. Holy shit. Some major developments in that book. Love it.

I am super excited for both of these comics this week now.

[Amoebas]

A ringing endorsement if I ever saw one.

It was my favourite of the New 52 (Edging out Wonder Woman) and really felt like it'd be perfectly at home in the classic Vertigo years.

Weird that we completely disagree on Animal Man but we both have Wonder Woman in our top 3.

[Zero]

Animal Man #2

The second issue of the relaunched Animal Man takes everything I loved about the first issue and amplifies it. The tension in the Baker house, the disturbing new villains and the resounding echoes of Alan Moore's seminal Swamp Thing run are all present, and they're beautifully drawn.

I am a sucker for the old 'Berger books' that became Vertigo line, and Swamp Thing was my favourite of the bunch. Everything about this comic screams that Jeff Lemire feels the same, with Buddy Baker's family life being the human anchor that it hangs on. The story is moving along at a welcome pace, with plenty of chicken-hands or mutant hippos to set the scale of what's happening but really it's Buddy Baker and his lovable spooky daughter Maxine that are the driving force here. The tension between the normal and the abnormal here is presumably going to drive a lot of the story going forward and, until Grant Morrison appears to kill Ellen and the kids at least, Ihope that it's going to be as well written as this.

The art is scratchy yet detailed and Travel Foreman seems equally at home with a family in crisis as he does with body horror and abstract meat trees, which makes him an ideal fit for the title. While I'm naturally tempted to compare him to Totleben and Bisette, some of Gaiman's Sandman co-creators feel like a closer match; Vince Locke and Jill Thompson both spring most readily to mind. The muted colours, the almost omnipresent viscera and the bizarre scenes all work wonderfully well together and an artist I liked on The Immortal Iron Fist has become one I can see myself loving on Animal Man.

It's always nice to see such a well-regarded property handled with such love and skill, and if Animal Man can maintain this level of quality, then Animal Man might start getting some of the recognition of his old Vertigo peers.

9

[Punchy]

Midtown's list is up, Kerny, make your pick!