Picks of the Week (Late Jan. & Early Feb.)

It’s been about a month since my last picks of the week so I’m going to skip the reading list and jump right into the picks.

 My first pick is Supergirl #17. If someone only looked at the covers it would look like Supergirl gets all of the cross-overs since last issue she was fighting the Flash and now she is fighting Wonder Woman, the other Super books are also full of crossing over during this event it’s just less obvious about it. In any case this event continues to make me love being a fan of the Super line of books. You can feel the clash coming to a head as Supergirl finally starts to learn the truth about H’el’s plans as the Sun begins to dim and she is given the choice, Earth or Krypton. I think since Supergirl feels betrayed and lied to the choice is made easier to go with Earth since the Justice League has been telling her the truth. Also she probably thinks “its the right thing to do” but screw that! She got lied to and taken advantage of by  H’el. Screw that guy! Pick Earth!

 My next pick is Thor:God of Thunder #5. This issue claims to be part 5 of 5 of the God Butcher storyline, but their is clearly more of the coming soon. We will be getting a God Butcher origin story in the next issue and then more Thor versus God Butcher. So while it says its the end of a storyline it really feels more like the middle, an ellipsis instead of a period. That of course doesn’t change how awesome this title is. To my surprise Thor continues to be one of my favorite Marvel NOW titles. The brutality of the God Butcher has until this issue made him an incredible villain but now we are starting to see why the God Butcher does what he does and we can start to relate to him. I think his origin story will push his views even further into the reader’s minds. This epic three generation battle between Thor and the God Butcher is epic and continues to grow more entertaining with each issue.

 My next pick is Justice League of America #1. This counter-point to the Justice League is great. It shows that a government can never trust a super-hero no matter how noble they may seem. What they want and what a specific government wants is not going to always line up. So building a team to specifically take down the other team may seem a bit… evil, but from the government’s point of view it is necessary. I also enjoyed this book because I am not familiar with many of these characters and I was given a brief glimpse into who they are, characters like Vibe and Katana I now have a bit of background about. It was a great way to introduce this new team and I hope it continues to be a fresh take on a super-hero team in the New 52.

 My next pick is Batman and Robin #17. This issue is a one shot. It is the first issue after Death of the Family and has each character Batman, Robin, and Alfred dreaming up better times and places. What I love the  most about this issue is that it provides the fan with the ending they wanted to Death of the Family in Alfred’s dream. It’s an ending that could never be allowed to happen in the DC universe so it’s nice that we are still allowed to see it realized, even if only in a dream. In Alfred’s dream we can take comfort in the idea of Joker getting what he deserves just as Alfred does. Damien’s dream also provides a look into a comfort level that will now be missing for some time now that the Joker has created distrust within the family. This is a great follow-up to Death of the Family.

 My last pick is Captain America #4. The world of Dimension Z is hell, one that has become everyday life for the Cap. The insane storytelling not usually available in comics allows Remender to throw on the first page the title “Eleven Years Later”. Holy. Crap. Eleven Years in comic time, that is forever. I love the extra story-telling element that being in Dimension Z has allowed. We can see that Captain America has raised Ian as his son and must teach him how to be a good person. We see how Steve became a good person by his interactions with his mother when he was just a young boy. I think the important lesson in this issue for the Cap is don’t let the circumstance change you into a weak man. Captain America must apply this lesson everyday in Dimension Z as he tries to raise Ian while a Zola virus tries to take over his mind. I hope the Cap stays trapped in Dimension Z for another eleven years because it is prime story telling territory for Remender.