New Avengers # 34
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Lenil Francis Yu

Well, the cover is interesting, but the book is not.  Last issue we saw Bendis set up the Hood as the "new Kingpin."  Here, we get our heroes, testing each other's loyalty and identities again.  Didn't we do that in issue #32?  Boring.  Dr. Strange casts a spell that lets everyone else see who each person feels they are inside.  Can you guess which one is Clint Barton?  It would have been better if Clint was a shadow, as I really think he is still trying to find himself.  Wolverine shows up to tell the team that the hood is planning to kill Tony Stark with Deadshot, no wait, Deathlok, same difference.  The team travels to Stark Tower to save Tony (because they are the good guys) but gets sidetracked by a black goop that attacks Echo.  Isn't Mighty Avengers supposed to start the Symbiote storyline in that book?  Right, we're still on issue 4 there.  Bendis's intertwining story could prove to be interesting, if he could get the books to coincide with one another and be on schedule.  Lenil's art is good here, and seems to be a little bit cleaner than the last few issues. C

Trials of Shazam #8

Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Howard Poter

3-4 months later we get a book that I had almost forgotten about.  I was really enjoying this book when it came out on time, and this issue was not bad, but the scheduling of it just won't let me love it.  As the cover shows, this issue deals with Atlas, who saves the world, one tiny instance at a time.  Unfortunately he is killed, and Freddy must convince Apollo to take Atlas' place holding up the world, as well as in the powers of Shazam.  But to do this he must fight him.  Cliffhanger!  I like the idea of finding a new god to be in the powers of Shazam, and the art continues to be great, but the book just suffers from it's schedule.  I don't want a fill-in artist, as I think Porter makes the book what it is, but they need to stockpile these issues so they can come out monthly.  I think the rest of the DCU is waiting on this book to finish so they can start using the new Captain Marvel.  This book came out after Brave New World, over a year ago, so it should be done by now, but we're still on issue eight.  I guess now could be the time to jump off and wait for the second trade, but I'm to invested in it now to do that.  C-

Booster Gold #2

Writers: Goeff Johns and Jeff Katz
Artists: Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

The first issue didn't convince me to keep this book around, and this issue almost did it.  I like the one-and-done stories that we are getting so far, similar to the format of the new Brave and the Bold and Detective Comics.  Plus, Booster was one of my favorite 52 storylines, so how can I not like this book?  Someone has sent Sinestro to talk to Guy Gardner before Hal becomes Green Lantern, which will make Gardner
"The Greatest Green Lantern," which then makes him die sooner, causing the Sinestro Corps to form faster, which will end up in Sinestro winning.  Got all that?  To avoid this Butterfly effect, Booster must stop Sinestro from talking to Guy.  Not by fighting him, but by talking to him?  Booster knows how to stroke a guy's ego, even if it's not his own.  This series is smartly written and well-drawn, convincing me to keep it on my pull list.  Damn you Johns, that's another book of yours I'm buying.  B

The Search for Ray Palmer: Wildstorm #1

Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Angel Unzueta

This is the first of a series of one-shots that explore the new multiverse.  It's not entirely necessary, but it's fun.  I don't read any Wildstorm titles, so it works as a primer for the Wildstorm universe on my level.  I'm intruged, but I don't have the money to explore Jim Lee's imprint in any depth.  Maybe over the next summer...  Anyway.  After the events of this week's issue of Countdown, the Challengers of the Beyond journey to Earth 50 in search of Ray Palmer.  We don't get any clues as to why Ray Palmer is needed, but we do get a lot of Wildstorm crossovers with our characters and sexual tension between Kyle, Donna, and Jason.  Ron Marz is writing Kyle (who is apparently no longer Parallax, or Ion, ruining the Tales of the Sinestro Corps Ion one-shot that asks whether Kyle will be Ion again) so the his narration feels like coming home again.  Again, it's not necessary, but if you've got extra time in the comic shop, read it, or skip the slurpee for the day and check it out.  C

Issue 3 of Thor delivers.  If you were waiting on the Iron Man/Thor fight, get this issue, it's great.  Also, Thor also finds one of his Asgardian brothers, which I thought would not happen until next issue.  Thor is really angry at Tony, telling him that if he wishes to test the powers of the god, the entire country will know just how powerful the god of thunder really is.  Thor comes off really strong, and no-nonsense.  The lack of the Old English "thees" and "thous" really helps the reader get into the character.  Thor does not use any slang, but speaks really eloquently, which gives him the Old-world feel that the "thees" and "thous" used too.  I liked the Iron Man fight, which is what I was waiting for, but I also liked the finding of the Asgardian gods so much I think I'll stay on the book for a few more issues.  Coipel's art is top notch, I'm just curious as to what he did between the two years between House of M and Thor.  We need better pencilers like him. B