(Cover by Jim Cheung, Marvel Comics)

Children’s Crusade 7 is here and will it be perfect or too perfect? What’s more to say than that? This will be a fun, beautiful comic; no other outcome is possible. I am mighty curious to see how this fits into the Marvel continuity though, once it all shakes out. Must-buy for everyone!

(Art by Cliff Chiang, DC Comics)

Wonder Woman 1 kicks off the bizarre but promising pairing of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang on a horror-themed Wondy book!(???) If the promise of a powerful, compassionate warrior goddess kicking ass and taking names isn’t enough to get you into this then PLEASE check out the preview art and get in line to buy it at your local shop! (Oh and the official cover has her in the bathing suit outfit but I prefer the pants in this one image.)

(Cover by Mike Choi, Marvel Comics)

Cloak & Dagger 2 continues the practically perfect (in every way except cover art, sorry Mike Choi!) series that pairs Nick Spencer and Emma Rios on a madcap adventure featuring the unnoticed duo of Cloak and Dagger! Danger abounds during the Spider-Island infection and these two are just trying to live through it. I won’t spoil issue 1 now because I need you to rush out (or online) and get it then this one. I’ll wait. Ignore the cover, love the book!

(My other reads this week are Generation Hope 11, Batman 1, Birds of Prey 1, Blue Beetle 1, Captain Atom 1, Catwoman 1, DCU Presents 1, Green Lantern Corps 1, Nightwing 1, Red Hood and the Outlaws 1, Supergirl 1, Ultimate Comics Hawkeye 2, Ultimate Comics X-Men 1, X-Factor 225 and X-Men: Schism 4)

-windiebird

-Aaron M

Image by Leinil Yu

-Aaron M

Image from Hottoys.com

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

I’ve got a hell and a half of comics to read this week so it’s time for some quick reviews of the previews (as I do…es)! Avengers 7 make Hulk festive and red? To a non-Hulk-reader this is neither enticing or uninviting. It’s been a fun ride up to this point so why not, right? Pretty as ever.

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

Look at that GQ mofo on the cover of Brightest Day 14! Could Bats be the White Knight? J’onn is out of his mind on Mars, the Firestorm(s) are playing catchup to Deathstorm and the Hawks are getting intimate with their past lives! Still worth it.

(Cover by Jesus Saiz, DC Comics)

Zatanna 7 is penned by Adam Beechen and has our Mistress of Magic attending the grand opening of the Magic Museum! We learn more about her father and Zatanna tackles some angry clothing as only she can.

(Cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy, DC Comics)

Green Lantern 59 stars my favorite Corps as we finally learn where they went with the guy who started the Blackest Night! Windiebird loves an answer, y’all!

(Cover by Tyler Kirkham & BATT, DC Comics)

Green Lantern Corps 54 gets some aggression out as Sinestro and Kyle punch each other around the block! All in the name of rescuing Soranik, I guess…

(Cover by Francis Manapul, DC Comics)

Francis Manapul drew a comic, you guys! The Flash 6 is that comic and if you need any further inspiration to pick up your copy, we’re getting closer and closer to Captain Boomerang’s White Lantern task and the much-hyped Flashpoint event!

(Cover by Dan Jurgens & Jerry Ordway, DC Comics)

Superman meets Doomsday in DCU Legacies 7 and his coma/death marks another milestone in the ongoing history of my favorite fictional universe. Simply a great time if you’re a DC fan. Maybe not the most consistent for a newcomer since a lot of the joy comes from recognizing and reliving events but well worth the money.

(Cover by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter, DC Comics)

Justice League of America 51 continues the brawl between the JLA and the Crime Syndicate! They don’t do it for everyone but I LOVE this incarnation of the JLA and am especially glad to see Starman and Congorilla get so much love. Good times, great oldies as they say!

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(Cover by Mauro Cascioli, DC Comics)

What’s that sound you hear? Would that be the pure, unadulterated joy of my heartstrings stringin? WHY YES IT WOULD BE! Because we have an actual, awesome Green Arrow series going on RIGHT NOW! Green Arrow 5 continues the wonderful as Oliver Queen finds himself battling the dead in Star Forest, the super-de-duper creepy Nix & the encroachment of the Queen on his domain. If you’re still on a J.T. Krul hate-train I will personally build you a replica of the Star City Bridge so you can get over it.

(Cover by Terry Dodson, Marvel Comics)

Uncanny X-Men 529 brings us the fourth and final installment in Hope’s Five Lights arc and it focuses on the Fourth light in the Ukraine! One of these lights is supposed to end up being made up of pure villain extract but who’s it gonna be? We also get some more of Emma Frost’s plans for Sebastian Shaw. Will uglies be bumped? Will ponytails be tied with ribbons? We’ll see today!

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

Avengers has been a big ball of fun so far and Avengers 6 will surely continue the pattern. Kang vs. Ultron vs. the Avengers from every time period? Yeah, it’s going to be another action-focused book alright! A new threat is slated to appear and it’s anyone’s guess how the Avengers will ultimately set time right. The art is a fine piece of work and the writing has been completely enjoyable. Get it!

(Cover by Stephane Roux, DC Comics)

Zatanna 6 puts our heroine in mortal danger as her soul is vulnerable for the taking! For someone so magickally potent and capable, that’s quite a scary statement. It’s up to the other living Zatara to get her back in the fight but let’s just hope Zachary is up to the task!

(Cover by Don Kramer and Michael Babinski, DC Comics)

Wonder Woman 604 pits Diana against the shadowy leader of the paramilitary organization who killed her mother! Say what you will about the costume but JMS is writing a great story with an interesting way to sell it to us. She’s still a badass, she’s just making a pit stop so that new readers like myself can jump on the Amazon Express. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this!

(Cover by Shane Davis and Sandra Hope, DC Comics)

We’re getting a new creative team on Justice Society with JSA 44 and I’m looking forward to it. While I haven’t read anything of Marc Guggenheim’s I have always enjoyed Scott Kollins’ pencils! It’s the JSA against an escaped government experiment gone wrong…in Washington, D.C.! If that’s not the setup for an awesome Society story, I don’t know what is!

(Cover by Cliff Chiang, DC Comics)

Another stellar cover to an exciting title, Justice League: Generation Lost 12 has Ice unleashing her inner elemental against the crazed Metal Men! Can Fire melt this new leap in Ice’s powers with her lesbian kisses hot, hot heat or will a new Ice Age dawn?

(Cover by Felipe Massafera, DC Comics)

Rueben brought The 99 to my attention last year and I’ve tried to keep the name on my radar since then. I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet. However, with the release of the JLA/The 99 1 I can happily get a taste of these Teshkeel Comics heroes alongside a few of my other favorites! What better way to get the whole world involved but a planetary invasion? I’m crossing my fingers that this gets some real love in the comic stores, get out there and give it a go!

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(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

Time is broken in this week’s Avengers #3 and it’s up to the original A’s to make it right! While Kang came back with a warning for the Avengers, he’s not know for his helpful assists. If the last panels from issue 2 were any indication, he’s being bullied into working for the evil new gen Avengers from the future. Mystery abounds but how will this broken timeline affect the Marvel U, even if the Avengers can make it right once more?

New Avengers #2 puts the other big team in mystical danger as Brother Voodoo is under attack! Magic is changing once again and the Sorcerer Supreme has entrusted one of the most important artifacts to the NA before they can even set up shop. Just another day in the life, right? Maybe not my favorite of the new Avengers titles but it could very well start to wow me with this issue!

(Cover by David Yardin, Marvel Comics)

That’s not Lady Loki on the cover of X-Factor #207, right? I don’t think it is but X-Factor is back to its own storyline with a new green client! Babies, Shatterstar and the band all together once again! It’s high times for the mercenary mutants if they can survive this issue!

(Cover by Leinil Francis Yu, Marvel Comics)

Pretty sure that’s a bad touch, Magneto. He’s like caressing her ovaries or something, GEEZ. X-Men Legacy #238 puts Rogue and Magneto on a path to Mumbai as Indra’s parents request his return to India. All is not as it seems when they arrive. Unexplained earthquakes and storm cells abound, could it be a connection to the Five Lights or something else? It’s nice to see the only Jain mutant get a little page-time regardless!

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(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

X-Men Legacy #237 is our Second Coming installment this week! It’s Chapter 12 and the mutants are on their last leg in our current timeline AND in the future. It’s all coming down to Cypher and the X-Force to put a halt to the unending assault of Bastion’s Sentinel forces. Couldn’t be a darker time for our hapless heroes, I’m on pins and needles with this one!

X-Factor #206 is the third and final X-Factor tie-in for Second Coming. It’s Trask and the Mutant Response Division against the fully assembled team of X-Factor! The first two issues of this convinced me to begin picking up the series after the dust settles, if that tells you anything! Some mayhem-for-hire is sure to go down and we could all use a little more gay mutant in the world.

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

It’s Wonder Man vs. the Avengers in Avengers #2 this week! With Kang’s shocking revelation last month and one Avenger still to join the team, it’s anybody’s guess as to how this will play out. Let’s hope those evil Avengers Jr. don’t ruin it for the rest of us!

The women of Marvel have the safety of the universe in their hands this week in Heralds #4! We have an all-star cast of the best and brightest women in the 616 against an old herald of Galactus!

The marvelous aqua lady gets some one-shot attention with Namora #1 and this princess packs a mean punch! She has found a wayward clan of Atlanteans but before she can get them to their new home, she has to go through The Kraken!

-windiebird

Marvel is fleshing [whink] out new comics, and rightly so as there is so much content to follow up on! What is your Favorite New Avengers Comic Series?

(Cover by Alan Davis, Marvel Comics)

Marvel is being a special snowflake this week by slating sales for Thursday but they have quite a bevy of titles that should make it well worth the wait!

To truly re-energize the Avengers and enter this Heroic Age, it’s going to take a lot more than hand shaking and joke cracking to get the rifts between these old friends healed and harmony achieved again. With almost a decade of trouble, arguments and violence separating the Big 3, it takes a series like Avengers: Prime to have them believably together once more.

(Cover by Aleksi Briclot, Marvel Comics)

The Thanos Imperative starts Marvel’s big summer event and anytime you’re using Thanos as a weapon against a foe, you know shit got real. Looks like everyone (and I do mean everyone, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, etc. as well as the big guns) will be facing the menace of an invading universe that knows no death. Plenty of deep-space action to sate anyone’s palate and more angry death gods than you can shake a zombie at.

Darkstar and the Winter Guard looks to be re-visitation of Russia’s own kind-of-Avengers! You had me at angry bear man but with David Gallaher and Steve Ellis topping the bill creatively, it’s sure to be a deftly crafted adventure. Dare I hope for rip-roaring? I DARE.

Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1 is certainly nothing like any other book at all. Never has anyone thought to pair an expert marksman with his blonde, physically powerful girlfriend in a superhero comic. Of course, I’m kidding about the similarities between Green Arrow/Black Canary and this book but I don’t know much about their Marvel mirrors. Everyone who’s read much Marvel seems to love Hawkeye to death and back and I’m hearing nothing but happy anticipation for this book. I liked the formula in DC but maybe Marvel can pull it off to even higher public acclaim!

Heralds #1 means it’s ladies’ night in the 616! An old herald (get it?) of Galactus died defending the galaxy but left a part of her soul behind. This is one pissed off soulshard when it resurfaces and starts wreaking hell and havoc on the earth again. Vague resurrections are in the forecast for this 5-issue weekly title. Quite a feat for any creative team. I’m looking forward to them all!

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Rueben, Windiebird & Aaron M. talk X-Force, Movies, Daken &  NOM NOM NOM NOM!

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

On Brightest Day #2, I have this to say. CALM DOWN CALM DOWN. Everyone, it is seriously only issue 2 of a 26 ISSUE SERIES, about %7.69231 of the entire story! To make sweeping judgments and accusations concerning where Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi are taking the characters is hasty and premature. I’m not saying the subtle threads of racism aren’t there or that the extreme violence isn’t off-putting at times but give the creators time to create, you know? I care to see what happens to these characters so I’m reading, plain and simple. I have faith that Johns isn’t here to do damage but to really shake things up, to rearrange the DCU into fascinating new shapes and let other authors do the same. I think that’s almost always a good thing. I’ve seen him write a diverse, inspiring JSA story or ten in his day and I know he’s got the talent to make this amazing.

I expect greatness and I hope to see it happen soon but let’s keep a little perspective as a readership, please.

(Scan from JLA #45, art by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter)

As a new reader to JLA, I’m glad as a goose that they’ve taken a few issues to deal with the fallout from Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall. I dig the new team, love the interplay and that they’re already getting put through the paces in this new JLA/JSA crossover! I loooove the JSA so anytime they can get more attention and amazing story arcs, I’m all for it. Plus I have a major hearton for Alan Scott in his Green Knight outfit. Even if he is insane and he’s going to destroy the universe with his gay son. Story of my life.

Zatanna by Cat Staggs

Zatanna #1 is starting off strong and I’m liking it. An ass-kicking woman who is sure of herself, heroic & a vegetarian? I’m in like flint! Luscious art and an all-around success. Anyone familiar with Identity Crisis might feel a little uneasy about the opening scene but I think it’s an appropriate choice. Here’s why: the average person in the DCU (and in Zatanna’s audience) has no idea that Z was forced to do horrible things in response to Dr. Light’s reprehensible rape of Sue Dibny in the past. All they know is that he’s a villain. It’s a symbol from Paul Dini and a secret ritual for Zatanna herself, I feel. These beings who have done much wrong are easily overcome. Her part of Identity Crisis is dealt with, she’s recovered and rises above it. I can get behind that concept.

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

Avengers #1 was two tons of fun! We’ll see how the other new Avengers titles turn out but the team banter already has me hooked. Plenty of humor, action and intriguing plot points. I’m down for more and I’m so glad Rueben has me more and more interested in the Marvel side of the aisle.

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

All I wanted to do was press the big red button in X-Men Legacy #236! Hope is here to stay and the Nimrods are flooding in at full force! The Avengers aren’t doing much good but I’m sure they’re there for a reason. I know Greg Land gets much hatred for his work but it’s cinematic and neat. Maybe if he put ‘digital artist’ or ‘visual creator’ he’d get less flak but I really am only concerned with the end product when it comes to what I’m reading. Shiny people and some gorgeous scenery, me likey. He could draw his women with a little distinction but he works those pages out.

X-Factor actually makes sense to me now! Huzzah! Looks like they were playing Trask for a fool and they’re about to strike back HARD! I’d never read them before but I’m very much considering continuing once the dust settles from Second Coming. Quirky and offbeat always grab my attention and this team seems to have it in spades.

We’ll be heading to Zeus Comics this weekend for their quarter backissue sale and if you’re in the DFW area, do the same!

-windiebird

(Cover by David Finch, DC Comics)

What’s that month-old fish smell? Why, it’s Aquaman! Here to save the day with some seriously fetid calamari! It’s Brightest Day #2 and we’re delving deeper into the mysteries of the white light of ~*~Feelings~*~ once again this week! Firestorm on the fritz, Aquaman commanding the dead, forests popping up in city ruins and 12 living once-dead folk, I’m hoping we start really getting to the meat of the story. The art is pretty, the story compelling (if vaguely and arguably racist at points) and it’s giving me a Green Arrow story. Heaven!

(Cover by Adi Granov, Marvel Comics)

Bastion is cooking up even more pain and anguish for our favorite X-people this week in X-Men Legacy #236 (Chapter 8 of Second Coming) as his plan to trap the mutant race on Utopia becomes a frightening reality! The X-Club trapped outside, Pixie stuck in Limbo and hardly any help on the way it’s looking damn bleak for the team. I’m sure they’ll manage a win by the end but I can’t fathom how. Be reading this if you haven’t been!

(Cover by John Romita, Jr., Marvel Comics)

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Age of Aquariuuuuuuuuuuus! Earth-616 is getting all bright and shiny itself with a brand new Heroic Age! If you haven’t heard, the end of Siege is giving the Marvel universe a re-haul (as well as four new Avengers books). With this Wednesday bringing us the first in the promised quaternity, Avengers #1! Kang the Conqueror is back from the future for a mysterious purpose sure to put the newly ASSEMBLE’d team through their paces.  We’re also getting a backup feature of the oral history of the Avengers which will be…pleasurable.

I’m also excited uptown, downtown & midtown this week for the new DC Universe: Legacies series starting up, a 10-part book covering the entire history of the DCU! From the earliest masked heroes of World War II (where this issue begins) to the current day’s generation of super-people, we’re slated to get it all. Quite an undertaking but the previews up so far have my hopes up.

We also have the prologue to the new JLA/JSA crossover this week in JLA #45. Supergirl and Power Girl are locked in battle and no one knows why. With Alan Scott and his daughter clearly in trouble with the Starheart, that can’t be a good thing. Should be a great read. Then of course we’ve talked about the ongoing Zatanna series starting up, be sure to give it a go! Dini, Roux & Story, what could go wrong?

If you haven’t picked up an issue of American Vampire yet then you’re missing out on some beautiful horror. Issue 3 is out this week and both Stephen King and Scott Snyder are hitting their stride for their 5-part run together. The characters are real and their tribulations are visceral. Can’t ask for more in this flapper-era vampire masterpiece!

We also have the second part of X-Factor’s story during Second Coming and it’s sure to be bloody fun, the conclusion to Pixie Strikes Back (with one amaaazing cover!) & the second volume of Girl comics, a grab bag of amazing talent that you should absolutely pick up if you can afford to.

Don’t forget the abundance of Heroic Age comics that will provide extra background and clarity for the new books (bam, bam & bam!).

The Legion of Super-Heroes is back with another 1st issue, a Green Lantern tie-in and the destruction of a major planet are all promised in this one, check it out.

And lastly, the War of the Supermen rages on in the third installment of the series, sure to shock and amaze the world.

Phew, quite a lot of comics this week but be sure to check them all out at your local comic shop!

-windiebird

Over the decades Robert Downey Jr. has had his ups and downs in his personal life, and the media has scrutinized and praised him just the same on the silver screen. 

Hank McCoy, a double-mutant in some respects, is one of the most talented minds in the Marvel universe inside one of the most instantly recognizable bodies. More notably a founding member of the X-Men, Hank (codenamed Beast) has also served time with the the Avengers, the Defenders, X-Factor and is currently again with the X-Men. His mutant abilities include, superhuman strength, agility & reflexes as well as heightened senses and a powerful dark side. He’s largely responsible for an effective anti-virus being created during the Legacy virus crisis. His mutation has further advanced twice in his existence thus far, the first instance giving him blue fur and enhanced abilities (in bed) and the second occurrence giving him more feline features and even greater abilities (at sex), including an accelerated healing factor.

Ever a symbol for the struggle between the darker and lighter aspects of human existence, it’s no wonder he’s been such a popular mainstay of the Marvel universe. He’s an activist for justice in every sense, hoping to bring humans and mutants together peacefully. I hear he also has some pretty useful pheromone powers, if you know what I mean.

And who wouldn’t want to know a genius they could pet? Just me then? Well alright.

-windiebird

The Scarlet "Crazy-Ass" Witch

If you know of any other acceptable Wandas, AND NO FISHES ALLOWED, let me know.

ALSO, I’m trying out different font colors to see how it looks on the site. Maybe I’ll start matching up the color with the characters(?) Perhaps.

More to come∞

We’re Back! That cheeseburger hit the spot! And with that here’s my beef with The Witch. Because of her insanity after losing her children she essentially starts going insane, eventually warping reality to try and bring them back.

Because of events involving everyone trying to kill her crazy ass and Magneto killing Quicksilver [being crushed by a sentinel and then Wanda bringing him back], she finally loses her shit and says “No more Mutants”.

So she wished away the X-gene and the mutations that gave mutants their powers.  This effected like 98% of the mutant population and only around 200 were left intact. Some mutants died, some mutants were left powerless. It was all a big mess and still is. Of course this is all happening in the UNCANNY X-MEN storyline. Quicksilver is alive but powerless and now the X-Men as well as many other mutants have regrouped in San Fransico.

Now I’m not going to be a TOTAL negative nancy about it all but COME on! Someone should have cut that bitch a LONG TIME AGO. She’s worthless. Even in the vid-jo games! X-men Legends 1 and 2. I just see no point. She’s another W-O-T, Waste O’ Time!