Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Weekly Rankings For 02/11/09

Here are this week’s comics ranked prior to reading them:

7. Action Comics #874
6. Batman #686
5. GI Joe #2
4. Green Lantern Corps #33
3. Incognito #2
2. Wolverine Manifest Destiny #4 of 4
1. Walking Dead #58

Tough week to rate as I think the order could have gone any way depending on a number of minor things. That makes for a solid and enjoyable week of comics. Here’s how things shook out after the first read through with a mini-review:

7. Action Comics #874

Robinson, Raimondi & Wong.

This comic really read like an old school annual. There are a couple of story threads here that are loosely tied together but are about to head off in different directions in different titles. The best part of the issue is Superman confronting the freed Zod and finding out his Aunt was behind it. Superman knows he can’t act with everyone against him so he waits but he’s suspicious of Zod’s intentions. Later he finds his friend Mon-El about to die in the shrinking Phantom Zone so he acts. The question of where Zod’s son is was only partially dealt with but it appears he was not still in the Zone. Other plots are opened up with Luthor, Lois, Nightwing, Flamebird and a backup story involving Jim Harper the Guardian and Scar the Guardian provides an interesting ending. This is an issue you can miss but if you want to see a good preview of how Superman’s universe is about to divide up then you shouldn’t.

6. Batman #686

Gaiman, Kubert, Willians & Sinclair

I was surprised at how Grant Morrison-like this issue was. You get two very different views of not only Batman’s death but how Batman died. This issue goes through the sequence from Catwoman’s perspective and then through Alfred’s viewpoint. This issue has what appears to be Bruce Wayne narrating from heaven or someplace where he can view these events. The artwork steals the show here as classic and vintage versions of the characters have never looked better. With a 30+ page count and sketches in the back you get your bang for the extra buck you pay. This comic is very good even though it took some getting used to exactly how it was playing out. I’m sure once part two comes out this will be a brilliant arc.

5. GI Joe #2

Dixon & Atkins

This series is shaping up to be a slow burn, much like IDW’s Transformer series. We don’t have explosions or dog fights or ninja combat in this issue. Instead we get more amazing art and more pieces added to the plot from the first two issues. The Joes study the object they recovered last issue only to be getting looked at through the object by Destro. The Joes study the dust weapon retrieved from the last issue as well. Duke and Scarlett continue to bump heads while more familiar characters get rolled out and some new ones as well. It’s a fun story but it is not looking like this will be a fast paced arc or series. A full recap page helps to recall all the key events from the previous two issues.

4. Walking Dead #58

Kirkman, Adlard & Rathburn

This issue disappointed me slightly because of the cover and the title “unthinkable” I was imagining something horrific about to happen. This is not really the case. Instead much of the issue is Abraham telling his origin and then Rick recapping much of the Walking Dead series. It’s actually a great jump on point for a new reader. The issue also shows similar situations we’ve seen before when a parent is faced with a difficult choice (at least what would be considered a difficult choice in this series). Dale and Andrea also talk over the prospect of leaving the group and going it on their own. One thing is for sure with this issue: it appears Abraham and Rick have buried the hatchet. That’s usually the signal of something very bad about to happen. This is about as disappointed as I could be with this series and it’s still better than most of the stuff I’ve read and it’s still going to read great in a collected edition.

3. Green Lantern Corps #33

Tomasi, Gleason & Buchman

The thing that stood out the most with this issue is how packed it was. This is not a five minute read by any means. Mongul begins to form his army of slaves and his new base of operation. He also gets a challenge from one of the original members of the Sinestro Corps. Kyle and Guy have a heart to heart talk about the new law and then Kyle and Natu have a heart to heart talk about the new law and they decide to break it. Kyle then gets busy with the Corps painting a mural that helps to introduce some newer characters and give some camaraderie. We also get the death Green Lantern, Saarek, meeting the Sapphire, Miri, to talk about death and love. They would make an interesting couple. The issue doesn’t have a ton of action but it’s a very dense issue and really helps to build up a ton of characters and their interactions with each other.

2. Incognito #2

Brubaker & Phillips

Things start to roll with this issue. Zack gets a sidekick who is every bit the scumbag that he is, but is he a dummy like Zack pretends to be? It appears the sidekick isn’t exactly what he seems. Zack’s interest, Amanda, also has some skeletons in the closet that help to create a real cluster of unlikable characters. We also get some insight into the creators and handlers of Zack back before he “died”. This series appears to be every bit as good as Criminal and the characters all seem to be heading for twists and turns wrapped into some type of crime related plot. This really upped the tone of the series.

1. Wolverine Manifest Destiny #4 of 4

Aaron, Segovia, Diaz Luque, Salonga & Rauch

Wolverine confronts the Black Dragon. We learn what happened 50 years ago that made all of Chinatown turn on Wolverine in the first place and it’s a good twist to the story and the character of Wolverine. The comic really makes good use of the new characters introduced and helps to create a pretty interesting sub-universe. The comic has a little gore, action, some humor and a good surprise ending. This issue was a lot of fun in a very good mini series.