Wednesday Pickups 6/23/10

Pretty big pile this week with eleven books so lets jump right in and get to the reviews.

First up we have this week's Brightest Day tie-ins, Green Lantern Corps #49 and Justice League Generation Lost #4. Green Lantern Corps bring us Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns Part 2. We see more of what they have been doing behind the scenes and the major villain who might be pulling the strings (Hint: He is one of my favorite GL villains.) Great issue both art and writing are hitting it out of the park. My lone complaint with the issue is it being tied to Brightest Day. While it does feature one scene related to a recent issue of the Brightest Day main book it felt like a forced tie-in aspect to put the banner on there, although it could relate more to the book in the future and this is just a little set up for a future story. Looking forward to the next issue and possibly a new Alpha Lantern?

Generation Lost #4 features Russians a plenty with a our little group of heroes caught in the middle. The art doesn't feel like the best I have seen from Joe Bennett (although every suit of armor looks pretty good) but it is still descent. The writing/story continues to be great and the humor keeps you chuckling through out the almost issue long battle sequence. Put that all together with a great cliff hanger and this book keeps the title I gave it of the best part of Brightest Day.

Jumping over to DC's Vertigo imprint we have Joe The Barbarian # 6. I am pretty sure the Vertigo label has some sort of subliminal message because every Vertigo book I end up reading is awesome and Joe is no different. For those of you who haven't checked it out yet the premise is a teenage boy is mysteriously transported to a universe where all his toys are alive and waging a war against King Death to bring back the light. The story is magnificent and the art fits it so well, I might have to check if Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy have partnered up before. Since its a limited series at issue six of eight, you might just want to wait for the forthcoming collection at this point.

Over at Marvel we have one of my few remaining interests in the Ultimate Universe, Ultimate Avengers 2 #4. Punisher vs. Ghost Rider get us started a beautiful scene while Nerd Hulk and Black Widow look to The Spider for info on their flaming skulled foe. I really like where this story is going and enjoyed the modern update to Ghost Rider's origin (a character I never really cared for in the normal universe.) If you picking up only one Ultimate book (if any), I certainly hope its this one.

Hopping over to the normal Marve U, we have one tie in and one chapter of Second Coming this week. X-Factor #206 brings some levity to Second Coming whether its Longshot's luck issuing the call for reinforcements or their final battle being against a robot spider with rotating blades. Not really a big fan of the art in the book but the characters and tie in element to Second Coming kept me coming back for more. With this being the final tie in issue it remains to be seen whether I will add it to my regular pickups but if the humor and good writing keeps up I think I will as well.

X-Men Legacy #237 (Chapter 12 of Second Coming), brings up a little closer the conclusion of the cross-over. Our merry mutants are struggling to keep up with the sentinels while the team in the future pulls the trigger on their secret weapon. Some great scenes most notable being Magneto reminding us he built Asteroid M and a spectacular splash page showing the multiple battles happening. I really can't say enough good things (that I haven't already said) about this crossover, a must for any X-fan!

Now to add some much needed indy cred I picked up The Schizophrenic #1 from the new comic publisher Zip Comics. Hadn't heard anything about this title put the cover got me to pick up the book and feeling the more old-fashioned type of comic paper got me to bring the book home. Over all I thought it was ok, the story was good while the art wasn't all that appealing but fit with the narrative. The book is about a man named Sam who is a schizophrenic and in this issue experiences hallucinations of being a superhero. Not a huge fan of the $3.99 price tag especially from a new company but you might want to to give it a chance. I would probably pass on the second issue but after doing research I see Sam's hallucinations are going to be based around a different comic genre every issue, an idea I love so I will have to at least check out the second issue.

Next up we have a book I have been meaning to get my hands on for quite a while, Stealth #1 part of Top Cow's pilot season. Its been out for a while I just keep forgetting about or not seeing it at the store. The premise is a young man is trying to deal with taking care of his father who is experiencing Alzheimer's, the rub- his father is one of the world's greatest super heroes Stealth. Love the story idea but since this is equivalent to a tv pilot it does feel a little rough (both in art and the quick pace of the story.) I haven't read any of the other pilots but I really hope this one goes through since the premise is awesome and a bit out there.

Another late pickup this week (came out last week I believe) is Hack/Slash: My First Maniac #1 from Image. My first foray in to the Hack/Slash universe was brought about from the guys over and Burnt Wieners (an awesome comic book podcast) talking it up quite a bit and it lived up to it. Fanatic art (with an attractive cover to boot) couple with a great intro to the character of Cassandra Hack makes me think I might have been missing out on by never reading Hack/Slash. Didn't feel lost at all while reading this but it did make me want to pick up the volumes of the regular series, something I see happening in the near future. If you enjoy slasher flicks and hot chicks this book should be right up your alley.

Heading back over to Vertigo we have American Vampire #4. This was a book I didn't really think about picking up at first but has become another staple in my monthly pull (just like the other Vertigo titles I read). The stories (its a split narrative book featuring two writers) shows us vampires can still be well written and interesting (eat it Twlight fans, although I seriously doubt anyone who read that would read this.) On top of that the book features some spectacular art perfectly showcasing the late 19th and early 20th century. This alone should sell the book but if you still have doubts, Stephen King is writing one of the stories (although Scott Snyder's may be a bit better.) Go pick it up if you love America or Vampires or hate either of those things or hate just one.

Lastly we have my pick of the week 7 Psychopaths #2 of 3. Would have been my pick even if I just went by covers but once you read through it you will certainly be looking to put a ring on it. If you missed my comments on the first issue the basic story idea is that seven psychopaths are gathered together to assassinate Hitler. In this issue we meet the final psychos and the mission gets underway. This comic is all kinds of awesome and even if your not into comics it has a very cinematic feel to it which you might enjoy. The only bad part is that it is a three issue miniseries, but its going to be one hell of a ride.

That is it for my weekly books but I did make a few other purchases this week:

First up is 45 written by Andi Ewington with art by a horde of artists. The book is full of fictional interviews with super powered individuals and their families being conducted by a man who is an expecting father and wondering what its going to be like if his child is super. I am only a couple interviews in and so far its awesome, hoping to get a full review up at some point. Next is Blur for the Xbox 360. While I am not usually a huge racing game fan I really enjoyed the demo of this game and since Best Buy had it on sale for $40 and there were two coupons out for it I ended up getting it for $10 and tax, quite a deal for a pretty recent game. The deal is only going till the end of the week but if you need instructions on it let me know. Lastly, we have The Boys vol.1. I have been thinking about pulling the trigger on this purchase for quite a while and finally decided to do it. Look forward to checking it out and post a review.

That is it for this week. Usual deal any comments/suggestions/critiques/anonymous Internet hate speech can be posted below and I really encourage and appreciate the first three. I know I said I would try and get some other stuff up last weekend and didn't so I am making that same commitment this week, hopefully with different results. Spoiler: Probably going to be the same results.