Sadly, once again I found myself behind on giving you guys comic reviews. Next week should be back to normal, but moving forward, I’ll try to give you an idea of when I’m missing a week.

Oh, and if you’re reading these, please, let’s get a conversation going in the comments! I want to know what you’re reading!

May 16th, 2012

Adventure Time #4 Written by Ryan North, Art by Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline

Adventure Time continues to be one of my favorite reads of the week, mixing over the top writing with appropriately silly art.  The transition between cartoon and comic is almost minimal, with each issue being as great as the series itself.  The comic does a nice job of wrapping up loose ends from the prior 3 issues while setting us up for the next arc, and of course, I’m in.  If you aren’t reading this yet while loving the series, there is something definitely wrong with you.

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ends of the Earth #1 Written by Rob Williams & Brian Clevinger, Art by Thony Silas & Victor Olazaba

Ooh boy. This was rough. I love Clevinger’s work normally, but in short, this book was a waste. Showcasing the secondary characters helping Spidey in the “Ends of the Earth” arc, this just felt like a cheap tie-in. Not worth the time or the money. Sorry.

Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures #2 Written by Brian Clevinger, Art by Various

And another bummer for me from Clevinger.  One of the things which Atomic Robo proper does so great is that while each issue is part of a whole, they feel substantial.  With a number of stories split over the run of Real Science Adventures, each part definitely feels like you need to read it as a whole before you can truly enjoy it, which makes the two issues so far feel disjointed and displaced.  I did like the surprise cameos in the second story, but with the way the stories felt, plus a reprint of prior content, this definitely bummed me out a bit.

Avengers vs. X-Men #4 Written by Jonathan Hickman, Art by John Romita Jr.

I really like the depth they’re giving the super crossover here. Wolverine is now all sorts of pissed at both sides, and acting appropriately as a wildcard, working to assist Hope, despite both the Avengers and X-Men’s hopes (heh) for the possible future Phoenix.  I’m sure it’s going to be revealed as a “ITS BECAUSE HE LOVES JEAN!” thing, but I like it as a stubborn man trying to do what he feels as just thing.  Also, him walking around wearing a Polar Bear skin in the arctic kinda rules.

AVX: Vs #2 Written by Steve McNiven & Kieron Gillen, Art by Steve McNiven, John Dell, & Salvador Larroca

AVX: Vs. once again proves to be a really silly and fun distraction from Avengers vs. X-Men proper.  Sure, there are some weird continuity errors (like Cap’s shirt), but to see Cap fight Gambit and Spider-Man fight a Juggernauted-out Colossus is just a joy. The writing is appropriately fun, and while Cap vs. Gambit is kind of a lame duck fight, it ends up pretty good, which makes up for Spidey vs. Colossus’s no-contest sort of ending.

Batwoman #9 Written by J.H. Williams, III & W. Haden Blackman, Art by Trevor McCarthy

Just last month I was lamenting about how Batwoman was starting to lose me as a reader, but in one issues time, the book totally turned around. The way the story is progressing, some surprising twists and turns, and a new hand in the art side of things really freshened this book up and made me happy to be reading it again. Good job, all. Now keep it up.

Daredevil #13 Written by Mark Waid, Art by Khoi Pham

Well, all hell breaks loose in Daredevil this month, with all of the storyline loose ends being tied together as Matt Murdock finally faces first hand the evil conglomerate of Megacrime. The battle is fast and furious, and the way Waid brings it all together is really smart, and in usual Daredevil fashion, you kinda can’t wait for it all to go wrong. Wonderful stuff.

The Invincible Iron Man #517 Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Salvador Larroca

Speaking of everything going wrong, we see the ramifications of Tony Stark signing off as Iron Man last month in full effect in this month’s issue.  Tony’s really going full loose cannon here, but as the end of the book shows, he has a hell of a backup plan.  I’m not entirely sold on the new armor (although, considering who is piloting it, it might not be THE new armor), but as usual, Fraction and Larroca keep readers on their toes.  What a great run so far.

Saga #3 Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Fiona Staples

22 pages of pure reading joy, as Vaughan continues to take us on a journey to a new universe full of amazing and unique characters. The star crossed alien couple continues to encounter issues (this time, with a group of ghost teenagers), and is there any better new character this year than Prince Robot IV?  Staples art is beautiful and perfectly works alongside the story being told, making Saga my pick of the week.

Hit the jump for my reviews for May 23rd!

May 23rd, 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man #686 Written by Dan Slott, Art by Stefano Caselli

The next to last issue of “Ends of the Earth” is full of many eye opening twists and turns, and for all my fears of an epicly scaled Spidey tale not meeting my expectations, Slott is getting dangerously close to hitting the dismount here.  I’ll say this though - does anyone else just want a Mysterio/Chameleon buddy comic out of this? And has Mysterio EVER been this awesome of a character? Ol' Fishbowl was hiding a personality, I suppose. Kudos to Slott for drawing it out.

Batman, Incorporated #1 Written by Grant Morrison, Art by Christopher Burnham

You know, I wasn’t entirely 100% into the Morrison run of Batman (he tends to toe the line of taste a bit for my liking), but I definitely enjoyed a lot of concepts of the prior volume of Batman, Inc.  With this relaunch for the new 52, I am back in wholeheartedly, with the amazing Bruce/Damien dynamic, beautiful art from Burnham, BAT COW!~ and a hell of a cliffhanger.  I know that Morrison’s in his sandbox, but I’d love to see this intersect with what Snyder’s doing - I feel like a group of undead owl assassins is right in Morrison’s wheelhouse, but what the hell do I know, this book is amazing without it! GREAT stuff. Who would have thought an iconic character like Batman would become so interesting in the reboot? My pick of the week!

The Flash #9 Written by Brian Buccellato & Francis Manapul, Art by Francis Manapul 

What can I say here that I haven’t before? Buccellato and Manapaul are on an absolute hot streak here, reinventing the Flash with a unique feel, really making every issue count while building their own version of the Flash universe. I love the new Gorilla Grodd here, and the continued fate building of the Speed Force is some enchanting stuff.  I want these two on The Flash forever. Great, great stuff.

Prophet #25 Written by Brandon Graham, Art by Farel Dalrymple

Every single month, I am amazed by this book. At some point, I will get over the fact that a Rob Liefeld character has been turned into this star of an amazing, almost European sci-fi series, but until then, I will have my jaw agape for every page. Minimal storytelling with beautiful art, each issue has been a joy, and I think Dalrymple is the best artist that Graham has worked with yet.  Is there a full story being told? Does each stand alone? Is it all going to come together? I’m not sure, but until I do know, I will be enchanted by every new page. OF PROPHET. WHAT THE HELL.

Alright. That’s two weeks caught up, just in time for more books to hit tomorrow. I PROMISE I WILL REVIEW BY THE END OF THE WEEK. I SWEARS IT.

What’s got my eye for tomorrow? Lets see…

• America's Got Powers #2
• Animal Man Annual #1
• Batman Annual #1
• Rocketeer Adventures 2 #3
• Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #11
• The Walking Dead #98
• Wolverine and the X-Men #11