New Comic Day July 13

Here are the comics I purchased today:

Serenity #1 (of 3)

Take me out, to the black, tell 'em I ain't comin' back...
Wow. I was really looking forward to this comic as it bridges the gap between the Firefly TV series and the upcoming Serenity movie. Since the TV series only lasted one season it is really nice to see some new stories take place in this 'verse. As I read it, I could hear the actors speaking the words in my head, complete with how I think they would deliver the lines. It was like seeing old friends again. Even though there are two writers to this comic you can see that Joss Whedon did most of it as the dialouge is exquisite and very reminesent of the series. The comics only downfall was the artwork, which I think could have been better, though it wasn't as bad as John Byrne on Action Comics #829 (discussed below). And yes, I did buy three copies of this comic, one for each cover. I can not wait for September 30th. So in summary, if you like science fiction, hell, even if you DON'T like science fiction and just enjoy a well told story with interesting and well developed characters, and haven't seen Firefly, get the DVD collection. Then buy these comics. Then go see Serenity 42 times. You'll be glad you did.

Action Comics #829
The plot thickens a little bit from last week's Superman title as we get into part two of Sacrifice. So we see that Supes is having hallucinations and that when he fought with Brainiac and Darkseid (in this issue), he wasn't really doing that. The end of the issue reveals that he was actually laying the smack down on Batman. I think this is the tie in to the OMAC project as it looked like Max was going to send Supes to do some dirty work at the end of OMAC #3. I'm guessing that part three will show what actually happened and part four, in Wonder Woman #219, there will be a split amongst the big three. I am really interested to see how they explain Batman's injuries (that is, if it's not another hallucination) in OMAC #4 without confusing the hell out of readers who didn't buy into all the crossover junk and just stuck with OMAC. Oh yeah, and John Byrne needs to go back to the 80's where he belongs. His artistic style really rubs me the wrong way.

Fables #39
An excellent issue by all accounts. Prince Charming's character seems to be expanding with his new responsibilities as Mayor, as he is more sympathetic to the Fables than he used to be. As well, the character of Mowgli from the Jungle Book makes his debut and we are left with a cliffhanger telling us that the search for Bigby is on! Definately a great series that you should be reading.

JLA #116

The second part of the Batman showdown with the JLA continues and gives further evidence to the fact that DC's continuity is non-existent until at least Infinite Crisis happens. Batman examples: suffered injuries in OMAC #3, appears to parapalegic in Action Comics #829 (see above) and helps the JLA fight a bunch of super-villains and punch out Hawkman (really cool by the way). When are these events supposed to take place relative to one another? It would be really nice to know. Anyways, the issue isn't too bad if you ignore the above problem. A decent fight scene with the Society of Super-Villains shows them to be quite badass and Batman stonewalling the league's attempts to apologize to him. Good stuff.

New Avengers #7
The first part in the three issue arc regarding The Sentry was as about expected. Bendis draws things out to a ridiculous degree by having a random fight with the Wrecker, with a random meeting between Stark and a bunch of marvel characters (Black Bolt, Prof. X, Namor, Dr. Strange, Reed Richards) which, as far as I can tell, amounted to a wasted 4 pages. And surprise! The Sentry is ACTUALLY in the issue! WOW! Despite the arc being called "The Sentry" he shows up for the final 3 pages and had 15 (short) dialouge ballons and doesn't move from his fetal position hidden in a cave. Brav-fucking-o Bendis; you can force hard earned money out of people's pockets like no bodys business. The only cool thing about the issue, is the very good Spidey quips and the last page which harkens back to the Grant Morrison Animal Man (#19) days.

Invincible #24

After a lengthly six weeks, issue 24 finally comes out. Although good as always, this issue seemed to go by very fast. Some interesting plot threads arise such as, Mark's reunion with his mother, tension with William, a possible arch-nemesis with Angstrom Levy (didn't see that one coming!), and possible upping of Invincible's powers. Lots of cool stuff. I eagerly await issue 25 which is a 48 pager. Maybe that's why this ish didn't seem up to its usual lustrous shine.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #21

So this is the storyline every fan has been waiting for since the Ultimate Universe came out: the crosover between the Ultimate and (so-called) 616 (or original - don't ask) Marvel Universe. Oh the possibilities, the mass marketing, oh the hijinks that could ensue. I can see my wallet draining as we speak....
*************************SPOILERS*******************************************
Do not continue if you plan to read this book...you have been warned...
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Howevr, this IS NOT that crossover. Throwing everyone I think for a loop, Millar sets up what looks like the original Marvel universe, only to reveal that it was a trick by a Reed Richards from some post-zombification universe, where the FF appear to be, well, zombies. Congradulations Mark Millar, you've kept me on this book. Honestly folks, I am EXTREMELY pleased that the story wasn't what people we expecting and firmly beleive that the two universes should remain seperate. Kudos.