Also this week:

AMAZING FANTASY #1 - As near as I can make out, almost all of the interest in this book seems to surround the vexed question of whether the lead character is going to be called Spider-Girl or not.  And the people who care are Spider-Girl readers.  And there aren't very many of them.  Still, no doubt Marvel have some kind of great plan in mind.  It's not like they regularly launch superfluous titles with no discernible purpose or audience.  This issue features a sassy teenage girl who gets into trouble at school for defending her underdog friend and who is being hunted down by a mentor figure representing a magical organisation who seem to think that she's the Chosen One.  Sorry, the Initiate.  Same difference.  You can practically imagine the creators trying to shove Buffy DVDs into a photocopier.  Maybe something more distinctive will come along in future issues, but at this stage this offers nothing more than a clone of the Buffy formula (season 1 variety).  C

CAPER #9 - Entering its third story arc, and doubtless regretting that decision to go with one twelve-issue series rather than three minis (which might have kept the sales up to a more tolerable level).  This time we're jumping forward to the present day, and broad comedy as our heroes race around LA wondering why they've been given the wrong body part to look after.  I have to wonder whether there's really going to be anything tying together the three sections of this series besides the family link, but that shouldn't put anyone off picking up this issue - it's effectively an issue #1, it requires no previous knowledge, and it's often very funny.  A

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #16 - What the heck was that all about?  This is the concluding half of a story billed as a prologue to "Avengers Disassemble", but what it has to do with that story, and indeed what was going on at all, remains thoroughly obscure.  And a spider is not a bloody insect.  I realise that the plot has a large chunk of New York carrying this "insect gene", but... why?!?  Perhaps it'll make sense in retrospect, but at this stage, this just seems thoroughly garbled.  C+

There's a new Article 10 on Monday at Ninth Art.

Next week, Sage is turned against the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #446.  Yes, it's another Claremont mind control story.  Already.  Starjammers #1 launches a new series without Corsair, in an attempt to simultaneously (a) be an X-Men spin-off and attract readers, and (b) not have anything to do with the X-Men and attract readers.  And Exiles #49 is a standalone issue.

There's also Alpha Flight #5, but following Marvel's cue, I'm no longer treating that as an X-book.

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