Also this week...

ALIAS #21 - The final part of "The Underneath", guest starring Jessica Drew, the third Spider-Woman and Speedball.  The latter two, at least, ought to be totally out of place in a Max comic.  But Bendis leaves poor Speedball to take the brunt of the jokes (which was always his role) while playing everyone more or less straight and getting it to work.  Typically solid.  A-

THE CALL #1 - This book has already been cancelled, which I'm pretty sure is a record for the Quesada/Jemas era.  lt end at issue #6 due to low sales, which comes as absolutely no surprise to those of us who suffered through the interminable fifteen-part prologue and saw how badly those books sold.  This first issue is largely a recap of the final act of the prologue with a couple of new revelations thrown in.  It's mediocre.  C

DAREDEVIL #45 - End of the "Lowlife" storyline, and it's a slightly odd deliberate anticlimax.  As Bendis points out, you can't just set yourself up as the new Kingpin - he was only untouchable because of his contacts.  And the Owl has already learned this the hard way before Daredevil turns up to sort things out.  Given the direction that the book seems to be heading in next, I can see the point of doing it this way, but it's still a slightly odd ending for this arc.  B

ELEKTRA #21 - Oh look, the art style's changed totally again.  The painful distortions of Carlos Peglia are out, and the more conventional but infinitely preferable Carlo Pagualyan is in.  It's perhaps a little late to save this arc, which has taken a horrible visual kicking over the last two issues, but at least the book is back on track.  B

QUEEN & COUNTRY #15 - The end of the Blackwall storyline.  You won't be surprised to hear Tara completes her mission; more to the point is the trail of broken hearts the story leaves behind.  Fabulous stuff as usual, and I really want to see Jason Alexander getting more high-profile work in future.  His artwork here is absolutely excellent from start to finish.  A

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #39 - My god, has it been thirty-nine issues already?  It seems like only yesterday that the book started.  Anyhow, this is a heart-to-heart with Nick Fury, and it's either a backtrack from the earlier Fury appearance or a rather awkward piece of misdirection.  Either way it comes across as a little strained.  B-

The fiftieth Article 10 is still up at Ninth Art.

I remind you once again that you can vote in the UK National Comics Awards at their website.  The X-Axis and Ninth Art are both eligible for the website awards.

Next week, Exiles #25, Uncanny X-Men #421, Wolverine: X-Isle #2, X-Men: Ronin #3 (which I won't be buying), and X-Men Unlimited #43.  Plus, Ultimate Adventures #3, a mere four months late.  Nothing to do with the X-books, I just thought I'd throw that in for the cheap mockery value.

By the way, X-Men Unlimited has slipped badly as well, having failed to keep up with its bi-weekly schedule.  In theory, it ought to be on to issue #45, next week...

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