Also among this week's comics...

CEREBUS #299 - Think back, if you will, on those dim and distant days when Cerebus #300 seemed like an unreachable point in the far future.  Of course, back in those days, readers were probably expecting something rather different.  Sim still has a couple of good twists left in him - the truly bizarre introduction of genetic engineering into Cerebus' world, and a tie-in to Egyptian history.  Not to mention the last minute debut of Islam.  All completely nuts, of course, but Sim's storytelling is on form as we hit the final pages.  B+

COUP D'ETAT: SLEEPER - An Eye of the Storm crossover.  Not something that really sounds like a great idea, particularly when it devotes a major role to the Authority, a concept that should have been put out to pasture years ago.  But Sleeper is a fantastic title, and this also happens to double as a major transition point for that comic, and the best jumping on point it's had in years.  It helps when the title remembers to do little things like explain what the lead character's powers are.  Jim Lee provides art, and fits in surprisingly well with the tone of the Eye books.  Hopefully his presence will help attract attention to a criminally unnoticed title.  A-

MONOLITH #1 - Over in the DC Universe, another new concept.  Alice Cohen inherits a creepy mansion with a golem in the basement.  And the golem has its origins in the Depression.  Palmiotti and Grey seem to be trying to incorporate a two-story stone monster into a gritty urban environment, which has "style clash" written all over it.  But by keeping the golem almost entirely off panel, they do make it work in the first issue.  It'll be a difficult balance to keep up, but this is a decent start.  B+

MY FAITH IN FRANKIE #2 - "Just don't expect her to worship you in the morning," says the cover.  Cute.  Anyway, I'm going to remind you about this fun supernatural comedy because it's only issue #2, and you've still got plenty of time to catch up.  There's some plotting here that caught me completely off guard, and now I've got no clue where Carey is heading with this.  Which, of course, is a good thing.  Gorgeous art from Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel, and you really should be buying this.  A

RUNAWAYS #11 - Cloak & Dagger turn up, doubtless wondering how Marvel overlooked them in their recent spate of "let's relaunch everything which has been cancelled twice before" titles.  I've always had a soft spot for these two.  They may have one of the goofiest gimmicks in comics, but they also make for a fabulous visual, and Takeshi Miyazawa does great work with them.  He's tweaked the designs slightly, but for the better.  Of course, nobody's pleased to see them, and the obligatory fight ensues.  Fun book.  B+

SANDMAN PRESENTS: THESSALY: WITCH FOR HIRE #1 - Now that's what I call an overlong title.  As Vertigo continue to stripmine Sandman for all its worth, this is the sequel to Sandman Presents: Thessaliad, which in turn was a spin-off from the beloved parent title.  It's written by Bill Willingham, who's been doing good work on Fables, and drawn by Thessaly's co-creator Shawn McManus, which is promising.  However, sequelitis seems to be setting in here - the story attempts to rekindle the chemistry between Thessaly and Fetch from the previous miniseries, but it comes across a bit forced.  B-

Last week's Article 10 is still up at Ninth Art.

Next week, Emma Frost #8 continues the "Mind Games" storyline; New Mutants #8 finally slinks out, almost three months late; Sentinel wraps up with issue #12; more new mutants in Ultimate X-Men #42; the Wolverine/Captain America weekly miniseries continues; and there's more of "Prisoner of Fire" in X-Treme X-Men #42.

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