Also this week...

21 DOWN #3 - Oh, I get it - all the superhumans in this story die at age 21.  They never really made that clear before, but at least it explains how the lead character knew.  Still, it's some rather wonky storytelling, and I'm still entirely unclear why the girl with the hormone powers might be any kind of answer to the lead character's problems.  Either the writers are one step ahead of me, or there are bits of this plot which just don't make sense.  Still, there are some good ideas in here, even if the story doesn't quite work, and the art is impressive.  B

ALIAS #16 - Of all the books that might pick up on a cancelled John Byrne character, Alias would not have been one I'd expect.  A very curious choice of guest star makes me wonder where on earth Brian Bendis is heading with this (bluntly, there's a damn good reason why no other writer has touched this character since their book was cancelled), but I'm sure he has something in mind.  For the moment, this is the first part of the new storyline, and Bendis sets up some of the mysteries with his usual skill.  A-

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #46 - An ultra-powerful mystical villain obsessed with spiders comes after... hold on, haven't we done this before?  Presumably the echoes are deliberate, but I'm still to be convinced that this is a terribly bright idea for a Spider-Man direction.  Plus, we've been here before.  B-

B-SIDES #3 - Arguably one of the lowest selling Marvel comics ever (estimated orders 10,219 according to ICV2, although that's still 25% more than Lab Rats could manage).  The B-Sides help the Fantastic Four deal with a Kree-Skrull problem the origin of which is never actually explained, in the perhaps over-optimistic hope of future stories being published.  Given that the chances of this book being followed up must be rated as slim, and that any miniseries ought to work in its own right anyway, the unavoidable conclusion is that this book never quite clicked, and doesn't work as a complete storyline.  As the first three issues of an ongoing series, I might have been a little more generous.  C+

DOOM PATROL #14 - Second half of the time travel story.  Nice art.  Storyline's a bit dull.  Ending doesn't work for me.  B-

ELEKTRA #16 - Back with the "real" Elektra, Locke and Carson try to begin her rehabilitation by setting her up with a sensei.  One of those stories where the martial artist meets a master who's on a different level to them.  Contains a very lengthy martial arts sequence, and Joe Bennett hasn't quite pulled it off.  Okay, but not one of the stronger issues of this series.  B

MARVEL DOUBLE-SHOT #1 - Yes, it's the anthology format that didn't do all that well for Marvel Knights, dusted off again.  Rob Haynes contributes a Hulk story about somebody trying to steal his blood which demonstrates how to take exactly the same plot macguffin that the ongoing title is currently using, and do it much worse.  Marlan Harris and Kia Asamiya contribute a series of fan letters to Thor with illustrated pin-ups, which don't quite work because they rely on the idea that Thor's seen as an actual god.  The writer comes across as a bit of a nutter, independently of the traumas she's put through.  The bizarrely shifting handwriting doesn't work for me either.  Nice idea, though, and the art's pretty decent.  C+

NOBLE CAUSES: FAMILY SECRETS #2 - More soap opera with superheroics at the margins.  I'm starting to get a sense that the lead story needs more pages to breathe in (it currently gets fifteen, with this month's back-up taking eight) - scenes are racing by and Faerber seems to be cramming a bit.  In contrast, the back-up strips are taking a more leisurely route.  Perhaps the page counts could be reallocated.  Still a fun read, anyhow.  B+

POWERS #25 - A member of the dissolved Unity group is murdered following allegations of sexual deviance, and Christian and Deena investigate.  Start of a new storyline, and the usual good stuff - although haven't we been here before with FG3?  B+

THOR #56 - A religious zealot sets about challenging Thor.  A little odd to see this storyline going in the direction of Thor being framed rather than Thor overstepping the mark, which seemed to be the direction they'd been indicating.  Hammers the point a bit, but I've certainly seen worse.  B-

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #30 - Shot by the police at the end of last issue, Peter has to work out how to deal with that annoying gunshot wound without compromising his identity.  A rather good crisis management story, and Bendis is building up the tension neatly.  Some good character material for Mary Jane here, as well.  A

There's a new Article 10 at Ninth Art on Monday, looking at the Stan Lee claim against Marvel.

Next week is Claremont week again, with the second issue of Mekanix and the first of the abysmally named X-Treme X-Men: X-Pose.  Mind you, it'll look good if nothing else.  Also next week, Ultimate X-Men #24.

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