Also this week...

AVENGERS #61 - Geoff Johns sets up his new cast, in a perfectly competent changing-of-guard issue.  Meanwhile, the new directions seems to focus on the US government getting bitter and paranoid when the Avengers ally themselves with the United Nations instead.  (A United Nations which can actually do something?  We wouldn't want that!  They might disagree with us!)  Perfectly okay.  B

BATGIRL #35 - Ever seen Hal Hartley's film Amateur?  So has Kelley Puckett, who re-uses the central plot conceit here.  Since I saw it coming from the first three pages - practically a re-enactment of the opening scene of the film - it sort of takes the shine off it.  Very good film, though.  Excellent taste.  B

BLACK PANTHER #52 - Ah, so we're not diverging quite as far from the previous cast as the last two issues might have led you to suspect.  We're still clearly in crime story mode, nonetheless, and this issue is unlikely to change any opinions already formed on the strength of previous issue.  B+

ELEKTRA #18 - Having cleared the decks, Greg Rucka sets out his understanding of the character in a lengthy monologue from her new mentor.  Makes some perfectly good points which set up interesting directions available now that he's dislodged her from her previous assassin status.  The series is continuing to improve under Rucka.  A-

HATE ANNUAL #3 - Time once again for the annual update on Buddy Bradley's home life, and it's up to usual standards.  No journalism this time - instead, there's a selection of comics originally produced for Adobe's website, which continue Bagge's interest in suburban sitcom.  Plus, in an admirably un-PC story with total disregard for copyright and trademark issues, Dilbert joins al-Qaeda.  No, seriously.  A

IRON MAN #62 - Eh, what happened in this issue again?  (Flicks through.)  Ehh.  God, this book is boringly moribund these days.  C

MEK #2 - Notably more plot driven than issue #1, as Sarissa continues to get conflicting accounts of what happened to RJ.  Still seems a little bit hollow to me, but as a straightforward mystery story, it's starting to work.  I'm still not getting a convincing sense of why any of these characters would want to become cyborgs in the first place, though.  B

POWERS #26 - Ex-superheroes work the convention circuit.  Cruel but funny.  Meanwhile, the late Red Hawk's ex-sidekick gives his explanation of what happened to him.  Still walking the fine line between police procedural and superhero book without becoming unintentionally ridiculous, and as consistently good as ever.  A

PUNISHER #19 - Frank is reunited with Joan, the quiet one from the last miniseries, in a gloriously contrived story.  Hilarious, though, and the interplay between the characters is brilliant.  ("I suppose you've been out doing your punishing...")  And it manages to briefly shift gears into pathos, too.  Evidently Ennis hasn't run out of material just yet.  A+

STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES #6 - The Authority get their heads kicked in again, perhaps a little too easily.  Solid enough, but Wright is pushing at the limits of the convention that says the heroes always win in their own book.  It's the frigging Authority, after all.  Then again, they could use a good kicking, so what the hell.  B-

WAR STORY: J FOR JENNY - Air crews with concerns over their role in bombing Germany.  Those damned Brits - you'd never find the USA doing something like that.  Rather similar ground to last month's SAS story, but this time with a more redemptive ending for the bitter team leader.  Pretty good.  A-

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

Next week, normal service is resumed with New X-Men, Soldier X, Ultimate X-Men and Weapon X.

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