Also among this week's comics...

AVENGERS #71 - This is the one which was reclassified as "mature readers."  A widely reported news story, marginally undermined by the fact that it isn't true.  The label on the front cover says "PSR", which is the "Parental Supervision Recommended" classification.  That's the same rating as everything else Marvel put out this week aside from Ultimate Spider-Man (which doesn't carry a rating) and Agent X (which has a higher rating).  Mix up, or tail end of Marvel's bizarre marketing tactics?  Anyway, the story is Hank and Jan going on holiday to Las Vegas and fighting the Whirlwind.  It's okay, but it's nothing out of the ordinary.  B

CVO: COVERT VAMPIRIC OPERATIONS - ARTIFACT #1 - IDW Publishing has a small but generally interesting range of titles.  They've done quite well with 30 Days of Night, for example, and they've picked up the licence to CSI.  This is a miniseries about a vampiric branch of the CIA, which sounds like an okay premise but doesn't quite click.  It seems to rely rather heavily on having read an earlier one-shot were many of the concepts were presumably explained more clearly.  The art has a slightly wobbly and scratchy look to it, but somehow does seem to gel more often than not.  C+

VENOM #6 - Oh sweet jesus, are we still in the sodding Arctic?  This is just taking the piss.  C

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

Next week, more of Emma Frost's childhood in Emma Frost #4; Sentinel #8 continues "No Hero"; Uncanny X-Men #432 is a depressing prospect; and the redacted X-Statix #13 finally comes out.

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