Also this week...

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #49 - Despite having increased sales substantially, Straczynski still feels the need to open the issue with a page of lecturing about how we ought to accept his rather silly "totem powers" idea as an essential part of the mythos.  The argument amounts to "it's no sillier than anything else", which isn't the best creative argument I've ever seen.  Anyhow, this is an issue of build-up to Peter and Mary Jane's reunion next issue, and while it hinges on a series of rather unlikely coincidences, it's a reasonable enough recap of the state of their relationship.  B

CAPTAIN AMERICA #8 - Ah, and we're into the Chuck Austen co-written stuff.  Stuff about clones, nasty villains who don't play by Cap's rules... does anyone really care?  It's at least not quite as ponderous as Rieber's own issues, but it still boils down to being a fairly bland superhero plot that doesn't have anywhere near the amount of political weight it seems to think it has.  And for heaven's sake, why is there a conveniently passing school bus in the middle of nowhere?  C

CATWOMAN #15 - Now you see, here's another Ed Brubaker book with subdued colours.  But this one remembers to change them once in a while.  Anyhow, this issue Catwoman tracks down information, as a masked lunatic tortures her brother-in-law.  Crime book meets superhero in a fairly effective marriage.  B+

DAREDEVIL #42 - Second part of the "Lowlife" arc and the follow-up to the 25c issue.  And this is looking like a great story, combining the big trial of Matt's secret identity, the smitten Milla, and a tenth rate supervillain trying to be the Kingpin despite lacking some of the key qualifications for the job (notably, intelligence).  The pace has also picked up compared with some of the earlier Bendis arcs.  Excellent.  A

PARADIGM #5 - I can never quite make up my mind whether I'm missing something with this book, or whether it really doesn't make any sense.  This issue is Ethan and Audrey reacting to Chris' death, and the interaction between the characters gives the book a much-needed spine to hang its odder ideas on.  Nonetheless, I can't shake the feeling that this series is being way too cryptic for its own good.  B-

WILDCATS v3.0 #8 - The strongest issue so far, as characters begin to have their doubts about Halo's true motivations, and Marlowe continues to take over the world through, uh, selling batteries.  Casey's at his most persuasive here, compared to some of the shakier points in previous issues.  Fabulous artwork from Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend, who seem really at home with the bright, corporate look of the series.  A-

Y: THE LAST MAN #7 - Yorick finds himself in Marrisville, Ohio, a town full of women which shows suspicious signs of having been that way for a lot longer than the rest of the world.  Great lead storyline, but I'm still not entirely sold on the Amazons in the subplot, which just strikes me as a rather superfluous agenda in a world that doesn't have any men in it.  Still, it deserves all the attention it's getting.  A-

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

Next week, Agent X concludes Gail Simone's run; Hulk/Wolverine: 6 Hours continues; Ultimate War; and X-Statix.  That means Ultimate X-Men and X-Men Unlimited are missing from the shipping list, but you never know these days.

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