The People’s Publisher

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! What else is great with green beer? Well… Between the Staples Best Bang of the week for comics that came out on March 12th! An All Marvel best picks this week with Mighty Avengers #10, Annihilation: Conquest #5, Avengers: The Initiative #10 and The Last Defenders #1. Of course today we will have four leaf clovers as ranking from top to bottom…

Annihilation: Conquest #5 of 6 (Marvel) Everything comes to a head while Ultron and The High Evolutionary come together to build the ultimate… Adam “Ultron” Warlock? Wait.. what? Ronan unleashes the Sentry Armada to wipe out all of Hela’s Phalanx infected much to the chagrins of Ravenous. Also Starlord and his crew hit the spire as a final F**k-you! Seriously why is this series not the best Marvel mini-series in decades? Oh wait.. it is!

Avengers: The Initiative #10 (Marvel) Best thing that came out of Civil Bore was this comic book and this issue did not fail. Everything, every page was so enjoyable. Yes someone dies but who stays dead in the Marvel U? The crazy Killed in Action continues its rampage while the various members from the original New Warriors band together. Great great issue and one I have reread numerous times since picking it up. Also nothing beats Taskmaster and the new Ant-Man!

Mighty Avengers #10 (Marvel) A throwback to the way Marvel used to be, the toning, the bright coloring, the smudged lettering and “Continue after next page” lettering at the bottom of the pages (amongst other notation) and if all that is not enough - Dr. Doom. Anything with Doom has to be one of the best books that come out! Overall this was a great fricken issue!

The Last Defenders #1 (Marvel) Okay this week, this book breaks the top 3 best books. I loved the writing by Casey, co-plot by Griffen and clean, crisp artwork by Jim Muniz & Cam Smith! This looks to be a very entertaining new mini-series which I hope spins out a regular Defenders series!

The Un-Men #8 (Vertigo) Oh this book is just a joy to pick-up each month and really I cannot get enough of these characters. The artwork is great, the story entertaining and the messed up concepts are wild. Stunning covers as well. This book is one reason Vertigo is so strong these days!

Avengers: The Initiative Volume 1: Basic Training TPB (Marvel) This series is so well written with great artwork, why would you not pick-up this book? Seriously?! It has RAGE in it! FRICKEN RAGE! That is just one of the great reasons to check out one of the best series of 2007!

Green Arrow & Black Canary #6 (DC) The search for Connor Hawke speeds forward at top speed and to all those Judd Winick haters (and I did fall of his bandwagon a while ago) I hate to say that this series just ROCKS! I do think that much of that has to do with the pleasurable artwork by Cliff Chiang!

DMZ: Friendly Fire tpb vol. 4 (Vertigo) I love this book and try to pick it up but I will miss an issue here and there so now I am collecting the trades to fill in the blanks for me. Brian Wood does a great job making you feel that you are right along with rookie photojournalist Matty Roth in this f**ked up future New York City. Well worth the money!

Salvation Run #5 7 (DC) Team Lex vs Team Joker with a mix of Catwoman and Martian Manhunter. Yes J’onn J’onzz is on the alien planet with all these villains. Everything from the mass battle to Vandal Savage and his bizarre way to survive, Salvation Run is a great book that I believe may be getting overlooked these days.

Gotham Underworld #6 of 9 (DC) Okay I am really enjoying this series from all the crossover and mix-up with mentioning that it may be some required reading for Salvation Run or Countdown. It is just straight out enjoyable. Go Penguin, take down The Whale… oh wait, who just shot Nightwing? Is this why Batman RIP is comnig out? Is this where Dick dies?

The Astounding Wolf-Man #5 (Image) Very enjoyable issue where Wolf-man seems to be more in control or is he? I do like how the artwork is colored, plays well on the various scenes in the book. As I mentioned, I am loving this book!

Nova #11 (Marvel) Yes. Yes. Nova finally comes to the Phalanx homeworld and ends up talking to Warlock? One of my favorite New Mutants is finally back in the Marvel U. Thank you. Very enjoyable series and I can’t wait for Nova to come blasting into Annihilation: Conquest!

Fantastic Four #555 (Marvel) Alright. I am swaying on thinking that maybe Reed Ricards is a Skrull but I still got a feeling for Sue Richards as a Skrull. The whole “new” Earth storyline is interesting but I agree with William S that the book is falling into the its the FF, so of course Reed and Sue must have issues that Ben needs to always bring up. It was an interesting issue but not fabulous.

The End League #2 (Dark Horse) William S filled me in on issue #1 and we both enjoyed issue #2 in a coffee shop so I think it gets a nod to more issues which is always good.

Simon Dark #6 (DC) More on the mysterious past of Simon Dark comes to light but then not really. Its a nice and creepy series that I love to read and reread.

Countdown to Final Crisis #7 (DC) Not a bad issue but nothing to write home about. I feel I am one of the few who want to read more of Jason Todd but not in Countdown.

Green Lantern #22 (DC) Okay, I don’t care for Boodikka / Alpha Lantern or her sisters. Glad this storyline is over. Next, more Red Lanterns please.

Next week: Angel: After the Fall #5, Batman and the Outsiders #5, Captain America #36, Checkmate #24, Death Of The New Gods #7 of 8 and Justice League Of America #19 to name a few.