'06 Comics In Reviews, Part 3

As a whole, the solo books I picked up from Marvel this year weren't stellar. However, it did start to pick up the last half of the year, convincing me that 2007 is going to be a very good year. And that's pretty much all the intro I got.

Cable/Deadpool (30-35) - Started buying this in June, and my how the fun has increased! If nothing else, the idea of interjecting Deadpool into all sorts of situations has lead to any number of blog posts. I do wish I'd been buying it sooner, but that's what back issues are for. {Adorable Baby Panda feels Wade needs several sessions with Leonard Samson. And then he could see Siryn. Hooray!}

High Point: The fight with the Great Lakes Champions was pretty cool in #30, and so was Wade's battle with Captain America's forces in #31, but for my money, I'm taking #35. It was rather introspective for Wade, violent, crazy, hilarious and just a fun read for me in general. Wade's 'Screw it.' reaction in the bar, leading to considerable property damage was excellent. And besides, I finally got to see one of Cable's brilliant plans blow up in his face. No matter what, it seems like since Wade helped bring him back, that Cable always has the inside track, and always has things set up how he wants them. This time, even though Wade is considering his life choices like Nate wanted, things spiraled out of control.

Low Point: I'm gonna say #34. I was tempted to go #33, what with the Liefeld cover and all, but this issue seemed to be the height of "Cable knows, everything and is 17 million steps ahead of you." You know what other fictional characters are always 17 million steps ahead of their counterparts? Those weird serial killers in the cheap slasher flicks like Rest Stop. Think about it.

Doctor Strange: The Oath (1-3) - Bought on a week when nothing from my pull list came in, this wound up being a refreshing reminder that there's someone at Marvel who can write Dr. Strange well. Hallelujah. Combined with the quite excellent artwork of Marcos martin, and this has been good stuff throughout. Hopefully the two issues live up to the first three {Adorable Baby Panda demands more Night Nurse!}.

High Point: I really like that panel in #1, when Strange comes face-to-face with Otkid the Omnipotent, the god he must battle for the elixer that can save Wong, but I'll take #3, when they've caught Brigand, Strange discovers who's behind these attacks on him, displays a bit of a scary streak when imprisoning Brigand, and all three members of the squad get to do something fun.

Low Point: Um, uh, hmm, gimme a second here. Oh, I got it! The point after the last page of each issue, because then you have to wait another month until the next one. {Adorable Baby Panda is rolling it's adorable eyes. Yeah it's cheesy, but it's the best I can give you}.

Ghost Rider (5-6 and 1-3) - This year, I had the last two issues of Ennis and Crain's GR mini-series, and the first three issues of the Daniel Way and Mark Texeira Ghost Rider ongoing.

High Point: Well, the first issue of the ongoing had that really nifty "Ghost Rider leaping a chasm filled with demons to escape an army of demons", and that was pretty awesome, so I guess I'll go with that. The conclusion was to Ennis' mini-series was very "poetic justice", but still a bummer, so it comes up just a bit short. Plus, as much as I enjoyed Crain's artwork, the last couple of issues were so freaking dark I couldn't tell what was happening a lot of the time.

Low Point: Ghost Rider #3, when Ghost Rider fights Dr. Strange and uses the old Batman Returns "hit the stone object behind him, the pull it forward to hit him in the back of the head" on the Sorcerer Supreme. Groan. I mena, maybe if Johnny had attacked the ground beneath Strange first, to draw his attention, then tried grabbing the tombstone with his chain and flinging it, but with no deception? Uh-uh. Sorry. {Adorable Baby Panda thinks that was hilarious}.

Immortal Iron Fist (1-2) - Well, it's only been two issues, but they've been pretty good issues so far, and David Aja's art work is growing on me, and Brubaker and Fraction are living up to the reputation I've heard about {ABP is giving me a glare "like unto a thing of iron", and demanding ice cream. Better hurry up} .

High Point: Either the Mecha-Gorgon of #1, or 'Oh! My name is Daniel Rand. I am Iron Fist and I know kung fu. Hi-Yahh.' One was just cool, the other was funny. I think that neatly encapsulates what we've got going on here.

Low Point: Nothing yet. Give it time.

Ms. Marvel (1-10) - Picked up the first issue in March for the heck of it, and I've stuck with it ever since. It's gotten bogged down by Civil War making a Carol a much less likeable character, but it has made me actually like Arana, and plus, The Shroud! How can you go wrong with that?

High Point: #1 was pretty damn good, switching between discussion and action, and giving a good idea of where Carol stands with regards to herself. But I'll take #5 where Carol comes to the rescue of Dr. Strange, who is really doing quite well given his opponent has the equivalent of two Wands of Watoomb with him. Carol smacks the bad guy around by herself some, then gets time-travelled back to a point where she can help Strange fight him off and save both of them. And honestly, I think Stephen was crushing on her a bit. But he was charming about it. He is high-class after all {ABP wants a sash. I said only if it's worn around the head like a bandanna. Baby pandas don't have the hips to wear a sash like Carol}.

Low Point: #8, when Carol, rather than let Julia Carpenter and her daughter flee to Canada, chooses to beat the crap out of Julia in front of said daughter, because Julia refused to help the government and instead beat up SHIELD agents hell bent on sending her to jail. Way to be, Carol. Don't worry, I'm sure SHIELD's P.R. team can make up some nifty headlines to mask this and help with that "World's Greatest Hero" goal you had. At least Brian Reed swears she'll be dealing with that, and I'm getting pissy, so let's move on.

The Punisher (29-42, Punisher: The Tyger) - I don't think this year's Punisher stories were quite as good as last year's. Could be that Ennis is coming to the end of his run on the title. Or it could be that I'm running out of interest in Frank Castle. Happened with Wolverine.

High Point - Punisher: The Tyger was an interesting piece showing how more things affect the person we become than maybe even we are aware of. Certainly more than others are aware of. But for my money, The Punisher #33, with his issue-long slugfest with The Barracuda was outstanding. Anytime you have a fight where the guy who lost an eye and three fingers is the winner, you know it's been one hell of a brawl. Honorable mention to #39, which explains how Zakharov got his nickname "Man of Stone"

Low Point: Take your pick. Just about any of the really exposition-heavy issues will do. Let's just say #35 for the sake of simplicity.

She-Hulk (9) - Purchased on a whim the same day I bought Cable/Deadpool #30, in an attempt to inject more fun into my pull list. I guess I just don't like She-Hulk enough to keep buying it. What can you do? Not Dan Slott's fault.

Wolverine (38-40) - Like I mentioned earlier, I think I finally got burned out on Wolverine. This storyarc "Origins and Endings", which seemed to basically be a set-up for Wolverine: Origins was the last straw, as I didn't feel much was accomplished and at least two of the issues left me reading them and thinking I must have gotten a copy missing pages {Adorable Baby Panda is just impressed there are humans with more hair than it has. That's Canadian living Baby}.

High Point: #39, the fight between James Howlett and the Killer Formerly Known As Bucky in the printing factory. It was short, ugly, brutal. No fancy-pants ninjitsu maneuvers here.

Low Point: #40, where the payoff of the reveal that Bucky supposedly killed Logan's wife and unborn son did not lead to the disembowling I was hoping for. What the hell Logan?

Wolverine Origins (1) - I basically said everything I need to about the title here. It just felt like a wasted opportunity to do something different from the Wolverine title they already had.

So I learned that me and Daniel Way just don't mesh. Pity, that. it really is. Well, anyway, tomorrow we reach all the various Spider-books we bought this year. Finding something good in the 616 versions should be interesting.