What I Bought 1/4/08

Man, poor Kornheiser. His throat sounds terribly raw, and he's dealing with LeBatard. At least LeBatard isn't shouting "BAM!" constantly. Only two books this week as well. I don't much enjoy these five week months, because it always seems to scatter my slim pull list too thin.

Annihilation: Conquest #3 - These covers seem a little basic. Some characters posing in the front, then some faces in the upper background, it's a little dull. Plus, why does Adam Warlock have that loincloth thing hanging from his championship belt? He doesn't have that inside the book! Warlock fights Ultron. Quasar tries to get herself some of that action. Things go boom. Ronan is very clever, though I think he's planning to unleash a Nega-Bomb, or whatever that thing the Supreme Intelligence once used on the Kree was. Also, things go poorly for Starlord's group, and someone dies. Not a big surprise that. I am curious as to how Starlord knows about Ultron. Ultron's been an Earth problem and Peter hasn't spent much time there. Ultron couldn't have gained that level of notoriety, could he(it?)

Nice little bit of forward movement on all three storyarc fronts this issue. I don't have any idea how they're going to play out, but that's OK. I like Abnett & Lanning's Ronan. He's cool, confident, devious, and has a bit of a biting wit, which works well with his Kree superiority complex. Raney's art isn't knocking my socks off, but it's doing the job well, I find it expressive and energetic, and I like that there is a distinctly different color serving as a backdrop for each arc. Blues and greens for Warlock/Quasar, mostly beige for Ronan/Wraith, and a sort of deep red/purple for the Starlord stuff. I think it conveys a difference in atmosphere, I just need to think about it for a bit. Still, wanted to give credit to colorist Frank D'Armata for that. Very much enjoyed, it'd be in the low 4s, if I were still grading things.

Binary #23 - It's a nice idea for a cover, but I think the way Carol is drawn is just too different from the eye she's reflected in. It's distracting. Points for effort, though. We learn of Carol's history with the Brood, and this Queen in particular. They make some new memories. The Lightning Storm team arrives, and promptly starts getting their butts kicked. Outstanding. Good to know all that SHIELD training of superheroes is paying off so well. Fortunately, Cru does something to Carol and she's back in the game.

I don't much like Cru. First, there was the willingness to destroy Earth to get the Brood. Then she told Carol she needs to be running this planet instead of trying to be pretty and loved, now she says it might be better to let Carol die, since she's a threat to this world. Hello, you were about five seconds from blowing the whole planet up about 20 issues ago, hardly think you're one to talk. Aaron Stack is still amusing, though I'm going to be real happy when he gets his old body put back together. That LMD he's using is freaking me out. I may be in the minority, but I still like Arana. I like the enthusiasm to do good, to be a hero, to save the day. The Marvel Universe needs more of that, less regimentation. I don't love this comic, don't hate it, I'm very unsure about it. Guess I need to see where Reed is going with this thing.