Comics for the Week of 02/06/2013

DC Comics

Animal Man/Swamp Thing #17 - Here we are, the epic finally of Rotworld. We should have gotten this 6 issues ago. When DC rebooted a year and a half ago Animal Man and Swamp Thing were two standouts for me. They were dark, creepy, and often funny. They tied together beautifully but in a way that feels like you actually could read one but not the other. I think they were victims of their own success  Reports on DC editorial have been very turbulent lately and these two books seemed to spin in their wheels for a while. We had lots of buildup to the characters meeting, then more, then a fill in issue, then they meet, then a zero issue, then we finally get Rotworld after more than a year. Its frustrating for those of us who want the story to move forward.

This is also going to be the second to last issues of these comics that I get. I'm not interested in the new writer for Swamp Thing and Animal Man has just never been a big draw for me. Other than Morrison's run I've ignored the character and plan to continue to do so.

Marvel Comics

All-New X-Men #7 - So I guess the original X-Men are here to stay, huh? Since we got to see Jean Grey in the last Wolverine and the X-Men I'm hoping that Bendis will start using the modern students at the Grey School more. More Quentin Quire is always a good thing. Anyway, which original X-Men team member do you think is going to die? Because that's obviously where this is going.

Avengers #5 - This is the third issue of this in three weeks. I guess that's one way to keep the twice monthly shipping on track. The last issue of this gave us the background of the new Hyperion. Its continuing to not wow me like the first issue did. I have read enough of Hickman's work by now to know that he plays the long game so I'm willing to stick around. I just need another issue on par with number one to remind me pf what he's capable of.

New Avengers #3 - The other side of Johnathan Hickman's Avengers run got more interesting last week in Hyperion's stand alone issue of Avengers. It seems he's the last survivor of a dead universe that was destroyed by the force or system that the Illuminati are up against here. It was a nice touch that shows us the stakes of failure instead of just telling us everything will be gone.