STILL ON THE SHELF
by Craig Reade

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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DEADPOOL #4, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Daniel Way, Art by Paco Medina

The first arc of this new Deadpool ongoing wrapped up - and so far, so good! Honestly, it has been a pleasant surprise. Perhaps it was the utterly low expectations most readers had for Way going into this, but the first story was funny and action packed, exactly what you would want from a by-the-numbers Deadpool story. Is it perfect? No, not really, but it is more than good enough. It may only be the fourth issue, but it is safe to say that this series has far exceeded expectations. If you were a nervous Deadpool fan still on the fence, it would be a good idea to finally give this one a shot.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: KINGDOM COME SPECIAL - MAGOG #1, $3.99, 48 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Peter J. Tomasi; Art by Fernando Pasarin

The "Kingdom Come" story in Justice Society has been a mixed bag. It is quality - but it is really drawn out. Perhaps that is part of the reason for this special one shot - though more likely it is more an attempt to give the sequel to Kingdom Come a little more deserved attention. In any case, despite how padded the story is, it is still entertaining, and a good read. This issue, of course, focuses on the new Magog- the resurrected David Reid. We will most likely see exactly how he had changed with his new life and new abilities.

SUPERGIRL #35, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Sterling Gates; Art by Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne

Sterling Gates is off to a pretty good start. Last issue was the start of his new run, and DC has made a point of announcing that this is a new beginning for the Girl of Steel. She hasn't exactly been handled very well since she was introduced this last time - serving more as eye-candy and a typical teenage brat than a noble young hero worthy of Superman's shield. The best part about Gates' approach thus-far has been how he used the critiques of the readers to represent how the "public" views Supergirl, and what she must overcome to redeem herself. It is a novel approach, and should play out well over the next few issues.

Of course, this is the fifth part of the New Krypton storyline. It is tough to say how it will read if you haven't been following the other titles (which you should be - it has been an outstanding story thus-far), but there will be plenty to tie in with the themes Gates has established with the last issue. After all, when faced with a world of people who look down on you and your choices, wouldn't it be natural to align yourself with your own kind, even if their goals don't necessarily match those of your adopted home? Lots of potential here - can't wait to see how it turns out.

THUNDERBOLTS #126, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Andy Diggle, Art by Roberto De La Torre

Thunderbolts seems to have fallen off the radar over the past year or so. Gage has done a passable job, but this book definitely hasn't wowed under him, like most of his projects have. Perhaps it was because it was only supposed to be short term, and the Secret Invasion story made it a little impossible to really develop a new direction for this book. Enter Andy Diggle - who will beginning his run on this issue. Still the same team we have seen for a while, but there is a promised "upheaval" in the works, so no doubt the team will be looking a little different in short order. Diggle hasn't really been known for his superhero work of late, but he should do a decent job on this book. It will be interesting to see where he will be taking us here.

UNCANNY X-MEN #504, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, and Justin Ponsor

A new art team here (which should satisfy the people who weren't entirely happy with Greg Land's take on this team). Fraction is still writing, but without Brubaker this time around. This isn't a terrible thing - we saw a similar shift on Iron Fist, and that worked out just fine. The X-Men family titles are mostly strong right now - the move to San Francisco ended up being a particularly good call. The stories thus-far have been solid (what few we have had), and things actually seem quite bright for this franchise at the moment.

This issue begins a new arc, so if you are one of the few that didn't jump onboard this title at issue #500, you have another chance here.

YOUNG X-MEN #8, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Marc Guggenheim, Art by Yanick Paquette, Serge LaPointe, and Stephane Peru

The first arc out of the way, and the fake Cyclops revealed, Guggenheim seems to be taking a moment to establish the characters before really moving on with an overarching story. This issue will be taking a look at Ink, revealing his origin and fleshing out how he will relate to the rest of the team.

Overall, this has been a decent read. It isn't as god as New X-Men or New Mutants has been, but it is certainly a far cry better than the lows New X-Men reached before it ended. Paquette is back on the art this issue which is kind of a shame - Ben Oliver's efforts last issue were outstanding and a huge step up. Still, the art isn't terrible, but it is the only major drag on an overall decent book.

'Promise' sums this title up best right now. It is enjoyable, and as long as it continues to improve, it should be a solid addition to anyone's stack.

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

IRON MAN DIRECTOR OF SHIELD #35, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Christos Gage, Art by Sean Chen, Sandu Florea, and Jay David Ramos

This is the final issue of Iron Man: Director of Shield. Of course, if you have been following this book, you know that it has been focused on War Machine, and this issue will lead into the brand new War Machine ongoing that is set to start this month, which will be put together by Grek Pak and Leonard Manco (really looking forward to Pak's take on this title). Marvel did a lot of work building up Tony Stark prior to the release of the Iron Man movie, and you can't deny the excellent results that came of that. With the media buzz about who will be playing Rhodes in the upcoming movie, it is reasonable to expect that he (and perhaps War Machine) will play a much bigger role. That being the case, following War Machine in the comics might be a good idea. It is always good to get on at the ground floor, after all.

Since this issue is supposed to transition directly into the new War Machine book, if you were considering checking that out, it might be a good idea to start with this issue.

DARK HORSE

CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #5 $2.99 Now: $2.69
STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF OLD REPUBLIC #35 $2.99 Now: $2.69

DC COMICS

BATGIRL #5 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #13 $2.99 Now: $2.59
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #19 $2.99 Now: $2.69
FLASH #246 $2.99 Now: $2.69
JSA: KINGDOM COME SPECIAL - MAGOG #1 (VARIANT) $8.99
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: KINGDOM COME SPECIAL - MAGOG #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49
RANN THANAGAR HOLY WAR #7 (OF 8) $3.50 Now: $2.99
ROBIN #180 $2.99 Now: $2.69
STORMWATCH PHD #16 $2.99 Now: $2.59
SUPERGIRL #35 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SUPERGIRL #35 VARIANT $8.99
SUPERMAN SUPERGIRL MAELSTROM #2 (OF 5) $2.99 Now: $2.69
TANGENT SUPERMANS REIGN #9 (OF 12) $2.99 Now: $2.69
TINY TITANS #10 $2.25 Now: $1.99
TRINITY #25 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-FILES #1 (OF 6) $3.50 Now: $2.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA GHOSTS #2 (OF 4) $4.99 Now: $4.39
RED SONJA #39 $2.99 Now: $2.69

MARVEL COMICS

AGE OF SENTRY #3 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #578 $2.99 Now: $2.69
AVENGERS INVADERS #6 (OF 12) $2.99 Now: $2.69
DEADPOOL #4 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ENDERS GAME BATTLE SCHOOL #2 (OF 5) $3.99 Now: $3.49
FANTASTIC FOUR #561 $2.99 Now: $2.69
GHOST RIDER #29 $2.99 Now: $2.69
IRON MAN DIRECTOR OF SHIELD #35 $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED THREE MUSKETEERS #6 (OF 6) $3.99 Now: $3.49
SQUADRON SUPREME #5 $2.99 Now: $2.69
THUNDERBOLTS #126 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #58 $2.99 Now: $2.69
UNCANNY X-MEN #504 $2.99 Now: $2.79
X-FACTOR #37 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN LEGACY #218 $2.99 Now: $2.69
YOUNG X-MEN #8 $2.99 Now: $2.69

BLUE BEETLE CANCELLED

Another quality book ends thanks to low sales. Blue Beetle is set to end as of issue #36, and though the character will continue on in Teen Titans, his solo career is on the shelf indefinitely. This is a real shame. Of all the strange moves DC made in the wake of Infinite Crisis, Jaime Reyes really shined thanks to the great work done on this book. It is kind of a shock that this happened - especially considering Jaime has made his animated debut as a main character in the Brave and the Bold cartoon - it seemed natural that this title would be even stronger thanks to the crossover appeal.

What is to blame for the low sales? Really tough to say. Great books with low sales isn't a new story, so while it might be easy to blame the mega-event syndrome we are still trapped in, along with the weekly comic craze that has hit both of the big two, truth is that this problem has been around far longer than the situation we are in now has been.

Clearly, it takes more than a well produced comic to sell issues - and sometimes, that isn't even required for a book to reach the top of the sales charts. If quality and critical acclaim aren't enough to keep a book around, what is left?

The opinions in this article are the writer's alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of X-World Comics or comiXtreme.com.

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