This week's picks

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of post yesterday. Time got a little bit away from me and suddenly I found myself across state lines and away from my computer watching a truly awful Super Bowl and a truly amazing Captain America: Winter Soldier trailer (why they didn't show the full amazing trailer on television is beyond me but WHATEVER). ANYWAY, here are the picks for this week on this special Monday edition of PICKS.

Superior Spider-Man 26

This one just edges out AVENGERS ASSEMBLE, which was a delightful little romp mixed with seriousness and fun, and THUNDERBOLTS, which I think is hurt a little bit by the fact it's been so good of late that a slightly slower issue looks weaker in comparison but still strong to everything else. SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN was a nice travel through three separate storylines expertly guided by Dan Slott and a trio of artists perfectly matched to their portion of the issue. Really nice book, covers a lot of ground and gives us a sense of what we can expect in the coming months leading to the April resurrection of Peter Parker, just in time for May's Amazing Spider-Man 2 (the full trailer of which I also liked more than I thought I would. I think that Garfield's a pretty strong Spider-Man and I like the world they've created about him. Time will tell about the influx of villains and the look of said villains). Should be a nice little time coming up and it's presented and set-up well here.

Uncanny Avengers 16
Another issue separated into three or so storylines but this one with McNiven art throughout (I like Steve McNiven a lot and he's obviously a pro in the industry but I will say I still kind of miss Daniel Acuña after three issues without) and with the storylines merging and separating and merging and separating. I'd also say this has some of the best fighting I've seen in a book in a while with some great Cap moments and some great Thor moments (including Thor yelling "I CARE NOT" about a hundred times at varying degrees of intensity). There's been a lot happening in this book for a long time (Remender can get into some long arcs but they almost always prove worthwhile, as he's shown in books like UNCANNY X-FORCE and CAPTAIN AMERICA) and this issue might be the first time where you can really start to see that there could be an ending. It's been a great story but no story should go un-ended in comics (I know, crazy thing to say considering the nature of comics and the way I'll mourn, for example, the next book on this list). This was one of the books where I came away after reading it and felt like I needed to instantly read it again and make my girlfriend read it so that I could talk to someone about it.

X-Men Legacy 23

Spurrier again manages to do something completely unexpected and pause the game a little bit for something exceedingly necessary in the penultimate issue of David's run. This issue, typically reserved for part of the big battle or the culmination of the big battle or the wind-up of a series, finds David and Ruth finally officially getting together while the fight scene, which envelops much of the world, rages on outside. I don't know that pausing everything for this works with any other book or any other character but it not only works here, after reading the issue it feels like it was the only way this could have gone. It's a great story and, no matter the outcome of the final issue of this epic tale of the world's most powerful mutant, you can't help but adore the fact that David finally got something nice here. Also some wonderful Tan Eng Huat art and some great and appropriately jarring Jose Villarrubia colors to match it. Amazing stuff, waiting with bated breath for the final issue, as everyone should be.