Each week we take a critical look at some of the best books on the stands, courtesy of Big Guy's Comics (the unofficial comic book store of FanboyPlanet.com) and Brian's Books (the other unofficial comic book store of FanboyPlanet.com). If you publish a book that you want us to be covering, contact us. Or contact Derek. He doesn't have enough to do.

Hey Kids! Comics!

Could we do a scale of 1 to 10? No. That would be too easy. Rather, we shall judge books this week by a sliding scale based on the women of Archie Comics.

Big Ethel: The awkward, snaggle-toothed woman with a crush on Jughead. If someone caught you on a date with Big Ethel, you would try to hide. Same thing goes for a comic book rated Big Ethel.

Midge: Moose's girlfriend. Sure, she looks attractive, but you know better.

Betty: Nice, solid, dependable. You can't go wrong with Betty, but you may wish you could.

Veronica: What's not to like? Hot, smart, and wealthy, she'll hurt you and make you love every minute of it. Sort of like most Warren Ellis books.

Cheryl Blossom: The tartiest woman in Riverdale, and thus, the one you want the most. This will be Fanboy Planet's highest honor.

The Adventures of Superman #597
Rubber Crutch
writer: Joe Casey, artist: Deric Aucoin

Stop me if you've heard this one: how do you protect the president if there's no one to protect his guards? The answer is, you can't.

The Joker somehow infects Hope and Mercy, who in turn infect President Luthor. As a result, just like in 1901, there's a madman in the White House. Lex announces a whistlestop tour of America to campaign for re-election, hoping to detonate nuclear missiles along the way.

This looks like a job for Superman.

And actually, Casey has spun a pretty fun tale. It's too bad that most of it has been completely invalidated by the actual Last Laugh book, in which Luthor not only knows about The Joker menace, but has also warned the nation. Here, it's just a rumor that there's a bunch of Jokers running around.

But aren't all DC cross-overs this kind of a continuity mess? Enjoy this one and its excellent art by Aucoin, and pretend that you didn't read Pete Ross reach a different conclusion than in the mini-series.

Rating: Veronica

The Shadow Thief's an even bigger joke.

Batgirl #21
Auto Replay
writer: Kelley Puckett, artists: Damion Scott and Robert Campanella

Again, this doesn't quite jibe with events in Last Laugh, but it comes closer than many. Batgirl and The Spoiler are ordered to stay with Barbara while madness grips the streets of Gotham. Stephanie does not take it too well, while Cassandra takes the time to do some training in Barbara's version of the Danger Room. That is, until she breaks it in her zeal.

Of course, Barbara wants to keep the two girls from facing any metas, but in this kind of madness it only makes sense that a meta will come to them.

For the first time in several issues, the story doesn't exist just to teach Batgirl a lesson about her shortcomings. Instead, it both serves as cross-over and advances the long-running plotlines. (I'd almost forgot there were any.) It still doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense that Batgirl isn't allowed to at least study supervillain files by Barbara; it's more a cheap way of forcing secrets into the book.

Scott and Campanella's work here is much easier to follow than it has been, kicking this back on to the list of titles that have my interest.

Rating: Betty

Radar sense...going...literal...

Daredevil #26
Underboss, Part One
writer: Brian Michael Bendis, artist: Alex Maleev

Bendis comes back with a bang. Sorry for sounding like Stan Lee, but a good comic will do that.

Discussing almost any element of the plot would ruin the pleasure of it. Suffice to say that with this arc Bendis tackles a pretty essential question: just because there are costumed heroes and villains, why does every major criminal feel the need to be involved in that world? Chances are that The Kingpin will have to answer that soon, while Daredevil finds himself embroiled with superbeings who just don't want to play the game. It's a sharp contrast to Bob Gale's just-finished arc.

Maleev gives the book a nice layer of grit, with layouts strongly reminiscent of Bendis' own work in Jinx and aka Goldfish. Once again, Joe Q has proven himself a consummate matchmaker, and this team promises great things in the months ahead.

Rating: Cheryl Blossom

Detective Comics
La Cucilla
writer: Greg Rucka, artists: Shawn Martinbrough and Jesse Delperdang

Rather than try to tie this book directly into the cross-over, Rucka takes the opportunity to focus on two less-popular members of the Bat-family. The Huntress and, uh, Sasha (absent from The Joker book proper) meet up against an unknown foe suffering from Jokerization. Occasionally narrated by Sasha, the villainess' story ends up highlighting all three women.

Rucka leaves a lot of room for the artists to tell the story, and despite the apparent simplicity of their style, they rise to the challenge. Unlike a lot of "hot" artists, this team knows how to use body language in a way other than depicting violence.

In the back-up slot, Judd Winick introduces GCPD officer "Josie Mac," a woman slightly possessed of psychic abilities. Winick has wisely made that just another facet of her character; it's her actual personality and commitment to justice that make Josie interesting. If you can forget about "The Jacobean," these back-up slots in Detective have been consistently neat little pieces.

Rating: Veronica

Fray #4
Out of the Past
writer: Joss Whedon, artists: Karl Moline and Andy Owens

Melaka faces off against the Lurk that killed her twin brother, flashing back and forth between their first fatal encounter, and this present one that may prove fatal again. Though she has not fully accepted or grown into her Slayer abilities, this encounter may tip the balance. At least, her demon guide hopes so.

With this issue, Whedon deepens his Slayer mythology even further. Never before has a Slayer been a twin. And if that's the case, the question has to be asked, has a Slayer even ever had a sibling at all? (Dawn doesn't count, as her creation was mystical in nature; Melaka has an older sister we can presume is natural-born.) Clearly, the consequences of the Fray family will have far-reaching effects.

Perhaps because it is being guided by the master (though not The Master), this book does a great job of spinning off from the television series without being slave to it.

Rating: Veronica

Harley Quinn #13
Night and Day
writer: Karl Kesel, artists: Pete Woods and Mark Lipka

Just when this book was poised to spring off in a new direction, along comes a cross-over to sidetrack its plans.

Harley has decided that her calling as a matchmaker may be more important than her calling as a criminal, and wants Poison Ivy to join her on the road. Unfortunately, Ivy considers herself to have roots in Gotham City (her pun, not mine), and as the two try to work it out, The Joker inexplicably sends two heretofore unseen supervillains to kill Harley.

Call it inexplicable because, once again, he does the exact opposite thing in his own book.

Still, Kesel uses this issue well, bringing out an interesting side (and threat) to Poison Ivy. And he's right about why Ivy likes Harley; he has made the title character into a far more complex character than she has a right to be. Of course, that's why she has her own book.

Though the Dodsons take this month off, the guest-artists fill in nicely without losing a step. Once again, Harley Quinn proves to be a surprisingly solid book.

Rating: Veronica

It's shag-a-delic, baby!

Joker: Last Laugh #3
Lunatic Fringe
writers: Chuck Dixon & Scott Beatty, artist: Walter McDaniel

It's a good thing that Chuck Dixon still has a few months before he goes over to CrossGen. He has time to make us remember that he usually has a good handle on the denizens of Gotham.

This week The Joker pretty much rules the world, but of course, the world is not enough. (Though from the moon the JLA even sees a clown face burning in the Earth.) Having a bunch of look-alikes running around creating chaos bores him. He needs…an heir.

And so the focus switches over to Gotham City. A frightened Harley Quinn runs for her life and calls Oracle for help as female Jokers attempt to kidnap her. In a rather grotesque but not unprecedented move, The Joker intends to impregnate Harley before he dies.

Oh, and Lex Luthor has alerted the country and declared war on The Joker Bin Laden.

After a couple of decent chapters, this issue is a mess. It doesn't help that Walter McDaniel draws everything in harsh lines, overshadowing everything. Even faces look overmuscled.

For sheer stupidity's sake, though, it truly annoys me that the reason the JLA has not been involved (despite Superman's clear involvement in his own titles) is because they were vacationing on Rann.

Rating: Big Ethel

Knock three teeth out and win a prize

JSA #29
Kids
writer: Geoff Johns, artist: Peter Snejbjerg

And in the midst of chaos, a thing of beauty. For a moment, this book feels as if Starman had returned. Snejbjerg guests to continue dazzling with his style that marries the best of Golden Age tone with modern sensibilities. It's expressive, beautiful stuff.

Despite having to bring his ongoing storyline to a screeching halt for this, Johns delivers a really cool tale of the junior JSA members fighting off the Jokerized Solomon Grundy. It would seem a grotesquely uneven match, made worse by Courtney knowing that Grundy killed the first Star-Spangled Kid. Jakeem (formerly "J.J.") Thunder fumbles early on and loses the pen that contains the Bahdnisian Thunderbolt. All in all, this could turn out to be a crappy Halloween.

Obviously, Courtney is a Johns favorite, but he has also believably traced her growth. It may have taken a while, but this girl finally understands the importance of her legacy, and wants to live up to it.

On the flip side, we have Jakeem, a poorly-conceived character suddenly made three dimensional and likeable by Johns. As he and Courtney struggle toward friendship in the heat of battle, Jakeem becomes a character we want to see again. And with this issue's closer, it seems we likely will.

It just goes to prove that there are no bad characters, only badly-written ones. But not at the pen of Geoff Johns.

Rating: Cheryl Blossom

Radioactive Man #4
various stories
writer: Batton Lash, artists: Mike DeCarlo, Bob Smith, and Murphy Anderson

This time out Bongo Comics reprints a classic from 1953, when the horror craze creeped into the adventures of the atom-powered avenger. Thrill as he faces the Amazing Radioactive Spider, chill as he agonizes over the thing in his head, and laugh at Gloria's encounter with skinny girls.

Okay. It's not for everyone, but Radioactive Man has never failed to amuse me. But it does require a fairly extensive knowledge of the various ages of comics. No wonder the Comic Book Guy loves it.

If you like the humor of The Simpsons and are into superheroes, then you owe yourself this book.

Rating: Veronica

Sigil #17
writer: Mark Waid, artists: Scot Eaton and Andrew Hennessy
rating: B
reviewed by Charlie Wentling

This issue is split into two different sections. The first one deals with Sam appearing on an unknown planet and meeting a barbarian named Brath, who has a sigil on his chest just like Sam. We get a quick origin story (which mirrors the first issues of most Crossgen books), and the conflict for next month is set up. Normally I would say that Brath is a candidate to get his own title sometime in the future, but I don't think that will happen here. My guess is that Sigil will eventually shift from following a single character to being a team book.

The other section ties up some of the loose ends with the supporting cast. Members of the First show up throughout the book, which I think is a good thing, but others may disagree. The art is decent but nothing extraordinary. Chuck Dixon fans take note: CrossGen has announced he will be taking over this series starting in February.

Sojourn #4
writer: Ron Marz, artists: Greg Land and Drew Geraci
rating: B+
reviewed by Charlie Wentling

Marz continues to put the basic structure of this series into place. Arwyn and Gareth meet Neven, who gives them a lot of information, including the story of Mordath's rebirth. Neven also gives Ayden's bow to Arwyn, but we don't know at this point whether it is just a nice-looking bow or something more. The story is progressing at a frustratingly slow pace and would probably read better in trade paperback form.

The art is beautiful. Usually a good story is more important to me than good art, but here it is the art that shines. We have a standard fantasy story that is greatly enhanced by Greg Land's art. The cover stands out on the shelf. CrossGen seems to know the value of a good cover better than most companies.

Magic Pickle #2
"Magic Pickle"
Frequency Rating: 10/10 Best of the Week!
story & art: Scott Morse
reviewed by Daryl Tay

Summary of events:
Jo Jo explores Weapon Kosher's secret lab under her room. She touches some stuff and realises she shouldn't, and we get a brief introduction to schoolmates she hates and likes. She tries to find out more about 'Mr Classified', and finds out his origin, but not his powers, since the Pickle summoned the Processor, a huge dustbin, who brings Jo Jo to the lair of the evil veggies. Weapon Kosher takes almost all of them down, but Jo Jo handles the carrot herself by biting it. However, the Gladiator, a lettuce, has escaped. Weapon Kosher then decides to take Jo Jo home, 'cause it's a school night.

Initial Thoughts:
I had no doubts about picking up this book, 'cause I enjoyed it immensely the first time round, and this issue just gets better and better. I was deciding whether to award the Funniest book of the Week to Magic Pickle or Captain Marvel, but Magic Pickle won out this time round. Scott Morse's art isn't the normal stuff, in fact his Jo Jo looks weird, but overall, it really is a cute series, very interesting, and as my comic shop owner said, good stuff for stressful times like these, and I can't agree more.

The Good:
The writing. Just read the jokes about being careful what to 'turn on' and cool stuff like 'Press "Enter" to play origin video' was really cool. The thing that really made me sure this book was good, was on page 3, where Jo Jo says 'We don't like her much'. The instant thought that ran through my mind was 'Who do you mean by 'we''? And lo and behold, it was explained right on the next page. Excellent! Being able to tell what the reader is thinking really is an excellent skill. His art is rather nice, though I don't like black and white stuff too much. I especially liked the scene on the second page where Jo Jo is 'speechless' in Pickle's lab. Pickle himself is a joy to read. He's in control of the situation, got cool catchphrases, and is perhaps one of the most original characters created this year. The pacing is really well done too, I think Morse has done this well. He introduces Jo Jo and Pickle last issue, and gives Pickle's origin and a fight scene this month, cool stuff!

The Bad:
Nothing! You really should get this book!

In Conclusion:
Magic Pickle was one of the first books I read this week, and definitely one of the most enjoyable. Normally I wouldn't pick up books whose creators I've never heard of before, and pick it up in TPB format. Even if I did pick up book 1, I may not get book 2. But this time I picked it up without even flipping through it in the store, confident that Morse wouldn't let me down. I've liked Morse's work so much, I may just pick up Soulwind, which I've never heard of before either. Email me if you recommend this!

Thunderbolts #57
Storm Clouds Gathering
Frequency Rating: 8/10 High Frequency
Most Impressive Comic Of The Week!
writer: Fabian Nicieza, artists: Patrick Zircher and Al Vey
reviewed by Daryl Tay

Summary of events:
As the Fixer wonders why the World's Champions haven't gone against Graviton, we see them suspended in mid-air by Graviton's powers. Various cities are all uprooted, and Moonstone wonders if Graviton really wants to remake the globe in his image, while Techno notices an aura of energy around M'Reel, Graviton's alien butler. Meanwhile, Vitizen V, really Baron Zemo in John Watkins's boday saves a mother and child from a collapsing building. He then meets up with MACH2 and Songbird as civilians, who swear to take Graviton down. Dallas Riordan seems to be flying, with ionic energy pulsing out of her. MACH2 and Songbird get thier gear back, and CV asks Techno to help distract Graviton for the newly reunited T-bolts to make their move. Techno shows Moonstone the strange aura too, and the Thunderbolts take the opportunity to attack, with Citizen V even using his sword to slice right through Graviton's abdomen. The T-bolts then prepare to make their final attack on Graviton.

Initial Thoughts:
After last issue's plot, I fully expected this issue to involve the re-uniting of the original team. While I have to admit the CV/Songbird/MACH2 reunion wasn't unexpected, I don't quite know what to think of Atlas/Dallas Riordan, since we aren't really told who he(she?) is. While to be honest, I didn't like the Redeemers very much, but individuals like the new Beetle and the Smuggler were rather interesting to me, and I wonder where Hallie and Charlie are, I'm sure Nicieza didn't kill them all off.

The Good:
I said in a previous review that Patrick Zircher gives the book a very technological feel. I still think he does, but this issue, everyone seems to look great, especially the 2 page spread of the World's Heroes. He still gives the book a techy feel, just look at Techno or MACH2 and tell me I'm wrong. Fabian Nicieza has taken the book back in the right direction I think, where all the T-Bolts, Hawkeye included, look to be coming together for a reunion, and once again serve Justice, like Lightining. The reason why this book deserved the Most Impressive book, is simply that after a few months of boring plots with Captain America, the book is finally getting interesting all over again.

The Bad:
Okay, once again I have to state, I really hope that Nicieza didn't kill off all the Redeemers. There was a potential for them to be more interesting, and I hope that potential wasn't killed off. Also, I still have no idea how a supposedly dead Zemo can be alive in CV's body. No one has explained that yet. I'm also highly surprised and largely bored with the idea of bringing Zemo back in CV's place, I'm one of the readers who wants the T-Bolts to be a real hero team, not being manipulated anymore.

In Conclusion:
Though the book has lost it's old theme about villians pulling off a scam, posing as heroes, the new direction is no less interesting. Villians who want to be heroes. I hope Nicieza manages to make the book as exciting as it was before when Busiek wrote it, if not perhaps even better, since he's got an excellent penciller in Zircher.

Birds of Prey #36
Canary Caged
Frequency Rating: 2/10 Low Frequency
writer: Chuck Dixon, artists: James Fry and Andrew Pepoy
reviewed by Daryl Tay

Summary of events:
Canary, the only hero in the Slab, tries to contain the villians with her newly restored Canary Cry, but it isn't enough as those without ears are set after her. She runs into Spellbinder who creates an illusion of some of the JLA, and ends up being taken down, before Nightwing and Batman show up, in Last Laugh #2, not here.

Initial Thoughts:
Considering Dixon is one of the guy who's orchestrating the whole 'Last Laugh' crossover, I'd expect this to be better planned. We're shown a story which occurs in the middle of Last Laugh #2, which was released last week, What's Up with That? This has got to be one of the worst books I've read in months, considering it got both awards for suckiness. Anyway, in my opinion, this book sort of lost it's old feel since both Greg Land and Butch Guice left for Crossgen, and James Fry tries, but just can't capture the old feel of the book.

The Good:
Though we're given a very different, less gritty and more cartoony drawing of Canary this time, I may not be entirely a bad thing. Fry may have lost the Land/Guice feel, but brings his own to the book. The thing is I don't know if he's the new permanent guy or not.

The Bad:
Planning was just generally bad in this crossover. I think DC could definitely do more to make sure crossovers are at least done well. Dixon was what I thought used to be a good writer, and he does many bat-books not directly involving Batman, and I think used to do them well. Robin has always been hit and miss, Nightwing was good when mcDaniel was on, and now BoP seems to be going down the drain too... Maybe his departure to Crossgen will bring someone better on the book.

In Conclusion:
I think DC doesn't realise that Crossovers like this may actually hurt their profit margin. I know many customers at my comic store who aren't picking up their usual books 'cause it's being cross-overed, and many aren't even picking the 6 issue Last Laugh. It totally defeats the purpose. In times like these, DC thinks consumers are gonna buy every book which says 'Last Laugh' on the cover? Dream on! Birds of Prey, along with Robin, are the 2 books in danger of being dropped, however, Dixon is leaving for Crossgen... which I can't decide is a good or bad thing at this time.

Captain Marvel #24
Star Power
Frequency Rating: 10/10 Best of the Week!
writer: Peter David, artists: Criss Cross and Anibal Rodriguez
reviewed by Daryl Tay

Summary of events:
Rick tries to talk Marv out of going with the Supreme Intelligence's plan, but is eventually distracted by Qarn's women. We learn interesting information that Una Rogg and Ronan the Accuser used to have a sexual relationship, much to the amusement of nearby guards and Marv himself. Marv and Una Rogg are set to go to a star, to get the energies needed to turn Rick, who's been aged, back to normal. They go in, and we're taken to Marlo and Moondragon at Marlo's apartment, where Lorraine appears again, who only Marlo can see. Una Rogg tells Marv more about her relationship with Ronan, before he meets with the son of Blastarr, disposing of him easily before the arrival of Blastarr himself, who Cap Marv doesn't have such an easy time with.

Initial Thoughts:
This book was almost not in this rating, instead to be given to the Thunderbolts. However after further consideration, I think I needed to give the writer and artist their due credit that this book is worthy of. Readers are able to catch up to what's going on, and even stuff like Lorraine's death, which even I forgot, was brought up in a well done continuation of the sub-plot. I'm also interested to see what Moondragon is needed for in the future.

The Good:
Chriss Cross's art just gets better and better each issue. I'm not too keen about Captain Marvel's hairstyle, but he captures the images of everyone in the book well. His fight scenes and the two pages with Una Rogg and Genis exploring the universe were particularly nice. Peter David has done a good job of keeping track of all the sub-plots running around, also, I like the fact that Genis probably knows that the Supreme Intelligence wants that radiation for his own use, but is willing to do it anyway to try to get Rick back to normal, a nice point to truly show the friendship between the 2 of them.

The Bad:
I'll be frank here. The only reason why this book wasn't Funniest book of the Week was because David put in a "TMI" (too much information) joke which appears twice in the book, which I didn't really catch. Maybe I'm not up to date about these jargon stuff, but David shouldn't assume everyone knows what he's talking about. The other thing, couldn't David have brought in another villian? Blastarr is really boring, and overused in most cosmic plots.

In Conclusion:
I have to say that only Spyboy seems to be collecting PAD's TPB's efficiently, and not done by DC over in Young Justice or Captain Marvel, where it really should be done. It's a good super-hero book, about a new hero trying to find his place and role, with a really rich supporting cast and a great artist and excellent dialogue. Don't miss this!

Orpheus Rising #3
Frequency Rating: 5/10 Medium Frequency
writer: Alex Simmons, artists: Dwayne Turner and Danny Miki
reviewed by Daryl Tay

Summary of events:
Batman finds a guy dead, with Orpheus nearby, and immediately assumes that Orpheus did it. They find evidence of another gun of the shooter whokilled the guy, yet another cop. Orpheus reveals that he's there to represent the African Americans, the minority in Gotham, but the Bat says he doesn't discriminate who he protects. The police get more and more anxious to solve the mystery of the cop killer, and Orpheus makes a visit to the police station to get some information. Both Bats and Orpheus hear word of yet another cop shooting, and go to investigate, but the guy's already dead.

Initial Thoughts:
I like the idea of introducing yet another member to the Bat family, and Orpheus sounds like he's a good candidate, and he does bring up a valid point, none of the bat-team are Black. The series started off well, but dragging in everyone in the GCPD wasn't a good idea, and it's getting to be worse and worse.

The Good:
I think Dwayne Turner gives the book a proper gritty, street-like feel to the book. Simmons has done a good job in introdcing a new hero with his own technology and skill as well as equipment to join Bat's war on crime, and he is rather likable, with a good outlook to fight crime, and protect the minority in Gotham.

The Bad:
There are so many cops around, I think I'm not the only reader who can't make out who's who. Orpheus is a new character, the new commissioner is a new character, the cops don't appear on a regular basis in the bat books, the readers have no reason to know who is who, and thus, can't follow what's going on. Turner's art also makes it hard to distinguish who's who, merely by faces.

In Conclusion:
Though I like Orpheus, I hope this doesn't turn into a monthly, 'cause there's no way I can have enough finance to follow it for so long. I can't decide if I really like him yet, but I have to say that so far the character has been enjoyable, and likable.

Sojourn #4
Mordath Unleashed
Frequency Rating: 5/10 Medium Frequency
writer: Ron Marz, artists: Greg Land and Drew Geraci

Summary of events:
As a troll explains how they lost Arwyn and Gareth to Mordath, Neven, the strange woman who saved both of them last issue explains why she did so. She says she wants Mordath opposed, and she tells them of Mordath's resurrection by a figure, thus giving him that ridiculous sigil on his forehead. She then gives Arwyn Ayden's bow, and more trolls are reaching their location, to kill them all.

Initial Thoughts:
Usually when I review, my 'In Conclusion' section is the shortest of all, when 'Summary of Events' is the shortest, you just know that content wise, this issue hadn't much to boast. This month's First from Crossgen was easily better than this, and Sojourn is quickly turning from a book which had much potential, to a book which has less and less potential, and generally a weak read, with pretty and not much more.

The Good:
Everytime I regret the loss of Greg Land on Nightwing and Birds of Prey, I'm lifted by his work on Sojourn on Crossgen, which truly his most astounding work yet. A nice point in the story was the giving of Ayden's bow to Arwyn, readers can actually feel the awe at the revealing of the bow. And I'm a huge sucker for archers, and I bet Arwyn is gonna join the ranks of Hawkeye and Connor Hawke as a few of my favourite characters.

The Bad:
Sometimes when I read Crossgen books... I reach the end and then think 'that quick?' This was true for Sojourn #4. The art is great, but plot-wise, it needs more work. Yeah sure, some guy with glowing orange eyes touched Mordath on the head and he's now alive again, everyone knows that what's the big deal? After this we're shown more trolls which sets the scene for yet another fight next issue, and we've already seen one per issue so far.

In Conclusion:
Somehow, Sojourn is getting the largest and warmest welcome from consumers. I'm not surprised, 'cause this is giving many people what they want, a truly fantasy-based comic book which you know is going to come out on time, unlike other types which have tried that. Think: Battle Chasers. However, I think so far, it hasn't lived up to it's hype. Ron Marz hasn't been as an astounding writer as other writers over at Crossgen like Mark Waid. Honestly, his work on Green Lantern was boring, and taking on more than 1 book a month really just doesn't do it for him. I'd prefer he just try his best to write one book, write it well, and make everyone happy.

Last Week:

We blew our budget out, but went back this week to get Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #7. The annual started out as pretty standard fare, but somewhere along the line attracted wild contributors. This issue stands out because Garth Ennis contributes a story, parodying Aliens. Just wanted to alert you Ennis fans to go back and get it, though out of character for Ennis, nobody gets buggered.

 

 

Derek McCaw

 

 

 

All comics were reviewed by Derek McCaw unless otherwise noted.

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