Looks like a pretty solid format has been nailed for the pull list! I’ll be highlighting at least 3 comics from each publisher each week, but I’ll be featuring as an aside other books. I won’t tell you everything, but I’ll tell you what’s coming out that I enjoy and that I think you should check out…not that you shouldn’t check out what’s not in the list!
Yes, I know, I usually have thumbnails of the covers up, but as I’m writing this, my head is exploding with pain. I’ll get them up soon-ish.
It’s another week, so that means it’s time to look into my mind and see what I’m picking up this week. Sounds fun, huh? Of course it is. The titles in bold are the ones I highly recommend you pick up. As usual, check out Chris’s pull list for a more detailed look into this week’s comics.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Starring: Kristin Kreuk, Neal McDonough, Michael Clark Duncan, Taboo, Robin Shou, Chris Klein, Moon Bloodgood
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Writer: Justin Marks
It wasn’t that long ago that “Street Fighter” dominated everything. The arcade games have always been something special, for sure. After all, the first one used revolutionary (read: gimmicky) air buttons that would change the strength of an attack based on how hard you hit them. The first take of “Street Fighter II” had people lined up at arcades for hours. Then, there was “Street Fighter II’(Dash)”, on the arcades and home consoles, and honestly if you’ve never played this, then CLOSE THE BROWSER RIGHT NOW. You’re not really going to enjoy anything on this site, because you have no soul. But after that you had the Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, and then recently Street Fighter 4, which Derk really, really loves.
Young X-Men #12
Story: End of Days
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Pencils: Rafa Sandoval & Daniel Acuña
Inks: Roger Bonet & Daniel Acuña
Colors: Ulises Arreola & Daniel Acuña
After just a year of stories, the Young X-Men are an end again. Young X-Man Dust is dead (relax, she gets better) and a lot of other X-Men cameo. The unfortunate fact of the matter is, we’re doing this again. This has been a great title with interesting characters, and a wonderful place in the X-Universe as Cyclops tries to train what could very well be the last generation of X-Men. Unfortuantly, Marvel doesn’t seem to feel the same way. There’s also some pretty unnerving sequences drawn by Daniel Acuña that are set in the futrue, showing the price paid for Dust’s revival, and needless to say its a pretty crappy outcome for such a beloved character.
I really can’t stress how sad it is to see this book go, and these characters be shuffled away, again. Like Anole says in the book, the Young X-Men seem to exist solely to be cannon fodder. Hopefully, Marvel will realize soon that these characters have a far greater potential than they give them. This is still a good issue, but its tainted by the foreshadowing of Dust’s future and the knowledge that we’re waving good-bye to these characters a second time.
Final Grade: C
Azrael:Â Death’s Dark Knight #1 (Of 3)
Story:Â Book One: Simple Sacrifices
Writer: Fabien Nicieza
Artist: Frazier Irving
As I mentioned in last week’s Pull List, I was a pretty big fan of the Jean Paul Valley/Azrael character, who was introduced in the early 90s and served as a replacement to Batman in the now classic “Knightsaga” arc. Valley went on to his own solo series, lasting for 100 issues and culminating in his death.
Now, six years after the death of Jean Paul Valley, the Order of St. Dumas have chosen a new Angel of Vengence. “Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight” runs alongside the current “Battle For The Cowl” mini-series, prominantly featuring the characters and plot points of this arc. The new Azrael is chosen to spread “God’s justice” in Gotham, trying to avert the chaos in Gotham City in a decidedly more violent manner than the core Bat-family would be. He’s also been equipped with the pilfered Suit of Sorrows, first given to Batman in the “Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” storyline, and wields what is called the “Sword of Sin”, which he uses in the first page to decapitate a man. Needless to say, this is not the Jean Paul Valley Azrael by any stretch of the imagination.
Nicieza manages to craft an interesting story, pulling the mysterious new Azrael right in to the thick of the chaotic Gotham, torn apart by its missing Dark Knight, and quickly reminds and establishes why he’s accepted the Azrael guise. The art itself looks interesting, but the characters are rather oddly misshapen, and if you see a character out of a defining costume, they’re practically unrecognizable (I’m only fairly certain its Talia on the last page!).
This is a very good starting point for one of DC’s more popular characters; let’s face it, pretty much everyone knows of Azrael! I really recommend this, especially if you’re following Battle for the Cowl.
Final Grade: B
A little later than I’d like, but here it is nonetheless. Another week means brand new comics, so which ones am I picking up this week? Well, I guess you’ll have to read on to find out….please? Comic titles that are in bold are the ones I highly suggest you pick up.
DC
Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #1
Outsiders #16
Supergirl #39
Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man #588
Dark Avengers #3
Moon Knight #28
Punisher #3
Spider-Man Noir #4
Uncanny X-Men #507
Wolverine #71
Wolverine: Origins #34
X-Factor #41
X-Force #13
X-Men Legacy #222
Guys, let’s not even try to disguise the simple facts in life. I am a fat, fat man. And as such, cooking shows have intrigued and entertained me for some time. Its not just because I’m fat, mind you; I do have a legit interest in cooking, and tried some back of house work at the Ruby Tuesday that I worked at before leaving for greener pastures.
So I’ve spent the past few nights catching up on “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” on HULU. Fantastic, fascinating shows. So fascinating, I had to blog about them. While I’m watching them. Meta, no?
So, let’s talk about Gordon Ramsay first off. The man is an inspiration to cooking, and is clearly very good at what he does. He is also very clearly absolutly batshit insane. Dinner services on “Hell’s Kitchen” (abbreviated to HK during the intertitles after every tense moment ever) usually end only after Ramsay has run out of things to kick, hurl, or throw down in disgust, all while moaning and cursing like a sailor wishes he could curse.
But could you really blame him? The cooks chosen for “Hell’s Kitchen” are usually pretty incompetant. I just watched a woman hide about six beef wellingtons so she wouldn’t get yelled at for burning them. She didn’t throw them away, she didn’t fess up, she fucking hid them! What kind of logic tells an adult to do that?
“Kitchen Nightmares” is a bit of the same, but with Ramsay going to restaurants in distress. Its a shame we can’t get him to wander in to a Taco Bell or something, that would be absolutly hilarious, but we’re otherwise restricted to Ramsay speaking with owners of small, mom-and-pop restaurants that have mold everywhere, frozen food, and incompetant cooks.
I’ve watched a few episodes of the UK Kitchen Nightmares too, which aren’t on HULU, and its a bit of a shame we don’t have those, or something closer to them. They focus more on the cooking than Ramsay hurling plates across the room.
I’m really, really enjoying these shows. I tried recently watching “The Chopping Block” also, which stars Ramsay’s mentor Marco Pierre White, but its honestly not the same without Ramsay’s occasional swearing fest.
I guess that just confirms how American I am. NOW SHUT IT THE $&@# OFF!
Just like a few weeks ago, when Marvel unleashed an onslaught of Avengers titles, they’re doing it again this week: every X-Men title but Cable is coming out this week!! It seems like poor marketing, in my opinion. How could they possibly expect people who are fans of the books to afford all these? Ultimate X-Men and Young X-Men end this week, but next month will also see the launch of the revamped New Mutants, which we now know is going to feature Illyana Rasputin.
Meanwhile, over on the DC side of things, we’re getting our second Battle for the Cowl crossover, this week, and I’m really excited. I was a pretty big fan of Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael, and I’m eager to see if I’m right about who this new Azrael is, and how they’re going to handle the character. Judging by solicits on DC’s website, though, it looks like this one is going to be great.
That said, lets get going! Time for this week’s PULL LIST!