Preview: Left on Mission #5
(On-sale: 11/21/07) — Coming to you from BOOM! Studios, we get the final issue of this remarkably good spy story. Although I guess with this issue, I’d have to describe it as half spy story, half noir. Things come to a messy end and not everyone comes out alive as series lead Eric has a reunion with his femme fatal Emma, as she explains what she’s done. Writer Chip Mosher does a good job making the reader understand what the characters are going though, and paces the story perfectly. The ending becomes very emotional without being melodramatic. Artist Fancesco Francavilla‘s work reminds one of Michael Lark or Alex Maleev, with very realistic renditions of the locales, and a good handle on the characters. This has been a very enjoyable story, and if you missed the first four issues, definitely be on the look out for the trade when it comes out. —4 out of 5

PULL LIST 11-14-07 Preview: Left on Mission #5 Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together World War Hulk #5 All Star Superman #9 DMZ #25 JLA Classified #46 Marvel Comics Presents #3

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together
The title is a good description of the plot of this volume, as Scott is forced to make some grown up decisions. Scott’s relationship is going well, but friends from the past of both Scott and Ramona threaten to split them up. Meanwhile, Scott is forced to find a job, and a new apartment while dealing with a silent samurai and a half ninja who is trying to kill him. There’s a bit of a darker tone to the book, as the characters deal with things they might not want to, but are forced to do because of the circumstances. That’s not to say that it doesn’t follow in the tradition of the first three volumes, as there’s still plenty of comedy, video game references, and a light hearted sweetness the permeates the whole book. Creator Bryan Lee O’Malley maintains the manga feel of the art, while bringing his own personality. If you’re a fan of this series, you’ve probably already read this at least once. If you’ve never experienced this series before, find all four volumes right now and enjoy. This is one of the best series being published, and may be the model for comics in a few years. Now, I just have to wait for the next one. —5 out of 5

World War Hulk #5
And so another massive event comes to an end, and while it does set up several new stories, I’m satisfied because it has a decent ending. The Hulk and the Sentry go at it, using all of New York City as their playground. The tragedy comes to an end when it is revealed just who killed the Hulk’s wife and the rest of his followers, and why they did it. John Romita Jr.‘s art is still the best thing about this mini. His art throughout all five issues has brought it to the next level, making the reader feel every impact. Greg Pak‘s script is decent enough, although you don’t want to look too hard at the details, or it starts to fall apart. I also have to give credit to Marvel, because for this series, you could just read the mini and know what’s going on. All the extra books were there for people who wanted them, but weren’t necessary. This is the model for all event books; find a quick artist who can deliver on time, with a short, exciting story that stands on its own. —4 out of 5

All Star Superman #9
The best way to describe this issue is to call it a really excellent steak that is just a bit too small to satisfy your hunger. I don’t have to say again that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely are at the top of their game here, with Morrison’s crazy ideas coming a mile a minute and Quitely’s pencils masterfully bringing those ideas to life. This issue brings us a story of Superman dealing with two Kryptonians who replace him while he was away on Bizarro world the last few issues. Except these Kryptonians are kind of jerks, and want to enslave humanity and rebuild Krypton. Superman of course finds a way to stop them; my only problem is that it wraps up a bit too quickly. The pacing on this issue is a bit weird, but Quitely’s work helps to smooth that over. Still the only Superman title I find worth reading. —4 out of 5

DMZ #25
I never thought I’d see it, but this is an issue of DMZ that I didn’t enjoy. Usually one of the best series on the stands, this issue let me down, mostly due to the art. Fill in art on this issue is provided by Danijel Zezelj, whose work is muddy and hard to follow. His faces are indistinct and I had a hard time following who was who. It didn’t help that the story was kind of boring. It followed the rise of a man named Wilson, who rises from the ranks of the Chinese mafia to become a warlord in the DMZ. I imagine this will be important later, but the way this story is told makes it feel kind of pointless. Still, one bad issue and a ton of good issues do not stop me from recommending the series. —2 out of 5

JLA Classified #46
I picked up the last five issues on account of Rick Leonardi‘s art, and I’m glad I did because the story turned out to be pretty decent. Justin Gray gives us a story of the Martian Manhunter dealing with the neural clone of his crazy dead brother, the one that killed all the other Martians. This issue is the big throw down as the brother has taken control of J’onn’s body, and is trying to get the JLA to kill him. It really shows how bad ass MM can be if he allowed himself to, but also shows the character in a very good light. If there were more stories like this, MM may be able to carry his own series. As it stands he works well in this short story. I’m glad I picked this up. —3 out of 5

Marvel Comics Presents #3
MCP continues along, with Vanguard and the Hellcat stories being the high point, Weapon Omega being the weak point, and the one off story being decent but unspectacular. This issues one off story deals with Magneto in the past and while the cover promises the origin of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, that’s hardly what we get. It’s another forgettable story. Fortunately, the issue is saved by the Vanguard story, which takes another interesting turn, and the Hellcat story, which continues to be fun and superbly drawn by Stuart Immonen. Still enough of a good time to keep me coming back, but still waiting to see if this continues to be strong. —3 out of 5