X-Treme X-Men #1
Written by Greg Pak
Pencils by Stephen Segovia
Inks by Dennis Crisostomo
Colors by Jessica Kholinne
Letters by VC’s Joe Sabino
Covers by Julian Totino Tedesco and Salvador LaRrocca with Marte Garcia
Marvel Comics
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

After reading X-Treme X-Men #1, I found myself doing something I haven’t done in years….actually CARING about the X-Men. Although I’m a huge fan of “The Wolverine,” the X-Men as a whole, seems to bore me. I haven’t really cared about them since the late 80s/early 90s when it was Beast, Angel, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Iceman. I’ve tried a bunch of differnt times to get back into them, almost every reboot or restart, to fail time and time again…until now.

Writer Greg Pak writes a VERY entertaining first issue, actually a very entertaining issue in general, here putting a spin on the X-Men team that we haven’t quite gotten before. A team of X-Men from a different dimension are sent on a mission by a Charles Xavier floating head to destroy 10 different Charles Xaviers across the multiverse.

The New Avengers: Luke Cage – Town Without Pity
Trade Paperback
Written by John Arcudi, various
Art by Eric Canete & Pepe Larraz, various
Colors by Chuck Chuckry, Andres Mossa, various
Letters by Joe Sabino, Various
Price: $14.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release date: September 22, 2010

Luke Cage’s most recent solo adventure is the lead story collected in this trade paperback. The cover is a bit misleading because it implies that Ronin (now Hawkeye again) and Spider-Man play a major part in the series. Actually, they mainly appear in the first issue.

The story takes place during the end of the Superhuman Registration Act era in the Marvel Universe. Luke Cage gets a call from his old friend Leodis Dyson. Dyson is beaten and hospitalized by gangsters in North Philadelphia, so Cage travels to Philly to help Dyson out. After he arrives, he encounters a much deeper scandal that involves corrupt politicians, gangs, and the return of a classic Luke Cage villain.

Thor #610
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Art by: Doug Braithwaite
Colors by: Andy Troy, Doug Braithwaite, & Paul Mounts
Letters by: Joe Sabino
Cover by: Mico Suayan & Laura Martin
Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 26, 2010

Well Thor enthusiasts, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the wrap up of Siege in Thor #610 was very well done and Kieron Gillen is doing an awesome job keeping up with almost all aspects from issue #1 of J. Michael Straczynski’s run. The bad news is we had an art change and I for one don’t feel like Doug Braithwaite is fully grasping all the characters yet.

This Siege Epilogue did a great job of wrapping up all of the things covered in Siege. but I do wish there was a little more set up for the future of the book. There is some dialogue that foreshadows but it is in the slowest section of the book. My favorite parts are with Kelda and Valkyrie going to see Bill in his afterlife, Volstagg trying to make up for his mistake, and Thor being welcomed back just as Ragnarok needs to be defeated.