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THE PULL LIST – AQUAMAN #3, SUPERMAN #3, SECRET AVENGERS #19 AND MORE!

Check out what I checked out this week.

Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.

Welcome to The Pull List.

And, as always…Spoilers ahead!

Aquaman #3 (Pick of the Week)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Ivan Reis & Joe Pardo
Color: Rod Reis
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Aquaman and Mera take the fight to the Trench, and along the way they search for answers from a man who tried to kill Arthur many years ago.

The populace still thinks he is a joke despite helping them fend off the Trench.

That worked for the first two issues, but now it’s just annoying. We discover new and deadly things about the Trench creatures. They have no redeeming qualities and they simply want to eat. Dead or alive, nothing is safe from their appetite. I will never complain about the art work of Ivan and Rod Reis. They beautifully illustrate Aquaman’s father watching the morning sun rise it sparkles off the water. The orange sky provided the perfect touch to this amazing panel. We go to the next opposite extreme where the leader of the Trench lets out a horrifying order to his troops, ordering them to “bring the food home.”

The story gets better with each issue and make sure you tune in next month where we finally see the home of these deranged carnivores.

Grade: A

The Secret Avengers #19
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano & Brian Thies
Colors: Jose Vallarrubia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price $3.99

Warren Ellis produces another clever self-contained story that is entertaining from beginning to end.

Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Sharon Carter and Moon Knight attempt to prevent the sale of super soldier serum to the Shadow Council.

To make things “easier” for the Avengers, henchmen belonging to the group who are selling the product have taken the serum. If that doesn’t sell you, well, Moon Knight bought a hooker. Let your imagination go wild with that one. Vallarrubia’’s coloring serves as the perfect aesthetic for the stylish artwork provided by Lark, Gauduano and Thies. I’m a stickler when it comes to the $3.99 pricing tag on comic books but Secret Avengers is consistently worth the price of admission.

Grade: A-

Wolverine and the X-Men #2
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Chris Bachalo
Colors: Chris Bachalo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99

What happens when you have been a staple in an institution like the X-Men for so long that you eventually do no more than go through the motions?

Your reputation buys you more credit than most, but someone is watching.

This watcher tells you that your best is not good enough anymore and it’s time for you to be great. Two weeks prior to the events in this issue, Bobby Drake gets the talk of his life from Wolverine and tells him he wants Bobby to be the glue that holds the X-Men together and nothing else will do. Bobby blows it off by saying, “yeah, yeah I hear ya.”

The Hellfire Cub unleashed an onslaught of epic proportions against the Westchester Institute. While Iceman is in the midst of battle, he thinks about what Logan said and realizes he is right. Bobby Drake digs down deep sand hows the world a new power he never knew he had. There a little too much going on at times during the fighting, but I believe that was done by design. The page layouts were filled with a crazy amount of action. Despite this, the main focus of the story does not get lost in the scuffle.

Grade: B

Batman: The Dark Knight #3
Writer: Paul Jenkins, David Finch
Art: David Finch & Richard Friend
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

The hardcore comic book fan in me would normally tell you to save your money. It’s not a bad book by any stretch but the series has fallen short compared to the other three Batman books.

There is nothing clever or intriguing about the story of a lady dressed as a white rabbit stripper who seems to have the Caped Crusader’s number at every turn.

If these three sentences have already convinced you to not buy this book then hold on because I’m going to go a different route with this one. The DC reboot is designed to draw in new fans. People who are looking for less complexity in their comics will enjoy The Dark Knight. Clayface turns into a ridiculously jacked version of the Joker, stripper rabbit injects Bats with a lethal toxin that only Poison Ivy should know about and Flash comes to the rescue. It’s a fun adventure that is not hard to follow at all.

Grade: B-

Voodoo #3
Writer: Ron Marz
Art: Sami Basri
Color: Jessica Kholinne
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

The gist of the story is this: Voodoo is a half alien, half human hybrid who is on a secret mission that will put earth in terrible danger. This issue picks up as is she on the run from the “Black Razors”.

She finds her Earth contacts, and in the middle of their discussion, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) crashes the party.

Voodoo and the rest of her extra-terrestrial colleagues hate humans and have a low opinion of them. When Ryner captures her, Voodoo yells at him about all humans being evil. GL is confused by this because her feelings don’t appear to be organic. He sets her free to prove that not all humans are evil. She tries to convince herself that it was Rayner’s human arrogance that set her free but her eyes tell a different story. The art reminds me of the work seen in Justice League Dark. The colors have a shadowy tone and the art is simple and enjoyable. We still don’t know what Voodoo and her race have in store for our planet and we still don’t know why they hate us so much.

The U.S. government and the Guardians of Oa are on her trail which tells you there is more to worry about than we realize and each issue is getting us a little closer to finding out the truth.

Grade: C+

Green Lantern: New Guardians #3
Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Tyler Kirkham, Harvey Talibao & Batt
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Kyle Ryner is reaping the benefits and side effects for harnessing the power of the entire emotional spectrum. Salaak shows just how loyal he is to the corps and agent orange rears his ugly head once again. Bedard’s writing in this series provides an entertaining story that keeps you guessing.

Ganthet is no longer Rayner’s friend and has attempted to strip him of his rank but an unexpected firewall prevents him from doing so. The art and colors are dark when they need to be and especially bright and vibrant when needed. The dialog really got over how dangerous the orange ring is when the guardians virtually laughed off the threat of the individual rings and proceeded with caution when dealing with the orange ring constructs.

Rayner’s status with the guardians will never be the same and their behavior suggests that perhaps new guardians are needed, hence the title of the series.

Grade: B

Superman #3 (Shelf-Listed: Disappointment of the Week)
Writer: George Perez
Art: Trevor Scott & Nicola Scott
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

It pains me to say this for a second straight month but don’t waste your time and money on this issue. This story is all over the place and just plain boring.

There are some references to Action Comics #4, which is not even out yet. Superman fights yet another mysterious alien who might be from Krypton.

This monster is pretty much Mr. Freeze on steroids. While battling the alien, Superman complains about his suit not being able to with withstand the cold temperature. This was the record scratch moment that ruined it for me. Superman can fly in outer space without wincing but he bitches when it’s -30 degrees?

Looks like Stormwatch’s Apollo is the real Superman of the new 52.

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