Thunderbolts#138:After the completely awful last issue, new writer Jeff Parker starts his new run on the Thunderbolts by... doing absolutely nothing new with the team and letting his first issue become nothing but filler. This issue was completely disappointing and nothing Parker did with the team seemed to matter. The few interesting parts of the issue were of Ghost manipulating the team to his own ends, but I already knew that Ghost was awesome and manipulative. The issue has Ghost goading Mr. X into going on a killing spree along the Venezuelan border. The other Thunderbolts go after him, fighting ensues, blah blah blah. The art is fine, but the writing is just mediocre and uninteresting. I suggest staying away from the Thunderbolts until they finally begin their inevitable Civil War against each other.

Grade: 5.5( out of 10)

Amazing Spider-Man#612: It's here! The Gauntlet arc that has been hyped for months is finally here! And... it's good. Surprisingly good. The first part of the storyline is a small arc called Power to the People which sees Electro, long time villain, becoming... champion of the people? Apparently, after years of using his electrical powers, Max Dillon can no longer control them; alternating between powerful bursts and periods of no power, he has run out of options and aims his anger at Dexter Bennet, newspaper fat cat. Anyway, the writing is good; I'll read just about anything Mark Waid writes and his characterization of Electro is interesting. The art is similar to Steve Ditko's style which definitely helps the current arc. However, sometimes the panels looked odd and out of place compared with the rest of the issue. Also, the people accept Electro's new idealogy very quickly and it made me feel as if I'd skipped a few pages. Overall, a good, unfortunately not great start to The Gauntlet storyline.

Grade: 8.6 (out of 10)

Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth#6: The weakest Deadpool series currrently running once again brings in another sub-par issue. This month continues the (far too long already) 6-issue arc that has seen Deadpool meet with his zombie counterpart "Headpool". While the idea seems solid and the art is a good match for a Deadpool book, the main problem continues to be the pacing of events. I think that the arc could have been reduced to a 4-issue arc instead of dragging out events that can be described in one sentence. Example: Deadpool runs from HYDRA and A.I.M in space. Done. That is literally the entire issue. While the humor hits a high note in a hilarious sequence that has Deadpool threatening "Bill, agent of A.I.M", (cousin of Bob, agent of HYDRA), the pacing is constantly distracting. It's really not worth $2.99, and it is definitely a series that could benefit from a more hands-on editor. It's truly unfortunate that the series hasn't resolved its pacing issues; hopefully, later issues will benefit from less of a constricted storyline.

Score: 4.5 (out of 10)

Amazing Spider-Man#611: Joe Kelly returns to the character he made great in this week's Amazing Spider-Man. Deadpool vs. Spider-Man! Let me go on record to say that BND didn't bother me in the slightest. Ok, that's a lie, I admit I absolutely hated Freak; but, underneath all the controversy, it has been a surprisingly good set of books beginning with New Ways to Die and culminating in the American Son arc. Other than the first 6 months of books, the decision to break up Peter's marriage seems to have only made Amazing into a book that I actually look forward to every week. This issue was no different: a prelude to The Gauntlet storyline that really wasn't necessary, the issue is really hilarious. From Lady Stilt-Man to an apocalyptic bout of Yo Momma jokes, this issue was absolutely bizarre. However, there are some really annoying boxes every few panels that are really unnecessary and try to hard to be funny. I don't know if Kelly was involved in these or if these were strictly the Editors' ideas. Either way they took away the issue's comedic edge. Also, the art. While it was energetic, something which is required for any comic Deadpool appears in, it was also kind of hard to tell what was going on at times. Overall, a good interlude and The Gauntlet arc looks incredibly good.

Grade: 8.5 (out of 10)

Deadpool#17: Daniel Way's hilarious insanity continues it's streak of comedic gold on the newest arc in which our resident Merc with a Mouth joins the X-Men. Yes, that's right, he joins the X-Men. Deadpool, along with Spider-Man, and the Bendis tales, is one of the few titles to greatly benefit from Dark Reign. Now, personally, I've enjoyed the events and Dark Reign has been one of the more interesting events of the last few years, yet even I have to say that there has been an over saturation of tie-ins. Deadpool's run in with Hawkeye (formally Bullseye) was easily the funniest thing I'd read in months. While the current arc is still quite funny, unfortunately it pales in comparison to the past arc. Still, it's worth reading for the exasperation Deadpool is always able inflict on the X-Men.

Grade: 7.3 (out of 10)

Dark X-Men#1: Marvel's final? Dark-Reign tie-in mini series, Dark X-Men came with a lot of hype. Does it deliver? Not really. With the most interesting characters having jumped ship to the real X-Men, (Emma Frost, Cloak, Dagger, Namor) and Daken no longer on the team, the series is forced to make do with perpetual B-list characters. While not necessarily a bad situation, see Thunderbolts for an excellent example, the writer seems unsure how to write the team. Weapon Omega's powers seem odd and disjointed and his personality even more so. Dark Beast is a stereotypical caricature of the mad scientist, Mystique is the token manipulator, and Mimic has no personality as of yet. While this issue wasn't terrible- the plot device used brings back a pretty major former X-MAN, the issue was still underwhelming. Lastly, I don't understand why Daken couldn't remain on the team as Wolverine is usually in 90 comics a month.

Grade: 6.7( out of 10)

Locke and Key, Crown of Shadows#1: The third miniseries by acclaimed writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, this book remains one of the most original ideas out there. The story focuses primarily on the Locke family, whose patriarch was killed by a crazed student. Moving to Key House in the grimly named Lovecraft, they begin to discover magical keys that hold wondrous powers and the evil that was sealed in the house. In this issue, the Locke family hardly appear, leaving the main storyline to follow Dodge- the now freed antagonist, and his interactions with the ghostly Sam Lesser- the now deceased murdering student. Joe Hill uses this issue to expand on Sam's character, one that hasn't really been shown more than the obligatory my parents abused me shtick. Along with that, some clues are given as to who exactly Dodge is and why he does what he does. Although some exclaim that Rodriguez's art is cartoony, I think his style perfectly matches how quickly a familiar scene can turn gruesome. This issue was not without its faults however, the ghost fight was fine and all, but I would have preferred to see more of the Locke family than just a few issues.

Grade: 9.1(out of 10)

Fables#90: Nearing the 100 issue milestone, Willingham continues to impress with his modern twist on the fairy tale genre. The current arc, Witches, brings about some characterization from a group that Willangham has neglected to expand upon before: the group of sorcerers that (used to) reside on the 13th floor. Parallel to this arc, Bufkin the Flying Monkey (of The Wizard of Oz fame) continues his war against Baba Yaga in the Woodlands Building. Needless to say, both arcs are interesting, although Witches is clearly the one stands above the other and the one that will more heavily impact future storylines. Lastly, Buckingham's art is simply amazing; adding beautiful borders to his already striking panels, his art is instantly recognizable. His style perfectly blends with Willingham's own. While new readers will have trouble understanding either this post or the present arc, Willingham pushes Fables into unfamiliar territory and for that I'm thankful.

Grade: 9.4 (out of 10)