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)