Matt Fraction totally dominates this week’s pull list. Hawkeye is the big shining gem in the bunch, and there are a few titles I’m considering dropping after all this AvX stuff shakes out. More after the cut!

 

Avengers Academy #36

Avengers Academy #36

Christos N. Gage, Tom Grummett, Giuseppe Camuncoli

The kids of the Avengers Academy fight to restore their powers, which could kill Veil. Part 3 of 4, I think the next issue is the final issue of Avengers Academy. I wonder how that will shake out, and if post AvX they’ll do some new hero-school type comic (like Avengers Initiative or Academy).

 

 

Dark Avengers #180

Dark Avengers #180 (Formerly: Thunderbolts)

Jeff Parker, Declan Shalvey, John Tyler Christopher

I love Thunderbolts. Unfortunately, this isn’t Thunderbolts. Half this story takes place in some third world neighbor of Latveria, and the other half takes place in an alternate future, which also happens to be a tribute to 2000 AD, with the descendents/clones of Luke Cage as the “bosses” (read: judges). Losing interest.

 

Defenders #10

Defenders #10

Matt Fraction, Jamie Mckelvie, Terry Dodson

I have a new appreciation for Defenders, after listening to Kieron Gillen’s podcast, Decompressed. In one of the episodes, they discuss the Marvel Method with Matt Fraction, and how he and Jamie Mckelvie have been using that process for Defenders. It works doubly well for this kind of psychedelic old-school art they’ve been using for the past few issues, I really like it. Only two more issues, though, #12 will be the final issue of Defenders.

 

 Fairest #7

Fairest #7

Bill Willingham, Shawn McManus, Adam Hughes

The Lamia. I think this is a one-shot Fables/Fairest story, it seemed fairly self-contained, but could lead to something more in the future. It’s told in a gritty, gumshoe noir, with Beast as the investigator in a race to find The Lamia before his British rival, St George the Dragon Killer, does first.

 

Hawkeye #2

Hawkeye #2

Matt Fraction, David Aja

Hawkeye (Clint Barton) teams up with Hawkeye (Kate Bishop, from Young Avengers). Like the previous (AMAZING!) issue, this one is spent entirely out of costume. The Hawkeyes investigate a ritzy circus show with a large number of criminals in attendance. This was perfect. The story, dialogue, panel layout, pacing, everything. There’s literally a 24-panel page in this book, Fraction and Aja get some serious shit done when paired together.

 

 

Invincible Iron Man #524

Invincible Iron Man #524

Matt Fraction, Salvador Larroca

Shit’s going down, starting here. Very excited to see the other shoe drop in the next issue(s?). A little disappointed in the J.A.R.V.I.S. reveal, unless it turns out to be something else. I have my suspicions.

 

 

Sweet Tooth #37

Sweet Tooth #37

Jeff Lemire

Three more issues, with #40 being a double-sized finale. I’m looking forward to seeing this wrapped up, but there’s not a lot to talk about in this issue, it’s mostly fallout from the big reveal at the end of the last one. The final story, Holy War, begins in the next issue.

 

X-Factor #243

X-Factor #243

Peter David, Leonard Kirk, David Yardin

A flashback for Polaris, Peter David continues to just fuck up the lives of X-Factor characters, building to his promise of a story that gathers all his unresolved plot threads, and ends them together. We shall see.

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