THE WEEK IN COMICS: FEB. 7

There was a problem with the local shipment last week (thanks, UPS), so there were no new comics until Thursday. I wonder if the current snowstorm will affect this week's as well. Anyway, here's what I grabbed last week...

52 #40 - The majority of this issue was taken up with the long-coming showdown between Steel and the newly-powered Lex Luthor. Steel has had problems with Luthor handing out super-powers and then taking them away; his niece Natasha had also gone to Luthor's side and served in Infinity Inc. until recently. It's an action issue, touching on those personal contentions along the way. It's resolved. Positively. There's also a brief coda with Osiris and Sobek. It's a good issue and part of that is due to the art of Chris Batista and two inkers. If I could write a DC book, I'd love to have Batista as my partner.

Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #2 - Yeah, that's a long title, isn't it? I only read the first two issues of Book One, so I'm not 100% on the storyline but that's okay. It's Astro City, one of my all-time favorite comics. This issue deals with a gangwar, the new breed of costumed vigilantes, cosmic happenings, and two brothers mixed up in it all on different sides of the law. Good stuff.

Fell #7 - This is the first issue published in a while. It's an issue-long interrogation scene that looks like it's going Det. Fell's way...until it doesn't. No back matter by Ellis this time, only an ad for Casanova. But hey, it's a good issue and only costs $1.99. Quality comics at a very affordable price.

Action Comics Annual #10 - I can't remember how long it's been since I bought an Annual. 6 years or more, I'm guessing. There's only one long story in here, that of a young Clark's meeting with Mon-El. Mon-El is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes (or at least my Legion), so this might bode well. It's a solid story too with great art from Eric Wright (I bought his new graphic novel, My Dead Girlfriend, this week as well). The other short stories and features give hints about upcoming storylines in Action Comics and are all interesting. Now if they could only get the regular book out in a timely manner...