THE WEEK IN COMICS: MAR. 7

I was mistaken last week - the debut issue of "Season 8" of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes out this week. But there was still plenty of interest in last week's batch of comics...

52 #44 - The focus stays in Khandaq as the rest of the Four Horseman show up to do battle with Black Adam and Isis, with another casualty that portends a different Black Adam will be around from now on - with dire consequences for the DCU. We check in with Renee Montoya at the end of the issue, as she takes up the mantle of The Question with heavy heart and reservations. It's another solid issue as we hurtle towards the conclusion of the series - only 8 issues and a side mini-series left.

Justice League of America #6 - Here's the end of the opening storyline by Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes (well, it will be truly concluded in the next issue). The soon-to-be League fights Amazo and Red Tornado battles against Solomon Grundy, with Reddy having to give up his newly-found humanity. It's a pretty decent payoff to the whole story and I'm interested to see where the book goes from here (a crossover with the JSA is looming, I know).

Criminal #5 - Another end to a story - this one is quite brutal, as Leo shows that he's not quite the coward everyone has made him out to be. It's a dark story and it doesn't end well for Leo, even if he wished for it to end badly in a different way. This is a great comic and I would recommend everyone pick up the upcoming trade of this "Coward" storyline. The book takes a month off and then comes back with a new story - looking forward to it!

Authority #2 - Months later, here's the second issue of the rebirth of this series by Grant Morrison and Gene Ha. We actually catch up with the group here and find that they appear to be in our world. Things fall apart by the end of the issue. This is the revolutionary take on the group you would expect from Morrison but I'm still enjoying it enough to keep on picking it up.

Captain America #25 - You may have heard about this one in the news, as it got a lot of coverage and actually spoiled the contents before it arrived in stores. I was lucky enough to be at the comics shop a little earlier than usual (we had band practice) and was able to snag one of the three remaining copies. It's a really good story by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's art is fantastic (he's long been underrated by the general comics-reading population). I've been meaning to pick up the trades of their run and now will have to make it a priority. I'm also going to keep reading.

The Mighty Avengers #1 - I picked this up on a whim, having heard some good things about it online. I've always enjoyed Brian Michael Bendis' writing and have been a fan of the Avengers over the years, whether I was reading the book or not. This is now the second Avengers title and it spins out of Marvel's big Civil War book in which the super-hero population was split over heroes having to register with the government. This group is put together by the side that won, led by Iron Man. He picks Ms. Marvel to lead the new team and the issue intercuts their decision-making process with the new team's first battle against a slew of giant monsters. I thought it was pretty effective and Bendis even used a new technique for him (and one that has fallen out of favor) - the thought balloon. I always liked thought balloon. Art is by Frank Cho but what really clinches it for me is the presence of Wonder Man, always one of my favorite Avengers. I will probably come back for #2.