The list this week was dominated by a pair of crazy Morrison acid trips and was surprisingly Marvel heavy.

• Is that a Metal Man in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
• Jimmy Olsen Rocks!
• Mattie Franklin is a bit of a "Bad Girl"
• Pass the marshmellows it's ghost story time at Xavier's
• Wait this isn't my past... sorry my bad... carry on

Click the read more link or the image for the rest of my random thoughts.

52 WEEK #49 $2.50

If Grant Morrison was writing the recently announced Metal Men movie I would buy my ticket now! Wow! That was amazing. I am sorry if I am wrong about this but this acid trip has Morrison all over it. I stood staring at what may be the coolest cover ever for probably a full five minutes embracing my inner nerd. And I do have to say that as if the plaid and polka dots weren't enough, the pipe completely made the outfit. I was so sad when they took away poor Will Magnus's pills, but man what a ride. I hope they launch a new Metal Men series and I hope someone with Morrison's twisted sense of humor writes it. Hey if they bring silver age Brainiac 5 in to this JLA/JSA/Legion crossover maybe he and Will Magnus and Mento from the Doom Patrol can form a sanity challenged scientists' support group.

I was a little freaked out that Chang Tzu is actually an egg... was that a yolk? I kinda thought he just looked like an egg... Continuing to add to last week's list of Darkseid hints, it is important to note that Chang Tzu has worked for Apokolips in the past. I have to ask Alan Scott though... If Chang Tzu is a member of the Great Ten... Shouldn't they be renamed the Great Eleven? The entire walk back from the shop (yes I couldn't wait to crack 52 until we got back... yes I know I should seek professional help) I was thinking that I must never have bothered to count them and had thus missed another big clue, but wikipedia lists ten members. Of course there have been several times when the Fantastic Four had Five or more members, so maybe it's more of a concept than a rule.

I love the Omnibot! I so want to see what T.O. Morrow is gonna do with it! And what did Sivana intend on using it for? My dad had both the Omnibot MKII and the Omnibot 2000 released in the 1980s. I think that the the Omnibot 2000 is still in my parent's attic somewhere.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN #7 $2.99

This is only the second multi part issue in this series and I have to say that with the long wait between issues I kind of prefer the one shots. However, this issue was still superb. Morrison is using a lot of the characters and relationships he has built up in the last 6 issues and allowing the previous issues plotlines to enrich the current story.

Jimmy Olsen is probably my favorite character in this series so far. He has all the smooth moves, hacking a blimp he intended to use to carry off his Christmas date, but instead using it to save the entire Daily planet senior staff, using only his watch to shut down the elevators in a bizzaro attack, making a direct call to the head of P.R.O.J.E.C.T. to get the 411 on the bizarros and actually getting through! To top it all off he's the one who comes up with the big plan to save the world. The boy is smooth. Too bad he apparently has to die ;-).

Did anyone else think Steve Lombard bore a striking resemblance to Stacy Keach another "man's man" with a drug problem... albeit of a different kind.

The scene with Lois is the snow was beautifully drawn and very touching. Frank Quitely's art is very good at capturing emotions. I was a little afraid Lois was going to get pneumonia with her dress flying all about, but that little kiss on the forehead before Superman takes off was just beautiful. I got a little emotional, but then I am a girl.

 

LONERS #1 (OF 6) $2.99

Very strong start. I was a little put off by the sheer amount of exposition and would have preferred either assuming the readers had read the Runaways arc (which I know is risky) or just allowing the characters to reveal themselves over time, but if it had to be done I think that the AA styles recovering teen super heroes support group worked pretty well.

I was a bit thrown by the fact that I work in a building on sunset that resembles the one Julie Power launches herself from and that Church may be one of the ones I pass on my way home. I am used to seeing places I visit all the time in magazines and on TV but somehow it is just spookier in comics.

The group has a lot of potential, most of the relationships seem to have stayed in tact. Ricochet is obviously still smitten with Julie. Mickey is still playing mom. I loved the addition of Mattie Franklin as the "Bad Girl." the team needs someone with a little edge since they no longer have the Runaways to play off of.

The issue itself aside from my groaning at the strategically placed exhibition (even the characters were protesting) was pretty strong. It established not only the main villain of the series, but most of the major character flaws and motivations of the characters. Mattie wants revenge, Darkhawk can't control himself, Ricochet wants Julie, Julie Power wants to have fun, Phil Urich has issues with assertiveness and self esteem and Mickey wants protect people from themselves especially after what happened with her fellow New Warriors. Add to this the fact that more than half the team maybe all are secretly using there powers and trying to hide it from the rest of the group and you end up with some good old fashioned juicy drama.

NEW X-MEN #37 $2.99

This hasn't really been my thing of late. In fact I have been trying to stay away from the core marvel universe as a whole for a while. My husband loves this title because he says it reminds him of the old Claremont days. This issue in fact was quite good. It was a mood issue designed to not only inform you of years of X-Men back story, but also to transition the reader from one style of story to another. It was incredibly well done. The whole issue was designed around a groups of younger students telling ghost stories around the fireplace... except one of them is not telling a story but a premonition. Pretty spooky. Throughout the book the students start to believe more and more in what is being told until finally the story catches up with them and and a demon army busts through the wall. It was a perfect set up reminding me of those creepiest of ghost stories that always ended with "...and he is standing right behind you!" I still can't deal with most of marvel's core continuity right now, but this particular issue was very well written.

NEWUNIVERSAL #5 $2.99

This issue is going to take me a while to process. There is a lot of information coming from the future, spirit guides and government agents. It's the kind of book that's like ice cream in that if you read it too fast it gives you a headache, but if you take your time it is very very rich.

Emmett Proudhawk's vision quest was beautifully drawn and very informative, but it was a little dull until you find out that he is actually a special operative for the C.I.A. I was totally caught off guard on that one, and it makes him suddenly much more relevant with all of the military action being set up against the newly emerged heroes.

In the same vein I absolutely loved the moment where Starbrand from the future, after a long and cliched speech to his younger self, realizes he's in the wrong past and just gives a simple "Oops." and transits out.

I still feel there is a lot going on here I need to process. I haven't had much experience with the New Universe outside of this series and Exiles so I may be missing stuff.