Superman Beyond: Zero Issue
Between the constant retelling of his birth, world-renowned deaths every few hundred issues and some serious time spent in his twilight years, Superman's aging is as shoddy as Lex Luthor's latest plot.
Mortality of a super-hero is an issue covered by writers far and wide, and while ex-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco does nothing to further the medium, his take on the aged Man of Steel has a few peaking moments of greatness.
Picking up a year after Supes left Earth on a journey of self-discovery, the world he once defended is an altered beast, reeking of crime, filth and abundant gang warfare. With the once-greatest defender of the planet on a year long vacation, using "all-out-warfare" to describe the place is an understatement.
DeFalco writes a slightly better than average tale and for every few rays of hope, he casts an inescapable shadow of dull-witted banter to accompany the rather serious undertones. Backed by artist Sal Buscema, the comic is intelligently drawn and inked but by no means noteworthy on its own.
To catch a brief glimpse of a time where Terry McGinnis dons the cape and cowl of Batman and Supes needs to be home before Matlock, "Superman Beyond" is well worth its $3.99 price tag.
Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates No. 1
In an industry rife with reboots, Jonathan Hickman's early entry into a post-Spidey world is competing with some of the heavyweights in its division and, when all the pages are down, "The Ultimates No. 1" is holding its own.
Told through the eyes of the heavy-handed General Fury, the plot resembles everything seen before in the Marvel Universe. During global calamity, the call goes out for Earth's mightiest, only for them to meet a foe unlike anything they've fought before.
Although the flow of the issue is not trend setting in its own right, Esad Ribic's artwork is. From a redesigned Captain Britain to the outlandish Asgardians getting hammered in a bar, each panel goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Strangely absent from the fray is Cap himself. Though pictured on the cover, America's Super Soldier is MIA, a real letdown for any of those coming off the hype of this summer's blockbuster hit.
Besides a few relatively tiny snafus the issue as a whole is a sincerely solid attempt to reconstruct the former champion. Hickman lays the groundwork for an incredible comic series, but this stand-alone presents only a slice of the literary pie.
Gears of War Issue No. 19
Even in ink and panel form, the crew of Delta Squad can never catch a break. Following Marcus Fenix and his troops near the recently demolished Jacinto, the melancholic series moves forward by sketching out the final moments of Gears of War 2.
While the canon is represented in partial accuracy, the true issues with this ink and panel transformation is that nothing can replace EPIC's gun-toting brotastic shooter — even itself. To the team's credit, the panels are composed from gritty, sanguine palettes and mostly represent the heart and soul of the beloved franchise.
Unfortunately, between the dialogue and lack of substance it seems as though the Gears team could use a little more time in basic training. While Cole spouts iconic phrases, the team banter stays to a minimum, a harsh contrast from the consistent team morale the EPIC writers work so hard to perpetuate.
Even with Gears of War 3 head writer Karen Traviss pumping out issues, the fantastic feats of Delta Squad are probably best left on screen. While it offers some serious fan service for those waiting in the wings for the trilogy's triumphant conclusion, tepid fans will find no solace here.
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