Last week’s installment of Rapid Fire Reviews saw a barrage of Marvel titles with only one DC comic released that really had any significance. In a bizarre twist of fate, it was also our pick of the week. This time, it’s a much healthier mix of publisher favorites as we see the new issue of Spider-Man taking on Booster Gold. Batman begins his R.I.P. saga as Marvel’s Last Defenders head into their third issue. Enough talking though. Ready for some reviews on full-auto? Let’s roll!

Batman #676 (DC)
As I’ve said in previous reviews of the Grant Morrison Batman title, I don’t really understand a lot of what’s going on. Going into possibly one of the biggest stories in Batman’s history, you’d think that would be an important thing. Well, it is. I know for a fact that people who’ve been following Morrison’s run from the beginning are much better off reading this book than I am. That being said, it’s still a very enjoyable issue that is certainly a solid building block for the rest of this arc. As always, Tony Daniel provides great art for Morrison’s work to really shine alongside. With the issue’s interesting cliffhanger introduction, I know I’ll be sticking around to see how Morrison pulls this off.
- 7.8/10

Huntress: Year One #1 (DC)
Huntress rocks. Having know very little about her but, for some weird reason, finding myself wanting to know more, I grabbed the first issue of this six issue series. While the comic starts off rather nicely by mixing elements of Batman-esque crime drama into slight superhero undertones, the issue comes to a weird end with a battle that makes little sense. Helena is built up for the entire issue as a very intelligent and independent woman but decides to beat up a group of cops in a police station to try and free her friend from their custody. I’m sure she could have come up with something a little better than that. Regardless, Ivory Madison writes a solid opening act to what will probably be a very interesting year One story. The artwork of Cliff Richards is very good and fits the character fairly well. Overall, a fairly solid opening issue that at least grabbed me enough to keep me around a little bit longer.
- 7.2/10

Booster Gold #9 (DC)
Right as I was starting to feel like this title had run it’s course, Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle come rocketing back from the timesteam bringing with them a fun and fairly coherent story. Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens work together very well, as they always do, to deliver a story that some how, some way manages to make retcons cool. I think part of what made this issue so solid is that after several issues that seemed to be not moving the story along at all, we finally see somewhat of a light at the end of the tunnel. That being said, Booster Gold #9 also continues to bring much of the same material to the table as previous issues which makes it as much of a success as the issues that came before it. While it does have it’s flaws, they’re easily ignored by focusing on the issue’s many strengths.
- 8.0/10

Amazing Spider-Man #559 (Marvel)
After last month’s clean-up of several little stories that were floating around in the continuity of the comic, this month sees the debut of Screwball and the teasing of next month’s new villain, Paper Doll. I don’t really know if I’d call Screwball a villain since we saw her for all of 3 pages but I’m sure she’ll be making another appearance soon. Slott’s writing is perfect for the title. It’s sarcastic, funny and down to earth with makes Spider-Man so much more fun to read than he’s been in years. I would go so far as to say that he is the best writer so far that’s come out of the Spidey Braintrust and if one guy was going to be doing the writing, I’d want it to be him. It’s far from the best issue I’ve ever read, mostly due to the disappointing artwork of Marcos Martin but it’s still a fairly entertaining issue that helps move the Brand New Day along.
- 7.3/10

Wolverine #65 (Marvel)
It’s been a couple of months (Four, I suppose.) since I was sitting on the fence trying to decide weather or not this series would actually be worth picking up. Well, I’m pleased to say that this first arc has really shown me that the Wolverine title has changed for the better. Issue 65, which wraps things up with Wolverine and Mystique, is a great ending to a really exciting story. Ron Garney’s art, which was one of the things that really drove me to the title, is dirty and rough which fits not only Jason Aaron’s writing style but the character of Wolverine as a whole. Lots of great interaction between characters with tons of twists along the way from this arc but also, particularly from this issue, a lot of action as well.
- 8.6/10

The Last Defenders #3 (Marvel)
This is one of those comics that just caught my eye while it sat there on the shelf. I grabbed issues one and two a while back and found them to be really entertaining. The artwork is fantastic and the writing really had a down to earth feel to it. Issue three continues that trend by cleaning up the events of issue two and rebooting the team entirely leave Kyle Richmond, Nighthawk, as the only surviving member of the roster cuts. There’s also a small cameo by former Defender Dr. Strange as well as an appearance by Krang in the closing pages of the comic. Much like the two issue before it, this comic is shockingly impressive compared to what I first imagined it would be. Joe Casey’s really got a great way of merging the old school feel of the team with a fresh take on it as well. Jim Muniz continues to be one of the best artists at Marvel and, after checking out this issue, you’re sure to agree.
- 8.1/10

Thunderbolts #120 (Marvel)
This should come as no surprise to anyone that this is my pick of the week. Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato have turned the Thunderbolts from a mediocre title on the brink of cancellation into one of the best comics going at Marvel right now. This issue, featuring the return of Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin, further tosses the team into complete and utter chaos by pitting them against not only themselves but the various criminals that they have currently in their captivity. With only a couple issues left until the end of his run on the title, Ellis seems to be firing on all cylinders to deliver the best comic experience he can. Deodato’s art complements the writing in a way that I had previously thought impossible. Overall, great comic. As usual, I wait in suspense until the next issue comes out.
- 9.1/10

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Rapid Fire Reviews are written and posted every Friday and feature reviews of some of the biggest titles in comics…in as few words as possible! All the review, none of the filler!