Yeah, I’m going back to the shipping dates. It’s easier for me that way.

Sometimes I'm not going to have a good joke from the pull. This time, I just really wanted to use this one instead.

Click the comic for more behind-the-scenes of this week’s comic. I want to have a separate page just collecting Jake & Leon comics. I might even end up making ones outside the review. I will say I really need to find a font that works at the size I want to post these at, but still looks like comic strip text.

In other gaming news, Steam was offering the first Mass Effect game for $10 as a weekend promotion. Although I usually prefer to have the disk in my hand over downloading, I’ve been wanting to play this game for a long time so I couldn’t pass up the chance. Let’s just say your lucky to have a review this week. 🙂

In Pull List news, Doctor Who Classics didn’t ship this week. Not that it’s eligible for Best Scene since it’s a reprint, but that means only three reviews this week. Spoiler-blocked versions of the reviews will be up at ComiXology…if I can stop playing Mass Effect that long. I was just going to mess with it a bit, but now I’m stuck with a character named “German Shepard” until I see how my story turns out. Well played, BioWare. Well played indeed.

Iron Man and the Armor Wars #4 (FINAL ISSUE)

Marvel Comics (January 2010–and this just made me realize just how close to the end of the year we really are)

WRITER: Joe Carmagna

ARTIST: Craig Rosseau

COLORIST: Val Staples

LETTERER: Dave Sharpe

COVER: Takeshi Miyazawa

PRODUCTION: Damien Lucchese

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Michael Horwitz

EDITOR: Nathan Cosby

Rhodey appears to have sided with the Neo Soviets, but the real James Rhodes is in FBI custody after stealing that plane. FBI Director Stone tells Congressman Wyndham what to do with himself, his ties to Justin Hammer, and his mistress (I hope Stone shows up in another comic). Darkstar decides that activating Omega Red means the Red Barbarian has taken leave of his mind, and decides to help him escape. That doesn’t sit well with Omega, who is programmed to destroy a Stark, and Tony’s as good as Howard. Stark is able to get his Iron Man gear, and takes down both Omega and the Barbarian (even with the latter in the “Hulkbuster” armor). The entire experience of the mini-series has humbled Tony, and he not only apologizes for his attitude lately, but decides that if the bad guys can even use his Peacekeeper project for evil, then the best he can do is make safer weapons to use against said bad guys. Rhodey stays to oversee the Peacekeeper project in LA with Pepper assisting him, while Tony returns to New York and figures out why Doctor Doom helped him in the first issue.

What they got right: After three issues of little happening, I finally have something to really talk about. (Granted, some action over the other three issues would have been nice.) Tony deciding to start making weapons again for the good guys I can get behind, since Tony dropping weapons making in the main line was due to political ideas of the writers at the time, but I would need an entire article to explain my reasoning. The ending is satisfactory as far as this story goes. At least Doom’s reasoning makes more sense than a Bendis-written Doom.

What they got wrong: Am I the only one who thinks they overstuffed this to make up for the lack of anything substantive in the previous issues? As a result, Tony’s decision to make weapons again (albeit “safer” weapons, whatever that means) itself felt a little forced. Also, if there are further stories written in this continuity (which is separate from the other universes, since they haven’t bothered to just call it a “Marvel Adventures” title), it’s disappointing to see that his supporting cast has been taken out, with Pepper and Rhodey staying behind to run the LA “Peacekeeper” project, while Stark restarts his New York operation (hopefully offering the people fired from there their old jobs back).

Recommendation: Still mostly for an Iron Man completist, and only to see the Tony Stark we all know in love in action again besides the Movie version.

The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks #6

Moonstone (2009)

WRITER/PHANTOM GROUP EDITOR: Mike Bullock

ARTIST: Silvestre Szilagyi

COLORIST: Bob Pedroza

LETTERER: Josh Aitken

COVER “A”: Joe Corroney

COVER “B” (shown): Silvestre Szilagyi with Stephen Downer

PROSE STORY: Clay & Susan Griffith

With Devil’s help, the Phantom escapes and rescues Jamie, and the two learn that “the Eastern Dark” is really a front for an organ-harvesting group. The Phantom is able to take them down, but one escapes and swears revenge on the Phantom. (Like that’s new.)

In the prose backstory, “The Ghost Who Dies”, the false Phantom is revealed to be the son of Julie Walker, who often stood in for her brother as the 17th Phantom. Thus Daniel feels he is the one worthy to become the 18th Phantom. However, his harsher version of justice is too violent for the way the Phantom operates, and that’s not how the legacy works. Now cleared, the real Phantom fights his cousin, and end up hitting him with the skull ring. (If you have the “skull mark”, you’re immediate recognized as an enemy to the Phantom.) Since the Phantom can’t have this mark, Daniel goes over the edge, both mentally and over a cliff. Thus Kit has the sad duty of reporting his cousin’s death to his mother.

What they got right: While such an operation really wouldn’t be worth what you’d get for organs on the black market, this story shows up more than once in fiction, and as such stories goes, this one has a few unique twists, with the whole fake cult angle. The prose story FINALLY tells us which Phantom this story takes place in and uses Julie Walker, the stand-in female Phantom who is getting her own one-shot in a few months from Moonstone. (This is an actual Phantom from the strips. She often stood in for her brother when he was away or out of action.) Coincidence? I think not.

What they got wrong: Outside of black market organ operations not being viable like this, I have nothing.

Recommendation: Two good stories, and a comic worth checking out for Phantom fans.

Sonic The Hedgehog # 206

Archie Comics Publications (January 2010)

WRITER: Ian Flynn

PENCILERS: Steve Butler + Jamal Peppers (back-up story)

INKER: Terry Austin

COLORIST: Matt Herms

LETTERER: John E. Workman, Jr.

COVER: Pat “Spaz Spaziante

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Paul Kaminski

EDITOR: Mike Pellerito

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Victor Gorelick

Sonic holds the Iron Dominion soldiers off long enough for Tails to get Robotnik to New Mobotropolis, while the rest of the still standing Freedom Fighters join in until Nicole can get the shield up. The Iron Queen is less than happy with these developments, and takes it out on Snively. Robotnik is kept in a cell in New Mobotropolis.

In the back-up story, Lien-Da decides to betray Dimitri and her own people for a chance to finally reach the rank of Grandmaster.

What they got right: I do like how Bunnie gets a chance to get a bit of payback on the Iron Queen. As an opposite, Lien-Da is decisively evil, and watching her is going to be rather interesting.

What they got wrong: If we finally have everybody in place, and the sides chosen, then nothing.

Recommendation: I may not have much to say, but the proof is in the story. Definitely worth getting.

Best Scene of the Week

Iron Man and the Armor Wars #4

That's our Tony

OK, reviews done. Must play more Mass Effect.