Weekly Comics - June 3, 2009

Agents of Atlas #6 (A somewhat placid issue, as Parker explores the current status quo of Namor and how that relates to Namora and the team - beautiful artwork by Gabriel Hardman)

Batman and Robin #1 (Pretty solid opener. I could do without the gratuitous torture porn vibe of the last couple pages, but I can roll with it as long as it isn't a regular thing, and there are a ton of fun moments and beautiful visuals throughout. Also, I want to punch Damian in the throat, but I suspect that's what I'm *supposed* to be feeling toward the character)

BTVS Tales of the Vampires: The Thrill (The vampires are out thing feels a little "True Blood" to me, but the character stuff here is interesting, and not unlike what Cloonan did with Wood on Demo. Good read, great art)

Chew #1 (I like John Layman, I liked the concept for the book, and I expected to like this book, but I didn't. I goddamn loved it. It's easily the best thing Layman's ever written, Guillory is fantastic, and the tone and style of the thing is hard to describe in that great way. It's darkly funny, but has a serious backbone. It has a ghoulish, bizarre premise, but underlying that is a bit of speculative political fiction muscle and solid cops 'n robbers procedural bones. Can't wait for issue two.)

New Avengers Reunion #4 (I'll buy the trade. Two of my favorite characters put back together after years, over a decade, of misuse. More of these two and their spy gig, please, and if we could get them out of the Avengers where they don't belong, that'd be awesome)

New Mutants #2 (I like this take on Legion, and I like the New Mutants being basically just another X-Men team. It's not as interesting a concept as having them take over teaching at Xavier's or something like that, but nobody's been able to make the more radical departures work, and so far this is a good showcase for some good characters)

Seaguy Slaves of Mickey Eye #3 (Strange, beautiful, and kind of sweet. It's damn near impossible to describe, but it's fun superheroics for grown-ups, and I hope we'll get the third part of the trilogy sooner rather than later)

Superman World of New Krypton #4 (Still surprised to be digging this as much as I am. It's weird to be watching politics and law enforcement through the prism of superheroes and sci-fi, but it's a surprisingly good match for the New Krypton version of Superman - That promo for Justice League: Cry For Justice reminds me way too much in tone of Identity Crisis, though)

War of Kings #4 (I've rarely been as interested in the Inhumans, the Shi'ar, or many of the other characters in this series as I am now. Once again, Abnett & Lanning deliver the best possible version of Marvel's space characters.)