Here’s more goodness from writer Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, delving out good sci-fi World War II action in their own fantastic way.

I’m telling you folks, you can’t beat the entertainment value in this comic. We continue with Atomic Robo’s adventure of trying to stop the Nazis from interfering with the Allied mission in Europe in 1943, in which they are using walking tanks and other scientific means. This issue also has Robo “teaming-up” with Britain’s adventurer, The Sparrow, to catch the creator of the walking tanks. Lots of fun here! Buy!! Grade: A

Marvel Comics: Ultimate Origins #5 ( of 5 )

Something big is supposed to go down in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe and this mini-series basically gives you all of the origins of the major players in this upcoming event. The Ultimate version of the Watchers have been popping up all over and in this issue they reveal why they are doing the watching but it’s still pretty enigmatic. The Fantastic Four are center stage here so forget seeing Cap or Hulk as in the cover above. But, you do get a pretty sweet revelation here which has been teased for several issues that is a big deal and different from the mainstream Marvel universe. Brian Michael Bendis writes and Butch Guice handles the art, which is very realistic and beautiful. Not a bad book but you need to be interested in the goings on in this particular universe. Grade: B

DC Comics: Justice Society of America #19

Okay, I want to say right off the bat that the image above is not the cover for this particular issue, it’s last month’s. Every image I could find for this month’s cover was of very sucky quality. Anyway, if you’ve been keeping up with this Kingdom Come-esque storyline then you are going to really dig this issue. With all of the drama surrounding the activity of the god-like Gog from the previous issues, things really start to come to a breaking point here. Hawkman gets pissed. Starman is being all mysterious. And Kingdom Come Superman is about to go off…you can just tell. I really want the artist from the last few issues, Fernando Pasarin, back on this book but Dale Eaglesham still does a kick-ass job and it’s nice to have him back on the book. Comic book writing god Geoff Johns gives us another good read here. Oh yeah, Alex Ross is co-plotter and gives us the cover, which is actually good. I just can’t find a decent image of it anywhere. Grade: B+

Cover of the week: Vertigo Comics — Fables #77

ooooh, pretty….

Until next time– Peace…

Damn, I love this book and I love the hell out of the cover above!

Written by Greg Pak with art by Clayton Henry we find our hero, Hercules, and his pal Amadeus Cho taking a little down time on an island in the Pacific that also happens to be a hangout for Amazon warriors. These Amazons are packing heat and are in heat, looking for a male worthy to sire their next generation. There’s great action and humor throughout the issue and, as I’ve said in previous reviews of this title, I don’t mind at all that Hercules has taken over this old Hulk title. Pak’s writing is fresh and makes this book one of the firsts I read the week it comes out. Henry’s art is fun and action packed and the man can draw some sexy ass Amazons. The only thing I didn’t like about this issue was that it seemed kind of short. But still very cool. Thanks to this book, Hercules is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters around. He’s as cool as Wolverine but without all the brooding. Grade: B+

Red 5 Comics: Atomic Robo – Dogs of War part 2 ( of 5 )

Man, I so want to see a team-up book with Atomic Robo and Hellboy. They would fit together so nicely. Anyhoo, this second issue of the second volume from writer Brian Clevinger with art by Scott Wegener is a super fun read with the WWII adventures of Atomic Robo, on a mission to stop the Nazis and their “Laufpanzers” –walking tanks. The action is no holds barred as Robo goes after Laufpanzer after Laufpanzer with help from the G.I.s around him. It’s nothing deep but if you want an entertaining read then you can’t go wrong with Atomic Robo. Grade: A-

DC Comics: Action Comics #869

Thank you comic book gods for giving us writer Geoff Johns! The man is a force to be reckoned with and knows these DC characters in and out and tells fantastic stories that showcase the characters strengths and weaknesses in perfect form. This issue is part 4 of the Braniac storyline that has Superman confronting the real Braniac, not the probes that he has dealt with before. In the previous issues he learned the details of the fate of the Kryptonian city of Kandor, how Braniac captured the city and triggered the destruction of Krypton and has been doing the same thing all over the universe. So, Supes went looking for Brainiac and found the real deal but now the evil bastard has brought his ship to Metropolis so he can do the same thing to it and to Earth that he did to Krypton. This issue is great as you see Superman face Brainiac head on all the while Metropolis residents panic and Daily Planet workers deal with the Brainiac probes in some, what I like to call, “OH YEAH!” moments. Artist Gary Frank is stupendous in this issue and I hope he stays on forever. Awesome awesome awesome! Grade: A+

Until next time—Peace…

Yep, I’m on vacation this week in sunny Florida and unable to get to my comic book store for my weekly fix. But here are reviews of some nice little gems that you should check out. These are Grade: A worthy!

IDW Publishing: Zombies vs. Robots

You’ve got creepy zombies. You’ve got clunky robots. Two great tastes that go great together! Written by Chris Ryall with unique art by Ashley Wood, this two issue mini-series was a cult hit that smooshed two genres together with great apocalyptic fun. The humans experimented with time travel and sent robots back and forth through time and somewhere along the way picked up some kind of virus that transforms nearly all of the humans into flesh-eating zombies. But there is one human baby left and the robots are intent on continuing their programming directives by protecting the child so eventually it can be cloned to bring humanity back from extinction. Things don’t go well. This is a fun read but Ashley Wood’s art, although it really works for this book, may not be for everyone. If this sounds like your cup of tea then you should check it out. And look for the sequel, Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons! I promise, I didn’t make that title up.

Red 5 Comics: Atomic Robo

Fans of Hellboy should pick this up. It has a lot of the same humor and action as that book but with more of a sci-fi feel. Written by Brian Clevinger with art by Scott Wegener, we follow the adventures of Atomic Robo, a robotic American created in 1923 by Nikola Tesla, as he combats all manner of strange and supernatural foes…evil Nazi super-scientists, mummies, giant ants, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Originally a 6 issue mini-series, I’m sure this has been or will be collected very soon. The best issue by far is Atomic Robo helping out Nasa by exploring Mars and getting a little payback against something Stephen Hawking (yeah, that one) did to Robo. It’s funny and makes the character even more likeable. Robo is sarcastic but has very good intentions and will throw himself headlong into a fight. This book was a pleasant surprise.

Dark Horse Comics: Hellboy – Odd Jobs and Odder Jobs

First off, there is some art in both of these books but they are prose anthologies…not comics. Now, they both rock! Mike Mignola has allowed some creators such as Greg Rucka, Guillermo del Toro and many others play in his Hellboy universe and we get some really great (and creepy) stories involving the characters of the B.P.R.D. that we know and love. Mignola provides some illustrations here and they are very nice but most of the stories themselves are awesome. It’s cool to use your mind’s eye to flesh out some of the characters and settings in these tales. If you are in the mood for Hellboy and to do a little reading then these anthologies should be right up your alley.

Until next time–Peace…