Now this was a great read! Written by Matt Wagner with ethereally beautiful art by Amy Reeder Hadley, issue 4 is the continuation of the medieval adventures of the magical fortune teller Nimue as she tries to prevent the explorer, Marco Polo, from being framed for rape in the kingdom of Xanadu, under the rule of Kublai Khan.

You’ve got ninjas, magic, action, romance and even The Phantom Stranger (from The Books of Magic/DC Universe fame). The story being told here is fascinating but if you buy this for only one thing then it’s the art. Miss Hadley’s style is incredibly pleasing to the eye and I forsee her to be a very hot commodity in the future of comics. Grade: A+

Marvel Comics: The Ultimates 3 #5 ( of 5 )

Writer Jeph Loeb used to be one of my favorite comic scribes on the stands but lately the guy has been one of my least favorite. His run on Hulk sucks and this run on Ultimates has paled in comparison to the mostly fantastic run by Mark Millar. This issue ties up the 5 issue “Ultimates 3″ and is supposed to be a prequel of sort to the upcoming “Ultimatum” series for Marvel’s Ultimate line of books.  It’s got some really cool moments, mostly thanks to the still wonderful art by Joe Madureira, but overall the story just doesn’t thrill me. The tale has been all about who murdered the Scarlet Witch and why and….hell, if you want pretty art, pick this up. Just don’t expect that great of a story. I’m just not feeling it. Grade: D+

Dark Horse Comics: Hellboy – The Crooked Man #3 ( of 3 )

This was a f#cking great finale for this mini-series! Full of creepy Hellboy goodness with just enough Hellboy action. Written by Mike Mignola with very effective art by Richard Corben, this finds Hellboy and Appalachian magic man, Tom, trapped in an old decrepit church in Virginia, 1958 by The Crooked Man (a manifestation of the Devil) and his undead minions. The Crooked Man wants Tom’s soul due to a deal he made many years ago and that’s where the action and creepiness ensue. Mignola and Corben work wonders with this issue, especially with scenes involving preacher Jeremiah Witkins as The Crooked Man tries to convince the man of God to turn over Tom. This issue (and the whole mini) are worth every penny and you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t pick it up. Grade: A+

DC Comics: Trinity #17

This weekly 52 issue series reaches the end of it’s first third and has me very curious to see where it goes next. There are 2 stories here as there have been throughout the series. Kurt Busiek writes and Mark Bagley draws the main tale involving the big confrontation between what I guess is the evil Trinity (Morgan la Fey, Enigma and Despero) and the good Trinity (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman). The result of this confrontation appears to be world changing. You get some wonderful art but not much story, which is neither good nor bad considering the weekly nature of this book. The second tale is about the incarceration and origin of a villain named Konvikt (I know, stupid name but it is explained) who Supes and crew fought several issues back. Overall, not a bad issue but not anything that will blow your socks off either. But there have been worse weekly titles *cough* Countdown to Infinite Crisis *cough*.  Grade: B-

Cover of the Week: DC Comics – Superman #680

Gotta love some Krypto!

Until next time–Peace…