If Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada wanted to read comics about an unmarried Peter Parker, he need not have gone any further than picking up a copy of Ultimate Spider-Man. The monthly series by writer Brian Michael Bendis with art by Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger features the adventures of a teen Peter Parker, one still in high school. With the demolition of the "real" Marvel Universe Spider-Man, this title rightfully claims the mantle of the best Spider-Man being published today.
Ultimate Spider-Man #117 [$2.99] is a particularly good example of the quality of this series. It's the conclusion of the six-issue "Death of a Goblin" story arc wherein Norman Osborn has busted out of SHIELD imprisonment and portrayed himself as a victim of illegal persecution on TV. Oh, yeah, and he's also gone all Goblin again, battled an uneasy alliance of Spider-Man and SHIELD, and threatened those closest to Peter Parker.
This issue has everything you could ask for from a super-hero comic. It's got exciting action sequences, great character bits, terrific art, triumph and tragedy. It also has an "epilogue," set in a high-school classroom, that had me this close to tears. It put me in mind - this reference is for the comics readers of my generation - of the heart-rending scene in which Sgt. Nick Fury learned of the death of Pamela Hawley, the British nurse he loved and who he had hoped would marry him.
It's been too long since I last checked in with Wolff & Byrd, those counselors of the macabre,. But they're back on the comics racks this month, making a special appearance in Supernatural Law Secretary Mavis #5 [Exhibit A Press; $3.50].
Mavis Monroe is a modern-day version of the career girls who starred in their own comics in the 1940s and 1950s. Her bosses specialize in cases involving various creatures of the night, but the feisty Mavis holds her own with the scariest of clients. She's become such a popular supporting character that creator Batton Lash has produced a series of one-shots putting her in the center-stage spotlight.
"Weird Eye For a Normal Guy" mixes the supernatural and the mundane to amusing effect. While her bosses prepare for a lawsuit - three ghostly clients are being sued for failing to teach a human how to be scary - Mavis attends a birthday party for a childhood friend.
Beverly is throwing the party for her surly wastrel brother Lenox and, for his present, she conjures up the afore-mentioned ghostly teachers. Lenox, scary enough on his own, isn't impressed by his present. But the evening is far from over...
"Weird Eye" is 31 pages of fun. Add a great cover by Bill Galvan, a spiffy back cover by Fred Hembeck, and a lively letters page, and Supernatural Law Secretary Mavis #5 delivers solid value for your bucks. It earns an impressive four Tonys.
******
BLOGGY BITS
Once a week, like today, I'll be running reviews previously published on the Comics Buyer's Guide online forums. This gives me a break that keeps the longer Tony's Online Tips columns (1500-2000 words) coming your way the rest of the week and allows me to include those reviews in the enormous and ever-growing TOT Archives. While TOT remains a reader-supported feature, these "reprints" are free. They aren't charged to your "Tip the Tipster" donations, which, at this writing, have funded TOT well into April. Thank you for your generous support.
This week will be challenging. I'm pitching for a comic-strip job - two weeks of scripts - which would be due the middle of next month. I'm working on the first in a series of books collecting a some of my best columns and cartoons...along with other things I've written. I'll be driving to Columbus later this week to bring my son Eddie home for his spring break. And Justin, the wondrous web-wizard who actually puts TOT online for me and thee, is heading to Wizard World L.A. All this will almost certainly result in column delays down the road. But...
We will not skip any columns. I may be late writing a couple columns. Justin may not be able to post those columns as swiftly as he usually does. But those columns will be written and posted, even if it's a day or three later than we'd like. And, as always, we'll keep the columns available in the archives.
******
TONY POLLS
The 26th annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards are now underway. The finalists have been picked in all 12 categories and, through May 31, the fans can vote for their favorites by going to the CBGXtra website at:
I get a kick out of asking my online readers to vote on these awards...and seeing if and how their choices differ from those of CBG's readers. To vote in the official CBG Fan Awards, you have to go to the magazine's website. To vote in my doppelganger awards, head over to:
Comics Buyer's Guide #1642 will have a paper ballot for the magazine's official fan awards. That issue will ship in early April. All votes - paper and online - will be tallied in June and the results will be posted/published in July.
At the Tony Polls online ballot box, you'll get six of the categories this week and the rest next week. We'll publish the results of our unofficial voting near the end of March...and then compare them with the official results in July.
One more Tony Polls note.
Because of your ongoing support of Tony's Online Tips via your "Tip the Tipster" donations, we'll continue to bring you new poll questions every week. If you have ideas for questions, don't be shy about sending them to me at:
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
I review The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1: Secret Identity Crisis, Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America and The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us.
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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