Quick-Fire Reviews #1: week of 17th june + more

So I've got more things to review after a small excursion to Brighton on Friday. But I'm lazy and you're busy people with lives who don't really care how much time I spend gushing about my raging man-love for Fred Van Lente. So here is where I review things REALLY QUICKLY just to let you know whether you should read them, buy them, wait for the trade or just RUN THE HELL AWAY.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW HERE IT GOES!

ALL NEW SAVAGE SHE-HULK #3 (of 4) by Fred Van Lente, Peter Vale and Michael Ryan

In Short: This has easily been my favourite thing to come out of Dark Reign so far and with good reason. From the awe-inspiring story to the amazing art (not to mention the 90s decade variant cover, but I'm pretty sure if I DID mention it again then people may start to throw stones at me) it's been an amazing ride. This issue brings more to the table with the writing hitting a new peak, leading to a final page that results in the most peculiar "OH SHI-" moment any comic could ever have. Why doesn't Lyra have her own ongoing set up for after this? (note: she is getting to be the backup in Incredible Hulk post-600)
In Shorter: BUY THE COMIC ALREADY!

Mighty Avengers #26 by Dan Slott, Stephen Segovia, Noah Salonga and Jean-Francois Beaulieu

In Short: Dan Slott continues to prove why he's the writer of the best Avengers comic out there with an issue that manages to cram so much into so few pages without seeming overloaded or spoilt. The only thing that drags this comic down at the moment is that the art is somewhat mired by having a "too many cooks" situation, where perfectly functional art seems to be ruined by having two people handle it in what seems to be slightly different ways. Still, any comic where the 7th (or 8th) smartest person in the world can be beaten by a little girl has to be a great comic, something that holds true here.
In Shorter: Must Read (just squint occasionally)

DARK REIGN: YOUNG AVENGERS #2 (of 5) by Paul Cornell, Mark Brooks and Mark Morales

In Short: First of all, I have to admit that I am one of the people to blame for Cornell's formerly ongoing series Captain Britain and MI13 getting cancelled. I bought it in trades (I'll get to that later) but never bothered with the issues. So I can hold my head high and proudly say... That I'll be doing the same for this. That's not to say that the issues are bad by themselves, it's just more that these stories Cornell writes flow so much better in their complete trades. If you do want to just pick up this issue though, you get some great representation of the ACTUAL Young Avengers and of Enchantress II, one of my favourite new characters to come out of this limited series (the best being Melter II). Still don't like Coat of Arms, probably never will. She's annoying and Cornell doesn't quite seem to realise that yet. Still she shares a nice dynamic with Speed so I can't complain too much. Oh this isn't really 'in short', I fucked up this time.
In (much) shorter: Wait for the trade unless you REALLY can't wait!

Dark Reign Hawkeye #3 (of 5) by Andy Diggle, Tom Raney and Scott Hanna

In Short: I wish Diggle was this good with his Thunderbolts work at the moment. Bullseye/Hawkeye isn't hard to write well, but this is a step above the basics. A genuinely captivating story with a cliffhanger each issue that keeps you coming back for more. Gotta big up Raney too for taking another decent step up from his art on one of my favourite limited series Secret Invasion: Inhumans.
In Shorter: Read it, buy it if you can track down the first two issues.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13: HELL COMES TO BIRMINGHAM TPB by Paul Cornell, Leonard Kirk and Pat Oliffe

WHY ISN'T THE ACTUAL COVER ANYWHERE! THIS IS SO STUPID THAT THE ACTUAL COVER LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THIS AND THE INTERNET DOESN'T KNOW! (might just be in england but shut up)
In Short: ACTUAL cover looks like a badly blown up picture but let's ignore that. Captain Britain continues to school people on why they SHOULD have been buying the issues and WHY they should feel bad that it's getting cancelled. Admittedly Cornell said he's done with it anyway after the current arc but still BE ASHAMED. I know I am. So go buy this awesome series and realise that not only is Dane Whitman one of the best characters in current Marveldom, but that you PROBABLY WON'T SEE HIM AGAIN FOR AGES YOU ARSES INCLUDING ME!
In Shorter: Buy it 'cause we're all arseholes.

BONUS: Issues of stuff from recent times that I only just got around to getting because I'm a retard

BATMAN & ROBIN #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

In Short: I never liked Bruce Wayne. I usually like Grant Morrison. Combining the writing of Morrison and the absence of that moody prick Bruce seems like a no-brainer, and it stands up to my expectations. Damien is a little douche but that's deliberate and he'll learn over time. Dick Grayson is awesome and totally proves why he's the best person for the cowl. Pyg and his freaky mask stuff at the end disturbs the shit out of me, which in my book is a nightmare-inducing job well done. Definitely managed to find its way onto my regular purchases. Still, I could really do with less Pyg related moments of horror in my life.
In Shorter: Buy It, Read It, HAVE NIGHTMARES.

POWER GIRL #1 by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner

In Short: Remember comics being pure dumb fun? I don't but if there was ever a time where that was the case Power Girl represents it with full gusto. I bought it because it was cheap and found out upon reading it that it might well be the first DC comic to actually make we want to follow it with no skepticism. In a comic book where it's all about pretty fights and boob related quips. If this is the future of comics I'm going to get stupid but fuck me am I gonna be happy. Sure I haven't explained anything here but that's because it's too basic to explain. Just FUN!
In Shorter: FUN! FUN! BOOBS! FUN! .... BUY IT! IT'S FUN!