Comic Cover of the Week (1-23-13)

Browsing this week's releases left me without an eye-catching cover image. Now the good news. The show must go on, so I'm switching it up for this week. Instead of presenting you with one cover image, I'm giving you five. But of course I have to give it a twist. So here are five covers showcasing awesome female characters.

Astonishing X-Men #58 by Phil Noto

The Shi'ar warrior featured here is Warbird. Here's a relatively new character who's been receiving a lot of attention not only in this book, but also in Wolverine and the X-Men. Warbird is no stranger to Comic Cover of the Week and she's certainly welcomed back.

Cobra #21 by Antonio Fuso

Yo Joe! Though the book is named after the criminal organization, the overall focus is on a small team of Joes. One of whom is Ronin. Who doesn't love a lady with a sword?

Batwoman #16 by J.H. Williams III

If there's anything you should know about this book it's the amazing visuals that Williams has provided. Here, we see what Batwoman and Wonder Woman have been up to during their team-up.

Winter Soldier #14 by Daniel Acuna

Black Widow. She's one of the deadliest WITHOUT powers. Cool character drawn by an amazing artist. Natasha's stock has risen exponentially thanks to mainstream media focus from her appearances in the films Iron Man 2 and Marvel's Avengers. Sidenote: this is Ed Brubaker's final issue on the title and it's a memorable one. I highly recommend it.

Uncanny X-Force #1 by Olivier Coipel

This final piece drawn by Coipel, who I would certainly love to be doing more ongoing work, features two of not only my favorite X-women, but also favorite characters in general, Storm and Psylocke. Joining them are the six times as deadly Spiral and newcomer Cluster. Spiral has not been seen in a while, so it'll be interesting to catch up with her. If you caught the solicit not too long ago, you were probably wondering who the female Fantomex was. That question was answered at the end of the previous Uncanny X-Force series.

This part may or may not seem confusing but if it does, don't worry, it happens. Fantomex had three brains: one being the Fantomex we've come to know and love, a second being this version known as Cluster and the last one who is a not-so-nice fella. Fantomex died during the "Final Execution" arc. He was brought back at the end of that storyline which was also the end of that book. During his resurrection, his brains were separated and placed into their own bodies. You still with me? Okay, well that's where Cluster comes in and here we are. The final page of this book caught me, and I'm sure many other readers, by surprise. I'm definitely looking forward to the second issue.

Book of the Week

Welcome back comic fans. This post is going up later than usual, but blame it on the internets. Okay, just blame me. But you'll forgive me when you read my pick of the week. But first I'll tell you this was a big week of releases for me. I had 14 books waiting for me. Last week I had 10. I can't even say I'm complaining, because I like to read. But it definitely puts a hit in my wallet.

For the week I picked up: Astonishing X-Men #51, Avengers vs. X-Men #6, Avenging Spider-Man #8, Daredevil #14, Invincible Iron Man #519, New Avengers #27, Secret Avengers #28, Uncanny X-Men #14, Winter Soldier #7, Batwoman #10, Birds of Prey #10, Green Lantern Corps #10, Supergirl #10, and Ghostbusters #10. I should have had Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #14, but it wasn't ordered. It'll be coming in soon though. Two trades I ordered came in this week too and they were Walking Dead vol. 15 and 30 Days of Night vol. 1 from the current ongoing.

When I started reading my books for the week, a feeling of bad mojo came over me because I wasn't enjoying much of what I was reading. I still had a few more to go but it just wasn't looking good. Thank the comic gods that it turned around. It's not a good sign when you're reading through 14 books and a majority of them are no good. "Zero fun sir" for those familiar with Remember the Titans.

One of those books that changed the mood is Winter Soldier #7. You should be reading this book. I like it because it deals with espionage and old war stuff. That's just fun stuff all around. If it deals with spies, secret agents, covert ops and other related subjects, I'm likely to check it out. I wish there were more comics in the genre. Perhaps there are, I should research this. I'll gladly take a look at any recommendations any of you have.

Back to Bucky. I like what Ed Brubaker has been doing with him in this series. In part two of "Broken Arrow," Barnes and Black Widow are tracking down Leo Novokov. This fella is the third soldier Barnes trained way back. He was placed in stasis to be awaken at a later date when his skills would be put to use. That date never came. And let's just say he isn't happy about that and the world he's rejoined. But that certainly hasn't stopped him from utilizing those deadly skills. He's left a trail of blood that's led to a former Soviet scientist.

This is where this issue comes in. Our favorite former Soviet operatives catch up with Leo and it's not all fun and games. But I can't spoil it because you should just read it. I'll just say it has that spy feel along with some action, flashbacks, and an ending which leaves readers asking more questions about Leo's plans.

Michael Lark's visuals are complimented by inkers Brian Thies and Stefano Gaudiano and colorist Bettie Breitweiser. Together, they set a nice visual tone that works well with this book. There are some flashback sequences where Lark changes his layout and it works to distinguish them from present events. Breitweiser adds a different touch here as her black, white, and gray are topped off with the warmer colors: brown, red, and orange.

Winter Soldier is a fun book and I definitely recommend readers to check it out. I read a ton of books and it's definitely one of the better ones hitting shelves each month.

Thoughts on this issue? Have another book in mind? Let me know. Happy reading everyone.