Busiek Iron Man, Judas, Mighty Thor, Archie

New comics, split out over the next two days!

Archie 29

I’m not sure if I’m tired of Waid’s Archie formula or just plain tired.  Archie spends half the issue tearing the town apart searching for his lost guitar.  Who’s location he would have known if he’d just listened to his father. Archie’s clueless obliviousness (apparently ‘oblivity’ isn’t a word) wore really thin today.  I cared zero for the other half, which involved Reggie and the Blossoms. A waste of pages.

I do love the cover from this week, and the preview of next month’s as well.  Jughead breaking the visual pattern is hilarious and makes for great cover compositions.

Mighty Thor 705

It really looks like Aaron’s killing off Jane Foster.  Sigh. And while her fight against Mangog is glorious enough, and dying in battle is really the only way for Thor to go, I wish there was a little more to it than that.   

Still, her final scene with Odinson is poignant and beautiful.  She takes off her helmet and reveals her face, finally able to relax now that her fight is over.  She dies kissing her love as a raging star swirls around them---Okay, it’s an amazing, epic ending.  A+.

Judas 4

As retcons go, this was a superbly executed one.  In order for Jesus’ story to happen, Judas had to play his role as betrayer, effectively robbed of his free will.  Jesus can only be resurrected from Hell if Judas forgives Him for His only sin, condemning Judas to that fate. I liked it.  I had also never heard this interpretation of Abraham and Isaac’s story:

It always struck me as evil...a cruel test.  But...You weren’t testing him. You were testing Yourself.  You were seeing if it could be done. If a father could truly give up his son...If You could send him there.  To go where You could not.

It gave me something to think about.

Iron Man 1-6

Kurt Busiek and Sean Chen begin the Heroes Return era of Iron Man.  What is it with Iron Man continuing to fail my memory? Everything is very ho-hum here, with generic stories.  There’s promise in the character of Rumiko Fujikawa, but I can’t remember how much more Busiek utilizes her. I don’t see myself ever coming back to this, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of it either.  (I’m also still worried that I’m letting my fatigue cloud my decision making.) Keeping for now.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Fine