The Flash #4

It's not unusual to see The Flash going up against the members of his Rogue's Gallery - but this time there's a key difference.

These Rogues are good guys, and they're from the future. They've come to the present to arrest the Flash for a crime he hasn't committed yet, which seems odd, because they keep talking about not changing the present - but won't arresting the Flash change events?

Of course, if you think too hard about Time Travel stories, you'll wind up with a headache.

At any rate, things go awry quickly here as the amped-up Captain Boomerang shows up and attacks - well, everyone, leading to some really impressive high-speed efforts by our hero.

We also finally get the back story behind The Flash's upcoming crime - and it's a stunner.

Writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul are really hitting on all cylinders with this issue, as the scope of the menace is revealed, and we're left to wonder - can The Flash avoid the dark future he's facing?

Johns manages the difficult task of tying the history of this title together with a new and serious menace - and wraps it all up with a heck of a cliffhanger. Oh, and he gives Barry a great line leading into the opening action sequence.

I really like Manapul's art here - it's loaded with energy, fresh layouts and a unique style that's perfect for this high-speed adventure.

Since returning in Final Crisis, Barry (Flash) Allen has appeared in two mini-series and now an ongoing series - and just four issues in, this story is the best of the three.

Grade: A-

Uncanny X-Men #526

This is a book that I've been following virtually since it began - the first issue I read was the third issue in the original run in the 1960s.

After so many years of following the Uncanny X-Men, it's been a bit distressing of late to find that I've been thinking seriously about dropping the title.

But the comics have been weighed down over the years by mega-crossovers, innumerable characters, a massively complicated continuity and (frankly) a few too many bad stories.

And then I read this issue, and I find myself becoming interested again. Written by Matt Fraction, this issue follows the girl named Hope (who has somehow reversed the "ban" on new mutants) as she tries to learn more about her long-lost family.

It's a personal story (the kind the book used to do so well), and we get a glimpse of a future for the young mutant.

The art by Whilce Portacio and Ed Tadeo is solid and professional, with an outstanding splash page - but since it's a "quiet" issue, they don't get a lot of room to show off here.

So while I'm not completely sold that this comic is back to its glory days - this is not the greatest X-Men comic ever by any means - but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

I'd call that a hopeful sign.

Grade: B+

Wonder Woman #601

I don't care about the new costume, the new story, the new origin, or any of the other attention-grabbing changes in Wonder Woman.

Here's what I care about: is the story any good; and how's the art?

So I have good news and bad news. The good news is, the art by Don Kramer and Michael Babinski is well done, with good character designs, detailed backgrounds and solid layouts.

But J. Michael Straczynski's story, so far, is coming up short. A lot of that is because there are so many blanks to fill in.

In this issue we get a quick recap of the "All New" reality, as we see the destruction of Paradise Island and the scattering of the Amazons, and Wonder Woman being set up as the protector of the lost Amazons.

She seems to have no powers other than (apparent) super strength, but we get indications that her other abilities will be showing up eventually.

But mostly what we get here are a pile of mysteries. Who's behind the evil army that destroyed Paradise Island? Why has Diana's reality changed so drastically? Why is she (more or less) powerless?

Presumably these answers will be turning up in the weeks ahead, but this kick-off issue doesn't inspire me to continue to follow along.

Perhaps that's because I suspect this will all go away eventually, and we'll be back to the "Not So New" Wonder Woman.

But many more issues like this and that might be a merciful thing.

Grade: B-

Secret Avengers #3

A month ago I wrote some harsh words about the Secret Avengers.

Now that the third issue is here, and I realize I should have had more faith in writer Ed Brubaker.

With just a few revelations in this issue, he eliminates my concerns about the Roxxon construction site on the planet Mars and manages a sly homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars at the same time. Impressive!

This issue is all about shedding some light, as we get a look at the secret organization looking for an incredibly ancient artifact on Mars, and the reason why our heroes must stop the efforts of this ancient evil.

The problem is, they seem to be completely outmatched by Nova, who's been possessed by the Serpent Crown and whose powers have been amped up considerably.

Mike Deodato's art is back to its usual heights, perhaps because it's an action-intensive issue. I especially enjoyed the western flashback at the beginning of the book, and he also gets to depict some cosmic-level events.

For the first two issues I had my doubts about this comic, but after reading this comic, those concerns are (mostly) gone.

Sorry for doubting you, Ed.

Grade: A-

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4 (of 6)

I've been enjoying this series so far, despite the fact that much of it seems to barely make sense - but I'm trusting that writer Grant Morrison will bring the whole thing together in the end.

But with this issue of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, he walks right up to the line where he loses me completely.

We know that Bruce is traveling through time for mysterious reasons, we know that he's leaving clues about his whereabouts for his allies in the future, and we know that he's connecting with his own distant ancestors along the way.

But here we see Batman in the wild west (or wild east, depending on where Gotham City is located in the DC Universe), tracking down some murderous outlaws who have kidnapped a woman guarding a mysterious box and if it's opened it may mean the end of the world.

To which I can only say, "Wha--?"

Confusion aside, it's a pretty standard western yarn, with the good guy tracking the bad guys, looking for revenge. Oh, and there's a special guest star, too.

The art by George Jeanty and Walden Wong is solid though not spectacular - it only suffers in comparison to the other artists who've worked on this series, or the outstanding covers by Andy Kubert.

For the series so far this issue is the weakest effort, but it's still entertaining, and there are two more issues for the creative team to make sense of it all.

Here's hoping.

Grade: B+

Another Big Comics Day!

Another big day for comics (supposedly next week will be a bit slower).

Here's what I picked up today:

- Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4 (of 6) - Wild west time!

- Fantastic Four #581 - Back to college!

- First Wave #3 (of 6) - Anything with the Blackhawks gets my money.

- Flash #4 - Barry Allen arrested again? Hope this trial doesn't take two years.

- Green Lantern #56 - Hector Hammond has a big mouth.

- Justice League of America #47 - The JSA crossover continues.

- Secret Avengers #3 - This one is on shaky ground, but hopefully will improve.

- Thor #612 - On a highway to Hell!

- Warlord #16 - Is this the end for this comic? A shame, as it's been quite good.

- Wonder Woman #601 - The new version of Diana, but sadly no go-go outfits.

- Ultimate Comics Mystery #1 (of 4) - I love a mystery.

- Uncanny X-Men #526 - Another title on shaky ground.

New Avengers #2

(We're mixing things up a bit at the blog today - our "Classic" review ran on Monday, so here's a new review.)

Magic has always been a bit of a dodgey story device, and one that most writers seem to struggle with.

I think that's mostly because the rules are so fuzzy. With science fiction, you have to stay in certain boundaries, but with magic, anything goes.

But I get the sense that writer Brian Bendis is trying to get that problem under control with his first story arc in the New Avengers.

The story centers around the Eye of Agamotto, a powerful artifact that a demonic force is after. The demon has the power to possess (as in "take control of") the world's most powerful sorcerers, including Dr. Strange and Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan.

This issue is (mostly) an all-out action romp, as Luke Cage is possessed and transformed into a giant. The team must fight Cage, Strange and Hellstrom for the Eye, and they're up against a powerful and mysterious opponent.

And I have to admit that I like the new "form" magic takes here - instead of the flowery rhyming phrases Dr. Strange used in the past, we now see an text explanation for the origins of the spell being cast. It sounds weird, but it's actually effective. It gives each spell some gravitas, as though it has an actual origin in reality. If that makes sense.

The art in this issue is fantastic - Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger turn in some of their best work yet, with lots of big action scenes and intense emotional moments. And I love their powerful depiction of the Thing!

I'm still not convinced magic-based stories are a good "fit" for the Avengers, but so far, I'm enjoying the heck out of this story.

Grade: A-

DC Universe Legacies #3 (of 10)

I defy any long-time fan to read DC Universe Legacies without smiling often.

The first two issues of this series gave us a look at the Golden Age of super-heroes, as seen through the eyes of a regular guy named Paul Lincoln, who finds himself a witness to some of the most pivotal moments in DC history.

This issue begins with the aftermath of the "retirement" of the Justice Society of America, and manages to tie in some familiar western heroes and the science fiction "invasion" from comics such as Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space.

It also links to some of the non-super teams of the '50s and '60s, including Blackhawk, Challengers of the Unknown, Cave Carson and the Sea Devils (all old favorites of mine).

But the real focus is on the first appearance of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the other members of the Justice League of America.

The story by Len Wein ties it all together in a clever way and manages to be both a great nostalgic trip for long-time fans and a great primer for new fans. Everyone wins!

The art is by the incredibly talented Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez with inks by Dave Gibbons, and the end result is outstanding. They're two of the best in the business, and if anyone can follow an act like the Kuberts, this is the team to do it. Great stuff!

The issue also includes a back-up feature teaming up those non-super teams from the '60s, also drawn by Dave Gibbons and written by Wein. Heck, I would have picked this issue up for this story alone!

I can't imagine any DC fan not loving this comic. Highly recommended!

Grade: A

The Classics - The Mighty Thor #157

(Chuck's on the road today, so here's a "Classic" review to tide you over.)

I grew up in a rural area, so the chances to fill in those gaps in my collection were few and far between.

And since distribution was often tricky - and I couldn't always get to a local newsstand or drug store (the usual places I bought comics), sometimes I'd miss vital issues.

This is the one that hurt the most. In The Mighty Thor, writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby spent several issues building up the threat of the Mangog, a creature that contained the power of a billion people.

Even Thor couldn't stand up to his power, and as the previous issue ended, the good guys were about to make their final stand against Mangog.

How anxiously I waited for the next issue! When I finally saw a new issue of Thor on the stands, I anxiously opened it - but instead of a showdown with Mangog, it featured a splash page of Thor flying back to Earth, having survived his final battle with Mangog!

Stunned, I looked again at the issue number, and I realized that I had missed issue #157!

Years later, I saw an ad in a comic from a company selling back issues. I sent off for a catalog, and was stunned to see that I could order issues I'd missed at reasonable prices.

I don't remember how reasonable, but it couldn't have been more than a dollar an issue. I sent in a big order (I was flush with cash because I had started a newspaper delivery route), and a couple of weeks later a large box arrived, containing about 25 comics - all of which I was thrilled to see, but none more so than this issue!

Finally, I'd see how Thor and Asgard managed to survive the final assault!

I wish I could say it was the greatest comic I'd ever read, but it wasn't. There were some great moments, terrific dialogue and amazing artwork, but the final solution (which I won't reveal here) was a bit of a cheat.

Still, I was delighted to finally get the rest of the story!

Sadly, I wasn't savvy enough to realize the potential of that early catalog - I remember being disgusted by the prices they were charging for the first issues of Spider-Man, The Avengers and the Fantastic Four - they wanted 20 dollars each! No way was I going to spend that much money for a single comic book!

If only I had spent every cent buying up those issues and squirreling them away...

Who knew?

Grade: B

Ultimate New Ultimates #3

See, the thing with all the Ultimates stories is, there are no heroes in there.

You've got quite a cast here - Iron Man, who's a drunk and a jerk; Captain America, a fighting machine who demonstrates no compassion; Hawkeye, a killing machine without remorse; Zarda, an insane Wonder Woman knock-off; Carol Danvers, who's Nick Fury in drag; Ka-Zar, Shanna and the Black Panther, just here in supporting roles; and Valkyrie, a would-be hero whose story is the focus of this issue.

The story is all crash and thunder as Loki leads an army of trolls and assorted monsters in an invasion of New York while Thor is stuck in Valhalla, working with Hela to, uh, increase the population (so to speak).

Once again, the real selling point of this issue is the art by Frank Cho, who provides some amazing splash pages here, loaded with detail, great action scenes, powerful characters and lots of beautiful women.

Unfortunately, Cho's great work comes with a price - so this comic just appears bi-monthly (at best), and that makes for a long wait between chapters. I have to admit, when I pick up each issue, my first thought is, "Now what was happening in this comic?"

It's worth it for that art, but I wish they'd just wait until the story was done, and then publish it on a tighter schedule. But the art makes the comic worth waiting for.

Now if they only had more actual heroes in there.

Grade: B+

Brightest Day #6

You know, for a series that seems to promise happier, brighter stories, there seems to be a large number of gruesome deaths on display here.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this comic really isn't appropriate for young readers. In the fourth panel in the issue, two people are killed in horrible fashion - and I believe that sort of thing has happened in every issue of this series so far.

Perhaps it's the creative team's way of saying, "Don't worry about that title, we'll keep writing those grim and gritty stories."

Whatever the reason, it seems an odd fit for a series of stories based around classic Silver and Bronze Age characters.

Here we have writers Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi focusing on four different storylines. We follow J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, as he follows a series of horrific murders and discovers a mysterious effect that surrounds him.

We get a few more hints about the truth behind the White Lantern courtesy of Deadman, Hawk and Dove.

Firestorm is called into action again - but he isn't exactly in top heroic form.

And Aquaman and Mera have a conversation they should have had a few decades ago, as Mera reveals her secret origin.

As with past issues, the art is by a team - four pencillers and four inkers - and the quality is consistently high, although some styles don't exactly mesh with others.

I don't mind being strung along by the ongoing mysteries, but it's tough to sustain the stories in this bi-weekly when you're just getting a few pages per shot with each heroic team.

Still, I'm certainly curious to see where this all goes, and why we keep getting hints of a return by the Black Lanterns, so I'll keep hanging around.

Grade: B+

The Avengers #3

I should say right up front that I'm enjoying this new (yet classic) version of The Avengers.

The stories are big, the opponents are bigger, the stakes are high, the characters are compelling, the humorous bits make me laugh out loud, the art is fantastic and the action scenes are a lot of fun.

I only have two problems with the series (and this issue in particular).

First of all, the storyline is the standard decompressed affair where it takes issues and issues to get anywhere. The first issue introduced the menace from the future, and here we are three issues later and the team hasn't yet gone to the future to tackle the problem. The old line is that Stan and Jack had more story in 20 pages than most comics today have in 6 months. We can debate whether or not that's a good thing (different strokes, different folks), and in a series that's jammed with action scenes, it may seem ungrateful to say "Let's speed it up" - but I'm saying it anyway.

My other problem is one that keeps cropping up lately - the cover of this issue has nothing to do with the interiors. None of the three characters on the cover appear in this issue, although two of them seem to be manipulating events behind the scenes. And I have no idea who that spikey-haired Spidey guy might be.

But the problems are far outweighed by the goodness piled on this issue, from Bendis' script, which includes great comic lines, crazy rants from Apocalypse and a really nice moment between Tony Stark and Spider-Man; to the fantastic art by John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson (that final page splash is a joy forever).

Despite the decompression, this series really is a return to the best of classic comic book storytelling, as we get a big, big story that pushes our heroes to the limit and beyond.

Good stuff! You really should be reading it.

Grade: A-

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour Vol. 6

Just a couple of weeks before the feature film hits theaters, we finally get our mitts on the sixth (and final) chapter in the Scott Pilgrim saga.

For those who haven't read it, the series revolves around a young man in love. Scott is mostly without direction - he plays in a band, mooches off an assortment of interesting friends, and seems to lead a normal existence - until he falls in love with Ramona Flowers.

But there's an epic struggle standing in the way of true romance. To win her heart, he must defeat Ramona's evil ex-lovers. As this volume begins, Scott has one last opponent to defeat - but events have conspired to leave him lost and aimless, without any hope of defeating his final opponent.

Of course, as this volume's title indicates, that's hardly the end of the story.

The saga of Scott has been a lot of fun to follow, as the stories are a great blend of humor, romance, rock and roll, high-powered action and cultural references all framed by terrific characters and real-world (ish) backdrops.

As a writer, Brian O'Malley has the chops to mix together all these elements (plus a few I've left out) into a compelling and entertaining story with lots of surprises along the way.

As an artist, he has an original, energetic, cartoonish style that somehow mixes videogame elements with manga influences. The end product is, well, epic in scope.

It will be interesting to see how well the movie (which arrives in theaters on August 13) holds up to the graphic novels. The trailers certainly look promising.

But whether the film succeeds or not, the six volumes of work by O'Malley are instant classics and well worth tracking down.

Highly recommended!

Grade: A

New Comics Today

Here's what I picked up at the Comics Shop today:

- Atlas #3 - The 3-D Man story continues (in 2-D).

- The Avengers #3 - The time line freaks out!

- New Avengers #2 - There's never an exorcist around when you need one.

- Brightest Day #6 - Why are there so many gruesome murders in a book with such a cheery title?

- DC Universe Legacies #3 (of 10) - The Silver Age starts, courtesy of artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

- Justice Society of America #41 - The crossover with the JLA continues.

- Legion of Super-Heroes #3 - Lots of stories squeezed into one little comic.

- The Marvelous Land of Oz #8 (of 8) - The most shocking transformation of all!

- Prince of Power #3 (of 4) - The team-up no one expected - Amadeus and Thor!

- Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour Vol. 6 - Finally, the last chapter! Now, for the movie...

- Ultimate New Ultimates #3 - Lots o' death and destruction here.

The Classics - The Hobbit

Back in the late '60s J.R.R. Tolkein's trilogy The Lord of the Rings was almost required reading.

As a teen I picked up copies at a bookstore, but I realized that I should read the book that led into the trilogy first, so I tackled The Hobbit - but I didn't get far. By the time I was about 50 pages in, I put it down - it was just too difficult to wade through, learning about the language, the characters, the customs of Middle Earth.

I ran into my English teacher one day (Mrs. Goodwin lived in my neighborhood), and she asked me what I was reading (I was always reading something). I told her about trying to read The Hobbit, and she smiled and said, "You should keep trying - it's a great book. It's tough to read for about 100 pages - and then the rest of it flies by."

Inspired, I dusted the book off and tried again, slogging through those early pages again - and just like she said, at some point the weight lifted and the book was over before I knew it - and what a terrific book it was! The trilogy soon followed, and I was a fan of Tolkien for life!

So it was with a small amount of trepidation that I approached Eclipse's adaptation of The Hobbit (in 1989) - it's always a little scary when one of your favorite books gets adapted into another medium, because it never lives up to your imagination.

Well, almost never. Here's the exception.

Adapted by Chuck Dixon, who's best known for wild and wooly action tales, this comic shows what a fine writer he is, as he stays incredibly faithful to the original. He knows when to let the pictures do their part, and when to weave the story through elegant wordsmithing.

He is perfectly teamed with artist David Wetzel, who turns in some amazing illustrations here. Many artists have taken a stab at depicting the residents of Middle Earth, and I have to say that I think Wetzel is the best of the bunch.

His Gandalf is equal parts power, mystery and majesty. The story is loaded with amazing detail, action, adventure, near misses, humor and affection - just like the original!

This adaptation has been printed and re-printed many times over, and is available on the Internet (Amazon has numerous copies). It's just a shame that this team didn't follow this up with an adaptation of the trilogy. Ah, we can dream.

So, to recap: highly recommended, great adaptation, and thanks again, Mrs. Goodwin, for talking me into not giving up on what became one of my all-time favorite books!

Grade: A+

The Man With the Getaway Face

It was just over a month ago that I finally got around to reading The Hunter, the first graphic adaptation featuring Richard Stark's Parker, and it was a surprise.

I hadn't read the original books, so after a quick skim it looked like a hard-boiled detective story. It has that feel to it, but Parker is not a heroic figure at all - he's a hardened criminal who lives by his own code, and uses his brains and his incredible toughness to overcome any obstacle.

Here we get the story of an attempt to rob an armored car, and the struggle to put together a team that can work together. It's not my favorite kind of story, but one thing guaranteed I'd be reading the story: it was adapted by Darwyn Cooke, one of the top writer/artists working in comics today.

And since Frank Miller seems to be taking an extended break from Sin City, it's good to finally have another testosterone-loaded story floating around.

If you were put off by the high price on The Hunter ($24.99), then here's a real bargain for you - The Man With the Getaway Face can be yours for a mere two bucks! It's 24 pages long, printed on oversized paper with a two-color process.

It's raw, hard-edged and impossible to put down. Cooke shows his storytelling chops by crafting a story with relatively little action, but loads of tension and drama, great characters and a story that will keep you guessing.

Cooke is that rare breed - few writers are good artists, and few artists are good writers - but Cooke does either craft with equal skill, and my rule of thumb is simple - if he's working on it as artist, writer or both, I'm buying it.

He hasn't disappointed me yet.

Grade: A

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1

This is (I believe) the third go-round for Doctor Solar, who returns to active duty with this new series from Dark Horse Comics.

The radioactive hero first appeared in 1962 in a title from Gold Key Comics - his first appearance is reprinted in this issue - although it was several issues before he started wearing his famous red, visored costume.

His second stab at a regular title happened in the 1990s as part of Valiant Comics. His origin was updated to reflect modern physics (his first origin was the old favorite, "Exposed to radiation"), and his adventures were much bigger and more thoughtful.

The writer of that series was Jim Shooter, and he's back now with the newest version incarnation of the Man of the Atom. The storyline here is very similar to the '90s version, but it seems to be toned down a bit, perhaps to make the character more accessible to audiences.

Certainly that was the flaw in the last version - he was a god on Earth, far above ordinary mortals - a different form of life.

This version is much more down-to-Earth, despite his incredible powers (flight, energy blasts, matter transmutation and other energy powers) he tells jokes, he has friends and he cares about what people think.

The art is by Dennis Calero, whose work I'm not familiar with, but he turns in a solid, professional job here. His anatomy is strong, his characters are easily identifiable and the storytelling clear - but the layouts aren't dynamic (mostly because of the "origin issue" problem of too many scenes with people standing around talking), and the panels could use more variety - there are too many "medium range" camera shots.

So the final diagnosis is that the first issue is solid but not spectacular. Now that the background explanations are out of the way, here's hoping the creative team can kick this story into a higher gear.

Hopefully Solar's third try at his own title will be the charm.

Grade: B-

Avengers Academy #2

While I would hesitate to call Avengers Academy "the best Avengers comic out there," in many ways it is the most interesting of the bunch.

That's because writer Christos Gage has created a really interesting mix of characters here, including the six young superheroes-in-training and their five instructors.

The really interesting twist to the story is the discovery by the students that they were chosen not because of their potential to become heroes, but out of fear of their potential as villains.

This issue focuses on the student with the most potential to make that turn - Finesse, a young woman with great intellect and amazing physical skills who struggles with her own morality.

We also get a good examination of Quicksilver, one of the instructors at the Academy and someone whose life has more than a few parallels with Finesse.

The art in this issue by Mike McKone is outstanding, with some great action scenes, strong character designs and lots of raw emotions.

The book takes full advantage of the school setting and manages to mix in that original X-Men / Harry Potter feel without coming off as a copy.

It's fresh, it's original and lots of fun. So far, so good!

Grade: A-

Batman #701

I started to write that this issue is something of an oddity, but then I remembered that the comic was written by Grant Morrison, so who would be shocked?

This issue takes us back almost two years to that confusing time between the Batman (Bruce Wayne) "RIP" story and his "death" at the end of Final Crisis.

At the time those issues were published, fans were confused, because we saw Batman apparently die at the end of "RIP," and then in Final Crisis we saw him being kidnapped by minions of Darkseid (an event that happened after "RIP"), and we saw him escaping and apparently being killed as he, in turn, killed Darkseid. Maybe.

Confusing, I know - trust me, I was there. Now, finally, as we're going through The Return of Bruce Wayne, we're going back to fill in the gaps in the chronology.

So this issue begins with Bruce surviving the fiery explosion that ended "RIP," and we follow him on the rather mundane events that followed (though of course his actions are fraught with purpose and foreshadowing - it says here).

The art by Tony Daniels is quite good, with loads of detail and strong layouts. At this writing they've just announced he's taking over this comic later this year (writing and art). The art he has covered. The writing end has me a bit concerned.

So this issue is recommended for those who didn't really understand what happened to Batman pre-Crisis. Everyone else can give it a miss.

It's not bad - it just seems unnecessary, since Morrison already explained this, if not in so much detail.

Grade: B

Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine #2 (of 6)

Two issues in and my original assessment of this mini-series hasn't changed: great artwork, but the jury's still out on the story.

For a team-up book, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine doesn't feature much interaction between the two lead characters. Logan spends most of the book sulking (or fighting robots for practice), and Peter spends most of his time worrying.

They're both caught up in some kind of strange time-travel story, where their adventure last issue (set in the stone age) somehow changed history, and the (modern day) human race has been replaced by apish creatures.

We don't get an explanation for why the usual heroes and villains still existed, and why they left behind assorted artifacts - but hey, it's time travel, things are supposed to be wacky and unpredictable, right?

The art by Adam Kubert (with inks by Mark Morales) continues to impress, but there's really not much for him to do action-wise, although there is a wild splash panel revealing this issue's villain.

But the story is still murky, and plot elements just seem to fly into the picture randomly. But there's still time for writer Jason Aaron to make sense of it all.

Hopefully, that'll start happening next issue.

Grade: B+