WEDNESDAY COMICS - 12/22/10

This is the only Ultimate title that I still read regularly and the one that I haven't missed a single issue of since #7 came out.

Not quite as good as it once was, but Bendis still has a firm grasp on these characters (as he rightfully should, since he created the Ultimate version of all of them) and clearly has more stories to tell.

This is one monthly book I couldn't imagine dropping while he's still on it. And with Bagley coming back next year, I'm hoping it gets even better.

Grant Morrison writing Batman is just one of those things where everyone wins. He gets to do crazy things and the rest of us just get to be along for the ride. What he did with the first 15 issues of Batman and Robin got me reading DC Universe books again, and I was happy to do so. Not entirely sold on this new series of Bruce Wayne 's globetrotting adventures recruiting new Batmen for his new corporation, even if this issue had Catwoman fighting a giant octopus in the middle of a Japanese apartment building.

Probably give it another few issues, but right now I miss Morrison writing Damien and Dick Grayson.

Matt Fraction has been killing on Invincible Iron Man since his run started about three years ago, but I was a little bit let down by this arc. It was a 9-part epic that felt stretched a bit, like he milked a few issues.

Still, I'm interested in seeing what he's got in store for Pepper Potts (who I never thought I'd care about at all) and how he dovetails this book in with Thor and his big Fear Itself event next year.

Bendis has been slowly building another epic Ultimate story and this is the beginning of the final act of his trilogy. I'm still buying it because I want to see where it goes, but I don't find myself caring all that much about the outcome.

It's become one of those things I buy because I feel bad when I go to the comic shop and don't spend at least twenty bucks.

That's Mark Millar's Nemesis Issue 4. I couldn't find a proper cover and didn't want to scan it in.

All I can say about this is that I'm glad it's over. Millar's creator owned stuff has fooled me for the last time. I know they're all just glorified movie pitches (and kudos to him because it seems like it's working quite well), but they all keep leading into sequels that I just don't want to buy.

So yeah. If you want to read a book because you know there's going to be something so shocking (i.e. ridiculous) you won't quite believe it, this is probably the one you want to get.