Best of the Rest! April 24th edition.

X here with the final Best of the Rest post of April.  Yep, we're almost in May!  Which is kind of surprising, because it seems like the winter JUST ended...  But yeah, summertime and all that stuff.  Anyway, this isn't a weather report, it's a comic post, so I should probably get to that.  As always, I'll toss a few thoughts on the various comics I picked up this week, followed by JT the Great, who will post a few reviews as well, only in blue text.  Um, other than that, get ready for a new Throwback Tuesday coming up tomorrow, typed up by none other than JT himself.  I'm sure he'll have something more to say on that coming up.  Okay, enough delaying, here's the first comic.

Teen Titans #19: Wonder Girl leads the Titans against Trigon, who's attacking New York.  This surprises Raven, since she was randomly brainwashing Beast Boy(seriously, where the hell did THAT come from?!), and hadn't been told an attack was coming.  Raven and Beast Boy join up with Trigon and attack the Titans, while Trigon gives Psimon(who was caught in the crossfire of this fight) enhanced powers.  The army shows up to deal with Trigon, and somehow this all leads to Psimon killing the army guys with a mind blast.  Trigon then magically disappears, while Raven seems pissed that he committed murder...  As for the Titans, they seem to think Trigon did all this to make them look bad in the court of public opinion...  First off, a confession...  I read this comic right after I read Young Avengers #4, and in plain English, the writing in YA makes this series look like crap.  Literal crap!  But, even if I hadn't read a series that's everything THIS series SHOULD be, I'd still call this issue garbage.  It made NO SENSE!!!  Trigon, the ruler of his own dimension, staged a fake attack on Earth to discredit the Titans?!  And Raven was angry that this led to murder?!  Wasn't she just mind controlling Tim a few issues back?!  In a battle between Trigon and the Titans, PSIMON is the guy who's instrumental in the finish?!  What the hell is wrong with Scott Lobdell?!?!?  Score: 3 out of 10.

Invincible #102: Thragg attacks Nolan, and we learn that Nolan was the rightful ruler of the Viltrumites by blood.  However, Nolan tries to tell Thragg that he has no interest in the throne.  That falls on deaf ears though, as Thragg is determined to kill Nolan.  However, the other Viltrumites randomly appear on the moon and attack Thragg, having heard his admission of guilt.  Nolan tells the Viltrumites to let Thragg go, and he takes over as their king.  Plus, Mark proposes to Eve.  What a weird issue...  SO MUCH happened!  I was chatting with JT, and he said it best, imagine if you missed this issue?!  You'd be SO lost come issue #103!  So yeah, Nolan is suddenly king of the Viltrumites(where did THAT come from!?) and Mark is getting married...  Okay then.  Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

I, Vampire #19: Last issue!  Mary comes back to life empowered by Heaven(I think...) and helps Andrew defeat Cain and Lilith, as well as save the planet.  Cain ends up with Lucifer, who intends on tormenting him for the rest of time.  Tig is still alive(WHY?!?), and still evil, and leaves with another evil vampire.  Mary dies, having fulfilled what she had to do, and redeemed herself.  Andrew pledges to go after the evil vampires with his vampire dog.  I liked this issue.  Everything wrapped up kind of quick, but this was the last issue, and that happens in finales   I'll miss this series, and I'll definitely miss Andrew and Mary.  Joshua Hale Fialkov did a good job here giving us some interesting characters.  Score: 7 out of 10.

Morning Glories #26: So I was going to review this comic, but when I was done, I legit had no idea what I had just read...  And I don't mean in a "It sucked so bad I was confused" sort of way, I mean I literally don't know what I just read...  This is a series I should probably start reading 6 issues at a time instead of monthly, 'cause it's confusing as hell!  Score: NA

FF #6: Dragon Man realizes Bentley and Medusa are gone, so Scott sends She-Hulk and Ahura to inform the Inhumans.  Meanwhile, Scott and Darla humble the Yancy Street Gang.  This one ends with the Baxter Building being teleported to the Negative Zone.  I liked this issue.  It makes me feel like I kept the right Fantastic Four series.  I like the main characters, I finally like one of the kids(Ahura), and I'm hoping this Yancy Street Gang junk goes way on the back burner now.  Score: 7 out of 10.

A+X #7: First story sees Iron Man and Beast have to face an out of control Hulkbuster(that was reprogrammed by a slick Bruce Banner), while story #2 has Iceman and Thor battling Frost Giants.  Hey, you know what?  This issue?  It was actually GOOD!!  Like, both stories!  That may be the first time that's happened since this series kicked off!  I personally liked the Beast/Iron Man tale more, but both were solid, so hey, a win for this series!  Huzzah!  Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #4: This issue starts with Superman confronting Batman about not helping find his parents in the last issue, with Superman ripping the cowl off of Batman's face in a moment of rage. Their conversation ends when Aquaman starts attacking some hunters that are hunting whales. Green Lantern, Shazam and Wondy show up, but so do the Atlanteans, and they make the major mistake of attacking Wonder Woman. They engage in a fight which leads to Aquaman calling the Kraken to deal with his allies, but Superman shows up and makes Arthur call it off, while holding him by the neck. Aquaman calls it back but makes a power play bu having his forces stand at every beach around the world, to show Superman who runs the sea. Superman retaliates by having Hal encase Atlantis in an orb which Superman, Shazam and Wonder Woman lift and move to the Sahara desert. Well damn. Aquaman meets with Wonder Woman and agrees to pull his forces back if they return Atlantis, and asks her to tell Superman he's sorry about what happened with Lois. The issue ends with Wonder Woman telling Superman of Aquaman's deal, but not mentioning his condolences for Lois, further driving a wedge between the two men. I enjoyed this issue, it really goes a long way in showing how unreasonable Superman has become, how powerful Aquaman is, and how far this Wonder Woman will go to get what or should I say who she wants. Score: 8/10

Scarlet Spider #16: This issue opens with Madame Web, Julia Carpenter's letter to Kaine from a few issues back that he never received. It basically says he should leave and go to Mexico like he planned because "she" is going to kill everyone, whoever that is...maybe Aracely? The rest of this issue takes place at the Rodeo with Kaine and his wacky cast, with Kaine mistakenly hurting Annabelle's feelings by saying they can't be together. This is interrupted by a drunk hero-turned-villain named The Armadillo (Think Rhino...but as an Armadillo..) who shows up, breaks down the walls (Jericho style!) and cries about how his girlfriend, Daisy, left him. Scarlet Spider tries to stop his reign of terror by telling him he needs to let her go, because sadly the monster's never get to be with the girl, but she surprisingly runs up and takes him back, saying she didn't think he loved her anymore because he was distant. This inspires Kaine to try to be with Annabelle, which he does after knocking out her meathead ex-boyfriend and plants kiss on Annabelle, but unbeknownst to Kaine, Kraven and his daughter are watching from afar. The issue ends with a flashback to two days ago, as we see Annabelle burning the letter for Kaine from Julia. I really enjoyed this issue, they're still doing the monster card but this was better and we got some growth for Kaine, but we see Kraven is still in the game, and Aracely's powers are being used more. And I didn't see the ending coming at all, maybe Annabells is bad news. Man, these are supposed to be short reviews!!! Score: 8/10

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #22: In this issue, Miles tries to convince Maria Hill that he's not Spider-Man, but once word comes in Venom is attacking the hospital where his dad is, she tells him he'll get there first, and to save people but wait until the Ultimates are there to face Venom. He takes off, scaling a building in front of her and pursues Venom while his mom watches on. Venom manages to absorb Spidey but Miles' mom, Rio, starts shooting Venom with a gun she picked up off of a unconscious officer, telling Venom to give back her son. Venom grabs Rio but that upsets Miles enough for him to power out, sending the symbiote flying everywhere, leaving the man in the suit vulnerable as he's gunned down by police. Surprisingly, Venom is not Eddie Brock, but a black man named Marcus Conrad. Miles checks on his mom but finds that she's been shot very close to her heart, she's clearly proud of Miles but with her dying words tells him not to let his father know, as she dies in his arms. The next day Miles wakes up at Ganke's house as reality sets in that his mother is gone. He cries and rips up his suit, yelling "No More!" as the issue comes to a close. I really enjoyed this issue, with Hill knowing Miles' secret, seeing how proud Rio was of her son, you could see her face, excellent job by Sara Pichelli. The only problem I had was the fact that the villain was basically a no one but held a grudge against Spider-Man and his family, that seemed...odd but I'm sure they'll explain why he hated them so much. We've seen Peter throw the costume away a few times, but this seemed different, although we know Miles will stay Spidey. Score: 9/10

 Man.... I really gotta make these reviews more brief! Ah, what can I say, I like to paint a picture with my words. Anyway, that's it for this week's best of the rest post. I'll be back tomorrow with a comic picked by mi hermano, X, for Throwback Tuesday, and If you thought Perry White's Magic Cigars were crazy...wait until you see what the Man of Tomorrow was doing like sixty years ago. Anyway, til then, this is JT, signing off!

A Quick Look At... June 6th's new releases.

So I just got home from work a few minutes ago and cooked myself a pizza. I have a few minutes before the pizza cools, so now is as good as any time to break out the first “A Quick Look At...” post of the week. Since I have 8 books left to blog about, I'll do four for this post and leave four for the next post(which will probably be up tomorrow). For this week, I figured I'd go up to THREE whole sentences for each comic! I know, crazy!! Okay, enough talk, I have a pizza waiting for me, so let's get to this...

Stormwatch #10: This was the second issue written by Peter Milligan, and much like the prior issue, it was pretty good. I'm not sure where he's going with Apollo and Midnighter(since I thought it was already established they were gay, although maybe Midnighter hasn't come out yet?), but I was glad to see the guy who betrayed the team(whose name escapes me at the moment...) and Projectionist pop up here. This was another one-and-done type of issue, but as long as the stories are good, I'm fine with that format.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Morning Glories #19: This was a weird comic... It was all about Hunter being chased through the woods by a knife-wielding Zoe, who knew WAY more about Hunter's life then you'd think she should have. In the end Zoe was shot by some weirdos, which did indeed piss me off since I really like Zoe.
Score: 7 out of 10.

Invincible Iron Man #518: A LOT went on in this issue, including War Machine(who everybody thinks is dead) acting as the new Iron Man, Tony Stark publicly declaring that he was no longer Iron Man(for the ten-thousandth time), Sasha Hammer being attacked by the crazed Detroit Steel, Spymaster still trying to kill the Stark Resilient staff and Ezekiel Stane telling the Mandarin that he was no longer the Mandarin's slave... Whew. The downside of all that stuff going on is that no one thing was really focused on, so this issue was kind of a blur.
Score: 7 out of 10.

X-Factor #237: Polaris and Siryn/Banshee decide to take Wolfsbane on a road trip in order to perk Wolfsbane up. After failing, they take her to Reverend Madrox, who does get through to Wolfsbane, at which point Wolfsbane decides that she wanted to find her abandoned child. That was a great thing to read, because I am SO curious about Wolfsbane's child, and think the kid has HUGE potential. Oh, and this was a fun read, as usual. And yes, I know that took me over my 3 sentences or less decree... But hey, rules(especially mine) are made to be broken!
Score: 8 out of 10.

Okay, I think I've burned enough time for my pizza to cool off, until later, Vampire X out!

Morning Glories #18

Ah, here's probably my favorite non Marvel series on the market today! Let's see what type of awesomeness Nick Spencer brings us here.

Morning Glories #18:

Story Points:
-Jun gets attacked by his no good brother.
-Jun is saved by a kid named Guillaume, who Jun knows from the past...
-Flashback time! Guillaume and eventually Jun were sent to Morning Glories Academy to bring it down and/or rescue Abraham, who had trained both boys. Guillaume was a bully to Jun back then, but apparently he was bullying Jun to get Jun's attention...
-Back in the present, Guillaume tells Jun that he had made it turn to night and made the teachers disappear.
-While in a classroom, Jun and Guillaume make out, and then some!
-The two are interrupted when the hear Jun's brother roaming around the halls with his goons.
-Jun's brother is planning to sacrifice a goat, which screws with Guillaume's plans, so he has to retreat to the woods to meet with his contact(I think...).
-This one ends with Zoe standing over that girl she stabbed a few issues back.

Thoughts: Okay, first things first, I love the reveal that Jun is gay. Jun was probably one of, if not the most boring student in this series, so him being gay, and having a lover in Guillaume actually makes him into a more complete character, so I liked that a lot. Story-wise though, this issue was kind of everywhere... Sure, the character development with Jun was great, but I have NO idea what was going on with Guillaume, or Zoe, or, well, anything else. But here's hoping that gets fixed up some the next issue, which is the conclusion to this storyline.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

Morning Glories #17

The middle review for the night is the lone Image comic I picked up this week, Morning Glories. Now THIS is a series I can always count on for at least an 8 for a score. It's that good. Here's hoping tha trend continues.

Morning Glories #17:

Summary: So this issue is all about Jade and Ike, who as you may or may not recall, were tasked with watching over Hodge and Casey in that mysterious cave. We learn about Jade's past, her mother's death and the strange prognostication powers she believes she has. Ike, being a dick and all, doesn't buy into Jade's ideas that she could see into the future, and wants to abandon Casey and Hodge, but ends up staying with Jade, showing a bit of a softer side. The two pray(?!?) and when they're done, Hodge and Casey had vanished(to the past as we learned an issue or two ago). This issue ends with the faculty beating up on that Abraham guy(possibly Ike's real father?) and then sending that weird freaky thing that was living in the basement of the school in to see Abraham.

Thoughts: Well, this was kind of boring. Now, as I said in the intro, I do enjoy this series. A lot. But this issue just didn't do it for me. Which is weird since Ike is one of my favorites here. You'd think an issue where he was one of the leads would have been great for me, but alas, it wasn't. I just found all of the talk between Jade and Ike to be, well, like I said, boring. It didn't really do anything except fill us in on Jade's life story, and she's just not a character who I've ever found that interesting. Oh well, they all can't be gold, I guess.

Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

There was a whole lot of this in this issue...

Morning Glories #16

Ah, here's a comic I truly love reading when it comes out! This'll be the first non-Marvel review of the week, and here's hoping THIS is the comic to finally get me a perfect score for 2012!

Morning Glories #16:

Summary: Okay, this is an all Casey and Guidance Councilor(why did I cap that?) Hodge issue... We discover that Hodge had managed to get Casey back into the past after that strange ritual from a few issues ago. Unfortunately, the two wound up in an army base... Fortunately, Hodge has some kind of weird telepathy, and makes the soldiers let her and Casey go free. Hodge gives Casey a bag with some clothes, money and a note that tells Casey EXACTLY what she needed to do to help herself, her family and friends. Besides that, Hodge reveals that Casey can also control the minds of others... Huh... With that, Hodge tells Casey to run, and Hodge herself returns to Morning Glories Academy. As for Casey, she does as she was told by Hodge, and uses her newfound powers to escape the army base(and her own father). Casey heads to an airport and books a flight for New York City, ending this one.

Thoughts: Well this was weird... It was good and all(as usual), but everything that happened here was just damn weird! I guess that's par for the course with this series though. So now Casey has been sent back in time, and has some sort of instructions from Hodge that will, I'd imagine, help the rest of the Morning Glories kids in the present... Man is time travel hard to write about! Now, while this WAS a good issue and all, I can't shake the feeling that this issue may well be the catalyst to end this series... I mean I haven't heard that this series was getting canned or was gonna end or anything, but IF Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma wanted to pull the plug, Casey escaping Morning Glories sure as hell would be the way to start knocking down those dominoes and bringing this series to a close... Here's hoping that doesn't happen for a very long time though...

Score: 8 out of 10.

So the Morning Glories kids and faculty have telepathy? Or is it hypnosis... Or is it only Casey??

Morning Glories #15

I'm finally here with the first comic review of the week... Yes, it's a few hours later than usual, but better late than never, right? It's only going to be two reviews tonight, with the first being this week's Pick of the Litter... What comic is that? Well, since you've probably seen the title of this post, I'm sure you already know...

Morning Glories #15:

What Happened: Half of this issue takes place in the present(during the bizarre Woodrun event) while the other half looks back at Zoe's pre-Morning Glories years... Let's hit the flashback first. A few issues ago(I think it was a few issues back...) we learned that Zoe had killed her English teacher after she thought the teacher was raping a cheerleader friend of hers. In actuality, the cheerleader was willingly screwing the teacher. Regardless, with the teacher dead, Zoe and the cheerleader tossed the teacher's body into a boiler at the school, getting rid of the evidence. Unfortunately for Zoe, her cheerleader friend's conscience wouldn't allow her to live with herself, and she wanted to come clean about what really happened. Zoe prevents this by(seemingly) tossing her friend over a bridge to her death, making the whole scene look like a suicide. Back to the present... Jun is taken away from Hunter and Zoe's group due to some of the wacky rules of Woodrun. The girl who comes to tell Jun to head back to the school has a huge crush on Hunter, which he is naturally oblivious to, at least at first. The girl leaves with Jun but has made a date with Hunter at some vague point in the future. With Jun gone, it's just Hunter and Zoe, and the two discover an abandoned building out in the woods. The two enter and since this IS Morning Glories Academy, it turns out to be a deathtrap. Surprisingly Zoe saves Hunter from being fricasseed, AND finds a flag(which is what you were supposed to find during Woodrun), as well a some sleeping bags, and oh yeah, a butcher knife... When Hunter comes to Zoe shows him the sleeping bags but keeps the knife to herself... From there the two set up camp for the night and Zoe tells Hunter that he should forget about trying to date Casey since it was painfully obvious Casey was WAY out of Hunter's league. After a surprisingly cordial conversation between the two, the go to sleep... Or do they?! In the next camp over, the girl who was flirting with Hunter earlier goes out to get some firewood for her group, at which time Zoe, knife in hand, quietly gets out of her sleeping bag and walks along, stalking the other girl. Hunter wakes up as well, and not seeing Zoe decides to look around. After some searching Hunter is shocked and horrified to see Zoe stabbing the other girl through the back(!!!) with the butcher knife!

The Good: The flashback scenes and the conversation between Zoe and Hunter were really enjoyable. The cliffhanger was GREAT! After this issue Zoe may just have replaced Ike as my favorite character here... Who knew she was THAT insane! Basically any scene Zoe was in ruled.

The Bad: Usually we get a date for when the next issue of this series comes out(and usually it's WAAAY off)... After this issue they didn't even bother to give us a date, which means who knows HOW long it'll be before we see issue #16 drop... The rules of Woodrun are still so damn vague... What the hell is a skull flag?! Jun being forced away from Hunter and Zoe seemed a bit too convenient for my tastes.

The Verdict: Another depressingly strong issue of this series... Why “depressingly”? Because we have NO idea when the next issue comes out! The fact that we don't have a date to go by(even if it was way off) makes me think that Image has no idea when the next issue will come out either... Which sucks, because after the ending to this one, I can't wait to see what happens next, and with the way this story has been jumping back and forth, we probably won't get back to Hunter and Zoe for a good two issues!

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.Oh Zoe... You so crazy!

Morning Glories #14

The second review for tonight is for the only Image title I picked up this week, and is also one of the best comic books I read monthly. All I can say is that if you aren't reading Morning Glories, you should be.

Morning Glories #14:

What Happened: This issue jumps back and forth from the present to the past, Massachusetts 1693 to be exact. Since I haven't the foggiest notion as to what was going on in the past, I'll stick to the present. After Hunter yelled at Zoe in the hallways last issue, Zoe went to the bathroom to try to process what was happening to her. While there, she overheard some cheerleaders gossiping about her, which pissed her off. Zoe ended up heading outside for Woodrun, and made a beeline for Hunter and Jun, basically telling Hunter that for yelling at her earlier he'd have to become her slave, lest she flirted with some big jock and then sent said jock to beat the hell out of Hunter. That trio(Hunter, Jun and Zoe) end up getting paired together for the Woodrun event, and while Hunter wanted to try to find a way to escape, Zoe was more interested in acquiring whatever prizes would be given to the winners. While going through the woods, several strange occurrences take place, including the sky suddenly turning black and a downpour of rain(almost definitely due to Miss Hodge's actions last issue). The staff at the school begins to panic, and Mr. Gribbs practically orders Miss Daramount to alert the mysterious headmaster to the events of the day.

The Good: As always, the dialogue here was super-strong. I like the way the story here tied into the last issue, since both issues are occurring simultaneously. We keep getting mentions of this mysterious headmaster, which makes me even more intrigued to finally see him. Zoe deciding to take out her frustration on Hunter was completely in character for her, and some of her shots at Hunter made me legit laugh out loud.

The Bad: I'm still foggy on what Woodrun is all about... I had NO earthly idea what the stuff from 1693 meant. Gribbs seemed to be pulling rank on Daramount, which was odd since I had always thought Daramount had more power than Gribbs.

The Verdict: I really enjoyed this issue. Yeah, there were a few confusing things going on here, and it took me a few pages to figure out that this issue was happening at the same time as the prior issue, but those aren't the types of things that can ruin a comic for me. I'm sure the weird stuff from 1693 will be cleared up in due time and will add to the rich tapestry of this series. Sure, I wish Ike was in this issue, seeing as that Ike rules, but Zoe did a good job of being the asshole of the issue, so I was cool with Ike not showing up here. As always, I'm definitely looking forward to the next issue.

Score: 9 out of 10.Zoe was ON this issue!

Morning Glories #13

Ah, here's a series that's rapidly becoming one of my favorite non-Marvel/DC titles. Last issue wasn't as strong as the prior half dozen or so, but I'm holding out hope that the last issue was simply a blip and nothing more.

Morning Glories #13:

What Happened: All of the classes at Morning Glories Academy are canceled for the day so the student body could take part in something called Woodrun. Upon hearing this Casey immediately tells Jade to stick close to her and rushes outside to find Hunter. Unfortunately Hunter is avoiding Casey due to their kind of/sort of break-up. Casey and Jade end up getting stuck with Ike as the third member of their Woodrun team. Casey leads Ike and Jade to a hidden cave on the school grounds where the school guidance councilor, Ms. Hodge, was waiting for them. Hodge is pissed to see Ike there and not Hunter but decides to go ahead with her plan to help Casey escape from the Academy. Casey wants Jade to go with her but Hodge tells her that was impossible and that once Casey had made good her escape she could try to rescue not only Jade but the rest of the student body. Casey reluctantly agrees and goes along with Hodge's plan, which is to sit on the ground while Ike and Jade remain standing in front of a big fire. Ultimately a wacky light show takes place which knocks Casey out and when she wakes up her and Hodge discover themselves in some field near a fence. Hodge seems to think they were in the wrong place and this issue ends with Casey's father and a bunch of other soldiers approaching the two telling them to get on the ground. The problem there? Casey's father was supposed to be dead.

The Good: The Good? The mystery in this series is The Good! Ike is such an unlikable character that I can't help but like him... Wait, that doesn't make sense... Hunter's outburst at Zoe finally gave him some personality besides “token nice guy”. Casey gives off the vibe of a natural leader. The cliffhanger was fantastic. As always, Joe Eisma's art was great.

The Bad: We never really find out what “Woodrun” was all about. The evil faculty members didn't have an appearance. Um, that's all I can think of.

The Verdict: Awesome, last issue WAS an aberration! This issue was WAY more like the 5 issues before issue #12, spotlighting the students and making me care about their plight. One other thing that I've noticed about the past couple of issues, and it's a little thing but it actually helps... The first couple of issues this series would censor the word “fuck” but nothing else, which I found REALLY weird for a comic with a mature rating attached to it. Seeing *$@&, but every other word of profanity kind of pulls you out of the story a bit. Or it pulls me out of the story a bit. The past few issues the censoring has ceased, which actually helps this story out. Now, I'm not advocating that every comic book should have mounds and mounds of profanity, but it DOES help certain comic books emphasize the seriousness of certain situations. So there's my piece on comic books and profanity, probably my weirdest rant ever! Anyway, if you're tired of Marvel or DC and want to try out a comic from one of the other companies, I'd have to say that THIS series is the best one I'm reading right now.

Score: 9 out of 10.HA! I like Ike!

Morning Glories #12

Here's a series that I had been picking up but not reading... The problem? After I read the trade collecting the first six issues, I just wasn't interested enough to read the singles that I had been collecting. But with the extra time I have on my hands due to the lack of new books, I figured I'd give the singles a read to see if I should continue collecting this series... So I read issues #7-11 and you know what? I LOVED them! And then I read issue #12...

Morning Glories #12:

What Happened: Morning Glories Academy's guidance counselor, Miss Hodge, returns to the school after a vacation and is pretty pissed off to see the way things had been running while she was away. Hodge confronts Miss Daramount about the recent murders and mayhem and such but Daramount tells Hodge that the Headmaster was fine with everything, which Hodge points out(correctly) is a lie. From there Hodge meets with the 6 stars of the series(except for Ike, who she felt wasn't ready to hear from her) and talks to them in a different tone depending on the student. Finally Hodge meets with Casey in the basement and tells Casey that she could bring Casey's dead parents back to life.

The Good: I like the setting of this series a lot. Miss Daramount is starting to grow on me, especially after last issue. I enjoyed Zoe's parts of this issue. The cliffhanger was intriguing. As usual, Joe Eisma's art was fantastic.

The Bad: This issue basically focused on a brand new character at the expense of the kids, who I had just begun to warm up to over the course of the past 5 issues... Ike had no speaking parts here. I can't say Hodge came across as an interesting enough character to warrant getting this entire issue dedicated to her.

The Verdict: This was one of those cases where I liked the comic I was reading, but couldn't shake the feeling that it COULD have been better... Hodge's story just didn't really grab me like the past 5 issues did. I mean hell, if I'd have reviewed issue #11 I probably would have given it a perfect score because it WAS that good. That's another problem I had with this issue, it completely ignored issue #11's cliffhanger... Did Ike kill Abraham? Probably not, seeing as that Ike was still here, but how did that scene go down? Did he flat out refuse to kill Abraham? Did he say he'd consider it? We never find out. So while this issue was a step down from the prior 5 issues, it was still a strong issue.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10."I'm your guidance counselor, bitch." is one of the best lines I've read in a while!