Pants Stampede 8/10/09

What is Pants Stampede? Pants Stampede is an occasional feature on the site where the members of the Panteon take a gander at the week's releases and give a quick hit and run review of each one. Now, we may not cover everything, as some of them are already covered in our Wednesday Number Ones and some we may not have access to, but we'll get to as many as we can. As always, we're curious what you thought of this week's books. What were the standouts for you? Was any book so atrocious that you threw it across the room? These are the things we want to know! Anyways, without further ado, let's get to the reviews.

Nick Budd Read and Thought:

Agents Of Atlas #9: To be honest, while the last couple of issues have been pretty good, they haven't been as utterly fantastic or as memorable as the original mini for Agents of Atlas. This issue, however, gets the series back on track in a spectacular way. It's classic Parker. The action is fresh and larger than life, and the back and forth between Jimmy Woo and his counterpart in a new secret organization is pitch perfect and enticing. I am sad to see the artistic side of this book change with such regularity, but Dan Panosian does a bang up job with the proceedings.

Amazing Spider-Man #601: The return of the MJ and Peter relationship! Let the fans rejoice! Wait...Uh, that's not MJ in Peter's bed...WTF? Yeah, for all of the great issues that Mark Waid has done for post "Made a Deal with the Devil" Parker, this issue isn't one of them. It's droll and boring and sort of makes Peter look like a cad. However, the Bendis penned and Quesada drawn back-up story was one that felt right on in every regard. It put forth the quintessential Parker and has a neat little back and forth between him and Jessica (Cage) Jones that while simple, works.

Black Panther #7: You know, maybe Black Panther is simply one of those characters that you just like even though he's never really had a great solo book. Why do I say this? Because in all honesty, this book is just plain boring. She-Panther is meh at best and the adventures of crippled T'Challa just feels uninteresting. I say give the character back to McDuffie. At least that version of the character was able to put the freaking Silver Surfer in a headlock.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #27: The cover of this one has Buffy and friends sitting on top of a Nuclear powered Submarine that has been magically dry-docked near a Tibetan Monastery. That my friends, is the best thing this issue has to offer. And I say that with much sadness, as I really enjoy Jane Espenson's writing. This issue however just doesn't have much going for it. It's a setup issue, and even the quirky back and forth banter isn't enough to keep it afloat.

Captain America Reborn #2: Okay, for all intents and purposes, this is a well crafted, well written book. The thing is, it just isn't for me. The grandiose science fiction elements that Brubaker has adopted just doesn't mesh with the uber spy/noir vibe that the Captain America book has been about for over 40 or so issues. Plus...A bullet that has unstuck Steve Rogers in time? That's the big reveal that we've been waiting for. Skull hit him with a time bullet? Where the heck is my own cosmic cube! I needs it now!

Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #2: It's the lovable adventures of Wade Wilson and his other worldly, zombified head. On the surface, it's a great pitch for a Deadpool comic. In action...It's an amusing, slightly overdone comic. But it makes you laugh and has Deadpool fighting Dinosaurs, so come on, that should be all you Deadpool fans need to know. Buy it now! I will however say that it is still second to the current ongoing, Daniel Way written, Deadpool series. That meat suit joke has stayed with me for weeks.

House Of M Masters Of Evil #1: Somehow, even after what? Five years? Somehow we're still visiting the House of M Universe. My god why? Let me tell you why...Because it's awesome. Christos Gage, the modern master of the action based comic, executes a perfect third incarnation to this world and puts his spin on the Masters of Evil as they come to power. This time out, Parker Robbins, a.k.a. The Hood, gets the top slot but none of our b-list favorites are missed, nor are they chumped out. Everyone from Batroc to Absorbing Man to The Constrictor are given great moments that showcase who they are and what they stand for and the general story of the book gets under your skin and stays there. Great stuff all around.

Irredeemable #5: Dark. Sadistic. Evil. Yup, those are the basic words that I would use to describe the main character, the Plutonian, from this book. Other adjectives that I would use to describe the book itself would be: fantastic, entertaining, surprising. Really though, this book that chronicles a group of superheroes who are trying to find footing in a world that is getting smaller and smaller with every passing day is a must read. Everything from Waid's thought provoking scripts to Peter Krause's detailed and beautiful artwork screams first class all of the way.

Secret Six #12: When this comes out, I won't lie to you, it's the first book that I read. It's that good. Mayhem, bloodshed, debauchery, and 40 different varieties of visually stimulating awesome can be found within. This time out, with Wonder Woman gunning for the team and pretty much anyone else in her way, I was surprised at how little a part she plays in this one. Sure, she's there, but the main star this time is Jeannette, everyone's favorite sadistic banshee. Overall, Gail Simone's story + Nicola Scott's superior talent = Best DC book on the shelves right now.

Tyrese Gibsons Mayhem #1: Um...Yeah, I tried. I really did, but nothing about this book screams, "Remember Me, remember Me!" It's pedestrian in a lot of ways, and most of what happens in it are things that we've seen in other comics of this sort. It's not to say that this book is awful, because it isn't. It just sort of blends into the crowd of anti-hero stories with it's overdone narration and blah art.

War Of Kings #6: I've got three little letters that sum up what I'm feeling after this mini-series. W.O.W. I didn't really think it was possible to make me care about the Inhumans and the Shi'ar, but they did. And truthfully I've never outright hated either faction, they've just never wowed me. In walks the tag team duo of Abnett and Lanning, and by their powers combine, they can honestly do no wrong. The work here is smart, always gripping, and the way they sell the characters is especially unique. Anyone who gets me to care about Kid Vulcan and makes Darkhawk a force to be reckoned with has earned a cookie in my book.