Review: Star Wars #5

Dark Horse’s ongoing Star Wars series soldiers on this week with issue #5.
 
Action takes a back seat as character moments from four different arcs provide the meat of this month’s issue. Han and Chewie have parked the Falcon and sought refuge in a Coruscant cantina, Luke and Prithi share a moment that furthers the growing trust between them, Darth Vader bestows a great responsibility upon his newest acquaintance, and Leia and her team of elite pilots never say die.
 
Writer Brian Wood continues to keep the reader’s attention, especially with the Han and Chewie arc as they evade fan-favorite bounty hunters Boba Fett and Bossk. As the smuggler pair ducks through Coruscant’s seedy underbelly, they find help from the most unexpected source. Is it friend or foe? We’ll just have to wait until issue #6.
 
While character interactions are the main focus in issue #5, it is not completely devoid of action. While still on their latest scouting mission, Gray Squadron, lead by Princess Leia, goes toe-to-toe with Colonel Bircher and his top-of-the-line TIE Interceptors. Once again, Carlos D’Anda depicts the space combat with gritty ferocity, exemplifying the speed and tension of the heated dogfight. Whether the battle was won by the Rebels is debatable, but once the action has subsided, Wood brings it back to the characters. Adrift in her crippled X-Wing, Leia orders her fellow pilots, Wedge and Tess, back to the fleet, but the duo refuses to leave their stalwart leader, even if it means disobeying orders. It's a moment that truly gives these characters their humanity.
 
With the Star Wars property's time with Dark Horse dwindling, Brian Wood, Carlos D’Anda, and the creative team on this series are going for broke in order to make one of the publisher’s last SW stories a memorable one.
 
Star Wars #5 arrives Wednesday.

Shut Up and Take My 99¢: The Adventures of Superman #1

So you blew your comic money on beer. Way to go.

Well, since I neglected to provide you with a $5 pick of the week last week, I am here to give you a fantastic use of 99¢! Everyone can afford that! Go out to the car, dig in between the couch cushions, or take a loan from your sibling’s/kid’s piggy bank because you’ll only need 99¢ to check out The Adventures of Superman #1 on the DC Digital Comics App or on Comixology!

I’ll be honest, I really didn’t even know the DC digital line existed until this week. I had heard of all the comics that were a part of it, but I thought they were books available in shops. This explains why I could never find them!

The Adventures of Superman will be a weekly digital book with a rotating team of writers and artists. This week features the talents of Jeff Parker and Chris Samnee.

Parker pens a perfectly bite-sized Superman yarn. A vagrant finds himself with unbelievable mental powers and wrecks a neighborhood in Metropolis. Superman shows up and saves the day. Is it simple? Yep. But that’s what makes it so awesome! It’s a classic Superman story, complete with a return to the red underwear! The last page also leads me to believe that there will be a narrative thread that will carry through each story from week to week.

Chris Samnee’s art was the real selling point for me. I love his art; it just puts a smile on my face. He draws in such a classic style, which has been a great fit for his previous work with Thor, The Rocketeer, Captain America, and now, the Big Blue Boy Scout. I’m glad he chose to draw Supes this way; I didn’t realize how much I have missed the classic costume until now.

You guys really have no excuse. This issue is only 99¢, and you can grab it on your phone (on which it is specifically designed to be read!) Buy it while walking to the cafeteria, and you'll be finished before you finish your lunch. It’s the perfect book for the comic fan on the go! When you combine the convenience, price, quality story, and art you could have one of the best ideas in comics today. Go take the leap into digital folks! Your eyes and wallet will thank you for it!

Shut Up and Take My $5: Thor God of Thunder #7

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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This week’s releases could make a wallet cry. (Mine certainly did!) There were just too many quality books for one week to handle: Saga #12, Hawkeye #9, Uncanny Avengers #6, Batman #19, Thor: God of Thunder #7, Age of Ultron #5, and more! The list is rather daunting, but in the end, it was an Asgardian TIME CRASH that won the day.

That’s right, folks: Thor has gone Who. And that’s why Thor: God of Thunder #7 is the pick of the week.

Jason Aaron has been penning one of the best runs on Thor since Walt Simonson was at the helm. He has taken the character across time and space hunting Gorr the God Butcher, and, in the process, we have gotten to know three distinct Thors. There is the brash and impetuous young Thor, the modern Thor that we all know and love, and Thor the All Father from the end of time. All three have been encountering Gorr in their respective times, until now.

Aaron has thrown modern Thor and future Thor together, and the result is awe-inspiring. The beginning of the book reads like a Doctor Who episode: Old Thor is questioning his younger self as to where in life he is and promptly tells him to forget everything he just said. I was waiting for River Song to step out and chastise future Thor for spoilers! We get the Asgardian version of wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey as future Thor complains about time travel. Oh, and they get drunk together. I’m very glad Jason Aaron decided to go the humor route with the two Thors. The humor is a nice juxtaposition to the utter despair we see towards the end of the issue at the hands of Gorr.

Aaron has created an amazing villain in Gorr the God Butcher. So many times Thor just faces off against something he can solve with his Hammer, but Gorr is different. He is determined and brutal. He shows no mercy to any deity, and his vendetta spans all of time. And the worst part? The more you learn about him, the more you kind of start to sympathize with him. In this issue Gorr does something I wouldn’t have thought possible. It is a true “well, shit...” moment, and it sets up the rest of the arc to be an emotional and action packed roller coaster. I can’t wait.

Esad Ribic’s art takes what is already an amazing Thor book and makes it a perfect Thor book. This man was meant to draw and paint Thor. He had an amazing run on Conan and has taken that style and applied it to the God of Thunder. Everything is epic. From a dark scene in a cosmic Library of the Gods to Thor and Thor sailing off into the cosmos to confront Gorr, everything looks amazing. He uses a combination of pencils and paint to give every page a wonderful fantasy atmosphere. Even some of the more Sci-Fi looking bits in future Asgard look like they could fit in a Conan book.

Simonson was the master of Thor the superhero; Ribic is master of Thor the god.

If you are a Thor fan, this is the book to buy this week. If you are a comics fan, this is the book to buy this week. If you are a Thor and Doctor Who fan? You have no excuse not to buy this issue. Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic are giving us a run for the ages on Thor (pun intended). If you have extra cash this week, I would recommend grabbing any of the back issues you can. The first trade doesn't come out until June and it would be a crime to wait that long to catch up on such an amazing run.

Review: Star Wars #4

Brian Wood’s journey through the Star Wars galaxy continues this week with Star Wars #4. Action and intrigue abound as the Rebels and Imperials continue to square off from opposite sides of the galaxy, dealing with internal and external conflicts alike. Issue #4 feels a bit more like filler than the previous three installments, but the story moves forward nonetheless. With multiple storylines going on in the series, Wood choose to focus heavily on the Rebels this time around, but still keeps the Imperials in the game.

As Brian Wood catches us up with Han and Chewie after their botched meeting on Coruscant, we find the pair running for their lives from a TIE fighter patrol. While a chase through the skyscrapers of the Imperial capital isn’t anything new, this particular instance includes a most unconventional means of evading pursuit as only our favorite Corellian and Wookiee can deliver. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Carlos D’Anda depiction will make even the most casual Star Wars fan smile. Wood then leaves us with the promise that the smugglers are headed towards an “out of the frying pan, into the fire” situation in issue #5. A brief yet spectacular look in on Han and Chewie.

The meat of issue #4 focuses on the ongoing drama that is Princess Leia’s black ops squad of pilots tasked with finding a new home for the Alliance, as well as weeding out the mole in their midst. Sadly, this is the most disappointing section of the book since we don’t really see anything new. The squadron heads out and splits into teams to scout different sites, but, just as we’ve seen already, they are ambushed by an Imperial patrol. We understand that this is what the Rebels are attempting to avoid, but it seems like no progress has been made in this particular storyline. The Imperials show up, Leia and company freak out, and a dogfight ensues. Here’s hoping this one has a different and surprising outcome in the issues to come. The saving grace is Carlos D’Anda’s art. He continues to excel in portraying the action of a Star Wars dogfight, beautifully illustrating fighters and environments.

The issue ends with the most intriguing turn yet. Aboard Death Star II, we find Darth Vader bitching out his staff of officers for their “apparent lack of progress.” However, just in time to prevent an entire room full of invisibly choked corpses, Birra Seah, a liaison from the Kuat manufacturing company, calms down the Dark Lord (you read that right). Convincing him that his form of motivation is less than efficient in the workplace (who knew?), Seah makes a deal that will put her in charge of the remaining construction on the station….for a price. The fact that this is someone who was very quick to get into Vader’s good graces is fascinating. This storyline will definitely keep me coming back.

Brian Wood and Carlos D’Anda continue to do good work, regardless of the sudden decrease in pace, but every issue can’t be non-stop action. The pair continues to display an excellent handle on the material, from Wood’s quick nod to Han Solo’s days on the Imperial Academy to D’Anda’s beautiful, full-page splash of R2-D2 and C-3PO, accompanied by banter reminiscent of their famous squabbles in the Tataooine desert and Echo Base.

Star Wars #4 is out today from Dark Horse!

Shut Up and Take My $5: Indestructible Hulk #6

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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<ALERT>

Hope this message reaches you in time! For the love of all that is holy: do not - I REPEAT - do not buy Dial H #11. I was wrong. Oh God, I was so wrong. What a waste of money...

</ALERT>

Now back to our regularly scheduled review...

This week, Marvel shined with three strong offerings in Age of Ultron #4, Thanos Rising #1, and Indestructible Hulk #6. These three books left the rest of my reads in the dust. But, you ask, who would win in a battle between The Hulk, Ultron, and Thanos? It’s actually a really easy question to answer.

Hulk. Smash.

Hulk has never been a favorite of mine. I feel like the Jekyll and Hyde bit has been done to death, and you can only watch the Hulk smash so many things before it actually get’s boring.

Enter Mark Waid.

In one arc, he managed to make both the Hulk and Bruce Banner fresh and exciting again, all without stripping away the core characters. For once, a writer is allowing Bruce Banner to grow and stretch his legs a little, making the Hulk's appearances all that more satisfying.

There is so much to love about this issue’s story. Bruce Banner is his own mad scientist version of the Future Foundation. With unlimited funds from S.H.I.E.L.D. and his own hand picked team of assistants, Banner is a sight to behold. Want to make a portal to Jotunheim using a sliver of Uru metal from Mjolnir? Sure. Why not? They can do that.  And do it, they did.

Opening the way to the one of the other nine worlds brings us some nice scenes with the Hulk vs. Frost Giants, with some help from Thor. The twist? This is not the Thor we were expecting. Somehow Banner’s portal landed them in a time before Thor’s involvement with the Avengers. Banner’s interaction with Thor is pure gold, including a comment about how the Thor he knows “drinks a Shake Shack dry once a week.” Kudos to Waid for making this Thor a lot like the Simonson Thor from the 80’s, complete with Shakespearian voice. It’s a great touch and jives perfectly with the art for the book.

Oh, did I forget to mention that this arc is being penciled by Walt Simonson? My bad.

I don’t think there could have been a better choice to pencil this story. There is something about Simonson’s art that just shines any time he is drawing anything having to do with Thor and crazy mad science. This issue is chock full of Simonson sound effects, Simonson energy circles, and Simonson motion lines. For fans new and old, this issue is an artistic treat.

But - and sadly yes, there is a “but” - Mr. Simonson’s art does suffer just a tad from the coloring job done on the book. This could be the crotchety old fan coming out, but I think Simonson’s art lends itself to the old pen and paper days. The digital color just doesn't work as well with his pencil and ink style. It comes off like someone tried to color a page that was meant to be black and white. But this is a small quibble; it’s still a gorgeous book.

There you have it, folks: Indestructible Hulk #6 has been found worthy of your $5. Between Mark Waid’s mad science and old school Thor fun and Walt Simonson’s fantastic art, this book delivers on every page. If you still need some convincing, I will direct you to this spoilerific splash page from the end of the issue. If that doesn’t sell you, you must be a fun-hating robot.

Shut Up and Take My $5: The Flash #18

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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I’ve spent the past week or so really hating on DC. With Andy Diggle leaving Action Comics and Joshua Fialkov leaving Green Lantern Corps & Red Lanterns before either had written more than a single issue, it looked like the wheels were falling off at DC. So how in the world could a DC book beat out the likes of Fatale, The Legend of Luther Strode, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Uncanny Avengers?

It takes a Flash.

That’s right, folks: The Flash #18 is the one book you should pick up this week.

I promise this has nothing to do with the fact that I am a huge Barry Allen fan. Flash fact. Scout’s honor.

Francis Manapul has shared writing and art duties with Brian Buccellato in the New 52 Flash, but Manapul has taken this month off, leaving Buccellato with the major writing work. I really hope this isn’t indicative of Manapul’s writing (because I love his art), but this was the best issue of The Flash since the New 52 began.

Brian Buccellato pens a truly classic Flash story. We have the return of “Barry Allen: Bartender to the Underworld” (bonus points to Buccellato for hopefully referencing this JLU clip). The Trickster is running around in all of his tricky glory. Barry has to disipline an amatuer hero team called “The Speed Force.” All wonderful, but what really sold me on this issue: Barry is doing detective work again! I love Barry the hero, but I’ve missed his detective work; it’s half the fun! This issue is exactly what this book needed after coming down from the rather drawn out “Speed Force” and “Gorilla” arcs. The Flash was in danger of slowing to a crawl, and Buccellato made it fun again. And really, that’s why this book took top spot. It was an absolute blast to read.

The Flash #18 also has a wonderfully roundabout Star Wars reference. Follow me on this one: The Trickster gets a mechanical arm to replace the one he lost. In the Flash TV show from the early 90s and the JLU animated series, The Trickster was played by Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill played Luke Skywalker. Luke Skywalker has mechanical arm to replace the one HE lost. Eh? Eh? I KNOW, RIGHT?!

#realtalk Francis Manapul is one of my favorite artists, easily in my top five. Normally, when Manapul takes a month off from art duties, the book suffers… but Marcio Takara has come out of nowhere and blown me away. Takara rocks a rougher pencil and makes use of some heavy inks to give the Flash a heavier tone than Manapul’s watercolors. Don’t get me wrong: I still love Manapul’s work, but Takara’s style was pretty damn awesome. With Buccellato’s colors to top it off, The Flash #18 is just an amazing looking book. The only thing it was really lacking was Manapul’s genius manipulation of story panels, but I can forgive that.

The Flash #18 is an absolute blast from cover to cover. It’s probably the most fun I have had reading a comic book in a while. It even topped the horse fight! Buccellato hit this one out of the park. Add Marcio Takara’s art and you have the perfect package. But, what might be the most impressive part about this issue, is that it has convinced me to pick up Dial H #11. Why’s that? Well, you'll just have to go drop $5 on Flash #18 to find out!

But I promise you, it has nothing to do with Dial H #11’s cover, that shit is creepy.

Shut Up and Take My $5: New Avengers #4

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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This week’s books have forced me to a near-impossible decision. Three books are all equally amazing this week, and each are easily worthy of your one and only purchase. Saga #11, Chew #32, and New Avengers #4 are absolutely fantastic. But if you can only buy one book this week I’m going to have go with... New Avengers #4.

Excuse me while I run and hide from all the Saga and Chew fans!

Here’s the deal: Saga was an emotionally heavy book this month, and Chew was comedic gold (Google: Torta-Espadero, trust me.) They’re great, but they aren’t exactly reaching into new territory.

New Avengers, on the other hand, is doing something very different and very interesting. We get to see some of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe walking that fine line between being a hero and a villain.

For the uninitiated, Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers focuses on the Illuminati, the all-powerful secret group of heroes who have taken it upon themselves to solve the world’s greatest problems. Their actions have always danced in the lines of morally gray (e.g., launching the Hulk into space or keeping all of the Infinity Gems themselves for “safe keeping”), but in this month’s issue, we see these characters grappling with the idea of destroying an Earth from another universe to protect their own. Doomsday devices are being built; unspeakable spells are being researched. And the best part? Despite their substantial combined intelligences, they can’t figure out a better plan. Nor do they fully understand what is happening.

(On a side note, Hickman will now and forever be the writer who in one frame showed me that Blackbolt is a silent Fonz.)

Art wise, making this week’s $5 choice was an even harder decision. If you base your book buying primarily on the art, then I have to steer you towards Saga #11. Fiona Staples is a master and this issue in particular is absolutely gorgeous. But that isn’t to say that Steve Epting is drawing stick figures in New Avengers. His pencils teamed with Rick Magyars shadowy inks and Frank D’Armata’s red hues provide a wonderfully foreboding canvas. Every page looks like it could be the end of the world. It adds to the desperation the characters are showing and really shines when a certain World Eater shows up. Still, I think Staples' Saga is the winner in this tight match-up.

Like I said, this week gave me a pretty tough decision, but in the end, Hickman’s New Avengers won out. Saga is always amazing, and Chew is always so very original and gut-splittingly hilarious; but there is just something about New Avengers. It’s a different Marvel book. The Illuminati aren’t there to save the day; they’re there to pick the best of many incredibly crappy options, while trying not to kill too many innocents in the process.

So there you have it, folks: the $5 goes to a big two book over creator-owned this week, but if you happen to find some change in the couch, you could consider Saga and Chew a valuable investment as well.

Shut Up And Take My $5: Manhattan Projects #10

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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I really only need one sentence to explain to you why Manhattan Projects #10 is the only book you need to buy this week:

Robert Oppenheimer, the man who created the atomic bomb, beats the shit out of a horse.

I believe my editor would be rather displeased with a one-sentence review, even though that is all that is needed. I mean, come on! One of the greatest scientific minds in history. Beats the shit. Out of a ruddy horse!

But for you, reader, I shall soldier on.

[Ed. note: For the record, I think I would've preferred a one-sentence review over one containing six references to horse beating. C'est la vie. --DT]

Jonathan Hickman’s Manhattan Projects has been weaving an absolutely insane tale since its debut last year. Issue 10 is a call back to MP #1 where we discover that Robert Oppenheimer isn’t Robert Oppenheimer: he was actually killed by his twin brother Joseph, who then took Robert’s place. Joseph’s big problem? Aside from being a serial murderer, he has multiple personality disorder. And when I say “multiple” personalities, I’m talking “nearly infinite number of” personalities. There is a reason (I use that term loosely) to this rhyme, though: (at least some of) his personalities are reflections of a person he’s killed and summarily eaten. “Bat-shit crazy” doesn't even come close to describing this guy.

In MP #10, we find Robert Oppenheimer waking up in what we can only assume is the mind of Joseph Oppenheimer. What follows is a glorious romp through the mind of an psychopath which includes red horses, giant sumo wrestlers fighting in a forest of phones, and Ninja Oppenheimer. It’s Oppenheimer vs. Oppenheimer for control of the mind. This may be the greatest thing to ever be put onto paper.

The art for Manhattan Projects is usually handled by Nick Pitarra but he steps aside this issue to give Ryan Browne (Smoke and Mirrors; God Hates Astronauts) a shot. I barely noticed. Pitarra’s art is very reminiscent of Frank Quitely, and Browne does a fantastic job keeping Pitarra’s tone... albeit with fewer squiggles. Browne really lets loose on drawing some absolutely crazy things - not the least of which is a man beating the shit out of a horse. And to be clear, this isn't a "Mongo-in-Blazing Saddles" type of horse fight. This is a "UFC-meets-Mike Tyson" horse fight. Also, I’m pretty sure Hickman told him to draw as many different Oppenheimers as he could in one frame. I was a fan of Pirate Oppenheimer and Luchador Oppenheimer.

I won’t lie: if this is your first ever issue of Manhattan Projects, you will be a tad confused. This issue is the best comic of the week, but to wring all of the goodness out of it, I would recommend catching up on the earlier issues. It’s one of the best - if not the best - book on the shelves today, so it is a damn good investment.

To summarize: Oppenheimer beats up horse. Ninja Oppenheimer. Luchador Oppenheimer. GO BUY THIS BOOK!

An honorable mention this week goes to Thor: God of Thunder #6 for its great peek into the history of a god killer. If Manhattan Projects is a little too “out there” for you, Thor is the next best thing.

Horse fight.

Review: Star Wars #3

Sometimes you just can't get enough Star Wars. Last week saw the semi-official announcement that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford will definitely be returning for Star Wars Episode VII. What better way to follow that than with the release of Dark Horse's Star Wars #3?!

Issue #3 of the ongoing series begins by catching up with Darth Vader, who was noticeably absent from issue #2. Having fallen out of the Emperor's good graces after his failure at Yavin, the Dark Lord has been reassigned to a "remote construction site" at the ass-end of the galaxy. Fans may recognize this site as ENDOR, where the construction of the SECOND DEATH STAR is taking place! While we know it to be a pretty significant place to be, Vader sees himself as nothing but an over-qualified foreman at this point. However, what's really gnawing at Vader's ego is the fact that he, the Emperor's right hand, has been so easily cast aside and his duties given to just another officer. As writer Brian Wood so wonderfully put it, "The existence of his replacement, the upstart Colonel Bircher, mocks him from light years away." Brilliant. There will undoubtedly be a confrontation between Vader and Bircher at some point, and it has the potential to be amazing.

More interpersonal drama is brewing among the top pilots of the Rebel Alliance. As Princess Leia’s crack team of black ops scouts continues to train for their mission of locating a suitable base, Luke Skywalker and Flight Officer Prithi seem to be developing  more than a professional relationship. Believing this to be a distraction from the matter at hand, Leia takes Luke off active duty. The move reflects the goings on in the Imperial fleet, putting Luke and Vader in similar positions with their higher ups. Like father like son. Oh…uh…spoilers?

A rift begins to form between Luke and Leia that, at first, is between a commanding officer and her subordinate, but after a few choice words from Luke, it goes beyond the professional level. The Princess takes her frustrations out on the simulator, running scenarios with Wedge, but at the same time, reflecting on the condescension she received from Luke. Just as with Vader and both the Emperor and Colonel Bircher, tension is building to a critical point.

But the real fun begins far from both the Rebel and Imperial fleets. In the heart of the Empire, Han and Chewbacca find themselves sitting pretty in a Coruscant apartment, awaiting dealings with Mon Mothma’s contact. Brian Wood injects a touch of humor as comments on the complimentary bottle of wine they received, stating that if he sold the Millennium Falcon, he might have enough to buy a case of the rare spirit. Once their contact arrives, and promptly begins to change the details of their arrangement, Han Solo does what he does best: he shoots first. The ensuing firefight with Imperial troops leaves the pair pinned down in bathroom, hoping they can make it out alive.

To close out Star Wars #3, we find Colonel Bircher giving a William Wallace-esque speech to his best and brightest TIE Interceptor pilots as he prepares to personally lead them on a campaign that will deal a devastating, crippling, and  ultimately fatal blow to the Rebellion. Clad in his own scarlet flight suit, we see that Bircher is the hands-on type, prepared to get his own hands dirty and not stand on the bridge of a Star Destroyer while the minions do all the work. He is a dangerous man, indeed.

Brian Wood continues to make this series one that keep you coming back each month. He has instilled doubt and unease in the unflappable Leia Organa, put our favorite smuggler pair in dramatic jeopardy, and made one of the most iconic and fearsome villains of the last century a whipped puppy, biding his time to reclaim his rightful place at the right hand of his master. The original Star Wars is still the best Star Wars.

Star Wars #3, written by Brian Wood and drawn by Carlos D'Anda, is out tomorrow.

Shut Up and Take My $5: Green Lantern #18

We’ve all been there: two issues in your hand, you can only afford one. What is the broke geek to do?! Sean Sorensen is here to guide you in your thrifty comics crusade by providing you with the one issue each week that'll make you say, "Shut up, and take my $5!" It always feels good to get the most "BIF! BAM! POW!" for your buck, doesn’t it?

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This week’s choice was a tough call! We had Tony Stark head butting aliens (Iron Man #7), Ultron rocking a 90’s style foil cover (Age of Ultron #1), Hellboy sulking (Hellboy in Hell #4), and the Hulk having a hard time counting Angels (That would be two, Hulk; All New X-Men #8)

All noteworthy issues, but this week, your five dollar bill should be exchanged for Green Lantern #18.

Geoff Johns is only two issues away from ending his marathon run on Green Lantern, and he is pulling out all the stops. After the events of issue 17, Baz finds himself trapped with Hal and Sinestro in THE DEAD ZONE! It’s a rather tense situation, as tempers flare among the three Lanterns.

And, boy, is it wonderful.

Sinestro is a glorious asshole. Hal continues to be the fearless knight, still trying to fix everything, albeit stripped of his sword. Then there’s Baz. Oh, Bazzy Bazzy Bazzy... I’ve been liking him more and more ever since his introduction back in GL #0, but Geoff Johns manages to propel him to favorite GL status with two brilliantly written frames. Baz doesn’t put up with any bullshit. To top it all off, Geoff also leaves us with one hell of a cliff hanger that will probably secure another hard earned $5 with GL #19 next month.

As excellent as Johns’s writing continues to be, I should be clear, though: he doesn't deserve all the credit alone. No sir, Szymon Kudranski and Alex Sinclair elevate this book to masterpiece status. Kudranski and Sinclair create an amazing inky black shadow realm for THE DEAD ZONE! It’s like seeing the shadow realm from Lord of the Ringson paper. But what really drives the art home is whenever Baz uses his ring: the green light pierces through the page’s black void. It is an absolute feast for the eyes.

Ardian Syaf and Mark Irwin create the four pages in this issue that take place outside of THE DEAD ZONE!, but their art doesn't even hold a candle to to their co-artists. These pages are necessary for the story, sure, but the others take top prize. That would be my only complaint with this book. And it’s miniscule.

So don’t bother with any other book on the shelf this week, boys and girls. Green Lantern #18is guaranteed to give you the most Willpower for your buck. If you still don't believe me, the issue title is “Dead or Alive, You’re Coming With Me!” A RoboCop reference in a book about space cops. Well done, Mr. Johns. Well done.