Simon and I both like Omega the Unknown -- huge shocker.

I know - who'd have guessed?

Just read AvX #0... I picked it up solely for the Frank Cho artwork... and I actually liked it.

Not just the art, which was gorgeous as usual, but I was actually enjoying the story -- I got interested in Hope Summers as a character and actually felt for the Scarlet Witch. The whole thing seemed kinda cool.

I'm going to try out the next issue... if I don't like it as much, you can be certain I was just tricked by the artwork.

It better have the X-Men and Avengers truly fighting, to the death, with bad blood (and not some lame thing where they end up united against a common threat), or else it's a con.

It should end with Cap beheading one of the X-Men with his shield, or they're not even really trying.

I want to get #0. Is it the same Hope short story as in the preview giveaway? I don't want to feel ripped off.

Not familiar with the preview... the whole thing was drawn by Cho; so if the preview was done by Cho, I imagine it's the same stuff.

Yes, but it wasn't the whole issue.

It's half a con, at most.

All Star Western #7. Epic cover, epic issue.

Good jumping on point for anybody interesed. First arc wrapped up last issue, and a whole new adventure starting this month, with a new backup feature.

ASW 7 was almost this morning's wake-up book in the john.
But based on Jay's reccommendation of the previous issues, and my enjoying them to a great degree (thanks, Jay!)
it got promoted to the Good-night reading slot.
I'm more awake and aware at that time.
ASW even merits two readings to make sure I catch it all.

Man, that All-Star Western cover seems ripped straight from a 50's "Men's Adventure" magazine!

"Nazi cowgirls ripped my flesh!"

I just re-read Man Without Fear, the series by Miller and Romita Jr. I hadn't read it in years, but liked it the first time. It holds up well. There are a few groaner parts, but Miller has a knack for Murdock's powers and personality. It seems like his Daredevil work is so much more personal than his Batman work (which I enjoy for different reasons). JRJR has never been better. I read the issues (they were selling a cheap collection of issues at the comic shop I frequent...far less than the trade) so I did not see any supplementary material other than a few brief notes by Miller and JRJR. I'm intrigued by who actually came out with the layouts. It seems that Miller might have just done a treatment and then a script, but the whole thing reads like a Miller comic. If JRJR did the layouts, it is amazing work. His choice of shot is amazing in this thing and the storytelling is really crisp.

I think John Romita JR's work is perfect for Miller's writing to the point where I wish he had drawn Miller's original DD run instead of Miller himself.

I started reading The Walking Dead graphic novels. I finished the first one (issues 1-6) and just started the second. It's interesting to see the difference between the comic and the television show. Things that happen in the book in the first few issues seem to play out much longer on the show. So far I'm liking it but I'm not at all impressed with the dialog. Does it get any better?

In my opinion, no. I think of it as an interesting premise told in a fairly "hammer the reader over the head with the theme" way, without any real subtlety, subtext, or depth. I also think it relies more and more on shock value as the series goes on, to the point that it becomes impossible to care about any of the characters (not helped by how poorly defined most of them are). The characters never seem to think or feel, instead simply declaring what's going on.

That pretty much confirms the spidey sense I was starting to get on it. Thanks.

Monk is wrong. I feel the characters are three-dimensional and the large story arc from 1-48 is some of the best work I have ever read in comics.

Many people feel the same as you. I'm not saying they're wrong, but I had a completely different response from reading vol. 1-7. I think of Y, The Last Man as a much better written version of similar themes and ideas (not the least of which is that they actually explored those themes and ideas - the initial reactions, the attempts to rebuild society, different groups blaming others for what happened, the loss of infrastructure, governmental control, etc. Walking Dead, in my experience is "Group of survivors find a place where they think they can be safe. They're wrong and people die. Rick does something controversial or shocking, and the various characters respond to that for a few issues. They move on from where they thought they were safe to someplace else where they think they can be safe. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Speaking specifically of the characters (and trying to avoid spoilers) I think Rick is the only character that has any sort of arc throughout the series, and I think after the first couple of volumes it's a fairly predictable one.

I agree with Monk; the dialogue just reads unnaturally. It's something I was happy to overlook for quite some time because I wanted to see where he was going with it all, but it was impossible to ignore.

I guess I'm going to have to keep reading it and make up my own mind. Dammit.

I ignored it through the first book and started noticing it in the second. "My name is Hershell. Let me introduce you to my family. This is so-and-so, that is so-and-so... etc. Sue is the one with the pig-tails".