Welcome fellow geeks, freaks, and monsters. I would like to thank everyone up front for reading these ridiculous rants that I call reviews. It’s a heavy week for me, I’m getting caught up on last weeks pull on top of my pick up today. Cali and I attended Heroes Con this past weekend, so all of last week’s focus and energy went towards that. Long story short, I picked up last weeks issues but didn’t have time to read them. Heroes Con was INCREDIBLE!! Cali and I got to meet, the legend himself, Stan “The Man” Lee and fulfilled a FanBoy quest that I had set for myself. I had gotten a
copy of Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee and I made a promise to not unsheathe it from it’s plastic wrapping until I can have it signed by the Great One himself. It would feel more like he was actually handing it to me to read for the first time. Yeah see, FanBoy right here. Anyway, Lots of killer stuff happened at Heroes Con, Cali debuted her, much anticipated, Black Widow Cosplay outfit. We got a bunch of stuff singed and bought a bunch of really cool classic and rare issues, that are all up for sale on www.TheSkeletonCrue.com, go check it out!

Ok, lets get started..

Amazing Spider-Man #688

This was a surprisingly morbid issue. I liked it a lot! To piggy back on the release of the new The Amazing Spider-Man movie coming out next week, Marvel has set Spidey up against The Lizard. I
love The Lizard, he’s always been one of my favorite villains. I’m always stoked when they write him into a story, and I’m losing my mind over him being in a movie! This issue was the fist issue after Ends of the Earth and Spider-Man is really obsessed with death and people dying under his protection. This happened to make it a really bad time for Morbius The Living Vampire to start messing with the bodies of one of Peter Parker’s dead friends. The Lizard is left in a vulnerable position at the end of the issue and still bat-sh!t crazy.

Amazing Spider-Man #689

Well… Dr. Connors has finally perfected his “arm growing back” formula. So in the last issue we were left with The Lizard being restored back to his old, one armed, Dr. Connors, human self. Now that he’s regained his humanity his sole goal in life is to now turn himself back into a lizard monster… Comic characters are just never satisfied. I can’t really say too much more without there being a few spoilers, so I’m just going to leave you with this, save your money on going to see the new The Amazing Spider-Man movie and invest what you saved on this comic and the previous issue. As a Spider-Man fanboy, I was really let down by the movie, not to say there weren’t things I liked about it, but overall it wasn’t a good film or rendition of Spider-Man’s origin.

Marvel Zombies Destroy #4 (Limited Series)
Issue 4 of 6.

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Marvel Zombies mini series. It has a lot to due to the fact that I think Dum Dum Dugan is one of the most bad ass dudes in the Marvel universe and the fact that they’ve teamed the Nazi zombies with zombie Asgardians.. Yup, and Dugan wears a Leatherface mask made of zombie flesh. Incredible.

The New Avengers #27 (Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In)

Another killer read, I really have yet to be let down by any of the AvX tie-in issues from any tittle. Even titles I wouldn’t normally pick up have surprised me, but with such an increasingly epic
crossover event how could any of them really miss. This issue focuses on Hope Summers and The Iron Fist, and has an incredible twist with Spider-Man at the end.. That’s not a spoiler because he’s on the cover! How would you expect to beat a cosmic fire bird? With a cosmic dragon, of course… or maybe a cosmic spider?? I don’t know, Iron Fist has played a surprisingly big role in AvX and now they’ve brought Spider-Man in on the same note. It’s a great read, but their cliffhangers are more mystical than eventful, you end each issue with “What?” or “Why? instead of “Oh Sh!t”.

Venom #19

Damn… This issue was brutal.

Venom is being attacked by the Savage Six, they’re like the Sinister Six but only half as cool. The three villains that matter in the group are Jack O’Lantern, The Human Fly, and Toxin. That brutal ass trio had done some serious damage to Flash Thompson’s family, in a pretty serious and macabre manner. If you’re a horror fan you’ll love this issue. I highly recommend it, but then again I ALWAYS highly recommend picking up this title.

Avengers Vs. X-Men: Round 6

The AvX series has gotten to it’s first turning point, and the X-Men are winning. So in the last issue The X-Men took control of the Phoenix force and it has possessed, not one but, five hosts! I’m not going to spoil any more because I feel it’s too soon, but you need to pick up this issue, inner politics are starting to pick at the Avengers team.

Avengers Vs. X-Men: Round 7

This is a serious roller coaster of an issue. First, they hit you really hard right off the bat with a seriously heart dropping moment. Once you come down from the first shock they confuse you with weirdness between 2 members of the Phoenix Five, which leads into the edge of your seat ending. If I hadn’t been keeping up with the tie-ins, this issue would have been twice as confusing. Having said that, the was just another really stellar issue.

Spider-Men #2 (Limited Series)
Issue 2 of 5

This series has turned out to be everything I wanted it to be. If you’re a Spider-Man fan and you’re not reading this then you should be ashamed. Peter Parker has slipped into the Ultimate universe and has found, fought, and befriended his alternate super self, setting up this series to be one of my fanboy favorites.

X-Men Legacy #269

It’s always fun to see Ms. Marvel and Rouge throw down. In case you haven’t been keeping up the X-Man are currently destroying the Avengers. They’re cheating though. Anyway this issue is a must for
Avengers fans ironically. This issue is a serious turning point for the Avengers and the Phoenix Five.

Wolverine and the X-Men #12

I think we can all this one a pseudo win for the Avengers. It’s all on how you really look at it though, I guess. I’m I’m going to call it a half win, a lucky win, but a win none the less. This was a battle issue with a look in what Rachel Grey is going through personally with dealing with the Phoenix Force again. A good read.

Hit-Girl #1

HIT-GIRL! Who doesn’t love Hit-Girl??

I’m stoked that they’re doing a Hit-Girl series and this first issue was a great introduction to the series. Even if you haven’t read Kick Ass, this issue provides a pretty decent origin and character introduction for all our Kick Ass favorites. A new regular pick up for our collection.

Ultimate Spider-Man #12

Here it is!! I’ve been waiting for this issue since the series started, I wash;t sure when it was going to happen, but I knew it was inevitable as soon as the introduced the character. The Peter Parker symbolism just oozes off the last two pages of this issue, so much so that I don’t think you’ll have to be a diehard Spidey fanboy to see it. This was a phenomenal issue, I can’t say anything more about it without dropping the spoiler, BUT if you have read it and want to geek out find me on Facebook or wherever, it’s “Rev. Jay Leal” on whatever site you use.

Wolverine #310

Sabertooth is back!!

Ok, so back in Wolverine #90, Wolverine finally killed, his longtime nemesis, Sabertooth. He accomplished this by chopping off ol’ Sabertooth’s head, a pretty solid way to kill just about anything.
Well here we are years later and to Wolverine’s disbelief Cloak breaks the news to Logan that Sabertooth is in fact still alive. The ending was expected yet surprising at the same time making this a really entertaining read. I’m not much of an X-Men fan but I do have a few favorite mutants, and Wolverine is at the top of that list.

WHOO! That was a lot of reading for 2 days. Alright well I hope you guys enjoyed reading and I hope that I’ve inspired some of you to pick up a few of these titles. If ever you want me to read and review anything feel free to let the guys here at Wreckhouse Magazine know! So, until next time, make sure you checkout www.TheSkeletonCrue.com for all your Geek, Freak & Monster wear and THANKS FOR READING!

Rest in Piece,
Rev. Jay Leal

Here we go on June 13, 2012′s new releases

The Amazing Spider-Man #’s 1&2 (limited series)

So, this is a pretty standard “intro to a movie” series. I love Spider-Man, there is VERY rarely a series I don’t like. I wouldn’t call this a must-read, but if you’re a Spider-Man fan then you won’t be let down. It definitely helps you gear up for the movie. This was just a 2-issue mini series, really would have done fine as one issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #687

Final issue of the Ends of the Earth saga; all and all it was pretty good. We got to see a new Spider-Suit, which I thought looked righteous as hell, and we got to see what decrepit little Doc Ock
looks like outside of his tentacled iron lung. This last issue brought everything to a close really nicely without losing its suspense. A potential hero death accrues as well..

Marvel Zombies Destroy #3 (Limited Series)
Issue 3 of 6.

Definitely one of those mini-series that gets better as it progresses.

I’ve been a big fan of most of the Marvel Zombies series and this is just another win, in my opinion. Zombie Dum Dum Dugan, I mean come on, insanely stellar.

AVENGERS #27 (Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In)

So, if you haven’t been keeping up with the Avengers vs X-Men tie-ins, then you’re REALLY missing out. Let me pull you up to speed… So, the Secret Avengers have ventured off to try and stop the Phoenix, like went into space to stop it. They were able to contain a piece of the Phoenix force, but in no way were able to stop it. Once they were able to snag a piece of the space bird, the Protector pulled some shady moves and bailed back to the Kree home planet with the Phoenix piece, leaving the Secret Avengers knocked out and headed into the sun. I really feel like this issue should have been a Secret Avengers issue instead of part of the AVENGERS title, but whatever.. Anyway, in this issue we see what the Protector had planned with his bailing, and it actually kind of surprised me, the moves he made after the fact. Long story short, there are A LOT of entities pissed off at the Protector right now..

Avengers Assemble #4

Ok, so I totally think that this is a possible plot line for The Avengers 2. I don’t want to spoil the movie’s giant reveal, but if you haven’t seen or heard about it yet, then you must live on another planet. All I’m going to say is that the way the Avengers movie ended and with the way this series has been going, I feel it’s a solid possibility we’re reading a movie sequel. I definitely recommend this title.

Versus #3 (Limited Series) (Avengers Vs. X-Men Tie-In)
Issue 3 of 6

This series has been a really fun read, I mean honestly, who doesn’t love cover-to-cover fight scenes. This issue features Colossus vs. the Thing, with a little Red Hulk to start it off and Black Widow vs. Magick. Again, not the most important title of AvX, but I think one of the most fun.

Spider-Men #1 (Limited Series)

It’s happened! It happened a lot sooner than I thought it would, but who cares?! So here, for the first time, our two favorite Spider-Men cross universes and meet. Well, it’s more Peter Parker crosses over into the Ultimate universe, home of their new Spider-Man, Miles Morales. It’s only the first issue, so it’s still getting set-up, but it’s a perfect start to what I know will be a killer mini-series.

DEADPOOL #56

Issue #2 of DeadPool with no healing factor.. suspenseful. Seriously though, now that DeadPool can be hurt and even die, it makes all of those life threatening moments actually threatening. It really wasn’t long before someone figured out DeadPool’s new found weakness to injury; I thought he’d try to hide his secret a little better. A righteous read, even if you’re not a conventional DeadPool fan.

Scarlet Spider #6

I have only the best things to say about this title, it only gets better with every issue. If you like Spider-Man and Wolverine, then you’re going to love Scarlet Spider. He’s an equal combination of those characters. All of the powers and even more than Spider-Man, mixed with all of the dark past issues and bad-ass attitude of Wolverine.. Incredible. This issue, in particular, escalated the series to the next level with the introductions of both Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web… Love it. Oh, and Kaine isn’t above killing people either, does it all the time.

Batman #10

Hey, see! I’ve actually started reading some DC. Excited? Well, you should be!

Ok, so the Night of the Owls has ended and it worked out pretty well for most, save for a few murders. This was definitely a bombshell issue, it revealed a fairly big chunk of history about the Wayne dynasty and it’s put Batman in a tough spot with a blown mind. I kinda hope they keep this villain around..

Batman and Robin #10

War of the Robins is what they’ve titled this issue. “Damian Wayne Being A Twisted Little F*@#” may have been a more accurate title. I’m really digging the interaction between Batman and all four generations of boy wonders, and from what I gathered, from the Robin vs. Red Robin confrontation, is that Damian is just trying to prove himself as an equal among the bird brains. A good read and I’m really looking forward to Damian and Jason squaring off.

Batgirl #10

The first issue of Batgirl that I read was the Night of the Owls issue and I really enjoyed the read. This was the next issue released in the series and it was still a fun read, so I feel like it’s safe to say that it’s actually a good series and I wasn’t just enjoying the event rather than the comic. Anyway, definitely a good read, not great, but I’ll still pick up #11.

Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1
Issue 1 of 4

This is the second issue released from the Before Watchmen titles, the first being Minutemen #1. Both number ones for the two series have been incredible and I can’t wait for the rest of the series. Minutemen was mainly Night Owl doing an introduction to himself and the other members of the Minutemen. Silk Spectre is pretty much her origin story, as I assume all of the series will be. A great read and a great first issue! A collection must if you ask me..

WHOO! That was a lot of reading for 2 days.. Alright, well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading and I hope that I’ve inspired some of you to pick up a few of these titles. If ever you want me to read and review anything, feel free to let the guys here at Wreckhouse Magazine know!

So, until next time, make sure you checkout www.TheSkeletonCrue.com for all of your Geek, Freak & Monster wear and THANKS FOR READING!

Rest in Peace,
Rev. Jay Leal