I haven’t done this in a while, and this past week was one of the biggest weeks I’ve had in the last two months, so what the hell. Here’s what I bought, and what I thought.

Lucifer #70 - Mike Carey just wrapped up an excruciatingly long storyline, and takes this issue to relax and regroup. Featuring guest art by Zander Cannon, “Fireside Tales” consists of three short stories presented as parables, held together by the thinnest of plots - we’re watching a storytelling contest. Cannon’s art complement’s the lighter feel of the issue nicely, and it looks like Carey still has a few tales left in him involving Lucifer’s cast.

Legion of Super-Heroes #13 - Waid and Kitson wrap up their year-long reintroduction of the LoSH rather nicely, tieing up the majority of their plot threads neatly enough while leaving a few choice ones dangling and creating a few new ones to boot. The best part about this title is that Waid and Kitson have taken sort of an Ultimate approach to it. Yes, we’re introduced to old characters and situations, but in a way that feels completely new and fresh, distilling the previous things that made the Legion title work so well for so long without simply rehashing old classics. This title has been a pleasant surprise from issue one, exceeding any and all expectations I had for it. Let’s hope that the upcoming changes with Supergirl’s introduction to the book doesn’t throw things off.

The Walking Dead #25 - When I saw Charlie Adlard’s cover art for the post-24 issues, I expected a dramatic shift in focus for TWD. The first 21 pages of issue 25 suggest otherwise, but the final panel shakes things up quite a bit, hinting at a potentially massive change in the status quo Kirkman’s spent two years developing. He and Adlard maintain the quality the book has become known for, using the post-apolcalyptic zombie theme as the perfect background for some superior soap opera storytelling. With the last panel revelation, I fully expect things to remain fresh for the immediate future, and considering Kirkman’s ability to kill characters off without a twinge of regret, I’m sure readers won’t be dissapointed.

All Star Superman #2 - I’ll admit, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the premiere issue, I was still somewhat skeptical of Morrison and Quitely’s little project. While the entire package was beautiful, it felt somehow slight and not entirely polished. With issue two, however, any and all doubts I might have had faded away as Morrison gets fully into the consequences of Superman’s conracting cancer. Quitely’s art is as amazing as it’s ever been, as he manages to perfectly bring to life the insane ideas that flow from Morrison’s imagination. If the next ten issues can maintain, DC may finally have their perfect Superman story.

Manhunter #18 - This title continues to be a below-the-radar sleeper of the DCU, and it’s really a shame. Sure, the art isn’t super-fancy, and sometimes it even dips into near-amateur levels, but the writing is consistently entertaining, and we get to see minor DCU villains killed on a surprisingly regular basis. I’m still not sure if DC has figured out how “Manhunter” fits into their universe, so I’ll help out a bit - if you’re a fan of the JSA titles and characters, then this is your “Gotham Central.” Overall, not as good as the sadly overlooked “Bloodhound,” but still a nice visit into a lesser explored area of the DCU.

JSA Classified #7 - The latest storyline, centering around villains rather than heroes, wraps up nicely this issue with a handful of lesser-known characters like Icicle and Artemis fleshed out quite a bit. I have no idea if this story, by Jan Van Meter and Steve Oliffe, was meant to be an audition of sorts for a new series, but I’d be on board in a heartbeat. With the success of “Villains United” and the continuing popularity of the JSA, a title centered around this new Injustice Society should be a no-brainer.

Infinite Crisis #4 - Easily the best issue of the series to date, Johns is finally starting to not only explain everything that’s happening, but it’s actually making sense. Sure, you could pick the entire thing apart if you really focused on it, but taken for what it is, there’s little denying the sheer fun of this roller coaster of a story. Jimenez’s art is much improved over last issue, even if the inking on the last 2-3 pages was kind of a mess. The segment featuring the various Flashes taking out Superboy Prime is a particular thing of beauty.

Hellblazer #216 - I’m not sure that I’d recommend this issue to anyone looking to start reading “Hellblazer” now for the first time, but for longtime fans, it’s pretty decent read. The new creative team of Denise Mina and Leonardo Manco seem to be on the same page, and the premise of their premier story arc - someone’s trying to get John into deep shit for unknown reasons - may not be terribly original, but it does the job dragging Constantine back into action once again.

Losers #31 - With one issue left to go, Andy Diggle and Jock are doing their damndest to knock all of their dominos down before they leave the Losers behind. Probably a wise decision, as anyone coming after this 32 issue epic would be sorely tested to keep the interest of the title’s audience. As it stands, there’s the distinct possibility that there may not even be any characters left alive after they save the world from nuclear devastation, which would be the perfect finale for this title.

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