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Crossed #0 (Avatar) - Looks interesting, and it doesn't seem that #0 is all that important to pick up, if you had not done so. (and yes, it looks to be super violent, so reader discretion is advised)

True Believers #1 (Marvel) - I had heard some very positive, and also some negative reviews of this, I liked it very much, reminds me of "eyes only" from Dark Angel series, but set in the Marvel universe.

Mercy Sparx #0 (DDP) - Didn't actually order it from previews, just noticed it at my lcs, and picked it up solely because I liked the cover, and it was only a buck. The art is a bit, mmm... contrasted. The depictions of Mercy are quite nice, while some others, such as the green thing on the second page seem almost kid-drawn. Story wise, however, it is probably as good as you can possibly get in an 8 page zero issue. It sets up what's to come quite nicely. I had not expected to get more than just the 99cent issue, but I'm definately going to check the rest out after having read it. Also worth noting is the numerous sketches and additional artwork included after the 8page story, very nice.

Fathom #1 (Aspen) - Loved my Campbell cover, but I wasn't particularily captivated by the content, it seemed like I should have read the previous volumes to have a firmer grasp on it. I'm going to give it one more shot, even if only because I really like that Grunnell issue 2 cover.

Pictor wrote:
True Believers #1 (Marvel) - I had heard some very positive, and also some negative reviews of this, I liked it very much, reminds me of "eyes only" from Dark Angel series, but set in the Marvel universe.

I hadn't made the connection to "eyes only" but you are right, it is a lot like that aspect of the Dark Angel series.

Final Crisis Revelations #1: Loved the continuing story of Renee and Crispus. The Spectre was awesome and the death sequences paid tribute to Spectre deaths in the past. Written By Greg Rucka and Philip Tan. Story was fantastic and so was the artwork.

Hawkman Special #1: Great story and artwork by Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom. Very interesting comic and makes me want to know more. I have always loved Hawkman and thought this issue paid tribute to the past while moving the character toward the future. I am loving Starlin in the DCU.

Spiderman Loves Mary Jane (Vol. 2) #1 by Terry Moore and Craig Rousseau. Great story and drama involving the Spiderman cast. Can't wait for the next issue.

Rest #0 DDP written by Mark Powers with art by Shawn McManus. Loved the concept of a friend followinig his great friend in college and wanting to bestow a gift to him.

Mercy Sparxs #0 by Josh Blaylock and Matt Merhoff. Artwork was awesome and the story was ok but left me very interest at the end.

Jokers Asylum (5 issue events) #1s Loved these books and I will rank them from best to work IMHO. Penguin, Poison Ivy, Joker, Two-Face and Scarecrow.

Bleeders #1 Digital Webbing #1 - Fanastic one shot about Nazi concentration camps the devil and parnormal detectives. Story written by Troy Wall and Matt Webb with art by Mark Santigo.

Zombie Tales The Series #1 IDW - Great Anthology about Zombies by Misc.

The Straw Men #1 Zenoscope - Confusing story but there was enough there to want me to come back.

Team 14 #1 from Digital Webbing - An X-Files type book and oneshot. Good for a one shot but I did not like it enough to continue if it was ongoing. Artwork very nice.

Tales of Penance #1 from Arcana. Vigilante court room drama. Giving it one more issue.

Squadron Supreme #1 from Howard Chykin and Marko Turini. I was a little lost here and I don't think it was easy to follow because I did not read Ultimate Power. Just ok but there were some interesting concepts. I am coming back for one more issue.

Crossed #0 Avatar by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows. A virus in broken out and seems to be consuming a city. Artwork is nice but there was nothing there that wanted me to come back.

Final Crisis: Revelations #1 (DC) - This was OK, but not great. I like the Questions, but the Crispus Allen version of the Spectre has never really resonated with me. I LIKED him in GCPD before they killed him off, though.

Golly! #1 (Image) - Recommended by Tim Rakrich, I tried this one out. I like it. A LOT of story in the 1st issue, and some really great dialog/scenes. I can't wait to see where Phil Hester goes next with this. John. I'm going to conjectture that this is not a book for you, but you may want to flip through it in the LCS & make your own call.

Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1 (Marvel)
Secret Invasion: Thor #1 (Marvel)
Secret Invasion: X-Men #1 (Marvel) -
I find that I appreciate the fact that Marvel is not shoe-horning the SI storyline into the normal continuity of Thor & X-Men, and I' liking the stories of how these folks are reacting to the Skrull invasion. Fopr Inhumans, since they are key players in the Marvel Universe, it was nice to see how that story is playing out, especially since the reveal a while back that Black Bolt had been replaced by a Skrull.

True Believers - probably flying low on a lot of people's lists...I am still into it because I am curious to find out about the "True Believers" crew.
Two issues in and we don't have the entire backstory but the book itself has a TMZ-esque type style to it. Still awaiting the conflict with Stark and some others...altho not really compelling, it's a good light read in between the big summer events.

Crossed #0 - Not sure where Ennis is going with this one, being as there is already a good book out in The Walking Dead and there is really no explanation as to why people are eating people.

War Heroes #1 - Soldiers taking pills and getting superpowers...what's there not to love? ....except the long wait for issue 2.

Marvel Apes #1- As corny and cartoony as this comic is, there is no way to explain charging anyone 3.99 per issue. Lame writing is also destroying the book with the hype of variant covers that has gone on this summer in anticipation of this book.

Sub-Mariner #1 (Marvel) - I definitely will get the second issue because I like the art so much. My only complaint is the title character, Namor isn't in this first issue. I hope he's in the second issue or this could get weird. The writing is quite good and it gets me in to that whole Das Boot type submarine mood. The art has that etheral painterly quality that I think really lends itself to this type of underwater story.

Titanium Rain #1 (Archaia) - I really like the overall concept of this title. I could easily see this turning in to a good movie someday. I like the artwork a lot and it has an awesome cover. One little thing is there isn't enough action in the first issue. There's a little too much poker card playing banter. I realize their setting up the story and we're getting to the know the characters. I like first issues to really knock my socks off with action. Anyways, I'll defintely preorder the next issue.

The Stand Captain Trips #1 (Marvel) - This is a great first issue but leaves me wondering if I should wait for the trade. I've heard other people, I think Bob, mention this before. It's not like Marvel won't put out a HC and/or TPB on this one. This story is more of a psychological thriller with the flu being the villian. This would probably read better in a collected form. The writing is solid and the artwork is amazing. The coloring is a little confusing to me in parts. Although, I like it so much I'll stay with it for these first 5 issues but I might switch to waiting for the trade after that. I heard, I think on a Marvel podcast, this is going for 30 issues.

Clone Wars #1 (Dark Horse) - This issue was better than I thought it would be. I didn't read good things about the Clone Wars animation movie. This comic book series is supposed to tie in with the movie and TV show. There's a good little story they're setting up here. I have an issue with the artwork as the human faces look way too blocky. I couldn't even look at Obi-Wan Kenobi's face without wincing. Everything else with the art looked pretty good though. I'll pick up the second issue and see it where it goes from there.

X-Men Manifest Destiny #1 (Marvel) - When I preordered this I didn't realize it was broken up in to three different stories. I would have liked if they had just stayed with the first story throughout which is Iceman. I didn't care for the art in the second or third parts. I'll flip through the second issue in my local comic shop.

Deadpool #1 (Marvel) - I didn't like this story very much. I like the art enough that I'll probaly give it a second try. I don't like the whole dual personality thing, I just don't get it. I wasn't interested in the whole Secret Invasion crossover, but I didn't want to miss out on the first few issues. I wasn't a fan of character in the past. There are enough people that like him that got me interested enough to check it out. I'll flip through the next issue in my LCS.

X-Men Manifest Destiny #1 (Marvel) - When I preordered this I didn't realize it was broken up in to three different stories. I would have liked if they had just stayed with the first story throughout which is Iceman. I didn't care for the art in the second or third parts. I'll flip through the second issue in my local comic shop.

Deadpool #1 (Marvel) - I didn't like this story very much. I like the art enough that I'll probaly give it a second try. I don't like the whole dual personality thing, I just don't get it. I wasn't interested in the whole Secret Invasion crossover, but I didn't want to miss out on the first few issues. I wasn't a fan of character in the past. There are enough people that like him that got me interested enough to check it out. I'll flip through the next issue in my LCS.

I echo your opinions on these except I am not going to pick them up anymore for the reasons you stated. I liked the Iceman story but that was it. I have not read Deadpool before and just did not get this issue. I know the premise of the character because I have many friends who love it but this was not a good jumping on point for me. I pre-ordered 3 more issues but I am stopping Deadpool once my pre-order is completed.

IanG wrote:Sub-Mariner #1 (Marvel) - I definitely will get the second issue because I like the art so much. My only complaint is the title character, Namor isn't in this first issue. I hope he's in the second issue or this could get weird. The writing is quite good and it gets me in to that whole Das Boot type submarine mood. The art has that etheral painterly quality that I think really lends itself to this type of underwater story.

I agree with you on this one. I bought #1, so I'll finish the series, but this is definitely a series where someone could wait for the trade.

On top of that, it seems to be totally outside of normal Marvel continuity. Still a good story, but one I could skip given my new buying criteria as of "event fatigue"....

Age of The Sentry #1 - I was looking forward to this as I'm a sucker for Silver Age Marvel and was a little anxious after hearing some reviews. I shold note that I went into this having not read anything involving the Sentry except for the Mighty Avengers arc and picked it up for its retro style. Overall, I enjoyed the second story more than the first and strangely enough, the first story felt more like a Golden Age DC story than a Silver Age Marvel. The art for both stories fit the Silver Age look they were going for. I thought the cover before the second story was a nice touch, so were the retro styled Bullpen Bulletins page and the M.M.M.S mail away. That being said, I wish that the solicits on the page and the ads were for old Silver Age Marvel books, because reading a solicitation for an Agents of Atlas book due in 2009 or an Embrace Change ad did pull me out of the Silver Age feel they were going for. Overall, I liked it enough to buy the rest of the issues, but I was a bit dissapointed.

afroloq wrote: Marvel Apes #1- As corny and cartoony as this comic is, there is no way to explain charging anyone 3.99 per issue. Lame writing is also destroying the book with the hype of variant covers that has gone on this summer in anticipation of this book.

Ditto on Marvel Apes.

Greatest Hits! #1 (Vertigo) - Really cool story involving some Vertigo-ized British super-heroes. Good standalone stuff that does not require buying into a universe/continuity, I'm looking forward to how this 6 issue series will play out.

JLAFan wrote: Greatest Hits! #1 (Vertigo) - Really cool story involving some Vertigo-ized British super-heroes. Good standalone stuff that does not require buying into a universe/continuity, I'm looking forward to how this 6 issue series will play out.

I also enjoyed Greatest Hits. I picked this up at my LCS after I read your post here. The cover had turned me off at first but once I read it I was glad I'm on board. It's so different to anything else I'm reading. It's wacky British fun but in an interesting way. I want to know more about these characters.

Solomon Kane #1 (Dark Horse) - This is an interesting character, I mean a Puritan who carries weapons and kills bad guys with ease. Definitely not one for the kids. I kinda wish there was an inker but I understand why they're doing it, this is gritty stuff.

Flash Gordon #1 (Ardden) - It's interesting that they're bringing this character back. The art reminds me a little of Disney right before they started doing more Pixar type stuff. The story is a little jumpy for me. I'll probably check out the next issue.

Vincent Price #1 (Bluewater) - I loved the cover and the short intro parts with Vincent Price but it ends there. The writing didn't grab me and the main story art was way too stylized for me. A cover isn't enough for me. They may be changing artists each issue but I'm not sure.

Terror Titans #1 - The mini-series that no one demanded. I had very low expectations for this book since I thought their intro story arc in the Teen Titans was ok. Well, even with low expectations, I did not like this book at all. It seemed a bit cheesy at times and I just couldn't get into the characters at all. I will not be getting the other issues of this mini-series.

HassanT wrote:Terror Titans #1 - The mini-series that no one demanded. I had very low expectations for this book since I thought their intro story arc in the Teen Titans was ok. Well, even with low expectations, I did not like this book at all. It seemed a bit cheesy at times and I just couldn't get into the characters at all. I will not be getting the other issues of this mini-series.

In a dissenting opinion:
Terror Titans #1 (DC)- I too had really low expectations coming into this book. It was a "1st issue challenge" for me. I think the difference was that I liked the characters (particularly Ravager) and I'm curious to see how it goes between her & Clock King. I'll be picking up the rest of this mini.

Vixen: Return of the Lion #1 (DC)- Another DC mini that was on the "challenge" list for me. I LOVED this one, especially the art by Cafu. Nice hook at the end to get me to come back for #2, I'll be back for more. More of a review on this on Episode #060:
http://www.comicbookpage.com/Podcast/?p=232

The Corps #0 (DDP)- A short 99 cent try out, but I liked it. Nice action and pretty solid art with a good cliffhanger for the #1.
I only make this a "neutral orange" because I'm afraid that the #1 will reprint the entire #0 issue as the 1st half of the story (as I have seen in the past with zero issues). If they do this, I'm NOT picking up #1. If they tell a NEW story in #1, I'll be getting it.

JLAFan wrote:

HassanT wrote:Terror Titans #1 - The mini-series that no one demanded. I had very low expectations for this book since I thought their intro story arc in the Teen Titans was ok. Well, even with low expectations, I did not like this book at all. It seemed a bit cheesy at times and I just couldn't get into the characters at all. I will not be getting the other issues of this mini-series.

In a dissenting opinion:
Terror Titans #1 (DC)- I too had really low expectations coming into this book. It was a "1st issue challenge" for me. I think the difference was that I liked the characters (particularly Ravager) and I'm curious to see how it goes between her & Clock King. I'll be picking up the rest of this mini.

Vixen: Return of the Lion #1 (DC)- Another DC mini that was on the "challenge" list for me. I LOVED this one, especially the art by Cafu. Nice hook at the end to get me to come back for #2, I'll be back for more. More of a review on this on Episode #060:
http://www.comicbookpage.com/Podcast/?p=232

The Corps #0 (DDP)- A short 99 cent try out, but I liked it. Nice action and pretty solid art with a good cliffhanger for the #1.
I only make this a "neutral orange" because I'm afraid that the #1 will reprint the entire #0 issue as the 1st half of the story (as I have seen in the past with zero issues). If they do this, I'm NOT picking up #1. If they tell a NEW story in #1, I'll be getting it.

I think we are allowed to disagree

Cyblade #1 (Image) - Not a lot happened in this #1 other than Cyblade laying around on a table/gurney & then having an extended shower where mist covered all her "naughty bits". This did not leave me with any compelling reason to return for #2.