BIRDS OF PREY #86

Is there a food reference in every Gail Simone book? Check any single issue Simone’s written in the past year, and there will be at least a passing mention of food. There’s the hunky-villains-making-omelets scene in Villains United #2, and then in Action Comics #831 Bizarro stops off in France to eat some grapes. And in this issue of Birds of Prey, Helena comments on the scallopini she’s eating, calling it a “mouthful of rainbows”. Food aside, though, nothing Gail produces is less than exciting, and her take on Birds of Prey only gets better with every issue. In “A Wakeful Time”, the Birds make the move to Metropolis, with artists Bruce Timm, Adriana Melo, and David Lopez joining in on the housewarming party. Discuss

RUNAWAYS #8

Brian K. Vaughan is always at his best when he gets to play in his own sandbox, and although Runaways takes place in the Marvel Universe, it is at once the most instantly engaging and just-plain-fun of his little batch of books. And it’s specifically issues like this that only further prove the point of why this book is one of the best Marvel has on offer. Shape-changing Skrulls! Arranged marriage! And all the usual super-powered teen team angst you’ve come to love! Discuss

EXILES #70

The Exiles’ World Tour continues as their trip to the House of M takes a turn for the deadly! The “prime” Earth 616 is definitely not the place the Exiles remember, and no one is more upset about it than Beak. Worse yet, the deadly-in-any-reality Proteus is on the loose and wreaking havoc! Are the Exiles up to the challenge of fighting one of the most dangerous mutants ever to exist? Discuss

WOLVERINE #32

Simply put, one of the best Wolverine stories ever written. Writer Mark Millar takes a bow in this chilling encore to his 12-issue run. Switching gears from the fast paced action of “Enemy of the State” and “Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “Prisoner Number Zero” has more in common with an EC horror comic than the spandex-clad adventuring more common to Marvel books. Millar really gets a chance to shine here with this World War II-era tale set at a German concentration camp, and guest artist Kaare Andrews’ work has never looked better. Discuss

ROBIN #142

Robin the Boy Soldier? Tim goes on his first mission with the Veteran and his commandos as an observer, but when things get ugly Robin must arm himself against a horde of deadly enemies. Will he have to betray his training as Batman’s protégé in order to survive? Discuss

CAPTAIN AMERICA #10

Steve Rogers, old man? In the House of M, nothing is as it was, and that goes double for Captain America, Star-Spangled Septuagenarian! How have the events of a very different Marvel Universe shaped the life and times of America’s symbolic super hero? Written by Ed Brubaker, with art by Lee Weeks. Discuss