The Jean Grey School in financial trouble!  Kitty Pryde infested with millions of microscopic Brood!  That’s where Wolverine and the X-Men #5 left us, and where #6 picks up at.

In an attempt to solve the school’s financial troubles, Wolverine heads off to an intergalactic casino with genius mutant problem child Quentin Quire, a.k.a. Kid Omega.  The plan is to use Quentin Quire’s telepathic and telekinetic abilities to pull off an intergalactic casino con.  How space money works on Earth or why they didn’t just do this on an Earth casino, I’m not sure.  I do know, however, that this plot allowed Nick Bradshaw to draw the most diverse array of aliens in one place outside of the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars.

Regardless of where the casino is, the opportunity to put Wolverine and Quire in a one-on-one situation and continue to play Quire’s rebellious nature off of uber-badass authority figure Logan carries a ton of possibility for interesting situations, and Jason Aaron doesn’t waste the opportunity.  The payoff is great and keeps this the most “fun” of the X-books.

Meanwhile, Kitty’s situation becomes more dire as there are too many Brood inside of her for Beast and his team to handle.  To make matters worse, the S.W.O.R.D. Paramedic team is taken out by the mysterious alien guy from the previous issue.  Who this guy is remains a mystery, as well as why he keeps regular-sized Brood on a leash and what exactly he has to do with Kitty’s infestation, but he does have sinister intentions for Broo, the Jean Grey School’s Brood student.  (By the way, I’m still not sure how he ended up at the school.  He was just kind of there when the book started.  Anyone want to fill me in?)

Anyways, Aaron keeps this issue fast-paced and ends it with a couple of cliffhangers.  The highlight of the issue, at least for me, is hands-down integrating Krakoa in as a sort of external security system for the school. It would be easy to just ignore the living mass of land after the first story arc, but Aaron’s doing a good job of giving everyone face time when it makes sense to.  On a final note, I’m not sure why this issue had four inkers and two colorists, but the important thing is that I couldn’t tell otherwise when reading it.

Go ahead and pick this one up, along with issue #5 so you’re not just jumping into the middle of the story.

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10 

What if Inspector Gadget was written by H.P. Lovecraft? What if Calvin and Hobbes was Howard and C’thulhu? Well you’d get something akin to this book. It’s really kind of pastiche of both. This is a follow-up to 2009′s Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom a 71 page Graphic Novelette containing an all-ages H.P. Lovecraft type story. I’m assuming you all know what kind of story Lovecraft spun back in his day. Tales of elder gods, the horror of space and time, ancient cults, men turning into fish creatures, and mountains of madness. You know, kid stuff. When all is said and done I’m actually surprised how well this reinvention of Lovecraft lore works. It’s the kind of story you can let a pre-teen read and have fun with and not drive him to brink of sanity. More importantly you can read it and enjoy it yourself as it’s not dumbed down with fart jokes or demon slapstick.

“Howard Lovecraft’s family has been imprisoned on a far-flung alien planet, Spot hopelessly captured, and he is slowly becoming a mindless Fishman. Accompanied by his insane father, a pistol-packing constable, and his hungry cat, they must face the all-powerful ruler of the Outer Gods, a revengeful old enemy, an army of deadly monsters, and a lethal world called Yuggoth, to save the day. All Howard has to do is surrender his father’s Book. But that would mean certain doom for all of mankind!” – synopsis via Comixology.

Kids are going to love this book because it’s about one of them, and there’s all sort of cool monsters and trouble going on. The adult reading this to them will get a kick out of all the eldritch Lovecraftian references (like when one Howard starts growing gills and fins ala’ one of the “Deep Ones” from The Shadow Over Innsmouth). When my nephew gets a bit older you can be sure I’m going to read this to him. The best part is I won’t have to feel guilty about him being too scared to sleep, because while it’s chock full of Lovecraftian trimmings, ultimately it’s light on the horror and heavy on adventure. That’s exactly what this sort of thing should be. I predict this doing really well. In fact, I can totally see this being pitched to Nickelodeon or the Cartoon Network for a series. Howard Lovecraft and The Undersea Kingdom is currently available on Comixology, and will hit the comic shops, Amazon and bookstores on March 21st 2012.

Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10

The pace picks back up in the third part of Rick Remender’s Otherworld odyssey as Psylocke continues her efforts to help Fantomex escape from her brothers in the Captain Britain Corps and Nightcrawler convinces Wolverine that X-Force should help the people of Otherworld fight back against the realm’s demonic invaders.

In case you’ve been out of the loop, Otherworld is a realm that serves as an in-between spot for all of the realities in the Marvel Multiverse.  Basically, that means it has all of the doorways to the mainstream Marvel Universe (i.e. Earth-616), the Ultimate Universe, the 2099 Universe, the Age of Apocalypse, the Negative Zone, etc.

Otherworld itself is something out of a Tolkien book, with dragons, castles, and sorcery.  It’s also home to the Captain Britain Corps, who see fit to punish individuals from any reality for whatever crimes they feel they should intervene in.

(Clearly, they miss a lot of them because a TON of villains are still alive, but stay with me here.)

X-Force ended up here in issue #20 after the Corps abducted Fantomex and Psylocke in the middle of the night.  They put Fantomex on trial for the assassination of the child clone of Apocalypse and sentenced him to being removed from existence.  Psylocke, however, rescued Fantomex, as the two have been involved in an increasingly complex game of cat and mouse.

Remender throws in a conversation between the two in this issue to add further confusion to where exactly Fantomex stands in the situation, and also to underscore how well Fantomex can manipulate others.  It’s an excellent character trait to draw attention to.  After all, this is a guy whose power set includes misdirection–the ability to distract others with a realistic illusion.

Unfortunately, Psylocke and Fantomex’s escape is cut short by the Skinless Man, who we find out is Weapon III and has a long history with Fantomex, a.k.a. Weapon XIII.  He’s given a sensible enough reason for being in Otherworld, and it ultimately makes even more sense that Remender continues to explore and add to the story of the Weapon Plus program given that three members of X-Force–Wolverine, Deadpool, and Fantomex–were all involved in it in some way or another.

As all of this plot is unfolding, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Deadpool are taking refuge in a village on the verge of being besieged by the hordes of a demonic goat.  Nightcrawler, who is seemingly coming around to his new teammates after leaving behind his own X-Men in the Age of Apocalypse, convinces Wolverine that they should fight to help the people of Otherworld before finding their friends.

This change in attitude for AoA Nightcrawler draws the first big parallel between him and his deceased Earth-616 counterpart since the differences between the two were highlighted two issues ago.  It really adds additional layers to a familiar character who isn’t really the character fans are ultimately familiar with, reminding them that while he is different due to the state of his home universe, Kurt Wagner is still Kurt Wagner at the end of the day.

Plus, it leads to a fun exchange about narcissistic personality disorder between Wolverine and Deadpool as they head off to kill the demonic goat monk thing attacking Otherworld.

Overall, another great issue in Remender’s run.  If you’re new to X-Force, I’d recommend starting a little further back in the series, but this storyline is fun and just different enough from earlier stories to keep things interesting without veering too far into left field.

And I promise I’ll never make another poor sports analogy as long as I’m writing reviews.

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10 

Deadpool’s elaborate game of chess–a game he doesn’t really know how to play–keeps getting weirder and more out of control as his quest for death continues.

You see, Wade found out that there was a serum capable of negating his healing factor and allowing him to die, so he enlisted the help of his X-Force teammates to help him find it.  To do so, he convinced them that the Kingpin had it.  Meanwhile, he had his friend HYDRA Bob tell the Kingpin about the serum, which of course led to the Kingpin sending his agent Typhoid Mary and the ninjas of the Hand to find it.  Unbeknownst to anyone else, Deadpool also told Wolverine’s son, Daken, about the serum, causing Daken to go out looking for it for his own reasons.

Meanwhile, nobody realizes that Tombstone, fresh out of prison, had the serum made so he could get revenge on Deadpool for putting him there in the first place.

Of course, with X-Force gunning for the Kingpin and Kingpin sending his henchmen to find the serum, the two factions are bound to collide, and the issue opens with a fight that includes a beautiful sequence of Wolverine and Typhoid Mary plummeting from the side of an apartment building.

Of course, having a brawl like this in the middle of New York City is undoubtedly going to attract some unwanted attention from other hero types (keep in mind here that X-Force is supposed to remain a secret), so Deadpool covers their tracks the following day by initiating a “make-believe gang war.”  What he doesn’t account for is that Kingpin and Tombstone would be in contact with one another, or that Daken would figure out that Tombstone had the formula, which is sure to set up the type of shameful disaster that Wade is all too familiar with being a part of.

Overall, this issue maintains the pace of the last one while adding even more layers to the story.  After 51 issues, I’m still amazed that Daniel Way has maintained the level of consistency that he has on this book.  Especially notable are the exchange between Deadpool and Wolverine following Deadpool’s provocation of the gang war, and the interplay between Kingpin and Tombstone once they begin to catch on to what’s happening.  The fact that you can tell Way enjoys what he does makes reading Deadpool that much more enjoyable.  The switch in artists from Carlo Barberi to Ale Garza is somewhat noticeable, but not distracting, as the art still possesses a similar flow and overall style.

If you haven’t checked out the first part of this story in #50, go ahead and pick up both issues.  This is shaping up to be one of the best arcs in the series.

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10 

This week I recap Megacon and talk about the new hotness in comics! Aquaman, Secret Avengers, X-Force, Wolverine and the X-Men, Prophet, and Superior all rocked!

The biggest deal book for us was DUNGEONS & DORITOS #1 by our very own fallen brony, TRIFORCE MIKE PANDEL! And I have one of Mike’s best friends and the artist of his book Tony Baldini! Watch it, and if you’re not local you can buy it from Nerdyshow.com – acomicshoptv

A Comic Shop
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My friend Aaron Haaland owns one of the coolest comic book stores in the world – A Comic Shop! Aaron takes comic book related events to the next level. Check his store out on Facebook!

Follow Matthew Sardo on Twitter! @comicvault

DC Comics Tuesday morning released the Jim Lee cover to Justice League #6 written by Geoff Johns. Justice League #6 will be in your local comic book store on February 29th, 2012.

Justice League (2011) #6
Written by Geoff Johns.
Illustrated by Jim Lee.

The Justice League is united at last against Darkseid! The awesome consequences of this high-stakes battle will resonate within the series for years to come! Geoff Johns and Jim Lee end their historic first arc with a bang!

[Show as slideshow]

Secret Avengers #23 will be in your local comic book store this Wednesday but we have a five-page sneak peek for you. Secret Avengers #23 marks the starting point for writer Rick Remender and his side-kick in the art department Gabriel Hardman. It appears that Venom will join the team and someone will me there maker! This looks like an action pack issue. Are you excited?

Secret Avengers #23
• Who are The Descendants? • In this issue an Avenger will die to find out! • JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH TO FIND THE ONE THEY CALL ‘FATHER’!

From HBO:

Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men…all will play the ‘Game of Thrones.’

A new original series based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series. Winter is coming soon to HBO.

DC Comics Monday, released the Dustin Nguyen variant to Batman #7 as the “Night of the Owls” approaches. Batman #7 is written by Scott Snyder and will be in your local comic book store on March 21st.

From DC the Source:

By Alex Nagorski

For the past few days on THE SOURCE, we’ve been showing you some of the various character designs of Talon, the newest villain in Batman’s gallery of rogues and the leader of the Court of the Owls.

Today, we continue to give you a backstage pass to the “Night of the Owls” crossover event by showing you an exclusive sneak peek at artist Dustin Nguyen’s variant cover for BATMAN #7. Setting the stage for the “Night of the Owls” prelude in issue #8, BATMAN #7 is an issue comprised of secrets so grave that the Dark Knight’s world will never be the same.

“While reading Scott Snyder’s script, there was an act that really stuck with me,” Nguyen exclusively told THE SOURCE. “It was a scene where Batman was mixed with pain, fear, and shock. I thought that was a powerful moment in the issue and decided to base the cover off of that moment.”

BATMAN #7 will be available for purchase starting March 21st.

Let the PR campaign begin this Thursday for the Avengers. The newest issue of Empire magazine has a centerfold of the “Avenger” walking right at you. “Avengers” will be in your local theater on May 4th, 2012.

With director Joss Whedon, “Avengers” stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson.