Matt Fraction is a writer that… confuses me. Why is it that I can’t stand his work on Invincible Iron Man and just don’t get what people see in that book, yet I loved Fear Itself and have really enjoyed his writing on the new Mighty Thor title. Maybe it’s me, I don’t know…

Anyway, I honestly haven’t enjoyed a Thor comic this much since the heyday of the Walter Simonson era. Fraction is doing the same thing that legendary writer/artist did and is making The Mighty Thor a book about all of Asgard and not just Thor. Sure, the focus will always be on the Thunder God, but by allowing the rest of the cast to shine (especially Loki), we get a more fully fleshed out reading experience.

With issue #9, Fraction continues the dense, multilayered storyline he started in issue #8. The All-Mother continues to transform Asgard into the new republic Asgardia, Tanarus hangs out with the Avengers, Loki tries to understand why he is the only one who remembers his brother and, oh yeah, Thor shows up for a couple pages. Like I said, dense. There is a lot going on in this issue and keeping track of it all can be a problem, but a good kind of problem. In a day and age when most comics can be read in minutes, I can really appreciate Fraction wanting to do a Machiavellian political thriller that a reader might have to reread a couple times in order to get the complete story.

On the art side regular penciller Pasqual Ferry is teamed up with Pepe Larraz. While I’m not familiar with Larraz, their styles are compatible enough that it doesn’t affect the flow of the book in the least. A couple panels could use some more backgrounds (the Avengers sequence in particular) but on the whole the art works and Ferry’s pencils are gorgeous as always.

As I said above, this is a multifaceted, complex story that Fraction is telling here. If you have some patience and pay attention, there is a lot to like in The Mighty Thor. Give it a read and see if I’m right.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope everybody has a great holiday. New Book Day will return with all-new comics December 28th and some special announcements after the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

Just in time for Christmas, I give you the latest edition of The Write Stuff!

First, over on Geekadelphia I have a couple of articles now live and waiting for you. As always there is the Comic Roundup. This week I review the first volume of The Storyteller from Archaia, based on the Jim Henson television series of the same name, the first issue of Avengers: X-Sanction and the first issue of the new miniseries The Ray from DC.

Also live is my Best of Comics 2011 article. I look back over the last year in comic books and pick my favorite moments, characters and titles that filled me with excitement and made being a fanboy so much fun.

Next, I make my return to The Quarter Bin as the resident trade paperback reviewer with my look at Batman: The Black Mirror hardcover. Batman has been one of my favorite reads of the New 52 and that is in large part thanks to Scott Snyder. I picked this book up thanks to his name being in the credits and it does not disappoint.

And last but not least, over on The Geekery Online I have the latest part of my Webcomics 101 series, this time all about your update schedule. Valuable advice for anyone just getting started in webcomics will be found within.

As always, enjoy and I’ll see you tomorrow!

For as long as I have been reading comic books, it seems I have been reading an Avengers title. One of the first comics I remember buying was Avengers #219 and ever since, whether Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Dark Avengers or Avengers: The Initiative, I’ve been buying a book with Avengers in the title. Right now my current favorite is New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, which has everything I love about the concept between its two covers.

First, unlike Bendis’s other Avengers book, this one is way more fun. The interaction and dialogue between the large cast, which includes Dr. Strange, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man, is one of the best parts of this series. Bendis has one of the best ears for banter ever and makes the most of it here. The exchange between Squirrel Girl and Daredevil is priceless and the interaction between the other heroes is lighthearted and entertaining.

And second, he can write some great villains. As the machinations of Norman Osborn and his new team of Dark Avengers begin to become clearer, they really come across as sinister and dangerous. It seems Bendis is beginning to move into the next phase of his Dark Avengers storyline and I, for one, am very thankful. I don’t really have a problem with Bendis and his decompressed style of writing, but this was getting a bit ridiculous.

As for the art, Deodato has been doing a great job. His work here reminds me more of his run on Wonder Woman than his more recent work on Spider-Man and the original Dark Avengers title. Rain Beredo is using a much brighter color pallet and as a result Deodato’s art looks richer and has a more finished look.

Other than a fairly deceptive cover image (which is something most Marvel titles have been guilty of lately) this is an terrific Avengers comic. With the movie on the way and next years Avengers vs. X-men event on the horizon, you would be well advised to jump in now and not be left behind when the Avengers bandwagon begins to roll.

When I first heard that Spider-Man was getting a second regular title, I was incredibly unmoved. With the main book shipping twice a month, how much more Spidey was there to go around? But then I read the first issue and quickly realized it was a bait and switch. It may look like a new Spider-Man title, but in reality it was the return of one of my favorite books from when I was a youth, Marvel Team-Up.

Issue #2 continues Spider-Man and the Red Hulk’s adventure in the realm of the Mole Man and it’s like the first issue never ended. This is a roller coaster of a series, not taking many breaks and giving the reader page after page of big screen action. Zeb Wells is smartly leaving the interpersonal stuff to Amazing and Dan Slott and instead has ramped up the action and excitement. This was always the best part of Marvel Team-Up anyway so it’s fitting for this new version to follow the same pattern.

But what really made this a worthy purchase is the Joe Madureira artwork. This could be some of his best stuff since Battle Chasers. Each panel and page is just packed with the kind of detail I thought artists today forgot about. The character designs are just incredible, if a bit reminiscent of Darksiders, and his Red Hulk is a thing of beauty. The man really needs to find the time to draw more comics, because if more of them looked like this, there may be more comic book readers.

My heart breaks that Joe Mad will only be on for three issues before taking a break, but with art this good, I’ll take what I can get. Plus, if Wells can keep the stories this fun and entertaining, it won’t be much of a problem.

Like I said before, Avenging Spider-Man is all about the action. The book has little substance and was a ridiculously quick read. That being said, it was still one of better comics I purchased this week. Sometime a book doesn’t have to be deep to be good; it just has to be fun. Avenging Spider-Man fits that description perfectly.