Comics Roundup for 12/5/12

Hawkeye #5 - Not quite as much fun as the first four issues, but pretty good nonetheless.  I didn't expect to still be reading by this point, so I'll at least check out the next one.

Hellboy in Hell #1 - This was a pretty trippy issue, and it's good to see Mike Mignola doing the artwork on his own character again - although I liked his two replacement artists.  So, Hellboy is in hell...and I'm sure that hell will probably want to kick him out by the end of all this.  I think that this means that we might be seeing the end of Hellboy stories once all this wraps up - because where do you go from there?

All New X-Men #3 - I'm guessing that this must be the flagship X-title, even though it has a pretty unique premise.  It's hard to imagine stuff going on in this book not affecting others, as it essentially involves every important mutant, and the fallout of Avengers Versus X-Men.  Anyway, I didn't like this one as much as the first two issues, but I liked where it ended - with the present-day Cyclops encountering his younger self.  Should make for some good reading.

Punisher War Zone #2 (of 5) - We get Punisher versus the Black Widow in this issue, which wasn't all that interesting.  Looks like the Avengers are going to send Thor after him next time.  Now that should be something.

The Amazing Spider-Man #699 - The guy over at the Spider-Man Crawlspace has been bagging on Dan Slott's run in general and this story in particular.  Damned if I wasn't rushing to turn the pages though, as it's all pretty suspenseful.  Is the new series really going to be about Doc Ock in Spidey's body?  Seems to simple, but it might be interesting for a while.

Avengers #1 - I haven't been able to get into anything by Jonathan Hickman, and I'm worried that the same thing is going to happen here.  The first issue is either setting up something epic or something ponderous.  The art sure looks good, but I don't know who many of those Avengers are on the last page.  I'll give this at least four or five issues before I pull the plug, as I know that Hickman has his fans, but I'd better see something good.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man Volume 2 - This is the second story arc featuring the Ultimate line's Spider-Man:  Miles Morales.  The character is really growing on me, and while I don't think that I'd ever want Peter Parker to go away, I'm enjoying reading this new guy in the Spidey suit quite a bit.  It has all of the stuff you want from a Spider-Man book, and it's true to the original concept of "the hero who could be you" while acknowledging that "you" isn't always some white guy.