Thanks, Darth.  Not only did the Punisher fail to beat the 'Pin, he only defeated The Mennonite through sheer dumb luck.  If The Mennonite hadn't decided to ditch his beliefs and use guns again (I thought it was a nice touch that this is what did him in), Frank would've been dead by the end of the issue - no doubt. 

In this world, Frank has been at it since Vietnam, so it only makes sense that he's slowing down.  Jason Aaron has touched on this in interviews: apparently we're going to see the effects that a fight like this has on a 60 year old man.  I'm really digging this book, as well as FrankenCastle - first time I've said that since I was in high school!

You nailed it right on the head, DarthDuck - no subtlety and ridiculous dialogue.  The core of this story was a good one, but he just needs someone to polish his ideas.  When he's doing one of his "everything and the kitchen sink" style goofy stories, a lack of subtlety can be a lot of fun (Superman/Batman or the first 6 issues of Hulk).  But when he's trying to be serious, he falls flat.

The unfortunate thing about the Sam situation is that those of us who regularly frequent comic news sites know Loeb's story, so we can't help but let it take us out of the story.  It's not a fair judgement on our part, but it's the truth.  But if he understood how to tell a story with any degree of subtlety, it wouldn't be a distraction at all.  I feel bad bashing the guy for it - he just wants to honor his son's memory.  But damn...

Anyway, I'll probably pick up the second issue to see how it plays out.

Guys, the reason Kingdom Come was left off the list was because I did a much more abbreviated version of this idea in Comicscape a few weeks back and didn't want to repeat myself.  Dark Knight Returns isn't on here for the same reason.

My suggestion was that KC should be done in the animation style of Batman:TAS or Justice League Unlimited, thereby loosely tying it to that continuity.

But yes, I agree with all of you - Kingdom Come should definitely be on this list.

Rheul_home - There's a link at the very top of my article to Tim Jansen's Marvel list.  It's really good!

Kara - I completely see where you're coming from in regards to stuff like Crisis.  It would have to be many hours long and yeah, it's a bit convoluted.  But I think it could be pared down similar to the way Planet Hulk was.  True, a lot of the nuance and subtext was lost in Planet Hulk - but there's not a ton of subtext to Crisis.  It's basically just a big fight. 

Keep the focus on a small cast (the Supermen, Flash, Alexander Luthor, Pariah and Harbinger) and let much of the rest of it appear in the background.  No, it won't be a true adaptation of COIE, but it could be a lot of fun.  If DC did a sequel to Crisis on Two Worlds to further the story and get newcomers acclimated to the multiverse, then Crisis on Infinite Earths could be the final part of a trilogy.

Or maybe it's all wishful thinking on my part?

Midwest - I think Tim had Secret Wars on his list.  I can't remember

littlemikey - No argument here.

DarthDuck - Its such a tough call.  Dark Knight Returns would be an equally awesome choice - I went with Killing Joke because it's a classic that, to my knowledge, is rarely mentioned when we're talking animation.

I read the first Locke & Key trade and absolutely loved it.  Haven't read anything since but I'm definitely picking up the collections.

I disagree with nothing stated here, both in the review and in the comments section.  And the promise of the Blackhawks, Rima the jungle girl and of course, The Bat-Man all add up to make this sort of a League of Extraordinarily Pulpy Superheroes (please forgive the comparison, but if the shoe fits...)

I know I've said this to you a million times, Chris, but Rags Morales' work just looks better and better to me with every project he takes on.  I've always enjoyed his artwork but this stuff is just blowing my mind and sending me into a drooling fanboy fit.  Soooooo sweet.

This series is slated to be 6 issues, correct?  I hope it's popular so we can get more... and more... and more.  Really looking forward to #2

Oh yeah, and Hobbs... no, I still haven't read Badger (hangs head in shame).

Wiseguy and cdale - go back and re-read the second paragraph in this article. The part where I admit that this is just the curmudgeonly old man in me who likes to b*tch "just because". Honestly, I'm on the same page as you guys for the most part, in regards to the inevibility of repetition in superhero books.

I just think the X-Books suck.

In many ways, X-Men is my kryptonite. And I complain for the same reason that old school Spidey fans complain about OMD/BND - because deep down, I love those damn X-Men. I buy monthly superhero books and I know exactly how the deal works... "rinse and repeat" is no problem for me.  I just like to wash my hair with shampoo rather than Palmolive, that's all.

I mean... if I actually had any hair.  *sigh*

gauley, you might be my favorite person in the world right now.  Well said, brother!