Welcome to another week of Best Bang for your Comic Buck. This week Simon Dark #5, Fantastic Four #554, Suburban Glamour #3 take the top honors while Countdown looks slightly less worse than X-Farce out this week.

To quote Grandpa Simpson’s, “A little from column A and a little from column B“, I got books from Hourglass Comics and Elfsar this week. Given that X-Farce came out this week, lets have those beady little red eyed, black costumed team be our voting stars for the books. As always, from top to bottom:

Like always you can Click here read the reviews on the Z2H blog >> or you can click below to read the reviews on this site.

Simon Dark #5 (DC) This book has enough creep, wonderful artwork, great colouring that keeps me reading week to week. The story of Simon Dark grows more background in each issue with a lovely style of back story, flashbacks and current horrific theme. Thank you to all who make this great comic come out. This is how you do smart costume vigilant comics!

Fantastic Four #554 (Marvel) Okay. I will eat the crow. When I first mentioned about Mark Millar on FF when it was first announced, I thought for sure I was going to be berating this book from start to finish but I cannot. This was a good back to basics for the Fantastic Four. The entire team getting to their roots. Reed being drawn into some great world ending catastrophe, Johnny doing another crazy thing with his life, Sue trying to reach out and be the mother to the world and Ben just off having a good time between saving the world as a family. Now can Mark Miller keep this up? That I question and wonder but I am onboard the FatasiCar for now!

Suburban Glamour #3 (Image) I never got this issue when it first came out but wow this is a great book. The artwork, the story, the dialog, the colouring – all of it comes together to give you a lovely, graphic tale of Fae, magicks and life. Great use of the lettering as well. Overall wonderful comic and look forward to the finale and the trade when it comes out!

Gotham Underground #5 0f 9 (DC) The panel layout of this book made this one of the best books out this week! Top that off with a nice story moving along with all the criminal underground of Gotham mixing, fighting, planning and strutting. Great book!

Green Arrow & Black Canary #5 (DC) I enjoy this series. I know that its Judd Winick writing but man I really do like the current storyline, the characters and the situation they are put in. The wedding was great (Superman watching the front door and Batman watching the back), the flashbacks and the big climax keeps me entertained which is exactly what a comic book should do. Kudos!

Wolverine #62 (Marvel) Jason Aaron hits this book running with the “Divided We Stand” X-Men shakedown. The book has a nice mix of action and flashbacks. Wolverine is a one trick pony which works when its good and lame when it doesn’t. This worked and I look forward to see how the story Jason Aaron is writing will come together.

Salvation Run #4 of 7 (DC) William S mentioned a while ago on BtS that he thought many of the DC books are boring these days but Salvation Run is not one of them for me. I enjoyed all the little bits here and there through-out the issue. Even when Matthew Sturges has stepped in for Bill Willigham to finish the series. Gorilla Grodd and Vandal Savage are two characters I just love and enjoyed what is happening with them in the series.

Nova Annual #1 (Marvel) First off, the Title on this issue was far too long with just a little star in the corner to tell me that it was an annual. A big loss, I thought but inside it was a nice build up for the series. A good backstory plus nice “alternate” Nova future story into the mix. I am enjoying this series quite a bit!

Ghost Rider #20 (Marvel) Another Jason Aaron debut title and the artwork and story was hard for me to get involved in. At times both had peaks and valleys which worked and did not work. It is interesting if they can make Ghost Rider a horror comic for Marvel.

The New Avengers #38 (Marvel) I rant about how much I hate the emo in the X-Books but somehow they decided to creep that into this weeks issue of NA and it got tiresome. Either the Luke Cage / Jessica Cage split is true and Jessica has some distorted idea that the Avengers Tower is the safest place in the world for her baby OR it’s a work. The work being that either Luke and Jessica talked and are doing this just so Jessica can get in deep with Tony and his crew. Iron Fist coming through for the teams new digs was alright but too many pages too late. The issue just dragged on but I think it was suppose to, I just wonder if it worked. Enough with the emo – on with the story. I do want soap opera crap on NA? No, I want good fun! Plus somehow explain to me how this was a Secret Invasion tie-in/lead up means either Luke or Jessica are Skrulls else it wasn’t and the Marvel Marketing Machine was over-hyping yet another book.

Tiny Titans #1 (DC) Cute. That is the only great way to describe this book with a zillion short stories is cute. Sadly nothing more but cute. Cute sells issue #1 but is it enough to sell more? Maybe only to young kids and some select other fans. Maybe.

Green Lantern Corps #21 (DC) Not a bad issue but I am not a fan of Boodikka character so this entire issue was a bit of a quick read for me but it was not a bad issue at all. Decent art, good pacing, and decent dialog. Look forward to more with Kyle and Guy so I can handle some “filler” issues until then.

X-Factor #28 (Marvel) More fallout of the “Divided Marvel Falls“… I mean “Divided Mutants Sell More“… sorry, the “Divided Marvel makes more money” x-storylines. Rahne skips out on the team, Theresa is pregnant with Jamies baby, Rictor is lame, Strong guy is filler and just what is Peter David trying to say about Layla? First he insiuitates that she and Jamie will be hooking up and now there is a Laylay look-alike teen hooker on the streets of mutant town. Hmm… honestly the book really didn’t do much for me and reminded me of why I stopped picking it up.

X-Farce Uno (Marvel) Man is it ever cool that X-Men kill people. I love when Wolvie rips bad guys open with his claws. Its what he does and what he does is COOL! Weapon girl twenty-three is hot and can kill as well plus she has claws popping out everywhere! Black Ops are cool. Wolvesbane is hot, she so needs to be killing people though! The knife wielding Native Indian mutant guy is kewl, he’s like a big Wolverine. Oh did I mention that Wolverine is leading them. So Cool! Oh and these bad guys broke into S.H.E.I.L.D. and stole something to make Bastion(?) come back to life from parts of Nimrod(?). Oh yeah the team has Black Costumes with red glowing eyes. Triple X Cool!

Countdown #11 (DC) Seriously. Is anyone paying any attention to this book? SO much happening that I believe no one cares about. Blah.