Brody’s Ghost Book 1- I love Mark Crilley's work and think Akiko is one of the best comics the industry has ever produced, so when I saw the solicit for this I was pretty excited. The story follows a down on his luck slob named Brody as he discovers he has the ability to see ghosts, specifically a ghost girl named Talia who can’t make her way into Heaven until she performs a great deed. Determined to use Brody to find a serial killer, she has her work cut out as she needs to get him in shape to be of any use whatsoever. Crilley has a quirky sense of humor and has always been a solid storyteller who experiments frequently with his style. A good first volume introduction and at a decent price at $6.99 for 96 pages in a thin manga sized format. A-

Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1- I’m kind of 50/50 on this package honestly. While it wasn’t bad by any means it was a little boring but sort of amusing at the same time. Shooter can script well but he kind of get’s stuck on his explanations sometimes, and the art really didn’t grab me either so at times the book just sort of plopped. The package is decent at 48 pages at only $3.50, and while the reprint in the back isn’t necessary they didn’t charge us an extra buck for it either. There’s some potential here, and I’d like to stick with it a bit longer. C+

X-Force: Sex & Violence #1- This is pretty much a showcase for really pretty art and excessive violence, and if that’s all you’re looking for then it’s an awesome package. I really do like Gabriele Dell’Otto’s art and Kyle/Yost can offer up a solid action story, so while I’m fairly tired of Wolverine and X-Force this is a decent read if kinda quick. Will probably make a better read as a trade. B

X-Men Origins: Deadpool One-Shot- Because we apparently needed it. Not the worst thing ever but excessive Deadpool saturation for $3.99. I like Leandro Fernandez’s art though. C+

Brave & the Bold #35- A fun afterthought to the Legion/Doom Patrol issue, but a little lacking in comparison to the Aquaman/Demon & Zatanna/WW/Batgirl issues. Cute read though and I love Jesus Saiz, so definitely worth picking up. B

Girl Comics #3- The Marjorie Liu Jubilee/Wolverine story was really nice actually and I’m a little more interested in her upcoming work now due to this. The rest of the stories in the middle were ok but really didn't hold my interest. Now Carla Speed McNeil though, she’s one of my favorite creators in the industry so her Mixology story about Kitty Pryde drinking on her 21^st bday was fantastic. I would have preferred it in black and white because I think coloring distracts from her facial expressions, but it was just a great story. Go read her series Finder! B