New comics 2/15

Generation M #4 (Paul Jenkins/Ramon Bachs, Marvel)
I'm starting to get a little bored with this series, which is moving incredibly slowly both in its central mystery and the development of its main character. Jenkins still manages to pull a few poignant moments out of the whole Decimation concept, and he's definitely found a good niche to explore with relation to that idea. But even those moments are starting to become repetitive, and by the time the reveal of Angel's lost powers (which is blown on the cover) shows up, it's sort of hard to care anymore.

Noble Causes #17 (Jay Faerber/Fran Bueno, Image)
Quite possibly the first superhero comic to feature a lesbian kiss on the cover, although I could be wrong about that. Faerber continues his use of tried-and-true soap opera conventions with the lesbian relationship, but at least he appears to be taking it seriously and not sweeping it under the rug in a few issues. This issue is light on superhero action but gives Faerber a chance to offer some more in-depth characterization for Celeste, which is welcome, and next issue looks like an action blow-out anyway.

Runaways #13 (Brian K. Vaughan/Adrian Alphona, Marvel)
A nice little done-in-one story that sheds some light on Molly's personality and emphasizes one of the things that Vaughan does best in this series, which is understand how kids think and the way they would react to such extreme circumstances. It's touching to see how much Molly misses her parents, even though she knows they were evil super-villains. Plus Vaughan creates a fun new villain that shows off his creativity and dedication to adding as much to the Marvel universe as he uses from it.

She-Hulk #5 (Dan Slott/Juan Bobillo, Marvel)
As much as I find his style interesting, I'm glad to read that this is Juan Bobillo's last issue, because I always thought that this book needed a more traditional superhero art style. Slott has fun with various time-displacement issues, and the Two-Gun Kid seems like a good addition to the cast. It's nice to see all the subplots and the humor returning after last month's dull, lesson-learning detour.