New comics catch-up

Once again, work and other commitments have put me horribly behind on posting...well, anything, really, so here's a quick look at comics from the last two weeks.

From 2/21:

Cable & Deadpool #37 (Fabian Nicieza/Staz Johnson, Marvel)
Just when it seemed like this book was settling into a regular artist, we get another fill-in, although at least Johnson has worked on the series before. His art is a little rough, but perfectly adequate, and the story is an amusing sequel to one from the original Deadpool series (which I haven't read). I honestly am not missing Cable in his absence from this book, as his messiah complex has gotten tiresome, and even if Deadpool's latest antics don't make for a mind-blowing story, they are at least entertaining.

Powers #23 (Brian Michael Bendis/Michael Avon Oeming, Marvel/Icon)
In this issue, Walker fights...Satan? I've liked this arc so far, but here it gets a little too over the top, and once again I'm sad that this is apparently never going to be a solid, ground-level crime book anymore. I still like the exploration of Walker and Pilgrim's new powers, but I think that Bendis' efforts to increasingly up the stakes on each arc are getting sort of ridiculous.

She-Hulk #16 (Dan Slott/Rick Burchett, Marvel)
Once again Slott gives in to the big superhero action (complete with gratuitous Wolverine guest appearance) while retaining the humor of the recent law-firm era. We even get some of the supporting cast back, which is nice, and my guess is that Jennifer will be back practicing law before too long. In the meantime, this has been a fun diversion, and Burchett's art is continuing to grow on me.

From 2/14: Astonishing X-Men #20 continues to show Joss Whedon's strength at writing the X-Men in space, even if the story is once again moving rather slowly. Y the Last Man #54 offers up another nice little stand-alone story, although it does feel a little like pointless time-killing this close to the series' end. And, speaking of series ending, Nextwave #12 wraps up the weird and funny Warren Ellis/Stuart Immonen superhero parody in as hilarious and bizarre a fashion as it started, with ultimate villains including a baby M.O.D.O.K. and Devil Dinosaur in a smoking jacket. I think it was probably wise to end after 12 issues to avoid becoming repetitious, but I do hope for a sequel mini-series or two at some point down the line, after an appropriate amount of time away.