Good Comics, Bad Comics

I went to B&M Amusement to get my comic books, ready to be disappointed, but hoping I might get to read something good. The results, as usual, were a mixed bag. I got five comic books on this last visit: two were okay, one was awful, and the last two were outstanding. I guess it's not such a bad outcome. From bottom to top, they were:

Kiani #0
Cool character, bad story, bad artwork. That really sums it up. They shouldn't let Marcus To draw anything, let alone a girl that's supposed to be hot. I wasn't expecting anything good out of this series, but I was curious enough to at least give it a try. It didn't work.

X-Men #195
The second part of the three-issue Primary Infection story, I bought it because Humberto Ramos was drawing it. I really like Ramos, but his superhero stuff for Marvel (Civil War Wolverine, and now X-Men) leaves me cold. It's okay, but I know he can do much better. And the story was somewhat entertaining, but not too much. A disappointment.

Wetworks #5
This issue is inked digitally, and the results aren't as good as Whilce Portacio's pictures usually are. Also, I'm starting to care less and less about the story, so it might not be long before I drop this title.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1
Set in Stephen King's Dark Tower universe, this limited series tells the story of young Roland (the gunslinger), and how he becomes the badass we all love and despise at the same time. Jae Lee's artwork is superb (the picture accompanying this post is his cover for issue #2), and Richard Isanove's colors are out of this world. And the story, mixing elements we already know with some new things is incredibly compelling. A must-read!

Witchblade #103
Actually, it's a tie between this one and The Gunslinger Born, since both books are outstanding. Adriana Melo's artwork keeps getting better and better, and this issue's interiors are gorgeous (follow the link above for sample pages). Also, Ron Marz's story is truly fantastic. Good dialogue, interesting situations, great characters, intriguing story… You should be reading this book, you really should.