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PopLab was established to dissect and study your weekly pull list. Our scientists, brought together from around the globe from places as far away as Dallas, Texas and probably the other side of Dallas, Texas, have been locked away for years living underground and on a diet of four-color entertainment, Cheetos and Coke Zero.

Their goal: to give you their scientific evaluations of the week’s comic books.

Scientist:  Mike Partyka

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #606
Writer: Joe Kelly; Penciller: Mike McKone; Inker: Andy Lanning

Peter Parker has serious girl trouble.  First, he had a drunken one night stand with his roommate Michele, which has her so steamed she’s pushing his belongings down the garbage disposal.  Second, his reporter colleague Norah presumes he has the hots for her and isn’t afraid to say so to anyone within earshot.  Third, his ex-fiancee Mary Jane is back in town.  And now, on top of all that, yet another ex has decided to drop by and hassle him, only in his other life as Spider-Man – yes, the Black Cat is back, and all the bad luck that comes from crossing her path is falling squarely in Spider-Man’s lap.

It’s nice to see the Black Cat gracing the pages of ASM again.  Her history with Spider-Man goes all the way back to the days his first getting the Venom outfit, and their romance as detailed in the pages of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man rivaled the pathos of Wolfman & Perez’s New Teen Titans shenanigans.  But anyone who remembers those wild and woolly days knows that even though Spidey and the Cat can still generate sparks, there’s no future in their relationship so long as she’s an adrenaline junkie and he’s still hoping to cling to some amount of daily normalcy.  Still, the fun will come in watching them realize that for themselves.

Recommendation:  BUY

DARK REIGN – THE LIST:  X-MEN
Writer: Matt Fraction; Penciller: Alan Davis; Inker: Mark Farmer

At the end of the Utopia crossover, Norman Osborn was forced to leave the X-Men’s new island home with his tail tucked between his legs, and that doesn’t sit well with him at all.  Being of a vengeful mind, Norman decides to point his wrath at Cabal traitor Namor, who defected to Utopia Island with the rest of mutantkind.  Osborn’s weapon of choice:  Marina, a half-human, half-Plodex mutated beast who was formerly a member of Alpha Flight until her monstrous alien genes took her over.  (Not so coincidentally, she’s also Namor’s ex-wife.)  When Osborn sicks Marina on the remnants of Atlantis, Namor is forced to rely upon his new mutant allies for their help in saving what’s left of his Atlantean kingdom.  It’s a nice, emotion-driven story that establishes several characters’ new relationships with one another and serves to solidify Namor’s position with the X-Men and his parting of the ways with Osborn.

Recommendation:  BUY

NEW AVENGERS #57
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciller: Stuart Immonen; Inker: Wade von Grawbadger

The Avengers – both the renegade “New” Avengers led by Clint Barton and the offical “Dark” Avengers led by Norman Osborn – are in serious trouble, thanks to a genetic power disruptor that’s been turned on them by Dr. Jonas Harrow and all the villains who were previously under the Hood’s employ.  (The Hood has apparently lost his powers, though I’m not certain whether that’s due to the events of the previous story-arc in which Doctor Voodoo became Earth’s Sorceror Supreme – shows how memorable that story was – or if it’s due to the as-yet-unpublished conclusion to the Hood’s own Dark Reign miniseries – in which case, thanks for spoilers, Marvel.)  Osborn cuts a deal with the assembled villains and quickly regains the upper hand, but the renegades also have a backup plan and escape handily, with one problem:  Thanks to the power disruptor, Luke Cage is having a cardiac episode that might kill him – and because of his unbreakable skin, the power disruptor is now the only thing that might save him.  Will the New Avengers be forced to surrender themselves to Norman Osborn after all?

Recommendation:  BUY

DARK X-MEN:  THE CONFESSION
Writers: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost; Penciller: Bing Cansino; Inker: Roland Paris

Nothing can destroy a relationship like secrets, and nobody has secrets like Emma Frost.  Except maybe her lover, Cyclops.  After the both of them get a stern talking-to from the Beast about how secrets will destroy the X-Men, the pair are forced to come clean with each other.  The result is a telepathic trip through the events of the last couple of years in Cyclops’ case and through the last couple of decades in Emma Frost’s case, in which each unburdens him/herself of the terrible secrets they’ve carried all this time.  When everything’s out on the table, will there be anything left of Cyclops and Emma’s relationship, or will their relationship end up one more casualty of following Xavier’s dream?

Recommendation:  BUY

SUPERMAN:  SECRET ORIGIN #1
Writer: Geoff Johns; Penciller: Gary Frank; Inker: Jon Sibal

In 1985, following the multiverse-destroying, universe-establishing events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne’s 6-issue miniseries The Man of Steel redefined Superman for a new generation.  That new and compelling vision lasted until 2003, when, latching onto the success of the WB’s Smallville, Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu were commissioned to clear the slate again and set down Superman: Birthright as the definitive origin of Superman, incorporating certain elements from the TV show into their retooling.  (No official explanation was ever given for this retooling.  Presumably everyone now chalks it up to the same “Superboy-Prime-Punch” mechanic that brought Jason Todd back from the dead.)  However, after the universe-reshaping events of 2005’s Infinite Crisis, the stage was set for yet another revamp – particularly by the revelation in 2007’s JLA/JSA crossover “The Lightning Saga” that Clark Kent’s “Superboy” adventures with the Legion of Super-Heroes, which had been out of canon since Byrne decisively negated them in 1985, were now firmly back in canon.

Enter Geoff Johns.  Already famous for his Rebirth work on both Green Lantern and the Flash, and having become intimately familiar with Superman over the last year via his “Braniac” and “New Krypton” storylines, it was only natural that DC would tap him to provide the new “now we mean it” origin for the Man of Steel.  But does this new retelling of an already well-known tale really bring anything new to the table?  So far, the answer is no.  Johns borrows elements from nearly all the origin stories that have come before – the glasses and costume origins from the 50s, the “football opening” from Byrne, the heat-vision/sex-drive link from Smallville, the Luthor inclusion from Smallville and Waid/Yu – and weaves them all into a single tapestry, but the overall picture is rather bland.  Perhaps the new reader will be fascinated by this retelling, but the longtime reader is bound to come away saying, “I know all this already.”  Of course, there are still five issues left in the series – issue #2 will supposedly introduce the Legion of Super-Heroes into young Clark’s life and give him a vision of the hero he’s meant to be – but so far it’s just not clear whether this series is going to end up a game-changer like either of its predecessors or just a fill-in-the-blanks tale that provides a little clarity but not much more.

Recommendation:  PASS

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