The comics I picked up this week include AVX Consequences 2, Uncanny X-Men 20, X-Factor 245, Captain Marvel 5, Supergirl 13, Nightwing 13 and Birds of Prey 13 – most of these were very good. These are my first impressions – I’ll add links as I post full reviews.
X-Factor 245 was very good as usual. The storyline in which X-Factor loses half of its members is now complete. A good chunk of this issue focuses on the relationships between Havok, Polaris and Multiple Man. There’s also plenty of focus on the rest of this story arc, and several great jokes. Everything you need to know for this issue is explained within the issue – you won’t even need the recap page. X-Factor regulars should pick this up, and it’s worth checking out for those who have read Uncanny Avengers 1 and want to know more about Havok’s mindset.
Birds of Prey 13 was good. My only real complaint is that a throwaway line demonstrates how rushed the last storyline was. Otherwise, this issue feels like a one shot and it tells a relatively complete story, even if it has a cliff-hanger. One of the Birds of Prey is kidnapped by an army of ninjas and the others have to rescue her. All you really need to know is that the BOP member Katana really cares about her sword (her dead husband’s soul is in the sword). If the idea of an all-female superhero team in Gotham City interests you, this series is worth checking out and this issue is a decent starting point.
healed1337 
Consequences #2 was great. This is the Gillen I know and love. Scott was awesome here. He got to tell off Logan, and his talk of knowing he’s going to die in prison was really well-done.
UXM #20 was a Gillen-penned UXM. Of course it was awesome. The parallels between the three conversations were really well-done, and all three were cool on their own, too.
X-Factor is X-Factor. People need to be reading it, because it’s one of the best comics ever.
And I loved Captain Marvel #5. I actually really liked the art. Emma Rios seems to have a knack for drawing books I love. The Osborn mini (which was also written by DeConnick – hey, Marvel, keep these two ladies together, because they make a great team), and the Cloak & Dagger Spider-Island mini. And now this. And the writing continues to be great. I urge people to support this book, because it deserves to last a good long while. Also, I’ve been enjoying the lack of romance in this book. DeConnick is swiftly becoming a writer equal to her husband, Matt Fraction. I’m hoping Marvel pushes her, because she’s really impressed me with just about everything she’s written for them.
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X-Factor is X-Factor? Can’t argue with that. It really is a good series – the difficulty with convincing more people to check it out is that it mostly features lesser known characters – characters that deserve more recognition than they get.
So far, I actually like DeConnick better than Matt Fraction. Can’t say I’m a fan of his Uncanny X-Men run outside a couple issues here and there. I also didn’t like Fear Itself – issue 5 was the only one I actually liked, and the last issue was a mess. Haven’t read anything else that he’s written. So far, I haven’t read a single DeConnick comic I haven’t enjoyed at least a little.
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Fraction’s had an amazing run on Iron Man, and his Defenders was really good. His UXM run was lackluster, and Fear Itself was aggressively mediocre. But he’s done plenty of good stuff, too. And his Hawkeye’s good so far. FF looks like it’s going to be great, and even better for being paired with Mike Allred.
And yeah, I can’t say DeConnick’s managed to disappoint me yet. But she hasn’t been given anything really big yet. Captain Marvel is really her chance to prove herself, and so far, she’s doing a great job. She’ll also be writing the next few issues of Avengers Assemble, so we’ll see how she does with that book.
The other problem with X-Factor is that it’s typically off doing its own thing. It’s not really deeply tied to the other events. So it’s not “important,” as I saw one person on the Comic Book Resources X-board put it. I hated that argument. Who cares how “important” it is to the greater Marvel U., when it’s a well-written book? What kind of moron would rather buy a book they’re not really enjoying but which is tied in to a bunch of other books, rather than an enjoyable book that’s allowed to do whatever it wants?
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I’ll give Fraction a shot with his Fantastic Four/FF run, like I promised to give every Marvel Now book a chance. I also want to like FF because the original She Hulk is among my favourite Marvel characters. Seriously Dan Slott’s She Hulk run was amazing.
X-Factor doing its own thing is one of the main reasons I enjoy the series. Sure, it borrows elements from other books like X-Force volume 3, but it tells its own story and for the most part, it’s self contained. It’s still important, but only to itself. Flagship titles are often bogged down by every other series and more often than not, it does them harm.
I can understand the “important” argument to a point. An event comic can be worth following if it has a major effect on a franchise you normally follow, even if it’s not that great. You don’t have to read it of course, you can just read spoiler filled reviews. Still, I completely agree with you that a good comic is more worth paying money for than one that is important but mediocre at best.
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