Comic Book Moments of the Week for 09/12/12

It's another big installment for today's Moments of the Week, as the zero issues keep coming, mainly focused on the Batman clan, Avengers vs. X-Men hits the penultimate issue with some media hype, Manhattan Projects heads back to the USSR, and the flagship X-Men books showcase their own crazies. Much more as always, including dinosaurs wearing jetpacks (jetpacks!) after the jump.

Avengers vs. X-Men #11

Here we are, everyone versus Scott and Emma, trying to keep the two occupied enough so that Xavier can get inside their heads and shut them down. Even Hulk got in on the whole thing, but that's pretty much all he does this issue, only one smash.

This is the funniest part of the issue, not only trying to kill a demigod with an arrow, but Hawkeye's look as he runs away, like a kid who just broke a neighbor's window playing baseball. Scott then takes Emma's portion of the Phoenix, and gets so tired of Xavier talking down to him he just kills him with a scary picture of a Phoenix:

This got some outside media push, although for comic book deaths it's rather tame, you would think he was just knocked out, and seeing how the Phoenixes brought back Hawkeye after burning him alive the same thing could be done next issue. But going by Marvel interviews it seems like Xavier was expendable.

Hulk-Wolverine fastball special, despite being a momentous thing, does nothing. And after this Cyclops basically collapses under the power surge and turns into the Phoenix, or Dark Phoenix as Beast calls him. Three more weeks until the finale.

Batgirl #0

Barbara's first meeting with Batman comes not after foiling a robbery at a masquerade ball, but now at a police station where she dons a mock up batsuit used by investigators to take down a crazy cult leader. Going by the timelines the issue presents, this took place four years ago. After this, Babs gets official:

This is Batgirl's original costume, no cowl. She plays the part for a year but then quits to focus on school, and then she is shot by the Joker. If you're expecting something regarding her walking again, it's nowhere to be found this issue, which was a shame.

Batman #0

Six years ago, Bruce still isn't Batman but seems to have taken a year of just being a vigilante while honing all of his fancy playtoys away from the mansion, instead operating out of a Crime Alley brownstone. One of his first guests is Lieutenant Gordon:

I like this change, how Gordon basically knows from the beginning what Bruce is up to, and it becomes a game of "oh did you hear about what this guy is doing cleaning up the streets?" The backup feature this month is showing where all the future Robins are in their lives five years ago, when the batsignal first turns on:

It seems that Bruce might have been Batman for less than a year before both joining the Justice League and recruiting Dick to be Robin.

Batman & Robin #0

Awww, who knew sociopaths could be so cute? In order to find out why his mom has a cowl, Damian must defeat her in combat on his birthday:

So simple, but so pretty and informative to look at. Note the progression on Talia's face as it goes from easily disposing of Damian to more and more of a trouble. Then, 18 months ago, on his tenth birthday, Damian breaks the losing streak:

Talia fulfills her promise, and Damian learns of his dad a day before he heads off to meet him for the first time at the beginning of Grant Morrison's Batman run.

Fantastic Four #610

An island country controlled by crazy scientists who also believe The Wizard is some kind of prophet, of course this is right up the Fantastic Four's alley:

Behold, some of the brightest minds in the Marvel Universe.

The Wizard outlived his usefullness, so it really becomes a confrontation between the Wizard and his cloned self Bentley, to be seen in the upcoming FF.

Green Lantern Corps #0

This is one of the first zero issues to really change up a character's history in significant ways. Guy Gardner is now from a family of cops where he is the middle child between an older brother and younger sister, his mother is still dead, and his father, while an alcoholic retired cop, doesn't seem to have been abusive to Guy. Guy is also a former cop who was kicked off the force for being accused of something he didn't do, and no longer a social worker or teacher. Here he is saving his cop brother from a shootout with a local gang in Baltimore, and showing he doesn't have any fear.

Guy's also no longer a backup Green Lantern to Hal, seemingly never had brain damage that made him mouthy from his old JLI days, and the whole Guy Gardner Warrior thing also seems to be gone. Most shockingly though? Guy never seemed to have the bowl cut that made him so noticeable, in his early days he just grew his hair out like hew was Wheeler from Captain Planet. No mention of John's origin in this issue.

Manhattan Projects #6

So far we've just seen the crazy stuff the USA has been doing that we never knew happened, this issue shows that the Soviets went a lot further in managing their scientists.

Grottrup gets Gagarin to space (Laika lived!), and thinks he finally earned his freedom, but connecting to the last issue, a change in leadership appears:

Forever a slave. The issue does end with the Soviets and Americans meeting in Iceland to focus on some joint project, that should blow some minds.

New Avengers #30

This issue takes place after Avengers vs. X-Men #11, as the lower powered heroes escort Emma to a jail for the time being, until they get attacked by Purifiers along the way.

Unstable molecule eyemask? It has to be in order to fit Ben's head. The usual fight stuff happens, but during the battle Luke realizes he misses his family too much:

I don't think Luke will be on the sidelines for long, as he's been on the covers for the final Bendis storyline.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #2

This issue is pretty nonchalant with the identity reveals, which is a nice change of pace from the usual superhero fare. Hard to focus on a secret identity when your enemy is attacking the hangar everyone is in.

Cliff gets captured, and in reference to Skull Island, we find out a plan that is probably 90% BS but is so awesome it should be the real deal:

Dinosaurs with rocketpacks, it's one notch below Tyrannosaurs in F-14s! But they really just want to feed Cliff to a dinosaur.

Scarlet Spider #9

The mystery of what was off the Galveston coast is revealed, and seems to also connect to why Aracely was brought here in the first place.

Evil conquered, Kaine saves Zoe's dad from demonic possession, and the Rangers offer Kaine a spot on the team:

Ha, joke's on Kaine, and Peter Parker's words forever ring in his head.

Wolverine and the X-Men #16

Probably the worst decision the Phoenix Five did so far, as Kade and the others easily escape. But in the meantime we get some history about Kade, as his father drunkenly confesses to him that he killed his mother five years ago:

And full on crazy he is, no doubt about it.

Uncanny X-Force #31

Man, that is just one of the most evil things any supervillain has ever done. You think he's going to forget that when he becomes Apocalypse? You'll be the first he finds!

Uncanny X-Men #18

While Wolverine has crazy Hellfire Kids, Colossus has a sister so crazy she damned him to a demon. At least she admits she's insane. The other half of this issue is Emma and Scott having psychic dinner while they fight the Avengers in AvX #11, where confessions are made:

So a little added depth to why Cyclops so willingly took Emma's power from her. No more psychic affairs, Emma.

X-O Manowar #5

The Earth gets culled for Aric taking the armor, not the best way to make friends, even with the Vine offspring who were raised on Earth. The vine sends mercenaries to Peru to find Aric, and it goes really badly for them: