Fans of Marvel Comics' ongoing Dark Reign storyline will be happy this week. In addition to Dark Reign: The List - X-Men, there's also Dark X-Men: The Confession (which, in the mighty Marvel tradition, ties into Dark Reign, X-Men and the recently completed Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia) and Dark Reign: Made Men, which looks at what's happening for the villains not in the center of Norman Osborn's scheme to villainize America.

For those who prefer a brighter Marvel Universe, Joss Whedon's entire X-Men run gets a collection in the Astonishing X-Men Omnibus. And the X-Men Origins hardcover brings together some beautifully illustrated retellings of the earliest days of the mutant franchise. Spider-Woman #1 is the paper version of the motion comic, but the oddest release from Marvel this week is Pet Avengers Classic Vol. 1, which offers up an anthology of stories about Marvel's Mightiest Pets. Yes, really.

DC aren't the kind of publishers who'd pull a lame stunt like pet superheroes (Well, apart from the Legion of Super-Pets, and Krypto and Streaky and, okay, never mind). DC would much rather pull lame stunts like phone votes to decide the fates of long-running characters, and in the DC Comics Library: A Death In The Family hardcover, you can relive that bold, classy experiment that ended with Robin being blown up by the Joker. Prouder moments of classic comics get collected in the first volume of Flash Chronicles, reprinting (again) the first appearances of the Silver Age Flash. And the Push trade paperback collects the comic book prologue that was much better than the movie it tied into.

Luckily, and unusually, the two best books of the week are both single issues, allowing you to sample both before running back in a month for seconds. (And they're openings of mini-series, so you don't have to worry about making a long-term commitment.)

Superman: Secret Origin lets Geoff Johns and Gary Frank go to town on the Man of Steel, taking six issues to tell the story of how a baby rocketed from a dying planet could grow up to make the tights and cape combo work in a way that will doubtless entertain and hint at what's to come in the character's future.

Underground brings together the obscenely talented Jeff (X-Men First Class, Agents of Atlas and countless other wonderful books) Parker and Steve (Whiteout, which I promise is better than the movie) Lieber for a series that makes up in adventure and fun what it lacks in science fiction. Check out a preview of the first issue here to be convinced.

As always, all of these books and more can be found on the official Diamond shipping list for the week, and your local comic store can be found using your friendly neighborhood Comic Shop Locator. Just promise us that you'll believe that a man can fly and go underground all at the same time, huh?

Marvel apparently has high hopes for Spider-Woman, calling it both "mind-blowing" and "groundbreaking", but it doesn't quite live up to that hype. It's certainly the best "motion comic" - or, let's be honest, "really, really limited animation" - we've seen so far, but what it does right almost makes what it does wrong all the more apparent.

Let's be clear: As a regular comic, Spider-Woman will probably be great. Alex Maleev's art is atmospheric and stylish while losing the artificiality and sterility that crept into his Daredevil work with Bendis, and will doubtlessly look wonderful on the page. Likewise, Bendis' dialogue here is prime Bendis, with the cadence and asides that his fans have come to expect, and they're unlikely to be disappointed when reading it. It's just that... it doesn't work as a motion comic.

The animation, what there is of it, is well done. But there isn't enough of it... or there's too much of it; something about it, about the way the backgrounds move but the figures seem distractingly static, especially in the talky expositionary scenes, makes you all too aware of how limited the animation really is, although nothing demonstrates that as much as the "fight" sequence at the end of the episode, where the animation is almost laughably limited, killing any suspension of disbelief and drawing attention to itself far too much. Similarly, Bendis' trademark dialogue just sounds awkward and unbelievable when spoken aloud (although part of that could have something to do with the very flat line readings from the actors; Nicolette Reed may have the trans-Atlantic accent that the creators knew that Jessica Drew had to have, but her disinterest in the material - or maybe lack of ability to emote - can be amazingly apparent at times), including truly cringe-worthy lines like "This is what we call bull-ca-ca," which just can't help but sound ridiculous when said out loud.

Ultimately, Spider-Woman feels unsatisfying not because everyone involved hasn't tried their hardest, but because of the very format they're working in; it could just be that Motion Comics in general are not only not the "future of comics," but also not a format that will last past this initial fad and first blush of excitement. There's the start of an interesting story being told in Spider-Woman, but it's one that I'd rather read the rest of, than watch.

Spider-Woman, Agent of S.W.O.R.D. Episode 1 [iTunes]

It still looks a little hokey to me, but you have to admit - almost anything looks better than this:


The long-delayed Spider-Woman - to be released simultaneously on iTunes and as a physical comic book - is written by New Avengers and Secret Invasion's Brian Michael Bendis, with art coming from his former Daredevil partner Alex Maleev; the first episode of the digital comic will be shown at San Diego Comic-Con at Friday's "Marvel Digital Comics... and Beyond!" panel.

[Via CBR]

(Fine print: Since there are frequently a number of individuals who, over time, may have inhabited the same costume and/or bore the same moniker, we’ve picked our favorites.)

SPIDER-MAN (PETER PARKER) VS. SPIDER-WOMAN (JESSICA DREW)
Spider-Man dossier: A nerdy orphan acquires arachnid powers through a radiation mishap. This manifests itself in heightened, agile climbing skillz, a propensity for the slinging of synthetic webs, intuitive “Spidey sense,” and muscle mass.
Spider-Woman dossier: Injected with spider serum to cure a bout with uranium poisoning, she developed similar wall-clinging abilities. The Woman can also wield bioelectric energy, is impervious to poison and radiation, and depending on the tale, can fly.
For every dollar he makes, she deserves: $1.50. Are Spider-Friends bioelectric? This one is.

SUPERMAN (KAL-EL/CLARK KENT) VS. SUPERGIRL (KARA ZOR-EL/LINDA DANVERS)
Superman dossier: The alien adoptee boasts mega-strength, keen eyesight with laser vision, speed, regeneration—not to mention, of course, flight.
Supergirl dossier: A fellow Kryptonian, she’s said to be Superman’s cousin. As such, this fly girl possesses most of his faculties, as well as telekinesis and teleportation.
For every dollar he makes, she deserves: $ .95. Though she’s not as deft in deploying her Krypton-given weapons, she’s still a Woman of Steel. With teleportation powers!

CAPTAIN MARVEL (MAR-VELL) VS. MS. MARVEL (CAROL DANVERS)
Captain Marvel dossier: Another Kree expat, he uses solar energy to fuel his superstrength, which also includes energy blasts, the ability to fly, and a precognitive intuition called “cosmic awareness.”
Ms. Marvel dossier: Captain Marvel’s girlfriend acquired her might after surviving a Psyche-Magneton explosion. As a result, the buffer Danvers can fly and expend energy from her hands.
For every dollar he makes, she deserves: $.50. We concede. In terms of effectiveness, she’s only half the superhero he is.

HULK (BRUCE BANNER) VS. SHE-HULK (JENNIFER WALTERS)
Hulk dossier: After a gamma-ray accident, this physicist develops a short fuse and with it, an absurd amount of brawn. In addition he’s demonstrated great resilience to physical assaults, drugs, and diseases.
She-Hulk dossier: Hulk’s lawyer-cousin gets a blood transfusion from Banner, transforming her into a quick-healing, tough-to-smack-down glamazon. And unlike him, she can control her temper.
For every dollar he makes, she deserves: $1.25. She’s not as physically thunderous as the Hulk, but her intelligence and strategic thinking while under duress gives her an edge.

MARVEL BOY (NOH-VARR) VS. MARVEL GIRL (RACHEL SUMMERS)
Marvel Boy dossier: Born abroad (galactically speaking), the Kree also been genetically engineered with roach DNA. Totally gross, sure—but it’s rendered him dextrous, strong, and fast. Also, his saliva can make you hallucinate.
Marvel Girl dossier: The alternate-reality daughter of X-Men Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Jean Grey (Phoenix), she harbors endless powers of telepathy and telekinesis, which makes her quite handy at messing with minds as well as the space-time continuum.
For every dollar he makes, she deserves: $2.00. Her abilities are potent and have the potential to get even more robust.

HAWKMAN (CARTER HALL/KATAR HOL) VS. HAWKGIRL (SHIERA SANDERS/SHAYERA HOL)
Hawkman dossier: A reincarnated Egyptian prince, he dons Nth metal, which helps him fly. He also possesses keen vision and some self-healing powers.
Hawkgirl dossier: The prince’s reincarnated woman, she, too, dons a belt with gravity-defying Nth metal. She also possesses keen vision and some self-healing powers.
For every dollar he makes, she deserves: $1.00. They are equals.

Images: Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Marvel Girl courtesy Marvel.com; Supergirl courtesy DCcomics.com; Hawkgirl courtesy Ian S. Wilson.

Annalee: "If you guys had to get out of those costumes really, really fast, how would you do it?"
Spidey: "You mean like, if the building was on fire? I always build secret escape hatches in here, so you can just pull and they're gone."
Spider-Woman: "Yeah, they come off in about five seconds." (We think she winked after that, but it's hard to tell behind those huge white eyecovers)
Spidey: "I mean, when you gotta to to the bathroom, you gotta go."