Look, there are a lot of comics out there. Too many. We can never hope to have in-depth conversations about all of them. But, we sure can round up some of the more noteworthy titles we didn’t get around to from the week. Today, Spencer and Patrick discuss Batman Superman 18, Batman Eternal 42, The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw 3, Spider-Woman 3, The Amazing Spider-Man 13, Scarlet Spiders 3, Elektra 10, The Legendary Star-Lord 8, Rocket Raccoon 7, and Guardians of the Galaxy 23.

Spencer: Remember all those times Batman was paranoid and over-prepared, even going as far as to devise contingency plans to use against his friends and teammates? Greg Pak does, and in Batman Superman 18 he portrays them in a decidedly more positive light, not only using the Kryptonite embedded in Batman’s armor to uncover a major clue about “Superman’s Joker,” but also allowing Superman to be understanding, even a bit blase about the whole thing. Could that be because Batman is indeed the person Clark confides in the most, and who understands him the best? Pak makes a strong argument for it, rooting the issue in the bond between these two characters that once defined this title but also shining a light on Clark’s relationships with Supergirl and Lois Lane. Superman’s been fortunate enough to have had a number of excellent creators working on his titles lately (Snyder and Johns, among others), but for my money, Pak’s the one with the best handle on what makes the character, and especially his supporting cast, so compelling.

Kyle Higgins, James Tynion IV, Scott Snyder and the rest of the Batman Eternal writing bullpen have an equally compelling character on their hands with Harper Row, who finally gets to take action as Bluebird in issue 42. Harper’s charm is out in full force — along with her brains and tech skills — making for a fun, fast-paced mission, but Higgins also makes sure we don’t forget how inexperienced Harper really is, depicting all the times she slips up in ways both realistic (at least for a comic book) and humorous at the same time.

It’s a blast, but I’m a bit more confused by Spoiler’s plot. Her mother’s sudden change of heart doesn’t seem to fit with her previous characterization, but I can’t tell whether this is a purposeful ruse on Ms. Brown’s part or just wonky writing. After a month of strong issues, though, I’m ready to just go along for the ride and trust that Eternal‘s creative team knows what they’re doing.

Patrick: Yeah, they’re doing a nice job of letting the rest of the Bat-family feature, at first as brainwashed baddies and then as freshly-returned allies, so even an issue that’s mostly devoted to Bluebird’s first night out feels distinctly at home in the world of Batman Eternal. Even if Harper’s not so confident, Higgins and the art team (three credited pencilers?) don’t appear to have any reservations about how cool the character is – you can’t really beat that hero-shot midway through the issue.

After making a point to show how cool the Champion was in the second issue, Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw 3 spends most of its time trying to take a little bit of the sheen off the hero. Interestingly, our Hero seems totally out of place among the Animal Wizards, and even more out of place in a magical fantasy setting. He’s a hard-fighting, hard-fighting, inelegant sonofabitch, like he’s been dropped into a fantasy world by way of Starship Troopers. While it’s fascinating to watch the subtle politics of the various Animals play out — that Madame Goodfoot is trouble! — the Champion steals the show any time he’s on the page. What is his deal? Kurt Busiek writes him with confidence that borders on assholery, but that confidence also buoys his presence. Check out how artist Ben Dewey manages to convey the disparity in confidence between the Champion and this challenger that’s like eight times his size.

Even at his much-smaller stature and kneeling, The Champion oozes self-assuredness. Bhord, for all his strength (DEM ARMS) is still just a slobbering puppy with bad posture. Dewey’s designs are characteristically on point throughout, and I can’t wait for the next issue.

Hey, speaking of not wanting to wait for the next issue — it was a good week for Spider-Verse fans, right? We got four issues and just about every one of them was good. Spider-Woman 3 tracks Jessica’s espionage adventures on Loomworld. She’s not as competent as a spy as I would expect, but the character also spends a fair amount of time chastising herself for the sloppy spy-work, so I was able to relax and chuckle a little has she just couldn’t get into the groove established by the Loomworld version of herself. I’m also a huge sucker for the final scene in the issue, which finds Silk, Spider-Gwen and Spider-Woman fighting pirates on Loomworld (I mean, I’m only human). Plus, it’s nice to see the Master Weaver playing an active role in getting those scrolls to Spider-Man and company. Oh, when did we see that?

In The Amazing Spider-Man 13 of course! I loved this issue, and even though it sort of necessitates a familiarity with what’s going on in Spider-Woman and Scarlet Spiders, I sorta didn’t mind. I know it’s not totally in-character for me, but I’ve sort of given over to the idea that I’m simply going to be reading all of these series as long as the ‘Verse is in play. As a central hub that provides context and consequences for the dramas playing out in the other titles, ASM 13 is super exciting, and not at all afraid to play rough with the toys it borrows from other series. After losing Ben Reilly in Scarlet Spiders (which Spencer will be talking about in like one second), my jaw basically dropped through the floor when Kaine transformed into the Spideriest Spider I’ve ever seen, only to have his head impaled by his own leg.

That’s manic superhero plotting at its finest.

Spencer: Yeah, writer Dan Slott really cuts loose with this issue, breaking free from the “gathering new Spiders/sorting out missions/Inheritors attack” formula that defined the previous ASM installments of Spider-Verse and instead focusing on action, characterization, and mythology in equal measures. I’m most impressed by how deftly Slott handles his jumbo-sized cast, giving what feels like dozens of Spiders (plus the Inheritors themselves!) all a chance to shine — the moment between Spider-UK and Pavitr Prabhakar especially feels significant, since previous issues might have been too preoccupied with shuffling Spiders around to really dig into their emotions the way Slott does here.

Perhaps most important is what Slott’s doing with the Superior Spider-Man. Otto gets a lot of focus this issue; the one-two blow of discovering both that an alternate universe Octavius destroyed his Earth and that he’s destined to “lose” to Peter gives him the perspective he needs to talk Uncle Ben into picking up his Spider-Man suit one last time, but could this newfound determination (and knowledge of the future) help Otto find a way to escape his fate? There are dozens of reasons I’m excited about the conclusion of Spider-Verse, but at the moment, the fate of Otto Octavius is at the top of the list.

As fun as Spider-Verse is, on occasion it can also be a bit gruesome, with many Spider Totems facing quick, painful deaths; Ben Reilly, though, gets to go out on his own terms in Scarlet Spiders 3, dealing a devastating blow to the Inheritors in the process. Since first showing up in Spider-Verse Team-Up 1 this incarnation of Reilly has been underestimated because of his good-natured, optimistic outlook, but in death Reilly proves all his naysayers wrong. A hero always wins, but they don’t always survive, and Reilly’s bittersweet sacrifice provides the emotional, meaningful kind of death that’s so far been lacking in Spider-Verse.

(On a totally different note, though, where does Scarlet Spiders go from here? Unlike the rest of the books that launched out of Spider-Verse, I have no idea what this title will look like or even what it’s purpose could be once the crossover is over.)

By now it should come as no surprise, but I’ve got to kick off our discussion of Elektra 10 by once again emphasizing how breathtaking Michael Del Mundo’s art is. Paired with Marco D’Alfonso on colors, Del Mundo nails every panel, lending gravitas to slower expository scenes and a crackling sense of energy to the action, not to mention his moody, detailed landscapes. Still, I particularly love when Del Mundo gets a chance to be a bit surreal, and Elektra’s trip into the mind of Bullseye is the perfect opportunity for things to get trippy in the way only Del Mundo can:

This is two issues in a row now where W. Haden Blackman has used a trip inside a character’s mind to dig deeper into that character’s psyche, but I don’t mind the pattern at all when it’s as insightful as this. Still, Blackman’s story mostly provides a backdrop for some terrifically bizarre concepts (mind-controlled monkeys!), keeping Elektra’s grim nature from completely overwhelming the title in the process. It’s all leading up to an inevitable final conflict as well as Elektra‘s unfortunate, premature conclusion, but as sad as I may be to see the title go, I’m awfully excited to see how it ends.

Patrick: I’d been sitting out most of Legendary Star-Lord — simply because you gotta make cuts somewhere — but after issue 8, I might just be motivated to go back and catch up. This issue is centered on the crystalizing relationship between Peter Quill and Kitty Pryde, now together in space for the first time in a long time. It’s not all smooth sailing as they take turns casually insulting things the other holds dear. Quill’s probably the most explicitly jerky when he starts to besmirch Wolverine’s name, but that’s only in response to Kitty calling his own lifestyle into question. Sam Humphrees writes this fight incredibly well, making sure to keep anyone from saying anything too inflamatory while still allowing the characters space to honestly express their frustrations.

By the end of the issue, Quill and Pryde are talking about becoming a sort of outer-space-Bonnie-and-Clyde-meets-Robin-Hood, which is basically a perfect pitch for a comic book as far as I’m concerned.

Rocket Raccoon 7 kicks off a new arc for the character, one that seems like it’s going to explore some themes of personal responsibility. And if that’s too heady for you, it takes place on an ice planet, there’s a lady ninja, and the antagonist is a city-sized dragon dog. Artist Filipe Andrade does a great job of approximating Skottie Young’s cartoony style while adding the extra gravitas this kind of tale requires. “Putting a main character in mortal peril” may be a cheap emotional trigger, but come on, man: it’s Groot we’re talking about here.

Spencer: Yeah, not only is Groot the sweetest member of the Guardians, but by now we’re used to the fact that he always grows back no matter how much damage he takes, so seeing that poor Groot’s essentially dying adds some legitimate stakes to Rocket Raccoon, a title which has always been loads of fun, but has never really provided much in the terms of real peril before. Combine that sense of danger with Rocket’s gruff humor, reluctant emotion, and a Gilmore Girls reference or two and you’ve got yourself a fun start to what’s shaping up to be a surprisingly well-rounded story.

The most recent volume of Guardians of the Galaxy has almost felt like an intergalactic wait-station, a place for characters to hang out while Marvel figures out what to do with them (Angela), or retools them entirely. The latter is the case for Flash Thompson and the Venom symbiote in this month’s Guardians of the Galaxy 23, which finds the team on the Planet of the Symbiotes. Writer Brian Michael Bendis recasts the symbiote and its brethren as well-intentioned but easily corrupted crusaders for good across the galaxy, leading up to a new and improved Venom and a particularly happy and refreshed group of Guardians, as well as the reveal that Star-Lord’s been elected President of Spartax! All those concepts are worth exploring, and Bendis packs enough fun character beats into the issue to keep things lively, but at the same time, at least a third of this issue is nothing but pure exposition, and it’s an absolute chore to get through at times. The issue would have benefited greatly from having more space to tell the Symbiote Planet’s story as opposed to jamming it all into exposition-laden flashbacks.

The conversation doesn’t stop there, because you certainly read something that we didn’t. What do you wanna talk about from this week?