The Week's Best, for the week of 5-24-10 to 5-30-10

We're going to do things a little differently this week, at least on the television side of things. Since only three of the shows I watch were still airing new episodes this week (and much like Lost last week, 24 is disqualified since it'll be getting it's own entry some time this week), it would be silly to write about two of them. So, with that in mind...

The Week's Best TV Show Winner - Glee Ep 1x20, "Theatricality"

I really do hate Glee for not only making Mike O'Malley relevant for more than just bad commercials again, but for also making him one of the key parts of the show. The truth is, watching him as Burt Hummel try to navigate a difficult relationship with his queer-as-folk son Kurt who he obviously does love and support with all his heart usually steals the show anytime it's featured, and this week was no exception. Between that and the featured story line about Rachel and her mother and the Gaga songs that were really entertaining, this was a solid episode.

The Week's Best Comic Book Runner-Up - The Thanos Imperative: Ignition

For the last few years, the Cosmic side of the Marvel Universe has been firing on all cylinders. It began with the "Annihilation" story, written by Keith Giffen, and since then has been shepherded by the writing team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. First they wrote "Annihilation: Conquest," which led to the returns of the Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy series, as well as Adam Warlock. They followed that up with "War of Kings" and Reign of Kings." Now, they bring us the return of one of Marvel's deadliest threats, Thanos, but this time, he seems to be the only hope to save everyone from an encroachment from another universe where death doesn't exist and people live like cancers. Aside from strong storytelling, this issue features a fantastic recap of just who Thanos is, and a surprise about who is leading the charge from that alternate universe that hits long-time readers like a punch to the gut. This book, and the "Thanos Imperative" series it leads into, is not to be missed.

The Week's Best Comic Book Winner - Secret Avengers #1

This is the second book in Marvel's "Heroic Age" of Avengers books, behind the adjectiveless "Avengers" that came out last week (the third, New Avengers, will be re-launching soon as well), and it is certainly a strange assemblage. Led by Steve Rogers, the original Captain America and now America's top cop, it features the newer Ant-Man, Valkyrie, War Machine, Nova, Black Widow, Beast, and Moon Knight. As the title implies, it's a team whose existence is known to no one but it's members. Ed Brubaker, who's writing the current "Captain America" series, handles the writing here as well, and the art is done by Mike Deodato, who has previously handled art chores on books like "Amazing Spider-Man," "Thunderbolts," and, most recently, "Dark Avengers." His art style is a perfect fit for the mood Brubaker sets for this book: dark, edgy, mysterious, and, similarly to how the team members handle their individual missions, totally competent. The book is fast-paced, action-packed yet filled with great character beats, and has an ending that certainly ups the intrigue level. Absolutely can't wait til the next issue.