I'm picking up Ultimate Nightmare to get my Ultimates fix in, since Millar and Hitch can't seem to get their acts together on a monthly basis. (I think Hitch may be the main culprit there).

Look at this! Not a single tarantula in sight.

(It's next week's NW cover -- in case you don't want to be spoiled.)

It looks weirdly video-gamey.

There's a worldwide threat that both Nick Fury and Professor X mobilise their teams for.

I may have to pick that up, then.

It does look interesting.

They put Ultimate Wolvie in anything, and my comic book store guy knows I'll buy it, however much I shriek the week before.

I flipped through Ultimate Nightmare. I couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on. It's pretty much a set-up issue.

I also checked out UXM #50, since I didn't realize Vaughan was writing, and it was the first in a series. It was pretty good, and dude, Gambit! Except he's evil.

The 12-Cent Adventure was expositionalicious, which was actually pretty good for me, who hadn't been reading the main titles but had picked up general events from this thread. When did Spoiler get fired? Why? I think I read the issue where she donned the costume for the first time, and that was only like last month or so. And why did Tim quit? And what's happening in the title if there is no Robin?

Also, am I supposed to be familiar with all the warring gangs? Like this Galante fellow? And the chick who comes back to take out the Escabos? And who's Orpheus?

Well, "War Games" looks good so far. Let's see how much more shit they can blow up.

PC, I recognized some of the gang leaders -- but not all of them and I have no idea who Orpheus is and why he is working for Batman.

Steph got fired because she disobeyed Batman's direct order. Tim quit because his father found out he was Robin. Ummm, I don't know how he found out but based on 12-Cent -- it looks as though Steph may have told him. Plus it looks like Tim was okay with Robin/Spoiler but not Tim/Steph -- I don't know what's up with that -- or did he not know that she was the Spoiler? And that she knew that he was Robin?

Did you get Detective Comics?

Is Detective comics supposed to be part of War Games because the last I remember Steph was fired for going after Batman to rescue him.

Also I spent the first few pages of Ultimate X Men totally confused, wondering why Scott needed permission to go anywhere and a few other things because even though I know it's Ultimate X Men I was thinking of the characters like they are in Astonishing X Men.

About Ultimate X-Men -- familiar mutants have been popping up around. Obvious in this issue was Rahne, but might that have been Puck with her? Was Puck a mutant? And I really think that Gambit's hair looks like crap curly.