In Brief

Sheesh, I've gotten lazy about posting reviews. So, here are quickies on what I've read recently.

Secret Six 2
Damn but I love this cover. Sure, it has its cheesecake appeal, but it's also evocative of old western pulps in a way and has a nice 'kiss my ass' feel to it. As for the story, I enjoyed that, too, as the mystery deepens. I love this team. I love that they walk the edge. In some ways, they're more like what the Outsiders were supposed to be and aren't. The relationships are complicated and the characterization is complex. Favorite line, from Cheshire: "But I actually ordered two teams after him to make sure he was dead. Parental custody issues have plagued me in the past." So nice to have some acknowledgment that Roy and Lian likely haven't been retconned out of existence. Plus, it made me chuckle.

Outsiders 38
Nice cover. Mallah and the Brain are still loopy. But, Why am I still reading this? (That's rhetorical.)

Sergio Aragones SOLO
Sergio Aragones! Need I say more? I've been enamored of his work since I was a kid and first saw his marginal thinking drawings in MAD some 40 years ago. Some serious stuff in here with the zany.

JSA 87
Nice ending to this old-fashioned tale. I really enjoyed the background on Gentleman Ghost. Nice to know Courtney is still a virgin. And confirmation that no one else there is, including Jakeem, I guess. Boys will be boys. And I love the camaraderie of the gang, the feeling of longstanding friendships.

Blue Beetle 4
This is still entertaining me. I'm intrigued by the story, the characters are fun, and the art suits the book perfectly.

Catwoman 56
There's a real sense of danger here, the scenes with Holly and Selina feel real, and the cover, as usual, is wonderful. This book continues to be among the DCU's best. Nice and adult, with a sense of fun mixed in with the danger.

Hawkgirl 53
Very odd story. Favorite line, when Kendra exclaims, "You know?!", Grubbs answers: "I've known...for a long time...I'm a... cop, for crissakes." About time a cop in a comic uses his or her brains and figures out the obvious. I was sorry to see him croak. I liked him. And while I usually don't mind some gratuitous skin being shown, I thought the need to strip Kendra down to her bra (bottom of costume was thankfully left intact) was a bit unnecessary.

52 8-9
Story is moving along nicely, with 9 shifting the focus a bit to Steel, Lex's latest scheme, and the little group marooned on the weirdo planet.

Shadowpact 2
Another fun group of heroes. Not much happened, but it was fun, anyway.

Warlord 1-5
I'm actually enjoying this remake. In some ways, I'm enjoying it more than Grell's Warlord. I like how the Skataris realm is being woven around "our" realm, or is it the other way around? The art is messy. I can't tell half the characters apart in some panels. And yes, some of it reads like a cliche, but it's pretty fast and breezy, so I'm sticking around to see where things go.