Lucky 5

Ugh. I hate coming up with titles for reviews posts.

And I might have to stop reading comics blogs til I read my weekly comics, because I accidentally saw a spoiler for this week's Countdown, which I haven't read yet. There was no warning. It was just... there. If I want a story spoiled, I want to pick when and how, like skimming to the end, then reading more carefully. So, here are some from last week and some from this week. There might be spoilers, so read carefully.

Countdown 30
Trickster and Piper were back, so the entertainment value moved up a notch. Sometimes, I wonder if they could carry a book or at least, a mini-series. Trickster and Piper on the Road or some such. A new version of Hard Traveling Heroes. The Jimmy Olsen storyline is getting downright weird and Holly and the other Amazon wannabes arrive at Themyscria. I liked the Earth-15 characters, too, even Jokester. Which leads me to...

Countdown, the Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society
I actually enjoyed this one more than I'd thought. I've always enjoyed alternate versions of characters -- it was why I so loved the multiverse when I was a kid and am thrilled it's back -- and Jokester is such a sad character here. I really felt bad about his situation. It didn't even matter than some things didn't make sense.

Infinity, Inc. 2
It's still interesting, but I'm also still not sure what's going on. I think what intrigues me about this is that it's attempting to deal with the emotional damage these characters suffered due to getting, then losing superpowers, which may have simply mutated. But it's hard to imagine people not having trouble coping with such changes in their lives, something not often explored in comics where superpowers are so commonplace.

Wonder Woman 13
Workable effort prior to Gail Simone taking over, but it screamed "filler." I dislike how much of a joke Nemesis seems to have become and Diana's attempts to slip away and become Wonder Woman echo classic Clark Kent into Superman ploys. I wish I could say it was a nice homage, but it just felt flat. Diana rushing back out to get sweet and sour sauce and a diet soda? Gimme a break. The art was okay, but in some panels, WW's panties looked more like a thong.

Green Arrow and Black Canary 1
Okay, I liked it. I didn't love it. I didn't think it was the best ever. But, I was entertained. First, I loved the art. It's simple, clean, and the faces were surprisingly expressive. I especially liked the art on the flashback that started the book. I don't know who Cliff Chiang is, but I hope he'll be on the book for a while. I was not surprised and while I didn't know whose body that was, I still couldn't believe it really was Ollie, not after seeing a future solicit about Dinah and Conor looking for their "friend." Yeah, right, three guesses and they're all "Ollie." I liked Dinah's pissed off reaction, taking things out on villains. I liked her steadfast belief that the body isn't Ollie's. And I liked Bruce's logic for why he believed she was right. I liked the reactions from the other characters to Ollie's death and Dinah's extended mourning and refusal to bury "Ollie." But I really liked that Judd didn't drag out the "mystery" about Ollie not being dead and where he was. That was quickly taken care of and now the story can really move forward without any exaggerated or false suspense.