Titans East Special 1
I got this because it leads into the new Titans book. There was nothing special about it, but am I the only one who ... uh, cheered when Power Boy got impaled on the tree and uh, burned, it looked like? I'm not really heartless. He is/was after all, a comic book character, but still, a rather annoying one.
Nightwing 138
Crossover with the other Bat books and since I don't read the other Bat books, this was kinda wasted on me. Looks like next issue is the same. I liked the art, though, by Kramer and Faucher. Dick looked like, well, himself. Which was nice. And he looked tough. Which was nice, too. And he even sounded good. Now if only it was a story I could follow, but I'm not buying all the Bat books for this.
Green Arrow and Black Canary 2
At some point, I'm hoping someone explains which takes place when re: the isle formerly known as Paradise Island. In this book, we've got a new crop of Amazons, but over in Wonder Woman, the island is practically deserted. Ah well. The game's afoot, as Dinah and Mia keep the Amazons distracted, or so they hope, so Connor can rescue Ollie. The real fun was seeing how many ways artist Cliff Chiang can block or obscure a naked Ollie's equipment. Not that Ollie's body was exploited or anything, but he was the only one running around in his birthday suit, so maybe this will tip the scales balancing the sexes back toward the middle just a bit. The byplay between Ollie and Connor was fun and the art was nice. I'm liking this book. I wish the story was stronger, but it's fun and really, that's a good thing to be able to say about a comic.
Wonder Woman 14
This would feel like an issue 1, except that Gail Simone is keeping the plot threads and characters from before. Oh well, can't have everything and I do like Diana Prince working for the Department of Metahuman Affairs. I even like Nemesis. Gail jumped into things with everything except the kitchen sink, which will probably show up next issue. Unfortunately, with so much going on, nothing, except for the gorillas, got much play, so things feel a bit superficial for now. But Gail's a pro and a talented one and if her run on BoP is any indication, she'll pull this all off just fine. I liked the reappearance of Etta Candy, who in this version is one tough Lt. Colonel. So, Diana will have problems in both her identities.
I would like Gail to find a way to restore Diana's powers when she's in her Diana Prince self. After all, Superman doesn't lose his powers when he's Clark Kent, so why saddle Diana with such a weakness? I do like the way she introduced the mystery of Diana's origin, and Capt. Nazi makes for a formidable villain. Overall, a nice start, certainly nicer than the last two. At least, this story feels like it might actually matter.
Well, since Diana HAS no weakness as Wonder Woman they may as well give her one.
ReplyDeleteNo powers when in mortal form is better than the old bondage one, and lets her regularly prove that she can be badass without powers.
My, there certainly were a lot of nice books this week. I enjoyed Wonder Woman for a change! And Green Arrow and Black Canary! Although I did think that Mia was on the rude side. WE may know that these are "bad" Amazons, but shed doesn't.
ReplyDeleteGood point, WFA. Superman can be affected by Kryptonite in either identity. I just don't like the idea that what she's wearing determines her powers. So, if she's in her WW costume, but has on Diana Prince's glasses or shoes, is she half-powered? It's just too gimmicky for me, I guess.
ReplyDeleteSally, I've been wondering if these are the "Amazons" from Countdown, in which case, Holly should be around somewhere. And it doesn't explain where this fits in the timeline with Wonder Woman. But I enjoyed both books, so I'm not complaining, just wondering. :)
I only just read the WW Annual this week, so the no-powers-as-Diana-Prince thing was a surprise to me. But even moreso was the idea that she was invulnerable beforehand.
ReplyDeleteI'd always thought one of the classy things about Wonder Woman is that, strong as she was, she wasn't impervious (if she was, how'd she blind herself then...and while on this subject, why did the wise sight of Athena that she gained go away One Year Later?)...I mean, what else is the motivation behind winning the Test of the Flashing Thunder.
Or are we calling it Bullets and Bracelets again?
I always liked the sound of bullets and bracelets! ;)
ReplyDeleteWonder Woman has had so many creative teams over the years, especially in the last couple of decades, that nothing about her makes sense. Every writer has tried to remake her til her origin and background has become almost as muddied as Donna's. I'm really looking forward to some logic and consistency from Gail's run.