First Reviews of the New Year

But the comics are from the old year. ;) And there may be spoilers. You've been warned.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters 4
I like how this and other titles are being tied a bit more to Countdown, with references to events there. I also like how this story, same as the previous one, has layers of revelations that keep up the suspense. And the whole Red Bee aspect is fun.

Green Lantern 26
Not much chance to catch one's breath after the Sinestro War. The consequences of changing the laws of the Guardians are starting to play out, keeping this title on the galactic stage its meant to play on. And yet, Hal still found some time for a bit of hanky panky with Cowgirl. I do like her.

JSA Classified 33
I think it's time to feature the second tier characters in this. I like Alan Scott, and I hope this puts the death of his daughter storyline to uh, rest, finally, but this really felt like a lot of fuss over not much. And why couldn't he think about finding comfort in spending time with his son during the holidays. Todd was mentioned, but not seen. feh

Crime Bible 3: Greed
I'm really enjoying this and this issue had a lot of nice bits. Renee at police HQ for starters, then the complexity of her relationship with Kate. These are realistic emotions the book is dealing with on the personal side in context of a bigger, scary picture. Matthew Clark's wonderful art makes even the Penguin scarily real.

Flash 235
Nice family interaction, decent bits with the JLA, and the backup story was fun. Both stories should conclude next issue. This is a fun comic, not too heavy, but not really fluff. And Wally seems like a great dad.

Blue Beetle 22
Another fun book. I'm enjoying how Jamie's relationship with the scarab has been evolving. They're pretty much partners now, in an odd way. And the supporting cast continues to shine as one of the best in the DCU. The Reach is scary due to their longterm planning; they haven't come to simply destroy. With the Reach here and the Lady Styx virus in Countdown to Adventure, plus the just concluded Sinestro War, the DCU is a dangerous place these days.

Countdown to Adventure 5
Buddy's abilities have grown, he and Kory reach an understanding, he and Ellen don't quite reach an understanding, but he saves his son. Oh, and, in what was no surprise to me, but might be to others,.....
he's the virus carrier. Kory, being alien, was just too easy. Elsewhere, Alanna is about to kick ass and Adam's in a bit of trouble. Again. I didn't read the Forerunner story as it bores me.

Countdown to Final Crisis 18
My favorite issue of this by far. This was a poignant, bittersweet chapter as Ray is living out the perfect life on Earth 51, taking the place of that planet's Ray who was killed. Zatanna as a shrink was fun, but I didn't like her weight gain. What was up with that? And why was she dressed in a version of her old costume? But I loved and sniffled a bit at the domestic scenes with Ralph and Sue, Barry and Iris, and Ray and Jean. There was real emotion when Ray is forced to tell them all the truth after Donna and the others show up. Yes, the pacing has been slow on this title, but I appreciated that this issue focused on Ray's storyline alone. And if the book gives us a payoff as emotional as this chapter, I'll be one satisfied reader for sure.

And two from the week before...

Madame Mirage 4
I love this book. I love how it plays with expectations. Things aren't what they seem, so I can never safely take anything at it looks or any character at his/her word. It's been interesting to see that Angie, while being a construct in place of the real Angela who died, is a character in her own right. There's a lot going on in this comic, touching on illusions and reality, subterfuge and the gray areas between good and evil. I wasn't expecting much from this, and tried it simply because it starred a female character and I like Dini's work. I've been pleasantly surprised.

And finally, the oddest book from December,
The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman Batwoman
I got this because I thought it would be fun. I'd stopped reading the Search for RP titles because they were starting to annoy me as ways to drag out the plot. But Sook's cover caught my eye, so I tried it. I loved the female versions of the male characters. They looked great, with the costumes translating nicely. But going the other way was laughable. Wonder Man looked ridiculous as did the other Amazon men. In a bizarre way, it was worth getting just so I could look at those Amazons and laugh.