More Quickies

It's tough. I can either write long reviews and not read as many comics. Or write short reviews and have time to read more. I chose reading. Here's what I read last night, after the baseball game hubby and I were supposed to go to was rained out.

Green Lantern 31
I'm really enjoying the Secret Origin storyline. Johns is filling in Hal's origin with lots of neat bits, including his training at Oa, and the art by Reis and Albert is lovely.

Huntress 3-4
The theme of Madison, Richards, and Thibert is filling in Huntress' origin via this 6-part series, and it's been wonderful. I've never been a fan of mobsters and mob-related stories (never watched The Sopranos), but this has been great, really showing Helena's frustrations and anger and how she found empowerment. Her first attempt at a costume brought to mind Catwoman's current suit. When this is done, Ivory Madison needs more writing assignments at DC.

Rann-Thanagar Holy War 2
This is far more entertaining than the last Rann-Thanagar War which went on far too long. We've got Comet and the Weird, along with Kory and Buddy, as well as Adam Strange and Hawkman, making for an interesting cast. Kory, Buddy, and Adam continue to be an entertaining trio. And the art by Lim and Hunter is stunningly detailed.

Booster Gold 10
Aw, it had to be. I knew it, but yet, I'd dared hope.... but Michael really needs to face reality. I can't remember when any comic has used time paradoxes as well as this book.

Wonder Woman 21
I guess it's probably just me, but I've been somewhat disappointed by Gail's run so far. It's better than what came before, especially Jodi Picoult's brief run, but after a boffo opening arc, the current story is falling oddly flat for me. Diana is off in another realm or some such, there's some intrigue back at the Dept. of Metahuman Affairs, and I don't really care. And I should. Much as I love Gail's writing, I'm starting to think she does better with quirky characters. Welcome to Tranquility was populated by quirky folks. Birds of Prey had plenty of characters who while not completely odd, had enough quirks to make for nice banter and interesting plot side threads. And of course, there was the supremely quirky band of criminals in The Secret Six. She even gave the new Atom a sufficiently quirky supporting cast that let her showcase her strengths. But Wonder Woman is reading like just another comic, something I never thought I'd say a year ago when I was anticipating Gail bringing Diana back to greatness.

Titans 3
Yet another Titans not acting like themselves storyline, but it was quickly noted, not dragged out for a couple of issues, so that was good. I'm thinking Donna's revised costume, with the red stars, was done to make things easier on the artist, but I miss the starfield. The art is mostly nice, but everyone looks too tall and lanky. And what's with Gar's pointy ears? He channeling Mr. Spock now? A decent read, and it helps me get in my Roy fix.

Simon Dark 9
I'm loving this book. Simon is a wonderful character and we see that the dark side of Gotham is very dark, indeed. Some grim scenes in this book, but the art by Hampton keeps it horrific without being gory.

Green Arrow and Black Canary 9
Probably the book Winick was meant to write. Aside from his love of twist issue endings, and this one was less out of the blue than usual, he's got the story moving along at a brisk pace and the banter comes nearly non-stop. There's good character interaction and despite the banter, the seriousness of the situation is never forgotten. Norton and Faucher did a nice job on the art, but I want Chiang back on interiors. His cover rocked.

Final Crisis 1 of 7
Awesome cover by Jones. That's got some serious GL mojo going for it. And it's nice to see what he can do with interior art. There's a lot of bits and characters thrown into this first chapter and it all hasn't quite gelled yet, but I'm willing to give this its full 7 issues, because the bits were entertaining on their own.