Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wonder Why I'm Going Batty

Because I'm in a punning mood and because 3 of the 4 books I'm reviewing are Bat books. The other is Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman 35
Probably the least sexualized rendering of Diana and Dinah ever. Their friendship continues to be nicely presented, preserving their very different personalities but showing how well they mesh. Gail Simone keeps building on the WW mythos while having her try to fit into modern society. I loved the scene with the action figures. And Tom breaking up with Diana at the end was a surprise. I like the two of them together, so I'm eager to hear his reason next issue (I hope we get to see that). Lopresti continues to impress with his art.

Batman and Robin 3
The first arc ends, mostly, and Dick and Damien form a fun team. Quitely's art is bizarre and creepy and very suitable to the book and Morrison shows he's a master of the weird. This reminds me of some of the campy books of the '60s mixed with the sheer oddness of the '70s. Anyone remember the vampire storyline with Dick and his toothy college girlfriend? Dick sure has grown up and wears the Bat costume well here, as well as a guardian of sorts for Damien.

Detective 856
The Batwoman story is about as odd as the Batman and Robin book, with creepy baddies, but there's more of the supernatural here. And I'm glad they're using Kate's sexual orientation, rather than ignoring it. And I love that Bette is her cousin. The Question backup story is everything you can want of a backup: solid, action-oriented, and a good, interesting lead character.

Gotham City Sirens 3
I liked this, but really, what the hell was going on here? The Sirens were reduced to a cameo in their own book, letting the former Riddler take over, which brought Batman calling, too. Not what I expected and perhaps not the best idea so early in the title's existence. Let the title characters establish themselves more first and keep them as players in the stories even with major guest stars. If Riddler is going to be around on a regular basis, he shouldn't get to hog the spotlight like this. Even for a fill-in, it didn't fit. Better to fill in with another female character.

2 comments:

  1. I wish that they'd bring out a Edward Nigma:Detective comic and be done with it. I know that I'd buy it.

    Poor Diana. Dumped again. Can't you just see her hanging out at home with the white apes, eating ice cream and crying into her ouzo?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh yeah, I'd buy an Ed Nigma, PI comic for sure. With the right creative team, it could be a real hoot.

    Yes, that's a great image for Diana. They'd better do it now that you've put it in my head, Sally. :)

    ReplyDelete