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.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Black Canary
I bought this new Black Canary figure today. She's got amazing articulation. Her feet are jointed and there are turning points on her legs and arms along with the hinged joints for knees and elbows. The only thing that doesn't seem to move is her head, which is disappointing, but she's otherwise very posable. You can see she has a joint under her boobs (I use that word to help my search referrals) so she can lean back or a bit forward. Her feet really aren't weighted, so it can take a bit to get her balanced enough to stand on her own, but it is doable. Next week, I plan to get the Green Arrow from this set and maybe Wildcat. Payday isn't until Friday, so I couldn't get more than the one today.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Some Good Reads
Streets of Gotham 3
Fun stuff. I like how Dick turned the tables on "Bruce." Board of Executives, indeed! Good stuff. As for the Manhunter backup, I like Jeanty's pencils overall, but he makes Kate look too young. She looks more like a teenager than a DA with a son. I enjoyed this first story, but I miss the supporting cast and sheer excitement of Manhunter's own book.
Batgirl 1
I do love this cover. And while it's no surprise who BG is, I'm glad it's not Babs. She's not a girl and having Steph fill the role of BG makes the most sense. And it is nice having Babs in the book. I never really read any Spoiler stories, but Steph is an interesting enough character to keep me reading, for now.
Power Girl 4
A fun issue. The new Terra is a perfect pal for PG and the scene in the movie theater was priceless. And while Connor's art is cartoonish, her expressions are so good. She's one of my favorite comics artists, so I'm really enjoying seeing her work here.
Supergirl 44
The cover wasn't as nice as previous ones, but the interior art was wonderful as usual. Igle (and Sibal) really gets Kara and his expressions are as good as Connor's. The look Lois gives Kara when they cross paths was perfect and it's good that Lois isn't all forgiving. However, the story didn't do much for me. I suppose it would have if I were reading the other Superman books.
Zorro 15
Pretty much a filler issue as stories are exchanged re: who/what is Zorro. Awesome cover.
Fun stuff. I like how Dick turned the tables on "Bruce." Board of Executives, indeed! Good stuff. As for the Manhunter backup, I like Jeanty's pencils overall, but he makes Kate look too young. She looks more like a teenager than a DA with a son. I enjoyed this first story, but I miss the supporting cast and sheer excitement of Manhunter's own book.
Batgirl 1
I do love this cover. And while it's no surprise who BG is, I'm glad it's not Babs. She's not a girl and having Steph fill the role of BG makes the most sense. And it is nice having Babs in the book. I never really read any Spoiler stories, but Steph is an interesting enough character to keep me reading, for now.
Power Girl 4
A fun issue. The new Terra is a perfect pal for PG and the scene in the movie theater was priceless. And while Connor's art is cartoonish, her expressions are so good. She's one of my favorite comics artists, so I'm really enjoying seeing her work here.
Supergirl 44
The cover wasn't as nice as previous ones, but the interior art was wonderful as usual. Igle (and Sibal) really gets Kara and his expressions are as good as Connor's. The look Lois gives Kara when they cross paths was perfect and it's good that Lois isn't all forgiving. However, the story didn't do much for me. I suppose it would have if I were reading the other Superman books.
Zorro 15
Pretty much a filler issue as stories are exchanged re: who/what is Zorro. Awesome cover.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Mixed Stack
I've been busy. That doesn't mean I haven't managed to read a few comics. Here are my quick thoughts on them.
WildCats 13
Aside for the new art team having Cole look 10-15 years older, this is a nice effort. It would be nice if they really can fix the world.
Booster Gold 23
A real time bender. And I guess I'm the only one who wonders where Roy Harper is. Yeah, he wasn't a Titan, so he didn't die with them, so... where the hell is he? The photo cover was pretty cool, making the issue look like a magazine instead of a comic, which was startling at first. The Blue Beetle backup story was fun, too.
JSA vs Kobra 3
Really nice art, and anything with Kobra (and by extension, Checkmate) usually features Mr. Terrific doing what he does best, being smart and sneaky and getting into a heap of trouble. Good, scary, realistic (as much as a superhero comic can be) stuff.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape 4
Oh-kay. There better be a really good payoff at the end of this confusing mess. A really, really good payoff. And yet, I can't say I was surprised by the turn this took. My reaction was, why did it take so long? This is one serious head trip for Tom.
Blackest Night 2
Blackest Night Batman 1
This "event" is really delivering the goods so far. The use of Deadman is uh, dead on. The Aqua family is as dysfunctional as ever. Spectre poses his own deadly issues. The stuff with Dick and Damien and then Deadman are great, and the scene with Jim and Babs was poignant. The art's been stellar, too. :)
Batman 689
Dick's doing fine as Batman, but the seams are showing, or rather, the differences. I'm looking forward to his inevitable showdown with Two-Face.
Secret Six 12
There aren't many comics that can get away with not featuring any of their main characters on the cover, and this is one of them. The cover is awesome and DC's best dysfunctional non-team continues to entertain. Jeanette is positively freaky, Artemis lives!, and Wonder Woman is used well. Plus, Nicola Scott serves up yummy beefcake shots along with the usual cheesecake. I love a book that features equal titillation, while still maintaining a veneer of realism. And the women are as dangerous or more so than the men.
Detective Comics 855
The Batwoman story is getting more surreal, aided and abetted by art that seems more suited for a horror or fantasy book, yet it works here. The Question backup is still intriguing me, though I'm not as fond of the art on it.
Lone Ranger 17
More is told with fewer words in this title than any other comic I know. I keep thinking it makes more sense to just buy the compilations since I'm getting them, anyway, but I can't wait that long, so I continue with the chapters, too. Storytelling at its finest.
And then there are the less than finest.
Titans 16
A confused Kory just doesn't make for a full-issue story. And I just don't buy it. Any issues Kory might've had are long ago worked out because to me, she's one of the DCU's most confident, capable female heroes. Not that this wasn't well done, but it just didn't do anything for me and it wasn't a Titans story. Though, given how sucky Titans stories have been in this rebooted title, that could be a blessing.
Green Arrow and Black Canary 23
Geez, this book is about as far from what I thought it was going to be as it could get, especially the GA story upfront with a BC backup. Even if the stories dovetail, that isn't how I saw this. I saw it as kinda a modern Thin Man, with Ollie and Dinah playing Nick and Nora Charles. Well, the Dibneys would've been better suited to that, but both are currently dead, or rather, undead, but I digress. That sketchy, messy art on the first story was unsuited to a GA story and much as I like seeing Wildcat visit with Dinah, that was about the only decent thing in the BC feature. I'd really drop this except it's got a fascinating hold on me, like a train wreck I can't tear my eyes from. But I think, to retain my love for these characters, I might have to force myself to walk away.
WildCats 13
Aside for the new art team having Cole look 10-15 years older, this is a nice effort. It would be nice if they really can fix the world.
Booster Gold 23
A real time bender. And I guess I'm the only one who wonders where Roy Harper is. Yeah, he wasn't a Titan, so he didn't die with them, so... where the hell is he? The photo cover was pretty cool, making the issue look like a magazine instead of a comic, which was startling at first. The Blue Beetle backup story was fun, too.
JSA vs Kobra 3
Really nice art, and anything with Kobra (and by extension, Checkmate) usually features Mr. Terrific doing what he does best, being smart and sneaky and getting into a heap of trouble. Good, scary, realistic (as much as a superhero comic can be) stuff.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape 4
Oh-kay. There better be a really good payoff at the end of this confusing mess. A really, really good payoff. And yet, I can't say I was surprised by the turn this took. My reaction was, why did it take so long? This is one serious head trip for Tom.
Blackest Night 2
Blackest Night Batman 1
This "event" is really delivering the goods so far. The use of Deadman is uh, dead on. The Aqua family is as dysfunctional as ever. Spectre poses his own deadly issues. The stuff with Dick and Damien and then Deadman are great, and the scene with Jim and Babs was poignant. The art's been stellar, too. :)
Batman 689
Dick's doing fine as Batman, but the seams are showing, or rather, the differences. I'm looking forward to his inevitable showdown with Two-Face.
Secret Six 12
There aren't many comics that can get away with not featuring any of their main characters on the cover, and this is one of them. The cover is awesome and DC's best dysfunctional non-team continues to entertain. Jeanette is positively freaky, Artemis lives!, and Wonder Woman is used well. Plus, Nicola Scott serves up yummy beefcake shots along with the usual cheesecake. I love a book that features equal titillation, while still maintaining a veneer of realism. And the women are as dangerous or more so than the men.
Detective Comics 855
The Batwoman story is getting more surreal, aided and abetted by art that seems more suited for a horror or fantasy book, yet it works here. The Question backup is still intriguing me, though I'm not as fond of the art on it.
Lone Ranger 17
More is told with fewer words in this title than any other comic I know. I keep thinking it makes more sense to just buy the compilations since I'm getting them, anyway, but I can't wait that long, so I continue with the chapters, too. Storytelling at its finest.
And then there are the less than finest.
Titans 16
A confused Kory just doesn't make for a full-issue story. And I just don't buy it. Any issues Kory might've had are long ago worked out because to me, she's one of the DCU's most confident, capable female heroes. Not that this wasn't well done, but it just didn't do anything for me and it wasn't a Titans story. Though, given how sucky Titans stories have been in this rebooted title, that could be a blessing.
Green Arrow and Black Canary 23
Geez, this book is about as far from what I thought it was going to be as it could get, especially the GA story upfront with a BC backup. Even if the stories dovetail, that isn't how I saw this. I saw it as kinda a modern Thin Man, with Ollie and Dinah playing Nick and Nora Charles. Well, the Dibneys would've been better suited to that, but both are currently dead, or rather, undead, but I digress. That sketchy, messy art on the first story was unsuited to a GA story and much as I like seeing Wildcat visit with Dinah, that was about the only decent thing in the BC feature. I'd really drop this except it's got a fascinating hold on me, like a train wreck I can't tear my eyes from. But I think, to retain my love for these characters, I might have to force myself to walk away.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
DC Bobblehead Widget
There's a DC Comics Bobblehead widget over at SpringWidgets. You can choose among 6 DC characters. I selected Wonder Woman. She's over in the sidebar. Just click her and watch her head bob.
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