Wish Upon a Star

Wish Upon a Star
Originally uploaded by ShellyS

I've been wanting this since I saw the announcement months ago. I'd wanted the Cyclone figure, too, but when I saw it, I wasn't really thrilled with her face. Her expression was odd, off, weird, so I didn't buy her. But I might change my mind and buy her next week.

But Courtney is quite lovely.

I read the latest Wonder Woman, which has one of the loveliest WW covers ever, and the 2nd Arsenal issue, which was intense. I was saddened that the art was so nice in that Lian, in Roy's dream, was so beautifully drawn, actually looking like a real little girl and not a midget or some such, and it figures that the best art for her is after she's dead. I'll write a proper review of the book tonight. Meanwhile, enjoy Stargirl.

Ladies Day

Brave and the Bold 33

It's become the norm for there to be a comic featuring a female lead each week and on some weeks, more than one. This was one of those weeks when both Karas had their books come out, but there was also this treat by J. Michael Straczynski and Cliff Chiang.

When I read the solicit for The Brave and the Bold 33, I figured we'd get a traditional heroes join up to fight some great evil in one issue, only with Diana, Zee, and ... well, Babs, so I figured maybe a flashback issue. Then I started reading it and didn't know what to think because no big evil was showing up and it seemed like a frivolous character piece, some fluff, but then I got the feeling I knew what was going on, and then Diana starts telling Babs about Oracles and well, this brought a tear to my eye. Nicely played, Mr. JMS. And Chiang's art, as always, is a delight.

Power Girl 11
This shows the true heroic nature and good heart of PG, and her friendship with Terra is one of the best written friendships in comics, with a nice touch of mentoring thrown in. The issue also sets up a nice showdown for Kara and Satanna next issue, the last for the current team. I'm going to miss Gray, Palmiotti, and Conner on this book. A lot.

Supergirl 52
I haven't been reading all the books in this story, so came to this chapter a bit cold, but it read fine and there were some nice character bits with Kara and Brainiac 5, lovestruck genius that he is. I might have to read the next chapter in Superman.

Blackest Night Wonder Woman

Blackest Night Wonder Woman

I wasn't going to get any of the Blackest Night figures. I've got a lot of action figures, including those from DC Direct, and I really didn't feel I needed these. Until I saw the Wonder Woman one today. She's a fine addition to my collection and one day soon, I'll do a pic with all my Wonder Women figures and variations. Meanwhile, zombies never looked so good!

Reviews Reviews Reviews

Since we're now in Brightest Day (review of issue 0 soon), I'll skip reviewing the last issues of the Blackest Night, except to say I like how it ended, even if Ralph and Sue are still dead. How Boston Brand deals with being alive (and does he still have a twin brother named Cleveland? I can't keep track of all the retconning in the DCU that happened in the 10 years I wasn't reading comics), which is somewhat more dramatic than the other characters restored to life, will be my major interest in this. I don't care much about Max Lord, given I know him only from the storyline that led to him killing Ted Kord and then Diana killing him. I am happy it's Shiera Hall who's back and not Kendra, though it would be nice if she remembers her life as Kendra. Brightest Day should be good. Let's see if it lives up to expectations.

Detective 863
Great ending to the Batwoman story with a neat dual storyline for her and for Bats. Edgy stuff. And I'm thrilled beyond belief with the plot twist at the end involving Betty. The Question story is taking some intriguing turns and I wish there were more pages for it.

Gotham City Sirens 10
Fun stuff, and I suspect the Riddler will be back on the wrong side of the law sooner rather than later. Every issue, I'm amazed once more by how much I enjoy it.

Wonder Woman 42
What started as a meh story for me -- another aliens out to destroy Earth plot -- took a sharp turn into "Whoa, that's interesting" with the reveal at the end that turns the whole thing into something personal for Diana and once again, plays with the Wonder Woman/Amazon mythology. Now I can't wait for the next issue. 

Batgirl 9
I love the cover. Stephanie looks fierce, while still looking girlish. She's not a mature woman on that cover, not sexualized, but clearly, someone who is in charge of herself. After I stared at the cover for a while, I read the story. And any story with the Calculator works for me. I like Wendy and how things are progressing in that regard. And I'm wondering, given Oracle's mentoring of Steph, what will happen when Birds of Prey resumes. Does Steph become one of the Birds? Or does Babs divide her time between the Birds and helping Steph.

(The Fall of) Green Arrow 32
Not what I expected. Ollie's been exposed. He's arrested, tried, found not guilty, and exiled from Star City. There's some good character stuff in here, especially between Dinah and Ollie and I guess it's unlikely they'll ever be together again, which saddens me nearly as much as Lian's death. I had hopes for a Nick and Nora Charles vibe from them in this book. And while everything Dinah told Ollie was true -- he does push people away -- they were, at their best, a great couple.

I did have quibbles with the book. Ollie's ready to meet his fate, He killed and is ready for punishment. He thinks, once he's found Not Guilty, that the jury made a mistake. But why was he on trial? Why didn't he just plead Guilty, get sentenced, and ... well, we know why. He needs to not be in prison so the book can continue with him moving on to his next phase as Green Arrow, even if how that happens makes no sense character-wise and story-wise.

I wish Roy had appeared. I hope there finally is a scene or two between Ollie and Roy in the Rise and Fall of Arsenal mini, because they need to confront each other.

Secret Six 20
The moral of this story is: Don't mess with Catman or any of the Six. They aren't like normal people. Thomas reacted to the extortion/threat to his son just as I'd hope he would. And I loved that Cheshire says she doesn't want to lose another child. I love the continuity in that. I love when a writer acknowledges other things going on in the universe that affect the characters they're writing. Kudos to Gail Simone for that. And for keeping this book so good that it's one of my must read first books.

Good News

The news that there will be a Batwoman ongoing has me giddy with excitement/anticipation. I'm glad Williams will be doing the major art chores, still, and I hope that his writing is at least half as good as Rucka's. If so, Kate is in good hands.

Power Girl in 3D

Tonner now has a Power Girl doll. I hadn't seen the pic before. I wish the suit wasn't a thong because that looks very odd on an articulated doll. I'm not sure what art it was based on, but it sure isn't Amanda Connor's. I wish it was, though.

Blackest Night

Finally caught up reading this, which meant reading the last BN issues of GL Corps, GL, and BN 8 in one sitting. I loved the foldout spread in BN 8. I loved the not unexpected resurrections, though some surprised me. And I'm curious about why Boston Brand was brought back to life. It would seem to negate his whole super power thing. Most satisfying was that Shiera was back, not Kendra. I liked Kendra, but she wasn't the right Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman. Hawkwoman is Shay-ara to Carter's Katar, and Kendra, as interesting a character as she was, didn't fit well with Carter.

I liked seeing Ronnie Raymond back and I wonder how Firestorm will function now. I never really knew Max Lord, so don't much care about him being back. I was never a big Martian Manhunter fan, but it's nice to have him back. It's good seeing Arthur back and reunited with Mera. I don't care one way or the other about the rest, though Alan Scott will be happy to have his daughter back.

I wish Ralph and Sue were back and the fact they weren't resurrected has me wondering if they'll serve a function in Brightest Day. Ditto Boston Brand.

I do wonder if Hal's right when he says, "I think dead is dead from here on out--" (Not counting Bruce Wayne, of course.)

And I still hate that Lian Harper is dead.

Now, on to Brightest Day!