Not much this week.
Green Arrow 9 continued with its Blackest Night tie-in with the mystical, magical, mysterious forest. Phantom Stranger, a character I used to like a lot, puts in a token appearance and doesn't do much except piss off Ollie a bit. But he and Jason Blood have Etrigan to deal with and I was never much of a Blood/Etrigan fan, so I kinda skimmed over this. Then things get complicated and next issue looks to be more interesting, as in actually advancing the plot. Not great, but readable.
Gotham City Sirens 20
Just when I think Harley is pretty much just a bubblehead, a story like this comes along and proves she does have a brain and is rather ruthless, too! Crazy or not, she kicked ass in this installment as this book continues to entertain. And it's always nice to know her work as a therapist is helping in her new endeavors.
Detective 874
Dick and Tim team up, what with Dick still dealing with lingering effects of the toxin he's got in his system and needing the help, while Commissioner Gordon has a rather chilling conversation with his son. The art was nice, dark, and stylized. Overall, this was very creepy but very good.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Week in Review
A mixed bag this week.
Booster Gold 41
I'm just skimming this now until Jurgens is back. More sibling bickering between Michael and Michelle. More of the kid, Rani, Booster had rescued, and she's becoming an annoyance, adding nothing to the stories. I just don't like the tone of the book now.
Supergirl 61
There's nothing wrong with this book now, but it feels like something is missing with the change in creative team. Supergirl had become something special and now the specialness seems to be gone. The story is progressing well and Robin makes a nice guest appearance. The superhero app plotline is fun, but still... ah well. Not everyone can be as good as Gates and Igle and this is still far better than it was in its first issues. The art is fairly nice, too, but Chang still has a few odd moments. Kara's hair is too short and in one panel on the rooftop, if her skirt were any lower it would be hugging her knees. I'd rate the art a B due to unevenness.
Brightest Day 20
So, it looks like the resurrected have things to accomplish and once they do that to the white lantern's satisfaction, they vanish. This is not a happy title. Still, the new Aqualad is a good addition to the DCU and the scenes between Arthur and Mera were well done.
Batman 707
A decent ending to a convoluted plotline, and Dick handled the case with skill. And it was nice to see Lucius Fox play a role. And now we've got things heating up with the Riddler.
Green Lantern 62
Not one of Hal's better days, and his JLA pals aren't too happy with him, either. Things are coming to a head and we've got the War of the Green Lanterns about to start. I'm not sure how much of this I'll be following. I really can't add more GL titles to my monthly reading. I'm still trying to decide how many Flashpoint titles I can handle.
Sprit 11
A truce between Dolan and the Octopus to defeat a common enemy can't be good news, and now Dolan's targeted. A solid title.
Booster Gold 41
I'm just skimming this now until Jurgens is back. More sibling bickering between Michael and Michelle. More of the kid, Rani, Booster had rescued, and she's becoming an annoyance, adding nothing to the stories. I just don't like the tone of the book now.
Supergirl 61
There's nothing wrong with this book now, but it feels like something is missing with the change in creative team. Supergirl had become something special and now the specialness seems to be gone. The story is progressing well and Robin makes a nice guest appearance. The superhero app plotline is fun, but still... ah well. Not everyone can be as good as Gates and Igle and this is still far better than it was in its first issues. The art is fairly nice, too, but Chang still has a few odd moments. Kara's hair is too short and in one panel on the rooftop, if her skirt were any lower it would be hugging her knees. I'd rate the art a B due to unevenness.
Brightest Day 20
So, it looks like the resurrected have things to accomplish and once they do that to the white lantern's satisfaction, they vanish. This is not a happy title. Still, the new Aqualad is a good addition to the DCU and the scenes between Arthur and Mera were well done.
Batman 707
A decent ending to a convoluted plotline, and Dick handled the case with skill. And it was nice to see Lucius Fox play a role. And now we've got things heating up with the Riddler.
Green Lantern 62
Not one of Hal's better days, and his JLA pals aren't too happy with him, either. Things are coming to a head and we've got the War of the Green Lanterns about to start. I'm not sure how much of this I'll be following. I really can't add more GL titles to my monthly reading. I'm still trying to decide how many Flashpoint titles I can handle.
Sprit 11
A truce between Dolan and the Octopus to defeat a common enemy can't be good news, and now Dolan's targeted. A solid title.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
DC May Solicits
Some interesting stuff for May, but Winick writing Batman and Robin?! Uh. No. Just... no. I used to like his writing, but he really seems to have lost his touch. I've given him a chance on a number of books in the last few years and he's ruined them. *sigh* I guess I'll be dropping this book. Damn. I was really loving it.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Recent Reading
Batman and Robin 20
Much fun in the opening sequence, with movie night at the Wayne Residence. Dick, Tim, Damian, Alfie, and even Bruce sit down to enjoy The Mark of Zorro. Then things get weird when a body with wings falls from the sky when Dick goes to the opera. And then Man-Bat shows up. I'm so enjoying Dick as Batman.
Batgirl 18
Perhaps if I were younger -- a lot younger -- this little Valentine's Day tale would've appealed to me, but it didn't. Far too cutesy for my taste.
Birds of Prey 9
Aside from hating the reminders that Lian is dead and Roy is in a dark place, this rocked. Dinah's regrets are great and were well depicted, and her throwing off the influence of Mortis was well played. Go, Dinah! She has a very strong inner self. Everyone else was up to par, especially Zinda. I so love her. Oracle's apparent death might mean the end of Oracle, as planned, but I'm eagerly awaiting Babs' next chapter come next issue's story finale. Oh, and the cover by Lau was wonderfully realistic.
Detective 873
Finally. Took my LCS forever to get this, but finally, I was able to read how Dick got out of his latest predicament. I like the circus references. It's been nice that in recent years his heritage has been referenced so much. Jock's art suited the story well, nice and sketchy, detailed but not cluttered, and wonderfully expressive faces to fully depict the horrors in the story. Methinks Dick should take a few days downtime after this, to get the toxin out of his system and to re-energize. Sheesh, he's been through a lot since taking on the cowl.
Flash 9
Okay, Flashpoint looks intriguing. But I am NOT going to get every &%*$# book in the Flashpoint story. It's just too much. But there's enough wrongness and hints to keep me reading it in the books I do get, so I won't drop this as I'd been thinking I might.
Doc Savage 11
I miss the Justice Inc backup, lost with the smaller size/new lower price. The current Doc Savage story is complex and worth reading, but I was sticking with the book for the Justice Inc stories. I'll see how the current Doc tale concludes and what the next one is like before I decide if I should stick with this. Half the time I can't tell all the characters apart, and the dark coloring isn't helping.
Still not sure what to catch up with next from the stacks. There weren't very many votes in the poll. Okay, nearly no votes, and they were for different titles. I might try eenie meenie...
Much fun in the opening sequence, with movie night at the Wayne Residence. Dick, Tim, Damian, Alfie, and even Bruce sit down to enjoy The Mark of Zorro. Then things get weird when a body with wings falls from the sky when Dick goes to the opera. And then Man-Bat shows up. I'm so enjoying Dick as Batman.
Batgirl 18
Perhaps if I were younger -- a lot younger -- this little Valentine's Day tale would've appealed to me, but it didn't. Far too cutesy for my taste.
Birds of Prey 9
Aside from hating the reminders that Lian is dead and Roy is in a dark place, this rocked. Dinah's regrets are great and were well depicted, and her throwing off the influence of Mortis was well played. Go, Dinah! She has a very strong inner self. Everyone else was up to par, especially Zinda. I so love her. Oracle's apparent death might mean the end of Oracle, as planned, but I'm eagerly awaiting Babs' next chapter come next issue's story finale. Oh, and the cover by Lau was wonderfully realistic.
Detective 873
Finally. Took my LCS forever to get this, but finally, I was able to read how Dick got out of his latest predicament. I like the circus references. It's been nice that in recent years his heritage has been referenced so much. Jock's art suited the story well, nice and sketchy, detailed but not cluttered, and wonderfully expressive faces to fully depict the horrors in the story. Methinks Dick should take a few days downtime after this, to get the toxin out of his system and to re-energize. Sheesh, he's been through a lot since taking on the cowl.
Flash 9
Okay, Flashpoint looks intriguing. But I am NOT going to get every &%*$# book in the Flashpoint story. It's just too much. But there's enough wrongness and hints to keep me reading it in the books I do get, so I won't drop this as I'd been thinking I might.
Doc Savage 11
I miss the Justice Inc backup, lost with the smaller size/new lower price. The current Doc Savage story is complex and worth reading, but I was sticking with the book for the Justice Inc stories. I'll see how the current Doc tale concludes and what the next one is like before I decide if I should stick with this. Half the time I can't tell all the characters apart, and the dark coloring isn't helping.
Still not sure what to catch up with next from the stacks. There weren't very many votes in the poll. Okay, nearly no votes, and they were for different titles. I might try eenie meenie...
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Latest Reviews
Freedom Fighters 6
The convoluted political plot gets more convoluted yet intriguing at the same time. Discord in the ranks, Uncle Sam is still missing, Joan is getting on my nerves, and poor Andre is paralyzed. Can't wait to see how this all gets resolved.
Brightest Day 19: Aquawar!
Egads, I am both fascinated and kinda repulsed by this. We learn more about the White Lantern's motives and schemes, and it looks like the resurrected were brought back to they can resolve issues before dying again, or so it seems was the fate of the Hawks. But it's the Aquaman storyline that was icky, with Arthur having his hand chopped off again. (What is it with DC and forced amputations, anyway?) And the art was ... uh, let's just say the art team copped out, with just a smooth red surface where tendons and arteries and veins and muscles should be. Cop-out! If you're gonna show something like this, either angle it in such a way so we don't see the actual wound, or show it realistically. Brightest Day, my butt. Now, I didn't think this was gonna be an all sweetness and light storyline, but I'm starting to OD on all this trauma and angst. So while I'm enjoying this because it's got nice art and solid writing, I'm really wondering if I should bother with Flashpoint. I think I need a breather from all these long storylines that affect all the DCU books.
Secret Six 30
Love and hate this. Love love love Bane's negotiations for a date. Love all the byplay, as usual. Hate that this is continued in Doom Patrol which I don't read. I got tired of all the revamped and reboots of Doom Patrol. I think it was the version before the current one that I really enjoyed, but I've lost track. The original was good, too, when Beast Boy was with the team but not a full member. But I really don't know the current version and don't want to have to get an issue of a book I don't read to get the end of the story. feh.
Gotham City Sirens 19
It's nice every now and then for Harley to get serious and remind folks she used to be a therapist. Of course, she's nuttier than any of her patients ever were, so her talk with Selina just gets her obsessing over Joker again and off she goes, planning to kill him. This cannot end well. Which makes this a fun comic. Between this and Secret Six, two of my favorite comics feature the "bad guys/gals." I never would've thought I'd be saying that, and yet, here I am, saying it and it's true. Of course, I still count many good guy books among my faves, so I haven't turned completely toward depravity. ;)
Time Masters: Vanishing Point 6
Finally, this comes to a conclusion. And the pretense that started this journey, of finding Bruce Wayne, can be forgotten as Bruce got back on his own. This sets up Flashpoint, which as I said above, I'm ambivalent about. However, the best part of this has been Rip and Michael. I should've guessed it was the older Michael in the Supernova suit. Replacing Vanishing Point with an earlier version of itself was pretty cool, and we learn that Rip's mother is a blond. And Dan Jurgens should be back on Booster Gold soon, which will be a relief. I love what he's done with these characters and I want more!
The convoluted political plot gets more convoluted yet intriguing at the same time. Discord in the ranks, Uncle Sam is still missing, Joan is getting on my nerves, and poor Andre is paralyzed. Can't wait to see how this all gets resolved.
Brightest Day 19: Aquawar!
Egads, I am both fascinated and kinda repulsed by this. We learn more about the White Lantern's motives and schemes, and it looks like the resurrected were brought back to they can resolve issues before dying again, or so it seems was the fate of the Hawks. But it's the Aquaman storyline that was icky, with Arthur having his hand chopped off again. (What is it with DC and forced amputations, anyway?) And the art was ... uh, let's just say the art team copped out, with just a smooth red surface where tendons and arteries and veins and muscles should be. Cop-out! If you're gonna show something like this, either angle it in such a way so we don't see the actual wound, or show it realistically. Brightest Day, my butt. Now, I didn't think this was gonna be an all sweetness and light storyline, but I'm starting to OD on all this trauma and angst. So while I'm enjoying this because it's got nice art and solid writing, I'm really wondering if I should bother with Flashpoint. I think I need a breather from all these long storylines that affect all the DCU books.
Secret Six 30
Love and hate this. Love love love Bane's negotiations for a date. Love all the byplay, as usual. Hate that this is continued in Doom Patrol which I don't read. I got tired of all the revamped and reboots of Doom Patrol. I think it was the version before the current one that I really enjoyed, but I've lost track. The original was good, too, when Beast Boy was with the team but not a full member. But I really don't know the current version and don't want to have to get an issue of a book I don't read to get the end of the story. feh.
Gotham City Sirens 19
It's nice every now and then for Harley to get serious and remind folks she used to be a therapist. Of course, she's nuttier than any of her patients ever were, so her talk with Selina just gets her obsessing over Joker again and off she goes, planning to kill him. This cannot end well. Which makes this a fun comic. Between this and Secret Six, two of my favorite comics feature the "bad guys/gals." I never would've thought I'd be saying that, and yet, here I am, saying it and it's true. Of course, I still count many good guy books among my faves, so I haven't turned completely toward depravity. ;)
Time Masters: Vanishing Point 6
Finally, this comes to a conclusion. And the pretense that started this journey, of finding Bruce Wayne, can be forgotten as Bruce got back on his own. This sets up Flashpoint, which as I said above, I'm ambivalent about. However, the best part of this has been Rip and Michael. I should've guessed it was the older Michael in the Supernova suit. Replacing Vanishing Point with an earlier version of itself was pretty cool, and we learn that Rip's mother is a blond. And Dan Jurgens should be back on Booster Gold soon, which will be a relief. I love what he's done with these characters and I want more!
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