Last Week's Reviews Part Two

Let's get right to it, shall we?

Red Sonja 2
I'll admit it. I'm reading this only because Gail Simone is writing it, same reason I'm reading The Movement. I love her writing and I don't want to read the rebooted Batgirl, so I have to take my Gail Simone stories wherever else I can find them. I really don't know Red Sonja. I think I read a couple of stories with her too long ago for me to recall clearly. But I'm really enjoying this even with it only two issues in. Along with the blood and gore battles, there's some real character development here, along with feminist undertones. Sonja faces off against Dark Annisia, the warrior she considers a sister and was supposed to battle to the death before their rescue last issue. Without revealing too much, Sonja ends up in exile, which, given Simone's take on the character is only two issues old, makes for a quick setup for what I'm assuming is a lone wolf storyline for the character. I'm eager to see on what personal journey Simone is taking Red Sonja.

Astro City 3
This book -- by Kurt Busiek, with lovely, realistic art by Brent Eric Anderson and a wonderful Alex Ross cover -- dealing with the humans who intersect with super beings, continues to impress in its return. Last issue, Marella Cowper, triage specialist for the Honor Guard Call Center, discovered that a disastrous event had originated from one of the calls she'd taken, and she's overcome with guilt for the deaths that resulted. But rather than wallow in that guilt, she tries to do something positive to make up for it, while waiting for what she considers the inevitable consequence of her error, being fired from the job she's come to love. And in actively trying to help despite her guilt and fear, she shows what true heroism is. If you love superheros and you want to be reminded of the time when superhero books were fun as well as thought-provoking, not to mention different than everything else out there, this is the book for you.

Lost Vegas 1-4
I read the first 3 fairly quickly, once I had the 3rd, figuring the last would be available soon, but it wasn't and by the time I got it last week, I'd forgotten much of the first three. I should've waited for the whole thing, but that's how I fell behind in my comics reading in the first place, waiting for stories to be completed. At any rate, this 4-part sorta science fiction story, written by Jim McCann and illustrated by Janet Lee, is a romp and a half. Roland's a gambler and when he's caught cheating, he ends up imprisoned on the very same gambling spaceship where he was plying his trade. Wearing a electronic collar, he and his fellow inmates are required to put in time working in the ship's casinos. All Roland wants is to escape, and with the help of some willing aliens, he's come up with a plan. But even the best plans can hit a few bumps, and Roland's plan hits some boulders. A fun little story.