Quick Reviews

Well, I finished the 3rd book in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series and have gone on to the next. But I squeezed in most of last week's comics.

Lazarus 6
This dystopian world is scarily real. While Forever deals with security issues, the "waste" family flooded out last issue decides to head for Denver in the hopes of winning the "lift" lottery, the only chance to become "serf," and therefore, employed and somewhat protected. This is a possible dark future that is all too plausible.

Fairest 23
Cindy meets an old friend and finds out who's behind the.... uh, sinister plot. Seriously, this is so confusing. Fun, but confusing. Might help if I also read Fables, but I don't.

Codename: Action 5
And thus the story ends in a fairly satisfactory way, with the alien defeated. Pretty good story.

Noir 4
This pulpy tale with two female leads who look too much alike when not in costume as Miss Fury, the Black Sparrow, and their competitors for the treasure encounter a series of traps right out of Indiana Jones movies. Not much substance, but entertaining.

Black Widow 3
Somehow, I missed issue 2, damn it. In this one, Natasha's latest client isn't what he claimed to be, but she makes things right in her own way. Even if the writing, handled by Nathan Edmondson, wasn't good (and it's fairly great), this would be worth getting just for Phil Noto's art.

Shadow 22
The Shadow's quest for answers takes him to yet another country where he has to help the natives before he can get his next clue, which will send him back where he started. Properly pulpish and moody, so I hope the story's conclusion lives up to the setup.

Painkiller Jane 4
"The Price of Freedom" concludes in a most satisfying way. I do wish some of the T&A would be toned down, but I love Jane and I'm glad there will be more stories. And the book has been optioned for a movie!

Jennifer Blood 36
The End. Actually, it's left in such a way that it could continue, but Jennifer's quest for her kids comes to a conclusion in a plausible and fitting way. She started killing for vengeance, then had to kill to keep her secrets and then because she got a kick from it and it had become a part of her. Over the course of the book, she's rationalized it all, but perhaps, she's finally come to understand that, and maybe, has grown up a bit. It's been a helluva ride.

Ms. Marvel 1
A really nice, charming start as high schooler Kamala copes with being a teen as well as cultural and generational clashes with her parents. And then, everything changes. I can't wait to read the next issue.