Friday, June 17, 2016

Not So Short Stack

Wowzers! A whole bunch of comics this week, with more than one or two DCs among them! And I've read them all! Here's what I thought of them.

Astro City 36
Concluding chapter to the latest tale in which the truth comes out as to how the original Jack-in-the-Box died. But more importantly, it's the story of the damage left behind that can affect generations, for good or for bad. Pretty nifty story.

Descender 12
Mostly a flashback/origin story of Tim-22, while in the present, Tim-22 tries to destroy Tim-21 because there can be only one of them! Kind of an interlude from the story. Fine as far as it goes, but not much plot advancement.

Superman 1
I really need to read the Lois and Clark stories, but I was able to mostly follow this. Lois and Clark's son Jon is not in control of his powers yet, and their poor kitty suffers for it. Of course, a hawk or other large bird of prey had its claws in poor kitty first, but still.... Some other stuff happened, too. At any rate, I'm intrigued.

Green Arrow 1
This Ollie is rather naive when it comes to his business, and he also seems convinced that throwing money at problems is the best way to help people in need. Sure, he's helping them, but the problems remain. And when he starts asking questions about his business holdings, he puts himself into unexpected danger. My only issue with this is the character of Emi. I assume she's a New 52 character. I'd hate to think she was created for this issue.

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death 6
A change in art! Which was jarring and it wasn't as pretty, damn it, although good enough. A decent ending to the story, with a special appearance of Swamp Thing. The whole mixing human DNA with plant DNA is a bit much, but I enjoyed seeing the researcher side of Ivy.

Black Widow 4
The intrigue mounts! Nat, stabbed last issue, is patched up by an old friend and learns that someone has started a new Red Room, and the girl who'd attacked her last issue is the Red Room's first trainee. As it turns out, the woman behind the scheme has a personal vendetta against Nat. Good stuff.

Lazarus 22
What I, and apparently many others, thought were flashbacks to Forever's training, weren't. Some folks figured it out, but I didn't, and I'm always impressed when I can be fooled so completely. As per the letter column, Greg Rucka assured us that he does play fair and there were no date stamps to indicate flashbacks, so I have myself only to blame for being so bamboozled. Still, the idea of Carlyle Lazarus clones is very cool and adds even more depth to the character of Forever and the universe Rucka has designed. Great, gritty science fiction in comic book form. I love it!

Titans Rebirth 1
Everything I could and did hope for. Everything. Dick, Roy, Donna, Garth, Wally, and even Lilith (I'm really glad she's been included!) together again. The story is focused mostly on Wally, with an assist from the Speed Force, getting the others to remember him. How this all shakes out remains to be seen in the upcoming Titans title, but I'm reassured/relieved to see everyone pretty much in character, their pre-52 personalities intact. The details of their lives may be different now, but they're the former Teen Titans/Titans I know and love. Dan Abnett did a great job writing this and the art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund is lovely to look at. I am one very happy camper.

2 comments:

  1. Black Widow was exceptionally good. Some nice twists and turns. I need to read teen Tiran's, because darn it, I have missed those crazy kids!

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