Reviews

First, the holdovers from the previous week.

DC Comics Bombshells Annual 1
The origin story for this version of the Suicide Squad. Elsa Charretier's art is lovely, and the Dodson created a wonderful cover, but Marguerite Bennett's story, while decent, left me feeling that there were some gaps, and I never did feel involved with the characters or all that interested in what happened to them.

Gotham Academy Annual 1
A fun romp involving demonic creatures, a grandfather clock, and time travel.

This past week's comics...

Eclipse 1
This science fiction comic from Image/Top Cow looked interesting, thanks to a preview I'd read in another comic, so I gave it a try. The sun has become deadly to humans, so Earth's population spends the daytime underground, while a crew in hazard suits handle topside repairs and maintenance. The main plot seems to involve murder by sun radiation. I'm intrigued enough to keep reading.

Kill or Be Killed 2
The next chapter in Dylan's descent into assassin is complex and a good character study. Brubaker handles noir about as well as anybody.

Supergirl 1
Less scattered feeling than the Rebirth issue, but still problematic for me. I have no real issue with having Kara as a recent arrival on Earth, but I would've preferred her to be a bit older and in college, rather than be a high school student. Plus, her being assigned to live with the Danvers makes for awkwardness, though I trust the family feeling will develop eventually. Kara is a bit bratty, which fits with her being a teenager forced into a situation beneath her education in Argo City while presenting her with relatively primitive technology she's never experienced and therefore, doesn't know how to use. These are elements that should work and be fun, but so far, it's not, and I'm not sure if writer Steve Orlando is at fault, or if it's editorial. The attempt to mix in classic Supergirl mythos with the wonderful TV version and the cartoonish art by Brian Ching (I hate the pointy chins and exaggerated expressions) doesn't do Supergirl justice. She's one of my favorite characters, but maybe this is just intended to attract a younger audience than I am. So, I'm disappointed.

Superman 6
The art is a bit cartoonish here, too, but it works much better, perhaps because Superman is larger than life and the story is strong enough. Plus, the faces aren't as exaggerated as in Supergirl. A nice resolution for the first story arc that leaves things in a good place for the next story.

Nightwing 4
The first story concludes, mostly, but is Raptor playing Dick or is he playing the Owls? Things seem to work out this time, but Dick can be too trusting. This book is doing a good job showing how different Dick is from Bruce, making him very much his own man, for better or for worse.

Green Arrow 6
Much as we want to know what's happening with Ollie right now, this is Kimi's story. One of my favorite Rebirth titles.