Week in Reviews

I got all but one comic read. Astro City 41 -- the 100th Astro City issue -- is waiting patiently for me to give it the time and attention it deserves.

Meanwhile, with Copperhead coming back next week, I did a bit of trimming of my pull list. I officially gave up on Thunderbolts -- not enough Bucky and some of the worst comic art imaginable -- and Captain America Steve Rogers -- partly due to the no-end-in-sight to the current story plus irritation over the upcoming Marvel event. The new Captain Marvel gets another issue to prove to me it's worth reading, too. On DC's side, I'm dropping Harley Quinn. I love the humor and art, but with the same writing team on it for so long now -- and I love Conner and Palmiotti! -- the book is starting to feel a bit same old, same old stale. What I did read this week, though, were all fun.

Champions 6
The Champions have a practice session, while the Freelancers set them up for a hard fall. So, not much going on, but lots of setup for the next story arc.

Hawkeye 4
Kate solves the case and saves the day, only to discover there is a larger threat lurking behind that case and it might involve her father. Fun stuff.

Green Arrow 18
Roy Harper returns! Mostly, this issue was Roy returning to the reservation to help with a pipeline protest, only to find he's not wanted. Much of the issue fills in background and it looks like a combination of old and new, with Roy growing up on a Native American Rez, and meeting Oliver Queen after being kicked off the Rez and stealing from Ollie. While not relationship background for Ollie and Roy that I prefer, I'll gladly take it. And I hope this is reflected in the Titans book. And there's more to this story next issue!

Nightwing 16
The rivalry between Dick and Damian for Batman heir is a bit of misdirection. The main story is centered on Shawn being missing in round one of a personal attack against Dick.

Superman 18
The Superman Reborn storyline kicks off with Lois and Clark's anniversary, only to end in disaster when the mystery-Clark leaves a photo album on their doorstep that somehow causes their home and son to vanish. I'm not worried about Jon -- he appears in the new Super Sons comic -- but I am worried about this Lois, and this Superman. I just hope DC remembers that this version of Superman is the best because this one is the one full of hope.

Descender 19
Things are going from bad to worse, with Tim-22 having taken Tim-21's place. Nothing good can come from this, I'm sure. I'm still enjoying this science fiction tale, though.

Serenity 5
The crew tries to rescue River and as expected, things don't quite go according to plan. Any Serenity we get is worth it.

Supergirl Being Super 2
The first book ended with an unexpected earthquake and one of Kara's friends in deadly danger. The expectation is that Kara would be forced to use her powers to save her, thus revealing her true super self. But this slowly developing story defies expectations, and Kara's powers, which have been acting wonky in recent days, cut out and she can't save her friend. How she deals with her grief and guilt make up most of the issue, along with dreams she starts having of her life before going into the pod that brought her to Earth. I'm really loving this book.