Thursday, September 16, 2004

Rapid Reviews - 9 September 2004 - Part IV

Aquaman #22: Why is it so hard to write a little review for this book? I liked it. A lot. I guess I have some mixed feelings about it because of the disappointment I'm feeling that Pfeifer is leaving the book already. I'd hoped for a two year run or so. And now, just as the book is really starting to pick up speed, he's gone. One more issue. So I feel a bit put off by the book because I just don't know what will happen next.

I did enjoy this issue. The moody artwork is great with the guest at the beginning of the book. In fact, I'll go so far as to say Gleason ought to get a shot at a Batbook once he's tired of working on Aquaman. As usual, Gleason's storytelling is very strong. I suspect that some fans may not like his style, but it's grown on me very fast, and I love it now. I would adorn this entry with samples of it, but maybe I'll save that until I actually review the book on my Aquaman website.

I like how Pfeifer is handling his plot threads. There are two important subplots in this issue, neither of which is ignored, but neither of which breaks the flow of the story. One of them gets a spot in the story where Aquaman is busy dragging a bad guy to the authorities, and the other gets the cliffhanger page. Nicely managed.

The main plot is also fairly nifty. It's a standard Aquaman takes on the badguy tale, but it reveals character traits as well as gives the artwork a chance to shine. Nothing super special there, but it is crafted so well I find it easy to forget how standard the storyline is. Strongly recommended. 4 1/2 starfish

Coming soon: Hey, how about this week's comics? To review: Birds of Prey, JLA Secret Files 2004, Identity Crisis, JSA: Strange Adventures, The Batman Strikes!, Strange, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, and Colonia. Also some library books, and more exercise shows. Maybe a movie or two.

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