Rapid Reviews - 6 October 2004 - Part Zero

Quite a list of books for me to review this week, so I haven't even started reading yet. Instead, I'm going to start out with a couple of things I wrote reviews for yesterday, and hold off on my regular reviews until I actually have time to read the books. I also did the big job of flipping through Previews and writing up some thoughts. Anyway, here's the reviews:

The Batman [1-04]: The Cat and the Bat: I like the look of Catwoman overall. The design makes more sense than some costumes she's worn. I also like her motivation. Batman himself plays the straight man well in this one and the status at the end of the episode is funny. Should this show continue, I can see Catwoman developing nicely as a complex character in this show. This is the first episode I felt like I really enjoyed for its own qualities, and not just for the fact that it's Batman.

Vagabond Vol 3: Takezo is given a new name, Miyamato Musashi, and goes to Kyoto to test his skills against the sword schools there. This is the first time we see the main character as a sane man not consumed by battlefield bloodlust. And while he's a better guy in some ways, he's still no hero. We learn more about Musashi's history and we see that he can be taught, he's not just a wildman. I'm looking forward to reading more of this story.

Still to review: Demo, Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden Vol 2, Even More Fund Comics, Justice League Unlimited, Swamp Thing, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, and books that David bought that I get to review: Phantom, Conan and the Daughters of Midora, Tomb of Dracula, and Marvel Age Fantastic Four. Wow, that's quite a list.