Rapid Reviews - 24 November 2004

Amazing Spider-Man #73/514: "Sins Past Part Six": I still don't get why people hate this storyline so much. There is one mental hurdle to get over to believe it, and that's just that Osborne was scum enough to take advantage of Gwen when he got a chance. The way I read it, the liason wasn't entirely voluntary on Gwen's part. Anyway... in this issue, both the kids are apparently cured, and both of them finally decide what they want as their future. I still like this story, and I've enjoyed it from the beginning. But then, I didn't grow up thinking of Gwen as a paragon of virtue, either.

Supreme Power #13: "Natural Orders": Nasty nasty. A lot of connecting threads, a bunch of very powerful people, some working as a team for the first time. I like this one. Only a couple of threads are missing, but what is there is satisfying.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #2: "Enemies Within": Hey, Aquaman shows up! Ahem. Right. Members and former members of the Green Lantern corps are attacking people... except for Kyle, who refuses to use his ring. What the heck is going on in this book? I think this one will definitely require a re-read once the whole thing is out.

Adam Strange #3: "Planet Heist Part Three": Missed number two, and I may have to go back and get it. I'm not sure I'm interested enough in the cosmic DCU to justify it, though. I wasn't really aware how nasty Thanagar is in the DCU. Nice cliffhanger, at least.

Usagi Yojimbo #80: "When Rabbits Fly": A great done-in-one featuring a crazy inventor and, yes, Usagi himself! After a couple of issues without, it was nice to see the main character show up in the book again. As usual, this book is really good. Well worth getting.

Powers v2 #6: Wow. That two page spread of returning powers is just... cool. The effect of the brighter colors is also really effective in creating a serious impact. I didn't read the letter column, as usual. As usual, this is a brutal but fascinating book.

Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank and Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City: I bought the first hardcover some time ago, and I quite love it. It's a treasured treasury, like my Age of Bronze hardcovers. The quality is just wonderful, and the clear care put into the book makes it very worth reading. The first volume was entirely in sepia tone, except for the back-up story. The second volume is in glorious color and looks beautiful. Both are highly recommended, with the softcover volumes also wonderful to get. Snag them if you can find them, order them if you can't.

Coming soon: Last week's reviews...