Rapid Reviews - 6 April 2005

Let's see if I can catch up before Free Comic Book Day...

Strange #5: So he finally accepts what he is, and starts training. Beautiful artwork, and a mostly interesting story, although I felt shades of Star Wars in the whole "I have to go to them" bit. I did like the cliffhanger. All-in-all, not bad.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #5: "Rings": Still a bit confusing, but I think I understand what's happening, at least. I like the look of Aquaman in this issue, even if he's only in a couple of panels. Yeah, one-track mind and all that. Until this series is finished, it's going to be hard to say if it's really good or not. Right now I place it in the "average super-hero book" range.

True Story Swear To God #13: "Dollars & Sense": Nice cover, showing "good Tom" and "bad Tom". I note that the background on "bad Tom" is grapes, and on "good Tom" is palms... does that indicate Napa and San Juan? Anyway, the story in this one is Tom's employment. The offer that he gets from one firm is just insane, and I love the reaction to it. The ending of this issue is very real and very painful. Tom is trying... but poor Lily. I can barely wait to see the next issue.

Barbarossa and the Lost Corsairs #1: Beautiful artwork, but the story moves almost too quickly to keep up with. It uses stereotypes to keep the reader on track, and it works, but there isn't a lot of substance to it. Until the end. Having bold pirates flung into another universe does change the rules a bit. I'm still curious.

Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1: "Talking Backwards Sdrawkcab Gniklat": Ok, Zatanna really messed up that one. When you add in the revelations about what she did to Batman from Identity Crisis, you've got one mixed up magician. I don't really know what else to say, but this does seem like a promising start.

Justice League Unlimited #8: "The Island": I think I really like this version of The Question. I particularly like how this mystery unfolds, with the real issue of the story not being the traitor at all, but whether or not it is safe to be completely paranoid. Fascinating, and cool.

Shanna The She Devil #3: "The Killing Season Part Three": More semi-naked woman battling dinosaurs. What more could fanboys want? Still no character development beyond Shanna herself. The guys seem to be mostly stereotypes waiting for death. But, hey, it's got dinosaurs! How bad could it be?