Rapid Reviews - 2 June 2005 - Part II

Incredible Hulk #82: "Dear Tricia...": After last week's incomprehensible ending, this was a nice short one-off that made sense in a super-hero-universe sort of way. I like the actions of the Hulk in this one, and I like Tricia. So, overall, a pretty solid tale for a superhero book.

Thieves & Kings #46: I really think I would enjoy this book much more if I only got the collections. Not that it's a bad book, quite the contrary, it's just that it's been so long since I read the last issue that I can hardly remember what happened in it.

Noble Causes #10: The truth comes out about Doc, and plots are woven nicely together as a result. I have a lot of confidence in this book, that things that at first appear to be plot holes will get resolved in later issues. And while this issue didn't surprise me much, there are always small twists and turns that delight. This is by far the best of the soap opera style superhero books I read.

Pact #2: Four kids with super powers, fighting to save the Earth and get pizza that hasn't been soaked in a battle with a supervillian! What I like about this book is that it contrasts the lives of four children in the superhero biz without turning them into the Teen Titans hanging out in their groovy clubhouse. These kids have problems. And I'm enjoying this series.

Strange #6: "Beginnings and Endings Conclusion": One big fight scene followed by some temporal strangeness. Overall, not bad, but not wonderful either. Maybe a little worse than the average superhero book.

Dorothy #3: "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth...": This book continues to amaze me. The artwork is amazing, with it's combination of photos and art. And it's not keeping to the standard Oz script, which is nice. The book surprises and entertains, and what more do you want from a comic?

Phantom #6: "Damnation Game" part 2 of 2: The story continues to be mostly incomprehensible and scattered, but eventually pulls together enough to at least figure out what was supposed to have happened. I'm not liking the artwork much... some scenes of the Phantom in particular make him look very grotesque, and in not a good way.

Beowulf #2: "Gods and Monsters": Wulf's actions don't make a lot of sense to me yet, but I think we'll understand more once we get further in. There are some references to the first issue, which is nice, as the first issue appeared originally to be just a set-up issue. Still intriguing.

JSA #74: "Black Vengeance part 2": This whole story is quite a mess. I think I would enjoy it more if I really liked the whole Day of Vengeance thing, but I'm finding that it soured in my mind pretty quickly. Having the Spectre so easily controlled seems silly. Moreso than usual. And I still don't get the whole hawk-creatures thing with Black Adam. Eh. It's just your run-of-the-mill superhero book.

Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #2: "A Book in the Beginning": I want to like this, as I like Zatanna, but I'm just not sure what to make of it. Morrison really lays it on thick, doesn't he? This is definitely a mini that will make most sense when it's over.

Villains United #2: "A Fire in the Steppes": It can't be just me who is having trouble figuring out how six second-stringers are supposed to go up against the combined might of DC's villains. I guess the writers anticipated that issue, though, as the end of this book is not a big surprise. In fact, the only surprise is that there is a third issue.

Justice League Unlimited #10: "Madness... Madness... They Call It Madness!": A pretty funny Batman/Creeper team-up in which Creeper out-detectives the Detective. I think Batman would have figured it out, if he hadn't been so busy being thrown off-balance by the Creeper's antics. Um. Yeah. Another standard superhero book.

Shanna the She Devil #5: "The Killing Season Part Five": More pretty Cho artwork, more Shanna kicking dino-butt. What more is there to say?