Rapid Reviews - 29 June 2005 - Part I

Amazing Spider-Man #80/521: "Unintended Consequences": I really enjoyed this issue, even if the formidable Aunt May wasn't around. Nice to see that MJ has to deal with being a celeb, as well. I like this book far more than the actual Avengers book. I'm certainly looking forward to the next issue.

Pact #3: "The Life of Quantum Girl": I totally missed the fact that the cover proudly proclaims that this issue is "Regular-Size" until hubby-Eric pointed it out. This was an extremely cool silver-agey tale that worked on a lot of levels. Call it a great standalone issue if you like. Heck, this would be one I wouldn't mind giving to superhero fans as a jump-on issue, as long as they have a sense of humor about it. I enjoyed it a lot.

Genie #1: "First Wish part one: The Burning Arm of Shakar": Alexandria is a young woman whose father is English, visiting Baghdad in 1885. Both her parents are scholars, and they all seem to have a wonderful relationship. But Zanda has a secret, and by the end of the issue, it's changed her completely and as a result, pulled me right in. Solid artwork, a fun story, snappy dialogue. I hope the second issue is as good as the first.

The Grimoire #4: I've dropped this book from my pull because it was moving too slowly and not giving the reader any common ground. The story was keeping its secrets, and that made it considerably less enjoyable. Finally, with the fourth issue, we start to get a glimpse at what's happening. Unfortunately, it's still too little and too late. I don't think I'll stay with it.

Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker #3: Still not loving this, although I'm following the action pretty well. I was getting a bit impatient that we hadn't seen anything of Oz yet, so the revelation that Munchkin's kidnapped Red's granny was at least something. Still, I wish the plot would move a little faster.

Angel: The Curse #1: Heh heh. I got the puppet cover. Heh. Oh, right, the comic. It wasn't bad. Nice slick production, but probably could have used another go over by the editor, there were a couple of spots that I thought maybe the word balloons/sound effects may have been in the wrong spot. The story was an ok set-up with a good chunk of flashback to establish the character. Nothing special, but not bad either. Have to wait and see the next issue before I'll know how the mini-series is going.

Oz: The Manga #2: This one arriving was a little unexpected, as it came only a couple of weeks after the first issue hit the stores. Still, it's an excellent book, so it's nice to see it. This issue covers Dorothy's meetings with the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Like the first issue, the book is done in black and white, and hits the highlights of Manga style nicely. This is a very solid retelling of the Oz story. I hope the collection will sell well enough to let Hutchison adapt more of the books.