Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Rapid Reviews - 8 September 2005

Yaaa! Reviews done before I see the next week's comic books! Yaa for me!

Superman #221: "Jimmy's Day": Bizarro is update at the way Jimmy treats Clark Kent, and so fun ensues. I was mildly amused by this one, but only mildly. Bizarro done right can be great fun, this didn't hit me as one of those kind of stories, in part because the ending had to tie-in with Villians United. It's just an average superhero story. Wiki. 2 1/2 starfish

Superman/Shazam: First Thunder #1: "A Face In The Crowd!": This is very much an introduction issue, set early in the career of Captain Marvel. Artwork is good, but can't say a lot about the story yet since it's just started. Wiki. 2 1/2 starfish

Detective Comics #811: "City of Crime Part 9: The Experiment": The story goes back to the storyline that was interrupted by the crossover. This isn't a bad piece of the tale, and it actually manages to mostly stand on it's own, as long as you accept the opening premise that Batman is undercover. Not bad. About average. Wiki. 2 1/2 starfish

Outsiders #28: "Letting It Go": An issue of reflection and decision. Almost no action, certainly no villains or threats. Just team members engaged in introspection. And while it wasn't super-compelling, it wasn't really bad either. Wiki. 2 1/2 starfish

Villains United #5: "Victims of Aggression": One thing I'm really beginning to enjoy about this series is the number of DC villains I'm seeing, some of which I don't really expect to see pop up. There's that great double-page spread of attacking villains, right as one of the characters makes an announcement that I actually found surprising. I didn't come close to being able to name all the villains, but I recognized a great many more than I expected to. One more issue. Let's see how it turns out. Wiki. 3 starfish

Seven Soldiers: Guardian #4: "Sex Secrets of the Newsboy Army!": Huh. This one gives away a lot of what's going on in the Seven Soldiers storyline. Enough, I think, that I'm not too disappointed that I'm not going to get the rest. I think I'll get the final bookend issue and have a decent idea what is happening, even if I don't know all the details. Wiki. 2 1/2 starfish

Justice League Unlimited #13: "Nuts and Bolts": This is a Steel and Red Tornado story, and another one about the nature of heroes, including ones who aren't human. In addition, we get a subplot from the show. As usual, this was a strong story. I liked it. Wiki. 3 starfish

Aquaman #34: "The Quality of Mercy": I'm slowly being won over by Arcudi's attention to the past of Aquaman and his cast. For instance, Arcudi knows Koryak's nature, which I was not expecting. Koryak acted exactly as I would expect him to. I do find the fight between Aquaman and Tempest to be a bit much, but that's almost the only problem I have with the issue. Actually... thinking hard about it... that would be how the fight would turn out. Aquaman is one of the few heroes whose former sidekick is now much more powerful than him. I just doubt that they would fight in the first place, especially over Mera's situation. What has happened to Mera is actually a nice twist, not something I've seen before. All-in-all, surprisingly good. Wiki. 3 starfish

Noble Causes #13: I was a little confused at some of the characters in this one, but at least the back page has a list of who is who. Lots of set-up in this one, and lots of flashbacks that explain who is who and why there is so much hate involved. This is the best superhero soap opera out there. Wiki. 3 1/2 starfish

Oz: The Manga #3: The Kalidahs and the Queen of the Field Mice. I'm enjoying this book. I love the character designs, and the origins of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. I don't have a lot more to say, really. This was good, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I'm sure hubby-Eric and I will review the series over on the Oz Blog soon. Wiki. 4 starfish

Stardust Kid #2: "Book 2: The Woman": I want to like this book. It's just not drawing me in at all. I am following the story, but so far there is no emotional connection for me. Abadazad pulled me in from the first page, but this one seems to be flowing around in a different direction. We'll certainly keep getting it, but I hope it hooks me soon. Wiki. 2 1/2 starfish

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