Rapid Reviews - 19 October 2005

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #2: "Assignments": Mogo calls for help, and warring species are sent on a mission together. After reading this I can only barely recall what happened in the book, it's that forgettable. Not the best superhero book out there. Wiki.

Birds of Prey #87: "Perfect Pitch Part One": Ok, the sudden elevation of the Calculator into the villains version of Oracle is an excellent development in the DCU, in my opinion. And it's only natural that the two should eventually have a battle. I like the way this one is shaping up so far, as a game of chess instead of the typical super-hero silliness. I want to see more. Wiki.

Batman #646: "Franchise part 1: Supply Side Economics": I can't figure it out. Who is the Black Mask, and who is the Red Hood? Are we supposed to know that by now? Who blew up the building? Turf war between two bad guys... only one of them is... who? If a book leaves you with more questions than answers, is it a good book or a bad book? And to top it all off, this one ties into Villains United as well. Whatever. Wiki.

Superman #222: "Safe Harbor": An OMAC goes after Lois, and we learn how the OMAC virus was spread. There's also some bits with Superman in there. Not too bad for a crossover, but still not much above average. Wiki.

Captain Atom - Armageddon #1: "A Scream Across The Sky": I don't know anything about Captain Atom, nor anything about the Wildstorm Universe. I only took a look at this because of Will Pfeifer, whose run on Aquaman was one of the best. I can't say I loved this book, though. I'm just not sure what happened. It's a promising start, but until I get some more context, I'll just say it's average.

Justice #2: What a coincidence. The same week we see "Arthur Curry" strapped to a table in Smallville, we see Aquaman strapped to a table in Justice. Another case of synchronicity. There were some good bits in this one. Nothing overwhelmingly fantastic, but it was good. I'd rather see Aquaman kicking butt and taking names, but I'll settle for the small appearance he got... this time.

Seven Soldiers: Klarion #4: "Burn, Witchboy, Burn": I'm not even going to pretend. This was mildly readable, not good, and sadly very much a Morrison book. You like Morrison, go get it. Otherwise, avoid. Wiki.

Astro City: The Dark Age #4: "Execution Day": The Silver Agent is executed amid a massive knock-down drag-out fight in Astro City, that is affected by some sort of time travel. This was a surprisingly powerful finish the first arc of The Dark Age, and maybe, just maybe, it lived up to the hype. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the story. Wiki.

Battle Hymn #4: "Over There": I liked the front cover to this issue, as it features the aquatic character, Quinn Rey. His confusion in the story is a nice touch, as well. He just hasn't got a clue what he's doing there or what the others are doing to him. This is going to go down as a good mini-series. It's a shame it took so long to come out.

Grimm Fairy Tales #1: "Red Riding Hood": A high school girl faces a difficult choice, and a strange book with a familiar fairy tale appears. Thanks to the book, the decision is made easier. I loved the framing sequence, and the story itself wasn't a bad adaptation. In short, this is a good one. Worth a look, I think.

Midnight Kiss #1: "Fallen part 1 of 6": I got this book because the later solicits promise that part of the adventure will be in Oz or related to Oz. I can understand from the action in the first issue how that will happen. Other than the fairy tale twist, it's a violent book with moderate artwork, a little too graphic at points. I'll get it for the Oz references, but I can't yet tell if I'll enjoy it.

Conan #21: "The Tower of the Elephant part two: The Prince of Thieves": I'm loving this book. The battle at the top of the tower is particularly well done. This is one of the more horrific and fascinating Conan tales, and so far... so good. Recommended. Wiki.

Goon 25 Cent: What can I say about this? It's slightly funny. It has a horror edge that doesn't appeal to me. It's not bad, it's just not my kind of book.

Opposite Forces Vol 2 #2: Eric and I got this book the first time it came out, in black and white, and it's still funny and well-done in color. What more can I say? I like it. It's good. Go check it out.

Wow, only another week to go to catch up. How's that?