Rapid Reviews - 26 October 2005 - Part II

JLA #121: "Call To Arms": Aquaman as a computer expert?? I suppose that maybe if the original Justice League computers used Atlantean tech, not too far out of the realm of possibility, then that might make sense. But it still was a jolting bit for me. I also found it odd that Aquaman would go along with Green Arrow in trying to get Nightwing to spy on Batman. In fact, I find it a little odd that Aquaman is on the side of the folks who did the mindwipes at all. He's a telepath, it seems to me that he'd have some strong opinions about it. Eh. I guess I'll just have to see where this one is going. Wiki.

Legion of Super-Heroes #11: The rest of the Legion attempts to pull themselves together from the chaos caused by the attack on headquarters while Brainy simply tries to logic a way out of reality. The main story was very strong, with a good amount of movement in the overall storyarc without rushing things... but the backup story was amazing. This one... this issue was just good. Wiki.

Noble Causes #14: It's fun to see someone trying to set up a secret identity after having lived a sheltered life of luxury. And it's especially fun when you consider that it's Zephyr Noble, who's had some pretty nasty things happen to her recently. And, as usual, the book leaves us with a number of cliffhanger plot threads, none so urgent that I want to go to Jay Faerber's house and steal his scripts, but enough to keep me coming back for more. Wiki.

Marvel Team-Up #14: "Spider-Man Meets Invincible": I didn't mean to get this. But it was sitting there looking at me from the Preview shelf and I just thought... well, man. I liked the Invincible trades I've read. I think the character is great. And everyone likes Spider-Man, sort of. It's probably really good. What the heck, I'll get it! And it was good. A nice solid issue with a fun team-up story in the tradition of the best of the old crossovers (and this is a REAL crossover, from one universe to another). There's also a Franklin Richards backup story that was ok. Definitely worth a look if you like Spider-Man, Invincible, or both.

Angel: The Curse #5: Angel uses his detective skills to see the real threat, and as a result does not get his wish. It seemed pretty much predetermined that he wouldn't get what he wanted, but it was somewhat sad to see how his last hope ended. I like Angel, and I've really enjoyed this mini. The text stories in the back have been good, if overly horrific, as well. Overall, a nice solid book, and I'm glad we got it. Wiki.

Age of Bronze #22: "Betrayal 2": What Eric Shanower has done with the Trojan War is nothing short of fantastic. He's brought the dusty old characters to life as real people with real problems. In this issue he moves the focus away from Achilles and back to the fleet as a whole. I was a little confused as to who is who, but that's to be expected with so many kings and princes and whatnot all gathered together. Wiki.

Usagi Yojimbo #88: "The Treasure of the Mother of Mountains chapter six": Is this the end? As usual, a strong tale from the rabbit master Sakai, and a deeply felt conclusion. Of course, it's not quite the end, but it's good enough to feel like one. As usual, recommended. Wiki.

Stardust Kid #3: "Book 3: Another World": I want to like this book, but I just don't. The art bothers me for some reason even though I generally enjoy Ploog's style. The story is moving way too slow for me. I keep thinking that all the story we've had so far would've worked just fine as a single issue. I was hoping this would be as good as Abadazad, but it doesn't even come close. This one is still a disappointment. Wiki.

All caught up with last week's comics. Of course, now there's a big pile of this week's comics to read, plus a couple of nice review copies I've gotten in the last couple of days. A comic blogger's job is never done...