Rapid Reviews - 21 December 2005

JSA: Classified #6: "Honor Among Thieves" part 2: I was almost rooting for the bad guys, right up until they attacked Ma Hunkel. At that point I started to hate 'em again. I felt a little sorry for them at the end, but only a little. They attacked Ma Hunkel! Grrrrr. She shoulda kicked their butts.

The Flash #229: "The Black Death": I was hoping this storyline would finish up in this issue. Unfortunately, it's still going.

Birds of Prey #89: "Perfect Pitch Part Three": My very first thought on seeing the cover of this book was why is Spider-Man 2099 on the cover? Because it isn't Spidey, is why. It's just Spider. I like the revelation to Gordon about Babs' past. I especially like his "great and power Oz" comment. Heh. The finale of this issue is a multiple cliffhanger. Not bad at all.

Green Lantern #6: "Black Sheep": This villain, Black Hand, is boring. And the Gremlins don't do a lot to impress me either. Hector Hammond is much more scary in this version of GL than he's ever been, though. Most of this issue was a bit boring, and filled with flashbacks that disrupted whatever flow the story might have had. Not the best issue I've read, but at least the story is over. And the crack at the end about German was fun.

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #3: "Vega": This is cosmic DCU, why am I even reading it at all? I like Soranik Natu, though I'm more than a little annoyed at how she is manipulated into accepting the ring. She's possibly the only good thing about this book. It's not really enough for me.

The Flash #229: "The Black Death": I was hoping this storyline would finish up in this issue. Unfortunately, it's still going.

Infinite Crisis #3: "Divine Intervention": I must confess that I really didn't expect the villian of this story. Another thing that surprises me is how well the whole DC universe, all the books, seem to be dovetailing into this story. The Aquaman book matches this one closely (though not perfectly). Most of the other books I read also link in. It's just a neat thing to see. According to some of the creators, the links aren't entirely intentional, either. But when all the writers and editors are on the same page, this is what can happen. I like it. I have a theory on Tempest, by the way, but that needs to wait until I get into January's books.

Justice #3: Slightly better than the last issue, if only because Aquaman is taking action and that action was noticed and correctly interpreted. Too bad about the result. The reveal at the end of this one was much more powerful than any similar reveals in the regular DC Universe.

What If... Submariner: "What If Prince Namor Of Atlantis... Grew Up On Land?": I don't really have a lot to say about this one. I know how it differs from Namor's original story, and I think it's a nicely thought-out alternate. But I'm not all that impressed with Elseworlds and What Ifs in which exactly the same things happen as would have happened anyway, and this one seems to bend back to the status quo. I like it, but I don't love it.

Star Wars: Empire #38: "The Wrong Side of the War part 3": I wish the artwork on this was just a little better. I have trouble telling the characters apart, and there's a large enough cast, all wearing uniforms, that makes it crucial. I like how this one is continuing, even though it feels like it's been using every cliche in the book.

Conan #23: "The Battle of Brita's Vale": Another story of young Conan, born on the battlefield. It's a fairly icky one, too. I think I'll be happy when we get back to the regular story.