Sunday, January 24, 2016

A Sunday Review

TV from a few weeks ago:

  • Doctor Who: "The Husbands of River Song" - A surprisingly gentle Christmas episode from this show. Oh, there are moments, of course, but the whole episode felt like a nice relaxing rest after a series that was quite stressful. I think other reviewers have managed already to point out all the neat continuity moments, so I won't go into them. I will say that my favorite moment was jura Evire svanyyl svtherq bhg jub jnf fgnaqvat arkg gb ure. There were some very good quotable quotes, as well. Particular in the speech leading up to that moment. Overall, not the most exciting episode of Doctor Who, but a very nice addition to the universe.



DCBS
Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:
  • Nov 11th
  • Rebels #8 - Two short stories in this one, both of them incomplete, in my opinion. Both try to say something and both don't say nearly enough. Perhaps the series will revisit the characters later, otherwise, this is a waste of an issue.
  • Justice League United #15 - Wow, this story was a total mess. At least it finally resolved into something. I think it would have worked better as a single issue, but decompressed storytelling is the norm in comics these days.
  • DC Comics Bombshells #4 - Three different stories, starting with a tale of Russia, then Harley Quinn goes nuts. The final story takes us back to Wonder Woman, minus Mera, and a moral quandry. I am enjoying this book.
  • Batman Beyond #6 - Fun finale to a long story that I pretty much hated from the start, because I really didn't enjoy the plotline. Maybe the next one will be better? I can dream.
  • Back to the Future #2 - Two stories, one an alternate history that shows what would happen if Doc Brown gave time travel to the government, and the other a story of Marty needing some help with a science project. Both of them are fun.
  • Spider-Man 2099 #3 - Wow. Miguel has gone nutso. And those last few pages were... not a shock, but definitely nasty. Good stuff.
  • Spongebob Comics #50 - Fifty issues already? Didn't this book just start? Well, there's a little bit of Mermaid Man, including a whole bunch of classic comics covers reimagined with Mermaid Man, so I enjoyed it.
  • Nov 18th
  • Earth 2 Society #6 - Everything good is bad again? Strange to have Jimmy Olsen as the ultimate bad guy. How, exactly, did he manage it?
  • Titans Hunt #2 - What on earth was Dick thinking? I mean, talk about the worst possible way to attract Garth. Yikes. Still, I'm really curious to see what happens next.
  • Green Lantern: The Lost Army #6 - Interesting. The rift had Relic on both sides of it, if I remember the Green Lantern issue correctly. So, if there's no escape, what's the plan?
  • Star Trek/Green Lantern #5 - So Scotty reverse engineered power rings to rig up a thing to help the boys out in their upcoming battle? Fantastic!
  • Batman '66 #29 - Ma Parker, Catwoman, Solomon Grundy, Killer Croc... Lots of great characters to appear in a single book. And, for the most part, the plot actually worked. Fun!
  • Astro City #29 - How do the aliens who are innocent lives involved in their emperor's schemes feel about being pawns in a constant game of superheroic insanity? Well, this issue introduces us to some. I can't wait to read the next part of this one.
  • Huck #1 - A secret superhero tries to do a good deed every day. But what happens when someone who isn't committed to keeping the secret moves into town and learns about him? I like the artwork, and the premise is good. This issue was definitely set-up, so it's hard to judge beyond the superficial, but I like it so far.
  • Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency #5 - I think this one is over? Maybe? I love Douglas Adam's work, but this character just never connected with me... and this mini series didn't either. It was ok, but I could certainly have passed on it.
  • Usagi Yojimbo #150 - A nasty European wants to witness everything he can of Japanese culture, including seppuku. Of course, Usagi gets involved.
  • Nov 25th
  • Aquaman #46 - Wonder Woman visits Aquaman to find out if he's ok, and that leads to problems. So, same-old same-old? Actually, it's kind of nice that she offers the assistance of the Justice League. It is a pretty big threat for one hero to take on alone.
  • Justice League of America #5 - It's entirely a Martian Manhunter story. I don't understand most of it. But it was ok.
  • Sinestro #17 - Black Adam... yeah, ok, I buy it. I'm not sure I buy all the rest, but the yellow ring seems like it picks who it will pick. This is apparently Wonder Woman week, as she shows up in this book, as well as Aquaman.
  • DC Comics Bombshells #5 - Another good issue, even if there's no Mera in it. I like Kortni and Kara particularly. A nice twist on Russian folktales.
  • Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz: Reign of the Witch Queen #6 - Apparently it's over. And everyone lived happily ever after. Or something like that? Let's just hope they find some tailors who actually make practical clothing.
  • Peanuts: Snoopy Special #1 - A lot of fun Snoopy stories in this one, no surprise. I still prefer the Schulz stories, but the new ones aren't bad at all.



1 comments:

Nathan said...

I read the Dirk Gently miniseries as well, and found it true to the character, but mostly lacking in Adams' style of humor. Still a pretty good read, though. I think it might be coming back later this year.