A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jun 29th
• Doctor Who 9th #3 - A nice wrap up to an ok story, as Rose's kindness makes an unexpected impact on someone that normally wouldn't have been inclined to be "good". Overall, I am enjoying this series - it catches the feel of the Ninth Doctor's era. But man, I wish we'd had more of the Ninth Doctor on the TV screen.
• Doctor Who 12th #2.7 - If you see George Mann's name on the cover, the story is likely to be good. Certainly this issue lives up to the hope, with the Doctor meeting a new race of beings and discovering a horrible secret behind a colony that has no clue about its past. I can't help but think that, with the Doctor involved, everyone will know the truth before this arc ends.
• Dirk Gently: A Spoon Too Short #5 - And that's the conclusion to this storyline, with a bit of romp and circumstance left as Dirk solves the mystery by setting people up with each other. I'm slowly, slowly warming to Dirk and his universe. It helps that Eric sat me down to watch the new TV series, which is set in Seattle. I noticed some tie-ins between this and the tv show, which is interesting. I may have to go back and read the original book again. It's been a couple of decades since I read it last.
• Jul 6th
• Aquaman #2 - A cycle of hate caused by Manta, but perpetuated by Aquaman, and now - ended? I doubt it. There's too much history there for this to be it, but Manta's life has been laid out as one devoid of anything but revenge many times. Interestingly, he's also been an orphan who didn't know his parents, so this take on his history - where his revenge is due to Aquaman killing his father - is newish. Manta's original motive was apparently to create a homeland for rejected people by taking over Atlantis, which is a strange way to go about it. I feel a "many faces of Manta" essay coming on. I should probably get researching.
• Justice League Rebirth #1 - The Justice League faces off against an invasion, with each member of the team bringing their special abilities to bear on the problem. Knowing there is some messes in this universe, including the death of Superman and the existence of another Superman from another universe, this issue attempts to clear up the mess and make everything fit while also telling a bit of a tale of an alien invasion. I enjoyed Aquaman's role, which included getting information from the alien about the goal of the invasion and sending the Justice League's answer.
• Green Lanterns #2 - I initially didn't like Jessica much, but she's growing on me. Especially since I've experienced crippling anxiety myself and realize just how real and horrible it is. Simon was always a cool character, but I found him to be a bit annoying and snooty in this issue. The interaction between the two that's being set up is going to be a fascinating study in writing - with lots of potential pitfalls all through. I'm curious to see if this book can live up to its potential. That said, I dislike the Red Lanterns quite a bit, so I'm not exactly a fan of this first threat. I guess I'll wait and see.
• Batman Beyond #14 - A neat way to reset Terry's existence in this universe. I don't know what I'm hoping will happen, but there's so many different ways this tale could go in this post-apocalyptic world. I do love the fact that Matt and Tim are hitting it off and becoming allies, if not friends. I also like the way Matt was eyeing the Robin costume in that one panel - hmmmm. I know most people have already read far ahead and know what will happen, but I'm just getting this done and I'm liking it so far.
• Adventures of Supergirl #5 - More of Kara's past comes a-haunting her. I like the show, and the relationship between the characters is faithfully portrayed in this book. I'm finding it a good read, and Facet is an exciting new baddie. The glimpses into Krypton's history are a bit distracting, though, since I find it hard to believe a civilization that advanced didn't have a lot of people in other star systems at the time of destruction, if not colonies. It makes the whole Superman story a little more odd if a civilization that was starfaring and had good relations with its neighbors wasn't more spread out.
• Batman '66 Meets the Steed and Mrs Peel #1 - While I've seen a lot of the Avengers, I've seen little of the cybernauts - but even I knew the significance of United Automation. It's also not difficult to figure out who is controlling them, based on that knowledge. But that's not the fun of the book - the fun is seeing these classic characters interact. Seeing their reactions to one another was great, and this promises to be a fun book regardless of how the plot goes.
• Spider-Man 2099 #12 - Time travel paradoxes make my head hurt, and this entire book is just a whole bunch of paradoxes wrapped up in a revenge plot. With Miguel making trips to different potential futures, and the future promising to visit the past, this story is mildly difficult to follow - and only promises to get more difficult in the future. Or the past. Or something.