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:

• Aug 3rd
• Aquaman #4 - I love how Aquaman points out that he can escape at any time. I also love Tula calming Mera down - although *that* didn't last long. Tula's role, in general, is refreshing to see. Having her become a real character in her own right instead of just that girl Aqualad likes is nice. I also liked the relationship between Black Jack and Black Manta in this issue. It was a very short interaction, but it illustrated intelligence along with respect. I found myself both horrified and giggling at Mera when she finally has enough and decides to go "rescue" Aquaman. And the final splash was a nice little cliffhanger. Overall, an excellent issue.
• Justice League #2 - Another day, another invasion of some sort. I liked the Atlantis bits of this one, particularly the Zodiac Crystals, which I swear I've seen in an Aquaman comic before. Maybe the blue suit mini? In any case, lots of action, lots to think about. This is what a Justice League book ought to be like.
• Green Lanterns #4 - Well, overall a fairly cheesy issue. I liked the bits with Simon's relatives, but Simon and Jessica aren't particularly compelling to me. And while there were some nicely funny moments throughout, this just isn't my favorite book. It's ok, but I could take it or leave it.
• Batman Beyond #15 - Finally, the reveal! Took long enough for Batman and Matt to figure out who Rewire was. The pace of modern comic books is often way too slow, and this one has a glacial pace when read monthly.
• DC Comics Bombshells #16 - Wow. The second half of this issue made me squee repeatedly, and I'm probably going to keep squeeing and rereading it. Arthur's true heritage revealed, Mera's true destiny pushed on her... I'm gonna have to go reread this one. Did I mention the art is fantastic? A nice touch is taking the name of Mera's sister from the Silver Age books (Hila) and explaining how she became Siren. Very nice.
• Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs Peel #2 - For a "villain" that only showed up on a couple of episodes of The Avengers, the Cybernauts have had staying power unlike just about anything else. And here they are again, with Catwoman! I have to admit, this is a pretty fun book for any fan of both shows. And the cliffhanger is pretty darn good, as well.
• Doctor Strange #10 - If that's a victory, then I don't really want to know what failure would have looked like. Not a happy comic at all. The art makes the action a bit hard to follow, which is my biggest complaint, but otherwise it's a solid little book.
• Torchwood #1 - I'll admit to quite a bit of confusion on the new characters, but there's enough of the old to follow the story so I'll roll with it and complain more in the future if they aren't introduced well enough as we go. Overall, not a bad start. Decent art, not my favorite style, but decent. Plenty of story threads dropped in. And a couple of favorite characters. So, worth checking out for Torchwood fans.