Sunday, August 06, 2017

A Sunday Comic Books Review

DCBS
Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:
  • Mar 15th
  • Aquaman #19 - Working with people who tried to assassinate you has got to be tough, and I don't blame Mera for insisting on tagging along. As for the rest - nice use of previous storylines to set up lots of plot quickly. The pacing of the issue was great, and the creepiness and mystery are also nice. The only thing that rang a little false was Mortimer's sheer panic - he's a hardened criminal who screwed over a lot of people, and despite what happened to him, I didn't buy the panic. Fear, yes, but the panic seemed excessive. I hope Mera remembers how she defeated Dead Water before, because if she doesn't at least try it, I'll be disappointed.
  • Justice League #17 - Superman talks with a giant baby while everyone else is fighting for their lives. Ok. Nifty. Aquaman gets two pages, and that's good. I would have liked to see more of him, of course, but this isn't his own title, so I'll live with two. Especially when those two pages show him very much in command. It's ok, but I'm feeling the decompressed storyline blues at this point.
  • Green Lanterns #19 - Doctor Polaris, along with a possible set up for more healing that Simon can do. However, if it turns out he's able to cure cancer and not just bring someone he loves deeply out of a coma, that sets up a massive moral dilemma in the form of "why are you punching people when you ought to be saving lives?" I hope that is avoided somehow. In the meantime, the pair of heroes got themselves into a bit of a jam on that final, literal, splash page.
  • DC Comics Bombshells #24 - Well, I'm not a big fan of this storyline mostly because it involves a lot of characters I don't really care much for, but at least it wrapped up in a way that was mostly understandable. All the various plots were explained, and there was even a nice betrayal in the middle of the mess. Fun stuff, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
  • Star Trek Deviations - In an alternate universe, the crew of the Enterprise gathers under rather different leadership. I guess my main complaint with this is that I cannot tell exactly when and how this timeline deviated from the "real" one. If there were just a few more clues, maybe. It was clearly after the Federation was formed, and possibly just before, during, or just after Kirk's voyages. Beyond that, can't tell. My biggest problem with the book is that Riker is bleeding out and Crusher doesn't seem to notice - even though Riker told her the bad news and comforted her. I mean, what?
  • Doctor Who 10th #3.3 - I love when the Doctor appears in a fairy tale setting, and thanks to Father Wu Wei. The whole story is pretty neat, and I love the artwork in the bits that are being told as a fairy tale. I'm a little concerned about Gabby, however, since this issue put her behind enemy lines with no apparent back-up. Looking forward ot the next issue.
  • Forever War #2 - Wow. Psychic aliens that are curious to see what happens next. And the first contact with the enemy. This all seems oddly familiar, so I'm beginning to think I may have read the book sometime in the long distant past and just forgotten I've read it. That said, a fairly powerful bit of the story.
  • Wonder Woman '77 and Bionic Woman #3 - It took me two tries to get through the exposition part of this book. Yes, the character had to be introduced, and yes, there was even a joke about how long they took doing it, but bleh. I really didn't enjoy wading through it. However, once past that, the book was great. I guess it was just another effort to make me hate the bad guys more.
  • Mar 22nd
  • Teen Titans #6 - Yay, the return of Jackson! As he was originally introduced, Jackson lives in the middle of the desert but knows he has water powers. And in this reality he seeks out the Titans because he feels the need to be free of parental guidance and to have the ability to explore his powers. In the meantime, the Titans have their own issues. I loved that final splash page... almost giggled, to be honest. Beast Boy isn't my favorite character ever, but he's mildly charming in this. Going to enjoy this storyarc, I think.
  • Batman Beyond #6 - Ah, the age-old question of whether Batman or the civilian identity is the mask. Is Terry Batman, or does he take on the role of Batman? And how will that affect his life and desires? And more importantly, how will it affect the people who rely on him? It's a good thing to explore with a new character carrying the mantle - and it's a question that has dogged this particular character from the moment he put the suit on, so it works.
  • Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #3 - Catwoman works great for her role in this issue, and I like the interaction between the heroes and the Amazons, as well. This really is a fun book on many different levels.
  • Future Quest #11 - Well, they put together a great plan and it looked like everything was going well, so I'm really curious now as to what may have gotten messed up along the way. It looked to me, based on what the book has given us so far, that it ought to have worked or been working... so I'm drawn in again, wondering what the secret is and waiting for the next issue.
  • Scooby-Doo Team-Up #24 - You know, the Martian Manhunter really is incredibly creepy when you think about his abilities. Invisibility, shape-shifting... it's a wonder he isn't considered more scary than he is in the DC universe. Though having him shift into Scooby's form was hilarious.
  • Dirk Gently: Salmon of Doubt #6 - I don't think there is any way I could even start to attempt to sum this book up - or even any parts of it - so I'll just say this one raised my eyebrows and amused me greatly and leave it at that.
  • Star Trek/Green Lantern V2 #4 - So, while Kirk is dinking about with Khan, Sinestro is ready to take on the universe? Well, it could technically be unwinnable, but Kirk has always cheated and I don't expect Hal to play it straight either.
  • Doctor Who 12th #2.15 - Sort of a predictable ending in some ways - of course the couple would be getting together and of course it would be an alien threat that really pushed them together - but there were a lot of nice elements of silliness and fantasy in there as well.
  • Mar 29th
  • Titans Annual #1 - Wow, Aquaman is more than a little obnoxious in this one. On the other hand, he does have the right to take charge - just glad he gave it up for Batman. I didn't know that about Donna, but then Donna's origin has altered so much I have no idea who or what Donna is in this universe anymore. I mean, heck, Aqualad isn't exactly the same guy that I love in the Silver Age comics either. As for the mystery villain, I have my guesses, and I'm sure I'm wrong, but it'll be fun to find out.
  • Green Lantern/Space Ghost Special #1 - This was a nice fun one-shot, with a good character introduced. The back-up was... painful. But, hey, the main story was great!
  • Back To The Future: Biff to the Future #3 - Biff does more stuff, gets more famous and buys the town. It's not bad, but it's about how I figured it went down while watching the movie, so there isn't a whole lot of new in this particular issue. I suspect the next issue will be slightly more interesting on that front.
  • Doctor Who 9th #11 - Typical Doctor, getting himself caught to investigate something suspicious. Not so typical? His reaction to the treatment. Good thing Rose is there to help, even if she hasn't got much of a clue of what to do. This is a very nice set-up, and slightly unexpected - I was thinking we would see the events leading up to his arrest. This isn't the story I anticipated, and that's a good thing.
  • Rough Riders: On The Storm #2 - The readers knew Annie was alive, but it's clear that no one else did. In any case, this sets up some kind of cult going after the president, and has a nice cliffhanger, even. I have enjoyed this series, and I'm certainly curious to see what comes next.

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