A Sunday Comic Books Review

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

• Jul 19th
• Aquaman #26 - So... intrigue in Atlantis as opposition to Rath grows, while Aquaman joins with Dolphin and meets more of the bottom-dwellers in his kingdom. Meanwhile, Mera pounds on the shield around the nation-state of Atlantis with her powers... I assume this is happening before the Justice League stories involving her? Lots of fun in this, lots of potential.
• Justice League #25 - Speaking of Mera, it's really strange to see her as a full member of the Justice League - or at least presented that way. But there she is, using her powers and being part of the group. I like it. Too bad it probably won't last long.
• Green Lanterns #27 - And more becomes clear, as the pair of Lanterns travels and the various first Lanterns are gathered to the place they traveled to. Fun. Time travel... I suspect it will last awhile, because there are a number of plot threads that have to be gathered and the set-up for this was long enough to imply quite a tale. It's wait and see time for this book.
• DC Comics Bombshells #31 - This far in, and we're still getting origin stories. This time it's both Killer Frost AND Supergirl, sort of. Still, an interesting way to draw out the Leningrad fight a bit longer... I'm not sure what to think of Strange's octopi, except that Mera would not approve.
• Batman '66 Meets The Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Nice little done-in-one issue. I'm amused by Egghead and his descendent. I'm also amused that Batman is so observant he noticed both odd shadows and lack of proper eye dilation. Batman as a detective: refreshing.
• Doctor Strange #23 - How much longer is this crossover going to go on? Three issues of it so far, and I'm still just not interested.
• Spider-Man 2099 #25 - That was an abrupt ending to the series. I knew it was ending soon, but I expected a couple more issues and a view of the future and all that... not a gut-punch and good-bye. Oh well. I enjoyed it while it lasted. Spider-Man 2099 has a special place in my heart as one of the first comics I bought from the first issue of his existence.
• Back To The Future #21 - More messing about, and more chances for things to turn out nasty and uncomfortable for everyone. I'm particularly amused by the cliffhanger, since Biff is never far enough away.
• Forever War #6 - I had completely forgotten the ending to the book, and as I read the final page, I felt a happy twinge of joy. Yeah, it seems a bit odd, but the eternal war ended once the two sides could actually talk to one another. And the final bit, where Mandella gets peace and a real life... that's almost enough to make me cry. This is a decent adaptation, although now I'm going to have to read the book again.
• Jul 26th
• Teen Titans #10 - All of the origin comes out and now we know who Jackson's mother is, and why he has his power. I like. I really enjoyed this issue, although I still want to smack Damian upside the head. That final panel was very nice. I suspect Manta will just run, though, and not try to help his son. If he does anything different, I'll be surprised.
• Batman Beyond #10 - Damian is annoying, and I intentionally don't buy most bat-books because I'm not that interested in the bat family. But I can't get away from Damian. Ug.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #28 - Well, if you are going to explore those characters in a team-up book, that's definitely one way to do it. I quite liked Carrie in this. Lots of fun, even if I don't much care for DC's Western heroes.
• Back To The Future: Biff to the Future #6 - The final issue, as Biff totally gets what he deserves and the people take their lives back after a traumatic time. Overall, it was an ok series. I didn't like reading about Biff "winning" so much, but his ending almost made up for it.
• TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo - I loved seeing the Turtles team up with Usagi again, even if they didn't recognize him. The story was extremely straightforward, almost to the point of being slightly dull, and Jei wasn't nearly as menacing as he usually is. It was good, but not the best Usagi I've read.
• Doctor Who 9th #14 - It's a trap! It was all a complicated trap, and the cliffhanger makes up for a lot of weirdness. It also has a callback to events from the past, so this issue definitely doesn't stand alone. I enjoyed it, but it's a wee bit confusing.
• Doctor Who 10th #3.7 - The Doctor goes swanning off to investigate a problem, leaving his companions in various places where they are bound to get in trouble. Every piece of this book, every storyline, was compelling to me. I loved the guest appearance and can hardly wait to read more. I feel like zipping through the comics to get to the next issue now.
• Doctor Who 11th #3.7 - A fairly satisfying ending to a fairly normal story. I liked the very short and cute back-up tale - especially the way the defense protocols were condensed. A good read.
• Rough Riders: On The Storm #5 - Oh Edison, so brilliant and yet so obnoxious. I gather he was like that in real life, although probably not on this scale. Annie is pretty cool in this, especially how she persuades her teammates to tell her what's going on. But that last panel... um, what?
• Aug 2nd
• Green Lanterns #28 - Those first rings weren't all that safe, were they? I'm wondering how Jessica, who's barely a full Lantern herself, is going to train this group of misfits. She really doesn't have that much time, either.
• Justice League #26 - Yikes. A dark future and time travel. I'm not sure what to make of "Curry", but I like his daughter. I'm curious about Tempest, as she mentions him but not in a good way. And who is Sovereign? This is going to be a nice plotline for me, I can tell. Plenty of Aqua-Action.
• DC Comics Bombshells #32 - Raven is a bit like the Hulk in this - you wouldn't like her when she's angry. I did enjoy the bit about how children disappoint their parents and each generation is foreign to the previous and the next. It's a sad way of looking at the universe, except that each generation has the possibility of getting better and being more. I certainly hope the next generations here in our world will learn from the mistakes of the past.
• Aug 9th
• Titans #14 - Garth has a trio of magical Atlantean lunatics who are in love with him? I'm grinning so hard it hurts. This was a touching and powerful issue, with secrets being shown and people getting hurt - I'm particularly amused that Wally and Roy were fighting - and more possibilities set up. As for the person who betrays the Titans... I kind of had already guessed.
• Scooby Apocalypse #16 - Interesting sacrifice. I really wasn't expecting it. As much as I hate that character - like just about everyone else - I certainly didn't believe he was capable of such an act. Now, I wonder if he survived, and if he did, will he come back less annoying or more?
• Back To The Future #22 - The story doesn't really move very much in this issue... we get to see a suspicious Doc Brown, a Biff who is still angry at Calvin Klein and hippies. Ok, maybe that was enough movement after all.
• Doctor Who 9Th #15 - Memories, cyberwar, and somebody staying behind to help clean up. That's a satisfying ending, I think.
• Spongebob Comics #71 - An issue that uses silence as a tool. Probably wouldn't work very well on TV, since the kids watching want and love that frenetic sound, but it's fun for the comic book. No Mermaid Man.