Reviews

I'm never, ever, going to catch up on my reviews if I continue the way I've been going. So this is a new attempt to bring myself to write about the books I read. I may skip some books, and I may focus in on others. But I hope to eventually get "caught up" enough to alter my reviewing format some more.

52 Week Forty-Five to Fifty-Two: This was a solid book through to the end. It never reached what I'd consider greatness, and had very few "oh wow" moments, but it was solid. Mildly recommended.

World War III mini: Ug. This was a mess from beginning to end. It was like somebody said, "ok, let's pull together all the remaining dangling plot threads and tie 'em up... even if it doesn't make sense or contradicts what came before!" And it did contradict what came before. In short, this one sucked. Not recommended.

Green Lantern Corps #10-12: Natu is the only reason I'm still reading this book. She's the only Green Lantern I'm even remotely interested in. But she's a good one! Very mildly recommended.

Green Lantern #18-19: Why do I read this book? Not recommended.

Birds of Prey #104-105: I miss Black Canary. But the additions of other female heroes in the DCU make this an oddly compelling book. Mildly recommended.

Justice League Unlimited #32-33: This is the best superhero book that DC puts out. Bar none. It's not the best superhero book I read, but it's consistent and wonderful and every issue is done-in-one. Buy this book. Highly recommended.

Iron Man #16-17: Tony Stark as a fascist. And a bad one at that. Yuck. Not recommended.

Wisdom #4-5: I didn't like the first couple of issues of this series, because although the ideas were there, they simply didn't seem to gel into a strong story. But now the story is rocking on, and I'm inclined to even go back and give those first three issues a second chance. Recommended.

Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #3: A tad scattered for my tastes. I think each of the minis will read much better together. Still, I'm interested. Mildly recommended.

PS238 #21-22: Still my favorite superhero book, still highly recommended. If you like superheroes and you aren't checking this book out, you're missing out. HIGHLY recommended.

DMZ #17-19: I waver on this book constantly. I love it on one reading, and will be disgusted by it the next. Part of it's appeal is what makes it hard to read. The events, although ludicrous, are terrifyingly believable. Recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

7 March 2007

52 Week Forty-Four: "Deaths in the Family": This book goes up, this book goes down. I liked the bits with Renee Montoya, but not the rest. Mildly recommended.

The Flash #9: "Full Throttle Prologue: Split Decision": Another good issue. I particularly like the name of the bad guy at the beginning. Recommended.

Justice League of America #6: "The Tornado's Path: Iron Man": Um. Ok. Is it over, then? Neutral.

Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil #2: "NZIB GZPVH GSV XZPV": I've never been a huge Captain Marvel fan, but this is a good book. Recommended.

Justice League Unlimited #31: "The One-Man Justice League": I admit that I never really thought of Rex as being that egotistical, but it worked for this tale. This is a great book. Highly recommended.

Age of Bronze #25: "Betrayal 6": I read through this intently, then read the text pages, then flipped back through the story and suddenly realized that the issue was entirely talking. I hadn't realized that while reading it. It was THAT good. Highly recommended.

The Phantom #15: "Walker's Line Part Two of Two": A flashback tale to the current Phantom's youth, this wasn't a bad tale, but doesn't stand out. Mildly recommended.

Castle Waiting #5: Ok, now in addition to wondering exactly what's up with Tylo (he's NOT the one she ran from, is he?) I'm also wondering what the heck is wrong with the doctor. Highly recommended.

My buddy David has me pick up a few books for him, and asked for some Marvels this week... including Captain America. Here's what I thought of the Marvels I grabbed for David, and thanks again David for letting me read them.

Daredevil #94: "Our Love Story": Wow. This is an interesting introduction to Daredevil. A very good jumping on point, as it turns out. I have no interest in the character, but this was an intriguing story. Recommended.

Captain America #25: "The Death of the Dream: Part One": Plenty of context is given throughout the issue, so the story wasn't hard to follow. It was ok. Mildly recommended.

Fantastic Four #543: A jumping on issue, with a 45th anniversary story. Fairly solid. The Stan Lee cameo story was nicely silly. Mildly recommended.

Civil War: The Initiative: Chaotic and messy, and not pleasant in what's happened in the Marvel Universe. I never thought I'd actively hate Iron Man. Very mildly recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

Rather than risk the drive in the snow to my weekly swim, I stayed home last night and read comic books. For the first time in ages, I have the reviews written the same week the books came out.

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

28 February 2007

52 Week Forty-Three: "Family Matters": Figures. I actually like Osiris, and was getting used to Sobek. Very mildly recommended.

Action Comics #846: "Last Son Part Three": Um. Ok. Haven't I seen a plot like this already? Neutral.

Green Lantern #17: "Wanted: Hal Jordan" Chapter Four: Batman being chosen first was interesting. The rest was not much to me. Mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #35: "Torrential Reign": Another reality, another mistake. I want to like this story, but it just seems ok. Mildly recommended.

JSA Classified #23: "Nightfall" part 1 of 2: I'm not a big Doctor Mid-Nite fan, but this story was ok. Mildly recommended.

Justice #10: My head is spinning. WHAT IS BRAINIAC DOING TO POOR ARTIE JR?!?? Ahem. Recommended.

Noble Causes #27: I like how I can pick this book up and figure out what's been happening, thanks to both the summary in the front and just how well written it is. Recommended.

Wisdom #3: "Enter With Drag On": Ok, I didn't much like the first two issues of this book, mostly because I had a hard time following the action, I think. This issue was so much better for me it's not even funny. I actually enjoyed this issue. Not like I enjoy lots of books, but the whole Welsh Dragon thing hit some happy spot for me. Mildly recommended.

Fallen Angel #13: Just what are the players in this book? Archetypes, clearly, but of what? This book annoys me because I can't stop being interested in it. Recommended.

Dorothy #7: HA! The entire famous foursome are finally together, kicking butt and taking names! And we get to see more behind the scenes action from the other side of the story. Highly recommended.

True Story, Swear to God #4: This one hurts. No, I mean literally. A few years back I was similarly stupid and got a very bad sunburn. I know EXACTLY what it feels like. I could not have done what he did. Strongly recommended.

Action Philosophers #8: "Senseless Violence Spectacular": The earliest issues of this series were the most effective, but it's still a really good book. Recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

21 February 2007

52 Week Forty-Two: "Trigger Effect": Oh. Wow. Oh, what a payoff. Wow. Man. Wow. Recommended.

Checkmate #11: "Corvalho Part One": A strange misprint on the second and third pages made them hard to read in our copy of this book. Otherwise, it's another solid installment of a solid book. Waller is some piece of work, isn't she? Recommended.

The Flash #7: "Speedquest Chapter 1: Angel City": Not a bad jumping on point. It's a set-up story, which is what I needed, since I haven't picked up Flash in awhile. Mildly recommended.

Brave and the Bold #1: "The Lords of Luck: Roulette": A solid Silver Age-y book that is well worth checking out. Recommended.

Ion #11: "Lovers & Enemies": I could still dump this book in a second, but at least Soranik shows up. Mildly recommended.

Shadowpact #10: "Cursed": I really liked this one. The team may be cursed, but this is a pretty good book. Recommended.

Superman #659: "Angels": Whoa. Very interesting standalone story, that also happens to work within the greater arc. Highly Recommended.

Birds of Prey #103: "Truth or Dare": Oracle losing control of her spiderweb, intriguing. Recommended.

Aquaman: Sword of Altantis #49: "Dreams of the Fisherman": A great ending to a good story. This revamp of The Fisherman is one of the more successful retcons of a villain in a long time. I love it. Highly recommended.

Powers #23: I just wish this story would speed up the pace a little. Otherwise pretty good. Mildly recommended.

Star Trek: The Next Generation #2: "Captain's Pleasure": Nice little mystery, in the Star Trek style. Not bad. Mildly recommended.

Local #8: "food as substitute": Megan needs to crawl her way back from the depths she's hit, and I think the end of this one started that process. Mildly recommended.

The Spirit #3: "Resurrection": A retelling of the origin of The Spirit, and a good 'un. Recommended.

DMZ #16: "Public Works 4/5": Man, what a cliffhanger. This is a painful book, but wow, it is GOOD. Recommended.

PS238 #20: Time travel is the most difficult of concepts to deal with in a comic book, but I do believe Aaron Williams has managed it this time. Highly recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

14 February 2007

52 Week Forty-One: "Miracles & Wonders": Is there an annotations site for 52? I probably could use one. Mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #34: "The 4th Parallel" part 2b: Some impressive Justice League action, including Aquaman, in this one. Recommended.

Justice Society of America #3: "The Next Age" Chapter 3: I like Cyclone. The rest of the book was "eh." More Ma Hunkel! Mildly recommended.

Batman #663: "The Clown At Midnight": Normally I don't mind innovation in comics, but this isn't innovation. This is purple prose pretending to be a comic book. I wasn't in the mood for it, didn't want to read it, didn't enjoy it when I did. Avoid.

Green Lantern Corps #9: "The Dark Side of Green" Conclusion: Is it over? Yes? Good. Neutral.

Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol 1: Forty-nine stories featuring Aquaman, starting with his Silver Age origin in Adventure Comics #260, for only $17. Well worth it. Highly recommended.

Truth, Justin, & The American Way #5: Nice finale. It would've been even better if it were on time, but you can't have everything. This was a decent book. Mildly recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

3 February 2007

JLA Classified #33: "The 4th Parallel" part 2a: Eh. I could take it or leave it. This one just does nothing for me. Mildly recommended.

Phantom Annual #1: "Five Days of the Dragon": I really liked this one. The ending was a bit weak, but the other stories were wonderful. Recommended.

Nodwick #36: "The Evil Wed(ding)": I like how everything ties up at the end. It's a good one! It's also the final issue of this version of Nodwick. Recommended.

Usagi Yojimbo #100: It's the freakin' 100th issue. Of course it's good. It's just not the normal stuff, since it's a jam issue with all kinds of guest art and writing. Recommended, but only for people who are already fans of Usagi.

7 February 2007

52 Week Forty: "Man Ain't Nothing But A Man": Lorena has a good role in this, and it confirms that she's part of the Titans during the missing year. Now I want to see more of the Titans during the missing year. Recommended.

Detective Comics #828: "Sharkbite": Another great standalone story, yet set in the wider context of modern Batman comics. WHY CAN'T MOST COMICS BE LIKE THIS? The Aquaman reference didn't hurt my opinion of the book, either. Highly recommended.

Action Comics Annual #10: Not bad. Kind of Silver Age-y in a good sort of way. If I was more interested in Superman, I would have enjoyed it much more. Recommended.

Justice League Unlimited #30: "Heavy Mettle": Booster Gold and Speedy? Booster Gold and Speedy!?? Oh my. Recommended.

Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #1: "YROOB SZH Z HVXIVG!*": Very cute. Kinda cuddly, even. And sweet. Odd, in some ways. Recommended.

Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #2: "Eyes of a Killer": If you are going to set up a story like this, the cliffhanger at the end of this issue is definitely a fantastic pay-off! Highly recommended.

X-Men Annual #1: "Covenant": My friend asked me to pick this book up for him because he'd been told it would be a good jumping on point. So I thought, what the heck, I'll read it too! Not bad, but the cliffhanger means nothing to me. Mildly recommended.

Lone Ranger #4: This book jumps around a little too much for me, but it's starting to come together in my mind. Mildly recommended.

Star Trek: The Next Generation #1: "The Space Between": Artwork on a licensed comic is so difficult to do "right", and I think this book just barely manages it. The story was intriguing, at least. Mildly recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

31 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Nine: "Powers & Abilities": Yay! Aquaman appearance! The rest... eh, so-so. Mildly recommended.

Ion #10: "Tales of the Green Lantern": Ah, the multiverse! And a new way of travelling in it! Interesting stuff. Recommended.

JSA Classified #22: "Fire and Ice!": If I wanted a Hawkman/Hawkgirl tale, I'd buy the Hawkbook. As I want a JSA tale, this is a disappointment. Not recommended.

These are the only books on my list that arrived at my store on Wednesday. Yup, we got screwed by Diamond again. I might get the rest this weekend, we'll see. Otherwise, it's a big week next week.

Coughing, Hacking, Sneezing...

I made a quick run to the comic shop, but half the shipment was misshipped or something, and there wasn't much to pick up. I did get the latest "52", which is good as it features Aquaman in a very tiny cameo.

My throat goes from mildly irritated to massively painful in just a couple of minutes now. I'm gulping down bucketloads of lemon ginger tea, but when I'm not drinking hot tea I'm in pain. I'm tired of being miserable.

I apologize to anyone who reads this blog via RSS. I want to take full advantage of the tag/label function, and so I've been going back and adding tags to old posts. I originally thought it wouldn't send those posts to the RSS feed... but I was wrong. So I turned off the feed, updating the tags, then turned the feed back on... but it still flooded the feed. ARGH!!!

My kitchen light is out. It's a florescent light, and it turns on but has a lovely headache-inducing flickering effect and gives out almost no actual light. This makes it incredibly difficult to cook anything. Worse is trying to wash dishes, since the dishwasher is in a corner with no light at all. So I called some local electricians and finally managed to get ahold of a live one instead of an answering machine. He could send someone out, sure... 6:30 am tomorrow. Yikes. Still, I like the idea of it possibly being fixed in time for making breakfast, and I'm not going to be able to tolerate it much longer broken anyway. Ok, what the heck. I've already set my alarm for 6 am.

Unfortunately, this means hubby-Eric and I are headed for a very financially tight month. I'm looking at putting up his Green Lantern stuff on eBay a little earlier than originally planned in the hopes that it'll keep us afloat. This puts our summer plans in jeopardy as well... I really want to go down to the Winkie convention with Eric this year, but it may not happen.

Speaking of conventions, tickets are now on sale for the Emerald City Comicon. At the moment, I plan to attend both days. I'll probably be with my "twin" sister for the first day and hubby-Eric the second. I hope to see other Seattle area folk there...

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

17 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Seven: "Secret Identities": Way to spoil the story on the cover. Sheesh. And the "Secret of 52" as revealed in the code is the back is hardly a secret at all (Both JSA and Ion have made that clear already). But it's got a great little cliffhanger or two, and just what is Skeets?!?? Recommended.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #48: "Here Be Monsters": I've been waiting for this story since Kurt told me about it in that phone call over a year ago. And it completely lives up to my expectations. Highly recommended.

Green Lantern #16: "Wanted: Hal Jordan" chapter three: Not entirely bad. Very mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #32: "The 4th Parallel Point of Origin": A new villain, and most of the book is taken up with his origin. Mildly recommended.

Birds of Prey #102: "Freedom of Motion": Oooh, I like Lois versus Barbara face-off. Very fun. Recommended.

Shadowpact #9: "Three Laws Safe": Nice statement of the laws of superheroics. Recommended.

Spirit #2: "The Maneater": Wow, second issue and we're already getting some background on P'Gell. Cool. Recommended.

Wisdom #2: "The Village That Walked Like A Woman": Sorry Paul, you know I love ya and all, but I just can't get into this book. Pete Wisdom doesn't interest me, and the writing style that works so well for prose seems jumpy in this comic. I hate to do this to you: Not recommended.

Conan #36: "Silent to the Sea": Nice finish to the Pict story. I still wish Kurt was on the book. Mildly recommended.

Stardust Kid #5: "An Endless Ending": I wanted to like this book. But I didn't. Not recommended.

Phantom #14: "Walker's Line" part one: Nice flashback tale tying into other stories. Mildly recommended.

Castle Waiting vol II #4: OOOOH! OOOOH! More about Lady Jain's lover, Pindar's father. Lots of neat stuff spilled in this one. Highly Recommended.

24 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Eight: "Breathless": This one had very little of interest for me in it. Very mildly recommended.

Checkmate #10: "The End in Sight": Well, that explains why no one can infiltrate Kobra. Mildly recommended.

DMZ #15: "Public Works 3/5": I didn't think Matty would go through with it, but I'm not entirely sure just what he did. Recommended.

Noble Causes #26: Too much going on that I don't understand. I'll probably enjoy this one more once I've seen where it's going. Mildly recommended.

Fallen Angel #12: Asia Minor actually comes across as creepy in this one. Mildly recommended.

Mouse Guard #6: "A Return to Honor": Very soon I'm going to sit down with all six issues and read this one through from the beginning. And I bet it'll get even better when I do. Recommended.

True Story, Swear to God #3: Lots of good bits in here, from Tom dealing with a neighbor's barking dog to Lily's act of shaving her head being an inspiration. Highly recommended.

Yay! I'm caught up again! Well, except for that review copy I just got from Larry and the Previews review. But hey, I'm closer than I've been for many weeks.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book. The dates of the reviewed books are the dates I received them, which may be different from the official shipped dates due to West Coast delays.

28 December 2006

52 Week Thirty-Four: "Suicial Tendencies": Mostly set-up in this issue, for events that are about to happen. Mildly recommended.

Detective Comics #827: "Double Talk": A new scarface, huh? How soon before the Orca comes back? Mildly recommended.

Age of Bronze #24: "Betrayal 5": If you are reading this, good for you. If you aren't, START READING THIS BOOK. Highly recommended.

Usagi Yojimbo #99: "Bridge of Tears": It's rare to see Usagi being a cad, but it's going to get him into more trouble in the future, isn't it? Recommended.

4 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Five: "Rain of the Supermen": Worst pun title ever. Hey, Lorena shows up in this one! Mildly recommended.

Batman #661: "Grotesk" part 3: While I don't much like this story so far, having the groups of bad guys go after each other was nice. Very mildly recommended.

Superman #658: "The Last Tomorrow": Arion's flash-forward finishes, and I'm not sure he's saying what he's saying. Mildly recommended.

Guy Gardner Collateral Damage #2: Meh. Not recommended.

JSA Classified #20: "Skin Trade Part Two: Surgical Strike": This whole tale is just ick. Very mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #31: "Secret History, Sacred Trust" part six: I like Aquaman's different outfits in this one. Otherwise, I'm just glad the story is over. Mildly recommended.

Justice League of America #5: "Born Again": I just can't work up any sympathy for this story. Needs some Aquaman. Mildly recommended.

Justice League Unlimited #29: "Untamed": This is what a good all-around DC Universe book should be like. B'wana Beast! Heh. Recommended.

Justice #9: Um. Ok. We'll just have to see where this goes, I guess. Recommended.

Powers #22: The opening of this one had to hit home to all the fanboys reading it. Recommended.

10 January 2007

52 Week Thirty-Six: "How to Win a War in Space": Is the answer to the title "get Lobo so peeved he joins in"? Nice subtle cliffhanger. Recommended.

Green Lantern Corps #8: "The Dark Side of Green" part two: I don't like Guy, I don't like space sruff all that much. So this isn't my kind of story. Neutral.

Batman #662: "Grotesk" conclusion: Didn't we just get an issue of this last week? Yes? Stupid shipping delays. At least this is the last issue of this storyline. Very mildly recommended.

Justice Society of America #2: "The Next Age": Love the cover. Yet another book (besides Ion) which indicates that (spoilers)the Multiverse is still alive and well(end spoilers). Mildly recommended.

JSA Classified #21: "Best Served Cold...": This is all Hawkman. Nothing here for me. Neutral.

Only last week's books to go... and this week's books by the time I get to last week's books. *sigh*

Really Rapid Reviews

Time to try to catch up on my reviewing... These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

13 December 2006

52 Week Thirty-Two: "Seven Days in Nanda Parbat": I really have to wonder how Dibny's tale is going to end. Mildly recommended.

Justice League of America #4: "Being Human": This is a confusing morass of a story with a mildly shocking ending. Neutral.

JLA Classified #30: "Secret History, Sacred Trust" part five: Aquaman talking about horses and zebras? Um. Ok. Mildly recommended.

DCU Infinite Holiday Special: Cute. Some of the stories were great, one was incomprehensible, and there was even an Elseworlds marked as an Elseworlds. Recommended.

Batman #660: "Grotesk" part 2: Too many characters all fluffled together. I might enjoy the story if I could keep it straight. Mildly recommended.

Green Lantern Corps #7: "The Dark Side of Green" part one: Wow, I'm just so uninterested in this book that I wonder why I bothered to read it. Neutral.

Spirit #1: "Ice Ginger Coffee": Wow, that's jumping right into it! I think I like this, let's see if it stays good. Recommended.

Fallen Angel #11: "The Long, Slow Seduction of Jude" part one: Still strangely compelling. I don't know why I read this book, but I continue to read it. Mildly recommended.

DMZ #14: "Public Works 2/5": Nasty, nasty, nasty. Ouch. Recommended.

PS238 #19: I named it best book of 2006, what more do you need? Seriously, a great finale to an interesting story. Highly recommended.

20 December 2006

52 Week Thirty-Three: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year": It feels like the story took a break for Christmas. Oh well. Very mildly recommended.

Checkmate #9: "Pawn 502" part 2: Nice. I just like the way this book puts pieces together. It is like a chess game. Recommended.

Birds of Prey #101: "Broken Wing": I really like Zinda. But I'm not sure about the rest of the gang. Mildly recommended.

Ion #9: "Off on a Tangent": Ok, I like the Tangent universe... but just what's up with this? Mildly recommended.

Shadowpact #8: "Ragtime": I like the backstory on Ragman. Very cool. Recommended.

Secret Six #6: "Cutting the Cord": I don't think I'll be getting any more minis featuring these guys. Neutral.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #47: "Coral Song": Nice ending to the flashback, nice fleshing out of Aquaman's world. Recommended.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis TPB: "Once and Future": A basic collection. I would've enjoyed it more if there were some extras... any extras. Recommended, but only if you don't have the individual issues.

Conan #35: "They Shall Be Lords Again": Not a bad little tale, but not enough to make me regret dropping this book. Mildly recommended.

Next up: I try to finish last year's books and get into this year. Wish me luck. I need it.

Morning Thoughts and Links

Regarding DC's "secret message" about 52: Is it really a secret if everyone already knew? I mean, with events both in 52 and other books I'd already figured it out. Hadn't everyone? I still don't know what it means in relation to 52, but it's not like it was a surprise.

On-line comic of 1984, with lots of supporting materials. The first two chapters are up now.

Bully shows us the Disney Multiverse.

Scott Adams describes the cure to his condition, and is pretty persuasive.

Diane Duane on "Goody Two Shoes".

Get a First Life. Note that the parody has a link at the bottom asking for "Comments or cease and desist letters?" Linden Labs, who created Second Life (which this is a parody of) sent a letter. The letter is a MUST-READ.

How to buy condoms cheaply.

The Poe tribute continues, despite last year's near-disruption.

Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog's Best Comics of 2006

Usually this time of year I do a long and complicated retrospective of the comics I read over the last year, giving my readers a list of my favorites from the past year. Now... I'm not sure that anyone gives a flying fish about what I think anyway... and add in that I'm tired and not in the mood to write about good comics, and I begin to wonder if the end-of-the-year wrap up is worth doing. Still, tradition is tradition. I just won't make it as complicated as in the past. I'm going to flip through a list of comic books that came out in 2006 and come up with some that I remember well enough and enjoyed. I don't think I actually did this last year, so there may be a bit of crossing back into 2005, but I'll try to keep it mostly 2006.

• The "Most Ambitious Project" award I'm giving to 52, which somehow managed to stay on time for 34 weeks, and managed to be fairly entertaining as well.
• The "Best Book I Almost Missed" award goes to DMZ. I bought the first issue, but somehow missed future issues... until Brian Wood sent me the first collection and several of the single issues after it. I read the books, enjoyed them, and it's now on my pull list.
• "Favorite Manga" award goes to Hikaru No Go. This storyline is the only reason I subscribed to Shonen Jump, and I'm also buying the collections as they come out. There is nothing at all like this story in American comics, and there really ought to be!
• "Best Collection" hands down goes to the Castle Waiting Hardcover, which was beautiful, comprehensive, and upgradable. Anyone who hasn't tried this series should pick up this hardcover for a reasonably priced introduction to a book with great art and a lovely meandering story.
• Honorable Mention: Adventures In Oz. If I was as big an Oz fan as I am a Castle Waiting fan, this might have gone the other way around.
• "Best Superhero Team" goes to the Justice Society... but only because they brought back Ma Hunkel. And the book rocks as long as she's there. Period.
• The "I Wish I Was Still On Their Comp List" goes to Boom Studios! who probably took me off the list due to my slowness in posting reviews. However, all their zombie books were surprisingly good, as was Hero Squared, Planetary Brigrade, and, yes, even Jeremiah Harm. If you haven't checked out their books, give 'em a shot. I'm partial to the superhero books, but the whole line I sampled was excellent.
• The "Delays Just About Killed Me" award goes to Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, which was an excellent revamp that had me incredibly excited... but then the delays started and my heart just about broke with each new delay announcement. To finish the job was the announcement that Kurt was leaving the book after only a scant handful of issues. Although he's leaving the book in Tad Williams' capable hands, it still made for a bittersweet year of Aquaman.
• "Best New Character" introduced in a superhero book this year would be Soranik Natu, the unwilling Green Lantern from Korugar. Ok, so she technically first appeared last year, but I didn't do any awards last year and she hadn't developed into such a cool character yet.
• The "I Really Wish It Came Out More Often" is a tie between Dorothy and Age of Bronze. Both are excellent books put out by people who care deeply about the subject matter. Both books show the love, sheer joy, and heart the creators put into them. And both are worth reading just for that. And both books I wish could come out more often, but I do understand why they don't.
• "Strongest Rebirth" award goes to Abadazad, which returned in a partly prose form that works really well for the series. I can honestly say I'm very much looking forward to future volumes.
• The "Still Going Strong" award goes to AiT/Planet Lar, who put out a number of great books this year, including Shatter, Continuity, Rock Bottom, and my personal favorite of the bunch, Seven Sons.
• The "It Will Be Missed" award is owned by Solo, which was a great idea that I thought was well executed and definitely well received... but apparently the sales couldn't justify it and it was canceled.

Other books that deserve mention but may not get individual awards include Justice League Unlimited, Birds of Prey, Noble Causes, PS238, Usagi Yojimbo, Local, Powers, Nodwick, Justice, True Story Swear to God, Mouse Guard, Action Philosophers, and Tony Loco.

Next up, later tonight: The year's best book. I'll post it after I've had dinner but before the New Year hits Seattle.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

6 December 2006

Tony Loco #1: Hey, I've already reviewed this one! It's good, so try it. Recommended.

52 Week Thirty-One: "Human Resources": Ok, now we know what Lobo is up against. Nifty. Mildly Recommended.

Detective Comics #826: "Slayride": Oh dear. "Sanity Claus" makes this one for me. Probably the best Joker story I've read. Recommended.

Justice Society of America #1: "The Next Age Chapter 1": Maxine Hunkel... referring to Wicked repeatedly. I like her already. But she'll never live up to Ma's legacy. Never. Mildly Recommended.

Justice League Unlimited #28: "Season's Beatings Justice League": This book is so consistently good, I kind of wish everyone was reading it. Recommended.

Ha, caught up again!

Really Rapid Reviews

I didn't get these books until late, then didn't finish reading them all until Wednesday morning anyway. So it doesn't feel like I'm posting reviews late... And this week I only got five books, so those reviews should be up soon, too.

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

29 November 2006

52 Week Thirty: "Dark Knight Down": Eh, not interested in Batman. Boring. Neutral.

Green Lantern #15: "Wanted: Hal Jordan Chapter Two": Wow, this book is annoying. Not Recommended.

Batman #659: "Grotesk Part 1": I sort of liked it despite myself. Mildly Recommended.

Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage #1: Bor-ing. Not Recommended.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #46: "Crown of Thorns": I liked this one from beginning to end... I liked the framing, I liked the flashback... I just liked it. Recommended.

Ion #8: "Princess of Alytt": Still unimpressed... except for that final page. That's got my interest. Neutral.

True Story, Swear to God (Image) #2: This is the not the best ever issue of this title, but in my opinion it's very close. HIGHLY recommended.

Powers #21: Ok, that's intense. Recommended.

Castle Waiting Vol II #3: Another delightful issue, this one focusing on the family of Henry. Since we know almost nothing about Henry, this is a lot of fun. Recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

22 November 2006

52 Week Twenty-Nine: "Name Calling": Nice appearance by the JSA, and interesting more stuff from Steel. Recommended.

Action Comics #845: "Last Son Part Two": Um. Ok. Mildly recommended.

Wonder Woman #3: "Who Is Wonder Woman? Part Three": It's a bad sign when I'm more excited about a Wicked poster showing up on the splash page than I am about the issue in general. Very mildly recommended.

JSA Classified #19: "Skin Trade Part One: Spare Parts": I want to like this, but I just didn't. Neutral.

Usagi Yojimbo #98: "The Return of the Black Soul": Jei is the scariest villain in Usagi's world... and it is back. Recommended.

Conan #34: "The Sons of Bel": I'm losing interest in this book again. Too bad, I wish Busiek were back on it. Mildly recommended.

Noble Causes #25: Ok, that was the way to wrap up that particular part of the tale. Excellent! Recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: about one sentence per book with whether or not I recommend the book.

15 November 2006

52 Week Twenty-Eight: "Beyond the Black Stump": Just what is Lobo actually up to? And is anyone else confused at Red Tornado's status because of this book and Justice League? Mildly recommended.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45: "Watery Grave": Oh, I'm so pathetic. I can't look at that cover speech balloon without thinking "NO, To the PAIN!" Ahem. I enjoyed this issue. Recommended.

Birds of Prey #100: I like the few scenes we got of female supers in the DCU responding to Oracle. I just wish Mera had been one of them! Both stories were good, but I hope Black Canary stays in the book in some form. Recommended.

Checkmate #8: "Pawn 502 Part 1": Oh, now that is intriguing. And I have to wonder who Mr Terrific wants as his bishop. Mildly recommended.

Green Lantern Corps #6: "The Price of Duty": Soranik Natu is the only character in this book so far that I care at all about, and while her bits were good, there weren't enough of them! Mildly recommended.

Shadowpact #7: "The Laws of Battle": I'm liking this book more with each issue. It's not a top book for me, but I'm enjoying it. Mildly recommended.

Astro City The Dark Age Book Two #1: "Eyes of a Killer, one of four": Back to the two brothers. I find myself drawn into their tale again, and when the book ended I just wanted more. Recommended.

Squadron Supreme #7: "Turnabout": I'm losing interest in this book so rapidly that I don't think I'll be getting it much more. Neutral.

What If... Spider-Man The Other: That's a twist on that tale I didn't expect, but in the end it wasn't really as intense as I was hoping for. Mildly recommended.

Phantom #13: "Tiger's Blood part 2": If I understood this, a man who thinks the Phantom is responsible for his love's death hatches an elaborate plan to kill the Phantom using, basically, a fear gas. Hrm. Not bad, but not the best. Mildly recommended.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: one sentence per book (unless I feel like writing a bit more) with whether or not I recommend the book.

8 November 2006

52 Week Twenty-Seven: "The Past Best Hope": When Skeets explained what he was made of, I felt my jaw drop. Oh. My. Recommended.

Superman #657: "Camelot Falls": Wow, Arion is a jerk in this one. Mildly recommended.

Green Lantern #14: "Wanted: Hal Jordan Ch 1": Hmm, better than the last few stories, but confusing. Mildly recommended.

Batman #658: "Absent Fathers": I swing from believing the kid is doing this intentionally to thinking he's a victim of his upbringing to back again. Recommended.

Wonder Woman #2: "Wonder Woman? Part Two": Secret agent Diana never really appealed to me, but this story is quite bizarre. Mildly recommended.

JLA Classified #29: "Secret History, Sacred Trust part four": Aquaman has some good moments in this one playing the complete jerk. Mildly recommended.

Wisdom #1: "The Day the Fairies Came Out": I don't know who Pete Wisdom is, didn't follow a part of the story, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Mildly recommended.

DMZ #13: "Public Works 1/5": Promising start to another tale in the wilds of New York. Recommended.

Nodwick #35: Ah, the story is coming to its final climax. I can't wait to see more. Recommended.

Action Philosophers: "It's All Greek To You!": Good stuff as usual. Recommended.

And here's an extra review for your reading pleasure:

American Born Chinese by Gene Yang: After the recent fluffle about this book winning an award that some prose-snob (who doesn't even know the meaning of the word "genre") didn't think it deserved, I decided I ought to check it out. And so I did. It's not bad. Three apparently unrelated stories pull together to give a view of the experiences of a minority in America. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, and I certainly get the moral of the tale. I wouldn't call it the best ever tale, but it's worth reading. Recommended.

And for the moment I'm caught up... wow. I don't think it'll last long, as I've got a ton of books coming on Wednesday.

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: one sentence per book (unless I feel like writing a bit more) with whether or not I recommend the book.

25 October 2006

52 Week Twenty-Five: "Liminal Times": Best. Cover. Ever. Insides weren't as good. Mildly recommended.

JSA Classified #18: "The Venom Connection Part 2": Not too shabby. Recommended.

Action Comics #844: "Last Son Part One": Promising enough start, though I'm not sure just what happened at the end there, or how this is an opportunity for Luthor. Mildly recommended.

Secret Six #5: "Life As We Know It": I'm liking this book less and less with each issue. It's just too depraved. Not recommended.

Trials of Shazam #3: "Cover Me!": The art bothers me in some mild way that I can't describe. Otherwise, it's an ok book. Mildly recommended.

Ion #7: "Home Again": Eh. Neutral.

Justice #8: Ah, Mera and Aquaman. Who the heck is "Yuko" though? Recommended.

Thieves & Kings Presents: "The Walking Mage": Quinton has a very interesting way of looking at the world, and of teaching lessons. I would NOT want to be on his bad side. Recommended.

Cindy and Her Obasan: "Elvis and the Lost Halo": Sounded promising, so we got it. It was fun. Recommended.

Castle Waiting Vol II #2: A lovely trip into Jain's past, with a cliffhanger and wonderful sketches. Highly Recommended.

1 November 2006

52 Week Twenty-Six: "Halfway House": I'm liking Osiris, he seems to work well as a foil to both Isis and Black Adam. Mildly recommended.

Justice League of America #3: "The Brave & The Bold": Still hasn't hooked me, but at least the story seems to be starting to pull together. Mildly recommended.

Detective Comics #825: "The Return of Dr. Phosphorus!": I liked this book better with Dini writing it. Mildly recommended.

Justice League Unlimited #27: "Climb the Mountain": Fantastic Black Lightning story. Highly recommended.

Fallen Angel #10: "A Sad Song for Terry May": A nice short tale, more or less standalone, though it refers to previous events. Recommended.

Local #7: "Hazardous Youth": Megan had hit the point where she was not likable... now we meet her cousin Nicky and his Arizona life. Recommended.

Mouse Guard #5: "Midnight's Dawn": Intriguing. This is going to be a good title to read all at once. Recommended.

Aquaman review will go up later this evening. At the moment I'm off to see the Dead Sea Scrolls!

Really Rapid Reviews

These are mini-capsules: one sentence per book (unless I feel like writing a bit more) with whether or not I recommend the book.

18 October 2006

52 Week Twenty-Four: "Just Imagine": Ambush Bug? Mildly Recommended.

Birds of Prey #99: "Headhunt Part Four: Class Dismissed": The Batgirl is annoying, but worse is that the Birds are breakin' up. Neutral.

Checkmate #7: "Rogue Squad, Part Two": Amanda Waller is quite the witch, isn't she? Mildly Recommended.

Conan #33: "Dogs of the Hills": There is definitely something lacking in this book since Busiek left it. I'm slowly (very slowly) losing interest in it. Mildly Recommended.

Noble Causes #24: My only nit with this book is that I really dislike the way Race is drawn. Except for that, it's Recommended.

Shadowpact #6: "The Wild Hunt": It's a fun one, with a balanced level of explanation and action. Recommended.

Catching up again.