A Sunday Review

TV this week: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: "Big Breakfast" (I always wonder how Guy can eat as much as he does), Torchwood: "From out of the Rain" (freaky freaky freaky - I hate circuses), Dinner: Impossible: "Santa Fe Struggle" (despite revelations about Robert's resume-padding, I enjoyed this one), Supernanny: "Banjany Family" (cross-dressing 3-year-old and poor snack management), Ghost Hunters: "Two to Tango" (not much of interest), Destination Truth: "Haunted Island: Death Worm" (hilarious! Those islanders put on a show for them), Ace of Cakes: "Celebration Week" (the ear cake was great!), and Smallville: "Hero" (Pete as freak-of-the-week, huh?).

Comics this week: My friend D, who buys some comics through me, decided to get the rest of Countdown, so I'm starting with Countdown 7 and I'm slightly confused. It had high points, though, and I'm curious to see how this whole thing ends. Green Lantern Corps #22 was the typical space adventure that I have no interest in. Wonder Woman #18 still hasn't got my interest. It's well-written, the art is good... I just don't care about the character. JLA Classified #54 had enough Aquaman to satisfy me, and Byrne's artwork wasn't nearly as bad as it's been in the recent past. I really like Tiny Titans #2, but I agree with the commenter who asked, "Who is the audience for this?" It seems a bit too continuity-laden for kids, but way too simple for (most) adults.

I like DMZ, but it sometimes reminds me too brutally of the current political situation. DMZ #29 continues the trend with a reminder of just how difficult it is to bring people who have been at war back together. I've been mostly disappointed in IDW's Lone Ranger, so I wasn't expecting much from Lone Ranger and Tonto #1. But this was great! Ok, it's a depressing story, but it's powerful. I'm glad D bought it. My friend D also bought Rogue Angel: Teller of Tales #1, which was also better than I was expecting. The archeology aspects probably pulled me in the most. I hope he gets the next issue. Doctor Who #2 was considerably better than the first issue artwise. I'm curious to see where the story goes from here, though, particularly the bits with planetary populations vanishing. Serenity: Better Days #1 nice set up. I liked it. "The Hero of Canton... he's real!" Bwah!

An unexpected bonus in the mail this week was the final State Quarters set from the US Mint. This one has Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. I don't like Oklahoma or Arizona. Oklahoma has flowers and a bird, and I just don't like the composition. Arizona's design tried to do too much, and is cluttered as a result. New Mexico's simple design breaks one of my rules (state outline appears) but is otherwise very nice. The Alaska one is going to irritate Stephen Colbert, as it's got a bear on it. I also like Hawaii's coin. Best of the bunch? I'd go with Alaska. Worst is Arizona.

This week's movie was Justice League: The New Frontier. Not enough Aquaman, but otherwise pretty good. I think it might be a pretty confusing movie if you don't know your DC history. On the other hand, bits of the book that didn't make much sense to me now make perfect sense. I'm looking forward to seeing the extras on the disc.

I also got a Fortean Times mag and a couple of library books, but I haven't had a chance to read them yet. I've been too obsessed over the Aquawiki.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

Started the week with the Oscars. Although I don't generally go to parties unless I'm hosting them, I went to an Oscar party and joined in the guessing contest. I'd only seen one of the movies (Ratatouille), but I still managed to guess 11 of the winners correctly, netting me the grand prize of the party. I should have got 12 right, but I picked Persepolis for best animated despite my certainty that Ratatouille would win.

TV this week: Iron Chef America: "Flay vs. Rathbun Brothers" (any time Flay is on, I root for the challenger... and hey, fascinating theme on this one), Classic Doctor Who: "The Invisible Enemy" parts 3 & 4 (hilariously bad special effects make this one a treat), Torchwood: "A Day in the Death" (if he doesn't have any breath, how can he talk?), Supernanny: "Tafoya Family" (liquid soap in the mouth is VERY BAD), and Robin Hood: "For England...!" (whoa, that one almost upset the apple cart).

Comics this week: JLA Classified #53 had Aquaman! And he did ok, as well! And there was even an "alternate" Aquaman! Happy happy Laura! Justice Society of America #13 was more Kingdom Come, and not enough of my favorite JSA characters. Eh. JSA Classified #35 was Wildcat and not much else. I don't mind Wildcat, but he's not my favorite of the JSA.

Moving on to other books, Fallen Angel #24 was just confusing to me. Why is V for Vendetta hanging out there? Doctor Who #1 is let down by the artwork. The story needed strong art in all the "talking bits", but it didn't get it. I hope the art is better in the next issue. PS238 #29 was great as usual. I've been a big fan of Tyler, but The Flea has me in near-hysterics half the time now as well.

This week's library movie was 300. What a crappy movie! Very stylish, very pretty in some ways, but s-l-o-w as molasses and without enough plot to support the action. How can you possibly make a movie about the Battle of Thermopylae that's this boring? I've read the graphic novel, I thought I knew what to expect, but this was just silly junk. Nice try, but not good at all.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

I started the week with The Arrival by Shaun Tan. If you have not read this book, find a copy and read it. Really, it's fantastic. It successfully manages to evoke the confusion and fear of someone leaving home and arriving in a strange country. And the artwork is simply amazing. The details make the book wonderful. Seriously, get yourself a copy through the library (like I did) or buy one. It's worth the read. Heck, this is probably the first book I ever opened, stopped on the endpapers, and had to study them for some time.

Ghosts, Critters & Sacred Places of Washington And Oregon II by Jefferson Davis is much like the previous volume. It's a collection of ghost tales with a few sacred places and strange critters thrown in. Again, a good book for kids interested in the paranormal. And this volume read much better than the previous one, now I know what to expect.

TV watching: Smallville: "Siren" (Justin Hartley is hot, otherwise boring), Classic Doctor Who: "The Horror of Fang Rock" (I love this story! Creepy tale set on a lighthouse), UFO Hunters (nah, not my thing), The Daily Show and the Colbert Report (return of the writers REALLY helped), American Gladiators (fun!), Ghost Hunters International: "Headless Haunting" (Fantastic locations! I want to visit that first citadel), Torchwood: "Adam" (that was intense, poor Ianto), Supernanny: "Daniels Family" (six kids is at least four too many, in my opinion (as the fifth child of seven)), Dinner: Impossible: "Robert & the Chocolate Factory" (mmm, chocolate), Ace of Cakes: "Mascots and Mice" (mmm, cake), and Torchwood: "Reset" (oh my, kicking it up a notch).

This week's library movie was Dreamgirls. You hardly have to watch this movie, just sit back and enjoy the music. In between the music, the movie itself is a good look at the music industry with all its up and downs. It runs a little long, but the music makes it seem a lot shorter. Definitely worth listening... er, watching. Especially if you want to see some incredible musical performances.

Hubby-Eric and I finished watching Sapphire and Steel: "The Railway Station". If nothing else, this makes me not want to go ghost hunting. Steel is really quite nasty, isn't he?

A note on Sapphire and Steel. Do not watch ANY of the episode commentaries until you've watched the whole series. They talk about future episodes and end up spoiling them. Argh!

For a Valentine treat, hubby-Eric put on the DVD of the Muppet Show Valentine special. It's on the Season Two DVD set. It was actually the first pilot for the Muppet Show, and shows some familiar characters mixed with ones who didn't pop up again. Crazy Harry appears as Crazy Donald (?!) and Kermit isn't the main man. Er, frog. I notice that Season Three of the Muppet Show is coming out in May. Gotta put that on my wish list!

This week's comic books! I read D's copy of Superman #673 and found it... well... normal. I like Chris, but I'm not sure what to think of his addition to the mythos. Moving on to Green Lantern Corps #21... I still don't like space adventures, and none of the Lanterns I like were in this one. It's a miss.

Another one that hasn't caught me yet is Wonder Woman #17. Again, it just hasn't got hooks into me. I want to like it. I'm giving it a couple more issues to convince me, but I just can't get excited about the character. JLA Classified #52 had lots of fighting and a little thinking. I'm more interested in the next issue, as the tiny preview cover seems to have an Aquaman in it.

A comic with not enough Aqualad in it was Tiny Titans #1. Even so, what I saw of Aqualad in this comic was WAY better than the ugly portrayal in Year One. I saw Astro City Special #2: Beautie described as Kurt Busiek's Barbie Fan Fiction, and giggled about that right up until I read it. At which point I was startled and pleased. It's good stuff. Note the dedication on the inside front cover, by the way.

Doctor Who Classics #3 was exactly what I expected, because I have read this story multiple times before. Again, the coloring is a great improvement over previous versions. And the story is still fun. I'm just impatient for the new stories, due at the end of the month now, according to a note I found on IDW's website. And lastly for this week, DMZ #28 was a bit of a letdown. I'm not sure what it was trying to say. I guess I need to reread it, but not right now. Too many other things going on this week.

I liked The Arrival by Shaun Tan so much I went to the library and picked up every other Shaun Tan book I could find. Memorial by Gary Crew and Shaun Tan is a sad little picture book about the fate of a tree planted in memory of soldiers who fought in WWI. The Viewer by Gary Crew and Shaun Tan is a frightening little tale of a viewmaster. Yes, a viewmaster. The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan is a tale that pounds you over the head with the idea that invasive species are bad and destroy everything. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan is a sweet little tale of how we lose our innocence. None of the four books live up to the sheer power of The Arrival, but they all have their high points. I think I probably liked The Lost Thing the most.

A Sunday Review

Hubby-Eric and I watched more of Sapphire and Steel: "The Railway Station". Nicely spooky. Very slow, deliberate pacing.

On television, I watched American Gladiators (but the TiVo cut it off!), Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (just to watch Guy eat), Ace of Cakes (mmmmm...cake), Ghost Hunters International: "Haunted Village" (Barry and Brian lost in the woods, almost worth watching it just for that), Colbert Report (had some good bits this week), Torchwood: "To the Last Man" (that was really heart-breaking), Robin Hood: "The Angel of Death" (catching up on this series), and Mythbusters: "Airplane on a Conveyor Belt" (Ok, I understand the whole plane thing. But the radiation myth was DISGUSTING).

A book I checked out from the library was Do Not Open by John Farndon. It looks like the perfect coffee table book. Something to have sitting around to pick up and read when you are waiting around. It's not a terribly good borrow from the library, though, because it is the kind of book you want to savor. I hope I someday get a copy as a gift, but for now I returned it to the library.

Another library book was Peach Fuzz Volume 2 by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges which continued the ferret-y fun. I'm really enjoying this series, and this I'll check out volume three as soon as it becomes available at the library. It also seems like it would be a good gift book for a pre-teen girl.

I finally broke through my "do not feel like reading comic books" barrier and caught up on a few titles. For superheroes: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual was an excellent Elseworlds tale. Wonder Woman just isn't holding my interest. Sorry WW fans. Checkmate #22 was good, I like the historical aspect. Justice League of America #17 made no sense. JLA Classified has a fairly decent story going in the last two issues. Superman/Batman #45 completely got Joseph wrong (Hint: he's not going by "Arthur" anymore (doesn't anyone actually read the books before writing a character?)). Green Lantern #27 had one really amusing bit, as in who was chosen as the Sinestro Lantern on Earth... heh. The Spirit had a couple of solid standalone issues.

And in non-mainstream books: The last couple issues of Witchblade have been extremely readable, with very little unclothed women. I wonder if my friend will drop it now, so I can't read any more now that I'm enjoying it. Castle Waiting #10 has a bit of mystery, and I'm feeling very impatient for the next issue. Usagi Yojimbo #109 had an ending that I didn't want, but totally expected. Enough with Jei already! And I also loved Amelia Rules #19. Family history is cool (my sister is posting family pics on Flickr, so I'm experiencing my own Family History lately, as well).

We attempted to watch Ratatouille as our movie of the week, but the library copy we got was scratched enough that it wouldn't play all the way through (in fact, it stops just as Remy gets into the kitchen). GRRRR. How much brains does it take to be smart enough to NOT ruin a library item? What's with people who damage library DVDs?

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.

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.

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.

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

I'm going to continue with my mini-capsules: one sentence per book (unless I feel like writing a bit more) with whether or not I recommend the book. I'm afraid my starfish ratings are probably gone for good.

11 October 2006

52 Week Twenty-Three: "The Island of Professor Morrow": I like the "seeing if it's contagious" bit. Mildly Recommended.

Green Lantern Corps #5: "The Hunt": Not interested in Guy. Natu's story is much more compelling, and it's back to the part of it that is so compelling. Mildly Recommended.

JLA Classified #28: "Secret History, Sacred Trust, Part Three": Huh. I didn't expect Aquaman to do that. The chat with the president was fine, but the rest. Huh. Mildly Recommended.

Powers #20: Wow, that ending was a bit more intense than I was expecting. Mildly Recommended.

Phantom #12: "Tiger's Blood, Part One": The art is a wee bit too sketchy for me, but the story is fine. Mildly Recommended.

DMZ #12: "Guide to the DMZ": The ads really detract from this issue, as it's sometimes really difficult to tell the ads apart from the content. Mildly Recommended.