A Sunday Comic Books Review

Here are quick and simple reviews of some comic book series that I've gotten around to reading:

• Naomi #1-6 - I really enjoyed this series. I like Naomi, I like how she's very much her generation, right down to the "gotta see the superhero" stuff. I like that she's practical about suddenly having powers. I like the back-story. I just enjoyed this a lot. Good artwork, fun concept, a new character with a fairly unique origin in many ways - just an all-around fun book to read. I'm looking forward to her future appearances and seeing how she is fleshed out as a superhero.
• Wonder Twins #1-12 - I really didn't know what to expect from this series. I was slightly afraid it would go grim and gritty, but fortunately that didn't happen at all. Instead, it was silly with an underlying pathos that gave it enough depth to enjoy on multiple levels. I'm still grinning about "Thunderlust", but also feel for Jayna's pain and worry for the world and her friendships. The connection to the regular DC Universe seemed odd at first, but I managed to justify it with the idea that this is the way Zan and Jayna see the heroes they are working with, not the way the rest of the world sees them. There are flaws, but overall this is an excellent series worth a read.
• Dial H for Hero #1-12 - For me, the Dial H series are all hit-and-miss. I like some bits and hate others. This one rubbed me the wrong way a lot of times, with the Robby Reed gee whiz nonsense. Good concepts, but the writing felt off. As I learned about Mister Thunderbolt's plan, it seemed oddly familiar. Then I realized it was the concept behind the DC Universe Online game, in which a future Lex Luthor jumps back in time to seed the Earth with "exobytes" that trigger superpowers in most of the population (thus allowing the players of the game to have superpowers). Mister Thunderbolt just wanted to do the same thing to everyone in the Multiverse. So, yeah. It didn't seem all that much original an idea to me. The only thing I really disliked was the constant pausing for "origin stories" that I wasn't interested in at all. I know, it's a fun thing and everyone loves it - except me. I just want to read the story, not another boring origin of a character that I won't see again after five pages. I wasn't sure what to think of Miguel's story, but I liked Summer quite a bit. Not my favorite of the Wonder Comics series, but not too bad.
• Young Justice #1-12 - Everything in Wonder Comics comes together as Young Justice is re-formed with all new characters (I love Jinny) and some older stalwarts. I really liked this, even though the sheer number of characters was slightly too many and I have no interest at all in Gemworld. Seeing Conner again was nice, and I'm very interested in the mystery of why Robin cannot remember the team. The whole "lost in the Multiverse" bit was great fun, until it wasn't. The Kingdom Come universe was pretty scary in its implications. I loved how Naomi, the Wonder Twins and eventually the Dial H kids joined the team at the end of the first arc. Definitely looking forward to more from this group, and I hope DC keeps it going for awhile.

A Sunday Comic Books Review

Here are quick and simple reviews of some comic book series that I've gotten around to reading:

• Aquaman #43-49 - Reading and rereading through this storyarc was fun. It definitely has a different feel when reading it all at once. I'm not sure I like the whole dying and rebirth thing. I'm kind of tired of Aquaman dying. But I can overlook that and enjoy the tale for what it is. I like the introduction of the sea gods and the mythology presented there. I don't think Arthur's reaction to learning about the pregnancy was particularly correct for his story, and Mera's reaction was over-the-top stupid, but again, I'll overlook it for the sake of the story. Everything else seemed pretty spot on. Having him return with a whole new set of super-powered beings to his home in Amnesty Bay was an interesting twist I really wasn't expecting at all, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this works out with the locals. Good stuff.
• Aquaman Giant #1-3 - Almost no new material, but a very good selection of old material. I notice the new stories are also being reprinted as "digital first" in Aquaman: Deep Dives. The new stuff is mostly standalone, but the older stories are connected, which might make them difficult for new readers, which I'm guessing these are aimed at. I'm not sure how I feel about it all, but I applaud DC for the effort of making these.
• Heroes in Crisis #1-9 - A mini-series with a mystery at its center. I liked the mystery, but the rest of the series - especially the deaths - was not really my cuppa. As a superhero story, I felt it lacked a lot. It's a good concept - superheroes are as vulnerable to PTSD as anyone else and a place for them to recover is good. But the very very very slow revelation of the story didn't work well for me. The first three or four issues were almost unneeded and could have been combined into one book. The series really didn't pick up until the reveal of the true culprit. The very strange "team-up" of Harley Quinn and Booster Gold was one of the few things I actually liked about the series, as the two of them do play off each other nicely. But the relationship alone wasn't enough to really sustain the book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't feel I gained much from reading it.
• Martian Manhunter #1-12 - Wow, I really hated trying to read this book. The art was very much not my bag, and the way it was written turned me off immediately and kept me from enjoying the story. There were some great concepts presented, but I couldn't get past the art, which (apologies to the artist) looked like a caricature artist fell off a truck and then kept drawing with a broken hand. Not a style I enjoy at all. Add in a color palette that made me nauseous just looking at it, and I just did not like this series at all. I struggled to read it and was relieved when I was through it. I only finished it in the hopes that it would get better. It didn't.
• Scooby Apocalypse, last few issues/series as a whole - There were moments I didn't like this series, and moments I really enjoyed it. Overall, it was a mixed bag but a lot of fun to take characters that I was familiar with for all my life and turn them into Elseworlds versions that actually endured drama and pain instead of simple mystery solving. Was it standard Scooby-Doo? Heck no. But it was a fun ride for all that. I enjoyed it for what it was and not for what it was based on. The ending was decent, although a little pat. The sheer trauma of the whole event would certainly cause more problems in the future, so the optimism seemed a little thick. But overall, an interesting experiment in storytelling. Not bad at all.
• The Green Lantern #1-12 - I'm afraid I've never been a big fan of Grant Morrison's writing. His ideas are lovely, but the execution often leaves me a bit cold. This series follows the usual pattern. I like the concepts, but the writing and the flow bother me a bit and I'm just not as into it as other folks. The art was gorgeous for most of the series, but the writing - meh. I would love to say it was mind-blowing and all that, but I couldn't connect with the story enough at times for it to actually blow up my mind. This is not the fault of Morrison - this is just an incompatibility between myself and his writing. I'm guessing a lot of other people loved this intensely. Good for them.
• Green Lantern: Blackstars #1-3 - Morrison. Not really my thing. I can't really say much more without being mean, I think. Fun little concept, but I just could not get into the story. I think I'll move on to the next series.

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:

• Nov 21st
• Aquaman #42 - Huh. A neat little tie-in to the boring and way too long Justice League story, in which Arthur, once again, explores his emotional well-being. I've read so many of these types of stories over the years, and this is probably one of the more interestingly framed versions. I'm not totally excited about it, but it isn't too bad. I just wish the crossover wasn't so long.
• Justice League #12 - A very Aqua-centric issue, with Mera, Aquaman and Manta all getting lots of screen time. Sadly, the story is just boring me now, and I just want it to end. Oh, there's a bit of a turnaround here, but it's a few issues too late. I guess I've read too many Golden Age stories now to enjoy the severe decompression of modern comics.
• Teen Titans Go #31 - Origami... the dangerous art. I love it. The idea of paper beating rock in the Titans context is too amusing, remarkably stupid and wonderful. And hey, the second story had an Aquaman cameo, so all is well.
• Doctor Strange #8 - He really is a piece of work, and it's nice to see someone tell him that to his face. I just feel sorry for Bats accidentally spilling the beans.
• Shuri #2 - As this has to fit into an existing canon of Shuri's adventures in the comics, there is a bit here that I don't quite understand. That said, what I did "get" I liked, and I want to see more of the ancestors and everything. Which may not happen right away, based on that wallop of a cliffhanger.

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:

• Nov 7th
• Justice League #11 - The art is good, but the story continues to disappoint me. Oh, there are some good twists and turns in this one, but I'm actually really tired of stories that go on too long with repeated failures on the part of the heroes that seem fabricated to extend the story instead of tell a rollicking good tale. And this one just doesn't have enough rollick for me. The art is lovely, but I wish the crossover had ended in this issue.
• Green Lantern #1 - Another good art, story weak, book for me. I love the art. But I've never been a fan of cosmic stories in DC or Marvel, and this just isn't my thing. At least it's better than the last GL book.
• Doctor Strange #7 - I'm not really sure if I enjoyed it or not. I mean, it moved the story along and the ghost dog is keeping me from being completely bored, but it wasn't really fantastic. I guess I'll just keep reading and see if it gets more interesting.
• The Wrong Earth #3 - I wonder if Dragonflyman is worried about what his counterpart is up to, or if the culture shock has kept him from that particular horror yet. As usual, an extremely good issue with lots of stuff, including a back-up story featuring Stinger and three text pieces that were all decent.


• Nov 14th
• Plastic Man #6 - That's just such a Plastic Man way of solving the problem that I can hardly believe no one had already written it in exactly the same way. I mean, it just works for him. And he even managed to get his head out of his... um... posterior by the end of the book as well. Good stuff.
• Scooby Apocalypse #31 - Ouch. This whole book has been insane from the start, but now that Fred is sort of back, it's just kicked up a notch. Add in that we know who is talking to Scrappy now, and it's almost too much. I'm really eager to see how this whole story ends. At least Scooby is able to still be Scooby despite his improvement to his implants.
• Fantastic Four #3 - Well, that was interesting. If the enemy cannot be defeated, delay it? I was amused by all the cameos in this one, particularly the "non-canon" ones. Overall, an excellent little issue with lots of fun stuff happening.
• Captain Ginger #2 - This one ended too soon for me. I wanted to keep reading. The structure of the ship and the feline societies on it are fascinating. I want to see how they are going to solve these problems. The Hashtag: Danger backup was ok, but even goofier than I like. The text pieces, two stories and an interview, were also great. Another solid package.
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! # - Of the five main stories this issue presents, I was familiar with four of them. So, again, this wasn't all new to me. On the other hand, the presentation is SO good, and the stories so compelling, that I didn't mind reading again about some of those odd tales. This is a great book for anyone interested in the strange, and would be a lovely introduction to the world of Fortean phenomena. I recommend giving it to every child in your life.
• Dr Horrible: Best Friends Forever one-shot - Wow, whew. Ok, that was not entirely what I was expecting. On the other hand, it was funny and touching and worked well for what it was worth. You don't even have to be particularly familiar with the original Dr. Horrible to understand it, although it helps.

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:

• Oct 24th
• Titans #28 - A Drowned Earth tie-in, with Garth as a main character. The Heroes in Crisis storyline feeds into this one as well, since Titans apparently died in that (hard for me to take any superhero death seriously, sorry). It took me WAY too long to figure out who Steel was, otherwise it was a mostly ok story with some good moments. It showed Garth's powers and referenced the Titans as they were, so I thought it was decent.
• Batman Beyond #25 - This is a perfect jump-on issue, with lots of backstory and explanation of what has been happening in this version of the DCU to get to this tale. A little bit of classic Batman along with the new, and lots of references to the past. A good one to pick up if you just want to know what Batman Beyond is about.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43 - Thanks to watching the Doom Patrol show, I knew what was happening when the Mystery Machine ended up on Danny the Street. It also gave me a good idea of what was happening throughout the rest of the book. I'm not sure if this is the strangest team-up these guys have done, but it's definitely odd.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 #2 - Um. Wow. Ok. That was remarkably confusing and a whole lotta fun. I'm not entirely sure what I was reading there, but by the end I was just enjoying the ride and ignoring the plot, such as it is. I suspect fans of MST3K would enjoy this, as would fans of old comic books.
• Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3 - Oh, I had a feeling about that dog. I didn't have the advantage the Wise Dogs had, though, of being able to smell him as well. Still, I had a distinct feeling, no doubt based on subtle clues the artist and writer provided, that they were walking into a trap. And it turns out they knew it, too. So how is this going to play out? I can hardly wait for the next issue.
• Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #7 - And Sakai nails the landing. This final issue was mostly one big battle over a book, but OH what a battle. And what an outcome! I never suspected, not even for a moment, that final revelation. Of course, if anyone could have pulled it off, it would have been Ishida. Wow. Fantastic. Get this series.


• Oct 31st
• Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth #1 - I want to like this. It's a crossover featuring Mera! But, it's really not that great. The art is weak and the plot is depressing. There's just not a lot here for me to enjoy beyond Aquaman and Mera. There's even a timing conflict with Titans. I'm tired of stories that are about world-threatening horrors. I just want GOOD stories.
• Heroes in Crisis #2 - Yeah, so when I read the first issue I didn't register who had died. And I'm still not sure who was supposed to have perished. And some big part of me rejects this entire storyline, because the heroes/villains supposedly killed off will no doubt be back soon enough. So I'm just not sure how to react to this thing. I just find myself sighing and hoping it leads to some interesting story, because so far I'm not impressed. Um, is it mean of me to say Lagoon Boy's death is no big loss to the DCU?
• Green Lantern/Huckleberry Hound Special #1 - I really don't know what kind of story I was expecting with a crossover like this, but it was NOT this story. This was excellent. Huckleberry Hound was less a character than a sounding board, but it made for a good story anyway. I don't really know that much about John Stewart's Green Lantern, so I don't know how much of this is canon in the current DCU, but it worked as a story and it worked for the character. Good stuff. I did not read the back-up story.
• Archie Meets Batman '66 #4 - This is a stark contrast to the dreary Archie 1941 that I'm also reading. But then, anything involving Batman '66 has always been great, particularly when Jeff Parker is writing it. This issue gets Batman/Bruce Wayne into Riverdale and also shows off how resilient Jughead, of all people, actually is. And no, that's not the Bat-signal. I never thought I'd see a Jughead signal.
• Stranger Things #2 - Oh man. When I watched the first season, I wondered how Will had survived there. This comic series gives some answers, and shows how it looked from Will's side. It's terrifying. I really need to go watch the second and third seasons some time, too.
• Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Terror #1 - I am not a big horror fan - at least not of gory or gross horror. Thus, the first story in this book really does absolutely nothing for me. The second story made me squee, though, using certain iconic characters the way it did. Now, full disclosure, I planned to only order The Wrong Earth and Captain Ginger from Ahoy Comics, because they were the two that appealed to me. This book got added to my list only because they accepted a story from me, and it was due to be printed in an issue of this title. So I figured I had better read the whole series. Despite not really enjoying the, um, atmosphere of the first story, I'm glad I got it. It may not be completely my cuppa, but it's certainly not bad.

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:

• Oct 10th
• Plastic Man #5 - Greatest cover ever. And the first page summary confirms what I thought I knew about the previous issues. Of course, that's all turned upside-over on the next page, but what do you expect from Plastic Man. This is a fun issue that sort of pushes a reset button. Now how can this all get wrapped up in one final issue?
• Scooby Apocalypse #30 - Of all the changes in characters, the one that I can't abide is Scooby becoming eloquent? Ok, right, that's just strange beyond any normal level of strangeness. As for Daphne, this doesn't look good for her. And what is going on with Scrappy? Who has he been obeying all this time?
• The Wrong Earth #2 - Wow. This is way better than I was expecting for a second issue. I honestly expected the hero to wonder what happened, not to figure it out immediately and then work out how to deal with it - but it makes perfect sense. This is a very smart hero in both universes. The pathos of Dragonfly while talking to Stinger was great. And Dragonflyman showed he's more sinister than he lets on. Three good single-page text tales, a fun little back-up comic... almost too much to handle. Well worth checking out.
• SpongeBob Comics #85 - A typical issue. I liked the opening story, in which Sandy solves a problem she couldn't have known existed. Otherwise, just the usual fun.


• Oct 17th
• Justice League #10 - Ah. An Aquaman-heavy issue. I'm still not in the least bit interested in the overall arc, but there's a handful of interesting bits in this, including the history of Arion. The art is very nice. Of course, it's the start of another crossover, which is annoying, but that's what you get if you read comic books.
• Aquaman #41 - Following on directly from the Justice League story, this is all about Mera handling her second big crisis as Queen (if you count the Suicide Squad and their nuke as the first). There's a lot of set-up in here, but it's done as the story progresses, which makes it nicely readable. Mera comes across as determined, smart, and strong. Right up until the final pages, at which point I'm questioning her judgement. I'm not sure about this crossover, but I'm interested in what happens to Mera.
• Green Lanterns #57 - Oh thank goodness. It ended.
• Shuri #1 - I literally know NOTHING about Black Panther beyond the movie. It's not a character I ever found interesting. But after seeing the movie, Shuri was someone I wanted to know better. And so we ordered this series. Bonus was the author, whose other work I like. So, it's a solid little first issue with enough context given in the usual Marvel ways that I understood what was happening. I do wonder about the situation with T'Challa and his buddy, though. This ought to be a fun ride.
• Archie 1941 #2 - I want to like this, but it's moving WAY too slow for my tastes. I mean, it's only five issues and Archie finally bothers to enlist at the END of the second issue? I'm just not sure what to think.
• Captain Ginger #1 - I didn't know what to expect with this, except cats. In space. And that's what I got. Lots of cats in space, dealing with the death of their feeders and in a war with a mysterious species. It's a strange story and definitely caught my imagination. Like all Ahoy comics, it's a bulging package, with text tales and interviews and extras. Definitely worth checking out if you like cats and/or space adventure.