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:

• Feb 14th
• Scooby Apocalypse #22 - Shop til you drop, indeed. I'm mildly amused by the situation in the mall, but happy with the interactions between the characters. And interested to see what kind of fort they can build in a mall infested with literal shopping monsters. My only fear, that this book loses its motivation after Velma finds there is no cure, might have been premature.
• Titans #20 - Only one mention of Garth. Most of this issue is about Roy and his ... mistakes. While it's interesting in its way, it's also not really my cuppa. Now, if Lian showed up... then I might be interested.
• Spongebob Comics #77 - And the singing voice comes through in the end! I didn't get much of Mermaid Man in this one, although he's mentioned, but it was fun anyway.
• Feb 21st
• Aquaman #33 - Ooooh, I love a happy ending. And this is basically the ending of a long story arc involving the potential death of Mera. Of course, there's still more to it - from Rath and the crown to Mera's own mini-series. It feels kind of odd to be reading this for the first time after I've seen the Aquaman movie *and* played the DC Universe Online DLC based on it. Still, good stuff. Nicely paced, good art, and the aforementioned happy ending.
• Justice League #39 - I still can't figure out what is going on in this book, but at least we got a good set of pages with Aquaman in a desert - something that writers cannot resist - and the "origin" of his current outfit. Maybe this will all make sense when the story arc is done.
• Green Lanterns #41 - Some detective work and police work to get a location to save low-level heroes from a horrible fate. Not a bad issue. I'm still wondering about those tech people in the previous issue. And I'm amused at the ongoing subplot/joke about dating apps.
• Wonder Woman/Conan #6 - That was a nice ending to an interesting and strange crossover. Yeah, it was yet another battle scene, but not exactly what I was expecting. Also, the echoes idea, of people showing up again, was a nice little nod at reincarnation in the DCU/Conanverse. Fun stuff. I liked this mini, overall.
• Teen Titans Go #26 - Existentialist Philosopher Cosplay. Ok. First story is about coffee, second is about a new sensational toy that exercises the foot. As always with this book, a lot of it is fun although gross, and what isn't fun is silly enough to roll your eyes at. I just have to remember that I'm not really in the target audience and leave it at that.
• Feb 28th
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1 - Oh yeah. Mera has always been a power in her own right (when I first learned of her, I wondered why the writers would give Aquaman a love interest so much more powerful than he is) and this is a good introduction to the complicated life she's been submerged into. I love the way Abnett gave every bit of context anyone might need. And the inclusion of Orm is an interesting touch. Great issue.
• Batman Beyond #17 - Is it old home week in this book? Payback, Stalker, and then Ten? Lots of interesting things happening, in any case, but it's mostly just one long battle sequence with hints thrown in. Decent, but not fantastic.
• Teen Titans #17 - Very much a Beast Boy story. I felt like Jackson was a little out-of-character, talking more than usual and trying to fill in for Gar. But the plot caught my attention and I'm curious to see what this "bleeding-edge" tech will do.
• Scooby-Doo Team Up #35 - Yogi Bear. I suppose if we have talking dogs, talking bears are fine too. I seem to recall getting rather bored with Yogi fairly quickly because he's a one-trick pony - but this story uses that one-trick to its advantage by making Yogi not guilty. And there's a ghost, too, you know. Crazy stuff.
• Doctor Strange #386 - I'm pretty sure I missed an issue of this, but there was a crossover and a mini-series, so maybe it's just naturally abstruse. Whatever, I'm not really following the story very well. Maybe it'll get better.
• Rough Riders: Ride or Die #1 - You know, of all the personalities they could have brought into this book, that's not one that ever came to mind. I think I'm going to like this mini-series. Of course, if you haven't read the previous ones, this will make absolutely no sense whatsoever, so go find the first book and read them all before jumping into this one.
• Doctor Who Comics
• Torchwood: The Culling #1 (3.1) - If I'm reading this right... a vervoid/human clone with the genetics of both Gwen and Jack, running around trying to figure out what it is going to do next and possibly causing great damage as it goes? Or maybe I'm just reading it wrong.
• Torchwood: The Culling #2 (3.2) - Apparently I wasn't reading it wrong. And now the team is on the way to find the clone - which poses serious problems because it kills on touch and even just with contact with its bodily fluids. So this is going to be a difficult trip.
• Torchwood: The Culling #3 (3.3) - Ah. Very useful to have both a roboty thing and a human who cannot die along with you when you are facing problems with contaminated ground that will kill at a touch. But why is the ground still connected to the clone? It's all very confusing.
• Torchwood: The Culling #4 (3.4) - So, the clone is human after all, and Gwen can go back to her family and all is good. But I have an issue with Torchwood comics: Every time I read a Torchwood comic book I feel like I'm missing at least half the story.

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:

• Jan 17th
• Aquaman #32 - It took a whole issue of talking and maneuvering, but finally Aquaman is doing what he ought to have done in the first place. I'm loving the intensity of his attack, but the set-up for that final splash has me wondering if he is, in fact, going it alone. Nicely done, and a great cliff-hanger. I have GOT to catch up with this book.
• Justice League #37 - So they sort of set a trap for a fanboy who has already set a trap for them but what are they going to do with the fanboy, who isn't quite done, by that final splash page? I continue to be a little thrown off by the compressed storytelling. I was amused by Aquaman's look in this one. Clearly Bruce designed the costume.
• Green Lanterns #39 - A happy ending to a difficult storyline. I like the idea of the people realizing they need to help the refugees even as they are being told to kill them... I wish it were not fiction. There's a set-up for a future storyline there, at the end, as well. Pretty good.
• Bombshells United #10 - The price of immortality. This is going to have a sad ending, but at least they got more time with him.
• Wonder Woman/Conan #5 - That is definitely not the end of the story, not with Conan left holding the Golden Lasso. But I'm not sure how this story can end, because it's really gotten wrapped up in itself. But, oddly, at least everything makes a sort of sense now.
• Doctor Strange #384 - Ok, so let me get this straight. Stephen and Wong have got an immortal to pay the price for Strange's magic, while Loki is still trying to get into doors he really ought to be running as far away from as fast as he can? Nice. I'm not sure what The Void is, but I'm sure I'll learn.
• Back To The Future #25 - Well, that was the end of the series. It wasn't entirely satisfactory in the sense that I'd love to see a lot more issues, but knowing the Time Train mini is also coming out eases the sadness at losing this. I did enjoy this title, and wouldn't mind seeing more.

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:

• Dec 6th
• Justice League #34 - Huh. This is basically a Batman story, with the Justice League serving as back-up to his break-down. It seems Bruce has been burning the candle at both ends too long and isn't doing too hot, leading to him screwing up. And when Batman screws up, people die. While I get Superman saying it was a good day, Bruce had Aquaman driving a frickin' bus instead of dealing with a natural disaster at a seaside town. That's not like him. But hey, Aquaman looks GREAT as a bus driver.
• Green Lanterns #36 - Oh, the trial set-up. This wasn't as great a story as I was hoping for - the bluffing bad guy did his bad thing and we got a little insight into Jessica's continuing fight against her fears - but it didn't feel quite complete to me. I guess that's due to the set-up of the villain. She was truly frightening and not really something those two could have beaten, I think. If it had gone down to them having to fight Singularity Jain for any length of time, she would have won. I just hope the rest of the Corps recognizes the danger so if Singularity Jain shows up again they have a plan.
• Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #2 - A little bit of confusion in my head between this version and the television show, but not so much it hurts. I wish I'd read more of the original Black Lightning, then I might have a much better idea of the supporting cast, and possibly would enjoy it more. Even with that lack of certainty, it's still a very good book with a plot that is more than promising and a cliffhanger that is heartbreaking.
• DC Holiday Special 2017 - Oh joy, another anthology, this one with eleven stories. Let's see... Batman in a revenge story, Green Arrow as Santa, a Sgt. Rock tale of the light of life lasting eight nights against the odds, The Flash helping out stranded travelers, Deathstroke and his family being Deathstroke-y, the Atomic Knights handle sentient plants, Teen Titans face a literal ghost of Christmas Past, the Swamp Thing brings hope to the desperate, and Wonder Woman and Batman celebrate the Solstice together. The whole thing is tied together by a framing story starring Clark Kent, Bibbo, and Constantine. And there's a bonus classic Neal Adams story featuring Batman singing Christmas Carols while his spirit moves through the city. None of the stories struck me as great, but none were particularly bad, either.
• Bombshells United #7 - Black Adam replacing Franco in Spain? That's really disturbing on a whole lotta levels. And now he's searching for some secret arcane power that is somewhere under the ground. Batgirl really has her work cut out for her. It almost seems unfair to put her up against Black Adam, but I suspect Black Adam is the one who isn't going to like the end result of this one.
• Doctor Strange #382 - Stephen Strange just can't help using the people around him, can he? And thanks to that horrible tendency, he's not only put Zelma in trouble, but apparently everyone in the world. Good job, Doctor Strange. Your ego continues to cause harm.
• Usagi Yojimbo #164 - Another good issue, and it links several other Inspector Ishida stories from the past, setting up a much bigger story that also worked in each individual chunk. I love the moment that Ishida is attempting arrests and everyone vanishes. I'm also with Usagi that I'm liking the Robin Hood character quite a bit. Not a killer, but definitely a character.
• Dec 13th
• Titans #18 - Well, that was an abrupt ending. I kind of expected this story to continue for another five issues and include some sort of crossover. In fact, when Kid Flash raced off, I was sure that was a signal that a crossover was in the works. But then... it's over. A surprise, how quickly Donna took care of business once it occurred to her that she was equal in power.
• Scooby Apocalypse #20 - Well, that's it for the story, then, right? Velma says there isn't a cure so that's the end of the world. Daphne admits that she might have been wrong and that if she dares to believe she was wrong she will be wracked by guilt. And it's Christmas. Wow. I really have to wonder where the series will go from here, since the hunt for a cure was the big force driving the group forward.
• Spongebob Comics #75 - Hey, there's a tiny Mermaid Man appearance! Yay. The first story is a long-form Kochalka story, which means this issue feels surreal from the start. Kochalka even wrote the Mermaid Man short (half a page) but the art was by Jerry Ordway. I think my brain is broken by all of it. In a good way.
• Dec 20th
• Aquaman #31 - So Corum Rath has a final solution in mind, with the goal of getting rid of all the people in Atlantis who have been "sea changed", which frankly is a lovely way to introduce the idea of that type of mutation. In fact, this whole storyline has been dealing with a really problematic part of the nature of DC's Atlantis introduced thoughtlessly some time ago. In a society as xenophobic as this one, how could creatures that were not quite "human" live in Atlantis? The answer is that they sort of didn't - they were living below and outside the main city and they were mutated, probably by the same magics that created the mer-people of the other main Atlantean city. We know it's easy for racists to ignore people they hate - that seems to be what happened to Atlantis right up until Rath took over and decided to fence all of them in, and kill the ones he doesn't like. It works. I still have many questions, but it works as a story.
• Justice League #35 - I loved the Spanish bit with Jessica. I loved even more that I understood most of it. I need to snag some comics in Spanish, I think. It would give me more of a motive to read and try to understand. I wonder if Aquaman has been translated to Spanish? *ahem* The story was a little strange, but not bad. The underlying horror of Wonder Woman's sword having been used to kill a nun was clearly still a theme of this issue, but finding and getting rid of the bug was a fun plot. A decent issue.
• Green Lanterns #37 - Acting as a strong leader, the Podfather of the Molites not only shielded the Ungaran teenagers after they murdered the children of his people, he also took the blame for the crime that started it all. I just wonder how Baz is going to react now that he knows what started it and who is responsible. I also wonder if she changed after facing the hate of the crowd, or if she's going to try to convince Baz to join her.
• Bombshells United #8 - A Lazarus Pit. Is that what Black Adam is looking for? And who would Cheetah have brought back to life? I'm also more than a little curious about Batgirl's injury. Why did her eyes glow?
• Teen Titans Go #25 - This is definitely the Holiday special, with a truly bizarre Chanukah story that really made no sense whatsoever, unless Colossal Boy was just teasing the Teen Titans and they were stupid enough to fall for it. The Christmas story makes MUCH more sense, and even has a reference to the Neal Adams story in the anthology. Fun, but as always I know I'm not the target audience for this book.
• Wonder Woman/Conan #4 - Ah. So Yanna was stabbed, and Conan's desire to look at Wonder Woman's breast is to see if the scar is there. Got it. Lots of history in this book, mostly focusing on Conan. The mirror trick for Wonder Woman was a bit disturbing, but perhaps the crow was telling the truth about the lasso. If so, it would certainly give Diana the answers she needs.
• Doctor Strange #383 - So we finally find out why Loki is Sorceror Supreme. I'm not sure I buy it, but then there are horrible huge threats hovering over all the various universes in comics. Justice League has been hearing about a new threat for ages, and the Vishanti apparently decided that Loki would be a better solution to some major threat to the Marvel U. I was surprised to see Stephen go to the World Tree and make sure a perfect (and sad) offering. I wonder if this new power will be enough for what he wants to do?
• Dec 27th
• Teen Titans #15 - Oh, great. It's the third part of a crossover. I started to read and realized I had no idea what was happening. Annoying, DC. There isn't even a "previously" text box to give me some idea of who this new character is and why he's there. So, as far as I can figure, some version of Tim Drake wandered in from another universe and is trying to kill Jon Kent/Superboy. The Titans are divided on whether or not to help Drake find Superboy and Damian. But Aqualad knows exactly where they are thanks to his powers. And... that's it. If there's more story, we're not going to see it in this book. Which makes it really annoying. I buy titles to get complete stories, not a tiny portion of a larger story which to read I'd have to buy three or four other issues of books I don't read because I'm not interested in them. I hate crossovers. They basically mean I wasted my money on an incomplete story. I always feel cheated when publishers pull this crap.
• Batman Beyond #15 - It looks like Matt has some plans for his future. What is the appeal of being a superhero in Gotham? I'd want to move away, personally. And Stalker has a very good reason to make a deal, but if he'd just looked for Batman *first* he probably would have gotten and even better deal - like assistance in making the fields produce food again to make his home self-sufficient.
• Scooby Doo Team Up #33 - I've never been a big fan of the Legion of Super-heroes, but it's pretty funny to see them bringing in the "expert" help of the Scooby-Doo team to solve a haunting in their headquarters. Brainiac is as obnoxious as ever, and the team does a nice job of solving the problem through elimination and logic. And a few screams and run-aways by Shaggy and Scooby.
• Usagi Yojimbo #165 - I have a sneaking suspicion I know exactly who the Master is, as he's been properly introduced as a jerk... and has ordered Inspector Ishida to stop inspecting the crime that would involve him. It will be fun to see how this plays out.
• Back To The Future: Tales from the Time Train #1 - A nice introductory story with some fun side trips, introducing readers to the idea that Doc Brown and his family are going to be time tourists for a bit. A solid start with some action and some familiar moments.
• The Tick 2017 #2 - Wow, we're learning all kinds of things about the Tick in this. He has a whole history before he lived in the city, and the proof is in the people who recognize him (no one could forget him, right?). And he can play the piano? And apparently has a very close female friend? Wow. This is a side of the character we've never seen before. I'm really enjoying this book.

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 1st
• Justice League #32 - More of the Bat-crossover, Metal. Aquaman is up against AquaBatWoman, and apparently a massively mutated and massive Mera. Other than that? A lot of set up for an impossible situation to be continued in another book that I no longer read. Bleh. I hate these kind of crossovers that all too often infect superhero comics.
• Green Lanterns #34 - On the one hand, people who believe strongly in religions don't often switch so quickly... on the other hand, they were witnessing their world falling apart. So I guess even though Jessica's speech was cheesy, it was something to cling to. Lots of setup for future issues in this one, as well.
• Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1 - Hubby and I are watching the television show, but this is the first version of the comic I've read. I've known about Black Lightning for many years. I was disgusted to learn why the Super Friends version was renamed, and I'm happy Tony Isabella is finally getting his due for this character. It's kind of hard for me to simply judge this comic out of the context of how I learned about the history of the character... which is why I've included all that information. With all that said, I really enjoyed this. It isn't completely perfect, but it's a strong set up and it makes me want to read more, so that's all good. I believe this is a mini-series, but I would like to see this character with an ongoing some time.
• Bombshells United #5 - So, in the end, in the Bombshells universe the internment of the Japanese did not happen because a handful of people stood against it, then convinced more to stand, and using magic convinced even more. It's a nice dream, but as Dawnstar notes, it's not the history of every universe.
• Usagi Yojimbo #163 - Foul murder and the frame up of a Robin Hood ninja. The usual mess of gang intrigue and no honor among thugs is combined with some possibly bigger problems. As usual, this is a great story with fun new characters and two solid favorites. I quite like Nezumi. He seems to be a sensible thief, all things considered. Another solid issue of the most dependable comic book on the market.
• Nov 8th
• Titans #17 - Wowsa. A lot of history packed in there. Donna, I'm sure, has no problem with "wasting" that amount of time. But I have to wonder what else happened to Troia beyond simply outliving her friends that turned her into that sort of monster. Fate is cruel, but Donna isn't that person. Wowsa. Lots to think about here. Could simply watching everyone you've ever known and loved die off while you persist turn you into a killer? Ok, so there's her nature already, not human, but still!
• Scooby Apocalypse #19 - Oh, now this is one that really hurts. Adults being what they are, they didn't listen when Cliffy told them the truth. And Daphne is a little too trigger-happy for my tastes. Cliffy is going to be a really interesting character should he survive much longer. No, this isn't my childhood Scooby-Doo, but I'm really loving this book.
• Spongebob Comics #74 - No Mermaid Man, and the Pirates really seem to have vacated the place. This issue was all about friendship - and took the usual SpongeBob approach to the subject. I'm not entirely sure how Squidward survived, to be honest. All-in-all, a fun little issue.
• Nov 15th
• Aquaman #30 - A nicely balanced issue, with just enough movement on all the storylines. The consequences of Mera's damaged necklace, the guilt of Tempest, the continued mish-mash of Atlantis' underworld, and of course the main story of the battle between Aquaman and Rath. My one quibble is that King Shark really seems to prefer surface life to living underwater, and I wasn't aware before that he got caught in the city. But if he happened to be in town when it all went down, it's reasonable that he would become an underworld leader. Up next appears to be the annual. Good stuff, and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
• Justice League #33 - More of the Metal crossover, which means I don't understand everything that's going on because I didn't purchase the crossover or the many tie-ins. From this sample, I don't regret my decision. There's an evil Joker/Batman thing, and the league were captured but Cyborg busts them loose. Sort of. Aquaman is there but doesn't do a lot. So I'm fairly meh about the whole thing.
• Green Lanterns #35 - Blustering idiot doesn't know how to contact Green Lanterns except by annoying them with threats and damage. Lovely. An ok issue, but I'm not sure Jessica is likely to still have a job after that incident.
• Bombshells United #6 - I'm not really sure what this one was all about. It seems to be mostly a lot of set-up for future stories, and the introduction of new characters to this universe. At least there was a one-panel appearance of Mera and Arthur.
• Wonder Woman/Conan #3 - Not good at following orders? Who would've thunk it. The crows are getting more excitement than they bargained for, which really ought to please them in the end. I mean, they're bored and just want something exciting, right?
• Doctor Strange #381 - Loki? Really? I mean, I'm not exactly a hater on Loki, but I was hoping for some stories about, you know, Doctor Strange. Hopefully this will be a short storyline.
• Nov 22nd
• Teen Titans #14 - Titans to the rescue! There to save Damian's worthless butt. I like Emiko, but man, somebody needs to smack Damian around a bit, mentally. I'm kind of hoping that final revelation is going to be the act of smacking.
• Batman Beyond #14 - Well, the Royal Flush Gang is back in action and as annoying as ever (in that good, goofy way). It's also nice to see Terry getting his life back in gear now that Dana is aware of why he's a lying liar. As an aside, I wonder if one of the reasons I like Aquaman is because he never really had a secret identity and thus never had to lie to everyone?
• Astro City #49 - Oh man, that's one of those intense little stories about family and superpowers that I wasn't expecting to hit quite as hard as it did. Once she realized there was no possibility of him being alive, I wanted to cry along with her. And still, he was there at every protest. Another sort of eternal life. Intense. I love this book.
• Scooby Doo Team Up #32 - Holy carp-on-a-stick! It wasn't until I was reading this that I remembered watching the show a lot as a child. I hadn't really recognized him on the cover. But the comic captured the character perfectly and I was sent back into childhood. Fun stuff.
• Saucer State #5 - Guh? There was some serious Fortean Philosophy in this one, and as much as I liked it, it was difficult to wrap my noggin around. At least we seem to be getting closer to a conclusion in this case.
• Nov 29th
• Aquaman Annual: Crownspire #1 - Black Mercy. That's an oddly appealing way to die. Tula said there were many bodies down there... the probability is that they died peacefully, thinking they were in their ideal world. Unless the plant/creature/alien/magic works differently than I think it does. I always tend to enjoy Black Mercy stories, since they are basically Elseworlds tales with a framing sequence. This one introduces us to yet another child of Mera and Arthur - so just in the last month of comics we've got a daughter and a son. At some point I need to gather up all the various children of Aquaman and figure out just how many different versions there have been. I kind of would like to see them have all of them - just a huge Aqua-family with lots of kids and grandkids running around. *ahem* I thought, wrongly, that this annual would actually be part of the ongoing storyline. Now that I know it isn't, I'm even more eager to get to December's books and start reading.

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 4th
• Justice League #30 - Well, now. I was expecting Wonder Woman - as were the children apparently. Regardless of how this story turns out, the timeline the children are from has been destroyed. What is going to happen to them? Time travel is so finicky and dangerous. The curse on Aquaman was intense. No wonder he's so cranky. There was a Golden Age story in which Aquaman became allergic to water, but this sounds hundreds of times worse.
• Green Lanterns #32 - Pancakes? Well, eventually. I'm not sure why Simon would go to a diner with Jessica if he knew there was a party going on right then that he wanted to attend. Nor does it make sense for him to drag someone with severe social anxiety into that sort of situation. She didn't complain much, but that's just not right.
• Usagi Yojimbo #162 - The key witness manages to get the key information to Usagi, who acts on it, as is typical for him. The result is justice - but the question remains of who the killer was and why he took the actions he did.
• The Tick 2017 #1 - It seems like forever since I've read any new Tick. I know there's been some, but they were lackluster, in my opinion. This? Worthy of the name. I mean, murder clowns and ninjas and the Tick speaking in French for no apparent reason? Lovely. And the possibility of seeing an origin story for the Tick? Even better.


• Oct 11th
• Bombshells United #3 - Um. Did Diana sacrifice herself by getting eaten by Clayface? That's... that's disgusting. And oddly symmetrical, as she notes.
• Scooby Apocalypse #18 - Hrm. Apparently in this universe, Montana and Washington state share a border. I wonder what happened to Idaho? Aside from that little oddness, the story moves along nicely in this issue, with Scrappy maybe dying and maybe not to save the others. The Secret Squirrel back-ups are pretty awful, and I stopped reading during the second one.
• Back To The Future #23 - Marty has so thoroughly messed up the past I'm not entirely sure this is something that can be fixed. I just wonder if the fact that Joey is still going to jail will salvage any of the chaos. And what the heck happened to the DeLorean?
• Spongebob Comics #73 - Definitely the Halloween issue. It starts with a ghost story and pranks, continues with the silly scares, and ends with a haunted penny of all things. Again, fun stuff, but no Mermaid Man. Although Mama Krabs's Knitting Room of Nightmares made me giggle.


• Oct 18th
• Aquaman #29 - Well, now. More progress is being made in this story. I loved the shade's response to Vulko, though it seems odd that he can talk with no face. Vulko fits in with those protectors... he ought to go down and chat with them more often. As for Dolphin and Arthur - interesting chat they had about the difference between a hero and a king. Then there's the Tempest story, which was hinted at in Titans. I noticed him ripping the necklace away during the fight, and wondered if that was because it would give him more power or something. Little did I guess its true purpose. And lastly... Murk. That was oddly satisfying. Yup, still want to read the next issue badly. This series has made me happier than I've been with the book in years, and the last few writers weren't bad at all.
• Batman: The Drowned #1 - Um. Ok. I'm not really all that sure what just happened there, but I'm also not sure I need to know. It's a crossover that involves a bunch of bats, and this particular bat happened to fight Aquawoman of Earth-11 and turned herself into an Aquabat, which is so utterly ridiculous I'm not even laughing. Since I didn't buy other parts of the crossover, I'll just read the reviews to see what happens next - if I ever feel any curiosity about it.
• Justice League #31 - Ok, I really don't get time travel. However, my assumption is that when they return to "their" future, the threat will be gone completely, since it followed them into the past. Therefore, they will be able to rebuild in their alternate universe. So it'll be another piece of the multiverse. As for the rest, lovely and heartbreaking on so many levels. A nice conclusion to the story.
• Titans #16 - A death, a psychic backlash, a memory dump (literally) and now - please tell me we aren't going back to the days of a billion different versions of Donna Troy. This issue was one big fight, and so it's a little underwhelming, even with the pathos and all.
• Green Lanterns #33 - Jobs. Employment. This one hits me hard. Jessica is healing from her anxiety. Anyway, how do you save people who don't want to be rescued? And what's going to happen now that disaster has struck the support rescue ship? Nicely set up so I want to read the next issue.
• Teen Titans Go #24 - Well, at least Aqualad appeared in both stories. I was reminded again that I'm not the target audience for this book. Sometimes I really like them, most of the time I'm just a bit underwhelmed. This time I was underwhelmed.
• Bombshells United #4 - So Clayface is converted into... something else. But what did they do to the people in Los Angeles? What sort of magic is being used to force people to confront reality? I still feel like this bit of the storyline is a bit clumsy. Perhaps the fight with a legion of Clayfaces will make it better.
• Astro City #48 - Sometimes reading can be traumatic. This story manages to fit into that category, while at the same time being comforting. I was not expecting the ending, but I saw the demise of Hank coming since the end of last issue. It was done beautifully and I particularly liked the way the Pet Patrol comforted Andy after. As usual, a really good issue of a really good comic book.
• Wonder Woman/Conan #2 - So, Yanna seems to be from an Amazonian-like tribe, but I'm not sure Diana is Yanna. I think we're supposed to be wondering exactly how Wonder Woman is in Conan's reality. I'm just gonna sit back and continue to enjoy the story.
• Doctor Strange #26 - This issue is another solid story about Doctor Strange's world. It resonates with both magic and the history of the character and works both as a fun comic book adventure and a continuation of the ongoing story. In other words, now that stupid crossover is gone, we're back to some excellent stories.


• Oct 25th
• Teen Titans #13 - Oooo, the Bainbridge Island ferry during rush hour! I've been there! I guess I'll always give the side-eye to any moving trucks on the ferry from now on. Red Arrow has her head on straight, and I really enjoyed seeing her burn that little twit, Damian. She has a very nice point - he was alone. And what's this nonsense about him creating the team? It was around long before he was and even had a different leader just before he joined. He's an egotistical moron. A character I just wish would go away forever.
• Batman Beyond #13 - Another standalone issue, this one set soon after Terry returns while the city is still just starting to recover from the disaster. Enemies become allies for a short jaunt as Batman tries to help reset the city's tech in places where most folks cannot reach. It's an ok story, not much to write home about, though.
• DC House of Horror #1 - Eight very short stories, with about half of them bat-stories (ug). None of them have any characters I'm thrilled to see, but that's actually fine, because none of the stories were all that good. Perhaps the most interesting concept was of a girl possessed by the spirit of the Amazons after playing with a Ouija Board (don't tempt the spirits). The Superman story was suitably horrific. The rest barely merit mention. Definitely not the best anthology DC has produced.
• Scooby Doo Team Up #31 - Ah, the Atom. This is a good one for Atom fans, I guess. I'm not big on the shrinking into kingdoms that are inside an atom thing, so it's just a little disturbing to me. I do have a suspicion of what the end is leading up to, and I'm not entirely sure I'm looking forward to that, either. Oh well, it's still fun, and it was nice to see some actual detective work.
• Back To The Future #24 - Ha, I thought the story would end once our goofy time travelers got back to the future, but no, Biff and Joey are practically waiting for them there. I'm curious to see what Doc Brown has to say about all of it, since there is a lot more going on there in the past and present. And while a treasure map fits Doc Brown's sense of humor, I'm not sure it's actually his exact style.


• Doctor Who Comics
• Doctor Who 10th #3.8 - I admit I wanted to cry at the Sarah Jane appearances. She's just so *right*. I can hear her voice saying those lines and making them her own. I can hear the comfort she gives. As for the rest - yeah, peril and stuff. But oh, I miss Sarah Jane.
• Doctor Who 10th #3.10 - Echoes of the future strike the past, and of course the Doctor is able to fight off the inevitable with the help of both the future and the past. And the wisdom of Sarah Jane, I'm sure. I need to stop having trouble with time travel stories if I'm going to remain a Doctor Who fan - except Doctor Who usually doesn't bring the time travel element into the main story - time travel is just the method to get to the setting of the tale. Which I enjoy more than twisted time consequences smacking us around. Sorry, wandering off-topic. I loved Sarah Jane in this one, with her references to the past. And I thought the whole paradox was nicely explained. So, I enjoyed it.
NOTE: Issue #3.9 is part of a crossover that I do not have all the issues of yet due to shipping and distribution problems. However, it is NOT part of the ongoing storyline, thank goodness, so I can just continue these regular reviews.

• Doctor Who 11th #3.8 - Ah, memories. Being stolen from people. We've already experienced a bit of that in the show, and in the comics as well. Indeed, I keep forgetting that the Sapling stole memories from the Doctor and Alice to become a whole being. In fact, there's an awful lot about memories in the last couple of issues of this run of the comic.
• Doctor Who 11th #3.9 - A new plotline starts, as the TARDIS crew heads to a planet the Doctor visited in the past and find it has gone through rapid industrial progress that polluted the air. I'm still not sure what triggered the Doctor's attack and clued him into the nature of the progress. Again, this issue talks about memory in that the Sapling can remember the Doctor's previous visit, but he cannot.
• Doctor Who 11th #3.11 - Ah... so not a Time Lady. Something much worse instead. I wondered. The Time War has a lot to answer for. This issue finished up the current little story while continuing the overall storyarc, which has me curious. Not as great as some recent issues of DW comics, but still fun and strange.
NOTE: Issue #3.10 is part of the missing crossover, but not part of the regular storyline.

• Doctor Who 12th #3.6 - Why is Twelve getting all the cool callbacks to previous episodes with awesome bad guys? I mean, the Waters of Mars reference was already enough to make me happy, but now we're seeing references to Fenric? Man, this series is starting to tickle my fangirl senses in a very happy way.
• Doctor Who 12th #3.7 - And a solid conclusion to what was a pretty cool story, as the Doctor manages to outplay Fenric at this part of the game. Yet it's not a happy victory for the Doctor, because he knows what will happen in the future, and there's just enough of that to keep the story from becoming too much of a fanfest. Very neat stuff.

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:

• Aug 16th
• Aquaman #27 - So, even in Atlantis it's the year of the woman? I'm a little surprised that the Widowhood would be pushing for this, but then... no, I guess I'm not. They are powerful, secretive and a very nice addition to the mythos of Atlantis. I like having them as a counterpoint to Vulko's scholarly lore. As for Mera and Garth - well, he just used his powers in front of the Titans, so I expect he'll eventually give in on this as well. In the old continuity, Garth was pulled out of time and studied magic with Atlan himself. This version is a little less keen on it, I see. Oh, there's so much good in this.
• Justice League #27 - Uh oh. The children are hiding something from their parents. Probably the identity of Sovereign, who is being painted as Wonder Woman at the moment. Simon's future looks somewhat bleak, even if he seems pleased with the idea of killing Sinestro. He's a healer, not a fear-monger. And Arthur successfully sneaking up on Batman? That's something.
• Astro City #46 - And the whole thing comes together, but still is slightly lost. I think if he ever figures it out (with the help of the audience, right?) then he'll be much happier. What is the musical hero that lives in Astro City, and when will his time come to shine? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to it.
• Green Lanterns #29 - Training is great and all, but clearly this was a case of seeing-is-believing. Once the brand new Green Lanterns saw what they were up against, they had no more quibbles that the mission was important. Now I wonder exactly how this is going to play out. We have hints and bits from future events, but there are a lot of unanswered questions. It's good to be excited about a Green Lantern book again.
• DC Comics Bombshells #33 - And that was that. I think this is the final issue of the series. The newly launched Bombshells United will be up next, and I hope to see Mera and maybe Arthur in that as well. For the moment, though, we have a nice conclusion with Kara making the right choice. Interesting that the Wall claims this is just the first act, though.
• Teen Titans Go #23 - Yeah, I wouldn't much want to babysit Superman after he's been affected by Kryptonite, either. What's really funny to me, though, is Aqualad's resigned look when the baby shows up on their door at the end of the story. The other story, of the Teen Titans being broke and needing to sell their skills to pay the bills, was just annoying.
• Aug 23rd
• Teen Titans #11 - Well, Damian had a good moment of encouragement in this issue. Nice of him to help Jackson trigger his powers. Even funnier that Damian appears to have suffered a broken arm. Maybe Starfire will take over for a bit longer and straighten out the team.
• Batman Beyond #11 - And more Damian... love of a pet is a powerful thing. Unfortunately, I just don't buy that Damian would turn around so completely so quickly just because his father was being killed. The ending to this one seemed a bit abrupt.
• Scooby Doo Team Up #29 - Nice. I wasn't expecting the formula to get turned upside-down like this. I'm a little surprised at how quickly the real estate developers folded, though. They are usually made of sterner stuff. I guess getting sprayed with water and knocked into the air by Shaggy and Scooby was enough to make the appearance of the ghost a final straw.
• Doctor Strange #24 - This appears to be the final issue of the annoying crossover. One can only hope.
• Saucer State #3 - Fairy cakes and presidential aides. I was hoping to see some reaction on her part - some opening of her understanding, or at least an indication that she'd taken something unusual. Heh. And the quest... ha. I wasn't at all surprised, but I was amused. I really hope I understand this whole thing once it finishes. Paul Cornell's writing can be fiendish, but always rewarding at the end if you can put the pieces together.
• Sep 6th
• Justice League #28 - Ayup. It certainly looks more likely now that Wonder Woman is the threat of the future. I can't quite imagine how she's going to react to that, but we know what the children think they have to do. I like seeing Mera as a mother, and I wonder if she's going to be important in handling future Aquaman? Definitely a strange storyline.
• Green Lanterns #30 - Those rings still need some work before they are ready for prime-time if four of them pick Simon all at once. Speaking of, why didn't Jan-Al's ring find Simon earlier? Was it the moment when he overcame great fear that attracted them all? In any case, Volthoom isn't going to enjoy what comes next, I'm guessing.
• Bombshells United #1 - Ah. WWII wasn't all good vs evil, despite what our history books say. Executive Order 9066 is definitely one of those evils that the "good" guys did. And it's very bold of this series to tackle that problematic period of history.
• Astro City #47 - Who's a good dog? Well, Hank is clearly a very good dog and a very good influence on Andy. Whether or not G-Dog is itself a good dog... well, the actions are good, but as Andy himself reflects, his origins are problematic. And, as the cliffhanger points out so heart-breakingly, his future is also a bit problematic. Oh, I love this book.
• Usagi Yojimbo #161 - Yay, another Inspector Ishida book! And a murder mystery! And Kitsune as a prime witness! And... wait, who called the police? Oooh, this book is so great. I consistently enjoy it.
• Sep 13th
• Titans #15 - Huh. Nightwing's explanation actually makes sense, especially followed up with a plea for help. But here's the thing - I know a lot about Raven and her danger to the world, but I don't know a flipping thing about Omen. I just haven't delved deep enough into Titans lore to understand how she is a threat to anything. And my main source of Titans history is no longer with us. So I don't know what the feathers indicate, and I'm not sure what is happening. I did very much enjoy Garth's "admission" and everyone saying "We know." But this book has some mysteries yet for me.
• Teen Titans #12 - A crossover. As I haven't got much of the Metal books, since it's a Bat-thing, I don't really care for the story. Especially since it's also Damian-based. Pass.
• Scooby Apocalypse #17 - You have no idea how disappointed I am that Scrappy not only survived, but came back in the next issue. Ug. Minus that bad news, however, this is a decent issue. I was particularly tickled by Shaggy falling asleep the way he did and the result of that unfortunate nap.
• Spongebob Comics #72 - Who knew blowing bubbles could be so dangerous? Pretty standard issue of this comic, although it's missing the usual fourth-wall cast of pirate characters.
• Sep 20th
• Aquaman #28 - Three solid story threads, with a couple more just for spice, each one focusing on main characters: Arthur with Dolphin, Mera and Tempest and Vulko (squee!) who is almost back to his normal scholarly self as he waltzes through ghosts with nary a worry. Oh man, I am beginning to really love this book. If this quality is maintained, I'll be a happy fish for quite some time.
• Justice League #29 - Just a note, I'm both amused an annoyed at how Mera is portrayed on the covers of Justice League - mostly in Arthur's colors to indicate that an Aqua-character is part of the cast. Ahem. I was waiting for the reunion between Mera and the future Arthur, and it was as distressing as I expected it to be - as well as the cliffhanger! I definitely accept that Aquaman could take out the rest of the league given those enhancements and all of Batman's knowledge (and his toolbox). That said, I still need to see what made him turn into Curry and become a horror to the future children.
• Green Lanterns #31 - Sacrifice and death and multiple rings... but it was Jessica who stopped the madness just long enough for the end to happen. I think she's turning out to be a different and much better Lantern than anyone, especially herself, could expect. But then, she also experienced the Volthoom of Power Ring, so she has a completely unique perspective on what it means to wield a light power. Baz, now... I expected the fact that parts of his ring were imbedded in his arm to have a major significance. I'm still kind of hoping they will. I wasn't expecting to see him get one of the first rings at the end of the story.
• Wonder Woman/Conan #1 - Yanna, huh? Not Di-Yanna? Ahem. This starts out very much like a typical Conan story, but the appearance of Wonder Woman throws a spanner in the works. I'm not sure how she got there or why she bears a resemblance to a childhood sweetheart of Conan, but it'll be an interesting trip to find out.
• Wonder Woman '77 and Bionic Woman #6 - I watched both shows religiously as a child, but I don't know enough about the villains to understand the conclusion to their story beyond the surface aspects. That said, I enjoyed this series for the most part, although it got very slow and wordy in the middle.
• Doctor Strange #25 - I really do enjoy these mixed styles stories - where one story is not only set in the past but also is done in an older art style. In this one, Strange remembers a past adventure which somehow triggers powers in somebody else. The story is nicely creepy as Strange remembers more and more and finally admits that he made a mistake. Interesting storytelling, and a nice return to the book after an annoying crossover.
• Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror #23 - Three fun little stories that break all the rules, starting with a retelling of IT featuring young Homer and Marge as the children in the first part. Amusing, but I'm sure I would enjoy it even more if I was more familiar with IT. The second story was about an alien invasion that took a strangely familiar form, and had some oddly resonant pathos at the end. The final story featured the Comic Book Guy getting an (almost) perfect curse. Pity he didn't become a polydactyl. It was an amusing tale (tail?).
• Sep 27th
• Batman Beyond #12 - Another "year of the woman" issue. Max teams up with a new Bat in the slums to save Barbara Gordon. I quite liked the tricks of this one, how Max uses her strengths to fight and how a new team seems to be getting it together while the boys are off fighting each other to death.
• Bombshells United #2 - Clayface is a tough one to fight when there are a number of people running around in a dark and rainy forest. I wonder which forest they're in? This issue is a little bit preachy. Admittedly, the subject lends itself to preachiness, but it's not as strong as it could be.
• Scooby Doo Team Up #30 - Basically there are dozens of adventuring teams in the DC Universe running around saving the world. That's what I get from this issue of this book. It's hilarious, and the inclusion of Rip Hunter along with all the others is amazing. The Sea Devils, Cave Carson, the Challengers... it's a bit much. Amusing, but a bit much.
• Saucer State #4 - I'm really wondering how this is all going to play out. It seems like the president is in an impossible spot, trying to hide what happened while dealing with what amounts to a full-scale paradigm change for the entire world. And her ex! For some reason seeing the driver turn into an animal made me crack up in ways I probably shouldn't have... especially since that scene is on the cover! I'm just along for the ride and hoping it will make sense when I read the final issue.
• Rough Riders: On The Storm #6 - And Edison takes care of the threat? But that final revelation makes me cringe. And why did Annie walk away from Edison without getting the answers she needed? Another series is promised, and I'm sure we'll be getting it. This has been a lot of fun in very strange ways.

NOTE: I'm removing the Doctor Who comics from the weekly lists because of irregular shipping issues. I'll be trying to review them as I reach them in the weekly piles, but I'll put those reviews at the end of my updates as I'm able.

And with this, I'm up to October's books... just as February is underway. Well, I hope I can keep up the pace and get a few more comics read and capsuled. Maybe I'll even catch up.

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:

• May 17th
• Aquaman #23 - The Atlantean Council has a funny way of showing that law and order rule their actions. Putting Rath up to fight Arthur the instant he got back was a provocation instead of an invitation to discussion. In short, the actions of the council undercut their own argument, leaving Arthur undeniably in the right. Of course, people picking a stupid person as a leader happens, but the Atlanteans are being exceptionally dumb about this whole thing. I'm not sure I like where this story is headed.
• Justice League #21 - Well, that was a nice finish to the Groundhog Day Flash storyline. I didn't find it wonderful, but it wasn't bad. The art bothers me slightly for some reason I cannot put my finger on - there's a softness to it that doesn't work for me, I guess. Still, solid enough and the continuing mystery of what the heck is coming is also built up.
• Green Lanterns #23 - Jessica is definitely a match for Guy, even if she didn't know it. And Baz... well, Kyle is a match for him. I like the training stuff, it's funny, but I could do without the evil not-Guardian plotting.
• Teen Titans #8 - My almost complete lack of interest in Slade Wilson's story meant I spent most of this issue looking for Aqualad moments, and there were a few good ones. I particularly like when Garth meets Jackson and offers help. I hope we get to see more of that relationship forming.
• DC Comics Bombshells #27 - That's a different take on Trigon than I've seen before. But lots of potential there for both mischief and joy. Harley lives up to her reputation in this issue as well. I'm a little less enamored of Kara's plotline, but I guess it's fine.
• Astro City #44 - I'm in love with Kittyhawk the fantastic feline. And I adored the team-up with Rocket Dog, although it was pretty clear it wasn't exactly a willing team up on the pup's part. This issue just sang with wonderful moments and I had to got back and reread it several times, watching the cat each time. So cool. More like this!
• Wonder Woman '77 and Bionic Woman #4 - Still not sure about the various bad guys, but the origin summaries were a fun moment. And the final fight was a bit strange... I had to go back and see how the bots removed the bracelets so the final moment could happen. A good book, a little heavy on dialogue in this issue.
• Forever War #4 - Every issue I remember more of the book and what comes next. This one ends on a bad note, but I realized it was about to happen as I read. It's very odd to be reading a new format of something you read a long time ago and have bits and pieces of the original drift in as you read.
• Torchwood #2.4 - While I'm mostly following the plot, I'm not really sure I'm getting the point of the plot - if there is one. Perhaps it's just not my cuppa.
• Doctor Who 10th #3.5 - Pretty solid little done-in-one story that references a lot of the Doctor's past and also manages to emphasize how alien he is at the same time. Not bad at all.
• Doctor Who 12th #3.3 - I generally like siege tales, and this is a decent one so far. Nice cliffhanger.
• May 24th
• Deathstroke #19 - I admit I know very little about any version of Deathstroke, so this whole storyline is mildly frustrating to me. Oh, I'm getting enough background to follow the story, but not really enough for it to have a real impact on me. I just want to see more of the aqua-characters getting to know each other. Also, Robin is a real twit in this story. I hope he gets Guy Gardnered at some point.
• Batman Beyond #8 - Ok, I wasn't expecting that final page. As for the rest, I can see how that suit could definitely be fatal to the wearer - but at least it's not fatal in the way I was expecting it to be. This isn't going to end well.
• Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #5 - Oooh, Bruce Wayne has shoulder angels and devils! And one of them reminds me of a recent video game. Lovely stuff. Looks like the future of Gotham is in good hands in this universe... except for the current problem. It'll be fun to see how this turns out.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #26 - The silliness of this one will not leave quickly. Danger-prone Daphne is the hero of the day, while the rest is bizarre all the way through. I felt like this was one of those stories you just have to roll with, instead of think about. Read that way, it was funny. Think about it too hard and you will regret it.
• Saucer State #1 - I was a little surprised at how quickly the first series filled itself in for me while reading this, as I recall being a bit confused while reading the first series. Still, I remembered enough to enjoy the story and get even more confused - which is kind of what the book is aiming for, as it's a confusing situation.

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:

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

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:

• Jan 18th
• Aquaman #15 - A little more pat of an ending than I was hoping for, but at least Aquaman provided both proof and a good reason for the US to stop aggression. There are, of course, a lot of other things going on, but Arthur used the one tool in his toolbox that no one expected him to use. Sometimes it's better to surrender and stop the fight than try to save an ego and cause massive destruction. There's still a couple of great hanging threads, though - Mera's handling of the prophecy and Black Jack, who survived this issue just like her Golden Age namesake so often survived. Have I mentioned that I REALLY love having a Black Jack the Modern Pirate back in the DCU?
• Justice League vs Suicide Squad #5 - Ah, and there's Eclipso himself, finally making his appearance at the end of the issue. Now, did he kill Max Lord as he did it? I kind of wonder. This wasn't a bad issue, and this mini is moving along at a fairly nice clip now. I love that Batman blew up Lobo's head not just to stop him, but to stop Max from controlling him. That's hilarious, and very much like Lobo. Too bad the same method wouldn't work on anyone else.
• Justice League #13 - Yet another JL vs SS tie-in, this one featuring Steve Trevor's response to the Eclipso invasion. Not bad, but really just more of the same. Eclipso plays with people's minds, so I figured the ending wasn't as happy as it appeared to be.
• Green Lanterns #15 - This is a nice standalone story after the long Phantom Ring arc. No mention of that, no other strangeness beyond the normal super antics. Just a tale about Jessica dealing with her anxiety. The final pages are a nice lead-in to maybe another story, but since when does Batman ask for help from rookies?
• Super Powers #3 - There are definitely a couple of pages in the incorrect order in this issue, as Aquaman's finny friends grab the baddie on one page, and on the next page the baddie is getting free from Wonder Woman's lasso. Still, switch the order around, and it's amusing that Aquaman is the one who stops the big bad (with a lot of help). Fun, but bizarre.
• Dirk Gently: Salmon of Doubt #4 - As with anything involving Dirk, I'm completely confused. Ok, no, not completely. I get that there are multiple timelines and multiple Dirks. I get that one thing we're seeing is the lead-up to the television series. And I get that saving the cat is very important. Beyond that, though, I think I'm mostly confused.
• Doctor Who 9th #9 - Oooh, Rose is jealous! But she's got Captain Jack to keep her company. I like Jack's security system and the interplay between him and Rose. I just wonder if Jack is going to run into himself, and if the Blinovitch Limitation Effect will then take effect, erasing the memory of what happened from one of their minds. In the meantime, the Doctor has his hands full with a nice little monster hunt. Whee.
• Jan 25th
• Justice League vs Suicide Squad #6 - Since I don't believe anything Max says, even if the writer puts it in his mouth, I'm not convinced that Amanda Waller actually engineered all the events. On the other hand, if anyone in the DCU is self-righteous enough to do that, it would be Waller. I liked Killer Frost's role in this, and found Batman admitting he was wrong to be a thing of beauty - which is slightly undermined if Waller did, in fact, engineer the whole thing. This book makes my head hurt, but in a good way.
• Batman Beyond #4 - A new suit, which was apparently a prototype Bruce was working on, which of course works perfectly in the heat of battle. Ok. I'll suspend my disbelief. As for the rest, it was a nice action-packed issue and how on earth did Dana not figure out before then? Really?
• Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #1 - How do you combine these two characters? Well, you have Bruce meet Wonder Woman while she's still in the past, of course. I'm not going to try to figure out the timing of any of this, I'm just going to enjoy the fact that young Bruce Wayne witnessed Diana turn into Wonder Woman.
• Wonder Woman '77 and Bionic Woman #2 - I like that Jaime and Diana have an understanding. I also thought the "signal watch" thing was hilarious. Nice way to cover for it. And Steve's d'oh moment when Diana points out he never asked for something like that was good, too. I don't recognize the villains, but then, I hardly ever. They are given enough of an intro to understand they are up to no good. And there's even a nice little cliffhanger. Good stuff!
• Future Quest #9 - All the various groups are finally converging on the same place, only there's a nice cliffhanger caused by a fatal misunderstanding. I'm really not sure how this will turn out, but now I get the careful inclusion of the history of certain characters in past issues. This is actually a really solid way to get introduced to all these classic cartoons. Although I can't imagine the cartoons being quite as cool for an adult as these comics are.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #22 - Thank goodness for Future Quest, because without that book I wouldn't have recognized the team-ups in this issue. Frankenstein Jr and The Impossibles are characters I had never heard of before Future Quest. That said, this was fun, especially Fred's usual advice to take the mask off. These Team-Up books are a joy, and I'm glad this series has gone as long as it has.
• Doctor Strange #16 - Interesting that Dormammu also faced the Empirikul... I would have thought they wouldn't make a deal with him. But they proved they weren't much for believing even in their own message. Anyway, nice method to get rid of him, even if it required a bit of help. Now, what's going to happen to Wong?
• Star Trek/Green Lantern V2 #2 - Manhunters, Atrocitus, Lafleeze, and then HIM? They're pulling out all the stops for this series, aren't they? But then, it's an alternate universe, so everything is allowed. I'm enjoying this so far, but I'm really curious about how they are going to deal with the ring problem. This is heating up nicely.
• Back To The Future: Biff to the Future #1 - So, how did Biff become a millionaire in the alternate timeline, using the book from the future? This comic details his adventures, starting with the old man giving him the book and moving forward as he tries to cash in right away but runs into some problems. While this was covered in a few scenes in the movie, I like the filling in of details this provides.

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:

• Dec 7th
• Aquaman #12 - Things going from bad to worse... this is the kind of comic that just works because it's hard to imagine any good solution. And yet, we know because of the nature of the comic book business that it's going to work out somehow. It may not be perfect, because the comic book companies aren't resetting every storyline to status quo any more, but it's going to be ok somehow. Still... hard to see how with all the horrible things that fall on our hero in this issue.
• Green Lanterns #12 - This issue didn't really move the plot along much. The Phantom Lantern tries to control himself while Jessica makes some points that Simon didn't think of... otherwise, not much going on in here.
• Justice League #10 - It's even worse than I thought. Super-duper magic code wasn't even being used by sad husband, it was a mistake. I just about threw the book across the room in disgust. Sorry, no, this just doesn't work at all for me. I almost didn't bother finishing the book, the plot annoys me so much.
• DC Comics Bombshells #20 - I really like this version of Vixen. That said, the ending of this issue with the robotic animals confused me. I'm not sure how they fit into the story. I may need to reread - too bad there's no Mera to make me want to reread.
• Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs Peel #6 - Surprise twist ending! Well, it should have been a bit of a surprise. In any case, it was a good little ending and reading it so soon after the death of Adam West, I felt a lot of sad nostalgia at that very last page when he gets a reward. This was a fun book.
• Wonder Woman '77 and Bionic Woman #1 - I watched both shows as a little girl, and yes, they were my heroes. That said, I remember very little about the Bionic Woman except the intro and the bionic sound effect. I was very amused to see the sound effect in the comic. I was also amused that Jamie recognized Diana so quickly. There's an implication there that the men just aren't looking closely. Ha. Fun start.
• Spider-Man 2099 #18 - Oooh, a bad situation getting worse. But at least Tempest woke up. Miguel is already pretty messed up, now he's gotta fight tech geeks turned into zombies? I enjoyed this issue, looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.
• Dirk Gently: Salmon of Doubt #3 - If I hadn't seen the TV show, I'd be mystified by this issue. There are a ton of callbacks to the show and its characters - before the show started. I think I mentioned before that this book seems to be pulling the different versions of the character together in a holistic way... which is only natural. I'm just worried about Bernice now. I wouldn't want my cat to be in that situation.
• Dec 14th
• DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 - Ah, reading a Christmas special on a hot and muggy day in June. Gotta love it. This is an anthology, and like all anthologies it was slightly uneven. The framing story was Harley Quinn throwing a big party - and that was fairly amusing. I liked the Titans story the most, since it involved Garth, with maybe the Wonder Woman/Constantine story coming in second. None of the tales were bad, but some were certainly weaker than others. Overall, a decent package for the holiday. Hrm... now I'm feeling a bit chilly. Strange.
• Earth 2 Society #19 - I really don't know if I like that a sacrifice was apparently made in vain. Yes, a great world - with an underground freedom force trying to break the control of a central power. I feel like Fury's efforts were for nothing, which kind of defeats the purpose of the last few issues. Maybe. I'll wait and see, but I don't like the direction this is going.
• Scooby Apocalypse #8 - So this adds more to the mystery - what did happen in the hospital? Obviously, something was going on that made no sense from Velma's point of view, but Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby clearly saw it. So does that mean the nanites did something even more strange than Velma believed possible? What, exactly, did the Four accomplish? And did the group grab enough supplies before they went looking for the victim that they are ok for the moment? The book kind of cut to the action, there, but I hope they packed up some supplies in the Mystery Machine while they had the chance (thinking too hard about a silly book).
• Spongebob Comics #63 - Oh yeah! A Mermaid Man tale featuring Mermaid Girl! And a mystery! And a one-armed shark! And a back cover by Ramona Fradon! I love when they pay tribute to classic comics with these stories, even though Mermaid Man is really a bad joke in all of them. He's still fun enough to enjoy. Anyway, this is part one of two, and Sandy, of all characters, is trying to find out who Mermaid Girl really was. I'm actually looking forward to the next issue. The rest of the stories in the book were amusing - nothing special. The back cover is fantastic.

Wonder Woman

My favorite Golden Age female hero is Ma Hunkel, the original Red Tornado, who put on a costume to rescue children kidnapped by members of the mob.

My second favorite Golden Age female hero is Wonder Woman.

Ma Hunkel is not likely to get a movie in my lifetime, but Wonder Woman now has a highly successful movie that I have now seen twice, which is twice more than I usually see movies in the theater. I saw it last Friday with my sister, who was visiting, and tonight again with my husband.

First off, I'm going to get some of the non-movie thoughts out of the way. There were four previews on both showings I saw. The first was for Blade Runner 2049, which I was unaware of for some reason (I blame my constant brain fog). The second preview was for Spider-Man: Homecoming, and both audiences laughed when the other guy tried on the suit. The third preview was for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and hubby-Eric turned to me and quietly said, "Did Mark Hamill just say more in this trailer than he did in all the previous movie?" And the last trailer made me squee both times I saw it on the big screen, although not as much as when I saw it on-line first... Justice League. I cheered Aquaman (I wore an Aquaman t-shirt to both viewings) and wanted to see it again. In fact, I almost convinced myself that the only reason I agreed to go see Wonder Woman again was to see the Justice League trailer on the big screen a second time.

I was reminded again why I don't like going to theaters to see movies. At the first showing, the first seat I sat in was bad, with the seat apparently broken and sloping down. I sat in a different seat for the movie, but if it had been crowded, it could have been an issue. Also, there were a number of people texting and talking throughout both viewings. The talking was quiet enough it almost never bothered me, but the texting was blindingly obvious - I mean literally blinding. I don't care how low you've set the brightness on your phone, it's going to show up in a dark movie theater and it's going to annoy me.

Right... on to the movie itself. Warning - there may be spoilers ahead.

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:

• Sep 21st
• Aquaman #7 - Back to Atlantis, where Aquaman has to deal with the running of the city-state that might be at war. I like the way the leadership is introduced and how Mera handles them. I do like her stating that she'll take on the trials in deference to tradition - but that was obvious once Rath makes his statement. Not a lot really happens, but it happens in an interesting way that moves the plot forward a bit. I think the more important plot strings in this one are Manta-related. He knows his enemy, but can upsetting the balance of a secret society work? It seems like he's just doomed the organization to failure by taking charge. And the thing he unleashes - echoes of Doomsday in the reactions and the actions. I'm curious to see how this story unfolds.
• Justice League #5 - I'm amused that Aquaman is running around, doing his own thing, while the rest of the league is working in tandem. Well, except for Superman, who was sent on an impossible mission all his own but still succeeded. This storyline was interesting because it apparently involved multiple threats, all of which hit at about the same time. One of them succeeded in starting something, but did the other stop? Were all the threats related? In the end, we get more questions than answers, but that's not entirely bad. I just hope we get a resolution eventually, with enough information to realize it's a resolution.
• Green Lanterns #7 - After driving off the rage lanterns, what's a little family meal? Well, for a woman with anxiety, quite awful, actually. And for a man who is dealing with his own rebellious past that landed him in prison as a terrorist, it's not a walk in the park either. So this was a surprisingly good issue despite there being no looming threat and no monsters to fight. I just kind of wish we had a recipe for those better-than-cookies.
• Wonder Woman '77 Special #4 - Four different stories featuring Wonder Woman from the 1977 TV series. The first features a brain in a jar. I can't really say much more about it. I just ... can't. The second was about a mix up with a cassette tape, thanks to that new technology: A walkman. It featured a musician being kidnapped. The third story also featured a musician being kidnapped in completely different circumstances and for a different reason. The final story has astronauts and cosmonauts being attacked in an alien attempt to start a war. Going through the stories - the first one had a nice mental battle with nice artwork, but the premise makes my head hurt. The second one had some fun characters and a surprising reason for betrayal. The third was lovely, especially when Danny says, "You could've just asked." Even in distress, Wonder Woman is gracious to someone who needed a hero. The final story was good, but I found the ending to be a little difficult. The Cold War was in full swing, and even Wonder Woman would have had a difficult time getting those gentlemen free, I think. The rest was unrealistic, but fun. Overall, not a bad package of tales. Certainly a must have for fans of the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series.
• Back To The Future #12 - I don't have a great deal of interest in Needles as a character, so I'm less than interested in his history. Still, it gives us an idea of Marty's kindness in the face of adversary. And a little more history about the whole "chicken" thing. Overall, not my favorite issue of this series.
• Back To The Future: Citizen Brown #5 - Now that was a satisfying conclusion to a series. A lot of the little loose ends tied up, even an explanation for the multiple DeLoreans. A happy ending for someone who once loved Doc Brown. A happy start for Marty's writing career. All in all, not bad. Indeed, for a comic book based on a video game that was inspired by a movie, quite nice.
• Treehouse of Horror #22 - There have been 22 issues of this? Wow. Um, ok... This issue takes on Ghostbusters, X-Files and a bunch of other stuff, and it's ok. I'm not a huge Simpsons fan, so it was fine but not something I'm going to adore.
• Xena Warrior Princess #6 - I guess this is the final issue? The storyline is wrapped up, with entirely too many characters and too much nonsense. I don't think I'll be getting any more Xena comics.
• Sep 28th
• Titans #3 - Whew, Garth is alive. It would have been irritating to have a story in which all of Wally's friends are killed and have to be revived. I liked Garth's consideration of the problem and his attempts to reason out what can be done. There was a lot of plot movement in this issue - we got the subplot of a new meta along with Wally trying to make things right with Linda, and everyone pooling their resources to figure out Kadabra. I'm looking forward to the next issue.
• Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #5 - Info dump issue! Soranik catches Hal up on the recent action, while the Green Lanterns get news of what's happened and Guy... is left hanging yet again. Ok, now that everyone knows what's going on, can we please get some plot movement? *(Please see the bottom of this post for a comment about this book and its artist)
• Astro City #39 - It's been more than 20 years since Astro City, Vol 1 #4 came out. That issue told the story of a young woman who grew up on Shadow Hill and her perception of Astro City's heroes and villains in relation to her own life. It ended with her deciding to quit her job in the city and stay on Shadow Hill, a situation I found depressing when I read it. This issue is a follow-up to that story, showing the young woman more than 20 years later - she's now the owner of her own firm and once again, the Hanging Man notices her. I don't want to spoil this, even though it came out months ago, but I just have to say this was fantastic. I was thrilled that she made her own place, made her own way - didn't go into a little box like I kind of thought she might from the ending of her previous appearance. I also found the new information about the Hanging Man to be eye-opening. And I honestly am tempted to just find the next issue in my to-read pile and read it now instead of waiting until I get there in my regular reading.
• Batman Beyond: Rebirth #1 - A nice set-up issue that introduces the characters, the world and the status quo but still manages to introduce a new plot development. It doesn't delve too deeply into the recent series, which means it doesn't get confusing. The reveal at the end is very interesting, if more than a little strange. What would he want with Dana, in any case?
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #18 - This book just went to the dogs. Literally - as Scooby joins with G'nort and several other hero pups to tackle a ghostly threat on an alien planet populated by... well, dogs. And evil cats, apparently. I think I'll hide this issue from Inkwell. In any case, it was amusing throughout, especially the two final moments of other cases we get to see that leave all the details out but are hilarious to think through. This is a fun book, and this is a fun issue.
• Doctor Strange Annual #1 - I don't know Clea very well, but this looks like a promising development in Strange's life. This is an odd book by all measures, but Clea stealing Zelma's calm was just pricelessly funny and bizarre at the same time. I hope the humor remains, because that's one of the strengths of a book like this. See the amusement in the world while treating it with respect.
• Doctor Who 4th #5 - The story ends with a bang as the Doctor finds out what happened and figures out how to stop the bad guy from escaping. I like that little hint that the threat might not be quite over - just a flare from an eye, nothing more. I was amused at the ending and Sarah Jane's excitement at attending the wedding. Very funny. I'm sure Harry was happy to hear all about it.
• Doctor Who 11th #2.13 - The problem with writing time travel stories that actually involve time travel as part of the plot is that they rapidly become incredibly complicated unless you are very careful to limit that part of the plotline. This book doesn't limit it at all and, in fact, makes it nearly impossible to comprehend what's going on when reading it monthly. In short, it's a bit of a confusing mess - but at least the threat at the end is clear enough.
• Doctor Who 12th #2.9 - Er, yes Doctor. That's pretty much the first thing I thought of when the house turned into what it turned into. Obviously, he's so used to it he can't even see it when it's in front of him. So far: fun mystery, fascinating new cannon for ghosts, and lovely settings that could never be done on television.

Literally while I was writing the review of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, the artist on the book, Ethan Van Sciver, told a fan who suffers from depression to kill himself after the fan stated that suicide jokes are not funny. Although Van Sciver later apologized, this is a pattern with him. For years he has belittled and insulted people who don't share his political views and has subscribed to hate - including joining the online neo-nazi movement symbolized by the theft of Pepe the Frog as a meme (a creator stealing another creator's work to promote hate - Van Sciver should be ashamed).

While many fans will no doubt forgive him, I find if very hard to forgive a person who tells a fan to kill himself. This is pretty much the last straw for me after seeing him commit years of internet trolling and harassment, often apologizing but always going back to the same methods once the excitement has died down. I've never been fond of the man - he's been doing this kind of crap for more than a decade - but now I can't even look at his art without seeing him tell fans to kill themselves. My desire to read this Green Lantern book has pretty much vanished after this incident: if Van Sciver is listed as a creator on a book, I will no longer read or review it. I once liked his artwork, but his hate has turned it ugly to me.

And, just to make it absolutely clear - I am not advocating that other people boycott his work nor am I trying to get him fired. I'm stating that I, personally, cannot bear to look at his work any more and will not be reading or reviewing anything he works on (hopefully this will not be tested by him working on Aquaman again). I urge my readers to make up their own minds. There's plenty of material out there on what Van Sciver has done to people in the past, if that matters at all to you.

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Gotham: "Unleashed" - The key moment in this one, the absolute best bit of television from this show in a long time, was the Penguin appearing at just the right moment with Butch to deal with a certain problem. I mean, there were some truly fantastic moments in this episode, from Bullock's queasiness at retrieving the sword to the most badass manservant ever in a fight for life, but that one moment took the prize. I also enjoyed the meetup of Catwoman and Nygma, as well as the glimpse of another future villain while Selina is on the prowl. This was a surprisingly good episode, with the right balance of humor to offset the usual grim tone of the show. I love Butch's comment about his security. Ha! Brutal, but good.


• The Flash: "The Runaway Dinosaur" - Ah, a trip into the speed force to explore what's holding Barry back. This is a trope of science fiction, where the aliens/power/whatever take familiar forms to talk to people. This time it was mostly well done. I enjoyed Cisco using his powers to find Barry, and how Barry eventually finished his journey. The scene that explains the title of the episode, with Barry quoting it, was touching. What I found even more funny, though, was that Joe suspects Wally of having gotten powers and how Joe tested his theory. Between Wally and Jesse, I'm dying to know if it happens. Throw in a zombie version of an old foe, and this was a solid episode. I didn't much like the cliffhanger or the preview of next week, but everything else was strong.


• Arrow: "Monument Point" - Ok, if I understood this episode correctly, a town with thousands of people was nuked by Russia. So... how exactly is there not some serious and scary retaliation happening very quickly? Not to mention fallout and other problems. There doesn't seem to be a superhero there soaking up the radiation, so this cannot be good for the environment. I get that they are trying to give Darhk some serious power with the deaths, and I get that they have to make the stakes really high. But this seems a bit much to swallow unless there is massive and major repercussions that we hear/see in both the Flash and Arrow in the future.


• Legends of Tomorrow: "Destiny" - NOOOOO! He's my favorite character on the show!!! You can't kill him off! NO!!!! With everything horrible and falling apart, people imprisoned and Rip learning that he was manipulated all the way through his adventures, the team manages to pull together and succeed in a single goal. But the big one, Savage, still remains. And we have one more episode to go. And I can't imagine it without him. *sniff* No, no no no... my favorite character... no... no... why?


• Battlebots Preview: The Gears Awaken - A play-in episode featured four rumbles between three robots each to fill the final four spots on the tournament roster. In the episode, Son of Whyachi pounds out a win against Creepy Crawlies and Ultraviolent, throwing the crawlies around the battlebox and knocking violent out for the count. Blacksmith was an anvil against Basilisk and Gemini, with Basilisk and its flying companion getting knocked down, while Gemini's split bots were out of their weight class. Then Mohawk won a fight by luck because Lycan was far too aggressive and continued to attack Invader after it was immobilized... but still spinning. I think if Lycan had gone after Mohawk instead, it would have won the day. Then the astronaut-designed Black Ice surprised the crowd by jamming Skorpios into a hazard and knocking Bad Kitty off its feet. I really, really love this show. I feel uninhibited yelling and cheering for robots, and I am so thrilled by all the teams and the work they put into it that I can't help but be proud of all of them. Plus, lots of massive destruction, including sparks and flames and moments of sheer horror (no, the remote stopped working!). Add in the incredibly silly commentary and introductions, and it's just one of the best shows on television for me.

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

• Apr 13th
• Earth 2 Society #11 - Well, that went south fast. I was a little shocked by the Amazons and how they came to exist on this world, but it only makes sense for them. As for the rest... couldn't they have found a better earth? For that matter, can't GL wander off and find a better one now, or is he linked to this one?
• Green Lantern Corps: The Edge of Oblivion #4 - And the truth isn't what it appeared to be, of course. I'm still not that interested in the space lanterns, but at least there appears to be a nice plot twist and hope for a solution. With the reboot rebirth coming soon, I figure we've got only a couple more issues of each of the DCU storylines to go before we're into something new entirely.
• Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 - The clock is ticking on the turtles, who have a limited time in the DCU before they mutate back into ordinary turtles. But Shredder has no intention of just sitting around waiting to be taken down. So Batman is up against the Foot clan and their newest allies... alone. Ha. I'll bet he's alone. I can't wait to see how this one gets resolved, as it sure looks like a no-win for Batman.
• Wonder Woman '77 Special #3 - Four short stories, a couple pretty good and others not quite as good. It was amusing seeing Clayface show up, and I'd like to see more about that clinic he visited. The anti-ivory story was predictable, but nicely drawn. If only the people who ought to read it would have a chance to read it. The Reverend Mike story was... um... well, I really don't have much to say about it. I'm not keen on aliens showing up, it just seems hokey, and the solution was a little too pat. As was the declaration of love. It was fairly bleah all around. The final story was ok, with a bit of amusing action combined with plot holes you could steer a ship through. Not a bad package, overall.
• DC Comics Bombshells #11 - Wait... Mera was Wonder Woman's first kiss? Wow, this messes with the DCU timeline in all sorts of ways. Ahem. Anyway, this was a mess of an issue, with all kinds of action leading up to the gathering of the entire Bombshells crew in London for one beautiful splash page. This, of course, will not happen again, I'm sure. But it was fun for a moment. Mera had a few good bits in this one, but with the King of Atlantis still on the rampage, I suspect the next issue is going to be her moment.
• Baker Street Peculiars #2 - Well now, if they'd followed directions and returned to report... maybe they wouldn't have been in trouble. Maybe they would. As for the rest... the concept is an old one that's nicely explained within the story, giving the origin of the bad guy along with all his methods. I find it hard to believe that more people wouldn't have spotted them in action and done *something*, but that's one of the amusements of a comic like this. All-in-all, fun stuff. Nice appearance by Miss Hudson as well.
• Doctor Who 9th #1 - At first I thought this was going to be an alternate universe tale, but it turned into something much more crazy funny very quickly. Getting further into the tale, it's definitely going to be a wild ride. I like seeing the Doctor with Rose and Captain Jack, and the hint about Jack's lost time was very intriguing. I'd love to have some of that mystery cleared up, but I'm not sure it's going to happen in the comics. Still, using it as a way to convince them to walk into what appears to be a trap? Lovely. I can hardly wait for the next issue.
• Spongebob Comics #55 - So in this issue we have a pastiche of Popeye the Sailor Man, along with Mermaid Man. It's all a bit confusingly awesome. As a child I was a huge fan of the Popeye cartoons, and could even distinguish between the "good" ones and the "ok" ones by the opening credits. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned his real origins in the comics pages and found out more about him. Anyway, this means that this comic was a combination of SpongeBob's versions of a couple of entertainment properties I love, so in that sense, I enjoyed it. One aspect of SpongeBob I appreciate is that the creators do not slavishly imitate stuff they are riffing on, so Barnacle Bill is not Popeye, but has lots of familiar aspects. This sailor's gal is a mermaid, and his Bluto is named Gus and drives a speedboat. The Sea Hag is a witch and Sweetpea is... Barnacle Boy? Which leads into a case of mistake identity and utter insanity. The back-up strips are fun, with Patrick getting tattoos (drawing on himself) and Mermaid Man trying to wash his own underwear. I'm curious how this will pan out in the next issue.
• Xena Warrior Princess #1 - I really cannot figure out what's going on in this issue. Ok, well, this issue #1 has a "Previously" text, which says Xena and Gabrielle slept for 25 years, and now half the gods are dead. I think there's a whole lot of context missing because this is a volume 2, and I clearly didn't pick up the first volume. Anyway, the rapport between the pair is still there, if buried by the format. The kids they rescue are a nice way to introduce their abilities and attitudes. It's not a terrible start, but I need a bit more context to understand why things are happening.

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Short story reviews:

• "We've Lied" by Bob McHugh. A very short, very simple story. The neat thing about it is the gut-punch ending lines. The idea that a normal life is more interesting is a fun one to explore, and this story allows folks to do that exploring on their own. And it makes me that much more paranoid.


• "The Blood That Pulses in the Veins of One" by JY Yang. This is a really creepy tale of aliens and ritual cannibalism that's more than ritual. Told from the point of view of one of the aliens, the story focuses on the pain of having been caught doing what came natural in a form that looks human. I wouldn't want to say more for fear of spoilers, so I'll leave it there. It's a haunting and disturbing story

Novelette review:

• "You'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay" by Alyssa Wong. I'm not really sure what to think of this story. It doles out the details slowly, drip by drip, until you get a rough idea of the situation. But it's never quite crystal clear. The main character, a second-person narrative, is named Ellis, and you are a bit wild. You live in a whorehouse in a mining town, doing odd jobs to get by. And it goes on like that. It almost works, but I felt like I needed just a little more certainty to really like the story. As it was, I suspect I understand what happened, but I'm not really sure I know. Decent... strange, but interesting.

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Fortean Times #339 (April 2016). I'm not sure why the teddy bear on the cover is so creepy, but it manages to be pretty darn creepy. I guess the general poor state it's in mixed with the vivid blue eyes is what does it. The cover story is a fascinating tale of how a culture has updated the concept of the evil eye and how to ward it off. I suppose I understood that the evil eye was something to do with jealousy, but I never had any sense of how it would be warded off. I don't know how accurate this article is, but the explanation seems logical enough from an emotional angle. A very interesting sidebar asks how we can apply the notion of tokens against the evil eye online to ward off trolls. I'm not sure there is any way to do it, but it's funny to think about.

Another feature article looks at the belief that a murder victim's eye would hold an image of the last thing the victim saw... presumably the murderer. It's a concept that worked much better in fiction than fact. Yet another feature article is about Chaneques, mischievious little people who cause problems for humans in Veracruz State, Mexico.

The Editorial page starts with the story of Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered by a gang of teens because she looked "different". A book called Dare to Shine will be published with proceeds going to a foundation set up in Sophie's honor to combat prejudice and intolerance. The editorial continues with a bit about a soccer player and his supposed curse, but that's all pretty silly.

Strange Days starts off with a penguin love story: I'm a sucker for that sort of goofiness. The Conspirasphere has an actual interesting tale... more because of the medical facts than the conspiracy itself, which is pretty thin. There's a piece on boring guys, something on alien sex, and some unexplicable footprints in the snow on the side of a mountain. There's a really terrifying piece on Thai dolls that are supposed to hold the souls of dead children. The terrifying bit comes in when the older origins of the tradition are explained... *shudder*. There's also a piece on pets that sniff out illnesses in their human companions.

Science has a 14th Century Computer, sort of. Archaeology tackles folklore origins and finds some stories are much older than thought. Classical Corner goes sailing with a bunch of boats that didn't quite manage to be boats. Ghostwatch covers a couple of topics, including deathbed visions and ghosts that have appeared thanks to the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Alien Zoo looks at a ghost octopus, black fox and black coyote. Mythconceptions demolishes the old canard about why there is no Nobel for mathematics.

Strange Statesmen goes back to American politics and finds a couple of really odd folks. I'm sure there's plenty more where those came from. Building a Fortean Library is... well... about forteana in classical times. With a rather odd image of a statue that kind of ties in with the evil eye story along with the fortean classic and isn't something I'd be showing to any child.

The forum revisits a strange sighting from 1967 in one article, then has an article I can only describe as really freaking odd in support of an upcoming book. I don't intend to get the book.

Speaking of books, the reviews are awsome as usual, starting with one about why people believe in conspiracy theories. The second review is about giants reported in America, and in an act of synchronicity I recently sent a "clipping" of one of the local newspaper's articles from 1906 about skeletons of giants being found in Maryland, originally from the Baltimore American.

It can be said I found the letters in this issue extremely entertaining, as this issue contains my second printed letter to the magazine. That letter is probably the worst of the lot, with many other great letters from FT readers, including a nicely informed reader who writes that there hasn't been a death attributed to a black widow spider since 1983... a fact that reassures me a bit, since I grew up in an area with no native poisonous spiders and have since moved to a place with plenty of the nasty little critters.

All-in-all, another excellent issue of my favorite magazine.

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My book this week was Breaking Cat News: Cats Reporting on the News that Matters to Cats by Georgia Dunn. The instant I heard that there was going to be a collection of this online comic, I pre-ordered it.

The book concerns the activities of three cats who live in a house and report on their daily activities. They have microphones and a newsdesk. Puck is a black cat with only three legs. Elvis is a grumpy siamese. Lupin is white and more adventurous than the other two. In this book they experience their home, moving home, a guest and the woman growing bigger then bringing home a larval human.

The strip that got me addicted to the comic is on Page 27... you'll have to purchase the book to figure out which one that is. In the meantime, if you've never read this, you can read the current storyline at Breaking Cat News, or start from the top. The comic is also available at Go Comics, which is a bit behind the main site. This book collects all the strips from the beginning until The People Won't Let Us Up On The Counter. I wish it had gone one more, since The Man lost his tail is hysterical.

The book is great, and a great way to support an excellent comic. Incidentally, when the package arrived from Amazon, I set it down on a chair and when I came back, Inkwell was attempting to open it. I thought it was pretty cute. As usual, as soon as I tried to get a photo of him doing it, he reverted to cleaning himself.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- My Kindle Wishlist