Rapid Reviews - 21 September 2005 - Part II

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1: "The Gathering": I figured out what was really bothering me about this issue after doing a search for a bio of Guy Gardner. Guy loudly proclaims in this issue that "I'm not a teacher." Except... he is. Was. He was a PE teacher during the time he was a GL. So it just didn't ring true. Training new GLs would be right up Guy's alley. Anyway, despite that off-note, this book was pretty good. I liked the concept and thought it was mostly well-played out. The set-up for future issues was well done, with enough to pull the reader in but not really enough to give it away. The artwork is typical Pat Gleason... which means that it might take some getting used to for some readers. I'm not sure I like his Guardians, but the rest was good. Overall, a pretty solid first issue. Wiki.

Birds of Prey #86: "A Wakeful Time": Three short stories, the first a confusing swirl of the Birds moving into their new digs, the second a hilarious Black Canary adventure, and the third a more serious tale of Helena. I liked each story in different ways, although the first one was hard for me to enjoy in some ways because I just couldn't tell a couple of the characters apart. And I could not for the life of me remember who Renee is (another one for the Wiki?). The second story was silly almost beyond the acceptable levels of silliness, but it worked anyway. The third story was close to my heart thanks to Helena's work as a teacher, and I enjoyed it as Helena learns that beating people up in costume doesn't always solve problems. Overall, a nicely solid issue, if a bit crazy. Wiki.

JSA: Classified #3: "Power Trip Part III of IV": One of my least favorites characters joins with Powergirl in this issue... or rather, Powergirl seeks her out to get some help sorting herself out. Of interest is that Huntress actually experiences the "hallucination" that Powergirl has been dealing with. And the other is that we see more of Psycho-Pirate, and get a major hint as to why he's tormenting her. The artwork is still goofy for the subject matter, but it works well enough. All-in-all, not bad. Wiki.