Sunday, October 13, 2013

A Sunday Review

DCBS
Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:
  • Sep 11th
  • Aquaman #23.1: Black Manta - Oh. So, get Manta ticked off and he goes after you, hero or villain, huh? Hunter, indeed.
  • Justice League #23.2: Lobo - I care very little about Lobo in the best of times. In this case, he's even less interesting than usual.
  • Earth 2 #15.2: Solomon Grundy - Um. ok. I guess. Why did we get these again?
  • Smallville Season 11 #17 - Wow, an issue that actually hung together as a story and didn't need too much past history to get the gist of, although it certainly requires an understanding of DCU mythology to get it. Maybe if I just read all the Season 11 books straight through I would understand them better?
  • Astro City #4 - Done in one, and fantastic as usual. Wow. This book just really reaches into you and makes you feel good, doesn't it? I gotta go reread 1-3 again now, not because they are related, but because I want that rush again.
  • Spongebob Comics #24 - The usual nonsense. I kind of wish they would have gotten some seeds from that tree, though.
  • Sep 18th
  • Justice League #23.3 Dial E - Honestly, this one doesn't make a lot of sense, but I love the oddball villians that came up on the dial. Strange stuff.
  • Justice League of America #7.3 Shadow Thief - Oooh, I actually kind of liked that origin story. Another villain who isn't so cut-and-dried evil, but is aware of wrong and right and has made a choice. Interesting.
  • Batman '66 #3 - Ah, this is better. An actual explanation, if silly, for Red Hood. And a lots of horrid puns in the Egghead story. Amusing.
  • Arrow #11 - Another good set of fill-in stories that make the series make more sense. Arrow is a decent show, and the comic isn't too bad either.
  • Batman Beyond Universe #2 - Figures that Aquagirl would be an "outdoorsman" type. Decent bits, I liked Clark going on a date. Not sure about the Phantom Zone, though. And Batman... well, I have no idea where the story is going, looking forward to seeing it through, though.
  • Powers: Bureau #7 - This book is so messed up it's not even... I don't even know where to start. However, in the case of this particular title, "messed up" is a compliment. I'm just staggered by it. And I'm glad it's been coming out regularly. Amazing book. Strange, but amazing.
  • Fables #133 - Lots of little bits pulling together to make this a bigger big. I really wish Snow White had won that particular argument with Rose Red, though. Ug.
  • Doctor Who V3 #13 - This one is pretty odd, but the mystery is nicely compelling. I like compelling. That's what I enjoy in a comic book.
  • Doctor Who Classics #4 - A planet-sized library infested with some sort of bug... where have I heard that one before? I wonder if this is the precursor to the other infested library?



My library book this week was The Giver by Lois Lowry. Another Newbery winner that I decided I ought to read. I was not expecting it to be so intense. The society pulled me into it very quickly and I had trouble "waking up" and facing the real world. At first it was hard to decide whether or not I'd like living in a society so structured, but eventually it became clear. Just the definition of "seeing beyond" was enough. I know there are some "companion" books, but I'm not sure I'm going to read them yet. Without the further books, the ending of this one is ambiguous.



My mystery book this week was The Alpine Journey by Mary Daheim. Emma goes to visit a friend in Oregon, but to her surprise Vida insists on also going and traveling to the Oregon coast to visit family. This was a very strange one. Lots of red herrings tossed in, along with a much deeper sense of Vida's dedication to family, misguided as it sometimes can be. I'm not sure the solution made complete sense, but I suppose it works. There just seems to be physical issues not made clear enough. Overall, not my favorite, although it certainly moves the main storyline along with Milo and Emma's relationship. I wonder where that is going to end up... well, on to the next! If you want to start the Alpine series, I strongly recommend starting at the first book, The Alpine Advocate.



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