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 24th
• Titans #2 - Oh, that final splash page! Kadabra was never really all that threatening in the past - were any Titans' villains? - but he's got some good moments in this one. I love that Garth figured out where the strings were being pulled from. I thought Nightwing's nervousness throughout was a little strange, as though he were stepping back into a role he'd forgotten how to play. Which actually makes sense in the context of this book. I'm curious to see where this book goes next with this concept. And I really want to know the resolution of that cliffhanger!
• Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #3 - Ok. So. Sinestro is doing something bad, Hal gets beaten up, and Guy is... left hanging? Plot movement is glacial. Some books manage to be interesting despite not much happening - this one isn't.
• Harley's Little Black Book #4 - The sheer wackiness of all the Harley books puts me off a little. She's random and violent, and while I can handle random... the violence often turns me off. That said, I couldn't resist a trip into the Bombshells Universe and this was a mostly fun romp - although violent... at least it was violent towards a group that deserves it. The ending was fairly confusing, as Harley attempts to relate her experiences to people (?) that she knows, which I don't know since I don't follow the regular Harley book. Not the greatest I've ever read, but it was funny in parts and I think the Bombshells came off well in comparison.
• Back To The Future: Citizen Brown #4 - Lots of twists and turns in this story that I'm not expecting. I begin to understand why they wanted to turn it into a comic book. I wonder if the original video game version would hold up by today's standards (not graphics, just storytelling and gameplay)? I'm very curious to see what happens with Doc's efforts to help the woman who should not be his wife.
• Usagi Yojimbo #157 - Wow. Intense ending to an intense story. I want to reread the whole thing again, but I think all the clues were there except the actual backstory, which would have given too much away. As it was, the discovery of the true nature of the screen was a lovely, tragic moment. Another great story from the one always consistently good comic book out there. Seriously, if you want to read a good comic, even the worst issue of this title is better than 99% of all other comic book titles published.
• Aug 31st
• Justice League of America #9 - This series continues the tale of Rao, using time travel to come toward a climax, but not quite reach it. I admit, the final cliffhanger with an army of ancient Kryptonians newly empowered by a yellow sun was impressive. The thing that bothers me about this book is that I don't remember another issue coming out. I could be wrong, I HOPE I'm wrong, but does this story have an ending?
• Earth 2 Society Annual #1 - We take a quick aside from the ongoing plot to rehash the origins of the Earth 2 Batman with his newly rediscovered son. There's also a flashback fight scene. It's not bad, it just isn't particularly substantial. Not a lot happens, although a lot of ground is covered. It's actually well done, but after finishing it I just felt a little let down, like there ought to have been a bit more there.
• DC Comics Bombshells Annual #1 - I kept wondering what was happening, but that final splash made the entire comic worth it. I'm not sure I really buy the vampire thing, but whatever. I guess she's a vampire batgirl? Killer Croc was splendid in this, as was his banter with Francine (a character I am completely unfamiliar with). I really enjoyed this one, although music - folk songs - just aren't the same in comic book form.
• Future Quest #4 - So much is happening... I can just barely keep up with the plot. If I were more familiar with the characters, I might have an easier time of it. Parker is introducing characters slowly enough to help the reader assimilate, but it's still a very large cast he's assembling. I'm really curious to see where this book goes.
• Spider-Man 2099 #14 - I guess Power Pack is some sort of superhero group that I'm only vaguely familiar with that maybe should have had a bigger impact on me than it did? Up until the final reveal the book was scooting along nicely, but the ending just had me puzzled. Maybe the next issue will be better.
• Doctor Who 11th #2.12 - I'm trying to figure out what's happening in this issue, but it's kind of twisting my brain. I'm just not sure what the Doctor or Alice are actually trying to do, except that it's not good. Nor have I quite figured out the Master and Squire's roles in this. It's just very odd.
• Rough Riders #5 - Aliens! Only, it's not really aliens, is it? Or rather, they aren't the bad guys, per se? Hard to tell. I am really enjoying the characterizations of these historical figures in relation to each other in this book, and the plot itself is okay - not showing any particular signs of greatness yet, but certainly as good as most comics. The cliffhanger is suitably squicky. It's going to be interesting to see how this plot ends.