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 19th
• Aquaman #9 - Well, that's one way to get rid of the Shaggy Man without calling in the Justice League. The implication that it also got rid of his Justice League membership card/communicator is also interesting. I like that his supporting cast is actually working as a supporting cast - Murk and Tula doing the kind of questioning that he needs to hear while still obeying his commands. And then there is Mera with the widows. I'm not sure either the widows or Mera have any idea what they've gotten themselves into. Yes, I'm enjoying this book at the moment. But then, I'm seven months behind, so who knows what Aquaman has gotten up to while I've been off in depression-land. This only makes me want to read faster.
• Justice League #7 - Um. ok. What... what was that? Did it get defeated? Was it just me, or did this plotline seem like an excuse to get Jessica off the team?
• Green Lanterns #9 - Oooh, and origin story! And it's pretty stupid, to boot. Some third-rate pilot sees Green Lantern and decides he wants to be one. Then he's used as a weapon by an ancient evil. I'm not sure about this Phantom Ring storyline, and this issue really doesn't do much to reassure me.
• Astro City #40 - I fully expected more about the Hanging Man, but instead, we get another story with other characters and, frankly, it's awesome. I really like the Silver Adept and seeing her and her overworked secretary back in action made me happy. Then seeing how she was willing to tell Tom who really saved the day... squee! I love this book, and I really enjoyed revisiting Marta.
• Doctor Strange #13 - This is clearly going to be a difficult week for Dr. Strange. His "nightmare" is hysterical, if more than a little annoying. I like how the pretty women just keep multiplying until he finally notices - but it also bothers me more than a little.
• Usagi Yojimbo #158 - This story is heart-breaking. I mean, really heart-breaking. I sometimes think it is very hard for modern people to understand what used to have to happen for people to survive hard times. We joke about leaving grandma on an ice floe or something, but people genuinely sacrificed themselves to make sure the future generations would survive. We are wealthy enough now that it shouldn't be necessary anywhere for this to happen anymore. But somehow, I doubt this "tradition" is entirely gone.
• Back To The Future #13 - Ah, this story tackles something I thought about entirely too much after the first time I watched the original movie. Was there a Marty in a timeline where everything was great, who got sent into that other timeline and the original Marty's life? Or was everything altered? What happens when someone changes the past that much? Are there branching timelines? A dozen different Martys, running around a dozen different Hill Valleys? I never thought of the spiritual side of things, though, which is a nice twist. So, how does Marty solve this existential crisis?
• Doctor Who 3rd #2 - I'm not sure I'd want to go into Jo Grant's mind. And I have to admit, the setting she created is pretty funny, even for Jo. Now, the Brig on the other hand, managed quite a wonderful trick there, figuring out the Master was in disguise. Too bad he couldn't do much about it. I'm still feeling a bit suspicious about this Second Doctor - is it really him? I guess I'll just have to keep reading to find out.
• Doctor Who 12th #2.10 - Wow, the death of a TARDIS. At least the family appears to have escaped intact. I liked how the mom of the family fought through everything, and then fought some more, to save her kids. I mean, yeah, dad fought as well, but it was the mom who really kicked butt. And Hattie helped. Even the kids got in on the action, which was nice. I loved that the Doctor picks up a toy in the room at the end, and it's the Robot from the first Tom Baker story. A strange little story, but a nice one.
• Doctor Who Supremacy of the Cybermen #4 - This really doesn't look good for The Doctors, as each one is facing a horrible choice and even more horrible circumstances. How does anything pull back from that? Clearly the giant reset button is going to have to be pushed, but how and where?
• Torchwood #2 - This made even less sense than the first issue, which is really saying something. I have no clue whatsoever what is happening in this book. I hope it starts to make sense as it continues.
• Oct 26th
• Titans #4 - Ok, so Kadabra actually has an end-game plan in this, but in order to make it work he has to put a lot of people in peril. I get it, and I like the way this is being set up. I don't like the puppet Titans much, but you aren't supposed to like the bad guys. I'm looking forward to the next issue.
• Batman Beyond #1 - If you can't beat 'em... Terry isn't stupid, despite rushing in where angels fear to tread. As for the Joker - how long has he been dead? I thought he'd been gone quite awhile before Terry took the mantle, but perhaps I was wrong. Things like the Joker never really die, I guess. They just become archetypes, and are revived both figuratively and literally as the world continues to revolve.
• Future Quest #6 - Still enjoying this book despite having very little knowledge of the characters involved in it. The back-up feature is explicitly linked to the main story in this issue. I'm amused that some of the heroes would ask the writers for plot information on how to beat the bad guy. Not a bad idea, in theory, as creative solutions are a writer's job. In reality, I'd be impressed if they could come up with an answer that fast.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #19 - That was a major tour of almost all of the DC Universe's magical heroes and villains, and it was terribly amusing to say the least. As for the villain - well, collector's syndrome is a dangerous thing. I'm surprised we didn't get a panel or two of magical justice at the end, although with Scooby it makes MUCH more sense to leave on that happy note.
• Doctor Who 10th #2.15 - Wow. Not much to say about this except that I'm kind of on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this ends. All the monsters are coming out of the Phantom Zone. Wrong universe, but correct assessment, I think.
• Doctor Who 11th #2.14 - Oh, wow. I didn't expect this to start making sense as all the pieces fell into place, but suddenly I grasp the plotline! That was a shocker, to understand what seemed like nonsense before. Very clever - and disgusting - plan. I do wonder how the Doctor will prevent this, and if it will be the Doctor at all. My only complaint is that I really did like the Squire.

Yay, I'm up to the end of October! Only a few more months at this pace and I'll be caught up...