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:

• Apr 4th
• Justice League #42 - I want to like this book, but this mess of a storyline has just about driven me away.
• Green Lanterns #44 - What kind of a deal has Jess made, and what kind of price is she paying? Interesting story, but since it's mostly set-up, I'm not sure how to react just yet.
• Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #6 - Shapeshifters. I don't love 'em. Not a bad reversal on the situation set up in the final issue - enough clues were left to figure it out. But still, it felt a little extreme. Not a bad mini, but I'm really new to this character and (Sorry Tony) I like the TV version slightly more.
• Bombshells United #15 - Did the plot move at all in this issue? I don't think so.
• Astro City #51 - Yeah, it would be hard to explain a person who never really existed to people who lost close friends and family. That said, I think he's selling himself a bit short. His pain is as real as theirs. Still, actions speak louder than words. His actions at the end of this part of the story ought to be enough to convince anyone with a heart. I am really looking forward to the next issue.
• Apr 11th
• Titans #22 - I can't even remember why the league imprisoned Donna, but the sheer rudeness and dismissiveness makes me happy that Batman is being attacked at the end of the book. Seems like Roy and Donna are the only ones with any idea what's happening. I would like to see more members of the Titans, but eh, this seems to be wrapping up. I'm pretty sure we dropped the book once we were sure Tempest was no longer in it.
• Scooby Apocalypse #24 - What is Daphne up to? For that matter, what's gotten into Fred? And why do those two armies never reduce in size? This book is delivering on the mystery aspect.
• Doctor Strange #388 - Yeah, I'm still not sure what the heck is happening in this book. I feel like I'm only reading part of the story. Probably because it's part of some crossover. In any case, I like the dog more than the doctor.
• Back To The Future: Tales from the Time Train #4 - Not much of anything at all happens in this issue. Just lots of circling around until everyone finally gets into almost the same space. Bored now.
• Spongebob Comics #79 - This issue gets a little meta, with comics being part of the plotline. It's about standard fare, with a brief appearance of a Mermaid Man comic book, so it's a little better than average for me.
• Apr 18th
• Aquaman #35 - So Rath becomes what he depises, but hey, that's the price of power, right? Murk is what I've come to expect. A lumbering soldier whose only loyalty is to the people of Atlantis - once Aquaman makes it clear he doesn't want to be king, Murk is ok again. But how is Aquaman, even with his new allies, supposed to fight the darkest magics of Atlantis? Interesting stuff.
• Justice League #43 - Meh. This whole story was messed up from the beginning. It appears to have been trying hard to be a saga with interlocking ideas and events... the result was something best read as a trade. Issue by issue it just didn't work for me. Hopefully, the next storyline won't be so tangled and pointless.
• Action Comics #1000 - I suppose we got this because of the issue number. Well, it was ok. Aquaman shows up in a couple of group images, so that was nice. None of the stories stood out to me as spectacular, none were particularly bad. A nice anniversary issue.
• Green Lanterns #45 - Ok, this is a story that I've wanted to read since we first learned about Jessica Cruz. She's not what I expected. A hunting trip? Expertise in killing animals because she's been doing it all her life? Wow. I'm really eager to find out more. Add in a dash of Constantine, and I'm hooked.
• Bombshells United #16 - Nice finish. It kind of sorted itself out after a really confusing issue. I think you could have combined this with the last issue and lost nothing.
• Teen Titans Go #27 - Not a particularly great issue. I mean, it would make sense for insurance to be an evil plot, but at the end nothing changed. And the spring cleaning story was... just odd.
• Rough Riders: Ride or Die #3 - So by acting like someone is a bad person, you can turn them into a bad person in the afterlife? Not a pleasant issue.
• Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #2 - This mystery is developing nicely, with Usage and Ishida searching for answers in all the right places. Knowing the cultural problems and issues makes this story more delicious to read - there is a lot going on below the surface. I still think Usagi Yojimbo is possibly the best comic book on the shelves whenever it is published.