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:

• Jul 18th
• Justice League #4 - Nope. Still no interest. I hope this story ends soon.
• Green Lanterns #51 - Huh. It's not that it's a bad story, it's just that it holds no interest for me. The Cosmic nature of the GL Corps doesn't spark my imagination, this time.
• Archie Meets Batman '66 #1 - Ah, that's more like it. I think these crossovers are remarkably silly, but that's half the fun. And while this will never live up to Archie vs the Punisher, this is a promising start. I like how it's Veronica noticing the problems first. This will be a good ride.


• Jul 25th
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis #6 - I'm a sap, because I was genuinely upset that Orm didn't get returned to the surface by Mera. I'll also say I doubted turning Tula into Orm's sister, but it really worked well for this story. This entire series was great, and I would love to see more like it in the future.
• Aquaman #38 - Among all the other sins of Dark Knights: Metal, I can also lay the blame for the ending of this book on it. Still, overall the issue wasn't bad. I liked seeing all of Atlantis unite, although it was annoying in that standard comic book way to see the bad guys leave at the end instead of being dead and gone.
• Batman Beyond #22 - Wow, the Creeper. Not a bad set-up story, but it's really all set-up and not much more. Still, good stuff.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #40 - With Swamp Thing involved, I expected one of the slightly half-serious issues. Happily, I was completely wrong. This was pure fun classic Scooby-Doo with lots of guests and some actual real information about zombies mixed in with the superhero/villain goofiness. Good times.

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:

• Jun 20th
• Aquaman #37 - Well, that didn't go as planned. Let's see... the story moved forward a little - Rath is too powerful, blah blah, Aquaman runs away, blah blah, and the mystical guardians of Atlantis decide that Rath isn't so great after all. I guess that's enough. The cliffhanger is just another bit of a fight, so I could have done with something more interesting. Ah well. At least it's clearly nearing the end.
• Justice League #2 - Still more cosmic nonsense that doesn't really do anything for me. I'm just not getting into this story. I hope it'll click with me at some point.
• Green Lanterns #49 - That's it? Wow. I don't know what to think of the resolution to Jessica's tale - part of me is happy and pleased and part of me is just asking what the big deal was all along. I guess story decompression has gotten so bad that a well-paced story seemed to end abruptly. On review, though, I liked it. A lot.
• Teen Titans Go #28 - The first story involved our heroes being sent to the 1950s, where they definitely do NOT fit in. The second story was much more laugh-out-loud, as the team teases Robin for being a sidekick only to learn first-hand how difficult kicking the side can be. Nicely goofy.
• Doctor Strange #2 - Well, he clearly isn't completely powerless if he's able to do that. I have never been a fan of cosmic stories. I guess I like my stories set on Earth or something. So far, this series is not really all that impressive to me.
• SpongeBob Comics Annual Giant Swimtacular #6 - Well, that was meta. Seeing the "creative team" trying to meet educational standards was... strange. There was ever so tiny appearances by Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on the cover of a Shakespeare-inspired version of SpongeBob. But mostly, this was just really odd. Amusing as usual.
• Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #4 - To the halfway point, and the mystery continues to deepen. I love Ishida's methods of getting his way with his so-called superior, but I'm really curious what that lamp says and what its purpose is. I guess I'll just have to wait until I reach the next issue. I'm glad it is already in the to-read pile!


• Jun 27th
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis #5 - I'm glad Leron is on Mera's "side". She needed that reminder, I think, to handle what was to come. As for Tula, I can't imagine she's at all happy with this situation. I just hope Orm remembers his family on the surface instead of falling deeply into that trap of "duty" as he seems to be doing.
• Batman Beyond #21 - Everyone is seeing him as a monster now, so what's in the water in Gotham. Even Matt seems to be affected. This is actually a mystery I'm getting curious about.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #39 - A JSA team-up, including the real Red Tornado! This one is fun, and while Shaggy's solution to the problem at the end is a clever one, I think they need to bury that thing much deeper than 75 years worth of deep. Maybe Superman can throw it into deep space or something. Anyway, this was another fun issue.
• Astro City #52 - I literally got the chills when the Hanged Man showed up behind him. I mean, I felt chills all up and down my body. That's a powerful bit of storytelling. And this is the last issue of this as a comic book. I'm looking forward to the graphic novels, but wow, this book has always been so consistently good. I'll miss seeing it on the shelves.
• Prisoner #3 - So this is a story. None of it is real. But due to the nature of this particular story, the narration itself is unreliable, which means the story might not be what I'm reading. So why should I care about it?
• Forever Free #3 - I think this book broke my brain. We had an entire series in which physics made sense, and the laws of the universe were used to make war, then peace, and now... this? In the third act of the second book of the series, we are not only introduced to a being which has been on Earth the entire time without anyone knowing - but also something *else*. How am I supposed to react to this? What am I supposed to think? And what about the dangling plot threads - the lost people and the lost ship? I think my brain is broken.

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:

• May 16th
• Aquaman #36 - Murk's "acting" was a nice bit of humor in an otherwise very grim issue. The double-cliffhanger was quite nice, as well. I'm very tired of Rath and am looking forward to the day this storyline ends, but at least this wasn't a bad edition of it.
• Green Lanterns #47 - So Jessica sorts out her issues, fixes her problems (with the help of Constantine, even) and... let's just say I really don't like that cliffhanger. I like the Jessica story, even though it took too long to tell, but I can tell I'm not going to like the next few issues.
• Bombshells United #18 - Well, at least there was one panel of Aquawoman and Arthur in this issue. One. Single. Panel. The rest was so much stuff and nonsense. I can hardly tell who the bad guys are supposed to be any more.
• Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #3 - Oh, the beautiful timing of this issue! Every piece of the story leads to the next, and the cliffhanger is just perfect. In fact, I think I let out an audible "ARGH!" when I got to it. Just about any issue of Usagi Yojimbo is better than almost any other comic book available out there, so go find this series and read it.


• May 23rd
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis #4 - Intrigue on top of intrigue on top of plans gone awry. It's going to be an interesting settling if Mera ever does take the throne. Which, by the way, is an excellent idea. It frees Aquaman up for being a superhero while keeping him solidly connected to Atlantis. So I hope this new state of affairs gets done and into place, and then becomes the status quo for awhile. A girl can dream.
• Batman Beyond #20 - Well, Bruce is correct. But so is Terry. It's a bad idea, but it's also something that, once started, cannot be stopped. Now, if this book kills Robin off before it ends, I will be grumbling about it for years to come.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #38 - Bat-who? A very silly issue with some very silly bad guys and heroes. Not my most favorite of the series, no, but definitely a fun ride. I wasn't a big fan of Dyno-mutt back in the day, but he's fine here.
• Doctor Strange #390 - A nice, light issue with a bunch of silly jokes and a reset of the status quo. Very nice after the last few crossover nonsense issues, but very light on - well, everything.
• Prisoner #2 - I haven't read a real psychological mind-twist story in some time... but as I read this I realized I'm still sick of them. I just want a story, not lots of "maybe this is happening" or "this isn't real" crap. Of course, I should expect nothing else from a comic book based on this TV series. So I guess I'm already bored with it.
• Forever Free #2 - This is incredibly grim in a lot of ways. I mean, a follow-up to a book called Forever War can't be exactly a bed of roses, but wow... that's some plan they have to escape reality. And some lengths they go to in order to make it all happen. I'm still a little iffy on the artwork, but the story is very strong.


• May 30th
• Green Lanterns Annual #1 - This doesn't pick up with the regular storyline, and is a standalone issue. Which is a good thing. It has some massive plot issues, but overall works ok as a showcase for Jessica. Not the best annual I've read, but far from the worst.
• Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special #1 - I'm feeling a little dazzled by this story. I mean, a talking shark and a typical cartoon band get together with Aquaman and are gratifyingly stunned when he proves to them that, yes, he IS a superhero. The whole story is, like all these crossovers, goofy to a fault. But it's also lots of fun. And I'm almost too scared to read the back-up story, featuring Captain Caveman.
• Super Sons/Dynomutt Special #1 - Fresh off a Scooby-Doo Team-Up in which Blue Falcon is apparently mind controlled comes a Super Sons team-up in which... Blue Falcon is apparently mind controlled. Only this one is SO much darker than the Scooby version. Wow. Starting with a funeral and ending with grave robbing. Very dark and disturbing on a lot of different levels.
• Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1 - Um, that was a trip. I don't know exactly what to think of it, in fact. This is definitely the most serious I've ever seen Hong Kong Phooey written. Black Lightning seemed a little too dismissive to me, for a guy living in a superhero universe also populated by talking animals. Otherwise, um, fun?

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 25th
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis #3 - It's interesting to see Orm and Mera chatting without trying to kill each other. Also to see them trying to explain royal duty, pounded into them from birth. I feel like Orm's attempt to become a drylander may be doomed, but I hope I'm wrong. I like Erin and Tommy. And it would be fascinating if Erin has more children (which is possible now, since they've been living together for awhile). Good art, progress on the story, I like it.
• Teen Titans #19 - The ending of this storyline was rather abrupt... so there is a hack and it's done? And not even obviously - Robin has to tell us. I'm not terribly impressed by the finish, although the story and concept had promise. I think this might be the last issue of this book we bought because of a distinct lack of Aqualad in future issues. It was... eh, an ok series.
• Titans Annual #2 - Yeah, that was a good ending to an intense story that took way too long to develop. I liked Mallah's part in this one. I'm not sure what to think of the development of the Titans, but Mallah was fun.
• Batman Beyond #19 - Dana really has a point in this one, even though Bruce just sent the kid to blow up a couple of power sources. Doesn't he have a handy drone that he could have used to do the same thing, and thus not put Matt in danger? I'm a little confused and distressed by the direction of this book. I'm not sure what I expect from it anymore.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #37 - This feels like a classic Silver Age (or even Golden Age) tale, complete with hiding a secret identity and a tiny piece of Kryptonite. Fun stuff!
• Doctor Strange #389 - The dog is still the most interesting thing about this book. And the dog isn't even alive. Maybe this crossover is done and we'll get actual stories now?
• Prisoner #1 - I've never been much of a fan of the tv show. I'm a bit too straightforward in my plotting and thinking to enjoy something that never makes sense on purpose. But this is an slightly different take, with sort of a reason behind everything that's happening. Yeah, I'm curious to see what happens next.
• Forever Free #1 - This is an adaptation of a book I've never read. I was confused at first, because it started before the end of the war - then I realized it was from the other character's point of view. Interesting, and no burden of my history with the story to interfere with my enjoyment of the book as just a book.


• May 2nd
• Green Lanterns #46 - We get to the heart of the matter in this issue, and it was nicely done. We saw what happened to Jessica's friends on that hunting trip and, through Simon, we learned what the alien lawyer is doing to Jessica via her memories. This story shaped up nicely and I'm actually eager to read the next issue. That's a good thing.
• Bombshells United #17 - This feels like, "let's throw everything in the pot, turn up the heat, and see what happens." I'm not even interested in most of the characters or what happens to them now.


• May 9th
• Scooby Apocalypse #25 - Well, *that* was a shocker. And a very interesting way to present it, as well. I know this series isn't going to go on forever, but this development changes what little future it has. Wow.
• SpongeBob Comics #80 - Well, there was a sort-of Mermaid Man appearance, but it was... surreal. In fact, this was a pretty surreal issue all over.
• Back To The Future: Tales from the Time Train #5 - Chaos, a little more chaos, and then, just to be sure, some more chaos on top. Along with a mystery person who has ALL the dogs. I'm mildly interested in finding out who the mystery person is (although I have a guess) but otherwise I'm not that interested.