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:

• Nov 7th
• Justice League #11 - The art is good, but the story continues to disappoint me. Oh, there are some good twists and turns in this one, but I'm actually really tired of stories that go on too long with repeated failures on the part of the heroes that seem fabricated to extend the story instead of tell a rollicking good tale. And this one just doesn't have enough rollick for me. The art is lovely, but I wish the crossover had ended in this issue.
• Green Lantern #1 - Another good art, story weak, book for me. I love the art. But I've never been a fan of cosmic stories in DC or Marvel, and this just isn't my thing. At least it's better than the last GL book.
• Doctor Strange #7 - I'm not really sure if I enjoyed it or not. I mean, it moved the story along and the ghost dog is keeping me from being completely bored, but it wasn't really fantastic. I guess I'll just keep reading and see if it gets more interesting.
• The Wrong Earth #3 - I wonder if Dragonflyman is worried about what his counterpart is up to, or if the culture shock has kept him from that particular horror yet. As usual, an extremely good issue with lots of stuff, including a back-up story featuring Stinger and three text pieces that were all decent.


• Nov 14th
• Plastic Man #6 - That's just such a Plastic Man way of solving the problem that I can hardly believe no one had already written it in exactly the same way. I mean, it just works for him. And he even managed to get his head out of his... um... posterior by the end of the book as well. Good stuff.
• Scooby Apocalypse #31 - Ouch. This whole book has been insane from the start, but now that Fred is sort of back, it's just kicked up a notch. Add in that we know who is talking to Scrappy now, and it's almost too much. I'm really eager to see how this whole story ends. At least Scooby is able to still be Scooby despite his improvement to his implants.
• Fantastic Four #3 - Well, that was interesting. If the enemy cannot be defeated, delay it? I was amused by all the cameos in this one, particularly the "non-canon" ones. Overall, an excellent little issue with lots of fun stuff happening.
• Captain Ginger #2 - This one ended too soon for me. I wanted to keep reading. The structure of the ship and the feline societies on it are fascinating. I want to see how they are going to solve these problems. The Hashtag: Danger backup was ok, but even goofier than I like. The text pieces, two stories and an interview, were also great. Another solid package.
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! # - Of the five main stories this issue presents, I was familiar with four of them. So, again, this wasn't all new to me. On the other hand, the presentation is SO good, and the stories so compelling, that I didn't mind reading again about some of those odd tales. This is a great book for anyone interested in the strange, and would be a lovely introduction to the world of Fortean phenomena. I recommend giving it to every child in your life.
• Dr Horrible: Best Friends Forever one-shot - Wow, whew. Ok, that was not entirely what I was expecting. On the other hand, it was funny and touching and worked well for what it was worth. You don't even have to be particularly familiar with the original Dr. Horrible to understand it, although it helps.

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:

• Sep 26th
• Heroes in Crisis #1 - Interesting way to tell the story. I was getting annoyed at it, then Harley said a few words, and suddenly I had to go back and reread. Which one is the villain? Ok, I'm not thrilled with it, but I am intrigued.
• Batman Beyond #24 - There is quite a large cast in this book now, with all the years of the show and the comic. So I forgot who Mel was until she showed up in costume. Interestingly, Jack isn't wrong about Batman. A satisfactory end to this story.
• Archie Meets Batman '66 #3 - This is incredibly fun, and actually shows Jughead using some initiative. Admittedly, he had some serious motive, but still, I don't generally see him taking action. I enjoyed the abbreviated Batman tale, too. Amusing way to avoid having to write all those literary clues. This is still very good.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #42 - The writers were really monkeying around in this issue. It was rather disjointed, but still managed to be more fun than a barrel of gorillas. I had the solution figured out early, but only because I've read a few Congo Bill stories and had a suspicion. Totally goofy fun.
• Fantastic Four #1 - A nice introduction, showing two members of the FF trying to get on with life after the rest of the team has vanished. I don't know how or when they vanished, but everything was given enough context to work despite my lack of Marvel lore. I actually kind of got chills on the final splash page of the main story. The back-up story was a bit Doom-y, and ended too abruptly. Funny one-pager in the back. Not a bad issue.
• Stranger Things #1 - This story tells what Will went through on his side of the universe during the first season, and it actually is a really good start. The cliffhanger is particularly strong.
• Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2 - Wow, a human who can communicate with them! The only one we'd seen wasn't exactly able to pass as normal. Thrilling stuff. A bit gross, but still thrilling.


• Oct 3rd
• Justice League #9 - A slightly interesting bit with Wonder Woman and Aquaman, but overall, still more blah.
• Green Lanterns #56 - Really? Two guys without their rings, one up from his deathbed? This is just awful.
• Fantastic Four #2 - It's like the Bat-signal, only a teleporter across the multiverse. I'm not entirely sure what this group of teenagers is, although the book makes it clear what they've been up to. As for defeating their enemy - I'm not sure that's possible if she really is what she claims to be. Fun stuff.
• Doctor Strange #6 - Well, that mystery got solved quickly and kind of boringly. Still, the story has moved on to another level, and it has possibilities. And as long as the ghost dog is around, the book is improved by an order of magnitude.
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! #1 - This is basically the cartoon with much longer stories told in a nice narrative. Being a Fortean, I was already familiar with all the tales in this book, but the presentation was nice enough that I didn't mind at all. It's a good package for a single issue, and probably would make an excellent gift for a child with a yearning for the bizarre. I wish I'd had it as a child.