Showing posts with label The Wrong Earth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wrong Earth. Show all posts

Sunday, October 13, 2019

A Sunday Comic Books Review

DCBS
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
  • Two and a half StarfishJustice 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.
  • Two StarfishGreen 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.
  • Three StarfishDoctor 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.
  • Four StarfishThe 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
  • Four StarfishPlastic 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.
  • Four StarfishScooby 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.
  • Three and a half StarfishFantastic 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.
  • Four and a half StarfishCaptain 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.
  • Four and a half StarfishRipley'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.
  • Three and a half StarfishDr 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.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A Sunday Comic Books Review

DCBS
Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:
  • Oct 10th
  • Three and a half StarfishPlastic Man #5 - Greatest cover ever. And the first page summary confirms what I thought I knew about the previous issues. Of course, that's all turned upside-over on the next page, but what do you expect from Plastic Man. This is a fun issue that sort of pushes a reset button. Now how can this all get wrapped up in one final issue?
  • Three and a half StarfishScooby Apocalypse #30 - Of all the changes in characters, the one that I can't abide is Scooby becoming eloquent? Ok, right, that's just strange beyond any normal level of strangeness. As for Daphne, this doesn't look good for her. And what is going on with Scrappy? Who has he been obeying all this time?
  • Four and a half StarfishThe Wrong Earth #2 - Wow. This is way better than I was expecting for a second issue. I honestly expected the hero to wonder what happened, not to figure it out immediately and then work out how to deal with it - but it makes perfect sense. This is a very smart hero in both universes. The pathos of Dragonfly while talking to Stinger was great. And Dragonflyman showed he's more sinister than he lets on. Three good single-page text tales, a fun little back-up comic... almost too much to handle. Well worth checking out.
  • Three and a half StarfishSpongeBob Comics #85 - A typical issue. I liked the opening story, in which Sandy solves a problem she couldn't have known existed. Otherwise, just the usual fun.

  • Oct 17th
  • Two and a half StarfishJustice League #10 - Ah. An Aquaman-heavy issue. I'm still not in the least bit interested in the overall arc, but there's a handful of interesting bits in this, including the history of Arion. The art is very nice. Of course, it's the start of another crossover, which is annoying, but that's what you get if you read comic books.
  • Four and a half StarfishAquaman #41 - Following on directly from the Justice League story, this is all about Mera handling her second big crisis as Queen (if you count the Suicide Squad and their nuke as the first). There's a lot of set-up in here, but it's done as the story progresses, which makes it nicely readable. Mera comes across as determined, smart, and strong. Right up until the final pages, at which point I'm questioning her judgement. I'm not sure about this crossover, but I'm interested in what happens to Mera.
  • One StarfishGreen Lanterns #57 - Oh thank goodness. It ended.
  • Four StarfishShuri #1 - I literally know NOTHING about Black Panther beyond the movie. It's not a character I ever found interesting. But after seeing the movie, Shuri was someone I wanted to know better. And so we ordered this series. Bonus was the author, whose other work I like. So, it's a solid little first issue with enough context given in the usual Marvel ways that I understood what was happening. I do wonder about the situation with T'Challa and his buddy, though. This ought to be a fun ride.
  • Three StarfishArchie 1941 #2 - I want to like this, but it's moving WAY too slow for my tastes. I mean, it's only five issues and Archie finally bothers to enlist at the END of the second issue? I'm just not sure what to think.
  • Four StarfishCaptain Ginger #1 - I didn't know what to expect with this, except cats. In space. And that's what I got. Lots of cats in space, dealing with the death of their feeders and in a war with a mysterious species. It's a strange story and definitely caught my imagination. Like all Ahoy comics, it's a bulging package, with text tales and interviews and extras. Definitely worth checking out if you like cats and/or space adventure.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

A Sunday Comic Books Review

DCBS
Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:
  • Sep 12th
  • Three StarfishPlastic Man #4 - I'm pretty confused by this book, but I'm still enjoying it. How is that possible? The Aquaman hot dogs made me laugh out loud... I suppose it's the quality of the jokes despite the story being a bit opaque.
  • Four and a half StarfishSuicide Squad #46 - Yay, villains with morals taking on nasty bad guys! Mera asserting her authority! King Shark making jokes about eating crocodile! And I haven't even mentioned Harley Quinn's nonsense! Another solid issue in a goofy crossover.
  • Four StarfishScooby Apocalypse #29 - Did we just see Fred Jones become a big bad? This has set up quite a serious moral dilemma for Daphne. Still not my childhood Scooby, but still an interesting Elseworlds version of it.
  • Four and a half StarfishThe Wrong Earth #1 - I rarely complain that a comic book has too much content, but this comic book has too much content! A main story, a back-up, a letter column, two creator Q&As, a short story by Grant Morrison, and even a one-pager comic. And all of it good. The main story's high concept - of a superhero from an Adam West Batman type world changing places with his counterpart from a much darker world - is fantastic, and nicely realized. I'm looking forward to reading more.
  • Three StarfishArchie 1941 #1 - Huh. Pretty much all set-up, and really depressing set-up at that. Good art, but man, this was a bummer to read.
  • Three and a half StarfishSpongeBob Comics #84 - Not much to say on this one. Typical issue, overall. I really liked the Ocean Facts piece on barnacles, because, while I knew what barnacles are intellectually, seeing the imagery with the simple description helped me actually understand what they are. It's always good to learn new stuff.
  • Three and a half StarfishMystery Science Theater 3000 #1 - I'm not a huge MST3K fan, and so I was somewhat unfamiliar with the cast of this issue - but at least I know who Tom Servo is and found his role in this to be hilarious. Moving the snark from movies to comics is a fun idea, but I'm not sure they'll be able to sustain the momentum for a full six issues. I guess I'll have to read and see.

  • Sep 19th
  • Four and a half StarfishAquaman #40 - Harley is just so good in this. Ridiculous and yet compassionate when she has to be. Cruel but silly. No wonder she's become so popular. As for the rest... poor Carl. And Waller is just the woman she's supposed to be. I like the conversation at the end between the two "queens". Ha. Good stuff.
  • One StarfishJustice League #8 - Still completely crap, but there's some nice Black Manta characterization, so it wasn't a complete waste.
  • One StarfishGreen Lanterns #55 - Nope. I just... no. I don't buy it on any level. Not impressed.
  • Three and a half StarfishTeen Titans Go #30 - Note to self: never play word games with Raven. This was a fun issue with two amusing stories, including one about going to great lengths to make a vegan burrito. A good issue.
  • Three StarfishDoctor Strange #5 - Huh. So now we know who the narrator is, and everything about the stupid use of language makes more sense. Still not feeling it, much, but it's an interesting twist I honestly didn't see coming.
  • Five StarfishUsagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #6 - This is just excellent. So tightly plotted, such an interesting plot, bits of history woven into the tale. It's fantastic. I finished this issue and nearly dove into my stack to read the next (and final) issue right away. Usagi Yojimbo is consistently the best comic book available. This storyline is no exception.