A wee bit late, but I didn’t get to read my books until last night.
A really good week for me, I enjoyed everything I got - including my last issue of Fantastic Four for the foreseeable future, which was just about perfect.
Action - Quite good. But so. Many. Crazy. Eyes. The Coluan plan sounds rather overkill, to me - I’d gotten the rest of the UP was just planning a liberation of the planet, whereas the Coluans seem to be planning a scorched earth campaign. But, I guess that’s Colu, for you.
Batman - I wish it was clearer what was pure hallucination (like Bruce attending his own funeral, or the 3 Robin memorials) and what was real memory - and how much of the real memories weren’t embellished - but it was a fun issue, that gave a nifty glimpse into the Bat’s psyche.
GL - The Guardians have officially lost it.
My main comment, though, is that I hate how McKone draws Tomar-tu (and presumably other Xudarians). The fleshy beak isn’t too bad, but when he draws him with a mouth under a beak-like nose, it drives me nuts.
Countdown - I can’t decide whether Monarch or Prime is the biggest idiot in this exchange. Monitor-51’s way emo, though.
Spirit - Finally arrived…I’m not sure it was really worth the wait, other than the Gail Simone/Phil Hester/Ande Parks story, which was brilliant. The O’Neil/Templeton story wasn’t bad, though forgettable, but the Gold/Risso story was marred by horrible dialogue, save in the ‘punchline’. Oh, well.
Project Superpowers - Another book in the tradition of Terra Obscura, playing with PD characters - in fact, playing with a very similar roster, with the Black Terror and Fighting Yank prominent. But in addition to the Nedor characters, they grab Lev Gleason’s Daredevil, Claw and Silver Streak, someone who appears to be Centaur’s Arrow, Fox’s Blue Beetle (judging by the boilerplate, renamed Scarab). Flame and Samson, Holyoak’s Cat-Man and Kitten, Columbia’s Face and Skyman, Frank A Munsey’s Green Lama, and a huge number that were neither named nor easily identifiable by me. They also sneak cameos by the Shield and Captain America in on the American Spirit’s profile page. Spot the Character aside (and this promises to be a good book for anyone who likes that), it’s set up what promises to be an interesting story.
Countdown #13 - Dare I hope this is the last we’ll ever have to see of Superdick Prime and Captain Monarch? sigh Unlikely, at best, given Capt. Atom’s past history of blowing up. Also, why did they feel the need to reprint the Cyborg Superman origin? They just had a stand-alone issue of a very popular crossover event covering that character.
Countdown to Adventure #6 - The main story is pretty good, nice to see the super-wives in action. And although I like the nod to past Hawkman continuity, Forerunner can go away forever with Prime and Monarch, for all I care. And I think they stole that squid-haired medic alien’s design from Star Wars…
Death of the New Gods # 5 - The stupid in this one just keeps increasing, doesn’t it.
Action Comics #861 - Although the art still sucks, this issue was an improvement over the last. It’s gotten interesting, although I’ll be glad when they do that three Legions story hinted at in JSA, just to clear up the whacky LSH continuities.
Green Lantern #27 - Just when I thought the Monitors couldn’t be any creepier twits than they’ve been, they go and prove me wrong. So obvious that Bad Things are coming from this, but also obvious that it is going to make for an interesting book.
Blue Beetle #23: Wow. Yeah, this book really lived up to the hype this issue. Jaime is a really great, pure superhero. Smart, in it because it’s the right thing to do. Yeah. Kid really came into his own this issue. I liked the little dig at the Titans, who really are a mess right now compared to Blue Beetle (both the character and the series).
Countdown to Final Crisis #14-13: Yeah, I’m officially just annoyed with Superman-Prime now. A whiny child in full tantrum mode with that kind of power is actually quite terrifying, but it’s hard to sell that when he’s trashing places that simply don’t matter and killing people we don’t like. Also, he’s so bone stupid. I mean, really, the Monitors are hardly the big brains of the multiverse they imagine themselves to be, and they still managed to get rid of him basically by saying “look behind you!”
Wonder Woman #16: MONKEYS VERSUS NAZIS! MONKEYS VERSUS NAZIS! I feel sorry for the Nazis. Even though they manage to inflict some damage, they’re so thoroughly outclassed its not even funny. I’m liking the tone Simone is setting for the series: 300 with more girls and less fascism, now with more apes!
Astonishing X-Men #24: Not as awesome as last issue, but so little is. The plot moves along nicely. The true nature of the weapon is funny. It’s such an obvious technology but no one in space opera ever uses such a thing. I’m pretty sure there’s no real reason to make a planet-killing bullet a hollowpoint though. All that would matter is the mass.
Legion of Super-Heroes #38: I’m pleased at how Shooter’s run is developing. It’s its own thing while nicely meshing with the Waid run and keeping a general high level of quality. Good stuff.
Teen Titans #55: Ick. So much angst. I’m not enjoying watching teenagers be unhappy, and I’m not sure why they aren’t making BB a full-fledged member. Also, now two of the team have idiot plots (that is, plots that could be solved if they weren’t such idiots and just told their friends about it). I’ll stick around a little longer to see if they gel when the bad guys show up, but I’m not optimistic.
Countdown to Adventure #6: Holy crap did the Forerunner story get bad fast. Hate to say it, but total Mary Sue. The main even is still almost serviceable though.
Black Adam #6: Well that ended. Quickly and without fanfare. I did like Faust’s con.
Y The Last Man #60: Is profoundly depressing. I mean, you knew it was going to be that way. But still… To actually see it. The actual conclusion was perfect though.
The Death of the New Gods #5: Yeah, they’re getting it all wrong. I’m still vaguely enjoying it, because I know it’s not permanent. Still a missed opportunity.
Action Comics #861: I’d enjoy this more if I didn’t find the two mutually exclusive Legions to be baffling.
Green Lantern #27: Oh! Now I get it. Yeah, the Guardians are fucking it up, and I like it.
Batman #673: Like the rest of this plotline, I kind of feel like I’m missing something. At least this one was a hallucination and had license to be completely weird.
Small list for me this week.
Green Lantern - Yeah, the Guardians just don’t learn, do they? Age clearly doesn’t always bring wisdom. I imagine the one who was visiting Ash will end up as the keeper of the Black Lantern and turn against the others.
I don’t know how it’ll all play out but I can’t help seeing the whole Blackest Night storyline ending with the seven different Corps’ uniting and funneling all their energies through one Green Lantern, since Green is in the middle of the spectrum (I’d guess either Hal or Ion) to create the WHITE LIGHT of LIFE as the only way to defeat the BLACK LIGHT of DEATH (and groovy posters).
Action - Interesting the way this is playing out. I wonder if the two Legion timelines will end up merging?
Countdown - All I can say is, is Prime dead yet? No, of course not. Funny, though, one crazy ass kid throwing a tantrum did more harm to Monarch than all the others combined. And when are we going to get back to Piper or Karate Kid or Mary?
** GL **: I was hoping that ring would get where it was headed. Would have been awesome. I think Laira’s gonna get a red ring, eventually.
Initiative was awesome as usual, and very “reap the whirlwind”. At least we know where one more Skrull is hiding.
JSA: Eh, Hourman’s always been a very handicapped character in terms of the stories that can be told. Still good art, but i liked it better on Robin.
Superpowers: I dunno, maybe it would have been better if I knew these guys a bit better, and if Fighting Yank didn’t have such a dippy costume. It all feels a bit Kingdom Come, honestly.
Wow, surprised by the dislike for Death of the New Gods. I’m really enjoying it - especially Metron’s characterization.
Judged solely on its own merits, it’s not bad. As a capper for the New Gods saga… It’s just wrong. For one thing, Barda and Miracle die together. For another, Darkseid is the villain, not who we got.
But hey, the Fifth World’s coming up, so they get another chance.
I found Metron’s characterization as nervous and timid in the early issues to be askew, but it’s improved in this issue.
The mischaracterization of Scott Free may be laid at the feet of Barda’s death.
But it’s the mischaracterization of the Source in this issue that is breathtakingly stupid. Not only is it acting – it’s acting like an Oan Guardian! (to borrow some twits who’ve been consistently characterized as such). Completely tosses out one of the core ideas at the heart of the New Gods since their creation.
I don’t mind Superboy Prime making a heel-turn and turning into a nitwit, but this is beyond the pale.
… of course, it’ll all turn out that this wasn’t really the Source, just like what’s eating Scott Free wasn’t really the Anti-Life equation, but by that revelation my eyes will have already rolled up into my head so far there’s no telling if they’ll ever be back.
(mind you, this whole plotline annoyed me from its inception, so I’m not inclined toward charity to it)
Oh and I picked up Trials of Shazam. This has been a fun and entertaining book, perhaps a sleeper hit.
JSA Classified - Mostly unremarkable, but I love the panel where Rick’s talking about the ‘low tech’ dimension shunts. Heh. Only in superhero comics.
Black Adam - Not a bad wrap-up. The magic word makes me giggle. I can’t figure out what the sprock Faust got out of playing Adam like that at the end that he wouldn’t have from playing it straight, though.
A slave. 