Ta-da!
It’s here. Will be back to list my comics a bit later.
Things I got this week:
We3: This is a brilliant book. It’s use of a series of tiny box pictures to “narrate” what’s going on is so unique (at least for me), and the abrupt language the animals use is clever. I don’t like the reveal, I think a different animal would have been a better choice (orangutan, chimp, cougar, etc.). And how fantastic are the bunny droppings? Poor 3…
War Games: So it was all an elaborate plan to keep me reading Batman books? I don’t think that mission was accomplished, but I’m pretty happy overall. I’m sure Batman’s about to enter the following into his diary: “Note to self, dropping buildings on Black Mask may be fun, but seems to be less effective than it should be.”
JSA: Strange Adventures #1: This is a fun book, isn’t it? I’m reading it both because of the recommendations here, as well as the fact that I know absolutely nothing about the JSA. Seems like a good place to start.
Store was out of Flash, which I didn’t pick up last week. Booo! Looking at the release list, next week’s going to be a killer.
Yesterday I picked up Hard Time #7,8 and 9 after loving the TPB I bought last week. It continues to be fantastic. The really engaging thing is that everyone so human. Sure, everyone in the prison would be willing to sell you out in a second if it gives them an advantage, but if it wouldn’t give them an advantage, most of the prisoners are easygoing guys. Even the villains have their own trails and moments of empathy. Everyone should pick up this TPB before it’s too late.
–Cliffy
Batman - I’ve only gotten bits and pieces of the War Games storyline. I liked what I saw, but honestly, I spend so much money each week already, that I really don’t want to suddenly add 6 titles for a crossover for three months. I liked what I saw - mostly. I’ve never cared for the Urban Legend Batman thing, and cannot honestly believe that most of the GCPD would go along with the arrest-or-kill doctrine for the Batman.
**Birds of Prey ** - Zero Hour reference. Not bad. I wondered where they’d put Oracle after the events of the above issue, and I see she’s now travelling in style - with another bird-motif character in the roster. Nice to see Ted Kord, too.
Some random comments about the week in comics …
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Dammit, Catwoman: When in Rome is late.
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Per the new issue of Wizard, Will Pfeifer write Catwoman (presumably after Scott Morse’s run).
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Per the new Previews, IDW is putting out a new 24 comic. Batman: The Animated Series Volume 2 DVD set (28 episodes/$44.98) is coming out in January 2005, as is Superman: The Animated Series Volume 1 DVD set (18 episodes/$26.99). I had thought and hoped the Batman DVDs were coming out before Christmas.
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Is anybody actually reading those Milton-Bradley centerspread comic inserts
based on their new game? Kinda cool idea, but I wonder if the idea will pay off for them. -
I seemed to miss who told/or where Black Mask thought the Gotham Clocktower was the Batcave in the Batman: War Games storyline. Quite an uneven story in the terms of pacing. I’m usually so desensitized to the covers of comic books, but the cover of Catwoman #36 kinda had me scratch my head; Catwoman leaping, her boobs up by her chin and a nice wide shot of her crotch. sighs This issue touts Batman #633 and says, “… Black Mask and Batman have their final face-off in Oracle’s lair …” “Final”? Puh-lease.
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Writer Gail Simone is excellent on Birds of Prey. RE: #75. I’m a sucker for older characters and I think the new BoP member will be an excellent addition to the team. Benes’ art is outstanding.
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Wonder Woman #209 … nods off ZzzzZZZzzzz … mmm … what? where was I?
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I love stories that acknowledge past events in contuinity and execute them well. As such, Flash #215 was a great read. The IC tie-ins in Flash have a bit more “meat” to them as well, story-wise (as opposed to the recent Firestorm one). I remember the old “Crisis” crossovers in the '80s with some books being nothing more than having a red sky in the background.
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I like anthology comics, but I don’t recall too many on the racks recently. That said, Solo was a welcome change of pace; even moreso in that I didn’t expect it to be executed and laid out SO well. It’s a collection of short stories with the art by Tim Sale on each. Kinda pricey at $4.95, but I really liked it. There’s a Catwoman/Batman story, a Jeph Loeb story tie-in to Superman: A Man for all Seasons, and a VERY touching Supergirl story.
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I’ve yet to read Green Lantern: Rebrith #1 (looks good though), JLA #107 (looks like this story is gonna be starting slow), Outisders #17 (hey look! John Walsh on the cover), Aquaman #23, Superman #210, Amazing Spider-Man #513, Black Widow #2, Daredevil #66, and Ultimate Elektra #3. I had to leave the rest in my ‘hold’ space.
I’m impressed with the amount of interconnection DC is showing these days. Some of the things concerning Identity Crisis, Green Lantern : Rebirth, and Teen Titans that are going on now seem to have been expertly set up in advance - even if the timelines of all the books don’t quite line up, they’ve done a wonderful job. (Maybe because half of their books are being written by Geoff Johns) They just need to put out a guide that tells us which books occur in which order, and I’d be set.
Superman - Lee does good work - that’s always been true for me. I’m starting to warm to Azzarello’s story arc, but the Gordon-lookalike Mr. Orr is grating on my nerves.
**JLA ** - Busiek begins his stint on JLA, in a follow-up to the JLA/Avengers Crossover. I’m glad to see an intercompany crossover acknowledged in continuity. Aquaman’s apparently back in the League, but we saw him with them in some earlier issues of Superman this year - I wonder where his rejoining the League was initially established? Maybe his own title. The arc starts off a little slow, but we get to see Wally stumble on an excellent solution to the evil that is the Construct.
Flash - Already been said, but this is a good IC tie-in. Throws the Top and Linda Park into the mix, as far as people who may have a connection to the events.
Green Lantern : Rebirth - We touch base with all the Green Lantern folk; we get an update on Batman’s distrust of Hal; Guy’s Vuldarian physiology goes nuts; Kyle might be dead, but he brought back a coffin from space; Alan’s thirsty. Well, they can’t all be overwhelming cliffhangers. I hope Kyle lives.
Not the first time it’s happened - Access (from the Marvel vs. DC miniseries) appeared in an issue of Green Lantern.
We3 was fantastic. Totally worth the wait, and that’s saying something.
I was pretty dissapointed by Flash. Barry’s huge secret turned out to be a) really lame, and b) not a big deal at all. I might have been okay with that under normal circumstances, but since this was an IC tie-in, I was hoping for something better.
I’m also majorly pissed off that both of my local comic shops somehow sold out of GL:Rebirth before I got there yesterday. It really blows my mind, because normally any book that sells out its print run has about nine billion copies warming the shelves for a while (Jim Lee’s first issue of Batman comes to mind). I guess I’ll have to wait for the second printing.
Wasn’t reading GL at the time, but that’s interesting… didn’t know that.
Didn’t get a whole lot this week. I’m buying a house and considering dropping most every title and going to TPB’s. At least for ones I know will be reprinted thusly (all the Ultimate titles, miniseries, etc) However I’m also thinking of applying for a part time position at my comic store, so if I get a huge discount, who knows.
Amazing Spider-Man: Good writing, good story, but I am getting tired of SM saving people from falling off of the Geo. Washington Bridge. He’s done it a number of times now since the whole breaking-his-girlfriend’s-neck-but-blaming-it-on-the-Green-Goblin fiasco. It’s not all that thrilling now. Still, it’s been a great arc so far.
Doctor Spectrum: I’m really impressed with Samm Barnes. When she does the followup to the Sins Past arc in ASM, I’ll probably pick it up. Who knew a crystal could be such a bastard. But the main thing that this issue did for me was remind me that I haven’t seen a Squadron Supreme comic in a while. What’s up with that? Didn’t even see anything in Previews about it.
Wizard: Haven’t done much more than thumb through it. Hey, Wolverine. Go figure.
JMS has had to do rewrites on his B5 movie script to accommodate the death of Richard Biggs. That takes priority, there being more money involved, and the story is at a natural break anyway. I suspect it will resume once Doctor Spectrum is complete.
I had another pretty big week. 10 from DC, 6 from Marvel. Why am I keeping score?
I have to agree with ussentinel’s assessment of the *Catwoman * cover. Ew, tacky. Not a bad issue though.
I’m happy with Wargames overall. It’s good to shake up the Batfolks a little now and then, and I’m especially excited about the new direction for Birds of Prey. I felt bad for Stephanie, but she was kinda done as a character. I wonder how Tim will react when he hears what happened to her.
*Flash * #215: I’m new to this book, but I like it a lot. I’m satisfied with the gravity with which Barry viewed his treatment of The Top. Maybe it doesn’t seem quite so bad compared to things other characters have done, but I understand why Barry would feel so badly about it personally.
*JLA * #107: I’m also new to this book. I liked watching Wally and Martian Manhunter having a typical day at the Watchtower.
*Outsiders * #17: As stunt casting goes, at least this one makes sense. I wonder about the group’s policy on what kinds of crimes they do and don’t deal with. If the child slavery ring isn’t really their thing, can I assume they also wouldn’t stop me from being mugged if they happened by? Or are muggings a big-deal superhero priority, while bunches of kids being horrifically abused can be shrugged off?
Wonder Woman #209: Well, at least something semi-interesting happened in this one. I was really afraid for Chef Ferdinand for a minute there. It is me, or does this story arc suffer from a lot of the same problems that Rucka’s recent *Wolverine * arc did. Mostly the “going on forever in a dull manner” problem.
GL Rebirth #1: I hope Kyle survives. An interesting start to this miniseries, where a lot of stuff happens and we still don’t know anything.
We 3 #2: It would’ve been way better if the last panel had revealed a really souped-up shetland pony. These animal characters should not be this involving and well-realized. “Bad. Dog?” Great art, too. This book is unreasonably good.
Amazing Spider-Man #513: I don’t remember Peter saving a bunch of other folks from falling off the bridge, but I’ve only been reading this title since 2001. I had to laugh at the Spidey expert the newscasters were interviewing, and the video of Spidey yelling at him for making him trip and lose Doctor Doom. I don’t know if anyone’s ever observed this before, but I think a lot of Spider-Man’s appeal comes from the fact that he’s just so human and easy to relate to. 
*Daredevil * #66: Nice art for the flashbacks. You know what Matt should do to get everyone off his back about being Daredevil? He should fake his death. I mean, it worked those other three times, according to the Official Marvel Handbook of Daredevil thingy. That book is a hoot to read!
Doctor Spectrum #3: I just read this at lunch today and already I barely remember what happened in it. It’s just not working for me. Why isn’t this whole *Supreme Power * series really frigging awesome like the Gruenwald miniseries from the '80s was? I just read that last week and I loved it.
*Strange * #2: I have this in my to-be-read stack.
Ultimate Elektra #3: The thing I’ll always remember about this issue is that based on the cover art, one of these days those pants are going to roll right down over the tiny amount of hips they actually touch and bind her at the knees. Maybe that’s when Bullseye will get her. Embarrassing! Lose the plumber’s crack, E.
Wolverine #21: So, Wolverine’s all brainwashed? And now he’s gonna fuck some people up? How unusual!
I’ve read through the issue a couple more times, and you’re right, it does seem to fit in with Barry’s character to be so torn-up over something like that. I’m still let down by the issue, but I guess it does make sense for Barry to make such a big deal over the Top.
On a semi-related note… does anyone else think Howard Porter sucks? I’m having almost all the same problems with his work that I had during the early issues of JLA - his figures strike really awkward poses (although he does great scenes of Wally running) and his faces are just weird (check out Black Canary in the big panel of the JLA). Also, he draws Ollie’s hat like some kind of trucker cap. Anyway, just getting that off my chest.
Actually, Porter’s one of my favorite middle-tier artists. Doesn’t belong in the realm of the ones I think are awesome, but of the “pretty goods”, I like him best. I loved the Morrison/Porter/Dell era of JLA.
Outsiders - I’m not a fan of America’s Most Wanted. I’m not a fan of using real-world celebrity types in this fashion in a comic book. Oh, well. At least we get some background for Grace. The art seemed weak this issue.
Planetary - What’s that? An issue of Planetary? Do mine eyes deceive me? Well, no, but Elijah’s eyes do, this issue, as he takes a hallucinogenic trip to the submicroscopic realm - we learn more of the detailed superscientific concepts of the Wildstorm 'verse, and a bit of background on our immortal protagonist.
Doctor Spectrum - I like this book - but I’m hoping that the Crystal/Doc inner conflict will stop next issue. It’s gone on long enough.
**The Witching ** - A few bright moments, but it mostly felt like treading water.
Hmm… that might be it.
But Ed Brubaker writes Catwoman now! Is he leaving? Crap. He’s the only reason I read it.
Catwoman is the only super-hero book I read, so as you can all imagine, I’m pretty perplexed by the last couple of issues, almost (but not quite) to the point of seeking out the other “War Games” installments.
For example, I thought Black Mask was dead, thrown from a building by Catwoman herself. How did he survive?
Also, I thought Zeiss was too easily beaten, considering how badly he smacked Selina last time.
Does anyone here read the new Adam Strange? I have some thoughts about it, but won’t go to the effort if no one’s reading.
I read it… did a new issue come out this week, and I missed it?
I think we mentioned it two weeks ago…
I thought we were obligated by law to discuss any and all books we buy, just in case someone is thinking of reading the title. Spill it!
Well, so far the new Adam Strange hasn’t really grabbed me, and it’s mainly because of two relatively minor technical matters.
No one reads comics for scientific accuracy, of course, but there’s suspension of disbelief and then there’s suspension of disbelief. the first Adam Strange stories were by the great Gardner Fox, and when he crafted his world he nailed down some details that he kept quite consistent.
One, Adam’s adopted planet Rann was an Earth-like world orbiting Alpha Centauri, which is a real star and the second-closest star to Earth at only 4.5 light-years away. Two, Alpha Centauri is “below” the Plane of the Ecliptic, and thus can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.
Fox never forgot these details. He established that the first Zeta-beam was fired from Rann 4 and a half years before it struck Adam and transported him, and in every other story Adam caught the next beam from locales such as Australia, Argentina, sub-Saharan Africa or the Southern Ocean…never north of the equator.
Maybe there were improbable monsters and shrinking rays and such like that, but in Fox’s stories the above facts were always adhered to, and that helped keep the story grounded.
So now we have Andy Diggle’s new take on the series, where as I see it he’s making several mistakes that badly betray the spirit of the original:
- Adam tries to catch a Zeta-beam in New York.
- Superman tells Adam that “Rann’s star went nova.” He wouldn’t have called it that! It’s Alpha Centauri…again, a real star! Detail makes a story come alive; would Superman travel to Gotham and tell Batman, “it’s good to see you and this unspecified city you live in again.”
- Alpha Centauri went nova? That wouldn’t be just Adam’s problem; 4.5 years later the entire southern hemisphere would be sterilized by the gamma radiation. But anyway, Alpha C is a young star like Sol and won’t go nova for billions of years.
Are these trivial concerns? You decide, but they’ve taken me right out of the reality of the book and I don’t know if I can get past them. Anyway, if Diggle is starting with these boners, it suggests he’ll just get worse.
I’m reading *Adam Strange * too and forgot to mention it, but I have enjoyed it so far. I didn’t know about the things **Fiver ** brought up, but I don’t think it’s going to diminish my enjoyment of the story. I’ve overlooked equally stupid science blunders in comics, so I’d feel all judgmental if I started now. 
And I really don’t know why I’m not liking *Doctor Spectrum * and Supreme Power. It bothers me that I don’t, because I feel like I should. Maybe I should sit down and reread them all sometime when I don’t have a massive stack of other comics distracting me.