Whee! Local shop got damaged copies of Countdown and Action - wah! Still not a bad haul anyway.
JSA - The Supermen conversation was cute. Not nearly as cute as JJ immediately falling for Lightning, though. Also, her power BLOWS. I would go fucking NUTS if any electrical device I touched when fzzt.
Blue Beetle - So. Much. Badass going around. And Jaime’s dad fought in the Invasion! AWESOME. Peacemaker and the Posse seemed to come out of nowhere, but, that’s forgivable, because it was full of win.
Fables - Oh, Blue. At least handler it with some dignity, boy. (But I blame Stinky for that.) I really feel sorry for Beauty at the end there. First all the stuff she had no idea about happening around her, then ‘you’re fired’. Poor girl.
Jack of Fables - ‘I regret nothing!’ Ah, Jack, never change.
Action - BOO YAH! That, boys and girls, is why he’s called Superman. And Rainbow Girl. Wow. Obscure, that. Nice take on her powers. Definitely better than the one in WWitL.
Batman - Wow. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, but it has my attention.
Blue Beetle #24: Jaime rocks so goddamn much. I mean, the Reach are incredibly smart for comic book villains. They have a really plausible and long-term plan and are obviously working with the kind of precision you only get when you, as an institution, have been out this for a very long time.
And Jaime just totally pwned them. This book gets a lot of hype. It isn’t doing so well, so it’s fans perhaps oversell it trying to keep it alive, but it’s been living up to every once of it in this storyline.
Crime Bible #5: And then? AND THEN?!? It’s the kind of cliffhanger ending that’s both frsutrating and strangely satisfying. Flay’s thinking is kind of laughable, but then he is a fanatic: I mean, he committed the murder in the last issue, and his own murder here was the epitome of justifiable homicide, so what point did he make precisely? All an all, this was a pretty strong series, and it leaves me hungry for more stories of our favorite blank-faced lesbian.
Countdown #9: Ick. Didn’t like the Piper conclusion at all. Dilutes both him and the Fourth World.
Legion of Super-Heroes #39: Shooter’s doing a really good job of putting his own stamp on the series while respecting their Waid/Kitson roots. My only complaint is that Timber Wolf was a little too feral. That, and the cheesecake with Light Lass and Phantom Girl was a little thick (call me crazy, by real PJs, an oversized shirt leaving you wondering if she’s wearing panties, are sexier than diaphenous negligee that I doubt women wear except to please men).
Action Comics #862: I’ve been ambivalent on this arc so far (mostly out of annoyance that Johns was pushing the Legion he grew up with over the one I’m familiar with) but this issue really won me over. The subs rule! I’m especially fond of the use of the new Green Lantern mythos.
Batman #642: My god. It all makes sense. Suddenly the last few issues, hell, half of Morrison’s run, which I considered a mind-boggling mess, all make sense. It works, and it works well. This is a rare gem of a book, and worth checking out of you’d given up on this arc in bafflement.
Teen Titans #56: Yeah, I’m done here. Too much angst and melodrama, not enough fun. Blue Beetle’s out of character too (although I can see why, in broad strokes BB’s a lot like Robin. Hell, there was once a persistent rumor that Tim was going to replace Ted Kord, at least for a time).
Countdown #9 - just more bad writing after bad writing. if Piper’s experiences were being manipulated, they should have shown us some hint – rather than just dialoging it into place, months after the readers had been complaining about the improbability of it all. for which, see also: this issue and the improbable hoedown at Brother Eye’s place. sheesh.
Teen Titans #56 - this book isn’t fun any more; it’s just annoying.
Young Avengers: Hulkling - now this is how something like TT should be done. not great, but okay.
Blue Beetle #24 - very good. very, very good.
Action Comics #862 - although I’ll quibble that Wildfire – who used to teach at the Legion Academy – should have known Brainy’s little factiod, this story has really picked up steam and is a solid LSH tale. gives me hope we’ll see more of this version of the LSH. and the Subs are always goofy fun.
Legion of Super-Heroes #39 - I like how Shooter has structured his storyline, focusing on developing a few characters like Projectra. the story is engaging in that LSH-way – things happen only as a context for the characters interacting. but… I like the LSH over in Action much better, and without the conceits this incarnation was based on (e.g., “Suck it, grandpa”, outre future science such as the Public Service really being extradimensional beings, etc.), this LSH just doesn’t have any oomph.
JSA #13 - more cute than JJ and Jennifer, I thought, was the fact that she’s already on good enough terms with Stargirl and Cyclone that she assumes they’ll be watching tv together. because that’s the way it should be with the JSA.