No one started one while I was away last week, so it’s a double! I haven’t read my books yet, but I’m really looking forward to Final Crisis #2…
Random selection…
Final Crisis - Very good, very good. The funeral had a rather funny (if grim) line: … Well, it’s been a week, so I can’t remember it completely, and don’t want to dig the book out, but it ended ‘And we pray for a resurrection.’
‘Yep, we live in a superhero comic, so he’s probably coming back in a few months.’ ‘But what about Superb…’ ‘Quiet! He’s coming back! Aaany minute now!’
Not fond of the colouring in the funeral scene, though…it looks like J’onn is attending his funeral (T’om S’awyer?)…I have no idea who it really is, but he’s coloured way too green.
Should have seen the Kraken twist coming, once I remembered her story. (I hope there’s some repercussions over in GLC.)
Power Pack - Day One - I totally prefer this version to the original - not just because the art’s much cuter, but I really prefer that the Pack did almost everything, rather than Whitey doing most of the heavy lifting in the first couple issues. Julie’s snarking (er…bad choice of words) at Alex when he starts preening was good, too. Although apparently PEGASUS has zero communication in its security crews…oh, well, we got a pretty good fight scene out of it, anyway.
Joker’s Asylum - Interesting idea - the Joker as a ‘Cryptkeeper’ style host for a series of one-shot stories about the Bat’s villains. This issue - the Joker’s own story - was very good, storywise, and the art suited the story once it got going. A very creative use of the Joker, too - that’s one way to keep him from getting stale.
Superman - Robinson’s off to a bit of a rocky start - the STORY is good, but the dialogue is painful to read. The conversation between Clark and Hal at the beginning, especially - they had the same voice, and it wasn’t either of theirs. (A problem Robinson admittedly has fairly often, but not usually with his leads.) I don’t like the SP guy at all, but I doubt we’re supposed to like him.
Batman - Well, that was…Morrison all over, really. 3 comments - Nightwing’s status at the end of the story is…very surprising and mildly confusing (what, they don’t recognize him?); I notice that when the Club of Villains is setting up in the Batcave, they’ve got Alfred tied up (and beaten senseless), but Jez is nowhere to be seen…suspicious; what about that last page, eh? It’s really something…the combination of the dramatic pose, the hideous costume, and the presence of Batmite is…brainbreaking.
Actually…4 comments… Weapons grade crystal meth??
Batmite suggest Bats might be hallucinating.
It’s a classic hideous costume.
Bat-Mite has been all over the place in the past couple of years. Morrison’s Batman run, Gotham Underground’s cover, Superman/Batman… I don’t know that he’s a hallucination.
Last week = THREE Young Avengers related titles.
I was happy.
Actually, last week - like seven Avengers titles in total.
This week - four Star Trek titles and both Doctor Who titles plus the collected 6th Doctor strips.
I’m on summer break here, cut me some slack with my budget, hey?
Also missed last week, so got a lot this week…
Trinity - lovely art, ridiculous villains, MIA plot, and the talking head commentary by the plotting villains is beyond annoying at this point. However, good characterization, and the backstory is fairly interesting thus far.
Supergirl - I think I can see the characterization of Kara they’re developing, which is an interesting take on her. we’ll see how it goes.
Superman - well, at least we know what Hal is doing while the GL title is stuck in rewind mode. the bit with Krypto was priceless. the bit with the sci police was… rather dumb, actually. I suspect this is going to suffer in comparison to Atlas’ appearance in All-Star Superman, too.
Blue Beetle - fair filler issue until the new author is on board.
Legion of Super-Heroes - slowly, at some indistinct point in time, this title has shifted from “meh” to “actively annoying” for me. all of the interest of this reboot has been squeezed out, and this seems stuck on the UP heel turn that is going on. come on, Legion of Three Worlds!
Green Lantern - Johns is back to his continuity-doctor mode, sorting out GL’s rogues gallery and setting up the Blackest Night storyline. and I’m liking it.
Final Crisis - very Morrisony. little in-jokes (“It’s ok to have a Big Belly”, “We’ll all miss him. And pray for a resurrection.”) although I’m a little surprised that Megayakuza wasn’t missing any finger joints.
Young Avengers: Hawkeye - seemed like there was a bit of story missing. started out with Hawkeye/Ronin messing with Hawkeye/Hawkingbird. then… Hawkeye/Ronin approving of Hawkeye/Ronin. if I was actually reading any other Marvel title, I’d suspect he’s a Skrull because of that attitude whiplash.
Oh, I understand the costume’s significance, it’s just that the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh would never be accused of having fashion sense, and it’s the hideousness that stands out.
For it to be a heel turn, they’d have to have been a face at some point - the UP has never been a face in this continuity. The best they’ve been is oppressive and corrupt, but not actively sinister. Even when the Legion was working for them, it was clear the UP made the offer just to get them under their control. They’ve just moved back to actively acting against the Legion, like they were at the start.
What’s annoying is Shooter’s insistence on introducing and overusing his own future-slang instead of the lexicon that’s been established since Giffen’s run in the 80s. At least he’s started using ‘grife’ again and stopped with the ‘zork’.
I liked this issue, a lot, personally. The Legion, despite being seriously pwned by the SP, still managed to hold their own, and it was a delight watching Brainy completely confounding the SP, and Phantom Girl and Element Lad scoring minor victories.
Anyway…more books!
Trinity - the fore-story is very much Buseik-the-fanboy - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman get to show off, in turn, Morgaine and Enigma have a nerd-fight about them (again, I’m on Morgaine’s side - Batman’s got a good brain in his head, but it’s impossible to deny that without Superman’s powers, he’d not have gotten anything done in a reasonable time, here), but the backup story continues to be very good. I love these villains - Whiteout is begging to be used in a 4th wall breaking series. Though they have a very ‘Marvel’ feel to their look, which I can’t really put my finger on. Usually when I get that feeling, they’re Kirby-designed, or Kirby-like. Not so, here…
Squadron Supreme - It appears I’d better understand what’s going on if I’d not given up on Ultimate Power after issue 2 or 3… But, from what I’ve seen, wasn’t Fury left on the Supreme world to face charges of crimes against humanity (which he was actually guilty of)? Also, I’m not sure about the fact that they seem to be doing pastiches of MARVEL characters, now - I count Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four, so far. On the one hand, more variants on the company’s own characters isn’t a bad thing, on the other…couldn’t they have given these new guys their OWN title for that, rather than taking over Squadron Supreme? I’ll stick around to see how it shakes out, but I’m getting less enthused with this world every time a new version comes out.
Cable - Have I mentioned that Bishop is an idiot before? I have? Good. Because he is. And the kid is definitely Rachel/Askani - after the phoenix reference, it’s either her or Jean, and Jean doesn’t fit Cable’s insistence she’s important to his future. Art’s still delightful.
At one time I understand Jim Shooter could write good stuff. That time is far past. Rann-Thann is terrible.
However, Manhunter, Blue Beetle and Hellcat were quiet good.
Frontline was awful, though. I don’t give a crap about Ben Urich’s take on the Skrull invasion.
Turns out I also got the Rann-Thanagar thing, and… yeah. Pretty bad. ISTR that I got a free Hellboy comic too, but can’t find it now. hmf.
True. Not so much a heel turn, then, as it is a heel highkick. Nothing nuanced about the UP portrayal at all, anymore; they may as well be given moustaches to twirl. At least at the beginning of this reboot there was some twisted logic to how the UP (and all adults) were acting. They could be recognized as paralyzingly conservative agoraphobes and xenophobes. Now, not so much that as… stock villains.
Avengers/Invaders #3: Boy, Ross and Krueger are really playing Bucky up as some sort of bad*ss, aren’t they? I love it, but I do think that the way he managed to get a vital access code out of some highly trained SHIELD agents was a bit implausible. (And under 23 seconds? Puh-leez.)
JSA Classified #39: Does Mike W. Barr even know what “rope-a-dope” means? It’s NOT a good strategy to use against multiple opponents! Sheesh.
Did anyone read Secret Invasion: Frontline #1? I’m always let down by the big Marvel events, but Frontline is always great. The art this time around is absolutely beautiful, particularly the colors. Everyone gives Frontline a hard time because everyone hates Sally Floyd for no reason, but it’s probably the only good thing about MU events these days.
I really enjoyed the new Astonishing X-Men as well. Warren Ellis is setting up something pretty interesting, it seems.
The last issue of Planetary is being worked on.
Desolation Jones will continue.
… Perpetually. >_>
Ellis is living proof of the need for a ‘never solicit a series/run until it’s FINISHED’ rule. (Well, he’s not the only one, but he’s the most consistently late creator I actually CARE about anything they create coming out.)
As of yesterday.
You mean it isn’t done? I thought it was already over after they beat the 4. 
There’s one more epilogue issue due.
If they’d decided to scrap it, issue 26 would have been a just fine place to stop, but there is one left.
If I may pose a question about a somewhat recentish comic… I am a bit puzzled by a remark in Action Comics Annual #11 (the one with the Kryptonian cover text that wrapped up the “Lois and Clark’s Adopted Kid” storyline). At the back of the issue, there’s a few pages that briefly sum up the characters’ then-current status quo. The entry for “Clark Kent” states:
“Because Superman’s powers occasionally interfere with computers, Clark is forced to work on a typewriter.”
–the hell? Since when do Superman’s powers interfere with computers? What, is he Kitty Pryde now? I thought they buried the “Electric Superman” idea and salted its grave. Does Superman really need “occasional” super-abilities alongside everything else? On the upside, I guess this would make fighting Brainiac a lot easier… occasionally, at least.
“At last I have you, son of Krypton-- GACKKHH!” falls over
“Whew, thank goodness for my occasional super-computer-interference.”