Comic Reviews

1) Spawn #163
It's odd to think this would make my top spot for this week, considering how the majority of the series has felt very 90s. The last 10 issues or so have been slowly getting better in my opinion, and I love the hyper-detail the previous issues have been. Over all, the issue actually wasn't as spectacular as previous issues leading up to this one, but the last few pages really sunk into me.

This is a major spoiler, so go ahead and skip down if you don't care for spoiling. I have to type this, as to justify my choosing this as my #1. Long time readers, and the curious sort will skip around my site to look this up, but I have a soft spot for Al Simmons and his absolute tragedy of being severed from his love. This is the driving force behind the character, and in this issue it looks like it will finally be resolved. Al Simmons chose to bring everyone back alive, and his last act was to give up his God-like (literally) power to become human once again so he can finally live a normal life with Wanda. There will be complications, obviously, but the last few pages of him deciding his fate are a major resolution to about 160 issues of pain and torment.

2) Detective Comics #827
Little can stop the Dini machine from producing some of the best Batman stories I've read, period. Scarface is back, and this time the Ventriloquist is a highly skilled woman. She looks like she was pulled right out of the Animated Series universe too, which I really like. It's also a nice touch that she has a Dr. Blight (from Captain Planet) scar on the side of her face, hidden by her hair, mirroring the broken face of Scarface.

3) JSA Classified #20
This issue, along with the previous issue, was a fun little story with a nice touch of darkness. I made a pun, since this follows Dr. Midnite. I haven't read much of him, but this little two-parter felt good as an intro to the character. I'm sure he's covered better in something else, but this issue felt well concieved as opposed to some of the other issues previously released. I also liked the dark twists of using Ice Maiden's skin, and the effect of the organ rejection. I like pale skin, so I could sort of see the interest in that, but I digress. It wasn't a happy or pleasant end for the girl.

?) Justice League of America #5
This is the second time I've listed this title here. I'm only buying it because the comic shop is taking kind to it's subscribers to this title by allow us to buy the variant covers at cover price. I've been really liking the variants ever since Turner moved off to the main cover (urgh), and having the variants as normal almost makes up for the lack of real substance inbetween the pages.

I'm not liking Reddy one bit, as he is basically the token child/sidekick/comic relief character in my opinion. He's not suppose to be like that, is he? Also, it has taken five issues for the 'main characters' to join up with the 'new main characters'? Way to pad the story for the trade, Meltzer. Now if only the art crew can stop spreading the panels over two pages every other page I could let my eyes enjoy the shifting of reading this comic like almost every other comic should be read...like a book. I'm not against two page spreads, but it really loses the impact when it is over used - go check out the Conan comic, its mostly single pages, but every now and then they toss a double pager in and it is awe-inspiring.

'Red Arrow' is really taken by Hawkgirl, isn't he? I don't blame him, becuase she does look pretty good in those few panels. My problem is that he's acting as if that's the first time he's seen her, and though I'm not familiar with any previous meetings I am pretty sure they have met before - the characters have been around a long time, right? Jeez...that moment felt really out of character and was too sudden considering everything that had happened moments before.

Poor Amazo has no solution for love. I feel for him, as there can't be much of a solution for love the way this flagship title is going. DC, get Meltzer to wrap up his fanfiction and get the writers from the sadly short lived Justice League Unlimited animation to pump some life into this. You'd make so many people happy...