Comics!

Last two weeks have been rough, so theres my excuse for skipping the reviews last week. This week, I have little excuse to post something.

Batman #655 - Morrison writing, right? Should be good, right? In my opinion this issue is fairly good, but one thing bugs me. The main story in this issue deals with plot that contradicts what is going on with the Man-Bat miniseries. Maybe the mini is out of the canon storyline, or maybe Morrison didn't have the same notes to work from.

Aside from that the issue was fun to read. Morrison is aware that Batman had given up his playboy image for a long time. Bruce Wayne has to retrain himself to become a fun loving guy again, and Alfred has to keep reminding him to lose his growl. 7.5/10

Action Comics #841 - I want to like Busiek's Superman, but his run so far feels very "long." What I mean is that the issue drags along, and I think it is from so much text to read through. It's good writing, I'll grant it that, but sometimes it feels like it is a bit too much. I like the concepts of the robotic intergalactic auctioneers, and it serves as an interesting background. Sadly, that's all it really feels like. 7.5/10

Birds of Prey #96 - First I have to say I like Black Alice. She's just one of those characters that doesn't get enough panel time to become a favorite, but I like it when she shows up. Aside from that there is a good dose of character work in this issue, and what I think is the only nod to Ted Kord since Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Also, that bit about Ted Kord is really well done and should be one of the selling points of the issue. The rest, im simply biased towards, thanks to Black Alice. 8/10

Supergirl #8 - Everything from the OYL arch is finally starting to make sense. Just be warned, as fun as the cover makes this issue appear, Powergirl and Supergirl do not actually battle it out. 7/10

Nightwing #122 - Stuff happens, but if you've been reading this arch you pretty much know how this has been going. Still, I suppose watching Jason Todd going Tetsuo at the end was interesting (as interesting as anything can be right now in the title). 6/10

Blue Beetle #5 - The story is still building, and it is still holding my interest. The villains so far are interesting, which makes it fun. 7.5/10

The Spectre #3 - The acceptance and conclusion of the miniseries. This story wraps up nicely in the 3rd issue, unlike other minis (Battle for Bludhaven, for example). The twist ending isn't unpredictible, but it does hit hard. 7.5/10

52 #12 - Still on schedule, still going strong. Insane Captain Marvel is a lot of fun. 7.5/10

Comics!

Comics were a bit of a disapointment this week, but I'll touch on a few that were decent.

52 going on 4 weeks on schedule, and more Question & Montoya action. Space crew returns from the R/T war with Alan missing his eye and a huge Hawkgirl. Also, Mr. Irons is freaking out. I really wish these issues were longer, but hey, they come out every week so I have no room to make requests. So far the history of the DC universe segments are interesting (I know very little of it), however, I'm not fond of Donna Troy so her focus makes it a rough read for me. 7/10

Ion #2 - Starting to make a little sense, but Kyle Rayner is having identity issues. Bit of a fun issue, but I fail to see the logic of leaving the assassin that want you dead alone on Earth. I'll just figure Rayner couldn't think clearly, as he seemed to be nable to last issue as well. It should be noted, that Rayner really is something special becuase the Guardians are actually going outside telling the other Lanterns to leave him alone. 7/10

The Spectre #1 - This was the highlight of this week from what I read. I really liked Gotham Central, and this really feels like an extension of that series, and it is a smooth read. It doesn't really make much sense that god's vengence was put on hold worldwide for a year simply becuase Allen turned the offer down initially, but maybe the Spectre is getting his own chance to punish him for that year by forcing him to witness the craziness that the Spectre's wrath manifests as. Who knows, but comparing to the other Crisis Aftermath title this is such a better read. Two characters to keep up with, and a simple exploration of possibilities. 8/10

Transformers: Infiltration #5 - I initially had resurvations about this title becuase it started off slowly. I'm glad I stuck with it. The arrival of Megatron, and his jerking the Decepticons back in line really shows the reader how serious the character is. Everything is falling into a massive climax due for the next issue and the Autobots appear mostly helpless on the sidlines. 7.5/10

Weekly Comic Review: DC edition

Yesterday seemed to...vanish...and so here I am talking and commenting a day later than I planned.

I'll get the big ones out of the way first...

Infinite Crisis #4
Howleeeee Crap. Way to much happening to even beging to summerize it, so I'll only touch on a few points. I like that the Specter got "reassined" to the gunned down cop from Gotham Central, it's fitting and will hopefully lead into a very nice revenge arch.

The massive pile-on with Superboy Prime was a blast to see, and I loved how childish he was - again, the way it came off was very fitting. I'm a fan of watching characters fall from grace, so to say, so seeing him destroy what he stood for really appealed to me. It was also a nice was to get rid of a lot of little used characters. The bit with Sandy and Terra was a nice touch, though something like what they did should have been a few more panels. Still, the bits with all the Flashes going full speed was a more important (and more awe-inspiring, I'll admit). I doubt Superboy is gone for good, but wow was that an impressive exit

The splitting of the Earths was handled well. I liked the way they used the blue outline as the timeline split between the two Earths. The split also gave a good wrap to the issue, and gives me an idea on how this major arch will progress...

Green Lantern #7
I don't think this is One Year Later, but I may be wrong - the story really picked up like that though. I felt like I jumped into the middle of a story arch, but I have read previous issues of this run. I have read where the background of the story occurs, partly, so I had an idea of what was happening. Average read, and I like the twist at the end, which will be interesting how Lantern and Arrow recover for the next issue.

Birds of Prey #90
All I can really say about this issue is that it was "cute" - which can be good or bad, depending. I usually use the word cute is a bad descriptive, becuase...well...I'm a guy...I have to have some stereotypes apply to me. In this issue's case, it's used in a good way. Being more a fan of Batman, I was a little ticked off at Oracle standing up to him, even if she was right. I would have been just as happy with the outcome if Oracle would have simply provided a random, yet rational, excuse to send Batman back on his way - it's not like Batman has lied to his sidekicks to distract them when he knew what was really happening and in control...

Despite that, watching Deathstroke get a temporary defeat/victory was fun. Also, Batman getting humbled by Huntress's undercover work was just as fun. The sneak kiss on Batman was also a little cheezy, but the comments afterwards were priceless.

Gotham Knights #73
Not a whole lot happened in this issue, in fact Joker and Hush didn't even come in contact with each other. However, I really enjoyed the Joker explaining what he had been up to. Usually when the Joker is involved, the story is a fun ride, and this issue is no different. I'm curious if the Penguin will get word of what the Joker's been up to, and how he'll react - or, that may be all part of the joke knowing Joker. I love his chaos theory.

Nightwing #116
Jeez, the world is just falling apart for Dick. Excellent tie-in with Infinite Crisis #4. Like Gotham Knights, not a whole lot seemed to happen. It was generally Nightwing working his way through the aftermath of his city, surveying the destruction, and doing what little he can in the face of such odds - it really speaks for his character.

All-Star Superman #2
There is almost nothing I can say in the negative about this title so far, except that each issue is too freaking short. If only All-Star Batman & Robin had someone other than Frank Miller writing it. I'm really liking this title. I also liked the giant Joker penny, mirroring the giant penny Batman has down in the Batcave (though I don't remember seeing it recently, maybe it's the same coin?).

That's it for what I've read that's come out this week. I have Batgirl #73, but haven't read it yet on account that I have a lot of stuff going on. I'll get around to it this weekend, as well as posting on other things.

Day of Vengence Special

Nice that it was bit longer than standard lengths, becuase the events brought up couldn't have been fit into a normal size - and also nice they didnt stretch it over another 4-6 part series. Out of all the lead ups to Infinite Crisis, Day of Vengence has been my favorite. I really like the character chemestry, and a detective chimp is classic.

I was curious as to how they were going to pull off the seven sins arch. When I heard there was going to be a shadowpact comic leading from this special I had thought that it would be the first major arch of the comic series. I have to admit, not giving the sins a physical body was a good move. That leads me to one of the reasons I love this aspect of the DCU.

Not only do the characters have really good chemestry, but the situations they get stuck in really fit their personalities. The various sins they went up against to capture were perfect.

On side notes, i love the explination of how Blue Devil got his trident back. I also felt that the defeat of Specter was a bit contrived, but given how they were built up that's probably the only way it could work. There were also a lot of good developments, but I won't spoil them all.