Sunday, December 14, 2008

9 comics to look at today

I was shocked when I arrived at my local comic shop and found I had 9 books to pick up this week. Given that since Thursday I have spent between 1 hour and 4 hours travelling each day, and have visited 5 different, quite far apart, towns in Kent it's worked out pretty well. Plus, getting to read comics at breakfast when I'm not at home is a lovely experience, and one I should repeat. One last 4 hour journey to go and I will be back home tomorrow. Thank the Gods.

Herein follows mini reviews on Action Comics 872, Superman & Batman vs Vampires and Werewolves 5, Final Crisis 5, FC Revelations 4, JLA 27, Booster Gold 15, Superman/Batman 54, Supergirl cosmic adventures in the 8th grade 1, Green Arrow/Black Canary 15.
Also I include some thoughts on the DC Nation Super centric column.

Spoilers ahead
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Supergirl cosmic adventures in the 8th grade #1
Brand spanking new line. I'd pretty much read all of it on Scans Daily before I got the comic so all my squeeing was pretty much over and done with. I very much like this, it is adorable. Everyone should go and buy it.
tell you what, one thing SD didn't prepare me for was the paper used. Very nice!! A rougher grade than usual and a different type of printing maybe. I guess all the kids comics are like this, and I like it!
4 stars for the story 5 stars for the unexpected textural feel.

Superman/Batman 54
Hot damn super powered Bats is creepy. I hadn't realised how much we rely on Kal's colours to make him palatable to us and not fucking terrifying. And vice versa. I enjoyed Kal training Bruce, (in the fortress, where strictly speaking a depowered Kal should be wearing a fur lined coat, much like Zatanna, instead of just his normal suit).
Bruce hanging like a bat is just proving to me that he's mental. His new permanent gotta save everyone gotta be on duty 24/7 outlook? Nuts.
And Clark, oh Clark, keeping the duds on under your shirt. Oh a hero to the very end. Oh Clark.
Oh Lois.
I didn't realise that was Bane on the cover until, well, just now actually. :/ That's cos I'm not a bat fan.

Booster Gold 15
Hehehe. Still good. Sibling fights. Booster meets the Elongated Man (Ralph Dibny) much earlier in Ralph's timeline than expected, and chooses not to tell him about his wife Sue's future (raped and murdered in Identity Crisis). Oh my.

JLA 27
Dinah provides a verbal beatdown to the big 3. That is why I love her. Odd that message being conveyed in the book, yet she's not featured on the cover. Do you reckon the artist got her confused with Zatanna? Hey, one fishnet clad girl is much the same as another right? Grrr.
Waah? Hawkgirl and Roy (Red Arrow? Speedy?) are together? Wha'?
I enjoyed Dr Kimiyo (the good one) Light's appearance, and the bad woman's refreshing honesty. I might continue buying this book on a monthly basis now.
(PS. i bought this book due to notintheface's review, here and have since noticed the ass shot.).

Superman & Batman vs Vampires and Werewolves 5
Nothing I say about this will make anyone buy or not buy it. You know what's like, the clue is in the title. In case you need to know anymore, this issue features Man-bat and hot totty being sucked for her sveet sveeeet blood by the lead vampire guy.

Action Comics 872
So I think I can read art, right. Why did I assume that the cover was Supes battling the Creature Commandos and that they were the bad guys? I'm stupid sometimes.
A good solid book within the New Krypton storyline. Alura is insane and not too bright. Kryptonian trained soldiers are scary. And please god don't say they've actually killed off Zor-El.

Grenn Arrow/Black Canary 15
This book has both their names in the title. So why is this issue all a retrospective of Ollie's life? In fact, it seems that all the issues up to now have been led by Ollie and focused around him. Dinah seems to be a supporting character in her own title. Not impressed.
I am choosing to believe that Dinah allowed herself to be caught by Dregz and was just humouring him and Ollie, and demonstrating that they work as a team. Despite the fact it was a very inefficient way (if cool looking) way to do so. And I suppose it scared the crap out of Dregz.
That said, the dialogue was very enjoyable and from their conversations it is clear Ollie and Dinah dote on each other and they seem like a real couple, which is good. But please, can we get Dinah more action focused please?
I loved Mia in this :D I find it surprising Ollie and Dinah are shocked that she is planning to have sex with Dodge and am sad this means she won't be around for a while.

Final Crisis 5
Guy Gardener is wonderful in this! I love how he seems to view Hal being framed as a personal slight against him (And we aint having it!). I'm still enjoying this Crisis. It's complex and it's detailed and it's long winded. And I don't think Wondie, who used be the Goddess of Truth, should have succumbed to the anti life equation. because of what she stands for. Anyway. It will play out well.

Final Crisis Revelations 4
Epic, religious, lots of Renee, the Huntress and disaster coming to the world via Cain. Great. Moved slower than previous issues I thought, but like Final Crisis, I think this will bear up well when read in one go at the end of the series.

Some thoughts on the DC Nation Super centric column
- A new dynamic duo in Metropolis means Nightwing and Flamebird
- Supes will be leaving earth and his title in the hands of some of his closet friends. This will mean the JLA, Lois and Jimmy, or new Kryptonians. I vote for the new Kryptonians.
- A new Adventure in front of us means the relaunched Adventure Comics right?
- The super threat to a girl is a woman - yus, Superwoman, we've already seen her.
- New Krypton is not a frame of mind but a new home for 100,001 Kryptonians. So what, it's not going away? It will stay?
- Following Infinite Crisis, Supe's origin is secret no more and will be delivered by Johns and Frank. Ok, a new mini? Actually I don't know what the IC reference is so can't relaly guess the specific of the last one. But the others? C'mon, actually tell us something the readers of the books won't already know! Give us a proper hint not obvious statements! Pointless column.

5 comments:

Christian Zamora said...

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Saranga said...

For once I say bollocks to discreteness! Thanks very much! I'm quite touched. :-)
What a good way to get the sites you like publicised.

Christian Zamora said...

You're most welcome :)

SallyP said...

I'm so glad that Jurgens is writing AND drawing Booster Gold. He'll do well by him.

All I can say after reading Action Comics, is that by and large, Kryptonians are...stoopid.

I'm soooo glad that Black Canary finally got a chance to scold Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. It's about time that she gets to be portrayed as being mildly competent. Oh, and Roy and Kendra have been canoodling for quite a while now...but I guess THAT'S over. Roy can do better.

Green Arrow/Black Canary was...ok. I was hoping for a bit more oomph.

I really am enjoying the heck out of Final Crises. The addition of Green Lanterns can ONLY improve a book. And yes, Guy was in HIGH dudgeon there.

Dean Wormer said...

I had more comics than I expected in my box as well. Oh well, some of them will just have to go in the kid's stockings.

After I read them of course.