Comic Books of the Week (4/6/11)

Brightest Day #23 (of 24) - damn! Johns has kicked the story into overdrive with this issue. The revelation of the Dark Avatar and the ultimate savior has rocked the Internet this week - some people loving it, some hating it. Put me in the loving it category. No spoilers from me on this one - go read it yourself, fans! As for the art - amazing. That cover Gary Frank and Rod Reis was outstanding, and inside the art Reis and Prado was equally stunning. Those double-page spreads were very nice. I am so looking forward to the finale in less than two weeks - and the follow up Brightest Day: In Search of... mini (again, shortening that title to not reveal the spoilers).

Justice League of America, 80-Page Giant 2011 - ugh. Man, I should have saved the $5.99 and skipped this one. I had a feeling it would be just so-so and I was right. The premise: the JLA goes to Hell - with a number of guest stars. It is really hard to fit this given who is involved. Wonder Woman is in her new costume, so it it taking place now. If so, why are some of these other folks there? Too many questions to throw the reader out of the story. The pairings are odd too - some did not work for me at all. I just didn't feel vested in the outcome. And the art was uneven. Bleech.

JSA All-Stars #17 - who is the Prince? Who is Regal? Who is Dr. Hate? Why does this feel like their story with the JSA just taking the backseat? Not a fan of "this reality you know is wrong" tales, especially when we know it will have zero effect in the end. Sort of a wasted exercise. Maybe it is for the best that this title is getting tanked. Get the heroes of this book back to the main JSA title and salvage them both. Right now, both are just limping along badly.

Secret Six #32 - thank you, Gail Simone, for showing us how a trip to Hell should be done. She and J. Calafiore deliver an awesome middle-of-the-arc chapter and give us a lot to think about for the future of this cast of characters. The mix of dialogue, action and weirdness are a perfect balance. Great issue, as always.