Comics of the Week (5/26/10)

the Brave and the Bold #34 - I liked the idea of this issue (the original LSH members teaming with the original Doom Patrol) and I loved the cover. What fell flat though was J. Michael Straczynski's dialogue and story pacing. It just felt "off" to me. I guess I am in a minority as I don't always get this writer. I am considering dropping the book from my pull list.

Green Lantern #54 - not a great issue but I expected some down time after Blackest Night. Some of the other colored Corps are still on Earth, and this one deals with Red Lantern.

Justice League: Generation Lost #2 - this biweekly continues to lay down an interesting premise: Max Lord is back but no but the four (Booster, Fire, Ice, Captain Atom) remember him. Not sure where this one will end up, but I was a fan of the JLI era team so I am digging this mini.

Justice League: Rise of Arsenal #3 (of 4) - Ugh. I hate what DC is doing to Roy Harper with this mini. I get the loss, I get the anguish. I don't get the character becoming truly unlikeable. I am hoping for a major redemption arc in the future but I don't expect it will be very soon. Sigh.

Teen Titans #83 - Double ugh. Felicia Henderson's dialogue, pacing and overall storytelling might work for TV and "Gossip Girl" but it does not work here. These characters are so unrecognizable it is not funny. And I had anticipated the Coven Of Three back-up, but that didn't thrill me either. This book is officially dropped until a new lead writer comes on board. Enough is enough.

Comics of the Week (5/19/10)

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #17 - a week in the life of Batman as he has many team-ups (running two to three pages each). This issue is sort of filled with the typical opening teasers of the book. Kind of fun to see lots of different heroes and villains in this animated style.

Brightest Day #2 (of 26) - first, great cover. Inside, we get a lot more in the stories of Firestorm and of Hawkman and Hawkwoman. And that works. Since this book is biweekly, rotating who gets the heavier focus each issue is fine by me as long as all the stories continue to move. That last double page spread - OH BOY! I don't wish to be in Boston Brand's shoes right now. ;)

DC Universe: Legacies #1 (of 10) - Len Wein is back with a ten-part mini looking at the various heroic ages of the DCU from the pre-WWII days to today. The art teams will rotate - this time we get the work of Andy and Joe Kubert. Good to see the classic creators involved. The backup this issue focuses on some of the mystic heroes of the golden age. This should be a neat read and definitely good for folks new to the DC history.

Justice League of America #45 - the prelude to a summer JLA/JSA team-up continues here as Jade returns to Earth, something is going on with GL Alan Scott and Supergirl slugs it out with Power Girl. I'm enjoying Robinson and Bagley's take on the line up. It is not a great comic but it is enjoyable.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Paul Levitz is back scripting a title he helped make great in the 70's and 80's. This was an outstanding relaunch - building up elements and plots introduced by Geoff Johns in the Legion of 3 Worlds and his arc in Action Comics. The story has a lot of things for old fans to enjoy but it is pretty assessible for newer readers too. Highly recommended.

Comics of the Week (5/12/10)

Adventure Comics #11 (#514) - while this issue is still a part of the "Last Stand of New Krypton" arc, it also serves as a nice connection to the new LSH series beginning next week. Here we get the final mission of Mon-El, which really is sort of another reworking of the concepts from the old Valor series from the 90's. We also get some nice interplay between Brainiac 5 and his evil ancestor.

Birds of Prey #1 - Gail Simone and Ed Benes come home again, bring on a new era of the BOP team. All the favorites are still here: Oracle, Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk and Huntress, and being thrown into the mix are (the newly resurrected) Hawk and Dove (Dawn). With Hawk's involvement, it thus justifies the "Brightest Day" banner. The creative team packs a lot into this first issue, making it a good read.

Booster Gold #32 - with Dan Jurgens off the book to work on a new Time Masters mini, the creative reigns are given to Giffen & DeMatteis. This alone concerned me. Within the first page, the book's tone has changed dramatically from the issues that come before. Sure, Booster is still time jumping for Rip Hunter but the writers go whole-hog on the bwahahaha humor. It was a startling jolt, and I am not sure how much I am digging it. I'll give them a few issues before I decide about keeping it or dropping it.

The Flash #2 - continuing the momentum of the debut issue, Barry Allen has his hands full as he faces new enemies and a bizarre murder mystery. And tying into "Brightest Day", we've got more on the recently resurrected Captain Boomerang (Digger Harkness).

Justice League: Generation Lost #1 - a new mini series by Giffen and Winick reunites the old JLI gang (Booster, Fire, Ice, Captain Atom) as they attempt to figure out what the newly resurrected Max Lord is up to. And believe me, it is something really really big. The humor isn't as heavy here which I attribute to Winick's influence. This book could actually be enjoyable. I am willing to give it a few issues to get into its flow.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #16 - last issue Starfire joined the cast. This issue, we meet two new GLs for the Vega System. The cast continues to grow on this book and I worry that it will mean we won't get as much depth and spotlight on individuals. This book is on my conditional list for the time being - with the possibilty of dropping fairly soon.

Comics of the Week (5/5/10)

Brightest Day #1 (of 26) - the biweekly maxi-series officially starts right where issue #0 left off. The book ties directly into the mysterious white lantern and thus the regular Green Lantern title. We also get some excellent action with Aquaman and Mera, showing why they are clearly a super-couple that everyone should be watching. And what is up with Aquaman's powers? He's just as shocked as the readers. The story also continues with what is going on with Firestorm, and the Atom (Ray) is planning to help Professor Stein figure that out. Rounding out the cast, there is plenty going on with the Martian Manhunter and the Hawks as well. Any old school JLA fans (of which I am a huge one) should be picking this one up.

JSA All-Stars #6 - the first arc with Johnny Sorrow ends, and I'm kind of glad. A little too drawn out for my tastes. The new magic user in the book is kind of intersting, but this title really needs to pick up some for me to consider keeping it beyond its first year. The Liberty Belle and Hourman back-up is starting to bore me as well.

Secret Six #21 - the Catman centric arc continues in a violent fashion that is served up splendidly by Gail Simone and J. Calafiore. We get insights into Tom Blake's past plus we get to see who Bane and Jeannete recruited as back-up roster members (interesting indeed). This book continues to fascinate me and, at the same time, make me feel a little squimish at times too. A good combo.

Comics of the Week (4/28/10)

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #16 - a fun team-up with Batman and Wonder Woman, trying to figure out the diabolical scheme of Egg Head. Yes, you read that right. The classic 60's TV villain played so well by Vincent Price makes his animated comic debut - and it is a lot of fun. Great cover. If you enjoy the cartoon series, you should like this book. I know I do.

Justice League: the Rise of Arsenal #2 (of 4) - writer J.T. Krul continues to work out the emotions as Roy deals with the loss of his arm and his daughter. He is angry at his mentor, angry at his friends, angry at himself. My hope is the character really comes out of this crisis to start a more solid chapter. We'll see. I'm enjoying the ride.

Justice Society of America #38 - ugh. I am very tired of Willingham's plot here with the Nazis and a future-tale. I just don't get his entire run on this book. My hope is that he's going to be moving off of it soon. I know the upcoming JLA/JSA crossover is going to be written by Robinson. Maybe that'll be a sign of Willingham leaving the book. One can hope as I am seriously considering dropping the title from my pull-list if he stays.

Teen Titans #82 - and speaking of writers I don't get, Felicia Henderson does not get these characters at all. I know she's a big Hollywood writer with many teen shows under her belt, but that doesn't mean she knows how to write comics. Her dialogue is way off (often cringeworthy), the pacing is poor, and the characters often out of character. The Ravager feature hasn't been exciting me much either. I expect more from this book. I'm giving it another couple issues to shape up or I am going to definitely be dropping this one. With some other new books starting (like Birds of Prey with Gail Simone writing and Legion of Super-Heroes being written by Paul Levitz), I won't be missing this monthly mediocre mess.