Sunday, February 05, 2006
Recent Comics I Have Read
Yes, I realize some of these are out of order, but whaddaya want? My comic buying habits are pretty sporadic.
Batman Gotham Knights #71. The conclusion to the "Holy Crap! Alfred shot a guy!" saga. It's another Hush story and, frankly, I never found Hush all that interesting or sinister in the first place. Oh noes! It's some guy in bandages! Flee!
Batman Gotham Knights #73. Oh goody, more Hush; except not really--he only makes a cameo. How I love false advertizing on comic book covers! And Joker, only now he has...killer birds, that, uh, drop bombs that, well, look like giant doobies? And ten--count 'em--ten pages of flashback exposition by Joker?!?!? Did he even talk that much in The Killing Joke?
Captain America #14. Please, dear Lord, let this be the END of the whole "Winter Soldier," bit. Why oh why did we have to dig up the corpse of Bucky Barnes? And he's supposed to be some secret Soviet killing machine THAT NO ONE HAS EVER EVEN HEARD OF before this arc? Having said that, if you absolutely positively had to bring back Bucky, this would be the best way to end the story, I suppose.
Detective Comics #815 & 816. Why is Mr. Zsasz that big of a villain? He's a crazy guy with a knife! And how incompetent is Gotham PD that they let this maniac with scars all over his body who is the subject of an ongoing manhunt stroll right into Wayne Manor during a Police Charity Ball? There's got to be something more to this than simple stupidity! I did like the cold-bloodedness of the Batman contrasted with Bruce Wayne's obvious love for Alfred. And Alfred gets the last word.
Justice League of America #124. Narrarated by Green Arrow, good. Green Arrow vs. Batman, good. Featuring the truly awful Native American stereotypes Manitou Raven and Manitou Dawn, bad. Very bad. Other than occasionally sounding profound and wise, why are these characters even Native American in the first place? Manitou Dawn is nothing but Zatana speaking forwards and wearing a Britney Spears-like outfit that would've been more in keeping with Outkast's idiotic performance at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Her so-called "magic" has NOTHING whatsoever to do with Native American spirituality--it's just the same sort of generic comic book magic that could be spouted by anyone from Doctor Strange to Jason Blood. Is it too much to ask for one, just one, Native American comic book character that is not a stereotype and a monument to the writer's ignorance? Just one.
Justice Society of America #81. Focus on Stargirl and her relationship with her step-dad Pat Dugan, S.T.R.I.P.E. I really like the thoughtful, intelligent and realistic way a teenage girl superhero is presented here. Plus, Dale Eaglesham and Art Thibert actually draw her with the body of a teenage girl, not just another top-heavy Power Girl look-a-like.
JSA Classified #6. The Injustice Society plans a raid on the JSA Museum. And I mean, plans a raid. This issue shows a smart, well-organized villain team meticulously planning their work, instead of just cackling maniacally and rushing into battle. I also appreciated the narraration by Icicle, again (or before, whatever). Organized villains = dangerous. As it should be. It would be nice, though, if the JSA Headquarters could make it through one story-arc without getting broken into.
JSA Classified #8. Hey, cool, the Spear of Destiny! The plot device that explains why the JSA didn't just break into the fuhrer-bunker around December 8, 1941, and bound Hitler into a greasy smear. Writing was pretty sub-par, though; WAY too much "as you know, carl..." dialogue between Wildcat and Flash.
Nightwing #115. So...Nightwing is good guy pretending to be a bad guy pretending to be a good guy? And Slade thinks his psychotic daughter can take out Superman just by jamming a chunk of kryptonite into her eye socket? Wha...?
Noble Causes #15. You've gotta love this soap opera with powers. Frost is making deals with and pulling jobs for the Blackthornes? Dawn Blackthorne is working on blackmail so she can have Celeste Noble all to herself? Great stuff. Oprah would love it.
Powers #16. Okay, I'm smelling shark. Bendis is great--nobody does dialogue better than Bendis. But first, there was the whole "Captain Caveman" routine, then Dena ends up with powers, and now Walker is getting powers again? Why? If they're both superheroes, doesn't that ruin the whole them of the book--cops who work around the edges of superhero society? I just so do not want to see Dena and Walker in spandex flying above the city. Once that happens, Powers becomes just another superhero comic book. With great dialogue. And nudity.
Batman Gotham Knights #71. The conclusion to the "Holy Crap! Alfred shot a guy!" saga. It's another Hush story and, frankly, I never found Hush all that interesting or sinister in the first place. Oh noes! It's some guy in bandages! Flee!
Batman Gotham Knights #73. Oh goody, more Hush; except not really--he only makes a cameo. How I love false advertizing on comic book covers! And Joker, only now he has...killer birds, that, uh, drop bombs that, well, look like giant doobies? And ten--count 'em--ten pages of flashback exposition by Joker?!?!? Did he even talk that much in The Killing Joke?
Captain America #14. Please, dear Lord, let this be the END of the whole "Winter Soldier," bit. Why oh why did we have to dig up the corpse of Bucky Barnes? And he's supposed to be some secret Soviet killing machine THAT NO ONE HAS EVER EVEN HEARD OF before this arc? Having said that, if you absolutely positively had to bring back Bucky, this would be the best way to end the story, I suppose.
Detective Comics #815 & 816. Why is Mr. Zsasz that big of a villain? He's a crazy guy with a knife! And how incompetent is Gotham PD that they let this maniac with scars all over his body who is the subject of an ongoing manhunt stroll right into Wayne Manor during a Police Charity Ball? There's got to be something more to this than simple stupidity! I did like the cold-bloodedness of the Batman contrasted with Bruce Wayne's obvious love for Alfred. And Alfred gets the last word.
Justice League of America #124. Narrarated by Green Arrow, good. Green Arrow vs. Batman, good. Featuring the truly awful Native American stereotypes Manitou Raven and Manitou Dawn, bad. Very bad. Other than occasionally sounding profound and wise, why are these characters even Native American in the first place? Manitou Dawn is nothing but Zatana speaking forwards and wearing a Britney Spears-like outfit that would've been more in keeping with Outkast's idiotic performance at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Her so-called "magic" has NOTHING whatsoever to do with Native American spirituality--it's just the same sort of generic comic book magic that could be spouted by anyone from Doctor Strange to Jason Blood. Is it too much to ask for one, just one, Native American comic book character that is not a stereotype and a monument to the writer's ignorance? Just one.
Justice Society of America #81. Focus on Stargirl and her relationship with her step-dad Pat Dugan, S.T.R.I.P.E. I really like the thoughtful, intelligent and realistic way a teenage girl superhero is presented here. Plus, Dale Eaglesham and Art Thibert actually draw her with the body of a teenage girl, not just another top-heavy Power Girl look-a-like.
JSA Classified #6. The Injustice Society plans a raid on the JSA Museum. And I mean, plans a raid. This issue shows a smart, well-organized villain team meticulously planning their work, instead of just cackling maniacally and rushing into battle. I also appreciated the narraration by Icicle, again (or before, whatever). Organized villains = dangerous. As it should be. It would be nice, though, if the JSA Headquarters could make it through one story-arc without getting broken into.
JSA Classified #8. Hey, cool, the Spear of Destiny! The plot device that explains why the JSA didn't just break into the fuhrer-bunker around December 8, 1941, and bound Hitler into a greasy smear. Writing was pretty sub-par, though; WAY too much "as you know, carl..." dialogue between Wildcat and Flash.
Nightwing #115. So...Nightwing is good guy pretending to be a bad guy pretending to be a good guy? And Slade thinks his psychotic daughter can take out Superman just by jamming a chunk of kryptonite into her eye socket? Wha...?
Noble Causes #15. You've gotta love this soap opera with powers. Frost is making deals with and pulling jobs for the Blackthornes? Dawn Blackthorne is working on blackmail so she can have Celeste Noble all to herself? Great stuff. Oprah would love it.
Powers #16. Okay, I'm smelling shark. Bendis is great--nobody does dialogue better than Bendis. But first, there was the whole "Captain Caveman" routine, then Dena ends up with powers, and now Walker is getting powers again? Why? If they're both superheroes, doesn't that ruin the whole them of the book--cops who work around the edges of superhero society? I just so do not want to see Dena and Walker in spandex flying above the city. Once that happens, Powers becomes just another superhero comic book. With great dialogue. And nudity.
