Lucifer, Batman

Catching up on some trades.

Batman: Rebirth 1, Batman 1-6

The start of the Tom King run.  I bought the first couple issues when they first came out after reading his phenomenal work on Vision.  I was far less impressed by his Batman, and stopped after four issues. But after reading some later trades changed my mind, I went back and got the first collection.  It’s still not the best, but it sets some things up for future storylines.

Batman 33-44, Batman Annual 2

I suppose I’ll save the full review for when I get around to the re-read.  But in the meantime, I’ll just say that the two parter with Superman and Lois is as delightful as comics get.  Lee Weeks crushes the annual issue. Mikel Janin continues to dazzle me with his art.

I love the concept, but I have serious storytelling nitpicks with the way Selina shops for wedding dresses.  And the Wonder Woman two-parter have been more compelling if it wasn’t a direct rip off of Action 761.

Poor Diana.  It's not her fault writers keep placing her in these situations.

Sandman Presents: Lucifer 1-3

As with The Dreaming, I picked this up with the hope that it would provide even a little bit of the fix Sandman gave me.  And while he never reaches the heights of Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey climbs pretty high himself.  He hits just enough of the familiar spots to tie it to the parent title - the Lux bar, Pharamond the God of Transportation, Mazikeen, Duma and Remiel.  Most importantly, he nails the dry, understated arrogance of someone who has absolutely every reason to be confident in his supreme abilities.

The story is a lot of setup for the main series, and I appreciate the cajones of someone using a mini-series to plant seeds for a comic that may not have even happened.  

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good