Brave and the Bold, Camelot 3000, Challengers of the Unknown, Chase

This is really starting to become a weekly thing…

Brave and the Bold 16

A cute little team up between Catwoman and Superman.  An unlikely pair, but Mark Waid and Scott Kolins keep it lighthearted and fun.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

entertaining pace.  I have tons of questions about Sir Tristan’s storyline and what it has to say about sexuality and gender identity in today’s society.  He is literally a man trapped in a woman’s body. Is it fair to expect him to accept his situation? Is his happy ending with Isolde actually as happy as we’re led to believe?  I really don’t know the answers, and would happy revisit this with someone who has insight into these issues.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Challengers of the Unknown 1-8

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale team up five years before they blew my mind with Long Halloween to create something unlike anything else that they’ve done together.  This is the third time I’ve read this series, and like the second time, I went into it remembering that I liked it while being unable to recall anything about the story. 

Basically, there’s an explosion at Challenger Mountain, “killing” Prof and June.  The three surviving Challengers must learn how to move on as individuals before reuniting to save the day.  It’s a reductive synopsis for a multi-threaded, intricate story, and upon reflection, it shares a lot of the tone and feel of Darwyn Cooke’s epic New Frontier (coincidentally, the only other story I’ve read featuring the Challengers).  There’s a good chance I’ll forget the plot of this once again, but I’ll look forward to reading for a fourth time.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Chase 2,5,6

I bought these back in 1998 on the recommendation of Randy Lander, prominent comic reviewer of the day.  This was one of those times where my opinion did not agree with his at all. It reads like James Robinson-lite, trying to hit the feeling and look of Starman.  It succeeds with the JH Williams art (he and Tony Harris have very similar styles), but D. Curtis Johnson doesn’t have the chops.  He gets close with issue six, which is the only one that I’m keeping.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No (Yes for 6)

Rating: Didn’t suck (Cutting 2 and 5), Nice for 6