Wonder Woman, Batman minis, New comics

New comics!

Tales of the Human Target 1

A lame fill-in where Fire, Booster Gold, and Guy Gardner tell their separate tales of how they ruined a Human Target case.  Superhero incompetence write large, rarely a fun thing to read about.

Captain Marvel 41

Carol returns to Earth, somewhat makes up with the Enchantress, and Binary takes to the stars to find herself.  Not bad, but the lack of anything standout is really making me question the continued purchase of this title.

Iron Cat 4

Same thing w/ Jed MacKay’s “ongoing.”  Fun, but not really memorable.  I’ll probably finish out this storyline, then reevaluate.

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods 2

At least Tom Taylor still has it together.  Green and Yellow Lanterns face off against Darkseid and the other New Gods.  Long story short, Sinestro dies and Darkseid has his yellow right now.  Ruh-roh.

Fables 155

It’s five issues in, and Bill Willingham is still doing setup.  It’s very Tom King, but not as effective.  Completionist me can’t bring myself to stop buying this, but I’m really not enjoying myself with this.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Future State: Wonder Woman 1-2

Joelle Jones’ art isn’t enough to save an unlikable character and a nothing story.  I’d cut this if there wasn’t a chance this could increase in value.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Stupid

Batman/Catwoman 1-12

Tom King shuffles Batman/Catwoman stories across four different timelines in an effort to hide the fact that he doesn’t have much of anything to share with the reader.

Plus, Liam Sharp fills in for three issues in the middle, a complete tonal shift that wrecks the fact that at least the series had Clay Mann’s art going for it.

WTF is Sharp doing with those lips?  This is poor Sienkiewicz or Janson.

Yes, those are Joker's body parts decorating the tree.

Back to Mann doing cool looking stuff.

I was all excited to see what King would do with the return of Andrea Beaumont (for the first time since Mask of the Phantasm?).  He wastes it with this muddle of a story involving her adopted son, the Joker, a faked suicide, and a happy ending that isn’t earned at all.

Also a complete fail is the wedding (at last!) of Bruce and Selina.  It’s tacked on to the end of the whole thing, coming out of nowhere and bringing things to an abrupt end.  After spending so much time on their romance, King completely bungles their happy ending.  He’s proven himself to be way more adept at handling their story, it’s a shame to see him end it on this note.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Didn’t suck

Batman/Catwoman Special 1

Case in point; this issue really gets to the heart of what makes the Bruce/Selina relationship sing.  Original review. 

It’s super sweet and sad.  Selina dying alone in an alley - eight months later and I still don’t know how I feel about it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Batman: The Detective 1-6

The concept is cool; Someone’s out killing everyone who Batman’s saved over the years.  The following five issues don’t live up to the initial premise.  I can’t recall a single “Bruce Wayne training to become Batman” story that’s really worked for me, and this adventure w/ Henri Ducard continues that streak.  

Batman: Killing Time 1-6

I was so tempted to re-edit this so that I could read it chronologically from start to finish.  With its rigorous adherence to timestamps, it’s screaming to get reorganized like that.  Instead, as I read it through as Tom King intended, I realized that it wasn’t necessary.  The storytelling is clear and impeccably executed.  I guess I was negatively influenced by the mess that was Batman/Catwoman.  (Maybe that’s the one that needs re-editing…)  

So I’m of two minds about this story.  On the one hand, there’s stunning David Marquez art, excellent action, and a brilliant new villain in The Help.

Heh.

Very Inigo/Westley.

On the other, the whole thing revolves around a stupid MacGuffin.  Why anyone would believe that possessing this “Eye of God” will let them rule the world defies comprehension.  Certainly there’s no reason why the FBI would want it.  It doesn’t help that King rubs it in our faces, saying that absolutely none of it matters at all.  

It’s trying to be clever, but it comes off as insulting.  Still, it’s awfully well done.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Taskmaster, New comics

New comics!

Batman: The Detective 6

A total whiff by Tom Taylor.  The concept of the villain Equilibrium looking to kill everyone Batman’s ever saved is really neat, but nothing else about this series panned out.

Captain Marvel 34

There is zero about this arc (Last of the Marvels) that’s working for me.  I’m slogging through this and hoping that Kelly Thompson rounds back into form next time around.  Not to mention that this is a complete waste of time issue - Carol escapes, then gets captured again, putting her back right where she started.  I suppose she found a new manifestation of her powers, but I didn’t need 22 pages for that.

Taskmaster 1-5

Practically a repeat of my review for Strange Academy yesterday - definite elements of fun in this miniseries, and Jed MacKay writes some great humor, but it’s missing that little extra oomph to push this out of the Nice zone.  

I do love how Taskmaster is Black Widow’s bitch.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

That’s it for Marvel Box 10!  (10!  That’s insane, and there’s still a ton of Marvel to go.  Daredevil, Thor, Punisher…)

Box summary

Time spent reading: 18 hours, 12 minutes

Issues read: 174

Issues cut: 6

Highlights (Good or better): Miracleman 1-16, Miracleman 2 (Gaiman), Runaways 1-12, 19-24, Silver Surfer 13-14, Mary Jane, Mary Jane: Homecoming, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane 1-15, Spider-Woman 1-7

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 44 days, 17 hours, 18 minutes

Issues read: 9428

Issues cut: 1080

Ultimates, New comics

New comics!  I was literally passing out while reading these, but I don’t think that affected my feelings for these issues...

Moon Knight 3

I’m not feeling this so much anymore.  After the intriguing first issue, things have been remarkably uninteresting.  This is nothing more than an extended fight scene.  I might get it one more issue, I might actually cancel now.  Not sure.

Death of Doctor Strange 1

I’ll give this another issue to see where it goes.  Lee Garbett on art certainly merits at least one more month.  

Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem 4

This isn’t bad, but I don’t know that I need to read this ever again.  Another candidate for immediate cut.  I may have to read the first couple of miniseries to see if that makes me care more for the characters than the zero that I do right now.  

Old Guard: Tales Through Time 6

I got too caught up in the rush of the movie.  This anthology series is seriously not worth the purchase.  It’s not bad, but I certainly wouldn’t buy it again in hindsight.

Batman: The Detective 5

A rare misfire from Tom Taylor.  This is entirely replacement level, nothing that makes it stand out as a Taylor title.  Another “wouldn’t buy again.”

Ultimates 1-13

This was amazing when it first came out - Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch bringing the widescreen blockbuster action of Stormwatch over to the Ultimate universe.  Crazy fun action, quippy heroes saying clever things, the whole package.  

This comic is literally how Sam Jackson got the MCU role.

This was just before Pirates came out.  Thank goodness they went with RDJ...

Buscemi would have been interesting...

I would totally read a Butler Club teamup comic.

Total Matrix ripoff, but the ensuing action scene is pretty sweet.

The classic, defining moment for this comic.

Hitch really can draw a splash page.

But reading it this time around, I’m mostly struck by how cynical and bitter Millar’s take on the premier Marvel team really is.  There are almost no truly likeable characters (Thor is the only one), and most of them have at least one trait that makes them at least annoying, if not worse - Captain America’s stuck with his out-of-date 1940s morals, Hank Pym’s a weak-willed wife beater, Bruce Banner’s a weak-willed suck up, Quicksilver and Wanda have their incestuous relationship going on, Natasha ends up being a traitor, Tony Stark is a drunken fool, Betty Ross is a cruel, calculating phony, and even Jarvis is an unpleasant asshole.  

Takes the original and cranks it up to "way worse."

This is just mean spirited of Millar.

Really?  Still going with gay jokes?

Sure, the action scenes are spectacular, but underneath it all, there’s an unpleasantness to it all that really tainted the experience for me.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Ultimates 2 1-13

Ultimates Annual 1

About halfway through volume 2, I realized that The Ultimates is really just Garth Ennis’ The Boys a few years early.  You’ve got your government/corporate-sponsored team of superheroes sent off to do the whims of their master.  Everyone’s despicable to some extent, no one’s really friends with each other, and it’s all vaguely depressing.

I don't mind with Sam Jackson, but Patrick Stewart's likeness completely takes me out of it here.

Such a phony, cynical moment.

Agree with Nat, I actually cheered when he got shot.

I don't get Millar's affections for "[Name], [begging]" moments.

Is it supposed to make the hero more badass?

Because it makes the final blow more pathetic for me.

The team’s so dysfunctional that I stopped caring after a while whether or not this team succeeded or failed.  It stopped being fun. 

And yet, it still gets a much better rating than you’d imagine from the tone of this review.  It’s too ambitious and well drawn to deserve anything less, and I’d still read it again.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Ultimates Annual 2

A piece of crap about Captain America, Falcon, race, and Arnim Zola.  Incoherently written by Charlie Huston, I had zero patience for this.  

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Disliked (Cutting)

Arrowsmith, New comics

New comics!

Batman: The Detective 4

Things are starting to happen as the bad guys make their move and Batman begins his counteroffensive.  Super cute moment from Alfred:

DIE 18

There’s such a dreamlike quality to this book.  I’m not sure if I like this book, but I’m always intrigued by it.  

Seven Secrets 10

There’s no doubt that this will read better all at once.  The art by Daniele Di Nicuolo is always great to look at, though.

Rorschach 10

Tom King reveals the conspiracy here, still somehow making this totally engaging as a standalone issue if you’ve forgotten most of what happened before.  This is really good.

Arrowsmith 1-6

Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco tell a story of World War I but with magic.  There are plenty of cliches, including letters home from the country hick who enlisted with dreams of glory.  But the art is peak Pacheco and the elements of sorcery keep it fresh enough to stay engaging throughout.  The promised sequels never happened, and I’m not sure if I would buy them at this point.  Maybe for the Pacheco art.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Batman: Halloween Special, New Comics

So many new comics!  It’s a day for Toms, with three Taylor and two King issues to start:

Nightwing 81

The combination of lovely art by Bruno Redondo and wonderful writing by Tom Taylor continues.  This will be a delight to reread.

Babs is wearing the Slap Shirt!!!  How do the two Robins feel about it?

Batman: The Detective 3

The history of Bruce Wayne and his relationship with Henri Ducard.  Nothing particularly interesting, I hope there’s a point to it when all of this is done.

Seven Secrets 9

This really needs to be read all at once.  There are just too many characters and each issue doesn’t stand on its own.  (It’s the opposite of Rorschach…)

Rorschach 9

...Which continues to entertain despite me having no clue of how it all fits together.  This’ll be a fun re-read as well, as are most King stories.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 1

This is the most straightforward, linear story Tom King may have ever told, which doesn’t diminish its quality in any way.  Artist Bilquis Evely gives off major Kevin O’Neill vibes in a good way.  Looking forward to the rest of this.  

Batman: Halloween Special 1-3

The Tim Sale/Jeph Loeb stories that started it all.  (Actually, I’m wrong.  They did Challengers of the Unknown before this.)  The first two stories, with Scarecrow and Mad Hatter, are pretty sweet.  The last one is a disappointing, uninspired Christmas Carol riff that brings nothing original to the table.  

I always got so mad whenever my mom said the Batman logo looked like baby teeth. I guess she wasn't the only one.

There's something old school about running along the gears.

Great pose.

Aww.

This reminds me of Heath Ledger's laugh.

Love how he draws the teeth.

This is all an appetizer for the Long Halloween to come.  Can’t wait for tomorrow.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good (Nice for the last one)