Friday, June 26, 2009

Comics Roundup for 6/24/09

Madre de dios! I sure walked out of Flying Colors with a lot of comics today. I'd better keep each review brief if I want to get anything else done today.

Why am I doing this? Honestly, this is hardly what I'd consider to be any sort of professional, or even pseudo-professional review of what's coming out. I'm really doing this for myself, as I'm hoping that this will be a good way for me to assess what it is that I'm buying from month to month, as I have sometimes found myself with a large collection of a particular title and wondering, "Why the hell did I keep buying this?" Google Analytics tells me that there are people who visit my site who don't comment, so maybe this might even get somebody interested in comics, and that would be a plus. So, let's go:

Gotham City Sirens #1 - This is another new series for the new status-quo Batman universe. It features Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. Normally, I'd probably pass this sort of a thing up, but two words made me get it: Paul Dini. I've mentioned him before in this blog, but I'll state again that he's written some of the best Batman stuff in years. Also, he was one of the main writers on the old Batman: The Animated Series. So, how was this? Pretty fun stuff that makes me want to know what happens in the next issue. What more could I ask for?

Dark Avengers #6 - I didn't think that anybody could write a better bastard than Warren Ellis, but Brian Michael Bendis seems to be doing a good job with his turn writing Norman Osborn. Definitely some good stuff here, as Norman shows that he's not interested in helping The Sentry's mental problems so much as he is exploiting them. Also, it looks like Osborn's sanity is fracturing a bit itself, as it sounds like The Green Goblin is still talking to him. Great stuff, but I understand that the next couple of issues involves some multi-title crossover with The X-Men, and Bendis won't even be writing. Might skip those.

Detective Comics #854 - I'm really torn about this one. With this issue, the new Batwoman takes center stage, and this is the first comic I've read with her in it. I don't know much about her, and there really wasn't all that much in here to get me really intrigued. Greg Rucka's writing, and honestly, I've never gotten too into anything that he's done. However, hot damn! This book looks absolutely gorgeous. Not only is J.H. Williams III drawing some brilliant stuff, but the colors by Dave Stewart capture the perfect mood for the series. I don't know - I guess I'll pick up the next issue, at least, even though it costs a buck more and has a backup story with The Question that I don't care about.



Daredevil #119 - I started picking this series up again when Ed Brubaker started writing it, and I haven't been disappointed. He's really put Matt Murdock through hell, and the current return of the Kingpin storyline has been pretty good, especially since Daredevil has been forced to work with him. I really think that if they could make this into an HBO TV series, it would be really popular. Brubaker's last issue is the next one, and I'm hoping that'll give me an excuse to stop reading it. However, I know that he plans on leaving a lot of stuff up in the air for the new writer to deal with (just as he had to do when he took over the book as Matt Murdock had been sent to prison). I'll flip through the new creative team's first effort at the very least.

Star Wars: Legacy #37 - Another book about which I am very conflicted. I was considering dropping it, but the last issue was awesome, especially considering that it didn't feature any of he main characters. This one though, I found myself feeling a bit indifferent. Cade Skywalker is an interesting character, as he really walks the line between the dark and the light, but I was confused as to what was going on. I'll pick up the next issue and see how I feel then.

Avengers/Invaders #12 (of 12) - This series started off well enough, but it really ran out of steam at the end there. It had some nice covers by Alex Ross though.

Superman #689 - Even though I've been enjoying all of the Superman books lately, I'm thinking of dropping a couple of them as there are a lot of new books coming out in the next few months that I'm a bit more excited about. That said, I definitely won't be dropping this one so long as the current creative team is intact. I've liked everything that James Robinson has done since he took over the title, and I don't know how Renato Guedes is able to keep a monthly schedule with the absolutely stunning work he does. Also, I like Mon-El, who's trying to fill in for Superman while he's away, despite the fact that he's slowly dying.

Thor #602 - I miss Oliver Copiel's art, but this is still a good read. I need to go back and re-read the last few issues, as this series tends to experience some delays, and I forget what happened in the meantime. Still, I always remember enough to enjoy what I'm reading, and this one was no exception.

X-Men Forever #2 - This series reads a lot more like an early 80s issue of X-Men than anything else. That's good in some ways, bad in others. I was entertained and will be there for the next one, despite the higher cover price and the more frequent schedule (every two weeks!) So long as they have Tom Grummet (or somebody as good, at least) doing the art, I'll probably keep getting it.

Green Lantern #42 - This series continues to be at the top of my reading list. I don't even want to go into the story, but let's just say that it's all a prelude to the upcoming Black Lanterns storyline. The story moved along nicely, and I'm eager for more. Pretty much everything you want in a comic.

The Amazing Spider-Man #598 - Joe Kelly's storyline reaches its penultimate chapter with this issue, and each installment raises the stakes a bit higher. They should have gotten this guy on Spidey years ago. Fun stuff.

The New Avengers #54 - Although I've enjoyed this storyline about who'll take Dr. Strange's place as the Master of the Mystic Arts (it's Brother Voodoo, by the way) I'm glad that it's over. I'd like to see them getting back to dealing with the Dark Avengers, which is where the next story seems to be going.

Whew! Lots of stuff, definitely liked more than I didn't though, so I'm not wasting my money. That's always a good feeling.

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