Posts tagged Welcome to Tranquility

Won’t you come on over..?

December 9, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ten books this week! An ending, a spotlight, and a special lie among them. Ooh, fun!

DC doing a decent Hanukah story? Set in Jonah Hex’s book? Really?! Man, that totally makes up for the lame Anthro story that preceded it. The DCU Holiday Special is a good tradition, but this is the first time I can remember stories for all religions being included, it’s mostly about Christmas. But this year has seriously stepped it up. Discussing Hanukah, Muslim and Christian extremists (thank you, Tony Bedard), the Persian new year…it’s unheard of and taboo, but still the most awesome thing I’ve seen done in awhile. The Legion story was also very nice, and this isn’t me being Levitz-biased; the story itself was written by Abnett and Lanning.

I really do like Knight and Squire a whole lot. Both the team and the book, I mean. And this issue is focused squarely on the cloning of Richard III! Yeah, you read that right. Of course, he’s as evil as Shakespeare made him out to be, and he clones a bunch of other former kings so that he can take over England…it’s good fun, really. He’s defeated by, well, an old king stands no chance against Twitter and Youtube, all I’m going to say.

Tim Drake has to be the luckiest guy in the world…or the only Bat the Batfamily is trying to assure the heterosexuality of. Trying the hardest, at least. Seriously, Ariana, Steph, Zoanne, Cassie, Lynx, Cass, Scarab, Tam, and now this Promise chick..? Tim has more beards than a dapper gentleman’s club. Think about it; he’s attacked by a naked chick, and his first thought isn’t ‘Hurr, boobies.’. He even turns off his suit’s cameras. Timmy boy, you are the very farthest from the realm of straight guys one can be. And we love you.

I knew that something was up when Ivy showed up. Those of you with long memories may remember that she was one half of the main villain team the first time Robin and Superboy teamed up, so I knew her presence wasn’t something to just brush off. Except, it kinda was. All thanks to Kon’s new Jimmy Olsen, Simon, and his amazing parasite frogs! Yes, you read that correctly. And then there are the mysterious old men at the end. Okay, series. I’m intrigued. Let’s see where this goes.

Batgirl is one of the funniest books I pick up. Wit and action go hand in hand, and that’s always good to see. I’d just like to say, though, that in a fight of Batgirl versus guy in a speed suit, she’s probably gonna lose unless Oracle or Proxy can hack that thing quick. Seeing as this issue was just a setup for next issue with some banter mixed in, I haven’t got much to say on it.

Mixed feelings on the Captain Boomerang spotlight over in Flash this month. One one hand, it’s good to see Scott Kolins working on the Flash again. On another hand…Geoff is basically saying that with the exception of Axel Walker, none of the Rogues he created on the old run of Flash are of any consequence. They’re next to nothing. What is this? He said it on the third page: “They’re good for a laugh, but they’re not Rogues.” Geoff, I am disappoint. The rest of the issue wasn’t that much better. Beaten as a child, the product of an affair between his mother and the guy that headed the company that first provided his Boomerangs…predictable. Hopefully, the Reverse-Flash origin in a few weeks won’t be half as bad as this.

When Booster Gold can intimidate Captain Atom into standing the fuck down, you know you’re doing something right. Banter, interesting Rocket Red-isms, Bea and Tora being all BFF-y, more than two pages of Max…could it be that Winick (WINIIIIIIICK) is doing something…right? And it’s like Joe Bennet is channeling Kevin Maguire during the ‘Booster yells’ scene! I’m enjoying this book for the first time since Keith Giffen took a hike and then…Bea gets shot. Lovely.

Oh Booster, never stop monologuing about how you miss Ted. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s still makes for some of the best things I’ve ever read. Hopefully, this isn’t the last of the I-miss-Ted issues of Booster Gold, because I don’t think I’d be able to handle it. I don’t know if I ever told you guys this but Ted Kord…he’s my everything. He and Booster were the stars of the first comic I ever read (Justice League America #34, Club JLI). Without them, I wouldn’t be writing this blog today. I refuse to believe Ted is gone forever. A good Beetle is never truly down for the count. I miss you, Blue. -cough- Um, this blog will continue after a short crying jag.

Alright, now where were we? Ah, R.E.B.E.L.S.. I like this book for three reasons: First, it’s written by Tony Bedard, whom I would root for in a writer knife fight between anyone except Gail Simone. Secondly, it stars two of the Dox line, and anyone who knows me will know my extreme fondness for Coluans. And last, feuds everywhere! Seriously, L.E.G.I.O.N. vs Green Lantern Corps, Dox vs Starro, Lobo vs Everyone…whee, fighting! Oh, this cheered me up immensely. If you’re not reading this book, you should be.

I, I want to applaud. Gail, you are the light of my life. You take an aspect from the second issue ever and manage to tie it into the last issue of the mini. Also, don’t think I didn’t catch that Paul Simon reference in there, you clever wench. I love you. I think I need to have a bit of a lie-down to recover from the awesome that is this issue. Readers, this is no longer a request. Go out and buy Welcome to Tranquility. You will thank me.

Well, this week’s review is horribly late, but I blame it on the last night of Hanukah. Next week will be on time. Nay, early! Okay, on time. But perhaps with a fancy font..? Anyway, I’m hella tired and wondering how my Gaia sales are going, so I’m gonna get out of your hair. Next week, same place? Fantastic. Peace!

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Female empowerment week? I think yes.

November 11, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oh, what an adventurous week this will be! Ten titles, no Marvel, and the end of a series that, frankly, I really didn’t give half a rip about anyway! Shall we begin?

My boyfriend read The Return of Bruce Wayne before I did and told me not to bother. I…did not listen. But instead of really reading, I just glanced through. It was pretty generic, from what I saw. Lots of mentioning of holes (a little part of me kept cracking ‘that’s what she said’ jokes. I’m so ashamed.), Hal Jordan being a douche, etc. Sorry, Grant. I’m giving this one star, would not read again.

Knight and Squire, on the other hand…it’s like Paul Cornell said to himself, “Hm, how British can I make this series before it becomes too British and people drop it from their pull lists?” I think you’re almost there, honey. I mean, I’m kinda fluent in the utter nonsense (thank you, Louise Rennison) that British writers can come up with, but even now…I think he’s just making stuff up. I’m not dropping the series, though. It just has that perfect mix of action and comedy that keeps me reading.

I think my eyebrow was quirked the entire time I was reading Welcome to Tranquility. I couldn’t help it, I just…god damn, Gail. Tommy and Derek were in love once? I mean, I thought what he had for her was a creepy obsession or something. And Seresa may be parapalegic? Or, if she gives up the ghost, Vengence of the sidewinder spirits? Holy moley. And Tommy was..? Good god, woman, don’t you tease me like this! Augh, cliffhangers, my one true weakness! Next time, Simone, next time..!

So, Emerald Warriors is quickly becoming my favorite incarnation of Green Lantern. Why? Just…read the Guy/overseer interaction in the atmosphere. That’s probably the funniest damn thing I’ve read in weeks. Also, I know how I’m all ‘Blue Corps, yay!’, but the Red Lanterns are really starting to grow on me. Bleez in particular, because she’s just…from all the stuff we know about her, she’s pretty much a Libby with a heart of gold…except she’s technically evil? I dunno. The metaphor derailed itself. End result, Emerald Warriors is awesome, pick it up if you can.

Batgirl, anyone? While Babs shall always be my favorite Bat-lady, Steph gets props for being a strange yet awesome combination of her, Dick, and Tim. She’s a lady that cracks jokes and worked her ass off to get where she wanted to be, and that deserves a bit of respect. See, this is why I’m afraid of colleges, people are always dying of something. Cloaked men chasing a science major and murdering him? Just a normal day on campus, nothing to see here.

Red Robin: Oh, hey, Cass! Where the hell have you been for a year? Also, a little shout out to the Teen of Steel. Apparently his colors aren’t the only thing Tim’s got on him. (“They call me ‘Superboy’..? That’ll be news to Conner…”) Cass turned down the Bat! Okay, I’m kinda psyched about that. Maybe there’s hope in her being the new Nightwing after all… Ha! And Tim gets his own sexy, sexy enemy. His own Catwoman, if you will. Ack, stop with the fruit throwing! Her name is Lynx for pity’s sake! Also, Bathugs! They are certainly the best kind of guy-on-guy hugs to have (just ask Superboy). Oh my, Tim. You’ve certainly learned well at the knee of Dick, you manslut you.

“But I wanted to beat up Nazis!” is probably the greatest excuse in time travel, please excuse the pun, history. So, anyone wondering when General Glory would pop up in comics again? No? Well, too bad, here he is! And…he’s off his rocker in a major way. Y’know, I hope DC chooses to keep Rani around, her interactions with the Carter family are just too adorable for words. “Please don’t call me Boppy.” You know you love it, Rip.

Generation Lost was hella depressing this week. Basic synopsis: because Max Lord is a bastard and Nate is a good soldier, Magog dies and Max’s life is fully restored. What. The fuck. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here. Ohh, wait. Max had to kill Magog to stop a war that would decimate the world from happening, I remember now. Y’know, I just had a thought. Would people on other worlds remember Max? Manga Khan, Kyle, who I don’t think was on Earth at the time of the mind wipe (unlike Guy), even Starfire and Adam Strange. Would any of them remember him? I mean, aside from Booster Gold and Power Girl, I don’t think he’s shown up in any books other than this one. Is he a contained subject? Or is the entire universe doomed to forget all about the guy who is kinda aspiring to be Hitler? And before people get up in arms about that comment, think about it. His entire purpose for being evil? Rid the world of superheroes from other planets, or with ridiculous superpowers. He didn’t want to kill Ted, he wanted Ted to join him because they’re both fully human. Except, Max isn’t fully human. He had mind-controlling powers, and then he was a cyborg. That’s another thing that I don’t think was ever explained. How did Max go from being a nonpowered cyborg to being human again? Did he clone himself or something? What’s the deal, DC? Ugh, I’m giving myself a headache, next book.

R.E.B.E.L.S.: The book that goes there. Seriously, I think I may like this series better than any other (set in space) not only because of the writing, but because of the art. Claude St. Aubin and Kevin Sharpe have made Starfire look better than she has in any series since her appearances in The New Teen Titans. And yes, I’m counting the art in the early issues of the Titans book in there, as well as how Ed McGuiness drew her in Superman/Batman. I’ve never been a huge Starfire fan, something that was cemented by the cartoon, but it seems to me like she’s never been more feminist or had more integrity than she does in this series. I’d never expected to describe a woman whose sole reason for living used to be Dick Grayson as a ‘feminist’, but god damn, Kory. Way to go. Also, and this is a major SPOILER ALERT, last page, are those a bunch of tanks of Czarnians?! Holy shit.

God damn, Gail. I know I’m taking the lord’s name in vain an awful lot this week, but can you blame me? Huntress vs Shiva, and Helena is still alive? The art kinda threw me for a bit of a loop, in that it wasn’t the best. Kind of like a watered-down version of something Francis Manapul would draw with his unnatural hand. But good god on the mountaintop, can Lee and Melo do a fight scene. It was that alone that redeemed the art for me. Gail, I’d gush more, but I honestly can’t think of anything that I haven’t said a hundred times before. You’re an earthbound angel, lady.

Well, that was my week in comics. For anyone who cares to check it out, I’ve started a weekly thread in the Comics board on Gaia Online’s forums called The Appeal of Fandom, which flows a lot like this here blog. Only, instead of being a breakdown of books, I examine popular things within comic fandom. It’s all pretty simple, but fun! I’m actually going to go check in on it now, see y’all next week!

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I don’t wanna lick a doorway!

October 14, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Holy cow, big week. I’m not even kidding. Fifteen books, you guys. And all of October is looking like this. Well, let me just crack my knuckles and get down to it.

It wouldn’t be the horror month without a return to Blackest Night. I know, even with Brightest Day halfway over, we just can’t seem to let this putrid corpse lie still. Untold Tales of the Blackest Night features a handful of stories from behind the scenes of the series. You have your longer stories, like the Donna Troy turning into a Black Lantern and the Scarecrow embracing fear fully upon recieving his Sinestro Corps ring, and then there are the one/two page stories, like the Rainbow Raiders thing. They never even got to face off against the Flash, the real Flash, not counting the time Johnny Quick and Power Ring fought them while disguised as Flash and Green Lantern back in JLA, and they drank poison and died. What the hell, man?! I am disappoint, DC. The Animal Man story was pretty kickass. He was a White Lantern for a time, too? Sweet! Oh, and then there was this thing about Lyssa Drak escaping from the Book of the Black, so I think we’ll probably be seeing her again soon in Green Lantern Corps.

The Return of Bruce Wayne is back, holy crap! We’re approaching the home stretch, folks! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this…to end. I’m not a Batman fan by any stretch of the term, but I’ve been reading this series to keep up with the things that will be happening with the Batfamily members I do like. Bruce has made it all the way to…his childhood? In the days following his parents murders, no less. It’s an interesting concept, but I’m a little disappointed that big Bruce never got to meet little Bruce. That would have been cool.

I’m just going to combine the three Bruce Wayne: The Road Home one-shots into one review, mainly because I’m feeling lazy. Bruce Wayne on Dick Grayson: “He is poetry in motion, calm, confident.” We get it, Bruce. Your boner for him is HUGE. So, Bruce is god now? I mean, I’m sure people have been thinking he’s god for awhile, but the Redone-shot is pretty much confirming it. I’m not sure I can even finish reading this, you guys. I just…I’m not digging it. This isn’t even Brightest Day quality bad. The Batgirl one-shot is the only one I’m buying. I mean it, even if it takes me a month to get it. It’s on my list. Steph slaps Bruce across the face! It was awesome!

Adventure Comics is such a sweet book. I mean that in both the d’aww version of sweet, and the awesome version of sweet. Where else are you going to get to see Legionnaires help the Kents raise a barn? Or Brainy as a ‘human’? I swear, if it didn’t have that shitty Atom second feature, this would be up there on my list of top books.

Holy Mothra! That sonuvabitch killed the Coyote Kid! But…wasn’t he already dead? Welcome to Tranquility isn’t my favorite of Gail’s books, even though it originally appealed to my undeserved sense of Golden Age-nostalgia, but this is just…you can’t kill the dead. It’s impossible. There’s nothing alive left to kill. But Derek, he managed it. He ripped off limbs. And he may have killed Seresa Lindo. He tried to rape Minxy Millions. Gail, you’ve created a monster. You’ve created something that shakes me to my very core. Thank you.

Knight and Squire starts this month! Only six issues, but I’ve been looking forward to it for soooo long. Something about British heroes just tickles my fancy in the best of ways. It seems like these are going to be six done-in-one books about superhero life overseas, and I’m just fine with that. It’s definitely a change in pace from the other minis that have been coming out lately. This first issue involves an altercation in an old pub protected by truce magic. It was an interesting read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in that sort of thing.

So long as the Green Lantern title doesn’t focus solely on Hal Jordan, I think I can stomach it. This issue we meet Adara, the triple-beaked pedo bird of hope. Why is it a pedo? It’s host is a 14-year old girl. We also get to see a bit of relationship angst between Hal and Carol, which is just so nice. Hear the sarcasm? But the real star of this issue is Larfleeze. Somehow, Larfleeze has gone from loathed ultra-hoarder to woobie of the DCU. He’s even going to have his own Christmas special, if you can believe it. You go, Larfleeze!

Oh no, Guy. Say it ain’t so. Last issue, he was gonna get purged of the red. This issue, he isn’t, all on Bleez’s suggestion. There’s honestly very little I can say about this issue. It was…alright, I guess. And it’s kinda cool to know that the Big Bad is planning on steering the willpower train of the universe via telepaths, but it just didn’t wow me. Sorry, Emerald Warriors.

I see what you did there, Generation Lost. And you thought I wouldn’t notice that the dreamstate human personification of Gold looks more than a little like our dear Booster. Also, Max Lord a sociopath? Really, DC? You’re trying to say that the fast-talking lord of the schmooze is a sociopath? I don’t believe a word. What? What is this? The Metal Men have combined Voltron style to form a giant monster? Sigh, okay. I’ll buy it. One last thing: badass Ice? Probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, pun so very much intended.

Oh god, I can’t stop laughing! I hope we have this creative team on Booster Gold forever. This entire issue, from the eating and regurgitating of chipmunk!Ted to Booster crossing himself and praying (and isn’t he supposed to be an athiest?) before socking Estrogina in the gut…it was all too brilliant. Go buy this comic, I command it of you.

Well, that was this week in comics. Sorry it’s a half-hour past deadline, my internet was out. I was quite angry. Do, do I still have to lick a doorway? Guys? Er, this is Touch of Grey saying goodbye for now, and please don’t make me lick a doorway.

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Lordy lordy…I can’t finish that thought and have it be worksafe

September 10, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wow, big week we’ve got here. Nine titles, ready and rearing! And for some reason, we’re quite Bat-heavy. Oh well, let’s get on with it.

Adventure Comics: where I go when I want to be confused as hell. Seriously, I know that these stories are supposed to be in the style of the early days of the Legion, but this is just weird. Ghosts haunting the Superman Museum and the Legion clubhouse? Nura Nal…just passing out for some reason? Saturn Girl hunting down a criminal for some personal reason that’s never revealed? Okay, AC, you win. I’m officially confuzzled.

Welcome to Tranquility: Oh shit. I mean…OH SHIT. Seriously, Gail, I…oh shit. I love you, Gail, but I’m not too sure if I ever want to traipse through your mind, even on the sunniest of days. You’re a little bit disturbed, lady. Just a little, though.

Batman: “I revel in excrement!” I love Damian a little more every time I read something with him in it. I never expected to love this kid, mainly because his entire life’s goal seems to be making everyone want to kill him, but I do. This is the first time I’ve picked up an issue of the main Batman title in years, and I only actually picked it up because it apparently ties in to something I’m going to be reviewing later in the year, but I liked it. Um, but you didn’t hear that from me.

Batman and Robin: Translation, please? I love Grant Morrison. In an almost obsessive way. But I’d be a liar if I said I understood, let alone enjoyed, this issue. I have a problem with art when it looks more like an oil painting than a comic book. Shadows on bodies, blurred lines…it drives me nuts. Though the sequence in which Joker infects Damian with his toxin was just frigging gorgeous, the oddity of the art style really suited them there. Professor Pyg is as disturbing as usual, well done Grant. I don’t know what kind of hallucinogens this guy puts in his coffee every morning, but the world will be a worse place to live in if he ever stops.

Batgirl: Girly adventures of girliness! Supergirl gueststars in this one-shot issue of Batgirl, and boy was I worried. As I’ve said before, Kara is the DCU’s new emo kid. Tim Drake has been released from emo servitude, mainly because the universe decided to shit on Supergirl for awhile. I had my doubts that she’d bring anything good to the table for this issue, but it was actually pretty entertaining. The plot is essentially Batgirl and Supergirl against 24 hard light projections of a really emo version of Dracula, and the only way to defeat them is to stab them with stakes. Oh yes, I am so on board for these shenanigans.

Red Robin: Holy crap, it’s The General! Not gonna lie, I loved Ulysses Armstrong in the old Robin series. Whenever he was in an issue, I knew it was going to be good. I had completely forgotten about him taking on the Anarky identity, somehow, but holy shit. The boy is in his element! Oh yeah, and there was some stuff about Tim and Tam, Tim was threatening Captain Boomerang, blah blah blah…sorry, but this issue was all about Ulysses for me. The boy just has a style that can’t be beat. Welcome back into the spotlight, General.

Green Lantern: If Larfleeze in Las Vegas is wrong then god damnit, I don’t want to be right. Seriously, as much hate as I project in the general direction of Geoff Johns these days, you just can’t go wrong with a Rainbow Lantern issue. The cover is misleading as hell, though. At no point in this issue did Saint Walker, Sinestro, Atrocious, or Indigo-1 show up, and Carol Ferris was not in bondage. But still, Larfleeze in Las Vegas, soon followed by Larfleeze on Zamaron declaring that he wants to be queen. Also, wibbly Larfleeze. I am so ridiculously in love with this character. I may be a total Blue, but the keeper of the Orange Lantern has totally stolen my fangirly heart away. And also my entire sock drawer, the bastard.

Booster Gold: Ted Kord, Sex God is now canon. Thank you, lord! Not Max. Er…JOKE ABORTED. So, this was quite the issue for people well-versed in the comics of the late 80s. Vril Dox pre-L.E.G.I.O.N., the Darkstars, Ted and Booster having a “lover’s quarrel” (quoth Vril Dox). I’m a happy, happy girl reading this. Oh, did I mention that Ted’s a chipmunk now? Or that Booster references his own rear? Something tells me that Keith Giffen has been visiting the Boostle thread on /coq/…

Generation Lost: Max, you’re the biggest douche ever. I mean it. This guy uses vinegar as cologne. “Daddy’s working.” Hnghrgle. Um, hahaha. Damnit, stupid sexy Max Lord. Seriously, what is it about this guy that has the fangirls (and a few fanboys as well) biting their knuckles and praying for a less-sexy action sequence? He’s the bad guy. The worst guy. He killed Ted Kord. He controlled Superman. Recently, he bankrupted Power Girl, broke up Guy and Ice, made Fire attack the new Rocket Red, fried Skeets, and pulled a gun on Booster, and yet he’s still hot somehow. Is it the tight t-shirt? The (probably leather) gun holsters? That new evil smirk of confidence and badassery? The fact that underneath the suits, he’s been hiding the sculpted, muscular body of a god? Oh my. I think I need a cold shower. Damn you, Judd Winick. You may have made Ice a whiny little bitch, but you’ve also brought about a reality in which we have the hotness that is Gavril calling our littlest JLI member “Little Skeets”, and written some damned provocative lines for Max. “Daddy’s working.”

…I’ll be in my bunk…

Well, that was this week’s comics, boys and girls and other! I need a shower and maybe an exorcism. Peace.

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Big week this week. Mmhm.

August 12, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Big week full of Simone-y goodness, you guys! I’m excited, can you tell? Let’s do this thing.

Between Adventure Comics and Legion of Superheroes, DC is really making up for not having had the Original Legion for almost 20 years. AC is telling the stories of the Adult Legion back in their early days and, if the second feature wasn’t dealing with the Atom, I’d probably be buying the hell out of this series. But as we’ve established, I don’t give a crap about Ray Palmer, so I’m not buying it. This month’s issue centers on Saturn Girl, who doesn’t just want to be known as “the girl Legionnaire”, a worthy mission. Too bad she kinda sucks at it. Trains her ass off, doesn’t manage to save her Scicop friend, then sleeps with Cosmic Boy. Way too go, Imra! Please note the sarcasm. Moving on.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors starts this week and…I like it. Y’all know me, I’m not the biggest Green Lantern fan. But hey, I’m cool with the Corps, and I happen to dig Guy Gardner more than any other Lantern out there (yes, including Rage Kitty). So a series centered around Guy, Ganthet, and the Red Lanterns? Hell yeah I’m gonna read it. Maybe we’ll finally get some closure on Guy’s former Red Lantern status other than MOGO IS MAGIC BITCHES. My first impressions on the series? It’s gonna have action. Action and one-liners. I’m down with that. It was a good opening issue, gave the series it’s sort of mission statement (insert Star Trek theme here), and I’m looking forward to the next issue. Let’s hope it holds this trend.

It’s a good comic that can make you go BUM BUM BUM in your head. Like, a lot. Gail, you complete me. I ask the most of you, and you deliver. Welcome to Tranquility is like a breath of fresh air while in a time machine. Yeah, I know that makes no sense, but it’s how I feel on the book. WtT has an old timey, 1960’s comic feel while putting forth new stories. And this new arc…I’m flipping out. I really am. Mr. Articulate is back and not a zombie, Judge Fury and Pink Bunny have a…son? What? Okay, next issue. Stat.

Paul Dini, you can do no wrong. Like Gail Simone, Paul Dini is one of those writers whose words are worth their weight in gold. It was his name on the Gotham City Sirens book that got me hooked, and it is once again his fault I’m so enamored with Zatanna. This book has all the right elements. A good dose of action, a sprinkle of mystery, dashes of comedy here and there, and of course, that ever essential bit of magic that ties it all together. This issue begins a new arc, yes, already, and I can already tell that I’m going to dig it. Zee versus hellfire women in Vegas, with guest appearances by Zach Zatara. I think I can suffer through this. Once again, please note the sarcasm. I’m gonna be eating this title alive, folks.

This month in Batgirl, Steph proves that a good sense of humor is about as useful as a utility belt. I can name on one hand all the titles that actually make me laugh out loud, and this is one of them. It’s Batgirl and Proxy vs. Clayface this issue, and that Wendy Harris is alright by me. So lemme get this straight, comics. Wheelchair= genius now? I mean, this is official? Sigh, alright, comics. Whatever you say.

Birds of Prey was actually surprisingly unremarkable this month. I mean, it was interesting, funny, action-packed, and Babs totally outed Creote to Savant, but nothing really reached out and grabbed me like in the last three issues. Don’t worry, Gail. You’ll hook me right back in next month. Not all issues have to be winners.

Okay, Booster Gold. You’re my favorite book again. I mean, how can I not love this title? It’s got Booster and Beetle taking on a machine called a planet pounder (yeah, I know), and Ted totally knows that this Booster isn’t ‘his’ Booster. I’m quoting that, read the book. Then there’s Rip and Rani and, well, I love that kid. That’s Booster and Beetle’s eventual daughter. I know, I’m talking crazy talk, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

The week ended on a low note with Generation Lost. Yeah, I know. How can a book about the old JLI team possibly suck as bad as this? I’m just gonna blame Winick and call it a day. Apparently, Keith Giffen is no longer holding his hand as he writes by providing breakdowns. Makes sense. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that Judd Winick is unable to write a comic on his own without making it suck harder than a Kryptonian prostitute, just take a look at Green Arrow/Black Canary. I’m not even going to bother to review this book this week. It was crap, read it in store if you must.

Well, that was this week in comics. I picked up some Batgirl backissues from 01, I’m gonna go devour those now. Same time next week? Awesome. ToG out.

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So much Gail Simone, so little money

July 22, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Big week this time around, including the first issue of Time Masters: Vanishing Point, and the long awaited return of Gail Simone’s amazing Wildstorm series Welcome to Tranquility! Let’s do this.

Time Masters: Vanishing Point is a companion book to The Return of Bruce Wayne. That’s…basically all it is. If you’re a Rip Hunter fan, pick it up. If you’re not, you can skip it. It’s okay, but not something I’d recommend.

And to continue this parade of mediocrity, Brightest Day. Actually, I’m not even going to try and bullshit you guys. I only actually pay attention to the parts with J’onn and Deadman. Firestorm and the Hawks have never interested me, so I just don’t bother much with them. A shock ending this week with J’onn has guaranteed me picking up the book for at least another issue, and Hawk, Dove, and Deadman talk about cheeseburgers. I like those three, they’re fun. But I also sense that Deadman thinks Dove is hitting on him, so…don’t know what to think there.

Moving on! Hey, it’s time for Legion of Superheroes! So I happen to love me some Legion, but I’m a bit on the fence about the Original Legion being back. I grew up reading the Reboot, so I’m used to the complex egos of teenagers getting screentime. This…it’s not terrible, but it’s going to take me a while to get used to it. Also, Darkseid is in the picture again so, um, woo?

When did Jimmy Olsen get hot? That’s honestly the only question I ask of the latest issue of Supergirl. Supergirl versus Bizarrogirl was…boring and short. I mean, 70% of the issue was about Kara moping over being unable to save New Krypton. Wow. So DC has ditched Tim Drake as the official emo kid of the DCU and taken on Kara? Nice. Next comic!

Zatanna is an epically awesome book. Then again, it’s penned by Paul Dini. The man knows his way around the DCU’s premire Mistress of Magic. The first arc ended with a bang this week, and just from me to you, worth every penny. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

Welcome to Tranquility. If you only pick up one book from Wildstorm this year, make it this one. Gail Simone truly shines with this series. Not gonna say too much, but trust me, if you like small-town drama, you’ll love this book.

The art in Power Girl sucks. No, I’m not being biased due to my love of Amanda Conner, Sami Basri can’t figure out how to draw expressions. The storyline is pretty solid, though. PG is fighting two battles at once; one to save her company for being dismantled, and one to save New York City from being destroyed. Winick, you’re not too bad this month, try not to fail me.

Last week, Diamond shortchanged the entire East Coast when it came to Birds of Prey, but I finally go my copy! Gail, oh my darling Gail. Never stop writing this series. The issue starts out on a weird note, with Penguin having a bloodloss-induced sexual daydream about the Birds. And it just got better/weirder from there. Secrets revealed, old, lost enemies turned friends turned enemies again, and of course the ever-present question; Who is the White Canary? Oh god, the next issue can’t come soon enough.

Well, I’m dehydrated and in pain, I think I’m gonna go have some chow. Until next time. Touch of Grey is outtie 5000.

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