DC
Brightest Day #19 **1/2
One Christmas when I was younger I got the Macy's Toy Catalog, and in there was this picture of Aquaman with a beard and a hook for a hand, and I thought "Wow, that's so cool!" Here we are a decade later and I think "I really do not enjoy Brightest Day." (No, that anecdote doesn't really matter, but I so seldom have anecdotes). It's possible that I'm still getting over the end of Brightest Day #18, which I distinctly did not like, but that's mainly because the Hawks were the characters I really liked in this story. I appreciate that things are ramping up as we approach issue #26, and I hope this momentum continues as we figure out what the hell is up with the White Lantern (who, by the way, is a dick).
Superboy #4 **
Francis Manapul come save me! This art isn't ugly, but after getting used to the Manapul version of Connor it's so hard to read this. I haven't been checking, but is the critical consensus as middle of the road on this title in general as I feel it should be? I think this time-travel storyline could be really interesting and complex but the dialogue is missing some punch. One of the reasons I always disliked Superman is that he wanted so much to be human. I know that was his charm, but he just came off as so white-bread, and I feel like Connor is falling into that trap (mind you I never read Superboy before this series, so perhaps it's a case of him not living up to my imagined expectations).
 |
| How creepy is it to say I find him attractive like this? |
Batman Beyond #2 ***
Not exactly a deep story, but an enjoyable read. Watching Terry interact with the new Justice League is fun, although I can't for the life of me see why anyone would want to join them; they're kind of assholes. I do like old crotchety Bruce, though.
Gothan City Sirens #19 ***1/2
A good, solid read. I've always loved Selina Kyle, and I really appreciate this current portrayal of her as being morally grey. She wants to do the right thing, but is less obsessed with doing things by the books, which is why she's such a perfect match for Bruce. The drama about how her knowing Bruce's identity puts everyone in danger is also a very creative take on her morality (do you think anyone is worried Clark or Diana is going to let the, uhm, cat out of the bag?). In the end I think, and have always thought, that Talia was batshit crazy, but she raises interesting points. And the turn at the end with Harley follows the logic, making this for a very solid story.
Marvel
Invincible Iron Man #500.1 ***
It's a milestone, and I'm a sucker for milestones. The story was interesting, touching on Tony's recent memory wipe and reboot and pointing to a possible future, but I think this was a fairly stand-alone issue. And I don't mind that much in these milestones. I don't know when I turned into an Invincible Iron Man fan, but it's a strange thing. But this new Tony isn't a hateful drunk, and his adventures trying to fix the world have a bit of quip to them which I really enjoy.
With regards to Superboy, it's not so much that he's trying to be human (because, he's 50% human.) Rather, it's more of a desire, in my opinion, to live a fairy normal life. I mean, the kid grew from a single cell to a teenager in a week and then a couple years later died. He's just trying to build a solid life outside of superhero-ing.
ReplyDelete