Thursday's Reviews

I'm still so tickled that the books came in on their usual day, that I'm feeling unusually mellow.

Flashpoint: Abin Sur #2

I'm actually rather liking this. The writing is decent and the art is rather pretty in a painterly fashion. And although I can hardly believe this of myself...Sinestro is actually rather...hot. There. I've said it. In fact there is a butt shot on page two that is to die for...if you are of that inclination, anyway.

Abin is on earth, and he's hurt, and Hal shows up but DOESN'T get the ring! *snicker* Cyborg also shows up and snatches Abin Sur away, where he is nursed back to health at some nebulous government facility. Abin is actually only there to retrieve the Life Entity from earth, but ends up getting involved in the conflict between Atlantis and Themyscira, and the Guardians are getting pissed. So, Abin isn't too surprised when Sinestro shows up. Abin expects Sinestro is there to yell at him, on the behalf of the Guardians, but actually, he has another agenda.

It turns out that Atrocitus gave him a prophecy...that there was another earth besides this one, where Abin was dead, and this was called "flashpoint". But at least Ungara was still around, and some other stuff. Oh, and Sinestro still has or had the hots for Arin Sur, Abin's sister. So Atrocitus told Sinestro that as long as Abin was alive, Sinestro would fail...and so on and so forth. Oh, that Atrocitus is SUCH a scamp.

This is actually a lot of fun, if you like alternative Green Lantern stuff.

Batman & Robin #25

I keep thinking that Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason are going to be doing this, but it's still Winick and Greg Tochini. Tochini isn't bad and Winick isn't TOO horrible. Scarlet is apparently that girl that was tortured by Professor Pyg, which I had completely forgotten all about, and she's hanging with the Red Hood now, who has been rescued by Batman(Dick) and Robin(Damian). Jason is running off at the mouth as usual, and Damian isn't too impressed. Jason does manage to make fools out of the two of them, which I found to be a little ridiculous, and after a lot of hoohah, she's rescued, and things explode, and Jason realizes that he really really doesn't like Dick much. That's ok, Jason, I don't think that either Dick or Damian can stand to breathe the same air as you either.

Ok. Not great, but not terrible.

Flashpoint #3

Can I admit that I am actually enjoying this? After getting burns over most of his body after the last failed attempt to recreate the accident that created his powers, Barry convinces a highly skeptical Thomas Wayne to try try again. I assume that there isn't much on television that night, because Bats does as he says, and somehow they manage to get the formula right this time! Woohoo! Barry is Flash again! They end up joining up with Cyborg, who is trying to get allies, and Flash is trying to form the Justice League, because he can still remember, but he's afraid that he's going to forget the world before. The do bust into a secret government facility and bust out the poor alien that has been kept there for umpteen years. It appears to be Kal, but he's all thin and pale and frail, because they've been smart enough to keep him out of the sunlight. The failed specimen looks like a dog's skeleton, which I found creepy and sad all at the same time.

So, they all bust Kal out, and he's so excited that he flies off into the sun, and Batman basically says "I told you so". To his credit, Barry doesn't slug him.

The art is decent, and damn it, I'm interested! So pretty darned good actually.

Jonah Hex #69.

Man, I loved this. Loved it. Some old geezer has been coming into town for years, he's been looking for gold for age, and somehow, the baddies at the saloon figure out that he's finally actually FOUND some gold. So naturally, they all decide to ride out and bushwhack him and steal his gold. Jonah, who has been quietly sitting in the back, realizes what they are up to, and follows them. The assumption is that he's going to rescue the old prospector and shoot the bad guys.

Well...that turns out to be half true. He does manage to kill all the bushwhackers, but the old prospector has been shot in the stomache and is sinking fast. And who does this leathery old fart turn out to be? Why he's none other than Jonah's long lost pappy! And what a piece of work HE is! He first needles Jonah, taunts him, and then tries telling him that he was just toughening him up, and finally, he apologizes...not because he actually means it, but because he wants the whiskey that Jonah is slugging down, but won't share.

Through it all, Jonah just sits there and calmly tells his father, that he's just there to watch him die. Old Hex keeps trying to get his goat, but Jonah is actually pretty cool throughout the whole thing. Finally the old bastard does finally die, and instead of leaving him for the buzzards as he had threatened, Jonah does finally bury him...and covers the grave with gold nuggets.

Fabulous.

Secret Six #35

Well! This was interesting. Bane is feeling a little...restless after getting back from Hell. He just can't understand why a fine upstanding gentleman like himself is getting the short end of the stick. He and Catman have an interesting talk outin the woods. Bane is afraid that he's going soft, and feels the need to go out and kill Batman again. Thomas isn't quite sure why he wants to do this, but figures, he'll go along for the ride.

Jeanette and Deadshot in the meantime are humping like bunnies on top of the kitchen island, much to the consternation of King Shark who wanders in and just wants some blubber that he has in the fridge. Jeanette is feeling restless because she can smell death, Deadshot is restless because he wants to shoot something. Meanwhile Scandal is trying to reconnect with Knockout, who doesn't seem to remember very much, and is acting cold and distant.

So Bane gets them all together, and lays out his plans, take out the Batman by going after his loved ones. Makes sense I suppose, although Catman does say that Huntress is Not On The List. Then they all go off and invade a rather plush lakeside home, killing off the guards and all, only to find...the Penquin? Knockout rediscovers the joy and laughter of mayhem and combat and seems to be getting back to her old self. The Penguin, to his credit doesn't run or hide, he is mad as hell and he's not going to take this sort of treatment, even though they all slap him around for a while. Finally however, at the threat of King Shark eating some of his pet penguins, he does agree to cooperate. It turns out that what Bane REALLY wants is for him to join their group!

Oh...this probably isn't going to turn out well...but it will be so much fun along the way.

So...not a bad week at all.