Reviews!

So...I hope that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. At the venerable Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, there was a lovely picture in the newspaper this morning of Wonder Woman crossing the finish line, closely followed by Superman and the Flash. Vast amounts of turkey, pie and cranberries have been consumed, and the Christmas shopping season is apparently in full swing.

But let us return to the books that actually came out on Wednesday.

All-Star Western #3

Dagnabit, this is great. Arkham and Jonah are still fighting the cabal that rules Gotham with a varying amount of success. They win a few and lose a few, and Arkham seems to be developing an unhealthy attachment to Jonah...at least from Jonah's point of view. Also they don't barter in Gotham City, much to Jonah's disgust. Lots of action, lots of shooting, a good story, decent art, and the El Diablo story at the back. What's not to like?

Oh, and that is one heckuva cool cover.

Aquaman #3

Dammit, but this is a pretty book. Between Ivan Reis, whom I simply adore, and the colors of Rod Reis, this is simply beautiful to behold. Oh, and the story is pretty good too. Aquaman has to admit that he doesn't know who these baddies actually are, but he and Mera are beginning to piece things together, although they aren't getting a whole lot of respect or help from the local authorities. And Geoff Johns introduces a rather intriguing new character, who can be a friend or a foe, or a little bit of both.

Good. Darned good.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #3

This is still not my favorite Green Lantern book, but it is improving. Kyle ends up with ALL of the rings, much to the Guardians consternation, so naturally, they try to kick him out for insubordination, except that his Green Lantern ring keeps flying back onto his finger. I find it quite interesting that the Guardians seem to have lost control of their own rings...possibly due to their complete assholishness. Ganthet is still under the thrall of the evil Guardians. The other Corps are still trying to bust in, and someone makes their grand entrance in a rather spectacular and quite cunning fashion.

So, this was pretty good. The art still doesn't excite me as much, but still...Bedard seems to be finally finding his footing here. And that last page reveal...well it just MAKES the whole story sing for me.

Justice League Dark #3

This is another pretty book. And a very good book. Zatanna and John Constantine have some interesting moments together, not to mention Deadman and june Moon, while Shade the Changing Man is having some problems and the Enchantress continues to scare the socks off of everybody. I really...like this book. It's a little different from the usual superhero rock'em, sock'em style and it's just an interesting read.

Shade #2

Oh Shade. I've missed you so. And James Robinson seems to doing a fine old job with one of his best characters. It turns out that it wasn't REALLY the Shade that Deathstroke managed to cut up into little pieces in the first issue, which is a good thing. Dickie hasn't managed to live this long without picking up a few tricks along the way. But he does want everyone to think that he's dead, so that he can discover exactly who it is that wants to kill him. So after a rather touching farewell to Hope O'Dare, and a meeting with Bobo, he heads off to Europe, where he teams up with Will Von Hammer. Nasty people are trying to kill HIM too, and it's all just so fabulous. I like Cully Hamner's art, and I like detective stories.

Lately, DC seems to be remembering the Detective part of their initials, and I for one am delighted.

Flash #3

This is one of the most stylish books out there, the art is a joy to behold, and the story is excellent, and Francis Manapul's methods of laying out a page are breathtaking. This is one good-looking book, like all the books this week. As much as I demand good writing, I also greatly enjoy good art, to make the whole package and DC has been doing a pretty darned good job of this...at least with the books that I am reading.

Flash saves a plane, and continues to discover all the cool things that he can do with the Speed Force, other than just running really really fast. Power has been knocked out in Central City and they have to resort to ad hoc solutions to things, which is fun, and they are uncovering why there are clones to Barry's old friend, and it's just a really good read.

Voodoo #3

Normally I wouldn't pick this book up. The art isn't too bad actually, but I have...and have never had...any interest whatsoever in Voodoo as a character. But heck, Kyle shows up, and I love Kyle after all. Here, he's just a regular Green Lantern, doing his regular Green Lanterny things. Priscilla has run to earth, with some of her alien friends, doing...something. I really don't understand what her purpose is, or if she is a good guy or a bad guy, and this issue doesn't make it vey clear either.

So, murky story, but hey...it had Kyle in it.

Still a pretty decent week. So have a turkey sandwich and enjoy your comics.