Reviews

This has been a somewhat...tumultuous week for me, but I have to admit...the comics were amazing this week. Therefore, without further ado...!

Batman #5

I'm not a Bat fan. You all know this, I mention it about once a week or so. But I do have to say that I AM a Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo fan! This has to be one of the most perfect comic books that I have read in a very long time. And furthermore, it is a story that could ONLY be told in Comic Book Form.

Bats has been trapped in the Owl's labyrinth, without food, and only drugged water, and he's slowly but surely losing his mind. Batman of all people, is lost and afraid and going nuts. I love it. He of course thinks that he's in control, and to see him slowly losing it, is amazing. But what is really amazing, is the way that the story unfolds, with the layout going from standard panels, to sideways, to upside-down, all of which reflects Bruce's descent into madness. It is, quite simply, mind-boggling.

Buy This Book.

Neal Adams Batman: Odyssey #4

On a completely different level, this has crazy Batman in it too! Once again, we have a stunningly gorgeous Bruce on the first page, giving his blow-by-blow account of the story. He looks a lot like Hal again, and he's even wearing a Green Lantern T-shirt! My mind is officially blown. There is Deadman, and Robin, and trained giant bats, and trolls, and goblins, and Ras's crazy old son, and a talking hippo, and none of it makes any sort of sense at all...but I don't care, because it is such HAPPY insanity.

Birds of Prey #5

Well, they all show up out on the street, with only fragmented memories of what just happened in the last issue, and Starling's hand is healed, and Batgirl is missing, and what the heck just happened? We have a rather good story with all of the Birds trying to figure out what is going on, and a bit of a look at their personal lives, and it's all pretty darned good.

And gosh, but the art is just so pretty too. They look like real women! The cover is ridiculous of course, but in the actual book they have real bodies, that can actually house real organs, and they do active sorts of things without thrusting their bosoms and butts out. It's such a relief sometimes!

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #5

Another excellent issue, with Deadman going up against Rama. He's actually got the upper hand here, although she is certainly not happy about it...not happy at all. However, as Boston points out, she'd make a pretty piss-poor poker player. He ends up being freed from some if not all of her manipulations, she ends up with a question, and it's all good.

Fables #113

This is a break from the story that is actually going on, with a look back at some of the history of the Fables, and how things that happened before tie into things that happened afterwards, and it's all quite nice, as usual. We have some very nice artists showing up for the various stories, such as P. Craig Russell, whom I adore, and even Adam Hughes. The stories intertwine a bit, and it's a nice little interlude.

Green Lantern Corps #5

Naturally I enjoyed this, and I'll get to it tomorrow, but there is one thing that I just can't let go without a comment.



Please take a look at this cover, by Andy Kubert. Please note Guy's pose. How on earth is that even POSSIBLE? I am reminded of Ami's excellent new blog, Escher Girls, where she shows the insane positions that comic book women are placed by their artists, such as showing both boobs and their butts at the same spine-cracking time. This is one of those positions. His head and his legs are facing one way, while his chest and torso are facing the other. When someone is coming at you with a light sabre, perhaps this isn't the best stance for fighting. I don't care if he WAS a gymnast! That's just not possible!

Moving along....

Wonder Woman #5

Man, I did love this. It may not have had Cliff Chiang, but Tony Akins does a pretty damned good job in his stead. Diana, Pregnant Girl, and Hermes are having a nice chat at a sidewalk cafe in London, when a new player named Lennox arrives, and sits himself down. He knows who they are, he knows WHAT they are. All sorts of interesting things ensue. He ends up in the sewers, and Diana ends up on a bridge, while the most fabulous sea-horses show up, with Poseidon in tow. And WHAT a Posiedon! They have a nice little chat, and Diana manages to bring Hera into the mix, in a particularly clever way. This is SO good.

So...a darned fabulous week, at least for comic books.