Thursday's Reviews

Not a bad week, certainly more than the first week of the month. So, without further ado...

Batgirl #6

I'm liking this book. I'm not loving it yet...but I'm liking it. We have poor Batgirl going up against an apparently mind-controlled Bruce Wayne, and she's not happy about it. At all. She's holding her own, but barely, as he keeps yelling 338 which is the post-hypnotic suggestion trigger that was used by Gretel. There's some flashbacks, which shows Barbara and Bruce's relationship that is rather nice, and we also go into the motivations for Gretel, and how she was going to be a hot-shot reporter who got in over her head, and paid the price. Now she's out for revenge against the rich and powerful in Gotham. Barbara realizes that without the support of Bruce and her Dad and so on, she could have turned out like Gretel, so she tries to go a bit easier on her, later, when she tries to assasinate Bruce all over again, and uses the Gotham Police to do it for her.

It was a good story and decent art, and you got to get into the heads of the protagonists a bit, which was nice. Definitely improving issue by issue.

Batman & Robin #6

I also continue to enjoy this book. We have Damian teamed up with Nobody, who is busy trying to see just how far he can corrupt our young bratty hero. Damian is going right along with it apparently, even pulling the trigger of a gun pressed against the head of a certain poor schlub. Batman in the meantime, has a few flashbacks, telling the story of how he went along with the Ducards, and how he was bamboozled and how he almost killed Morgan. But mainly he just wants his boy back, in one piece. It is a delight when Damian does finally reveal that he's really on the side of the angels after all, but it's one heck of a cliff hanger as Morgan/Nobody decides to send Damian back to Bruce...in pieces.

Great stuff!

Batwoman #6

Different artist this month, with Amy Reeder. I have to say that she did a bang-up job of it, it has to be hard to come into a book that is lauded far and wide for its spectacular artwork, but she's up to the challenge.

Kate has an...unfortunate run-in with a particularly nasty bad guy, and we get more insight into her dealings with Maggie, and with Cameron Chase, and we discover who the Weeping Woman is, and how she came to be.

Still a fabulous book.

Demon Knights #6

Yet another book that I'm loving. Man I'm on a roll here! Exoristos is feeling guilty for getting that young village girl killed, and jumps over the palisade to fight the invaders on a rather large rhino all by herself. And she's doing a pretty good job of it. Vandal Savage of course has defected to the other side, but I'm still not completely sure that he's not just faking it. Madame Xanadu considers making a terrible choice, but in the end doesn't go through with it, the Horsewoman rallies a bunch of horses, which actually is cooler than it sounds. Etrigan is fabulous. I'm really starting to get a crush on Etrigan...and that is something that I NEVER thought I would say.

The invading horde breaks in and we have a lovely splash page at the very end...I can hardly wait!

Green Lantern #6

Oh mercy!

Resurrection Man #6

I really did like this book this month as well. Mitch has managed to get himself locked up in Arkham of all places, and nobody is listening to him, as he begs them to kill him, so that he can show them he'll come back. To be perfectly honest, who can really blame them? It all sounds so insane. So of course they think he IS insane and pump him full of drugs. He's being harassed by a particularly obnoxious guard, and finally manages to start a riot at breakfast, which gets him thrown into the "Bin" with the Big Bad Boys of Arkham. This is actually a good thing, since they stop giving him the medication.

A bunch of the guys are planning prison break, because well...it's Arkham and that is what they do. They are actually being abetted by the obnoxious guard, Mitch realizes this, and gets his neck snappe by Sumo. And then, boy howdy, he's back and beating the crap out of the prisoners as they try to flee. Gordon sees that he's actually helping them, and demands that the cops hold their fire, but wouldn't you know it, the evil guard shoots him through the head!

Gordon and the coroner go to the morgue, where our boy Mitch has long since flown the coop, and he finds his way to the evil guards house, where he scares the living daylights out of him, and justice is served. This may have been my favorite issue so far.

And finally, the lone Marvel entry,

Journey Into Mystery #634

Oh Loki, you get more adorable every month. Damian Hellstrom has shown up and he's drawn to Loki for some reason, since all sorts of evil seems to be centered around his cherubic little godly head. Loki manages to escape, temporarily at least, by getting Damian to basically look behind him, which made me chuckle. Then Leah shows up to help and her magic holds off Damian. The two of them start bickering, as they always do, which convinces Damian that they really ARE just a couple of kids. And Thory, the Hel-dog, is just in love with Damian, and wants him to be his master. It's so sweet.

So anyway, then end up going into Loki's dreams, and an undead Thor shows up and makes Loki feel bad, and the Hel-Wolf shows up and the Disir, and even Leah, but Loki realizes that it is all fake,when she is too nice to him...and lo and behold, it turns out that Nightmare is behind the whole thing, and he's trying to make a crown out of the energy from the dreams or something, and gosh, it's all just fun.

I do love this book. Mainly because Loki is hilarious.

So...a good week. A DARNED good week.