Thursday's Reviews

Now this was a nice week!

Batgirl #14

I had actually dropped this for a couple of months, but the whole "Death of the Family" thing has sucked me back in...at least for a while.  And I have to admit that Gail Simone does a pretty darned good job of the Joker, which is no small task.  I still think that Babs is a little whiney, but on the other hand, she does have some reason. 

So there is murder, mayhem, kidnappings and pummelings galore.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.


Batman #14

Now THIS book on the other hand falls into the "incredibly GOOD" category!  I really can't believe that I am writing this about a Bat book.  Snyder's version of the Joker is fabulous, he's completely deranged of course, but again, there is an underlying logic, that neither we...nor Batman apparently can quite fathom...that's why he's so terrifying. 

Alfred has been kidnapped, Commissioner Gordon almost dies from blood thinner, random citizens are being cannon...or rather Joker fodder all over the place, and Batman himself, although he has a good grasp on things, is being out-maneuvered all over the place.  It is a joy to watch...and read. 


Batman & Robin #14

Gosh, I love this book.  Tomasi keeps right up with Snyder in making things a little...no, make that a lot...crazy.  Damian is doing his level best to actually save some people, trying to prove to his father, that he has it in him, to do the right thing.  Considering some of the stuff that Damian has pulled, that's a tall order.  So he saves  a bunch of people from zombie-like cultists, although ignoring Batman's calls is taking things a bit too far. 

Still, he does manage to pull it off, although Batman showing up at the end, does help a whole lot.  Then of course, they have The Confrontation, and the scene where Bruce hugs Damian brought a lump to my jaded throat.  Awwww!   And then the discovery that the Bad Guy isn't who Damian thought it was, makes it all a little more chilling. 

Very very good.


Demon Knights #14

Sheesh, there is just all kinds of double dealing and chicanery and betrayal going on this week!  Demon Knights has all of this and more, as Xanadu tries to outfox Etrigan, Etrigan tries to outfox Xanadu, Savage just wants to kill people, and Lucifer apparently outwits the lot of them. 

It's all very exciting, Avalon is in BIG trouble and oh heck, I really do enjoy this book.  This is one crazy cast of characters, but Paul Cornell makes it work.


Green Lantern Corps #14

Man, I just hate the Guardians.  I Hate Them So MUCH!!!


Thor, God of Thunder #001

It's not enough to start the series over at number 1 apparently, they had to make it 001.  What's up with that?  I did manage to snabble the variant cover, with the Skottie Young cover, which is seriously adorable.  Inside, Esac Ribic manages to do his usual beautiful artwork, while Jason Aaron takes over on the story.

This book jumps from a distant flashback, wherein Thor is helping out some nice Vikings, who discover a dead body, that is apparently that of a North American Indian God, that washes up on the shore, during their epic revelry.  This disconcerts Thor, to say the least.

Then we jump to the present,  on the planet Indigarr, where Thor answers the prayer of  a  young girl for rain to save her planet.  It's nice to know that Thor keeps an ear out for such things.  He does come, he makes it rain, and has one heckuva good time with the native ale, and tells a few stories along the way.  He is rather startled to learn that Indigarr doesn't seem to have any Gods to worship...as a God himself, he finds such a thing to be practically unthinkable.  So, he goes looking for them, and finds them...or rather their remains.  They've all been killed, in a most unseemly fashion, which makes him think of that other Godly death way back when.

And then we jump to the far distant future, where Thor is old, and cranky and the only God left in Asgard, as once again he faces the God Killer from the past.  It's beautifully done, and it has certainly piqued my interest.


Saga #7

Finally!  It seems as though it has been forever.  It took me a while to pick this up...and to find all the back copies, but it has been well worth the trouble.  This is really a stunningly good book.  The art by Fiona Staples is terrific, the story by Brian Vaughan is deeply engrossing, funny and gut-wrenching all at the same time. 

Our doughty couple have taken little Hazel, found a ship and are fleeing all the trouble, or at least trying to stay one step ahead of all the bounty hunters, armies, and crazy people.  Marko's parents have shown up, and they really aren't too thrilled to learn that he's married one of what they consider to be the enemy.  Alana isn't really all that thrilled to meet them either, especially since all she is wearing is a towel and a baby, but she handles things fairly well, all things considered.  They are especially peeved because Marko's mother zapped their ghostly babysitter Izabel off to some godforsaken planet, so Marko has to go and try and get her back.  Good sitters are hard to come by! 

But seriously, go out and buy it and read it.  Well worth your while.

So that's the week.  Not a clunker in the bunch.  I love weeks like this.