Slightly Delayed Reviews

I do hope that everyone enjoyed a lovely holiday!  I completely forgot to post my reviews, and it was one heck of a week too!  But better late than never I suppose.

Aquaman #37

Arthur has discovered that his dear old Mum isn't dead at all...but where can she be?  He and Mera jump through some sort of portal and end up in...Gorilla City! 

Of course they do.  Fortunately for them, Arthur is on decent terms with Solivar, and the proper diplomatic niceties are observed.  And naturally whenever Gorilla City appears in the story, you know that Gorilla Grodd isn't going to be far behind...and there he is.  Arthur tries to get information out of him, naturally, Grodd isn't particularly cooperative, naturally he figures out a way to escape, and oh...it's just a lot of fun.

There's just something about DC and Gorillas.

Batman  Annual #3

This is more or less all about the relentless and terrifying mind games that the Joker plays with a cocksure reporter, who bites off a whole lot more than he can chew.  It's rather scary actually, but very well done, and a decent story which ties in with the on-going story without taking it over.  You don't HAVE to read it to know what is going on, but as a view into the creepy crawly bits that make up the Joker, it is pretty damned good.

Batman '66 #18

The Archer!  The Bookworm!  Batman on a horse jousting!  Oh, and Batgirl too. 

Batman takes on the Archer, a twisted version of Robin Hood, and hilarity ensues.  Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon takes on the Bookworm, who didn't realize that he was going up against one of the most awesome heroes on the planet...a LIBRARIAN!

Fun.  Oh, so much fun.

Green Lantern Annual #3

The end to the whole Godhead storyline.  At last.

Red Lanterns #37

Guy and Simon team up and show how awesome they are.  Simon also manages to talk a bit of sense into Guy who has been feeling awfully depressed since the deaths of all of his Red Lantern companions.  I believe that this is the last issue by Charles Soule, which is a darned shame because he has done an exemplary job with Guy Gardner and the whole saga of the Red Lanterns, turning them from one-dimensional monsters, into actual...heroes.  This all ties in Sinestro's book and leads up to the Green Lantern Annual, so read Red Lanterns first, then Sinestro and finally the Annual.  It makes a heckuva lot more sense that way.

Robin Rises #1

This more or less fills in some of the gaps in the last issue of Batman and Robin, with Damian newly resurrected and hugging his dear old Dad in the Batcave, they are naturally attacked by Kalibak, who just doesn't know when to quit.  It's a good thing that Damian has superpowers now!  Woohoo! 

I'm not quite as enchanted with Andy Kubert's artwork as I am with Pat Gleason's, but it is perfectly servicable, and Peter Tomasi does his usual excellent job.   And then Alfred feeds everyone, and there is a lot of fun with Bat Cow and oh heck...I liked it.

Sinestro #8

Sinestro's cockiness makes Hal look modest.  On the other hand, for the most part, Sinestro can back his arrogance up. Of course, so can Hal, usually through sheer luck, but what the heck.  He does come up with a rather brilliant idea, to use Despotillis against the High Father.  Unfortunately, their physiology isn't compatable, so that doesn't quite pan out, but Sinestro does manage to really really piss High Father off, which is always fun. 


Daredevil #11

Matt has decided that he's going to go ahead with the whole biography thing, and is dictating to Foggy, who doesn't remember things quite the way that Matt does. 

He also ends up helping Stuntmaster...the original  guy who has sold the rights to his name and is a bit hard up. There is a cocky and superlatively obnoxious youngster who has the name now, and spends his time doing derring do, and real death defying stunts, only to miraculously survive all of them. 

Unfortunately for the old Stuntmaster, there isn't a lot that Matt can do from a legal standpoint...he's been betrayed by the people he sold the rights to, but there is just enough wriggle room in the contract, that technically they are within their rights...and he ends up committing suicide in despair.

This has the effect of making Daredevil really really mad, and he goes after the new Stuntmaster, who unfortunately has an ace in the hole.  Turns out that the old fellow isn't actually dead, but kidnapped and is being forced into performing the stunt that the young guy is supposed to do...and that's the secret...he never actually performs his stunts, it is alway someone else, who does actually die...but he gets the credit.

Damn, this is good.

Hawkeye vs Deadpool #3

This is a rather silly team-up, but heck, it has Kate in it, and it's fun.  Clint ends up brainwashed into bringing the thumb drive of the SHIELD agents to the Black Cat, and it's up the Kate and Deadpool to stop him.  How they do so, is of course hilarious, and Kate discovers the joy of heavy firepower.  Clint does eventually break his mind control, but Black Cat doesn't know that...yet. 

Fun.  I like fun.

Loki: Agent of Axis #9

And speaking of fun!  Loki is still in hero mode after the whole Axis thingie, and Thor is still a villain...and a real jerk.  The Enchantress is running about being all righteous, and Loki is having his doubts, when Odin takes him aside and feeds him a few rather depressing facts.

I haven't been reading the whole Axis storyline, but apparently after a rather climatic battle, Loki  takes off for...the Blue area of the Moon, where Mjollnir happens to be sitting...this taking place before the new female Thor shows up.  He is hotly pursued by evil Thor, and of course is being watched by his future evil self, old King Loki who is busy chortling away. 

Odin told Loki he couldn't change, but he grasps Mjollnir...and lo and behold, he's worthy now!  Let's just say that Thor is completely gobsmacked when Loki starts swinging his hammer around.  Thor calls down the lightning anyway and is gobsmacked even more, when it doesn't have any effect on Loki, who after all IS holding his hammer. 

Too bad, that just then, Dr. Doom, the Scarlet Witch and some guy reverse the spell, and the hammer falls, and the image of sweet young innocent Loki who was murdered by evil old Loki shows up, and poor Loki is stuck, and Thor doesn't remember what happened, and...dang it, this is great stuff.


She-Hulk #11

I can't believe they are ending this book.  I love this book. 

Jen has won her court battle for Captain America and is feeling full of piss and vinegar, when she walks into her office, only to find Titania sitting at her desk, waving the Blue File around. 

Oh yeah, the  Blue File.

And naturally there is an epic battle, while Jen takes all the mayhem to a less congested area, and is getting her green behind handed to her.  And then Volcana shows up too.  Fortunately for She-Hulk, Patsy shows up, as well as Angie and that crazy monkey, who has...wings?  Straight out of the Wizard of Oz wings!

Turns out that Angie is a lot more...powerful than we had thought. 

Oh I do love this book.  So...much.