Thursday's Reviews

Well, this was a rather nice week!  We also got a wee bit above freezing, which considering how it has been lately, is amazing.  Right back into the deep freeze today however. I suppose that sometime in August we will look back upon this with a modicum of fondness, but not today.

Batgirl #39

I do like this book. 

For some reason, Batgirl has plummeted from internet sensation to persona non grata and she's quite confused about how she attained this lowly state.  Even her allies are looking at her sideways.  She is also having some memory blanks, and can't account for things. Fortunately, she does manage to make amends with Dinah, and together they go looking for clues. 

It turns out that there may be a bounty on her head, as she discovers when she springs into action to save a woman from some muggers, and it turns out to be a setup.  So she and Dinah break into Hooq, both to rescue her roomie, and to find out what the hell is going on. And they find that her algorithm and graduate project has...come to life?

Stay tuned Bat-Fans!

Batman and Robin #39

Robin is still adjusting to life again, and being an ll-year old boy with super powers.  What could possibly go wrong?  He's scaring the crap out of the villains in Gotham, I can tell you that!  Batman of course disapproves, and keeps trying to get him to calm down and rein it in, harping that he shouldn't rely only on his super powers, which can be a crutch, but on his superior Bat-Training.  And considering the sorts of things that Bruce can do, I suppose he has a point. 

Alfred cons the two of them into going fishing, and talking about what happened.  As far as they can figure the Apokoliptan Chaos Sliver is responsible for everything, and quite frankly, that is such a Comic Booky sort of excuse, that I am simply delighted.  Then Bruce gets a call from the Justice League, and lets sonny tag along to the Satellite of Love.

Damian is doing a very good job of pretending to NOT be impressed.  He's a bit rude to Superman...of course, but seems to be hitting it off with Captain Mar...er...Shazaam.  At least for Damian anyway.  Which makes sense, because they do have a fair amount in common.  And then they all get to fly off and fight monsters!

Gosh, this was a fun issue.  I really appreciate that.

Fables #149

We learn more about the history of Snow White and Rose Red, apparently they come from a long line of witches or something, and they only have daughters, and it is the tradition of the various daughters to kill each other off, in order to inherit all the power.  Yeesh!  Their mother tried to dodge the curse, but ended up winning anyway, and then swore that she wouldn't have kids in order to break the chain, and then wound up falling for a handsome prince, then said no sex, but did it anyway, and then said no kids, and got pregnant, and then said only one kid, and ended up having twins. 

Dagnabit!

So...Rose now knows that her destiny is to try and kill her sister. Snow White doesn't know anything about this of course, but I guess it does explain why they never got along.  Rose doesn't seem much worried about the ethics of all of this, and plans to use the stolen ring that controls Bigby, to get him in and kill Snow for her, and then She Will Rule The World!  Bwhahahahahahahaha!

This is really not the happy ending I had been hoping for. 

Oh, and Sleeping Beauty's curse has finally caught up with her, and the car that was a witch is due to turn back into a witch after one final ride.  Aurora comes up with a rather brilliant way to work around this, by flying out into Space to the edge of the Universe.  The car can't turn into a witch till they reach the end, and there IS no end, and Aurora is turning into a zombie or something, so she goes to sleep. Game, Set and Match.

I really hope this book doesn't end with a mess.  I still love Fairy Tales!


Harley  Quinn Valentine's Day Special

I missed this last week, but heard some decent things about it, and decided to pick it up.  It is silly beyond belief..but also fun.  So much fun.  Bruce Wayne is being auctioned off to the highest bidder for a date to raise money for an animal shelter, and naturally Harley wants to win.  So she and her cohorts rob a Wall Street Banker/crook and steal all his money, and use that to win the bid. 

There is also a pair of costumed lunatics who want the money to make a fish preserve.  And all the action is mostly in the form of Harley and Bruce being doped up or simply asleep and dreaming, and it is a hoot.  It even has a more or less happy ending! 

Good silly fun.

Justice League #39

Well, Superman, Lex and Wonder Woman are the only ones left who haven't succumbed to the Amazo virus, and things aren't good. Lex wants to make a vaccine from Superman's blood, who is justifiably skeptical about Lex's motives.  Also, Captain Cold shows up and starts flirting madly with Diana...and who can blame him? 

It turns out that he's the key, his cold gun actually slows the possessed people down, and Superman realizes he can use his freeze ray, and they manage to subdue everyone long enough to make the vaccine.  Except for the original poor guy, who is still alive, but only his body which has been taken over by Amazo who vows revenge.  Also Leonard decides to take some pictures of him freezing the Flash. You just know those were all over Facebook in a matter of minutes.

Not a bad story, not a bad issue.  And guess who shows up at the very end? 

Oh Hal.


Sensation Comics/Wonder Woman #7

I do enjoy the heck out of this book. 

Diana shows up on a Space mission to Venus, which seems appropriate.  The head of the mission is a bit miffed, he wanted Superman, and is a bit of a sexist pig.  There is only one other woman on the flight, but she's nice. They naturally have some problems along the way, and a Venusian monster shows up and starts eating their craft, and picking them off one by one. 

It doesn't look good, until Diana realizes that the monsters are actually the CREW, and they are perfectly happy to be turned into Venusian monsters, in fact the head of the station volunteers!  It ends more or less happily...I guess, and Diana and the one other girl decide to go home, and find their mother box.

The second story is about a new recruit who ends up in Afghanistan, more or less as a photo-op, and visits a woman's school, and their unit ends up being shelled on the way back.  She has a little mascot, a mini-pendant of Wonder Woman that she wears around her neck.  Somehow, even though they are pinned down, she musters the strength to drag her new buddies to safety, and lo and behold, Diana shows up to help!  Except nobody but the lieutenant even saw her.  It's nice too.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #11

Oh Loki is in deep doodoo now.  He can't lie anymore and has blurted out the truth about what happened to cute little boy Loki, and Thor is justifiably outraged and heartbroken, and beat him up and dumped him in Asgard.  The rest of the Asgardians are also horrified, and apparently perform a mass shunning, while Loki breaks down and snivels a bit.  Except for Sif, who having had her body occupied by Loki for quite some time, is a bit puzzled by this younger Loki.

Loki then goes to see the All Mother who yells at him some more.  At this point, Loki has had enough and gives her a few home truths, that she doesn't care for at all.  He tells her she was played by evil old Loki, which makes her made and she banishes him.  Then stomps down to the dungeon and finds out that Loki was telling the truth...Old Loki is gone and made a major chump out of her.  She is not...pleased.

Loki ends up in a space between the ten realms, and plods through the snow for a while, before finding Odin, who is oddly...kind.  He acknowledges he knows what is going on, but that Loki is still his son, and he...loves him.  But still, Loki has blood on his hands, and he must atone for it with fire, and gives him some rather cryptic advice about knowing what a lie is.  And then he sends him back to earth.

He lands...on fire...in his apartment to the relief of Verity.  Then evil OLD Loki shows up and oh, things just get worse.  She stomps out in a huff, and evil Loki  just is having a ball being...evil and rubbing it in. There is even a rather interesting bondage moment at the end. 

I love this book.

Ms. Marvel #12

I somehow missed number ll, but hope to find it eventually, since I figure that Kamala wins.  This issue is the Valentine's day issue, and has Loki in it!  Before he gets booted out of Asgard anyway,  Odin and Freyja send him to earth to make sure that the Inventor doesn't still have agents lurking.  Loki is covered in horse manure, after "borrowing" the horses of Sol to melt down a few Frost Giants.  He didn't have to do it this way, but wanted to try something different.  That's one of the reasons I like Loki.

Meanwhile...Bruno is trying to summon up the courage to ask Kamala to a school dance, when Loki waltzes in.  They all think he's a preppie dressing up like a Viking...or from Brooklyn.  After meeting Kamala, he cons Bruno into writing her a torrid love letter from an anonymous admirer. It works after a fashion, and she and Nakia do end up going to the dance...where they spot Loki spiking the punch with truth serum. 

Naturally having horny teenagers drink truth serum gets quite amusing and terrifying very quickly, so Kamala changes into Ms. Marvel and starts beating up Loki, who is actually enjoyinng himself, but ends up getting doused with his own truth serum. 

But everything ends happily with explanations, and Loki does put a magical ward on the school so it won't be invaded or destroyed anymore, which is a good thing. Also Bruno didn't have any punch which is probably also a good thing.

Adorable.  As usual.


She-Hulk #12

This is the last issue, and I am heartbroken.  This has been one of my favorite books.

So..the person behind the Blue File is...Nightwatch! 

I blush to admit that I don't even know who Nightwatch even is. But he had cooked up plan way back using Dr. Druid, the Shocker and Vibro to make a spell, that enables him to become...a Good Guy, and erase the memories of everyone that thought he was a bad guy. He is smart enough to realize that the Heroes end up with endorsements and a great future, while the Bad Guys...don't.

But he's still really evil, since he has killed off anyone who remembered, or got their hands on the last tiny piece of paper. Jen is pissed of course, and calls in some friends, and there is a nice fight, but he's still able to control people and do magical things,  and...stuff.  Then the Shocker shows up and is pissed because he doesn't  think its fair that he couldn't go straight too and oh, it is on.

Jenny wins of course.  She goes back to her practice, and re-hires Angie and Hei Hei, and Howard the Duck wanders in for a cameo, looking to rent a space in her building.  She also gets a chance to sue her old firm.  And there is a happy ending.

Well, except that we can't read this book anymore. I will miss it so much.

Gosh, what a brilliant week!