BT07 – B Comics

Birds of Prey #108 (DC) w. Gail Simone; a. Nicola Scott
The endless “Whitewater” mission to Russia is over.  The Secret Six slink off, defeated.   Babs Gordon and the BoP plan a rebellion against the blackmailing, obnoxious Spy Smasher.  Bab, from her wheelchair, successfully brawls with her — and the rest of the team calls in basically the entire supporting cast, including all past members, Robin and the Outsiders, Catwoman, the JSA — a four-page spread of “buzz off, or we’ll buzz you off.”    Huzzah.  Babs figures out Misfit’s secret.  Fairly good stuff, but still a bit busy.

The Boys #8 (Dynamite) w. Garth Ennis; a. Darick Robertson
Ennis dives into the gay scene of super-heroes with his usual delicate aplomb, trying to track down a murderer.  More corrupt super-heroes, as the Boys investigate, and Hughie tries to come to grips with the killing he committed himself.  Actually, not a lot better than that all sounds.  Ennis does a fine job of being subtle when you expect something broad, and vice-versa, keeping you off-balance.  Pretty good stuff.

 Brave and the Bold #5 (DC) w. Mark Waid; a. George Perez
Truth be told, I sort of miss the stand-alone B&B of the good old days.  The current ongoing story arc is oddly convoluted and more than a bit goofy — Batman, pulled to the 30th Century, half-fused with Tharok, on the trail of a mystic tome.  Um … there’s about four too many contradictory plot elements there.  On the other hand, it’s kind of amusing to watch Bats flee the Legion and successfully evade them despite their powers (and familiarity with the era).  Bob Wiacek’s inks don’t do Perez’s pencils any favors.  Disappointing. 

(listening to: Pet Shop Boys, “Rent” from Actually)
(listening to: Giangiulio, Richard, & Paul Riedo, et al., “The Queen’s Dolour” from Music for Festive Occasions)
(listening to: Pomona College Mens Blue & Whites, “One Minute More” from Silence Profound)
(listening to: Broughton, Bruce & Sinfonia of London, “The Robot Attack” from Lost In Space – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)