Getting hotter and hotter … fortunately, it should be nice and cool tonight.
One more round of reviews, and then it’s time for a snack.
Review code format: writing (3-1, faboo to mediocre), art (3-1), suitability for jumping on as a new reader (3-1), suitability for hooking a a non-comics reader (3-1), and eagerly waiting the collected TBP (Y/N).
Kitsune Tales (SLG) [2/2/1/2/-]
This is evidently a one-shot from Woodrow Phoenix’ Skeleton Key series about the titular fox spirit. It’s … okay, but neither as funloving as I’d expected, nor as … well, something seemed missing. Folks who like Japanese fairy tales would probably at least be amused by it, as I was, but it wasn’t enough to make me hunt down more work by the writer, or by artist Andi Watson.
Exiles #29 (Marvel) [1/2/1/1/N]
Chuck Austin, like Joe Kelly, seem to just like hurting folks, physically and/or spiritually. His current Exiles arc (until we get back to Judd Winick’s backlog soon) fits right in with that. Exile getting hurt left and right. X-Men getting hurt left and right. Two major antagonists that enjoy tearing apart Exiles and X-Men (and who may be about to tear apart each other). Ho, and also, Hum. If I didn’t know that Winick was coming back, I’d be leaving.
Cat Woman #20 (DC) [2/2/2/2/N]
This remains an odd, off-beat title. Selina and Holly are on a road trip, apparently to get Holly trained up as … a side kick? Or just someone who can handle being in Selina’s world? And what’s with Selina and Wildcat, both when costumed up and not. And what’s with that spooky cat statue? And … well, there are lots of possibilities, and I’m not sure where the series is going, but I’m willing to stick with it for the nonce. Ed Brubacker’s writing continues to be solid, if confusing at times, while Cameron Stewart’s art maintains the noirish tradition that so many of the Bat-titles have had for a while, while not being muddy. Good stuff.
Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth GN (DC) [3/3/-/1/-]
This oneshot by the Planetary team of Warren Ellis and John Cassaday is … interesting — if, for no other reason, than Ellis’ famous disdain for traditional super-heroes like, well, Batman. The Planetary team come to their version of Gotham in pursuit of a superhuman criminal, only to find themselves whipped into alternative versions of Gotham City, each of which is populated by a different version of … Batman. It’s not giving too much away to note that the credits mention inspiration by Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Carmine Infantino, Bob Kane, Frank Miller, Jerry Robinson, and Alex Ross. It’s also not giving too much away to note that watching the different versions of the Bat contend with Jakita Wagner is truly entertaining. Surprisingly good stuff, for fans of either title.
Supergirl: Many Happy Returns TPB (DC) [3/2/-/1/-]
It is truly ironic that, even as DC decided to cancel Peter David’s Supergirl, his newest story arc was collecting so much attention — and orders — that DC ended up coming out with a TPB collection of the last six issues (#75-80). The introduction describes the creative genesis — and future, unfulfilled plans — for this story of the abrupt and unexpected arrival of the “real” Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, into the title. As it stands, this collection (with art by Ed Benes and Alex Lei) reads much better than the individual issues did, largely because the story line was so complex. It’s a fitting conclusion to the whole story, very Peter David, and makes me more than a bit irked by DC’s decision. While David’s Supergirl series sometimes wandered a bit in its story, it was always an interesting study in personality and redemption, and I’m sorry it will no longer be appearing on the shelves.
>Exiles #29
Dropped this book after the first two arcs. rave reviews notwithstanding, i just can’t bring myself to care about a bunch of people from alternate timelines, or those timelines themselves.
The original Days of Future Past story was great, but the glut of stories in that and other timelines wore thin pretty quickly. (Don’t even get me started on MC2!)
>Cat Woman #20
Glad they’ve replaced Darwyn Cooke; his art was too cartoony. I can deal with Stewart.
I wish the story that takes place betwixt the current and old series wasn’t so darned expensive! I’d love to find out what happenned, but even the softcover reprint is too rich for my anemic blood.