The Reason You're Here

Hope everyone remember to jump ahead this week. There will be something of an announcement at the end of this post. Nothing large or life changing.

Onto the comics!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 12- Beginning of the "Wolves at the Gate" are penned by Buffy writer Drew Goddard. A terrific start to the arc. It's clear that Goddard has not lost his voice for these characters, Andrew in particular. I have been remiss in crediting Georges Jeanty as the artist in this series. He has done exceptional work without resorting to some sort of photo shopping and drawing over it. He has made the stories jump and crackle with a nice energy. There is a controversial part to this story. Buffy is shown in bed with another slayer. The one who woke her from her "sleeping beauty" curse during the first arc. I thought that it was handled well, and even had some of the typical Whedon humor at the end to break the tension. No, Buffy is not a lesbian. She was lonely for some companionship and the slayer, Satsu, confessed her feelings for Buffy last issue while on patrol. The issue ends with a "holy sh!t" moment that leaves you wanting to read the next issue NOW. I won't spoil that for you, go read it and see for yourself.
Thor 6- A bunch of people have been critical of the writer (JMS) for his pacing of this book. Not me. This has been a really fun read every issue. The town meeting involving the Asgardians was hysterical. I loved the conversation between Blake and Thor in the diner, like it was so matter of fact to be conversing with your alter ego in public. Also, the townspeople relating their stories of the interactions with the Asgardians was cool, especially the one with Hogun, who walked from Asgard (which is located above Oklahoma) to Texas for a wild boar. Olivier Copiel again does a magnificent job, conveying the scope and spectrum of the Gods and the task that Thor has undertaken. I understand he will be taking a few issues off, but will return. I eagerly await his return.
Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder 9- Here again there has been a real diversity of opinions on this book. Some love it, some think it's a parody, others hate it. For me this has been an OK read. I must admit to not really being in love with the way that Frank Miller has written Bats. Some have suggested that if I read him like a "Sin City" character, I would enjoy it more. But this issue has saved the book in my opinion. The beginning of the issue, not so much. Have to go get my eyes checked after seeing all that yellow. Man, DC must have had a vat of that stuff left over to use since "Sinestro Corps"ended. What made me turn the corner was the last 4 pages. After realizing that he has rushed Robin into action and almost cost another hero (Green Lantern) his life, Batman cracks. He knows now that he has had the advantage of time and people like Alfred to hone his skills and crusade. Dick has had maybe a couple of weeks, and Bruce has been exceptionally tough on him. In fact, it wasn't until this issue that Robin finds out that Bruce is Batman. He takes Dick to the graveyard where is parents are buried to let him mourn properly. This is a great jumping on point for anyone who either hasn't read this yet, or gave up on it. I hope that going forward this will be seen as a great turning point.
Green Lantern 28- The first appearance of a red Lantern. A disgraced Green lantern who killed Amon Sur, Laira's hatred is the beacon for the first ring. This was a great issue and shows that even though Geoff Johns isn't doing the next major crossover until 2009, he is introducing plot threads a little at a time to entice us. The Guardians enacting their 2nd law leads Hal to talk to Sinestro. You get the feeling that even though he is in jail, Sinestro got exactly what he wanted in the end. The conversation leaves us with a lot of questions, including one I have; will Hal stay with the Green Lanterns, or will he join another corps before the next major event?
Captain America 35- Bucky enters Washington D.C. to discover that the public is on edge and that just about every level of government has been corrupted by Kronas. Ed Brubaker does a nice job building the tension of a mob on the edge and ready to be ignited. You can feel that Bucky is still dealing with the emotions of taking up the mantle from Steve. Next issue looks to be a big battle between Cap and the Serpent Squad, who have invaded Congress.
Batman 674- I know I am in the minority, but Grant Morrison's run on this has left me wanting. At least he tied up the string of where the 3 Batmen came from. Turns out they were police officers developed by a character named Simon Hurt, who managed to convince Batman to take part in an experiment. I know, your eyes are probably rolling and you're feeling drowsy, but hang in there. They were designed to take Batman's place if something should ever happen, but the experiment got out of hand. Bats escapes from them and is left to wonder who activated them. There are as many questions as answers at the end of this, so I am reserving total judgement until all is revealed. I'm guessing this will be great in trade format.
Detective Comics 842- Peter Milligan fills in for Paul Dini on a one and done. A suit of armor is given to Bruce by Talia (his on and off again lover) and gives him the feeling of invincibility. He begins to realize that the suit is causing irrational behavior from him and he sets out to discover where the suit originated from. It's a long and complicated story, so I won't bore you with details. Turns out is was a gift originally from Ra's Ah Gaul passed to Talia. While this is going on, Bats is tracking a killer in Gotham. As the chase for him ends, he passes a test of the suit and realizes that he should never wear it again. A nice one and done, but I look forward to Dini's return to give the rogue's gallery a work over.
Teen Titans Year One 3- The end of the first arc. Nice work of teaming up to take their mentors down, although Aqualad still seems to be useless. Batman is still something of a hardass, expecting alot for Robin. This is a 6 issue mini, so the two arc should work well in unison.
Amazing Spider-Man 552- This is a pivotal issue. Not for them, but for me. I am really close to dropping this forever. The fact that they introduce one of the grossest looking villians is not helping matters. I would have hoped that with this reboot, they would have tried to introduce some of the classic rogue's gallery. After all, Spidey had the best one in the Marvel universe. But alas, it looks like my dreams will turn to dust.
Nightwing 142- I am thinking that this will move up to tnear the top of the pile. Peter Tomasi and Rags Morales are a great team, in my opinion. Tomasi is crafting a great story on various levels, and Rags art gives a nice sense of action. The scene in the Batcave with Tim and Alfred felt...organic to me. Especially Alfred's reaction to the note. I am also digging two other factors at play here; Dick's involvement in other areas of the DCU, specifically the JSA; and the relating of a story that took place in the BATMAN book by Tim. It gives you a sense that all of these are connected, which it should be.

That's about it for now. There were other comics out there that were good, like ACTION, or surprising good, like UNCANNY X-MEN. But I've decided that maybe later on, if anyone cares, I'll post some reactions.

Oh and the announcement? Two really. First, I will be doing this week to week instead of waiting 2 weeks. It tends to drag. The other is the books that I am cancelling. Wolverine:Origins, Ultimates, Amazing Spider-Man, Ghost Rider are all biting the dust. This hurts more than it freaking should (well maybe only for ASM) but I just cannot see myself spending good money for stuff I just am not into. On a quick side note; I would have bought the NEW FRONTIER SPECIAL, but there was no way on God's green earth I was spending 5 bucks on a comic that, with the exception of the first story, felt like a straight money grab.

Later.