Fast Thoughts - The Week of 5/31/07

AMAZONS ATTACK #2 - You know - I want to enjoy this story. Really. But am I the only one who just wishes they'd cut to the chase so we can get to Gail Simone's Wonder Woman?

I doubt it. Because somehow, nothing happens in this book that you don't know about if you're reading Wonder Woman (God help you), Countdown or Teen Titans.

Still, I am somewhat heartened to see that one company cares enough to TRY and do a cohesive crossover that actually makes sense. I just wish it was a series that took full advantage of the idea of the Amazons declaring war on the USA and wasn't bogged down with a HORRIBLE Wonder Woman book that has Diana and Nemesis arguing like Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd.


COUNTDOWN 48 - This was the first issue that I thought was exciting.

That's not to say I didn't like the other issues but this was the first one that I thought REALLY was pushing the promises that were made before this title started (i.e. an action movie set in the DC Universe). Which is weird as the main thing I was looking forward to in this book was the scenes with Flash's Rogues Gallery and this was the first issue without any such scene.

It remains on the pull list, though. Because Jimmy Olsen with super-powers, the death of a New God and all that jazz have me willing to wait for the build.

One question though: WHY HAS NOBODY ARRESTED JASON TODD YET?!?!


DAREDEVIL #97 - Damn you, Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark! Why do you have to keep making good books so I can't write Marvel off completely?

This book is intense, well-plotted and provides some genuine surprises every issue. The artwork is picture perfect too, no pun intended.

What happens? Well, if you really must know a reformed villain goes mad, Matt Murdock experiences trouble at home and in the streets of Hell's Kitchen. And if the conclusion is any indication, Matt may be burying yet another love interest...

If that doesn't get you to buy this book, I don't know what will!


GREEN LANTERN #20 - Okay. I'm totally jazzed about the idea of the emotional color power spectrum that is being postulated here. Enough that I'm going to do a whole other post about it later.

I also like how Carol Ferris gracefully takes herself out of the picture once she thinks Hal has moved on. What a shame the whole thing has to be spoiled with the news that she's divorced now. Don't get me wrong - a little romantic tension always makes a book more interesting. I just forsee this becoming one big super-powered Archie comic with Hal as Archie, Cowgirl as Betty and Carol Ferris as Veronica.

What? The fly-boy who sleeps around, the hot blonde who is also one of the guys and the rich brunette with the love/hate relationship. Don't tell me I'm the only one who noticed it or is at least the first to comment on it. :)

Can't wait for Sinestro Corps, though.


JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #6 - I have similar feelings about this book as I do Amazons Attack. I appreciate the concept and I like the characters - but I want them to get it over with because the story is decompressed to the NTH degree and I'm more interested in the questions that aren't being answered - such as why Superman seems to have been visited by a different Legion than the Legion of the Legion of Superheroes title written by Mark Waid. Still, there's a lot of good character moments here - my favorite being Liberty Belle asking Wonder Woman about which single guys on both teams she'd consider going out with.


MAGICIAN APPRENTICE #7 - With a good deal of relief, I can finally give up this book. I wanted to give it a chance as Raymond Feist's Magician was one of my favorite books as a teenager and the artwork in the first few issues of this series was pretty good. But then Marvel bought out the company... and clearly whatever arangement they had for Raymond Feist to approve every issue personally was thrown out the window.

What makes me say that? Because this issue offers us our first look at The Mordehel aka The Dark Elves. Now because of D&D and certain characters in popular fantasy, it is assumed that all Dark Elves have ebony skin and white hair. And the Dark Elves that we see in this comic are colored in such a manner.

One small problem: Feist went through great pains in this work (and later books) to note that it is near impossible for a human to tell the difference between a light elf and a dark elf by appearances. Indeed, the only notable difference was an undefinable feeling of unpleasantness that dark elves inspire and the fact that they usually kill humans on sight.

I refuse to believe that Feist, who has always been one of the most protective of authors when it comes to his works, would sign off on this comic, take the money and run.

Regardless, they won't be taking any more of my money.


TEEN TITANS #47 - The promise of a Duela Dent funeral... and Countdown's two-page funeral had more time for mourning than this book that shows everyone standing around a grave on the cover.

Who do I talk to at girlwonder.org about protesting this? Because Deula had just been turned around in Teen Titans not ONE issue earlier and she had so much potential as a character ready to be used...

... only to go evil - not the silly prankster evil she did before but actual EVIL evil - and then get killed off as part of an effort to do something with Jason Todd other than to have him serve as a Deus Ex Machina in Judd Winick books.

And Again I Ask: WHY HAS NOBODY ARRESTED JASON TODD YET?!?!