June 2011

Doctor Who #6

doctor-who-6-coverThe Doctor visits on an old friend by taking Rory and Amy to Multiworld, a holosuite planet built on a Fluctuation Rift which allows the complex the ability to create 13 fully immersive realities built on top of each other. And then, as you would expect any story involving a “holosuite,” something goes horribly, horribly wrong.

The Doctor and his companions sample a few of the realities including the Old West, the Prehistoric Age, King Arthur, and the Swinging Sixties before a damaged Sontaran ship comes too close to Rift while leaking Fluronic Gas which begins to destabilize the Rift and separates the Doctor and his companions in different eras. Yep, holosuites are trouble.

For a Doctor Who comic this feels an awful lot like a lazy episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it does have a couple of fun moments including the Doctor and Rory’s duel, the talking dinosaur named Kevin, and Amy’s attempt to get the Doctor to behave. Not memorable, but some Who (and STNG) fans might get a kick out of this one.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Power Girl #25

power-girl-25-coverThe second half of “We Can Be Heroes” may not be quite as good as the first, but writer Judd Winick finds a way to wrap up Rayhan Mazin’s storyline in more than satisfactory fashion. It’s too bad the DC reboot is looming and we won’t get to see what this character might have become.

Mazin fights off both Batman and Power Girl, causing storms across the city, in an attempt to get to his father’s death bed for a few final moments together. Power Girl goes to the skies in an attempt to control the weather unleashed by Mazin’s anger by doing her “Meteorological Girl Thing.” Heh. Batman’s attempts to slow down Mazin in the hospital are less effective.

The final scene between Mazin and his father works well, as does Power Girl’s conversation with the hero branded a terrorist (even if it does feel slightly rushed). However, Kara’s final pages with Batman feel a little awkward and don’t flow nearly as well as similar scenes she had with Dick Grayson a few issues back. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Avengers #14

avengers-14-coverThis Fear Itself tie-in has quite a bit going for it, but in the end doesn’t quite work when it asks the reader to care about a character that’s only slightly less ridiculous than Rocket Racer. The entire issues centers around the retelling of the Red Hulk‘s battle with Hammertime Ben Grimm outside of Avengers Tower.

The fight itself works well, as does the opening capturing the uncertainty of the other members of the team at Steve Rogers‘ choice to make Red Hulk an Avenger. What doesn’t quite work is the apparent (i.e. not really) end of the Red Hulk at the hands of the possessed Thing.

I don’t mind the elevated nature as the heroes say kind words about the Red Hulk for apparently (but not really) giving his life in a futile cause, but given the level of reference displayed here you’d think they were talking about someone on the level of Captain America (all the more empty given the absence of any body foreshadowing that this isn’t the end of the character). Good idea. Bad execution. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Darkwing Duck #13

darkwing-duck-13-coverAs Darkwing Duck continues to search for answers to Morgana‘s disappearance by visiting every psychic and palm reader within the city limits a new villain takes St. Canard by storm. A former relief pitcher known for never throwing the same thing twice has gone, well, screwball.

Under the guise of of One-Shot, the town’s newest super-villain, armed with a mysterious magic overcoat from which he can pull objects from other dimensions, throws everything he’s got (literally) at the city’s populace (but only once). Distracted by Morgana’s disappearance, Darkwing’s first attempt to stop the new evil-doer doesn’t go quite as planned.

Never fear! Darkwing manages to pull himself together and save the city (and Gosalyn, who has gotten herself captured by the crazy former pitcher). Our hero also decides on a questionable new course of action that may prove to be his downfall. Worth a look.

[Boom, $3.99]

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