Alan Rapp

Red Hood and the Outlaws #28

/ / Comics

Red Hood and the Outlaws #28With the League of Assassins, the All Caste, and Jason Todd‘s temporary amnesia all behind them the series offers the Outlaws a temporary reprieve of the most exclusive island resort in the world and a chance to bring back Isabel and tie-up the loose plotline of her relationship with the Red Hood.

Although the vacation starts well enough, despite Starfire‘s complaining about the hologram hiding her true form to the other guests and Isabel’s obvious distance, things take a turn when the super-villain in charge of the island gets wind of the Outlaws appearance and, assuming the worst, decides to preemptively strike.

Far less convoluted than several issues of the series, the straightforward storytelling works well and provides plenty of action while introducing a new enemy in Midas and the Army of the Golden Hand. Stephen Segovia steps in to do an okay job with the art this month although his Starfire is a little off and some of the wideshots are less detailed than I’d like (a common complaint about much of the New 52). Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Uncanny X-Men #17

/ / Comics

Uncanny X-Men #17Dropped off in the middle of nowhere in a bizarre locale by Magik, the young X-Men (Tempus, Fabio, Celeste, Irma, Phoebe, Benjamin Deeds, Triage, Hijack) are put to the test in a field training exercise to determine both their survival instincts and their ability to follow orders and work together to stay alive. Although the entire group makes it back home in one piece, the casual disregard for Cyclops‘ explicit orders means (for now) that one member of the team is no longer an X-Man.

I’ve got to say I’m not altogether happy with the set-up of this issue as Cyclops throws the unprepared recruits into a dangerous situation without the control of a Danger Room scenario. Although they each perform well in surviving the bizarre super-evolutionary town in Montana, they nearly get taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D. thanks to Hijack’s cellphone leading the heroes right to them. And I’m not exactly buying the idea that this is the last we’ve seen of Hijack whose skills are far too valuable not to see him return after he’s “learned his lesson” (if that’s even why he was truly let go). Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond – Episode 4

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond – Episode 4
  • IMDB: link

Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond - Episode 4

The final episode of the mini-series brings an end to the war, and Ian Fleming‘s (Dominic Cooper) time with Naval Intelligence, but not before Fleming makes it into the field for his only real action and begins inventing the final piece of the puzzle in the various gadgets used by the spy the world would come to know as James Bond.

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Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond – Episode 4 Read More »

Batman ’66 #8

/ / Comics

Batman '66 #8More of an homage to the wacky adventures Batman and Robin were having in the comics than on the television show in the mid-to-late 60s, the latest issue of Batman ’66 pits the Dynamic Duo against professor of Egyptology turned deranged super-villain who actually believes himself to be King Tut.

Originally created for the show, Tut’s inclusion in the comic is appreciated, but the adventure itself involving a time tunnel hidden inside a sarcophagus taking the villain and Batman and Robin into Egypt’s past is pretty damn bizarre (as it the convoluted plot involving time travel for the sole purpose of trading chocolate for gold).

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Teen Titans Go! #2

/ / Comics

Teen Titans Go! #2As in the style of the cartoon which spawned it, the latest issue of Teen Titans Go! includes two wacky adventures for our heroes. The first involves Robin bowing to peer pressure (and his crush to Starfire) and allowing the team to compete on a reality-TV talent competition which becomes more of an all-out brawl when they discover The Brotherhood of Evil are also contestants.

The second-half of the comic involves the consequences of Captain Cold successfully freezing Robin in ice. Eventually thawing their leader, the Titans decide to shrink Beast Boy to microscopic levels in an Innerspace style advneture to send him into Robin to kill the virus making him sick. Of course things go terrible wrong and Robin awakes “years later” with a broken arm as the team tries to play off their various mistakes with a prank.

Both adventures are fun. I like the choice of judges in the first story, and the inclusion of the classic version of Captain Cold (who is honestly surprised he was able to successfully freeze one of the heroes) is terrific. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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