Comics

Usagi Yojimbo #163

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Usagi Yojimbo #163 comic reviewPart 1 of “The Mouse Trap” begins with the robbery of Hatamoto Asano’s home by a popular thief who drops some of his ill-gotten gains to the crowd and hops a series of rooftops to make good his escape. Escaping Miyamoto Usagi is no small feat, but an unexpected confrontation with the Black Goblin Gang leaves the Nezumi framed for murder (and forces him to give up more of his treasure to try and prove his innocence).

The start of the three-part story has several moving pieces including the introduction of another thief to give Usagi and Inspector Ishida trouble, an unknown street urchin keenly eyeing the investigation, and rumblings inside the Black Goblin Gang which are likely to cause trouble for everyone in the town. With Usagi getting himself in over his head as the comic comes to a close, I’ll be curious to see where the story takes him. Once he regains consciousness, that is.

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Atomic Robo and the Spectre of Tomorrow #1

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Atomic Robo and the Spectre of Tomorrow #1 comic reviewAtomic Robo versus… the Homeowners Association? The first issue of the latest volume of Atomic Robo sees our robotic scientist/adventurer setting out for greener pastures by beginning the construction of the new Tesladyne Institute in the badlands of New Mexico’s Jornada del Muerto desert. It seems that even those who have save the Earth aren’t immune to bureaucratic red tape. Introduced to the facility and various characters through they eyes of the returning Foley, we witness the frustration of of several different Tesladyne workers, including Robo himself, at the lack of progress to get the new facility up and running. Despite having only two neighbors, Robo is dragged into a homeowners meeting with Sir Richard Branson who cites enough Tesladyne infractions to halt all “progress” on the site. Poor Robo. Where’s a psychotic dinosaur to hit when you need one?

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Detective Comics #967

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Detective Comics #967 comic reviewTim Drake has returned, and his team is happy to see him. However, he hasn’t come back alone. Another future version of Tim Drake from an alternate timeline who took on the mantle of Batman and has a far-more murdery streak in him, has also arrived in Gotham City. Seeing a change to rewrite history, future-Tim decides to kill off the one person he hold responsible for forcing him down his current path: Batwoman.

While we still don’t know why he wants Batwoman dead, we are clued in it has something to do with Conner Kent (a version of Superboy who doesn’t exist in the Rebirth DCU). Spoiler is noticeably absent in Tim’s reunion with team, although future Tim does stop in for a pretty-creepy look-in on the younger version of his ex-girlfriend. I will admit smiling when seeing it’s Cassandra who is the first of the group (well, second if you count Batman) to welcome Tim back with a warm embrace.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eleven #12

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eleven #12 comicsBuffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eleven comes to a close with Buffy and Willow‘s powers restored but at odds with the villainous Press Secretary who has used the law to usurp the magical powers of various witches and creatures including a very large dragon whose magic she just drained. Don’t worry though, the dragon will make a memorable final appearance before all is said and done.

The theme of the season has certainly been topical, given the government’s attacks against those it sees as different and dangerous. The choice to end the comic, and the season, by resetting everything back to “normal” is certainly worthy of discussion.

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Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #9

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Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #9 comic reviewFollowing the events of last month’s issue, the Scarlet Spider makes a pair of new friends (well… if you are grading on a curve) and works with Ricochet to track down the other hero’s former (and now resurrected) partner Hornet. Knowing there’s far more to the story that Ricochet is willing to divulge, and the fact that it’s been some time since he’s played well with others, Scarlet Spider’s team-up doesn’t last that long (although the consequences do involve our hero getting in over his head and Richochet racing through a casino without any pants).

There’s plenty of action in Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #9 featuring Reilly take on Hornet. As to just what the former hero’s story is, or what that mystical totem is, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

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