Comics

Secret Six #4

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Secret Six #4Secret Six #4 is a tease of the comic we should be, but aren’t, getting. Thanks New 52. After the new team makes its way to the suburbs they are almost immediately attacked by three of Mockingbird‘s assassins who will be familiar to longtime fans of the team well-before they are unmasked: Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, and Jeannette (who seems oddly toned-down here). Despite still missing Deadshot, and insisting on dressing Catman in that awful fetish costume (#BringBackTheCowl), Secret Six #4 has a bit of the old magic (even if it is unnecessarily stomped on by quite a few superfluous characters).

Ragdoll’s unique voice has certainly been missing in the comic. His addition works well here while Scandal, as enemy rather than one of the major driving forces behind the group, is a bit off-key. The latest issue opens with a buddy-buddy moment between Catman and the nondescript detective-ish guy (a character so forgettable neither I nor the Internet seem to remember who the hell he is) which only makes me miss Catman’s best bud even more. Oh well, at least there’s some fun to be had. For fans.

[DC, $2.99]

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Astro City #24

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Astro City #24While offering glimpses into the world Sticks left behind, and his reasons for doing so, the latest issue of Astro City concludes the warrior-ape turned drummer turned super-hero turned nomad’s story which includes a stint with the super-group Reflex 6 who, among other adventures, fought to close illegal alien speakeasies in Astro City where human brain chemistry and dreams were the drug of choice for an elite clientele. Like super-apes who play the drums are known to do.

As with the opening issue to this two-part tale Astro City #24 offers some twists and turns as Sticks struggles to find his role in Astro City where it’s too dangerous to be a drummer and too hard to be a hero. His solution, thanks in part to an unexpected pep-talk from the Samaritan allows the character to create an unorthodox solution that not only allows him to live the life he’s always wanted but still find a way to put his obvious skills to use. And if he’s got to occasionally dress up in a monkey suit, so to speak, well that’s a small price to pay for finding the freedom to play beautiful music. Isn’t it? Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $3.99]

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The Flash: Season Zero #10

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The Flash: Season Zero #10After breaking out of an A.R.G.U.S. facility where he was being held against his will and racing into a situation he didn’t fully understand, the Flash is forced to work with the Suicide Squad to hunt down a terrorist with plans of an imminent attack.

The introduction of King Shark (thankfully closer to his classic look than the New 52 revamp) and the addition of Cupid continues to round out the group and give the Task Force X a more comic book feel that works better on the printed page (but certainly raises some questions about whether we’ll ever see a character like King Shark appear on the television show). It also helps beef up the group in terms of giving them the heavy-hitter they have been missing.

Given its focus you could certainly argue that The Flash: Season Zero #10 is more a Suicide Squad issue than a Flash issue, but our hero still finds moments to shine (such as getting rid of the explosive device in the comic’s climax) even if it leaves limited opportunities for his supporting cast to earn much time. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Usagi Yojimbo #146

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Usagi Yojimbo #146Usagi finds his hands busy in the middle issue of “The Thief and the Kunoichi” dealing with an army of ninja and keeping Chizu from taking her aggression out on Kitsune all over the botched robbery of a worthless scroll that holds a secret tied to an old enemy of the rabbit ronin.

The reveal that the scroll leads back to Hijiki, whose actions led to the death of Usagi’s Lord and his fall from samurai to ronin, make this latest adventure hit close to home for the wandering warrior. As Usagi and Chizu attempt to keep the small group alive Kitsune tries to cash in on the situation by blackmailing Inouye and once again raising the ire of Chizu.

It seems Usagi’s thankless (but very enjoyable) job to keep the two women from killing each other is far from over heading into the final issue of the storyline. Usagi Yojimbo #146 is filled with the type of action and comedy Stan Sakai’s creation is known to deliver, I can’t wait to see how the story ends. Must-read.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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