Comics

Batgirl #35

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Batgirl #35DC Comics’ decision to end Stephanie Brown‘s days as Batgirl reinstating Barbara Gordon as the character with the launch of the New 52 never sat right with me. First, despite loving writer Gail Simone‘s work, I don’t want a gritty Batgirl comic. Second, Stephanie brought a youthful energy to the character that had been lacking for years. And third, Barbara Gordon (handicap and all) is a far more interesting character as Oracle rather than a role she outgrew years ago (long before being confined to a wheelchair).

The comic gets a new direction with Batgirl #35 that effectively de-ages the character and creates a more lighthearted world for her to live. Throw in a kick-ass new low-tech costume, a guest-appearance from Black Canary, and Babs fighting the mother of all hangovers to recover her stolen property, and the creative team of writers Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher, and artist Babs Tarr, sell me on the concept fairly early. Do I still wish it was Steph under the cowl and Babs behind the computer? Absolutely, but at least this version of Batgirl has a little of her youthful energy and a slightly less dingy world to explore. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Grendel vs. The Shadow #2

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Grendel vs. The Shadow #2The three-issue mini-series resumes as Grendel continues to grab control of the city’s various crime families and bring them under his banner while ruthlessly killing any who stand in his way. Grendel vs. The Shadow #2 also gives us the first meeting between the pair which both Lamont Cranston and Hunter Rose will think long and hard about in the days to come as each has apparently met an adversary they may not be able to defeat.

Despite the $6 price-tag, Matt Wagner again delivers with a terrific double-sized prestige comic pitting the iconic hero against Wagner’s greatest creation. Following the battle, much of the comic is set aside for each man to contemplate his enemy. Hunter Rose also continues to make a professional splash in his new home, and charm a crime boss’ daughter as well. And Grendel gets the best of The Shadow not once but twice. First, despite his defeat, he survives and escapes their initial encounter (something few villains can brag about accomplishing). And second, he immediately recognizes Cranston as the man behind the scarf setting up another battle in the final issue. Must-read.

[Dark Horse / Dynamite, $5.99]

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Fairest #30

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Fairest #30Along with the continuation of Reynard‘s storyline in which Meghan discovers the truth about her new lover while on the run, Fairest #30 features multiple mysteries on the Farm where Clara and Wilfred are on the case to discover who stole one of the Glamours from the Pumpkin House before the lottery, why someone would vandalize the Beehive, and just how the two cases are connected.

Although Reynard’s storyline continues to sputter on following the series of misunderstandings that put the two on the run (foreshadowing another run-in between the fox and the woman’s family), the mystery involving the dragon in the form of a raven and a diminutive policeman delivers a far more interesting B-story in which the pair eventually narrow their suspect pool, connect both crimes, and arrest the Fable responsible.

Despite the fact that the theft is narrated from the culprit‘s point of view, Mark Buckingham makes the story work not revealing the truth (in proper mystery fashion) until the final pages of the issue. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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Morning Glories #41

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Morning Glories #41Quidditch time! Okay, so it’s not exactly wizards flying on broomsticks, but the latest issue of Morning Glories reveals that the school does have its own original sport for the students with specific rules and outcomes already predetermined. It’s Towerball time!

Focusing mostly on Guillaume who maneuvers himself to be the captain of the Blue Team (the team destined to lose), Morning Glories #41 continues showcasing another kind of effort the students use to fight back against the teachers and the mysterious Headmaster who has decreed that Red Team will always win… so what happens if one year it doesn’t?

I’ve got to say after 40 issues I’ve been on the fence about continuing to pick-up the intriguing, but meandering, series, but this issue sold me on the title for a least another month. Bring on Towerball! Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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The Flash: Season Zero #1

/ / Comics

The Flash: Season Zero #1Tying in to the new Flash television show, The Flash: Season Zero offers storylines set in the Flash/Arrow universe. Promised to include more costumed villains, the comic has another advantage by being able to better hide the show’s mishmashed fabric costume of the hero that looks far better on the printed page than in High Definition.

Set just one week after the “Pilot” episode, Barry Allen takes on a Strong Man whose strength and invulnerability leave the hero with a busted ankle and a pair of cracked ribs (luckily he’s got that quick-healing factor).

Although the hero is far from victorious, the first issue does a solid job in reintroducing the characters and events of the “Pilot” while expanding this version of the Flash’s Rogues gallery with some colorful new villains. I haven’t been picking up the Arrow comic, but this one has a definite chance to remain on my pull-list as long as it keeps it’s $3 price-tag. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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