Comics

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #5

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Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #5When Paradise Island comes under attack from mythological monsters which disappear as quickly as they appear Wonder Woman calls on the services of Mystery, Inc. who Batman personally recommends given the fact that he can’t step foot on Themyscira. With Shaggy and Fred cooped up on the Invisible Plane, and Scooby free to wander the island (the laws don’t apply to dogs it seems), Velma and Daphne undergo a crash course in Amazon fighting while waiting for the first sign of danger.

Despite the fact the Scooby Gang finds themselves on an island where magic is real, the latest issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up keeps the the classic formula of having a reasonable explanation behind all the odd occurrences – even the giant Hydra, Cyclops, and Minotaur which they see attack the Amazons with their own eyes. Rather than have the “no men allowed” be a sexist ban, writer Sholly Fisch writes in an explanation in the form of a curse stripping the Amazons of their power should men step foot on the island which also explains the reason for the Duke of Deception‘s illusions. As always, worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Green Hornet #13

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Green Hornet #13Mark Waid’s run on the Green Hornet comes to an end with the final issue of the series that goes out with more of a whimper than a bang. Last issue wrapped up the Green Hornet‘s adventure with Britt Reid and Kato contemplating retiring the costumed vigilante for good. This issue reveals the identity of the person who stole the Hornet’s costume and weapons to continue the fight and force Britt Reid to face his creation which is no longer in his control.

Hero origins often come with a cost, and although I understand Waid’s reasoning for the actions Lenore Case commits I don’t quite buy the sacrifice she makes to guilt Britt Reid into continuing his costumed adventures (or that Reid would need such convincing in the first place). And with Reid still separated from The Sentinel the comic also leaves a dangling thread of the story undone as there is no room her for the newspaper man to reclaim what he’s lost over the thirteen-issue series. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #12

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #12The main story of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #12 features a wide range of supporting characters all suspecting the Turtles’ attempt to retrieve a package from the Post Office must make it incredibly valuable. Not realizing Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo are only attempting to retrieve a training video Michelangelo sent to a reality TV-show, Karai, the Kraang, Pigeon Pete, and Jack Kurtzman all attempt to get their hands on the mysterious package whose true contents are only damaging to April‘s self-esteem. The chaos provides plenty of humor and action ending with Mikey getting his just desserts.

The issue also includes a short back-up story involving April outwitting the Turtles to share the final two slices of pizza with Splinter and another chapter of the LEGO adventures of the Turtles showcasing their origins in LEGO form for the first time. Of the two, the LEGO tale is the more interesting back-up tale, but it’s the main story that makes this one worth picking up.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Larfleeze #12

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Larfleeze #12The adventures of Larfleeze come to a close as the Orange Lantern defeats the House of Tuath-Dan, saves the planet of robots (who are mostly dead at this point) which he sees as his property, and makes a surprising discovery about his connection to G’Nort.

Much like Captain Atom, albeit in an entirely different way, Larfleeze suffers the fate of not fitting into the gritty simplicity of much of the rest of the current New 52 landscape. And so, sadly, the wacky tales of space-fairing dogs with power rings comes to a close. In doing so however it does tease a new partnership between Larfleeze and G’Nort which I’d like to see DC pursue sometime down the line (maybe even throw in Dex-Starr for good measure?).

DC needs more, not less, comics with the irreverent charm of Larfleeze but apparently that’s not in the cards. So I’ll just thank Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Scot Kolins for getting me to not only buy but enjoy a comic about a character I cared very little about before this series and am now sorry to say goodbye to. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Batman ’66 #12

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Batman '66 #12Neither Marsha, Queen of Diamonds nor the Minstrel rank high the list of Batman‘s rogues gallery, but that doesn’t stop the latest issue of Batman ’66 from delivering another fun issue. The main story focuses on Marsha’s obsession with locating the world’s largest diamond which just happens to be housed in the Batcave.

Although the villain and her minions break into the Batcave and steal the diamond, writer Jeff Parker works in a reasonable explanation why Martha doesn’t know her exact location or choose to stick around to learn the true identity of the Dynamic Duo. The thread of the time-freezing potion created by Marsha’s witchy Aunt Hilda is less effective, but does make Martha a bit more formidable.

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