Comics

Larfleeze #11

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Setting the stage fro next month’s series finale (sigh), Larfleeze finally catches up with Pulsar Stargrave and gets his butler back. In doing so the Orange Lantern walks right into a trap led by the House of Tuath-Dan who once again have underestimated the “orange monkey.” Oh, and then there’s that certain Green Lantern and the fact that the flighty (but insanely powerful) Sena the Wanderer is intent on marrying Larfleeze – whether he likes it or not. It ain’t easy being orange.

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Guardians of the Galaxy #15

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Guardians of the Galaxy #15Guardians of the Galaxy #15 isn’t a bad issue, but it’s certainly a tad disappointing as the 19-page adventure feels a whole lot more like graphic novel filler than much of a standalone issue. As set up in the last issue, the Guardians are pretty much screwed. We get glimpses into the fate of each member of the team (Gamora being tortured by the Badoon, Rocket being experimented on by the Kree, Groot fighting off giant termites, Drax fighting despair and imprisonment, and Peter Quill awaiting trial). We also get several pages dealing with a team impersonating Earth’s heroes attempting to lure the newest Guardian off Knowhere.

With so many separate glimpses, and less than 20 pages in which to work, Guardians of the Galaxy #15 doesn’t leave much room to actually move the arc forward (although there’s enough room for lots of ads). Quizzically we get another issue without Angela or any knowledge of her fate. And despite her appearance on the cover, Carol Danvers isn’t part of the story here, although it seems she may have a large role to play in putting the team back together again. For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Star Wars: Rebel Heist #2

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Star Wars: Rebel Heist #2After last month which saw Han Solo captured by Imperial agents, the four-issue mini-series continues on the pleasure planet of the planet pleasure of Feddasyr where Princess Leia has been dispatched to get her hands on an Imperial top-level security code needed by the Rebellion. Like the first issue, the events are presented from the view of a green Rebel recruit, this time a red-skinned Twi’lek exotic dancer named Sarin whose cover has been blown just in time to get Leia into a lot of trouble.

The template from the first issue works well again as this time we don’t get the view of a hero worshipper crushed into reality but the disappointment of a young woman realizing the Rebellion sent a princess rather than soldier to get the job done. Putting her life in danger to take Sarin’s place and get the code, which turns out to be harder to move than either expected, the princess grudgingly earns the respect and admiration of the recruit but still suffers the same fate of Han Solo in the end. Next month: Chewbacca. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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Samurai Jack #8

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Samurai Jack #8In an issue without dialogue the focus of Samurai Jack #8 becomes the art as Samurai Jack‘s attempt to hide from the noise of the future city leads him to a sleeping pod. Thanks to the maneuvering of his old enemy Aku, Jack awakes in a mirrored cave where his reflection creates distorted doubles of the samurai out for blood.

I like the idea of doing a Samurai Jack storyline without any dialogue, something “Jack Renumbers the Past” put to tremendious use for most of the episode, but a throwaway one-issue adventure doesn’t have the same impact of Jack returning home for the first time.

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The Flash #31

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The Flash #31I’ve got very mixed reactions on the latest issue of The Flash. On one-hand the new creative team offers up a storyline involving the theft of Central City villain weapons leading to a future peek at an old-style Mirror Master adventure complete with original costume, gun and hall of mirrors. Set 16 years in the future (is that how long we have to wait for The Rogues to be cool again?), and the future version of Barry Allen working his way back through time, it’s the strongest part of the comic by far.

Sadly the current storyline, other than Barry discovering the theft of the weapons, leaves much to be desired. Brett Booth’s choice to feature that awful yellow piping of the Flash’s costume in every frame goes from distracting to downright infuriating before long. And the continuing B-story does nothing to sell me on the New 52 Wally West who continues to share far too many bad traits with the rebooted schmuck version of Billy Batson. The cover is also one of the weakest of the series, however if you want to spend some extra cash you can shell out for Mike Allred‘s fun classic-style variant. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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