Comics

Samurai Jack #4

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Samurai Jack #4Samurai Jack‘s quest to gather the remaining Threads of Time leads the wanderer to a frosty kingdom deep in the mountains ruled over by the tyrannical Queen Krystle whose android warriors capture Samurai Jack and put him to work in the kitchens.

Although I still enjoyed the issue, especially the early scenes recaping the samurai’s journey to find the village deep in the mountainous wilderness, Samurai Jack #4 is by far the weakest issue of the new series complete with a queen who enjoys cake while her peasants starve (and even, unfortunately, at one point utters a trademark phrase causing anyone knowing their French history to groan).

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #27

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #27The All Caste/League of Assassins storyline comes to an end here with a tale about as confusing as everything else concerning the All Caste as Jason Todd punches all the magic out of Ra’s al Ghul thus saving the world and fulfilling his destiny. Seriously, that’s what happens.

A confusing end to an equally confusing series of events involving the magic assassin types who trained Todd, the issue does offer a pretty good fight between al Ghul and the Red Hood while Starfire and Arsenal battle various members of the League of Assassins. (Although Bronze Tiger, even if it is the crappy New 52 version of the character, doesn’t earn much more than a cameo.)

The best part of the issue is that it brings an end to the odd, and often awkward and confusing, storyline allowing Todd to play hero and put an end to this chapter of his life. Hopefully this means the comic will move forward with less poorly-defined mysticism and on to more of Todd’s journey of redemption. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #5

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Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #5Dr. Dinosaur was right! Okay, he wasn’t actually right. He is an insane dinosaur scientist after all. The final issue of Atomic Robo and The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #5 will end Atomic Robo‘s battle with his arch-nemesis in the underground caves where Dr. Dinosaur has enslaved a rock-creature army and created a nuclear-powered time bomb to destroy all trace of humanity. And, here’s the thing, it goes off!

Filled with more war of words between the action scientist and the deranged reptile, the final issue of the series ends on a suprising note. Unable to prevent Dr. Dinosaur from exploding his absurd creation, Atomic Robo gets his colleagues to safety but is unable to remove himself from the center of the blast. Although it doesn’t destroy all history of mankind, Dr. Dinosaur’s time bomb does actually shoot Atomic Robo into the past. So he was right! Not really! But sort of!

The issue also sees Jenkins turn the tables on Majestic, but, just as Atomic Robo’s story ends on a cliffhanger, we’re left to wonder just what happened after the explosion at Tesladyne. Must-read.

[Red 5, $3.50]

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Power Girl: Bomb Squad

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Power Girl: Bomb SquadRecollecting issues #13-18 of Power Girl‘s self-titled series prior to the New 52 reboot, Power Girl: Bomb Squad features our heroine dealing with a hidden enemy out to not only destroy Kara but her alter-ego Karen Starr as well. The run also reintroduces Maxwell Lord as the hidden puppet master who has made everyone but a handful of the former Justice League International members including Booster Gold forget his existence.

Along with the slow rediscovery of who Max is, and what he’s capable of, this six-issue run from writer Judd Winick and artist Sam Basri pits Power Girl against the living bomb Crash out to destroy New York City, a clone of Kara named Divine, and features cameos from Booster Gold and Dick Grayson as Batman (during Bruce Wayne’s lost-in-time storyline).

It may not be the title’s best arc (although it leads up to those issues), but there’s plenty for Kara to tackle here and I quite enjoy her interactions with old friends (especially with Dick Grayson’s Batman). Worth a look.

[DC, $14.99]

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G.I. JOE: Special Missions #11

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G.I. JOE: Special Missions #11The search for Destro continues as Scarlett and her team continue to shadow Copperback hoping the former Cobra agent will lead them straight to the weapon designer’s new base of operations.

Most of G.I. JOE: Special Missions #11 focuses on the Special Missions team keeping Copperhead under surveillance while doing their own research to Destro’s location (which turns out to be a good thing when Copperhead gives Scarlett and the JOEs the slip in an international airport).

Along with a few panels of Destro’s latest B.A.T. testing involving a promising but questionable new subject, the comic also ends with Scarlett calling in a little help once the JOEs locate the weaponer’s likely home.

The introduction of Helix, and the possibility of seeing the still MIA Snake Eyes‘s two lady friends attempt to work together despite their history, adds a nice wrinkle to the storyline as the search for Destro continues. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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