Comics

Larfleeze #4

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Larfleeze #4As Pulsar Stargrave finds himself meeting another (equally troubling) relative of the flighty The Wanderer, Larfleeze is forced to deal with the legion of Orange Lanterns brought back to life by his former butler’s new master. Larfleeze’s incredulity at the anger of the other Orange Lanterns (who he murdered and imprisoned in the Lantern for years) doesn’t help mollify some very ticked off ring-slingers.

The off-beat sense of humor the collaboration between writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis that has made the comic feel like a throwback to the pair’s Justice League glory days is evident here again, especially in a single scene where the happy folks of Unicorn-12 meet a less than pleasant fate.

So far the comic has succeeded by giving us more of Stargrave than his master, but the latest issue proves both characters’ antics can be a hell of a lot of fun. It also looks like the other Orange Lanterns are here to stay, as is Larfleeze (who they can’t kill now that he is the living power battery for all their rings). Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Samurai Jack #1

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Samurai Jack #1IDW’s new Samurai Jack comic continues the hero’s quest to find a way to return to the past to his own time, defeat Aku, and erase the future in which he still finds himself trapped. The comic’s opening arc introduces the idea of the Rope of Eons which Aku shredded after using it to learn to control time.

Learning that the various Threads of Time can be rewoven to return the samurai home, Jack follows the directions of a less than trustworthy source who neglects to inform the samurai to win the first thread he will have to defeat an array of champions in the bottom of a gladiatorial pit.

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Nova #9

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Nova #9Returning home from his encounter with Speedball and Vance Astrovik, Sam Alexander discovers Kalendra has captured his mother and little sister and is holding them hostage unless Sam agrees to fight her without use an weapons (including the Nova helmet).

Initially agreeing the fair fight (which is less than fair since Sam has received no actually hand-to-hand combat training), the newest Nova throws in the towel early, donning his helmet and kicking some serious butt all the way back to Kalendra’s home where her failure gets her caged in isolated confinement.

The heavy bondage themes not withstanding, Nova #9 provides a good example at the type of hero the newest Nova is. Honorable, maybe not, but certainly willing to do whatever is needing to save the ones he loves. And despite his repeated refusals, it seems Nova may have found himself a pair of new teammates (which I would be more on-board with if they clad Astrovik in Vance Astro‘s costume). Worth a look.

[Nova, $3.99]

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The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction #2

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The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction #2The unusual team-up between The Spirit and The Rocketeer continues as the pair of heroes investigate the odd murder of a Central City man whose body was impossibly found in Los Angeles without enough time for it to be transported there under any conventional means. The autopsy reveals that isn’t the only thing shocking about their victims whose innards seem scrambled beyond comprehension and the man’s spirit seems to have somehow gotten trapped inside a television.

While dealing with these facts The Spirit and his new friend also have to take on an air assault on The Rocketeer’s home base which puts Central City’s hero high above the ground in action without the luxury of jet-pack or parachute.

Writer Mark Waid and and new artist Loston Wallace showcase each of the heroes’ girls as Ellen shares a tender moment with Cliff and one of the mini-series’ villains finally shows his face to offer Betty a starring role on this newfangled television contraption. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #4

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Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril #4Tom Strong, Val Var Gram, and a small group of the world’s remaining heroes show up just in the nick of time to save a transport of increasingly scare humanitarian supplies from a biker gang. After helping turn the tide, Strong is able to negotiate a settlement between the two groups and continue on his way.

Most of the second-half of the issue deals with a conversation between Tom Strong and the wounded Cavalier (a rapier-wielding small-time hero who shares his own history with the science-adventurer from a parallel Earth). Along with filling in the hero’s origins, their conversation also touches on the subject of science vs. magic, and the ridiculousness of a man dressed like one of the Three Musketeers defending the Earth against attacks from giant robots and unstoppable plagues.

Although Strong gets no closer to answers, or even finding the man who could offer them, the early action and the conversation between the two heroes delivers another strong issue fans of the character should enjoy. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $3.99]

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