Comics

Batman ’66 #2

/ / Comics

Batman '66 #2The second issue of Batman ’66 sends Batman and Robin up against the formidable team of the Penguin and Mr. Freeze who have constructed a enormous iceberg in the middle of Gotham Harbor that somehow the Penguin has been able to get legally recognized as its own sovereign country.

Trespassing on Penguinia, Batman is thrown in the icy dungeon leaving Robin to find a way out of the pickle as Emperor Penguin and Ambassador Freeze blackmail ships needing passage in or out of the harbor. With the help of the Bat-Sub, the Boy Wonder comes up with a plan to free the Caped Crusader and save the day.

…

Batman ’66 #2Read More »

Batman ’66 #2 Read More »

Velvet #1

/ / Comics

Velvet #1The old adages of hiding in plain sight and not judging a book by its cover immediately come to mind while reading the latest collaboration between writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting. When we first meet her, Velvet Templeton is shown to be the highly intelligent secretary of the Director of Arc-7 (a secret government spy program whose agents and funding do not exist in any official records). The murder of an agent who Velvet was once close to has the middle-aged executive assistant thinking back on the past and doing some investigating of her own when she doesn’t trust the official story.

It’s while investigating Arc-7’s leading suspect, a retired spy who Velvet also spent some time with in and out of the bedroom, that the woman realizes she’s been played as the audience realizes Velvet is much more than your average secretary.

The twist of having Velvet be a highly-trained field operative in semi-retirement, without revealing much of her past, as she’s underestimated by those who choose to frame her for the murders, creates an intriguing set-up which I will happily stick around to read more of.

…

Velvet #1Read More »

Velvet #1 Read More »

Ame-Comi Girls #8

/ / Comics

Ame-Comi Girls #8The final issue collecting the digital comics reimagining the DCU filled with all super-powered heroines and villains comes to a close with more of a whimper than a bang with three separate tales introducing three new characters rather than offering up a final big adventure.

Of the three stories the middle one concerning White Canary is the most interesting as the other two don’t offer much in the way of diffrentiating the Ame-Comi version of the characters from their regular DCU counterparts. The Big Barda space pirate story is fun but incomplete and Mera vs. a female Black Manta didn’t do much for me at all.

The White Canary story gives us a character whose sonic scream is far more pronounced, making it impossible for the heroine to communicate at anything above a whisper (unless she wants to destroy all surrounding structures). I’ve enjoyed this series, and even if the final issue is one of the weakest, I’ll still miss it’s optimism and gleeful spirit. Once again, this is something the New 52 could use far more of… as well as more strong (preferably not insane) female characters. For fans.

[DC, $3.99]

Ame-Comi Girls #8 Read More »

Supergirl #24

/ / Comics

Supergirl #24As the disembodied spirit of Supergirl fights to regain her body, Brainiac attacks I’noxia, and the restored Zor-El discovers his mistake at sacrificing his daughter to regain his own humanity.

Supergirl #24 wraps up the Cyborg-Superman storyline with the return of both the New 52 versions of the villain and the comic’s heroine. Although the planet is lost to Brainiac’s attack, Supergirl’s ordeal has cured her of the Kryptonite poisoning and both Kara and Cyborg-Superman are left unaware of the true series of events that allowed to regain her form as the villain, loosing the knowledge he gained as Zor-El, believes Brainiac’s attack is the cause of the experiment’s failure.

The comic ends with an appearance of an Oracle and the introduction of a Supergirl/Action Comics crossover (something I’m not too excited about) featuring “The Return of Krypton (something I’m really not excited about). I enjoyed this arc, but it may be time for me to give this comic another short break. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

Supergirl #24 Read More »

Morning Glories #33

/ / Comics

Morning Glories #33And here I thought the Jun/Hisao storyline couldn’t get any more complicated. Nick Spencer, you proved me wrong. Morning Glories #33 centers around Guillaume‘s attempts to reconnect with the boy he loves. He takes the standoffishness of Hisao (who everyone knows as Jun) to be the result of loosing his brother. The truth, however, is far more complicated.

The issue also gives us flashbacks of Hisao’s meeting with Hodge to try and earn his brother’s release from Morning Glories Academy after Jun took his spot. Although he earns his own ticket, Hisao isn’t able to get his brother released. It’s not until the sacrifice where we learn how Hisao was able to make up for his brother’s sacrifice with one of his own.

The result of Jun and Hisao switching bodies means the core group of students is left with a stranger in their midst with the face of a friend, and Jun and Guillame are both left to suffer the loss of their loved one. As to what this means for the future, and how/if Jun can successfully take his brother’s place (again), we’ll just have to wait and see. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

Morning Glories #33 Read More »