Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #25

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #25Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine comes to a close with Buffy and the Scoobies fighting for their lives inside The Deeper Well against Simone and the demon Maloker. With the new seed ready to burst, and return magic back into the world, Buffy’s friends are able to make it to safety leaving the Slayer one-on-one with the turned Simone for control of the Scythe.

There’s plenty of action in this final issue as Buffy is finally able to stake the bitch and make it out of The Deeper Well and rejoin her friends. With magic returned, Willow and the Scoobies are able to bring Dawn back and set everything right with the world. Well… almost everything.

The issue’s final panels show us the rules have changed as the laws of magic, vampires, and possibly much more are all different under the new seed than the old. Although Buffy and her companions survive (sadly without Illyria who doesn’t make it out of the Well), the world they return to may be far different than the one they left. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Codename: Action #1

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Codename: Action #1Set during the Cold War, the first issue of the new six-issue mini-series from writer Chris Roberson and artist Jonathan Lau is an old James Bond-style spy thriller. Codename: Action #1 introduces us to newly appointed Operative 1001 who will work with the much more seasoned Operator 5 to stop a hidden force pushing the world to the brink of World War III by replacing influential figures on both sides of the Iron Curtain with doppelgangers determined for war.

Codename: Action #1 works as a spy thriller, although I’m not sure how the super-hero element (such as introducing Captain Action at the end of this issue) is going to work without changing the tone of the mini-series.

I have mixed feelings about Jonathan Lau’s art, but the action scenes definitely have a spy flavor to them and work better than the less action-packed panels. With Operative 1001’s graduation assignment, the car chase, and an aerial training manuever by a bevy of French female spies, there’s plenty of action for a comic with the word in its title. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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The Shadow: Year One #5

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The Shadow: Year One #5Matt Wagner’s retelling of early days of The Shadow continue as Margo Lane begins her new role as a member of his organization (although his reluctance to use her does force the fiery Ms. Lane to set off on her own to get a better look at just what The Shadow gets up to on a nightly basis).

With the gang war still brewing, The Shadow turns his attention to an armored car heist put together by two of the families working to gather enough cash to take out the man responsible – Big Gun Massaretti who is still under the thrall of the mysterious Dr. Zorn. What they don’t realize is The Shadow has learned of their little scheme as well.

Much of the issue is set aside for conversations between Lamont and Margo about her new role. These work fine, and show us the two have feelings for each other neither is likely to share anytime soon, but the action certainly picks up with the appearance of The Shadow and the bloody gunfight on the bridge for the money inside the armored cars and some terrific laughter-filled panels by artist Wilfredo Torres. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Two-Face #1

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Two-Face #1Another Forever Evil .1 tie-in issue offers us a look at Two-Face accepting the role of Gotham’s protector (and dispenser of his own brutal form of justice) all at the flip of a coin. True to the character, Batman and Robin #23.1 certainly doesn’t skimp on the bloodshed as the villain becomes judge, jury, and executioner for all who get in his way.

Although the comic gets the character right, there is obviously something missing (besides anything resembling fun). The absence of Batman (or really any member of the Bat-Family) to oppose him, really hurts Two-Face as a character who only flourishes when he has a rival to go up against. The choice to make some of the lesser villains angry at his vigilante rampage to try and force that kind of conflict doesn’t really work.

By the end of the episode the luck of Gotham City (which is far less covered in vegetation that the Poison Ivy comic would suggest) has finally run out as the flip of the coin leads Two-Face back to his more destructive ways. For fans.

[DC, $2.99]

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