Comics

Detective Comics #23

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Detective Comics #23After being able to do no more than fight Wrath to a standstill, Bruce Wayne changes tactics by meeting with E.D. Caldwell while allowing Alfred to do some snooping around the man’s weapon factories to prove that he is indeed the man behind the mask of the city’s new deadly vigilante.

The latest issue of Detective Comics has its share of awkward moments, such as Wayne and Caldwell having a business meeting while having a martial arts sparring session at the same time. Although Alfred’s poking around confirms Batman’s suspicions, it puts the butler’s life in danger and doesn’t really explain the wealthy man’s end game (or how killing a bunch of police officers and starting a war helps facilitate that goal).

After giving up Red Hood and the Outlaws last month Detective and Batman and Robin are the only Bat-titles I’m still readying (having given up on the others months ago), but this Wrath storyline is certainly stretching my endurance to the limit. And, sigh, yes we get more of the awful Man-Bat back-up story this month as well. Pass.

[DC, $3.99]

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Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures #9

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Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures #9Although I prefer my Atomic Robo stories to have Atomic Robo in them, the latest issue of Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures provides a threesome of historic figures to carry the load. Charles Fort, Winfield-Scott Lovecraft, and Ehrie “Harry Houdini” Weiss work together to uncover the truth behind the evil machinations of the mysterious Black Coat army led by a shadowy of group of heads of industry who are also behind the theft of Nikola Tesla‘s Magnifying Transmitter.

The threesome of historical figures are entertaining, and there’s a good amount of action here, but I actually had more fun with the combination of Master Wong Kei-Ying and Annie Oakley from Atomic Robot Presents Real Science Adventures #8 who sadly don’t return.

Although their investigation leads to little in the way of concrete answers, it does narrow the focus of the storyline going forward as well as bring the threesome to the attention of another interested party: Nikola Tesla.

[Red 5, $2.75]

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Fatale #16

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Fatale #16The latest issue continues the storyline of Josephine still suffering from amnesia in Seattle during the 1990’s. Fatale #16 works well in explaining why Josephine has so many rules with men by foreshadowing dark outcomes for the house mates who she begins effecting, especially after sleeping with two separate members of the band.

Fatale #16 also fills in the past of the serial killer cop obsessed with killing women who look like Josephine since first meeting her more than two decades ago as a child. The realization that she’s still alive, and looks exactly the same as the last time he saw her, is quite enough to drive the already less-than-sane an completely over the edge.

Although this issue is mostly set-up for the death and pain we can see coming, writer Ed Brubaker teases us with an oppressive foreboding that’s contradictory the the sunny nature of “Jane Doe” who doesn’t even realize how effortlessly she’s going to ruin the lives of everyone in the house. Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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The Shadow #16

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The Shadow #16The Shadow‘s battle against The Light continues as the city’s new vigilante targets Margo Lane as her next victim. Thanks to her quick thinking and the timely arrival of The Shadow, Margo makes it through the night alive and The Shadow learns that all visually evidence to the contrary The Light is flesh and blood who doesn’t react well do a slew of bullets.

I thought this arc started to stall a bit in the last issue but by putting Margo in danger Chris Roberson picks up the pace with a timely rooftop save by our hero and moves the storyline forward to the final confrontation between The Light and The Shadow next month.

The Shadow #16 also includes more flashbacks to The Light’s childhood and training as well as tying that piece of the storyline together with The Light’s first victim in New York whose past intertwines with her own This also gives The Shadow his first real lead to uncovering to the vigilante’s identity. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Ame-Comi Girls #6

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Ame-Comi Girls #6With the fate of the entire universe at stake Alanna Strange evacuates all life on the planet Earth and gathers its greatest warriors to stand with Hawkgirl against the oncoming force of Sinestra and her legion of Black Lanterns. Although I’m not the biggest fan of the DC’s original Black Lanern arc, writer Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Justin Gray offer their own version of events featuring lots of action.

To help them survive, Power Girl, Supergirl, Batgirl, Robin, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash, Steel, and Strange are all gifted white rings by Metra. Even with the power boost the group of heroines still eventually fall to the never-ending onslaught of death causing the New God herself to get involved and create a new stalemate between life and death with the creation of a new crisis.

Things fall apart for me in the final pages where Metra gets directly involved. I would have preferred the ladies to win the day on their own but the (unsubtle) Motherbox metaphor works okay and sets up new possibilities (albeit for a comic whose days appear to be numbered). Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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