Comics

G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #4

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G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #4The series wraps up its first arc with Chameleon being forced into action with Lady Jaye and Ronin to rescue Flint and stop the Night Creepers who detonate a dirty bomb under the Potomac to attack the JOE’s bunker.

With all the new G.I. JOE titles each wrapping up their first arc I’m still waiting for one to stand-out and match the enjoyment I got out of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. The Chameleon, a former Cobra agent now using her skills for the other side is a character I expect could lend itself to some interesting arcs and the art of G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files has been more consistent than the other titles.

Even if I find Chameleon intriguing, I’m not quite sold on the rest of the team. I’ve always found Flint to be a blander version of Duke and the wild cards of Clockspring and Tomax haven’t quite worked for me so far. I’m also not wild about the nuclear event which never feels as big and dangerous as it should. That said, I did like this issue giving us Chameleon’s take on her female teammates and would like to see that kind of insight continue. For fans.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Green Hornet #4

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Green Hornet #4With the city within his grasp Britt Reid‘s world comes tumbling down. What started last issue with Kato abandoning their partnership and The Sentinel accusing and old family friend of being the terrorist known as “The Voice” continues here as Reid’s mayoral campaign goes down in flames before it ever gets started when Kato proves Winston Mills isn’t The Voice after all.

Although the issue continues to deal with the ramifications of the Green Hornet’s recent actions I’m not sure I want to see Reid sued and broke anymore than I’d want to see that same story with Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. I trust writer Mark Waid knows where he’s going, but things are obviously going to get worse for the character before they get better.

Even if I have issues with where the arc is heading, I’ll admit this might be the kind of story that could appeal more to new readers of the the Green Hornet rather than those of us carrying decades of the character’s history with us. For fans.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1

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The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1When a murder occurs in Central City but the body is discovered the next day in Los Angeles The Spirit, Commissioner Dolan, and Ellen take a trip to the coast to investigate in this new cross-promotional comic from DC Comics and IDW. On arriving in LA, the good folks from Central City are ambushed by masked man with a jetpack in a classic hero misunderstanding that introduces The Spirit to The Rocketeer for the first time.

Fans of both characters will get their money’s worth here, although The Spirit does seem a little out of place in the sunny settings of Los Angeles rather than the shadow streets of Central City. Mark Waid provides some nice humor not only for both heroes (who spend a good part of this issue fighting in the sky) but also for Ellen and Betty, both of whom take a shine to the other woman’s man.

I’m glad to see Waid and Paul Smith bring these two characters together, but it reminds me of the vast library of great characters DC’s New 52 has closed the door on (which I guess is better than the ones they’ve gotten completely wrong). Worth a look.

[DC/IDW, $3.99]

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Scarlet Spider #19

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Scarlet Spider #19Sometimes you just have to kill a god. The Scarlet Spider and Wolverine‘s team-up comes to and as the two murderers turned heroes take on not only Bella Donna and the Assassins Guild but the immortal Candra who wishes to feed of the bones of both men.

The uneasy alliance between the two lasts through the fighting, but Wolverine is less than pleased with the methods Kaine uses to end the war with the Assassins Guild as he serves the group to the Kingpin on a silver platter. Wolverine’s chastising aside, Kaine is willing to pay whatever price necessary for solving his problem with the Guild and keeping Aracely (who the X-Men seem to be in a great hurry to get rid of) safe at least for the foreseeable future.

Although I don’t see Kaine getting invited back to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning for high tea any time soon, the forced team-up with two of Marvel’s deadliest heroes works well (and allows for plenty of Kaine’s sardonic narration which writer Christopher Yost does so well). Kaine’s deal with the Kingpin also foreshadows new trouble for the hero sometime down the line. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Larfleeze #2

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Larfleeze #2There’s both good and bad news for Pulsar Stargrave in the latest issue of Larfleeze. The good news is he is finally free of his service to his insane master Larfleeze who bit off a little more than he could chew when he attack Laord of the Hunt who has journeyed to this dimension after killing his way through his own. The bad news is Pulsar now finds himself in service of the genocidal hunter.

Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis make a great team. For the second month in a row Larfleeze, a comic centered around a character I have no great affection for, turns out to be one of the best books of the New 52. We get the tail end the battle between Larfleez and Laord to begin the issue, but nearly the entire comic is focused on Stargrave, his current fate, and his befriending of Lou (the hound of Laord not killed by Larfleeze) and Loard’s lackey Herb.

I’ve been bemoaning the lack of humor and fun in the New 52 for nearly two years now and, at least for the first two issues, that’s exactly what Larfleeze delivers. Crazy, absurdest, space adventure wackiness. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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