Comics

47 Ronin #4

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47 Ronin #4The calm before the storm finds the ronin of Lord Asano scattered across the land working as farmers or laborers, or, as in the instance of Oishi Kuranosuke Yoshio, shaming any lasting respect they might have by playing the role of a town drunk. After months of planning, Kira Yoshinaka has finally been lulled into a sense of security and begins to fire some of his guards and spies as he plans to move into his new palace.

Hearing the news they have been waiting for, the group finally gathers to fulfill their vow to return the honor of their fallen lord and exact their vengeance of Kira. Oishi joins the group, after taking care of a spy who has glimpsed his drunken buffoonery is nothing more than an act, setting up for what should be an action-heavy final issue next month.

Writer Mike Richardson and artist Stan Sakai’s retelling of the classic Japanese legend has been heavy on story and character, but that should change with the series’ finale. (And, even more importantly, it will free Sakai to return to doing what he does best – write and draw Usagi Yojimbo.) Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.99]

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Worlds’ Finest #12

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Worlds' Finest #12After discovering the creature masquerading as Michael Holt is actually Darkseid‘s right-hand man Desaad, Power Girl finds herself under attack from all sides as warriors from Apokolips destroy various Starr facilities around the globe, Boom Tube-ing in and out without a trace, and Karen Starr herself is attacked in the press as her carefully created celebrity persona begins cracking around the edges.

Once again we get three artists whose styles only sort of work well together giving the art of issue #12 the kind of inconsistent look readers have come to expect from the series one-year run. It appears we’re going to get much more Apokolips and Desaad for the foreseeable future. I’ll admit this doesn’t excite me, but the Kara/Helena relationship at the heart of the comic continues to be its real focus.

An interesting note, Power Girl here appears in her classic costume (as well as the crappy New 52 version in flashbacks) that was reintroduced in the latest issue of Supergirl. I’m happy to see her back in her classic costume, but I did expect some explanation or acknowledgement of the change.

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Detective Comics #20

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Detective Comics #20The Emperor Penguin storyline comes to an end as Batman battles Ogilvy, the self-proclaimed new crime king of Gotham who stole the Penguin‘s money and operation for his own. Underestimating his opponent, Batman arrives to discover Ogilvy has been busy by combining the stolen Man-Bat serum along with a version of Venom and a little contribution from Poison Ivy to craft himself into a legitimate super-villain threat.

Although I think Ogilvy is made too much of a threat too quickly, the fight between the would be king and Batman works well (even if it does require the Penguin to save our hero). It also gives us one of the better original New 52 villains. Batman makes up for the ass kicking he takes by putting down Ogilvy in short order, but he can’t take away Ogilvy’s short-lived victory.

The issue also includes a back-up story involving Ogilvy’s transport to Blackgate Prison and look at his origins. The story also brutally foreshadows the fact that the new Bat-villain is only getting started. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Ame-Comi Girls #3

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Ame-Comi Girls #3Ame-Comi Girls #3, which centers around the alternate reality female-centric version of the DCU, introduces a new hero and a pair of villains with the latest issue. Jade, a blind Chinese woman without fear becomes the Earth’s first Green Lantern just in time to save herself, her father, and her brother from an attack by the villainous Flying Guillotine. Chinese officials are delighted to have such a powerful warrior of its own, although they are less than pleased the ring chose “a mere girl” and hope to reappropriate it as a military asset.

In the comics other story Carol Ferris, the first woman to step on the moon, comes across a crashed alien spaceship and (in a version of Hal Jordan‘s origin) discovers a dying alien who makes her the Earth’s first Star Sapphire. The issue also includes Wonder Woman and Power Girl announcing to the United Nations their plans to create a Justice League which will operate under the jurisdiction of Themyscira. The stories begin to converge at the end of the issue when Carol looses herself to her new found power and starts a fight with Power Girl over the affections of Jimmy Olsen.

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Supergirl #19

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Supergirl #19What happens when two Supergirls meet? That’s the question Supergirl #19 answers when Power Girl shows up to assist her twin from a parallel world after Supergirl is exposed to a nasty bit of Kryptonite poisoning. Just by touching, Power Girl is able to stabilize the other Kara’s condition allowing the pair of them to fight off Appex, a bargain flunkie Lex Luthor sends to test the limits of the pair’s powers.

There’s plenty of action here as they two Karas kick some ass, and the idea of the pair working together and sharing their memories and thoughts is an intriguing one that I hope the New 52 will play with in the future. The issue is also memorable for the DC finally admitting that one of their costume designs wasn’t getting the job done. By the end of the issue Power Girl will be returned to her classic costume (one done, about 100 more to go) to the appreciation of fans everywhere.

It appears Power Girl is sticking around for another month giving us double the Kara fun which means I’ll likely pick up next month’s issue as well to see where this new friendship is headed. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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