Comics

Captain Atom #11

/ / Comics

captain-atom-new-52-11-coverWhat happens when a near omnipotent being gives into his own desires and greatest wish to be human again? The latest issue of Captain Atom shows us the unforeseen consequences when Captain Atom puts his consciousness in a human form to reconnect with humanity in general, and with Renita specifically.

Once again writer J.T. Krul takes an intriguing idea, Nathaniel Atom re-experiencing life as a “normal” man, and turns the story on its side by showing us that while most of Nate’s consciousness is walking around with Renita, his comatose form is also trying to make the wishes of those closest to him come true as well – whether that be the return of a dead relative, a collection of toys from childhood, or granting Dr. Megala‘s greatest wish.

However, it appears these unconcious gifts might actually be far more dangerous than the chance the human version of Nate gets into with Renita as the two finally give into their feelings for each other. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Nightwing #11

/ / Comics

nightwing-new-52-coverAfter surviving an attack from Paragon and his acolytes in the Republic of Tomorrow‘s secret lair Nightwing continues to piece together who is framing him for murder, and why. At first he’s sure Detective Nie is responsible, but a little more investigating leads him to a new conclusion.

The issue also continues the tenuous relationship between Dick and Tony Zucco‘s daughter Sonia. The pair have their first fight when she breaks the news that his loan was denied by flashapply.com because of what happened when Haly Circus returned to Gotham. I’m really, really hoping writer Kyle Higgins isn’t going to try to link these two romantically.

Paragon cleans house of the disloyal soldiers before looking for a new ally to take down one of Gotham’s self-appointed saviors. The story continues, but doesn’t really advance that much (even Nightwing’s eureka moment is kept from readers) so aside from the developments in the subplot with Sonia you could probably skip this one and not miss a beat. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Batman and Robin #11

/ / Comics

batman-and-robin-new-52-11-coverWhile Damian pays Jason Todd an unexpected visit to teach him a lesson about who the best Robin really is, Terminus has his sidekicks (the unfortunately named Scallop and Bootface) branding citizens of Gotham with the bat-symbol to get Batman‘s attention.

Whether intentional or not the branding the city definitely makes you think Christopher Nolan’s second Bat-film (especially when buildings of Gotham start having burning bat-symbols in them – just like the posters for The Dark Knight). I doubt it’s a coincidence this comic hit the stands one week before The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters.

As to Damian, who appears to be back in full on spoiled little-shit mode despite the tease that he might grow up a bit after the failure with Nobody, it’s an interesting choice for him to view Todd (the Robin he’s most like) with such contempt. I’ll be interested to see what action the Red Hood might take in retaliation. Although the crowbar sequence is in bad taste, it certainly fits this version of the character. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #11

/ / Comics

btvs-season-nine-11-coverLooking for a fresh start Buffy joins Kennedy‘s force of high-priced Slayer bodyguards but finds it difficult to shut off her normal instincts when faced with demons and the new Zompire infestation.

I like seeing the comic continue to incorporate more of the wider Buffyverse and Kennedy is an interesting choice as, although the weren’t ever enemies, she and Buffy were never exactly friends. The idea of several of the Slayers joining up for a private corporate security company also makes a lot of sense, although I’m not sure (from what we saw of her in Season Seven) I’d have picked Kennedy for the corporate head honcho. Although I do like the choice of a client fleeing from Wolfram & Hart.

A couple of other interesting tidbits: Spike‘s friend Eldre Koh of the Nitobe needs help in his quest for vengeance (which seems really hard to be setting something up that doesn’t really fit in this issue) and Buffy learns the police under Detective Dowling have started a special task force to deal with the Zompires. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Captain America #14

/ / Comics

captain-america-14-coverCaptain America finds himself fighting the new Scourge, but long before Sharon Carter can arrive to tell him it’s one of his friends under the mask Steve Rogers figures out who is trying to kill him.

Most of the comic centers around Cap’s fight with Scourge and the immediate aftermath involve Sharon Carter’s actions to save the man she loved. It’s clear Cap can forgive her for using lethal force to take down a former friend, but the question that lingers as the issue comes to a close is whether Sharon will ever forgive herself.

The episode is a weird mix of art by Patrick Zircher and Mike Deodato, Jr. The two styles don’t really mesh all that well giving the comic a somewhat unsatisfying feel. The story itself works well, setting up more conflict and guilt for Cap with the loss of another friend (although I’ve never been a fan of D-Man and didn’t even know he was even alive somewhere in the Marvel Universe so it’s not like Codename: Bravo did this to the Falcon). Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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