Comics

Red Robin #23

/ / Comics

red-robin-23-coverA new mystery unfolds for Red Robin as attempts are made on the lives of both Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox (who is “killed”), as well as several other prominent figures including Dr. Light.

His search leads him to ask help from both Batman and Jim Gordon as well as spening a little kissy-face time in mid-air with Lynx. The assassin appears to be wearing the armor of Scarab, an assassin Red Robin knows all too well. Getting him released from prison so she could lead him to her secret cabal seemed like a good idea… but if the last panel is any indication it’s going to cause far more trouble than he could have imagined.

It’s nice to see another appearance by Lynx. I’d actually like more of her but Red Robin’s life is chaotic enough just fitting her in for a couple of panels (like this one). The storyline begun here should give us quite a few action-packed issues as the league of Scarab (Scarab League?) sets their sights squarely on a single hero. Sadly, Tim loses a couple of cool points for only seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark three times? Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Amazing Spider-Man #660

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amazing-spider-man-660-coverAs the Future Foundation battle the Sinister Six on pirate island (or whatever you want to call it) a little misdirection lets other members of the team sneak into the Baxter Building to steal one of Reed Richards‘ pet projects. I’m going to go out on a limb and say whatever use Doc Ock has for whatever he stole isn’t going to be good for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Interesting moments (even if they are borrowed from a lackluster movie plot) as the FF find themselves shifting through each others powers (and Spidey gets a temporary makeover sure to give you nightmares). There’s also a nice scene of the FF showing old Web-Head some love and positive reinforcement after the battle (which, as he says, he’s unaccustomed to).

And, finally, the Carlie Cooper tattoo fiasco in a switcheroo that makes no sense whatsoever and yet is still better than what was shown in last issue with her brilliant idea of branding her body with the image of the man who threw Peter Parker’s first love off a bridge. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Batgirl #21

/ / Comics

batgirl-21-coverBatgirl faces off with another Reaper as “The Lesson” continues. However, what’s more important is what’s happening with her supporting cast. Proxy is leaving Gotham for Nada Parbat directly on the heels of Oracle pulling back her involvement in “Team Batgirl.”

One of the strengths of Bryan Q. Miller’s run is the interpersonal relationships of Stephanie Brown with these characters. It seems the comic is moving into high-gear in putting Batgirl on her own island, but I’ve got to say I’m going to miss the interplay these other supporting figures provided. Maybe Miller could borrow the underutilized Lady Blackhawk from Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey to help liven things back up? At least next month’s team up with Squire should provide some fun.

The latest issue also shows us how far the new Grey Ghost is going to go in order to protect Batgirl, even if that means betraying her to her enemies. I’m sad that with everyone else leaving this is the character who seems to be sticking around, but we’ll have to wait awhile to see how this storyline plays itself out. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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FF #3

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ff-3-coverThe FF and Doctor Doom team up to take down not one, but four Reed Richards. And they’re also enlisting the help of several of the Fantastic Four’s old foes (including the High Evolutionary, Diablo, the Mad Thinker, and the Wizard) to help.

It seems Valeria made a bad mistake by releasing four Reed Richards from other worlds into our own. And these men haven’t exactly been idle since entering our reality and they’re more than willing to sacrifice our world for their own ends.

Even if this one is mostly backstory fill-in, it’s a solid issue all around and includes some fun moments such as the various villains being summoned to the Baxter Building for an evening with Victor von Doom. Classic.

On the negative side, this is at least the third time I’ve seen the Watcher make an appearance in as many months. That’s far too often, especially here when his appearance isn’t warranted in this issue. Instead it’s used to over-hype the events that may occur in the next few issues. I like the Watcher, but if he starts showing up for every calendar event the entire point of his character is made worthless. Just sayin’. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Flashpoint #1

/ / Comics

flashpoint-1-coverBarry Allen wakes in his office in Central City only to realize it isn’t his Central City. He’s not the Flash, and the world around him isn’t his own.

Alternate reality comics are a staple of the business (just ask the X-Men who have been doing this on a regular basis for decades now). They’re also severally limited. Nothing that happens in this reality matters outside of it. And usually few, if any, characters remember the events which took place in the other reality.

As alternate stories go Flashpoint isn’t awful. The first issue does a good job setting up the differences in the world. There is no Superman, no Justice League, Abin Sur never died bequething his ring to Hal Jordan, and Batman isn’t the Wayne we know.

This world is trapped in wars with both Wonder Woman and the Amazons and Aquaman and the Atlateans. And the closest thing the resistance has to a leader is… Cyborg. Oh, that can’t be good.

…

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