Comics Are Expensive: Atomic Robo,PS238, Buffy, & Casanova (Also B-Sides)
Originally published at Expertologist. You can comment here or there.
Busy Wednesday for comics this week, making the new Comics Are Expensive the longest one yet. So long, in fact, that there’s wasn’t room for whole lumbering colossus of text, and the “Quick Bits”, the paragraph reviews introduced last week to cover all the other stuff I’m reading besides the three or four titles getting the longer treatment, didn’t make the cut. In the interest of posterity and basking in the warm glow of my own assumed cleverness, I’ve decided to throw them up here. Enjoy.
QUICK BITS
Several of these to get through this week, so let’s not waste time, eh?
Angel #4 (Whedon & Lynch, Urru): Still moving along at a stuttering pace: every time the plot gets to move forward a little, we have to stop everything for yet another reunion with a character from the show. I understand getting the band back together in form of the main cast, but bringing in the likes of Electric Girl and Wolf Girl (I’m not so good with names) and Groosalugg is quickly dragging things down into a plodding version of “This is Your Life”. The story’s - when it can happen - is still interesting, though, with answers finally arriving and a rather major explosion at the end. On the verge of being moved to trades if the cast of thousands thing doesn’t lay off.
Criminal #1 (Brubaker, Phillips): Did you know every one of these things so far has had a Brubaker book in it? It’s not too surprising - the guy somehow manages to produce a substantial number of books each month without dropping the ball quality-wise, and I seem to have no choice but to buy a great many of them. The new series of Criminal sees Brubaker and Phillips doing the crime story like few (if any) others around, slowly building up the history of two former friends raised in world of violence, power, and the need respect. It’s easy to say things will end badly, but if Criminal has proven anything, it’s that you never know how bad it’s going to get. A must read, particularly with the return of the series’ always interesting back matter.
Green Lantern #28 (Johns, McKone): The fallout of the Sinestro Corps War continues apace, introducing the enraged Red Lanterns, setting up the greed-filled Orange Lanterns, and giving us more of the super creepy Alpha Lanterns, the Internal Affairs of the Green Lantern Corps. It’s a bit unfair to say enjoying this book and the excellent crossover that wrapped up a few months ago requires a working knowledge of a half dozen different crossovers and events - yes, the story pulls in a number of elements introduced over several years worth of story, but Johns does an excellent job of providing the important beats of information for each and every one as things build towards the Next Big Thing. While the fate of Laira was a bit predictable, it was no less well done, and I’m incredibly psyched for the oncoming war amongst the different representatives of the emotional spectrum. Man, I wish there was even a halfway cool way of saying that.
Northlanders #4 (Wood, Gianfelice): Sven’s comeuppance for last issue’s bout of skullduggery arrives faster and more brutal than expected, dropping the number of cast members in the book by a couple of notches. While the deaths here weren’t exactly surprising, the pace Wood and Gianfelice are running the story at regularly catches me off guard. It’s always nice to encounter a story that’s not afraid of hurting its characters, and everyone here seems to be living on borrowed time. Secrets begin to surface, motivations become clearer, and several characters have some growing up to do. All this, plus a nice look at Viking beliefs and why even warriors take the winter off. Northlanders continues to go for the gut every time, and while it may not work each time it’s more than worth it to stick around for the punches that find their mark.
Uncanny X-Men #496 (Brubaker, Choi): Look, I don’t know why a Celestial is standing in the San Francisco bay, how he got there, or what issue of what book it happened in. I just love that he’s there. The world of the X-men continues to get weirder as Emma and Scott go to a hippy-fied San Francisco (and man-o-man, there’s something hilarious about a guy wearing a full body condom ordering some long-haired freak to stay away from him and his girl), while Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler get in trouble in Russia. This book continues to be everything I want from Marvel’s merry mutants, and it’s clear the creative team is having a great time providing it. Also, sorta-kinda major spoilers for anybody following Astonishing X-Men, just so you know.