Birds of Prey #5: I love Huntress on that cover. Alina Arusa did an awesome job with Huntress. I’m not too keen on the background stuff–I find the cover too busy–but I understand what the artist was going for. This image doesn’t do the actual cover justice. Trust me. The art in the issue suffers from the lack of Benes (get well soon, Mr. Benes), but at least one of the pinch hitter’s (Melo) does an okay job filling in; the other, not so much. The story here really serves as a bridge to the next storyline, as most of what happens is reflection, rebuilding (a hint of at least), and healing. In other words, not too much goes on this issue, but that’s ok. All stories can’t (and shouldn’t) be all actiony.
Brightest Day #10: I so hate stories where everyone is related, especially when the potential hero is the son of the bad guy. The whole Aquaman storyline is turning into a incestuous soap opera–I hope they move past that very soon. It’s like Johns/Tomasi are trying really hard to say, “Look! It’s the new Aqualad! Isn’t he awesome! He’s awesome, isn’t he?” Hmm, not so much yet. Give me more Aquaman in the Aquaman storyline, please. And did I miss something? When did Black Lantern Firestorm turn out to be such a fan favorite? I mean, he has to be, right, to be sticking around after Blackest Night? I predict that Ronnie and Jason will put aside their differences and work together in an Afternoon Special style to defeat their dark doppelgänger.
DC Universe: Legacies #5: LOVE THAT COVER! Ahh, Mr. Pérez, I so loved you back in 1985, so this is a nice stroll down memory lane. Even better, Pérez draws the interior pages as well, and the New Teen Titans get some love because of it as they pop up throughout the issue. Batman is firmly placed in this latest version of the DCU as a “superhero”, and gone is the “urban legend” Batman (from post Zero Hour). As is shown in this issue, someone takes video of Batman and Robin (Jason Todd) fighting Scarecrow, and that makes total sense. With Batman being a constant presence in Gotham, not to mention his associations with other heroes, people are going to see him and capture him in photos and videos. Also, it was great to see the Earth-1 Supergirl again, if only for one panel. The second story was a total waste of time. I didn’t care for the Simonson art, nor the rip off of the Star Trek episode “The Savage Curtain” (yes, I know that type of story is as old as time, but that’s where my brain went).
Unwritten #17: Oh my god, this issue was so much fun! It was done in a Choose Your Own Adventure style, thus allowing multiple, different readings. I’ve read through three different “paths” (though with several panels shared between the different paths) so far, and I think I have at least one more path to read, if not two. I remember hearing someone at one of the DC San Diego Comic-Con panels talking about how difficult it was to get the comic put together with all the disconnected panels; well, they did a bang up job with it!
Zatanna #5: That’s a nicely colored cover. And I liked how the word “Continued” at the end of the issue was spelled backwards. Everything else in between those two things was just ok. Pretty run of the mill magic hero stuff. Considering that Paul Dini was behind this series, I was so hoping for a more interesting take on Zatanna, but so far it’s just been ho hum. Also, does Chad Hardin’s artwork remind anyone else of Mike Zeck’s?
Longbox Review 