Worst to First: 1/17/07


A weak week, with only four books, but a strong showing from DC, earning my every dollar. It could be argued that there isn’t much point in writing a weekly review when I pick up so few books (a regular load for me is 8-10), but what can I say? I only read books that interest me or I’ve heard good things about, and I only buy books that I really like. And, with a lot of series, I wait for trades. So, mission statement aside, here’s what I bought this week.

Four: Birds of Prey #102

I hate to put Gail Simone at the bottom of the stack on consecutive weeks, but in the three issues I’ve read of Birds of Prey, the book has yet to find a central storyline. I thought from #100 that the arc was going to be about the reformation of Birds of Prey. Then, the next issue seemed to turn completely into a storyline about a government agent going after Oracle. And now, at the end of this issue, we’ve got an entirely new premise (I won’t spoil it, in part because I don’t understand.

That’s not to say this is a bad book. I’ve really enjoyed each issue. The characters are completely realized, the action moves quickly and Barbara Gordon is a great lead. I’m just very unsure of where this train is headed.

Three: Detective Chimp #1

Aside from the fact that artist Shawn McManus can only draw chimpanzees with one face (a combination of surprised and making a sucky face), this was a great book. I’ve really enjoyed the relaunch of the magic side of the DC universe, in large part because Bill Willingham and some other skilled writers have taken a sort of goofy cast of characters and had fun with them. After the Crisis, it was sort of like the reins were thrown loose and the creative teams could run wild. Good times.

One thing about this book was that it didn’t seem like a good intro to the Helmet of Fate event. It had no guidelines for the future issues to follow the storyline, and it treated the Helmet of Fate as really powerful, but basically just a part of an ongoing gag with Detective Chimp. Granted, the issue was really funny and only furthered my love for Chimp. But after reading it, I’m not any more invested in seeing who the next Fate is.

Two: The Spirit #2

Darwyn Cooke, Jeff Bone and Dave Stewart continue with lots of fun, fittingly retro art (though with modern elements) and the return of P’Gell. After reading the Best of the Spirit recently, it was kind of strange to see her given some sympathetic treatment and having her origin revealed, but I’m not some Spirit fundamentalist so I was able to go along for the ride. Particularly good were the obvious setups and jokes that still managed to amuse and another cool splash page (even Jim Doom might like this one). Not so good was the lack of grit. Yes, the Spirit gets beat up. But it has the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon. Eisner’s work was different, with dark overtones and grimy cityscapes. But, again, I’m no purist.

One: 52 #37

Wow, this series is really back in my life in a big way. For a full recap, check out Doom DeLuise’s breakdown of the week that was. This was full-on action in a great way, with a major mystery answered, though it really just led to even more questions. A quick thought: the Crisis pretty seriously messed with time and space. So the major fight at the center of 52 is over the continuity of time. On one side is Rip Hunter and Booster Gold. On the other is fake Skeets. I’m not sure on which side, but you have to imagine the Monitors are involved, along with the blue dudes from Green Lantern. No, I have no clue where this is going. But I’m increasingly more eager to find out. (also, does anyone else get the feeling we’re going to see a new Animal Man series in, oh, about 16 weeks?)