Comics for August 23

[dvandom]

                    Dave's Unspoilt Capsules and Awards
         The Week's Picks and Pans, plus Awards of Dubious Merit

Standard Disclaimers: Please set appropriate followups.  Recommendation does
not factor in price.  Not all books will have arrived in your area this week.
Bleh, I'm so very weary.  Want to sleep.  Rants, Capsules can be found on my 
             homepage, http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/Rants 

     Dropping the First Looks section for now.  This semester I have a group
meeting late in the afternoon, so don't expect to get to the comic shop until
comics are out, or nearly so.
     Warning, I'm kinda loopy and tired right now, which is making me feel
kinda writer's-blocky.

Capsules:
     Short, relatively spoiler-free reviews of books I actually bring home
(as opposed to reading in preview form in the shop or online).  If I get a
book late due to distributor foulups or whatever, I'll put it in the Missing
section.

     eXiles #85: Marvel - For what I seem to recall is a last minute "can you
do one last story before Claremont comics in?" for Bedard, it's got some good
bits.  Pelletier turns in his usual solid work.  Recommended.  $2.99/$3.75Cn 
     52 #15 (of 52): DC - Given the cover, there would't have been much
suspense even if this WASN'T a delayed issue.  I will say that the final
panel feels almost like an editorial command to make sure it's unequivocal,
no mysterious vanishing, just dead, dead, dead, nyeah.  If the actual story
leading up to this had been better, I might not mind, but it's mostly just
the character being a jerk, then going nuts.  Neutral.  $2.50/$3.50Cn
     52 #16 (of 52): DC - Shifting gears, this is pretty much just Khandaq
stuff with a splash of the space plot at the end.  A decent job, although the
big moral dilemma is pretty cliche.  Mildly recommended.  $2.50/$3.50Cn
     Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #21: DC - Very little Supergirl
this time out, which I think works better.  Until they're ready to change her
outlook, most of what she says and does is going to be kinda redundant.  Gim
gets some okay scenes, but the main focus is clearly the Dreamy plot, as
indicated by the cover.  And it's rendered somewhat...Academic, to make a
reference maybe a handful of people will get.  :)  Recommended.
$2.99/$4.00Cn 
     Blue Beetle #6: DC - Largely a running caper/fight scene, with a little
information (mainly confirmation) doled out and the promise of a proper
reveal next issue.  Recommended.  $2.99/$4.00Cn


Gone Missing:
     Stuff that came out some places this week and that I wanted to buy, but
couldn't find for whatever reason, so people don't have to email me asking
"Why didn't you review X?"  (If it's neither here nor in the section above,
though, feel free to ask, I might have forgotten about it!)

     Current list as of 8/23:

     Still missing Keif Llama V2.1, Stinz Tribals (which Diamond's system
says "will come in" June 14, and nothing else), Gold Digger Perfect Memory
v5, Anthem #3, Gold Digger Tangent #2, Gold Digger Throne of Shadows #3,
Devil's Panties #3,  Elric #4 and the Transformers Beast Wars poster.  


Awards:

Best Book: None.  Slim week, and nothing knocked my socks off.

"They Make Pills For That, Kid" Award to eXiles #85

"Even If It Is A Plot Device, DiDio's A Jerk" Award to 52 #15 (of 52)

"They Make Pills For That Too" Award to 52 #16 (of 52)

"Three...Two...One...CONTACT!" Award to Supergirl and the Legion of
     Super-Heroes #31

"Phantom Stranger's Still A Jerk...Nice To See Some Things Don't Change"
     Award to Blue Beetle #6

   Dave Van Domelen, "Bub." - eXiles #85

Comments

[scavgraphics.livejournal.com]

oh there it is in the unfocused blur in front of my eyes..
Must need coffee.

[scavgraphics.livejournal.com]

didn't much care for the issue. Frankly it's a lot of wheel spinning. And since Kitson was supposed to be some kind of co-plotter on the book, why is Bedard there? And what is Kitson doing that he's almost never actually drawing the book. this book is just going in circles. Only one of this ultimized legion was developed in new interesting ways, and she's been dead for like 6 issues.