Is it just me, or was this kind of a “meh” week for comics? And why didn’t I get RUNAWAYS 17? There shall be a reckoning.
BATMAN: THE 12 CENT ADVENTURE: My shop was giving this away for free, and it was worth every penny. Another woman messes up horribly while trying to live up to Batman’s impossibly high standards. Just to modulate that formula, she’s also trying to be worthy of dreamy, perfect Robin. Adolescent self-esteem issues spark a gang war, which makes the already annoying prospect of a line-wide crossover kind of idiotic in the process.
BIRDS OF PREY 71: Boy, this arc really seems padded. Lots of things happened in this issue, but none of them really seemed to advance the plot or answer any of the story’s questions. I did like the scenes between Huntress and Vixen, though.
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON 6: I get it now. The Falcon is the character who Knows How the World Works. On one hand, it’s great to see the Falcon portrayed as Cap’s equal partner instead of his sidekick. On the other, he’s kind of a scold. And the Scarlet Witch’s characterization seems to be drifting somewhere between Ilsa in Casablanca and Natasha Fatale in Bullwinkle. But her behavior is supposed to raise suspicions, so I can live with it for now.
ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE 1: It’s shaping up to be exactly the kind of story Warren Ellis might have done in GLOBAL FREQUENCY, but it’s going to take four issues instead of one. On the bright side, there’s a nice introduction of a classic Marvel character to the Ultimate line.
UNCANNY X-MEN 447: Care Bear assault plans are Care Bear assault plans, no matter how you try and justify them in captions. The dialogue seems to be skidding towards dire. But Alan Davis sure can draw, and that makes up for an awful lot.
And the highlight of the week? ESSENTIAL AVENGERS Vol. 4! Classic (if dated) Avengers stories! A veritable who’s who of members and guest stars! Great art by Buscema and Adams! Now, if only I can resist the urge to run out and buy a jumbo variety pack of magic markers to color in all the pages. (Can anyone recommend a brand that won’t bleed through paper? I’m only human.)