Quick Take Reviews for September 16

New Avengers 34
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley

Because of the Labor day holiday weekend and traveling back East, I am really behind on reviews. To be honest, I haven’t read all of the last two week’s books. Part of them I just skimmed, and part of them I read because of curiosity or need. Because of this, I am trying to condense this group of reviews into the simplest form for me. There are things that need to be said, so I am going to be brief and talk about the good and the bad. Having said that, here we go…. It’s review time.

Black Canary Wedding Planner: In which Black Canary and some dude with red hair who could be Green Arrow prepare for marriage.

The good: the Takeshi’s Castle reference. It made me smile gleefully, as it reminded me of MXC, the show that used to air on Spike frequently.

The bad: the characters seemed, well, out of character. Canary would have had Barbara coordinate the whole thing most likely. They are best friends after all. Vixen and Diana seemed thrown in for the sake of the JLA connection. Where was Mia and Connor?

Summary: Cute. As someone who has been a bride, I wasn’t sold on it, but it had it’s moments.

Y The Last Man #58: I literally could not breathe after turning the last page of this book. 355 meets her fate as the book winds towards it’s conclusion with issue #60.

The good: The dialogue between 355 and Yorick. I also enjoyed the build up of tension that happened with the supporting characters. This book is definitely going out with a bang.

The bad: 355’s fate. I am a sad camper.

Summary: This is the quality I have been craving. Between Y and 100 Bullets, I am getting my faith back. Good stuff.

Infinity Inc. #1: Steel and Natasha form a team from the ashes of Luthor’s aforenamed unit.

The good: I like Steel and Natasha.

The bad: This book was jumbled. I couldn’t quite get a flow going. There was too much going on and the tone was not at all what I expected. I was disappointed.

Summary: Not a good start. I am going to pick up issue 2 and hope for improvements.

Amazing Spider-Man #544: One More Day starts here. Now is the time to find out if Mary Jane goes away and if Aunt May bites it. Evidently Marvel is taking Peter back to basics and I am not a happy camper.

The good: The Iron Man throwdown and Jarvis’s contribution.

The bad: The art was not Quesada’s best. The noses kept me cringing, and I repeatedly wondered why a man who already has a job couldn’t have hired someone who actually needed one to do the work. The art would have been much better to be sure.

Summary: The descent begins here. Madness or gladness? I don’t know.

Justice League of America Wedding Special: Wherein the Injustice League starts up with a bang and a few pages are devoted to stag night and a bachelorette party.

The good: Dwaine McDuffie’s excellent scripting. Mike McKone and Andy Lanning’s superb artwork. This book really made me happy in most respects.

The bad: there wasn’t much party in the issue, so I felt a bit misled.

Summary: The next JLA story arc is shaping up to be a great one. McDuffie is poised to bring a sweet tale to the masses, and I can’t wait!

Booster Gold #2: The title character must help Guy Gardner in an unexpected way.

The good: This is good old fashioned story telling I have been craving. Jurgens and Rapmund bring it all home with excellent art. I think Geoff Johns has been secretly dying to write Booster and just didn’t want to tell us all. I love this book.

The bad: I honesly don’t have any quibbles. I am in love.

Summary: A nice surprise from DC. This is a must read.

The New Avengers #34: The team must find out if any of them are Skrulls. Much divisiveness and clever dialogue ensues.

The good: Bendis made a believer out of me with this issue’s excellent story. He reminded me why he is considered such a great story teller. Jessica and Luke’s interaction sold it for me.

The bad: I am not a huge fan of Leinel Yu’s art.

Summary: One of the better issues since Civil War. Maybe this Skrull thing won’t make me too angry.

Suicide Squad: From the Ashes #1: Turn back the clock two years, folks. It is time to take a trip pre-Crisis to see how the Squad got to where it was today.

The good: Amanda Waller. I love that character, and her portrayal here is spot-on. I also got a bit misty when I saw Javier Pina and Robin Riggs’ art in this issue. It made me miss Manhunter and their fantastic work on that book. I am happy to see them back together here.

The bad: I wish I knew more Suicide Squad back story. I never read the book back in the day.

Summary: This is another excellent book from DC. Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, and the gang are back for one last tango.

That is it for now. I have a lot more reading to do!