Comics Roundup for 9/30/09

I hope to write something else later, but this technically fulfills the qualifications of Blog-a-Day. I do have to say though, Scott has been pretty gracious in acknowledging that I have been the clear winner of the previous Blog-A-Day months. I was a little surprised to see that he was so eager to already name me the winner for this year, but I figure he must have good reasons for it. Anyway, enough of that crap; here come the comics:

Thor #603 - This is the penultimate issue of J.M. Straczynski's run on the title, and it looks like his next issue will be a double-sized special, but it won't be #604. I guess that this has something to do with his exclusive contract to DC, but it would have been nice to get this series more often than once in a blue moon. Despite these feelings though, I really like what he's done with the character and the series, and I'll give the new writer a chance to get my attention, as I'm hoping that it's going to be good. Oh, and this was a pretty good issue, by the way - sort of brutal as well, but it's nice to have a comic jar me a bit.

Gotham City Sirens #4 - Harley Quinn, as written by Paul Dini, has a personality that reminds me of some girls and women I've known in my life all-too much. It looks like the Joker is back in the picture, and she's once again making excuses for him and getting all co-dependent. I'm still on board for this series, as I want to see how this all plays out now that she has loyalties to Catwoman and Poison Ivy now as well. Oh, and I like that Hush continues to play an important role in Gotham City.



Star Wars: Legacy #40 - This was a decent issue. Considering how hit-and-miss this series has been for me, I think that I need to re-read a big chunk of issues in a row. After all, I've really dug the high points, and maybe the low points will seem better when I read it all in just a few sittings. I like what they're doing with Cade Skywalker's mom, as this makes him easily one of the most complex, character-wise, characters in the Star Wars universe.

Green Lantern #46 - Anybody who actually reads this knows that I love this series, and I loved this issue as well. I suppose that one could read Blackest Night without reading this series too, but they're really missing out. This one delves a little deeper into the Indigo Tribe, whose powers are fueled by compassion. There's so much potential in the concept of the different colors corresponding with different emotions, and this story is definitely delving into it while keeping it all a fun read at the same time.



Spider-Man: Clone Saga #1 of 6 - Years ago, back when I was in college, there was a story called the "Clone Saga" in the Spider-Man books. While it eventually went on to become known as a story that turned off a lot of Spider-Man fans from his adventures, I always thought that there definitely were some high points to the story. For instance, when it all started, I was really into it. In fact, I don't even think that I was getting all of the Spider-Man books until that whole thing started up.

Anyway, this series is like a "Director's Cut". Turns out that the reason why it did all go on too long had to do with marketing, and not creative, control of the books. This series is an attempt by two of the original writers to tell the story as it was meant to be. What do I think so far? Oddly enough, it's nice to see Ben (Peter Parker's Clone) Reilly back. Personally, I think that if this story is told well, then it should become part of the canon, and we can forget about all the lame "Maximum Clonage" stuff.



The Amazing Spider-Man #607 - This story arc fizzled a bit for me, but I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that Mike McKone didn't do all the art on it, and there's a jarring transition in the last few pages. Considering how gorgeous the last issue was, this one really suffered. Still, it's cool to see The Black Cat as another monkeywrench in Spider-Man's life, and I look forward to more of her.

Hulk #15 - Man, this series is silly. It's all one big fight between Red Hulk and a team of anti-heroes against X-Force. Wolverine tears into "Rulk's" face and blinds him. Silly, silly, silly, and I'll keep coming back for more.

Astra: An Astro City Special #1 of 2 - In between the "Dark Times" story arcs, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson have been doing these "spotlight" issues on various characters in the Astro City universe. Honestly, I'm digging these more than the big, epic story. What's also cool is that unlike most comic book characters, Busiek's can age. Last time I read a story about Astra, she was a little kid (and now I want to re-read it!) With this, she's just graduated and is a young woman. Seems like she still has the same problems - trying to be normal in a non-normal world. Fun stuff.