Comics Roundup for 2/17/10

Batman #596 - This is really one long, winding story with a lot of subplots, and supposedly it's all going to wrap up next issue. I think that I should definitely take the time to read the entire story again in one sitting when the next issue comes out. There was a pretty cool moment in there where Dick shows off that he can plan ahead nearly as well as his mentor. Also, I must again mention that Tony Daniel's art has never looked better.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #9 - Well, crud. I remember enjoying the last issue by fill-in writer Mike Benson, but I didn't remember what the story was about. I basically read through this and was kind of confused. I guess there's one more comic to add to the "go back and reread" list. Still, Dustin Nguyen's art was looking really good, and I'm still enjoying the "Manhunter" backups in this series. That said, I'm still eager to have Paul Dini come back to continue on with some of the threads he's been building on in this series.

Spider-Woman #6 - This was a pretty fun issue, as it pits Spider-Woman against the Thunderbolts. I don't really know much about the current team of Thunderbolts, but this issue addresses what my first impression of them was - a bunch of "who the hell are these guys"? Jessica had the same attitude, and she did a cool job of humiliating them without it seeming like it was too easy. While I've been able to follow this story issue-by-issue just fine, I think that this is yet another one that will read better in one sitting. Shoot...I don't have much planned this weekend. I should do just that.

The Amazing Spider-Man #621 - As much as I was looking forward to this whole "The Gauntlet" storyline, where all the old villains came back, I have to say that it was nice to see this issue devote itself to a more recent villain - Mr. Negative. He's getting more and more interesting, and in the spirit of old Spidey villains, he seems pretty unstoppable as of right now. I would also like to point out how much I loved Michael Lark's pencils in this issue. While I really enjoyed his stuff on Daredevil, I wouldn't have thought of him as a good match for Spider-Man. Well, that's a load of crap, because this was really well-done, and the man is great at storytelling. Everything rolls along from one panel to the next rather smoothly, and the image of Spidey getting punched through a building sticks in my head after only one reading.

Blackest Night: The Flash #3 (of 3) - Yeah, this is mostly filler, and the story with the Rogues Gallery was more interesting than the one with the title character. Oh well, three issues wasn't a big commitment, so that's all good.

The Astounding Wolf-Man #21 - This is yet another title where I don't find myself having much to say about each issue, but I definitely know that I enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure that for the past few months, I've commented on the fact that the series is going to be ending soon and how that disappoints me. Consider it said yet again right here.

Green Lantern #51 - Now this is how you do a crossover issue. Between this issue and the last, you have a complete story that also fits in nicely with the larger context of "Blackest Night". Basically, you've got Hal Jordan deliberately joining up with Parallax in order to defeat a Black Lantern Specter (or is that Black Lantern The Specter?) Considering that Parallax was the thing that made him fall from grace in the first place, it was cool to see him show no fear of the entity that represents fear itself. I guess there's a reason why he's considered the greatest of the Green Lanterns.

Dark Avengers #14 - This is another good way to do a crossover issue. Instead of taking place in between issues of Siege, this one fills in some blanks of what happened before. In particular, it goes into what exactly the deal is with The Sentry. Considering what that guy wound up doing to Ares, I'm pretty curious as to what his deal is as well. I guess there are probably only a couple more issues left of this series, and while I definitely think that it should conclude with the end of Siege, I'll have to say that I will miss it.

Captain America #603 - This continues the story that started (and riled up the Tea Party types) last issue. Nothing too special happens, but I definitely have to say that I'm glad that Ed Brubaker is using The Falcon as much as he is. I always liked him, and he's used quite effectively here. I never read the original appearances of the character, so I can't comment on those, but I definitely don't feel as though he's just some sort of token African American character. He definitely brings something interesting to the story, and Brubaker does a good job of neither ignoring nor focusing too much on the fact that he's black.

Daredevil #505 - I think it's pretty safe to say that I have no intention of dropping this title anytime soon. Andy Diggle continues to run with the story of Matt Murdock now being in charge of The Hand, but now it seems as though he's not playing them as much as he thinks he is - and it very well could be that they're playing HIM instead. I also like the new artist.