'06 Comics In Reviews, Part 1

And for Part 1, we start with DC. It hasn't been a real good year for me and DC, as they've seemingly gone out of their way to try and piss me off. Actually that's been going on since Identity Crisis and War Games, so I guess it's not that recent of a development. Regardless, here's a look at the books I purchased this year, with some Adorable Baby Panda input.

Batgirl (72-73) - After these two issues, the book was cancelled, and Didio proceeded to crap on the remains. But we'll get to that soon enough.

High Point: #73, when Cassandra winds up not dying, thanks to a little dip in the Lazarus Pit. Then she kills Lady Shiva, who just happens to be her mother, and leaves her hanging over said Lazurus Pit. {ABP doesn't approve of matricide, but is willing to give her a temporary insanity pass. Also, ABP buys my argument that Cassandra is doing what Shiva wants by ending her life, but is leaving her over the pit so she can be "reborn" and start anew, so she gets some applause for that.}

Low Point: #72, when Cassandra gets stabbed in the chest by Cain's first attempt and appears to die. {Big props from ABP to her, for risking her life like that, and managing to kick the Mad Dog in the face with a severe knife wound. And Shiva seemed concerned for Cass, so points for that.}

Blue Beetle (10) - Well, I did buy it, but I don't really have anything to say that wasn't said in last week's reviews. It was good enough to make me buy it again next month, and that's what the comics' companies are shooting for, right? {ABP would like to remind you that Brenda was pretty cool fighting off those little alien things, and that it thinks Jamie having his own little tech support crew is very nifty.}

Ion (1) - This made no sense when I bought it, and from the casual skimming I've done of subsequent issues, I'm not certain Marz has fixed that problem. On the plus side, that artist Kyle kind of likes hasn't died yet, so good for her. {Oh, and Adorable Baby Pandas like the art to be clear enough so they can tell what's actually happening, okay Mr. Tocchini?}

Robin (146-151) - This was a sad development. I'd been reading Robin monthly since roughly #85, and I finally had to give it up, as Beechen did a less than stellar job explaining the editorally mandated bullshit.

High Point: #146 & #147, as Robin takes a squad of Titans to a secret Luthor base to recover something that could help Conner. He's clever, concerned for his friends, freaking out over Bluedhaven, and aware of others' problems enough to let Wonder Girl fight the giant robots as stress release. {ABP is strangely fascinated by the weird splotches/moles all over Conner's dessicated body. Yeah, I don't know what they are, either.} It wasn't a bad end to Willingham's stint on the book, though I think he would have done better if he hadn't killed Spoiler, and Meltzer hadn't killed Jack Drake, but what do I know? {ABP is inching away from me right now.}

Low Point: #148-151. It was actually an average story until the last few issues, when the Mandate From God, I mean, Satan, I mean Didio became clear. At that point, it became a giant ball of Suck, and the title and I parted ways. The moral of the story? I don't take kindly to people screwing with Cassie Cain. {ABP isn't saying anything right now, choosing to keep a distance as I seethe.}

Shadowpact (8) - Not much to say really. I liked the book, liked the Artist of the Month, like the cast of characters that I know little about. Maybe books involving magic - with its connections to fantasy - more readily lend themselves to less gritty, dark stories, which I seem to be developing a greater appreciation for with age.

Supergirl (6) - Ah, Greg Rucka's one issue of Supergirl. It had Power Girl, and she was cool. {ABP agrees, feeling that PG would be a valuable butt-kicker working alongside the pandas}. Supergirl looked somewhat less dangerously skinny, and we hadn't yet gotten to her tounge-kissing Earth-3's version of her cousin. Yikes. Thanks for that image Kelly and Churchill. It made the salt I quickly poured in my eye feel delightful by comparison {Adorable Baby Panda is asking me why I have such a pained expression on my face right now. I don't think I'll be sharing the reason.}

Superman/Batman (26) - The Sam Loeb tribute issue. Yeah, it was mostly fluff, and the plot wasn't anything special, but it made a lot more sense than any other storyarc in Superman/Batman so far. What? Tell me I'm wrong! And it was fun to read. Goofy, kind of Lethal Weapon style banter (LW 2, after Riggs and Murtaugh have become buddies), and I thought it had a nice message about the importance of having friends, someone to share with. So there you go.

Teen Titans (31-41, plus Annual #1) - Amazingly, for as much as I kvetched about its lateness, Teen Titans did actually release 12 issues this calendar year, plus an annual. Sure, several of the issues were repeating the same mess that Johns was writing in Infinite Crisis, which is kind of cheating Geoff, but numerically he pulled it off. Execution wise, not so much. You had the conclusion of a Brother Blood story, with that nonsensical Captain Carrot stuff. Two issues rehashing Infinite Crisis stuff, a Doom Patrol story, and this Titans Around the World arc that made me give up. Just too depressing, and coming from someone who reads Ultimate Emo, I mean Ultimate Spider-Man, that should say something.

High Point: #34-37. After a rough first couple of issues, where I hated the team, and all they seemed to do was bicker with each other (thank goodness they got over that, right? Right?), they got to the business of stopping the Brotherhood of Evil and exposing Niles Caulder as a manipulative bastard, one that makes Ultimate Nick Fury seem like an amateur. Fighting evil, acting at least a little like a cohesive group. Cheers. {ABP congratulates Steve Dayton for taking off the Mento helmet and laying down the law on Caulder.}

Low Point: This should probably be #33, which I famously gave a 0 out of 5, due to the fact that all but two or three panels seemed totally worthless, but I'll give it to #32 instead, for rehashing the dumb Superboy-Prime Against Everyone fight from Infinite Crisis #4. Plus, Johns decided to finally tell us what the blue arrow in Speedy's quiver was, and I gotta say, a Phantom Zone arrow? That didn't even work? Weak sauce. We aren't saying "Booooo", we're saying "How could you dooooooo something that silly?"

So, that's Part 1. Tomorrow, we'll switch over to Marvel, and I'm going to start with the team-oriented books. Watch as I try to find any high point for New Avengers! Hmm, maybe it's trying to find the lowest point that will be hardest.