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The Week in Comics #2

I'm still behind the times on some books, though I am current with others. I'm trying to figure out what my pull list will consist of, so I expect a few more weeks of the same sort of mixture. I want to leave some room for flexibility as well. Anyway, here's what I read this week...

Secret Six #29 - This is the second part to a story that started in last week's Action Comics. While I was interested in how the story evolved, I was drawn in by the characters. Bane's demeanor is very menacing yet calm and I'd forgotten how much Deadshot's humor works in the hands of a good writer - and Gail Simone definitely qualifies. I've been interested in this title since its inception and maybe this crossover is the impetus I need to give it a go. We'll see.

Detective Comics #871 - This comic came out the day before Thanksgiving, I believe. and I've just now been able to get a copy. The cover is very striking and signals two things you get inside - moody art (by Jock on the main story and Francesco Francavilla on the backup) and stark coloring (David Baron brings a specific color palette to most pages). Both sides of the story deal with the past - Batman's, Dick's, and Gordon's. I have the second issue in my file at the comics shop - it'll be in next week's purchases without a doubt.

Thor the Mighty Avenger #8 - The worst thing about this comic is seeing a box on the bottom of the cover claiming that this issue is the eighth of an eight-part mini-series. Why? It wasn't originally solicited that way. In fact, Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee had planned on a 12 issue story arc and the sales did not allow them to fulfill that vision. It's too bad, because this comic has been a ton of fun and Samnee's art (ably assisted by the colors of Matt Wilson) has been flat-out awesome. The storytelling choices are so clever, such as on when a character is framed in a broken video screen. I wish this comic could go on for a long time but I will cherish the 8 issues we did get.

Knight & Squire #3 - You wouldn't think that focusing mainly on the villain instead of the heroes in a 6 issue mini-series featuring characters who haven't been seen all that much was a good idea but when the villain in question is a newly-resurrected clone of Richard III, you would be wrong. So much fun. Meanwhile, we do get glimpses of other British heroes and some hints of relationships for our titular heroes. I would have no problem with a second mini-series or an ongoing with this creative team once this series is done.

Starman/Congorilla #1 - I haven't been following James Robinson's run on JLA, so I don't know what he's been doing with the Mikaal Tomas Starman over the last year or so. This comic has a striking Gene Ha cover (this month's batch of DC books have been featuring simple cover designs with only the logos and characters on a white background and are very sharp) and that was enough to push me to buy it. I'm glad I did because it features not only the two heroes on the cover but also Animal Man, Tasmanian Devil, and Rex the Wonder Dog. It's fun and enough to get me past Brett Booth's art. It's not awful but not my favorite.

The Unwritten #21 - Tom Taylor is trapped within Moby Dick and allows himself to be caught up in the rhythm of the story while also trying to maintain his sense of identity. Once he decides to commit "grand theft narrative," things get really interesting and that's on top of his conversation with Frankenstein's monster and Lizzie determining what sort of vampire Richie might be. Plus, there's yet another knockout cover by Yuko Shimizu. This is my favorite comic right now.

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