Countdown #39 ~ A title that's copped a lot of flak from fans, widely regarded as being a hurried and mishandled attempt to follow up on the far superior 52. I'd steered clear of it, but almost bought last week's issue (#40 - the issue numbers count down, you see) because it had Renee Montoya in it, but decided agianst it because she's only in one panel, and the art was dreadful - her 'faceless' mask was drawn in such a way that it looked like she was wearing a hockey mask (!). This issue, she's back - drawn properly this time - and Batwoman is with her! Again, only a couple of panels, nothing of substance yet story-wise - but the art is good this time, and I'm willing to jump on board to see where their story goes. The rest of the issue is middle-of-the-road stuff - I've been following the story in online summaries, so I'm not lost, but there's been nothing in Countdown yet that's blown me away the way early 52 did.
World War Hulk #3 ~ Not so much smashing this issue, but a lot of intriguing development. In place of Hulk beating the crap out of people, the story's developing into a trial by fire for Hulk's psyche: put to the ultimate test, will he choose to be a monster or a hero? There's some stuff with Doctor Strange I need to read up on, but as the middle of the story - third issue of five - it adds new and interesting layers, and keeps the excitement level high without just resorting to yet more fight scenes, which would have started to get tired after a while. The art continues powerful, but there's a really nice 'flashback' page depicting old, classic Hulk where the art switches to a lovely retro style, with basic colours, dotted shading, even the 'white' is slightly yellowed so it looks like an old back-issue comic - that was a great touch.
She-Hulk #20 ~ The second-last issue of Dan Slott's run, and thus a lot of running plotlines come to a head here. I imagine this would have been supremely difficult to write, because so much is revealed in such a short space of time that it very well could have seemed like just an infodump, not a story - but it's handled with style and subtlety, and is really enjoyable. This is She-Hulk as its most self-aware, and there's a lot that's meta-commentary on comic books - I wouldn't want every comic to be like this, but I'm glad that there's one that is.
Justice Society of America #8 ~ My favourite issue this week. Jesse Chambers, aka Liberty Belle, takes centre stage in a very involving story that mixes superheroic action with character-driven drama. Much like the previous issue it's a done-in-one story that draws on past issues for added substance, but this time it leans much more heavily on DC continuity in general - which is fair, seeing as Jesse has a long history as a superhero, whereas Citizen Steel (last issue's focus) was newly created. Again, the core story is solid, and a lot of other characters - especially JSA leader Power Girl - get worthwhile material without distracting from Belle, and Damage, another of the team's newbies who she's taken under her wing.
The Order #1 ~ Interesting start. There's so much going on in this issue that it's difficult to say whether I really like the series or not - best to say that I was entertained for now, and if the elements set up here are developed well, I think that will continue. The Order is California's superteam, under Tony Stark's 'Fifty State Initiative' - in their case, regular humans are chosen and trained, and if they're good enough, and there's an opening, they get given powers and put on the team - and if they screw up, they're depowered and replaced by another hopeful. As a reporter in the issue says, it's like the American Idol of superteams - they're in the public spotlight, and the team's training and supervision is heavily influenced by the need to look good in the news. There's also the catch that their artificial powers only last a year - the human body can't cope with the procedure for longer - so there's a subtle desperation to make their mark in a way that won't fade. It's an interesting setup, full of potential to examine the idea of the superhero in an age obsessed with celebrity and changing fashions and shallow idols.
Ms. Marvel #18 ~ The start of a three-issue story, and again, Ms. Marvel is the title that hits the mark for me in terms of 'superhero comic book'. It's intelligent and sophisticated enough to mix it with today's comics, but there's a classic sensibility to it that harks back to the good old days of the Fantastic Four taking on Doctor Doom, Spider-Man swinging through New York with Green Goblin on his tail, Superman saving the world from Lex Luthor and whipping on his glasses to pose as Clark Kent before anyone noticed. Ongoing story threads like Arana and William Wagner and Carol's slight tendency to hear voices and turn into an alien at tough moments are continued and elaborated upon, making it a book that rewards readers who've been there from the beginning, but there's also a solid story that new readers should have no trouble getting into, as the Puppet Master, who can control people by making replicas of them (kind of voodoo-like) branches out into abducting superheroines and selling them, brainwashed, to the highest bidder. Slimy bastard - I'm gonna enjoy seeing Carol kick his ass. Aaron Stack, aka Machine Man, also makes his debut as a supporting character, and he is frickin' hilarious.
Shanna the She-Devil: Survival of the Fittest #1 ~ The original Shanna was written and drawn by Frank Cho, who loves beautiful woman and dinosaurs, and draws both exquisitely - thus, it was seven issues of Shanna kicking Jurassic Park's ass. There was some psychological depth to her, but all in all, it was visceral eye candy. This sequel series is written by Gray and Palmiotti, who bring a more sophisticated sensibility to the storyline - more characters, more complex goals and impediments - while still retaining the classic 'wild woman kicking dinosaur ass on mysterious island' feel. The art meanwhile is by Khari Evans, Gray and Palmiotti's penciller for Daughters of the Dragon - she (I believe it's a she) doesn't try to ape Cho's style, but applies herself well to the task of continuing what he started in her own way, and by and large suceeds. My issue is, sadly, marred by a printer's error, with several pages being out of order - doesn't bother me much, as I was likely to get the trade paperback anyway, and once I figured out what was going on it was pretty obvious which pages were meant to go where, and I could follow the story perfectly well. None of the other issues in my store's batch had the same error - possibly mine was the only one, I kept it rather than exchanging it just as a curiosity.
