Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #47 ~ The 'Witch Key' arc comes to a close very much in the style it's used all along: a simple storyline serving as the foundation for an extra-heavy dose of meta-commentary. The previous three issues, in which Tarot was abducted, imprisoned, and cast into the wilderness only to gather her strength and return to defeat the Bleeding Man - those issues are Tarot's story, and the battle this issue doesn't so much introduce further developments as simply put into practice what she has learned about herself during that time. Instead, this issue is about Tarot's army: fully fourteen pages are devoted to the various witches, two or three or four at a time, with Tarot's narration explaining the spiritual basis for their powers. If that sounds like it'd be difficult for a new reader to relate to, that may well be the case - certainly this isn't an issue I'd hand to a new reader to sample Tarot - but at the same time, for long-term Tarot readers who already know from other issues the fictional framework to set all these vignettes in, it's a cornucopia of lavish imagination. More directly, the witch army is composed of real Tarot fans, 47 of them - mainly in this issue, though a few appeared in #45 and #46 - whose photos provided the basis for their fictional counterparts fighting by Tarot's side. There's a gallery page at the back of the issue, along with the usual Wicca-themed interviews and photos - all these cameos are an indulgence, sure, but as always with Tarot, the sincerity of the book carries it through. And since the majority of the Witch Key arc has been about drawing real-world parallels to what's happening in the story, it's kind of fitting that real-world Tarot fans got to help their heroine at its conclusion.
Next issue (late January, on Tarot's bi-monthly schedule) is set to feature Raven Hex in a one-shot story called 'The Dark Path', and I imagine that'll be much more accessible to newcomers. I've always found Raven a fascinating character, and as much as Tarot's admirable example is the soul of the book, Raven's frustrated anger, her harshness born of simple loneliness and sadness, seems to be its heart. But until this, this issue is really one for the devoted fans.
Crime Bible: The Five Lessons of Blood #2 ~ The first issue of this series was stylish, but (necessarily) introductory - this time it gets down to some serious storytelling, mixing real-world concerns of political power and blackmail with religious fanaticism as Renee takes on the Daughters of Lilith, a high-class brothel close to Washington DC where the powerful are slowly coerced and converted into disciples of the Dark Faith. Greg Rucka works with a broader tapestry this time, as well as being freer to reveal characters - issue one was somewhat hamstrung by being the Lesson of Deceit, meaning that a lot of what we were 'told' about the characters we saw turned out to be lies. This time there's more room to manoeuvre, and we get to explore the leaders, the 'warriors', and the followers (willing and otherwise) in this corner of the religion of crime. Renee gets ample opportunty to put on her Question face and kick arse, as well as operate very smoothly and smartly between fights, while Brother Flay drifts through the background in a nicely ominous manner, and it's clear Rucka is building him into a very capable antagonist for when the time comes for he and Renee to face each other.
Gene Simmons' Dominatrix #4 ~ Funny thing about this issue, it felt like only half of it was there. Dominique spends the whole time in a fight scene, and while there are asides to other running subplots, and the fight itself has its ups and downs and involves other characters, but even with a nice hint/reveal at the end, it really didn't feel like there was 22 pages' worth of story. That said, there's the potential for this issue to form the basis of some really interesting developments down the road - a lot of the asides from the fighting (and elements of the fight, in fact) feel transitory because they're new developments, with no explanation given yet, but that affords scope to expand the story later on.
Hack/Slash #6 ~ A rather hilarious one-shot story, with Cassie and Vlad tracking what looks like an old foe of theirs into a pure whitebread middle America town. The opening and closing pages of the issue are business as usual, but the genius twist is that everything inside Haverhill is rendered in Archie-style cartoony lines and flat chequer-shaded colours - it's a shock when it starts (I actually wondered if it was an ad for another comic, the first page I turned to), but you quickly get used to it. If it were just the art it's be simple novelty, but it's more than that - the whole tone of the story gets put through the G-rated lens, applying a kind of whimsical semi-camp panache, even though the usual gruesome murders are in the works. Tim Seeley's usual wit remains on show, regardless of what art style is being used - the last panel of the issue is a real gem. There's also some interesting development for Vlad that bears watching - as usual, the big guy kind of steals the show.
Bomb Queen IV #3 ~ First of all, I got a shout-out, yay! (Hint: I post on comic forums as Miss Kitty Fantastico.) That aside, this issue improves on the previous one - the conflict between Nyx and Desarak flares up around Bomb Queen, so the title character is involved in the story in a direct way again, and it's a much stronger issue for it. All the major subplots move along, but the set piece is a battle between BQ and She-Spawn, which covers several pages and a lot of panels therein, and really shows off Jimmie Robinson's creativity in drawing half-naked women kicking ass - smart camera angles, good flow, and inventive moves (sometimes hilarious, like BQ smacking She-Spawn in the face with her boob). Aside from the fighting there's some thought-provoking War On Terror commentary going on, but BQ is still a bit detached from the 'moral' thrust of the story, and it remains for the final issue of this miniseries to tie everything together.
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #4 ~ Once more it's Dr. Cale and her mad science posse who steal the show - Cale is a ruthless but rational antagonist, and serves as a very capable third side of the triangle, against the three heroes on the side of unvarnished goodness and the Four Horsemen representing utter evil. The heroes do their thing, Batman and Superman employing various tactics against Famine and Pestilence, which is enjoyable to read, while Wonder Woman is stuck on Oolong, splitting her time between fighting the bad guys and arguing with Cale, but in truth, not a great deal happens this issue in terms of moving the story forwards - there's one major plot point for Superman, but otherwise it's just a case of having fun with the situation as it stands.
Countdown to Adventure #4 ~ This issue surprised me - the Space Crew storyline continues to plod along in a fairly standard manner without getting anywhere much, to the point where Animal Man ignores what sounded like the Healers agreeing to listen to his suggestions, because if he'd been paying attention they could have wrapped this up quicker. Adam Strange gets to be a bit Die Hard but it's all fairly predictable. The Forerunner side of things took a huge leap, though - the "Look, a parallel Earth!" stuff is kept to a minimum, and what there is actually feels like it matters, while Viza gets a full range of opportunities to be interesting, battling Dark Angel and working (not entirely happily) with Monarch and training the troops in The Art Of War According To Viza. It's the strongest showing yet from Forerunner, and sets her up to be a major player, and hopefully a long-lasting character in DC's cosmic scheme of things.
Jungle Girl #3 ~ I was a bit out of the loop on this title, since Diamond decided not to bother sending issue #2 to my local comic shop - nothing like a monopoly to nurture incompetance, huh? Fortunately what's going on now is more or less self-explanatory, and regardless of any minor nuances I may be missing, it's a solidly entertaining issue. Jana (now in a different pattern bikini - I guess someone realised she looked a bit too much like Shanna in the other one - and the band of marooned idiots she's taken under her wing are captured by the Dirt People, which sets the stage for much threatening and wheedling and negotiating with primitive and superstitious tribesmen - all the fun stuff of an adventure in a savage land. Jana comes across well in this one - the introduction of primitive human societies to her world gives her something new to play with, and an opportunity to display more intellect and social awareness than we'd seen previously. Adriano Batista's art continues to be vivid and dynamic, with a heavy dose of eye candy courtesy of Jana - but let's be honest, that's part of why we're reading this book anyway.
I also picked up Savage Dragon #134, since it had a Bomb Queen appearance in it - perhaps unsurprisingly, the issue is heavily laden with its own continuity, so BQ is more a cameo than part of the story, and to be honest, she jobs a bit for Dragon's benefit. I can't say I'm a great fan of the art, but BQ is rendered fairly well. As mentioned above, Gotham Underground #2 features an appearance of Renee Montoya, but I was loaded down with comics today as it was, so I gave that a miss - if it hasn't sold out by next week I may take a look, or I may just get the Batwoman issue(s) for my collection's sake and then get the whole miniseries as a trade, if it looks like Renee or Batwoman is important to it.
