Secret Six #12 ~ Wonder Woman guest stars, which is why I bought it - my feelings for the Six remain unchanged from when I read the first story arc, those being that it's a quality comic, but not based on characters I'll ever really have enough affection for to keep buying every month. Normally I wouldn't go for a guest-star issue just for the guest star, but since it's still Gail Simone writing I made an exception here, and as expected, the writing does make the difference: Diana's not the star of the show, but she's as fascinating a character as ever, and it's interesting to see her from a different perspective; her involvement doesn't end with this issue, and I think I'll probably pick up the next one (or however long she's around) just to get the full story. Scott, Hazelwood and McKenna's art makes a change from Wonder Woman's usual, too - similar, but a bit more grounded, as befitting a less mythic-level heroic title.
Dynamo 5 #23 ~ I liked this issue, but I have to confess I didn't quite get the same kick I usually do from Dynamo 5 - perhaps it was the villain, who seemed to change personae a bit rapidly in response to the story's demands, given last issue's cliffhanger. It's explained well and makes enough sense, so far as superhero comics go, but it still felt a bit odd; I think maybe that's more to do with last issue's setup than this issue's delivery, so maybe that's where the fault lies after all. On the plus side, it's nice to see Maddie pulling her weight and helping save the day - she's one of this comic's strongest characters, and it's pleasing to see someone like her, who'd normally be ignored by a superhero comic, get to stand alongside the spandex brigade and show what she's made of. The Myriad problem remains largely un-dealt-with on a team level - this issue begins to look at what he did, but leaves a lot remaining to be said, so the decision on how good a plotline that is remains to be made.
Justice League: Cry for Justice #2 ~ The enjoyment continues - despite everything DC editorial's heaped on the main JLA title, I may have to give it another shot when James Robinson takes over. Here we have Hal and Ollie setting about their quest for justice, on the trail of the villain Prometheus, and having interesting debates along the way, while various other heroes wind up with them, each for their own reasons. There's a shrewdly-written scene between Starman and Congorilla, and another featuring Ray Palmer and Jay Garrick; along with the opening Hal & Ollie scene, they're exactly the kind of character-building scenes I like in superhero stories, so this issue is on a sound footing. Mauro Cascioli's art continues to be impressive, but in a couple of places this issue I found Steve Wands's lettering, specifically the border-shy speech bubbles, a bit distracting when the 'point' of the bubble would blend into the scenery, making it not immediately obvious who was talking; nothing that you can't work out by looking closely, but I prefer that kind of visual information to be plainer, so you get it without having to concentrate on it. No matter, it's a minor complaint - this comic is still a really good one.
The Invincible Iron Man #16 ~ The majority of this issue is Madame Masque and Tony getting to grips with each other (not like that, except perhaps in Masque's mind), and it's confident, interesting character writing - especially with Pepper tied to a chair nearby, adding a whole new level of meaning to everything being said. Pepper, incidentally, goddamn rocks this issue, so even though I'm still finding her 'Rescue' suit's pointy face a bit strange, she's living up to everything I hoped for when I first saw that she's be getting a suit of armour of her own. Elsewhere Maria Hill's in a bad way, with Black Widow taking care of her (after a fashion) - there's one very odd panel, purely in art terms, where for no apparent reason the perspective suddenly switches from 'normal comic art' to 'check out Black Widow's hot leather-clad body' (not that I mind), but otherwise it's good material that holds up well to the main Tony part of the issue.
