 Batgirl #5 ~ This is one of the comics I really look forward to reading each time it turns up in my weekly stack - not because it's monumentally important to the DC Universe, or features a big-name character (relatively), or some other unique reason, but just because it's 22 pages of well-written, well-drawn superhero storytelling. And that storytelling is really packed in - without seeming rushed or forced (which is a neat trick in itself) this issue manages numerous subplots alongside its main story, which itself twists and turns a bit over the course of the issue. Not enough comics are as rewarding on a monthly basis - the norm seems to be to rely on readers sticking around long enough to complete a storyline, and not worrying much if that results in issues along the way that are poorly paced or lacking in substance by themselves. Not here - I've been tempted to switch to trades myself on a number of titles (although if I do make that decision, I tend to then forget to actually buy the trade when it arrives later on), but not this one, not by a long shot. An added bonus is the presence of Oracle - lending a double meaning to the 'Batgirl' title - whose portrayal seems fairly faithful to what I read in Birds of Prey during Gail Simone's run.
Sky Doll trade paperback ~ Nothing really to report here, I just wanted to note that this was out in a softcover volume now, collecting the three main issues (although not the recent 'Doll's Factory' mini-prequel) Marvel has republished of this dazzling and smart French sociopolitical sci-fi comic. Individual issue reviews: #1/#2, #3.
The Invincible Iron Man #21 ~ This title drops out of 'Addictive', but at the moment I'm thinking it's just a lull, not a warning sign long-term. More Tony-in-a-coma stuff, well told but lacking a central focus - Tony's resurrection (in painstakingly planned detail) is handled well, and Pepper's note is a high point, but again the 'Tony's psyche' bit seems less profound than it wants to be, and the bit with madame Masque is there to advance the plot and nothing more. Hopefully future issues will pick up the power a bit.
Fearless Dawn #1 ~ A fun, irreverent and deliberately lightweight secret agent adventure kind of thing - pleasant to read, but marred by art inconsistencies here and there. I'll stick with it for another issue to see where it goes. A nice bonus is a few pencil pinups in the back.
Farscape: D'Argo's Quest #1 ~ Since we saw D'Argo finally catch up with Macton Tal, his late wife's brother and murderer, on the TV show, it's a foregone conclusion that it won't happen in this issue - as the cover shows, he instead gets grudgingly reunited with Raxil (one of the string of troublesome aliens played by Ben Browder's (Crichton's) wife). The writing is decent, introducing a new planet and giving it a bit of a lite of its own to support the main characters, but the art feels rushes - the linework is decent, if impressionist rather than precise (I prefer the latter, but I'm not strict about it), but while there's good colouring on many 'main feature' panels, the colours on much of the other scenery is amateurish at best, as if unfinished - if it's an artistic choice, it's one I'm not liking.
New Avengers Annual #3 ~ An amiable enough adventure featuring the women of the New Avengers - Mockingbird, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman and Jessica Jones - going to rescue Ronin, who's gone and got himself captured by Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers. It's nothing substantive though - aside from a scene or two of Mockingbird there's nothing you'd call character-driven, and a lot more time is given to Ronin's interrogation than any of the girls, which is a shame considering how this issue is packaged. Besides the 32-page main story there's a preview of 'Siege', Marvel's big Thor-related event coming up, which didn't really move me one way or the other - doesn't look bad, nor does it excite me.
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