Comics 06 Aug 08!

FINAL CRISIS #3 (OF 7)
Oh, Grant Morrison, pony dogs? Really? At least I understand the overall thrust of this issue, and get what’s going on from the macro perspective. So, for that alone, this one seems better than all the past issues, though I still feel mostly like I’m reading it either a) like a rubbernecker at a car crash, or b) just to keep up with what’s going on in this big DC event. I know people like to harp on Bendis for being the master of decompression sotrytelling, but I’m starting to think that’s Morrison’s realm, since he seems to get away with it.

Anyway, I’m actually interested to see what’s happening in the later issues, though I think the action of this issue could have occurred earlier in the series and cause less confusion overall.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #17
Better than the last issue, which I thought was needlessly flashbacky. Buffy and Melaka figure out the basics of what’s going on, and we get to see Xander ride Dawn, and their reactions are hilarious. I think this arc will tie up the loose ends of the Fray mini-series rather well, though I wonder why and how the big bad is who she is. Like usual, worth reading, and one of the better books this week.

DETECTIVE COMICS #847 RIP
So much better than the actual RIP storyline, though I’m pissed at all these supposed RIP tie-ins that are in no way tied into that story. I’m sorry, but a mention of the Black Hand in the first issue doesn’t count. Otherwise, this is a good story, and gives you some insight into why Hush is the way he is, even if most of the answer is “because he’s batshit crazy”. (Get it?)

AVENGERS INVADERS #4 (OF 12)
Act One of the mini-series concludes, and it’s entertaining enough, though not a must-read so far. It’s nice to see young Namor and old Namor’s interactions are as dysfunctional as you’d expect. I’m most looking forward to Bucky and current Cap (also Bucky) having a little sit-down.

AUTHORITY #1
This is basically the most depressing book I’ve read in a long, long time. The entire world’s gone to shit, and the Authority couldn’t do a damned thing to stop it. Apollo lives above the clouds so he can constantly suck up solar radiation and keep himself alive. Midnighter’s on the ground trying to bring people to the downed Carrier, which crash-fused with London. All in all, this is a defeated and pathetically ineffectual Authority, and I’m not sure how this is going to be fixed, or if it will be. I’m kind of expecting a time-travel story.

SECRET INVASION FRONT LINE #2 (OF 5) SI
Decent, but ultimately, I’m not sure what the point is. Ben Urich constantly berates himself for being a coward and running from super-powered fights, and then interviews people. Will this book have a plot behind it other than that (as the Civil War Frontlines did?), or is it just going to be the man-on-the-street’s view of getting squashed by Skrulls?

-Foo

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