Comic Mini-Reviews Week of January 18th, 2012

This week: we finally get the Batman issue we've been craving, Wonder Woman and Daredevil continue to be solid, and Grant Morrison's Steed and Mrs. Peel debuts.

Read about it after the break!

Batman #5 – Finally! After four solid (but not spectacular) issues, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo produced the kind of signature issue that the series really needed. Between spectacular art and a fascinating script Batman number five is nearly a perfect book. Sadly, despite a brush with greatness, there are still a few problems. I am certain that in collected editions these problems will be addressed, but in the original issue, advertisement placement led to unfortunate distraction. Generally, I don't care about ads in comics, but this issue's story and art direction made them a bit obtrusive. DC already has practice working advertisements around artwork, so I don't understand why they didn't just move them all to the end of the book like they do with Batwoman. Regardless, it was a brilliant, series-defining issue.

Birds of Prey #5 – BoP continues to be a solid book. Nothing flashy or deep, just strong superheroics. Of course, the overall quality is helped greatly by the smooth art of Jesus Saiz. It's a story filled with fisticuffs and mind-control with a clever little twist at the end. I've said this before, but BoP is the kind of book that DC needs more of: a solid, b-level series that can deliver readable issues month-to-month.

DCU Presents #5 – I've never been so relieved for a story to be over. The Deadman storyline has been an overwritten pile of nothing. Five issues of a story where nothing really happened. It was like a high-concept story without any good ideas. Each issue was filled with statements and events that seemed positioned and intended as game changing reveals, but it all fell flat. I don't want to seem hyperbolic, there are much worse books out there, but DCU Presents committed a cardinal sin: it was boring. The next feature in DCU Presents is going to be written by Dan Didio...I think I'll save my four bucks, thanks.

Green Lantern Corps #5 – It is hard to believe GLC is written by the same guy that is writing Batman and Robin. I like Pete Tomasi quite a bit, but he has tendency toward inconsistency. GLC isn't a bad book, and in issue five there are several interesting ideas thrown around. Yet, each of these is countered by strange choices. In an earlier issue, Tomasi introduced a new character just to turn around and kill him for a cheap emotional reaction. In issue five, in order to fight enemies that are immune to their rings, Tomasi has Guy Gardener and his group of GLCommandos load themselves up with a battalion's worth of guns. I realize this makes sense in context, but it doesn't really feel like a current comic. That one detail took Green Lantern Corps and pushed the book back about a decade and a half. I half expect Rob Liefeld to draw the next issue. I know these are nitpicks, but I am hoping the series levels out in the second storyline.

Wonder Woman #5 – In last week's podcast, I named Wonder Woman as my second favorite geek thing from 2011. In this issue, we are treated to more of Azzarello's revamp of the mythological Greek pantheon—including a brand new take on Poseidon. Tony Akins does an admirable job filling in on art, but can't really compare to Cliff Chiang. Overall, a good issue with solid character moments, but probably the weakest issue of the series so far. Still, it was better than most of the comics I read this week.

Daredevil #8 – This book was another of my favorite geek things from 2011 (in fact, it was number one onmy list). Strangely, like Wonder Woman, Daredevil number eight was probably the weakest issue of the run so far. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but as the second part of a crossover with Amazing Spider-man, it didn't really have much to it. It was the first issue of the series that felt like it didn't fit. I said last week that Amazing Spider-man #677 felt a bit more encumbered by continuity than the other Mark Waid Daredevil books and issue number eight has a similar feel. (Maybe I just don't like Spider-man. Can that really be the case? Why don't I like Spider-man? I've never even thought about it. I learn so much about myself in these reviews.) Anyways, solid but unspectacular issue.

Uncanny X-men #5 – The FIFTH issue of Uncanny X-men since it's debut in November. In my opinion, this is the most promising issue since the first one. One of the disappointing aspects of Uncanny X-men is how closely it has been tied to other books so far.  A huge chunk of the plot of issue five is established in a book I don't buy, Uncanny X-force.  It's not a huge deal, I can enjoy an issue without knowing every little detail of a backstory, but it means that I enjoy the book's sister title, Wolverine and the X-men, more.

Steed and Mrs Peel #1 – I literally picked this issue up because of the words “Grant Morrison” on the cover. Really, I'm not very familiar with the Avengers tv show. In fact, the only thing I can think of is the horrible movie remake from the late 90s. It was a fun issue, but there wasn't much to it. Of course, since it's a Morrison penned book, there were plenty of crazy ideas and set pieces. I'm in for at least two more issues, but I'll need to see more before I decide on whether I am in for the entire six issue mini-series.