A very short week to open up October, but considering I was short of cash, I certainly don't mind. Next week is more par for the course, with some 7-9 offerings, and this month has 5 Wednesdays, so I'll just enjoy the lull. Especially considering it has been a while since I bought an issue of DETECTIVE COMICS, and thanks to crossovers, that title may continue to be a rarity for me. And I wonder if Marvel will attempt another awkward way to cash in on Halloween, with the 31st being a Wednesday?
Full spoilers, but frankly, they're of little major importance to the majority of both of the Big Two. No beatings of Gauntlet or revealing yet another version of Superman causing trouble.
Dread's Bought/Thought for 10/3/07:
DETECTIVE COMICS #837: I was drawn to this title for the run of Paul "B:TAS" Dini when he began his run about a year or more ago, about when Morrison was being hyped to start on BATMAN. What was probably unexpected was how many fill-in runs would break up Dini's here; at least three that I can recall, and they got longer every time. Since I was aboard only for Dini I decided to skip the fillers, but this is Dini so here I am. It likely doesn't help that after he started writing Detective, he was tapped for COUNTDOWN issues, and that is atop work he does for LOST. It is worth noting, though, that despite working on TV, he manages to put out more comics a year than Heinberg ever has. Anyway, as usual, the story is essentially a done-in-one, beginning, middle, and end in 22 pages sort of tale that many writers these days couldn't manage at gunpoint, but Dini has made a practice of in Detective. And yet it isn't completely isolated because it builds on subplots, to keep the monthly readers happy and the trade people happy. Naturally, as the cover suggests (Bianchi channeling Ross' JUSTICE take on Riddler a bit), Riddler teams up with Harley on a case. Both have some rapport as former rogues going legit, albeit Riddler is probably having a better go of it (aside for needing to pay for everything, including houses, in cash due to his zero credit rating). Some people feel Kramer doesn't have enough pep for a big superhero book and I am inclined to agree, but I still have no complaints for his art. He knows how to tell a story and doesn't delude himself with being showy. And I like his Riddler design, right down to the "purple shades instead of a domino mask" for the legit angle. Once again, Dini provides a mystery for the aptly named title (which is nice as many times in DETECTIVE, it was usually treated as any ol' Batman title where he could simply be Mr. Karate Man or just fish all detective work to Oracle). The twist is Bruce Wayne himself is hiring Riddler to track down an espionage thief (after Riddler, bemusingly, asks his receptionist if his new client is Batman; thank heaven for a Crisis to make Riddler forget HUSH, eh?). The cover boasts a "tie in" to COUNTDOWN, which literally made me groan, but whatever it is, it isn't so huge a chunk that anyone who skips COUNTDOWN will be confused. Apparently the thief, Lisa E. Newman, has fled Gotham for an Athenian Women's Help Center which is sort of like an Amazonian offshoot and Riddler can't investigate their easily. Fortunately for him, Harley Quinn is there and provides a contact (the former "other Catwoman", some redhead named Holly, is also there) with her. They find the perp and she uses what she stole, a rather generic steroid sort of substance, to fight them until she falls into a magic Amazon pool and turns into a monster, which complicates things for about another page. The perp is caught, Riddler is paid and Batman & Robin moniter things and reveal it was less a test of Nygma and more a way of keeping him on the legit path so Batman has less rogues to worry about when he stars in 3-4 comics a month plus crossovers and guest appearences. The fact that Riddler & Harley can carry the plot without Batman is pretty good and I enjoyed the compact tale, albeit Dini has probably done better. The next two issues are installments of the RESURRECTION OF RA'S storyline, and I likely will skip them.
SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP: MODOK'S 11 #4: The real "meat and potatoes" for me this week as this has become a fun little caper book starring some B and C list rogues. The recap page is probably the best Marvel does right now; it provides all the key information and doesn't require squinting at tiny text on black paper ("If you can read this, you don't need glasses,", to quote SPACEBALLS, my favorite Mel Brooks comedy). What I like about this book is just when the last issue reveals that one of the 11 is working for someone else, another twist comes in. The gang survived the explosion of the Infinicide and is hot on the trail of Manadarin II, fresh from seemingly banishing the Spot and absconding with the Hypernova to repower some of those ancient alien ships that Mandarin originally got his rings from. AIM's Scientist Supreme Monica Rappacini is still controling their new Ultra-Adaptoid, modeled after Chameleon (who seemingly wasted Mentallo in issue #2). And Rocket Racer is still a stutterin' fool, having a crush on Nightshade (aww) and devoted to his "mother". Who that turns out to be is the last page reveal. Along the way, we have Mandarin vs. Living Laser and Nightshade helping Puma repower himself, and actual notes of continuity along the way. The title is quite funny as well, and the irony is a series starring CRIMINALS is somehow lighter than plenty of titles I could name that star SUPERHEROES. Of course, Racer, Armadillo, and Puma have all tried to reform and have had moments of heroism, but still. Portela's art is great and I love the banter between the characters, or that odd bit of dialogue you don't see coming (like Living Laser, upon realizing that Mandarin's mastery of chi allows him to actually hurt him with karate strikes, BEGS to be hit some more because he misses human contact so much. Holy Masochism, Batman!). I really don't see this title selling well as a mini, but I do hope Van Lente gets aboard other projects, because so far I like his style. Some of the vehicles have a MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE toys look, though, and I do hope Mandarin II can recover from that, erm, severe injury Puma gave him, because he's been cooler than his father was for a while so far (least to me, in terms of design at least). At this stage if you trade waited, you may as well hold out another few months, but this has been a fun book for those who pounced early. With all the twists and backstabbings I am not sure who will win overall next month, and hopefully it doesn't disappoint. Still, a surprising pleasure.
