I Bought Comics: The Past Two Weeks (Nov/Dec) 2008

[Some quick reflections/thoughts/rants/bitchings on the comics I bought during the past two weeks, but did not review for CBR. Not actual reviews.]

Batman #681+682

Wow, people either love or hate the finale to "Batman RIP," don't they? It's horribly flawed in places, but I like the ambiguity... then again, I'm reading it as a Grant Morrison comic book first and a Batman comic book second. The debate over Hurt being Satan is odd, because if you read Morrison's run, it seems inescapable that Hurt is the devil... Hope was held out that this week's issue would clear up things, but it didn't, instead it's a summation of Morrison's approach to his run. It's like his run has been a chapter in a book, divided into sections, and now we've reached the conclusion where he sums up his main ideas... loverly.

The Boys #25

This is a seven-part story? Huh. Typically good. A few direct jabs at the X-Men, but nothing really impressive... or not impressive. I can't actually remember much about this issue, actually. What the fuck?

Captain America #44

I kind of read this comic on autopilot. It's good, it's worthwhile, but I know it will read much better when I devote a weekend to reading the whole run together. I do love how the art maintains a consistent look despite changing artists. I do think the book would benefit from a solid six-issue "story" that's just self-contained stories, though. Have the subplot revolve around James getting used to being Captain America, but show him taking on a lot of different adversaries, you know? After the huge story that was the death and birth of Captain America, you'd think a breather would be due. You'd think. I think.

Youngblood #6

What the fuck is with Joe Casey lately? Like Charlatan Ball, this book is a big disappointment. Ideas that seem clever, but never really come off as such. Characters that fall flat. A book that is thoroughly mediocre. I strangely look forward to analysing his current output years from now. Is this just a lull or a sign that things have gone south? Then again, Godland is still quite good, and The Last Defenders was one of the best deconstructions of the superhero team book I've ever read, but these two books... I wonder what Velocity will be like.

Okay, that was rather quick, but... that's how it goes.