Quickie Reviews (Feb 24 2010)

Bigger week with my getting nine books, only three of which I'm reviewing for CBR. So, let's get to it...

Batman and Robin #9: I liked the Knight/Squire punching out the bad guy call back to the first arc. Batwoman's resurrection was handled well, but the evil Batman clone stole the show with his wonderfully twisted, incomplete thoughts. The page where characters from Batman's past are mashed up and combined is great. Cameron Stewart excels in this issue. [****]

Gravel #17: A bit of a minor issue with a few different scenes, two of which involve Gravel recruiting some magicians for the Minor Seven, and the other dealing with a twisted fucker trying to get Gravel's attention. This will most likely not stand out as much when read as part of the whole, but, alone, it's a little disappointing. Though, the 'blonde magic' stuff is pretty funny. [**1/2]

New Avengers #62: Don't you love it how the various comics regarding Steve Rogers's return/appearances since his return don't really add up? Because I sure do. This issue leads into Siege while wrapping up the fight with the Hood's people from last issue. Some great art by Stuart Immonen and Daniel Acuña. I also like how Steve says some personal things to people and we don't hear it. There's a lot to live up to in those sort of exchanges and Bendis is wise to show them without giving the details. Though, the not lining up with what we've seen elsewhere is annoying. [***]

Scalped #35: This is one of those comics that I know I should like more -- and I did like it, but I didn't love it. It's a slice of life sort of story about an older couple trying to survive and doing so by getting through it together. Jason Aaron's writing is solid and he uses their respective narrations to play off one another in cute ways, showing that they've been together so long that they know each other almost as well as they know themselves. But, it didn't hit me on emotional level, which was clearly the intention. This sort of story is meant to fucking nail you in the gut and it didn't... at least for me. I liked it a lot and it shows the potential this series has to explore ideas and characters beyond the core group (something Aaron has mentioned from time to time). Danijel Zezelj's dark, angular art is fantastic. I love how much emotion he can bring out in a character's face through his use of blocky shadows and lines. The juxtaposition of the third and final pages is great if you flip back and forth. A really good comic that didn't affect me as strongly as intended for whatever reason. [****]

Secret Warriors #13: Huh, we get some more background on the Kraken... and that final stuff is good, but mostly a 'this will mean more in the broader context' issue. As well, Stefano Caselli and Sunny Gho's work on art didn't look as good here. A little too bright, a little too polished... I've been liking the darker, sloppier work of late. That final page is some harsh shit that I don't expect to stick. Then again, given Sebastian's bitching prior to that, I can't exactly blame Fury... [***]

Thor #607: The different artists were distracting in this issue going from traditional to digital inks... the story wasn't as impressive as the first three issues of Gillen's run, though I liked Volstagg's scene in the police station. Loki is really overplaying his hand here in a sloppy way. [**1/2]

Later