Quickie Reviews (May 5 2010)

The first Wednesday of the month means a new issue of The Boys. I love that Dynamite has really kept that book on schedule so it always comes out then. Makes the beginning of the month something to look forward to. But, before I get to that, there are a couple of other comics to mention...

Avengers: The Origin #2: Enjoyable, but a little tedious in its dialogue. Everyone talking through what's going on... meh. I like the Phil Noto art, though. [***]

Batman and Robin #12: I had my suspicions regarding the identity of Oberon Sexton, but, then again, I could say that about half a dozen people who were candidates. A good issue. Andy Clarke's art was, obviously, less polished here with Scott Hanna picking up the slack. Even with that reveal at the end and The Return of Bruce Wayne kicking off next week, this felt like the conclusion to this story. I'll say more when I do my post on Morrison's third year of writing Batman. [***1/2]

The Boys #42: Man, the interactions between Auntie Sis and Malchemical just make me feel dirty. But, Butcher continues to have his head up his ass, while Hughie is a decent enough guy, Annie seems like she may end things with Hughie, and Mother's Milk is none too pleased with Butcher. A transition issue. The art is weaker, but that's because Robertson didn't do it all himself. [***]

Demo #4: Definitely reminiscent of "What You Wish For" from the first volume, but different enough. Great use of black and white by Becky Cloonan. I liked this -- Demo is usually at its best when it's walking that line between understandable and totally fucking crazy/wrong. [****]

The Great Ten #7: Appropriately, this issue focuses on the Seven Deadly Brothers. His origin is weird and interesting. Loved the visual allusion to Pei Mai. Also, the Seven Deadly Brothers is a different sort of character than his teammates. Since he's all energy and violence, Scott McDaniel does him well. The death of the God of Death was great, too. Solid book. [***1/2]

Briefer than usual this week it seems. Blame the seasonal allergies, I guess.