Static Shock #5

I had a bed feeling that this was going to happen sooner or later.

Title: Static Shock
Issue: 5
Date: March 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott McDaniel
Penciler: Scott McDaniel
Inker: Andy Owens
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Harvey Richards
Cover: Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez

I know there were some issues with the creative team on this book, and I also know the book has been canceled. That's what happens when you're a few months behind on reading. John Rozum is no longer credited on the writing starting with this issue, and the writing took a serious nose dive. Probably not a coincidence, although this may have simply been the natural result of trying to incorporate too many plot elements without enough character development.

This issue is almost entirely taken up by squabbles and intrigues between a whole array of third-rate villains, and we're never given any reason to care.

The use of Virgil's sister as a generic damsel-in-distress doesn't help matters either, nor does the extended dream/flashback to Virgil's gang days, complete with stilted gangbanger jargon.

This issue seems to be the result of taking all of the weak elements that existed on the fringes of a pretty engaging story centered on Virgil Hawkins, and suddenly making those weak elements the main focus.

The only two redeeming points in this mess are that the opening fight scene still manages to be fun in the way that all of Static's fight scenes have been fun, and a brief glimmer of interesting personality from Guillotina (of all people).

Everything else is a convoluted mess.

Rating: 4.5/10

Birds od Prey #5

Title: Birds of Prey
Issue: 5
Date: March 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Jesus Saiz, Javier Pina
Colorist: June Chung
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Bobbie Chase, Katie Kubert
Cover: David Finch, Richard Friend

The team finds themselves under attack, but even worse, they are all missing several hour of memories.

Left to figure out what happened in the missing time, they go their separate ways with plans to regroup after doing their own investigations. But can they trust those around them or even each other if they can't even trust their own memories?

The opening fight scene didn't seem to serve any purpose, but in a subjective reality scenario like this, it may just be that the significance has not yet been revealed. The same goes for pretty much everything in this issue.

In spite of the fuzzy reality of the scenario, this issue left a pretty decent amount of space for character development, and there were some good scenes. I particularly liked the training scene between Dinah and Tatsu.

By the end, we're not too far along from where we started, but I didn't mind the chance to let the characters have some individual and one-on-one interactions.

Rating: 7/10

Action Comics #5

Title: Action Comics
Issue: 5
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch
Penciler: Andy Kubert, Chriscross
Inker: Jesse Delperdang, Chriscross
Colorist: Brad Anderson, Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Patrick Brosseau, Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Wil Moss, Matt Idelson
Cover: Rags Morales, Brad Anderson

Variant cover is pictured.

This issue is almost entirely made up of retellings of bits of the Superman origin story. It's effective, but not terribly groundbreaking. There's some retconning, of course, but again, nothing that is all that shocking.

When we finally get into current plot, it's a messy time travel story that doesn't really go in any direction except toward the needlessly complicated.

Backup story is more Superman origin stuff, this time focusing on Jon and Martha Kent in the early years of their marriage and their struggles with infertility. It's generally good, although it very quickly goes down the path of "everything happens for a purpose" which is pretty much the least interesting thematic direction this could have been taken in.

All of that being said, there are some good details throughout the issue, and it does a nice job of laying seeds for future stories.

Rating: 5.5/10

Batwoman #5

Title: Batwoman
Issue: 5
Date: March 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: J. H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman
Artist: J. H. Williams III
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Harvey Richards, Rickey Purdin, Mike Marts

Batwoman has her final confrontation with the Weeping Woman, and the battle is absolutely gorgeous, and incredibly detailed. I loved the changing face of the Weeping Woman, which shifted from panel to panel.

From there it's on to a confrontation of another sort, as Kate gets a visit from Mr. Bones and Cameron Chase. What follows is an offer that Kate can't refuse. And one that might just put her on a collision course with the Batman.

The first half was more interesting and creative than the somewhat generic spy-dealings of the second half, but this was still a good effort overall, and the concluding two pages were powerful.

Rating: 8/10

Batman #5

Title: Batman
Issue: 5
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Jonathan Glapion
Colorist: FCO
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Editor: Katie Kubert, Harvey Richards, Mike Marts
Cover: Chris Burnham, Nathan Fairbairn

Layout gimmickry abounds as a drugged Batman fights to stay alive and stay sane in a maze constructed by the Court of Owls.

The odd layouts manage to accomplish their purpose thanks to the excellent artwork by Capullo and Glapion. I like the use of story as a theme and the concept of the Batman's story as something that he needs to cling to and fight for, something that can be taken away from him.

The Court of Owls continues to be built up into an extremely powerful enemy, and that buildup continues to be effective.

Rating: 8/10

Animal Man #5

Title: Animal Man
Issue: 5
Date: March 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Penciler: Travel Foreman, Steve Pugh
Inker: Travel Foreman, Jeff Huet
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Kate Stewart, Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Travel Foreman, Lovern Kindzierski

Buddy and Maxine return from the Red to confront the third of the Hunters Three, but Maxine's inexperience with her own powers makes a bad situation much, much worse.

This is exactly what the current plot needed: Something to show that Maxine is not the all-powerful and all-knowing god-child. And perfect timing too.

There were also good moments from just about every member of the supporting cast as the situation degenerated from bad to near-apocalyptic. This was a good taste of how deadly an enemy the Rot is going to be, and it was delivered with good fast pacing and some unexpected twists.

Ending was a bit too much of a blatant marketing plot for my tastes, but overall a strong issue.

Rating: 7.5/10

Batman: The Dark Knight #5

Title: Batman: The Dark Knight
Issue: 5
Date: March 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Paul Jenkins, David Finch
Penciler: David Finch
Inker: Richard Friend
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Editor: Mike Marts, Rickey Purdin
Cover: David Finch, Richard Friend, Alex Sinclair

A scarecrow fear gas story! How... unexpected. Not.

Scarecrow enlightens the Batman on his darkest fears and the Batman resists, and it's nothing we haven't seen before. When good old reliable fear gas doesn't work, it's on to the new stuff, which seems to be the New 52 version of venom. Batman becomes fearless and extremely angry. No, I mean more so than he usually is.

He even punches Superman around. And calls him a fascist.

This title has apparently been designated as the place where the Justice League guest appearances are going to happen, and the Superman appearance is pretty well handled here. The confrontation between the Batman and the Scarecrow is the part that needed work.

Rating: 6.5/10

DC Universe Presents #4

Last of the New 52 #4's!

Title: DC Universe Presents
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Bernard Chang
Colorist: Blond
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Wil Moss
Cover: Ryan Sook

Deadman plays a game of 20 questions with Lucifer in an attempt to find meaning in his existence. He doesn't find much in the way of answers, but he does find a question, and that might be enough to give him the upper hand over Rama.

This issue featured a pretty compelling version of Lucifer, who manages to get the reader through a mostly-bullshit version of philosophy through pure strength of personality. It's a bit on the wordy side, and it sets the expectations for next issue pretty high, maybe impossible, but it's still a fun read.

Some nice visuals here too, especially on the rollercoaster ride that provides the (literally) vehicle for the conversation.

Rating: 7.5/10

Animal Man #4

Back to the New 52!

Title: Animal Man
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Penciler: Travel Foreman
Inker: Travel Foreman, Jeff Huet
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Kate Stewart, Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Travel Foreman, Lovern Kindzierski

Two of the Hunters Three are fighting Buddy Baker in the Red's dimension while the third is currently impersonating a cop to get close to the Baker family.

And in spite of all that, this feels like a very transitional issue, dominated mostly by a huge infodump courtesy of the Red. The tension did pick up toward the end, but the opening fight scene (featuring a hulked-up Animal Man) didn't do much for me.

The visuals continue to be creatively shocking, especially the final scene.

Rating: 6/10

Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Ralph Wiggum Comics

Live review! I'm over at fellow comic collector (and creator!) Joe McGlone's place and as usual, he's got comics all over the apartment. He wanted me to give this one a look, so here we go.

Title: Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Ralph Wiggum Comics
Date: 2012
Publisher: Bongo Comics
Writer: Mary Trainor, Sergio Aragones, Carol Lay, Jesse McCann
Penciler: Mike Kazaleh, Sergio Aragones, Carol Lay, James Lloyd
Inker: Mike Kazaleh, Sergio Aragones, Carol Lay, Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Nathan Hamill, Art Villanueva
Letterer: Karen Bates
Editor: Bill Morrison

"It's my first tissue!" exclaims Ralph on the cover. That pretty much sets the tone for this collection.

The first story features Ralph in a home alone scenario, wrecking his house in record time. It did get an out-loud laugh out of me, but it got repetitive pretty quick, which was a problem with Ralph's actions throughout this book. His dialogue is better able to deliver humor and surprises, than the more visual slapstick gags.

Next up was a wordless one-page strip by Sergio Aragones.

The third story had Ralph missing the school bus and ending up as the replacing Brockman as the Channel 6 news broadcaster for an afternoon. This one was pretty amusing.

Aragones then returns for a Where's Waldo style feature and then a short story involving Ralph's attempt to make a costume for a school contest. You could see the ending of this one coming a mile away.

Last up was a somewhat surreal story involving Ralph and an angry leprechaun. No, really.

There were some really funny jokes in here, but they were scattered between rather tedious fare. Aragones' artwork is always a great, however.

Rating: 5.5/10

Avengers Assemble #1

Title: Avengers Assemble #1
Date: 2012
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inker: Danny Miki
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
Editor: Alex Alonso, John Denning, Lauren Sankovitch, Tom Brevoort

This is the (cute!) Newbury Comics cover variant. The team looks like pretty much the lineup from the upcoming movies (and Hawkeye spends most of his scene contemplating his own mortality! Uh, oh!). For the six or seven of you out there who haven't seen the trailer, that would be Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, and Hawkeye.

We open with the formation of a rather lazily designed villain team based on the signs of the zodiac. Conveniently, they are also named the Zodiac. Apparently they all have star-sign-related powers, and they are after some unknown maguffin which will give them even more powers.

Aquarius steals the thingy from the Army in a battle that Hulk gets involved in. The thingy then ends up in Latveria, where Clint and Natasha are doing some covert... um... taking out of sentries, I guess. It's never really explained what they're doing there, but they end up hijacking the truck carrying the thingy ("The Ark has been put on a truck." "WHAT truck?"). This brings in Zodiac member Taurus, and the Avengers retaliate with Iron Man and Thor. Brawl. To be continued.

The rest of the book is the same preview pages for Avengers vs. X-Men that appeared in the X-Men Vs. Avengers Program Guide.

I liked the fact that the Zodiac were depicted as inexperienced with their powers. That was fun. But the entire Zodiac concept is just such lazy writing that it raises the goofiness factor of this book to the point that it detracts from the story.

Rating: 4.5/10

Batwoman #4

Title: Batwoman
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: J. H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman
Artist: J. H. Williams III
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Harvey Richards, Rickey Purdin, Mike Marts

Well, they went the predictable route with Flamebird, and they did it even sooner than I expected. That being said, the art and layouts of the (brutal) scene were good enough for me to mostly forgive the plot direction.

And the plot got more interesting once it got past the opening scene. The confrontation between Kate Kane and Cameron Chase is coming fast, and Batwoman is too distracted with other issues to see it coming.

Agent Chase has some particularly villainous moments in this issue, which follow from the opening scene and give the story some direction as they build up the tension.

Rating: 7/10

Swamp Thing #4

Had to take a hiatus for a few days due to crunch time at the day job. Back to the comics! I'm continuing through the DC New 52 #4's.

Title: Swamp Thing
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Marco Rudy
Inker: Marco Rudy, Sean Parsons, Michael Lacombe
Colorist: David Baron
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Matt Idelson, Chris Conroy
Cover: Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn

William Arcane murders the patrons at a diner for no real reason, and Alec has a conversation with the Parlaiment of Trees.

New art team on this issue, and the result was gorgeous. The issue is loaded with full-page spreads (and even one two-pager). There are creative layouts and truly captivating visuals throughout this issue. The visual of Alec and Abigail sleeping side-by-side surrounded by the forces of the Rot and the Green is the most beautiful single page that I've seen so far in the New 52.

As far as plot goes, this was primarily a chance to set up future conflicts, but it was all handled with such dazzling visuals that it definitely managed to have a "big issue" feel to it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Wonder Woman #4

Title: Wonder Woman
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Chris Conroy, Matt Idelson
Cover: Cliff Chiang

Hera exacts a bit of divine revenge on Hippolyta for her affair with Zeus. There is actually a pretty intense (and vividly drawn; the visuals of Hera are awesome) confrontation between the two queens, but when it is all said and done we learn that 1) Probably not a good idea to bring a mortal axe to a the divine equivalent of a gunfight, 2) The Amazons continue to be the Redshirts of the DC Universe, and 3) Somebody is going to need to get these mother****ing off of this Paradise mother****ing Island (and I don't think Nick Fury is likely to be available any time soon).

Meanwhile, Diana, Zola, Hermes, and Strife go clubbing. In the sense of drinking and dancing. Strife finally manages to annoy Diana enough that Diana smacks her around (stabs her in the hand with a broken bottle, actually), and Strife leaves in a huff.

There is a really nice follow-up scene with Diana and Zola talking about the nature of home and about the isolation they each felt in their childhood.

There's also some scenes involving Apollo and War, who's drinking amid the carnage in Darfur, but these serve more to distract than to add to the plot, at least for the moment.

The final revelation of Hera's revenge is a pretty strong scene, reinforcing this series' theme that these gods really do have pretty godlike abilities and they are not beings you would want to trifle with.

A lot of really great scenes in this issue, but it was more uneven than the last couple of issues have been.

Rating: 7/10

February 2012 Stats

February 2012

Number of Comics Reviewed: 28 (Would have been my first-ever month without a miss if not for leap year!).

Highest Rated Comics:

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise Part 1 (8.5)
Lost Nova: Rabbit And Fox (8.5)


Lowest Rated Comics:

Justice League Dark #3 (3.5)
Suicide Squad #3 (3)

Average Rating For January 2012: 6.286

Batman And Robin #4

Title: Batman And Robin
Issue: 4
Date: January 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Peter J Tomasi
Penciler: Patrick Gleason
Inker: Mick Gray
Colorist: John Kalisz
Letterer: Patrick Brosseau
Editor: Harvey Richards, Katie Kubert, Mike Marts
Cover: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz

We open with our heroes (Batman and Robin, AKA Bruce and Damian Wayne) tied up in the front seat of a junk car and an abandoned drive-in theater.

Nobody (who, if you recall, is somebody; specifically, he's Morgan Ducard) proceeds to try to lecture the Batman about the foolishness of his code against killing.

And you know what? It's boring.

The moral dilemma of why the Batman doesn't just kill the Joker (or whatever other villain is sure to escape and cause more mayhem every time they are thrown in Arkham) was interesting around 1988 in stories The Killing Joke and Ten Nights of the Beast. It has ceased to be interesting, not because it's been resolved, but because it's obvious that it never will be. The whole thing is based on the patently ludicrous assumption that the legal system is incapable of ever keeping these psychos in jail, and thus the entire argument boils down to a thought experiment that has long since grown tiresome.

In this particular instance, the Batman really has nothing to say, and in fact makes the (valid) point that Ducard isn't worthy of an explanation.

Then things commence blowing up.

The Dynamic Duo makes it back to the Batcave and Damian argues with Bruce about the fact that Bruce is holding back information. Damian is probably in the right here (scratch that; Alfred sides with him so Damian is definitely in the right).

Damian leaves in a huff and displays a bit more of his cruelty to animals tendencies, although this time he's just squishing fireflies. On the bright side, Damian is actually taking a liking to his dog, and displays an interest in Shakespeare when choosing the name Titus for the pup. I'm hoping this will end well, but I don't think it's likely.

And speaking of not ending well, here's Nobody to try to seduce Damian over to the Dark Side. We end with the kid considering it.

Too much rehashing of old issues without any real creativity. A clever escape from the opening imperilment isn't enough to save this.

And Damian is still annoying.

Rating: 4.5/10

Batman: The Dark Knight #4

Title: Batman: The Dark Knight
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Paul Jenkins, David Finch
Penciler: David Finch
Inker: Richard Friend
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Editor: Mike Marts, Rickey Purdin
Cover: David Finch, Richard Friend, Alex Sinclair

Caption-based narration by the (until the last panel) essentially takes the entire issue to tell us what the Eagles once did in two lines: "Somebody's gonna hurt someone, before the night is through/Somebody's gonna come undone, there's nothing you can do." Um, without the rhymes, though.

The plot is basically a series of random encounters. First an Aubrey II that Poison Ivy left to guard her lair. Then an encounter with a venomed-up Deathstroke. Much to my amusement, Deathstroke jobs clean and quick to the Batman.

By the way, I'm using the term "venom" here because we really do seem to be heading for a reboot of the "venom" concept. And no, I do not mean the alien symbiote guy over at the other company. I am expecting that the major villain revealed at the end of this issue is not, in fact, the mastermind behind all of the mayhem that's been happening in this series. There's one more enemy waiting in the wings, and they are timing his arrival for maximum movie-crossover potential. And if that's the case, than the drug that is turning all of these villains into bad 1990s Image Comics art is indeed the New 52 version of venom.

Until then, the Batman is getting no further direct help from the Justice League as they are busy rounding up more escaped Arkham inmates (Spellbinder and Electrocutioner get mentions but not actual appearances; Wonder Woman does actually appear in two panels). Bruce is left to content with Deathstroke, White Rabbit, and this issue's new (not all that surprising) surprise villain. Poison Ivy, meanwhile, is apparently an unwilling participant in all of this.

Random digression:

Something that I noticed: Batman has some of the most vicious and psychotic villains in comics... Except for the female ones. Ever notice how many Batman villainesses turn out to have some amount of goodness deep in their hearts, or at least manage to take on "anti-hero" roles on the side of good? Catwoman (own series), Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad), Talia (plenty of mixed motives/emotions in various past stories), Poison Ivy (Birds of Prey). White Rabbit gets played for sympathy in this series, and even Lady Shiva gets some sympathetic portrayals. Compare this to, say, Cheetah, who is typically portrayed (in modern versions) as an absolutely bloodthirsty monster in her appearances. Not sure what to make of this. Just an interesting observation.

Back to the story at hand. Interestingly, even though they weren't really meaningful scenes in terms of plot, I actually found the action sequences in this issue to be better than the more character development-related scenes. I blame the dialogue. A scene with Jim Gordon drags on without really getting anywhere, while Alfred's dialogue is hokey enough to be something out of 1966 TV. And Alfred is a character that can usually be counted on for good dialogue.

The action scenes are effective, but very little plot was actually accomplished here.

Rating: 4.5/10

Magic: The Gathering #2

Title: Magic: The Gathering
Issue: 2
Date: January 2012
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Matt Forbeck
Artist: Martin Coccolo, Christian Duce
Colorist: J. Edwin Stevens, Baileigh Bolten, J.S. Holt
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Carol Guzman, John Barber
Cover: Karl Kopinski

Promo card for this issue is Faithless Looting. And yes, I'm still buying this series for the promo cards.

Planeswalker Dack Fayden planeswalks (as opposed to plainswalking, which also happens in MTG, but is something entirely different) into the middle of a fight between two Cathars and a pack of hungry vampires.

Wait, correction. Make that one cathar. The vampires made rather quick work of one of the two. The remaining one seems to have entered the fight thinking she was Buffy, but is now starting to feel more like another famous blonde: General Custer. Fortunately, Dack arrives and proceeds to set the tavern where this all takes place on fire. Who does he think he is? Jaya Ballard?

Mayhem follows, then a fast getaway, then a bunch of infodump. We're on Innistrad now. If you don't play MTG (but you do play D&D) , just think Ravenloft and you get the idea. Everyone else just think Transylvania. Vampires can fly here, a fact that Dack finds inconvenient. Fortunately, last issue's maguffin proves to be made of garlic or something because the lead vampire wants nothing to do with that.

Infodump continues pack at the home of Ingrid the Cathar, and the ending of the story essentially serves to introduce the villain.

This story isn't bad. Actually quite a bit of it was fun. But it was also incredibly generic. I'm hoping to see the story move in some more interesting directions now that the preliminaries have been dispensed with.

Rating: 6/10

X-Men Vs. Avengers Program Guide

This is a freebie that I picked up with this week's new comics.

Title: X-Men Vs. Avengers Program Guide
Date: 2012
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman
Artist: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Frank Cho
Letterer: VC's Chris Eliopaulas
Cover: Jason Keith
Editor: Alex Alonso

Preview freebie for the upcoming X-Men vs. Avengers mega-crossover.

There are two actual story segments in here, along with a lot of filler.

First up, Cyclops takes Hope to task for, well, for acting like a super-hero, basically. Scott is being the overprotective father-figure, and he's not exactly thrilled with Hope jetpacking into the city to do the masked vigilante thing (well, technically she's doing it without a mask). What Hope really wants is to know the whole truth about the Phoenix, which is apparently going to be at the core of the upcoming schmozz. It's actually a pretty reasonable request. Scott clams up. Jerk. But we knew that about Scott, didn't we?

Scott ends the scene by admitting it could have gone better. Yeah, that's the problem when your idiotic insistence on not telling the truth to your kid becomes a useful plot device.

Choose your side, huh? Definitely rooting for the Avengers after that nonsense.

Second segment is the announcement that the Phoenix is heading for Earth. The Avengers are going to attack it in space, but they are so convinced that that plan is hopeless that I was left wondering why they would even bother. Meanwhile, Cap decided to go chat with the X-Men. First stop is the current version of Xavier's School, run by Wolverine. Cap wants to know if he can "count on" Logan. Logan replies with the silent sulking of deep conflict. Then it's off to visit the regular X-Men team. For those keeping score, that's Cyclops, Hope, Magneto, Namor (really?!?), Colossus, and Emma Frost. And now Scott has moved away from the moron role he had in the first scene and is dropping hints of a full-on heel turn. Magneto is amused. Cap shows up on the scene, but we cut before anything of consequence happens.

Extras included a few sketches by John Romita Jr. of upcoming action. I didn't find any of them to be all that intriguing, although Cage landing a right hook on Namor in the water was a pretty gorgeous piece of art.

There is also an extended roster of the various people involved, each with a summary of powers, and a "role" presented somewhat in the style of MMORPG roles ("Leader", "Tank", "Striker", etc). Some of these designations get a bit goofy. I particularly liked the fact that Logan's role is listed as "The Best There Is".

Rest of the book is ads, essentially. Well, really, the whole book is an ad, of course, but the rest of the book is more obviously ads.

I'd never seen the character Hope, and this teaser succeeded in getting me interested in her as a character. I also liked the portrayals of Wolverine and Cap, but I still didn't feel there was enough here to hook me into wanting to read a massive crossover. The Dark Phoenix Saga has already suffered from too many sequels, and this did nothing to justify yet another one.

Rating: 4.5/10

Birds of Prey #4

Title: Birds of Prey
Issue: 4
Date: February 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Jesus Saiz
Colorist: June Chung
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Bobbie Chase, Katie Kubert
Cover: David Finch, Richard Friend, Sonia Oback

Great opening as Canary tries to sacrifice herself to save innocent lives, and Sparrow comes up with an alternative plan in an awesome splash page shot. We jump forward and then flash back and get the conclusion of last issue's train battle in fast-paced recap form narrated by Sparrow, which includes just the right touch of humor.

I think I'm starting to "get" Sparrow. She's definitely the most entertaining character in this issue.

From there, Batgirl gets added to the team makes a guest appearance. Okay, that was a bit of a bait-and-switch, and there really isn't much explanation given for Barbara's arrival at this juncture except for the need for "extra muscle". This just seems like an excuse to put her on the cover.

Also, they decide to split up the party. That NEVER works! (Actually, they get away with it here; it's just an excuse to show the team members crawling around in ventilation shafts and such).

Weirdly, the bad guys' lair uses the exact same gimmick that the Court of Owls uses over in Batman: hidden spaces between the floors of buildings secretly built into the original design. It was so similar that I kept waiting to see if it's an actual crossover. If it isn't, then it's a pretty blatant failure at the brand editing level to be running essentially the same idea in two unrelated books (especially since this particular detail was pretty crucial to the plot in Batman). If this does turn out to be a crossover with Batman, then I'm all for it.

The infiltration appears to lead to a dead end at first, but of course things are not as they seem, and the ending cliffhanger is actually pretty clever.

This was the best issue so far in this series, in spite of some (hopefully; we'll see) minor flaws.

Rating: 7.5/10