Sorry so late: my third wedding anniversary kinda got in the way.

Say what?  Wife over comics?

Hey, what’s one week out of the year?

• Batwoman #23 (Read it!  A lot of running in place, but it does so stylishly:  McCarthy has brought his A-game again; I mean, how terrific is the transition from dream-Maggie, who is bleeding out, to a tripping Kate, who’s still stuck in a fear toxin-induced stupor?  Stunning.)
• Wonder Woman #23 (Read it! Wonder Woman‘s been frustratingly good–yeah, just good–for over a year now.  We’ve endured some missteps–some that thoughtlessly pushed it from my pull-list and then some that have brought me to the brink of dropping it entirely; and, remarkably, there have never really been any remarkable moments.  The series, up until now, has just been good.  And then came #23: “Goddown.”  Halle-friggin’-lujah!  So many fantastic page turns and subtle touches from Azzarello and Chiang.  Finally!  Finally, I can put good down–because this issue is great.)

Wonder Woman #23

• Batman ’66 #2 (Read it!  Some fun moments, sure, but not enough to keep me around.)
• Dream Thief #4 (Read it!  Stuck in mediocrity, which is a shame after such a strong first issue–and even more so because only one issue remains.  The end, however, is promising.  We’ll see what happens.)
• Chin Music #2 (Read it!  Niles’ story isn’t doing anything for me yet, but Harris’s art is ridiculously good.  The layouts, the line work, the attention to detail, the coloring: it’s all pretty amazing.  It’s a rare book that I’ll pick up for the art alone; going forward, this may be one of those books.)

Chin Music #2

• Revival #13 (Read it!  A lot going on, but still hasn’t gotten anywhere significant.  I do like how Seeley and Norton worked out Joe’s taking Dr. Weimar’s story, however.)

Revival #13

• X-O Manowar #16 (Read it!  Solid back and forth between the admirably arrogant Aric and the immortally wise Gilad.)
• Bloodshot #0 (Read it!  Kindt does a nice enough job building Bloodshot’s backstory, even if it is a bit convoluted at times.  Playing to his strength, he tells the story through a first-person narrator, which gives the book the feel of a Mind MGMT sideshow.)
• Superman Unchained #3 (Read it!  For the most part, I like what Snyder’s developing here with the Wraith.  Unfortunately, Jim Lee’s sucking the life out of the story with his soulless, static renderings.)

Superman Unchained #3

• Indestructible Hulk #12 (Read it!  Actually kind of fun!  Waid handles the troika of Kids really well, and the Hulk–with the help of Scalera’s art–does his best Six-Gun Gorilla impression while cleaning up the more-than-one dinosaur town.  And once again, I’m not hating the dinosaurs.  I’ve really evolved over the past year, no?)
• X-Men #4 (Read it!  Four books in–ugh!–we’re left to suffer through a one-and-done filler issue that accomplishes very little basically because The Battle of the Atom’s up next.  Would it’ve made more sense to start the series alongside the mini or even after?)
• Animal Man #23 (Read it!  The Brother Blood side of the story isn’t as terrible as I thought it’d be.  The Maxine side reads a lot like something out of John Ney Rieber’s Books of Magic monthly series from back in the day.  It all comes together well enough with some blood red betrayal–like totemly!)
• Batman and Nightwing #23 (Read it!  A terrific extension of Morrison’s vision that culminates in a touching moment that we might not have expected but that we–and Alfred–definitely deserved.  I love how Tomasi compassionately promotes Alfred to Bruce’s peer-in-grief with a simple omission: “Oh God, Bruce…”  Cements itself as the best Batman book goin’.)
• Daredevil #30 (Read it!  Great opening with Kirsten McDuffie.  She and Matt have great chemistry, don’t they?  The rest of the story plays out well enough–that is until Daredevil takes control of the Surfer’s board and Samnee and Rodriguez paint the town red and silver.  They absolutely soar with Waid’s wit at their backs–all the way to the bitter bookend.)

What did you get in your bag?

Turning pages,

Scott