What I Read This Week

Well, I managed to get the Weekly Dose and Links posted (early, even!) but a mix-up at work left this post unfufilled until today. What a revoltin' development.

Tiny Titans #2 -- Started to get annoyed now, as Borderlands still has not received copy one of this title.

Freddy vs Jason vs Ash #6 -- This one was not on the Diamond list for last week, nor did I see it, but evidently it was released. Hopefully I can find it this week.

Batman And The Outsiders #5 -- Moving on to comics I actually did manage to purchase, we catch up with Batman's covert crew in the South American jungle, trying to prevent the mysterious Mr. Jardine from making his space shot. A lot of action this time out, as the Outsiders have to deal with Jardine's mercenaries, including the heavy hitter, Militia, and the trigger happy Gunhawk and Gunbunny -- luckily they get a timely assist from an unlikely duo. Dixon is working on his own pace here, and it's a pretty enjoyable read for it. Lopez's pencils remain eye-pleasing and solidly rendered for the action sequences, although Katana's torn costume -- revealing juuust a bit of cleavage -- was a little gratuitous. I do have to wonder how the team is going to get out of this cliffhanger, and that's a sign of a good team book, I think.

The Flash #238 -- New series writer Tom Peyer joins Freddie Williams II to introduce the newest member of Flash's Rogues Gallery -- Spin, who is able to amplify the public's fears into a mind-numbing paranoia and terror. And a slip of the tongue by Wally West is poised to make him Public Fear No. 1. Peyer impresses in his debut, both in his ability to pick up the strings of Waid's arc (Keystone City's infastructure is in danger due to the removal of water content thanks to the alien invaders, the kids' aging dilemma) and even Keith Champagne's fill-in (Wally is unemployed) as well as writing a true Flash story. I mean, there's a guy with a costume and a super-power stealing something! And then using his power to put the Flash in a bizarre bind! That's Flash comics, people! Williams' art shines; he's a really good fit on this title. And Spin himself is a very interesting villian, from his visual to his powers to his voice, he has the potential to cross over into the DCU at large in addition to giving the Scarlet Speedster headaches. If you were not thrilled with either The Fastest Man Alive or the Waid relaunch, then you should definitely pick up this series again. And if you liked them, well, then you are already reading.

Futurama Comics #36 -- The Planet Express crew travels to the planet of New England, populated entirely by robots (no, it doesn't have oceans of clam chowder, that's New New England!) and gets embroiled in the mystery of the notorious Jak The Deleter! Meanwhile, Amy, Hermes, and Dr. Zoidberg try to have an adventure of their own, without much luck, sadly. Silly and enjoyable Futurama-y goodness, although the art is a little iffy in places. The wide range of British jokes alone makes this worthy of pick-up.

The Phantom #22 -- Without time to mourn from the events last issue, the Ghost-Who-Walks throws himself headlong into the investigation of the terrorist attack on Bangalan soil. As the Phantom works on one end, we see the machinations on the other, as all sorts of bad people are involved in a scheme which threatens far more than the Deep Woods, or even the African continent. The pace slows down here as Mike Bullock sets up the big conflict, which draws on a lot of the last few years of Moonstone Phantom stories. It's a different place for this title, which normally goes pretty all-out -- due, in no small part, to the fact that this is the first 5-issue story for the title. As such, it's a bit of a letdown from the normal jaw-smashing action. There's just not that much for Szilagyi to draw. Still, it's a good read, and there is the always popular sense of impending doom hanging over the entire affair, which is good, and the cliffhanger promises more chin-checking next time out.

The Pick Of The Pile is a title which hasn't gotten that honor in some time, and that is The Flash. Peyer's debut is a fresh read, with script that manages to be clever without being cute (a rare trick indeed). Combined with Williams' continuing on pencils, the title has been given a shot in the arm, and, retroactively, "The Wild Wests" now looks more draggy than it was.