Suicide Squad #18
The newest incarnation of the Suicide Squad has done very little for me so far. And when it was announced that General Zod was joining, that pretty much pushed the book past the point of believability even for me. First off the original Amanda Waller was never that stupid. Yes, I used the word stupid. The way the story is written shows that it is not Waller’s arrogance that cause the events of this storyline but her soft spoken “I thought I could control him.” That’s being stupid. The Amanda Waller of old would never have allowed this scenario to occur. Second, while I understand the need for the main players to keep the movie/comic tie-in to keep happening, you’ve got a book called Suicide Squad where basicly nobody dies. That’s one of the problems with rebooting a comic universe. You have a tendency to make necessary third string characters disappear when they would make great fodder material in a title like this. I give this issue credit for one thing however. The idea of controlling Zod is quickly done away with. Had Zod become a full time member, that would have been the final nail in the coffin.
I give it, 5 out of 10 Grahams
Scooby Doo Team-Up #26
Fisch, Jeralds, and Brys are still doing their fine job of keeping this team-up title a masterpiece. With cameos by Spot, Rosemary, and the illustrious file cabinet, Hong Kong Phooey is back and better than ever. But I have finally figured out what has been missing. Granted, how important can it be if it took me 26 issues to figure out but still … All your classic team up books had one thing that always got the creativity flowing long before the days of the internet and Previews magazine. The final panel blurb about who was going to costar in the next issue. Marvel Team-Up, Brave and the Bold, DC Comics Presents all had this wonderful little tease that kept the reader on the edge of his seat for 30 days. Hey DC! Can we get a little future blurb? And while I’m asking can we maybe get some 3rd list actors or sports personalities to show up. I would certainly plop my hard earned cashed down to see the likes of Jerry Reed, Phyllis Diller, or the Harlem Globetrotters appear as guests. What do you say DC?
8 out of 10 Grahams
Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77
Full Blown Credit goes out to scribes Marc Andreyko & Jeff Parker. Their ability to take the tv show into the future in a logical and realistic way. They also get credit for being able to work the comic history of the Batman into the television show. Dick does go off to college and Batman works with Barbra Gordon’s Batgirl just like in the real 70’s. Robin grows into Nightwing and we find Bruce turing rather into the Golden Age (Earth-2) Batman. Grey Hair and all. With just one last issue to go, this is a title you should be reading.
9 out of 10 Grahams
