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Hey
Kids! Comics!
Batgirl
#34
writer: Kelly Puckett
artists: Damion Scott and Robert Campanella
With
this issue, Puckett points out a severe flaw in Batgirl's
placement in the Bat-family. Though Cassandra has heart, she's
no detective. And Puckett does an excellent job of showing
her passion; at one point during her frustration over a case,
she practices her punching so hard she makes her own hands
bleed.
What
Puckett fails to do, however, is attach a plot to this emotion.
Though we get sucked in quickly enough with the story of a
young boy's murder, the reasons why are never adequately explained.
If Batman does any detective work, it's all not just offscreen
but never mentioned, save for his holding up a single hair
and using his Bat-DNA-vision to finger the shooter. At least,
that's what it looks like he's doing.
This
book has often fallen short on plot as an excuse to let loose
with the action; it's frustrating when it promises to be something
more and can't deliver. At least Scott and Campanella draw
this book with a slightly less exaggerated style than before.
Batgirl is now a fairly believable girl, instead of a mannequin
with beachballs on her chest.
Rating:
Beautiful
Killer #3
writer: Jimmy Palmiotti
artist: Phil Noto
The cover
screams "Final Conflict!" And in a rarity for a mini-series
clearly intended to go on, this issue really does finish things.
How it sets up the future remains a little unclear; for now,
it's cool enough that Palmiotti and Noto managed to tell a
satisfying spy movie homage in only three issues.
In fact,
if Black Bull really wanted to make a bold move, it would
be to put these two on an actual Bond adaptation. Noto's opening
scenes channel Sean Connery movie posters while maintaining
a modern sensibility. For those who don't understand just
what it was about the swinging sixties, maybe this will help
explain.
All I
really know is that I look forward to wherever they take Brigit
next, including the fabled movie adaptation with Jessica Alba.
Rating:
Daredevil/Bullseye:
The Target #1
writer: Kevin Smith
artist: Glenn Fabry
In a
sensible commercial move, Marvel is aligning the appearance
of at least one of the title characters to match the upcoming
Ben Affleck film. Luckily, in an artistic move, Smith makes
it happen pretty organically while providing one of the three
most chilling comics this month. (My vote for the other two
also appeared this week.)
Existing
somewhat outside the continuity of the regular monthly, this
book occurs three years after Bullseye's shocking murder of
Karen Page. Clearly, a lot has happened to both hero and villain
in between, with Daredevil's grief and rage fanned by an expose
by J. Jonah Jameson.
Bullseye,
however, would just as soon see himself as a reasonable businessman
with a particular skill. And how Smith demonstrates all that
just goes to prove how mundane evil can be. People consider
superheroes to be unbelievable, and yet they rarely seem to
complain about the villains. At Smith's word processor and
Fabry's pen, the bad guys are all too realistic.
Rating:
Fables
#7
writer: Bill Willingham
artists: Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha
Though
Willingham has borrowed a title and some inescapable elements
from the classic Animal Farm, all is not what it seems
in this upstate haven for the storybook people. By putting
the three little pigs up front last issue, Willingham gave
us a feint that distracted us completely from the real
mastermind. And just as in Orwell's book, all talk of revolution
really just hides another darker purpose.
Luckily
for Snow White, her sister Rose Red has an eye for such things.
Along the way we also pick up why the series' detective can't
be called in on this case. It's an obvious reason, but again
the story gets told so charmingly that it's easy not to think
about.
If you
haven't picked up on this series yet, I encourage you to pick
up the impending trade paperback collection.
Rating:
To
the second page of reviews...
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