So many people think they’re sooo clever this week, whether it’s Oliver Queen (though that’s a trademark of his really), Nightwing‘s The Judge (debatable whether he was trying to make Nightwing his friend through the toughest love), The Sasquatch Detective who just needs the right motivation to prove herself, or the people plotting against Harley Quinn.
Not everything will be resolved this week but the supreme confidence of it all does help make the ride fun!
Green Arrow #38
Words – Benjamin Percy
Pictures – Juan Ferreyra, Deron Bennet
It’s finally the day of Queen’s trial! Kate’s there to defend him and his friends (in and out of the courthouse) and lucky enough Oliver even made it. He thanks her profusely, them gives her an “I’ve got it from here”(winky face!) look.
They say the man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client, but most don’t have Benjamin Percy writing their dialogue for them.
I appreciate how that the scene inside the courtroom is toned more pastel, reminiscent of the sketch-work of courtroom artists. It’s just an extra bit of visual glee to show Ferreyra is a fun illustrative maestro.
It’s an issue that pays off for the reader how this story’s been building, and gives you the mad friendship fluffies.
Green Lanterns #42
Words – Tim Seeley
Pictures – V. Ken Marion, Sandu Florea, Oinei Ribeiro, Dave Sharpe
Simon and Jess make their final preparations to break into the space-church and break out all the kidnapped super-people.
Our scrappy space-pirate Scrapps is offended she was used for such an operation (she’s a pirate but all about freedom!) so insists on helping.
You would not be wrong to wonder about the character whiplash, but sometimes you need to pull a face-turn to keep an interesting character in a story.
The church (The Order of the Steed) is as creepy as you imagine, with a section of space gated off as their registered “sacred site”, using followers for fodder, and chips for brain hijacking.
But all the icky cult explanations are done by the Corp’s legal council Mr. Dasam (though this might be a misspell of Malet Dasim?) and I thank this issue for the introduction.
We only get four panels, would it be too much to ask for a chapter on the life of this guy?
Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #6
Words – Paul Dini, Marc Andreyko
Pictures – Laura Braga, Arif Prianto
All the people Betty and Veronica know and love stand within yelling distance.
That’s great and all, except for all the live explosives planted all around the swamp ready to go off just under their feet.
But if everyone good, bad and crazy can work together, Riverdale might not gain a new blast hole.
The action is better than you’d expect, and the threads built through the last five issues are all paid off (our peach headed gangster has never looked so good!).
With this issue our fun romp comes to a close, but the girls can always be visited in their respective books.
Harley Quinn #39
Words – Frank Tieri
Pictures – Inaki Miranda, Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper, Dave Sharpe
Harley continues to be way preoccupied foiling crime in New York, but it’s way too busy – like even the cops who appreciate the help (that’s a new one for Harley) are worried for her.
And no one is asking why is New York suddenly every episode of Law & Order all at the same time.
But maybe, just maybe that’s why no one seems to notice the Mad Max-ness that’s befallen poor Coney Island. (and P.S. If you loved the “who is that character from Batman’s past last issue, this one has Crazy Quit, Ten-Eyed Man and Penguin’s henchmen have names on their shirts like in the 60’s series!)
Even if Harley’s pushing everyone else away, Red Tool and Coach refuse to give up. One watches over Harley’s crazy tired butt directly while the other detectives back home.
Coach has so much of this figured out while I’ve spent the last three issues trying to figure what real life dolls the creepy Bat-Harley doll reminds me of. (Monster High it would fit into that easily)
Justice League #40
Words – Priest
Pictures – Pete Woods, Chris Sotomayor, Willie Schu
Even though they were thrown to the edges of the Earth by their demented “fan” they continue to underestimate him.
For one thing they never asked themselves, “if he was able to get to the position where he was working with others to do such things as build and repair The Watchtower, do you think he found some allies?”
The lawyer we met just last issue, that no one questioned and was brought to and left alone on The Watchtower – turned out to be there to wreck the place. Okay fine, we’ll chalk that up to the hearings putting a lot of extra stress on them, but this is your last mulligan Justice League!
They better get both Crisis-es handled quick, because as ambulance-chase lawyers are putting together class-action lawsuits the team ported into The Watchtower (all escape pods were ejected) as it’s plunging to it’s fiery upper-atmosphere demise.
Well… if they burn up they can’t be sued!
Nightwing #40
Words – Sam Humphries
Pictures – Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo
Nightwing’s been holding his breath since last issue.
But as the saying goes – sometimes you have to headbutt a squid in the eye to save your life (nobody says that ever).
The Judge is either an insane accidental immortal or just thinks he is.
It’s a good thing then that Nightwing’s dealt with such things before (with help).
But now he doesn’t know who he can trust and his stupid pride is too much to ask for any help from the outside. Both Dick’s life and Blüdhaven are crumbling at an insane rate. We as the reader can see how it got here but does that help the last bits stick together?
If anyone is going to make it out alive, forgiveness will have to be found; for Lucy who wanted to keep her casino open, for Guppy who realized too late what respect wasn’t, Detective Svoboda who wanted her family to stay safe, and maybe even Dick for the crime of being a fallible human.
Exit Stage Left: the Snagglepuss Chronicles #3
Words – Mark Russell
Pictures – Mike Feehan, Mark Morales, Paul Mounts, Dave Sharpe
Sasquatch Detective in “Unsolved Mysteries”
Words – Brandee Stilwell
Pictures – Gus Vasquez, Ross Campbell, Dave Sharpe
We get a lovely, well paced “day in the life” issue.
There’s some gentle character and world building moments, I adore it and it scares the heck out of me. This is a calm before the storm issue and darn it this team makes me not want horrible things to happen to Snagglepuss, Huckleberry and the rest.
But the clues are there and even as characters do their best to make their friends and the world happier the claws of outside forces are already surrounding them, inextricably closing in until they are crushed.
It only makes it worse that it won’t be personal. Destroying their lives is but a power play in a larger game of politics position and money.
Sasquatch Detective was six pages of a writer’s spitball session super-caffeinated and pixie stick fueled. Tonya is goaded (mostly by herself) to solve more cold cases over lunch than an entire season of procedural dramas. Then there’s cringe humor with an egg salad sandwich.
I’ll admit this wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the story before it in this same book hadn’t been so good, but I didn’t made the choice to marry them together. There are many little interesting little visual jokes in it for a second read-through, but that does not help the manic and then- And Then- AND THEN!!!! gait of the entire piece.
The Jetsons #5
Words – Jimmy Palmiotti
Pictures – Pier Brio, Alex Sinclair, Dave Sharpe
Remember how the last issue left us with a difficult decision the Jetsons had to make?
There was room in Spacely’s ship only for three of them.
Don’t worry, something comes up that was not foreshadowed in the past four issues at all to decimate that tension (Though it is spoiled on the cover).
It’s not the only plot twist of the issue.
George’s wacky “sometimes” telepathy comes back, but only to read Astro’s thoughts.
So I guess that makes this book more true to the cartoon now?
Unfortunately the issue had panels of the dog being joyful and of people sadly crying, neither of which the artist was able to convincingly pull off.
If I seem harsher this month it is directly related to a painting given to George (in this issue) for his birthday. It is an obvious take on Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” but the creative team has the characters misidentify it, not even in a winking or cheeky way.
The issue’s exhaustingly packed with one left field pull after another, (I’m letting my bet ride from last month’s review) one more issue and this story is behind us.
