I’d forgotten how many comics I’ve bought (and not talked about yet) – serves me right for being lazy and not writing about them sooner (and posting old pieces of writing instead, also because I’m lazy). Let us get on with the business of sharing my worthless thoughts.
Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #1
Or Caveman Batman, and what’s not to like about that? Grant Morrison brings us the story of the time-displaced Bruce Wayne (after the events of Final Crisis), lost in a world that does not understand him (literally, because of the language differences). There are lots of nice touches, linking the story to bats, a Robin, a pearl necklace, a cave, and including Vandal Savage. The art from Chris Sprouse is great – he draws a great ‘hairy-chested love god’ Batman – which adds up to a really good comic book. I can’t wait for more.
Fables #95
Fables never fails to entertain, and the second chapter of Rose Red is another lovely story, incorporating a greedy dwarf hoarding treasure and losing his beard (and more), as well as a talking bear who has been cursed. It’s an appropriate background tale for Snow White and Rose Red, and it’s told with skill and charm as ever by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham. I’m constantly impressed by the consistency in this book – long may it last.
Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1
It may not be Hercules at the moment, but it’s good to have Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak continuing their story of Amadeus Cho, possessor of the Hypermind and Hercules’ mace, as he tries his best to run Olympus Groups while he tries to locate Hercules (by building a ‘Hercollider Synchotron’) and tries to make amends with his ex-girlfriend. A simply delightful comic book, with very nice art from Reilly Brown.
The Unwritten #13
I really dig The Unwritten – the reality/fantasy connection, the Harry Potter-esque sections, the literary history intersections, the levels of complications, the different layers and multitude of characters. This is a smart, engaging, thoughtful and entertaining comic book, and Mike Carey and Peter Gross are doing a great job – I just hope they are on the right side of the sales levels to keep the book alive so they can finish the excellent work they are doing.