House Rules! Week of 03/22/06

Later than a loose debutante who "spends a semester overseas" and about as funny as one, too. This is your weekly installment of comic related goodness. Just in time to almost not matter. Dig in, children...

On Deck: She-Hulk #6, Robin #148, Supergirl and the LOSH #16, and ASM #530

She-Hulk #6

"Beaus and Eros Part One: I'm With Cupid"

Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Will Conrad

Note-a-Quote: "Ma'am, it's none of my business when a lady's with her fella... and she has her knees apart and..." -Matt Hawk, Two-Gun Kid (We get it, Matt... we get it. For the love of heaven, stop right there!)

The Skinny: Eros of Titan (AKA Starfox) stands accused of using his superhuman influence to sexually assault a woman. The fact that he openly admits he had sex with her in front of a hundred reporters doesn't help matters.

His friend and fellow Avenger Jennifer Walters stands ready to defend him, but can she manage the stress in her own life long enough to do it? And what strange fate will befall the entire law firm when Starfox's "natural charisma" begins to make its influence felt?

My Take: Many would argue that the current volume of She-Hulk isn't as funny as previous one. Truth be told, they'd be right. While it has its humorous moments, the current incarnation of She-Hulk has a decidedly serious tone in many of its moments. But don't let me give you the impression that that's a bad thing.

Dan Slott has a real skill at balancing his humor with edgy or even outright controversial material, and this issue is no exception. The concept, while amusing on the surface, has a deeper undertone to it. On one hand, you have the notion of a desperate housewife so intent on denying an affair that she accuses Starfox of manipulation to avoid scrutiny. That in and of itself is a sad commentary on the state of our current legal system.

But on the other hand, we have an entirely seperate issue at work. As is demonstrated in the latter half of the issue, Starfox does exude a certain natural influence on people in his presence. Whether deliberate or not, one has to wonder if he did manage to manipulate an otherwise unwilling individual into a sexual tryst (although as a hero-lover, I sincerely want to lean to the "he didn't do it" side of the fence).

All the while, we have Jen clearly being worn down by her job (which forces her to turn down work from friends because her firm is representing the villains are suing them) and her personal life (which would be much happier if she'd just buy a clue and get with Pug... hello! You're in his freaking house, Jen! He's watching chick flicks with you! Use your... She-Hulk sense or something...)

The plot helps convey all of this stress, even intimating that the lovey-dovey relationship between Jen and John Jameson may not be so rock solid (yay!) before crushing hopes of a break-up with the Eros love spell sub-plot (boo!). And really, why is there so much romantic tension in the law firm to begin with? What is this, L.A. Law?

Awesome Andy digs Mallory Book. Ms. Book digs Two-Gun Kid. Pug digs Jen... and can I just say how impressed I was that Pug almost pulled the trigger and made a move on Jen. You go, Pug! You get yours before you're inexplicably killed as an emotional plot point, which by the way better not happen. You hear me, Slott! Don't you touch my Pug!

So all in all, while it may not be as hilarious as previous issues, there more than enough good stuff to keep one fixed until the story concludes in the next issue. And I'd expect there to be all kinds of resolutions going on in that book. Although probably ones wrought with frustration.

Story: 7/10 (She-Hulk's supporting cast as just as entertaining as she is.)
Art: 7/10
Overall: 7/10 ("Don't You Touch My Pug!" will be available as a single or as part of my album release later this year...)


Robin #148

"Boy Wanted Part One: Out Go the Lights"

Writer: Adam Beechen
Art: Karl Kerschl/Wayne Faucher

Note-a-Quote: "You've been accused of murder before. Can you imagine someone else cleaning up your mess for you?" -Tim Drake (I'm not sure what it would look like, but I know it would be at least an eight issue crossover. With variant covers.)

The Skinny: It's One Year Later. A mystery assailant attacks Robin and leaves him stuck in an alleyway with a dead body in a Batgirl suit. The good news is it's not Cassie. The bad news is there's still a dead body in the suit, and that's enough to make Robin wanted by the Gotham PD. Even though Batman offers to help, Tim declares it a personal matter and wants to work it on his own. Step one: investigate the imposter's costume. And all Robin has to do to get hold of it is break into a GCPD station. No problem at all...

My Take: It's One Year Later... and Robin's in the flow with his solo title. Here's what's new with Tim Drake one year later: he has a new costume, a better relationship with his mentor/partner, and a pretty solid attitude to boot. He's also hit a time warp, but we'll get into that later.

In stark contrast to his elder Dick Grayson, Tim starts off his new exploits still in the groove. Well, he still gets his butt handed to him, but that's all in the set-up. Or I should say, that's all in settng him up for taking the fall for killing someone. And a nice, plausible set-up it is, too. I have to say that Tim also gets a much better set-up in terms of backstory as well. If I didn't know better, I'd think that all the events that Tim references in this issue actually happened in a book somewhere in the past. It feels like continuity is being cemented rather than just tossed in as a gimmick, but maybe that's just because the storyline gels.

And speaking of gelling... it looks like the entire Bat Family is operating as a solid unit now. Or at the very least they're getting along enough to be in touch with each other since Oracle's unsettling announcement to the group covered all the usual bases. Even the allegedly killed Cassandra Cain spends time lurking through the shadows, so you know it's just a matter of time before she makes her presence felt.

It's hard to say that Tim is or isn't in character since things may have changed a little over the past year, but he seems to be mostly his old self. He's also displaying self-confidence, something which, while not missing from previous appearances, is sorely missed at times. Telling Batman that he wanted to handle things on his own is the kind of thing that only a Robin can get away with. Or at least it used to be.

Fortunately for us, the OYL incarnation of Batman seems to be a much more amenable person. Instead of the psycho, overcontrolling mind****er that we've seen the past few years, Bruce has "mellowed" into the night soldier that's willing to let Tim handle the case on his own. At the same time, Bruce lets Tim know that if he needs help, he only has to ask. It's honestly a nice thing to see.

I enjoyed the art in this book, too. The only minor complaint I could register is that Tim looks incredibly small in most of the panels. And yes, I know he's a child, but he's supposed to be a teenager. Not only does he look like a child in most of the book, he looks puny. Although to be fair, making Tim small and lithe is one way to go with his look, I do like him to look a little bigger than waif-sized. Maybe that's just me, though.

Other than that, everything worked for me. I'm not the biggest fan of the new Robin costume, but the color scheme works. And I admire any artist that makes Robin's throwing R's look like feasible weapons and not an attack launched by a Sesame Street character.

Story: 7/10 (A solid start for Robin's solo adventures.)
Art: 7/10 (Aside from "kid" Robin, it's all good.)
Overall: 7/10 (A good jumping on point for Robin, OYL or not.)


Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #16

Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Barry Kitson/Mick Gray

Note-a-Quote: "Admit it. You're dying to cuff us. This is killing you, isn't it?" -Ultra Boy (Cocky, yes, but the when you're Ultra Boy you can get away with it.)

The Skinny: It's 1001 Years Later (heh)... As the Legion revels in their newly acquired status as an extension of EarthGov (which means, among other things, they get to do anything they want to), Cosmic Boy debates whether the Legion as a whole should hold an election for leadership. And if that's not enough, Earth itself faces destruction at the hands of a incoming space projectile.

The Legion's attempt at stopping the object fails, but allows enough time for Supergirl to arrive and save the day. When pressed for information, Kara pulls Cosmic Boy aside and reveals that she is the Supergirl from the past.. but that the entire Legion is a figment of her imagination.

My Take: It's 1001 Years later (heh)... Yikes. I guess it only makes sense that the girl with more origins than she has powers would show up just in time to pull a rewrite on the Legion... not that they need help with that. Maybe that's why Supergirl and the Legion make such a good pair. It's like a new origin ceasefire, or it would be if Supergirl wasn't prepared to hit the reset on Legion again.

The story itself has all of the normal Waid legion elements. There's still the overriding socio-political aspects of the Legion, with them acting more as a political movement than a team of superheroes. Likewise, we have the presence of refugees/supporters outside of Legion HQ, which only adds to the political tension. And on top of that, we have Brainiac's "truce" signed with EarthGov, which causes more problems than it solves. Especially since the Legion makes no qualms about solving problems their own way, no matter what.

But the heroes are still heroes. They catch the bad guys, and the scene they make while doing so ends up more to make the people in the area stand up for themselves than to harrass civilians. And while some of the Legionnaires are cocky about their newfound freedoms, others appear much more subtle and reflective on the matter.

Of course it could be all a moot point, since it's possible none of them exist anyway. But that's not really that big of a deal. At best, teh Legion's just one alternate future timeline, anyway...

Story: 7/10 (Nice story, nice twists, and a good start to a plot.)
Art: 6/10 (Even the gritty parts of the future look bright. Go figure.)
Overall: 7/10 (The future has an interesting... future ahead of it.)


Amazing Spider-Man #530

"Mr. Parker Goes to Washington (Part Two of Three)"

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Art: Tyler Kirkham/Jay Leisten

Note-a-Quote: "It's going swell. In fact, if it were going any sweller, they'd probably have to deport me." -Peter Parker

The Skinny: Peter begins his Washington road trip with Tony Stark, who's having an informal session with the Congressional Committee on Superhuman Activities. It seems they want all powered and costumed superheroes to register with goverment or face prosecution. And we all know that would end well.

Anywho, Peter and Tony talk to the committee with less than positive results, all the while being shadowed by a mystery assailant. After Peter foils an attempted shooting, the assassin, Titanium Man, reveals himself to the duo. Peter sends Tony to safety, then pulls a quick change into his spider gear. The web-slinger has a brief brawl with the T-Man before the local authorities chase off the big metal one. Spidey, not one to let things go, snags Titanium Man with a web line and gets dragged off into the air with him.

My Take: The build-up continues. The Congressional meeting goes off exactly as you'd expect it would. No real surprises there. But we are introduced to Peter's new 2.0 version of his suit. What's new you ask? Here's the short list:

Liquid metal nano-fiber (capable of appearing invisible. looking like other costumes, and providing camouflage in dark environments)
"Waldoes" (thin metallic arms capable of grabbing, spying and attacking)
DVD Burner

Okay, it doesn't have a DVD burner, but give Tony Stark another week and it'll probably have WiFi access and an onboard PSP. He's just pimp like that, yo.

...

Yeah, me and the urban lingo don't work so well together.

It was also nice to see an old school Iron Man villain like Titanium Man show up, even if it's not an old school guy in the armor. Also impressive was how bold Peter was in taking him on. Not that your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is one to back away from a fight, but Spidey simply won't let the guy go. Of course, we'll probably have to deal with Peter having a moment at the start of the next issue where he thinks, "What was I thinking?" What, indeed.

At any rate, we're still in the process of being set up for the upcoming Civil War storyline, which will no doubt have some obvious and not so obvious plot developments. But the prelude is still shaping up well.

Story: 6/10 (More a link between the beginning and end, but still a good story.)
Art: 6/10 (Same complaints as last issue, but okay.)
Overall: 6/10 (Why am I steady numbering all of these ratings?)

T-Mail!

It's time to read us some T-Mail!
Reply to some posts and some e-mail!
Might even get one from a fe-male!
(But it'll probably be from a dude.)

Michael Weaver wrote: Hey look...it's a sneaky e-mail from Hav at work.

Anyway, your Superman review has me more interested in DC than I've been in a while. I may just have to check out some of this OYL stuff, nifty.

And I saw previously that you enjoyed Ms. Marvel, and that's on my pull list now.

Stop making me spend money you fiend!!!!!

Michael: Lord help us all, I got an actual e-mail this week. That's right, a real, honest to gosh, in my inbox e-mail!

I'd like to thank the Academy, my producers, the fine people at Gillette (makers of Gillette Fusion: the evolution of shaving), Hillshire Farms, the Mormon Tabernacle Choi... what's that? It's just from Havok? Aw, crap. Oh, well... I'm, still counting it because he sent it from work. So extra points for sneakiness.

And personally, I just loves it when someone tells me they're adding a book because I reviewed it. It makes me feel so... useful. Ah, usefulness. Now to wait for someone to complain because they picked up a book because of me. It's just a matter of time.

If you have any ideas/suggestions/comments, feel free to leave them here or contact me at th_houston75@hotmail.com. Please reference either "Waiting for Wednesday" or "House Rules!" in your subject, so I have some idea why you're mailing me.