quick takes: august 30

So another week, another edition of quick takes. Yeah, I know I had a 4-day weekend to do full (fullER at least) reactions, but I think having 4 days WAS the problem.

On with the (very average) week that was.

book of the week:

USAGI YOJIMBO #105

(w/a. Stan Sakai)

Nothing stood out this week as great, so I'll go with one of my favorite comics that had another pretty good issue. Stan is starting a multi-part arc here, and so far so good. It has everything: old friends (always happy when Gen is around), new characters, Usagi returning and one of the scariest villains fresh off his origin story. Really looking forward to this. Should be another great chapter in the rabbit ronin's life.

4-star. other good comics:

WASTELAND #11: Good issue. And after last issue's acid trip, it was welcome. This book is in cruise control for me at this point. I'm just sitting back and enjoying the art and the story as it unfolds. Hell of a turn of events at the end too, looks like its fight time in #12.

EX MACHINA MASQUERADE SPECIAL: Not sure why this was in a special rather than the book itself, but it was a good Ex-Machina story. I almost preferred the done-in-one feel.

3-star. some problems, but overall perfectly good comic entertainment:

LOCAL #10: I don't like the issues that stray from our main character as much, and this was one of them. Still, it was well done.

MICE TEMPLAR #1: This was pretty good. I had trouble distinguishing one mouse from the other in the beginning, but I got the exposition, and that was more important. Eventually it was just the one mouse and I could follow him. The action scenes were pretty awesome as well.

AVENGERS: INITIATIVE #5: I kind of liked this. Curious who Mutant Zero is, although she wasn't all that interesting aside from the mystery itself. Fun issue.

WETWORKS #12: The romance stuff was borderline silly at times, but I kind of want Wildstorm to go all the way through the Vertigo-door with this book and experiment even more. Fun read.

WALKING DEAD #41: Nutty ending. I've actually liked the quieter issues.

ACTION COMICS #855: The moments with Clark as a boy were good, the Bizarro moments so-so. Odd choice to do a Bizarro storyline when Morrison is doing (a much better) one at the same time.

BRIT #1: Fun, but I don't know that I want more. Does it actually miss Kirkman? Maybe.

2-star. comics with lots of problems:

TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT: OPTIMUS PRIME: An ok read, but some of the spotlights are feeling like filler rather than an important part of Furman's overall story. I'll give him a chance to prove me wrong however.

WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN #3: The best one of the three, but still not very good. The Hepzibah moments were really cool, and the return to mostly evil for the Juggernaut is much needed. I hated him working alongside the X-Men.

FALLEN ANGEL #19: I just don't like Shi. This series has been real good in the past, and I think it needs a shot in the storyline arm. Come on Peter.

FANTASTIC FOUR #549: I just don't enjoy the old-school feel/goofy McDuffie Fantastic Four. What I did like, and the reason it gets 2 stars and not one, is the Invisible Woman kicking ass.

WONDER WOMAN #12: WhereohwhereisGailSimonealready?

1-star. um, just no:

NONE