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Snapshots for 3/10
There's no way that Don and I can cover all of the material we have for review in full reviews, so these capsule reviews will offer some brief comments on other recent releases.
AVENGERS/THUNDERBOLTS #1
by Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, Barry Kitson & Gary Erskine (Marvel Comics)
 In general, I think change is good, and given that the big selling point of the Thunderbolts from early on was an ever-changing status quo and many surprises, that's more apropos for those characters than most. However, by the time Nicieza had ended the book, he had changed some of the characters to such an extent that I didn't find them interesting anymore. More germane to a general review, perhaps, is that the number of changes made them very hard to introduce quickly, and this first issue of Avengers/Thunderbolts is definitely only for those who already know the characters. Nicieza and Busiek write this as a continuation of the Thunderbolts series rather than a new series, and even those who read all the issues may find themselves a little puzzled about the new costumed identity and powers of Dallas Riordan or the new attitude and powers of Karla Sofen. Barry Kitson and Gary Erskine do some very nice artwork, albeit hampered by some ugly costumes for the Thunderbolts, and the quality of the writing in terms of dialogue and plotting is of course solid, but the accessibility issue, not to mention that these characters have changed just one time too often, ends up delivering a story that is for longtime Thunderbolts fans only... and I'm not sure how many of those are left. 6/10
COUP D'ETAT: AFTERWORD #1
by Mike Carey, Whilce Portacio, Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips (DC Comics/Wildstorm imprint)
 I don't think I've hidden the fact that I was pretty unhappy with Coup D'Etat as a whole, or that I'm not much of a fan of Portacio's artwork, so it comes as little surprise to me that the majority of Coup D'Etat: Afterword is a big disappointment. However, while the pinup pages are mostly forgettable fluff and the lead story has artwork that I'm not crazy about, there are two saving graces for the Afterword book for me. The first is that Carey writes an intriguing opener for the new Wetworks, and although Portacio's art still isn't for me, it was decent enough to convince me to check out the first issue of the new book. The second is that there's a Sleeper story by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and it's a fantastic little short piece that has the flavor of the Sleeper series and reveals a key element of the new direction coming for season two. I don't know that I can recommend buying this entire book for one short story that makes up less than half the contents, but this is an excellent Sleeper story that is almost worth the pricetag all by itself. 6/10
GOTHAM CENTRAL #17
by Greg Rucka & Greg Scott (DC Comics)
 I was relieved to read this issue of Gotham Central and see that there was no super-powered connection to the serial poisoning case driving this arc, and it's looking less and less likely that there will be. Instead, what we've got here is a pretty straightforward (if believably complex) investigation by two detectives into the motives and means of murder so they can figure out who might have been behind it. As a side bonus, this story also features some fleshing out of two detectives in the GCPD, both through their interaction with each other and with witnesses. Burke's charm and somewhat lacking detective skills make a nice contrast with his partner's smarts, and Rucka builds some interesting and deliberately non-romantic chemistry between them that pays off with the story of Dagmar's son's opening night. Greg Scott's take on these characters is very different from Lark's, which can be disconcerting when it comes to characters I know like Sawyer or Stacy, but he's got the same textured, gritty and realistic characters and so he makes a perfect fill-in guy. In fact, as always, I have but one complaint with Gotham Central, and that's when the characters hit the squadroom. Suddenly there are a ton of characters and I can't separate who's who, and it makes the book feel less accessible than it generally is... something that could easily be fixed by a role call, which is rumored to be on its way soon. 9/10
QUANTUM: ROCK OF AGES #2
by Philip Clark, Ozzy Longoria, Supriya Kalay & Robert Ashcraft (Dreamchilde Press)
 Quantum is an interesting science-fiction book that needs to lose a little bit of its superhero style to really become something special. Which is to say, Clark has a fascinating concept here, that a plot device (magic rock) has split across dimensions and embedded itself in various people, granting them powers, but if they don't reunite the stone, reality will erase itself. It's similar to the concept of Exiles, except that the superpowered champions are powered by the same mcguffin that drives the story and the worlds are more conventional sci-fi dystopias (nuclear war, Nazis win) rather than superhero What Ifs. Clark's dialogue, and indeed Longoria's artwork, is often a little bit overexuberant and melodramatic (especially the over-the-top bad guy at the end), but when things are calmed down to a more realistic level, it's pretty interesting. I was especially taken with Billy's desperate attempts to get money for his gem or with his hedonistic use of powers, although I was also pleased that the central concept of the series was explained more clearly in this second issue. A few more quirky and interesting characters like Billy and a considerable turning down of the melodrama would help a lot, but there's an interesting notion at the center of this story. 5/10
USAGI YOJIMBO #72
by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse Comics)
 I'm always impressed by the way that Sakai balances the needs of a long-running narrative with accessible, single-issue stories. "Kill the Geishu Lord!" is a done-in-one story in some regards, being the story of an assassination attempt on a feudal lord which is filled with the same historical curiosity about Japan and examination of the unusual code of honor as well as having a pretty impressive action sequence featuring a goodly number of samurai and ninja. In more important ways, however, this issue is about the relationship between Usagi and Jotaro, because while they've become very close during their journeys together, only the reader and a few characters know the truth of their relationship, which could bring the characters closer together or ruin their bond. I was a little surprised to see Usagi open up so quickly (and out of nowhere, really) to his friend Tomoe, but the oddness of the subject coming up paid off nicely in the conflict in Usagi's heart, and leaves me wondering what will happen between Usagi and Jotaro in the future. 9/10
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