Guest Author - Travis Belk

The week of 8/23/2006 was a big week for comics. As such the review has been broken into two parts to accommodate the many comic books picked up. This is the second part of that review.

The Flash #3
We finally see Bart in action wearing his Uncle Barry’s costume. After rescuing Val, he allows her to perform tests on him and they share their first kiss. Bart’s roommate, Griff, has decided that his newfound powers are a sign for him to become a crime fighter. After nearly botching a hostage situation, Jay Garrick warns him to stay off the streets. This leads to Griff setting up the Flash in order to get the glory in stopping an assassination attempt.

After two dismal issues, this title finally starts to pique my interest. There was less focus on how Bart had speed since he supposedly lost it in the Infinite Crisis series, and more focus on how he is moving forward with his life. And while I found Griff to be obnoxious in the first 2 issues, his personality seems to be fitting him now. The issue had a guest artist and seemed a bit cartoony, but it was a vast improvement over the regular artist. My one concern is the ending. The way it is set up, seems to indicate the possible death of Jay’s wife. With all the recent deaths lately, I think it would be overkill. I’m hoping I’m wrong on this.

Heroes for Hire #1
This is the first issue of the new Heroes for Hire. Following the example of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, the previous Heroes for Hire, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing become paid heroes themselves. They are now on the government payroll though, helping track villains who refuse to register with the government. They put together a team including Tarantula, Orca, Black Cat, Humbug, Shang Chi, and Paladin. Using a sting operation, the team takes down a cadre of villains.

I LOVED this comic. It was that close to being my pick of the week. It was written featuring some extremely strong and interesting women as the team leaders. The team itself is an eclectic lot and has a great chemistry already. The humor was apparent in the issue without being overt. I also really liked the no-nonsense attitude of the team. And Bill Tucci on art is a great choice, given the martial arts nature of many of the fights. I highly recommend picking up this issue.

New Avengers #23
In this Civil War tie-in, we see S.H.I.E.L.D. try to trick and then arrest Spider-woman. She is then rescued by the terrorist organization, Hydra, whom she is spying on. They try to recruit her and she refuses, blowing up their island base. Feeling abandoned, Jessica finds Captain America and his rebels and asks to join them.

I have not been a big fan of New Avengers since it launched. Brian Michael Bendis seems incapable of writing a good solid team story. I finally enjoyed an issue with issue #22 and the attempted arrest of Luke Cage. I attributed his success on this issue to him only focusing on one character. As such, I expected the same enjoyment with issue #23. I was let down. A lot of that comes from that Spider-woman has not been that interesting of a character throughout the series. She has been confusing as a triple agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and Nick Fury. And this was all while serving as an Avenger. All these allegiances culminate in this issue with a whimper. Also we see Iron Man continue to be written overly heavy-handed as it pertains to the registration. Finally, the art wasn’t very fluid and was hard to follow at many points in the book.

Wolverine #45
We finally see the battle of Wolverine and Namor over the fate of Nitro. Namor wants him dead for killing his cousin. Wolverine gave his word to protect him in order to find out the mastermind behind Nitro’s destruction. Namor wins the battle and goes back to Atlantis with Nitro in tow. Wolverine borrows one of Iron Man’s underwater armors and goes after him. Wolverine wins the next battle, but realizes there is no honor in protecting a killer. He then leaves Nitro at Namor’s mercy after cutting his arm off.

This issue had the elements to be great and fell short. Namor and Wolverine have both gone toe-to-toe with the Hulk. As such, their battles should have been great and they simply weren’t. The whole issue felt under-whelming. And Ramos’s art just doesn’t feel right on this title. I liked it on Crimson, but it seems to be detracting from the stories in Wolverine.

Wonder Woman #2
In this issue we learn how Diana came to work for the Feds after killing Maxwell Lord in the Omac Project. She uses her position to help keep an eye on Donna who is now filling in as Wonder Woman. We see Diana trying to help protect Cassie from being captured by Giganta, Cheetah, and Dr. Psycho. Diana tries fervently to keep her secret identity, but is ready to shed it at the end of the issue. She is stopped from doing so by the timely introduction of someone from Themyscira’s past.

I kind of liked this issue. It was interesting seeing Wonder Woman approached from a different angle. And it certainly harkens back to the 70s when she lost her powers and was a secret agent. I am happy to see Nemesis as a part of the series as well. I was a huge fan of the Suicide Squad and he was a regular member. Terry Dodson’s art is amazing and looks great. My one complaint is the continuity. The three villains have been revamped, but contradict what we have seen in other comics. Cheetah is now human in Wonder Woman, but is still feral over in Birds of Prey. And Dr. Psycho has been all over the place recently. Most notably he shows up in last week’s Manhunter #25 where he was left powerless. And now he shows up in Wonder Woman more powerful and with a different look. I’m hoping they clear this up. Other than this, it was an enjoyable read.