Comicology

Teen Titans #12

Johns
McKone
Alquiza

Well, it's the thrilling conclusion to the Raven Rising saga! ...Well, it's a conclusion, nonetheless. So remember last month when I couldn't figure out if Cyborg, Superboy, and Wondergirl got sucked into the void like Bart, cause they were standing right next to him? Well, they weren't. It's not explained why they weren't, but they weren't. Anyway, big fight between the Titans and Slade. They're expelled from the void Raven sent them to, and then there's a big fight between the Titans and Slade and Brother Blood. Anyway, the ending?

Astonishing X-Men #1

Whedon
Cassaday

My local comic guy, who's pretty darn cool, recommended this to me saying, "if you don't like it, I'll give you your money back!"

So, even though I haven't read any X-books in about eight years, I picked it up.

The story begins with Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, returning to Xavier's school for gifted youngsters, which is currently under new administration - that of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Emma Frost (the White Queen). There's a bit of an introduction of the new students to the faculty, as well as a simulated Sentinel attack. Logan (Wolverine) arrives and immediately gets into a fight with Scott over (surprise) Jean, even though she's dead. Seeing as how Scott's already sleeping with Emma, it's kind of understandable. Your typical, "we're a team, we need to act like it," conversation follows, prompting Logan's comment of, "Whoa, wait...is this gonna be about tights?"

Scott goes on to say that they need to appear as a team, and non-threatening entity to the public. Then there's a revealing of (yes) new costumes, while, in two other places, a mutant group has taken hostage a large party, and a conference is being held to discuss the newly-discover cure for the mutant disease.

Robin #126

Willingham
Scott

So last month, Tim's dad found out he was the newest Robin, and confront Bruce Wayne with a gun, demanding his boy back. Tim, surprisingly or no, complied, hanging up the suit. This issue starts about three weeks or so after that, with Tim meeting Stephanie as she's running track, trying to build up her leg, the cast finally having come off. In the conversation that follows, we learn that Tim hasn't visited Steph in almost a month, and misses the Robin gig less than he thought he would. Steph tells him she's going to keep working as the Spoiler, as, now that Tim's left, "there's more work for the rest of us to do."

Meanwhile, an agent named Scarab has entered the scene, hired by Johnny Warren to track down and terminate Robin. Having, by a facial recognition program, developed a pool of twelve young men, which is 93% likely to include Robin, she begins to search Gotham for them. Finding the first one, a Michael William Lieber, she assassinates him and his family while they sleep.

Teen Titans #11

Johns
McKone
Alquiza

I said I'd wait til issue 12 before dropping it. You know, thinking, "I'll give it a solid try, maybe I don't like it because it's new?" Thank god that time is near. For those lucky ducks who haven't been reading TT lately, we're continuing to see the rehashing of old Titan villains and situations, with the reappearance of Raven and Brother Blood. So last issue had the new BB sending Kory and Robin to their deaths, tumbling through the shattered floor of the temple...

Back issue - Impulse #19

Well, this is the week where I don't have a book out. So I decided to review a back issue. It was only a matter of time before I brought up an Impulse, so I'll make that time now, with Impulse 19. By.....

Waid
Peyer
Ramos
Faucher
Nov. 1996

There's really not much to summarize in that there's no real, intrinsic plot. This issue, like most of the early Impulse books, was a one-issue, self-contained story. So in this issue, we get to see what happens when Max Crandall, aka Max Mercury, zen master of speed and guardian to the fastest kid in the world has to enforce bedtime for said speedster minor. Impulse's bedtime? 8 o'clock. Truly, Max's bastardness rivals Batman's. 'Course, Max defends himself by explaining that Robin doesn't take four hours to fall asleep. To which Bart replies, "you don't really know that..." And it's obvious he doesn't.