Comic Book Day 11/05/2008

Terra #1 - Palmiotti, Gray & Conner - I didn't plan on getting this, but my LCS had it in my pulls for some reason, and the art is Amanda Conner, so I figured it wouldn't hurt too much to get it. I was pleasantly enough surprised. I am not sure I will continue to get this, but I thought it was ok. It had humor, I like Conner's art, and I have some old school nostalgia for the original Terra. In this comic Terra is all about heroism and righting wrongs and such. She seems to act as a sort of protector of subterranian cultures.  Power Girl shows up and saves her as she is in over her head, and takes Terra to Dr. Midnite to be patched up. I have no idea how this Power Girl relates to the ones that are in the Latest issue of Justice Society, but it isn't a big concern of mine at the moment. This mini has the potential of being decent, but it doesn't really have anything to make me want to keep getting it. I guess it depends upon what else is on the shelf when issue 2 comes out.

Justice Society #20 - This issue takes us away from the Gog Magog stuff of the last many issues, and gives us some Power Girl on Pwer Girl action. I am not the biggest fan of this. I would really like to get to a point in time where we stopped having every DC plot be about multiple worlds and such. I guess JSA is an appropriate title for such stuff, but I don't love it. It gives me the same headache that time travel gives me. This issue is ok I guess.  I think it could be skipped without missing anything. I was sort of alarmed at the end of the book by what seems to be an announcement for 3 different #1s relating to the Gog/Magog/Kingdom Come Superman thing. I was enjoying that this storyline was staying mostly neatly inside of one title. I don't want to have to buy more than one title just to keep up with something that I have been strung along this far with in one title.

Vixen: Return of the Lion #2 - G. Willow Wilson, Cafu - I said in my review of the first issue of this that it had me for at least another issue. I will say that thanks to the strength of this issue I will definitely see this through.  The art continues to be pretty beautiful. There are one or two pages in the whole thing that I don't love, but it's really good, and the color is really nice as well. The story advances a little bit, but we get to spend more time with Mari as she is cast out of her village and makes her way across the plains. This issue ends with her meeting what I assume is a sort of mentor of some sort. Her mother serves as a spirit guide, the message is that she needs to connect with the land and in doing so she will realize the truth of her powers and such. It isn't exactly new ground in storytelling, but I am a bit of a sucker for this sort of thing.

The Amazing Spider-Man #576 - This issue completes Spider-Man's first run in with the new terminator style Hammerhead. It's not just a long fight scene, although it is mostly a long fight scene... Two long fight scenes, I guess. I enjoyed them quite a bit. There is something nostalgic about Spidey taking a ridiculous beating, only to rebound and somehow pull out the win. I think the art is half brilliant. I still don't love how Peter is drawn. If you see this issue, pick it up and flip to the very end. I swear to you... A young Pete Townsend is apparently subbing for Peter Parker for several panels. it's sort of weird.

Sandman, The Dream Hunters #1 - Gaiman and Russell -  I have never read the illustrated book of this story. P. Craig Russell's adaptation of it into comic form, and his art for it are pretty awesome on their own, though. The story is like a Japanese fairy tale, only according to it's afterward by Gaiman, it isn't one, and isnt really based on a specific one either. It has the feel of one, and the art and story work beautifully together. It is a Sandman style story, and there is a joy to getting a new one of those to read (new to me, not new obviously).

Pretty good stuff this week. It was an overall good day for reading comics today.