A day late this week for Thanksgiving. We start with...
SIEGE: THE CABAL #1: The Bendis Bait-and-Switch is in full effect here, as a lot of the ads have Norman Osborn's secret weapon being revealed here. It isn't. We do get a solid issue, as Taskmaster is initiated into the group to replace Namor and Emma Frost. Doom isn't too happy with Namor's unceremonious removal and demands his return. Osborn brings in his secret weapon (still in the shadows) to try and put Doom in line. Doom still resists, so he gets utterly obliterated. But we've all followed Doom for many years and if taking him out is ever too easy, it must be a Doombot. And it is. Except this Doombot's filled with nanobots that wreak havoc across the entire building. Osborn evacuates everyone, including the Dark Avengers, as the bots eat away at his Iron Patriot armor. The Sentry makes the save, as Doom leaves Osborn one basic message, "Don't f*** with me". Issue ends with Loki telling Norman that to sway public opinion against Asgard, they need an incident. This was good for what it was, but bait-and-switches are always an annoyance. Thumbs up, if you can forgive Bendis jerking you around again.
BLACKEST NIGHT: FLASH #1: This series gets off to a bit of a slow start, as Barry Allen continues his quest to hold off the BL's. He decides to grab advice from Solovar, except for the fact that he's quite dead. Meanwhile, the Rogues decide to take the fight to the BL's Rogues, with Captain Cold leading the way. Issue ends with the Rogues ready to kick ass. Look forward to the next few issues. Thumbs in the middle.
BLACKEST NIGHT: WONDER WOMAN #1: This oddly read like a one-shot rather than a "first of three" issue. BL Max Lord lures Wonder Woman into a fight and raises the U.S. military dead to aid him. A simple glare of Wonder Woman's lasso and the threat is averted. Huh...that was easy. Issue ends with BL Max Lord slowly reconstructing. Honestly, that could have been the whole series and I'd have been fine with it, but I guess we need part of this to take place after WW's assimilation in Blackest Night #5. Thumbs in the middle.
STRANGE #2: We get the continuation of last issue, as the girl Strange helped out on the baseball field now looks to find him, as the power he's given her never wore off. She starts dabbling in magic, including a vanishing spell. Unfortunately, nothing just VANISHES, it's just relocated, and everything that vanished happened to be relocated into a hermit demon's dimension. This issue threw in a lot of comedy and I can now understand the art style. With the girl looking to learn from Strange, we've now delved into "magical girl anime" territory, so the art style very much fits that. Whereas I didn't know what to make of the first issue, this series now looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Thumbs up, especially for the chemistry between Strange and Casey.
That's all I had time (and money) for this week. Back next week for more.
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Hey Deputy, swiped from you: "SPOILERS LIKE FREAKING CRAZY: Concerns: Batman (Red Hood identity), DC Countdown" Did you notice the tie in between the new Batman issue and Countdown?