A few grouped together...

The campaign's pretty much over now (just hunting down a few loose ends and donations from restaurants) so I've got some time to actually read things that I want to read...so, a reviewing we will go...

Batman's Under the Hood really surprised me. The surprise wasn't in the revelation of who was Under the Hood - which was surprising, admittedly, since it reverses one of the biggest events in comics in the past couple of decades (click here if you want to know which one, but it'll be a big spoiler) - but rather at how tightly and well written the entire story arc was.

We open with the mystery being revealed to Batman but leaving us in the dark as to who is Under the Hood, and then the story jumps back to the true beginning. Over the next few weeks, we see a new player in Gotham - one who seems to be every bit as good as Batman but with a much harder edge. This new Red Hood (a nice reference back to Batman's past) is willing to kill badguys instead of dragging them to Arkham for a fantasy rehabilitation. The Hood is stepping on some huge toes, punking the Black Mask and doing everything he can to destroy's Mask's business - from blowing up arms shipments to stealing massive amounts of kryptonite. When Batman finally crosses paths with the Red Hood, Batman finds his equal in a very well-drawn and written chase scene.

This is one of the better arcs of the past Batman while - way better than the crappy War Games charlie foxtrot - and it could have some pretty far-reaching repurcussions for Batman. I'm looking forward to having the Hood (in his revealed form) around for a Gotham. Hopefully, artists will take advantage of this new character.

The volume has nice ties to Identity Crisis, Hush, and some nice old Batman titles. It's one to pick up.

All of this should be tempered slightly by the angular, sometimes off-putting artwork. Seriously, everybody looks maniacal when they smile. Luckily the story's good...

Ah, eye candy. Sometimes a fanboy just needs a good dose of eye candy. No storyline of significance. Just a simple rehash of ideas that have been covered a half dozen times. Luckily, the New X-Men provide just that in Phoenix: Endsong.

Oh, look, Jean Grey has returned from the dead and come back as the Phoenix. She wants to maybe destroy the entire world. The X-Men have to defeat the Phoenix, and the Shiar also want to destroy the Phoenix.

Color me surprised...

The artist has a clear appreciation for the human form but not a great undestanding of it since most of the cheesecake shots involve a woman standing in a clearly very uncomfortable position - thrusting hips out one way and throwing shoulders back the other way. It's a comic drawn for fanboys, plain and simple, and it works on just about only that level.

Oh, and something about love saves the day in the end. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but not a lot of the rest of the trade does either.

I've got a couple of other X-Men titles (I know, I'm a moron) to work through as well as Crash to watch. These'll be the next things coming because that new Wilco 6-disc unboxed set of bootlegs is going to take a few days to get through or rather to enjoy. Seriously...enjoying the heck out of it so far. Thanks, Daniel...