Evolution in Funny Book Action

Following up on the last Funny Book Roundup, I purchased only four comic books the past two weeks.

One I didn't purchase: I noticed there was no Firestorm to be found in the latest issue of Brightest Day, and I didn't keep buying it because some of the issues have had Firestorm in an important role. The amazing adaptivity of the human mind!

The most delightful way to spend $2.99 was with Futurama #52. Bender decides he needs plastic surgery, becomes addicted, and it's just funny and adorable and true to the characters. I've said many times before and will again that I've gotten more consistent enjoyment from this comic book than I ever did from the TV show. And this issue continues their series of black light posters being included free, so what are you waiting for, go, by. Eric Rogers wrote this pleasing script with art by Mike Kazaleh and Andrew Pepoy. There's also a decent enough back-up story where Zapp Brannigan gets a medal he doesn't deserve.

Also from Bongo is a Simpsons Winter Wingding #5. Not as good as Futurama but pleasant enough. Learn about how flu germs spread, find out how a paper airplane can save the world, or what happens when Homer and Moe find a secret prototype for the new Krustyburger sauce. Needless to say, Seymour Skinner's plans to do away with snow days do not end up as he had hoped. Rogers (lead story), two scripts by Patrick Verrone, one Pat McGreal. The artists are all doing the Simpsons.

DMZ #59 concludes the Collective Punishment arc. Another fill-in job on the art, as all five in the arc have been. But this one is more directly on target, serving as a prologue to the final two or three arcs of the series as it heads into its finale with issue #72. I am really anticipating this final year or so of issues, and just hoping this arc of different artists means we'll have Wood & Burchielli closing out the run. We'll see... David Lapham did the illos to Wood's script.

And I continue to be pleased with the new team on the Teen Titans. I haven't been reading much of the new Batman books, but the script does enough within itself that I was able to get the gist of what's happened with the new Robin. Not always easily done, means I'm not bailing out after just two issues because I'm already feeling lost in the continuity soup. The new Robin is kind of annoying, but it becomes relevant and proves to be a set-up that skirts with but isn't quite annoying. The bad guy has gotten some kind of amazing powers from his brief sojourn on the operating table in the middle of the last issue, and I almost feel there's too much of a leap from the here to there. Part of me says "chrissakes, Joshua, it's a comic book, the villain has powers and you accept them and shut up about the whole thing," and then part of me says "but chrissakes, Joshua, it's a comic book, and even if the explanation makes no sense at all the tradition of it all is that there should be some mumbo jumbo about the lightning chemical bath or the radioactive spider and we should have a panel where the guy who did the operation gives some mumbo jumbo on what he did." But isn't it nice that I'm involved enough with the comic to at least have an internal dialogue? Script by J. T. Krul, art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood. Will be back for more!