Justice Society of America #25: If I have any criticism of this issue, it would be the logic of who’s to blame for Mary Marvel and Isis’s corruption. Everyone seems to blame Black Adam for his transferring power first to Mary Marvel and then to Isis to resurrect her; Mary then bestowing Billy with some of her power. I’m just uncertain as to why Mary is in her Final Crisis costume. I always thought that the lightning was a catalyst for the transformation, and not itself good or evil, nor even corruptible. Though seeing Shazam lose his poop is probably an indication of how wrong I am. I do, however, like how everyone has been reset back to their true personae, even if the Marvel Family is no longer the Marvel Family. I hope they get their own title soon under the hands of a capable writer. A

Madame Xanadu #9: OMG was that a boobie??????? I guess after a thousand years or so even magic users get itchy Down There for some wand-in-hat action. Two more Golden Age heroes run tangentially to Madame X’s complicated history with the Phantom Stranger – The Spectre and Zatara. I think MX and PS need to just have a good, old-fashioned grudge-f*** and get it over with. Or at least get on with it; the wheel-spinning conflict is starting to wear a bit. He is, after all, already tied up. Amy Reeder Hadley’s art continues to impress. My big fear is that she’ll be replace by someone less apt and that the charm of these stories will be lessened somewhat. When it comes to the “Which is more important in comics – the story or the art?” debate, I fall on the “You can’t separate them out like that, idiot!” side. A-

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #24: While a good story, it’s another month spent doing character exposition and not really making any headway in the overall story. I was hoping by this time we’d learn why Buffy and Giles are on the outs, to say nothing of what Giles and Faith have been up to in the search for “Twilight” (Buffy’s “Twilight”, not the vampire “Twilight” of the vampire “Twilight” books and movie. Totally different vampires from Buffy’s vampires and “Twilight”. See?). And apparently hair buns are the new “evil” trope for women, paralleling bald, bearded men. C

Normally, I try to get “That’s My Bag!” weekly, but I’ve let it (and my grading; sorry, students!) slide for more… personal matters. I’m catching up in a few weeks of comics here, so everything will be brief. I hope to make this feature regular again, especially since this week is SPRING BREAK!!!

Supergirl #38: She’s on Earth; she’s on New Krypton. She’s an outlaw; she’s a bad daughter. I see another “Who is Supergirl?” story arc coming up soon. B

Superman #685: I’ve always loved Mon-El (though not as much as Kal-El does, apparently), so I’m glad to see him taking on a new Kent identity. I didn’t like to see him leave Ma Kent in the hands of another care-taker. A

Action Comics #875:Well, it’s not Conner (dammit) but the new Nightwing’s identity is still a great surprise, as if Flamebird’s. I’m going to like seeing these two in this title over the next year or so. A

World of Krypton #1:

Justice Society of America #23: Oh naughty Isis!! A

Justice Society of America #24: Shizzman! Mary Marvel goes Dark. Again. So, is JSA caught up with the Final Crisis timeline while the rest of the DCU isn’t? A-

Wonder Woman #29: Sadly, Zeus plays too large a role in this story for being as large an assdancer as he is. However, without these scenes we wouldn’t know how dangerous the Olympian is going to be. A

Madame Xanadu #8: Green Lantern. The Demon. Who else will be shaped by Madame X and the Phantom Stranger’s machinations? The story is still fun, but I’d like to see more “the future has taken root in the present” moments. B+

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #23: Who is driving this story??? Because we’re off-roading here. D

Uncanny X-Men #506: The issue is totally transitional and not necessary to buy. C

Fantastic Four: True Story #1: According to this month’s solicitations, one should expect that





which is so frenetic of language it couldn’t be outdone. Right? Oh, so very wrong. Scroll a little further down the page and one finds:





They come on a little strong, don’t they? While I can’t speak to the content of True Believers, I can for True Story. Was the title oversold? The package more delightful than the present? Most definitely. The idea is a good one (in a Gaiman-after-an-all-night-bender kind of way), but the execution of the characters by Cornell (Reed saying that reading Sue’s word balloon was “cool”? Unlikely.) and the uneven artwork of Domingues (it got better by the end, except for Sue’s hair) has a lark-y quality that doesn’t fly very gracefully nor very far before falling to Earth. D+ (Werd to Joveth for the solicitation info.)

Thor #10: I said I wasn’t going to pick up this issue, but with the opening pages set in Kansas (the part of the MJS’s plot I’ve found to be most winning), I forewent my resolution and was thrilled to find the plot was not as same same same as I had thought it would become. Loki, no longer the “god of lies” (and per se, no longer a god), is now a messenger of truth, but as any bridesmaid confronted by the question “Do you like the dress I picked out for you?” knows, the truth can hurt. A

Justice Society of America Annual #1: I don’t typically follow the JSA, but with all the anticipation surrounding this issue and what it means for Final Crisis (if anything) and Power Girl (a lot), I forked over my $3.99 and discovered a title I’ll be adding to my regular pull list. Dammit. My only fear is that there will never be a definitive answer to “Who is Power Girl?”, just an end to the story arc. Bonus: Helena Wayne as The Huntress. A

In other news:

Orson Scott Card calls gay marriage “the end of democracy in America”, but he’s not a homophobe (much like Dave Sim isn’t a misogynist). No, no. Paranoid science fiction writer living in a paranoid world? Yeah, I’ll buy that. AfterElton.com reacts.

Also from AfterElton.com, an editorial about the new X-Files movie. I haven’t seen it myself and before I comment I will be sure to. My only complaint (SPOILER ALERT!): no aliens!!!!

Finally, from Fanboys of the Universe via Joveth, a marvelous kiss: