Reviews

This Week

Catwoman #71

Uncle Sam #1

Clash #1

Catwoman #71

Writer: Will Pfeifer

Art David Lopez & Alvaro Lopez

by Justin Smotherman

The thing I hate most about these epic Crises that DC brings us (seemingly one after the other right now) is that the smaller characters are sometimes lost in the going on's of the DCU. Catwoman is a prime example of an overlooked character during these times, and it's understandable--she's no longer a top villain and not yet a globe trotting hero. People who haven't been reading Catwoman have been missing one of the most surprising books to come out every month.

While the majority of people were mailing pipe bombs over Superboy Prime's reality altering punch, Selina Kyle actually murdered one of the most psychotic Batman villains ever. While the world was searching for the secret of 52, Catwoman had already passed her mental on to a successor and was raising her infant daughter.

Will Pfeifer's arcs are never perfect, but they're damn near close. It seems that he's just a moment away from being the next top writer but something is missing--the majority of Amazon's Attack was a bust and he wrote the best Aquaman story in years though no one seemed to notice. Hopefully this Catwoman story arc will be just the thing to make people pay attention to him. I won't give away much about this issue, but after losing most of her supporting cast and then months of trying to balance being the
protector of the East End and a mother has really put our hero through the wringer.

Every time Selina was forced to put on the whiskered mask it almost always resulted in her daughters life hanging in the balance. What do you do in this situation? How do you make a decision like that? Everything finally comes to a head here and once again Selina is written perfectly, the art is
gorgeous and the story heartbreaking. If you've ever had any interest in the character of Catwoman, I urge you to give this series a chance. From Brubaker and Cooke's first issue up till now, it has been the most consistent ongoing series from the big two, rivaled only by Ultimate Spider-Man. It's never late and there's never a filler issue...What are you waiting for? GO PICK IT UP! NOW!!

Avalanche Rating VF+ (9.0)

Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters #1

Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray

Art Renato Arlem

by Mario D. Kersey

I have never read any version of Uncle Sam or the Freedom Fighters before, so I decided to give this mini-series a try. The story opens in media res with the Freedom Fighters battling a swarm of super intelligent alien insects that resemble earth bees.

The story is narrated by a rookie team member by the name of Red Bee who, at the moment, is held captive by the insects. Just when the heroes are about to be overwhelmed the sheer number of insects, Red Bee frees herself from captivity. As a result of her captivity, Red Bee has the ability to communicate with the queen “bee”. In short, Red Bee saves the day.

From what has been shown in the first issue, Red Bee will play a significant role in this book. She has gained new powers and her physical appearance has been altered slightly. What happens to her at the conclusion of the issue is a nice cliffhanger.

I have a couple of gripes about this book. The book devolves into what I have seen too many times in team books: Government Involvement. Even earth’s mightiest had the government on their back at one point. The books goes there as a reaction to the Amazon incident. Do something different guys.

I’m also not very taken by the art of Renato Arlem. It has a messy quality that should be cleaned up for reader consumption. Despite these two gripes, I will come back for the next issue because of what happens to Red Bee. Who knows, this book might be buzz worthy.

Avalanche Rating VF+ (8.0)

Clash #1

Writer: Greg Karras
Art: Cory Hamscher

by Mario D. Kersey

Because I own very few Moonstone books, I thought I would give this issue a try. The CLASH carried me back to my high school days.

Why? Well, the paper had the appearance of the smaller publishers back in the nineties. In fact the book feels like the nineties with its mysterious masked men showing up on every page keeping the point of the story a secret to the reader. It makes me think of the early Image books.

At the moment, there is nothing that makes this group really standout. It takes places in some war torn city in the future, perhaps. I’m not certain. There is a powerful organization called the Protectorate in control and a band of heroes are working together to bring said organization down to its knees. Half the books on the stands had that plot when I was in high school.

The first four pages remind me of Days of Future Past. Pick the book up and see if you think so.

The book has potential, but I think the reader needs to learn more about the characters. If I enjoy the characters, I am more likely to enjoy the story and little to no characterization clashes with a good story.

Avalanche Rating F (7.0)

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