Comics that have gotten better, or just stayed awesome

It's a companion piece to the last post. I'm avoiding comics which did stink and continue to because, well, there's just little reason to ever talk about that. For that matter, I'll save the more detailed discussion of these for later, too.

Nova & Guardians of the Galaxy: Two different titles, I know, but they're their own niche, so I feel they belong together. Plus they both rule. I know, I'm being super-literary today. Also: Cosmo is crazy-awesome.

Criminal, Captain America, most everything Brubaker touches.

Iron Fist (though creative team is changing so the future is in the air).

Doktor Sleepless: It's so dreamy. Seriously, though, Sleepless is probably my favorite comic of the last couple years, or at least tied with Cooke's run on the Spirit. Every issue pushes the boundaries of comics, in my opinion (or at least the boundaries common to comics). You can enjoy Sleepless without thinking about it, but I wouldn't recommend it -- it's much more fun to really get into it.

Incredible Hercules: Probably my favorite Marvel title right now. This one just keeps getting better and better. It wraps itself in the Marvel universe, drawing on characters from its rich past, all while being distinctly original and mythic. Truly one of the best things out there, proving again the talents of Pak and Van Lente.

Batman: I'll say it right now: I'm a Morrison fan-boy. That being said, I prefer his writing when he's really unhinged (more Doom Patrol, less JLA - style). So, Batman RIP is right up my alley, and I'm excited to see what will happen, I'll admit.

JSA: I liked this series already, but the Gog arc has been really something. I thought it might be a bit forced, coming off as a "remember when you all liked Kingdom Come?" but its been its own breed. Plus, seeing poor Commander Steel get the shaft in the last issue -- it was actually sort of tragic.

There's others, don't get me wrong, but those are among my favorites...the ones I'll rush to on the shelves on Wednesdays.

Justice Society of America #8

One-sentence summary: While I like JSA, this is a rather plain one-shot that has a major plot point which makes no sense to me.

This wasn't that bad of an issue, it just wasn't that interesting. I did like the flashbacks to Liberty Belle's upbringing and growth as a hero, and I liked the idea of Johnny Quick as a nut. My main beef, besides it being a one-shot, was that I can't imagine the JSA being so curmudgeonly to a police force that's just doing their job. I realize that, as a one-shot, it's unlikely to have many lasting effects outside this issue, but the actions of Damage were seriously wrong. If there's no follow-up on that, then this issue really should have been looked over more. That is what editors are for; perhaps DC needs more editors who do their jobs beyond just making sure certain characters die?

The art was fine in this issue, and I really did like knowing a bit more about Liberty Belle, as I really didn't know her prior to this issue. So it wasn't like this issue was all negative -- it's just that the negative was about the main plot of the issue, so it gets highlighted. Still, I like JSA, and I'm excited over this next story arc, which promises to be pretty great. This is just a rather forgettable issue of a good series.

JSA Classified #28

One-sentence summary: Hot on the heels of the pretty good storylines about Doctor Midnight and Wildcat we get this mediocre story about Jakeem Thunder, a rather hokey hero who should've been allowed to stay dead.

I guess I just think the character of Jakeem Thunder is sort of dumb. I mean, the idea worked alright in the old humorous, campy comics of the 40s, but if you're going to be putting a character in a modern day comic, there really should be more to them than "has a magic genie." I know that now it's a 5th dimensional creature or whatever, but it's still a freaking genie as far as I'm concerned. The issue's big moral lesson seems to me to indicate that, in actuality, he's useless. In case you're curious, the twist (I'll ruin it for you because this isn't a great issue) is that for everything the genie does an equal and opposite thing happens elsewhere, so that for every person he makes a home for, someone loses theirs. This would indicate, to me at least, that in every fight every blow he lands is just a super-powered punch someone else is going to have to deal with, or something similar. Can he only wish for things with relatively no consequence now?

I just don't like this character, really, so seeing a comic that includes him and Green Lantern acting like Batman all of the sudden doesn't do much for me.