Some Recent Comic Reads

JLA Classified 4-9

This is Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis follow-up to their well received I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League mini that came out last year. I never read that mini, but I don't think I missed out on too much. I found this story arc to have its moments but much of the time the comedy felt somewhat forced and/or dated. The fact that this arc also came right on the heels of Morrisson's JLA Classified arc made it feel substandard. If you're really missing some of those B-list JLAers, then give this arc a shot or else start with issue 10 when Ellis puts his touch on the series. Grade: B-



Superman Sacrifice Crossover

Lots of people are really up in arms over the new serious tone that DC titles are taking on. Personally I really enjoy it. Part of the reason I used to have a hard time getting into DC's titles (not including Vertigo) were that they felt to fake and kiddish. This new serious take on DC's characters makes for a more gritty, grungy feel that I dig. In this arc we see Superman being mind controlled by a C-list supervillain who causes him to do things he would never really do. The hallucinations that Superman experiences are what make this arc. They're situations that I've always wanted to see Superman in when confronted with supervillains instead of the safe route that most writers take. If you haven't picked up this crossover, it's going back to press so you should be able to get it soon. I recommend it. Grade: A-



DoubleCross More or Less

Have I ever mentioned that I really don't like autobiographical comics? They just bore me. I don't want to read about someone's boring life. If I wanted boring life I'd stay at work longer. In this graphic novel the author, I'm assuming, is detailing the steps he took to getting his first graphic novel published. There are some comical and interesting situations but for the most part the art is subpar and the story is boring. I don't really care about Tony Consiglio's semi-weird family and the struggles he had with the real world in the pursuit of being published. Some people really get off on this stuff, but I can't stand it. Grade: D+