The Monitor Tapes for Monday, April 13, 2009

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BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #2 (OF 3)

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Breezed right through this book to be frank. Action-y with explosions, violence, pretty artwork, and a breakneck speed while name dropin’ and cameos galore. Not enough substance for me though, the comic book equivalent of a Jerry Bruckhimer movie. One more issue till the wrap up, one issue closer to new Batman series.

GREEN LANTERN #39

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The Orange Lanterns revealed! And they’re far more horrible than the Sinestro Corps (yes, even Kryb). The controllers get shown to be the putzes I’ve always thought of them as, Hal is still experiencing problems as the Blue Ring and Green Ring war over dominance, and Scar makes her final (?) gambit known by kicking off the Lantern War (bleeding into Blackest Night). Anyone want to take odds on Batman’s “Corpse” returning as a Black Lantern?

SECRET SIX #8

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Date night has never been so fun! This book is truly for lovers, as we see Scandal hook up with the stripper from back in issue #1 (who could be the “Reborn” Knockout via “Final Crisis” resurrection of the Fifth World characters). Deadshot goes along on as a double date with the creepy Jeannette, while Ragdoll has halucanatory dreams from his “tagging along” method you’ll have to read to truly appreciate.

Secret Six was defiantly tied for one of my favorite books this week, only topped by…

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE DOOM PATROL VOL. 1

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First off, I have a love/ hate relationship with the Showcase collections. What I love? 500+ pages for $16.99, huge collections of older material! What I hate? It’s black and white!

With that said, it’s not much of a gripe, but really a deal breaker for a lot of people. However, in the current economic crisis and Volume #1 of the “Archive Edition” being out of print (it’s in color, 211pgs, and a hefty price tag of $49.95), for $17 bucks, you get twice as much material for a fraction of the price!

Plus, it’s classic Doom Patrol! The less-glamorous cousins of the “X” people across the way at the “House of Ideas”, DP is way more freaky than sexed up mutants, almost more like the AV club of superheroes. The Doom Patrol are for all intents and purposes a sideshow freak jamboree of bizarre superheroes fighting even more bizarre foes (Animal-Vegetable- Mineral-Man, The Brain and Monsieur Mallah). If you’ve read the Morrison run of DP, you’ll really see that he really didn’t go too much more far out than original creators Bob Haney, Arnold Drake, and Bruno Premiani. Plus for added bonus, if you’ve read the previously mentioned run, you get to play “Whatta’ dick!” every time Dr. Niles Caulder does anything!

As an obsessionist/ completist I’ve already got several issues of Doom Patrol/ My Greatest Adventure w’ DP, Strange Adventures/ w’ Animal Man, Brave and the Bold/ Metamorpho (the holy “freak” trifecta of 60’s DC). This book is great to fill in reading between those missing issues and good for re-reading and loaning to friends.

DC COMICS FOR 4/15/2009

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* ACTION COMICS #876

* BATMAN: LOVERS AND MADMEN

* GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #19

* GREEN LANTERN CORPS #35

* JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA VOL. 4: THY KINGDOM COME PART 3

* ORACLE: THE CURE #2 (OF 3)

* R.E.B.E.L.S. #3

* SUPERGIRL: WAY OF THE WORLD

* SUPERMAN/BATMAN #58

* SUPERMAN: THE COMING OF ATLAS

* TRINITY #46

* VIGILANTE #5

JOHNNY DC

* SUPER FRIENDS #14

* TINY TITANS #15

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* 100 BULLETS #100

* 100%

* AIR #8

* DMZ #41

* FABLES #83

WILDSTORM

* CASEY BLUE: BEYOND TOMORROW

* MYSTERIUS: THE UNFATHOMABLE #4 (OF 6)

* WORLD OF WARCRAFT #18

* THE X-FILES #6 (OF 7)

For more info on DC Comics, check out dccomics.com and the Source at dcublog.dccomics.com

Thanks for reading!