Welcome to the latest installment of The Pull List, a weekly article in which I pick... waitaminute... how long has it been? 3 months?! OK folks, I'll be honest, I kinda got behind on my comics reading. Now, I could give you all a some sob story about how I haven't had time to read comics in a while and how I have been sick constantly since the start of the year, but I'm a much classier guy than that. What matters is that I'm here, you're here, and there are comic books I want to talk about. So LET'S READ COME COMICS!
Aquaman #6 (Johns, Prado, Reis)Plot: Aquaman's wife (or girlfriend) Mera tries to interact normally with normal townsfolk by checking out the local grocery store in full Atlantean garb. She is immediately is groped by a dude, which forces her to (rightfully) break his arm. Mera is then arrested, but on the way the cruiser is called to a homicide/kidnapping. Mera saves the day by sucking the water out of the armed madman (she can do that), but is stopped by the girl who was being held at gunpoint. Apparently she likes being almost killed. The issue wraps up with someone from town offering to get groceries for the Aqua-Couple, but will only help them out in secret. I mean, who'd want to be seen in public with Aquaman? Oh, and also something about sinking Atlantis.
Opinion: Six issues in, the one thing I can say is that everyone in this comic is a douchebag. Everyone. The art is nice, but I'm getting tired of everyone constantly bashing Aquaman and Mera.
Grade: Skim
Justice League #6 (Johns, Lee, Williams)Plot: This is both the wrap-up of the first story arc and the last issue that takes place 5 years in the past. DC's heaviest hitters and Cyborg all whomp on Darkseid, who I guess is just there to look for this daughter. Meanwhile, Batman (sans cape, mask, and chest emblem) is on the planet Apocalypse to save Superman from torture. They make it back to Earth, beat up on Darkseid some more, then Cyborg teleports all the baddies back to space by (what looked to me like) "pooping into a space portal." Good guys win, bad guys lose, and everyone loves superheros again! Yay. There was also a backup story which explains a little more about the "purple, hooded woman" that was in the background of every #1 issue DC put out last year.
Opinion: Once again, Geoff Johns has miraculously made everyone in this book sound like a jerk frat bro. Hopefully this jump into the present next issue will help that out a bit.
Grade: Skim
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 (Eastman, Waltz, Duncan)Plot: I'll be honest, I've missed the last few issues of TMNT, so I'm not quite sure what's going on. Michelangelo and Raphael pick up a pizza while the rest get ambushed in their lair by mouse robots.
Opinion: The pink brain alien from the cartoon, Krang, is here, as well as Baxter Stockman and his Mouser robots, which is a plus. There's fighting, there's pizza, the word "dude" is thrown around a lot... everything I love about the Turtles.
Grade: Buy
Suicide Squad #6 (Glass, Henry)Plot: Harley Quinn goes AWOL from the Squad to try to find the Joker. The story is interspersed with snippets of pre-juggalo Harley meeting the Clown Prince of Crime for the first time. The books ends with Harley entering Gotham City PD in order to steal the Joker's face. Oh, and the Joker's face has been skinned off. Did I mention that?
Opinion: This book is not good. Not good at all. It's nice to see that, while looking like a clown hooker, Harley's backstory is pretty much in tack.
Grade: Pass
O.M.A.C. #7 (DiDio, Giffen, Koblish)Plot: In this one-and-done story, Kevin Kho aides a band of genetically-mutated zoo animals in rescuing their leader. This issue is just one big reference to one of Jack Kirby's (the original creator of OMAC as well as many, many other things) other works, Kommandi: The Last Boy of Earth.
Opinion: Much like the rest of this series, this book is pure joy for me. I love just about anything made by or based on the works of Kirby, and this issue doesn't disappoint. I especially appreciated the tiny reference to Captain Marvel (oh, I'm sorry, "Shazam") by way of third string character "Talkie Tawny," the human tiger. It's a real shame this book is ending next month.
Grade: Buy
Swamp Thing #7 (Snyder, Paquette)Plot: After six issues of running away from his fate, Alec Holland finally agrees to irrevocably become Swamp Thing again in order to save the Earth from The Rot. But is he too late? That's all you're getting out of me, because you all need to go pick this up right now.
Opinion: I'm serious. Get in you car, drive to your local comic shop, and hand over $3 for this issue. Yanick Paquette's art is beautiful, Scott Snyder's story is tight... it is excellence in comic for sure.
Grade: You're still here? Go Buy it! Buy it NOW!
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