The Time Traveler's Wife

This is one of the most frustrating titles I have ever picked up.  For that reason alone I love it  there is so much material that can mined from this book & discussed or used for inspiration in other works.  This is one of the more high concept books I have picked up recently it still sits firmly within the theme of books I have been reading lately.  I understand why a great many people are frustrated by this title; its hard to follow, to much detail in some spots & not enough in others.  I like that because it adds a level of ambiguity to the story, kind of like this was all a dream.  I know there is a movie out there but I have a feeling that there is no way it could do this story justice.  I found myself questioning a lot of ideas & events that happened in this book.  One of the main reasons I picked this up is the fact that it takes place in either South Haven, Michigan or Chicago, Illinois, both places that I am overly familiar with. I love that the two main characters are work in literary & visual arts.  But most of all I love that this is a story of hope surrounded by tragedy.  A tragedy that is inevitable from the beginning just as is the concept of a predetermined fate that can not be changed.  There is some vivid imagery in this book that is just amazing like when Henry goes to the future & sees his ten year old daughter before she is even born.  This book has more twist & turns than the movie Inception.  It is also a series of rolling waves when it comes to consistency; one minute it can be very detailed while the next it can be very vague.  That didn't bother me all that much because I was more engrossed in the subject matter & the themes that they were attempting to convey.  This is definitely a title that I will be returning to over & over again simply for inspiration.

Deathstroke Vol. 1: Legacy

This was a surprisingly good title for a villainous character.  It read a lot like a Punisher book from Marvel.  I really like the father needing to be bested by his son plot as the driving factor behind everything.  Kyle Higgins writing is a breath of fresh air since I haven't read anything by him in the past.  I kind of feel that this would have worked out really well as a miniseries instead of an ongoing, I know it has been cancelled but if it was still an ongoing I would be surprised.  

Detective Comics Vol. 1: Faces of Death

Over the years several different writers have brought a darker tone to the Batman titles.  Tony S. Daniel is a tremendous artist but his writing has always been just OK.   Maybe it is the fact that he is now having to write a younger version of Bruce Wayne as Batman but just feels off in some way.  I have to say I liked his writing more in the Pre-New 52 Universe when he was writing Dick Grayson as Batman.  His voice & writing style definitely is more of a fit for Dick than Bruce.  I think the opening tale with the Dollmaker was a good start to this volume however I don't feel that it felt resolved which in a Batman story that is OK as long as Tony S. Daniel is able to clear up the plot threads before he leaves the title.  But I liked the Penguin story a lot more simply because of the legend villain status Penguin has compared to Dollmaker.  This isn't really a must buy or a must read even for Batman fans but like any Batman story even the mediocre ones are still pretty good. 
 

Captain Atom Vol. 1: Evolution

I thought this was a breath of fresh air for the DC Universe.  Captain Atom is essentially Dr. Manhattan but with a conscience.  I really like the art for this series, I thought the second half of this book started to drag though but the opening couple of issues were a moving in the right direction.  I wish Marvel had a character that was this scientifically based, this title shows the one of the true differences between characters of the big two.