Wolverine Vol. 1: Wolverine Goes to Hell

I am not the biggest Wolverine fan but this was a nice introduction for someone who is already familiar with the character.  The idea of Logan in hell is interesting but the how and why are still unexplained by the end of this volume.  The concept of being able to visit your past sins is intriguing, the face to face meeting of father and son in hell is also a nice touch.  One of my favorite parts in this book is the inclusion of Ghost Rider.  I know that Marvel will soon be releasing a new Ghost Rider book with an all new character under the flaming skull.  Personally I would love there to be a Ghost Rider team book with all the different riders taking on the darkness of the Marvel Universe, a comic version of Hell's Angels or Sons of Anarchy.  I am looking forward to the next volume in this iteration of Wolverine stories to see how Logan is going to deal with the fallout of what his demon possessed body did to his friends and family.  

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. 

Supergirl Vol. 1: Last Daughter of Krypton

I was just getting used to the old DC Universe continuity of Post-Crisis & then DC decided to reboot everything again for a new generation with Flashpoint.  I imagine there was a similar resentment towards the company back in the 80s when Crisis on Infinite Earths happened.  However I was just starting to like the Superman family of titles near the tail end of that continuity The whole World of New Krypton, Last Stand of New Krypton & War of the Supermen is one of my favorite Superman trilogy stories of the few that I have read.  I loved the torn characterization of Supergirl in that event because she had most recently come back from the dead a few years before & was still adjusting to being back in the world.  She was a blend of heroic awkward naivety which was a breath of fresh air.  Along comes the New 52 & wipes all that away or so I thought, this new Supergirl is just as awkward as the old one.  Really its the same character just tweaked a little she has a new costume but at her core she is still coming to terms with her situation.  If your a Supergirl fan or a Superman fan give this a shot I'm still on the fence about the costume change but I like the direction the title is heading. 

Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts

It took me awhile to return to this character but I finally made room for it in my reading schedule.  The volume was a quicker read than the previous one & I am really beginning to like where everything is leading.  Wonder Woman & company head to hell, again the re-imagined gods of the Greek Myths are a real selling point for this title.  Azzarello's writing is only improving with each issue.  The cliffhanger at the end of this volume make the previous one seem like a drop in the center of pond instead of glass of water. 

Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood

For someone that is unfamiliar with Wonder Woman beyond that fact that she is an amazon & has magic bracelets.  This is one of the titles of the DC's New 52 that it is a perfect jumping on point.  This title reads a lot like a Greek myth set in modern times, similar to Fables; mixed with just a few God of War story elements.  The re-imagined gods look & work well within this artistic style & Brian Azzarello’s writing is the best its been since 100 Bullets.  The cliff hanger at the end is a really a nice set up for next volume.

Batgirl Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection

For me Barbara Gordon is always going to be Batgirl, mostly due to Batman the Animated Series.  But I also have a soft spot for the other characters Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown that have taken up the mantel over the years.  One of the biggest differences between Marvel & DC is that DC is all about legacy where several prominent heroes have passed on their mantels to younger characters to continue their alter egos role in the shared universe.  I am of the generation where Barbara Gordon is known mostly as Oracle.  The story that changed the character for an entire generation was Alan Moore's amazing story The Killing Joke which came out in the late 80's when I was a mere child.  So everything I have read of the pre-New 52 DC Universe depicts her as Oracle a wheel chair bound heroine.  This was an ok read for someone who has some idea of Barbara's previous history.  My biggest problem with this new series is not that it has put Barbara back under the cowl, but that it cut Bryan Q, Miller's fabulous run on the heroine to an untimely end which I am a huge fan of.  The first story in this volume is kind of weak in terms of getting me excited about the character it was the second story in this volume that I felt was a true return to form for the character.  It reminded me of Chuck Dixon's Batgirl: Year One which is an essential read for anyone who wants to know the pre-New 52 origin of the character.  One the selling points for this series & really a selling point for returning Barbara Gordon to the Batgirl persona is fact that DC gave the series to Gail Simone.  Gail Simone is know primarily for writing Barbara as Oracle so if there was any other writer that could possibly due this re-introduction justice it would be Chuck Dixon.  If DC had handed project to another writer it might not have gone over as well or still be going as strong as it is today.  I look forward to reading more because I love all the characters of the Bat-Family & Batgirl has a unique legacy within that family that is trumped only by Robin.  

Big Fish

I have come to realize that the last couple of fiction titles I have picked up have had the same underlying theme.  That theme is of course death or the concept of loss for an individual.  First off I did not like this book but I did like the metaphorical story telling process it used though out the story.  I like the concept of a son preparing to deal with the passing of his father.  I fully agree with the back cover of the book that this is very much in the style of Mark Twain but overall this book while making me feel nostalgic at the same time it left me feeling hollow.  I look forward to sitting down & watching the movie.  Hopefully I will have more an appreciation for the book through that much like I did with The Great Gatsby & A Princess of Mars.