Green Lantern Corps #11
No Gibbons artwork this time. A ton of stuff happens in this issue, the most worrisome being the big hanging curveball on the corruption of Kilowog. Didn't we just see him go crazy in Superman/Batman, like, two issues ago? And it hasn't been that long since he was rather ceremoniously killed and brought back to life... so it would be terrible to kill him off again. So either we're seeing Kilowog turning evil - which would be a classic mismanaging of the character, but I can see a bored writer going that way since the only thing Kilowog ever gets to do is play drill sergeant for young Lantern douchebags - OR, this arc will end with Kilowog (and the other brainwashed Lanterns) doing terrible, horrible things and then getting returned to normal, with only the C-Team guys getting killed (like the two jerks who were slaughtered in this issue.)

I am more intrigued by the notion of Mogo going crazy. Now there's something that could work into a full-fledged DC event. Have we ever seen Mogo actually use his power?

I hope the robot guy lived.

Shadowpact #11
Still a fun book. The B-grade characters are swiftly becoming A-grade; these guys could hold their own in a major team-up crossover. As much as I enjoy JSA and JLA, there's so much baggage over there. Shadowpact feels almost indy in comparison. This issue's best moment is when The Guy In Charge Of Hell (that's my nomenclature... DC is understandably reticent to get too overtly Judeo-Christian and call him Satan or Lucifer or whatever) explains that he wants Blue Devil to remain operating on Earth because BD is like a living poster child for how cool it is to be a demon and work in Hell. Hilarious.

The Flash #10
Still on the bubble. This was a do-or-die issue for me: if it sucked, I intended to drop the book. It didn't. Although I'm tired of getting covers that draw Bart as if he looks just like Wally.

The good news is that the shit writers from the first story are gone, but their legacy of awful still has to be dealt with. Turning Bart boring has to be one of the biggest tragedies on the racks. What saved the title for me was the return of Zoom, who, in his modern incarnation, is a good modern character in a typically ridiculous Silver Age dressing. This is the kind of thing that kills retro fans, but I like this particular example. I would not mind him switching to a non-silly costume, maybe a yellow version of "New Future Flash" costume from a couple years back.

Also, DC recently tossed some hints around that BIG CHANGES were coming to CHANGE THE FLASH'S LIFE FOREVER... which says to me that Wally will return. Or maybe Barry? That would be interesting. After years of getting Hal's Green Lantern title, I had just gotten used to reading Kyle when they brought Hal back, but I've never had the chance to read Barry since he was killed off in '85. So the Flash book will be sticking around.

Brave and the Bold #2
Why would Supergirl bother to keep her S costume on under her skimpy schoolgirl disguise?

I loved watching Hal fight off the urge to flirt with her, but it ended totally weird...

Did he really just tell her that? Good luck finding a planet like that in the DCU, honey!

Fantastic Four #544
This is the issue where Marvel was hyping up a roster change, as Reed and Sue disappear for a vacation and enlist Storm and the Black Panther to fill their shoes. It's actually clever when you read why. And having Thing and Torch switch to black FF costumes was a nice touch.

Three shocking things: One, Thing consistently being a dick with wiseass comments to people he barely knows. Two, The Watcher making a joke involving shrimp cocktail. Three, Panther right away going for the Ultimate Nullifier. Chill, dude!

The big reveal at the end is the most obvious thing in the world, given that today's comics must by law mimic what goes on in other super-heroic media. Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven used in the Teen Titans cartoon? Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven return to the Teen Titans comic. Smallville dredges up the awful idea that Clark and Lex knew each other as kids? All of a sudden DC retcons a retcon and revives the concept in the Superman: Birthright miniseries. Now, I won't spoil what happens in this FF issue, but note that the subtitle of the new Fantastic Four movie is Rise of the Who?

Justice League of America #7
I got the second half of the double-cover that showcases multiple Leagues across history. I was really impressed with how the cover presented the style of the artist(s) most associated with each iteration of the League.

The foldout inside (which reveals a dopey "picture" of the current League lineup) screwed up the page order, which is an amateur mistake. For shame.

And I really hated how this issue brought the "Hall of Justice" into regular continuity. Guys. That cartoon sucked.

Stupidest reason to choose members of the League EVER. So those six months looking at photographs were a complete red herring? I'm with Batman. This blows. At least we finally get answers as to why Green Arrow was skipped over and when Arsenal (dumb name but okay costume) would rename himself Red Arrow (dumb but historically sound name, with dumb costume).

What's up with this pose of Vixen's? Is that subliminal tiger poster plus the ass-in-the-air supposed to make me think she's going to attack that child?

Superman/Batman #33
Getting close to dumping this one. The mind-controlled alien storyline really went off the rails last issue, and this one's big finale where Superman gets to preach from the mountaintop about how cool it is to love Earth really stank. The next issue box shows the Metal Men, though, so I'm in for that.

JLA Classified #37
I wonder how much longer this book will use the "old" Justice League logotype?

This is a great issue, with art that is stylized but solid, and a story that both reveres and pokes fun at the Silver Age. It is downright creepy to see Amazo handled with such care and humanity after slogging through that dreary "Tornado's Path" potboiler.

Green Lantern #18
Love Daniel Acuna's art. Not so crazy about Star Sapphire's return, but I'll live with it until we get to the Sinestro Corps. Which, by the way, is completely and utterly awesome. The "Tales of the Sinestro Corps" backup feature was an absolutely pitch-perfect mockery of the old "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" stories. Little sci-fi morality tales, now twisted to venerate the spreading of fear throughout the cosmos. I'm really excited about where this is heading.

52 #46-#49
And that's how I know it's been four weeks since I picked up my books.

Number #48 has an amazing image of a Question graffiti tag, one that DC really should have made available on the 52 website. I would put stickers of that all over town. I may be imagining things, but I think the hand even looks appropriately feminine. Is it too obvious to infer that Renee will be heading over to the Birds of Prey team? (There's a book I regret not getting into, seeing as how I like the team books, but I really had no inkling that it would survive for as long as it has.)

Justice Society of America #4
I know I praised Shadowpact for being legacy-free earlier, but that's exactly what makes JSA so great right now. That and the art.

JSA Classified #24
Although this is a nothing issue, the artwork is really appealingly ugly. Did DC commission a Dr. Mid-Nite solo series and that back out, because Classified has delivered an inordinate amount of Dr. Mid-Nite stuff lately. Good thing I like him... but still, more Mr. Terrific!

Jonah Hex #18
Every time I bring up Hex, I seem to say the same thing. Great book, very accessible to new readers (no continuity to worry about), very strong stories. I can't believe it's survived for a year and a half. Just seeing how different artists handle his scarred face is fascinating.

Uncle Scrooge #364 and Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #679
It saddens me deeply, but I had to drop these two. They are fantastically produced books, but you pay through the nose for that kind of quality. It's $15 a month for me to usually-not-read these two cover to cover. I've been getting them for awhile because I thought they were bi-monthly! Duh. I will miss the fabulous Don Rosa stories and the classic Carl Barks tales, which was the only stuff to which I paid strict attention.