Wednesday Comics for 9 April 2014

This was a light week for me; I only picked up 5 books! (I have a copy of Lumberjanes waiting for me at Criminal Records when I go to Atlanta this weekend, too!) Next week is not looking as wallet-friendly...

Batgirl #30

Babs deals with the death of Dick Grayson by fighting an urban legend unwittingly unleashed by some drunk teenagers. It's equal parts horror movie and sad farewell, with a nod to the supernatural elements from the Silver storyline and an ending that foreshadows more trouble for Gotham. I'm not a fan of the horror genre, so this wasn't my favorite Batgirl issue. I also didn't buy the really subdued mourning Babs was doing over her recently horribly killed ex-boyfriend. On the other hand, it could be that in the New 52 Dick and Babs never had a romantic relationship. Either way, I expected more, especially after Babs's reaction to Damien's death. 

Batman Eternal #1

I'm a little (extremely) disappointed Stephanie Brown didn't show up. Batman and Gordon team up to fight Professor Pyg and Gordon inadvertently causes a fatal subway accident. The stuff with GCPD and all its crooked cops could be interesting, but I'm really just holding out for Steph. 

Captain Marvel #2

Carol is an Avenger in space! She meets up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and hijinks ensue. This was my first experience with the Guardians and it was pretty fun. I'm definitely looking forward to the movie (I suspect that's the reason for the crossover) and enjoyed getting to see Carol interact with Rocket. 

Side note: I'm loving all the pet-friendly Marvel comics! 

Nightcrawler #1

I love Nightcrawler, but I haven't been keeping up with the X-books. Apparently he died a while ago? But now he's back with no explanation. It's waved away as an "X-man thing." I'm not complaining: trying to explain HOW he came back would probably be annoyingly nonsensical. It's much better to just celebrate his return. The issue opens with Kurt adjusting to his new world at the Jean Grey School by fighting Logan in the Danger Room. He's been recruited by Storm to teach at the School, but that gets put on hold when he visits Amanda (and a bunch of chibi-Nightcrawlers he calls his bamfs, which really confused me). She gets attacked by a giant robot guy, and they decide to work together to figure out why. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much; my last experience with Claremont was Gen13 and was a huge disappointment. This first issue was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the art. The chibi-Nightcrawlers are especially delightful!

Lola XOXO #1

This was a surprise for me; I didn't realize it was coming out today, but my shop is pretty good about ordering all the Aspen titles for me. The art is gorgeous! The titular Lola is a young woman living in a post-apocalyptic America. She was separated from her parents as a child just before the attacks that turned America into a wasteland. After years of living in relative safety, she decides to strike out on her own and find her parents. Lola is impetuous and apparently able to fend for herself, so I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes. Plus, the Siya Oum art! So pretty. 

Pick of the week goes to: Nightcrawler #1! Pretty much for this panel alone: