Batgirl #2

Cover by Adam Hughes

Batgirl #2 (October 12, 2011)

Writer: Gail Simone

Penciller: Ardian Syaf

Colorist: Ulises Arreola

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Inker: Vincente Cifuentes

Finally, a step in the right direction.

In order to celebrate Halloween as Batgirl, I’ve decided to read and review Batgirl #2 and I am very happy to say, it is a vast improvement over both my previous DC comic experience and Batgirl #1. 

This is my first Halloween in a store-bought costume. I feel weird.

Catwoman #2

Cover by Guillem March

Catwoman #2 (October 19, 2011)

Writer: Judd Winick

Penciller: Guillem March

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Even after reading the offensive, insulting, embarrassing and just plain poorly done Catwoman #1, I was willing to give this series another shot. I am always reluctant to give up on a series after one issue (I’m willing to be painfully disappointed after at least five issues) so when I saw the cover for Catwoman #2, I took a deep breath, tried not to cringe and picked it up.

Then I read it.

I am just so, so very disappointed in this re-launch. It’s everything I could possibly hate in a comic book wrapped up in issues starring one of my absolute favorite characters. It hurts; it honestly hurts.

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #1

Cover by Kaare Andrews, Neal Adams, Adam Kubert

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #1 (August 31, 2011)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Inker: Jordi Tarragona

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but I first became interested in Hawkeye after I saw the film Thor this summer and Jeremy Renner popped up in his awesome Hawkeye cameo. I like Jeremy Renner. Like the 15-year-old girls who spent the Avengers panel Q & A gushing to Tom Hiddleston over how much they love Loki, I like Hawkeye because I like Jeremy Renner. I’m not saying it’s a smart reason to like a character but at least he got me interested in this guy.

I picked up Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #1 with no knowledge of the Ultimates universe and without realizing this was from the end of August. I guess I’m late.

I was therefore unaware of the fact that this Clint Barton is different than regular Clint Barton but that did not detract from my enjoyment of this issue.

The Punisher #3

Cover by Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary, Paul Mounts

The Punisher #3 (September 7, 2011)

Writer: Greg Rucka

Penciller: Marco Checchetto

Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Inker: Paul Neary

Until now, I haven’t seen a knife fight in free fall. I also have never seen a half-human, half-vulture acid-spewing creature claw at a vigilante like a piece of carrion.

So points to The Punisher #3 for showing me something new. I am warming up to this series quite a lot, actually.

The Mighty Thor #6

Cover by Olivier Coipel

The Mighty Thor #6 (September 28, 2011)

Writer: Matt Fraction

Penciller: Olivier Coipel

Colorist: Laura Martin

Inker: Mark Morales, Dexter Vines, Cam Smith

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Am I just a hypocrite to say that Thor is one of my favorite Marvel characters?

I mean, take a look at my reaction to my first Thor comic back in July. I was not having it.

But Fraction and Coipel won me over and impressed me, so much so, that I really love this universe and the characters within it. Perhaps I’m growing; or just willing to overlook certain things. Or maybe my middle school Led Zeppelin phase is rearing its head again. Valhalla, I am coming!

Nightwing #1

Cover by Eddy Barrows, JP Mayer, Rod Reis

Nightwing #1 (September 21, 2011)

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Penciller: Eddy Barrows, JP Mayer

Colorist: Rod Reis

Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Even though I am a fully converted Marvel fan, I still hold a special place in my heart for Nightwing.

And by “hold a special place in my heart”, I mean I have a stupid crush on him.

So I was very excited to get a hold of Nightwing #1 because I will read literally anything with Nightwing in the title. After being disappointed by the majority of the New 52 that I have encountered, however, I didn’t have high hopes. While Nightwing #1 was not spectacular, it was a fun time and ended with a thoroughly interesting cliffhanger. I know I’ll read in the next issue.

Red Skull: Incarnate #3

Cover by David Aja

Red Skull: Incarnate #3 (September 5, 2011)

Writer: Greg Pak

Penciller: Mirko Colak

Colorist: Matthew Wilson

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

So far, the Red Skull: Incarnate series has been one of my favorite discoveries and just one of my favorite comic book runs in general. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with Pak’s work in crafting a compelling, disturbing and fresh storyline starring a decidedly awful person. He’s definitely one of my favorite writers and I’m looking forward to reading more of his work.

That being said, I found Red Skull: Incarnate #3 rather lackluster. After loving the first two, I just assumed this issue would be just as strong and gripping. Instead, it seemed more like filler in between the deeply influential events of the last issue and, based on the implications of #3’s ending, the steps towards Red Skull’s emergence.

Daredevil #3

Cover by Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera, Javier Rodriguez

Daredevil #3 (September 14, 2011)

Writer: Mark Waid

Penciller: Paolo Rivera

Inker: Joe Rivera

Colorist: Javier Rodriguez

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

That’s it. Daredevil is officially my favorite character Marvel character. I kind of love him.

That is rather surprising as Matt Murdock walks a very fine line between being a genuinely good guy and also playing the cad. I guess that’s part of his role as man-about-town lawyer to distract people from realizing he is also, in fact, the vigilante, Daredevil; or at least to get people to stop accusing him of being Daredevil.

After the cliffhanger in the last issue, it can be argued that this issue was rather lackluster. Daredevil’s escape and subsequent fight scene was not altogether exciting and felt rather rushed. Also, the villain was silly.

Catwoman #1

Cover by Guillem March

Catwoman #1 (September 21, 2011)

Writer: Judd Winick

Penciller: Guillem March

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Yikes.

At this point, I’m not even sure what I can say about this comic without A) echoing what others have said before me or B) ranting and ranting until I pull out all my hair in frustration and collapse in a fit of well-placed anger.

Before I got a hold of Catwoman #1, I had already heard negative things about it from co-workers, friends and Laura Hudson’s fabulous article over at Comics Alliance. Even Comic Book Resources, which I have clashed with in the past, gave it a scathing review.

But, I knew that it was unfair of me to simply take the word of other people without reading Catwoman #1 myself. I knew I had to give it a shot and try not to let the opinions of others color my reaction to it. Now, you can probably argue that this was an impossible feat and I walked into Catwoman #1 totally biased. As a feminist and a Catwoman fan, however, I know my reaction to this comic would have been exceedingly similar even if I had read it blindly.

Regardless, it would always be: