Captain America #30 Gotham Central #22 Green Arrow #41 Identity Crisis #3 (of 7) Invincible #14 Iron Man #87 JSA #64 Spy Boy: Final Exam #3 (of 4) Captain America #30 Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Scot Eaton, Drew Geraci Publisher: Marvel Comics Synopsis: Captain America goes to a _base_ball game with Diamondback and ends up fouling up a robbery by Batroc the Leaper. Meanwhile, the Red Skull double-crosses Mark Nolan, who had sent Cap after Hydra the previous issue, and Fury sends Nolan to check into the Hydra situation. During their date the next evening, Cap and Diamondback are ambushed by the Serpent Society, and since Cap had been drugged by Diamondback, they are captured. Good Stuff: This is just a lot of fun. It's not terribly deep, nor is it groundbreaking, but it's a fun read. Not so Good Stuff: I don't particularly have any complaints. It's not what I would call a great comic, but it's better than most. I give this book 8/10. Gotham Central #22 Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano Publisher: DC Comics Synopsis: Officers Driver and MacPherson finally figure out who the killer was with the _base_ball team. Meanwhile, Bullock goes nuts, still thinking the Penguin was the killer. He's stuck in a hostage situation and prepared to kill himself when he's distracted by Josie Mac. Finally, Detectives Chandler and Driver get together again. Good Stuff: As usual, good stuff here. Particularly compelling is the descent of Bullock, and the conversation between Josie Mac and Driver beforehand, with each arguing different viewpoints about him. Also, I liked the resolution of the murder mystery, which seems to be the sort of thing that the detectives should solve without Batman's help. Not so Good Stuff: I did think that the actual murderer in this case was a little over the top personality-wise. Still, not much of a complaint. I give this book 9/10. Green Arrow #41 Written by Judd Winick, Art by Phil Hester, Ande Parks Publisher: DC Comics Synopsis: Ollie and Connor have gone underground in an attempt to gather information as to whom is moving in on the gangs of Star City, but they're unable to make any headway. Connor tells Ollie that he's losing his edge because of recent events. Ollie goes and talks to Mia. She's still hurting for her role in Davis's death, and she wants to atone, but Ollie is still trying to talk her out of becoming a vigilante. Brick meets with the city's mob bosses, who don't want him butting into things. He has them killed. Ollie and Connor get tips from different sources about a meet. Ollie goes first, and ends up getting ambushed. Good Stuff: Well, it's not the tablets of stone, but it's a good solid read. So far, in fact, I'd say that this tale of warring mobs is much more interesting than the War Games crossover going on in the Bat-Books. Also, the discussions between Ollie and Connor, and subsequently Ollie and Mia are quite interesting. Not so Good Stuff: Nothing I can complain about. Not great, but not bad either. I give this book 8/10. Identity Crisis #3 (of 7) Written by Brad Meltzer, Art by Rags Morales, Mike Bair Publisher: DC Comics Synopsis: The seven leaguers have a showdown with Deathstroke and Dr. Light. Captain Boomerang goes to visit the son he's never met. Jean Loring is murdered. Good Stuff: There are some nice moments here. I like the scene with Jack and Tim Drake, and I found the scene with Captain Boomerang very interesting. The mystery is still interesting, and Meltzer is doing a nice job of throwing possibilities and red herrings in our faces. Not so Good Stuff: I would have to say that the fight between the leaguers and Deathstroke was pretty silly in the way it played out. I know he's supposed to be incredibly dangerous, but that just didn't work for me at all. Also, I think the leaguers recovered from their injuries way too quickly. And given that Dinah is supposed to be one of the foremost hand-to-hand combatants in the DC universe, I'm surprised that she chose to go with a sonic attack before launching a physical one. I give this book 7/10. Invincible #14 Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley Publisher: Image Comics Synopsis: Invincible assists the Global Guardians in fighting off an alien invasion. When he returns home, Mark is approached by the Immortal, who tells Mark that he doesn't trust him and will be watching. Mark is then approached by Cecil, who lets him know that someone intercepted the conversation between him and his father during the fight and released the recording over the internet, and his mother gets to hear everything that was said. At school, everyone gives Mark their condolences and he's also given assurances by the faculty that he'll be given ample time to make up for the schoolwork he's missed. Because of what seems to be inadequate response under the current leadership by Robot, the Global Guardians are expanded, and the Immortal is brought in as a consultant. Finally, Mark comes home to find his mother sobbing on the floor. She blames him for driving Omni-Man away. Good Stuff: Right now, this comic is really reminding me of the Stan Lee/John Romita run on Amazing Spider-Man, which is a good thing. I'm enjoying the sense of community that Kirkman is creating for Mark, and I think he's doing a nice job of introducing subplots without hitting you over the head with them. Not so Good Stuff: At this point, I have a decent idea who most of these characters are, but I'd still like to see a recap page or something along those lines. I give this book 8/10. Iron Man #87 Written by Mark Ricketts, Art by Tony Harris, Tom Feister, Charles Wallace Publisher: Marvel Comics Synopsis: We begin seeing the fallout of Iron Man's attack. The entire board of directors of Stark Enterprises is dead, and unknown to the police, there's a codicil which states that all stock would revert back to Stark in that event. Happy and Pepper agree to keep that information to themselves. Meanwhile, Tony is home attempting to stay away from everyone until he can figure out what's happening. Rumiko and friend sneak into his house, and her friend is instantly incinerated by Iron Man. Rumiko is blasted next, but apparently she isn't killed. Tony comes into the room and he gets attacked by Iron Man as well. Good Stuff: Well, it's pretty apparent that someone is attempting to _frame_ Tony by using his own technology, and while it's a fairly shopworn plot, it isn't a bad one. Not so Good Stuff: Unfortunately, it looks like Rumiko will survive another issue and continue to infest this comic with her presence. Also, I'd have to say that the execution isn't everything it could be at this point. I give this book 4/10. JSA #64 Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Jerry Ordway, Prentis Rollins Publisher: DC Comics Synopsis: Sand is rescued and recovered. Good Stuff: A fairly standard story, and reasonably well done. The aftermath was more interesting than the main story, particularly the scenes with Power Girl and Wildcat, and the latter scenes with Hourman. Not so Good Stuff: Well, the main story is pretty anti-climactic. There's never really a sense of drama. I give this book 5/10. Spyboy: Final Exam #3(of 4) Written by Peter David, Art by Pop Mhan, Norman Lee Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Synopsis: Spyboy is released and escapes, and the rest of the crew are busted out of jail by Butch's mom. Spyboy decides to go after Spyguy. Good Stuff: Good action, and this is a lot of fun. I'm decidedly looking forward to the throwdown next issue. Also, there are a lot of nice jokes and insights. Particularly of interest were the pictures in Bombshell's locker. Not so Good Stuff: One complaint is that given that Pop Mhan has changed his _style_ somewhat, it's much harder to tell some of the characters apart now. I give this book 8/10.