Everything but the Bat-Sink.

52 WEEK 12: This comic is fun. Just like they were on Saturday morning TV in the 1970s, the worlds of Shazam! and Isis come together again as the DCU gets its own in-canon version of Joanna Cameron's Egyptian-styled hero, but this time is she working for the angels or the devils? Much to my surprise, the Black Adam storyline is starting to interest me from week to week: he's a character I grew tired of in JSA but 52, in examining his role as a world leader, is bringin' to life a little of that noble villain vibe Doc Doom does so well. (I'm definitely not fond of the new crazy Captain Marvel, but I assume he'll be getting better eventually. Get well soon, Billy!) The new Isis bears little connection to the original TV one, but her outfit is nicely updated with the same Egyptian scarab iconography but a new sexier design (the usual comic-book bare-bellied look doesn't seem out of place on an Egyptian goddess superhero). For the first time in a handful of weeks I'm interested to see where the Black Adam storyline is heading, and if I'm vaguely disappointed by and rush through the Elongated Man/Wonder Girl pages, well, there's at least a nice treat at the end in a two-page Wonder Woman origin. It's a fun and informative two-page spread that gives enough space devoted to the basic essentials that make Wondy unique—more than two pages would seem like filler, not unlike the interminable "History of the DCU" that wrapped up. Can't wait for more of these origin pieces!


FUTURAMA #26: This comic is fun. I've been on a Futurama DVD-viewin' kick recently, which only serves to remind me how much I miss the TV series and can't wait for it to return on the Cartoon Network in...2008? Man, I can't wait that long! I need a cryogenic freezing tube to hop into and make the time go faster. Sigh. In the meantime, there's always Bongo's reliable Futurama comic, which consistently remains one of the funniest comics on the stand (if you enjoy Futurama's sense of humor, of course...as the kids today say on the internet, "your velocity may vary.") This one's about a time gun accident that splits one-eyed Leela into four different ages, but as usual the plot is almost secondary to sight gags, rapid-fire jokes and the larceny of Bender, The Sensational Character Find of 2999. Humor titles are difficult to pull off well; funny ones even harder; funny ones that stand up to being compared favorably to their source TV show are even rarer. While you're waiting for the new TV episodes, you could do worse to while away the next couple years reading Futurama comics. Just remember to get up and take a shower a few times during that, you filthy pigs.


BATMAN #655: This comic is fun. And really, for me, it'a the first time in years that Batman (the comic) and Batman (the hero) have been truly fun, aside from an animated DVD or two and give or take a Christian Bale movie. Man, I hate to just genuflect at the altar of Mister Grant Morrison left and right, but between this and All Star Superman, he's just bringing some back-to-basics common sense fun and adventure back to DC's World's Finest. I know All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder wound up being a different kind of Bat-book and a lot of people are enjoying it, but this is the sort of book I was hoping for and wishing ASBARTBW was going to be. There's nothing amazingly extraordinary on the surface here—a solid Batman adventure stuffed with the rich buttery goodness of the Joker, a fake Batman, a temporarily giggly Commissioner Gordon, an acerbic Alfred (who provides us with The Best Line of the Week: "Why, just the other day I had a rather formidable nun down as the Penguin, sir."), a Robin who's treated with respect and equality by his partner, pop art that brings to mind a certain Caped Crusader of TV fame, Kirk Langstrom of Man-Bat fame, and...hoo-hah! Talia's back! (And hey, is that shadowy boy on the last page a certain retconned back-and-forth Batkid?) You might look at my description and say "Whoa, Morrison's throwing in everything but the kitchen sink!" And sure enough, there's no kitchen sink in this issue. But the difference here is Morrison knows where to put the pieces down to lead us on a thrilling trail that makes the issue race past, worth reading again, and leaves us on the edge of our seat waiting for the next issue. That's the surest sign of a fun comic, and that's why BATMAN #655 is The most fun comic of the week!