Must read of the week!

The main book I want to push this week, surprise surprise, is Unwritten #2. I loved #1 SO much and #2 did not disappoint. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. Carey has enough material here for at least 50 issues, but I do see a definite end point, and that is the type of Vertigo title that works best. 50-75 issues, then DONE. I imagine copies of #2 are going to go super fast, so get one before they disappear off the shelves of your local Amazing Fantasy. I am especially enjoying the little "extras" that illustrate how much Carey and Gross have gone above and beyond the call. This issue the page that leaps to mind is page 5, which shows the reader what is happening in the Unwritten universe through various blog postings, very clever.

Two other "honorable mentions" are the two Bat-verse books that shipped this week: Red Robin #1 and Batman #687. I can't say I adored them in quite the same way as I did Batman and Robin #1, but I enjoyed them for what they are. Red Robin I found especially interesting. It looks like the DC editorial team is looking to make Tim Drake into the new Dick Grayson, which makes sense. Giving Tim the new costume and name REALLY works. I would suggest any reader that wants to read about other characters in the Bat-verse besides Batman and Robin, should try this book out. Batman #687 wasn't half bad. I must confess, I'm not much of a Winick fan. I know there are plenty of folks out there that enjoy his writing, but his work has never really grabbed me. I have to say, so far I'm intrigued. The only downside to this issue is it's price point of $3.99. It is 28 pages of Batman story with a 5 page preview of Justice League: a Cry for Justice #1, so I guess that can justify the price point. To be honest I liked the preview better than the Batman story, but I am a huge James Robinson freak, so no surprise there.

Other honorable mentions: Flash Rebirth #3 and JSA vs. Kobra #1. Flash Rebirth has had me since it started, so of course I was going to read #3. Johns is doing what he does best, making sense out of the convoluted mess that is the DCU. Right now he is cleaning up the Flash/Speedforce continuity, thank god. It rather needs it. I'm enjoying FR and can't wait to see where he goes with it. So far, every issue make me gasp at the end. I don't want to spoil anything for you guys in case you haven't had a chance to read it yet, but suffice it to say that there is a surprise appearance at the end. JSA vs. Kobra #1 has to be mentioned, for the art alone. Penciler Don Kramer is a friend of the shop, so many of us were lucky enough to see a sneak peak of the art, and WOW. Don has always been good, but he is able to work magic with his new inker Michael Babinski. They work SO well together. This might be the birth of the next great penciler/inker team, ala Jim Lee and Scott Williams. I hope Michael is able to stick around at DC so he can always be Don's inker, it's a winning combination, that I want to see long term. The story itself is fun, what I like to call popcorn reading, meaning it's entertaining with characters I love, so I will continue to check it out. Also, we will be having a big JSA vs. Kobra signing with the whole art team, come September 12th, so mark your calendars. So far, cover artist Gene Ha, penciler Don Kramer, and inker Michael Babinski will be joining us. I am still trying to convince the colorist, the incredibly talented Art Lyon to make it out too. Fingers crossed. I will keep everyone posted when I know more. You heard about the upcoming signing here first, we haven't made any official announcements yet. See, reading this blog is totally paying off!

That's it for my reviews this week. I apologize for not including any Marvel comics. I'm going to ask Daron "The Colonel" Jensen to submit one Marvel review a week that I can post here. I'm just a DC fangirl at heart, what can I say?

I'm also going to start reviewing at least one new graphic novel a week too, so keep an eye out for those posts.