Must Read of the Week!

After all is said and done, Captain America #600 was actually a good read. And the #1 that I would recommend this week is Batman: Streets of Gotham #1.

Starting with Captain America #600. For the life of me, I have NO idea why they felt the need to push this book out on a Monday, but that aside, it's an excellent anniversary issue. Well done throughout. Its hefty price tag of $4.99 is, believe or not, worth it. 104 pages, you get a lot of bang for your buck, or 5 bucks as the case may be. There is the obligatory golden age reprint, which is always loads of fun, and the 2 page spread at the beginning of the book is a reprint from the Captain America: Red, White and Blue collection from a few years backotherwise it's ALL NEW. Brubaker's story in particular is a great jumping on point for fans. This issue is a tribute to Cap in every sense of the word. It's a reflection on who Cap was and commentary from the current cast of regulars. Does Steve come back to the land of the living in this issue? Well no, but the seeds are planted for his REBORN. I want to read Reborn now, believe it or not. I guess it is pretty easy to believe since Reborn will be written by one of my all-time favs Ed Brubaker. (That man can do no wrong in my book, his X-men stuff aside). I give this book 4/5 stars, the only thing holding me back from giving it 5/5 stars is the whole marketing fanfare that accompanied this issue.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #1
By Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen
Contains a second feature: Manhunter
The first of the new $3.99, secondary feature books from DC. At least we do have the nice back-up, but that will only last for 12 issues, I'm sad to report. As expected this book focuses on the non-costumed Gotham residents. Batman and Robin do appear briefly, again, as expected. It was fun to see Harley out of costume, but still acting like Harley. I think I liked the Manhunter backup better, but I have a soft spot for her. I'm glad to see that DC found a new home for her, at least for the next 12 months. I will pick this up, at least in the short term, just to get a chance to read about one of my favorite Gotham residents: Commissioner Jim Gordon. He's a damn sexy man. I can only conclude that it must have something to do with that trench coat!
3 out of 5 stars.