This week in comics: Booster Gold fights to save Batgirl from the Joker, Spiderman forgets to switch to decaf, and the Wolfman finally gains some weight.
Booster Gold #5: Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz (script), Dan Jurgens (art)
Booster Gold and his trusty robot Skeets are sent back in time to prevent the paralyzing of Batgirl at the hands of the Joker. As with the past four issues, the time travel dynamics and the unique obstacles they create make for an engaging self-contained story.
Booster Gold, still penciled by original creator Dan Jurgens, is a far cry from DC Comics' biggest draw. Therefore basing each issue around Booster secretly trying to save the most prominent members of the DC pantheon could come off as a marketing ploy. Johns and Katz have done a wonderful job preventing such a sentiment by creating a cast of interesting supporting characters as well as compelling side plots involving Booster Gold alone.
In issue #5, Booster Gold shows his true colors as he finally pushes himself past his glory-hog image he had garnered in years past by revealing his obsessive need to save those he cares about. Johns, Katz, and Jurgens do a fantastic job establishing Booster Gold as a hero worth reading about each month.
New Avengers #37: Brian Bendis (script), Leinil Yu (artist)
Faced with the underwhelming predicament of taking down a warehouse of D-list Marvel villains, the New Avengers resort to some tricky tactics (deus ex machina courtesy of Dr. Strange) to get the job done. Banter and frantic paneling abound in Bendis's book of ragtag vigilantes.
Maybe it's his characterization of Spiderman and Clint Barton or maybe it's just too much coffee, but Bendis needs to cut down on the side chatter that litters each issue of New Avengers. It served a purpose back when the book had Captain America and Iron Man speaking global politics and Sentry battling his inner demons throughout. With the current roster however, it simply distracts from the pivotal points of the story or rather replaces a need for actual dialogue as seen in the first half of this issue.
Regardless of the loose writing during the fight, Bendis and Yu take the Hood one step closer to becoming the new Kingpin. His ruthlessness and absolute authority over his gang as well as the utter brashness of his final actions in the issue illustrate a villain who may well become an actual challenge for even Marvel's premier lineups. For his inclusion in the current New Avengers arc alone, the book is worth a pick-up.
The Astounding Wolfman #4: Robert Kirkman (script), Jason Howard (art)
With his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible, Kirkman has made a name for himself as a quirky writer able to boil a genre down to its essence with original characters and logically constructed universes. The Astounding Wolfman turns that notion on its head as Kirkman combines the constructs of the horror and superhero genres to create a unique comic book experience.
Upon receiving the curse of the werewolf, down-on-his-luck rich guy Gary befriends vampire Zechariah and becomes the nocturnal superhero Wolfman. As his alter-ego gains notoriety, a pack of true werewolves comes forward and reveals some chilling secrets about the origins of he and his vampire mentor. Through the first three issues the tone had been standard establishment of character with the usual Kirkman humor thrown about here and there; issue #4 finally delivers some weight to the story.
Fans of the superhero and horror genres alike will find something to take away from The Astounding Wolfman. Kirkman and Howard both walk the line between the two in order to serve both audiences with an increasingly involved storyline.
