I read more of last week's stack.
Batman Adventures 15: There is now too much continuity in this comic, as I'm apparently supposed to remember that Mr. Freeze's dead wife is a) alive and b) remarried, to Francis Both Parts of My Name Do Not Anywhere Appear Together D'Anjou. Other than continuity and/or exposition issues, the comic is reasonably solid, entertaining, and complete in itself, as one expects from the Adventures line, though it doesn't quite achieve the emotional punch of most other Mr. Freeze stories. I like Nora's design, but she seems extremely youthful. Mild recommendation (though the series in general gets a recommended).
Hawkman 28 and 29: The art by Ryan Sook and Mick Gray is almost very good. I only miss Rags a moderate amount. Hawkman's mask has had its beak de-emphasized, which I disagree with pretty strongly. New writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray have an interesting gimmick of Carter trying to interrupt his cycle of reincarnation by falling in love with someone else. That'll last for a while, but, y'know, Khufu and Chay-ara's linked destiny is one of the things that's attractive about the characters, so either it'll come back before too long or I won't. The plot about a guy who murders folks and dresses 'em up like the Hawks is visually interesting, but has turned trite in its execution. Also, I'm really not following the timeline here, which seems to have Carter moping in isolation for months, which makes little sense, even in the issues' own context. On the whole, I'm uninspired by the new writers. The book, previously DC's best solo superhero title, drops from recommended to neutral recommendation with a thud.
JSA 62: The Spirit King story ends. It had everything: a great villain from an old JLA/JSA crossover, hordes of zombies, great superhero team action. I really like Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite, both of whom play a central role herein. Pity it all centers around the existential crisis of the Hal Jordan Spectre, a character whose very mention reminds me of the keen disgust I have for the path that brought him to this state. Bleah. Kevin Dooley, pfui. (While I didn't like John Ostrander's work on The Spectre, nor indeed any of his other superhero work, I at least respect it, and so I can approve of its relevance in this story.) Anyway, JSA is DC's best team book and gets a Recommended even when dealing with the Hal Jordan Spectre.
Flash 210-211: Grodd Grodd Grodd Grodd, I'm gleeful like a small gleaming thing. The Flash persists on my pull list in no small part due to the fact that at any moment, the greatest talking gorilla supervillain ever can show up and wreak talking gorilla havoc. Other than that, Wally's continuity has gotten sufficiently dense and traumatic that the book is never happy-go-lucky fun despite the clear fact that the only good Flash stories have ever been cheerfully optimistic fun. Grim Rogues in multi-layered plots of revenge and betrayal are all very interesting--Wally has inherited or developed the best superpowered Rogues' Gallery in the Big Two, edging Spider-Man's--but wouldn't it be a lot more fun to read if it were cocksure, picaresque Rogues in multi-layered plots of capers and rivalries? Of course it would. And a few less browns in the frickin' palette would help, too--does no one wash their walls in Keystone? Mild recommendation.
Captain America and Falcon 4, and 1-4: I read the concluding issue in Priest's initial arc, and then went back to re-read the whole series. This is entertaining, mainstream Marvel superhero stuff. Priest's typically multi-layered plots are well-suited to Cap's adventures, though I'd like to see a few more mooks (or mookish supervillains) for Cap & Falcon to beat up on before engaging the final villain. (And, perhaps, a tad less darkness and rain; let the action out into the sunlight!) There are a few plot threads left to lead into the next series (what is that bio-weapon?), but that's in the best tradition of superhero serials, especially the kind of convoluted 1970s-style Marvels that Cap & Falcon needs to be if it's going to have any reason to exist. The only thing I'd quibble with is that, in this kind of story, your lead characters reiterate the plot a lot as they integrate the surprising new revelation they've just gotten; here, I think Priest is striking a balance too much on the side of reiteration and not enough on the side of integrating new revelation.
When Bart Sears was announced on this project, I anticipated quite a lot. This was his first project since leaving CrossGen, and I expected that he would try to make a big splash to try and remind everyone what kind of superstar he can be. That's not what he delivered. His art did not assist, and in many cases obscured, the storytelling. There's a scene in issue 2 that should have been the big money shot of the comic, with Leila diving out of a plane with Falcon's wings, catching up to Falcon, and Falcon suiting up before flying triumphantly off. Sears screws it up, with tiny Leila and Falcon figures layered beneath a giant Falcon pin-up so that there's no narrative flow on the page at all. The whole series is like this, with Sears emphasizing and de-emphasizing figures and panel designs without regard for what the story needs. Fortunately, Sears is off the title in another issue or two.
Anyway, mildly recommended.
Regarding Batman Adventures: Nora spent a long stretch in cryofreeze, I suppose she *should* look kinda young. I forget if D'Anjou was in the Sub-Zero direct-to-video or not.
Re: Cap and Falcon: I really wanted to pick up this book, as I'd heard a lot about Priest's writing on Black Panther and was looking for a new Marvel book to try (I currently don't read any). But man, Bart Sears' art simply killed any desire I had to try this book. I used to like him, and I thought his Crossgen work was quite an evolution in his style, but the grotesque, hideous crap he spewed out in this book was like watching a master draftsman degenerate into a Rob Liefeld hack. Ugh.