Two-Sentence(-ish) Reviews by Abhay (Who has That Cold That's Going Around)

VELVET #2. I thought the first issue was incredibly generic, but I was a minority opinion enough there that I tried the second and third issues anyways. Boy, sometimes I am incredibly NOT wrong!  

VELVET #3. Still, it's a spy comic, so it's in my wheelhouse-- I could see myself inertia-getting more of these, even if it's not very interesting or entertaining yet, just boy-howdy generic. While I'm not sold at all on Steve Epting (I'm not really into the whole Alex Raymond school of comics), Elizabeth Bretweiser always makes whoever she's working with look good, better than they are-- she's been critical on any comic I've ever seen her on, at least.

SEX CRIMINALS #4. They ran out of things that are funny about sex, I guess, because now the main character is using her Sex Superpowers to avenge date rape...? The comic works in getting you to care about this relationship between the lady and the creepy guy (he's a creep, right? we're all on the same page there?), so it works as a story, if not the whole jokes/laughing/mirth thing that I usually look for in a comedy (p.s. ...comedy...?).

ASTRO CITY #7. I like the move on this one, a character whose powers come from public support having to deal with a public relations crisis...? Kind-of emphasizes what makes the book work: more than one story with that premise would be insufferable, but seeing one story with that premise sounds like a decent time.

ASTRO CITY #8. Less into this one: I'm sure there are readers who want to see Samaritan fight the Confessor, or Astro City's version of SHIELD in action, so this one's for them, I guess. Felt like a stepping-stone issue: more of a middle-of-the-road superhero comic, but necessary to lay out the stakes of the public relations crisis in the background, I suppose.

FIVE GHOSTS #7. Never read one of these-- impulse buy; some guy who's friends with ghosts has to go on a pirate adventure involving magic stones or saving a lady or something. I thought it was interesting how much the art seems influenced by Erik Larsen; I like Larsen, but... it just seems like an odd choice, considering all the choices a young fella has in that regard anymore.

PROPHET #42. Another Die Hard comic-- not as epic as that last one, just a story about Die Hard having an adventure (one I'm not entirely sure I understood-- at least the "Vision" part of it). Ron Wimberly's pages are fun to look at-- I especially liked the weaponized sound effects.

SAGA #17.  Even though I can see how Vaughan's built himself get out of jail free cards into the story (which I figure he'll use for at least one of the book's three big moments), I found this issue pretty involving. I can see how Saga's schticky-dialogue and overall preciousness can be turn-offs, but occasionally, it's a mean little book-- those are the bits I'm reading for, at least.

X-MEN #16. I tune in once in a blue moon into Bendis working these X-books since he seems to have taken to them, but the last impulse buy I had in this direction was this horrifying thing involving Bendis's idea of what a "girl's night out" is like (i.e. ladies going shopping)(p.s. the shopping got interrupted by crossover hooey)(p.p.s. because of course it did). This issue's a fun one again though, or at least, seems to me something about Bendis and Bachalo doing Magneto comics gets those guys right into the zone or at least me in a more appreciative headspace than I am with shopping-comics (except Bachalo colors himself, and he's copy-pasting cloud photos into his own comics, which I truly wish I didn't know was  happening).

PRETTY DEADLY #3. I don't know if finding out what's at stake is something I'd ordinarily recommend you should want to save for a third issue-- that second one was rough going for me at least, but now that some stakes are laid out (good stakes, I think-- emotional stakes), I finally get to be interested to see what happens next for a story reason instead of just "wanting to see the creative team do them some weird shit," which is what fueled me before, exclusive-like. Plus, I understood this issue the first time I read it, so I felt pretty happy of myself.

ZERO #4. I liked the bit where the cars went into the tunnel-- if I've seen that before, I can't remember where (or it's somewhere class, like Akira or Golgo 13). I wasn't hot for #3-- the whole kickstarter for terrorism bit, the bit where a terrorist doesn't like that kids die from terrorism (?), the teleportation bit, too many busy bits, too many distractions (even if Velvet could use some of that energy)-- so I preferred this one's "talking then killing" structure, that this one just kept it simple and did the thing.