Batman Li'l Gotham #3!

Batman Li’l Gotham #3 was the Valentine’s Day issue.  The first story was cute and if not for the watercolor style artwork it would have been much better.  The story highlight was seeing how many DC heroes could make guest appearances – both good guys and bad.  The joker was the star being chased by Harley Quinn.  The second story was a Robin (Bruce Wayne’s son Robin, the dead one who is currently still dead) and Katana but not the new52 Katana this was the teenage kid version.  This story was also entertaining.

Katana #3

Katana #3 guest stars the Killer Croc which is kind of interesting and makes for an interesting fight at the end of the book.  As for Katana she spies on the bad guys, she trains and then hunts down and fights the bad guys.  It was all rather disappointing and the story feels disconnected from the first two issues of this comic book series.  Without Killer Croc breaking her sword and releasing the Creeper it would have been a total loss.

Justice League of America #2

Justice League of America #2 was much better than issue #1.  In this issue we actually get some story movement and the team members actually get to meet each other.  I also enjoyed the introduction of the “Society” the evil or bad guys.  The Scarecrow is recruited so that is one down if we are collecting villains from the old Saturday Morning Cartoon.  Not sure without looking it up whom the villain that looks like the Joker really is, but it could be the Joker.  The fake Justice League is kind of stupid but that might just be the fractured storytelling being used so far.  It did give the writers and artists a chance to plop more images of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman into the book.  I was happy to see that we the reader might get to see some super hero action, but then the story ended in a cliffhanger.  Then there is what turns out to be a Martian Manhunter story which I guess is to show how and why the JLA was finally approved.  While the story itself was nice and solid I am disappointed in how a story that should have been part of the main book was just slipped in and used to pad out the pages.  I am really getting tired of DC Comics just cutting up a main storyline and dropping in unrelated stories to not just charge for a larger comic book but to stretch out the story into more and more issues.  As a reader I would much prefer a complete story told as written in a few comics and then a whole new story.  I realize that would require the company to spend more money on a writer for new stories.   But when the writer is most often the real star and seller of a comic it seems like that would be a good idea. 

Katana #2

Katana #2 was interesting and while I realize for the most part this is all backstory being told to us the reader as current events.  It is still just telling us who Katana was and will become.  There is a bit of choppiness in the story with story jumps as if we were watching an old Kung Fu flick.  It is a little more confusing that the story needs to be.  In the end Katana makes alliances and the story moves along.  Then Steve Trevor shows up and now what?...

Justice League of America #1 !!!

Justice League of America #1 was simply a setup issue.  It was rather disappointing that the first collection of the JLA was Amanda Waller and Colonel Trevor deciding who made a good team member or not.  There were a number of headshots and assumption that the person picking up this comic had been reading all the “new52” comics up to now and did not need to be brought up to speed on what was going on in the DC Universe.  I think this was a mistake because I for one have no idea what has been happening with the characters being brought into the JLA.  I do not read Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Vibe, Hawkman or Catwoman.  When I heard that the JLA was getting a comic I kind of assumed that it would be another Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman comic.  I mean that was the Justice League of America back in the day and that was the JLA in the cartoons.  If DC was hoping to bring in new readers with a throwback to earlier comics giving the reader all these new folks is just going to turn off those new readers.  I did like how the Martian Manhunter showed up but I was equally disappointed when we find out who the shadowy figure turned out to be as he “died”.  I also feel the need to repeat that this whole talking episode was boring.  There was no grand fight or surprise fight or crisis brining the Heroes together.  It is just the government plotting against the Heroes

Katana #1

Katana #1 was interesting I am not familiar with this newer  version of Katana.  I remember the character from long ago with the Outsiders.  Not sure how long I will continue to read a Shogun Wolverine rip off.  If your only selling point is “From the pages of Justice League of America” and not the characters other long history there might be a problem.  I will give it an issue or two more to find out.