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A light, all-DC menu to choose from this week; let's see if it hits the spot.



Appetizer:
Robin #178 -- all this R.I.P. stuff is starting to make my head hurt a bit (Batman's missing, the Cave was trashed, Alfred's stressed, now Two-Face has moved from NYC to Gotham...), but the basic story overlying all these background details is good enough; Nicieza gets the Bat-family and how they view each other, gets the problems in Tim's life (personal and "professional"), and is making full use of the Gotham cast to drive a fairly basic "gangland uprisings" plot; this issue we get Robin, Nightwing, Spoiler, the new Red Robin, old Robin villain the General, Officer Harper, Commissioner Gordon, and Ragman (glad Fabe remembers he's actually one of Gotham's lesser guardians), and future solicits show we'll be getting an Anarky appearance soon...that's tremendous; there's nothing world-threatening about the plot (rival gangs set up to take each other out), but the way it's told make it feel important to these characters and Gotham City all the same; more good art by Williams II as well; liked it.

Entree:
Action #869 -- I've said for a while now that I'm dropping the Super-books as soon as this arc is over, but I'll be damned if I'm not starting to reconsider; the Planet staff is fun again, the art remains gorgeous, even Supergirl is likable here (finally!), and the stories certainly are big and Action-packed; Supes struggles with Brainiac on his ship and talks to Kara's parents (who aren't dead) in Kandor, Supergirl takes on Brainy's sentries atop the Planet, and Brainy defeats Supes and fires a beam at the sun which will cause it to supernova in less than an hour; I'm still (and will probably always be) pissed about the ham-fisted foreshadowing of next issue's "stupid, pointless death" TM, but other than that, this was damn fun; liked it.

Dessert:
Trinity #16 -- this book continues to rock; Firestorm discovers Krona and the egg are missing, the Trinity beat up on the Dark Trinity, they figure out Enigma's ID (although there's still some mystery as to his true allegiance), and Hawkman and Gangbuster save Tarot, only to find she "sees" the world ending if the Trinity are defeated, and wouldn't you know it? We cliffhang with "Despero" (if that's really him, the question IS raised...) tricking Bats and turning the tables, marking him just as Supes and Wondy were marked previously, and leading Morgaine to declare victory; the action is fast-paced, the characterization spot-on, and the art gorgeous, as always (and Ordway's inks on Norton's pencils in the back-up brought out the best in both -- great-looking stuff); LOVED it.



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