The Uncanny O-Man: (Belated) February Roundup

Listed alphabetically, quick takes of what I read in February, in 100 words or less. Plus, a pick of the month.

Batgirl: A Knight Alone TPB (DC Comics, 2001)

Man, this was just what I needed. A superhero pick-me-up, if you would. [My constant, internal conflict is that I wanna read GOOD rather than just reading a good comic. That drive for "high art" comics leads me to some good stuff. Most times, it's non-superhero and/or the deconstruction of super-heroes.] It's always great to read a good superhero book. Batgirl's stories suffer the same bizarre problem as old (don't know about current) Nightwing stories, they feel too short. This is the second collection in the series and it follows Batgirl III (or IV, or V, depending on how you count them) as she continues to learn how to be a crime-fighter in Gotham and what that means. (4 / 5)

Channel Zero TPB (AiT/Planet Lar, 2000)

Ignoring that this was written when the author, Brian Wood, was just out of art school, it's a pretty good read. Social commentary in comics is hit or miss with me. While, at times heavy handed, Channel Zero delivers a great look at a totalitarian vision of America. It's the type of thing that only an idealistic student can dream up; Woods' nightmares put on the page. Sadly, some of it has come true. (4 / 5)

The Discovery (Doing Fine)

Eleanor Davis's The Discovery is a fun little ditty about Marie Eugene Francois Thomas DuBois. It's so short that I'm afraid of giving anything away... You can read it online at doing-fine.com. (4 / 5)

Grendel Cycle (Dark Horse, 1995)

I have a thing for Matt Wagner's Grendel. I think it's a great story and a great set of characters. Grendel Cycle is an overview of the Grendel history. It's too much timeline and not enough story. I'd say pick it up if you need to complement or fill in the holes of your Grendel knowledge or collection. (2 / 5)

I've been playing a lot of the Xbox game Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic I. As such, I've become a Star Wars fan again. So you'll see that I read four Star Wars trades last month.

Star Wars: Crimson Empire I and II TPBs (Dark Horse, 1998, 1999)

Basically, you've got one of the Emperor's former, elite guard: Kir Kanos. He's loyal only to Palpatine. He has no loyalty to the remnants of the Empire as it's being lead by Palpatine's betrayers. He has no loyalty to the Rebellion / New Republic. He's one of the most formidable soldiers in the galaxy and he has no friends, no resources, and he's waging a personal war against what's left of the Empire. Oh, and he doesn't give two shakes about the New Republic. (4 / 5)

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith TPB (Dark Horse, 1997)

The problem with this book is that it's too short. It is partnered with Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Fall of the Sith Empire and only tells half the story. While I'm looking forward to reading SW:TOTJ:TFOTSE, I am hesitant to give a definitive opinion about SW:TOTJ:TGAOTS until I've read SW:TOTJ:TFOTSE. I'll write something more when I've read both.

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Knights of the Old Republic TPB (Dark Horse, 1994)

I think this is my favorite era of Star Wars, 4000 years before A New Hope. I think this is a great introduction to the heroes of this era. Granted we don't learn too too much about the heroes in these short adventures, but you want to see what happens next for them. (3 / 5)

PICK OF THE MONTH: Mr. Bloomburg Finds True Love (Doing Fine)

Straight up, this is a fantastic comic. It's all about the love of the medium. Forget that the story deals with the lines between love and obsession, romantic and creepy. It's the fact that Eleanor Davis had holes punched in a third of the pages (plus two on the cover) where Mr. Bloomburg the peeping tom stares through to the next page. The amount of time and commitment to that idea is genius. This is one of those ideas that will never be mass-produced ('cause it's not cost-effective) and so cool I wish I'd thought of it myself. (5 / 5)