Buzzscope Reviews: 6/22/05

APComics 2005 Preview
Charging full-price for marketing promotions isn't cool. If this were a Free Comic Book Day offering, or even a $0.99 promo, it might have earned an A.

Catwoman #44
New creative teams are always a good time to peek in on a title you've never read before, or dropped a while back, and Pfeiffer and Woods get off to an entertaining start that's relatively accessible to new readers.

Deal with the Devil #2
Schwartzrock's art is solid, blue collar work that complements the real-world feel of the story. Unfortunately, it's more plot-driven than character-driven, and while sporting an interesting premise, its overall "potential" looks very different when it costs $2.99 versus $0.75.

Spider-Man: House of M #1 (of 5)
Waid and Peyer turn in an uninspired, by-the-numbers introduction to what is, essentially, an old-fashioned, if super-decompressed, What If...? story. It's not that it's bad, per se, but there's a certain "so what?" factor that comes from knowing it bears no consequences for any of the characters involved.

Be sure to check out all of this week's reviews from Buzzscope's crack staff of reviewers - some of the best out there, if I may say so myself. While you're there, sign up and leave some feedback in the forum. It's one of the more level-headed boards out there and while the usual suspects get the most attention, there's plenty of room to talk about good comics, too.

Peace!