The latest in the media in my brain

Things I've read (mostly comic books) of late...

Really Good stuff...

• Afterlife with Archie: escape from Riverdale - I was shocked that this was actually really good. There's an impressive depth of characterization in the Archie gang's backstory here, setting up a number of impressively emotional moments as Riverdale is overrun by zombies created through an unfortunate Pet Sematary-style screw-up between Jughead and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. There could be a stronger ending, but they're aiming for an ongoing series here not for a neat, tidy wrap-up. Very much worth a read, good stuff.
• Fables: Camelot (vol 20) - We're headed toward the end, and I'm desperately sad about it. There are only two collections remaining after this one in the spectacular Fables series, and this one sets all the pieces into place for the climax. Rose Red and Snow, the two sisters who have been main characters issue one, are now pointed at odds with each other. Bigby is gone but working his way back. Even Gepetto is plotting to regain some of his old power. The new North Wind is marshaling her power for a pending battle between her mother and aunt. And the boys in the band return to the homelands with an idea, maybe the last idea of the series. This is going to be tough, but I'm happy I've been here the whole time.
• Young Avengers vol 1-3 - The entire series only lasted fifteen issues, so it wasn't that tough to read it in its entirety here in these three volumes. Nicely, these fifteen issues tell one coherent story, that of a teen superteam brought together to fight the interdimensional terror that they have accidentally summoned. It's a good reading of a pretty standard teen-team set of tropes (adults don't understand them; they're younger versions of adult heroes trying to live up to and throw off their legacies; they fall in and out of love with each other; they bring in other outcasts). Luckily it all works. Give this one a read - especially all the way to the series finale which is excellent but depends on knowing what's come before.

Decent stuff...

• Uncanny X-Men, vol 1 -  I like the idea of bringing back the Celestials as a plot point. I like the use of Sinister trying to take control of Celestial. It's a natural overreach from a most egotistical villain. What I didn't care for was the ending that consisted of Cyclops talking a lot to beings far more powerful than he...than all of the X-Men combined. Even the two single-issue stories worked well. Worth a check out but not perfect.
• Batman Beyond: Batgirl Beyond - Sadly, the titular Batgirl Beyond isn't a multi-issue arc. It's just one issue, but it's a pretty good issue...as are the rest of the issues here. See, Bruce Wayne is bringing some friends back into the Bat Family. Terry's girlfriend comes into the fold. Batgirl comes into the fold. The Metal Men come into the fold. Dick Grayson might be coming back into the fold. This one's owrth a read.
• Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell - Nothing special here. The story's kind of entertaining (particularly the small moments of Zatanna bringing toy JLAers to life and the fight with the Key on the old JLA satellite.) The artwork, however, was poor. On balance, meh...

Bad stuff...

• Spider-Man: Torment - Yay, Todd McFarlane! Draw a million extra lines to make things seem serious and dark and unpleasant. See, Spider-Man's lighthearted. He jokes. He laughs. He quips. But here he doesn't do any of those things. He just suffers and broods. Dumb.
• Batman The Dark Knight: Knight Terrors - It's a poor rehash of the Arkham breakout from Knightsend. Apparently Bane's in charge of the whole thing...maybe...or maybe the White Rabbit (a new porn star Bat-villain) is in charge or maybe nobody is. Avoid this one.
• Superman: What Price Tomorrow - This one introduces new villains for Superman (dumb ones), concocts a conspiracy to defeat Superman (it doesn't, of course), sells of the Daily Planet to a faceless, evil corporation (without any justification of the evilness other than that it's a corporation). Bad stuff...avoid this, too...
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers -  Ah, corporate synergy. The movie Guardians of the Galaxy team wasn't ever together in total in the comic books. They were gathered from various incarnations of the team over the past few decades. Here, however, Marvel puts together the team from the movie, and it doesn't work. Avoid this one, as well.
• Earth 2: The Gathering - Look, it's dumb reimaginings of dumb reimaginings of the superheroes you care about. See, it's not the New 52 Superman (a lesser version of the Superman you care about), it's an alternate version of the New 52 Superman...and Batman...and Wonder Woman...and The Flash...and Hawkgirl...and Green Lantern (he's gay, but they kill his partner after one page)...and Solomon Grundy. It's like the plague.