Peach the Destroyer: Thanksgiving Special 2011

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Good morning, Destroyers!

A very special Thanksgiving good morning to you, Destroyer fans! Unless, of course, you're not from America, in which case, feel free to replace "Thanksgiving" with "Thursday."

Clearly, there's not much to say about today's issue. Just having a little bit of fun for you guys for the holiday. Anyway, just because Peach and company have a break from fighting the devil monkey hordes doesn't mean I get off so easy…I've still got comic reviews for you lucky folk!

Savage Hawkman #3

• The…nameless egg aliens who imprisoned Morphicus/Fake Venom have the worst security system ever. It's only triggered by Nth metal and, therefore, only plays its holographic message AFTER Morphicus/Fake Venom was released! And then it exploded.
• "Rid my lab of this bird man!" "Gladly!" Somebody got paid to write this dialogue. Seriously.
• On a more serious note…I like our incredibly over-the-top villain, Hogarth Kane. First off, Hogarth?! Clearly someone wasn't loved as a child. Second, he absolutely refuses to do anything half-way. Just look at his over-the-top James Bond fortress. If I were Hawkman and had that eyesore in my skyline, I'd just say "something evil's going down? Hmm…my keen detective powers tell me maybe that guy had something to do with it." In fact, I hope that exact dialogue is used in a future issue. DC, I'll be waiting for my check.

Aquaman #3

• I'm calling it: The Trench are officially the best new villain of DC's New 52 (and I haven't even read all the new titles, so yes, I'm biased). These things are vicious, brutal, and more than a little unnerving.
• Okay, expanding on that point, we have a Guillermo del Toro-esque autopsy scene in this issue when Aquaman takes a Trench body to an old friend of his dad's. I get the distinct impression Geoff Johns researched the heck out of all kinds of terrifying deep-sea creatures and morphed them all into a singular nightmare.

Superman #3

• I really liked the slow-burn opening in this issue, especially the opening (with a huge honkin' anvil of an homage to the old "Superman: strange visitor from the planet Krypton who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men" radio opening.
• One thing that stood out to me (and pardon me if I just ignored this in previous issues) is Superman feels really cerebral now. I always used to chalk him up to "punch the bad guy until it can't be punched no more" (and yes, I am kind of sorry for that), so it's really cool to see him work his way through a problem.
• My only complaint: in true DC Comics fashion, we get a reference to a past event in another comic…the only problem is that event won't happen for us faithful readers for two more weeks in Action Comics #4. Granted, this was a one-panel reference that served as a teaser to Action Comics more than anything else, but it just grates on me…

Justice League Dark #3

• Well, we have team members slowly joining together, so maybe I'll start having less to complain about…
• Yes, the shot of Zatanna in a bra was completely necessary and justified and in no way gratuitous whatsoever. End sarcasm. Now when can we get her to stop wearing clubwear and start wearing an actual costume again?
• Much like Swamp Thing #3, I turned the page and all of a sudden it felt like I was reading a different book. In this instance, it felt like Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and unfortunately I don't mean that as a compliment. See, I likes me some Sandman, don't get me wrong, but there's a very particular mindset I need for it and trolling through the DC Universe usually isn't it.
• Also, this page was gross as heck. Fortunately, we move on and everything seems a-okay.
• No. No, DC. You do not get to dump your own comic book covers in as comic book covers in-universe. Especially not DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS WHEN HE'S STARRING IN THIS COMIC! Bad DC. Bad. No brownie for you.

Teen Titans #3

• Speaking of teams coming together, a whole lot happens in this issue.
• We're introduced to the new character Bunker, who had turned me off when he was announced. It wasn't that he's gay, I don't care about that. I cared that, at least in the initial preview I read, he was pretty darn flaming and I was worried DC might get under fire (totally no pun intended. Honest.) by one group or another. Fortunately, Bunker was freaking hilarious and I'm proud to say that my reaction to him was much like my reaction to Teen Titans as a whole: I came in with low expectations and a vaguely bad feeling and was pleasantly surprised.
• We also meet Detritus who…explains his entire backstory in one panel. As much as I hope we'll never see him again, he was only around for a single page, so I'm sure he'll be back.

The Fury of Firestorm #3

• This is one of the more surprisingly dark books on my pull list…and I'm still surprised every month.
• This issue felt vaguely reminiscent of the old JLU episode Patriot Act, but that was probably just me.

That's all for this week, kids. Again, happy Thanksgiving/Thursday and I'll see you next week!