Peach the Destroyer: Issue 049

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You didn't think we were gonna make it to the one-year anniversary without seeing my favorite character, did you? Heck, the only thing he's missing is humming his own theme music. I'll talk more about his return later. For now, hopefully your reaction is similar to Peach's now that the cavalry's shown up. Anyway, not much for me to say this week (I'm just happy this comic wasn't crazy depressing like last week's…ugh), so let's move right on to comic book reviews…

• Batgirl #7
• The Solicit: One dark, tragic night, The Joker shattered the life of Barbara Gordon in the landmark story BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE. In this issue, see a side of that story that has never before been told, as Batgirl faces the demons of her past!
• Okay, I don't mean to speak ill of Alan Moore (far be it from me to disrespect a self-proclaimed warlock), but I was never all that crazy about The Killing Joke. Maybe it's because I finally read it after years of internet hype, but what I found was…kind of an anemic story. It was a good story, but it felt like there wasn't a whole lot of meat on its bones. So let's just say I was coming into this issue with an open mind.
• The issue starts with Batgirl getting drowned in the sewer by…some metahuman punk in what looks like a tuxedo and devil mask. By the way, the graffiti in this scene reads "CATWOMAN LOVES ME" and "DARK VENGEANCE." Seriously, does Batman vent his steam by tagging up the sewers in his spare time?
• I'm a big fan of Barbara's self-deprecating inner monologues in this book, but I think Gail Simone's struck gold with "dear diary in my head…tonight didn't go as I had hoped at all" after Tuxedo McDevil pulls the Batman disappearing act on her.
• In a flashback to earlier in the night, Batgirl calls on Black Canary for a sparring session and, with one page, I don't care about The Killing Joke, I would gladly read a whole issue of Black Canary saying stuff like "Are you Batgirl? Did some cheerleader steal her costume?"
• Black Canary gives Barbara some tough love and helps her come to her senses before sending Batgirl off on the mission we started the issue with.
• Batgirl unmasks the thugs she'd knocked out and…one of them was one of the Joker's thugs the night he shot her!
• Superboy #7
• The Solicit: Superboy's come back to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. with vengeance on his mind, but Rose Wilson is waiting for him. Right from the start, she was the one meant to bring him down when he went out of control--and this fight is going to be out of control!
• I know this issue's supposedly built around Superboy fighting Rose Wilson (the issue's titled "Untamed Rose," after all), but his assault on the rest of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is downright hilarious, with dialogue like "I'm a little fuzzy on the concept of mercy. You must have forgotten to teach me about it" as he kicks a guy almost out of the frame.
• Superboy gets dosed by synthetic Kryptonite and straight-up run through with a sword.
• Oh, and the book teases a Rose Wilson/Wonder Girl brawl in two weeks in Teen Titans.
• The Ray #4 (of 4)
• The Solicit: The final conflict between The Ray and the evil maestro who has been behind all his woes comes to a conclusion. Lucien will need to take his powers to an all-new level to defeat the evil Director and his reality warping abilities.
• This was a very satisfying comic; it really delivered on every conceivable level and I really hope this isn't the last we see of The Ray (a…dude at the end seems to imply he might show up in Suicide Squad, but that book's outside my wheelhouse, so I'll just keep hoping he gets his own ongoing).
• Thief of Thieves #2
• The Solicit: Conrad Paulson has turned his back [on] his life as Redmond, international master criminal, in order to regain some semblance of the life he left behind. Will it be enough to reconcile with his wife? Save his son from the life? Or will it end up getting them all killed?
• Somehow, I managed to resist this last month, but now I can't stop reading this book using the cast of Leverage…someone please tell me I'm not the only one.
• This issue gives us copious backstory on Conrad's reasons for quitting…and reasons why "the life he left behind" will probably stay in his rear-view mirror. This book is honestly one of the best movies you're not reading right now. I'm calling it now: I'm expecting someone to swoop in and pick up the Thief of Thieves movie rights fast and hard.
• Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #7
• The Solicit: The siege on S.H.A.D.E. City comes to a bloody conclusion, and it may mean the end of the Creature Commandos! With the Hub under Humanid control and Nina's evil monsters staging a coup, S.H.A.D.E. headquarters is in total disarray.
• This issue started off on a rough note for me because after an entire issue of the Humanids taking systematic control of S.H.A.D.E., Ray Palmer just now got around to having the revelation "has anyone else noticed there aren't any Humanids around?"
• I love that, when Frankenstein comes home to S.H.A.D.E. after a long day of monster huntin' to find his voice commands are being overridden, he just flat-out kicks the door down and mutters "I hate technology." This is why I'm 100% behind Frankenstein as a protagonist. He gets stuff done.
• Oh, and Brother Eye's behind the Humanid…virus or whatever. So I can blame this entire plot on the OMAC crossover. Thanks.
• When two of our Creature Commandos bust into the top-secret armory, I was kinda hoping for some Easter Eggs in the collection of "insane weaponry that defy logic," but alas, near as I can tell there aren't any
• I'm not positive, but I think Father Time gets the award for Best Line of the Night: "Ray Palmer's a badass and The Hub is secure. What's your status?"
• Ooh, and Frankenstein's son is unleashed upon the world…dude, next month sounds awesome already!
• The last two comics this week are rated M for Mature. I mention this because I like to view Peach the Destroyer as an all-ages community, so I just want to make sure everyone's aware of that fact before we proceed.
• Saucer Country
• The Solicit: Set in the hauntingly beautiful Southwest, SAUCER COUNTRY is a dark thriller that blends UFO lore and alien abduction with political intrigue. With the help of her quirky staff, Presidential hopeful Arcadia Alvarado must pursue the truth of her alleged alien abduction into danger, mystery and awe.
• So, seriously, politics and religion are two things you can always use to scare me off a conversation. However, throw in a dollop of UFO mythology in the middle of a run at the presidency and all of a sudden I'm interested.
• Okay, this book actually has a character say "the party of which I am a member?" In what editor's head do those words sound natural?! What's really annoying is, right after that awkward mouthful, the same character flat-out says "Republican." So why didn't you say that in the first place?!
• Arcadia has a lot of…let's say "buildup" to…y'know, the whole "alien" thing. In one scene, she has a dream that seems to have been brought on by watching too much Doctor Who, she's in a…let's call it weird museum where she's shown "space and time, seen from outside."
• After the nightmare, Arcadia's convinced herself that her ex-husband had abused her. She's about to let her inner circle in on it when, during her speech announcing she's running for president, it all clicks and she realizes it wasn't abuse, she was flat-out abducted by aliens and there's an invasion coming.
• This book was awesome! That is all.
• Saga #1
• The Solicit: Y: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. The adventure begins in a spectacular DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE!
• I liked this book (though, again, rating warning). It's a simple story in a complicated universe and…it kind of feels like Star Wars by way of Greek mythology, in a weird way. This was a good book, plus it's a double-sized first issue for $2.99! With no ads! Seriously, even if you don't like the book much, that's a heckuva value.

Well, that wraps things up for this week, everyone. I'll see you next week; same Peach time, same Peach channel!