1484 ( )

My daughter actually hipped me to this book since she is a brilliant student and quite the comic aficionado. Little did I realize that DC had already screwed the pooch by running off the writer/illustrators when they tampered with their lesbian story line. DC made some weak (as in hypocritical) response about superheroes never having healthy and happy lives, maybe another stereotype that should go out the window as well. The whole thing reeks of the comics-are-bad-for-you stigma that I thought the genre of "graphic novels" had shaken off decades ago. Well we here at goodreads all know what happens to free speech when the big corporations get involved now don't we. DC hired a gay scab/stooge to continue the comic and smooth the whole thing over starting with issue #25, so as far as Dr. Pangloss and I are concerned this world is once again a the best of all possible worlds. Excuse me, I have to move this soap box out of the way now.

So it is with a tinge of bittersweetness that I have to tell you this book is just marvelous. It is everything a reboot should be, new persona, tastefully updated milieu, new baddies, old baddies, reconnection with some old friends, new friends, and artwork that will knock your socks off. I have gotten used to the Fables series of books so I had almost forgotten how gloriously free the artwork could be in a pretty mainstream superhero story nowadays. Not that this is a mainstream story by any account; we have real ghosts, demons, and skeletons and that is a tall task for a superhero without any superpowers (one reason I always liked the Bat family best).

Anyway, even if you don't like the story, go out and steal, er, I mean borrow, this graphic novel for the artwork. I don't want to line DC's pockets now, for obvious reasons. Oh, and they've hired [a:Orson Scott Card|589|Orson Scott Card|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1294099952p2/589.jpg] to do something too, which is another reason to keep them off the invite list. I'm glad the Ender movie tanked.

Talk about inviting the flag;D. ( )

Disturbing and tense, with a great mix of urban legend and thriller as the government closes in on an unwitting Kate. JH Williams III is still a master, and this is not to be missed. ( )

I really loved this. The art and the story are fantastic, and it left me wanting more while still offering a solid story that didn't feel rushed or unfinished. ( )

I didn't care for the villain at all, but the artwork and underlying story was RAWRsome. ( )