My Week In Comics 7-13-11

Since I have only two books I might as well knock this out so that next week, when I'll hopefully see a movie or two, I'll have one less post overdue. And since I have softball tomorrow I don't know that I'll get to it then. Plus there's nothing really new to complain about regarding DC's revamp in September, soooooooo...

Superman 713: Next-to-last chapter of the Superman-walking-across-America tour. I don't usually do this, but I'm going to summarize the whole issue for you. (Spoiler Alert! if you really care.) After skipping Los Angeles entirely (instead of for the reasons cited in this post, perhaps it was really due to Carmageddon?) the story picks up in Oregon, where Superman has summoned Supergirl and Superboy to inform them that he's abandoning his costume and his public identity as Superman. He'll just help people secretly from now on. They don't take the news well. Later, Clark Kent is in Portland, at a coffee shop, working on a Daily Planet article titled "Must There Be A Superman?" when a barista points out a guy wearing the "S" on his sweatshirt who knows more about Superman than anybody. The guy peeks at Clark's laptop and is appalled. So he takes Clark to the streets and solicits testimonials from regular people about how great Superman really is. Then, suddenly, a TV report from Seattle: Lois Lane has been taken hostage by a superpowered woman, demanding that Superman appear or she'll kill Lois. "It's got to be the one who's been following me!" Clark thinks as he watches the report. Yeah, maybe you should have checked her out one of those other times you saw her along the way! "To be concluded." Although I thought it started well (again, maybe the fact that he started his walk in Philadelphia swayed me), and a couple of times it briefly seemed like it might recover, this whole storyline has been lame. No, trite. No, both lame and trite. I'd more easily accept this whole DC reboot idea if it had canceled this tale early.

Sherlock Holmes Year One 5 (of 6): The "Twelve Caeasars" killer has not only struck again, claiming his 9th victim, but also has managed to capture Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Irene Adler. I don't know if I'm disappointed or not that I formulated a guess early on about one of Holmes's teachers in his university days, and my guess was confirmed in this issue. I guess if you're telling a "Year One" story, it's got to include the beginnings of the subject's greatest enemy as well...