Without further ado:
Batgirl #1--I had been avoiding this book out of spite, still bitter over the loss of Stephanie Brown as Batgirl. I recently read The Killing Joke for the first time, however (I know--super late to the party), and I decided to finally check out Gail Simone's Batgirl. I really enjoyed the first issue, and it actually flows really well after just having read The Killing Joke. In the new series, it's been three years since Barbara was shot, and she's just getting back into the superhero business again. I bought issues two and three right after reading the first one.
Deathstroke #4--I love this book. Kyle Higgins is writing a heck of an action story with Slade, and this issue comes out swinging as Deathstroke gets imprisoned on purpose just to carry a hit out on a warden. It's fun, fast paced and brutal.
GI Joe #4-7--This book has been sitting in my "to read pile" for a couple of months, and I finally figured out why--I'm just not enjoying it that much. The storyline feels like a cross between Larry Hama's A Real American Hero book, and the GI Joe: America's Elite series from a few years ago. In fact, I had déjà vu when reading a storyline about the Baroness being captured by the Joes, as they did the same thing in America's Elite. If I'm only picking up one GI Joe book, it's going to be Hama's A Real American Hero, as that one has been consistently good month in and month out.
Spider-Man: Marvel Adventures #16--A great one-and-done that sees Spidey teaming up with Doctor Strange to battle Baron Mordo and his army of creatures that are trying to pave the way for the elder beings to enter our dimension. A fun, all-ages adventure.
Well, that's it for this week. I'll be talking about The Killing Joke in our next Trade-Off episode, and I'll be back next week with another batch of quick hits.
--Brian