Review: Wednesday Comics #8

It suddenly struck me that this week's release included Wednesday Comics #8. We're two-thirds of the way through! Only 4 more weeks to finish up the stories.

The thing is, despite the fact that I am sort of blase about a handful of strips, I am going to miss Wednesday Comics. It has succeeded in doing exactly what it was set up to do. It has invoked a sense of anticipation in me much like I had for the Sunday comics as a kid. Each Wednesday afternoon I open up the paper and sit down with a cup of coffee and read. And each Wednesday night, I gather up the supergirls at home and read them the Supergirl strip.

It definitely helps that I have enjoyed the Supergirl strip so much. This week's chapter is another winner.

This week's emotional theme is bored. I love the glazed eyes on Kara as she yawns, the remote control almost slipping from her hand.

Last week's strip ended with Supergirl bringing the super-pets to Doctor Mid-Nite's for a check-up.

While Doctor Mid-Nite runs exhaustive tests (I love the brain-wave scan picture with the pets wearing colander-looking devices), Kara becomes bored.

Like any teenager she decides to raid the fridge and watch some television. Unfortunately, the refridgerator is stocked like a laboratory fridge should be with tissue samples and chemicals. I love the disappointed bordering on nauseated look on Kara's face.

In the meantime, Krypto and Streaky are keeping a very close eye on Doctor Mid-Nite's pet owl.

Despite the lack of snacks, Supergirl slumps on the coach and begins flipping incessantly through the channels hoping to find something to catch her interest.

Her ennui is suddenly broken by Streaky crashing through the wall, owl tail feathers poking from her mouth. What is up with that cat??

Supergirl grabs Streaky and finds Doctor Mid-Nite trying to free his owl from Krypto's teeth. The good doctor tells Kara he thinks he has figured out why the pets are acting so crazy.

This strip continues to be cute and funny. I love how exasperated Supergirl looks when the pets start acting insane. I also like the sight gags that Amanda Conner has been slipping into the strip. This week we see some interesting books on Doctor Mid-Nite's book shelf including 'The Idiot's Guide to Brain Surgery' and 'Cooking for Metas'.

So ... before it gets revealed ... any guesses on the cause of Streaky and Krypto's behavior? I am thinking red kryptonite.

As for the rest of Wednesday Comics, a few different strips slipped their way into my upper tier.

Deadman has always been close to one of my favorite strips. The art has been solid the whole time, sort of a Dave Mazzucelli riff with demons straight from a Guillermo Del Toro movie. The story has also been interesting. A Deadman story where he is corporeal? It is becoming clear that Deadman is being played a bit here. My guess is the beautiful women in the strip will be revealed to be the true villains while the large imposing demon is actually a good guy. Don't judge a book by its cover.

Teen Titans, which has been an afterthought for much of the last 8 weeks, has been steadily improving. I liked seeing Sean Galloway's take on some more classic villains in Titans history. I also like how Robin is emerging as the main hero in the strip.

And Batman has just been more engrossing week after week. Azzarello and Risso have spun a very noir tale.

Kamandi and Strange Adventures continue to be very very strong, probably my two favorite strips in each week. I love how Alanna is portrayed as more than just arm candy for Adam Strange.

Despite being written by Walt Simonson and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze, two of my favorite creators in comics, I just can't get into Demon/Catwoman. And Metamorpho was a little too cute for me this week.

Overall, this was a very strong week.

Overall grade (Supergirl): A
Overall grade (Wednesday Comics): B+