Catching up...

Hope everyone had a Happy Holiday. Personally, I'm a bit wiped out from a busy couple of days. But now it's time to catch up on some comic reading (Mike):

Crossed #8: Got pretty worried when I mistakenly thought this was the final issue (it's got one more to go). This series seems to alternate between "talky" issues and issues filled with crossed-committed atrocities. This was a talky one which addresses some of the awful stuff that went down in issue #7 and sets up the next issue which looks like it will tie up the remaining plot threads. Still holding out judgment on this one, it's been a harrowing ride but I'm still hoping for a satisfying conclusion.

Detective Comics #860: Batwoman's origin continues. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite comic characters and Rucka seems to have found more traction with this series as his run continues. Bit sad to hear JH Williams will be leaving this series (but there's hints he may return for another run in future). But I'm familiar with Jock from his work on Judge Dredd and I'm looking forward to his take on the character. The Question Second Feature is fun but just doesn't grab me.

Fantastic Four #574: Still a solid book. The art in this issue and last looks a bit rushed. Something of a filler-issue/jumping-on-point. The new storyline, focusing on the children, looks very promising.

Halo Blood Line #1: Haven't read any of the other Halo comics. This is a decent start, but I'm hoping the members of Spartan Team Black aren't as clichéd as they seem at first glance. The plot continues along the familiar Halo lines, a strange signal lures both Spartan Team Black and the Covenant to a mysterious alien world.

Fall Of Hulks Gamma One-Shot: I was ambivalent about FOH before, but Parker's Alpha One-Shot got me off the fence. Gamma, written by Jeph Loeb, is pretty good too, continuing to deepen the mystery and set up the impending showdown. The writing in this issue is a stark contrast to Loeb's work on Hulk.While the Hulk series is fun, it's just been dragging its feet in the exposition department. Looks like they're throwing things into a higher gear for the FOH crossover.

Hellboy Bride of Hell One-Shot: Well, it's Corben doing the art, so I'm sold already. Solid, solid comic. I needed a little Halloween injected into my Christmas.

Getting busy... Try to continue my reading frenzy later.