ROBOCOP #1: There’s certainly many of the hallmarks of the Robocop series in this book: the faux commercials; the ultra-violence; the social satire. There’s even the all powerful OCP, and a few huge potentially evil robots in the mix. Heck, the gangs all here, so why does it feel empty for 75% of the issue? It’s probably because it’s not quite violent enough. It’s not quite on target enough with the satire (recycling poop is not the most current joke ever). And even though this takes place after the original Robocop, there’s still shades of Robocop 2 in there. So I say about 75% of the issue, because as it goes on, writer Rob Williams gets a better handle on the characters and story. And there’s great character moment with Officer Murphy towards the end that I’m very curious to see how it plays out in future issues, as well as a last page splash that’s intriguing, to say the least. While I’m not completely sold on this series yet, I’m definitely willing to give it another shot.

THE COMPLETE ALICE IN WONDERLAND #2: I’m going to try to not just rehash my review of the first issue of this book, which boiled down to, “It’s a fine adaptation, perhaps a little bit flat in the text department, but the real star is the art.” That’s still true this issue, though I think Leah Moore and John Reppion have a bit more fun this time around. On the other hand, the art is occasionally curiously flat in this issue, particular PC Siqueira’s shading on some of the characters, without much consistency. I’m still a fan of what the team is doing here, and it does, for the most part look like a nice mixture between painted and anime art, with a dash of the current European style. But those instances do take me out of the story.

BUCK ROGERS #8: The first half of this issue, where our time-lost spaceman hero is told about the supposed Communist domination of Earth by insane underground dwellers is one of the most purposefully insane things in comics I’ve read this week, and I kind of love it. In fact, as usual, Scott Beatty channels the adventure and humor of Buck perfectly, while everything else seems a bit disposable. Luckily, this issue, we only get a page or two of this disposable stuff, and the rest is pure, underground adventure. When this title lets Buck be Buck, it soars.

BLACK TERROR #7:Is it possible for a comic to be too packed? This issue is so chock full of plot, huge fights, and unstoppable enemies, that we end up losing track of the hero, Black Terror, in the middle of everything. And writer Phil Hester does pack on the danger, with not one, but two unstoppable armies versus our hero, and a third waiting in the wings. It’s a ton of fun to read, but I can’t quite get over the panel layout, which ends up putting too much on each page, and not enough room to see everything that’s going on. Don’t get me wrong, the action, and the thrust of it, is clear; it’s just not giving heft to the things it should be giving heft to. Still, this is easily my favorite of the Project Superpowers titles.