Busy times are taking their toll and I just didn’t make or find enough time to read too many comics this week. But then also, my list of comics is always shrinking. I need to fix that. Anyway, it’s a toss up between Captain America and Wonder Woman this week.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Captain America #6 because it is just a slightly more interesting story launch.

Meanwhile, I finished a new read through of Gotham Central, and it was as great as always. And I’m still working my way through Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as a game, without seeing that third movie! I gotta work on that too. Beyond that, I’m enjoying Fallout, liked the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and am looking forward to Wonder Man on Tuesday.

Comic Reviews: Captain America #6 and Wonder Woman #29.

Captain America #6
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artists: Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

I was not as impressed with the first story arc as I was hoping to be, but I’m not going to give up on Zdarsky’s Captain American just yet. Honestly, I need to be reading at least some Marvel comics these days…

In the wake of One World Under Doom and his disappearance, Latveria is on the verge of civil war. Nick Fury Jr. has put together a new SHIELD that’s basically just a strike force, and he recruits Captain America to join, though Cap is a bit uneasy. They train and they head in country, only to be immediately stopped by the Red Hulk, who is there to bring democracy to Latveria on behalf of the United States of America.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

This issue is largely set up for the new SHIELD, and it doesn’t impress all that much. This storyline was originally billed as a squad of Captain America counterparts from around the world, which sounded neat, but has since changed to just a squad of elite SHIELD agents, which is still fine. None of them stand out yet, especially since the previous storyline also gave us a strike force of generic soldier types. Would it kill Zdarsky and Marvel to come up with some new and unique superhero soldiers? Give them some gimmicks! Give them Stilt-Man legs for all I care. Just make them interesting.

The issue itself is solid. I still like how Zdarsky writes Cap, and he remains a strong force in this issue. There’s a nice little scene with his girlfriend, Sharon Carter, and I hope Zdarsky has plans to make them more interesting. I’ve been reading Cap comics for a while, and their relationship just doesn’t interest me. So I’m interested to see if Zdarsky can shake it up a little. And then I’m interested in Zdarsky really fleshing out and expanding on this new SHIELD squad, to make them solid supporting characters telling an interesting story.

And I really hope David Colton returns in the modern day somehow…

TL;DR: Solid but unexciting start to the new Captain America storyline.

Wonder Woman #29
Writer: Stephanie Williams
Artist: Jeff Spokes
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

We’ve got a fill in writer for some reason! Let’s see how they do!

Wonder Woman is burnt out and she returns home to Themyscira, where the Amazons and Wonder Girls welcome her and the baby with open arms. They take the kid so Diana can rest, and decide that a sparring session might entertain Lizzie. But the fight turns angry and brutal, so that Queen has to step in to stop the Wonder Girls from killing each other. They’ve all been undone by Eris, the Goddess of Strife!

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Let me first say, right off the bat, that I’m disappointed that this isn’t just an issue of rest and relaxation for everyone involved. I’ve gone on record as saying I like superhero comics where the characters can just be people. There’s an issue of this comic where Wonder Woman and Superman go to an alien mall to buy Batman a birthday present, and it was a great issue. I wanted an issue where we get a peek into everyday life on Paradise Island, where we see how Diana chooses to relax, all while the Wonder Girls go all Three Women and a Baby with Lizzie. Instead, we get a pretty standard superhero tale that involves a lot of fighting. So that was disappointing.

But I would be a bad reviewer if I let my own personal hopes and dreams get in the way of reviewing the issue on its own merits. For reasons I don’t know, we’ve got a fill in writer as well as new artists. That’s fine. Nothing wrong with that. Williams easily picks up Tom King’s writing and tone and runs with it, so no complaints there. All the characters seem fun and the villain — a New 52 Wonder Woman villain — is introduced with tact and skill. I think the fight scene goes on a bit too long, especially when all of the characters watching clearly begin to understand that something isn’t right. So that stretched on a bit too much for my tastes.

Other than that, the writing is strong, the artwork is phenomenal and I’m eager to see what happens with Eris. I read pretty much all of the New 52 Wonder Woman and enjoyed it, but I have no memory of what Eris was like or what she did or what became of her. Hopefully Williams is a fan of the character and has some fun plans in place! I also like the idea of using New 52 characters. Get them back in the mix!

TL;DR: This issue goes in some directions that I personally didn’t care for, but I can’t fault the strong writing, excellent artwork and solid set-up.

The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I grab from Comixology any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments.