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HotShot Pickleball @hspickleball is Live on @kickstarter

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Pick Your Pickle and Prepare for Puns: Pickleball's Board Game Just Launched. A fast, fun, irreverent board game that celebrates the joy of Pickleball. Fans of silly puns, pickles, and fast-paced games alike have a new game to add to their list of must-haves: HotShot Pickleball. This delightful card-drawing board game is quick to learn and gives a surprising amount of opportunity to lightly strategize as you race to the ball and attempt to hit it back over the net to your opponent. The debut release from indie studio Midnight Trading Co., HotShot Pickleball was made while game designer Robert Gelb was recovering from an Achilles injury sustained, ironically, by playing Pickleball. For those who haven’t heard of pickleball, it's the fastest-growing sport in the world, with over 32 million players last year. HotShot Pickleball is a lively, family-friendly game that combines the fun of the sport with a cast of quirky, pickle-themed characters like Stew Cumber, Kim Chee, and Corni...

Guest Reviews: @DCComics Batwoman #17, Catwoman #17, & Worlds' Finest #9

Batwoman #17 CoverCatwoman #17 CoverWorlds' Finest #9 Cover

Here are today's "Guest Reviews" by Jeremy Sims from Batwatch. Included are DC's; Batwoman #17, Catwoman #17, & Worlds' Finest #9. I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.

See the Review Rating Overview page for more information on how I rate each comic.



Batwoman #17 - World's Finest, Part V: Mercy


It’s the massive conclusion to the current storyline as Batwoman and Wonder Woman struggle to defeat Medusa and a horde of villains!


Don’t miss the start of a surprising new status quo for Batwoman!


Preview



Mercy


In this issue, Batwoman, Wonder Woman, and Flamebird take on Medusa and her forces.

Huh.

Apparently, every comic this week is going to end up surprising me which is great because I love surprises. However, I'm not sure all the surprises in this issue were good.

My thoughts hit a variety of topics, so I think the best way to approach this review is simply to do it Bat Droppings style.

Bat Droppings


  1. Check out that cover. It looks amazing, and as J.H. Williams III mentioned in a statement on Twitter released earlier this week, the cover for this issue was a visual echo/homage to Williams III's own Batwoman #1 cover. In Batwoman #1, Kate is standing guarded and there is a murky water feel to the image with fish skeletons swimming in the background. In Batwoman #17, (the last issue Williams III will be doing for the foreseeable future) the theme has switched from water to fire with Batwoman standing triumphant over the scene as snake skeletons writhe over the foreground. It's a nice bookend for the series.
  2. It practically goes without saying at this point, but Williams III's work is amazing.


Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' Review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 5/5
Layout & Flow - 3/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4.1



Catwoman #17 - Rat Tales


After facing down The Joker and the power of Eclipso, Catwoman needs some downtime—which for her means a crime spree!


Detective Alvarez is back on her tail—this kitty needs to watch her step!


Preview



Rat Tales


In this issue, Selina and Gwen plot a museum heist as Detective Alvarez closes in on their tail.

Surprisingly Tolerable

It's a long way from “purrfect,” but this issue is actually not too bad. I've learned to expect little of Nocenti's Catwoman, and the first several pages bore out this expectation, but after moving past those, I found there was actually some interesting aspects to this story.

The first thing that perked up my ears in this issue was the way we actually got to see Selina plan one of her jobs. Throughout this series, we see Catwoman in action doing her thing, but we almost never see the planning that goes in to her crime, and really, it is surprising that this elements of the series has been omitted. In a lot of adventure crime fiction, the unveiling of the scheme is half the fun. (think Ocean's 11 or The Italian Job) It builds tension to know what should happen, and then that excitement is usually heightened when something goes wrong. Perhaps this has been missing in the Catwoman story so far since all her jobs have been either extremely straight forward or impulsive. Regardless of why it has been missing thus far, I hope the planning element of the story makes more frequent appearances for it gave me a chance to see Selina and Gwen's intellects in action, and it also gave some time for the two to interact. Catwoman needs some actual supporting characters, and it was nice to see a little (just a tad) fleshing out of Gwen.

Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' Review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 5/5
Layout & Flow - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Verdict - 3.6



Worlds' Finest #9 - Raid


Power Girl and a wounded Huntress are attacked on Power Girl’s island headquarters by a mysterious and deadly new group of villains!


What do the villains have to do with the missing Michael Holt and the radioactive monster known as Hakkou?


Preview



Raid


In this issue, Huntress fights off an attacking force raiding Starr Island. We are also “treated” to a flashback of Helena getting her costume.

Insert Expletive Here

Given the fact I've been sick for the past few days, I considered rating all the comics this week based on how much they make me want to throw up, but that might not be a joke in this case. I let out a slew of vivid curses reading this issue, and I feel like slinging out some various body fluids too though it is possible that is a symptom of my illness rather than a symptom of reading Worlds' Finest, but I suspect it is probably the comic that is killing me.

Here's what happens in the whole comic. Stupid stuff, stuff that looks like it might be going somewhere but inevitably will not, and a cliffhanger for the next issue which will no doubt contain more of the same.

If God came to me and said I could send one person to Hell, and I knew who was most responsible for this atrocity of a comic book, then I would absolutely not send that creator to Hell because that would be horrible. I would probably choose a terrorist or something. Or whoever invented the term “swag.” However, if I could come face to face with the person most responsible for this travesty, I would tell him or her that I am not extremely fond of his or her work, and then they would cry, and I would feel guilty.

Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' Review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 2/5
Story - 2/5
Verdict - 2.4


Purchase Batwoman #17
Purchase Catwoman #17
Purchase Worlds' Finest #9
Jeremy Sims is a blogger at https://batwatch.squarespace.com/ and a comic book reviewer at Comic Vine. The use of this review has been authorized by the original author.

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