As August rolls along, DC rebirth and Civil War II continue to be the big focuses in the comic book world. This week DC kicked off their new Supergirl comic and delivered key new issues of series like Batman, Superman and Suicide Squad. Marvel released a new wave of Civil War II tie-ins, but Black Widow #6 and The Mighty Thor #10 proved to be the real winners. Elsewhere, Boom debuted a promising new all-ages series called The Backstagers and Image gave Spawn a cartoonish makeover in Spawn Kills Everyone #1.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and various other new releases, and be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
Written by Julie & Shawna Benson | Drawn by Claire Roe
The Birds of Prey take on the mob, each other, and a menacing snake-man in this solid first issue from Julie and Shawna Benson, whose previous credits include an episode from season 3 of The 100. Things pick up right where the Rebirth issue left off with Batgirl, Black Canary, and The Huntress all in pursuit of the same man, though with different purposes in mind. The interplay between the three main characters, particularly Babs and Helena, is the obvious driving force of this book and the Bensons deliver an entertaining script filled with drama and quite a few laughs. The Asp makes a brief and slightly underwhelming debut as the hench... snake of the mysterious Fenice, setting the stage for what should be a more exciting round 2. Claire Roe’s art works perfectly on this book, her dark-yet-slightly-cartoony style helping to give it a classic Birds of Prey look. -Joe
Final Score:
Written by Tom King | Drawn by David Finch
"A number of puzzle pieces fall into place as Tom King and David Finch wrap up the opening storyline on Batman. This issue not only offers a rousing showdown between the Dark Knight and his would-be ally, Gotham, it offers an enticing glimpse at how that conflict feeds into the larger plan for the series and what the future holds for Batman." -Jesse
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Final Score:
Written by James Tynion IV | Drawn by Freddie Williams II
"Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is hardly the strangest comic book crossover ever to hit the stands, but there is something bizarre about the idea of the Caped Crusader sharing the page with the Heroes in a Half Shell. This crossover certainly taps into the sheer, ridiculous fun of that pairing. But even as writer James Tynion IV and artist Freddie Williams II mine the crossover for all its goofy charm, they also find a surprising amount of emotional depth in this superhero team-up." -Jesse
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Final Score:
Written by Benjamin Percy | Drawn by Juan Ferreyra
Ollie’s battle with the Ninth Circle comes to an explosive and thrilling end, but victory is short-lived as he finds himself back in a very familiar place. Benjamin Percy’s first arc of Rebirth delivers a strong gut-punch ending that may leave Oliver Queen worse off than he was when this whole conflict began. Emi showing her true allegiance and the reunion with Black Canary are the feel-good moments of this issue, though the battle with Dante does wrap things up a bit too neatly. Sure, Oliver sacrifices his entire fortune and identity in order to win, but the enemy is dispatched without quite as much peril as you would have expected. That said, it’s hard to really complain about any comic when it’s a gorgeous as this one. Juan Ferreyra absolutely nails it, as per usual. His presence will definitely be missed as the next arc begins in issue #6. -Joe
Final Score:
Written by Sam Humphries | Drawn by Robson Rocha and Eduardo Pansica
The good news is that Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are finally on the same page. The bad news is that they’re woefully outmatched by Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns. Sure, Jessica may have some hilarious nicknames for them (“Mister Potato Head on drugs”), but when it comes time to throw down it’s clear these Lanterns have a long ways to go. Jessica’s downfall is handled particularly well by Sam Humphries as her inner monologue quickly goes from humorous to desperate. Simon’s mysterious Emerald Sight teases a potential showdown with a rage-infested Justice League, though with the way things are going in the battle with Atrocitus he may not be around to see it. Rocha and Pansica do fine work here, particularly on an impressive two-page spread near the beginning of the issue. Baz’s arms seem a little too veiny, but the Red Lanterns look sufficiently terrifying. -Joe
Final Score:
Written by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti | Drawn by Bret Blevins, Chad Hardin & John Timms
"Let it not be said that the relaunched Harley Quinn comic doesn't deliver what it promises. There's plenty of wacky carnage to go around as Harley and her pals fend off a zombie outbreak on Coney Island. This story arc doesn't seem to be striving for much more than that. But as often as the previous volume felt bogged down by competing plot threads, this 'back to basics' approach has a definite appeal." -Jesse
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Final Score:
Written by Bryan Hitch | Drawn by Tony S. Daniel
Bryan Hitch’s run on Justice League has gotten off to a shaky start, and while issue #3 by no means rights the ship, things at least get more interesting. Tony S. Daniel is still the star of this show, his pencils giving epic life to the multi-colored Kindred. It’s still not completely clear what these people-made-of-people are all about, nor what exactly the Purge is, but the various threads in Hitch’s story are slowly starting to come together. The Green Lanterns continue to be far less compelling than they are in their own book, and the Batman/Superman confrontation that we were seemingly promised last issue is swapped out for an excessively mopey good-bye with Lois (though Jon offering Batman a cookie was pretty funny). Things end fairly abruptly, and there’s a long way to go before Justice League can be considered “good”, but there might be reasons to hope. -Joe
Final Score:
Written by Tim Seeley | Drawn by Javier Fernandez
Nightwing’s mission to take down the Parliament of Owls takes another step in the right direction, but it may come at the cost of his relationship with Batgirl. As Dick and the mysterious Raptor continue to scheme right under the Parliament’s noses, Babs makes a guest appearance to basically yell at Nightwing for the entire issue. That’s not to say she doesn’t have a point, but their conflict comes off as a bit too angsty. That aside, Raptor continues to be a fascinating partner/mentor/co-conspirator for Dick. He clearly has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and the two men seem to share the same goals. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts. Javier Fernandez once again delivers a great-looking book, documenting the trio’s journey through Knute Ruud’s puzzle house masterfully, and Dr. Leviticus looks to be plenty menacing. -Joe
Final Score:
Written by Rob Williams | Drawn by Jim Lee & Jason Fabok
"It's already clear that the Suicide Squad franchise is in a healthier state thanks to DC Rebirth. The new creative team and re-jiggered, movie-inspired roster immediately make for a more exciting, approachable Suicide Squad. But it won't be until this relaunched series moves past the introductory setup phase that it truly starts to realize its potential, and this issue makes it painfully clear that this won't be happening very quickly." -Jesse
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Final Score:
Written by Steve Orlando | Drawn by Emanuela Lupacchino
"Of the many aspects to DC’s Rebirth, finding the right balance between continuities has thus far proved the trickiest. While some titles have more or less hit the ground running with little to no backtracking, others are forced to clean up their collective pieces before the real story can begin. Supergirl Rebirth falls into that second category. As a result the debut from Steve Orlando and Emanuela Lupacchino is an overstuffed affair, though by issue’s end there’s enough of a clear direction to get fans excited for the further adventures of the Girl of Steel." -Jeff
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Final Score:
Written by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason | Drawn by Doug Mahnke
If the sight of the Hellbat suit on the cover of this issue filled you with glee, then rest assured that excitement is rewarded many times over. Tomasi & Gleason’s Superman has been delightfully bananas thus far, but issue #5 takes things to a whole other level. The lunar Bat-cave(!) provides the perfect setting for the Superman Family’s showdown with The Eradicator, with nods to Star Wars, Aliens, and Terminator punctuating the action. The Eradicator is at his (its?) most terrifying here, taunting Jon with some delicious “JOIN US” dialogue. Fans of artistic consistency may complain a bit as once again the series brings in someone other than Patrick Gleason, but Doug Mahnke makes for one hell of a fill-in artist. His rendering of The Eradicator is particularly effective, and his presentation of the lost souls of Krypton hearkens back to the best of his work on Blackest Night. -Joe
Final Score:
Continues
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