It was another big week of comics. DC continued to dive into "The War of Jokes and Riddles" in Batman #26 and delivered a thoroughly excellent new issue of Injustice 2. Marvel offered a standalone, Luke and Leia-focused chapter of Star Wars and kicked off Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again. Archie Comics finally brought back Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. And Oni Press debuted their new video game-based Rick and Morty series.
Scroll down to check out our reviews of 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 Chuck Dixon | Drawn by Graham Nolan
Bane Conquest is a pretty unapologetic throwback story by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. The odd thing is that their portrayal of Bane in this series is far less nuanced and interesting than their initial Bane stories from the ‘90s. Back then, Bane was truly a worthy adversary for the Batman. However, the Bane in this issue feels like a one-note supervillain who has little trace of the intelligence and cunning that made him so much fun to watch. Although the setup for Bane and Batman’s temporary alliance is enjoyable, it doesn’t last long enough to be truly entertaining. While the story falters, Nolan’s art proves that he’s still capable of creating impressive sequential pages. From a visual standpoint, Nolan does everything that the script requests, and this is a really good-looking comic book. It’s just not a very compelling story and there aren’t many reasons to keep following Bane through the next issue of this maxi-series. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tom King | Drawn by Mikel Janin
"Despite featuring two of the most iconic Batman villains around, "The War of Jokes and Riddles" is a fairly risky story for writer Tom King and artist Mikel Janin. This is a flashback-heavy arc that promises to dominate the series for the remainder of 2017, and one that significantly downplays Batman himself. It's absolutely crucial that King and Janin keep the reader's interest high and not lose the momentum generated by previous storylines. Luckily, that doesn't look to be much of a problem for the duo." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Priest | Drawn by Diogenes Neves
I’m eager to see Deathstroke's new status quo play out, but the latest issue had a somewhat unnecessary layer of setup for Defiance, as every member is given a reason to be there. Surprisingly, the most intriguing person in Slade’s inner circle is his ex-wife, Adeline, who clearly hates him and wants to destroy him. Slade has to know this, and yet he’s seemingly turning a blind eye towards the threat she represents because the new Defiance team is the closest thing that he’s got to a family. The opening sequence with Willow is somewhat mystifying. Fortunately, Diogenes Neves’ sequential skills are impressive and that results in a very good action scene. It's also amusing to see Slade temporarily go back on his newfound morality just to give his new team a proper test in the field. There’s a lot of potential here, even if this issue isn’t quite as entertaining as the earlier issues in Priest’s run. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Benjamin Percy | Drawn by Stephen Byrne
Because of the CW’s superhero shows, casual comic book fans may think that Green Arrow and the Flash actually have a close bond in the DC Universe. They really don’t, but Green Arrow #26 may be the first step towards changing that. Benjamin Percy's script calls for Oliver Queen and Barry Allen to work together, and it really does feel forced at times. It must be difficult to force their personalities to bend just enough to get them on relatively good speaking terms. The Speed Force-infected animals weren’t exactly riveting, but Stephen Byrne’s art is a treat. The interlude between Emiko, Kate Spencer and Black Canary is particularly well-drawn, but Byrne also has some great pages of the Flash and Green Arrow fighting side-by-side. If this opening chapter of this story hadn’t had such a bland threat then this could have been really good. Instead, it’s just slightly better than average. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Sam Humphries | Drawn by Ronan Cliquet
Following issue #25's dramatic events, Green Lanterns #26 takes a detour as it explores the shared history between Rami and Volthoom and generally expands the scope of this massive conflict. It's always fascinating to catch a glimpse of the Guardians in their younger days, and this flashback tale does help flesh out Volthoom a fair bit. That said, he still makes an annoyingly abrupt transition from valiant ally to full-blown villain here. Weirdly, that transition happens before Sam Humphries drops a plot twist that could just as easily have been a catalyst for that transformation. Visually, this issue is a bit of a letdown from #25, with the art having a disappointingly plain feel compared to the rich textures and dynamic figures of that issue. Green Lanterns is far from DC's most visually consistent series, and that trend shows no sign of changing. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti w/ Paul Dini | Drawn by John Timms w/ Bret Blevins
We're probably all starting to sound like a collective broken record here, but it's frustrating that, issue after issue, the main story in Harley Quinn is outshone by the Batman: The Animated Series-inspired backup tale. The series has long struggled with pacing and structure problems, and lately those problems have been as pronounced as ever. This issue throws out a jumble of concurrent story threads, with Harley confronting Harley Sinn and enjoying a dinner date with her parents while Red Tool conspires with Poison Ivy and the evil mayor subplot continues to play out. There's a lot going on right now, but none of it makes for particularly compelling reading, even with John Timms' sleek, angular art style livening things up. The backup on the other hand, tells a much cleaner, more focused story of Harley getting in over her head in a misguided attempt to please her puddin'. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Tom Taylor | Drawn by Bruno Redondo & Vicente Cifuentes
"While the purpose of DC's Injustice 2 comic is to set the stage for the video game's story mode, that's really not the source of this book's appeal. To be blunt, the game's story mode isn't much to write home about in the first place. The true appeal of this series rests in seeing writer Tom Taylor work his magic with a wide-open DC Universe setting, one with relatively few continuity limitations. And in that regard, the comic continues to fire on all cylinders." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Dan Abnett | Drawn by Ian Churchill
This issue is the latest in a series of standalone issues featuring guest creative teams, though in this case said guest team is really the issue's big selling point. It's great seeing artist Ian Churchill trying his hand at the series and playing with the big icons of DC Rebirth. Churchill's clean lines and powerfully rendered figures make him feel right at home alongside series mainstays like Bryan Hitch and Fernando Pasarin. Fans of Dan Abnett's Aquaman run will want to add this issue to their reading pile, as it's basically an offshoot of the new Aquaman status quo and a sort of welcoming party for Mera as she joins up with the League. The story pretty much boils down to "Mera beats up the Justice League" for the first half, but the latter half finds success in exploring Mera's loneliness and alienation. If Rebirth is all about building and repairing relationships, then this issue is another critical step in that process. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Tim Seeley | Drawn by Miguel Mendonca
There are few things more fun in a superhero book than throwing multiple villains at the title hero. Nightwing #24 is pretty much wall-to-wall supervillain fights as Nightwing tries to escape from a submarine. Miguel Mendonca has some great pages as Dick Grayson goes up against some minor league losers and a few Superman-level bad guys. But the biggest threat to Dick’s happiness may be Pigeon, the ex-partner of Dick’s girlfriend, Shawn. It’s always a bad idea to let the ex back into your life, even the ex is only a friend. Tim Seeley has given Blockbuster an interesting motivation in his campaign against Nightwing. As far as Blockbuster is concerned, Dick’s not nearly as committed to saving Blüdhaven as he is, therefore Nightwing is a fraud. That’s not a bad way to go, although that cliffhanger ending isn’t fooling anyone. The only way that big explosion is going to work is if there are actual consequences. And that doesn’t seem likely in this case. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Michael Moreci | Drawn by Scott Godlewski
Superman #26 has a really terrific cover by Lee Weeks that depicts a powerful image of the Man of Steel and his son. But that’s about the full extent of praise that I can offer this issue. This is a fill-in story by Michael Moreci and Scott Godlewski about Superman and Superboy’s inability to get on the same page when it comes to fighting crime and saving lives. It’s admirable that the new status quo allows for Superman to actually have some quality time with his family, but Moreci’s characterization of both Clark and Jonathan feels completely off. He forces the conflict between father and son without making sure that their personalities are intact. As for Godlewski, his figures seemed unfinished and unrefined. If anything, the art looks like it was rushed. Even for a fill-in issue, this simply isn’t worth it. I’m concerned that this book is losing its momentum after "Superman Reborn." The Manchester Black story was a misfire, and this issue is a big step backwards in quality. -Blair
Final Score:
Continues
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