It was another big week of comics as the industry kicked off the month of August. DC continued "The War of Jokes and Riddles" in Batman #28. Marvel delivered the first of 10 Generations one-shots as the build-up to Marvel Legacy begins. IDW dropped a double dose of TMNT goodness. And Dynamite put Turok back in the spotlight with the debut of his newest ongoing 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 in the comments below.
Also, extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the IGN Comics Review Crew - Tara Giovannini!
Written by Chuck Dixon | Drawn by Graham Nolan
The problem with inviting the old master storytellers back to their signature creations is that they’re often set in their ways. Nothing in Bane: Conquest #4 remotely feels like a modern comic book. Even Bane’s encounter with Catwoman doesn’t seem like it has the weight of their recent appearances together. In fact, it’s almost as if the stories that Tom King was telling in Batman didn’t happen at all. For a shared universe, the last thing the audience should feel is that the stories don’t matter. This issue feels inconsequential and unnecessary. That’s unfortunate, because Chuck Dixon is legitimately one of the best Batman writers and he’s contributed a lot to the Dark Knight’s mythos, including Bane himself. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Graham Nolan’s art aside from the way that it’s not exciting. This feels like an untold chapter of Bane’s story from two or three reboots ago. Unfortunately, that has no place in DC Rebirth. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tom King | Drawn by Mikel Janin
"This issue kicks off the second act of the massive "War of Jokes and Riddles" storyline, as Joker and Riddler's feud is casting an ever darker shadow over Gotham. Needless to say, life in Gotham City hasn't gotten any easier for the millions suffering under a nonstop barrage of Joker and Riddler-fueled carnage. This arc continues to paint a captivating portrait of a city under siege and a hero utterly powerless to do more than simply count the dead." -Jesse
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Final Score:
Written by Priest | Drawn by Diogenes Neves
I wonder how long Priest can keep the semi-heroic Deathstroke and his superhero team together. It’s an intriguing turn for the title character, but not one that seems fully sustainable. Slade’s backsliding into evil seems inevitable, but at least it is fun to watch the kids come together as a team. It helps that Diogenes Neves doesn’t miss a step with his art. While Joe Bennett and Carlo Pagulayan are still missed, Neves could be a worthy replacement on this book, and his superhero fight scenes are fun. This issue also appears to deal with Slade’s shared history with Doctor Light (the first one), but this is where the messy continuity of DC makes the issue hard to follow. Did Identity Crisis happen in this world? Alternately, are Slade and Doctor Light referring to some other occasion that they collaborated? It’s confusing, and it detracts from the reading experience. That said, there’s still a lot to like in this issue. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Benjamin Percy | Drawn by Juan Ferreyra
Welcome back to Green Arrow, Juan Ferreyra! This book is always better when Ferreyra is the primary artist and he brings out the best in Benjamin Percy’s scripts. This issue involves a stopover in Metropolis and it restores a lot of the awe-inspiring moments of humanity and power that have been missing in the last few issues of Superman. The Man of Steel doesn’t even have a central part in this issue, but his pages have an incredible sense of life and vibrancy to them. However, the bulk of the story is about Green Arrow’s encounter with Lex Luthor and the way that they deal with the Ninth Circle’s latest plans. Percy deserves credit for making the most of the semi-reformed Luthor while retaining Luthor’s ego and intelligence. For a one-and-done chapter within the current storyline, this was a remarkably strong issue. If Percy and Ferreyra ever get tired of this series, they seem well-suited to bringing their A-game to one of the Superman series. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Sam Humphries | Drawn by Eduardo Pansica
The Green Lantern franchise is in solid shape these days, but it is still very beholden to the work done by Geoff Johns in his long GL run. Of the two current books, Green Lanterns is more successful when it comes to charting a new course and adding legitimately new elements to the franchise. This issue is an excellent example of that fact, as our time-displaced heroes find themselves meeting the very first batch of Green Lanterns. Each of these seven new characters feels unique and compelling in their own way. Given their strong introductions over the past few issues, I'd be perfectly happy reading this story even if Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz weren't involved. Sam Humphries gives this plot a welcome sense of urgency, as well, given the ongoing threat posed by Volthoom. And artist Eduardo Pansica impresses in this issue with his diverse character designs, detailed figures and dynamic framing choices. This is hardly DC's most visually consistent comic, but it does have some pretty major highs. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Tom Taylor | Drawn by Bruno Redondo
This series has already made me yearn for writer Tom Taylor to take on ongoing books for Harley Quinn, Plastic Man and the Blue Beetle and Booster Gold duo. Now you can add the Justice Society to that list. Taylor does a wonderful job of tapping into the shared history between Dinah Lance and Ted Grant as Wildcat enters the picture just in time for Dinah's wedding. The result is a very tender, heartfelt story that gets to the heart of the family bond that makes the JSA so appealing. At this point, I couldn't care less how this prequel series is building towards the events of the game. I'm simply engrossed in the character drama and the building mystery behind Ra's al Ghul's plot against Batman. It's also satisfying to have Bruno Redondo on board with this issue, as his sleek, expressive art thrives both in the emotionally charged wedding scene and in the more action-packed moments that follow. My only complaint is that Harley feels strangely underutilized in this issue given her bond with Dinah. There's a missed opportunity in terms of exploring Harley's frustration and pain in not being able to be there on her BFF's most important day. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Bryan Hitch | Drawn by Fernando Pasarin
This series has a bad habit of wearing its influences on its sleeve and retreading ground covered by iconic Justice League stories of yesteryear. With this new arc, writer Bryan Hitch and artist Fernando Pasarin reach across the aisle and tackle a conflict very reminiscent (whether intentionally or not) of Marvel's animated movie Next Avengers. The basic premise is eerily similar, as the League's descendants fight for survival in a dystopian future ruled by an all-powerful villain. At least the time travel element brings something new to the table, and the prospect of the JLA meeting their own children certainly holds weight. There's also no denying Fernando Pasarin's skill in bringing this dystopian world to life. As always, this series has plenty of scale to its visuals, and there's a real sense of power to the battle between the future League and their enemy, the Sovereign. More concerning than any similarities to past stories, though, is the questionable characterization. I'm not thrilled with the direction Hitch seems to be pushing Wonder Woman, as it runs completely against the grain of the character as she exists in DC Rebirth. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Shane Davis w/ Walt Simonson | Drawn by Shane Davis w/ Walt Simonson
2017 is the 100th birthday of Jack Kirby, and DC is paying homage to the King with the latest one-shot about the New Gods. Shane Davis wrote and drew the main story in this issue, which dealt with Orion’s battle with Kalibak, while Walt Simonson wrote and illustrated the first backup story about Orion’s first mission on behalf of the New Gods of New Genesis. Of the two tales, Simonson’s story is the stronger, and his art is still very pleasing to the eye. Davis is also a very good artist, but his skills as a writer are still unproven. His story reads like many other post-Kirby New Gods stories, and it just isn’t a very compelling look at Orion or his evil brother. A few Kirby reprints close out the issue, but they aren’t the best examples of his work on the New Gods. This special is only worth it if you love Simonson’s art or if you’re a New Gods completist. But for anyone coming in without any background on these creations, it might not be enough to sell new readers on these characters. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tim Seeley | Drawn by Javier Fernandez
A few issues ago, Tim Seeley’s Nightwing paid an extended homage to the Grant Morrison run on Batman. Now, Seeley is doing the same thing for his run on Grayson with the return of Helena Bertinelli (a.k.a. Huntress) and Spyral. But first, there are some pointless scenes of Dick Grayson taking a shower. I wonder what it is about Grayson that invites that type of exploitation. That kind of leering gaze has largely gone away from most of DC and Marvel’s titles, so it’s strange to see it returned this way. Fortunately, the issue finally gets around to teaming up Nightwing and Huntress against some mutual enemies However, the thing that I absolutely despise in the issue is the regression of Shawn Tsang. Her relationship with Grayson was the most redeeming aspect of this title. Without it, both Grayson and Shawn are less interesting than they were earlier in Seeley’s time on the book. It’s not enough to make me quit reading, but I hope the final journey is worth it. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Cecil Castalucci | Drawn by Marley Zarcone
Young Animals' best series continues! This time we're in the maddest place in the world... LA. Loma Shade has come here to find Honey, the star of the I Love Lucy-esque show she would watch on her home planet, a large part of the reason she even came to Earth. Finding the star of the show seconds away from death, she switches places with her to learn how to "make [her] life a poem" with a promise to kill her when they're done, because Honey has people waiting for her in death. The series is as beautiful, sorrowful, and mad as it ever was, with art just as nonsensical and bright. It's a series about love and life and death and how all of its the same and this issue, more than any, encapsulates that. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Peter Tomasi & Patrick Gleason | Drawn by Scott Godlewiski
As always, Superman remains a somewhat low stakes but utterly charming series, telling the tale of Superman, his super-son Jon, and reporter wife Lois Lane as they make a life in their new home of Hamilton. This issue however takes place during a road trip the family is going on. Here, the three visit Washington, DC, and if you've ever visited the city as a child with smart, liberal parents than you know mostly how this issue shakes out. They go see the sights, discuss the forgotten wars and the soldiers who died. It's good but honestly nothing you haven't seen before. The bright spot is near the end when, spoiler alert, after talking with a family of a soldier whose relative died nearby, his body never found, Superman goes and finds his skeleton, wraps it in a flag, and presents it to the man's family. It's a sweet, small thing and it's utterly Superman. This series gets the character more than perhaps any since Morrison's All-Star Superman. Almost nothing of consequence happens in the issue, but it's nice anyway. The best part is probably when Jon calls himself Han and Lois Chewie. She corrects him with, "I think you mean General Leia." Find me a more quintessential Lois Lane line than that. -Tara
Final Score:
Continues
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