It was another big week of comics. DC kicked off the dark, futuristic story Nightwing: The New Order. Marvel delivered the penultimate issue of Secret Empire and the finale to Edge of Venomverse. IDW continued their epic Hasbro-verse crossover, First Strike. And Dark Horse gave us another issue of the always dependable Black Hammer.
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.
Note: We'll have a review of Generations: Thor up a bit later.
Written by Rob Williams | Drawn by Guillem March
There is something very unappealing about the art in this issue. Guillem March clearly has talent, but the quality of his art is wildly inconsistent from panel to panel. There are even a few times where it looks like Lex Luthor’s head grows three sizes in relation to his body. This just isn’t a very suitable visual style for Superman. There is at least one sequence in the book that's impressive, as Superman and Luthor plummet to Earth. But I honestly couldn’t tell if Luthor was meant to have grey skin of if this was a coloring error. Rob Williams’ script seems to find some cracks in the Superman and Lex Luthor alliance, although it is enjoyable when they're on the same page. Sometimes it feels like the DC Rebirth writers are all too eager to revert back to the old status quo, and it seems like that’s where things will eventually go for Luthor and Superman. As a fill-in issue, this was simply “okay.” -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Steve Orlando & Scott Snyder | Drawn by Riley Rossmo
Sometimes, picking the right creative team makes all of the difference. One of the reasons that Batman/The Shadow has worked so well is that Steve Orlando and Scott Snyder have a firm grasp on the modern Batman, and the Shadow easily fits within his world. The fifth issue continues to push the idea that the Shadow secretly mentored Batman to be his replacement, and the lessons are cutting both ways. The Shadow is actually trying to be less lethal out of respect for Batman. Riley Rossmo’s art is very energetic during the confrontation between the title characters and their respective adversaries: the Stag and the Joker. This issue also gives two of the Shadow’s most famous operatives bigger roles and features a revelation about the Stag that makes a lot of sense. The Shadow has been fighting his war for decades, but it may take the Dark Knight to help him finish it. This has been an especially good crossover, and I’m already looking forward to the sequel. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Christopher Sebela & James Tynion IV | Drawn by Carmen Carnero
It’s too bad that James Tynion IV has kept Tim Drake on the sidelines for most of his run on this book, as the opening flashback between Red Robin and Spoiler is easily the best part of this issue. Tynion and Christopher Sebela nail the Stephanie and Tim connection, while Carmen Carnero gives them their physical and emotional chemistry. Introducing Anarky as Steph’s potential rebound from Tim is still a question mark, but this issue floats the idea that Anarky is more altruistic than his pre-New 52 incarnation. Batman doesn’t really have a large role in this one, except as Clayface’s babysitter and via a brief moment of surveillance on Steph. This book has gotten away from some of the team dynamic that made Tynion’s early issues so enjoyable. I’d like to see this run recapture some of that sensation. It’s still pretty good, but it used to be great. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Joshua Williamson | Drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico
I’m sorry to say but it seems like The Flash is going a bit downhill. After last issue's rampant, "My powers! Oh no!" I was hoping this issue would either deal with Barry learning to use them or falling prey to their darkness, but neither happens. He kind of stumbles around a bit in pain (since his super healing powers aren't active anymore) and realizes how little of his life would be possible if not for his amazing speed. It's great, cool, we got it, but uh... can we have something else happen? There's a B-plot that I literally already forgot was introduced last issue, about someone leaking/stealing from the CCPD. But who cares, honestly? This isn't a Flash comic. This is an issue of Barry Allen, CSI, and it's about as interesting as that sounds. Wait, scratch that, that sounds like it rocks, this is like that comic but if it were boring and only had one bright spot where Barry walks in on a huge cavalcade of corpses. Even the art didn’t seem as powerful (although that could be because all Barry does in this issue is whinge). Seriously, nothing happened in this comic. I'm... I'm out. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Robert Venditti | Drawn by Rafa Sandoval
Why, hello, Cosmic Odyssey callback. Didn’t see that one coming, but it goes a long way towards establishing some of the bad blood between a prominent member of the Green Lanterns and the New Gods. It’s funny, because Robert Venditti gets so much of this issue absolutely right and yet his take on Orion is completely off the mark. Every time that Orion opens his mouth, he comes off as an unrecognizable version of himself. It’s quite a problem because it keeps calling attention to itself. None of the Lanterns have the same issue, since Venditti has a lot of experience writing those characters. Once again, Rafa Sandoval proved to be an apt choice for this title. Sandoval is no Ethan Van Sciver, but this issue let him go big with his action sequences and some of his pages are really impressive. His art enhances the script, and it almost made sense out of the Metal tie-in. Almost. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti | Drawn by John Timms
First things first: Amanda Conner gives this issue one of her best Harley Quinn covers yet, with the Gotham City Sirens and Big Tony in the aftermath of the attack on Harley's birthday. It’s a hilarious image that perfectly suits the story. While there are very few artists who can measure up to Conner’s work, John Timms shows a lot of confidence in this issue with nearly cover-to-cover action scenes and a framing sequence that sets up something new for Harley’s immediate future. To be honest, the story is a bit nonsensical, but it's very entertaining to see Harley and her friends (and even an enemy!) take out the people who dared to attack her birthday party. The storyline may not hold up under much scrutiny, but Harley lives and dies by her personality, and she has that in full effect here. As much as I miss the Bruce Timm-inspired “Joker Loves Harley” shorts, the extra pages definitely help this issue feel more complete. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Jody Houser | Drawn by Shawn Crystal
All right, first thing's first: the back-page story is still weird and out of place. Second, I'm a huge Tommy Lee Edwards fan. That said, Shawn Crystal's work on this comic is taking it to another level. This comic is gorgeous. This looks like what Mother Panic was always supposed to be. That out of the way, Mother Panic continues to be a cool, darker take on the Batman mythos - someone with a traumatic past, and lots of money, going out and beating on people. Only, our hero Violet here, she has more of a heart than Batman has ever seemed to. Here, she meets up with an old (friend? flame?) and that leads to a confrontation that is straight off the cover of a pulp novel. Honestly, Mother Panic has never been this good. If you've been holding off, hop on this weird, dark, train heading straight for an untimely crash. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Kyle Higgins | Drawn by Trevor McCarthy
"It's easy to draw comparisons between Nightwing: The New Order and Marvel's Secret Empire. Both mini-series deal with a beloved hero turning against their allies and helping to usher in a new world order. But this series is less concerned with the hows and whys of Nightwing's fall from grace than it is in simply telling a dark, character-driven story that wouldn't be possible in the regular DCU. As such, it's well worth a read for fans of all things Dick Grayson." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Rob Williams | Drawn by Agustin Padilla & Juan Ferreyra
"Kill Your Darlings" is ostensibly a very character-driven story arc, but it's not terribly successful in that regard. Harley Quinn remains the biggest sticking point. The series seems strangely unconcerned with exploring her mindset as she settles into her new role as field leader. Nor does this issue build very effectively on the work done with Katana or Captain Boomerang in previous issues. Rob Williams devotes most of his attention to Amanda Waller. But even there, that energy seems wasted given that, once again, we learn that not everything is what it seems where Waller is concerned. The best this issue has to offer is a few solid action scenes and a generally effective mood established by artists Agustin Padilla and Juan Ferreyra. The art brings its won set of problems to the table, however. There a rushed quality to many pages, particularly as Ferreyra steps in in the latter half of the book. It's a disappointing turn for the artist who's helped make Green Arrow such a visual showpiece. -Jesse
Final Score:
Continues
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