It was another big week of comics. DC rolled out more tie-ins to the Dark Nights: Metal event while also kicking off an epic team-up between Wonder Woman and Conan. Marvel continued their buildup to Marvel Legacy and delivered multiple new Star Wars comics. Elsewhere, Valiant relaunched Bloodshot and IDW debuted a new Samurai Jack comic.
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 Dan Abnett | Drawn by Stjepan Sejic
While Dan Abnett’s script and story deserve their due, Stjepan Sejic is by far the biggest reason for Aquaman’s creative revival. Sejic’s artwork and colors have elevated this series to the top of my read pile, and it’s just a visually stunning feast every time out. Aquaman has had some great artists before, but this feels like something special that could redefine the character. The action is terrific, but Sejic is exceptionally gifted when it comes to facial expressions and body language. That’s why the scenes with Vulko and Ondine are just as compelling as the moments between Aquaman and Dolphin. Plus, the literal ghosts of Atlantis’ past are a great touch. Again, Abnett deserves credit as well, since he’s nailing the character beats; and the one-sided conversation between Arthur and Dolphin said volumes about both of them. Aquaman is peaking at just the right time, and there’s never been a better chance to see just how great this book can be. -Blair
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Written by Tom King | Drawn by Mikel Janin
"'The War of Jokes and Riddles' is less a story about the war itself than what that conflict reveals about Bruce Wayne as a person. We've already seen Bruce make some terrible compromises in recent Batman issues, including throwing his lot in with the Riddler. But the worst, as this latest issue promises, is yet to come for Bruce. Batman #31 succeeds in both building tension before that big reveal and capturing the pure, zany fun of Batman teaming up with some of his greatest villains." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Joshua Williamson | Drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico
I have to admit that the Dark Nights: Metal event has been a lot better than I expected, and so too have the tie-in books. It’s fitting that The Flash team of Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico get to tell the story of the Red Death, the Batman from the Dark Multiverse who is literally Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen at the same time. We don’t normally see a Bruce Wayne who is so openly envious about another superhero’s gifts that he literally steals their lives and powers. But Williamson has given us a truly desperate Batman who can’t outrun time, much less save his own friends and family. It plays out like the worst nightmare of both Bruce and Barry, although it may also be seeding the way that the Red Death can be defeated later on in the story. This one-shot does a good job of establishing the Red Death as a pretty credible villain, and that’s an accomplishment in of itself. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Marguerite Bennett | Drawn by Fernando Blanco
This is the best Batwoman Rebirth issue so far. Taking Kate Kane and throwing her into a survival horror scenario is so right I have no idea why it took this long. (Nor do I understand how it took so long for a queer woman to take the reigns of what is arguably DC’s most famous queer character, but I digress.) This continues the Many Arms of Death plot, as K2 takes to the Sahara desert, on the trail of the last of the living “weapons” the organization uses, only to be shot down into a living nightmare. It's Kate Kane at her weakest, her most defenseless, and damn if it doesn't feel like the woefully under appreciated film The Grey (but, you know, cooler). The series cuts back and forth between Kate, as she tries to survive, and her memories of sweeter times -- though even those are tinged with blood and pain. While the contrast between the modern-day horrors and the love flashbacks Kate has is good, I'm still not quite a fan of the flashback art. It feels ill suited to Batwoman, even if it is illustrating things that happened in Kate’s more peaceful times. It feels too soft, too slight. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't feel quite right. Of course, I could just be suffering from Stephanie Hans withdrawal. However the main stories art is so right, so so right. Blanco crafts such a horrifying world, brutal and mesmerizing. The ending is such an extremely weird artistic delight, calling to mind Morrison’s Animal Man. Since JH Williams III left the series, the comic has been missing his truly trippy and unique panel design. This issue, just for a moment towards the end, brings it back. And, as always in Bennett's writing, there is a eye roll worthy pun, although you'll need to wait for the end of the book to get it. Overall, this is one of my favorite comics from my favorite writer. If you haven't been keeping up with this book, jump on here. It's a great start to what looks like a dark and horrifying action adventure. Oh and, if possible, ignore the cover. The last page reveal is so good, featuring such a horrifying rendition of a staid character, that I'm a little miffed the cover ruins it. -Tara
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Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner | Drawn by John Timms w/ Tom Derenick
As much as I loved the “Harley Loves Joker” backup stories, the main Harley Quinn title has been improved since it no longer has to fight for space in its own book. Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner have been able to write full-length stories again, and the extended page count has helped the story feel less inconsequential. Of course, this is also coming in an issue in which Harley Quinn spends a good deal of time locked in a car trunk with her friends because she didn’t really think about her grand plan. It’s not the most logical turn, but it’s funny. And for a comedy book, that’s really all it needs to be. There are some good character moments throughout as Harley makes the rounds with her friends and loved ones, although the mayor and his aide are getting a little out of hand with their villainy. Even in the comic book realm, they’re way too over-the-top. But their biggest crime is that they aren’t nearly as interesting foils for Harley as she is to herself. On the art side, I really enjoyed Tom Derenick’s guest pages, and John Timms is also quite good. Not too many complaints here. Harley Quinn is heading in the right direction. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tom Taylor | Drawn by Daniel Sampere
Along with all the other strengths of this digital-first series, you really have to admire Injustice 2's visual consistency. Clearly, DC worked well ahead on this book to ensure that far fewer artists need to juggle this ongoing storyline. And as we've seen over the past 10 issues, the consistency among those few artists is far greater than on earlier volumes of Injustice. Case in point - this issue shifts from Bruno Redondo to Daniel Sampere, but the change is barely noticeable. The same sleek, cinematic presentation and detailed figure work remains. Like Redondo, Sampere has a knack for honing in on those big moments and playing them to maximum effect, a talent that comes in especially handy during the epic showdown between the impostor Batman and Wildcat. If Tom Taylor's scripts don't quite rise to the heights of recent chapters here, he nonetheless makes the most of that showdown and the amusing banter between characters like Wildcat, Harley Quinn and Plastic Man. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Bryan Hitch | Drawn by Fernando Pasarin
I think that Fernando Pasarin is going to have a very good career as an artist once his time on Justice League is done. He does a very credible Hitch style, and he’s clearly learned a lot about action staging from Hitch’s art. Pasarin is also very good at using subtle facial expressions during the issue’s fight scenes, which helps those moments resonate. It can be a little cheap when some random villain plows through the Justice League like they’re nothing. But this isn’t a random villain at all. And for once, the book actually benefits from the shared universe because the adversary’s heroic counterpart literally can’t be there to face his alternate self. On the writing front, the story is still a little iffy. The Justice League’s kids aren’t the easiest characters to sympathize with when they’re trying to murder one of their parents. But the bigger problem here is that Hitch hasn’t quite hit the epic notes that he’s going for. If this is his last major arc on the book, I’d like to see him go out big. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tim Seeley | Drawn by Paul Pelletier
Nightwing #29 is a textbook example of a regular series being completely thrown off of its ongoing stories by an event tie-in. But considering that I wasn’t really enjoying some of the recent turns in this book, it actually works out in Nightwing’s favor. Having Paul Pelletier as the guest artist certainly goes a long way towards making this a very good issue. I’m still not sure why Pelletier isn’t a bigger star in the industry, but he always delivers. The pages make this issue feel like a special occasion, and Pelletier simply nails everything that he’s asked to do. Even Seeley seems reinvigorated by Dark Nights: Metal, as the issue reunites Nightwing and Damian Wayne while featuring an impossible to miss callback to one of Seeley’s best arcs on this book. I’m not sure if that was planned all along, but it makes perfect sense in retrospect. More importantly, this is the first issue of this book that's been really fun to read since that storyline. This is what I want out of a Nightwing ongoing series. Hopefully it can maintain that when the tie-in is over. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by James Bonny | Drawn by Tyler Kirkham
Unfortunately, this week’s Superman demonstrates why a shared universe doesn’t always work. To start, the issue has to tell the readers that it takes place before the recent events in Deathstroke. Even with that in mind, James Bonny’s take on Slade Wilson doesn’t feel like the same character that we’ve been following in DC Rebirth. Slade has a pretty well-defined personality that Bonny just doesn’t capture at all. In his favor, Bonny has a much better portrayal of Lois Lane, and he seems to have a knack for her narrative voice. That said, it was really hard to believe that Superman would ever let his wife follow Slade Wilson and interview him for a story. That might have been a bridge too far, and it makes for a really unconvincing cliffhanger at the end of the issue. Hate to say it, but this has the stink of a fill-in story on it. At least Tyler Kirkham’s art looks nice. But I’m not sure if that really justifies buying the issue. It’s not objectively bad, but you won’t miss anything by skipping it. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Warren Ellis | Drawn by Jon Davis-Hunt
If Warren Ellis isn’t one of your favorite comic writers, I don’t know what’s wrong with you. But check this comic out and hopefully you’ll change your mind. So before I say anything else, let me be upfront: the only original Wildstorm series I read was The Authority, so if there's cool Easter eggs or call backs or what have you, I'm missing all of them. That said, this is a solid comic book. It is, I would argue, the coolest and weirdest comic Ellis has written that isn't creator owned. This issue also features my single favorite fight scene (done in one page) of any comic ever. It reminded me of when I first read We3 and saw the animals jump through sideways panels. It was, frankly, mind blowing. The fact that Jon Davis-Hunt isn't one of the most talked about artists in comics is a freaking tragedy. As always with Ellis, this book works more as a part in a sequence than as a single story. But hey, if it's good enough who care! And god is this book good. I'm not entirely sure I know what's going on (aliens? secret organizations fighting for control of humanity?) but the fact that I don't doesn't really bother me. The characters, their dialogue, the art, the tone, the wordless panels that convey so much -- all of that is why I love the Wild Storm. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Gail Simone | Drawn by Aaron Lopresti
"We're currently living in a golden age of comic book crossovers. Wonder Woman/Conan is another pairing that's so obvious you have to wonder why it didn't happen years ago. But like so many recent crossover projects, this book doesn't rely merely on the novelty of its premise. It also spins a great yarn that takes full advantage of both universes." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Continues
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