It was another big week of comics, with Amazing Spider-Man #25 beginning a dark new era of Spidey, Venom #5 paving the way for a major character's return, Batman #19 continuing the brutal "I Am Bane" storyline and Dark Horse launching their adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods.
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 Scott Snyder | Drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Writer Scott Snyder continues his series of interconnected one-shot adventures with this issue, as Batman's quest puts him in conflict with Mad Hatter. Here is another villain who didn't fare too well in the New 52, and like Mr. Freeze before him, Hatter receives a welcome boost here. Snyder is able to bring back the villain's sillier qualities while still painting him as a terrifying threat even Batman is hard-pressed to contend with. This issue finds a strong emotional hook in the way it explores themes of anxiety and self-doubt and forces Batman to question even fundamental truths about himself and his past. Giuseppe Camuncoli's art matches the story well, as he's able to transition from a relatively straightforward superhero style to something far more twisted and surreal over the course of this issue. It plays like a loose homage to the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Perchance to Dream," which is pretty much the gold standard for this particular villain. -Jesse
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Written by Tom King | Drawn by David Finch
"At its core, 'I Am Bane' is an incredibly straightforward Batman tale. Batman humiliated Bane in his own home, so now Bane has returned to Gotham to punish the Dark Knight. Normally, that might not be a solid enough premise to support an entire 5-issue story arc. But while hardly fast-paced, 'I Am Bane' remains a very engrossing read in its penultimate chapter." -Jesse
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Final Score:
Written by James Tynion IV & Marguerite Bennett | Drawn by Steve Epting
Batwoman Rebirth was little more than a nonlinear recounting of Kate Kane's origin story. Needless to say, issue #1 is a much better indicator of what to actually expect from the new series. And it's a promising debut, to be sure. The creative team retain a lot of what worked about the original Greg Rucka/JH Williams stories, taking a very character-driven approach and adding in a touch of the surreal. Steve Epting helps maintain that balance nicely. He brings a a more worldly, espionage-tinged flavor to the Batman line that suits Kate's world particularly well. Meanwhile, the addition of Julia Pennyworth as Kate's own answer to Alfred helps add a fun new dynamic. This issue doesn't necessarily cover a lot of ground in terms of plot (the frequent flashbacks tend to get in the way of that), but plot is rarely as crucial as characterization when it comes to Batwoman. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Ben Percy | Drawn by Eleanora Carlini & Mirka Andolfo
There’s something odd happening in this issue of Green Arrow. When the story is in the present, it feels very timely and it captures the some of the classic anti-establishment Green Arrow vibe. But as soon as the issue flashes back to Green Arrow and Roy Harper’s history together, it feels like Benjamin Percy morphs into a completely different writer. Flashback Ollie and Roy barely seem real at all, and it’s hard to see how they could ever be partners or even friends. Yet in the present, the resentment between Roy and Oliver actually works. It’s hard not to see a taste of current events in the unfolding protest that brings Green Arrow and Arsenal back together...as filtered through a superhero lens, of course. This is still a part of Percy’s long-term story, even if it is an extended detour. Eleonora Carlini and Mirka Andolfo have a pretty good handle on the book’s action scenes, but their layouts are sometimes too cluttered. Percy may be asking them to put too much on each page, and it’s a little distracting. But when Carlini and Andolfo keep their pages simple, they really pop. This is a step up after the last issue, but this book will probably be better off without Roy Harper. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Rob David & Lloyd Goldfine | Drawn by Freddie E. Williams II
If you ever loved toys from the ‘80s, then He-Man/ThunderCats is probably the comic for you. David and Goldfine have treated the story like an excuse to mash up characters from both franchises, and admittedly, some of their dialogue choices have not been great. But it's really a lot of fun to see Lion-O and He-Man fight side-by-side against their greatest enemies with the fate of the multiverse on the line. Freddie E. Williams II kills it on the art in this issue, particularly in the double-page spread with the heroes and villains from two worlds, and the alternate world that is clearly a takeoff from one of DC’s most iconic characters. The resolution is a little too easy, but it’s hard not to smile at a project like this. It basically gave fans of both properties everything that they could have wanted and more. Now, if we could only get an animated crossover based on this series... -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Bryan Hitch | Drawn by Fernando Pasarin
Bryan Hitch clearly learned a lot while working beside Warren Ellis on The Authority a long time ago, as his current Justice League story feels a lot like something that would happen to that team... minus the vicious cynicism. And that’s fine. The Justice League are beacons of hope, they don’t have to be Spider Jerusalem. After three parts, it’s still not clear how well “Timeless” is going to hold together as a story. But it sure is pretty to look at. The widescreen action is out in force, as the Justice League make a few alliances across time and space. Fernando Pasarin’s Hitch impersonation isn’t quite as perfect as it was last year, but he handles all of the details that Hitch throws at him. Pasarin is showing some real superstar potential in these pages. The downside of this chapter is that Superman seems to be stuck in a circular argument with Tempus, The Timeless Mind, and their conversation isn’t quite as interesting as the story seems to believe. But great art can really make up for a lot, and this is a superior looking book. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tim Seeley | Drawn by Javier Fernandez
Putting a superhero’s girlfriend in jeopardy has been standard trope for the last few decades. So far, Tim Seeley is getting away with it because Nightwing’s relationship with Shawn Tsang/Defacer has been really refreshing, and it’s difficult to believe that he’d flush that character development just for some shock value. Even Damian Wayne is more tolerable once he starts to get past his ridiculous “you’re stealing my legacy” bit from last issue. It’s been awhile since DC has openly acknowledged that the Grant Morrison Batman run still happened in the New 52 continuity. Dick and Damian have a history together as Batman and Robin, and this issue finally makes the most out of that connection. Javier Fernandez’s art has a lot of frantic energy, and his action sequences are terrific. Just from a visual standpoint, Deathwing seems like a really dangerous villain. The same is true for the other returning adversary. This is a very good issue, and it may even have some broader implications for the DC Rebirth storyline. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Peter Tomasi & Patrick Gleason | Drawn by Patrick Gleason
It’s been said that the best way to get to the Man of Steel is to attack his heart. So far, that’s been the weapon of choice for the returning villain of “Superman Reborn.” It’s rare to see Superman so desperate and hurt, but it’s done the job of elevating you-know-who into a next level threat. The basic story by Tomasi and Gleason is pretty solid, but it glosses over what should have been the fun part. Superman and Lois are put through a “game” that revisits their past in the previous continuity, and we barely get to see any of it. Gleason’s art conveys a lot of the emotional impact, and his figures emote well. It’s a good-looking comic, but a little thin when it comes to actual content. And then, there’s the apparent explanation for how Superman and Lois fit into the New 52. That’s not sitting well, at the moment, but we’ll see how it comes together in the finale of this story. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Warren Ellis | Drawn by Jon Davis-Hunt
Back when Warren Ellis was writing The Authority and Planetary for Wildstorm, he was the king of widescreen action comics. But The Wild Storm reboot is starting out small. Very small. There’s no action to speak of in this issue; it’s simply the aftermath of rival intelligence groups and something far more threatening as they realize that their world has changed. Angela Spica, the Engineer, has shown the public and her former superiors that she has essentially transformed herself into something new and not quite human. Now, the three sides are in a race to find Angela, but not all of them want her alive. The pacing for this issue is better than the first, and Jon Davis-Hunt seems to have found his stride on the art. Considering that almost every scene in the issue revolves around conversations, Ellis’ script doesn’t give Davis-Hunt much to work with on the visual front. But there are also pages with Angela in her hiding spot that have some of that old Wildstorm power and emotional punch. The downside of this series is that Ellis still expects the readers to recognize all of the former Wildstorm players without fully reintroducing them. But the story is a lot more intriguing now than it was a month ago. -Blair
Final Score:
Continues
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