It was another big week for the comic industry, especially where the X-Men line was concerned. Marvel wrapped up the Inhumans vs. X-Men crossover while also delivering key new issues of All-New Wolverine and Old Man Logan. They also welcomed Goosebumps writer R.L. Stine into the fold with Man-Thing #1. Elsewhere, DC continued their "Superman Reborn" crossover with a major reveal in Action Comics #975, BOOM! studios launched the promising new series Grass Kings, and Low finally returned at Image.
Scroll down to see 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 Jurgens & Paul Dini | Drawn by Doug Mahnke & Ian Churchill
The fake Clark Kent has been revealed and the explanation actually makes sense. That’s a nice change of pace, and a great payoff for almost a year’s worth of stories. Suffice to say, the fake Clark is someone that Superman knows very well, and he’s super-angry at the Man of Steel. Dan Jurgens’ main tale is essentially an excuse for Doug Mahnke’ to cycle through the greatest hits of Superman’s rogue’s gallery before settling upon the obvious choice, in retrospect. But the real magic here is the backup story by Paul Dini and Ian Churchill, which explains why a formerly harmless character has such a deep vendetta against Superman and his family. It’s not clear if the mystery villain can maintain that threat level for the entire story, but Dini and Churchill actually made him feel relevant for the first time in years. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Julie Benson & Shawna Benson | Drawn by Roge Antonio
Considering Nightwing’s ties to both Batgirl and Huntress, it was probably inevitable that he’d show up in a new Batgirl and the Birds of Prey storyline. But it’s not the best turn for the former Robin, as he jobs out to Gemini, a shape-shifting villainess whose powers have apparently been upgraded. Julie Benson and Shawna Benson also have some fun at Dick Grayson’s expense when Babs and Helena mock his expectations about their reactions to him. The Benson sisters are at their best when they let their characters simply talk to each other and play off their long history together. By contrast, their superhero action scenes feel stilted and forced. The new Oracle that they’ve created is also pretty annoying, and his presence seems to throw off the rest of the book. He simply doesn’t fit in with the team, and it makes for a jarring reading experience when he’s making things awkward without any real humor. Roge Antonio’s artwork is also disappointingly generic, especially when it comes to drawing faces. There are certainly worse comic books than Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, but it’s barely better than average. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by James Tynion IV | Drawn by Christian Duce & Fernando Blanco
For all the build-up to the debut of the League of Shadows, the organization doesn't quite live up to the hype. That's mainly because writer James Tynion IV keeps the focus almost entirely on their leader, Lady Shiva. The result is a perfectly enjoyable "Lady Shiva beats up the Batman family" story, but not one that feels particularly groundbreaking yet. Ideally, that will change as Tynion reveals more about the true nature of Shiva's League. The book's biggest success right now comes in exploring Orphan's devastated emotional state. In general, the art quality is a significant step below what we've come to expect from the series, but at least Christian Duce is able to convey Cassandra's tormented emotional state despite the character's lack of dialogue. Otherwise, Duce's pages are overshadowed by a much stronger opening sequence rendered by Fernando Blanco. Stylish and foreboding, those early pages do much more to capture the textured, moody quality this series has become known for. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Joshua Williamson | Drawn by Jesus Merino
The Barry Allen/Wally West connection returns to the forefront of this series as writer Joshua Williamson kicks off a new arc. Williamson continues to capitalize nicely on that dynamic, focusing a great deal on Wally's troubled feelings about his father, while also highlighting how Barry's own relationship with his father impacts Wally. This issue takes a fairly abrupt turn midway through as the focus shifts to Captain Boomerang and a tangentially related matter in Australia, but the issue still makes the most of Boomerang's kooky personality. In short, there's a nice blend of character drama and Flash Rogue banter on display here. However, Jesus Merino isn't very successful when it comes to capturing the book's dynamic, angular aesthetic. To be fair, the coloring is the most crucial element, and the book always suffers without Ivan Plascencia on board. Even so, Merino's figure work is a bit too exaggerated and off-kilter relative to what we've come to expect from artists like Carmine Di Giandomenico. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Robert Venditti | Drawn by Rafa Sandoval
This issue really pushes the boundaries of what's acceptable in terms of violence in a Green Lantern comic. Writer Robert Venditti and Rafa Sandoval focus most of their attention on the all-out brawl between Arkillo and Guy Gardner, one waged with fists rather than rings. It's a brutal fight that becomes progressively more unsettling as the blood and gore levels ramp up. By the end, it's hard not to feel anything other than pity for both combatants. But if a bit overly preoccupied with violence, this issue at least uses it as a means of exploring Guy's troubled psychology and the childhood of abuse that forged him into them man he is today. And Rafa Sandoval rarely disappoints as he brings a dynamic flair to this prolonged battle. Sandoval has been at the top of his game on this series. There are always a few quirks to his work (in this case, the unconvincing rendition of blood), but those are always far outweighed by the power and energy his figures project. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Steve Orlando | Drawn by Felipe Watanabe
In theory, a great superhero team book is all about the unique mixture of personalities that provide moments of character building and drama. Yet somehow, the new CW-inspired Justice League team seems devoid of the qualities that made them such interesting individuals. Keep in mind, this is a team with both Batman and Lobo on it, and it still feels disappointingly bland. A lot of this comes down to Steve Orlando’s script, which is all over the place with its depiction of the heroes and the villains. The Extremists have barely been used in the past few decades, and it’s easy to see why. They’re generic anti-heroes whose motivations don’t really match up with their actions. Felipe Watanabe’s art does a lot to redeem the issue, although a few of his pages are difficult to follow. As a whole, this was simply an unsatisfying read and a disappointing way to launch the new team. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tom Taylor | Drawn by Stephen Byrne
"In any crossover, the most appealing draw usually comes in the form of some sort of union between the two respective properties. The whole point of a team-up is for the various parties to, well, team up, and up until now that element has been more or less absent from Tom Taylor and Stephen Byrne’s story. In the end it’s that reality that makes Justice League/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #3 all the more frustrating, its early promise felled by inconsistent plotting." -Jeff
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Rob Williams | Drawn by John Romita, Jr. & Eddy Barrows
"While Jim Lee is one of the toughest acts to follow in the comics industry, there's no question that Suicide Squad has become a better and more cohesive book in its second major story arc. It's more focused, does a better job of exploring the team dynamic and allows the main feature and backup stories to work more closely together. Finally, Suicide Squad is living up to its full potential." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Steve Orlando | Drawn by Matias Bergara
With "The Reign of the Cyborg Supermen" at last in the rear-view, Steve Orlando very wisely opts to keep things more contained for Kara’s latest. The trick is, issue #7 very much operates under the assumption that readers have been on board since the series’ debut, putting a briefly seen character at the issue’s emotional forefront. Given Kara’s current relationship with all things Kryptonian it’s a move that makes sense, though not one without its issues. For one, the lack of connection we have with the Lar-On character makes it tough to fully care about his plight at the onset. Orlando does manage to find some interesting parallels between Kara and the young Lar-On, but overall his focused exploration is more heavy-handed than truly impacting. On the art side, fill-in Matias Bergara shows a similar cartoony style to Brian Ching, ensuring that at least the book’s ever positive tone remains consistent. Orlando is putting in the work to fully flesh out Kara as a character—it just may be a while longer before we see it fully pay off. -Jeff
Final Score:
Written by Phil Jimenez | Drawn by Jack Herbert & Stephen Segovia
Superwoman #8 may be this week’s best looking comic where nothing happens. That may not be a nice assessment, but it is true. Almost the entire issue takes place within the mind of Lana Lang, whose real story is playing out in the Superman Reborn crossover. But credit where credit is due: artists Jack Herbert and Stephen Segovia do an excellent job on this issue. Considering most of the issue is talking heads, that’s even more impressive. Essentially, Lana is coming to terms with her guilt about the deaths of the New 52 Lois Lane and Superman, although there are some vague and confusing hints about their ultimate fate. Phil Jimenez has a tendency to overwrite his big emotional moments, and he does that again here. Strangely enough, the scenes outside of Lana’s fever dream are the ones that really land, like the fate of Lena Luthor and the quiet moment with the Atomic Skull. But the double page splash of the two Superwomen is still the best moment in the issue. Sometimes, great art really can save a script. -Blair
Final Score:
Continues
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire