The comic book industry started out the month of September on a strong note. Marvel kicked off a new Last Jedi prequel comic featuring Captain Phasma and their Venomverse crossover event. IDW had their own new Star Wars project in the form of the all-ages Star Wars Adventures. DC delivered another Kite Man-focused chapter of Batman and a new take on those old Hanna-Barbera villains, Dick Dastardly and Muttley. Image had a very strong week thanks to the return of Kingsman and new issues of The Walking Dead, Motor Crush and The Wicked + The Divine.
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 Tom King | Drawn by Clay Mann
"Batman #30 serves as another transitional chapter of 'The War of Jokes and Riddles,' with perennial sad sack Kite Man again finding himself caught in the middle of the citywide conflict. But as solid as Kite Man's origin story was in Batman #27, this issue truly captures the tragic, goofy appeal of this Z-grade villain." -Author
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Final Score:
Written by Garth Ennis | Drawn by Mauricet
All I want to say is what I said reading this comic: What the #@%&? What the absolute #@%&? Seriously, this comic begins with (borderline?) offensive depictions of a Middle Eastern country, then turns into two men yelling at each other in a plane while searching for a drone that spits what seems to be concentrated cartoon-stuff at them, landing both of them in the hospital and - a bit of a spoiler here - one of them with a dog's head. Yeah, that's who Muttley is in this - a dude who merged with a dog after cartoon stuff fell on him. I'm a huge Garth Ennis fan but reading this just made me go *blink* *blink* "whaaaaa....?" It's weird. It’s pretty, but. It’s weird, so so weird. I feel like the score I should give this is glorp or fifteenth out of nine parakeets. It's weird, weird, and. I'm honestly not sure if there's much more to it. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Christopher Priest | Drawn by Diogenes Neves
Deathstroke is such a good dad. I mean, not really, but. It's always fun to see him take on that role and that's why this recent story arc has been so interesting. Slade, the Babysitter. It's great fun, made even better by the fact that one of the members of his Don't Call Us The Teen Titans is his actual daughter who has, let's say, some issues with how her father raised her. I'll openly admit that I don't know much about Slade Wilson. Almost all of my knowledge comes from his appearances in the Teen Titans show, and the first arc of this comic. But this arc looked interesting, and with my pseudo-namesake joining this series, I decided to jump in and boy, I'm glad I did. Don't get me wrong, I'm a little confused and off, unsure about all the relationships or why Slade has decided to make a Villains-Trying-To-Be-Heroes For Hire, but I'm so into it. Even the dorky costumes and all the soap opera drama. I am here for it. This issue focuses primarily on the new Ravager, Slade's daughter, and Slade's differences, similarities, and her stabbing him with a sword that shouldn't exist. It's comic book-y in the best way and proves that Christopher Priest should be allowed to write literally whatever he wants to write, and everyone else should just leave him alone. Of course, even a good writer can be taken down by a bad artist, but Diogenes Neves is anything but a bad artist. His action isn't bad, but it's the faces of the character - the emotions that I love. I'd be so down if this comic turned into Slade and co. just sorting out their feelings, page after page. It's really a gorgeous book and if you're not reading it, you should be. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Gerard Way | Drawn by Nic Derrington
Doom Patrol continues with a storyline ripped directly from the terribly great '80s horror film The Stuff! Only, in this it's renamed s**t, but it seems to be the same basic thing - a mysterious creation that everyone loves more than everything that changes your brain. It might be a bit more benign than the alien-mutagen that The Stuff! turns out to be, but honestly? I kinda doubt it. Every single panel of this comic screams "Hang me up in a museum!" but none more so than the pages featuring Casey and her erstwhile cat Lotion, who has finally come home, only now being, ya know, anthropomorphic. Also, and I don't know how to break this gently, and I will warn you this is a spoiler which, while happening mid-way through the comic, does promise to have a large impact on the story, Casey and her cat Lotion hookup. Except now her cat is a very tall, homeless person? who is going to crash on Casey's couch? And then the two make out. And end up in bed. Fade to the next morning. If you ever wanted furry comics to become the norm, well, congrats. Your wish is coming true. Look, all I'm saying is that if you thought the original Doom Patrol runs were weird, well get a load of this. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Benjamin Percy | Drawn by Otto Schmidt
Benjamin Percy’s Green Arrow issues tend to be reliant on the artist to really elevate the material. When Percy is paired with Juan Ferreyra, Green Arrow is one of the very best DC Rebirth books. Otto Schmidt isn’t quite on Ferreyra’s level, but he’s still a very good artist, and the dropoff is minimal. This issue, Percy and Schmidt finally bring Green Lantern Hal Jordan into Oliver Queen’s road trip, and it's fun watching that classic pairing head out into space to take out the Ninth Circle’s hidden tech. Schmidt’s style seems at home both in the sewers of Star City and in the more sci-fi aspects of the issue. That versatility is going to take him a long way. Percy also demonstrates his talent for making the script relevant, with an opening page that's all too current with the state of the country. That’s actually more interesting than anything coming out of the Ninth Circle itself. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy here, even if it’s not quite as great as the last few issues. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Sam Humphries | Drawn by Carlo Barberi
Writer Sam Humphries has succeeded in building an entirely new team of Green Lanterns in this story arc, each with distinct personalities. This penultimate chapter is bittersweet, then, as it becomes clear Humphries is feeling none too precious about his new creations as the team confronts the all-powerful Volthoom. Still, there's a lot to be said for a writer who isn't afraid to break his toys, and this issue packs plenty of emotional weight as the battle unfolds. However, the script and the art often seem at odds with each other. Carlo Barberi's art has plenty of energy, but there's a cartoonish, exaggerated quality that works against the increasingly grim nature of the script. Visually, this issue struggles in other areas, including the uniformity of Barberi's facial work and the repetitive use of splash pages. It's hard not to wonder how this issue might have turned out with a different creative pairing. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Frank Tieri | Drawn by Eleonora Carlini
It’s time for the dreaded fill-in issue, and you can really tell with this one. Although, Frank Tieri does earn some points by making the final page a pretty hilarious takedown of his own script. Sometimes, self-awareness can pay off. There are a couple of other things that Tieri does well, including the unexpectedly funny mutant penguins who served as the Penguin’s new henchmen. Artist Eleonora Carlini makes those penguin henchmen into very amusing sight gags, especially in the aftermath of their hotdog eating contest gone wrong. I just wish that the rest of the issue had been as entertaining. The characterization of the Penguin and Harley seems off. That’s why the Penguin’s sudden physical interest in Harley feels out of place and even creepy. A handful of fun moments just can’t make up for an unexciting issue that may or may not have happened even within the world of the comic. Again, that last page is very funny and on point. But what does that say when the best page in the comic is the writer's attack on his own story? -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tom Taylor | Drawn by Daniel Sampere
It's pretty impressive how a "mere" video game tie-in has become one of DC's consistently best ongoing series. That's the power of great storytelling. Even as Tom Taylor pushes forward with the conflict between Batman and Ra's al Ghul's separate factions, he takes ample time to focus on the strong character work that makes Injustice such a treat to read. The first chapter in this issue delivers plenty more father/son Plastic Man goodness, establishing Plas as another DC hero who really deserves a Taylor-penned solo comic. The second chapter shifts focus to Animal Man. Here again, Taylor takes advantage of the unique nature of the Injustice universe, writing an Animal Man who's motivated by different goals and who finds himself opposing Batman rather than fighting alongside him. Artist Daniel Sampere also impresses with this issue. Without reading the credits page, you might be forgiven for thinking Bruno Redondo was drawing these chapters. Sampere recreates Redondo's sleek, refined style almost perfectly. -Jesse
Final Score:
Written by Bryan Hitch | Drawn by Fernando Pasarin
Want to hear something bizarre? The cover for Justice League #28 heralds the arrival of the Aquaman from the future, but he doesn’t appear on a single page within the issue itself. That doesn’t actually affect the quality of the book, but it is a weird touch when the cover can’t accurately depict what’s happening in the issue. This is largely a low-key chapter in which the Justice League take the opportunity to bond with their children from the future. Bryan Hitch seems to be most comfortable with Superman and Lois Lane acting as surrogate parents for Wonder Woman’s son, Hunter, and that family dynamic with their real son plays very well. If nothing else, Hitch can convincingly capture some of those emotional moments. Fernando Pasarin’s art still has some traces of Hitch’s style, but not quite as effectively as he’s done in the past. The overall story is still unclear, and the book hasn’t quite pulled its narrative together yet. However, it’s early in the arc, and I’m still willing to give it some time to play out. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tim Seeley | Drawn by Javier Fernandez & Miguel Mendonca
I had been wondering why Nightwing’s relationship with Defacer went south so abruptly, and now we know. This issue goes full soap opera with Dick Grayson’s love life, including a very classic trope that everyone will immediately recognize. I don’t know if that’s going to be more satisfying than the mature romance that Dick Grayson had earlier in this series, but we’ll see. As for the rest of it, Tim Seeley puts the last elements of his Grayson run away... minus one or two things that may be a part of this series for a while. Javier Fernandez and Miguel Mendonca also deserve credit for conveying the connection between Nightwing and someone close to him simply through their body language. That's a very effective way to foreshadow the ending of the issue. Nightwing is always more enjoyable when he’s moving forward with his life, but there may have been a few steps backwards this time. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Cecil Castellucci | Drawn by Katie Jones & Marley Zarcone
Shade, the Changing Girl remains my very favorite Young Animals series, which makes it my very favorite DC comic currently being published. This issue feels so much like an ending, and a new beginning. We've followed Shade as she bounced around, and dealt with her "shell's" former life -- and now, Shade has moved to a new one, one that is weak, and... Look, I'm not going to spoil what happens, but this series has maybe never been more gorgeous, poignant, or more breath-taking. Instead of the somewhat lackadaisical insanity of the early issues, all the bombasity feels purposeful and painful, the small back-up at the end perhaps hurting the worst, spelling an end to a long-running plot. Overall, this is one of the best issues of Shade, the Changing Girl, and if you haven't hopped on yet, do yourself a favor and grab this one. Don't worry about it not making sense, the madness is part of the fun. -Tara
Final Score:
Written by Keith Champagne | Drawn by Ed Benes, Tyler Kirkham & Philip Tan
This is a good issue, but not quite as strong as the last Superman story. This one, honestly, barely feels like a Superman story. It seems more something you'd find in Green Lantern, or even a Sinestro book. This issue is primarily about the war between Sinestro and Parallax. One of the best bits has Superman being shown all of his deepest fears, which mostly amount to him not being there for people, to save them or raise them. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous sequence in this weird little book, which mostly deals with yellow monsters and purple men fighting each other. That one scene is worth reading the comic for, but if you're looking for any resolution, too bad! To find out what happened to Parallax, you have to go check out Hal Jordan and the Lantern Corp. Superman as a Yellow Lantern? A fill-in writer merging series? Cross series resolutions? This is the most nineties arc in recent history, and it's pretty good. But not as good as it seemed to be at the beginning. -Tara
Final Score:
Continues
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