The comic book industry closed out November with some major releases. DC delivered a new wave of annual issues, with books like Aquaman Annual #1, Batman Annual #2 and Super Sons Annual #1 rising above the crowd. Marvel wrapped up a major storyline in Venom #158 and welcomed Old Man Logan into Marvel Legacy. Elsewhere, IDW debuted a promising new series from Locke & Key co-creator Gabriel Rodriguez and Dynamite kicked off a John Wick prequel 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.
Also, extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the IGN Comics Review Crew - Kat Calamia!
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson | Drawn by Max Fiumara
Long time comic book readers are probably going to see the twist coming in this issue, but there’s still something to be said about creating suspense for the fans. However, this story tips its hand way too early, which is very unfortunate. If readers had been allowed to more fully invest in the annual’s vision of the future, it could have had a real emotional payoff at the end. The genesis of this story goes back about thirty years, but it’s still a theme that works. Putting Aquaman and Mera in that situation does offer some fresh perspective, and a few callbacks to their pre-Crisis era status. Max Fiumara’s take on the heroes of the future and the Atlantean city are the visual highlights for the issue. The last three pages of the annual have the most dramatic impact. But given the current direction of the ongoing series, it seems doubtful that Aquaman and Mera will ever deal with the fallout from this issue ever again. Perhaps they should. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Tom King | Drawn by Lee Weeks & Michael Lark
"Tom King's Batman run is consistently one of the best things about DC Rebirth, and that run is never better than when King focuses squarely on the romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. That's all the justification DC needs for this annual issue, which steps back to explore the very first date between the Bat and the Cat. 'Date' being a very loose term for these two oddballs." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Kurt Busiek | Drawn by John Paul Leon
"I consider Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen's Superman: Secret Identity to be one of the best Superman stories ever published, so you'd better believe I was looking forward to this book. Batman: Creature of the Night is a spiritual sequel of sorts to Secret Identity. Once again, you have a young boy whose love of an iconic superhero is so great that the boundaries between reality and fantasy begin to blur. Creature of the Night has all the makings of another great superhero story that's as much about the real-world legacy of that hero as it is the hero themselves." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Written by Benjamin Percy | Drawn by Eleonora Carlini
There are some parallel themes between the Aquaman Annual and the Green Arrow Annual that may or may not have been intentional. But reading the issues back-to-back means that the similar plot elements got tired very quickly. Benjamin Percy reunites most of Green Arrow’s supporting cast for this tale, and there’s even a legitimately funny scene between Emiko and Nightwing. The art seems like a strange choice for this issue. On one hand, Eleonora Carlini can draw very appealing figures. But when it comes to giving her characters unique facial expressions, the art makes their smiles appear to be comically monstrous. For some of the characters, that may have been intentional. However, that look keeps reappearing, even on the heroes’ faces, and it is totally disconcerting. Carlini definitely has talent, but she may not be the best fit for the book. As for the script, it’s simply okay. The annual itself is better than an average comic, but it’s not anywhere near the creative heights that this series has reached during DC Rebirth. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Robert Venditti | Drawn by Jack Herbert w/ Tom Derenick
The first thing you that may notice about this issue is the phenomenal artwork by rising star Jack Herbert, with industry veteran Tom Derenick lending an assist on the layouts. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps has had the benefit of great artists since DC Rebirth began, and this simply continues the tradition. That art also helps mask a somewhat weak opening chapter for the next story arc, which revisits some of the Guardians’ oldest adversaries. The strongest moments here are when the script just gets out of the way of the imagery and lets the visuals do the talking. Unfortunately, some of the pages cover up the panels with dialogue. That said, the partnership between Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner does give the book some good bonding moments. It’s also hard to be too upset with a comic that looks as good as this one. The art simply overpowers everything else. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by K. Perkins & Tom Taylor | Drawn by Marco Santucci, Jamal Campbell & David Yardin
K. Perkins joins the Injustice 2 team as a guest writer to tell the origins of Wonder Woman in the Injustice world, but sadly, half of the issue comes off as a copy-and-paste of the Wonder Woman film. The book spends too much time on telling the story we know, and not enough on the twist that makes Wonder Woman turn to the dark side. The last quarter of the issue focuses on a back story starring the Harley Horde that I wish was fleshed out more. Next to the Wonder Woman story it seems like an afterthought. The artwork is the strongest aspect of the Annual as Jamal Campbell and Marco Santucci stay consistent throughout the issue, but David Yardin’s few pages are a bit jarring, with the colors not meshing as well as the other stories. Injustice 2 Annual #1 had the potential to tell an origin story as powerful as Superman’s, but misses the mark. -Kat
Final Score:
Written by Steve Orlando | Drawn by Kelley Jones
Oh Justice League of America, what are we going to do with you? This team book of Batman, Lobo, and a bunch of CW heroes has never really come together in a compelling way. Lobo’s presence on the team has been a head-scratcher from the start, and the explanation given here is just ridiculous. Yes, Lobo’s love for the space dolphins has been well documented. But seriously, that was the reason? And to compound that revelation, the story concocts a flimsy excuse for Lobo to convince Black Canary to join him for an outer space adventure to help him get what he wants. Kelley Jones is a classic artist whose style doesn’t really suit this tale or seem like a good fit for either of the featured characters. It doesn’t help that the issue has a very flimsy story to tell, and the resolution is entirely unsatisfying. This issue isn’t bad enough to be terrible, but average is about as high as it can reach. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Alisa Kwitney | Drawn by Mike Norton
DC finally has its own Hogwarts in Mystik U. But despite some rather obvious lifts from the Boy who Lived and The Magicians, Mystik U is far from Harry Potter. The basic premise is fine, but the pacing of this extra length first issue is ridiculous. Zatanna goes from mourning her father and discovering her powers to enrolling in a magic school and going on a freshmen scavenger hunt within a few hours, and it feels like that part of the story really needed more space to develop. The good news is that the art is terrific, and Mike Norton really makes the school into a visually interesting place. It's also fun to see several classic DC sorcerers and magic users given new roles in this alternate world. But the entire future of Mystik U is reliant on whether Zatanna and the other students will become more compelling in this story. They may have magic, but at this point, there’s nothing special about them. -Blair
Final Score:
Written by Peter J. Tomasi | Drawn by Paul Pelletier
This issue may not be for everyone, but if you're fond of stories where super-pets save the day in place of their human owners, it's absolutely a no-brainer. Peter Tomasi and Paul Pelletier craft a fun, charming little tale about Krypto and Titus getting the old gang back together. It's a mostly silent affair, obviously, and one that really puts Pelletier's storytelling skills to the test. It's been said many times, but I can't understand why Pelletier seems relegated to pinch-hitter status at DC when every issue he turns in is a showcase for his strong figure work and draftsmanship. Entertaining as this book is, there's also a surprisingly strong emotional undercurrent. It's the perfect DC Rebirth comic in the sense that it alludes to a prior history among the various super-pets that's fallen by the wayside and is now being rekindled. Tomasi and Pelletier's take on the dysfunctional relationship between Krypto and Streaky gives this goofy adventure all the weight and gravitas it needs. -Jesse
Final Score:
Continues
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire