Review Scale:
The mythical A+: Classic comic book material. Belongs next to your copy of The Notebook and The Joy of Cooking.
A: Would definitely recommend to all comic book readers. Even more so to fans of the genre or characters
B: Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like.
C: Non-essential read. Can be enjoyable for fans of the genre or characters, but likely for only one or two events in the books.
D: Unenjoyable book. Read at your own risk. Might find satisfaction if major flaws are overlooked.
F: Please don’t buy this book. Donate your money to a local comic book writer’s workshop instead to inspire future generations to write something better than this trash.
Pick of the Week:
Doctor Fate #1 – A
Call me biased, but it’s been too damn long since I’ve read a superhero comic book and felt immersed in something new and exciting. Today’s capes and cowls have so much baggage that it can be hard to feel the same thrill and magic that made them wonderful in the first place. Thankfully, Doctor Fate made all those feelings flood right back. The premiere issue isn’t too much more than the description leads it to be, but we get a close look at Khalid, the new Fate, and what will motivate him as Fate – he’s not yet a Doctor. Thanks in part to the color work of Deadly Class‘ Lee Loughridge, the art style is easy on the eye and has a nice fantastical look to it. Maybe my preference is biased due to its heavily-Egyptian story, but Doctor Fate is by far the best book out of the new DC lineup. – Sherif
Other Reviews:
Archie Comics:
Archie vs Predator #3 – B+
It doesn’t look good for the Riverdale gang. Predator claimed a two more victims. Poor Jughead and Dilton never saw it coming. I mean it; they were killed from behind. Last issue we saw most of the crew taken out and now with these losses, we’re down to just Betty, Veronica and a very injured Archie. Next month will wrap up the saga of Riverdale. Also, I really enjoyed the cover this time around – Predator never looked so happy. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this series, I wrote it off as nonsense, but now I’m actually looking forward to the last issue. – Scott
DC/Vertigo Comics:
Prez #1 – A-
Political comic books are a very fragile thing. Not in terms of how people will react to them, but how to straddle the fine line between satire and still coming out with a legitimate story. The trick is to come off as never taking itself too seriously while still having something to say other than “this sucks.” Prez really pulls it off. The full veil has not been lifted on the story yet, but the picture has been painted; everything is fixed, and social media is completely puppeteered by corporations… so basically an exaggerated version of today. The only hope is a random teenager inserted for the running to become President, known only as Corndog Girl. – Sherif
Mad Max Fury Road: Furiosa #1 – B+
First off, Mad Max: Fury Road is probably the best movie in a solid decade. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. And, I’m not passing judgment, but if you haven’t seen it, you know who else hasn’t? Hitler. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. Furiosa #1 covers the span of time between the women’s escape and Furiosa’s appointment over them. It has the same problem of a lot of movie adaptation/movie prequel comics in that it’s very obviously trying to aim the narrative in a direction, so it feels obvious and guided from the very first moment. Plus, it contradicts the movie? Maybe? We know from the movie that Furiosa comes from the Land of Many Mothers (doesn’t place sound great?), but the wives in this comic postulate she was a former wife and she doesn’t refute them. But it succeeds in making Immortan Joe even more repulsive: he can’t have sex with his wives without thinking of them as his war boys. Which is gross. I really liked the dusty scratchy looking art, and the story-within-a-story motif reinforces the popular fan theory that the Mad Max movies are folk tales being told in a burnt out future. – Montgomery
Robin: Son of Batman #1 – B+
Puberty is already tough enough, but when you throw in this whole “The Year of Blood” curse thing, you get some of the most terrifying nightmares imaginable. For us, though, it’s good, because this is a brand new book written and pencilled by Patrick Gleason (artist of the Batman & Robin saga that just wrapped up. No matter how hard Damian tries, he just can’t shake his past of being bred to lead the League of Assassins. Nobody’s (villain from Volume 1 of New52 Batman & Robin) daughter makes an entrance, too. There’s a lot to love about the book, but it can be very confusing to new readers; hell, I was confused at times, too. For instance, what is this Goliath creature? It’s confusing, but I’m going to stick with it. – Sherif
Martian Manhunter #1 – B
Damn Epiphany, you scary!!! With J’onn questioning his ability and destiny to be a superhero, all hell is breaking loose on planet Earth and it is leaving even the Justice League baffled. All of this chaos and mass destruction can only be explained by one thing, “The Epiphany.” What I liked about this comic is how it wastes no time getting messy. Sure, there is a lot of “what is going on, this is crazy” banter happening; however, it only adds to the suspense of what appears to be an inevitable global take over. Overall, I’m excited to continue to see J’onn’s strange character development continue in the wake of the Epiphany. – Evan
Harley Quinn and Power Girl #1 – B
(A) This comic is just flat out fun. Harley is hilarious as always and, while Power Girl tends to be the more rational, level-headed one, she has her witty moments, too. Together they make one hella-awesome, grrl power team. I’m usually kind of wary of reading anything new with Harley Quinn because I haven’t really appreciated what the Palmiotti & Connor have done with her character as of late, but this comic changes everything. Here again we see the strong, whimsical, just-a-little-off-her-rocker badass we’ve come to know and love and Power Girl is her perfect complement, maybe even better than Poison Ivy if I dare say. I love how they bicker but ultimately trust and rely on each other. The scene where Harley blows that misogynist’s head off is golden as is the majority of every other panel. The setting is goofy but somehow manages to take itself seriously at the same time. There’s some really great mojo happening here and I can’t wait to see where it goes. – Charlotte
(C-) Ok, I’m not really up to date with what’s going on here. I know there was a big clash between many universes. That’s cool but a little back story here would have been nice. So Harley and Power Girl traveled through a portal with the help of a magic toe ring. Seems legit. This time around, they landed on a planet in an alternate universe where apparently Power Girl runs a sexy good times type place. I thought it was poignant to have an creature assume Power Girl is a prostitute based solely on the interpretation of her costume. Now Quinn and Girl have to track down another teleportation ring from a man being held captive on the lust moon of Lustox. What? – Scott
Wonder Woman #41 – B-
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, I guess. Wonder Woman has been through a rough few years, and the breathing room that she gets in this issue is only the assurance that they will get much worse very soon. Most of the issue takes the time to talk about how great life is with Zola, as well as how well the rehabilitation of the Amazons and Donna Troy is going. Her next villain seems to be a mortal, which will be a nice break from all the Geek mythology of Azzarello/Chiang’s saga. I’m also enjoying the good-sized panels that allow David Finch to do his thing; it’s worked very well for the new creative team. – Sherif
Black Canary #1 – D
I had pretty good excitement for a Black Canary reboot. And I’m a fan of Brenden Fletcher’s work, so I was really looking forward to this book. I know that Fletcher tends to write to teenage girls, but I’m not even sure they would be intrigued with this book. There was no clarification for new readers why there was a Black Canary band, who the members were, and why the lead was beating up people. There was no connection to any character through writing or art. Overall, this was a huge disappointment. Sorry, Fletcher. – Adrian
IDW Publishing:
Transformers #42 – B
Thank god the Combiner Wars are over. In fact, the fallout is much more interesting than the event itself; Optimus has to deal with the fact that Prowl is the Autobot’s version of Starscream, Arcee and Galvatron are trying to scam each other on an unknown swampy planet, and Arcee is planning secret missions to Earth. That last part bums me out. I’m tired of the Transformers/Earth romance, but at least there are no more combiner wars. Plus, this issue started a cool trend of different art styles for different locations: G1 cartoon style for those Earth-bound, and that scratchy sort-of confusing look for those staying on Cybertron… I’m so happy Combiner Wars is over. – Montgomery
Edward Scissorhands #9 – B-
Things are getting crazy for Edward and the gang in this issue. Edward is about to appear on Get Wells for his makeover. As Edward makes his appearance, Megs hears the chants of the audience and jumps out to defend him. Dr. Wells takes advantage of the situation and makes Megs sign up for a makeover as well. Could this be just a dark plot to keep the whole gang on the show longer? Who knows. It’s looking like most the action will happen next issue with how Edward and Megs will handle these makeover if they are indeed makeovers at all. We have the normal team set-up this issue with Kate Leth writing and Drew Rausch with his awesome, unique art style. If you have been following the series make sure to pick this up and get ready for the conclusion next month. – Jacob
TMNT: Casey & April #1 – C+
A TMNT book with a road trip and no mutants? That is what you would believe from the set up of this series and especially the first two covers. We basically just see Casey and April talking, furthering their relationship while also moving it back a hundred steps. The story ends on a cliffhanger, which is weird to say about two people who are just driving forever. Suffice it to say, a classic TMNT villain shows up at the end that makes me very excited for the second issue. Here’s hoping the next story will have a lot more action and meaning to the overall plot of the series. This issue definitely felt like too much of a set up to them dealing with their relationship problems. However, the new villian’s intro is brilliantly done by the writer Mariko Tamak. Irene Koh illustrates this villain in a way we have never seen before, with a very interesting, creepy look. This issue definitely more of an animé feel, but that artistic style has always fit the Turtles well and definitely helps this story more against the bland landscape and boring plot. – Jacob
Image Comics:
Tales of Honor: Bred to Kill #1 – A
I effing love this story! Take Star Trek, mix it with Battlestar Galactica, throw in a little Firefly and you’ve got Tales of Honor. Harrington is a total take charge badass who knows what she wants and how to get it. I’m head over heals for this character and what she brings to the table going forward. We need more strong female characters in charge and Harrington fits the bill perfectly. The world is very nicely crafted and I love the creatures that inhabit it. I’m looking forward to finding out more about its culture as the story continues. So far, it feels extremely rich. I love that the servant Harrington converses with corrects her terminology when she uses the term “sex slave.” It shows a sex worker positivity that we’ve only really seen before in Firefly. This comic promises big, exciting and groundbreaking things. – Charlotte
Southern Bastards #9 – B
Now, I’m not saying that this is a great book… or even a good book, really. I’ve followed it from Issue #1 and this is the first time I’ve started to understand the whole picture. Throughout the short series, the book has been narrated by three different people’s account of what goes on in Craw County, Alabama and the conspiracy that Runnin’ Rebs coach Euless Boss is at the center of. Each account gets deeper and deeper into what it means, how it started, and if it will end. I’m usually not a sucker for this kind of story, but there’s somebody about it that I can’t let go of. If you can stand all the hillbilly-ness of the book, it’s worth picking up. – Sherif
Trees #10 – B
The last book was harrowing and has had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next comic book. While the last issue surrounded a major event (leaving puddle of my own tears) this one still left me sad and haunted. The book is titled “The Little Things” and true to its title, shows us what appears to be minor character development and plot development. But, Trees is layered and the small things always add up. The story brings us back to New York where the Mayor is talking to the Commissioner of the NYPD. We also get to see a little bit more of when the Trees were landed in New York. And on the surface it seems that the Mayor investigating the Commissioner. While in London we are introduced to another character in a coffee shop. The conversation with the barista sticks out to me. It has a lot of weight in light of the overall narrative of this story. “They say nothing changes anymore. But it does. They just change so slowly we don’t notice thing until they’re gone.” I think in this next volume we are going to see just how much the little things add up. – Jené
Surface #3 – B-
Holy cow, this book and ODY-C need recap pages. Especially since this book is routinely trying to turn your brain inside out. It opens with Nasia in orange soup with a disembodied voice telling her to, essentially, “go into the light.” She falls out of a tube to find that she wasn’t in the jungle with her friends like she thought she was, but rather her boyfriend’s father kidnapped her and induced a hallucination to find information. What the what? That makes remembering the last issue nearly impossible. I like this book’s vibe – both the “what’s really real?” and “can you trust your own senses?” vibes – but with 30 days between issue and no recap page, it feels perplexing. Do they assume you’ll pull out last month’s and do a cross reference? Anyways – good enough as a single issue, but mostly confusing. – Montgomery
RunLoveKill #3 – C+
We got a little back story for Rain this month. Like a lot of good heroes, Rain has morals that don’t let her just do a job because it’s asked of her. The story is a bit chaotic in this issue. Rain is attacked on the dance floor we left her on from the last issue. People clearly want her out of the way because she knows too much; it’s kind of cliché, but it works. The art always has a lot of movement to it and for what’s going on in this issue, it works. The panels are a little hard to follow, but still, the art is beautiful. There wasn’t much in the line of plot in this issue, unfortunately. Everything starts and happens at the same location. I’ve enjoyed the previous two issues very much and I really want to get back into the story next month. – Scott
Empty Zone #1 – C+
Well that was weird, and I’m not entirely sure how to feel after reading this. Part of me is excited due to the overall strangeness of it, mixed with the science fiction aspect. While, on the other hand, I am concerned this comic is going to have a ton of awesome aspects, and then just never connect the dots together. Regardless of all that, the main character, Corinne, intrigues me. She is the kind of person I want to walk up to and say “tell me a story.” Of course, she never would because she is a badass who has no time for my bullshit, but I know she has some seriously messed up stories. Maybe I’ll keep reading and hope some stories get told. – Evan
Marvel/Icon Comics:
Deathlok #9 – A-
Oh shit! Big things are happening in this issue and the cliffhanger gave me goosebumps. While all the right people finally seem to be on the same side throughout most of the issue, there’s still a ton of problems to sort out. Henry’s daughter is still in danger. Control still has leverage against Henry. S.H.I.E.LD. still doesn’t have everything they need and, with Henry’s daughter’s life on the line, it doesn’t look like they’re much closer to getting it than they were before. And with the room full of new Deathlok operatives shown in the last panel, things still have a long, terrifying way to go before they get any better. I’m excited to see Micheal, Henry and Domino working together, and I can’t wait to see which direction Henry chooses to go now that his daughter is threatened. Lots happening here! – Charlotte
Old Man Logan #2 – B
We pick up where we carried off last issue with Logan climbing a wall, only to meet a Thor at the top and be knocked down into the other side. Unaware of where he is, he is suddenly met by some familiar– but less-than-welcoming– faces. Sabretooth shows up with three friends who together claim to be the Four Horsemen. Then a couple more familiar faces show up to even the odds, faces Logan never thought he’d see again. How will things go now that Logan has some “friends,” and what is this new world? While Bendis does a good job with the story for this issue, it ultimately it feels a bit flat with far too much exposition. Sorentino’s art is fascinating but the confusing panels take away from the story, leaving the dialogue to do the heavy lifting. I do very much enjoy this story, but it has a lot to live up to. Luckily, it looks like this story will have enough time to meet those expectations. My advice? Keep reading as it is guaranteed to be one of the most important stories for Secret Wars. – Jacob
Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #2 – B-
This series is definitely not the best thing out there, but if it’s the only Deadpool we get, then I am fine with it. It’s basically a recap of the old Secret Wars. As enjoyable as the references, exact original dialogue and art by Matteo Lolli are, I can’t help but think of this series as a hit or miss depending on what kind of fan you are. If you have read the original Secret Wars, you are basically reading the same– slightly funnier– story here. However, if you have not read the original Secret Wars, this is a good starter series. Writer Cullen Bunn cut the second story arc completely out of this issue to go for a one full story. So basically, pick up this series if you want some backstory or are just a fan of Deadpool. Otherwise, it will likely be boring to you if you’ve read the original. – Jacob
Thors #1 – C
“THORS is filmed on location with the men and women of Thor enforcement.” It really is like the show COPS, but this time it’s with, like, 15 different Thors including a scene in which Ultimate Thor puts on latex gloves to examine a corpse. I feel like that was a missed opportunity to have the Thors use some cool Norse-style divining to interpret crime scenes. The Thors are investigating a series of murders all involving the same woman. The reveal of the woman feels too neat and makes this unbelievably vast world feel way too small. It’s really hard to have an emotional reaction to this book. I feel like the idea is cool, and there’s cool elements (the opening squad consists of Ultimate Thor, Storm Thor, Beta Ray Bill, and Leif Thor, or rather, the original time-displaced 616 Thor), but as a book it feels overwhelming and underwhelming. A pretty cool premise that has lots of potential, but pretty flat as an opener. My favorite element is, without a doubt, hobo-Loki (Hoboki) who we are lead to believe knows the for real truth of Battle World. – Montgomery
Armor Wars #2 – D
This is stupid. As I was talking with Sherif about how it’s a waste of time to continue reading this, he made an extremely valid point regarding this comic. If we were younger, this sort of thing may truly appeal to us; however, having a ton of Iron Men play out a soap opera is both boring and stupid. The story isn’t nearly strong enough to hold my interest and I’m failing to find anything interesting about this comic. I know I sound like a cynic, but you would too after you read 20 some pages of pure nothingness. Sadly, I won’t think I’ll be reading issue number 3. – Evan
Moon Knight #16 – D
The funny thing about this book is that I enjoy it. A lot. However, I can’t sit back and pretend it’s good anymore, either. There is absolutely no plot. I’ve only read 3-4 issues max that have a connected story. The rest is just random murder and cool gadgets, and honestly, now that Doctor Fate will be whetting my appetite for badass Egyptian gods, I might even stop reading this altogether. It’s flat out failed to reach any bit of the potential I thought it had with Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey at the helm. The series definitely still has potential, and I want to see it succeed, but not producing anything more than murder porn won’t cut it in today’s industry standards. – Sherif
Funniest Panels:
Panels with the Most Awesomeness:
That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!
All images taken from ComiXology app and the credit for them goes to the respective publishers; thanks to all the publishers for putting out great books.
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