New comics

It’s been a month since I’ve been to my LCS.  Here’s some of what I bought:

DC vs Vampires: World War V 5

Matthew Rosenberg does a great job of weaving multiple storylines together.  And like Tom Taylor did with DCeased, he manages to squeeze in an “oh shit” moment with just about every issue.  This month, it’s what Nightwing’s been doing with the Flash this whole time.  Chilling.

Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter 6

This was one of the prettiest comics I’ve read in a long time.  Tirso’s work is flat out gorgeous.  

Fantastic Four 27

I get the same thought reading this that I do w/ Mark Waid’s current work: I feel like I should be liking this more than I am.  Not prepared to quit on it yet, though.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 5

By far the weakest issue of the run.  It focuses on the villain, not the Turtles, and though it’s well written, I just don’t care as much about this guy.  

Absolute Superman 2

Rafa Sandoval is channeling major Steve Epting vibes here, which isn’t that bad of a thing.  This is still my least favorite of the new Absolute titles.  (Not a strong month for Jason Aaron.)  But it still has promise.  

Batgirl 2

Still a fun, action-oriented comic that feels like a throwback to the 2000’s.  

Detective Comics 1092

Can’t get over how much I love Mikel Janin on interiors.  Also surprised by how un-Tom Taylor this title feels.  It could have been written by any competent writer, and lacks that Taylor flair.  Giving it time.  

Batman: Long Halloween: Last Halloween 4

Cliff Chiang!  This series continues to illustrate just how massive a difference an artist can make on the tone, feel, and success of a comic book.  It’s truly a collaborative effort. 

New comics

New comics!

Battle Action 1

I’ve never heard of Rebellion Comics before, but I’ll go anywhere that Garth Ennis is writing war comics.  Here, he continues his work on Johnny Red.  It’s as good as it was before.  I may have to pick up the earlier Battle Action trades, it looks like Ennis did more Johnny Red stories there.

Absolute Wonder Woman 2

Wonderful.  I don’t know if I’d like Hayden Sherman’s art anywhere else, but it’s perfect for this.  Ready for more.

Detective Comics 1091

I didn’t expect Bruce to take the de-aging drug.  But I guess when Superman gives his blessing, it’s okay.  I’m just so happy to see Mikel Janin’s art again.  

JLA Unlimited 1

I was certainly going to give this Mark Waid/Dan Mora collaboration a shot.  It’s a take on the excellent cartoon series, where every hero in the DCU is a member of the team.  The result is fine, but nothing more.  I won’t be getting more.

Question: All Along the Watchtower 1

This ancillary miniseries is more of what I’m looking for.  I’ve always been a Renee Montoya fan as a detective.  I watched her downward spiral and subsequent transition into the Question with skepticism, but I’m on board for this interpretation by Alex Segura and Cian Tormey.  Montoya’s got a great look (cowboy detective!) and delicious interpersonal drama lined up (Kathy Kane’s the team!).  This should be fun.

Batgirl 1

This reads like a Chuck Dixon comic: Lots of action, just enough plot to tie it all together.  Cassandra Cain and her mother, Lady Shiva, are forced to team up against ninja.  That’s more than enough for me.

Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween 3

What a difference an artist makes.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mark Chiarello’s work.  I knew he was an artist, but mostly knew him as an editor.  Jeph Loeb is definitely a writer whose work rises and falls with the quality of his penciller.  All of a sudden I’m way higher on the rest of this series, especially w/ Cliff Chiang next in the lineup.

Jenny Sparks 4

I’m prepared to call this mini the rare Tom King piece of trash.  This is just plodding along, boring, pointless, and a negative on the entertainment scale.  Off my list, I think.

Black Canary: Best of the Best 1

Luckily, King is back on track with this much simpler story.  Black Canary versus Lady Shiva for reasons yet to be disclosed.  Ryan Sook is almost amazing here, but some of his drawings are a touch stilted.  This would probably be better w/ a different artist, but I’m not really complaining.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4

TIme for Donatello.  A fun, twisted single-issue tale from Jason Aaron and Chris Burnham.  An excellent start to this mini, and now we’ll see where things go with the brothers reunited.