New comics

New comics!

Fantastic Four 13

No Humberto Ramos, but Andrea Sorrentino proves to be surprisingly adept at drawing the funny.  He draws a hilarious out-of-his-depth Johnny Storm, whose hare-brained Ghost Rider goes wonderfully awry.  One of Ryan North’s better FF issues.  

Supergirl: Survive 2

I said last issue that this could go in any number of directions.  I didn’t expect either the Rainbow Lantern Corps or the Lobo Bunch to show up, but I wholeheartedly approve the decision by Ethan S Parker and Griffin Sheridan.  It’s lots of fun and makes for a colorful issue, and I totally didn’t see the totally obvious turn on the last page.  Once again, anything can happen in the next issue, and I’m looking forward to it.  

Absolute Martian Manhunter 12

At the end of it all, do I regret buying all twelve issues of this?  Only the reread will tell, but I suspect yes.  Even Javier Rodriguez’s art isn’t enough, as the shine’s finally come off of that apple.  And Deniz Camp’s story stopped being enjoyable or even coherent about six issues ago.  I’m glad that I don’t have to debate whether or not to buy this anymore.

Batman 11

Like Tom Taylor’s Detective, Matt Fraction’s Batman is just good, clean, superhero fun.  Love The Ojo’s visual design.  (By Jorge Jimenez?)

100 Bullets: The US of Anger 1

Didn’t expect to ever see more 100 Bullets, but the original team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso are back at it again.  I might be buying this just out of habit, but it’s still entertaining enough.

New comics

New comics from the past two weeks:

Absolute Martian Manhunter 11

This is where Deniz Camp completely loses me.  I’m done caring about the story, with an issue to go. Camp can do whatever he wants, I’m just going to look at Javier Rodriguez’s pretty art next month.

Fantastic Four 10

For someone so hyped up as the ultimate badass, Sue Richards the Invincible Woman sure goes down easy.  (As these knockdown-dragouts go.)  A bit of a letdown, but Bullseye shooting across the galaxy was frickin’ sweet.  

Absolute Batman 20

This issue’s a bit of a drag, as Batman confronts Scarecrow and discovers his entire origin story may have been manipulated into being from the very start.  Too much talking, but at least the fighting’s coming next issue w/ all of the Robins showing up.

Daredevil 1

I’ll always try something from Lee Garbett.  Luckily, Stephanie Philips keeps it interesting as well.  Matt starts a stint as a law professor at Empire State University, and immediately meets a sharp-tongued sure-to-be-a-love-interest antagonist.  Fun enough to add to my sub.

Voyeur 5

David Baldeon can draw, no question.  This is a beautiful comic.  It’s too bad Leah Williams’ heist is ultimately meh.  I’ll give Baldeon a look in the future, but probably wouldn’t buy a followup series of this.

Barbara Gordon: Breakout 1

Babs goes to Supermax prison in order to weed out rampant corruption.  I have no doubt she’ll be able to take care of herself, and look forward to what Mariko Tamaki comes up with.  Tamaki’s been underwhelming for a while now, but I’m still holding out hope for her. 

New comics

New comics!

Detective Comics 1107

It’s odd when Tom Taylor is strictly average, but that’s really been the story of his run on Detective.  On the plus side, though, Pete Woods does a surprisingly good job filling in for Mike Janin, which I would never have believed possible given my exposure to his previous work.  

And who the hell is Prion?

Fantastic Four 9

The Invincible Woman kicks the crap out of the FF, and Ryan North has written himself into a corner w/ a villain who really shouldn’t ever lose.  She’s going to have to lose via personality flaw, like Thanos whenever he gets his hands on a cosmic artifact.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 10

Good to know this is ending after issue 12, or else I’d probably cut it soon; no matter how gorgeous Javier Rodriguez’s psychedelic art is, the Deniz Camp story is finally wearing out its welcome.

Superman/Spider-Man 1

More good than bad in this DC/Marvel crossover.  Enough that I don’t regret picking it up.

Absolute Wonder Woman 18

May Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman stay on this title forever.  There’s no end to how much I love this series.

New comics

New comics!

Detective Comics 1106

The finale to an ultimately disappointing story, in that it’s completely forgettable.  Tom Taylor is capable of more, and if he was going to spin his wheels, I wish he’d have gotten it over with in a shorter arc.  Mikel Janin deserves a better class of writing from someone who’s capable of far more.

Voyeur 4

David Baldeon’s art continues to impress, but the heist is underwhelming.  I’ll stick it out to the end, but if it weren’t for the sex, this wouldn’t have stood out to me at all.

Absolute Wonder Woman 17

Awesome, awesome fight scene.  Diana and Giganta grow larger and larger as they slug it out, and Hayden Sherman makes it look completely epic.  I’m so in love with this title.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 9

Never thought an alien vivisection could look so good.  Javier Rodriguez does an amazing job of conveying this cloying, claustrophobic atmosphere.  Agent Jones is under this constant psychic and physical pressure, and it comes across as clear as day.  It’s beautiful to look at, but the reading is almost as much of a slog as the struggles of our protagonist. 

New comics

New comics!

Absolute Batman 16

Wonder Woman and Batman visit the underworld to find a cure for Waylon Jones’ Killer Croc condition.  It’s got some nice character moments, a good fight - just a really solid one-shot issue.  

Absolute Martian Manhunter 8

The Javier Rodriguez art continues to be the name of the game.  It’s a fun game.

Capes 3

My last issue with the series.  It’s mindless fun, and I’ll never think about it again.  Not Robert Kirkman’s best by any stretch.

Detective Comics 1105

Part five of this story arc and it’s still not over?  I mean, this has been entertaining and all, but it does not need to take up half a year’s worth of issues.  

Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes 3

Delightful execution by Erica Henderson.  She does a great job with this relationship, and the art is pitch perfect.

Absolute Wonder Woman 16

Absolute Zatanna shows up, and she’s part of the Absolute Suicide Squad.  I love this title.

New comics

Voyeur 3

David Baldeon’s art continues to impress.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before, though he’s been drawing comics since 1999.  Definitely a fan now.

Powers 25 4

I love Brian Michael Bendis when he’s on his game.  He’s so much better on this than any of the DC stuff that came before.  Nice to see him back where he can let loose.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 7

I don’t care about the story at all.  As long as Javier Rodriguez keeps drawing these psychedelic panels, I’ll keep looking at them.

Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman 6

Tom King brings it all home in the most satisfying fashion.  Trinity gets a day with her dad, Diana’s finally gets looped in, and the plan to bring back Steve Trevor is brought to light.  This is how you do a tie-in miniseries.

Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes 2

Super fun.  She may be relatively new to writing, but Erica Henderson is doing a great job so far.  Looking forward to seeing how she evolves Harley and Ivy’s relationship.  

DIE: Loaded 2

I said I lost interest in the original DIE over the course of its run, as the strong execution and intellectual rigor could only go so far without emotionally engaging characters.  That may still be true, but damn if Kieron Gillen hasn’t sucked me back into this world the same way he has this new batch of characters.  

Absolute Wonder Woman 15

A delightful team-up with Absolute Batman.  Wonder Woman, being made out of clay, is a golem.  An obvious but brilliant observation from Kelly Thompson, and it makes for an awesome issue.

New comics

Way behind on new comics.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring 2

This is such a well-done series unlike anything else out there.  As with Hannibal Lecter, Sam is a serial killer that I’m rooting for.  An impressive feat of writing from Patrick Horvath, and his art is top-notch as well.

Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman 4

The youngest version of Trinity teams up with Alfred to chase down Damian-Corgi, and it’s utterly delightful.  Tom King packs this thing with cute moment after moment, and Belen Ortega illustrates them perfectly.  

Absolute Batman 12

We find out that Bane is the origin story for every other person in Absolute Batman’s Rogues Gallery; He brutally destroys all of Bruce’s friends, physically and psychologically crushing them into their twisted final forms.  It’s a stunning and heartbreaking twist of the mythology, especially given how close Snyder made this group.  Amazing execution by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta.

One World Under Doom 7

With Doom’s perfidy revealed, the final boss battle begins.  Reed Richards levels up to Scientist Supreme, but it’s still not enough.  (For now.)

CoRT 1

AKA Children of the Round Table.  The team of Seven Secrets returns in this all-ages title.  Very little happens here; the titular children find their unique weapons, each of which is possessed by the spirit of an original KotRT.  I’ll probably stick around for the full six issues, if for no other reason than to support Tom Taylor.

Absolute Wonder Woman 11

I don’t think I can love a comic book series more.  The final two pages are breathtaking.  Someone’s gonna get a hurt real bad.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 6

The plot so doesn’t matter with this comic.  It’s a tone poem through and through.  I’m enjoying it, but I still hope that this is a limited series.  I can only enjoy so much of this :)  (Ah, it’s going to be twelve issues.  I can handle that.)

Ultimate Spider-Man 20

The Parkers have a dinner conversation w/ the Stacy-Osborns.  MJ punches out Gwen.  This thing is rapidly approaching the endgame, and I’m all on board.  

Runaways 3-4

Nico discovers that her magic only works when she Wonder Twins-handholds w/ Gert.  Doombot returns to Doom to keep the kids safe.  It’s just fun to hang out with these kids.  Rainbow Rowell rules.

Fantastic Four Fanfare 1-4

An anthology series that I picked up on the recommendation of iFanboy.  The stories are mostly fine but forgettable.

New comics

New comics!

Absolute Martian Manhunter 5

Ah, so it’s Darkseid.  This is still a fever dream that barely comes down on the side of good, mostly based on Javier Rodriguez’s art.

DC vs Vampires: World War V 11

Big unexpected things happen here, as Vampire Batgirl and Vampire Damian both meet their ends.  One more issue to go, and while this hasn’t ended as strongly as DCeased, it’s still been a fun ride.

The War 1

No idea what this was about, but I saw Garth Ennis’ name on the cover, and I’ve really been  jonesing for some new work from him.  Apparently this was originally part of some anthology series, but it’s new for me.  

A bunch of people in their twenties who think they know more than they actually do argue about the politics of nuclear war before they’re actually forced to deal with the reality of one.  Ennis does an amazing job of making the scenario feel eerily possible, and that’s where he gets his hooks into me.  Can’t wait to read the rest.

Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween 8

Both present me and future me are furious that I’m continuing to buy this.  But there are only two issues left, and I feel pot committed.

Ultimate Spider-Man 19

A setup issue, but still good.  I think there are only six issues left, since Marvel’s wrapping up this whole Ultimate universe.  I’m happy to see Jonathan Hickman wrap this up before he has a chance to screw it up the way he does everything else.

Absolute Wonder Woman 10

Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman give us more reasons why this Diana is awesome both as a child and an adult.  I love this series so much.

Mr Terrific: Year One 3

I’m out after this one.  Al Letson hasn’t done anything interesting w/ Mr Terrific since the promising first issue, and I see no reason to stick around.

Runaways 2

The Runaways do Runaway things, an entertaining blend of stupid and fun, but rarely correct.  As always, it’s more about their interactions than the plot, and Rainbow Rowell continues to nail it.

New comics

I’m only a month behind?  Feels like a lot more.  Time to make a dent in the deficit.  

Absolute Wonder Woman 9

Resolute is the word I’d use to describe Kelly Thompson’s Wonder Woman.  She acts with a certitude in everything that she does, an absolute faith that she is correct and she will prevail.  It’s magnificent to behold.  I love this Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman 22

I love Tom King’s Wonder Woman just as much.  In this issue, she has a morning-after DTR with Steve Trevor as she fights giant-sized mice.  It’s very sweet.  Fill-in artist Caitlin Yarsky does a fine job, and channels some Terry Moore perfectly in the mouse conversation scene.  

Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman 1

Trinity gets into time travel hijinks with three versions of herself and Super-Corgi puppies.  Is there anything Tom King can’t write?

Fantastic Four 33

This volume of Fantastic Four ends with H.E.R.B.I.E. saving the universe while Ben Grimm gets his powers back.  Ryan North’s hit rate is impressively high given the sheer number of ideas he throws out there.  This one’s definitely of the multi-base variety.  North returns next with a new volume of FF.  Hopefully, they’ll find a better artist for him.  

Ultimate Spider-Man 18

I don’t know why I’m still so surprised at how consistently great this book is month in and month out.  Maybe because it’s Jonathan Hickman.  I like Peter and Harry teaming up, but I’m dreading the inevitable Harry heel turn.  

Absolute Martian Manhunter 4

Javier Rodriguez may have done the best job I’ve ever seen of conveying the sweltering heat of a New York CIty (?) summer.  It’s claustrophobic, sticky, oppressive, and altogether unbearable.  It’s sheer artistry.  

Mr Terrific 2

Michael Holt meets the Spectre, which gives Al Letson an opportunity to recap Mr Terrific’s origin story up to this point.  It’s perfectly fine, and I’m not sad to be sticking around for more.  

Detective Comics 1098

Tom Taylor writes from pretty good quips for Penguin.  There’s really nothing memorable about this arc, but for all that, it’s still a fun enough caper for Batman.  

New comics

New comics!

Detective Comics 1097

Batman and Bullock investigate a new super secret mysterious organization.  Nothing special so far.  Lee Garbett is on art, but he isn’t given anything that really lets him shine.  

Batman 160

Hush 2 part 3.  That’s it, I’m done.  No one’s on top of their game here, not even Jim Lee.  Jeph Loeb?  He’s nowhere close.  

Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell 2

Nothing new to say, but this is still a really fun read.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 3

Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez up the psychic visions, and it makes for a gorgeous, psychedelic read.  It’s a surprisingly standard story underneath it all, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the book.

Mr Terrific: Year One 1

I’ve actually read very few comics w/ Mr Terrific, but I’ve always loved his concept and his look.  This mini by Al Letson and Valentine De Landro isn’t spectacular, but it’s good enough for me to keep reading.

Ultimate Spider-Man 17

Stuff’s happening.  Harry’s daddy issues get worse (who in the world chooses their horrible dad to be their AI?), his wife is starting to stomp all over him, and they’re starting to make their move on Kingpin.  I wish Jonathan Hickman wrote more things like this.

Absolute Wonder Woman 8

Blah blah Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman are phenomenal blah blah.  I’m not feeling Doctor Poison so far, but it’s early.

It’s Jeff: Jeff Week 1

I’m mostly getting this for my daughter, but it’s a fun 30-second read for me as well.  That said, this only works w/ Gurihiru doing the art; the Gustavo Duarte backups aren’t nearly as good.  

Wonder Woman 21

Tom King wraps up this tidy little mystery w/out a fuss.  Bruce and Diana have some sweet, heartfelt conversations about grief.  It’s all platonic here, but I’d love to see King’s take on a romance between the two.  Heck, he got me to root for Selina/Bruce, I’m sure he’d do an even better job w/ this pairing.  

Fantastic Four 32

Valeria manages to save Ben from last issue’s idiotic screwup.  It’s amazing how much Ryan North is always able to squeeze into one issue.

New comics

I’ve got like a month of new comics to catch up on.

Batgirl 7

The origin of Lady Shiva.  It’s nothing special, and I’m pretty sure I’m done after the arc finishes next issue.

Absolute Superman 7

The origin of Absolute Braniac.  Jason Aaron and Carmine Di Giandomenico have created something terrifying here.  This is quality stuff.  

Absolute Wonder Woman 7

I’m still not sure how The Lady and the Tiger is relevant in this story, but for all that, it’s well-written and beautifully drawn.  I need to find more things by Mattia De Iulis, I love his work.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 2

This so reminds me of another comic that’s equally dreamlike, but I can’t put my finger on it.  Maybe it’s because I recently saw Javier Rodriguez’s work in Zatanna?  Anyway, this is still a nice deviation from the usual comic book fare.

Batman 159

Hush 2 part 2.  As much as I love Jim Lee, this certainly isn’t his best work, and the story by Jeph Loeb is as unreadable as his stuff over in Last Halloween.  One more issue, I think, and then I’m done.  

One World Under Doom 3-4

In issue 3, we learn that the world’s leaders voluntarily agreed to go along w/ Doom for various reasons.  I totally saw it coming, but I still like how it was done.  In issue 4, Dormammu takes advantage of Doom’s short-sighted thinking.  (Where planetary defense from the magical world is concerned.  He’s doing a pretty good job of whupping the heroes.)

I’ve been pretty pleased with this event so far.  The main title is telling a self-contained story, and the tie-ins are exploring the tangents.  It’s how you should run something big like this.  

Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween 7

The best thing I can say is that there are only three issues left.  And I don’t even like Becky Cloonan’s art, so next month is a waste too.  Dave Johnson’s a lot better on covers than he is on interiors.

Fantastic Four 31

The FF travel to different multiverses in an attempt to bombard Ben Grimm with cosmic rays and return him to his rocky state.  Things go wrong, of course, and the FF are wiped from existence.  A very nice issue by Ryan North.

Ultimate Spider-Man 16

So my prediction from a few months ago was incorrect, Gwen Stacy does not end up as the new Green Goblin.  But she is Mysterio, and Jonathan Hickman makes that twist very nifty indeed.  I can’t get over how good this title is. 

New comics

Batgirl 5

Cassandra Cain fights more of the blue ninja.  Entertaining enough, and my daughter is getting a kick out of this title.  

Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween 6

I’m not familiar with Enrico Marini, but he’s got a mega Matt Wagner vibe going, which I’m never going to complain about.  I stopped caring about the plot months ago.

Batman 158

I suspect it’s going to be the same for this Jeph Loeb-plotted story as well.  I wasn’t impressed with the original arc, and I certainly wasn’t clamoring for a sequel.  I’m only getting this for the Jim Lee art, and even that doesn’t have the same luster that it used to.  Hard to say if I’m going to make it through this whole story.

Wonder Woman 19

Tom King wraps up this storyline and starts the next one, foreshadowing the death of Diana and the rest of the Wonder Women.  It’s not the strongest of issues, but it’s still a good effort from King and Daniel Sampere.

Black Canary: Best of the Best 5

More of the same, which is pretty underwhelming.  Ryan Sook isn’t a bad artist by any stretch, but I think this title would have been so much better if drawn by someone capable of more dynamic action sequences.  This fight between Black Canary and Lady Shiva should be way more engaging.  Also, for two of the world’s top martial artists, there are way too many moves straight out of the WWE.  It really detracts from the supposed high stakes of the bout.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 1

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Deniz Camp.  The jury’s still out on this title, it’s one of those mindfuck “man’s world is falling apart around him as he starts to question the reality he’s living in” kind of things.  Javier Rodriguez is perfectly suited for this, I just hope that the story lives up to the artwork. 

Ultimate Spider-Man 15

Absolute Sandman shows up.  Not much else happens, but it’s still a lot of fun.