New comics

New comics!

Fantastic Four 17

The “team’s lost their memory and need to figure out their powers and interpersonal dynamics” thing feels a little overused, but Ryan North does a good enough job with it.  And it works without the reader needing to know anything about the DNX crossover it’s tying into, so bonus points for that.  

Absolute Wonder Woman 24

I just love this title so much when Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman are together on it.  It’s a perfect mix of exhilarating action, character beats, and gorgeous art.  I need to find the time to read it all at once, I still haven’t done that.  

Alien vs X-Men 1

This reminds me a lot of Warren Ellis’ WildCATs/Aliens, where the xenomorphs kill off a bunch of mainstays early on, setting up the main event to follow.  Kieron Gillen gets things off to a good start, but hopefully it doesn’t fall apart the way Aliens vs Avengers did.

Wonder Woman 2026 Annual

Tom King lets Stephanie and Leah Williams tell the origin of the Matriarch.  Blah blah she’s been selfish as a kid blah blah.  It’s competent enough, but doesn’t make Matriarch any more of an interesting character to me.  

Absolute Batman 24

I’m honestly surprised at how much my enthusiasm for this title has plummeted.  There’s something going on w/ the introduction of Absolute Batgirl, but I find myself just not caring at all.  A few more months of this and I’m likely to drop it.  

Batman of Two Worlds 1

Something DC put out for Batman Day, which I didn’t know was a thing.  This reads like a Free Comics Book Day kind of issue with short stories featuring the Matt Fraction Batman and Snyder’s Absolute Batman.  Totally not worth paying three bucks for.  

Last Driver 2

I’m totally in this for the art, because Sean Murphy’s writing isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.  

Flash 37

Flash gets into an ethics debate w/ this JLA teammates, and comes across as a simple-minded idiot when he’s unable to even acknowledge the gray area of his Minority Report actions.  It’s all a moot point when a catastrophe he supposedly prevented occurs anyway.  I hope his failing precog doesn’t let him off the hook for his philosophical failings.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees Halloween Special

I was saddened to discover that creator Patrick Horvath only did the wrapper scenes for this anthology issue. But the various teams all do a great job, and certainly capture the same creepy spirit Horvath brought to the original two miniseries.  Looking forward to the next arc when it comes out in 2027.  

Superman: The Stranger 2

Wes Craig nails the 1920’s vibe with this story.  It really feels like a spiritual companion to For All Seasons.  Can’t put my finger on why, but that’s the feeling I get when I read this, even though it isn’t as Norman Rockwell.  

Batman 14

Batman looks for Mr Freeze while Verity Pennyworth takes on a trio of cop looters at the mansion.  Eh.  

Death Vigil 3

More of the same.  Again, not Stjepan Sejic’s best, but it might be growing on me.

New comics

More new comics that have backed up.

Batman 13

Matteo Scalera and colorist Tomeu Morey create a Kelley Jones tone here.  Batman fights his way to the top of GCPD headquarters in a very poor man’s version of The Raid.  Vandal Savage is the final boss on the roof, and we’ll see how it goes next issue.  It’s fine.  I’m not that excited about this “Bad Seeds” crossover event.  

Fantastic Four 16

One of Ryan North’s weaker efforts.  The FF violate the Prime Directive on an alien world and go through convoluted lengths to fix the situation.  Not his most inspired work.  

Supergirl: Survive 4

Kara and Kal-El experiment with their powers, then meet an exiled Braniac.  This is the evil one, right?  So him building a gateway to the Phantom Zone can only lead to bad things, right?  I love how this continues to surprise me and leave me guessing.

Daredevil 6

I tried.  But Flaviano as guest artist starkly illustrates how weak Stephanie Phillips’ writing is on this title.  And while I love Lee Garbett, he’s no Hayden Sherman.  He needs at least some semblance of story backing him up to keep me buying.  Cutting from my sub. 

New comics

New comics!

Absolute Batman 23

Conspiracy Bruce Wayne who doesn’t trust his friends or family gets really old really quickly.  I hope he snaps out of it soon, because I’m not interested in reading about this Batman.  The Clayface/Batman/Robins sequence was pretty cool, but the nonstop grimness of this series is starting to wear on me.  

DIE: Loaded 8

Okay, I think I’m done.  I didn’t even read this, just skimmed it.

100 Bullets: US of Anger 2

Same with this.  Buying it out of force of habit, time to buckle down and break the cycle.  

Fantastic Four 15

Another wonderful time travelling story from Ryan North, and the tribute to FF artists past was a lovely touch for this 65th anniversary issue.  And truly, RIP to Johnny’s glorious moustache.

Battle Beast 12

Yesss.  More insane fight sequences from the immortal Ryan Ottley.  I’d like to see his R-rated take on some Marvel characters.  Maybe a Wolverine/Sabretooth fight.  With this brief cessation in hostilities, the title goes on hiatus until next March.

Daredevil 5

I can’t bring myself to drop three titles in a week.  And Lee Garbett gets at least the beginning of arc number 2 from me.  I hope Stephanie Phillips finds her footing and brings something better next month.  This story was maybe replacement level.  

Wonder Woman 36

The second half of this title’s version of The Contest.  It’s pretty good, but I’ll always wish for Miken Janin’s art.  Looking forward to Tom King’s return next month.

Batman 12

A number of assassins come to town.  Batman fights a couple of them and Verity Pennyworth (the new butler) proves her worth.  She’s not as cool as Alfred (I mean, who is?), but she shows promise.  She’s got a ways to go though.  

Supergirl: Survive 3

Every issue of this title zigs a different zag, and it’s frankly mind boggling that Ethan S Parker and Griffin Sheridan haven’t driven the whole thing off the road yet.  In fact, they’ve kept it super fun and engaging.  Kara does the “Hal Jordan creating a lost city with a power ring in Emerald Twilight” thing while Mr Mxyzptlk looks on.  (And it’s one of the few times he’s not infuriating.).  And the cliffhanger promises a fourth new direction in as many issues.  Can’t wait. 

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!

Harley and Ivy 6

Horribly unclear fight with Clayface.  But Erica Henderson saves the issue with a cute final scene between the titular couple.  I’d read more.

Fantastic Four 12

One of the funniest endings to a comic that I’ve read in a long time, as Ryan North comes up w/ an explanation for the very real Roman dodecahedron mystery.  Loved it.  

Batman 1-10

I picked up the trade for the first six issues, and decided to add the title to my sub.  Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez are doing a fine job with the Dark Knight.  Fraction also writes a hilarious Alfred (albeit in ghostly hallucination form.  Boo.).  Can’t wait for Vandal Savage to get his comeuppance, no one deserves it more.  Well, Joffrey.  Jimenez’s Batman really channels Jim Lee.

Daredevil 2-3

I’m worried that I’m only buying this because of Lee Garbett’s awesome art;  The story’s fine, but nothing special.  It’s kind of like Tom Taylor’s run on Detective right now, with very run-of-the mill adventures.  Only Taylor’s better at folding in special moments.  Well, I’ll stick around for a while longer.

Barbara Gordon: Breakout 2

Hrm.  Things are taking a turn for the worse.  Barbara’s getting drugged in jail, and I’m not finding the resultant story interesting at all.  OMG, is Mariko Tamaki going to disappoint me yet again?   Gaaah, I hope not.  

Absolute Catwoman 1

Well, it’s not a bad start, but it’s nothing more than a standard Elseworlds for now.  

Escape 1-6

An iFanboy recommendation.  (Let’s see how long this following sentence is going to be.)  An anthropomorphized bear (Maus-style) is a downed American bomber pilot in a bat-Nazi filled Germany-analog during World War II (or something exactly like it).  I’ll pick up the next trade for sure.

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.

 

Movies

The Batman

Caveat: I watched this on my laptop.  There’s a huge chance my feelings about this movie would be very different if I’d seen it on the big screen.

That out of the way, I found this movie to be very meh.  Super long without much to show for it.  The thing I liked the most was Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of Batman.  I loved seeing him in the suit, there’s something about it that’s absolutely iconic, way more than any of the other live action versions.  Parsing Spanish grammar was a nice runner-up.

The rest of it is pretty forgettable.  I don’t think I’ll ever watch this again.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Nice

Turning Red

Hilarious.  All the things that the positive reviews say it is.  Mei’s three friends are my favorite part.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Pretty good

Batman: Year One, New Comics

New comic!

Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem 1

I thought I’d have to reread all the previous series in order to understand what’s going on here, but I managed okay.  It’s fine enough, I’ve committed enough to this whole saga that I’m probably going to ride it out.  

Batman 404-407

Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli’s immortal Batman: Year One.  There’s not much I can say about this story that hasn’t been said before, just that reading it makes me supremely happy.  Like broad-smile-on-my-face-as-I-read happy.  The art is so good, the writing is so good.  A few things I want to mention:

Classic.

Miller's got a lovely dry sense of humor.

Love the look on Selina's face.  Also, "bitter ends?"

Serious question, when did Alfred become Alfred?  Was it with Miller in DKR?

Look at how Mazzucchelli gets so much expression into Essen's face w/ just a few lines in that last panel.

I love how he draws her.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Tom King Batman

Batman 75-85

Original review.  Still not a fan of Alfred’s death, even from a story POV.  (Of course I don’t want him to die, he’s the best, but if it’s going to happen, at least make it more emotionally satisfying.  Like Tony Stark in Endgame.)  That said, his farewell letter to Bruce is pretty darn good.

"The butler was family."  Only took Alfred dying for him to say it.

No way Thomas takes them all out later on.  Don't buy it.

The final issue is a complete mishmash of scenes, but Tom King somehow manages to make it work, tying everything up very neatly and going so far as to give running gag offscreen sad sacks Kite Man and Gotham City Knights quarterback Campbell happy endings.  

Other highlights:

King using the Killing Joke line for the second time this run.

Lovely action by Mikel Janin.

At the end of it all, I rate King’s run as a success.  It had gorgeous art throughout, and the stories mostly floated around Pretty good, sometimes dipping to Nice, sometimes rising up to Good.  (It’s the annuals where he really flourished, with three out of four Really goods.)  Beneath all the superhero trappings and Bane/Thomas Wayne’s byzantine plots, this was really a romance between two flawed people and their long struggle to come to terms with each other and themselves.  Not too shabby, Mr. King.

Beautiful posing by Clay Mann.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good to Good

Batman Annual 4

An amazing look at the day to day life of Batman.  King, Jorge Fornes, and Mike Norton start with a multipage story showing one day, then gradually shrink the number of pages and panels devoted to each day until the never-ending-battle nature of Batman’s crusade can’t be missed.  It’s so well written and executed.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good