Abhinav Jain Comic Reviews

It is really interesting that so far, while Michael has established Cyborg-Superman's connection to both Supergirl and Superman, on both a familial and genetic level, he has yet to actually name the villain as Cyborg-Superman. Kara has given him that moniker as a way to understand what he is. I'm certainly looking forward to what Michael does in Supergirl #24 and what role the villain plays in the Forever Evil event.

Pascal Alixe and Vicente Cifuentes are on penciling duties here with Pete Pantazis on colours and Carlos M. Mangual on letters. The art has a very rough quality to it, but it is undeniable that the final result is pretty striking in itself. There's some internal inconsistency though (kind of very small, but it is there), and I think the overall result could have been better. Still, I loved it, to be honest!

Sure, sure, high praise, hyperbolic praise, right, right. But you know what, I definitely loved this issue. I'd never thought that I'd ever read an Archie comic like this. It was amazing on every single level. Frankly, I do want more. Afterlife with Archie #1 is my first Archie comic in some ten years, probably more, and this homecoming has been completely unexpected and… gut-punching.

Other than that, another marvellous offering from Aguirre-Sacasa and Francavilla.

And for the art, well, Francesco Francavilla's art is too good for mere words to describe. His characters' expressions were all top-notch this time and all the scenes he does with the infected people were really good once again again. I wish I could get posters made out of every page!

So yeah, this is yet another awesome issue from this creative team, and I enjoyed the hell out of this one, just as I did the other three issues.

As ever, Francesco Francavilla's artwork is dark and broody and utterly riveting. His zombies are awesome and so are his characters, all of whom are drawn with a soft, careful hand that takes the time to get all the details right. While I'm really missing the cheeriness of the regular Archie comics, I'm still in love with the horror and supernatural vibe of this comic. And that is all on Francavilla. His artwork remains one of the best things about this series, make no mistake.

Overall, a decent first issue that promises some interesting things for the series. I want more.

Overall, in all respects, All-New Invaders #2 is a better issue than All-New Invaders #1. Can't wait to see what James Robinson turns out when he begins to hit his stride on this title.

I'm kind of really looking forward to All-New X-Factor #3 now, so February should be interesting.

A really great issue. Good pacing. Great story. Great art. Excellent premise. Really neat cliffhanger.

Overall, great issue, and I'll definitely be reading #700.3 soon.

I'd say that this series is off to a fairly good start. The particular numbering doesn't make sense, given the events that happened in The Amazing Spider-Man #700, but I'd say that's the only real criticism of this issue that I can offer, aside from the enjoyment factor. Looking forward to the next issue.

Peter is back and this is going to be a great time!

This is turning out to be a really good title and I hope it stays that way!

The art for the most part is pretty great, better than a lot of other comics I'm reading, by far, and it definitely keeps you interested all the way, which is no small feat for a book like this. The only downside here is that Ramos' Black Cat is a bit out of proportions at times, and also very weird-looking. Other than that, the pencils in general and the inks and colours were spot on.

I only hope that next month's issue is significantly better, mostly in terms of the writing, and that we return to more Nightcrawler action.

For my money's worth, this was an excellent comic and I'd definitley recommend it.

Overall, an excellent issue. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Man, all I gotta say is that I'm absolutely loving this series and that I'm definitely a convert.

So yeah, I'm having a blast getting back into the Buffyverse with the two main series. Couldn't be better!

All I'll say in the end is that I'm really enjoying this series and that this book is one of my favourites. With The Darkness and Aphrodite IX, Top Cow has some great titles out every month and that I can't wait to get to the next issues.

Bring on October and issue #6! The final panel/page for this issue is an absolute rocker and I really can't wait to see what exactly Matt and Stjepan have in store next. It was a really exciting ending and also completely unexpected, so bonus points there!

Overall, this was quite a good continuation of the series and Matt and Stjepan are off to a fairly good start. Bring on #7!

This could have been a great issue. In fact, John Ostrander would have done well to tie-in this issue with the ongoing Forever Evil and tell what The Others are doing while Aquaman is missing, presumed dead. That would have been a far better approach since the story could have been left genuinely open-ended. The way things end here, its just disappointing.

All in all, this was a great issue and I certainly would recommend it!

As a one-shot package, this is a good issue. Some really nice characterisation of Orm and some backstory on him as well. To use a common parlance, this is a 75% show, 25% tell kind of story, and it largely works.

Now all my hopes are on incoming writer Jeff Parker, and I hope that he brings the same daring style to the book that Geoff did. That's all I ask.

Overall though, I'll say that Aquaman is in damn good hands right now.

With the way that this issue ends, I'm really looking forward to how things pan out in #28 later this month. Should be quite fun!

The issue ends on a 1-page subplot which is like an epilogue to the whole thing. It serves to set up the upcoming Rise of the Seven Seas crossover that will happen soon enough between Aquaman and Justice League, something that I'm really looking forward to later this year. The dialogue on this page was a little stiff, but I liked the thrust of it well enough. We shall see how future issues pan out, but for now, I'm quite happy where Aquaman is going.

With this issue, Jeff proves that he is more than a match for Geoff's past excellent on the title and that he is going to stick around for a good long while. And I can't wait to read the next issue now, knowing how the big bad villain is for Aquaman in this current arc. Want more immediately, particularly since it looks like there are events happening over in Swamp Thing which have some effects for Aquaman as well. Exciting!

Overall, another satisfying issue, although there's still a hint of something missing from the title.

There's still more to go to this whole thing and I'm off half a mind to just go and read Charles Soule's relevant issues of Swamp Thing, so that's a huge plus there I think. Plus it seems like things are really beginning to heat-up at Triton Base and that Coombs is gonna be back very soon.

Jeff Parker has continued to redefine Aquaman has he sees fit after considering many different options, and Aquaman #32 is one of the best examples of that.

This issue had the potential to be so much more, and I'm saddened that Jeff Parker didn't write it, or that there was no Paul Pelletier here. With them, this would have been a great issue, but sadly that is most assuredly not the case.

All in all, I'm quite pleasantly surprised with this issue and am looking forward to the next issue!

Joe Bennett is the penciller here, with inks by Jack Jadson, colours by Jim Charalampidis and letters by Deron Bennett. For the most part, the art reflects the characters as they are in real life on the show, but occasionally there are panels where that's not the case. However, it all balances out in the end because Joe has a great sense of action and visual pacing so he moves the reader through the story in short order, all the while presenting one kickass scene after another. The inks by Jack are a bit heavy, but quite appropriate for the most part, and the same goes for Jim, who presents a more generally upbeat tone to Starling than I'd thought to find here.

Issue #3 really can't get here soon enough and it sucks that I have to wait an unnecessary two weeks for it. I want to read it now!

For the main story we have Joe Bennett on pencils and Craig Yeung on inks. For the backup, we have Szymon Kudranski on pencils. The colours and letters for this issue are by Jim Charalampidis and Deron Bennett respectively. As before, the art is pretty consistent for the most part, and I like that solidity on this title. Nothing really stands out this week, but the backup with Brother Blood packs quite a punch I dare say. Still, there are quite a few splash pages here and each one is awesome in its execution.

Batgirl Annual #2 (2014) isn't quite the story I was expecting, but it ended up being quite good even if I had some trouble understanding some of the events and the dialogue. It is nice to get a standalone story for this series, considering all the crossovers that have happened recently, and that's the true value of this book. Anyone can pick it up and dive right in.

If you want to jump in on this series, this isn't all that bad a place to start, but I would definitely recommend that you start with #19. And even read #17 and #18, written by Ray Fawkes as a fill-in due to a temporary screw up at DC, since they set up some of ongoing things. Trust me, you want the full experience.

And finally, Alex Garner just rocks with the cover art. The one for the previous issue was pretty damn excellent and so is this one. As a friend said, it subtly references the Batman: A Death In The Family one-shot from yesteryears, the issue that saw Jason Todd being murdered by the Joker in cold-blood. This one is a really great piece of artwork and I hope that Alex has a long and fruitful run on this title.

Overall, excellent issue and a great start for the title in the new year.

Other than that though, this was a pretty interesting issue, and I'm looking forward to more.

All in all, a pretty damn good issue. It isn't the same level of awesomeness as the Wanted arc, but it comes pretty damn close!

Overall, this story just didn't work for me at any level, though it was somewhat nice to see Barbara fight a bona-fide monster. Marguerite Bennett is a decent writer, but she just doesn't have the same kind of facility with the character that Gail Simone has.

So much to love in this issue and it is pretty much as awesome as Gail's previous creepy story two-parter that involved the Ventriloquist, issues 20 and 21 if I recall correctly.

All in all, a pretty good issue that reads really quickly and juggles a lot of things really well. Just needs some smoothing over in context to the other Bat-books is all.

Of course, once Helena Wayne enters the picture, it is pretty much a given that she is going to end up fighting Barbara, which makes some sense as Barbara mentions in her silent monologue, and those action scenes are really something, both for how Fernando Pasarin draw's Barbara's face and how he executes the beat-up. At times his characters are a bit too tall and thin but thankfully that only happens in an odd page here and there. The inks by Jonathan Glapion and Matt Ryan are really excellent here, as are the colours by Blond. And yes, Alex Garner delivers another rocking cover for this series, so really, the art was almost perfect here this time!

I am really sad to see Gail and the others leave the title, but they had a grand time together, and that's what this issue is all about!

To sum up the new issue, too many changes too fast.

Javier Garron is the penciller here with Romulo Fajardo Jr. on colours, Saida Temofonte on the letters and Clay Mann on the cover with Romulo. The art here is much different to the DC house style being a bit more shiny and flashy for one than the regular Batgirl comic before this. I didn't mind it so much, but it did kind of jar. Still, I loved Romulo's colours quite a bit, and the differences between all the heroes and villains were nicely highlighted too.

Regardless, this was still a greatly enjoyable issue and I wouldn't mind seeing more of Tieri and Duce's Penguin in any future issues.

Bottom-line: this issue is, sadly, a waste of time and money.

Aside from a few niggles, this really was a great issue and it has definitely established the origin of one of Batman's greatest villains, and also moved the entire story forward very significantly. And the art continues to rock.

Following on from an issue as spectacular as Batman #24 was always going to be a pretty tough task. And I thought the team could very well prove itself yet again. But that's not how things turn out here.

But overall, this issue was most definitely worth the price of admission. Glad to see the series back on track.

Other than all that though, I definitely enjoyed this issue.

And that's that. Its not the issue I was expecting, and it is a bit different yes, but I liked it certainly.

Overall, not quite the issue I was expecting, but a decent "mid-arc" issue nonetheless. Get it for completeness, if nothing else.

Overall, this is one of the more disappointing issues of the entire series, largely because this is a catch-up issue and little more than that.

The art here is by ACO, with colours by Fco Plascencia, letters by Dezi Sienty and Carlos M. Mangual, and the cover by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. The cover is good, but it also gives away the point of the story too much I feel, especially the ending. The art itself, it is a bit more stylized than the art on Batman has been to date, with the inking effects being minimal. A bit more ink on the pages would have helped immensely, helped define the panels even more, but on the whole, not that bad of an effort!

But good, or even great, art cannot make a terrible story palatable or acceptable. And that is the case here. After the enormous disappointment of all of Greg Pak's work for DC that I've read so far, I'm not inclined to support the writer in any way. I just can't stomach such terrible stories.

Overall, I loved the dark vibe to the issue. James builds on everything that Scott Snyder did with the Court in his first eleven issues of the New 52 version of Batman and what he has been doing in Talon as well. And all the mood developed by the artists totally rocks things as well. Given how this issue ends, I really want to catch-up on Talon now, and see how James furthers that title within the context of the ongoing Forever Evil event. If there are any negatives to the issue at all, there's only one: the first few panels are slightly inconsistent in terms of pencils.

Very odd choices to make, and makes me question whether there was any communication between the Geoff/David Finch team and Tomasi/March.

Overall, Batman: Eternal is off to a great start, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next issue next week. Should be fun!

Still, what matters is that this was an awesome story and some quite awesome art. Just a few improvements here and there to make this even better.

What can I say? This was another great issue and I'm even more excited about this series now.

Decent issue at best, but a huge step back in the quality nonetheless. I can only hope that the future issues are better.

Ultimately, the bottom-line is that John Layman has given me yet another reason to love his work, to keep reading it. He has been fantastic on Detective Comics and he is fantastic here. This is definitely an issue I can see myself reading again and again for the amusing portrayal of events. Definitely a thumbs-up from me.

Overall, this was one of the best Villain's Month issues, and I look forward to more goodness from Gail from next month once The Movement and Batgirl resume their normal run.

This could easily have been a better issue I think, but it wasn't all that bad, and it did give me a hook to return next month for the next issue, so that's something.

A fun comic. It remains to be seen whether this will be solicited further for next week given recent developments.

If you've been waiting on a trade for this comic, then you definitely need to stop wasting time and get on with the floppies program. This is not the kind of series that you want to wait on for that long.

Overall, Natasha has seen a great outing with this issue and I'm definitley around for a few more. The second issue is supposed to shit out in 2 weeks, which means that the title is going to double-ship this month just as with some of the other new launches from Marvel, so not long to wait!

Needless to say, this was pretty much a perfect issue.

What I really liked here was that Edmondson finally brought in SHIELD, and with a mission for Natasha no less. This book has had an espionage feel to it from the get go, and its nice to see that Edmondson is taking that one step further and actually connecting the character to the larger Marvel-verse. And, Maria Hill! I love Maria Hill

Overall, a fantastic issue that furthers an overall story for the title, and also furthers Natasha's own personal story too.

And when it comes to the art, I'm really not sure what I can add. I mean, the art is awesome as always, no criticism comes to mind. Phil Noto has been spectacular and this is a continuing trend. If I had to stretch, and a stretch this is so keep that in mind, I'd say that some of the scenes with Natasha and her French contact are not coloured "properly". By which I mean that their faces are too white. Or just pasty white. Or something. Point is, their faces aren't coloured "realistically".

Edmondson ends the issue on a rather philosophical note as Natasha muses on what she is and who she is, and going into the next arc of the series, it is a nice moment to end this arc on, wrapping everything up. Can't wait to see what the next story brings to this series.

All in all, a fantastic issue that proves why this series is damn awesome.

Joelle Jones is the illustrator here, with Nick Filardi on colours and CRANK! on letters. The fantastic artwork is one of the big reasons to read this issue, because Joelle has a great way with facial expressions and body language that you don't get to see often. Each character is drawn distinctly and with lots of details so you are never confused as to who is who, and the monster is also drawn rather well. Wasn't really expecting the monster to be as it is, but it works I guess. A good, decent challenge for Rikard, with the action sequence being amazing.

I applaud Marco's artistic choices, but I also wish that he would tone it down for future issue, so what's happening on the pages is that much clearer. And Ales Kot seems to be in a good place here with the character and story, so I'm looking forward to him exploring more of that in future issues.

Overall, I loved this issue. It is a simple story with some interesting twists. It introduces all the characters very well, even for readers who might be new, and the art rocks.

Overall, another great issue in the returning series!

I really can't say how much I loved this issue and how much I'm loving this series. You all really need to be reading this, especially if you are a Buffy fan.

Now I'm just hoping that things continue along the same vein and that the story gets even better since I'm having a hell of a time with this series right now.

Rebekah Isaacs and Dan Jackson and Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt are back for another turn this issue, along with cover artists Steve Morris who delivers another awesome piece of cover art, with the focus being on Spike fighting Maloker this time. As with the previous issues, I loved the artwork here. Maloker looks threatening and a badass in every panel he is in, and the action scenes are fluid and dynamic as always too. Couple that with the fact that Rebekah has a really good handle on the expressions-work and that Dan's colours are just way too good, and you've got a perfectness here.

This is an interesting start to a new arc with a new art team and I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes in the next four months.

A strong continuation of the new arc, that's what this issue is.

Like I said though, this is still a pretty fun comic to read and I'll definitely be tuning in for the next issue. So stay tuned yourselves!

So far, I'm really liking where this series is going. If the few kinks can be ironed out, all the better.

This review has had a fairly negative tone, so I just want to say that despite all that, this issue was a fun read. Its not everything that I hoped it would be, but it comes close, so I'm willing to give it a pass in that context.

Caliban #1 is a comic that I started reading because of that (very) intriguing cover, done by Percio. It hints at what the story is about in this issue and it provides the horror framework that is at the core of this issue. But really, it is the story that is the best part of the whole thing. I didn't expect to like this comic as much as I did, and I'm really glad that things turned out for the better.

As with last time, Percio is the penciller here with Sebastian Cabrol providing the inks, Hernan Cabrera providing the colours and Kurt Hathaway providing the letters. In a slight bit of improvement from last time, the artwork in this issue is much more detailed and atmospheric than before. And the best scene is definitely the splash page with the scene showing off the alien cargo hold, with all the preservation canisters. Another would be the scene I mentioned above with regards to the lamprey-octopus. Now that was a fun page, you can be sure of that.

With such a strong performance in issue #3, this series has a good future.

So what all that means is that the new Captain Marvel #1 is a great issue and that I do recommend it. If you're not following any Captain Marvel comics, like me, then this is a good place to start.

Overall, this was a fairly good issue, but could have sure used some more work. But in the meantime, I'm loving the jukebox tracks.

A slightly better issue overall than the previous one and a good, fun read that is also quick. I enjoyed it.

A good strong continuation of the ongoing storyline that finally comes back to the start of the first issue and we see how things are going to play out from here.

Another awesome issue, marking the end of a great beginning for this new series.

David Lopez and Lee Loughridge continue their excellent run on the series with this issue, and pretty much the entire issue featured some really outstanding work. The problems of the first couple issues are now in the past and the art team has put its best foot forward now. The expressions-work, the character-work, the interplay of colour palettes, the sheer scale and awesomeness of the action scenes, it was all superb.

This is a great issue for this new series, but it is a little too static for my tastes. The best thing here is definitely how well Rocket is a foil for Carol and Kelly Sue writes both characters really well.

Overall though, I just can't get behind this issue at all. And I hope that there aren't any more Gothtopia tie-ins for this series. My OCD will likely make me read such an issue, and I'd rather not.

And Pat Oliffe's pencils, Tom Nguyen and Walden Wong's inks, and Sonia Oback's colours really make this issue come alive. Lots of great action here between Selina's lieutenants, though they are mostly B- and even C-listers, but the artists capture them really well. Selina is the star of course however, and she gets the most attention, which is just as well with me. There were a few moments where the art was inconsistent, such as with Selina's face or her chest area, but overall, pretty solid.

But now, now I can't wait to get my hands on the first trades for each comic series and get more familiar with all these characters.

Coffin Hill #1 is not a great first issue, but it is a fairly good one and I will definitely be tuning in next month for the sequel.

So, in closing, quite a good second issue. If it continues like this next month, then Coffin Hill #3 is sure to be another great issue.

So yeah, great story, great art, but not-so-great cover. All in all, Coffin Hill is still a pretty great comic.

So yes, overall, one of the best issues of the series, Coffin Hill #4 is. If there is any major criticism I have of this issue, its that I don't get what the first page is about at all. I'm confused by it.

The art in this issue is by Argentinian artist Ariel Olivetti, who's done a really great job here of bringing Vendhya and its characters to life. Olivetti has a very strong painted style to his art in this comic and I found it to be a great counter-point to what Becky Cloonan, James Harren and Dave Stewart did on Wood's Conan the Barbarian Volume 1. Each panel is immaculately drawn and the art really pops off the page. Not cinematic per se, but strongly visual, I guess you could say. I really enjoyed the entire artwork. Definitely a major strength of this issue, and hopefully those to come as well.

In verdict, a good issue that is not quite as good as the first issue, but is still fairly solid on its own.

Overall, I'll be back for the fourth issue next month but I don't have high expectations for it at all.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with how this issue turned out and this comic is definitely going on my pull-list.

The art team also gets double-power with Riley Rossmo and Colin Lorimer on the art duties with Jim Cambell on the letters. It would have been nice to have had a breakdown on which pages were done by Rossmo and which were done by Lorimer. There's an obvious shift in the art style in the second half of the issue, but I'm hesitant to say that that's the only place where the art shifts. I couldn't really tell if there was a shift in the rest of the issue, so I'll just say that overall, the art is pretty amazing. The characters are very expressive and you can really feel their emotions, whether we talk about their sadness or their indignation or their anger or their rage or anything else. The scenes with the monster are also good ones, whether we see it post-capture or Laney's first encounter with it. I definitely had fun.

Overall, a strong sequel issue and one that I hope heralds how good the next few will be as well. To the creative team: keep up the good work!

I kind of expected this comic to be a lot better, even though I'm not a fan of Kubert's work, but I was still pretty disappointed with it. This is a 4-issue mini-series only, and generally I'd be all for finishing things up but I doubt I will.

Frankly, this was a very, very disappointing issue. From one freshman slump to a sophomore slump.

Taken all together, Daredevil #1.50 proved to be quite a satisfying story. It doesn't do anything major, but it offers up some nice cool-down moments and serves well to introduce the character and a measure of his supporting cast as well. If nothing else, get this issue for the awesome artwork alone.

Overall, this was a great issue, whether we talk about story and art. Big props to the entire creative team.

If the rest of the series continues to develop like these first three issues have, then I'm sure that this run of Daredevil too is going to be a long and fruitful run.

Overall, while the art was good, the story itself wasn't. Another case of false advertising from Marvel. This is hardly "The Most Important Issue #27 In The History of Comics". In fact, I'd say that this is "The Most Underwhelming Issue #27 In The History of Comics".

All in all, a great start to a new mini-event from Marvel.

A pulse-pounding issue with some really great moments.

As before, Steve is on the pencils here with Jay Leisten on inks, Justin Ponsor on colours and Chris Eliopoulos on the letters. The visual action in this issue is as intense as it was in the last one. The fight between Yuriko and Kitty gets really messy for one, and the big fight in the second half is also impressive, involving as it does samurai body armour and samurai swords. Steve & Co. are on fire in this issue, and there are lots of little touches here and there that you can miss at first, but then you go back and the connections are all there. The art in this issue is one of the biggest reasons why I liked it.

A resoundingly awesome issue, like few I've read to date.

Holy cow, this issue was awesome. When can I get more?

Amazingly enough, this is another mind-blowing issue from Stjepan.

Just someone tell me what I have to do to get Stjepan to switch this series to a bi-monthly format!

The pencils in this issue are by Fernando Bald with colours by Nick Filardi and letters by Nate Pieko of Blambot. Gabriel and Matthew Wilson are on the fantastic cover there. The art in this issue was as great as the story itself. Poseidon feels like a dangerous place at every turn and the monster designs by Bald are also evocative of the completely alien nature of the planet. His characterwork is also on point and with the might of the great Nick Filardi's colours behind him, Deep Gravity #1 really does stand out in the end. Some of the inking here and there felt a bit heavy, and some characters' facial expressions felt a bit incomplete here and there, but all in all, solid word.

Excellent work that I would like to see kept up in the future.

Fernando Bald's is back on the artwork with Nick Filardi on colours, Nate Piekos of Blambot on letters and the cover by Gabriel and Matthew Wilson. As mentioned before, this issue is quite the claustrophobic one and the characters are all fidgeting about it all the time. Fernando did a great job with the body-language and with the general characterwork while the same could be said of Nick for his own tasks. Their monster design is also fairly ruthless and shocking and awe-inspiring, which is the kind of thing that I was really looking forward to on this blasted cursed land.

For a series that I did not know was starting off this week, Dejah of Mars #1 has definitely proven to be quite awesome, and I'm really looking forward to more soon.

Regardless, I liked how the issue ends where it began, coming full circle. This is definitely a must-read for all Man-Bat fans.

Overall, I'm very disappointed with this story. The good parts were not enough to outweigh the bad, sadly. And it definitely is not worth the $7.99 price tag. Detective Comics #19 was a far better issue and celebration in pretty much every single way.

All in all, Gothtopia is turning out to be great and I agree with the sentiment in certain places that I'd love to see an animated adaptation of this story. It could be really good, I think.

I'm sad to see Layman's end on Detective Comics coming to an end because I've genuinely loved what he has done on the title. But at the same time, it is also nice to see that he is going out on a high note. And Aaron Lopresti's stay has also been a fun one.

Overall, this was a good solid issue that promises a lot of things and provides a nice enough twist at the end to bring the reader back for the next issue.

Last month I mentioned that the cover to Detective Comics #30 was one of the trippiest I've seen ever for a Batman comic, and I thought that it couldn't be topped. Then I saw the cover for this morning, and my jaw dropped, because top themselves the creators did. Francis Manapul has turned out a stunning over here, make no mistake and it quite nicely represents what happens in the comic later on, just as what happened with the previous issue. Nice bit of foreshadowing and hint-dropping. And I mean, just look at the colour gradient down the cover. Excellent, excellent stuff. Doesn't get better than this, not at all.

For this reader, the overall package proved to be quite a good one, despite some of the missteps made, and I have to say that after having read the recent annual and now this issue, I'm definitely in the camp of people who like Doc Savage comics.

Overall, I'm quite impressed with this one. I wasn't sure what to expect from the title since I didn't really know anything about it before I dived in to this issue, but the experience certainly bears out and I'm looking forward to the second issue.

The first issue of the series focused on the characters more than it did on the setting, and I found that be a good approach, though I was left with a desire to learn more about the world, this Dreamscape that the protagonist Joe Thursday inhabits. And lo behold, JMS delivers on that very thing with the second issue. The characters don't take a backseat to the setting here, but JMS weaves it all together much more strongly so that the cohesiveness of the entire issue is that much better. Besides, with everything that happens here, there's no way that I couldn't be impressed.

This series is not off to a good start, though it shows small nuggets of promise.

A really fun intro issue that makes me want to read David and Fabrice's Spider-Man: Noir series.

The story connects with Spider-Verse right at the end of the issue, reminding that there is a larger story at work here, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all fits together.

Overall, a very satisfying issue that puts Elektra right up there in the big leagues.

Let's see how the second issue pans out. I would love for it to be quite a bit better than this one, but this one wasn't all that bad either. Just some minor things that need correcting, I think.

Even later on, these problems persisted. All the way through I searched for a reason why I should be sticking with this series and each time I came up empty. The only thing that the series has going for it is that the four issues are available for free.

Overall, a good solid start to a new series that I hope continues and gets even better.

So, in a nutshell, James Robinson and Co. are continuing on with their solid start to the new series, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Overall, not as great an issue as the previous two as far as the story is concerned, but this was still pretty good.

As far as I'm concerned, this issue rocked, though I think that the fight sequence was dragged out a bit too long and it is weird to see Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk in a different costume than the one she has in her own solo-title right now.

Now that we know how the team is beginning to break-up, James Robinson's various bread-crumbs are beginning to become obvious and I am ever more excited for what is going to happen next. Amazingly enough, Fantastic Four has double-shipped this month, and I find that really interesting. Perhaps something major is happening next month? I'm not really current with news, so we shall see in about 2-3 weeks!

In the final tally, I definitely recommend that you go and pick up this book. It is worth it, and now I'm going to go and pick up the issues for the current arc, as written by Buccellato.

I loved it. And I highly encourage you to check it out.

So far, I have to say that of the 5 Villain's Month issues I've read so far, The Flash #23.1 is undoubtedly the best I've read. Originally, I was going to give this issue a 9.5/10, which is a pretty high rating from me, but then, I just couldn't help myself. I'm giving this issue a full score because of two things: "KNEEL BEFORE GRODD" and "I AM THE MASTER OF ALL I SEE". Two fantastic bits of dialogue and so bloody natural in the script.

Good read and definitely among the best I've read this month!

So, all the little things aside, The Flash #26 ends up being a really good read and as long as the art issues are worked out, I'd love to see this creative team again.

Not as great an issue as the previous ones that Brian has done with Francis, but a good issue nonetheless.

Overall, another good issue of the series, and I am really looking forward to the conclusion next month.

Overall, I was expecting this issue to be much better, and Buccellato didn't quite meet my expectations, but he still ended his run on a high note, and that's enough for me.

Honestly, this issue exceeded my expectations in all respects and I can't wait to read the sequel issue.

So yeah, another delightfully awesome issue that rocked. Do get it!

Overall, I'm not satisfied with this issue. it really could have been great, but it is letdown by the art most of all.

Overall, it was decent, but not great. Which is nothing new from how the previous two issues have been.

Overall, I've very, very disappointed with this issue. Right now I can't help but wonder if it would have been better for DC to double-ship this title. That would have helped with the event pacing certainly. And one more thing. For being the evil Justice League, the Crime Syndicate isn't doing a whole lot of evilling. They all seem to just be caught in their own infighting and their own needs rather than actually exerting their control over the world and making life hell for civilians populations everywhere. This is not the Crime Syndicate, this is Evil Supervillain Team Generic.

Best I can say about this issue is that it was decent. Slightly better than the previous issue, but not by much. My disappointment with this series continues.

Overall, certainly not one of Geoff Johns' better issues, not by a long shot.

So that's really it. This was a decent first issue, but I want more out of it. I want more jazz, more rock, more metal.

This issue didn't deliver on what I expected from it and it was a regression from the previous issue. I'm hoping that the third issue next months improves significantly.

All the same, I think this was the best Forever Evil event issue so far, and I can't wait to read the second issue next month. Its going to be a long wait but well worth it!

So, another strong issue from Brian and team, and I'm still fully onboard with this mini-series. Just slightly concerned where Brian is going with all of this though, considering where the team ends up on that final page, and what happens to them. That had me scratching my head a little since it appears to conflict with what's going on in Peter J. Tomasi's Forever Evil: Arkham War right now. We'll see next month I suppose!

Overall, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #4 is a good issue, but I wish that there was more actual relevance to the events of Forever Evil and that the Rogues were doing something to actually combat the Crime Syndicate rather than being on the run all the time.

Overall, a great issue that picks up from some of the deficiencies of the previous issues and sets the stage for something really fun.

Overall, I'm mostly satisfied with this issue. It gave the team a nice send-off, introduced a cool gay hero/villain in Pied Piper, and it really brought the team together. Plus the art!

Traviss' first issue contains lots of characters, whether good or bad, and while it is nice to see such an ensemble cast, sometimes it was easy to get lost in it as well since the characterization of particular characters never really gathered steam. I love seeing Scarlett in a leadership role within the team, and the same for Tomax as well since I mark him as a real smooth manipulator of people, but I wanted to see much more of them. Hopefully, as the title develops, Traviss is able to focus more and more on the characters.

As I said, Karl Kerschl is the artist here, with Geyser on the colours with Dave McCaig, Steve Wands on the letters, and the cover by Karl as well. Just to get this out of the way, but I loved the artwork here. Karl seems to be the perfect artist for this title, and he definitely has the whole high-school thing down to perfection. Whether we talk body language or background details or anything else, the art is both vivid and detailed. and it is most definitely not the house style, but something more relaxed, smoother even. Geyser and Dave's colours then bring in much of the horror vibe and the subtle gradations of colours panel-to-panel and the fact that almost all the action here takes place in the night, it is all damn good.

All in all, I am very stoked for this new book and it has certainly started off on a grand note.

The ending to this issue is very bittersweet for it reminds us of the relationships that the original four members of the Bat-family used to have, Bruce, Dick, Barbara and Alfred. Man, I wish we could get more scenes like that. All in all, definitely a fairly good continuation to last month's debut.

Wonder how things are going to go next month, with the inevitable confrontation between Matron and Dick.

The art team is made up of penciller Stephen Mooney, colourist Jeromy Cox, letterer Carlos M. Mangual and cover artist Andrew Robinson. The art team is a bit different from that of the regular title, and I found that a bit jarring in the beginning. Especially since Mooney's Helena and Dick are very different to how well Mikel Janin has portrayed them, but still, his characterwork is almost on point throughout and the colours are also good. Again, a bit too bleak, but easily digestible in the end.

Overall, this was a fairly solid issue, and I'm all pumped for the beginning of Lemire and Sorrentino's next big arc on the series, The Outsiders War. Should be good fun!

Overall, this was a pretty much perfect issue and I have no complaints. The team has started off the year on a great high.

All I want to say to the creative team is, keep doing what you are doing because what you are doing is damn good.

For this recent Green Arrow convert, this issue was filled with all kinds of awesome.

The team is firing on all cylinders as usual and it is glorious.

The art here is by Martin Coccolo and Aaron Lopresti with colours by Alex Sinclair, letters by Dave Sharpe and cover by Billy Tan and Alex Sinclair. Martin and Aaron are both among my favourite comics artists and it is nice to see the two of them collaborating on an issue here. Their art styles are complimentary and to be honest, I didn't even notice an art shift between the two! Maybe a little bit, but that's all.And Alex Sinclair, well, Alex is a great colourist and this issue has some of the artist's best work.

Not sure if I'd recommend this issue, but it is a worth a read if you are into Green Lantern Corps/John Stewart. And I'm really confused if this is meant to jive with Green Lantern: Future's End #1 or not. That is never made clear, which was a shame.

The FCBD issue also includes previews of the Dark Queen and the Robyn Hood one-shots, which provided some nice context of the overall story and, once again, have some decent artwork. All I can say is that I definitely want to read more of this event, and that I will be checking out the Grimm Fairy Tales Annual 2014 when it is released.

So yeah, a pretty damn good start to this new phase of Grimm Fairy Tales and also a great jumping-on point for new readers.

Great start and where things go from here should be fun!

For all my experience reading comics,, Grimm Fairy Tales 2014 Annual is definitely among the best that I've read to date and I don't really have any complaints about it.

The issue leaves you with a lot of questions, but then that's a good thing since it provides the narrative hooks for a reader to come back for the next issue, which I will be!

Quite a decent second issue, although I was hoping it would be better. Still, I'm enjoying this.

Overall a good start I think, and I'm definitely on board.

Overall, quite a good issue and just the slightest bit better than the first one. Bring on #3!

With the art, we have Marcus To on the pencils with Ian Herring on the colours and Deron Bennett on the letters. The art isn't really all that remarkable but it gets the job done and all the characters and scenes are drawn well too. I don't really have any complaints about the artwork. In a standout moment, we get to see how the interface for YourLife, the social network presented in the comic, looks like and how an influential user like Nick Graft, the aforementioned co-owner of YourLife, can affect things with a simple message. The message certainly does not need any verbal translation. The art does all the work there quite beautifully.

In a final summation, I'm quite happy with this issue. It is quite a bit better than its predecessor, which is what I wanted and what I got. The only real negative of the issue is that we don't get to see much of Sirine and her problems in Tunisia, but hopefully that changes for the third issue, given the ending here.

Overall, a fantastic issue, better than the last one.

The final twist, it is a bit nebulous, but I liked what it seemed to portend and I'll take that for now.

Loved it, I fell head over heals for this comic. This issue was Harley at her best, in whatever context you deem fit to talk about. I want more of this kind of perfect blend of silliness and humour mixed in with the trademark goofy Harley/Joker action. Jimmy, Amanda, and the entire army of artists have done a fantastic job here, and I can't wait to see the "results" in next month's issue.

Overall, not as plain awesome as the zeor issue, but still fairly decent, all things told.

This could have been a really good issue, but it unfortunately falls far short of the mark and that is somewhat depressing, given the high hopes that I had for it.

Still, all in all, I liked this issue. The story was better than the art, but it was still a better issue than last week's and that's good too. We also get some small amount of characterisation for a member of Harley's supporting cast, so that's another plus for this issue.

Overall, not as satisfying an issue as I was looking for, but it is still decent. Some good twists in the story here.

Overall, decent at best, but hardly required reading for the main story.

Series regular Chad Hardin is the artist here, with Alex Sinclair on colours John J. Hill on letters and Amanda herself on the cover with Paul Mounts. As I've said, Chad Hardin's art didn't often rub me the right way on the main series, but with this one-shot he has done something much different and he's made it an issue worth picking up for the art alone. His Harley is much more restrained in her antics this time around and that allows the artist to really focus on the characterwork. Sure, there are some inconsistencies in Harley here and there, but such are too few to really make a difference towards the negative side. For the most part, Chad gets Harley right and his interpretation of Joker is great as well. Plus Alex Sinclair delivering some amazing colours as usual, which is not a surprise at all!

With this issue, you could say that my interest in Harley Quinn has been renewed and that I'm really looking forward to the next installment of the mains series.

Plus, I really enjoyed the cliffhanger. Pretty much perfect and hints at what's going to happen in the next issue, next month.

With interiors from Francesco Trifogli and colours by Cris Peter, the art is once again quite decent. Given that the setting etc is all rather dark, a bit on the grim side, the colours don't really match up since they are quite cheery and even a little bright. Some shadows and dark colours would improve the artwork since then it can all match up with the story being told. Trifogli's pencils can sometimes feel uneven, with a lack of polish, but they are largely consistent, which is an important thing. There are flaws in the artwork, sure, but I like it all the same.

Overall, I'm quite impressed with it and this is a series that I definitely want to continue reading.

This could have been a better issue I think, but I'm still happy with this one.

There's just one more issue to go for this crossover, Superior Spider-Man Special #1, and I can't wait to see how everything ends.

Overall, all I can say really is that I'm really, really looking forward to the second issue of the series, which will be coming in at the end of next month. Too long a wait for me!

Regardless, this was still a pretty fun comic, and I might even re-read the whole thing when I do my read-through of Jonathan Hickman's Infinity soon as that's all done with, so it does have some re-read value, and that's often an important thing.

Overall though, this doesn't quite feel like an event comic. There isn't any hook to bring a reader back for a second issue, but as with any event comic, one the story gets its hooks into you, you are going to come back eventually. So hopefully the second issue improves significantly.

Still not fully sold on the whole thing, but willing to give it another go.

Any problems that I had with the issue were largely those related to the scripted narrative and not with the art. Regardless, this was a good one-shot and if you are looking to jump on to reading Marvel comics with this issue, or want to touch base for Inhumanity for next year, this is a good place to start, all things told.

Overall, decent enough story with decent enough art. I'd like to see more but I'm not sure if that's gonna happen.

It also helps, overall, that there is a more… human character in this issue as well, a fireman named Coyle. He plays a very important role in the story and its nice to see that Christos Gage moves between him and SpOck quite effortlessly, giving them equal page-time.

Overall, I'm still not convinced with this issue. The writing and the art just don't work for me as I expected them to. Which is a shame really. But, least I can say is that I'm indeed motivated to read the next issue, so we'll see how things go.

So like I said, Iron Patriot #1 is among the worst of the new series launched by Marvel, and it has a huge curve of improvement ahead of itself.

I don't know. I had a hell of a lot of fun with the comic. Its cheesy, its simplistic, but it does exactly what it says on the tin and it entertains.

As with so many other Villain's Month issues that failed to work for me this month, Justice League #23.4 feels forced and doesn't exactly fit into the concept of the entire month-long event. It would have been far better to have seen this kind of a story played out in backups to Forever Evil rather than in one-shots like this. Now that would have contextualised this story better. Right now, it just means that Geoff Johns delivered a disappointing issue. The contents of the comic just don't match the cover at all, which is another area where several Villain's Month issues have failed.

In short, this was one of worse Villain's Month issues, with nothing to recommend itself. Greg Pak has disappointed massively once again and I'm really hesitant about picking up Action Comics #23.2: Zod and Batman/Superman #3.1: Doomsday now. I've got no faith in Pak at this moment, even though I really like these two villains.

Justice League has had a great run in the New 52 and despite the fact that the Villain's Month issues for all the JL titles were all mostly duds, the regular titles are coming back with a lot of energy and punch and with some great ideas. That's the kind of stuff I want to see.

Overall, this was definitely an issue worth reading several times. I certainly did.

Overall, the story suffers from a lack of plot progression but as a character study it is good enough.

Overall, a better issue than the last time, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Overall, I had more fun with this issue than I did with the last. It has a significantly better story and better art too. So well done to all those involved!

Overall, I'm satisfied with this title in the art department, but the story department is somewhat off. It seemed as if Geoff Johns was holding back to a certain degree and reluctance shines through.

Overall, I think this is a good team though, and I certainly look forward to seeing them do more in future issues. I'd love for the team to get to do a good decent run on this title.

Overall, I'm still struggling to define why exactly I'm coming to this book even though I'm not enjoying it so much. Particularly since I've cut out other series for less reasons. We shall see.

Overall, I'm more disappointed than I expected to be. I think I just might drop the series from my pull-list now.

I am still not fully convinced by the title, but I do see a ray of hope now and can only wish that things continue along the same path for the next few issues.

I was already a fan of DeMatteis and with this issue he's given me even more reasons to think he is one of the best. Not to mention, now I definitely want to read the entirety of his run on Phantom Stranger. That's what a good comic should be all about, and DeMatteis and Co are right on top of that.

With this issue, we continue see the events of Forever Evil: Blight unfold. DeMatteis is building up a really interesting mystery here and I can't wait to see how that works out well with Ray Fawkes' Constantine in a few short weeks. Should be extremely fun!

Overall, a great chapter in the ongoing Forever Evil: Blight arc and I loved that the Sea-King got to be badass here for a few moments and I'm rather excited where the story goes next.

The issue ends on an amazing cliffhanger that finally shows where the rest of the original Justice League Dark is. Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, Black Orchid and Frankenstein have been missing since the events of Justice League #23, which marked the end of Forever Evil, and we finally learn their fate. I loved that ending.

Overall, in the wake of Forever Evil: Blight, it looks like Justice League Dark is still going strong and I'm all for that.

The cliffhanger in this issue is pretty damn WTF, but in a good way, so I'm definitely interested in seeing where the story goes.

Still, not a bad issue after all. In fact, it is one of DeMatteis' better issues by far.

Apart from a well-written comic, Justice League of America #7.4 is also a well-drawn comic. And there are definitely no negatives to it. Nothing I picked up, at any rate.

With next week's release of both Justice League and Justice League Dark, I'm hoping that some of the questions are answered. And that over time the larger storyline is streamed out.

Overall, this was quite a good comic, and I'm definitely on board for more.

I wanted this to be as great an issue as the first one, but it turns out that it is even better!

Another great issue of the series, and I desperately look forward to the new issue at the end of May.

For my money's worth, King Conan: The Conqueror #4 is an absolute must read.

I find myself ever more fascinated by this series, and I'm definitely looking forward to the finale in a few weeks.

Toms Giorello andJos Villarrubia, two artist that I've really come to love and respect from their work on this series. There is lots of blood and mayhem in this issue and they don't stint on anything. Their art is brutal to its core and it gets across the endgame quite nicely in an awesome battle between Conan and Xalotun, the chief villain here. With all the different characters and the scale of armies involved here, Giorello and Villarrubia do an excellent job of maintaining the various differences and every page pretty much packs a punch of awesome and exciting.

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Right now, the pairing of Rucka, Lark and Arcas is definitely a great one. All of them know what kind of a story they want to tell and they are telling it, without any kind of major drawbacks. Now for the month-long inevitable wait until the next issue arrives!

Generally speaking, I liked this issue. It is mostly well-paced and each story is interesting to some degree. But, I didn't appreciate that there was so damn much going on. I loved the wider look into how the Family operates, how it treats its Lazarus, and so on, but I think that this is one issue that could have done with being a bit longer. Say, add another 4-5 pages to it. Because it felt short. It felt as if the story ended just when it was getting into a certain rhythm.

Overall, I'm a bit meh about this issue. It was decent at best.

So overall, another good issue in the series. Rucka and Co. are definitely going strong with this one.

Overall, this was a fairly solid issue, and is the start of the larger story. I expect the next few issues will be along the same lines and continue to build on Sonja. None of the stories here are from Sonja's own perspective which does well in creating a sense of mystery around the character. And that's something I enjoyed. Looking forward to next month's issue!

In the end, all I'll say is thanks to the creative team and the editors and everyone involved for doing something like this. It helps break the regular cycle and its a good switcheroo.

So far, off this one issue, it looks like the new Magic the Gathering series is on to a great start, and hopefully it will continue like this for a good long while.

Overall, a decent sort of effort, but well below expectations.

I have to say that overall, this was a much better Marvel Knights title than Spider-Man, which had some really trippy script and really, really trippy artwork which while innovative just ended up being confusing. I definitely liked it much better, significantly so.

I'll have to say that Revel and Peter surprised me a bit with this issue, given how good it was and I'm hoping that they continue on with this streak in the remaining three issues of the mini-series.

But just generally, I have to say that I didn't really like this issue all that much, and that I would like to see something more substantial in the next couple issues.

Overall, a nice promising issue. I'm hoping that things improve on all fronts as the series progresses. Some of Ewing's dialogue is a bit stilted and formal, veering into typical villain dialogue, and that should really go, I think, although that might depend on his humour angle for the series, given Superior Spider-Man here. And Land's artwork, yes, some improvements definitely needed there.

A fairly decent issue all told, but there are still some hurdles to cross. I'm going to stick with the series in the near future, and hope that it gets out of all the Infinity madness soon, so we can get to how these characters are all going to interact in more… normal circumstances.

With the first arc over, I'm hoping that Al Ewing can take the story off in its own direction and create a really separate Avengers team in all respects. One that feels more relevant than all the other high-profile Avengers books.

Overall, this brand-new Spider-Man series is off to a great start.

I'm still liking where this is all going, but I think I'm ready to see more about the villains.

Things are heading for a big showdown soon, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next issue!

Overall, I think this is a great effort from everyone involved, particularly editor Sana Amanat who came up with the idea of Kamala Khan and a muslim superhero stepping into the shoes of Ms. Marvel. So, great job all around to them!

All in all, I'm pretty stoked with this issue. I enjoyed Kamala's debut, and I enjoyed her second outing even more.

Overall, another highly exciting and satisfying read from a top-class creative team.

With things heading towards some sort of a showdown now, I'm even more excited than before. This issue was really good!

As always, we have Adrian Alphona on the artwork while Ian Herring does the colours and VC's Joe Caramagna does the letters with Jamie McKelvie and Matt Wilson doing the cover. No complaints about the artwork this time except that the mask that Kamala wears during her first attempt at saving Vic looks entirely comedic and even faked, as if it has been photo-shopped. The problem I think is that the colour just doesn't come off as being natural. Other than that small thing, every scene and page of this comic was top-notch and proved that this entire art team is really solid. And that fantastic cover? It reflects the inner contents really nicely and also the melancholic nature of the story.

There's a new chapter in Kamala's beginning now, and this is going to be a really fun ride!

Nothing else to say really, except that I'm waiting to see how this comic continues on and that this is definitely going on the pull list.

New Suicide Squad #1 isn't a bad start to the new series at all, and I'm hoping that things really do get better and that we get to see more of a look-see on all the different characters. However, this isn't as new-friendly as it could be since Waller's fall from grace is never really addressed and you get dropped right into the action.

To be honest, I did like the issue because Sean Ryan's script told a fun story, but the details felt weak and unrealistic to me. Combine that with the fact that the cover to this issue is completely misleading, and the problems emerge one by one. Sean Ryan throws in quite a few twists to the story but they don't really address the weaknesses of the script and that's a shame.

Overall, quite a decent issue. I went in with zero expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. And its nice to see at least some POC representation on the team. That is all too rare these days.

A decent issue at best, but one that could be far better.

I mean, I just couldn't connect to anything in the comic, except for Kaine, who is pretty much a badass all the way through. And the ending, it was one of the stupidest actions I've seen a character take in quite a while. You'll know it when you read it. But right now, this just isn't working for me at all.

I likd this first issue, but it could certainly be better, and I'm still waiting for there being a strong hook to keep me interested for the next issues as well.

Todd Nauck is once again the main artist here, with Rachelle Rosenberg on colours, VC's Cory Petit on the letters and Jamie McKelvie on the cover. More than the previous issue, I loved Naugh's art in this one. It is much more vibrant in terms of the pencils, and it offers up a lot of interesting mysteries as to what is going to happen. Basically what we have here is page after page of some of Nauck's finest work, although this is only my second issue with him in that position. Part of the element of vibrancy in this issue are the colours by Rosenberg, and she shows here why she is one of the best in the industry. I certainly had a ton of fun with all the artwork that now needs some tweaking.

Now, the only thing I'm wondering is when we are going to get more of this kind of an issue, something with personal stakes and an exploration of Nightwing and Batgirl's relationship like this.

For my money's worth, Origin II is a great start. Its not the best it could have been, and some things felt underdeveloped, such as the Lone Wolf, but overall, this was a solid read.

Overall, quite a damn good issue and I'd certainly recommend it. Sam Alexander and Uatu convert here!

Overall, the story is off to a great start, but the art isn't, and is going to need some significant improvements as time goes on.

Some good bits to this issue, but some bad ones too, although it has gotten slightly better than the previous one, if it is nowhere near as good as the #0 issue, which was by a different creative team altogether.

It is really great to see that Jason Aaron is now really getting comfortable with the plot and the characters. The first couple issues were a bit hit and miss but this new issue is pretty much a hit all the way. I loved the way that he paced the story and how he portrayed some of the characters, especially the Orb, who is just plain freaking weird.

If this is how Original Sin is going to continue on, then I think that it will definitely be a fair bit better than Infinity as well!

As before, Mike Deodato excels himself with his pencils, while Frank Martin's colours add a lot to the overall experience as well. The expressions on all the characters involved, especially Nick Fury himself, are top-notch and I certainly can't fault the comic for any shortcomings in the story that are inevitably reflected in the artwork. And I'll admit that is super-awesome to see Nick Fury as a complete badass, standing in space on a very, very small asteroid with a giant sniper gun in his hand. Quite" heroic, I'd say.

With Mike Deodato's pencils, Frank Martin's colours, and VC's Chris Eliopoulos' letters, this issue is yet another example of some great artwork in a piece that focuses on as many characters as this issue does. The art is gorgeously detailed and Deodato's pencils and inks really shine through once Martin's colourwork makes a pass on it all. The whole dark and shadow feel of the series is very much evident and is just another way in which everything is subtly hinted at, as has been the case all along thus far.

All in all, this was a decent issue, but the thing is that Aaron has dragged out the mystery for far too long and we still don't really know what the "Original Sin" is. There are lots of different things here that could be "Original Sin" but there is just too much uncertainty here. Hopefully the finale will clear it all up and Aaron is able to redeem himself at the end! Just one more issue to go!

A fairly good ending, right about on par with last year's Infinity, which I loved.

Somewhat of a disappointing installment of the Original Sin storyline, but the art is mostly good and there is indeed some good twist here and there.

Far better than I expected, Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm #1 has solidified my interest in the Original Sin event, and I eagerly await next week's Original Sin #6.

Once again, there is a shake-up in the art team on this title. Simone Bianchi, Lee Garbett, Szymon Kudranski and Marco Checchetto are all credit with the art, with Riccardo Pieruccini on additional inks and Adriano Dall'alpi, Nolan Woodard and Paul Mounts on colours and VC's Joe Sabino on letters. First off, I really don't get what the idea was behind so many artists in this series, especially this issue. Is this a case of Marvel's 2-week interval on event comics proving to be a bad thing for artists? It sure feels like that. Because there really is no reason why a more limited art team can't put out five issues by itself. In this issue, this big jumble hurt the reading experience more than it has previously and I find myself once again disappointed.

The prologue is drawn by Norberto Fernandez with Juan Santacruz drawing the main story and Steve Mannion doing the backup. Challenging Studios does the colours on the prologue and the main story with Paul Mounts doing the same for the backup story. Bill Tortolini is the letter on everything. Taken as a whole, the artwork in the prologue and the main story is good, with the latter being especially good, but the backup story doesn't have good art at all. It is far too stylised and the body proportions often appear to be out of whack. Not to mention that the expressions on the characters really didn't work for me. Still, its not all doom and gloom since Juan's work is excellent by far and that makes up for the deficiencies, plus the fact that Paul Mounts' colours are excellent on the backup. Mostly.

After reading this, I definitely want to hunt down a DVD or something of the show and start watching it.

The cover here is by Genzoman, and unfortunately, it makes my case for me as far as the internal art is concerned, which is done by Leandro Oliviera. And the problem is that the characters have unrealistic dimensions. I mean, just look at Seoni's arms and torso compared to her massive legs and her humongous boot. It is just not natural. In the internal artwork, this problem pipes up again and again and goes for all the heroes. It is distracting and takes away from the entire experience. However, the colours were quite nicely done, handled by Ross Campbell. There's a bit of overall roughness to the artwork but since the cliffhanger was a good one, I didn't mind these deficiencies all that much, though I would love to see improvements over the next couple issues.

On account of the art, it was largely the same as before, though there were some good improvements nonetheless. For one, the characterwork is better, since last time I had problems with the body proportions on some of the characters, and the general expressions were better as well. But the art still feels a big rough, once you factor in Ross Campbell's colours. There's an unfinished and unpolished quality to the artwork that I can't quite shake off. But at the same time, the action scenes were great, especially right at the end and Leandro Oliveira builds up the visual tension and anticipation really well, so that is something.

So yes, DeMatteis hits another home run with this issue and the Forever Evil: Blight crossover event is developing rather well with all these character-driven stories.

So overall, a damn fantastic issue. There are some references to previous issues of Constantine and Pandora, but I don't think that those are absolutely essential reading if you are trade-waiting or something. Phantom Stranger and Justice League Dark are perfectly paired up however and I would suggest reading both right now.

Overall, this was a nice decompressing issue, and hopefully this will be a short crossover so that we can get more and more such issues.

Interestingly enough J. M. only did the story for this issue while Len Wein did the script. I sure hope that this doesn't mean that the former is leaving this title because his run has what made this into one of DC's best titles for me and I don't really like Len Wein's comics all that much. Some of the dialogue in this issue does feel forced, and I can kind of see Len Wein at work here, so this issue wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but I do have to say that it was far better than most of other work I've read by Len Wein.

So, not as great as the previous issue, but still a strong offering!

DeMatteis paced this issue very well and he has begun the resolutions to several ongoing arcs, so this issue is definitely among the best he has written, especially with the ending, and the artwork is definitely among the top-tier that this title has seen to date.

DeMatteis' script, with the dialogue, is every bit as great as Didio's plot here. I won't go into details but suffice to say that this issue packed a hell of a lot of punch than I'd thought it would, and that it is my favourite Phantom Stranger issue to date. Great pacing, great story, great characters, great resolution, nice emotional moments, it has it all, in spades.

For my money's worth, Rai #1 is an excellent comic and you should definitely be getting it.

So a good follow-up to the first issue, and I am doubly excited for the next issue, which can't arrive soon enough for me.

A new hero has entered the stage by the end of the issue, and I can't wait to see what Joe Brusha has in store with him, so it is going to be another long wait till Realm War #4!

If you are not reading this series, then you are most assuredly missing out.

In short, this was a fan-frikkin-tastic issue and I'm really happy with how Gail has been presenting the series in its entirety. She has continued to challenge my perceptions of Sonja and I've been continually impressed with what she's been doing, and all the artists that she has brought together. I'm really looking forward to her Legends of Red Sonja anthology mini-series, which will be celebrating 40-years of Red Sonja. Fun times!

With #5 next month, we should definitely get to see another big confrontation between Annisia and Sonja. We've seen it once before, and we've seen that Sonja came off really bad there. Now its time for payback, for vengeance.

So it all just means that Gail and Co. delivered another excellent issue in the series, and they are definitely on the roll here. Fingers crossed for next month's issue to be more of the same!

So yes, Gail, Walter and Adriano are on top form here as usual and they close out the first arc rather spectacularly, with a double death, the latter involving a cursory beheading no less.

All in all, an amazing issue that I loved start to finish and don't have any complaints about.

Overall, another stellar issue, if that wasn't already clear from the review! Bring on issue #9!

The story is rather simple at first, but it gains a new dimension about five pages in and from there it goes on to deliver a really excellent experience, proving that this creative team has lots of tricks up its sleeve, and I can't wait to find out more.

Walter's pencils and Adriano's colours are the best that they've ever been in this series. The best moments from the artwork are undoubtedly those dealing with the characters' expressions, specifically Sonja. Given that she is the She-Devil, a warrior without peer, the fact that she loses to Osric so many times really bothers and Walter captures her frustrations and her rage really well. It also helps that his Sonja is inherently badass, and when the gears shift in the second half, he and Adriano really bring all that out into the open once more to show just how great Sonja really is. Honestly, Walter and Adriano could draw Sonja for years and years and I wouldn't complain, not at all.

Yep, another awesome issue from this amazing creative team. How can you expect otherwise, eh?

It is a welcome cruelty, that each issue of Red Sonja be this amazing! And finally, Sonja gets some pillowing action of her own, after longing for it for so long in the series. Great way to end the arc!

As a one-shot, I loved this story, and would really like to see Kazuko get some more screentime, either in another one-shot from the same creative team or in the main ongoing series.

Overall, this was a decent issue, and I'd like to see more from the team, if possible.

Overall, I'm quite excited to delve into these characters and I will definitely pick up the other titles to learn more about them and what they are going to be facing.

Overall though, I'm not happy with this comic at all.

Not quite the issue I was looking for, certainly, but a decent one nonetheless. The primary value is that it has some great humour and advances the meta-story of the Revolutionary War.

The story was an even bigger mess though, especially post-climax as we see what happens to all the heroes after this big fight. So cliched, and so boring. I'm really glad that this event is over and that I don't have to read any more issues. I'm totally done here.

For the art, we have Brent Anderson on pencils, Tom Palmer on the inks, and Ruth Redmond on the colours with VC's Clayton Cowles doing the letters. I'm not really sure about the art. It was serviceable and that's all that I can really say about it. The art is kind of old-school and doesn't really fit in with the story itself, though I suppose some of the narrative themes are reflected in the art, with the whole reminiscing aspect and all. But, I was never taken in with the pencils. They lacked definition and the character's had a very small range of expressions. None of which helped any. The inks and pencils were consequently decent at best.

Overall, this wasn't all that good an issue, but it was decent nonetheless.

Overall, this is not quite the issue I wanted it to be, and it is better than the previous one, but Revolutionary War finds itself on very thin footing still.

The story unfortunately failed for me in all sorts of ways but the artwork was fairly good here.

Like I said, the mini-series is off to a decent start and I look forward to reading the subsequent issues soon.

Loved this issue, and definitely want to read both more Age of Darkness and more Robyn Hood!.

Reading this issue, and knowing that there are two more issues waiting to be read after this, I'm really excited to read more about Robyn since I enjoyed her portrayal here. The gender-bending of the classic hero Robin Hood seems to be handled nicely in the context of this particular setting, and it worked for me without a doubt.

This issue might have been late, but I'll say that the story and the art make up for it. I can only hope that these two creators continue on like this.

The issue begins with a solemn intro of Jack and the setting, and it ends on a similar note. Jim makes it quite clear that he has a really epic story in mind for the indomitable hero that I love and remember, with Andy making it clear that he's here to stay as well. If I could fast forward time, I'd already be reading the second issue of this comic, and not wait the painful but requisite month in between.

The way that Jim tells the story, I can't help but feel that there is a big confrontation incoming between Jack and Aku. In any sword and sorcery story, there's always a big bad boss, and for Samurai Jack, that's Aku. In fact, there's a cover for an upcoming issue that shows Aku very prominently so I'm really hoping that we get to see him soon. I'd love to see the big bad boss because Aku is a fun character that you have no choice but to love.

Overall, Samurai Jack #3 is definitely one of the best comics of the new week, and I can say that with confidence because both the writing and the art on this issue are perfectly in sync. Bring on more, I say! And I wonder if the creative team would be up for double-shipping? Man… the possibilities there…

So there we have it. Another stellar issue from Jim, Andy, Josh and Shawn. I really hope that these guys all stick together on this series for a good long while.

Not really much else to say about this issue. I liked it. It was good. It had a good story, and it had good art. Certainly recommended.

Overall, this was a far better issue than I was expecting. The story was definitely a big surprise, and I honestly have zero complaints about it. Zero. None.

Brittney's angular artwork, and her depiction of Jacqueline and Scotswoman fighting together is what really won me over to this comic. Seeing the traditionally male heroes as female heroes is very cathartic and refreshing enough that I honestly want more, as I said above. And Josh Burcham's colours shine through in every scene. If Andy and Josh were a rock-solid team, then Brittney and Josh are even better. I mean, I take one look at the artwork here and I have a mind to get some huge poster prints made out of it.

Samurai Jack #8 is definitely an awesome issue and I really wish that the story was longer!

A fairly good installment in the franchise, this one!

Neil Edwards is the artist here with Terry Pallot as inker, Chris Sotomayor as colorrist and VC's Cory Petit as the letterer. I liked the artwork here. Edwards' Wolverine and Jubilee are both excellent though there can be a bit of inconsistency here and there. The action scenes are also handled well and you can really get lost in them, or at least I did. But then, I'm a sucker for Wolverine and Jubilee, so that could be it too. And as for the inks and the colours, no complaints there either, esepecially with Chris who is one of my favourite colourists in the industry.

And that's the point isn't it? I had fun reading this issue, and I think I'm definitely around for a few more, as long as they are consistent. I loved this. Takes me back years to the really good times. Won't argue against that.

Overall, this was a fun issue, even though it was a bit confusing in the beginning and the art isn't always clear. Looking forward to reading the second issue!

For the art, we have Michael Walsh on the pencils, Matthew Wilson on the colours and VC's Clayton Cowles on the letters, same as last time. I mentioned in my review last time that the art team was especially good and the stylised artwork worked really well for me with the characters involved. That continued this week as well with the new issue. The pencils are still good, and so are the colours. I really love how simple and yet elegant Walsh's pencils are, and how vibrant Wilson's colours are. These two are most definitely a good fit for the title, and I want them to have a long run on this title.

With some great dialogue and story, coupled with some great art, Secret Avengers #3 is definitely a great issue. The only drawback? No MODOK!!!

Another one-shot style issue that can be read as the first issue into the series, but the full awesomeness isn't apparent until you start from the first issue, which you really should!

As before, Michael Walsh does the pencils while Matthew Wilson does the colours, VC's Clayton Cowles does the letters and Tradd Moore does the cover with Matthew Wilson. The art in this issue was a bit more on the sombre, shady, dark, indistinct side than it usually is, and that kind of made me didn't enjoy the comic as much as I usually do. And given that the script itself doesn't have all that much of its traditional humour in place, it means that the artwork is even more sombre in relation. There are some really good moments here, such as Modok's expressions, which are just too awesome. Or the bottom panel sequence of Hawkeye practicing his archery which are rendered really nicely, or all of Maria Hill's character-work in its entirety.