Bob Moriarty Comic Reviews

Much has been made about a new direction for the League both creatively and within the story. If you have at all been disappointed in the last few months by the main teams actions or even if you havent, Justice League Odyssey offers an entirely cosmic twist featuring characters that you know who arent often featured elsewhere. And once youve found your bearings theres a lot to love about the epic size of this storyline and the art that lives up to such lofty aspirations. Time to pack your bags because as the name suggests, this corner of the Justice League is going for a ride. Whether or not its a bumpy one, it should definitely be memorable.

Cosmic stories are marathons not sprints, and there is a foundation thats been laid here. Maybe Abnett and Williamson are in communication. If anybody knows how to pull an eclectic set of pieces together and cook up a weird, spacey gumbo, its Dan Abnett.But the bottom line is, the momentum this book had, got clotheslined this issue. For a book I had looked forward to this was a tough showing.

Returning to the Outback with The Maxx is a joy, but its a joy that Batman may not share when all is said and done. There is an opportunity here to go on a real journey with these characters and perhaps uncover something we didnt previously understand about them. Ultimately it will be on the creator to decide if this story gets by purely on aesthetic merits or if we go deeper inside the mind of one or more Dark Knights. I for one think there is a reason The Maxx is here with Batman and Im looking forward to seeing him and Sam Kieth try and light a torch in the cave that is Batmans mind.

The dark shadows of Gotham City seem like a good place to try and bring the Maxx back into this reality and Sam Kieths artwork is deliciously bizarre. However unless the Not-so-Dynamic Duo can find something yet unwritten in their battle with the Joker or an even larger adversary emerges to help float the book, these heroes may sink beneath the waves from their own weight.

The Titans are great characters and they each deserve (and usually get) better treatment than to just tie off the era with such a snooze-fest. Ultimately this is the group that defines the future of the Justice League, so we can look forward to the opportunity to paint them with a better brush in the post-No Justice landscape.

Like the name of the story implies, this very different look at Gotham is captivating in its own right. The added drama surrounding Violet Paiges family promises an epic as long as these creators havent bitten off more than they can chew.

If the last issue was a bit muddy and seemed to lose the main threads for a second, this issue of Mother Panic: Gotham AD has totally doubled down on the cyber-noir, neo-gothtopic nature of the entire premise. If you came here looking for Batman, back up two reviews and take a left at the Wedding Special. But before you go, take the time to enjoy a really fun ride through a Gotham neighborhood you never knew youve always wanted to visit!

Mother Panic has been an interesting romp through a Gotham that we've rarely had the chance to see. But a meandering stroll down sunny streets as started to feel like the frantic stampede of a tourist who suddenly realizes they're lost. The next issue needs to right the ship or things are in danger of really falling apart.

Mother Panic, along with the rest of the Young Animal imprint was planned with a beginning and an end in mind but saying goodbye is still bittersweet. To say the book and its characters were quirky would be an understatement, but Jody Houser and Ibrahim Moustafa worked really hard to get inside the minds of those characters and to show us a part of Gotham that we had never seen. As send-offs go, Violet Paige got one that was better than most. But I cant help but hope (and maybe even believe) that there are big plans for Mother Panic coming down the pipe. Violet deserves another shot at the big leagues. One thing is for certain, there will always be room for a vigilante with an edge in Gotham.

All in all, Suicide Squad Annual #1 gets a little bit of extra credit for bucking the trend and combining parts to give a sense of whole to this book that isnt initially expected. Whereas these books are often dollar bin fodder at best, For the Wicked, No Rest, hefts a bit of weight and delivers a high impact story letting the characters do exactly what their mission parameters specify; Act as a stop-gap and fill in for absentee bigger names.

I tried to convey as much fun as I had reading this issue in the review because it really was just that: good solid fun.

Whatever you think of this team for the Suicide Squad, the team thats presenting the Suicide Squad is doing a really good job and Im looking forward to seeing how this plays out between Batman, Floyd Lawton, the rest of the Squad and Amanda Waller. The pieces are set up for an interesting confrontation and so far these creators havent let us down, no reason to suspect they wont be able to stick the landing.

Deadshot and Batman are two of DCs most high profile characters and this story has been up until now highly enjoyable based solely on the writing. As the story slowed this issue, it brings attention to the fact that a bit more focus on the art might elevate this arc to greatness. But that gives us something to look forward to seeing improved, along with the fate of Zoe Lawton!

While the story lagged at moments in earlier issues, this final chapter was a fun, fast-paced read with a quality of art that rose above some of the previous installments.

Theres a little something in this book for almost everyone. The rotating cast means each arc can have a different dramatic slant, but Rob Williams anchors the feel with a very consistent recipe.

While it seems like an odd match, with very few connecting points other than the fact that Suicide Squad will soon be joined by Aquaman at the box office, this story is a lot of fun and continues to show both the agility of the creative team of Williams and Luis as well as the diversity that can be Task Force X and Suicide Squad as a concept.

Suicide Squad is a book with a storied history. The Say Hello to the Badguy aesthetic that served it so well in the early days of the New 52 and before were maybe over-extended by the time the movie hit theaters. And the stylized two and a half hour music video we got at that time perhaps didnt do wonders for the source material. But if you arent reading Suicide Squad now because of what came before, what you think you know about it now, you owe it to yourself (not to mention the creators) to go out on a limb next time you hit your LCS and check in with Wallers Task Force X.

An enjoyable book that is speeding towards the finale with #50 that is a must-read title.