The book is also hurting now as it's so far removed from the events playing out in the rest of the Batman titles with the Batman/Catwoman Gotham War arc. Whether that's a bad thing is up for debate. It's just weird for such a major storyline occurring after Gotham Nocturne started and at this rate will end before this is over.

That's all folks! What if we all just pluck to the two Kite Man issues out of this arc, dump the WOJAR, and move on? How weird is that? It is a big disappointment to me that Joker and Riddler are both so annoying in this arc and a character as "nobody" as Kite Man is this interesting.

So, here we are, one more issue to go in this epic Bat story and what do we have? Batman, Riddler, and Joker in a Good, Bad, and the Ugly tango on the last page. I have not loved this arc, but this issue was pretty good, certainly more enjoyable than the dinner party issue a couple back. What does the showdown lead to and how is it so horrible that Bruce feels he has to tell Selina before she answers his marriage proposal? Well just have to come back in two weeks, same bat time, same bat channel.

The 3 issue story came and went and I quite enjoyed it. I hope this art team stays together and handles some more big stories because frankly, they produce beautiful imagery.

Tom King's Batman isn't exactly for everyone and I haven't liked most of this run so far, but this issue is pretty great. Clay Mann's art is superb throughout, the colors look perfect and the whole ride is written with sweet intelligence.

We are treated to great dialog, wonderful art, and just enough emotion to keep the pages turning.

Let's hope the next King script delivers something more than a bland detective story and forgettable villains.

The third part of the "Superfriends" arc in Batman arrives this week and it does not disappoint as Wonder Woman joins the party.

As always the art is simply beautiful and worth a read for fans, but I'm not sold on the two episodes featuring Diana. This is a bit of a miss for me as a reader.

As a part one to a story this is an intriguing opening. The payoff, hopefully, is worth the price of admission. At the very least this is a beautifully disturbed vision of obsession. Buy the ticket, take the ride...

Overall, this is a miss in the Batman run by Tom King. His unique and sometimes dazzling character studies (see Mister Miracle) do not work with Bruce Wayne or Poison Ivy. This chapter in the wedding engagement saga is not one I will likely ever go back to.

I'm struggling to find something to praise in this arc"why couldn't we have skipped this and gone on with more Superman/Batman/Lois/Selina date nights? Here's to hoping the wedding of Gotham's finest is a fun reading experience.

In the end I would say the only downside to this issue is I feel we have read a lot of memories and historical jaunts between Bat and Cat in the pages of King's Batman. This installment however is a lot of fun and I hope we continue to see the art of Joelle Jones because her takes on these characters leap out of the panels.

It wasn't for me, and I WANT to like each new Batman, but I am finding it difficult. The art is great, and there might be enough here to save it in re-reads, but the story will have to stick the landing for that to be the case.

I may have mentioned last time we all gathered for a Batman reading that Booster Gold is not one of my favorite characters in the best of stories, and what we have in "The Gift" is not a great story. Part two of this tale of violent buffoonery arrives this week, buckle up, it's about to get ugly.

What is the real point to this three-part story? Back before the Source Wall broke, I didn't think I would say this, but let's get to the Bat/Cat Wedding already!

Batman #48 is a slog and not even fun to look at as the art is on the average side...or maybe I'm just so very tired of looking at this team's version of Batman. Still I hope the wedding issue is a fun event and worth the tedium of sifting through these last several arcs.

So this is all fine except that it's not fun to read, nor is it fun to even ponder because the text is all so on the the nose.

It's clear to me that Tom King has a strong vision for his tale of Batman. I'm not sure his execution is always landing, or if I'll ever connect with his thesis on Batman for that matter, but at least - with annuals and specials like this issue - the art of Bats has never been so good, and at least we're all still talking about Batman.

So, this Batman comic will not be for anyone who wants bloody fights, action, adventure, or killer crocs, but it has a lovely Tom King version of Bat/Cat romance that will be enjoyed by a certain type of reader.

Overall, this was a fun story. It was not life changing. The art was inconsistent at times, but the writing was solid. If you want Wonder Woman to be more than a hero you got a few glimpses of deeper thoughts and feelings. If wanted action you had plenty of fisticuffs. The talk of what is coming next for Diana and her mysterious brother and writer James Robinson has detracted from this arc. I feel that is unfair. This arc has been sandwiched between big name writers Rucka and Robinson, but I think if you want a decent, action-packed, and even kinda funny Wonder Woman than this is the run for you.

The first issue of James Robinson's "Children of the Gods" story is promising. Great pencils, color, and dialog propel this mystery by picking up previous threads from past stories and jumping into the unknown. I have no idea where this will go, but I can bet that it will be exciting.

Ugh, this was not a fun issue for me to read. The jumps in locations and overly wordy dialog sunk this comic. I read comics to be taken on a journey and to be at the edge of my seat, waiting with anticipation for the next installment. I expect we'll get much more later from this plot and perhaps this boring issue gives us hints necessary to enjoy later chapters, but as a fan of Wonder Woman I will not be re-reading #32.

This chapter in the Jason, Brother of Wonder Woman, arc is well worth your time. I wish the overall storyline had been better plotted in previous issues because I had high hopes for the writing of James Robinson. This installment has me back on board and invested in the plot. Now"can DC get a consistent art team together and show this title the respect it deserves?

The art of Wilfredo Torres fits nicely in with the Black Hammer art of series co-creator Dean Ormston. Torres' lines are less nuanced than Ormston's, but create a similar world. From what issue #1 delivers, I think I can say that this is another wonderful addition to the expanding Lemire-verse.

Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer-verse keeps getting richer with each new title Dark Horse releases. This week we have more pieces of the Quantum Age's puzzle coming together. Heartbreaking backstory and a sci-fi space battle unfold in this thoroughly entertaining comic.

This vampire comic is as much about family as it is about neck biting. The action, wonderfully "sketchy" & "shadowy" art, and character development keep me reading month after month. Great book!

Overall, this is a must read comic book. From the art to the coloring to the language, nothing is out of place. If there is a complaint, its that there has been an awful lot of summation dialog needed for the long weeks in between chapters I guess " for only seven issues. Still with as rich a world as Ellis team have created I wouldnt let this series pass you by, as it will be one of the titles we look back on and dissect years from now.

Another stunning chapter in the most bizarrely beautiful "grounded" sci-fi adventure on current comic book shelves is here. If this is not a mandatory read at this juncture I don't know what else I can say. The art is breathtaking and the language is expertly utilized in a way that most comic creators are not capable of. I'm already flipping back to page one to read this again. Honestly, I should go back to issue one. Bravo!

"Where the hell is this story going?" isn't usually a compliment, but as I read each mystery begins five additional mysteries and dern it if I'm not onboard for every bizarre twist. 

It cannot be overstated how well-done this comic series is. I almost don't want any answers, just more characters and wormholes!

Wild Storm is comic-booking at a high level, and this title joins the likes of Saga or the many works of Jeff Lemire, that might be taken for granted because it's always so damn good.

Hands down this is one of the best pieces of comic art being produced today. The trades will no doubt be a great way to catch up, but really this should be read as an on-going monthly wild ride.

It's another great installment obviously...and yet again, so little is really happening except character/world building - oh and gross alien bodies...IO has now been pushed to the brink of war, Skywatch is ready to fight IO, and a long forgotten IO director named John Lynch has a mission to warn his former secret "Thunderbook" subjects that bad vibes are going to find them.

The final pages pack a lot of characters in so here we go! Cutting to the first conversation between Henry Bendix and Miles Craven thus far as the two mighty leaders square off - in Bendix's case shout off - bringing their two sides closer to all out war. There is a psychedelic experience with Jack Hawksmoor, Jenny Sparks, and the Doctor. Finally, and most disturbing of all, Marc Slayton from last issue confronts a Skywatch monster in the middle of a dark road...much bloodshed...the end. This is a great series and truly mind-bending creativity on display.

Beautiful carnage and witty, intelligent dialog mark this installment of the Wild Storm as a must read. This comic is one of the best out there today so I say get into to it before our real world descends further into dystopian pits.

My praise for this series continues. What other comics often fail to accomplish because of compressed storytelling, this title excels at with a plot and a world that unfolds with each panel.

Wild Storm#17 manages to tell a spectacular tale while setting up worlds & characters that could live on well-past the stated twenty-four chapters of this flagship title. Every panel, word, and color choice on display here is perfectly woven into the narrative. As usual, this is a comic every pull list should include.

Wild Storm is a great title. It may not appeal to general readers because of a glacially slow build, but the pace is one of the reasons the alien-tech thriller is such a pleasure to read. There are fully fleshed out characters and real stakes being constructed. A brilliant comic at eighteen issues with a final act that is sure to be an amazing arc.

Writer Warren Ellis and artist Jon Davis-Hunt continue their consistent, wonderful brilliance once again this month. Issue #19 is the final act of the slowest burn sci-fi, tech thriller in recent memory. Like every other damn chapter in this frustratingly overlooked gem, #19 asks a fair amount from it's readers. Do you have a stupendous memory for plot? Is your patience high functioning? Ellis and company have built a comic book world so rich, so deep, that dozens of series can (and likely will) spin out from this. Will the conclusion of Wild Storm be as satisfying as the journey? Maybe. Maybe not. But that is not the point of this run now is it?

Wild Storm #20 is plain fun and fantastic. The reintroduction of Midnighter and Apollo is perfection in Big Two comic booking form. I cannot recommend this title enough. As we hurdle towards the conclusion of this title and the inevitable return of The Authority. Buckle up readers, the bombast is going to make ye heads spin & mind's race.

The art of course is flawless and wonderful so as the slow build in plot smolders we can all sit back gobsmacked at the genius visuals of Jon Davis-Hunt. Last page...to be continued...that's it. Twenty-one chapters down and only four more to go.

Warren Ellis' Wild Storm is a comic book alone on shelves. No other title out there - at least to my limited knowledge - is remotely this well-paced, written, or drawn like this one. The relaunch or reinvention of the "wildstorm universe" has been a joy to read, but it feels like a title flying way, way below the comic community's radar and that is kind of a shame. Enjoyed in trade or issue to issue, this is a fantastic series and one that I hope DC (with Ellis in a prime position) is prepared to spin off for years to come.

Only one more chapter to go in this exquisite sci-fi techno conspiracy alien disasterland. Will the Authority save our F-bombed world? I cannot wait to see how this wraps up and where we go from here. Catch up in trade or go back into your back issue bins to find out how the storm got to this desperate finale.

This title might be one of this year's best pieces of visual art as well. Beautifully twisted, the art is nightmarish in that the imagery will no doubt produce horrible nightmares...I love it!