Joe Ruggirello Comic Reviews

Dan Jurgens has brought new life to Action Comics, and every issue has helped re-establish the prestige of this vaunted title.

Segovia draws some epic fight action, and does an excellent job capturing Wonder Woman's frustration at being sidelined. At times Superman's head seems too small for his body, but for the most part this is a fine looking comic.

The book has a classic Action Comics feel to it. There are plenty of interesting plot threads at work here, which is a welcome contrast to the fairly one-note battle with Doomsday.

It's a shame the battle with Doomsday made the first arc of this new Action Comics drag on for so long, because now that it's behind us this has become a very intriguing book.

The issue overall speaks to the recurring theme, both in Action Comics and the Superman series, of where the "Smith" family fits into this new world. While much of the focus since Rebirth has been on Big Blue, giving Lois the spotlight provides some welcome depth to the series, including a rather strange visitor on this issue's final page.

This is a book full of emotional beats, and while a few panels lack precision the book conveys its character's feelings clearly. The new players introduced at the end are quite impressive.

After a shaky opening arc and a bit of housekeeping, the next big Action Comics story hits the ground running and shows potential of being the most exciting tale from Dan Jurgens yet.

"Men of Steel" shares a few similarities with Marvel's Civil War II event, including apocalyptic visions of the future and the "Kill baby Hitler?" morality question. Parallels aside, the execution here is far superior to Marvel's series.

The second story, which is also the longest, focuses on a Cloak and Dagger adventure, with Spidey only making a brief cameo. It's solid, and the banter between Ty and Tandy is plenty entertaining.

Before Dead No More is off to a thrilling start, with bigger and better things clearly on their way.

Dan Slott has never been one to shy away from going big with his stories, and in telling the tale of Doc Oc's return to the living the writer maintains his trademark craziness.

The Deluge is on its way, and this issue does a great job of establishing the impending gloom and doom.

If issue #11 of Aquaman is merely the prelude to "The Deluge," then clearly we're in for one wild ride. Dan Abnett gets the ball rolling on his next major story arc quickly, a remarkable accomplishment given that the first third of the issue takes place in Arthur's hospital room.

The script can only take this book so far, the art is what really sets The Backstagers apart with its lovable cartoonishness (pretend that's a word), though you can't help but feel that something sinister lurks somewhere in those crazy tunnels.

Honestly, there's really just one word that accurately describes this book: adorable.

Barbara Gordon gets knocked out by a fighter nicknamed The Moth moments after describing her as such: "She flutters around erratically." Ironically, in many ways, that describes this issue of Batgirl, and while that could be seen as a criticism writer Hope Larson manages to make each and every frantic stop along the way entertaining.

While the pace of this book still moves along at a break-neck speed, it manages to mostly maintain a certain charm and character that keep its flaws from becoming too much of a hindrance. Things will need to slow down just a little bit eventually, but not quite yet.

Hope Larson wraps up her first arc on Batgirl with the strongest issue of the series so far.

The interplay between the three main characters, particularly Babs and Helena, is the obvious driving force of this book and the Bensons deliver an entertaining script filled with drama and quite a few laughs.

Lovers of great superhero banter will definitely want to jump on the Batgirl and the Birds of Prey bandwagon. The story almost takes a backseat to the fun of watching Batgirl, Black Canary, and Huntress play off one another.

There's a playfulness to this series that's been on display from the get-go, and while things can still get heavy, panels that read "Gotham Cemetery: The only place to R.I.P. in Gotham" help maintain a well-balanced tone.

The action is fast and furious, beautifully rendered by Riley Rossmo who, along with colorist FCO PLascencia, give this book a grainy, hand-held camera feel to it. The style is perfect for this type of event, and the battle against the transformed Gotham Girl and Nightwing looks tremendous.

The reveal at the end of the issue feels a bit rushed, but this is still a quality and welcome return to the world of Batman Beyond.

This series admirably captures the tone of the beloved animated series and seems poised to potentially take things to a much darker place than its predecessor ever could.

The premise will only take you so far, the script has to actually deliver the goods. Rest assured, this is as awesome as you want it to be.

This type of event can fall apart if the creative team relies on the premise alone to carry them through, but Greg Pak is far too talented for that. In many ways this is built of the same DNA as his classic Planet Hulk tale, only WAY more fun.

This is the most unconventional family in all of comics, and Lemire's script takes you from laughter to heartache and back again with ease. Seriously, how could anyone not love a comic that features a character named Punch Socklingham?

Black Panther's second arc starts off slowly and methodically, though it is by no means as dull as those words may imply.

This issue is merely setting the stage for bigger things, but it does so in stellar fashion.

The script from Ta-Nehisi Coates is at its poetic best as the king of Wakanda explains his motives and determination for saving Shuri. Things do get a bit exposition-y, but not enough to be a real problem.

This first issue doesn't break any new ground, and certainly the more mature aspect of these characters has already been revealed and examined much further in its sister series. Still, this does help flesh out much of the necessary backstory that's been absent in the stellar Black Panther series.

Waid & Samnee deliver one of their craziest issues yet, as Natasha utilizes a lousy Bonnie Hunt impression in order to infiltrate 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and stop one (or more) of the Dark Room's former students before they can harm the Vice President. It's a crazy premise, but the script delivers plenty of heart as this is quickly becoming one of Nat's most personal missions yet.

Nick Spencer's Steve Rogers comic may be garnering the most headlines, but it's Sam Wilson's story that seems to be ripped straight from them.

Let's just get this out of the way: Flag-Smasher is and forever shall be a dumb name for a supervillain. That said, his actions here get the ball rolling on #TakeBackTheShield, which looks to be one of the darkest stories in Sam Wilson's career.

With all the trials and tribulations Sam Wilson has been through, the poor guy deserves a break. That's just what Spencer gives him here, and boy is it a lot of fun.

Though things got off to a controversial start, now that the scope of Nick Spencer's Captain America story is coming into focus it's quickly turning into one of the most intriguing chapters in the character's long history.

Though most Civil War II tie-ins have become tedious, Captain America: Steve Rogers #6 achieves the now-rare feat of furthering the story of Marvel's big event series.

There's a lot going on in Captain America #7. A. LOT. Plotting, scheming, monologuing...it's easy to lose track of who's siding with whom to betray who. But once you get the various sides straight, you can appreciate the complexity of Nick Spencer's (still?) controversial Cap story arc.

A team-building exercise around a campfire may not sound like the ideal setting for a superhero comic, but when it's written by a guy like Mark Waid rest assured you will be plenty entertained.

While the story here is good, there are a few jumps that give you the feeling Guggenheim could have used one more issue to flesh things out better.

Mark Bagley handles art duties here, and he delivers some stand-out work with the quieter character moments, particularly Betty's visit with her father.

This book may not do much for Ulysses (yet), but as long as Karnak's around it shouldn't matter.

Leave it to Charles Soule to take a great premise (the legal and moral battle over a "blood painting" containing the DNA of over 112 missing persons) and make it even bigger in scope by drawing The Inhumans into the conflict.

Fans of Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars will delight in Cullen Bunn's return to the 1980's era with this follow-up series that's possibly even more bonkers than its predecessor.

Fans of books like Fatale will want to pick this one up.

Oddly enough, the weakest character here may be Batman himself simply because this book does such a great job with the rest of his team.

Things do wrap up a bit too swiftly, an unfortunate by-product of waiting until last issue to finally bring the main villain into the mix. But Strange's motivation and diagnosis does present an interesting premise, plus it leads to another great Batman/Clayface team-up.

Though this is their first appearance, The Victim Syndicate are impressively unsettling in a way that's reminiscent of more well-known foes like Joker and Scarecrow.

Tynion continues to deftly balance the team aspect of this book, though Orphan can always use more screen time. This series has done wonders for Clayface as his evolution continues, though it remains to be seen just how heroic Basil can be.

Bruce Redondo's work on Injustice makes him a good fit for this alt-version of the Dark Knight, though he occasionally lays the shadow on a bit too thick. Diogenes Neves handles the aforementioned Huntress fight scenes, his slightly more cartoonish style working well to balance with Redondo's more thoughtful scenes.

The issue is basically a series of heroes and villains showing up just in the nick of time, which does lead to a bit of repetitiveness. That said, the ending is a nice twist and leaves the future of the Wonders and their world up in the air.

There are familiar elements at play here, but it's still (so far) a compelling book.

Barry Allen's Day Off starts slowly, calmly, and almost tricks you into thinking this will be a filler issue. Instead, it (sorry) speeds up at the end to deliver a pretty shocking end.

It's nice to see the script on this book finally begin to live up to the level of its art as Carmine Di Giandomenico's kinetic and vibrant work remains the star of this show.

This issue balances set-up and forward momentum pretty well, though the way Wally finds himself in trouble by the end is fairly predictable. Hopefully there are a few surprises ahead.

"The Speed of Darkness" got off to a solid though uninspiring start. Fortunately, this second installment ratchets things up considerably. The direction this story takes is pleasantly unexpected, it's one of the more fantasy-based arcs we've seen from Flash recently.

It's kinda out of left field, but Foolkiller is a quality addition to the Marvel catalog.

So far, this looks to be a wonderfully wild ride.

One slight problem: no Godzilla. That's no deal breaker, and hopefully hints (along with the scenes in present day) that there is a much bigger game being played here.

As with past installments of this series, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

With Second Semester set to start in a few weeks, Gotham Academy remains one of the most fun books you're apt to find.

Gotham Academy is back, and while this issue may be a slow-ish start, with the full cast reassembled the real mayhem can begin.

Benjamin Percy's first arc of Rebirth delivers a strong gut-punch ending that may leave Oliver Queen worse off than he was when this whole conflict began.

Coming off the heels of The Inferno, Green Arrow #6 delivers a story that feels more like it belongs in an annual instead of the series proper.

Credit is due to artist Stephen Byrne, because whether or not you enjoy this brief interlude before we rejoin Ollie in issue #8, at least it features some great art. Emi's present day battle in The Arena is the more compelling storyline, and as such Byrne's art pops off these pages.

The most exciting aspect of this book is the return of Otto Schmidt to its pages. The Island of Scars looks beautifully menacing.

Murder on the Empire Express is a lovely adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie murder mystery, only with superheroes, foreign dignitaries, and boxing glove arrows.

The two-part Murder on the Empire Express sets a great new standard for Percy's Green Arrow run and will not easily be topped.

Rocha and Pansica do fine work here, particularly on an impressive two-page spread near the beginning of the issue. Baz's arms seem a little too veiny, but the Red Lanterns look sufficiently terrifying.

As with a few other Rebirth titles, the initial arc of Green Lanterns has come very close to wearing out its welcome. Fortunately things finally wrap up in this issue, and while the lead characters continue to be quite charming the book suffers from excessive inner monologue panels.

Watching superheroes bake cookies may not sound like a, um, recipe for an exciting comic, but what Green Lanterns #7 lacks in action it makes up for in heart and humor.

Writer Sam Humphries has really hit his stride as of late, delivering quality character work alongside awesome Lantern action.

Max Landis may have a very short comic book resume, but his talent is undeniable. His latest series gets off to a tremendous start, immersing you in a world of knights, barbarians, and some of the most entertaining banter you're bound to read.

Robert Venditti remaining on a Green Lantern book remains one of the better decisions made by the powers-that-be at DC with regards to Rebirth. With Hal back in uniform and the Lost Army back... somewhere... Venditti crafts a story with several compelling threads.

Rafa Sandoval needs to draw Green Lantern books forever. This may be the most menacing Sinestro ever drawn, and Hal getting crushed by a yellow octopus construct is a thing of beauty.

For the first time, this series truly lives up to the "and the Green Lantern Corps" part of its name. Previous issues have focused mainly on Hal with John, Guy, and the rest of the corps making brief appearances here and there. But now, on the brink of all-out assault against Sinestro, this finally feels like the team book it should be.

This is the Sinestro Corps War with just a hint of Star Wars thrown in for fun, and thankfully Rafa Sandoval is on-hand to capture the epic space battles beautifully.

Best of all, while this arc has generally relied on hitting the familiar (if effective) Green Lantern tropes, the ending promises a far more unpredictable future for Hal and his Corps.

This is a great starting point for anyone yet to jump on the GLC train.

The reveal of Tony's biological mother's true identity was an important moment, to be sure. Unfortunately, it also means that an already-slow-moving story has to slow down even more to go back and show how Amanda Armstrong met Tony's father.

With the final issue of International Iron Man, the story of how Tony wound up with Howard and Maria Stark wraps things up in a neat little bow. Ultimately, the success or importance of this series will be told by how the revelations of his true lineage affect Tony going forward. For now, it's just kind of there.

This Civil War II tie-in feels a bit dated as its main purpose is to say good-bye to Rhodey. While this is handled with poignancy in Bendis's script, it does feel a bit redundant given the rest of the Marvel universe has already moved on from the events of Civil War II #1.

This is the most broken down either character has been throughout this entire event, and Bendis delivers a poignant finale to this series.

This issue improves upon last month's debut, with Jessica and Luke Cage's cheerful and heartwarming (no wait, what's the literal exact opposite of that?) reunion setting the stage for a series that seems to pick up right where we left off 12 years ago.

Bryan Hitch's run on Justice League has gotten off to a shaky start, and while issue #3 by no means rights the ship, things at least get more interesting.

The once-vaunted flagship DC series has definitely seen better days.

It's still wacky and entertaining in the series' familiar way, but the plot could have been structured much more efficiently.

The art on Justice League #6 gets off to a bit of a shaky start but slowly improves over the course of the issue. Hopefully the series itself can follow suit.

Justice League continues to show signs of life, delivering its strongest issue to date. Granted, that isn't saying much considering what's come before, but those hoping for more substance should come away feeling a bit encouraged.

Phillips offers his usual quality work, highlighted by Dylan's mind-bending journey through Times Square. Coney Island has never looked more desolate than it does here, the wintry cold settling in just as things begin to heat up.

Kingsway West inhabits a world where The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly meets The Dark Tower, plus a whole bunch of dragons and giant rabbits. Like those two classic tales, Greg Pak is clearly crafting a story of epic breadth as Kingsway searches for his wife with seemingly the entire world standing in his way.

With all the talent involved in this book it isn't a surprise that it's so good, but it's tantalizing to think of the greatness that hopefully lies ahead.

From an interrogation room to a movie set to space werewolves on the moon, Jeff Lemire's script is all kinds of crazy, and gloriously so.

Gangsters, hillbillies, and werewolves make for quite the winning combination. The second issue of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's latest features rich characters, a classic backwoods setting, and plenty of supernatural horror. It's pretty unorthodox, but it works thanks to Azzarello's great script ("We wanna git in bed with Mista Pirlo!") and Risso's stellar work.

Ms. Marvel ties into Civil War II seamlessly, and it's clear Kamala's eventual decision will have long-reaching ramifications.

It's strange when a tie-in to a major event comic examines the main theme of that event better than the main series itself. Yet that's exactly what Ms. Marvel's latest Civil War II tie-in issue accomplishes.

There's not much in the way of compelling superhero action, but Andolfo's crisp lines present Kamala at her most heroic.

At Comic-Con, Gene Yang gleefully described his New Super-man, Kong Kenan, as "a bit of a jerk." One page in on this issue and you'll agree with that assessment. The good news is that Kong isn't completely unlikable, but he's definitely the kind of guy you want to see get punched in the face or zapped repeatedly.

Kong Kenan may be one of the most unorthodox superheroes in DC's long history, and that's all part of the fun.

Javier Fernandez once again delivers a great-looking book, documenting the trio's journey through Knute Ruud's puzzle house masterfully, and Dr. Leviticus looks to be plenty menacing.

Batman #7 gets Night of the Monster Men off to a solid start, but it's Nightwing #5 that really ratchets up the action and shows just how big of a threat Batman and his allies are up against.

While this crossover has been solid thus far, it may have finally hit the road towards greatness.

This is one of the best Bat-books for your buck.

"Rise of Raptor" reaches its a conclusion in an issue that, while perfectly competent and well-executed, still feels like a bit of a letdown.

Whether or not you're suffering from event fatigue, Nova is a book that belongs on your pull list.

It's a real shame that this is the final issue of Nova. Though only 11 issues long, this has been an enjoyable series, and this finale shows us that the team of Ryan and Smith are capable of incredible things.

It's an interesting premise, particularly when it dives into real-world issues. Carlos Pacheco's art falters a little bit during the big action sequence, but for the most part his work is solid.

Logan is in extreme peril in two timelines, and both seem to be headed towards a violent, bloody end.

Leave it to Jeff Lemire to somehow deliver an issue of Old Man Logan that is poignant and thoughtful, even as the titular character is repeatedly dropped down a well.

Old Wolverine has some unusual new allies, and their introduction provides an ample amount of laughs (though Logan's chat with an unusually friendly Sentinel in the issue's first few pages is pretty great, too). Things get serious once the team launches their attack on Dracula's army of vampires, but Warwolf, Manphibian, Hit-Monkey, and the rest are a refreshingly fun addition to the pages of Old Man Logan.

This book is gritty and dirty, and Ruiz brings that world to life admirably.

If it wasn't apparent by now that Becky Cloonan and Steve Dillon were born to create a Punisher comic, issue #5 makes it abundantly clear that we are witnessing one of the strongest takes on the character to come around in a long time.

Zhal is one of the richest, most intriguing worlds we've ever seen Rick Remender and Jerome Opena create, and it's clear after just two issues that we've barely scratched the surface.

The Earth is round, the sky is blue, and Remender & Opena create amazing comic books together. Some things are just always true, and if Seven to Eternity is still not on your pull list, you're doing comic books wrong.

There's nothing too flashy here, but Solo's a solid read.

Spider-Man #8 is a funny, expertly drawn comic book that gets totally bogged down by retreading the same ground other Civil War II tie-ins have been covering since July.

Let's be clear on one thing: if you are suffering from Civil War II fatigue, this issue of Spider-Man will do absolutely nothing to alleviate that.

If nothing else, it's clear in reading Spider-Man 2099 that Peter David and Will Sliney are having fun throwing as many future versions of the Marvel heroes as they can find into the mix.

While Civil War II tie-ins set in the present are becoming a bit tiresome, the 2099 version is still pretty fun.

It may look silly, but Super Powers has an interesting story to tell.

If the sight of the Hellbat suit on the cover of this issue filled you with glee, then rest assured that excitement is rewarded many times over. Tomasi & Gleason's Superman has been delightfully bananas thus far, but issue #5 takes things to a whole other level.

Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason may have delivered an incredible first arc to their Superman run with the battle against The Eradicator, but it's this single issue, featuring a simple visit to the county fair, that lets you know the duo were the perfect choice to usher in the character's Rebirth.

If the purpose of this issue is to drum up enthusiasm for next year's Super Sons series, then mission accomplished. The relationship between Damien and John is rife with possibilities, and their reluctant team-up for Parental Boot Camp together is quite entertaining.

Like its companion series, TMNT Universe is set up to take our heroes to some pretty dark places.

Some very interesting questions are raised, and by issue's end it seems the villain in this tale may be someone we never expected.

Simply put, if you enjoy the wackier side of Marvel, the GLA should find a home on your pull list.

The comic book world has seen its fair share of decades-old properties resurrected and given new life. Perhaps "new life" is an odd thing to say about something involving vampires, but the new Lost Boys series from Vertigo certainly feels like a proper rebirth for the 1987 cult classic.

After a very promising debut, Tim Seeley's comic book sequel to 1987's Lost Boys accomplishes the important task of broadening the scope of the film's story while remaining true to its roots. Though the characters only share a basic physical resemblance to their real world counterparts, this still feels like the same Santa Carla we saw depicted in Joel Schumacher's cult classic.

There are plenty of laughs to be had, though as usual Screwbeard steals the show ("Still not sure why Thor is pretty girl now"). But with a showdown with Malekith and his forces on the horizon, the level of drama remains high.

IDW's Revolution crossover event is on the horizon, bringing together the worlds of Transformers, G.I. Joe, Micronauts, M.A.S.K., Action Man, and ROM. This, naturally, is wonderful news for fans of any/all of these properties. The only drawback is that Transformers #56 is basically just one big set-up issue.

For a book that purports to star Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, Trinity #2 reads very much like a Superman book that just so happens to co-star the other two. That's not to say it's bad, if anything it's further evidence that Rebirth is the best thing to happen to Superman in decades.

The inevitable Civil War II tie-in arrives for the Uncanny Avengers, and fortunately, it's a pretty good one. Deadpool grabs the spotlight for most of this book, as he is wont to do, as he embarks on a secret mission to bust Hawkeye out of prison.

Uncanny Avengers #14 is a bit of a mixed bag. It isn't much of a tie-in to Civil War II, which is probably a good thing considering how that now-delayed event series tends to slow things down. Unfortunately, the big Cable/Captain America showdown the cover promises us is incredibly underwhelming.

The latest offering from BOOM! Studios is billed as "Southern Bastards meets Dune." The new series definitely fits that description, though so far it leans far closer towards Jason Aaron's comic than it does Frank Herbert's epic saga.

If there's one criticism to be had, it's that Cadulo and Urzkartaga are done away with too easily. But between the great character work, the unexpected moments of humor (like Cheetah's reaction to Chris doubting her trustworthiness), and Liam Sharp's gorgeous presentation, it's not hard to consider Wonder Woman once more as one of the best books DC has to offer.

The penultimate chapter of "The Lies" is heartwarming, charming and downright hilarious.

"Year One" returns after a three issue break, and while both this and "The Lies" may ultimately be better served by the TPB format, any annoyance at the pace with which both stories are being told are minimal since they're so freaking good.

This may be the conclusion to the "The Lies" storyline, but it's clear the mystery is far from being resolved. There's no great revelation here, and we're left with even more questions than answers, but when Greg Rucka's in charge that's always a good thing.