I'll be the first to admit that these DC Kirby tribute books have been a decidedly mixed bag on the whole, but The Black Racer And Shilo Norman Special #1 is definitely the best of the bunch and well worth its, fair enough, pretty steep $4.99 asking price. As The King himself used to say : "Don't ask " just buy it!"

if you're looking for a "total package," I'm pleased to say that Darkseid Special #1 provides exactly that.

The art ranges from "plenty good" on the low end to "stunningly brilliant" on the high end, which means this comic ranks well above the travesty that was Shane Davis' New Gods Special #1, but the scripting in the main story is flat-out atrocious and in the backup only passable, so this is quite easily the "second-worst" of the "King 100" books, far beneath both The Sandman Special #1 and The Newsboy Legion And The Boy Commandos Special #1 in terms of its overall quality.

Okay, fair enough, the greatest tribute one could pay to Jack Kirby would probably be to create new and innovative characters and concepts that actually push the medium forward, but if you're bound and determined to play the "nostalgia card," you could do it a whole lot worse than it's done in these pages.

Odds are you'll know whether or not The Newsboy Legion And The Boy Commandos Special #1 is "your kind of comic" before you even give it a glance at your LCS. If it's not, then it won't be. If it is, then it will be " and may even exceed your expectations.

In fairness, though, those stories are already available in several different reprint collections (and will be in the forthcoming Fourth World Omnibus), and hardly constitute a reason to shell out five bucks for this hollow "tribute" comic.

I'll be thinking about " and returning to " this book for a long time to come, of that I have no doubt, and while there are no esoteric mysteries to unpack or hidden meanings to be deciphered interspersed throughout its pages, there is a cathartic expunging of very personal pain and confusion that plays out over the course of events here that results in something dangerously close to feeling like a tenuous sense of peace has been achieved " hell, earned " by all parties involved by the time all is said and done.

Apart from that and the drug-pusher villain that Jason is out to take down being a bit too broad of a caricature (he's also a cold-blooded killer who flat-outenjoys the taking of human life rather than viewing it as unfortunate reality of his chosen "profession"), though, there is very nearly flawless comic-booking going on in the pages ofThe American Way : Those Above And Those Below #1. Topical and provocative without being preachy, accessible to new readers without resorting to "info-dump" condescension, and smart without feeling the need to call attention to its own intelligence, this is supremely effective, thought-provoking, resonant stuff. I'm down for the whole ride " and I respectfully suggest that you should be, as well.

In other words, then, even if you liked The Defenders #1 a hell of a lot more than I did, there's no point getting too attached to it " or to anything else currently coming out of the so-called "House Of Ideas." There are, after all, three lead-pipe-cinch guarantees in life at this point " death, taxes, and yearly Marvel re-launches. I give this title eight, maybe ten, months tops.

All told, then, I'd have to say that I was reasonably impressed byBabyteeth #1. It didn't blow me away or anything, but I felt like I got my money's worth for my $3.99 (which I forked over out of pocket) and it set things up with enough style and panache to hook me for, at the very least, the short term. I'm not going to give it the longest leash in the world, but I have a reasonable amount of confidence that these quite good creators aren't going to strangle themselves with their own collective umbilical cord.

So, yeah, count me as being among those who arevery excited to see whatPaklis develops into " and hey, if we end up getting an explanation as to just what the title means somewhere along the way, that's all the better. It's your show, Dustin Weaver " make the most of it!

Odds are that I'll stick around to see how the first arc plays, out, though, and go from there.Luke Cage #1 didn't knock my socks off, by any means, but the story, while predictable, was engrossing enough to pique my curiosity and Walker, in my experience,always delivers a payoff that rewards your continued reading. I don't see myselfloving this comic the way I didPMIF, but Iliked it well enough, and there's no shame in reading comics you like.

Thinking about this book, the only knock I can offer against it is that some of the first-person-narrative caption boxes on page one are printed far too faintly and are difficult to read in anything other than an extremely well-lit room, but honestly, that's it : a frigging technical glitch. That's all I got. Otherwise, this is as close to a perfectly-constructed comic as you're gonna find. Get it. Read it. Love it. And know that Jack himself is surely smiling down on this heartfelt, amazing tribute.

I'm not sure I'm ready to dump any more of myown hard-earned cash into this series, though. Especially given that any minor and entirely cosmetic "changes" that come out of it will be making their presence felt in other titles before this thing is even over with, as was the case withCivil War II,Secret Wars, etc. When it comes to these "summer blockbuster"-type comics, you see, the books themselves reallydon't matter " andSecret Empire #0 is no exception.

So, yeah - count me as being borderline-impressed by Black Panther & The Crew #1. Low expectations may have played a part in that, but even going in "blind," so to speak, I probably would have walked away wanting to know what would happen next. With the writing duties being farmed out (at least partially) next month, we'll see if things suffer at all, but I feel reasonably confident that the groundwork has been laid for a nice little series here that we can probably look forward to at least 12 (or thereabouts) issues from.

Grass Kings #1 is an enchantingly bleak debut for what could very well prove to be one of the most talked-about comics of the year.

All in all, I have no problem putting my cynicism " and $2.99 of my money every month (for the record, I purchased this issue) " aside to enjoy material this lovingly-crafted.Super Sons is hardly revolutionary stuff by any stretch, but that's not its intention. It's a comic you can read with your kids that you'll enjoy every bit as much as they do. Not only is there "nothing wrong with that," there's a whole heck of a lotright with it.

I liked the story just fine, sure, but I absolutely loved the artwork " and so will you. By the time this issue was over, I found myself more than happy to add this title to my already-frighteningly-large pull list.

It's got a legitimately killer premise and highly competent art, but not much else. I'm game to give it another issue or two, I suppose, but can't really recommend it as something worth your own $3.99, dear reader.

The "Hawkins-verse" has been one of the best-kept secrets in four-color funnybooks for a long time (even if we didn't know it was an interconnected "universe" until a few months ago), and if Eden's Fall maintains the standard of quality on display here throughout its brief run, odds are good that it'll steer more people in the direction of Postal, at the very least (which is really hitting a nice creative stride right now) and perhaps even convince the powers-that-be that the other books deserve another arc or two, as well. That'd be a darn good thing on the whole for fans of intelligent, topical books that are relevant to " and resonant with " the world we actually live in.

The “Hawkins-verse” has been one of the best-kept secrets in four-color funnybooks for a long time (even if we didn't know itwas an interconnected “universe” until a few months ago), and ifEden's Fall maintains the standard of quality on display here throughout its brief run, odds are good that it'll steer more people in the direction ofPostal, at the very least (which is really hitting a nice creative stride right now) and perhaps even convince the powers-that-be that the other books deserve another arc or two, as well. That'd be a darn good thing on the whole for fans of intelligent, topical books that are relevant to — and resonant with — the world we actually live in.

And if you like your roads bumpy, uncomfortable, and terrifying, then I highly recommend that you pick upThe Dark & Bloody when it's inevitably released in trade in the not-too-distant future. It's everything you could possibly want in a "one and done" horror narrative and announces the arrival of some major new talents that, if given an opportunity to flourish in the industry, surely have many more memorable tales to tell.

I have enough long-standing confidence in the writer and newly-discovered confidence in the artist to give this series another issue or two (although, to be honest, if it was a $3.99 book I'd probably cut tail and run right now), and if Maiko Kuzunishi's covers continue the "simple but effective" aesthetic on display this time out, that'll be another plus. So, yeah, Kittredge and Sanders are being thrown a rope from this reader/critic " but it's a pretty short one. I hope they'll both use it to pull themselves safely up on deck rather than hanging themselves with it.

If you've been waiting for years to see who wins a fight between Superman and Dr. Manhattan, or what happens when Blue Beetle and Night Owl team up to cleanse the streets of Hub City of evildoers, congratulations - odds are that you're about to get your wish. For the rest of us, though, the downright pathological lack of originality on display in DC Universe: Rebirth #1 offers evidence of nothing other than the fact that five years (or less) from now, they'll be doing the whole thing over yet again.

Certainly Paquette's art here is gorgeous throughout and his lush, organic style " coupled with the vibrant tones of colorist Nathan Fairbairn " gives the book a sleek, elegant, and graceful look that goes well with the quasi-lyrical, almost free-flowing nature of the script. And I enjoyed the classically-tinged dialogue that Morrison employs throughout. But I can't help feeling that, on a purely conceptual level, a lot was left "on the table" here, as the saying goes. Wonder Woman is a character rife with deliciously intriguing contradictions (a feminist icon consistently portrayed from a "male gaze" perspective is bound to be, I suppose) and rich in philosophical and thematic possibilities " yet most of that is barely even hinted at here, much less actually explored. I suppose the inevitable sequels will do some of that, but at $22.99 (okay, I only paid about half that, but still) per volume, the next one's going to have to get busy doing just that real quick.

After too long - way too long, in fact - King T'Challa and his fictitious nation of Wakanda were going to be portrayed with something akin to authenticity. If anyone "gets" this character, it's gotta be Coates, right? And if anyone out there was born to draw him, it's Stelfreeze. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, the answer to that question " and I say this with a deep and profound sense of regret " is "a lot."

Jimmie Robinson seems willing and eager to meet his readership on their "home turf" to start that conversation and to acknowledge the beliefs and opinions of those who disagree with him. That's both gutsy and mature. And so is the series he's created here.

The first couple of pages of this issue hint at a possible sexual assault and its aftermath, but when the scene being presaged actually comes to pass within the context and flow of the story proper, it's no more clear what's happening to our obviously-out-of-her-depth "heroine" than it was at the start. A painting comes to life " yes, you read that correctly, but if you're readingArt Ops that's probably no shock " and more than likely rapes her while Orlando scurries off to some other dimension, point in time, or both to discuss her "suitability" for their little "club" with his apparent "masters." I'm tempted to say "some first date, huh?," but as we're talking about a possible sexual assault here, that would probably come off as being far too glib and so I'll just forget all about that line even though I already blurted it out.

How, then, are we to judge a comic like this? Not by any sort of traditional definitions of "good" and "bad," since that was never in the cards to begin with. What we want from a modern-day Neal Adams comic - and the only thing we have any right to expect - is unfiltered, unintelligible, unrestrained, and unapologetic insanity. And yet even by that less-than-lofty standard, the first issue of Superman: The Coming Of The Supermen falls short. There are tantalizing glimpses that there's plenty of crazy in the offing, though, and that's why I'll continue to pick this book up. I hear a loud screech in the distance, and there might even be some smoke coming from the other side of the hill, but goddamnit " I need to see the full train wreck play out in excruciating, slow-motion detail.

Obviously, Image has a reasonable amount of faith in these guys, and perhaps we should too "Great Pacific, after all, was something of a "slow burn" itself " but I've got (bad pun coming, you've been warned) cold feet already. A "slow burn" I can absolutely handle no problem " but this book feels like it's in a deep freeze right out of the gate.

So far, I haven't seen enough fromThe Dark & The Bloody to convince me that I want to be swigging from this particular mason jar month in and month out, but what the heck " I'm willing to stick it out for a couple more issues to see if this is particular batch of "white lightning" has the kind of kick that I'm looking for.

So, what the heck? Count me in for the foreseeable future, barring a drastic and unexpected drop in quality. I'm a little bummed that Image is joining Marvel and DC in sneaking more of their books up to $3.99 (and I paid for this one myself, no digital freebie here), but I guess it was probably inevitable, and I certainly feel like I got every penny's worth in this case, since subsequent re-reads have revealed more than I caught the first time through. Maybe this will prove to be the Simon Spurrier-penned masterpiece he's been hinting that he's capable of?

I won't kid you " if you're new to McKeever's work, this probably isn't the place to start. But then, the same can be said for pretty much any of his projects. They're all such uniquely warped hellscapes that you're either going to find yourself saying "hey, I kinda like this even though it probably means I need psychological help" or "this just ain't for me" within a few pages. For my part, I've found something to enjoy in just about all of his comics that I've read, and so far that pattern seems to be holding here.