I probably like this more than most people but I will admit that Year of the Villains derailed this. Actually that event was terrible and derailed a lot of runs. It was a terrible idea by DC that in the end helped kill this run.

Now all that being said, Venditti did the best he could and the story is still pretty interesting. Is this as epic as the previous stories and will it be remembered? Very likely not. Is it a fun volume with some good fights and some well written stories? Yeah. It delivers that. Get this at a decent price and enjoy! more

Again Venditti continues his amazing story putting together all the lore of Hawkman into on coherent story. I believe this and volume 1 are likely the best Hawkman stories ever told. A must read for anyone even remotely interested in Hawkman. The mangum opus of Hawkman if you will.

Art delivers. A pleasure every page.

I cannot believe I am saying this but Cantwell pulls it off. The surprise of 2024 for sure. This series is dark and really ends with the cycle of pain being continued from one generation to another, but a slight message of hope as you see some changes of betterment with Luke.

The father son moment with the bomb was done really really well and the art was perfect for it. Some might call it cheap emotional play but the moment honestly called for it, and it what let plastic man end on a positive note instead of being the thing he always feared.

A great read and a perfect example of a black label done right. This could never occur in the mainline, but this was an excellent Plastic Man story.

Robin rebuking Batman when he went to the JL was also interesting. I never really got on board with that part of the story as it felt so out of character, but I assume it was parody all the way. The rest of the story was quite strong anyways.

Well good work Cantwell, take your win. You finally got one after all these years! more

Another good issue from Cantwell in a shocking surprise. Things just go from bad to worse for plastic man. Well that and another murder doesnt help. Can he save himself before everything falls apart? I honestly cannot tell.

Still the writing of the JL is so cynical and so odd, the different artist clearly sets it up to be a sort of parody version of them clear but I still find it jarring. more

this is an actual shockingly good series. Christopher Cantwell has not been my favorite writer, but I am happy he proved me wrong. I hope this series sticks the landing, its the biggest surprise of 2024 imo

Ok I am going to be the voice of defection here and say I actually really like all the threads and how things are bouncing around. It has this feel of building tension. Like all these threads that Kirkman is drawing our attention to have critical pieces of info and they are all unraveling at the same thing. Some will no doubt give lore, others will be planing clear B or C plots but eventually one is going to explode and affect the others. That will be so much fun to read when it happens.

Otherwise I quite enjoyed Springer and Hot Rod's convo and really reminding us how inter-related these planets are to Cybertron.

Sollia and Handroid are a fun pair with Handroid just giving up at point due to the weirdness. All these plots are so much fun I cannot wait for the next issue.

Art is solid as always. more

I’m really impressed with how Kirkman is managing so many plots at once and also successfully developing each of them.

"You LOVE Handroid' then the look on Solila's face as she admits maybe she does sometimes is my favorite panels in this issue. Laughed as it was so in character it felt great.

Now onto the meat and potatoes. Great issue! Great art! The entire ethereal interaction was gold. Loved that scene. Seeing HotRod was great. That last panel... well that doesnt look good for basically everyone.

Lots of moving parts this issue compared to last and it really made the set up from last issue felt needed and valuable. This series has been carrying on in great fashion. I love how it fits into the Energon universe and I love the dynamic of this pseudo-dysfunctional duo. more

We get some Cobra-La, some more lore, and some needed 'adventuring panels'. No big action this issue but it does what it needs to do: set up the pieces for the next issues. Is this issue an 8.5 on its own? No, but it is in context of what has come before it (as in it builds on it and this flows well, it follows good writing patterns).

I continue to enjoy the art, I feel like now I would have a hard time reading Void Rivals without Lorenzo's art. more

We bring in the characters from Cobra-La in this issue as well as the conflict between Darak and his dad. Not sure how this is going to finish up. Meanwhile, handroid leads his counterpart into the depths. This story continues to move. I wonder what he has as the ending to this because like Sacrificers this has a limited story.

My comic review channel - https://youtu.be/eJxRh6u8Z88

Good solid story. I enjoyed the art and a lot of things wrapped up as this was more of a cool down issue (totally fine in my books). Also sets up a lot of the challenges that everyone is going to have in the next arc. I am excited to see where it goes!

Also while I did feel like the final 2 1/2 pages were boarderline wasted due to all the 'blackspace' to hype up some unknown entity really did feel ominous. Like that feels like whatever that is there is going to be a shake up. I look forward to this all. more

Another brutal issue. We are really starting to see a lot of break down within the deceptacons and the autobots. Factions are forming everywhere and I am not sure how each team (or the creation of new factions), is going to look in a few issues. Honestly this feels still fresh and exciting.

Also when it comes to out of the pan and into the fire, we have Prime. Poor dude is just being put through the ringer again but he still holds strong. In today's comics, Prime is one of the few who works to do right even when doing wrong/seeking vengeance would be easier or feel better. He doesn't use the BS power of friendship either, just a mission, and an ethics framework that he sticks to even if it is painful.

Also dang beachcomber, I really hope you do something interesting later, as your pacifistic oath is likely going to lead to far more death and harm than good in this universe. more

Well Starscream in this Energon universe is a POS and a survivor. A manipulator, not all that competent and forced against his will originally to kill (till I guess he learned to like it). We also learn you should just put him down when you get a chance, and some humans learned that the hard way. This second part does a great way of painting what role Starscream will play in this universe.

I must admit I laughed that now Martin is his illustrator. At least Starscream appreciates good propaganda! more

Might be the weakest issue in the series so far. Not that it is a bad issue by any means. It is just simply a good solid backstory with Starscream. Functionally radicalized because someone he knew was killed. A story that is simply, and common in real life so it works. Good base to build on.

So Prime went medieval on Shockwave. Also that choice... geez that was just a brutal issue. Optimus is being push well into the utter limits of what he is capable of handling and I do wonder where this goes. This series has basically been pedal to the metal for 12 issue, the autobots need to heal and I have no idea how this new status quo will work out especially with the fallout of the actions.

Cybertron will never be the same.

Art is great as always.

Also this is how you end an arc. Massive impact, massive choice, clear and devastating stakes. This is what keeps readers invested. Take note DC and Marvel. more

Another slam dunk

In this issue you can just feel the tension and anxiety on every page. Things are going to be intense next issue and that final page... oh man it looks bleak.

Art is great as always. I wasnt sure about Corona at first but he has delivered in a big way and has never disappointed.

Cute issue, but a few things keep it from being as good as some previous issues.

Art felt like a decent step down. It doesnt 'jive' with the previous issue styles, especially that this was a kid issue. Too dark and thick lines, too 'gritty' for a kid issue.

Writing felt sloppy. I dont think North has a good voice for N'Kalla. I mean she is a newer character, but this felt more like an adult trying to teach a lesson through a kid rather than a kid actually speaking. North might know how to write the FF but he doesnt do a good job with the kids.

Overall plot line was just kind of weak. Without the weird science fun, the book just doesn't have its spark.

Nice lesson but a missed opportunity sadly. more

This is a good issue but a touch weird. Like too comical and goofy for me. I get this was the Halloween issue so 'I guess it work'. I admit I did laugh but it doesnt feel the most FF.

Still a good issue, just a bit 'off'.

Kind of torn on this issue.

Biggest miss of this issue that doesnt make it a 10/10 for me. Johnny Romance. A friendship would have been just as good or something. Making out with the alien and forming a romantic relationship was just... weird. That being said the alien concept (its look ect), was actually pretty cool. I enjoy the different non-humanoid look.

That being said, the twists were great and I enjoyed that so much. Made for a great story. Also never got between the thing and his kids. Like I agreed with him 100%. Him smacking Johnny felt right and bah to Johnny on his high horse. Though Reed was Reed and rejected reality while imposing his own in true FF fashion.

Tl dr, good read minus the inter species make out sessions (that happened too much). more

Excellent conclusion to the previous issue and had excellent writing of all the FF family. Quite a bitter sweet ending, with a lot of existentialist dread, but ending on a note of hope. This was one of the better stories in this run. Strong recommend.

This is practically the platonic ideal of a Fantastic Four story, just perfect

Weird science with the FF narrated by Johnny Storm. Its wacky wild and Johnny gets chocked out by an alien. It does what is is suppose to do and be funny silly (questionable) science fun!

While this series had had some bigger misses in my books, this issue is a hit for sure.

So Thanos getting the mind stone was easy enough. Dude was pathetic. Then Hulk came. Basically this entire issue is that fight. Which to be fair was fun to watch hands thrown. That being said, this issue was worth like 2$, not 4.99.

The back up didnt really do anything. Like nothing really happened.

Earls art fit this issue which is nice. Also interesting to see that Charlie is going to have to pay a price for all that power. I still dont know where this story is going though. The Eldest appears dead and the Mother of horrors is sealed. Besides Hulk paying some sort of price for breaking an oath.. and oath that I have no idea who is suppose to enforce that, and resolving Charlies issue, what is there left for this run to do?

I struggle with this run. The art is good, most of the time and the story is kind of fun but it really isnt going anywhere. I fear I am going to get to the end of this run and go 'thats it?' wow. Then feel hallow about spending a couple of years reading this. more

So the opening torture scene of Banner was very... unique. Disgusting but amazing art.
The splash page is also quite epic. Not a lot of splash art makes you change how you hold the book, but something felt so cool looking at it like a poster and Hulk declaring himself the strongest.

The other stories were ok. Pak's tied into the main story... sort of. She-Hulk was just all filler. Red Hulk was fun. And by fun I mean brutal violence and a good voice of Red Hulk.

This issue has one big issue though. The price point. It was not worth 7.99 at all. Maybe the standard 3.99 sure, but not twice the price. Those stories were not worth it. So with the price included my score would be 6/10. more

There are some really solid moment in this comic but an odd focus on Charlie. The key highlight is Bruce and Hulk fighting each other in one body. Klein does an excellent job showing how gross and macabre it is.

As for the story itself... it is ok. Kind of just slowly moving long, unendingly teasing us with what we really want to see- Hulk fight the Elder. I dont like the pace of this. It is getting very frustrating. more

Klein's art is a joy to behold and the main highlight of this series. Johnson's story telling has been slow but I hope it picks up from now on. The constant filler issues is disappointing.

Best moment of this issue was the true form reveal of the Eldest. That was terrifying. A weird bone-chilling despair if you will.

Also Banner's betrayal of Hulk is BS, like it works for the story and I am not upset with Johnson doing that, I am just reminded that Bruce can be a terrible coward sometimes and it that is what makes the 'team' interesting. I look forward to the next issue. more

This... was a chapter. Art was ok. Story was ok. Not a lot went on. The Eldest and the first Hulk fought and that was cool for like 3 pages. The rest was... I dont know. Just filler stuff to be said? Build up to the real fight? This feels like it could have been shown in a flash back in 3 pages or so, not two issues.

This was a touch slow and didnt move the plot forward as we get some back story into the Eldest or the Mother. This is a set up issue that will read better in trades. Dont expect much in a single issue.

Earls art did improve though so that was a plus. He is getting a better idea of how to draw this series.