The Justice Society of America by Geoff Johns, at least the most recent series, is strong if not marred by it's constant delays.

The comic has a great mix up of dozens of heroes from both the JSA and Legion of Super-Heroes. This issue is DENSE with previous layers of storytelling and if you stepped into this randomly you wouldn't find this a worthwhile read. Eclipso is a good reveal but it's ultimately weak because the Legionnaire who was introduced 2 issues ago is being shoved off into another super team. Like Kneel Before Zod, this series needed room to continue the story and with a new writer taking over after issue 12 (plus all the delays), this issue will read a lot better in trade format. more

I think your enjoyment of this special issue fully depends upon if you like slice-of-life comics and the antics involved with them. It's cute, no doubt. We see Jon, Damian and Lizzie going from when Lizzie was 4 years old all the way up to her being a young woman going on adventures; from learning to fly a kite, to going to feudal Japan to learn how to be a samurai warlord. Can't forget the boys getting turned into dogs after a fight with Circe and cursed.

It's a fun book, definitely a good all-ages comic with some stellar art from Belen Ortega. Somehow, Tom King can write some fun banter between young heroes and this a rare treat from him. There's a small teaser for the next solo series.

Great read! more

Another big issue. Rook awakens after nearing drowning in a river, saved by Swine's pig and friend, Pumba. Confused and bewildered by a talking boar, Rook has to come to grips with the fear that he harbors, his constant instinct to run away, is something that's going to end up killing him. He confronts the crows in a burning forest, and learns to open his heart to the animals and trust them. As the forest was blazing, Rook finally confides in the birds and joins their flock as he takes a step off a cliff!

Fantastic and tense issue, I can't wait for more! more

The romance between Peeg and Axel is paper thin and is just an OK paced issue on her date in Valhalla (though a few of the warriors look they're from India, hmm). Travis Moore returns to pencil work, the art is good but I feel like the story is kind of just going through the motions. Power Girl learns that Axel is essentially a custodian of the gods; documenting and protecting rare artifacts, cool. When she asks a scrying mirror what is happening with her BFF Omen, it shows her that Omen is in some state of duress.

If you're still reading Power Girl at issue 12, congrats, looks like we both made some poor comic by decisions. more

What a terrible ending issue. After how strong issue 3 ended I was hoping this series would end a good note but I wasn't expecting a complete destruction of narrative and characters together. The writer took the good moment the story had and lit it on fire. Well so much for that. Won't be following any other series by Zoe unless she's strictly the artist.

Spoiler; everyone dies, the end.

Not recommended. more

I don't know how this comic is getting such raving reviews; people must be either starved of anything not superhero related OR it's a slow burn of murder mystery it's trying to build up to. The main character is a washed up loser ex-hero who committed some major wrong and has to slum it up back in his home town until the death of a former arch nemesis puts the story in motion.

The jumps between main story (Fleccs) and the flash backs (Seeley) is a common storytelling technique in comics. On the basis of art; Fleecs art isn't anything to write home about, it's serviceable that's the most positive thing I can say about it. Seeley's art is more appealing and he's better suited to the action bits of the past.

It was a fairly dry read and the art wasn't very strong. I did read issue two and two issues isn't enough to get me hooked then I'm out.

Not recommended. more

Leah Williams continues to make a not so great Power Girl comic that's devoid of both action and interesting plots. Why is Supergirl and Power Girl investigating a psychedelic drug that teleports people? Who knows!?

Trinity punching Diana reminded me of that one issue in Batman / Catwoman where Helena fought Selina. Didn’t like this new story, and I stand by my theory that the Super Sons were the real stars of the backup not Trinity. $6 for essentially an extra backup is not worth it. Don’t know how you make the daughter of Wonder Woman uninteresting and unlikable, but King found a way.

I normally don't pick up gimmick comics but I am weak to blonde Kryptonian women. DC has been releasing these "uncovered" books which are just cover galleries for $6. If the books featured more classic covers like this I'd more inclined to buy in again.

Ultimately the book sets out to be a fairly balanced gallery of popular comic cover art. I wish there was more cover at from older series but still, it's a nice cover and nice collection. Great for PG fans. more

Tom King writing young characters reads like a completely different author versus him writing almost any other property. The trio of heroes (Damien, Jon, Lizzie) are a fun group to see them interacting, lots of bickering and love between what are 'siblings' between the original trinity of DC's mythos. This is a collection of the backup stories at the end of the Wonder Woman issues which is great if you aren't following the main story.

I like Lizzie and I understand why some people would dislike Trinity; she has a lot of elements that make readers usually hate new female characters. Very girl boss, a know-it-all and extremely headstrong and sarcastic toward. When you read this one-shot, you can understand why she's like that; Lizzie is a girl raised and babysat by two boys learning more masculine behavior. Oh and apparently Diana is an absentee mother.

Still, I enjoyed this and now I'm feeling more conflicted about not reading the current Wonder Woman book. Hmm... something to think about. Belen Ortega's art is a comfortable fusion of DC's house style and anime-ish tastes.

Recommended! more

Enjoyable for the most part but I'm not going to bother with Challengers of the Unknown or The Bumble Bee story as those didn't look interesting enough to bother reading. Metamorpho and Bat-Mite story stole the show though, and I appreciate the addition of more silver age elements. Can Metamorpho make a return to World's Finest? I hope so!

Recommended.

For a launching pad of a new comic universe, I'd have to say this is more of a sampler than a launch for the Ghost Machine imprint. That being said, the main three stories; Geiger, Redcoat and Rook were all extremely short but on point reads with absolutely solid art. Redcoat is great if you're into history themed stories, Geiger if you're into a revenge superhero book and Rook appears to be a near futuristic theme story set on a distant earth-like planet. Lots of different stories to choose from.

The only story that was a bit on the eh side was ironically one of Geoff Johns smaller books with the book starting reading a comic book. Can't win them all, Geoff. I think I can say that with confidence that most people are looking forward to Jason Fabok doing interior art again, so Rook Exodus is a must read when it drops in April of this year. DC is gonna be struggling after so many of their best talent just went independent.

Recommended. more

Reader be advised; this comic has 2 pages of actual written dialogue. There's not much to say here; Streaky (not Stinky, who's PG's original cat) goes on a mission to rescue cats and dogs from an underground animal trafficking situation. It's well drawn, but I feel like it's something of a waste of a properly decent artist on what is essentially an inventory issue. The last two pages sets up the next story arc, Supergirl needs PG's phony new powers of punch through dimensions. Leah Williams isn't the strongest writer that was brought over from Marvel, the least she could have done was bring Carlos Gomez with her, I would have LOVED to see him pencil Powergirl. more

I could barely make it through this issue.

Is anyone interested in this "war" event? How many times has Gotham been held hostage, invaded, or threatened in the last 4 years? Way too many times to count. Please for the love of God, do not let Tini Howard write Batman. I don't want to see DC's titular hero being reduced to whining and moping, basically on his knees for Mommy Selina. Same goes for Chip Zdarsky,

What an absolute shame, Nico Leon's art is the a big highlight and I think he's putting his best pencil work into this series it's just a shame that his work is tied up in a mediocre story.

Not recommended. more

Considerably more interesting and a breath of fresh air compared to the slog that was the Gotham War event.

Catwoman is cursed with 9 lives, but isn't sure if the markings on her back are actually related to lost lives. This sort of reads like an inventory issue but it's light enough to keep me interested. Selina goes to meet Valmont's old lover, Paola Molina, to confront her and tell her to news that her old flame is dead. Nico Leon is off the art but his replacement, Stefano Raffaele, is no slouch and the action is sharp as a cat's scratch.

Recommended. more

Wretched narration. Crazy that this writer is being given more work, much less the GCS.

An entirely OK issue that really makes you wonder if the writer actually knows much about deadly injections. Even if a deadly injection misses a major artery it can still be fatal but WHATEVER this is comics and small details like that should be brushed to the side (probably).

Eduardo Flamingo is a gross villain from the best days of Morrison's writing for DC, and it's good to see him back. Although why Selina would want to work with him is questionable, in the end, all she really wants is to steal an Idol of Bacchus. The idol being in the hands of someone disgustingly wealth makes sense and he hosts bloody stageplays to make sacrifices to the idol. The story is quick and to the point. Unfortunately, Flamingo is something of a footnote in this issue and isn't that important other than being thorn in Selina cat suit. She also has a curious gift (curse) where she has additional lives to burn, so she's being extra careless while barely sneaking into the stageplay.

Once again, very strong art Stefano Raffaele, if his art wasn't here I would probably rate this lower but thankfully there's still solid pencilers working for DC.

Recommended.

more

I've yet to read much of Tini Howard's Catwoman, but I'm trying to keep an open mind about the comics I read (although her Harley Quinn comics are about the worst books I've read in a while).

Selina starts the issue off feeling stronger than ever and revitalized, ready to take on challenges since she is getting cocky about having ever lives, literally. She can die and come back to life a limited number of times. So what does she do? She wants to steal one of the most danagerous elements ever created by mankind, Corium!

The comic is beautifully penciled, narration seems on point. I can even forgive the usual feminist slant that Howard has in her writing as the ending of the issue was heartwarming, and I even had a sense of dread waiting to see what fate may happen to Selina after she literally begins to fall apart from stealing the corium.

Recommended. more

A little kid striking out in a tee ball game. A basketball player laying a bring on a breakaway dunk. A DC comic book involving the Justice League, Godzilla, and King Kong. What do all three of thees have in common? Completely screwing up what seems to be the easiest thing possible.

A comic book about superheroes and a giant lizard and ape should have been non-stop action with insane displays of power and strength. Yet we get SO MUCH talking, very littler monster fighting, and at this point I had to remind myself if we’ve even seen King Kong yet after two issues. The plot thread involving the LoD being responsible for time/multiverse traveling is too convoluted to make any sense and takes away from what should be epic battles between Earth’s defenders and mutant animals. The art of the issue makes up for some of the writing’s imperfections but Godzilla felt stationary the entire issue. It looked like he was in the same exact location in all his panels. Is he not moving around? Is he not destroying buildings left and right? The inconsistency took me out of the moment and what little I was invested in this story. This really needs to pick up soon before it becomes a complete miss. It’s a travesty for this title to be so boring. more

Being a complete normie to Marvel, I didn't know what to expect. Why is MJ a superhero? Who the hell is Paul?? There's a gang war going on in New York and they need Mary Jane Watson to help Spider-Man fight the thugs??

Why? I thought NYC was filled to the gills with superheroes, so what's so important about this story? I will admit the art is solid and MJ looks good as a superhero but ultimately, why? If this artist sticks around, I'll probably pick up another comic.

A completely inoffensive story, this really didn't need to be apart of an event, as it barely seem to have much relevance to it.

Not recommended. more

I really want to like this book, but I really can't. How can a comic have 5 issues and move the plot so little. Maer's paneling isn't strong, and his illustrations seem too stiff and don't convey a sense of movement. I literally forgot I was subbed to this comic. Can you believe it's getting a season 2???

Most people don't like slower issues like this, but compared to the high stakes of the mainline Batman book (which I don't care to read since issue #130), it's good to read a comic about the best father-son duo in comics, Batman and Robin.

Slower paced, but Damien is getting closer, he feels, to the truth about the principal of his high school. He swears up and down it's his old trainer from the League of Assassins, Mistress Harsh. Shenanigans ensue and Damien deals with high school life, gets bullies, and bullies the bullies. However one of his bullies is a big admirer of an old Batman small time rogue!

Nikola Cizmesija does his best work with what is usually considered a "slow" issue. After the end of an arc, the story will level off after a big climax. I don't care for how he draws Bruce with such large expressive 'anime' eyes, but that's a minor gripe. BUT if he draws more Talia and Mistress Harsh... hmm, I'm on board! Also his action panels and art are great, if you've ever seen him drawing Red Hood. Let's hope we get more action in the next issue.

Recommended. more

I will admit I bought this comic with a lot of apprehension; as a comic reader who enjoys DC very strongly over Marvel, seeing more of Marvel's stable coming over doesn't sit well with me, as I feel the writers of Marvel don't always understand the characters in the DC Universe (see Tini Howard and Leah Williams).

Bizarro! It's actually the first time I've seen him in a modern comic since I started reading Superman. The use of magic in Superman comics as his usual foil is common but for the story to basically turn Metropolis into a new Bizarro world after his own has seemingly disappeared. If you're a long time reader of Superman comics, this story may be covering familiar ground but I enjoyed it nonetheless. John Timms is a terrific choice to put onto a Superman book, his work for Jon Kent during DC's Infinite Frontier was a beautiful comic--even if it failed to launch into a good comic down the road.

Recommended. more

After the amazing and off the wall issue that was #6, this was a good slower pace that set up the conflict with Sinestro and leads into questions why he may be around Earth in the present. Let's get the fan service out of the way; it's very cool to see all of Earth's Green Lanterns in a line up, even if most of them didn't get anything to say (but Guy got the best page, that's what counts).

Not to go into spoilers but a very integral plot point is revealed regarding Kilowag's apparent d**** and a negotiation talk goes south after a group of Yellow(?) Lanterns crash the meeting in what can only be called an assassination attempt on the new leader of Oa. It's evident that Jeremy Adams has extensive understanding of the characters that are under his pen and I encourage any passing DC/comic fan to pick up this series. It's also illustrated exceptionally well. Amancay Nahuelpan's talents as a young, up and coming artist is better served here than on the last book he was on (Hawkgirl) and if he's the replacement for Xermanico, I'd be fine with that (though I like Xermanico a little more). Like a lot of artists who's style of penciling action pages, he has a more manga-esque appearance to them, though the narration pages are illustrated well, they are clinically uninteresting.

As with most of DC's current books; there's a back up story related to an upcoming title, Sinister Sons. I usually skip the back ups, so I'm not letting that effect the score for this book, although I am likely to pick up that book as well (since it's written by Peter Tomasi).

Recommended! more

I'm enjoying this run. It's fresh but grounded in tradition. All of the main characters are spot-on. The art is spectacular. I would grade it a 10 but for the backup story. Good to know this is spinning off as a new title because I could not have less interest in a book aimed at 10-year-olds. I would have preferred another 8 pages of the main story. I hope future issues don't include back-up stories a la Tales of the Green Lantern Corps. However, with the team splitting off in different directions, it would appear inevitable. As long as the tone and quality of the main story are maintained, it will be OK with me. more

This issue offered quite the curveball in the best way possible. Jeremy Adams rips back the curtain on so much of the story that happened before his Green Lantern #1 occurs, without making it feel like he was trying to pull wool over the reader’s eyes. It was a really well crafted and timed unveiling of what Hal’s been through and the trauma he still deals with because of it. Adams also fills gives context to explain Sinistro’s present-day motives. I really enjoyed all these new details which gives us a brand new perspective on the story Adams is telling. I wouldn’t be shocked if we got a few more twists and turns along the way. Amancay Nahuelpan steps in for Xermánico on art duties on this issue and does a standup job, especially giving us a variety of character designs when the United Planets calls the Lantern Corps together to reassign their responsibilities. I understand wanting a different artistic approach to visualize past events, but Xermánico’s style has become so symbiotic to Adams’ story that it felt like I was reading a different book and it took away from the issue’s full impact. more

There's really not much review to be done here. Are you a transformers fan? Then you are already reading this comic. Are you new to transformers? Cool! Then you should definitely be reading this comic. It's got everything you could want; action, emotional highs and lows, returns of fan favorites and the characters are positively on point. Daniel Warren Johnson's art style may be a little more of an original take on the art but his action panels are so slick, it's hard to complain about it.

Transformers ending up in the hands of Skybound has been one of the best things that's happened to the franchise in some time!

Recommended! more