I understand that Moon Girl’s mom was very emotional in the middle of this issue when the Killer Folk attacked Moon Girl at her school, but i found it a bit odd that her mom wanted to just take her home. like, don’t go back to school and pretend to be normal… even though that’s all we’ve harped about for this whole story, come home with me. i did appreciate that Moon Girl stood up and made her intentions to solve the Killer Folk and Devil Dinosaur problem known, and that there are things more important that Inhuman DNA (like being a human girl with thoughts, feelings and ideas all your own). Time to get in a bit of spoiler territory- so **SPOILERS** seeing Moon Girl finally get back the Kree Omni Wave Projector, only to have the Terrigen Mists hit was a prosaic, if not poignant way to end things for this story, seeing her succumb to the thing she thought was avoidable. knowing that some things are, in fact, inescapable was something that i think will make Moon Girl grow up quite a bit. I really have no idea where this story will go from here, mostly because the cover tease for next issue shows Moon Girl still in her inhuman cocoon, and that we don’t know how the mists will have changed her, or what will happen when Moon Girl 2.0 faces down the Killer Folk (because, lets be honest- she isn’t going to let them just run free in New Jersey, even though thats basically where they belong). This was a really fun, and very heartfelt story, and this first arc was very good as a whole. i am intrigued to see where this book goes from here, though to be honest, i half assumed that it would end with this issue- i am glad it doesn’t stop now. more

The crossover of the century (LAST century) comes to a close in this installment, where our heroes are handily defeated by the villainous Doctor Hugo Strange, and the Men from UNCLE and left without any international criminals to apprehend. hahaha right. this is a ’66 Batman and classic UNCLE story, so this chapter wraps it all up in a nice neat little package! the double-crossers get RE-double-crossed, and that giant squid makes one last, marvelous appearance in the story. things are back to square one with this chapter (without a single shocking gasp being uttered at those words, I’m sure) but the book was actually quite a lot of fun, and it was interesting seeing some of the newly created ’66 Batman characters interacting with Batman and the Men from UNCLE. This was a nice little bit of fluff for a Batman story, but i thoroughly enjoyed it, and i am sure that once it’s fully released in print (and then collected) that the collected edition will go over quite well, as it is an old-school pair of properties that are teamed-up in an unlikely story that will probably be best digested in the more “traditional” format. more

Tom King did a great job with this book, and Barnaby Bagenda did really solid work with this series’ art. this issue is setting up the big finale for next issue, and it does so pretty well. i would have liked a bit more story, and i would have liked it to feel like it didn’t fly by so quickly to drop us off at the ending, but other than the pace just feeling a bit rapid, this was a really good book. the story moves along, showing each of the Omega Men taking their places in this massive space war, and we even see Kyle Rayner doing a few things that are typically out of character for him. I enjoyed the way this book took us on a journey, one that entirely kept itself separate from the rest of the DC Universe, and just let us explore an otherwise unknown section of life. i like the cast of characters in this book, and i really hope that this isn’t the end for all of them, because i would like to see them pop up from time to time in other Green Lantern or DC intergalactic stories in the future. This book, along with Deathstroke and Secret Six, are probably the only three books of the post-Convergence stories that i have read each month and actually enjoyed reading, no matter what. i would almost count Grayson, but that book felt so separate from the rest of the DC Universe (to the point it picks and chooses what current stories to attach itself to and when- like Eternal). but this series will be something i am sure DC will be sorely missing once Rebirth happens, because it was just so unique and so well done. more

The opening scene of this issue all but makes up for last issues fan-service-a-palooza where we got nerd herding, gambling han, unlikely allies and a rebel space prison that is so top of the line it makes the brig on an Imperial Star Destroyer look like a wild west movie set prison (which were made out of cardboard and balsa wood). I liked seeing Luke get a chance to pilot the Falcon, and this issue’s cover art started things out on a much higher note (nobody looked androgynous for no reason, so thats a plus). The prison sequence is gorgeously drawn, and even though we don’t get any real answers as to WHO is taking over the space prison, we do get some pretty JUICY details about what they know (specifically: that Emperor Palpatine is a Sith… WHOA!! no spoilers on that- thats some old stuff there). the line “I am what you made me, princess” is a very telling one. it means that this isn’t just a stranger on a vendetta against Imperials- this is a strike at Leia personally. but aboard a giant space prison. “he’s trying to teach you something. the way you once fought him”. this issue has some very LOADED dialogue, but no concrete answers… yet. the last page teases a BIG throw down to come in the pages of this series, and hopefully a big flashy reveal as to who orchestrated this attack on a space prison. i liked this issue’s art a lot, and the story worked very well for what it’s trying to do (the fewer nerf poop references, the better) and it adds a lot of stress and mystery to the story without really putting Han, Luke or Leia in “mortal peril” from which they all certainly escape. i like that it’s adding in characters like Sana and Aphra (both of whom are expendable) to the story, so that at any moment SOMEONE could die. and probably should, in order to keep us on our toes. more

The opening sequence of this book has such heart, such emotion- something i wasn’t expecting from a book that is usually packed with humor, fighting and a bit of sexy-sexy-ness thrown in for good measure. Strix, though, is someone who has a lot of vulnerabilities to explore (for a former Talon of the Court of Owls) and this issue does just that. I like seeing Mr. Dibney (aka The Elongated Man) in this issue (if ever so briefly) and that we see Scandal Savage and her “lady friends” aka lesbian lovers propositioning Catman for a donation to their “lets make a baby” fund- a PERSONAL donation… then we see Strix getting introduced to her new digs in the League of Assassins, we get some explanation as to WHY Strix was chosen to join the League and we see the Bizarro Secret Six that Strix is to be pitted against. Seeing what Strix is capable of is really frightening. she was always such a calm and childlike sort in the group of murderers and thugs in the Secret Six- to see her so unleashed, is terrifying. i love this book, i loved this issue. the art is fantastic and the story is building up to something HUGE! more

This book has had consistently superb artwork, and the story, in typical Robert Kirkman fashion, will vary wildly from a dialogue heavy (read: slower) issue, to one that flies by and is filled with fast-paced craziness. this issue has a bit of both to close out the third arc and bring us the last installment before the TV series premier in June (which is sad, ill have a nice book missing off my read pile for a couple months). this series has been riddled with questions, and the answers are never close to being revealed- this issue does more of that. we see what Sydney has been up to, gathering the “possessed” together before the Great Merge (whatever that is) to work their way through the problems they are facing. This issue gives the series it’s biggest hurdle to overcome yet- **SPOILERS** Sydney, the lead baddie kidnaps Kyle (The Outcast) and ties him up. i don’t really know what this means, because i don’t exactly know what ANY of this means, but i can assure you that the main bad guy having the good guy in his clutches is NEVER good. hopefully, like a classic Bond villain monologue moment, once Sydney says “no, Mr Barnes, i expect you- to die!” we see Kyle really putting on his 007 pants and kicking some serious booty! this book has been an amazing read, and its crazy to think it’s been 18 issues, a couple years AND an entire production cycle for a TV show to get made to this point. Robert Kirkman is taking over, and i for one am glad to serve my bearded overlord. more

This book has been a great way to get your share of Logan Wolverine story in the Main Marvel Universe, while still allowing “regular” wolverine to be dead and x-23, or Laura to take his place and don the mantle of Wolverine. i love the way this book looks and feels, Lemire and Sorrentino really have a natural flow to their work, they just seem to gel together, since their run on Green Arrown, I’ve been hooked. this issue is the second arc of the ongoing Old Man Logan series, and serves as a pretty good jumping on point for the title, though i DO highly recommend reading the original story, and the secret wars miniseries and the first arc as well. so maybe this doesn’t need to be your entry point for Old Man Logan, but if it is any consolation- you’ll enjoy it once you get here. the parallels between the “current” timeline and Logan’s “past” life are pretty heavy-handed here, not that i terribly mind. the last page reveal was a pretty intense one, and one that is teased again on the next issue’s cover. so it won’t be much of a shock to find out- but i want to know who the rest of the crew is… i didn’t recognize them, but they are of a different timeline than the main Marvel Universe, and not Old Man Logan’s people either, so i don’t know what we are getting into here. i love this book, though. and i cannot wait to see where things go from here. and that means bloody, violent, terrible and emotional stuff is ahead. that always what a slower, more character driven Wolverine story means… “next stop, bloodbath gulch”. is that a real place? if not, it should be. Marvel, hit me up, ill let you have Bloodbath Gulch, for cheap! more

I have to admit, I don't really know Micronauts, I never really got into them never got gifted a big box of them from older neighborhood kids or cousins. I did however pickup a handful of Michael Golden's Micronaut books from the 80s. They were long on my list of books to read, but as is usually the case, life got in the way. This story, however, doesn't seem to rely too heavily (or at all) on those previous stories, so I don't really feel like I'm left out starting in on this book. I love the art, even though there are a TON of artists working on this book. They are all working from one persons layouts, so that may account for some of the easy floe between creators. Cullen Bunn writing this book immediately gives it weight, because he is a man who can write a hit comic book in his sleep (for all I know, that's how this book came about). This was a fun read, and it features some really cool and dynamic characters like Baron Karza (who seems like a venom suit version of General Zerg from Toy Story) and Acroyear who is basically like what would happen if a Transformer that became a Formula One racer turned robot mode and never went back. This was a really interesting first issue, and I'm genuinely intrigued to see where this goes from here. more

This series has been something of a bright spot for me, being a bit of an Anglophile, i enjoy any and everything related to British culture. i just wish there were more Doctor Who references in this story, then i would be truly happy. but it really has a very British look and feel to it, even though the cast of characters are from all over and are located all over as well. but there is just something in the way Warren Ellis does things, that is just decidedly british. This issue’s opening sequence has plenty of action, a gorgeous close-up frame and some good, dry humor from Vivek. the airport pickup scene feels very cinematic, and i liked the flow of conversation in that moment quite a lot. seeing Simeon spout off some decidedly british slang (albeit crassly) was another beautiful Anglophile moment, because anyone who calls a trunk, the “boot” is alright in my book. also, i learned a new slang term “craic” (which is pronounced like crack) for gossip or entertainment. which i like. like a less gross way to say “whats cracking?!?!” i love the way that Vivek’s mind gets a montage in this book, where we see snippets in black and white of the things Vivek is pouring over, trying to make sense of it all. The way this issue ends was a bit surprising, but one i like. i like seeing Robin Morel (the most British of our cast) taking charge, and building his own lightsaber, so to speak. as we learn more about the injection (or possibly- the injections lets more about itself be known) the mystery deepens, and it makes me wonder what on earth the endgame for this book will be. i don’t care to speculate at this point, because honestly- who knows! but i love reading this book, and for Ellis and Shalvey to continue their working relationship with this book is worth it in and of itself. more

This book has been all over the place since the shakeup on creative teams leading into Rebirth, and i just don’t really know if people know how to fill the shoes left behind in most of these books (or probably all of them). This issue sees a lot of what this story has built up towards start to unravel, or just seeing the spiral tighten (i don’t know the correct metaphor for this coco banana bonkers stuff that is happening right now) but i did like the panel that was a pretty direct homage to the Dark Knight Returns silouhette cover, though this one is punctuated with a bit of BDSM where Dick shouts “i like being tied up!” The Maxwell Lord and Checkmate stuff only seemed to confuse me in this issue, because i felt like everyone was a double-agent or triple-agent and everyone was double-crossing everyone else. like- can you triple-stamp a double-stamp? i thought that Dumb and Dumber made it clear that you can’t triple-stamp a double-stamp; yet here we are, double-crossing the double-crossers, octo-crossing? i don’t know- i just know this story went in a BUNCH of different directions this issue. the way the story ended in this issue- teasing Grayson’s conclusion before Rebirth actually redeemed a lot of the issues i had with this installment. i know it is hard to pick up all the pieces left on the board by the previous creators, because they had so many moving parts out there to wrap up this story with, and it seems like these things are going to end pretty well. i love the visuals of this story, and the book was pretty easy to follow, there is just no way on earth a story like this could have been supported long-term; i was getting lightheaded just thinking about Dr. Netz and Leviathan and all the other previous story lines that were being tied into this book. but the final issue should be something exciting and very highly anticipated leading up to Rebirth, mostly because it will usher in a new era for Dick Grayson and his (potential- do we know for cer more

Faith wraps up her miniseries in a positive direction, and it even announces the next Faith ongoing series. The art is solid, the bad guy, while a big vague, still suits the story well. I liked to see Archer back in this story, and I loved all the goofy, nerdy cultural references. This book, even with its occasional editorial gaffe, has been a lot of fun to read, and makes me quite excited to read the next chapter in Faiths story. Valiant has found a new kind of superhero to write about and has made this plus-sized character really interesting and engaging. I hope people are reading this book, or can be persuaded to read it in trade, because this is a story absolutely worth reading. more

we get a pretty quick, and rather unceremonious reveal for who Lawman is under the mask- which never really sits well with me. i would rather there have been 3 guys in the flashback sequence besides Deathstroke, and we don’t find out who Lawman actually is until later in the issue. but besides that PERSONAL choice difference, i liked this issue. i liked Snakebite’s play-by-play announcer way he narrated the fight between Lawman and Deathstroke. Lawman! i still just love saying that name. the last half of this issue felt a bit awkward, with a few different plot twists feeling a little out of sorts for this book- **SPOILERS** Rose Wilson shows her strength and throws off Lawman’s mind control stuff, but Red Hood (who came to Deathstroke’s aid) wanders off into nowhere at the behest of Batman- which was odd in and of itself. BUT then Deathstroke and Rose end up disappearing in the middle of a battle, and instead of just firing wildly at the place that those two USED to be, they all just sort of pack it up and let them go- setting up the final page reveal that is on the cover of this book. That is a choice that has always sat oddly with me- letting the final moments of a book become what you slap on the front cover (or even moments that have nothing to do with the interior pages) really sort of robs the story of gravitas and weight, and takes away from that final big moment in the story. but beyond that, i liked what i saw here, and i am glad to see that Deathstroke is getting finished, AND we are getting a new annual to round out the book as well. this series has been really solid and fun to read, and i am very hopeful for what we have to look forward to in Rebirth from Deathstroke. more

This issue feels to me like the first issue this series SHOULD have had, bringing readers in with a familiar villain, but with a new twist on their story. I love this books art, and I love the cover art even more. This is a well written story, and the fighting is visually stunning and extremely dynamic. I feel like this is starting to gel more with the Daredevil Netflix series, and that's a good thing. I liked that Blindspot had a brief appearance in the issue, and namedropping the Night Nurse was a nice moment as well. I really hope this is a big jumping on point for readers, because I am finally ready to commit one hundred percent to Daredevil's cause now. I love the half tone colors in this book, and I cannot wait to see what happens with the cliffhanger from this issue! more

This is a story that is defined by one word- unexpected. i did not expect a flashback sequence with Logan to open the story, or a heartfelt and actually FUN team-up with Squirrel Girl, or for Gabby and Laura to come to any sort of an agreement on their living arrangement. I loved this issue so much, but THAT was to be expected. This is such a good story, and i love seeing x-23 getting a chance to shine in the void left by Logan. The humor in this issue is palpable, from Logan’s talk of Galactus stepping on picket fences and sandwiches (then Laura’s attempted reprisal of the joke at the end of the story, to no avail) to Squirrel Girl showing up with a real, live wolverine in order to give x-23 the “animal perspective” on the situation at hand. Then SG and x-23 team-up to rescue a squirrel dad and return him to his family, which leads to some hilarious banter between the two awesome ladies. then we return the papa squirrel to his fam, and the issue ends with Squirrel Girl giving Laura a bit of the advice she was too proud to take herself (in the form of a hijacked squirrel-speech monologue) and the end of the issue gives us a nice moment between the two Wolverine clones, and a hopeful look ahead, so that these two can become embroiled in whatever crapstorm comes their way in Civil War II. This book is fantastic, and yet another reason to trust that Tom Taylor can write just about whatever he wants, and do it VERY well. more

This book kind of seems like a modern twist on Stand by Me with a gangster twist. I love the artwork, and I think the story has a lot of promise, but I think I would have liked there to be a bit more background on our cast of characters in this issue. Maybe our "mysterious gang" could have benefitted from each getting a more focused introduction, PLUS our little rascals could have benefitted from a bit more thorough description of their personalities and roles within the group dynamic. I love the CB radio scene, with the "over, over over" dialogue and the creep who jumps on looking to party with all the pills and cash he has, which isn't much. This issue ends on a nice, if not a bit predictable cliffhanger, and sets up the rest of the story well. more