Holyjiebus's Profile

Comic Book Review (8.5/10) "Great!"
New Super-Man #8 "Training Day Part 2"
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Penciller: Billy Tan
Plot: Kenan Kong is an a contest with Master I-Ching where if Kenan wins that then Master I-Ching will agree to being his personal trainer, and Baixi is in a duel for the cowl of the Bat with his rival Rongpei. Will they come out on top, or will their live s drastically change...?
Kenan and Baixi are both given revelations - Kenan discovers something regarding how his powers work, and Baixi faces a shocking revelation. I thought the explanation of how Kenan's powers were tied to each body part and how each body part controls a specific power gave the reader more understanding on how his powers worked. Baixi's revelation caught me by surprise, and it seems things are more than meets the eye in terms of how he became the Bat-Man of China and who his true rival is. I really like the relationship between Master I-Ching and Kenan and am curious to see how that relationship develops as well as the predicament that Baixi finds himself in now. Yang knocks it out of the park again with another solid issue.
more

Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
Red Hood and the Outlaws #7 "How do You Solve a Problem Like Bizarro"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Mirko Colak
Plot: Red Hood and the Outlaws have taken down Black Mask and his criminal organization and now it is time for Red Hood and Bizarro to clean up the remaining scumbags of Gotham City. However, Jason Todd is finding it harder and harder to control Bizarro and is now worried that Bizarro might take a life while helping Jason clean up the streets...
This wasn't the best issue in the series, but a necessary one as the volatile and risky nature of having Bizarro as an ally was bound to be asked in this comic series. Bizarro is definitely the wild card of the team, and I didn't appreciate the fact that creative would literally put the last scene of the this issue on their cover. Still, the process of getting there and Jason interacting with Alfred and Artemis to figure out how to deal with Bizarro was great. I just hope that Bizarro's volatile nature is something the comic revisit in the future to keep things unpredictable. Also, I missed Soy's artwork in this issue, but Colak does a great job despite the fact that Jason Todd looked Asian in some panels.
more

Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good!"
Superman #16 "Multiplicity Conclusion"
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi/ Patrick Gleason
Penciller: Tony S. Daniel/ Clay Mann
Plot: Prophecy has beaten Superman and drained his powers and now he is stuck in the mass grave along with the other depowered Supermen and Superwomen of the other universes. The Justice League Incarnate stand together to ma ke one last stand against Prophecy and his minions...
My favorite part of this issue was the interaction between Superman and Kenan, and the most "meh" thing to me was the death of Racer. He just showed up in this issue, and died making the space ship for the Justice League Incarnate, but the issue didn't really explain why he died. Maybe he was running too fast and the energy burned him alive? The end fight seemed a bit anti-climatic, but watching the various Supermen and Superwomen heat vision Prophecy was fun to watch. These past three issues were not essential to the Superman comics, but the last page could be hinting at the larger Rebirth story arc in the DC Universe.
more

Comic Book Review (8.5/10) "Great!"
Aquaman #16 "Peace in Our Time"
Writer: Dan Abnett
Penciller: Brad Walker
Plot: Black Manta and his secret terrorsit organization NEMO has been stopped by Aquaman and now Aquaman is seen as a hero after clearing his and Atlantis' name. Now it's time to rebuild and Aquaman starts in his home town of Amnesty Bay, but a sinister force is seeking to control him...
After all the crazy political intrigue and intense crises, it was a nice change of pace seeing Aquaman cleaning up Amnesty Bay and painting newly boarded walls. I liked the interaction between Aquaman and his new fans as well as his childhood friend Kae. It's a very personal comic issue for Aquaman and even the conversation between him and Mera was pretty compelling. The new villain also seems very nasty as he mind controls a man to blow out his own brains in the first couple of pages and I am excited to see what happens next.
more

Comic Book Review (9/10) "Amazing"
*This is a great jumping on point as it is the start of a new story arc.*
Batman #16 "I am Bane Part 1"
Writer: Tom King
Penciller/Inks: David Finch
Plot: Batman is trying to help Gotham Girl get over her fears now that he was able to get Pscyho Pirate back from Bane's clutches. Now Bane is coming and Batman is preparing for his arriv al in Gotham while trying to protect his allies...
Tom King is back, and this feels more like the Tom King of Marvel's Vision comic or the first five issues of Batman: Rebirth as the dialogue is good again and the story isn't as convoluted as the previous 7 issues. Not only is King back, but Finch is also back with the gritty artwork that we love. However, my only gripe with Finch's art are his renditions of Dick, Damian, and Jason. They all looked alike and sometimes it was difficult to tell who was who. His characters are much better when they have masks or defining characteristics such as mustaches (a la James Gordon) or different hair styles (a la Alfred).
The best parts of this issue was the conversation at the Bat-burger fast food restaurant with the Robins and the end page. We all know that the end page most likely does not mean what it is supposed to make readers think, but I like the whole foreshadowing that King does when the Robins talk about how each of them died at least once in their lifetimes. Also, we are introduced to a different Batman who is now in love, as his feelings for Catwoman are the only things that get in the way of his sense of justice and I thought that was a nice touch. Batman purists will undoubtedly hate this aspect of the comic, but I thought it was a nice touch. An amazing start to a new story arc.

more

Comic Book Review (7/10) "Good"
Aquaman #15 "The Deluge Finale"
Writer: Dan Abnett
Penciller: Philippe Briones
Plot: Aquaman has found the headquarters of Black Manta, the new Fisher King, and his NEMO organization. Now it is a battle to end between Aquaman and Manta...
The issue ends the way that you would think that this story arc would end. Although, it's not a spectac ular issue, it gets the job done to wrap up the Deluge story arc. The fight between Aquaman and Manta is vicious and brutal and is probably my favorite action scene of the whole Aquaman Rebirth run. A good issue with very little surprises, but still enjoyable.
more

Comic Book Review (8.5/10) "Great"
*A great jumping on point as this is the start of a new story arc. *
Green Lanterns 15 "A Day in the Life"
Writer: Sam Humphries
Penciller: Miguel Mendonca
Plot: This is a day in the life of Jessica Cruz as she deals with her own anxiety attacks. Although she is a super hero and a member of the Justice League that fights giant city des troying monsters and strange robbers dressed as cowboys, her biggest enemy is anxiety. Simon Baz is at her side trying to help her deal with this anxiety in this heart-warming story about one-half of the Green Lanterns team.
This is an examination of the day in the life of Jessica Cruz, literally from the moment she wakes up in the morning and to the moment she goes to sleep. It is interesting to examine a super hero with a debilitating condition, and I'm pretty sure individuals dealing with handicap issues and debilitating conditions will appreciate this examination. There is also a moment in the story where I really felt like the Green Lanterns were true partners and warmed my heart and I wouldn't want to ruin that moment for you by spoiling it here. Part of the reason why this issue works is due to the great artwork of Mendonca - I believe this is my first time seeing his artwork in a comic book, and I hope I can see more of his work soon. A great issue!
more

Comic Book Review (7/10) "Good"
Detective Comics #948 "Batwoman Begins Part 1"
Writer: James Tynion IV/ Marguerite Bennett
Penciller: Ben Oliver
Plot: This issue takes us back to a time when Kate Kane aka Batwoman was being trained by her father and the commander of the Colony. Meanwhile, in the present time Batman and Batwoman figure out that the Monster Men had a lasting cons equence on Gotham City and it's ecology. When the animals eat the monsters' flesh they eat the chemicals that turned them into monsters and now Batman and Batwoman have to deal with new monsters...
I can't believe that this comic ties back to the horrendous Night of the Monster Men saga. I was hoping that event was over and done with, but it seems the Colony is after the chemicals that created those monsters. I was hoping for more of a Batwoman origins focused book, but this book focused more on the Monster Men and a woman named Victoria who is attempting to protect this chemical from falling into the wrong hands.
Probably the best thing about this book is the artwork. Oliver's artwork is gorgeous and he is REALLY good at drawing Batwoman, which is probably why he was chosen for this Batwoman "focused" (if you would say Batwoman was the main focus of this book). The art easily made this a better than average book and would probably warrant the $3 itself.
more

Comic Book Review (9.5/10) "Amazing!"
New Super-Man
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Penciller: Billy Tan
Plot: It's Chinese Lunar New Year and Kenan Kong is on a mission to find his mother's killer, but Bat-man and Wonder-Woman have separate engagements. Meanwhile, Kenan is learning tai chi from a blind master and Baixi must enter into a contest against his rival at the Academy of the Bat!
This is probably the best setup issue I have read for Rebirth thus far as the separate storylines are fun and engaging. Yang is a great character writer as all of his characters are not just cardboard cutouts of other characters, but compelling characters with depth - especially Kenan and Baixi in this issue. Kenan is dealing with loss and trying to become stronger fast to find his mother's killer and Baixi is fighting for his right for the cowl and his sister and both stories were really fun to read. None of the writing feels forced and the characters felt genuine in their interpretations. This is a fun, light hearted, compelling issue that makes salivate for the next issue. Highly recommended!
more

Comic Book Review (8/10) "Great"
Action Comics #971 "Men of Steel Part 5"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Stephen Segovia
Plot: Lex Luthor is on trial for his life, and Superman creates a diversion to rescue him. Now Superman and Luthor are stranded on a red sun planet during their daring escape and Luthor must now protect a powerless Superman from L'Call and Zade.
The sto ry takes a great turn with Superman and Luthor being stranded on an alien planet with a red sun. Luthor behaves like an egomaniac as he looks to Superman like "are you kidding me - I have to protect you now?" and the back and forth between Supes and Luthor is some of the best dialogue in this series. The only thing that sort of confused me in this issue was Clark appearing with Chinese food towards the end. So is this doppelganger Clark working as a part-time delivery man for a Chinese restaurant, while working for the Daily Planet?! I actually laughed at this, but there must be a logical explanation for this weird turn of events - right?
more

Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
Red Hood and the Outlaws #6 "Dark Trinity Part 6: Darker Days"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Dexter Soy
Plot: Black Mask is controlling Bizarro with the techno-organic virus, and the only way Jason and Artemis can stop both is by making the virus go to the brain - by making them angrier. Can Jason and Artemis survive long enough to burn u p the virus in their assailants' systems?
This is the conclusion to the 7 part story arc that started with the Rebirth #1 issue. This story arc felt more like an introduction to the characters and this trinity team more than anything else. Although it started off strong, I would say the arc ended the way I expected it to without any real surprises. The most glaring thing to me was how NICE Batman was in this book. Batman is the most untrusting super hero I know and I found it difficult to accept that Batman would be cool with Jason running around with a retarded Superman that has Superman's powers. Batman likes control, and knowing that there is a creature that cannot be controlled out there with Superman's powers should keep Batman up all night. Still the issue was good and good read despite the fact that Batman seemed so out of character. I am hopeful for this series!
more

Comic Book Review (8.5/10) "Great!"
Suicide Squad #9 "The First and Last Mission of Suicide Zero"
Writer: Rob Williams/Si Spurrier
Penciller: Riley Rossmo
Plot: The first Suicide Squad ever created by Amanda Waller was made up of Rustam, Lobo, Emerald Empress, Doctor Polaris, and Johnny Sorrow. Waller sends them on a mission to stop Jangsun's metahuman program and sends them al ong with a mysterious asset by the name of Cyclotron. How is the Jangsun's metahuman program ran and what is the mystery of Cyclotron?
This is a very trippy issue and I can't reveal certain story elements without spoiling the issue. I just recommend going out and buying this comic as it will blow your mind how evil Jangsun is and how even more evil and manipulative Waller is. This issue proves once more the scariest member of the Squad is Waller and she should never be taken lightly.
Rossmo's eerie art style actually fits this book very well. He draws each character a bit off to make each panel just a little bit unsettling to make this issue even more eerie. Truly the biggest surprise of the week and maybe even the month!
more

Comic Book Review (7/10) "Good"
Wonder Woman #14 "Year One Finale"
Writer: Greg Rucka
Penciller: Nicola Scott
Plot: Ares, the god of war, has attacked an American base seeking the knowledge to the location of Themyscira. However, to Ares' surprise, it seems one of the consequences of leaving Themyscira was losing the knowledge of the location of the Amazonian home. Can Wonder W oman defeat Ares and contain the poison that makes men and women belligerent?
This feels like a very rushed finale to a 7 issue story arc, and it feels like Rucka was trying to wrap everything up by this issue and the issue feels rushed as a consequence. After the fight with Ares, Diana proceeds to contain the "poison" that makes people want to war in several countries. I would've preferred if the search for the poison was a bit more elaborate and well done, but it felt very generic and anticlimactic. The whole international search wrapped up in a few pages!
Scott's beautiful art elevates this mediocre ending to this story arc and I have to say that Perez' Ares run feels more epic than this story arc but at least we get Scott's beautiful art one more time before she moved on.
more

Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
*A great jumping on point as this is the beginning of a new story arc.*
The Flash #14 "Rogues Reloaded Part 1"
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Penciller: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Plot: Barry is now dating Iris and Barry is training Wally to be a better super hero. Things seem to be going well, but Barry can't help but think the Rogues are plannin g something...
This is a total set up issue to this new story arc, but it's a good set up issue as it catches up new readers to current events in the Flash universe. If you have been following the Flash book thus far though, half the issue will feel like recap. :/
Here you see Barry the forensics expert play detective as he visits the Rogues' known associates to see if the Rogues were up to anything since they left Central City during the Speed Force storm found in the first story arc. It seems the Rogues are back now as things have gotten normal again in Central City, and planning something really big. I'm looking forward to this new story arc and the return of Giandomenico for this issue (my favorite Flash artist so far) certainly helps!
more

Comic Book Review (6.5/10) "Okay"
Deathstroke #10 "Four Rooms Conclusion"
Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciller: Cary Nord
Plot: Slade Wilson is being interrogated by the warden of ADX Supermax in Florence, Colorado, Rose is on the hunt for a special sword, and Joseph is finding out genetic origins of his family.
Nothing really happens in this issue, but at least Priest gi ves us alot of back story regarding the origin of Slade, Rose, and Joseph's powers. It is revealed that Slade's super soldier serum as well as his heightened brain gives Rose and Joseph their own respective powers. It seems Priest has used the moving-each-character's-story-at-a-snail's pace-method. This is good for the first few issues, but when Priest keeps coming back to this well you can't help but feel "been there, done that" in this issue.
more

Comic Book Review (7/10) "Good"
*Great jumping on point as this is the start of a new story arc.*
All-Star Batman #6 "Ends of the Earth Part 1"/ "The Cursed Wheel Part 5"
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciller: Jock/ Francesco Francavilla
Plot: Batman is on the hunt for Victor Fries aka Mr. Freeze, and must stop him before Freeze releases a virus onto Gotham City.
This is a very artistic issue, and the first thing you will notice is the absence of word bubbles. The whole story is told through black and light blue word squares, and in a way it fits the aesthetic of the weird premise of the book. The minions that Freeze brings back from cryogenic sleep are eerie and gives this issue a bit of a sci-fi edge that I appreciated in the book. The mindless minions that attack Batman gives it a unique feel for a Freeze story. Not a lot happens in the first story, but the artistic style of the book made it enjoyable for me.
The supplemental story is the weakest link of this story as it has Batman and Duke chasing Riddler and trying to solve a word puzzle. It feels like an unnecessary story, and probably would read better in a collected version.
more

Comic Book Review (7/10) "Good"
Justice League VS. Suicide Squad #3 of 6
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Penciller: Jesus Merino
Plot: The Justice League are captured by one last desperate attempt on part of the Suicide Squad and now Waller is forced to team up with the Justice League in or order to save her own skin. Can the Justice League and Suicide Squad work together to take o n Maxwell Lord and his mind controlled super powered villains?
I hate to say this for a third comic in this mini-series, but this comic feels completely like set-up. All comics technically sets up for the following issues or next story arc, but this comic blatantly does this as it drips new story elements in driblets. If it wasn't for Batman's kick ass scene of breaking out of his shackles and straitjacket, I probably would've scored this a 6/10 as the story is "okay" at best. It won't knock your socks off, but it has a few laughs and action scenes that will entertain you. If you haven't cared for the past two issues, you probably won't be convinced as it is more of the same and the story still hasn't really gone anywhere.
more

Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
Green Lanterns #14 "The Phantom Lantern Part 5"
Writer: Sam Humphries
Penciller: Eduardo Pansica/ Ronan Cliquet
Plot: Frank Laminski has come to understand compassion and the phantom ring taps into the Indigo emotional spectrum turning Laminski into an Indigo Lantern. Baz and Cruz attempt to overtake Laminski while he is in this compassionat e state...
This seems to be the end of the Phantom Lantern story arc, as Laminski is finally subdued by the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814 (Baz and Cruz), while Cruz also overcomes her fear...of everything! (At least it seems like she has overcome here fears in this issue.) Volthoom and Rami's conversation shifts to a whole new level, and some other Lanterns make it to Earth. It's not a bad issue at all, but the ending felt a little flat with all that happened and Laminski's role in all of this seemed unnecessary at the end.
more

Comic Book Review (5.5/10) "Mediocre"
Cyborg #8 "The Imitation of Life Part 8: Kill Switch"
Writer: John Semper Jr.
Penciller: Paul Pelletier and Will Conrad
Plot: A hologram version of Cyborg reaches out to Exxy, a local techno junkie, to help him restart his systems after being shut down by the imposter Silas in the previous issue. Can Exxy reach Cyborg in time before Sila s finds out Cyborg's plans?
This was a strange issue, because out of all of the major (and more important) characters in the Cyborg comics, Semper decides to bring back the kid that was in a Cyborg issue for about 2 pages back for a crucial plot point. It seemed Cyborg went really out of his way to reach out to this random kid to get himself free. Wouldn't Sarah be a better choice? Or any of the Justice League members? This issue just did not make sense to me as it also makes Cyborg a bad super hero as he puts a young kid in harm's way. He saves him from the violent hands of a pair of corrupt cops, and puts him potentially at the mercy of a maniacal, mechanical doppelganger.
more