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 lives 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.
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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.
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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 make 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.
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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.
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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 arrival 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.

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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 spectacular 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.
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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 destroying 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!
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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 consequence 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.
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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!
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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 story 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?
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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 up 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!
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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 along 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!
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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 Woman 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.
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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 planning 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!
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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 gives 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.
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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.
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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 on 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.
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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 compassionate 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.
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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 Silas 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.
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Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
Aquaman #14 "The Deluge Act 3"
Writer: Dan Abnett
Penciller: Philippe Briones
Plot: The Aquamarines have infiltrated Atlantis and have been ordered by a splinter command group in the American government to assassinate Aquaman. Can Aquaman hold off all of the Aquamarines...?
This is an action issue with Aquaman taking on the Aquamarines. Finally the Aquamarines attack Atlantis and although the fight doesn't last very long it was enjoyable to read as Aquaman brawls with the 6 Aquamarines by himself. Abnett seems to be set on keeping the bad assery of the New 52 Aquaman going in the Rebirth run as this issue also shows how versatile Arthur is in a fight. Alot doesn't happen here, but the action is fast and furious and will keep Aquaman fans entertained.
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Comic Book Review (8.5/10) "Great!"
Writer:Cary Bates/ Greg Weisman
Penciller: Will Conrad
Plot: Captain Atom aka Captain Nathaniel Adam is losing control of his own powers and periodically letting out deadly nuclear energy. Superman, Cyborg, and Green Lantern are here to help, but will their efforts be enough, or are they just delaying the inevitable...?
This comic is a pretty quick read, as the whole story seems to take place in under an hour. After the initial scene, the story takes you back 23 minutes earlier, so the story may not even last more than 30 minutes inside the comic book world. Still Captain Nathaniel seemed like a fully realized character and this book actually gives him a voice that stands apart from the rest of the heroes due to his anguish of being a being made of pure energy. He wants to use his powers for good, but his powers may also hurt people. You felt this anguish when he asked his doctor, how many people were hurt during the initial blast.
Conrad does a good job of visually telling this story and his version of Superman is probably one of the more unique versions I have ever seen. In fact, at times his Superman doesn't even look like Superman, and though his artwork may not be the best it services the story as well as it should.
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Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
*A great jumping on point as this is the start of a new story arc.*
Superman #14 "Multiplicity"
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi/Patrick Gleason
Penciller: Ivan Reis
Plot: While Clark was driving around in Hamilton County, he comes across the Red Son Superman who is being hunted by a being called the "Prophecy" and his minions called the "Gatherers." It seems these Gatherers are rounding up Supermen from different universes for their diabolical plans. With the help of the newly appearing "Justice League Incarnate," a team made up of super heroes from the different universes, can Superman and the Justice League Incarnate stop the Prophecy before he takes more Supermen and Kenan Kong, the Super-Man of China?
This a fun issue that is reminiscent of the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event and other events where more than one Superman from different universes were involved, and I believe Tomas and Gleason were trying to play off this nostalgia factor to the get the reader hooked. And though the script is a bit wonky (Superman yells out "around here the only one making lists is Santa Clause" when the Gatherers were talking about hunting the people on their "Lyst"), I thought the premise was fun and the nostalgia definitely hit me as I have been a comics fan since the 90's and have read Crisis on Infinite Earths multiple times.The coolest thing about this issue was the inclusion of Kenan Kong, the New Super-Man from the current Rebirth series into the lore. This issue seems to take place after the current New Super-Man story ended with his father giving up his life for a noble cause. The inclusion of this character makes Rebirth seem like truly one big world.
Ivan Reis is one of my favorite artists in DC, and his art is just immaculate as always. Some of the coolest panels were when Superman and the Red Son Superman were taking on the Gatherers and my favorite scene was when they both used heat vision to fry the gatherers.
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Spotlight Comic Book Review (9/10) "Amazing"
A.D. After Death Book Two
Writer: Scott Snyder
Illustrator: Jeff Lemire
Plot: Jonah Cooke has lived multiple life times now that disease, sickness, and death have been cured. However, he cannot remember the previous life times and only remembers his most current life. Here we learn that Jonah used to be a skilled thief who was instrumental in finding the cure for death...
Snyder and Lemire still manage to keep things intriguing for me in the second issue of this three issue mini-series. Alot is revealed about Jonah's past life and some things are revealed about how the world came upon the cure for disease. His relationship with Errant is also a very intriguing relationship and Errant seems like the type of man that uses other people to get what he wants. My favorite part of this issue had to be when Cooke started hearing voices through the radio and the world below the mountains and beneath the dark clouds. You wondered if Cooke was losing his grip on reality or was he really seeing and hearing what he thought he was seeing and hearing especially because no one around him seemed to be. This element of horror and suspense added to an already stellar book to me and I would recommend anyone to pick this issue up - especially if you loved the first issue.
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Comic Book Review (7/10) "Good"
*A good place to pick up this book as this is the start of a new story arc.*
Batman #14 "Rooftops Part 1 of 2"
Writer: Tom King
Pencils/inks/colors: Mitch Gerads
Plot: It is Catwoman's last night before she goes to jail willingly, and Catwoman wants to spend her last night on the town with Batman. They take down low rate criminals together as well as even "steal" something from Catwoman's old apartment...
This issue is all about Bruce spending time with Selina in town and it's kind've ridiculous how many criminals they take down together in one night, but it was placed there to fulfill a specific piece of Bruce and Selina working together. It's a sweet issue that maybe even your girlfriend would like if you're a guy trying to get your girl into comics, but nothing of real importance happens in this issue.
The artwork is amazing especially considering how Gerads did the inking and the coloring in this book. He makes a very blue and purple Gotham City, but it fits the theme of Bruce and Selina hanging out in front of a "diamond" covered sky - that is what Selina called the stars in the night sky or maybe she just called the Gotham night shiny? Either way it's a very artistic book and seems to be more of an art piece rather than an integral comic in this series.
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Comic Book Review (7.5/10) "Good"
*A great place to start as this is the beginning of a new story arc.*
Deathstroke #9 "Four Rooms Part 1"
Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciller: Cary Nord
Plot: Deathstroke aka Slade Wilson has been captured by Superman and is now in a supermax prison. Under careful watch the warden interrogates him, while Ravager aka Rose Wilson goes to Asia in search of an ancient sword called Yoda, and Jericho aka Joseph Wilson is cleaning up the streets during his lunch break.
This issue is one of the easier issues to follow for a Deathstroke book, and if you have been following Deathstroke thus far then the story told out-of-order won't bother you much. This issue was interesting as it gave the background on Deathstroke's sword, which also happens to be called "Deathstroke." Slade is a yellow haired assassin as the story told is a story from the past. Slade once again acts like a badass as he also meets Wintergreen for the first time in this story. Rose's story was brief, but her actions were badass, and Jericho's stint with a homeless murderer was also interesting to read as he possesses a nun to beat the assailant like a badass. Basically this is a badass book for badass comic readers and if you're into your heroes (or anti-heroes) being tough then you might like this book.
I believe this is Nord's first time on this book and I have to say that I enjoyed her art...most of the time. There were some panels where the faces looked un-detailed, but her simple Batman the Animated Series-esque art was easy to follow and great to look at.
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Comic Book Review (8/10) “Great”
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #11 “Bottled Light Part 4”
Writer: Robert Venditti
Penciller: Rafael Sandoval
Plot: Larfleeze was behind the bottling of the Green Lantern Corp and the Siniestro Corp, and John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Soranik must find a way to escape. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner re-unite, and discover that the Green Lantern Corp is still alive…
This was a fun issue with many of the New52 characters coming back to make a comic that was reminiscent of the New52 Green Lantern comics. The dual stories in this book of Hal Jordan going to Mogo to discover that the Green Lantern Corp was still alive, and Stewart and Soranik planning to find a way to escape their prison were both great and had me turning the pages to see what happened next. Not a lot happens, but this comic does progress the story finally in a direction where I was hoping the comic would be by now.
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Comic Book Reviews (7.5/10) "Good"
Teen Titans #3 "Damian Knows Best Part 3"
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Penciller: Khoi Pham
Plot: Damian and the Teen Titans have escaped the Demon's Fist, a force of assassins assembled by Ra's al Ghul and once led by Damian. This issue takes us back to when Damian and his cousin Mara, the current leader of the Demon's Fist, were being trained by the Demon. Can the Teen Titans learn to accept one another and learn to work together?
This issue felt like there was a lot of filler including a scene where the Titans were talking over a camp fire and randomly divulging their greatest pains. It felt forced that this group of individuals who never really worked as a team all of a sudden started sharing their greatest pains. Maybe it was because they just went through a near death experience with their fight with the Demon's Fist, but it felt out of place. Still seeing Beast Boy and Kid Flash banter off one another was enjoyable and seeing Damian open up to his new friends was interesting.
Pham does a good job in showing us visually the tumultuous relationship and competitive nature between Damian and Mara. He has a darker tone compared to the previous artists, but it seemed to match the story as both the Teen Titans and the Demon's Fist retreated to lick their wounds.
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Comic Book Reviews (8.5/10) "Great"
*A hint of what is to come in the DC Universe is in this issue.*
Detective Comics #947 "The Victim Syndicate Finale: The Brave One"
Writer: James Tynion IV
Penciller: Alvaro Martinez
Plot: Batman and his team have taken down the First Victim and the Victim Syndicate only to be foiled by Spoiler. Spoiler wants Batman to give up his true identity of Bruce Wayne and come clean before the citizens of Gotham City. It seems Spoiler's grief over the loss of Tim Drake has changed her position regarding the Bat Family...
This issue should probably called Spoiler: the Intervention, as it is all about Spoiler trying to convince the rest of the Bat Family to quit being crime fighters and to hang up their costumes. Spoiler also with her powerful cell phone takes down all of the Bat Family members! It seems Spoiler is smarter than I ever thought her to be and has proven to be a formidable foe given time and preparation. This is a very emotional issue and has Batman and his team reflecting on the structure and nature of their work in Gotham City and this issue ties back to Tim Drake's ideas of expanding the Bat Family from the previous issue.
I almost mistook Martinez' art for Barrows' since their art styles are very similar. Even his Batman cowl is very reminiscent of Barrows' style. Due to the nature of the gravity of the subject matter and this issue questioning what the Bat Family could be, Martinez' gritty, dark, dramatic style fits this book.
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