Art is a little odd for the story but, definitely a fun read.

Definitely in the running for best issue so far. The art was fantastic and the story was very interesting.

Definitely the best one so far.

Welcome to the Oblivion Bar where the first round is on me and the pretzels are free! Be warned: like the pickled eggs at the bar, this issue is going to get SPOILED rotten.

Instantly, I know what everyone wants to say: it’s Adult Harry Potter. Well, other than the fact that we see magic, wizards, and wands, I don’t see that connection at all. But I suppose every movie, tv show, pop culture reference, or comic will always be connected to Harry Potter as long as it has magic in it. Before I dive in, let me start by telling all readers that this is graphic, shows blood and gore, and “copulation” as it was referenced in the issue. If your cool with a more graphic comic, then let’s Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho our way through this issue shall we?

The issue opens with two “magicians” standing outside an apartment of one would be magician and his family. There goal is to kill them. So, they possess their child from floating outside the families building and have the child slice his fathers throat killing him instantly. The mother awakens to find her son with the knife in her bed covered in blood.

We then jump to a character named Cordelia Moonstone who’s in the back of a cop car being taken away for disruption at a child’s birthday party. She came as the birthday magician intoxicated, had sex with the birthday boys dad, and fought with his wife. We find out in this scene that she’s an exceptional escape artist as she sneaks out of a moving cop car without them knowing until it’s too late.

Next, we see Leonard Moonstone. who appears to be a regular stage magician doing the “catching a bullet in your mouth” act. We see an old woman fire the gun and Leonard catching it in his teeth later to find out that she actually shot him in the chest but he was wearing a Kevlar vest underneath his clothes just to be safe. On there way backstage, they get wind that Edward Lisowski was the one who was killed earlier in the story.

Turns out, they have what is called a Ceremony of the Broken Wand. This is basically just a funeral for the magician with the mystic community. As his friends are paying their respects, Madame Albany and her gang of misfit toys (magicians) appear to pay their respects too. The reader gets the vibe that she is the leader of a dark clan of magicians while some think she may have even been the one to kill Edward. Honestly, I don’t think that’s the case. It would be too easy. But who knows?

She actually came to pay her respects because she worked with Ed in the order of magicians. There job was to protect the human race from things they didn’t even know existed. We later see that Madame Albany has a shape shifter in her clan, which I think will play a big role as the story moves on. Otherwise, showing us this scene was pointless.

As everyone leaves the funeral, Cordelia finally shows up late and her brother and father are pissed. It seems like this is something she always does. She comes off as the black sheep of the family.

The story then shifts to Gabriel Moonstone who lives a normal life without magic out of choice. His brother is talking to him “magically” in secret at the grocery store. Why? Because he gave up that life. Not only does it look like something drastic happened magically against some crazy looking monster, something also happened to his daughter and my guess is that she died.

His brother asks Gabriel if he ever misses being in the order, being a magician, using his powers and all the wonder that goes with it. Gabriel, still looking devastated about his daughters death, says no. But while he’s talking to his brother, he keeps having flashbacks of this giant squid like monster that his dad brought him to see with the order followed by flashbacks of his daughter pretending to be a magician and then her casket. This part was to show us how deeply connected the magician underground is, its roots, it’s foundation in society, and the price that goes along with being in the order.

The story ends with another magician trying to mend an elderly woman with some type of green stew. This part confused me because I didn’t know who this magician was. Should we know him?

Suddenly, he realizes that the room he’s in is in a changing spell. And in less than a minute the entire room he’s in will change killing those in it, including the magician, and replace them with new people who were unaware of the change ever happening. The magician and the family he was helping get sucked into the changing spell and are lost while a new couple replaces them none the wiser. Behind the couple, we see the person in the beginning of the story that killed Ed who looks like a mix between Jigsaw, V for Vendetta, and someone from the revolutionary war. So, it looks like someone is murdering magicians. But who? I bet you it ain’t Voldemort!

This was a really great start to a story that has no supporting characters I know anything about. The hardest part of any comic that doesn’t involve any established heroes or well known heroes is to hook you from jump street. It needs to be creative, intriguing, and draw you in with some time of mystery or conspiracy. This issue does it all AND has pretty good art. I’m in for the magic carpet ride. As it stands today, sign me up for the 6 issue arc and some Steppenwolf too. Hop in now while you still can. You don’t need any prior knowledge to enjoy this series and I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it.

If you like what you heard, love talking all types of comics, and are interested in joining a comic chat group, hit me up at dispatchdcu@gmail.com or @dispatchdcu on twitter. Catch you all later! Peace more

SPOILER WARNING!!! (Did you know that The Imperial Empire invaded the universe in this issue?)

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Mike Perkins

After Seeley's run on Green Lantern, people have asked many questions. Will Dan Jurgens bring it back to its former glory, will this book be able to withstand being the only Green Lantern ongoing after Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corp #50, and how many similarities can one book have to Star Wars? Find out in this mega-sized issue of Green Lanterns.

We start out with a lone Guardian doing his daily meditation and stretches before realising a presence he hasn't felt in a long time as well as a notice that this takes place after Hal n' Pals #50 which is a while off and spoils the story a bit. We then cut to John Stewart who is investigating a wreckage before his ring notes him of a threat that it deems "managable". This threat? Apparently the Imperial Empire which has jumped from lightspeed with ships that appear like Star Destroyers and the Tantive IV combined with an X-Wing. Yeah, this fight isn't "manageable". Stewart gets quickly overpowered whilst trying to alert the Guardians, but his ring isn't working for whatever reason.

Whilst this is happening we arrive in Section 2814, on the planet Nideesi with Guy Gardner and Kilowog, who are visiting a high priestess who is worried about the world now that the source wall has been broken. If the name Nideesi rings a bell, then L'call should definatly if you've read Jurgen's Action Comics run, who appears to be dying after being attacked. While Guy does and Kilowog do this, they receive a notification to find John. Also meanwhile is Jessica and Sara Cruz in a night club, talking about Jessica's improvement with her anxiety and having fun, but then Simon and Kyle decide to ruin it all for training. They charge their batteries and head off to Mogo. I do feel like the characterisation of Kyle, Simon and Jessica are quite off and doesn't jive with what we have already received.

On Mogo, the Guardians have a feeling of unease and hope it isn't emotion because god forbid if they feel emotion! They then summon John because they probably want to talk about this unease and order some takeaway for lunch. Finally we jump back to John who is still losing this fight against this mysterious figure stating that he is Eon and that John is not of the one. Like A New Hope, John forgets about tractor beams and the guys on the ship chat about him being there and if they should worry. Jessica, Simon and Kyle land on Mogo which is currently experiencing a hurricane and destroying buildings, especially the local McDonalds. Jessica's ring warns her that she should priotise herself and guard her trust. Basically after this issue, I don't trust the rings. Guy and Kilowog find John and head off for Mogo to send him into Med Bay. Lanterns are also trying to stop the buildings falling especially a one Soranik Natu, who is currently meant to be leading the Sinestro Corps. Jessica goes to a fallen building to scan for life forms whilst Simon and Kyle help out elsewhere, but her ring scans two life forms before correcting itself down to one. This one casualty is the Guardian from the beginning with Simon holding him, whilst Jessica's ring informs her that he was murdered and not to trust anyone.

All in all it was a good start to Jurgen's run even if he is re-using some characters from previous runs. I personally didn't enjoy the art and found it obstructing.

Pros:
Using the Earth Lanterns - All bar Hal
Interesting story so far - Also allows for Jurgen's to take this where he wants it to be.
Full of intrigue - Leaves you wondering what will happen next

Cons:
Art - Hindered my reading
Reusing plot threads - Literally last two issues were about Jessica being framed for murder and now it seems the same for Simon
Return of the Empire - Drawing some parallels to Star Wars
Spoiling Hal n' Pals - Soranik's apparent return to the GLC

Issue Summary: Star Wars Episode 10

Score: 7.5/10 more

Whiel this wasn't terrible, it could have been a lot better for a book with a team we haven't seen in years. The story we got though was serviceable and definitely didn't turn me off from continuing but, we will need to see some improvement in issue 2. I haven't been reading Marvel 2 in 1 so Im a little confused if I've missed anything about Doom since the end of Iron Man. His turn to villainy in here seems very rushed although this story was pretty solid and menacing. Overall, a good but not great start. more

This issue was a real step up and return to form for Soule. the last arc was just too bonkers and this was much more grounded, which is exactly what was needed. This artist killed it as well. I hope he stays on board for a while, his daredevil and action scenes are really well done. Hopefully we continue this into the next issue.

This book makes me sad they are still going the direction of taking Spider-Man away from Miles. If this book indicates anything is that this should be the new team going forward with Miles still as a Spidey. I love Miles. He is absolutely one of my favorite characters and to see him back is great, especially with someone other than Bendis. No offense to Bendis though, he did make Miles into a great character, but he he really bombed that Return of the Sinister Six arc and it's good to see a fresh voice. They definitely have his tone and character down. more

I actually really enjoyed this book and while I get some of the gripes, I feel like people just think too hard when reading comics. It's meant to be fun and enjoyed and that's exactly what we've been getting with this new series. The concept is great and was really well done. This Spidey volume is already moving to the top of my list. My only thing is the art. Not my style.

Hawkman continues to be an absolute blast. There's always a comic every year that necessarily might not be the best but, it's just so much fun and you want to know more. This is one of those books. The art and story combine to give you a great experience and brings you along for a wild adventure through time.

This whole God Butcher/ God Bomb story has been one of the best stories I've ever read. It's crazy, wild, drama filled, has great art and just all the elements of a classic.

WTF is going on? Who cares, it's fun.

Not bad at all, but definitely no where near the last few issues. Art remained solid and the story is needed to further the overall story at hand.

While I get the reviews of boring, because it isn't the most exciting book out, but the fallout of Secret Empire on Steve is being addressed and I loved Secret Empire. The art is really fantastic. One of the best drawn Cap's I've seen.

This God Butcher arc is really top notch. I've had this trade sitting on my shelf for a few years now and never once picked it up to start. I recently read the new Venom #4 and saw that there was a connection to the god of thunder story-line so I decided to finally start. I am glad I did. this was a really good story and had some really awesome art. Definitely in one of my top 5 stories.

This series was something else, in a good way. Blck Mask always puts out a lot of unique and really well done comics over the past few years and this is definitely one of them. Really well written and the art is trippy yet completely horrific at the same time. I really commend the creative team on a solid 4 issue story that to me will definitely be one I read again down the line.

Once again, while not bad, Moon Knight has really sunk in quality. While people like Ellis and Lemire used the mental aspect of the character to enhance the stories, Bemis is starting to use it as one big cliche and is pigeonholing Moon Knight into the same lackluster stories. I love the art and while some of the ideas are cool and it's pretty well written, Bemis has to start diversifying his stories or else I might hop off the wagon on one of my favorite characters until a new writer takes over. more

I thought this was even better than the last issue. The story is really interesting, it plays with some interesting ideas and definitely has twists and turns. The art fits the book perfectly and I really enjoy what it's doing right now.

This was a really good storyline with Frank in the War Machine armor. The battle with Tony was really cool and I just can't praise this run enough. The art is great and the writer seems to understand Frank, at least a version I see him being. Overall, this Legacy run has ended and the new run begins next month. The same writer is aboard so I definitely will follow along.

I love origins and celestials. Combine them and you got one hell of a story and while it takes the whole issue to tell the origin, it is definitely worth it. Art knocked it out of the park.

This second issue was really good. I liked the first one as well, but I was more concerned with the follow up to the start. This showed that the series is in the right direction. The humor is there, the good dialogue, MARY JANE! and a little surprise at the end. This should be a good series. Art seemed a little better in this issue as well.

I don't know how Spencer does this. Spidey is back again as a jobless student, but Spencer makes it interesting and feeling fresh. This isn't perfect comic, but very enjoyable one and sometimes, that is all you need. Awesome artwork by Ottley doesn't make it any worse though.

What a way to save a series. The first issue in the series for me was very middle of the road. While not bad at all it was just so generic and the art was just so corny looking, I told myself I was going to drop it if the second issue did not deliver. Well, it did! I thought this was a big step up from the first. We get direction, ideas, a cool Rhodey side story and just an overall good read. I'll definitely be sticking around for now even though the art is still not much of my style. more

This book started off with me not really having any clue what was going on or what was supposed to mean what, because although I've been reading Thor since the beginning of Legacy, you can tell this issue had tons of characters that were introduced throughout Aarons run and it just had me lost not really knowing who they were. Halfway through though, the story picked up and the reliance on past characters dissipated. It finished on a high note and definitely was a decent read, even for someone with little Thor background. The only other knock I'd say is the art. while not bad ( I actually like the style)sometimes it just seems like the artist crams too much in one spot and some of the panels are hard to initially see whats going on. more

The last issue of DC I thought Id ever buy was Batman #50. Fortunately, I saw Hawkman on the shelf. I was so interested in his story after reading dark night metal that I had to at least pick up the first issue. I thought it was great. 2nd Issue. Just as awesome. I really like the idea. I don't know much about Hawkman, but it is easy to follow and has me interested in where the plot is going. The art is solid, nothing to extraordinary, but definitely enjoyable. more

I think when this series first started, I expected too much and thought too hard about what transpires on the pages. After the break and coming back with this issue, I realized you just need to hop in and go for the ride. By not really overthinking, I found this issue to be one of the best so far and was a really interesting idea.

Probably one of if not the best issues.