"Your children will know only power, not oppression" ...ok. I have no idea what the hell happened in this issue. Did I miss some preview? Is Black Manta now on a path to replace Aquaman alongside Jackson? I am really confused. And when something finally starts making sense, the issue abruptly ends.

"Stupid borders" Superman is not doing enough. Sigh. Superman is the greatest superhero in fiction. Period. And his best "power" is the fact that he knows he is not a god, that despite his awesome power he has no right to impose his will on others (something Jon seems keen on doing). The notion that he is not doing enough is at best: dumb. At worst: it's disrespecting the character, over 80 years of his history and the people who followed that history. There are some redeeming qualities though. The book has good art, with vibrant colors. The page where Jon lunges on the gunman is a good one. And the story of Jon facing some dictator, despite having some conveniences (the streamer conveniently being in the crowd and on the exact roof), might turn out to be a good one (but I have my doubts). But all of it gets overridden by how preachy and sanctimonious the book can become all of a sudden. People read comic books because they want escapism and fun. They don't read them because they want to be lectured. Sadly, the escapism part is becoming increasingly more difficult. Because no matter where you turn, be it movies, tv shows, comic books or other facets of entertainment, you will get lectured. And if you don't like the lecture? You are a bigot :) I mean, what the hell? Nevertheless, one thing seems to be clear. The character that Dan Jurgens created and Peter Tomasi turned beloved is gone. And if the rumors out there turn out to be true, that character will be gone for good. It's amazing, and frightening, how a few bad decisions (Bendis and now Taylor) can totally destroy a fan favorite character. And how the heck can they talk on the surface of the moon?

"Superman is gone" I could end the review right here because that sentence above sums everything up perfectly. The Man of Steel has left the Earth. The Man of Tomorrow is gone. In his place, we are left with an entitled brat who thinks he knows best and constantly looks for new ways to show he's the virtuous one. Great. Awesome. This time, instead of being a superhero and, I don't know, doing something heroic, he joins a protest (I am not kidding, I wish I was) and pulls the stunt of getting himself arrested like many narcissistic and annoying activists before him. Why? Just, why? Why heroes can't just be heroic, save people, fight aliens, robots, and evil geniuses? Why do they have to carry some message about whatever is ailing the writer about the real world? Why can't they just entertain and provide a much-needed break from the flesh-eating viruses, freak weather, media constantly gunning for clicks and headlines, greedy and useless politicians, and their supporters ready to tear the other side apart in seconds? Why?

"I won't do anything stupid..." How atrocious is the art in this book? My goodness! It can't get worse, right? Then I see Aerie's face. And then Wink's. Who the hell, in their right mind, greenlit this? It seems that this book is important enough for DC to have two separate press releases, but not enough to make an actual effort to have consistently good art. Go figure. I'll give you the opening sequence though, that was cool. But then what? He has powers too? And he's from Gamorra too? And he knows Wink and the Aerie? And he was in the same exact school that Jon went to? And on the exact same roof that Jon landed after saving a boat full of Gamorran people? Well, are you now Mr. Deus Ex Coincidence Machina. Or an evil genius that planned all of this? What's that? Right, he's rainbowy, he can't be evil. By the way, post-human? What the hell happened to good old meta-human? Lastly, showing little Jon Kent is an act of pure evil at this point. Feels like rubbing it in, like salt on the wound. You know he'll never be back, certainly not after issue #5. Yeah, pure Evil. With capital E.

"It's not you, it's an armed robbery" Yeah, there's like zero chemistry between these two. Zero. Nada. Zilch. But at least we know who's going to be headlining the next year's pride anthology. With that out of the way. Five issues! It took Jon five issues to finally act like a bloody superhero. About damn time. Saving people from drowning, kidnapping; finding lost children, and carrying a whole bridge with cars and people on it? Ok, that's overdoing it. It's just so far that the suspension of disbelief can take you. And I know why he's wearing a mask, I do, but I'm pretty sure his Kryptonian heritage makes him immune to covid. As for the art. John Timms is back, so the issue looks good and the atrocities of issue #4 are nowhere to be found here. That's good. I also didn't feel preached to while reading this issue. Didn't think that Talyor can rein it in, but apparently, he can. Some of the lines leading up to "the big moment" and after it felt a bit cringy, but in my book, cringy is better than being preachy.

"More like a moronic man" As if Heroes in Crisis wasn't disappointing enough. Now we have a book with Harley and Ivy, characters that I usually like, that is supposed to deal with the mess the other book made. Well, it's not making a terribly good job. Harley is a really dumb person here, I don't mind her being cooky and/or crazy, but this is taking things too far. As for Ivy, well... she's also here. Something is happening to her, due to being reborn from a flower, and it might turn out to be something fun, but for now, she's just there. Maybe a better title would be "Harley Quinn, also, sometimes featuring Poison Ivy"? At least the art is good. I have no complains here. Floronic Man and his "dogs" look really fine and I'm glad that Ivy got rid of that weird muscly look.

"Not after Sanctuary" Nice art with a very mediocre story. Overall, a big "meh".

"I've appropriated a mask" This book has me torn. On one hand, it bags on Batman for not doing enough, just like Son of Kal-El with Superman (now let's just get that Nubia book to bag on Wonder Woman and we'll have the trifecta of "new generation of heroes" craping all over the old ones) and has its hero take, or rather appropriate, the name/legend/legacy of Batman for his own ends. Even the secret identity is the same. On the other hand, kinda ironically, it presents a Batman story I'd rather read, than whatever Tynion or Tamaki has Batman doing now. Hey, maybe that was the pitch: "Let's make Batman poor and ineffective so the new guy, using Batman's name/brand and all, can look better"? Overall, the book is not bad in and of itself and has stellar art. As for the problems I mentioned above, I think they could be fixed in three, laughably easy steps. 1. Take the word Batman from the title of the book. Basically anything less egregious than "I Am Batman" will work. 2. Have the main character stop calling himself Batman immediately. 3. And take the Bat symbol of his chest. Following these three easy steps will ensure your book won't get an immediate pushback from long Batman fans or comic books in general. Of course, this way you're forfeiting the twitter clout for having black Batman, but I'm pretty sure out of these two groups, only one reads comic books. If you can't guess which one, then all hope for you is lost.

"I Am Batman" So, this is a second issue and we are already changing the artist? Ok, whatever, I keep reading. The story's decent, there is some cool Bat-action done by the NOT Batman and, surprisingly, I find myself entertained. Unfortunately, I kept reading further. The issue was quick to remind me that a comic book cannot be just entertainment nowadays with gems like: "He doesn't deserve sympathy just 'cause he's a cute white kid" (I just love how the word white has this whole pejorative meaning to it these days) and "That's why it's called white privilege". Gotta love that race bulls*it being inserted into everything today. From there it was a pretty straightforward road downhill. Fear State continuity is completely out of control. This comic makes it feel like it has been going for some time now. Long enough for crazy people to put militias together. While in Batman is feels like it's all happening on one night. Another interesting nugget is that Lucius Fox and his company, I'm assuming it's Wayne Enterprise (gotta love that Wayne-Joker money) backed the Magistrate. Wasn't Simon Saint and his company, Saint Industries, behind the Magistrate? I could swear that's what Tynion was telling me in Batman. To end, we again get some nice portion of Bat-action done by the NOT Batman, but this time with a cherry on top, in Jace doing his best to send mixed signals. So you don't look like the Batman but you are Batman? Just so we're clear, no, you're NOT, but maybe stop running around in another man's fatigues. That should help you with the confusion. So, to summarize: - the issue started rather well, but couldn't keep it up throughout the whole thing; - it went for the low-hanging fruit of race-baiting; - the art changed already but it's still quite good; - and the NOT Batman is still NOT Batman.

"The cute, white killer and his privileged black lawyer..." Making it difficult from the very first pages, huh? But that was some decent bat-action, I'm not going to lie. Way better than what Tynion was serving. The art could've been more consistent, though.

"@#$% internet" This was fun. A tad confusing at times (do all this happened on this same Earth?) and had some little Bendis-esque dialogue in some parts (the very first line of dialogue made me roll my eyes a bit) but I really enjoyed the story, especially Batman Beyond and Kamandi parts, and the parade of different artists. I'm curious to see where this goes next.

"What did you do?" After the recent issues of Superman, Action Comics and Leviathan that were less than satisfying I was hoping that the relaunch of the Legion will score a win for Brian Bendis and well, it didn't. Dang it. It starts well, the opening was pretty fun and the artwork is pretty good, but when we jumped to Jon, Imra and other Legionaries it became... difficult. It's this thing than Bendis does, that gets very annoying and irritating very fast. He makes the dialogue feel like the characters are having multiple conversations on multiple topics at the same damn time. It's infuriating. Feels like every single person has some sort of attention span disorder. And then we have the dialogue gems like the talk about the orientation presentation or the Madamhonor President using the phrase "no, seriously" in a sentence. Ehh... dang it.

"That makes no sense!" Well, this was terrible.

"Did you qroting see that?" What a tremendous surprise this issue was. Such an improvement over the last two issues. The Supersons are reunited. And unlike that one issue of Superman with them, this time they are really good together. The dialogue improved greatly. The cringe factor is nonexistent and Bendis-isms are down to a minimum. And the glimmers of a possibly interesting story start showing. The pacing and the storytelling are still a bit disjointed, and the cast is waaaaay to big. Aside from Imra and Jon Kent, I remember zero names. In summary, the are still aspects to improve, but this issue gives me hope that this book may turn out good in not too distant future.

"I'm here. I'm ready. I'm talking. Help me." Heroes in Crisis. The new brainchild, of equally loved and hated, Tom King starts here. Some folks will love it unconditionally for "its character deconstruction" and others will hate it with a burning passion "because people don't talk like that". As for me, I'm leaning towards the first group. I enjoyed it. It's not without flaws but overall it is a good set-up for, possibly, a good and interesting story to come. The book opens with Booster Gold and Harley Quinn enjoying some coffee in a diner while the Trinity discovers that the Sanctuary, the place of supposed healing and redemption, went to sh... Well, it's gone and it looks like all the patients and the staff are dead. We also see some patients' interviews, that give us some insight into their psyche, and some grisly images of tiny heroes being eaten by some birds... ugh. All of this with a beautiful art from Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey. Seriously, they know what they're doing. Harley looks positively crazy and the look on Superman's face, when he sees what happened in Sanctuary, is just harrowing. There are some Tom King-isms here, but there are few and far between. And even when you get one it doesn't make your eyes roll out of your skull. A nice start. Definitely one that makes me wonder what is going to happen next.

"I'm going to boop you again" Easily my favorite parts of this issue are the two patient interviews that are opening and closing it. I really enjoyed seeing Harley being silly (not dumb or stupid) around Ivy and Superman's interview touched on a subject I never really thought about. Does "playing" two vastly different people on a daily basis can mess a person up? Even Super Clark-El of Steel? But what is in between these two pages is good too. The portrayal of the Trinity really worked for me here. This three know each other very, very well, so King's sometimes super-scarce dialogue fits for their scenes. Harley in her classic jester outfit was a nice surprise and her poker opponent seemed tough. And that would be a less clumsy segue than usually. Clay Mann and the rest make her look awesome in that outfit and that strand of blonde hair sticking out was a nice detail. Penguin looked just revolting and Mann is quickly establishing himself among my favorite artists to draw Man of Steel. Yeah, I'm going to read issue #3.

"Freeze" This issue feels like one of those one-shots that were inducted into the whole thing making 9 parts series. What I mean by that is that the story itself doesn't progress very much. Aside from one little revelation it practically doesn't progress at all, but about that later. Through the first couple pages, I had to check the cover to make sure it's Tom King because it certainly didn't feel like him. But then I got to the therapy sessions with Sanctuary's A.I. and the repetition came into play and after that, there was no need to check the cover. Booster's session was chaotic and a mess, it was maybe to show the mess in his head, but it was difficult to read. Lagoon Boy got shot with a laser. 337 times. That's a lot; seems like a lot; it is a lot; repetition. The only session I actually enjoyed was Wally's. Seeing him missing his family was believable and it lined up with things we saw in the Flash book. Clay Mann takes a back seat this issue, making only two pages (two great looking pages), and makes way for Lee Weeks, who is great. The only bummer is that he did not get to draw Superman; it's what he does best. SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! As for that revelation I mentioned at the beginning. We see Harley Quinn smash Wally West's head with her hammer, seemingly killing him. I do not like that. I don't want Harley to be the person who killed the patients. Even if she was brainwashed or mind-controlled. I just don't want her to be the villain, I imagine it's a sentiment shared by a few people.

"$%@# this" That kinda sums it up. In all honesty, this issue is really mixed and uneven. There are some nice moments and then there are "what the hell is this?!" moments. Let's start with the good things. The art is phenomenal. Everything looks great, the heroes, locations, backgrounds, but the winner is the page with Lois. I can't take my eyes off it. She looks stunning. As for the nice moment... well, let me think... ok, I've got few. - Black Canary's interview (I'm guessing it reflect perfectly some readers attitude for this book). - Booster and Beetle's bromance. - And Triniti's conversation in the Bat-cave (I'll hide the dinosaur). But let's get down to the meat. Let's talk about the things that don't work. - First, Donna's interview. It's confusing, seems pointless and it just feels weird for me to question the existence of Troy in a world with actual Greek gods and where Shazam literally has the courage of Achilles. - Second, Batgirl's encounter with Harley and that page with their hands. I know what it was supposed to represent, but it looked like they decided to stop fighting and to start getting frisky with each other. Where they ever friends? What did I miss? - Three, the biggest NO of the issue. "As pitiful. Broken."; "Another scared, scarred girl" and the beautiful, "think they know us not knowing us". The last one is just stupidly funny. The first two are just plain wrong in my opinion. Sure, Batman act's like a dick (no, I don't mean Nightwing) many times, but I would never accuse him of such things. For me, it always seemed that underneath all the brooding and anger Batman is actually really compassionate. - And the last one. The issue feels like another filler. The story doesn't seem to go anywhere and feels all over the place. I'm sad. I really enjoyed the first two issues, but the book suddenly took a dive in quality, excluding the art, that bit is stellar. I hope it will bounce back. But if it will continue down the current path I'm guessing each next issue will be getting a lower and lower score. Yeah.

"I'm Batman. I don't do press" Honestly, I don't know what to write. It's a mixed bag, just like the last issue. Only this time it's apparent that anything that I find "good" is just a cover-up that makes the "bad" easier to swallow. So, what are the cover-ups: - The art is great, as always with Clay Mann. The double-page spread with Blue and Gold is really good. It's so rare to see heroes just chilling. Harley swinging her hammer at Skeets or Shining Knight facing the dragon are all great-looking pages. - I liked Superman's speech. It was a bit, I don't know, lofty? but I enjoyed it overall feel and the message. - Batgirl and Harley's talk about murder and killing. It was just funny. Lighthearted and funny. As for the rest: - The dialogue. King's trademark, useless repetition and some really questionable sentences that made me think about how many times you can use the word "know" in one sentence before it's too much. And some dialogue was just confusing, example: Batgirl talking to Skeets. - Booster's plan to steal everything and figure it out alone is just bonkers. It did give results, true, but it's still bonkers. - And basically, the story is pretty much still in the same place that is was three issues ago. And that's just WOW. All that we "learned" in these five issues could have been condensed into two issues in my opinion. How it went from 7 to 9 parts is a mystery to me. I would have rated it with a 5, but Booster's discovery makes me wonder, and hope, that maybe not everyone that died is actually dead and I think that's worth a 0.5.

"What does a vegan zombie eat?" A new month, so a new issue of Heroes in Crisis is here to divide people into those who hate it: "because it has bad characterizations"; "because it mocks mental health" or "because it hates women" and into those few who "dare" to like it. I think this issue is better than the last few. It still has the same one, major, problem the others had. The story did not move even an inch. It's still basically in the same place as it was after the second issue. That's, well... it's not the best. There's also this one, super pretentious, line form Tattooed Man and a little bit of Tom King's dialogue where you have the word "know" like four times in one sentence. But those two are small things and there's nothing else that is extremely bad or eye rolling. At times it felt like someone hijacked the script from Mistah King. What I liked about this issue was the art, obviously, and the portrays of characters. It was a nice and fun idea to show Gnarrk, this "dumb" caveman, thinking about and quoting philosophers and trying to come to terms with this new world he's in. Wally, everyone was happy that he is back (his fans included), but it wasn't his world. No family, no familiar speedsters. The guy just couldn't take it. His parts were sad. And I like how Harley and Ivy's relationship was shown here. Two best friends just hanging out... in a hospital for mentally ill heroes, hm. But it was fun to see. Some cleansing killing of digital Jokers, some "girl talk" about which one is crazy and no romantic undertones that would never get any payoff. This issue surprised me, in a good way, but I am more than ready to see this story move forward. It is high time for that.

"Yeah. Booster" It's been almost a week, barely anyone will read this, so I'll try to keep this brief. I felt like Booster after his shield broke down when I was reading this issue. #@$@ @$%# @#$$. Just where in the heck is this thing going? Art was good, except for Batman and Flash parts, it was very good. And Bats sounded here more like Reed Richards that himself. Is Batman really someone who would argue about Bat-radio being faster? I really don't think so. And I really can't take this thing with Batgirl and Harley agreeing with Booster that they are nothing. Just stop. There is a silver lining though. Poison Ivy is alive, I think. That's good. Oh, And apparently Wally also is. But he also is a crazy killer? Just look at those patient interviews. That man is unwell. Just two issue left. We can make it. And then wait for someone to write this out of continuity.

"I lost that control" Disappointment. It's the feeling that accompanied this book from issue #3 onward for me and for many others from the very beginning. Now everything is revealed. The whos, the hows, all of it. And it is utterly disappointing. Not everything is in this issue is in Crisis though. Surprisingly, the dialogue doesn't feel very Tom King. The word "yeah" is used, I think, once maybe twice. Some of the explanations that are presented to us make sense. At least as much as anything can in this book. - Wally knowing how to set up and doctor a crime scene; - Moving people with such speed, they don't even notice; well he is supposedly the fastest of the fast; - And him losing control of speed force lighting as a reason for everyone's demise. I buy these explanations. The other ones... not so much. - Wally is a master hacker now? Capable of hacking advanced Kryptonian tech and Batman's programming? Yeah, not buying that one. - This whole five days older, future body thing - And the most convoluted and confusing. His reasoning for setting the whole thing up in the first place. Why? So you have five days to frame Booster and Harley, send World's Greatest Heroes on a wild goose chase (they could have been saving some lives instead) and kill yourself. Nope, not buying that one either. Maybe if I'd give it some more time, put my mind to it, really thought about it. But it's just that. There's no point. If the writer didn't do it, why should I? I'd rather read something better or do anything else that won't end up with me feeling utterly disappointed.

"It was a mistake" Is it really over? Has the nightmare finally ended? It has indeed. Heroes in Crisis finally reached its conclusion and it continued, to the very last page, to be the waste of a good artist and many beloved characters. If you ever want to give someone the definition of pointless and unnecessary, show him this title. This issue has literally nothing going for it. Even the art feels lazy at times. And the patients' interviews, something that for the most part was the strongest aspect of every issue, range here from stupid to moronic. Every Robin has an identity crisis, Catwoman can't speak like a normal person, Vixen is weird and Hal Jordan doesn't know what will power is. Really?! The only ones I think were fine, were Mera's and Cyborg's. It's amazing how in the span of nine issues your perception of a writer can change. Once I thought Tom King could write, I did, in fact, enjoyed a couple of stories from him, but now I shudder when I see his name on the cover.

"Darkseid Is" So this is not DC's take on the former US first lady's memoir? Bummer. Other than that it was fine, I guess. It sadly continues the policy of switching out the established characters for the "new generation", albeit seems to be the most competent try yet. That cover is ridiculous though.

"Ah man, she heard everything" Even though the story told in this issue is pretty straightforward; Jackson runs, Mera gets questioned and so on; the writer manages to make it really convoluted and confusing with all that jumping forward and back in time and from one place to another.

"Thank you for not being boring" That more or less sums it up.

"The world has already fallen" This book is like the intro to the Titans tv series. It just screams "Edgy! We! Are! Edgy!" over and over again with its talk about anger, rage and with its nasty art. But unlike Titans, this book doesn't make me roll my eyes every couple of minutes.

"She always this dramatic?" Not very interesting. One might even dare to call it boring.

"Fly" What an enormous waste of time these six issues turned out to be. Ok, psionic wings were cool, but aside from that we got: - boring and sluggish story. - awful, just awful art, even worse than what Romita showed in Action Comics. - and terribly written, pretentious characters. I guess the universe needs balance after all. For every great issue form the Dawn of X there are Fallen Angels.

"Shush, nerd" Let's start with things that I liked first, they're in majority. First of all, Alex Maleev's art. He always worked well with Bendis and this here is no different. His art works really well, helps to sell the aura of mystery and of some looming threat. The story is interesting and makes me want to learn more. I like how Bendis works on what he previously established in Action Comics and Leviathan Special. Thanks to this issue you can even establish a rough timeline for Bendis' Superman. I also enjoyed his portrayal of Batman in here. I liked how he was written. Very straight to the point and focused on what's in front of him. And it's always great to have the Emerald Archer around. As for the negatives, I only have one, but it's sorta a big one. Some of the dialogue, especially Trevor's and some of Lois' lines, was confusing. I sometimes needed to read it a few more times just to make sure I read it right and that I got it right. It sometimes happens with Bendis, unfortunately. Young Justice is also plagued by this a bit. But overall, I enjoyed this issue. I look forward to seeing how this Event will play out.

"You know who I am" A slow issue, but a good one. I like Bendis, here I said it, but I know that he can have little trouble with dialogue sometimes. So I was immensely surprised by how solid the dialogue was in this issue. Not a single line felt off and that Leviathan speech in the morgue was awesome. That whole sequence was pretty good, with Plastic Man masking his nervousness by just refusing to take the villain seriously and throwing bad jokes at him. And I am starting to like this Leviathan character more and more. Especially because of his design. That costume and, above all, the mask look great. Also, Bendis is trying to build something good on the shaky, full of disappointment, foundations laid by Heroes in Crisis. That's ballsy. Definitely worth reading.

"Batman's going to blame me for that" This issue was really confusing. It created so many questions while providing zero answers. Why, and more importantly how, is Red Hood being set up? Why he seems to possess all the answers? How exactly is he able to take down Batman, Damian, Green Arrow and the rest without any effort? Why is action kinda hard to follow in this issue? And why the dialogue in here feels all over the place? This one disappointed me. A lot.

"The other detectives" I guess the last issue was, what would you call it, an accident at work. This one was much better. There is still room for improvement, mostly in the way how the story is shown, but the writing is vastly superior to the last issue, characters are portrayed better and there is no Red Hood taking on everyone and winning. The ending, although it feels out of the left field a bit, can make for some interesting development in the last two issues. Fingers crossed.

"...in case son of Superman hits puberty..." Good art and I like the premise behind the story, but the issue itself was just all over the damn place. The opening pages made no sense. Sam Lane supposedly being Leviathan was very out of the left field, then things happened and suddenly everything clicks for Damian and now they know who Leviathan is. All seemingly without any rhyme or reason. This and Superman #16, not the best week for BMB. Maybe, you have put just a tad too much on your plate, hm?

"Well ##!@ you, Superman" This felt utterly and completely pointless. This whole series could've been cramped into one 40-pages one-shot since it will be continued in Action Comics anyway. Instead, we got drawn-out, decompressed "mystery thriller" that is a waste of good characters, of good art, of a nice idea for the story and, most importantly, readers' time and money. "And that's all I have to say about that"

"Batman AF" 😆

"I've always wanted a big @#$& sword!" I was somewhat expecting something better. The story is lacking something, some sort of spark, although the ending is intriguing. It may pick up in the future, but Gerry Duggan took his time in Marauders and I don't think I will be waiting for nine issues for Cable to do the same. Partially because I think I'm not a fan of the young Cable and partially because I'm not a fan of the art in this issue. Still, it's no Fallen Angels.

"Who said you were invited?" I really like when annuals continue the story that is told in the regular issues. The Earth's heroes team up with some of the major players in the universe to seal up the hole they did in the Source Wall way back when. So we have the New Gods, Green Lantern Corps, Hawk people all working together. Starman seems to be the guy with all the answers and everything is going smooth. But then newly rebuild Brainiac and the Legion of Doom decide to crash the party and universe will never be the same. We have a nice dialogue, very good looking art, and many plot points seem to finally come together. There is just one teensy, little problem. This annual is BORING. Maybe it's because I'm really getting fed up with all the space stuff we've been getting since METAL or maybe it's because many pages here are filled to the brim with speech bubbles or narration. I don't know which one, but I know that getting through this annual was not easy. SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! And now that Perpetua (she looks cool, kinda like Sith Lord who spent to much time in the Dark Multiverse) is free and the Source Wall is in pieces I'm guessing the big space stuff is not going away anytime soon.

"Hi, I'm Adam" I was prepared for this to be horrible, bad like the second half of his Batman run. I was trying to write some clever and snarky review in my head. But in the end, what I read was something that looked pretty but didn't get any emotions out of me. Neither negative or positive. The very definition of "meh". The story is rather easy to follow and doesn't have any King-isms (although one could argue that this whole thing is one big King-ism) but it just doesn't engage you. It might be due to the way the narration works with the constant jumping back and forth between Earth and Rann. I'm all for some gritty war story, but why can't it be told in a straightforward manner? So yeah, I checked the first issue and just like it was with Mister Miracle, I know that I'm done with Strange Adventures from Tom King.

It took me forever to get around and reading this issue, but I finally did and have some thoughts. All of DC's new books are accuseed of ripping of some of Marvel titles. Damage is Hulk, The Terrifics are Fantastic Four and so on. All of those books put their own spin on the idea and the "inspirations" aren't so apparent. But in case of Immortal Men the book literally reeks of X-Men. We have a Man who runs a school or a Campus that trains people on how to hone and use their abillities. And we have a boy who knows he is special, but doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere in the world. About the boy himself, Caden Park, we don't learn much in this issue other than the fact that he has some weird dreams. We get to see that there is some centurys long feud between Houses of immortal people and we meet the X-Men, I mean the Immortal Men, I-Men for short, that try to save Caden from being collateral damage of this war. I will be honest that group of I-Men seems interesting, but the whole rest, for now at least, is a bit meh. As for the art. Is it just me or is Jim Lee's art a bit lazy for a while now?

"Thunderlust" This was OK, I guess. The twins Jayna and Zan seem likable and you can see the lighthearted tone the book is aiming at. But something didn't click for me here. The issue tries many times to get a laugh out of the reader but falls flat. I only laughed when six Leaguers came to stop one, little, powerless robber and Black Lightning was supposed to stop a giant squid... in the water. Supes and Bats' high school stories that were meant to cheer up felt a bit cringy and the rest was just mildly amusing. Still, the art was pretty good, definitely fits the book, and the ending was kinda clever. No one ever thought of that when fighting the imp? And the League was supposed to have smart people. I'm going to keep my eye on this one. We'll see how it turns out.

"You're all in a comic book" Though I am not convinced about the whole Waller saving the world angle, this was a pleasant read. I'm looking forward to the next issue.

"Even death can't get you out of the suicide squad" Damn, death really has no meaning in comic books anymore.

Good issue, strong and intriguing start for a new arc. And as always great art by Mikel Janin. Seems to me like the series may be heading into direction "Batman and Catwoman, rather than Just Batman" and I'm OK with that. And on the sidenote: Does every Bat-villain nowadays knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman?

Great follow up to a strong start in issue 41. We learn a bit about Ivy's motivation and why she's doing the "control the whole world" thing. Also King knows how to write Batman and Catwoman. Banter between them feels genuine and real. I don't think I need to mention just how awesome Mike Janins art is, but I will do that anyway. He is amazing. The way he draws characters and especially emotions on their faces is incredible. No fault in this issue for me. Best part: when Bat and Cat are hanging upside down from the tower.

Satisfying, yet a little underwhelming conclusion. The ending feels abrupt and that leaves reader wanting a little bit more. That being said we get an insight into just how badly damged person Pamela "Poison Ivy" Isley really is. Riddler really did a number on her. These last couple of panels between Ivy and Harley are really touching and kinda heartwarming. Overall this was a good story arc. Definetly worth a read. Next stop: Wedding of the Century and time-traveling shenanigans with Booster Gold. Sounds like fun.

In this issue we have two artists on board. Joelle Jones on Selina and Mike Janin on flashback sequences. Both of them are doing terrific job. I can't get enough of Joelle Jones' Catwoman. As for the story. In the part set in the present Catwoman is "shopping" for a wedding dress and it is great. There is no words, but we get to see Selina be herself away from Batman. Not to mention that sweet little moment between her and Alfred. Flashback sequences on the other hand are supposed to show the evolution of the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. But for me they're a series of random and abrupt scenes devoid of context, that instead clearing things up just confuse. Tom Kings take on Batman has its ups and downs, but right now it has more ups so I remain hopefull and look forward to the wedding.

"Booster Gold is the Kite Man of the Justice League" So, Booster Gold got Batman a wedding gift and it kinda blew up in everyones faces, especially Booster's. Dystopia will do that to you. Compared to Booster's recent appearance in Action Comics King portrays him as a bit of a dumbass. He jokes all the time and doesn't seem to know that messing with the time is not the best idea. But from the event synopis I'm guessing it's not exacly the same Booster Gold. Waitnig to see how it all will unfold.

Booster really can't catch a break. Stuck for a year in this crazy timeline he is losing it a bit. He recruits Catwoman to help him get through to Bruce but tring to fix things and making past as it was he ends up screwing things even more.

The Gift story arc ends here and Booster Gold will be messed up for a long time by this time traveling shenanigans, unless of course another Booster Gold writer decides to disregard this story completely. As everyone probably expected by the end of this issue everything is hunky dory. Aside from Booster's PTSD everything seems to be back to the way it was before. This arc was fun with a really good art from Tony Daniel. But with no apparent consequences it does look kinda pointless. It feels lika a filler that is here to hold us over until the big wedding. Same thing can be said about the recent story with Poison Ivy, but that story was better in my opinion. Come on Mr. King, pull yourself together. I really hope that the wedding will knock my socks off.

Another filler. Not a bad read with some nice art, but a filler nonetheless that barely propels the story forward. I feel like there is more story in Prelude to the Wedding issues than in this one.

Filler, filler and than some more filler. Selina fights Joker to save Bruce. That's good. But then she and the clown start acting like old friends who reminisce about old days and talk about their other "friends". That bit felt really odd and out of place. Joker murdered people, shot and possibly killed Batman (the man Catwoman loves), but she acts like they're in a coffeehouse just hanging out. It gets a little better after that when they try to on up each other in the game of "who knows Batman better". I think Selina won. Then issue ends with Catwoman laughing maniacally. Seemed really out of character for her. "O.K." it looks like we are done with the filler issues. The wedding is just around the corner and I really hope it's gonna be epic and game changing. Game changing in a way that we will get happy Batman not game changing in a way that there is going to be some big disaster during the ceremony, that will make Bats even more hurt and brooding. I'm just a bit afraid that King may go with style over substance for the wedding like he did with Best Man and a few times before in his Batman run. I hope that won't happen. And please, enough with the Joker acting like a hurt little puppy who just wants attention.

The road to this issue was a bumpy one, with a few ups and downs and some spoilers just days before the release (good thing I don't follow comic book news). But the wedding is finally here and they will live happily ever after... right? I was afraid that Tom King may try to overdo it in this issue, by trying to be deep and profound which does not always work, indicated by the last two issues starring The Joker. But in issue 50 he controlled himself, or someone controlled him, either way, this is a good read. Bat and Cat decide to marry at dawn and as they prepare we get a parade of various artists, like Clay Mann, Greg Capullo, Joelle Jones and many many more, showing their rendition of bride and groom. All those pages show snippets of letters the two wrote to each other. The proper story is by Mikel Janin who, I must say, draws the best looking Alfred that I saw. SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! Sooo. We reach the wedding ceremony and... Selina is no show. She stood Bruce up. Granted, she had her reasons and she did that with a broken heart. She thought, what I assume many fans thought too, if Bruce is happy can he still be Batman? Despite this I still love Catwoman, but I'm on the fence about this decision. On one hand, I feel a bit cheated. I was so excited since the proposal, then a yearlong wait, the buildup, the tie-ins and what I got was a cold shower and slap in the face. On the other hand, someone along the line would make them divorce or something like that and I think that would piss me off even more. Still, the last page indicates that it might have been not entirely Selina's own decision. Maybe Selina was manipulated by Holly and the cabal of Batman's villains and apparently his dad? I don't know, but I am really excited to find out. Overall this is a really good issue. I'm sure many readers will be mad as hell, because of the outcome, but there is nothing I can do about it, other than saying that I understand why they are angry.

"I had to say yes" Batman or rather Bruce Wayne is reeling from the events of issue 50. Billionaire playboy is confused and angry, and he is letting loose this anger on Gotham's criminals and unsuspecting bathroom appliances. But then, while doing his civic duty he has a chance to see that maybe his anger is misplaced and that perhaps it clouds his judgment. Very good issue with some really stellar art from Lee Weeks. I also can not skip over something that the defense attorney pointed out. Something that probably many readers, including myself, never paid much attention too or cared for that much. Since Batman is a vigilante, not connected to any law enforcement agency or government, how any evidence collected by him can be admissible in court? Even Gordon didn't know what to say to that. Again, good issue. Waiting for part 2.

This is a good story. It's interesting to see Bruce saying that Batman is not the best there is, that Batman is not infallible. Other members of the jury see just that, but we as readers actually see Bruce saying "I'm not infallible. I can make a mistake". I find it really neat for Batman to own his mistakes and trying to fix them somehow. Usually, he is the stoic guy with all the answers. But now when he's been through some emotional turmoil he made a bad call, just like any ordinary person could have made. And Lee Weeks' art is terrific. He's great at portraying emotions on characters faces. My only problem with this issue is the little dialogue thing that Tom King sometimes does. That characters (Bruce Wayne in this case) talk or answer with just one word. "Yeah"; "yeah" and "yeah". Sometimes it works, but most of the times is a bit weird and annoying.

"Without Him, how many of you would be in a grave?" Mr. Freeze's trial reaches its verdict and, although the ending, in trying to be profound, starts a little bit pretentious and then goes full blown pretentious, it was an interesting and intriguing ride. Some people ask and say, as a negative, why Bruce bothers with this jury shenanigans when he can just suit up and clear Victor's name later? That's true, but after reading this one issue, I say it was never about Freeze, reexamining the relationship between hero and foe and all that. Bruce went into this to put Batman (himself) on a stand, to basically, tell himself "I'm Batman and I'm human, so I'm not infallible". Of course, Tom King goes overboard in his attempt to be smart and profound, with his God metaphors and comparisons, because of that the message gets overshadowed by the style, but it is still there. I feel like I'm starting to ramble, so it's time to end this review. Overall, a good issue. A bit too much Tom King-isms in this one for my taste, but Lee Weeks on the art does not disappoint. That panel with Two-Face, just magnificent. P.S. The Bat-trunks are back. It makes me sad.

"Watch your language, chum" When Tom King is not trying to be overly profound and metaphoric he can churn out some nice comic book. This one takes a reader on a little trip down the memory lane. Just like Bruce once helped Dick, now his former sidekick turned friend is trying to help his former mentor. And his former mentor has been through a lot recently, like a lot lot. And on one of the pages, we can finally see it taking its toll. I know some people might hate the idea of Batman acting like a normal person (being hurt and having emotions) but I appreciate both Kind and DC for showing this. They did talk a little too much about cucumber sandwiches, but ok. One thing that bothered me was the art. I didn't like it.

"He's just repeating himself 'cause he thinks that's profound" - is Tom King talking about himself? But first things first. The issue alternates between two stories. The first one follows the mysterious Mr. Zimmerman and the second one follows the Dynamic Duo on a patrol. As for Zimmerman part, I have no complaints. We follow him as he is preparing for something, till the very end, it is not clear to what exactly. And when we finally find out... well, I'm still kinda speechless. Nevertheless, it's good. As for the Dynamic Duo part. It's not great. The banter between Nightwing and Batman is pretty week. Dick is trying really, really hard to channel his inner Spider-Man and Bruce acts like a robotic parrot that can only repeat things with no emotion. It gets better for a second with the "chum" conversation which shows that these guys have a past and references (I think) Batman '66. Also, the meeting with Gordon feels really natural. The whole jumping off the roof "contest" I'm gonna skip 'cause it's not worth attention (the banter there - again, not great). Tony Daniel's art is good. Maybe it's not the best one out there, but it is certainly good and works here. As for the ending. SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! So, the mystery man came to Gotham to put a bullet in someone's skull. Initially, I thought it's Gordon, but then I got to the big page that shows Nightwing's head getting perforated. I am surprised and I am interested to see how this story arc is going to evolve. That being said, this is comics. So, unless you're Ben Parker or the Waynes you are not going to stay dead. This fact mitigates the excitement a bit... hm, make that a lot. Truth be told, killing big heroes in comics it not really exciting for me anymore. Sooner or later they will return. Stories themselves might be good, but in some time they won't matter. I'm guessing that by the end of this arc or hell, maybe even in the next issue, Nightwing will be alive and kicking. At least he joined the club Jason and Damian are in. "The Dead Robins Club". Tim didn't really die so he's out.

"And boom. Here come the gods." Well, this was better. We still get two stories and like with the previous issue KGBeast's one is superior, but this time Batman's is not far behind. Batman is on a warpath to find the shooter, while KGBeast enjoys a drink with his pops. Both of these stories are easy to read and enjoyable. But here I have to mention this little pet peeve I have with King's writing. His overuse of the word "yeah". This issue is perfect for that because it is used in two wildly different scenes. The first time it breaks the entire tension of the scene and sticks out like a sore thumb. The second time it lands really well, fits the character and works for that scene. Sadly Mistah King chooses option number 1 almost every time. Replace it with "yes" or omit it entirely.

"Come along, gossip" Well, that took a turn. Dark and twisted one. And I mean the children story. No surprise that Anatoli grew up to be who he is (was?). As for his battle with the Dark Knight. Pretty straightforward brawl. No dialogue, no narration, just two angry dudes beating the snot out of each other and trying not to die in the process. I like it. It was pretty entertaining and good looking fight. Much of that can be attributed to Tony Daniel's art. The fight looks dynamic and intense, and every shot of Batman's broken cowl is great, especially the one where he walks away. Art in the folktale is pretty good too. Starts innocently at first and that just... Dark and twisted. Yeah, good issue. SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! Is Anatoli meant to be the fox? The story ends and we do not know his fate? Is that was Mistah King was going for? I'm pretty sure KGBeast regrets now shooting his daddy.

"How thrilling" I'd rather go with how confusing. The issue started good with, as always, strong art form Mike Janin, but then it kinda became "meh". So Bane shakes the Gotham's criminal underworld and he doesn't like failures. To remind Penguin of that he has his, I believe wife, killed. So now Oswald needs to "earn back his life". From this point on the issue drops the ball so to speak. Alfred plays Nightwing, oh I'm sorry, Ric. He could have used a ladder really. People still use the word "yeah" and couple pages is "narrated" by some poem. Then there is this bizarre page where Alfred "plays" Bruce and tels a message to himself? What's that about? I always thought of Alfred as the sanest person in Gotham. But the kicker comes a the end. Penguin tells his men to kill themselves and they apparently do it. Never imagined that Penguin employed fanatics willing to die for "a cause". Especially when they were portrayed as normal henchmen that respect their boss in the first half of this issue. Yeah...

"POW" Eh, where do I even start? Hm... Penguin's good. I liked his portrayal. The way he talked about his wife, it was nice. And Batman's line "You shot my boy!" was pretty powerful. But that's about it. The rest of the issue is rather weak and mediocre. It did start promising with Batman putting the fear of god into Arkham guards, but then he started talking about bat-boots and the image of whimpering Bane will never leave my mind. But the biggest "NO" for me came with Batman punching the commissioner. The only thing worse would be punching Alfred. It's issue 59, so King still has time to do something like that. And then Gordon is "sick of Batman" and threatens him. This whole scene felt like the years of their friendship and working together have never happened. Yeah... I think I'm getting a little bit tired of King's schtick on Batman. A lot of set-up and expectations, but little to naught pay-off.

"Who are you?" Well, Batman still acts like a d-bag, who traded imposing presence for childish tantrums and still beats criminals senselessly. But I think there is a far more important question to be asked here. Why is Alfred FEEDING Penguin? WHY? That scene makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and is dumb. His hands are free, he can hold the plate himself. By the way, his hands are free, what's going to stop him from lifting up that blindfold and taking a peek around the Batcave or at the face of his keeper who shares his fondness for poetry. I don't mind poetry much, but when it's supplementing dialogue third issue in a row I'm getting a bit annoyed. Beast is alive. That's good. I was hoping that Bruce knew something that we didn't and didn't just leave him to die there. And it seems commissioner Gordon doesn't remember or cares about all the times he and Batman stood between people of Gotham and all the horrors plaguing the city. He seemingly gives up on Batman. The thing that interests me, is why Thomas Wayne is on board with destroying his alternate reality son's life? In the Button, he seemed genuinely interested in Bruce's happiness. Why the sudden change of heart? Please, Mistah King, have a good answer for that, not some bonkers excuse for a reason. Why was Alfred feeding him? Why? This review was not supposed to be this long.

"I miss you so" Surprisingly fast read with the feeling of enormous confusion accompanying reader through almost entirety of it. Let's start with the positives first. The art. It's so pretty. Travis Moore's art and Tamra Bonvillain's colors look great together. I could look at those pages all day. This issue also follows up on the events of issue #38, about that boy who wanted to be Bruce Wayne very much. Because of that, I was curious if 38 was as good as I remembered. I'm kinda worried that now when I'm a bit fed up with King's Batman, issues I liked before won't be as good now. So after this one, I went back to #38 and it was so much better than this one. Both in terms of the dialogue and how the story was portrayed. In here we see Batman seemingly solving Wayne's murder and since the last issue ended with Flashpoint Batman (no word about that by the by) you think time travel or some other weird shenanigans. It leaves the reader in a state of great confusion, that is resolved by the end, but doesn't change the fact that the whole issue felt weird. Also, narration through poetry/or other things is back. Thankfully no Penguin feeding in this one or Gordon punching. Improvement.

"Lost" I think that's a pretty apt name for this issue. Because that's the feeling you are left with after reading it. Well that and maybe a little bit of annoyance cause again, we learn absolutely nothing. I was a bit reluctant to start this issue because we all know that the recent issues weren't exactly stellar. But when I started it was quite ok. Batman is captured somewhere, he starts to evaluate, reassess his predicament and it was not bad. But then, right around when Pyg got a knife to the head, something changed and the story went down the rabbit whole form there. It got very weird but not in a good or fun way. Batman starts rambling, Pyg eats a dead pig and there's some mythology added for... reasons. The way I see it is that Batman is losing his marbles and as an unfortunate side effect we, the readers, are losing are own also.

"10:38?" If I were to describe this issue with one word I would use the word "uneventful" because there is nothing practically happening in this one. At least the story is starting to get somewhere. The very ending of the issue finally gives us some insight about what the heck is happening. Fake Constantine informs "Bat" that he is hooked up to some nightmare inducing machine. I can't help it, but it makes me think about the episode of the animated series. The one where Mad Hatter had Batman in a similar machine. Can't recall the name of it. And, aside from "Bat" and "Cat" in the dialogue, there was nothing cringy or eye rolling here. I call that a success. There was one moment I really liked. The short scene with the clock. Bruce and Selina's dialogue felt genuine and it was just nice seeing them interacting outside the costume like normal people. I was imaging that we would see things just like that if the wedding would end in a different way. And you got to love that Rebirth Batmobile. It's beautiful. Like the animated series one mixed with a tank. Mike Janin draws that beast really well.

"Too many mysteries" The first part of the crossover The Price is here and... it's just OK. It's alright. I was hoping we would get a little break from the tortured Batman but no such luck. It also rubbed off on Flash a bit, but at least he's keeping a smiley facade for the people. The issue opens up with the League fighting a bunch of Amazos and doing something I'm not a big fan of which is having a casual conversation mid-battle. After that, we jump to the Flash museum that has been attacked. We are treated here to a short, but nice, flashback showing the Dynamic Duo and... (is there some name for Flash-Kid Flash team?) working together. It was good to see something like that, it reaffirms that moments like that are back in characters history. But aside from that, not much else is happening here. Maybe it will gain some momentum later. As for the art. I usually like Guillem March's art but here it looked a bit ugly at times. I think he can do better.

"If they knew the costs..." Part 1 was ok. Part 2 was actually pretty good. And now we have part 3, that is just "meh". Gotham Girl's mental state continues to spiral down as she starts to wreak more havoc in Central City, Batman and the Flash easily defeat the super-powered zombies by running away and Gotham is alive for whole four pages. This issue has something that I have had problems with for some time now and I'm starting to hate it now. It's the fact that both Flash and Batman just go around nowadays blaming themselves for everything. "Wally's dead, because of me"; "Gotham Girl is crazy, because of me"; "Flash is dead, because of me"; "Wallace hates me, because of me"; "I'm sad and feeling sorry for myself, because of... Tom King". Ignore the last one, but you get the gist. It's just so repetitive at this point and loses any impact on the story or the heroes themselves. If it was rare and used for the hero's actual screw-ups and not every time they are feeling bad for not being able to control every little facet of life, then it would carry at least some weight. As for Claire or Gotham Girl, I don't really care about her half of the story. But to be honest I never cared for her to begin with. In "I am" trilogy she was the motor that propelled the story forward and I accepted that, but what would happened to her at the end never really interested me. Both she and her brother were just story devices to me rather than actual characters. It may be due to the writing or they just didn't resonate with me, I don't know. Now, let's just be done with this crossover next week and go to, hopefully, better stories.

"If this was your reason... why is he so damn weak?" Could it be? Is the unbelievable possible? After such a long period of time, could it be? The return to form? Well, I don't know. I'll take the smart and cautious approach to not get my hopes up, but this was nice, a definite improvement over the last couple of issues. There are still flaws, sure. One, major, is the fact that the plot is basically in the same place as it was before: strapped to a device, nightmares, go mad, yada, yada, yada. And a few lines of dialogue is trying to be profound and is failing a little. But there is no annoying repetition, no Penguins eating raw fish or Gordon punching, art is good, fits the "interrogation" setting and the Question - Catwoman back and forth is actually pretty good. The last question... The Question asked made me go "damn, that's good". I don't remember the last time something like this happened reading King's work. Oh, I almost forgot. [Insert here an obligatory comment about Tom King's CIA past]. Apparently, everyone is doing that these days.

"Beep" Filler, part 5... oh crap, I meant Knightmares, part 5. By the way, who is having these knightmares? Batman... or the reader. So, in this issue, Batman chases some murderer and...hmm...well... Yeah, that's about it. NOTHING. HAPPENS. IN. THIS. ISSUE. The story is, for like two months now, still in the same place and Batman totally broke his neck with that landing on the bar, just saying. But a good thing to know, that one serious stare from The Dark Knight can fix your stuttering problem. So, if the crime-fighting won't work, there are options. Even Lee Weeks couldn't save this issue for me. Is it me or does his Batman looks a bit chubby in here? Now it makes sense he couldn't catch up to the guy, he let himself go a little. I think this is the first time I actually feel a bit angry after reading Batman. Before there was an annoyance, confusion and some dumbfoundedness, but never anger. Holy Bat-nipples, what the heck are you doing Tom!!!

"She's more important than the galaxies" - This issue was fun. It was a quick and breezy read from start to finish. - said one friend to another. - There is a "but" coming isn't it? - asked the other. - Well... it is. Sadly. I'm serious here. This was fun. Very lighthearted and enjoyable, but... You remember, maybe, those "Prelude to the wedding" one-shots some while back? This issue, the story in it, is perfect for something like that. Some goofy side story that may or may not happened. Yet it isn't a one-shot. It's a part of the ongoing story or "story" that has been treading in place for months now. So if we judge it like this, then I ask one thing. WHAT!?!? IN!?!? THE!?!? HELL!?!? IS!?!? THIS!?!? Is this a joke? After the horrible last, Looney Tunes issue we get some Robo-Superman striptease times three? For the love of Barbatos, come on! How this thing got greenlit baffles me. If the next week's issue won't move the plot forward I might start dropping 1/10's. I have never done that before. It's a statement of how dire the situation has become. #saveBatman #Alfredcantholdhisouffleup

"It's time to wake up" Finally! Yes, please. Let's wake up from this drawn out Knightmare that has lost any semblance of substance months ago. Let's start with the two, not that important, questions that still linger in my mind: - Why is Bane naked? It's the same question I've been asking while reading "I am suicide". Just why? - In all the scuffle, in all the fighting Bane didn't felt the gun in Thomas' pocket? I get it, suspension of disbelief, showing how Bat-dad is different from the Bat-son, but still. They were wrestling, there was... touching of things. And it wasn't a tiny pistol. But like I said, it's not important. What is important, is this. After months and months, there is, finally, progress in this story. I know, right. I can't believe it either, but it is true. Batman dances with Catwoman here and I must say I love it. The art is beautiful, scenery and their outfits change form panel to panel. It's really great (it's actually a majority of my score). And Batman explains to her (and to us) what was going on for the last few issues, fighting the fear toxin and all that. I am glad he did that, it gives justification and context to those issues, but it doesn't make them better in any way. Not one bit. As for the Bane and Thomas Wayne part. It felt weird, to be honest. I can't decide whether it was awkward or stupid (again, naked Bane) and whether Bat-dad's plan is cool or stupid. Does he want to be the only Batman in existence or does he want his son to be "happy" (i.e. not be Batman). If it's the first, I'm curious to see how it goes. If it's the second... well not that curious. And that whole "you don't love me; you can't love anyone, because you have the Vow; you love your crusade" thing. I'm really hoping Batman (and King) will prove Catwoman from Batman's subconscious wrong. I'm sick of "the hero needs to be sad to do his job" thing that's been going around. It already spreads. It infected the Flash, I'm worried it might poison the Man of Steel or Wonder Woman or some other hero. It has to end.

"Sometimes it's very nice to play with the dolls" This issue is a mixed one. It's uneven, it has some good moments and some moments that make you go "what?". But after months of really mediocre and bad Bat-stories, this was a nice change of pace. To review this issue I'm going to steal a page out of a fellow reviewer's book and list things that were GOOD and BAD. I hope he won't mind. This issue had some good moments, so let's start with those: - well, first of all, we have some actual story progress. Batman finally breaks free out of that nightmare and boring issues inducing machine and takes a stroll through Arkham; - the fact that he answered the riddle after so brutally taking out the Riddler; - the part with the Scarecrow. Masterfully drawn and handled well. I liked how dr Crane with every panel is losing his composure; - Mike Janin's art. Those pages were fantastic; - and lastly, it just might be my optimism talking, but it seems that, maybe, emo Bat is out. Make way for the efficient and actually skillful Bat. I hope it's true. Now, let's tackle the other side of the coin (no, that is not some Two-Face joke): - again with the poetry as a narrating device. It doesn't elevate the book or makes it smart. It just makes me skip the boxes; - can someone tell what was the point of Calendar Man's page? Other than the waste of time and page? Cause to me, it just shows that King loves to make every Bat-villain obviously crazy and irrational; - that whole speech about living the nightmare and being the nightmare. He is vengeance, he is the night, no one said anything about a nightmare. I'm just exhausted at this point with King trying to convince everyone that Batman's life is an unending string of tragedies and misery; - stuttering Freeze. Do I have to explain this one? I get it, he got scared back in the trial story arc. But he's the scientist, the most rational one. That page felt kinda disrespectful to him; - and why was Batman laughing after beating Grundy and Amygdala? Did he take a whiff of Joker gas during the fight? I didn't like that, "it was so out of character for him". But seriously, it was weird. I just hope it's not a start of some another boring story, where Batman will be gaining his sanity back. It seems like we have a tie, five good and five bad things, but considering what we got previously I'm going to say that I enjoyed this issue. I know, I'm surprised myself. Let's see where this will lead.

"You don't know a damn thing!" Just what is it with King having Batman punch everyone in the face? For a moment there I thought he will punch Alfred. Make him angry, make him scream, but enough with the lashing out and waving his fist around. I was on board with that during the Freeze trial and the KGBeast thing, but it has gone on for far too long and now it only makes Batman look pathetic and weak. And let me tell you, that is not a good look for the Dark Knight. I'm not even going to touch on the general story in this issue, because it is practically in the SAME DAMN PLACE that it was in the last issue and in the last couple of months. But there is a far more serious matter regarding this issue. What was done in this issue to Alfred is atrocious. No matter how dire the situation might be, no matter how hopeless it would seem, I will never believe that Alfred would tell Bruce that he lost. What he said here felt like a betrayal. It is unacceptable. This is what you have done Tom. For a brief moment, you have made me dislike Alfred Pennyworth.

"How might I help?" Now that's a conundrum. I was expecting to dislike this issue, to not enjoy it. But it provided what this series has been lacking for so long. Answers. We finally know what the hell has been happening and what the heck is going on. I am surprised that I don't really have any problems with this issue. Art is good, there is no annoying, repetitive dialogue. Actually, there is no dialogue, it's just a long monologue made by Thomas Wayne. I could get hung up on Bane's plan, it's many intricacies and moving parts, and the fact that the whole thing could have easily crumbled if any one villain decided to not follow it, but I'm sure someone has already done it or will do. And truth be told, I don't have that big of a problem with it. So yeah, I enjoyed this issue. Still, it doesn't change the fact that the road up to this point, putting it mildly, was bumpy, but it gives some promise that this book, maybe, will start to be enjoyable yet again. Fingers crossed.

"You are not Batman" Well, this issue was useless. Everything that occurred here could have been said in one page, hell, in one panel or in one speech bubble. Yeah, useless. And Thomas Wayne singing during combat was just super weird. On one hand, it was quaint and kinda fitting, but on the other, he never struck me, while reading Flashpoint, as a guy who sings, not even in the shower. One upside to this issue though. The artwork. Mikel Janin and Jordie Bellaire go above and beyond with their work. Every page looks amazing. My favorite is the one where Bruce wakes up. The detail, his facial expression (the terror in his eyes)... just brilliant. It's a shame that their talent is wasted... on whatever the hell this is.

"I'm still here" Yeah, you are. And so are we, but I don't know what for, really. This comic book is sooo empty. The issue took the repetition thing to a whole new level. We get the same damn story about animals in the pit and we get it twice, just for the fun of it. Animals, book, screaming. Book, animals, screaming. Screaming, book, animals. Ah, hell no! Just. Stop. Phlease.

"Maybe" This was actually, surprisingly, entertaining. Odd. First things first though. Gotham Girl's dialogue was just awful. It was painful to read. And if I'm going to have read the bit about boat or street one more time... I'm gonna lose it. Now positives. There's a couple of them, actually. Odd. The artwork was good, especially Mitch Gerads' part. The page where Gotham Girl makes her entrance was pretty good too. And I can't deny it. What Bane did with Gotham City is just so cool. Brainwash villains into submission, keep the Justice League away by threatening to hurt innocents and defeat Batman by finally bringing "peace" to the city. Yeah, it's cool.

"Easy or hard?" Adam Strange is screwed.

"Put your hands above your head... and die" Damian really is his father's son. Just like his dad he loves to sucker punch people in the face. Mikel Janin became a master in drawing those punch-panels. But let's get down to business. The issue has some redeeming qualities, but overall it gets a resounding "MEH". The art is great. Both Janin and Daniel are at the height of their powers. Ok, Janin might be a step or two higher. The idea of villains being reeducated and serving as "peacekeepers" in Gotham still seems to me as an awesome idea. The scene with the dog leash was just so dark and twisted. And I liked the portrayal of Damian. His apparent disregard for Alfred's wellbeing aside, I think he was shown well. His huge arrogance, confidence in his skills and his overconfidence and the horror in his face when he realized that he might have f*cked up big time. As for the rest. Just like in the previous issue Gotham Girl is terrible. Her dialogue is just the worst and, honestly, I just really don't like her. Staying on the subject of dialogue. Catwoman's lines. Why she seems to only speak in more or less compounded, declarative sentences? She sounds like a robot. As for the ending, I don't know what to think about that ending. A scene like that could have been immensely impactful and soul-crushing. But it lacked a proper build-up and some solid set up. It ended up feeling sudden and rushed, like it was dropped into the issue at a last-second, to add some shocking scene for the ending. Anyway, I call bulls*it on that scene. I'm tired of Tom King's Batman.

"My world is dust without you" I'm fine. Everything is... fine. Bat. It doesn't matter. It's settled. Cat. I'm fine. Everything's fine. The boat. Brah. That's your wife? I fine. Everything's fine. The street. I waited. I wept. I'm fine. I'm not fine. Everything's fine. Everything's not fine. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. It fills the speech bubbles and makes your dialogue deep (pretentious) and profound (super-pretentious). And just when I started to think that Selina finally starts sounding like a human being and instead of "Bat" finally calls the guy by his name (that part where they were in beds was really quite good, I especially liked the part about Bruce letting go when he is with Selina), King gives me the part by the fire where she again is an emotionless robot that just says things. Damn it. At least the art is top notch. But that's to be expected, it's Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey after all. Those two can't do wrong. That opening on the beach? Wow, they really know how to show some sexy... I mean good looking, people. But for the future, you don't scale a mountainside in high heels, I don't care how skilled Catwoman is. Suspension of disbelief has its limits.

"He's safe" POW I've read somewhere on the internet that Tom King said in some interview that issues #78 and #79 were the most important that he ever wrote. I don't think I agree with that statement. I think his most important issue will be issue #86... POW However, this issue wasn't all bad. It's still decompressed as hell throughout but has some redeeming qualities. POW Just like last time, the art is just magnificent. Every panel looks gorgeous, with the page where Batman and Catwoman are standing, with Moon in the background, being the standout. That page, minus the speech bubble, would look great framed and hanged on the wall. POW What else? Oh, we've got some crazy calisthenics at the begging, Selina yet again sounds like an actual human being, the boat/street debate is FINALLY settled (thank the Bat-gods) and we get a little news coverage of the Gotham City situation that actually helps sell the idea of the whole country (government) being okay with what's going on there. POW Six more issues to go.

"It's mine" I actually enjoyed this issue. No painfully slow decompression, no dialogue that is repeated a thousand times throughout the issue and the is no single instance of words "Bat" and "Cat" being used by any of the characters (that's a win right there). The ending was a bit weak, but overall, the issue one fine. TK served us much, much worse things in the past. I was the most surprised by the art, I was a bit apprehensive about Romita. I got used to Tony Daniel and Clay Mann and I was afraid that Romita's art won't work here, for Batman anyway. Maybe he could have done a better job, it does seem rushed a bit, but for me, it worked for the majority of the issue. It definitely didn't detach from the experience. And Bats is finally back in Gotham. And he is finally kicking some ass. And TK will soon leave this book. Hell yeah!

"You irrelevant old man" I think that the next thing Tom King should tackle is the X-Men. To hell with Hickman, Tom King should write X-Men. His ability to tell a "story" without actually telling one is truly Uncanny. Ok, now that we have this terrible joke out of the way, let's delve into the issue. There isn't really much to delve into to be honest. It's the same old, same old. Telling a drawn out, paper-thin story and making an excuse that all that has happened was a part of the plan. Of course, sure it was. NOPE. You can't just do things and then try to convince us that is was the plan all along, that it was a part of the bigger picture form the beginning. But it gets even better. It turns out, that the sucker punching everyone around, that TK made Batman do so fondly, was actually Dark Knight's way to convey a super-secret-hush-hush-no-one-can-know message. I have to try that one day. Tom King is really testing my mettle here. At this rate, I don't think I will make it to the issue #85.

"BANG" "City of Pain" part eight! In this issue, Tom King is continuing his plan to put Batman fans through the biggest crucible he can think of. To see just how much bulls*it they will endure in order to follow "the adventures" of their favorite hero. If I am any indicator, they will endure a lot. That is, as long as you put the name Batman on the cover and have a guy in a cowl with pointy ears inside the book.

"There are no good deaths" I was expecting another disappointment. Another empty issue masquerading as something profound. I was ready to trash this issue. But now that I've read it, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Alfred's dead. I was still hoping, believing the solicitations for future comics are just misdirections. They are not. And Batman still throws a little tantrum and there is poetry filling in as dialogue (that I just skipped), but there are some redeeming qualities about this issue. First of all, the art. Mikel Janin did great here. You can see an actual pain and sorrow on Batman's face. Even though he is wearing his cowl. Second, more important. King didn't do it with his death scene, but he did it here. He showed Alfred some respect in this issue, at least that's how it looked to me. That letter, or maybe it's a recording?, from Alfred was quite good (poetry aside). Well written, without a single instance of "I am Batman/Bane/Catwoman/Alfred" and in line with what I like about this character. Yeah, so in the end, this one turned out better than I was expecting. But still Tom King, you killed Alfred and I will never forgive you for that.

"My little boy..." Not bad, I enjoyed this one. Filler? Yes. Should have been released much earlier to reveal naggingly missing plot details? Most definitely. But we finally learn how Thomas Wayne got to the Prime universe. It fits, involves a speedster (there is a coloring error in the issue), makes sense and fills a plot point that really should have been filled much, much earlier. And I also like the twisted version of the Batman oath that Thomas took. That man is really too far gone. Also, no pretentious dialogue or repetition. Unfortunately, we do get another variation of "we met on..." Yeah, not bad, but where was this type of writing for the last 30 something issue? Where Mr. King?

"You're not my father" This issue was fine on its own. But as a part of the bigger story, and like many things in this run, it is too little, too late. Loose ends are more or less tied up, the bad guys are defeated, we learn that the Ventriloquist was working for Batman all along (sure, of course he was) and Batman is having a beer with the Kite-Man. Like I said. Fine on its own, but as a conclusion to this big, long and uneven story, immensely underwhelming. I'm glad it's done. Yet I'm pretty sure I will torture myself further, reading that Bat/Cat book that will be released next year.

"I believe" Tony Daniel certainly knows how to open an issue. Along with Miki's inks and Morey's excellent colors, he can make something great. That opening double-page spread is truly amazing. The rain, the lights, Gotham's skyline in the background... Yeah, the art in this issue is top-notch. Thankfully, the story doesn't fall short either. Tynion proved before in Detective Comics that he can write a nice Batman. It might be considered a tad narration heavy, but it's the hero narrating rather than some omniscient narrator, which is the way I prefer. The story itself is that someone is planning something big and this someone is the Joker, who takes a page right out of Heath Ledger's Joker book. Batman here is smart, brooding, precise and basically seems to be the smartest guy in the city. It's been a while since we saw that in this book. It's been a few months since I've given a rating like this in this book. Definitely worth checking out, now that King's reign of terror is over.

"The Bat-shot" This was very entertaining. Both ridiculous and awesome. Ridiculous: - the Bat-shot; - Cheshire surviving her meeting with the truck; - Penguin in full battle mode; Awesome: - the Bat-shot; - the story and the direction it's heading; - Batman; And although Guillem March's art is really good, it has some really creepy vibes to it (Riddler and Penguin), I think it's a step-down from the previous issue and Tony Daniel's work. Two good issues of Batman in a row? It has been a while.

"You want me to steal this car?" James Tynion continues to deliver a good Batman story, while Guillem March provides a bit uneven, but still great looking art. I am digging this story so far. I'm glad to know that this Designer is not Mr. J and I am looking forward to learning more about him and his "perfect crime". Action is good, Bat-gadgets are getting crazier with each issue (I shudder to think what will Lucius create when his son will be wearing the cowl), the dialogue is good and the ending was a welcomed surprise. I like this Batman. King who?

"She doesn't look so tough" I am liking this story. It's getting more and more interesting with each new issue. After months of depressing and sad Dark Knight, Batman is fun to read again. We get a lot from this issue. We get a little backstory on the new assassins that were introduced, they're pretty good. Tynion shows that he writes a good Harley Quinn, little crazy and ditzy but not stupid. We finally get to see this Designer guy for a moment and we get a short glimpse of Joker's new henchwoman. Of course with the internet and the publisher who can't keep his mouth shut we already know her name and how she looks like... The art is good. Carlo Pagulayan's panels being the standout. His Batman looks simply amazing. The short ears on the cowl and bulky physique are a great look for the Caped Crusader. The panel where he stands over unconscious Gunsmith is the best piece of art in this issue, the best one I saw this week. In summary, I'm enjoying Tynion's tenure on Batman. It's not the stuff of legends, but it is a good read that is definitely worth checking out.

"Don't shake the Joker's hand" A good story with even better artwork. In this issue, we jump into the past, when Batman's Rogues gallery dressed better, as Catwoman talks about her fateful meeting with the Designer. I'm not gonna lie, I like the Designer. From his... well, design to his whole calm demeanor of the smartest guy in the room. And I can't shake the feeling that the detective he was talking about was none other than Sherlock Holmes. It's also nice to know that Batman and Catwoman know each other's actual names. It's the little things. The artwork is fantastic. There is so much dynamic in the panels. With Catwoman running on rooftops and Slade riding his motorcycle, you can almost feel the movement.

"There's a kind of... music to it" Another good Bat-issue from Tynion. He may not be breaking any new grounds, but he definitely makes a well crafted, entertaining story. A story that gets told with the help of three talented artists in this issue. Jimenez gives a very creepy and disturbing rendition of the Joker, one panel in particular. Albuquerque delivers some nice action and I like his Deathstroke's ninja-esque look. And Pagulayan draws a really pretty Harley Quinn. As for the writing. Tynion is a good writer, even if he tends to get a bit wordy at times. He writes a very entertaining Joker, a part mobster and a part psychotic killer. He writes a smart Deathstroke that uses Dark Knight's predictability against him and his banter between Selina and Harley is fun to read. And thank Whoever that Eddie finally put some pants on.

"I'm the 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇 hero!" Took me ages to finally get through this issue. It's just so difficult to muster any sort of excitement for this story anymore. I mean, a villain took control over Gotham for the third time in some hundred-plus issues. GET. SOME NEW. IDEAS! And if that wasn't enough, Tynion breaks out the Bat-Mind-control-VR goggles and serves an exceptional plate of conveniences. Thankfully, Ghost-Maker is here to save the day and be bland as hell. Even the art was boring in this issue.

"Grab my hand" Is it me or is Batman starting to feel more and more like an extra in his own book? And does Tim have a new boyfriend already? I thought he retconned his entire history for Bernard. And what's going on with the continuity for this Fear State event? In Batman, it feels like it's all happening on the same night, while in Nightwing and I Am NOT Batman it feels like days or even weeks passed since Magistrate formed. What gives?

"Pretty sure he could punch Superman and he'd feel it" The title of this book should be "Miracle Molly #115 featuring the appearance of Batman" because the story in this issue would go in the exact same way whether the Dark Knight is or is not in it and Molly is the one doing all the heavy lifting. The first thing I noticed is the art. There must have been some script changes, probably to accommodate Tynion's departure, because the majority of the issue is in this bland, weird, manga-ish style that doesn't mesh well with Jorge Jimenez's pages. I also can't get over the fact that all of Tynions derivative characters have links to the originals and the villains in the story. Ghostmaker (discount Batman) has ties with Batman and he studied with Scarecrow. Gardener (discount Poison Ivy) was Ivy's girlfriend. And now we learn that Mister Wyze is discount Mad Hatter aaaand he worked with the original Hatter. Fresh and original. Just like the villain taking over Gotham again. I hope there's going to be some editorial mandate forbidding villains from taking over the city for like five years. Assuming DC survives that long. There's also a backup in here by Cloonan and Conrad duo that is bland and forgettable just like their issues of Wonder Woman that I've read and just adds to the messy continuity of the "event".

"To be concluded in two weeks!" Hands down, the best part of the issue. It gives you hope and leaves you with the promise that this slog of an event will be over in less than a month. It's not even that this "event" is boring and uninspiring or that it retreads the same idea of villain taking over Gotham, or that Batman does practically nothing, or that it wastes Jorge Jimenez's talent. No. The biggest crime Fear State committed is making the reader indifferent. I just don't care at this point. I just want this to be over. And I sincerely doubt this was the goal. Backup story review: Zzzz...

"...for bringing this Fear State to an end" Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! It's finally over. Woohoo!

"Can I get your autograph?" Finally! A competently written issue of Batman in which he is the main star and is not playing second fiddle to some bland knock-off characters. Good job Mr. Williamson.

"The warning came from the bee" The issue started fine, but it quickly became a rather "meh" experience. I may give the second issue a shot, but I'm afraid "loser" heroes (as Scott is portrayed here) are not really my thing.

"Hail Captain Britain" An enjoyable one, with the potential to be great in the future. But for now, I think it's the weakest first issue out of the new X-books. Lovely art, though.

"Shoooogooo!" Honestly, this issue was kind of a bore. The art is still great but the story, as of yet, is not particularly interesting or engaging. The dialogue here felt off sometimes. And all that "magic", Akkaba and Otherworld stuff is a tad confusing. I think I'm going to give it one or two more issues.

"Long may we rain" Now, this was fun and it finally started to get interesting. I really dig Apocalypse as this wise man/priest.

"You can call me Captain Britain" All the momentum gained with the previous issue slowly evaporates in this one. I can't shake the feeling that I missed something between this and the last issue.

"Just like a man" Rogue's dream sequence was a little bit on the nose with its message and I still can't decide if Pete Widom is a charming smooth talker or a crude ass, but other than that I rather enjoyed this issue of Excalibur. Gambit's argument with A was pretty intense and showed just how utterly powerless Remy is compared to En Sabah Nur, but the real winner was the ending. Surprising, great and with a promise that maybe, this series will finally transition from mildly interesting to a really entertaining read.

"This body here's all yours" Immensely entertaining. This issue showed how good this book can be and what great potential it possesses.

"Time for the fairy babysitter, kiddo" It was alright.

"A proper job" Meh...

"I am not. Merry" This book has pretty art, really fun characters (Rogue and Jubilee are my favorites) and explores interesting lore. So why it feels so, so... OK, every time I read it?

"They call her Harley..." Stjepan Sejic decided to tackle a very, very popular subject nowadays, that is Harley and Joker relationship. And just like with Sunstone he proves he is both a great writer and an amazing artist. This book is triple the size of a normal comic book, but it reads practically by itself. The story has a great pacing with good, sometimes humorous, dialogue and with narration by Harley, in the form of hindsight which gives it a nice perspective of someone looking back at their mistakes thinking what they could have done better. I don't think there is much need to write about the art because anyone who saw the aforementioned Sunstone or any other of the Croat's works knows that he is great at what he does. His facial expressions are uncanny and incomparable with any other work that I have seen. Great start. I hope he gets to tell all the three chapters of this story that he has in his mind.

"Don't! Touch! My! Puddin!" I like Sejic's work, his art and I enjoyed the first chapter very much, but this one, honestly, was hard to get through. The best part, for me, was the Harvey stuff, his "accident" and his speech at the press conference. The Harleen part felt, well, a little bit too wordy. The dialogue and the narration were overstuffed with words, so much so sometimes that they brought the pacing of the book to a screeching halt. Because of that, I couldn't finish this chapter in one sitting. The part about stolen nights, days, smile and heart didn't help either. Way too melodramatic for my liking, made me roll my eyes and got an audible chuckle out of me. I hope that the third chapter will be better.

"What we do here, we do for the future of Gotham" I finally got around to reading the third chapter and honestly, this whole story turned out to be quite forgettable in the end. Granted, I did enjoy the first issue, but in hindsight, I think I might have let some things slide here and there due to the fact that I really like his art and some other works of his that I've read. I lacked the motivation to reread that issue to prove that theory. Issue #2 made the scales fell from my eyes. It was a real slog to get through. That's why it took me so while to read this one. I knew the experience will be similar. Even though this one had better pacing than the previous one it still hit all the same pretentious bits, making Harley's fall to the dark side and Joker's manipulation of her rather disappointing and unconvincing.

The Witching Hour had drawn to a close... This event started to lose it's steam a bit after the second part, but it was still good. This issue, however, a conclusion, is kinda boring. It's really exposition heavy and not that much happens in it, excluding a few last pages. We learn the origin of Hecate, other pantheons of gods and the magic as a whole. And that origin is pretty good. It ties itself to the Upside-Down Man and Dark Multiverse and meshes well with other mythologies. But I would prefer for exposition like this to be given at the beginning, to flip this event. To start slow and end with a bang. Instead, this event had a really good opening, but the ending could have been better. Still, it's nice to see Wonder Woman trying to end the conflict peacefully and the very ending sets up some interesting things to come in the pages of JL Dark.

"I am inevitable!" A decent start with a very uneven art.

"We do what we do" I wasn't planning on checking this one out, but I'm kinda glad I did. It's nothing really groundbreaking or spectacular, just another retelling/reimaging of Clark's first days in Metropolis, but I'm a bit of a sucker for these type of stories. The story feels a bit old-school and it checks every mark in the Superman box. He flies, he saves people, he writes, he gets on Luthor's bad side. Some of the marks are also a bit on the silly side. Things like super-inhaling through the nose to change the trajectory of a falling ball or using super-breath to literally push people out of the way of a speeding truck. Those are very Superman things, but I would be lying if I said I want more of them in contemporary books. All in all, it was a fun reimaging. Marv Wolfman gives us a story with good dialogue that isn't "out of character" (something that folks love to point out these days) and the art gets the job done.

"Who the hell are you?" The first story was interesting but really slow. Because of not the greatest pacing is was a bit of a slog to get through. But writing and the dialogue are solid. Percy has already shown it in X-Force and proves it here. His Wolverine sounds great and he plays hide and seek with kids. Awesome. I'm also interested in Mr. Bannister, especially in that scar on his head and how he got it. Good art. Rating - 6,5 The second story was way more fun. Pacing is better, the story is more engaging and Bogdanovic's art is just amazing. Yeah, Wolverine hunting vampires is as awesome as it sounds. Rating - 7,5

"I've got bone cancer. Not ear cancer" C'mon! Get exciting!

"It's happening" As opening issues go, this was not bad. I was expecting for the issue to be a little more exciting and less chaotic, but we'll see how it will go from here. Gemworld attacks Metropolis and our young heroes, both well know and brand new, jump right into the action. Characters introductions take the center stage in this issue and because of that any fights that happen with invaders fade into the background a bit, take the backseat. Heroes themselves don't interact with each other that much, but those that do, mainly Tim and Jinny and Tim and Cassie, have nice banter that I think "gets their spirits right". And the last page reveals the long absent "OG" Superboy. All of that is served with the art from Pat Gleason and Alejandro Sanchez. It looks great. I think it's the best Gleason that I ever saw. My only question is, how does Tim remember both Bart and Conner? Did I miss something?

"Bortles!" Well done. While issue #2 is still not perfect it is much more focused than the previous one, thus provides the reader with a much quicker and smoother read. Bendis shows us a bit of Gemworld "politics", but then he focuses primarily on the character of Wonder Girl. And it works. Cassie is a likable hero, kicks Despero's butt and tells her almighty grandfather to shove it. She kicks butt and stands up for herself. Yeah, I like her. Just like last time, we don't get much of it, but the banter between the "teammates" seems to be on the right track. Pat Gleason, together with Emanuela Lupacchino, are doing a wonderful job with the art. With art like that and more interactions between the young heroes (Bart and Conner included), I imagine the book will easily be able to get 7.5 or even a solid 8.0.

"I am the law!" Why do I hear Sylvester Stallone in my head all of a sudden? Just like in the last issue, the story here is split between the Gemworld and the flashback. It starts to be a little jarring. It makes the Gemowrld part of the story, which I enjoy, feel a bit inconsequential and while it is good to know what happened to Superboy, I don't know if I entirely buy it. Did he ever showed off his powers like that in school and openly talked about being a clone? I don't know. Besides knowing who he is and how he came to be I'm not familiar with this Superboy. The art is good and there are some surprises, and a very sweet moment between Bart and Conner at the beginning. But all in all, I'm getting a little disappointed. I think it would be better to solely focus on Gemworld and then to dedicate one issue, maybe two, to show what was going on with everyone.

"Batman is going to blame me for this" This comic book feels disjointed at times and I feel a bit lost while reading it due to the lack of answers. But this issue, finally, provides some of them and things are starting to get clearer and to make more sense. Finally.

"If you have to ask, does it really matter?" Now that we finally got some answers as to how and what, and the Gemworld business is over, maybe this book will become more focused and stop feeling so disjointed and directionless. I hope, because the team itself and their interactions are pretty fun.

"I want every one of you living all up in m'belly" Wow, the dialogue was just all over the place.

Zzz. This book had three issues to get its momentum and engage the reader. Now, after the issue #4, I can honestly say that it's kinda boring. This issue drags its feet for the most part. Things get a little more lively once the Taskmaster shows up, but then the issue quickly ends. It is a bit funny, though, since Cap is making his way through military base full of bad guys, so it should be entertaining. But Steve's constant narration, throughout the fight, about patriotism, flag, traitors and loyalty plus no dialogue, detracts reader's attention from what's happening on the page.

Definitely took a while, but things are finally starting to be interesting.

"Where were you last night?" Although the issue provides a much-needed exposition and insight into the "bad guys'" plan, it is extremely boring. Nothing exciting or interesting happens. Only the last couple of pages deliver an interesting twist... that can be figured out after reading the opening page of the issue. I'm betting that the Chameleon is the hired hitman.

This book is pretty slow, borderline on boring at times. Action and feeling of excitement are scarce. But there is just something about this story, this conspiration that keeps me coming back to it. I want to see how Captain America will overcome these obstacles and how he will regain people's trust. Seeing him seemingly reduced to a villain and treated like one is hard.

This was interesting. A bit of a shake-up to a familiar formula that some fans will probably not be very keen about. Seems like most of the Bat-children is getting some kind of change recently.

"Good night, Master Dick" I am liking this more and more. I like Dick Grayson, I love Agent 37, but Nightwing never appealed to me. Does that make sense? He always kinda felt for me like Batman Light. But this new story, the aftermath of Batman #55, picked my interest. I'm sure he will get back to his old self in due time (so there is no need for an outrage), just like Gordon Batman or depowered Superman, but I'm interested in the road leading up to that moment. And the epilogue at the end guarantees that I will read the next issue. One gripe though. Not a big fan of the art change mid-though the issue. The first half is much more visually appealing.

Ric, formerly known as Dick, is discovering that even though his memories might be gone (definitely not), his skills and abilities are still there. The plot doesn't move very far in between cab driving and squatting in peoples homes, but Dick is starting to realize that maybe he can't abandon his superhero life just like that.

"You have the right to keep your mouth shut" Some iffy lines of dialogue here and there, but overall this was an enjoyable read. I just wish the whole issue was done by Travis Moore. His art is really nice to look at. And by the way, Scarecrow, going after people in the support group? That's just low.

Nice enough story, but I'm not a fan of the inconsistent art. Part of it looks nice and slick and the rest is, well... not pretty.

Nice story, better than the previous issue. Scarecrow finally makes his move and the Nightwing cops are there to try to stop him. They are so in over their heads. But Nightwing, sorry Ric, is around so maybe he will save the day. It might take Dr. Crane's medicine to jog his memory back. We'll see. I just have one question. Where the heck is Travis Moore? I am not a fan of Mooneyham's art.

"Fear this" It was alright. The art got better, Scarecrow got his strawy butt kicked and Dick, I mean Ric is slowly getting back to the hero business. This little "experiment" was an interesting and mostly fun change of scenery, but I'm ready for things to start getting back to normal. I'm ready for Ric Grayson to start regaining his memory and once again become Richard "Dick" Grayson aka Nightwing.

"But I don't think there's anything heroic about being a billionaire" There is also nothing wrong or unheroic about being a billionaire. It saddens me greatly that a book I really enjoyed is starting to have someone's twitter feed copy-pasted in place of characters' dialogue. But I guess billionaires/millionaires are evil and having money is a sign of a soul corrupted beyond repair. Whew, thank heavens Bruce Wayne is no longer one, he can be a proper hero now. Oh, no, but now Lucius Fox is evil. Ah... right, silly me.

"I wasn't going to let that happen to my son" Now that's a mighty fine line of dialogue. And hey, no weird sentiments toward rich people to be found in the issue. A bit clunky art though.

"Oracle is going offline" That ending, that cliffhanger just doesn't work. Maybe it would work better if the Fear State was a better event with some feel of actual stakes or maybe if it wasn't announced that Cass and Steph are getting a book of their own. Aside from that, I would describe the issue as "meh". The art is fine, but it's still a step-down from Bruno Redondo. The sequence with Batgirl on fear gas was entertaining, but, again, the issue overall suffers from being tied to Fear State. That event is boring and bland, and it, unfortunately, bleeds into this issue. On the upside, there are no weird takes about rich people here or lamentations about climate change. This is the problem I have now with Taylor. Whatever I am reading from him now, I read with my guard up, expecting to be attacked with some ridiculous nonsense of his. He might be trying to comment on violations of privacy with Oracle here, but I'm choosing not to read too much into it. It's not worth the effort.

"Can we please focus up" So that's where they got the armors in Batman #117. Good to know.

"Dark Knight Returns" A promising start.

"I'm here" Slow, but entertaining.

"Nice shot, Bruce" This one was kind of a snooze. I was bored.

"Cross your heart?" Now this one was good. This was a good issue.

"You're the best" I was interested in Leviathan before, but now I just need to know how it will unfold. The whole Event is bigger than I anticipated. And the special itself is great. Entertaining from the very first page to the last, with really good dialogue. Clark and Lois together were great, Lois alone was also great, as was Ms. Leone and Leviathan him or herself. Jimmy's story, with the blood spewing cat, was a bit odd and I kinda don't know how Kara fits in all of this since I am not reading her solo title. Ah, I almost forgot, there even was a tie-in to the Naomi series. Yep, this special is definitely worth some attention.

"The whole time Lexy" Just like Heroes, this one has good parts (Rucka), ok parts and bad parts. But all of those stories could've been told in already existing books. Because of that, both specials feel redundant and unnecessary. DC, please, get your #$%@ together. Coordinate more and stop giving so much creative freedom to Snyder, Bendis and King.

The Swan's Song story arc started preety good, but the conclusion was "meh" at best. Also some of the dialogue was a bit cringy "Brother, please don't be dead". But the one constant was Emanuela Lupacchinos art. It is great to look at and Wonder Woman drawn by her looks wonderfull (sorry, I couldn't resist). The ending got me intrigued though. I'm interest to what's next. As for Jason I want him to disappear for a while and come back as a more developed character, more ready for superheroing. I like the idea of Diana having a brother, some kind of family.

In Amazons Attacked finale Darkseid's plan comes into fruition and Diana and Jason are doing everything in their power to stop more amazon parademons from being made. We get some nice art, couple good fights, a little cringy dialogue here and there, a much needed reunion for Jason and a really interesting development for a former ruler of the Apokolips. But generally speaking I have a problem with James Robinson's work on Wonder Woman. On one hand I really like the stories and ideas he puts forward but on the other hand execution on his part is somewhat lacking and some of the dialogue is really cringeworthy. Still, I look forward to future issues. Maybe he gets better and if not, then maybe someone better will take his place.

Something is coming. People are going crazy and not just regular people, superpowered beings also get affected. And it seems that perhaps only Diana maybe capable to fight this Dark Gods. This was an enjoyable issue. Great art from Stephen Segovia and finally no cringy dialogue from James Robinson. Just keep at it Mr. Robinson. Will those be the first new gods since Kirby created Darkseid and the rest of the Fourth World?

I wasn't against Jason when he was introduced. I liked the idea of Wonder Woman having some family. But after seeing the way in which Robinson took him I'm glad that his gone. Now I'm hoping that Robison will follow in Jason's footsteps and will be gone from the book too. His stories aren't bad but his dialogue can be horrible and sometimes even painful to read.

Anyone can change for the better if you believe in them and give them enough attention. Anyone, even a paid assassin. This was a nice change of pace from Steve Orlando. There is something about Wonder Woman that just fits to tale a short story like this. And the cover by Artgerm is just breathtaking.

"Never say never" I don't know what Orlando was aiming for, but I think he missed it. Zero excitement in the story. Diana, Artemis and Aztek came off really week with this writing. The art wasn't great either.

"Says the talking chimp driving the boat fulla monsters" The Witching Hour continues and thanks to it we're getting the first good issue of Wonder Woman in a really long time. Magic is still going haywire and another young witch is getting possessed by the three-faced goddess Hecate. So Diana and her Dark Justice League don't have much of a choice but to turn to the only person that might know something. Someone who bothered Odysseus back in the day. I am really enjoying this event so far. It's well written, has a likable cast of characters, the stakes are high enough to make you worry about heroes succeeding or at least about the price of their victory. The last thing I want to mention is the art in this issue. It's great (it's Emanuela Lupacchino, so no surprise), but the thing I can't get enough are the colors. There're just so vibrant and warm-looking that I can just stare at them endlessly. Especially that last page with Wonder Woman in full combat mode. So good.

"I think you just died" Another good installment of the Witching Hour. Parliament of Trees burns, magic is dying, but our heroes still have some tricks up their sleeves. Although I'm afraid that their plan might have backfired a bit. Great visuals and a good story. I hope that the conclusion will be satisfying.

"The real victor... is time" The new team takes reins over the title and finally delivers to us a good issue of Wonder Woman. Excluding the two issues of Witching Hour, this book has been struggling after Greg Rucka left. James Robinson had some nice ideas, but the execution was severely lacking and Steve Orlando, well... um... yeah. And now we have good writing, with dialogue that seems to fit the characters and seeds of an interesting story. Mythological creatures suddenly on Earth? Ares The God of Justice? I'm interested. My only real nitpick is with the art. It's not bad by any means, it just looks a bit cartoonish to me. I'm not sure if style like this is a good fit for Wonder Woman.

"I only trust egglayers" G. Willow Wilson proves that the last issue was no accident. She's making an interesting story here, one that I can't wait to see unfold. Art is still weird looking though, that's the only big negative that I can think off. If I were to nitpick I would have a problem with how easily Ares talked Dina down after bombing the village, but she later reacted accordingly so I'm going to let that slide. And I really hope that the leader the creatures were talking about is Grail.

"I am master here" Still a good story, but the art must improve. While the writer continuously manages to tell a nice story and portray fairly good Wonder Woman and the ending to this issue definitely keeps me interested I have a problem with Ares. At one moment he has an epiphany about his actions and goals and at other times his behavior changes depending on the wind direction. It looks like he (and the writer) can't decide if he wants to be a villain or a hero in this story. And the art seriously must get better. Character's faces almost all the time look awkward and it just feels a bit lazy. Although that thing Diana did with her sword looked really cool. That's still only one page.

"What's wrong with love?" Finally! Art worthy of Wonder Woman. No awkward figures or weird faces, just good looking goddesses, people and creatures with some pretty action sprinkled in. Major improvement on that front. As for the story. G. Wilson continues to give us a nice portrayal of Diana that is both good to read and seems to be "true to the character". I really like the conversation between the Goddess of Love and Master Chief Trevor of the US Navy at the beginning of the issue. I still can't figure out what is Ares' deal.

"We do not part as friends" A solid conclusion to a bit of uneven arc. But I think, that for a first story that is supposed to set up something bigger this was pretty good. The dialogue is good and I really like the way GWW is portraying Wonder Woman. She's strong, determined but doesn't act recklessly. I like that. The art was a bit flimsy, but this issue and the last one look great. The fight between Diana and Ares in this one looks stellar. Overall, I'm satisfied and I look forward to more stories from Ms. Wilson.

"Amorous gazes from every cow" This was a pretty fun and funny issue. I like this mythical trio. We get a little bit of speciesism, a tad of hostility toward refugees (I don't care if it's supposed to be some political statement or not), a healthy dose of humor and an inkling of some horny romance. And as always, the team Lupacchino-McCarthy-FajardoJr nails it with the art. Good issue.

"Can I get your John Hancock?" I did not expect for the ending of this issue to hit me right in the feels, it was sad. G. Willow Wilson is getting better and better with every issue. I love how she portrays Wonder Woman. Diana is kind, compassionate, tries to de-escalate conflict when she's able to and when she's not, she can handle the problem differently. The only thing that brings this issue down for me is the art. Merino's pencils aren't bad by any means, but I'm just not a fan of them. I prefer WW with more... slick looking art. Something like Nicola Scott or Emanuela Lupacchino.

This issue teaches us that all the "evil" person needs sometimes is a hug. G. Willow Wilson continues to portray Wonder Woman in an awesome manner. Diana is strong, smart, determined and yet she shows some vulnerability (seeing Diana crying is gut-wrenching). I really like her take on the character, it's great. And finally, after such a long time Jesus Merino's art is starting to grow on me. I liked it in this issue.

"I'm not trying to bust your oves" Now, this is a clear winner for the best line of dialogue this week. It's awesome. And what do we've got in this issue other than some funny lines? Well, let me see. There are giant rock monsters fighting. Cary Nord's art that is way better than in the first arc. Giant lady fighting a giant rock monster. Wonder Woman again being an all around great character. And lastly, some sexual tension between satyr Damon and a girl named Maggie? Ok, that last one caught me off guard a bit. Depending on how you look at it, GWW run needed a bit of time to gain its momentum. But now that it has it, it's shaping to be a pretty awesome adventure.

Took me a long time to read this one, so I'm only going to write this: GWW is still going strong, this is a good read.

"Safe? No... but full of wonder" This was a good arc. I enjoyed it, but if I'm being honest the ending felt abrupt. This issue felt like it was rushing a bit towards the end. I think the overall story would benefit if it got one more issue. Four chapters instead of three. The sudden appearance of Aphrodite and the rest of the gang was a bit deus ex machina. Despite all that the characters and dialogue were good. Wilson's take on Diana is great, which I stated in previews reviews multiple times, and the action is terrific. Wonder Woman unleashing her full power on the stone giants was amazing to watch. She really does hold back all the time. I'm sad to see Giganta gone, I liked her back and forth with Diana, but I'm curious to see what's the deal with Excalibur/Antiope's sword. I wonder if the gods being gone and all that is somehow connected to the Source Wall being gone or is it something else.

"It's one of the great privileges of being quadruped. Nobody judges you" This issue was ok but it kinda disappointed me. Storywise it was fine, obvious set-up for the coming issues, but it felt kinda "choppy edited" if that makes any sense for a comic book. The story just didn't seem to flow as well from panel to panel like it did in previous issues. Still, GWW gives a good take on Wonder Woman and I'm still interested where the general story is going.

"Wow" It was alright. The art is wonderful and the story is good enough that you can read it with ease. What I liked the most was the showing off Diana's vulnerability. Her anxiety about her relationship with Trevor, the thing we all probably thought: she's immortal and he's not, does this thing have a future? A nice character building issue.

"Let us talk sensibly to one another" A good issue with nice art, but I'm ready to leave Atlantiades behind and move to some more exciting stories. Still a great portrayal of Wonder Woman though.

"Wow" This issue was below any expectations that I developed for the current creative team. The art ranged from a decent one to a rather bad one. The story itself wasn't that far behind. Aside from one nice moment involving Diana's lasso and some frog-like monsters, the rest of the issue is pretty forgettable. I'm also starting to think that Atlantiades is not really an interesting character that I thought he might turn out to be. Pitty. Even Wonder Woman couldn't save this one.

"Hola!" It was alright. A filler that doesn't really bring anything to the table. The story is serviceable, explains to us what Dimension Chi is. I don't if it something new or has it made an appearance in the comics before. And I think I noticed some sort of continuity errors in here, it's nothing big, but it stands out to me. If I remember right, and I think I do, Rucka established in Year One that Amazons didn't possess any superhuman abilities (immortality aside) and Dina received hers after leaving the island. In here it looks like they had them all along. Odd. But what needs praise in this issue is the art. It looks really, really good. From the pencils to the colors. It's Wonderfull. Shame it's just a guest artist.

"We ought to talk" A beautifully drawn and colored issue that sends Jean and Emma on a little mind-bending adventure. It's worth checking out, especially that it won't take much of your time to "read".

"I have no idea what that is..." That pretty much sums it up.

"We don't talk about Rocket" I'm not well versed in Marvels' space mythology so names like Moondragon or Eros ring zero bells for me, but this was an enjoyable issue. It starts a bit wordy but quickly jumps into details with Thanos' testament and then head first into some pretty good looking action. The story itself seems to be heading in a direction of some fun, universe spanning adventure. Also, Groot can talk in full sentences. That's good. I don't really know what led the universe to the state it is or how Thanos lost a very important part of his body, but I'm going to be on the lookout for the next issue.

"We will guard this galaxy" A nice follow-up to the first issue, but one that is rather slow paced. There's mostly talking, people arguing about who to kill or who not to kill and Star-Lord not giving a single "f" about anything. And then some more talking from cosmic Two-Face... or is it cosmic Professor X? The one thing that is undoubtedly great about this issue is the art. Geoff Shaw and Marte Gracia are doing a Marvelous work here. The characters, their facial expressions, the backgrounds, all of it looks really good. So, yeah, I'm not really on-board with this book as of yet, but the story and premise behind it seem interesting so I'm hoping the book will convince me to itself.

After some hiccups and delays, Justice League Space is finally here to take us on a new adventure. Cyborg, Starfire, and Azreal, later joined by Jessica Cruz, go into space to investigate the Ghost Sector, the collection of planets set free in Justice League No Justice. And it looks great. Stjepan Sejic's art is awesome. Characters, the overall visuals look great and new looks for Cyborg and Azreal are really pleasant for the eye. Croatian artist unique style works especially well on giant space monsters and characters faces. Emotions, facial expressions - it's all there. It's a shame that after issue 2 he is out of here. I wish he had more work in mainstream comics. The story itself is ok, I guess. It lacks any excitement or this "thing" that would hook you right in. I know it's just the first issue, so here's hoping it will get better, but I think the debut issue should have something that would make you excited for the second one. This one does not.

Well, this was better. This issue was a big improvement over the last one. And I'm not talking about art. The art was impeccable just like last time. I'm talking about the story. It became much more interesting and actually made me wonder what will happen next. Some very old alien races worshiping our heroes as gods? How can this be? And can Darkseid have some actually higher motives than ruling the universe? Yeah, this book has my interest now.

"Praise the Machine!" So Stjepan's gone. That's a shame. The new artist is ok, but sometimes faces and some characters, especially Starfire, look a bit odd. The story itself is interesting, it got much better than it was in the debut issue, and characters interactions and the dialogue are pretty good.

"Call me Kate" This was fun.

"Booty inspection" Yeah, I think Kitty... oh, I'm sorry, Kate is my favorite X-Men.

"A Shaw and a mutant!" Prior to this issue, I had no idea that someone like Shinobi Shaw event existed, but I'm glad he got added to the book. Thanks to him I finally got to see what I was waiting for. Sebastian Shaw scheming and plotting. And it made this issue of the Marauders the best one so far. It would have been even better if we saw Kate kick some ass.

"@#$% you, Paragon" Good issue, but there's just something about Marauders that can't elevate this book above 7 for me. I think it might be because of the book's indecisiveness. Is it an action-packed story about freeing oppressed mutants? Or maybe humorous "pirate" adventure? Or maybe a story about a newly created mutant corporation trying to navigate the new geopolitical landscape (that they created)? All interesting subjects, but I feel more attention needs to be given to one of them, then the book will be better.

"Raise the skull!" Yet again The Marauders fail to excite me.

"Hello, Kitty" It took six issues, six goddamned issues, but things are finally starting to get interesting.

"Do you need some clothes?" The trend from the last issue continues. Things are getting more interesting, but they're still not all the way there. Verendi is still plotting, Caselli's art is Amazing and Callisto along with Bishop are the best characters in this issue. Unfortunately no news about the state and whereabouts of Captain Pryde. But she survived a ride in a giant space bullet through the galaxy, so I'm hoping she's fine. Overall, things are improving and I hope they will continue to do so in the next issues. One more thing though. I think there has been a mistake in the placement of the Quiet Council members. If I recall correctly from other books, Apocalypse was always with Xavier and Magneto, Storm with Kurt and Jean and Mystique with Sinister and Exodus(?). It's not really important, but it just stood out to me, I wonder if anyone else noticed that.

"To me, my Marauders" Never thought I'd say this but Iceman scared me in this issue. That "eye for an eye" bit, bad guys breaking their fingers when trying to pull the trigger? Dammit, man. The sisterly moment between Emma and Ororo was great and I just can't wait for someone to wipe that smug smile of Sebastian Shaw's stupid face. Stefano Caselli's art is always great.

"I already know I'm busy that night" Yes! Keep going this way Marauders and we may finally be able to break that barrier and go above the score of 7. But I think we'll need Kate for that. Emma just keeps knocking out of the park with those outfits.

"You shall not pass!" Never thought I would see anything that would make Tony Stark uncomfortable and awkward. It looks like linking your brain with a robot will do that. But this issue was all around ridiculous. In a good way. Corporate espionage, everyone dating, action, Vespa-Man and on top of that Andy Bhang channeling his inner Gandalf. Yeah, it's a good one. I'm still on the fence about this concept of robotics ethics and A.I.'s rights, but we'll see how this plot point will develop.

Arno is back. It looks like he took a page out of his brother's book and "hacked" his body, so he no longer needs to use his iron lung or sleep for that matter. He goes around the world performing "miracles" that sometimes end up being a form of some sinister punishment for misdeeds. I'm sure that the violinist didn't ask for this kind of help. And then he dines with his brother's competition. I see a new villain rising, one that the Iron Man might not see coming.

"Session terminated. Goodbye" I think a few online games out there could use someone like Arsenal. Maybe it would make things more enjoyable. As for the issue itself. It was ok, I guess. Nice art, not a bad dialogue and likable enough cast. The thing is, it's issue #6 and I really can't tell where this book is going, what it's aim is. It seems to wander around topics like artificial intelligence and virtual reality (interesting topics), but it seems to do it without any real excitement, without anything that would hook the reader. Slott's Spidey stories had some spark, spirit. His Iron Man stories are currently lacking these.

"She shots. She misses." Now, this was really fun. Controller's plan turned out to be pretty cool and smart. Tony was much less quippy than usual and much more focused and hands on. Reminded me of Tony from times of Extremis and Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man. And that little mystery happening in eScape has me interested. Did the program did this on its own, was it Tony or maybe Arno? I want subsequent issues to be like this one. Or better.

I'm afraid that the Stark Unlimited stock value will take a major hit when this is all over.

"I am your vodka-powered doom!" Why is it, that every time a super-hero creates a powerful A.I. it goes bad sooner or later? The eScape players continue to wreak havoc, Tony is locked inside of it with his "mum", while his other mum is trying to get him out and on the outside, everyone is wondering "Where the hell is Tony Stark?" I like this issue, it's use of the supporting cast is very well done. When the series first started I had the feeling that there is maybe too many characters in that cast, but now it actually proves to work, it paid off. And Amanda stands in the forefront, battling Motherboard for Tony's "soul" and it makes me like her even more. Art is good. Both in the real world and in Tony's retro simulation. I also like that all of his speech bubbles have a different, old-school looking font. It's a nice touch, works well with the "early Iron Man" simulation.

"Something beautiful" We had a villain's month some time ago. Now we're going to have a year of the villain. Oh, boy. I really hope they can pull this off. - Chapter 1: 7,5 First of all, amazing art. That page with Bane is just something out of this world. And the story is not far behind. I'm really curious, just what Lex (and Snyder) have cooked up for us, the readers. Also, I knew it. Luthor is just too arrogant to simply do what he did at the end of this chapter. -Chapter 2: 7 Some of the initial dialogue from Batgirl and Green Arrow felt off. But after the big flash of light things started to look up. Whoever Barbara was talking to and what Damian proposed has me worried for the Bat-family and interested in how this whole Leviathan thing will play out. I like that story-line in Action Comics, so fingers crossed. As for art, I think Maleev can do better. I've seen him do better. -Chapter 3: 7 It's James Tynion. So you can expect that it might be wordy and exposition heavy. It is. But what was teased in this chapter, the big war between Justice and Doom. Well, I'd be lying if I said it doesn't make me excited. Bring on the Villains DC. Let's see how it goes.

"God-Emperor Garf" I really like Thaal Sinestro so I picked this issue up. I've read it and I still really like Sinestro. He's smart, he's clever and he is good with the ring. The issue itself was amusing. That's the best I've got. The idea of little people living inside bigger, Darkseid looking, people, makes me chuckle a bit. It's funny. Now, I'm gonna read and wait to see when and how Sinestro will turn his back on Apex Lex.

"Not his face" Tom Taylor. There's no need to write anything else.

"I quit" Cheer up Edward, you're not a bad villain, you just need better writers.

"There is only Luthor" Did all of this happen? Or was this just a Kid Lex's Black Mercy induced dream?

Satisfying conclusion to a really good and fun arc. Great dialogue and very pleasant for the eye art by Will Conrad.

Ok, it is a filler issue. Designed to hold us over to the issue 1000. That being said it's a good filler. We get some really nice art by Will Conrad and few really good and interesting character moments. Thanks to Clarks little Kansas charm and magic Lois finally reconciles with her father, while Superman decides to try a different approach to locking up his villains. And in doing so maybe giving them a chance to change for the better? And next month issue 1000. Can't wait.

It's finally here. It only took 80 years, but issue #1000 is finally here. And it is packed with Superman goodness. I think that every aspect of Superman that made him and makes him Superman for so many people is addresed here, even the red underwear... I mean the red trunks. In this anniversary issue we get eleven different stories centered around Man of Steel, including story by Brian Bendis that sets up a much greater intrigue. Brian Bendis' story is a good and solid start for his run on Superman. It introduces a new villain with some interesting and intriguing ties to Kal-El. I'm anxious to see where this story leads. As for the rest of the stories, the one I liked the most is the one by Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason. We get to see modern day Superman relive in some manner all 80 years of his history. I just think thats a really cool concept. Happy Birthday Man of Steel and 80 more years.

Brian Bendis continues taking rains over Superman with Action Comics 1001. The issue sets a slightly lighter tone than Superman 1. Both in dialogue and art. This can be perfectly seen in the first panels when Big Blue is dealing with some, rather inept, robbers. As for the story, it follows up on the mysterious fires that were popping up in the Man of Steel mini-series and Superman's supposed involvement in them. We also learn about the existence of some secret cabal of criminals that were operating right under Superman's nose. I wonder if Luthor is somewhat responsible for them or maybe just like Supes he doesn't know about them? On the art, we have Pat Gleason, who does a great job. His art is a little bit exaggerated, but not enough to make it caricatural. Exaggerated in a way, that characters sometimes have big eyes or their facial expressions are a bit over the top (again, the robbers at the beginning) but most of all in Superman. His muscles are crazy big and both him and Clark are literally towering over people.

"Oh look! Tourists!" Superman is pissed. Some weird stuff is happening all around his city (building fires, criminals falling out of the sky) and all of it is happening right under his nose, and he has no idea where to look for a cause of this. To make matters worse, his wife seems to be back from her space voyages, but she's not very keen on meeting with her husband. Tough week for the Man of Steel. But there is a silver lining. All these shenanigans make for a great read. Bendis crafts a nice story here, that keeps you guessing and wondering "what's next?". He's doing this with a good dialogue, without any cringe-worthy lines, and some nice little humor sprinkled in. He also gets help from Pat Gleason, whose art just elevates the book and improves it even more. Really great issue. (Red Tornado: Year One. I want it.)

"I just made your story great" He is The Dark Knight, World's Greatest Detective, The Caped Crusader, but from now on, for me, he is Batman: The Purse Snatcher. Now that I got it out of my system let's dive into the issue. It's a good one. Not particularly action-packed, practically not at all, but it's got other good things going on for him. Well written, with some subtle humor, and spot-on characterizations of people. I really liked how The Purse Snatcher was portrayed during his brief cameo. Stern and calm, but with some sarcastic wit to it. Yanick Paquette doing the art is always a good thing. And I enjoyed a lot this little thing they did with panels when Clark got "a migraine". Panels got all flimsy and wobbly, but when he got better they got back to being straight and simple. Nice touch.

"The good old days" Man, I like Bendis' take on Superman. Especially in Action Comics. This book has this feeling of levity and hopefulness to it. It's great to see Man of Steel saving people with a big ol' smile on his face. And we finally learn what's the deal with Lois and why she was hiding. She's doing something that is really important to her but she still has her husband's back. The scenes between her and Clark were sweet and fun to read. As for little Jon. He's safe and that's practically all we learn. Well, that and the fact that he supposedly blossomed when he has no need to hide his powers. The art is on point. Ryan Sook and the rest deliver some great visuals. The panel where Clark and Lois are kissing is breathtaking. Great stuff.

"...and you owe satan your marriage or something" Mr. Bendis, is it nice to poke fun at your former employer? I don't know, but that line made me laugh. And then I see a guy in a trenchcoat and a hat and think to myself; It would be cool if this was The Question. Then the guy beats some criminals, steps out of a shadow and... it is The Question. Never in my life have I read a comic about him, but he was great in JLU cartoon so it was good to see him here. I hope he will team-up with Supes soon. And that's just the first five pages. The rest of the book keeps that momentum going. Bad guys are shaking in their boots, Clark has a big ol' smile because he, ehm, saw his wife and he does some investigating journalism. Ryan Sook does a great job on the art and the identity of the Red Cloud is finally revealed. It's exactly who you thought it was. Summarizing; great issue, that has fun and interesting story, portrays very likable Clark/ Supes and stays exciting throughout the whole read.

"Yeah. It's not the best." Another solid issue of Action Comics. One that doesn't necessarily move the plot very, very far, but still is a quite an enjoyable read. Clark finally starts to suspect the identity of the Red Cloud, her mysterious employer is revealed and apparently owns the car form the cover of Action Comics #1. Bendis again delivers with the good writing and giving us a few funny and lighthearted scenes. The kid in the alley? Pure gold. Speaking of pure gold. The art. It looks amazing. The fight between Supes and Cloud looks epic, dynamic and, for some reason, kinda old-school. Good read, nice way to start a new year.

"I kissed a lizard person" While things get a little worrisome on Superman front, Action Comics keeps it going with another brewing mystery. Jimmy Olsen stumbled on something big, but it blew up in a flash of blue light. Superman caught falling Amanda Waller, but whoever threw her disappeared in a flash of blue light. What's going on? We don't know, but I'm eager to find out. The big thing that happened here is that Lois finally decided to tell her father the truth. The one about the fact that her husband, one that Sam Lane isn't very fond off, is the same guy Sam Lane really doesn't like. His reaction surprised me. I was expecting hugs and kisses on the forehead. Also, the scene between Perry and Jimmy was great. How the latter one wasn't fired yet is beyond me.

"You are unbelievable!" While things get a little shaky on the Superman front, hopefully only temporally, Action Comics continues to deliver fun and interesting story. Government agencies are getting dismantled in an orb of blue light by some big creature and no one seems to be able to prevent the attacks. Poor Adam Strange, it was a job interview for crying out loud. And Lois Lane finally came out of hiding and back to Daily Planet. That's really good, I glad that happened. I like this story so far. It has me interested, I wonder if it's Talia's Leviathan or maybe someone else has taken the reigns of the organization. Also, I'm really anxious to see how the team-up between The Big Blue and The Wall will turn out. Someone may say that Supes is kinda playing the second fiddle to the vast supporting cast in this issue. I won't argue with that cause it's a bit true. But it doesn't bother me, at least not yet, it seems to fit the set-up. The art is ok, for the most part, I just have one problem. What the heck is up with Superman's nose? It looks so big, it's enormous. Frankly, almost everyone has a case of a big sneezer in at least one panel. It's unsettling.

"That is the question" So, what do we have in this issue? Let's see: - Amanda Waller knows who Superman is. It actually makes sense, a lot of it. She probably knows who the brooding Batman is or the fast Flash also. - The Question sitting in the dark, looking cool. I have no idea where the smoke was coming from, but who cares, that hospital scene was great. - And lastly, Superman going undercover as a Spyral agent? It looks and sounds ridiculous, but I can't wait to see it. Agent Chaz Donen reporting for duty.

"Who gives a @#$@ about a narrative?" This issue was just what I needed. After the Double D (disappointing and depressing) that was Heroes in Crisis this week, this issue was the perfect remedy. It's lighthearted, a bit cheesy a times and the idea of Supes being undercover is just so wonderfully bonkers, even though it was shortlived. A quick read with some nice visuals. Definitely worth checking out.

"-Look! Up in the... - Don't." Well, that was an entertaining issue. I really enjoyed it. Kate Spencer seems to have traded Seatle for Metropolis, the Leviathan mystery gets more and more interesting (and fun), the dialogue is good (with some really funny lines), Superman is just all around great guy and Steve Epting keeps drawing him with a really big nose. But other than the big supporting cast and Lois being very involved in the plot, there is one other thing that Bendis is doing here that I like. Compared to all the Kings and Batmans and their depressing stuff, and sad and mopey Flash (as he was the last time I read his book) Bendis, both in Action Comics and in Superman, is keeping s*it light. And I'm just really glad that he does that.

"We are Leviathan" You can feel it's a tie-in and it has some flaws, but despite that, it's still an enjoyable read. I am not a fan of Kudranski's art, but those first few pages at the beginning and at the end looked really good. They were shrouded in darkness and bloody. Some of the initial dialogue had problems. It was odd, felt like people were not speaking to each other, but rather monologing around each other. Thankfully, it stopped around Rose/Thorne interview. She seems interesting, I wouldn't mind seeing more of her in Action Comics or in Event Leviathan. Oh, and there's Leviathan.

"Then I sincerely apologize" This one is a tie-in. A tie-in to Event Leviathan and to Year of the Villain. But it's a good one. I had fun reading it. We've got disappearing houses, Apex Lex being creepy Santa and bringing gifts to people, Red Cloud/Robinson Goode finally starting to be interesting and Kudranski's art being not bad. Yep, a nice one.

"I think... heaven" It was alright. Since the Event Leviathan, AC has become a sort of tie-in to it and you can feel it very much in this issue. It meanders a lot, constantly asking about Leviathan without pushing the actual story forward. Sad. But hey, there's Naomi at the end and I like her.

"You cleaned the grill again" Good issue. Fun and entertaining. The stuff with Naomi was a blast. She is such a fun character. Her banter with Superman and Batman was well written. When BMB wants, he can write good dialogue. Then we're back to the Red Cloud/Levithan business. Red Cloud got a serious upgrade form Apex Lex. The Man of Steel is in trouble. The ending is really abrupt though and I am still not a fan of Kudranski's art.

"Damn right you are" The issue teases and sets up some interesting things for the future, with the Invisible Mafia deciding to leave the invisible part, but the issue itself... man, oh man. When BMB wants he can write some really good things, but when he doesn't, we get an issue like this, that is an absolute slog. The art ranges from awful to dreadfull, the dialogue made my eyes roll so much, that I was afraid that they will fall out my head and the worst thing is that this is a Superman book, and he's hardly in it. I have nothing against Naomi, I like her very much, but this sort of thing would be better suited for her own book.

"Superman is here" Jeez, this issue was all over the place. Why can't we get a tied, focused story in the Superman books anymore? Mr. Bendis, you were doing quite well when you first took over. What the hell happened?

"What did you do to me!" Great Caesar's ghost, this was terrible. Romita's art here ranges from ugly to downright atrocious. It looks rushed as hell with that first spread being just... ugh. This stuff will give me nightmares. Was there some bet going on over there? Under just how many minutes will he be able to draw this entire issue or something? 10 minutes? 15? And the dialogue is not that far behind. Minus the conversation with Chief Moore (the character I like), that was the only redeeming thing in this issue. Those S.T.A.R. Labs scientist? Wow, that was awful. My ratings for Action Comics are plummeting in recent months. I want the good Action Comics back, goddammit.

"Where is the one place he never fights back all the way?" Well, this caught me off guard. After the last two issues, I was expecting this one to be terrible as well. Turns out, it's not. Don't get me wrong, the art is still, absolutely, truly horrendous and the issue doesn't actually wash off the awfulness of the previous issues, but the writing is much better, the story is much more clear and cohesive, and seeing Legion of Doom and the Leviathan together is actually pretty entertaining. It's still nowhere near the quality of Bendis' Daredevil, that I'm currently re-reading (damn, that is a good comic book), but there's some hope that maybe the future issues will continue the trend of improvement. Fingers crossed.

"A Super-Punk" Surprisingly, this was not terrible, but it wasn't great either.

"Let's go clean this up and figure out who you are" Some comic book issues can be rather mediocre, some can be quite bad or even terrible and then there are issues like this one. An issue that shows how badly a decent run on a book can devolve into some terrible hectic mess the moment you start basing your stories around a pathetically weak and bland villain as Leviathan turned out to be. It's difficult for me to believe there was a time where I couldn't wait for new issues in this series.

First story "The Last Will and Testament of Lex Luthor" is all around great. We get a deep insight into what exactly drives Lex in his actions. All that with a really strong art from Will Conrad. The second story, also centered around Lex, is a bit weak. It tries to be funny and witty, but it fails miserably. But the story sheds some light on Lex's future that coincidently makes Superman story in DC Nation #0 a little bit less confusing. Last story by Max Landis and Francis Manapul shows just how good and kind person Superman truly is.

"To Alfred" Let's have one writer kill Alfred in a poor story and then let's have others, better ones, do damage control and give him a proper send-off - that's the DC Way. Let's have one awesome writer make an amazing, intricate story that fixes pretty much every major problem with our continuity and then due to a few delays let's disregard that completely and let's just have some loud, overblown space cataclysm event, that can't seem to end and that no one will remember week after it ends, in its stead - that's the DC Way. With that rant out of the way, let's talk about the issue. The title pretty much says it all. R.I.P. The Bat-family gathers on this wake of sorts to remember Alfred and share some bitter feelings about themselves but mostly about Bruce. During this, Tynion and Tomasi are forced to remind us and navigate through some very bad storytelling decisions that others made... well, actually that one person made. A person that will not be named here. In all honesty, this issue and this "review" could be summarized in just a few words. The words that Damian spoke in the issue. "He was a good man. He deserved... more" I couldn't agree more.

The book would be better if it didn't drag its feet so much.

Preview for Batman's wedding was great. Both in art and in writing. Joker waiting for his invitation was creepy and chilling, especially when he told his joke about a letter without a stamp. He is going to mess up that wedding or maybe he will officiate it. Preview for No Justice also has me hooked for that mini-series and later Justice League titles, especially with Jorge Jimenez art. It is just amazing. As for the preview for Man of Steel it just confused the heck out of me. With the other two we had some bits and pieces of info to latch onto. But here it felt like we were dropped in the middle of the story without any clue to what's exactly going on. I just hope it won't be the case for the whole Man of Steel mini-series.

First issue was just OK. But in this one story picks up the pace, gets a little more "blockbustery" and we get a quick, little insight into Damage/Ethans head. As always Tony Daniels art is really great to look at. Bring on issue #3.

With issue #4 Damage proves that this book is a fun and enjoyable read.

Damage is a good book. I enjoy it. The only problem is that Ethan/Damage seems to play second fiddle in his own book. Either to be overshadowed by Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman or Poison Ivy, but for the most part by colonel Jonas who hunts him. I like this book and I'm interested to see where the story goes, but I fear that if the focus isn't on the main star, the book itself won't last that long. But maybe the character of Ethan/Damage isn't that interesting to begin with? Maybe that's why they are pulling focus off of him?

"Puddin to go!" This was not bad. I'm guessing Scott Lobdell did the best he could with what he was given. And, objectively, what he was given wasn't the best. I mean, we're still trying to forget that Heroes in Crisis ever happened. But I'm all for redeeming Wally West and some multiversal adventure with Calvin Ellis. Sadly, I don't think I will ever like art by Booth-Rapmund. I can't help it, I just won't.

"I'm a cosmic being. What do you think?" The fixing of Wally West continues.

"To reignite the flame within a hero" This was pleasant.

"You are always Batman" So the fixing of Flashpoint Batman continues.

"Let's not look a gift evil god in the mouth, okay?" I had no expectations for this book when it started coming out, but I'm glad it turned out to be an enjoyable six issues. I certainly could make do without the constant art changes, but at least the final issue had only one artist. It's also a bit refreshing that the story did not opt for the usual suspects and make it, again, about Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, but instead focused on the "smaller" characters that do not get half as much attention as these three.

"Oh my" Humor, likeable character and an interesting story. Platsic Man issue 1 has all that and then some more. Read it! It's so wang.

Eel O'Brian is a good guy with good intentions, but not necessarily with any skill to put those good intentions to use. But that doesn't stop him. Thanks to that we get another issue with some exciting action, interesting story, humor (with a few jokes that don't stick the landing) and a pretty good art.

"Jaysus wore a codpiece" Pulse-pounding action, loads of great humor and... the feels [sniff, sniff]. Plastic Man is just a great book. This issue has a cover by Alex Ross that is simply amazing. And that Sammy guy is an a-hole.

"Crisis on infinite laps" Plastic Man continues his role as a babysitter/bodyguard for little Pado while trying to show him (her?) that he actually is a good guy. He may not be the very best at it, ignoring a street full of thugs, but his stretchy heart seems to be in the right place and he honestly tries. Like with the previous issues, the art here is great. A bit goofy and a little over the top, perfect for Plast. Duo Melo/Fitzpatrick does not disappoint. This issue is obviously a setup for the big ending, but I don't see that as a problem. Where this issue falters for me is in the humor. Few jokes work, like the one with the professor or sewing lady. But the majority of them is more like "Ok... moving on". That one joke at Banshee? Yikes! Was Gail Simone trying too hard or was it supposed to show that Eel is really bad a jokes? I don't know. But I know that there are easier ways to dispose of a sibling than stuffing them in a suitcase and throwing of a train. Just don't pick up the phone or something.

"I gotta read the Bible more" Now, this is just sad. This book started great. It had action, excitement, humor and a likable protagonist. It all kinda evaporated in this issue. Problems started in the last one, but they quickly escalated here. Plast became really bland, depressingly narrating through most of the issue. There are some attempts at humor, but they're just that, attempts. And action boils down to one choppy fight with some shape-shifting (not from Mars) alien. It boggles my mind, what the hell happened? I was expecting some great finish but it looks like this series will be limping to the finish line. So. Not. Wang.

"Exsqueeze me?" Well, this was a little better than the last issue, but nowhere near the level of the first three issues. The miniseries reaches its conclusion and it's not really satisfying. It's messy and rather humorless. Plast sorta defeats the evil cabal and that's about it. We don't get any resolution with Janet or Granite Janet, neither with Obscura or the fact that Plastic Man might be wanted for murder. The only thing that gets resolved a bit is Pado's story. He escaped and Eel decided to take care of him and the issue abruptly ends. It does set up for a continuation, but after the way, this series disappointed me I don't think I want another one. By the way, the cover for this issue is really ugly.

"The perfect match" I knew it!

"I don't speak spreadsheet" A little bit tough to read but with some genuinely funny moments and with some really nice art.

In issue 22 Donna and Roy found Brain's and Mallah's hq. In this annual they're literally fight for their lives. But just when their about to be overwhelmed they get much needed help from the former Boy Wonder and former Kid Flash. After that all four Titans, together, try to foil Brain's plans to ascend into some form of godhood, at the same time proving Justice League that they are not some B-list super-hero team. What I like the most about this annual and this series in general is how Abnett writes interactions between characters. In most instances I completely buy that Titans are long time frends that are superheroing for a long time and have sometimtes lesser sometimes bigger grudges against one another or like Arsenal and Troy some loving feelings. And in this annual I was completely sold on Mallah's fears and worries about Brain becoming something godly.

Ok, I have never read a comic book with the word "Avengers" on the cover. There, I said it, don't judge. But I can say, with clear conscience, that this is a good place to start, a really good jumping on point. The only thing that might be required to fully get what is going on is Marvel Legacy one-shot. In this issue Jason Aaron picks up where he left off in Marvel Legacy with prehistoric Avengers facing down a foe they feel is too much even for them. In the present we see Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson, all who had a rough couple of years (Civil War II, brain dead, Hydra mind control, cut off arm, becoming unworthy etc.), talking about reforming Avengers and getting back to the roots. Which I imagine mirrors Marvel Comics attempts to do the same. But their talk is cut short because Earth might be again in peril. We also get to see glimpses of other heroes. Black Panther, Doctor Strange, She-Hulk, Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider and Captain Marvel. What I enjoyed the most were interactions between characters. Especially the banter between aforementioned Big Three. I've got only two minor issues. First one is Ed McGuinness' art. It's good, but to me characters look kinda rectangular. Second one is Cap's costume. I get that it's iconic and all that, but to me it's just silly looking. Wings on his cowl, pirate boots and gloves. Just silly. But thats just my two cents on the matter, no need crucify me.

Good follow up to a strong first issue, although this one is much slower than the previous one. The plot still moves forward, but we don't get to see as many things happening as it was in issue #1, e.g. no word from Dr. Strange or Black Panther, so they might have been eaten by those Wreck-It Ralph looking bugs as far as we know. But the story is still interesting, we get to see the possible mastermind behind the whole falling Celestials thing (you know him). Jason Aaron's dialogue is fun and entertaining, and I'm getting used to Ed McGuinness' art. So yeah, I'm waiting to see what's gonna happen next.

Well, this was a nice conclusion. A bit of a sudden shift in the battle, but I going to let that slide. And I really like the idea of life on Earth, with all its potential for weird things, originating from a dying space god. It's a good explanation, that fits the universe and actually makes a lot of sense. The thing I can't let slide though, is that this book is trying to emulate MCU movies far too much. The more jokey once at least. With practically every character quipping and spewing jokes every second or third line of dialogue. I'm just not a fan of situations where adaptation affects its source material in a way that the source is trying to be more like its adaptation.

"Oh god, you're so gross" Good issue. Story and action were good, David Marquez's art was phenomenal (I'm even getting used to this grainy look of it), but some of Aaron's dialogue was bothering me. Some of the lines were cringy and made characters look stupid. The line about Namor being gross made Captain Marvel sound like some dimwitted 14-year-old girl and Iron Man talking about sushi mid-fight made him sound more like Spider-Man. Not to mention the super stealthy Black Panther stepping on a fish. That one just made my eyes roll. But the portrayals of Namor, Captain America, and Thor were pretty fun. Although I would prefer if the God of Thunder didn't talk like it's his first week on Earth.

Scott Snyder takes the reins over The Justice League and expands on the ideas put forth in Metal and No Justice. The banter and comradery between members of the League feel really good. Snyder even pokes some fun at Batman for the dark and gloomy demeanour. The story moves smoothly with Martian Manhunter kinda in a center, but it all changes somewhere halfway through. League defeats the threat, in a really bizarre way, after that they have a meeting to discuss some new possible threat that, again, is something old and ancient. Then Manhunter gets a really confusing and convoluted visoion and issue #1 ends. Leaving reader with a little feeling of "what the heck just happened". I'm guessing that things will get clearer with coming issues. As for the art I must say that Jim Cheung Justice League looks gorgeous. Especially when we see all of them fighting on panels side by side.

I'm going to start by saying that I want Jorge Jimenez to draw as many books as it is humanly possible. He is amazing at his craft. Each character looks unique and different and the action looks just grand. Just one little thing. Please make Martian Manhunter a little more beefed up. When he looks all slender and slick it's just wrong. As for the story it's good, but not great. It gets a bit convoluted at times. It feels like Snyder is trying to put too much story, too much plot points into a single issue and not even one of these points gets explored enough. Same goes for characterizations of some characters, heroes mostly. Sometimes they seem spot on and sometimes the exact opposite. Kendra and Barry seemed really odd in this issue. But my biggest issue is with Luthor. In issue 1 he was calm and collected, he looked like a guy with a plan. In this issue I was just waiting for him to burst into maniacal laugh for no reason what so ever. Fortunately it did not happen.

This comic book is OK. It's not horrible and has some really gorgeous art, Jorge Jimenez doesn't disappoint. But there's just something about this story that completely does not excite me. The story moves forward and we learn about some mysterious energy from the source wall, some hidden, unseen forces practically no one knew about and a sentient black sun. And I'm going to be honest. It all just feels like random ideas that popped inside Snyder's head and he decided to connect them somehow. With Metal it all felt more connected and planed out, the event itself got little too big, but that's a different matter. But here, like I wrote, feels random and disjointed.

This one is an improvement over the last three issues. The story gets a little more clear and coherent, and Flash is finally not acting like a dumbass. Joker is super creepy and Luthor seems to be a good couple steps ahead of everybody, including mind-reading, babysitting gorilla Grodd. Just like in issue 2 and 3 art in this one is great. Jorge Jimenez does not disappoint.

"$%^& Justice. Side with Doom" Legion of Doom takes over the world and the Justice League book as James Tynion delves deep into Luthor's plan to reveal some of its intricacies. Luthor is smart. His plan still seems a bit crazy and ambiguous in regards to whys and hows, but it will probably seem less so in the next issues. We follow Lex as he starts recruitment for his Legion. The dialogue is good, villains are scary and the narration is a bit much. It is sometimes exposition heavy and a bit rambling at times. But the story finally starts to become engaging. Overall good issue. Amplified greatly by Doug Mahnke's art. He draws one badass looking Sinestro. And Luthor's smile on the opening page? The very definition of creepy and disturbing.

"With friends like you, who needs enemies?" The Totality continues. Some of the panels in this issue have good action on them and with Jorge Jimenez's art, it looks just astonishing. Same goes for the way he shows characters. Batman, Grodd look just great. But for me, the stand out is the Joker. He looks creepy, scary and just overall unsettling. The same thing can be said about jokerized Martian Manhunter. As for the rest of the issue, it is not as great. The story gets clearer, even though more new things get introduced, and revelation near the ending promises some interesting developments in the next issue, it still suffers from two things. First, both the story and premise are not engaging. With Metal and New Justice, there was this feel to it that something is changing and the stakes are high. Here, with all these new energies, hidden galaxies, magical artifacts and the stakes so ridiculously over the top, the threat just doesn't seem scary. It may also be due to the fact that Snyder uses here the same formula he used in Metal and New Justice. Hereos are loosing, constantly being few steps behind villains, but nearing the end they figure something out and they prevail. The second thing is the dialogue. Some of it is lands ok and is good, but the rest just doesn't fit the people that are saying these things. Batman quipping, characters saying things like "DO WE EVER". I mean come on, are they ruthless super-villains or air-headed teenagers?

The Totality reaches its conclusion and... it's fine. There is action, great visuals (Jim Cheung and the rest did a wonderful job) and Martian Manhunter's awesome monologue. As for the rest. The story itself and its conclusion are a bit underwhelming. The Dialogue problem is still here. Some characters speak things that just completely don't fit them. Some spotlight is given to the Hawkgirl and we get a glimpse on, possibly, some new Leaguers. The issue, however, provides some surprises at the end. But not in a "WOW, I can't believe it" way, more in a "Huh, interesting, I wonder where this will go next". So, yeah, I'm curious to see what Scott Snyder will come up with next. I just hope it will appeal to me more than this story arc.

"Aren't I, old friend?" Now this, this was great. Slow, no exploding Moons or new powers being discovered, just the League in their downtime. The interactions and chemistry between the teammates are spot-on and feel natural. Adding to that an amazing art and coloring (that scene in the cafeteria or the little sparing between J'onn and Kendra... just Wow) and you've got an issue worthy of the name Justice League on the cover. I just hope for the subsequent issues to keep this level of good.

"I'll show myself out" Drowned Earth starts here and it's shaping to be an interesting event. A covenant of space sea gods is trying to literally sink the planet and it looks like Luthor and his Legion pals might have something to do with it. Why, how is legendary Atlantian hero connected to it and how the League will stop them? I hope that Mistah Snyder will provide satisfying answers to these questions. Also, I have to give credit to the writer for using other heroes, not only relying on the core members. Last issue cafeteria scene was much fun, but here we can actually see other heroes interact and fight alongside the main leaguers. But there is one thing that bugs me. I am not a fan of the joker Flash. I'm not gonna write here about Snyder "not understanding the character" or other nonsense like this, I would just prefer for Barry to be a little more serious and back down on the lava puns. And as always it is good to see Francis Manapul doing the art. Whatever he draws it looks great.

"You decaying piles of cosmic jetsam" Nice follow up to the Justice League/Aquaman special. Stakes are rising, just like water on Earth and our heroes seem to be in a hopeless position. Obviously, they will come up on top at the end, but after a few twists in this issue, I wonder how exactly and who will lead them to victory. I vote Mera. She seems to be really determined to fix this and to prove that she is a good queen. And other heroes are either stuck in other dimensions, bound to a wheelchair or slowly turning into a fish. I must say that I already like this story arc more than The Totality. I can't really pinpoint what it is, but this story, although also cosmic in scope, seems more grounded to me and because of that more appealing. Maybe it's because this one is more focused and Totality felt a bit all over the place or maybe I just got used to Snyder's take on the League. I don't know. Nevertheless, this a fun story with some amazing artwork from Francic Manapul and I want to see what's next.

"Release the Kraken!" Another good installment of the Drowned Earth. This event really came to my liking. As our heroes fight and the tides of battle are turning we learn a little bit of backstory behind this whole conflict. We learn that the Atlantean hero Arion was a very smart cookie, that the space sea gods are not exactly what they appear to be and that Greek gods are a-holes (that last one came as a HUGE shocker to me). While all this is happening we see that even broken and bound to a wheelchair Batman is not to be taken lightly. It's "amazing" how one character, in one continuity, can be portrayed both as an exceptionally resilient hero and as a broken shell of a World's Greatest Detective. Just wow. This issue also features two artists and both of them are doing a fine job in showing our heroes in action. Although one of them, Frazer Irving I believe (awesome name by the way), is a bit uneven. Some of his artwork looks great like the sea gods or the whole thing in the Graveyard of the Gods, but some of it looks a bit awkward like Mera's and Supes' faces or the floating heads thing. Overall this a good issue, definitely one worth reading.

"Joker only believes in Joker!" After the Drowned Earth, we get a little breather, in the form of this nice little filler issue, to take a look at our favorite team of bad guys. Things are not the best. As their ranks crumble we learn that you should never, under any circumstances, trust or make any deals with the Joker. He will stab you in the back and have a laugh. And if you hurt his feeling along the way, well... Good luck. Good issue. Art could have been better though.

"There is a power in a secret" Just when you think you're going to have a nice time at the party with the hawks, the host goes savage. Good issue. Sets up an interesting mystery regarding Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, that I'm curious what the answers will be. Also, Starman. That should be fun.

"What in the seven hells" I had no idea that you can get HBO on Thanagar Prime. That's one more secret of the universe I learned in this issue. This was a nice one. Good dialogue, a bit of martian mind-trick, some action, unexpecting guests and a couple of cool and interesting mysteries being unraveled. I really dig the concept and history of Thanagar Prime. Next stop is the history of the universe. Sound fun.

"Don't be a poozer. Call for backup" Bit of a wordy and expository issue, but overall an enjoyable one. Starman's part really brought it home for me. I know it won't happen, but can we, maybe, move away now from the big cosmic threats and old secrets of the universe for a little bit? It's a bit tiresome. What about good old fashion Monguls or Brainiacs threatening the Earth or some other things that are not universe shattering and universe spanning. Just a thought.

"Sh'anne, Sh'anne" It's the issues like this why I read Justice League. First of all, I love how much spotlight Snyder (and Tynion) are giving to the good ol' Manhunter from Mars. There was just something amiss when he wasn't part of the main League. Second, I really dig the connection and relationship between J'onn and Lex. They added a small thing into their histories, without overhauling the entirety of it, that brings them closer and makes them more similar to each other. Both of them were, sort of, robbed off of a piece of their past. Third, the art is a treat to the eye. The pencils, inks, colors complement each other very well. Both J'onn and Lex look great (not to mention Lex's amazing looking armor) and the surface of Mars, though bleak and desolate, looks fantastic and, well, otherworldly. Also, the second to last page neatly parallels both of their arrivals to their respective Halls. Very good issue.

I'm not a fan of the art and the huge expository dump that happens in this issue, but the story itself is ok and there's just something unnerving about "emotional" Brainiac.

"Your building just ate my building" This issue started pretty wacky, there is a fifth dimension imp involved so that to be expected, but at the end, it took a surprising turn and I can't wait to see how it will play out. Speaking of imps and wackiness. Jimenez's artwork is perfect for a story like that. His characters and their movements are perfectly just a little bit exaggerated. Coupled with bright and vibrant colors by Sanchez the art is just delightful to look at. Just look at that Mxyzptlk or monstrous Daily Planet building or at Superman using his heat vision at the end. Not to mention the "future" Justice League. If it's not apparent, yeah I really like Jimenez's work. As for Mr. Mxyzptlk, I just couldn't get enough of him berating the League for their latest exploits. These are the World's Greatest Heroes and he is treating them like children. It was great. And that short talk between Batman and Superman right before the latter went through a portal really felt like Batman and Superman moment, like they were friends for a long time. Good start, waiting for more.

"ever... ever... ever..." I know it's just been two issues, but this is the best arc of this Justice League book so far. The "future" Justice League looks great. Their world is seemingly without any hardships and crime, it's basically a utopia. But there's just something unsettling about them. They smile just a tad too much. While the two Leagues get acquainted, Mr. Mxy goes berserk, Legion of Doom is plotting and Jimenez's and Sanchez's Mera is the most beautiful thing in this issue. Amazing. And while Mera is beautiful and the story interesting, the proverbial scene stealer is Jarro. I don't want to spoil this, just in case someone hasn't read the issue, but Jarro's dream is just adorable. That's right, adorable. Really good issue.

"#$%^ on a stick... plick" Jarro has the best one-liners in the Multiverse and this story arc is amazing.

"So it begins" Now that was some nice and needed backstory on Perpetua and the Multiverse. Origin of the Source Wall, the beginning of the conflict between Monitors and others bits and pieces of information we were given in Metal, No justice and Justice League, all nicely explained and tied together in a neat little bow. Good issue. I now comprehend the scale of it all that much better.

"Guys, wait up!" This is the first story arc in this volume of the Justice League that is continuously good and entertaining from issue to issue. There are plot twists, last time rescues from some really unexpected characters, blind space ship pilots, good guys being bad guys and heroes making some bold decisions (how could you do that Man?). As for the art. Well, Jorge Jimenez and Alejandro Sanchez are making a phenomenal job here. Words can't really do Justice to how gorgeous these pages are, so I'm just gonna stop here. Good-bye.

"The sun was in my eyes" I love the fact that this story arc is so consistently good. Love it. But not as much as Jimenez's and Sanchez's art. Yes, I do this with every review and it's boring, but I just can't praise their work enough. It's great, it's amazing, it is spectacular. The characters, with their slightly exaggerated features, look great and the action is just so dynamic and fun. Man, how good this is. However, what surprised me in this issue was Scott Snyder. I didn't expect he could write Superboy, and Superboy with his father so well. (In truth, he writes the whole League pretty well. Although his Flash is a bit too jokey, a bit too MCU.) It was only a couple of pages, but I really enjoyed them. I miss the ten year old Superboy. I hope BMB will de-age him eventually.

"Yeah, you're welcome" First of all, I really dig the new logo. Looks very simple and has some kind old-school feel to it. Really nice one. As for the rest. I'm not sure if the conclusion to Sixth Dimension entirely stuck the landing for me, but seeing Justice League face off against "the future" League was awesome. Jimenez and Sanchez again proved their amongst the best, especially with that one page showing three generations of Kent boys. That splash page really stole "the show" for me. And, again, I have to commend Snyder for showing that Bruce and Clark are just the greatest besties in the Metaverse. About "The Message" story all I have to say is that it made me excited for this whole "Year of the Villain". That idea about everyone just going bad, cause the Universe is ending, sounds great. And the fact that the League has lost its credibility makes it that more interesting. Also, Jarro and Batman. Pure gold.

"Lex was right" Good issue. Scenes in the House of Heroes were great, as was the little tour of the Hall of Justice, seeing so many heroes come together to fight Doom. And the ending was a surprise too. The art could have been a tad better though.

"For justice, you turds!" So. Much. Exposition. Jarro's affinity for everything Batman was amusing but after this issue, the hug and everything leading up to it, the novelty of it is starting to wear out. We do get a quick summary of all that happened with Metal, No Justice and everything else up to this point and I appreciate it, because, honestly, I can't remember why Lex wants to turn the whole universe towards Doom. C'mon, let's just finally star that Justice/Doom War.

"It's about time this final war between Justice and Doom began" I agree, Mr. Luthor, it took long enough but it is finally here. The intro to the war is a bit wordy but it gets interesting fast and sets the stage for awesome things to come. And with Jimenez and Sanchez having the art duties I'm sure the journey will be fun and it will look beautiful.

"This is rrrhhaaa*!" I think this issue is even wordier than the previous one, but damn it, this story is awesome. We start with Flash and Lanter getting acquainted or re-acquainted with the Justice Society. I loved every panel of it. The Society is great and Jimenez with Sanchez makes them look incredible. The future with the Trinity is good too, but it looks like it will get more interesting in the next issue. We get some revelations, like who the mystery person from the last issue is, but the biggest kicker is again with the JSA. I wasn't expecting for Snyder and Tynion to do something like that. I wonder how they will handle that, and how the JSA will deal with this situation. *Tiger for "*#$%^@ amazing"

"Let's bring her down!" Good issue, I just wish Jorge Jimenez did this one as well. His style fits all the craziness that is happening in this arc more.

"Hail Perpetua" I miss Jimenez and Sanchez but this was fun. So many heroes, so many cool moments. Gotta love that Hypertime. Now, I wonder how the heroes will come out of this one.

"All will be well..." I don't know if it's because this whole arc has been pretty fun or because this issue made a good job of showing it, but I just now realized how big are the stakes in this story. I mean, everything, literally everything is on the line. That's crazy. One small thing though. Isn't the Crime Syndicate dead? Last time I checked, they were. So how the heck are they on Earth 3 in this issue, huh? Good thing it has no relevance to the story.

"Which God are we praying to?" Good issue. It nicely sets the stage for the final showdown. Which I can't wait for. I am so tired of this big, universe-ending space stuff. Metal was good, felt fresh. No Justice was rushed and uneven. The Totality was boring and uninteresting. Sixth Dimension was fun, it certainly looked phenomenal. And now this. It is fun, for sure, but can we have Justice League save Earth from some meteor or natural disaster or manage some space war, without new powers or cosmic beings popping out all over the place and threat the Multiverse?

"No one gets left behind" Good issue, with even better art, but I am so tired of these big cosmic level events. It's high time to scale it down a notch or two.

"I am the Martian Manhunter" I am ready for these space shenanigans to be finally over.

"What?!" Now, this. This is some grade-A, superior, next level of... Bulls*it!!! Are you serious right now?! After Metal, No Justice and 38 issues of Justice League, where almost every next story arc had to be bigger than the last one, you won't give us the conclusion of this whole story? You're just going to use this issue as a set-up for some next event that may or may not actually finally finish this prolonged, drawn-out story? Well... F*CK!!! THAT!!! S*IT!!! As for the issue itself, it's fine. Serves as a good enough setup for "The Encore!". Some of the Quintessence dialogue feels like it's more about the state of the DC Comics and DC universe that it is about the actual story. Honestly, I'm glad that Snyder's run on this book is over. Almost 40 issues of big, huge, epic space/cosmic/universal things and the one thing I will remember from it will be Jorge Jimenez's and Alejandro Sanchez's stunningly beautiful art.

"Planning a swim home, Master Bruce?" This was sooooo refreshing. No space gods, no multiverse threatening/altering events. Just a nicely written, simple story. I have missed that. Venditti seems to get the voices of the Leaguers right, those present at least, the absence of J'onn and Kendra is disturbing. With Mahnke and Mendoza on art, you can't go wrong either. After hugely disappointing, slap on the face, issue #39, this was exactly what I needed.

"Hold the line!" This issue did not do that. It was very mediocre.

"Your race is over" This feels so painfully by the numbers. And it started promisingly. What a shame.

"Saving the damn day!" Is "killing" your best superheroes the thing you do when you're out of ideas and you want to get the "new and improved" heroes over with the readers? Josh Williamson for the most part is a solid writer but I'm sorry to say he can't get a win with a premise like that. Even Rafa Sandoval's art, which usually is nice to look at, seems rushed and just a bit off. Well then, with the actual heroes out of the picture DC Universe is screwed now. Great work.

"Hold that thought" Well, it seems that Man of Steel was just a warm-up for Brian Bendis. New Superman series starts and Bendis is firing on all cylinders. Thwarting an alien invasion, building new Fortress of Solitude and that's just first half of the issue. Then, it just gets more interesting. By the way, having a conversation with Superman must be maddening sometimes. I mean really, you're trying to talk to the guy and he keeps interrupting and flying away. I though Kents taught him better. But my favorite part of this issue are the two pages that show a human side of Superman. It's something I rarely see in his books, at least in more current ones. I don't want to spoil anything in case someone hasn't read Man of Steel mini-series, but because of the events in that book Superman's family is away at the moment. And on these two pages, we see a normal guy, not a superhero, not a superman, but a normal guy who misses his family. It was a really cool thing to see. And the ending to this issue guarantees that I'm here next month for issue 2. Unless the world ends or something. P.S. Is it me or did a certain superhero that appears in this issue acted a little bit strange? Like he wasn't entirely himself or maybe it wasn't him at all.

Another fine issue. The story doesn't move forward very much, but the characterization Bendis gives here Superman is spot on. He is heroic as they come and hopeful to the core. It is shown especially well in a conversation with Green Arrow that Superman recalls. We also get more on Rogol Zaar. We learn that he was around for a long time and that he was basically a galactic bogeyman that many people feared. And now he is in the Phantom Zone with the whole Earth and Superman. And I must say, I like him. Unfortunately, we also get in this issue the biggest flaw that plagued Bendis' Superman in most issues. His portrayal of the Scarlet Speedster. I don't want to write idiot, but his Flash definitely isn't the smartest guy in the room. His remark about figuring something out because he is a scientist felt really weird and out of character for Barry. And one more thing. Is it just me, or did someone made a mistake with Flash's hair? I could swear that Barry Allen has blond hair while the red-haired Flash is in Sanctuary.

"S'not funny" Earth is still trapped in the Phantom Zone. And while Superman tries to contain the situation and find a cause of it, Rogol Zaar is making some new friends. Among them "worst criminal in Kryptonian history". Turns out that not every catastrophe that befalls planet Earth, and there is a lot of them, is a result of some big plan or grand design. Sometimes it might just be an accident. Although this issue is kept in a rather serious tone, Bendis offers a few moments of levity. Not through dialogue or jokes but through just showing some funny situations, that are even better thanks to the amazing art. The page with citizens looting a store is hilarious. Keep it up, Mister Bendis. I really enjoy your take on the Man of Steel.

"I thought you liked Batman" Another month and another solid issue of Superman. I am really enjoying this run so far. Superman is more action orientated and bigger in scale than Action Comics, so we have Kal-El taking on the entire might of the Phantom Zone lead by crazed Rogol Zaar in this issue. The fight rages on, heroes come up with a ridiculous (awesome) plan to save the planet and Zaar proves to be a great villain and even match for Superman. But even with all this going on Bendis finds time to show us a little flashback with Clark and Jon. In it, we get a nice dialogue between father and son, where the latter learns that patience and some trust can go a long way. Good story, great art, and likable hero. Yeah, I want more.

"My name is Jeff" Dru-Zod surely knows how to make an entrance. And his dream of a New Krypton? I like it. As for the rest of the issue. Good dialogue, great story and great art, and a phenomenal couple of panels where Superman gets overcome with almost hellish rage, but one memory of a certain kind couple defuses all the anger. Bendis knows what he's doing, he builds on what Jurgens did with Zod and the idea of an, probably uneasy, alliance between houses of El and Zod is intriguing.

"For Kandor" It's time for a big showdown ladies and gentlemammals. It's Man of Steel and General Zod versus planet destroying criminal Rogol Zaar. And it's a glorious looking fight. The artwork is just amazing or Super if you will. Neither of the sides can take the lead. It is an even matchup up until the moment Supes gets sucked out of the Zone back to Earth. After that Zod stands no chance, he gets pummeled. On Earth, it's the usual clean up after the events of the last issues and Adam Strange knows something about Zaar but doesn't share. The issue feels a little short but all that is irrelevant because HE IS BACK! Jonathan Samuel Kent is back! And it kinda looks like he left for space as a 10 year old and came back as a 16, 17 or a really tall 11 year old. I wonder what's that about. I dig the new suit though, it looks cool.

"Dude!" This issue will rile some people up. Big time, I'm sure of it. I, myself, don't exactly know how I feel about it, but other than that the issue was fine. SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! So Jon is back... and apparently, he experienced some kind of time-displacement-relativity-blackhole-something because he is no longer ten. He is now seventeen and taller than his friend, Robin. I kinda hope that Jon will be deaged at some point, back to the ten-year-old boy he was. I was imagining him being mentored a bit by the original Superboy. But for now, for the sake of the story, I can go along with it. And the story may be interesting. At first, we have a touching reunion between father and his son. Then between mother and her son. With that one the son almost saw things, he would never be able to unsee. After that, it is story time and it looks like that Jor-El may not have all his marbles after all. So yeah, I will not be pouring buckets of hate on Bendis and I'll just wait and see what exactly happened to Superboy.

"You find something to hit" Superman continues the story about Jon's space voyages and how Jor-El got more and more unhinged. And although I'm getting used to the "grown-up" Superboy, I don't think I'll ever be really on board with that, the story itself is very "meh". Kent family talks, Superboy explains the story and we see a bunch of images of some space battles and some familiar alien faces, but they all feel a bit random. On top of that, something that didn't bother me before, some of the dialogue is a bit hard to digest. I'm not calling it bad, that's reserved for someone else, but I'm used to a better one in this book and especially in Action Comics. Yet the conversation Jon had with his grandpa at the beginning of the issue was pretty good. The kid is afraid he won't be able to live up to who his father is. Considering his father is Superman I understand his doubts. So yeah, so far the story isn't very gripping, but the last page suggests that this may change with the next issue. We'll see.

"You have any kryptonite on you?" This is the second time that we see in this series a Kryptonian survivor having some vision/dream of an idyllic, peaceful future. I wonder where this will lead to. And if Bendis wants to give Superman and Lois a little baby girl in the future, I'm on board. The rest of the issue shows us how Jon was enjoying Ultraman's hospitality. It wasn't bad. Superboy had a warm bed, enjoyed meals rich with meat and got to spar with the host. Not bad, although it seems that Ultraman is one foul-mouthed fellow. This issue was better than the last one. Silly/cringy dialogue from the previous issue is mostly gone, we get to see Jon use his smarts and wits to escape and I got used to his "adult" version (but I still hope for some de-aging somewhere down the line). One thing bothers me though. Continuity is a bit of a mess right now and sometimes it's difficult to make out what happened and what didn't. But I'm pretty sure that Crime Syndicate is all but dead. If that wormhole sent Jon back in time to another Earth, then fine, it makes sense and would explain his age. But the way both Superman and Ultraman talk it seems that they know each other well and the latter is nowhere near to being dead. It's nothing super-big, but since I really liked both Forever Evil and Darkseid War, and Syndicate alive and well kinda undermines them, it upsets me.

"Suit up, sir" This arc has been a little flimsy and uneven, I still hope that Jon will be de-aged at some point, but this issue was great. The whole flashback thing nettly came together, explaining where the heck Jor-El was, the whole age and alternate dimensions thing, and it tied itself to the first story arc with the Phantom Zone. The dialogue here jumped to another level, more in line with what was in the first arc or what is in Action Comics. The Kent family "drama" was convincing, Jon felt more like he was in Tomasi times and what Supes told Lois after kissing her was the greatest thing ever. That whole scene was just awesome. Superman embracing her head, Lois resting her hands on his chest, the dialogue; such a genuine scene, I love it. And now, it seems that Superman and Superboy will get tangled in some intergalactic conflict. I'm in.

"Let's make this into a moment" This review will be short and sweet cause I'm still coming to myself after the latest Doom Patrol. It was something. Good issue. Amazing art, that space battle, explosions, the action. Incredible. Seeing how other races of the cosmos respect and, maybe, fear Superman was fun and that punch delivered by Superboy was greatly satisfying, although it might have been unnecessary. Yeah, Bendis keeps this story on a nice level. It does meander a bit at times, but it's still fun and enjoyable, and I simply just want to see Kal-El and Dru-Zod team up to beat the snot out of Rogol Zaar.

"Lois is going to kill me" Space battles. Amazing art. Superman. And so many cool moments: - Supergirl's mean left hook; - Krypto greeting Superboy; - and the best one: whole El family (well, almost whole) coming together for one big family hug. Maybe now, we finally learn what's the deal with Krypton's destruction. Is Zaar really behind it or was he just a pawn? Nevertheless, I just want to see Kal-El and Dru-Zod team up to punch that guy in the face.

"Why does his hair keep doing this?" The Unity Saga continues and I enjoyed every moment of this issue. Also, I was surprised to learn that they have bar mitzvahs on Tamaran. First of all, I want to address the cover art. I rarely do this, but Ivan Reis reached some next level of enlightenment or something with this one. It looks just gorgeous. The story here is mostly flashbacks, but we learn some good stuff and Peterson's art looks pretty good. The scenes with Lara and Kal were cute, secret council meetings were well written and interesting and the attack on Jor was surprising and exciting. And I really hope that Lex gave Lois his Superman armor. That would be so cool. Ah, screw it. I was going to rate it 7,5 but for that cover, I'm giving it extra 0,5.

"No offense, Superman" Good issue. We're one step closer to learning what exactly is the deal with this whole Krypton conspiracy and it was just a fun read all around with a really good-looking art. The ending was like a little cherry on top, that I sadly knew was coming.

"Unity Day!" Fun, lighthearted and just so damn entertaining.

"Why are you so tall?!" It was something between "alright" and "meh". It lacked the usual charm that the two of these youngins accustomed us too and Damian was being super childish. I've always imagined his reaction being something more like "Damn, now he's taller than me" and just going with it, without the freakout, he saw weirder things. And was this really the best art style they could have chosen? If both Damian and Jon were in diapers, then maybe. Gotta say I'm rather disappointed in this one.

"He can see into your soul!" Finally some decent reading from Brian Bendis. There still is some iffy dialogue and I'm not a fan of the art, but the first half of the issue, the part with Lois, was pretty good. The latter part, especially with Supergirl (her dialogue - awful), could have been better. I still don't know how I feel about the whole identity reveal thing. It's a neat idea, BMB has a lot of those and might open a way for some entertaining stories but I am a little bit concerned about the execution. Also, the continuity in this book, between Event Leviathan and the Year of the Villain, is all over the Multiverse.

"Thank you for inspiring me" Holy crap! You did Mr. B. You pulled that off. You went through with it and it didn't feel cheap or forced or gimmicky. After Leviathan and recent issues of Action Comics and Superman, I was dreading this issue. But the solution was simple. Keeping the Bendisisms to a bare minimum and focusing on a cohesive story with the Man of Steel at the center. The reveal to Perry was great, my favorite part of the issue. Those six panels, with no words, really delivered. Reveal to Jimmy was lighthearted and funny (except the pee joke). And the reveal to all the rest was satisfying and very Superman (?) with the dialogue about showing both parts of himself. Keep at it Mr. B and I might again be excited for your Super-books.

"I think it's gonna be a lot of hugging" Simply put, this was a good issue of Superman. Lighthearted, heartwarming, funny and with some good action at the end. The art is outstanding and the dialogue feels a bit like it's written by someone else. It's not being plagued by any of the more annoying Bendis-ism like cringy writing or supposedly "funny" jokes. To sum it up, the identity reveal and The Truth doesn't seem to be a bad idea so far.

"I'll talk to him" An enjoyable issue. There's Superman, there's cool action, there's Mongul. I like Mongul.

"They started it!" While Action Comics had started to majorly suck for some time now (that art, it haunts me), Superman had been consistently good since The Truth started. And speaking of art. Reis, Prado and Sinclair are going above and beyond in this issue. There is a lot of double-page spreads in here (they make the issue a very fast read) that look really, really good. That brawl with Mongul and the battle in space... It's good. The story has Superman reflecting a bit on himself and basically being the guy who tries to do something good while everyone around him, Mongul, muck things up. All this, while his dear wife on Earth is trying to deal with the fallout of "The Truth". Just like in the previous issues, Bendis is not being his usual self and provides a cohesive, easy to follow dialogue without any of his "signature" moves. It's a shame he can only do that for one book at a time.

Last few issues kinda looked like Dan Abnett was stumbling in the dark with the story. Not really knowing where to go with it. This issue, on the other hand, seemed like things are finally on the right track. That, paired with some nice art, made for a pretty good issue of The Titans.

"We come back from the dead all the time" The fallout from Heroes in Crisis and Batman #55 has reached the Titans. And as one might have expected they're not taking this very well. Some of them handle it better, others (I'm looking at you, Donna) not so much. The team is struggling with the loss of Nightwing since he was the leader and the glue that held them all together. This is a nice issue. With some good art and nice, touching moment between the Titans. It seems like this crisis will solidify them as a team and as friends.

Fine story and good art, but nothing really gripping or exciting.

"You guys need some help?" Much better than the previous issue, major improvement. While the last one was rather "meh", here we have some action, lots and lots of heart, Donna's awesome rally speech and a surprise at the end (if you haven't seen any solicitations that is). All that served with a pretty good art. Definitely issue worth a look.

Good issue, that's really all I've got to say.

"The only time I've ever been remotely happy in my life is when I was hurting people." This is going to be fun.

"I don't have time for side quests" There is always time for side quests and this issue was wonderfully bonkers. I think Howard Porter is giving here everything he's got. The ending cliffhanger felt a little bit forced though.

"Justice is blind and so are we!" I know practically nothing about these particular mutants, but this issue was a blast. Fun, entertaining, with a lighthearted feel to it and a very likable cast (that, again, I know very little about). And I can even enjoy Rod Reis' art after long enough exposure. I am definitely picking up issue #2.

"What's up, felons?" The first issue was a blast. This was one, on the other hand, was a bit of a letdown. The opening was pretty solid. Court scenes and meeting with Cannonball were fun. But after that Sunspot crossed the line between being funny and being insufferably annoying and all humor kinda just fell apart. Magik doesn't have formal education and can't read? That's hilarious. But Rod Reis' art is growing more and more on me and Shi'ar scenes are teasing something that might be interesting. So there's something to look forward to.

"The internet is a wonderful thing, no?" Nice issue. I enjoyed the story and characters (Maxime and Manon are little devils) but the art could've been better.

"So... how are you going to drink that without a mouth?" Now, this issue was a total blast, from start to finish. Humor was funny, Sunspot wasn't irritating, Mondo and Chamber just chilling were great and I think Iliana just became my favorite. Her take on the flight or fight response surely is a unique one. This issue also makes me aware of just how much Rod Reis' art has grown on me. The artwork here is insanely good. If I had to nitpick, I would appreciate if the Death Commandos descriptions were somewhat visually tied to the characters they are describing. Then again, it doesn't really matter in the end.

"Is Daddy going to be okay?" This issue was awesome. What started very innocently took a turn that I did not expect. A very drastic one, especially for a more humor/adventure orientated book. And it worked 100%. It got some real emotion out of me. Total surprise. Kudos to Ed Brisson.

"DEATHBIRD!" I'm not a big fan of breaking the fourth wall but that recap and subsequent conversation with Dani was nothing short of hilarious. That was a great way to start an issue. The rest of the issue doesn't disappoint either. There's humor, there's an innovative fight sequence and then there's Bobby who is just a facepalm inducing machine. The space adventure is over but I'm pretty sure that Bobby will get Sam into another space shenanigans quite soon.

"We probably have a drug for that" This was alright.

"I'm right here" Brisson is getting the hang of it. His issues are getting better and better and the characters are becoming more and more entertaining. I have no idea who MLF are (ok, I have some, I just wikied them), but that new mutant seems promising. I just wish Flaviano's art was better.

Solid start for the new series. Derek James looks like a likeable character. The story and dialogue makes for an light and easy read. Seriously not every book has to tackle dark themes and what it means to be a hero. This one seems to be about a kid who got some cool powers and tries to have fun. And one more thing, although I think is obvious by now. Kenneth Rocafort art is amazing, as always. New Age of DC Heroes started OK with Damage, but after Silencer and Sideways I think that DC is on the right track with this initiative.

Strong follow up to a good start in issue #1. Good dialogue and art. Story moves forward with really good pacing making this issue fun and easy read.

Even though this issue, in comparison, is weaker than the previous ones Sideways continues to be a fun and enjoyable book. Derek continues his "career" as a super-hero and there is still a huge amount of work and training ahead of him. And as always Kenneth Rocafort does not disappoint.

"I'm going to go find someone to hit" A promising start.

"He's hated by all the right element" A little odd in a few places, but still engaging in the end.

"dystopian Russian pimp" Thank you, Kelly Thompson. Thank you for washing off the terrible aftertaste The Life of Captain Marvel has left me with. Light and fun dialogue and great looking art. Looking forward for more.

"What the pop?" Fantastic Four was swept under the rug and stayed there for a long time. Now, free from Spider-Man's clutches, Dan Slott brings it back... well, almost. This is a good beginning and a perfect jumping on point for FF, I'm speaking from experience. We get a little introduction to the characters, who's who and all that, but everyone knows these heroes anyway, even if they never held an FF book in their hand. Not very much happens story-wise, but some life-changing decisions are made by some characters and Victor von Doom reclaims his throne. And we get a little glimpse of Reed and Sue.

"Meet my family" Fantastic Four finally comes together, after sooo long, and the issue ends. It's a bit of a bummer that we still didn't get see the First Family in action, but if the ending is any indication issue 3 will make up for that and then some. The rest of the issue shows us just what Reed, Sue and the rest of Future Foundation were up to all this time. It turns out that the little Franklin Richards (not so little anymore) was creating completely new universes for them to explore. But as always, there is someone who doesn't like what there are doing and intends to put a stop to it. Great art, good dialogue and a possibility for a great series.

"The all-new Fantastic Four!" It's 4 issues in and I'm just mildly excited for this book. Maybe now, that they're back on Earth things will start looking up. I hope they will.

"Shenanigans" Wait... A comic book wedding where both parties actually go through with it? I'm baffled, speechless and genuinely happy how fun and sweet this issue was. Ben truly is a gentle soul and that's a pretty cool family to be marrying into. Excelsior!

"For I am Victor Von Doom" After the wedding, Dan Slott continues to deliver in the pages of Fantastic Four. Dr. Doom is back to his old, man in the iron mask, self and he doesn't need some high tech armor to play a "hero". He takes on Galactus by himself using only his smarts, a little bit of magic and his new Herald/Propaganda Puppet. But quickly enough the Fantastic Four comes to meddle and Slott's dialogue shines here. The banter between the members of the FF is great and they feel like a family. A good and loving family. The same can be said about the quick cutaway to the Grimm family. The last thing I want to mention is Aaron Kuder's art. I wasn't expecting it to work so great for the FF. The characters, the action look great and the page where Von Doom is charging Galactus looks amazing. Great issue. Before, this book has had merely my curiosity. Now it has my attention.

"Big Bang Cannons!" Yeah, I think this says everything.

"SHAZAM!" Geoff Johns double feature today and in two completely different tones. I don't know if the reason for this book's existence is the upcoming movie or an actual need to tell a story. Honestly, I don't care. It's just so good to see Billy again. And this time around he is bringing his family with him. This comic book is really lighthearted, with lot's of heart and great chemistry between the siblings. Despite that, Geoff Johns manages to put a few more serious notes in (short story about Mary) and one or two surprises. I would rate the issue higher, but the art didn't work for me all the time. Couple of Dale Eaglesham's faces looked odd and the style in the short story isn't exactly my cup of tea. It did work for the story, however. But I can't overlook that glitch with the rabbit cage, that made for some creepy imagery. All of those bumps aside this is a great opening for the new series. I'm really anxious to explore the Magiclands and to learn more about Billy's parents and his foster siblings.

"Keep calm and call Batman" Fun, magic, mystery, villains plotting schemes and a little bit of family drama for good measure. That's the issue #2 in a quick summary. Geoff Johns delivers again. Interesting story with good dialogue and wonderful chemistry between the siblings. Johns really nails that part. Each member of the Shazam Family has their own voice and feels like their own person. I like that very much. And something tells me that the Funlands aren't as fun as the name would imply. When I saw the clown that greeted them I jumped in my chair. That little dude looks creepy. I only wished that we could learn about Billy's father a tad more. But that's what the next issues are for.

"How about I remove your head?" I'm having a bit of a hard time with this book. I love Geoff Johns' writing, I like Shazam and his family, but this series is dragged down by a few things and this issue shows that well. Writing for Billy and his siblings is great but on the other hand, what I realized after the second issue, the story of Magic Lands is not that captivating. I'm much more interested in the part about Mr. Batson, but that will probably be explored more in later issues. I was also hoping that the inclusion of Black Adam would energize the story, but all I can say about him in this issue is, that he's in it. And the thing that bugs me the most is the inconsistent art. Different artists, different styles and none of them really stand out. The only one I can get behind is the one form Magic Land's version of Zootopia. That one was pretty good and had some nice colors.

"For I am Magneto. Let man run from me" Good issue, an entertaining one. But after a great opening, it really slowed down when they got back to Krakoa. The Summers' family dynamic and all that dinner stuff didn't seem very captivating. The art was good but lacked consistency from panel to panel. Some of them were great, while others might have been better.

"I think that's how all my best mistakes have happened" Yeah, it makes sense. Even a sentient, living island needs someone to hug.

"Please step away from the aristocrat" Where do I even begin? First I need to commend Hickman for making each issue of X-Men so far a more or less stand-alone one. Sure, there is the general, overarching arc of Krakoa and mutant nation, but each issue is its own thing. With the first one showing X-Men in some downtime, the second one showing Summers family spending some quality time and the third one showing X-Men fighting the most unexpected enemy yet. It's so refreshing among many books with big, many-issues spanning narratives and one book who thinks that it has a story to fill a great many issues. About that unexpected enemy. I love it. It's funny, bonkers and gives X-Men their very one Poison Ivys. Edith is just the best. Also, that Sebastian Shaw is one smooth talker and I'm having a hard time figuring out if Jean and Emma are friends or not because the tension between them was almost palpable. Good issue.

"This really was fantastic" Well, Magneto said it best and he was terrifying while doing it. Compliments to the writer for making a guy eating dinner so frightening. It was also nice seeing the "old" Charles back for a moment. When he took off Cerebro it felt like his more kinder, gentle side took over. Great writing here again. One thing that confused me about this issue was that one soldier's gun. Has Magneto made it evaporate or something? Didn't know he could do that. Last thing. I don't know much about Gorgon, but someone really has to tell him that he has a very twisted definition of mercy. Very.

"You tell 'em, kiddo" Finally an issue with art that fits. Leinil Yu's art isn't bad by any measure, but it just somehow doesn't fit X-Men for me. As for the story, I don't have that much to say. Children of the Vault are a total unknown to me, X-23 in this issue seems to be a completely different person than she is in Fallen Angels (a better written one) and the issue itself feels more like a set up for a much bigger story, one that I'm definitely interested in. I hope this will be immediately followed upon in the next issue.

"Hated and feared. I fear I'm growing numb to it" Unfortunately, this issue does not follow the story from the last issue. I get why Hickman does it, but it doesn't change the fact that it is starting to be a little frustrating that every issue is basically a different story. As for the #6, it's pretty good. The art maybe could've been better, but other than that it's quite an enjoyable read. Mystique is great and Charles is continuing to prove that he has changed greatly. I just worry that this change may cost him his beloved island nation in the end. I am continuously in awe of how interwoven and intertwined Hickman makes these stories. This issue goes back to a rather inconspicuous moment from House of X, that probably no one paid much attention to, and makes it very, very important.

"I think I need to start a mutant religion" I have just read a very good issue of comic book and I'm having a really hard time finding words to describe it. Great? Miraculous? Glorious? I don't know. I think this is the best issue of Hickman's X-Men so far. It explores the morality of The Resurrection Protocol and the many shades of gray that come with it. It also shows the lengths some depowered mutants will go to to get their powers back. I still don't know what to think about it. I had some trouble with getting used to Yu's art on this book but it works perfectly in this issue. The first panel we see A on is great and the whole ending with Melody has this slightly eerie sense of wonder to it. One more thing, Reverend Wagner? It has a nice ring to it.

"Can this possibly wait?" The last issue was rather heavy, so this one is a welcomed change of tone. Hickman is basically continuing in here what he started in New Mutants. And to put in very simple: it's a lot of fun. There's action, there's humor, there's Brood. What's not to like? It amazes me how Hickman is able to switch between serious tones and lighthearted ones in the confines of just one book without any noticeable changes in quality. That man truly is good at what he does.

"I ate it" Well, this was rather anticlimactic.

Really solid issue. I was a little worried about Josh Williamson after Booldwork story arc, but it looks lile he is back in full swing with the quality of the story we got used to from the begging of Rebirth. Grodd is a great villain, which is seen both in dialogue and art (about that later). And premise of the story is great. Who is Barry Allen without The Flash? I guess we will find out in the coming issues. As for the art. Carmine Di Giandomenicos work was incredible form the start of the series. And in this issue it is no different. Frome the opening page of Grodss face, where he looks terrifying to the lightning effects and overall sense of motion. Like I said, solid issue. Keep up the good work gentlemen.

Just when I get my hopes up again, we get an issue like this. Issue that makes me ask question "Where, the hell, Josh Williamson is taking this serise?". At the beginning we got hopefull hero who believed there's good in everyone. Then we hit a major bump when he got all angry, moody and Negative. Then with Perfect Storm I thought old Barry was back. When he lost powers he said to Wally "Now you are The Flash" and that was awesome. But only issue later he started acting all weird again. Saying that only he can save Central City, releasing August, because "he trust him despite everything" (come on man, Captain Cold is more trustworthy). And in this issue he was so obsessed with getting speed back that he acted like some bullheaded junkie. I'a not even going to touch on the fact that Wally (Kid Flash) was fooled second time by Meena on the same trick. "I can't get out, they saved me/They control me... oh, no I'm just evil because I want to. As for the art in this issue. It was atrocious. After wonders we got from Porter and Di Giandomenico, we are served with this. The only redeeming thing in this issue is the ending, that may lead to some interesting developments in coming issues. Yeah, but I got fooled by that once already. We'll see.

This story arc is incredibly uneven. Full of high points and low points. The last issue was a really low low point. This one is an improvement. Amazing art by Carmine Di Giandomenico and we get to see a little glimpses of Barry Allen we all know and love. Hopefull and ready to do his best to save the day.

Finally a solid issue I have no complains about. Great art, great action and satisfying conclusion to otherwise uneven story arc. Grodd gets defeated and Barry finally regains his hopefull, positive spirit. Maybe all the moping and negativity where the result of Grodd's mind tricks? I choose to think so. Also the narration in this issue in form of a letter to Iris was a really good move on the writer's part. Looking forward to Iris and Wallace reunion.

"You are such a nerd, Barry Allen" So with Grodd gone it is time to clean up the mess he left and set up some stories for the future. We see Meena in prison reflecting on her actions and thinking that mabye not all of them were Grodd's fault. Godspeed is talking with some mysterious person who apparently saved him from dying in the storm last issue. And Barry reconciles with Iris. But all that is not the most important. Because finally, after almost 50 issues, Iris meets original Wally West and it is nice. There are flowers, tears, old memories coming back. But then Iris asks: "Where is everyone else?" and Wally's head "explodes". Who she meant? Linda? Linda's and Wally's kids? Her's and Barry's kids? Jay Garrick? Bart Allen? I need answers.

Solid issue with good writing, that makes a really nice and interesting set-up for the upcoming Flash War. Josh Williamson makes Wally's struggle with conflicting memories believable and sad. And Barry just can't stand not being able to help. My only problem with this issue is the art. Characters and their facial expressions look really awkward in some panels and overall the art detracts from the story instead improving upon it. But nevertheless I can't wait for Flash War. Zoom is going to make a mess out off some speedsters lives.

Flash War starts here and it's shaping to be an exciting ride. Frictions arise between Barry and Wally on the matter of how to Flash and because of Wally's reckless behaviour. In Wally's defense he's got a lot on his mind with all the conflicting memories piling up in his head. On top off that 25th century Rogues arrive and they want Iris to stand trial for murdering Eobard Thawne. Didn't Barry had a similar problem once? Being on trial for the murder of Reverse-Flash? This is a good issue. Nice art, good dialogue and some really good action. I was really surprised to see what Golden Guardian power was. More specifically where it comes form.

Through several past issues there were frictions and rising tensions between Barry and Wally. Now, with Zoom stoking the fires, the conflict transforms into a full blown war. War that may have far reaching consequences, not only for Flash family and speedsters but the DC Universe as a whole. I really like this arc so far. There is a good story in it with a feeling of a really high stakes. Josh Williamson moves the story forward with a nice, smooth pace, reader can understand Wally's motivation for the things he's doing and we get a cool version of Captain Cold, sorry, Commander Cold. All that served with a nice, mostly consistent, art from Howard Porter. Really good issue. For now I can't even predict where the story is going, I won't even dare to venture a guess.

Flash War ironically slows down a bit in this issue. Flashes are racing around the world wreaking havoc, with Barry constantly apologizing for something he has done in the past. Some light it shed on villain's plan, that kinda goes in the direction of being evil for the sake of being evil, but maybe I'm wrong and it will change. I'm curious to know what happened to Iris, Wally and Commander Cold. Did 25 century dissolved? Good art form Howard Porter. Lightning and speed force effects look amazing, same goes for the two running speedsters.

The war ends and I seriously think there are no winners. Barry and Wally continue fighting Zoom, while Iris, Wallace and Commander Cold try to get back to any time. Flashes chase after the villain through the speed force to stop him from realizing his plan. In this chase sequence, Howard Porter proves he is a great pick to be drawing a Flash book. The feeling of speed when speedsters are blazing through the speed force, the way said speed force and hypertime look, all the lightning generated from runners. It's just a treat for the eye. As for the story, it's fine. This is a satisfying conclusion with some interesting twists and a really surprising ending or endings if we count the epilogue. But now, with the Flash War over, I really hope that the speedsters, mainly Barry, will cease constant apologizing and saying that something is their fault. For people who constantly move forward, they are really stuck in the past.

Now that the war is over the Flash family has to deal with the fallout. Wally races around the world in hopes that he'll find some clue about the whereabouts of his children. Iris deals with returning memories while reminiscing about having Wally in her life. Wallace a.k.a. Kid Flash learn a lot from Damian Wayne and is adapting Robin's attitude toward the father figure in his life. And what about Barry? Barry is trying to wrap his head around the new developments caused by the war and Hunter Zolomon. All this while also trying to mend fences with Kid Flashes. It goes well with one and really bad with the other. My only gripe with this issue is the art. I'm just not a fan of Scott Kolins' art.

Reed Richards had his Council of Reeds and now Flash has his Council of Flashes. This a great issue. The dust has settled after the Flash War and the search for the New Forces has begun. Flash is fighting bad guys, balances his work and superhero life and teams up with a sort of unlikely ally. But I think my favorite part is on those couple pages Barry spends with Iris. Finally, we see them without bickering or blaming Flash for all the world problems. They are just spending time together as two people who are rather fond of each other, albeit still talking about superhero stuff. Christian Duce's art is just a pleasure to look at and the ending just leaves you wanting more.

Well, I did not see that one coming. Flash's difficult partnership with Commander Cold continues as they investigate strength force and try to stop Trickster rampaging through the city. We get to see little glimpses into Cold's past that explain why he is this rather bitter guy. Is it past or the future, since he his from 25th century? Iris is trying to conduct her own little research into the forces while dealing with the fact that she remembers a whole different life that she once lived. The ending is a bit surprising, although the decision of a certain character makes me go "Really? This your best way to resolve the matter?" But other than that, a really enjoyable issue. Is it me, or does warden Wolfe looks like an evil, douchebagier version of J. Jonah Jameson?

"Pun intended" Flash... Smash! Barry Allen just can't say no to a juicy new super-power, can he? This was a good issue. Some very nice action in it, good art, a really great moment for Trickster and an interesting ending. Unfortunately, Barry is again starting to lean towards the gloomy and grumpy side, but I hope it will pass soon.

Good issue, but I am not a fan of Scott Kolins' art. Where is Howard Porter when you need him?

Another issue of The Flash and another struggle with the new forces. Storywise it's a fine issue with nothing major or groundbreaking happening. Flash and detective Burns are trapped in the recesses of Heatwave's mind and Iris along with Commander Cold are trying to figure out how to get them out. I'm going to say here that I really like the dynamic these two are having together. Both Iris and Cold are fun characters and having them together on a page is a nice thing. The thing that bums me out about this issue, just like with the previous one, is the art. I really don't like Scott Kolins' art. Characters are really awkward looking and the overall art is just downright ugly sometimes. I miss Howard Porter and Carmine Di Giandomenico.

"I always try to stay polite" Finally! A good looking issue of The Flash. After couple last issues this one is a nice change of pace. The art is good, characters aren't looking funny or awkward and visuals for the speed and lightning are great. And Barry is smiling again. He's still full of self-doubt and uncertainty, but with a smile on his face and positive outlook on the future and mysteries surrounding him. The dialogue is pretty good, with some little humor here and there and the story starts to get interesting. I think that I might be getting excited about this book again.

" Me llamo Fuerza!" The Force Quest is getting really interesting. Barry is thrown from place to place in his search for answers and his awesome girlfriend is accompanying him every step of the way. But the search isn't easy and instead of answers, there is only more questions and mysteries. Who attacked Gorilla City? What King Solovar knew about the forces? Who exactly are Gemini? Will Commander Cold remember to water Iris' plants? These are only some of the question that I hope will be answered down the line. I also have to mention something that looks like a bit of a tonal shift in this book. The last couple of issues were a bit dark and gloomy with Flash constantly doubting himself. But this issue and the previous one just radiants with positivity. I think the credit for this goes to Iris. Every time Barry gets stuck in his head and starts blaming himself for everything that is wrong with the world, she just pulls him back up and sets him straight. It was a great idea on Williamson's part to put her alongside Barry on this quest.

"My name is Barry Allen" I am enjoying this story arc a lot so far. I've been saying this before and I going to say it again, it seems that Barry finally loosened up a little and he his at his best when he is like that. Thank you, Mr. Williamson. The art is also great. That short sparring with Fuerza looked really good as did the other moments when she and Flash were using their powers. Worth a read.

"Dude..." After the last issue, I was a bit afraid that this story arc starts to meander a little. But, fortunately, this is not the case. The story quickly picks up after the cliffhanger from issue #60 and proceeds into pretty good looking action scenes. The moment where the Flash "summons" lightning was pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie. After that, we are off to find another Force user, while in Central City Commander Cold is getting busy. Good issue.

I love the fact that Flash tries to see good in people and helps them when he can but god damn it, he trusts people way, way, waaay too easily.

It was alright.

"No s*it, Sherlock" Well, this was much better than part one. Both in terms of dialogue and art, especially the art. Not so sure about the story though. Josh Williamson was recently doing fine on the Flash, but nowhere near the level, he was at the beginning of the Rebirth. In this issue, however, I felt that spark coming back. The story itself is OK, nothing groundbreaking, but it perfectly serves its purpose. Which is being the reason to put Batman and Flash together. I'm going to say that Williamson handles both of them really well. They have great, so-called, chemistry together, good dialogue and they don't sound like one and the same character. Flash also nicely sums up Batman or rather King's Batman. As The World's Greatest Detective Who Doesn't Know Anything. That made me chuckle a little, but it's also a bit sad that Bats has been brought to such a state. The art is also a lot better. Tomeu Morey's colors work so much better with Sandoval and Tarragona's work than they did with March's. Yeah, good issue.

"What happened to the Barry Allen who was always hopeful and optimistic?" That's the question I ask myself for some time now. With the exception of part 2, where I liked how Batman and Flash's relationship was shown, this crossover was greatly unfocused. It couldn't decide which way to go. Is it about their relationship and the strain HiC puts on it? Is it about Gotham Girl and the mysterious person behind her? Or is it maybe meant to set up some new mystery that will be explored this year? Which one is it? Please, decide next time, so we won't end up with an event that does not provide any satisfactory answer to any of the questions posed. What makes this issue even worse is another installment of the "Heroes can't be happy" bull*hit (with Iris leaving Barry) and continuation of Barry and Bruce's pity party ("our lives hurt our loved ones blah blah blah"; "this is my fault blah blah blah"). Can we, please, choose the route where the hero, instead of wallowing in their self-pity for a couple of issues, thinks about the problem and then springs to action to solve it? The art was good though. Very, very good.

"This is fun!" Oh, wow. It has been far too long since I had this much fun reading this series.

"People call me... The Flash" Old Man Flash, I like it.

"Chill out!" So hopeful, so fun. That's The Flash I like.

"I win" Gotta be careful when trying to change the future, Barry.

"Slow... and... steady... wins the race..."

"Not bad, kid..." Somewhere along the way both The Flash and this book lost the feeling of hope and essentially stopped being fun. Now, after incredibly fun Year One, Barry remembers how to be hopeful and runs toward the future with a smile. And now I'm hopeful too because it seems this book will become fun again.

"You promise to behave yourselves?" Alright, now that's the Flash I like. Zipping around and saving people with a big ol' smile on his face.

"Mu dahw!" This comic book is good again! I'm so happy.

"Death was always ahead of me..." Black Flash is scary and this book is good again.

"Don't mess with the Flash family" Another great issue.

"Barry, what have you done?!" Another good and very enjoyable issue. I'm really getting into this story. One question though. Why, why Scott Kolins? Why? Rafa Sandoval was doing such a terrific job. I just can't help it. Kolins' art is ugly to me.

"I believe" Great issue. Awesome showdown with the Black Flash, surprisingly Kolins' art worked here, and the stuff with Zolomon was really satisfying. But damn, continuity with the Year of the Villain is completely out of whack here. How can Flash be here, since he was in space when Perpetua gained full power? Unless what Steadfast had was a vision of the future and not of the present. Frankly, I don't care much about this sort of thing when I get a good story. And both Flash and Justice League have some good story arcs right now, so I can live with a little inconsistency.

"There is only one Cold" Year of the Villain messed-up continuity/timeline aside, this issue was great. We're dropped right in the middle of something big, without any explanation (other than YotV), but Williamson makes it work, so there's no confusion and no unnecessary exposition dumps. Central City belongs to the Rogues and King Cold is at the top. His time in the Suicide Squad really did a number on him. He is doing great work as the main baddy in this arc. I really enjoyed this one, waiting for more.

"Long live King Cold!" Good issue. I'm really liking this story arc so far. It's fun, Cold is a great villain and it looks great. The only thing dragging it down is the Year of the Villain continuity. Between this book and Justice League, the timeline makes no sense.

"You're not that different from the Rogues..." I had fun with this one.

"Do you always have guns aimed at your family?" I enjoyed this issue, but it is starting to feel like this story is losing it's steam a bit. YotV out of whack continuity doesn't help either. Better to wrap it up soon.

"The Damn Flash" The Rogues' Reign ends and I have a sort of mixed feelings. I very much enjoyed it at the begging. Seeing the villainous face of Captain Cold was great, with the apogee being the murder of Commander Cold. The apocalyptic, frozen Central City didn't look friendly and Flash's battle with Cold, who looked like angry Santa, was pretty fun. Sadly, the arc started to lose steam last issue and it continued to do so in this one as well. And I might be wrong, but the ending seems to indicate that the sad Flash is back. Damn it! I hate that guy.

"Practically twins, nerd" Wow, no wonder the Joker always escapes, Arkham's security has more holes that the swiss cheese. But this issue was a good read. It's a nice epilogue to the Rogue's Reign (Flash and Cold bond a little over their respective issues with their parents) and it sets up a new story with a new villain, ominously called Paradox, that is somehow tied to the Year One story (a story that I very much enjoyed). Probably the bad guy that Godspeed was working for. I'm interested. Bring on the Paradox.

"He is the devil himself" A really solid issue with the backstory for the new villain.

"No more emo Barry" If the prelude in #88 and this issue are any indications The Flash Age might be a fun story arc. Paradox might prove to be an entertaining villain, although his look is a tad generic, and with Godspeed back things definitely will not be boring. Of course, because of the damn solicitations, that I won't read ever again, I know where things are going for him. Why solicitations have to spoil things, huh? The epilogue for Flash Forward was also quite enjoyable and will lead directly to those Generation one-shots. I hope this whole initiative will work, I really do. I'm worried that if it doesn't DC might go bye-bye. And that would be just wrong. As for the rest of the stories. None of them really stood out much. All of them were good and had nice stories, but didn't leave any lasting impression. The only one that was slightly above the rest was the one with Jay Garrick, but only because of the phenomenal art. Thanks to Marquez and Sanchez "At the starting line..." has hands down the best pages in the issue.

"Because being dead would be a bummer" It's a bad day to be The Fastest Man Alive, but it's certainly a good day to read some Flash.

"Welcome to Flash City" Another solid installment in The Flash Age story arc. The issue focuses entirely on Barry and sets him on a very interesting course, which may result in a return that will reverse the outcome of the battle with Paradox. The only real negative is that the issue doesn't really advance the story very far.

"Show some respect" And that's what this book does. It has a good script and dialogue, that makes characters sound like themselves, like they should. Gorgeous, bit cartoony art style that fits the story, and Damian especially, really well. It's not trying to lecture the reader. And most importantly: it's FUN. That's something comic books seem to be forgetting about nowadays.

"I like this one, Master Damian" And I like it too. This is a good book. A nicely paced story, that doesn't drag even a bit, with a spot-on characterization of the title hero and gorgeous looking art and colors. Good job.

"Then I'm coming for you" It seems that Robin's very own Mortal Kombat is losing its steam a little bit, but the book still has solid art and characters, and that tease at the end may make for a great issue #8. It's also nice to see, that at least one of the Super-Sons is acting Super.

"The Demon Rises" Another solid issue from Josh Williamson. Good art, kick-ass fight and a nice cliffhanger.

Pretty good start. I'm looking forward for next issue.

Silencer continues stong with it's second issue. We learn more about life Honor left or tried to leave, this Underlife, some kind of secret society of assasins (kinda smells like John Wick). We'll see how it goes.

Conclusion to "Code of Honor" the first arc of this series. Three issues in and so far I really enjoy this book. The writing is good and Romitas art is just perfect for this sort of things (violence and carnage). I wonder how Viktor Bogdanovic wiil do as an artist in comming issues. Next stop: Deathstroke. Might be interesting.

Silencer story continues as she tries to protect her "normal" live until another ghost from the past comes to haunt her. We also see some flashbacks depicting her last days in Leviathans ranks. In this issue there is also a change in art. I don't mind John Romita's art but Viktor Bogdanovic is a big improvement for the book. Characters drawn by him just look better, the action looks cleaner and less ambiguous and overall his art just elevates the book.

This issue brings us full circle to the beginning of issue #1. Deathstroke confronts Silencer and gives her some food for thought as she tries her best to protect her life. But Talia's meddling and manipulation are only making thigs worse for Honor. Dan Abnett gives us a good story with interesting characters while Viktor Bogdanovic provides excellent art. I think that of all the books form New Age of Heroes, Silencer and Terrifics have the best chance to stay for a long time.

Silencer's story continues. While her family enjoys vacation she goes on a hunt for information that will get her closer to her target. Keeping Daughter of the Demon dead and in the process securing her "normal life". I like this book. It has some really good action, high point being fight with Deathstroke, interesting characters, Honor, aside from her name, is a good lead for the book. Her motivation is simple and understandable. One bummer though. Viktor Bogdanovic is no longer doing the art. It's a shame because his style made the book that much better when he took over after John Romita. Now we have Patrick Zircher whos art style is not necessarily bad, but it pales in comparison to his predecessor.

"Batman wins" After the terrible "ending", that was in the Justice League, I wasn't expecting much. But for now, this thing turned out to be pretty solid.

"It was never my powers that were going to kill you" I am really having fun with this book. Following Apex Lex's exploits is proving to be quite entertaining.

"Our stories don't work when they get this big" I think the Joker hit that particular nail right on the head.

"Even Batman can't win against the whole world" Hm... so it's another ending without an actual ending. This time I was half expecting it, so it softened the blow rather drastically. Still, it is a bit annoying that this story just can't seem to end. One has to wonder if there will be ending satisfactory enough to justify all this prolonged buildup.

"Not on my watch" Heroes win, villains are vanquished and the event ends. Was the conclusion satisfying? Yes, it was. Scott Snyder neatly finishes this story, even tying it back to Metal. Justice League pushes everything they have against the gods and Manta, but it's Aquaman who ultimately breaks through to them and sacrifices himself to save the planet. Taking Manta with him. But it's comics, so halfway through the event, we already knew he ends up amnesiac somewhere. It negated the impact of the ending a bit. I have some complains though. Some of the Batman and Manta's dialogue was a bit silly and pages done by Howard Porter felt too cramped. There was just so much happening on them. I think Francis Manapul did a better job here. But now Mera will join the League and Legion has the Totality. I am looking forward to the future, just you know, hold up with the cosmic level events for a while.

"Ma'am" Well, what do you know? BMB can write a fun Batman comic book too. The art is pretty good as well.

"That is such a Batman thing to do" Funny, cheesy and with some nice action. A good, light read.

"I love dinosaurs" The issue was a blast.

"Hey, Jonah, you into new experiences?" Well, at least one title this week with the name Bendis on the cover was good. Not just good, it was awesome. Fun story, entertaining action, and good dialogue, and the art that I just adore. Nick Derington is great. One nitpick though. I'm not enterally sure this is how the workings of the Green Lantern power ring were established in the past. But in this case, it's a tiny thing, completely inconsequential for the story, so I can let it slide.

"Damned millennials" Bonkers, fun as hell story, Batman and a plethora of crazy ideas. All that and Nick Derington's great art. This was a blast.

I have enjoyed this series from the start. It doesn't break any new grounds but it doesn't matter. We get a good story with interesting characters and really nice art to look at by Clayton Henry in which our righteous and just hero is trying to catch the "Big Bad" that is messing with his city. And what is even more important, we get Black Lightnings reintroduction into post-Rebirth DC Universe. I hope we get to see more of Jefferson Pierce in the future.

I fell in love with Joelle Jones' art the moment I've read Supergirl Being Super. After that, they were a couple of issues of Batman and now solo Catwoman series. And the art is just as good as it was before. Selina looks elegant, magnificent and sexy with a little bit of mishcief and mystery behind those green eyes. The new suit also looks really good. It gives off a vibe of this burglar/thief you won't even know was there until you notice that something is missing. The appearance of the villain, I assume she is the villain, is very, very disturbing. Just what the heck happened to her? As for the story, it's good. The events of the famous/infamous (take your pick) Batman #50 clearly took their toll on Selina and her criminal past as Catwoman seems to be coming back for her now that she is out of Batman's protective shadow. Definitely a read worth your time. Adding to the pull list.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful art. Ms. Jones is just amazing at her craft. As for the story, nothing major happens that pushes the plot forward, but we get to see that the villain is a rather ruthless person who does not tolerate failures. One nitpick though. Inconsistency in the new costume. In the first issue, the costume has flat feet, something more burglar-esque, but in this issue, there are big high heels all of a sudden. Like I said, a nitpick, but it kinda bothered me through the entire fight scene.

"It's been a while" Selina is a one tough (indestructible?) lady. But I guess she has to be, since she, unwittingly, got involved with some pretty nasty people... and some ass-kicking senior citizens. And if the flashback sequence is any indication, Catwoman should be scared. Because Raina Creel is ruthless and capable of anything. Maybe leaving Gotham wasn't the best idea after all? The art here is phenomenal. Both in the present and in the flashback sequence. Joelle Jones' Selina is beautiful, sexy and the look in her eyes is just mesmerizing. Also, that variant cover by Stanley Lau? Wow!

A little retelling of Catwoman's origin, focusing primarily on her relationship with her sister, Magdalene. Abusive father, living on the streets, stealing to survive. And while Selina embraces being Catwoman, her younger sister tries her best to have a normal life. But being Catwoman's sister comes with a heavy price. And now, new city, new people that are after Selina and it seem that history is about to repeat itself. But maybe this time Selina will act in time. A slower issue, one that does not push the story much, but gives an interesting insight into Selina's psyche.

"There's a good boy" Joelle Jones continues to tell her story slow, maybe a bit too slow at times, but she is doing it with a good dialogue and terrific art. Just like before Raina Creel proves to be an ugly, evil and despicable person. Your father is bleeding and dying, son, so what? Come hug mommy. That's some parenting. Selina is trapped and backed into a corner and just might break her former fiancé's one rule. This book takes a slow approach to tell a story and I can understand if someone is bothered by it. I, myself, enjoy it, but I have another problem with it. With some of the side characters not being super compelling or interesting and with the wait between issues, I just forget who's who. I read and think which one was the detective, which one was Raina's son, which one was the evil doctor? But aside from that, I like this title.

"Fancy a fight?" Joelle Jones finishes her first arc on Catwoman and even though it was a slow arc, incredibly slow at times, it was an enjoyable story. But... This issue has some nice action in it and it looks amazing, like everything Joelle Jones draws, but the ending feels really abrupt and doesn't really conclude the story. At least not in any satisfying way. Nice story overall, but sadly with a sense of disappointment.

"It's an apocalypse, don't judge me" Tom Taylor returns to his zombified version of the DC universe and, just like last time, it's fun. This one goes for a bit more comedic streak, at least in this issue, with a sort of dry humor and jokes being thrown around by characters. The sense of hopelessness and dread is not half as prolific here as it was in the original mini-series. This may be due to the cast of the characters. They are, in the majority, villains, that are used to carnage and gore. But it works. Yet I hope that the next issues go for a more serious tone, just like the original.

"You got betrayed too, huh?" This is what has been missing in issue #1. This sense of dread and hopelessness. This issue has it and then it has some more to make up for the previous issue. Of course, there is still some humor. But unlike in #1 in lands here much better, is usually delivered by a more suitable character and... is here basically to bait the reader and trick him into thinking things will improve, only to have some superpowered zombie smash through a wall and rip someone in half. Truly, great stuff.

"If you're trying to make a centaur, that's really not how it works" Now, that was awesome! That's the guy who wrote DCeased! The story is a fun, medieval spin on familiar characters; Batman is a witcher, Black Lightning is a king ruling with magic and Harley Quinn is a court jester and so on. The art is gorgeous and eye-popping (get it?) and there is not a single instance of heavy-handed politics to be found inside the issue. One real gripe I might have is that I wouldn't mind if some of the dialogue was a bit more medieval-ish in some parts. Without words like comatose or spaceman that feel very modern. While on the subject of words, are we really sure this is the same guy that writes Son of Kal-El? I'm having very strong doubts about it. Because this one right here feels like an actual and successful (for now) attempt to tell a story, while the other one feels like a manifest of writer's very simplified views on the world and contemporary politics dressed in superhero attire. There must be some sort of switcheroo or something being involved here. Martians, maybe? The issue also reminded me of how much I miss the good ol' Mr. Pennyworth in the ongoing Batman books. Fingers crossed that Damian will bring him to Lazarus Island.

"Honesty [...] it's the most loyal thing there is" And issue #2 is just as good. We get a nice, dynamic opening, continuing from the ending of the last issue, and the story moves after that with a nice, brisk pace, showing us more of the world created and more familiar faces in new situations. It's still funny though that they are calling Black Lightning - King Jefferson Pierce. It's just doesn't sound very medieval-like. I still can't believe that this is the same guy that writes Son of Kal-El. The quality of writing here and there is just too different. The only thing that could point that this is, in fact, the same Tom Taylor, is his affinity for showing members of the House of El having same-sex kisses. But even then it only raises questions. Is Tom Taylor trying to tell us something about himself or is he just trying to score more points? Whatever the case this was a fun issue. I will be definitely checking the next one.

"Why does the man even have a bed?" This annual was pretty great... right up till that final showdown. It felt kinda cheap and wasn't really satisfying. But the road to that was superb. The art was fantastic. Both teams did an excellent job, but Travis Moore and Tamra Bonvillain outdid themselves here. Even that final fight, bland as it was, looked just gorgeous. But the best part of this annual is hands down, the dialogue between Bruce and Alfred. Alfred's quick and sharp wit is flawless and gives a nice balance to Bruce's more serious demeanor. But the billionaire playboy didn't want to be left far behind and managed to slip in some jokes too. If Peter Tomasi ever wants to write a comic book with Bruce and Alfred just exchanging one witty remark after another, I am there. Seriously.

"Did I teach you nothing, dear boy?" The name's Pennyworth. Alfred Pennyworth. Now, that's the quality I would expect from Pete Tomasi. Nicely paced and interesting story, that makes Alfred even a cooler character. Good dialogue and a Batman that just is a very good Batman. That is all I need from my Batman comic. Especially when it's a self-contained story within an annual issue.

"I promise" Two great Batman stories in one week and Gordon wasn't punched in the face in either of them? Is this early Christmas or something? Tomasi and Mahnke always make a great team or Dynamic Due if you want a Bat-pun. The first one almost always delivers a good and compelling story and the second one perfectly compliments it with his artwork. This time it's the murder of Wayne's doppelgangers which rattles Bats a bit, making him almost spill his secret and the apparent return of the Joker. Still no word about the Three Jokers plot thread from way back when. But to be honest, does anybody still remembers that, including DC? This is how you start a new story. Interesting and weird mystery, crazy ending and you can sleep easy knowing that the reader will be there for the next issue. I know I will be.

"... a rapier..." I don't remember the last time, if ever, that I was scared of Batman after reading his comic. Well, the last couple of pages of this issue gave me chills. Those inmates are in for quite a nightmare. But first things first. SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! Peter Tomasi continues to weave his mystery and, unfortunately, dr Thompkins won't be there to see it solved. That shook Batman a bit. Fortunately, he didn't throw a childish tantrum, he just needed a minute. After that someone rings the bell at the manor's door. And it seems to be the star of the last movie the Waynes have ever seen. Got to give it to Alfred though. He is still able to tease Bruce even while having a hole in his chest. I have completely no idea where is this mystery going or who might be behind it (I hope it's not the Joker) but I am really excited to see it unfold.

"Your lack of merry makes you so scary" Another solid issue of Detective Comics with a truly delightful opening page in Arkham. Pete Tomasi wastes no time, and after assuring us that Alfred will be fine, he sends Batman to France to continue his investigation. The Dark Knight doesn't wander or walk around like in the fog. He knows exactly what to do and how to do it ("a few basic disguises is all you need") and I love it. This all leads us to an amazing action scene in the catacombs under Paris. The art shinies at this moment. The arena is small, the battle is brutal and chaotic, and ends with a bang. And there is just something inherently cool about Batman fighting with a sword. Definitely worth a read. The art and the dialogue are top notch and the mystery is getting a little bit clearer. If I were to nitpick I would say that the ending feels a bit abrupt. It could use one more panel to show the next scene. But that would be it, no other complaints.

"Where's Aquaman when you need him?" This issue was so silly but in the best way possible. Through the first half, I had a huge grin stuck to my face. The trap Bruce and Thaddeus were in was so ridiculous and over the top. Think old Bond villain. Only comics, and only the good ones, can pull something like this off. This one succeeded and when Batman started assessing his situation it made me think about the recent issue of Batman with Pig. I don't want to kick the man when he's down, he got enough of that yesterday for HiC, but it was done better here. With more, I don't know,... with more care. After the inevitable escape, we get to the fight with the creature, that has been stalking Batman since the start of this arc. I would say that the fight is pretty standard, not as good as the one from the last issue, but it still looks great thanks to the efforts of Doug Mahnke and the rest. Although Bats' projectile ear miraculously grew back at some point. Do you think Hugo is the mastermind? I'm not so sure.

"What makes you think I'm afraid of Hell?!" Only Batman can deliver lines like this and sound like a total badass doing it. And Pete Tomasi loves his Hellbat suit, doesn't he? While reading this issue something peculiar happened to me, something that never happened before. When reading Batman's speech bubbles I started to hear the dialogue in my head, but it sounded like it was Kevin Conroy reading it. There is a possibility that I should consult a doctor, on the account of hearing voices, but I prefer to think it's the testament to how good this story is. It must be good when it subconsciously makes you think about the best "live-action" version of Batman. I'm realizing also that this is the type of Bat stories I want to read. No existential crises or weird cosmic beings, just good mystery with solid dialogue and wonderful art. The fear monster looked amazing. Like a cross between Killer Crock, Xenomorph and Venom. I am loving this arc.

"One year, soon, it will be zero" I had a feeling after finishing the last issue that the story may go this way. Still, I was hoping it wouldn't. So, we have a good story, good art, a great scene at the cemetery, doctor Thompkins alive and well and yet another proof that Batman may be just as unstable as the villains he is facing. All is good, but still, I can't shake this feeling of a slight disappointment. SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! The mystery that has been brewing for the past couple of issues was really good and engaging. It turns out all of this was a simulation. Something that Bruce puts himself through every year as a birthday present. It feels, sorta, cheap. Like a cop-out. The only thing worse would be finding out that this is still a simulation, Inception style, a dream within a dream. So, yeah, I'm a bit disappointed. Pete Tomasi didn't bring it home all the way this time.

80 years. Wow. I can't imagine that Bill Finger with Bob Kane was ever hoping for their creation to live and prosper for so long. He survived a world war (I doubt he'll survive the next one), rainbow-colored suits, broken back, few dead sidekicks (they got better), a couple of Crises and Tom King. He had an awesome cartoon show, some good and bad movies, a great series of video games, on and off relationship with his underwear, and with a great many women, and of course, the most important thing, a plethora of great stories told by many, many, many writers over the years. Some of which were universally praised and some others were greatly polarizing. The anniversary issue is great, with many different Bat-stories, by many different writers showing us different takes on Batman. We've got Batman Mystery Seeker - by Scott Snyder; Batman Master Planner - by Warren Ellis; Batman Troll of the Underworld - by Paul Dini; Batman The Smith - by Kevin... Smith and more. Even the notorious Tom King reached into the bowels of himself and found the old writer, that delivered good stories. His Bat-family banter was near excellent, near because the use of the word "thing" was a bit excessive at one point. If I were to choose my favorite story, the gun to the head sort of thing, I'd say it's Warren Ellis' story, closely followed by Kevin Smith. The Bat was scary, super-prepared and efficient as hell. But also compassionate? And what Smith did in his story was just great, what was taking life is now protecting it. Maybe cliche, I don't know, but done really well. And I'm excited to read the next issue. It seems to me that the Arkham Knight is here to defend the weak and poor and misunderstood villains from the evil Dark Knight. Might be interesting. 80 years. Amazing feat. Happy birthday to the World's Greatest Detective and the Best Superhero of All Time. That last one may rile some people up.

"Perhaps they were tired of hanging around?" I'll take Batman gliding through the city on a humanoid bat-creature any day, over whatever the hell is happening in that other book that shall not be named here. I also love the new logo on the cover of the book, it's really great and kinda old-school looking. The issue opens up with a wonderful, yet very simple thing. Commissioner Jim Gordon has Batman on speed dial. Such a simple thing, yet for me, it sums up their relationship perfectly. And Pete Tomasi, which really isn't a surprise at this point, has Bat-Butler banter figured out. Only Penny One can talk about bat's guano with a straight face. As for the big bad, the Arkham Knight, we don't get that much from him, his knights are more prominent in this issue. We don't know his motivation other than wanting to rid Gotham off shadows, but one thing seems certain. Batman will not have an easy time with this guys. I'm trusting that Tomasi will be capable to deliver a good story. He did that with the previous arc, even though the ending was a tad disappointing. Lastly, I want to mention the art. I like it. Characters look good, the action is clear and easy to follow. It does seem a bit rectangular at first, but it's easy to get used to. "Burn bright..."

"Who's worse? The monster, or the Monster who scares the monsters?" I really don't have much to say about this issue. It's a good Tomasi craftsmanship. That's the best I can do and honestly, I think it sums it up pretty good.

"Yeah, good times" Well, I did not see that coming. Is it a good surprise or a bad one, remains to be seen. All I know is that I want to know more. But no matter the revelation this issue shines with the good 'ol father and son banter. Tomasi proved time and time again in the past that he can write Bruce and Damian together very well and #1003 is no exception. Damian is arrogant and snarky, but you can tell that he enjoys the hell out this "job". Bruce is calm and collected, but he can still compliment on his son's drawing skills. Also, what is really nice to see, is that both the father and son are smart and can think their way out of a predicament. And the little remark about a sword to a throat was a cherry on top. As for Arkham Knight. I liked her from the beginning, back then I assumed she's a he, but I digress. She seemed like a challenging foe for the Bat and I liked that. But now I am more interested to learn what exactly drives her and how she became the Knight. And if she maybe, possibly, sways Robin to her side? Just don't disobey her orders, you might need a hand later.

"Haven't we all at some point?" What did you expect Jeremiah, raising your daughter in an asylum for mentally ill super criminals? When your kid refers to the Joker as Uncle Joker, know that there will be trouble. I really don't have much to say about this one. Astrid's backstory seems a bit silly and reminds me of the animation Megamind, but by the end, I grew to like it. I wasn't surprised by the fact that Ivy, Harley, Grundy and Clayface were helping, they're not Evil. But I was half expecting for the Joker to throw the kid at the wall or something. The other four must have bullied him into playing nice. One question though. Who was the guy with the metal jaw we saw when the riot broke out? The one at the page with Killer Crock. And just like that, Pete Tomasi continues to save Batman one issue at a time.

"I've got you" After such a fun and nice buildup, this issue feels underwhelming. The whole ordeal just wraps up pretty quickly without any real or tangible stakes in it. Still, I want to see more from Astrid Arkham and if the epilogue is any indication she will return sooner or later. But even though the story might have ended up disappointingly, Tomasi prevails in one aspect. His dialogue between Batman and Robin is excellent. He writes the Dynamic Due so incredibly well.

"The host must die. Long live the host" After a little disappointing last issue, this one delivers. Batman meets Spectre, and the juxtaposition of their views on justice is really well done. The writing and the dialogue in this issue are great. Also, something I didn't expect to like as much as I did, the art. It has this eerie, ghostly, unnerving feeling to it, and well, it fits very well for a story featuring Spectre. And the action. Wow, it's fluid, easy to follow and just so damn satisfying to watch.

"I am Batman" Spectre certainly knows how to make an entrance. He is just plain scary. A lot of that can be attributed to the wonderful art this two-parter has. It's exaggerated, it's creepy and it makes Batman covered in blood look like some kind of demon from hell. The story is not that far behind. Batman is actually using his brain, deducing and detecting; "little science, time and legwork" and not only screaming and punching everyone in the face (yes, that is a jab at that another title staring this particular hero). I wouldn't mind seeing more of the Spectre in the future.

"Have a cookie" Now this, this was some proper Joker fun. No master plans or surprising plot twists, no connections to some bigger overarching story (well ok, except last two pages), just the Joker being crazy and evil. Plain and simple. Very simple actually. Joker has hostages and Batman can't beat him to a pulp, even though he really wants to, because he will gas all those innocent folks. Like I said, simple. Reminds me of that time both of them were in a church in a similar conundrum. Just, honestly, done better without all the psychological, supposedly profound, bull. And the art is great here too. With gentlemen Manhke, Mendoza and Baron making sure that every smile the Joker makes is as creepy and unsettling as humanly possible. We need more issues like this one. Simple, well written and with a pleasantly looking artwork.

"I am not a datebook" Well, that was one very misleading cover. The whole issue I've been waiting for Mr. Freeze to show up. But even though we don't get a lot of ice puns I enjoyed this issue. Christian Duce's Batman looks great, Bruce playing "dumb" billionaire CEO was fun, especially when, just as the plane got damaged, he switched to Bat-mode, a little bit of Deadshot is always a nice addition and Tomasi's Alfred, like many times before, does not disappoint. I hope that Nora will not reject Victor because of all the things he has done as Mr. Freeze.

"You missed" A fun issue, yet one that feels completely skippable. Still, there are some good things here. The art is good, makeshift Bat-suit, though a simple one, looks awesome and the war veterans story, albeit a cliche one, makes me smile. But I think it's time to finally get to the Mr. Freeze story.

"You're here, aren't you?" Nice and fun story, with a great fight scene between Deadshot and Batman. Again, that makeshift Bat-suit is astonishing. Good art and writing. I grew to really like the characters of Hiroshi and Clarence. I kinda want to see them again. Is Freeze building a new body for Nora? That seems gruesome and a bit psychotic. A little unlike him.

"I'm a butler, not a chiropractor, damn it" After a short break, Pete Tomasi is back with his top tier craftsmanship. Batman is brooding, Freeze is freezing and Alfred has great one-liners. What's more to ask? Finally, after some teasing and build-up, we get to see what Mr. Freeze's plan is. I'm so glad it is not half as gruesome as I feared it might be. Pheww. And I like Victor's portrayal here. Scientific, methodical but won't hesitate to discipline his henchmen, brutally I might add. The issue itself has a good pace, the story flows smoothly from panel to panel, really good art helps here too, and it's just enjoyable as hell. Read this one, it is worth it.

"Make me a believer..." Another great issue from Tomasi and Mahnke.

"I would do anything for love" I am enjoying this arc. But this issue was dragged down by the inconsistent art and some of the story choices that I'm not sure I'm fine with. My knowledge about Nora Fries, outside of being Victor's source of motivation, is practically naught. But I always thought she wouldn't be ok with what Victor did to save her and definitely wouldn't be with freezing an entire theater full of people just so she could dance. Another thing that bugged me pertains to Mr. Freeze's origin. Did Pete Tomasi just made Bruce Wayne responsible for Victor's transformation? So, it's no longer GothCorp and Ferris Boyle? Why do writers feel the need to tweak or mess (I'm looking at you Scott) with his origin? What Paul Dini did in The Animated Series was perfect. There is absolutely no need to change that. Still, I'm curious to see what Mr. and Mrs. Freeze will do next.

"Shoot straight Mr. Pennyworth" Tomasi is a good craftsman and this issue is just that. A good craft. But one, I think, that is a little below what Tomasi is usually writing. It's a fine story with good art, but it's predictable and not very captivating.

"Rhapsody in Blue" A nice ending to an uneven story arc. The new Freeze villain may prove fun in the future and I really enjoyed the connection to Forever Evil (now that was a good comic book event), but you can see that Tomasi is struggling here, having to tiptoe around the ideas and stories other writers have put forth, mainly Snyder and King. If he was just given the opportunity to write something without any constraints, that might have been something really amazing and worthwhile.

"Good. Very good" Finally some good and satisfying bat-reading. How Tom Taylor has not yet been put in charge of some Bat-book is beyond me. We get here one, closed story, with good writing and dialogue, and some great visual storytelling in panels without dialogue. There is even Batman sucker-punching someone, but this time around it feels justified and organic, and not as if Batman is throwing another tantrum. Two things worth noting. It seems that the Batmobile has a back seat and that Lucius Fox will take over for the tragically departed, irreplaceable, great Alfred Pennyworth. Definitely worth picking up.

"Gotham's Largest Natural Christmas Tree" A decent issue. It starts pretty well, then falters a bit near the end, but it seems that maybe Tomasi is starting to get his groove back. It certainly feels as if the creative shackles had been taken off him. Of course the fallout from the "City of King" is present in the book, comic book continuity after all, but I think Tomasi is handling it rather well. Though, I will miss his Alfred's sharp wit. Side note: I am also really happy that ever since Rebirth DC is constantly using the same Batmobile model. I really like this one, it looks like the ones from Batman TAS and The Killing Joke rolled into one.

"Oscar time, Lucius" Another Bat-issue this week that I enjoyed. Nice art, good dialogue, Batman actually deducing stuff and being detective, and nice enough story. Overall, a fine issue, but not exactly on the level that Pete Tomasi got us accustomed to.

"Two of us" As we move further and further away from the City of Bane and it's stinking corpse, the stories in Batman and Detective Comics seem to get better. Harvey is back and he wastes no time. He starts to wreak havoc almost immediate and all because of some... coins? After that, the Bat gets involved and we have our issue. An issue that looks great. Especially Two-Face. His face, his scars, his black and white suit. All of it looks really good. Even his facial expressions change slightly depending on which side is currently talking. I enjoyed this issue a lot, right up til the very end. The ending honestly put me off a bit. It seems a bit odd of a choice for Harvey and maybe not the best direction. Will see.

"Won a lot more than I lost behind these marble walls" I enjoyed the previous issue. This one, on the other hand, was just ok. The art is good, but the story is just... lacking.

"I'm guessing you're confused" This was pretty good. Solid writing, interesting story and great looking art. A promising start.

I have a feeling that after the war original Wally may get his own book. I think that would be really cool.

A sad issue that leaves you with more questions than answers. But it was a fast and enjoyable read and the art wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be.

If this is the quality we get on Green Arrow from the Benson duo, then I am sold. Can't wait for issue 43.

"Beware my power" Grant Morrison's work is mostly a hit or miss for me. But this book seems promising. It has this innate weirdness that I associate with his work, but the story bits laid here are interesting and his portrayal of the first human lantern is spot on. Jordan is super confident, borderline on arrogant, and doesn't take it from anyone. And, as it should be, he is a very skilled ring-slinger, easily handling three dangerous space-criminals. As for Liam Sharp, he is great. His art is very detailed and just fills up every single panel. There is also something really old school about his art. I don't know exactly what it is, but I'm pretty sure not many today's modern artists draw this way.

"Reach your point before violence comes" I liked this one.

"I could keep it" What a wonderfully bonkers issue. Oversized one-shots were made for stories like this. The cover made me think it's some sort of What If? story, but it's totally in canon with Immortal Hulk and other titles. Tom Taylor makes it work really well and he writes a great Web-head. The rest of the dialogue is not bad either. Molina's art is great, especially Spider-Man and Spider-Hulk, but Sue's face in the panels form the lab looked very weird. That's all I have. Really fun read from start to finish.

"Cosplay" Riri's introduction into the comics wasn't the best. Some might even say: controversial. Taking the place of a longstanding, established superhero, immediately after creation; that couldn't sit well with people. And I don't know if she deserves a second series solely dedicated to her so quickly, but... Putting all that baggage aside, this was a fun read. With really good looking art and colors and a likable young hero, even if she does need to work a little on her quips and superhero banter. The story seems to aim in the direction of Riri doubting herself and then, probably, believing in herself somewhere down the line and fighting some terrorist of course. I can dig it. So yeah, I'm going to be on the lookout for the next issue.

"I'm not dying today" Good story and dialogue, likable and smart heroine, and amazing visuals. Ironheart is going strong.

"This world is under my protection" I'm going to be honest. The first couple pages of this issue barely got my attention. But after Black Manta showed up and revealed Legion of Doom's involvement I got hooked (is that a fish pun? I don't know). And it only got better after that. Mera and Orm working together, Aquaman being more powerful than anyone, even he, knows and then Manta gets that power. This event truly has my attention now. Also, Howard Porter's art works really well on all those space/ocean monsters. By the way, is it just me or those anyone else wants to see a story with Wonder Woman as pirate captain after that last page?

My first solo meeting with Kamala. It was fun, light and it looked amazing. Kamala's powers look great in action, especially in her fight against the purple bird-thing. I also really liked the juxtaposition of the alien father's story with Ms. Marvel's actions. The way they contradicted each other, the way legend's idolized version was confronted with the real hero.

"Nothing ever happens here" Well, hot damn. I wasn't expecting this, but this thing has me intrigued. We got a good dialogue here, a story that is shaping to be an interesting one and a likable protagonist in Naomi. But I think the part that sold me the most is the art. Jamal Cambell is great. These pages are soo good looking. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his work, I really do.

"very nice suburb of Detroit" With issue #2 Naomi continues to be a fun and engaging book with a surprising amount of heart (that scene with parents? great) and the main character that I am wholeheartedly unable to dislike. Dialogue is good, feels very natural, and the mystery surrounding Naomi's birth is interesting. And just like the last issue, Jamal Campbell knocks it out of the park. The double page spread with Superman fighting Flash's villains looks great. Vivid colors, the overall feel of the action and Girder looks like he is about to fall out of the page after that punch. If I were to nitpick, I would say that the ending feels a bit abrupt. But that would be all I've got. Other than that this is a really good follow-up to a rather strong first issue.

"That's just the beginning" This was good. The conversation between Naomi and Dee was great. You could feel the emotions she had and the bald giant was just wonderfully awkward. And I like the little tie-in to Young Justice. I sense that Naomi will join that team in the future. SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! What came after was a surprise. I like how it flipped the Superman concept and that it's not Naomi who is some special, alien being. I think her dad is from Rann. His armor looks similar to that of Adam Strange and Bendis seems to really like Strange, if his appearances in Superman and AC are any indication. SPOILER END!!! SPOILER END!!! SPOILER END!!! A good issue with wonderful art. Definitely worth checking out.

"Does it open?" This was a good issue. I was a bit skeptical after the first issue, but now I can honestly say: I like Naomi. Issue #4 delves more into the backstory of her parents, the giant town mechanic and the teenage girl herself. I was surprised by the direction Bendis and Walker took. After the last issue, I thought it's just a spin on the "Superman's origin", but it turned out to be much more. And I was right in my last review, where I speculated where her father comes from. Well, he is no stranger to... Adam Strange. We still don't know where Naomi comes from, but I have my guess. I mark it as a spoiler. SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! I think she's some kind of princess from Gemworld. Bendis took Young Justice there, so maybe something is on. SPOILER END!!! SPOILER END!!! SPOILER END!!! As for the art. Well, just like everything I ever saw from Jamal Campbell, this one is amazing to look at too. I really hope he gets some high profile book in the future.

"You're Shrek-ing" A penultimate issue of Naomi is here and it keeps the quality set by previous issues. So if you enjoyed them like I did, you will definitely enjoy this one. After the revelation of who Naomi's parents are it's time to learn about her. So, yeah the issue is a bit backstory heavy, but Bendis and Walker keep it a nice and smooth read with good dialogue and fun story, and Jamal Campbell is just going crazy on the art. It is sooo good. I'm really surprised by how much I grew to like the character of Naomi.

"What was your name again?" Now that's what I call a satisfying conclusion. We had a proper buildup, introduction to the main characters, their backstories and their secrets. And now, we got a great ending to the first arc with a really good showdown with the "big and scary" villain and some sweet family moments. All that is given to us with a stellar artwork form Jamal Campbell. That man can draw. Can't wait to see Naomi join Young Justice. I'm ready to see more of what she can do.

Huck was nothing short of a brilliant, so another title form team Millar/Albuquerque has bar set pretty high. Edison Crane is smart, like really really smart, even by comic book standards. Fortunately, he's not going Sherlock Holmes' route, meaning he is not a dick. And now he has to handle an interdimensional invasion. No biggie. Good start. It might be a solid story, worth attention and there is just something awesome about seeing bullies get their asses kicked.

Spinning out of the event of Man of Steel mini-series Supergirl gets a soft reboot with a new creative team and a new direction. I haven't read Orlando's run, but this new opening is pretty good. The ideas put forth in this issue are interesting and Supergirl traveling through space in search for answers looks like an opportunity for many fun and intriguing adventures. I must also point out Andreyko's writing here. I am really sold on Kara's emotional turmoil and the huge anger boiling right beneath the surface. One thing I'm a little skeptical is the art. It's fine for the most part, but in some panels, Kara and Kal look a bit awkward.

Just like Acrion Comics 1000 and Action Comics Special #1, Superman Special #1 offers a bunch of stories revolving around Man of Steel and people in his surrounding. First story is about a promise Superman and Superboy made to certain resident of a Dinosaur Island. What I liked most about this one was when Superman told his son that people, as in humanity, still had a long way to go he used the word "we". He included himself into humanity even though he is an alien and frankly he's not the one to wage wars. I think that was a really nice touch. Second one is just Superman being super and saving people and monsters alike. This time however he is tired and drained after some long space voyage. It's nice to see for a change Superman just tired and only thinking about shower and a nap while he saves the day. Third one shows that Superman is a firm believer in people getting second chance. And in this instance he is right... or is he?

This will be a team of teen superheroes with some serious, serious attitude. And they don't seem to mess around, at least not anymore. Did Robin really killed Black Mask? I hope not, because The Big Bad Bat won't be happy. Queen siblings have no luck when it comes to mothers. And Kid Flash decides he is a "grown up" and won't take s**t from anyone. Yeah, I'm interested to see where Adam Glass will take this characters.

"Knock, knock" It looks like Al Ewing can even make puny Banner scary. Good stuff.

Liam Sharps art is incedible. The amount of detail he puts to every character on the panel is insane. I had no idea that Irish mythology was so interesting. Really hooked by the story. Looking forward to the next issue.