A comic that is neither necessary nor particularly good.

First comic I have read since lockdown and what a disappointment. Surprisingly it feels rushed. Typical Spencer where somehow he seems to think that Boomerang is an essential Spiderman supporting character.

Seriously, is this what passes for graphic story telling?

Mediocre at best. Does not appear that the art and story are truly in synch.

This title has been unreadable for too long

Thankfully they went the public vote and this story should have never seen the light of day!

Tom King has incorporated a Shakespearean poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle" to mirror the tragedy that has occurred to the Penguin. He has also created a mystery as to who was Penny Cobblepot and that is only a fraction of what transpires in this well written and drawn issue

There are multitudes of layers, both in this issue and in Tom King's run in general that makes Batman an outstanding title.

Kudos to Bermejo. The art alone is more than worth the cost of this issue. Azzarello has laid the foundations for a psychological thriller. This is great graphic art storytelling. The only disappointment is that the reviews are fixated on a couple of panels that really did not need to be there. So stop fixating on Batman's penis and appreciate art and story that simply stand out in today's comic landscape.

Always felt that casting Batman in a Space Opera is like casting Aquaman in a sequal to Dune. Clearly a case of a fish out of water. Back in the 1950s there was a run of Batman and Robin fighting aliens either on Earth or being transported to the ends of the cosmos. Those stories were cute but rather peurile. My feeling this story arc is similar

There have been some very interesting storylines previously in the One Bad Day series. Sadly this is not one of them.

The creative team have melded beautifully for a tile like the Black Widow. Great art and a great sense of mystery in the writing.

Reminds me of the Amazing Spiderman anti drug issues (ASM 96 97 98). Stories that should be told and told well.

Great art. Worthless story.

Five stories and the only challenge is which is more forgettable than the others. Charging $5.99 for this is shameful.

Hickman always starts well. A myriad of ideas woven into complex intersecting circles. Unfortunately in some cases the story does not end as well as it starts. Hopefully this one lives up to it's opening issue promise. Kudos to Mike Huddleston on the art.

This is everything that is wrong in modern day comics. Writers feel they need a mini-series to tell a story that the greats of the comics world managed to convey in an issue or in extreme cases a 2 part issue. This series was full of needless confused dialogue along with a convoluted plot where things happened between panels. Needless characters were placed to just convey that this was an epic situation but other than that, contributed little. The ending was rushed, an anti climax and proved to me that yet again I blew my money on yet another miniseries that failed to live up to it's first issue promise.

great art

Welcome back X-Statix. Milligan and the Allreds are fabulous together.Relaunching the title via Giant Size #1 is a clever homage to the X-Men.

Issue 1 left me somewhat underwhelmed but Morrison is not a one issue writer so patience is needed. Luckily issue 2 was only a short wait. The good writers turn themselves into students of the title. Morrison brings back historical characters like Evil Star and the Dhorians. Each issue he introduces weirder and weirder Green Lanterns, like the living volcano. Then he takes the classic "Good cop bad cop" interrogation and gives it a "space opera" bent. Combine that with Liam Sharp's great art (remembering that there are so many things going on in a Morrison story that it must be a challenge) and this highly anticipated collaboration is starting to deliver.

When Morrison is on song there is no one better. This was a fascinating issue with so much going on. Other than Batman no other title comes close.

I am sure Morrison can explain this storyline with multiple references to Green Lantern tales from decades past. However, if every time he writes a story, his readers have to decipher meaning from a confused set of graphic panels, with new characters introduced in a manic frenzy, then maybe the enjoyment fades. Having followed Morrison over the years, I have found that there are times when I think "wow, why has no-one thought of this storyline angle before?" but you have to sift through a lot for that momentary high.

So far this series is laying some pretty impressive groundwork. It is highly character driven. What surprised me the most is that while we are all comfortable with Batman bettering "super powered" adversaries by his wits alone, we find the thought of Harley Quinn doing the same incongruous. Credit Tom King with some impressive writing which both intrigues, drops clues and keeps us off balance. Here's hoping the series does not run out of steam.

Sadly it seems readers fall into two categories. There are some who want to do no work, seek threadbare stories with gratuitous violence and repeat the experience over and over. That's probably why they see comics as purely a visual medium, that is about the art, the colour, the implied movement. It's like a steady diet of purely action blockbusters. The other group of readers want great stories presented in a graphic form. The stories may be complex, they may take time to develop, they may anger the reader and at times they may be difficult to understand. The comics themselves may explore characters from a different perspective, even an uncomfortable perspective as seen in Heroes in Crisis. Personally I am in awe of Tom King and Mitch Gerads. Their work in Mr Miracle was outstanding. Tom King's characters have depth and substance. They are flawed and complex. They are certainly worth reading.

Many years ago I got hooked into the Sandman Universe. Visually spectacular along with the brilliant Neil Gaiman's excellent narrative.This reincarnation feels like an attempt by DC to resurrect their mystery, fantasy and horror titles from the 50's and 60's (House of Mystery, House of Secrets and this newly created House of Whispers) on the back of Gaiman's ideas. I found this title was full of great themes but they seem confused and disjointed. In the cut throat world that is comics you pay a heavy price if you fail to capture the reader's interest quickly and here is hoping that I'll be into it in the next couple of issues.

Never thought Hulk would end up as one of the best horror comics for years

So slow. Inferior 5 (the original) was fun, this is not

With respect to the tribute to Simonson & Buscema on the opening page. I would have preferred that the art team went more with Kirby who would have told this tale in fewer pages without losing the dynamic art. I did not want to buy a book just of poster art and I feel I have been short changed.

Tom King always starts his stories very well. This is often followed by long periods where he meanders and the story direction becomes unclear. The mark of a great writer is to tie it all together at the end. In the past King has not always nailed his landings. Hopefully he will for this story arc. So far the first two issues are detailed and thought provoking. Kudos to Jeff Spokes for the art.

My lowish score was not because the concept was not great. I, in fact, found the contents interesting and the art superb. My problem lies with the DC's Black Label notion that readers should shell out a premium for the material. In many cases it is justified e.g. Batman: Dammed but for a supplement issue like this one I just don't think it's value for money.

Don't know if this is some kind of filler that was lying in a dusty corner of the office that was never supposed to see the light of day or is this what we are stuck with for the foreseeable future?

Easily the best issue in the run. Loved the art which I felt complemented the story beautifully.

Let down massively by the art

If you are going to do a comic a thousand years in the future you may need to give a brief DC history lesson. That is what Bendis has done. He inserted the Rose / Thorn into every significant future story line until she reached the 31st Century.. no more no less. I thought it was extremely clever

Nothing new and nothing great.

This is the type of story that makes Marvel stand out from all the other comic book publishers. It is nostalgic, poignant and fun. I grew up on Johnny and Dorrie and it was simpler times where your love interest was not super powered, alien, magical, a reporter or a member of a spy agency or law enforcement. Thanks for taking back to my childhood.

Silly me I thought it was a Spider-Man story. This was more about Chaykin than Spider-man

Even Scott Free couldn't escape the awesomeness of this comic

What were they on when they wrote this???? Not sure who's crazier the character or his creative team?

I get really annoyed when Marvel pulls out an "Annual" out of thin air when the title has discontinued. I get even more annoyed when it is a waste of time reading it. Sucks to be a "completionist."

It's good but it is not there yet. The plot is pretty flimsy and the characterisation a little puerile. But it was fun. I suggest that either Hickman or Brisson need to get their combined act together, but at the same time the Reis art was very good

Wacky Racers meet Nightwing.. guess the Looney Tunes cross overs aren't done yet!

Despite some serious plot issues, the subplots that deal with the relationships within team makes it a worthwhile read.

Eventually the villains become more interesting than the hero. This series sums up a complex relationship between all of the Flash's best adversaries. For someone who started reading Flash starting with Showcase 4 I thought this was a worthy finale for all the Rogues.

Wow what a "romance" issue. Well written, superbly illustrated and even better, no need to rely on a meaningless fight scene. This is the type of story that stands out in a world of "superhero" sameness.

Especially loved the Philip Tan flashback sequence.

Felt Sudzuka art is ideal for Shazam

Absolutely nails the whimsical fun that makes Shazam (Captain Marvel in the old Fawcett days) such an enduring character and concept.

This has the feel that it had been lying around in the Marvel vaults for decades waiting to see the light of day

Cannot believe the disparity between the critics reviews and those of the average comic buyer. I certainly don't believe this comic reaches the stellar heights that some critics assigned to it but it is not the worst offering DC has released during Covid.

I have been collecting for nearly 60 years and this is comic creating at it's purest.This issue is not for the fans of a mindless slugfest. A powerful message is entwined around the Superman mythos. Young readers and old farts like me have in their hands a beautifully drawn and sensitively written graphic novel.

Most fun I have had reading a comic in years. Captures the sillyness

Years ago they were imaginary tales, then else world tales but the premise was for writers to put new and interesting spins on major landmarks stories. Unfortunately this does little to enhance the original. For the $5.99 cost of this issue I expected a lot better.

Great art and gripping story. Interesting how relevant the story is today some 85 years later

Bizzaro stories are always hard to write. The risk is producing pure nonsense with very little humour. This issue shows the risk was not worth it

This is a mish mosh of a title that uses some of my favourite B grade DC characters. The problem is that they should not be used together because rarely does the sum of many B graders produce an A grade product. Still perplexed why there are two atoms on the cover... am I missing something or is it sloppy editing.

Just another title spewing out first appearance characters for future collectors to waste their money on

This is how you wrap a series.

Hope someone out there thinks that this mini series had a purpose

Can't blame the art. It's just a mess of a story, that does not flow. Dialogue is nonsensical. Orlando is not the writer who is capable of enhancing the Wonder Woman character.

This is a mess. Woeful dialogue. Takes a lot of work to follow the continuity and then sadly you find it's not worth it in the end. This title has plummeted dramatically since Chiang and Azzarello.

Simply atrocious

Admittedly it started badly but it began to capture my attention. The problem is that compared to some of the great runs on this title in the past decade the writing at the moment is pedestrian at best.

If Tom King writes a comic the trolls come out of the woodwork. This is a very well written and beautifully drawn comic. The cover and the full page bondage panel (page 3) would have been banned under the Comics Code thanks to Dr Wertham, thankfully those restrictions no loner are enforced.

Why reprint this

If D-listers ran our entertainment industries! Characters are killed off because they can be and will readers actually care? This needs to improve dramatically