DSMister's Profile

Joined: Mar 18, 2019

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9.2
Overall Rating
8.5
Batman (2016) #76

Aug 7, 2019

I think a lot of people are blinded by their hatred towards Tom King and his... erm. Disastrous Heroes in Crisis. And believe me, I am not pleased at what came out of that series, either. I'm also really mad at him for how he wrote that story. It ultimately left a lot of soreness. However, I try not to look at the writer, but the story. And what I see is a pretty good story. I see that the stories are improving. After trudging a long way from the Knightmares, the story feels like it's picking up pace again. Overall, it's a good read. It was nice to see Tim and Damien interact. I haven't really seen them much, and I think Tom handled them pretty well. Damien acts like a spoiled brat at first, but it's clear he's hiding his fears and worries behind a spoiled face. He really wants his Dad back. Handled well, and almost perfectly how I see Damien nowadays (thanks Tomasi). And Tim, of course, is keeping a cool head and trying to solve the issue. But he's also worried. The Cat/Bat thing is getting a bit wearisome. I'm one of the minority opinions who just want them to get back together as quickly as possible. But we all know that's not going to happen. Batman won't forgive her THAT easily. Realistically, that's not happening. To answer a couple of questions (SPOILERS!): 1. How in the world could Gotham Girl take down Captain Atom THAT easily??? It was a bit confusing for me, too, but then I remember that Gotham himself pretty much defeated the Justice League in a stroke, until his juice ran out and he plopped. I can imagine Gotham Girl pretty much doing the same thing at this point. So if Gotham could trade blows with the entire JL, it's not too hard to imagine Gotham Girl sweeping the floor with CA. Sorry Cap. 2. Why does the Cat/Bat story keep going? I just want it to end. Yeah, I almost share that sentiment. Believe me, I'm not the biggest fan of the whole Bat/Cat thing. The concept, though, has been out there for a while. And I still ship them. Evidently, King does, too. I'm hoping that they actually get together in the end, cuz that would be a good ending. King, don't fail me (even though you probably will). So yeah, overall, not a bad issue, and finally, I'm hoping to see more of what King has.

7.0
Batman (2016) #79

Sep 18, 2019

Okay. Here we go again. I'm normally a fan of Batman from Tom King, but there's only so much I can take of repeated dialogue and repeated stuff before I start getting bored. Cat and Bat declaring their anguished love for each other works about once, maybe twice, but three times? Can we please move on to Gotham now? Damian is in trouble, Alfred is potentially dead, and Bane has control of Gotham. Yet even with that, you're STILL focusing on Bat and Cat. I get it, they forgive each other, they're 88% happy now with each other, move on please. I'm hopeful for the moment they do, but until then, yawn. Art is great, though.

9.5
Detective Comics (2016) #1008

Jul 24, 2019

After all those plot-driven stories that take up... ahem. 85 issues. I think it's high time we took a little break from it. And what better way than a classic Joker and Batman story? Honestly, Tomasi is really breaking through to me as a great Detective Comics writer. He nails the Joker, and even brings back the classic one-shot comics. It felt nostalgic (ah, who am I kidding, I'm only 20 years old). Great issue, great read, and nice twist at the end there.

9.0
Detective Comics (2016) #1018

Jan 2, 2020

Once again, we are back to the classic Tomasi runs, and boy do they come in hot! This time, we see Batman trying to find out who's butchering several people on Christmas trees, and evidently, it's not Calendar Man. It's actually this pagan Viking dude who's been worshiping the sun a bit too much. We see Bullock taking up a lot of Batman's crap ever since Gordon went insane from the Batman who Laugh's toxins reaching him. We also see the extent of toil that Alfred's death makes on Bruce, as he plays with Titus and Ace. Overall, a very solid arc, and I can't wait to see what'll happen in the next issue!

9.5
Flash (2016) #75

Jul 24, 2019

Great ending to Year One of the Flash, and what a cool story! They finally found a good, if brief, way to connect Wally and Wallace together, and honestly, I love it! Chapter one was great, overall, and I enjoyed pretty much every second of it. The art overall was great, too, though there were moments where Wally and Wallace looked a bit weird. Maybe Porter should stick to older people, I don't think he does kids too well. A minor thing. Chapter two was interesting. We go back to the present, and Barry remembers his past. But more importantly, Barry is optimistic again! He's still going to have hardships, and Wally's "death" is still an open wound to him. But he remembers hope and the future, and he pushes forward. That is definitely the Barry I remember. By the way, I feel like I've warmed up to Kolins' art. The first time I encountered it, I remember that I was a bit repulsed by it. Over time, however, I actually grew to like it. It looks pretty cool to me, especially with all the contrasting. Chapter three is interesting, since Luthor definitely isn't necessarily pushing to the big titles. Captain Cold is big, but it's slightly surprising that Lex went for Reverse Flash. Then again, CC is the more logical choice. I wonder what he wants most. The art is interesting. I like it, and it kinda reminds me of most comics these days: smooth. I like it. Overall, great read, and happy anniversary to the Flash!

9.5
Flash (2016) #792

Feb 7, 2023

Story: So far, Adams has not disappointed at all. His writing has always been the highlight of the series, and nothing has slowed down in this war. I love how he writes Bart as impulsive but also aware of the situation around him. Some of his decisions end up working, especially when facing against Miss Murder, and Ace (yes I'm hopping on the Ace train) is the perfect counterbalance to keep him grounded. Their dynamic is very solid and something I could see working well in a standalone series. Art: I wanted to ignore the problems of the art, but as the series goes on, I can't help but feel like Cruz is simply not fit for this series. The crudeness of the style is becoming more and more apparent, and I feel like it's clear that the art takes away from the emotions of the series. Then again, this is a bi-weekly series, so I'd imagine it would be rather hard for an artist to bust their butt drawing this much, so I'm willing to cut Cruz some slack. And thankfully, the beautiful coloring does make up for some of the crudeness. Overall, since I'm more invested in the story than the actual art, I'm giving this a 9.5. I hope Adams continues writing!

9.0
Flash Forward (2019) #1

Sep 18, 2019

The journey begins! We start with Wally seriously down in the dumps, and for good reasons. He has serious guilt about what happened back at Sanctuary, and there's even a nice snark to King about how he even thought the whole idea about framing others was even a good idea (ha!). There's a nice fact that some of the villains remember Wally as the Flash, and clearly, there's still animosity. The part with Tempus Fuginaut felt rather underwhelming, considering he gets little screen time, less than what I expected. Plus, the whole "k you're a hero i need you go save the multiverse bye lol" felt pretty rushed. I don't know much about TF, but I just wish he explained to Wally a bit more about the whole situation. I don't know, maybe there will be a better explanation in the second issue, but that's my only complaint. The art is great, as usual. I remember Brett Booth from Titans and Flash/Speed Buggy, and he did a great job in both of them. It's only gotten better here. Overall, pretty solid start, though it's clear that it's going to need all 6 issues for the first issue to clearly make sense. I'm excited to see where Wally goes, even if he doesn't necessarily want to.

9.5
Heroes In Crisis #6

Mar 18, 2019

I'll be honest. A lot of people who are criticizing this particular issue seem to complain that the arc is moving too slowly. Just a reminder that this issue isn't plot driven: it's character driven. Yes, I'll admit, this whole series is, overall, plot-driven. But two of the issues were supposed to drive into the characters, and I think 3 and 6 were meant to do that. So let's talk about the characterizations. First off, I love the deeper look into Gnarrk. It's very poetic and artistic. It speaks of a simpler time, and how ultimately, society took over. For him, it's dragging. It puts him in chains. But then, he wonders if the old times are any better. Ultimately, there is no answer. It's choosing between worrying about death and worrying about life. A pretty deep question, if I must say. Second, the interactions between Harley and Ivy are just great. It shows just how close they truly are, and how willing they want to look out for each other. I'm touched by it, and honestly, I can't say too much about it. They've always been a dynamic duo. Wally's arc irked me a bit for some reason I can't really explain. Maybe it showed him a bit too egocentrically for my tastes? However, this also feels like we're looking at what Wally felt when he was going through life back in the real world. And you can't help but feel some sympathy for him. I also like how they use both character-driven stories with Wally. After all, he is the face of Rebirth. Now, let's get to something that made me stand up and shout, "I KNEW IT!" And that's the murder of Wally. When they first showed Harley killing Wally in #3, I was a bit frustrated. After all, there is no way a mallet can take down the fastest man alive. However, this one just proves that it wasn't Harley. And it certainly isn't Booster, either. There are still visual inconsistencies. Wally definitely didn't die to a blaster through the chest. He's still not in the right place. Gnarrk wasn't shown in the first issue, and I don't know where he was. Nonetheless, one thing is now clear: it's neither Harley nor Booster Gold. It's someone else. I would go into detail about the symbolism and hidden elements of this issue, but alas, character max limit. But I'll make one final note: the art is amazing. Gerads made a good impression on me, and though it did take a bit to grow on me, I came to like it. Overall, great character-driven issue, and I'm ready to get back to action in Issue 7.

9.0
Nightwing (2016) #64

Sep 18, 2019

Making the best of a bad situation! Ric is still Ric, so for those only for that bit, move on folks. Okay, anyone else still here? You, there, still there? Okay. Nightwing is pretty good right now, and considering the situation it got itself into, that's quite a load of work to do. I'm still impressed by the way Jurgens writes the dynamics and relationships between the four Nightwings. About Ric, I think he's on the start to realize himself again. Maybe not fully as Dick Grayson, but as Nightwing. Something that I'll take at least.

10
Tales From The Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1

Nov 13, 2019

I really liked this one. It doesn't necessarily end in complete darkness, but rather a worse fate. And that's definitely an interesting take. This story is meant to be an elseworld-type story, and honestly, it really hits right when people who want to bring different takes to a story do it. Dove was such a broken pedestal here, I really felt sorry for her. I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay, but of course, that's the dark multiverse, and hope isn't going to solve everything unlike the universe we're accustomed to. Nonetheless, you can see that Dove is just plainly defeated, and that really tugs you in the feels. Lobo is every bit as great as he always was. Except towards the end, his arc gets pretty emotional. Turns out that he developed feelings for Dove, and it's really heartbreaking to see him lose the only thing keeping him sane in this broken world. I really love it. Sinestro has complete guilt of what he's done. In his moment of selfishness, he now is trying to find a way to fix it by any means necessary. Thankfully, he's not any more evil. He needs Dove, and Mr. Miracle definitely was going to provide a way to do it. But at the end, Sinestro is always going to live in guilt of what he's done. Ironically, he's the worst version of himself: a selfish man who wants power, but became broken because of it. What a great take. And finally, Mr. Miracle... man, he lost everyone, and you can see it through his chimes of jokes and jovial demeanor. On the surface, he's still keeping up everyone's hopes, but you can tell he's every bit as broken as Dove. He lost his wife and his family (damned though they were). He was forced to use a plan that should never have happened in the first place, and he's really resistant to the impulses of seeing his wife again, but at the same time, he's ultimately forced to kill Dove, making Lobo really mad. This was definitely one of the best Tales of the Dark Multiverse yet, and I'm really excited to see what's going to come up next with Infinite Crisis.

9.5
Year of the Villain: Lex Luthor #1

Sep 18, 2019

A very solid comic, I must say! Lex is clearly over his own head, and that's just the way it's always been. He recruits a young Lex and some other Lex (?), then kills all the other ones, thinking of them as inferior. That works for me. Honestly, there isn't much to say about this issue. It's great, it's cool, Luthor is a mad alien, and I recommend reading it!

9.5
Young Justice (2019) #6

Jun 5, 2019

I know I love books when I get to laugh at them, cry at them, rage at them... you get the drill. And this one just made me laugh plenty of times. I love the interactions with the team as a whole. We haven't quite gotten to individual to individual relationships, but hey, if I'm guessing correctly, we have plenty of time! Those awkward moments when the characters don't say anything feels more like a breath of fresh air to me, and plus I get to laugh at those moments. My favorite part so far is when Bart just blurts out that Superboy had a baby. We get the explanation that the family just took him in to protect him, and I'm pleased with it. Bart just impulsively does things, as usual, including that blurting moment, and when he just nabs the opal that should've been difficult. Ah Bart, how I missed you... I'm excited for what Bendis has in store for these guys, and I'm still praying that he doesn't force angst on these guys. If they need angst, it needs to come naturally and with a good reason.

9.5
Young Justice (2019) #7

Jul 10, 2019

You know a comic is good when it makes you laugh out of genuine comedy. So far, Bendis has delivered very well. Young Justice is something that is meant to be a comedy, and none of it gets cringy or otherwise wants to make you smash your head into a nearby wall. It's really good, and now that the comic is out of Gemworld, the team is now out to the multiverse. For the ones who have gone through that before, they're not very shocked. Impulse is pretty much gleeful at all times, Tim is level-headed, Conner just wants this over with, and Wonder Girl is trying to help Teen Lantern and Jinny, who are VERY much spazzing out. It's their first time travelling alternate Earths, of course they're gonna panic. What I like most is the comedic aspect of the whole thing. Sure, there's drama and whatnot, but overall, it's very light-hearted, something I feel like Rebirth was meant to be. Not necessarily comedic, but at least going through a light path. I also like the fact that each verse sends them to a wrong area, to the dismay of nearly all surrounding people. Only thing that makes me not give this a full score is the bit with Kingdom Come. While I still liked it, I felt a tad put off by the interactions between the Kingdom Come JL and Young Justice. It's not enough to put any damper on my enjoyment on the comic overall, but that's there. Other than that, everything else is perfect. Speaking of which. Bendis, PLEASE stop teasing us about Teen Lantern and Jinny's box! We know you are just BURSTING with plots about those two stuff. I can't wait for it!

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