Another day, another comic proving that DC and Marvel have lost their monopoly on great superhero stories. This book has all the elements I love most in a comic: action, an interesting story, nuanced characters and a delightful level of humor. I hope to see this series go for several years! https://youtu.be/P3QUw2M1u3Y

Reviewing the first issue of Stud and the Bloodblade, a book for which I previously did a preview video. When I say I want to see more LGBTQ stories this is what I mean. This kind of fun, action packed story that also happens to involve people attracted to the same sex. https://youtu.be/CI8NAcbAD9A

Gun Honey continues to get more interesting as the plot thickens. And that's not the only thing that thickened around here. There were a few things that happened here I didn't expect to see, but overall I'm excited to see what happens next issue! https://youtu.be/IihEy6hhM9o

Gunslinger Spawn decided to take the action straight to 10 right out of the gate with this issue. And I'm definitely not mad at it. This series just might become one of my favorites if it keeps it up. https://youtu.be/P1sbIwrEt8k

Today I discuss the second issue of the new Icon and Rocket series, and I had almost forgotten what it was like to genuinely enjoy a superhero story from DC. I wish they would do more stories like this again. Maybe they would see customers and profits returning if they did. https://youtu.be/Ai8z7tAYI_4

There are not many books coming from DC right now that I can say I legitimately get excited to read, but this is one of them. The dynamics between Icon and Rocket is balanced so well and the story itself is engrossing. Can't wait to see what happens next! https://youtu.be/6VyJSR8sOmY

Despite the long distance between these issues coming out, this series is still making me want to come back for more. I wasn't sure how, or if, James Stokoe could outdo the confrontation with the First Beast, but he definitely did it. https://youtu.be/uP6izfqO_bg

Reviewing the fourth issue of the latest Shang-Chi series from Marvel. I genuinely like this story, which makes it even more frustrating that the movie was such a bore. https://youtu.be/iQUHYBICVCM

The start of an interesting story for Hellboy that will see him dealing with some Norse shenanigans. Not bad for a story that started out as a novel! https://youtu.be/UAvSgA-pfCU

We've seen stories of young Dick Grayson as he started his adventures with Batman before, but none like this honestly. The relationship between them in this book feels very genuine and I hope the series only continues to get better in its short 3 issue run. https://youtu.be/IvXEZtZypYY

In this issue we see Amanda Waller go full blown crazy by sending the team literally to Hell. I've mentioned it before, but I did not expect this series to become one of my favorites at the outset. It's just straightforward entertainment though so how can I NOT enjoy it? https://youtu.be/Z9YklVXqrfA

This comic had some moments that I found a little surprising but I'm happy to see them really going there with it. https://youtu.be/QnN-ZHWemQc

The intrigue continues to ramp up with this second issue. We see Batman pull in the rest of the family while Green Arrow is still playing Lone Ranger. But I still want to know how he knows so much. https://youtu.be/LzSjQROiFTA

Reviewing the seventh issue of Radiant Black and of all the books I've started reading in the last year this has seen some of the best growth in my opinion. When it first started I thought this was another of Image's overhyped books, but it's actually continued to get better with each issue. every issue seems to sell out in my area too, so I'm assuming I'm not alone in my appreciation for this book. https://youtu.be/9cB1LK0GtKw

Marshall has to confront a harsh truth in this issue as he has to say goodbye to his best friend. Or DOES he...? https://youtu.be/6jgcMWApycM

I knew it was coming at some point, in some way, but I definitely did not foresee this inner journey. The art work in this issue is weird and beautiful, and I love it. I'm ready to see wherever else this series takes us. https://youtu.be/P8EjAnWfV4A

Continuing the trend of swapping out established characters with new versions we have here the start of the tales of Jackson Hyde on his way to becoming Aquaman. I can honestly say I did enjoy the issue though there is still room for improvement. https://youtu.be/5AHaFs2PBME

In an industry full of heavy handed messages being passed off as stories in comics, it is refreshing to read a book that doesn't have that (at least not yet). I don't know how this series will play out, but what I do know for sure is that I want to see it last longer than 8 issues! https://youtu.be/BtMIdrxB0gU

For the 30th anniversary of Evil Ernie Dynamite has decided to give him a brand new series. Ernest is incredibly annoying to me so fingers crossed we see his evil persona more often than his human one. https://youtu.be/dwfHPcgklOQ

I can honestly say I only bothered to get this issue because it has Dr. Fate in it. It's a fun quick read that keeps the reader engaged in a very Dora The Explorer way. https://youtu.be/zYA1tHABlpM

We have here the start of a new series that combines two of my favorite things: history and murder mystery. It's almost like someone tried to create a Suicide Squad of infamous figures from actual history. I'm into it! https://youtu.be/lc6Xflq8MTs

The mystery continues to deepen as we see Virgil wrongly convicted. But it's okay cause he'll be getting out to track down answers. I wonder just how crazy this will get. https://youtu.be/Uk6oWRX8nIo

Reviewing the second issue of the new Moon Knight series. I continue to like the direction this series is headed, although I'm still wary of how the show will do. https://youtu.be/z3E8N_2lMPk

As we inch ever closer to the debut of the TV show I have been keeping up with the Moon Knight comics and they're...alright. I won't say there's anything groundbreaking in them, certainly not in this issue, but they are lighter, more standard comic fare. Something we need much more of in this day and age, so I'm happy to see it! https://youtu.be/Y8rACbtH2Jo

I don't normally enjoy many stories that have a jungle setting, not for any particular reason it just doesn't excite me much, but this one has my attention. Yes, for that reason, but also because the story has a nice set up and I love a good mystery. https://youtu.be/EtKGyk1G1fE

When I began this series I figured at some point Garth Ennis's writing might start to bother me as it so often does. However, I'm delighted to find myself enjoying it more and more with each issue. There may still be room for him to err, but so far the story has been great. Looking forward to a satisfying conclusion fingers crossed! https://youtu.be/iN6uoisDtto

When I first started reading this series I felt a sense of certainty I would regret it in some way. I was right...kinda. But definitely not in a way I ever expected. https://youtu.be/bdq-a61jOtQ

We have here the end of a series I was unsure of at the start. Now that is over, I can definitively say I'm glad I read it. I know others had their own issues with it, but I absolutely found the story to be entertaining beginning to end. https://youtu.be/zaB4BtVRBZA

Reviewing the first issue of the new King Spawn series that is our setup for the events that will be unfolding in the Spawn Universe. I can't lie, I'm pretty excited to see where this goes! https://youtu.be/SiSQX9m-7bk

With the second issue of King Spawn the craziness gets dialed up to 11. There are some truly cringe moments in here, but overall I'm still wanting to see where this story goes. https://youtu.be/FYS-JCxhBSM

The story is heating up even more as the stakes appear to be raised even higher in this issue. There's still some mystery as far as who the true enemy is here, but I'm enjoying the ride. Here's hoping the payoff is satisfying. https://youtu.be/CLKU3CKAoW4

Talking about the new Green Lantern annual and the big change in store for one Jessica Cruz. I wasn't sure how to feel about this particular turn for this character, although it has grown on me and I'm becoming more used to the idea. https://youtu.be/Eg2pGwPt2NM

Reviewing the first issue of the new Hardware series. As with the other series we've seen from the Milestone Returns effort from DC, this is the return of a character from the original line of heroes. Hardware is a bit of a mix between Batman and Iron Man while not adhering to closely to the trope either has made popular. This first issue was not perfect, but it definitely helped the reader understand what's going in the Milestone books as a whole a little better. https://youtu.be/qY8QEhhhqAI

I cannot for the life of me figure out why DC would bother to make this story Digital First when they should have been releasing it as print first. The story is incredible and I'm definitely wanting to see more! I was nervous at first that King Shark would be written the way he was in the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. https://youtu.be/J_hQmk-k9eo

We see that Amanda Waller and her ilk needed to step up their game from using convicted criminals as disposable soldiers as they've decided to throw zombie criminals at their problems instead. https://youtu.be/2P_lFToc2SU

It's interesting to see an adaptation that deviates from the source, but in a good way. Here we have a comic that seems to be based on, or at the very least inspired by, the HBO Max Titans series as it features the same lineup of main characters. I may not have fallen in love with the show, but I can definitely see myself reading the rest of this series. https://youtu.be/s8RoQEls8aM

Dynamite has decided to launch a multiverse for Vampirella much like they did with their Sonjaversal series. I wasn't sure how to feel about this at first, but after having read it, I'm actually somewhat excited to see where this goes. https://youtu.be/HIW1x_Ql-bM

Although he's doing a terrible job writing Jon Kent in the new Superman series, Tom Taylor decides to show us what kind of story he can write when he ISN'T chasing media attention. And, surprise surprise, it's actually pretty good. At least as far as first issues go. The real test will be to see how this whole saga plays out. https://youtu.be/OiZWE9UBMbI

It looks like war is coming as we see the immediate fallout from the death of Jor-El at the hands of Green Arrow. Two kingdoms will suffer a death in the family by the end of this issue. This issue caused my interest in the story to wane a little bit, but we'll see if that continues to be case or if Tom can rally. https://youtu.be/9u80XN6O9pc

In the grand tradition of killing off characters to drum up interest we have here the beginning of Doctor Strange's death event. Now, we all know death doesn't really ever stick in comics (ask the X-Men) but this mini event still feels unnecessary. I'll see where it goes because it's one of my favorite characters, but I'm not holding my breath for innovation here. https://youtu.be/ArLr8rdWrFc

Reviewing the second issue of the Shazam miniseries. The main appeal for the story is that we finally see Dane reveal more about himself, but I'm a little more distracted by the demon Billy is crushing on. https://youtu.be/vujkIkq33ek

We're nearing the end of this new Shazam miniseries and it has been a confusing, yet oddly entertaining journey thus far. I don't know how they're going to wrap this up, especially considering how this issue ends, but I'm at least semi excited to see if they stick the landing! https://youtu.be/YC_9YetXARE

Reviewing the first issue of The Jury plotline from Detective Comics. I'm happy to see we're returning to a gangland type of conflict, but I'll be much happier once we're done seeing Vile. https://youtu.be/kcFLAB7Wyso

Reviewing the conclusion to the Jury storyline in Detective Comics. The story came to an end, and yet I don't feel we got anything remotely resembling a satisfying conclusion. https://youtu.be/iUQ9KqtwF2M

So what are my thoughts for this first issue? I like it. The premise, as I’ve said, is nothing we haven’t seen before, however I do see an attempt on Marvel’s part to branch out and tap into a wider market. I can’t fault them for that. I don’t necessarily think they’re going about it correctly, but perhaps these are growing pains. For a company that has existed 80 years. A company which used to have a Merry Multitude of fans upon which they depended to help determine which books saw long, successful runs with multiple writers, artists etc. Now, unfortunately, we have a company swinging wildly in a dark room hoping, desperately, to land a hit. Read my full review here: https://ragingrainbow.substack.com/p/avengers-tech-on-avengers-1-review

This first entry in a brand new superhero series that stumbles out of the gate a bit. There are many elements that work well, but I would love to have a lot more actual story and a lot less heavy handed messaging. https://youtu.be/cNHEmoGZ4j0

Reviewing the first issue of the new Batman '89 series. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, and maybe that was for the best. The movie was slightly before my time as I grew up with the Schumacher movies (don't hold it against me). This issue was entertaining enough that I'll keep up with it, at least for now! https://youtu.be/X0Q4M0y9Qkg

The second issue of this new Batman '89 miniseries isn't as fun or exciting as the first issue. It does try pretty hard to get us to take it seriously, but it doesn't do very well in that regard. https://youtu.be/HR-4yN9p0A4

Overall, I don’t know what to expect for this series. The team up is nothing spectacular that will have people excited, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are many examples from the past of superhero groups made up of characters most people would not combine going on to have successful runs, but that success was always due to proper handling of the team and entertaining scenarios through which they grow together. The art is engaging and the colorwork is done to great effect, particularly in the magic fights. I will continue to hope for the best but expect the worst, as is my motto and because, unfortunately, these books tend to go south sooner rather than later. Read my full review: https://ragingrainbow.substack.com/p/defenders-1-review

Reviewing the penultimate issue of the Infinite Frontier limited series and I'm honestly still not sure what we're trying to accomplish here. I shouldn't be cheering on the villains this much, especially when they haven't really done anything other than want to protect their own universes. https://youtu.be/cdVM51xppzk

The Infinite Frontier miniseries has reached its conclusion and although they try exceedingly hard to sell us on the fact that this has all been world shifting, but it's hard to think of it as anything other than another attempt to retcon the DCU into what they want. As with every other world changing event we'll see how long the shelf life is on this one before they hit us with another. https://youtu.be/9VsiwNy-ASw

I don't know how much longer I can stand reading Bendis's writing here. All I can do is pray the end comes swiftly. Whether that's death or a new writer, I no longer care. Only rating this high because I like the backup story. https://youtu.be/dMrfFKkmDW0

We have here the first issue of the new Black Manta series that no one, to my mind, asked to see. I'm not against him having a series, but I have to question how this will play out based on what I've seen from this introduction. In case you're wondering: no he does not fight Aquaman in this issue. https://youtu.be/TwOfvO6-HV0

Reviewing Part 3 of the World War She-Hulk storyline in the Avengers series. Aside from making me laugh with the hilarious design for She-Hulk this story feels like it's trying to hard to be something that does not work at all. https://youtu.be/3DlN86uiSBM

She-Hulk is finally back, everyone! Also, it appears Marvel is once again trying to beat DC at their own game by having Mephisto (or multiple Mephistos, really) kicking off multiversal madness. It's going to get very complicated in here. https://youtu.be/cIy0sk4nOWQ

Reviewing the sixth issue of Teen Titans Academy and it seems we're just going to move away from the Red X storyline altogether. As I suspected: that will most likely serve as the grand plotline running through this series that will culminate in some war between different Titans (both Teen and otherwise). https://youtu.be/mz2hyrCJFQc

This is how it ends: not with a bang, but with set ups for future stories. Fear State could have been a cool, memorable story. Instead it was a disjointed mess that ultimately only served to setup things to come. And it wasn't even entertaining to read. https://youtu.be/v6Gvns4dIgY

Reviewing the fourth issue of Mariko Tamaki making me regret wanting a Lobo comic. He's been around for a few decades now, but I don't know if Lobo will ever be used in comics again after all of these terrible stories. https://youtu.be/SaWMmct7L4s

I thought this story had an interesting premise from the first issue, but with this second issue things took an unexpected turn. I'm not against strip clubs or pole dances, believe me, but I also didn't need to see Harley Quinn doing one here. I don't know where this is going but it will be interesting to see how it ends! https://youtu.be/C8iRLLmZzKI

Reviewing the first issue of the new Superman vs. Lobo series coming from DC Comics under their Black Label imprint. I picked this up knowing full well that DC is handling Lobo about as well as I handle a stick shift, but even I was not prepared for some of the finer details in this book. https://youtu.be/pEIt44P4oik

Reviewing the second issue of the new Superman series that sees Jon Kent taking on for his father. I've heard this talked about a lot, especially because Ethan Van Sciver made the speculation that Jon Kent would be made queer, and we've seemingly had that confirmed. https://youtu.be/1wT6EVAUSUY

We continue with the modern gay romance, minus the romance, in this story as we see Jon and Jay continue to get closer. If they're going to end up together it would be nice to see them actually show some amount of attraction for each other. Or does Tom Taylor think gay people only try to date their friends? https://youtu.be/uWcevtJsVvs

This is it, folks! The moment we've seen multiple media outlets hype up! Jon Kent finally kisses Jay and it is every bit as anticlimactic as I expected. Not only was there no build up to this in previous issues it even comes across as needlessly abrupt in this issue. Every single person who made this possible should be ashamed of themselves. If you try to defend this by saying "you're a baby or a bigot if you don't like it!" go fall in a ditch you overly sensitive little queen. If you enjoyed it because "I wish I'd had this when I was a bi/gay kid growing up because Superman was my favoritest of all TIME!" get a grip. https://youtu.be/IihEy6hhM9o

We have here the beginning of the story that won DC's Round Robin contest. I could already tell when I read the synopsis that this story would have a measurable amount of cringe to it. And I was right. https://youtu.be/GZIisCpZENA

I'm ready for this story to be over. Now that we are nearing the end I can't help but wonder who they thought would enjoy this. Then again, the mainstream comics companies don't really care anymore if anyone actually READS their stories. https://youtu.be/j1bAJNdNqzc

We're continuing the story of Jace Fox, the Not Batman of the Future State, as he takes on his actual suit and starts hitting the streets. In many different hilarious ways. https://youtu.be/-xiQTxUsZTU