The General Comic Discussion Thread - Part 2

Yeah I’m loving Lost Children right now. Love the pulp nature of the book and Todd Naucks art pops off the page. New JSA is also pretty good so far as well.

 

Comics week march begins

Action Comics #1052

Im loving this family vibe we get in this, its so much fun.
Really was a fantastic idea to focus more on the Family aspect…what worked for batman or flash, also works with Superman.
Its so cool to see DC comics embracing this family aspect more.
This issue was alone cool for that, but I also love the main arc so far and the Backup stories are also interesting.
So far im more than pleased with the Superman stuff we got…lets hope this continues.

You get a few great covers, like Matt Herms for example…but im loving the Regular one a lot.

Batman vs Robin #5

It strikes me as another relative pointless “big” event here and I don’t get the purpose of it to be honest.
And its weird that they pretty much had the batman vs robin thing only in 2 issues at best, the rest of this 5 issue run does not focus on a potential conflict at all.
The whole Lazarus Planet arc feels very disjointed and pointless, but that probably has to do with it being so divided over several not major comic books, like we got a few lazarus planet specific books I think.
Either way, it’s a rather weak arc…even though the few final panels in this are incredible.
I loved that we got to see here how much Batman means to the people of Gotham and all…Im a sucker for such heartwarming things.
Seeing the sacrifices made by Bruce having a positive effect on the people.
But overall the book wasn’t really super strong sadly.

Covers I feel like they all are a bit too overcrowded with everything, but the regular one is fine.

Detective Comics #1069

Now here is something, Ram V who keeps hitting Homeruns with his Batman run.
What an incredible book.
Visually it sways a bit, but the great panels are incredible.
And then Ram Vs writing…its magical.
He also gets points for me for including Two Face, always good to see Harvey be more than a regular throwaway thug.
And I love humanizing Batman and people understanding what a toll being batman takes on Bruce.
Even better when its Jim who does that.
Cant ignore the main arc too because im loving what Ram V is cooking there, im loving the vibe and how he mixes things together.
The Backup is fantastic too…everything in this issue Is worth the price ten times imo.

As for covers, they are all incredible.
I cant say which I prefer, the Regular one or Ivan Reis…they are both sooooo good.

But the rest is absolutely stunning too…its one of those where I say: If you can afford it, buy several.

Harley Quinn #27

I think it was Stephanie Phillips final Issue on this right?
If so im really sad to see her go but glad how she went out.
It was a lovely issue, not what many expected I assume…but I did like how they dealt with this.
Other than that, not much else to say.
The art was good, the message nice…I had fun.
As usual all the HQ covers are neat, I prefer the main one however.

So 3 out of 4 isnt bad, especially when you have 2 that did stuff I absolutely 100% love.
Next week we get a new Flash and Finally a new Batman…wuhu.

 

I tried reading some of Kirby’s Challengers of the Unknown, but it’s a bit of a chore to get through. Great premise but not great stories.

I might try a re-read when I’m in more of a mood for it.

 

A new Comics Week arrived, packed full of Comics.


Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1

A good start to this, nicely drawn and well written.
Im liking the idea that Ultraman goes around Killing Kal-Els from all kinds of worlds.
It’s a cool idea that reminds me off this movie with Jet Lee.
There are some rumors etc that go around where this allegedly is supposed to go…we will see.
For now im waiting how this unfolds and im quite excited for this.

Covers are incredible, every single one of them.
Rafael Sarmentos is insane, but I think I like the Regular one the most…but there really is no bad one out there imo.


Batman #133

Something about this Issue feels unfocused and more filler than anything.
I cant put my finger onto it.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the issue, but it didn’t click with me.

Also I cant help but miss Jorge Jimenez art style.
This one isn’t bad make no mistake about that, but things just work better with the Team of Zdarsky/Jimenez.
The Backup story however, keeps hitting the right notes.
It’s a very interesting story I think and like how it serves a good purpose.


As for covers, the Regular one is nice…but slightly Misleading.
I don’t know what I dislike more, in general completely misleading covers…or covers that have what happens in the comic in it…different.
Like in this for example, while the scene happens…Alfred has Shotgun aimed at Bruce.
Its one of my weird pet peeves I think.


Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5

That was a good issue.
Im really liking this series so far and the most recent issue is no exception.
The Art is really strong, the writing stumbles here and there I think…but gets the job done in the end.
Im not sure how to feel about the twist.
It feels too out of nowhere and nonsensical.
The next issue will probably explain it, but i would have prefered if they went in a different direction

This book tends to have cool covers, so its hard to choose.
The Main one works fine enough and is already really cool, but then you get Gary Frank or Daniel Warren Johnsons…which are super awesome too.


The Flash #794


Such a great issue, absolutely fantastic.
Loving the focus on Irey in this one and how they build her Hero name reveal up…really well done.
Shout out also to Jay Garrick for being awesome.
The issue was really good written and drawn I thought.
Had a lot of fun reading it, the one minute war for sure turns into one fantastic story.
I think the best part of it for me, is the family aspect.
You barely have people go around on their own, they always focus on saving or protecting family etc.
It adds so much to this, im loving it.


Here the covers are great too, but I prefer the Regular one with Irey.


The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #6

What a wild issue…as most of the book.
Joker in L.A causing all kinds of trouble…is a ton of fun.
Its just wild fun, you either love it or don’t.
Im liking it, so this was a great issue for me.
The art is also helping this a lot I have to say.
Having a lot of fun with this book.


Another Book that tends to have cool covers all around.
The Regular one fits the issue…but damn that Lee Bermejo one is scary.
Kendrick Lims is incredible cool and Jeff Spokes has style.


Poison Ivy #10

I KNEW IT DC…you just couldn’t help yourself.
I knew they would throw Harley/Ivy fans a bone, just to snatch it.
Don’t care for the excuse here, that was yet another slap in the faces of the fans…as expected.
Disappointed but not unexpected sadly.

Anyway, the issue itself was fine…cant really say anything bad.
It moves the plot forward and all.
Nothing really mindblowing or so…its fine.
I don’t want to say the issue was bad on an more objective level, there are however decisions in there that make me feel like it was bad, based on Personal preferences…as Ivy/Harley fan.

And this Series too has fantastic Covers each issue.
Regular works but I really like Jenny Frison’s the most.

Well, even though they did stuff I didn’t like in Poison Ivy…I would say this was yet another great Week for DC Comic book fans.

Next week is a pretty short one for me it seems.
Batgirls and maybe i will get Superman: Lost...other than that, nothing of interest to me.
Maybe i check out Justice society and Batman inc, but im not sure.

 

Always love your reviews, @Mani-Man
I look forward to you and @CrimsonMist giving your thoughts on the weeks comics.

I have to say that for all of the grumbling that people seem to enjoy these days about the state of comics, in the past year and a half we have had what I would consider a top 5 all time Superman story in Warworld Saga and I’m thinking that One Minute War is shaping up to be a top 3 Flash story. I am loving it.

 

It was a small week for me. Just The Flash and it was excellent as to be expected. Jay Garrick had the best moment of issue!

@Mani-Man, I'd whole heartedly recommend you check out JSA. As someone who is actively not a Johns fan, I've been enjoying JSA and Stargirl quite a bit....when the books actually come out, that is. I'd also really suggest picking up Danger Street by Tom King.

On that note, DC announced that Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr will be taking over the Flash, and Tom King and Daniel Sempere are taking over Wonder Woman this September, with prelude stories in the 800 issues this August.

Pretty wild. Both books are Day 1 purchases for me. Spurrier's Hellblazer and Damn Them All were both great, and Deodato is an incredible artist. Wonder Woman seems a bit outside King's wheelhouse a bit which should provide him a good challenge. The book hasn't had this kind of A-list talent since Rucka left, though the current team has provided a pretty long sense of stability since taking over. This should be very exciting.

They also announced a Hawkgirl book. I've never read anything by the author, but it sounds pretty interesting.

 

Thank you!

Danger Street i think i mentioned it a few times, is one i constantly want to check out...but forget about it always.
I have my eyes on JSA for a while now but never really pulled the trigger so far.
If you recommend it, then i can safely purchase it without regrets.

I just saw the new stuff...on one hand i was sad at first, but the next Flash team sounds interesting.
I worry a bit that the Flash Family aspect might get put on the bench again, but lets see what they will bring to the table.
It still however sucks that its a DC decision to change the Team...i dont like that at all.
If you have a great team that works, its a shame when they cant end a run on their Terms.

I was talking about WW needing fresh blood for a while now and King is that.
Im really curious what he will bring to the Table for Diana.
With Daniel Sampere we will have visual something good, if King can bring his A game...this could elevate WW again, would love to see it.

Hawkgirl Solo sounds like a good thing, im optimistic.
And there will be a steel solo from what i have seen...that one could be cool too, i was hoping we would get some Momentum for Steel.

 

New Week of Comics and it is once again a small week, consisting of only 2 books. It looks like my biggest weeks going forward will have 3-5 books tops but DC keeps rolling out new books so this may change throughout the year.

Danger Street #4. We're quickly approaching the halfway point and this book keeps getting better and better. The storytelling in Jorge Fornes' artwork is a masterclass. And King's writing is tops. I'm glad the New Gods feature heavily in this book, and despite not being Paul Kirk, this may be the second best Manhunter story since James Robinson's The Golden Age (although the John Ostrander-penned series about the Mark Shaw Manhunter as seen in Danger Street is also pretty awesome). I implore you all to check this book out and not sleep on it.

Justice Society of America #3. I can tell by this issue that we're likely in for a bit of a slog. Not much has happened in 3 issues and it feels a bit repetitive. But damnit, I can't help but love it! Maybe it's the nostalgia of seeing the JSA hanging out, or the exploring of the DCU across time. It might be because of all of the marvelous Jerry Ordway art we've gotten, and will be getting going forward. Seriously, he has not lost a single step. I have no idea where this book is going, or what ramifications it will have on the DCU by the time it finishes, but I'm willing to take that ride and I never thought I'd say that about Geoff John's.

 

DC Ending Two Fan-Favorite Series

Curse you DC! Batgirls was a fun comic! How does this comic get cancelled but we have 7000 ongoing Batman comics?

 

Both of those got cancelled because they most likely had really bad sales.

No idea if Batgirls was any good, but that Robin book looked like amateur tumblr stuff.

 

Damn, i saw it coming with the Tim Drake one...which i think would have been nice with a different art style.
Batgirls...that one sucks because i really enjoy the Batgirls comics.

Fan Favorite? Then the sales should be there right?
Guess not, sadly.

 

New comics week
I missed last week and I don’t know how that happened.
It was a weirdly busy week but I also didn’t pick up much…just Batgirls which was the usual.
But this week im around and it’s a busy week again…but this time for comics.

Batman / Superman: World's Finest #13

What more can one say to Praise this incredible series.
Everything has been said a dozen times and still is true.
Such a incredible series that finds a absolutely great balance between Batman and Superman, their support characters etc.
This is not easy so what this comic does is next level.
Other than that, it’s the same as usual…fantastic writing and art.

As for covers, they are all really cool…but the Regular one is so old school themed…I love it.

Black Adam #9

Even after the third time reading, im still losing focus in this issue and can not recall what is going on.
The writing here is super weirdly paced and the dialogue kind of messy to the point where you lose track of what the characters talk about.
Doesn’t help that im not 100% familiar with the Black Adam canon, so its easy to get confused with names etc.
But the writing absolutely didn’t help on its own.
I cant really say if the issue is good or not, because I keep losing focus of what is going on.
Super strange.
But the art is still really neat and that Regular Cover rocks.

The Flash #795

This issue was a lot of fun! I liked seeing the Flash Family working together and going on the offensive.
I really liked Barry and Linda's conversation and the ending of this issue.
I already know I will miss this Run because the Family aspect in this is so great.
But im ready for a new direction and will give it of course a shot.
Still, until that happens…I will enjoy what we get here and there is a lot to enjoy.

Covers are as usual all very good, you cant go wrong either way.

Nightwing #102

A bit slow paced, but in general a neat issue.
It has a few of Taylors most prominent problems, but when you can deal with them…its another good issue.
I feel like many expect too much from Taylor and Nightwing.
I get it, the man gets a lot of stuff to write and has been given Nightwing who is pushed as the New JL leader and all that…but I get the feeling people expect groundbreaking issues every time.
To me the biggest problems with Taylor are that slow paced stuff is really slow paced and his tendency to focus too much on Fanservice.
Other than that, im fine with him and issues like this.

The Main Cover is a bit too much for my taste, so I would go with Travis Moore because it fits the more Titans focused arc.

Superman #2

Wow, just wow…what a great Issue.
The Art again absolutely wonderful…but also the writing.
A incredible strong way to make Parasite scary as hell and a great introduction to Marylin Moonlight.
The writing is top notch and keeps you gripped every page…and of course Jamal Campbell with absolutely great art.

The Covers again are all absolutely great, but I would go with the Regular one.
That one is super neat.

Wonder Woman #797

Its great to see that Momentum picks up for WW before Tom King takes over.

This arc is building itself up quite nicely.
A lot of exciting plot points that build towards what could be a great finale for this run.

Covers are all quite good and while the Regular one fits well…I love Joelle Jones cover.
It doesn’t fit the story or so, but it looks really really cool.

A busy and good comics week, I am happy with this week.

 

I went to a comic con last week and had the pleasure of meeting Peter Tomasi and Jim Starlin. Both were grade A good guys. Tomasi in particular was good to talk to (although he seemed like he was about to fall asleep.)
This was nice because the last con that I went to, I met Neil Adams and he was…let’s just say he wasn’t the friendliest guy. He was there for money and that was it. He was selling autographs for $50 and when my son gave him a reprint of Joker’s Five Way Revenge to sign, he made a crack about it being a reprint and signed it very small with a black marker in a dark spot on the cover. It’s actually very easy to miss that it’s even autographed. At the same con, we met Greg Capullo and Tim Seeley, both of whom were good as gold. Capullo especially was happy to be there and warm and engaging with the crowds. He didn’t charge for autographs and would sign multiple copies of whatever people brought to him. He signed my son’s Detective Comics 1000 variant cover and did so with a gold sharpie so that it showed up better. It was really exciting because that evening they had a panel and Capullo described meeting my son earlier in the day (even pointing him out in the crowd) and said that my son reminded him of why he is in the industry. My son was 11 years old at the time and he felt about 10 feet tall.
Those were highlights until last week meeting Tomasi and Starlin. My son brought a copy of a Super Sons trade and Tomasi signed it. I’ve never had a writer do this at a con, but he did a personalized signature that read to my son, “up up and away! Peter Tomasi”. It was really cool.
Starlin was really cool as well, posing for pictures with my son (my son is now 15, btw). He signed a copy of A Death in the Family for my son. When my son told him that he was a big fan of his work, Jim Starlin responded “that means a lot. It’s folks like you who keep me alive and give me a reason to keep going.”

It was a good experience and very encouraging when you get to meet people you respect and they don’t disappoint.

 

That's great @Babillygunn. Sorry Adams was such a **** (I've heard things about him before from people who met him) - especially for your son, but the rest sound like they were great guys

 

@Babillygunn I love hearing such stories or in general peoples experiences at comic cons etc since we hardly have such stuff here in Germany.

You told the story about Adams before if i remember it correctly, its sad that this is one Memory you will keep associated with Adams.
Prior to his passing, i heard quite a few people say that he tends to be easily cranky at cons etc.
Some in the Industry say that this is due to him simply not have been really a peoples person and feeling awkward at such events.

Anyway, its definitly cool to hear that those people appreciate the Fans otherwise and like to be at cons etc.

 

I suppose that I have told the Adams story before. It was just a bit surprising in the moment. But I explained to my son that Neil was getting pretty old and selling autographs may have been very important income to him. He was there primarily to make money and not just to meet folks like Capullo was. A guy like Capullo seemed to be furthering his brand and networking to get goodwill with the fans. But at that stage in Neil’s life he didn’t have that luxury. When I think about the fact that Neil spent the last years of his life traveling the country and selling his autograph, instead of relaxing in retirement, I can feel sympathy and forgive his grumpiness.

 

@Mani-Man and @CrimsonMist I was looking through your all’s old posts and I don’t see a review of Human Target #12. Now that it has hit Ultra and I’ve read it, I’d love to see your all’s thoughts.

Am I overlooking your review or did you not post one?

 

At the moment im the wrong person to ask about Human Target, i kept forgetting buying it...until now.
I ordered the First Volume which includes the first 6 issues...if this is as good as i hope, then i will follow up with the rest.
People left and right have recommended it to me, but i constantly forgot about ordering any issue so far.
A few days ago i remembered and ordered the First Volume right away, should be here maybe today or tomorrow.