The General Comic Discussion Thread - Part 2

[Babillygunn]

I just finished reading Sword of Azrael. It was a great read. It was truly tragic, but the ending, albeit rushed, was very cool.

Anyone read this? I’m curious of others’ thoughts on it.

 

[Mani-Man]

I just finished reading Sword of Azrael. It was a great read. It was truly tragic, but the ending, albeit rushed, was very cool.

Anyone read this? I’m curious of others’ thoughts on it.

Which one? If i remember correctly, there are two Sword of Azrael.
A mini series from 1992 i think had 3 issues and one from 2022 with 4?



Anyway...We are back with the second comics week of 2024.

Action Comics #1061

What a fun issue because Bizzaro is a very fun character to have.
Art is great too, really vibrant and well done.
The only “problem” I have is that as a none native, it can be a bit hard to follow the flow due to the way you gotta write Bizzaros speech.
It takes a bit and often reading a sentence 2-3 times to get it.
Its fun but it stops the reading flow for me a bit.

Still, absolutely fun issue.
The Covers, I like the Regular one a lot…but the rest is fine too.

Batman and Robin #5

A good Father - Son Comic is a good…one with Bruce and Damian on the same side…the best.
I didn’t like the ending because the idea of this and that character having kids that then are kind of Damians villains…is just very goofy to me.
Other than that I liked the issue and the father/son stuff.
I liked them being “undercover” in the school etc and all that stuff.
The Art is fantastic, the writing good…no complain there from me.

On this im again steering towards the Regular cover…I like that one.
In general in the last few months most of the regular covers were my favorites, that is neat to see.

Green Lantern #7

The Issue sadly didn’t live up to the hype issue 6 built on a certain thing.
I thought that was a bit weak handled and made me go: “Really? You believe that?”
Other than that I liked the issue.
Good art, good writing.
Nothing outstanding but it keeps going and is fun.

I was just praising the Regular cover, just to say that im not ahuge fan of this one.
I like Jorge Fornes Cover.


And with that we are already at the end of this week.
Nothing too spectacular, just the usual good fun…and that is fine.

 

[Babillygunn]

Which one? If i remember correctly, there are two Sword of Azrael.
A mini series from 1992 i think had 3 issues and one from 2022 with 4?

The recent one. (I remember reading the 1992 one a few years back on Infinite, but it was a bit forgettable and, if memory served, just portrayed him as a Batman meets Punisher generic character.)

The recent one really went into the origins of the Order of St Dumas and became an interesting exploration story about breaking free of a cult and its programming and ultimately finding redemption in truth. I really liked it (aside from one clunky detail in what was an otherwise awesome moment.)

The villains were very interesting and one character in particular was extremely tragic and heart wrenching.

 

[Mani-Man]

The recent one. (I remember reading the 1992 one a few years back on Infinite, but it was a bit forgettable and, if memory served, just portrayed him as a Batman meets Punisher generic character.)

The recent one really went into the origins of the Order of St Dumas and became an interesting exploration story about breaking free of a cult and its programming and ultimately finding redemption in truth. I really liked it (aside from one clunky detail in what was an otherwise awesome moment.)

The villains were very interesting and one character in particular was extremely tragic and heart wrenching.

I cant recall having read the new one, im not sure if i read that.
But you make me very curious about that one, so i might check it out.

 

[flickchick85]

The Greatest Superman Comic Storylines Of All Time

Crafted by some of DC's most talented writers and artists, comics like Kingdom Come and "For The Man Who Has Everything" remain iconic epics.

www.cbr.com

Mostly recent selections, but a very solid list imo. Would definitely swap out Superman and The Authority with Birthright, though. The former is easily Grant’s least-essential Supes story, and I don’t think they’d remotely disagree with me there, considering they basically wrote it out of obligation to save the character from DC’s terrible ideas.

 

[Babillygunn]

The Greatest Superman Comic Storylines Of All Time

Crafted by some of DC's most talented writers and artists, comics like Kingdom Come and "For The Man Who Has Everything" remain iconic epics.

www.cbr.com

Mostly recent selections, but a very solid list imo. Would definitely swap out Superman and The Authority with Birthright, though. The former is easily Grant’s least-essential Supes story, and I don’t think they’d remotely disagree with me there, considering they basically wrote it out of obligation to save the character from DC’s terrible ideas.

Agreed on swapping Birthright and Authority.
I also think that Whatever Happened to Truth Justice and the American Way needs to be on there. I’d probably swap that one with Legion of Superheroes.
My other hot take is that I don’t like Red Son, so I’d replace it with Emporer Joker.

 

[flickchick85]

Agreed on swapping Birthright and Authority.
I also think that Whatever Happened to Truth Justice and the American Way needs to be on there. I’d probably swap that one with Legion of Superheroes.
My other hot take is that I don’t like Red Son, so I’d replace it with Emporer Joker.

Yeah I’d probably replace Red Son with Secret Identity myself. But I agree that shouldn’t be on there either. I remember liking Red Son well enough when I first read it but now I don’t care for it at all.

 

[Slick]

How’s Joshua Williamson Superman run going? It’s one of the books I had to sadly drop.

 

[CrimsonMist]

Been a while since my last post. I've been of the mind that reviewing certain comics every week is a little lackluster, not so much because I'm not interested or I don't like some books but because reviewing chapters of a larger story sometimes seems a little redundant. Unless something major happens, or a new book debuts, a review is usually "It was good". I don't review books by chapter. Doing that with some comics seems almost silly.


That said, two important books came out this week.


Hellblazer: Dead in America #1. Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell return to the world of John Constantine and it is glorious. Already this book drops with razer pointed commentary on American Violence. Here, that violence has taken root from stray grains of sand from Morpheus (of Sandman), used in the 50 years between his imprisonment and release. Violence here is a malignant tumor, festering within the very fabric of the country. Between this and King's Wonder Woman, DC has made some pretty bold allowances to their writers in regards to politics and I'm all here for it. For the next 7 months, this 8-issue mini series will be at the top of my reading pile. Don't sleep on this book. For those who picked up this book throughout 2020 and were dismayed when it was cancelled, Spurrier and Campbell have not missed a beat.


Miracleman: The Silver Age #7. The long awaited conclusion to Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham's second volume in their Miracleman saga. Waiting for this particular volume to release was a pain, as severe delays really stunted the momentum of the story. I believe it took something like a year and a half to get to issue 7. Here we seeing the first chinks in the utopian world established by Miracleman begin to manifest as Dickie Dauntless, Young Miracleman, vows to become the very antithesis of paradise, his cult slowly growing. Is this actually Dauntless making these moves or is there some deeper villainy afoot, as a voice from the deeper recesses of Dickie's unconscious beckons to be released. A resurrected Kid Miracleman? The final page of the book promises Miracleman: The Dark Age, the concluding volume to Gaiman and Buckingham's run. One hopes we get it sooner than later.


Wonder Woman #5. I admit that I'm not the biggest Wonder Woman fan, for no other reason that because I haven't read too much of her comics outside the usual (Pèrez, Rucka). As such, I don't have the biggest handle on Diana's voice and those of her supporting cast. Tom King has taken a bit of beating for how he's written Donna, Yara and Cassie, but I found each of them to have pretty distinct voices. King's "philosophy speak" is a little on the nose for Diana but for me, it serves to show how seriously she's taking this situation. For the same way I prefer the introspective, ponderous voice of Swamp Thing rather than him being written "like a guy", having Diana speak with more maturity than just "Merciful Minerva!" Superhero speak makes her more endearing to me. I think most Wonder Woman fans, or comics fans in general reading this book, just want something to whine about because despite it being written by King, they like the book and won't admit it.


Diana and Donna playing video games as a challenge was a high point of his book. Diana's challenges against all of the other Wonder ladies was great. But the video games served as a reminder than these are still people. It was very funny. The final page of the book was also great.


The sexism that oozes from the Sovereign, using it to elevate himself above other sexists like Psycho as if it was some divine right justified by a higher purpose is so frustratingly real. His contempt for Diana's female foes was just so aggravating. King's use of politics in this book has really gone for the throat. My only concern is how he wraps this up. There being an insidious monarch dictating the history of the United States is such an overwhelmingly cosmic concept that the Sovereign's defeat would (should?) have some insane consequences to the mechanics of this country. Maybe I'm setting myself up for disappointment. We'll find out. Until then, this book is playing for keeps. I hope it wins.

 

[Mani-Man]

3 Comics for this week.
I ignored Nightwing because from what I gather, its part of the Beastworld or so arc and im not interested at all in that arc.
So its kind of pointless buying that comic this week.

Batman/Superman – Worlds Finest #23

Dan Moras best work ever? Possibly.
The Art is incredible, absolutely incredible…stunning from the first till the last page.
Add to that Mark Waids strong writing and you got a fantastic issue with a cliffhanger that makes you jump because of excitement.
Cant wait for issue 24.

As for covers, Sebastián Fiumaras is my favorite…but they all are cool.

Superman #10

Nothing super spectacular on this, just your usual Old West story.
I don’t know why people are so obsessed with having superheroes in that time period, but im not complaining.
It was fun and I still love the visuals of Marylin Moonlight…such a cool character design.

In terms of covers, they all are neat…but the regular one is just too cool.

Wonder Woman #5

A build up issue…its fine.
The writing and especially the art carries this issue.
Daniel Sampere draws such a good Diana, but also Yara etc.
Incredible well drawn and the writing is good Tom King stuff.

I like the Main Cover the most, it has a neat style and vibe.

Yeah, not much to say about this week.
A good week.

 

[Babillygunn]

How’s Joshua Williamson Superman run going? It’s one of the books I had to sadly drop.

I have enjoyed it thus far. Much better than Bendis. Not as good as Tomasi. It is probably tough to make a good read on just how good it is because it’s hard not to compare it to PKJ’s Action run. But ultimately I really am enjoying it. And I feel that even going back to his short Batman run, Williamson really writes Lex well.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Just read all of Tom Taylors current run on Nightwing and love it. He's done what I feel like DC comics in general severely lack....giving your hero a personal life. This could be such a great run to adapt for a tv show. What he's done with Dick/Babs as a couple is amazing and reminds me why I like them together so much. Perfect duo.

Bruno Redondo's art has been AMAZING and I see why he's winning all the awards. DC needs to ensure that they keep him around because.....he is really good. His takes on all the DC characters are just...wow. Esp his dick/babs...A++. His issues feel so much different and lived in compared to all the fill-in artists they've had while he's away from the book.

Wonder Woman #5. I admit that I'm not the biggest Wonder Woman fan, for no other reason that because I haven't read too much of her comics outside the usual (Pèrez, Rucka). As such, I don't have the biggest handle on Diana's voice and those of her supporting cast. Tom King has taken a bit of beating for how he's written Donna, Yara and Cassie, but I found each of them to have pretty distinct voices. King's "philosophy speak" is a little on the nose for Diana but for me, it serves to show how seriously she's taking this situation. For the same way I prefer the introspective, ponderous voice of Swamp Thing rather than him being written "like a guy", having Diana speak with more maturity than just "Merciful Minerva!" Superhero speak makes her more endearing to me. I think most Wonder Woman fans, or comics fans in general reading this book, just want something to whine about because despite it being written by King, they like the book and won't admit it.


Diana and Donna playing video games as a challenge was a high point of his book. Diana's challenges against all of the other Wonder ladies was great. But the video games served as a reminder than these are still people. It was very funny. The final page of the book was also great.


The sexism that oozes from the Sovereign, using it to elevate himself above other sexists like Psycho as if it was some divine right justified by a higher purpose is so frustratingly real. His contempt for Diana's female foes was just so aggravating. King's use of politics in this book has really gone for the throat. My only concern is how he wraps this up. There being an insidious monarch dictating the history of the United States is such an overwhelmingly cosmic concept that the Sovereign's defeat would (should?) have some insane consequences to the mechanics of this country. Maybe I'm setting myself up for disappointment. We'll find out. Until then, this book is playing for keeps. I hope it wins.

I havent seen anyone beating him up on how he's written Donna or Cassie. Those two have been the most on point. Yara however....yes, its definitely been 50/50 which I kind of agree with simply because he did lean into the UTLRA sarcastic version of the character. And of course brazallian fans dont feel like anyone has a grasp on Yara.

WW fans have been burned a lot so its hard for a writer to gain trust with them. This is the first time since Pre-52 that the Wonder Girls have had this much involvement in an issue of WW which is crazy so I hope they stick around more. King did say he liked writing Cassie the most so....give her ALL THE LOVE. And a new costume because....Sampere just removed her skirt and called it a redesign lol. Love this team together but they suck at creating new things lol. Give redesigns to someone else.

 

[Babillygunn]

Just read all of Tom Taylors current run on Nightwing and love it. He's done what I feel like DC comics in general severely lack....giving your hero a personal life. This could be such a great run to adapt for a tv show. What he's done with Dick/Babs as a couple is amazing and reminds me why I like them together so much. Perfect duo.

Bruno Redondo's art has been AMAZING and I see why he's winning all the awards. DC needs to ensure that they keep him around because.....he is really good. His takes on all the DC characters are just...wow. Esp his dick/babs...A++. His issues feel so much different and lived in compared to all the fill-in artists they've had while he's away from the book.

 

[Babillygunn]

I am reading Greg Rucka’s “Huntress: Cry for Blood”. I had never read it before but wow. Absolutely amazing. If you haven’t read this before, run, don’t walk to a comic store (or to Infinite, which is where I’m reading it) and remedy it. You will be glad that you did. And you can thank me later.

 

[Mani-Man]

Just read all of Tom Taylors current run on Nightwing and love it. He's done what I feel like DC comics in general severely lack....giving your hero a personal life. This could be such a great run to adapt for a tv show. What he's done with Dick/Babs as a couple is amazing and reminds me why I like them together so much. Perfect duo.

Bruno Redondo's art has been AMAZING and I see why he's winning all the awards. DC needs to ensure that they keep him around because.....he is really good. His takes on all the DC characters are just...wow. Esp his dick/babs...A++. His issues feel so much different and lived in compared to all the fill-in artists they've had while he's away from the book.

Oh yeah, that is for sure a part i really like.
Im not always a fan of his writing, but he often manages to bring in the heroes personal lifes instead of just focusing on the hero work.
A aspect i wished more writers would take up...it adds depth to the stories.

Bruno Redondo is absolutely underrated, one of the many great talents DC currently has in terms of the art.

I havent seen anyone beating him up on how he's written Donna or Cassie. Those two have been the most on point. Yara however....yes, its definitely been 50/50 which I kind of agree with simply because he did lean into the UTLRA sarcastic version of the character. And of course brazallian fans dont feel like anyone has a grasp on Yara.

WW fans have been burned a lot so its hard for a writer to gain trust with them. This is the first time since Pre-52 that the Wonder Girls have had this much involvement in an issue of WW which is crazy so I hope they stick around more. King did say he liked writing Cassie the most so....give her ALL THE LOVE. And a new costume because....Sampere just removed her skirt and called it a redesign lol. Love this team together but they suck at creating new things lol. Give redesigns to someone else.

Havent seen in general too much criticism on Kings WW so far.
Which surprises me still because it feels like it would be the perfect material for the outrage, clickbait "Bargh woke" people that constantly scream that comics are dying.
So im surprised to see mainly praise towards King on my side of the fence at least.

The issue felt really neat having all of them in and stuff.
King can do a lot of good on that corner.
A few books in the WW universe by King...that would be neat.

 

[CrimsonMist]

I havent seen anyone beating him up on how he's written Donna or Cassie. Those two have been the most on point. Yara however....yes, its definitely been 50/50 which I kind of agree with simply because he did lean into the UTLRA sarcastic version of the character. And of course brazallian fans dont feel like anyone has a grasp on Yara.

WW fans have been burned a lot so its hard for a writer to gain trust with them. This is the first time since Pre-52 that the Wonder Girls have had this much involvement in an issue of WW which is crazy so I hope they stick around more. King did say he liked writing Cassie the most so....give her ALL THE LOVE. And a new costume because....Sampere just removed her skirt and called it a redesign lol. Love this team together but they suck at creating new things lol. Give redesigns to someone else.

I see a bit of it at the CBR forums. That place is like a living, seething car accident. I can't help but look.

So much criticism I've seen lobbed at King have been knitpicks that seem forced enough to make me believe people just don't want to admit that King is doing a solid job. Or maybe as the resident Tom King apologist, I'm just reading too much into it.

 

[Primal Slayer]

I see a bit of it at the CBR forums. That place is like a living, seething car accident. I can't help but look.

So much criticism I've seen lobbed at King have been knitpicks that seem forced enough to make me believe people just don't want to admit that King is doing a solid job. Or maybe as the resident Tom King apologist, I'm just reading too much into it.

Yeah they are very hard over there but a lot are coming around to his run. A lot of people are just tired of DC not showing WW the respect she deserves.

 

[Babillygunn]

By the way, I just read Kamandi #29. It’s a pretty cool Superman story in which Superman never even appears.

Kamandi comes across a cult of gorillas who have found Superman’s costume and they have created a full blown religion around it, whereby they worship ”The Mighty One.”

It’s totally Jack Kirby’s homage to the Superman character and the emotional response that the character gives to the audience. It’s bonkers fun in a classic Kirby way, but also heartwarming and inspirational.

 

[Babillygunn]

the last few days I’ve been reading Denny ONiel’s run on The Question. That run is insane. Dark, highly political, but lots of fun as well. Not quite as good as his Batman run but it might be better than Hard Traveling Heroes and that’s saying a lot.

 

[Mani-Man]

Big comics week first time in the year…hussa.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #9

The Final of the Joker story…finally.
It was worth the wait, because that was super cool.
Alone Mitch Gerads art, the way he drew the joker…was so crazy.
The scariest joker I have seen for quite some time.
A good written final issue…but damn them for making the worst Batman joke canon. XD
The biggest problem here is the breaks between the story, it hurts a otherwise fantastic story.
It’s a shame.
Still, a fun issue.

As for covers, you can do no wrong there.
The Joker one is cool, but also the Batman the Animated Series inspired one.
And the main cover is neat too.

Detective Comics #1081

Not much to say there, your usual Detective Comics goodness.
Fantastic art, Ram V writing on the usual high level.
Its all there.

One thing I can mention is that these are the issues like the last, where the idea of Talia/Bruce has something to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I still like the idea of Bruce/Diana the most in DC…but if I would have to choose someone from the Batman universe, I would probably choose Talia over Selina.
I just feel they fit far better and that Talia is more a character that can change than Selina.

But yeah, the issue was its usual level, same goes for the covers.
Coverwise Detective comics is on its own level, be It regular or variant covers.


The Flash #5

The same here as with Detective Comics pretty much.
It continues to deliver what works and continues the story.
I don’t want this sound boring but I don’t really know what else to add.
Feels like I make it sound boring, but it really isn’t.
There just isn’t much to add, and I like that to be honest.
Not every issue imo has to break new ground or so.
Just give me a good issue that is fun to read...im fine with that.
So yeah, so far 5 issues in and I really like the vibe and style of this flash run.
Main Cover for me here.

Green Arrow #8

It was a fun issue that brought in a interesting twist.
The Art I found a bit clunky at times, but the writing was good and I liked the vibe.
The last two issue have lost me a bit, but this one worked better for me.
But I cant help but feel like they stall for something.
And I don’t know if they can do that when it’s a 11 issue run.
I don’t know, something feels off.

The regular cover is way too busy, but somehow works…especially for the issue.
So yeah, that is my pick.


The Penguin #6

Such a underrated book.
Like, this was another incredible good issue and I love how King writes the Penguin.
Which is wild considering how this man is bad at writing every Batman character.
So its such a strange thing that of all characters, it’s the penguin he manages to write well.
Tom King keeps confusing me with his range.
This is the kind of Penguin I wanna see more.
Fantastic issue with a lot of great stuff in.

I love the variant covers but that Regular cover is so good.
Like, I love the design idea on that with the Penguin wearing a mask that gives him a long nose etc.
That is a very interesting character concept.
Like, Im not a huge fan when Penguin is drawn like a…penguin, like Burtons version.
So I find this idea quite interesting.
Give him a scarred face he hides with a Mask that makes him look like a penguin and gives him the name.
It’s a cool idea…and I don’t think I ever spoke in such a length about a cover…but I just love the idea.


Fantastic Week, a lot to enjoy and im pleased with this week.

 

[flickchick85]

 

[Primal Slayer]

King made his first major misstep in his WW run. Having Diana/Lizzie (still hate that name) punch their mothers was such an odd choice.

 

[CrimsonMist]

A quick note about last week's books. I absolutely LOVED the final chapter of The Winning Card. King and Gerads are the best team in comics. I love the commitment to the Joker only speaking in silent movie style dialogue panels, as if giving his dialogue speech bubbles gives his words and actions, and therefore his evil, substance. Then, in classic King fashion he subverts that expectation by making the first ballooned words: "You're insane." It's perhaps more thematically similar to the Killing Joke in that the entire Batman/Joker dynamic hinges on the dissection of a joke, in this case one that Batman delivers but the Joker doesn't like because it doesn't fundamentally work.

The Flash is great, as always. I'm really digging all of the sci-fi babble going on here. There's something sinisterly cosmic that fits the Flash well.

The Penguin #6 was also a fun read, attacked yet again by the anti-monarchists. On the one hand, I like the riff on the Matt Reeves notion that Oswald might be an informant. On the other hand, I feel like King could totally have done wonders with the dapper thief concept of the golden age. Then again, this Penguin seems entirely different from the one that appeared in his Batman run, and even from the one that showed up in Killing Time even though there are stronger ties between this and Killing Time.

This week on the other hand, was disappointing.

I've seen King take a bit of a beating for the punch, which was a weird moment to be sure. I'd like to see that explained by King from a creative standpoint just to get a sense of the reasoning behind it. I'm not as bothered by it as everyone else. I'm just curious as to the decision behind it.

King has also been taking a beating for Diana saying she isn't as fast as Superman if she decided to deflect the bullet she fired at Lizzie. Lots of people seemed to take that, of course, at face value and that King was once again debasing Diana, making her inferior. I don't think that's necessarily fair because of course, comics fandom doesn't understand subtly or subtext. The scene is about a mother, who isn't bullet proof, firing a gun at their child, who also isn't bulletproof.

Could Diana feasibly catch the bullet? Of course. But again, she's pointing a gun at her own child. There's fear, and where there's fear, there's reluctance, doubt, and uncertainty. That's the drama, profoundly human, in that scene. You don't get that with Superman because he and his child are bulletproof, and you don't get it with Batman and any of the Robins because they're obnoxious. It's not some degradation of women "because Tom King sucks."

From that standpoint, I understand hitting their mothers. It snaps them out of their fear and forces them to focus on the ceremony at hand. There's no room for doubts and hesitation. Still, it's a bit of a bizarre choice to make.

Ultimately, I don't think I care about it enough to cry to the heavens. I was more annoyed that it didn't really conclude and that it haphazardly seems to be a bridge to the story in #800 which seems more awkward than anything. But I may be reading into that too much.

Otherwise, The Trinity special was only kind of interesting as it's just a reprint of back-ups that you'd already have if you're reading Wonder Woman.

The World's Finest Annual was hit or miss but I enjoyed the Christopher Cantwell and Jorge Fornes "Challengers of the Unknown" story. It's funny. I lost interest almost immediately with Cantwell's Iron Man but I've loved everything he's done for DC, granted it's only been a 3-part Superman story in B&TB and this one but I hope he does more. He's had some great artists paired with him.

World's Finest, Im really growing indifferent to. I'm just having a hard time really getting into it. I feel like a Kingdom Come prequel should be a much bigger deal than it is but even then, I've never been too big a fan of Kingdom Come in the first place. I don't dislike it. It just doesn't connect with me. So this prequel feels like a grab at a nostalgia that I don't have.

 

[Mani-Man]

This Week not much to say…its mainly Annuals and you all know how I feel about them.

Nice but that’s about it.
There is not much to say since they don’t really play a role in the grand scheme.
It’s a bit strange because I am a fan of Anthology books, but somehow the Annuals don’t hit like Anthology books…I don’t know why.

So im not really covering this week a lot.

Got the Batman and Robin Annual, The Worlds Finest…and I also got the DC power issue…always nice to read.

Had no interest in the Trinity special, but it seems i miss something on this.
Seems there is quite a lot discussion around that, maybe i should give it a try...im not sure.

Not much else to say really, its pretty much a filler week for me.
Which isnt too bad once in a while.

 

[Primal Slayer]

A quick note about last week's books. I absolutely LOVED the final chapter of The Winning Card. King and Gerads are the best team in comics. I love the commitment to the Joker only speaking in silent movie style dialogue panels, as if giving his dialogue speech bubbles gives his words and actions, and therefore his evil, substance. Then, in classic King fashion he subverts that expectation by making the first ballooned words: "You're insane." It's perhaps more thematically similar to the Killing Joke in that the entire Batman/Joker dynamic hinges on the dissection of a joke, in this case one that Batman delivers but the Joker doesn't like because it doesn't fundamentally work.

The Flash is great, as always. I'm really digging all of the sci-fi babble going on here. There's something sinisterly cosmic that fits the Flash well.

The Penguin #6 was also a fun read, attacked yet again by the anti-monarchists. On the one hand, I like the riff on the Matt Reeves notion that Oswald might be an informant. On the other hand, I feel like King could totally have done wonders with the dapper thief concept of the golden age. Then again, this Penguin seems entirely different from the one that appeared in his Batman run, and even from the one that showed up in Killing Time even though there are stronger ties between this and Killing Time.

This week on the other hand, was disappointing.

I've seen King take a bit of a beating for the punch, which was a weird moment to be sure. I'd like to see that explained by King from a creative standpoint just to get a sense of the reasoning behind it. I'm not as bothered by it as everyone else. I'm just curious as to the decision behind it.

King has also been taking a beating for Diana saying she isn't as fast as Superman if she decided to deflect the bullet she fired at Lizzie. Lots of people seemed to take that, of course, at face value and that King was once again debasing Diana, making her inferior. I don't think that's necessarily fair because of course, comics fandom doesn't understand subtly or subtext. The scene is about a mother, who isn't bullet proof, firing a gun at their child, who also isn't bulletproof.

Could Diana feasibly catch the bullet? Of course. But again, she's pointing a gun at her own child. There's fear, and where there's fear, there's reluctance, doubt, and uncertainty. That's the drama, profoundly human, in that scene. You don't get that with Superman because he and his child are bulletproof, and you don't get it with Batman and any of the Robins because they're obnoxious. It's not some degradation of women "because Tom King sucks."

From that standpoint, I understand hitting their mothers. It snaps them out of their fear and forces them to focus on the ceremony at hand. There's no room for doubts and hesitation. Still, it's a bit of a bizarre choice to make.

Ultimately, I don't think I care about it enough to cry to the heavens. I was more annoyed that it didn't really conclude and that it haphazardly seems to be a bridge to the story in #800 which seems more awkward than anything. But I may be reading into that too much.

Honestly...there's zero reason to have the Superman line in there. Take out that portion and you still get Diana's fear across.

I see this as a blip on the radar but Superman/Batmans sons have an entire backup in her book, and we get an issue of WW/SM shopping for a present for Batman. That's A LOT of Superman. When Diana and her fam are never treated the same in their books. So its never good to downplay her in relation to either in any book related to her.