The General Comic Discussion Thread - Part 2

[Mani-Man]

Strange Comic week

Batman/Superman Worlds Finest #20

The usual fun stuff.
Dan Mora drawing a Kingdom Come Story would really be something.
But im happy with small little doses of it too.
I kind of forgot about David so im excited for the story with him back.
Could be cool.

As for Covers, the regular one is cool, but there are a few others that are neat too.
A bit sad that Alex Ross didn’t do a variant cover on this…that would have been cool.

Catwoman #58

What in gods name was that?
Like what?
One thing I hate the most about DC doing bigger events, is the inconsistency in terms of quality and vibe thanks to it being stretched out to different series and all.
That way you get whole different vibe than what the main issues want to tell.
And this is a horrible on point example for this.
This didn’t felt at all like a Gotham War issue.
The way bruce is written is completely messy.
The issue felt so out of place.

And god darn it, I knew hoping for a big and cool villain team up was to much.
No, they dress up like Batman and Robin in the goofiest way possible, to do what?
We will find out.
I can not grasp what is happening here, how this is supposed to elevate the Gotham War with this all.
The only good thing was the writing for Jason…slightly.
The rest is horrible for what is called a core issue of this arc.
We have a red hood issue left and then a “scorched earth” issue, then the gotham war is over?
What? What is going on here?
9 issues and yet there was barely anything close to a “War”.
DC has to stop with these Big crossover arcs, they just don’t work.
I don’t remember the last big arc that had several tie in issues etc that worked.


Hawkgirl #4

That one was cool.
So far im really liking these Hawkgirl issues.
Neatly written with nice art and a very good vibe.
Not much to them else, just fun comics.
And the Covers are on a regular base really cool.
Mainly the normal covers I mean.
The usual neat variants, but I honestly like the Regular Covers constantly a ton.

Nightwing#107

Swashbuckling adventure?
Im not sure If I like that.
Definitely interesting idea and stuff, but I want more of the early Nightwing comics of this run.

Also the flashback to one of the darkest times for Nightwing fans…wasn’t really needed.
Other than that, I will have to wait and see.
It’s a bit sad how Nightwing isn’t my top series anymore, I kind of miss this time.
But maybe after 100 Issues its only normal to lose a bit interest.
I don’t know.
Im still liking it, the art is neat and all…but it just doesn’t hit as hard as it did.

The Main Cover fits the story, but it’s a bit goofy to me.
I prefer Dan Moras.


Superman #7

For half the issue I was going “Wait What?” in a good way.
Like, the stuff that they throw us here is so unexpected in a good way.
That was a lot of fun.
Visual the issue was fun too.
Not just color and art, also the layout and stuff.
And then you have the covers…oh man are these great.
Its an Anniversary Issue so of course they go big with the covers.

The Regular one is so neat, but also David Finchs or Greg Capullos…god do I miss Greg Capullos art on Batman.
But Gerald Parels is also incredible…absolutely stunning.

A good DC comics week.
I was thinking about reading the Justice League/Godzilla/King Kong thing, but I feel it could be relative empty and so far the preview pages etc didn’t look all that interesting.
There is a Jay Garrick comic out, but I will wait on that till I got few more opinions on that.
Would absolutely love a Jay Garrick long running solo however.

 

[flickchick85]

OMG FINALLY!!!!

One of the most underrated Superman runs out there, imo. While Waid, King, and Morrison have written my favorite Supes stories, Busiek takes the crown for my favorite Superman characterization. His Clark Kent is just...*chef's kiss* Not even mad I'll be double-dipping with the Camelot Falls Deluxe Edition I just got earlier this year.

EDIT: whoa, Amazon links embed funny now lol.

 

[Babillygunn]

OMG FINALLY!!!!

One of the most underrated Superman runs out there, imo. While Waid, King, and Morrison have written my favorite Supes stories, Busiek takes the crown for my favorite Superman characterization. His Clark Kent is just...*chef's kiss* Not even mad I'll be double-dipping with the Camelot Fall Deluxe Edition I just got earlier this year.

EDIT: whoa, Amazon links embed funny now lol.

I’m officially envious. I too find Busiek‘s run to be supremely underrated.

I am curious, what do you think of Elliot Maggin’s run?

 

[flickchick85]

I’m officially envious. I too find Busiek‘s run to be supremely underrated.

I am curious, what do you think of Elliot Maggin’s run?

I have actually never read it! All I've read from Maggin is Miracle Monday, which is not a favorite, but I generally liked it. The Silver-Bronze age is my least favorite period of comics, particularly that era's take on Superman, so there's a lot there I've never gotten to, tbh. I need to read Maggin's run, though. Have only heard good things.

 

[Babillygunn]

I have actually never read it! All I've read from Maggin is Miracle Monday, which is not a favorite, but I generally liked it. The Silver-Bronze age is my least favorite period of comics, particularly that era's take on Superman, so there's a lot there I've never gotten to, tbh. I need to read Maggin's run, though. Have only heard good things.

Bronze Age is my favorite period of comics, but I agree that it wasn’t necessarily the best for Superman. But I really like what I’ve read from Maggin. And Mark Waid says that he is his all time favorite Superman writer. So I am in the process of checking out more of his stuff.

 

[Mani-Man]

OMG FINALLY!!!!

One of the most underrated Superman runs out there, imo. While Waid, King, and Morrison have written my favorite Supes stories, Busiek takes the crown for my favorite Superman characterization. His Clark Kent is just...*chef's kiss* Not even mad I'll be double-dipping with the Camelot Fall Deluxe Edition I just got earlier this year.

EDIT: whoa, Amazon links embed funny now lol.

Never heard about this run but you make me curious now about it.

Possibly the biggest Comic Book week of the year.

Action Comics #1058

That main arc is really really good.
Im liking this a ton.
Art top notch too, im happy with this Run so far.
But the backup issues are very good too…especially the Supertwins one.

That was cute.

As for Covers…I love the Regular one the most.

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1

That one was really good.
The art was great and the writing was really strong imo.
A fun read where you can tell Sheridan put a lot of heart into.
Really nice.

Main Cover here is too my favorite.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6

Again they put a pause in here for the Joker story…and it hurts the story a ton.
The book is fine but the main appeal was the whole Joker story here…and again we didn’t get it.
Such things can ruin a good story.
Other than that, there is not much else to say.
Its fine and the main cover is neat.

Detective Comics #1075

Ram V continues to deliver in terms of writing…really strong.
But the art stumbles at times a ton and hurts the story a bit.
Not everywhere, but often enough to notice it.
There are fantastic panels and then there are panels that lack detail.

The Regular cover is very cool.
I would also say Kelley Jones but from what I have heard, he slowly moves towards Comicsgate and I don’t want to praise or support any Comicsgate person, no matter how talented.
Comicsgate is a hate group and deserves nothing.
So I would say Sebastian Fiumara is my favorite variant cover.

The Flash #2

Puh, the Panel layout at times is very confusing, especially in a comic that is so vibrant and full of life on its panels.
So the way the Panels are layed out, at times makes it hard on my eyes.
Still, the art is really good and full of life like i said.
The writing is good, im liking where we go with this so far.
So, im happy with this one.

Gabriel Dell Ottos cover as usual incredible…but I prefer honestly the regular one.
That is cool.

Green Arrow #5

That one was cool but im staring at the 8 issue run and worry because we only have 3 issues left after this.
It could run a bit faster for my taste, but then you don’t want a rushed comic story.
The art is good and the writing fantastic.
I don’t know about the sales but I hope you all buy it too.
We need a Green Arrow solo after this.

And if you can…for the love of God get Francesco Marttinas Variant cover.
That one is so incredible.

The Penguin #3

Wow, this is shaping up so well…what an incredible 3 issue run so far.

3 incredible strong Issues and im really hooked on this.
Good art but it’s the Writing that delivers all the punches in the right places.
So much fun and it shows why Penguin is one underrated Batman character.

Here too, if you can…get Gabriel Dell Ottos Cover…its stunning.

Power Girl #2

Fun issue.
Liked the art and the writing with good characterization.
They managed to get me interested and built up on that with issue 2…so a success in my eyes.

Main Cover is it for this…that one rocks.

But here is the Big one

Wonder Woman #2

Man, where was this Tom King when he got to write Batman?
Incredible writing and even greater Art.
This is so good and I like how King builds here, how he writes Diana.
Also plus points for writing Steve Trevor as boring as he is.
Everything that makes the character more unlikeable, gets points…I cant stand Steve Trevor.
Kill him off and bring back Alfred, I would be super glad…lets trade on this front.

Anyway, yeah im really liking the arc so far…it’s a super neat arc so far and I like how it shows quite good that WW is part of the Trinity for a reason.
“WW tearing apart a whole army” sounded on paper cool and they delivered.

Really really good Issue that will help reminding people who Diana is.

Covers you cant go wrong either way, but the Regular one is just too cool.

A big week, a lot to read and enjoy.
Super happy with the week in general, lot of stuff moving into good directions for the rest of the year.

 

[Karelia]

Green Lantern #4 (2023)

Really liked seeing Barry & Hal being buddies in this. Art continues to be superb. Honestly, really loving what Jeremy Adams is doing with GL so far.

Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong #1

A little bit of a slow start, but I'll be sticking with this one, but the art is fantastic in this as well.

 

[Mani-Man]

A Small and rough comics week for me.

Detective Comics #1076

Can we please stop revolving everything around Selina when we have a more capable huge Family for Bruce right there to use?
You know, we could have used Jason for this…Tim, Dick…Damian…Cassandra.
Why do we need for this plot Selina?

Anyway, the plot outside of that is still so very good.
The Vibe and all Ram V brings…is still super cool.
And what this issue builds towards, is exciting.

As for Covers, they are all good…but Evan Cagle continues the of streak making incredible good covers.
These Detective Comics covers have such a cool vibe and style.

Batman / Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1

DC, please for the love of god stop with big events that get diluted and ruin cool names.
Gotham War is such a cool name for a event, like shadow war.
But again a absolutely lackluster event that ends awful and doesn’t do its name justice.

It doesn’t help at all to just spread an arc out to several writers and stuff.
To the issue itself.

Maybe I exaggerate at the moment, but this was possibly the worst Issue I read all year.

Absolutely awful written Character wise.
Rushed plot after a weak reveal…nothing here saves the arc or the issue even.
Again Catwoman is written in this very annoying manner where she talks down to Bruce constantly.
Its all so bad cliché writing and doesn’t sound at all how characters would talk.

Jason gets the short end of the stick as usual, the batfamily is doing the usual stuff with the usual boring dialogue.
The end is another “I have to do this alone” from Bruce.
Awful, just awful.

A cool villain team up wasted, batfamily wasted, gotham war wasted, vandal savage wasted and the whole Zur-En-Arrh arc hurt significant with this.

What is going on here? This is not even close to being Zdarskys best.

He did so much better with Failsafe…what happened?
This all lacks direction and voice.
I really don’t know where this all ends up with and I worry.
My trust in Zdarsky can only take so much and the really weak Gotham War didn’t help really.

The Covers are all great but I like Simone Bianchis the most.

A Batman focused week for me that disappoints…is not what I had on my bingo card for this year.
But there will be better times again.
1 weak week in a sea of good weeks, is fine.

 

[CrimsonMist]

What a month it's been! Between being sick at the top half of October, and then getting inundated with work, I was only recently finally able to completely read the stack of comics I'd been amassing since the end of September. Lots to catch up on!

World's Finest #19 & 20: Thought the story arc that concluded in #19 was pretty disposable. Waid is a better writer than that. It felt so rote and by-the-numbers. The original origin of the Superman/Batman team is a classic. Stick to that. #20 was an interesting set-up. I'm curious to see how Waid delves into the pre-history of Kingdom Come. Not much meat on the bone right now, but I'm game for the story at the moment. It'd be cool to see Alex Ross do a cover or two for the arc, but apparently he's on the outs with DC, making some cool covers instead for Marvel.

The Flash #1 & 2: This book is GREAT! I'm digging the tone Spurrier is bringing to the table. He captures Wally's personality perfectly. I like the scaled back, a little bit more realistic approach to the storytelling than Adams' more cartoony style, but that's cosmetic. The cosmic horror angle is great, and suitably creepy. The appearance of The Stillness was actually pretty comical, while also being infinitely terrifying. Imagine meeting beings who exist in a dimension outside time and space...and they're condescending. I found that rather unsettling. We're two issues deep. I'm not going anywhere. I'm in it for the long haul.

Detective Comics #1074-1076. Gotta say that I'm really loving how DC is giving Ram V and Daniel Watters their own little Bat-Corner to play around in. I have no idea what the hell is happening in this story arc, despite it reading better in one sitting than it does month to month. All I know is that I love how evocative and purple the writing is. The 10-Eyed Man short by Watters in #1074 was wonderful. Liam Sharp's artwork in #1076 was more Bisley than Sienkiewicz, but who actually wants to complain about that? The short story at the end of 1076, written and drawn by Ram V sets up some pretty huge ramifications for the story, blowing it up even more. More players enter the fray and the return of this character is going to be pretty cool. I bought the Kelley Jones cover before I read Mani-Man's post about him being chummy with Comicsgate and was pretty disappointed to find that out. That sucks. Truly.

The Sandman #1. Glad I got around to this. @Mani-Man, you definitely don't need to read anything prior to this. It doesn't hinge on any knowledge you'd need to know beyond what appears on the page here. That said, mention of The Tarantula is a reference to the first Sandman Mystery Theatre arc, and as per Sandman Mystery Theatre, Wesley and Rex Tyler already know each other, and their masked identities. Wesley also knows Ted Knight and in 1940, would likely know he's Starman, so Wesley's dream about a multicolored team of unknown masked avengers doesn't quite line up in a book that seems to try very hard to do just that. Dian would also be readily assisting him in a Kano-style outfit, ala Green Hornet if Matt Wagner's Madame Xanadu is anything to go by. But here I'm just being a nerd. Regardless, I found the book enjoyable. It's very much just a PG-13 version of the hard R Sandman Mystery Theatre. Reading any of those SMT issues would only reveal the formula that Venditti is using. I'm down for the next issue!

Unnatural Order #1. My comic shop gave me this one as a freebie. An interesting period piece that takes place in an alternate history Roman occupied Britain in the BC times. Some evil druid wizard is unleashing hordes of evil over the world and a rag tag group of Pagans, Vikings and Romans have to team up to find the one person that can defeat the evil druid: A soldier from the future whose presence indicates that the world is not what it should be. Honestly, as interesting as it was, the twist turned me off. The whole thing also felt like a failed TV pilot, from the one-note and generic ragtag group of heroes and their generic, to-be-expected banter to the twist at the end. I'll be passing on the rest of this series.

Giant Robot Hellboy #1. Giant. Robot. Hellboy. Mignola and Duncan Fegredo. Need I say more? I do? Hellboy controlling a giant Mecha Hellboy fighting giant monsters. 'Nuf said!

Miracleman: The Silver Age #6. I'm not sure how I feel about this book anymore. I'm glad we're getting it after an almost 30 year wait (for those old enough to have been reading the book under Eclipse...I've just been waiting 10 of those lol). But the constant delays take all the momentum out of it, and the fact that Marvel, Gaiman and Buckingham seemingly have no interest in promoting it, making it the big deal it SHOULD be, compounds that frustration. We get the sordid backstory of Dicky Dauntless, which echos and shows in stark detail the similar origin of Mickey Moran in the Moore issues. There's one more issue to go. As of last week it was supposed to be out in December. It's now been pushed back to January. This series was supposed to conclude this past summer. Plans for Miracleman: The Dark Ages, the third and final act of Gaiman's run on the book, feels ever further away.

Wolverine vs Predator #1 & 2. Need I say more? This book was so freakin' good. It shouldn't be, but it is. Wolverine fighting one predator at three different points in his life is as whacky a concept as it gets, but it's so perfect. Check this one out!

Dracula #1. I'm usually not a Tynion guy. This book doesn't change my mind. Being a Dracula geek, I had no choice but to check it out. The writing is "eh" and the artwork feels highly derivative of 80's Bill Sienkiewicz. Take a look at Elektra: Assassin and then take a look at this. It's moody and atmospheric, but all I see is Sienkiewicz.

Birds of Prey #2. This has got to be a sleeper hit for DC. This book is so good. Thompson's writing and Romero's art just harmonize together. I feel like the inclusion of Harley Quinn on the team probably curtailed interest for a lot of people, me being one of them. But i bought the book anyway, and she's fine in it. One of the better parts of it, actually. Really, don't sleep on this one. If you had doubts, PICK UP THE BOOK ANYWAY!

Conan #3 and 4. The Titan-licensed Conan book continues to only get better and better. The art work, the color, the writing. It's all tops. Issue #4 had a cameo appearance by Brule The Spear-Slayer, King Kull's right hand man. This book, more than anything Marvel gave us in their second, more recent bout with the character, is giving me so much of what I wanted. Solid art. Solid writing. Violence. No ties to a larger superhero-occupied universe. It's wonderful.

Batman: Brave & The Bold #5. The irregular shipping schedule for the King/Gerads Joker story is a little annoying, but the joy has been watching Gerads expand his abilities as an artist. What I’ve appreciated over time is how the original story of Joker announcing his victims over the radio and then following through on the murder, doesn’t even really form a solid structure of this story. In fact, it’s more of an inciting incident, with a larger, nefarious game at the center of it. I mentioned this about the previous chapter, but I also love how the Joker’s dialogue is told in silent movie-style text panels, as if his words are too evil to “speak” aloud. Due to the shipping schedule, I’ve only been buying for this story, but Issue 6 or 7 sees the start of an Aquaman story written and illustrated by Gabriel Hardman that I’m all about, and I believe it intersects with issue 9, which concludes The Winning Card.

Danger Street #10. Back to our regularly scheduled programming. Nothing to write home about, just yet, as we enter the final two issues of what has been Tom King’s strangest, and arguably funnest, maxi series yet. I’d love to see King and Fornes tackle another story about the New Gods.

The Penguin #2-3. This series has been pretty brutal. I’m not sure I see it going past 12 issues, so I hope King accounted for that for the first arc or so. But these two issues are just brutal, especially 2. I’ve never been too big a fan of the Penguin. While the gangster approach has been the norm for decades now, it’s never really been explored before so far as I know. Making Oswald a methodical tactician reminds me of the John Dryden quote: “Beware the fury of a patient man.” This can only get better. Unless Bat-Editorial completely derails it.

Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #1. Not sure how I feel about this. On on the one hand, I LOVE the art. Rafael Grampa has been a long-time favorite artist of mine so seeing him cut loose is great. I love the design of the bat-suit, and his take on the bat mobile is great. He’s made all sorts of logical upgrades to Batman’s tech that never feel out of place. My problem is the writing. It tries VERY hard to be Frank Miller, and not always in a good way. The villain is very cool though, and I’m happy it’s not another Batman/Joker story or some rip off of Batman: Prey like Batman: Imposter was. I’ll pick up #2 when it drops.

Immortal Thor #2-3. Ewing is bringing the A-Game here. The writing here is very elevated and lyrical. If Ewing can steer this book as well as he did Immortal Hulk, editorial-willing, this could be a very special book. Hopefully the sales support a lengthy, 50-some odd issue run.

Action Comics #1057-1058. This new arc, already off to a better start than the previous Metallo arc, sees Philip Kennedy Johnson pick up the plot threads left dangling in the Batman/Authority Special from January of last year. It’ll sound negative, but it’s another story of a mysterious new threat questioning Metropolis’ need for Superman. It kinda feels like a typical Luthor story. We know how it’s gonna end. While future solicits kinda spoiled the revelation of the villain already, it also tantalizes a couple of team-ups that I’m anxious to read. It’s unfortunate that this arc concludes PKJ’s run on the title, considering the mammoth plot threads dangling at the end of Warworld but it sounds like those threads will be picked up in other books he’ll be writing. I haven’t picked it up yet but is his Green Lantern any good?

Wonder Woman #2. The best for last. One of Tom King’s specialties is dueling narratives within a single issue. He excels at these, and this issue is no exception to that. Playing up the idea that a new reader has no idea who Wonder Woman really is, King sums it all up in one issue. Diana doesn’t give up, she fights for peace, however reluctantly and necessary it may be. She does not stand down to injustice and woe be unto anyone who dare try to knock her down. The splash page of Wonder Woman smacking one tank with another is divine. The final page’s cliffhanger is pretty huge, and adds a very personal stake to the story. The politics take a back seat to the action in this issue, which is totally fine, but considering how “go for the throat” it was in the first issue but I hope to see more of it. Overall though…King is delivering the goods. It’s been a LOOOOONG time since anyone has.

 

[DeadlyWest]

Remember when i said the Gotham War stuff just seemed like a worse version of Bruce Wayne:Fugitive?



Yeah

 

[Mani-Man]

Strong Comics Week this time

Batman #139

Far Stronger than Gotham War already.
A very strong start to this Joker vs Batman battle.
But we still go with the 3 jokers thing? Really?
Why?
Like for what reason? The Three Jokers story was already pretty lackluster.
Why bring this to the main canon?
It takes away from the uniqueness of the Relationship if we go with 3 Jokers.
I kind of like that Joker knows Bruce’s identity and toys with him using it.
Gives this a much more personal vibe.
But at the same time im just a huge fan of this whole “Joker doesn’t care who is beyond the mask” thing.
It makes Joker so special since he is the only one who has no interest in knowing.

Also, the Zur-en-Aarh part is really good again.
Gotham War feels with this Issue so disjointed to the rest of Zdarskys run so far.
Even this issue feels more like what was going on before Gotham War.
I could see people exclude Gotham War from Zdarskys run once its over.
It feels disjointed.
Especially if the end of the story is Bruce realizing that he isn’t alone etc.
Then we come back to the same point where Tom King once was, where he had Bruce throw aside the batfamily, just in the end to embrace family.
And you have to go that direction, Gotham War built that up with Tim and Dick etc noticing Bruce isn’t himself and that Zur-En-Aarh takes slowly over.
You have to involve them here in this, especially Tim since the story started with him and all that.

Visual it was a good issue...happens always with Jorge Jimenez.
Jimenez with a cool joker design and that final shot with all the Batmans as Zur-en-Aarh is awesome.

As for Covers...hard to say honestly.
I love the Regular one, but Mike Deodato, Gabriele dell otto and Dustin Nguyen rock too.

Birds of Prey #3

I love the 180 change man have made with this Comic since issue 1.
So many doubted this and now it is such a beloved comic 3 issues in.
And this issue keeps going.
So incredible well paced, the dialogue flows so well and works.
Barda above all is my favorite, the way she is written is a ton of fun.
And that final Panel with Wonder Woman is so powerful and all.
Not a fan that Oliver is yet again a punching bag…but I get it.

Covers, I like the Main one the most.

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #12

The Final issue of this insane chaos of a run.
What a joy these 12 issues were.
Complete insanity, I loved it.
Not liking how Red Hood was used in this, but the rest was so wild.
A lot is thanks to Carmine Di Giandomenicos art…that one was absolutely good and had a lot of character.
But the writing was also strong.
Matthew Rosenberg managed to find a good rhythm for the way the Joker speaks and never made him sound too goofy.
A very strong 12 issue run I will collect if DC gives me a collection.

The Regular cover isn’t as chaotic as I would have liked for the last one, but its fine.
Ben Oliver and Christian Wards covers are cool too.
Unfortunately DC hired Otto Schmidt for a cover which looks good.
But please don’t buy that, Otto Schmidt hasn’t done anything to deserve a Redemption arc.

Shazam #5

Dan Mora and Mark Waid again hitting a Homerun with this.
You should absolutely read this run, get these 5 issues…they are incredible.
And that Cliffhanger…boy, I cant wait for issue 6.
That is really all that is there to say, you should read it for yourself.
On this I love all the covers, so you cant go wrong with any of them.

A fun week of DC comics, really fun read overall.

 

[Babillygunn]

Batman #139

Far Stronger than Gotham War already.
A very strong start to this Joker vs Batman battle.
But we still go with the 3 jokers thing? Really?
Why?
Like for what reason? The Three Jokers story was already pretty lackluster.
Why bring this to the main canon?
It takes away from the uniqueness of the Relationship if we go with 3 Jokers.
I kind of like that Joker knows Bruce’s identity and toys with him using it.
Gives this a much more personal vibe.
But at the same time im just a huge fan of this whole “Joker doesn’t care who is beyond the mask” thing.
It makes Joker so special since he is the only one who has no interest in knowing.

Also, the Zur-en-Aarh part is really good again.
Gotham War feels with this Issue so disjointed to the rest of Zdarskys run so far.
Even this issue feels more like what was going on before Gotham War.
I could see people exclude Gotham War from Zdarskys run once its over.
It feels disjointed.
Especially if the end of the story is Bruce realizing that he isn’t alone etc.
Then we come back to the same point where Tom King once was, where he had Bruce throw aside the batfamily, just in the end to embrace family.
And you have to go that direction, Gotham War built that up with Tim and Dick etc noticing Bruce isn’t himself and that Zur-En-Aarh takes slowly over.
You have to involve them here in this, especially Tim since the story started with him and all that.

Visual it was a good issue...happens always with Jorge Jimenez.
Jimenez with a cool joker design and that final shot with all the Batmans as Zur-en-Aarh is awesome.

As for Covers...hard to say honestly.
I love the Regular one, but Mike Deodato, Gabriele dell otto and Dustin Nguyen rock too.

I really appreciate how protective you are of the Bat Family. I am right there with you in that I love the family. I strongly disagree with those who say that Batman is better as solo character. The family is vital to the character.

That said, I feel like that’s the whole point of Gotham War. Zur En Aarh recognizes that the family is his biggest threat and is fighting the war in Bruce’s mind to distance him from the family. You see this all the way back in Failsafe when Bruce yells to Zur that Tim isn’t his soldier, he is his son. I think the point of Zdarsky’s whole story is that the family is essential for Batman. He cannot do it alone. This is a spiritual successor to A Lonely Place of Dying, which is one of my favorite Batman stories (maybe second only to the Demon Trilogy).

The biggest problem with Gotham War may be that Bruce is probably right about Selina’s plan being unethical.

In the end, it is an interesting story with tons of potential, but it is ultimately pretty flawed.

 

[Mani-Man]

I really appreciate how protective you are of the Bat Family. I am right there with you in that I love the family. I strongly disagree with those who say that Batman is better as solo character. The family is vital to the character.

That said, I feel like that’s the whole point of Gotham War. Zur En Aarh recognizes that the family is his biggest threat and is fighting the war in Bruce’s mind to distance him from the family. You see this all the way back in Failsafe when Bruce yells to Zur that Tim isn’t his soldier, he is his son. I think the point of Zdarsky’s whole story is that the family is essential for Batman. He cannot do it alone. This is a spiritual successor to A Lonely Place of Dying, which is one of my favorite Batman stories (maybe second only to the Demon Trilogy).

The biggest problem with Gotham War may be that Bruce is probably right about Selina’s plan being unethical.

In the end, it is an interesting story with tons of potential, but it is ultimately pretty flawed.

There is enough Room for Batman on solo missions and Batman with the Family.
We shouldnt have to sacrifice one for the other, especially when that often involves Batman abandoning his family or fighting them.

The more i think about it, the more i guess my problem with Gotham War mainly is that it feels disjointed because it focuses less on the POV where we see Zur-En-Aarh directly being in Bruce's ear.
It focuses more on how he already has affected him and whats the result of that.
Maybe that is my problem with it.

I do think the Gotham War had a lot of potential to work because you could have tackled the crime problem in Gotham very well and evolved Selinas character in the process who is more open to Crime than anything.
This story could have shifted that and really turned her into a new direction with her realizing that in the end her plan was just hurting the good people in gotham the most.
In the end she didnt care who she hurt and its again a thing to me where i can not support her in the Batfamily etc.

I truly hope Zdarskys run will give proper focus on the family and them saving Bruce in the end.
That would be absolutely fantastic.

 

[Babillygunn]

Anyone else reading Christian Ward’s Batman: City of Madness?

 

[Mani-Man]

Anyone else reading Christian Ward’s Batman: City of Madness?

Read issue 1...it was really neat.
Visual super cool.


Comics Week…yeah.

Detective Comics #1077

So, Batman is captured and about to be Hanged.
Oh boy does he need to be saved.
Good thing he has a huge Family with super Trained people and stuff right?
Oh no, you see…it must be Catwoman who saves Bruce again.
Why? Because of Batcat of course.
Who cares about his Family, his sons and daughter when we can force again a romance onto readers that is as shallow as it gets.

You can probably guess what I think about this Issue by now.
Not a huge fan of it.
Don’t get me wrong, its not even that bad of a team up and all.
My problem is that again DC is not doing anything with the huge Family Bruce has.
I wouldn’t be against something like this if DC would have done a good job with handling the Batfamily.
But they haven’t.
So such storylines etc really bother me.
You give us a “Batman must be saved” story, but ignore 80% of his family just to shove Batcat again front and center.
That sucks.
Like, I know im beating the dead horse and people get tired of me constantly bringing up the Batfamily…but it is just so much potential DC keeps ignoring.

Other than that, eh the issue is fine.
The storyline is cool and I like it.
I really enjoy the flow Ram V manages to create here.
The way his writing moves the issue is something you don’t really notice until you reach the end of the issue and wonder where the time was going.
It is one of those things people don’t often praise but can give a issue so much.
A writing that just has a very pleasant flow that just feels great.

As usual, the Regular Cover is really cool.


Batman and Robin #3

Fun, that is how I would describe this book.
The art and writing…its just a fun read.
It does everything right here and that is just very enjoyable.

David Finch and Kael Ngu have cool covers, but the Regular one fits the best.
Even though I find I a bit too busy for my liking.
You cant focus on anything on the cover…but I still think it fits the vibe and all the best.

Green Lantern #5

Again a Fun read with a lot of Green Lantern action going on.
I liked the movement of the Issue and the action a lot.
Im not a regular Green Lantern reader so I don’t know if the story is something new or different…but it feels like this is what to me as Batman fan a Batman vs Joker is.
A simple storyline that ends with good old Batman vs Joker one on one.
I like it, its fun.

As for Covers, I like the Regular one the most…but Green Lantern covers have something in general.
I guess it’s the Bright Green color of them.
So you cant go wrong either way.

3 good books with one sadly being in the crosshair of my fight against DC who for some reason would rather have Batman being helped by the most out of the blue characters, than his own family.

 

[Mani-Man]

Comics week…Not the last one in November for me since I will read them Thursday, so next week will be on the final day of November.

Anyway.

Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest #21

Oh man, this keeps its level and just is a ton of fun.
Be it writing or Art…especially seeing Kingdom Come Superman/Batman in this art style…is so cool.
Very cool all around.
As for Covers…I love the Regular one the most.

Hawkgirl #5

That one keeps its level and is truly entertaining.
I like these 5 issues so far a lot and I think the book deserves more attention.
Really fun read, good flowing art…its good.

I like the Regular cover so go with that.

Nightwing #108

A very weird Issue.
The art and vibe is throwing me off a bit.
The whole Swashbuckling thing I just not my kind of thing and feels kind of awkward to me.
Not a huge fan of that Arc but I said so before.
Also not a huge fan of the Main Cover…but the others are super neat.

Superman #8

Williams continues on a high level for Superman.
This issue is no different.
Very well written and that ending…boy im so looking forward already to the next issue.
The best thing a writer can do, is create a issue where you end on this feeling.
The feeling of wanting to know how the story continues.
Absolute fantastic work here.
On this I yet again like the Regular cover the most…it looks very good.

Wonder Woman #3

Yet again a fantastic WW issue by Tom King.
Very strong writing that elevates Diana so much…very cool to see.
But the art also helps a ton.
Daniel Sampere managed to draw a Wonder Woman that fits this kind of writing and makes her look absolutely perfect for this story.
Fanastic work so far, im very glad with how this run began so far.

You can go with any of the Covers but the Regular one works best for me.


A great comic book week.
There was a Batman story too but honestly, im not interested in the Premise.
Not feeling it, so im not picking it up at the moment.
Next week will be super busy, I think 9 comics is what I will pick up.
Should be fun.

 

[DeadlyWest]

Halfway through Tec #1078

Somebody at DC needs to pay Ram V a lifetime salary to just keep writing Batman.

I'm dead serious. This is some of the best Batman writing I've seen in 20 years.

 

[Babillygunn]

Halfway through Tec #1078

Somebody at DC needs to pay Ram V a lifetime salary to just keep writing Batman.

I'm dead serious. This is some of the best Batman writing I've seen in 20 years.

This is so interesting. You and @Mani-Man love Ram V’s Detective run, but ironically, this has been the first time in probably 15 years that I have dropped reading that comic. I really dislike his stories and the pace that he tells the stories at.

Obviously, it’s different strokes for different folks. But I’m counting down the days till he drops off the title.

(I’m glad you like it though)

 

[Babillygunn]

I finally read The Return of Barry Allen. It just solidifies that Mark Waid is an absolute master of his craft. I’d say that it is the best Flash comic that I’ve ever read. It was so cinematic in its approach.

What an amazing work.

 

[DeadlyWest]

This is so interesting. You and @Mani-Man love Ram V’s Detective run, but ironically, this has been the first time in probably 15 years that I have dropped reading that comic. I really dislike his stories and the pace that he tells the stories at.

Obviously, it’s different strokes for different folks. But I’m counting down the days till he drops off the title.

(I’m glad you like it though)

Your mileage may vary, I suppose. But like (Tec 1078 panel)

Spoiler

I will HAPPILY take a slower pace if it means we can get writing that's this cold. After years of Tom King, this is like water after 3 days in the Sahara.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Your mileage may vary, I suppose. But like (Tec 1078 panel)

Spoiler

View attachment 74300View attachment 74301View attachment 74302View attachment 74303

I will HAPPILY take a slower pace if it means we can get writing that's this cold. After years of Tom King, this is like water after 3 days in the Sahara.

Batman looking very Keaton-like in that bottom left panel.

 

[Babillygunn]

Your mileage may vary, I suppose. But like (Tec 1078 panel)

Spoiler

View attachment 74300View attachment 74301View attachment 74302View attachment 74303

I will HAPPILY take a slower pace if it means we can get writing that's this cold. After years of Tom King, this is like water after 3 days in the Sahara.

Ha. I readily admit that it isn’t his strongest work, but there was a lot that I loved about King’s Batman run. Cold Days and I am Gotham were two great stories. And I loved the Superfriends issue.

But like I said, different strokes for different folks. Glad you like it. But I’d be depressed if they gave Ram V a lifetime contract!

 

[DeadlyWest]

Ha. I readily admit that it isn’t his strongest work, but there was a lot that I loved about King’s Batman run. Cold Days and I am Gotham were two great stories. And I loved the Superfriends issue.

But like I said, different strokes for different folks. Glad you like it. But I’d be depressed if they gave Ram V a lifetime contract!

Yeah, I've never really hated the overall stories that King has told but just...

I'm sorry but his dialogue for every character feels, uh, very neurodivergent

Which does legitimately work for, say, Batman. Not so much everybody that is in the comic

 

[flickchick85]

There is not a single writer I could say I’d want on a lifetime contract on Batman lol. I liked portions of Kings run a lot, but I think he was on the title too long. I liked maybe 1 or 2 volumes of Snyder’s run before I was over it. My favorite runs came from Morrison and Rucka/Brubaker, but even then, when they were done, I felt like it was time for new blood. Neal Adam’s/Denny O’Neal were good reads from what portions I have read of them but I also feel like they would’ve gotten a bit stale after a while. I’ve never read any of Ram V’s run but just based on those out-of-context excerpts above, I don’t think he’d be my cup o’tea at all.

I’ll just say I’m very glad the big characters have an ever-rotating roster of writers. There are Superman runs that I wish would’ve gone on longer, but Batman, not so much. Maybe it’s just my lesser interest in the character influencing that, idk.

 

[Mani-Man]

Ha. I readily admit that it isn’t his strongest work, but there was a lot that I loved about King’s Batman run. Cold Days and I am Gotham were two great stories. And I loved the Superfriends issue.

But like I said, different strokes for different folks. Glad you like it. But I’d be depressed if they gave Ram V a lifetime contract!

The basics of Kings run werent the worst...a lot of interesting arcs on paper, its the execution that falls apart to me.
But it goes to show how much variety we get.
You dont like Ram Vs Detective comics run? That is fine, there are other Detective Comics runs.
Its what i love so much about Comics that Manga or so doesnt have.

On these im pretty much done if i dont like the Style of the creator.
With comics, i can just choose a different persons run for this character.

There is not a single writer I could say I’d want on a lifetime contract on Batman lol. I liked portions of Kings run a lot, but I think he was on the title too long. I liked maybe 1 or 2 volumes of Snyder’s run before I was over it. My favorite runs came from Morrison and Rucka/Brubaker, but even then, when they were done, I felt like it was time for new blood. Neal Adam’s/Denny O’Neal were good reads from what portions I have read of them but I also feel like they would’ve gotten a bit stale after a while. I’ve never read any of Ram V’s run but just based on those out-of-context excerpts above, I don’t think he’d be my cup o’tea at all.

I’ll just say I’m very glad the big characters have an ever-rotating roster of writers. There are Superman runs that I wish would’ve gone on longer, but Batman, not so much. Maybe it’s just my lesser interest in the character influencing that, idk.

Yeah, i agree.
As much as i like certain runs and writers, a lifetime contract is too much.
I can not imagine the same person writing batman for 20+ or so years without a break.
One thing i love about comics is this change of teams and that it gives us unlimited potential.
Im fine with long runs, but 10-15 volumes of a run is more than enough for me.

So, my final comic book week of November…and we end on a super high note.


Action Comics #1059

Boy that plot twist…I didn’t not see that coming.
Its such a good Arc and they lifted it even higher with this issue.
Very cool and im super excited for it.
There is often a lot of potential in stories that tackle how humans deal with Aliens and these Metahumans etc.
Im liking the art and writing, so no complaints from me.

As for Covers…im not a fan of the Regular one, something about the pose, the body proportions and Supermans face looks strange.
But also, when you get Jorge Jimenez on a superman cover…get this.
You can feel the love he has for the character whenever he gets to draw anything Superman related.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #7

Again we don’t get the Joker story here, so this keeps feeling weird.
Don’t get me wrong, Im a fan of Anthology books, but this one is all over the place constantly and was mainly promoted with the whole Joker story.
So having most of these 7 issues not have this, is just wild.
Having said that, I liked the Pygmalion story a lot.
The writing her for Bruce was really neatly done.
A fun read.
The Wild dog story was neat too.
The Wager also was cool…so the only one I didn’t really like was the Aquaman one sadly.
The Main Cover is the best, so go with that if you pick this up.


Batman '89: Echoes #1

That was a good start.
The art is good but still not what Im hoping when I think of the Burtonverse.
It is not dark and gothic enough, but still good art.
Im having high hopes in this, there is still so much you can do with the Burtonverse.
So many characters not tackled, stories to go with etc.
We will see, im excited for Scarecrow and they already managed to make me want to see Hugo Strange too.
I hope this is not just them namedropping him.
Either way, cool read.

Covers…got with the Regular one, this is one of the coolest covers I saw this year.
But you cant go wrong either way because the Burtonverse Aesthetics are just on such a level where no matter who tackles them, they can make magic.
The overall look of Batman, the Batmobile etc…the way this stuff looks on a basic level is just too good.

Detective Comics #1078

God damn it Ram V…you masterful, beautiful man you.
What incredible writing he delivers.
And the Art helps sell this.
So incredible good.
I would criticize the plan he came up with for Selina, but I assume that Selina has another card to play.
Otherwise you make Selina look incredible dumb that she thought such a plan would work.
Yes I stand by it…get the Batfamily for such things and not Selina with a few randoms.
Like, stop devaluing the Batfamily for the love of god.
I mean yeah cool to see Azrael…but still.
Anyway…im super excited for what happens now
Such an incredible run…im absolutely happy with Ram Vs work here on Detective Comics.

On the Cover front, the main one is a bit weird imo.
I feel they missed an opportunity here with a stronger cover.
I prefer Jason Shawns cover.

The Flash #3

This keeps getting more fun.
Im liking how the visuals are done in this.
Its so unique and interesting, it’s a lot of fun going through the pages here to see how they frame everything.
And its never too distracting so that you lose track of momentum or so.
Writing is good too, im invested.
Fun stuff here.

Main Cover for me on this.

Green Arrow #6

Its good…but there is a weird vibe on this to be honest.
I cant put my finger on it but it just feels like something is off on this.
Maybe I expected more because of the hype and all, but somehow it doesn’t hit the high notes I expected.
There is this kind of slow pace that then suddenly goes super fast without doing too much at the same time.
Its not bad or so, don’t get me wrong.
Fun read, but feeling off.

As for Covers, Main one.

The Penguin #4

This is turning into what the Joker book was…crazy fun.
Absolutely fun issue just like the previous 3.
Top Writing and fitting art.
Such a fun book so far.
The Villain books this year have hit very high I must say.

Cover is whatever…I like the main one.
A very fun week to end the November.
Lets see the final month of the year, what DC pulls here.