What's your latest read?

The Batman Who Laughs limited series.

Now I was never a big fan of Snyder's Bruce stories. Matter of fact even though I did read Endgame I tapped out with his run halfway through Death of the Family. So I never read Metal nor do I ever care to. I picked this up because he said it would be a spiritual sequel to The Black Mirror which is still his best story in the batverse.

To be honest it feels more try-hard than that story ever did. A lot of it mostly in issue 3 and 4 feels somewhat contrived. But it's interesting enough that I'll see it through. I'm genuinely surprised by just how much I've actually enjoyed The Grim Knight. That sob means business.
 
Justice League #22

A must read for any fan of the 5th dimensional and multiversal aspects of the DCU.
 
Recently read the trade The Silencer: Vol 1 - Code of Honor (collects issues 1 - 6), another of the 'New Age of Heroes' titles that DC launched following the Metal event, and the second one I've read (I posted previously about The Unexpected: Call of the Unknown What's your latest read?).

I'd seen a lot of comments saying how Silencer is essentially a 'Punisher clone', but I didn't find that.

Not much is given away about Silencer's back-story here. Her real name may or may not be 'Honor Guest'; she was an elite assassin working for Talia al Ghul's 'Leviathan' organisation; she possesses the (so far) unexplained ability to project 'zones of silence', nullifying all sound within a specified area; and she really, really wants to lead a normal life. Six years ago Talia released her from Leviathan to do just that. She married, had a child, and everything seemed blissfully happy. Now, all of a sudden she's a target. Leviathan assassins are lining up to take her out, and she needs to find out why.

Silencer possesses awesome hand-to-hand and marksmanship skills, but also has some unbelievably cool tech, including the 'nanode' - a hand-held device that instantly reweaves any clothes she's wearing into a state-of-the-art battle suit (and - handily - back again), as well as manufacturing on-demand mission tools (knives, even grenades).

The art ranges from very good to excellent (I actually prefer Viktor Bogdanovic's work on the second half to that of John Romita Jr who got the series underway), whilst writer Dan Abnett does a great job of making Silencer an interesting and compelling character, and one completely credible as both loving wife and mother and majorly badass assassin.

On the minus side, despite this bearing the Dark Nights Metal cover tag there is no mention whatsoever of anything connected to the Metal event. Seriously, reading this you'd never know Metal happened. This story could have been written five years ago, and just dusted off now to release under the new banner. I keeping my fingers crossed that Metal connections surface in future issues.

Nevertheless, superbly-realised characters, great action, and an intriguing storyline had me enjoying this far more than I expected. The title's due to finish in June, but if the standard holds I'll be buying the remaining volumes.

8/10


Oh, and Deathstroke's in it :cwink:
 
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Just finished the trade of New Challengers (collects issues 1 - 6), which is the third DC 'New Age of Heroes' title I've read, after The Unexpected: Call of the Unknown, and The Silencer: Code of Honor (both reviewed above).

A mystery figure pulls together a new team of Challengers to take the place of the originals (current whereabouts unknown). However, the new members involuntary 'recruitment' has a twist (and this isn't a spoiler); they're each 'snatched' at the exact moment they die (by assorted, unconnected means). Given another chance at life - provided they do their mysterious benefactor's bidding - they embark on a series of missions aimed at the retrieval of certain artifacts/relics which when assembled will give access to tremendous power. The new team comprises Trina Alvarez (a herbalist who treats the sick poor in Gotham City), Moses Barber (computer hacker), Bethany Hopkins (former soldier), and Krunch (we never learn his real name - a petty criminal, more brawn than brain). Their adventures see them visiting various worlds, realms, and dimensions, and encountering some pretty interesting characters.

First thing, this book's connection to Dark Nights: Metal is front and centre. It's an integral part of the story, unlike say, The Silencer, which although a great read had no connection to Metal other than the tie-in tag on the cover. Here, that cover tag is fully justified. Secondly, the new Challengers themselves are a pretty interesting bunch. As the story unfolds we get flashbacks to each of their pasts, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The scope of the adventure stays true to the cosmic nature of Jack Kirby's original Challengers, and some of the creatures they meet along the way (undead barbarian warriors, riding prehistoric raptors?!) are really entertaining. The art, shared between Andy Kubert and V Ken Marion, is generally very good, although it does look a little cluttered at times (there's a lot going on in some panels), plus, the two female Challengers - Trina and Bethany - look a lot alike. Why they went for two such similar character designs I can't imagine. We end up having to rely on conveniently torn clothing or visible injuries to differentiate between them. Nevertheless, the various entities and locations 'pop' nicely from the page.

But, the writing... The series is credited to Scott Snyder and Aaron Gillespie, although I've seen it said online that (an extremely busy) Snyder only plotted, with the bulk of actual writing done by Gillespie, supposedly a student in a writer's workshop that Snyder ran and who impressed him so much that he got him a couple of writing jobs at DC. I don't know how true any of that is, but man is this story hard to follow at times. And it gets more confusing as it goes on, with the final issue/chapter containing so many "What??" moments that I started to resent the amount of time and effort I'd put into following it up to that point. I'm not saying Gillespie doesn't have a future writing comic books, but he needs some serious guidance.

New Challengers was cancelled after the six issues collected here, and I can see why. Some interesting characters and concepts with a lot of potential are completely wasted (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we see more of Moses and Bethany at some point). If there had been a volume 2 I wouldn't buy it.

6/10
 
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Recent DC comics stuff Ive been binge reading catching up on

The Forge
The Casting
Dark Knights Metal

Now I just started reading Justice League: No Justice and will be reading the new Justice League
 
Recently finished the trade The Immortal Men: The End of Forever (collects issues 1 - 6), my fourth DC 'New Age of Heroes' title.

There's a secret history to the DC universe. For millennia a battle has been waged between siblings the Immortal Man and the Infinite Woman over the destiny of mankind. As part of his efforts to win this war the Immortal Man has gifted part of his life-force to a group of metahumans from assorted eras in history, so that they might fight over as many centuries as it takes to win. This group is known as the Immortal Men. And all but four of them are dead.

Of all the NAoH titles this is probably the one where the concept appealed to me the most. I love stories that feature the history and/or continuity of the DCU as an 'in-universe' plot point. On top of that the characters are pretty cool. There's Stray, a humanoid cat-creature (courtesy of scientific experiments) who can transform into an even bigger humanoid cat-creature; Timber, a woman who can increase her size to over one hundred feet tall; Reload, who can fire the one bullet in each of his two guns an infinite number of times (something called 'time subtraction' that I'm still not sure on); and Ghost Fist, who in addition to his martial arts skills has the ability to draw energy from the air and discharge it from his fingertips as green lightning (which he can also use to teleport himself and others). There's also a teenage boy named Caden Park, who can 'read' people with a touch, and seems destined to play a significant role in the ongoing battle. Which is news to him.

It's a cool concept, and one which could have really been something. So it's sad that it's another let-down. The first half of the story has a lot going on, but it doesn't really go anywhere. We're introduced to the Immortal Man (no prizes for guessing who he is), the few remaining Immortal Men, and Caden Park; we meet the Infinite Woman, her 'attack dogs' Hunt (who reminds me more than a little of Marvel's Kraven the Hunter) and Kill, and her mindless foot-soldiers, the Bloodless. But it's like watching someone run on a treadmill; there's a lot of movement but not a lot of ground covered. Things start to get going in the second half, but as you approach the end of the book you realise that although the creators had obviously had word they were getting cancelled they made no attempt to resolve anything. It ends on a teaser for something potentially pretty big... that didn't come. I just hope the teased confrontation takes place somewhere in the DCU. A plus that deserves mention is that - like New Challengers - this title's connection to Dark Nights: Metal is there for all to see; the Batman Who Laughs pops up now and then, and Nth metal plays an important role.

The art's pretty good, although Jim Lee (whose name was another drawing point for me) jumped ship after the first issue (apart from the covers). The writing by James Tynion IV is (apart from the above problems) okay, and as I said earlier, the idea's an interesting one. It's just the execution that's lacking.

I hope the Immortal Men resurface at some point. They deserve better.

6.5/10
 
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Recently finished the trade The Terrifics: Vol 1 - Meet the Terrifics (collects issues 1 - 6), my fifth 'New Age of Heroes' title.

Mr Terrific, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho discover a stranded Phantom Girl whilst on an adventure in the Dark Multiverse. On returning home (with Phantom Girl, who can't get back to her own world) they all find that a strange force now binds them together; they cannot be more than one mile apart from each other, or they risk a potentially explosive reaction. Whilst Mr Terrific works on finding a solution to the long-term problems of that and Phantom Girl's inability to regain her solid form, they're confronted by a series of increasingly bizarre situations that call for more short-term problem solving!

The Terrifics has been touted as a DC take on Marvel's Fantastic Four, and it clearly is - one that seems to have been done with great affection. The (initially reluctant) FF-style team-dynamic is already on show; Mr Terrific seems more interested in his scientific research than in anything else, there's some very Human Torch/Thing-style banter between Plastic Man and Metamorpho, and Metamorpho shares Ben Grimm's burning desire to regain his human appearance. The only thing missing is a Sue Storm/Reed Richards romance between Phantom Girl and Mr Terrific (although, who knows?). Mr Terrific, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho (obviously) aren't new characters, and whilst this Phantom Girl is technically a new character, she's the ancestor of Phantom Girl from the Legion of Superheroes, looks like her, and has the exact same abilities. But seeing how they operate as a four-hander is where the fun lies. The whole thing is obviously intended to be goofy; whilst there are high stakes there isn't the same sense of tension as when reading say, The Silencer. But that doesn't stop it being entertaining. It also (unlike some of the NAoH titles) ties in well with Dark Nights: Metal and fully justifies that DNM tag on the cover.

The writing (by Jeff Lemire) and art (courtesy of Ivan Reis, Jose Luis, Joe Bennett, and Evan "Doc" Shaner) are spot-on for what this book aims to be, a throwback to some of those early 60s FF adventures.

I really didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Thankfully this title hasn't been cancelled. I'll be picking up Vol 2.

8/10
 
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Damage: Vol 1 - Out of Control/Damage: Vol 2 - Scorched Earth

Recently finished the second of the two (so far) trades of Damage (the sixth DC 'New Age of Heroes' titles I've read), so I thought I'd review them both together.

Ethan Avery wanted to be a hero and to serve his country. So he volunteered for the Damage Project, a top secret military experiment to create 'something' that could be sent into hostile territories instead of regular troops, and cause mayhem and destruction. But they didn't tell Ethan the full extent of what he would have to do. With the experiment judged a success the creature that Avery has become - code-named 'Damage' - is sent into war-zones, performing above and beyond expectations. Way above. After one hour Ethan always reverts to human form, with no memory of anything he has done as Damage. Except that now memories are starting to seep through. Horrified at glimpses of what he has become and what he has done, Ethan sets out to destroy the Damage programme, to make sure that no one else has to endure what he has. The military, however, has other ideas and they call in some very powerful help...

Damage has been touted as DC's take on Marvel's Incredible Hulk and there are certainly elements of that; but there's also a strong element of Captain America's super-soldier programme, with a 'What if the result wasn't a clean-cut, all-American hero, but a rampaging, murderous monster instead?' slant. It's an interesting angle, and one that's been explored before (on film for example with the Outpost movies, and more recently in 2018s Overlord - although in both of these it's the dastardly Nazi's that create the monsters, not the good ol' US of A). Given the raw power that Damage possesses it makes perfect sense in a world with super-powered beings that they'd be the ones called in to take him down. This leads to confrontations with (amongst others) Amanda Waller's Task Force XL, Wonder Woman, and eventually Superman.

The overall plot is a good one, and Robert Vendetti's writing hits the mark pretty much throughout. Ethan Avery's increasing guilt as he slowly discovers what he's done is convincing, as is his desperation to ensure that the Damage project ends with him. The internal dialogues between Ethan's personality and Damage's as they become increasingly aware of each other are well done, showing to-be-expected conflict yet at the same time a sometime need for one another. In fact all the characters are well-rounded, coming across as 'real people' rather than as plot devices. I question some of Damage's power displays against other super-powered characters. I get that this is his comic and that the creators are trying to establish his place in the DCU; but (for example) Superman saying that Damage hits the hardest he's ever felt whilst at the same time it being plain that those blows - whilst obviously immensely powerful - don't trouble the Man of Steel in the same way that Doomsday's have in the past is a bit silly. But that's really the only complaint.

As for the art, it's all pretty damned good, courtesy of Tony S Daniel, Diogenes Neves, Cary Nord, Danny Miki. Trevor Scott, Larry Hama (Vol 1), and Aaron Lopresti, Diogenes Neves, Tom Derenick, Matt Ryan, Trevor Scott, and Sean Parsons (Vol 2).

There's no direct connection so far with the events of Dark Nights: Metal, despite the DNM cover tag (a bugbear of mine with some of the NAoH titles), but we'll see...

Whilst Damage doesn't grab me in the edge-of-the-seat kinda way that The Silencer did, it's still pretty good. Or to put it another way, I'll be buying Vol 3.

7.5/10
 
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Superman Year One.

A good scene or two mixed in with poor dialogue and at times unnecessary stage direction prose. The school bullying stuff went on too long.
 
Recently finished Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Vol. 2 (Deluxe Edition), the second of the three volumes collecting for the first time all the tie-ins to the main series (for review of Vol 1 see here -- What's your latest read?).

Vol 2 contains DC Comics Presents # 86, Swamp Thing #44, The Losers Special #1, Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, Infinity, Inc. #18 - 25, Infinity Inc. Annual #1, Justice League of America #244 - 245, The New Teen Titans (Series 2) #13 - 14, and Detective Comics #558. As with Vol 1, there are short essays by Roy Thomas and Robert Greenburger throughout. There's also a reprint of Greenburger's Crisis timeline from the first volume showing how the saga unfolds sequentially through the core series and tie-ins.

Although none of these tie-ins move the central Crisis storyline along significantly, there are plenty of references to Crisis events and even retellings of some scenes from the core series. The big draw for me is Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, sometimes referred to as 'the lost chapter of Crisis' (or as its cover calls it, 'The Untold Story'). This was Marv Wolfman's chance after 14 years to finally write and see in print something he'd wanted to include in the original Crisis core series, but had to leave out due to the 12-issue limit. Wolfman was a long-time proponent of racial diversity/representation in comics and in this LotDCU Crisis one-shot he finally got to introduce readers to Earth-D, where most of the heroes are of a different race to their visiting Earth-1 counterparts. Greenburger's introductory essay highlights that even in 1999 this was a bold move. Spotlighting the selfless heroism of Earth-D's 'Justice Alliance', it's a touching yet rousing story, and a real shame it couldn't have been included in the original run. There have been differences of opinion on exactly when/where during the original Crisis timeline this tale is set; some say during Crisis #4, others place it between #4 and #5. Greenburger's essay acknowledges this and 'definitively' sets it between the two issues.

As with Vol 1, if you're a hardcore Crisis fan or DC history/continuity buff this is worth the money (IMO). Otherwise, probably not - but still worth a read if you can borrow a copy.


8/10


Edit: Hey @Babillygunn. You expressed an interest in Vol 1 of the Crisis Companion after I posted about that back in Jan. Thought you might be interested in this. If not, sorry to bother you and please ignore! :up:
 
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Thanks Milk Tray. I definitely have some Crisis stories to catch up on. I picked up Companion Vol 1 but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.

Also I enjoyed your reviews of Silencer and Terrifics. I started both of those but didn’t finish. I really liked Silencer but I got to reading other titles. I’ll need to finish it up.
 
Just did a re-read (re-skim?) of New Teen Titans/Tales from 1980-1987

Dude ! Recently I got the Terror of Trigon graphic novel. Perez's art is sublime and the story pushes a lot of boundaries.

I'm a big sucker for nostalgia, so I've been acquiring a bunch of 80s-90s DC stuff. To me Crisis on Infinite earths is GOAT crossover, and none of the subsequent Crises have come close.
 
Favorite crossover. Hmmm. That’s a great question. COIE is great. BUT I do love the god bullet scene in Final Crisis.

Also, it was just mentioned a little ways up in the thread but I really love Forever Evil, especially with the tie ins involving the Rogues.

I also love Darkseid War but that’s really just a JL story and not a crossover.

I guess COIE is of a scale that is hard to beat. I’d go with that one.
 
If I was to think outside DC for a moment I'd put Dynamite's Swords of Sorrow pretty high. With a core series written by Gail Simone, it features just about every female lead that Dynamite own or licence (Vampirella, Red Sonja, Dejah Thoris, Jennifer Blood, Jana the Jungle Girl, etc). It's not perfect (there are continuity issues with some of the tie-ins, which Simone didn't write) but it's really epic in scale and very entertaining.
 
Does what Tom King is doing in Batman affect how you view Flashpoint?

(Seeing Milk Tray’s mention of Flashpoint got me to thinking)
 
When I’m not swamped at work, I’ve been catching up on JL: Dark and loving it! I also want to revisit JL: Odyssey as I really dug that lineup for that team.
 
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Does what Tom King is doing in Batman affect how you view Flashpoint?

(Seeing Milk Tray’s mention of Flashpoint got me to thinking)

Not really, i decided to treat Kings Batman as an "elseworld" story that doesnt really tackle the main batman universe or any of the universes involved.

When I’m not swamped at work, I’ve been catching up on JL:Dark and loving it! I also want to revisit JL:Odyssey as I really dug that lineup for that team.

Both series i wanna get into sooner or later but im just not having enough time to do so.
They look interesting from what i have seen.
 
reading back issues of x force and the new x force from the past year or so, being trying too get into super girl. but a part me is kind worried that the comic will over by the time i finally read it,,.does anyone who is a super girl fan know please know what number is out next mutch thanks for any help.
soory for the misspelling im not from the usa.
 
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