Written By: Ryan Parrott
Art By: Dan Mora
Colors By: Raúl Angulo
Letters By: Ed Dukeshire
Main Cover By: Dan Mora
Intermix Cover By: Miguel Mercado
Subscription Cover By: Audrey Mok
Homage Incentive Cover By: Natacha Bustos
Price: $3.99
@ComicBookTheate
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Mikel Janin
Colors By: June Chung
Letters By: Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Mikel Janin
Variant Cover By: Frank Cho
Price: $2.99
It’s not often I rank a book with a perfect score. It has to hit every note spot on, from story, to art, to characters and overall enjoyment. This issue gave me that in spades. The Joker’s quest to become Batman’s Best Man is played out to perfection as the Clown goes on a murdering spree, killing his hostages before he realizes he’s done it. This is how insane the Joker should be. And Batman’s silent, stoic approach to dealing with his greatest adversary shows both his adeptness and ineptness in one beautiful seamless stroke. Cap that off with Catwoman’s reluctant descent into the fray and you have a perfect book. King’s masterful storytelling mixed with Janin’s incredible posing and emotional beats solidifies this issue’s place at the top. ~ Brant
Verdict: 5 Stars
GREEN ARROW #41
Written By: Mairghread Scott
Pencils By: Matthew Clark
Inks By: Sean Parsons
Colors By: Jason Wright
Letters By: Deron Bennett
Cover By: Tyler Kirkman & Arif Prianto
Variant Cover By: Mike Grell
Price: 3.99
Better Than Part 1, the beginning of a new story arc for the Emerald Archer hits the ground running. This issue centers around the assignment of transporting Parasite from prison to court and back, sound simple enough. It almost goes off without a hitch, almost. The inner monologue from Green Arrow gives great insight into our hero for first time readers and for the longtime fans of the battling bowman. Writer Mairghread Scott captures what we all love about Green Arrow in the first part of this new arc. I can’t wait to see what tricks the next issue brings. Fans of Green Arrow from both Justice League Animated series will definitely love this issue! ~ Justin
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
Written By: Scott Snyder
Pencils By: Jim Cheung
Inks By: Mark Morales
Colors By: Tomeu Morey
Letters By:Tom Napolitano
Cover By: Jim Cheung & Laura Martin
Variant Cover By: Jim Lee, Scott Williams & Alex Sinclair
Price: $3.99
A New Era Begins. That’s the tagline, but I can’t help feeling nostalgic with this lineup. While there are some changes, by and large, we are greeted with the original founders of the Justice League. Pulling them all together is Martian Manhunter, back from his journey and returned to his rightful place as the heart of the team. The character interaction here is what sells the book, from the “Batman voices” to the seamless teamwork exhibited by the veteran members. Story wise, we see the Justice League facing an extinction level event with the most dire of consequences, making the hard calls and stepping up to the challenge. Strong villains, the return of the Legion of Doom, and solid artwork make for one spectacular debut worthy of the Justice League. ~ Brant
Verdict: 4 1/2 Stars
Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Doc Shaner (Pages 1-13), Jay Fabok (Pages 14-15), Steve Rude (Pages 16-24)
Colors By: Alex Sinclair
Letters By: Josh Reed
Cover By: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, & Alex Sinclair
Price: $3.99
Brian Michael Bendis is 2 for 2! Another great issue of The Man of Steel. Bendis has Superman's voice, Perry's voice, Lois' voice, Jimmy's voice, the whole cast down like he was in their heads himself. Everything from Superman taking on THE Toyman (like The Godather), to him dealing with his personal life and the Planet being bought (again) is just AMAZING! I loved seeing Pery breaking down here, and the multiple artists, something that normally takes me out of a story worked together so nicely that I didn't really notice it all that much. The scene with Perry telling Clark the troubles of the Planet seeing him through the decades, MAGNIFICENT! Then we have the mystery of Rogol Zaar and of where Lois and Jon are has me wanting the next issue, not next week, not tomorrow, but NOW! ~ Jay
Written By: Ron Marz
Art By: Andy Smith
Colors By: Michael Atiyah
Letters By: Steve Dutro
Cover By: Andy Smith & Michael Atiyah
Price: $3.99
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I had to get that out of my system. Demi-God tells the story of Jason a skinny teenager who one day is granted the power of Hercules, and that has him thrown right into Olympus level drama and action. Jason is just realizing what his powers are and is having a blast with it. Demi-God has all the fourth-wall breaking of Deadpool (without overdoing it), the humor of Spider-Man (without the responsibility) and the power of Superman (without the age and experience) all rolled up into one fun ride of a book. Ron Marz must be having a blast writing this book because that excitement is jumping out of the pages in a way that reminds me of his Kyle Rayner Green Lantern series. The art is great, Andy Smith brings the over exaggerated fun world of Dem-God to life and does fun inventive panel layouts that grab your attention. ~ Jay
Written By: Rick Remender
Art By: Bengal
Letters By: Rus Wooton
Cover By: Bengal
Price: $3.99
Written By: Brian K. Vaughan
Art By: Cliff Chiang
Colors By: Matt Wilson
Letters By: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover By: Cliff Chiang
Price: $ 3.99
“Only dorks want to escape life.”
Escapism. There are different forms of it. Sometimes we use art, sometimes we use drugs, or sometimes you are so engrossed into your escapism that you begin to lose awareness that you even have it. Up until this issue this has been Mac in a nutshell, avoiding the realities of her future and her sexuality. Paper Girls #21 opens up like every other arc - with a dream. Mac remembers a simpler time as a child. She walks into the library wanting a book the other girls in her class aren’t reading, she’s ashamed. She uses this novel to escape the reality that she’s different from other girls. This flashback quickly turns into a nightmare as the librarian reminds Mac that she’s going to have leukemia, a subject she’s been trying to avoid. But this issue takes an interesting turn when Mac comes face-to-face with the Tree of Knowledge. She does something that people using escapism most fear, she looks for the truth. She will be dealing with her leukemia head on, and what we know from previous issues we will be getting the K.J and Mac kiss in this arc, so her sexuality as well. If Paper Girls #21 is any determinate this arc seems like it will be a very interesting character study for Mac. ~ Kat
Written By: Mark Waid
Art By: Javier Garron
Colors By: Israel Silva
Letters By: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover By: David Nakayama
Price: $ 3.99
Marvel launches a new Ant-Man & The Wasp mini-series for their “fresh start” initiative, and more importantly for the upcoming Ant-Man movie sequel that shares the series’ namesake. The most impressive aspect of this premiere issue is its artwork. Garron’s pencils and Silva’s colors work perfectly together as they explore the microverse. Sadly, I can’t say the same for Scott and Nadia’s dynamic. The relationship feels forced to match Hope and Scott’s relationship from the MCU. I hope Waid finds a more unique voice for them in the upcoming issues. Ant-Man & The Wasp #1’s biggest highlight is it’s action, but it needs to better develop the relationship between the book’s two leads for this to become a truly impressive series. ~ Kat
Verdict: 3.5 Stars
Written By: Magdalene Visaggio
Art By: Laura Braga
Colors By: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters By: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover By: Elizabeth Torque & Ian Herring
Price: $3.99
If you follow Frontline LIVE you know that this was a one-shot series I was excited to read. What I loved about old school Dazzler is that she was a mutant who didn’t have to necessarily join the X-Men to have a story because being a mutant didn’t define her. In Dazzler X-Song #1 Alison goes back to her roots and continues to share her love for music while struggling to figure out if she still wants to be a superhero. The one-shot is overpowered by a politically charged story between Inhumans and mutants. It makes the issue lose focus on Dazzler’s own narrative and personal struggles. I liked the tone Braga’s pencils and Rosenberg’s colors bring to the issue, but I have similar problems with Braga’s pencils that I had with her run on Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy Meets Betty & Veronica, the paneling feels off and the women’s facial features are too similar to each other. Dazzler X-Song #1 misses a few important notes making for an inharmonious narrative. It wasn’t the punk rock concert I bought tickets for. ~ Kat
DEADPOOL #1
Written By: Skottie Young
“Back in Business”
Art By: Nic Klein
“Good Night”
Art By: Scott Hepburn
Colors By: Ian Herring
Letters By: Jeff Eckleberry
Cover By: Nic Klein
Price: $4.99
Not many writers can write Deadpool correctly. It takes a certain type of talent to get the Merc with a Mouth just right. Young is off to a great start with his first issue as Deadpool continues his breaking of the fourth wall, killing sprees and endless and sometimes awful jokes. Just ask Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Young gets the pacing, the timing and the charm of ol’ Wade Wilson and delivers a story jam-packed with your typical Deadpool fair in his own twisted style (see I Hate Fairyland!). The art could have been a bit stronger in parts, but overall, this first offering was a solid and enjoyable read that may have persuaded me to start reading Deadpool once again. ~ Brant
Verdict: 3.5 Stars
Written By: Al Ewing
Art By: Joe Bennett
Inks By: Ruy Jose
Colors By: Paul Mounts
Letters By: Cory Petit
Cover By: Alex Ross
Price: $4.99 USD
When the first issue of the Incredible Hulk debuted in 1962, Jack Kirby posed the question 'Is he Man or Monster ... Or Is he Both?’ Now, as Al Ewing crafts the rebirth of the Jade Giant as the Immortal Hulk, he seeks to revisit this same question. The issue begins with a quote from famed psychologist Carl Jung “There are two people in every mirror.” and this theme is revisited throughout the debut issue; this journey of self-discovery will undoubtedly carry on through the story arc as investigative reporter Jackie Mayes unravels the threads of a menacing, maniacal Hulk in a world that believes Bruce Banner died. The color palette provided from the cover all the way through the final few panels of the story lend themselves well to the horror nature of this story. It is dark and moody and eerily atmospheric. This is not a Hulk you have seen in a quite a while. This Hulk is frighteningly sinister and unexpectedly intelligent. This Hulk has a ghoulish, dastardly smile that will stay with you long after you finish reading. Immortal Hulk #1 is a great debut issue for genre-fans and Hulk fans alike. ~ Jesse
Written By: Marc Guggenheim
Art By: Geraldo Borges
Colors By: Arif Prianto
Flashback Art By: David Marquez
Flashback Colors By: Matthew Wilson
Letters By: VC's Cory Petit
Cover By: Phil Noto
Price: 3.99
Part 4 of ‘Til Death Do Us Part kicks off in the fire as the X-Men led by Kitty Pryde are on a desperate rescue mission not to mention saving all of mutant kind along the way. This is an X-Men story through and through with great action and fun dialogue. Plus we are treated to a helping hand from Alpha Flight, Pyro and Iceman. Kitty Pryde may be the best X-Men team leader in years as she seems to have a plan for just about everything. Next issue is the wedding but I don’t think we have seen the last of Alpha just yet. ~ Justin
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