Join us on the Frontlines with our weekly review roundup. This is where we have assembled to give our thoughts on various issues that are released each week. This week we have Brant, Jay, & Kat giving reviews for books from Ahoy Comics, BOOM! Studios, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Titan Comics! Check out the reviews below and let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter. Welcome to the FRONTLINE REVIEWS, hope you enjoy the experience!
THE WRONG EARTH #3
"Chapter Three"
Created By: Tom Peyer And Jamal Igle
Written By: Tom Peyer
Pencils By: Jamal Igle
Inks By: Juan Castro
Colors By: Andy Troy
Letters By: Rob Steen
"Stinger: The Specter Of The Sidekick Museum"
Written By: Paul Constant
Art By: Frank Cammuso
Colors By: Frank Cammuso
Letters By: Frank Cammuso
"Not Required Reading - The Multiverse"
Written By: Matt Brady
Art By: Joe Orsak
"Untitled 24" X 36" "
Written By: Rob Staeger
Art By: Elliott Mattice
"Meat"
Written By: Carol Lay
Art By: Carol Lay
Cover By: Jamal Igle
Price: $3.99
Both Dragonfly and Dragonflyman adjust to their new worlds as others notice they are not what they once were. This is one of the best new books out there today! If you ever wanted to know how Batman '89 would be like in the Batman '66 world this is the book that does that in a way. The characters are so well done, the art is so spot on, this world is so interesting I just want more of it. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Main Story:
Written By: Dennis Hopeless
Art By: Serge Acuna
Colors By: Doug Garbark
BackUp Story:
Written By Julian W. May
Art By: Dozerdraws
Colors By: Jeremy Lawson
Letters By: Jim Campbell
Cover By: Marco D’Alfonso
Variant Covers By: Adam Riches, Brent Schoonover with Nick Filardi, Rahzzah
Price: $3.99
This issue continues the rise of AJ Styles in the WWE, pitting him against “The Face That Runs the Place” John Cena. It was inevitable to have these two face off if Styles was ever going to be handled right, and seeing the comic version of the replay of their feud was a much needed and welcome direction to go.
As is with all stories in the WWE comic, the in-ring storylines play out much as we viewed them, but continue on backstage and in the personal lives of the Superstars as if the stories were real. In this instance, it’s Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, two running buddies of Styles from his Japan days that egg him on and get the thought of Cena stuck in his throat. From there, even though he knows what they’re doing, he paints a target on Cena, and the two are destined for greatness in the ring together.
The depiction of the odd friendship of Styles with Anderson and Gallows is painted with a fine brush, showing the complexity of their relationship. Styles, the straight-laced good old boy hanging with the bad boys always felt odd to me, but the way it was explained in the pages of the comic made perfect sense. They’re the kind of friends you just need to let loose some steam with from time to time and the kind that tends to get you in trouble. As they did with Cena.
The added confrontation of Styles and Cena at the grocery where Cena convinces Styles that he needs to do this one-on-one to cement his own legacy was a bit forced for my tastes and painted Cena too much the hero of that story, but the effect of it was well received nevertheless. The two would go on to battle once more, and Styles would bring out the best in Cena’s in-ring skills. And Cena would show respect to Styles, who did it on his own this time.
As a fan of AJ Styles, I thought Hopeless handled this portion of his tale almost flawlessly. He showcased his temper and resolve, and so many other layers of his character. Art-wise, Acuna continues to nail the likenesses and action of the wrestlers to a tee, and I can’t imagine anyone else doing a better job.
As for the backup story featuring Cesaro, like most, I’d be fine without them but didn’t mind it.
Another fantastic issue of the best wrestling comic I’ve read to date. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
"Lost Boys"
Written By: Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils By: Carlo Barberi
Inks By: Matt Santorelli
Colors By: Protobunker
Letters By: Rob Leigh
Cover By: Dan Mora
Price: $3.99
The Superboys and Damian are rescued by Space Cabbie, but is all that it seems? This book is a freaking blast! Every single issue transports me back to when I was a kid and captures all that youthful enjoyment but at the same time appeal to the need for character moments and plot that I acquired with age. The art does such a great job at catching that innocence and joy that every page is like a scene from an animated series. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
THE GREEN LANTERN #1
"Intergalactic Lawman"
Written By: Grant Morrison
Art By: Liam Sharp
Colors By: Steve Oliff
Letters By: Tom Orzechowski
Cover By: Liam Sharp & Steve Oliff
Variant Cover By: Frank Quitely
Price: $4.99
After a Green Lantern transporting three dangerous felons crashes on Earth Hal Jordan is called To New Oa to get a new mission while the Darkstars are up to something. This book has me torn. Part of me like that we are getting this mystery with the Green Lantern who will betray the Corps (or appear to) and what is going on with the Book Of Oa, but then there is the lack of continuity with Hal dating a new girl on Earth while going from job to job. The art here seems off too, Liam Sharp completely and utterly wowed me with Wonder Woman and with Brave And The Bold but here it seems to lack his detail and clean lines, here it has a very indie grungy look that I don't think fits with the title. Overall the feel of this book seems off but I will continue to give it a shot to see where the story is going, it has me intrigued enough. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
NIGHTWING #52
Plot By: Scott Lobdell
Script By: Fabian Nicieza
Art By: Chris Mooneyham
Colors By: Nick Filardi
Letters By: Deron Bennett
Cover By: Mooneyham & Filardi
Variant Cover By: Kamome Shirahara
Price: $3.99
I’m not typically a fan of amnesia stories, they are overused in storytelling in general. But I can understand the merit of them here and there. In the case of Nightwing, I was pretty skeptical of this direction, but so far I’ve enjoyed the journey.
In this issue, “Ric” is dealing with the result of his actions after being mugged, fighting off the assailant with abilities he didn’t know he had. He is constantly struggling with what that means for him but convinces himself he’s just fine with this new life of his. No pressure, no responsibility, just living day-to-day. At some point, one would imagine that is going to get old, and that time may have come by the end of this issue.
Try as he might not to be a hero, his instincts keep pulling him back to that life whenever there is a threat nearby, in this case, another cabbie. But it’s not necessarily his fight this time, which brings me to the subplot.
Detective “Sap” Sapienza has taken it upon himself to become the new Nightwing, as we saw in the last issue. This issue, he decides he can’t do it alone and calls in trusted recruits. While we don’t get to see these recruits in action, or even know if they’re the ones that will don the suits, the promise of a gang of Nightwings, as the cover art suggests, is pretty interesting.
Art-wise, I think the line work could be a bit stronger, though it does give way to the gritty vibe of Bludhaven that they’re going for. Ric hangs around in seedy places, and it’s evident that the criminal element of the Blud rivals Gotham these days. So going for a looser, dirtier style makes sense, it just didn’t quite appeal to me and my personal tastes.
Overall, I’m enjoying this take on Nightwing so far, though I want that endgame to be in place sooner than later. It’s a fun sidetrack of a story that will hopefully serve to redefine the character, just as long as the amnesia doesn’t overstay its welcome in readers’ minds. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
SIDEWAYS ANNUAL #1
Storytelling By: Will Conrad, Cliff Richards and Dan Didio With Special Guest Writer Grant Morrison
Colors By: Hi-Fi
Letters By: Travis Lanham And Dave Sharpe
Cover By: Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope, And Brad Anderson
Price: $4.99
Sideways has been one of the most underrated comics of the year, even last issue’s huge cliffhanger, where Sideways and New 52 Superman come face-to-face, did not have enough people talking. The Sideways Annual continues the journey of New 52 Superman and Sideways but sadly focuses way too much on the weakest aspect of this series - the mythos from Dark Night’s Metal. There was so much potential with New 52 Superman’s story that I didn’t feel was met with this issue. The artwork is solid, and an improvement from the series’ mainstay artist. I hope this cleaner art style is kept for future issues. Sideways Annual #1 had a lot of potential, but continues to be bogged down by Dark Night’s Metal. ~ Kat @ComicUno
Written By: Cullen Bunn
Art By: Matteo Lolli With Andre Lima (Nebula) Jill Thompson (Throg) Mike Del Mundo (Skurge)
Colors By: Federico Blee with Erick Arciniega, Jill Thompson, & Mike Del Mundo
Letters By: VC's Cory Petit
Cover By: Dale Keown & Jason Keith
Price: $3.99
Find out who are the Asgardians as they battle Nebula's dead gods across the Galaxy. This was a good issue, I liked seeing how the "band" got together but it also made this essentially a filler issue at just the third issue taking us out of the main story for a bit. But the last part of the book ties us back into the meat of the story. The various artist worked together well walking the fine line of distinguishing each story while keeping a uniform feel to them all. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
ICEMAN #3
Written By: Sina Grace
Art By: Nathan Stockman
Colors By: Federico Blee
Letters By: Joe Sabino
Cover By: W. Scott Forbes
Price: $3.99
Bobby Drake, Angelica Jones, and Peter Parker are all on dates when an ice monster attacks and Iceman And His Amazing Friends unite. The biggest problem I have with this book stems right from its credits page in a description of what is going on the last line reads "But that will have to wait because Bobby got a match on a dating app!" That is what this book is about who cares about anything else let's just throw in cliches and stereotypes while Bobby goes from one date to the next, there is no plot. Even Angelica and Peter spent too much time thinking about their dating life. This could have been a really cool throwback issue, but throughout it Bobby's date is throwing himself into the issue taking selfies during the big fight and all. The art is pretty solid though it invoked the classic look of Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends and was the highlight of the entire issue. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
RUNAWAYS #15
Written By: Rainbow Rowell
Art By: Kris Anka
Colors By: Matthew Wilson
Letters By: VC's Joe Caramagna
Cover By: Kris Anka
Price: $3.99
Nico continues to struggle with controlling her magic, and Runaways #15 finally gives us answers on why, while beautifully expanding on the Runaway’s mythos as a whole. Nico comes face-to-face with her Staff of One - WHO’S ACTUALLY A PERSON. I really love Nico’s characterization in this issue. Nico has been defined by her magic for so long, but reveals that she never wanted to be an “incompetent magician”. She had other interests, the magic just fell onto her lap. This issue introduces some big changes for Nico’s character as she will now be sharing her experiences with the Staff of One. Nico doesn't realize it now, but I can only see this bringing her trouble - especially with that haunting shadow presented in the last panel. Speaking of visuals, Kris Anka has some great ones here. I really love the ambiance he presents for Nico and the Staff of One’s conversation with each other. He makes it fresh and does a great job at utilizing the series' California setting. Both Anka and Rainbow Rowell create such a detailed narrative that every Runaways fan can enjoy, and Runaways #15 is no exception. You should not only pick up this issue but read it multiple times to catch all the art and story nuances. ~ Kat @ComicUno
DOCTOR WHO: THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR #1
Written By: Jody Houser
Art By: Rachael Stott
Colors By: Enrica Eren Angiolini
Color Assistance By: Viviana Spinelli
Letters By: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Sarah Jacobs & John Roshell
Cover By: Babs Tarr
Variant Covers By: Various Artists
Price: $3.99
The Doctor sets out on a new adventure with her new companions. This was a really solid start to the series, Jody Houser has really captured Jodie Whittaker's Doctor here you can hear her voice it is so spot on. The companions are true to their counterparts as well Houser has really brought the small screen to the pages of the book. Rachael Stott outdoes herself here, she brings the world of Doctor Who in all its splendid Timey Whimey fantastical glory to the pages of this issue capturing every nuance of Whittaker you can really believe it is her performing. Brilliant! ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
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