Written By: Terry Moore
Art By: Terry Moore
Colors By: Steve Hamaker
Letters By: Terry Moore
Cover By: Terry Moore
Price: $3.99
Strangers in Paradise XXV #5 is an enjoyable exposition dump, and I say enjoyable because of Moore’s characterization for Katchoo. Katchoo says things I'm sure many readers were asking themselves as Tambi explains this lengthy, but interesting story about Cleopatra and her connection to the Parker Girls. Moore’s artwork as always is magnificent as he does a great job at intertwining nice visual cues with Katchoo and Tambi’s talking head moments. Strangers in Paradise XXV #5 does a good job at expanding the Parker Girls' mystery, but Francine is still severely missed, not only by Katchoo, but also by this Strangers in Paradise reader. ~ Kat @ComicUno
MECH CADET YU #11
Written By: Greg Pak
Art By: Takeshi Miyazawa
Colors By: Jessica Kholinne
Letters By: Simon Bowland
Cover By: Takeshi Miyazawa & Raúl Angulo
Price: $3.99
The penultimate issue delivers with all the heart and action that this series has delivered from the beginning. The Sharg are quickly approaching and Blue and Park are ready to sacrifice their lives to power the Suprarobo but no one is going to die if Stanford Yu has anything to say about it. Pak has delivered some of the best characters in comics who are multi-dimensional and quickly endears themselves to you. Between the writing and the masterful art the characters do not just appear on the page, their personalities leap from them and grab you. Miyazawa brings such depth to these characters that even a Robo like Blue delivers the emotion to every scene that engrosses you into the story even more. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
THE FLASH #52
Written By: Joshua Williamson
Art By: Christian Duce
Colors By: Luis Guerrero
Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover By: Dan Mora
Variant Cover By: Gabriele Dell’Otto
Price: $3.99
This issue is an interesting read. First off, we resume the ongoing arc of a few Central City detectives building a case agains the warden of Iron Heights, Gregory Wolfe. This is a hard arc to revisit given the larger scale preceding stories such as Perfect Storm and Flash War. Speaking of Flash War, Commander Cold enlists Flash’s help to track down the new forces released from the Source Wall. Cold and Flash’s team up has a nice cop story vibe that parallels the CCPD’s investigation of Warden Wolfe. Also it continues Joshua Williamson’s trend of involving the Speed Force (or rather other Forces) as a plot device. Plus this issue has a great opening scene of Flash visiting the House of Heroes to discuss the emerging forces with the Multiverse’s other speedsters. While this arc shows some potential, it feels less epic than it’s predecessors. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991
HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #50
Written By: Robert Venditti
Pencils By: Rafa Sandoval
Inks By: Jordi Tarragona
Colors By: Tomeu Morey
Letters By: Dave Sharpe
Cover By: Sandoval, Tarragona and Morey
Variant Cover By: Tyler Kirkham and Arif Prianto
Price: 3.99
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #50 concludes the Last Charge storyline and is the finale of the series, so it’s time to wrap everything up. We see the Green Lanterns fighting with all of their will against the Darkstar’s above their base, while Hal is inside trying to sever the Darkstar’s communication link. Here he battles with Tomar-Tu while trying not to break John Stewarts no kill order. In the end Hal does what he does best by figuring out a better way to win. Zod of course almost messing everything up but luckily he is not fast enough. Robert Venditti does a great job of bringing this story to a close, especially the last few pages. Rafa Sandoval did a great job with art in this series, I’ll definitely be checking his next project. We get the ending this is only fitting for this book and it was done to perfection! ~ Justin @ExileState
HAWKMAN #3
Written By: Robert Venditti
Art By: Bryan Hitch
Inks By: Andrew Currie, Paul Nerry and Bryan Hitch
Colors By: Alex Sinclair and Jeremiah Shipper
Letters By: Starkings and ComicCraft
Cover By: Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair
Variant Covers By: Stjepan Sejic
Price: 3.99
Hawkman #3 opens with our hero fighting a Tyrannosaurus Rex, yes you read that right. And doing this in the jungle, without the aid of his wings. Pretty impressive indeed. On Dinosaur Island Hawkman is here following a map his left for himself over two thousand years ago. This issue is a pretty straight forward mission, get to the top of a mountain and find whatever it is her left there. Once past the T-Rex he flights to the top of the mountain only to encounter a feral flock of Feitherans circling the top of the mountain. An hours long battle ensues, nearing the end of the battle Hawkman discovers that his mace now returns to his hand when dropped or thrown. Once he figures this out the battle ends pretty quick. Once on the top of the mountain he is greeted by the elder of the Feitherans. The elder welcomes him back and says his family has guarded the entrance to the cave since being told do to so by Hawkman many generations ago. Once inside Hawkman only has a few minutes before he time shifts, this time to Thanagar where he comes face to face with Katar Hol! Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch continue to weave this tale that stretches through space and time, while building the history of this iconic character out to the fullest. ~ Justin @ExileState
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #25
Written By: Scott Lobdell
Art By: Dexter Soy, Trevor Hairsine & Ryan Winn, and Phil Hester & Andre Parks
Colors By: Veronica Gandini, Rain Beredo, and Madpencil Studio
Letters By: Taylor Esposito
Cover By: Trevor Hairsine & Antonio Fabela
Variant Cover By: Yasmine Putri
Price: $4.99
Red Hood just shot the Penguin in the head at point blank range, he is surrounded by the police, his secret flying invisible headquaters is falling from the sky, and Batman is coming after him. The action doesn't stop in this issue! If Jason is trying to escape the police he is trying to save the city from the falling HQ, and trying to save his life from a Batman that is not pulling punches. Jason even comments that "I've never seen you hit Joker that hard, and you hate him." That shows you how serious what Jason has done is. But the great thing is how it is tied to a more touching scene between Jason as Robin and Batman before we jump into this all out adrenaline pumped issue. The art here is solid, but there are multiple artist which could be jarring but they manage to blend their style in a smooth way. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
SUPERGIRL #21
Written By: Marc Andreyko
Art By: Kevin Maguire
Colors By: FCO Plascencia
Letters By: Tom Napolitano
Cover By: Terry & Rachel Dodson, Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts
Price: $3.99
DC Rebirth’s Supergirl returns with its uncanceled issue 21. In the aftermath of Bendis’ Man of Steel, Kara is on the hunt for Rogol Zaar - the least interesting part of Bendis’ Man of Steel run. Supergirl #21 sticks with its DC Rebirth narrative, and still has some very similar problems I had with its initial run - Kara is still too angry, but Andreyko has a better hold of Supergirl’s identity compared to Steve Orlando. Even though Kara’s anger is referenced many times in this issue, I do see a glimmer of the happiness that Supergirl is known for having - especially in the scene where Kara reunites with Krypto. I also liked seeing Kara’s connection with other heroes in the DC Universe - like Green Lantern and, of course, her cousin. Kevin Maguire’s pencils are a bit too expressive at times, but I was happy to see Kara have a more classic look to her costume compared to what’s shown on the cover. Overall, there’s still too many remnants of the cancelled Supergirl for my liking, but I’m happy to see the series have a more concrete direction. ~ Kat @ComicUno
Verdict: 3 Stars
Art By: Dexter Soy, Trevor Hairsine & Ryan Winn, and Phil Hester & Andre Parks
Colors By: Veronica Gandini, Rain Beredo, and Madpencil Studio
Letters By: Taylor Esposito
Cover By: Trevor Hairsine & Antonio Fabela
Variant Cover By: Yasmine Putri
Price: $4.99
Red Hood just shot the Penguin in the head at point blank range, he is surrounded by the police, his secret flying invisible headquaters is falling from the sky, and Batman is coming after him. The action doesn't stop in this issue! If Jason is trying to escape the police he is trying to save the city from the falling HQ, and trying to save his life from a Batman that is not pulling punches. Jason even comments that "I've never seen you hit Joker that hard, and you hate him." That shows you how serious what Jason has done is. But the great thing is how it is tied to a more touching scene between Jason as Robin and Batman before we jump into this all out adrenaline pumped issue. The art here is solid, but there are multiple artist which could be jarring but they manage to blend their style in a smooth way. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
SUPERGIRL #21
Written By: Marc Andreyko
Art By: Kevin Maguire
Colors By: FCO Plascencia
Letters By: Tom Napolitano
Cover By: Terry & Rachel Dodson, Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts
Price: $3.99
DC Rebirth’s Supergirl returns with its uncanceled issue 21. In the aftermath of Bendis’ Man of Steel, Kara is on the hunt for Rogol Zaar - the least interesting part of Bendis’ Man of Steel run. Supergirl #21 sticks with its DC Rebirth narrative, and still has some very similar problems I had with its initial run - Kara is still too angry, but Andreyko has a better hold of Supergirl’s identity compared to Steve Orlando. Even though Kara’s anger is referenced many times in this issue, I do see a glimmer of the happiness that Supergirl is known for having - especially in the scene where Kara reunites with Krypto. I also liked seeing Kara’s connection with other heroes in the DC Universe - like Green Lantern and, of course, her cousin. Kevin Maguire’s pencils are a bit too expressive at times, but I was happy to see Kara have a more classic look to her costume compared to what’s shown on the cover. Overall, there’s still too many remnants of the cancelled Supergirl for my liking, but I’m happy to see the series have a more concrete direction. ~ Kat @ComicUno
SUPERMAN #2
Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils By: Ivan Reis
Inks By: Joe' Prado & Oclair Albert (pg 1-5, 15-19)
Colors By: Alex Sinclair
Letters By: Josh Reed
Cover By: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, & Alex Sinclair
Variant Covers By: Adam Hughes & David Mack
Price: $3.99
Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils By: Ivan Reis
Inks By: Joe' Prado & Oclair Albert (pg 1-5, 15-19)
Colors By: Alex Sinclair
Letters By: Josh Reed
Cover By: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, & Alex Sinclair
Variant Covers By: Adam Hughes & David Mack
Price: $3.99
Earth is in the Phantom Zone, big problem. Rogol Zaar knows it is in the Phantom Zone with him, deadly problem! Bendis does a great job as does Reis with capturing the insanity and danger of being trapped in the Phantom Zone presents. Bendis also does a great job showing how formidable Zaar is by having the Tamaranean people fear him to the point that just the mere sight of him has them surrendering. The problem is though that I don't think Zaar is all that interesting, he is essentially another Doomsday. The bright side, I loved how Nuclear Man was used, challenged accepted and executed! Reis really shines with the Tamaranian war and the Phantom Zone the pages just pop out at you. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1
Story By: Neil Gaiman
Written By: Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters
Art By: Bilques Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike "Domo" Stanton, Max Fiumara and Sebastion Fiumara
Colors By: Matt Lopes
Letters By: Simon Bowland
Cover By: Jae Lee & June Chung
Variant Covers By: Dave McKean, Jill Thompson, Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair, Sam Keith, P. Craig Russell & Lovern Kindzierski, and David Mack
Price: $4.99
Written By: Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters
Art By: Bilques Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike "Domo" Stanton, Max Fiumara and Sebastion Fiumara
Colors By: Matt Lopes
Letters By: Simon Bowland
Cover By: Jae Lee & June Chung
Variant Covers By: Dave McKean, Jill Thompson, Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair, Sam Keith, P. Craig Russell & Lovern Kindzierski, and David Mack
Price: $4.99
DC Vertigo is off to a great start, The Sandman Universe serves as that perfect primer for the titles coming up such as The Dreaming, House of Whispers, Lucifer, and Books of Magic. The story finds Daniel or Dream is missing and everything in the Dreaming is falling apart so Matthew, a Raven must find Daniel as Ravens have that ability. Mathew ventures through the four books and returns when Daniel makes him forget what eh was there for signaling he may have quit. Using Matthew to interweave these books was brilliant it allows us this bird's eye view from the outside into these new titles. The art teams each did a fantastic job at bringing a distinct flavor to their book's sections while maintaining a certain unique vibe as to not take you out of the story. My favorite one though is the Books of Magic, something about it just has me anticipating this title even more. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
FARMHAND #2
Written By: Rob Guillory
Art By: Rob Guillory
Colors By: Taylor Wells
Letters By: Kody Chamberlain
Cover By: Rob Guillory
Price: $3.99
Farmhand’s second issue keeps its momentum from the first issue. While we were introduced to the Jenkins Family, this issue shows readers the farm’s impact on Freetown. This issue also introduces some more supporting characters that may have bigger roles in the future. Rob Guillory’s writing progresses the story without revealing too much of the bigger mystery. However the best part of this series is the artwork. Rob Guillory and Taylor Wells create very unique designs for the Jenkins Farm’s crops. Plus the sequence where we see the crops grafted onto a person is stunning and a little disturbing at the same time. Overall Farmhand continues to be an exciting and unique title. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991
VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER VOL 3 #2
Written By: Mitch Iverson
Art By: Rubine
Colors By: Beni Lobel
Letters & Assembly By: Andworld Design
Cover By: Mariko Yamashin
Variant Cover By: Andrea Kendrick
Price: $3.99
VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER Season 7 just dropped on Netflix today and if you finished binging it already and want more, then pick up this is from Lion Forge! The Paladins have to free the enslaved people of Spram and to do so they need to get ore from a neutron star that only the dangerous Thunderbirds can retrieve. This book is awesome! It honestly has every bit of the action, adventure, comedy and charm that the show has and in a rare feat the art is spot on with the show as well. Usually when I read a book based on the animated series the art is different and it takes you out of the universe a bit, but Rubine's art is like seeing stills from an unaired episode! Every character is perfectly in sync with the way they are on the show, Iverson writes the characters so well that it is easy to hear the voice actors performing it. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3
Written By: Nick Spencer
Art By: Ryan Ottley
Colors By: Laura Martin
Letters By: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover By: Ryan Ottley and Laura Martin
Price: $3.99
Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley’s run has been so refreshing! They mix old school Spider-Man with a fresh new lens, and The Amazing Spider-Man #3 is no exception. This issue takes the classic trope of Spider clones in a whole new direction. There's a new experiment that allows Peter to have a normal life, but as always Peter’s sense of responsibility forces him to go back to his Spider roots. This issue has a nice dose of humor that Ryan Ottley delivers perfectly! Spencer & Ottley’s run on Spidey is quickly becoming one of my favorites. ~ Kat @ComicUno
DAREDEVIL #606
Written By: Charles Soule
Art By: Phil Noto
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Phil Noto
Price: 3.99
Daredevil #606 sees the beginning of a new story arc, armed with the knowledge that Kingpin rigged the mayoral election Daredevil is set to prove it and get the Kingpin removed from power. This issue does a fair amount of time hopping but all comes together at the end. We see Cypher and Reader brought in to help track down proof of the fraud. We also see Daredevil come across a bank robbery by Hammerhead. This robbery is a bit different as Hammerhead isn’t out to take the money as much as make a statement that is his to be feared. With the assist of an hostage Daredevil is able to take Hammerhead and his goons down. Then Daredevil steps forward toward a crowd that has gathered and gives a powerful speech that the whole city will see. Charles Soule continues to up the intensity as Daredevil continues to fight for his city. Phil Noto’s art shines as always. Don’t miss the end of this issue as we get to meet Mike Murdock, Matt’s brother? Next issue is going to be a must read! ~ Justin @ExileState
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
FANTASTIC FOUR #1
Written by: Dan Slott
Art by: Sara Pichelli with Elisabetta D’Amico, Simone Bianchi, Skottie Young
Colors by: Marte Gracia, Simone Bianchi with Marco Russo, Jeremy Treece
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover by: Esad Ribic
Variant Covers by: Various
Price: $5.99
Fantastic Four issue one was not what we expected, but was definitely a little bit of what we hoped for. There was confusion because of Marvel Two-in-One not being completed, therefore no resolution in finding Reed, Sue and family. But that didn’t really matter here, because ultimately we realize very early on in the issue that they did not find Reed and Sue. Instead, we get to see Ben and Johnny experience a little hope only for it to be taken away. Ben uses this revelation to take a step he has been hesitating to take for years, and Johnny has to finally come to terms with the fact that his sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew are gone for good. That is until that hope is once again restored. It was a beautifully crafted story that gave us a lost Fantastic Four tale, and a heartfelt, emotional plot for both Ben and Johnny, while setting the stage for the actual return of the quartet. We even got a cute backup story featuring the Impossible Man taking the form of typical fanboy reactions to sate readers until next issue, and a return to power short for Doctor Doom. All-in-all, this was a very good first issue, if a bit of a swerve. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: THE ADAMANTIUM AGENDA #4 (OF 4)
Written By: Tom Taylor
Pencils By: R.B. Silva
Inks By: Adriano di Benedetto
Colors By: Guru-eFX
Letters By: VC's Joe Sabino
Cover By: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Roberton Poggi & Val Staples
Variant Cover By: R.B. Silva & Jesus Aburtov
Price: $3.99
The Adimantium Agenda is over but a deeper mystery is discovered in Sinister's DNA Depository. Tom Taylor tells a perfect story here, wrapping up his addition to the Hunt For Wolverine and at the same time setting up two great plot lines that we could possibly see down the road in X-Men Red or elsewhere. The revelation of Laura's paternity makes sense given her birth, but the mysterious sleeeper agent, that is something that has me hoping Taylor continues it in X-Men Red. I loved the art here, it was the right fit for the story and Silva captured emotion very well. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1
Written by: Ben Edward Hill, Emily Ryan Werner
Art by: Nelson Blake II with Alitha E. Martinez, Mark Bagley with Roberto Poggi, Alberto Albuquerque
Colors by: Carlos Lopez
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover by: Kris Anka
Variant Cover by: Ryan Benjamin
Price: $4.99
When Brian Michael Bendis left Marvel, many wondered what would happen to Miles. Sure, he has Champions, but he’s been laid up in the hospital for a while, and no one was sure what was in store for his future. Then this book was announced, regaling a tell from the 616 universe wherein Miles was present through the Secret Invasion. I admit I was skeptical, but I feel Hill got Miles’ voice down pat and managed to deliver a fantastic story set firmly within the main Marvel U that made sense, tracked well, and had ultimate consequences for Miles. It also played on the strengths of his and Ganke’s relationship, and the problems with Mile’s relationship with his uncle. The art was equally stunning by both art teams for the main story, wherein Miles, I felt, looked more like himself as well. Then we got a bonus backup story where the art was a tad more stylized, especially where Ganke was concerned, but was still a fun little side tale for the duo. Overall, this was a fantastic trip down a retconned memory lane that captured the spirit of these characters and made me confident that Miles is in good hands should he continue forward. ~ Brant @BrantFowler
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
DOCTOR WHO - THE ROAD TO THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR -
THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR - THE STEAMPUNK CONUNDRUM #2
The Steampunk Conundrum
Written By: James Peaty
Art By: Pasquale Qualano
Colors By: Dijjo Lima
The Road To....
Written By: Jody Houser
Art By: Rachael Stott
Colors By: Enrica Angiolini
Letters By: Richard Starkings & Comicrafts Jimmy Betancourt
Cover A By: Robert Hack
Photo Cover B By: Will Brooks
Cover C By: Pasquale Gualano & Dijjo Lima
Price: $3.99
The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor continues with the Eleventh Doctor, who has always been sort of middle ground for me. The Doctor and Alice travel to 19th Century San Francisco which they find has steampunk-like robot servants all over but with a little Sonic Screwdriver action they discover there is more than meets the eyes to these mechanical men. Another great one and done story that felt like it was rip from the series, the story was fun and everyone felt in character, but the Doctor looked off until the bowler hat was removed then we got to see the likeness to the actor. The second story "The Road To...." once again serves as a nice teaser, whetting the appetite for the coming of the Thirteenth Doctor. I love the pomp and circumstance Titan Comics is doing for such a major milestone in the Doctor Who mythos. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
BLOODSHOT SALVATION #12
Written By: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Doug Braitwaite
Colors By: Jordie Bellaire
Letters By: Simon Bowland
Cover By: Doug Braitwaite
Price: $3.99
Bloodshot Salvation #12 marks the conclusion of Jeff Lemire’s fantastic run on Valiant’s Bloodshot. I have never been able to get into any Valiant titles before this because every time I jumped onto one the stories didn’t feel new reader friendly, and I quickly jumped off the series - Bloodshot Salvation was different. The series focused on family, a universal theme many people can relate to, and that’s exactly what the series focuses on with its conclusion. Bloodshot Salvation #12 doesn’t have the emotional punch that I expect with a finale, but it’s a solid story that brings the Garrison family back at the heart of the title. Doug Braitwaite’s pencils aren’t as strong as the artwork from the beginning of the series, but Jordie Bellaire's colors gives Braitwaite’s pencils a good finish. Bloodshot Salvation #12 is a nice wrap up to my favorite Valiant series thus far. ~ Kat @ComicUno
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