Comic Books/Graphic Novels – Primary Ignition

A Batman #113 Micro-Review – Spotlight on Clownhunter

Posted on 09/24/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Batman #113
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV, Brandon Thomas
ARTISTS: Jorge Jimenez, Jason Howard, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)
RELEASED: September 21, 2021

The back-up stories on Batman have switched from Ghost-Maker to Clownhunter. Thus far this story is holding my attention better. There’s a fun two-page spread in this issue that’s made to look like an old Pac-Man game.

“Fear State” will likely go down as one of the most, if not the most, notable Scarecrow story of the two decades at least. That’s not to say it’s been a great story overall. But it’s the first time I can remember that Scarecrow has been the center of a big crossover event like this.

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A TMNT: The Last Ronin #4 Micro-Review – Scope Overblown

Posted on 09/22/202109/22/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #4
AUTHOR: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz
ARTISTS: Eastman, Esau & Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Luis Delgado (Colorist), Samuel Plata (Color Assistant)
RELEASED: September 22, 2021

Coming in, The Last Ronin felt (to me at least) like it was going to be a small scale personal story involving Michelangelo, Oroku Hiroto, and maybe April O’Neil and her daughter. Instead, they’ve gone too big with it and make it into an almost militaristic save-the-world story. The scope has been blown way out of proportion.

Case in point, the most interesting scene in this issue is the one-on-one time between Mikey and April’s daughter. I’d have gladly taken more of that over the sci-fi warfare stuff.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Nightwing #84 Micro-Review – DC’s Ted Lasso

Posted on 09/22/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Nightwing #84
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Robbi Rodriguez, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Letterer). Cover by Bruno Redondo.
RELEASED: September 21, 2021

The feeling of positivity that Tom Taylor is injecting into Nightwing feels very uncharacteristic of a Bat-book. It’s almost the Ted Lasso of DC Comics.

Barbara Gordon debuts a slightly modified Batgirl costume in this issue. I’m not sure if it’s the way Robbi Rodriguez (who otherwise performs beautifully) is drawing it, but it looks a little…baggy? That can’t be intentional.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Two #4 Micro-Review – Did I Miss An Episode?

Posted on 09/21/202109/21/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Two #4
AUTHORS: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini
ARTISTS: Jordan Gibson, Monica Kubina (Colorist), Josh Reed (Letterer). Cover by Rob Guillory.
RELEASED: September 21, 2021

Did I miss an episode? This issue depicts Renee Montoya as being anti-Batman. I don’t think she was ever that way on the show…was she?

This issue is nicely self-contained. Though it fits into the overall narrative of the “season.”

Jordan Gibson is our artist this time around. He mimics that DCAU style perfectly, to the point where I could easily mistake his work for that of Ty Templeton or Rick Burchett. In this case, that’s fairly high praise.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Suicide Squad #1 Micro-Review – Ambush Bug. Ugh.

Posted on 09/20/202109/20/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Suicide Squad #7
AUTHORS: Robbie Thompson
ARTISTS: Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira (Inker), Marcelo Maiolo (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Letterer). Variant cover by Kevin Maguire & Alex Sinclair.
RELEASED: September 7, 2021

This issue beats us over the head with Ambush Bug, who I’ve never really been a fan of. As such, my interest would wax and wane depending on which scenes he was and wasn’t in.

*checks future solicitations* Aw crap. He’s sticking around. I may have to take Suicide Squad off my pull list for the time being…

On the plus side, it’s always great to see Kevin Maguire’s work. His variant cover almost makes this issue worth it. Almost.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Superman: Son of Kal-El #2 Micro-Review – “Why Don’t You Do More?”

Posted on 08/25/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Superman: Son of Kal-El #2
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist), Dave Sharpe (Letterer)
RELEASED: August 24, 2021

This whole “Jon Kent is Superman” thing would have been a lot more effective if his dad, the classic and traditional Superman, weren’t still around. Normally I’m not a fan of “substitute hero” stories where they replace classic characters. But in this case it might work.

Taylor is leaning heavily into Superman’s social justice roots here. An interesting direction to take things, with the potential for a lot of meat on the bone. At one point Jon even flat out asks his father, “Why don’t you do more?”

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Superman ’78 #1 Micro-Review – Richard Donner Lives On

Posted on 08/24/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Superman ’78 #1
AUTHOR: Robert Venditti
ARTISTS: Wilfredo Torres, Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Dave Lanphear (Letterer)
RELEASED: August 24, 2021

This one evokes its source material a little better than Batman ’89 #1 did. I credit that to both Venditti’s writing, and Torres’ art, which captures the actors’ likenesses fairly well.

The highlight of this issue for me was the scene on the city streets with Clark Kent nervously bumbling behind Lois Lane. It felt very much like a scene pulled out of the Richard Donner film. There’s a dark irony to the fact that Donner just passed away last month. The issue is rightfully dedicated to him.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Mighty Morphin #10 Micro-Review – A Surprise Origin Story

Posted on 08/22/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Mighty Morphin #10
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott
ARTISTS: Dan Mora, Raul Angulo (Colorist), Jose Enrique Fernandez (Color Assistant), Ed Dukeshure (Letterer). Cover by InHyuk Lee.
RELEASED: August 11, 2021

This issue, which take place entirely in the “over ten thousand years ago” era, winds up being an origin story for one of our villains. I can’t say I saw this coming. As always, Parrott’s attention and devotion to Power Rangers lore is much appreciated.

If there was ever an issue to bring Dan Mora back for, it’s this one. He does an impeccable job of bringing the planet Eltar to life, as well as injecting excitement and a sense of villainous dread into the issue’s climactic moments.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Shazam! #2 Micro-Review – The Finest Casino in Hell

Posted on 08/20/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Shazam #2
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.
RELEASED: August 17, 2021

Reading this mini thus far, and reflecting back on the brief run the Geoff Johns book had, I’m starting to appreciate that the magic and fantasy elements in Shazam’s stories. You can do a lot with him that wouldn’t work as well with, for instance, Superman.

In this issue, for instance, Billy Batson dresses up in a nice suit and goes to what is essentially the finest casino in all of hell. I like the creativity there. This is turning out to be a nice companion to Teen Titans Academy.

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Comic Books/Graphic Novels, Micro-Reviews

A Batman: Urban Legends #6 Micro-Review – Robin’s Revelation

Posted on 08/11/202108/11/2021 by Rob Siebert

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Batman: Urban Legends #6
AUTHORS: Meghan Fitzmartin, Various
ARTISTS: Belen Ortega, Alejandro Sanchez, Pat Brosseau. Various. Cover by Nicola Scott & Annette Kwok.
RELEASED: August 10, 2021

This is my first look at this anthology series, more specifically the Tim Drake story by Meghan Fitzmartin and Belen Ortega in which it’s revealed Tim Drake is bisexual. Naturally, some people are up in arms about this. Me? I’ll go on record as saying I don’t mind. It’s just the next development, the next chapter in the character’s story. Who knows? Maybe we’ll start to see a little more of him now.

Also, lost amidst the headlines is a fairly interesting development with Jason Todd. It’s definitely worth a look.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.