Category Comic Books/Graphic Novels

A Nightwing #102 Micro-Review – Detective Superman

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

TITLE: Nightwing #102
AUTHORS: Tom Taylor, C.S. Pacat
ARTISTS:  Travis Moore, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira (Inker), Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Letterer). Cover by Bruno Redondo.
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Continuing the pattern from last issue, this one feels a little bit like an appetizer for the upcoming Titans series, which Tom Taylor is also writing. Nothing wrong with that in the grand scheme of things. Though I’ll be glad if/when things get back to business as usual.

C.S. Pacat’s backup with Nightwing and Jon Kent stole this issue for me, despite me not being enamored with how Jon is drawn. We get a little bit of Dick mentoring him on the ins and outs of detective work. That’s cool to see.

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

A Superman #2 Micro-Review – Superman vs. Zombies

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

Superman 2, cover, March 2023, Jamal CampbellTITLE: Superman #2
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Jamal Campbell, Ariana Maher (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Tremendous cover. The deep black of Marilyn Moonlight’s outfit is a great contrast to the bright primary colors of Superman’s costume. And his eyes draw focus nicely.

Nice to see the Parasite getting some love in this first story. If you’ve ever wanted to see Superman face a zombie outbreak in Metropolis (And why wouldn’t you?), this issue will interest you.

Most of the extended Superman family now have a jacket/pants aesthetic going with their costumes. This issue made me realize that such a look doesn’t really work for Supergirl. At least as far as I’m concerned.

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

A Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13 Micro-Review – Refresher Course

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

Batman Superman World's Finest 13, cover, March 2023, Dan MoraTITLE: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13
AUTHOR: Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain (Colorist), Steve Wands (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue dives into Metamorpho’s origin story. It’s a nice little refresher course for readers who aren’t familiar with him.

Waid, Mora, and Bonvillain also give us some quality work with Jimmy Olsen here. Hat-tip to them for that. A more modern take on Jimmy Olsen can be tough to get right. They do a pretty good job, though.

Also? Batgirl is in this issue. Very nice to see Mora and Bonvillain work on her.

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

A GCPD: The Blue Wall #6 Micro-Review – Series, Please!

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

GCPD The Blue Wall 6, cover, March 2023, Reiko MurakamiTITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #6
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The last page, more specifically the last panel, of this issue comes off a little hokey. But all in all, a perfectly serviceable and satisfying ending.

I maintain that, especially at a time when they’re doing this Dawn of DC initiative, GCPD: The Blue Wall should be a series. Something like this is tailor-made for John Ridley’s voice. This is the spiritual successor to Gotham Central that some of us have been waiting decades for.

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

The Flash #795 Micro-Review – “Flash Family, Forward!”

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

The Flash 795, cover, March 2023, Taurin ClarkeTITLE: The Flash #795
AUTHOR: Jeremy Adams
ARTISTS:  Roger Cruz, George Hambadais, Fernando Pasarin, Wellington Dias (Inker), Oclair Albert (Inker), Luis Guerrero & Matt Herms (Colorists), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Taurin Clarke.
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

For the record, nobody dies in this issue, as the cover suggests.

Barry Allen says a couple of interesting/fun things, though. At one point, he flat out tells Linda that speedsters exist outside of time. Specifically, that they’re “separate from our regular…’continuity’ for lack of a better word.” If that’s not a meta moment, I don’t know what is.

Barry also gives the speedsters an “Avengers Assemble!” type battle cry: “Flash Family, Forward!” Not nearly as catchy. But it works, I suppose.

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

A Star Wars: Sana Starros #2 Micro-Review – Family Connections

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

TITLE: Star Wars: Sana Starros #2
AUTHOR: Justina Ireland
ARTISTS: Pere Perez,  Dono Sanchez-Almara (Colorist), Travis Lanham (Letterer). Cover by Ken Lashley & Juan Fernandez.
RELEASED: March 8, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue ties Sana to her ancestor Avon Starros, who we’ve seen in some of the High Republic books. That’s not a coincidence, as Justina Ireland has written her.

I appreciate that Thea Starros, Sana’s grandmother, is in this story. It feels like we don’t see a lot of characters like her in Star Wars. Meaning in terms of both her age and her general look.

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

A Star Wars: Yoda #5 Micro-Review – A Planet of the Apes Vibe

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

Star Wars Yoda 5, cover, March 2023, Phil NotoTITLE: Star Wars: Yoda #5
AUTHOR: Jody Houser
ARTISTS: Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: March 15, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Luke Ross is a tremendous Star Wars artist at large, beyond simply drawing an amazing Yoda. There are a lot of wookiees in this issue, and Ross does a fine job making them distinct from Chewbacca. I get a little bit of a Planet of the Apes vibe, which works for me.

As a longtime Star Wars geek, I appreciate Houser incorporating the feud between wookiees and Trandoshans into this story. That’s been a part of Star Wars lore for a long time, dating back to a feud between Chewbacca and Bossk.

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

The Amazing Spider-Man #21 Micro-Review – Outta Luck?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

The Amazing Spider-Man 21, cover, March 2023, John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna, Marcio MenyzTITLE: The Amazing Spider-Man #21
AUTHOR: Zeb Wells
ARTISTS:  John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna (Inker), Marcio Menyz (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 8, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

It looks like we’re supposed to know the villain in this issue from the previous volume of ASM. Guess new readers like me are outta luck in that regard.

The most relatable moment in this issue for me is Mary Jane struggling to get two kids ready for a trip to the park. Sometimes facing down a supervillain isn’t as tough as trying to get two kids out of the damn house.

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

A TMNT: The Armageddon Game #6 Micro-Review – Herman’s Time to Shine

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

TMNT The Armageddon Game 6, variant cover, March 2023, Vincenzo Federici, Matt HermsTITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game #6
AUTHOR: Tom Waltz
ARTISTS: Vincenzo Federici, Heather Breckel (Colorist), Shawn Lee (Letterer). Variant cover by Alex Sanchez & Gigi Dutreix.
RELEASED: March 15, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Herman, the hermit crab with heavy artillery, gets a nice moment in this issue. That was nice. As was the Krang-centric moment we get toward the end. So we’re getting isolated character moments that are fun and memorable, even though the larger tapestry of The Armageddon Game is a mess.

Raphael has been wearing a trench coat during fight sequences for several issues now. An interesting choice, as you’d think that would restrict his movement, and what not. But what do I know? I’m no ninja…

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

A Superman: Lost #1 Micro-Review – It’s Not a Superman Story Unless…

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

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

Superman Lost 1, cover, March 2023, Carlo PagulayanTITLE: Superman: Lost #1
AUTHORS: Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan
ARTISTS:  Pagulayan, Jason Paz (Inker), Jeromy Cox (Colorist), Willie Schubert (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 14, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Apparently the current policy at DC is that it’s not really a Superman story unless Batman shows up. *sigh*

Though, to be fair, the entire Justice League is part of this story. So at least this Batman appearance is somewhat called for. And Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz, fresh off their work on Star Wars, draw a beautiful Justice League accompanied by Jeromy Cox’s colors. But hopefully going forward this will be a story primarily about the Man of Steel.

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