Category DC

A Batman #133 Micro-Review – Alfred With a Sword?

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 133, cover, March 2023, Jorge JimenezTITLE: Batman #133
AUTHOR: Chip Zdarsky
ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto (Inker), Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Miguel Mendona, Roman Stevens (Colorist). Cover by Jorge Jimenez.
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Does Alfred have a sword on that cover? Uh, why? I mean, he doesn’t wield a sword in the issue…

I go hot and cold on this  “The Bat-Man of Gotham” story. Some months I’m into it, some months I’m not. The art is fine. But from a story perspective, I’m waiting for something to really pique my interest, and thus far I haven’t seen it.

I found myself wishing the Tim Drake back-up got a little more page time. Or at least this segment of the story with Toyman.

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

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1 Micro-Review – The Death of Supermen

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.***

Adventures of Superman Jon Kent 1, cover, March 2023, Clayton HenryTITLE: Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1
AUTHOR:  Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Clayton Henry, Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Colorist). Cover by Henry & Marcelo Maiolo. 
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Apparently Jon doesn’t have a cape anymore. That kinda sucks. Superman should have a cape.

The Earth didn’t move for me on this one. Nor do I expect it to, as I’m not a fan of the Injustice game. That’s not to say this story, about Jon Kent traveling the multiverse to find the person that’s killing various different iterations of Kal-El, doesn’t have potential.It just starts a little flat for my tastes. But given Tom Taylor’s obvious history with the character, I’m willing to give it some time.

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Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5 Micro-Review – Stupid Batgirl

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 and the Joker the Deadly Duo 5, cover, March 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5
AUTHOR:  Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a scene in this issue where Batgirl fights and interrogates an imprisoned Joker, and he chastises her for not having shackles on like he does. So what does she do? She puts shackles on. In the ensuing fight, Joker actually gets the upper hand for a time.

There’s a difference between writing heroes as honorable, moralistic, and principled, and writing heroes as stupid. This fell hard into the stupid column.

There’s a panel during said fight where Batgirl throws a kick at Joker’s face that, from a kinesiology standpoint, just doesn’t work. You’ll know it when you see it.

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The Flash #794 Micro-Review – Laughing at Miss Murder

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 794, cover, March 2023, Taurin ClarkeTITLE: The Flash #794
AUTHOR:  Jeremy Adams
ARTISTS:  Roger Cruz, Wellington Dias (Co-Inker), Luis Guerrero (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Taurin Clarke.
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a panel in this issue where the Miss Murder character gets played for a laugh. That’s a mistake. This character is supposed to be like the Flash’s equivalent to the Batman Who Laughs, who’s a scary death-like character. Not necessarily good comedy fodder. Plus, we’re still learning about Miss Murder, getting used to her, etc. It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

As the (gorgeous) cover indicates, Irey West gets to shine in this issue. Curiously, that’s not what her costume actually looks like, though. Actually, her costume is practically identical to that of Impulse.

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A Poison Ivy #10 Micro-Review – Gwendolyn Caltrope?

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.***

Poison Ivy 10, cover, March 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #10
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan-Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong. 
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a character in this issue named Gwendolyn Caltrope who’s sort of a health business magnate, that runs a company called “Glop.” I’m fairly certain that’s the only time Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop have been parodied in a superhero comic. I kind of love it.

By this point we’ve met a companion character for Ivy in Janet. She’s too new at this point to be much more than a sort of perky stock character, almost like domesticated Harley Quinn. But the interplay between she and Ivy is fun.

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Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1 Micro-Review – Getting Cute with Clay

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 One Bad Day Clayface 1, cover, February 2023, XermanicoTITLE: Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1
AUTHOR: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
ARTISTS:  Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue gets cutesy at certain points, with Basil Karlo working on movies based on The Killing Joke, and then the Grey Ghost from Batman: The Animated Series. Actually, this issue reminds me a lot of a B:TAS episode.

All in all, this is pretty solid. Definitely one of the better One Bad Day issues. It dives in the bitter actor/artist side of Clayface as he tries to get his big break as a performer. It all goes about the way you’d expect. But that isn’t a bad thing. Xermanico and Fajardo also make it look great.

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A Detective Comics #1069 Micro-Review – Friends and Comrades

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.***

Detective Comics 1069, cover, February 2023, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1069
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Dexter Soy, Stefano Raffaele, Miguel Mendonca, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Caspar Winjgaard, Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: February 28, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

These back-up stories we get in Detective Comics are hit-or-miss for me. This month we start a new one centered around Mr. Freeze. Thankfully, it looks like it’s a hit. Especially when it comes to Caspar Winjgaard’s art.

Meanwhile, Ram V is gradually adding a newish dimension to Batman’s relationship with Jim Gordon, expanding on their relationship as friends and comrades. While his larger story isn’t landing for me, his take on the Batman/Gordon dynamic is interesting.

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A Tim Drake: Robin #6 Micro-Review – Robin Kissing a Boy

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.***

Tim Drake Robin 6, cover, February 2023, Ricardo Lopez OrtizTITLE: Tim Drake: Robin #6
AUTHOR: Meghan Fitzmartin
ARTISTS: Riley Rossmo, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz.
RELEASED: February 28, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The novelty of Robin kissing a boy on a comic book cover should not be lost on readers. Especially those of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, when Tim Drake was created.

The book’s first arc wraps up here, and it was a decent one that ends on a nice note for Tim. I maintain that Riley Rossmo is a bit of an acquired taste for this particular book. But he makes it work. I’m looking forward to see what’s next for Tim Drake: Robin.

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An Action Comics #1052 Micro-Review – Kryptonian Variety

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.***

Action Comics 1052, cover, February 2023, Steve BeachTITLE: Action Comics #1052
AUTHORS: Philip Kennedy Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Leah Willias
ARTISTS: Various. Cover by Steve Beach.

RELEASED: February 28, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Action Comics is stronger these days than it’s been in quite some time. There’s a really nice variety being presented here in terms of both writing and art. That’s thanks to the two back-up features we’re getting, one acting as a sequel to the old Lois and Clark comic, the other dedicated to Power Girl. I confess, I’m partial to the former, as I was a big fan of Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks’ work on the old book.

Really strong opening sequence this month with Superman and Metallo by Rafa Sandoval and colorist Matt Herms. 

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A Superman: Space Age #3 Micro-Review – The Batman Trap, Continued…

Rob Siebert 1 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 Spage Age 3, cover, February 2023, Mike AllredTITLE: Superman: Space Age #3
AUTHOR: Mark Russell
ARTISTS: Mike Allred, Laura Allred (Colorist), Dave Sharpe (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This one actually made me angry. Like, physically angry.

Superman: Space Age had an amazing first issue. As in, one of the most amazing starts to a Superman story I’ve read in quite some time. But both this issue and issue #2 fell into what I’ll call the “Batman trap.” In essence, Batman was introduced and took center-stage for enough pages that Space Age could qualify as a Batman/Superman story, as opposed to just a Superman one. It’s an easy trap for DC Comics writers to fall into. But I thought Mark Russell was better than that.

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