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TMNT: The Armageddon Game – The Alliance #5 Micro-Review – Spotlight on April O’Neil

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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.***

TMNT Armageddon Game Alliance 5, cover, March 2023, Roi Mercado, William SoaresTITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game – The Alliance #4
AUTHORS: Paul Allor, Erik Burnham
ARTISTS: Pablo Verdugo, Gigi Dutreix (Colorist), Shawn Lee (Letterer), Roi Mercado, William Soares (Colorist). Cover by Mercado & Soares.
RELEASED: March 8, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is a nice little April O’Neil-focused issue. Nothing too complicated. She’s running from some bad guys. It’s a fine little piece of the larger Armageddon Game story, which is a big mess.

We don’t actually see the Turtles in this issue. But I like Pablo Verdugo’s take on their world. It’s got a nice animated look to it. I’d enjoy seeing more from him.

Nice to see Paul Allor and Erik Burnham working together on an issue. Reminds me of their work together on Turtles in Time.

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

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.

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #4 Micro-Review – The Wild and the Woke

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.***

Once Upon a Time a the End of the World 4, cover, February 2023, Mike Del MundoTITLE: Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #4
AUTHOR:  Jason Aaron
ARTISTS: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), AndWorld Design (Letters). Cover by Mike Del Mundo. 
RELEASED: February 22, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We get a better sense of who our bad guys are in this issue. They give out merit badges for things like masculinity, religious intolerance, and golf. Our heroes are also referred to at one point as “the wild and the woke.” Which, come to think of it, could have been the title of this series. Either way, “woke” us such a buzzword nowadays that this is bound to irk some conservative readers.

Color me aghast.

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.

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

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.

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

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Trailer – A Few Thoughts…

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

As many of us have seen by now, the trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem dropped yesterday…

Looks great stylistically. Very Spider-Verse. Can’t complain too much…

I do have a question, though…What’s up with Donatello’s voice? Has he not hit Turtle puberty yet? I mean, I guess that’s how it works sometimes. But still…

Also, can we stop putting glasses/goggles on Donatello? It needlessly clutters up his design. If Michelangelo can have braces, Donatello can get contact lenses.

They’re going to get my money for this one, which is more than I can say for TMNT: Out of the Shadows.

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

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.

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

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.

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

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 17: The Apostate” Review

Rob Siebert 3 Comments

The Mandalorian, season 3 posterSERIES: Star Wars:  The Mandalorian
EPISODE: S3:E1 – “Chapter 17:  The Apostate”
STARRING: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Emily Swallow, Marti Matulis, Katee Sackoff
WRITER: Jon Favreau 
DIRECTOR:  Rick Famuyiwa
PREMIERE DATE: March 1, 2023
SYNOPSIS: The Mandalorian continues his journey toward absolution.

***New around here? Check out our Star Wars review archive!***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I know this gripe has been…uh…griped, by many already. But it must be said: This premiere should have been about how Din Djarin and Grogu are ultimately reunited after the latter’s time training with Luke Skywalker. Instead, they did that story on The Book of Boba Fett, stealing thunder that should have been reserved for this third season. Choosing to give us those critical moments under the banner of a different show was the biggest, and perhaps only major, mistake The Mandalorian has made thus far.

Simply put, The Book of Boba Fett should have been about Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and the characters that show is specifically about. The Mandalorian should, conversely, be about Mando and Grogu’s journey together. Going forward, let’s not color outside the lines anymore. If they want these characters to appear in one another’s shows, be my guest. But events and moments that are critical to a particular show, should be done on said show. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Between this new season of The Mandalorian, and the success of The Last of Us on HBO Max, I think we can all agree Pedro Pascal is living his best life right about now.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought that opening sequence was a flashback to Din Djarin’s childhood. It would have made sense, given this episode, and apparently this season overall, are about him seeking redemption in the eyes of his people. Mando did get a nice entrance, though. So there’s the upside.

Vane and the other pirates want to break into an in-session school before being stopped by Mando and Greef Karga. That’s a nice heelish bad guy move.

I call BS on the notion that Mando thinks IG-11 is the only droid that can help him in his quest to find the living waters of Mandalore. IG-11 had a nice little story in season one. I even liked the statue in town being dedicated to him. We didn’t need to revive him for more.

Gorian Shard, the big lead pirate behind Vane and his crew, looked like, in Mrs. Primary Ignition’s words, “a swamp monster.” I did, in fact, get a Swamp Thing vibe from him. That’s not a bad thing. Just a thing. Either way, you know we haven’t seen the last of him this season.

Seasons one and two were largely held together by Grogu’s story. Mando’s quest to learn his origins, get him back to the Jedi, etc. This season, we don’t have that. So I’m very curious to see what they’re going to do with the Grogu character going forward. As fun as it is to watch him do cute things, there has to be more to him than that.

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

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.

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