Tag Joshua Williamson

A Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 Micro-Review – “We’re the Titans!”

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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.***

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths 5, cover, 2022, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro SanchezTITLE: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: October 4, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The momentum from last issue continues here, as this finally starts to feel like a Crisis-level story with world-shattering implications. But it’s too little, too late at this point. If Dark Crisis had this level of tension and energy at the beginning, that would have been one thing…

This issue does include a really nice rallying moment for Nightwing and the Titans, though…

“You are not the Justice League!”

“We never were…we’re the Titans!”

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A Batman vs. Robin #1 Micro-Review – Unprepared For Class

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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.***

Batman vs Robin 1, cover, 2022, Mahmud Asrar, Nathan FairbairnTITLE: Batman vs. Robin #1
AUTHOR: Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Mahmud Asrar, Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Asrar & Nathan Fairbairn.
RELEASED: September 13, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I feel a little bit unprepared for class on this one, like finishing Joshua Williamson’s Robin series would have been helpful coming into Batman vs. Robin. But nonetheless, newcomers are in fairly good hands with Mark Waid.

Tim Hunter accompanies Damian in his fight against his father. The fight takes them to the Batcave, and Hunter uses a bunch of empty Batman and Robin costumes against the Dark Knight. I loved that.

So…is Alfred back now? Yes? Please?

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A Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 Micro-Review – Where’s Our Big Bad?

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.***

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths 4, cover, 2022, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro SanchezTITLE: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (of 7)
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
RELEASED: September 6, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Things ramp up a little bit this month. But by and large, my complaints about Dark Crisis still stand. I’m still waiting for this to feel like a Crisis-worthy event.

I’m wondering how much of that has to do with our villain choices. Right now we’ve got Pariah and Deathstroke working for something called the “Great Darkness,” which is a fairly vague concept. Did I miss some kind of required reading before Dark Crisis?

Maybe what we’re missing here is a big bad. Somebody like the Anti-Monitor or Darkseid.

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A Dark Crisis #3 Micro-Review – Longing For Doom

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.***

TITLE: Dark Crisis #3
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
INKERS: Sampere, Daniel Henriques, Danny Miki
RELEASED: August 2, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Three issues in, and Dark Crisis still hasn’t quite found its legs. What we’re missing is that sense of impending doom that’s so prevalent in a lot of the great event comics from the big two. It’s certainly prevalent in all of DC’s Crisis stories.

There’s a sense of disorganization to Dark Crisis that doesn’t do it any favors. I understand that some of that is the nature of the story they’re telling. But the fact that DC is renaming the series Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths makes me wonder how much of this is being adjusted on the go…

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A Dark Crisis #2 Micro-Review – Conflict De-Escalation

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.***

Dark Crisis 2, cover, 2022, Daniel SampereTITLE: Dark Crisis #2
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: July 5, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The idea with an event comic is that the threat continues to escalate throughout the story, right? And you build to the big climax toward the end. Dark Crisis #2, on the other hand, seems to de-escalate the conflict and end on a premature note of hope for the heroes. That’s an odd choice for a book like this.

I appreciate the incorporation of the Teen Titans Academy into the proceedings. I maintain that book was cancelled way too soon.

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

A Dark Crisis #1 Micro-Review – Crisis-Worthy?

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.***

Dark Crisis 1, cover, 2022, Daniel SampereTITLE: Dark Crisis #1
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: June 7, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This book seems, thus far at least, to be less about a big Crisis-level threat and more about whether Jon Kent and the other heroes can band together after the death of the Justice League. A perfectly viable premise for an event comic. However, whether it’s worthy of the Crisis name remains to be seen.

This all feels a little hollow though, as we know the League is inevitably returning.

Daniel Sampere’s art is very much worthy of a big event comic like this. He’s got a lot of characters to draw here. But his execution is on point.

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A Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 Micro-Review – Nightwing’s Bad Hair Day

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.***

Justice League Road to Dark Crisis 1, cover, 2022, Daniel SampereTITLE: Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1
AUTHORS: Joshua Williamson, Various
ARTISTS: Dan Jurgens, Various. Cover by Daniel Sampere & Alejandro Sanchez.

RELEASED: May 31, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Not the most thrilling collection of short stories I’ve ever read. I still don’t have a strong sense of what exactly Dark Crisis is about, outside of the fact that the Justice League is “dead.” Is that it? Is that our premise?

The best thing in here is probably the opener by Joshua Williamson and Dan Jurgens. It’s a story about Jon Kent and Dick Grayson coming to grips with a world without a Justice League. But oddly enough, what stuck out the most to me was the awkward way Jurgens drew Nightwing’s hair…

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A Batman #123 Micro-Review – An Easy Transition

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 123, cover, 2022, Howard PorterTITLE: Batman #123
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Howard Porter, Trevor Hairsine, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Rain Beredo (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Willie Schubert (Letterer)

RELEASED: May 3, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I was able to follow this issue fairly easily, despite not having read the two “Shadow War” issues that came after Batman #122. That kind of thing is always appreciated.

Still, for my money the back-up story by Williamson and Trevor Hairsine stole the issue. Taking place in the past, it sees Batman mix it up with Deathstroke and the Joker, as a bounty looms over Robin’s head. Hairsine renders the classic Robin costume very well, albeit briefly.

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

A Shadow War: Alpha #1 Micro-Review – Batman Said What?!?

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.***

Shadow War Alpha 1, cover, 2022, Jonboy MeyersTITLE: Shadow War: Alpha #1
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Viktor Bogdanovic, Daniel Henriques (Co-Inker), Mike Spicer (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer). Cover by Jonboy Meyers.

RELEASED: March 30, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue was coming along just fine, until we came to a total clunker of a line that’s given to Batman.

Out of what feels like the clear blue sky, Batman tells Damian that he could have prevented Alfred’s murder had he been there. Damian, of course, was there, and was unable to stop it. Granted, father and son are in a heated exchange when this line comes out. But it still feels needlessly harsh, and shoehorned in as a cheap way to manufacture drama. Bad form.

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A Robin #12 Micro-Review – A Bogus Belt Buckle

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.***

Robin 12, cover, 2022, Victor BogdanovicTITLE: Robin #12
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Roger Cruz, Norm Rapmund (Inker), Luis Guerrero (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer). Cover by Victor Bogdanovic.

RELEASED: March 22, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Look at Robin’s belt buckle. It’s stylized to look like a D. As in Damian. That’s lame. Like, really lame.

On the subject of the Robin costume, Damian fights an evil version of himself in this issue, who’s got alternate outfit that works well as a one-off. Honestly, sometimes I wish Damian’s gray suit was just a one-off. I miss the colors.

Roger Cruz isn’t the first to draw Damian with an older, slightly taller look. Is this becoming the norm? If so, that’s not bad. I’d just like to see it more consistently rendered across the DCU.

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