Tag Micro-Reviews

A Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 Micro-Review – Are We in the Future Yet?

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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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Superman Son of Kal-El 1, cover, 2021TITLE: Superman: Son of Kal-El #1
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist), Dave Sharpe (Letterer)
RELEASED: July 27, 2021

This feels like it should have been part of Future State. It feels like they’re setting up Jon Kent to be the one and only Superman, as opposed to one of two Supermen alongside his father…

That being said, Taylor proves he knows how to write Superman, be it Jon or Clark Kent. The hero we see here is compassionate, as opposed to combatant. That’s a side of Superman a lot of creators get wrong.

We also get to see what the Justice League was doing on the day Jon was born. That manages to be pretty cool.

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

A Blue and Gold #1 Micro-Review – The Boys are Back!

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Blue and Gold 1, cover, 2021, Ryan SookTITLE: Blue and Gold #1 (of 8)
AUTHOR: Dan Jurgens
ARTISTS: Ryan Sook, Rob Leigh (Letterer)
RELEASED: July 20, 2021

I do have to deduct points from this issue, as it uses that obnoxious “bros before heroes” line from Heroes in Crisis.

But other than that, I can’t find much mud to sling at Blue and Gold #1. When these two are being written by someone who really gets their dynamic, they’re a lot of fun to read. And I imagine very few get it better than Jurgens, who created Booster. Sook’s art is also gorgeous.

There’s probably enough meat on the bone here for these two to have their own ongoing series. But one step at a time.

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

A Batman #110 Micro-Review – The Business of Making Ghosts

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Batman #110
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Jorge Jimenez, Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Variant cover by Jock.
RELEASED: July 6, 2021

These Ghost-Maker back-up stories have been an acquired taste. But after several installments, I’ve finally started to come around on them. Particularly because of Ricardo Lopez-Ortiz’s art. It’s got a nice animated look to it without being too silly.

The main story was more or less status quo. Tynion, Jimenez, and Morey continue to do right by Scarecrow, while Harley Quinn continues to feel out of place working alongside Batman. I’ll grant you the latter is probably my own personal taste more than anything. But I call ’em like I see ’em.

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

A Nightwing #81 Micro-Review – A Big Reveal!

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Nightwing #81
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Letterer)
RELEASED: June 15, 2021

There’s a pretty big revelation regarding Dick Grayson’s family at the end of this issue. I won’t spoil it. But I’m certainly curious to see where Taylor goes with it…

Redondo and Lucas get a nice chance to show off here with a fight sequence between Nightwing and our villain Heartless. These guys are one of the best teams in all of comics right now, and they’re getting to prove it on Nightwing.

Also, Tim Drake is still hanging out. That’s a plus.

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

A Star Wars #14 Micro-Review – Lando’s Agenda

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Star Wars 14, cover, 2021, Carlo PagulayanTITLE: Star Wars #14
AUTHORS: Charles Soule
ARTISTS: Ramon Rosanas, Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain Beredo.
RELEASED: June 16, 2021

As someone who’s only been marginally paying attention to the big War of the Bounty Hunters event, I was able to follow along with this issue fairly well. Obviously, I can appreciate that.

Despite him doing some fairly stupid stuff early on, Soule’s Star Wars series has been pretty good to Lando Calrissian. We continue to see that, while he’s generally a good guy, he still has his own agenda in all of this…

Ramon Rosanas’ art continues to be stellar, particularly when it comes to spaceships. The man draws a mean Millennium Falcon.

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

A Teen Titans Academy Yearbook 2021 Micro-Review – Life with Stitch

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Teen Titans Academy Yearbook 2021
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Bernard Chang, Marco Santucci, Darko Lafuente, Rafa Sandoval, John Tarragona (Inker). Cover design by Stephen Blackwell.
COLORISTS: Marcelo Maiolo, Michael Atiyeh, Miquel Muerto, Alex Sinclair
LETTERER: Rob Leigh
RELEASED: June 29, 2021

This short stories collection is highlighted by a look at the mysterious Stitch. As I’ve said previously, I think the strength of a teenage superhero book is how well it highlights that teen element. The Stitch story does that, tying into how lonely and isolating high school can sometimes feel. Nice work by Sheridan, who to his credit writes the entire issue.

We also get a charming little outing for Beast Boy and Raven. Teen Titans Academy should first and foremost be about the new characters, i.e. the students. But the classic characters also have their place.

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

A Batman: Reptilian Micro-Review – The Pitch Black Knight

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Batman Reptilian 1 cover, 2021, Liam SharpTITLE: Batman: Reptilian #1
AUTHOR: Garth Ennis
ARTISTS: Liam Sharp, Rob Steen (Letterer)
RELEASED: June 22, 2021

There’s a dedication up front in which Sharp tips his hat to Steve Dillon. Apparently this book was originally meant for him. That explains a lot, as Sharp’s performance here is very Dillon-esque. That’s not a bad thing, though definitely not what I expected when I saw Sharpe’s name on the cover.

Those who like their Batman dark, as in pitch black, will love what they see in Reptilian. The art is extremely well done, though not my particular cup of tea. I’ll be sitting out the rest of this one.

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

A Detective Comics #1037 Micro-Review – Secret Identity Blown?!?

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Detective Comics 1037, Lee Bermejo variant cover, 2021TITLE: Detective Comics #1037
AUTHORS: Mariko Tamaki, John Ridley
ARTISTS: Victor Bogdanovic, Karl Mostert, Dustin Nguyen, Jonathan Glapion (Co-Inker), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), John Kalisz (Colorist), Aditya Bidikar (Letterer), Rob Leigh (Letterer), Tom Napolitano. Variant cover by Lee Bermejo.
RELEASED: June 8, 2021

There’s a weird error in this issue. Mr. Worth, a new villain, is hunting Bruce Wayne. He asks aloud, “Where are you, Wayne?” Batman then pops out and says, “Here!” Kind of gives away the whole secret identity thing, doesn’t it?

John Ridley and Dustin Nguyen do a back-up story this time around. As far as I’m concerned, both of them are always welcome in Batman’s world. Naturally, it serves as a precursor to The Next Batman.

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

A Compass #1 Micro-Review – Breezing into History

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Compass 1, cover, 2021Justin GreenwoodTITLE: Compass #1
AUTHORS: Robert Mackenzie, David Walker
ARTISTS: Justin Greenwood, Daniela Miwa (Colorist), Simon Bowland (Letterer). Cover by Greenwood & Brad Simpson.
RELEASED: June 15, 2021

This first issue has an Indiana Jones vibe to it. It’s light on dialogue and exposition early on, and heavy on the action. As such, it’s a breeze to get into.

If historical fiction is your flavor, then Compass might be for you. All the more if you’re into strong female characters. It takes a bit of time to catch up with the history element. But once you do, you realize this series has a lot of promise.

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

The Joker #4 Micro-Review – Lady Bane? She-Bane?

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The Joker 4, cover, 2021, Guillem MarchTITLE: The Joker #4
AUTHORS: James Tynion IV, Sam Johns
ARTISTS: Guillem March, Mirka Andolfo, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer), Ariana Maher (Letterer)
RELEASED: June 8, 2021

The Joker has featured the debut of Bane’s daughter Vengeance. I like her design a lot. Particularly in how her mask resembles the one Bane wore when he first appeared in the ’90s.

I’m split on whether I like the name Vengeance. When I opened this issue I was calling her Lady Bane in error, but that’s not a horrible name. Joker actually calls her She-Bane here. That one is…less inspired.

The Punchline back-up is still coming out flat for me, despite the presence of Harper Row/Bluebird.

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