Tag weekly comics

Weekly Comic 100s: Nightwing #78

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 #78
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Wes Abbott (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 16, 2021

In this issue Nightwing literally saves a puppy from a bunch of goons. A friggin’ puppy.

So obviously he’s becoming a villain, right?

All kidding aside, this is a great issue. The writing is supreme, and some of the visuals are fantastic (see the two-page spread of Nightwing diving across the cityscape). Adriano Lucas’ colors are gorgeous too. This team did great on Suicide Squad, and I’m confident they’ll do great here. The apparent addition of Barbara Gordon to the book’s cast certainly doesn’t hurt things either.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Batman #106

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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

TITLE: Batman #106
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Jorge Jimenez, Gleb Melnikov, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Troy Peteri (Letterer). Cover by Jimenez & Morey.
RELEASED: March 2, 2021

Tomeu Morey is the star of this issue. It’s a symphony of gorgeous colors, each playing a distinct role in their respective scenes. A true masterclass in the work of a colorist.

Is Harley Quinn considered a member of the Bat-family now? Ugh.

Story-wise, I was drawn to the back-up more than the feature. We see Damian, complete with a new, far less colorful Robin suit (shown right), return to his mother to take back his role with the League of Assassins. The purist in me doesn’t like that costume. But for now, I’ll bite.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Star Wars: The High Republic #3

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: Star Wars: The High Republic #3
AUTHOR: Cavan Scott
ARTISTS: Ario Anindito, Mark Morales (Inker), Annalisa Leoni (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Phil Noto.
RELEASED: March 3, 2021

The more of these High Republic stories I read, the more I’m convinced they should have started small. Pick one character, and focus in on their adventures. For instance, in this issue we follow a character named Keeve Trennis as she searches for a fellow jedi alongside a young child. It provides great insight into her character, the duty of a jedi, and the challenges they face as it relates to the dark side and fear.

In this instance, I think character development should have preceded world-building.

There’s a hutt autopsy in this issue. I…can’t…look away…

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

Weekly Comic 100s: The Next Batman: Second Son #2

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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

TITLE: The Next Batman: Second Son #2
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Tony Akins, Travel Foreman, Marco Failla (Breakdowns), Mark Morales (Inker), Rex Lokus (Colorist), Deron Bennett (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 2, 2021

So what we’ve got here is an origin story for Tim Fox’s Batman. There’s plenty of intrigue there. Though don’t let the cover confuse you: That’s Tim’s brother Luke Fox as Batwing.

There’s a decent amount of talk about the “Joker War” storyline here. The implication seems to be that in this universe, that’s where everything fell apart. No more Bruce Wayne as Batman, no more Commissioner Gordon, and a full-on ban of masked vigilantes in Gotham. It’s a whole new world out there, people…

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Nocterra #1 (ADVANCE REVIEW)

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: Nocterra #1
AUTHOR: Scott Snyder
ARTISTS: Tony Daniel, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2021

Interesting concept here, as we see a world where the sky has been blotted out, and light is the world’s most precious resource. And those without access to light? They turn into monsters. Because of course they do.

Tony Daniel and Tomeu Morey are the stars here. Particularly when it comes to the monster renderings. If you’re looking for nightmare fuel, look no further than Noceterra.

I’m curious to see how much mileage Noceterra has in it. The idea has legs. Now it’s just a matter of how far it can travel…

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

DC’s Infinite Frontier #0 – A Rapid Fire Review

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Couldn’t jam Infinite Frontier into an edition of “Weekly Comic 100s,” so we decided to upgrade the format. We’ll cover each story in this oversized issue in rapid fire fashion, and take a glimpse into DC’s future (not to be confused with Future State).

TITLE: Infinite Frontier #0
AUTHORS: Various
ARTISTS: Various. Cover by Dan Jurgens & Mikel Janin.
RELEASED: March 2, 2021

Justice League: Wait, so is Black Adam’s name changing to Shazadam or not? I thought it wasn’t.

Batman: This one’s split into two parts. I’m liking this premise where Barbara Gordon mentors Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain in a Birds of Prey sort of way.

Also, Bane dies. Let’s see how long that lasts…

Wonder Woman: Apparently Wonder Woman did something super big and important in Dark Nights: Death Metal, so now she’s elevated to “the Quintessence” council with Phantom Stranger, the Spectre, etc., and we need a new Wonder Woman. Which is going to be…Wonder Woman’s mother Hippolyta? I think? Honestly, I don’t really get it…

Wonder Girl: So Yara Flor, the Future State Wonder Woman, is going to be the new Wonder Girl. That could be cool. But she only gets a few pages here. Frankly, I’d rather have spent more time with her than the ladies of Themyscera. We still don’t know much about her, after all.

Green Lantern: Alan Scott: In a very heartfelt scene, Alan comes out to his children as a gay man. That’s pretty cool. I’m also excited DC is borrowing from The New Frontier, and making it canon that the Justice Society was shut down during the era of McCarthyism.

Teen Titans Academy: Not much to go on here. But I continue to be optimistic about Teen Titans Academy.

Superman: Interestingly, we focus not on Clark Kent here, but Jonathan Kent. It looks very similar to what we saw in Future State. I’m not nearly as optimistic for that sort of thing here as I am with Wonder Woman…

Green Arrow & Black Canary: It looks like they’re undoing one of the deaths from Heroes in Crisis, which is a good thing. The less we have to remember from that book, the better.

Stargirl: Right off the bat, I love the art on this one. It reminds me of the original Young Justice book. A nice little teenager superhero outing by Geoff Johns. After all these years, I still miss him on Teen Titans…

Green Lanterns: We see John Stewart, Simon Baz, and Keli “Teen Lantern” Quintela here. If they’re going to do a new Green Lanterns book, I wouldn’t mind one about the three of them as a team.

The Flash: This one gets a little far out in terms of cosmic scope. But it ends with some news that should make Wally West fans happy. I’m certainly intrigued.

Overall: A good outing, worth the $5.99 price tag. This is what I was hoping those Generations Shattered and Generations Forged books would be like. A jumping on point for various parts of the DCU.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Future State: Batman/Superman #1

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***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

We’re going to play a little with the format here. Starting with…

TITLE: Future State: Batman/Superman #1
AUTHOR: Gene Luen Yang
ARTISTS: Ben Oliver, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
RELEASED: January 26, 2021

My memories of Gene Luen Yang’s Superman run are…unremarkable. By comparison, this issue is mildly better.

The most interesting aspect here is that it takes place early in Gotham’s police state future. So there’s an intrigue in the notion that this is Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne’s final case together. But I can’t say I was blown away.

There is, however, a nice little scene where Superman prevents a suicide. Kudos to Yang for playing up the hopeful side of Superman.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Future State Continued…

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***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Future State: The Next Batman #2
AUTHOR: John Ridley, Vita Ayala, Paula Sevenbergen
ARTISTS: Laura Braga, Nick Derington (Breakdowns), Aneke, Emanuela Lupacchino, Rob Haynes (Breakdowns), Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker). Cover by Ladronn.
COLORISTS: Arif Prianto, Trisha Mulvihill, John Kalisz
LETTERERS: Clayton Cowles, Becca Carey
RELEASED: January 19, 2021

Our Batgirls and Gotham City Sirens back-up stories are underwhelming. It’s also a little disappointing to see Nick Derington strictly on breakdowns this time around (though Laura Braga is more than capable). But I’d still call The Next Batman among the best, if not the best, of Future State.

John Ridley is giving us a slightly more realistic, tech-conscious look at the Batman mythos. There’s a heavy emphasis on facial recognition technology, which we don’t necessarily see in the regular books. This is a smarter, more socially conscious Batman.

TITLE: Future State: Justice League #1
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson, Ram V
ARTISTS: Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques (Inker), Marcio Takara. Cover by Dan Mora.
COLORISTS: Romulo Fajaro Jr, Marcelo Maiolo
LETTERERS: Tom Napolitano, Rob Leigh
RELEASED: January 12, 2021

The main story here is among the best released under the Future State banner, and one of the more fun Justice League stories I’ve read in awhile. We don’t focus on the heroes as individuals, but rather the League as an organization and what it’s become. There’s an intriguing idea here about keeping the group small and impersonal.

The Justice League Dark back-up story didn’t do much for me. But there is an interesting, somewhat funny character bit between Detective Chimp and Etrigan. It doesn’t make or break the story. But it’s fun.

TITLE: Future State: Dark Detective #1
AUTHOR: Mariko Tamaki, Matthew Rosenberg
ARTISTS: Dan Mora, Carmine Di Giandomenico
COLORISTS: Jordie Bellaire, Antonio Fabela
LETTERERS: Aditya Bidikar, Andworld Design
RELEASED: January 19, 2021

Really happy to see former Power Rangers artist Dan Mora get a big shot on a Batman book. Hopefully this is just the next step in what will be big things for him.

The Batman portion of this issue has a lot of intrigue to it, with a sort of gritty, Commando-type approach to the Dark Knight. There’s not a lot of substance to it, but they’ve got the luxury of four issues to expand on things.

Oddly enough, the Grifter back-up story is the superior of the two. It’s not every day Grifter outdoes Batman…

TITLE: Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1
AUTHORS: Sean Lewis, Brandon Easton
ARTISTS: John Timms, Valentine de Landro, Cully Hamner, Michael Avon Oeming
COLORISTS:Gabe Eltaeb, Marissa Louise, Laura Martin
LETTERERS: Dave Sharpe, Andworld Design
RELEASED: January 5, 2021

I miss the cape. It’s just not Superman without it.

In this issue, Jonathan Kent has supposedly been in the Superman role for about a decade. And yet, there’s some doubt as to whether he truly deserves it or is ready for it. There’s a weird disconnect there. Seems like if he’s had the job for 10 years, he must be pretty good at it…

Still, I like the notion of the Superman legacy casting a long shadow, while also trying to be his own man. It feels natural.

TITLE: Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1
AUTHOR: Dan Watters
ARTISTS: Leila Del Duca, Nick Filardi (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Lee Weeks and Brad Anderson.
RELEASED: January 12, 2021

So in this one he does have the cape? What the hell?

This one was disappointing, as there wasn’t much of substance between our two title heroes. I gather there’s supposed to be some kind of intriguing dynamic between Jonathan Kent and our Future State Wonder Woman, but I don’t see it.

One thing I will say: This issue’s introductory Superman scene is pretty awesome, showing us that a “mundane” morning for the Man of Steel is anything but mundane. Plenty of charm to go around.

TITLE: Future State: Green Lantern #1
AUTHOR: Geoffry Thorne, Ryan Cady, Ernie Altbacker
ARTISTS: Tom Raney, Sami Basri, Clayton Henry. Cover by Henry & Marcelo Maiolo.
COLORISTS: Mike Atiyeh, Hi-Fi, Maiolo
LETTERERS: Andworld Design, Dave Sharpe, Steve Wands.
RELEASED: January 12, 2021

Our main story here is about John Stewart and a group of now powerless Green Lanterns. We’ve also got a back-up about Guy Gardner. But the back-up about Jessica Cruz is what steals the issue.

Jessica Cruz has a special place in my heart because of her battle with an anxiety disorder. This story sees her trapped on a space station with three Yellow Lanterns, who are literally powered by fear. But as she stays hidden, she’s got the element of surprise, and thus has the ability to turn the tables on them.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Rorschach, Sea of Sorrows, and More!

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***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Rorschach #2
AUTHOR: Tom King
ARTISTS: Jorge Fornes, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Variant cover by Peach Momoko.
RELEASED: November 17, 2020

Heh. Peach Momoko. I love that name. Hell of a variant cover too.

This issue paints our Rorchach doppleganger as a sympathetic nerd type who took things a step too far. It feels somewhat reminiscent of what Alan Moore did with the Jon Osterman character.

That’s not the only echo from Watchmen here. We’ve got a high rise apartment building. We’ve got the whole fiction-within-fiction thing with a comic book called “The Citizen.” It’s all very…noticeable. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.

TITLE: Sea of Sorrows #1
AUTHOR: Rich Douek
ARTISTS: Alex Cormack, Mark Mullaney (Colorist), Justin Birch (Letterer)
RELEASED: November 18, 2020

I wouldn’t call this the easiest issue in the world to get through. But I’m intrigued by how it portrays the sea as a deep, dark, seemingly endless void. Coming in, I actually wondered if an oil spill was part of the story.

Regardless, the darkness certainly lends itself to the horror-with-a-touch-of-fantasy vibe Sea of Sorrows seems to be going for. I’m not sure I’m coming back for issue #2 on this one. We’ll see…

TITLE: Batman #103
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Carlo Pagulayan, Guillem March, Danny Miki (Inker), David Baron (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey.
RELEASED: November 17, 2020

Harley Quinn calls out the teenaged Clownhunter for having B.O. in this issue. Then she knees him in the balls. That got a laugh from me. Damn teenagers…

Also, Tynion is apparently aware that Ghost-Maker is a dumb name. Good on him.

About halfway through the issue we abruptly switch from Pagulayan to March. Weird transitions like that are never good. But this issue pulls it off as well as one can expect. The color consistency from Baron helps to that end.

TITLE: Juggernaut #3
AUTHOR: Fabian Nicieza
ARTISTS: Ron Garney, Matt Milla (Colorist), Joe Sabina (Letterer)
RELEASED: November 18, 2020

That’s a really cool over. Juggernaut and the scales of justice. It pops.

In this issue Cain fights the Sandman. I mean, technically it’s a villain named Quicksand. But she’s got the same powers, and for all intents and purposes is Sandman.

So far I’m digging this cast. Cain is teaming with D-Cel, a young woman with the power to create “deceleration fields.” In other words, she slows things down. That’s a nice contrast to the Juggernaut powers. Then of course, you have Damage Control, the Marvel Universe’s resident clean-up crew.

TITLE: Something is Killing the Children #12
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: November 18, 2020

There’s a shot in this issue that’s pretty bad ass. Four members of the Order of St. George emerging from total darkness, wearing their white face masks. Little did these creators realize just how…relevant such masks would be as the series unfolded.

Dell’Edera and Muerto turn in some really nice art here. The red that Muerto uses for the blood really pops, and Erica Slaughter’s “acting” is pretty good too.

TITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika II #1
AUTHOR/ARTIST: Braham Revel
RELEASED: November 3, 2020

The best thing this series has going for it thus far is its general “sketchy” aesthetic. It’s unlike what we usually see in TMNT books, and it makes for a fun read.

Jennika spends most of this issue fighting a monster. But it leads into a potentially interesting development. What happens if/when the inhabitants of Mutant Town actually become the monsters that so many think they are? And how does media coverage effect the world’s view of Mutant Town?

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

Weekly Comic 100s: TMNT: The Last Ronin, Three Jokers #3, and More!

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***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1
AUTHORS: Peter Laird (Story), Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz (Story & Script)
ARTISTS: Eastman (Layouts), Esau & Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Luis Delgado (Colorist), Samuel Plata (Color Assists), Shawn Lee (Letterer)
RELEASED: October 28, 2020

There’s a certain Batman Beyond vibe to the world of The Last Ronin. Some of The Dark Knight Returns too. And our villain is almost a Kylo Ren rip-off. But none of this is necessarily bad. This book has a lot of intrigue going for it, and is off to an interesting start.

As this is supposedly based on an old story by Eastman and Laird, I came into it thinking it took place in the original TMNT comic canon. There’s a character on the last page who indicates that’s probably not the case.

TITLE: Batman: Three Jokers #3
AUTHOR: Geoff Johns
ARTISTS: Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer)
RELEASED: October 27, 2020

Another beautiful issue by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. Though not what I would call a satisfying ending to the whole Three Jokers premise.

The story had a lot of interesting ideas, particularly when it came to Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon. Even Joe Chill, the man who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. There’s also a new, interesting twist on the events of The Killing Joke. But in the end, this should remain out of continuity. A well written, gorgeously drawn idea exhibition. Nothing more.

TITLE: The Department of Truth #2
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Martin Simmonds, Aditya Bidikar (Letterer), Dylan Todd (Designer)
RELEASED: October 28, 2020

“Collective belief shapes the world, so everything is a little bit true, or has the potential to be true.”

That’s a quote from this issue which essentially sums up the premise of The Department of Truth. And every time I find myself getting into it, that premise pulls me right out of the story. Because even using comic book logic, I just can’t get behind it.

Plus, we see something in this issue that turns me off. Any kind of violence against children has been doing that since my daughter was born.

TITLE: Batgirl #50
AUTHOR: Cecil Castellucci
ARTISTS: Emanuela Lupacchino, Marguerite Sauvage, Aneke, Wade Von Grawbadger (Inker), Mick Gray (Inker), Scott Hanna (Inker), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Trish Mulvihill (Colorist), Becca Carey (Letterer). Cover by Joshua Middleton.
RELEASED: October 27, 2020

What’s interesting about this book’s take on Batgirl is that she’s integrated into her community in a way Batman has never been. She’s helping an old lady with her groceries, she’s teaching self defense classes, etc. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s yet another example of why the Batgirl costume in this series doesn’t work. Barbara Gordon is part of the community too. So, as she’s only wearing a domino mask as Batgirl, it would be that much easier for people to recognize her. 

Now that this series is over, hopefully she gets a new outfit. And soon.

TITLE: Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn #3
AUTHOR: Anthony Burch
ARTISTS: Simone Ragazzoni, Raul Angulo (Colorist), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Jung-Geun Yoon.
RELEASED: October 28, 2020

This mini started to get interesting at the end of issue #2, when it looked like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as we knew them were about to return to the “Drakkonverse.” But this issue doesn’t follow through on that, which pretty much killed it for me.

But apparently Lord Drakkon sells comics. So I’d be surprised if we don’t get some kind of follow-up to this story. As one might expect, they leave the door wide open for it.

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