House of Slaughter #1
Written by James Tynion IV and Tate Brombal; Art by Wether Dell’Edera and Chris Shehan
Published by BOOM! Studios
Something is Killing the Children has been a really wonderful book. The concept is expanded upon with this series which takes us into the House of Slaughter. It is more than just a spin off series however. The creators make it an essential read for anyone into the original book.
This hook follows Aaron Slaughter as he advances into the House of Slaughter. We get to see the various tests and tribulations that is involved in that. The creators keep the book lively and a bit shocking. It is well written and the artwork is really something else. This was great! I am intrigued to see where we go from here. (– Lenny Schwartz)
Grade: A
Checkmate #5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art by Alex Maleev
Published by DC Comics
As Checkmate is ramping up to its conclusion, I can’t help but enjoy what’s worked in this series. He has a much better handle of the group dynamics within Checkmate than in his Justice League work. His script is propulsive and action packed. His collaboration with Alex Maleev is a fun, action packed tale full of intrigue.
Yet the nagging feeling that the villain is not up to snuff is still there. Bendis and Maleev tried, Shaw always feels not very scary and a constant step behind the heroes. Whatever intrigue is here is despite the main villain.
Nevertheless I’m there whenever Bendis and Maleev are working together. (– Alex Vaello)
Grade: B
Moon Knight #4
Written by Jed MacKay; Art by Alessandro Cappuccio
Published by Marvel Comics
Who’s next for Moon Knight? Already he has confronted and brutally removed a mind-controlling demon and a self-appointed warrior still loyal to Moon Knight’s disavowed god Khonshu. But there’s another enemy ready to emerge from the shadows. Stuart Clarke aka the supervillain Rampage, at the behest of another figure in other shadows, is attacking Moon Knight through controlling his money. Like Moon Knight’s other foes, however, Clarke deeply misunderstands the nature of this Fist of Khonshu, who sees himself not as a superhero or simply a man in a cloak with a bunch of gadgets. But this issue also continues to parallel these events against Moon Knight’s most powerful enemy: Marc Spector. Alongside his old friend Tigra, Moon Knight ruminates on how he has changed and what his recent years have cost him. It’s an affecting depiction of someone who’s just barely holding it together, and I want more of this. ( – Marvin Pittman)
Batman: The Long Halloween Special #1
Written by Jeph Loeb; Art by Tim Sale
Published by DC Comics
One of the greatest Batman stories of all time is The Long Halloween. So, it was with a little trepidation that I dove into this comic. I am happy to say that it really does complement the original series in an excellent and exciting way. I don’t want to say too much about it however.
What I can say though, is that the mystery of the Holiday Killer continues. It is interesting what the creative team does to add to the classic tale. Jeph Loeb has written his best script since the original and the artwork by Tim Sale is great and hasn’t missed a beat. This is well done and well worth diving into. (– Lenny Schwartz)
Grade: A
Adventureman #6
Written by Matt Fraction; Art by Terry Dodson
Published by Image Comics
This has been a really great book. I love that the creative team aren’t at all afraid to push their concept as far as they can. They are taking this book and putting some real layers into the story. This issue does just that but never lets up on the action nor the adventure.
Claire Connell meets a long lost ally of Adventureman in this issue! This ally is from the Adventure Age and they resume their friendship. But this companionship leads to some old ghosts coming forward and wrecking their reunion. Fraction writes a great script here. Dodson does the best artwork of his career. Overall, this is pretty awesome. (– Lenny Schwartz)
Grade: A
DC Vs Vampires #1
Written by James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg ; Art by Otto Schmidt
Published by DC Comics
I was hesitant going into this book. Superheroes battling an apocalyptic supernatural threat has been done (DCeased, Marvel Zombies) What else is there to add?
Well, this issue hits the ground running. The best of these types of stories feature the world shifting and the protagonists are already losing ground. This story follows that same thread, with a warning arriving at the Hall Of Justice, but the end is already here.
Tynion and Rosenberg are no strangers to horror, as it shows here. Schmidt’s art brilliantly highlights the brightness inherent in superheroes, but slowly brings in the hues of vampire horror.
DC Vs Vampires is delightful, bloody fun. (– Alex Vaello)
Grade: A
Vinyl #5
Written by Doug Wagner; Art by Daniel Hillyard
Published by Image Comics
This has been an unexpectedly intriguing series. The series goes into some truly unexpected places that are both unique and smart. This is the issue that a lot of the plot points come to fruition. There is a big battle that takes up most of the issue and it is exhilarating.
Basically, Walter and Madeline’s armies have a big fight in this issue. Not all of the characters survive it either. The whole thing leads up to the big conclusion coming up in the next issue. Doug Wagner writes a great script here and the art by Daniel Hillyard is great. I look forward to seeing how they end this book. (– Lenny Schwartz)
Grade: B+
M.O.M. Mother of Madness #3
Written by Emilia Clarke & Marguerite Bennett; Art by Leila Leiz & Leila del Duca
Published by Image Comics
The first arc in this story wraps up here, as Maya aka M.O.M. – the anti-patriarchal progressive superhero whose powers are built from hormones connected to her menstrual cycle – takes on big bad Lucille Caldwell. The Martha Stewart-looking, pink skirt suit-wearing, Corporate Barbie who’s the one woman in STEM and the Fortune 500. Like any solid supervillain, she wants to harness M.O.M.’s powers in order to use them for evil – in this case, to build more effective beauty and hygiene products sold on mass market-fueled insecurity in women. And if she can’t dissect Maya, she’ll use her son, Billy. You better believe good will save the day, Lucille will have the tables turned on her, all of that. However, the weak points of this comic continue: so much speechifying, so much subtext made text, so many 2021 progressivist sloganeering as characters’ dialog, and not enough time with many of these characters to care about them as people. This one didn’t work for me, as much as I enjoy the concept and themes.
This one needed better storytelling. (– Marvin Pittman)
Detective Comics #1044
Written by Mariko Tamaki; Art by Dan Mora
Published by DC Comics
Detective Comics takes Batman and Mayor Nakano into the creepy sewers of Gotham. The tale of two people that don’t get along but need to work together to survive is not new. But Dan Mora’s art uses the creepiness of setting, along with the resurgence of sorts from a villain, to create a claustrophobic story.
A back up tale written by Stephanie Phillips with art by David Lapham tries to explain why Arkham is being rebuilt as a midtown tower. Of all the bad ideas to come out of Gotham, this one takes the cake. This back up is setting up future Arkham events, but despite Lapham’s art gracing these pages, it’s still hard to swallow. (– Alex Vaello)
Grade: B+
Harley Quinn #8
Written by Stephanie Philips; Art by Riley Rossmo
Published by DC Comics
This book has been pretty fun so far. This particular issue is a Fear State crossover that is very well handled. I have been enjoying the Fear State crossover and it is cool to see how Harley Quinn fits into it all. This book gives us a taste of what she had been up to.
We get to see Harley with Catwoman and the Gardener at the beginning of this book in Alleytown. They are looking for an artifact that will help Poison Ivy save Gotham. It is a fast paced issue that really doesn’t let up. The writing is good and the artwork by Riley Rossmo is fantastic. (– Lenny Schwartz)
Grade: B+
Deathstroke Inc. #2
Written by Joshua Williamson; Art by Howard Porter
Published by DC Comics
Deathstroke, Black Canary, and Toyman are sent into space by TRUST. The objective: stop Cyborg Superman from infecting everything everywhere with his consciousness.
A serviceable first issue of this series is followed by a second issue that feels like a bunch of ideas were put in a blender, but someone forgot to put the lid on the blender and now you have a mess in the kitchen.
The dialogue here is bad. Full of villains blabbing their objectives right off the bat. The plot is a wisp of an idea that’s not thought out. Black Canary feels like an afterthought.
Howard Porter’s art can be fun to look at. Here it’s trying to distract from an empty story. It keeps the action flowing, but in a way that is headache inducing. (– Alex Vaello)
Grade: D
Wonder Woman Black and Gold #5
Written by Peter J. Tomasi, Sanya Anwar, Kurt Busiek, Josie Campbell, Trung Le Nguyen
Art by Christian Alamy, Sanyta Anwar, Benjamin Dewey, Calos D’Anda, Trung Le Nguyen
Published by DC Comics
Another fine entry in the Black and Gold series of Wonder Woman short stories. At their best, the creative teams enjoy stories of levity, grief, and everything in between, to ruminate on various aspects of Wonder Woman in her 80-year history.
“Hellzapoppin’” gets off to a rip-roaring start as Diana journeys into hell to rescue her friend Hephaestus, and she comes off as a total badass warrior. Then stories such as “Beyond the Horizon” and “Memories of Hator” illustrate Wonder Woman as a great empathetic champion of justice, when she runs into women and girls who were lost amid the cruelty and savagery of man’s world. And “Feet of Clay” gives us another peek into the stories behind the big story, in this case general Antiope’s training of a young Diana, the only girl ion the island. Lots of heart, sisterhood, and fun comics. ( – Marvin Pittman)
Task Force Z #1
Written by Matthew Rosenberg; Art by Eddy Barrows
Published by DC Comics
This is a bit of a crazy idea. This is a concept much like the Suicide Squad. The difference is that it is dead villains fighting on missions to earn a chance back at life! Basically, this issue takes place in an Elseworlds setting and it is cooler than it has any right to be.
We get to see the formation of the current team in this issue. We also get to see them go on their first mission. It is pretty fun to be honest as long as you don’t take it too seriously. The script by Matthew Rosenberg is decent enough as he is a good writer in general. The big selling point is the artwork by Eddy Barrows. He does great as usual here. (– Lenny Schwartz)
RATING: B+
Star Wars: Darth Vader #17
Written by Greg Pak; Art by Raffaele Ienco
Published by Marvel Comics
This time, it’s Darth Vader’s side of his space fighter fight with Luke Skywalker above Jekara. The issue does little to justify Darth Vader’s pursuit of Luke Skywalker, nor does it give power back to Darth Vader in the decision to call off his pursuit of Luke, a major gripe I’ve had with the War of the Bounty Hunters series.
The scheming behind Vader’s back between The Emperor, Ochi of Bestoon and Sly Moore is as delicious as ever and still one of my favorite parts of the Darth Vader series.
Although, Darth Vader isn’t nailed character-wise, which is usually not the case for this series, our favorite Sith Lord slicing up some Hutts is huge highlight. (– Anthony Sword)
Grade: B-
Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #1
Written by Brandon Thomas; Art by Ronan Cliquet
Published by DC Comics
I don’t imagine that there was much demand to have these two heroes team up but here we are. The good news is that the comic book really isn’t half bad. I enjoyed the story for the most part and the artwork was pretty good. Overall, I am interested to see where this series takes us.
Basically, the story has to do with the organization known as Scorpio stepping back into the light. They are stealing artifacts from the past and it is up to our heroes to figure out why they are doing so. This leads to a big cliffhanger at the end that is pretty good. I liked watching Aquaman and Green Arrow banter mostly. Not bad overall. (– Lenny Schwartz)
Grade: B
Wonder Girl #4
Written by Joëlle Jones; Art by Joëlle Jones & Adriana Melo
Published by DC Comics
Were we supposed to forget that Yara Flor essentially was abducted to Mount Olympus? Yara seems to have forgotten that herself. We see Yara train to become Hera’s champion, and it is here that we see her suit of armor for the first time in this story. Cassie Sandsmark and Artemis finally reach Yara, just as she learns the truth about her mother as a former Themysciran who got together with a god from the New World and found a tribe of indigenous warrior women in the Amazon.
What Yara’s heritage means for why three different factions are searching for her, or the delicate balance Cassie mentions, is yet to be seen. But it’s clear Yara is searching for some kind of belonging and grand adventure, but is Hera’s way the one to take? And did I mention that Potira, a sister warrior from Yara’s future that we first saw in Future State, appears in a magic portal?
None of this is quiet coming together yet, so let’s drop the mysteries and keep on with the story, please. The art, as ever, is breathtaking. ( – Marvin Pittman)
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 #1
Written by Rodney Barnes; Art by Guiu Vilanova
Published by Marvel Comics
IG-88 #1 comes so, so close to a perfect issue, but blows is at the halfway mark. Yet, I can’t fault the choice made because it’s a character perfect beat.
Told nearly in complete voice over, the mood and tone creates an engrossing mythology for a character that had only about a minute total screen time in the entire Star Wars saga. The issue also fantastically sets up for exciting things to come.
Absolutely an issue to read. (– Anthony Sword)
Grade: B+
Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club #1
Written by Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson; Art by Ben Stenbeck & Christopher Mitten
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Now this is more like it!
The story is simple, yes, but good storytelling and character work go a long way in making things work. In this story, Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm in 1953 learn about the famous Silver Lantern Club from one of its original members, the professor’s uncle Simon. Who doesn’t love a good story from an uncle about the world before you were born? In this case, we return to Eighteen-Ninety-Something and a forerunner to the wireless radio transmitter. See, a demon tries to possess it, and that’s where things go awry! The bickering duo of Sir Edward Grey and Miss Sarah Jewell makes the story sing in a way that feels real. And the fact that old Uncle Simon is drawn to resemble Christopher Lee is an added touch of lovely. ( – Marvin Pittman)
Search For Hu #2
Written by Jon Tsuei & Steve Orlando; Art by Rubine
Published by AfterShock Comics
This comic has pep in the step! More quick action, more lean storytelling, and then more brutal action again. After some gunplay in Dalian, China, our protagonist Aaron Tse is brought to the home of mob boss Emmanuel Margolis, his uncle. See, his mother is part of a crime family embroiled in a century-old blood feud between the Margolis and Hu, who shared mixed ancestry of Russian Jews and Chinese people in northeastern China.
Of course, Aaron’s newly revealed cousins don’t seem too jazzed about this American in their midst. Aaron also has flashbacks of his military experience in times of stress. Rubine captures the parallels and then drops us into precise, clean, sequential action. My only real complaint is how MK gets largely sidelined in this issue, including the obligatory jokes about her being Aaron’s girlfriend, even though she isn’t. That said, we get lots of fun, John Wick-style action and snappy dialog. ( – Marvin Pittman)
Robin #7
Written by Joshua Williamson; Art by Glen Melnikov and Max Dunbar
Published by DC Comics
Seven issues to get to the tournament’s main event. The thing about this long opening arc is that the tournament is by far the least interesting thing going on. Damian Wayne growing up while keeping the attitude, confronting his trauma while discovering something about himself and family. All building to a confrontation with Connor Hawke. All powerful yet burdened by an overstuffed, overlong story.
To his credit, Joshua Williamson’s writing has never been dull. The art has kept pace with the action. It just feels a little overdone. (– Alex Vaello)
Rating: B-
