Jonathan Edwards 7/18/18 Jonathan Edwards 7/18/18

Review: DC/Young Animal: Milk Wars

By Jonathan Edwards

DC/Young Animal: Milk Wars is a weird kind of crossover. I know, big surprise from the story about the extradimensional corporation Retonn weaponizing milk to “homogenize” the DCU. But, what I mean is, it’s not a dedicated five-issue miniseries, nor is it a five-part story taking place in single issues of the various books involved. Instead, it’s five separate one-shots, each pairing DC and Young Animal characters. Now, Grant Morrison did something similar with The Multiversity, but there, it directly ties into the narrative. Whereas, with Milk Wars, it’s a stylistic choice more than anything else. But, what makes it truly strange is the fact that two of the one-shots, Mother Panic/Batman Special #1and Shade the Changing Girl/Wonder Woman Special #1 have little to no impact on the plot. You could remove both of those issues and their respective characters, and the story literally wouldn’t change at all.

Cat Wyatt 5/16/18 Cat Wyatt 5/16/18

Review: Batwoman #15

By Cat Wyatt

The Fall of the House of Kane continues in Batwoman number 15. Last we saw Kate she was in a race against time; her sister has gone back to being Alice and has arranged for a bunch of disease-riddled bats to fly over and infect as many people as possible. Kate is a carrier as well, which makes her immune to the risks…it also means she carries the cure in her blood. The question is, how can she possibly handle everything on her own?

Cat Wyatt 5/16/18 Cat Wyatt 5/16/18

Review: Batman #47

By Cat Wyatt

Issue number 47 of Batman brings about the end to the Gift plotline (AKA the Booster Gold plot). While it was interesting, I have to say that I won’t be sad to see it go. Time to get on to bigger and better things! (Here’s hoping the wedding they’ve been building up to is both). Still, I was curious to see how they’d resolve the conundrum Booster created…

Cat Wyatt 5/16/18 Cat Wyatt 5/16/18

Review: Green Lanterns #47

By Cat Wyatt

We’re nearing the conclusion to the Ghosts of the Past plot, and man have things gotten pretty intense. Jess is trapped inside her own memories, courtesy of Singularity Jain; Simon is trying to get inside to rescue her, and the rest of the Justice League are waiting outside and probably wishing they could do more to help.

Jonathan Edwards 5/15/18 Jonathan Edwards 5/15/18

Review: Justice League: No Justice #1

By Jonathan Edwards

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t exactly excited about this book, and that’s mainly because Scott Snyder is in the driver’s seat. Don’t get me wrong; I like him well enough as a writer. However, the Snyder-spearheaded Dark Nights: Metal only just wrapped up back in March, yet here he is with another crossover event impacting the whole of the DCU. Okay, sure, James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson are co-writing Justice League: No Justice, but Snyder’s the one with top billing. And, regardless of the actual quality of his work, that starts to be just a little bit too much company-wide creative control for a single writer for my taste. But, despite going in feeling that way, I still quite enjoyed Justice League: No Justice #1.

Cat Wyatt 5/9/18 Cat Wyatt 5/9/18

Review: Wonder Woman #46

By Cat Wyatt

After everything that has been going on the last few issues, it’s time to get a new plot rolling. This one is called ‘All Hail the Dark Gods’ and it gives a pretty good idea of what Wonder Woman will be facing off against in the very near future.

Cat Wyatt 5/9/18 Cat Wyatt 5/9/18

Review: Suicide Squad #41

By Cat Wyatt

With the last of the Hack plot being wrapped up in the last issue, it’s time for Suicide Squad to take on a new plot. This plot is looks like it’s going to be different than the usual Suicide Squad stories, and I have high hope for how it’s going to go. Okay, if I'm fair at least part of that hope is coming from the seriously badass cover for this issue (seriously, look at it!) but I’m okay with that.

Cat Wyatt 5/9/18 Cat Wyatt 5/9/18

Review: Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #22

By Cat Wyatt

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey issue #22 brings about the conclusion to the Full Circle plot it’s been running. When we last saw our heroes, Canary had finally (and very successfully) taken out Burnrate, as well as maybe hitting her allies (side note; Catwoman and Ivy both joined this fight as well), during which time Helena had been kidnapped by Calculator and his people.

Cat Wyatt 5/9/18 Cat Wyatt 5/9/18

Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #44

By Cat Wyatt

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps is back, and so are the Darkstars. I’ve been excited about this plot, so it feels like the wait between each issue is insanely long (I know, I’m super impatient like that). A quick recap, for those that have missed any issues; The Controllers created a force called the Darkstars, intending to control them and have them rival the Green Lanterns. While they succeeded in the later, the former not so much. Now the Green Lanterns are assembling their collective allies to try and deal with the great threat here.

Jonathan Edwards 5/2/18 Jonathan Edwards 5/2/18

Review: Action Comics Special #1

By Jonathan Edwards

I love Superman. Plain and simple. When I was a kid, I only really liked him because, well, I was a kid, and he was a superhero. The superhero. And, for a few teenage years, I didn’t like him for all of the easy, low hanging fruit reasons to dislike him. He’s too strong. He’s boring. His one weakness is too readily available. Blah blah blah. But, when I finally sat down and actually read books like Superman: Birthright, Superman: Secret Identity, Kingdom Come, and All-Star Superman, I quickly came to love him for everything he truly embodies. So, you better believe I was hyped when I found out that, among other things, Rebirth meant the original Superman was returning to the limelight. Now, just a couple of weeks ago Action Comics #1000 came out and paid thorough homage to the legacy of the Man of Steel. Admittedly, I stopped reading Action Comics after a couple of months, mainly because I found the other Clark Kent (when that was still a thing) to be insufferable. However, I absolutely picked up that issue, and it was fantastic. So, I am kind of surprised to see Action Comics Special #1 come out this week. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems a bit strange, maybe even pointless, to release a special right after the infinitely more special 1000th issue.

Cat Wyatt 5/2/18 Cat Wyatt 5/2/18

Review: Green Lanterns #46

By Cat Wyatt

Things have been pretty rough for our Green Lantern duo the past few hours. Jessica is reliving one of the worst memories of her life (and she’s doing so by choice, believe it or not), and Simon is trying to deal with the resulting black hole it created and his rescue mission (no way is he leaving his partner to go through this on her own).

Cat Wyatt 5/1/18 Cat Wyatt 5/1/18

Review: Batman #46

By Cat Wyatt

Batman #46 continues the alternate timeline plot started in the last issue. Last we learned Bruce’s parents are alive, resulting in him never becoming Batman (but don’t worry, another familiar figure picks up the mantle – though he has no problem just killing the criminals and anyone else that gets in his way). He’s not with Selena either. This whole mess is courtesy of Blooster; this was his bright idea of a wedding gift.

Jonathan Edwards 4/27/18 Jonathan Edwards 4/27/18

Review: Justice League of America #29

By Jonathan Edwards

As singer and songwriter Adele once wrote and sang, “this is the end.” In this case, it’s the end of a long, at times bleak, trek of a comic titled Justice League of America. I remember being really excited when first hearing about the book, its interesting cast of characters, and all of the possibilities that came with them. And, the first four Rebirth one-shots, focusing on The Atom, Vixen, The Ray, and Killer Frost, respectively, were all promising prequel tie-ins that each built up more and more hype for the main book. Then, Justice League of America: Rebirth #1 came out, and it was different. Everything suddenly felt less thought-out and put together and more superficial and contrived. However, this wasn’t an isolated incident. Justice League of America issues #1 through #4 followed the trend with a weak and irritating first story arc, and things only went further downhill as the series continued. Slightly over a year later and here we are with Justice League of America #29. And, long story short, the conclusion to “Dawn of Time” sucks, but the series finale afterward is marginally better.

Cat Wyatt 4/25/18 Cat Wyatt 4/25/18

Review: Batgirl #22

By Cat Wyatt

Batgirl issue 22 is the start of a whole new plot, this one titled ‘Strange Loop.’ Between that and the cover, I’m pretty curious about what is going on. The cover shows Batgirl trapped in a maze, but with a twist! The maze appears to be inside her own mind. Or at least that’s what the cover is implying. We’ll have to read on to see how accurate that is.

Cat Wyatt 4/25/18 Cat Wyatt 4/25/18

Review: Batman Beyond #19

By Cat Wyatt

The last few issues of Batman Beyond have been pretty anxiety-inducing. Batman and Ten are in Payback’s clutches, Bruce can’t do anything to help (even if he wanted to – his back is too injured to allow him even to stand, let alone fight), and Matt is on the way as a backup. Needless to say, the situation is not good.

Jonathan Edwards 4/25/18 Jonathan Edwards 4/25/18

Review: Justice League of America #28

By Jonathan Edwards

After reading and reviewing the absolute hot mess that was Justice League of America #27, I found a question prodding me from the back of my mind: had the introduction of Ahl, God of Superheroes, really been as out of nowhere and slipshod as I’d thought while writing that review? It seemed too poorly thought out for even Orlando, so I did some quick research and discovered that it might’ve very well tied into the recent Milk Wars crossover event between JLA and pretty much every book from DC’s Young Animal imprint. As such, I opted to verify those claims for myself. This led me not just to read the entirety of Milk Wars but also reread the first four issues of Doom Patrol, read issues #6 through #10 for the first time, reread parts of JLA #27 and #22, and, of course, read Justice League of America #28. It could perhaps be considered an excessive amount of reading, as Ahl is only relative to five of those eighteen issues. What’s more, only two of those appearances were in series other than JLA proper, and not even those make his presence here any less problematic.

Cat Wyatt 4/25/18 Cat Wyatt 4/25/18

Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #43

By Cat Wyatt

In the last issue of Hal Jordan, we had the dramatic introduction of the Darkstars. Even since I’ve been anxiously waiting for this issue, as I can’t wait to see what happens next with them. It’ll be interesting to see what a more lethal version of the Green Lantern Corps will look like!

This issue starts off, unsurprisingly, with many criminals and villains dead. All over the galaxy known criminals are being routinely tracked down and taken out. In some cases, we have proof (witnesses) that the criminals attempted to surrender before they were cut down. The most striking example of this was on Planet Xix. A life sentence prison was attacked – all the guards were fine, but every prisoner was killed. The guards and people are outraged – their planet had abolished the death penalty, and they clearly don’t appreciate another force stepping in to override their rules and wishes.

Kelly Gaines 4/25/18 Kelly Gaines 4/25/18

Review: Mera, Queen of Atlantis #3

By Kelly Gaines

What’s something you would never want your adopted kid to see? Your high school yearbook photos? Your erotic film collection? What about walking in on you as you're about to decapitate your brother’s wife? Ocean Master has quite a bit to go before he becomes real family material, but fortunately, Mera is here to help- as long as he doesn’t kill her. Mera Queen of Atlantis #3 is another great chapter in on of DC’s new, and oddly charming, titles. Stuck on land while her body heals, Mera tries to subdue the spread of the Atlantean civil war by acting as an ambassador to the surface world. The separation anxiety may not have pulled her head underwater yet, but the appearance of Ocean Master (Orm) has raised the stakes significantly.

Cat Wyatt 4/25/18 Cat Wyatt 4/25/18

Review: Suicide Squad #40

By Cat Wyatt

Issue 40 of Suicide Squad brings about the conclusion to the latest plotline they’ve been working on lately. The Wall is no longer holding Washington D.C. hostage, and instead is heading directly towards the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Only Waller knows the reason why the Wall would do this, and it isn’t good.

Of course, thanks to the beauty of different perspectives in storytelling, we know exactly what the Wall is up to. He’s going to kill Waller’s daughter, Coretta. Or at least, he’s going to try. Coretta’s wonderful brothers step up and try to protect her, which is quite lovely (makes you wonder how they could ever be Waller’s children, doesn’t it?).

Cat Wyatt 4/25/18 Cat Wyatt 4/25/18

Review: Wonder Woman #45

By Cat Wyatt

Wonder Woman #45 brings the conclusion to the Amazons Attacked plot, as well as wrapping up a few other running plots. Last we saw Darkseid had successfully brought his plan to fruition, using artifacts to rip open a portal to Themyscira. Grail then popped through the portal and started turning Amazons into a form of Parademons and sending them back through the portal. It’s a total mess, and things are not looking good for Wonder Woman and her allies.