Writer/artist Doug TenNapel (CREATURE TECH, Ghostopolis, Cardboard) and colorist Katherine Garner (Ghostopolis, Nnewts, Tommysaurus Rex) will release a new printing of the full-color graphic novel GEAR this July—just in time for its 20th anniversary.

By Hunter T. Patrick

Perfect Storm is over. The last several issues which all seemed to tie up several elements of Williamson’s story has ended. We all know it is leading up to the epic Flash War. This issue is all about lead up, nothing epic about it. Flash War still has yet to start, and Perfect Storm ended so now we are dealing with the aftermath as we catch up with a few characters. One character, in particular, is mainly there just to lead into yet another title (for more information, instead of getting the review promised here, go see Teen Titans Special #1 in June). This is comics, and there are several lead-ins to various other lead-ins. That’s fine, but this is all this issue is. If it was a chessboard, it is just moving pawns up a spot or two. Luckily the later the issue goes we see a tiny bit more stuff happen, inevitable stuff, but still really glad for it too.

By Hunter T. Patrick

Yet another damn good time with the family. After the climatic end of the first arc, we now get to see the creative team try to one-up themselves. The last several issues felt like things moved very slowly as the main focal point were flashbacks for those issues. Issue 12 gains all the momentum that the last few issues lacked (great stuff learned in those flashbacks so no loss there). Redneck’s second story arc seemed very concerned about going bigger than the last, and this issue caps that off. After so much build up and things got so big it is to wonder if the next story arc will also keep trying to get bigger. 

By Ben Snyder

Kill or Be Killed #18 is unfortunately somewhat of a letdown. Most of Kill or Be Killed’s success has been based off of Ed Brubaker’s characterization of Dylan, Brubaker’s toying with the supernatural/mental illness, and/or Sean Phillips’s predictably stellar art. But issue #18 is missing on most of these qualities. It’s still a solid entry in the series, especially as it is rapidly approaching its endgame. However, Kill or Be Killed #18 mostly feels like a catch-up issue, whose only purpose is to sort out details rather than make them feel purposeful.

By Hunter T. Patrick

As a big Rugrats fan when I was a child I was really looking forward to this. I have not read the other issues yet, so I am reviewing this as the first issue I read, which it required no background knowledge I noticed of the other issues so that was good. With that in mind, the question is if I enjoyed the comic and if it did give me the nostalgia I was looking forward to. The answer is disappointingly no. The story did not feel like a whole story, it felt way too short. There were several panels without dialogue, which I am a fan of, but they just contributed to making the issue feel like a waste. The story would have worked much better if it was half the comic and they had another mini story for the other half, but sadly that story was it. There could be an argument that it is supposed to be like that as it is a comic about babies, but the show did take things up a notch. The ending was predictable, but there was one little twist to it that was fun to see and where the writer went with it.

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.

By Ben Snyder

Days of Hate #4 continues the series’ hot streak. Writer Aleš Kot and artists Danijel Žeželj and Jordie Bellaire continue to pump out one of the more harrowing and thought-provoking stories this year. Kot has made it stupidly obvious how politically driven this entire tale is as it preys on the fear many United States citizens had after the most recent presidential election. However, this series has succeeded more so due to Kot’s characterization of its core protagonists/antagonists and Žeželj’s art style that makes everything seems not quite right.

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.

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.

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.