Hunter Patrick 7/31/18 Hunter Patrick 7/31/18

Review: Adventures of the Super Sons #1

By Hunter T. Patrick

First adventures are always continuations of the past, whether you see it or not. You think the Super Sons are finished after their last series, and yet here is another new number one. The story is far from over, as it is in both comics and life. There are so many great things on the horizon and the series takes place before them, it takes place in the past as that is what is needed for the future of the series. This takes place before Bendis’ Superman run and doing so ensures one last adventure before the series, and Superboy’s life is forever turned upside down. Superboy is young and has so much promise and adventures ahead of him; boy is in his name, which implies one day he will be a man. Before Superboy grows up, he has to go through what being a boy means. There is one great tale left for him before his life is forever changed and his next chapter comes.

Hunter Patrick 7/25/18 Hunter Patrick 7/25/18

Review: Justice League Dark #1

By Hunter T. Patrick

A dark, beautiful, way too verbose introduction. James Tynion IV, just coming out of his nearly 50 issue Detective Comics run returns, spinning out of No Justice, which he co-wrote with Snyder and Williamson. Justice League Dark directly spins out of No Justice, with magic failing. Wonder Woman is given a task by the League to create a magic based Justice League. She begins the task, and the issue revolves around the five members of the team, either present or future. Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Man-Bat, and Detective Chimp all have their own struggles and their team up is only beginning in this first issue. If fans are looking for a more magical, more horror-based Justice League team, they are in luck.

Hunter Patrick 7/11/18 Hunter Patrick 7/11/18

Review: Plastic Man #2

By Hunter T. Patrick

Not much of a hero. The last issue summed up the origin of Plastic Man, now we see what type of ‘hero’ he truly is. After the last issue, Plastic Man has become wanted by the police, and he met a boy with whom crossing paths with does not exactly bode well for either of them. Plastic Man realizes he must help this boy with whom when Plastic Man was faced with a vital choice between hero and coward, let’s say hero lost. Eel O’Brian may have been a crook before, but now he is more than a crook… He is almost, kind of, a superhero. He just has to gain confidence, gain courage, and gain, well, grow his heart bigger, which this series shows it’s kind of getting there.

Damien Becton 7/11/18 Damien Becton 7/11/18

Review: Superman #1

By Damien Becton

Brian Michael Bendis makes his (official) debut on Superman with this week’s relaunch of the hero’s main title. It has been a long-awaited debut as the past couple of months DC has been promoting this story with “BENDIS IS COMING” ads. Now he's here and paired with Ivan Reis. So, does this issue live up to the hype? For the most part, yeah, it does! It’s everything you would expect from a good Bendis book - and some bad things you would expect.

Hunter Patrick 7/4/18 Hunter Patrick 7/4/18

Review: Catwoman #1

By Hunter T. Patrick

Keep reading this review if you have read Batman #50 (meow if so), or if sadly Batman #50 was spoiled for you (hiss). Do not keep reading if you have not found out what happens in the "historic" Batman #50.

Damien Becton 6/29/18 Damien Becton 6/29/18

Top 5 Marvel & DC Relaunches We Need

By Damien Becton

This week saw the relaunch of Marvel's The Sentry, written by the comic book industry's utility man, Jeff Lemire and art by Kim Jacinto. With this relaunch (and the Fantastic Four next month), I began thinking about some Marvel and DC characters, teams, and titles that currently don't have their own books, that deserves one. So, here are my top 5 Marvel and DC characters and teams that deserve their own relaunches.

Damien Becton 6/27/18 Damien Becton 6/27/18

Review: Batman Prelude to the Wedding - Harley vs. Joker

By Damien Becton

With the wedding of Batman and Catwoman right around the corner, it was expected that we would be provided with a bunch of cash-grab comics that would take advantage of this monumental event. And, of course, the books have been met with a mixed reception from critics and fans alike. With all of these prelude books going around, the one that I was looking forward to most was Harley vs. Joker, and I think that it is safe to say that of all of the ones that have been released so far, this is probably the best.

Hunter Patrick 6/22/18 Hunter Patrick 6/22/18

Opinion: Censorship in Comics

By Hunter T. Patrick

HBO, Showtime, Netflix, all of these networks use profanity and nudity in some of their shows… a lot. It is not the fact they want to (well probably some), but the fact they need to. Imagine the stories on network TV. Game of Thrones on ABC might still look magical, but it would still lack in the impact the show makes. Girls on HBO works for how shocking it is. Just the one F-word allowed on Breaking Bad each season has such a strong impact on the viewer for how sparse it is used, and yet on TV it is censored. This piece is not to promote profanity, to promote nudity, to promote that every HBO show use such adult themes. Imagine HBO’s new hit show, Sesame Street, with Elmo and Abby Cadabby having an intense, explicit rap battle. Elmo is already nude, but that is beyond the point. Some things do not need to have that level of intensity as it should fit the audience. This is not about censorship having to do with free speech in riots, or whether or not cable TV should air South Park in all its glory. This is strictly about comic books.

Garrett Hanneken 6/20/18 Garrett Hanneken 6/20/18

Review: The Man of Steel #4

By Garrett Hanneken

Sometimes what makes Superman a relatable superhero is when he’s at his lowest. The Man of Steel is a symbol of hope and the epitome of what a superhero should be so when a story challenges his status we begin to see Superman as a vulnerable and human character. With that noted, the latest issue of The Man of Steel ditches the almighty demeanor of its titular character and gives us one who is powerless.

Hunter Patrick 6/20/18 Hunter Patrick 6/20/18

Review: The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #5

By Hunter Patrick

At least the art looks good. We are now at the penultimate issue of Liam Sharp’s Wonder Woman follow-up with Batman. The two deals with Celtic mythology. Wonder Woman is chosen while Gotham gets invaded and thus the two heroes team up. Out of the Trinity, Batman and Wonder Woman have the least amount of a relationship, and so the premise of these two together is strong. Do not get it wrong though; this is mainly a Wonder Woman story… at first. Where we are now being full-on Celtic mythology. The title of the book is a mislead, and for that, it worsens the book. It is expected to be an awesome team-up between the two characters. This issue balances between the mythology and the titular heroes, but it still may draw people out. If someone bought the first four issues, then, of course, this issue is a necessity. Not the best one, but still gorgeous.

Damien Becton 6/13/18 Damien Becton 6/13/18

Review: Hawkman #1

By Damien Becton

Hawkman #1 is everything you would expect from a new relaunch - a recap of the protagonists’ origin, action scenes, and a bunch of set up. Often, when a new #1 comes along, these procedures are followed to a T, and that can make highly predictable, if not boring issues. With this in mind and all of the new number ones being published around this time, I still came into Hawkman #1 with high expectations. After reading it, I asked myself, “Does Hawkman #1 separate itself from the rest of the pack?” For the most part, yeah, it does.

Hunter Patrick 6/13/18 Hunter Patrick 6/13/18

Review: Plastic Man #1

By Hunter T. Patrick

Always liked Plastic Man, now it is a love. Instantly the story takes you to the origins of Plastic Man. If you do not know who he is, you will now. The origin is organic in the story and not at all forced. It fits the flow. Eel O’Brian is transformed from small-time crook to, well, Plastic Man. He digs into a mystery, one that haunts him at his core. This mystery ties into his origin. The more shocking aspect is the reveal at the end of the issue of who else is in this mystery, someone against Plastic Man. He may be in the Terrifics, but it is time for the world to meet and love Plastic Man thanks to the creative team.

Garrett Hanneken 6/13/18 Garrett Hanneken 6/13/18

Review: The Man of Steel #3

By Garrett Hanneken

A midpoint of a 6 issue miniseries needs to pick up the pace because after issue #3 we should be headed towards the main conflict. Luckily, the end of issue #3 tells us that the next issue will make good on that conflict.

Kelly Gaines 6/6/18 Kelly Gaines 6/6/18

Review: Justice League #1

By Kelly Gaines

It’s hard to explain how excited I am to see my favorite version of the Justice League launching in a new comic. The animated Justice League of the early 2000’s is the show responsible for sealing my interest in superheroes and giving me the push I needed to venture into the intimidating world of reading comics. In short- I’m in love with this team. It’s probably going to take me a few rereads to clear the tears out of my eyes and get harshly critical, but for now, I’m excited and throwing blind faith into these characters- more so than the creative team. And let’s be fair, they’ve got an all-star lineup, but in comics that doesn’t mean it’ll be any good.