“…and make me some pie!”

“…and fetch me a drying cloth!” (that one’s for Dan and Opey)

Source: Bone #3

I have a level 80 Horde Jameson in Tier 4 moloid gear.

Source: Avenging Spider-Man #2 (2011)

At least Spider-Man knows his limits.

Source: Avenging Spider-Man #2 (2011)

It’s not often that you see Batman takin’ it easy, and even less often that he does it on Commissioner Gordon’s couch.

Source: Batman #409

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY WORDS IN THIS BOOK?! Don’t get me wrong, I want to do more than just look at pictures in a comic. I really do want to read a good story. But when a Superman book is filled with nothing but talking heads then something is wrong. This issue is filled with people who are obsessed with knowing where Clark was during the events of the last issue instead of focusing on the fact that yet another alien menace nearly destroyed Metropolis. That’s it. That’s literally all that happens in this book with the exception of a tussle between Superman and all of the aliens we’ve seen so far in this book at the end, but it was so poorly written I didn’t even understand what happened.

The only reason this doesn’t get one star is because I really do like Jesus Merino’s art, even if his Superman does squint a little too much, and the fact that they mentioned that Clark hasn’t been acting himself lately. That gives me hope that emo Clark/Superman we’ve had to deal with for four issues now will be going away soon.

I loved the first issue of this series but from there it’s just been one letdown after another.

2/5 stars.

To be honest, I didn’t really expect to enjoy this book as much as I have been. I’ve always been either a Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner fan, and neither of those characters are featured here. But this current story is so fun that it doesn’t matter who’s in it, I’ll read it.

A handful of members of the Green Lantern Corps have spent the last couple of issues fighting an army of armor-clad, energy weapon-weilding bad guys, and in this issue we finally learn who said bad guys are and what they want. The “bad cop, idiot cop” scene between Guy Gardner and Salaak is pretty amusing, and we get a surprise guest appearance from another character which helps connect this book with another from the DCnU which I thought was a very nice touch.

I’m not crazy about Fernando Pasarin’s art but I’ve definitely seen a lot worse. As for the aforementioned story, while it is simple, it’s still very interesting and entertaining without being too overtly for beginners like, say, the current story in Justice League. The action is great and the little character moments that are sprinkled in throughout are quite interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

4/5 stars.

I really want to like this series. Geoff Johns is one of my favorite writers and is solely responsible for getting me into DC comics with his epic Green Lantern run beginning in 2005. Jim Lee has been my favorite artist for almost 20 years. The two of them together on a book should make that book my most favorite of all time. But so far Justice League has been very…average…and this issue is no different.

The art is great. I have absolutely no problem with anything that Lee is doing here. But the story is overly simplistic and a bit silly. Darkseid is sending his minions to Earth to mine it for resources and then destroy it. Our heroes, who don’t know each other, must band together to stop Darkseid and the aforementioned minions. That’s pretty much it. I understand that this is meant as a jumping-on point for new readers but I wish Johns would throw us vets a bone.

I think my biggest problem, however, is the characterization of the heroes. This takes place five years ago before our heroes knew each other and are still a bit wet behind the ears. But I don’t really like any of the characters in this book. Green Lantern is a douche. Superman doesn’t speak. Flash appears to have no confidence in himself whatsoever. And they all spend a page or two in this issue arguing like children over who should be the leader, complete with less than stellar dialogue, not to mention that the “what can you do?” plot device is used for the third or fourth time to explain a character’s powers (this time Aquaman’s). It all just makes for a rather mind-numbing read.

I’m definitely sticking with this as it was cool to finally see Darkseid in the book (though he didn’t do anything) and for the promise of better things to come. Once we get past this introductory arc and can finally be brought into real-time I’m hoping the book may shine. However, if things don’t get better after the second arc then I’m out.

3/5 stars.

SPOILER ALERT! I love this book. This and Scott Snyder’s Batman have to be the two best things currently being published by DC (no I’m not reading Animal Man or Swamp Thing). In issue #2 Barry learns that he can tap his brain into the Speed Force just as he can tap his body into it. This essentially lets him see the outcome of every possible choice he could make before he makes it. If you’re like me you’re probably thinking that might make him a bit overpowered, but the end of this issue shows us exactly why that’s not always a good thing. The continued story with Barry’s friend and his dozens of clones, collectively called Mob Rule, is still fairly interesting but I’m afraid I’m getting a little lost with all the supporting characters we’re being introduced to. I’m sure it will make more sense when I inevitably re-read this entire arc in one sitting when it’s complete.

I want to start a petition that Francis Manapul draw every comic I’m currently reading. His art style and use of layouts is so good it’s just not fair to all of the other artists in the industry. The way he and co-writer Brian Buccalleto have chosen to show not only the Flash’s physical speed but also the way he sees every outcome is genius in its purest form. If this series remains even half as good as it is currently then I’m in for the long, long haul.

5/5 stars.

Wow that issue had a lot of words. And they weren’t very good words. This issue focuses a LOT on the public’s uncertainty of Superman and whether or not he’s to blame for all of the trouble that has befallen Metropolis since his arrival. I’m not a fan of this plot device as Superman is supposed to be the greatest hero the world has ever known. Instead we get a Superman who doesn’t seem very sure of himself and who is not trusted by everyone. The story in this issue involves yet another strange alien attacking Superman for no reason. There are some references to the aliens in the previous two issues which help solidify the idea that there’s a larger force at work here.

Nicola Scott provides the pencils for this issue and while I enjoyed her work in the last several issue of the pre-New 52 Teen Titans I must admit I prefer Jesus Merino’s work. Overall not a bad-looking book; I just wish the story held up as well.

2/5 stars.

Ah that’s better. I thought Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 was farily decent but that whole whore-alien thing with Starfire really brought the issue down a bit. We don’t get any of that here, but rather a fun Indiana Jones-style adventure story  complete with Asian gangsters and a secret temple. I’m intrigued by Jason Todd’s antihero but I’m don’t like the removal of Starfire’s personality, and Roy is just an idiot. Still, I’m interested to see where this is going and to learn more about this secret society that taught Jason Todd how to kill (as the solicits say). I’m also loving Kenneth Rocafort’s art and it seems really well suited for this book.

4/5 stars.

I’m still really enjoying the concept of Banner being the monster (figuratively speaking) with the Hulk tasked to take him down. I found the new secret organization we’re introduced to in this issue to be a bit silly. I mean, how many of these secret organizations can possibly exist? There wasn’t much Hulk action in this issue but Banner’s descent into madness more than made up for it. Silvestri didn’t pencil the entire book but I still really enjoyed the art and think it fits this book really well. I’m extremely interested in where this story is going.

4/5 stars.

I picked up the first issue of the New 52 Wonder Woman completely on a lark. I have never owned any Wonder Woman books let alone read any. But I was interested in what Brian Azzarello was going to do with the character and Cliff Chiang’s art is gorgeous. I thought the first issue was a little strange and not quite my cup of tea but I wanted to give the book one more chance before I dropped it. I’m glad I did. I’m finding the new origin of Wonder Woman that Azzarello is telling to be very interesting (I won’t spoil it here), and the entire sequence on Paradise Island (which was most of the issue) was fun as hell. Cliff Chiang’s Wonder Woman is beautiful. I don’t mean that to say his art his amazing (which it is) but he draws Diana as a stunningly beautiful woman which she should be. I’m definitely on board with this series at least through the first arc.

4/5 stars.

I’ve always been hot and cold about the Hulk. I’ll read for a while and then stop and then jump back on when there’s an interesting story. I must say this story, at least for now, has me back on. Hulk and Banner are split. Not quite sure how but apparently it was explained at the end of Fear Itself which I still can’t bring myself to read. The long and short of it is the Hulk has (somewhat) found peace living in the center of the earth while Banner has gone crazy on an island trying to recreate the Hulk. I really love this concept as for the last 50 years we’ve been told that the Hulk is the monster but now the roles seem to be reversed. Marc Silvestri’s art is gorgeous as always but I doubt he’ll be on the book for very long. If you’ve been looking to get back into Hulk (or start it) then give this a try.

4/5 stars.

One of the best books DC is putting out right now. This issue Flash learns that he can think as fast as he moves which is such an interesting concept. He can see all possible outcomes and always make the right decision. However, I can’t help but wonder if that makes him a little overpowered. Guess we’ll find out. I want Francis Manapul to draw every book I’m reading. Love his art style, the colors, and the way he uses layouts to convey the way Flash moves and thinks.

5/5 stars.

Another fun issue. It was cool to see Wonder Woman finally show up but the issue was mostly filled with mindless action. The creation of Cyborg seemed to have happened too fast. The art was gorgeous, as expected, and I’m still 100% on board with this title.

Hey everyone! Matt here rounding out the books I bought during week two of the DC relaunch. One of these books disappointed me slightly, one had me intrigued with the last page while the other one was better than I expected. Listen to find out which is which!

Running late once again, this time I take a look at a couple more new DC books that came out last week with Green Lantern #1 and Mister Terrific #1. Green Lantern was a no-brainer but Mister Terrific was a complete impulse buy, and I thought it was a pretty solid book.

I’m a little late with my review for these two books as they actually came out last week. Still, I really want to offer up some opinions of all the new DC books I’m buying so I figured better late than never. These are two very solid books that deserve a mention.

Hey everyone! Matt here again continuing my look at some of the DC New 52 books. This time I’m covering Action Comics #1 and Green Arrow #1. I was actually surprised with how much I enjoyed one of these and with how much one was just completely average. Give this episode a listen to see which is which.

I know this is coming out about a week late but a little thing called Dragon*Con caused us to have to change a lot of our plans last week. Still, I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about the two issues that lead us into the DC Reboot, Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1. I’m going to cover as many of the New 52 books as I can throughout the month of September so be sure to keep checking back each week!

Back in Episode 83 we received a voice mail from a listener named Hunter who wanted to know what we thought about Marvel’s relaunch of the Punisher. The new Punisher #1 actually came out the we recorded that episode and we hadn’t yet had a chance to read it. It’s been a couple of week’s since then and Matt finally had a chance to check it out and record some thoughts on it.