Saturday, June 7, 2014

Smallville: Chaos #1

Written by: Bryan Q. Miller
Art by: Agustin Padilla
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: June 6, 2014

Terrific


We just got finished the awesome Smallville: Lantern mini and one thing is for sure.  Lex is up to no good. In fact, after everything that has happened in these incredible minis, Lex has been a constant.  Lately, he runs in at the end, scoops up some alien tech he likes and runs off (possibly laughing to himself).  This week we start the Chaos arc and this time Lex is front and center and we get to see the fruits of his labor.

The issue starts with Superman doing super kinds of things.  By that I mean he's battling a possessed Professor with a giant black diamond.  It's a couple panels that are all good fun, but it's also Bryan Q. Miller. That means that this isn't just a throwaway scene.  File it away and rest assured that it will come back to roost.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Green Arrow #32 Review

Written by: Jeff Lemire
Art by: Andrea Sorrentino
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 4, 2014

Boys in the Hoods


Since Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino have taken over Green Arrow it has been incredible.  Everyone should be reading this book, but for some reason they aren't.  This issue is a step toward getting the mainstream (ie: fans of the Arrow TV Show) more interested in the comic book and joining in on the fun. This sort of thing could spell disaster under many creative teams, but luckily this is Lemire and Sorrentino we're talking about it.  Instead of alienating longtime readers to get new, they started a new arc that all will be happy to read.  It is action packed, well written and a dream to look at.  Sounds like Green Arrow to me.

Top 5 Fridays: Top 5 DC Intercompany Crossovers


Since I've been hyping up Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet for the past month, I figured that since it was released this week to your local comic book shops we'd take a look at other intercompany crossovers that made our childhood, teens, and even adult lives a little happier.  Now I know as a comic reader we really don't have to mingle two different universes together to get a sense of satisfaction from our books, and being a continuity snob it can be a little irksome because it really doesn't matter in the end what happened in any particular story.  But these stories nonetheless have captured are imaginations since the beginning of comics

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Aquaman and the Others #3 Review

Written by: Dan Jurgens
Art by: Lan Medina
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: may 4, 2014

I Want anOther Story


The New 52 has been great for Aquaman.  Who would have guessed that the King of Atlantis, so long the brunt of  jokes, would be so popular and cool that he would get two books?  Not me, that's for sure.  Well, after reading the first two issues of Aquaman and the Others, maybe he shouldn't.  I'm probably being a bit harsh since Aquaman isn't the problem in the book.  No, the problems lie at the feet of Dan Jurgens, Lan Medina and The Others themselves.

Dan Jurgens has been fighting an uphill battle.  You see, he has a superhero team that is a team, but is far from super.  It's obvious that he and DC are aware of this, since they have to introduce the members each week with a name placard.  For the life of me, I couldn't name the whole team right now if I tried.  The main issue lies in Jurgens' characterizations of the team.  Everything is just bland and does nothing to get me wanting more.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Swamp Thing #32 Review

Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Jesus Saiz
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 4, 2014

Die Grun



Swamp Thing is a great book that's also deep and layered.  Charles Soule uses every issue to build on the Swamp Thing mythos while telling an engaging story.  He's good like that.  Last month ended the Gift of the Sureen arc and this month we dive into a crossover without coming up for air.  If my horrible puns didn't indicate it, Aquaman is in the house.

The New 52: Futures End #5 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Art By: Jesus Merino, Dan Green
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 4, 2014


The Next Big Thing


Last week when it was five years in the future, Frankenstein was recruited back into S.H.A.D.E. so Amethyst and him could blast off into space, but we're still waiting to see Ole Frank in a space suit.  We discovered that Tim Drake enjoys the occasional jog with his girlfriend, and isn't happy to see a new Bat in what he believes to be Bruce's never ending war on crime.  The shocker of last issue was seeing King Faraday trying to recruit Grifter for a mysterious mission.  When Grifter declined the enigmatic King Faraday, he gets shot in the spine for his ingratitude.  Don't worry Grifter fans, Faraday says that if Grifter accepts he can un-paralyze him easy.  So that was a bit fucked up.  Let's see what's going down in the New 52 five years from now and explore our heroes of tomorrow.

Action Comics #32 Review

Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Scott Kolins
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 4. 2014

Steel this Issue


Superman #31 aside, the Doomed story is getting better with each issue.  Greg Pak continues this week with Action Comics #32 and while it has a little pacing issue, it continues to build on everything that came before it.  Not only do we get a Superman struggling with who (or what) he's becoming, we get to see another hero rise to the occasion and a villain bow out early.

Earth 2 #24 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Tom Taylor
Art By: Eddy Barrows
Cover Price $2.99
Release Date: June 4, 2014


Flash Back


Alright you Multiverse lovers, last time we stepped onto Earth 2 we saw Superman take Lois home to his parents, and it might have been one of the creepiest scenes in this entire series.  But that's the creepy, we like two things around here at Weird Science creepy and badass, and boy did last issue deliver.  So for the badass part of our twofer we saw the Parademon assault on the Batcave which lead to the death of Red Arrow, and the nuclear blast that apparently the Batcave has as a safeguard self destruct.  Overkill much?  In the end we saw Green Lantern staying behind with Hawkgirl to make sure the other Wonders made it to safety.  Hopefully we didn't get Green Lantern back just to see him vaporized.  Let's check it out.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #1 Review

Written by: Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman
Art by: Ty Templeton
Cover Price: $1.99
Release Date: May 21, 2014

Starting on the Wrong Track


I am a huge fan of the Batman '66 television series and thus am also a fan of the comic.  I have read and reviewed a bunch of issues and expressed my fear that while the series has been great, it's starting to feel stale.  Enter Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman and Britt Reid to spice things up.  Yep, the Green Hornet is in the house and he brought along his valet, Kato.

Ralph Garman may be the biggest Batman '66 fan there is and Kevin Smith is...well, Kevin Smith.  So, when I heard these two would be doing a Batman/Green Hornet '66 crossover, I figured it was a sure thing. Throw is Ty Templeton on art duties and I figured it was a surerer thing.

Old Time Tuesday: Adventures of Superman ep 12 North Star Mining Company

If you listened to ep 11, you heard June Anderson get stabbed.  Well, she survived and is back to tell Clark a little thing or two about those shady characters who like setting fires and stabbing women.  You know who
else likes doing those things?  I know that you think I'm going to say my fellow Weird Science writer, Eric. Shame on you, he doesn't like setting fires.  No, I was going to say Johnny "the Pointy Flame" Loganne. Believe me, Superman wouldn't even mess with the Pointy Flame.  Of course, after the Ball and Bull incident we don't have to worry about him anymore...or do we?  Enjoy the show.


Monday, June 2, 2014

Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #3 Review

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Szymon Kudranski
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: June 2, 2014

Let's Get it Started Right


Saying I've been down on Infinite Crisis is an understatement.  The first two issues have been heavy on exposition and light on crazy multiverse characters and worlds.  It may be me, but isn't the draw of this book the fun of the multiverse?  To make matters worse, the story has been pretty boring with bad dialogue and characterization.  Maybe we can all agree to just forget the first two issues because Infinite Crisis #3 is starting to show the promise of what the book and Dan Abnett have is store for us.

Just For The Hell Of It Mondays: Batman Meets The Green Hornet


This week Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith's Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet #1 comes out and I'm getting all nostalgic has hell waiting for it.  Yeah I know we talk about Batman '66 a lot around here but between the 60's Batman and Super Friends we're talking about my first introductions to the Dark Knight, and they hold a special place in my heart.  So for people that share my nostalgia I'd figure we'd look at a cut

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Secret Origins #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Ray Fawkes, Jeff Parker, Scott Lobdell
Art By: Dustin Nguyen, Alvaro Martinez, Paulo Siqueira
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 28, 2014


Not So Secret Origins


So here we are again looking at a book we just know will be a waste of time because they're trying to sell us things we've already seen, and not only that things we've seen lately.  So what am I to do?  Do I just say the hell with it and not review it?  Well that's what I wanted but Jim the co-founder of Weird Science wouldn't let me so here we are.  For this month's Secret Origins we'll be looking at Batman, Aquaman, and Starfire.  Now I can kind of see Aquaman and Starfire but Batman?  Who the hell in this day and age doesn't know Batman's origin?  Okay let's dive into this useless book and see if we can squeeze any new knowledge out of it.

Batman #31 Review and Spoilers

Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Greg Capullo
Cover Price: 3.99
Release Date: May 28, 2014

Lion Around


I have been sitting here thinking about this review and Zero Year in general.  Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have done a great job telling their own story of the Dark Knight's early years by giving us a mix of new, twisting some old and paying homage to some of the greatest Bat stories of the past.  The problem is that while I love it, I'm growing tired of it.  It used to be the first book I read for the week and now it's falling down the list.  Don't get me wrong, each issue has been great, but I'm just not excited about it anymore.  It just feels plain stale.  Don't worry, it's probably just me and I don't think it's catching.  The sales say different.  Enough about me and my issue...on with the review.

He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe #13 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Dan Abnett
Art By: Pop Mhan
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 28, 2014



The Red Feast


We're going to take a short break this month from King Hiss and his shenanigans with He-Man to jump back in time during King Grayskull's rule, and see how a badass king takes care of his kingdom.  Now I know some of you watched the episode of 2002's He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe and are all like "Yeah I saw that episode with King Grayskull what are they going to do that I don't already know?"  Well let me tell you this isn't your King Grayskull from that far back time of 2002.  Hell no, and I'll tell you why.  Let's dive into this badass prequel, to the final moments of the Hordak War.

Justice League Beyond 2.0 #21 Review

Written by: Christos Gage
Art by: Dexter Soy
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: May 31, 2014

Dynasty


Okay, let's just say it up front.  This issue exists in the shadow of last weeks Batman Beyond 2.0 and it's crazy ending.  I toss phrases and cliches around like they're going out of style (see!), but that issue was a game changer.  In fact, that's not big enough.  It was literally a Universe changer.  If you haven't read it yet, go do so now.

I know what your thinking. "You already reviewed Batman Beyond 2.0 #21.  I came here to read your review of Justice League Beyond 2.0."  Listen here impatient guy, I'm getting there.  Justice League Beyond 2.0 #20 ended with a pretty big cliffhanger itself.  I was looking forward to seeing how it played out this week, but unfortunately I was left wishing I hadn't seen it.  It really took the steam out of this issue.