Saturday, May 23, 2015

Convergence: World's Finest #2 Preview

Written By: Paul Levitz
Art By: Jim Fern, Joe Rubinstein, Shannon Wheeler
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 27, 2015



STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Cartoonist Scribbly Jibbet chronicles the battle of the reformed Seven Soldiers of Victory against the Qward invasion in the most unusual story in all of Convergence!


I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the first issue to this title and am really curious to see how the Seven Soldiers get together to take on this threat since we saw Shining Knight getting his ass burned off at the end of last issue and since we saw the other members of the team weren't doing so well...........Especially Stripesy, Green Arrow and Speedy.  Scribbly Jibbet aside, I'm looking forward to this.

Convergence: Shazam! #2 Preview

Written By: Jeff Parker
Art By: Evan "Doc" Shaner
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 27, 2015


STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The shining city of Fawcett takes on the murky gaslit world of Gotham City as Captain Marvel finds the Victorian-era Batman prepared to take on the mightiest of mortals! At the heart of the battle a new alliance of villains comes together to destroy the future, and one world will be sent to oblivion...


While it seemed like I was in the minority last month in not really enjoying this title's first issue, I do however look forward to this one.  I love Shazam and will take him anyway I can.  I guess the best part is that I don't have any attachment to the Gotham By Gaslight Universe and can't wait to see The Mightiest Mortals kick their sorry gas lit asses.

Convergence: Hawkman #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Jeff Parker
Art By: Tim Truman, Enrique Alcatena, John Kalisz
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


When Animals Attack


*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

When we last watched our hawks fly, they were getting used to a world under a dome, where they were some of the only heroes still active since their Nth metal wasn't affected by the dome's de-powering bit.  They stopped crime, revealed their identities, but we found out that the Shadow War was still on as they came across a cloaked Thanagarian ship and after fighting a harrowing battle against Man-Hawks, our heroes confronted the Shadow Warriors only to find out that these invaders and the dome are the least of their worries.  After the absorbascon was hooked up to all of the invader's sleeper agents, it revealed to our heroes what the future holds outside of the dome.  That's right, they saw a Crisis and before they had anytime to soak all of that info in, the dome disappeared and now our Hawks are forced to fight for their city and their very survival.  Let's check this out and see if our heroes can pull through against an alliance between the Rat Men and Bat Men of Earth-AD.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Batman: Arkham Knight #14 Review

Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Viktor Bogandovic, Art Thibert and John Rauch
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: May 22, 2015

Santa Prisca Standoff


Things are heating up in Gotham and while it seems like the answer to "who the hell is this Arkham Knight guy" isn't going to be answered soon, there are other things to keep the reader interested. One thing is Bane.  Tomasi has done a good job teasing the return of the behemoth, from unrecognizable prisoner to the pumped up luchador masked villain we all know and some of us love. At least I love him in the Arkham games.  Does Tomasi make me love him in this comic as well?  Let's find out...

Top 5 Fridays: Best Villains of DC Television This Season


Welcome back to another Top 5 Friday! If you didn't read last weeks, this is part of a three list tribute to DC television. If you haven't seen the list for DC television's Top 5 heroes click HERE. This week we will be looking at the other side of the coin; The Villains. This list was a bit harder to make than the heroes one, due to there being a lot of memorable villains this season on all of the shows. I want to remind everyone this list is restricted to THIS past season, as to give a fair chance to all the shows. ENOUGH RAMBLING LETS BEGIN!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Convergence: Justice League of America #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Fabian Nicieza
Art By: ChrisCross, Snakebite Cortez
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


The Other Guys


*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

It's time to go back to Pre-Crisis Gotham and see what those wacky heroes of the Justice League Detroit team are up to now that the dome has disappeared and they have to face the Tangent Secret Six.  I'm not sure about you but after seeing how our heroes fared last issue, I don't have the greatest confidence in them........ Oh, what's that?  You didn't read the last issue, well you better get on that but just to catch you up, I'll give you a little lowdown.  After a year of being powerless in a domed Gotham, our heroes have gotten a little out of practice, so it's no wonder that when their powers returned and the Tangent Secret Six came a callin', that they got spanked hard.  Zatanna, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter were stuck in a stasis field while the rest of our team were dusting themselves off from a building collapsing on them.  The fight is on as we go into this issue, so let's check it out.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Convergence: Green Lantern Corps #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: David Gallaher
Art By: Steve Ellis, Andre Parks, Hi-Fi
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


Guy Gardner: Ass Kicker


*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

In the last issue of Convergence: Green Lantern Corps, we explored the world and mindset that Guy Gardner awoke to after his coma.  Yeah, he was tortured by General Zod in the Phantom Zone and by Sinestro in the Anti-Matter Universe and these experiences put him in a coma, but it can't be all bad........... Scratch that, it's all bad for Guy and after suffering from PTSD from his experiences, he decided to confront the man who he blames for his misfortune....... Hal Jordan.  Too bad, that once he found Hal, the dome disappeared and instead of Hal sharing his power battery and the two of them kicking some ass, Hal knocked Guy out and went to fight the good fight on his own.  Not one to be left behind, after Guy came to, he leather jacketed up, strapped a baseball bat to his back and got on his hog to join the ensuing fight.  Let's see if a powerless Guy can turn the tides of battle in this issue.

Convergence: The New Teen Titans #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Marv Wolfman
Art By: Nicola Scott, Marc Deering, Jeremy Cox
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


To Attack Or Not To Attack, That Is The Question


*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

When we first stepped back in time to see the New Teen Titans, we saw that everything wasn't all pinatas and RC Cola for the team after their year under the dome.  Yeah, Dick Grayson had finally popped the question to Starfire and got married, but it looked like the honeymoon was over once the dome disappeared and Dick couldn't trust Kori not to kill.  That wasn't all that was bad either.  Donna was pining over her creepy old professor, Crystal was obsessed with Jericho and Beast Boy was without a friend, since Cyborg was out of commission during the year due to most of him being cybernetic....... and none of that changed once the dome fell, except for the Cyborg part and our team was forced to fight against the Tangent Doom Patrol.  Let's see if Nightwing and Firehawk's probationary allegiance can lead to a peaceful solution or if these two teams will tear each other apart.  Let's check it out.

Fanboy Theories: Why Doesn't The Fortress Recognize Superman?

He's still Superman...?

Last Wednesday, more previews for the future DC Comic Line-Up came out and one of these intrigued me greatly. This one of course being Action Comics, as part of the new Superman storyline "Truth". To those who haven't taken the chance to read it, it is essentially Superman trudging through the Arctic to get to his Fortress of Solitude. He goes on about how he is losing his powers, and after a fight with some enemies, he makes it to his destination. HOWEVER after the Fortress scans him, it claims he isn't Kal-El and takes back the "stolen artifacts." These artifacts are his suit, S-Shield, and sadly his cape. He is left out in the cold, with only torn bits of his cape in his hands. Seeing the last two pages sent my theorist mind into overdrive. Why did the Fortress, Superman's Iconic getaway, not recognize it's owner? It's obviously related to him losing his powers, but what could be the reason behind it? Is it the Super Flare, or is there something much more sinister in the works? Could his years of being the greatest hero on Earth-0 finally get the better of him? Lets dive into this weeks theories of the now fallen Man of Steel.


Convergence #7 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Jeff King, Scott Lobdell
Art By: Aaron Lopresti, Mark Morales, Peter Steigerwald
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


And Boom Goes The Reality


*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

It's time to converge everyone and to get you all caught up on what's been going down, I'm going to drop a little knowledge on you....... or just tell you things that you already know and piss you off a little...... Either way, let's do this.  So in the last issue of Convergence, we saw the New 52 Prime Universe watch in horror as the planet Telos started forcing itself into their universe.......... we also saw a bunch of characters that didn't belong there, but don't worry we'll get into that in a minute.  After that bit of nonsense, we jumped into the thick of it as heroes from all over space and time collected allies to fight against Deimos.  Only problem is that Deimos promised that if people fought for him, they could live.  So it's a grand battle with characters throughout DC's history, fighting among themselves for control of their future.  Let's jump into this issue and see if our heroes can overcome Deimos or if the black sorcerer means the end of everything.  Let's check it out.

Weird Thoughts: Week Two of DC Comics June Sneak Peeks

If you are like me, you love crappy food filled with cheese...I'm sorry, that's for a different column.  Okay, let's start over.  If you are like me, when new comic book day rolls around on Wednesday, you grab up all of your Convergence finale issues and flip immediately to the backs to see which previews are in each.  I know what your saying, "But Jim, I already know what preview is in each book" or "I download the previews digitally by themselves."  Just give me a damn break, will you?  I have to write double digit introduction paragraphs a week and even a guy with extreme diarrhea of the mouth runs out of things to say.  Most people skip these things and get to the main story anyway. In fact, I'm skipping the rest of what I had to say (which wasn't much) and getting to our Weird Thoughts...

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Injustice: Year Four #3 Review

Written by: Brian Buccellato
Art by: Mike S. Miller and J. Nanjan
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: May 19, 2015

Take Forty and Call Me at Midnight


To say that Year Four of Injustice is off to a slower start than usual is a bit of an understatement.  Brian Buccellato's story has been more personal and a bit depressing.  It's understandable, Year Three may have been more "magical" than the others, but it also hit the main players where it hurt most.  Last issue showed that while some just gave up the good fight, at least one took it upon herself to turn the tide of the conflict and get some revenge.  That one was Renee Montoya and her story continues for at least one more issue.

Convergence: Batman And The Outsiders #2 Preview

Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Carlos D'Anda
Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 20, 2015

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Batman leads the Outsiders against a terror from the Great Disaster – Godmaker and OMAC!

This is my most anticipated book of the week and will be the first on that I read and review.  Marc Andreyko made me fall in love with the Outsiders and it looks like the love affair will continue in this issue.  

Monday, May 18, 2015

Convergence #7 Preview

Written By: Jeff King, Scott Lobdell
Art By: Aaron Lopresti, Mark Morales
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015



The largest battle in the history of the Multiverse is here! Who will win and who will lose when Deimos battles the combined might of the Earth 2 survivors, the heroes from Kingdom Come, the Titans and Parallax? All this and more, as the heroes of The New 52 join the fight!

I was really thrown off by last week's issue, when we saw a whole mess of New 52 characters that have died in the last couple of years.......... So hopefully we leave the New 52 where it belongs......... In June and we can continue Convergence without them interfering and this solicit is just exaggerating about their involvement.

Convergence: Justice League of America #2 Preview

Written By: Fabian Nicieza
Art By: Chriscross
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015



STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Witness the final stand of the Detroit Justice League as they fight to survive against the Tangent Universe!

I really dug this first issue and I can't wait to see what the rest of the Justice League Detroit team do now that they are back in action.  Hopefully Zatanna doesn't do anything dopey here and press more red buttons during the fight and hopefully we can learn more about the Tangent Secret Six........... especially for folks like me who aren't familiar with the Tangent Universe.

Convergence: Hawkman #2 Preview

Written By: Jeff Parker
Art By: Tim Truman, Enrique Alcatena
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Thanagarian Shadow Agents set out to destroy the deadly bat people and rat people from the land of Kamandi!

I wasn't a big fan of the first issue of this Convergence tie-in, but I'm always up for a little Hawkman and right now this is the only place I'm getting it.  Hopefully, this issue comes through and I can sing it's praises........ yeah, it's going to be off key, but I'll still sing those praises.  Come on Hawkman, don't let me down.

Convergence: Green Lantern Corps #2 Preview

Written By: David Gallaher
Art By: Steve Ellis, Andre Parks
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The Green Lantern Corps is revived when Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Guy Gardner power up and race to take on Hercules Unbound and Anti God from the Great Disaster!

I'm really just here to see Guy Gardner kick some ass, if we get some stuff on top of that, then it's all bonus....... and talk about BONUS, this cover looks like we'll get some Over The Top action, Stallone style.  Don't forget to turn your hat backwards before you start arm wrestling............. because it's important.

Convergence: Adventures Of Superman #2 Preview

Written by: Marv Wolfman
Art by: 
Roberto Viacava and Andy Owens
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 20, 2015


STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Superman and Supergirl’s journey through the Phantom Zone takes a tragic turn as one of the most devastating moments in DC’s history is revealed! Supergirl could save herself – but only if she sacrifices Metropolis to the marauding intelligent apes from Kamandi’s world!

I really enjoyed the first issue of Convergence: Adventures Of Superman.  Sure, some of the ideas changed up some rules, but I was having too much fun to really care.  It's all give and take...give me a headband wearing Supergirl and I'll take a physical planed Phantom Zone.  See, I'm not the horrible guy that listeners of our podcast think.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Weird Science DC Comics Podcast Episode 19: Technical Difficulties, Bad Words and Puppet Master

Ep 19:  I don't really think this episode was meant to be.  After Jim's mic broke, the guys are forced to record later than usual and that's when Eric's internet connection struck back.  They also deal with 3XL demanding more money and hope Dan doesn't jump off a ledge after hearing this week's mail. They eventually get to this week's books but the Zero Hour week doesn't cheer them up at all.  


DC Comics Mystik U Coming in October with Some Familiar Faces



I recently interviewed Alisa Kwitney for our Five Questions With... column (full interview is HERE) and when I asked her what she is working on at the moment, she responded with "Mystik U".  I had already known that she was working on the book, though I had seen it listed as "Mystic U" up until then.  She told me,

Five Questions With...Convergence: Batgirl and Mystik U Writer, Alisa Kwitney


FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...


Hello everybody and welcome back to Five Questions With...the interview segment where I ask a comic book creator questions about comics, pop culture and their eating habits.  This week features Alisa Kwitney, the writer of the recent Convergence: Batgirl tie-in and the upcoming Mystic U.  I thought that Alisa nailed the voice and character of Stephanie Brown in the Batgirl book, I really can't wait for Mystic U.  I'm a sucker for such things and it can't come quick enough.  So, I'd like to thank Alisa for doing this and I hope you enjoy it.