Saturday, December 26, 2015

Teen Titans #15 Review

Blood Brothers


Written by: Scott Lobdell and Will Pfeifer
Art by: Ian Churchill, Miguel Mendonca, Norm Rapmund, Dexter Vines, Tony Avina and Corey Breen
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 23, 2015

I can't say that the Teen Titans has been a good book by any stretch and throwing it into the Robin War story doesn't make me feel too optimistic for this issue.  While I have enjoyed the Robin War enough, the tie-ins have been mostly useless affairs.  You add up all of this and a betting man would have to go with the odds that this issue will suck.  However, I'm way to cheap to ever be a betting man so I guess I'm going to have do this the old fashioned way...read it and review it.  So, was this a good issue of Teen Titans?  Was it a good Robin War tie-in?  Could it possibly be both?  Let's find out...


Friday, December 25, 2015

The Legend of Wonder Woman #6 Review


The Darkness Revealed


Written by: Renae De Liz
Art by: Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: December 17, 2015

I promise everyone that I won't use this introduction paragraph to go on and on about how great the story and art are in this Digital First series.  I won't tell you that it's a fairy tale full of myth and magic that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their age, sex or previous comic knowledge.  I won't even mention that this would be the perfect way to get a younger boy or girl interested in Wonder Woman and comics in general.  Nope, I'll just tell you to sit back, pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa while i tell you all about The Legends of Wonder Woman #6.


Justice League 3001 #7 Review and *Spoilers*



Dawn of Justice


Written by: J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen
Art by: Chris Batista, Wayne Faucher, Andy Owens, Hi-Fi and Marilyn Patrizio
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 23, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

I have to admit that since the "1" was added to Justice League 3000, my love for this series has waned a bit.  It actually started before the soft reboot, but it became very clear that this book had become stale for me once the DC You took effect.  The story had become a bit too crowded with characters that only seemed to be included out of desperation and while the Injustice League promised to be a great threat to our heroes, it hasn't panned out that way yet.  This book needed a spark to get things back on track whether that meant a new villain, a more focused team or something else.  It got all those beginning with last issue.  The mysterious Scullions showed up, blew Superman's head clean off his shoulders and looked like they were going to wipe out the whole
Justice League.  I'd say that's a spark!  For the first time in a while, I couldn't wait to read this month's issue.  Now that it's here, was it worth the wait?  Let's find out...


Happy Holidays from the Weird Science Get Fresh Crew



Happy Holidays to everyone out there and we hope that you get everything you asked for as you take time to visit family, friends and for some strange reason, Weird Science.  The Get Fresh Crew gather each year to exchange gifts, drink Reggie's kick ass eggnog and listen to Eric tell tales of Christmas mornings filled with board games and tears.  Oh the joy! We would like to take this time to thank everyone who comes to our site, listens to our podcast, talks to us on Twitter, shares our stuff on Google Plus...you guys are awesome!


The Legend of Wonder Woman #5 Review



The Times They Are A Changin'


Written by: Renae De Liz
Art by: Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: December 10, 2015

We started our site with the intention of reading and reviewing every DC Comics title each and every week.  Though we have a pretty good overall track record in fulfilling that mission statement, sometimes it becomes more of a chore than anything else.  Unlike other sites that cherry pick what they want to review, we sometimes get stuck with books we don't enjoy.  Couple that with weeks that throw double digit work at us and you might begin to understand why we sometimes yearn for a break in the action.  With that in mind...why the hell would I ever add to the load by deciding to also review some Digital First titles?  There are a couple of reasons...not many sites review them, they need exposure since DC doesn't seem to want to push them, but mainly it's because these are the books I get to cherry pick like those other fancy review sites.  Luckily for me, there always seems to be at least one title that I fall in love with...The Adventures of Superman, Smallville, Injustice, Batman Beyond 2.0...and now The Legends of Wonder Woman.  Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon have been giving Wonder Woman fans an origin story that is full of myth and mystery all wrapped up in a classic Disney movie look that anyone and everyone can enjoy.  Yes, I know these weekly into paragraphs may come off as a fanboy broken record, but I really want people to find out about this book.  However, I must push that all aside and get to the job at hand...my review for Chapter 5.  Cute, little Diana is gone as we move into Diana: The Teenage Years.  Does that mean the series will suffer as I did in my teen years?  Let's find out…

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Deathstroke #13 Review


Suicide Squad Mission


Written by: James Bonny and Tony S. Daniel
Art by: Paolo Pantalena, Arif Prianto and Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 23, 2015

I have said so in my reviews and on our podcast, Deathstroke is one of the most consistent books that DC puts out each month.  If you like over-the-top action and a crazy amount of severed limbs, you can't go wrong with Slade's adventures and yet this book still seems to be flying under most people's radar.  Maybe it's because Deathstroke is kind of a man out of time, an anti-hero that is more in tune with the action packed 80's and the extreme 90's than whatever you would call the times now.  To that I cry "nonsense" and argue that this is the perfect time for a former supervillain and point to Deathstroke's fan favorite run in Arrow as well as a movies like the Suicide Squad and Deadpool coming to a theater near you.  Anti-heroes are all the rage and Deathstroke is one of the best out there.  I guess I should take off my public relations blazer off (it's bright yellow) and don my reviewer cap and get on with the job at hand.  Does this issue continue everything I've enjoyed in the series up until now?  Let's find out...


Cyborg #6 Review and *SPOILERS*


Cyborg Wants To Be Inside You


Written By: David F. Walker
Art By: Ivan Reis, Felipe Watanabe, Daniel HDR, Cliff Richards, Albert Oclair, Julio Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, Pete Pantazis, Travis Lanham
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 26, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Booyah bitches we're back with another issue of Cyborg and even though I've found this first story arc to be a little rough, this is still the title that I was screaming for the most back in June so I'm going to stay optimistic and hope that it finishes strong and then becomes the must read title of 2016.  That's not too much to ask for right?  We've got Cyborg teaming up with the Tekbreakers against the Technosapiens and these bastards have been going from Universe to Universe converting everyone like the borg in their pursuit to find their techno Jesus.  Well, as it turns out Vic Stone is just that savior and the Technosapiens want to use him to become as perfect as he is.  We got to find out the origin of this Technosapien/Tekbreaker war in the previous issue and while I love a good backstory, this one promises to be an even better issue because Cyborg has a plan to take these big bads down.  Let's jump into this story finale and see what good old Vic has up his sleeve.  Let's check it out.

Aquaman #47 Review and *SPOILERS*


With A Little Help From My Friends


Written By: Cullen Bunn
Art By: Vicente Cifuentes, John Dell, Don Ho, Mark Irwin, Guy Major, Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 26, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Now I don't know if it's because I love Wonder Woman or if it's because the last issue of Aquaman was just better than it had been, but I found myself not hating what we got in the previous issue and that's saying something for how I've felt about this series over the last bunch of months.  If it was Wonder Woman that got me excited and yes that is a double entendre, then just imagine how much better it will be now that we have the entire Justice League showing up for this one.  This has been a really off run of Aquaman and I can only hope that it finishes strong because besides for the previous issue cutting the terribleness and getting right to the point, I could do without all of this.  Let's jump into this issue and see if Aquaman can keep up his streak of not sucking....... is one instance considered a streak?  Anyway, let's check this out and see if we can finally be done with Thule.

Batman and Robin Eternal #12 Review


Mind Powers


Written by: Ed Brisson
Art by: Javier Pina, Goran Sudzuka, John Rauch and Corey Breen
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 23, 2015


Another week, another Batman and Robin Eternal.  Those words don't really show the struggle I'm beginning to have with this weekly book, but read them again in a tired and drained voice and you will begin to understand how I feel.  I don't want to get too grandiose, but reviewing this book is beginning to become a Sisyphus situation...each Wednesday, the rock is at the bottom of the hill and the struggle begins again.  Only two things can deliver me (and judging from the comments, "us") from this pain...a good issue or the end of the series.  I really hope we get the sooner before the later, but I've stopped counting on that.  This all leads to this week's issue by Ed Brisson.  His issue last week was a marked improvement over what we have been getting for months, but I still couldn't say it was good.  At least it was heading in the right direction and I'm grasping for any signs of better days.  Did he continue the improvement and actually make this week's rock a pleasure to push up that damn hill? Let's find out...


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Titans Hunt #3 Review and *SPOILERS*


Getting The Band Back Together


Written By: Dan Abnett
Art By: Paulo Siqueira, Geraldo Borges, Jackson Herbert, Hi-Fi, Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 26, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Our Titans of a previous continuity are all being haunted by memories of things that should have never been and these memories are getting them all back together....... slowly, but surely.  Yeah, I know that we're only three issues into this series, but not a lot has gone on to show me what the outcome is supposed to be.  Maybe I need to calm down a bit and work on my patience, but besides for seeing a shadow of Mister Twister and having our heroes doing and saying things that even they find odd, there isn't too much to this series yet.  Hell, I don't even know if we're actually dealing with something that happened to these heroes in this timeline that was then erased or if this has something to do Convergence.  It's all very mysterious, but hopefully we begin to get some answers in this issue and with me normally digging the majority of these characters, I hope they can pull off being a half way decent Titans team because that's been something that's hard to find lately.  Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #2 Review and *SPOILERS*



Fooled you!

*Non Spoilers and Score at The Bottom*

Written by: Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello
Art by: Klaus Janson, Andy Kubert
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: December 23, 2015



The first issue of the Dark Knight III was a great start to the series, giving the feel of the original Dark Knight Returns, but still feel modern enough to  bring in the new generation. Does this mean that it didn't have it's share of faults? Nope. The art was questionable when it came to a few of the characters (mainly because they were drawn like they would in Strikes Again) and the tie-in mini comic was boring and seemed pointless. Despite these issues, the comic hit the peak of intriguing when it is revealed that its actually Carrie Kelly under the cowl of the returned Batman, who claims that Bruce is dead. So how did he die? What will happen to the Kandorians that Superman's Daughter found? Lets find out...

Justice League of America #6 Review and *SPOILERS*


Don't Waste God's Time


Written By: Bryan Hitch
Art By: Bryan Hitch, Daniel Henriques, Andre Currie, Alex Sinclair, Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 26, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Okay, we're off the Martian Manhunter one shot and back on track with our JLA comic.  That being said, I'm having a hard time remembering where the hell we were in this book and boy after reading it did I ever have a case of sensory overload.  So many things going on, but I'll just give you the gist.  Aquaman left his people alone with a prophet of Rao so he could get some snuggle time with Mera, Wonder Woman's been exiled to a void that once was Olympus, Superman with the help of Batman has become very suspicious of Rao, Green Lantern is all buddy buddy with Rao 250,000 years ago on Krypton and Flash is kicking it with the Infinity Corp back in 1961.  Goddamn, is that a lot to pack into a story.  Yeah, I forgot to mention Cyborg, but like the old days of the New 52, he's stuck on a computer so he can come up with a backup plan to take out Rao in case the League isn't enough and looking at what's going on here, they just might not be.  Let's jump into this delayed issue and see what's going down with the JLA. 

Superman #47 Review and *SPOILERS*


Daddy Issues


Written By: Gene Luen Yang
Art By: Howard Porter, Raymund Bermudez, Tom Derenick, Hi-Fi, Lee Loughridge, Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 26, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's a goddamned pro wrestler.  Boy, have I not been digging this title for awhile now, not only because of the current Mythbrawl arc, where Superman would rather be fighting gods and getting cheers from an audience than taking on the villain, but this villain Hordr_Root has just been terrible as well.  He's got secret complexes in the clouds, that you get to by a magic bus, energy sucking robots and as we saw in the previous issue, clones of people made out of sand.  That's right, sand clones and in the last issue Superman take on his fully powered sand clone and Jimmy Olsen payed the price when old Sandy accidentally shot him in the chest with it's heat vision.  Jimmy's days might be numbered, but so may Hordr_Root's because as that issue ended we saw the villain just straight up mocking Superman on how easy it would be to hurt anyone he loves.  Let's jump into this issue and see what Superman will do now that Hordr_Root has made it personal.  Let's check it out.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

He-Man: The Eternity War #12 Review and *SPOILERS*


Memories Make Us What We Are


Written By: Dan Abnett, Rob David
Art By: Pop Mhan, Mark Roberts, Deron Bennett
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 25, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The Eternity War wages on as our Masters fight for not only Eternia, but the Universe itself.  In the previous issue we saw the events that made Man-At-Arms go all War Wraith on our asses...... pretty much he became all voodoo-ed by Hordak's Slime Pit and after Skeletor's hostile takeover, he put the former Master of Weapons to work as his personal assassin and sent him after King Adam....... and boy did he get a surprise!  After it looked like Duncan was going to straight up murder his former King, it's revealed that Adam is actually King Hiss and while we knew that a bit before, it was a hell of a shock to see Duncan taken down by a body full of snakes.  While all seems lost on all fronts of this war, we did end on a kind of hopeful cliffhanger, where we saw that King Adam is somehow still alive within King Hiss and as we all learned from Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, life finds a way.  Let's jump into this issue and see how our Masters can come back from seriously getting their asses kicked. 

Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #1 Review


Here Comes the Doom!


Written by: Brian Buccellato
Art by: Mike Miller, J. Nanjan, Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: December 22, 2015

It's been awhile since we last got to hang out in the dystopian elseworld of Injustice.  The wait is over as Year Five kicks off a little out of order and with hardly any fanfare.  As a big fan of DC's Digital First line, it comes as no surprise that I had to find out about this chapter's release by complete accident, but that doesn't make it any less infuriating.  After all these years of reading and reviewing these books, it shocks me that somebody hasn't stepped up and actually done a half assed job of promotion which would be a marked improvement over the one sixty forth assed job they've been doing.  Believe me, I'm only getting started and can only imagine the anger coming from the creative teams on these books.  I guess I should save such talk for an editorial so I'll just get on with my review.  This is Brian Buccellato's first full year of Injustice, so whatever cheers or jeers stem from the book are put squarely on his shoulders.  So, which one is it for this first chapter?  Let's find out...


Monday, December 21, 2015

Justice League United #16 Review


Heroes and Villains


Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Travel Foreman and Hi-Fi
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 17, 2015


There are so many things I'd like to say to start this review, but I'm going to keep it on the positive tip.  I've enjoyed this book since this new direction that started in June with the DC You.  While I really think DC should have restarted it with a new #1 (stay positive, Jim), the idea of crazy pairings of Heroes and Villains was cool from the get go.  Unfortunately, we will never get the team-ups I was hoping for as this is the final issue.  Yep, the breakers that I thought could eventually return the DC Universe back to better times will just have to wait to be fixed.  Does this final issue give readers a satisfying end to the JLU story or is it just another thing that DC is leaving out in the nether, never to be fixed?  Let's find out...


Batman Europa #2 Review and *SPOILERS*



Tik Tak


Written By: Brian Azzarello, Mateo Casali 
Art By: Giuseppe Camuncoli 
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 18, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Last month, we found Batman in a very peculiar position for a set up; Both he and the Joker are infected with a disease that will end up killing them. Oh and the disease is traced to Europe, so now the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime, and a hacker that sent Batman the digital trail leading to Europe have to go across the country to find the villain behind all of this and the cure that will save their lives.

While the first issue was a good set up, it really dragged its feet as it dragged along talking about Berlin and its past. I enjoyed it, but it was a BIG annoyance, and I hoped it would die down as the series went on. So does it improve? Lets dive into Prague and find out...

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Weird Science DC Comics Podcast Ep 50: What a Dildo!


It's Star Wars weekend so Jim and Eric talk...DC Comics.  Yep, they stick with their mission statement and talk about every DC Comics comic book that came out this week.  The podcast may be filled with Superman, Batman, and the Justice League, but Eric's girlfriend steals the show with her podcast debut and it's a doozy.  In fact, it literally took Jim's breath (and ability to speak) away.  We all hope that Eric is still alive and that you all enjoy the show.