Friday, November 15, 2019

Rebirth Rewind: Green Lanterns #9 (2016) Review


THE PHANTOM LANTERN: PROLOGUE

Released: October 19th, 2016
Writers: Sam Humphries
Pencils: Robson Rocha
Inks: Jay Leisten
Colors: Blond
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $2.99

Review written by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

Because I can only really do one Retro Review (I realize this isn't really retro) a week I realized it would take me forever to get to this arc, which is probably my favorite arc in all of Rebirth, so my plans have changed and I'm skipping ahead.

This issue is the prologue to The Phantom Lantern, and it's the story of the man who would become The Phantom Lantern, Frank Laminski. Man this guy was such a good villain. I wish they'd bring him back for another story somewhere.

First Look: Wonder Woman: Dead Earth #1



Written by Daniel Warren Johnson
Interior, Cover and Variant Cover artwork by Daniel Warren Johnson
Colors by Matt Spicer
Lettering by Rus Wooton
DC BLACK LABEL - PRESTIGE PLUS FORMAT - APPROX. 8.5" x 10.875"
In Shops: Dec 18, 2019
SRP: $6.99

Princess Diana of Themyscira left paradise to save Man's World from itself. She failed. Trapped alone in a grim future after a centuries-long sleep, Diana must protect the last human city from titanic monsters while uncovering its secret of this dead Earth—and how she may be responsible for it.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

First Look: DCeased: Unkillables!


DCEASED: UNKILLABLES
3-issue mini-series on sale February—April 2020
48 pages each


Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Karl Mostert and Trevor Scott
Covers by Howard Porter
card stock variant covers by Francesco Mattina
$4.99 US (CARD STOCK VARIANT COVERS $5.99)

Horror movie homage card stock variant cover to DCeased: Unkillables #1 by Yasmine Putri
Horror movie homage card stock variant cover to DCeased: Unkillables #2 by Ben Oliver

3-issue mini-series on sale February—April 2020
48 pages each

First Look: Superman #18


Superman #18

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Cover and Interior art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Colors by Alex Sinclair
In Shops: Dec 11, 2019
SRP: $3.99

The secret is out! In a story already making headlines, Superman's family is scattered across the galaxy, and our hero must confront some of his greatest concerns about himself and his place in the galaxy. Legendary artist Ivan Reis joins writer Brian Michael Bendis as they introduce the biggest change in the Man of Steel's life ever!



There it is...the one-page preview of Superman telling the world he is also Clark Kent.  Is anyone else confused that the story is called "The Truth"?  That's what the Superman Identity reveal story was called three years ago.  Have they forgotten all about that or is everyone afraid to tell Brian Micheal Bendis after he got so happy coming up with it?



First Look: Far Sector #2


Written by N.K. Jemisin
Interior and Cover art by Jamal Campbell
In Shops: Dec 11, 2019
SRP: $3.99

Writer N.K. Jemisin (the award-winning author of The Broken Earth and Inheritance science fiction trilogies) and artist Jamal Campbell (co-creator of Naomi) continue the story of rookie Green Lantern Sojourner "Jo" Mullein when Far Sector #2 hits shelves on December 11. Jo’s investigation of the first murder in 500 years hits a snag when the murderer is murdered. Whatever's going on, it's something to do with Switchoff, a highly illegal genetic cocktail that restores dangerous feelings to the emotionless citizens of the City Enduring...


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy # 3 Review and **SPOILERS**



Gathers Moss

Written by Jody Houser
Pencils by Adriana Melo
Inks by Mark Morales
Colors by Hi-Fi
Cover by Mikel Janin
Variant Cover by David Finch & Steve Firchow
Letters by Gabriela Downie
Editor: Alex Antone
Assistant Editor: Andrea Shea
Group Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Cover Price: $3.99
November 13, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Hey, you know I reviewed the first issue of this miniseries…for reasons I don’t recall I missed reviewing the second issue…and now I’m back for the third! So check out my review of Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy, right here and now!

Far Sector #1 Review and **SPOILERS**



Far, Far Away

Story: N.X. Jemsin
Art & Color: Jamal Campbell
Lettering: Deron Bennett
Cover: Jamal Campbell
Variant Covers: Shaen Martinbrough, Jamie McKelvie
Assistant Editor: Maggie Howell
Editors: Andy Khouri, Jamie S. Rich
Cover Price: $3.99
On Sale Date: November 13, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

So what do we have here…a Green Lantern book, out on the Young Animal imprint. So is this an out-of-continuity Green Lantern story, or a regular GL story where people say “fuck” a lot? Well, both things will turn out to be true, as you’ll find in my review of Far Sector #1, right here!

Gotham City Monsters #3 Review and **SPOILERS**



Monsters 11

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Amancay Nahuelpan
Colors by: Trish Mulvihill
Letters by: Tom Napolitano
Cover by: Philip Tan & Jay David Ramos
Assistant Editor: Dave Wielgosz
Group Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13 2019

**NON SPOLERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

It’s that gang of DCU monsters that are being aligned with Gotham City for some reason! I mean, Killer Croc makes sense, but Frankenstein? Orca? And what about the new faces, Claygirl and whatsizname, the Red Beast or whatever? Well, we’re gonna find out “whatever” in this review of Gotham City Monsters #3, right here!

Catwoman #17 Review





Written by: Joelle Jones
Art by: Joelle Jones, Laura Allred, and Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

Catwoman is an odd book to include with the Year of the Villain stuff.  Catwoman's only real villain right now is Raina Creel and what could Lex offer her, a new nose?!?  So, it makes sense that the offer went to Selina herself, though I am pretty sure she won't do anything that crazy with it since she will eventually be heading off with Batman to...who knows, really!  That's Bat and Cat stuff, though, so we will just move along.  So, does the Year of the Villain give Joelle Jones something fun to play with?  Let's find out...

The Dollhouse Family #1 Review


ONE BY ONE GO DOWN

Writer: M.R. Carey
Layouts: Peter Gross
Finishes: Vince Locke
Colors: Cris Peter
Letters: Todd Klein
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13th, 2019

Review written by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

The Dollhouse Family is a little difficult to describe, as it does a lot of jumping around between two stories a century and a half apart, and it's very weird. But man, I really liked it. And I liked it, even more, the second time I read it.

Wonder Woman #82 Review


Another Day In Paradise

Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Kieran McKeown, Scott Hanna, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019


Steve Orlando jumps back on Wonder Woman and I am hoping he is just what the doctor ordered for this book.  It is a bit odd to jump into an ongoing "event" like Year of the Villain, but crazier things have happened.  So, does Orlando give the book the boost it needs?  Let's find out...


Detective Comics #1015 Review


A Cold Day in Gotham

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils: Doug Mahnke & Jose Luis
Ink: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin, Matt Santoreli
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13th, 2019

Review by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

Mr. Freeze has finally brought his beloved Nora back and cured her of her terminal cancer, thanks to Lex Luthor's offer. B
ut he's left plenty of test subjects behind that Batman must try and save, who are being kept in temperature-controlled tanks in the Batcave. While Bruce, Alfred, and Lucius try to cure Freeze's victims, Mr. & Mrs. Freeze are out on the town.

Justice League Odyssey #15 Review


DEAD SPACE

Writer: Dan Abnett
Art: Will Conrad
Colors: Rain Beredo, Pete Pantazis
Letters: Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13th, 2019


Review by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

With Orion being unmasked in the last issue, the giant block that was transported to the ship with Jessica Cruz has taken form into an Eskaton in order to kill him. Eskatons are the harbingers of the end times for the Fourth World. When the time comes for the Fourth World to die, the Eskaton wake up and consume the New Gods. Whelp, that time has come.



Hawkman #18 Review



Sky Tyrant's In Flight, Afternoon Affright


Written By: Robert Venditti
Art By: Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer, Jeremiah Skipper, Starkings & Comicraft
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019


Moving forward with the Secret Six of the Batman Who Laugh's infection, we now see Carter Hall taking on some really interesting fashion choices......... which the infection somehow causes and the once high and mighty Hawkman will have to deal with the fact that for someone who usually is saving lives in order to complete his endless reincarnations, he now only wants to kill.  Let's jump into this issue and see if this brings about any rules or anything that makes sense with this whole infection nonsense or if it will continue on like the rest, where any goes and nobody really has any idea what they're writing about.  Let's check it out.

Superman #17 Review



I Don't Think I Can Handle The Truth...... Again


Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Kevin Maguire, Paul Mounts, Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019


Rogol Zaar is locked away, Jor-El was sent back in time to his death and Jon Kent has been sent a thousand years into the future to work with the Legion of Super-Heroes, which means, it's time to ruin Superman's secret identity.  I say that because this is supposed to be a prologue to Bendis' "Truth" arc, where Superman will reveal his secret identity to the world, kind of like the last "Truth" story we had that needed to be retconned away.  Really though, this is a prologue to that, which means that nothing will really matter here for the most part.  Let's jump into this issue and see what all Superman deals with and what amount of it actually matters.  Let's check it out.

The Flash #82 Review and *SPOILERS*

When You Play the Game of Thrones…



Written By: Joshua Williamson
Art By: Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto
Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The Flash has been in a steady decline as we have barreled toward this new storyline. Instead of giving the proper time into the previous story, we rushed it and what was an intriguing start to a new story quickly became a jumbled mess. We are now rushing into a brand new story as the Rogues have risen once again and are attacking Central City. With the Speed Force still in a state of flux, how will our speedsters fight back against them? There are a lot of different story threads that Williamson can tug on to drive this new story forward and I hope he utilizes them properly. Let’s jump into this new issue and see where it takes us.

Batman and The Outsiders #7 Review


Not So Mellow Yellow

Writer: Bryan Hill
Artist: Cian Tormey, Adriano Lucas, and Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

It's time for Bryan Hill to kick things into overdrive!  I have been down on this book and it's all about the pacing.  I love the characters and know that Hill does as well...I just want them to do something.  You know, punch someone in the face, blow up some stuff, give a round of group high fives...  I really just need something to make this book stand up and show me why I should be reading it instead of all the other books on the shelf each and every Wednesday.  Does this issue do that?  Let's find out...

Event Leviathan #6 Review



Name Drop


Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Alex Maleev, Josh Reed
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019


This is it boys and girls, the one for all the marbles.  Event Leviathan #6 is here, the finale, the big mamajama, but will it all come together in the end, only time will tell.......... Okay, that's enough time..... no.  no it does not.  We've been dealing with Leviathan for about a year now if not longer and he's dipped his wick in as many comics as he could and as of right now, we really don't know shit about him.  Let's jump into this issue and see if the two different detective squads can do more than just stand around and talk or if Brian Michael Bendis has enjoyed that concept and continues it here.  Let's check it out.

Tales From The Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1 Review



Kill The Universe With Life


Written By: Tim Seeley
Art By: Kyle Hotz, Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, Danny Miki, David Baron, Allen Passalaqua, Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019


We're Dark Multiverse bound as Tempus Fuginaut continues to poke around and look for beings that could possibly become heroes in some Crisis that's coming down the pike or as we've seen more recently, maybe he just likes to watch.  It's the latter that we're getting here as we look in on a world that didn't do so well in the Blackest Night and Nekron and his Black Lanterns not only destroyed Earth, but took out the rest of the Universe as well. Let's jump into this story and see the last living beings left in the Universe and how they plan on making things right.  Let's check it out.

Batman's Grave #2 Review



Alive & Kicking!

Writer: Warren Ellis
Art Team: Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, Richard Starkings
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

Chapter one of Batman's Grave set up some interesting threads, that while pretty cryptic, was entertaining enough to come back for more to see where it was headed. Chapter two wastes no time this month jumping right back into the initial chapters mystery, then for good measure, adds a few more layers on top of it.  So let's discuss how this mystery stew is brewing, and the highs and lows of the latest effort, from the team of Ellis, Hitch, and Sinclair.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

PREVIEW: Wonder Woman #82


Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Kieran McKeown, Scott Hanna, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

Now that Cheetah has gained control of Themyscira, Wonder Woman must return home for a final showdown. Does she stand a chance against this scholar-turned-monster whose sole purpose was to enter this mythical realm? Meanwhile, Earth is left unprotected and some of Themyscira's most vile creations have found their way there. What chaos awaits Wonder Woman if she ever returns? Join returning writer Steve Orlando for the first chapter of this six-issue tale!


PREVIEW: Justice League Odyssey #15


Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Will Conrad
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

The Black Cube wakes! The new JLO team battles a massively powerful threat aboard their ship...and the ship is the first casualty. Stranded in space, Jessica Cruz's leadership skills are tested to the limit as she tries to bring her dysfunctional crew together as a team before they all perish!


PREVIEW: The Flash #82


Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

"Rogues Reign" part one! The speed force is dead, doom has gripped the earth, and the FLASH lives in a nightmare! Powered-up by Lex Luthor's offer, Captain Cold led his team of Rogues to ultimate victory over Central City. Through the might of Mirror Master's amplified abilities, the rogues have re-shaped reality itself into their own kingdoms of cruelty - Heat Wave's volcanic territory, Weather Wizard's floating armory of the elements, and at the center of it all, the icy castle of Captain Cold. But with the villains stealing the show, why is the greatest threat to their reign one of their own?


PREVIEW: Detective Comics #1015


Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils: Doug Mahnke & Jose Luis
Ink: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin, Matt Santoreli
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13th, 2019

For centuries children have been told to be careful about what they wish for, and after years of yearning for his beloved to return, Mr. Freeze finally gets it. But frozen hearts don't melt easily, and after years in cryostasis, Nora Fries is the ultimate ice queen. Gotham and Victor Fries will never be the same again.

PREVIEW: Catwoman #17


Writer: Joelle Jones
Artist: Joelle Jones
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

Selina Kyle reconnects with her criminal roots, but to be Gotham City's top thief again, she has to take out the boss. Using the gift given to her by Lex Luthor, she finally has the key to everything Raina Creel wants-and Catwoman is going to get it first. Which all sounds dandy in theory, but Creel has come too far and put up with too much humiliation from Catwoman to let her win again. It's a Year of the Villain showdown, but who here is the baddest baddie?


PREVIEW: Tales From The Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1




Written By: Tim Seeley
Art By: Kyle Hotz, Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, Danny Miki, David Baron, Allen Passalaqua, Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: November 13, 2019

What could be blacker than the Blackest Night? From the pages of Dark Nights: Metal comes a Dark Multiverse retelling of the Green Lantern event that changed the DC Universe forever...only this time, the Black Lanterns win! Now, 23 days after the apocalypse, witness the rise of Sinestro as the Limbo Lantern! Trapped between life and death as a White and Black Lantern, Sinestro seeks to save the universe-or end his miserable life-once and for all! Joined by Dove, Lobo, and Mister Miracle, the last living beings in the universe will put everything on the line to give their world one final chance.