Wednesday, January 15, 2020

The Low, Low Woods #2 Review



Writer: Carmen Maria Machado
Artist: Dani
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15th, 2020

In the first issue of The Low, Low Woods, we learned about the devastating past of the small mining town in Pennsylvania called Shutter-to-Think, and saw our two main characters, El and Vee, go through some pretty strange stuff. Now El continues to try and get to the bottom of what happened to them in the movie theater, while Vee is dealing with what happened to her and Jessica at the end of the first issue.

Justice League Odyssey #17 Review



Writer: Dan Abnett
Art: Will Conrad
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letters: Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15th, 2020

Darkseid's new New Gods have caught up to our new Odyssey team, capturing Orion and Jessica Cruz, while Gamma Knife fled the scene. Meanwhile, Blackfire, Dex-Starr, and Hax have issues of their own, being attacked by random robots while scavenging for parts to fix the ship.

The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #2 Review




Writer: Jeff Lemire
Art: Denys CowanInks: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Willie Schubert
Cover Price: $6.99
Release Date: 1/15/2020

Review by Fanboy Clay

Vic Sage, the man of many questions. The Question. Spun into a past that holds too many questions for those who have no idea what Jeff Lemire is attempting to say in this book. The Question: The Death of Vic Sage, is quite possibly the only book I can subjectively say, don’t judge this book by its amazing cover. It looks beautiful, filled with jumbled ideas and convoluted storytelling.

Batman's Grave #4 Review


Ready, Fight!!

Writer: Warren Ellis
Art Team: Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, Richard Starkings
DC Comics
Release Date: January 15, 2020
Cover Price: $3.99

Batman's Grave in the three issues out so far has mostly settled into a bit of a pattern. We get provided minimal clues to what's occurring, Batman goes to fight someone for the most of the issue, then Alfred and Bruce exchange semi-clever barbs back and forth, which also at times go way over my head.  So will any of that 'formulaic' sense to the series change at all here as we near a conclusion to the first arc? NOPE, but let's discuss anyway.


He-Man & the Masters of the Multiverse #3 Review






Great He-Man's Beard

Writer: Tim Seeley
Art Team: Dan Fraga, Tom Derenick, Richard Friend,
Matt Yackey, Saida Temofonte
Release Date: January 15, 2020
Cover Price: $3.99


He-Man Masters of the Multiverse has been an interesting twist on the typical He-Man story I never really saw coming.  While issue two took a slight step back in the excitement department, it was still enjoyable enough, and lead to mixing up the sauce so to speak this issue.  Now we visit an Eternia where Skeletor has taken over, and He-Man and company are banished, so what is an evil Anti-He-Man to do? Takedown the Skeletor, who now has the power, and get back to his All Power conquest of course.  Let's discuss what goes down.



Freedom Fighters #12 Review



Victory!


Written By: Robert Venditti
Art By: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020


We've come a long way to get to the end of this series....... if a year is a long way, but either way, we're finally here to see how the Freedom Fighters plan on taking down those no good Ratzis.  Previously, we saw the spirit of America fueling Uncle Sam in his fight against the Cyborg Overman, while the rest of the Freedom Fighters tried to make their way deeper into the Cheyenne Mountain complex to the Adolf Hitler Jr.  What they didn't know was that Adolf Hitler III had already killed his father to become the new fuhrer and to make sure no one would take his new power away, he activated a timer to detonate a nuclear bomb within the mountain.  Let's see how our heroes will prevail with all that against them. 

Flash Forward #5 Review



Wally's World


Written By: Scott Lobdell
Art By: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Luis Guerrero, Troy Peteri
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020



After running around the Multiverse and beating back the oozing, black infection of the Dark Multiverse with a stick, we've finally made it to our penultimate issue.  Yeah, it's not exactly a milestone issue, but it's here where you'll usually expect the big setup for what's to come from the finale and where the big reveals start happening and I can't wait, especially since it looks like we'll finally get back to the Mobius Chair aspect of this story, which we haven't seen since the first issue.  Let's jump into this issue and see what we're dealing with and if all of this will make sense by the end and hopefully redeem Wally West.  Let's check it out.

Nightwing #68 Review



Back To Ric


Written By: Dan Jurgens
Art By: Travis Moore, Ronan Cliquet, Nick Filardi, Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020


With the Year of the Villain we saw William Cobb come to Bludhaven, where Lex Luthor gave him an offer....... what that offer was, I have no idea, but it began a story where we saw that all of Dick's memory loss was a plot by the Court of Owls to finally sway their Gray Son into their ranks and have the Talon they should have had all along.  In our previous issue we saw that Talon realized as Ric went and fought his fellow Nightwings and almost killed Condor Red, but at the last moment Ric spared Condor Red's life and looked like he wasn't about killing anymore.  Let's jump into this issue and see what's going on with our former Boy Wonder.

Teen Titans #38 Review



Other Problems


Written By: Adam Glass
Art By: Bernard Chang, Scott Hanna, Hi-Fi, Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020


The Other was finally revealed last issue and for all the build up of Adam Glass's run with this character and the threat that he supposedly posed......... it kind of came off as underwhelming in my mind and even made The Heretic a bit less.  I mean, to take away his death after killing Damian just to reanimate him to be this Other character doesn't do much for me and the explanation about his return doesn't really add up all that much either.  It is what it is though and now we have Damian at his clone brother's mercy, where The Other wants Damian to take over his supernatural criminal empire.  Let's jump into this issue and see if our Teen Titans can overcome.

The Flash #86 Review and *SPOILERS*

Lose Yourself



Written By: Joshua Williamson
Art By: Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto, Hi-Fi
Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The most recent issue of Flash was a low point for this current storyline but if that’s the lowest we get in this arc, we will be in for a great time. Even with the issues that were present, the issue was still extremely entertaining and gave us a great cliffhanger going into this new issue. We have come to the climax of this story and our creative team really needs to stick the landing. However, if the rest of this story is any indication, the issue is in good hands. However, it will ultimately come down the the story itself, so let’s just jump into this latest issue and cross our fingers that it delivers.

Aquaman #56 Review


Trench Mouth

Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

Oh boy, is it still the Holiday Season?  I have enjoyed Kelly Sue's run on this book so far, but Kyle Higgins is one of my favorite writers and while I'd love a new ongoing by him, I'll take a guest shot as well!  So, with the Aquababy coming soon, what does he have up his sleeve?  Let's find out...

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 Review




Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Ryan Sook
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020 



There are some major revelations in this issue that, depending on the stability of present-day DC editorial could make for an interesting future for even non-Legionnaire readers. Say what you will about Bendis’ sporadically convoluted dialogue and decompression; a lot is going on in the 31st Century and the weaving of complex plot lines are beginning to form. Put bluntly, I am intrigued by what I am reading. Why?  Let me tell you.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

PREVIEW: Justice League Odyssey #17



Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Will Conrad
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

Green Lantern Jessica Cruz and the new JLO have their first encounter with their lost friend Cyborg. Will Victor Stone's hidden messages be the clue to releasing him from Darkseid's deadly grip-or is Vic gone forever? And how much is Jessica willing to risk to save her old friends?

PREVIEW: Legion of Super-Heroes #3



Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Ryan Sook
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

You knew there was no way Jon Kent was going to leave his best friend behind! Welcome to the future, Damian Wayne! (This is such a terrible idea!) Also, meet the new Legionnaires as they head to a secret undercover mission on the first man-made planet: Planet Gotham. Every page of this new DC epic plants seeds and ideas that will blast out across the DC Universe for months to come! All this, and Monster Boy is on the loose!

PREVIEW: The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #2



Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz
Cover Price: $6.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

In modern-day Hub City, Vic Sage died. And then he woke up. In Hub City...in the 1800s! The legend of the Man with No Face rides across the Old West, discovering a shocking connection running through history all the way to the day he died...and pointing to more carnage yet to come!


PREVIEW: The Flash #86



Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Christian Duce
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

The Flash battles Captain Cold for the last time! The Rogues' Reign is a brutal battle for power over Central City, but the tides are turning and the reign approaches a deadly end! With the Speed Force in chaos, can Glider help channel Flash's powers long enough to overthrow her brother, Captain Cold?

PREVIEW: Aquaman #56



Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020


The countdown to Aquababy has begun! As the birth of Aquaman and Mera's child grows near, don't miss this special interlude issue! In a story that takes place days after Aquaman and Mera's engagement, a violent encounter with the resurgent Kingdom of the Trench leads to an unexpected outcome, and the conflict sheds new light on Aquaman and Mera's plans for their future.

PREVIEW: Batman's Grave #4



Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

Why did a blackmailer become a murderer? How does Batman survive an opponent who can kill him with his own mind? Find out all this and more in the latest chapter of the 12-issue series from writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch!

PREVIEW: He-Man & the Masters of the Multiverse #3




Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Dan Fraga, Richard Friend
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

Prince Keldor's pursuit of Anti-He-Man leads him and the He-Men of alternate worlds to an Eternia conquered by Skeletor, where they must team with unlikely allies to save Castle Grayskull! Featuring the fan-favorite world and characters of the 2002 Masters of the Universe cartoon and toy line!

PREVIEW: Nightwing #68




Written By: Dan Jurgens
Art By: Travis Moore, Ronan Cliquet, Nick Filardi, Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

Being a superhero often means layers of identities. For Ric Grayson, he once had a life as a sidekick to Batman, a life he forgot when a terrible gunshot wound erased his memories. When his long lost grand-father, who is also a super-assassin called Talon, returned to his life and implanted false memories into his brain, that added another layer. Now, with Talon vanquished, Ric Grayson has to shake loose the truth. Is he the man he has created for himself, or is there still some of the old Nightwing lurking around inside his head? Even if he wanted to, could Ric be Nightwing again when four other people have put on the mask and picked up where he left off? Whichever it is, Talon made a mess of his current life, and now Ric has to start putting it all back together.

PREVIEW: Freedom Fighters #12




Written By: Robert Venditti
Art By: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

The final showdown between the forces of freedom and the axis of oppression crashes to a cataclysmic conclusion! Will a fully powered Uncle Sam be enough to stop Cyborg Overman? What dark impulses must Phantom Lady tap into to stop the Plasstic Men? And...wait a minute, did Adolf Hitler III just murder his own father in cold blood? Oh, you're going to need to read this one to believe it...


PREVIEW: Flash Forward #5




Written By: Scott Lobdell
Art By: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Luis Guerrero, Troy Peteri
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020


Wally West has gotten to the heart of his mission to save the Multiverse...and the heart he found was his own. When it's discovered that the dark multiversal world that's threatening all of existence is the world in which Wally's children are alive, our hero must overcome his greatest fears, regrets, and anger to do what's right. But what's right is the hardest thing anyone would ever imagine doing...letting go.

PREVIEW: Teen Titans #38




Written By: Adam Glass
Art By: Bernard Chang, Scott Hanna, Hi-Fi, Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2020

The Other's identity has been revealed... and it's someone very close to Damian! Now that he understands the Other's mission, will Damian be tempted to join him? How will the rest of the team react to Roundhouse's rescue attempt after he so cruelly betrayed them? And will Djinn ever escape her ring?