Saturday, April 13, 2019

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volume 4 Review



Daddy Issues!

Story: Hideyuki Furuhashi
Art: Betten Court
Translations: Caleb Cook
Lettering: John Hunt
Cover Price: $9.99
Release Date: April 2, 2019

Review by Luke Hollywood

(Spoilers ahead!)


It seems that My Hero Academia: Vigilantes has become a bit of a sleeper hit recently! Though it may be under the radar for some fans of the main series, those that are following this spin-off have been pleasantly surprised with strong, consistent character work, sprinkles of offbeat humor and solid action. In my review for the previous volume, I praised the addition of some great new side characters to the series, as well as a slightly more tongue-in-cheek approach to its chapters, a welcome respite following the much darker tone present in volume 2. While I had a blast with these quirky (pun intended) capers, the main overarching plot involving the Vigilantes chasing down the Quirk-boosting drug known as Trigger did take a back seat for the most part. However, right from the opening chapter of this volume (heck, even from the cover itself) Furuhashi and Court make it clear that Trigger and our main villain, Kuin Hachisuka, are back to take the center stage once again, and this might be the toughest battle for our vigilantes yet. Oh yeah, did I mention they also have to juggle with a big launch event performance, complete with catty co-stars and unforeseen technical difficulties? And you thought the Pro Heroes had it rough! So just how will the Vigilantes trio survive all this? Read on to find out!

My Hero Academia Volume 18 Review





Mangaka: Kohei Horikoshi
Translations: Caleb Cook
Lettering: John Hunt
Cover Price: $9.99
Release Date: April 2, 2019

Review by Luke Hollywood

(Spoilers ahead!)

Volume 18 is here, and with it we finally reach the dramatic conclusion to the Internship Arc. We've spent the previous 4 volumes with Deku and the gang going up against the Yakuza organization known as the Shie Hassaikai and their twisted leader, Overhaul, and as the final page of the last volume suggested, it's all come down to a super-powered showdown of epic proportions as the final battle for Eri's fate begins. So does this showdown deliver on all that build-up from the previous volumes? Is there sufficient closure for all our favorite characters from this lengthy saga? Is Horikoshi able to stick the landing on his most ambitious story arc yet? Read on to find out, of course!

Friday, April 12, 2019

Batman #68 - Second Opinion


“The Spectacular Sequel to Super Friends”

Writer: Tom King
Artist: Amanda Conner
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: April 10, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99
Review by: Jay M.

We’ve reached the penultimate issue of the Knightmares arc, and King is ready to deliver what the fans want: a pseudo-sequel to the Super Friends arc. That’s right, we get another double date – except this time it’s a bachelor and bachelorette bonanza. Can this sequel live up to the highs of its predecessor? The bat engine is revved and ready for some analysis!

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill ep. 135 - Hip Hop Family Tree #1 (2015)


It Started Out in the Park

Greeting, b-boys and b-girls! In this episode, culture vultures Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) explore the earliest days of hip-hop music and culture when they read Ed Piskor's Hip-Hop Family Tree #1, published by Fantagraphics in 2015! After talking about Ed Piskor's rising career, our music historians go through every page of this issue, lending their improbable voice talent to these actual persons. After a short break, they come back to talk a little bit about New York, to help situate the uninitiated listener and explain some of the reasons why hip-hop developed where and when it did. This episode is sure to have you doing windmills into a backspin, you don't want to miss it!

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Titans #36 Review and *SPOILERS*

Titans Together



Written By: Dan Abnett
Art By: Bruno Redondo, Marcelo Maiolo
Letters By: Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

We have finally reached the end of the road. The final issue of this series has come and I, for one, am incredibly relieved. This book has struggled heavily ever since it got the new lineup after the No Justice storyline. Since then it has been thrown into crossover events and been a slave to the other events taking place in the DC universe. It’s is just time for the book to finally end and we have finally reached that point. Perhaps the book could have been salvaged at one point but it’s time for the series to end and maybe someday in the future we will get a new and better series. Anyway, let’s just jump into this issue and see where it takes us.

The Flash #68 Review and *SPOILERS*

Now That’s More Like It



Written By: Joshua Williamson
Art By: Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero
Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The last issue of the Flash wasn’t exactly bad but the book did repeat the same conversations over and over. However, it also added a new mystery for our hero to solve. I haven’t been too pleased with this book as of late. However, this story is something that can turn into something great. I’m only hoping that Williamson is able to take us to that point. The Flash has had a rough couple of months but let’s just jump into this new issue and hope that things will turn around.

Supergirl #29 Review and *SPOILERS*

Race to the Finish



Written By: Marc Andreyko
Art By: Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, FCO Plascencia
Letters By: Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Supergirl has been great. I could just leave it at that but that wouldn’t fill out a review very nicely now would it? Well, it has been a crazy fun space adventure filled with likeable characters, interesting conflict, and an awesome art team. What’s not to love? Sure, Supergirl may not be the greatest comic that you ever read but it is consistently great and I look forward to it each and every month. I can’t wait to see what happens next in Kara’s story and how all the things we’ve set up come together. So let’s just jump right into this issue and see where it takes us.



House of Whispers #8 Review


What’s the Story, Morning Glory?

Written By: Nalo Hopkinson and Dan Watters
Illustrated By: Dominike “DOMO” Stanton
Colors By: John Rauch
Additional Finishes By: Isaac Goodhart, Amancay Nahuelpan and Aneke
Letters By: AndWorld Design
Cover By: Sean Andrew Murray
Edited By: Molly Mahan
Associate Editor: Amedeo Turturro
Assistant Editor: Maggie Howell
Executive Editor: Mark Doyle
Cover Price: $3.99
On Sale Date: April 10, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

If you’re deathly afraid of spiders, this issue is probably not for you. Now have a look at my review of House of Whispers #8, right here!

Justice League Odyssey #8 Review



Writer: Dan Abnett
Artists: Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Ivan Plascencia, Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019

Review by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

Blackfire has joined forces with Rapture, and now her Tamaran army and his warriors of Azrael are about to spring a surprise attack on the Odyssey team while they deal with Darkseid on the planet Aeolon. But before the battle, we finally get answers for the questions we've been waiting for.

Detective Comics #1001 Review



Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Nathan Fairbairn, Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 7, 2019

Review by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net


What does everybody think of the new Batman: Detective Comics logo? I'm on the fence about it. It's a good design, no doubt, but I think I need to see it more to form an opinion on the change. Nostalgia is a funny thing.

So... we got where the Arkham Knight was coming from in Detective Comics #1000 but now to start #1001 we see he's got an entire group backing him, as he uses his sword to tap the shoulders of new members to the Knights of the Sun. And these guys are not messing around. 

Wonder Woman #68 Review


Jumping to Conclusions

Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Cary Nord, Mick Gray
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: April 10, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

What the solicit said: Wonder Woman and Giganta must stare down the largest Titan that Olympus and the Earth have ever seen...but even if they defeat him, they must answer the question: Can Giganta ever be trusted to use her powers for good? Can Diana get through to her-or do some big bads just get bigger and badder?

Hawkman #11 Review



One Man Hawkman Corps.


Written By: Robert Venditti
Art By: Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Jeremiah Skipper, Starkings & Comicraft
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019


Hawkman is in the fight of his life as his past has caught up to him in the form of his former partner in his first life, Idamm and his army of Deathbringers.  Previously, we saw Hawkman discover the ultimate weapon to combat this threat and to his amazement...... it was him.  More accurately, it was every version of him that was brought from time and space to aid him in his fight.  Let's jump into this issue and see if this new ability for Hawkman...... which I bet we'll never see again can turn the tide of war or if it's just too little too late.  Let's check it out.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #33 Review



Aces Wild


Written By: Scott Lobdell
Art By: Pete Woods, Rex Lokus, Troy Peteri
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019


Jason Todd has left his Outlaw ways behind him so that he can now run the Iceberg Lounge..... Okay, okay, he hasn't entirely left his outlaw ways behind, especially since he's keeping The Penguin trapped in his own panic room while he takes over his empire.  What I'm getting at is, Jason Todd is a legitimate businessman, who may or may not get his hands dirty while wearing a mask from time to time, along with his associates, Wingman, Bunker and the Su Sisters.  Let's jump into this issue and see what hell comes a callin' as precautions that Penguin put in place if he should ever go missing go into effect.  Let's check it out.

Superman #10 Review


Superboy: Back In Action


Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Ivan Reis, Brandon Peterson, Oclair Albert, Joe Prado, Alex Sinclair
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 10, 2019


Sit down, get comfortable and pay attention because Jon Kent is about to finish up his story about how he's aged seven years, while only being away for three weeks.  As we saw previously, it looked like Jon spent a good deal of time locked up on Earth-3 by Ultraman and I'm waiting for a grand explanation about how this is possible since they all died off at the end of the Darkseid War and if this means that they can somehow come back......... I love the Crime Syndicate.  That's enough catch up, let's jump into this issue and see if Bendis can make this all work out and make it feel satisfying.  Let's check it out.

Wonder Twins #3 Review


Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Stephen Byrne
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: April 10, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

I have liked this book as a whole so far.  Yea, I liked the first issue a lot more than the second, but I know that some other people I've talked to flip flop those for them.  So, going into this issue I am hoping it can all come together and get things rolling even better and better.  So, did it?  Let's find out...

Catwoman #10 Review


Writer: Joelle Jones
Artist: Fernando Blanco
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: April 10, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

This series has been pretty hit or miss for me.  The art is a pretty hit, but I seem to be missing the story every time I am done an issue and even more so when I pick up the next one.  We did get a little caper issue by Ram V last time around and I was really hoping the time off would give Joelle Jones a little recharge and let her hit the ground running here.  Well, did it?  Let's find out...