DC vs. Vampires #1 Review

 

Who Ordered the Bored

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg, James Tynion IV

Artist: Otto Schmidt

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

I am not a horror comic type of guy, but the DCU going up against vampires?  Yea, you have my interest, especially with this first issue coming out the week of Halloween.  Now, I'm not sure how it will play by next July, but that's future problems there.  What matters is now, and while this start isn't as bombastic and cool as I was hoping, we have a long road ahead of us.  Let me explain...

Aquaman / Green Arrow: Deep Target #1 Review

 

Not So Deep

Writer: Brandon Thomas

Artist: Ronan Cliquet

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

While I am not the biggest Aquaman or Green Arrow fan out there, I do like both characters and feel they each should have a solo book at all times.  Sadly, neither of them has one right now, and to add insult to injury, Brian Michael Bendis is mainly in charge of writing them.  You know, the guy who thinks Arthur needs to be doused with a glass of water to power up.  Ughhhhh!!!  Thankfully, this book has arrived, and I am sure that fans hope this can be an alternative to Bendis, like Chip Zdarsky's Justice League: Last Ride.  While that may end up the case, this first issue was a bit tough to settle into, and I am worried about it going forward.

Harley Quinn #8 Review

The Real Hero of the Story Isn't Harley

Written By: Stephanie Phillips

Art by: Riley Rossmo

Colors By: Ivan Plascencia

Letters By: Deron Bennet

Cover Art By: Riley Rossmo

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

Harley Quinn #8 integrates into the events of Fear State (sort of) with an updated version of the Gotham Sirens racing to bring the key/seed/organic material/Ivy clone into Gotham's depths to awaken the real Ivy. Meanwhile, Kevin begins his own hero's journey.

Aquaman: The Becoming #2 Review

In the Criminal Justice System, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups:...

Written By: Brandon Thomas

Art By: Diego Olortegui, Skylar Partridge, Wade Von Grawbadger

Colors By: Adriano Lucas

Letters By: Andworld Design

Cover Art By: David Talaski

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

Aquaman: The Becoming #2 is a Mera-focused issue flashing forward and back to find out what happened to Jackson Hyde after his escape from the Atlantean police for a crime he may or may not have committed. When Mera is brought in for questioning, we learn how Atlantean police use deception and scare tactics as a cover for their bigotry against Xebel. 

Wonder Girl #4 Review

A New Beginning... Sort Of

Written By: Joelle Jones

Art By: Joelle Jones, Adriana Melo

Colors By: Jordie Bellaire

Letters By: Pat Brosseau

Cover Art By: Joelle Jones, Jordie Bellaire

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

Wonder Girl #4 picks up after a hiatus to find Yara Flor training with Chiron in the outskirts of Mt. Olympus to become Hera's new champion. When the truth of Yara's lineage is revealed, she must decide where to place her loyalty.

Detective Comics #1044 Review

WHAT'S EATING YOU???

Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist:  Dan Mora
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Release Date: November 26th, 2021
Cover Price: $4.99

Batman's pretty darn busy during this whole Fear State thing, and in Detective Comics he's found himself trapped in the sewers with Mayor Nakano. I was unable to review the last issue because of life, and although I did end up reading it I have completely forgotten how they got there. It doesn't matter though, because I really liked this issue anyways.

Checkmate #5 Review

How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?

Written By: Brian Michael Bendis

Art By: Alex Maleev, Dave Stewart, Josh Reed

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

For some reason, we're going to jump back into Checkmate which is thankfully on its penultimate issue and with that maybe the book will start giving us answers..... or maybe be interesting...... or just do something because while the dialog is infuriating, the characterization is frustrating the biggest sin this book commits is simply being boring. Previously, we saw Mark Shaw bring the fight to Checkmate where a group of Leviathan soldiers attacked our heroes' HQ, only to teleport the whole place away and we also learned that the mysterious "Snowman's Ticket" is the reveal of Lois Lane's long lost brother, Leonardo Lane, but since his reveal happened in other books before this, this reveal meant nothing. Let's see if something happens in this issue.

Task Force Z #1 Review

Plan 9 From Project Halperin

Written By: Mathew Rosenberg

Art By: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

It's the spooky season and what better time to roll out a new year-long series featuring our favorite Outlaw, Jason Todd, and a group of Arkham inmates, reanimated after the events of A-Day and thrown onto a team that will make Task Force X look like a bunch of chumps? The answer is, there's no better time. Let's jump into this issue and see what Task Force Z is all about and how Jason Todd plans on keeping a bunch of flesh-hungry villains on the straight and narrow long enough to finish their missions. Let's check it out.

Robin #7 Review

That's The Greatest Comeback Since Lazarus

Written By: Joshua Williamson

Art By: Gleb Melnikov, Max Dunbar, Luis Guerrero, Troy Peteri

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 26, 2021

It's time to head back to Lazarus Island to see what Damian learned not only about the island and the death tournament he's involved in, but the host of the tournament too, the mysterious Mother Soul. In our previous issue, we saw Damian taking on the dangerous Respawn and while our young hero looked like he was able to get the information he was looking for, maybe it came at too high a price because it looked like Respawn might have taken our Boy Wonder down. Let's jump into this book and see what's what. 

Nightwing #85 Review

 

Kiss and Tell

Writer: Tom Taylor

Artist: Robbi Rodriguez

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 20, 2021

I have not enjoyed Fear State much overall, and that goes for the tie-in books and the main Batman title.  Maybe I should say I am not enjoying the tie-ins because of the main title because James Tynion's lack of any forward progress in the Batman book has to be hampering books like this one.  Still, Tom Taylor is a great writer, and he tries his best to make due.  Let's see how he does in this issue.

Batman #115 Review

 

Fear Nothing

Writer: James Tynion IV, Becky Cloonan

Artist: Jorge Jimenez, Jorge Corona, Bengal

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 19, 2021

I am still waiting for this Fear State thing to start.  What, you say it started issues ago, even with a Fear State Alpha issue?!?  It's had multiple tie-ins already?!?  I guess I'll take your word for it, but someone needs to get on the horn to James Tynion and tell him that!  Just dial 1-800-Sub-Stak, and they will surely put you right through.  While we wait for you to do that, we will jump into this week's Batman issue where surprisingly, not much happens.

Nubia & The Amazons #1 Review

 Written By: Stephanie Williams

Art By: Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales
Colors By: Emilio Lopez
Letters By: Becca Carey
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 19, 2021

Nubia & The Amazons #1brings readers back to Themyscira with Nubia as the current Queen of the Amazons. When the Well of Souls activates, giving birth to more reincarnated souls, the Amazons greet their new sisters with a welcome and some hesitation. Why has the Well of Souls, dormant for centuries, come alive again?

Batman/Catwoman #8 Review

The Joke's On Us

Written By: Tom King

Art By: Liam Sharp, Clayton Cowles

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 19, 2021

The three time-lined mess that is Batman/Catwoman continues with this issue where we'll hopefully find out what happened at the end of the previous issue, where Catwoman and Phantasm teamed up to murder the Joker only for our Clown Prince of Crime to whisper something into Phantasm's ear that got our Angel of Death to turn on Selina and amscray with the Joker. That's all that really matters in my mind but in the future we have Selina arrested for the murder of the Joker and in the past...... Selina and Bruce were banging after Bruce smelled Joker in the air...... gross. Let's check this issue out.

Shazam! #4 Review

Future Problems

Written By: Tim Sheridan

Art By: Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 19, 2021

It's the end of our Shazam! mini and in this finale we'll hopefully learn about everything that's been affecting the power of Shazam!, fix the Rock of Eternity and after the cliffhanger to the previous issue, see how Black Adam of the 853rd Century plans on stopping the events that we saw in Future State that led to Billy essentially helping in causing the end of existence from the evil that is the Unkindness. Let's jump into this issue and see if things work themselves out.

Suicide Squad #8 Review

Sometimes... Dead Is Better

Written By: Robbie Thompson

Art By: Eduardo Pansica, Dexter Soy, Julio Ferreira, Marcelo Maiolo, Wes Abbott

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 19, 2021

Let's look back in on the many missions of the Suicide Squad since we have one team over in the Swamp Thing book trying to subdue the Avatar of the Green and the other has just made their way to hell to try and get something off of the Rock of Eternity that plummeted down to the firey inferno... Which Shazam!'s book is currently dealing with... Yeah, this book is all over the place but hopefully, we'll get back on track soon with what really matters and that's stopping Amanda Waller and her insane plans that were revealed in Future State. Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #4 Review

How To Be Super And Invade Foreign Countries

Written By: Tom Taylor

Art By: Daniele Di Nicuolo, Gabe Eltaeb, Dave Sharpe

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 19, 2021

Superman has left the planet with his Authority team to take on the threat of Mongul and Warworld, which leaves Jon Kent to take over for his father and become the Superman for a new generation...... The only problem is, Jon has no idea what kind of Superman he wants to be and since he is so new at it, he's making some mistakes and following his emotions a little too much for a god-like being who isn't trying to scare everyone who thinks that Superman lives by the same rules as everyone else. This rookie presentation of our hero leads to what we'll be dealing with this issue where previously we saw Henry Bendix, the President of Gamorra drop a "Post-Human" on the Kent Family farm, where it looked like no one could have survived. Let's jump into this issue and see if Jon has saved the day and if he's made any more enemies. Let's check it out.