Wonder Woman/Conan #6 - A Review

Diana has returned home to Themyscira, but she cannot help but feel guilt for leaving the warrior Conan behind to fight the battle she helped to start. Still, Conan is armed with The Lasso of Hestia, but will even that enable him to face an army of darkness alone and save a single city? And will he truly have to fight alone?


Wonder Woman/Conan #6 proves a perfect conclusion to one of the most enjoyable mini-series in recent memory. There's little for me to say about the series beyond this without sounding like a broken record. Great art. Great story. And if The Powers That Be at Marvel Comics have a damn lick of sense, they'll recruit Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti to helm their new Conan book in 2019.

The Final Analysis: 9/10. 

Wonder Woman/Conan #5 - A Review

The good news is that Diana's sisters on Themyscira have finally located just where in time and space their princess has become lost. The bad news is that their window of opportunity to save her is limited. Now, as a band of Amazons enter the world of Hyboria, Diana and Conan must struggle to survive a while longer as they plot just how two shall save many from a duo of blood-thirsty war goddesses.

There is little I can say about this issue that will not spoil it's rather shocking and historic conclusion. I can say that if you're a fan of Wonder Woman's supporting cast and miss the many Amazons that used to be a regular part of the series... or wished we had seen more of the Amazons in the Wonder Woman and Justice League movies, you would do well to check out this issue. Simone and Lopresti are knocking it out of the park and if there's any justice in this world they'll be brought on to handle Conan's adventures when he moves to Marvel Comics in 2019.

The Final Analysis: 10/10.

Wonder Woman/Conan #4 - A Review

Free from the slave ship that would have been their watery grave, Conan and the mystery woman he calls Yanna have returned to the town which saw them made into gladiator slaves. Two blood-thirsty goddesses have sworn to destroy the city for their refusal to fight to the death and Yanna cannot abide such a thought. Conan is less concerned, but agreeable to aiding the woman... provided he gets a much needed drink first.

Hilarity ensues as the two endure hangovers, over-amorous barmaids, marriage proposals, indecent proposals and the inevitable bar-fight, as "Yanna" begins to recall something of her past and who she truly is...


There are some who object to the idea behind Wonder Woman/Conan on general principle. More may likely join that group based on this issue's revelation that "Yanna" is unable to handle strong drink as well as Conan. I say this is a hilarious comic and that Gail Simone is doing a fantastic job capturing the essence of both characters, giving us a Conan who possess the same dry wit seen in Robert Howard's original stories.The artwork is equally fantastic, making this one enjoyable book.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #17 - A Review

A mysterious plague threatens the lives of every man in Gotham City. The Birds of Prey have gathered the rest of the city's heroines - and even The Sirens - to help them keep the peace and find a cure. Can they thwart the plans of Patient Zero - the super-genius behind the viral attack - and her followers in The Daughters of Gotham?


The story comes to a satisfying conclusion under the pens of The Benson Sisters. Despite the large cast of characters, nearly everyone gets a moment to shine. All of the characters sound like themselves, even special guests Wonder Woman and Lois Lane.

Unfortunately, the artwork continues to be an ordeal to work through. There's no consistency to Roge Antonio's work, with differing levels of detail being provided to different characters in the same panel. Patient Zero, for instance, is rendered in a more realistic style than the cartoonish, streamlined superheroines she's taken hostage. A larger problem is the colors of Marcelo Maiolo, which leave everything looking washed out or orange-tinted to the point that all the white heroines are the same shade as Harley Quinn!

 The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10.

Justice League #33 - A Review

With the rest of The Justice League in the clutches of The Dark Knights, if falls to Cyborg to save the day. Yet doing so many require Victor sacrificing what remains of his humanity to fully empower the Motherbox that powers his cybernetics. Will he make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of all reality?


Despite being largely devoted to explaining Cyborg's powers and setting up the next part of the Dark Nights Metal event, Justice League #33 is an enjoyable little book. Teen Titans fans will be glad to know the story also reaffirms the friendship between Cyborg and Raven (something missing in the Rebirth reality) and there's a sequence I'm fairly certain is a nod to one of the better episodes of Teen Titans Go!  The artwork is equally brilliant, with the colors of Arif Prianto and Jeromy Cox giving the pencils and inks of Tyler Kirkham and Mikel Janin an almost painted appearance at times.

The Final Analysis: 7 out of 10. It would have been higher if they'd confirmed the song Cyborg plays to inspire himself is "The Night Begins To Shine"

Wonder Woman/Conan #3 - A Review

Free of the slave ship that was their prison but now stranded at sea without provisions, Conan and his newfound companion - who he believes to be Yanna, a lost love from his youth - face a slow and lingering death. The eyes of the gods are upon them, however, but the salvation of one will require the doom of the other or else unleash greater suffering yet on an innocent town!

Halfway done and it's still no clearer than when it started if Yanna - the girl from a tribe of all women, whom Conan remembers from his youth - is the Diana we all know and love. In the end, it matters little, but the mystery and the related flashback story is an intriguing bonus to the epic tale that Gail Simone spins of how "the two greatest warriors of this or any age" were brought together by bored gods for the sake of a wager.

Robert E. Howard purists may blanch at the idea of gods taking such an active role in the world of Hyboria, but the tale is well within the oeuvre of Roy Thomas' Conan tales and works well on those terms. Throw in the fantastic artwork of Aaron Lopresti, the well-balanced inks of Matt Ryan and a vivid color job by Wendy Broome and this is one comic worthy of both the Conan and Wonder Woman brands.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Batgirl And The Birds of Prey #16 - A Review

The Birds of Prey have picked up some unexpected back-up in dealing with the plague that is slowly killing the men of Gotham City. Not only have Batwoman, Orphan and The Spoiler offered their aid but Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman have joined them along with Wonder Woman! Even with such formidable assistance, the battle ahead of them will not be easy - particularly once they learn of the new organization that stands against them!


(Click On The Image Above To See The Full Two-Page Spread!)
My comments and complaints about Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey #15 remain the same in considering this issue. The script by The Benson Sisters is fantastic and does a wonderful job of capturing the personalities of all the heroes and villains involved. The artwork by Roge Antonio is lazy and ill-defined, with a coloring job by Marcelo Maiolo that leaves all the characters save Huntess with the same washed-out white skin-tone as Harley Quinn. Read it for the story. Suffer through the artwork.

The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. Again, that's purely for the story.

Injustice 2 #31 - A Review

The war between the Amazons is begun, with Antiope and her rebels fighting against the new Wonder Woman, Nubia, and Hippolyta's loyalists. They will not have an easy time freeing the princess Diana, but they do have one advantage - the Kryptonian Kara Zor-El is on their side.


This should be an epic issue and with a different artist it might have been. Tom Taylor writes some great action sequences, as per usual, but Mike S. Miller seems to have phoned it in this week. The artwork in this issue is full of forced poses and Escher Girls, making a farce of the whole thing.



The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. That's purely for the story.

Justice League #32 - A Review

Batman is lost. Superman is trapped in another universe. And now The Dark Knights have used Cyborg to trap what remains of The Justice League in "Bat Caves" designed to drag them down before their inevitable deaths!




Justice League #32 is a thrilling piece of filler. There's not much to be found here beyond non-stop action but Robert Venditti's script presents that action well enough as The Justice League faces down their counterparts in The Dark Knights.

Liam Sharp's artwork is as finely detailed and well-presented as one would expect based on his recent work on Wonder Woman. Adam Brown does an equally impressive job on the color art. In terms of plotting relative to the rest of Dark Nights Metal, this issue may not be essential, but it is enjoyable for what it is.

The Final Analysis: 6 out 10.

Injustice 2 #30 - A Review

The plan to free Diana from her prison on Paradise Island has hit a snag. Kara has been discovered by the new Wonder Woman and subjected to the Lariat of Truth. Thankfully - for Black Adam and Damian Wayne, at least - they are not alone in wishing to free the Amazon princess.


Those who enjoyed the Wonder Woman movie this past summer and wished to see more of The Amazons would do well to read this issue of Injustice 2. Tom Taylor runs through an all-star list of prominent Amazons and handles them all with his usual skill. This is particularly gratifying given that the Injustice version of Wonder Woman - who seems to be motivated by an unrequited love of Superman and little else - is far and away from the Diana most fans admire.

Sadly, Mike S. Miller's work this week isn't up to his usual standard. It is not that his artwork is bad but many of his character poses seem forced and awkward. There's also very little sense of continuity between panels, such as the above sequence where Diana is suddenly standing and in a defensive pose after having been sitting with her hands around her knees in the previous panel.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10. It's a solid story, but Miller's artwork is a little awkward this time around.

Injustice 2 #29 - A Review

As Kara, Damian Wayne and Black Adam launch their plan to rescue Diana - the former Wonder Woman - from her Themiscyran prison, Diana is visited by an old foe with an odd request...


I can't show any images from this week's Injustice 2 issue. Partly because Tom Taylor has put enough surprises in this issue relative to the description above that I don't want to spoil anything and partly because all of this issue's failings lie in the artwork.  I'm not saying that Mike S. Miller is a bad artist, but his bright, detail-driven style is a poor match for the tone of Taylor's story here. Some of moments which are meant to be dramatic look goofy as rendered by Miller and the scene depicted on the cover does not happen, even in a metaphorical sense. Fans of the Amazons will want to read this issue anyway, particularly for the final page.

The Final Analysis: 7 out of 10. Good, but not great. 

Titans Annual #1 - A Review

Eight heroes. Four mentors. Four pupils. Four Titans. Four Justice League founders. Trapped in a maze that resists their every effort to map it or escape it by an unseen enemy, they must overcome their paranoia as they puzzle out who has trapped them and why. But can they really trust each other?


Describing Titans Annual #1 as Cube with superheroes - while an apt summary - would do it a disservice. Dan Abnett's script is far more than that, playing off of Abnett's knowledge of their characters and the reader's uncertainty as to just how things stand between these characters in the Rebirth reality. In this, Abnett is able to define another piece of the lost lore of the Titans while spinning a riveting tale and making use of an underused villain I was quite pleased to see return.

And yes, it must be said, we do discover Donna Troy's origins in the Rebirth reality here. It's something wholly original (as far as I know) and rather fitting given the changes to Diana's background in The New 52. More I will not say beyond this issue being a must read for any Wonder Girl fans out there.

The artwork for this special is outstanding. Minkyu Jung does a fine job of keeping the story moving visually - no small feat given how much of the story is the characters just talking! The use of light and shadow is particularly impressive and the colors by Adriano Lucas are perfectly chosen.

Gone To All-Con 2017 - Back With Comic Reviews On Monday!

Gone to All-Con and want to see me?  Here's my panel schedule!


THURSDAY

11 AM - Pin Oak - Wonder Woman 101 
6 PM - Pin Oak - Lost In Time: An Introduction To Doctor Who


FRIDAY

1 PM - Dogwood Room - All About Arrow
7 PM - Addison Room - Marvel Cinematic: Strange Things Have Happened!
8 PM - Addison Room - Buffy! The Tribute Returns!
9 PM - Addison Room - Doctor Horrible Returns! 
10 PM - Addison Room - Do You Want To Play A Game? - Let's Plays For Beginners 


SATURDAY

9 AM - Oak Ballroom - Doctor Horrible Returns! 
1 PM - Meredith Room - Beauty And The Beast: The Live Action Movie Discussion
4 PM - Elm Room -  Lost In Time: An Introduction To Doctor Who 
7 PM - Elm Room - Critical Writing: How (NOT) To Make Enemies And Alienate People


SUNDAY 

12 PM - Elm Room  - Wonder Woman 101

Injustice: Ground Zero #22 - A Review

The battle for the Earth of Injustice has begun in earnest. As Wonder Woman fights her alternate universe countepart for leadership of the Amazons, The Harley Horde raid one of Lex Luthor's old armories. They aren't looking for weapons - they're looking for tools to keep the people caught in the crossfire safe.


While I love Tom Derenick as an artist, I fear he was the wrong choice for this particular issue of Ground Zero. Derenick's animated style would normally be a good fit for a story focused on Harley Quinn. Sadly, it doesn't really work here, where Harley is narrating most of the action and trying to be serious. The Wonder Woman fight suffers the worst in this regard, looking more like a slapstick sequence than a brutal battle between two Amazons. Despite this disparity between the art and Christopher Sebela's excellent script, this issue remains a good read.

Injustice: Ground Zero #11 - A Review

No sooner is Harley free of The Batcave with a "recovered" Batmobile, then she has to head back. Batman and the Justice League of a parallel Earth are there, unaware that they're walking into the ambush Harley just evaded! Unfortunately, Black Adam has just arrived on the scene and seen the very conspicuous Batmobile in the streets of Gotham...


The artwork in this issue is fantastic. Marco Santucci crafts a dark, moody atmosphere befitting the Gotham City setting and the Gothic aura of the abandoned Wayne Manor. This aesthetic is further aided by J. Nanjan's wonderful colors.


The use of humor continues to be the best quality of this series' writing. Strangely, considering the focus on Harley Quinn, nearly half of this issue centers upon Batman and The Justice League. There is humor here as well, yet the characters are written as true to form as Harley and Black Adam in their fight scene. And Christopher Sebela crafts what may be the single greatest summation of Harley Quinn's character with this line - "I think I need my head examined sometimes. Then I remember how fun it is to be this kind of crazy."

Injustice: Ground Zero #10 - A Review

As Batman leads a group of Justice League members from another world to recover a weapon they can use against they tyrant Superman from the ruins of Wayne Manor, Harley Quinn leads her own team to break into The Bat-Cave. Their mission? Steal the Batmobile back for Batman. Unfortunately, Damian Wayne is standing in their way.


Jheremy Rappack - who had previously worked on the original Injustice comic - returns to handle the pencils and inks on this issue. Rappack proves a good choice, his gritty style and thick inks suiting the setting of a dark, underground complex. My only complaint - and it is a small one - is that Harley with a white-eye mask just looks strange to me.  Mark Roberts joins J. Nanjan on the color-art duties but you'd never know that two colorists were at work on this title, so seamless is the transition between their respective pages.


Again I must praise Chris Sebela's writing of Harley Quinn. She is silly, yes, but there is a brilliance behind the comedy, such as how she psychoanalyzes Damian Wayne as they are fighting and works that into her taunts to put him off-guard. It's a nice, subtle touch and part of why I enjoy this series so much. (Hey! That rhymed!)

Injustice: Ground Zero #6 - A Review

As Harley Quinn fights her conflicting feelings regarding a new Joker entering her life, her army of protesters wage a more physical battle against Superman's Regime forces. Meanwhile, The Regime has captured Batman... but not the one they expected!


While a solidly written piece of work, Injustice: Ground Zero #6 lacks the luster of previous issues. Half of this is due to the book's intrusion into the story of the original game, when the appeal of the original Injustice comic was that it told us all the stories we didn't see in the five-year gap between the game's prologue and first act. The other half is the lack of Harley's narration in the later part of the book, as the action shifts to focus on The Regime torturing Earth Prime Batman.


While the story may seem somewhat repetitive to those who have played the original game, the visuals of the artwork more than make up for it. Marco Santucci has a great gift for depicting facial expressions and the close-ups in this book look fantastic. The rich colors by J. Nanjan are also worthy of special praise.

Trinity #2 - A Review

Clark Kent was having a hard enough time coping with life on a new Earth before Lois insisted on trying to socialize with this world's version of Bruce Wayne and Diana of Themyscira outside of work. Now, the three of them seem to have wound up in the past! But is it the Smallville of this Superman's life or that of his now-dead counterpart? Either way, he seems to have accidentally saved the life of Pa Kent and sent his younger self into hiding.
Francis Manapul continues to impress, as he pulls double-duty as both writer and artist on Trinity. The focus is firmly on Clark Kent this time around, with the theme of fathers and sons introduced in the first issue continuing here as Clark helps Pa Kent to find his past self, all while trying not to risk further paradoxes while still enjoying the gift he's seemingly been given to see the only father he's ever known one last time.

It's a great story and the artwork is gorgeous throughout. My only complaint is that Batman seems a little stand-offish given the circumstances.  Despite being the Spock of this Trinity, you'd think Batman of all people would be sympathetic to getting another chance to meet your father! This is a minor note, however, and this is still a wonderful book that should be read by all fans of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman.

Injustice: Ground Zero #4 - A Review

As the heroes of another Earth arrive just in time to save a group of anti-Regime protesters, Harley Quinn finds herself in the unlikely role of hero, moving to protect the crowd from the fallout of a superhero battle. This leads to some deep thoughts of the insanity of heroism and how Harley - for better or worse - has definitely become one of the good guys.


The last thing most people expect from a Harley Quinn comic is deep thoughts. Yet that is precisely what Chris Sebela delivers this week, as Harley pontificates upon how inherently silly superheroes are. Of course Harley, being Harley, revels in the insanity rather than criticizing it... right up until the point when two bozos in spandex slapping each other around becomes more important than the people put in danger. Still, the opening speech of the comic is on-par with the speech Alan Moore wrote for Rorschach regarding the clown who couldn't laugh anymore.


The artwork continues to impress, with Daniel Sampere and Juan Albarran turning in their usual high-quality work. Every panel of this comic looks gorgeous, with intricately drawn figures, astonishing colors and inks that enhance the original pencils without making the comic look overly shaded.

Injustice: Ground Zero #3 - A Review

With her first secret mission for Batman in the can, Harley is ready to celebrate. Being a generous boss, Harley decides to take her henchmen out to enjoy in the merrymaking and finally learn their names. But there's no rest for the wicked, even if they are the good guys now... technically. So when Harley sees a news story about the Regime's police moving in on a peaceful protest, she knows just what her new gang/team's next mission will be.


Daniel Sampere is one of my favorite artists and this issue showcases precisely why that is so. Sampere has a great gift for expressions and is a wonderful visual storyteller. He is well-paired with inker Juan Albarran, who adds the perfect definition to complete the artwork.


Harley Quinn hasn't been written this well in quite some time. Plotter Brian Buccellato and writer Chris Sebela present a classic Harley Quinn here - one who means well but whose "help" is of dubious quality. Still, it is fun to watch ol' Harl cut loose and there are many moments of hilarity in this issue.