Action Figures, Video Games, Comics, Toys, Superheroes, Wrestling — We've Got Game.
Author: Dave Story
Dave loves his martial arts, D&D and DCU. Lifelong fan of Krypton's Last Son, but secretly wishes he was Nightwing. Which he may be... no one has ever seen the two in the same place at the same time. Follow @thedeacon2814
Well, I gotta say, it is weird to watch these SDCC panels from home after being at so many of the actual conventions! But… at least they still happened. And the one I’m a bout to review is all about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, specifically the comic titles being published by BOOM! Studios.
The Comic-Con@Home group featured Ryan Parrott (Mighty Morphin, Power Rangers), Marco Renna (Power Rangers), Matthew Erman, Giuseppe Cafaro, and Francesco Segala (Power Rangers: Sins of the Future) along with Matthew Levine (editor, BOOM! Studios), Dafna Pleban (senior editor, BOOM! Studios) and Steve Cardenas (“Rocky DeSantos” on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and was moderated by Erin Cahill (“Jen Scotts” from Power Rangers: Time Force). While the crew got together to talk about the future of the BOOM! titles, the brunt of the panel was spent on everyone’s experience with the franchise, past and present; but once they got to the future, it really took off. We didn’t get a lot, but it was a lot.
Dafna talked about the two new titles (dropping in November), Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers. While a cute play on the original title, the split has a deeper meaning. MM is going to focus on the core group of Rangers on earth, the ones we all know and love. PR is going to focus on Rangers as a whole in the expanding universe that BOOM! has given us. They want to tell “bigger and bolder” stories, while keeping with their ongoing narrative, which has been going strong since issue #0 four plus years ago.
Ryan added that Power Rangers would focus on the Omega Rangers that were introduced in Necessary Evil’s story arch, but in a new way. They have no Zordon, no mentor, no mission. They’re on their own for the first time. He compared it to going off to college and discovering a new world of possibility. The title will also explore the questions, “What does the greater universe think of power rangers? How do they deal with world shattering threats if they don’t have power rangers?” The new comics aim for exciting, completely uncharted territory. The Omega Rangers were created for BOOM! and were never in any of the established cannon before now. So.. they don’t have the show events to work around– until the Zeo era where Jason comes back (but that’s probably still a ways off).
The team also teased a little more about that new green ranger we’ve been hearing about, but stopped short of giving us any real info. “He’s exactly who you expect, but also not at all who you think.” This totally fuels my prediction that it’s a reformed –but not really– Drakkon under that helmet. Part of the next arc in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (starting in issue 52 that drops at the end of the month) is gonna be called “Enemy of My Enemy”. I mean, come on.
Levine then went on to talk about Sins of the Future, which I’d heard about, but totally forgot was a thing! It’s a follow up to Power Rangers: Time Force, which as Cardenas and Cahill point out, is one of the most popular seasons of the franchise for most fans. Levine talks about how the relationship between Wes (Time Force Red) and Jen (Time Force Pink, played by our moderator), which he calls one of the great romances of the series. It was touched on in the TV series, but this book is going to answer the question “Where did it go from there?”
Further, Sins is going to be a time travel story that lets them navigate their relationship as well as some Doctor Who timey wimey conflicts.. all while dealing with another new and original ranger.. Time Force Black, who has an ax to grind with Wes and Jen. She (TFB is a woman) doesn’t like Jen for some reason, and wants her and Wes to know it! Levine said he was very excited to be able to focus on some under utilized rangers and season, and so I am. I love Power Rangers. Love it.
Mighty Morphin has a special place in my heart; I watched it every day as a kid; I had to own every toy (still do; check out Hasbro’s Lightning Collection), but.. it gets a lot of attention. I’m dying for some variety. Give me some Dino Charge, Dino Thunder, RPM, Ninja Storm, and yes — finally — Time Force. Reminder: Sins of the Future hits shelves in November, along with issue 1 of Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers. Cahill described it as “Christmas in November.” Put your stockings up. 4/5 Bibles.
“Deacon” Dave Story @TheDeacon2814MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #50 – BOOM! Studios
Wow, what a ride! This issue concludes the “Necessary Evil” storyline that began in issue #40, which was also expanded on in Go Go Power Rangers. Small spoiler alert if you haven’t started this arc…
Remember on the TV show when the OG red, black, and yellow rangers were chosen to go to Switzerland to be part of a worldwide teenage peace conference? Well, that was all a lie! It turns out that Jason, Zack, and Trini were chosen by the Morphin Master; if the Morphin Grid is the speed force, think of the Morphin masters as the physical embodiment of it that we sometimes see manifest to communicate to the various speedsters. Thus they become the Omega Rangers and travel into space to deal with new threats emerged in the aftermath of Shattered Grid — also a great arc, think Infinity War/Endgame for Power Rangers).
They fight new alien monsters empowered by the grid and lie to their best friends in the process, while their replacements on the MMPR team struggle with living up to the OGs. Naturally, the earthbound team finds out what happened and are upset, but have to team up with the Omega Rangers anyway, you know, since they’re power rangers and there’s evil to fight… in the form of the blue Omega Ranger. Dude went rogue, freed the prisoners the Omegas had captured/defeated and are now trying to destroy all power rangers.
Back to issue #50, the final confrontation. The Mighty Morphin team travels to space in the White Tigerzord to help the Omega team. There’s a lot of great action panels here, not a ton of story… That all happened in the issues leading up to this one. But there were some good beats. The new rangers, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, get over their insecurities and prove that they belong on the team and are great power rangers. Billy and Kimberly wrestle with being the veteran rangers, while Tommy learns how to be a leader.
It’s a quick issue, but it wraps up the arc nicely, brings back some newcomers from Beyond the Grid (the interlude between Shattered Grid and Necessary Evil) as well as the fan favorite Ranger Slayer (the pink ranger turned evil, turned good from the dark timeline in SG). The last couple pages setup the future nicely. Slayer is returning to her timeline to deal with her mistakes, leading into her solo title coming soon. Then, there’s the big reveal… after everything is calm again, the MMPR and the Omega team has made up, a meteor crashes to earth and out from the crater and debris, steps… Lord Drakkon!
The evil alternate timeline Tommy Oliver that was the central villain of Shattered Grid and almost destroyed… everything… although this time, he looks a little more worn down and beaten than he did before. Is this the setup for the next MMPR arc? Or the tie in for the upcoming solo book he may be getting soon? I’ve been following this series — admirably penned by Ryan Parrott — since it launched in 2016, and it’s rarely disappointed. As always, issue 50 expands the mythology and tells us stories fans of the show have never seen or heard before. I’m excited to see where they go from here.
“Saint” Patrick Obloy @offthegeekendSTAR WARS: DARTH VADER #1 – Marvel Comics
Alright, you know why you are here. You want to know how this new series about Darth Vader, one of the most popular villains in history, pans out in the latest of Star Wars comics.
Proper nods to the original trilogy are given, as this takes place between my favorite, Empire Strikes Back, and the sixth installment in the franchise, Return of the Jedi. Drawn by Raffaele Ienco and Colored by Neeraj Menon, this new series takes us to a point in the saga that has not yet been explored.
Star Wars: Darth Vader takes place during a point I never knew I wanted to know about, and now I’m invested.
Lord Vader takes it upon himself to track down the Skywalker family and those that have betrayed him, and uncovering mysteries unknown to him since his full transformation into the Sith Lord as we known him. What he finds out will not only surprise him, but you as well.
I won’t give away any spoilers; but after reading it twice I’m still not sure how to process it. It’s definitely a surprise and shock to the system. Greg Pak‘s writing pulled me in and has me ready for the second issue. I’m anxiously awaiting the follow-up to see what comes from the last page of this new series. All fans need to grab a copy and see for themselves what Lord Vader finds in his search for answers and vengeance. 4.5/5 Bibles.
-Patrick Obloy
CONAN: BATTLE FOR THE SERPENT CROWN #1 – Marvel“Deacon” Dave Story @TheDeacon2814
Let’s get this out of the way: I know nothing about the Conan character other than the ‘92 cartoon, Conan the Adventurer (which is awesome, btw), or his history; I certainly don’t know what backstory there may or may not be leading into this series. But– it didn’t matter. I learned all I need to know from the first few panels.
This issue is the beginning of the same “fish out of water” story we’ve seen a dozen times… Aquaman coming to the surface world, Thor coming to earth, etc… but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Conan arrives in Las Vegas determined to slay an evil wizard for… reasons? I’m sure we’ll find out later. He needs money however, so he tries to rob an armored car and gets tased; a thief named Nyla bails him out and they split the cash. She talks him into helping with another heist to rob a “bad man”
Conan was never good a subtlety though.
So, a heist becomes smash and grab as our mighty warrior climbs the hotel and knocks out the guards. They get to their prize and predictably — it’s already been stolen — less predictably, by Ms Felica Hardy, one of my personal favorite Spidey foils: The Black Cat. I hadn’t realize this was a Marvel comic until this point (despite the big ol’ Marvel logo on the cover).
The last panel however is the most interesting, if still predictable… It turns out that this whole thing was set up by the devil–literally. Mephisto has orchestrated this whole thing, including bringing Conan here, and he plans on manipulating our Cimmerian into freeing him from wherever he’s trapped this time. It’s a familiar premise, and it works, so I can’t knock it, plus the artwork is on-point. While I’m not waiting at the edge of my seat for the next issue, I might still check it out. 3.5/5 Bibles.
-Dave Story
SAVAGE AVENGERS #0 – MarvelJimmy “Apostolic” Cupp @thejimmycupp
I honestly don’t know what to say about this one. Doctor Strange goes to the mutant island to find Magick because he fears Kulan Gath is back. Then we get 60 pages that are literally 2 comic books from the 60s that we’ve all read. It jumps back to now, long enough for them to jump through a portal.
With Savage Avengers #0, there was nothing new, nothing exciting. Rather, it was a very lazy way of introducing a new saga. They could have given a brief rundown of the past, and started moving forward instead of only giving us 4 pages of new material. 1.5/5 Bibles(half a point because Magick looked awesome!)
Well…that escalated quickly. It really got going fast. The show hit the ground running, and never really slowed down. It…ran fast. Like…superhuman speed. Like a flash.
Ok! Now that that’s out of our system… “The Deacon” Dave Story is back to talk about the freshman year of the CW’s newest hit… The Flash!
Warning! Even though we won’t be talking in detail about the plot, there’s gonna be some spoilers. So, if you haven’t seen the whole season, stop reading this, go watch it, then come back.
Whoa…you watched that really quickly…
So, here we go… Technically, The Flash is a spinoff from the other CW hit, Arrow. Our main character, Barry Allen (the affable Grant Gustin), was introduced in Arrow‘s second season, and thus the DC-TVU (is that what it’s called?) was started. The Flash was picked up for a full season right away, with the writers and producers from Arrow pulling double duty behind the scenes. Our show has everything you’d expect from a CW show… attractive cast, relationship drama, abs, and love triangles. It also has everything we wanted from a superhero TV show: An origin story that’s not completely drawn out and boring, super powers, familiar villains, Easter eggs, links to the larger universe, and, in the words or our hero, Barry, “team-ups!”
Let’s start with the origin story. Every superhero show or movie needs to show and explain how the hero got his powers and how he developed his skills. Arrow accomplished this with flashbacks: Oliver was fully trained and ready to suit up early on in the series. Smallville took all of ten seasons to get all of Clark’s powers on the table, and it wasn’t until the very end that we saw him in costume (or glimpsed him in the costume, at the very least). For The Flash, we know he has his powers, we see him test those powers a little bit, and then right away, we have Barry in a Flash costume, complete with pointy lightning ears… all in the pilot. No, he doesn’t have all his powers yet, well…he does, but he doesn’t know how to use them yet. And that’s where the journey gets interesting and keeps the intrigue and excitement up all season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqsS5wODtU
We have to watch Barry and his friends try to figure out how to use his super speed in different ways to defeat different villains and save people in the process. All of his abilities are grounded in science, and when they’re not, it’s at comic book science. Everything Barry is able to do with his powers is explained through science… or at least the science within the show; it’s refreshing that show actually tries to justify his abilities, and to have real-world (or as real-world as can be) consequences and limitations. One gets the feeling that everything we see The Flash do with his speed is actually possible, which is one of the show’s best qualities and biggest successes.
With a show like Arrow existing in the same universe (essentially, a show where it’s just a regular guy with a ton of training, wearing a hood and beating up bad guys), it’s easy for a guy with super speed to seem silly and out of place. Thankfully, it never felt that way, and it was easy to imagine that both of these great characters actually would meet up and interact and not have it seem tonally jarring; and it made sense that they’d meet up in each other’s turf. And boy, did they. The few times both characters crossed over, it worked like a charm and really complemented each other. Neither outshines the other, they both have use for each other’s skill set, and they learn from — and occasionally save — one another.
Who’s saving whom here now?
That seems like an apt segue to the subject of friends and allies on the show. Every hero needs help, and The Flash has a great support system. We don’t have time for a full breakdown of each character, but here’s the short version:
Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdez), he’s both the gadget-master and the comic relief of the group; whenever a funny quip, some new tech, or a code name for a villain is needed, Cisco’s the one to whom to turn.
Then there’s Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker): engaged to one half of Firestorm, she’s a doctor who works for STAR Labs, and also monitors The Flash’s vitals and patches up the team when they need it.
Joe West(Jesse L. Martin), a detective with Central City PD, and Barry’s surrogate father.
Iris West (Candice Patton): Barry’s true love, who’s engaged to Joe’s partner, Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett).
These characters are all played brilliantly, and they all contribute something to the overall story. However, at times it did appear like there were too many characters to focus on them all equally, which short-changes their worth– and yet, other times, it seems like there’s nothing for some of them to do. Hopefully Season 2 will flesh out some of them a bit more.
She’s not just a pretty face, thankfully!
Then we come to Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), who is the true lynchpin to the entire show. He’s the one responsible for Barry becoming The Flash and his primary mentor throughout most of the season. As it turns out, Wells is actually Eobard Thawne, The Reverse Flash. An evil speedster from the future, stuck in our time. He’s lost his powers and needs The Flash to become fast enough to open up the speed force so he can get back to his time, and everything he’s done the whole season was a manipulation to accomplish this.
A show about super heroes is only as good as its villains, and Wells/Reverse Flash, serves as a good overarching one for our first season. He’s more than a match for our hero, and he’s not just evil for evil’s sake. His endgame is simply to go home, and as much as he hates it, he cannot do it without the help of the man he despises, even if why exactly he hates Barry has et to be revealed. Despite how well he’s utilized, we’ve seen the whole “villain with the same powers as the hero” thing way too much. Iron Man & Iron Monger, The Hulk & Abomination, The Arrow & Merlyn, and so on and so forth. That dichotomy can only be dramatic for so long before it loses its appeal.
Sorry, Harr.. Pied Piper…not to call you uninteresting or anything…
The rest of the season’s villains are largely forgettable for the most part. With a few exceptions, the show almost seems to suffer from a “villain-of-the-week” mentality. Normally this would be problematic, and it definitely would have been if the Reverse Flash story arc wasn’t so solid. Every time the focus wasn’t on the man in yellow, it was easy to start losing interest in the story. It overpowered the weekly story, and it was the main point of interest, even with everything else going on, which is a huge credit to the writing team.
Overall, the season was damn near perfect. And with the crazy cliffhanger the writers left us with, I can’t wait to see where season two takes us– the multiverse hint has even been dropped. As was the likelihood of more speedsters joining in on the fun, and, of course, yet another spinoff coming our way!
4.5 (out of 5) Lightning Bolts.
…I can show up too, if you want, guys…
Bonus Easter egg: With all the strong Green Lantern references, it would surprise me if we didn’t see Hal Jordan make an appearance sometime soon. A GL TV show would cost too much, but a mini-series wouldn’t be too bad, almost like DC’s answer to Agent Carter. Put it on during the Flash/Arrow hiatus, and then Hal can pop up in the other shows as needed.
Bonus Universe theory: With all the talk of multiple timelines and multiverses, this could be a great way to revamp Arrow a little bit after its lukewarm reception to season 3. This could be a way for us to get a more familiar version of Green Arrow, with secret identity intact…perhaps even possibly bringing Roy back into the fold.
One thing we’re proud of at GodHatesGeeks (OK– so we’re proud of EVERYHING) is that the majority of our comic features, be it the Fistful or the Stash, all sort of pack a thematic element to them.
Take a wild guess which edition of thee Sunday Stash this one is…
So, while we’re all impatiently waiting for Arkham Knight to make its console debut so we can dish out some vigilante justice and drive the Bat-Tank…err… Batmobile, DC has given us a new comic title to give us a lead in to the summer game release…
Arkham Knight #1 takes place immediately following 2011’s arguable GOTY Arkham City, with the Caped Crusader carrying the Joker’s lifeless body from the theater and silently handing the clown corpse to the GCPD… who all think Batman killed him. If you’ve played the game, you know the truth. If you haven’t played the game… get on that! Batman finally decides to take Alfred’s advice finally: head home, heal up and get some much needed rest. Along the way, he has an uninteresting encounter with Electricutioner 2.0, who he disables and leaves gift wrapped for Gordon and the police.
Once home, Alfred stitches up Bruce’s wounds and gives him some of his patented sage advice about how “Gotham wants the Batman, but it needs Bruce Wayne.” Alfred wants Bruce to use the Wayne fortune to make the city a better place, the way Batman makes the streets a safer place. His pitch boils down to Batman protects Gotham by night, so Bruce must help it by day. Despite the presence of current Batman and Robin maestro, Peter Tomasi, it’s all stuff we’ve seen before.
BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT #1 – DC Comics
But… while that’s going on, a mysterious new character appears before the Electricutioner and gives a rather chilling line about how Batman rules the night because– he knows how to use fear to his advantage, but won’t be frightened. He makes it clear that he knows Batman far too well, and that when he goes about his work, the criminals will think he and the Bat fight the same fight, but notes that their lives mean nothing to him. He then blows the dudes head off with a shotgun!
This mystery “anti-bat” is the new character, “The Arkham Knight” and there has been a ton of speculation about who he is. But based on the few panels we see here, he is someone close to Batman. He’s familiar with Batman and knows how “broken he has become”.
Which leads me to my theory… if you don’t want the game to potentially be spoiled, stop reading… I think it’s Jason Todd. Post death and Lazarus rejuvenation, but pre-Red Hood. He still has a screw loose from being dead for so long. Just a theory, but that’s who I think it is.
Back to the comic, I think it’s a good setup for things to come. I definitely want to read more, which is always a good sign. The artwork from Art Thibert and Viktor Bogdanovic isn’t my cup of tea, but I can get beyond that. I’m still eager for more, and more excited to play the game later this year so we can learn more about this frightening Knight. 3.75/5 Bat-Bibles. – Dave Story
SPAWN: RESURRECTION #1 – ImageLance Paul “The Traveling Nerd Apostle” (middle) @lance_paul
Landing right out of Spawn #250 that you faithful GHG nerds may remember was bashed by yours truly, Resurrection sets the new status quo and brings us back the faithful trusty Spawn we all grew up with. Though this issue is barely more than a “Hey, how you doing? Meet God, he’s a dog.” This issue does masterfully bring us up-to-date on Al Simmons and what he has been doing since committing Spawnal-suicide through a few well lay’ed out panels. So far the new story seems to be a rehashed over played Angel/Demon dynamic, which if you remember has pushed Spawn through 250 issues, the new creative team of Paul Jenkins (Constantine, Justice League Dark) and artist Jonboy Meyers (GeNext: United and one really nice looking website) do give Simmons a more moving dynamic of a hero journey than the original 92’ era ever accomplished.
After rereading the grueling Spawn #250, Jonboy’s artistic talents and more over the top Japanese-themed Adult cartoon techniques are a snazzy and welcome addition. Spawn does look a bit like a sword wielding Venom with his his open-mouthed toothy design, but since Marvel’s Venom looks less like himself these days and more like an emo Rorschach from Watchmen– I will let this slide. The stressed political element, especially dealing with similar Ferguson motifs do help to add a realistic feel to a present day Spawn; but hopefully they develop this into more than just a way to be political through comic form. Despite all its abrasiveness, I look forward to where this new creative team goes with McFarlane’s child, and, once again, I can finally say I’m looking forward to a Spawn comic with issue #251 next month. The traveling nerd approved! 4/5 Celestial Puppies agree!
HELLBREAK #1 – Oni Press“Monsignor” Travis Moody @TravMoody
These are just some of the words emphasized from the “Senior Project Coordinator” of Kerberos Initiative in Cullen (Magneto, Sinestro) Bunn‘s new Oni Press Title, HELLBREAK. I emphasize the title in all CAPS, because whenever there’s a comic that toys around with (sci)fictional religion, you just know we’re clamoring at the bit to review it. Thankfully for all of our lovely fans — and those super-enthused by such material (see: Robert Kirkman’s Outcast, the classic Preacher, and the forthcoming Image titles Black Road, Heaven, Savior, and Sons of the Devil; yes– whoa!) — HELLBREAK‘s contractor makes his coin reclaiming souls; readers will be enamored by his authoritative acerbity and Ron L. Hubbard haircut. The deft stigmatic hyperbole leads to often more humorous language (“This is definitely a friendly corner of the underworld” and “My boss went to hell and all I got was a skinny, half-naked dude”) once we meet more members of Team Orpheus, and Brian (Big Trouble in Little China) Churilla‘s panels keeps things as shrouded in awkward darkness and cartoonish creepiness as allowed. As I said on this podcast, Bunn was the breakout writer of 2014 for me– and HELLBREAK might be his most delightful performance yet. He surely knows how to write people at their worst, and we’re all the better for it. 4/5 Variations of Satanic Hell.
PROJECT SUPERPOWEERS: BLACK CROSS #1 – Dynamite“Cardinal” Roberto de Bexar @RobBex2
Stemming out of Jim Krueger and Alex Ross’s Project Superpowers, comes Warren Ellis (Moon Knight, Iron Man) and Colton (The Spider, Jennifer Blood) Worley’s Blackcross. The series continues to bring forth comic book characters from the Golden Age of comics that have been relegated to the past and have no real following and gives them a “fresh coat of paint” so to speak. And when you are dealing with golden age characters — that no one really knows that much about — why not give someone like Ellis a chance to bring characters like, The American Spirit, The Black Terror and who I’m guessing will turn out to be Masquerade and the Flame to life in a whole new way?
Ellis has such a great knack for writing comics that go off the beaten path and the artwork by Worley brings a very real, very grounded style to the comics that really makes me excited for the next issue. And let me go one step forward and bring up colorist Morgan Hickman, I know I never bring up the colorist, but his muted colors bring such a noir feel to this comic that makes it read like a comic book but also like a mini-movie in your hands. Pick this book up. 4.5/5 Inhabiting Golden Aged Spirits.
NEVERBOY #1 – Dark Horse“Deacon E” Esko @EskoBTS
Boy oh boy…never in a million years would I have guessed that character named Neverboy would peak my interest like this. The cover alone (Conan Nolan) had me intrigued.
I’ll admit, I’ve dabbled in a bit of magical fungus in my day and that may be why I feel so connected to this hallucinogenic hero. The colors, the art style (Tyler Jenkins), the flow of events, they all fit well in the realm of the trippy. The first issue, by Killjoys co-creator Shaun Simon, gives you just enough to make you question everything. Reality, existence, and even family have blurred borders by the time you reach the last page. This issue doesn’t reveal the full explanation of exactly who Neverboy is; instead, you are left with awesome dots of information and a handful of possible lines to try to connect them with.
THIS Deacon (ahem, Dave) is excited for the next issue and all the rest that follow. Looking forward to watching Neverboy develop and travel through the wide-eyed trippy universe. 4/5 Neverbibles.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SPECIAL #1 – MarvelAlex “The Vicar” @gradet
It bears mentioning, and this may be nerd-blasphemy, but I’ve always filed Spider-Man in the TL;DR column of Marvel Comics, with Spidey’s past endeavors lining him up with the Avengers, The Fantastic Four … basically everybody, I think. (Like I said, TL;DR). All of this adds up to a lot of baggage, which then gets ported into cross-title events like Axis and Inhumans, and adds up to a comic that feels like it requires homework even before you turn to page one. ASMS #1 is an engaging – thanks to strong imagery by Glimmer Man‘s Luca Pizzari, and breezily excellent Peter Parkerisms from Jimmy Kimmel Live‘s Jeff Loveness – and for those more initiated than I, probably essential to stay up on what’s doing in Marvel-land.
The trouble is, anything with a #1 on the cover feels like an inviting place to hop into a story, and in that vein, this one is a letdown, dependent as it is on all the other goings-on in the Marvel Universe. This isn’t only an issue because of the “homework effect” mentioned earlier, but because the issue never really tells its own story so much as connect threads from other storylines. Forget the “Part 1 of 3” the cover promises; this is Part A Million of A Billion, and unless you’re willing to tune in (and shell out) for all the rest, I’m not sure this works as a standalone experience. 2/5 Webs.
Welcome to a very special Arrow edition of Fistful of Comics— without “The Hood”.
You see, there’s some heavy hitters coming to CW’s #1 show (and arguably the most beloved superhero TV show since Lou Ferrigno painted himself green), so there’s no surprise DC Comics is here to capitalize on the goods. The Vampire Diaries‘ Steven McQueen is rumored to play Nightwing in Arrow‘s forthcoming third season (as the actor himself teased), and, of course a few months ago, fans got to witness a little preview of just what the lovely Suicide Squad can do.
But, that’s all for later. How are the comics? It’s Nightwing’s new identity; an All-New Suicide Squad NOW!; and the return of a favorite futuristic web-crawler; and much, much more.
GRAYSON #1 / NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #1 – DC Comics“Deacon” Dave @thedeacon2814
Grayson… my favorite former Robin has a new #1! And, it’s OK. Not terrible, not great; not like the time when I read Nightwing #1. Now, that was great. I can’t put my finger on why I don’t like the brand new Grayson #1, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t a decent first issue.
The New Suicide Squad #1, on the other hand? About as good as any old-band-that’s-not-exactly-the-same-band-with-new-members-and-a-new-manager can get. Secret Six editor Sean Ryan‘s new squad — also now known to their new handler as “Task Force XL” — have added some new members, yet are still kicking ass in familiar fashion. If you couldn’t tell by the cover up above, the new Squad includes Deathstroke (I wish I could get Manu Bennet’s voice out of my head when reading this), Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Black Manta, and… Joker’s Daughter?
More on her in a bit.
Dick from above.
Our boy Dick, er– Agent 37 as he’s now called in Tim Seeley (Batman Eternal) and Tom (A Once Crowded Sky) King‘s Grayson numero uno, is under deep cover in a clandestine organization best known for giving hell to Batman, Inc. Oddly enough, the former Boy Wonder now works for Spyral under the request of Wayne, Bruce Wayne (as read in Nightwing #30) and most everyone from his former life believes he’s dead.
Batman had insisted that this mission was essential to their way of life. The hero way of life. Turns out, the leader (maybe) of Spyral is on a mission to find the identities of all the super heroes. As Mister Minos puts it, “with godhood must come transparency. Power cannot be masked.”
With this Newest Suicide Squad, The Joker’s Daughter may have a little say — or should I say laugh — about that quote. She’s easily the oddest contribution to Amanda Waller‘s former ragtag group of assassins; and when you consider that neither Deadshot or Harley are considered “wild cards”, you can see the concern with the fact that Waller is no longer in charge. That’s right, everyone’s not-so-favorite bitch-on-wheels plays second fiddle to a questionable gentleman named Victor Sage, appointed by our trusty government to oversee the project. Ms. Waller is understandably not so happy with all the shake-up, but there really isn’t a clear-cut reason why she’s being dropped from the top.
With Grayson, the bulk of the issue sees Agent 37 and his partner, who happens to be Helena Bertinelli (The Huntress from Arrow), tracking down and defusing a “dangerous metahuman bioweapon.” Apparently, that involves harvesting organs of metas that are being externally controlled. Yeah, whatever they say. The redeeming factor of the issue for me came in the last panel, where it seems Mister Minos already knows the identities of more than one Leaguer… namely Batman and Cyborg. Granted, he’s not entirely sure, but he has them narrowed down to about a 90% accuracy. But freakin’ BATMAN… If he’s figured out Batman’s identity, this dude’s got some juice!
Despite the slow start and some inconsistent (is that Grayson’s new disguise or?), albeit occasionally visually-stunning, art from Mikel Janin (Justice League Dark) and Jeromy Cox (Teen Titans), this Deacon is super-anxious to see where this goes, despite the fact one shouldn’t have to wait for the last image of the last page to want more. But wanting more can also be a great thing, when it comes to New Suicide Squad’s new conflicts. Just watching all of the snickery between Waller & Sage might be enough for me, and you can bet that, along with all of the usual in-fighting within the Squad itself, this “little friendly competition” is that much better to watch via the suitable sketches & vivid colors of Jeremy Roberts (Harley Quinn #0) and Blond (Red Hood & The Outlaws).
CHASTITY #1 – Dynamite Comics“The Priestess” Eva @evaceja
Marc Andreyko (Batwoman) reboots this Vampire Comic book tale of Chastity. Set in the 1980s, Chastity Marks and her family yearn for her to be an olympic Gold medalist. However, her dreams (and mainly her mother’s) are shattered when she lands incorrectly and her ACL is shattered. She turns to reading vampire novels and becomes obsessed! (Sounds like every tween girl in this era…) Upon attending a book signing for her new favorite Vampire novel, she meets the author who offers her a ride home, which is more unrealistic than the vampire turn she makes seconds later. The mysterious underworld of Vampires is now Chas’ reality. My thoughts on the reboot? I think is sucked, literally. The original Chastity had depth and courage, one your Priestess can relate to — not only because I actually went to RADA — since I was that girl who ran away from home when I was 17 and obsessed with Anne Rice. It’s a shame that Andreyko changed the story to be more “fitting for our tweenie vampire age”, yet still in no way is this comic comparable to the beauty of Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire series. Kudos to Dave Acosta (The Fallen) for the beautiful visuals, but I just can’t get past Chastity‘s otherwise lack of…bite. 2/5 Twilights.
Spider-Man 2099 takes a futuristic spin on the web-slinging hero, replete with time-travel references — this guy, Miguel O’Hara’, even looks like Marty McFly — and a hologram assistant, Lyla, akin to the like’s of Master Chief’s Cortana. Miguel’s DNA was rewritten after an experiment gone awry, making him Spider-Man in the year 2099. Based on future circumstances concerning the lives of his father and grandfather, he jumps into the early 2000s, the starting period for the family business, Alchemax. The action sequences are entertaining, with a time-traveling adjustor chasing Miguel for most of the book, bent on destroying 2099’s Spidey before something dire happens due to his existence. Liz Allan, an office-mate who is set up as a potential female protagonist/love interest, kind of reminds me of an angry Celine Dion, but should play an interesting foil to Spidey, as she makes it her mission to find out his identity (and the adjuster telling us she is crucial to Miguel’s future development). Will (Superior Spider-Man) Sliney‘s new costume is also interesting, with the spider logo favoring a skeletal appearance that is two-tone and super-graphical– a definite departure from the traditional design. For what my two cents are worth, Peter (X-Factor) David‘s plot is well set-up in this first issue, with the potential for some interesting locales and events to take place thanks to the added element of time-travel (please get on a dinosaur). Miguel is cheeky, and comes off a bit too Peter Parker-ish; not necessarily a bad thing when you’re a fan of Parker, but it’s a new character and it would be refreshing to see a slight variation in personality. I just want to see Doc Brown somewhere now. 4.25/5 Self-Lacing Shoes.
DEATH VIGIL #1 – Top Cow“Abbess” Jackie @Jackie_Henley
Enjoyment level: UGHH. Unlike the Death Vigil comic that prolongs its life, I was hoping for this to be over sooner. The story and artwork (despite some beautiful pages inside) has a strange clusterfuck of elements that mash like Underworld-meets-Vikings-meets-The Walking Dead-meets-Jurassic Park, with some pirate play involving a talking bird on a shoulder. It was as confusing to read as getting a raging boner during a graphic horror scene of an episode of Happy Friends, and being a chick all at the same time. There’s definitely some girl-power stuff being tried, which is great, but Stjepan Šejić‘s story has a little too much crammed into one volume to deeply connect, keep up, identify, or really get attached. Hopefully the story will slow down so they can flush out the rest. And hopefully our Monsignor never makes me review this comic again. 2.25/5 Twisted Assignments.
