Category DC

May 1 2017

Batman/The Shadow 1

Today, Michael and Drew are discussing Batman/The Shadow 1, originally released April 26th, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Michael: Perspective is a key component of storytelling — both from the storytellers and the readers. A creator’s familiarity and appreciation of a character inform the story, as does the reader’s in their reception. In Batman/The Shadow 1 Scott Snyder and Steve Orlando pen a story of Batman investigating the mystery of The Shadow. I’m not super familiar with The Shadow so I shared Batman’s POV: as he learned more about The Shadow, so did I. Continue reading →

Apr 28 2017

Wonder Woman 21

Today, Mark and Spencer are discussing Wonder Woman 21, originally released April 26th, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Mark: Wonder Woman 21 is a showcase for the whole of Wonder Woman — from her physical strength to her compassion for those in need — that continues Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp, and company’s holistic rehabilitation of the character. And after Diana has taken the backseat in the past few even-numbered issues, it feels appropriate to have her front-and-center as the narrative loop begins to close. Continue reading →

Apr 27 2017

DC Round-Up: Comics Released 4/26/17


How many Batman books is too many Batman books? Depending on who you ask there ain’t no such thing! We try to stay up on what’s going on at DC, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of DC Comics. Today, we’re discussing Batgirl 10, The Flash 21, and Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps 19. Also, we will be discussing Wonder Woman 21 on Friday and Batman and the Shadow 1 on Monday. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

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Apr 26 2017

Super Sons 3

Today, Michael and Patrick are discussing Super Sons 3, originally released April 19th, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Michael: Super Sons 3 picks up where we last left our boy wonders: Robin vs. Superman and Superboy vs. Batman. The pair quickly discover that they are not fighting their superdads, but instead robot duplicates. Despite their best efforts and hero poses, they prove unsuccessful in taking down their robodads without the help of Sara Duffy — you know, of the short-lived Super Duffys. After the events of Justice League’s “The Amazo Virus,” the Duffys were one of the three percent of the population that kept their superpowers. Following a brief stint of an Incredibles-esque family super team, Sara’s brother Reggie aka “Kid Amazo” went nuts and made his family the hostages we saw in previous issues of Super Sons. Continue reading →

Apr 21 2017

Batman 21

Alternating Currents: Batman 21, Drew and Mark

Today, Drew and Mark are discussing Batman 21, originally released April 19th, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Drew: I was late getting into comics, so by the time I first read Watchmen, its cynical tone and psychologically nuanced characters weren’t the subversive breath of fresh air they were in 1986. Indeed, in the wake of Watchmen‘s success, publishers pumped out plenty of imitators over the past 30 years, but mostly by replicating the tone and approach to characters (honestly, I’ve read so many deconstructions of superheroes at this point, I’m not sure I have any ideas about them left to deconstruct). For this reason, the tone and characters of Watchmen have always struck me as well-done, but largely unremarkable — and before you sound off in the comments, I can assure you I understand how ahistorical this perspective is, but it’s how I feel. But I still love Watchmen deeply because of its formal perfection. While its idiosyncratic aesthetic may make declaring “perfection” highly subjective (or at least qualifies it with some serious “apples and oranges” hedging), I’m still in awe of its disciplined layouts, masterful pacing, and rich details. Continue reading →

Apr 20 2017

DC Round-Up: Comics Released 4/19/17


How many Batman books is too many Batman books? Depending on who you ask there ain’t no such thing! We try to stay up on what’s going on at DC, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of DC Comics. Today, we’re discussing All-Star Batman 9, Green Arrow 21, Green Lanterns 21, Superman 21 and Wild Storm 3. Also, we’ll be discussing Batman 21 on Friday and Super Sons 3 on Wednesday, so come back for that! As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

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Apr 18 2017

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps 18

Today, Michael and Patrick are discussing Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps 18, originally released February 22nd, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Michael: I think that Robert Venditti’s joining of the Green Lantern Corps with the Sinestro Corps will be a defining moment in the writer’s run on both Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps – and the Green Lantern mythos in general. It takes the “unlikely alliance” angle between a hero and villain and heightens it to the level of two opposing armies joining forces for the first time in their history. With such a wealth of diverse characters from both sides, the Sinestro Corps/Green Lantern Corps union promises to bring plenty of interesting character shakeups. Continue reading →

Apr 14 2017

DC Round-Up: Comics Released 4/12/17


How many Batman books is too many Batman books? Depending on who you ask there ain’t no such thing! We try to stay up on what’s going on at DC, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of DC Comics. Today, we’re discussing The Flash 20, New Super-Man 10 and Wonder Woman 20. Also, we discussed Gotham Academy Second Semester 8 yesterday and will be discussing Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps 18 on Tuesday. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

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Apr 13 2017

Gotham Academy: Second Semester 8

Today, Taylor and Drew are discussing Gotham Academy: Second Semester 8, originally released April 12th, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Taylor: The history of a place has a weird way of informing its present. Take the city of Chicago, for example: well known for gangsters and crime in the roaring ’20s, Chicago is well-known these days for an epidemic of gang related violence. On the flip side, New York was a bastion for immigrants early in its history and that holds true today in the modern era of xenophobia. While not all locations are tied to their past in such apparent ways, history has a curious way of making itself known in the present. Such is true in Second Semester 8, when the ghosts of Gotham’s past, both figurative and literal, collude to threaten the city once more.
Continue reading →

Apr 12 2017

Batman 20

Today, Michael and Drew are discussing Batman 20, originally released April 5th, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Michael: I have been beyond impressed with Tom King and David Finch’s “I Am Bane” — an arc that contextualizes every issue of Batman that can before it. Previously I wasn’t won over with King’s take on the Dark Knight but “I Am Bane” makes me ready and willing to see where he takes the character next. Continue reading →