Mar 23 2012

Nightwing 7

Today, Patrick and Peter are discussing Nightwing 7, originally released March 21st, 2012.

Patrick: Drew and I like identifying themes. Oh the curse of the liberally educated! When we first started this comic-review-practice, we both quickly picked out the theme of “you can never go back” from the pages of Nightwing. It’s a potent concept and one that hits double-hard for recent college grads that insist and transplanting themselves thousands of miles away from their friends an families. Boo hoo, Patrick, we all have problems. Since our initial 3-issue write-up, the thematic and narrative focuses have broadened, usually to the detriment of the storytelling. But Nightwing #7 reclaims the series’ former glory by addressing its central mystery and staying emotionally on-point. Oh and a cameo from the Batman don’t hurt none, either.

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Mar 22 2012

Batman 7

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batman 6, originally released February 15th, 2012.

Drew: Batman 7 begins in a pivotal moment in Bruce’s history; as he sits, broken and bleeding in his own library, considering the bat that has just broken through the window and lit on his father’s bust. It feels like familiar territory, but as the bat flies off into the night, creating an oh-so-familiar silhouette against the full moon, something…changes. Continue reading →

Mar 22 2012

Wonder Woman 7

Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing Wonder Woman 7, originally released March 21st, 2012.

Shelby: The Greek gods were the comic book superheroes of the ancient world. They are depicted in prose and art. Their stories were used to teach lessons and explain the world, and were filled with action, drama, and intrigue. They have convoluted origin stories and multiple lines of continuity. Is it really any wonder Brian Azzarello has tapped into this rich vein of golden characters to tell Wonder Woman’s latest adventure?
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Mar 21 2012

Captain Atom 1-6

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Captain Atom, originally released September 21st, 2011, October 19th, 2011, November 16th, 2011, December 21st 2011, January 18th 2012, and February 15th, 2012.

Drew: Early in the second issue of Captain Atom, our hero, Nathaniel Adam, is immobilized by an overwhelming barrage of data. Replace “data” with “references,” and you more or less have a description of my experience with this title. This may very well be the most post-modern title of the New 52, which should say a lot to anyone who has read any of Grant Morrison’s run on Action Comics. To be fair, writers J.T. Krul and Freddie Williams II make those allusions largely explicit, so when I describe the book as “Dr. Manhattan by way of Top Gun with a little of John Carpenter’s The Thing and just a hint of Beauty and the Beast,” it’s not meant as a glib dismissal, but a frank (and efficient) summary of the tone it’s going for. Continue reading →

Mar 20 2012

Deathstroke 7

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Deathstroke 7, originally released March 14th, 2012.

Peter: Sometimes I would kind of like to see comic book story lines not follow the expected progression. Most of the time, after about the first half of a story arc, you can guess what is about to happen; maybe not the specifics, but you can pretty much figure it out. That’s what I thought was going to happen with Deathstroke. I figured, “How hard could it be?” he’s an assassin. He kills people. He gets paid. Sometimes he takes on superheroes…for money, or personal benefit. So really I thought I had this all figured out, and then I read Deathstroke 7. As it turns out, I had nothing figured out, and you know what? I am extremely okay with that. Continue reading →

Mar 19 2012

Green Lantern 7


Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Green Lantern 7, originally released March 14, 2012.

Patrick: Remember the incredibly short-lived television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? I watched the Pilot and maybe the two episodes that followed, but gave up on it pretty quickly thereafter. It just wasn’t especially good television and I don’t really care about the Terminator franchise. Even still, there was this lingering feeling that maybe I gave up on it too early because I resented seeing Summer Glau as anyone but River Tam. But I knew I made the right decision a few weeks later when the promo for the new episode used the the following line to tease a reveal: “You won’t believe what they find in the box.” If I won’t believe it, then just show it to me and let me not believe it – there’s nothing that kills my hard-on for mysteries like saying “OH MY GOD, LOOK HOW MYSTERIOUS THIS IS.” With that little bit of background, let’s dig into “The Secret of the Indigo Tribe (Part 1).” Continue reading →

Mar 16 2012

Batman and Robin 7

Today, Peter and Drew are discussing Batman and Robin 7, originally released March 14th 2012.

Peter: This is it. I have been waiting several months for this story to come to fruition, and it is finally upon us. Batman vs. Nobody. Bruce Wayne vs. Morgan Ducard. This is a Bruce unlike any we have EVER seen before; not once in his entire history has Bruce been faced with losing is own flesh and blood. Sure Dick, Jason, Tim and Cassandra are his children; he adopted them, but never before has he had a biological son to lose. Based on the cover alone, I can guess that this is going to be a wild ride. I mean, when was the last time you saw and image of Batman that was so menacing, or so scary? I mean he is about to rip into Morgan with not one, but 14 knives sticking out of his back. Is this Batman going bat-shit crazy? Continue reading →

Mar 15 2012

Batwoman 7

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batwoman 7, originally released March 14th 2012.

Drew: Last month, Batwoman kicked off its “To Drown the World” arc,  separating the action into six  separate times and perspectives: Batwoman’s, Jacob’s, Kate’s, Maro’s, Maggie’s, and Chase’s. It’s an interesting gambit, but one that makes assessing individual issues quite difficult. Each mini-story only has a few pages devoted to it each issue, which means they don’t have time for more than one or two story beats. I’m not entirely certain why the story is being told this way, but I have faith that writers J.H. Williams and W. Handen Blackman will more than justify breaking the story up in this way. Until that happens, though, these issues are a little frustrating in terms of how little each story moves. Continue reading →

Mar 15 2012

Batgirl 7

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Batgirl 7, originally released March 14th 2012.

Shelby: I am the only ladywriter here at Retcon Punch. I’m certainly not trying to minimize the “ladyness” of some of the other writers; I think Patrick and Drew may be bigger feminists than I am. Feminists or not, I think being the ladywriter gives me a certain empathetic view point when it comes to reading about our lady heroes. Or, it would if I thought I could at all relate to these metahuman women, running around with their tights and boob windows. Enter: Barbara Gordon. She has the same sort of inner monologue that I have; she doubts herself, she’s unsure, she’s conflicted. Of course, she’s got much bigger inner fears and issues than I do, but I can understand her. And that is why I love reading about her.

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