It’s only DC Comics this week, after the glut of Marvel last week. I wanted to read more than the three I ended up reading, but Tears of the Kingdom is a h ell of a drug. We’ve got new Green Arrow and Justice Society, at least.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Nightwing #104 because I am nothing if not predictable. It’s also a really fun comic.

Meanwhile, I’ve been playing the heck out of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and I plan to continue for the long, foreseeable future. I’ll maybe spend the whole summer with that game. Beyond that, uh, I watched that new season of the Great American Baking Show…on the side of Zelda, so I wasn’t paying my full attention. And I’m right now watching the latest season of Mythic Quest. So yeah, I’m a busy guy. Zelda.

Comic Reviews: Green Arrow #2, Justice Society of America #4 and Nightwing #104.

Green Arrow #2
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Sean Izaakse
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Troy Peteri

I’m definitely still on board with this fun-written comic.

Green Arrow is trapped on an alien planet, and he’s unwilling to tell anybody why he won’t just go back to Earth. He’s still fighting crime, only this time against alien gangsters with sexy hired help. He gets into a fight with a femme fatale and is saved by Lian. Then the two of them get teleported somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Black Canary team up to track down Amanda Waller, and are instead headed off by Peacemaker and a lady version, apparently called Peacewrecker.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

This Green Arrow relaunch is still rather opaque in terms of overall story and big picture, but that has not stopped me from enjoying the first two issues. The main character is lost on some alien planet with no real foundation to ground him in what we’re reading, but Williamson writes a fun Ollie Queen and that counts for a lot. It helps that Ollie has Lian, his pseudo-granddaughter/niece, to use as a sidekick/foil. The two of them work well together and their fight with their foe is really fun to read. Again, the foe and the criminals don’t really mean anything, but it’s a lively fight that feels specific to Green Arrow. I like that, and I liked the issue.

Meanwhile, the other storyline is also very opaque because I have no idea what’s going on with Amanda Waller these days. Arsenal and Black Canary don’t get as much time to banter and quip, but I bet they’d be really fun together. What we do see is fun, and I definitely feel for Roy as he gears up to take back his daughter. But, again, I have no idea where Amanda Waller is or how one goes about seeing her, so the stakes of this storyline aren’t as strong as they could be. I assume Waller is up to all sorts of mischief in the greater DC Universe, but there’s only hints of it in this issue.

Still, the writing is really fun and the artwork is perfection, so it’s an enjoyable comic all around and I’m definitely coming back for more.

TL;DR: The storylines lack solid firmament, but the overall quality of the writing, character work and art make this an enjoyable comic to check out.

Justice Society of America #4
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Mikel Janin and Jerry Ordway
Colorists: Jordie Bellaire and John Kalisz
Letterer: Rob Leigh

As I’ve mentioned before, this series is probably best read in collected editions. What happened to all those cool lost characters that Johns teased in the promotional material?

The Justice Society take on Degaton, but he’s one step ahead of all of them — except Helena. Whatever power he’s got that allows him to know everybody’s movements, Helena is a blind spot and she shoots off his finger. Dr. Fate is also a blind spot and he attacks, with Degaton fleeing to visit his past/future self. They need a better plan. Meanwhile, the Justice Society regroups to figure out their next move. Helena decides that her next move is visiting her father in Gotha City.

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

The art is perfect and the writing is strong, but nothing much is happening storywise to really drive this series or this issue specifically. There’s a face off, the bad guy retreats for a bit, and then various characters suss out some facts in the aftermath. I don’t really feel like anything is connecting in an emotional way. I liked the end, when Huntress sneaks away to go visit her dad in this timeline, but that’s probably only because Mikel Janin draws an awesome Batman. He draws a great everybody, of course, but Batman is always fun. All of the character work is pretty strong. I like seeing these characters interact. But the bigger picture story isn’t doing anything for me, especially not in this issue.

TL;DR: Not a lot happens to further an already sparse bigger picture narrative, even if the character writing and artwork remain very strong.

Nightwing #104
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Travis Moore
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Wes Abbott

This fun little storyline wraps up in an excellent way, and I am pleased.

Neron has given Nightwing super-powers for a 2-hour time limit, and Nightwing uses them to go save a bunch a things around the world, including his friends fighting super-villains on Themyscira. He also visits with Flash and Superman, now that he can match them on their levels. Superman gives him a nice pep talk. Neron then sends a whole army of demons to get Olivia, so Nightwing faces off against him, his powers now gone. Nightwing uses a last bit of magical charge from Nite-Mite to send the villain packing, and Raven later visits Neron in Hell to stop him for good.

Meanwhile, the Amazons of Themyscira have agreed to take in Olivia, who has chosen the superhero name “Nightbuster.”

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

Nightwing is a fun comic that celebrates its hero and his whole circle of people, and this issue is a fine example. Taylor comes up with an interesting way to give Nightwing super-powers, and I love how he uses those powers to not only help people, but also connect with his super-powered friends in ways he couldn’t before. That’s a really nice touch, and it leads to a very nice scene with Superman. Part of me wondered if Nightwing would actually do anything with those powers, since they were obviously a trap. But Taylor delivered on both the trap and the character stuff, so it really worked for me.

It’s a simple but effective exploration of his character, and that’s the heart of this comic. As is how devilishly charming and friendly Dick is, which this issue also shows off. He’s effortless with his friends, and with helping Olivia. It’s so enjoyable that so much is pushed to the side, like a demon invasion. The supporting characters got it well in hand. Nightwing can star. And the art by Travis Moore is just as perfect. Clean lines, great colors, everybody looks awesome and the Nightwing super-costume is an excellent design.

TL;DR: A lot of fun is had in the playground that is this series.

The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I grab from Comixology any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments.

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