I’m in a very easy going mood this week when it comes to comics. Had a lot of really enjoyable readsthis week. Nothing really blew my mind, but they were fun reads nonetheless, like new issues of Batman and G.O.D.S.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Transformers #2 because it was a solid issue, though I think all of the comics I read this week were equally good reads. It was a bit of a coin flip this week.

Meanwhile, I beat Spider-Man 2 and very much enjoyed the game. The only real detraction I have is that it felt short and light. I probably could have beat it much faster than I did. I think these games should come out more frequently, just by reusing the map and character elements already created. Beyond that, I saw The Marvels opening night and very much enjoyed the film. To hell with the haters! Come back on Wednesday for my thoughts and full review on The Marvels.

Comic Reviews: Batman #139, Birds of Prey #3, G.O.D.S. #2 and Transformers #2.

Batman #139
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Gotham War is over and now it’s back to our regularly scheduled Batman comics, though a lot has changed.

Batman is on his own, cut off from all allies and resources. But he still goes out to fight crime, and is working to track down the Joker. A murder scene and a Joker set-up lead him to an old mansion, and some other Joker taunts. The villain knows Bruce’s true identity now, and he uses that to ill effect. When Batman finally finds Joker in the old house, the Joker convinces Zur-En-Arrh to come out to play instead.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

There was a lot I really enjoyed about this issue. I like the idea of a Batman completely cut off from his usual resources, and doing more guerrilla crimefighting. As much as I enjoy a rich Bruce Wayne and the Batcave and all that stuff, seeing Bruce with nothing and yet still fighting is cool. I only wish we had more time with that, but instead, it’s right on to a Joker story. Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of the Joker, and I’m very much over the idea of every new Batman writer whipping out some epic Joker story, where the Clown Prince of Crime is juuuuust soooo ahead of the game. But at least this time around, it’s a Joker who knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne. So he can use that in his Joker stuff, which can be fun, and is used to some OK effect in this issue.

Though it also annoys me if the idea is that Joker has hunted down and killed all the people that trained Bruce back when he was young. Thankfully, Zdarsky flips that on its head by having one of them actively escape the Joker in the issue. I liked that.

But those are my personal tastes, and they hopefully don’t impact my thoughts on this issue too much. It’s still a really fun issue where Batman gets into it to investigate a crime scene and follow the clues to the Joker’s secret lair. Granted, Joker expected him to be able to do that and was waiting for him to show up, but still, it was fun to read. And the art was perfection, because that’s how Jimenez rolls. So if you’re looking for a good Batman vs. Joker story, this one is off to a good start. And I’m looking forward to Zur-En-Arrh really coming out to play. This has been building for a while, and I’m in.

Though, again, how does Joker know about Zur-En-Arrh?

TL;DR: It’s Batman vs. the Joker by Zdarsky and Jimenez, so you already know it’s going to be pretty darn cool.

Birds of Prey #3
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Leonardo Romero
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Birds of Prey is off and running and it remains a really fun comic so far.

The Birds of Prey sneak onto Themyscira in the belly of a Megalodon, then split off into teams to find Sin. Dinah and Harley find her first, but Sin is confused as to why they need to rescue her in the first place. But their cover is blown and Black Canary radio’s Green Arrow, who’s job it is back in Washington to distract Wonder Woman. It doesn’t work very well and Wondy goes to Themyscira.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

Not as meaty an issue as the past two, but that’s fine. We’re well and truly into the story now, and this remains a fun comic. My only real complaint is that Harley Quinn talks way way way too much. I get that that’s her thing, but it’s crowding out every other character in this comic, including Black Canary. There are a lot of fun characters on this team, and they get some small scenes in which to show off. But Harley’s constant talking really crowds them out. Even when they split up and aren’t on page together, Harley still hogs the spotlight all the time.

But that doesn’t completely detract from the overall quality of the issue. This small team of really cool characters are on a specific mission, and now they’re in the thick of it. It’s good stuff, and the characters and artwork really shine. I really, really enjoyed the cutaway idea that Green Arrow was in place to distract Wonder Woman. I’m simply a little disappointed that he couldn’t hold her for too long. I know everybody worships Wonder Woman, but Green Arrow is no slouch, and the idea of the two facing off is pretty fresh and unique. What sort of relationship do they even have as colleagues? And I know Green Arrow isn’t a member of the Birds of Prey, but a legit confrontation between Diana and Ollie could have been a bigger, cooler moment.

TL;DR: One very talky Bird is crowding out the others in this ensemble comic, but it’s still a very fun read.

G.O.D.S. #2
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

I am fully on board with Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti just having their fun with this, though part of me thinks maybe they should have just done a Doctor Strange comic?

Wyn and his buddy Dimitri team up with Doctor Strange to investigate the villain, Cubisk Core. Strange casts some spells to reveal Cubisk’s true self, then they follow her to her ‘home’ in Georgia, which is a mystical Skinner Box created by the In-Betweener.

Meanwhile, the Centum needs to start recruiting, so Aiko goes out to recruit a young college student named Mia, who is gifted in magic. It’s a big sales pitch.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

This was an enjoyable read, with obviously very amazing artwork, but the issue as a whole was also a little too explainy instead of really capitalizing on the characters and concepts that were introduced in the first issue. Wyn and Dimitri take a clear back seat to Doctor Strange in their short portion of the story, and then most of the issue is taken up by Aiko recruiting Mia. And that recruitment scene is mostly spent just taking Mia on a couple long-winded tours through a bunch of higgledy piggledy magic stuff. She talks in generally vague points about what Mia’s magic means and doesn’t actually do much to explore or explain the Centum any more than the first issue. And, quite frankly, we don’t get to know Mia very well either. All the time is spent with Aiko talking to her instead of with her.

Still, the writing is strong and easy to follow, and the artwork is to die for. So it’s an overall very good read.

TL;DR: This is still a strong comic, but this second issue doesn’t do enough to capitalize on all the new concepts and characters that were introduced in the first issue.

Transformers #2
Writer and Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooten

I am very eager for this series to be good, and it’s off to a solid start.

Spike and Optimus Prime sit down for a chat comparing worlds and filling in backstory, while Cliffjumper gets up and running. Ratchet explains that they need a lot more Energon to get everybody else going as well. Meanwhile, the Decepticons waste no time in taking over the energy plant where Spike’s dad works, and they waste no time in squishing humans. Starscream gets into a dogfight with a fighter jet, which just so happened to be carrying Duke from G.I. Joe. In the end, we find out that Carly’s dad was the guy that Starscream killed in the previous issue.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

My feeling remains from the first issue that this isn’t anything truly unique or special. It’s the standard Transformers characters doing standard Transformers things. It’s new to me, because I haven’t read any other Transformers comics, but I still feel like this isn’t very new or original overall. It’s just the Transformers doing Transformers things. But I will do my best to put that train of thought behind me, because it’s not fair to review this comic from that lens. How is this comic on its own? It’s good! The characters are really coming into their own, and time is being taken to stop and smell the roses. I very much enjoyed the scene where Optimus and Spike just sit down and talk to one another.

Likewise, we get some solid character movement from the likes of Cliffjumper and Carly (that reveal at the end about her dad is a good gut punch), and then the villains really get a lot of time to shine. And the artwork by Johnson is, of course, spectacular. So the comic is a solid package, and this issue delivers nicely on what was set up in the first issue. I’m just not all together hooked in yet to the larger Energon Universe. I have no clue how this is going to tie into Void Rivals, or even why it should. At least Duke got a nifty introduction…if anybody actually cares about Duke. Do people care about Duke?!

I refuse to believe that.

TL;DR: A good second issue builds nicely on the first, while fleshing out the characters and building out the larger world. Though I still don’t think it’s telling a particularly new or unique Transformers story.

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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