My readership numbers have been going down lately. Is anybody actually reading and enjoying these reviews? I know I don’t have any particularly interesting insights, but I do enjoy talking about comics. Including ThunderCats and Transformers!

Comic Book of the Week is Action Comics #1064, kicking off an awesome new Superman story that was teased some time ago.

Meanwhile, I’m still recovering from Episode 5 of X-Men ’97. Holy heck this show is good! And i’ve started watching Fallout, which is awesome. We’re feasting good these days! In the video game world, a friend of mine got me onto Evil Genius 2, which is a fun base-builder. It’s a nice game to lose a couple hours to.

Comic Reviews: Action Comics #1064, ThunderCats #3 and Transformers #7.

Action Comics #1064
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

For some reason, House of Brainiac is going to crossover into Action Comics for an issue or two, instead of just staying in Superman. Fine by me.

It’s a lovely day in Metropolis and Lois Lane has taken this very special day off from work to join Clark, Jimmy and Jimmy’s girlfriend, Siobhan, for some yoga in the park. Why is it a very special day? We don’t get to find out, because suddenly Metropolis is under siege by an army of Czarnian warriors and Brainiac robots! It’s all hands on deck as they fight to protect people, but the bad guys are here to kidnap all the members of the Super-Family, Luthor and a bunch of other super-powered figures in the city. Brainiac has been planning this for some time and has a history with Lex Luthor that possibly led tot his. Plus some other surprises!

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.

I’ve been very much looking forward to this storyline ever since it was teased several issues back. I love love LOVE the idea that Brainiac has had a bottled Czarnian city this whole time! And now we’ve got a whole army of Lobo’s people to contend with. He’s always been hailed as the last of his kind, having killed all the rest. And when was the last time Lobo was popular or relevant? This could be a really awesome way to revitalize the character and pit him against some truly badass enemies. Plus, of course, these are some truly badass enemies for Superman and his family to take on! Right now, they’re all just Lobo-lite copies, so hopefully the Czarnians get some better characterization and development. But for right now, they’re an awesome enemy force!

This is an excellent starting issue for the new story. We get a lot of great character moments as Lois makes her way through the city on a morning jog, and meets up with her friends and loved ones for yoga in the park. I love that Siobhan is a legit part of the friendly crew now. And I love the tease that there’s something special about this specific day that we’ll hopefully find out later. Then all hell breaks loose in an awesome sequence, and we get everybody fighting the good fight against the dangerous waves of enemies. It’s quite excellent, and Sandoval doesn’t miss a beat drawing the whole, massive encounter!

TL;DR: As with the rest of Williamson’s Superman, this comic is the whole package. It’s got great character moments, a ton of set-up and then a really big, really awesome battle sequence. And this is only the beginning!

ThunderCats #3
Writer: Declan Shalvey
Artist: Drew Moss
Colorist Martina Pignedoli
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

How does everybody know to call this new planet ‘Third Earth’?

When he tries to use the Sword of Omens, Lion-O opens up a mysterious door and Snarf jumps out. Snarf is his pet and protector, and they communicate telepathically. Snarf was tasked by Lion-O’s father to guard a magic treasure room, which is where the door leads. There are many mysteries abound. Lion-O and Panthra get into an argument about Calica, leading Panthra to strike down Lion-O, so Cheetarah challenges him to a Thunder-Duel to settle all this suspicion! It’s a nice fight and Cheetarah wins.

Meanwhile, Mumm-Ra continues to argue with Jaga’s ghost, which remains silent. And we find out that Slythe was captured by classic character Monkian.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Personally, I haven’t really been feeling ThunderCats. But it’s still a strongly written, well drawn comic that seems to know exactly what it’s trying to do and what it’s going for. It’s a confident comic that is definitely having fun. I don’t have any memory of the original show, though I know I watched it sometimes. A Google search has told me that Monkian was totally a major character who appeared in a ton of episodes. Good for him! As for this issue itself, it’s a strong one. We’ve got Snarf, and we’ve got a solid explanation for why he’s not just going to be saying, “Snarf! Snarf!” all the time, like in the show. That’s probably for the best. Shalvey then tackles the dispute between Lion-O and Panthra head on in a really entertaining way, with this Thunder-Duel. We get a peek into Thundarian culture and a cool fight scene at the same time.

I especially liked how cool Panthra was about abiding by the terms of the duel afterwards. Everybody acted like adults and settled this matter, even while Lion-O still acts rather childish sometimes. It’s a fun dynamic and makes for good storytelling. I also really like how we’re following the random adventures of Slythe on the side. He’s a hoot of a character and is getting up to all the weird mischief our main cast can’t. I’m digging that, for sure! I’m not really feeling the stuff with Mumm-Ra and Jaga, and I think the series would do better without it. Let’s build to Mumm-Ra instead of having him appear in every issue to just sorta whine at a ghost with no clear purpose yet.

TL;DR: The story is moving along nicely, in ways that aren’t easily predictable. There are a lot of interesting facets to explore and so much more can happen.

Transformers #7
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artist: Jorge Corona
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton

New arc, new artist, same good comic.

We start on Cybertron, where a handful of Autobots sacrifice themselves so that Elita can find the remains of some stripped down robot. On Earth, the Decepticons have retreated and Soundwave challenges Starscream for leadership, then promptly kicks his ass and probably kills him. So new leadership there. And the Autobots are trying to recover and deal with the complex emotions of their new human pals.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Good.

Obviously, the big moment of this issue is Soundwave vs. Starscream, and it’s awesome. I’m a little surprised at how early and readily they dispose of Starscream, to the extent that I’m sure we’ll see him again. But it’s a brutal, awesome fight, and this new artist, Corona, does not miss a beat. It’s not just a great fight, but it’s got fun dialogue as well. So to kick off the next chapter for the Decepticons, this works excellently.

The Autobots also get a good kick off to their next chapter. They don’t fight for leadership, they instead have to deal with their humans. Spike is sad about his dad, and Carly is angry about her dad, and it shows in both of them. It’s also a little funny at how the Autobots struggle to contend with both types of emotions. So the character strength is still there. And again, as much as Daniel Warren Johnson is an amazing artist, they’ve found a solid replacement. It doesn’t hold the issue back.

TL;DR: The new artist doesn’t slow anything down because the story is still fun and moves merrily along.

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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